We've Moved

We've finally got the new blog up and running. Please visit

Princess & the Pea

for our family updates. Be sure to add it to your favorites, but for now you can visit:

http://sweet-life-of-livi-and-zach.blogspot.com/

My Brother

Meet My Brother, Zachary Isaac Preston.

Olivia has absolutely blown us away with her reaction to being a big sister. We were so afraid that she'd be jealous and insecure with Zach's arrival, but she has proved us wrong!

From the moment Olivia first met Zach, she's been talking about nothing other than "My Baby". That's what she lovingly calls her baby brother - My Baby! She's starting to refer to him as Bubba on occasion, but My Baby is her name of choice for Zach right now.

Every morning when she wakes up, she asks to see Zach. She kisses him uncontrolably, and loves to point out every one of his features. She's also catching on quite quickly when it comes to taking care of her baby brother. She gets diapers for us, brings him toys, and has even learned that the magic passy will amazingly stop the screaming!

She loves to cuddle with him, and she gets to excited when she's allowed to hold him - which hasn't been possible until just recently. For those of you who we haven't talked to, Olivia has had quite the string of bad luck lately. The weekend before we had Zach, she was in the ER with a nasty stomach bug that left her sick for several days. Then, the day after we brought him home, she got Pink Eye and an Ear Infection. Then, this past Thursday, she developed an allergic reaction to Amoxicillan and has had the hives for 3 days!!! This poor kid just can't catch a break!!!
Keeping her away from Zach (or at least at a safe distance) was the most difficult part of the last two weeks. She loves him so much, and just couldn't understand why she couldn't be near her baby brother. But now she's all better and she loves on him as much as she can.

Aren't they just the cutest!!!

Having two kids is awesome - and this picture prooves it!!!

Practice Makes Perfect

Well, with only two weeks left before Zach gets here, the Preston family decided it was time to get some practice in. We babysat DJ (AKA: Baby Derric) tonight while Jenn and her family took her brother-in-law out to dinner for his birthday. It' s our first time watching DJ, so we were pumped to have a boy in the house AND to get the practice before Zach gets here.


Uncle Josh takes a break from all of the excitment to have some "boy" time with DJ. Josh on the phone and DJ with a doll!!! Two men doing things that we don't see men do that often!!!

Dinner was interesting. Olivia sat in her chair and ate until it was time for DJ to eat. Once I brought out his food, she wanted nothing to do with her dinner. She was all about helping Mommy feed the baby....and when the baby was all finished...she had to taste some for herself.
I knew that there would be some regretion with the introduction of a new baby!!!

And finally, DJ and I were content reading the Pooh book, but Olivia had to turn it into a big play fest!!! She was climbing all over me, hugging DJ, he was laughing his head off, and I was doing my best to hold on to both of them. This brings back memories of when Kristina was little and Jenn always said, "I am not a jungle-gym!" Yes, actually, I think that all moms are jungle-gyms.

Thanks for letting us keep DJ, Jenn. We had a blast, and he LOVED Olivia!!! They were best friends from the get-go! Maybe we can do it again before Zach gets here!!!

Day with Mommy & Daddy

Last weekend we headed to Stone Mountain to the Yellow River Gaming Ranch. A big Thank You to Andrea who suggested it!!! It was one of the day trips that we'd wanted to do with Olivia before her brother's arrival. We had no idea what to expect, but we had a BLAST.

We started by purchasing carrots and peanuts. Who knew you could actually feed the animals!! Next time we'll come prepared with our own snacks for our furry friends. We'll start with my favorite animal - Bambi. When I saw these deer walking around eating out of people's hands, I was amazed. I've never seen these creatures so tame!!! Olivia wasn't quite sure what to think at first. It was big, furry, and wasn't afraid of her - she wasn't so sure she wanted her hands near his mouth!!!
But only a few feet away, we found something more her size. To no surprise of my own, Olivia's favorite animal was Mommy's favorite college friend, the nimble squirrel. Olivia had to feed every squirrel that we came across....and let me tell you...there were lots!!! Those little boogers were great!! They walked right up to her and took peanuts right out of her hand. She LOVED it!!!
And really, when I said there were lots, and that they were her favorites - I wasn't joking. We couldn't move on until she'd fed every one!!!

