The Evely Pack: 2 years 3 months

As the days fly by, I love watching Olivia learn and do new things. It's just so much fun see her excited about life and the world around her.

She says and does some of the funniest things. She has started speculating and even negotiating. She still speaks in questions and says the phrase she would expect you to say. For example, "you want mommy to carry you?" means "I want mommy to carry me." (not a question. haha!)

Now she has started saying things like "You want.... you want.... what do you want?" when she can't decide what to do or ask for. sometimes it's "what about... what about.... that one!"

(haha, way to be specific!)

One of my favorites to hear is when she tries to negotiate... usually for a snack, and I'll say, "you want some carrots and ranch dressing?" and she'll say "ooooorrrrrr crumpets?"

(crumpets = life cereal pieces - used as crumpets when having tea parties at Grammy's house)

Me: "Livy, do you want some eggs for breakfast?"

Livy: "ooooorrrrrrr goldfish crackers?"

Me: "Livy, it's time to get ready for nap"

Livy: "oooooorrrrr you want to play in the ligging room?"

(ligging room = living room - i think it's my favorite mispronunciation of hers)

One night I said, "ok, we're going to read 3 books for bedtime."

She replied, "orrr we could read 4 books instead!"

(what!? when did she learn how to use the word "instead"?!)

She still loves to draw. She practices drawing "baby faces" and dusty asked her who it was. she said "probably Olivia or baby"

We were taking an evening stroll in the neighborhood, and walked by a house with a cute little fountain in it. So we said ooo, look at the fountain Livy. and she said oooo, look at the mountain.

On the way back, we said it's the fountain again! She said the mountain! So I said, "it's a fountain, you know, F-f-f fountain". and she said "F-f-f- mountain"

One day she was out with Dusty and out of the blue said "I love you Daddy" and reached over and hugged him!

Some favorite activities: reading books, playing with play-do, reading books, chasing bubbles, reading books, drawing, swinging in the swing, reading books, and reading books, and reading books. and reading books. Lately she also asks to go to Lowes, so she can see her "friend the dragon" - a giant blow up halloween lawn decoration dragon - his wings move and everything! And she'll move her arms like she's flapping her wings too. (We go to Lowes alot these days!)

Sometimes she'll just get in a mood where she wants to sing her own made up song... and it is definitely a free form stream of consciousness and the most hilarious thing to listen to. Usually words just come together based on what she happens to be looking at in the room... "the wall and the couch, and the sun comes up, and the doll and the book and playing with your toys is lots of fun..." what a silly adorable girl!

A cute text I got while at work: "Olivia, singing in her bed: 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider crawled up the spider spider. Down came the spider and spider spider out. Out came the sun and spider all the spider. Itsy bitsy spider crawled up the spider spider'"

She does know just about all the words to many of our bedtime songs (and story books too), including Dusty's fave, Folsom Prison Blues (Dusty's pick, but he keeps it G rated and leaves out the shooting a man in reno part :) Other Dusty bedtimes songs: Not in Nottingham & Golden Slumbers. Although not one of her official bedtime songs, Yellow Submarine remains her favorite song all around.