Livia's Day with her Great-Gramma Pat

Early last week, Livia and I took a trip out to Haubstadt to visit her Great-Gramma Pat - sadly, I'm just now getting around to writing about and putting up all the fun pictures from that day... Oh well, better late than never, right?

We all had lunch together, then it came as no surprise that Livia wanted to go outside.

Livia had so much fun running around outside. She stopped to pick several clover flowers and give them to Gramma Pat.

And she really enjoyed the huge trees and all the birds chirping within them. Once in a while, she'd get a glimpse of a bird flying to or away from our general area. She followed them with her eyes and her little pointer finger, and you could almost hear her thinking, "Look! There it goes!"

Livia showing her pensive side... I don't know what she was looking at or thinking about, but I got lost in her beautiful blue eyes while taking some of these pictures!

After Livia began to slow down from her outdoor explorations, Gramma got out a few toys she just happened to have around for times like these...

~ Livia and Gramma ~

Livia just loved the little jeep, even though it was much too big for her. Luckily it was just looks as the battery was dead. That's good, because my curious little daughter is sometimes too smart for her own good and definitely found where the gas petal was!

Livia had loads of fun just climbing around and getting to know this new toy.

She discovered that the 'radio' did have batteries and easily figured out how to make it play over and over.

She finally went on to something else and found...

A baby doll! I guess all little girls like dolls, huh?

Livie even found some toys she had never really played with before. Who cares if they're supposed to be boys toys, right kiddo?

Then we finally went back inside to cool off. But Livia made sure we went out a couple more times before it was time to go. Even though it was quite warm, it was so awesome.

**Going of on a tangent... Here in southern Indiana, the season of spring seems to have been nearly skipped! The weather went from ice cold to humid and hot in a matter of weeks. Technically it is still spring here, but you sure wouldn't know it just by stepping outside.**

Anyway, finally before it was time to go, I managed to get one pretty good picture of Liv and my Gramma.
A shot of Livie and Gramma before we took out back towards home.

I know I need to make more time for visits like these for Livia - and for myself! It was so neat seeing Livia playing with my Grandma Pat just as I did years ago. I thank God for special days such as these, and pray for more to come!

Olivia Anne's Baptism

I'm finally getting around to putting up more pictures from Olivia's Baptism! I'm quite the perfectionist, and wanted to make sure the pictures from this special day portrayed the magic and wonder as much as possible.

Sweet little Olivia Anne

She was so tired that she slept through much of this special day, but that meant things went smooth as silk.

Olivia's Godparents - Ryan and Ashley - holding her just before the Baptismal service began

Little Olivia in her sweet little gown and bonnet.

Olivia being Baptized

And drying her off just afterward

Would you believe that she didn't cry one little bit? Olivia was so good during the entire baptismal.

The Father blessing little Olivia, anointing her with oil.

Jamie, Warren, & Olivia with Ashley & Ryan - they're not only Olivia's Godparents, but they're also Jamie's cousins.

Here's Matt & Katie (Jamie's brother & sister) along with Jamie, Warren, & Olivia plus Ashley and Ryan.


I had to get a few pictures of Jamie and Warren with their little girl...

They love each other and Olivia SO much!

One last shot of Warren holding Olivia - almost the same shot I first put up a couple of days ago.

It was SUCH a beautiful ceremony, and I'm happy (and a bit surprised) to say that my daughter was good as gold throughout the whole thing. She's really getting used to Jamie's family - while I was snapping away throughout the entire ceremony, she sat with Katie (Jamie's sis) and Lexi (Jamie's niece). Lexi LOVES kids, and it's always a joy to have her around.

I may try to get a few more pictures up later on - with Liv, Lexi, and other family there - but that means more editing! For now, much love to you all and God Bless!

How I know...

I am truly. utterly. absolutely. entirely in love:

~I get tears in my eyes every time I see a wedding scene, no matter how corny the movie~

As I was editing pictures, I had a movie on in the background that I was barely even half-watching. I did give it my full attention when I heard the familiar lines I heard at my own wedding... Even though it's not me saying those special words, I still like to remind myself of the day I did take my vows. I meant every word with all my heart and soul, and I'll keep them forever.

~I dream of renewing our vows all the time~

And I renew them in my heart and mind all the time as well. Our vows were the most memorable part of our wedding, and definitely the most important.

~I say "I love you" to my husband just as much as his name~

Possibly more! Sometimes I worry that I'm wearing out this phrase, and actually asked Perry about that today. Perry said, "That's one thing you can never say too much." I hugged him tight and said those words over and over and over in his ear.

~Even the hottest of hot-guys don't appeal to me at all~

Forget the days of getting all googley-eyed over celebrities and cute guys with the best bodies, eyes, or even voices. Out of all honesty, my husband's the most attractive man in the whole world to me.

~The little changes we've made for each other~

I could never even imagine not making little changes for him. Though I never did or even would have for anyone else. The best thing is, all the little changes I've made for him - I LOVE! (Like being more organized, getting in to a better schedule so that we have more time together, etc.)

