Belle

 Thank goodness I didn't order that Mermaid costume a few weeks, ago. Man, Olivia's tastes can change at the blink of an eye. For about a year, Olivia has been totally enthralled with everything mermaids. She didn't want to be a chef or a dancer or a softball player when she grew up. Those things were nice but not as cool as being a mermaid. I read her The Little Mermaid about 50 times and kept re-checking it out from the library. Well, all of that is out the window. I kept seeing pictures of little girls at formal night on the cruise wearing Princess dresses. I just knew there would be a lot of tears, if Olivia wasn't wearing one, also. So, we walked into the Disney Store....look it's Ariel's dress, and Cinderella's dress, and Snow White's. She passed all those by and went straight for the Belle dress. I kept asking if she was SURE she wanted Belle and not Ariel. I was soooooo confused. Apparently, Olivia and Kalei have a connection more than we thought because Kalei also got a Belle dress. I promise I didn't tell Olivia that Kalei was going to be Belle, too. All Stephen has been hearing is "Daddy, will you be the Beef?" That makes me laugh every time. We worked on pronunciation of Beast, last night. haha. I snapped a few shots of "Belle" in her new ball gown. It was Olivia's idea to pose with a book and the empty VCR case. haha. The more I see her in the dress, the more I just love it. I think it is the most beautiful of all the Princess dresses or maybe I'm just biased because I've seen it on my Olivia. 
We'll be on vacation for a while, so this is a preview of Disney pictures to come. 

From New Album 9/22/08 3:36 PM

From New Album 9/22/08 3:36 PM

From New Album 9/22/08 3:36 PM

Twisties and Gems, Please.

In preparation for our trip to Disney, Olivia and I got haircuts. It had only been 4 1/2 mos!!! We needed a little pampering. :-) Olivia had a new hairstylist, this time. Same salon but new stylist. She did an awesome job. She gave Olivia the choice of how she wanted her hair styled. Braids, pulled back, twisties, bows, butterflies, and gems. After a few seconds of thought, Olivia said "Twisties and gems, please." I had no idea what twisties were. I was a little scared. I think she made a great choice. It was nice to have her hair completely out of her face. I could see those big brown eyes and that beautiful smile. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She has become quite the photographer, so she insisted that I needed a picture of my haircut. She makes me feel so special. 

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

Grandaddy Myron

My Grandaddy was sick, last week, and had to go into the hospital for some tests. He's feeling better, now, though still low on energy. He gave us all a good scare! Olivia and I decided we should send him something to make him smile. So, we e-mailed him a special card. Well, Mom told me yesterday that he never got the pictures. I decided to post them on our Blog. I heard that he has viewed the Blog. So, Grandaddy...this is for you!

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

From New Album 9/17/08 2:32 PM

A Day In The Life of Olivia...

I decided to do a picture journal of one of Olivia's typical days. Just looking at the pictures makes me feel so blessed. I love being a mom and getting to be at home with Olivia. I'm pretty sure Olivia loves it, too. I think I might have to take pictures of her doing her chores everyday. You wouldn't believe how easy it was to get her to brush her teeth and comb her hair!!!! She is not one to shy away from a picture and that extra incentive just really got her moving through her duties.

A must for every morning is dressing up. Today, she was a ballerina!

We covered most of the day but forgot to take the camera into Spinning class at the Gym. Olivia accompanies me and is my personal trainer. "Faster, Mommy! Faster, Mommy!" She will often point out how fast other people's wheels are spinning and if I'm pedaling really fast, she'll give me a thumbs up! Watching her while I work out, really does make me work harder. I want to set a good example for her.

Here is A Day in the Life of Olivia...

Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Olivia and I decided to make some cookies after dinner, last night. To encourage her to cook/bake with me...I tell her the best thing about cooking is that you get to taste what you make before anyone else. Olivia enjoyed the perks of baking last night. The picture says it all...I love chocolate! The cookies were yummy. I subbed Stevia for half the sugar and subbed applesauce for half the oil. They weren't perfect but they were baked with love by Olivia and I, so that's all that matters. I love my little sidekick! Don't you just wanta pinch those cute cheeks!

From Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

From Chewy Chocolate Raspberry Cookies

Dessert Party

Back in July, I hosted our Global Hawk Squadron Spouse's Coffee. We had such a nice turnout. Thank goodness because we had a lot of desserts. It was a fun night with old friends and new friends. And we all had sugar highs by the time we left! haha. My friend, Trish Larsen, was nice enough to stop by and take a few pictures for me. Thanks, Trish! Check out her website www.tlarsen.com. Stephen and I are on her website. She is very talented!

Let's get back to the desserts...my favorite topic. I've decided sugar is evil and one of the worst things I can put in my body. That being said, I love to bake sweet treats. I love to host parties, also. So, it was a perfect combination....a Dessert Party!!!!

I also have to give a shout out to Sandy and Jessica who were my party consultants. Sandy helped me bake all these delicious desserts. Thanks, Sandy! Your double ovens, rock!

The menu included...Mini Cookies 'N' Cream Cupcakes with a little Oreo (the vegan version) on top

From Dessert Party

Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting decorated with marzipan flowers

From Dessert Party

Mini Parfaits (No-Bake Pecan Crust crumbled, Vegan Vanilla mousse, blueberries, strawberries whipped, chocolate chips, and a cherry on top)

From Dessert Party

Also, we had Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. Olivia and I picked the flowers at Jim's Farm that morning.

From Dessert Party

These are the little door prizes I put together. They were filled with cookies!

From Dessert Party

Tahoe

There is no place like Tahoe...the fresh mountain air, the beautiful blue lake, the high altitude that makes Olivia's nose bleed. haha. We had such a fun adventure, last Friday. Our trip to Tahoe kicked off a great Labor Day weekend! We stopped at Squaw Valley first and headed up on the Cable Car/Gondola. Charlie accompanied us to this dog mecca. The altitude didn't seem to bother him but man, did Olivia have one heck of a nose bleed once we got to the top.

Picture this. Stephen is in the bathroom. I'm taking Charlie out for a potty break. Olivia is running around on the grass. I see a little blood, then a lot of blood! Aaahhhh! I have no wipes or paper towels or anything to wipe it on. I have no idea where the closest bathroom is and Charlie decides that he wants to exert his independence by refusing to move a muscle. So, we stand there trying to get control of the blood. Olivia has blood ALL over her face. I have it all over my hands. And finally, Stephen walks out the door. Hallelujia!!! The look on his face was one of terror. We started walking inside past the information desk. The girl there says, "Uhhhh, do you need a bandaid or something?" Uhhh, no! I said no we need some paper towels!!!! Anyway, we made it to the bathroom, got her all cleaned up, and I made Stephen promise he would never leave me, again.

We roller skated at the top of Squaw Valley. I have never laughed so hard. Stephen and I had flashbacks of Fun Time Skateland. Those of you from Jackson will know what I'm talking about. I love the 80's! We, of course, made time for a "couple's skate" and the Hokey Pokey. We also tried our hand at roller skating backwards! ha, yeah right! Olivia is way better than either of us!

Olivia got to bungie jump. No, we didn't throw her off the side of the mountain with a bungie. It was a trampoline bungie thingy. It was the best 10 bucks we've ever spent. You can see from the pics that she had a blast!

Then, we headed to Tahoe City to the park. My favorite park ever!!! You don't get any more picturesque than this park. I rolled Olivia's pants up and she headed into the Lake. I could have skipped the rolling of the pants because she just had a seat in the water, clothes and all. Boy, did she have fun! I was amazed at how tough her feet were. The rocks were so painful to me but she just trotted over them begging me to come out further and further. I couldn't take the pain!

Anyway, we loved getting out and exploring Tahoe, again. Enjoy the pics!