23 Months, Week 3

Another year and we're still racing for a cure! We've been participating in the annual Susan G. Komen "Race for the Cure" since Olivia was born and for several years before that.  Although, the weather RARELY cooperates with us!  Thankfully, there was no rain this year but it was very cold!  But, we race to raise money, so that hopefully more women and families can have outcomes as happy as Grandma Sue's. 










Livi was excited because we got her a new pink hat to wear for the race.  She also decided to catch up on her reading before we left.  Her favorite book of the moment is Shoe-La-La by Karen Beaumont.  I think it's my dramatic reading that she loves the most, but whatever it is she has started to memorize various parts of the book and will proudly call out the words she knows.  She also loves to tell you the colors of the dresses the girls in the story are wearing!  She is also getting really good at counting.  She's been able to count to three for the last few months or so.  But then we were counting the green beans on her plate the other night and after we got to three she just kept going!

We went to Toys R us this week to try and get some ideas for things Olivia might like for her birthday.  I'm not sure if she picked these out or Daddy did.  Either way, she seemed to love them!  And it's probably the only time she will be behind the wheel of an Audi or Porsche until of course she's running her own Fortune 500 company.  On the flipside, let's hope if she's ever in a police car it's as an officer!

Livi also had a photo session with PaPa last weekend.  We were hoping to get a good one for her birthday invites.  It's always a good "problem" when you have so many to choose from!

23 Months, Weeks 1 and 2

While we had a great time in Florida, all good things must come to an end. But before we had to go back to the grind, we had a little bit more fun at Grandma and Grandpa's. When we got back from Florida, Grandma Sue had organized an Easter egg hunt for Livi.  She had a great time running around, opening the eggs, and dumping out the change.



It's always a little rough getting back in the routine after a vacation.  But Livi handled it like a champ and even came to visit me at work when I was working late one night.  That is until a nasty ear infection came to town.  Ugh!  I really hope it's just a coincidence that she has another one so soon after the tubes fell out.  I hate seeing her sick and it just seems so unfair.

Check out the newest assistant usher at St. Mary's.  No matter how many toys and snacks we bring, it's always a little hard for Livi to sit through the whole Mass.  So, this week we put her to work!  Afterwards, we went for dinner and a trip to Menards (another wild Saturday night for the Banks!).  Livi picked out a birthday present.  I made sure to buckle up and hang on to my purse!

 

Apparently, this is what happens when Daddy and Mommy decide to divide and conquer the to do list.  Mommy goes to the store to spend Gymbucks and buy party supplies and Daddy and Livi go for Yogi.  Everybody wins!



Do you see this beautiful masterpiece by acclaimed artist Olivia Banks?  Olivia is so proud of this picture!  She came running in the house to show it to me and keeps pulling it off the fridge to brag about it.  "I paint!  I paint!"

Spring Break!

Look out, south Florida!  Here come the Banks!  Spring break has finally arrived and we are so excited to have some time off with our girlie to visit family, soak up some sun, and see the sights.  I hoped Livi would sleep through most of our flight down there since I booked a flight at bedtime, but of course there was way too much happening to sleep.  But, she still did really well!

Our first stop was to Naples to visit Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Pigg for Easter.  Grandpa was a most gracious host!  He made delicious meals, gave up his bedroom and bathroom, and stocked up on all of Livi's favorite foods.  Even though it had been a while since we had seen him, Olivia quickly warmed up to him and was running around yelling, "Grandpa!"

Easter was absolutely awesome!  We had such an amazing visit with my grandma.  The day before had been a bit difficult as she was having a hard day.  But on Easter, she was alert and chatting up a storm.  Livi happily climbed up on her lap and showed off Baby (her doll) and videos on Josh's phone.   It is a true testament to her spirit when she is able to break through the walls that the Parkinson's and dementia try to put up and we get to see those glimpses of the lady we all remember.



I love how content and comfortable they both look in this video.  You can just see much love there is between the two of them!

 

We really enjoyed the rest of our stay in Naples.  We went to downtown Naples and did a little shopping at "Best of Everything" (jewelry for Mommy; "airbows" for Livi!) and had some yummy ice cream.  Before long, it was time to hit the road and head back to the east coast.  We stopped at Sawgrass Mills so Daddy could indulge in some Bahama Breeze and Mommy could drool over some new Kate Spade (thank you, Daddy!).  Livi was just happy to be out and about and running around!

One of the best parts of being on vacation is taking a break from all the day to day responsibilities including cooking.  We have a couple of favorite places we like to try to go to each year (although, one was a big let down this year!), but we also like to try new places.  Apparently, Livi felt comfortable enough at Siam Oishi to create her own "Girls Gone Wild" moment.

But let's face it, the real reason you go on vacation in Florida are the beaches and pools!  We were blessed with awesome weather, except for one rainy day.  Our girl still loves to swim, but this year she really loved the ocean!  She couldn't get enough of splashing in the waves.  Plus, I loved having matching pink swimsuits and toenails with my girl!

On our last night in Florida, we got to have a great dinner with Uncle Artie and his friend Christine.  Miss Christine had all kinds of fun toddler apps her phone and was very good at keeping Livi entertained!  She and Uncle Artie made us a very yummy breakfast the next morning before our flight.  This trip was a great reminder of the kind and generous family we have!




















Livi was quite the charmer on the flights back!  She got many packages of goodies and other treats from the flight attendants. She definitely liked flying though and still gets very excited when we see or hear "airpanes" around the neighborhood!