A Day in the Life of.....Me!

Ball Pit

2012-01-19T11:41:00.001-05:00

Saturday, Lee, Olivia and I headed to our friend Rob and Alecia's house for a dinner party. We hadn't seen them since Olivia was born, so it was a great opportunity for them to meet her and for her to meet their girls. The highlight of the evening was the ball pit they had in their living room! Olivia was scared at first, but then we couldn't get her out of it!

The kids had their own table and it was Olivia's first "picnic table" meal. She was a great sport and enjoyed chicken nuggets and applesauce with the rest of the kids. She loved it! She's just getting so big!

After dinner and more play time, it was dessert time! Olivia doesn't normally eat anything sweet besides fruit and animal crackers, but it was a night out, so a cupcake was to be had!

I think she liked it! Daddy helped her a bit too!

It was great to catch up with friends and watch Olivia play with the older girls. Can't wait to do it again soon!

Beer

2012-01-19T11:34:00.003-05:00

If you remember, I got Lee a brewing starter kit for Christmas. He began the brew process the week between Christmas and New Years and this past weekend, it was time to bottle! This is quite a process! Between saving bottles, removing the labels from the bottles, sanitizing the bottles, sanitizing all the equipment, and on and on and on.........

I snapped a few pictures of the bottling process.

I helped fill the bottles and then cap them. We ended up with about two cases of an Imperial Brown Ale that we should be able to try in about a month! Can't wait!

"Camping"

2012-01-19T11:29:00.001-05:00

Maureen and Andy bought a vacation home. Well, as I would like to call it, a camper! They've been talking about it for a long time and they finally went through with it. They invited the family out to Bull Run Regional Park for a tour of the "home" and some camping favorites. I took a few pics of the place.

Pretty sweet huh?

Olivia played with Blake and Adam and appeared to have a great time!

We had a great time and can't wait to visit again!

New Years Eve

2012-01-16T10:26:00.001-05:00

This year we had actual plans to go out for New Years Eve! Lee was scheduled to shoot a running race in Fairfax at 6:00, so we dropped Olivia off with Grandma and Grandpa for the night and we headed to Fairfax for the race. I snapped a few pictures of Brian and Lee getting things ready for the race.

The DJ was awesome! Very motivating for the runners!

I'd say the spotlights are working just fine

Brian setting up the bubble machine!

After the race, Brian, Christine, Lee and I all went to a local place for dinner. It wasn't crowded and we were able to enjoy an ok meal and good company before we headed to Arlington to ring in the new year with our friends Dharma and Andy.

We got to the George's house around 9:30 and met Andy's new Christmas present....his dual tap kegerator! We enjoyed some nice fresh beer while sitting outside around their fire pit. It was a lovely evening because it wasn't too cold and the sky was very clear. So, sitting outside was wonderful! Yes, we smelled like camp fire after we left, but it was worth it! We listened to a mix of old classic music on somebody's phone using Pandora, we sang along, and we came inside to watch the ball drop. I did manage to snap a few pictures outside, but they were all pretty smokey!

Lee sporting some smokey eyes

Dharma sporting a Happy Birthday hat for their friend who was celebrating her birthday as well as the New Year!

Andy toasting

Cheers everyone! Here's to a wonderful 2012!!

Kitchen!

2012-01-16T10:09:00.001-05:00

The kitchen Olivia got for Christmas from Grandma and Grandpa found a new home in our kitchen. We bought an area rug and set it up so she could have a really nice play area in the kitchen.

Pay no attention to the fact her kitchen and table are set up right by our "bar" area. She loves her new play area and has already spent countless hours making us pizza and all sorts of other goodies!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Christmas with Anne and Jim

2012-01-16T09:50:00.001-05:00

The Wednesday after Christmas, mom's brother and sister, my godparents, Anne and Jim came up to visit and exchange Christmas gifts with all of us. We had a great prime rib dinner and enjoyed opening gifts. Olivia made out with a TON of new clothes from Anne and Jim and I walked away with some wonderful jewelry and some fabulous VT napkins and coasters! Andrew did pretty well too, scoring some Bulldogs gear to help his school spirit out a bit....you know, because his step mother was voted Most Spirited senior year! Just sayin! But I digress.......I took a few pics with my fancy new camera!

Mom wearing the new sweater and scarf I got her!

Anne....apparently surprised I'm taking a pic!

Self portrait with Jim

We had a great time and Olivia enjoyed hanging out with her Great Aunt Anne and Great Uncle Jim!

Christmas Day

2012-01-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning we were awake before Olivia! I know she has no clue what's really going on yet, so it's not like she was chompin' at the bit to get started! It was probably 8:00 before we headed downstairs!

We didn't have a lot of gifts for Olivia to open because we gave her the table and chairs a few weeks ago. But, she did have a few packages to rip open. She wasn't really sure what to do, so we had to help her along.....

Olivia got a 90 piece play food set from her Aunt and Uncle! She didn't know she would be getting a kitchen from Grandma and Grandpa later in the day! She had a blast just playing with all the little fruits and veggies!

After playing around and having a nice big breakfast, we headed over to my parent's house for more festivities!

As soon as we walked in, Olivia found her first gift! A baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa!

She loves her new doll so much! She feeds her, gives her a pacifier and carries her around. She loves putting her "night night". The doll even has her own stroller that transforms into a rocking horse! Fun! Grandma crocheted a beautiful blanket for the baby as well!

There was just so much going on and Olivia was so overwhelmed. But, there were more gifts to be had! Onward.....

THE KITCHEN!!

Adam wants in on the action too!

After a while, the kids were pretty spent and needed to head upstairs for a nap. They both napped for a bit, but definitely not as long as they could have! The rest of the afternoon was spent just enjoying family presents!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T20:58:00.001-05:00

This year, Lee's brother and sister-in-law Dennis and Helen hosted the family for Christmas Eve dinner and presents! Lee volunteered to make the main dish....lasagna! He made 4 lasagnas to bring over. They were a big hit! Lots of family, lots of food, lots of fun!! Not long after we got there, Olivia ate a chip.....went down the wrong pipe and she threw up a bit......sooooo.......her dress and my sweater went up into the washer! I borrowed a sweater from Helen and we threw Olivia in her Christmas jammies a bit early!

After dinner, it was time for presents! Yay! So many people, so many presents! The kids had a blast opening all their goodies and we had a great time as well!

Back in my sweater......

Awesome Hokie Bird Pillow Pet!

So much fun with everybody. It turned into a pretty late night for Olivia, so we hopped in the car and headed home. After Olivia went to sleep, Lee and I continued a tradition of opening our gifts on Christmas Eve. Lee got me a new camera! I'm so excited to have my own camera since mine was stolen a few years back during the 3-Day Walk. It's a great camera and I'm so thrilled to be able to take more pictures of my own for my blog! I got Lee a home brew starter kit! I think he was pretty surprised! He's been talking about it for years and we have a lot of friends who are into the hobby, so he can't wait to get started!

After we enjoyed our gifts for a few minutes, it was time to play Santa! We got all the gifts wrapped and we were finally in bed a little after midnight. On to Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-26T20:07:00.001-05:00

Maureen and Andy invited the family over for a wonderful dinner on Christmas Eve Eve. Lee and I headed over right after work and mom and dad picked up Olivia from school and drove her out to meet us! We didn't bring a camera, so I have no photos of the event, but I'm sure some will surface in the next few days.

The Gribbles made up some lovely appetizers and a wonderful meal! The wine was flowing and the cuteness of the kids was too much! What a wonderful time we had and it got us in the spirit for the days to follow!

The only downside was getting in the car to go home and finding out we had a flat tire.....blah!

Oh well, Lee changed it lickity split and we were on our way! On to Christmas Eve!!

Santa!

2011-12-12T08:38:00.001-05:00

Just like last year, we headed to Noblis on Saturday to the Children's Holiday Party. We invited Maureen, Andy and Adam as well! As a special treat, Grandpa came along! This was a great thing as you will see later in this post. The hallways and cafeteria were all decked out for the party in a Candyland theme. So perfect! We got there, said hello to some co-workers and headed straight to the line for Santa.

We really didn't know what to expect this year being that Olivia is a year older and is more aware of her surroundings. We made the attempt! It wasn't horrible, but she was definitely shaking and asking for "BaPa" while she sat in the sleigh with Santa. Poor girl!

This was Olivia after she saw Santa.....

Thank goodness for BaPa!

She warmed up as the day went on, but the combination of Santa and being tired was probably a little too much for this little one to handle, so we headed home!

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-12T08:34:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we put up the Diehr Family Christmas Tree. Not quite as extravagant as the Griswold's, but it'll do! I put the tree together while the boys worked on Andrew's bike and Olivia napped. It was a lot of hard work, but I love doing it every year! Later that afternoon, Lee and Andrew put all the lights on and we got to decorating. Olivia loved looking at the tree and all the ornaments. She helped too!

