Santa Daddy?

Last week, one of Drew's friends called him and asked if he wanted to go to the Mavericks/Heat game in Dallas. The plan was for them to leave around 1:00pm on Tuesday afternoon, go to the game, and then drive back that night. He felt guilty for leaving me at home with the girls for that long, but I told him to go and have a good time. After all, he works hard. He deserves it, and free NBA tickets don't come around that often!

Drew had told Livy that he wouldn't get to see her that night because he would be home super late. But when night time rolled around, she had forgotten and I had to remind her where he was. 


"But, Mom, if Daddy doesn't come home soon we'll hafta go to bed without him."

"Yea, we'll go to bed and then he'll come home while we're sleeping."

"Wait... Are we talking about Dad or Santa Claus????"

That's a legit question. I can see how that would be confusing!

Find A New Dad

 We were on our way home from church Sunday night and we were listening to our Frozen soundtrack (because what else is there??) The song, "Let It Go", was blaring because Livy likes to sing it really loud. Right when it got to the loudest part, we saw some deer on the side of the road, so Livy was trying to shout over the music about seeing the deer. Drew turned the music down just a little so he could hear what Livy was trying to say but she didn't like that one bit...

"Hey!"
"I just turned it down a little because I couldn't hear you."
"If you keep turning my music down, I might hafta find a new dad!"

Chef Livy

 

Last night when Drew got home from work, Chef Livy had his supper ready and waiting on him at the kitchen table. I didn't even realize she had done it until Drew got home. It was so thoughtful of her.

Ya Heard??

Last night Drew was messing with Livy, and I don't even remember what it was about... probably about not getting Cheetos on our bedspread. But he kept saying,
"Ya heard? Ya heard?"

Livy's reply? This...
"Dad, I have ears... so I heard you."

 We cracked up! She didn't say it to be a smarty pants. She was just stating the facts. And it was hilarious.

Wishing for Saturday

 

This morning Livy crawled into bed with me when she woke up and said,

"Mom, what day is it today?"

"It's Monday."

"Aww, but... I want it to be Saturday."

"Why do you like Saturday?" I already knew what her answer would be.

"Because I like it when Daddy stays home with me." 

"Me too, baby, me too!"

What can I say? She does have an awesome Daddy. 

Everything is right in our world when he's home with us.

Lizard in the House!!!

A few weeks ago, Livy's friends Oakley and Andee were coming over to play around lunchtime. So to kill time, we had been outside playing with the cats and drawing with chalk. It felt so good outside, we just wanted to enjoy the cooler weather. The front door had accidentally been left open while we were outside. Oops!

She dressed herself up for the play date.

We came in to make sure the living room was picked up before they got here, and I just happened to notice a LIZARD in the window sill. I may or may not have done a little that thing gives me the heeby jeebies dance right before I called Drew. It went a little something like this...

"Drew. There is a lizard inside our house!"

"Well, get it out."

"Seriously? How in the world am I gonna do that?"

"Just trap it until I get home."

"I can't trap it. It's way too fast. It'll run at me as soon as I try. What am I gonna do??"

"I don't know, Meg. What do you want me to do? Come home from Crossett to get a lizard?"

*Umm, yes... that would be nice!*

"Eewwwww! It's so gross! I can't just ignore it. Then it could be anywhere in the house and I'll never know where it went! Kelly's on her way over. Maybe she can help me think of something?"

"Tell Kelly to bring her hair cutting scissors to kill it!"

So Kelly gets here with the kids and I immediately run out to her car and tell her we've got a situation on our hands. Bless her heart, she didn't know she was coming over to work! With the kids playing in the living room, we didn't want to spray anything poisonous, so she suggested using hair spray-- leave it to a hair stylist!

So I ran and got some hair spray while she kept an eye on the lizard. Thankfully, she was the brave one because I just can't handle things like that! She sprayed that lizard until it quit moving, and we were eventually able to trap it, and there it stayed until Drew got home that evening.

GROSS!!!!!

 

A Cups O'Minutes

It's no secret that Olivia and Weasel love each other, so when Weasel came to the back door a few days ago, Livy wanted to go out and visit. I opened the door, let her pet Weasel, then I told her it was time to come back inside.

