Quotes of the week

Here are some good ones....


Olivia walks into the living room carrying her stuffed Eyeore toy...( she is usually always carrying it..) Out of the corner of my eye I see the Christmas tree shaking ever so slightly ... she has been told more than once not to touch the ornaments ...

me: "Olivia, are you touching the tree?"

no answer

me: "Olivia, did you touch the tree?"

Olivia: " No momma, Eyeore did kick the tree".

me: (trying desperately not to laugh) " Please tell Eyeore to stop kicking the tree or HE will get a time-out!"

Olivia: " Oh,...ok.... he no likes time-outs. "



I worked this morning so when I came home Chad decided he needed a little nap in the afternoon. Olivia was eating a yogurt at the kitchen table and watched him walk into the bedroom and close the door...

Olivia: "Where dada going?"

me: "Daddy is a little tired so he's going to take a nap"

Olivia: "Yeah, you talked and talked and now he tired"

me: "What?!"

Olivia: "you talked and talked and now he need a nap"

( stunned silence)

Olivia: " he was tired and mad so he take nap".

Apparently I talk too much... *sigh*



Oh, and just a side note... Olivia has taken a new turn with her fashion sense. I WISH I had taken a picture of the outfit she had on today. I took her with me to a quick trip to Trader Joe's and here is what she had on:

1. Orange shirt
2. Brown pants
3. purple socks
4. white shoes
5. Pink Sweatshirt

... and to top it all off

6. Her white frilly wide brimmed Easter hat.

She DID get a lot of compliments. :-)

xoxoxo

Singin' my ABC'S!!

She can finally make it through the whole song! Enjoy!

I don't have the heart to tell her....

It's 95 degrees outside!!!!




xoxoxo

"I sat on a really nice badger".

Clearly this was spoken on a day she had spent with her father.

Hmmmmmm...after some investigation I found out that Olivia had been to the play-place at the mall and one of the animals that she could climb on was indeed a badger.

Phew! I'm really glad to know we don't have a "badger" problem at home in the backyard.

xoxo

You know you're the mom of a 2 year old when......

1. One of your requests for peace at dinnertime is " Please no roaring..".

2. You say "Feet on the floor please" more than once a day..

3. You find a blob of applesauce on the bathroom mirror ( which I might add is about 7 feet away from the dining room... hmmmm..

4. Your c.d player in the living room has Raffi, The best of Disney, and ABC melodies in it.

5. You realize at 2 pm you never ate breakfast...

6. You get hysterical with joy when she pee-pee's in the potty.

xoxoxo

Quote of the day ( well, the other day..)

One of Olivia's new favorite things to do is to sing the "Abc's" while sitting in her carseat. So the other day she was singing and this is what happened...

Olivia: (singing) "a,b,c,d,e,shef,g,h,i,j,k,lemlo,p,q,r,s,t,u,v, xy and z! Now i know my abc's , net time won't you sing wich me.

Me : Very good Olivia!

Olivia:(pausing) Yeah, I no need "W".



Apparently the letter "w" didn't make the cut.

xoxoxo

Halloween 2008!

Our Halloween was a blast this year!! We started the celebration on Thursday night....we carved pumpkins and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on tv. Olivia was sooooo excited to carve pumpkins..she had no idea what to expect. The biggest suprise of the evening came when I opened up the first pumpkin and she gagged from the smell inside... hahahahaha! I don't think that she had any idea that pumpkins have such a strong odor once you open them. She was a little hesitant after that to help clean them out , but as soon as I started doing it she dove right in. We made a happy pumpkin, a scary pumpkin, and a ghost pumpkin ( out of a white pumpkin!). She really got a kick out of helping us light them and seeing them glow on the porch. It was a great start to our Halloween!

The next day we had some friends over to celebrate Halloween! Rachel, Jamie, Robyn, Bryce, Aunti Sarah, Grammy, and Papa were all on hand to help make and decorate some delicious and spooky spider cookies... it was great fun!!!




At last we got to Trick-or-Treat! Olivia was a cute little witch this year and Finn was a fat little spider! Chad came up with the idea to hang him in the sling on my front and have me be the web... it turned out so cute and Finn was pretty happy during most of the trick-or-treating! Olivia's friends Rachel and Bryce were a black cat and a monkey respectively. The kids did really well walking up the doors, knocking, and saying trick-or-treat. Most of the time we had to drag them away from each house cuz they wanted more candy! They lasted about 45 minutes and then we proceeded home for baths and jammies. It was a really fabulous day!!! Happy Halloween!!!