She even hugged the tree! Can't wait to see her little face light up on Christmas morning!

Early Christmas Gift

2011-12-12T08:32:00.001-05:00

We had been talking about getting a table and chairs for Olivia so she has her own little spot to color and eat her snacks, etc. We found a very simple one online and ordered it. It came over a week ago and we just couldn't wait to put it together and let her try it out! She doesn't know the difference at this point, so what the heck? She definitely loves it!

Post Thanksgiving Party

2011-12-11T21:56:00.001-05:00

Lee and I decided to host a Post Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. We invited my parents, Maureen, Andy, Adam and Mark to come over and celebrate Thanksgiving with us since we were all at different places for Thanksgiving. Lee made a wonderful lasagna and stuffed shells. So delicious!

This wasn't just a gathering for food. It was also the big Virginia Tech/Virginia game. Always a big game in our house! Everybody came dressed in their best maroon and orange for the game!

A big highlight of our Thanksgiving gatherings is my mother's love for giving gifts. She loves to give Thanksgiving gifts to kick off the holiday season. This year, Andrew and Olivia received their Christmas pajamas as well as a Christmas ornament. Lee and I each got a Christmas ornament as well as a wonderful Christmas smelling candle! We absolutely love this tradition!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-04T21:21:00.001-05:00

For those who know me, you know I have spent almost every Thanksgiving of my life up at Wintergreen. When you grow older and start your own family, traditions start to change a bit. Not always a bad thing! This year we spent Thanksgiving with Lee's family. Danielle and Eric graciously hosted and we had a wonderful time. Lee volunteered to cook the turkey. He also made sweet potatoes and we brought some pie. Small story about the turkey.......

Lee put the turkey in a brine for a few days prior to Thanksgiving. He woke up at 5:45 that morning and pre-heated the oven to about 500 degrees. He was going to roast the turkey at that high temp for about 15 minutes and then turn it down for the remainder of the time. However, things didn't quite go as planned. Something had fallen onto the bottom of the oven during a previous cooking spree so it began to burn to the bottom of the oven. Smoke alarms began screeching around 6:00. This is possibly the ONLY thing in the world that freaks out Farley. He was a disaster! Needless to say, I was awake at this point.....Farley was at my feet shaking like a leaf and crying like a baby. Oh, the baby.....yeah, she was now wide awake and trying to figure out what was going on. I went in to check on her and the alarm came back on. This time, she began crying. Farley was attempting to crawl under her crib while she was trying to climb out. Oh boy....what a fun morning! Meanwhile, Lee was downstairs opening windows, trying to let all the smoke out of the house while fanning the smoke away from the smoke alarm! Oy......what a crazy morning! Olivia and I came downstairs and just hung out while Lee attempted to make sense of how much time the turkey had actually been in the oven at which temperature, etc. At any rate, the alarm stopped for good and the 21 pound turkey cooked in about 2 1/2 hours! Crazy! Oh, and it took until about the 5th time of the alarm going off for Andrew to slowly emerge from his room. We have since had a conversation about how he should probably come out of his room should the smoke alarm ever go off! :)

Ok, back to the rest of the day! Since the turkey was done so quickly, we didn't have much more we needed to do to get ready. Lee wrapped the bird up in foil and wrapped it in towels before placing it in a cooler for transport. We got to Danielle and Eric's around 1:30 and the festivities began! So much family....so much food.....so much fun!

The weather was unseasonably warm, so the annual football game was a lot more comfortable that previous years!

Olivia was loving the wide open backyard and took advantage!

What a blast she had!

I caught Nana reading to O!

After dinner, we sat around and chose names for the gift exchange for Christmas. Lee snapped a few photos!

What a Happy Thanksgiving!!

4th Anniversary

2011-12-04T20:53:00.001-05:00

November 17th was our 4th Anniversary. Grandpa came over to babysit so we could go out to dinner. Lee and I headed over to Reston Town Center to PassionFish. If you haven't been.....GO NOW! This was our second time going and it was every bit as wonderful. The food is absolutely fantastic and the service is just top notch. We enjoyed every bite! We had white truffle for the first time in the form of risotto. Lee really liked it, but I wasn't a huge fan. I mean, it was good, but Lee's Risotto is better! :)

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the night out! And thanks Grandpa for watching the babe!

Friends

2011-12-04T20:44:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, we went over to the Gomolka's house for a photo shoot and to meet their new little guy Brady! He was born 5 months ago, but we finally had the opportunity to meet him. Lee took a bunch of photos of the whole family so they could have some updated photos and then while playing around inside, he shot a few of the girls playing!

I took this with my phone...she was so cute in Alisia's play kitchen!

Mid November Happenings....

2011-12-04T20:31:00.001-05:00

Lee and I have Veteran's Day off from work, so we have used that day the past few years to celebrate our anniversary a week early. The kids are in school/daycare, so it's "free" day for us. This year, we headed to Chantilly and had a really nice lunch and a few beers at Dogfish Head Alehouse. It was nice to just sit back, chit chat, have a few brews and not be rushing to pick up Olivia or take Andrew to his latest get-together. The weather was a little chilly and definitely windy or we would've headed out to Tarara for a tasting!

That night, Lee took Andrew to his first concert.....Foo Fighters! I must admit, at the time, I was glad I wasn't part of that night out, but after hearing how incredible the show was, I regret not being there! It was the perfect Father/Son outing.

The next morning, Olivia and I headed to Falls Church for a birthday party for Patrick. Patrick's dad, Chris, works with me at Noblis. Patrick is really into Dinosaur Train so for his birthday, his parent's rented a real train for his party. Olivia and I got a chance to take a ride!

She looks terrified, but I guarantee she was loving it!

After enjoying some fun games outside, we headed home. She was slightly tired!

Halloween

2011-11-13T13:51:00.001-05:00

This was Olivia's second Halloween and I was definitely skeptical because of her lack of excitement for anything on her head. My co-worker and friend, Deanna, let us borrow a lion costume that her son wore a few years ago and I was definitely excited because Olivia loves lions. Any time she sees one, she ROOOAAAARRRRSSSSS. For the 2 weeks before Halloween, I showed her the costume and let her play with the head piece, but as soon as I attempted to put it on her head, all bets were off.....no chance was I going to get that on her head without "forcing" it. So, I was patient for 2 weeks and then it was "the" day, so I had to try again! We got home from picking her up at daycare after work and I just bit the bullet and put it on her. She definitely fought me, but I won, 'cuz I'm bigger ;) I knew as soon as I got it on her, she would love it, and I was right! So, 10 seconds of screaming and crying were all pushed aside once she saw herself in the mirror. ROOOAAAARRRRRRR! It was only 5:30, still daylight, but we didn't care. We took her outside and let her run around with her pumpkin while Lee snapped pictures. Our neighbor had her candy out on her front porch already, so that made for some good pics as well! Enjoy!

18 Month Appointment

2011-10-27T20:10:00.001-04:00

It is just amazing how quickly time passes us by when we're all busy having fun and watching Olivia grow by leaps and bounds! She's already 1 1/2 years old. Crazy! Today we went to the Dr. for her 18 month appointment. This appointment was very different from all the others.....very different indeed. From the moment the nurse got out the tape measure to take her length and her head circumference measurements, it was all downhill. She had the most terrified look on her face as if a monster walked in the room. Lee and I were both there to try and comfort her, but she was just so scared and nothing would calm her down. Therefore, the head measurement that was taken was inaccurate.

When Miss Lauren came in to do the check up, she looked at her measurements and was very concerned that her head had not grown since her 15 month check up. We knew the measurement was probably incorrect just because of how difficult it was to take it, so after all was said and done, they took another shot at it......not any easier the second time, but got a more accurate reading. Anyway, let's look at her stats....shall we??

25 pounds 2 oz - 63rd percentile - up 1 pound and 10 oz from her 15 month appointment and up from 53rd percentile

34 inches - 99th percentile - up 2 inches - and up from 83rd percentile

47 cm head circumference - 61st percentile - up 1 centimeter and up from 47th percentile

The picture shows her head circumference as 46, but that was the first reading.

Miss Lauren asked a lot of the developmental questions to which we were able to answer with very good responses. "Does she say at least 7 words?" Welllllll.......if you know Olivia, you'll know she says about 30 different words, so that was pretty easy to answer!

Then it was time to listen to her heart and chest and look at her ears/eyes/mouth with foreign objects.......she was NOT having it! Stethoscope? Tongue depressor? No thank you!!! Then for her head measurement again.....then for shots!! Oh, we just wanted to take her out for ice cream or do something with her that would take her mind off everything. Turns out, it just took us leaving the office to make things right! :) Oh, and the Goofy sticker she got for being such a brave girl! :)

Our little nugget is growing up so fast and I'm so scared to even blink! We love you Princess!

Our Artist!

