#CrazyDafoes

        For the past 2 1/2 years, I have dreamt of resurrecting our blog more times than I care to admit. Motherhood is hard, fabulous, exhausting, marvelous, challenging, and the most blessed job I have been given. I learned long ago, it wasn't something you should do alone. I also spent a few of my early years as a mom trying to conform to the superhero-pinterest goddess-picture perfect mom of today's society who always had it together, with perfect children who never misbehaved, and was a trophy wife and friend extraordinaire to boot!

Guess what????

       That was the most depressing, lonely, isolating, defeating time of my life. It is no way to live, and certainly not good for anyone involved! I realized something had to change because spending EVERY SINGLE DAY feeling like a failure and not living up to this unobtainable standard was WAY too much work and I was just a hot mess!

   
(Also I had given Richard my resignation letter from my job as a mom pretty much every day when he came home from work and he would kiss my forehead, look me in the eyes and tell me I was funny and offer to proofread my resignation letter for the next day since he had an English degree and all)

Isn't he the greatest??? He didn't take my offer for an all inclusive trip to a tropical island in exchange for my unemployment check after I resigned from motherhood. But he did delete text messages that could be used for evidence about my great ideas to make money fast like selling the current toddler to the highest bidder on ebay, or if he thought it was okay to duck tape my strongest willed child to their bed as long as I promised to check their circulation every 15 minutes and make sure they were still breathing of course! He would even eat my horrendous cooking and say really sweet things like, "Hey babe, let's put this one to the back of the recipe box and maybe don't add it to your list of meals you bring to a friend "

After my attempts to do everything myself failed (will I EVER learn my lesson....I mean seriously ), God picked up this hot-mess-mom-failure and freed me from my self induced prison hell hole! He dried my tears (and then had to use cold packs to reduce the swelling in my eyes so I could see again), and told me the most amazing thing. I was enough. He had chosen me for the #CrazyDafoes and He had my back if I needed anything! Then He gave Richard the wisdom to smile, nod and agree instead of saying I told you so!!!!

       He placed on my heart a desire to be real, vulnerable and share my own motherhood triumphs and spectacular gong show moments in hopes that all the other poor hot-mess-mom's would realize He had their back too! AND that they were enough and the best mom for their little ones!

This blog has served as a place to free other moms from their own self-induced prison and to keep the precious stories of our daily life safe from the long term memory thieves who make you stop in your tracks every once and awhile and confirm you were sure you had no life prior to kids because it is so hard to fathom or requires more energy than you have to offer.


Along with every other mom that is honest, it really wouldn't be hard to list reasons why I have avoided pouring out my heart and sharing all my lovely stories for all to see and judge me for. The guilt of missing out on documenting the past 2 1/2 years also consumed me at times and made me sweaty and more tachycardic than a venti hazelnut machiatto from Starbucks does!

 Then there's the physical reminders like empty baby books that collect dust in the closet and the 9 kabillion (math isn't my strong suit, but I am sure this is the largest number fathomable....I am positive I learned this from Diego, Cailou, or Ms. Frizzle from the other room one of the times I attempted to do something productive while my children were temporarily paralyzed by the tv) half done projects I have promised my kids.

     Or maybe I could blame it on the constant struggle with keeping the house in a state of ------- while our 4 precious children prefer to create scenes from an end of the world documentary on a daily basis because it is just too damn hard to get the socks IN the hamper, or put the toys BACK where you found them, or they feel the need to leave clothes everywhere because they touched their body for 2 milliseconds so clearly they need to be washed!

      2015 has been a hard year. I have been in awe of God's abundant blessings throughout every valley and mountain. So humbled watching Him provide for us while we have learned what is truly most important in life. These are stories for another day!

    So while it seriously kills me to imagine ALL that has happened since I last wrote, I want to fill the pages with the moments I can recollect for my kids so they will never forget how God was with us EVERY second of the past year and how He provides admits darkness and unknown. If I could have just ONE life lesson for them to store deep in the most protected and treasured place of their heart it would be that God's continued love, protection, and provision through our darkest year is a truth they can believe for themselves. It is hard enough as an adult to comprehend how God is still amazing despite the struggles of our flesh! So I know that seems crazy to ask of a 10, 9, 5 and 4 year old, but God IS THAT BIG!!!

