At 7 Months

Olivia loves to...

make big growling noises

stand up and scoot across things

(she has gotten really brave and will even do it one handed)

eat everything we are eating

(who needs baby food)

play in kneeling position

pull off anything that is on her head

even her hair

give big gummy grins

pull down the Christmas tree

follow us around the house 

wear 12-18 month clothes AHHH

bang on things

and give really big open mouth, gummy kisses

(she can really suck hard on your cheek) 

Also, we had a hard time getting her to cooperate with taking

pictures this time. She was trying too hard to 

get the camera lens. 

Oh Olivia, we love you so much! 

An Orchard Shoot

My good friend Jessica

got Olivia and her little boy a 

free photo shoot

We went to the orchards at BYU-Idaho

It was the perfect day

and the babies were adorable! 

I can't believe how gorgeous she is!

Happy Halloween

Last night we went to a Halloween party

It is Olivia's first Halloween

and we were so 

excited to celebrate it

We all dressed up as star trek characters

Zach looked great as Spock

and of course Olivia was the cutest 

red shirt I ever did see

Thanks Jess, David, and Remmington

for a great party!

At 6 Months....

Olivia weighs 16 lbs

and is

26 1/2 inches tall

      She loves to...

crawl everywhere and get into everything

eat peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and prunes

sit up all by herself

twist, curl, and roll her tongue

sleep through the night almost every night

bang things together

go on walks

wear bows and hat without pulling them out or off

take pictures (she loves eating the camera lens cap)

chew on everything she can get here hands on

try and drink from her sippy cup

pull herself to standing position

play, read, and sing songs

These 6 months have flown by

I can't express enough how wonderful it

has been to see her grow up

and experience such new things

No matter what kind of mood I am in

she can put a smile on my face

and she is so fun to be around

We love you, Olivia

Please, don't grow up too fast!

Enjoying the Small Moments

Tonight I have a lot to do for my classroom

I have an empty plan book,

piles and piles of paper that need to be cut,
notes that need to be written
and sent to parents,
binders that need to be assembled,
tests to grade 

and a blank mind that

does not have one creative thought 

 for my  open hour block
tomorrow

But I put that aside.
I had a beautiful, giggly girl
that kept staring at me
with her greenish, blue eyes
pleading with me to get on the floor
 and play with her
sing songs
and give lots and lots of kisses.

Needless to say I gave in.
There was no way that I couldn't.
Her sweet, sweet demeanor makes it
so easy to love her.
She has a very special spirit
that can bring
a smile to anybody's face.

And I really needed that tonight.
Thank you Olivia for
giving me lots of
love
kisses, and
cuddles 

A Day at the Park

The other day we took Olivia

to Porter Park

She loved it even though it was

FREEZING 

Rexburg in October is always 

a bit chilly 

I look forward to many, many

more of these days

She is such a fun little girl

and I love 

experiencing all these new things 

with her.  I feel so blessed 

to have her in my life.

Being a mom is really the best

thing I have ever done! 

Olivia's New Crib

Last month we upgraded

Olivia from her pack 'n' play to 

a real crib

The transition was a piece of cake

She is such a great sleeper!

I think she really enjoys the

extra space

Most nights we find her on her stomach 

in a completely different space from

where she started 

Her nursery, for the most part, is all done

There are sill a few little things 

I have left to do

but here are the pictures of

Olivia's New Crib

(I really think this should be an Ian Falconer title) 

I really can't believe she was

 four months in these

pictures. She has grown up so fast!

The Keeping Quilt

Last weekend I make a quilt for Olivia. 

I have been wanting to make one since we found out we were having her.

 Life got busy and I never did it. Life is still busy, that's never going to change, so I just did it. 

It's not perfect but I think it turned out great. Plus, I really think Olivia likes it.

Also, I made a burp cloth!!!

and painted her toes

i love those little feet

At 5 Months

Olivia loves to..........

give big gummy smiles

giggle

give fake coughs 

roll over and over and over and over

pull her hair and everyone else's hair

bathe

 (she still loves shower but now we can give her a bath without ear shattering screams)

wiggle her little body

grunt and growl

sleep in her new crib

read books 

and chew on those books

have her parents close

(she is a snuggle bug)

visit her mommy's classroom for lunch

It has been a hard transition going to work everyday and 

leaving this little girl, especially since

she is still sleeping when I leave

but I am so grateful that she gets to be home with

her daddy and that he takes such good

care of her. She is one happy 

little girl. She always knows how to bring

a smile to our faces. She is such a joy

and I feel so grateful I am her mother.

Life would be incomplete without her.

We love you, Olivia.