2011-10-19T22:06:00.003-04:00

Last night, Olivia spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house so Lee and I could have a night out with friends. Grandma gave her a coloring book and crayons....oh boy! I told Grandpa to snap some photos because I hadn't had the opportunity to have her color with me yet and I didn't want to miss it! She started out using Grandpa's foot rest......

And then they brought up the little table and chair set and this was the outcome!

Grandma showed her how to take the stickers and place them on the page.....she couldn't get enough! I love how much fun she has with Grandma and Grandpa! She'll have to stay over more often!! Saturday perhaps!

Homecoming!

2011-10-19T21:55:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday was the Stone Bridge High School Homecoming dance. This was Andrew's first Homecoming and I'd say he had a great time! As soon as we found out he had a date to the dance (the Thursday before the dance) I went into "mom" mode and ordered a corsage for her. Little did I know, she had already told Andrew she didn't want a flower. Knowing how the female mind works, we suggested to Andrew he give it to her anyway and tell her he had already gotten it for her. That worked like a charm! She loved it and wore it all night!

Lee and Andrew went to Alexandra's house to pick her up and bring her to their friend's house for pictures. They went with two other people and they had a great time taking photos!

What a pretty corsage!

As you can tell...the other couple was slightly taller!

They decided to switch it up!

Attention! They are all in marching band together...can you tell?

After pictures, they went to Bertucci's for dinner and then on to the dance. They all had a wonderful time!

Noblis Golf Outing

2011-10-13T13:47:00.003-04:00

Last Friday Lee and I participated in a golf tournament hosted by our company. We played with his manager and our friend Jason. We had a great time and the pictures from the day made their way up on to the intranet today, so I'm posting!

Great form! Ha!

JUST missed!

Great Fall Weekend

2011-10-11T21:30:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was full of fun and cuteness! Friday was the 2nd Annual Noblis Golf Tournament so Lee and I paired up with his manager and our friend Jason and hit the course at Pleasant Valley. We came in mid-pack but had an excellent time. The weather was perfect and the beer was cold. Great time had by all!

Saturday morning we got up and had breakfast so we could run a few errands. Olivia was a trooper as we went to Targer and our new Harris Teeter. We picked up food for the evening's festivities. We invited the Gribbles over for dinner and we went over to the park so Lee could take photos of Adam. The weather was a little warmer than we would've liked for "Fall" pictures, but it worked out. We went to the field next to our house and both kids got to run around. Although the photo session was meant for Adam, it didn't stop Olivia from getting into the frame of some of the pics!

I realize there are a lot of pictures, but again, I couldn't just pick a few!

After the photo session, we came back to the house and fed the kids, put Olivia to bed and then we enjoyed dinner. Lee smoked some pork and made a bourbon reduction sauce and a roasted pumpkin puree risotto. Dinner was delicious, but the company was even better! It was really nice to have the kids there playing together for an evening. They had a blast and we enjoyed some adult time with Maureen and Andy. Can't wait to do it again!

A Boy and His Sister

2011-09-26T13:47:00.000-04:00

From the day we told Andrew he was going to be a big brother, he was so excited. He has always been such an amazing big brother to Olivia and she is so lucky to have him. There is a pretty big age difference between the two of them but they get along so well! She gets SO excited when she sees him and starts yelling "Da Doo....Da Dooo" So cute! I have a feeling they will grow up to be best friends!

Happy Sunday!

2011-09-18T08:10:00.001-04:00

Love!

BaPa!

2011-09-09T09:32:00.002-04:00

Olivia loves her BaPa!

Our Hokie Musician

2011-09-04T11:22:00.000-04:00

Olivia was having so much fun on Grandma and Grandpa's piano yesterday!

Outdoor Playground

2011-08-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

Even though it was a tad cloudy, Lee, Olivia and I took a walk over to Trailside Park for a little fun! Olivia hasn't been over there since she could walk, so it was fun to see what she would do. Well, I put her down on the mulch and she just wanted to sit. She was a little confused what she was supposed to do. I put her in the swing though....I think she liked it!

After swinging, we walked around a bit to get her used to the uneven ground and she found some new stuff to play on.

Fun day at the park!

Indoor Playground

2011-08-13T16:03:00.000-04:00

Olivia has a new game she likes to play called "Weeeeeee". When I am sitting on the couch with my legs crossed, she comes over and sits on my top foot and says "Weeeeeee"!! So, that's my cue to play along! No video of this yet, but I think you get the gist!

After Lee snapped these, she wanted to play with the camera......

What a fun game!!

For Grandma's Puzzle Addiction.....

2011-08-12T11:18:00.002-04:00

Total Cuteness....

2011-08-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

Our little rump shaker has us, as my mother would say, in stitches when she dances. All it takes is a clap, a snap or any type of sound to get her to bust a move. Even the theme song from "A Night at the Roxbury" gets her moving!

If that wasn't enough, I put on an episode of "Olivia"......

then there's this one....If you listen closely, you may hear her bark....and then she sings along!

She LOVES her Olivia books and will say "Eeeya" over and over again and point to her on the page! (disclaimer: pay no attention to the camera operator and her horrible singing)

She's just so much fun we can't even stand it!!

15 Month Appointment

2011-08-11T19:46:00.000-04:00

Although Olivia turned 15 months old on July 24th, she just had her 15 month Dr. appointment today. She did great until shot time.....ugh. Our little girl is actually little for once. Here are her stats!

23 pounds 8 oz - 53rd percentile - up only 5 oz from her 1 year appointment and down from 82nd percentile

32 inches - 83rd percentile - up 1 inch and down from 96th percentile

46 cm head circumference - no change in size but down to 47th from 77th

So, it appears she is slowing down on the growing front. Miss Lauren wanted to test her hemoglobin count to make sure she didn't have any iron deficiencies. She does not. So, we're good to go!

She fits right in with other kids 15 months old, for instance:

1) She can say 3-15 words....her words are:

* Daddy - pronounced, Da-Deeeee (she says this one A LOT)
* Andrew - pronounced, Da-Doooo (she says this one A LOT too)
* Mommy - pronounced, Mommy (she says this one....not a lot...oh well!)
* Grandpa - pronounced, BaPa (she asks for him all the time!)
* Bless You - pronounced, Bessyou (after you sneeze even!)
* Banana - pronounced, Nana
* Shoe - pronounced, shoe (we're in trouble, 'cuz she LOVES shoes)
* Water - pronounced, wawa
* Hi - pronounced, HI (she says this to anyone and everyone she sees, along with a wave)
* Bunny - pronounced, Nunny (this is her bunny from Uncle Mark that she sleeps with)
* Moo - when asked what a cow says
* Baa - when asked what a sheep says (although, she misses this one frequently)
* La La La - when asked what the three singing pigs say (trust me, it's a good book - "Moo, Baa, LaLaLa"
* No - pronounced, no (although she's not sure what she's saying.....yet
* What - pronounced, wha (again, she's not sure what she's saying)
* What's that? - pronounced, Whasat
* Who's that? - pronounced, Whosat
* Cheese - pronounced, cheese (she says this when she steals our phones and poses for a self portrait)
* Cheers - pronounced, Cheo (she says this and clinks her cup on ours - adorable!)
* OLIVIA!!! - pronounced, Eeeya (Which she sings when she hears the Olivia theme song!)

Some words she has said but only once or twice are, yellow, red and lemon.....So, I'd say she is saying 3-15!

2) She can identify at least 2 body parts.....

* She shows her belly button when asked where it is....she'll even try to find yours if you ask her!
* She knows her nose! And other people's noses when asked

We are working on ears, mouth and elbow now

3) She is walking.....self explanatory!

4) She has teeth.....she has 6 with 2 more coming in (apparently 8 was the magic number, so since her top front teeth are cutting through now (finally) we'll say she met this one too!

These were the main milestones we discussed today, so I'd say our little princess is doing great!

She had to get 2 vaccines today, but luckily they were mixed into one shot.....but it wasn't pretty! Before she got that though, they had to take some blood from her toe to test her hemoglobin count. She was totally fine with that one......then the shot in her leg.....yeah, she wasn't too excited. Luckily, mommy brought Nunny to the party and that seemed to calm her down a little bit, but she was none too pleased!

Our baby girl is growing up so fast and we are just loving every fast minute of it!!

Beach Favorites

2011-08-03T20:55:00.002-04:00

I thought these pictures deserved their own post!

Beach Trip....Going Home!

2011-08-03T20:52:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a little hectic as we all packed up and got ready to go home. Our drive home was definitely not as long but Olivia wasn't as thrilled with this trip. Perhaps she was just sad to be leaving the ocean! We left after breakfast so we only needed to stop to eat one time. We stopped at a Chick-Fil-A near Williamsburg where they had retired folks walking around the dining room offering fresh cracked pepper, mints, hand wipes and even place mats for the kids! They got refills for people and even cleaned up the trash. I thought we were on another planet! I brought Olivia a container that had peas, chicken and blueberries and that's what she enjoyed. She sat so nicely in the high chair with her little place mat and plate. What a little lady! Not too long after lunch, this is how we found her.....