    I am praying their memories will be filled with these truths and not of their mom too sick to get out of bed for months or the nasty chronic pain that controls our lives and dictates our every move!

    I found it most fitting to resurrect the blog while we are enjoying a mini vacation that is another one of God's blessings throughout the darkness! (This is a post in itself so hopefully I can get that written before 2 more years go by)

     In the mean time, I will be soaking up every minute with my #CrazyDafoes and praising God for this precious time together that we all desperately needed! 

The difference between #1 and #2...

While I do have a household of boys, and I wish I could say our house wasn't filled with armpit farts, abc's being burped and excited yells from the bathroom to check out ____, that would be a lie.

The good news is this post isn't about anything related to the bathroom...

but a few differences between our firstborn and our second born.

The boys excitedly ran into the house today with school pictures in their hand. 

Well actually Jonah was excited and Elijah was crying because he had ran the last stretch of their walk home from school with only one shoe on because his shoe had gotten stuck in a snow bank and thus filled with snow when he pulled his foot out of it. 

Rather than dump out the snow, he decided it would be smartest to run home with one shoe on and one shoe off since they were so close!

So after recovering from a very cold foot, Elijah was also excited to show me his pictures.

If you are confused right now I will explain that the schools in town have fall school pictures taken and then again in the spring. 

Not sure why this happens except to target suckers like myself and my kids. 

The spring photos come with your kid in front of a fake background on cool magnets, key chains, and other random things that Grandmas like to have in their house. 

Before you get too worried, know that I have never purchased the spring photos.  

It was a bit difficult to do this when Jonah was in Kindergarten because the sentimental Becky felt like she might be throwing away a piece of her child by not purchasing them.

Then the realistic Becky smacked her face a few times and welcomed her back to reality, reminding her that Richard would be far from impressed if I spent money on these and that mommarazzi Becky takes 999 pictures with her cell phone on a daily basis so their lives are documented pretty well. 

Since I have never intended on purchasing these the date of the picture taking misses my momdar (mom radar for important things). When they come home I peek at them and simply send them back to school with the kids.  I am not sure what happens to them at this point. 

Maybe they sell them to sentimental mommas of other kids who can't hear their rational self telling them no???

So back to my story, and the difference between our first child and our second!

 Jonah (first child)carefully pulled his unwrinkled, perfect pictures out of his backpack and carefully laid them on the table for me to marvel at his handsomeness.  He also proudly shared that the day of picture taking he was wearing a grubby black shirt and he figured I would be sad he wasn't wearing something nicer so he turned it backwards for the picture! He told me he had on "nice sweatpants" so he thought I would be okay with his pants. He also had tattoos all over his arms and turned them just right so only a few were visible.

The smile on his face and excitement in his voice reminded me of myself and how similar we are.

Jonah continued with a pretty good case as to why we should purchase them and how much he liked them.

Then Elijah (second child) reached into his backpack, grabbing his crumpled, wet and slightly damaged school pictures and threw them down proudly on the table.

I smiled once again because this sweet boy was wearing a worn out shirt that was too small with mismatching windpants that had seen too many days, were too short and had no more wear left in the knee. His arms were also covered with tattoos that he did not try to hide!

The best part was he had a huge smile on his face (which is abnormal for this boy when asked to smile on demand).

He had been smirking while Jonah explained how thoughtful he had been during his photo session so I was quite anxious to see Elijah's pictures. 

Once I had seen them, I glanced up to see him beaming. I asked him what he was smiling about and he explained that he knew I wouldn't buy the pictures so he didn't try to hide his "sweet tats" and was happy he didn't have to wear "dumb jeans and a nice shirt" like he has to for the fall.  He said, "isn't it sweet that I was wearing that? You would NEVER let me wear that on picture day!"

Jonah continued his plea to purchase the pictures a few more minutes while I listened and just smiled. 

Elijah gently placed a hand on Jonah's shoulder and told him he should just stop. He said, "mom isn't buying them, she never does and never will so let's just go play."

They both placed their pictures back in their bags and took off downstairs to play. 

