I can't find my first blog!!

I'm not sure what happened to my first blog, I remember I had just gotten to Michigan to surprise my best friend for her baby shower. I must have somehow deleted it! I guess I'll go on to talk about our upcoming move to Arizona.
My husband and I had no idea we would have another move coming up. We were actually preparing for him to deploy and Olivia and I going back to Michigan to be with family. A couple weeks ago my husband, Ryan, called from work and says, "Hi babe, we're moving to Arizona!" What!? Not that I would ever want Ryan to deploy or be away from us at all but I was just getting used to the fact that it was going to happen. I made so many plans for my friends baby and Olivia becoming best friends while Lindsay and I sip sangria on her back porch, under the warm summer sun. Well now it's Arizona. I'm the kind of person that has to let things sink in, you have to give me a few moments to re-adjust. Now, I'm super exciting to be moving someplace hot and with a different scenery. Arizona has over thirty different species of scorpions, but I did survive a brown recluse invasion last summer in Kansas so I think we'll be just fine!

Trucks and Tables

Well. this week has been so crazy and so very busy. My family and I have been to Nebraska twice and we've gotten stranded there once. My husband found a truck there that he really wanted. As much as I say things won't work out exactly how he plans, he still gets surprised when something like this happens! When we went to go see the truck there was a few things the dealer still had to fix. We waited all day in a place we had never been, waited so long only to find out the truck won't be done, we are stuck in Nebraska, it's well into night time and we still had a 31/2 hour drive home! While waiting for the truck we went to a huge furniture store, apparently the largest in America and we ended up finding the perfect dining room table(we've been on the search for a while now). We thought we would have the truck to bring it home in but again the truck wasn't ready. We ended up having to make yet another trip to Nebraska to finally pick up the truck and the table. Although now I officially don't like Nebraska, We are very excited to finally have two vehicles and our new table is awesome!

Toby

For Olivia's birthday this past September my husband and I got her a puppy. An American Eskimo, she named him Toby. Toby is all white with black points. He and Olivia quickly became best buddies. She can be a little rough with him sometimes and he gives it right back to her(in a lovable brother way). He is very protective and if anyone besides my husband or I pick her up he gets very upset and wants her down immediately. I'm not saying that having a rambunctious four year old and a playful puppy running around isn't stressful at times, but it truly is amazing to see how much they love each other.  About 3 weeks ago Olivia started getting hives on her skin. About three times a week they appear and sometimes Olivia cries because they itch so badly. A little benedryl and a nap and they go away leaving behind no indication they were ever there. I could not for the life of me find anything in common with the times that these would appear. A couple nights ago her hives got really bad, some of them were round and some were about an inch long! My poor baby looked so sad and pitiful so we went straight to the Doctors. After being asked a million different questions something dawned on me. Every time Olivia broke out she was playing with Toby! Oh no! Her pediatrician said it could be the dog and that allergies can develop very suddenly at times. He referred us to an allergy specialist and said if we find the culprit, eliminate it because she could have a worse reaction to where her throat could close up and she could stop breathing. Now obviously I would get rid of the dog if she was allergic to him because I would never put her life at risk, but every time I think about getting rid of Toby it breaks my heart. Olivia wouldn't understand at this age and would be devastated. We would be losing a part of our family and we aren't prepared for that. I get all teary-eyed when I think about it so we just have to stay positive until we get her tested. So tonight when I tuck Olivia and Toby into bed and read them a book, I will be praying that her allergy is to something small and easily removable and not our sweet Toby.

My Little Olivia

This week I want to write about my four year old daughter, Olivia. Olivia truly is one of a kind, sometimes I wish I could just share her with the world to brighten things up. I'm too selfish for that, Olivia is usually right with me where she belongs. I have never seen such a beautiful, and more sassier girl in my life. She says the craziest things everyday, we actually try and write them down when my husband or I hear them. We call them "Olivia's Quote of the Day" her's just a few of the silly things that come from Olivia's mouth.
"Mom! Kohle is arguing with me and it's making me make bad choices!"
"Mommy, you are so lovely that I want to eat your face."
"Toby is my favorite puppy but sometimes he bothers me and I kick his face."
"Mom, when I fell you saved my whole life. You are so strong and pretty."
"Mom my snugget hurts, that's what I want to call my stomach because I don't like that word."
"I know I'm just little but I really want to ride a white horse and get married."
"I cannot wear these jeans to school Mom! They aren't skinny and their for boys, give me a pink shirt!"
These are just to name a few of the awesome things Olivia says everyday. Each night when we sit down for dinner she says the same things while eating,"Mommy's so beautiful." She has to be the absolute sweetest little girl in the world, even when she's talking back and slamming her door!

Friends and furniture

Well, I had an eventful week! Driving the long 15 hours back to Kansas from Michigan was...exhausting! Not having my husband to split the drive with and also traveling with a little one and a puppy was a challenge to say the least, but I did it, and drove straight through. We were planning on stopping at a hotel but once you get on the road you just want to finally be at home in your own bed. We arrived home around 2:30 am, I put Olivia in my bed as soon as we got here, when she woke up later that morning she was so happy and kept saying,"Mom! I remember this place! I remember my toys!" She's a character. Next in my crazy week, my dear husband came home from NTC a few days early, can't complain there. He was greatly missed and I think Olivia was starting to get sick of me. On the same day he came home we had a surprise visit from our very good friend, Justin, whom we haven't seen in about 2 years! It was great catching up with him and spending a couple days with him here. Last night(Friday)my lovely husband took me out on a very sweet and romantic date while Olivia stayed at her friends house. It felt so good to get to be out and alone for some adult time, even though I always miss Olivia when she's gone. Then today, after spending the entire day completely lost and helpless at about 6 different furniture stores, we purchased a bedroom set. It won't be here until May 1st but it'll be worth the wait. I'm so excited about it, I've been wanting bedroom furniture so badly and finally I got it! Now I'm sitting here exhausted from the last couple weeks and all the excitement. I ready for no visitors, normal school/work weeks, and of course my amazing new bed.

I finally got to see my girl! I had butterflies in my stomach all morning as I got dressed and ready to see Lindsay. I told my Dad," I feel like Lindsay will just know that I will be there for her." I walked in behind my Mom and Sister and as she walked up she peaked around to spot me. As soon as we saw each other we instantly cried, and hugged. I could hardly compose myself, I missed her way too much. As she hugged me she said," I knew you were going to be here, I had a dream about it!" Lindsay looked so beautiful with her baby bump and all. When Lindsay's Mom saw me, she also cried hysterically. We sat, talked, hugged, and just enjoyed our time together. Later that night we reunited with our old girl group and went out all night, and had an absolute blast. Taking this trip was the best decision I've ever made, the fact that I was able to make my friend so happy melted my heart. Besides me seeing Lindsay, my friends got to see Olivia, my daughter, once again. This is the was it's supposed to be, here with my family and the people who love me the most, I couldn't possibly be any happier than I am in this moment, even if it is only for a short while.