Football, Pumpkin Patch, and a Mad Hatters Tea Party

We kicked off the month of October with a trip to The Swamp. Gigi and Papaw made the trip from Birmingham to Tallahassee to hang out with Olivia so Robert and I could go to the Alabama/Florida game. She was in heaven, and it was a nice but short get away for us. Luckily the Tide did not disappoint. We had a great tailgate, and an awesome win!

Next up was the Venetozzi/Doss wedding in Pensacola. We headed over on Thursday, and Olivia was way to excited to sleep in a hotel for the first time. The rehearsal dinner was amazing, and Miss Olivia enjoyed the samplings of dessert.

Before the wedding Friday evening we headed to the beach. It was a little chilly and windy, but a certain three year old did not mind. I came away with an awesome and painful sunburn and windburn, which made for a fun evening and ride back the next day.

After a very quick nap we made our way the to Pensacola Yacht club for the ceremony. I do not have a lot of pictures from the ceremony or reception. Keeping a three year old quiet while watching a princess marry her prince, and while her daddy was performing the ceremony took priority.

After a weekend or two of not traveling and hanging out at home we were ready for a little Halloween fun. We started the day with a trip to the pumpkin patch. Olivia picked out three pumpkins-one for each of us. She enjoyed bouncing in the jumpy house (for 30 minutes=hello good nap), and getting her face painted.

After the bouncy house induced nap Rapunzel and I headed to a Mad Hatters Tea Party. Olivia had a blast playing with her friends, and I enjoyed catching up with friends.

It's A...

It's been forever since I blogged, but I was afraid of not being able to keep my mouth shut. So, I guess it's time to let the cat out of the bag. We are expecting a baby in April 2012. We found out August 8th, but have tried to keep it mostly a secret. Although the past week or two there isn't much of a secret to keep. This belly has definitely popped, and there is no denying that I am pregnant vs. weight gain. We heard the heartbeat for the first time on September 8th, and what a wonderful sound to hear your baby's heart beat for the very first time. We told our families that weekend by sending them a picture of Olivia in a "I'm the Big Sister" shirt. Everyone was very surprised and excited. Other than having morning(all day) sickness from week 5-11 and a terrible stomach bug I have felt great. I am exhausted all of the time, and usually in bed by 9:00 p.m. Robert reminds me that this time around I have a three year old to chase after, which does not lend itself to naps after work. Olivia is over the moon excited about the baby. She has stated from day one that the baby is a sister, and told her Gigi and Papaw, "I be very disappointed if it a baby brother." She originally named the baby Lucy, but has since changed the name to Snow White. She doesn't understand why the baby can't come now, and has to wait until April. She loves to rub my belly and give her "sister" kisses. She talks about helping feed the baby, changing diapers, and letting her play with her toys. We hope the excitement and willingness to help continues after the baby gets here.

Movin' on up

The reason I started this blog was to keep a record of Olivia's milestones, and all of the funny things she says or does. Warning-this post will be complete with incomplete sentences, poor grammar, and run-on sentences.

Milestones:
Cutting out a shape or pattern with scissors.
Tracing letters, numbers, etc...
Identifying all of the letters of the alphabet and approximately 90% of the sound associated with the letter.
Spelling your name
Saying the pledge of allegiance

Fun milestones:
Learning to chew gum and not swallow it.
Learning to eat cherries and not swallow the pit.
Learning to eat a chicken wing which made Robert so proud.

I know there are so many other things that I cannot think of right now. It might have something to do with her waking me up at 5 this morning. She went back to sleep. I did not.

Funny things she has said or done:
I found her asleep on the floor in front of our bed one morning. When asked why she was in our room and not her room she said she needed some fresh air. I then asked why she didn't get in the bed and her response was, "Because it was full of yourselves and there was a big pillow in the middle."

I was woken up in the middle of the night this past week with her screaming. I jump out of bed to find her in the half bath and she had fallen into the toilet. Robert and I are convinced that she sleep walks.

She has started saying "Holy Cow" and "Whaaat" in response to something funny.

She came home from school the other day singing, "Who let the dogs out?" When I asked who let them out she replied, William. I guess that is the little boy that taught her the song.

She informed me that her daddy has brown skin, but that I do not.

Life here is never dull. There is always chatter and laughter. Most of the time I feel like I am the ring master in my very own circus.

Roughing it at Home.

Following our little trip to the ER we needed to keep Olivia home for a while before she could return to school. Folks it is hot here, and getting outside even at 8:00 in the morning is almost unbearable. You run out of ideas for a 3 year old and entertainment in the AC. So one day we ventured out to the mall. We enjoyed dinner by the fountains followed by icecream.

She is into dressing herself, and it is usually a dress or skirt so she can twirl.

And when it is too hot to picnic outside you can always have a picnic lunch inside.



First Trip to the ER

Olivia gave us a little scare last Saturday night. We ended up taking her to the ER, because we weren't really sure how to help her. She thought it was cool because she was going to the hospital and she got to stay up way past her bedtime. Everything was fine. We were in and out within an hour and a half and on our way back home.

Waiting on the doctor.

All done and ready to go home. Also, looking like she is five feet tall in this picture.

Silly Girl

I know we are biased, but Olivia has the best personality. She is usually very sweet and easy going. She loves to laugh, and loves to make us laugh. Her imagination amazes us, and the conversations we have are often mind blowing. She uses word like "perhaps" and "actually" when she is talking, and can carry on a conversation like an adult. Within the past few weeks she has learned how to eat cherries (while remembering to spit out the pit) , and can chew gum without swallowing it. She runs up the stairs without holding on, and while alternating her feet. She can ride her tricycle on a flat surface, but our bumpy driveway proves to be a little challenging. She truly is an awesome little girl, and we are blessed to have her in our lives.



Our little clown.



A Short Trip Home

After having a few days of antibiotics in our system we decided to keep our scheduled trip to Birmingham to see Gigi and Papaw. Unfortunately Robert's mono kept him from his "man weekend" in Tampa. While Olivia and I were spoiled by Gigi and Papaw Robert and Layla manned the Jernigan fort and caught up on their reading and rest.
As soon as we arrived we had to check out the new Grand River Outlets. This was our first trip to the outlets, and they did not disappoint. It must be nice to be a grandchild because Miss Olivia scored big time.

Note the sparkling shoes and heart/ruffled skirt. A very coordinating outfit.

Olivia had us cracking up in the stores. Before we knew it she would be stripped down in the middle of the store trying on clothes. At one point one of the sales associates asked if we could like a dressing room, but we were a little past that point. I wonder if him rounding the corner to see my daughter's naked hiney prompted him to ask that question.

A trip to Birmingham in the hot summer heat is not complete without a trip to the zoo. I managed to pack my camera, but I left my SIM card at home. Brilliant I know. So all of our pictures are with my phone.

My two favorite monkeys checking out the monkeys at the zoo.

Seeing if her new shoes help her climb.

A little ride around the block with "Daisy."

Enjoying the splash area.

The foam zone was awesome!

Just when I thought we had missed any major meltdowns or tantrums she busted it leaving the splash area and banged up her knee. After a lot of whaling, a trip to first aid, and a small bribe from the gift shop we were on our way.

We had a great and as always too short of a visit.

Exhausted from all of the fun, and headed home to see Daddy.