Fowl Play

random catchup

2010-02-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

We often leave the house and forget our camera but Drake has an iphone that takes some good pics. I finally downloaded them and got quite a random sampling. Anyway, thought I would post a few. I also put together a few other posts so there will be one a week for the next couple of weeks! As for us right now, we are just getting through the depths of winter. Its snowing right now for the 3rd or fourth straight day. It makes for a relatively uninteresting time as there isn't a whole lot to do. We spend a lot of time at home and having playdates and dinners with friends. Which is pretty fun itself. Looking forward to some warmer days ahead (though probably not for another month or two) Olivia is growing up so fast now. Quite a little girl. She talks a lot and loves to sing. She is learning her colors-she now has yellow(lellow), pink, orange and sometimes red and green. She is counting and can usually count to 6 or 7, without too much trouble. She sings A LOT. She is even learning her ABC song. She loves to color, paint or do anything crafty. She definitely gets that from Drake and not me! She is a joy to be around and the light of our life!

Christmas Season 2009

2010-01-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

By now its become apparent I am not the best blogger in the world. Hopwever, I refuse to give up trying :) Our Christmas Season brought more change. We moved from our cramped, run down house we were renting to an apartment that is almost twice the size and in very nice shape! It was a busy time as we set up our tree in our old house only to find a great apartment we had to jump on. SO we packed it all up took down the tree 5 days before Christmas we moved, set up our tree again and worked on getting settled in our new digs. We spent Christmas alone but really enjoyed our day. Christmas Eve we went to our friends Jayme and Corey's house. They have a daughter Olivia's age and it was a lovely evening! Christmas morning was so exciting! Olivia loved opening gifts and we had just as much fun watching her. We spent a quiet Christmas Day and had a wonderful time together. Leading up to Christmas was busy but full of cookie decorating, a trip to Breckenridge with my parents who came for Thanksgiving and Holiday parties. It is so nice to spend Christmas and our New Year in our new place!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year. Olivia really got into it and she loved the trick or treating. We carved some pumpkins a few days before which I think we enjoyed more than Liv did. She wasn't into touching the slimy seeds and was too young to carve so she mostly watched but she did love the outcome! A bee seemed a fitting choice for a little one that stays so bzzzzy! She actually picked out her costume. We pulled out a few choices and she chose the bee. Probably because she really likes insects. We went to Drake's office the day before Halloween so the kids could dress up and get treats. She loved seeing Daddy's desk at work. She also had a party at her school and they dressed all the kids up decorated mini pumpkins and had pizza and cupcakes. Before we went out trick or treating, we "skyped" with Grandma and Grandpa so they could see her in her costume. She loved seeing them on the computer and was jabbering away with them. It was a fun filled couple of days!

Pretty Princess

2009-10-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Lately,Olivia is starting to get into dress up a little more. She is still somewhat tentative about it. She used to never want to play dress up but she is starting to explore it a little more. Her Aunt Angela sent her cousin Tatum's old clothes and in there was one of her old dress up outfits. Liv also got a few things for her birthday from her friend Scout. So the other night I started dressing Elmo up in some of her things and she immediately wanted in on the action. She wore her princess clothes and carried Elmo around for quite awhile. She is not much of a ham for the camera (more so for people) so the pics are so-so, but she and Elmo did look good!

Celebrating Fall!

2009-10-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend celebrating Fall. On Saturday Olivia and I made Halloween cookies, while Drake went to a bike expo for the morning. Things are just getting even more fun with Olivia. She really gets into projects now that she can pay attention for longer than a few minutes. She also can do a lot more now. She helped make the dough(mixing in flour, eggs, etc.) and roll it out. She was best at doing the cutouts and putting them on the cookie sheets. Then she would carry a little tray and I would carry a big one to the oven. I would put them in, while she would say "its HOT!" She especially loved the flour, sprinkling it on the table and the cookies. At one point I took a batch to the oven and mistakenly left the lid off the flour, I came back to a huge mess on the table, but thats part of the fun for her. So after they were cooked and she was stripped down to a diaper because her other clothes were covered in flour, we decorated them. I would put on the icing and she did the sprinkles. Again, a huge mess but nothing the vaccum couldn't handle. We brought cookies to nieghbors and friends and ate a few ourselves. Olivia actually ate 3 cookies while we were baking and never had lunch,I flet like a bad mom but I guess once in a while won't hurt.
On Sunday, since we usually go to church in the evening now, we went to the farmers market down the street from our house. We dressed up Hayla in her costume since they were having a dog costume contest. We picked out a couple of pumpkins to bring home and stopped for a coffee at the coffee shop. It was lightly snowing the whole time, it was a lovely morning! Olivia also found some time to unwind before nap and spent some time coloring, which she has really been enjoying lately. Coloring and play-doh are so fun with her. She will sit for an hour or more with someone doing play-doh and coloring. Its always good quality time. I continually feel blessed to have a beautiful family and a beautiful life.

Happy 2nd Birthday Olivia!

2009-10-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I have been delinquent in posts...lots of big changes around here! I went back to work 6 weeks ago! An amazing job opportunity came my way at the hospice I was doing on call work for and it all worked out. I am the volunteer coordinator. I love what I do and its great to be working in an area I am so passionate about but not on the front lines like I have been in the past. I work 32 hours a week so I pick up Olivia around 3 every day. We found an amazing school called Martin School for Early Education. A husband and wife who are both teachers started a school in a Victorian house (they don't live there) it is just for the school. They are so amazing with he kids and have a wonderful structure of learning and play time. before I committed to work we had to see if there was a place we trusted to care for Olivia. Olivia loves going there! She is excited to go every morning and has improved her language and behavior so much there. They have about 15 kids, 3 teachers at all times and they take ages 2-5 and they are all together in class so the younger ones learn from the older ones and the older kids nurture and lead the younger. It is a really special place that I feel so good about. We feel it is best for Olivia to have this in her life at this time. She needs a lot of challenge, independence and socialization. SO that means life has been busy for us. Its all good changes though. I love going to work each day, it really has helped me find a little more contentment in Denver. I am sure in another 6-12 months more things will change, we are finding that it never seems to stay the same for long...

This past weekend we celebrated Olivia's 2nd birthday. We spent Friday evening with her opening the presents from us and her grandparents (and boy were there a lot!) We took her to McDonalds for dinner because a Mcnugget Happy Meal is one of her favorite things to eat. On Sunday we had a party at the park with the friends we have made in Denver so far. Its a really nice group of people and we all have little girls which is fun. Olivia also made today even more memorable, not only because of her party but she used the potty for the first time today!!!

We love you so much Olivia Jewel. You are our light, love, laughter and joy. You are so full of life and you are so adventurous. You also have a fierce independence but not so much so that you don't want us around. We are amazed at how strong minded you are, yet obedient. This will be one of your greatest strengths in life. You will always be able to think for yourself and be a leader, not a follower. You love animals, baby dolls and play-doh!I love that you call me Mama and that every night you say nigh-nigh Dah-ee and nigh-nigh Mama. They are my favorite words. You still like to sleep in, much of the time and you always wake up so happy. You can be dramatic but only at times. You are lovable and funny and I love that you still like to cuddle. We love you more than we could ever possibly describe and we would do anything for you. There is nothing you could EVER do that would change our love for you. Happy 2nd birthday our sweet angel...
Love, Mom and Dad

Summer is winding down...

2009-08-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

There haven't been many posts this summer and for good reason, our family computer is kept up in our loft area that overlooks our living room. In the summer the loft heats up to sauna like temperatures. We have our laptop on the main floor but we don't keep any pictures on it. So when I want to do a post I have to sit in temperatures that are easily 90-100 degrees. Whew! But it starting to cool (slightly). Our summer went pretty fast, due in part to our 17 day vacation! We met up with my side of the family in Myrtle Beach for a week long visit. We then met drove up to MI and spent the week with the Fowler side of the family and at the end of the week celebrated as Drake's brother Field married the beautiful Jenni.

