Will she be a Texan?

This little girl is the light of my life. Yes, sometimes she is the darkness of my life too, but that is not the reason of this post. ;) She will be 28 months tomorrow and is maturing rapidly! Her vocabulary is constantly expanding. The things she says to me everyday are hysterical. Right now our favorite saying around the house is "shut the door" but Olivia's version is "shut tha doah" said with a true Texan accent. What the? We have only been here a month! But it is hilarious! And she loves to make other people laugh, so when she says it and someone laughs, she says it again and again and again.
She is not scared of much. Except bugs, on her terms. For instance, her little cousin has a bug puzzle. She would touch the spider puzzle piece and then run to the other room yelling, haha. She loves to watch rolly-pollies but won't touch them. If I want her to come inside for any reason I tell her 'the bite bugs are out' and she comes running. Anytime she has a bug bite, she calls it a bite bug and demands a 'bambaid'.
Of course she tests my patience. The other day I told her she was driving me nuts. She came over and opened my mouth looking for nuts. Then she was mad when I didn't have any nuts to give her. So, she drives me nuts for a short time until I just can't help but laugh. She hates wearing clothes. Anytime they get wet or dirty, they have to come off. And then when she is only wearing a diaper she will say "I wet" and then proceeds to take the diaper off. So really, she'd rather be naked. Which is okay with me... I think it is cute and she needs to air out every once in awhile! Haha.
It is amazing to ride in the car with Olivia now and carry on full-fledged conversations about things. Right now she is infatuated with the sun and moon. It usually goes like this:
Olivia: Where'd sun go?
Me: It is behind the clouds.
Olivia: Oh. Where'd moon go?
Me: Moon is night night. Why is the moon night night, Olivia?
Olivia: Sun out! Moon night night! Sun out!
And then it repeats for the moon being out and the sun being night night.

Lately, if she can't do something, it is 'no can do this' and then gets very frustrated when she continues to try. We are also starting chores in the house, hehe. I can't tell you the last time I gave the dog food. Anytime O sees the bowl is low or empty she goes to the container and gives her more food. Same with putting Kylie in and out of the crate. Once I taught her how to lock and unlock the crate it is always 'O do it, O do it!' And don't EVER forget that she is to ALWAYS 'shut tha doah'!

She is an amazing child. Growing, showing, caring, sharing, talking... and a beautiful 2 year old.

A Day in the Life of Meredith...

So school has started, which means busy mornings, busy days, and tired nights. I thought I'd give everyone an insight of our schedule on a 'normal' day.
5:45 - My alarm goes off.
6:00 - Finally roll out of bed and get ready.
6:40 - The coffee pot starts - it still makes me smile to smell the coffee. I think it reminds me of my grandfather... the coffee pot was always brewing so early in the mornings.
6:45 - Wake up Miss Priss. We then usually share a bowl of cereal.
7:00 - Try, with a fight of course, to get us out of the house all in one piece with all of our daily belongings.
7:20 - Arrive at daycare. Olivia puts her diapers away and then finds a seat at the table to eat her cereal. She usually chooses a seat near a smaller child so she can 'touch baby'.
7:30 - I arrive at school.
7:50 - 3:00 - Teach my little heart out, stare at blank faces, and laugh at the things kids say.
3:00-4:30 - Prepare for the next day.
4:40 - Pick up Miss Priss. She is so excited to see me and I plaster a smile on my face to see her. I am so tired by this point, but I also know her day is just beginning with me and I must make the most out of it.
4:45-6:45 - Play. Play. Play. Watch Yo Gabba Gabba. Eat dinner. Play. Play. Play.
6:45-7:30 - Bath, story time, prayer time, night night time!
Then of course all the daily chores begin and I try to roll into bed by 10pm.
So, if you took notes, haha, that is really only about 3 hours a day with my own child. How crazy is that?! Yet, she is finally liking daycare and is not crying when I drop her off. The daycare is also equipped with webcams, so for an extra fee each month I can watch her whenever I please. My mom and dad are also keeping daily tabs. It is great to see her interacting with other children and sleeping so soundly on a mat on the floor.

I have 19 students. All are completely different and diverse. I have only had one week with them, but can already tell who my problems are, who my lazies are, and who my 'average' students will be. We start off the year teaching place value which is not fun for anyone. Blah.

