sleep baby sleep

One of my favorite things to do is watch my baby sleep. I love listening to her breathe, off in dreamland while snuggling with her favorite blankie. The monitor we have for her room has a camera on it. I love being able to look in on her without really looking in.

Every night before I turn in for bed I like to go in and check on her one last time. I usually cover her up again and lay her bink (pacifier) close by in case she needs it. I'll tell her I love her and then slip back out. Now there are some nights when looking at her isn't enough and I will pick her up and snuggle with her sometimes sitting on the floor while singing. I seriously can't get enough. Most nights she doesn't know I'm there. Then there are some nights she stretches and opens her eyes, giving me a smile. She's told me bye-bye, asked for a kiss, she says Dada and Mama then closes her eyes, rolls over, and falls back to sleep. I have never seen her talk in her sleep or heard it on the monitor. That was not until the other night.

I walked in looked over the crib and with her bink hanging out of her mouth she says, Elmo. Her eyes never opened she didn't move at all. Just whispered Elmo. I like to think they were on some magical adventure and he was teaching her to count and say her ABC's.

I wasn't really surprised that she was saying Elmo in her sleep, she has recently taken a liking (more like loving) to Elmo. She wakes up saying his name and repeats it many times throughout the day. She hands me the remote and says Elmo. Like an order. Insisting that he be turned on.

I was sad though knowing that something other than her mom or dad was taking up space in her dreams.

Maybe tonight will be my turn.

strict orders

As my grandpa used to say "It's a beautiful day in the Ozarks." Indeed it was. So nice in fact while talking on the phone today with Rachel (Auntie RayRay) she told me to take Livi to the park. Actually she ordered me to take Livi and my camera. It's just too nice to sit in the house all day she says. I honestly had no idea how nice it was outside until she told me.

So that's what I did. After Livi woke up from her nap we went to the park. It was nice to get out of the house and enjoy this beautiful day. Tomorrow I think it is going to rain and be cold.

Livi had so much fun. I think her favorite was the slide. I was a little nervous at first but she climbed up all by herself and was giggling the whole way down. I love watching her learn and explore things.

We were there for about 45 minutes. It started getting chilly so I decided that it was time to leave. I asked her if she was ready to go she promptly said, "No." She really wasn't ready either. After a little whining I finally got her in her car seat, shut her door and walked around to get in. I don't know how I did it or how it happened but it did. I locked my keys in the car. With my child strapped in her seat. And sitting right there in on the console was my phone. My first thought was I should have looked at the keypad code and memorized it. I hadn't. Next thought maybe the drivers side back door is unlocked (somethings wrong with it and it doesn't power lock like the rest of the doors) which it was. Opening the door though made my alarm go off. Nice. I got in and off we went home after a wonderful afternoon at the park.

You thought that story would be more interesting I know.

Sorry.

Here are some pictures that will hopefully make up for it.

take me back part 1

Jarad and I were married August 8, 2008. It was a beautiful ceremony but that's a story for another time. Right now I want to go back here to where we honeymooned. I didn't know where we were going until the night of our rehearsal dinner. He surprised me with a new suitcase and inside was a piece of paper with pictures of the Villa we would be staying at on St. Thomas. I wanted to go right then and there but I would have to wait until September. Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures we took. Yes, that's our daughter there with us. We couldn't leave her here. Which is why the best in-law's ever came with us. Our Villa had three bedrooms and Livi slept in their room. The days though we were all together. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I loved getting to spend that time with them. Jarad's parents are wonderful people and I'm so lucky to have them in my life. And when you're with them you never know what might happen, which always makes for a fun trip!!

Getting ready to go to...

Megans Bay

Picture time on the deck before heading to dinner.

Pool time before ...

heading to Sapphire beach.

more to come...

Should've seen it coming

From what I've been told, I was a climber. I guess I was into everything. My grandmother likes to tell stories about how I would wiggle right out of her arms and then find something to climb on. I think I was around 4 years old and I wanted something to drink. I asked my mom to get me something, she said no. (Looking back it was in the evening after dinner and I was probably getting ready to go to bed. Maybe that's why she told me no.) I wasn't taking no for an answer. So what did I do? I climbed up on to the counter and crawled across over to the cabinet with the cups. Went to reach for the handle and down I went crashing onto the floor. End result, my arm was broken. That didn't stop me though. I would climb and fall many more times.

Livi was climbing long before she was walking. She loves to climb on anything. One afternoon out at my parents house Livi was climbing up onto the ledge of the fireplace. My dad sitting right there beside her waiting to catch her if she fell, looked at me and laughed. He knew what was in store for me, he had lived it.

Last night Jarad was in the kitchen making some cheese dip. I walked in there and he says to Livi, "Livi go climb up into your high chair". I just looked at him and said, "No, you can't be serious". Well he was and I have the pictures to prove it.

She can get up there in a few seconds. It's crazy!! She is always so proud of herself once she reaches the top!

Now I get to try and keep her from wanting to do it all the time!

long time, no post

I just realized after getting a comment from someone (BIL) that I haven't posted in awhile. Lots of things have been going on around here. Which is why I haven't been posting, well that and I've been reading other blogs that I've found! I've always been a 'blog lurker' (finding blogs and reading them even if I don't know who they are) and if I find one I like reading I will read it from the beginning. Well I found this one last month. Check it out, its worth reading.

Things are good here. Livi is talking up a storm and we are loving every minute of it. Yesterday she started saying apple. It's pretty cute. She is into everything. My sister-in-law asked me today if I felt like I need to just take everything out of my house so she can't get into anything. Yes, yes I do feel like that. My bookcase that holds all of my pretties is now empty. When I first emptied it out she would climb up on the shelf and lay down. Daddy and Livi thought this was fun. Mommy not so much. I was worried that the shelf would fall and she would squish her little fingers.

Livi laying on the bookcase. Bet you can't guess what she's holding!

A few stories: A couple weeks ago I was using the restroom and Livi was in there with me. After I was done I was trying to get her out of there (she just wanted to play with her tub toys) I said "Come on Livi lets go" she ran out of the bathroom as fast as her little legs would go and headed straight for the front door. We weren't actually going anywhere, I think she might have had a little touch of cabin fever.

Then a few days later I was sitting on the floor playing with her. It was bath time so I asked her if she wanted to go take a bath. She looked at me and then ran to the bathroom door. She loves her baths and will cry when I take her out.

Waiting for daddy to come home.

She saw his truck pull in the drive.

When I ask her if she's ready to go take a nap or go nite nite she will point to her bedroom door and say "there". She walks into her room, lays down on the floor and waits for me to change her and put her in bed. She knows our bedtime routine and will say light then turns off the bedroom light and then turns on the closet light. She kisses me and Jarad goodnight and when I close her bedroom door she says bye-bye. Its just too cute.

I had posted about Jarad having surgery on his wrist and how she will look at it and say "boo boo". Now she will point to her arm and say "boo boo".

When she wakes up now she sits in her crib and hugs all of her animals. I think she's telling them good morning. And when I take her out of her crib she must bring her blanket and her dog with her.

I guess what I'm getting at is there are lots of things going on around here. I can't believe how much she knows and understands at 19 months.

Now if I could just get her to eat what I'm trying to feed her!