The Bits and Pieces...

Baby Boy Update

2010-05-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Grant Matthew and Wyatt John

Big Sister Paige with her new "baby brudder"

BOYS!

2010-02-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

For those of you that haven't heard.....we are officially having 2 boys! They had an ultrasound today and showed off (very proudly) their boy parts in almost every photo. It's quite impressive actually.

As for names....no....we don't have them. We don't talk about them often and really we are pretty open to suggestions because thus far, according to Paige, they will be named "Princess Jasmine" and "Cinderella" (since she's already named the Shubin's new puppy "Seeping Doody" I think that ones out of the mix).

One day I'll get the ultrasound photos out of the file, scan them in and upload them to blogger. For now, just know that they look like all the other little ultrasound aliens out there with boy parts.

Give A Mom A Sock

2010-02-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is from one of the funniest people I know (thanks Trinie!) who also happens to be a new mommy! She wrote it in light of the many, many changes that parenthood offers.....I almost peed my pants laughing so I hope you enjoy it too!

Some of you may be familiar with the stories, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie," "If You Give A Cat A Cupcake," "If You Give A Pig A Pancake," etc. I love those books. This is my version of the story called 'If You Give A Mom A Sock":

If you give a mom a sock,
She'll run downstairs to add it to the load of laundry that she just started.

On her way to the laundry room (or the garage in my case), she goes through the living room where she'll notice that there is a bill she needs to get in the mail today.

So she'll take care of the bill, and while she is thinking of the mail, she'll realize that there are a few birthday cards to get in the mail today, too.

So she'll go to the office where the cards are kept. There she'll see that the litter box needs to be cleaned.
So she'll clean the downstairs litter box and go upstairs to clean that one, too, while she's at it.

Upstairs she'll see that there is more laundry that needs to be done.
So she'll bring it downstairs. This makes her think of the sock, so she moves more quickly and makes it all the way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, she'll realize that she hasn't eaten yet today and it's noon. Since she's breastfeeding, she really needs to get some food in her system quick and before the baby gets hungry and she needs to pump again in a frickin hour even though it feels like she just pumped two minutes ago.

So she goes to the fridge to see what's in there. There's not a whole lot, which reminds her that she needs to go to the grocery store, and she starts making a list. The list paper is next to some coupons that need to be clipped, so she'll clip coupons real quick, too.

Once the grocery list is done and the coupons are together, she goes to the freezer to get some frozen mac and cheese because it's her fav and the old standby for when there's nothing to eat. She pops the mac and cheese in the mirowave and notices that the stove is smeary and has kitty tracks on in. So she polishes the stove.

After the stove is clean, she goes to throw the mac and cheese box in the recycle bin because even though she is using disposable diapers, this mom still cares about the planet.

When she goes in the garage where the recycle bin is, she sees the washing machine going which reminds her of the sock. And chances are, she'll go try and find the sock (wherever the hell she left it) and start this shit all over again.

The End. Of this story, but there really is no end as all the moms out there know!

Baby Update

2009-12-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

For those of you who continue to read my blog despite the fact that I rarely write on it....I will make you privy to some new baby info :)

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are going in for our gender ultrasound!! The plan is that we will NOT look at the screen and try to figure out the sexes (ahhh!!) but instead the ultrasound tech will write down either "boy" or "girl" on little cards that we can open up on Christmas morning. What a perfect gift!!

Please pray that the sweet gentle baby (baby A) and the terrorist baby (baby B) will both cooperate and proudly show their genetiles tomorrow at 9am.

Oh, and here's a cute picture of our Paigey pants....

Bossing Around Baby

2009-08-05T21:13:00.001-07:00

Just a brief glimpse into what I hear when I wake up in the morning....

(Paige in bed with her babydoll)

"NO baby. lay down. NO!!"
babble, babble, babble
"NO, NO baby! Out crib now!" (she throws the baby out)
"Uh oh Baby!"
I walk in
"Baby fall down mama. Spank leg?"

:) I love this kid!

Little Events

2009-07-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Crackers
Yesterday Paige asked for some crackers while I was working in my office so I gave her two (one for each hand). She pitter patted down the hall and this is what I heard:

thunk, thunk
Paige "poo poo potty! mama! poo poo yucky!"

So I went to investigate and she had put her two crackers in her little potty....she proceeded to dump them into the big potty, flush and wash her hands.

