{Liv}

Dear Liv,

Last night you cried when we told you it was time for bed (which you do pretty much every night). I carried you up, you brushed your own teeth (you are really good at it! I should know), and then we went and cuddled on your bed. I sang you the Sandman song and then we talked. It is one of my very favorite parts of the day. You always have the funniest things to say or sing at night. Probably because you are stalling and trying to get me to stay in there. Even though I know that, I allow it because the truth is I can't wait to hear what you are going to tell me next! I love how you're mind works and hearing how you view the world. You have a great imagination, but I can already tell you are a realist. I love to hear you playing with your puppies and say both sides of the conversation :) (usually something like this 1: Are you going to eat that apple all gone? 2: I am 1: You are, you're not 2: I am 1: You're not 2: I AM! 1: Oh, haha.) You know so many more things than I knew at your age, like what a real heart looks like and that it pumps blood all through our body. And that baby's have umbilical cords and that the knee cap is actually called a patella which rhymes with nutella. And that when we drink it goes down our throat and into our stomach and then, well you know. I love it when we tell secrets and laugh like best friends. I love that right now we really are best friends. And tonight when it was finally time for me to leave, and you started pouting, I whispered in your ear "When you wake up, you will be FOUR!" And you looked at me with the most joyful smile I've ever seen! Bottle that happiness up and remember how magical it feels to turn a year older. I remember feeling that way too. I think I say it every year, but its not any less true this year, you bring us so much joy! My ray of sunshine. Your smiles make me so happy and just like sometimes I have to help you calm down if you're having a tantrum, you help me calm down too when things aren't going my way. Usually you say "Don't be sad Mama. Its a happy day". It is a happy day Liv! I'm so thankful Heavenly Father blessed us with you. I am so proud to be your Mama.

Our little convos {Liv}

I was putting her to bed, which doesn't always go so well, so I usually tell her about something fun we will be doing the next day so she can go to bed excited and happy for a new day. I told her that we would be going to an Easter Egg Hunt. She got big excited eyes and said 

"and Santa will be there! And make everyone SO happy!"

I admit to falling in the grasp of road rage from time to time. When kids are in the car I usually just say "Are you kidding me?!" rather than some other choice words. Well now Liv is old enough to notice my tone of voice. It was concerning to her so she asked, 

"Something's kidding you Mama? What's kidding you?"

My response, "These people don't know how to drive and they're all playing jokes on me"

She does have a short fuse and gets frustrated somewhat easily (see above if you're confused about where that comes from). One of her shoes came off her heel while she was in her carseat. She was having some trouble getting it back on and started yelling at her shoe, 

"grrrr, you HUNK-A-JUNK!"

We have started having movie night every Friday night. Liv loves it because that is the only time she is allowed to drink "bubble drink" (soda). We usually have some popcorn and candy too. Well one time we did not have candy, but I figured the bubble drink was enough of a treat. The next day I listened in on a conversation Liv was having with herself, 

"What happened? We had movie night without some candy?!! (both hands go on cheeks) Ahhhhhhhh!"

We told Olivia that we are going to move to Indiana in a few months.

L: "Oh, that's amazing Mama. I sink(think) they have something there. Some toys."

She's started saying "cute" and "a little bit" all the time. She adds those into almost every sentence.

L: "But these puzzles are weally(really) cute. These ones are a little bit fun."

Brady had been eating frito's and burped.

L: Eww!

B: What's eww?

L: You eww, Daddy.

B: Haha, what? You can smell that burp?!

L: No, you tooted!

B: No, that was just a burp.

L: Well....you burp like a toot.

M: Guess what we have in the fridge!!! Can you guess? S-s-s-st-st-st... (I was trying to get her to guess strawberries)

L: (whispers) w-w-w-waffles

I was explaining that she needs some food that will help her grow up big and strong

M: Your body is saying "please give me something yummy and healthy to eat that will let me grow bigger and stronger"

L: No, my body doesn't have eyes and a mouth.

I pointed to her eyes and mouth, "there they are right there"

L: No Mama, thats a face not my body. My body doesn't have eyes and a mouth.

Tulips

We ran up to the Arboretum real quick just to try and grab a few more pics of the girls before all the tulips were gone. I had hoped Olivia would be in the same mood of actually asking me to take pics of her and Scarlett, but no such luck. She was back to her good 'ol picture dodging self. Scarlett was being super cute and clapping and giggling the whole time.

We did snag a few sweet ones.

And then it turned to this:

Here, we had asked her to sit by her sister so she walked over and plopped down with her back to us, and would do this sassy over the shoulder look like "how dare you ask me to look at the camera".

Olivia's Easter basket from G'ma and Pops

 This girl has the best facial expressions. 

If she is frowning in any of the pics, its because we just asked her to smile.

My favorite is when Olivia is putting the necklaces on Brady :) 

Every girl needs a Dad who is willing to wear necklaces for them!

Mine

They are mine! My heart could burst.

Brady sent me this picture the day after we returned home from Indiana. I was at work and it made really wish I was home playing with my family instead.

Liv''s house

When we got back from FL, Olivia was so happy to tell us about the house that grammy and grampy made for her. It was a large box that their new dishwasher had been delivered in.

She wanted to go watch the ipad in her house, but I suggested that it needed some decorating, so I grabbed a box of crayons and sliced some strawberries and away we went!

Sometimes I feel overwhelming gratitude that Heavenly Father has blessed me with two beautiful children, and that I get to watch them grow up and be a part of their lives forever. What a beautiful blessing.

