"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish"...& a Shark! (Dr. Seuss)

After seeing the sharks in Despicable Me more times than I can count, I got to see a real shark at the Georgia Aquarium this week, which is the world's largest aquarium, in case you didn't know! It was so exciting! On Tuesday, Mom and I joined Mrs. Allison and Lucas, Mrs. Alisha and Tyler, and Mrs. Joanne, Parker, and Grayson on a road trip down to the aquarium. We were all beyond excited; although, I am still upset that Lucas and Tyler got to ride together in the van with the TV; I've mentioned my lack of TV every time I have ridden in my car since. Anyways, the aquarium was packed; even though, it was in the middle of the week, and the excitement was contagious. We started off at the stingrays' pool where we actually got to lean over the side and see the stingrays up close. Mom actually touched one, but you couldn't have paid me enough in lollipops to stick my hand in that water. From that point forward, the fish just kept getting bigger! We saw fresh water fish and salt water fish, and no, I have no idea what the difference is, but just go with it; I did. I do like salt though, just so it's out there. The penguins were cute, and I even stuck my tongue out at one of them: That's right penguin, two can play at that game. Although the animals were cute, Lucas was not so much. He has a new crush on Parker, who, by the way, doesn't even pay him much attention. When she is around now, he doesn't want anything to do with me, and he even gets mad at me when I try to hang with them. At one point, I tried to share his Fruit Loops, but he pushed me away and wouldn't let me have one; then Parker walked up, and he literally fed her a Fruit Loop right in front of me.  I was devastated.  I decided to take the approach of overcompensating with tons of hugs and unsolicited kisses, but he still wanted to hang out with Parker more. It is the hair; I just know it. You just wait Lucas; I'm going to get my luscious locks before long, and you will be begging me back. Anyways, I digress. The Beluga Whales were huge and beautiful, and we all enjoyed staring at them for quite awhile before the big class of students got to the tank, and we decided to get away from that craziness. There were so many big, wild classes there, which made the moms a little nervous, so we tried to stay in front of them. I liked the classes of older kids though, of course, and got to spend a little time with an older boy at the big tank.  Tyler was the only one brave enough to meet Nemo; the rest of us stayed far back from that crazy fish. We all made a great attempt to locate the fish scale that Mom bought for Dad as a wedding present. When they got married, Dad was thinking of opening a salt water fish store, so Mom got him a fish scale at the GA Aquarium to let him know that she would always support his dreams; I know, I think it is cheesy too, but that's parents for ya. Anyways, we all searched high and low, but after much frustration, we gave up. Since our aquarium adventure, I have talked about how "we can't find Daddy's fish...we find it next time" more than I have actually talked about the fish that I did see. One of the neatest parts of the day was the moving sidewalk underneath the big shark and whale tank. We were all amazed and in awe. The sharks were great, and I had been asking to see one all day, but the sidewalk was even better. We got a little crazy, but Mrs. Allison was able to reign us in. I almost didn't get off of the sidewalk in time, and Mom had to grab me before I ran into the wall. Moving sidewalks get two thumbs up from this critic. We all took our time looking into the huge tank with whales, and although we kept ourselves pressed against the tank most of the time, the four of us - Tyler, Lucas, Parker, and I - did make some time for a little lovin' and insanity. I mean a huge open space with a big tank and stadium steps is way too inspiring to not engage in a little craziness. Parker is definitely the quiet one of the bunch, but we are sure to corrupt her in due time. We took the love on the road and held hands through the jellyfish exhibit; we just wanted to make sure that no one got lost in the crowd. By the time we got to the last exhibit with the waves, we were all more interested in the computers with the fish on them than the actual fish in front of us. All in all, we did pretty well; I believe that Lucas, Tyler, and I only got one timeout each, and of course, Parker and Grayson were angels. Lunch in the food court was our last stop, and by that point, we were all starting to get a little grumpy, and I think that the moms were even more exhausted than we. We did, however, get to play around on the blue seahorse and mermaid statues; whenever Mom asks me what my favorite part of the aquarium was, I say, "I ride blue seahorse". Go figure! It just took the plastic, food court statue to make my day. Baby Monroe and Lisa also met us at the end, and I was excited to see Baby Mo for at least a few minutes. He is so happy! I definitely recommend the GA Aquarium, for it was one fun-filled day with my bestest friends.

