Chris&Alisa

Who's the Boss?

2012-01-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

My kid likes to tell me what to do. It's like I'm being chased around by a tiny drill sergeant all morning. She has a program and there can be NO deviation program. Her favorite game right now is "Daddy and Olivia Hide from the Dinosaur." We both, simultaneously, have to run to her bed and hide under the covers, concealing ourselves from a tiny plastic dinosaur that stands by the front door. When the dinosaur fails to attack, we have to get out of bed and check on its status. Repeat. Occasionally I'll make the mistake of trying to mix things up. "Let's hide on the couch" I'll suggest, or "I'll be the dinosaur and come to get you." No, that's not the way it works. We BOTH hide on the BED from the DINOSAUR. That's it!

I don't get on her case about the bossiness too much. I suppose it just comes with being three. Besides, her two biggest role models spend most of their time bossing her around. What do we expect her to do?

Having a nice tea party ("we're having a TEA SET," Olivia will correct me) seems to be a good way to channel all this bossy energy. Something about the protocol and propriety of a tea party makes it the perfect outlet. She can host the party, pour the tea, direct the action. Daddy just has to sit and say "Cheers!"

3! 3! 3!

2011-12-20T11:49:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the late post--the third birthday post no less! Miss Olivia was feeling a little under the weather yesterday as evidenced by this photo taken at 10:00 a.m. on her birthday:

While I was in the kitchen doing dishes, she pulled a blanket over herself and went to sleep on the couch. Later, feeling better, we met up with family and friends at Mississippi Pizza and watched and danced to Mr. Ben and ate lots of pizza and cupcakes. A fine time was had by all.

By this morning, Olivia was feeling back to her old self. She even had a tea party with her new toys:

Three is a huge deal. There's so much more that Olivia can do and is interested in. She does a lot of imaginative play and I hear non-stop chatter in her room when she's "reading" and putting all of her babies to sleep. We find babies sleeping everywhere covered up with whatever she can find--scarves, dish towels, dirty socks...if it can lay flat, it can be a blanket.

Olivia experienced her first ballet when Grandma took all of the cousins to the Nutcracker on Sunday. She seemed to enjoy it for about 30 minutes and then fell asleep for the rest of the performance. Oh, well. In a few months, she's taking her first ballet class and I'm very excited for her to be able to twirl with abandon.

Three is a very good year!

Playtime

2011-11-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

Our reenactment of the opening scene of "The Lion King" using dinosaurs instead of animals of the African savannah.

2 years and 11 months!

2011-11-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

When I asked Chris what he might want to write for Olivia's 2 years & 11 months post, he said, "This kid is driving me crazy!"

Let's be honest folks, this is is a tough age. The desire to accomplish things far exceeds ability and parents' patience. Take for instance, shoes. She wants to put on her own shoes and socks but can't get her feet in either. The entire enterprise ends with screaming tears and thrown shoes and Mommy and Daddy looking on with absolutely no idea what to do. There were a few days where everything (and I do mean everything) caused Olivia to hit the closest thing possible in fits of frustrated rage. This prompted me to to establish three house rules, that would seem obvious to everyone but evidently not if you are 2.11 years old. The rules are: No hitting, no throwing, no yelling. Seems pretty easy to follow? Let's just say there were many time-outs and many repeats of our house mantra, no hitting, no throwing, no yelling...

On the other hand, Miss O can be such a love. How can you not love that sweet little face?! The other day she walked over to her dad who was bent over, putting on his shoes. She put her hand on his back and said, "You're a good guy." She's loving and considerate and calls every new kid she meets her "friend." She loves to sing the songs we've learned at story time, she likes to read her books and magazines, she'll invent dialog when the television is on mute or when she's set up a scene involving her dolls and critters. She even told me recently,"Mama, you are my best friend because you are very helpful snapping my shoe." In other words, she's a joy to behold when she's in a good mood.

I told Chris that I just think it's the terrible twos last hurrah.

God I hope so.

Halloween! (Use the Force!)

2011-11-01T16:32:00.001-07:00

Olivia in the Princess Leia costume Chris and I made (Chris made the belt, I sewed the dress):

Darth Vader's evilness is softened by Princess Leia's presence:

Leaves and things we found outside to decorate the mantle:

Alisa's pumpkin:
Chris's wicked pumpkin:

Olivia's pumpkin:

A Week Away

2011-10-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

Olivia and I recently returned from a week-long journey through Tennessee and Kentucky. The original plan was for Alisa to come along, but work and school got in the way and she had to cancel. And so I found myself as Olivia's primary provider and protector through sixteen hours of air travel, four hours of driving and six days worth of visiting with relatives back east.

Flying with a two-year-old is difficult, to say the least. Olivia was not satisfied to sit in her seat for more than ten minutes at a time. Usually this was fine as I could sit her in my lap or walk her down to the restroom. It was when the seatbelt sign was on and I couldn't let her out of her seat that the fun really began. I don't believe I've ever heard a child howl quite as loudly as Olivia did on that plane trip. It was non-stop, blood-boiling rage for what seemed like hours. My dad jumping up to offer gum. My brother getting up, squinting with discomfort, to recommend I check her car seat for the next leg of the flight. The passengers sitting around me closing their eyes and going far, far away inside themselves. Oh, and the flight back was just as bad. All in all, an experience I would sooner forget.

Our time spent in Tennessee by comparison was pure bliss. A quiet cabin in the woods outside Townsend, TN. Entire days spent lazing around in the hot tub. I got to meet a quieter, more self reliant Olivia than I was accustomed to. At home I usually don't get to spend time with her until late afternoon when she's tired and a bit cranky. At the cabin I sat by while she quietly entertained herself with books and drawing for hours. She got to ride a pony, pet puppies and feed goats. I spent almost every moment by her side for five days and we couldn't have been happier.

Here's to spending more time with your kids. I'm already looking forward to our next trip, though i think we may try to avoid air travel this time around.

Chris

2 years and 10 months!

