i love olivia

olivia-12, our fourth child and third and last girl, is all girl.
she is a perpetual ballerina.
even though she hasn't taken lessons in 2 years.


she loves to sing.
she was in the chorus at her school in florida.
she is taking chorus here, but she has to wait until the 4th quarter.
she is patient.
she doesn't complain much.
she has 2 volumes. quiet, or really girly loud.
we love the videos of her as a 2 yr old "talking" without saying anything.
we would ask her a question, and she would move her mouth like she was talking, only nothing would come out.
once she did start talking for real, though, she spoke in complete sentences.
as the youngest of 3 girls, she has her share of things about which she could complain.
repeat hand me downs.
last to do everything.
only blonde/blue-gray eyes.
only one who is not a teenager (that will change in 4 months!).
she usually gets to pick last. she's usually outvoted.
but she knows how to have a good time.

we often say she would be an excellent only child.
she is self-entertaining and quiet. she was the only one that i didn't have to worry about her getting into trouble if she was quiet as a baby.
now she likes solitude (like her mother) and reading and knitting (like her mother) and socializing (like her father).
but only if she really likes the people.
she'd never socialize just to say she had tons of friends.
no, she's more of a kindred-spirit seeker.
little girls love olivia. and she can entertain them for hours--in forts (like the day this picture was taken with the neighbor), or building things, or playing dolls, or school, or restaurant, or dress-up, or creating outfits for american girl dolls...the list could go on and on.

she never runs out of creative ideas.
she enjoys teaching others things.
she taught peter to do angels in snow.
she taught jack how to tie his shoes.
she and jack have been best friends for probably 9 years.
they love to do stuff together.
like legos
and she knows how to be a good friend (here with tally friend martha-elizabeth).
she's waiting patiently for a pennsylvania friend.
she's already been over to a friend from school's house.
she's already been invited to help a 9yo girl make doll clothes.
we love you olivia. for who you are now, and for what God has planned for you in the future.