Update 2:

(Things that have happened just since my last 'real' post, on Livia's 3rd Birthday)

♥ We went back to Indiana to celebrate our little girl's Birthday there ♥

• Livia had a Birthday Party at Gatti-Town with her Aunt Kee-Kee, Uncle Matt, Maggie, Nolan, & Garrett; and her Grandpa & Grandpa Fultz

Livie's pretty Birthday Cake

Some of my most favorite people in the whole wide world!

Liv getting ready to blow out her candles

Giving sweet Maggie some BIG lovin's!

And opening all her fabulous presents

FYI:  Her Aunt Kee-Kee & Uncle Matt absolutely spoilt her rotten!!!

The kids had tons of fun with rides & games

But all too soon, it was time to get ready to go...

The girls didn't even want to let go of each others' hands!

I feel so blessed that we've been able to spend the time that we have with our families -- in some ways, it's never enough... Not enough girls' nights, not enough play-dates, and not enough double-dates. But we're going to keep trying! And I'm still hoping to see my nephews play in at least one of their baseball games. 

• Livia had another Birthday Party at her Nana & Papaw's house. Almost everyone on her Mommy's side of the family (and friends!) came... And they spoiled her rotten too!

Since this party was at her Nana & Papaw's house, we thought a farm-themed cake would be perfect. And I've never seen a cuter, happier little cow!

Isn't The Donut Bank amazing?!

Liv had just woken up from a little cat-nap in this photo... So sweet & sleepy!

It wasn't long before she was wide awake & ready to blow out the candles

I was tickled pink that the triplets were there...

And they were even more tickled to see their Uncle Don

(the moment he arrived, they totally swarmed him!)

Before long, it was time for presents

\

LOVE this one! She's literally inside the bag ~ haha!

And she's learning the love of shoes very early in life (that's my girl!)

I was so happy to have all our family & friends there!

↑ My 'Bestie' and her little ones ↓

Then we all went outside to see the baby kittens:

And even though I had to be talked into this pic, it turned out being one of my favorites:

Especially since this one was taken right after:

♥ So sweet ♥

So, those were Liv's Birthday Parties in a very small nutshell ☺

My Blessed Day [Today]

This morning, I woke up in our house in Indiana. All alone...

But within minutes, I was on the phone grinning from ear to ear. I great it was to the sound of my sweet husband's voice! And to know that I'd be seeing him in mere hours :o)

I got up and scurried about the messy house, trying to gather up odds & ends. I made but only a dent in what's yet to be done!

I gave up after an hour and resigned myself to the shower. Oh, how I needed it! I should have gotten one last night after driving for several hours... But I just didn't have the desire. I would have felt refreshed, happy & clean; I probably would have slept better too. But my shower this morning did just that as well.

I met up with my soul-mate, his parents, & our daughter for a Saturday mid-morning brunch... And though after much ado, we had a very tasty meal!

Livia chattered about her Grandma Trilby & Papa Bill nearly the rest of the day (she sure loved spending the night over there last night!)

Liv asked to see the camera-phone pictures of herself & Sugar (Bill & Trilby's big, white German Shepard) and squealed with delight each time she saw them. God Bless my little toddler for reminding me that it's not the quality of the photograph, but the quality of what's IN the photograph that matters most!

Liv & Sugar 02/06/10

My sister talked me into getting some very cute, stylish clothes before our move to St. Louis, and my husband loved them so much that he offered to take me shopping for more today.

[Marking this one down in the record book!]

He did his best to entertain our tired little daughter while I found a few cute sweater-dresses to our liking. After our purchase, I thought aloud it would be best to head back to the house for nap-time. (Much to my husband's relief!)

And within minutes of arriving back to our Evansville house, it was certainly nap-time. For all of us!

After we'd all woken up, it was snack-time. Livia was extra-cuddly with me, and it felt fabulous!

Then we packed Liv up to go over to her Nana & Papaw's... While watching a good part of Madagascar II (LOVED it!!!!!)

We finally all headed out to my Mom & Dad's. Livia barely even noticed that Perry & I stayed and visited for a while! Her attention was 100% on Papaw/Nana. She just loves her grandparents :o)

And then, our evening turned into a mini-date night for me & my husband. Perry insisted that he buy me some cute boots to match the sweater-dresses we'd bought earlier in the day. How on earth could I object to that?!

Then we ordered a pizza, made a quick stop for soda pop, & headed home for pizza and a show.

Such wonderful husband & wife time we had tonight! Rest assured, all spouses need time together like the time that we were blessed with today. It's nights like this that make me live for tomorrows!

And now, though quite past my bedtime, I feel rested & happy. Even more so in just a few minutes; I will soon sleep peacefully next to the love of my life.

Tomorrow is but another day, and though I know it will be very special day as well with the Super Bowl & all... It surely won't hold a candle to today!!