Sentimental Becky didn't want to forget this sweet moment in which my oldest boys who are 20 months apart, yet so similar in size and looks that they are mistaken for twins, have such different personalities!

I LOVE these little conversations we have and moments together in which I get to see their personalities come out and learn just a little more about them.

Makes me excited for summer break and more time together so I can learn more about the difference between #1 and #2.

Hands and Feet of Jesus

Over the past 8+ years as a mother I have learned many things. 

Advice is given freely by everyone to mothers, whether you desire it or not, from strangers and friends. 

I remember receiving a plethora of advice and information while pregnant with Jonah and honestly didn't let much of it sink in until I was drowning in my life with a newborn who was far from easy. 

He was colicky (which apparently doesn't exist anymore, but tell any mother who has had a child that fits this description and she might punch you in the face), never slept, and refused a bottle. 

My husband thinks I exaggerate on occasions and when I say the child cried ALL the time and NEVER slept...this is NOT an exaggeration!

The good news is we didn't know any different! 

And that he was adorable so we couldn't help but find him sweet despite his ahem demeanor ;0)

During the weeks of solitude that followed Jonah's birth, running on negative sleep with a crying baby who only wanted to nurse every minute of the day I could hear the advice of every person running through my sleep deprived foggy brain:

Sleep when the baby sleeps (great advice if your BABY actually SLEEPS!)

Have your family watch him/her while you rest (I would if they were closer)

You will be lucky if you get to shower every day (WHAT???? I had BIG plans to get tons done on maternity leave and every time it flew by before I could even crack open a baby book)

Let people help you (I have never been very good at this...control issues prevent me from doing this very well)

We were living in Iowa, far from family, and our small group of friends at the time were still in school and weren't having babies. 

Shortly before Jonah was born, we had been introduced to a local church by someone who became a great friend (thanks Natalie) and eventually became plugged into a small community of other wonderful friends who became our family while we were there. 

One of the ministries of the church was to bring meals to new moms (which is quite common but a new phenomena to us since we were new to the baby thing). 

After Jonah was born and a sweet lady from the church called to tell me that we would be getting a few meals over the next few weeks.

It was like a movie with time slowing down and I think I could hear angels singing over Jonah's cries.

I know I have shared this before, but I will once again confess that I am NOT a good cook, never have claimed to be and probably never will be. This has caused LOTS of anxiety in my life over the years and a few quality fights between my hubby and myself that we have filled away in the "did that really happen to us memory file" and laugh about on special occasions.

The thought of having to cook dinner makes me a bit sweaty and nauseous.

Seriously.

So, to have someone offer to bring us a meal when I could barely find time to pee during the day was the best news I had ever heard!

I remember feeling so extremely grateful and undeserving as these experienced mommas juggled multiple children like a pro and delivered home baked deliciousness to our little 400 sq foot apartment we called home.

The chuckled and smiled at me as I answered the door with my sweats on, unshowered for days with dark circles under my eyes that weren't from makeup that had been left on too long!

With my ONE child.

I remember wondering how anyone has time to do anything else with one child let alone more than one!

These ladies all looked amazing, showered, clean, smelled good and were bringing us supper!

We were very thankful for their servant hearts and selfless attitudes.

Fast forward 20 months later and we were blessed again with meals from our church body and sweet friends (who were just like family) when Elijah came screaming into the world.

Now, I will confess that I had never enjoyed making a meal for someone else at this point in my life.

One because I had zero confidence in my cooking skills, and two because I would rather do 20 loads of laundry than cook supper every night!

Fast forward a few more years when we were pregnant with Mr Isaac who rocked our world starting at 20 weeks with contractions that caused a bit of a scare and then labor starting at 29 weeks that was thankfully stopped, followed by 6 weeks of bed rest with two toddlers at home.

I know I have shared this before, but we were SO BLESSED by so many wonderful people during those weeks and then again when he was born.

The boys prayed every day for Isaac to stay in my tummy and thanked Jesus for mommy's friends who brought them yummy supper , movies to watch and McDonald's for lunch!

They know I am not a great cook and were excited to taste some good home cooked meals and what kid doesn't like McDonalds every day for lunch for a few weeks!

