Big Girl Bed

Olive is 18 months old and has been sleeping in her twin bed for two nights now.  I couldn't be more thrilled.

Recently, I had wondered aloud when a good age was to transition from crib to bed.  Most people seem to favor leaving a baby in the crib as long as possible since they cannot escape.  My friend Beth, seemed to be a lone voice saying that she thought the earlier the better.  That the younger toddlers don't fight the idea as hard as an older one might.  It was her experience that toddlers were excited to sleep in a bed once they saw it set up.

Over the weekend, we bought a twin bed from IKEA and set it up. I was optimistic that Olive would sleep in it. After all, she seems to want to copy everything Kevin and I do--it only made sense to me that she would think it cool to sleep in a bed like ours. I bought some white sheets with pretty lace and a twin-sized fleece blanket to make it extra appealing...

Well, it worked pretty well!  I knew there wouldn't be any chance of just laying her down and expecting her to stay, so I laid down next to her until she fell asleep.  I was surprised to find the next morning that she had hardly moved! Same thing with the afternoon nap! I just laid her down tonight (only laid by her for a few minutes until she was done being fidgety) and everything seems to be perfect!

I'm a proud mama! I'll post some pictures soon but I wanted to wait until I finished all of her bedding.  I finished the quilt tonight, and just want a couple of more decorative pillows first.  So stay tuned!

Tea Time

Effective tomorrow, I am a widow (once again). Kevin will start up with school and work again. I wish he could have a little bit longer of a break! I guess I do like routine, so it will be nice to get back to that.

Yesterday, Olive turned eighteen months old. Can't believe my baby girl is not so much a baby anymore.  She is certainly very loved and spoiled.

Here she is playing with her singing tea set from Grandpa and Granny Goertzen.  She loves to pretend and it just cracks me up.  She didn't need any help pretending to drink from her tea set. She'll sip from the cup and say, "mmmmmm! Mee mee (yummy)."

I was happy to realize that this cute little dress fits!  It was a birthday present from Grandma Rawson and goes perfectly with her little pink cowgirl boots (Christmas present from us).

Christmas in Utah

How is it possible to be in Utah for ten days in December and not see any snow?!  Weird, right? Really, I'm not going to complain because I still got to wear my sweaters but have safe roads to drive on.  Awesome.

As usual, I got caught up in the Christmas excitement and forgot to take lots of pictures.  Here are the few... 

Let's start off by showing how scared Olive was of the car Kevin's parents bought for the grandkids... Her fear is only equal with that of the vacuum.

I don't have any pictures of Olive opening presents. But don't worry, later I'll post plenty pictures of her enjoying them... After Christmas we went down to St. George. It felt like the autumn weather I have been craving so desperately. We had a good time playing in the leaves...

Kevin liked throwing shovels of leaves into Olive's face. I think she enjoyed it.

The (Hair) Stylings of Miss Olive

Olive has enough hair for a pony tail. Kind of. It's really a hassle to even attempt to do this because she throws a big fit when I try to do it.

She has her own ideas of style.  For example, a simple plastic embroidery hoop makes a nice double headband!

On bad hair days, a hooded sweater is perfect!!! She looks so fancy coming out of her cardboard box. She is so easily entertained.

Family Pictures 2011

Yesterday, we had our family pictures taken at SawGrass Park.  We saw the usual baby alligators, turtles, and squirrels.  It was my first time seeing a racoon scavenge for Starbucks.

He carefully climbed out of sight without spilling a single drop.  Now that's skill.

I liked many of the pictures, but it was hard to find one where everyone was smiling, sitting up straight, not blinking, etc.  Here's my favorite turned black and white: 

Here are a few more... (Kevin nixed all the ones where he is leaning over...they have some of the best ones of Olive, though.)

Teeth!!!

I was snapping a few photos of Olive the other day and realized I caught a nice picture of her new teeth!  She has four on the top that just came through all of the sudden. I never would have expected to find teeth so adorable!

Also, (unrelated to teeth), she has started grabbing her pants. It's hilarious to watch.

Having a Ball

Oh, Pinterest, how I love thee...

I saw an idea to make a ball pit by filling a pack-n-play with plastic balls.  I told Kevin how cool I thought it was and he ordered 200 balls immediately from Amazon.  It was a great decision!  Olive seems to really love playing with them. Her favorite thing is to dump them out all over her bedroom floor so she can swim in them.

Dad decided to stuff Olive into the container so she could be completely immersed!  Ha ha ha!  She loved it!

And my favorite part? My neighbor, Bethany, watched Olive this morning while I was a witness for Kevin's "trial" for school.  I went to pick up Olive from Bethany's house and discovered that the kids had been playing with giant Legos.  Bethany told me that Olive had been "swimming" through them and was afraid she was going to get hurt.  She was really baffled as to why Olive would do such a thing!  But I knew!  Ha ha ha! She was playing with them just like those plastic balls!

Tangled

I don't believe I have mentioned it before, but Olive loves Tangled. Actually, she is obsessed with Tangled. She probably watches it twice a day.  She especially loves the music (she gasps dramatically before each song and during the lantern scene).

