loving life!

What a fun weekend it was! We didn't do a whole lot but we had a blast with Olivia. For the first time in a very long time we finally saw a glimpse of some nice weather. It reached 60 degrees and the sun was shining (it's about time!). So we took advantage and got out of the house. The thing that made our average weekend so special was watching Olivia as she took in every moment and responded with total joy! Her innocence is so humbling and the feeling I get as I watch her experience things for the first time is indescribable. She is loving life right now and I am loving the opportunity to experience it all again through her eyes!

She is more active than ever right now. So with the sun shining we decided to take her to a local park near our house. On the way I realized that I forgot my camera but we were too excited to turn around. So unfortunately I have no pictures to show of our fun on the swings and slides. The ground was still a little mushy from the tons of snow we got over the winter so we stuck to the playground area. Olivia immediately started smiling when she saw the swings so we knew it was a good place to start. If it was up to her she would be completely content having Todd and I push her all day long. After dragging her away from the swing we made our way to the slide. She went down with Mommy most of the time since she is still too small to handle it on her own. It was a blast but she was not pleased when we decided to pack up. So we made our way to TCBY for an ice cream treat, which helped to ease her pain a bit. It was a great afternoon!

Today we went to a Wizards baseball game. My boss at the gym invited us to join them in the suite that they had for today's game. It is the perfect way to see a game, especially if you have a little one. Not to mention, the weather was gorgeous...the perfect day for a ball game! Now Olivia has been to a baseball game before but she was only 8 months old at the time. Considering it was a Yankees game in New York, this experience would not be quite as exciting. Regardless, she enjoyed herself immensely! When we first arrived she was quite fascinated with the field and all of the people, so she just stood and took it all in.

The rest of the day she went back and forth between sitting outside and running around the indoor suite. The Wizard's mascot is a big green dragon named Dinger. It is a friendly looking dragon, so I thought Olivia would like him. Boy was I wrong! She saw him from a distance and thought he was pretty neat, but then he came into the suite and her feelings changed drastically! I think seeing him up close freaked her out and she immediately burst into tears. She wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. I tried not to laugh, but it was quite funny. Of course as soon as he left she was fine and she was looking at him across the park, waving and calling his name. Go figure! That traumatic event aside, it was another fun afternoon!

So in other news Olivia is growing up much faster than I ever thought possible! She is now a pro at using a fork. She had been working on stabbing her food for quite awhile and a few weeks ago it all clicked and now she has got it down! She has decided all together that she no longer wants to be fed. If she is going to eat she is going to do it on her own, and she will not allow Todd or I to feed her. She is still working on mastering the technique of the spoon, but I feel that is not far behind. Just look at her go...

Before I go I must share one last picture with you. Most of you know that until a few months ago Olivia was surrounded by many, many boy cousins (8 to be exact). But thanks to Todd's brother Barry, Olivia finally has a girl cousin to pal around with. Considering Ella is only a few months old it may be awhile before they are able to play together, so in the meantime Olivia will continue to rely on her boy cousins to provide endless entertainment. Last weekend Olivia's cousin Jake stopped with his dad for a visit. Of course Olivia has to do the weird, hide behind mommy's leg game for a few minutes whenever anyone comes over, but within seconds she was throwing herself all over Jake and putting on a show. It is fun to watch them play together even though Jake is much older than she is. She truly loves her cousin Jake which is quite apparent in this picture...

How cute is that? This child has so much love to give...it's crazy! She is so affectionate and I am just eating it up! I know I may be naive to think that she will always be this innocent and loving, but right now I am hoping that she always remains this happy, bright-eyed little girl that just loves life!