2011-10-19T20:08:00.001-07:00

Miss Olivia has had many adventures this month, the biggest being her trip with her dad, Granddad, Nona, Uncle Ian, Auntie Helen and Gus to visit the Paynter clan in Kentucky and Tennessee. It was quite the tour of the Smoky Mountains and her granddad's hometown of Middlesboro, KY. Here's a picture of Olivia with her Granddad seeing the fall colors of the Smokies:

Life around the house has been sometimes challenging, but most of the time very fun. There is singing and dancing and even repeating of favorite movie lines. She gets a very serious face, puts her hands on her hips and says the line from Tangled: "I'm the lost princess. Aren't I?!"

And speaking of magical thinking, Olivia has started talking about monsters and dragons and being afraid of them, though she'll soon talk herself out of being afraid by saying, "it's just a little tiny dragon." We like to go on walks in the afternoon to look for neighborhood cats that we can pet, though the walk usually ends up a journey to find monsters and big, big leaves.

She's also showing her compassionate side much more. A little boy at the park was calling out for his mother and Olivia heard him from the other side of the play structure and kept asking him if he was alright. Finally she walked up and over stairs and stood right beside him. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Don't worry, we'll find your mommy." She likes when people or her dolls hug. She says, "They love their 'chothers."

One of her favorite games is hiding, and here she is in her "nest" aka a very large basket:

She is also a fan of her numbers and letters:

She's my little cutie pie.

2 years and 9 months

2011-09-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

"She wants her babies." It's 6am and Olivia is crouching in front of the fireplace in the living room.

"What babies?" I ask.

Olivia lowers her chin and looks up at me with an expression that says she's about to tell me something very serious and factual. "Shovel babies," she says.

"Ahh." I realize she's talking about the brass fireplace shovel that is leaning against the mantel. Last night as I tried to build a fire she had shown a lot of interest in it. This morning it is a mommy shovel with babies.

As it happens, there are a couple of little plastic shovels in the toy box. I dig them out and present them as the missing babies. Olivia is satisfied with this and proceeds to arrange the baby shovels around their mommy, speaking softly to them in a reassuring tone.

Olivia is starting to do a lot of this kind of pretend play. Her toys talk to each other. She changes the pitch of her voice to give each one a distinct personality. The toys ask about each other's wellbeing. They discuss their relationships. Usually these relationships are of the parent/child sort. The toys have needs. Usually they want their mommies and daddies. Sometimes they want their babies.

Sometimes there's danger. Olivia has invented a game called "Hide from the Dragon" wherein she yells "Here comes the dragon!" and we have to hide under a blanket until it's gone. When did she hear about dragons? When was the last time we watched or read anything having to do with dragons?

This is the kind of thing that amazes me. The way she collects information autonomously. I realize I've been taking it for granted that she only retains the information we consciously pass on to her. She's actually pulling this stuff in from everywhere, processing it, turning it into things I never could have expected. Like shovel babies.

This is a very sad-faced picture of her, but it's the most recent one I have. Her face was so full of pathos I couldn't resist taking the shot. She's actually a pretty happy kid, but this shot is still 100% Olivia.

Chris

Sculpture

2011-09-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is what Olivia spent a good deal of time on yesterday: an assemblage of Brain Quest cards, coasters, a magic wand, and broken a green necklace. She called it her sculpture and that the green necklace was keeping the magic wand warm.

2 years and 8 months!

2011-08-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

(Chris wanted to write this month's update, but he's out of town for work so I'm giving him a pass. This time.)

This month has been full of sunshine (finally!). Chris and I had our four year wedding anniversary and celebrated with a kid-free night at Salishan. On our actual anniversary on the 18th, a Thursday, we three had burritos at Taco del Mar, a walk around a super cute neighborhood in southeast, and then ice cream at Pix. Pretty much a perfect date.

As for Olivia, she's been enjoying her social life filled with lots of other friends, both known and unknown. She really loves her cousin Isabel and they even got to have a sleep over last weekend at Granddad's. She also loves her other cousin Elena, though, they are so similar in age and therefore so similar in what aggravates each other that tears are shed in equal numbers with hugs. Chris thinks it will be a good thing to get her into a preschool when she turns three, so stay tuned for news about that.

Olivia also loves her favorite game, "go to sleep," which is pretty nice for me when I just want to relax. She brings all of her stuffed animals from her bed and piles them up around me, covers my toes with a blanket, and reads me a story. She also sings a lot, including a selection of songs from "Tangled" which is also her favorite movie. What's funny is that she sings at the top of her lungs with pure joy and gusto, "And at last I see the light!" And she mimics the way the singers get quiet or loud. Chris and I get a kick out of hearing her sing and hope she'll continue.

As for potty training, I dare say we're done! We're not using diapers during the day or night. A few weeks ago, she said she didn't want to have diapers on at night, so Chris came up with the brilliant idea of putting a potty in her room. Now, if she has to pee at night or during her nap, she'll get up, pee into her little potty, and get back into bed. Incredible!

One last thing: Olivia is very polite. I'm not sure where it comes from. When someone gives her a compliment, she'll say, "Thank you very much!" And when we were getting ready to go to our friend's house last night, she looked at my dress and said, "Mama, you look wonderful."

Love this kid.

Ecentricities and things I don't want to forget

2011-08-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

Olivia is entering what I hope is a never ending eccentric phase. She's so interested in dress-up, imaginary creatures, and creative play.

Here she is reading her "newspaper" in her swimsuit (it's actually a publication I wrote for the Oregon Arts Commission):

Trying on Mommy's sparkly high heels with a twirly skirt:

Putting Daddy to bed with a parasol and every other toy in the room. Also note the lucite heels she's teetering on:

She calls her braids "parades" because she loves parades and thinks she looks especially beautiful with her hair done this way:

Trying to get the hang of sunglasses:

Where are we going today?

2011-08-06T13:28:00.001-07:00

That's a question I hear approximately one million times a day.

2 years and 7 months!

2011-07-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

(Sorry that this is a day late, we were at the beach as you can see.)

This has been quite a busy month! At the beginning of July, we went to my hometown, Philomath, Oregon for my 20-year high school reunion. While we were there, Olivia got to see her first rodeo. I thought maybe it would be too scary for her--the fast horses, the throwing of the calves to the ground, etc., but she loved it.

