Eventful Events!

In the past week we've had a ton going on! I thought about breaking it into different posts, but Lord knows I don't have that kind of time. That said, I shall lump it all together in one post of eventfulness! :)

The kids are finishing up week 2 of swim lessons tomorrow. Will is a regular fish, and Sam, well, let's just say she takes after her mommy more and more! She's the teeniest bit stubborn and she kinda doesn't like it too much! Day one she cried and got out, so day two I dropped her off to her group and booked it to the other end of the pool where she couldn't easily get to me. She cried, but I just waved and gave her the good 'ol thumbs up. After that, she figured I wasn't coming for her til the end so she's done it with little to no tears!
Sammy had her dance recital Saturday, and all I can say is CUTE! Yes, it made for a hectic day with all of the dress rehearsals, wardrobe changes and makeup touch-ups, but it was fun! We were so lucky to experience this dance thing with Maggie (and I with Hez)! Although she didn't hit every step with precision, Miss Sammylou looked adorable, and when it was time for her group to jump up and down, she was on it!

READY TO GO

FISH FACES!

M-I-C-K-E-YHANDS ON HIPS, SMILES ON LIPS!

READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT!

The next morning we loaded up and headed for Grand Lake in Oklahoma for the annual Moore Family reunion. To sum it up: HOT. I am not a born outdoorswoman, and I do not enjoy sweating, shooing flies from my food, or entering tents. I did, however, enjoy seeing family I hadn't seen in ages, and watching my big kids (esp. Will) having such a ball! Needless to say, we're basking in the sweet sweet air conditioning now that we're home!!

SWIMMING IN THE DEEP PART!

ROW YOUR BOAT!LIVILEA LOOKING SWEET DESPITE THE HEAT

Summer Fun

Our summer is off to a wonderful start so far! Livi has had two successful pool visits, which is encouraging since the kids like to go daily! She is really starting to have more "wake time" during the day which is fun. She's starting to smile and show off her super cute dimples, although Ryan is a bit frustrated that he hasn't gotten her to do it yet! Livi is such a sweet, good little girl! She just goes with the flow of this crazy little family! She enjoys eating A LOT and that's pretty much when we hear her cry. She was 6 weeks last Wednesday, and she's started to sleep really good at night already, so that makes us happy all around! The big kids had SBO, our church's version of VBS last week. I'm including a pretty cute video from it. We had a crummy view of Sammy so when you see the camera focusing on two little girls you don't know, just hang in there for a second and you'll see Sam behind them! Clearly, Will would rather be kicking a soccer ball than singing on stage, but he was a trooper!!!

Angel Baby

Olivia is just such an amazing addition to our family! I think that every day! Whenever I have the chance to just sit and hold her, I love to look at her pretty little angel face. She (and her brother and sister) is such a miracle from God! We are truly blessed!

Life with 3

Well, it's been almost 4 weeks now, and we're getting the hang of it! Actually, it seems like Olivia has just always been here. She is such a sweet addition to our family! The kids are still absolutely infatuated with her, and want to hold her and love on her all the time. We've gotten into somewhat of a routine since the kids got out of school so godawful early! Last week was a bit rough with rain almost every day, but with sunshine and warm weather this week, we're now ready for summer! Miss Livilea enjoys her morning beauty rest so I get to have a little time with just the big kids. We've started trying to take a walk early(ish) before it gets too hot. It's still busy with feedings every 2-3 hours, but we're doing well. Thank God for the swingset! It will be our saving grace this summer! Will just finished up soccer and started baseball. He says he likes both, but I cannot imagine how he likes baseball. He looks kinda bored out there waiting for the ball. He does book it around those bases though! (Of course, I think he's the fastest one on the team!! ---- I know he's the tallest, by a head!) Sammy is in recital preparation mode for dance! She has a recital in about 3 weeks, and we can't wait! She has a super-froofy outfit to wear as she "shakes it" to the Good Ship Lollipop and Mickey Mouse. She had dance pics last week so she got to have a preview of her beautimous coustume as well as wear lots of makeup. I took some pre-makeup pics that I'll attach. We're really excited for some pool time coming up in the next couple weeks. With that, church camp, and swim lessons, our summer is quickly filling up!
Here are a few recent pics of the precious babes.

CHEERING ON WILL!

PRETTY DANCER GIRL!

RIDING THE CUSHMAN WITH G-PA GREATKICK IT!!!
SUPER-COOL 3-D GLASSES FROM SEEING SHREK 4 WITH GRANDMA
LAST DAY OF PRE-K
PRECIOUS BABY

SAMMY'S LAST DAY OF PRESCHOOL FIRST BATH
WATCHING CARTOONS

And baby makes 5!

We are so excited to introduce Olivia Lea Huggins Petzold!

She was born one week ago, April 28, 2010 at 8:05am. She weighed 8lbs. 4.5 oz. and was 20inches long.

It was such an amazing experience welcoming her last week. Not knowing the gender of the baby was so great! It was just awesome hearing Dr. Sheridan say "It's a girl!" I honestly could not believe it. The tears started immediately! I think mostly because we just were thinking boy. Everyone seemed to think boy so that was just what we thought too. I never really had a strong feeling one way or the other.

The next best thing to meeting her that first time was introducing her to her brother and sister. Will and Sammy had spent the morning with Papa (Mom was with us in the OR). When Dad brought them to the hospital we had just barely gotten to our room. The walked up to the bed and I was holding her. Will said, "Is it a boy?" I just said, "This is Olivia." Sammy beamed. Her wish for a sister came true!! Will took it well, and has been absolutely amazing with her ever since.

We had a pretty good hospital stay, and brought Olivia home on Sunday. We are tremendously blessed that Mom and Dad took so much time from their work schedules to have the kids for most of the week. We are all so happy to be home together and adjust to this baby thing one more time! Olivia is a precious gift, and we are loving every moment!

FOUR

Our baby girl is 4 today! It just doesn't even feel right to say it out loud! When she came into this world four years ago, we were all just so excited to welcome this sweet baby girl. Although she was a little 7 pound peanut, she showed her strong personality even then. She has always been the one to observe first, then act. She knows just exactly what she wants and has no problem doing whatever it takes to get it. We are just so proud of our little Sammylou! She is a week away from becoming a big sister, and we know she will do a perfect job. Currently, her preferred career for when she grows up is, and I quote, "A princess. A real one." She plans to get mani/pedi's on a weekly basis, and just let people wait on her. She also informed us that she does not plan on kissing any princes. She'll just be a princess on her own!

Here are a few pics from our little princess's birthday party.

A Few of My Favoite Things

I made the official decision that spring is definitely my favorite season. It is just so wonderful to have an end to the bitter cold, dark, and brown winter. We are loving seeing all of the new green outside every day. My very favorite flower is the lilac, and we have 3 bushes in our yard. I cut some about every other day so I can bring the smell inside. HAPPY SPRING!