Our beach trip was so much fun and Olivia loved the ocean and the kiddie pool. I didn't get many pics from that week because I was usually soaking wet and sandy and was too afraid to pull out the camera. I got a few though...

Our trip to MI was so much fun and it was great to spend time with so much family. Olivia had the spotlight on her the whole week and loved it. She was a flower girl in Field and Jenni's Black and White wedding and did about as well as a 21 month old could do. Luckily they had 2 flower girls and Hannah (the other flower girl) was 5 and more able to handle the responsibilities of being a flower girl. Olivia did great at the dress rehearsal. The wedding started an hour before bedtime, was outside at a park-the place she is normally allowed to run free in, and was at the end of a long 2 weeks. The ingredients weren't there for a stellar performanse, but she had everyone smiling and laughing as she threw her flowers down before walking down the aisle and ate M&M's the whole way. She ran around the park for the ceremony but I corraled her to walk back down at the end which she did. She fell every 3 steps the whole way back because there was now a cloth runner down, meanwhile carrying two large sticks that people were afraid she would poke her eyes out with. It was all completely adorable and so Olivia and we were very proud of her. I have almost no pics from that day or the rehearsal because I was darn busy managing my busy little bee. Its sad too because we were all dressed up so nicely. Although Olivia is still not too interseted in smiling for the camera. But I am hoping for family to send some half decent pics. It was a great time away and we really enjoyed being together as a family and having time with all of the people we love so much. Now we just have to pay for this whole trip....

Papa's Visit!!!

2009-07-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have Papa come and visit this past weekend. Drakes' Dad spent 5 days with us and we had so much fun. We wish that her Nana and Aunt Isabella could have come to but it just wasn't possible this time...hopefully next time Papa can sneak them into his suitcase:) Olivia loved having him here, he was always available to read to her, carry her, and get her treats like ice cream! She can actually say Papa, which is pretty cool. She doesn't know how to say anyone else's name other than Daddy, Mum, and Hayla (alla), so that was great that she could say Papa. We had to take a trip to the zoo because Olivia is so much fun when she is looking at animals. She laughs, giggles, babbles and points at everything. We also went to some parks, the petting farm, Mt Evans and took a trip on the light rail to downtown for dinner one night. The trip to mt Evans left Papa and me a little queasy-the air is really thin at 14,000 ft in elevation. Drake was fine though, he actually rode his bike up Mt. Evans the weekend before! Thank you for making the effort to come all the way out here and visit us Papa and thanks for parting with him for a few days Nana and Aunt Isabella- We love you!

Our trip to the Zoo!

Olivia is smiling and saying cheese but she couldn't bring herself to stop looking at the bears

The petting farm

Up on Mt. Evans- Over 14,000 ft in elevation!

Our trip downtown...yes Olivia's sunglasses are on upside down- for some reason she prefers them that way.

Sharing some corn on the cob with Papa-wearing the bathing suit he brought for her

This is often what Olivia looks like when she "smiles" and says "cheese" for the camera

Reading!... I think this was Papa and Olivia's favorite thing to do!

Lots of Fun Things!

2009-06-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

This will be another big post. We couldn't find our camera for a week so I couldn't upload any pictures until I found it. We had pictures of a lot of fun things that we have been doing. We took another trip to the Zoo with Olivia. It just never gets old. She loves the animals so much it is like a new experience every time.

Another fun thing is that I gave been trying to take Liv to some new parks. We go to our local park nearly every day, it is only a few blocks away. However, it does get a little boring (more for me than Liv) so I have been taking her to some new places. This park was great because it had a few playground areas and then it had a petting farm and a train raide around the whole park. It was only $1 for the train and $1 for the petting farm-what a deal! So we had a good time and Liv loved being up close and personal to the animals. I have to say I always felt a little bad for the animals at the zoo (not being in the wild) but these petting farm animals have it much worse. They get followe around by masses of little kids and cornered against the fences but they are very gentle. They do get unlimited amounts of hay so they seem to be kept happy with that. Olivia just kept laughing an dgiggling the whole time. She was in heaven! We will definately have ot take her back.

Our other big adventure was when we went to Breckenridge for the day. We went to pick up my birthday present from Drake- A new Bike!!! He found a great deal on ebay so we drove there to get it and to see the town. It was really cold because of the higher elevation but it was fun. We just walked around the town and grabbed some lunch. It is a really cool town and we would like to go back and explore some more.

This is how Olivia says "cheese" for the camera now she always closes her eyes...

Isn't my bike great? I wonder when Olivia will let me ride it...

Grandma and Grandpa Visit!!!

2009-06-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to have my Mom and Dad come and spend some time with us. It gets a little lonely out here and it felt so good to have people here who love us and who we love. Olivia loved having her grandparents here, there was lots of attention and always someone to play with! We did lots of sightseeing and went on some great hikes. Olivia has been loving our hikes, she sits in the pack behind Drake and has so much fun she will stay in there for up to a couple of hours quite happily.. Sometimes she will even take a nap in there. On one of our hikes with Mom and Dad we actually saw a wild coyote. We also went to the childrens museum which is such a great place. It was Oliva's first time there and she had a lot of fun. We ended up buying a membership so we can go anytime we want. Thanks for coming out here Mom and Dad we love you!

Ode to shoes...and other Fowler happenings

2009-06-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Since my last post we have made some decisions... I am going to keep stying home with Liv. We feel it is the best thing for our family right now. I had interviewed for a full time job at my hospice where I do on call work and then a week later I told them I wanted to withdraw my name. Drake has long hard hours at work and for me to try to work full time would put such a strain on our family. It is a huge sacrifice financially but it is the right thing for us right now. I am going to start working toward my pre-requisites for nursing school. I am looking at an accelerated program that would allow me to transfer my bachelors degree to get a nursing degree in a year. But I have to get some science classes done first. It is hard for us to make plans right now as we don't know how long we will be in Denver. We have decided we just need to start making plans and be prepared they could change. We have to walk with faith and not sight because life is so topsy turvy right now, that is all we can do. We are so thankful we are healthy, happy and making ends meet. Olivia is amazing and in the next year or two we hope to add another little fowler, but not right now, unless we were pleasantly surprised :)

On to Olivia- she is changing so quickly now. She is adding words every day, she talks CONSTANTLY which I love. Not all of it makes sense yet but more and more every day does. She loves being outside. We spend much of our day outside and she loves looking at dogs, birds, squirrels, ducks and geese at the park. On our walks she stops at nearly every flower and stares and then sniffs in and out to "smell" the flower.

We did have a difficut adjustment to sandals for the summer believe it or not. She had this one pair of shoes we bought her in January and she has worn them all winter. One day I realized that they were way too small, her toes were curling at the end. I bought her a pair of sandals, thinking "no big deal we'll just move on to sandals and put these away." Well Olivia was having none of that. She wanted her shoes that she wears every day. I ended up buying multiple pairs of shoes trying to find some she liked. Every time we put on her shoes she would cry scream and try to get them off. It took weeks and a trip to Asheville before she got over it and started wearing them. Toddlers are SO particular it is just astounding!

THE Shoes

Playing with the new ones in her crib... A.K.A her "happy place" hoping it will cast them in a more positive light....

Shoe options...

I also had to post a few pics of Olivia's lunch time one day. She had a week where she was not feeling well (I think she was teething her molars)and she would not eat much. One day after 3 days of almost no eating I offered her every snack I had. She eventually ate a few raisins and a little yogurt before crying until I gave her warm milk and layed her down for her nap. Luckily she is back to normal again...

