Olivia's 1st Christmas Concert

Here are a couple quick videos of Olivia's Christmas concert at school.











It was so cute!!  She saw us right away and yelled, "Daddy!! Mommy!!"  all with a big grin.

A Call from Santa

The City of Ankeny offers to have Santa call your house to speak to your children.  I had forgotten that tonight was the night Santa was going to call.  We were driving home from dinner and Josh's phone rings.  Upon answering he heard, "Ho! Ho! Ho!"  We immediately handed the phone to Olivia.  She thought it was her grandpa calling.  She was saying, "PAPA!!  Is that you?"  "Where's grandma?"  Once she realized it was Santa, she said she wanted toys and a pillow pet.

It was really cute listening to her.  Santa asked her about Ozzy and she had this look like, "How did he know I had a cat?"   She was really excited that she got to talk to Santa.

Presents

We put up our tree the weekend after Christmas like most people do.  Everyday since then, Olivia has had to point out every ornament on the tree.  Did I say EVERY day and EVERY ornament!! 

Ignore the topless girl under the tree!!

                                         

We then made a paper chain to count down the days until Santa comes.  I didn't really know if she would get it, but she does know that when the chain is gone, that is when Santa comes!!  I am surprised that she hasn't just ripped down the whole thing.  Yesterday became the big challenge.  I had to wrap presents because I have simply run out of hiding places.  After Olivia woke up from her nap, she saw the presents and immediately went for them.  I said, " No, we need to wait for Christmas."  I bet she heard that 75 times over the last 12 hours. 

So earlier this morning we were playing tea party.  We had all the dishes set out, the little cupcakes, etc.  Olivia was pouring the lemonade into all the cups.  As I was reaching for my cup, she said,  "No, Mommy!!  You have to wait for Christmas!!!"   I had to laugh!!

                                     

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Drive safe and eat too much!!!  Love, Olivia

ISU Mens Basketball

Josh was able to come across some cheap tickets to the Cyclones vs. Creighton tickets today.  We wanted to go, so we chanced it with Olivia.  She told us on the way down that she wanted to hug Cy.  She did really great at the game.  I think we went up to the potty 5 times.  She got to give Cy a high five and he tickled her belly.   It was a ton of fun and the Clones won!!

Santa

This is Olivia after she said that she didn't want to "sit" on Santa's lap.   Bass Pro has a great thing for kids at Christmas time.  You should check it out!!

MExico 2

Click here to view this photo book larger

Enjoy our pics from Mexico!!!

A Nice Day

Today was the last day of our 4 day weekend off as a family.  Well, Josh's anyway.  I still have one more day off!!!  We bundled Olivia up and went to the park.  She was in heaven.  After seeing her run and play, Josh and I decided we need to have an outlet for her.  Tumbling maybe?  We will have to check on that!!

Josh and I are actually celebrating our 7 year wedding anniversary as well!! Happy anniversary honey!!

So we went to take Olivia's pictures....

This is pretty much what she was like the whole time.  We got some cute pics, but, we had to work for them!!!

Funny conversation at supper

So, as parents, we might sometimes tell out kids the nontruths to make them do things.  Olivia has been getting picky with her food and not really eating meat.  I worry about her getting all the nutrients she needs so here is what unfolded tonight.

Olivia had eaten her veggies and about 3 bites of mashed potatoes and nothing of her meat.  then she asked for candy.  I told her that she needed to try her meat.  She took the smallest bite.  I told her that she needed to  eat a couple of big bites so that the doctors wouldn't have to give her shots of iron.

Olivia:  I don't like shots.
Josh:  Then you better eat some meat.
Olivia:  I don't want any shots!! (Eating some bites of meat.)
Me:  Well, you wont need anymore shots until you get ready to go to big kid school.
Olivia:  Big kid school?
Me:  You will go when you are 5.  (Holding up 5 fingers)  You are only two.  You have a while before you need shots.
Olivia:  Will I ride a bus to school?
Me:  Probably.
Olivia:  Will my friends go to school?  Like Michael?
Me:  I don't know, depends on where we live and where Michael lives at that time.
Olvia:  I will need a backpack for school.  Pink with flowers on it.
Josh: Sounds like you have it all planned out.
Olvia: Yes.  (pause)  Can I watch a show?