"But Weasel wants to come in."

"No, Weasel needs to stay outside. She's dirty and she likes being outside."

"But she could come in for just a cups 'o minutes..."

"No sweetie, not even for a cups 'o minutes. She's too dirty to come in."

Then another night, we were all getting ready to go to bed when Livy crawled up in her daddy's lap and said,

"Can I just lay down and muggle with you for just a cups 'o minutes?"

Who can so no to a cups 'o minutes? 

Daddy and Yipstick

Last night, we put Livy to bed around 9:15 and Drew and I were going to curl up in bed and finish the shark show we were watching. When we got to our bedroom, he remembered he needed to go shut the garage. Not long after he left, I heard Livy holler from her bedroom...

"Daddy!"

"Daddy's not in here."

"Where'd he go?"

"He just had to go do something real quick."

"Well I need my daddy!"

"What for?"

"I need some yipstick!"

"No you don't. You're supposed to be going to bed.

"But I need my daddy to get me some yipstick for my yips!"

Thankfully she fell asleep by the time Drew came back to bed, so she never got her yipstick.

A Brand New Car!

Yep, there's a brand new vehicle in the family! And no, it's not me. Sadly, the day I dream of getting a new vehicle will probably never come, but that's ok... I'm perfectly content!

The new car belongs to Livy! Or, it will in a few days. Can't believe our Livy Lou is turning 3!!!

It's a red Dodge Viper with opening doors, working headlights, FM radio with a MP3 hookup, lots of really cool car noises, and the best part... it was on SALE! It also says "ages 3-7"... and if that's going by an average 7 year old's size, that means Livy will be able to drive this to high school! We won't have to buy her a car when she turns 16 because she'll still fit in this! It's a win win!

Livy fell asleep super early tonight (I'm sure she'll wake up by the time Drew and I are ready for bed), anyway... we decided to test it out... ya know, just to make sure it worked...

 

 

I just hope she'll love it at least half as much as her daddy does!  


 

Daddy's Girl

 

 

I think every little girl reaches the age when she figures out how to make her daddy do exactly what she wants... and Olivia has definitely figured it out! Not to take any of the credit away from her, but Drew has been wrapped around her finger since day one, so when she starts turning on the charm, he's a goner! When she tilts her head up at him, blinks those long eyelashes, and calls him Daddy, I know there's no hope for him standing his ground!

For example, the other night, she woke up in the middle of the night and crawled in our bed. I must have taken her back to her bed (it couldn't have been Drew, he lets her stay in our bed). Anyway, somehow she ended up back in her bed calling for her daddy. Drew went back there to check on her and in the most pitiful voice she said,

"Muggle with me, Daddy."

So, of course, Drew laid down with her for a little while. When he thought it was safe, he tried to sneak out but she caught him and asked for chocolate milk. (She knows I'll say no!) Drew got her a cup of milk and told her it was time to go back to sleep. He also told her that he was going back to his bed and she would have to be a big girl and sleep by herself. He was almost out the door when she said ever so sweetly,

"I like your hair cut Daddy. You're so pretty!"
 

So guess what he did? Crawled back in bed with her! I'm telling you... she's got this charm stuff figured out!

The next day while Drew was telling me about all of this, Livy chimed in and said,
"I really do like your hair cut, Daddy. And I like your eyebrows... They're so black and brown!"

Hilarious!!!

Happy Fotter's Day!

Because of our beach trip, we had been away from Drew for SIX DAYS!!! That's the longest we've been away from each other in a very long time. When we got back from the beach, he was still down in Alexandria, LA for a sales meeting but he was coming home the next night! So Olivia and I decorated the dining room and had a party waiting for him when he got home. She even told him,

"Happy Fotter's Day!"

 

Facts About Dad (according to Livy Lou)

1. My daddy's name is Drew Baker

2. He is 32 years old

3. He weighs 32 pounds

4. His favorite food is strawberries

5. My daddy is really good at looking like a superhero

6. He loves to play golf

7. My favorite thing to do with my daddy is swing and push daddy's booty, eat supper, watch a movie, and play check-up

8. I'm just like my daddy because I look like him

9. What I love most about my daddy is he is a superhero

10. It makes daddy happy when I give him a big kiss

 

 

Thank you for being such an AWESOME dad!!!