Paige "Bye bye poo poo"

Cooling Down the Sidewalk
The other day it was hot outside and Paige didn't want to put her shoes on. Not in a mood to deal with it I told her it was hot outside and her feet would get hot but if she didn't want to wear shoes she didn't have to wear them. She stepped onto the walkway and at once realized it was hot.

"Too hot mama...feet hot..."

At which point she bent down close to the ground and blew on the sidewalk to cool it off. I love her thought process.

How Pretty!

2009-07-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Some of you may notice that the Ollivier's blog has had a face lift....yippee! But with all that surgery comes some scarring and unfortunately I have no idea how to "heal" it! Somehow in beautifying my blog I've lost all my photos!! Ahhhh! Hopefully someone with more computer prowess than myself can aide me in solving this issue. Until then.....

2009-06-01T14:39:00.001-07:00

More photos from Susie and her fabulous camera skills. Paige is at the age where you can't get her to stand still long enough to get a face shot so I am amazed at how well these turned out! And yes, there was an outfit change!

2009-06-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Paige

2009-06-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

What a goof ball! Paige and I went to the Fullerton Arboretum the other day and my friend Susie helped us out with some cute shots of Paige! I love friends with photo talent!

Why I stink at blogging

2009-05-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

So the full list is pretty long but I thought I'd give my top few reasons why I am not a good blogger.

1. My Picassa link is damaged...so while I can write I can't post photos (hence all the rotten posts that I just updated. See "Broccoli" and "Fairy Nice") which ends up being a royale pain in the bottom since I am already too busy to begin with.

2. I really don't think you are that interested in the mundane aspects of my life. And on the off chance that you ARE interested I probably already call you on the cell phone and give you a play by play of my life (no need to duplicate right??)

3. I am lazy. It's pretty simple but also pretty solid.

Please don't judge me for being a bad blogger! I love you all! AO

Soooo, as I say this my error message just popped up AGAIN!

BAD REQUEST: Your client has performed an illegal or malformed request.

Now, I have no idea what this means but in no way did I intend to perform a malformed request. I mean really....why would I do that purposefully???? Help?

P.S. The picture is my cute kid with her BFF "My My's" or "Miles" as his parents named him

Random

2009-04-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Bruin In Training

2009-03-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Broccoli

2009-03-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

Paige has always loved veggies...but she has a special, deep, meaningful love for her broccoli ("brock-ock")....but seriously, what girl doesn't love it?

She can typically be found shoving the whole tree in her mouth....
and then pulling it back out....

and showing us her teeth.

She is very proud of her teeth.

Fairy Ready!

2009-03-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Paige, Mommy and Daddy went to Disneyland to celebrate Mommy's 30th birthday! Paige was all ready to go with her fairy wings and princess tiara. BIG THANKS to Miss Rebecca for giving Paige all the fabulous dress-up clothes! She LOVES her new wings and fancy "hat".

Graduation

2009-03-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Paige (and Mommy) graduated from Kindergym last week. Paige mastered the art of sitting in a circle, listening to Miss Lori, catching bubbles and singing songs! Her good buddy Miles took the class with her and she loved seeing "Mi-Mies", "Bebe" and "Ms. Cic-cack" on Monday mornings. Paige will happily show you how to "wiggle, wiggle" and she will clap her hands and stomp her feet if she's "happy and she knows it". Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our little prodigy!! We'll be taking the class again in the Summer semester to practice being patient in line, sharing the ball and mastering the art of the balance beam.

2009-03-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am really going to update pictures soon....sorry that I've been so behind! I'll post some new ones this week for all to see.

AO

Pumpkin Patch

2008-12-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I know this post is a bit old but Paige loved going to visit the petting zoo at the pumpkin patch!

She thinks any animal with feathers is a "duck" so of course she LOVED seeing this baby chick aka. "duck"

2008-12-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

let's try this....

if this works, these are some pics from a family photo session a friend took a couple weeks ago. look at that cute kid! her four teeth are so BIG!! she will need to grow a bigger head to accomodate them (just like her momma and dada).

2008-12-10T22:01:00.000-08:00

i hope this actually works....

2008-11-18T22:06:00.000-08:00

One of Paige's fabulous birthday cakes! Auntie Anne made her this roller coaster cake. I will need to find a picture of Auntie Elizabeth's cake (hint hint).