Liv's First Visit to the GA Aquarium - slideshow maker

Happy Love Day...

although, everyday is love day for me because I am quite possibly the most loved person ever. That being said, Valentine's Day is a day for me to spread the love. Mom and I spent the entire week prior to Valentine's Day shopping for supplies and creating little crafts for my favorite playgroup friends. I made lollipop flowers, clothes pin puppets, and heartmen, as well as sent some traditional V-day cards. During the creative process, I also put a hole in the wall with the kitchen chair, painted the kitchen table pink, and put glitter glue pen on the rug when I threw myself on the floor during a "I don't want to wash my hands" fit. Are you feeling the love yet? I was just trying to bring out the holiday red in Mom's face. By the third day, we weren't even attempting to wear a shirt while painting. By the way, "I don't want to" is my new favorite phrase, and Mom is loving it too! Even Aunt Steph got a taste of one of my "I don't want to" fits the other day, but that is for another blog. My crafts turned out pretty well, and I have to say that I absolutely love to paint, but I do not like writing my name on multiple cards, just for the record. I even made Daddy a picture frame for his office, as well as bookmarks for Aunt Steph and Grandma. On Saturday evening, Dad, Mom, and I had a nice pre-Valentine's Day dinner, and I shoved an entire mini-cupcake in my mouth at once. What!? It's Valentine's Day, and I was thoroughly enjoying the most important part of Valentine's Day: chocolate! Poor Daddy cut his finger while making our special Valentine's dinner; then he proved that real men wear animal Bandaids. On actual Valentine's Day, I donned my customary red and delivered my goody bags to some of my closest friends. I looked so grown up; I thought Mom was going to tear up. I was very excited when I got to go in and deliver Lucas' bag personally; I told him, "I got something for you, Lucas; I make bag for you!" Lucas was really excited about the lollipops, and at the next drop spot, I was not so excited about Selina's canine house guest. I like Rocky, but the new dog was huge, and he pretty much ran me over when Mrs. Sindy answered the door. I practically jumped into Mom's arms and kept repeating, "I don't like dogs", which I followed with "I like Opie." Selina has a new puppy too, and I did like him; I commented that he is "so cute" and "so soft"; then I proclaimed, "I do like puppy". Speaking of dogs in general and Opie specifically, I made a Valentine's Day goody bag for Opie at Petco, and I know Opie really appreciated it. I love Opie. I forced him to look at all of my Valentine's Day cards that came in the mail, and I had a long conversation with Mom and Dad in the car the other day about "when Opie gets bigger, he go to school with Livie". I then proceeded to come home, get down on my knees in front of Opie, and ask him, "Opie want to go to school with Livie?" He didn't answer, so I was forced to chase him around the house and ask him over and over again. After a little Valentine's Day nap, I made Daddy some yummy brownies; I was jonesin' for chocolate so bad that I tried to eat the chocolate powder before it was even mixed with anything. Then I tried to lick raw egg off my fingers; by the time the batter was ready, I could no longer control myself; I licked the spoon clean and then tried to dip it back in the batter for more. Chocolate...yum! I was even nice enough to let Opie lick the remaining chocolate off of my fingers; I share so well. I got to see Lucas again Valentine's evening when he brought me a handmade card, with his hand print to match last year's, and a red Matchbox car. He even brought Mommy flowers; that Lucas is such a gentleman! Thank you, Lucas! I also got a beautiful, homemade card from Boris, which I loved and excitedly showed to Minnie and Elmo. Then Daddy came home with flowers and a gift card to Sage for Mommy and, more importantly, a rose, a card, a balloon, and a chocolate for me, Livie. I love you, Daddy! It was a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend. I just can't decide: Is Opie, Lucas, or Daddy my Valentine? I think Daddy is definitely my Valentine, now and forever, or at least until some long-haired, bad boy shows up on the doorstep, whom I am sure Daddy will threaten within an inch of fantasy bad boy's life. Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and I hope your day was filled with love.

Valentine's 2011 - slideshow dvd

...& the rest of January

So, I may have mentioned previously that I am a genius, but by golly, I can't seem to remember the last two letters of my name. Even geniuses have to falter once in awhile.

