Team Reynolds

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Ronald McDonald House

We used to have a lot of yard work to do, but now that we are renting for the time being, we don't have any outside work to do. So, we wanted to use some of that time for some community service. I called around to several places but not very many like you to have little children. I kept hitting dead ends, just trying to find somewhere to serve. Finally I stumbled across a great program with the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Salt Lake City. It is called Adopt-A-Meal and basically you pick if you want to prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Since it was our first time, we decided to do lunch. We made 25 sack lunches. We got to pick the menu, and everything had to be completed in their kitchen. We did pizza wraps (tortilla, spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, salami, green pepper, cheese, mushrooms), chips, made-fresh chocolate chip cookies, fruit, and water. You go pretty early before the meal is to be served, and then do some cleanup after. And we had a great time! It was a perfect family community service!

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Nursery

So I have always wanted to serve in the nursery. And when we got to this ward I was praying for a calling. Just a few weeks later, a member of the Bishopric called me in to extend a calling for what he said "probably wasn't in every ward." They called me to be a nursery coordinator. There are three full nursery classes in our ward. And with 100+ kids in primary, the primary presidency can't get to each of the nursery classes to make sure teachers are there, etc. So one other sister and I take care of the three nurseries. We unlock cabinets, get toys out, find subs if needed, help with copies, and basically just make sure everything runs smooth. Two fun projects have been putting together little birthday kits to deliver to the kids on their birthdays, and making picture posters. The picture posters really help, especially with so many kids and new coming all the time. It is a perfect calling for me, as Todd pointed out, because I get to be with the kids, and also can fulfill my obsessive need to bring order to chaos!

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Mormon Channel

Recently I have really been enjoying listening to Mormon Channel. I have been listening to the "Legacy" shows. They are all about church history, and I have learned a lot about the pioneers, Emma Smith, the early church in England, and Relief Society. There are like 93 episodes of this particular program. It has been great to listen to on evenings when Todd is at mutual and I am washing dishes/laundry, or when painting a toddler bed, or when making dinner during nap time. I think I have this little budding historian within me just waiting to get out! Check it out if you have a minute. You can go to mormonchannel.org or download the Mormon Channel app on your device. To get the the legacy show specifically, it is under the "Series" tab. But there is a ton of stuff on there to check out. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

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Savannah's Big Bed

I love how kind our Heavenly Father is. He has blessed us with the most darling girl. We are so blessed to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love how we can go to church and learn about His vision for us as earthly parents of one of His valiant daughters. What an opportunity we have each day. This week Savannah got a big bed. I started looking online with little luck. We had been thinking of getting a twin, just so she wouldn't have to switch again, but then I started adding up costs with a twin: the bed, the mattress(es), new sheets, new bedding...and well, since I am a stay at home mom, we are pretty budget-conscious...so a toddler sized bed looked pretty good. Especially when I saw one at the thrift store for only $9.99. It would need to be painted and have a little repair work, but other than that, it was all set to go, and we already have a mattress and bedding. Savannah was so excited. And I was just excited that it fit in the XB. So, while Todd was on his first scout campout, as a young men's advisor, we got the bed home. Later that day we all went to find some pink paint, as requested. The next week we got it all fixed up and painted, and Savannah enjoyed helping to paint too. We brought it up to her room, took down the crib (...don't forget...we are looking for a birthmother and now we have the crib available!), and made the bed. She was ecstatic. That night Todd took her into her room and sang the same Portuguese song he has sung for the past three years. I stood by the door just peeking in to watch. And I saw him kneel by his little daughter and help her say a little prayer by the side of her own bed. Priceless. I felt so happy. We had been practicing for a big bed, and going over some ground rules. So the next morning we went to get her and she was just lying there, obviously smitten with her bed. She was radiant. Funny thing...how little kids get so excited for even small things. It helps me to remember to "rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks" (D&C 98:1). This week Savannah showed me personal application of Alma 37:37: "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."  

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We Are Searching!