Apparently Vivien had the same thought on her trip home.....

Great time had by all!

Beach Trip Day 7

2011-08-03T20:46:00.000-04:00

Friday was out last day at the beach so we did it up! We had our normal morning and headed over to the beach for one last hoorah!

We didn't catch too many pictures but we sure did walk a lot on the beach! Olivia led the way. She walked so far holding our hands and when she needed a rest, she pulled her hands down and sat on the sand! Then, when she was ready to go further, she would get up and grab our hands and start walking! She was so funny! We played in the sand and went down to the water a few times before it was time to pack it up and head back to the house for lunch and naps. Today we got smart and put shampoo and soap in the outside shower so we could all take advantage of showering outside! I had a blast bathing Olivia outside! I brought her in and shampood her up while she stood in the shower. So fun! If I knew what we were about to do after nap time, I would've waited to bathe her!

After naps, it was watermelon time! Oh what fun....

The aftermath.......

Well, after this crazy mess, we had to give her another bath! She had watermelon dripping down under her outfit and into her diaper. She had chunks of watermelon in her hair!

All clean and in a new outfit ready to get some play time in with Vivien!

The girls had such a blast playing together. Andrew had a great time too!

Who has the crazy hair?

Say what?

Once again, the girls ate dinner and went to bed and the rest of us ate our dinner and enjoyed each others' company for the last night of vacation! We had steak and rice for our last night.

So sad our trip was ending but I think we were all all ready to get home and sleep in our own beds!

Beach Trip Day 6

2011-08-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

Thursday was picture day on the beach. Sarah picked up some matching dresses for the girls so we got them all dolled up and headed over to the beach early in the morning to catch the early morning sun and a few pictures of the sweet ladies! I couldn't decide which ones I should put on the blog, so I just put them all up!

After returning from the photo session, we all headed back and enjoyed milk, coffee and breakfast and decided to take the day off from the sun. Sarah did head over for a couple hours on her own to soak up some sun, but I was just so tired, I decided to just hang back. We decided to put the girls in their new fancy Best Friends shirts Sarah found for them and got a few more pics!

Vivien didn't really feel like having her picture taken, but the pictures are super cute anyway!

Dinner on Thursday was seafood!! Lee and Greg headed out to the seafood market and picked up spice steamed shrimp, crab legs and hush puppies. We enjoyed every last buttery bite!! We even got Andrew to try and love crab! Success.

During the day, Andrew decided to try and perfect his dessert, so he, and he alone, baked a chocolate cake and made an Oreo/pudding icing to put on top! It was yummy!! Desserts were all Andrew all week! The only thing I made was coffee!

Time for bed and gearing up for our last day at the beach!

Beach Trip Day 5

2011-08-03T16:48:00.000-04:00

Another sunny day = Beach Day! I'll skip all the preparation talk......we go to the beach and the girls were so excited....again!


Vivien couldn't get enough of the ocean!!

Fun in the sun! Another trip back to the house for lunch and naps then more fun in the house!

Hugs?

I love my daddy!

The girls playing through the door!

Let me out!....or.....Let me in!

Wednesday night was Mexican night! We had awesome soft tacos with fish, shrimp and chicken. We had homemade guacamole and salsa. Good stuff! We definitely didn't go hungry!

More rest!

Beach Trip Day 4

2011-08-03T16:18:00.000-04:00

Day 4 was our first rainy day. We had passing storms, but Tuesday it rained most of the day. So, we made the best of it and headed to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This was my 6th time going to the Outer Banks and my first visit to the Park. It was great! I will say, I would've enjoyed myself if it wasn't raining and if Olivia was a tad older. It was hard getting through the museum part of the park with the stroller. But, we managed. Again, Vivien enjoyed the rain!

Vivien wanted to follow Andrew and Lee up to the monument!

We left the Park and Greg, Sarah and Vivien headed south to a fish market to get the goods for the seafood boil we would be enjoying later that evening! We headed to the grocery store to pick up some of the other items we would need for dinner.

Once we got back to the house, it was time to put the kids down for naps and then dinner and bedtime! But, not before the girls got to enjoy popsicles for dessert!

Frozen baby food! Genius!! Sarah has a popsicle tray that she poured strawberry/mango baby food into and froze. And, voila!

After the girls went to sleep, we got to enjoy the boil! The boil consisted of:

Andouille sausage (fresh from the Weeping Radish Butchery)
Corn off the cob
red potatoes
scallops
clams
shrimp
a bunch of spices and herbs

It was fantastic! We enjoyed some Trader Joe's buttermilk biscuits on the side. The rain stopped early in the afternoon so we were able to enjoy our meal outside on the deck! Yummy!

I have failed to mention the many trips to Brew-Thru during this vacation. The boys all went on Sunday and picked up some beer and a root beer for Andrew. Greg was even kind enough to purchase t-shirts for all the boys. Nice huh? We enjoyed a lot of good and different beers while we were down there so Sunday's trip to get the beer wasn't the last! :)
Andouille

Beach Trip Day 3

2011-08-03T16:04:00.000-04:00

Monday morning, we all got up, ate our breakfast, which by the way, I learned you can put an egg on anything and call it breakfast.......check out the leftover pizza Sarah and Lee enjoyed!!

Then we got ready for the beach. If you read my last post, you now know what the process is to get ready for this journey! More fun in the sun!

We stayed a little longer this time, but the girls were wiped out and ready to head in for lunch and a nap.....as were the rest of us!

After naps, the skies opened up for a nice strong afternoon storm! Olivia wasn't sure what to make of it. In fact, she looked sad!

Vivien, on the other hand, embraced the rain. She went out on the screened in porch and got her fill of the rain! It was raining sideways, so there was no way to keep the rain out!

Funny kid! She had an absolute blast!

The kids played a lot before dinner and then it was time for them to go to bed so we could enjoy our 3rd wonderful meal! Sarah made a delicious macaroni & cheese and Lee made hot dogs. Simple but delicious!!

Another great day!

Beach Trip Day 2

2011-08-03T15:07:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning we all got up and started the day with milk for the babies and coffee for the adults. Not sure what Andrew had, but I guess he was ok! The last day of the Tour de France took place on Sunday so we stayed at the house in the morning so we could watch that. After lunch we got ready (by the way, not easy with two 1 year old baby girls!) We had to lather them up with sunscreen, get their swim diapers on, get their bathing suits on, lather ourselves up with sunscreen, get our suits on, get the strollers packed up with towels, water, buckets and shovels and other miscellaneous beach toys, extra diapers, wipes, sunscreen and the house keys and then we were ready to walk over to the beach......already exhausted! :) We weren't located right on the main beach road but we were close to it. We just had to walk down a long driveway to get to the road and head north a block or so to where the walking beach access was. Our BOB stroller was awesome in the sand! Once we finally got there and set up camp for short time we would be there, we got the girls out and headed to the water. They both really loved it! Of course, Olivia was more interested in eating the sand than playing in it!

Sarah and Vivien

The Wyshynskis

Beach Baby Vivien

The girls had all the sand and surf they could handle, so we headed back to the house and got them in the bathtub to get all the sand off! And boy did they love their bath!

What fun! They will kill us when they get older, but oh well! Isn't this what parents do?

After feeding the girls and putting them to bed, it was time to enjoy our 2nd dinner of the week. Pizza!!! The original plan was to use the charcoal grill the rental office said came with the house. They were correct, except this grill was upside down and missing a wheel, so it was just not gonna work! Plan B....cook inside. It was way too hot to be cooking outside anyway, so no harm no foul. Sarah and Lee headed up the cooking and made 3 pizzas. The first one was a whole wheat crust with Trader Joe's BBQ sauce, chicken, bacon, caramelized onions and roasted garlic.....can you say YUM?

The second one was on an herb and pesto crust and had regular pizza sauce, chicken, garlic, bacon and sundried tomatoes. Another winner!

And lastly, the staple pepperoni on a regular white crust.

We definitely felt pretty spoiled with this meal! So delicious! Andrew was in charge of dessert and he made an Oreo cookie mousse. He did it all himself. Crushed Oreos, vanilla ice cream and cool whip all mixed together and the frozen. I'm not sure why we didn't get any pictures of it but it was fantastic! Great job Andrew!

Another successful day and off to bed for more rest!

Beach Trip Day 1

2011-08-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

We planned our beach vacation months and months ago and we thought it would never get here! But, on July 23rd, we left Ashburn on a LONG journey to Kill Devil Hills, NC! Traffic is always unpredictable but going to the beach on a Saturday, we knew we would run into some. Never did we think we would take 9 hours to get there. What a trip! I will say, Olivia was a trooper. She was so incredible on the drive down. We had to stop to eat breakfast and lunch and she was just great. Even when we sat in bumper to bumper traffic for 20 miles to get onto the Outer Banks, she was a gem! Lucky us! We got to the house around 4:00 but had to wait for Greg and Sarah to get through the crazy traffic and get to the rental place to get our house keys. So, we took that time to drive over to the public beach parking and take Olivia to the shore for the first time. She loved it! Here's the proof!