This was probably the first time our older two were able to recognize others loving us and making sacrifices for our family and loving us like Jesus.

It was a HUGE testimony to them, to myself and Richard.

Every time someone brought us a meal we all thanked Jesus for providing for us and I vowed I would change my heart and make meals for others joyfully.

Since then we have brought meals to many in need and it was been fun to see our boys recognizing this.  It has also been fun to love others as we have been loved so many times!

Fast forward 20 more months and Miss Olivia took her sweet time and came screaming into the world as well! Once again we were blessed by so many with meals, help, and coffee for the momma!

Fast forward only 1 month and once again we found ourselves SO BLESSED by so many when we had one kid with 2 broken feet, one with pneumonia, one with RSV, and a momma who was just about ready to loose her mind!

Since then we have been able to bless many families as we were blessed and it has been wonderful.

I still don't claim to be a good cook, but do stick to the same few recipes that my family has deemed "edible" so I know that at least it will be one less meal for another momma to cook!

Over the past few months we have been bringing meals to one family or another at least weekly and I have been delivering them after school with everyone (including my sweet niece Ingrid who is now 4 months old that I am blessed to watch each day I am not working).

A couple of times we have delivered multiple meals in one day and spent a bit of time driving from one end of town to the other.  During one of these occasions the older boys were complaining a bit because they were anxious to get home and play legos and were sick of being in the car.

I asked if they remembered all the times other people brought us meals.

They said yes.

I asked them if they remembered how helpful that was and how hard it was for me to cook supper with a new baby, or someone who was sick and needed help.

They said yes.

We talked about how living as Christians means to be the hands and feet of Jesus on Earth.

We talked about how hard it is to do that sometimes, but that even though they didn't cook the supper with me they were being the hands and feet of Jesus by helping entertain the little three while I ran the supper into the homes of people who have just had a new baby, lost a baby, or who had sickness overwhelming their house.

They quickly became excited seeing it from this perspective and were all the sudden grateful for this opportunity to serve someone in need.  They talked about a few other ways they could be the hands and feet of Jesus.

During this conversation Isaac was pretty quiet but copied a few things the big boys said so I knew he was at least listening. 

Fast forward a week later when we had to make a quick stop at the grocery store after school with all 5 kiddos to pick up a few things I needed to add to a few meals we were going to be delivering shortly after. I had explained this to everyone in the car before we exited and began our adventure in the grocery store and also bribed them with a cookie if they behaved, that they could eat while we were delivering the meals.

To understand the story completely I will paint a picture for you.

When I take EVERYONE to the grocery store we select the cart with the car attached to the front and I strap Isaac and Olivia into it, Ingrid (in her carseat) takes up the cart itself and the big boys are bouncing around behind, beside or in front of me. 

To say that we attract a bit of attention is probably an understatement. 

So we made it through the store in one piece and were checking out.

Ingrid was crying, Olivia was leaning out of the car portion of the cart, upside down and making darth vader noises, while Jonah and Elijah are doing ninja moves in front of the cart. 

Isaac was "helping" me put the items on the conveyor belt at the grocery store and was telling the sweet gal checking us out about each item.

"This my yogurt I like. This carrots I don't like. This for my sister"

He placed a bag of grapes up on the belt.

The checkout gal asked if these were for him.

He leaned forward and told her, "This for someone who need help with their supper."

She gave me a quizzical look.

Before I could say anything Isaac continues with, "If you cut your hands and feet off my mom can bring you supper."

Not sure how to describe the look I got at this point, but her mouth was also open if that helps. 

He then continued all matter-of-factly with, "Or you just have to have a baby, or have your baby die, or get REALLY sick. Then she will make you supper and you will see Jesus loves you"

At this point she thankfully smiled and told him that was very nice. 

He agreed and told her, "Plus usually she forgets something for the supper and we have to go to the store and get a cookie if we listen!"

She smiled and so did I. 

I guess that turkey does listen more than I thought!

So we continue to bring meals to those who need them and I pray my boys (and Olivia) will continue to find joy in being the hands and feet of Jesus.

If I had 100 dollars...

Wow I can't believe I haven't written for a few months. 

Life has been happening and I have been hanging on for dear life.