When Grandma and Grandpa Goertzen were in town, we took a little trip to the Disney store.  Olive was totally entranced by a Rapunzel doll that sings when you touch her hand.  She also kept trying to touch Rapunzel's hair through the tiny opening in the plastic.  Grandma and Grandpa bought it for her and I was sure that we had found her favorite new toy.

Once Rapunzel was released from her plastic prison, Olive wouldn't touch her.  I tried to show her how to play with her and she suddenly didn't want to be near the doll. It was the weirdest thing.  She still keeps her distance from Rapunzel but will occasionally reach down and grab the hand to make her sing. She is so silly.

Maybe Olive is still having nightmares about one of the little girls at Disneyworld dressed up as Rapunzel.

A Practically Perfect Day

We celebrated Halloween at Disneyworld.  I am already excited to go again next year!!!

Kevin and I dressed up as Mary Poppins and Bert. Olive was a [grumpy] cat.

I seriously can't get over how much fun it was!  It's considered a "special event,"  so you purchase a ticket that lets you in the park at 4 p.m. At 7 p.m., everybody else gets booted out and the party begins!  There is trick-or-treating (where they basically dump tons of candy into your bag), a dance party, a Halloween parade, fireworks, and of course, rides!

I was under the assumption that Olive was too little for any rides.  I was elated to find out that she could go on just about every ride.  We went on "Pirates of the Carribean," "Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride," "It's a Small World," "Peter Pan's Adventure," "The Haunted Mansion," and a few others that are escaping my memory at present.  And the best part is that there were hardly any lines.  We could have stayed as late as midnight--but we ended up leaving around 10:30 because we were tired and had done just about everything we could do.

I hope to make it again next year! What a blast! 

Wah!

Oh man.  I have seen this pout a little too much lately.

The trip to the cardiologist on Monday was a nightmare. (She still has a slight heart murmur that is checked on every six months or so.) She screamed the whole time the nurse was trying to check her.  You would have thought that the nurse was pinching her or giving her a shot or something.  I had to restrain her all throughout the visit. The good news?  The doctor says he can't hear the heart murmur.  Uh yeah, you think?  With all that yelling, I doubt anyone would be able to hear the heart murmur.

Yup, Olive does not like people approaching her, touching her, prodding her, poking her, etc.  I mean, she even gets feisty when old people approach her in the grocery store (apparently in too close proximity). She fights me to cut her fingernails. 

In all reality, she is a really good child.  She is just starting to assert the little independence she possesses and so it is new for all of us.

On a brighter note, she can say "daddy" (quite spiritedly, I might add), "momma," "banana," "bye," and "amen."  My favorite is the latter.  Before I lay her down for bed, we say a little simple prayer and when I say "amen," she will say, "ay-mama," or "ay-ma." So cute.  She does seem to have a quiet respect for prayer.  Interesting, right?

Basket Case

Olive is obsessed with baskets. Wicker baskets, laundry baskets, you name it.  If it's a basket, she loves it. She loves pushing them around the house and climbing into them. It must be this age? I seem to recall pictures of me sitting in plastic tubs when I was a toddler.

Kevin has been really busy with work and school.  He does make something fancy for dinner every Saturday which has been a really nice break for me.  He enjoys cooking so I think it's nice for him too.  This week, he made a really yummy chicken parmesan dish.

I have been busy making a bunch of projects for Fall Quilt Market for Marcus Brothers.  I just finished a little table quilt and I really love how it turned out!

Cooking & Music

It is fun to see how interested in the world Olive is. This isn't new--she has always wanted to see what Kevin and I are doing whether it be cooking, sewing, typing homework, etc. She has always loved to see what I am stirring in the kitchen. Sometimes this can make it difficult for me to cook because I am peeling shrimp, cutting chicken, or doing something that makes it difficult to pick her up so she can see.

Naturally, we invested in some IKEA pots, pans and vegetables and she has had a great time playing with them. Maybe someday we can get the IKEA kitchen for her. (Sigh.)  I used to have a little kitchen when I was little and I loved organizing all the dishes in it...probably where my OCDish organization tendencies first became apparent.

Along these lines, Olive loves to see what is cooking in the oven.  Anytime there is anything in the oven, she must watch it.  She also is obsessed with the dishwasher (?) and speeds on over when she sees me open it.  She mainly loves to play in the leftover water.

Have I mentioned that I am the primary chorister?  Best calling ever. Anyway, the kids just did a talent show on Friday. It was really fun to see how excited the kids were to all take part in it. Before and after, Olive kept wandering over the piano. It's funny because I really want to jump on this tendency get her into lessons.  What is a good age for this?  Also, I really want a piano.  I could totally teach her beginner lessons.

Oh and BUG UPDATE: Olive still freaks out at the sight of bugs if they are alive. (You must be thinking that our house is infested with all these bug sightings.) However, she will grab the nearest object (toy, flip-flop sandal, etc.) and throw it at the insect whether it is dead or alive. She has picked up this behavior from both Kevin and I. She is really trying to be brave.

I can't help but smile at this cute little "monkey see, monkey do" stage.