My Sweet Girl...A Look Back

I can't believe that it was four years ago they handed me this sweet thing (that's right, she was born with a bow in her hair, ha!)

First Birthday
Second birthday
Turning three!

Big girl is 4!

These 4 years have absolutely flown by. It seems like yesterday, yet I can't remember what life was like before her. She is the sweetest girl in the world. She was born to be a big sister and takes care of Ana Blair with her life. She really is my sunshine--her smile and her laugh can make me forget whatever is on my mind.

She has changed SO much since turning three. Gone is the shy little girl who wouldn't talk to anyone, in her place is the girl that sometimes talks too much! Some of the things that come out of her mouth absolutely crack me up. She loves to laugh and lives to make people laugh--so much that it gets her in trouble somtimes. She is a girly girl and her girl-y "attitude" has started to rear its head at the ripe old age of three. I love this age. I wouldn't trade this moments with her for anything.

I will leave you with a story to illustrate how completely nuts she is...Olivia is obsessed with "scary" movies. This started when she asked if she could watch Twilight with me and I told her no, it was scary. Since then she only wants to talk about witches, monsters, caves, dark forests, etc. Michael had recorded the movie "Strangers" the other day (if you haven't seen it, this is hands down THE scariest movie I've ever watched). So she was wanting to watch something scary and Michael put a scene from this movie on--wait, don't call Child Services yet, he just showed her a scene where the girl was being chased--nothing happened. We turned it off and forgot about it. The other day at the doctor, Olivia was such a big girl that Dr. Fogle was going to give her a sticker. He turns to her and says, "Do you like Elmo?" Olivia says yes and takes the sticker. After he leaves she turns to me and says, "You think he has any stickers from the movie Strangers with him?" No, I don't think so Olivia. Maybe you could ask him. No, I don't think so Olivia, he would think we were crazy. My daughter turns to me with the most serious, non-joking face and says, "But us is crazy." Can't argue with that logic!

Olivia, we love you sweet girl, you have made my life so much better just by being here and you have made both of us better people just by being with you!

Happy 4th Birthday Big girl

Birthday Lunch

To continue in the weekend of celebration, Olivia was given the opportunity to choose ANY restaurant she wanted for birthday lunch with family after church on Sunday...

Her decision: Steak and Shake

Yuck

Blowing out the candles of her ice cream cake (another set of specific instructions from her-ice cream, colors, flavors, wording--everything!)

this child is really starting to have a mind of her own!

We also opened presents with the family, but the battery died on my camera so we didn't get any pics of presents...I know this will come as a shock, but she got way too much!!

Mom with the birthday girl
Dad with the birthday girl

Mellow Mushroom

Well, it happened. I can't believe it, but my baby is 4 years old. She literally is not a baby anymore. But an actual kid. Scary.

The birthday festivities always start the night before her birthday at Mellow Mushroom. All those years ago, I sat at Mellow Mushroom timing contractions--but I was determined for that to be my last meal. I don't know why, I don't even like it that much.

So every year we have gone back there on May 23 to get ready for the big day! This year it was my whole family and Michael's family!

I have more birthday pics to come, the party is this Sunday.

This is the mood my child woke up in on Saturday. I had asked her to please smile nicely for this picture with her sweet grandmothers. She smiles and waits for me to hit the button and turns into what you see here...

Ana Blair enjoyed the pizza crust, I think I'm definitely going to be outnumbered by all the pizza lovers in this house!

Fun at the Zoo!

This past Saturday we got a visit from our friends, The Roller Family. Hudson loves the zoo and Olivia's not going to miss any opportunity to boss another child around. After a pretty questionable lunch with 3, yes all 3, grouchy children, we headed to the zoo. We took our chances with the weather, but got lucky because it ended up being perfect!

