Olivia and all her brilliance.

I wanted to document Olivia and all of the things she has learned lately. I figured if you are checking this blog, you would want to see just how smart our little Olivia is too. I forgot to get her to sign all of her words, so I guess that will be a video to look forward to.

I haven't blogged in a while. I really just haven't had any time, but I don't want to begin again so I am hoping to get motivated again with this one. Since I have last blogged Olivia has started her school. We absolutely love it. It is so refreshing to know that I am leaving her in such great hands each day. In the beginning she was a little hesitant about me leaving her each morning, but now she typically just gets down and joins her friends to play. We love her teacher and have been very impressed with the overall quality of everything.

To catch you up to date. Olivia now has 6 teeth, 4 on top and still just 2 on bottom. She gets everywhere she wants and loves to climb. Tonight we bought one of her new carseats. Since we had a great box, we decided to turn it into a little house for her and she LOVED it. Instantly, she crawling through the door and out the back window.

She is almost 21 pounds and is 29 inches long, which puts her into the 40 percentile. She is learning to communicate with her words and with sign language. She can sign please, thank you, hungry, more and wash your hands. We are working on water and bath, but they aren't coming as easily. She will also say please when she signs it and it is SO cute, because it comes out like "peas".

Parenthood is still wonderful! Rob and I constantly reflect on how blessed we are and do not want to take for granted one minute of this experience. We hope you enjoy our latest video. The fact that we actually caught all of this at one time is a miracle in and of itself. Usually she will do a couple of the things we ask and then she goes on her way. I guess tonight she felt like being a star.

First Birthday

Daddy and Olivia playing on the floor.



Licking a beater of mashed potatoes, like mother like daughter.



Olivia had more fun squishing her cupcake between her fingers than eating it.



She is showing off her homemade birthday card from mamaw.



My little birthday princess


What a great first year!!! Olivia has been such a blessing to Rob and I and we have enjoyed every minute of it. Just to give you an update about what she's up to these days. She is walking all over the place. She has definitely discovered her independence. She has also started her new school. Rob and I love it and think it is a great environment for her each day. We are also super excited that Rob's schedule allows that she is home with him two days a week, so they are getting some great father daughter time together. The first day of "school" she came home talking and pointing out her "shoe". Apparently they had practiced putting their shoes on that day and she really caught on. pretty cool! Also she has starting signing much more in the one week there, because they use it there as well. She can say please, more, and all gone. Love it! She waves to everyone and will blow you a kiss. She loves spending time outside. I can't imagine that it gets any better than this, but a good friend of Rob's says that he would think that at every age of his daughter life too. Here are some pictures from the past month and also from her birthday.

First Trip to the Ocean

The reason the picture is a little cloudy is because there was SO MUCH humidity that our camera kept having to make the adjustment to the climate.

This is her favorite funny face to make and it is a challenge to catch on the camera

This is Alicia, the bride. Olivia was fascinated with her and would hardly let her go.

Rob and Keith

We returned from Charleston, South Carolina this morning. Rob was in a wedding with one of his great friends Keith. He and Keith lived together in Iraq and Rob was honored to be apart of his wedding this weekend at the beach. We took this opportunity to let Olivia get her feet wet in the ocean. I am posting some pictures of the event so you guys can see the happy couple. Then following I am posting a video of Olivia's ocean experience. We did not get completely in the ocean, I was super nervous about having Olivia out in the sun for very long. Therefore, we just allowed the water to rush in on her little toes.

Our baby girl has taken some small steps!!!

Today was a monumental day for this family. Olivia took her first steps. Rob and I have been anticipating this for weeks and today when it happened I almost cried. I was cooking and Rob was working on school work. Neither of us were prompting her and she simply stood up and took two little steps. I squealed and she clapped. Rob just so happened to have witnessed this moment from the other room too, which was perfect!! Then we started getting her to take more and she took a couple of steps towards me and a couple towards dad. It was so exciting! This has been something we have spoke about for a while and yet when it happened... it was kind of sad because this is our little girl and she is growing up SO FAST! She took many more steps throughout the night and we caught two little ones on video and thought we would share them with you. I want to warn you that it is a short video and you will need to turn the computer, because I couldn't figure out how to rotate the picture.

First Vacation and the Big 30!!!