STILL busy.....

2009-05-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I thought that after my last post life would calm down but there are still lots of happenings it seems like. First of which, Drake and Olivia went back to Asheville for the week! He had the opportunity to go back and work on a project there for work. I had some nights I was on call so I couldn't necessarily do that with Olivia because if I got called in in the night (which I did) I would have no one to stay with her. kevin and angela were kind enough to watch Liv during the day while Drake worked and she got to spend time with her cousins, which it sounds like she loved! When my parents found out Olivia was going to be a mere 12 hours away from them rather than 24 hours, they had to come see her. So my Mom switched around her work schedule so they could come for 3 days. It was quite the reunion and I was sad I missed it but I did enjoy my time alone. I got some tasks done that I often find difficult with Liv around. I also just enjoyed the ability to sleep in a little and do things in my own time. I took a lot of long 2 hour walks around the lakes at Wash Park, watched "chick flicks" and ate popcorn for dinner once or twice :)Anyway, it was nice but it wasn't as great as I thought it might be- I love Drake and Olivia so much that life is so empty without them around. don't get me wrong I definately enjoyed my "vacation" but I am also glad its over.

The other happening is that I have been considering going to work full time again. I have a possible opportunity at my hospice and I have been thinking about it. I know Olivia is ready for more social interaction and I think she would really enjoy some of the really nice child care places I found. We just aren't sure if full time is the way to go... BUT we feel like we need to get into a better position financially. I have been considering nursing school which would be a huge investment of time and money. So I spent a lot of time this past week looking at child care centers and really contemplating the right thing for our family. I always felt the best thing was to be with Liv all the time. When she was younger that was definately the right thing. Now, though, I think she also seems to want/need another environment to learn and grow, inaddition to home. Only time will tell what will happen. It is just so hard right now to make decisions. we feel as though wew don't know whats around the corner... will Drake get laid off? will they want us to relocate somewhere else?if I take the prerequisites for nursing school, will I get in? When will we try for another child? all these things are in our thoughts and we are ever the planners trying to figure out life.
Well that was a lot, but that is where we are at. On a lighter note, we got Olivia a little T-Ball set for outside and I have some pics of her trying it out. She is pretty funny with it because she likes to hold the bat from the end and push the ball off. Pretty cute!!!

Just catching up with Life

2009-04-26T13:48:00.001-07:00

Well life certainly seems to ebb and flow. Itseems it was only a few weeks ago that I wrote about how slow and quiet life is.... then it got very crazy for a little while (hence-no blogging). First we had my Dad visit us at the end of March which was so awesome. It let me get a few things done, Drake and I get out alone and most of all brought some much needed company for me.It really boosted my mood to have you here Dad. Unfortunately I don't have very many pics of Olivia and my Dad together. WE had so much fun, I often just didn't think to pull out the camera. These are a few shots that I got though, as this was how Dad spent most of his time here: reading to Olivia!

While my Dad was here I interviewed for a job with Namaste Hospice here in Denver. It was for a night time on call Social work position. Perfect for me to continue to stay at home with Liv but also to make some much needed income (its a tough economy right now-covering some of the mortgage in Asheville and paying high rent in Denver). Anyway- I GOT THE JOB!!! So exciting. Only it meant that I had to attend 2 weeks of orientation and training during the day. I got a taste of working full time and being a Mom in the last few weeks and it was HECTIC! I like working outside the home a little bit but with botyh of us working full time it lef just flew past us. I am so grateful we make the necessary sacrifices so one of us can always stay home most of the time with Olivia. We were fortunate to find some awesome ladies who do nannying to come to the house to watch Olivia in the mornings and Drake came home in the afternoons to watch Liv. We did have a big snow storm last week and Liv and I went out in the winter weather. She was not too sure of being outside with the snow falling so hard.

To top off the crazy time Olivia got pretty sick over Easter weekend and we ended up in the urgent care on easter sunday finding out she had pneumonia-poor little sweetie. Needless to say Easter was not so great. We did have an easter basket for her with some bath toys, a bubble maker and Grandma and Grandpa Hayes got her some easter gifts too. She also had an easter egg hunt in the house- each egg had a raisinette or an M&M in it. She had fun collecting the eggs in her basket and eating the candy. Most of the day was pretty crummy though. It ended with Drake and I trying to eat our roast dinner with some quiet- so we did what any bad parent would do- we put her in front of the TV with a few pieces of the chocolate bunny Grandma and Grandpa Hayes got her for easter. For 10 minutes we all enjoyed our easter...

Not feeling so good on easter morning

Mmmmmmm

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Drake and I got to go out for a night on the town while my Dad watched Livie. We made the most of it! We left at 5 and didn't come home until 1 in the morning. We went downtown to get some enjoyment out of living in a big city. With a child we don;t get to do that too much. Anyway, we spent a couple of hours wandering around in stores and along Denver's 16th street mall, which is an awesome place. We went to dinner at this amazing italian resaurant. We spent more than we should have but it was worth it. We seldom eat out (i think twice since we have lived here)but when we have dinner is quick and sometimes a little stressful with a toddler. So we took our time (2.5 hours to be exact). After we went to a movie downtown and then headed home. It was such a great time. The next day we brought out our leftovers for lunch and gave Olivia some of the leftover shrimp linguiine(minus the shrimp because we already ate those) in white whine and butter sauce with tomatoes. This was probably the most expensive meal she has ever had and she enjoyed it, spending most of her time going "mmmmmmm".She had a lot of fun eating it as you can see....

fffisshhhhh!

2009-03-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have yet another "word." Actually we have several more "words" that Olivia is mastering. But the other day we went to the Denver Aquarium and Olivia started saying ffisshhh, when she saw tank after tank of fish! She was in Heaven. We thought she might enjoy it as she really liked the aquarium portion of the zoo. We were right! My Dad is visiting right now and so we thought it would be a fun day to visit. Unlike the zoo, Olivia was out of her stroller the entire time going from one tank to the next, ooohhhhing and aaahhhing at everything. They even had a little section where you could touch little starfish and some other creatures. Olivia was a little young for that as she was interested in splashing the water and she wasn't interested in merely petting the creatures, she wanted to pick them up, which is a little frowned upon.

It didn't take as much time to get through as we thought it might but that ended up being a good thing because she was exhausted by the end. She fell asleep before we even got home and we only live about 5 minutes from the aquarium! It was a fun time. Olivia really makes life so much more full and beautiful. It is priceless to see her learning, growing and exploring. You see things in a completely different way and it is so rewarding as a parent to give her new experiences and opportunites. Life is so much more fun with Olivia in it.

After the Snow

2009-03-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

The interesting thing about the weather around here is that you can get several feet of snow but in days it is nearly gone. The sun is so bright and the weather warms so quickly that for days afterward you have mini streams running down the street, off the top of your house and through your yard. We got so much snow that by Sunday we had all sorts of fun puddles and water dripping off the house. On our way back from the park, Olivia stopped at every puddle and pile of snow. It was warm enough that we didn't even need coats but here she was picking up snow! It is a pretty neat way to enjoy the snow. When we got back to the house she was playing with this puddle below a gutter and there was water pouring in a stream from the house. She loved it. I put aside my anxiety about her getting dirty and wet. She splashed in puddles, stood under the stream (briefly) and generally got soaking wet and dirty. She was one happy girl. In the house we stripped her clothes gave her a bath, lunch and dry clothing and she was asleep before we layed her in her crib for her nap.

SNOW!!!!

