This one...

...has got me so wrapped around her little finger. I have always prided myself in my ability to give each of my kids equal amounts of love & attention. Looking back, I think there were some obvious line drawn in the Ingersoll household as to who connected better with each parent. Obviously we all survived and are close, but I just didn't want that for my kids.
But Olivia, oh my funny, charismatic, charming, sassy little girl is such a little love. I have felt this way about each of my children, so maybe it's her age, but she is something else.
At swimming, I hear her little voice cheerfully yelling, "Mama I am having fun at swimming lessons," above all other voices. At night she comes in to our room about 15 times saying, "Daddy don't let the bed bugs bite," or "Sweet dreams mommy," or " I am going to sleep and then have breakfast when I wake up OKAY?"
She walks up to people and says, "I am Olivia Grace Stafford Chubby Cheeks." I just can't get enough of her personality. She is a bit of a sass like me, but boy is she a hoot. I am a little nervous for her to be dethroned this fall when baby #4 comes. She has always been the obvious baby of the house. She is the queen bee, the princess, and the charmer. Just this morning I saw her hug her brother and say, "Ryan you are the best brother in the whole world."
I sure think she is the best three year old in my world.

Olivia

Enjoy! Unfortunately you won't see any of her slick dance moves with this..

Big news

Olivia--the goggled girl in the middle--jumped off the diving board today!
She certainly didn't get her fearlessness from this old gal! (I dropped out of beginner level swimming in the fourth grade. Yeah I sucked.)

Go girls!

I don't get the opportunity to write about my girls and their activities as often as I do Ryan. Kate had her first baseball game yesterday. She did very well, and more importantly, she told me she had a lot of fun!
Swimming lessons began for all three kids yesterday too. Olivia has been asking to do it too, but I figured that she is too young. I asked the staff at MSUM if she could 'walk on' the first day. If she was successful, I would pay on the spot. Sure enough she had a blast! She kept yelling, "Look mama!" It was quite sweet.
Don't worry, I can't forget about Ryan. He is doing well at swimming too, and tonight he has a game. His games have been rained out lately, but surely tonight we can enjoy one!
.

Happy Father's Day

We are back from our vacation to Las Vegas....so now it's back to parent mode. I am going to write why Thad is such a great daddy to his children:
1. He coaches baseball for both kids' teams
2. He coaches hockey for Ryan's team
3. He coached spring and fall soccer
4. He deals with barf when the kids have the stomach flu
5. He is the tickle monster
6. He picks up many of the kids' messes
7. He has taught the kids that family is more important than anything else
8. He has a job that can be demanding of his tub, but he still makes it to most all programs, events, and just makes it work
9. Makes each kid feel special in their own way.

Now, on to MY dad...Wayne. This is why my dad is such a great dad:
1. He was so patient with me growing up. If my dad raised his voice to me, I knew he meant business, because it didn't happen often.
2. He used to take me for a burger and fries every morning in the summer time...as early as 6am if I was up.
3. He taught me at an early age to save my money. "Don't spend money you don't have."
4. He allowed me to be me. He never once made me feel bad for being a slob, a brat, or anything else.
5. He found humor in all the bratty things I did growing up. No matter if I farted at the dinner table, belched out loud, or anything else, he smirked when my mother wasn't looking.
6. He always used to say that my #1 job was to get my education. He paid for my college, Master's degree, AND all my other courses that enabled me to get a better paycheck. He said once that maybe we could have had a lake home, but he opted to pay for his kids' educations.
7. He is the only man I know who takes pride in wearing a stocking cap in June, long underwear in May, and wears some butt ugly clothing.
8. Most importantly, he told me everyday at least 15 times that he loved me. I am proud to say that I do the same with my kids. I never once doubted his love. EVER.
**I know I don't have this quote right, but my father said at his brother's funeral years ago that the success of a man is not measured by the job he has or the money he makes. It's the kind of father he is. My dad is by far, an amazing man and father.

The Last Day of School & Kate's Birthday!

Very excited this morning!


Not only did Kate get to celebrate her 6th birthday on the last day of school, but she got two parties! One of my classes had a lunch buffet. A couple of kids baked her a cake and got her balloons. Then we had the family over tonight. Unfortunately, Thad had a big case that came in today, so he missed out on her big day. It's part of his job, so no one on this end can be angry. But, I know he feels guilty.
Anyway it was a fun day for her, and so now we look ahead to her party on Friday!

Why I love Thad...& a few other things

One of the many reasons I love Thad is in this picture:Thad bought groceries today after his golf outing. He surprised us (ME!) with frosted cookies. Now, most of you know of my crazy sweet tooth, which is why I look how I do. Anyway, he chooses our cookies each for a reason:
1. Lion rhymes with Ryan
2. Kate loves frogs
3. Mommy is as pretty as a rainbow (okay he was grasping for a reason there)
4. Olivia is like a flower, but like this cookie, is crazy too.
Mine was gone in under 5 minutes. It's the little things like this that make me--and all of us women-- feel special.

In other news: My friend Melissa just facebooked me that she just saw Jeremy Piven in LA. I am so jealous. Being a teacher in Mhd doesn't afford me any exciting trips to fun cities to see famous people. Wah wah.
Olivia has a thing with nudity...she just ate supper in the buff. Yesterday, she came inside (yes from being outside) buck naked.
I went to Sex and the City last night. I loved it! Go see it!