Rain, Rain, Go Away...

After 4 days of raining I'm beginning to feel like I live in the Northwest again. Thankfully, the weather forecast for tomorrow is sunny!!! But, that didn't help mine and Olivia's cabin fever this afternoon. So, we decided to pull out the raincoat and rain boots Uncle Jack and Libby gave Olivia for her birthday and headed out to play in the rain.(Really it was just drizzling) Although she could hardly walk in the boots she absolutely loved them. She loved them so much she cried when it was time to take them off! Enjoy the cute pics of her playing in the rain in her new rain gear! Thanks Uncle Jack and Libby!=)

Where is Olivia?

This is Olivia's new game. We have had many bumps and bruises already from this unsafe version of "Where is Olivia?" However, Rush and I can't help but crack up when she insists on putting her blanket on her head and walking around the house until we respond with "where is Olivia?" There are instant giggles that come from underneath the blanket. What is funny is that in her little mind we truly can't see her or find her until she quickly pulls the blanket off her head and much to our suprise she magically appears!! Oh, the things that entertain a 16 month old.

Steering Wheels???

Olivia has a new obsession....steering wheels. Yes, I wonder the same thing you are thinking right now. How could that be so intriguing or entertaining??? Literally, she will sit forever in anything that has a steering wheel and turn it over and over again. I never knew something like that could be so entertaining. Our sweet little friend, Grayson, has a Radio Flyer car that Olivia LOVES to play in when she is at his house. They have had to learn how to take turns and will even try to both squeeze into the car to ride together. By the end of the night Grayson was so cordially opening and closing the door for Olivia and taking her hand as she climbed out the car! His dad is teaching him well...way to go Chris!=) Of course, Rush and I found ourselves at Toys R Us looking for something, anything with a steering wheel to have at our house for Olivia's entertainment if even just for 10 minutes.

First Haircut!

Our big plans of devoting the weekend to yard work were quickly changed when we woke up Saturday morning to the sound of rain on our roof and the fact that there was no sign of a break in the clouds. Not a good day to work in the yard! So, after a morning nap we headed out to run some errands. Due to the fact that Olivia's hair has been slowly looking more and more like a mullet we decided it was time to get it trimmed up! (Don't worry mom, the curls are still there!!) After talking to a few friends who are more experienced with baby haircuts at this point then I am we decided we would try Angel Hair. I wasn't quite sure how Olivia would react to someone cutting her hair so I grabbed a sucker when we walked in to have on hand for a distraction. She got to sit in a little tug boat that seemed to do the trick just fine and in between playing with the steering wheel she would take a lick of her sucker. She never even knew that anyone was doing away with that sweet mullet. We even came home with an envelope full of those precious curls to tuck away in her baby book. Check out her new "do"!=)

Dancing Queen

Daddy, will you dance with me?
Heavy eyes after a long night of dancing!(Plus her dad's bad habit of closing her eyes at the flash!=)

Young and sweet....only 16 months! Ha! One of Olivia's new favorite things to do is dance, especially when there is a band involved. The past couple of weekends we have been at wedding festivities and I don't know who had more fun, Olivia or us watching her dance the night away. Unfortunately, I didn't capture any pictures of her actually dancing but I did get a precious picture of her dragging her daddy on the dance floor Friday night!

McWane Center Fun!

We are so lucky to live in a city that really does have a variety of fun things for kids to do. I didn't realize Birmingham had so many fun things for children Olivia's age. This morning we decided to join some friends and head to the McWane Center. Olivia had so much fun with Lily, Maury, and Henry. The McWane Center has great little areas for the little people of the world.=) Olivia especially loved splashing in the water center. As you can tell in the pictures she was soaking wet when she finished at the water table! The music table and the grocery shopping center were highlights of the trip too. Of course, as long as Olivia is with her friends she is usually having a blast. Before leaving we enjoyed a yummy (far from nutritional) lunch in the food court. We had so much fun with our friends this morning and look forward to going back!

Bike Rides....

Of course Charley made the trip too!

Rush and I decided to give each other bikes for our birthdays this year. Of course we had to get something for Olivia to ride in too!! We haven't been able to enjoy them as much as we'd like to yet due to the heat, but we look forward to loading up and heading to Oak Mtn. this fall for some good bike rides! It really is good exercise without feeling like your about to die. Well, at least I can say that....Rush would beg to differ since he is the one pulling Olivia.=) Anyways...since it cooled off some tonight we decided a bike ride would be fun. Olivia loves getting to kick back and enjoy the scenery as her daddy peddles his booty off!!! Enjoy the pics of Olivia sporting her bike helmet in her pj's!=) Too funny!!!