Finn Month 4

Finn is 4 months old!! He is such a sweetie and is growing like a weed! He now weighs 15 lbs. 7 ounces and is 25 inches long. He is almost rolling over ( he did it once but hasn't again)... but likes to spend a lot of time on his side ( especially while sleeping.) He loves to cuddle and laugh with his sister and has finally started to notice Cassie.. :-) Every day there is some new achievement and it is simply amazing to me that 4 months have already passed since his birth. xoxoxo

17 years...

17 years ago today I was getting my hair done to go to the Homecoming Dance with a guy I liked and had known since I was 13 years old. My dad dropped me off at his house around 6:00 pm .. where I met two of my girlfriends ( Bethie and Sabita) and their dates ( Jonah and Matt). The boys cooked us dinner ( I think my future mother-in-law may have helped with that), we took pictures and hung out for a little while, and then we all took off for the dance.

I remember being very nervous but I also remember the excitement of going to my first Homecoming Dance. My date was gracious and kind but I also sensed some nervousness in him as well. We didn't talk too much , just relaxed and danced with our friends. The funny thing is.. I don't recall the decorations, I don't remember the music, and I couldn't describe the theme of the dance... but I remember exactly where we were when he reached to hold my hand.

My parents were very strict about my curfew...so I know he was nervous about getting me home on time. We were carpooling with another couple , so after a few post-dance stops and some innocent ( don't laugh Sabita) kissing in their car...I was dropped off safe and sound on my doorstep. We were both nervous about saying good-night but we did so and I ran inside with a very pounding heart.

Did I know that we would end up staying together through high school? Nope. Did I even dream that he would one day get down on one knee to ask for my hand in marriage? Nope. Did I even project that we would , 17 years later, have two amazing children and live each day like our first date? Not in a million years..

I am beyond blessed to have Chad in my life. I tell him each day that I love him and my heart still skips a beat when he walks in from work each day. He is my best friend and my family. I hope that I always feel for him what I feel right now.

We have been together more than half our lives....

I love you baby. Happy Anniversary!

xoxoxoxoxo

Quote of the day

We were driving to our monthly Malibu Presbyterian MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group and here was the conversation that went down in the car:

Me: " Look at the hills Livvy , aren't they cool?" ( we were driving through Malibu Canyon , which as some of you know has very steep cliffs on both sides of the road).

Olivia: " I like those mountains mom, I could climb 'dem".

Me: " You can? Wow, I think that would be awesome!".

Olivia: "Yeah, I will climb 'dem and find rolly-polly's." ( otherwise known as "pill bugs")



There you have it. hahahaha!

Fall Fun!

On Friday we travelled out to Moorepark to the Underwood Family Farm for some pumpkin picking! Well, we didn't actually get to "pick" the pumpkins but we sure had fun choosing which ones we wanted! The kids and I met up with my dear friend Jamie and her little girl Rachel. We had a great time despite the 95 degree day! Aghhhh! Olivia REALLY loved all the pumpkins and probably could have stayed there all day patting the pumpkins, talking to the pumpkins, and holding as many pumpkins as she could at one time. So fun!!!

xoxo

What's going on 'round here..

We had a pretty mellow week ( despite Chad coming down with the flu last night)...we mostly stayed indoors because of the fires being so close ( 5 miles away) and all the ash in the air. Soooo, there was plenty of time for reading stories to Jack and Henry ( Olivia's stuffed animal dogs), building homes for pet dinosaurs, practicing sitting in the Bumbo seat, doing pumpkin collages, and making a yummy cake with candy corns on it!

We are so excited that Halloween is almost here and pretty much daily Olivia asks when we will we get to "trix or treat". I think that this year it will be a little bit more tricky to get her to hand over her candy at the end of the night...yeah, we'll just have to see how that one goes over. Yikes!

Enjoy the pics!

xoxo

45 minutes...

I never thought that having two kids would also make me a great multi-tasker...I guess it just comes with the territory, right? Well, this morning Chad woke-up with a fever and chills and unfortunately today is the day I go to work. ( I am just working Saturdays and Monday mornings now). Here is how I "passed the time" for the 45 minutes I had before going to work:

1. Strip Olivia's bed ( her diaper leaked last night).

2. Put on new sheets.

3. Walk out to garage to put sheets in washing machine.

4. Change Finn's diaper.

5. Make Olivia breakfast.

6. Put on make-up and "extra" deoderent... a shower just wasn't in the cards this morning. ( lovely for my patients , right?)