We saw all kinds of animals. Goats, donkeys, skunks, sheep, ducks, chickens, chipmunks, bears, tigers, ponies, and many more. I'm only including pics of the cute animals that we could feed. The last place we stopped was the rabbit pin. Olivia wasn't too sure at first, but eventually fed the rabbit a carrot...but only with Daddy's help. She tried to pick one up, but he was a little to quick for her, and she wasn't interested enough to run after him!!!

Alas, it started to rain and we headed for cover. Luckily we were on our way to the exit when the first sprinkles hit. We did remember to have someone take a family shot. One of our last trips as a threesome!!! It was a great day, and I'm already talking about our next trip. For anyone who hasn't been - you must go!!! It's mostly shaded and a great outdoors adventure for those of us (aka Josh) who aren't too keen on being out in the sun all day.

MEELLL MEELLLL

Olivia, Where's Mel Mel. Call her.......

"Meelll Melllll!!!!!!"

Finally, she uttered the name Melanie's been waiting to hear!! And she didn't just do it once, she kept on and on and on! I thought Melanie would die when she first said it!!

Melanie and Morgan came over tonight for Pizza and Playtime! We had a blast watching the girls duke it out over chairs, books, games, and cheese! Morgan may be older, but she ain't got nuttin' on my girl. Olivia has proven to be quite agressive with Morgan. Thank goodness Morgan has a gentle nature and doesn't just knock Olivia out!!!


Here are the girls playing on the helicopter! This toy is always a hit. Thanks, Ang. Had Luke not shared his with Olivia, we would have never known about it!!

At least Olivia is learning to share and take turns. Now it's Morgan's turn to ride. Olivia pushes....AKA Morgan scoots around and drags Olivia behind her.
Morgan and MiMi. Aren't they cute!!!
Wheewwww!! After a long day and a playful evening together, the girls are pooped!!! They crawled up on the couch and snuggled together before saying goodbye! Aren't they adorable!!!

We had a blast tonight, Mel and Morgan. Thanks for coming over!!!

Ooooppppsss

Okay, guys. It's been a long blogging night. Past my bed time, but determined to finish the NY trip. I accidently posted the rest on Sweet Pea's site. Please visit there for NY, Day 3, 4, & 5!!!

Day Two: Taking in the Arts

As we resume our stroll through New York, I'm pleased to take you on a tour of the MOMA. New York's Museam of Modern Arts. We headed out on Monday to soak in some culture and see some amazing art. We saw many famous pieces, like Starry Night, but some of the works were a bit beyond our comprehension.

Below you see Olivia enjoying a snack and pondering the existence of Barney as she looks deep into the meaning behind this masterpiece. I know exactly what's she's thinking..."Give me a paintbrush, Mommy...I'm ready to do this now....We'll be RICH!!!!


In all seriousness, this museam was amazing, but it was way too much for Livi! She was too curious about everything and wanted to touch anything that she could get her hands on. Here, she's found a window overlooking part of the city block. Yes, we did let her touch the window...but that was it.

MOMA was neat, and I'm glad that we went...but there is a reason I never took Art History in college. I'm just not on the same wave length as some of these artists. The most enjoyable exibit for me was the photography exhibit...but even that was a little abstract for my liking. So, we took our leave from the week's cultural excursion and stepped outside for a snack. You may be able to tell, I'm having a New York pretzel while Olivia delights in the pigeons. Let me tell you, that pretzel was as good as the painting that you see above!!



Next we headed down town to see the sights, and Olivia decided that she needed a nap. Tuckered out from all of that art! Man, she doesn't realize how lucky she is...I wish I had someone to push me around the city!!!



And Finally!!!

We found MACY'S!!!!!