 

 

Dad, Where Are You?

The other night we were all laying in bed together watching a little college baseball. Livy is so used to watching her daddy play softball that she just automatically assumed he should've been out there on the field too...

"Dad, where are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Where are you?"

"On the TV? I'm not on there baby. I'm laying right here beside you."

"Where are you on there?"

"I didn't play college baseball. I wish I did though..."  

"Well you can play football a big one tonight at baseball."

"I can?"

"Yea. Last night."

I love how she always knows what she's trying to say, but it just doesn't quite make sense to us!

 

Daddy

Livy Lou loves her daddy. All morning she kept saying,

"I just love my daddy. I want to see him. I just want my daddy."

"Daddy's at work, baby."

"But I love him!"

"You'll see him tonight, OK?"

"But I just want my daddy."

How sweet and pitiful is that??

Then during breakfast she actually broke down and cried because she missed him. So, like any good mom would do, I tried to comfort her and tell her everything was OK I snapped a picture...

Just kidding! OK, I did take her picture, but I held her through the rest of breakfast and even bought her a toy!
 

Drew went fishing in a tournament tonight. He had just messaged me to say he was on his way home when Livy came in the living room and said,

"I need to get my daddy back so he can kiss my cheek cause my cheek hurts!"

"Daddy's on his way home."

"He is?? That'll be so fun!"

She does have the best daddy. 

 

 

I Thought You Were Happy?

Before I begin this story I'd like to share a little fact about Livy Lou. Whenever I get on to her for doing something wrong, she always comes back with,
"But but, I love to ___________!" (whatever that may be)

So tonight, she had been laying in bed with her daddy watching TV while I was finishing up a few things on the computer. She walked in the office and told me she needed to potty, so I sent her to the bathroom... like I always do. She has mastered using her stool to climb up on the potty, wipe, flush, and pull her pants back up all by herself. So I didn't think another thing about it. Then a few seconds later I heard,
"Mama! Come look!"

I walked in her bathroom and she pointed at the floor.
"What did you do?"
"I just tee-tee'd on the floor!"
"Why did you do that???"
"Because I love to tee-tee on the floor!"
"No you don't! No one loves to tee-tee on the floor!  I cannot believe you just did that. Is that good or bad?"
"Bad..."
"Livy you know better than that! This has made me so sad!"
(with tears building up) "But but, I thought you were happy??"
"No ma'am, this has made me so sad."

Then I saw it coming. It was like slow motion, and it was funny and pitiful all at the same time. Her little face started to squish up, tears started rolling down her cheeks, and I could tell she was devastated that I wasn't happy with her. It breaks my heart when I have to get on to her! I guess Livy has spoiled me because honestly, there are very few times a day that I have to correct her. She's so sweet and caring, and she always wants to make me happy. She is definitely a people pleaser!

Earlier tonight we were playing UNO Moo with her. We had been playing for a while when Drew got stuck and couldn't play. Livy immediately handed her last piece to her daddy and said,
"Here ya go, Daddy. You can have mine!"

I thought it was so sweet. She was willing to lose the game just so her Daddy could win. I just love her thoughtful caring heart!

Daddy's Office

We were driving by the High School girls' softball field today and Livy pointed at it and shouted,
"Mama!!!"
"What baby?"
"It's Daddy's office!"
"Daddy's office? The softball field?"
"Yes! That's where Daddy plays ball!"

Drew just wished that was his office! Ha!

This girl LOVES her daddy!

Funny Mix Ups

I'm dedicating this post to all of the funny things Livy gets a little mixed up on. She has been on a roll lately making us laugh. I'm sure this will be a post I'll have to continue adding on to because no doubt, there will be lots more funnies to come!

Skateboard
I'm pretty sure Livy is going to be quite the artist! It may just be my biased opinion, but I think her skills are beyond most 2 year old scribbles. She loves to draw on her skateboard (dry-erase board). Today she said:
"I'm gonna go draw you a picture on my skateboard."
"Ok Livy."
A little while later, she came running up to me...
"Mom, come look at my picture! I drew a mouse!"

