Dah Damnit

I have a cute Olivia story for the day-seems like she's always coming up with something new, but this one takes the cake. This morning I was changing her, and she had a pop-tart in her hand and dropped it and it fell into some crumbs. In all seriousness, she says "dah damnit". I of course chuckled a little and asked her "what did you say?" and she responds "I ted, dah damnit." In the most serious voice that I could get at the time-I replied that we don't say those words....and then I had to tell Pat the same thing ;)

Happy New Year!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 2010 & will have an even better 2011! We are here in New Ulm, but supposed to be in IA celebrating the New Year & Christmas at Pat's families. Between the freezing rain, sleet, snow, we weren't able to make it today. I had to work until 5:30 and just didn't want to travel at night with the weather, but crossing our fingers to be able to get out first thing in the morning.

Merry Christmas!!

I'm so late with getting these pictures posted. Time just gets away from me. We spent Christmas in Sioux Falls with my family and had a great weekend. Olivia is really growing up, and was fun to see her with all the excitement and spirit of the holiday with the family. She was such a good kid this year that Santa, along with Grandma and Grandpa, really spoiled her. Among her top favorites are her Kai Lan coloring book, pink computer, baby, play do, and zhu zhu pets.

Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa after church.

Santa visited Olivia at Uncle Justin's house Christmas morning! Here she is opening up her new baby doll she's been asking for.

Olivia and her new Dora microphone. If you see in the background-her new baby came with a potty chair. I think Santa was hoping she would have some interest in using the potty chair herself. But-it might as well have stayed in the box b/c it's not working.

It's always a battle to get these 6 for a nice picture.

Uncle Heath buried with kids.

Grandma and Grandpa with another attempt with all the kids...

Olivia sporting her fun new leopard pj's from G & G

Out of everything Olivia was spoiled with, she had the most fun playing with this string.

Olivia's visit to Santa Claus

Santa Claus has made a couple stops to my work in the last couple weeks. I would have bet the farm that Olivia would have bawled and ran the other way (that's about how it went last year) but she absolutely LOVED him! We've been prepping her for him and telling her what a nice man he is, and that she will get to sit on his lap and tell him what she wants for Christmas. When I picked her up from daycare to go see him, I asked her what she was going to ask for, and her answer was "drums"...Drums?? What happened to dolls? Maybe it's inherited. I played the drums all through school but that was only because I couldn't hold my breath long enough to play any other instrument. But anyway, once we got there, she walked right up to him and sat on his lap and just had a great time. It was priceless. She had thankfully forgotten about the drums and asked for a doll. Makes me happy. After awhile, I was over talking with some co-workers and happened to look over to Olivia and Santa and Olivia was sitting on the ledge and they were having a conversation about Coco (our dog). It was the cutest thing. Santa is going to be back Saturday, so we may have to go for another visit when I have my camera along (the pics are courtesy of NU Telecom).

Snow Bums

We've been snowed in pretty much since Friday night with our blizzard. We didn't get quite as much as the cities, but probably about 10 inches. Molly and the boys were supposed to come visit for the weekend, but stayed put because of the weather. So what you see below is what we did. We would have loved to have taken Olivia sledding as long as we had the abundance of snow, but the temperatures were just too cold to have her out. So it was definitely a weekend of movies, scrapbooking, football, and snuggling.

Pat's in the way back starting to snowblow. He went to let the dogs out the back door and realized we were drifted/shut in. So, he got a headstart last night getting us dug out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone had a great weekend. We were especially thankful this year to be able to spend some time with both sides of the family. Thursday we went to Algona to spend Thanksgiving Day with Pat's family. Along with his parents, we spent it with the Chad Froehlich's, McNeese's, and the Redings. Olivia of course just loved playing with her cousins. Chloe taught her a few new dance moves (see pictures below)-it was quite the thing to see! We drove home Thursday night b/c I had to work all day Friday. When I got off work at 5:30, we headed out for the 6 hour drive to Gettysburg. We pulled in just after midnight, and much to our surprise everyone (minus Dan & Ryan were waiting up for us). Olivia did her usual 25 minute nap the whole trip-but was a pretty good traveler considering the distance/time. On Saturday the guys all went hunting-some pheasant, some deer. Saturday night we went to church and then out to eat to celebrate my parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary (which is Dec 4th). Congratulations to them on such a wonderful milestone. Sunday we had our Thanksgiving meal-it was great to have my family all together. Thanks to everyone for a nice Thanksgiving-we truly are thankful for all our family and being so close to share the Holidays with them.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Grandma and Grandpa with all the grandkids

Olivia sledding at G & G Driscoll's. She loves being outside as much in the winter as she does in the summer.

Olivia, Bella, and Anna playing in the snow

Chloe teaching Olivia the sprinkler-O had gotten the so adorable outfit from the McNeese's-Thanks Again :)

More of the sprinkler :)

And of course....the worm

This and that of the week.

I don't have too many photos lately, but should be writing about everything Olivia is up to. She is busy as ever, and talks non-stop. Whether it be repeating everything she hears, asking "what's this" or "why?" to everything, or tattling on her dolls, she is ALWAYS talking! It is just amazing the stuff she comes up with and learns and I hope to remember these moments forever. Here are some favorites for the week:
-Pat brings his backpack to work everyday and whenever she asks him where he's going and why-she responds, "To make the money?" So, the other day, Olivia put on her little back pack and went to the back door as if to leave. I asked her where she was going and she said "I'm going to da office. To make da money."
-She's also gotten a pen out and started drawing and told Pat that she was doing her homework.
-Olivia loves Sesame Street, and has fun mimicking The Count. The other morning I heard her in her crib talking to her dolls, saying "1 Ha Ha Ha, 2 Ha Ha Ha" and then she went on to say her dinner prayers to the dolls. "In the name of the fader, and da son, and da howy spirdit, amen"
I don't go a moment without smiling when I think of Olivia. She is such an amazing little girl and we are having so much fun in these learning stages and look forward to everyday as I ask myself "What will she think of and/or say next"

Olivia trying to put my hair in a pony.
We got an American Girl doll catalogue in the mail the other day. Olivia loves looking at it-I'm so glad she is too young to understand the importance of having her very own!