Despite the name spelling, which I am still attempting to master, I am able to prove my genius time and time again in other ways. Check this out: I have had a boo-boo underneath my nose for several days, at which, unfortunately, I can't seem to stop picking. Darn cold weather that results in darn dry skin! Anyways, when Mom came to get me after nap yesterday, I had my white sock in my hand, and it was covered in splotches. She, of course, was a bit alarmed and asked what was on my sock, to which I replied, "My boo-boo". Mom being Mom started to frantically check my feet, so I had to inform her that it was from "my nose boo-boo". I followed this up with my very own rationale, "I use sock to wipe Livie's boo-boo". There was not a drop of blood anywhere else in the bed; I needed something with which to wipe my nose; I didn't want to get any of my blankets dirty, so I used the only thing available to me, my sock. Not only does this prove my genius, but it also demonstrates my OCD tendencies. I mean, I won't even lay down for nap or go to sleep at night if any of my clothes are out or anything in my room is out of place. Mom and Dad have tried to get away with it once or twice, but I always adamantly refuse to sleep until everything is put away and in order. Dad is a little worried; Mom is just excited.

So, the holiday season keeps on giving. I received another Christmas box from Gramma Eileen a couple of weeks ago, and I was super excited to find a train set, along with several other forgotten gifts, inside. Gramma recently had thumb surgery and a bit of a rough recovery, so when she sent my Christmas presents, she forgot a few that had been hidden away before the surgery. I really like my train, and I can put the puzzle tracks together for the cars all by myself. Lucas really likes my new train too; he even attempted to take it home with him last time he was over. Thank you, Gramma Eileen, and I hope you are doing much better and your thumb is feeling much better.

After a short hiatus and the loss of a few members from the group, playgroup is back in full swing. We usually meet at Mrs. Laura and Madden's house or Mrs. Alisha and Tyler's house; they have the biggest open areas in which to play, and now that most of us are two, we need all the space we can get; they are awfully sweet to host us every time. A couple of weeks ago, we did take a break from our normal house antics to destroy a new place, Imaginations at Play in Buford. It is basically a smaller and less educational version of the Imagine It Museum downtown, and we had a ball. The boys mainly stuck to the huge bathtub and car/train area whereas I entertained myself with the stage and kitchen area. We did, however, meet up a few times in the musical tree and sandbox; plus, Lucas and I donned Thomas the Train costumes together. He wasn't quite as enthused as I about playing the part of our favorite train. The day was a grand success until it was time to leave, and I finally decided to show Mrs. Allison one of my true, down and dirty fits. I ran from Mom, threw myself on the floor, refused to put on my coat, and screamed hysterically. Mom finally had to carry me out under her arm like a football as I flailed and fought manically. Of course, as soon as we got outside, I begged for Mrs. Allison, and when she picked me up, I stopped crying immediately. Take that, Mom; how do you feel now!? That did result in quite a talking to the whole way home, and it is a long ride...

Imaginations at Play - make slideshow

We have continued our regular Library Wee Reads, along with playgroup days. Parker and Grayson have joined Lucas and me lately since Mrs. Joanne is now a stay-at-home-mommy. Yay! Parker is a little better about sitting and listening than Lucas and I. I have actually been removed from two out of the last three Wee Reads for inappropriate behavior and/or poor listening skills during the quiet, reading portion - that mean Mom! All three of us have got the moving and shaking and jumping down though. Lucas even adds in his own moves to the "Everybody Freeze" dance; just check out the video below. After the last Wee Read, the 4 of us went out to lunch at Buckhead Pizza. I think Lucas liked the attention of the ladies, and in return, he shared his trucks with us while we sat and waited...and waited and waited. They took forever, and they are really lucky that we didn't tear down the house. Parker loves to eat, so she stayed occupied for most of the time. I introduced my friends to calamari, and Luke really liked it; I think Parker was a little unsure. By the end, the moms were exasperated, and we were being occupied in any ways necessary; I got to play Angry Birds on Mom's phone, so I was happy. We love Buckhead Pizza, but they are not the place for a quick lunch. I'm also so sad that the best picture of the four of us came out blurry; oh well, I had to share it anyways; try not to cry because of the blurriness. Another Wee Read is on today, and I am so excited!

As of today, February 2nd, Grandma will officially no longer be homeless! She found a great house in an awesome neighborhood. Mom and I met Aunt Stephanie, Harper, Mrs. Sharon, and Aunt Mal on Sunday to check out Grandma's new digs; of course, we forgot the camera, but we did manage to get a couple of pictures of Harper with Mom's phone and a couple of videos of Grandma's new place. The neighborhood is one of those communities with one major road connecting several little neighborhoods. They have a big pool and a big park and tennis courts and community events and classes; it is awesome! We passed a group of older ladies walking their dogs when we first pulled in, followed by a younger lady with a baby stroller, and this is in January, so I am sure Grandma is going to meet lots of new people. The house is perfect with a great screened-in porch and fenced-in yard; plus, Harper and I will have our own little guest room with a window in the closet - too cool! We may have to share it once in awhile with Aunt Mal, but that is okay. Baby Harper was stylin' as she checked out the new house, and I am more and more interested in playing with her every time I see her. I even tried to bring her every toy from her bag and her pacifier. While we were there, Grandma's new neighbor came over to introduce herself, and later, she brought over a welcome basket. I am so happy and excited for Grandma. Congrats!