She took to country life pretty easy, actually. She was kind of obsessed with the tractors at the Philomath Frolic.

Chris and I both fantasize about moving to the country, living off the grid, buying goats and making cheese... We would love for Olivia to grow up with a familiarity and love of the outdoors that rural living fosters, but alas, I think we (the grown-ups) would get bored after a while. But, it makes me happy to show Olivia where I was raised and let her experience the truly simple pleasures of small town life.

Another adventure this month was our annual all-girl trip to the beach. It was super-fun with cousins Franny, Hazel, Ava & Elena, Grandma and aunties. Olivia's favorite part seemed to be blowing bubbles with Franny and playing in the pools created during low tide with Elena.

Besides our travels, Olivia's been growing and changing every day. She makes up games for us to play, for instance today, she took toys away from me and then I had to cry and she gave them back. (I didn't say they were particularly interesting games.) Her games seem to mirror things she's having trouble with in other parts of her life, like when she has to share her toys. She also takes her Little Critters and has them talk to each other and likes to organize them in little scenes, like all in bed or sitting at their tables. She's probably 75% understandable in her everyday conversation which makes all of us much less irritable.

2.7 is awesome.

2 years and 6 months!

2011-06-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

We've had quite a month this month. The biggest activity was our trip to NYC to visit Grandma Marjie. Olivia did great on the plane, in the car, on the subways, taxis, and just generally in the city. One of the cutest things is how she surprised so many New Yorkers with her squeaky-voiced hellos.

Not that Olivia is always the charming ambassador of toddlerhood, in fact, we've taken to calling her the Littlest Dictator. Let's just say she has ideas for how she wants things done and isn't afraid to tell you. "You stand right here," she'll announce, pointing to a spot on the ground. If her loyal subject does not stand in that exact spot, that tiny speck of space she's determined is the correct spot, she'll keep pointing with her tiny finger. "No, here! Stand right here!" I have to admit that her aggravation is amusing to me, an issue she'll no doubt tell her therapist some day.

Her *ahem* assertiveness comes out as bravery in other aspects of her world, such as her love of very high slides at the playground and open spaces where she can wander. She also has not problem singing, playing music, or dancing when the feeling strikes her. (I'm going to put it out into the world that I think we have a performer on our hands.)

2.5 is very good indeed.

Bangs!

2011-05-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

2 years and 5 months!

2011-05-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

Now that summer has started, our daily activity options have multiplied. Olivia enjoys throwing rocks, dripping water, picking mint, swinging and sliding--all activities best explored outdoors. As her granddad says, Olivia's a very busy girl. And that's probably why this month she's had some significant bumps and bruises. In one three day period, she fell of the side of the couch, bloodied her knee at the zoo, got a black eye from falling into the side of a wood chair, and got a piece of mint lodged so far up her nose, we had to go to urgent care to have a professional remove it. (I don't think I'll ever let her forget that one...:) But, she wants--needs--to explore and these are just the bumps along the way.

Other than her many adventures, she's also taken to the wearing a tiara. She got the idea from somewhere and then started wearing a metal ring, the kind that goes around a canning jar, on her head and calling herself a princess. Here she is last weekend wearing her new $1 tiara in the St. Johns Parade:

All this princess stuff really wears a girl out:

It's hard not to indulge in all of the princess merchandise--but I think that if she's using her imagination to create what she thinks a princess looks like, then that's better than buying a Disney-approved outfit or accessory. What bothers me most is that princesses don't do anything, they don't fly or have superpowers, they just sit there and look pretty in their costumes and I don't think that's such a great message. But, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to ponder this issue in years to come.

In other news, Miss O now has a toddler bed and for the most part she's been doing well and staying put once she goes to bed for naps and for the night. I think Chris and I were prepared for a lot more resistance, but so far it's been fine.

Yeah for summer and yeah for everyone doing fine.

Couldn't resist

2011-05-07T21:06:00.001-07:00

Couldn't resist posting a few pics from the past month. ( I love this pic of Chris & Olivia.)

Olivia asked me to put her hair in pony tails and a clip... Obviously the whole adventure got out of control...

At the zoo, in a hat.
I was wearing a scarf, so she had to wear her scarf too.

2011-04-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

I just found this picture while cleaning out my inbox. I took it about a week or so ago over at Chief Joseph playground. I felt this was a fairly significant moment as Olivia went down the big curly slide on her own for the first time. She showed great courage running around that play structure with kids three times her size.

I wish the sun would hurry and come back again.

2 Years 4 months!

2011-04-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

(I realize that I'm a day late here, but everything still applies.)

It's been a super busy month here at the homestead. Chris and I both had big projects to complete for work and I also had schoolwork for my MFA. Because of the workload, we've had my cousins come and watch Olivia on a regular schedule. It's a bit confusing for her since they are identical twins and I'm not sure she believes that they are not one person...

This month we entered the era of the amazingly cute comment. The ones that stand out for me are the comments that seem to come from Olivia's inner guru. To wit: "I hear a bell in the sky. Can I touch it?" "Do you have Olivia in your eyes?"

She's also making strides in the potty department. Just when we were despairing that she'd never get the hang of going #2 in the potty, she figured it out and that's that. She also stays dry for naps, but not overnight yet. We've made little changes to help her out, especially cutting the nighttime milk before bed. That's been hard for me (probably more than her) because it's a routine we've had since she was a tiny baby. We also moved the changing table out of her room which was also hard for me. I'm excited for her to make the steps into childhood, but I'll always cherish the sweet times of babyhood.

Other things that are new this month: her memory for songs is amazing. This morning I found her singing "Yellow Submarine" while gazing out the window. She also told me that she was "too big" for her high chair, so now she's in a booster seat at the table. She's loving her drawings, her kazoo and harmonica, dressing herself (though not always in the right order...), and watching Oswald.

Fun with the computer

2011-04-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Pics from the computer camera:

2 years and 3 months!

