Happy Birthday, Savanna!

Today is Savanna's birthday. She is very computer savy, so we wanted to give her a special birthday message from her Auntie Lina and Uncle David. There are so many reasons why we love Savanna. One reason why we love her is because she was named after a city here in Grand Cayman. Every time we see this sign we think of little Savanna.

Another reason why we love Savanna is because she is a wonderful big sister to Makenna. She always shares and takes care of Makenna. She is like a little mother to her.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Savanna. She was probably about two years old here. I've always been very close to Savanna because I'd get to spend time with her while living in Provo. She used to come have sleepovers in my dorm room freshman year. Often times I'd take her home in a completely new outfit. It was so much fun shopping for her. I sure miss those days!

A few favorite memories we have with Savanna...

1) She has known several primary songs since she started talking. I remember one night, when I was baby-sitting her, we recorded her singing "I Love to See the Temple" over and over again on my phone. I still have the recording and love to listen to it.
2) She listens very well in Primary. During sharing time they taught her the story of Joseph and the coat of many colors. When Savanna retold the story she said, "And Joseph's brothers threw him into an armpit (instead of 'pit')." I still laugh when I think of her saying this.
3) One night, when I was a sophomore in college, she slept over at my apartment. She would not go to sleep no matter what I did. I actually ended up falling asleep before her. The next morning when I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face, I noticed that I had stickers all over my pajamas. She must have put them on me when I was sleeping.
4) She was very distant when she first met David, but soon began to love him. One time David and Bethany were playing and Savanna wanted his attention so she bit his toe!
5) She is not allowed to say shut up, but this one time she said it and it was totally because she wanted to act cool in front of David and I. We were in the living room and Asialene said something to her. When Asialene walked away Savanna said, "Shut.... up..... (long pause)... mom." I guess she thought that if Asialene was away and she was saying it quietly and slowly she could look cool in front of us and not get in trouble.
6) One of my favorite memories is when she washed Asialene's cell phone. Savanna was talking to my mom on the phone and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She got jelly on the phone, so she washed it. She came out of the bathroom and said, "Mom, smell your phone," (Asialene used to smell Savanna's hands to make sure Savanna washed her hands and they smelled like soap after she went to the bathroom). Sure enough it smelled like soap.
7) She has a very sweet little testimony. She said to my mom, "Grandma, I don't want you to get old and die. But, that's okay because you'll be resurrected."

I could go on and on with memories of this little girl. She has such a fun personality and we are never bored when we play with Savanna.

Happy Birthday, Savanna! We wish we could be there for your "day spa" birthday party. We also hope you like your Sleeping Beauty sleeping bag. We love you!

One more thing...

We failed to post a Birthday message to our sister-in-law Amy on the seventh of April. Three things we love about Amy are:

1) She is one of the best moms I have ever met. Kibson, Payson, Bethany, and Libby are all so well rounded in sports, academics, and they all have great manners. She dresses them all so cute, too. She throws the best birthday parties like a huge pirate party and a sweet little tea party. The kids never fail to have the best Halloween costumes. They always have a theme: Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and Tinkerbelle or Obi-wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and Priness Leiwo.
2) She and I have been penpals since I was in the third grade. Simon and Amy met their freshman year in college and our family adored her from the start. She and I used to write letters back and forth. Asialene and I even visited her in Provo when Simon was on his mission.
3) She has such a compassionate heart. When David and I said goodbye to each other when I went home for summer and he stayed in Utah, she cried with me! I'm talking real tears just because she saw that we were sad saying goodbye. She is so genuine and we just love her.

Sorry this is late, but Happy Birthday Amy!