On Sunday, January 23rd, Mom, Dad, and I attended Harper's Baptism. Check this out: Mom, Dad, and I made it downtown by 8 a.m., fully dressed. You should be very impressed because I definitely am! Harper looked beautiful in her white dress and bonnet, and their church was so excited to welcome her. However, the pastor did mention that it is rare for a child to be baptized during the 8 a.m., early service, so Uncle Ian, you are on my list! Harper was perfect during the Baptism ceremony, and then she slept through the rest of the service without a peep. I tried to be good; I really did, but church service is lengthy and early. Mom tried everything to get me to sit still, M&M's, Word World on the phone, books, and more, but eventually, she admitted defeat and I went out to the atrium to play with Aunt Mal. I was pretty good though; Mom's expectations are just a little too high according to Dad. After church, Grandma, Aunt Mal, Dad, Mom, and I joined Aunt Steph, Uncle Ian, Harper, and a few of their friends at Mrs. Sharon and Mr. Carl's house for a celebratory brunch. It was yummy, and I had too much fun playing on Mrs. Sharon's window bench with all of her pillows; I even sat on Aunt Mal's head - take that. Harper stayed awake most of the time to play with Daddy, show off her handmade bonnet, which is a little small, and give me hugs; I think she really likes me now. Mommy told me to hold Harper at one point, so I held her head really tightly to make sure it didn't roll away; I'm pretty helpful. We had a wonderful time, but by about noon, we were all ready to crash. Thank you, Sharon and Carl! Congratulations, cousin Harper! We love you soooo much. Now, hurry up and learn to walk so that we can chase each other around and really make these get-togethers exciting.

Harper's Baptism 1/23/2011 - how to make a free slideshow

Publix just gets better and better. A couple of weeks ago, Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Pam weren't too busy, so I got a personal tour of the pharmacy. It was an awesome tour that included bubble wrap, on which to stomp; pill bottles, with which to encourage my already deep love for medicine; and, of course, stickers. Mrs. Rebecca even gave me a prescription bag so as to carry all of my newly acquired goodies. I believe I shall add Pharmacist to my growing list of possible occupations; there is a world of excitement behind that pharmacy counter. Thank you, Mrs. Rebecca and Mrs. Pam. The only downfall to my pharmacy tour is that now, every time we get to the pharmacy on regular shopping days, I begin to thrash and beg to get out of the cart. It is nothing that a syringe full of water, with which to soak myself, won't fix. I am a Publix girl through and through.

So, I put my creative talents to work last week and designed my very own t-shirt with the organic, eco-friendly, edible finger paints that Godmom Kate got for me. Mom didn't even tell me that I could eat them though! I put my hand prints all over a yellow shirt; then Mommy wrote my name and the date on it. I know you are jealous. Afterwards, I got to continue finger painting, and I created a beautiful portrait of Elmo in a boat on water, at least that is what it was in my mind. I amaze myself with my creative genius, and finger paint is squishy, which makes it even better.

Finger Painting - how to make a free slideshow

I got to spend an afternoon at Daddy's work while Mom headed to the doctor. I sent some e-mails, did a little coloring, answered the phones, and enjoyed a little Chick-fil-A. I think SoloHealth needed the little interruption since things for them have been so crazy lately: Wal-mart is in, people! Thanks for letting me destroy your office, Daddy.

Speaking of the craziness that has consumed SoloHealth lately, Daddy has been traveling...a lot! Mom and I are pretty good at doing our own thing, but we do miss him. During dinner the other night, I reached down, pulled off my sock, put it on my hand, and proceeded to call Daddy, just to say, "Hi". However, when Mom asked about our conversation, I said, "He didn't answer". Daddy, you better always answer my sock calls!

