Last night Olivia went to g'ma and g'pa's place for a little party!  Each time we drop her off at my mom's g'pa says, "Get out the hats and horns, the party is here"  Olivia certainly enjoys the attention and we feel they are 100% comfortable with her.  THANKS FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR US!


While we had our free time we decided to head to the new Kerasotes Theatre at West End.  We found it interesting that there were assigned seats, that you pick when you arrive.  I assume this is so that when you order a $7 personalpizza, they are able to locate you.  Price for the tickets $20.00, price for our snacks $34.  Seriously!  Oh well, the seats were magnificent.  We saw  YOUTH IN REVOLT.  I wasn't really sure what to expect... but be warned, it is certainly an ADULT movie.  I had a few laughs, cringes and almost choked on my nachos after a few lines.  


check it out: 

As our little explorer gets more curious it has been a struggle for me to finish my books.  I'm constantly being eyed up as I leave a room or if I am able to sneak out I am often yelled at by a very vocal baby.  


Recently, Olivia has mastered taking big girl baths and has shown a real liking to her bath toys.  I've been able to use this "free" time to my advantage and able to pick up my book for an extra "15" minutes.  I must say that I am extremely jealous that I am not soaking in the bubbly warm tub but a cold tile floor seems to work, for now.   Unfortunately, I am often knocked back into reality when our fierce little splasher drenches me or the book.  Sorry, if you find your pages withered when your book is returned!  

I will have to monitor my time better because the baths are nearly an hour long....  She obviously enjoys the time but she is just a soggy wrinkly mess by the time she tells me to put the book down.

I've mentioned this in previous posts but I just can't get over how much Olivia loves our poochies.  They may just be her favorite pals at this point. 
Each time we let the doggies in or out of the house she watches their every move and observes all the little noises we are so accustomed to.  I believe they are starting to like her more and more as she is learning to rub their bellies and pull their ears.  I'll have to watch her closely.... they are boys and have extra parts she has been noticing more frequently.  Check out a couple  photos from this week.

So, way back in September I started some personal training, at Snap Fitness,  and just completed my sessions.  While working towards a better me, I also joined the YMCA with Rob and signed up for the Holiday Challenge.  The YMCA was to simply maintain or lose weight from Nov-Jan and you get a sporty shirt announcing your accomplishment. When I weighed in I was at 123 (I recall eating Taco Johns frequently that week : ) and tonight was 119.  GUESS WHO GOT A NEW SHIRT!  
Tonight was a true test and I am so happy to say that I exceeded my goal in push-ups and sit-ups and am incredibly proud that I can do more than Randy Shaver!.  Here's a look at my before and after stats!
September 24, 2009                 January 5, 2010      
Weight: 118.5                                    119
Age:      27                                        27 (Obviously!)
Body Fat:  13.2%                                10.7%
Body Measurements 
   Arm: 9.5"                                        10.5" (gained 1" of muscle!) 
   Chest: 34.5"                                    32.5" (sorry, Rob)
   Waist: 28"                                        27" (whoop!)
   Hips: 35.5"                                      35.5" (I blame Olivia!)
   Thigh: 19"                                      19.5" (.5" of muscle)
   Calf: 13.5"                                      13"
Push UPs in 60 Seconds: 17               32 (Holla!) 
Sit UPs in 60 Seconds: 19                   32 (Just sayin!)

We were surrounded by friends over the holiday season!  My friend Destiny and I had drinks one evening then lunch at Kinhdo another day.  Hillary came into town to spend sometime with Olivia and that night we met up with lots of friends for bar B-I-N-G-O followed by bowling.  We attended our first 1 year old birthday party of the year and was so impressed with how great our friends children are.  There is a small group of our friends that had kids in 09, like us, and it is neat to see them all growing up.  Little Logan came just before '09 and we celebrated with lots of his friends and family on Saturday.  Carrie did an excellent job with the party.  While there, it occurred to me that we'll have Olivia turning One in less than 5 months!  After the party, Rob was planning out her summer party and actually had a really great idea! Now, I can't wait to have all the little tots in our neck of the woods.

