More Cousin Fun

Just a few more pics of our time in Livingston. Nathan had a very nice bath in the kitchen sink. I can't wait until he's old enough to join his big sister and cousin in the tub! Aiden and Olivia modeling their new jammies from Nanni. Olivia really likes his chair, and Aiden's not so sure that he should surrender his throne.

Thanksgiving Memories

We traveled to Livingston to spend the holiday with George's family. We stayed with Josh, Amanda and Aiden which gave the kids lots of time to play together. Here are a few pictures from Turkey Day:

Nathan hanging out in his swing and enjoying the delicious smells swirling around the house.

We really had a nice day and the food was scrumptious! Olivia's favorite was the cranberry mold, and of course, the pumpkin pie. She was moving amongst all of us asking, "More pie, please?" How could we resist?

After all that eating, the kids needed a bath. This is the first time we've had Olivia and Aiden in the tube together. George did a great job with the bathing beauties, and the kids had lots of fun splashing around together. This will be a great picture to embarrass the kids with when they're older.

We are so thankful to being living in Montana now. Close enough to enjoy the holidays with family and give Olivia and Nate the chance to really know their cousin and build lasting memories. Now, if the rest of my family weren't so far away...

Let It Snow!

It started snowing, and kept snowing, and kept snowing. Before we knew it, we had over a foot of snow outside by the Monday before Thanksgiving. I had to drag both kids out in the storm that morning for an emergent doctor's appointment for Olivia. We made it there and back safely, but I got the car stuck in the driveway when I was pulling back in. LOL I was so frustrated, I didn't think to take a picture of that, but it would have been the perfect addition to this batch of pictures of us having fun in the snow. Here's Olivia on Sunday night as the snow was falling... I tried to keep her from eating the snow, but fortunately, it was all freshly fallen so there was no risk of any yellow stuff. The next day, George was off. He and Olivia made a Snow Woman (see in background) and then did a little sledding around the neighborhood. Olivia kept face-planting in the snow when she would forget to hold onto the sled. Other than that, she had lots of fun!

MIA?

Okay, so I realize I haven't posted in awhile. My apologies. Between snowstorms, a Thanksgiving trip, and George working a lot of overtime, I haven't had much extra time to keep up. Fortunately, we've taken a lot of really cute pictures to document what's been happening while I've been MIA so I'll do my best over the next few days to catch you up on our recent adventures. Keep checking back for new posts!

Fall Fashion Report

I've published posts before about Olivia playing dress up.
She was at it again the other nite.

The look for the fall is women wearing menswear. The Style network says all you need to do is pair a crisp white shirt with a pair of slacks and some feminine accessories. Olivia grabs one of daddies t-shirts and thinks, "this should do" and then...as usual, we can't leave Buster out of the fun.
Here's a pair of daddies undies for Buster. LOL


Oh the indignity of it all!

Bubbles, Mama!

Recently, Olivia experienced a bubble bath for the first time.
Needless to say, it was a big hit!

She had so much fun making a bubble beard! The next day after lunch, she kept saying what sounded like "dubby" and I really didn't know what she was talking about so we went for a "walkie" so Livy could show me what she was saying. She took me to the tub. Apparently she wanted more bubble time. That nite, as I was running the water, she reminded me, "bubbles, mama." How could I forget? LOL

Cookie Time!

Last week we had the first visitor from my side of the family fly in from Florida: my niece Kathy. She hasn't seen Olivia since she was 9 months old, and of course, wanted to meet Nathan. She was here with us for 4 wonderful days! Olivia really enjoyed her and she was a big help to me...keeping my kitchen clean, my dishes done and even cooked us dinner one night! Thanks, Kath!


Kathy is always keeping Olivia outfitted in the cutest Gator gear. Here she is modeling her pretty Gator dress. It has matching bloomers that say "Gators" on the butt. Sooo cute! Olivia can't pronounce Kathy's name, so she was calling her what sounded like "Cookie." Olivia was running around constantly saying things like, "Cookie! Look!" or "Cookie, read book." For the first few days after she left, she'd wake up from her nap and say, "Cookie?" Too bad Cookie had to go bye bye. We miss her already! Here is Cookie with Nattie man...

Kathy says she misses the kids too. She's worried that next time she sees us, Livy will be able to say, "Kathy" and won't call her Cookie anymore. Don't worry Kath. You'll always be Cookie to us!

Snowy Morning

We woke up to a snowy yard yesterday. It wasn't really the first snow we've seen (had flurries on Sunday) but it was the first time it stayed around. Here is Olivia when she woke up to the "Winter Wonderland."

She stopped to make a snowball on our way into the Indoor Gym, and when we left the grocery store, snowflakes were falling so we stuck out our tongues to catch a few! I can't wait to see her enjoy the snow this winter. We've already bought her snowsuit so we are ready to go sledding!