I was as excited about Macy's as Olivia was about going down the slide the day before. I left Josh across the street and hit that department store like a true woman should! It says the largest department store in the world...and it is. They have 7 restaurants inside, small boutiques that aren't even part of Macy's, and it was every shopper's dream! I found the maternity boutique and purchased some SPANX. Ladies, if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask Oprah!!!

By the time we left, it was dark outside. We headed for the Empire State Building. Of course, we passed several children's boutiques and stopped in to pick up a few things for Olivia. They were having amazing sales, and I got Olivia two new outfits for next winter for $13!!! Amazing! But alas, we reached our destination!


We really did pick a fabulous time of year to go. There were no crowds at any of the tourist attractions. When we arrived at the Empire State Building, there were ropes set up to guide you to the "line" where you buy tickets....but fortunately for us, there was no line. Just row after row of empty aisles! We got a personal escort through security, they must have know how important we were...(or maybe it was because we had the stroller.) Once we arrived at the top - Breathtaking!!


Oh, y'all, really. It was absolutely amazing up there! This was one of the best parts of our trip. I'm in love with the city at night. It's just so different at night. And from up here, it really changes how you see everything. This is a view that everyone should see at least once!


And Olivia agrees! She loved looking down at all of the lights. On the observation deck, they had markers that helped you identify different land marks. And suprisingly, it was possible to see things even at night! The only thing that I couldn't pin point was the place where the Twin Towers once stood. Again - if you go to NYC, make it a point to take this trip to the top at night!
So, here we are above. Our only family photo from New York! Yeah, we're slackers...and paranoid that someone would run off with Josh's camera! ;o)

On the train again! We hit the subway and headed "home". By the way, the subway isn't ask scarry as I thought it would be. I protested like crazy the first day and wanted nothing to do with this type of travel...but Josh convinced me that we could navigate through the city..with the help of the friendly security officers! Olivia liked the subway too. She made lots of friends here!
So, that concludes day 2. Stay tuned tomorrow for our Celebrity Siting!!!! Anyone want to make bets on who we run in to??

New York, New York - Our Experience Began

Well, here we are. A full week back from NYC and it's time to blog about our trip. Since there are so many pictures, tonight I'll begin with Day 1! If you remember, I had been away to Orlando on business the week before. I came home late on Friday night, spent Saturday shopping and packing, and we left for the Airport at 5:00am on Sunday morning! We definitely forgot to take our "smart pills" when we booked this flight!!! Livi was a champ. Here she is in the airport as she and Daddy wait for me inside. Where is Mommy, you ask. Mommy was parking the car in East Bumble and had to haul hiney back to the ticketing counter in order to check our bags before our plane left!!! The day was already off to a great start!


Once we got boarded, we made ourselves comfy in Business Class. Priase God for sky miles and the extra room you have up front. I couldn't imagine flying coach with her! As you can see, she kept herself busy during the flight by playing with the T.V. She was a champ!!!


We arrived in NYC around 9:30am and it took us a while to figure out how to get to the hotel. That's right...the anal pre-planner in me neglected to make sure that we knew exactly how to get from the airport to the hotel. This may sound funny, but I figured it kinda worked like Marta. We'd call the hotel, ask what stop to get off on, hop on the subway, and off we go. Not that easy - but our cabbie was a hip New Yorker who filled us in on the ins and outs of the city while he drove us in his Yellow Limo to the Manhattan Club!!

Once we checked in, Olivia and Josh took naps. It was early and we were zonked from being up so early! Here is Olivia in the room after she woke up! My little thug!



We ventured out of our hotel and wandered a couple of blocks down to find and entrance to Cental Park. We were amazed at how close it was. As you can see, we bundled Olivia up from head to toe, but we neglected our gloves and hats. Back to the room for more gear!!!



Here is Olivia and Daddy on the Central Park Playground. They had a blast. Olivia loves slides and climbing so I had to pull both of them away before she got too cold!! This is so cool!!!! No really, it was actually very cool...like 25 degrees!



Off to Times Square. Again, within walking distance and completely cool. The first day was all about Olivia, so we had to hit the M&M store...even though the poor girl didn't even get to sample the yummy guys herself! It was a pretty cool store as well!