This is her mouse.

This is the daddy mouse and baby mouse. She proudly told me "these mouses have bodies."

 Hangburger
Tonight we ate Sonic with the Carters after AWANA. Drew had gone to hit softballs after church, so when we all got home I was trying to fill Drew in on our day:
Me- "Liv, tell daddy what you ate for supper."
"A hangburger!" (hamburger)
Drew- "Wow! A hamburger? I'm jealous."
"No, the name's hangburger. Not jammin."
Drew- "Haha, not jammin... jealous."
"No daddy, hangburger!"
(They were getting nowhere quick!)

Bizzy
Whenever Livy gets dizzy, she calls it bizzy. Last night we were leaving the softball games, driving behind the field, which is the bumpiest ride in Magnolia. You have to just barely creep along, and even then you still get thrown all around because of the potholes. So we were making our way down that drive, and Livy said:
"Whoa! Dad, you're making me bizzy!"
"You're dizzy? Just hold on, we're almost off this road."
Once we were on the main road again...
"Shew! No more bizzin' now!"

Hiney Talking
This has got to be one of the funniest things she says. Every time she lets a little toot slip out, she gets this super surprised look on her face and says,
"Uh-oh! My hiney's talkin again!"
Last night, on the same ride home from the softball games, she tooted in the truck, followed it up with her usual line, and then added this one:
"I just don't want my hiney to keep talkin!"
We crack up every time!!!

Yucky Turtles
I picked up a couple of Sesame Street sing/read-a-long books with CD's from the Dollar Tree last week. On the Abby Cadabby CD, there's a section all about rhyming words, and they sing a few nursery rhymes. One of those songs is Yankee Doodle. Livy learned that song really quick (I think she likes it because it talks about macaroni!) but she doesn't quite call it Yankee Doodle... she calls it Yucky Turtles. Yep, Yucky Turtles.

Baa Baa Black Girl
Ok, I know this sounds super racist, but I promise it's not! :)

Livy always likes to change up songs to sing different versions. For example, on one trip to see Gran, Livy wanted us to sing
-Baa Baa Daddy Sheep
-Baa Baa Mama Sheep
-Baa Baa Livy Sheep
about a million times!!!

A couple of weeks ago, she went with me to a doctor's appointment, and I had told her all about how we had to be quiet when the doctor came in. I had given her my phone to keep her occupied. While we were waiting for him to come in, Livy started waving my phone around singing,
"The itsy bitsy phone went up the water spout..."

So you get the point... she likes to make up her own songs!

Yesterday, we were on our way to church and she said,
"Hey Mama, guess what?"
"What Liv?"
"I have a new song!"
"You do? What is it?"
"It's called Baa Baa Black Girl."
(very curious) "Oh really... and where did you learn this song?"
"I just learned it at my little church!"

I'm still not sure where she came up with this, but she sang it several times last night, and I giggled every time!

Midnight Ramblings

Livy had an exciting day yesterday. Drew and I had to be in Shreveport early that morning so Annie had volunteered to come watch Livy while we were gone. 

Livy had gotten sick the day before, had a bad cough, and was breathing really short shallow breaths so I called first thing yesterday morning and made her a doctors appointment for 1:15. While we were in Shreveport, Pappy and Annie called and said they were taking Livy to the ER because she was having such a hard time breathing. Her little chest was pumping so hard. So of course, a little panic set in for Drew and me. We were an hour and a half away!!! We raced back home as soon as we could, met them at the hospital, and then took her to her doctors appointment to follow up with what medicines she needed to start on. Her doctor looked at the chest X-ray and thought that Livy's right side looked a little questionable... like possible pneumonia. So she prescribed medications to treat it as if it was pneumonia. While we were there, they gave Livy another breathing treatment, and she did so wonderful! She sat up on that exam table all by herself! Livy has never been a "sick child" but lately she's had this same problem of difficult breathing. Her doctor said if this problem continues, we may have to get her tested for allergies/asthma. Hopefully all this will clear up soon and that won't be necessary! 

She had her hands in her "pockets"... the girl loves pretending she has pockets like Daddy!

 

Goofy! Can you tell she was running fever? No? Me either... She's wild!

