Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Fun at Home


Last week, Nick started his final year of grad school!  This semester he will work on writing a television comedy pilot and a final thesis screenplay.  He is also in a business class that helps teach them how to make connections and find a job after graduation.  Looks like it will be a good semester!

Nick in his last "first day of school" picture.  And, silly Olivia popping in...
Since Nick is now gone a couple evenings a week, Becky and Olivia have been trying to remember what they did before Nick was home all summer.

Olivia struggled to play without her dad at first...

Yes, that is a part from the vacuum.
...but we've been keeping busy and having lots of fun!

Cuddling all her stuffed animals
Unloading the dishwasher
Playing at the park
Pretending to be like Dad writing at the computer

Olivia's favorite : taking selfies with Mom :)

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Olivia's Storytime


Olivia LOVES reading books with us!  We read "Go, Dog, Go!" probably at least once a day.  She also loves her Olaf book and anything with a Disney princess in it.  Yesterday we were busy getting dinner ready, so Olivia had to head off and read some books on her own. Who knew she was such a speed reader!



Sunday, August 10, 2014

And now for an update... from Guest Blogger Nick

Since Becky's been extra busy at work lately (little factoid: July and August are the most common months for births!), so it's up to Nick to update the blog tonight. Enjoy!

It's been a fun month! Becky and Nick have been putting their gym membership to good use, and Olivia has been practicing with Becky's yoga mat:


And, since Becky decided to get a hair cut (10 inches gone!), Olivia's trying some new styles out, too:


And, of course, Olivia's been loving the family's Costco trips:


In the middle of July, Becky was able to use some paid time off, so we headed to Vegas and St. George to spend time with her family.

It was, in a word: hot. Thankfully, Becky's cold-blooded family (as in body temperature, not temperament) let Nick crank the A/C.

We made a pit stop in Vegas for a couple days to hang out with Becky's middle sister and their son, Logan.


Olivia enjoyed houses with stairs over the trip, which meant lots of this happened:


Becky's friend from BYU, Jane, took some great pictures of Olivia while we were there, which you can check out by click right.... here.

Olivia and Logan being silly:


Once in St. George, we hung out with Becky's other sister, her kids, and Becky's parents, too.

The complex we stayed in had a real pool, but there was a scary sign about some potential disease risk, so we stuck to a backyard pool instead.


Olivia loved the splash pads we found, too.


Kyla and Olivia reading a book.



Olivia loved the water slides at the community pool we went to a couple times.


They're a rowdy bunch, so the pictures were difficult.... And the grand kids were kinda crazy, too!


Becky and Nick after a visit to the St. George LDS Temple.


After St. George, we drove back with the intention of having a couple days to get ready for Becky going back to work. But, the drive home turned into an 8-hour torture session as we were both sick with aches and fevers and traffic was unbearable.

Becky didn't get too sick, but Nick got the wonderful hand, foot, and mouth disease. Apparently it's more common in toddlers (Olivia had been sick with a fever the week before and probably gave it to Nick), but a stronger strain has been hitting adults in the last couple of years. In addition to the fever, sore throat, etc., you get blisters on your hands, feet, and mouth.

It was pretty painful at first, and there wasn't anything you could really do about it since it's a virus.

Long story short, Nick is still recovering from the blisters, rash, and peeling skin that got his hands. Here's the first day or two (ignore our lovely legs and bathroom floor!):


Then about a week later:


And today:


So, getting better, but his hands still have kind of a pink camo design to them.


But, it's been a fun Summer. Nick's looking forward to his last year of school starting at the end of the month. Olivia's looking forward to anytime we let her watch The Little Mermaid, because she's obsessed. Becky's looking forward to a time of year when less women have babies.


Thursday, July 3, 2014

Our Friend, the Pacific Ocean

We have been spending some quality time with the Pacific Ocean this summer.  A few days ago we went to the beach in Malibu and had a fabulously lazy time.




Sometimes, Olivia just can't resist eating a little sand...

Today we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.  They had lots of cool exhibits that kept Olivia entertained.  She was especially fond of the sea lions and penguins.


Looking for fish!
By the shark tank
Nick helping Olivia spot a penguin
There's one!
P.S. Becky's dad visited us a couple weeks ago!  He came with the West Valley Youth Orchestra to play at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  It was fun to see him for a little, visit such a cool venue, and listen to some awesome music!

Meeting for a few minutes in Universal City

Hey I know him!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Olivia is 18 1/2 Months Old!

Olivia recently went to the doctor for her 18 month check-up.  She is now 31 in. tall (25th percentile) and 20 lb 13 oz (5th percentile).  We cannot believe how big this girl is getting, just look how grown-up she looks in this picture!


Some of Olivia's favorite things to do these days include playing with Legos, going to the park or beach, making a big ol' mess in her high chair, splashing in the bathtub, and babbling non-stop.  We're working on trying to say more words, but she still prefers her own made-up language.  She's quite the handful, but we sure love her!





Sunday, June 8, 2014

Summer Visitors

A couple weeks ago we made a quick impromptu trip to Arizona for a couple days to visit Olivia's grandparents and great-grandparents.  It was nice to spend a little time with family, and we got to go swimming lots to cool off!

Nick and Becky with Grandma Thacker

Swimming with Grandma Sharon

Becky and her awesome dad
Trying to keep cool in the AZ heat!

This past week was really fun - Nick's mom and sister Megan came to visit!  We did lots of fun California things, including visiting Hollywood Boulevard, going to the beach, and spending a couple days at Disneyland.  Here are some highlights from their visit!


Twinners!
Loving the sand and sun at the beach
Carousel time

Drawing Olaf at the Animation Academy
Playing with Grandma Julie