A HAPPY October!

Today, my youngest niece, Paisley turns 5. I can't believe she is five! I mentioned it to Greg the other day and then I remembered. I know all the time. I just don't think about it daily anymore. They say time heals all wounds, and I think time helps a great deal. Tonya and I were due a few weeks apart when she was pregnant with Paisley. I really thought it would be hard for me to watch her grow up knowing I should have a baby her same age. Back to our conversation, I say to Greg, do you think we would have Kennedy? Or Whit? What would our life be like?? God's plan is a pretty good one. I think so often we have it all planned out on our own. We know what we want and how we want it to go. It doesn't always work out that way. 5 years ago my life was sad. I was broken. My heart was in a million pieces. I thought that I might never be able to be myself again. I thought I would cry everytime I saw my sweet niece. But instead, God healed me. He gave me an angel in heaven and he healed me. He gave me a gift I will never regret. He blessed me with the knowledge that life doesn't always go my way, but HIS plan is better than mine would ever be. He showed me how to be grateful. He showed me how to look at each moment and cherish them. It's October and I am happy. It's Paisley's birthday and I am thankful. I am thankful for her precious life and what she brings to our family. I love that I have her as a reminder of God's love. I won't ever forget that year or those moments. I still cry when I start thinking about what we went through, but today I can smile and be happy. I am a very blessed mommy and I will be forever thankful for each and everyday I get to be just that.

Toy Story 2 :)

It's their first Halloween to plan together. Last year, they were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. It was all Kennedy's idea. This year, they discussed it and told me what they were doing!! I cannot believe they are old enough for this. I might have said this before, but I LOVE their age difference these days. They are playing so well together. I have little memories of having one child. I laugh about how I worried about how Kennedy would adjust. What would they do without each other now?? Sweet, sweet, babies....growing up SO fast! I'll call them Toy Story 2 because we only watch that one right now. Jessie did not make her appearance until the second one. Kennedy thinks she is the star of the movie. Shhhh.....don't tell her. Our "Woody" doesn't care about giving her the limelight. :)

~Jessie and Woody Halloween 2010~

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!

One Day.....

Kennedy: "Mommy, one day you are going to come to my wedding and watch me marry Mathis. Now, you have to make sure you look pretty. (she takes her hands and pets my face at this point) You can wear those earrings. You would look beautfiul in them. I am going to be wearing a beautiful wedding bracelet and look so pretty."

Me: **tear**tear

All I can picture is the day she actually does get married and all I can see is the three year old that TONIGHT looks me in the eyes and tells me that story. I adore this little girl. May time stand STILL. At least for a minute. :)

My BOY

I am once again surrounded by pregnant women. I love it. I love what it reminds me of. Kennedy has started lying to the world announcing that her mommy has a baby in her belly, too. I quickly inform them that I do NOT!! My little boy, my little miracle boy is now 2. He's not a baby anymore. He is growing up way too fast. They both are. People ask me all the time if we will have any more kids. They don't remember my story. Sometimes I don't remember my story. I just smile and say that Greg says we are done. He says that all the time. I have absolutely NO clue if we ever could have another baby. I like that. I like thinking we actually could if we wanted to, but I also walked a different path into motherhood so I am aware that it isn't always like that. I knew when we finally had Kennedy that I wanted another. I didn't even have time to worry about it when God blessed us with the news of having Whit. I will forever be thankful for that. I didn't even have to worry one minute that Kennedy would be an only child. He gave me another miracle. I can't look at him and not think of that. It is not that I think of what a surprise he was, it is that I think of how great our God really is. When I look into the eyes of my son, I know God's love. I know that His blessings are greater than we ever imagined. There are fights around here. There is pushing and shoving. There is a lot of whining, "He took that from me!" What a blessing that is. Those two voices, a reminder of God's love. No matter what the sound, I am thankful for the sound. It's what I prayed for to fill this little house. So, we'll celebrate these new babies that we'll be meeting before we know it. Every one is such a miracle. I love being reminded of miracles. I love it. Here's some pictures of one of mine. :)

A Little More GSU Football!

Yep, two games behind us....we are TRUE Fans now! :) It is SO nice to be able to go to things again and not lose my mind. Having a 2 and a 3 year old is MUCH easier than a 2 year old and a 1 year old, that is for sure! The Olliffs are living life on the edge now. I am most always home for nap time though. It takes a lot of importance for my kids to miss that part of the day. :)

We went to the game with the Smiths. We had a great time. The kids had SO much fun and I think Greg had a little time to watch a few plays this game. The end result was not the greatest, but it was a good game to watch!

It was rec dept day and the rec kids got to play on the field at halftime. Of course, Greg had to join in his old workplace and go out on the field. My kids had a big time. Made me so proud to throw themselves down on a football field over and over in front of 20,000 people. :)

Yep, that's my girl...laying down on the field. Don't you do that when you go on a football field?? :)

It's my choice!

