April's Random Ramblings

ABIGAIL:

• We all went out to lunch one day and Abby decided to sit across from Olivia and next to Andrew.  She said, "I am going to sit here Dad that way you can enjoy Mommy (I was sitting across from him) while we eat."
• One day I was telling Abby to do something she didn't particularly want to do and she looked at me and said, "Don't you ever get tired of being the boss?"---my quick reply was a simple no.
• Abby has found her inner southern girl and started calling Andrew, Paw.  
• Abby told me that maybe someday Daddy could stay at home so that I could get my old job back being a cheerleader!

OLIVIA:

• Since the beginning of the month Olivia has been putting 2 word sentences together more and more.  Like, "bye-bye Dada" and "more, please".  It is amazing to watch their speaking abilities evolve!
• Whenever you ask Olivia where something is and she doesn't know, she will repeat the word with her hands up and then say ni-nite.  As in, Olivia where is your paci?  She will put her hands up and ask, "pa-pa??" and then she will smile and say "ni-nite".  
• Lotion = lowsh
• Ouch = Owsh and she says this the entire time I change her diaper or brush her hair.
• If you ask Olivia to do something she either says, "kay" or "no"

Olivia--18 Months

I once again find myself behind in postings to the blog, but I have decided to take a break from the events and pictures that have yet to make their way on here from the past month or so and focus on the fact that my baby girl is 18 months old.  That is 1 1/2 years old, I prefer to say 18 months old though because it sounds younger, and well, I am holding on to her babyhood for dear life at this point.  I know I say this all the time, but she just seems to be growing up so quickly.  She tries so hard to be a big girl.  She always wants to be in the middle of whatever Abigail is doing and loves when the big kids include her when they are playing.  At this point Abby still loves to show her off, but I am sure there will be a time in the not so distant future when she won't want her little sister hanging out and playing with her and her friends.  So for now, I love seeing them play together and I am so thankful that they have such a wonderful relationship.  Abby is very patient and gentle with her and she knows how to make her laugh in a way that no one else can and vice versa.  Don't get me wrong they do have their moments, but for the most part they are the best of friends.

Olivia is a big Daddy's girl at the moment.  Her eyes light up when she hears him come home from work and she runs to his arms when she is hurt or upset.  I have to admit, it hurts my feelings a little bit but I know she still loves me so I will get over it!  And sometimes, it is even to my advantage, like when we pick her up from the play place at the gym after barbell class and our arms are like jelly!!  I also know I can use the line, "do you want to go see Daddy?" to get her out of almost anywhere, even the park.

Olivia insists on running everywhere and I love watching her run.  Her little feet scramble underneath her body, she twists her little hips, and her mouth is usually open in a wide grin.  She does not like sitting in her stroller or a shopping cart, she would much rather be out and able to wander and she loves to help me push.  She is obsessed with shoes and loves putting them on.  She is stubborn and wants to do things on her own and she has mastered the word "no".  I have seen glimpses of what the terrible 2's are going to hold and if the few fits she has thrown are any indication of what is to come then we might be in need of some creative parenting.  For now we are just thankful that she is more sugar than spice!

Olivia LOVES animals, specifically horses and dogs.  She is constantly on the look out for these animals and squeals with delight whenever she encounters one whether it is real, in a book, or on tv.  Olivia could eat an entire box of fruit snacks in one sitting if we let her.  She loves playing in the sand, but really isn't fond of "swimming".  Olivia loves to dance and sing, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Justin Bieber are just some of her favorites. She has recently become pretty attached to her blanket and dog when she goes to sleep and her paci is still a permanent fixture in our household.

Olivia is my baby girl and she is growing up so fast.  I try to steal as many little moments snuggling with her as she will allow.  I am constantly trying to find a balance.  A balance that will allow her learn, explore, and experience new things without letting her grow up too quickly.  I imagine this will be something I will continue to struggle with as she gets older.  But, for now I am going to enjoy my 18 month old BABY girl.

Height:  33 1/4 inches (about 90%)
Weight:  25.11 lbs  (60%)

Los Angeles

After spending a few days in San Diego it was off to LA to visit some friends for the weekend.  Andrew's best friend Erik just recently returned from a deployment to Iraq and we were fortunate enough to be able to line up our weekend with a little surprise welcome home weekend for him.  Two of Andrew's other friends from high school John and Mike flew out for the occasion as well.

After our horrendous 4 1/2+ hour car ride from San Diego to LA (it is supposed to be a little over 2), we made it just in time to meet up with everyone at dinner.  Erik knew that we were coming but he didn't know John and Mike were going to be there, and he was very surprised.  I am always amazed to watch these guys together, they have been such close friends for so long and I find it amazing that they have been able to sustain their friendships over the years.  Its not just one or two of them that have stayed friends, but lots of guys that are spread out all over the country and in various stages in their lives.  Every time they get together its like they have never been apart, its just really cool.  Anyhow, the girls made it through dinner and by the time we were done they were exhausted, so Andrew came back to the hotel with us and helped me get the girls to bed and then met back up with everyone for an evening of bowling.  The next morning, we got up and had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then headed over to Erik and Danielle's house (they live a block from the beach) and spent the entire day at the beach with everyone.  It was a fantastic day.  The girls had a blast digging and playing in the sand and Abby was even braved the cold water temperatures and spent a lot of time IN the water.  It was great having the house so close to the beach, we went back up for lunch and Olivia was able to take a nap.  After a long day in the sun we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and then went back to Erik's house where they cooked us a fabulous dinner.  The girls and I went back to the hotel and Andrew headed out for one last night with his friends.  The next morning we packed up and made our way home.  It was a wonderful little vacation for us, and one I am glad we went on.  