2009-03-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Well after being in Denver for almost 3 full months (can you believe it?)we haven't really had too much snow. In fact it is one of their least snowiest winters on record. The past two weeks it has been in the 60's and 70's with the beautiful Denver sun. While we have had some snow here and there, we haven't had any blizzards... until Thursday. It started in the morning and it wasn't even sticking to the road. You know how North Carolinians are.... the slightest mention of snow and everyone runs to the store and stocks up on Milk and bread. Well that must have come out in me because at 11:30 in the morning I had to make a run to the store. The snow was coming down but still the roads were just wet. 20 minutes later I leave and you can barely see in front of you it is falling so hard and the snow and ice is piling up on the road. I make it home and then an hour later Drake comes home on the train and it is an all out BLIZZARD. Drake went out to get the first bit shoveled and so we could let Olivia experience it. We put her in her warm stuff and in her boots that her Nana and Papa Fowler got her. She really liked it. She kept saying Ooooh and Wow and babbled non stop. She only lasted about 5-10 minutes, but that is pretty good for how cold it was. She did better than me- Most of the pictures were taken from the front door because I didn't want to venture out in the cold. I did end up going out briefly, mostly because she was so unbelievably cute with this first blizzard.

After we came in, Drake had some work to do from home, so he was on his phone and on the computer. Olivia climbed on her stool and used my phone to copy her Daddy. It was so cute. She kept babbling on the phone and imitating Drake.

The Zoo!

2009-03-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Olivia to the Denver Zoo again. We went when we first moved here and we had been wanting to go again. We decided to go because it was a beautiful sunny, 75 degrees. I guess the rest of Denver decided to go to because it was crowded. We got annual passes so we can go anytime and so we could just do parts of it each time.It is such a huge place it is too much in one day for a 17 month old to handle. Olivia is really into animals right now. She can make the sound of a Lion, a Monkey and a Duck. She loves looking at any animal and really enjoys the nature shows on TV.

Anyway, she enjoyed the zoo just as much as last time, if not more. One of the highlights was the gorilla exhibit. We found this little niche separate from the bigger viewing areas that had hardly anybody in it and it happened to be right where the gorillas were. We got there in time for their feeding time which was right in front of our viewing window. Olivia was right in front for the whole thing and she loved it! She was babbling like crazy, although we had no idea what she was saying. She was pointing and staring. It was quite a thrill for her. She also really liked the underwater polar bear viewing. She was pretty enthralled not only with the Polar Bears but also with just looking at the water. The sun was shining causing all this cool rippling light and she kept saying "ooohhhh" and "wow." Even where there were no polar bears swimming. She spent most of the time on Drakes shoulders or in her stroller and at the end we let her loose to walk a bit, which she loved and then became much more interested in trying to climb into other peoples wagons that they were towing their kids in. She then preceded to stop and stare at a family, like they were an animal exhibit, as they ate their lunch on a bench. I assured them that she had actually eaten lunch herself just a few minutes earlier :) As much as she loves animals, she is a people person and is always so interested in observing other people. All in all it was a fun day and I am already planning to take Olivia there during the week sometime.

Life in Denver

2009-03-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well there hasn't been much to blog about lately because there really isn't a whole lot going on- which is actually a good and a bad thing. We are enjoying the slow pace of life. Denver still does not feel like home. It is hard to mentally accept the fact that this is home right now. Drake and I (I think Olivia too) have been mourning our losses. We are starting to pull out of it though. Trying to establish a life here but it will take a while. I am going to continue to stay home with Olivia, the job situation here is not so great. Not only with these economic times but also- in a big city my bachelors degree doesn't get me much in terms of job choices or pay. Oddly enough daycare is much more expensive here. I had hoped to find a part time job like I had in Asheville but that hasn't happened. Either way it is probably better for me to stay home a while longer as Drake has very stressful days at work.

I do love being with Olivia all day every day. She is really starting to change. The first 2 months here, she was not herself. I was actually researching illnesses on the Internet because she wasn't laughing or smiling much, more ornery and sullen, and extremely difficult. Well after about 5 weeks I finally took her to a doctor. She had no fever but had some runny nose episodes. I was worried but there were no symptoms. Well the doctor looks in her ears and says she has a double ear infection. UNBELIEVABLE. No ear pulling/fever/sleep problems you usually have with ear infections. A few days on the antibiotic and she was a new girl. Since then she has been really changing. She is starting to become a real ham- she loves to make us laugh and she is really getting good at playing on her own too. Although not for too long because she loves an audience. She is really good at puzzles and she is back into her books in a big way. She had sot of gotten out of books for a while but now, she brings books to me all day long. If she had someone to read to her non stop all day she would be in heaven! She is trying to talk a lot. She talks constantly although we can't understand much of it.Her words consist of "ayla" for our dog Hayla, Daddy, Mommy, wow, uh-oh. She can also make a variety of animal sounds. She understands a lot more now too. We can say "eat" "milk" "water" "outside" "shoes" "puzzles" and she knows exactly what we mean. She is amazing and so much fun. She and I have our daily routine. We have a nice breakfast together, we go to the YMCA every morning, then come home have lunch and story/puzzle time. Then it is time for milk then nap. After that we usually go outside, either to the park or just for a walk. She has a scooter she likes to zoom around on. Then we come home and she watches Sesame Street while I get dinner ready. Then Drake comes home. She loves her daddy! Well that's about it. We miss everyone so much!

What would a fowlplay post be without some pics of Olivia- I haven't taken much in the last month but I am getting better.

Domestic Bliss!

2009-02-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

Olivia has taken quite an interest in domestic tasks lately. I guess when I worked so much she never saw much cleaning get done! Now that I am not working, I am able to really keep up the house. So Olivia likes to join in on whatever task I am doing. I say, its never too early to start!

She gets out the rolling pin for baking and she does laundry! (actually this part is a little frustrating becuase she pulls clean clothes out of drawers after I put them away, and she puts them on her head then throws them on the floor. I ususally have to wait for her nap to get it all put away again because she will continue to pull them out again.

She Vacuum's

She sweeps and cleans floors!

Even with all her hard work, she still finds time to play!

Fort Fun!

2009-02-09T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well this past Sunday was a much needed "lazy day" for the Fowlers. Other than trying out another church (which usually just reminds us how much we miss our old one!) we didn't do a whole lot, and I have to say it was nice. Its funny, life here at times seems so empty and alone. I often say it feels like you are on a deserted island that is set in the middle of a city with 3 million people. We so desperately miss all of the fullness that our life in Asheville had. There was no part of our lives that was lacking, it was rich and complete. What comes with that fullness though is busyness, and hectic schedules/commitments. Although, I would never trade any of that, we are feeling an immense amount of peace, simpleness and quietness. Our lives are not filled with so much (not yet) but the gift of that is a different pace of life. We are trying to enjoy that about this time. With me staying home and not working part(full) time, I have the time to take care of all of the things around the house, so when Drake comes home all we have to do is enjoy each other and Olivia. Who knows how long we can afford to do that but for now it is lovely. And since we aren't living in our house, we don't have the run of home improvement projects. We can't remember a time when life was so simple and quiet. I have learned to be thankful each day for each moment for what it is. I don't know that I fully appreciated all we had in Asheville. I never want to make that mistake again. Each day is a gift and each moment in our lives has blessings and things we aren't so happy about. But I don't want to ever not fully appreciate what each moment has to bring....

WELL, that was heavy, considering I was just planning a little post about the fort we made with Olivia on our lazy Sunday day. We used our dining chairs and our comforter and Olivia had a blast. She eventually dragged her stuffed animals up into it and loved playing "peek a boo" with us. Hayla even joined in the fun. Although I think we may have started something because today she wanted to pull the chairs out again- I may have a permanent fort in my living room for a while!

Hiiiiiii!

