Can I Still Call It "Pig Tails" If There Is Only One Tail??

I know that I've written a lot about Olivia lately, but she's at such a fun stage and so darn cute.  :)

Well, her hair is starting to grow out, so tonight I decided it was time to see if it would go into a pig tail.  It did!  What a great day for a mom of two boys and three brothers!!!  I only had one hairband in my bathroom with me, so she just got part of of the hairdo.  :)  And...it was pretty messy.  But, hey, it was my first attempt!

Here she is sucking her cheeks in.  She's always making some kind of face. 

...Like this one!  I love it when she sticks her top teeth out (especially when it's a toothy kiss).

She's watching the water in the shower as she waits for her brothers to hop into it.  Oh, those cheeks!

I've been messing around with Photoshop, so that would be why the photo colors keep changing...no, nothing is wrong with your computer, I just can't decide what I like. :)

Yo voy al mercado.

Instead of teaching Olivia Spanish, we decided that she might learn it by pushing it around in a shopping cart.

I love this coloring, because it makes me think of pictures of me as a little girl.

Alright, we weren't hoping for Liv to learn another language at 16 months.  The Spanish dictionary served as a weight in the shopping cart.  She kept falling down while pushing the cart because it was going too fast for her.  But as you can see by the last picture, she still had a rough time with it.  (And check out those torture devices coming through her gums!!)  Walk baby, walk!!

Tagged

Here are the tag rules:



1. Go to where you store your digital photos & open the 4th folder.



2. Go to the 4th picture and post it.



3. Explain the picture.



4. Tag an additional 4 people.

I just got a new computer, so my 4th folder just happens to be from today.  And the 4th picture just happens to be a little more modest than all of the others.  :)

In this picture, Olivia is waiting for Jay to come home with a diaper for her.  We had run out of diapers, so we just put her in the bath while Jay ran to the store.  She got a tired of soaking her feet, so I let her crawl around and this is where she ended up.  She had been standing up, looking out the little window in a cute hiney-thigh-belly shot.  But the squat is pretty darn cute, too!

Oh yes, and I must tag.  So, I tag Mom, Marcy, Lindsey, and Tamra

Delivering Neighborly Notes

My kids love to go out to the mailbox and get the mail.  They especially love looking to see if their magazine is in the mail.  They both have a subscription to a kids' magazine and receive it monthly.  Well, today Isaac's magazine came in.  Josiah was a little jealous, so I handed him some junk mail and he was a happy camper.  

After awhile, the boys decided to grab a pen and go out on our front porch and "sell some mail".  I didn't know what that meant, but came to find out that it meant they wrote on the tear-out cards from the magazine, and delivered the cards to the neighbors' porches.  (Sometimes my boys remind me of The Little Rascals.)  I felt bad, but I had to make them go to each porch and pick the "mail" up off of the ground.  They were pretty bummed, so I told them to come into the house and we'd make some "real mail" for the neighbors.  I pulled out scrapbook paper, markers, ribbon and tags, and they got to work.  They made 4 different cards, and we went and tied them to 4 different doorknobs.  

I told them to be quiet (and told Josiah to quit looking in all of the windows) so that they wouldn't open the door as I was tying on the note.  They were HILARIOUS!  They were sneaking around, covering their mouths, and giggling so much.  

After our little adventure, we went back in the house and they watched out the window as each neighbor came home.  I didn't stop them, because it was so funny to watch.  But they would throw open the door and run outside and announce to each neighbor that they had something on the front door.  

One couple was so funny.  They are a little grouchy and probably think that our kids are annoying.  But they went and untied the note, said "thank you", and shut their garage door.  Haha!  The other 3 neighbors smiled so big and had funny conversations with the boys...especially Josiah.

I love having outgoing kids.  I would be a recluse if not for them (okay, and if not for Jay).  

I wonder if my boys will remember sneaking around attaching notes to doors when they grow older, or if this is just a fun memory that I will always have.

Heather's Story

There is a blog that I really like to read called This is Reverb.  The guy that writes the blog is a pastor in Cincinnati and is very interesting to read.  Today he posted a blog with a link to the story of a lady in his church.  The story takes about 40 minutes to listen to, but it is totally worth your time.  Click here and it should take you directly to the page.  If you listen to it, let me know what you think.

Isaac, The Photographer/Videographer

Isaac got his own camera for Christmas.  Below is some of what he captured today.  Enjoy!

