A Year In Review

2008 was really a pretty quiet year for the Giovannoni household. We feel we were and are blessed. We are grateful to have escaped this year without any real crisis or drama.
Here's eight things we each got to experience, live through, or celebrated this year.

Derik

1. Celebrated his third year with Sysco Intermountain (we are so glad to have a job he loves and that has let us live comfortably!).
2. Was released as our ward's Elder's Quorum President
3. Went Camping with his family this summer....If any of you know Derik, this is a big one!
4. Hurt his foot and is know preparing for surgery to fix it, next week.
5. Survived another 365 days with a crazy wife and two demanding children.
6. Watched the children, sometimes even overnight, so that mom could go play with her lady friends.
   
7. Is currently in charge of putting together a self reliance and financial freedom class for members of our ward.
8. Helped various member of our family and friends save over a million dollars with his savvy shopping ways! (I'm only kidding about the million dollars, but seriously he's helped a lot of people save a lot of dough!)
   

Michelle

1. Started running again, and was training for the Moab Half Marathon. I ran 84 miles in a little under six months.
2. Didn't get selected as a runner for the Moab Half :( and lost all motivation!
3. Is hoping a new year will bring renewed hope and life to my running goals
4. Crocheted like crazy.
5. Enjoyed every second of my beautiful little garden, as well as the fruit and veggies it produced.
6. Got back into reading.
7. Created a few blogs to keep myself busy.
8. Hiked Mount Timpanogos for the third time

Dylan

1. Started full day Kindergarten.
2. Decided that he wanted to grow up to be a racer!
3. Went through a short but serious kleptomaniac stage.
4. Lost his two bottom teeth.
5. Tweaked his grown up dreams so that he could to be a police officer by day and a racer by night!
6. Spent a weekend with his mom, sister, grandparents and aunt and uncles at Flaming Gorge.
7. Started reading and loves it too.
8. Had his first cavity filled.

Alivia

1. Grew up all of the sudden!
2. Started talking like crazy.
3. Celebrated her second birthday.
4. Wrapped her daddy right around her little finger!
5. Started having night terrors! Heaven help me (and those that have to live with me) through this stage....
6. Experienced life without Dylan 24/7
7. Got in touch with her feminine side and discovered her passion for chocolate and/or sweet things.
   
8. Beat up and teased her older brother mercilessly.

Here's to hoping that 2009 will be just as good to us!

T'was the Night Before Christmas....

I decided that I wanted to start a new tradition this year, so I threw together a little fondue party with my family on Christmas Eve. Things started out rocky right form the get go....
Derik and I found ourselves stuck on the free-way, because of a nasty roll over crash. Once we finally arrived in Provo we were over an hour late, and I still had to cook the fondue! I usually get all bent out of shape when things don't go according to plan, and Christmas Eve wasn't any different.
I think I had just finished snapping Derik's head off here, and Nyles was trying to ease the situation.
Mean while in another part of the house where there was a little less tension, Uncle Eric took some great pictures of the family.

Aunt Cozy and Livie sharing a little Christmas Love

Dylan and his trains

Grandpa Ward, Livie, Dylan, Emily, Bentley and Aunt Cozy



Uncle Nyles and Livie

Great Grandma Benson, Dylan and Livie

Santa's Little Helper

Christmas Entertainment!

Despites it's very rocky start, our little fondue party turned out alright. I'm really glad everyone in my family humored me and made the best out of the situation. Eric was so good to let us host the party at his place. He took so many wonderful pictures, and cooked some very tasty brisket, he even ran the Wells Fargo stairs with my kids to help them burn some Christmas energy.
I unfortunately came down with the stomach flu late Christmas Eve night, and might be forever scarred by the thought of fondue! Maybe a year's time will erase my memory and we'll attempt to do this again, maybe...

Dik-shuh-ner-e

A book containing a selection of the words of a language, usually arranged alphabetically, giving information about their meanings, pronunciations, etymologies, inflected forms, etc., expressed in either the same or another language...

I came downstairs the other day to find Dylan thoroughly engrossed in trying to read the dictionary! I can't help but be a little inspired and impressed that he would do this on his own.
What five year old chooses the dictionary to practice their newly acquired and somewhat rocky reading skills? Dylan can be such a funny kid, he's a little like his mother that way, the easy things in life overwhelm and upset us, yet sometimes we accidentally or maybe a little ignorantly jump into difficult things and find ourselves having a great time.

Cutest House I Ever Did See

Dylan's Kindergarten class got to decorate Gingerbread houses today.

He was so proud of his little creation!

One Undaunted Uncle

Dylan + big crowds + things that shouldn't be touched + an apparent lack of self control and the ability to never follow instructions usually always = A Catastrophe!
Despite the many catastrophes that usually occur when Uncle Eric takes Dylan on one of his many adventurous outings, he asked Dylan to accompany him to the Museum of Natural History, yesterday for the "Wild Birds of the American Wetlands" exhibit.

Here's some pictures Eric emailed me of their little adventure

Uncle Eric, thanks for letting Dylan spread his wings!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Chrsitmas Tree

I'm not creative enough to make my tree "cutesie" or original, so I stuck with my favorite and unoriginal design of blue and white.

About 12 years ago My mom drove me past a home in Orem that had the most beautiful blue and white lights, and I have always wanted to recreate it. Since I only spend a few dollars here and there on Christmas decorations (and only when they are drastically discounted), it might take a few years before I have enough lights to do the entire house. Here's to being cheap!