We recently went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Rob wanted to do something big for my 30th birthday, so he booked a beautiful cabin in the mountains. It was wonderful and definitely my best birthday thus far. Not to mention it was Olivia's first official vacation. We had a wonderful time. We got to take a fun ski lift into the mountains... and see a bear....I mean seriously, people have been there a ton of times and never seen a bear this close. Of course, Olivia didn't get to take that ride... maybe next time. We played putt putt down the side of the mountain at the famous hillbilly golf. We saw a fun dinner show. The guys golfed and the women shopped. Overall a fabulous and relaxing vacation. Not to mention I got a fun little 10 inch laptop from Rob for my birthday. It is perfect for me since my main goal is surfing the web and it so easy for travel.

My Georgia Peach

I wanted to share with you all about my little Georgia Peach. Last week, Olivia and I went to Walmart to pick up some groceries and she saw the peaches and made her famous grunt. We were done shopping, so I picked up two peaches to complete the trip then headed to the checkout. I mistakenly gave her one of the peaches to hold on to. In the ten seconds that it took me to walk to the line, I looked down and to my surprise she had taken a huge bite out of the peach. She has never eaten a peach this way so I had no idea that she would even know what to do with it. When I tried to get it from her, she was quite determined to get it back and let everyone in Walmart know about it. So I gave it to her and let her eat it on the way home. When I got home, she had eaten the entire peach.... obviously not the seed. I have attached a video of what she looked like when we got home. She was a sticky mess, but she enjoyed herself. I have been joking about not even giving her a birthday cake for the big day, but a peach instead. I think she would love it.

First Mother's Day

Yesterday was my first official mother's day. Obviously I was muy gorda last year, but I don't really know if I count that. Contrary to what I have heard, it's just not truly mother's day until you meet your new little sweets. Olivia has turned our world upside down and it's wonderful. She has forever changed my perspective on so many things. I think Rob would probably second that motion. When I sent my mom her mother's day card this year, I just had to explain to her how much I never really understand about her love for me even until now. Being a mom is definitely a wonderful feeling. Olivia is such a wonderful blessing and I am thankful each day that God allows me to be her mom.

1st Easter

We had a wonderful first Easter. Rob, Olivia, and I visited our pastor's house for the orphan Easter. (some friends that don't have local family) We had a wonderful meal, then the children hunted eggs. Olivia and her friend Owen hunted eggs, but I am not quite sure they knew what they were doing. Olivia just wanted to eat the plastic egg, having no idea the goodness that was inside. Here are some pictures of our day.

We have teeth!!!

I almost forgot to tell you that O has teeth.... two to be exact. I haven't been able to capture a great picture but here is a fun video of her from last night and if you look close you will catch a glimpse of them.

The Exersaucer

We have loved this thing for some time now. I bought it at our church's consignment sale and it has been a great investment. She began sitting in it a little over four months with a pillow behind her back. This wonderful toy has allowed her to be entertained while we can get daily tasks completed and she loved it. However since she has gotten a little more mobile, it just doesn't do the trick. Well, randomly, this week I brought it back downstairs just to see if she was interested. She was, just in a different way. This is exactly how I found her so I thought I would share it with you.

It's Been a While

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. I am going to make up for it today and post alot of events and many new pictures. Let me begin by telling you that Olivia has been pulling up to everything and isn't truly happy anymore unless she is on her feet. She has the heart of a walker and on occasion will let go of her "handle" and stand on her own. I believe that she is still a while away from taking off, but I guess only time will tell.

She has also begun eating many new finger foods. She loves to do it herself and from what I understand that new trait is going to be around for a while. She loves her yogurt bites and her little pieces of fruit. This week, we are going to try some bite size pieces of veggies and pasta.

We have also had to lower her bed because she is began climbing up the sides when she awakes. She is so funny. As soon as she wakes up in the morning before her eyes really even open, she has stood up waiting on mom or dad. The funny thing is that some mornings when we go to get her, she is facing the wall. Poor little thing, she too sleepy to open her eyes but she knows she's ready for company

Watch Her Go!

So I don't know if you would call this crawling yet, but Olivia can definitely get anywhere she wants to go with a little scoot. She loves to play in her bedroom on her carpet, but tonight I wanted to introduce her to the hardwood and she thought that was so fun. She could move so much quicker and slip and slide all around. So here is a video of this fun time.

Our little sick Olivia

So, today is the third day of sickness with Olivia. It all started on Sunday and it has been a slow road from then. Sunday when she woke up, she just wasn't herself. At one point on Sunday, she had a 102.2 temperature. By the time, Sunday had come to a close we had changed clothes six times and had two baths. Needless to say, it was an exhausting day. Her fever broke Sunday night about 9 p.m. and slept like a normal night.