With our recent move to Utah, we needed to redo adoption paperwork. We have decided to do a private adoption, meaning without an agency. We have been working through our home study paperwork, and once we have a baby we will use an adoption attorney to finalize. But we need your help with the most important part...finding our child! We would love if you could keep the search for our children in your thoughts and prayers. If you hear of anyone wanting to place their baby, please let us know. And please pass the word on to anyone that you might know, you can forward this email or the link to our blog. We are going to be printing some postcards and business cards to send out as well. 

Just so you can pass on a few of our adoption preferences to potential birth mothers: we are open and willing to take any child of any race, gender, age, and family background. We love open adoption. But we will be as open or as closed as the birth mother requests. We are willing to adopt anywhere in the country (and added bonus to you...if a birth mother is found where you live, we get to come for a visit!). 

We are setting up an adoption-specific blog that you can refer anyone to. And Todd will send out periodic reminders through Facebook that we are looking for our children. Here is the link to our blog: http://adoptivefamily.tumblr.com/

Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, and help! 

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Savannah Turns 3!

We had fun with Savannah's birthday. On her actual birthday I took her to the park to ride her new bike (thanks Grandma!) and then to the temple for a picnic. In the evening with Daddy we went to Liberty Park in Salt Lake. She rode her bike, we ate pizza, fed ducks, played in the fountains, and she rode on one of these little vintage carnival rides they have there at the park. Then back home for a few presents, cake, and family home evening. The next day our stuff arrived! Yeah! The movers were so quick in getting it in, and that was helpful so we could get a lot unpacked while they were moving it in. With some help from friends, missionaries, and family later, the house came together pretty quick. We worked really hard that week to get the house all put together and a few projects done. Saturday was Savannah's birthday party (as our stuff didn't come until after her birthday). We had a Dora party. The kids went on an adventure...they had to find stars at star mountain, collect party supplies at the swingy swingset, swim across rocky river, climb up crab walk hill, and jump over lava lake. At the swingset, Swiper showed up, and poor Miss Savannah was terrified. She ran to me screaming. After the adventure the kids did some crafts. Another pizza dinner was enjoyed by all and presents and cake and ice cream finished the evening. She had lots of fun (besides the Swiper appearances)! 

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The Big Move

Just in case anyone doesn't know the story...I'm not sure quite where to begin. I guess it started back in January. One day Todd had a thought to check an online job posting board. There was a posting listed for an interaction designer with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our interest was peaked. We thought, well, if the Lord would have us move to Utah, it is up to us to keep that option open. So we moved forward. He applied for the job. He had some phone and video interviews. But then we never heard back, for about 5 months. So we had moved on. Then out of the blue one day (Todd happened to be home for lunch), he got a call from the hiring manager asking if he would be interested in flying out to Salt Lake for an interview. So a few weeks later he was in Salt Lake and interviewed for two different positions. In the end they offered him a job. Over the course of the next few weeks, we made our decision to relocate our family to the Salt Lake area. Opposition met us on all fronts, but we continued to push forward. (I will spare you all the negative details, as I am personally trying to be positive and move forward with "an eye of faith" (see Alma 32:40)). We made it out to Salt Lake June 19th. And we have been working through all the moving details ever since. One of the major details to work through is that the movers couldn't bring our stuff until mid July....Currently, our stuff is in transit, set to arrive next week. So we packed our car with what we could take, and after a fun surprise to family, borrowed a few other needed essentials, like beds. We have been exploring and learning about our new community. The first week there we went to the wrong ward for church, but the next week we went to the right ward and were warmly welcomed. We miss KC and all the people there that were our family for the last seven years, but as we move forward, and seek to follow the Lord's plan for our family, we put our trust in Him and continue to pray that we will be instruments in His hands. I could make this into a really long blog, but I have put it off too long already, so here it is short and sweet.  A few little fun details: *On the way to SLC we stopped in Denver. That next day we drove through Steamboat Springs and enjoyed the funny statues and candy shop. *Savannah loves the little shopping carts at the local grocery store. *We enjoyed celebrating Father's Day on Sunday and going to the zoo on Monday our last day in KC. *On June 24, we went to BYU to celebrate 9 blissful years of marriage! We thought it would be sentimental and romantic to go back to where it all started. For our anniversary, we also enjoyed another one of our progressive dinners. Chili's for an appetizer, Lion House for dinner (we share an entree), and Cheesecake Factory for dessert, and thanks to coupons and gift cards, it was a very cheap date! *We enjoy the beautiful view of the whole valley from our new home. For the 4th of July fireworks it was fun to look out and see all the different shows for the many cities in the valley.  *On July 4, we went to Provo for the parade, then hit two of our favorites: Cafe Rio and IKEA. In the evening we joined family for a delicious BBQ. *And one picture of a recent hair do. The weather is very different in Utah, than Missouri, so we have had to do a lot of experimenting with keeping her skin and hair well moistened.   *Savannah has enjoyed getting to know cousins, grandparents, and extended family better. Grandma and Grandpa took her and 2 cousins to a little carnival one afternoon. She enjoyed all of it, except the mini roller coaster.  