Blessed is this day... For though it was mine, it was first the Lord's. Thank you, dear God, for this glorious day!

Happy Birthday USMC

Today is the United States Marine Corp Birthday -- 234 years and still going strong! So this post is in honor of both the USMC, and my husband who honorably served our country in the USMC for 5 years (from 1996 to 2001).  In honor of my husband's stint in the Marine Corp, here are some scanned pictures I'm blessed to have archived (Enjoy!):

Is there any wonder why I love my Marine?!  *swoon!*

My husband & his father

 

Matt, Perry, & Trilby

 

Matt, Bill, & Perry

 

The whole family

 

Perry & his parents

And more pictures of Perry & others in the Marine Corp:

 

 

 

 

I hope these photos will bring back some wonderful memories for my husband... Perry will always be my Marine. He's said many a time to me, "I'm not as mean, not as lean -- but still a Marine!" Here's to you, Perry! Thank you for serving and protecting the United States in the Marine Corp.

And Perry, here are just a few images I found that made me think of you.  I love you more than all the Birthdays the Marines will ever have!

 

 

On a side note:  I'm happy to report that Livia is finally starting to feel like herself again! She's still coughing, but not nearly as much as days prior.

She did go to Day Care both today and yesterday -- they noticed that she just wasn't quite herself yesterday. A little whiny, clingy, and congested; but no fever and nothing else worthy of sending her home.

Today, they said she was much more like herself! I noticed it first thing this morning, and she was just as sweet when I picked her up after work. I made some homemade Chicken Picata with pasta for us, and she loved it! Too much I think -- it ended up all over her! Nothing a warm, bubbly bath wouldn't fix though.

Tomorrow, I'm off work thank to Veteran's Day! Lots that I hope to accomplish. We'll see how it goes  :o)

Halloween Pics (Outfit 2)

Livie-Bug the Lady-Bug!

This was the outfit Livia actually wore on Halloween to go Visit-Treating. We are so blessed to have so many family and friends close-by, that it would be silly if not selfish to just take Liv door-to-door to do the typical trick-or-treating. And it's not like she didn't get plenty of candy from all our visits!

So our first visit was to her Uncle Michael. He had to work on Halloween, but I like to think that we made the day a little bit fun for him  :o)

 

And Livia LOVED the Fire Trucks!

She's so lucky to have her Uncle Michael!

 

Livia got to be in...

And on the Fire Truck!

 

So then it was on to see...

 

Aunt Laura!

Liv and I both received treats from my sweet sister. Livia got candy & Laura's homemade pumpkin bread, and I got the jewelry I ordered from her just over a week before! Laura is now an official Premier Jewelry dealer, and I attended her first party was the previous Thursday. I just love the pieces I bought!

Our next stop took us to Anne & Jack Powless' house. We saw not only Anne & Jack... but Heather, Terry, Lexi, & Zane... and Warren, Jamie, Olivia, & Lincoln!

 

 Lexi, Olivia, Zane, & Lincoln

If it's not cool enough that Livie & Olivia share a very similar name, they also shared a cute little lady-bug theme for Halloween this year! (Note:  Jamie and I did NOT plan this! What can I say? Great minds think alike in so many ways!) We've dubbed the girls "O" (for Olivia) and "No O" (for Livia) when they're around each other. Luckily, the similarity of their names hasn't seemed to confuse them thus far.

 

Pictured above: Liv, Olivia, & Lincoln

Below: O- and No O- sharing a sweet kiss

 

And Liv decided that Lincoln shouldn't be left out

 

Then it was off to Livia's Grandma Trilby & Papa Bill's

 

Livia just loves her grandparents -- and Sugar

Livia keeps not only friends & family in her nighttime prayers, but animals as well. This particular moment, Sugar was outside due to all the excitement in the room! Laughter & squealing definitely rowls Sugar up.

After our visit with Livie's grandparents, we headed out to the middle of no-where. Our first stop out there was to Uncle Don & Aunt Bonnie's

 

Can't you tell how much she loves them?!

And as our good luck would have it...

 

3 Blind Mice were there as well! (ie: The Rat Pack)

 

Liv really enjoyed counting all her candy for Meg

Then it was off to my parents, where I got this wonderful picture:

 

And this one:

As much as she loves her Papaw and Nana, it was starting to get very late. So we made it a pretty quick stop.

And we made just 2 more quick stops for the night -- Livia's Aunt Kendra & Uncle Matt's, and my good friends Kellee & Marcus. I didn't really get any good pictures from Kellee's, but I did get some great ones of Liv's cousins:

 Maggie the Pirate

And Wolverine-Man, Nolan

 

Are they not the cutest?!

And Liv just adores Maggie...

 

As do I...!

So, that's our Halloween for this year! We had such a wonderful time, and I pray that I'll always be able to take Livia Visit-Treating -- she still got to say "Twick-owr-Tweet!" plenty  :o)

Much love and God's Blessings to everyone!