Olivia played with little Avery and it was so incredible to see what a difference there is between 7 and 8 months.  Avery is about 5 weeks older than Olivia and is already standing, nearly walking and so much more coordinated.  Olivia had a little toy that Avery desperately had to have and she kept stealing it away.  Olivia didn't seem to care much because each time her little toy was stolen Olivia would bend over and chew on her shoes.  I'll bet Olivia will learn to play keep-a-way very quickly!  ; ) 

As you may know, my brother moved to Utah this year.  He sought out a new adventure and has been pursuing his hobby of building Rally Cars. 
He has a close pal that he's teamed up with and they have been traveling all over the states attending events, promoting and marketing their skills and spectating.
Over Christmas he came home and we got to spend some quality time together.  He stayed at my dads a few days and then at my place for a few more.  It was nice to have him around and wish we could have had just a few more days.  He hopped back into his car at 4 a.m. for a 19 hour trip back to Utah and I am proud to say he got no tickets even when he had been pulled over twice because of some front end damage to his car.  The day he was leaving, someone hit the front of his parked car in a parking lot and his lights and hood were a little out of whack. 


This week he is going to have his wisdom teeth extracted in preparation for his deployment for Afghnistan this March.   He will need a little more clearance than most, as he was diagnosed with Colitis a few years ago and will need additional doctors approval for a healthy diet and a guarantee that he'll receive his medication overseas.  
Check out this video of Mike's friend.  People were scared as the car hit the rock, but no one standing was actually hurt. 

This year was a little different for most people, as we were all trapped in our homes or were rescheduling holiday parties due to snow and ice.  We were planning to visit Grandpa BOB up North, but cancelled due to weather and it all worked out best because I was struck with the flu, too.
Christmas Eve, I was getting ready and suddenly found myself feeling quite nauseous.  I sat down, to eat a bit, and rest.  Once I finished my very healthy meal of Ramen I felt so terrible!  My brother, Mike, and Rob watched as I violently threw up for about 3 hours.  Mike got to spend some time holding Olivia while Rob and I cleaned up mess after mess.  Needless to say, we missed Christmas Eve at my step sister's.  My mom called a couple of times to check on me and the last time she overheard me retching she told Rob to take me in to the E.R.   They came to rescue baby cakes and Mike left to attend Christmas Eve Mass.
The E.R. was full of weirdos, again, but this time I could barely care.  Once we were brought to our own room I was given an I.V. with fluids and some anti-nausea pill, that was AMAZING!  After the fluids were administered I was sent home to recover.  It took a few days to feel back to normal, but I will likely meet my YMCA challenge of weight loss! 


Sunday the 27th, we headed to Derrick's house (Rob's brother) for our annual gift opening and then off to Grandma Carol's for a very hot lunch and visiting.   


By Tuesday, I was totally off and didn't know what day was what.  This year I've been pretty thrown off on dates because with I have been staying home with Olivia and no real schedule to keep me on top of things. The weeks of Christmas and New Years all rolled together and I couldn't have been more confused.  It didn't help that I was headed back to the clinic on Tuesday, with a very sore throat and terrible cough.  Turns out it was Bronchitis and Laryngitis.  I was given the Z-Pack and some cough medication.  This medication was like no other... Let's just say that I was very happy it was laced with codeine and it was likely the only reason I got some good sleep that week.  

Saturday I got my voice back and must have passed it on to Olivia because she too, has the horrible hacking and congestion.  
We decided to bring her in to see what they could give her and that was a draw.  Apparently, kids just get over these things naturally.  It was recommended that we get a cool mist humidifier and something called Little Noses, where you spray saline and it helps break up her mucus. 
She has acquired a lovely new yell with her sickness.  At first it was cute... but now she literally yells.  It is simply frustrating and quite hard to handle in the middle of the night when we are all very tired.  She is trying so hard to tell us how uncomfortable she is and I wish there was more I could do for her.  
I guess it never occurred to me that it would be difficult being a sick mommy and even harder when little ladies are sick too!