She said she looked like an elephant.

Poor Drew has been working such long hours this past week. Between going to bed super late, waking up super early, and getting up and down with Livy during the night he hasn't gotten much sleep lately. So when he woke me up last night and asked if I would switch out with him and go lay down with Livy, I felt terrible. I didn't even know he had been up with her! When I walked in, this is what she said:

"No, I want daddy!"

"Baby, daddy is sleepy. I'm gonna lay down with you for a little while."

"But daddy's helping me look for my mother."

"I'm right here, baby."

"No, I can't find my mother!"

"Livy, I'm your mother. You know that."

"No, you're mama."

"Well then who is your mother?"

"Punzel's mama."

"Rapunzel's mama? Mother Gothel??"

"Yea! I can't find her!?"

And then a little later she rubbed my back and said,

"Aww, you're doing a good job, mama!"

I guess she thinks I'm a good sleeper? 

Even when she's sick, she is just the funniest little thing! I can't even put into words how much Drew and I love her. There's lots of times that we just sit around staring at her and laughing. Everything she does is just precious!

Moms & Dads

Tonight at supper we were talking about Mother's Day, and we started quizzing Livy on who our mothers are. She actually understood it a lot better than I thought she would. She said Gran is my mom, Annie is Drew's mom, and then she wanted to discuss Rapunzel's mom... (Not her real mom, just Mother Gothel). Then we moved on to discussing our dads and this was her conclusion:
"Pappy is daddy is daddy is daddy."
*Thought about it for a second...
"Yep, sounds right to me!"

Also, at story time today, Mrs. Susan was talking about Mother's Day with the kids. She went around the room asking each kid why they think their mother is special. When it was Livy's turn, she said,
"Because my mama sings with me!"
Oh, I love her so!

Just a Few Pictures...

Not much has gone on around here since we've been home because I've had an awful ear infection. But here are a few pictures of my cuties from this week...

 

 

Pretty Like a Necklace

Well, it's that time of year again... when softball starts to creep back into our lives. I love it. I love watching Drew play. There's just something about seeing him do something he's really good at, and knowing that that's my husband... it just makes me proud! I just love him. Ok, enough mushiness.

Anyway, Saturday, Drew played a tournament in Hope so we were at the ball field all day. The sun was out, mid-70's, with a light breeze... it was perfect! We got to catch up with some old friends and even made some new ones. It was a great day!

When we first got there, Drew was still out at the truck unloading all his stuff, and I had to take Livy to the potty. As we were walking towards the fields, she said,
"Whoaa! Look at all these boys!"
Haha! Girl, you are way too young to start that already!

Drew's team ended up placing 2nd in the tourney, and after the game Livy wanted to give her daddy a high-5. He met her at the fence, she gave him a high-5 and said,
"You did so good, Daddy! Two points!!!"
We all laughed. I asked her where she learned about points and she said,
"I watch basketball at Pappy and Annie's house!"
She's such a little sponge! She soaks everything right up!

She always wants to ride on his bag after the game... if I fit, I'd want to ride too!

 

This is just the sweetest picture. Drew will do whatever Livy wants him to... there's no shame in his game!
Baby doll and all :)

 

Who's the lousy mom who forgot to pack her daughter a jacket?! Me! So we made do with one of Drew's shirts.
She thought it was cool to wear a ball shirt like Daddy.

 

Even Kitty likes to watch Daddy play ball!

 

This little girl is the best. She played all day, just content as could be. She is so easy-going!

Then last night after church, Calvary had a scrimmage game against First Baptist. Livy saw a little girl who was a little younger than her and wanted to go say hi. I told her that was fine, but just to say hi and come right back. I watched her run over there thinking she'd just literally say hi and turn around and leave. But no, not my child. She walks up to the girl and gives her a huge hug! I'm sure that girl's mom was thinking who is this strange little girl hugging my daughter?! Livy never meets a stranger! Especially with kids. She thinks everyone is her friend.

She eventually came running back to our side of the bleachers and said,
"Mama, I told her hi!"
"Good, that was sweet of you."
"Yea... she's pretty like a necklace, but she's not a necklace."

Where does she get this stuff? That's the best pick-up line I've ever heard!