I think that the wings really bring out her eyes. :)

Yes, there is a kid on top of Jay.

Isaac was really taking in the entire inaugurashun.  Haha...I asked Jay how to spell "inauguration", and this is the way he told me to spell it.  He loves that he's my dictionary.

Isaac always looks "tough" when he takes his own pictures.  This reminds me of some of the photos of teenagers on MySpace...you know, the self-portraits.

Again, really taking it all in.

I love that it looks like his teeth are missing.  

Silly kid.

Perfect shot, Isaac!!

Too cute to be a pirate

I've seen Jay make this exact same face.

Why did I post this picture??  I did take a shower today...after the inaugurashun.  :)

oops

Haha, this is my favorite.

Warning, I haven't cleaned my house for about 5 days, so it looks like a really messy daycare.  I hope it makes you feel better about your housekeeping abilities.

The first video is of Olivia making a really funny face...it's kind of hard to tell because of the lighting.

The second video is of O giving me a sweet kiss.

The third video is of Isaac singing like Mum-Z.

Random

One of Olivia's favorite things to do is crawl back and forth across our bed while we chase her.  She laughs so hard and will play the game for as long as we will keep it up.  And yes, she's wearing The Wiggles shirt that has been passed down from biggest brother, to big brother, to her.

This is a picture of Isaac facing our back sliding door and bowing to his reflection.  He said, "This is how a cowboy bows."  haha

Olivia laid a pillow out for each baby doll and then kept the last pillow for herself. 

The boys were watching Star Wars.  It was so intense.  I didn't get the camera out in time to take a picture of Olivia lined right up with them...sucking her thumb.

This is what Olivia and I did while the guys watched the boring "guy" movie.  I love having a girl. :)

The Beach and 50 Degrees

On Thursday, we went to the beach.  It was about 50 degrees..until we left.

Isaac was all about seashell collecting.

Josiah really wanted to feed the seagulls, but he was a little afraid of them.

 

Olivia enjoyed some nice sand-water.  She kept sticking the straw down in the sand and then putting it back in the cup to take a drink.  She liked it.  Third child.

I held food over my head and freaked out my family.  Sorry, Jay!!

It was a little chilly, but such a great time!

Baptism Day

Yesterday, January 11th 2009, our three kids were baptized. What a wonderful day! I'm so proud of our kids and I'm thankful that God has trusted me to be "Mom" to each of them. I'm also excited to watch them grow both physically and spiritually, and I can hardly wait to see God's call on each of their lives.

Before the service

Ray Valdez, the kids' godfather

Before the baptism, our priest talked to the boys. Isaac was excited, Josiah was nervous (and untucking his shirt), and Olivia had no idea what awaited.

I'm so thankful for this journey that God has brought our family down. I have no doubt in my mind that we are in His will.
If you want more details, we'd absolutely love to share what we're learning.
Here is a great book that helped me wrap my mind around baptism for infants/children. If you have always wondered (like I always have) what it is all about, then the book is a really great resource.

I'll take more pictures of the kids in their baptism clothes in the next couple of weeks. We shopped long and hard for Miss O's dress. :)

New Teeth

Olivia has been drooling, crying, and gnawing the past few days. Poor girl. But, all that hard work will pay off. She'll get new teeth and be able to eat all of those foods that she sees on our plates. :) This is a new beginning for her.



Go to Dr. Cason's blog to see some more "New Beginnings".

Did You Know...

That I usually respond to your comments/questions on each post? Just wondered. Because I think that I might just be talking to myself most of the time.

I Need My Space!!

Not me...although, I do like to have my space. But Olivia has started letting us know when things are not going her way.


Notice anything odd about this picture? Yes, Josiah is under her. She finally just sat on him to keep him under control. Fine idea. Maybe I should try that sometime.

She just wanted her stroller (that Josiah has already torn the fabric out of).

Imagine a high-pitched scream.

Ah, finally. (Oh, those thighs!)

One More (Post IIII)

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's...


a dog. This is our neighbor's dog. She flies down the street chasing a ball every evening. She's the most beautiful dog I've ever seen.

She always tells us "hello".

This guy loves sports.

He's learned to lick his hand before throwing the ball. And the face...??

Hey! Will you go and vote for my friend, Sheila? She has been nominated for The Best Photo Blog in the 2008 Weblog Awards. Go here! And her blog is Dr. Cason-A Doctor's Life. Thanks!