Random Pics

Many of you know about the crashing of our hard drive...which resulted in the loss of most of our photos from the past year...many of which I never got posted (or backed up!). Our camera also recently malfunctioned...so it might be a while before any "new pics" are taken. So, I'm going through photos and videos I had saved in various places. Here are some from pumpkin picking in the fall with some friends from school and some silly videos.

Running through the maze.

This is the group of student deacons at the University Church. I think it's so cool how Ollie is included in so much of what we do. I guess he's a "Jr. Deacon" this year! As a graduating deacon, I preached in church last week. As usual, much of my reflection concerned Ollie!



I believe this video was taken sometime in January. Ollie loves to make slides out of our chair and couch cushions; although, right now...this white chair is his "asphalt machine," according to Ollie. Apparently, it has a "radio on one side, a heater on the other, and buttons in the back." I love how his imagination works!

Our little guy loves music and playing musical instruments...especially playing guitar with Daddy! He also likes to pretend the guitar tuner is a little guitar just for him. He's gotten rather particular in his song selection, however. When we sing to him at naptime and bedtime, we often hear, "No...a different song!" followed by his particular request.

January Silliness

A visit from the OllieBunny!

Happy New Year!!!

I love this video because it starts out so silly and ends so sweet. Ollie thinks whenever we pull the camera out he's supposed to say cheese! Also, whenever it's time for him to do something he doesn't want to do, he pretends to be resting or napping. He's "resting" on the chair when we tell him it's time to get ready for naptime. Clever little boy.

Ollie LOVES the muppets, especially the rats who work in the diner in The Muppets Take Manhattan. This is Ollie watching one of the scenes with the rats dancing in the kitchen. He watched it over and over...it never gets less funny!

Cheese Dancing! I have no idea why getting dizzy and falling down is so much fun for Ollie! And, yes...we had nearly all of his toys pulled out on this particular day. Apparently, it's easier to cheese dance if it's messy. haha

Santa's Little Helper

Ollie with his stocking. So exciting! Santa put six pieces of candy in his stocking. Ollie ate one and then spent about an hour looking at--and playing with--the rest.

Ollie wearing Mama's socks and his new mittens, which are--according to Ollie--"adorable!"

Ollie's Christmas

Ollie and Mama decorated Daddy!

Ollie hangs his snowman ornament from Aunt Amy on our Christmas tree.

The first thing Ollie opened on Christmas morning was his stocking. He had chocolate treats in it and spent the next hour (I'm not exaggerating!) playing with his stocking, lining up his treats, and putting them back in. Santa could have stopped at the stocking and it still would have been a really fun day! We had to actually convince Ollie to take a break from his stocking to open a present or two.

Ollie still gripping his stocking and modelling Mama's new socks. He thought it would be a good idea to try on any and all clothing that was received, no matter the intended recipient. :)

Ollie testing out Daddy's new boxers. They're clothespinned in the back.

Ollie continues to LOVE his "blue comfy chair" made by his Great Aunt Karen. Apparently, it's not only a chair...but a perfect landing pad!

Sledding and More!

Ollie had his first day of sledding this winter...and he was crazy about it! He kept calling it, "icing," which we thought was really funny. And, he referred to his sled as a "blimp." He still likes to pretend his sled is a blimp. He likes to sit in it while reading stories and while eating meals. He also likes to invite pretend animals aboard his blimp. On our most recent sledding outing, he brought along two invisible baby chicks. As far as I could tell, they had a good time, too! Apparently, there are a lot of invisible creatures who live in our apartment. The other morning, he said good morning to an invisible someone named "Fuba" and then later informed us that Fuba was taking a shower. He also blames things on toucans quite frequently. If I ask Ollie who colored on a piece of furniture, odds are it was the toucans. Interestingly, he woke up the other night crying...and when I asked him what was wrong, he said the toucans were in bed with him. Hmmm.... Not sure how to deal with these pesky toucans!


Ollie's preferred method of getting back up the hill was to be carried, in his blimp, by Daddy. heehee! Even Mama took a few turns coasting down the hill. Unfortunately, I had to climb back up on my own.

Assisting with snowman construction.

Yes...Ollie thought it was funny to lick the snowman. Yes...this is a muddy snowman. And, yes...Ollie has an incredibly strong immune system. Perhaps, due to licking muddy snowmen!

Ollie and Mama add the finishing touches.

Winter with Ollie

Thought I'd post some pages from Ollie's Christmas album. This winter has flown by! Ollie makes each day so much fun for us. His latest catch phrase is "Just glorious!" It's a line in one of his storybooks and he uses it all day long...hilarious. He's also been singing more, which I love. Tonight, he sang along with me while I put him to bed. He has such an earnest little voice. Listening to him was a beautiful way to close the day.

