Happy Halloween!

Where's my candy?

With Gram:

With Mommy:

With Daddy:

Another Zoo Trip

We went to the zoo (again) on Sunday. The weather was perfect, and we decided we better take advantage of it since winter is just around the corner.

Of course, the monkeys are still Olivia's favorite. In fact, it doesn't seem to matter if she's watching the real monkeys or just seeing pictures:

She also really likes zebras now:

And bears:

After the zoo, we had a picnic and played in the grass.



All in all, it was a perfect day with my two favorite people!

Random Thoughts

We've been keeping busy this week, but I wanted to document a few things before I forget. First, Olivia has gone pee-pee in the potty twice!! I'm not trying to potty train right now, but I have the potty in the bathroom and she likes to sit on it. I'm just letting her sit when she wants and get used to it for now. She seems to like it, and thinks it's a great place to read (like her daddy.) :)

I keep forgetting to mention on here that Olivia is a bit of a bully these days. She is constantly telling other kids, "No!" and she frequently takes toys, snacks, cups, etc from the other kids, even if they are several years older than her. (She also has been known to shove a few times. Eek!) I've been trying to teach her how to "be nice" and "share". So far, it hasn't worked too well, but I'm hoping it will soon. I keep telling Jon that she must get that from him because I was a sweet, shy kid. ;)

She really loves her friends. When she wakes up, I tell her who we will see that day and she says that person's name over and over all day. It's cute to see the kids start recognizing each other on a playground with other kids around now.

At the playground with her friends Carter and Adelina:

Olivia also loves to help clean up. She helps put her toys away at the end of the day. She also "accidentally" spills her milk quite often, just so that she can wipe it up. Her latest thrill is mopping the floor:

Her vocabulary expands more and more every day. She repeats almost every single thing we say. She knows almost every animal and their sounds now, she can name most of her body parts (including elbow and ankle... ha!), and she can say most names. Oh, and she also knows what a circle is!

Anyway... those are just a few random thoughts. Hope all is well with all of you!

"Aunt" Amy Visits!

Amy came for a visit last weekend. She flew in on Saturday morning (bright and early!) and I was there to pick her up from the airport. We stopped and picked Olivia up and the three of us girls went out for breakfast. After a day of relaxing and catching up, Amy and I went out for dinner while Jon and Olivia had a daddy-daughter date. A night out was just what I needed and we got to enjoy our very favorite restaurant, Frontera.

The rest of the weekend was spent just hanging out at home for the most part. Olivia LOVES Amy! In fact, she said "Amy" no less than 100 times a day! She especially liked Aunt Amy reading to her:

She continued to say "Amy" most of the day for at least a couple of days after Amy left. So, I think it's safe to say that Amy is missed by both of us! Thanks for visiting, Amy! We love you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!

Pumpkin Patch

Olivia and I drove out to a pumpkin patch today. I think it's safe to say that she had a GREAT time! There were lots of animals to feed (including a giraffe) and plenty of pumpkins to crawl on.

Fall is in the Air

Grandma and Grandpa Gilge came to visit this past weekend and we stayed busy with some fun fall activities. On Saturday, we went to the Eugene Park Cornucopia Fall Festival.


We also played with the new basketball goal that Grandma and Grandpa brought for Olivia:

Later, we took a walk to get ice cream. Olivia was ready to cheer on the Hogs.



On Sunday, Jon grilled burgers while Grandpa carved a pumpkin and Grandma and Olivia played.


She didn't really like to touch the pumpkin "guts", but she did try to eat a little bit:

Her favorite part was taking the top of the pumpkin off and putting it back on:

Olivia's 1st Jack-o-Lantern:

Like always, we had a great visit with them and are looking forward to seeing them over the Thanksgiving holiday!

Last Week

We have had unseasonable warm temperatures here for the past week or so, and Olivia and I have been taking advantage of every minute of it. Here are a few pictures from last week.

Running:



Walking in mama's shoes:

Loving on Phoebs:

Just happy to be outside:

"I Love You"

Olivia has started saying the three words that melt every parent's heart... "I love you". Take a listen and tell me this isn't the sweetest thing ever.