The Nut House

As mentioned in the previous post, my children are trying to send me to the nut house.  No, I'm serious.  No, really.  I'm serious.
Olivia...she is hard.  Ella was easy in comparison.  Sure, Ella had full blown meltdowns in the middle of department stores but after was apologetic, sincere, sweet and ready to do better.  Olivia just doesn't care.  She is her own person, through and through.  And doesn't want to change for anyone or anything.  Not for mommy, daddy, or manners.  She wants what she wants when she wants it.  And no, we haven't spent the last two years spoiling her rotten.  At least we haven't done anything too terribly different than with Ella.  Liv is just stubborn.  Which we knew from that first moment she huddled on the side of my uterus refusing to let the ultrasound tech get a good look at her.
So I am living from good moment to good.  There's been a lot of sibling fighting going on lately and combined with the shorter days (always a struggle for me) I am trying to focus on the cute.  Thanks heavens there is a lot.
Olivia loves singing.  Still.  She often will hold up her hands to make Andrew and I stop so she can sing to us at bedtime.  There is one song that is always mommy's to sing though.  Livie often requests "Baby Mine" and gives the best snuggles while I sing it to her.  It's what I sang to her in the hospital most.
Olivia is learning to count.  She's up to three, though knows four and five on fingers just not counting.  If you ask her how old she is she'll say five 99% of the time.  Complete with fingers held up.  Livie loves counting how many blankets she's holding or animals she's playing with.  So no matter how many she's got she'll count to three and tell you there are two of them.
Olivia has started praying by herself.  Cutest. Thing. Ever.  She makes sure to bless the missionaries especially 'uncle bitey" aka uncle Mikey.
Livie loves sending ELla to her room.  Or making fun of Ella when she cries.  Or spanking mommy and daddy.  She's a bit of a stinker.  But, if you call her a stinker she'll cry.  She's a little sensitive.  She does not like getting trouble.  Especially by daddy.
Olivia's getting better at talking every day.  Her sentences are getting longer and we're getting better at understanding her.  She will actually mimic us now and says some pretty darn cute things.  My favorite, "I you moo back"  I love you to the moon and back.  Livie is also very animated while she talks.  Her eyes and face have so much personality.
Livie's favorites:
Mickey, Minnie, or "Me Mouse"  Winnie the Pooh "we pooh" Happy Bear, Panda Bear, and Lovey Bear (stuffed animals of hers) She loves Coraline (the movie) and most pixar.  And she loves Snow White.  Also, Vinko the dancing bear on netflix.  Basically the bear sings kids songs.  She loves crackers, apple sauce, and painting.  Including on the walls...She loves the park, and playing with Ella's friends.  She and Ella love teasing each other.  Even though it always results in a fight...

My walls got a nice break while we painted pumpkins.

She's been sleeping lousy lately so daddy got up with her at 6 and was able to get her to go back to sleep for a couple hours.

They at least act like they get along from time to time.

Words cannot express how much I love this picture.

We enjoyed the pumpkin walk with one of my best friends and her family. Left to right, Lorelei, Livie, and Ella.

Livie loves the muppets as well.  She kept yelling "Kermit!" and we barely managed this picture because she was looking at pumpkin kermit the whole time.

And of course, snow white!