Eat your heart out David Letterman (and Merry Christmas too I guess) :)

Merry Christmas!! (Well almost!) So we are posting this Christmas Eve night, and it's a great time to look back over the happenings of this past year. It really has been one of those years that we won't ever forget. So in the grand tradition that I started back in my days of living at Campus Plaza, here is my TOP TEN REASONS THE SAVAGES ROCKED 2007 (I dedicate this to all of my former BYU roomies lol)

10. I used a sewing machine, and it didn't break. Anyone that knows me, knows what an achievement this is. Right now, my mother is crying tears of joy and disbelief. Merry Christmas Mom. :)
9. We officially discovered DVR/TiVo. This was kind of on accident. I told the cable people that we didn't want it, and then they called back (when I wasn't around) and talked John into it. It's the best five dollars we spend every month (especially since we could cancel our more expensive Blockbuster.com account and still have tons to watch). The only problem is that I now think that Oprah is my best friend, and I have three weeks of back-logged Design on a Dime. It's enough to make you go cold turkey on the HGTV channel.
8. Of more recent note is the fact that John's brother Joey entered the MTC. This was big news for us because a. John talked to him all the time online and is now looking for a substitute best friend for two years, and b. please leave your applications on this blog. All entries will be considered.
7. Since we're talking about brothers, mine had a baby this year. Robyn Melissa Fisk was born in February and introduced us to the exciting world of cute babies and seeing from the outside what lack of sleep can do to you. We thought we were prepared. HA! lol
6. And just to be random, we also bought our very first artificial christmas tree. It hurt us spiritually, but we did it anyway. We didn't want Madeline (who you don't know because she hasn't made the list yet) to eat pine cones/needles. But since it was a very cheap tree, we aren't feeling too badly about it. Sorry Al Gore. We'll go green next year.
5. Being sick and pregnant. Enough said. It wasn't fun, but it happened, and I'm so glad it's over! (As are all of the five people of my Tmobile Five Fav's list who got sick of hearing me complain without the excuse that my minutes might be running low).
4. Now here's a doozy that not many people can say. The day before my due date (I'm over it I swear...almost) my sister got married to her RM. What else is pretty exciting, she is also pregnant this year too. So on the sister front, it's been an eventful year! (After this year I will never be surprised again when we talk on the phone lol. Love you Kelly!)
3. I couldn't have this list and leave out my extended hospital stay (due to complications after Madeline) AND then having to move the day after I got out of the ICU. Basically my worst idea ever. My family deserves an Academy Award for Best Action, Drama, and Comedy of Errors for helping us that week. We love you guys!
2. We bought a house. I still can't believe it, but they let us paint on the walls any time we want. We moved to Tooele because traffic-wise it's the same time to drive out here that it took to drive to our apartment in Cottonwood Heights (and almost same price)! We love our new ward, newfound friends, and local establishments (such as a great drive-in movie theater, adorable second-hand shop for kids clothes, and great community indoor pool).
and now, for the number one reason we rocked 2007, can I get a drumroll please??........
1. Madeline Emma Savage, born June 23, 2007. The very best part of our year. With her infectious grins, lovely long lashes, insatiable curiosity, and big blue eyes-we love our little Maddy.

It's been a great year. We love you all and wish you an exciting 2008!
Love, The Savages

Santa Bear or Satan Bear???

Well we have been very busy. I have lots of pictures I want to upload, so we'll see how far I get because I'm also quite tired! First of all however, we must show off the funniest video of Madeline known to exist. Here's the background: We went to visit my brother and his wife for a second after we dropped John's brother Joey off at the MTC (he's going to have a picture below. He's going to the Australia Sydney North Mission) and when we walked in, I immediately noticed the mantel. On their mantel was the dilapidated bear that my younger brother has cherished since he received it when he was about six or so years old. It has a Santa hat on it, and is actually quite cute. I was approaching said bear when all of the sudden Madeline had a VERY unexpected reaction. It was so funny that we got out the camera to torture her again (mostly to see if she would react the same way). Lucky for us, she did! So for your viewing pleasure, click the video below. :) (And yes, I'm fairly sure we've scarred her for life). I think that means we're true parents now! lol

So before I forget, here is a picture of Elder Savage. John is very proud and is going to miss his brother a lot. We all are. He was quite the funny guy. So in his honor, here he is with his dork dot and big missionary grin.



