Storybook Forest

We ventured up to Arcadia to the Storybook Forest we had been hearing so much about. It had originally started as a grand plan of going with all of our favorite friends, but life happened and we went just the 3 of us and had a great time. Luckily we had been prepared for the hour long wait in the car just to get in (and we got there fairly early) and then the long lines to get into the forest.

"Hey Olive, are you ready to go to the forest? They might give you treats!"

"Treats! Let's go!"

I have had my camera for almost a year and have never taken the time to learn how to use it. Knowing that it was getting dark, I assumed the "night portrait" setting would be my best bet, apparently that wasn't a good choice and the majority of pics are blurry until I set it to "auto" and they became perfectly clear. Oh well, I will know for trick or treat!

Olive was so excited about running around and jumping while we waited in line, that she became "hot" and took her jacket off. It stayed off the rest of the night. Please do not turn us in, we were not being negligent, she wouldn't put it on. She kept saying "no, I hot." Stephen and I were cold, hence the heavy coat and layers.

The Little Old Lady Who Lived In A Shoe!

"Who is next?"

The Itsy Bitsy Spider!Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater!

"Who else?"

The Three Little Pigs! She wanted to go in that door so badly, she couldn't figure out why it wouldn't open.

When we were finished seeing all of the characters, we went to play some fun games. And to see Clifford! She was so excited to see him, but not so excited to be so close to him. Waiting in line for the hayride, keeping herself warm by jumping off of hay bales. Snuggling with Daddy before the hayride! We had a great time and can't wait to go back next year!

Happy Birthday Granny!

My sweet Granny turned 89 last Wednesday! We couldn't wait to celebrate with her! Last Sunday, we had a little birthday lunch at my Mom's complete with cake. Olive doesn't believe that you can have a birthday without cake. When we pulled up to Mom's, Olive yelled "Yeah! Gigi's birthday! CAKE!"

Apparently someone enjoyed the cake! Look at that frosting mustache!

Olive had to help Gigi open her cards. By helping, it means doing it for her.

On her actual birthday, we surprised her at the nursing home with a special present! We asked our friends and family to send birthday cards to us and we bound them together as a special book for her to look through. We got 90 cards! I know that she will love looking at all of the cards over and over again!

Granny's little sister, Dessie and her daughter, Sharla came into town to help celebrate the big day! We took Gigi to supper and by the time it was over, she was all celebrated out. Happy Birthday Granny! We were so happy to get to celebrate this big day with you!

A Halloween Tradition

We love the street we live on! We were so blessed to have 5 babies born within 6 weeks of each other. Olive is the youngest of the original 5. We started a tradition their first Halloween of taking a group picture in their costumes. Let's take a walk down Halloween memory lane...

2009:
Liam, Cora, Knox, Avery and Olive

On the porch!
Liam, Cora
Olive, Knox and Avery

Our friend Avery moved during the next year, but we still had 4 to get together.

2010
Liam, Olive
Cora and Knox

During the last year, 2 additional blessings joined our street! Elly, last December and baby Claire in September! And yes, Olive is wearing the same costume because she continues to refuse to wear her new one.

2011:
Olive, Cora, Knox
Liam, Claire and Elly

All of the parents were standing in the yard making the most ridiculous noises trying to get them to smile! It is so fun for Olive to have so many friends who are so close! Happy Halloween!

Some Girls Are Born With Glitter In Their Veins...

Today we were making birthday cards for Gigi (shhh, don't tell her) and I decided to let Olive put glitter on her's. Why did I not realize this was going to be a new obsession? She was so excited for many reasons: 1. squeezing glue 2. SPARKLY! 3. Crazy shake. We ended up making 4 more glitter pictures before I shut it down.
Look at the tongue out concentration...this is serious business.

One just isn't enough!

Hope you have a sparkly day!

Pumpkin Fun!

Olive has 4 little pumpkins that we were ready to decorate. She had been asking to paint them, so yesterday we got out the paint and she went to town!

Today we were ready to make their faces. I had cut out shapes from black cardstock for her to mod podge on. I was shocked at how much she liked this because her hands stayed pretty goopy the whole time!
Pick up the shape...

Stick it on...

And cover it with mod podge to make it stick!

Notice the paper clip in her hair? We had gone to the basement to get something and she spotted my container of colored paper clips. She grabbed one, ripped her bow out and said "My new bow!" Well, okay.

They turned out pretty cute!

We had a ton of left over shapes and she kept asking for another pumpkin, so we glued the rest to a paper pumpkin.

She would point to where she wanted the glue...

and then stick on the shape!

Admiring her work

Proudly displayed on the refrigerator!

Aviation Festival

Every Saturday after Stephen and Olive go to the donut shop, they drive through the airport to see the airplanes. Most Saturdays, they get out of the truck and stand at the fence to look at them. So imagine how excited we were when we found out the Aviation festival was this weekend! We knew Olive would be so pumped! We were walking by the airplanes which she was so excited about and then she saw one of her favorite things in the whole wide world...A FIRETRUCK! I don't think I have ever seen her run toward something so fast! She knows where every single fire station is in Norman and will request certain routes home so that we can pass the fire station. After seeing if the doors are closed or open, she has to call Stephen to give him the full report. It usually sounds something like this "Daddy! The firetrucks! 2 open, 1 closed! I see red, yellow!" This is what she says even if it isn't accurate. She is always so devastated if all of the doors are closed and usually replies "OH MAN! THEY CLOSED!" with disgust in her voice. Getting to see one up close was so great! The nice fire chief even offered to take a family pic!

She got to check out all of the equipment...

A very happy little girl!

Next we checked out the "Mobile Command Unit" which is an all purpose computer and meeting center with a weather center inside on wheels. It was pretty impressive. Olive wanted to "drive" and use the radio.

Next she got to check out the helicopters!

And the airplanes!

Maybe someday she will be a pilot, or the fire chief, who knows?!
She and Daddy raced to the car when we were finished. She kept saying "run Daddy! faster!"