Favorite Things...

To add to Olivia's two-year old post, here's a list of some of my favorite things (or things I think are most funny, odd, etc...) about her right now...

* Loves singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Wheels on the Bus" with hand motions
* Has no fear of water what-so-ever
* Asks for Gracie upon waking
* Is a great cuddler - especially in the mornings
* Is speaking in short sentences
* Loves to be naked (see below)


* Says she's "cold" when she wants to be wrapped up in her blanket
* Randomly kisses me on the cheek and lips
* Understands sharing - although isn't always good at it
* Shares her silkie to comfort others
* Knows she makes Gracie happy and entertains her just because she likes to
* Is learning (sort of) her colors because of her love for "freezie-pops"
* Snags my freezie so she can finish the juice from both hers and mine
* Always identifies everything as pink when asked
* Counts sporadically - one, two, one & eight, nine, ten
* Asks to sing "abacee" aka the ABCs frequently
* Is Little Miss Helpful
* Enjoys cleaning with mommy
* Loves watering the plants and has her own watering can


* Can finally have a ponytail - although it's rather pathetic
* Is potty-trained (with exceptions of course)
* Congratulates herself after going potty with "Good job Biva!"
* Has gotten over her fear of bugs and now squishes ants with her fingers
* Has slowly, but surely, become a social butterfly
* Sometimes tells me that "mommy pretty"
* Loves the word "silly"
* Is an excellent dancer and enjoys music
* Can finally say her name - "Biva Huinker" - but when asked what her name is sometimes responds "Two" and/or "Happy Birthday" (clearly we worked on those two responses a lot!)


* Plays with her babies non-stop
* Is starting to play make-believe (mostly involving her babies)
* Likes to do everything "self"
* Spontaneously says she needs a time-out even though she's only gotten three of these from me (apparently they made an impact)
* Has a renewed love for books and will read by herself at times
* Loves swinging but wants me to carry her across the sand to the swings at the park so she doesn't get sand in her shoes
* Has made great strides in the running, climbing, jumping, etc... department
* Loves washing her hands and wants to do this constantly when playing with chalk
* Says "nite-nite mommy" and "love you" every night as I'm leaving the room

I'm sure I will think of more things to add to this list the moment I officially post it, but I think it's a good start at recording all that's happening at this point in Olivia's life!

Happy 2nd Birthday Olivia!

Last weekend Olivia entered the world of two year olds in grand fashion. Here's a run down of all that happened...


On Thursday (the 8th) we had Olivia's 2-year check. Olivia weighed in at 25 pounds 13 ounces and was 33 inches tall. Both these measurements put her in the 30th percentile, so we still have a peanut on our hands. Otherwise, we were congratulated on having Olivia potty trained (more on that another time) and were informed that she's just perfect - not that we didn't already know this!

Despite this pout, Olivia had a blast playing out in the yard!

We had a great time at my parent's house for the remainder of the weekend.... On Thursday Olivia got to hang out a bunch with her Auntie Thyme. They had a fantastic time together as you can tell from the pictures! The sprinkler was a great hit, and I wish I had recorded all the giggles that accompanied the many trips through the water! I absolutely love watching Thyme and Olivia play together - really, if you consider their ages, they could be sisters. Olivia very clearly adores Thyme. She mimicks her both in voice and action, and since getting to spend a solid weekend following Thyme around, Olivia asks about her frequently. It will be fun to watch them grow together - and, I look forward to seeing if they look alike - I'm seeing more resemblance as Olivia gets older!


On Friday morning, Mark, Brian, Thyme, Olivia, Grace, and I headed up to the Minnesota Zoo. The girls did great and Olivia was fairly adventurous. For as much as a trooper as Gracie was, I think next time we'll have to leave her home at grandma's. I felt bad for her in the heat and her nap schedule was all messed up. Grace, however, was amazing and hardly made a fuss. Olivia seemed to enjoy seeing all the animals - if I had to decide, I'd say that the fish, leapord (once she realized it couldn't come through the glass - see picture below), and the prairie dogs were her favorite. Next time we'll have to try to visit "The Farm" again, but we bi-passed it as we had just visited the fair and seen all the farm animals the day before. After the zoo we hit up Noodles before heading home. Surprisingly, Olivia stayed up in the car, but she crashed for 2.5 hours when we got home.

Olivia was just a bit intimidated by the "big kitty."

After nap we took a trip over to the neighbor's pool. Olivia continues to be quite the water animal, and, if Grace's kicking arms and legs are any indication, she will be too!


Later in the evening more relatives came over for gift opening and cake. Looking at these pictures, you might be wondering why Olivia has a Fourth of July birthday cake.... Well, let's just say it was a great deal at Dairy Queen (we had to go for the ice-cream cake since Olivia still will have nothing to do with breads - even in sweetened form). I wasn't too please when Brian came out with a non-birthday cake, but I guess it'll make for a good story in the future and Olivia obviously didn't mind!


Olivia didn't want to go to bed after all the festivities which I guess means she had a fun day and didn't want it to end! I enjoyed getting some extra cuddles at bed time. I can't believe how quickly two years have flown by. I've pretty much forgotten what life without kids is like, and I can't imagine what life would be like without Olivia. Not a day goes by that she doesn't bring a smile to our faces and laughter to those around her. You are one of a kind Olivia, and we love you for it!!!

Grace Elizabeth - 5 months

I can't believe how fast the time is flying - in just one more short month, Gracie will be 1/2 a year old! Month number five passed by so quickly! Here's a few new things about Grace....

1. Has reverted back to getting up twice a night - bummer
2. Has popped one of her bottom teeth and has another very close (possibly this explains #1)
3. Absolutely adores her big sister Olivia
4. Chews on anything and everything
5. Has found her toes (very cute) and likes to suck on them
6. Giggles the second you walk into the bathroom for bathtime
7. Loves getting naked (including diaper changes)
8. Is slowly going bald :(
9. Can push herself up onto her knees (with head still on the ground)
10. Smiles and coos non-stop during nightly diaper-changes
11. Is batting toys closer to her while on her tummy
12. Enjoys playing patty-cake
13. Has great good hand to mouth coordination, but still isn't great at holding on to toys for long periods
14. Likes to be pulled up from on her back into a standing position
15. Loves to suck on her two middle fingers - making the "I love you" sign