Dear Olivia and Bently,

You both are in this phase where you ask me how to spell things. A lot of things. It usually happens while we're in the car driving somewhere, but we also do it at home. You say, "How do you spell, House." Then I spell house. I don't know why this game entertains you so much. But you both love it and want to ask me to spell things all the time. Sometimes I don't mind, sometimes it's pretty annoying! ;) It sure makes me feel like I'm in a spelling B! It also reminds me how many words I don't know how to spell. Sometimes I have no idea what Olivia is saying so I just make up a spelling. I figure, you're not going to be able to remember it anyways! :)

You both love each other so much. It has been so much fun watching your relationship with each other grow! You can fight like none other, but you also play together all the time! :) Sometimes, if one of you isn't coming fast enough I threaten to leave you. This causes the other sibling to go into hysterical crying and screaming! Today I just walked out of the house ahead of you and Olivia began to scream, "Don't leave Bently!" Then she ran to Bently who was sitting in the hallway, helped him up and brought him to the door! It was pretty adorable! I love the fierce loyalty you have to one another! I hope you always feel protective of each other! :)

I love you both so much! I hope you know that!

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

Tonight at dinner you excitedly ran off and grabbed your Elsa Microphone.You see, sometimes you and your brother will perform for us during dinner! It's as adorable as it is annoying! ;) Your microphone plays two songs from Frozen. "Let it go" and "In Summer". You always sings the let it go and Bently does the Olaf song. It's cute but after you've sang it for us 10 times in a row, it looses it's cuteness somewhat! ;) But you are always so proud of yourself! You always make sure Dad is watching and get's mad when he doesn't. So all of your Dad's and I dinner conversations are had while not even looking at each other! The joys of parenting! :)

Today after church you randomly started singing "Jesus wants me for a Sumbeam!" I didn't know you even knew that song till you started singing it! You basically only know that line and sing it over and over again! You also did a pretty cute rendition of "Popcorn Popping!" I'm so glad you are learning something in nursery. You still cry 90% of the time I drop you off! I always feel a little guilty leaving you but your nursery leaders assure me you cheer up fast. I guess I should be fair, lately you've been so much better! You have a favorite nursery leader you will usually go to without crying. I pray she isn't released till after December! (In which time you will be in primary and the blows my mind! I don't feel old enough to have 2 kids in primary!)

Your birthday is in a short 13 days! Crazy! You will be three! I can tell you are the 2nd child. I feel guilty sometimes for not having the time to teach you as much as I did Bently. I laugh because you can never answer how old you are now, but you know you will be 3 on your birthday! 13 more days and you will be able to answer the question, "How old are you?" :)

I love you beautiful girl!

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You my girl are always keeping me laughing. Whenever I am angry at you, or I am telling you something you don't want to hear, you pretend to be asleep. You turn your head away from me and close your eyes. Every single time. It also happens when people you don't know very well talk to you. It's adorable, and slightly annoying. Especially when I'm trying to have a calm conversation with you!

You are doing really well with potty training. Since your first day you've only had 2 accidents. Both times it was in the morning. I learned I need to put you on the potty right when you wake up or you won't remember to do it! I love having you in underwear. Even with all the negatives. One major one is I think you are scared to have an accident outside our house. So whenever we go out, you go potty all the time. I mean every 15 minutes you want to go sit on the toilet again. It seems to be slowly getting better. But it hasn't been no picnic! :)

Today we went out to Steinaker Reservoir to hang out at the lake for a minute. I guess I should tell you the back story. When we went to California, our first night there, you ended up going underwater longer than was comfortable. Ever since then, understandably, you've been afraid to go in the water. This has been awful considering summer just started! We went to the Roosevelt pool and you were terrified the whole time. I felt awful! You refused to be in the water unless you were clinging to Dad or I. So today, I didn't expect anything different from  you. In the beginning, that's exactly how it was. You wouldn't go near the water without Dad holding you. I don't know what changed, but by the end of the trip, you were jumping all over the water. I think you enjoyed how slowly it got deep. You could walk quite a distance before it hit your chest. You were so proud of yourself. You kept saying, "I can swim!" You loved it and didn't want to leave. :) I am so grateful you are slowly getting braver in the water again! You loved the water before and I really hope you will again!