Okay, now for the great pictures. With John's brother heading off for the mission field, I asked Missy if she would be willing to do a little family photo shoot to capture the Savage family before everyone started really going their separate ways. Missy did an awesome job! Here are just a few of my favorites (and can I say it was really seriously hard to choose??? Oh, and can I also say that Maddy looks like a Gap baby ad? Yeah, if that's not motherly bragging, I don't know what is! But shameless I am likely to remain until she is not so darn cute anymore!) So without further ado here are my favorites!



















































































I also wanted to post some funny bath pictures of Madeline. Now there may be some people that object to placing bath pictures of babies on blogs. I disagree, especially since she is completely modest for a baby in the pictures. What is so cute is that it is the first time that she has had a rubber ducky in the bath. So what did she decide to do? What any self-respecting six month old would do...suck on it! lol. She somehow managed to prop it on her foot and suck and chew on the beak. It was so funny looking that we had to take a picture. So for your viewing pleasure, the series we call "Suck a Duck."
















Here is a picture of Madeline and her cousin Robyn. Doesn't Maddy look so vary wary? LoL. Funny stuff.







Okay, well that is a lot of pictures! But I tend to like to get them posted before I forget about them. We have been having lots of fun lately, although we are a little tired from all of the activities. But before I finish I have to say that Madeline is getting two new cousins (I'm not sure if I have permission to tell on my blog yet what their genders are respectively) but I do know, and I'm excited!! We found out both of them today! I also heard the great news that my younger brother Bryan got his dream job in Syracuse New York (Congrats again Bryan!! We're so proud and happy for you, seriously!) working with submarines as an Electrical Engineer when he graduates in the Spring from BYU. So this Christmas season our family has been very blessed and we're so happy for everyone! I hope everyone else is having as much fun and happiness this Christmas!

Good Gifts

So I thought I would get on here really quick and write something short. (ha you say, well I know my reputation, but we'll see!)
So I finally got my ring! It has thrilled me to no end to have it on my hand making me look unavailable again! As I was thinking about how much my ring meant to me, I started thinking about the story of the Gift of the Magi. Have you ever read it? It's not long, but it's of course wonderful story to read at Christmas because it reminds me of what Christmas should really be about. More about love and giving than about the glitz or abundance of presents. The story makes a point to say that when we love one another like these two loved each other and are willing to sacrifice so much for the other person, then we are like the magi, who gave gifts of worth to the Christ child. So I am thinking of what my gift could be and wondered if anyone else has a tradition of something that they do to honor the Savior during this time of year--some sort of gift they give to him? It's probably a personal question to ask, so I don't mind if you don't want to share your own, but if you have ideas, I think this is a wonderful thing to share with everyone!

Ho! Ho! Hum

Okay, so this posting really isn't going to be exciting to anyone that is outside of the grandma club. So be forewarned. I was told by a grandma that wishes to remain anonymous that there wasn't enough "small-sized people" on this blog, and I took that as a humble rebuke to get pictures and stories of the cutest member of the Savage clan up here soon! So here they are. Including (drumroll please) Maddy's first picture with Santa! Ahhh, isn't she so cute! And so indifferent! lol. I'm sure next year she'll give us the scream we crave!


Here is Maddy and Mom showing off our ward Christmas party duds. And yes, I did make her wear the hat the WHOLE night. And yes, I'll admit that she looks a little like a scottish laddy. That was the Christmas look we were going for in fact. So good for you for figuring it out.

Now here's Daddy and Madeline. She's sporting a smile, and John is, unfortunately for him, sporting some leftover Creamy Coconut Macaroon chocolate on his lip. Sorry honey, I swear I didn't notice..... :)





Okay, and here is the last holiday photo for this post (but not last photo!) Of me and Maddy after a long day of gingerbreadin'. Yeah, can you tell that we bought a box of pre-made materials, including a plastic bag of premade icing. I love technology. (Can gingerbread be technological?!)
Oh, I would also like to point out that this is usually how Madeline and I look after spending all day together. I usually have several unsightly stains on my shirt, both of our hair look nappy, and we're just happy to make it to the dessert portion of the day. Oh yeah.








Now here are some everyday shots. This is the oh-so-thrilling shot of Maddy eating solids (that's right grandmas, solids!) for the first time in her "new to this baby" high chair. Another great Mom victory from craigslist for twenty bucks. We love it. It folds up in the corner and can adjust heights for the table. Again with that amazing baby technology! (Now if only that Diaper Genie was REALLY a genie...then we'd be talking! I got a few wishes about diapers I'd like to talk over with him!)