Next, off to where else but Toys R Us. They had this store in mind when they wrote that catchy jingle. If I could work in that store, I wouldnt want to grow up either! They had a Ferris Wheel inside, a 2 story Barbie House, a huge roaring Dinosaur, and of course..every toy you could ever want! As you can see, Olivia was amazed at the ride! Sorry, girly, we'll save that for another day!


Finally, we ate a Applebees for dinner. We had wanted to "eat cheap" and Josh and I both love Applebees. However, property on Times Square comes at a premium price...and so does the cuisine. We had a great view of the area, but we paid $23.99 for the exact same meal that Josh gets here for $12.99!! Whewwwww, Wendy's anyone??? BTW, even Wendy's is more expensive. They don't have a $0.99 menu. They have a $1.09 menu!!!

On our way home, what did we run into other than the Late Show with David Letterman. I almost squealed in delight. That would be the one thing, other than seeing a Broadway show, that I'd want to do the next time we go (without Olivia)! But alas, our little princess wouldnt sit still through Letterman, so I'll have to catch you next time, Dave! sniff, sniff!

Well, that's our first day in NYC. It was fun, cold, exciting, cold, tiring, and cold. Can't wait to fill you in on what happened next.

(Kudos to you if you made it all the way down here and are still reading! As exciting as our vacation was, it doesn't sound so great when I go back and read it. To our loyal readers who leave a comment - thanks guys! This Blog's for You!!!)

Cupid's Bringing More than Love to the Big Apple

Greetings from New York.

Josh, Olivia, and I are in NYC, and we are having the best time! The city is so wonderful...and despite my lack of interest in this family vacation, it's proved to be quite amazing.

We arrived on Sunday and explored our nearby surroundings...which happened to be TIMES SQUARE!!!! Wow! What an experience. We went to Toy R Us, where they had an indoor Ferris Wheel, and we walked around some other hot spots. We also took Olivia to Central Park, where she played on the playground for about 30 minutes before Mommy was freezing and needed to get some blood circulating!!

Monday we slept in (we were all tired and kinda under the weather) and headed out for lunch and our first Subway experience....scary but cool! Daddy was the pro at navigating us to where we wanted to go. We took the subway uptown to MOMA (Museam of Modern Art) where we got to see many infamous works of art, including Starry Night!! Olivia behaved for a while, but she soon became bored and wanted to run around and touch everything. Finally, after hours of wondering around several exhibits thinking "What the heck?" a man came up to us and said...."Put a paintbrush in her hand and she could do just as good!" I was hysterical laughing...Glad I'm not the only one who doens't get "art".

We then did some shopping, which included the worlds largest department store... MACY's. Mommy was in heaven!!!!! Then off to the most amazing thing we've done so far - The Empire State Building! It was amazing, breathtaking, and unforgetable. We got to see the entire city (at night) and Josh got some phenominal shots! It was cold up there, but well worth it!!! Today we took Olivia to the CMOM (Children's Museam of Manhattan) and she LOVED it. We were there almost all day. I'll have more to blog about that when we get back and can post pictures!

Now we're chilling in the hotel, awaiting the city's first winter storm. We're expecting between 3-12" tonight and tomorrow. Can't wait for Olivia to see the snow!!! HOpefully, we'll still be able to get back on Friday! I'd hate to have to be stuck here over the weekend....I may be blogging for extra cash real soon!!!!!

I'm the Big Sis

Today was the first day Olivia got to see her new baby brother, Zachary Isaac. We decided to take Olivia with us to see the Ultra Sound, and overall she did "okay". She was singing in the waiting room, looking at magazines, and giving all of the nurses the prettiest smile she could find.....but...she was not happy when Mommy had to lay on the exam table and have some weird woman touch her stomach!

Olivia did not like me getting the Ultra Sound! She wiggled in Josh's arms until we were finished and then clung onto me for dear life. I think that she just wasn't sure what to think about it all. We tried to assure her that the nice lady wasn't hurting Mommy, but knew that this wasn't normal.