We hung out on the beach for just a few minutes because it was about 98 degrees with no breeze! We headed back to the house and waited for Greg and Sarah. They showed up and we got to tour the house! The house was great and perfect for what we needed for the week. There were A LOT of different decks and porches!

The back side of the house overlooked a pond that was full of turtles. More on those later. We walked into the house and the laundry room was right there. Up a flight of stairs were the bedrooms and full bathrooms. Up another flight was the living area and kitchen and a powder room. Perfect! It was much too hot outside to eat out on the deck the first night, so we dined indoors. The girls ate first.

The girls and their highchairs stayed in the kitchen....that was their space! There was another table in the living area where we ate the first night. The rest of the week was just eat wherever you want! We did get to eat outside a few nights later in the week when it was cooler.

The first nights' meal consisted of tuna steaks and salmon with asparagus and roasted potatoes. Delish! We all got a good nights' sleep to prepare us for the first day at the ocean.

Fourth of July Fun!

2011-07-05T10:04:00.000-04:00

We continued our annual tradition by heading up to Wintergreen for 4th of July weekend! What a great weekend it was. It's fun to look back at pictures from last year's 4th and remember how little the babies were last year and how much they've grown and changed since then! I can now answer "yes" with certainty when people ask me if Olivia is walking yet. Yes, yes she is!! She walked ALL over the place this weekend and is definitely getting good at it. She also got to go swimming for the first time and as you can tell by the pictures below.....she loved it!

She even went all the way under the water!

She loved it so much! I can't wait to bring her to the pool here at home! We may have a little fish on our hands!

We had so much fun just playing and enjoying family time. Olivia and Adam continued their fun from Memorial Day by chasing each other up and down the hallway! Adam decided to crawl this time and sometimes Olivia would try to run with Adam.....that didn't work too well though! They had so much fun playing with each other and I'm so happy they are so close in age and will grow up as best buds!

Waking up on Sunday morning was so much fun because Grandpa was enjoying his coffee and his book out on the deck, so we grabbed Olivia's milk and headed out on the deck to enjoy our coffee and milk with him! Adam and Maureen joined us soon after and a few minutes later, the whole family was outside enjoying the peace and quiet.

We spent the day watching the Wimbledon finals and playing with the kids. Once both kids were up from their afternoon naps, we headed back up to the pool only to find out it was thundering and we would have to wait at least 20 minutes after each rumble of thunder before going in. So, we had to leave and head back home. Adam was none too pleased, but he got a bath as soon as we got home....same thing right?

The kids had so much fun being outside we decided to feed them dinner out there! They loved it!

After eating, we took Olivia for a little walk on the deck and snapped a few pictures before it was bedtime and dinner time for the adults!

What a sweet kid we have huh?

After the kids went to bed, we enjoyed our dinner of ribs and sausage before Lee, Mark, Maureen and I headed up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the fireworks show! I will say, I have seen tons of fireworks in my life but these just top them all. They do such a fantastic job up there and I would hate to miss it! I can't wait for the kids to get a little older so they can enjoy them as well. Maybe next year....we'll see!

We got up Monday morning and had breakfast and played before getting all packed up to head home. Since we didn't get to go to the pool on Sunday, Lee, Olivia and I headed up to the pool for a quick dip before getting in the car to come home. What a great time we had. She just loves the water!

My co-worker, Nikki, bought Miss Olivia the cutest little dress for the 4th. She wore it all day yesterday and when we got home, Lee snapped a few pictures of it! Isn't it adorable???

Thanks Miss Nikki!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful 4th as well!

Walking Everywhere!

2011-06-30T08:46:00.000-04:00

Olivia has been walking more and more each day and is starting to really choose walking over crawling. When we got home yesterday she was walking all over the place, so I just had to get it on video! She is doing so well at getting right back up and walking instead of just crawling since she's already down on the ground. So proud of our little princess!

Fun in the Car!

2011-06-30T08:43:00.000-04:00

Monday night, the three of us went out to dinner at a great place in Lansdowne - Not Your Average Joe's - delicious by the way! So much so, dad took me out to lunch yesterday and that's where we went! So, twice in one week for me! But I digress......on our way home from dinner, Miss Olivia was having quite the laughing fit in the back seat. I remembered the video camera was in her diaper bag so I grabbed it and pressed record! This was the outcome. Oh, and by the way....Lee was driving while I was filming.....just to clear that up!

Walking.....well, almost!

2011-06-16T09:43:00.000-04:00

Olivia has been taking a lot of steps but isn't quite ready to take off quite yet. We shot these videos on June 11 (this is so I have reference later when people ask me when she took her first few steps) and I'm just getting around to posting them on the blog.

Then....we turned her around to walk the other way!

Before we know it, she'll be running all over the place!! Look out world, here she comes!!

Beer

2011-06-16T09:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it was only a matter of time before Olivia would become interested in beer. It is a staple in our house. In fact, Lee is thinking about starting some home brew! Very exciting stuff! But....I digress. This video is pretty self explanatory, so I'll just let you enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T14:47:00.000-04:00

This year we were able to head up to Wintergreen for the long Memorial Day Weekend! We definitely needed a mini-vacation, so it was perfect. We got up Saturday morning, loaded up the car and we were on the road! It was exciting to turn Olivia's car seat around so she could see everybody and enjoy the ride!

She was definitely thrilled and had a great time. We thought she would nap, but that never happened. She just talked and sang the whole time. Kept us laughing! Despite some congestion in Charlottesville, we made it in pretty decent time. We got Olivia fed and put her down for a nap and headed out to Devil's Backbone for some great beer (root beer for Andrew and wings for Lee) and we filled up a growler for the afternoon! After our little afternoon brew, we headed back up to the house to discover Olivia was still napping! She was a tired monkey for sure.

We enjoyed our growler of beer and a wonderful dinner before it was time to hit the hey for the night. Sunday morning was filled with a lot of funny faces from our girl!

We decided to head out for a little hike and check out the festivities on the top of the mountain. Our little hike was just that.....little! It's very hard to find trails that are stroller accessible and we didn't bring the hiking backpack for this trip, so we had to carry Olivia. Well, good thing this was an easy and short trail because this kid is heavy! We headed over to Raven's Roost which is a nice overlook and would've been even nicer if it wasn't so hazy!

After our little hike, we headed over to the Mountain Inn to walk through the shops and check out the Wine and Food Festival and see about the Blues and Brews Festival we read about. We decided not to go to the Wine and Food Festival and instead we would head back down to Devil's Backbone for another beer and, of course, more wings for Lee and Andrew! Before we did that, we walked around the ski slopes to get a little exercise before indulging in more adult beverages!!

O likes to hold on for the ride!

After our walk and going through the shops, we went back to the house, fed O her lunch and put her down for a nap so we could head back down to Devil's Backbone. She took a pretty decent nap but was up and playing when we got back. I took the opportunity to snap some pics of her!

And then there was a pretty fun game of Hide 'N Seek between Adam and Olivia!

This kept them occupied for a long time! Back and forth up and down the hall......fun stuff! We also got a few random pictures of both the kids as well!

The evening went on with lots of card games, Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, etc! Great meal, great beverages and, most of all, great company!! It was sad to know Monday was the end of our relaxing weekend, but it was time to head back to reality! We got Olivia all dressed up in her Memorial Day duds and got a few pictures with Grandma and Grandpa and of just her before heading out for the day.

We headed out around 10 and got to Lee's parent's house in Warrenton just in time to feed O her lunch. She didn't nap all morning and was such a sweetie all afternoon! We had a blast with all the family then jumped in the car to head home. This was Olivia 3 minutes after we left Nana and Papa's house!

What a wonderful weekend! Can't wait for the 4th of July!!

More?

2011-05-18T18:14:00.001-04:00

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Our Little Musician

2011-05-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we got home and Andrew had been practicing his bell piece for band and left his bells on the couch. So, what's a baby to do??

Fun at the Park

2011-05-11T19:18:00.000-04:00

This afternoon, I picked Olivia up from school after working from home. We got home and I put her in the stroller and headed out for a walk. I've had a small cold for the past couple days, so we didn't go far, but we did head over to Trailside Park to enjoy a little swing time!

After fun at the park, we came home, had dinner and got all cleaned up before bedtime!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T18:59:00.000-04:00

This Mother's Day was my second one and it was wonderful! It really started on Friday when we picked Olivia up from school. She made me the most wonderful Mother's Day card!

Then on Saturday night, Lee cooked me a fabulous meal! (Not really much different from most nights) We had salmon, risotto and asparagus and it was washed down with a wonderful Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA! My favorite brew!