~Our special looks~

With just one glance, I can tell how he's feeling - sometimes what he's even thinking. And he can do the same with me. We even have special little things we'll do, that only we know what they mean or are about

~I only dream of him~

It's true. Every time I dream of a man in any type of romantic way, it's always of my husband.


And so much more! But that's all I can think of right now, and I've definitely stalled enough. But forget the pictures now - it's time for bed! I'm off to join the love of my life in this world, and in dreamworld. Much love to you all!

Baptismal Sneak Peek

Again, we are having a wonderfully busy week! But I didn't want to get too far behind on all the awesome things we've done so far.

The first of the week started with sweet little Olivia Anne's Baptism. My wonderful friend Jamie invited me to come and take pictures (note to self: be sure to tell Kendra a HUGE thank you for getting the camera back to me the day after arriving back from vacation. Yes, she really IS a SuperMom!) Of coarse, I was more than happy to oblige with the picture-taking. I think I was the only one there who wasn't actually a Godparent or family... but that's ok! I have friends so close that they become family to me.

I did get several wonderful shots - most of which I'm still in the process of editing... But I thought I'd share one really good one of little Olivia just after she was Baptized:

She looks like an angel, doesn't she? And look at that smile on her proud Daddy, Warren. He loves that little girl SO much, and this was certainly a very happy day for him - it was a happy, special day for all of us!

~~~~~

I have so much more to write about, and SO many more pictures to show off... But first I need to finish editing them (yes, I have a touch of OCD - I have to post things in order, pictures have to be edited before posting, etc... Like I said, I'm obsessed!) So, soon to come: more pics from Olivia's Baptismal, Livie's trip to her Great-Gramma Pat's, and some out-and-about pictures. Ooh, that reminds me - I still need to download pictures from the little camera! Yes, I definitely have some catching up to do...! Much love to you all and God Bless!

My Child's Eyes

There have many times in recent days that I've caught glimpses of my little girl growing right before my eyes. I see her growing not just in inches and pounds, but in the way she looks at the world around her.


Livia loves the outdoors. I truly believe that if it were up to her, she would spend every second - from her waking moment, to well past bedtime - in the outdoors. It's outside that Livia explores and learns about the world around her. No longer simply a change of scenery, the wide-open outside world is Liv's learning playground.

Going outside used to only mean that Mommy's on a picture-taking rampage again. Livia is such a sweetheart in obliging me almost every time with wonderful snapshots, though lately they've been much more on-the-move!


Now, Livia even has a special way to tell me that she's ready to go outside. She'll reach her little arms up towards Heaven (ok, really it's just me... but my hubby says that seeing her from the side looks like she's really reaching for Heaven) and once I pick her up, she'll twist my shoulder and push my front towards the door... I know that means, "Let's go outside Ma!" I usually do so pretty much right away. She's been known to throw tantrums if she doesn't get her way quickly enough!

I guess I can't blame her - the weather isn't exactly 100% perfect year-round here. We're now at that wonderful, special, dare I say magical time of year that the weather is just perfect for a little girl to be out of the house.


The first thing that happens once we are finally outside is that Livia does this little happy dance/run and chatter in a sing-song way. She shows me just how excited she is to be free and in this huge, wonderful so-much-to-see-and-learn space.


I see the way she looks at the birds as they sing & chirp, and she watches them as they soar & fly. There's a robin that seems to really like our poor little Dogwood tree (on it's very last leg, unfortunately) or maybe it's just Livia he loves so much. Livie and the robin watch each other, and I can't help but think how wonderful it is as they sing and play in the wide open space.


Livia knows that the flowers on the plants aren't just for looks and picking, but that the flowers are actually a part of the plant... and even though she really wants to know what it tastes like, Liv knows that they don't belong in her mouth.


We used to say "Don't eat that!" all the time to Livia. Rarely if ever any more, though. She knows that there are certain things that just aren't supposed to go in her mouth. If she could form sentences, I wonder if she'd say, "That's ok. They probably won't taste very good anyway."


When Livia sees cars going by, she knows there are people in them. She usually waves at every one, and doesn't at all get discouraged when not a soul waves back. It's like she's saying, "That's ok. I just wanna say hi to you, and perhaps spread a little happiness too!" Maybe my daughter's on a single-handed mission to bring small-town friendliness everywhere.


Finally, Livia just loves going on walks. Whether it's just down the block, all around town, or out in the country til the sun goes down - that little girl just loves to see what else is around. She loves being out and about. I like to think it's God's way of keeping us close. Seeing His glory out there and in my daughter makes it impossible not to be reminded that God holds a big place in my heart and home.

Livia amazes me with how she has SO much fun with the simplest things outside. Perhaps our ideas of fun change drastically throughout the years, but it's oh-so-wonderful to have a little daughter and look through her eyes... And see things in a completely new light.


Thank you so much, Dear God, for choosing us to be so very blessed with such a wonderful little girl. Every day is even more of a gift than the last, and just when I don't think life can get any better, Livia does something like give a cuddle or a kiss, or learn a new word or action. They are all such special amazing gifts. And Livia is always a gift! Thank you for this gorgeous gift of a little girl. By blessing us with such a wonderful present, we will always know of your presence. All my Love...

Fierce Photos

A couple of months back, Livia won a contest over at Happy Panda Baby, and received an adorable 'Fierce' onesie (among many other cute, comfy clothing articles which I hope to capture her in soon). I felt kinda bad about not getting these pictures sooner, but as I mentioned in the last post, I'm having a bit of a hard time with balance. Ah, yes. That wonderful balance between all the aspects of our lives...

Anyway, here are two of the best shots I got of my little girl on the go:



Since Livia loves being outside SO much now, it's about the only way I could get her to cooperate for pictures whatsoever. I guess you gotta take what you can get when you're dealing with a 1-year-old though!

Much love to you all, take care and God Bless!

**PS - if you think these pictures look pretty neat, you should click over to my other blog to see the difference between the before & afters!**

Too Much Fun!

Family fun and the summer sun keeps me at bay from the computer all day... And I've actually been sleeping at night!

That is the only explanation that I can come up with as to why I haven't been blogging much at all lately! The weather has just been absolutely wonderful - warm and sunny, perfect for outside fun and play. Every minute possible, that's where we've been lately.

Livia just adores the outdoors, and what kind of mother would I be if I said, "No, honey... We really need to stay inside while Mommy plays on the computer writes all about your life." In a way, perhaps that would make blogging easier... I mean, we've been so busy and active within the last weeks, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to catch it all up on here! It's kinda like trying to catch up on the first several months of Livia's life before I started blogging! No, I believe it's just best to try my best to keep up from now on, and perhaps try to catch up here and there - certainly not all at once, right?