Future Linebacker

I've been setting aside any Olivia's clothes that were gender neutral in hopes of using them for Nathan. Below you'll see Nathan wearing one of my favorite outfits that she's outgrown. Difference is Olivia was wearing it when she was 10 months old and nearly walking! Something tells me we have a little boy who's going to outgrow his big sister in no time flat!

Happy Halloween!

On Tuesday, we traveled to see George's family in Livingston so Olivia could go trick or treating with her cousin Aiden.

Olivia and Aiden getting ready. Aiden decided he DID NOT like the scarecrow costume so...

Kitty Kat and Skeleton went to see Grandpa at work.

Olivia was not one bit shy about sticking her bucket out for candy.

It's scary how CUTE we are, isn't it?

Despite the fact that I left the main part of Olivia's costume (the black velvet bodysuit) at home (blame it on sleep deprivation?), we still managed to pull together a pretty cute outfit for her. Most importantly, she stayed warm and had FUN!

Can't wait till next year!

Pop Rocks!

Bag of Pop Rocks: 98 cents.

Watching Olivia have pop rocks for the first time: priceless.


Being a parent is all about introducing your children to new experiences right? It was hilarious to see Olivia enjoy the Pop Rocks phenomenon for the first time. I tried to prepare her best as I could so she wouldn't be scared by the sensation. I told her it would feel funny in her mouth. She laughed and we laughed, then she said, "More pop pop!"

Silly Girl

Olivia is always cracking us up. She is definitely worth her weight in entertainment value! Here are some pictures of some of the silly things she's done lately.

Olivia split open her Elmo Halloween bucket and put it on like a hat.

She thought Nathan might like to play with her Elmo giggle ball and plopped it on his lap.

Buster's not safe either. She thought he might need a hat too.

Well needless to say, all the laughing helps us cope with some of the challenges of raising a toddler. She certainly is a character, and we look forward to enjoying more of her little shenanigans!

"Little" Man

It's hard to believe our little man is 2 months old. He's really starting to interact, hold our gaze, and coo at us. He has the most precious dimples when he smiles (and even when he cries). He goes in for his check up on 11/2 and we are very curious to see how much he weighs now. It sure seems like he has gained a lot! Olivia loves her "baby Nate." She likes to rub his head, and she wants to give him lots of "huggies."

Livy's Chompers

Back in April, Olivia only had 6 teeth. As you can see in the picture on the right (taken yesterday), Olivia now has a mouth full of teeth. She is really beginning to look like a little girl now.

Today at lunch, we told her she needed to use her chompers to eat. She thought we were making a reference to the Gator Chomp, and replied, "Go Gay-gay!" That is Olivia-speak for "Go Gators!"

Our Little Boy

Announcing Nathan Dean Alkire
Born 9/2/07 at 2:03pm
8lbs 14 oz and 21 1/4 inches long

Old Made New Again

We got a big surprise today! Grandma and Grandpa in Florida sent Olivia the baby crib that I played with as a child. They had it refinished, and Grandma constructed a new mattress with cover, pillow and blanket for the baby dolls. There was also a new baby doll complete with diaper bag. Olivia is trying out the bottle!

Apparently, this crib is quite the antique. It was manufactured in the late 40s, early 50s, and my mom paid 50 cents for it at a garage sale when I was Olivia's age!

County Fair Time

The Ravalli County Fair is here! We started the day off by watching the parade downtown, and then met George at the fairgrounds after work. Olivia rode the carousel (she wouldn't sit on a horse), visited the animal barns, and shared some elephant ear with mommy. It was great fun! Then I got to play "wee" with daddy and Grandma Theresa on the way back from the sheep barn.

The BIG Project

So I had this grand idea to install a 6' x 10.5' Noah's Ark Wallpaper Mural on the wall in the kids' room, but since we are renting, we can't wallpaper. We decided to mount the mural on plywood, and attach that to the wall. George's boss helped him create a fancy framing system, and Olivia decided to help George with the paint! Good thing it was latex paint!














We're pretty excited about the finished product. Olivia is really enjoying it too. She wakes up from her nap and says, "Wow!"

Dressing Up

Olivia has become very interested in trying to put her own clothes or putting clothes on her dollies. This time, she somehow managed to pull on a pair of her Elmo panties, and then finished the outfit with a pair of my underwear twisted in a figure eight between her head and her leg! Don't worry, the underwear were clean! LOL

Future Makeup Artist?

Yesterday we had some friends over for a BBQ. While we were busy visiting, Olivia snuck off into my bathroom and raided my makeup bag. By the time I realized she was M.I.A., she had devoured an entire Burt's Bees tinted lip balm, and had started mixing in some mascara! Never a dull moment around here!

