Disney On Ice

Jeremiah and I decided to take Olivia to see Disney On Ice for her 3rd birthday present. It just so happened that the show took place on the Friday of my spring break. We went down to St. Louis on Wednesday evening and spent the night with Kelsy. Olivia thought it was neat that she got to sleep on the floor in Aunt Kelsy's room. Liv loves her Aunt Kelsy and enjoyed playing with her jewelry! I think Olivia might take after Kelsy (Kelsy loves fashion/designing) because she walked around the apartment saying things like, "Oh Kels..cool chair" and "Kels..I love your shoes."
The next morning we got up and went to the Magic House. We planned on going to the zoo but it was raining. Since it was raining, it was crazy busy at the MH. Olivia was a bit overwhelmed and we were too! Later on in the afternoon we were able to have dinner with Canaan and Jackie. That seriously could have been Olivia's birthday present.:) We've only seen them once since they moved in December and Olivia could not wait to hang out with them.
The next morning we got up and went to Disney On Ice. It was the perfect gift for our little girl. We left her wear a princess outfit and her sparkly pink shoes. Before we left Olivia said, "Mommy and Daddy..I'm just so excited to see Disney On Ice. Do you think Cinderella and Prince Charming will talk to me?" When we entered the arena her face lit up and she squealed with delight. It was priceless. I tried to capture it with my camera, but my pictures just don't do it justice.

The show was great and Olivia was thrilled to see every princess come out at the end of the show. Jeremiah and I were laughing because Olivia was so upset at the beginning because Cinderella didn't come on first. For the first half hour of the show she said, "Where is Cinderella?" every 5 minutes. Then we saw all of the princesses come out and she said, "Oh no..but where is Pocahontas? All of them are here but her." We thought it was funny that she focused on the one that was not out there instead of all the other ones.:) Luckily for us there were a few extra princesses on the ice and we told her one was Pocahontas. On the way home she said, "My favorite part was when every single princess comed out on the ice."
I was proud of Olivia because she saw cotton candy and all of the other trinkets that they display at these types of shows. Once she said, "Can I have some cotton candy?" I said, "No, we don't have money for that today." She didn't ask for anything again. It was a great morning of cuddling with our little Livi while she watched this show. I can't remember all of the cute things she said while we were at the show, but I do know it's a day that none of us will forget.

I think I can say....

..that I'm officially addicted to running!

We celebrated my mom's birthday last weekend and my sister, Kelsy, came home for the weekend too. I can't tell you how many times Kels and I have said, "I wish I was a runner or I want to start running" and then we never pursued these goals. Kels was telling me that she started training for a 1/2 marathon. I was really proud of her and just kept saying, "I'm so proud of you. I wish I could do that, but I don't think I could even run 1/2 a mile." Kels has a friend who runs marathons and she wrote out a training plan for Kels. It's starts with running 2 miles and then you gradually build up to the 13 miles for the half. We decided that we would keep each other accountable and both train for a half marathon.
The next day I called Kels and told her that I didn't want to let myself down and that I was afraid a half was just too much right now. I told her that I would be up for training for a 10K run that would take place at the end of April. She agreed to run this with me.
So, I started my first day of training on Monday. Honestly, I didn't think that I could run more than 1 mile..but I ran 2. I'm just documenting this for me as I know this is a pretty boring post to read!:)

Monday, Jan. 30-2 miles
Tuesday, Jan. 31-2 miles
Wednesday, Feb. 1-Rest
Thurs., Feb. 2-3 miles
Fri., Feb. 3-3 miles
Sat., Feb. 4- 2 miles

I've decided that I love running (at my VERY slow pace!). It makes me feel better about myself, helps alleviate my stress, and I have more energy. Before Monday I tried to get out of any type of exercise, but now I start my day off thinking about when I can fit it in. Today, it was pouring down rain (the kind that blows sideways) and really windy, but Jeremiah told me that if I wanted to be a runner I needed to start running in all types of weather (I really wanted to punch him for this..hahaha). So, I went out in the gross weather. Now, I felt like I was going to pass out when I came home...but I did it.:) I know that running 2 or 3 miles doesn't seem like a huge deal to some people, but it's the most I think I've ever done at one time.

Here are a few things that really help motivate me:
1. Jeremiah has been working out and eating healthier for a while now. He knows how important it is to make working out a priority. So, he encourages me every day to get out and run.

2. I know that my little sister is training for the same race. I don't want to let her down.

3. Jeremiah's iphone-he has an app. that tells me every time I complete a mile. I tell myself I have to run until the lady tells me that I've reached my goal.

