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.