Momma's Helper

Well I've had that spurt of energy, so Olivia and I tackled washing the car. She had lots of fun playing in the suds. We also straightened up the garage and got the infant car seat installed. Now we are just waiting on the little guy to join us!

Eerie Evening

This was the view from our front porch on Sunday nite as a result of the forest fires. It was a really creepy shade of amber. Monday morning, there was actually soot on my kitchen windowsill!

A Berry of a Good Time!

Last week we drove up to Lost Horse Creek in search of huckleberries. All the berries at the lower elevations were shriveled up, but we were able to find a decent patch a little further up. Olivia had so much fun eating the berries (notice the huckleberry goatee)! Afterwards, George's friend Jesse did a little fly fishing in the creek. He caught a little trout and Olivia got to touch it. She had fun in the cold creek water too!

Happy Girl

Olivia is the happiest when she's following daddy outside around the yard, watering the plants and moving sprinklers. She has recently discovered the joy of splashing in puddles too!

Skalkaho Falls

On the way back from visiting George's family in Livingston, MT, we took a different route home: The Pintlar Scenic Loop. Most of it is only open in the summer time because a good portion of the road is what George calls a "windey goat path." About 20 miles from home are the Skalkaho Falls. Made for a great photo op, and the water was nice and cold so Buster got to have a little sip. As you can see, Elmo was along for the ride!

Lake Como

We took Olivia to Lake Como, which is about 5 miles south of town. They have a sand beach area with a little wading area for the kids. It was so nice! She wasn't so sure about getting in the water, but explored a little with daddy by her side.

Country Weekend

Many of you razzed us when we moved from the big city onto Hay Field Lane. On Friday, the hay field adjacent to our yard was getting it's first cut of the summer. That night, I was doing dishes as the smell of manure wafted thru the open window. Made me think of the Green Acres tv show. I was feeling a bit like Zsa Zsa.






Last nite we loaded Livy up for her nightly walk around the neighborhood. Poor Buster, who turned 12 last week, is having some trouble with his back leg. We tried to load him up for the ride. He only made it to the end of the driveway before jumping out. He laid in a shady spot on the lawn until we got back. On the way, daddy picked Olivia a morningstar, a buttercup, and a wild rose which she ate, petal by petal. We also saw a deer on the far end of the hay field by some brush. We've seen tracks on the dirt road, and some deer "berries" in our yard so we knew they were amongst us. It was neat to see one!

The Family Wagon

So, we finally decided to get rid of our gas-guzzling SUV. We'll miss the extra space, but we won't miss putting over $60 in the gas tank at a time. Since I grew up in a family of station wagon lovers, this 2003 VW Passat Wagon was a natural choice, and we love it! It's got a 4-cyl turbo engine with a manual transmission. It's fun to drive, and comfortable too. Livy likes to look out the window and say "neigh" or "moo" depending on the animal we drive by. Not sure what she'll say when we drive by our neighbor's buffalos or the llamas in town. LOL Probably, "Oh wow."

Duck Pond

Olivia got to see lots of ducks and geese up close and personal at the local duck pond. She kept running around saying, "Bawk bawk!" The pond is also stocked with some pretty big trout. No fishing allowed. :-(

My 1st Haircut

Olivia had her bangs trimmed on 6/2 and she was very cooperative. I think she likes the salon as much as her mommy does. :-)

I'm Baaaack!

Well it has been over 3 months since I've added any new posts. My apologies. Between work and the first trimester fog, I just couldn't find the extra energy to post anything. Since my last post, a lot has changed for us...we've moved from Seattle to Montana (George's home state) and he has a new job working for Glaxo Smith Kline. We're only 4 hours from his parents now so we've been fortunate enough to see them 3 times in the last month, even if the visits were brief. I am finishing up my health coaching job so I can spend more time with Olivia before the new baby comes. At some point I am hoping to get a per diem position at the hospital in Missoula so I can keep my clinical skills up.

We go in for my 20 week check on Tuesday, and the BIG ultrasound. Any guesses on the gender of "little bean?"

As for Olivia, she is doing great! She loves our big yard, and is doing the typical toddler things. We got her a wagon so daddy can pull her down the road to see the neighbor's horses, and she loves to bounce around the yard in it too. We had a bit of a scare with her yesterday. First, the neighbor's lab knocked her down, actually just laid her out, in the gravel part of the driveway because he was too excited about playing fetch. She got two big goose eggs on the back of her head that even had little lacerations from the rocks. Then, last nite, she was following daddy into the kitchen, and she slipped, and landed right on the back of her head again. We were worried sick all nite about a closed head injury or some other worst case scenario. She got a good nite's sleep though and has been playing all day. She's a tough little cookie. Doesn't stop the worrying though.

I guess that's all for now. Thanks for hanging in there during my absence. I promise to be better!

Olivia Loves Disco

Baby Loves Disco - Happy New Year