Mommy and Paigey before her "grand" entrance

The family celebrates Paige's 1st birthday

Sampling her cake...She didn't know what to think about the icing but LOVES cake!

Mac & Cheese

2008-11-18T21:54:00.000-08:00

Don't worry...she also eats normal kid things like Mac & Cheese...

Some times she likes to show Mommy what she's eating...

A lot...

What a cutie pie!

Lunch time Bunny!

2008-11-18T21:49:00.000-08:00

I love lunch time with Paige...it's always entertaining to see what she will decide she wants to eat.

Today our little bunny started with some celery...

and tomatoes....

She LOVES veggies!

Drinking Water

2008-11-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

I love this video...

Paige and Crockett and truly kindred spirits...

Paige's Morning Routine: Walking

2008-09-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

So since this is considered a major milestone I thought some of you might want to see Paigey Pants in action. She starting walking a couple of weeks ago and has progressed quite nicely. She has a hard time walking in her jammies, socks or shoes but still manages pretty well. This video is pretty typical for our morning. I get her up, give her a bottle, take her in to the office to check work email and then we head to the kitchen for breakfast. As you can see she regularly takes a detour to check on Matt and/or Crockett. Pardon the morning voice from your truly but I think it captures the experience quite well.

Paige has increased her vocabulary from "woof", "mama" and "dada" to include other works like "yis" (also known as "yes"), "na na" (usually in repetitive song form) and "hi" (usually said while waving). To her Grammy's dismay she has yet to say "Grammy" but we know she is saying it in her head and her heart all the time. :-) Paige is also becoming quite the sign language expert. She has mastered "all done" (both hands waving in air) and "pick me up" (both arms outstreached upwards). She is also the family greeter and will wave at anyone at anytime. She especially LOVES going to the grocery store and waves "hi" and "bye" to everyone who passes our cart.

Bath Songs

2008-08-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

So here are two fun comparison videos. The first one is from March so Paige was about 5 months old. The second one was from July (9 months old). You can see she still likes to sing and rehash the days events with us. But as she's gotten older she wants to only sit in the tub (no more laying down) and usually can be found giving the duck CPR. She's a total crack up at bath time and eats more bubbles than any child I've ever known. Enjoy!

Video Commentary

2008-08-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yippee! So I guess I figured out how to post video...the one posted below is a little dated (June) but still cute. :-) Paige is a social eater...meaning if anyone else is eating, she wants to eat too. The downside to this is that if she should be eating and no one else is eating she isn't interested. That has led to a slight weight gain on my end. :-( But PG still LOVES her veggies, dairy and carbs and has a tolerance for fruit. She has started to "like" applesauce and will eat banana and kiwi as long as she can pick it up (usually a mess). I will work on posting some other video for you out of towners to view and experience Paige at her finest!

video: take 2

2008-08-24T14:28:00.001-07:00

nope that didn't work. i'll try some other ways to get a video up for those of you interested. let's try this instead...

ok so if this works it's a different video--no bath. this "might" be paige trying to eat matt's salad.

video?

2008-08-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

ok so i am trying to blog my first video...let's see if this works! it's an oldie...paige was 5 months old and singing in the bath tub!~

Lake Nacimiento

2008-08-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Paige went to her first wedding and while we were getting dressed Auntie Anne got to practice doing "girl hair"! She did a great job!

This is Paige in mid-blow...she loves to blow raspberries!

Paige and her cousins Matt and Caleb sharing a morning snack of Cherrios together at the coffee table. Got to love it!

The cousin picture! Matt, Luke, Paige & Caleb...so cute!

Sweet Cheeks!

2008-08-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen sweeter cheeks than these??

2008-08-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Paige had fun with her Auntie Anne and cousin Caleb...they are stroller buddies!

Paige liked the sheep A LOT better when they were in the cages!

After her spaghetti meal!

Caleb and Paige watching the big boy cousins riding the carosel

2008-08-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of August we took Paige to the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles. She got to meet her first cow (which of course says "woof").

She tasted the hay....

And met the sheep.

She was NOT a fan of the sheep saying "BAAAA" in her face.