Sunday morning, Lee took on Olivia duty and got up and played with her for a while so I could sleep in. I think I got up at 7, which is sleeping in, but I was hoping for a little more snoozing! Oh well! Lee made me french toast with warmed strawberries and a dusting of powdered sugar on top. Delicious! I didn't get any pictures of that creation, but just take my word for it!

Once Andrew got up, they gave me my Mother's Day gift! What a surprise! Andrew and Olivia got me some charms for my Pandora bracelet my sister-in-law, Danielle, got me for Christmas!

My little bunny from my little Olivia

My drum from my drummer, Andrew

What an awesome and thoughtful gift from my great kids!!!

The rest of the day was very relaxing and then it was over to mom and dad's house for a nice Mother's Day BBQ! We didn't bring our cameras, so Maureen snapped a few while we were there. The kids played great together and even posed for a few pictures!

What a wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks to everyone for making it so special!

3rd Annual Tommy's Run for a Reason

2011-05-08T22:08:00.002-04:00

Saturday was the 3rd Annual Tommy's Run for a Reason. 3 years ago, my friend from high school, Andy, lost his 2 1/2 year old Tommy unexpectedly. Nobody knows why he passed away, so with all the research they did, they found out that there was a disorder called Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, or SUDC. Being a mother, I cannot imagine the tragedy Andy and Beth had to endure. I have participated in this event for the past 3 years and blogged about it last year here! Lee volunteered his photography services and will donate all proceeds from photo purchases to SUDC in Tommy's memory. One of the great parts of this event was getting to see so many people I grew up with. Matt, who I've known since kindergarten was the emcee for the event. He is a local celebrity.....well, he broadcasts a podcast and, well, it's hilarious! (This is a NSFW - not safe for work - broadcast mom and dad, so, um, maybe you shouldn't listen).

Anyway, what a beautiful day with beautiful weather! Olivia and I got there around 9:15, got registered and started walking around and meeting up with people. We ran into Shelley and Jason first. You can read all about them here! They drove all the way from Baltimore, what troopers! Shelley ran the 5K and Jason was a pal and walked with Olivia and me. I do plan on running next year! Now that I wrote it down, I guess I better deliver! Anyway, we made our way over to the kid area and met up with Stefany and Leslie! But, not before getting stopped by a lot of people along the way who wanted to see Miss Olivia! She was only 2 weeks old at the event last year, so people were pretty excited to see her! Who cares about seeing me!?!

Lee showed up with his camera gear and started capturing the day. Of course, he started with our little munchkin!

After hanging out for a while, the race was about to begin! The women from Mommy Bootcamp were there to kick off the warm up. They warmed all the racers up and got them on their way!

A few minutes after the 5K kicked off, the 2K family fun walk began. Shelley's husband Jason and I did the walk with Olivia. Wasn't exactly tough! But, I'm just not ready to run a 5K quite yet!

Here are a few pictures of some of the kids that rocked the 2K fun run/walk!

As we finished up the walk, some of the runners were coming into the Finish! We got back just in time to see Shelley finish up!

After the race was finished, Lee had to leave to head out to Andrew's baseball game, so he handed one of his cameras over to me. So, I got a few pictures (mostly of Olivia) :)

Then it was time for Andy to speak about Tommy and what SUDC has done for their family.

My friend Leslie recruited some of her students and friends from her school to help with the days' events. She even brought somebody along who dressed up like Snow White! Fun for the kids!

After all was said and done, it was time to eat! Carolina Bros. Barbeque was there to feed the troops. What a wonderful meal! They are right down the street from us and we have always enjoyed their food!

What a great event! Can't wait to do it all again next year, only next year, I will be running! :)

Uh Oh!

2011-05-02T13:19:00.000-04:00

You'll have to have the sound up to catch her cute little voice..........

Who's on the phone?

2011-05-02T13:16:00.000-04:00

Grandpa had an old cell phone lying around that he gave to Adam to play with. Well, on Saturday, we saw Olivia over by the toy box with the phone up to her ear. Hilarious! So, I was able to get a quick video of her with the phone. Too cute not to post! Disclaimer: I took this video with my cell phone and not my good camera, so my apologies for the not so good quality!

Peter Cottontail

2011-05-02T13:14:00.000-04:00

Last Easter, Grandma and Grandpa bought two Easter bunnies for the grandkids. They were so cute and Adam really seemed to love his! See Maureen's Easter blog from last year here!

Well, this year, it was time to give Olivia her Peter Cottontail! She wasn't as excited.....

New Shoes!

2011-04-30T20:13:00.000-04:00

Today, Grandma bought Olivia her very own pair of shoes. We went to Stride Rite and got her sized and fitted for the perfect "early walker" shoes. She was such a good girl as she got measured and was very patient while we waited for the girl to bring her some shoes to try on. Some came with laces which we didn't even bother trying on because, let's face it, Momma and Daddy aren't gonna tie shoes every morning just to have her untie them over and over! We settled for a cute pair of Mary Janes that should last her a while! Here she is modeling for the camera!

After we left the mall, we headed to Kohls and Target to exchange some of her birthday gifts for bigger sizes, because as you read in my last post, she is a big girl!! We also got her a swimming pool and pool toys so she can enjoy some water time on the deck when the weather cooperates! She doesn't know it yet, but she's in for a lot of fun!

We had so much fun shopping and then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's to play with Adam and Uncle Mark before enjoying dinner and heading home after a long day! What a big girl we have! I even thought she would take her first few steps in the shoe store!

1 Year Appointment

2011-04-29T20:18:00.000-04:00

Olivia had her 1 year appointment today. I know it sounds cliche, but it is just so hard to believe a year has gone by since Olivia joined our family. I just can't picture our lives without her. She is an amazing baby and just makes us smile and laugh every day! I couldn't wait to take her to see Miss Lauren, her nurse, because I wanted to see how much she has grown since her 9 month appointment. Quite a bit I would say!

Her stats at 12 months old:

23 pounds 3 oz - 82nd percentile - up almost 3 pounds from her 9 month appointment and up from 78th percentile

31 inches - 96th percentile - up 1 inch and down from 99th percentile

46 cm head circumference - 77th percentile - up 1 1/4 cm and up from 73rd percenetile

Miss Lauren was very happy with how Olivia is growing and thinks the world of her. :) I have to say, I love Miss Lauren! She has been there since the beginning and has always helped us with any questions we've had about Olivia and her development and growth.

O also got 3 shots today...... :( It was horrible. I've never seen her cry like she did today. It definitely brought tears to my eyes and I just wanted to make the pain go away. It only lasted for a few minutes, but those minutes seemed to last forever! We go back in 3 months, so hopefully it won't be as bad next time!

Our baby girl is growing so fast and so well. She is eating so many different things and loving all of it! She laughs and sings and says Dadda and Mamma and Uh Oh when she drops things.

Tonight at Grandma and Grandpa's house, she found Adam's cell phone (an old one of Grandpa's without the battery) and we caught her with it up to her ear having a conversation......oh boy are we in for it!!!

I'm One!!!

2011-04-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

It's so hard to believe Olivia is already a year old! This morning started off great. She woke up around 6:30 and spent a good while just talking and singing to herself before I went to get her up. She was super smiley and ready to start the day! We came downstairs and started playing right away. She's just always in a good mood!

After a great breakfast of a blueberry waffle and some peaches and more playtime, down she went for a nap. She was still pretty tired after a long day at her party yesterday! When I got her up from her nap, I got her dressed in her "Birthday" outfit from Miss Nikki. Nikki is my co-worker who I've worked with for almost 13 years. She has always been a wonderful friend and has treated Olivia like her own since she was born! So, needless to say, she spoils Olivia big time! She bought her the "Birthday Princess" hat she wore at her party (briefly since she wouldn't keep it on....but it was pretty while it lasted). Here she is in all her PINK glory!

She ended up getting a little lunch on her dress so we changed into another dress. Glad we got the photos when we did! Olivia and I headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day so we could be with them for Easter dinner. After all, Olivia's birthday wasn't the only thing going on today! She got to play with Uncle Mark, Aunt Anne and Grandma and Grandpa all day! She was so happy!

It was such a beautiful day so Uncle Mark, Olivia and I headed outside to try out the swing under Grandma and Grandpa's deck. I would say she enjoyed herself, yes?

We even got some video!

She even got to play downstairs in the big open area with very little restrictions! Nothing she could really get into, so that was nice! We even found the rocking chair we all used as kids. She was really liking it!

She really loved playing with her new toy from Uncle Mark too!

Then it was piano time! She sat on my lap and "played" the piano for at least 30 minutes. It was so great and made me so proud! Future musician? You tell me!

Happy Birthday to Olivia and Happy Easter too!

First Birthday Party!

