There's Excitement in the Air!

Some one is really excited!! Well, Liv is always pretty excited about anything, but I doubt she really knows her birthday is coming up.

But we all know, and are very excited.

And so, in the few days leading up to it, I am going to extend some of the fun to everyone else who cares.

We'll be playing a few games at her owl themed party.

The first is a "Whoo Do I Look Like?" game. Cast your votes as to whether our cutie looks like:

(Don't mind the black edges and unfinished look of the photos . . . I have to do them that way to print them properly and then hand cut them at home . . . I'm too busy-or lazy-to pretty them up for the blog.)

George

Natalie

Melanie

Randy

Pat

or

Brad

Or . . . maybe she was switched at birth???

The second game is "Whoo Will I Become??" I got the idea from some Korean Dol party sites. At her party, Liv will be placed in front of six objects that all signify a personality that she could become. All the guests will be placing votes on the item they think she will grab first. (Which ever object she grabs first "predicts" who she will become.)

Phone (a good communicator)

Food (wealthy . . . she will never go hungry)

Mouse (tech savvy)

Tennis Ball (athletic . . . or Dad's retirement when she wins Wimbleton)

Maracas (artistic)

Book (a scholar/intellect)

The third game we'll be participating in is a dance contest. If anyone knows Liv, they know just how much she loves to dance. There will be no prizes, except for the joy of watching her dance whole heartedly. (If I can figure out how to put the video on blogger, I'll share with everyone.)

But You Forgot . . .

This was the conversation between Avery and I last night as I tried putting her to bed for the TENTH time:

"But mo-om, you forgot one thing for bed."

"What?" (an exasperated mom asked)

"You forgot to put the moon in the sky!" exclaimed Avery as she burst into tears . . . as though the world can't possibly go on.

"Oh. Well, when I finish reading with Jackson I will see what I can do. But you need to get into bed NOW."

"But mo-om, how will you get the moon?"

Even more exasperated, I replied, "I'm not sure. It is very tricky."

"You need a very tall ladder so you can climb up. And then you need a big rope. . ."

"Avery, just get to bed!"

Why do children not appreciate sleep?? It is just a blessed thing . . . if an adult can ever get to it!

Eleven Months

What Livvie is up to:

Injured solider crawl. Beware, she makes some serious time with it . . . racing to the nearest piece of garbage on the floor that everyone else somehow misses.

Eating . . . real food, like cookies, ice cream, and cheesecake.

Growing wild hair. I really don't know what to do with it. It will not stay down. I'm thinking I might just go with it and stick an elastic around it so it LOOKS like I meant for it to be together. Up in the air.

Dancing. Seriously considering throwing her a dance party for her first birthday. (Unfortunately, I have actually been on the ball this time and pre-ordered birthday supplies a month in advance.) If she hears music, even Avery singing, she will start bopping her head and body to the beat. In the Bahamas, we tried putting her down for a nap in her stroller while a calipso band was playing in the street . . . Livvie started doing "the inchworm" in the stroller since she was laying down.

Her feet. So cute. Like a dog's tail signals when they are happy or excited, so do Liv's feet. I always get a kick seeing them flutter around and wave with excitement. I will probably miss this the most . . . if she ever grows out of it.

She is still chirping (screeching??) like a bird. Whenever she is hungry or really tired, you'd better be reaching for ear plugs, and fast!!

Her newest trick?? The Smush. She first started doing it at a dinner party and the hostess was afraid she didn't like the smell of dinner. I can't figure out why she started doing it . . . was she trying to kiss?? . . . but one thing is for certain, she LOVES the expressions and attention she gets from doing it. And demands an applaud!

The Hangover

Ugh.

It's so hard to come back.

Especially when you get in at midnight from a tropical vacation . . . and have to get out of your car to shovel your drive way . . . just so you can park.

And then get hit with a blizzard the next day.

Ouch is right.

It makes those memories of frolicking in the sunshine, along lush green grass, powder white sand, and sparkling blue pools . . . seem like a faded dream of some sort.

Add it to all the laundry, responsibilities of the life we were so desperate to take a break from, and you have a family ready to jump the next plane back. (Seriously, I caught Brad scouting out room prices for April . . . and Jayden decided to save his allowance so he could go back.)

I think we need to extend our vacation next year to longer than five days. Maybe a week. Or a week and a half.

My head hurts. I think I will have to hide under my covers until spring. Or the next vacation. ;)

Will You Be Mine?

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

(We had a lot of fun trying to get the perfect pucker from Avery!! Maybe one day I will post the out-takes . . . or blow them up for her wedding day!)

Fleeing Winter

I thought I could post about our vacation in one little entry . . . then I started looking through the photos and remembered all the wonderful details that made our stay just so amazing. It was then I realized, I may need to report this in parts.

For now, some beach shots . . . so that I can remember warmth (as I watch snowflakes swirl outside my window).

Deciding to go to Atlantis was (believe it or not) a toughie for me. We had been there once before for about one night when Jayden was 3 and Jackson was 1. I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Avery and the boys had both come down with the stomach flu.

I suppose that might have had something to do with how disenchanted I was with the whole place. Sure, it was neat, and interesting, but not luxurious or like the five star resorts we were acustomed to in Vegas. Well, not for the price anyway.

But I had remembered that the beaches were really beautiful, and the weather warm. The kids, for sure, would have a blast. I just hoped that it would be "decent" and "somewhat relaxing" for Brad and myself.

To be sure, we reserved a room at the Reef, one of the newer hotels that had a mini kitchenette in it. Also, it had it's own private pool and beach, to stay away from the crowds. (Which, if it hadn't been for some cruise ships coming in, we would have had the entire place to ourselves. It was still pretty empty with the few people on the day trip.)

And, well, the entire stay was first rate. It was fantastic. Worth every penny . . . especially since we had a meal plan and four kids who ate off of it for free. :)

The beach was wonderful. Comfy, padded chairs, attendants waiting on you, turquoise water, and the only white powder to shovel, was sand.

Here Liv gets a bit of sun. Just a bit though--you can never be too young to prevent premature aging. (As a side note, even with the little bit of sun Liv got, she managed to get a tan. Although, unlike other people who get bathing suit tans, or farmer's tan, she got a "roll" tan . . . meaning everything was tanned except the skin between her rolls . . . which stayed a bright white.)

The rest are shots to help me (and maybe you) think warm, happy thoughts as we shovel our way through another month of winter.