2011-03-19T13:09:00.000-07:00

What a month! It's been stormy and raining for days, so we've had to come up with indoor activities that don't involve shopping at Target. Not that Olivia doesn't socialize--she spends Tuesdays with her Granddad & Nona & Gus and then Wednesdays with Grandma and Elena. On Thursdays, Chris takes her swimming and then Fridays, we just chill at home. It's a pretty fun schedule with something social and/or educational every day.

The big news is potty training. When we first started two months ago, it seemed like a lost cause. Let's just say there was a tremendous amount of pee on the rug and nothing in the potty. Now she's using the potty 75% of the time and is going without pull-ups except for sleeping. I try not to be too invested in it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little frustrated when she stands in front of me with wet pants saying, "I'm wet, Mommy." Most of the time, I'm really excited about this last hurdle from baby-hood to kid-hood.

Otherwise, we've been having lots of fun drawing on the cardboard house (she always asks for caterpillars, kitty cats, boats, and lady bugs):

Helping with the dishes:
Going to sleep with Bunny in the big bed:

And waking up and looking mournful:

2 Years and 2 Months

2011-02-19T20:18:00.001-08:00

It's the 19th and Olivia is 2 years and 2 months old today. Here's a picture of her drawing on a cardboard playhouse I made for her today.

Her preferred drawing implement is the ball point pen and, in my opinion, she's developed a very distinctive style. I've included some samples of her work below. She likes to cover a surface with these tight little scribbles, then pull

them together with a few big ones. Sure I'm biased, but I find them quite compelling.

Each one of these little hieroglyphs apparently represents something as well, as you can see in Alisa's annotated example. Alisa asked Oliva, "what's your drawing about?" and came back with all sorts of subjects like ice cream and backpacks.

Lately we've been...

2011-02-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

...playing with ladybugs...

...painting with finger paints...

...washing our hair...

2 years and 1 month (officially)!

2011-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

We're having lots of fun around here--being two is pretty exciting for Ms. Olivia. She's talking and singing a lot. Sometimes the clarity of her words surprises me. The other day she hugged a book and said, "This is a wonderful book." She's also entered into a new phase of playing where she's interacting with her playthings in imaginative ways. We discovered this while at Child's Play toy store when we found Olivia at the Calico Critters table putting the tiny plastic hedgehogs to bed with their blankets. (The utter cuteness of the scene required us to lay down $40 for a set of tiny furniture and critters to bring home, as seen above.) Last night, I was surprised when she said, "Mommy, I'm a circle." That turned into a whole other game where we turned into triangles, squares, and lions. Lions always turn up in our games somehow.

Other favorite activities: creating forts by draping a sheet over the ottoman or just sitting under a table, stacking her blocks and knocking them down, taking all of her magnetic letters off the board and then putting them all back on, playing hide and seek (she just stands in the other room in full view believing that she's invisible to us), reading, and singing.

Of course she's loving her "Finding Nemo" movie as well as "Shaun the Sheep" and "Super Why." We're trying to keep TV time to a maximum of 90 minutes a day, which usually translates to "Sesame Street" in the morning and 20-30 minutes of a movie before bed. She also plays while I watch Oprah, but that doesn't count. :) Sometimes we catch Dr. Phil if Oprah's a rerun, and when we told her we were going to the doctor yesterday, she kept saying she wanted to see Dr. Phil. Oy.

About that doctor visit, her two-year checkup, Dr. Carol was again very impressed by Olivia's verbal and motor skills and her outgoing nature. She also gave us some tips for our next big adventure: potty training. Oh, boy.

Not all sunshine and rainbows

2011-01-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

I want Olivia to look back on this blog and know how much her parents love her and adore every single thing about her. That's how I want to remember this time in our lives too. But on a day like today, when I'm so tired my eyes are burning, I think I want to just tell the straight dope. Having a kid is hard. Having a two-year-old is really hard. Olivia's been fighting a cold for almost two weeks now, the kind of cold that includes green snot and wet coughs. I can't even count how many times in the past few days that she's coughed in my face or wiped a booger on my hand.

Last night, she just couldn't keep it together, crying and throwing herself face-first on the floor, so I put her to bed a half hour early and thought some sleep would help. At 1 a.m., she woke up coughing and crying and Chris tried to soothe her. After an hour of her crying, I suggested that we give her some Tylenol and he suggested that I go back to bed, he was handling it. I suggested that he didn't know what he was talking about and that made him suggest that I go to hell. (There's nothing like arguing in the middle of the night. It's comical, really.)

She finally fell asleep in our bed around 2:30 am only to wake again an hour later, crying. She didn't want water, milk, juice, medicine, or even her blankie. Around 4:00 am, we all curled up on the couch and watched a video with cartoon animals riding in wagons. It helped for a little bit but it was clear she was tired. We all were. So I held her, walked around for a bit and then we all got back in bed. I rubbed her little feet and then knew she was asleep when I heard her snore her little snore.

At 7:30 am, she rolled over and put her smiling face right next to mine and said, "Mommy, wook!" and pointed to some shadows on the wall. It was like the night before had never happened.

That's the number two!

2011-01-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

Olivia's Birthday party!

More singing & stuff

2010-12-23T21:02:00.001-08:00

We had a busy day singing and then seeing Santa with cousins:

2 years old!!!

2010-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wow. I just can't believe that in two short years, we've gone from this:

To this:What an amazing little person Ms. Olivia has turned out to be. I remember wanting to hear her voice, to hear her first words, and now she's singing Jingle Bells and the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

As a now-2-year-old, Olivia is running, singing, and jumping through life. There's not one thing she's mostly interested in, she loves everything and can find a way to enjoy whatever she's doing. If we're at the play gym, she's equally interested in throwing the basketball in the air as she is riding the tiny tractor or putting rubber ducks to sleep in the doll house. She loves dancing and swill usually order one of her parents to join her by pointing to the floor and saying "You dance!" She also likes to sing and sing loud. When we went to see a children's music performer at the local cafe, Olivia stood up on her chair and belted out the ABC song along with him.

Like every toddler, there are breakdowns. We've tried not to give in to her demands of chocolate milk or more cartoons, but sometimes she wears us down. We're old, we get tired. So, we watch Madagascar for the 8 millionth time.