2011-04-24T21:21:00.000-04:00

Saturday we celebrated Olivia's First Birthday in style! Friends and family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa's house for a big birthday bash! I decided to make cupcakes for Olivia's party so she could have her very own cake to devour as she pleased. Friday night, I baked 4 dozen cupcakes. Yes, 48 cupcakes!!! Crazy, I know. And, after the party, I came home with 27! And, that didn't count the 6 I left with Grandma and Grandpa! I know, overkill, but as my grandfather always said...."'Tis better to have and not need, than need and not have!" So, I erred on the plentiful side! I made enough to fill two cupcake trees! Here I am making the homemade icing for the cupcakes.

I used a recipe my friend Sarah gave me, but added some lemon for an extra special flavor! I have to say, the icing was amazing! Super sweet, but yummmmy! I found an idea for her cupcakes here. You be the judge!

This was the first time I had ever decorated cupcakes like this, and I have to say, I think I did a pretty decent job! I wasn't super thrilled with the color of yellow, but it worked just fine!

I put together goody bags for all the kids that came too!

Lee took a few pictures of Olivia before we got her ready for the party. She was having lots of fun with one of her balloons!

Right before people started to arrive, we got Olivia in her party dress.......isn't she pretty?

Miss Nikki, mommy's coworker bought Olivia this Birthday Princess hat for her to wear for her party!

The birthday princess throne!

Why is everybody singing?

After singing the birthday song, it was time to dig in!!!

She did a pretty good job with her cupcake!

Papa wanted a taste too!

Andrew wanted some too!

She didn't make TOO much of a mess right?

My bestie, Sarah and Olivia's bestie, Vivien came to the party too!

This was a gift from Miss Sarah and Miss Vivien.....beach ball and personalized beach towel for our trip with them to the beach in July!!

Stefany's kids, Ethan and Sarah got these for Olivia. If she's anything like her mother, she will LOVE them!

Olivia was happy to have her big brother home after he was gone for a week in Georgia!

Daddy had fun taking self portaits too!

Lee had fun with both kids! Olivia and Adam are just the cutest aren't they?

Uncle Mark got Olivia the best gift! This will help her learn how to walk on her own! It won't be long....

Olivia had the best time at her birthday party! And to think, it's not even her birthday until Sunday! More fun to come!

Sunday Funday!

2011-04-17T21:42:00.000-04:00

Today was a fabulous day! It started with Lee going for a nice long bike ride with a co-worker while Olivia and I played at home. When she went down for her nap, I was able to get my workout in and get everything ready so we could head out to Tarara for an afternoon of wine tasting and great weather. Before getting her dressed for the day, Lee snapped a few pictures of her doing what she loves best...reading! As Grandpa says, she's already reading on a 4th grade level!

We joined the wine club at Tarara back in November and it was time to pick up our wine selection for this quarter plus they had live music and free tastings all weekend. Being club members, we get free tastings anyway, but we thought it would be nice to head out and enjoy the weather with Olivia. When we got there, we pulled into the parking lot at the same time as Susan, a classmate of Lee's. We ran into her back in November when we were there for our anniversary, so it was nice to see her again. This time, she brought her husband John and we decided to sit with them for the tasting. It was a great afternoon and Olivia was just wonderful through all of it. It was pretty crowded so the tasting was a little slower than normal, but she was a trooper the whole time.

Afterwards, we walked around the grounds and since the weather was so wonderful, it was the perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures!

What a wonderful afternoon! I look forward to many more weekends like this one!

Silly Olivia....

2011-03-31T22:34:00.002-04:00

While playing around with the camera tonight trying to capture her standing up, I caught her in a bit of a tired moment!

Laughing at Juggling......

2011-03-31T22:33:00.002-04:00

I'm not quite sure why Olivia thought this was so funny, but I started juggling with her little shapes toy and she was just cracking up. We caught some of her laughs on camera, but this isn't nearly as funny as it was when she first started.....uncontrollable laughter!! She even tries to juggle!!

More Dancing.....

2011-03-31T22:00:00.002-04:00

I tell you what...this kid LOVES to dance! I was able to shoot this video of her that pretty much captures all her moves!

Annnnnd.....We're Standing!

2011-03-31T21:33:00.000-04:00

Olivia is officially a stander! Over the past few days, she has discovered she can stand up if she pulls herself up. Belissa told us she stood up in her crib at school last week but we hadn't seen her do it at home yet....until tonight!

Tonight after her bedtime story and bottle, I put her in her crib and she immediately crawled over and pulled herself up! We watched her on the monitor for a while and she continued to sit down and stand up over and over. I love when she hits new milestones. Makes me so happy! :)

Old Videos......

2011-03-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

I was looking through the pictures I have taken on my phone and I came across some videos I had taken of the little princess a long time ago! Enjoy!

This one was taken August 17, 2010

This one was taken August 21, 2010

Bananas, Bach and Bath Time.......

2011-03-06T20:23:00.000-05:00

This morning I fed Olivia a banana. She wasn't sure what to do with it at first, but once she got the hang of it, she loved it! This banana was extra ripe and I'm pretty sure she doesn't like things that are mushy based on her reaction when she got it on her hands. She liked it so much I gave her the other half for dinner!

Later on this morning Olivia and I were listening to some music and when I flipped on the Classical channel, this is what happened!

Olivia loves Bach's "Concerto in D Minor". I'm a proud mother!!

Tonight, I finally graduated her from the infant/toddler plastic tub to the "Big Girl" tub. She wasn't sure what to think but ended up loving it! It was hard to take the video while staying close enough to her, but you get the idea!

Another fun activity today was rearranging Olivia's room. We simply switched the crib and glider around so the crib wasn't right by the window. When she started playing with the blinds (don't worry, the cords were out of her reach) I knew it was time to switch things around. We were having to pull the blinds up during her naps and then she wasn't sleeping too well because of the sunlight. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our kids! :) It was fun to move things around anyway. Makes her room like nice and big now.

Other than that, it was a pretty lazy weekend with lots of playtime and rest. Other than Lee shooting a race this morning, we were home all weekend to enjoy having no plans! We have a lot of busy weekends coming up, so this was perfect. On to the next week........

This One is for Maureen......

2011-02-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Puzzling.....

2011-02-26T11:15:00.001-05:00

Click on Olivia's picture to do a puzzle of her! How fun!

Valentine's Day and 10 Months!

2011-02-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today is officially Olivia's 10 month birthday and we just "celebrated" her first Valentine's Day too! So, it was time for another photo shoot by our favorite photographer! :) Grandma bought this beautiful dress for Olivia to wear at Christmas time but she never had the opportunity to wear it. It's red and perfect for this photo shoot! It is truly amazing how fast she has grown over the past 10 months and the amount of things she does now is remarkable. Here is our beauty!

She is just the best!!

Yoga

2011-02-22T11:09:00.000-05:00

As you know, most of my posts are about little Olivia and what she's up to. But, this time, I'm writing about me. I have been doing Yoga for about 6 months and I am hooked. It's great when you have such a fabulous instructor! Her name happens to be Olivia and she is fantastic! You can learn all about her here. She comes into the office twice a week for 2 weekly sessions. Lee attends her Wednesday class and I attend her Monday class. We both love it and even have her DVDs so we can practice at home. In fact, this Sunday, she is teaching a "Couples Yoga" class. Should be fun!! Anyway, since I started, I can definitely feel myself getting stronger and more flexible. Yesterday I hit a milestone and was able to do "Bird of Paradise". I searched for a good video so you can get an idea what it looks like, this is the best one I could find that didn't have an annoying advertisement for you to view first!

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself!

Also, I started the Insanity workout on January 30th and am definitely feeling a difference in my stamina and muscle tone. Along with eating better, I hope that 2011 is a year of change for me! So far, I already feel so much healthier and am in better shape than I have been in a long time! I just have to stay motivated and stick with it and I think it will be a fabulous year!

Crawling Everywhere.....

2011-02-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Olivia is definitely on the move. She is getting from point A to point B in no time at all! Don't blink or she'll be on the other side of the room! This maneuver she learned from her older cousin. I have proof!

See where she got it?

The Biebs

2011-02-21T10:14:00.000-05:00

Andrew is definitely not too thrilled about Olivia's newest addiction.....Justin Bieber. Ok, well, it's my fault. The other day, I picked her up from school and like any other day, I sang to her! Only this time, I sang a little diddy called "Baby". Well, I looked in the rear view mirror and both of her arms were up and swaying back and forth. So, I knew she was a fan! So, what else was I to do but download the song and play it over the stereo.....

As annoying as this song is.....she LOVES it! Don't worry, I will find something else for her to love, but I just love how much she gets into this one!

Where's Olivia?

2011-02-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

Crawling and Waving.....

2011-02-02T17:48:00.000-05:00

She's definitely on the move!!! And, she can wave too!

She's Got the Music In Her!

2011-02-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

My Dancing ~~Queen~~ Princess!!!

Fun Weekend!