It was just cute how she was thinking of school.  Anytime we pass one in town, she is talking about going to school with the big kids.  Then I got to thinking, it won't be long before she goes.  Then that me sad!!!

Single mom..

So, last week Josh had to spend a week in Connecticut for training for ING.  This would have been ok, but we had just gotten back from Mexico two days before he left again.  Olivia was very sad and wanted her daddy back home!!

Needless to say, we got some great mommy and daughter time.  Olivia helped me make suppers (she probably has more experience in the kitchen than me!!)  I really did  make suppers!!  We went trick-or-treating in the mall with Allison and Charlotte and had a purse party to go to.

Now for the exciting stuff.  Wednesday night when I got home from work, I noticed our power was off.  It had been windy, so I didn't think anything of it.  Olivia and I had plans that night so we left.  When we got back about 8 pm, all the other townhouses had power but ours.  So I sent Olivia to Heather's house because at this point it was only 59 degrees in the house.  To make a long story short, after calling MidAmerican 4 times, my dad ( whos an electrician) 3 times, Josh 6 times, and a local electrician that charged $175 an hour, MidAmerican had cut the power off to the wrong house!!!  When we finally got power and got back home, it was after 11pm.  Olivia was such a trooper, she fell asleep and stayed asleep while we drove back home.  In the process of driving back and forth to Heathers and our house, some little piece fell off in my car. It was a great night!!!

The next night I had an appointment for Olivia to get the flu mist instead of the shot.  I had her all prepared to get the medicine in her nose and she was ok with that.  Well, once we got there, we found out she had to have a shot due to previous health issues.  She was so mad at me!!  She kept yelling, " You made me get a shot!!"  She was even telling me she was going to tell all her friends at school I made her get shot.  I made up to her with a little ice cream.

So after that week, I have a new respect for all single parents, who have to do all the work by themselves.  I was feeling sorry for myself that I had to do it a week.  I want to take this time to thank all of those in our lives that help us out!!! We really appreciate it!!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!!

Olivia started this obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine about a month ago.  She never really watches him on TV, but will play with the trains on the train table constantly.  Any time she sees him in the stores, she yells, "Thomas!!"  So, when she saw the commercial advertising the train rides in Boone, she asked to ride Thomas.  Josh and I thought it would be a fun thing for her to do.  I mean, it's not everyday that Thomas is in Boone!!

The train ride was about a 20 minute ride "round trip."  Olivia really enjoyed it.  She had her big smile on the whole way.

There would be people out in the street, cars, or in their yards and she would wave to everyone of them.  It was cute!!

Jr. Conductor Olivia

Taking in the sights!

She had such a great day.  She went in this inflatable train 3 times.  She has just gotten so brave over the last couple of months.  It is a ton of fun watching her grow and become independent. 

Train tables!!! We had to pracically drag her out of that tent!!

Old Friends = Good Times

 

Last Saturday we headed up to Josh's old stomping grounds, Hampton, IA to visit with Garrett and Holly Winters.  Josh and Garrett went to high school together.  They have a little girl, Alayna, that is turning 4 very soon.  Olivia and Alayna became fast friends.  Alayna showed Olivia where all the toys, dress up clothes, instruments, etc. were kept.  Olivia would just follow her wherever she went. 

While we were up there, we had the girls paint and carve pumpkins.  This was Olivia's first time handling the pumpkin guts.  She actually liked doing it! Don't let that face fool you!!!


Papa Steve and YaYa (Garrett's mom and dad) took the girls around the farm to do chores. YaYa had farm clothes to put on.  They looked really cute.  They rode in a golf cart around to feed the dogs.  For their reward for being big helpers, they got to pick their very own apples!!!

The girls also put on a musical show for us.  They found a basket of musical instruments.  They would take turns playing different ones, marching around the living room.  They happened to find 2 harmonicas, I bet they played those things for 15 min straight!!  It was music to my ears.

We wanted to say a great big Thank You to the Winters family for the wonderful Saturday!! We had a great time!!