Lake Mojave

2008-07-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Matt and I took a quick weekend vacation out to Lake Mojave for some wakeboarding. We had a great time hanging out with our friends the Shubins, eating some tasty food (the Nugget! rated "A" of course!), playing $2 blackjack and a few rounds of Yahtzee! The weather wasn't all that we'd hoped for (think "The Perfect Storm" meets Lake Mojave) but the company was stellar!

For those of you who have never had the priviledge to visit Searchlight, NV you are really missing something special!

2008-07-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

As you can see Paige was all smiles while eating sugar!

She even shared some with Auntie Elizabeth!

"All gone"

Paige decided to keep a little something extra for later. We were impressed at how clean she managed to keep herself!

Paige's 1st Cupcake

2008-07-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Paige's Auntie Elizabeth came into town and took Paige on a field trip to Wonderland Bakery in Laguna Beach. Paige came home and after eating her peas and rice was invited to taste her very first cupcake! White cake with pink frosting! So yummy!!

Paige thought Auntie Elizabeth was the best and was so excited to eat a cupcake. She was a little hesitant at first so her daddy showed her how to do it...

Paige's daddy is really good at eating cupcakes...although he typically prefers a yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting he was willing to help Paige learn how to eat this one.

Daddy did well at his lesson...and Paige is a quick learner. She wasted no time shoveling cupcake into her mouth.

2008-07-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is out of order...sorry! My cousin (Chad) & his wife (Angel) came to LA on a mission trip from Louisiana and came to brunch with us for Matt's first Father's Day! Paige loves them! We went to the Tam O' Shanter and ate, ate, ate!

We had such a fun time visiting with Chad & Angel and would LOVE to convince them to move out to sunny Southern California!

2008-07-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

PAIGE'S FRIENDS

Paige and Miles have a very unique relationship. They really like going to places like JC Penny together and playing dress up. Outside of family I think this is Paige's 1st kiss....

Paige loves her new friend, Delaney. She especially loves how Delaney lets her chew on all her toys!

The swim diva.

Paige's newest favorite toy the bouncer. She JUMPS all the time now!

2008-07-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of the hotel grounds from the Shubin's room. AMAZING! What you don't see is all the neat little kid stuff they have everywhere....PG loved the kids pool and especially the crawling pool with jumping water.

2008-07-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of the hotel is that it has a LAZY RIVER that runs through it. What's not to like about that?

Jeff & Kara enjoying an adult beverage while floating down the lazy river.

Daddy and Paige had fun people watching.

Fun for the entire family!

2008-07-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Paige went on her 1st vacation to Scottsdale, AZ for the 4th of July. We thought it wasn't going to be hot enough in YL so decided to enter into the 117 degree heat of AZ. Our friends the Shubins found a great deal to stay at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge through Costco Travel....only $284 for 3 nights/4days! Woo hoo!

Here's Paige sitting on the table at lunch chewing her new favorite item to put in her mouth....the jelly container.

Paige did great in the car and napped the entire trip. We stopped for lunch at this fine establishment, "The Desert Center Cafe" which happens to be the ONLY food establishment in all of Desert Center. The desert wasteland you see behind me isn't just for show...that's all there is. Luckly the food was edible and the Department of Public Health decided they earned an "A"! Yippee!

When PG wasn't napping she could be found eating her toes or reading her Dr. Seuss books "Go Dog Go" and "The ABC Book".

Our friends the Shubins (Jeff & Kara) met up with us to have some fine dining and PG enjoyed checking out the restaurant patrons. What you aren't able to see is a few seconds before this when PG graciously dumped an entire Diet Coke all over Kara's lap. She really loves Kara. :-)

2008-07-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

Paige's Auntie Elizabeth gave her this bikini for summer. She was all smiles for the camera and didn't mind her sunglasses from Auntie Casie either!

Eating shoes is one of Paige's favorite activities! Eating anything else is a close second...

2008-07-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Taking pictures is always fun. Especially when mom lets Paige put props in her mouth.

Dimples in the cheeks!

So cute when you are 9 months old! Not so much when you are 30!

2008-06-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Matt and I went wakeboarding with friends, Jeff & Kara Shubin. Paige stayed with Grammy while mom and dad had some adult only fun! The water was FREEZING but glassy so no complaints! This is Matt's 360 (about 180 of it!). Great job!

Jumping the wake...I still can't seem to clear it like he can. But then again, I don't risk doing anything that could end in a face plant.