Olivia is doing very well. She amazes me everyday with her new words, actions, and independence. I wish the world was as friendly as she thinks. She will wave to anyone, play peek a boo with anyone, and will generally blow kisses to anyone. She also thinks if she is free from a shopping cart that the store becomes her own running field. She hates the cart but also doesn't like staying close to anyone. People tell me I was the same way... I beg to differ of course. ;) Her latest thing is eating people's noses. She will pretend to grab your nose and then put it in her mouth. She will also pretend chew it. Usually, if you ask for it back she will kindly take it out and put it back on your face. Until recently. Now she goes to the trash can and 'coughs it up'. :) Oh, my dear sweet child.

How am I doing? Oh... well, not as carefree as my daughter, unfortunately. I am still adjusting. The house is doing well, the boxes are unpacked, but it is very lonely at times. We have Andrea and Astoria over quite a bit or we are over there, but its still not the same. I miss my bff and the company he provided. I also miss my parents cooking us dinner and popping in to fix something around the house. When Olivia asks for Pops or Nana it breaks my heart. Yet, she will tell me "Nana Pops Okiehoma". Sigh. I know things will get better the more I surround myself with work and Texas atmosphere, but I am still a work in progress.

My camera has been broke since before I moved, so I don't have any pictures to share this time. I feel I have really missed out on a month of Olivia's life due to the camera issue. But the good news is, I bought a new one tonight and the battery is charging! :)

To leave with this.... a card my mother sent me.
"She Who Believes in Herself"
Trusting her instincts
was the hardest thing she ever did.
There was that wimpy little voice inside her,
cautioning her not to take the risk.
There were times along the way
When she was so scared she almost quit.

But she listened to the whisperings of her heart.

She pushed forth with faith-
Faith in her skills...
Faith in her work ethic...
And faith in her knowledge that she could succeed.

And she did!

In the end, trusting her heart
was the smartest thing she ever did!
-Suzy Toronto

The ABC's of Me!

Found this on my sister's blog, thought it would be something to do while I should be sleeping!

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 77. Although, this silly rent house is NOT keeping with the Texas heat and we are sitting at about 88 degrees during the day. UGH!

B- My BEDROOM theme is: not yet completed. :) My bed is huge tan microfiber and cherry wood.

C- The CAR in the driveway is: Chrysler Pacifica. The DVD player was the selling point!

D- My DESK looks: Hmm.... I don't have a desk, but my scrapbook table is my catch-all and it is a mess!

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: Currently about 9am (I love my daughter!) during the school year it will be about 6am.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my face.

G- My GARAGE is filled with: My rent house doesn't have a garage. :( It is converted into my room, so I guess my garage has a bed, nightstands, clothes, etc. :)

H- My HOUSE is: small but bursting with love.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: an unmade bed, full laundry hamper, and a few unpacked boxes.

J- My favorite JUICE is: apple-cranberry.

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: Oh gosh... don't get my started.

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: Nana... who is still here, thankfully! :)

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: the gas bill.

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: Don't know them yet, but I'm sure they think I have a lot of STUFF!

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: lots of juice and fruit.

P- My last house PARTY was: Yet to happen!

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: Stir-fry

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: My living room. I LOVE my couches!

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: Volumizing and Straightening

T- My largest TELEVISION is: a 42 inch that I saved up for! :)

U- UNDER my bed you will find: winter clothes in tubs. Yep.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: Last weekend when I moved in.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: my car.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: SPACE!

Y- My YARD is: good sized with a nice shed and kid toys!

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: anytime from 12-2am in the summer.. 10-11 during the school year.

Holy Changes, Batman!

So, yeah, I have been a bad blogger. And at this point, I can't promise anytime soon if I will get any better.

Within the past week Olivia and I have moved 208 miles. From Oklahoma City to Garland (Dallas) Texas. I am overwhelmed, sad, happy, emotional, lost, ecstatic, and very very tired.

We have been anticipating this move for quite some time and now it has officially happened.

I miss Oklahoma City terribly. I miss my home, I miss my friends, and I miss my familiarity.

I love Dallas. I love being close to my sister, I love starting over. I do NOT love the amount of money the move and Dallas have cost me! Hahaha

Olivia has done extremely well. Yet, Nana is still with us, so that is helping tremendously. I'm not sure what I expected from a 2 year old, but she has exceeded my expectations. She has kept her normal sleep routine, she is still taking naps, and she has been a great sport. Now only if she would share her toys with her 16-month old cousin. ;)

I am kind of at a loss about what to say. My camera is broke, but so am I. ;) So, I will post some house pictures and such when I can.

Until then, here is a couple over the past month or so.