what is olive up to?

when we first tried olive's sunnies on her months ago she would not keep them on. on this particularly sunny day we tried them again and she left them on.

we realized before she was inside and saw no need for them. this time she understood and kept them on the whole time. now any time we are outside on a sunny day she will wear them.

and i have to say, it is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

olive loves moving. she likes to cruise from object to object. and if there isn't anything to link her to where she wants to go she will ask for your hand to help her.

she is teething and is such a champ getting through it!

here she is holding onto my legs trying them out as a support.

yep...works!

thanks mom... you are sturdy!

there are two things she loves in the picture. lilly- her stuffed animal that gram got her and the rolly chair. lilly is her lovey and she squeals when she sees her and gets tickled by her. there is always a smile on olive's face when lilly is nearby.

one of her favorite things to do is spin this rolly chair. she will spin clover in it or lily and will crack up. olive will even spin that chair with nothing in it. i think it gives her a feeling of accomplishment for the balance it takes.

the other new thing she has just picked up recently is stacking these rings.

she has always played with them but never tried to put them back on.

the first few times she did it she beamed with excitement and laughed. she looked at us like "did you see that?! what do you think of that!" we were sure to clap for her and tell her what a good job she had done.

this girl is so smart.

she still also loves books. she loves ones that are funny- ones with sound effects or repetition. or when mom does funny voices. after all this girl has quite the sense of humor!

every day she surprises me with how wonderful she is. being a mom is the best job in the world. especially to a little lady like this!

senior show '10 #1

the semester is nearing a close which means the seniors are putting on their finale showcase. olive and i are getting ready to meet daniel there to see what the first group has accomplished.

olive's top teeth are trying to move along and are really bothering her. this teething thing is brutal. she has been tucking her top lip into her bottom to help matters.

i may look pretty, but i don't feel super great.

just us girls.

ladies and gentlemen i present the most beautiful little girl that has ever lived.

floors... go away

along with the home improvements we have been doing, daniel has been laying flooring in the kichen. since we are inserting a border around the room in a different color it is proving to be quite a laborious process. daniel= frustrated.

but it is looking beautiful. and even though it is going slowly, it is going. and he is doing a great job with it.

go daniel, go! looking great!

intl' kite and culture festival 2010

georgetown had it's annual international kite and culture festival one sunday afternoon in april. we of course packed up a picnic blanket and camera and headed over.

this festival features a huge field where hundreds of people fly kites all at once. it is beautiful. there are also all kinds of food booths, including international food. we set up our picnic blanket facing the kite field so olive could watch them while we ate.

olive had the sweet potatoes we brought with us and ended up having her first hot dog, which she LOVED. with every bite her dad gave her she was looking for the next.

daniel and i each had some chinese food and roasted corn on the cob. YUM.

daniel explained to olive how to fly a kite.

she takes in anything her daddy tells her.

as we were walking across the grounds some gentleman said "dress her in kimono?". puzzled we read the booth he was standing in front of which said "dress your daughter in kimono and take free picture". it was a group of people from our sister city in japan that had come over to be a part of the festivities. we gladly agreed.

very quickly they had olive wrapped up in a kimono with a sash that matched her little bow.

she was a little unsure of the process but looked stunningly beautiful in that kimono.

she did not smile until another lady starting giving her treats and presents.

thanks lady.

now i am happy.

olive says she liked eating hot dogs and being japanese.

gosh, she is so cute here.

there were a lot of people from our japanese sister city at the festival. and they were dressed so beautifully!

this lady was about to perform on the intl' dance stage. she was having her husband take her picture and her daughter was getting ready. i just thought they were lovely.

they performed beautiful dances for us.

so very talented.

here are another group of gorgeous performers.

then we walked a ways to the japanese gardens down the hill. there they were having a traditional tea ceremony and more performances.

these people were performing some sort of ritualistic fan dance.

this man teaches japanese at the college.

it was very peaceful and serene.

we could not have asked for a more perfect day to go this festival that we love so much. we all enjoyed it so much!

when dad comes home

when daddy comes home it doesn't matter how long or hard is day is, he puts on a smile for his girls. clover meets him at the door jumping to be held. after he pets her he gives me a kiss hello, washes his hands and takes olive. then it's daddy and olive time. here he is trying to do (i really don't know what to call it other that...) motor boat noises with olive's mouth. she thinks it is pretty silly.

dad you are so funny.

i am not a motor boat.

but it sounds as though you are.

daniel will do just about anything to entertain her.

dad, i love my evening times with you!

isn't he fun, mom?

another day, same after-work tradition.

we don't take him for granted for one second. he is so very precious to us. he works hard and loves us even harder. we are so very fortunate to have this man in our lives!