Graduation 2009

Olivia has graduated from diapers to underwear. She is 2 years and 10 months old and is officially potty-trained. We started the process back in September when Kyle and Jenny went back to school and it has taken this long for her to finally come around to not liking diapers anymore.
It took seeing her friends use her own potty chair the week before Easter during our playgroup to finally convince her to be a big girl too.
She really turned the corner fast and rarely has any accidents. Doesn't even want to use the small chair anymore. We have been shopping, church, playgroups, etc. with no diapers and have not had any accidents.
At night I still leave a diaper on her but last night was the very first time she went all night and stayed dry. She waited for me to come in to get her this morning so she could use the bathroom.
She is growing up so fast now it is hard to believe.
We have also been having our breakfast together at the counter instead of in her high chair. She sits on a big chair, sitting up on a pillow so she is higher. We can sit and have whole conversations and she is so funny. Sometimes I forget she is not even 3 years old yet.
What will she learn/say/do next?

Easter Weekend Pictures

Easter weekend was busy for us. We had the whole Manning side over to our house on Saturday. It was a good time but pretty hectic. Olivia was able to get a nap in before people started coming and that was a good thing because she was busy entertaining the rest of the day.

She is the only one young enough to go egg hunting so she had a good time while we all watched her and helped her find the Easter eggs in the front yard. I wonder how much chocolate she took in this day?

Easter Sunday morning she was excited to find the real eggs we had colored and then she searched for her basket which was hidden in the bathroom in the bathtub. MORE Chocolate!!

And MORE Chocolate!!

Then after the church service, with no nap, we headed to the Pitz side for another day of socializing, playing, eating chocolate as fast as she could when I wasn't looking.

We had another egg hunt but Aunt Cindie filled her eggs with money. It was a little chilly outside but we did sneak a walk in too. By the end of the weekend we were all pretty tired but had a great time at both parties.

And this is what happens when you party too much......

Easter/Spring Photo Shoot

HAPPY EASTER 2009!



We took some pictures the other morning for updated portraits. Olivia likes to get all dressed up and pose but but I have a hard time getting her to look at me and smile. If she is distracted and plays with something I can get some really good shots.


We are looking forward to this weekend with parties on Saturday and Sunday. Easter egg and basket hunts and too much candy. I don't think she is quite sure about what is going on this weekend and doesn't remember much from last year but I know she will have fun getting together with everyone again.

And you know it's time to quit taking pictures when the props start falling on your head!

Play, Play, Play

After a few weeks of colds, flu and various schedule conflicts we were finally able to get together for our Monday playgroup with Emma and Cody and this time McKenna was at our house for the first time. It had been a while since they had been together and the Wednesday playgroup at school is getting pretty hectic so it was nice to have the small playgroup again. The girls played well together and us Mom's were able to visit too. The Wednesday playgroup is fun but it is also nice to go to each others house and be able to relax and visit while the kids play.

They enjoyed their snacks and drinks and they all did very well sharing the toys and getting along. Can't wait for nice weather when we can get outside to run around and burn off some energy.

Growing Playgroup

Wednesday is playgroup day which was started last December. When we first started going there were only a few of us and some preschoolers. Now the group has grown and grown to where we spend the second half of playgroup in the gym. I think this week was the largest group yet and it was pretty chaotic. The kids had a ball though.
This week we also welcomed a new boy that was just adopted from Russia. His parents started their process about 4 1/2 years ago and have finally....after years of red tape, updating paperwork, and wondering if it would ever go through, brought him home this past Sunday. We were lucky enough to meet him already on Wednesday.
His is a really nice kid and fit in as if he had been coming to our playgroup the whole time. He is thrilled to be with his new family in America and we are so happy for them.


This week some of the older girls in the school did their forensics presentations for the playgroup but it was a little advanced for the kids and they had a hard time paying attention for too long. Then they were off and running again through the gym chasing each other. It took me about 10 minutes to catch Olivia and drag her out when it was time to go. She didn't cry or throw a fit, she was just hard to catch. I even tried telling her I was leaving without her but she just waved and said Bye-Bye!
She always laughs and talks about playgroup all the way home.
I think she will do well when the day comes that I finally have to send her to school.

Ollinger Girls Lunch on Friday

Grandma Manning's maiden name is Ollinger and every few months, when it works the "Ollinger women" get together for lunch. Grandma's sister (Olivia's Great-Aunt)Helen and their cousins and so on get together. This past Friday Olivia and I joined them for their luncheon and we met close to Aunt Lynn's work so she was able to get away to meet us this time also.
Before we left for lunch Olivia and I had a talk about being so shy and standoffish when she first gets together with people. I told her Grandma Manning, Aunt Helen and Aunt Lynn would be there and the rest of the ladies were very very nice people. I told her I didn't want her to act scared and shy because by the time she would warm up it would be time to go home. She said, "OK Momma! I pwomise" And sure enough she was all smiles and happy the whole time. She laughed, smiled and showed off for everyone. She even ate her food pretty well. Everyone got a hug goodbye, even the women she didn't know before. She was so good she got to have her sucker for dessert.
Then all the way home I listened to "See Momma, I not be shy!, see Momma, I not be shy!"

Unfortunately she woke up Saturday morning with the sniffles so I hope she didn't spread her cold to anyone!

Just Waiting For Spring

Not much to update these days....

Our weeks have been pretty uneventful so there has not been much to blog. I thought I better post something though so everyone knows we're still alive. We are just waiting out these last few weeks of winter looking forward to spring, flowers sprouting up, buds on trees, etc.. and warmer weather.

Our weeks are pretty consistent with two days of playgroups, one morning of making something in the kitchen, one day for shopping and one for staying home to catch up on household chores.

Olivia is growing so fast and learning more everyday. Her hair has grown to about the middle of her back so we do a lot of different things with it. She is talking in sentences very well. Her favorite things to say right now are "what making for dinner tonight Mom?" and when she wants to stall going to bed or keep you from leaving a room she says, "I've got a question!!" and when you ask what her question is she laughs and says, "I doon know".

The potty training has been very frustrating as it is very inconsistent and hit and miss. When I come up with a new bribe she does pretty well but then gets bored with that again and goes back to not using it at all. She has actually told me "I never going use potty chair". Guess that's a two year old for you.

She has been very well behaved in church and shopping and going anywhere so it is hard to get very upset with her when she doesn't listen all the time. We are looking forward to spending more time outside playing and burning up excess energy as soon as this weather straightens out... Stay tuned.