2009-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

The other day it was too cold to spend much time outside and Olivia and I had already been to the gym for the day so we were going a little stir crazy. Anyway, I was cleaning and I noticed she was trying to look out the window, so I grabbed our painting stool and pushed it up to the window for her. She loved looking outside and talking to people who walked by (even though they couldn't hear her!) Among the words she can say "Hi" is a common one along with her babble that usually doesn't make too much sense to us, although she seems to know exactly what she is saying. When we go anywhere she says hi to anybody that pays her any attention.

I remembered that in our Asheville house she always loved standing on our couch and looking out the window and she hadn't been able to do that here in Denver. The stool now permanently sits below the window and Olivia often climbs up and looks around. I think she likes it even more now since we live in a busy city and there are lots of people walking by. She is so inquisitive!

The Princess and Peas

2009-01-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

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

Fowler Fam Update

2008-12-20T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, life has been pretty overwhelming this last month. Drake headed to Denver right after thanksgiving making me a single mom for awhile. Being alone while working, taking care of Olivia and keeping the house in perfect order for showings has made for a dizzying time. Olivia and I went out to Denver last weekend to to look at rentals and to see Drake. Olivia was SO HAPPY to see her Daddy. She lit up like I hadn't seen in weeks and she was so content and happy to have us all together.

I actually have no pictures from our trip. It was so busy that there wasn't time for much fun. We spent three solid days in the car driving around that city looking at rentals. The first day we looked at homes that I probably wouldn't let my dog live in. In neighborhoods that I would not want to go out in at night. As you can imagine I was ready to pack it up and go home. We went up in price and found nice homes but still in neighborhhods I wouldn't want to go out in at night. Then we went up (again) in our price range (over our price range) and found some great neighborhoods and livable homes. If we wanted to pay about $1600 a month we could have found a nice home in good condition in these neighborhoods. However, that is not possible for us so we decided that a good nieghborhood was important and we could make do with the home. These are very small houses we are talking about here- 800-900 sq ft. Difficult after living in a "mansion like" 1500 sq ft home right now.

We actually found a good deal in a great area. It is hard for me to be excited about it right now as reality is hitting home and I am realizing that this is really happening and it is going to be really hard. I am trying, though, to walk in gratefulness and gratitude that we have a job. As for our house,no offers. We decided to throw it into the huge rental pool here in Asheville. The rental market has a lot in it right now so we had to go lower than we would have liked for rent. Thankfully after 4 days, we have renters. It is two ladies I know from the college. They responded to the ad and then we realized we knew eachother. It is going to be good to have people that we know renting from us. It will be a financial struggle when we move- no job for me, high rent plus covering the amount that our renters here won't cover in the mortgage. We do think that in the end it is better for us to rent. Why sell at the very bottom of the market when we can wait and sell in a few years for a lot more? (hopefully...)

It definately doesn't feel like Christmas for us. No tree or decorations and our house slowing getting packed up. Without all of our usual decorations, traditions and Christmas events it has made me remember the true reason for Christmas and the true spirit of Christmas and for that I am happy.

I am sorry, this was probably a depressing blog but that is just where I am at right now. As for Livie, she is really into toothbrushes (hers and mine) and her baby that her Great grandparents gave her at Thanksgiving. She has been rocking it in the chair and feeding her bottles. I will leave you with some pictures of Olivia, she brings more joy than any material possession, home or place ever could.

While Daddy is Away

2008-12-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Olivia and I are missing Drake terribly. In the evenings when she and Drake have their play time she wants me to play the same games that they normally play together. Unfortunately, Mommy is not as good at rough play as Daddy, but I try. The evenings are the hardest time as it is usually a bit of a break for me (and Olivia). Tonight I was desperate enough to take Olivia to the mall at christmas time and cold and flu season to play at the play place. This usually results in some kind of illness for Olivia and this time of year it is CRAZY there. Anyway, Olivia is staying busy and it seems like everyday she is into something else. Right now she is really into climbing up into chairs, especially the rocking chair in our bedroom. She likes to rock back and forth and trace the wood carving with her hand. This is pretty cute because this chair was in Drakes house when he was little and he did the same thing. Olivia also has been really into feeding herself with her fork which is very messy business. She is actually getting pretty good at it. She also now has a strange fascination with the caps that go on the bolts on the bottom of the toilet.She pulls them off and then I have to take them away so she doesn't choke. I had to include a picture of Olivia with Drakes picture. I take it down all the time for her to look at. She points and taps the glass and says "Dada?"

We miss you Daddy and we can't wait to visit you in Denver this weekend! Love Rache and Liv

Snow Bunny

2008-12-04T18:23:00.001-08:00

Olivia is really starting to warm up to winter clothing :) She got a hat and mittens from her Nana and Papa and we bought her a set as well because it doesn;t take long for one set to get dirty and need washing. She is so adorable in her winter clothes. I had to capture a few pics.

A walk down memory Lane

2008-12-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

When we went back to Michigan, Drake and I left the baby with Nana and Papa for a day and we went to back to East Lansing to visit MSU, our beloved alma mater (sp?). We had such a great day reminiscing about how far we have come in the 4.5 years since we moved to Asheville from MSU. We lived in a 400 sq ft OLD, OUTDATED apt on campus in married housing on campus. Commplete with Train tracks outside our hour apt. where the train would pass by nearly 20 times each day and night! There were times we weren't sure how we would make the rent or pay for food but somehow we did. The two of us stuck together and we have mad such a great team.

Drake is now in Denver and will come back for Christmas. My Christmas wish is that we can sell our house or find a renter to cover our mortgage. So that Olivia and I can join Drake in Denver after Christmas and be togther. So far we have had no one come to see our house because the market is just so slow. My brother reminded me the other day that this is the time to have faith, more than ever. Well this was a bit of a rambling but it was just a reflection of mine. I leave you with pics of our trip to MSU- it was a beautiful snow covered day and MSU has some of the most beautiful old buildings.

The Peanut Barrel- A great hang out after my night classes

Our old Apartment! The top right hand apt was our home sweet shoebox for 3 years

The Student Union

Belated Turkey Day

2008-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

Things have been beyond busy for us lately, I am only now getting to post a few pics from Thanksgiving in Michigan. We really enjoyed getting away from the house for awhile after we worked on it night and day to get it ready to put on the market. We listed it the day before we left for thanksgiving. We would put Livie to bed around 8 and work on the house until 1 or 2 in the morning. We had so many friends who came to help with the many projects and we could not have done it without them. We completely gutted and remodeled our master bath, updated our other bathroom and the kitchen in 3 weeks. In addition to my part time job, Drakes job and parenting. Anyway, we are happy to be done with the projects around the house and have a good thanksgiving together.

You might want to sit down for this one....

2008-11-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

So it has been a while since my last post and for good reason. About 2 1/2 weeks ago we found out that Drakes office was closing here in Asheville. We were prepared for this possibility as in the last year the office has gone from approximately 20 down to 5. We have been blessed each time there was a layoff that Drake has kept his job. It is truly a reflection on him as an employee. It has been so sad to see so many of our friends move away to look for work. We love Asheville and have had no intention or desire to leave. However, we were again blessed as Drake was offered a position at his compnay's headquarters in Denver, Colorado. We were prepared for a lay off but not a transfer, however we are grateful that we have a job as they are particularly hard to come by in Drakes profession right now.

So we have a short window of time to prepare our house to sell(great time to sell a house huh?), pack our things and leave the life we love here in Asheville to start over in Denver. We spend every free moment, painting, tiling, remodeling the bathroom, packing in order to get ready for this move. We are up till 2 in the morning working on the house and still doing our regular jobs as well as being parents to a very active 1 year old. Life is beyond crazy right now and Drake and I are beyond stressed. Luckily we have great parents who took a week to come and help, we have friends and family who are pitching in and helping. We have no idea right now how this will all play out. Drake has to be there the first week in December. He is coming back for Christmas and we are hoping against hope our house will be under contract and we can move after Christmas. This is where the miracle has to happen. The market is in the toilet and it is the holidays, the odds are not in our favor. However, we believe in a God much bigger than ourselves and one thing is for sure- He can sell our house. So we have to have faith. We can see how God has taken care of us in the past so we can only believe in that for the future.