4. Music-I love listening to worship music as I run.

5. I want to be a healthy mommy for Olivia. I know it's going to be hard to find time when our little boy comes home, so I need to make myself a priority now.

Sorry for the boring post. Like I said, this is a way for me to document my progress. Have a great weekend!

Reindeer Cookies

Have I told you just how much I love the 2-3 age? I love the pretend play, the sentences, how Olivia can play for hours on her own, her interest in books, the questions, and just about everything else that comes along with being a two-year-old. Don't get me wrong...we have our bad days, but everyone does.
It's been a delight being home with Olivia these past couple of days. One of things I love is that she understands Christmas this year. We bought her a Nativity set and we talk about baby Jesus every night. I was so excited the first night we talked about baby Jesus and his birth. Right after this discussion Olivia started playing with the set. She said, "Hey Jesus..do you want some mac and cheese?" Then she had Mary say, "No, baby Jesus doesn't want mac and cheese. He wants chicken nuggets and fries." Okay..so we still have a long way to go.:) The point is that she knows who Jesus is and that it is his birthday. I want her to grow up knowing why we celebrate Christmas. Sure, I think it's okay to talk about the reindeer and Santa. I think it's okay to talk about giving to others and doing acts of service during the holiday season (and all year)....but the real focus should be Jesus. So, even if baby Jesus is ordering mac and cheese, I know that Olivia understands that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday. It's a time to celebrate because of Jesus...not because of Santa or presents.
Today Olivia and I decided to make a bunch of cookies. She was just precious helping me push the dough of the sugar cookies down onto the tray. We were trying to make reindeer cookies and she actually wanted to pinch the sides of the dough in to make the shape of the reindeer faces. Here are two pictures from our baking adventure...just disregard the messy kitchen.:)

Perfect day

All I've ever wanted in life is a healthy child (or children) and an amazing husband. I have both..I know I'm blessed. I also know that I'm such a dork because I often say to Jeremiah, "This is all I've ever wanted. I'm so happy." He makes fun of me by saying it when he knows I'm thinking it. I'll admit it...the past few weeks I've been kind of grumpy (although..I'm almost positive Jeremiah would say I've been extremely grumpy). As you know, we are adopting and it's been an emotional journey thus far. I've come to the realization that God is in control of our adoption. Thank goodness I'm feeling like myself again. I don't want to be grouchy or annoyed around the people I love. I want Jeremiah and Olivia (and everyone else) to see God's love radiate from me. I want them to see how much I adore them because they are truly all I've ever wanted in life.
On a different note, I had the day off today. I had such a spectacular day with Olivia. It was one of those days that I wanted to last forever. The weather was perfect and we had a blast being together. First, I took Olivia to the soccer fields. She'd never been to an actual field before and it was fun to watch her kick the ball around. After Olivia ran around for a bit, she went and sat down on the sandbag (the one that holds the net down). She said, "Mommy..I'm tired. I take a nap now."


After we played soccer we went to the lake for a picnic. We ate lunch and then played with her toys for awhile. Olivia took our blue blanket and turned it into the ocean and used some leaves for the sand. Then she told me that her dolls were going to the beach. She also heard birds chirping and we talked about how birds eat worms. Then she said, "Mommy...what do worms eat?"
I love this age! Every second I'm with her I just want to squeeze her. I could watch her play all day.

Best Summer Ever!

Today was my last day of summer break. I'm going to be honest, I did tear up a bit when I was feeding Olivia breakfast this morning. And...then I did tear up again when I was putting her down for a nap because I treasure the cuddle time we have before and after her naps. We've had an absolutely wonderful summer. I tell Jeremiah all the time that I could definitely be a stay at home mom if the opportunity was given to me.:) It's not an easy job, but I do enjoy being home with Olivia.
Every time I get down about leaving my girl, I just think of the parents in Africa right now. Have you read this article: http://news.yahoo.com/tortured-choice-famine-child-lives-170128855.html. It is heartbreaking. I can't even imagine what those parents are going through. Those parents would give anything to be where I am right now. It has definitely made me more thankful for what I have. While I can be sad that I'm not with Livi every day, I'm definitely praising God for the life He has blessed me with.
So to end on a positive note, I'm going to list the highlights of my summer break (in no particular order):

