Happy Happy

First of all, this post is about Olivia and our celebration of 7 great years with her.  Since all our babies look just alike (a friend once said we had one mold for babies), having Henry around makes me nostalgic for when they were all babies.  We were so naive and young and...well rested when Olivia came along.  I think back on the peace and quiet of our little apartment, napping with her on my chest on the couch.  Toting her around everywhere, our life stayed much the same - we just had this sweet little almond eyed baby with us.  Do I even need to make the contrast to these days?  We are no longer quite so young and certainly not very well rested.  Peace has been replaced by "Stop! You Stop!  No, YOU stop!"...and quiet has been replaced by "One, two, three...NOT IT!" Napping...oh napping.  And now it takes 3 hours of preparations to get out the door...and it's not Mike or me holding up the show.  "Other people" need to make twelve trips back in house for just one more little thing...like shoes...how in the world did he forget shoes?!  Haven't I been saying for the last 3 hours, "Get your shoes on."?

But I wouldn't trade one day of it.  One day I will be laying on the couch in some house, completely quiet and peaceful...and totally unable to sleep because my mind will be raising with all the funny, heart wrenching, odd, and so, so sweet moments of raising these children.

Now, like I said, this post is about Olivia.  But you have to watch Greta through all of this.  Look at her hands and face.  "Oh what did they get us?" she seems to be asking here...

 "A lantern!  They got us a lantern!! "

 "I've always wanted a lantern!"

 "Oh, right.  The got YOU a lantern."

 "Hmm, gum.  I think, if I am really quiet, I might be able to make off with this gum."
Olivia humoring me with the birthday crown.

 Nice of Joe to wear his tie for O's birthday.

 Her favorite part - the cinnamon rolls.

She's offering you a sausage, in case you can't see what is in her non-gloved (sock) hand.

Olivia and I have had our fair share of relational wrestling matches this year.  Like her mother, she is a negotiator.  And like my mother did, I grow exhausted with the negotiating.  In some ways I feel like I am parenting myself and her at the same time...reminding myself about self-control, patience, submission, humility.  I am excited about year 7, though.  Olivia, since she was 3, has been trying to be and do things that it may actually be time now for her to do and be.  It will be a fun year loosing some of the reigns a bit.  Happy Birthday O!  You are a great big sister and a wonderful daughter!

(P.S.  We have decided not to do big parties every year and this was a no party year for Olivia.  She decided she wanted to go to Chick-fil-A and invite her friend Olivia along.  That was a lot of fun, especially with Granpa, Grandma, and Uncle Doug here.  We also let her pick out a fish at Petco.  Maybe one day you can meet Rainbow the Beta fish.  No pictures of any of this of course...we've just had a baby...and, well she was the first child and got all the baby pictures mounted in baby books.  Henry will get none of that, so what's a few missed shots at her 7th birthday, right?)