Christmas: Part 2

Wow....I can't believe Christmas 2007 has not only come but has gone in a whirlwind of lights, ribbon and bright Christmas paper! This year was special for many reasons, it was our first "Texas Christmas", we had Logan with us and it's the first year that Olivia was very into Santa and presents! The month started with our ward Christmas party and I was very surprised that Olivia sat on Santa's lap. The biggest surprise of the month was Mark flying mom in for the weekend before Christmas! It took Olivia about 2 hours to warm up to her and then it was like no time had passed at all. For Christmas Olivia got a bike with a Princess helmet, a rocking horse that makes horse noises. She found the horse at midnight and I heard her find it, climb on and yell, oh a horse, my best friend, I love you and then proceed to play the noises. It was very cute!

Tiger bite

Olivia saw me looking at pictures of the tiger that attacked those people at the SF Zoo. She asked why was I looking at a tiger and I explained that this tiger bit some people. She didn't say anything and walked away but later she pointed out a scratch on her arm and called it her "tiger bite" and has repeated this story many times. When I'm checking for new injuries for the day, I ask, "where are the tiger bites" and Olivia points out all of her new "bites"

Christmas

We have been very busy this Christmas season. We found our beautiful tree at Home Depot and have it in our front window for all to see. The only other place I really decorated was the banister and our mantel. If I do say so myself, I'm really pleased with how the mantel turned out. I'm on the committee for the Relief Society's progressive dinner, I made 100 invitations and printed out music for caroling. I'm also making soup, I just don't know which one yet! Our ward is having "breakfast with Santa" this Saturday and I'm cooking a casserole for that and asked to help w/ decorating. This should be fun! Lisa invited me to her Bunko Christmas party and it was a lot of fun meeting her girlfriends and having a gift exchange. We still have 2 weeks until Christmas and who knows what is going to happen between now and then :)

Rock n' Roll

Olivia has music in her soul and here she's showing it by playing air guitar with a vacuum attachment.

Funny things Olivia does....

Olivia is a really funny kid and here are some of the few things she has done recently:

-tights on the head as a hat

-told me that she put a "band aid" on her leg, it was really Tomas's wrist guard

-put her toys into daddy's drawers in his office

-slept with her eyes open...creepy :)

Thanksgiving

For the first time ever, I hosted Thanksgiving. I enjoyed being the hostess and even more I got to experiment in the kitchen and broaden my cooking skills. We also had a full house, Logan and Cheryl's family were with us. We (I) cooked a great meal, ate lots of appetizers and satisfied our sweet tooth with wonderful sweet pies. I even got to use my china! So really, we just ate all day long! After dinner we played games and watched TV.

Menu:
ham (yummy)
creamy garlic mashed potatoes (really yummy)
Brussels sprouts sauteed with onion and bacon (better then it sounds)
roasted green beans and carrots with a balsamic reduction (really yummy)
Home made Honey Cinnamon applesauce (for the ham of course)
cranberry jello salad (ok yummy)

*side note: I made the best ever Sheppard's pie with the left over potatoes and roasted vegetables.

The next day, we all went to the Ft Worth Zoo and did some shopping later in the evening.

Good-bye to the "onesie"

As I sorted Olivia's clothes today, pulling out the 18 month size that she has finally grown out of at the age of 30 months, I said a little good bye to my favorite clothing staple that has been an unseen hero, the onesie. I love the onesie because it comes in different colors, shapes (long or short sleeve)and it is so versatile. It can be worn by itself on hot days, under clothes on a cold day or my favorite mix, a onesie with matching pants. Saying goodbye to this friend is just another reminder of how much my little baby is growing up to a big girl (it also isn't convenient to potty train with a onesie). So goodbye good friend!

Olivia's box

Olivia has commandeered a hot pink recipe box as her own and carries it around. In it, is a collection of things that she has picked up around the house. There are some bead bracelets, small toys and of course it's decorated to her liking.

Knock - Knock

As I try to reflect and remember all the funny and cute things Olivia does, one sticks out in my mind. Her one and only joke, a knock-knock joke. Soon after we moved, Aunt Lisa and cousin Troy taught Olivia a knock-knock joke. It took her a little bit to learn and memorized and still once and awhile she messes up the punch line. It's goes: knock knock, who's there, boo, boo who? don't cry. She has perfected it to where she likes to take turns on who starts the joke. And she just laughs and laughs when it gets to the end. One night she and I were laying on the couch trying to get her to slow down and realize that she was tired, that she started the joke. We went back and forth between us taking turns being first and then after about 4-5 rotations, she said, enough and then we were done. Just another example of her funny side and bossy side.