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Reynolds Unplugged...Our Technology Free Week

Earlier this year we came up with the idea to do a "Family Challenge Activity" each year, with last year being the first with our temple walk. A few weeks ago we did our challenge activity for this year: a technology vacation. We went without iPads, computers, cell phones, radio, news, etc for 7 days. Our hope was to both gain an appreciation of what blessings technology brings into our lives, as well as a better understanding of how to limit and how to use technology wisely in our lives. We even made a little lock box. So, the result? A definite success! In my handwritten journal, I wrote on day 1: Today I have felt at peace all day. I have also felt less stressed, worried, and anxious! I have felt more patient with Savannah. On day 2 I wrote: Well, on day two I was missing my phone because there were some things I wanted to take care of by use of my phone. But on day 3 I said: I find that I am much more prone to serve my family, to study things of eternal worth, actually accomplish more in a greater amount of time. Get more sleep. Less tired and bored. More in tune with the Spirit. More desire to do His will and be shaped by Him. At the end of day 7 I wrote: This is the last day of our no technology week. It has been a blessing in my life and I am kind of not looking forward to being done. It's been nice to have the quiet. It's been nice to have excuses to work on the house and read. I have had more spiritual moments... Without all our technology, we read a ton, baked a lot, played games, and cleaned. I was kind of dreading turning the computer and cell phone back on. But the first thing we did was unsubscribe from a bunch of junk email lists. So...some observations of things learned: TECHNOLOGY CAN help block out the world around you; help invite the Spirit; help you minister to others; enable you to do family history; help you learn; help you stay organized; help you stay in touch with people; offer more resources. WITHOUT IT, I FOUND we have more time; I am less worried and anxious; I am calmer and more at peace; I am more in tune with the Spirit; I reach out personally to individuals more; I can get more done; I tend to focus more on what matters most; I commune with my Father more during the day; I ponder more; I work harder at having productive thoughts; I get more done; and a blessing for kids and looking to missionary service is that they have to use regular scriptures which will help them better know the scriptures; I am less busy so in that sense I am less stressed and more in tune. So, we have tried to make a few adjustments, ie. not checking email as often, not using phone as often, reading more, things like that. It was a great week!