Josh, of course, did a great job of keeping her occupied while never taking his eyes off of the images of his son. He's a trooper!!!

So, now we know that Olivia may not do so great at the hospital when I'm all hooked up to tubes and monitors...but at least we'll have family there who can keep her mind on other things.

BTW, Olivia got her first time out today...or at least the first time out that we're aware of. Ms. Lori had to put her in timeouts because she's been hitting. I'm not sure where my child had learned this, but she's been flapper her hands at my face for over a week. I have no idea how to teach her that hitting isn't nice! Now all evening I've been racking my brain on how to teach her right from wrong.

So it begins...the wonderful years of toddlerdom. God, please help us raise her right!!

Fun with Friends

Last night Olivia and I went to visit Angela, one of our friends, and her family. She has a new baby girl, Alexandria. We call her Alex for short and she's just darling!! I've forgotten what it's like to hold one that small. Angela also has a 16 month old son, Luke, and a 5 year old son, Kade. And today is Kade's birthday!!

Happy Birthday Kade!!!!

We are trying desperately to get Angela onto the blogging bus, but she may have her hands full right now!! Anyway, we all got together last night for some girl time and to let the kids play, and my daughter showed a new side to her personality.

First, it didn't take her any time to warm up. Kade said, "Come on Olivia." and off she went. The action started about half way through the evening when Olivia and Luke started playing together. Luke has a Mickey Airplane (Olivia has the same one at home b/c we loved Luke's) and a push lawn mower. Well, Olivia thought that both were hers. Every time Luke starting playing with one, Olivia would go take it from him! You can see here, she's given up on pulling it away from him, and decides to hop aboard to claim her position with Mickey!

This went on for quite a while. Thank God Luke is like his mother and totally layed back! He just let Olivia take it and would go for another...but she stayed right on his heels. We were all laughing hysterically!! Finally, they found a way to play together!!

We all had so much fun, but I had a lot to talk to Olivia about on they way home! She needs a lesson in sharing, I do believe!!! Anyway, it's fun watching the kids' personalities come out.

Thanks for having us over Angela! Hope to do it again soon!!!

Making Her Blogging Debut....

It's Mel Mel!!!

Most of you have seen pictures or read about Mel Mel in Olivia's blog. Melanie is my first cousin and my oldest friend. We've really grown up together; and Mel has been there for me at every major milestone of my life. She's a loyal fan of Life with Livi and Pea in the Pod, and now she's created her own page!!!

I have to brag on her for a minute (sorry Melanie, you can kill me later.) She is a super person and has a heart of gold. First of all, she's Olivia's second mother. She's one of the only people that Olivia doens't have to "warm up" to. She's always there when we need her, and we always have a lot of fun together!

But there is something even more special about Melanie. She gives of herself like no one else I know. She's been through the "ringer" so to say, and she's never lost her faith in her friends, her family, and most importantly her Father! And now, she's embarking on a new chapter in her life. Melanie is in the final stages of becoming a Foster Parent. It's been a long process, but she's done it with a patient and loving heart. Hopefully her final homestudy will be today! Next step, opening her home to children who need her love, affection, and demonstration of faith.

We can't wait for Melanie to become a foster parent!!! It may mean taking two cars on the weekend, but it'll be another member added to the family!

Melanie's blog is the start of her adventures in parenthood...and watch it Mel....don't show me up by blogging every day! You can't make me look bad on the job! So check her out in my links to the right. Mel's Haven is the name!

Welcome to the world of Blogging Mel Mel!!!

Happy Birthday Hailee & Dakota

For the past four years, celebrating New Years has been a second priority to celebrating the birth of my niece and nephew. Hailee & Dakota's birthday is December 31st, and each year the party gets better and better. This year their mom was a brave woman. She rolled out the art paper and we had a

PAINT PARTY!!!!!

Olivia and Hailee, the birthday girl, deciding which color to dip into first. Aren't the shirts too cute. Olivia's says, "I Survived Dakota & Hailee's 4th Birthday Party." Hailee's says "Birthday Girl." Great idea, Steph!!!