Little Puppy Dog

Not sure if you can tell, but Olivia gave herself a glow-stick tail! She thought of this all by herself and pretended to be a puppy. She pants and licks, just like the real thing!

Cute little feet

It's the season for tights!

Cowboy-girl

Olivia has embraced the "cowboy-girl" spirit. She calls herself a cowboy-girl and likes to dress the part. Grandma C bought her this outfit (white and red) 2 years ago in Texas and it's been waiting in her closet to fit and it sure does now! Olivia loves the boots on the shirt and likes to dress like a cowboy-girl all the time! The pink boots went to church on Sunday!

HAKA Trojan Style

This team is in Texas and last year was in the same division as the Angeli's Dragons!! very scary :)

Ready! OK!

Olivia and I finally went to a Senior Football (high school) in Southlake and yes it was a good game, yes they creamed them but the real show was the half time. Both teams had huge, marching bands, with drill teams, color guards and much, much more. And who was eating it up like it was a bowl of ice cream? Olivia! She sat so still and watched them, cheered for them and then tried to repeat the moves in the stands! I was a afraid that she was going to kick the guy in front of us in the head and he was a local news reporter, I think he needs his head! LOL The drill team,called Belles wore outfits like cow girls and did high kicks. They usually have more of a dance/ballet background, so I guess dance lessons are in Olivia's future, they were her favorite! Also another highlight was when we walked in, there was two police officers on horses. We asked if we could pet them and they said of course and then one of them offered to let Olivia sit on the horse, she was so happy and scared at the same time. Lisa took a picture and it came out really cute!

Close Call

Tomas, Olivia and I were on our way to Troy's last football game and we witnessed a car accident right in front of us. We were right behind a little 4-door sedan and an SUV thought that she could cut across traffic fast enough. All I remember is hearing this horrible bang and seeing the little sedan spinning around and all of a sudden she was facing me and heading toward us. We were so blessed to have Tomas driving and he was able to stop (very fast) and avoid her. It wasn't the easiest feat because she was blocking the lane and people behind us went around as fast as could be! Some people did stop and we did pull over so we could give our names as witnesses. I know that we were watched over last night and we are grateful for our Heavenly Father.

Mouse in the House

Olivia has found that she can go into the pantry and help herself to treats. For the most part, this isn't a problem and actually is helpful if I can't get to her when she asks for something. But things have started to change.... the bottom two shelves have become "animal habitat" (the plastic variety) and if Olivia gets up in the middle of the night or very early, she goes and empties the pantry of treats. Lately we have woken up to food in the living room and the TV on. I guess she's entertaining in the night, her guests must be the dogs??? There have been many times lately where I've been sleeping and have a bag of chips or crackers hit me in the face with a voice yelling, open please! To solve the problem I bought a flip lock, attached high enough so that she can't figure it out (which I'm sure she could, if I let her!)

Steve Irwin "Croc Hunter"

I wouldn't call myself the hugest fan of Steve's. I saw his shows, loved and enjoyed them but wasn't overly crazy-fan-ish. I was really sad to hear about his passing. I even sponsored a Koala bear in Olivia's name in the Australian Zoo. Recently I have seen his wife, Terri promoting her new book "Steve and Me" and her story touched my heart, so I got the book. I am so impressed with the life that he lived, the people and animals and the ferocious way he loved and protected them. I recommend reading it to everyone.

update: I have finished the book and it was great! I can't even Begin to put into words the love that is felt between Terri and Steve and it motivates me to live each day to the fullest!

"Uncle Jay"

Today at church, Tomas and Logan got up to go to the restroom and Olivia insisted on following. She would have made more noise then necessary if I had forced her to stay, so I let her go. She was only gone a minute or two and she came running back (we were sitting toward the front) and said that Uncle Jay was outside. I said no, and told her to come sit with me. She of course ran off and came back and forth 2-3 more times, telling me that Uncle Jay was outside. Finally I got up to see for myself and yes there was a guy in the foyer that kind of looked like Uncle Jay, especially to a 2 1/2 year old. :)

SUPER

Kids follow example, there is no doubt about it. Logan is exposed to older kids at his mom's and I can see it in some of his language choices. This week the word was "super". I didn't think anything of it until I heard Olivia calling something "super". We were to Lisa's tonight and while Tomas helped Troy w/ Spanish, I took the kids into the hot tub. It's Fall now and things aren't as warm as they have been in the past months. Logan dipped his foot into the pool and proclaimed it "super cold" and the hot tub "super hot". Earlier he told me that dinner was "supper yummy" after we had to bribe him to take a bite and then he decided that I wasn't trying to kill him and that I do know how to cook something that is edible :)

Halloween

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Olivia was old enough to know what it was and enjoy the festivities. Logan arrived Tuesday night and she was beside herself waiting for him to show up, not only because there were a few treats that I got for both of them and said that she had to wait for him but because she truly likes him and misses him when he's not here. Only when she's tired does she get mean and want to be the only child again. I also do have to give praise to Logan, he comes and for the most part blends in with our home and rules, etc like he's been with us forever. He's pretty patient with Olivia but hey, he's only 5 he's bound to lose his patience.

