Growing fast

Olivia is growing up so fast. It is so much fun watching her change and develop into her own little person. I thought the new born stage was my favorite until she was 4 months then that was my favorite then 6 months was my favorite then 8 months... You get the picture. Now the 1year stage is my favorite!

 (I am still going to do a 1 year post but due to moving, having no Internet, Olivia drooling on the mouse pad which broke the computer, and just being a mom I haven't gotten to it... She may be 2 before it happens but it will happen. So for now all small blog posts will be done on my phone)

Anyways, Olivia is growing up so fast! You may not care to know this but it is big for Olivia and me. Olivia is official weaned!!! It was a HUGE deal! If you know Olivia then you know she is stubborn! It got to the point that if I didn't nurse her right away she would throw a 30 minute tantrum till I nursed her. It made it hard to go out to dinner or just be out period. She wanted to nurse all day everyday. Now, I am very private about nursing. I don't like talking about it on my blog or to people who don't need to know so I was hesitant about putting this on here but it was such a big deal for us that I wanted to share my success about being a strong mother, lets face it, most days I don't feel like the greatest mother or a success. Oh, and I didn't mention that Olivia started waking up 3-4 times at night to nurse and if I thought I was a zombie when she was a newborn I had no idea what a zombie mom really was. It's hard waking up every 2 hours then chasing her around all day! 

Well, almost 2 weeks ago I went cold turkey. It was so hard listening to her cry but I learned to hurry and give her food instead of nursing her and she soon got the picture. She still thinks she should nurse but she remembers that we don't do that anymore. Life is so much better! She now sleeps through the night!!!!!!! I am a happier person and I did my hair twice this week! Olivia is much happier now too! With Olivia and me more happy that means Michael is more happy too!!! Yeah for a happy family!!!

I'm so grateful for my loving Savior who helped me through this trial. I know for fact that my prayers were answered and he lightened our burdens. If I tried to do this alone I know it would have been much more difficult. I'm grateful for Michael and his encouraging words and his tight hugs and for ignoring my grouchy attitude this last year. I'm a very blessed woman! Michael is a wonderful husband and father. 

Olivia is also a big girl because she now sits in a forward facing car seat! She is 1 and over 20 pounds so we decided she would like it better if we turned her around. She still isn't sure what is going on but she does look super cute in a big girl seat.

Well this post was longer than I thought it would be, but, it's nice to write down memories and thoughts so maybe one day I can print my blog out into a family book. 

Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-doo

Olivia has the greatest hair! It is so curly but still very thin. She has cute tight curls just above her ears and a big curl right on top of her head. These curls make her look like an Oompa Loompa in training! She is so cute!!

Silly girl

We have a broken chair... Ok... All our chairs are broken but one chair is broken and Olivia loves playing with it. A part of the seat has some wood that sticks out and can spin. Olivia decided it was a perfect place to store her binky.  She is so funny and always makes us laugh. We love her so much!

Opa's visit

My dad made a surprise visit to Idaho this weekend! I was talking to him Wednesday and he said he was leaving that night and would be at our house Friday morning. We were so excited! Friday morning around 10 Olivia went down for her nap and Opa arrived around 10:30. I showed my dad the house and we talked for a few minutes then Olivia woke up. When Opa went in to get her she was a little confused and cried. She held on tight to me for 5 minutes then their relationship was back like no time had passed since we last saw him. She was showing him around her room, reading books, and talking up a storm.

After lunch we headed out for a fun afternoon at the zoo. We loved showing Opa around our zoo. There were so many new baby animals this time. We went to dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe then spent the rest of the evening playing with Opa.

On Saturday we played hard all morning, took a nap, then went to lunch and shopped. We had fun doing anything with Opa. That night my dad watched Olivia so Michael and I could go on a DATE! As I was leaving I thanked my dad for watching her and it made me realize that I wish I could go on dates with my husband more often and thank my dad for watching Olivia. Maybe some day they will want to come to Idaho to be by us. Olivia was so good for my dad. They played the entire time and Olivia was perfectly happy we were gone. Olivia truly loves her Opa with all her heart! They are the cutest friends. 

When ever Olivia was walking around she would find Opa, reach her arms up to him and open and close her hands till he picked her up. 

In church on Sunday Olivia reached across Michael to get to the Opa. She walked the halls with him and learned how to drink out of a drinking fountain. When Opa comes to town Olivia learns a lot of new things. Sunday night we had tacos and enjoyed having my dad, my cousin Ian, Erica his wife and their son Everett for dinner. 

This morning my dad quietly snuck out and started his trip back to Bakersfield. We are sad he isn't with us anymore but maybe one day I will convince my mom and dad to buy our neighbors house! Until then we enjoy every second of their visits.

Olivia's 1 year photos

When I went home to California last time we had Olivia's pictures taken. Bree did an amazing job and I could look at these pictures all day. Olivia is so expressive so all these pictures capture her personality perfectly! I love this spunky little girl with all my heart!! Enjoy!