Alivia's TWO Years Old!

July 31, 2007

Hi everyone! So much has happened since I last wrote. I started working at a staffing agency... the only problem is that they don't staff to the large hospitals (which I wasn't aware of before I signed up) and so I have worked at a nursing home (I didn't love it). It is a paycheck though so I'm still keeping my eye out for other options. I'm considering working for the major hospitals that have their own float pool. We'll see what happens.

Brian has been playing basketball on Monday, Wednesday & Friday mornings at the stake center. They play at 6:00 AM and he must LOVE it because I've never known him for getting up early!! :)

Alivia turned TWO on July 26th!! We had a little get together with some friends we've met.
The two girls are Ally (4) & Erika (2) and they live in our circle and their dad will be attending law school this fall with Brian. The other girls (& boy) are a family that moved into our ward just a week before we did. Her husband is a doctor who just got done with his internship and residency and so now he's on his own here. They are very nice and we look forward to getting to know them better. As you can see, we ate pizza, ate cupcakes (Grandma & pa Stewart notice the cupcake holder!), painted fingernails, opened presents, and played in the basement. Alivia knew it was her birthday. We had been talking to her about it before it got here. She said "Happy Day Alivia." Then later on, we of course went to World's of Fun. Everyday Alivia asks if we will be going on rides that day.

Alivia loves all of the gifts she received from various people. As she would open them she'd say "Oh My Goodness!" It was so cute!!


Brian and I gave her "potty training" stuff. (Although we haven't officially started potty training but that will begin shortly.) She put on her panties inside-out!! She'll kill us later for taking these pictures! But in the mean time just enjoy a laugh!






Brian & Alivia help around the house. Alivia likes to "clean-up... clean-up..." I give her little "jobs" to do and she is quite the "Helper." When she spills things I give her a washcloth and teach her to clean up after herself. She thinks she's so big!!





Alivia loves talking on the phone! Here she is talking to Maddy Jensen Saturday night. (Mom, notice the curlers... except the curl didn't stay in well because of the humidity).

















We found plumbing problems in our house which prevented us from doing our laundry... Here are some "Fun" pictures of the during and after math! We are grateful to be able to do laundry without problems now!! :) (Especially Brian since that has been his job since we've moved.)
The county fair was held in Topeka this last week. I went to work but Brian got to take Alivia to see the animals. She LOVED riding on the pony and said that it was "Way Fun." (Way is her new word.) She talks about that pony ride often. They had fun on their daddy-daughter date!! I've signed up for Curves and have enjoyed working out. I've met a bunch of nice ladies but have had strange looks when I tell them that I'm "Mormon." Everyone here is very religious and always talk about what church they go to. I'm just setting a good example and trying not to scare them too bad!! Ha ha ha Just kidding! We also have had the missionaries over for dinner a couple of times and Brian even went on splits with them this morning! We love and miss you all but are adjusting to our new place. (Oh... a sad event took place yesterday... I had to register my car here and now we have Kansas license plates).

We Made It!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Thanks Elisa for letting me know about this Blogger site. I'm hoping to keep in touch with everyone better this way!

We thought you might get a kick out of some of our pictures from Kansas and Worlds of Fun. Gary and LeeAnn (Brian's parents) came with us on the move out to Topeka. They were a great help. Squirrels, rabbits and tons of birds live all around the neighborhoods here. Alivia gets a great kick out of watch the "Wirls" eat their breakfast in our backyard. She eats her meals as they eat theirs. We sometimes throw bread out for them to eat. We have been to Worlds of Fun four times now and are planning on going again Tuesday. We have got our money's worth out of our season passes and we plan on going once a week until school starts. It's so much fun watching Alivia go on rides. She's a roller coaster enthusiast like her mom. She so badly wants to go on all the crazy coasters that go upside down. She just doesn't get why SHE can't go on them! We're so proud of her!! People at the park are blown away by the fact that she's not even two yet! (At least not until the 26th!) She is so tall for her age that people are always guessing that she's 3. One of the pictures is of her with a "friend" she made on one of the rides. They held each others hand. It was so cute. Believe it or not, but Alivia is not scared of the rides but she is scared of Snoopy and Charlie Brown. She wanted NOTHING to do with them and started screaming and crying when she saw them. We took that picture when she didn't know they were still there!

We have been making quite a few new friends. We discovered that a couple who lives in our circle just moved here a few weeks before we did and the husband will be attending law school with Brian. They have two daughters... one 4 and one 2. They get along great. Our new
ward has been quite friendly to us and next Sunday we speak in Sacrament meeting.

I have filled out all of the paperwork to work here in Topeka as a "Substitute Nurse" with what is called a staffing agency. This is the same type of work I did in Salt Lake and I loved it because you get to choose when you work... that way, I won't have to miss on trips back home due to schedule problems. I plan on working two 12 hour shifts a week. I hope it goes as well here as it did in Salt Lake.

Alivia loves nursery and is as silly as ever! The other night we woke up in the night hearing Alivia said, "Doggy come here" and she went back to sleep. We both laughed. One morning Alivia woke up and I said, "Alivia, what do you want to do today?" She said, "Rides!" She
got mad at me when I told her that we'd have to do that another day. She loves to dance and sing and walk on her tippy toes. She talks better and better everyday and can name animals now (not just the sounds they make). She can put together simple wood puzzles and loves
to swing as always. She says "Awee Awee." We took her to a park where they had giant swings and we swung her as high as week could (in a baby seat) and people must have thought we were nuts but she's say "higher!!"

Alivia's nick name is "Helper." She always likes to help. Today she "helped" me sweep the floor after eating dinner. She INSISTED that she should do it! We just love having her in our family!

Things are coming together... we're unpacked and getting settled. We plan on painting our upstairs a lighter color and wish that our "painting crew" were here to help us!! Ha ha, you got out of it this time!

We miss you all and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Brian, Allyson & Alivia