We also went to a party for Todd's job recently. It was outdoors at Paige's Crossing in Columbia City. It was a little chilly but Olivia had a great time playing miniature golf for the first time. It was not the most organized round of golf but it was fun watching her try to smack the ball with the putter. They had a fun playground that she enjoyed but unfortunately she was too young to go on any of the rides. As you can imagine she was not happy about that!
We are loving our new house and our neighborhood. There are multiple ponds throughout the neighborhood and most of them are in walking distance from our house. A few weeks ago my Mom took Olivia for a walk to one of the ponds and they realized that the fish really like cheerios! Since then we have taken Olivia to the ponds many times so she can feed the fish her cheerios. They immediately rush to the surface to chomp on them. It is a fun thing for her to do and all we have to do is walk down the street. Of course she can't give all of her cheerios to the fishies. She must munch on a few too!
When it is too chilly to be outdoors Olivia enjoys snuggling up with her Daddy in our new BIG chair! It is the perfect size for both of them. This is usually what they do right before Olivia heads off to bed. 
Speaking of bed, Olivia has started climbing out of her crib! Oh, I thought we were going to skip this stage. Up until now she has never attempted to get out. Last week, while she was supposed to be napping, I heard some noise coming from her room. I opened her door to find her sitting on the floor, looking through some books, with shoes on her feet and a paci in her mouth. The look on her face was priceless once she realized she was busted. I have no idea how she got out, but she obviously did not hurt herself. We had a talk about it and I asked that she not get out of her crib without help from me. She told me she would stay in her bed and she did...until this past Sunday. One week later, during nap time once again, she got out. It has only happened twice and so far she has stayed in her crib at night, but it soon may be time to transition to the toddler bed. I am not ready for her to move into a big girl bed yet, and I do not think she is completely ready yet either. We will just see how things go but it may be happening sooner rather than later.
Finally, Olivia had picture day at school last week. This is the one day when we are asked to dress them up for school. Pictures are taken first thing so they can then change into their play clothes and go about their day. It gave me the opportunity to put Olivia in a very cute outfit that she does not get to wear very often. I snapped a few shots of my own before we left for school. She was more than happy to give me one of her big cheesy grins. When I picked her up that afternoon her teacher told me that picture day went great but that they had a heck of a time getting Olivia to smile. I guess she used them all up on me. I am anxious to see how her class picture turned out. I cannot imagine trying to get a large group of toddlers to sit still long enough to take a picture.
We have a fun weekend coming up. Friday is Halloween, of course. We are looking forward to taking Olivia trick-or-treating as she understands how it works a little better this year. We took her for a test drive in her costume tonight by taking her to the Zoo Halloween. It was a ton of fun and Olivia enjoyed collecting her candy. Not to mention the fact that she looked ADORABLE! Check back next week for a Halloween wrap-up. Until then I hope that everyone has a very safe and fun Halloween!
Olivia has adjusted to her new house amazingly well. I figured that she would, because she adapts to new situations very quickly, but I thought she would be confused for awhile and may not sleep well the first few nights in her new bedroom. Well I was wrong! This kid never ceases to amaze me. She has been sleeping great from the very first night and she loves to announce "Livie's new house!" when we pull into our driveway. Now Olivia's babysitter is next door to where we used to live. The first few days she asked why there were different people at her house, but since then she hasn't given her old house another look. We tried our best to explain the situation to her and I think she really understands. She now refers to each house as her "old house" and "new house". As always Olivia has been very busy with school, tap class and spending time with her grandparents, which is another reason the move has not had much of an effect on her. We took Olivia to her old house the day after we moved so she could see her room for the last time. She was very confused by the fact that the house was completely empty, but she was immediately fascinated with the fact that her voice echoed in each empty room. I had to take a few final pictures so we could remind her of her amazing first bedroom. 
Now that we have a bigger house we are finding that we need more stuff to fill it up. Todd and I have been buying a few small pieces of furniture to fill in spaces here and there. Last week Todd was putting together an end table and Olivia decided that she wanted to help her daddy. She said, "daddy, I use screwdriver". So Todd handed her a screwdriver and she attempted to help him with the table. It was such a cute moment. She is so interested in everything these days and always wants to try things on her own. Being in Montessori school has really brought out her independence. She has always been independent but now I think she thinks she is ready to move out on her own! 
After a very long and exhausting week Todd and I were able to get away and celebrate our 4 year anniversary which was last week. Last year my Mom gave us a gift certificate she won at a silent auction to a little bed and breakfast in Berne, Indiana called The Schug House. We thought this would be the perfect time to use it. I was dying to get away from all of the boxes and just relax in a quiet little town. The B&B was amazing! The house was so old and historic. It was also very private and quaint. Aside from being the furniture capital of Indiana, Berne does not have a great deal to offer in the way of dining or entertainment. We decided to drive into Decatur to try Marko's, which was highly recommended to us. We had a wonderful dinner and returned to the B&B for a full night's sleep. The next morning the innkeeper served us a very nice breakfast and we were able to talk with him about the house and it's history. It was the perfect getaway and I am so glad we went. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to get away from life's daily stresses and just enjoy some peace and quiet. Plus, how cute is this place?
So the past week has been a whirlwind, but we are slowly getting settled and falling into a routine at our wonderful new house. The next step is decorating. I am dying to get the rooms painted and designed. I know it will take awhile, but I have the whole winter ahead of me. The next thing we have to get ready for is Olivia's 2nd birthday. In a few short weeks we will be celebrating this milestone and throwing our very first party at the new house. Yikes! I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that our daughter is turning two! I have much more to update everyone on but I must put an end to this post. Now that we are settled I hope to fall back into a regular blogging routine. Thanks again, to everyone who helped us move and to those who have helped us get settled. We could not have done it without you. It is a nice feeling to be able to say "home, sweet home". Plus, the view is great!
I can't believe the big day is almost here. The past few weeks have been a blur. We have been packing non-stop, making calls and signing papers. I don't think I have stopped moving long enough to actually realize that our time in this house is almost up. I just put Olivia to bed and it was hard to choke back the tears. We have been talking to her about the changes that will take place very soon. We also told her that she will have a new bed room that will have much more room for all of her toys. Now when we ask her if she is excited to move to her new house she says, "Yes, new bedroom!". I am still preparing for a freak-out the first few nights. But she will adjust quickly and start having a blast in her new house before we know it. 