Christmas

So every year I think I will start Christmas shopping early and spread it out.  So, Olivia and I were at Kohl's the other day.  I saw they had a game on sale that would be fun for her.  She didn't need it today, I was able to sneak it in the car and get it home without her seeing it.  I was proud of myself, one present purchased!!!  I even had it in my present hiding spot.

Who says Christmas doesn't come in September?  That is exactly why I can't shop before December.

Woot!! Woot!!!

Today is the first day Olivia has gone all day without an accident!!!  We even ventured out of the house and she did great!!!!  We hope that today is the start!!!!  I will hopefully get to send my breakup letter to the Pull up company very soon!!!

Kansas City



This past weekend Josh and I headed south to Kansas City to watch ISU play Kansas State at Arrowhead Stadium (where the Kansas City Chiefs play).  After giving hugs to Olivia and many thanks to Grandma Judy for staying with Olivia, we headed out Friday afternoon.  It's amazing how quiet a car ride can be without a 2 year old . (no DVD players, no "Mommy, Daddy I'm thirsty!  Mommy, I dropped my lovey!  Daddy, I can't reach it)

We stayed in downtown KC in some really old hotels.  They were remodeled and very nice.  Friday night we headed down to the Plaza and had dinner at one of our favorite. restaurants in KC, Jack Stacks.  It has great BBQ.  It really felt like a date.  We had dinner outside under the stars.  It was very relaxing.  After dinner we headed back to downtown to the Power and Light district.  This area is full of restaurants and bars.  It is probably a couple blocks long and a couple of blocks wide.  All the bars open up to this big courtyard in the middle.  It is a ton of fun.  Friday night the Iowa State alumni assoc. had a pep rally so it was packed full of ISU fans!!  We felt like we were in college again and stayed out to midnight.  Yes, that's right, midnight!!! 

Saturday was beautiful.  It was at least 85 degrees and sunny for the game.  Too bad the Cyclones didn't win. 27-20. It was a great game and we had a blast!!  We ran into Keathen and Chad Winter.  Chad was a college roommate to Josh back in the day.  We also saw my brother Jason. 

Saturday night we went back down to the Power and Light district for more dinner under the stars.  That is something that Josh and I could get used to.  We met up with Keathen and Chad for a drink.  Everyone was tired from the previous night and a day in the sun!!  Plus the weather had turned and it was rainy and cold.  

The most rewarding part of the weekend was when we opened the front door to our house hearing, "Daddy!! Mommy!!! I missed you!!!"  Olivia gave us the biggest hugs possible!!!  She was so excited to see us.  She just kept saying, "You're home!!"  This makes me wonder how she will be when we are gone for a week in Mexico!!!

We had a great weekend!!  Thanks again Grandma Judy and Grandpa Dave!!! I  know Olivia had a great time!!! She laid on the floor and was sad when Grandma pulled out of the driveway!!She has been talking about how grandma slept at her house!!

Ummm....

I know, I know, I know.  There's always next year.

Once a State fan, always a State fan.

GO CLONES!!!

Pufferbilly Days

Olivia and Josh headed up to Boone this morning to go to the Pufferbilly Days parade with Grandpa Dave and Grandma Judy.  Josh was nervous 1.)  he doesn't really head out to far with Olivia by himself 2.)  Olivia has never been to a parade before 3.) Olivia is potty training.  Lately, Olivia has had a case of the"ants in the pants."  So it is always a gamble if she sits still or not. 

Josh said that they were waiting for the parade, when Olivia overheard a kid say, "Daddy, I have to go potty."  So naturally, Olivia said, "Daddy, I have to go potty."  Olivia not only experienced her first parade, she also experienced her first port-a-potty.

Once Olivia figured out was going on, she really enjoyed it.  She loved to see the horses, fire trucks, and school buses.  Oh the candy and bomb pops were a hit too!!

GO STATE!!!

GO STATE!

As I was looking for Iowa State shirts for Olivia, I found one  that said "Start Em Young, Raise Them Right!"  It had a big Cy on it.  I thought it was very fitting!!

Labor Day

The meaning of Labor Day...work!!!  I decided it was time that Olivia find the meaning of work!! We decided to plant mum's. 

She was all over digging in the dirt.  That is one of the many things I love about her.  She can be girly-girl one minute playing with her dolls, and then the next minute minute digging for worms.  She loved helping dig the holes in the planters, putting the mums in the holes, and then watering them.

