Savannah's First Word!

This was taped just three days after Savannah came to live with us. January 29th, 2007. I was so excited I quit taping! Hehe. It is still my favorite video of her. Enjoy!

Blessing Day

She wasn't in the mood for posing for photos, but here are the three best ones. She was so pretty in her new white dress. The blessing was lovely, she didn't squawk at all!

Present at the blessing were: Mummy, Daddy, Megan, Denver, Gramma Susan, Grampa Lamont, Auntie Amber, Sierra, Jackson, Pat, Uncle Ray, Auntie Jennifer, Logan, Colton, Jana, Dan, Ashlyn, Tyana, Tyler and Tyneal Ross, and Barbara, her first social worker.

Everyone came to the Chinese meal afterwards except for the Ross family and Barbara. They had to leave early as the roads were terrible. There was a big blizzard here today, well in all of Alberta.

Unable to attend because of the weather were: Gramma Jennie and Grampa Donald Johnston, Auntie Jillian, and Lee, her first foster Mother and Crystal, her social worker now. We hope to see them all sometime soon!

One year!

A year ago, Savannah arrived in our home! Tomorrow we finally get to give her a blessing at church! Wasn't she a cutie? She cried a bit, but mostly was pretty content and happy to be in our home.

Here she is a year later! Still a cutie. We went shopping at IKEA and Gramma Susan got her this tent. She had a blast in it.

Colton's First Visit!

Thursday, January 24th, 2006

This is Jennifer and Wally's new baby boy. Colton Harold Weir. Pretty cute, hey? He looks a lot like his daddy!

Here is Savannah playing in all her toys. She held Colton for a couple minutes and didn't want to let go! When we got him away from her she went to play and didn't worry about Colton anymore.

Gaffer decided Colton's carseat was a great soft place to sleep!

Our Little Helper, Making Salad!

This is today's videos

In this first video, Savannah does the best job.



I like this one because she is babbling while doing it!

Savannah, Mummy's Little Helper

I finally got this thing to work!!! You will just have to disregard the slight technical difficulties while filming. Here is Savannah helping out. She likes to do EVERYTHING we do. Enjoy!

You will have to turn off the music on the side to be able to hear this one properly, not that it is exciting or anything. This video was taken yesterday evening, about 11 hours after she had tubes put in her ears, she was fine as can be! She put a few other items in the cupboard before I thought to video tape her doing it! At the end what she does with her hands is the sign for all done.

Savannah's 1st Haircut

We went to a wedding last Saturday, the 12th of January, so Savannah HAD to have her bangs cut. This is the before photo!

These are the after photos.

Great job Mummy! Right on!

Her eyes are watery because she had an eye infection that we didn't have eye drops for yet. They are all better now.

Taylor

Taylor and her teddy bear. She is the 3 year old girl I babysit. This is my absolute favorite photo I have taken of her. It looks to me like a "Sears" professional photo. She is wearing Savannah's Christmas dress! It was a bit short, but pretty much fit her still.

After we took her photo we had to take one of her bear all dressed up too!

Flower

For those of you reading from here down, these are photos from our trip to California in July of 2005.

These are Mariposa Lilies
Calochortus leichtlinii
(Liliaceae)
Most of them were white

But we did find this one pink one. I'm guessing it had something to do with the soil.

These are some of my favorite photos from our trip.

This is a Shooting Star flower

Unfortunately I can't remember the name of this one. If I find it again I'll put it on here later.

This is the "meadow" where we found all of them. It was more like a bog, full of water. I walked way out on the log you can see to take photos. Almost fell in a time or two!

Photos from our California Trip in 2005

This is random photos from our trip to California in July 2005. I've had them saved as a draft for awhile, so I am finally going to get some stuff written about them and post it! There will be a couple more in the near future as well.

This was a really cool old-fashioned gas station. We didn't need gas, just stopped for some treats. I had to take a photo of the pumps though. In two weeks I took almost 600 photos! Thank goodness for digital cameras.

Neat foliage. Not sure what the plant is, but I really liked the look of it.

Purple flowers and Sequoia trees. It is quite common to see fallen Sequoia trees, they are often hollow in the middle.

Another Sequoia tree.

I believe this is called Coral Root. Just looked it up, this is what I found: "A snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea), one of the truly beautiful wildflowers of the Pacific United States. Like a fungus, it lacks chlorophyll and is nonphotosynthetic." If you'd like to read more about it, or it's relatives, you can find information at: http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljune97.htm

Adoption Finalized!

This is the email I sent out to everyone after we got the news.



Hello all,

So here's the story. We got a parcel notice on Christmas Eve that we had something to pick up at the Spruce Grove 7-11 store. It said it wouldn't be ready until after 5, but they closed at 4, so I went just before that. I was told it wouldn't be ready until Boxing Day. So yesterday (Boxing Day), Rick went there and was told it was in the system, but it wasn't there, so it must be at the other post office! The other post office was closed. So he went back again later and was told by a different girl that it was in the system, but hadn't been delivered to them yet. I think the post office system here is a big black hole! We get told stuff like that all the time.

Anyways, I went today at 1 p.m. It is the letter we have been waiting for. Savannah is officially Savannah Hope Phyllis H___!!!!! It is hard to say what day it was actually official. There are two different dates on the paper, one is the 14th, the other is the 17th. They didn't mail it until the 21st! It would have been so awesome to actually have gotten that on Christmas Eve! We will be going out to celebrate someday soon. Lots of turkey to eat today.