2011-01-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

This was a really great and fun weekend for all of us. Friday night was just a relaxing one so we could get ready for the busy weekend ahead. We got up with Olivia on Saturday morning and got ready for our very different days. Lee was heading out to Leesburg for his first mountain bike race of the year. That turned into a walking/hiking/running race since the trails were just packed with snow and ice, but he got to see a lot of friends and had a great time anyway!

While Lee was outside freezing his patutie off, I was with Maureen at my first Bikram Yoga class. I can't say I was in love with the experience, but I will go back. We bought 5 classes in a LivingSocial deal, so I'll stick out the next 4. The room is supposed to be at least 105 degrees, but it was at least up to 122. That is a little crazy if you ask me! Needless to say, I was super excited when it was over!

Olivia and Adam were back at Grandma and Grandpa's house enjoying breakfast and going down for a nap while we were sweating our patuties off! The kids survived and so did Grandma and Grandpa! I know those kids gave them a run for their money since they are both so active. Olivia is crawling all over the place and Adam is running! Good fun for them!

Olivia and I spent the whole day over at Grandma and Grandpa's and had a blast with them and Uncle Mark. Maureen and Adam stayed for a bit then headed out to Andy's parents' house for a visit.

While we were having fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house, Lee and Andrew headed to the Verizon Center for a Monster Truck Show! Yep, you heard me correctly.......

They went with a bunch of Lee's bike friends and their sons. Apparently, it was a blast!

Sunday we got up and had a nice morning playing with Olivia while Lee went to the store to make sure Olivia had enough food and formula for the week in case we get some stupid storm this week. We were getting prepared for a visit from Nana and Papa! Lee got back and put the chili on. He had cooked a pork shoulder last weekend so we had pork chili. It was delicious! We had some corn bread to complete the meal. Delicious! Nana and Papa brought Connor when they came so he and Andrew hung out downstairs with video games and drums. It was a wonderful visit and Papa wins the prize for getting Olivia to laugh harder than we've ever heard! Here's just a SMALL preview of her 15 minutes of laughter!!

Lee got his camera out to snap a few of Nana and Papa with Olivia. She's just a ham!

That's my earring Olivia!

What a great visit!

9 Month Appointment

2011-01-27T17:52:00.000-05:00

Olivia had her 9 month Dr. visit today. Despite all the crazy weather, we made it there with no issues. She had to get a toe prick to check for anemia and another routine vaccine. We also decided to give her the flu shot as well. She did alright, but cried as usual. Didn't last long though! Her appointment was in the middle of the afternoon which made it hard for her to have a nap, but that didn't stop her from passing out as soon as we got home!

Miss Lauren, Olivia's nurse, was very happy with her progress, as usual! She's obviously growing, as you can see below. In fact, her growth chart on Lauren's computer showed her height OFF THE CHART! I guess we should get her involved in basketball or volleyball pretty early! She's a growing girl for sure and everything looked great. Unfortunately, she has my skin. And for those of you who know me, you know that is not a great thing. For now, her skin is just super sensitive and is not handling the dry winter weather too well. We just have to keep an eye on things and keep her skin as moisturized as we can. Hopefully she'll grow out of this because I just couldn't bare to see her go through what I continue to go through. It would just be heartbreaking!

Her stats at 9 months old:

20 pounds 7 oz - 78th percentile - up 4 1/2 pounds from her 6 month appointment and up from 51st percentile

30 inches - 99th percentile - up 2 1/2 inches and up from 96th percentile

44 3/4 cm head circumference - 73rd percentile - up 1 3/4 cm and up from 67th percentile

Proof that we have a very growing and healthy baby girl!

It's so hard to believe our princess is 9 months old! Lee did a casual photo shoot with her on Sunday. We were going to do her formal 9 month pictures but Lee has been under the weather, so that has been postponed. Here are a few of her from the other day! Look for some others coming soon!

Here's a fun list of things she does at 9 months:

* Talks....A LOT
* Rocks back and forth on her hands and knees - SO close to crawling!!
* Eats......A LOT, as apparent in the stats above
* Plays with so many different toys and LOVES the ones that sing/play music (she is my daughter!)
* Plays patty-cake!
* Shows us how big she is....all the time!
* Dances......this is new and SO cute
* Has two bottom teeth!
* Takes wonderful naps
* Working on the sippy cup.....she's just not so sure yet

She continues to make us smile and our world is just so great because she is in it! You are so loved Olivia!!!!

Almost There.........

2011-01-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are bribing her......Why? I just don't know!!!

Sneezing

2011-01-23T08:24:00.000-05:00

One thing we have yet to get on camera is Olivia when sneezing. See, it's not just a normal sneeze. After each one, she giggles! She thinks it's hilarious and just laughs. I can't wait to get it on film so everybody can giggle right along with her!

Shopping Cart

2011-01-20T17:43:00.000-05:00

Monday was Olivia's first time riding like a big girl in a shopping cart! We definitely could have done this earlier but Lee does ~~most~~ all of the grocery shopping so Olivia hasn't really made it to the grocery store since she was a little monkey! I thought it would be fun to post 2 pictures. One is Adam in his shopping cart debut and the other is our little Olivia! Fun!

Adam looks as if he is actually enjoying himself. Trust me, Olivia was LOVING it, but she was SO exhausted from her rough night Sunday. Here's to more shopping with my love bug!!

Uh Oh......Crawling Soon???

2011-01-14T17:45:00.000-05:00

Fun at Dinner Time!

2011-01-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

Olivia was hammin' it up at dinner tonight, so I had to grab the camera and snap a quick video. This girl is just TOO MUCH!!!

Texts.....

2011-01-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

Ever since Olivia started school back in July, her teacher Belissa has been sending me random texts from Olivia. I decided it would be a fun blog post to put up the pictures and the captions that come with them when I get the texts from her. It is one of the many things I love about Belissa! Keep in mind, these pictures were taken with a camera phone and then texted to me. Not great quality, but you get the idea! Also, Belissa is from Peru and English is her second language. She speaks very well, but the combination of the language and just abbreviations for texting purposes makes the texts look funny sometimes! They make me smile every time I get one though!!!

July 13, 2010 - "Hi Mommy!"

July 13, 2010 - "Mommy I'm sleeping..;)!!!"


July 15, 2010 - "She is very good!! Bottle at 2:50, sleeping last 12 m"


August 27, 2010 - ":) HI MOMMY!!"


September 10, 2010 - "HI!! MOMMY LOOK AT ME!! I AM BIG GIRL NOW!! ;D"


December 13, 2010 - "Hi Mommy...i luv u"

December 14, 2010 - "Hi Mommy, I am playing with my friend Vivien...lov u....see u later mommy"

December 17, 2010 - "Mommy i love my outfit...thank u for sharing with me...lov u look at me i m so pretty today...:)"

December 20, 2010

This next one is my favorite. Olivia was so sick over the weekend, so her first day back to school was Tuesday and I was very nervous. I was anticipating a call from Belissa telling me she was still sick, but instead, I got this!


January 4, 2011 - "Hi mommy i feel much better lov u dont worry i will be fine <3 :)"

I LOVE getting these surprises from Belissa and hope to continue getting them!!!

Christmas Day

2011-01-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

After lunch, we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to have even more fun! To add to the fun, Anne, Maddie and Jim were in town to enjoy Christmas day with us. Bonus! Adam was loving his new toys and even Olivia's new toys! Olivia received a music table from Grandma and Grandpa and it is pretty much the same one he has, so he was enjoying playing with "his" toy! It was too cute. After we all got there and got settled, it was time for the Christmas Day Extravaganza! Oh what fun!! We were all so spoiled and really enjoyed seeing what everybody bought for the kids!

Olivia had her own little place to sit....the awesome exersaucer! She LOVES this thing! Adam wanted to play with her too!

Lee was able to snap some good shots of Olivia with her Uncle Mark and her Great Uncle Jim. Jim was meeting Olivia for the first time!

So many packages were opened and so many smiles were made!

After opening all the presents, it was time to feed the kids dinner and put them in the PJs for bed! But not before snapping some more pictures!

What a wonderful first Christmas with Olivia and a fabulous day with the family!!! On to next year!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

Olivia's first Christmas was a FABULOUS one! We had such a wonderful day. Yes, she is only 8 months old and has NO idea what is going on, but she will appreciate the pictures one day!

Growing up, we always got a family portrait taken from the stairs before we headed into the package heaven in our living room or family room. So, naturally, we had to carry on the tradition in our house too!

Obviously, Olivia Hearts Santa!

After her morning bottle, it was time to open presents! I'm sure she was SO excited! :) I know we were! She wasn't too good at opening the packages, but she was good at eating them!

Santa didn't bring her TOO many things because he knew so many other people would be buying things for her and he knows how small our house is! She got a few books, some pajamas and some toys to add to all the fun things she got from Lee's family on Christmas Eve.

Happy Girl!

What a fun morning we had!