Erik and John

Nice paci Erik!!!

Here are some shots of the girls on the beach.  My girls absolutely adore the beach and I love watching them play together in the sun and sand.

Brr, the water is still chilly!

Taking a break in the shade with a nice cold drink

Building a sand castle.  Abby and Olivia played so well together at the beach.

San Diego--Part 2

After spending the day at the San Diego zoo we met up with the guys and then headed out to dinner for really yummy Mexican food.  We had a short wait which was fine because they had free chips and salsa and the girls were doing some modeling to keep us entertained.  Dinner was delicious and it was so nice to sit out on the patio enjoying the weather while we ate.  

Here are some of the "modeling" shots

Dustin and Melissa.  

Dustin is also doing the EWI program and is working for Intel in Portland.  They are such a sweet couple and they were so good with the girls.  They were waiting to hear on their assignment while we were in San Diego and I was secretly hoping they get Wright-Patt, but they got Eglin (which is what they were hoping for, so I am happy for them).

All of us at dinner

I can't believe we are all looking at the camera and SMILING, that never happens!

Our last day in San Diego before leaving for L.A. Melissa, the girls, and I headed to the beach while the guys had their last day of meetings.  I absolutely fell in love with the area and everywhere you looked the views were amazing.  The girls had so much fun playing in the sand and looking for shells.  The water was chilly and we were only brave enough to dip our toes in the ocean.  Sometimes it is better when the water is so cold, then Abby wasn't as tempted to want to play in the water which was easier for me because then I didn't have watch Abby in the water and Olivia in the sand at the same time.

One of the amazing views

Playing in the sand

Searching for shells on the beach

Oops...how did that get in there?

After our morning at the beach it was time to pack up and head up the coast to L.A. but not before having lunch at the Navy Base on Coronado Island.  We picked quite the day for visiting the Naval base, the USS Nimitz returned that day after being deployed for 8 months.  It was cool seeing people walking around the BX (N/EX?) who had just been reunited with their families after being gone for so long.  Some of them were meeting their children for the first time and of course I got a little teary-eyed watching these families interact.

We didn't get a picture of the Nimitz, this is the USS Ronald Regan

San Diego--Part 1

Andrew had a conference for work in San Diego a few weeks ago and the girls and I decided to join him, and boy am I glad we did!  We had such a fantastic time and stayed very busy while he was busy working.  We decided to drive out a day early so we could take advantage of the Salute to Heros promotion at Sea World.  We didn't tell Abby that we were going to Sea World and she spent the better part of the drive trying to guess where we were going.  She was thrilled when we pulled up and she found out it was Sea World.  It was a fantastic day and the weather was perfect, sunny, warm and a cool breeze.  The girls loved seeing all the sea life especially the flamingos and sharks and they really enjoyed the Shamu show (which had been shortened due to recent events) and the sea lion show, and they burned off a ton of energy in the Elmo playground.    

After spending the day at Sea World we headed over to Coronado Island to our hotel.  One of the perks of Andrew traveling so much while we lived in Florida is that we are often upgraded when we stay at a Marriot and this time was no exception.  Our upgraded room was incredible.  It was a suite right on the water with a separate bedroom, a living room, and kitchen and a patio with a water view.    After resting up a bit we hit up one of the hotel pools for a pre-dinner swim.  That evening we had dinner with Andrew's buddy Dustin (who was also attending the conference) and his wife Melissa and made plans for the next day.  

While the boys were at the conference Melissa agreed to come to The San Diego Zoo with me and the girls.  It was so nice having another adult to help me with the girls and someone to chat with through out the day, we actually have a lot in common!  The zoo was fantastic, it was somewhere I had always wanted to go.  It is absolutely gigantic and you could really use to full days to see the entire thing.   Since we only had one day, we did the best we could and we saw a lot of the zoo and were even able to ride the Skyfari ride.  It was a wonderful day and the girls loved seeing all the animals especially the Koala Bears which were so cute!  

This is our room.  This shot doesn't do it justice, the inside was gorgeous and the view from the back patio was incredible! 

Andrew got a short camera lesson from Dustin and here are a few of the results.  These were shot at about 10 PM.  This is the view of the bridge and the beautiful tree from the patio.

And here is the San Diego skyline from Coranado Island.  The hotel with the green ring lights is where the conference was held.  Andrew and Dustin were able to take a water taxi to get there.

Here is Abby when we first got to Sea World

My girls ready to go see some sea life

This is in the Sesame Street playground.  It was like a huge waterbed for little kids to play on.  Olivia loved bouncing on it and it was nice because it was just for little kids, so you didn't have to worry about the big kids getting to rough.

And here is the big kid version which of course Abby loved.

Abby and I ran over to the Sesame Street playground one last time before we left.  We went on all 3 of the rides they had and by the time we were done I was feeling quite queasy.  Abby had a blast though...and this is what Olivia and Andrew did while they were waiting for us.  It was a little impromtu photo shoot by the flowers.  

Here we are at the San Diego Zoo, the girls were not thrilled I was making them take a picture before we even got to see a single animal!

The girls checking out the camels.  Olivia thought they were hilarious kept laughing at them.  

Abby asked me if this snake was real.  I told her to go touch it and find out.  She looked at me, then back at the snake, then at Olivia and said, "I think Olivia should touch it first and find out!"  Oh, the love!

The girls checking out the fake snake together.

This is on the skyfari ride.  It was nice to be up so high and there were some amazing views, but you can't see much of the zoo because of all the trees.  That is ok though because it was a nice ride and the girls enjoyed it.

And, this is Olivia relaxing on our bed after a long day at the zoo.