The Bunny

Meet the Bunny.


















He is an integral part of our lives.  Bunny came to us in a Christmas package from Ella's Nana and Dude (James's parents), and the moment that she saw him, she dropped everything, hugged him, and ran off to play with him.  I don't think she's willingly put him down since. 

He's her best friend, her comforter, and her playmate.  When she gets in trouble, so does Bunny.  She spanks him, loves him, puts diapers on him, and even wipes his nose for him when she has a cold.  She isn't allowed to take him to bed with her, because he can't seem to stop talking and playing when the lights are out, so he keeps Ella from going to sleep.  Maybe when he's a little older, he'll be able to sleep in the bed with her, but for now, she tucks him into his bed with his blanket before getting into her own.

Bunny loves to watch Curious George, too...



















He's a good buddy.

Where in the World is the Sagar Family?

Well, we sold the house...Hooray!!!  I'm so glad not to have to worry about that anymore.  I had been starting to feel like we would NEVER be able to actually leave St. Louis, since we'd be tied to that house for the rest of our lives.  (I could picture myself as a little old lady, coming back to make sure the front flower bed was weeded...) 

The contract came through in early March, and we were supposed to close on March 30, so we had to move fast.  We put our stuff into a moving truck on March 29, and Allied Vans drove it down to Savannah and unloaded it for us the following week.  Belle and I flew down to Savannah to oversee the moving process, and my mom came down to chauffeur us around and generally help us get things done.  My friend Katie drove up from Florida one day to help us unpack, and between myself, Mom, and Katie, we actually got most of the house ready!!!  I couldn't believe it.  A huge THANK YOU to Mom and Katie!!

Since Bank of America was handling the buyer's mortgage, of course we didn't close on time...not even close.  (Have I mentioned how much I don't like BoA?)  There was no good reason for the delay - they just didn't feel like getting it done on time, and they took it slowly.  We actually closed ten - yes that's right TEN - days late, but at least we closed.  Being the lawyer that I am, I also made the buyer pay us the extra money that we lost by having to pay our mortgage for ten extra days.  Hopefully she'll learn to use a good bank next time she buys a house. 

Of course, since we've moved our furniture and belongings, we needed a temporary place to live in St. Louis until we actually moved to Savannah.  Thankfully, the seminary where I work has a retreat center, and they had some extra space.  We're all living in a big bedroom with our own private bathroom, and there is even a kitchen, towels, sheets, etc., so we didn't have to keep any of that here with us.  We can't live here the entire time, so the final two weeks of our St. Louis life, we'll be imposing on friends, but it is great for these seven weeks that we're here. 

I'll post some pictures soon, and I will also be writing about Ella's new favorite activity, which involves rocks, water, bugs, her daddy, and the back yard of the retreat center.  Stay tuned!

Belle-isms

Belle has become quite a talker in the past several months.  James and I really love to hear her talk (most of the time) because it allows us a window into her tiny little heart.  Here are a few things she's been saying lately...

"Mama/Daddy, LOOK!  I'm doin' it!" - translation = "Aren't you proud of me?"

"Stop it." - I'm not sure she knows what this means, because she doesn't really say it to anyone.  She just walks around whispering it under her breath. 

"NO!" - Thankfully, she doesn't actually say this to us much anymore.  (I think she learned not to do that.)  But when she gets frustrated about something, she often punishes her stuffed bunny rabbit and tells him "no," while simultaneously inflicting corporal punishment on him.  It's hilarious. 

"Mama/Daddy, I wanna hold you." - translation = I need you to pick me up and cuddle me and make me feel secure.  She's been saying this a lot the past few weeks since we sold the house.  I have to admit that I LOVE finally having a little girl who wants me to cuddle her.  She's never been very cuddly because she was always too busy running around.

"Ta-Da!!" - translation = "Delight in me!!!  Tell me that I'm wonderful!!"  - We hear this one several times a day, and we're not always sure what she actually did, but it's still easy to tell her how great she is.

"All Right!" - translation = "I'm happy!"  We hear this a lot...whether it's because she got some juice or because she gets to go play with a favorite friend.  I love my happy girl.

"I want night night."  - translation = put me to bed.  Yes, she actually tells us that she's tired and wants to go to bed.  It's awesome.

"Puh-weese?" - this is her version of "please."  We hear it a lot, since she doesn't get things without saying it.

She also talks a lot about her friends and family, and she calls them by the following names:
"Weesa" - her aunt Lisa
"Talow" - Tyler
"Maween" - Madeline
"A-Tate" - Anna Kate
"Viyet" - Violet
"Mayen" - Meghan
"Tom" - pretty much every kid in our family says Tom's name first 
"Tatie" - Katie
"Missa Marssa" - Mary Martha
"Towie" - Chloe
"A-pil" - April
"A-Beta" - Rebecca
"Lilly" - Lillian
"Panut" - Peanut Butter (he's a dog)
"Pawik" - Patrick
"GG" "Papa" "Doo" and "Nana" - her grandparents
"Deowy" - Gerry

...and many more...