Well thats it for now. Back to painting. But I must leave you with pics of Olivia. A few weeks ago we had a cold snap (40 degrees- yes we are true southerners now) and Olivia and her cousins went out to play. Olivia hated the cold. I put her in her usual sweater and she was frezzing so I added another coat and both hoods and she was still freezing. She normally loves being outside but she just stood there, very still and shaking. She evetually fell several times as she is not used to a coat and that was the end of outside time. What on earth are we going to do with this Southern Belle in Denver Colorado in the winter?!!!

What Olivia's been up to...

2008-10-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, Olivia stays quite busy these days. She loves to open our cabinets while I am cooking or cleaning in the kitchen. I have this philosophy that when you have a child it is required that a mess be made,in order to actually get something accomplished. Then at the end of a long day of making all sorts of messes, Olivia enjoys unwinding on her Dora the Explorer sofa with some popcorn. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it...

PARTY!!!!

2008-10-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today we had Olivia's first birthday party. We had some of our wonderful friends come to celebrate her birthday. Olivia was dolled up in her princess outfit and she had so much fun with all of the kids. In addition to the 10 children we had about 12 adults. It was pretty much 2 hours of pure chaos and Olivia loved every minute of it! She got some great toys which some of her older friends had to show her how to open. Part of the time she just looked in awe. We had cheese pizza and cheese puffs for the kids (Olivia's favorites- she ate 2 pieces of pizza). We also had strawberry punch. For the adults we made a big pot of soup, had french bread, chips and salsa and of course- beer (to make the chaos more bearable). Drake and I made Olivia a homemade cake which she enjoyed and then had a sugar high. She has had more sugar this week then in her whole life combined! All in all it was a great party and we are so thankful to our friends for making it a special day.

First birthday bonanza

2008-10-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

The days surrounding Olivia's birthday have been exciting! On her actual birthday we had a pancake breakfast and Daddy went in to work late, then we played with cousin Tatum all day and then that night after dinner Olivia had some of a brownie that Daddy brought home for her. She got it everywhere! Olivia also got presents from here grandparents- a musical shopping cart and clothes and another toy from Grandma and Grandpa and from Nana and Papa she got a box full of goodies- an outfit, DVD, and books! Olivia has had fun playing with her new things. She actually climbed right into the shopping cart, which isn't suprising- Olivia loves to climb. She will climb anything-the dishwasher,the sofa, shelves.... She also loves books. She sits down and pulls out her board books and flips through the pages and babbles. She also constantly brings the books to me to read to her.

Happy Birthday to our Angel

2008-10-16T06:58:00.001-07:00

To our darling angel on her first birthday,
Olivia you have brought more joy, sunlight, purpose, love, inspiration, magic, peace, laughter and meaning than we ever could have imagined. We remember your birth as though it was yesterday. When you entered the world and were put on Mommy's chest the joy we felt brought us to tears. It was instant love. This past year has been amazing. You are such a happy, joyful girl. Your name means "bringer of peace" and that is true of you. You have brought peace to our lives. Our wish and prayer for you is that you always keep your joy, your love for people and your love for adventure. Those are qualities you already possess and we pray you always do. We would do anything for you and we will always love you and support you no matter what. There is nothing you could ever do or be that would change our love for you. Thank you for being the best little baby we could have ever asked for. We can't wait for all the years to come. We will love you forever, Happy birthday Olivia.

Mommy and Daddy

Trip to the Nature Center

2008-10-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we took Olivia to the Nature Center here in Asheville. It is such a great place with tons of nature trails, boardwalks and best of all... animals! They have bears, deer, Bobcats, foxes, birds, reptiles etc. Olivia loves animals so we thought we would take her. A bonus is that by signing up for a yearly pass, we can get into hundreds of zoos in all different states for free. Anyway, Olivia had fun although at times she was more interested in just walking around and not so much some of the animals, since she is getting so good at walking now. She has been at it since 10 1/2 months old and loves to find new places to show off her walking skills. They even had a petting area with goats and sheep that she could pet. I, of course was nervous she would get bitten or catch some disease, however, I pushed those mommy fears down inside and let her have fun. I did cover her hands in sanitizer the minute we left the petting area.

Trip to the Coast

2008-10-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, our friends Brittain and Pat got married in Southport, NC at a beautiful beach wedding. We made a weekend of it and met Gandma and Grandpa Hayes there for the weekend. They hosted us at their condo rental and babysat Olivia for us while we went to the wedding. We almost didn't make it as Olivia had her first ever bout with the stomach flu only 2 days before our trip. She was quite sick but bounced back pretty quickly. We decided to try and make the trip as we knew it would be our last trip to the beach this summer. She did great and we had so much fun. The weather was a little cool but we had ice cream, walked around the adorable downtown, walked on the beach and along the waterfront. Thanks for a great time Mom and Dad!

The Many Faces of Olivia

2008-10-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Not much to say other than "isn't she cute?" I love this girl so much. She is adorable day and night, even when she is crying and throwing a fit (which by the way just started a few weeks ago)

Hello World!

2008-10-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves the outside so much that she spends some of her time inside standing on the sofa and looking out at the street. She even yells to the neighbors and is always delighted when they yell Hi to her. I often move the sofa cushion out of the way so she get right to the window. And yes those are pens in her hand. She is obsessed with them she always seems to find them around the house. I am going to have to bemore careful soon becuase it won't be long before she can get the lids off. She is truly Drakes daughter as she shares his love of pens!

Fun Outside

2008-10-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves to play outside. She could spend all day outside. She cries when we take her in and cries if she wants to go out and we wont take her at that moment. She likes the front yard where her swing is. In the backyard she spends a lot of time pushing her two push toys up and down the walkway. She also likes to play in the now empty swimming pool. On this particular day she was putting leaves and grass in and out of the little "trunk" in the push toy. At one point she thought she would taste the leaf. Silly girl....

We're Back!

2008-09-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Uncle Andy's Groupies

2008-06-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

We have really been enjoying Uncle Andy's stay with us. We have loved listening to his fantastic music. Olivia especially loves our little concerts. One day when we were out on the deck, I set up a blanket for Olivia, and Dixie joined her as Uncle Andy's Groupies. I think he needs a bodyguard- Olivia, hands off of the musician please!

Watermelon? Are you crazy????

2008-06-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

So after all my deep rooted fears of Olivia choking, I walk into the room to see Olivia chomping down on watermelon. I wasn't sure this was a good idea but Daddy had it all under control and she did great. She loved the watermelon, of course. We put a few small ( and I mean tiny) pieces on her try and she would nibble a bit then swallow and gag. She never choked but I think it felt strange going down her throat. She loved picking up her food and feeding herself. I guess I have to get over my fears.... Soon!

Finger Foods... Here We Come!

2008-06-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Olivia is learning more and more how to feed herself. She really seems eager for finger foods, only I have a deep fear she will choke so I found these little stars that are small and crunchy but dissolve after some time in her mouth. Fun for her and peace of mind for me. Drake did warn me that eventually she will want to eat something other than her baby food and little stars but for now this works

This one didn't quite make it in...

Miss Fancy Pants

2008-06-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

Meme and Papa, Olivia's great grandparents, bought her an adorable outfit that she looks so cute in. She was wearing it on Fathers Day when we went to a brunch our church had at the park. We started calling her Miss Fancy Pants because of the darling ruffles.

Water please!