Ollie LOVES to play in the snow. We are hoping for at least one more snow day this winter! On this day, the three of us built a snow man and positioned him right outside of our living room window. Ollie called him Frosty and enjoyed watching him from inside. The day he tipped over was a very sad day indeed. As you can see from this picture, Daddy did most of the work. :)

Ollie decorating our gigantic Christmas tree.

Making "crunch crunch" boot prints and snow angels. Ollie liked looking back at his path through the snow.

Who knew clove oranges could be so much fun? I think he looks so cute in his holiday pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa. Of course, in this picture, they're brand new. They've now survived hot chocolate stains, grape juice dribbles, and a few other little mystery spots...evidence that they have been well loved by a messy little two year old! Now, conscientious Ollie has adopted the practice of lifting his shirt up over his tummy while he eats. Sometimes, he even tries to keep it in place by keeping his chin tucked down. Too funny.

This video was taken shortly after Ollie's 2nd birthday. Ollie and Daddy made up a game called "Clop til You Drop," which we still play! They are so silly!!! Ollie likes to "clop Daddy down" and "clop him back up." My favorite part is near the end of the clip when Ollie starts shrieking, "This is fun!"

Guess It's Been A While

Hmmm...I guess it's been a while. I have a list of excuses--final exams, doctoral applications, a crashed hard drive, and an adorable little boy who I would much rather be playing with than sitting in front of the computer! haha

Ollie's been a two year old for almost two months now, and we're still waiting for the "terrible twos." He's such a sweet little boy and WAY too easy for a toddler. Every once in a while, he'll wake up in the middle of the night...but when we go to him, he will simply tell us what is wrong. A few weeks ago when he woke up, he told us his mouth and ear hurt. So, we figured it was new molars coming in...and we were able to respond appropriately. He loves to be our "helper" and is a good sport about tidying up, running errands, preparing meals, and going to school with Mama. He LOVES puzzles right now and continues with his pretend play, especially in his little kitchen. He's also started "reading" us stories. They're awesome. They usually begin with "Once upon a time..." and almost always involve food. My favorite is a story he tells about a bowl of oatmeal that melts and turns into a bowl of suckers. If only that could really happen!

He's still a super sleeper--taking a two hour nap every afternoon and sleeping twelve hours at night. He got a "big boy" bed this week, and we turned our study/storage/multi-purpose room into his own bedroom. He's done great with the transition. His first night in the bed, he slept until around 4:30 and then crawled into bed with us. Last night, he made it until 6. I think it's been a more difficult transition for us. It was really weird going to sleep the first night without him in the room. I'm so used to just being able to look over at him in the middle of the night. It felt lonely not being able to do that...but both of us found ourselves sneaking into his room throughout the night just to make sure he was okay!

He asks TONS of questions. If one of us coughs or sneezes, he'll call out, "Mama (or Daddy), you okay?" Or, when one of us gets ready to head out, we hear, "Mama, you goin' to school?" or "Daddy, you goin' to work?" Or, if one of us is in the bathroom, he'll knock on the door and ask, "Anybody in there? Is anybody home? I'm here! Ollie come in please!" My favorite is when he asks, "Mama, what shall we do? Shall we play?" So cute!!

Today, he made up a new game which he called, "Humidifiering." (A pretty cool word). I discovered the game consists of finding toys that are small enough to be crammed inside of the water tank of our humidifier. It's actually pretty fun! He also likes to dress up in Mama and Daddy shoes and clothes and pretend like he's leaving. He'll say, "Bye! I'm leaving! I'm gonna go study!" Other super fun games he's created involve salad spinning pretend salads, passing around pretend offering bowls, making pretend pudding in his kitchen, and playing in his tent. He also still likes to pretend he's different animals and has started "hibernating" behind our curtains. He's really into hibernation right now.

Our biggest debate these days is whether or not he's a "grown-up." Ollie insists he is...but we aren't convinced. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to convince him he's a toddler. According to Ollie, he's "not a toddler! I'm a grown-up!"

Anyway, I'll try to post pictures soon. He got his hair cut shortly before Christmas, and I desperately miss his little curls...but he looks quite handsome.

One more little story. A few weeks ago, he saw me cry for the first time. He came over to me and asked, "Mama, you crying?" To which I replied, "Yes, Ollie, I'm sad." He thought for a minute and then pressed his cheek against mine, wiping the tears onto his cheek with his chubby little fingers and then said, "No...I'm sad. I'm crying." Then, he crawled into my lap and cuddled with me until we both started giggling. What a sweetie.

The three of us have so much fun together. I hope it stays this way for a long time!