On the weekends, I have tried to spend every waking moment with Daddy, and he has been so sweet to get up with me in the mornings. This past weekend, Dad and I headed to Home Depot, where I got Mommy a yellow flower and lots of vegetable seeds and bulbs to plant in the yard with Dad this spring. As Daddy and I were planting, I got a little too close to the rosebush, and it totally attacked me! As I screamed out in pain, Dad scooped me up, and Mom rushed out to comfort me. Somehow, the thorns scratched my forehead, my back, and my stomach. Now, we all know that I am not overly coordinated, but I must have dove into that bush. Roses are quickly becoming my least favorite flower; I'll stick to daisies from now on.

Brace yourselves, for you are about to hear a terrible story. I got my second ever little spanking the other day for a new trick that I like to call 'I do what I want'. I know that I am not supposed to, but I find great joy in taking my arms out of my seat belt while we are driving; it makes Mom crazy! After doing it twice, being reprimanded thoroughly, and getting caught on film, - Mom didn't even notice at first because she doesn't turn around while she is filming in the car, she just holds the camera up - the last time ended in a little spank on the butt to enforce the seriousness of this issue. I only do it because I know that it pushes Mom's buttons, but I will definitely think twice before doing it again, for I was devastated. I get, I get; a seat belt is for safety and must be worn at all times in the car, and I do know this since I am the seat belt police who reminds Mom to put on her seat belt every time we get even remotely close to the car. If I can figure out how to open the chest buckle, then it is really on, and you probably don't want to be around if that happens.

I saw very little of my playroom in the summertime, but now that it is soooo cold, my playroom has become my winter sanctuary. I can do or be anything in my playroom: I can be a handy woman cowgirl or a tambourine playing cowgirl, a mommy and a chef, an artist or a princess or a drummer; I can make myself too dizzy to stand with my swing shenanigans; I can even go on my very own shopping trip. Just the other day, I took off all of my clothes, grabbed my shopping cart, and told Mom that the guest room is the "grocery store", my room is "Home Depot", and the playroom is "Dick's". That sounds like a fun-filled shopping day to me; I'm not sure what necessitated the shedding of the clothes, but just go with it. This is my playroom, and that means I can go naked shopping if I want to. Mommy is just amazed at what a two-year-old whirlwind can do to a room in just a matter of an hour.

Playroom Fun - flash slideshow

I felt it was unfair not to share my winter sanctuary, so last week, I invited Lucas, Parker, and Grayson to a playdate at mi casa. The highlights of the playdate included the sharing of the coveted eggs and some slide climbing; I had to show Parker how it is done. Grayson even had a blast with my pinwheel; although, Opie thoroughly scared him and ended up spending the day in Mom and Dad's bedroom. Mrs. Allison provided some yummy snacks; I hoarded the Cinnamon Toast Crunch while Parker downed the Fruit Loops. Lucas even shared his yogurt-covered raisins and puffs. I think that is the most I have eaten in months! Later, Mrs. Teri stopped by for lunch and brought me the most beautiful apron to go with my new kitchen. It is a little big, which means it will fit perfectly when I start to outgrow my cherry one. Thank you so much, Mrs. Teri; I don't know how much actual baking this apron will see, but it will definitely get plenty of use when I pretend in my awesome kitchen. See, Mommy just doesn't bake very much because her kitchen isn't as cool as mine.

January 26 Playdate - flash slideshow

Toy Story 3, it is time to move over and make way for my new obsession, Despicable Me. It is so funny! Not only do I love this movie, but it is also fueling my love for ballet. I guess I should probably work on my two-left-feet issue if I am going to become a famous ballerina.

The daily dancing is still a ritual in our household. I dance to my cartoon songs; I dance to commercial songs; I dance to songs I make up, and I dance with Mom and Dad in the evenings. Opie even gets in on the fun sometimes. There is nothing like a good dance routine to make everything right with the world. Daddy is really excited about his new Blu-ray DVD player that gets Pandora, so the dancing shall continue...indefinitely.

I finally did it! I finally rode a moving animal on the carousel. The hippopotamus wasn't taken this time, but he seemed a little scary, and although I had talked about riding the camel all day, I decided on the frog as the least intimidating creature. I held on like my life depended upon it and thoroughly enjoyed the up and down ride. I don't know what I was so afraid of; the carousel is even better on the moving animals. Thank you, Mr. Frog, for finally putting me at ease.

February, I am ready for you and all of the lovey-dovey feelings you shall bring. Here is a kiss for all of you out there whom I love. Now, who should be my Valentine? Lucas or Daddy...hmmmm...