What Stinks??

So for Halloween we had to choose between two costumes-cow or skunk. My amazing friend Kaitlyn had a surplus of costumes that she totally let me bum off of her for Halloween-Thank you SOOO MUCH!

Blogger has been uploading them in opposite order lately, sorry! The skunk outfit was so "stinkin" cute! Even though it was last minute I managed to find her black tights and a long sleeved white shirt for underneath! Above she is trying to make a get away from the picture fest!

Here she is with Grandma Teri at her and Darrol's Ward Trick or Treat. I got off work early that night, it was totally dead (surprise, surprise) and I was able to make for the last little bit. Olivia loved spending time with Grandma-or maybe it was just Grandma's mesmerising flashlight?? It is so great to have so much family that lives close by and that will be a part of Liv's life. All of her Grandparents, near and FAR-Sunnyside-, are so loving and caring and always rooting for our little family. Getting married was so great b/c my family doubled (or more like tripled what with all the Radders, Ericksens, Scotts, more Radders and MORE RADDERS).

This ward used to be Marcus and I's first ward we attended as a married couple. It was so much fun to see people we hadn't seen in a little while, like the Froberg's and the Pratt's. I guess I just missed seeing Emily and little Reagan by a few minutes. The Pratt's always hold a special place in our hearts. Steve taught us out temple prep classes and both he and Stephanie were always so supportive of us! Steve has especially been a wonderful person in Marcus' life, they are a family we look up to in a very big way. I feel so grateful that through Marcus I was able to get to know them better.

Here she is hanging out with Mom before it's time to go to work. SO ADORABLE! Marcus had a heck of a time getting her buckled into her carseat with all this getup. He was even so nice as to swing by the Nuthouse so I could see her and show her off to the people I work with! It makes me excited for all the Halloween's to come and all the crazy things we will dress her in.

The sleeping thing started to level out after my last post-until today. She figured out that if she is in her crib she doesn't have to be laying down the whole time. She can crawl, stand, play with the window, throw her binkies on the ground and then scream and cry b/c she is SOOO TIRED! Heaven forbid she actually lay down and take a nap, not when her used to be peaceful sleeping place has now become PARTY CENTRAL!!

I immediately consulted BF Kaitlyn as I know Blaine went through a similar phase and I now know I just need to ride it out. That she will eventually figure out how to lay back down and get comfy for sleeping. Oh well, I'd rather everything happened at one time then get her back on track only for a little bit and then have a wrench thrown in the wheel. My new motto is BRING IT ON BABY! Baby being quite literal, as in MY baby, MY hard partying-dancing around in her crib- deliriously tired baby.

Someday I'll get to it

So I have pictures of Halloween to post, that I have been procrastinating. I know it doesn't take that long to download the pictures, it's just annoying. So everytime I think "I should post that.." I put it off. It's been a little trying here the past couple of weeks.
Olivia has decided she doesn't really care to take naps anymore-which is driving me CRAZY! I think it might be a combo of teething and the age she is at. I think she may be transitioning between 2 naps and 1 nap, she isn't quite tired enough for two naps but by the time the afternoon rolls around she is either over tired and cries forever without sleeping. Or she will conk out and wake up 20 min later ready to party. So I no sooner start a project and then I have to stop to keep an eye on her (she gets into everything). Plus there are just some things I can't do while she is awake, like mopping or laundry room things b.c she gets all into everything!
I know that phases can change fast so I am trying to get through it, but it is hard. I love being home with her and getting to see her explore her world everyday, but I relish her nap times. It is the time I get to do WHATEVER I want/need to do. I can read, clean up, vegetate in front of the TV, those breaks recharge me so I can tackle whatever comes up next in the day. With the teething she will be cranky about everything, so it can be hard to think of things to distract her or what will make her feel better. I know I am making her sound like a maniac, she really is a good baby, but this phase is just hitting a little hard. She is happier when she can just crawl around everywhere and explore-which makes it my full time job to make sure there is nothing I don't want her to get into, and that everyting is clean. As I am writing this she is flirting with herself in the mirror. She looks at herself smiles and turns away, then looks back quickly and smiles again-SO CUTE!
So, if anyone has any tips about how to keep on trucking-or get more zen, I am ALL EARS!

