My baby girl is FIVE

My little Livy Lou turned five years old today. I finally got enough energy yesterday to throw a fun day together for her. I think I pulled it off...

Olivia has wanted a pet for sometime now. This is Skittles, her new pet (a Betta fish). She already loves it and was found several times today admiring it and telling me what she thought it was feeling as it looked out at her.

We picked up a couple of friends and headed to McDonald's for lunch.

Then we came back home for some cake and icecream. Please don't mind the cake. Olivia was quite happy with it and remember that she did get a nice Cinderella cake less than two weeks ago.

It only took her about ten blows, but she finally got out the five candles (seriously).

Olivia loves friends! I gave her the choice of going to see a movie with one friend or inviting two friends to play...it didn't take her long to choose the second option.

For her birthday dinner, she requested macaroni and cheese "with the shells." I tried to make her eat the peas, but since it was her special day...I couldn't push it too hard.

Then somewhere closer to bedtime, she had more friends over to play with, Daddy got home and we did cake and icecream again.

A proud Mommy moment happened earlier this week. Olivia is beginning to catch on to this reading stuff pretty good now. She loves her Dick and Jane book! I think she may even prefer it to Junie B. Jones ;)

Love you Liv's!

Georgia 2008

As always, when we visit family, there are lots of pics. Enjoy.

The Georgia Aquarium was very cool. Lincoln, Carter, Olivia, Braden, Madison, Hannah.

Carter's first 4-D movie at the Aquarium.

Olivia loved touching the sting-rays, star fish and other sea creatures.

Checking out the sharks in the underwater tunnel.



Olivia, jellyfish, Aaron



After the Aquarium, we got directions to a fun little park that is next to an airport. Carter enjoyed the planes taking off and landing more than the swings and slide.



Winding down from our first day of fun at Jason and Diana's house. Olivia (as always) loves those babies! Carter is trying to give Natalie some loving too.



Hannah jammin' with rockband.

Olivia taking her turn.

I'm still amazed that Savannah (7-years-old) knows almost every word to every song on rockband.

Everyone has to at least try the drums, right?

The next day was spent at Stone Mountain. Olivia is sporting her support to Georgia Tech.

It's always nice to find Georgia Tech apparel so easily ;)

These three counsins were all born within a five-month period. Madison, Braden and Olivia.

Riding the sky tram to the top of Stone Mountain. That white stuff below is apparently the coolest thing in Georgia right now...SNOW.

Carter, Bella and Olivia on top of Stone Mountain.

Beautiful views and sunsets from up there.

Riding the Train at Stone Mountain. Braden, Madison, Savannah & Olivia.

Kirk, Vicki & Bella.

Diana, baby Natalie, Jason & Lincoln.

Cheril, Justin & Hannah.

And rounding up our party of 17!

Bella and Olivia enjoying some Frosties. Their bribe for being good during family pictures.

Carter loved the trains at Grandpa Bill's house.

Carter and myself at Grandpa Bill's house.

Braden

Lincoln

Vicki and Aunt Beverly (our family photographer)

The night before we hit the road to come home, the family threw a little party for Olivia (since her birthday is in less than two weeks). Kirk and Vicki let Olivia her pick a birthday cake.

She was thrilled!

A big THANK YOU to Kirk and Vicki for all the activities we got to do.

And a big THANKS to the entire Lunt clan for practically dedicating an entire week to hanging out with us! We cherish the memories that were made.

Our Christmas Celebrations

For one of our FHE activities this month, we made our first gingerbread house. I don't think I've ever made one of these before. I had visions of it looking just like the one on the outside of the box. haha. The kids loved it though.

Olivia was finally brave enough to talk to Santa this year. Carter wasn't so brave, he did talk to Mrs. Claus though.

For another FHE (Family Home Evening) activity, we got together with our neighbors and they took us to Pyramid Hill to look at all the lights. The kids loved it too.

We are still trying to figure out what traditions will work for our little family during the holidays. We tried bowling on Christmas Eve this year and it was great. It was the kids' first time and they really enjoyed it.

Christmas morning was full of excitement and flying pieces of wrapping paper as the kids tore through their gifts as quickly as they could. I was so happy to see that Olivia got her own chef hat. She had been begging me to make her one for awhile.



We now have our very own Handy Manny.
And he loves to be "working" under the hood of his jeep!



We hope you all enjoyed the Christmas holiday too!

The scariest thing to me

I think I saw the scariest thing last Thursday night. At least since the scariest thing I saw last year. As I was getting ready to go to bed I heard a big bang outside. I immediately thought it was a gun shot. I ran into our bedroom to ask Aaron (who had just gone to bed) if he heard the noise. I then went to peek through our bedroom window blinds and saw orange flames high in the air just a few houses away! I ran to the back door to see what house it was and called 911. They were already on their way. Aaron and I watched the sky darken and flames continue to burn the house for awhile with our neighbors. It was so sad to see that with my own eyes (not on TV) and it took me some time to calm down enough to sleep that night. I did hear from some neighbors today that everyone got out safely at least. The loud boom that I heard was a motorhome in their front driveway that pretty much exploded.

On a [much] lighter note...we got our mailbox bashed in a couple of weeks back. Gotta love the teenagers with nothing to do and a baseball bat in hand. Not! But in comparison...I'll take a smashed mailbox ANYDAY! (please ignore the mailbox post that is in bad need of a new paint job.)

Thank Goodness for Little Girls

Well, I haven't updated in almost two weeks because I didn't think I had taken a single picture in that time and didn't have anything new to say since I just sit around gaining weight everyday. So today I turned on the camera just to be sure I hadn't taken any pictures and WHOA! Someone had taken 248! That someone is Miss Olivia...

I found about 20 pictures of Carrie and Doug.

As she reviewed these pictures with me today, she said, "Oh, there's Carrie Underwood."

About 100 pictures were something similar to this.

Oh my sweet girl. If only I could capture in a picture the many questions she asks about the new baby everyday! She has so much excitement in her for all the things happening so soon...Santa, Georgia visit, her birthday, the baby...

One more cute Olivia moment:

Last week she came running up to me after looking through the window at the cold weather outside and says, "Hey Mommy! What if I saw some ice and I went ice skating and I didn't even fall or get hurt. Is that what 20 year-olds do?"