I have also been enjoying some of the little things...

1. Snuggles from the little people in our house (did you know that snuggling with both Isaac and Olivia is almost like a human blanket during this lovely -30 degree weather)

2. Thoughts on the world with some of the medium sized people in our house (we have had some quality heart to hearts which I hope to share on here in the near future

3. Spending quality time with my hubby while he is between seasons of coaching (we have been working out together after school, watching our favorite show on the computer with hummus, pita chips and dark chocolate when kids are in bed and soaking up time together before track begins)

I have so many wonderful things to blog about (Isaac is potty trained, my sweet niece's arrival, I have been running, God has been so good and encouraging me during some tough trials recently, and my kids just keep getting cuter and I keep falling more in love with my hubby).

Since I was hoping to keep this short and sweet here is the reason I am climbing out of my blogging hibernation...

For those of you who do NOT have a kindergartner in your house, today was the 100th day of school!

For those of you who are unaware of the magnitude of this day, I will tell you that this day is one of the most beloved days of kindergarten.

The anticipation leading up to it is quite insane, and while each class is different, it is basically a celebration of everything that is 100!

Elijah was asked to bring 100 of something to put into a giant bowl for snack time. 

(My stomach churned a bit when he described the different items that were included in this "mix" and how delicious it was!)

He chose marshmallows for his snack, so last night we counted out 100 marshmallows and placed them in a bag for him to bring to school. 

Since I am not a novice kindergarten mother, I was already aware of the excitement surrounding this day and asked Elijah about it when he got home today.

Being the man of many words that he is, he told me it was fun and showed me the badge on his necklace (pictured above) stating that he is now 100 days smarter!

I challenged this as he had missed one day of school for being ill so wondered if that only made him 99 days smarter...he looked concerned for a moment and then saw me smile and told me I was funny.

I have the boys place all their papers on the kitchen table after school and I rifle through them quickly while they are distracted by food or some toy they have been longing to play with "all day" so I can toss what isn't important without little eyes seeing.

I always enjoy reading their comments, stories, or answers to open ended questions such as "If I had 100 dollars I would..."

I know it is hard to read, but on the worksheet below he was asked that exact question and his answer was "gift it to the NICU mom's and dads"

You probably can't see the stains from my tears either but they are there. 

The picture in the center is of a baby in a crib on wheels.

This boy is very hard to read, very serious, and has been struggling with being extremely selfish recently (nothing that abnormal for a 6 year old), but definitely has a different take on the world that his older brother Jonah. 

At home we have been talking a lot about serving one another as Jesus would. 

He has not willingly jumped into that boat recently!

We have also had a few talks on money (saving, spending, and giving).

You know how you talk to your kids over and over and over about things hoping some minuscule piece of the advice or instruction you give them while eventually sink in and they will start living that way?

Oh, me neither :0)

It has been a struggle to help Elijah understand why he can't stomp around our house saying unkind things, doing whatever he wants, and not helping the rest of us.

Sometimes I get sweaty, nauseous and dizzy thinking about he and his siblings as teenagers!

I just might wish to have these emotional elementary school kids and challenging toddlers back in a few years...

The tears were flowing pretty heavily when I called him to the kitchen to explain it to me.

I am 99.9% sure he thought he was in trouble when he saw me crying, but I asked him if he could explain what he would do with his $100.

He quietly explained he would give it to the moms and dads in the NICU to help pay for their baby's medicine so they could get better faster and go home.

I told him I was so proud of him, but most importantly that giving his $100 to someone who needed it more would make Jesus happy. 

He asked why I was crying and I said it was because I was so happy and proud of him that he would choose to give it away.

I honestly am sure I would have kept the $100 for myself if I were him.

He gave me a hug and said, "it's so weird that girls cry when they are happy...a guy never knows what to think...are they happy or sad?"

Such a valid point buddy!

Just in case you are concerned that he is too good to be true, here is a closer look at how he "decorated" the $100 bill...

Which made me smile, since I expected this Van Gogh excerpt from him more than his servant heart. 