On Monday morning, her temperature was down, she was happy as normal, so we headed to her childcare thinking we might just have some aggressive teething. However, I had to pick her up early because she had started running a temperature again. Last night, she ran a low temp all night. Thankfully, she has been in good spirits just a little sleepy.

This morning, I decided not to chance it so I took off of work. She has been a sweet little girl again, but you can see that she just isn't feeling 100% and her temperature has come and gone all day. The doctors say that as long as she is continuing to drink plenty of fluids, they say this will run it's course. I am hoping today is the last day of yuck. However, I am thankful this is our first round of sickness in her lifetime. Continue to keep her in your prayers. We are thankful for them.

I wear my sunglasses at night

So this is how we spent our day.... trying on Olvia's new shades and listening to her make poot noises. You gotta love being parents. : ) She actually loved the glasses and didn't try to remove them at all.

You're gonna love this!

First Hair Cut!!! AH!!!!!

The mullet is gone. I am not sure that everyone will agree with me cutting her hair. I have heard from endless people that I am not supposed to cut her hair until she is one, but I just couldn't take it anymore. She is the only 6 month old that I know that truly needed a blow dryer and a flat iron. So this morning before church we made the cut. She is now sporting one adorable little bob haircut. I am attaching a before and after picture. I hope you all like it. I am sure it will be long again before we know it.

Valentine's Day

Rob and I wanted to share with you our funny Valentine's. We both agreed that we weren't going to do anything fancy for Valentines this year, so we simply exchanged cards. However, on Saturday morning we realized just how alike we are when we opened the exact same card from one another. I thought you all might like this story.

Rock Climbing... First Date

Last weekend Rob and I went on our first date again. Our wonderful friend Jessica babysat Olivia so that we could have some fun time together. SOOOOO, I surprised Rob with a fun night of rock climbing. He had NO idea what we were doing. I kept him in suspense until we were on our way there. The best part of the night was right before we left the house, Jess asked Rob if he was wearing underwear. She wanted to make sure he was before we left. Of course he was, but it simply added more suspense to date. I loved it! We had an awesome time. I hope we get the chance to do it again. Here is a picture of Rob on one of his climbs. Neither of us had ever been, but I think we both did okay for the first try.

Surprise Party and More......

I wanted to take so time out of my day and tell all my family and friends...thank you. I am thanking you for all your support of Summer, Olivia and I while I have been gone, and as I returned. When Summer and I finally had the chance to go back to Kentucky Dec.31-Jan 4th, I was reminded of how much family and friends mean to us. If you were unable to attend the surprise party, I know you were all there in spirit. But for those who did, I want to thank you very much. Carrie, Selena, and Martha thank you specifically.

What an amazing blessing was it when I walked into the Snappy Tomato and the room was filled with family and friends. Wow, how amazing is that! Once again thank you.

Now that i am home and transitioning back into the civilian climate, I must admit it was tough at first. The toughness is not out of some dangerous experience that keeps me up at night, or out of fear that I will be targeted...it is much more than that. The hardest part has been to be able to allow myself vulnerable, or show emotion again. You see, in all your briefings you are told to be aware of your emotions, the list they give is so long it covers almost every emotion I can think of. Saying that I felt like I could show none, for fear that someone would judge me or be overly concerned. But, after getting back into church and spending time with Summer, Olivia, our church, and friends it has been the perfect transition. I feel free to drop the warrior mentality and be the Father, and Husband that God wants me to be.

Summer, Your strength and determination is so unbelieveable. I find encouragement in you every day. Thank you for being the wife, best friend, and amazing mother that you are. Martha and Jim and the rest her family and friends....thank you for helping mold her into who she is, years and years before our eyes ever met.

Olivia....what can I say about you that everyone doesn't already know. You are so fun and I have enjoyed days where you and i have gotten to hang out together. I love your piercing blue eyes and your laughter that is contagious to everyone in earshot. Your personality is already developing and you are already learning how to cut at my heartstrings. Tricks on dad you play that mom does not fall for. I love it. I pray that God will continue to find favor in our family and thank him for allowing us to be your parents.

To everyone else once again thank all of you. I had an easy transition and I thank you for it.