Our little convos {Liv}

I really worry about her hearing sometimes. Besides the usual 'selective hearing' that comes with this age, it seems like she is constantly hearing what I say wrong. Maybe this is another form of selective hearing? Here are some examples:

Liv was playing with my stethoscope...
T: Can you hear my heart go boom boom?
L: yes, I can hear poo poo

T: You can have noodles
L: eyebrows go up and furiously nodding "I can have streusels"

L: Mama! Look what I found!
T: Cool! A big spoon! What are you going to use it for?
L: I don't want music.

T: This is a placemat so you can put your plate on it.
L: Yeah! Play doh!

T: Do you want to swing?
L: Huh?
T: Do you want to go swinging outside?
L: Yeah! Swimming! (it was the middle of december)

She's not the most adventurous when it comes to eating, so I often have to negotiate with her just to make sure she's getting something of substance.
L: May I have some goldfishies please? (she hardly ever speaks that politely. that's how you know she realllly wants something)
T: Um, you can have 2 bites of turkey and then you may have some goldfishies.
L: 2 bites of toclate (chocolate)?
T: nice try.


Other funny convos:
L: I need more pretzels please.
I put 2 more pretzels in her bowl
L: (angry face) I need MORE.
T: Eat those first, it might be time for bed by the time your finished.
L: (starts huffing and puffing like she's about to cry)
T: If you cry, its going to be bed time right now. Understand?
L: Ah, fooey!
*Been watching a lot of Donald Duck lately :)

She got a Hello Kitty "color it yourself" messenger bag for Christmas. She was coloring it, and it intrigued me as well. I wanted in on the action.
T: Liv, can mama color too?
L: Um, no. I don't sink (think) so.
I just sat next to her and watched. I really wanted her to switch colors because she was just coloring everything blue, so I picked up the pink marker and opened it.
T: Can I just color one thing? I just want to color that bow pink.
L: No Mama. Put it down. Put the lid back on.
T: Are you sure you don't want to share with Mama?
L: No. You could play another game though! Let me help you find another game.
*Hahaha! What a sweetheart. She was treating me exactly as I treat her when she tries to take something from other kids!

When I was putting her to bed, I was about to walk out and then she all the sudden has a burning secret she must tell me immediately (she seems to have a secret every night). She just whispered a bunch of nonsense words in my ear mixed with real things like "don't get out of bed" and "mama going night night, dada going night night, scooter going night night, etc)
Then she pointed to one of my arms and said "this arm's tired" and then pointing to the other arm "that arm's tired" "your nose is tired, that eye's tired, and that eye's tired, and those things are tired" She was pointing to my eye brows.
T: What are those?
L: Just things. They look like snakes.
Hahahaha! Maybe its time to pluck?

This was after her Christmas program at school (which I so need to get the video of her dancing to jingle bells on here):
T: Did you have fun today Liv?!
L: Yeah!
T: What did you do at school today?
L: Um, I go to school and I shake my bum, shake my bum, shake my bum.

Oh, the trouble we're in

I have a feeling the boys will be knocking down our door in a few years. I'm already scared about it.

My favorite thing is that she has peanut butter all over her hands and {Cinderella} shirt. Oh Livy lady, I wish you could stay little forever.

She's a sunbeam

Just if you were wondering.

Today was her first day to go to her big girl church class. 

No more "toys and kids"- what we lovingly called nursery.

Now its "church school"- what she lovingly is calling Sunbeams :)

I walked her to the big primary room. There were rows of chairs, and she let go of my hand and sat down. No tears, no tantrums. And I walked away. I walked down the hall, chatted with my Mom, and then I walked all the way back to the Primary room because I just had to see that big girl one more time. She was sitting in her chair, but now there were lots of kids all around. All of them were sitting so still, except Liv. She was wiggly squirmy in her chair. I just stood there and stared and stared. She didn't see me. I almost took a picture, but I ran into a friend and started chatting. When we were done I was still just standing there looking into the room, and then someone closed the door and I couldn't see anymore. And I felt weird and awkward for still just standing there. I had to consciously make myself leave. She's a big girl and I'm proud of her.

Olivia turns 3

Me: Smile Liv

Liv: I am smiling

Liv wanted to help me make her Bday cupcakes. Told you she loves cooking!! 

Sturn-ing (stiring) is her favorite :)

Look at those eyes glued to that present! I let her open one present before nap time because I felt bad about making her take a nap on her bday. Am I pathetic or what?! It just hurt me that I had to make her cry on her bday.  So here I am reiterating that she can open ONE present and then go take a nap.

PRINCESS UNDIES!!!!

The dora undies came off immediately and those princess undies were on lickity split

She actually ended up putting on the whole Cinderella underwear set we gave her .

and I let her have ONE cupcake before naptime too. Pathetic, seriously.
I can't help it! Bday's are supposed to be special, right?!

I made homemade buttercream frosting and clearly I do not know how to frost cupcakes.
Her only request was that her cake be purple, so I made some purple frosting.

jackpot
We videoed her opening presents so no pics. She wanted to play with each thing as she opened them.

3 years old!

Daddy assembling the scooter or skate as she sometimes calls it.

Like I said, jackpot.

One of her very favorite presents was this "dominoes" set. She loves setting up and knocking down (okay mostly the knocking down part) dominoes, so this cute colorful set with people shapes and bells and steps was absolutely perfect!
She went back to it and played with it immediately after she was done opening everything else.

Princess Jewels!

Love you so much big 3 year old girl!