February means Happy Birthday to Olivia

I had a best friend tell me that once Olivia was born, I quit doing everything else. I've thought about that comment several times and I think it was true then and still rings true today. Olivia came into this world with energy and joy (and at lightening speed) and has been a bright spot in our days ever since. This year for her birthday she wanted to have all of her favorite friends ( and their siblings ) join her at her gymnastics studio, ASI, for some wild fun. When we made the guest list we started with about 75 people on it before we whittled it down to a manageable group for the party. Olivia has such a kind heart and would never want anyone to not feel included.  ASI put on a great party and Olivia was on cloud 9 having fun with all of her buddies.  She was a bit embarrassed to be the birthday girl and covered her ears when everyone sang Happy Birthday, but we loved that she felt so special and she was pleased that so many people wanted to share her special day.

Later in the week I brought in special treats for her school class and we had a birthday dinner and dessert with Grammie and Grandpa and the Vernons to wrap up the celebrating.  And in a blink of an eye, our baby girl was 6.

A few things about Olivia at six years old:
* She loves ice cream.  She will eat almost anything for dinner if we promise ice cream after.
* She does not love school.  It is too boring and repetitious for her.  If you want her to learn about trees, she needs to be outside touching trees.
* She loves nature.  She finds beauty in the world and loves birds, flowers, the sun, etc. Whenever she sees a tree being cut down, she cries real tears of sorrow.
* She is an artist.  Art class ( and her BFF Vera) are the only things she enjoys at school.
* She has a very sensitive heart.  She cannot stand for anyone to be sad or lonely.  When Isabelle gets in trouble for being unkind to her, Olivia begs for us to forgive her and not punish her.
* She is an engineer.  She loves to create, problem solve, etc, and excels in math.
* She loves to read nonfiction.  She just told me tonight...fiction is for fun but nonfiction is TRUE!
* She is tall and strong.  She is a head taller than most of her peers, which I cannot relate to, and she can cross the monkey bars with ease.

We love you sweet Olivia!  The world would be dark and dim without your spirit.