But she is also very caring. If you cough or sneeze, she's look right into your face and ask, "You OK?" If she wants to be held or hugged, she'll say, "Hold you!" And we do.

She's recently been able to say her name, and she'll shake your hand and say, "It's nice to meet you." You ask, "What's your name?" She'll answer, "That's O-wiv-ia."

Olivia the singing machine!

2010-12-08T12:16:00.001-08:00

Stars!

2010-12-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

23 Months!

2010-11-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Almost two!

Miss Olivia is full of words and many many feelings. She sees and hears things all day long and tells me about them. When we went downtown to the library, she saw a white glass lamp and pointed to it and said, "moon!" Sounds are very interesting to her too, she'll stop whatever she's doing and point to her ear and announce the source of whatever sound she hears: bird! big truck! train! She's also enjoying singing, especially the alphabet song which she can sing all the way through, though L-P sounds more like "lemon na na pee."

Her favorite book right now is the Ponyo comic, she especially likes the drawing of Ponyo kissing the baby's face. Ponyo is also her favorite movie and go to entertainment in moments of parental ineptitude. She loves animals, especially penguins and hippos and has a growing menagerie of small plastic animals in her toy collection.

Like many toddlers, Miss Olivia can be a bit of a tyrant. She has no problem telling us, "That's enough!" especially when she sees her parents hugging.

Next month will be very exciting with her birthday and Christmas as she becomes a full-fledged two-year-old.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

Olivia in the Halloween costume that I made for her. Chris and I worked on the design together and he made the hat. I made the pants from a bloomers pattern and then used one of her shirts to create a pattern for the top. I think it came out real cute. :) Here's Gus, I mean Spiderman and Olivia before Olivia put on her costume.

And after.

22 months!

2010-10-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Q. What's your favorite thing about Olivia right now?

Chris: Her smile and that she likes to sing her ABC's.

Alisa: Her non-stop dialog, most of which sounds like Japanese, but still pretty convincing dialog.

Q. What does she do that makes you laugh?

Chris: When she asks: "Are you a chicken?" and I say no. Then she asks, "Are you a turtle?" And I say no, and she asks, "Are you a chicken?"

Alisa: When she wants me to "cry" and then she consoles me. Then she wants me to cry again.

Q. What is something you don't want to forget about this time?

Chris: That she actually wants to hold my hand and she asks me to hold her. I don't want to forget how much she loves funny things like pumpkins and carrying her little pumpkin everywhere.

Alisa: How she likes to pick mint leaves and then bring them to me to smell. And when she wants me giver her a piggy-back ride, she calls it riding on mommy's shoulders. And how she sits in the bathroom reading Time magazine.

21 Months!

2010-09-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

This month, (last week) Olivia took her very first plane ride and did very well. I'm what you might call a nervous flier, but more like a cat on the ceiling who needs a Valium. But to Olivia, the plane was just another place to meet people, go "weeee" when the plane went in the air, and then a cozy and loud environment for a long nap. In order to see all of the places that I want to see with her and Chris, this is the attitude I hope to adopt.

Our plane ride was to Austin for the week where Olivia enjoyed the pleasures of Texas: tacos, grackles, butterflies, and swimming pools. We had lots of fun taking the Zilker Park Zephyr, a kid-sized train around the park, checking out the Austin Children's Museum where she hardly left the train table, and riding on Daddy's shoulders on South Congress. One of the major highlights was a visit to Toy Joy, an amazing toy store where we got some ideas of what toys we should be looking into when her birthday rolls around.

Other than being a world class traveler, Olivia's very fond of her new drawing table where much of the coloring happens on the table itself, rather than the paper.

Thinking of her next crayon masterpiece:

The crinkle face has returned! This is the face she gives you when you ask her to smell flowers:

She also says "It's mine," a lot. She's not fond of sharing.

Quite a kid!

Our favorite books

2010-09-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

We've amassed quite a collection of children's books over the past two years, and I'm always amazed at the books Olivia wants to read over and over. There's no common theme; she likes books with kids, animals, trucks, fairies, and any combination thereof. Some classics such as "Goodnight Moon" haven taken a while for her to warm up to, while others, especially ones with photographs of kids or objects she can name are instant hits. Although, if a book has a particularly delicious paper binding, that tends to be her favorite...

Here are Olivia's top 10 toddler book picks:

1. "Wow! Babies" by Penny Gentieu

2. "It's Spring!" by Samantha Berger

3. "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown

4. "Busy Fingers" by CW Bowie

5. "All By Myself" by Mercer Mayer

6. "Alice the Fairy" by David Shannon

7. "I think that it is wonderful!" by David Corr

8. "A Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats

9. "Paddington Bear All Day" by Michael Bond

10. "Goodnight Gorilla" by Peggy Rathmann

As for me, I'm in love with the book, "Bear Feels Scared" by Karma Wilson.

It's just about the cutest thing ever.

20 months! 3 years!

2010-08-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our third wedding anniversary and I am amazed at how my life has changed in the past four years that Chris and I have been together. I'm not plagued by indecision, anxiety, and this sort of gnawing unhappiness that previously clouded my day to day--like I was a victim of my own life. Rather, after much contemplation (not to mention three years of therapy) I have a clearer sense of purpose. And how blessed am I to have found such an incredible person to share my life with.

As for Olivia in her twentieth month, it's all learning, all the time. She's very into distinguishing what is hers and yours, Mama's water, Daddy's phone, etc. Thankfully, once an item (or place on the couch) is designated as someone else's, she's satisfied with that. All of this talking, running, playing, and thinking also makes her very tired. We're slowly moving to one long nap a day, though I really enjoy two naps (so that I can take one too!). Btu she's sleeping later in the morning, sometimes until 6:30 am! I can't tell you what a difference an hour's sleep does to the attitudes in this family.

such a cutie pie!

2010-08-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Humungous!

2010-08-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Words words words. Where does she get these words??

New stuff

2010-07-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

Olivia is a great ball of energy and happiness (and then sadness and tears and back to happiness). But I think it's because there are so many new things she can do and more that she wants to try.
I don't know where she got the idea to drink from the hose:

But she's drinking from a cup really well. That is until the cup makes her mad and she dumps it out on the floor, then slips and falls in the water....
But she's still my love:

19 months!

