Tagen's First Haircut...

I love Tagen's naturally curly hair. I love that I can get it wet, run my fingers through it and it is curly and cute. Easy to do. Because of her curls, I can pull up the top bangs and it generally will look cute. Until recently that is. I decided her hair had just grown too long without ever being cut into a shape or style. Knowing that it needed a haircut, I decided on a whim to take her to the local salon and had them cut it.

This is her "before picture." She had fun playing with

the trial size stuff while we waited our turn.

Once we got her in the chair, she really didn't move much.

You can see how uneven the back of her hair is in this picture.

She hardly smiled through the haircut. No moving, no smiling.

In fact, she wouldn't even talk to me when I asked her questions. Very very stoic.

Checking in the mirror to make sure she liked what the stylist was doing.

I think she almost fell asleep. You know how relaxing it is to have someone play with your hair and run their fingers through it.

Especially after dinner and right before bed time.

The "after picture."

You can tell we took off about 2 inches in the back.

Throughout the rest we just trimmed up her natural layers.

I love the trim and it really did a lot to make her hair look healthier. I'm relieved her curls remained intact. (Olivia used to have darling ringlets in her hair, but after her first haircut, they were gone.) Tagen is already asking for another haircut so I guess she had a great time.

Easter Celebrations

Every year at Easter time, Brad's office does an Easter Egg hunt for the employee's children. They hide tons of eggs throughout the classroom, and the young kids get to go search for them. They are filled with TOO. MUCH. CANDY. Then to top it all off, they serve loads of sugar cookies and chocolate milk to the kids. Needless to say.... the kids LOVE it and have a blast. Thank goodness they did it earlier in the day this year instead of right before dinner like last year.

Tagen really got into it this year. She was able to run and get lots of eggs and

I'm pretty sure she realized the point to it this time around. She fought hard for her eggs.

Olivia and Tagen filling their baskets.

Tagen wouldn't look at me to take her picture.

Her eyes were constantly scanning the room for more eggs.

Putting another egg in her basket.

This kid got hooked up!

Olivia showing me her treasures. She did great!

This is the result of a massive sugar high!

Need I say more?

We love the tradition of going to Brad's work and I'm grateful he works in a place that is so family friendly.

They are great with the holidays and doing things for the kids.

Gracie's check up

Gracie had her two month check up on the 4th. Over the last two weeks, she's had this rash all over her face. We asked the doctor about it and he said its part of cradle cap that extends to the face. Nothing serious, but he told us to wash her hair with Selsun Blue and it would go away. We'll see what happens. She received three shots at the visit. Poor thing. On a good note, she is doing fantastic! She's growing like a weed and gaining weigh like a champ! I honestly can't figure out where the time is going. I can't believe she's already 8 weeks old.

Our little happy munchkin...

She's getting those rolls on her legs. Yay!

Gracie's stats:

Weight: 11 lbs 5 oz (75%) Length: 23" (90%) Head circumference: 15 cm (40%)

Miss Olivia had her 5 year check up at the same time. She had her first eye exam and did great. She got shots for Kindergarten and did great. She didn't even cry! I was so impressed.

Olivia's stats:

Weight: 43 lbs (60%) Height: 44" (80%) BMI: 60% Vision: 20/40 both eyes

She's thinned out more and isn't as tall. She's always been in the 95% or more for her height. Maybe she's going to slow down a little now. Dr. Judd said the 20/40 vision is normal for her age, so I'm not worried. I didn't know that they had started doing BMI on kids though. Nothing like making your 5 year old start worrying about being too big! Wow.

Olivia's Birthday celebrations

We had a small family gathering to celebrate Olivia's birthday. She had requested a cake with a princess, a rainbow and a unicorn on it.... I wasn't up to the task, so I found a Cinderella cake at the local grocery store that I felt would work. It was a fun surprise for her. (And, it still had the princess... and a horse - almost a unicorn, right?) Here's a picture overload of her party.

The Birthday girl

Of course there were lots of noise makers...

Cute little sister joining in the festivities...

Tagen loved the noise makers too...

She kept blowing so hard her face turned bright red. Too funny.

The Birthday Cake

And there were candles to be blown out, wishes to be made...

Presents to be opened.

Here she is opening the movie, "Tangled."

She LOVED it.

Our good friend Jana gave her this Barbie.

It was the exact one she had been asking for.

Perfect.

She openened this present and pulled out a helmet.

This is the exact moment when she said, "A helmet?! But I don't have a bike!"

We told her to try on the helmet and see what happens....

Ta-Da! A new princess scooter for the Princess Olivia!

She was so excited to finally have a scooter.

Bonus that it is covered in princesses also!

Tagen desperately wanted a scooter.

She wasn't happy with the turn of events.

Olivia was generous enough to let Tagen have a few turns on the scooter as well.

She would just climb on and wait for someone to pull her around the kitchen.

It was a great night with lots of fun memories.

Happy Birthday Olivia Kate!

Olivia Kate turns 5!!!

Our little Olivia Kate turned 5 today! I can still remember in detail that day five years ago when she came into this world and into our family. It was such a surreal feeling realizing that Brad and I were now parents. We were now totally responsible for the little munchkin we were holding in our arms. Little did we realize that gone were the days of sleeping in, of jumping in the car and going anywhere on a whim and gone were the diaper free days. BUT, we wouldn't change any of it! We are grateful for Olivia and her sisters... But, since this day is all about Olivia, so is this post.

September 8, 2006

June 17, 2007

(her first scraped knee)

March 19, 2008

October 8, 2010

March 23, 2011

Olivia is a five year old that talks like she's 16. Sometimes she ACTS like she's 16 too. She really likes to know WHY everything happens and HOW it happens. She loves playing with her Tagen and her friends, loves preschool, loves to draw, loves to sing and loves to push my buttons. She LOVES anything dealing with princesses and ponies and rainbows. She's my "need to know" child... meaning she thinks she needs to know everything going on around her. She's creative, imaginative, dramatic, funny and smart. She has a memory that never forgets ANYTHING. She proved that by telling us what we had for lunch LAST general conference.... in October. She has an innate sense of direction. She's determined, persistent, passionate and focused. When she has her mind set on something, there is very little that will deter her. Her qualities will take her far in life and we are excited to see where she ends up. But for now, we will enjoy her being five and watching her learn new things each day. She's excited to start kindergarten in the fall and I know she will excel in that environment. We are so grateful to have her in our family. She is a joy and a blessing in our lives.

Happy Happy Birthday

Princess Olivia!

We Love You!