Next big thing, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and the rest of the sights around there, February 1st to 10th.

Talk to you soon,
Pamela, Rick, Megan, Denver and Savannah H___


Here's all the replies we got to it as well, in order of receipt:

Congrats guys! Too bad you didn't get it before Christmas though!!
Love Amber, Sierra and Jackson

Congrats! The Tinkerbell notebooks were the "welcome to the family" presents! :)
(From Michelle)

that's awesome about the adoption! Tracy (a friend I've know since preschool!)

Congrats!!!!!!!!! (From Angelynne)

Congrats! That is super exciting! That has to be one of the best christmas presents that you could ever get! I hope that you've had a great Christmas and that everyone is doing well. Shauna (a friend from Magrath)

How fabulous! ---------------------------
Your post office certainly leave something to be desired!
C (Auntie Connie)

Congratulations!!! I'm so glad you guys got that letter. I know you have been waiting a long time for that to come. I always check out your pictures that you put up. You and Rick have a very beautiful family!
Congratulations once again,Mindy (Melinda that lived with us in Olds)

Hi,Just wanted to say congratulations, I am so happy for you and your little family. Talk to you soon Gracemary

Congratulations! either way the date is not really important. As far as I am concerned Savannah has been a "H___" for over a year now! Enjoy the trip to Florida, we will think of you....dorothy (Auntie Dorothy)

Congratulations on your new addition to the family, how exciting. Sounds like you are a very busy girl. Auntie Leila

Yah Pam! I am so excited for you! I was very happy to read your status!!! Hope you had a good christmas! Mindy (a friend from Spruce Grove)

congrat that is great good to hear good new around the holidays
(Scott T______, Savannah's birth Uncle)

Congratulations!!! Hugs and kisses all around. You are truly blessed. You said that you got a parcel notice, what a parcel ! Happiness overflowing for all of you. Aunty Barbara, Uncle Ian. Timothy and Dorothy Margaret. Definitely a Happy New Year in the H___ household.

I heard it from you in person before I checked my email but....CONGRATULATIONS! It kinda made me tear up seeing it in print. (From Kim, a friend here)

So good that the papers are in now. Its amazing what a piece of paper represents these days. I great to see such a happy family (From Auntie Debbie T_____, Savannah's birth Aunt)

Congratulations Pam & Rick There will be no lack for activity in you home for many years to come.God Bless you ALLKim & Marlene

That's awesome news! Congratulations and I hope your Christmas and New Year celebrations were awesome as well! Thanks for the emails. Hope you have a great 2008!
Janice (A friend from Taber)


I am so glad that you guys are finally Savannah's parents. She is one special little girl. I don't think that any of us from Savannah's family could have asked for better parents for her. She is really blesed to have such a loving family as yours. Wishing you all the best in 2008. Angie (Savannah's Birth cousin)

Christmas 2007

So Christmas was pretty good this year. I was excited to see what Savannah thought of the whole thing. She loves all the decorations and Baby Jesus everywhere. Ripping the paper was her favorite part of the whole thing though. Who cares what's inside, mostly! The other kids were pretty happy with everything too.

Our tree and all the loot!

A stocking for each family member and one for Gaffer. The other two cats didn't have them this year. Poor Percy and Blaze!

Denver getting everyone's stockings and Savannah getting ready to open hers. Pretty neat.


Megan found a bunch of earrings in hers.

Cute Moose!

Time to stop for breakfast, I think these Smarties will do! Savannah even opened them by herself. Note, banana shoved to the side for now.

Banana in one hand, Smartie in the other!

Tinkerbell dishes

Radio and magic gloves from stockings.

Comparing the sizes of socks she got.

Daddy, Savannah, and new baby doll.

Playing with her new ball. This was the first present that she looked at for very long. She played with it until I hid it so she could open the rest of her mountain of gifts!

Hmmmmm, a Telus bag. What could be in here?

Cool, I got my own cell phone! "Hey, how come I didn't get one?" asks Denver.

From her Telus bag. Megan found Hollister perfume in hers. Then she sat there mad waiting for us to bring out a new cell phone!!!!!

Denver inspecting Savannah's new phone while she opens more presents.

Looking for something in the tree. What could it be?

Oh my goodness! It's a new red Chocolate Spin phone! Just what she wanted. All smiles now!

The after mess.

Everyone on phones, Gramma Susan talking on the speaker phone to Savannah.

Denver on the phone, with my old cell in one hand. The girls both texting away!

Hiya!

Gordon, Amber, Jackson and Deana. Jackson opening his new Little People Amusement park from us.

Ray Kuntz. Sierra on the side looking for presents to pass out.

Savannah opening her new Little People Dayhome from Auntie Amber, Sierra and Jackson

Grampa Gordon and Savannah. This was amazing, she doesn't usually go to men. As soon as she saw me she had enough of Grampa!

BOXING DAY

Like my stocking hat?

So cute.

Where'd everybody go? Savannah in a gift bag

Mum, Michelle and Jillian dividing up some bath stuff

Savannah playing on the side

Mum opening her Celine Dion tickets

Michelle and Jillian comparing yarn. They are the same!

Aunties

Daddy and Savannah opening gifts.

Scooby Doo from Auntie Jillian

Megan

Denver with his new basketball

Mum and Michelle

Auntie Jillian and Savannah

Denver in his new shirt from Auntie Jillian

Auntie Michelle and Savannah

and the new cell phone of course!

Sisters

Jillian, Michelle and Pamela

Gaffer in a Santa suit. Get this thing off!!!