2010-07-19T10:05:00.001-07:00

There's been a lot of singing in the house lately. Olivia likes to sing the last part of "Wheels on the Bus" and the peanut butter song, and then recently she's enjoyed the "Please and Thank You" song from Yo Gabba Gabba ("please thank you, please thank you, please thank you, magic magic magic magic!"). Pretty much everything we say she'll try to repeat (curse words and all).

She's definitely a whirlwind of energy and activity--she's listening, reading, and exploring constantly. And it's great and wonderful, and...EXHAUSTING for her old parents. But, some days there are long stretches where she finds an activity that keeps her occupied, like her books, beads, and new legos.

After dinner every night, we go for a bike ride to the playground or the fountain at the park. She's becoming braver each time we go and now doesn't mind having water splashed on her face or getting completely drenched. In fact, water is her friend at the pool, in the sprinkler or at the park.

19 months is pretty awesome.

Seaside 2010!

2010-07-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Some pics from our Seaside trip. Contrary to the gray appearance of the sand and sky, it was really beautiful and I'm already looking forward to next year!

(Ava and Hazel running to the beach)

(Ava & Hazel)

(Ava)
(Franny)

(Hazel)

(Elena and Olivia, minutes before Olivia came crashing down out of the swivel chair...)

(Olivia at the arcade)
(Hazel & Ava on the way to the beach)

(Mom trying to convince Franny that the Tooth Fairy will appear even though Grandma accidentally threw the fallen tooth away. When your grandma's a lawyer, there are always loopholes.)
(In the sand)

(Leah and Biz ignoring the splendor of the ocean for their cell phones)
(Elena)

(Me and the girls)

Professional Photos!

2010-06-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Photos by Denise Dodson!

18 months!

2010-06-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, I know I say this every month, but Olivia is growing up so fast! Most of the time she is a happy camper--she loves to play with blocks and her beads, push the swiffer around, read books ("Alice the Fairy" is a current favorite), and still takes two one hour naps a day. She talks all of the time and asks "What's that?" approximately one million times a day. That's ok--I realize that the world is all new and interesting to her. She's equally interested in the big things: rain, busses, trees, and the little things: bees, dirt, bubbles. Lately, if a funky song comes on the iPod, she'll take get both Chris and me to stand up and do her "turn around" dance that consists of turning around in circles while trying to snap her fingers.

But with all of this joy, she does get frustrated often and doesn't take kindly to "no." As in, no, we're not going to watch Elmo again. No, you can't run into the street.

I read that toddlers have a meltdown every 20 minutes, but it seems like she recovers quickly and is back to her nice litle self very quickly. And her nice little self is very sweet. She's incredibly loving and likes to play with my hair and loves to get hugs and kisses from her parents.

It's a wonderful time. (This is a video from yesterday.)

Going for bike rides

2010-06-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

I got my own bike *finally* and that inspired us to buy a toddler bike seat for Olivia so that we could all go for rides together. She seems to really love riding with Chris and is content and happy. Oh, and she loves her helmet, which she calls her "elmeet."

And after a nice bike ride, it's relaxin' time...

Little Moon Face

2010-05-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Olivia's first trip to the zoo. She liked the elephants and bats best.

Lately

2010-05-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

At Sauvie Island:

16-months!

2010-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, the little Olivia is 16 months old! Her words are coming fast and furious--so much that we don't even try to keep track of how many words she knows. There are a few words that are extra adorable when she says them, i.e. fish in Olivia-speak sounds like "shishies." Recently she started interacting when we sing songs, first it was just waving her arms around during "Wheels on the Bus" and then she started saying "jelly" during the "Peanut Butter" song. I have a feeling that she'll enjoy singing because it really soothes her. In fact, in the past month, we've gone to Central Oregon twice and that's a long drive and at some point her patience ends. The only way we can calm her is to sing our (very small) repretoire of songs.

Otherwise, she's sweet and cute and loves bouncy balls, blocks, her new xylophone, beads, and going outside.

Pretty much awesome!

Easter and Sunriver

2010-04-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

Wearing all of her beads and a scarf:

At Sunriver with the cousins:

Easter at Sunriver:

The egg hunt
Olivia is very serious about this Easter Bunny business:

The French Lieutenant's Baby

2010-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Olivia has taken to wearing a scarf:

Spring days

2010-03-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

Spring!

2010-03-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

Lately we've been...

2010-03-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

Practicing our gangsta lean:Playing with rocks in the yard:
Getting the garden boxes ready for planting:
Picking daisies in the park:

So very tired...

2010-02-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, Chris looked over at me and asked if I had a black eye. I didn't of course, but I was very tired and it showed. Last night, Olivia woke up at midnight and again at 3:30 a.m. and then stayed up crying and fussing until 7:30 a.m. I'm not sure what's going on--could be teething, could be that she is having a reaction to her shots a week ago. But I do know that I'm so very sleepy and I can't nap yet.

Olivia's Lexicon

2010-01-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

Olivia now says the following words (some better than others):

What's that?
Mama
Dada
bottle
banana
bye-bye
bath
Max
dog
meow (when she sees a cat)
jacket

But the word she uses most frequently and most correctly? No.

Not that it should be surprising that we all look alike...

2009-12-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

Just a fun comparison of family photos. That's my dad in the grainy picture below and me at my first birthday below that.

Birthday girl

2009-12-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, a whole year has gone by! It's pretty amazing to think that this time last year we were just hanging out in the hospital room with Melanie, watching Saturday Night Live skits on the computer and waiting for "The Show" to start. Once the contractions started and we all got serious about the impending birth, it was exciting. I wasn't really sure how Chris would react to the birthing experience, I thought maybe I would freak out and yell at him, but I didn't. He was beyond amazing and stayed focused on the task at hand. I was also so happy to have Mel there as well to interpret the medical blah blah blahs and be my cheerleader.

From the moment she was born--no, from the moment I saw her on the sonogram monitor at seven weeks--Olivia had an incredible life force. She wants to live and live large! So, thanks for the lesson, little girl. Happy birthday.