The flowers turned out great!!

 

A Weekend Away

A couple of weekends ago, we headed west to Sioux City.  My cousins that were down here in July were also at my parents that weekend.  Once again, the kids had a blast together.  There was not much of the weekend that went by that those two were not together.  Olivia, being the older one (by 3 mo.), decided she would  make the decisions.  That was my nice way of saying she liked to boss Layne around.  We heard alot of, "Yayne, come here.  Yayner, Yayner."  The poor kid didn't know what to think.

My dad just completed a garden.  They spent alot of time playing in it.  Olivia discovered the cherry tomato plant.  She was eating the tomatoes like they were covered in chocolate.

 On that Saturday, Julie (Layne's mom) and I decided that we would have a nice bonding time with our children and take them to the Kid's Clinic at Lowes.  They were going to build a school bus.  Once we got the kids past the lawnmowers and down to where the clinic was to take place, the kids had already lost interest in doing the bus.  Olivia sat for the most part and helped with the hammering.  The poor table!!  I think it got hit more than the nails did.  I would show you the finished product, but Layne bailed out before they got that far.  And for Olivia's bus, it was crooked in some places.  We also got to spend sometime with my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins that we don't see that often. 

We had a really great weekend.  It is always nice to get away and relax. 

August in Iowa means State Fair!!

For the past three years, we have gone to the state fair.  For the last three years we have told ourselves, "This trip should cover the next three years."  This year, however, Olivia is really interested in the things around her.  She is able to do alot of the activities that the fair has to offer. 


The first stop was The Little Hands on the Farm.  The kids were to gather vegetables, seed corn, soybeans and etc. at different stations.  Then they "fed" cows, rode tractors, and sold their vegetables at the farmer's market.  She then earned money to buy something at the general store.  It was cute, don't know if she got the idea, but it was cute.

We then saw the baby animals in the nursery.  She would say, "Aww..cute." at all the baby animals.  They were all puppies too.  I guess we need to hit the books on farm animals.  Walking through the barns she also got to pet a cow and feed the goats.  She takes such delight in everything,  it was so much fun.

We then hit the area of the fair everyone likes....the food. The smells of all the food made it a hard choice for a snack.  She chose her favorite~~ mini doughnuts and lemonade.  

The last thing we did was walk through the Varied Industries building.  She got to see one of her favorite characters in her books.  Clifford. 

She had alot of fun.  I guess we will consider going back next year!

Family Fun

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin's Justin, Julie and Layne came from Norfolk, NE to hang out for the weekend.   We had talked about getting together for a couple of years.  But you know how time goes... it just flies by.  Well, we set this up like in Feb., wrote the dates in the calendar and just went with it. 

We had a mini family reunion with my cousin Heidi and her husband Scott, my brother Jason, his wife Kris, and daughter Ella, Justin, Julie and Layne, and my crew met for supper at Benningan's down by the airport.  It was a good time and the kids had fun running around.  The next day we went to the farmer's market in dowtown Des Moines. It was extremely hot and everyone was out to see what was going on. It was just fun to be out and about. One of the things both Layne and Olivia spotted at the same time was a train ride. The kids loved it.

We then hung out at or house that night to let the kids be kids.  It was great conversation and alot of fun!!!  It would be awesome if they lived closer!!!  Thanks for the great weekend guys!!!

I might as well..

After being inspired by other people's blogs, I have decided to join the blogging world.  Since I have an aversion to Facebook, this is the closest you are going to get people!!! 

To get everyone caught up with the very busy lifestyle we have...(joking).  We have really enjoyed the summer with friends and family.  It seems lately that the weather has either been steaming hot or we would need a boat to play outside.  So being stuck inside has made Josh and I get in touch with our creative sides and come up with crafts and activities to do with Olivia.  

I'm still working at Lowe's.  However, I am working on the westside of town now at the store on 50th & University in West Des Moines.  It has been quite the change.  I left some great people and super support system.  I know with time, I will have the same at this new store.

Josh is still at ING in Des Moines.  He really enjoys his job!! 

We can't wait for the fall and what ISU football has in store.  What? Being voted to be last in the Big 12 has it's advantages, you can only go up!!!