Halloween day started with a little party with the preschool group. We had lunch, a pinata, a little game and then the kids decorated their own cupcakes. Decorating the cupcakes was a big hit! Later that night, I took the kids trick-r-treating in the neighborhood and then drove them to Lisa's neighborhood. Logan and Olivia really enjoyed walking with Marisa. Marisa and her girlfriend were really good about having little ones tagging along.

ps. Olivia wouldn't be a diva without changing her clothes, she started the day off as a Princess, then got naked after a bathroom break, tried on Logan's wolf costume and later went back to being the princess. She got lots and lots of compliments on her princess costume.

Evil Stepmother

sometimes I feel like the wicked stepmother and I try so hard not to be.
sometimes I feel like I'm a wicked mother, heck with the step part of it!

Gentlemen start your engines......

It's here, the "big" race weekend that we've been hearing about since we moved here almost 6 months ago. We are literally 5 minutes from the Speedway and they have 3 big races during the year and the biggest being this weekend for Nascar. I'm not a Nascar fan but there have been hundreds of campers camping out for over a week now! The biggest white-trash car I have ever seen I saw this week, it was a limo made out of a stock car...LOL too much! Some people just have way too much time on their hands. I guess we'll know by the end of the weekend how the traffic is going to be like.

Jaws

I knew this day might come and it has, Olivia has officially become Jaws. She bit a little boy in nursery. I was so embarrassed and she just laughs when you get after her about something. How do we discipline a child that laughs at you? or if you spank her, she tells you that you have to say sorry because it's what we make her say when she hits? Being sent to her room does do something, at least she then stops laughing. She's been a hitter since the say she was born and it continues to be a battle to help her see that it's a problem. All the drama of being a parent and I'm dumb enough to think I want more kids???????

Ahhh good night

we finally got a bigger bed! Found a guy on craigslist moving and his furniture was only a little older then 1 year. The downside, we didn't realize that he was a smoker until we got the bed home. So after many bottles of air freshener and wood cleaner, it's starting to smell like us! The linens are ours of course!

Pumpkin Patch

It wouldn't be Halloween without visiting a Pumpkin Patch. We miss going to Half Moon Bay but we have found a few that would give old HMB a run for their money! Lisa and kids took Olivia and myself to their favorite and closest pumplin patch. There were lots and lots of pumpkins of every shape, size and color. The older kids liked the corn field maze and I think Olivia's favorite was riding in the wagon and getting her face painted like a princess. She was going to pick the unicorn until the little girl in front of her had the princess face done and then Olivia picked it too. At times it's frusterating that Olivia is starting to have her own opinion of likes and dislikes (hence the crazy outfit) but other times it makes me so proud when she makes her own choice (picking her face paint). We toped the day off with going to get cheaper pumpkins at Walmart and putting up more decerations at Lisa's. It was a great day that wore us out but it was nice to come home and rest.

Potty Training

Olivia has decided that's she going to use the potty. She now refuses to wear a diaper, so we are now buying stock in "Princess Pull ups", trying to keep "all of the flowers"! She's actually doing pretty well, loves the prizes, I think I'm in potty-prize debt and she actually used a public potty yesterday! Yeah, no issues with strange potties. Funny true story: Last week Olivia and I were in a store and she was playing in the clothes rack as I checked out. All of a sudden I couldn't find her and she wasn't responding to me calling her. So as any mother would, I started to panic, involved store clerks and started calling for her again. Went back to the clothes rack and yup, there she was hiding with that all too familiar look. I knew it and then the smell hit me. I thought that I could get out of the store fast enough but oh no, my sweet child had to announce that she had just "pooped" very loudly and for all to hear, especially the clerks and customers that knew that I was looking for her. My only saving grace, I was already checking out of the store and didn't have to let either of us linger any longer :)

Why a blog????

I've been fighting this for years, I've had a myspace account but I just couldn't see why I would want to write about my day and post it for all to see and read. And then we moved away and Olivia is growing up so fast and our California family members are missing out on her spunky, funny ways and oh yeah, there is the whole "keep a journal" thing that I keep telling myself that I need to do but fail miserably at. So here I am writing and maybe I can redeem myself and kill two birds with one stone.