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!