~~~~~

SO! Today was a WONDERFUL day! My sweet little Livie and I made plans to meet my Mom and sweet Southern-Belle Carolyn for lunch (we love Carolyn's voice! Imagine if you can, the sound of the most beautiful southern drawl - absolutely dripping with sweetness - mixed with love and laughter, and that's about the best way I can think to describe Carolyn's voice.)

Anyway, we all were supposed to meet at 12:30... I thought for sure there wouldn't be any problems with this plan, since I've really done a great job of getting Livia on a schedule: get up at 6 or 7, 1st nap at 10:30 or 11:00am, second nap right at 3:00pm, and off to bed around 9:00pm. Liv did get to bed a little bit late last night, but she got up right on time... But DID NOT want to go down for her morning nap - at all. And I knew she needed to get in a nap before lunch, otherwise she would be a bear all day. So, what time did I finally get her down? 12:05pm...Little britches finally crashed out... pic taken at 12:36pm

Obviously that meant I was late (big shocker - not!) for lunch. As a peace offering, I brought cookies, though and (hopefully) all was forgiven.

After a yummy meal, Carolyn and I went down to the riverfront to take Livia to the park and for a walk. It was such a perfect, beautiful day for it too! Liv had a blast in the park exploring all the big-kid stuff and even swinging in a little-kid seat. She loved swinging! She just leaned her little head back and grinned and oohed over the experience.

So then we got out the stroller and went on a wonderful walk. Great exercise, and Carolyn was such awesome company. I need to do that more often!

~~~

Oh! Before I forget, Livia gave away her very 1st kiss tonight!!! My Mom got it at the very end of the night...

I'd met up with Mom & Dad at Target. We both picked up some essentials and then went out for a bit to eat at IHOP. Good, good stuff! We all had 'breakfast' and coffee - and I think I may have had a bit too much! I was so high-strung afterwards that Perry thought he was going to have to tie me up and gag me to get me to sit still & shut up! And I was talking so fast that it's not like he could've understood anything I said anyway...!

So, perhaps that's the reason why I'm not in bed with him right now. Caffeine is still surging through my system, and amazingly it has totally sparked my creativity. Along with being busy with outside play, family time, and getting into a much better routine (for me and Liv) I just haven't felt very creative and capable of writing until right now... There is a specific reason my creativity has been stifled, and I'll have to take care of it soon. But til then, perhaps I just need to drink a cup of coffee before bedtime!

*****

I've missed blogging, my blog-friends, and documenting Livie's life so much... My, it certainly can be hard to balance out all the aspects of our lives, huh? How do you all do it?! There are so many of you all that keep up your wonderful blogs every day, and seem to have the perfect balance in your life... I'm still trying, and I hope to get there soon.

Til I do get my balance down, I just hope that I'll be able to keep up this blog a little better. Not so much for me (though I do LOVE my blog-friends!!!) but for my little daughter. I want her to know how much she means to me; I want her to know how amazing she is and how important she is in my life. And I never want to forget all the wonderful things she learns and does!

Much, much love to you all. Please forgive me for not being around, for not commenting and letting you all know how much I still love you and all your wonderful blogs. Take care and God Bless!