So tonight as I tucked him into bed and told him how proud I was I thanked God for reminding me to live less selfishly and consider what I could do with my $100...besides buying a nice cup of coffee at Starbucks, a massage, and a new pair of jeans ;0)

I also thanked him for a glimmer of light in the tunnel of darkness that is sometimes parenting. 

Celebrating Our Little Lady

We celebrated our Little Lady's first birthday a few Sundays ago. 

It was a wonderful day filled with lots of smiles, laughs, pictures and a few tears. 

She even took the cake that day by taking her first steps!

We feel truly blessed by this sweet little lady and love her to pieces. 

She has been taking her time talking, walking and moving quickly. 

Of her limited vocabulary, she tries to say each of her brothers names and tries to say "boys" after I yell it downstairs or into the other room to get their attention. 

So sweet!

Olivia had her one year check up and she is definitely the smallest one year old of our crew.

She remains a peanut at 19lbs 5oz (fully dressed and with a clip in her hair) and 30 1/2 inches long. This puts her in the 90th percentile for height and only the 25th for weight.  Our boys haven't ever been below the 99th percentile for height and I am pretty sure they haven't ever been below the 50th percentile for weight either ;0)

Just out of curiosity I peeked at Isaac's one year stats (who was our biggest one year old): he was 25 lbs 13 oz and 32 1/2 inches long!

No wonder she seems so small still!

My parents graciously allowed us to host the party at their house as they have more room than us. 
Thanks Mom and Dad! 

Here are a few pics from the party...

Pink Peanut Butter Hug cookies....they were quite good. 
I found the recipe here.

I found the balloons on amazon for a ridiculous steal..

The boys helped me create this 3D #1 out of a diaper box and we I wrapped it with pink zebra wrapping paper I was using for her presents

The crown was a foam sparkly craft in the $1 at Michaels and I added a fluffy accessory and a zebra #1 I cut out of zebra cardstock.

The banner was the inspiration for the zebra/pink party because I found it at Target on sale for $2 a month prior to her birthday when I was trying to decide on a "theme" that wasn't princess or obnoxiously pink (per a family members' request).

I printed the monthly pics I had taken of her and attached them to it.

This picture frame was from Gordmans and was a result of a credit I had to the store and jumped into my cart when I passed it by a few days before her birthday!

I ordered her cake from O' For Heaven's Cakes rather than stressing about making one. 

Richard was out of town the whole weekend prior to her party for state Cross Country and I knew it would be too much to try get ready for the party and make her cake. 

It was a cupcake cake and it was delicious!

Chocolate, chocolate chip (Jonah and Elijah helped me order it) with the real frosting!

The best part was it came with a free "smash cake" that matched!

Here is the party girl with her biggest brother!

GGP (Great Grandpa Tony), Jonah and Miss Olivia

Great Grandma Sharon, Miss Liv and Jonah

Our good friends the Fialas joined us for the party.

Tom, Nikki, Liv and baby ???

Auntie Laura and Miss Liv

I used the second zebra banner and made a sign for her high chair with some glittery letters I had at home.  I put her in the chair before the party got going to make sure I got a picture as the sign was a bit unpredictable and I didn't know if all the letters would hold up!

She put up a #1 as I was snapping the picture per coaching of her big brothers!

We had sloppy joes, fruit and chips. So yummy!

Olivia really enjoyed opening her presents and it was so fun to watch her reaction.

Now we have a few girly things for her to play with!

Isaac has been enjoying playing with her. 

We attempted to get one family picture before she got into the cake and this one turned out the best...

Isaac was VERY excited for this part, as he had been practicing for quite some time!

She thought it was pretty fun to have us sing to her too.

The boys were VERY excited to have her finally be 1 as they said their friends had a hard time understanding that you could be zero for 12 months!

When it was time for cake she got right down to business...

She thoroughly enjoyed the frosting and was unimpressed with the actual cake.

The lighting is poor in this picture but I love her smile...

She might have enjoyed her cake more than all three of her brothers...

After she was cleaned up she had to put on her next birthday shirt (I found 3 of them for next to nothing after she was born last year and have been excited for her to wear them).

Me and my little lady!

Daddy and his princess! 

Overall it was such a wonderful day celebrating!  Everything went so well and we were all able to enjoy the time together and it was pretty relaxed!  Olivia seemed to really enjoy herself and the boys were just as excited for her birthday as she was. 