Olivia at 11 months: Her ever changing moods...

2009-11-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here's a video that perfectly encapsulates the ups and downs of Olivia's typical day. As you can see, her satisfaction with the world changes from second to second. It's hard to be 11 months.

Nappin' & sleepin'

2009-11-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

I think we may have figured out the whole napping and sleeping issue. The key: a schedule! Using the "positive routine" method, we had a rough idea of when she should be napping and then followed the routine every time to give cues that it was nap time. (Shades drawn, fan on, bottle given...)

It's funny that I can feel so much pride in such a simple thing as a nap! But I do.

Olivia's First Halloween

2009-11-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Halloween! We didn't have a plan until the last minute, but we did end up carving pumpkins, buying candy, creating costumes, and going trick-or-treating on Saturday afternoon.

I sewed these little felt ears on Olivia's hat and voila! She's a puppy. Or a piglet.

Chris is dressed as "Oregon Dad":
I just happened to have this lemon yellow 1970s dress. I've never had occasion to wear it until now...
There's that cute crinkle face again:

The gang:

Ten months and beyond!

2009-10-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

Pics of the little cutie-pie:

Olivia recently started doing this crinkled face thing that looks like a cross between almost sneezing and getting a bug stuck in your nose. Anyway, it cracks me up when she does it and I'm glad I've captured it on film. :)

Cuteness x2

2009-10-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the cute beret, Grandma Marjorie!

Now give me that camera!

Wow, 10 months today!

2009-10-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

THEN:

I was looking at pictures from the first few days of Olivia's life and it just seems so amazing that there was a time when she slept all day, couldn't keep her head up by herself, and had little noodles for arms and legs! Another thing that has changed is how loving she is; it's probably nature's way of insuring our bond during her teenage years. But for now I relish her wet attempts at kisses and the way she wraps herself around my waist in the morning like a little monkey.

NOW:

Nine month check-up!

2009-09-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

We had our nine month check-up with Dr. Carol today and Olivia is right on target for her developmental stages. Here are her stats:

Height: 29 inches (90%)
Weight: 19.5 lbs (50-75%)

Olivia is really crawling fast but mostly likes to stand and cruise along the furniture. Dr. Carol warned us that Olivia will probably be walking by Christmas, which means no candy dishes on coffee tables or low-hanging tree ornaments.

New video!

2009-09-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here's Olivia crawling!

Almost nine months!

2009-09-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

This past month has been full of so many changes for Olivia. She went from pulling up to cruising and from tentatively rocking on hands and knees to full-on crawling. I'll post the movie I made of her crawling--she's scary good and fast.

Also this month: sleep training! We used a method Chris found called "Positive Routines." Basically, you let the baby get tired by moving the bed time closer to when the baby actually falls asleep (8:30 for Olivia). You then use the night routine of bath and bottle and cuddles to associate those things to being tired and then going to sleep. The goal is to put the baby down while she is still awake but drowsy.

The first night she was out like a light, and we thought, Hey, this is easy! Well, the next night she figured it out and was not as pleased. We had to employ a little crying it out, but it only took 20 minutes or so before she fell asleep. She also slept through the night both nights. A few days into it, she seemed to be getting tired earlier and I didn't feel it was fair to her to keep her up so late, so we moved the bedtime to 8:00 pm and then shaved off ten minutes a night for a few nights.

It seems like it's working well and she's sleeping through the night every night (but waking at 6:00 am SHARP!) and we're back to our previous bedtime of 7:30 pm.

Naptime is not as successful, as her daytime sleep schedule is less predictable and actually quite sporadic. Three mornings in a row she woke up at 6 only to fall back asleep at 8 and sleep for two hours. Other times she sleep for 30 minutes and then is wide awake the rest of the afternoon. It's a mystery.

2009-09-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

Out walking on Mississippi yesterday. Olivia's getting a little heavy to carry in my arms for very long. Here's our first attempt at piggyback.

Weekend BBQ

2009-08-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

So cute!!

Fun with food

2009-08-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Olivia has finally taken some interest in feeding herself which translates to rice crackers and bananas in her hair and stuck to the underside of her shirt.

San Francisco

2009-08-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Alisa and Olivia on a cable car in San Francisco. Olivia must have made twenty new friends just sitting there and smiling. The world seems like such a friendly place when we're traveling with her.

On the down side, Olivia's growing awareness of the outside world makes her far less patient with long car rides, confined to her seat without much to do. Gone are the days where she could sleep through an entire outing, leaving us nothing to do but gaze at her angelic, slumbering face.

Still, we fared well, trading off baby-appeasement duty in the back seat. I see more road trips in our future.

Oh, and let's not forget misson burritos at La Cumbre. They say they're the creators of this San Francisco treat, though I've since learned the claim is disputed. Never mind the history, the burritos were delicious.

Portland to San Francisco, Carmel and Back!

2009-08-03T09:19:00.001-07:00

Yes, it was ambitious. Drive to San Francisco, then to Carmel, and back in five days. With a baby. Sure, why not?

Chris & Olivia in Maxwell, CA, the site of our imaginary cafe in the middle of nowhere.

Olivia in our hotel in San Francisco.

Investigating acorns at a rest stop along the way.

Olivia's new favorite toy, a frog we named Dr. Katz, pondering the parking lot in SF.

At Fisherman's Warf in S.F. Chris is thrilled.

That's Alcatraz behind us.
In Carmel: Olivia, obviously impressed with the grandness of the ocean.

The reason for the trip: The wedding of my step-brother Casey & Lauren.

At the reception at Holman Ranch in Carmel.
The babies.
Olivia & Ava.
And what a wonderful homecoming after a 15-hour drive: my sunflowers bloomed!

Oh, and Olivia's two bottom teeth finally came in! Yeah! So cute.

america's most gorgeous baby

2009-07-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Photos by Heather Hawksford!

Equality now.

2009-07-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Chris and I have always done this parenting thing as a 50/50 proposition. Everything (everything) involving the care of Olivia is divided equally between the two of us, from night wakings to diaper blow-outs, one person is never doing more than his or her share.