Olivia finally dips in and doesn't know what to think of this green glitter goop!! Don't worry, Mommy will show her!!!!

As you can see, I got a little decoration myself. Aunt Steph decided to adorn me with stripes after I put just a tiny bit of paint on her face. It looks like someone gave Dakota a high five on his stomach!

Who ever heard of painting with balloons? Well, Aunt Steph had, and she didn't waste any time showing her new skill to Olivia. Olivia loves balloons, and now she loves paint....This is when I knew that I was in for a long, messy afternoon!!!

How cute are these girls. They are having a blast and we haven't even had cake or opened presents yet.

Since Daddy was the official camera man, I came prepared to get dirty!! Olivia and I had so much fun! This party was a great idea...and not many moms would be ready and willing to have a group of 1-4 year olds finger paint in their garage. You're Super Mom, Steph!!!

Finally, a break. Olivia stops long enough for a juice box!

And some cheese balls!

After all the paint was dry and presents opened, we stripped Olivia of her painter's outfit. Here are her and Pop playing in the streamers!! Man, this has been the funnest birthday party and best New Year's Eve of her life!!!!

Happy Birthday again, Hailee & Dakota.

We Love You!!!!!

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. It's about 9:30 on Christmas night, and Mom has settled down with Blogger after a spectacular day! Dad is on the couch with his GameBoy. Olivia is down for the night. Ahhh....peace!

We celebrated Christmas Eve with Josh's brother and wife, Micah and Mary. We actually ate out and then came back to our house to open gifts. Olivia racked up from Mimi & Pop. She got this rock-awesome Kitchen Set that even Micah and Mary loved playing with!!!

"No, Aunt Mary...it goes over here!!"

For those of you who know my husband, you know that he's a Nintendo junkie...well not anymore, but he used to be. Now he hardly every plays video games, but he still loves Mario. So, when I saw this radio control Mario Cart...I had to get it for him. He LOVED it...but then again, so did Olivia. She thought Daddy's new toy was the coolest!!!

Try as we did, we didn't get to bed early. Instead, mom was baking and dad was...well you know...helping with other stuff. After getting into bed late, we woke up early this morning, and guess who had stopped by our house! Good Ol' St. Nick!! He brought Olivia a Swing & Slide, two baby dolls, a shopping cart, the TMX Elmo, and Little leaps learning system!! Olivia was obviously a very good girl this year.

A picture before Olivia awoke. I think that Daddy and I came down just after Santa left. His boxes were still in the garage!!!

Olivia slept in, but when she finally got up this morning, she didn't hesitate to dig right in to all of her toys. Here she is with Lizbeth, one of her new babies. As you can see, she and Lizbeth are swinging.

Enough of that, and on to something else. She loved her shopping cart. It goes so well with the Kitchen that Mimi and Pop bought her!!

Ahoy Mates! She's loving this climbing toy...maybe this will help keep her off the stairs!!

What made me think that this girl wouldn't be a great big sister! Look at her feeding this baby!!! She's a pro!!!!

After Santa, we had breakfast with Mimi, Pop, and Aunt Bre. Then we played until it was time to go to the family reunion. We hit my Aunt's house around 12:30 and got to see most of my Dad's side of the family. Then off to Mimi & Pops! Olivia was a champ going from place to place, but it was worth it. She loaded up on lots of cool stuff all day long!!!

Here's the family pic with Santa! Olivia wasn't a fan, but would sit calmly (not happily, but calmly) as long as Mommy had her. We stood in line for over 2 hours on Friday to see this man!!! Am I a devoted mom or what -- more like a mom who procrastinates! Word to the wise...don't wait until the Friday before Christmas to visit Santa...it's not good.


So, tomorrow is December 26th, and I am one of the few that has to return to work. My entire family is off, and I'm having a hard time accepting that I won't be home with them!! But, we did have a wonderful 4-day weekend, and getting back into routine will be nice. I hope that all of you are doing well, and be sure to check out Sweet Pea's site for another Christmas surprise!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!!!