The Princess and Peas

So, last year in March sometime I did a little post about Olivia trying peas for the first time and how she did not like them. She would just stick her tongue out and stare at us. They were about the only baby food she didn't like. Here is a quick trip down memory lane:





Flash forward to today: Olivia LOVES peas- Go figure that! They are her new favorite thing- and thank God too becuase I nearly pull my hair out finding foods that she likes. Lately we have been reduced to the following: Mac and cheese (I mix in lots of broccoli, so I don't feel too bad about it), Pita pizza with cheese, broccoli, ham and tomato, yogurt, cheese, bananas,the organic version of nutrigrain bars, scrambled eggs, corn, grilled cheese sandwich (again with broccoli) and cheerios with milk. That is it. There are almost no other foods she will eat (or even try). However, I can now add peas to the list. Anyway, it may not seem like a huge feat but any mother of a toddler knows that finding nutritious foods that your child will actually eat can sometimes be like mission:impossible. It is good to know that if you keep trying to get good food in them, you eventually break through. I just never would have figured this Princess would love Peas!






(If you are wondering what the huge purple spot on her forehead is; it is another goose egg from falling- she is so adventurous she falls nearly every other day she always seems to land on her forehead. As a result she perpetually has some sort of purple goose egg on her forehead.)

A Mom can never rest... even in the shower

This morning before my morning shower, I got Olivia set up as usual- Close the door to the kitchen, back porch and our bedroom. Next turn on Sesame Street and then get in the shower leaving the door to the bathroom open, as Olivia likes to wander in and out of the bathroom during my shower- peeking into the shower and giggling (thanks Livie) and playing with her bath toys on the floor. So I am in the shower, Olivia has peeked in and out and presumably went back to the living room to watch Sesame Street, right? WRONG. This is why you can't turn your back on a toddler for even a second!

Where Do I Begin?

It is hard to know where to start to sum up the last month. It has been one of the craziest times of our lives. First we shared a wonderful, bittersweet Christmas with Kevin, Angela, the kids and my parents. We had no tree or decorations at our house due to the packing. But we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at kev and Angs and it was wonderful. It was sad knowing we were leaving but we made the most of it. We saved most of the packing for after Christmas. I couldn't bring myself to start taking down picture and curtains. But with the help of our family we were able to pack up the house by the 30th of December (yes we didn't really get started until the 26th!) Our friends and family loaded our truck on the 30th and Drake and my Dad( and our dog Hayla) started driving on the 31st. I had a long tearful goodbye to Asheville and our closest friends in the world: Kevin and Angela and Tatum and Kaelin. I honestly thought my heart would break. On the 1st of January my Mom and Olivia and I flew to Denver. That night my Dad and Drake(and Hayla) and arrived with the truck. The next few days were a flurry of unpacking and getting our rental house cleaned and set up.

My parents stayed until the 12th. They were such a blessing to us and I have no earthly idea how we would have made it without them.Drake had to be back to work on the 5th and I think I would have been lost without them here for those daytime hours. Not only did they help with the unpacking and with Olivia, but they forced me to get the house completely set up and to get out around Denver and start learning my new city. If left to my own devices, I may still be sitting in a sea of boxes.

Since then we have been settling in fairly well. We even managed a trip to the Denver Zoo last weekend with my parents. I have to say this is a pretty great city and the weather is a lot better than I expected. I still miss Asheville and our friends, family, church and house so much it hurts. However, I have a sense of peace, deep in my heart that we are where we are supposed to be. It doesn't all make sense to me but I do have peace. I have to reach beyond my sadness to the deep part of my heart that knows this is the right thing for us, for right now.

Since things were so hectic I never posted any Christmas pictures. So I figure Better late than never. I also included some of Olivia during our trip to the Denver Zoo. I tried to get some of Olivia and the animals but that didn't happen. Olivia did love the zoo and I think her favorite area was the fish and the ostrich.

Olivia opening her first Christmas present on Christmas morning.





Kev and Ang decorating cookies on Christmas Eve, which I think is now a tradition in our family because we seem to have done that the past few years.


Our futile attempt to get a delightful picture of the kids in their Christmas Eve pj's, the one gift they get to open on Christmas Eve.


Olivia is checking out the fish



Captivated by a Polar Bear

Olivia spent most of the day on Daddy's shoulders- She LOVED it