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Catch Up

It's been awhile since we blogged. Here are some of our recent happenings: Preschool I do a little preschool with Savannah one day a week. She loves it and it's a great scheduled time to do extra learning things with her. We also do a corresponding field trip one day a week, which she also enjoys. We usually rotate between learning a new letter, and some other topic. Last week we did letter V, and this week we talked about families (since my mom was in town for field trip day). It's so fun to see her excitement when she finds out it's "field trip day" or "preschool day." The best part of preschool is when she comes running out of her room, with backpack on, when she hears the "bell." Of course, she also loves preschool snack time. Other highlights usually include: reading corner, singing a song, reading a scripture story, making a craft of some sort, playing a game of some kind, reviewing letters, pretend play, etc. I think her all time favorite preschool so far was when we were talking about houses, and I set up the tent (all by myself, mind you) in our front room. She loved it! Easter We were able to celebrate Easter day with Imma and Patrick. They came to church, and then we had a nice lunch afterward. I found Savannah's easter dress at a used kid's clothing store for $6, plus they had the gold shoes to match, and the white sweater! She especially loved coloring eggs (we used kool-aid this year and it worked great) and the little easter egg hunt with some friends we were babysitting the night before. Bryce & The Nauvoo Temple Just this last weekend we were able to go with my brother through the Nauvoo Temple, as he prepares for his mission in a couple weeks. (He reports to the MTC on June 5th, for the McAllen Texas Mission). It was so fun to be with my parents and brothers for that special day! My mom flew to KC on a Friday and then we drove to Nauvoo to meet up with the rest of the family. Savannah, of course, loved swimming and being with her uncles. She was so excited to get to play with Brady and Brennan while we were in the temple with Bryce. Savannah loves her Uncles! It was so special to be there together. We are proud of and love all our brothers! Mother's Day It was so special to be able to have my mom in town for Mother's Day this year. Todd treated us to some beautiful corsages, ginormous blueberry muffins for breakfast, and some amazing ricotta gnocci for dinner. Mmmm! It was a great mother's day. Savannah loved having Grammie in town, and especially loved having her sit with her in the back when we were driving places. On Monday we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead. And my mom treated us to the carriage ride. Tuesday we went up to Liberty Jail, as my mom had never been there, before we headed to the airport. It was a great visit! Other Here's some other recent pictures, including: a bike we checked out from our local toy library (an awesome resource), to which she exclaimed, "my first bike!"; date night at Culver's; her first drawing of our family; and a new picture I took of the temple. 

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Who Wants to Buy This Cute House?

Our house is for sale!! We have been working hard to get some things ready for it to go on the market, and we are hoping and praying that this year will be the year! This week Savannah and I bought flowers, and last weekend we did a lot of outside work. It's a great little house and we have wonderful memories here; just time to move on. If you know anyone who wants to buy...HERE IS THE LISTING!

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Chocolate Moroni

Todd: What color is Angel Moroni? Savannah: Golden Todd: That's right Savannah: Then we will eat him and he will be chocolate (Conversation had while walking around the temple tonight)