The division of labor in our house is not haphazard--no, it's a constantly evolving conversation between us that goes something like this:

Chris: "I need to take a shower every morning."
Me: "Well, if it's my turn to wake up with her at 5:30am, then why don't you shower between 6:00am and 7:00?"
Chris: "Then I'll watch her from 7 to 8 when I go to work."
Alisa: "Except for the days when it's your turn to wake up at 5:30..."

And it goes from there....

This approach really works for us because it's very clear who is in charge of the baby every moment of every day. Well, most days. Weekends are wild cards that can quickly turn into an argument if one of us has a project waiting to be conquered (like the weeds in the yard...).

Equality also means that I give up the rights to the "All-Knowing Giver of the Last Word." I'm not the one in total control, I don't get to have the final say, and I don't get to steamroll over Chris. There are very few Olivia topics that we don't discuss and mull over until we come to a conclusion together (topics not up for discussion: her fashion).

And actually, that is quite refreshing because then I never feel like I'm in this alone.

* I really related to this 2008 article from the NY Times even before we had the baby: "When Mom and Dad Share It All"

Olivia on film

2009-07-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics I took with my grandpa's film camera. It's been years since I used film and I realize how dependent I've become on digital, where all adjustments are magically taken care of. And, of course you can take a million pictures and it's ok...

Camping at Lake Simtustus

2009-07-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time over the 4th camping at Pelton Park on Lake Simtustus. Granted, it was incredibly hot--over 100 degrees--the babies did great as did Ava.

Laying around in the sun

2009-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Swimming pool adventure!

2009-06-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Our first swimming pool adventure! Here's Olivia in her suit & robe, ready to go to the pool.

I'm waiting...
Yeah! Let me go so I can begin splashing wildly:

Let's see what mommy looks like really, really close-up.

All that splashing really took it out of me. I just need a little time with Daddy.

Getting ready to get back in the water. But first, let me show you how well I stand.

Let's go!!!

Adventures in Sleep Training

2009-06-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

(We've been trying a modified Ferber sleep training. We don't really let her "cry it out" but we'd like her to learn the value of self-soothing. Some nights are better than others. Tonight was definitely one of the worst. Here are the highlights...)

8:02 pm Put Olivia to bed asleep. Wakes up immediately upon hitting the crib mattress. Starts fussing and crying. Set timer for 5 min to give her time to self-soothe.

8:07 She’s kinda fussing, I try to ignore.

8:09 Still fussing. Go in & give a kiss & hand her the glowing-belly Sherbert doll. Still fussing. Leave room.

8:16 Go in & give a kiss & give her the glowing belly Sherbert. Leave room.

8:23 Kinda fussing & playing with her toes.

8:25 Go in & give a kiss & push her Sherbert with a little more insistence. Leave room. Pour myself a large glass of wine. Where’s your father?

8:33 Go in & give a kiss. Sherbert’s out of batteries and sounds spooky. Pick up Olivia & walk around her room. Crying slightly decreases. Leave room.

8:34 Watch Saturday Night Live skits on computer. Can still hear her crying.

8:42 Serious crying. Maybe she’s teething? Give her some Baby Tylenol. Swaddle her like a burrito.

8:50 Crying not subsiding. Make a bottle and feed her. Falls asleep immediately.

9:06 Asleep.

So, no soothing to speak of and she went to sleep with a bottle in my arms anyway... I guess we'll try again tomorrow...

6 Months!

2009-06-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Olivia's six month check up and she seems to be doing stellar. She's 27 1/2 inches (90% percentile) and 17lbs 2oz (75% percentile). Our pediatrician, Dr. Carol, says those are supermodel stats. Dr. Carol was also very pleased at Olivia's engaging little personality and her developmental progress. It seems that all of the things that vex us (the high-pitched yelling, grabbing at anything within range, blowing raspberries and overall wiggliness) are all excellent when you are a 6-month-old baby. Even though we do the best we can, it's still very nice to hear that we're doing a great job from Dr. Carol.

2009-06-16T14:48:00.001-07:00

I sing two songs that Olivia likes: Shortin' Bread and The Banana Boat Song (Day-O!). Well, maybe three if you count Itsy, Bitsy Spider, but I think the appeal there is mostly in the hand motions.
When it comes to calming her down, Shortin' Bread works every time. I throw in Banana Boat for a little variety, and believe me, variety is sorely needed. I'm dedicating a little time today to expanding my repertoire. I've tried to hone in on what it is those two songs have in common. My best guess is an upbeat tempo and lyrics that fill up lots of space. Who can say what makes them so babytastic?
Next up: Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, You are my Sunshine

Farmer's Market

2009-06-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

We went to the PSU Farmer's Market this weekend and got some veggies, homemade pickles, morel mushrooms, and a beautiful bunch of peonies. Olivia seemed to enjoy all of the people.

At the park & at play

2009-06-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

At the Peninsula Park rose garden.

Here is an awesome play-thingy that I found for $5 at a consignment shop. Olivia thinks it's fun to be standing and usually starts singing when she's in there. As soon as it's sunny again I'll take it outside so she can play while we garden.

BBQ last weekend

2009-06-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

So great to see my friend Sarah S. & her family last weekend. Here are some pics she took of us.

Our mover and shaker

2009-06-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

Miss Olivia is mobile. Well, not exactly--she's mastered rolling front to back and back to front and recently found that she can scoot herself forward by doing the Centipede. It's all very cute and very scary. Chris really needs to get the house baby-proofed. Like yesterday.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't love her sleep. (See above.)

What we do

2009-05-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our days with Olivia involve lots of kisses, singing, sleeping, going for walks, and of course some tears from all of us. :) Since I got a camera phone (finally!) I've been better about taking her pictures on our daily adventures. Here's some of my favorites:

Welcome back!

2009-05-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. Welcome to our new site. Our last one was attacked by hackers and pirates peddling mail-order brides, so we decided to move on.

If you're here, you probably know who we are, but just in case, I'm Chris, Alisa is my lovely wife, and Olivia is our nearly six month old daughter. We'll keep the blog updated with family-type news and pictures. Thanks for visiting!