It was a pretty sweet day and so fun that she took her first steps that day too!

A few that morning at church, a few during her party and a few more when we got home that evening. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

I can't believe my baby girl is ONE!

Has it really been a year since I was holding you in my arms for the first time Miss Olivia Joy?

We are celebrating later today and I am hoping to get those pictures up shortly after. 

Life has required me to take a blogging break and I thought this was a great time to jump back in!

It isn't every day your baby girl turns one!

I asked the boys if they remembered her being born a year ago and Jonah was the first to say YES and provide me with intricate details of waiting all day for her to be born and coming up to the hospital to see her and being so excited that God had given him a sister. 

Elijah got really excited too, but he could only communicate his memory of watching the karate kid in the hospital after she was born. 

Isaac seemed a bit confused and just kept saying "No, my Livers J is not sick. She not need to go to hospital. She having happy birthday soon. I eat her cake. I love my Livers J"

I remember that day so well, yet it's hard to believe it has been a whole year already!

Here is a short tribute to our little lady. 

To the Princess who has stolen our hearts...

You are such a delight to us and bring so much laughter, smiles, and happiness to our home.

You still have such a happy personality and are rarely upset. 

I love the way you scrunch up your nose when you laugh or smile.

I love your cold little fingers pulling on my leg when you need me or are using me as support to stand.

I love how you get so excited to see the people you love and know.

I love how you have your daddy wrapped around your little finger.

Your big brothers continue to adore you and you them.

In fact, they can make you laugh harder than anything or anyone else can.

It melts my heart every time!

You are still a peanut, but I am thankful for that as you will seem little a bit longer than your big brothers did!

You haven't taken your first steps yet, but you are SO close.

Maybe today?

You have dark brown beautiful eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and are a pretty good mix of both your dad and myself.  You also look so much like ALL your brothers, but are so feminine at the same time!

Your hair is curly when it is wet and has started to curl up a bit in the back and the sides!

You have really started to communicate more to us with signs, words, and sounds over the past few weeks especially. 

It has been so much fun watching your personality develop and watching you interact with your doting big brothers. 

You and Isaac have had lots of time together now that school is back in session and it has been wonderful to watch you two play together. 

It has also been entertaining to watch you aggravate him, as he is often the one doing that to Jonah AND Elijah!

So funny that the smallest one is sometimes in charge ;0)

You are definitely a momma's girl and this has recently become a bit of a problem for your dad. 

(It also makes it even harder for me to go to work)

You get very excited to see him though, especially at the end of the work day!  Or even hearing him talk on the phone makes you smile, laugh and clap!

You prefer "big girl" food and amaze me with what you can eat despite your lack of interest in anything other than nursing for so long!

Some of your favorites are lasagna, chicken, apples, grapes, cherrioes, popcorn, bagel, cheese, yogurt, rice, corn, carrots, and crackers. 

You have 4 teeth that came all at once last month! It was rough for us all and your daddy and I are okay if you don't get anymore for a bit longer ;0)

You LOVE baths, playing with your brothers, reading books, going for walks, dancing, listening to music and exploring our house.  

You don't seem bothered by the dresses, skirts, tutus, tights and hair accessories that you wear daily.

You have just a little bit of pink in your closet.

You have also recently developed a shoe fetish! You love checking out the shoes in the front closet, taking them off the shelves and inspecting them.  

You also like carrying your shoes around the house...which makes it tricky to find a match sometimes.

You are a pretty good sleeper and have only been taking one afternoon nap for quite some time now because we were never home in the morning!

Olivia, we love you so much and are so blessed God gave you to us!

It's hard to imagine what life was like without you!

Happy First Birthday Sweet Girl!

Love, Your Adoring Family

Here is a picture each month of our little lady over the past year!

Newborn picture

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months 

11 Months

 12 Months!

I am looking forward to celebrating your birthday later today!

The "theme" is zebra and hot pink!

Your brothers are so excited and have been anxiously waiting for this day and helping me prepare.

I better get my camera and kleenex ready for a fun filled day of celebrating!

Happy Birthday Little Lady!