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Salt Lake Trip

A few weeks ago we decided that we were in need of a trip to Salt Lake to visit family. It had been about a year since we had seen some grandparents, and with no seminary due to spring break, we took the chance to go! We packed up the XB and hit the road. The first day of travel, we stopped in Hays, KS to enjoy a picnic lunch, the playground, and an awesome slide. That night we stayed in Denver, and Savannah especially loved eating pizza in the hotel room and swimming at the pool. She did really well that day traveling, with no accidents, and she even took a 45 minute nap. The next morning we left for Salt Lake City. We decided to eat a "car picnic" for lunch, which helped us make good time. Even though Savannah didn't take a nap that day, she was very happy the whole trip. That evening we went to Weston's house for dinner, then headed up to the Salt Lake Temple while Grandma and Grandpa put Savannah to bed. The next day we went to church, then enjoyed a great St. Patrick's Day dinner and game night with family. It isn't something we get to do very often, so it was definitely a highlight! On Monday, we visited the Planetarium and made a mandatory stop at Cafe Rio for lunch. We also made a visit to Grandma Jones. (We counted that Savannah had 5 Grandmas in Utah...so there was lots of visiting). Tuesday we went to the Church History Museum and Temple Square. They had a fun kids' exhibit about the Book of Mormon, and Savannah especially loved the dancing part. We also took Grandma Reynolds to lunch at Zupas. Tuesday night we also went down to Alpine to visit my Grandma Pyrah and family. Wednesday was another mandatory stop at IKEA. Then back downtown to meet up with my Grammie for lunch. That evening, after Savannah went to bed, we met a friend at the temple and were able to do some sealings in Spanish! That was a new adventure! Thursday brought snow, as well as another visit to Alpine. Grandma's power had gone out, but it was still a great morning together. We also were able to visit my Grandpa's grave site (he passed away one year ago), and that was very special. On Thursday night we went out to dinner with family, then got ready to head back. Friday morning we left early, as we knew there was adverse weather coming our way. The trip went good back to Denver. And we got there in plenty of time to swim and eat dinner and play. We ate at "Jalapenos." It was a little Mexican restaurant. Not super fancy. But it was good. Plus, thanks to Groupon, it was cheap! Friday evening brought a lot of snow to Denver. We woke up at 5:30am and saw that the roads were pretty bad. I checked the road conditions, and saw that I-70 was closed in some parts. Great. Now what? Todd looked for an alternate route. He saw that the storm was mainly focused in on I-70, and so he found a good way for us if we went south a couple hours, shot across Kansas, then back up. So, we left. The roads were pretty bad going south, but by the time we headed east, it was just wet. We had "car picnics" for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that day. And even though it took 12 hours to get home from Denver, Savannah did great. It was a very long day, but we were so thankful that we traveled safe. Salt Lake Trip Highlights: • Playing scattegories with our family • Hanging out with Mom and Dad • Watching Savannah dance at the church history museum • Getting ice cream with an old friend after visiting the temple • Going swimming at the hotels • Starburst Jelly Beans • Savannah said...Playing at Grandma's house • Seeing Grandpa Pyrah's head stone • Going to the temple twice • Finishing three books...one on CD (Brooke) • Discovering a new favorite place...Kitchen Kneads...they have lots of bulk baking items • Visiting mars (at the planetarium) • Hays, Kansas slide and park • Telling the story of Mount Timpanogos about a hundred times • Playing Old Maid over and over while in the car • Getting ice cream at the Little America stop in Cheyenne Another great family adventure! Check out a few more highlights in this video.

Salt Lake Trip 2013 from Todd Reynolds on Vimeo.

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Patience: An Experiment with a Kiss

What happens when you leave a little girl alone with a Hershey's Kiss, and promise that if she doesn't eat it, you'll give her two Kisses when you come back? Find out by watching this undercover footage we captured during our Family Home Evening lesson on Patience:

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Steadfast and Immovable

We read THIS great talk by Elder David A. Bednar about being steadfast and immovable. We were talking about the way he used the tortoise and the hare to illustrate the principle of steadfastness, and we realized that Brooke is an unrelenting hare and Todd is an easily-distracted tortoise. Lucky for us, Todd's tendencies to veer off toward distractions are easily brought back on the path by Brookie's unrelenting focus. And Brooke's relentless drive is easily tamed by Todd's distractibleness. We are just perfect for each other.

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Motherhood and Teaching Opportunities

I am so thankful for my church. We have been given so many amazing resources to help us in our responsibilities at home or at church (or wherever really). I am so uplifted when I study God's words given to us through living Prophets. We have a really great resource called, "Teaching, No Greater Call," which instructs us on how to be effective teachers both at home and at church (though I would imagine the principles can be applied to almost any teaching situation). I have been studying this as I have been seeking to rise up to the duty I have as my daughter's most important teacher. From this manual, I recently learned the following insight. I recorded it in my journal, then thought I would include here for your enjoyment. I changed some of it to fit directly to me: "I learned that I 'do not need to have all the answers or hold [my children] spell bound by [my] presentation; these are not requirement to be an effective [mother]. Instead, [I] need to be humble, diligent, prayerful, and anxious to have [my children learn and contribute]. As [I] go forward in this spirit, The Lord will enable [me] to turn [my] worry about [my] inadequacies into reliance on Him. He will magnify [my] efforts, give [me] peace, and prompt [my children] to enrich [family] discussions. The Lord grants us a special measure of inspiration when we gather to study [and teach] the gospel.' I am so thankful for this uplifting message for me as a mother. The Spirit will guide us and teach us what we need to know in order to best help the children God has placed to our care."  I am looking forward to General Conference coming soon!  