Olivia and I watching Jib Jab videos on the computer yesterday-we put our faces into quite a few different Christmas ones and watched them over, and over, and over. And then woke up today, and did the same thing.

Daycare was 50/50

Olivia did "ok" at daycare last week. She got stickers 2 out of the 4 days. We were so happy for her those 2 days! She missed one day b/c we took her in to the ER Mon night at 12:30AM-she woke up wheezing & sounded like her throat was almost swelling shut. It was a very scary experience for Pat and I. Turned out she had croup, so Pat stayed home with her Tuesday. She is doing much better now. This weekend we stayed put for the most part. Pat stayed at Molly's in the cities on Friday night-he was supposed to have a seminar all day Saturday, but left that morning back home because of the blizzard. It took him 3 hours to get here instead of 1 & 1/2 hours-he wasn't sure if he could straighten out his fingers by the time he got home. He white-knuckled it the whole way. Today we watched the Vikings lose again-but the Bears (Pat's team) beat them so turned out to be a good thing. The picture below is the only picture, believe it or not, that I took all week (& from my phone). We sent it to Pat Friday night-his girls we're missing him. Well-Olivia just came up to me tattling on her baby over & over- "Baby took my band-aid" I better go check this out...never a dull moment!

A Successful Day at Daycare!

Lisa at daycare has been working with Olivia on not pinching, hitting, and scratching. The victim is a little girl named Zeva, who is just a little younger than Olivia. I believe Zeva gets in her pushes too-but still no excuse. Last Monday Lisa started a little incentive program for the kids. If there is none of the aforementioned behavior going on, they get to pick out some stickers at the end of the day. Well, last week Monday came and went and no stickers. Tuesday-same thing. Wednesday, Olivia drew blood with her scratching across Zeva's face. Thursday-nada, and why start something good on the last day of the week-Friday was a zilch for the stickers too. But today-OLIVIA CAME HOME WITH STICKERS!!! She even got a Congratulations certificate. I think Lisa was quite proud of her. And so are we. Let's hope she follows suit the rest of the week. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Halloween

I thought I better get the blog updated with our fun Halloween pictures before Thanksgiving gets here. We had so much fun this year taking Olivia around for her first trick or treating. There is a street here in town with about a 5-6 block stretch that really gets decked out for the night. Olivia and I went up to the first house. After getting her candy, Olivia just stared at the person and I had to keep telling her time to go. Then as she walked down their sidewalk, she kept looking back at the house, wondering what just happened. It took a few houses, but she eventually, on her own, and in the sweetest voice, said "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you" at each house. There were a few scary houses that she wasn't to sure about and we had to skip, but overall had a great time.

All ready to go Trick or Treating
Olivia and all her candy-gotta love Halloween!

Olivia opening up her Halloween Silly Bands from G & G Driscoll. Also in the package was an Olivia Halloween book & shirt. Olivia was also spoiled from G& G Froehlich with some Halloween loot. Thanks to all!

Olivia dancing and singing "wiggle your hips, wiggle your hips". This tutu/skirt has become an almost daily necessity to every outfit.

We took Olivia to the ECFE Halloween party at the school. (Above) Olivia got in a game of Plinko. Unfortunately it wasn't for a chance to win $50,000 in cash, but instead she took home a post-it pad (there is a 3-M factory here & they help sponsor alot) Below was her favorite station hammering in some tees into a pumpkin. (You can't tell by the picture, but she did thoroughly enjoy it.)

Olivia using her monkey abilites and attempting the climbing wall.

Olivia and Baby Beans

Olivia has a new favorite doll-Baby Beans. She's got jelly beans on her outfit, hence the name. Baby Beans goes everywhere Olivia goes now. The other night I came into the living room to find Olivia showing Baby Beans all the toys in the new Toy's R Us magazine. She had her right on her lap, talking to her about it. Of course once the camera came out, the scenario changed a little, but it was cute as can be. However, her little cuteness isn't always cute. This same day Olivia spent some time in time out at day care for punching, hitting in the back, and pulling hair. We're going through quite the phase with her now. I love all her new vocabulary & she's doing a very good job at putting sentences together, but sometimes it's "Don't talk to me", "Don't wook (look) at me", "Don't sing to me (which I can understand)" or the latest one "Don't kiss me on the head" or the Miss Independence really coming out "Don't help me" Can you say terrible two's?

These two pictures are from yesterday. Olivia's daycare had a Halloween Party for all the kids, and she came home with quite the bag of candy. She was feeding Baby Beans her Milk Duds, and came to me with the half empty box and chocolate drooling down her mouth, saying "Baby beans don't wike them". Obviously Olivia does.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Our nephew Jack had his 4th birthday costume party this weekend and all the kids were dressed up so cute. They painted pumpkins, played with balloons, had yummy pumpkin cupcakes, and got pumpkin buckets full of candy. What a party!

The cutest Minnie Mouse ever!!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

More opening pheasant pics

My mom sent me quite a few more pictures of the weekend so I wanted to add a few more to the blog :)