Now here's Maddy in the chair she used for eating before her high chair. It's official name, I kid you not, was a bumbo chair. It's official insignia had a elephant. You be the judge disney...you be the judge.
Anyway, here she is gnawing on a teething biscuit (right before those pearly whites made their long-awaited/cried out appearance) and having the time of her life. When she started chewing on this thing and realized that it had a delicious cookie-esque flavor, I kid you not, she started giggling! lol. Yep, she is definitely our kid.








Below is just a cute picture of Maddy in her playpen. Doesn't it make you grandma's want to visit while she's still immobile and adorable?? Think it over!

Okay, now here's a tribute to a non-grandma. This is my cute sister Kelly with her niece. Kelly was complaining, scratch that, noticing, that we didn't have any pictures of her and Maddy together. And you know what, I am really really horrible at this sort of thing. I have come to realize that I take my close family and friends for granted a bit when it comes to taking pictures. I mean, I don't have a single picture of my Mom and Madeline together, and my Mom was here helping us for a couple of weeks after Madeline was born (granted it was the craziest time of our lives with moving, baby, and the ICU visit) but still! (Do you have any Mom?) So I need to be much better at taking pictures of people that I see really often. Kelly is the best sister/aunt because she not only is constantly telling me how adorable Madeline and I both are (somehow it sounds believable when your sister tells you that you've definitely lost that baby weight lol) but she also has babysitted this little screamer quite a few times. We love you Kelly!


Okay, now you are into the home stretch. I have been pretty busy with my latest spray painting obsession. I bought this little cabinet at DI for four bucks. It has a crack on the front, but I felt that added to it's shabby chic appeal (and it's four dollar appeal honestly) so I picked it up, bought some paint that goes with my cool shower curtain, and made John into an official DIY'er by having him buy and install his first cabinet hardware (before there wasn't any hardware, it was our own little innovation). On a humorous note, I also had him help me figure out how to make the pillowcase for the square pillow. I sorry to say that since I figured it was probably made in a Malaysian sweatshop by a 12 year old in three minutes that I would be able to do it quite easily myself (*note to intellectually and morally minded people, I would not knowingly buy sweat shop products lol) but between John and myself and what we could make hourly, we figured out that in time labor alone this pillow ended up costing around 300 bucks lol! But isn't is great how it matches??? So worth it....almost. :)
So there you go. A whole month's worth of pictures. This month has been pretty busy so far and will probably continue that way. Hope everyone's having fun this December and trying to remember the true meaning of Christmas. I know I am--and intend to prove it by seeing the Chipmunk movie coming to a theater near you soon. lol :)

Non-Alcoholics Anonymous!

So are you are all wondering about the gorgeous ring to the left? Well that ring, in all of it's glory, is my wedding ring. What, you say, but I thought you didn't have a wedding ring! I've never seen one on your finger since you've moved to Tooele. That, sigh, my friends is the latest travesty in my life. Pregnancy made my fingers too fat for my ring, and then that spot on my hand that I had to get stitches for to remove was right on my ring finger as well. So now I haven't been able to wear my ring for many reasons. But my new goal this week is now that the stitches are gone I am going to any lengths to get my ring sized and back on my chubby anxious fingers pronto! There is something so weird about going into Walmart without your ring or husband or baby, and having a very unattractive old guy leer at you (this is not my imagination! Trust me, after Honduras, I know a thing or two about leering weird men!). So that has redoubled my efforts to not look available.

Speaking of Walmart, I have the funniest story to tell. I was looking to buy some non-alcholic cooking wine to make some fondue with for a special dinner I was making. I looked and asked at Macey's but they looked at me like I was weird for looking for non-alcoholic wine. So I went to Walmart and didn't want to ask again because of the strange looks I had received earlier, but in the end found a older lady. This time I decided to head off the strange look by saying, "I know this sounds really weird, but I am looking for non-alcoholic wine for cooking. Do you sell any here?" Without missing a beat she looked me in the eye and said, "Girl, you don't need to be ashamed of that. Why I've been a member of AA myself for eight years too!" LOL! It was sooo hard not to laugh, but she was so sweet about it that I managed to keep a straight face and say, "That's great!" So she proceeded to find the non-alcoholic wine for me and wanted to show me lots of other "AA friendly options" but I had to stop her due to time, and frankly, lack of necessity! Oh it was so funny.

And since I'm sharing funny stories, I'll tell one more that happened in Primary on Sunday. They invited the little nursery kids into sharing time for an almost "field trip" since they will be moving up in January. So these little kids were being so cute and reverent, while the older kids were being loud. The Primary President pointed out this fact and said, "I wonder why it is that the little kids are being so good and quiet and not the older kids?" And one of the older kids immediately quipped, "Maybe it's because they're new!" LoL. Aren't kids the funniest?