7. Look in the mirror.. Yup, I guess THAT hairstyle will just have to do.

8. Pull out bottle of pumped milk from fridge , warm some water to warm the bottle.

9. Change clothes.

10. Take another look in the mirror.. ai, yi, yi.

11. Fill the dogs' water bowl.

12. Kiss Chad and tell him , "I'll be home for lunch". That gets a smile out of him.

13. Make it into the car... take a deep breath.

I think maybe all those years of going to school and working 2-3 jobs really did pay off...

xoxoxoxo

Quote of the day

So recently I was at the mall and I bought Olivia a new placemat with a picture of the United States on it. Every state has a picture to go with it..she really enjoys it but I never really knew how much she paid attention to it... until now.

Olivia: (walking into my room this morning) " Mom, we live in Californ-ja".

Me: ( my jaw dropping) " Yes, we do." (I'll throw her for a loop now..) " Where does Grandpa live?"

Olivia: (thinking really hard...) " In the big Cheese".

I almost peed my pants.

My dad lives in Wisconsin and obviously the picture on it is a slice of cheese...

So obviously she pays attention.

xoxoxo

Quote of the day

Olivia: "You like baby praying mantis' mom?"

Me: "Uh...yeah I like baby praying mantis'.

Olivia: " That's good".


I wish I could just bottle what is going on in her mind and sell it on Ebay.. I probably would make a million bucks!

xoxoxo

Finn Month 3

Wow! Where did three months go...I have no idea...Finn is a delight in every way a baby can be. He is calm and observant, very inquisitive yet reserved. I feel sooooooo blessed that his personality is what it is...because at this point I seem to have had one very needy and active baby and now one very mellow and easy baby. His only quirk is the nighttime sleeping ( still getting up 2-3 times a night) but he is EASILY satisfied and falls right back to sleep. I am assuming that he is just in a growing phase since up until last week he was sleeping in 5-6 hour stretches. ( at least I know he can do it! ). He LOVES with a capital L his big sister and when ever she is near he is smiling. Finn loves to talk and coo and is constantly serenading us with tons of cute baby sounds. It is just going too fast....

xoxoxo

Olivia is 2!!

I realized in the last few days that I never posted anything about Olivia turning 2 years old!!! We were in the Midwest when this momentous occasion occurred so I just forgot. Anyway, on September 3rd our little girl turned 2 years old! She was so excited to wear her birthday princess crown and pin I had gotten her. It so happened that on her actual birthday day we were driving down to Illinois ( a 6 hour ride) , so she was thrilled when she found out our rental van had a DVD player in it ( something we DO NOT have at home in our car). She was entertained the whole ride down with Cinderella and Shrek! When we arrived in Illinois , some of Chad's relatives had kindly decorated our rented apartment with balloons and cupcakes... so great!

As a 2 year old Olivia can do lots of things, here are some of the (many) fun things she can do!!

1. Olivia can jump with 2 feet off the ground!

2. Olivia can sit in a regular chair for meals!

3. Olivia can speak 6-7 word sentences!

4. Olivia can follow instruction and help mommy take care of Finn!

5. Olivia can sleep in a big girl bed!

xoxoxoxo

Olivia learns to dive...

Well, not really.. but she did use the diving board for the first time while we were in Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago. She has no fear... so great! xoxoxoxo

Little House in Encino

We have been searching Craigs List for months looking for the perfect playhouse for Olivia ( and eventually Finn too) and yesterday we finally tracked one down ... Chad went and picked it up last night and this morning while Olivia was watching Sesame Street he put it together in the backyard. She absolutely loves it! We have all been invited in and out many times. She was mostly thrilled when Cassie decided to join her by jumping in through one of the open windows. So much fun!!

xoxoxo

Finn Month 2

Whew! We just got back from 15 days in the Midwest and little Finn celebrated his 2 month birthday while we were away. He is getting so big but more importantly he is such an easy going, good natured, watch-the-world go by kind of baby. He smiles at everyone, lights up when his big sister enters a room , and cuddles in our arms when he is sleepy and tired. *sigh*. Here are some new milestones that Finn has accomplished!!!

1. He can stick his whole fist in his mouth.

2. He can make us laugh even when we have had the roughest of days...

3. He can say "a-goo" and "oooo".

4. He can hold his head up on his own.

5. He can make your heart melt with his handsome smile!

xoxoxoxo