A little background on Kennedy before I begin this story....she has sucked her finger since she was 6 months old. When she finally grew hair long enough in the front she began to twirl that in front of her face and suck her finger when she was tired. On to the story now....

At the dinner table:

Whit grabs his paci and comes to eat. We inform him that he can only have it when he is going to bed. He has a breakdown. ( I know, I know, we are working on it)

Kennedy: I don't have a papi. I'm a big girl.

Us: Yes, but you still suck your finger. You are going to have to stop doing that.

K: Well, I like eating my hair and sucking my finger.

Us: You really need to stop doing that. Maybe we can work on not doing it anymore.

Then she looks at both of us as if to say, I dare you to try to make me stop. She puts her hands on her hips and in the sassiest voice I have ever heard from her she says, "Well, I like it, and I can keep doing it because IT IS MY CHOICE!"

Oh, dear God.....we are in trouble with this one! ;)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............

If you live in South Georgia you know what HOT means. Humidity and gnats are daily annoyances. Today the high was 73!!!! My Tennessee friends might laugh, but I almost needed a light jacket tonight when we were outside. Hahahaha! Gone are my days of being able to last in the cold. Although Anna and Cindy might tell you that I was never very good in the cold. I was always the first to beg to go inside. :)

In honor of our beautiful weather, I busted out my camera. I realized I have been horrible at taking pictures lately! Here's a glimpse at an afternoon at the Olliff house....

Fairy Wings are a must. You know you run around the yard with wings on. :)

At least on fit a day is normal around here. 2 year old or 3 year old fit, we don't care. They are both equally annoying to listen to. Exhibit A....

While one is mad, the other is....

A sweet moment might happen...this look is ALL for her Daddy.

Sorrow turns to JOY.

For a moment all is well with everyone. We LOVE this weather!

Time to decorate for Fall! We got out the scarcrow and of course we had to take a few pictures. The kids were SO excited!

His goofy face

And a day is never complete around here unless you get a few minutes with your best friends. I say this all the time, but I LOVE our little compound. I wonder how people live alone. We sure are blessed to have our best friends right next door!

Happy Fall Y'all!

I'm Here! I"m Here! I'm HERE!

If you know me at all you know that this blog is VERY important to me! I LOVE reading the posts years later. It is such a good keepsake for my children when they grow up. I keep saying I am going to make it a book. The longer I wait, the more expensive that book gets! So, shame on me, for not posting in FOREVER. Forgive me, my readers, I promise to be better! What's been happening at the Olliff house? Well, LOTS of course!!!

Drewbie turned 4. I can't believe that baby is 4. He was the first kid on the "compound." My how we have grown in 4 short years!! I remember trying to hold him when they brought him home from the hospital. If you have ever tried to hold a newborn while being huge pregnant you know how difficult that is. I love the memory of holding him and still waiting on Kennedy. I like to think they were friends even back then. When they were born they truly were destined to be best friends. Their relationship has grown and changed and I adore it. I hope they will always be close. Kennedy was dying to see him today. It has been a whole day since she has seen him. She says, "I can't wait to see my best friend Drew." Then she says to Whit, "I bet you can't wait to see your best friend Lorelei." I cracked up. Whit and Lorelei are not currently best friends. They are more like a couple going through a break up. ;)

What's Whit up to? Well, first and foremost, he is getting WAY too big!!! He is all boy. He loves his daddy and everything he loves. I find this quite humorous because he looks 100% like a Sartin but has all the loves of an Olliff. For example, he is obsessed with bow hunting because that is Greg's current hobby. He is also loving football season. He'll sit down in front of the tv and say, " I wanna watch football mommy!" He woke up the other morning and saw that Greg was not sleeping in a shirt and insisited on sleeping in just his pajama pants. Like father, like son....it is just so sweet! He's a sweetheart this baby. He does love his mommy. My absolute favorite thing on earth is when he snuggles me close and takes my hair and plays with it. A little boy really does melt your heart. He went for his 2 year check up last week. I know, I know, I was a little late. He weighed in at 28.6 pounds and was 36 inches tall. That puts him in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. They can guess your adult height at 2 and that would make him 5'11. Who knows??? He'll be a tall Olliff that is for sure. It will quite amusing for the tall lanky Olliff to tower over Brucie and Greg. He's growing fast, but we are enjoying every minute of it.

How's Kennedy? She can make you laugh and laugh and laugh. She is enjoying school so much! She is making new friends everyday. The other day she came home talking about a new friend she met on the playground. She loves her teacher and I cannot get over the fact that she is going to pre-k next year!!! She is LOVING dance. Her teachers say she is very coordinated. They have nothing but sweet things to say about Kennedy. I think it is her favorite thing to do every week. I love that she loves it. That was something that was such a big part of my childhood. It also is what kept me in such good shape. I cannot wait for a recitial!!


That's it for now. I'll try to be a better blogger. October brings lots of good picture taking opportunities!! :)