My little Bubushka

I just love her in this hat. My Auntie Rosalie made it for her and every time she wears it I think of little Scandinavian children. SO CUTE!!

I also love this denim dress of hers, I got it at a garage sale for like 20 cents, such a steal! She is down for her nap right now and I am relishing my quiet time.

Also just have to say I liked having my haircut short during the summer, but am missing the versatility of having it longer. I am going to grow it out. In future if you ever hear me say "I wish I had short sassy hair" or "I just want to chop it off", grab me and say "remember how much you mourned your hair the LAST time you chopped it?". At which point I will hug you and say, "Thank you for showing me the light, how could I have ever thought I wanted it that way?". Oh and................

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Thank Goodness!

I know-forever since my last post. There are three reasons why I am exclaiming "Thank Goodness!!" REASON 1: Olivia slept completely through the night last night!! Normally she will sleep fine and wake up around 4-5:30, after which I nurse her and she goes back to sleep. I have been longing for a straight through sleep (I know, I know... how much can a girl wish for? all the moms of troubled sleepers are probably wanting to exact revenge on my "goes to bed at seven and never hear a peep til early morning" baby) But she's getting bigger and I don't think that early morning is necessary. Without having to do any ferberizing techniques she slept straight until 8!! I was jumping for joy until she decided all that great slept meant she didn't feel like taking ANY NAPS today!

REASON 2: My amazing, wonderful, magnificent mother offered to watch her for a couple of hours tonight-feed her dinner and EVERYTHING! (OF course this was after I called her with the "what are you doing right now I am going to go crazy unless you watch my baby" conversation). I am really blessed to have such a loving Gramma right next door that loves having Olivia over to play! And not only that but an equally loving Grampa who will play with her for hours on the floor, talking to her, showing her toys, crawling around with her. He is her second favorite (right after Dada who is #1 favorite). She lights up every time she sees Grampa and cries if he doesn't pick her up right away, it is so cute! THANK YOU GRANDPARENTS!

REASON 3: A totally loving husband who doesn't mind in the least if I haven't got the house spic and span. A guy who is totally willing to do dinner time, bath time, diaper duty, just to give me some "alone" time. I wanted to take a nap on Sunday (it was like 5 pm) and he said "sure I got her" and before I knew it I had conked out and woke up by Marcus asking me if Olivia needed to be nursed before bed. He had done all the "feed dinner and get ready for bed" routine without so much as a single complaint. It was glorious to sleep so long!

Don't get me wrong, being Olivia's mom is the greatest blessing I could ever ask for! She amazes me every single day with her smile, her hugs, her laughs and squeals. It's just every once in a while this mom needs a break! So while I started the pasta water I got to thinking about how blessed I am by all the support I have in my life and figured I could squeeze in a quick post waiting for the water to boil. It is quiet in my house and I am looking forward to making home made mac and cheese without chasing a crawling speed demon around!

REUNION PICS!

My sister got her this really cute Piglet onesie to sleep in. She looks so adorable in it. It really helped to keep her warm b/c we were camping in September, and it was COLD at night!
Just trying out our camping chair-it will be so sad when she doesn't fit that outfit anymore :(
At Camp Hurlburt (the location of the reunion) they had this huge kitchen. The sinks were enormous and proved to be very useful when one little piggy needed to get all clean. These sinks were like baby hot tubs!
Her first taste of SPAGHETTI! The maniacal look on her face says "Now that I know how good big people food is, this is all I'm eating from now on!!" I try to save the really messy foods for dinner b/c after dinner it is straight to the BATHTUB!
This is her figuring out how to get Lady to pay attention to her. Sometimes she just holds her fist out with no food in it and just laughs to herself, "Take that dog, you never play with me and now you are jumping up hoping that I drop what I have in my hand when...PSYCH there is nothing in my hand to drop!". Although sometimes she does have a big chunk of bread or something in her hand and Lady does get it and then Liv is so sad she lost her piece of food. Every once in a while I have to ban Lady from the kitchen b/c Liv thinks it's great fun to throw her food to the dog. Lady has actually started playing with her nowadays and it's pretty fun to watch them.

