To Grandmother's House We Go . . .

We went to visit Grandpa Ed and Grandma Linda in Lewiston this weekend. Olivia had a ball with many of the old toys my parents had been storing in the attic after my sister and I outgrew them.

Grandpa and Grandma's house is all about :

Trucks (specifically jeeps) ,

Trikes (definitely an antique) ,

and Tractors!!!
(this was Grandpa's when he was a kid, just like the trike)

Only Olivia gets Grandpa Ed to grin this big!

Grandma Linda lends a hand, as Olivia's feet don't quite reach the pedals!

An Afternoon in June

"Brrrr. This is cold. Mom doesn't think I'm really crazy enough to get in here, does she?"

"For goodness sake, why bother putting this water stuff in hard-to-drink from plastic bottles?"

"Alright dogs, either drink from this hose like I showed you or I will spray you with it!"

Fence Finished- Fenced in for Life

I am happy to report we have officially completed one of our summer projects. Richard and his dad put up "Dodger-proof" fencing last Sunday afternoon. Our Cocker spaniel has been roaming around the neighborhood for far too long. . . Dodger roams no more!

Great job Olivia, Richard, and Grandpa Carico!

Our team, each doing what he or she does best. . . Someone has to cheerlead, right?

Olivia and Grammy Carico

Olivia admires the completed fence with Dodger at her side. He doesn't realize his freedom has been crushed in a single afternoon. Boy oh boy, my poor guy is in desperate need of a haircut!

Saturday Morning Post

What did I do with my Saturday mornings before Olivia? I guess while in pharmacy school I would sleep in and spend my mornings studying. After I graduated, and even after Richard and I got married, I would go for long jogs to start my weekend. Nowadays, I count on Olivia to bring me unforeseen joy and plenty of entertainment. What did we do this Saturday morning? Nothing really. . . but it meant everything. Thank you God! She is such an incredible miracle!

Get Your Motor Runnin'

Head out of the driveway . . .

Lookin' for adventure . . .

And whatever comes our way . . .

Yeah darlin' gonna make it happen!!!

Olivia has a new toy. Up until now, all the poor girl had to play with outside was her Radio Flyer wagon. Look out Dodger, Lucy, and Bandit, here comes Olivia!

Happy Father's Day Richard

I love this picture- November 17, 2006- Hello Olivia! Welcome to the world!

Summertime fun on Grandpa and Grama's boat last summer!

Our Little Lady (from Lady and the Tramp) last Halloween
She refused to wear the hat for over 30 seconds

This Dodger hat is too small, even for me!!!

Beginning phase II of (one of) our summer projects this year

Richard and Olivia discuss the wonderful, completed, retaining wall they are seated on

We didn't quite make it to Boise's Greenbelt today, but we did have fun riding bikes on Caldwell's scaled down version. We had everything we need. . . each other. Thanks Dad, for all the wonderful things you do for us. We love you!

Pig in the Park

Today Caldwell Fire had their annual Pig in the Park barbecue. That's right, the main dish was a roasted pig! The highlight of the day for Olivia was driving the "fire pick-up".

Look out Caldwell, Olivia is behind the wheel!

The highlight of my day was taking Olivia swimming; I love the water. We went to the local pool a couple of times last year and had gone the night before. I am happy to report Olivia really does enjoy the water. We practiced bouncing- she can touch where its 2 feet deep- and blowing "bubbols". I am so excited that the warm weather is really here for good and I hope to get in lots and lots of pool time this summer!

What a big smile!

Great backfloat!

Mom loves summer!

We've Only Just Begun . . .

Richard officially finished his retaining wall last night. Hurray! Olivia is so overwhelmed with emotion, all she can do is cry. She speaks for both of us. . . see below. . .

I came home from work today, and low and behold, phase II was underway. I am speechless.

What more can I say?

Mud pie, anyone?

I just love this photograph of Olivia. In this picture, and others, she reminds me so much of my little sister, Mindi, at this age.

On a side note, Richard brought Olivia's Idaho State shirt home from Pocatello when I was pregnant with Olivia. After she was born, I remember looking at it and thinking, "This will never fit". The fact that it now fits gets me a little teary-eyed. Go Bengals!

Life Is a Highway . . .

and Olivia is driving!!!

Driving and drinking Diet Mountain Dew, just like Mom!

Sttrreetch. . . I can almost reach the steering wheel in Dad's truck!

Hit the cruise control, and this is cake!

Olivia's favorite new game is "drive the car". She likes to sit in the driver's seat of either Richard's truck or my CRV and pretend she is driving. Today she had Richard's windshield wipers going, his lights were on, and she was moving his outside mirrors. She has locked herself in my car twice in just the amount of time it takes me to go from the driver's side to the passenger side. The second time, when she realized I couldn't get in, she just grinned and giggled. What a stinker!

Too Sexy for this Hat

Quiet Week

Not much going on at our house this week. We are waiting for the sun to come out and the wind to die down. Dodger is waiting for a cookie crumb.


Olivia loves this little house. Grama Linda and Grandpa Ed got it for her for Christmas last year and its been really fun to watch her "grow into it". It's a great learning toy.


"Ello, would you like to come in for some vanilla wafers and milk?"

Richard's Retaining Wall

Richard has undertaken a quite the "spring" project. He is building a retaining wall in our backyard. I know he'll do a terrific job and it will look great when he finishes (which he has assured me will be within a few short weeks). However, I thought removing the bark and replacing it with rock was more than enough work to keep us busy. As you can see below, Olivia is helping to make his vision a reality.

"I've just about had enough of this hard labor for one day! Gimme a break!"

I have aboslutely no idea where this attitude comes from, certainly not her Mom.

"Hey, Dad, can you come check my work over here."

"Good job today, Bandit. We make quite a team. I can always count on you!"