Feed One Another

Another one for my KY folks: So this is, yet another, website from my church. Well kinda. It's for you to. http://www.feedoneanother.com/ I can't tell you how often I have sat down with the Bible with great intentions of digging right in and realizing I need a little more direction than that. So this helps me. It is a online devotional written by real people... actually Rob and I have both written one in the past. These are all members of our church simply addressing the Bible from an average person's perspective. They each give their idea of what the scripture(s) means, then allow you to respond. I encourage you to check it out. Feel free to respond even if you live three states away.... you are a part of this. Most of you that I know read this probably have the best of intentions like me.... but somewhere along the way.... we forget... we don't understand... we don't have time... whatever. So this is an easy way to get started. This is the living, breathing, life-changing Word of God.

Faith in Action

For those in KY : Faith in Action is something our church, Cumberland Community Church, does once a quarter to reach out the community and give back. We have decided to become more actively involved in serving Smyrna as opposed to expecting everyone to come to us, the building of CCC. Previously, we have worked at a local elementary school making improvements and fed the homeless. Once members went to work for a senior community to help them wherever needed (I didn't get to do that one). So this time, our staff and elders decided to do some work within our building. Rob and I have been at CCC for over 2 years now and it has grown so much. So it was decided that if we were going to welcome people to the building, we should probably clean the place up a little. So that is what we did. Everyone worked from 8 until 4, well most did. We were served a wonderful lunch, with dessert (yummy!). Rob ended up pulling up some pews in the auditorium and the floor underneath was painted. I sanitized toys all day, not my favorite but it has to be done. I am attaching a picture of Olivia. She basically just hung out and inspired us with a beautiful occasional shout out. My goal for her and our family is to keep Olivia involved in serving so that she understands how important it is. Remind me of this please as she grows and I become more busy. This is definitely something I don't want to forget. Below is the church website if you want to check it out.

http://www.cumberlandchurch.org/

FOOTBALL!!!

So last night was the super bowl and of course you have to watch. Anyone that knows me well knows that I care very little about any sport. However, I will say that last night was an exciting game. Rob, O and I went to our friends, Don and Sue Adams, to watch the game. This is my third consecutive year to watch the game with them. Obviously, Rob missed out last year with his tour and I was super prego. We had a really good time with everyone, most of whom we didn't know or barely knew. However, it is always fun to meet new folks. Olivia even met a cute little boy named Finley. They were making eyes at one another. Watch out Owen. : ) The best part of the night by far was Olivia screaming along with the fans in the room. She has started mimicking others. It sounds as though she is screaming at the game... but really she's screaming at you. It so fun to hear. Also, for those of you that aren't around regularly, I wanted to report that she is such a giggler now. We have found the tickle spots and she will just crack up. Rob and I have decided that we each need to hear that every day in order for the day to be a success. So that's that. I hope that you all had a wonderful Superbowl day.

Olivia's Dedication

On Sunday, January 18, 2009 Olivia was dedicated at church. In the Protestant faith, that basically means that the parents are publically committing to raise their child in a christian home. Rob and I were very excited and proud to publically acknowledge our responsibility to God in raising Olivia. Our church holds a dedication ceremony once a quarter and typically there are two or three children. This quarter there were nine, so Olivia will have many new friends to make. Our children's pastor joked that about 10 months ago, the church held a prayer meeting to pray for new members and here we have them today. : ) My mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew came down from Kentucky. Our friends Adam and Leslie also came to watch O on her big day. Our family doesn't have a generational gown so I wanted to find something unique. I had been looking around, when I randomly found a beautiful gown at an antique store near our house. So this will become a new family tradition for the Hathcocks. We are so proud of our little girl and know God has big plans for her.

Little Fish

Olivia went for her first swim in Hinesville, Georgia. The final week of Rob's active duty, the army sent all of us to Ft. Stewart for a week of family reintegration. That basically means a week of somewhat boring classes, Olivia in tow. On the upside, we were put up in a hotel that had an indoor swimming pool. Rob and I thought this was a great opportunity to take O for a swim. So here is her first dunk and her cute little polka dot bikini, courtesty of her big cousin Morgan. (the bikini was her's first)

Little Girl, Big Appetite

Over the past couple of weeks Rob and I have gotten to introduce Olivia to new veggies and fruits. We have also been letting her experiment with her sippie cup. I thought I would share this funny little video with you all, because it has definitely made us laugh. She has since tried just about every choice that the 1st foods offers and is doing much better with her cup. I believe she still thinks the cup is just something to chew on that occasionally surprises her with a little goodness. : )