2008-06-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Olivia is having a lot of fun with her Uncle Andy, who is staying with us for a little while. Tonight she went on a walk with Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Andy and the dogs. When we got back we all needed to rehydrate after the heat. Olivia wasn't interested in her sippy cup of water after she saw Uncle Andy's glass. I am not sure why- she see's me drink out of one every day but she was really interested in the glass of water. Andy gave her a little sip out of the glass and that was all she wanted to do for about 15 minutes was to try drinking out of a glass. She did pretty well too! I giess everything is more fun with Uncle Andy.

Cookie Monster

2008-06-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

We got some "biter biscuits" at the store for Olivia so she could start preparing to eat finger foods. She still likes her baby food but now that she has her top teeth as well as her bottom it won't be long before she may be ready (she got her top 2 center teeth last week and the ones on both sides as well so 4 on top and 2 on bottom). These little biscuits are great because she can't bite through them but she can work on bringing food to her mouth and the biting action. She gets them every couple of nights after she eats her dinner. The only drawback is that they are extremely messy (although I don't think Olivia sees that as a negative thing). Olivia loves squishing the mess through her fingers and rubbing it all over her head and face. Needless to say it is usually straight to the bath afterwards, which she doesn't mind.

Her ever expanding talents

2008-06-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

It seems like every day Olivia does something new. Holding on with one hand, climbing on her Blues Clues Chair. Sometimes she will be holding on with one hand and she will let go and try to move forward only to fall flat on her face. Its like she forgets she can't walk, it won't be long before she can if she has anything to do with it!

Olivia's Ride

2008-06-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

We got out one of the Christmas gifts from Aunt Angela and Uncle Kevin that we had put away for when she got bigger. It is hard to believe she can already sit on her new ride. She doesn't push herself on it yet but she loves to sit on it as we push her around on it. We have noticed that she also loves steering wheels so Drake is convinced she is going to be a race car driver.

Fun in the Backyard

2008-06-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Olivia has been having a lot of fun playing in the backyard. She explores the grass and the deck and likes to have meals at the patio set on the deck. I bought a little plastic swimming pool at a yard sale the other day and I think she will like it

Pampers Posterchild

2008-06-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

The other day I bought a box of pampers wipes home and as I set down the groceries she was enthralled with the box. She played with it for about a 1/2 an hour. I wonder if she could get paid to be in a pampers commercial....

Special Visitors

2008-06-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had several special guests come to see us and Olivia (who are we kidding, its all about Olivia). Olivia's Great Aunt Eileen and Uncle Marty came to as well as her Great Uncle Andy. We loved having them and so did Olivia. We hope they come back agaain soon!

Mirror, Mirror

2008-06-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Olivia discovered the mirrors on our closet doors a few weeks ago when she was "helping me" sort laundry. She loves to play with that baby she sees in the mirror. We have found that she loves other kids and babies. She actually loves all people- she is always happiest when there are people around. She giggles and smiles at herself for quite a while.

Tater Tot and Livie

2008-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

The other day when Tatum was over she wanted to hold Olivia after her nap. The two of them looked so darn cute together I had to take some pictures. They both love eachother so much!!! Olivia lights up when she sees Tatum and Tatum always wants to be with Livie. I know they will always be close cousins and friends. Although with that will come squabbles over toys which is already starting!!! The other day I had to take a toy away becuase Olivia was trying to play with it at the same time as Tatum and that resulted in several shrieks from both of them.

She has been keeping us busy!!!

2008-06-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

I know, I know it has been too long since our last post, but this girl has been keeping us busy!!! Olivia started crawling about the time of our last posting. She started when she was about 6 months old and in that same week, she was able to move from crawling position to sitting position and back again. A week later she was pulling herself up on things to standing position (the fireplace hearth is a favorite of hers- we promptly went out and got guards for the edges which Olivia now expertly pulls off as soon as she gets the chance, consquently they are now laying in a pile at the bottom of our hall closet.) Olivia also quit breastfeeding at about the same time. My friend Kim says Olivia is in quite a hurry to grow up and I have to agree with her. Anyway, this is my renewed pledge to do better with blogging (again). But what is a busy, working mom to do?!!!

Hanging out around the House

2008-04-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

Just some more pics of Olivia. The other night during bathtime she stuck her rubber ducky in her mouth and used it like a pacifier. She is always making us laugh.

Hammock Time!

2008-04-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

We recently pulled the hammock out and set it up in the backyard. Olivia had so much fun laying in the hammock with Daddy.

Still trying to crawl

2008-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

She is so close!!! Olivia is still trying to crawl. She often pushes herself up on her toes because she is so eager to move. As of now she can move forward slightly but after moving each arm and leg she stops. She can however pull herself forward when she is trying to get to a toy.

Grandma is so Fun!

2008-04-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves her grandma and had fun sitting on her lap and playing with her. She especilly loved sitting on the table and playing with the bread bags.

Playtime with Grandpa

2008-04-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

Olivia loved all the attention she got from her Grandpa!!!

A Bathtime Audience

2008-04-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

During their visit- Granpa, Grandma and Aunt Isabella provided and audience for everything including bath time!

Fun with Grandpa

2008-04-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Grandma Fowler came to town a few weeks ago and Olivia had so much fun with them!

A Present.... For Me?

2008-04-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

Recently Olivia got a present from her Great Grandma and Grandpa-Meme and Papa for her dedication. She loved the adorable outfit inside and especially the bag and wrapping. The hat the came with the outfit looks so cute on her!!!

Fun with Mommy at the Park!

2008-03-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Fun with Dad at the Park

2008-03-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Olivia's FIrst Time Swinging!

2008-03-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

We took Olivia to the park on Saturday and she got to ride in a swing for the first time and she loved it! We had a lot of fun her around the park to the swings and the slides.

Toys? Who Needs 'em

2008-03-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Although Olivia loves her toys she is now VERY interested in things that are not toys. Some favorites are cell phones, remote controls, and one day, as captured below she was playing with a cracker wrapper.

She's Moving!....Backwards?

2008-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

This week Olivia started moving... backwards. She pushes up on her arms and as she tries to push up on her knees she ends up scooting backwards slightly. Before you know it she's halfway across the room! She doesn't seem to be trying to move backward, but she is definatley trying to get up on her knees. In one picture below she had started at the red toy and moved that far back!

Tummy Time!

2008-03-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

Olivia is enjoys her tummy time and loves to be out of her clothes. She is more and more into toys.

Crawling Soon??

2008-03-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

This week Olivia has been pushing up on her arms when she is on her tummy. She also moves her legs a little and bends them at the knee. Drake tries to get her up on her knees to get in crawling position but I am not in such a hurry to get her crawling. For now it is nice that when I put her down I know she will stay there!!! We aren't sure when she will start crawling but we are betting in another 4 weeks or so!

Fun with Daddy

2008-03-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves it when her Daddy comes home from work. She is usually all smiles when she sees him. On this day we were going out for a walk and I had to get a few shots of her having fun with Drake.

She's Growing up so fast

2008-03-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

The other day we took Olivia out for a walk and we put her in her fluffy warm suit that her Nana and Papa got for her. She has used it quite a bit this winter. I realized that as we are nearing the middle of march and the weather is warming she may not wear this again. It made me a little sad, she is just growing so fast!!!!

Olivia's First Tooth

2008-03-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning I found that Olivia had her first tooth poke through. It is her bottom center to the left tooth. Other than a lot of wakefulness and lots of drolling she hasn't shown too many signs of teething.

Baby Armchair

2008-03-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Olivia loves to be sitting up. One day I put 2 Boppy pillows together to prop her up and she loved it since she can't sit up on her own yet. This is her favorite toy.

Rolling even in her sleep!