1. Spending every single day with Olivia
2. Watching Olivia grow up over the past months-I can't believe the phrases that come out of her mouth! It's amazing how much a child can change in just a few months.
3. Listening to Olivia sing songs at lunch time and when she wakes up from her nap.
4. Laughing, laughing, and more laughing with Olivia every day. She is hilarious.
5. Seeing Olivia dance at the wedding we were at last weekend.
6. Spending a night in St. Louis to celebrate Jeremiah's 30th birthday (He doesn't actually turn 30 until September).
7. Having a date night with Jeremiah for our anniversary.
8. Spending numerous days at my parents' pool.
9. Our vacation to Hilton Head with my entire family.
10.Watching Olivia watch fireworks for the first time.
11. Walking on the beach with Jeremiah
12. Watching Olivia play in the ocean with my dad
13. Sitting on the beach with just my two sisters.
14. Spending a few days with my mom and Livi
15. Watching Olivia play with her cousins
16. Hanging out with friends from high school
17. Hanging out with friends from Champaign
18. Receiving our USCIS letter with our fingerprinting date
19. Receiving numerous financial donations for our adoption
20. Picnic lunches at the lake with my girl
21. Finishing most of our dossier paperwork
22. Meeting new friends through adoption
23. Hearing Olivia say, "Mommy when is our baby boy coming home? I hug him and kiss him." Also when she says, "Ethiopia is in Africa. Where baby boy's mommy and daddy go?"
24. Going to the Cardinal's game with friends
25. Spending numerous days off together as a family.


There are so many more memories from this summer and I could go on and on. I'm just so thankful for the blessing of being off in the summer. Now..I just can't wait for next summer. Maybe I will have both my kids home with me by then!?:)

Winnie the Pooh

Jeremiah, Olivia, and I went to see the "Winnie the Pooh" movie last night. We thought Olivia might be a little young to sit through the movie, but we wanted to try. The movie was only about an hour long and she loved it. It was fun to watch her face light up as she watched the movie and saw the characters she loves to read about. We decided to get her some popcorn because it was her first movie. Olivia kept her hands in the popcorn the entire movie. It was sweet to watch her because she only took out one piece at a time.
When the credits started rolling, I put Olivia down on the floor. She looked at me (with a quivering lip) and said, "More...I watch more Winnie the Pooh." I told her that it was over, but we'd watch it again. The entire way home she was sad. When we talked about the movie (or asked her questions about it), she started to tear up! We got home, put her pj's on, and then started to put her to bed. Olivia lost it and starting hysterically crying. I hugged her and told her to use her words. All of the sudden she blurted out, "Want more." I said, "What do you more of?" Between her cries she blurted out, "I want more popcorn." Oh my gosh...we were trying so hard not to laugh. After Jeremiah explained that we could have popcorn another day, she stopped crying and went right to sleep.
We thought she was sad because the movie was over, but she was actually upset because we threw the remaining popcorn away.

Uh oh...I go pee pee on the floor.

Many of Olivia's little friends have started the potty training process. I decided that I would start trying to potty train her after we got back from Hilton Head. The night we got back we got out the potty and made a huge deal about it. She sat on it one time and then decided she didn't want anything to do with it (and this lasted for about a week). Then we went out to lunch with Ava and Nicci and Olivia watched Ava go potty on the big potty. Olivia decided that she wanted to sit on it too. For the last week, Olivia has sat on the potty but hasn't gone to the bathroom. Of course we've been praising her like crazy for just sitting on it. We got a huge jar of M&M's and told her she would get three every time she went potty. She wanted the candy, but didn't care enough to go potty. On Monday, Jeremiah and I were in Target with Olivia. She saw a Cinderella barbie doll and wanted it. We told her we would give it to her if she went pee pee on the potty. Olivia was thrilled. When we got home she held the doll, sat on the potty, and then within one minute she went to the bathroom. We started clapping and dancing and she said, "Cinderella doll!" Now I always thought it was silly when people gave their children rewards for going potty. I thought that it was just a natural thing and that I wouldn't need to reward my children for going potty. I was wrong...the Cinderella doll was a great motivation for her. So after Monday I thought she would go potty on the potty chair...but again, I was wrong. She has sat on the potty numerous times and has never gone again. We still tell her we'll give her M&M's, we bought her this cheap toy microphone (like Grace has), and my mom even bought her big girl underwear for a reward. Olivia was excited about the underwear, but she still won't go potty.
Yesterday, I decided that I was going to take her potty multiple times during the day but I would also leave her diaper off. I thought that she would tell me when she needed to go potty (after we talked about how to tell me if she needed to go). She went from 8:30a.m.-10:00a.m. without going to the bathroom. I took her at least three times during that time and she didn't go. About 10:00a.m., she looked at me and said, "Uh oh..I go pee pee on the floor." She had gone on the floor and on her blanket. I know every child has accidents, but I don't know if Olivia is ready for potty training. I'm going to keep trying to get her to go, but I'm not going to push it. She's going to go when she is ready. I just hope it's before she starts first grade-ha.:)