1st Day of MDO!

Today was Olivia's first day at Mother's Day Out. I, of course, mis-judged the time it would take us to get out the door this morning so we were running a few minutes late. But, we managed to snap a few quick pictures before heading out. Olivia ran to the door after I gathered her things and began waving goodbye. It was as though she knew exactly where we were going and was excited to get there. Of course before leaving she had to go wave goodbye to the dogs too with her elephant book bag that is just about as big as she is on her back. When I dropped her off at her classroom she hardly knew that I left. She had already discovered the toys and was highly interested in the other little person in the room.=) I think she had a blast today playing with new friends in a new environment. However, we are going to have to work on staying up so long in the mornings because she was a tired puppy by the time I picked her up. She was out the second I laid her in the crib and I'm still enjoying the quiet time! All in all, Olivia enjoyed her 1st day at MDO as much as her mommy did!=)

Meet Your Teacher

Rush and I have decided to put Olivia in Mother's Day Out this year. I may be singing a different tune next week when it starts, but I'm so excited for her to get to go. She has truly become such a social butterfly and loves to be around other friends!! I know the experiences she will have at MDO will grow her in ways that I cannot achieve at home.

Anyways, today we got to go and meet her teacher for this year, Mrs.Darlene. She is fabulous and Olivia has already taken to her! Olivia loved exploring with all the new toys in her classroom, especially the balls and the babydolls. =) I was assured once again after seeing her in the environment she will be in that she is so ready for this. Before leaving Mrs. Darlene gave her a book that Olivia has enjoyed chewing on and looking at since we left. We are so excited to play with our new friends next week!!!

Slumber Parties and Lake Fun!

What an eventful, but fun weekend we had! Rush played in a softball tournament Friday and Saturday with the church softball team in Montgomery so Olivia and I choose to make some plans of our own.=) Mostly because I'm a wimp when it comes to spending the night at home alone (especially since we have Olivia now) we decided to pack our bags and have a slumber party with Amy and Grayson because Chris was also in the tournament in Montgomery. I think I got a good taste of what I might be in for when Olivia is old enough to have slumber parties. I put her to bed at 8 and at 10 she was obviously feeling as though she were missing out on some girl fun and decided she needed to join Amy and I. The moment I picked her up she was giggling and chasing the dogs. She was so excited to be up with us! I finally convinced her it was time to go back to sleep. Amy and I hit the pillow at about midnight and at 3 both Grayson and Olivia awoke again. Olivia decided to play in bed with me until 5. Needless to say, I'm not sure how many more of those slumber parties will occur in the Letson household.

After a night of little sleep we loaded the babies up and did a little shopping on Saturday. The most exciting thing we purchased was a new backpack for Mother's Day Out that starts next week! Once the two had enough we took them home for quick naps before heading to the lake where we met the boys. Olivia crashed early Sat. night due to lack of sleep at our exciting slumber party Friday night!=) She is too much like her mom......you had better watch out if we didn't get a good night's rest!!! I think she has caught up on her rest now after a good night's sleep and a good nap this afternoon.

I have posted a few pictures of Grayson and Olivia on the boat. They had a blast swimming in the lake and helping Rush drive the boat! I know Olivia enjoyed have a friend around this weekend as did her parents.

What a fabulous weekend we had with friends...now it's time to go and catch up on my rest!!

Who Knew?

Who knew Alabama Adventures Splash Beach would be so fun? Sally, Maury, Ashley, Lily, Olivia and I loaded up all our swim gear in Sally's Sequoia and headed out this morning to the water park. We knew the girls would be ready for nap time after lunch so we decided to get there when the park opened. The girls had a blast splashing around in the water. If you have never been there are slides, bouncy seats, waterfalls, etc. all in just a 1-2 foot area of water. I definitely had to stay on my toes with Olivia because with just one slip she could be immersed in the water, but it was so nice for her to be completely entertained for several hours. After eating lunch we took one more quick dip in the lazy river before it was obvious that Olivia was fading fast and ready to find a passy, Charley, and her bed! She was fast asleep in her car seat when we pulled back up in the driveway and I'm still enjoying her long nap after an eventful morning. I can't believe it is August and I just discovered how fun this place really is! Something to look forward to next summer!!!