2008-03-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

Olivia loves rolling so much that she often rolls onto her tummy during naps and sleep time. It scares us, especially because she likes to lay face first in the mattress. Her Doctor warned us that this could happen, and that it was OK but it still worries me!!! I had to snap a couple pictures during her nap time, she looked so sweet!

Outdoor Girl

2008-03-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

Olivia loves being outside in her baby Bjorn. We went frisbee golfing with some friends over the weekend which she enjoyed. Her Daddy goes Frisbee golfing every weekend with his buddies and this time all the wives and babies came too. We had to get Olivia a new white sunhat for all the time outside. I don't know what I would do without the baby carrier. Olivia spends time in it every day while I get things done around the house. She loves it, especially when I vaccum the house.

Peas??? I'm not sure about those!!!

2008-03-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have been busily making Olivia's baby food and so far she has liked Sweet potatoes, bananas, pears and rice cereal. I made her peas with Grandma when she was here but Olivia isn't too sure about them. She doesn't make a bad face she just keeps sticking her tongue out when they get in her mouth

Dining Naked

2008-03-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Even with two bibs on Olivia gets her food all over her! She likes to grab the bib and rub it on her face and hands. The food then ends up all over clothes. This time we just left her in her diaper and put on a bib. Olivia loves being in just a diaper anyway so I am sure she thought it was a great idea!

More fun with Gandma and Grandpa

2008-03-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

It was such a fun week with Granma and Grandpa! We were sad to see them leave. Olivia wants lots of attention these days so she loved every minute of their visit. Mommy loved it too! Thank you for coming Grandma and Grandpa see you in a few months!

Playtime!

2008-03-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

These days Olivia loves playing in her excersaucer. She often plays in it while I cookor clean up in the kitchen. Now that she is eating solid foods, I spend even more time in the kitchen. I have been making all of Olivia's baby food. She also likes toys she can hold and put in her mouth.

Grandma and Grandpa Come to Town!

2008-02-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Granma and Granpa got into town on Monday and Olivia is loving having them here. She loves to be hled and to have someone to play with right now. Here Doctor said from now and for the next 2 or 3 months she is in the "holding phase." Always wanting to be held... We are so glad to have them here, it will be a fun week!

Olivia's Bathtime Buddy

2008-02-27T09:07:00.000-08:00

Now that Olivia is eating solid foods she is having a lot more baths. She loves the little plastic hippo that tells us if the water is too hot. She loves splashing in the water and trying to scoop up the Hippo as it floats around. We think she might like to try swimming at the YMCA soon!

Funny Girl!

2008-02-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Eating is messy business with Olivia. She often likes to turn to the side in her bumbo chair and then suck on the chair. she like to do this even while eating her rice cereal. It gets quite messy!

Olivia's newest toy

2008-02-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

This was an exciting week for Olivia. Not only did she start solid foods she got to try out the exersaucer that we borrowed from Aunt Angela and Uncle Kevin. She loves standing up in it, exploring all the toys and of course trying to get the toys in her mouth.

She can't stop rolling!!!

2008-02-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Olivia loves rolling so much she has a hard time staying still for even a diaper change. Last night when her Daddy was changing her she was off rolling, naked bum and all! I also put in a couple of pictures of her right before we wnt ut for a walk.

Sweet Potatoes for our Sweet Potato

2008-02-23T19:09:00.000-08:00

Olivia had her 4 month check up on Wednesday. She weighed in at 14.5 pounds and measured 26.5 inches long. She is doing so well the Doctor felt it was time to start her on solid foods. Most babies wait until 6 months old but some are ready sooner. She had been waking up a lot at night, and sometimes crying for more after nursing and the doctor said that usually means a baby is ready. So for her first taste we gave her sweet potatoes. She loved them, although the only pictures we could get were of her looking a little odd. The whole time she ate she made mmmm mmmm sounds.

Rolling Baby!!

2008-02-15T17:40:00.000-08:00

Olivia just started to roll over in the past two days. Once she gets to her stomach she can not roll back so we help her and then it is right back to her stomach. Below is a video.

First Bites

2008-02-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Last week we started giving Olivia rice cereal. We probably could wait but since she will not take a bottle we are hoping she will get the hang of rice cereal in the next month so Mommy can have longer breaks. These are pictures of her first time withthe cereal. Most of it still ends up on her face and bib!

Party Girl!

2008-02-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Olivia went to her first ever birthday party. Natalie (daughter of our good friends Corey and Kim) turned 1 and we were there with about 15 of our friends. It was a fun party and Olivia loved being around all of the people. She did start the party by falling asleep in her Daddy's arms and then taking a little nap in the guest room at Corey and Kim's. Below is a picture of Drake and Olivia with Cory and Natalie. Natalie turned 1 on February 2nd and I will always remember her birthday becuase I was privledged to be at her birth. It was the very next day on Februaury 3rd that I found out I was pregnant with Olivia!

Olivia's Talents

2008-02-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

In the days befoer Olivia started rolling she started lifting her legs straight up in the air. After that she would learned to flop over to her side. This must have all been in preparation for rolling.

After Bath Time

2008-02-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

Olivia is so cute after her bath we had to snap some pictures. She usually cries after she gets out of the bath ( she likes it so much she never wants to get out) we can always make her happy by putting her in front of the fire. The she gets lotion and massage from head to toe.

Out for a Walk

2008-02-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

I have started walking every day (time to take the baby weight off!) and Olivia loves riding in the jogging stroller (courtesy of Nana and Papa). We also love to walk as a family with the dogs when Drake is home. On really cold days Olivia wears her warm suit (also courtesy of Nana and Papa!) We use the rain shield on windy days to protect her from the wind. Most of the time it is so beautiful that we just go without the warm stuff.

More Pics

2008-02-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Some more of Olivia. she loves to be held right now. She is even content sitting in her cousin Tatum's lap. She used to cry when she sat on Tatum's lap but now she is perfectly happy to take any lap available. She also to get her mouth on our arms or hands and use it like a pacifier. People say she must be teething but we aren't sure at this point.

Daddy's Girl

2008-02-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Olivia loves her Daddy! When Drake comes home her face lights up and she is so content to be with him. Her newest trick is that she can "stand" while being supported of course! She seems to like any position where she can look around more.

Isn't she cute????

2008-02-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Some more adorable pics of Olivia hanging around the house. We were finally able to capture her smile on camera. She smiles more and more every day but when we bring out the camera she is so intrigued by the camera, starts staring at it and stops smiling.

Football Fan

2008-02-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

We discovered that Olivia is a football fan. She liked watching the Sunday football games with her Dad and Mom.

Bumbo Girl

2008-02-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

Olivia loves her bumbo seat, that her Grandma and Grandpa got for her. She can't sit up on her own but now that she can hold her head up she loves sitting in the chair.

Finally more pictures!!!

2008-02-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Okay Okay, we have been really bad about updating this last month and boy have we been hearing about it (Grandma and Grandpa). We have been keeping up with the pictures they just haven't made it up on the blog. Olivia is doing wonderfully and we will try to capture the last month in the next grouping of posts to get you all caught up. Sorry its been so long but this little girl keeps us busy!!!

The Long Ride Home

2008-01-14T11:59:00.000-08:00

The drive back to Asheville was long and difficult. We got caught in a snow storm and had to drive 30 mph through the whole state of Ohio and through parts of Michigan and Kentucky. We were all happy to get home. safely.

With Daddy at a stop along the way, we were feeling pretty crazy

We finally stopped at 2am in Kentucky. Olivia was happy to stretch her little legs

Fun and Games

2008-01-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

We played lots of games while in Michigan and Olivia got to be front and center- literally! She loves laying on a blanket and looking around so she layed right in the middle of the table and we played cards around her. She was quite happy