Old Tag

So I was tagged on this a while ago (by more than one person, I think) so I thougt I should get to it. It's all about my Marcus!

Where we met: We first met through church (dances etc) and then when I was out on my own he moved into the same apartment complex as me and my roomate Lesha.

How long we dated before we got hitched: One year

How long have we been married: 4 years

What's my fav feature about him: I love the whole blond hair blue eyes thing ;) Very sexzy

What's my fav quality about him: He is a CRAZY hard worker. Like I thought I had a very intense work ethic (two jobs while in school, not to toot my own horn or anything;) but he puts me to shame! He works so hard for our family, at his job and when building our house for us!

What's his nickname for me: He likes to pick random names for me, the biggest one being Barbara. If it's a really tense situation or I am starting to get mad, with the straightest face he will look at me and say "Barbara, settle down.... or Calm down Barbara" Like it is my REAL name. It totally throws me off so then I start laughing and it diffuses the situation. He will also on purpose mispronounce my name (Voshtee, long a sound) when I am doing something to bug him.

His fav color: Red, as in the red button up shirt he has had from the seventh grade and refuses to part with it. I'm not sure as a sign of his frugality, or the fact a shirt can last that long, or as a heirloom he can pass off to any boys we might have so that THEY in turn can where it when they reach the seventh grade! He loves to wear it, you would never know it was that old (it is a very good shirt) You have probably seen it, he wears it at least once a week!

His fav food: Hawaiian Haystacks

His fav sport: FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who said the L word first: He did

First kiss, when and where: It was at my apartment while watching Beauty and the Beast or something like that and it was in late August.

Fav couple thing to do: We love to watch the Office and play with Olivia.

How many kids: Just one

His hidden talent: He's master of minutia. Like all the random facts of random things. He will amaze me by pulling out this statistic of knowledge of tons of different things. Like he would probably kick butt on Jeopardy. He gets most of them right whenever we watch it.

His age: 25

His fav music: Country

What I admire most about him: He is such an AMAZING Dada to our little Liv

His fav pastime: Anything outdoorsy, football, family time, football, swimming, football

Will he read this: yes

I TAG: KAITLYN, SUZANNE, EMILY

Here's the Proof

I think I can do it...
I'm going for it....
Break Time!
So we spent the weekend up in the motherland for my uncle's funeral. Funeral's are always sad, but not devastating like how it can be for some people. Being LDS means I believe my uncle is in a better place with people who have gone on before him, where none of his health problems ail him anymore, where he is whole. I love going to LDS funerals because you always leave with a feeling of peace and comfort. It is a celebration about the life of the individual and while I will miss Uncle "peaches" Pete dearly I know I will be able to see him again, that there will be somebody from my family waiting on the other side to welcome me in when it is my turn to return to my Heavenly Father. I was so grateful for the opportunity to go and be of support to my cousins and aunt.
While we were there I also figured out some stuff. Like every time I think Olivia has a cold-it's really been teething. Like a couple weeks ago I thought she had a cold and I felt in her mouth of Friday and one of her top teeth is all the way through. She also decided two more were going to start coming through while we were in Canada. They are almost to the surface and this has meant not a lot of sleep for the momma. The first night @ my aunt Rosalie's she was up the WHOLE NIGHT! I felt bad b/c everyone else in the house could hear her and woke up a lot too. But I have definitely pinpointed her signs for teething: runny nose WITH excessive drooling, diaper rash, rosy cheeks and NO SLEEPING. Runny nose without drooling is a cold.
I've also figured out that her little bum does not like Luvs diapers. She broke out with what I like to call teenage acne on her bum when I started using them. I switched to Pampers baby dry two days ago and her bum is almost back to normal! It's weird b/c her skin isn't sensitive or anything-just to the luvs. The rash from teething, the rash from the diaper (trust me I know for sure they are two separate things as they are in two separate areas) combined with the pain of teething my little bundle of joy has been the opposite of joyful. The end is in sight though b/c the longest it's lasted for is a week so hopefully it will be done by Friday. It'll be weird to see her with more teeth in her mouth, my little baby-sniff, sniff-is on her way to being a big girl!