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Update: Lesson Learned

Update from the bedtime drama involving a little girl and her special blanket. She woke up crying for it the next morning, but not nearly as loudly as she did the night before. At bedtime the following night, we said our family prayer, and she was in a really silly mood. I stood up and asked if she was ready for bed. She was kind of laying down again like before, so I asked her if she would like to sleep with her special blanket. What happened next was not what I expected. She stood up. Actually, she leapt to her feet. At that point we knew she remembered the lesson she had learned. I figured she would just walk over to me so I could hoist her onto her blanket. But she proceeded to climb onto the bed faster than I've ever seen her do before. And then she laid herself down on the blanket we wrap her in. She was so excited to sleep with her special blanket. After putting her in her crib we heard some giggles coming from her room. Very happy camper… and more proof that this Love and Logic parenting stuff is legit. The same thing happened tonight. After prayers I got into position and declared that I was ready. Without hesitation, she climbed up onto the bed and laid down on the blanket. Makes us feel a little like Nanny McPhee. "Lesson learned."

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Love, Logic, Leverage, and a Special Blanket

Leverage. I had none. Not when Savannah decided it was time to play by lying face-down on the floor after family prayer tonight. My back has been aching since playing basketball on Saturday, and I wasn't about to stoop down and pick her up. And, I think she knew it. First, I told her that I didn't have the energy to pick her up tonight, but said I'd be happy to wrap her in her blankets when she came over to me. That didn't work. She only looked up, as if to say, "Really? Hmm. What are you going to do about it." Well… I uh… "Uh oh," I sang, repeating our key phrase to cue her into knowing that she's doing something, or about to do something wrong. And that didn't work either. Then out of pure parenting desperation, I grabbed hold of the only leverage I could think of, hoping that she wouldn't call my bluff—her special blanket. Yep. I knew if she called this bluff, she would not be a happy camper. "Savannah, would you like to sleep with your special blanket tonight?" I said. "Mmm hmm," she said, still lying on the floor. "Okay. Feel free to sleep with your special blanket when you come over here to go to bed." And nothing, except another wave of prostrated defiance and boundary testing. I even warned her (which I shouldn't have) saying that it looked like she was choosing to not sleep with her blanket tonight. But she still didn't move, other than giving us another knowing look of "hahaha—I got you guys right where I want you." So, she left me no choice. "Uh oh!" we both sang. "This is so sad." And, at the first 'uh-' she sprang to her feet, but it was too late. We had already crossed the point of no return. Time for empathy and firm limits. And, time for her to throw a fit, claiming that she did want to sleep with her blanket tonight. Unfortunately, her actions said otherwise. We were really sad for her because she loves, loves, loves that blanket. I told her it would be okay and that she would have to make due with her special pillow tonight. I also reminded her that there would be another chance for her to sleep with her blanket tomorrow. I sang her "Patinhos" and put her to bed. She didn't really start crying until I laid her in her crib and there was no special blanket to be found. So, she did what any kid worth keeping would do: she threw another fit and bawled. After a short time the crying stopped. But that didn't last long. Soon the desperate cries of "I want my special blanket right now!" mingled with the sobbing of a sorrowful toddler were coming from her dark room. Eventually I went in to see her. I reminded her how sad it was and that I was so sorry, but that she had chosen to not sleep with her blanket. She assured me that she really did want to sleep with it, but I told her she actually chose not to. I offered to get her a replacement blanket, and she accepted. I rummaged through her dolls' clothes drawer until I found a tiny 11"x14" baby blanket. I gave it to her, and she went to sleep. Isn't parenthood wonderful? I'll be so happy tomorrow when she comes over to be wrapped up for bed, because I'm pretty sure she'll choose to sleep with her blanket the next time she gets a chance.