We were all worn out by the end of the day--not worn out enough for Hudson or Olivia to fall asleep or worn out enough for Melia and I to make it to a couple of stores to shop though! Apparently the real fun started when Melia and I left because we heard stories of ceiling drops, tackling contests, Hudson climbing the hill in back and my ultra-modest daughter mooning Hudson and Ryan! Olivia's room was a disaster by the end and I thought she would hyperventilate--the child is anal about things--I can't imagine where she would get that from!

Meanwhile, Ana Blair slept, ate and bounced right through it all!

This gorilla kept turning around and staring at Olivia, he looked so sweet!
Olivia's favorites were, and always have been, the giraffes

Thankfully, this little princess snoozed through most of the zoo

Who ever could have imagined this pic 10 years ago??

Melia, you're missing a child and the double stroller!!

This is what we dealt with at lunch, except add the volume of Ana Blair screaming no matter what we did to appease her...

School's Out for Summer!

I can't believe my baby's first year of preschool is already over! It seems like yesterday we were walking her in for the first time. I had a big round belly, and now I have an even bigger, rounder baby! Olivia was excited for her last day because it was Pizza Day, Ice Cream Party Day and I brought some cupcakes to school since her birthday is in a couple of weeks. But she tells me she is very sad that she doesn't get to go back to school until fall and how much she will miss everybody.

Olivia with Ms. Jessica. Ms. Jessica hasn't been in her room for a couple of weeks because she moved to another classroom, but we are SO glad for the time we had with her. I always knew Olivia was in good hands! We won't miss her though--we still get to see her every week at church!
Olivia with Ms. Denise
And yes, she's wearing a different outfit in this one. Leave it to my child to make it all year without ruining her clothes and spilling paint on herself on the last day of the year!

Ms. Jen, she wasn't in our class for long, but Olivia loved her.
After school Daddy took us all for pizza at Brixx and ice cream at Marble Slab--yes, that's what Olivia had for lunch at school, but it was her request!

Donuts with Dad and Mother's Day Tea

Last week at school they had Donuts with Dads to celebrate Father's Day since they won't be in school in June. This is the pic I got to take that morning before they left. For some reason, Michael didn't jump at the opportunity to snap a few pics of Olivia in class like I always do...

They had donuts and she made him a business card holder and answered a little questionairre about him, here it is...her answers are in quotations...

My dad is "1" year old.

My dad weights "20" pounds.

My dad's favorite color is "blue".--she got this one right

My dad's favorite food is "pizza".--right again

My dad's job is "to go to work".

My dad likes to "help my mommy".

I like to "swing on a swing" with my dad.

I love my dad because "he's so nice."

And yesterday I got to go for a Mother's Day Tea. It was so cute. They had table cloths on the table and little place settings set up. Olivia made me a card and a box with her pic on it and some little thumb paintings. It had candy in it, but she has already polished that off.
Here are her answers about me.
My mom is "1" year old.
She weighs "26" pounds.--I found that kind of flattering until I realized Michael was only 20 lbs!
She has "black" hair and "brown" eyes. Got that one right.
Her favorite color is "pink." right again
Her favorite food is "hot dogs."--WHAT???
She is happy when "sometimes."
Mom and I like to "play with our baby" together.
I love my mom because "she will play with me all the time."
Sweet girl.

7 months

Ana Blair is 7 months old! Time is going so quick! I feel like just yesterday I was blogging about her being 6 months! She is such a sweet baby. Some of the things she's up to now:

She got pumped up to a big girl car seat. She was busting out of the baby one from all sides! She is enjoying her Stage 2 baby foods, except carrots. She continues to be a good sleeper except she has become somewhat of an early riser (any time between 6:30-7:30). She knows her name, actually she has for a while, but I'm not sure when that first started. She had her first ear infection this month. She will get up on her hands and knees, but that's as close as we've gotten to crawling. She loves to stand. Still no teeth! She loves bath time with sister. She loves for Olivia to tickle her, she dies laughing and is red all over from Olivia being so rough, but she loves it! She got to model for our photographer this month for some pics she's hanging in her studio!