Savannah's Halloween Fun

Well we always enjoy dressing up our little bundle of joy any chance that we get. But Halloween is especially fun because we got to put Savannah in a cute costume and parade her around literally. At the Primrose School we had a Costume Parade in the afternoon, which the kids and staff participated in. There were so many cute Tinkerbells, Transformers, Princesses, Cowboys, etc. And then the last group to join the parade were the adorable babies dressed up and wheeled around in a mobile crib. It seems that the smaller the child, the cuter the costume... so the babies and toddlers always steal the show.

As you can see we dressed Savannah as a Lovebug/Ladybug this year. Thanks Grandma D for getting this cute costume for our little one. We're glad that you got to be a part of this fun memory too!

So we also want to thank the Gillooly family for hosting us on Halloween night. It was so cute to see Savannah and her friend Becca dressed up and excited to see each other. Us girls did a modified trick-or-treat. Considering that the babies can't ask for candy OR eat it, we decided to visit with some neighbors and to enjoy the beautiful night with a stroll while the guys handed out candy and harassed trick-or-treaters. It was a good time had by all!

Savannah's first Portland Trip

Well, our trip to Portland was such a nice one. We really enjoyed sharing time with family and friends. Savannah travelled like a pro, she didn't seem to mind flying at all. In fact she really liked having her own seat during one of the flights because that seatbelt was better than any toy that Mom had packed for her. :)

One of the highlights to our trip was seeing how excited Savannah was to spend time with her cousins Ethan and Gage.

AND to see the excitement on others faces as she shared a smile or a kiss with those that she came into contact with.

She enjoyed meeting her many aunties,uncles, cousins, grandparents, and even another Savannah. We hope that our Savannah grows up to be as good-natured and beautiful as Miss Jameson. :)

Thank you everyone for welcoming us with smiles and open arms. We had a great time in Portland and we look forward to returning sometime soon.

Pumpkin Carving from Start to Finish

Considering that the DeRoest family was all together for the wedding of our brother Rodney and it is the month of October, the idea of a family trip to the Roloff Farm Pumpkin Patch arose from master-minds Brent and Randi. For those of you who watch TLC you are probably aware of the Roloff Farm due to the show Little People, Big World. If you haven't ever watched the program, I recommend that you check it out because it is a sweet reality program about this family in Oregon. Incidentally, the season premiere is Monday night (13th) on TLC. Anyways, our trip to the farm on Friday morning was a fun adventure. We all picked out the best pumpkins AND we made sure to take lots of cute fall pictures with the babies. Brent and Randi even went on the farm tour where they got to see some of the Roloff's in person. On Sunday night we enjoyed carving up our pumpkins, roasting the seeds, and chatting about everything except politics (that was the rule). We did silently make our political views known though with the Obama sunrise carved into our pumpkin. Michael did a great job! :)

Happy Wedding Day Rodney & Lauren!

Congrats to Rodney and Lauren! You two were radiant. Thanks for sharing your special day with us. We really enjoyed being here and Savannah loved the excuse to dress up in a pretty new dress. Enjoy your honeymoon and all of your time together. We love you!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Hubby!

There are no bells and whistles. I offer only my love forever. Happy birthday sweetheart.

Sweet moments to share

Kisses and Wagging Tails

Kisses for Tootsie

Splashing in the Tub

Where does the time go?

It's strange to reflect back and realize that Michael and I have been married for seven years now. I don't know where the time has gone. It seems like just yesterday that we shared our first ackward hug at the airport in Salt Lake City. And it seems like it was just moments ago that he proposed and soon after we were married...

For all of the years that we have been together our motto has been "the best is yet to come." It started with an uplifting story that I shared with Michael while I was serving as a missionary in his congregation. From it we learned to keep an eternal perspective. These past seven years we have experienced both ups and downs and because of the strong foundation that we began with and because we keep our focus on living for eternity, all of our challenges have become blessings. We are truly blessed. I am so grateful for this wonderful adventure of marriage that we embarked on so many years ago and I am so glad to have Michael as my eternal companion. Michael, thank you for keeping the faith in us and our family. I love you always and forever.