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!!!