I love you Miss Olivia Beth!

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You are in a total princess stage! You love princesses! Especially Anna from Frozen. She is your all time favorite princess right! The other day you were playing that you were Anna and I decided, what the heck, and got out your Halloween costume from last year! You've now worn it for the past 2 days! You love it. You get on your Anna dress and your princess crown, your plastic high heels, purse, and your baby, and you look adorable. :)

For awhile now you love to be called other names. I'll say "Olivia come here!" And you'll say, "No I'm the mamma!" So then I have to call you mamma. Today you weren't Olivia you were Anna! It's so stinking cute! So all day we called you Princess Anna. At one point Dad even added, "Of Arendale!"

I love you my beautiful big girl! In case you were wondering, today is day four with no accidents from you! It seems to be too good to be true! I never thought it would happen with how against it you were! But you've really come around! Thank goodness for bribery! :)

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You my dear have started doing something amazing! It all started when you stopped telling us no every time we asked if you wanted to go pee on the potty. You see, before this, it was always a fast and stern no from you. You even told daddy you were going to were big kid diapers. I was without hope for sure. I knew from potty training Bently it was pointless to force the issue on you. That would just lead to tears and frustration on both sides. But as of late, you started telling us you wanted to go pee on the potty. It might have helped that I told you only big girls can go to Lagoon. So if you didn't go pee on the potty, no Lagoon for you! Friday night we went to the store and picked out a little potty. You are going through a fears stage and you told us you were scared of the big potty. So we dropped a good amount of cash on a dang little potty! The first day you did.... okay. You had 3 accidents and 4 success. One of those success though was a poop! So that made me happy. But still just over 50 percent success rate wasn't my favorite. Especially because you peed at McDonalds about 2 minutes after I asked if you needed to use the potty. I was ready to give up but decided to give it one more day! The next day was a busy day. We went to the fair for 4 hours and also to the store. You stayed dry the whole time! No accidents! I was so proud of you! Today again you've had no accidents! I am hoping this sticks around! The only bummer part is I constantly have to ask you if you have to go. So far you haven't been consistent in telling me when you need to go! Hopefully that skills is learned with time! OH and I forgot to mention you have stayed dry all 3 nights. We've put a diaper on you, but so far, it hasn't been necessary! :)

I love you my big girl! I can't believe I have two kids in underpants! :)

This is totally off topic but I have to mention is you have a new phrase you say quite often. You will ask, "what funny?" whenever we laugh. It's pretty darn adorable and hilarious! We usually laugh at you asking us what's funny!

I love you miss thang!

Mommy

Dear Olivia,

Yesterday Dad and Bently went to the movies together for Daddy son bonding time. That means you, me, and Lincoln were left behind. Though of course you were sad at first, we ended up having a great time together. I tried to focus on you while they were gone. I talked to you and tickled you! I just enjoyed being with you. We went to the park where I pushed you on the swing the majority of the time! I loved getting the opportunity to just sit and talk to you. You have SO much to say lately! You are a little chatter box! I love getting to listen in and see what's going on in your head!

I love you so much my beautiful girl! :) Thank you for spending the evening with me! It truly was magical!

Love,
Mom

Dear Olivia,

You never go anywhere without your baby and your purse. If you forget, it's an epic melt down! You have a baby in a purple outfit that you have name "Bincoln Brother" and she is never far from your side. It's stinking freaking adorable! But it can also be a real slow down. You have a hard time walking up 3 flights of stairs carrying your baby and your purse. Also, when we get in the car, Bincoln Brother has to sit in her own seat in the back by Bently, and your purse must be on the seat by me. Then you can finally be buckled in your seat. Then when we get out of the car, you must gather them all together. Now I can not help you put the baby or purse in their spot or help you gather them. It is quite the process! :)

You don't eat much now except cereal or mac and cheese. You have moment where you will eat a ton! But mostly I wonder how you live on how little you eat! :)

I love you so much beautiful! You have the most contagious smile and giggle. I do a lot of silly things just to hear that giggle! It is stinking adorable to say the least!

I love you!

Mom