This is the look I usually get after naptime. Paige stands in her crib and calls to me, "da da da da da da" or "yai yai yo" (also known as E-I-E-I-O).

When I finally come in she tosses her paci out of her mouth and on to the floor with an "I'm finished with you!" attitude. Her whoo-hair is getting to be a bit long for Cindy-Lou Whoo Hair so we might move to a totally 80's side pony for the summer.

2008-06-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Kissing Eden's "he-man-gee-oh-ma".

Playing king of the mountain on Eden.

We focus on the importance of good dental hygene. Right now we brush gums but I am praying that a tooth will eventually emerge. If not, I guess flossing won't be necessary.

Paige will sit and "brush" the entire time it takes me to get ready in the AM. The toothbrush and the baby in the mirror will easily distract her for 20 minutes.

2008-06-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Paige with her best boy friends: Eric, Nick and Miles.

Paige and Grammy hanging out in the front yard. Such nice smiles!

Paige looking a smidge concerned...

Paige's friend Eden came over to play! I love Eden's cheeks!!

2008-06-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Swimming in the giant sink bathtub. Dad loves to make sure there are enough bubble to ingest.

Daddy and Paige.

Miles enjoying his 1st Birthday cupcake! Happy Birthday Miles!

Paigie Pictures

2008-06-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

In the spa with mom and paci.

Cute profile!

Happy 80's baby with side pony!

Her favorite pasttimes together at last! Reading/Eating a book and watching Crockett. We have hopes that Crockett's vocabulary will increase significantly due to Paige's focus on educating him via Dr. Seuss.

Thank you Christa!

2008-06-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my dear friend Christa for restoring my trust in mankind. We've had a whirlwind of activity here on the ranch. Matt and I went wakeboarding TWICE in frigid waters. Paige went to Grammy's spa. Eden came over to play. Miles celebrated his first birthday in our kitchen...and Paige's best boy friends (Miles, Nick and Eric) came to visit! Check out the photos!

A Promise

2008-05-12T22:58:00.001-07:00

I, Ann Ollivier, promise to blog consistently from here on out. I will tell everyone I know about this blog and will dutifully update it weekly.

I will also never give my blogger password to Christa ever again. :)

Yikes! It's been awhile...

2008-05-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

OK....so I know I said I wasn't going to blog often but now I feel really bad that it's been this long since a post. Without getting into too much detail here is a brief snapshot of our lives this past week.

Matt & I just attended a FABULOUS conference by Crown Ministries by Kevin Dodge today. Great reminder from scripture that all the blessings we have are from the Lord and are His alone....we are just the stewards. I am sure that the Lord will be allowing us the opportunity to put into practice the principles that we learned again sometime soon!

Paige decided this week that she was going to start crawling. Just like that, overnight she went on the move and can be found picking up lint, dog fur and other non-preferred items off the floor at any given time. Her favorite crawl is a path between the couch and the screen door where she can travel at lightning speed between Mommy & Crockett. One day I'll learn how to post a video and then you can see it....

Also, I have entered a new world of dorkiness thanks to my dear friend, Autumn. I now play online games. Yes....online gaming. I am starting to become addicted to Settlers of Catan although I'm still not very good and really don't know what I am doing 50% of the time. But it's fun and gives me something to do at midnight when I can't sleep.

Out. AO

Inagural Blog

2008-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Ok...so the Ollivier's are finally going to blog.

We won't blog often enough for some of you but at least we're here! Some may wonder why it took so long for us to get up and running. Well...the reality is that I (Ann) have serious completion issues which has hindered my ability and desire to blog.

Here's the vicious cycle as it presents itself:
I will blog one day and not the next.
Then I will feel guilty for not blogging consistently.
Then I will procrastinate blogging because I feel guilty that I didn't do it previously.
Then I will not blog, not because I don't want to, but because I haven't in such a long time and I feel like I need to catch up which will require WAY too much time.
Then I keep not blogging.
Then I realize that to catch everyone up on the last 3 months (or longer) will take too much time and energy so I decide to put it off until later.
Six months goes by and now it's definitely too much to catch up on....
Then it's been a year and I just decide to send a Christmas letter because I know I can do that.
Then the blog dies because I never blog for fear of not blogging.
Vicious cycle.

Anyhow, please don't expect to hear from us often and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Matt, Ann & Paige
aka. MAP