Vertbatim

We were eating dinner, 

Landon told Craig

"We're best friends!"

Ollie climbs in my lap

squeezes my neck and says 

"Best you"

My heart melted

Clara

 "What, who me?"

 "Yep, I'm the cutest baby girl in this house!"

 "And I know it!"

 "How can you not love me?"

"and squeeze me?"

Clara

 Everything goes in the mouth

 Cheeks getting bigger by the day!

Feeling everything

Clara

 Starting to be grabby

She loves the sound of a bag crinkling. 

The bread bag, cracker bag, anything I have in my hand

Early Morning Picnic

A donut picnic that is.

Just being helpful

I walk into the kitchen for literally one minute and back to the living room and this is what I find.

Oliver got the box of changing supplies from the book shelf and had her onsie up and old diaper off.

At least he was wiping front to back

Valentine's Day

We made chocolate cut out cookies and had a friend over for a playdate. 

Nothing out of the ordinary, really.

Landon and his friend Joan enjoying their cookies.

Ollie

Rodeo

We took my parents to their first rodeo the day after Ollie's party. The boys got to go for a horse ride and pet some animals before the show started.

There's just something about a man with a baby doll in his pocket.

His son's baby doll that is.

The boys enjoyed the bull riders the most.

Ollie was upset by the calf roping. He yelled at them, "No, cows!"

Finger shaking and all. 

I don't like that part either.

We all had fun and went home and crashed.

My parents left he next day to drive back to Ohio.

Ollie turns 2

I finally got a new computer monitor and downloaded all the pictures to the computer. Time to catch up on a few things from the past month!
Oliver turned 2 on February 9! He has such spirit. Always keeping me on my toes and chasing after him. His birthday party was a dump truck/construction truck theme.
The day of his birthday we celebrated just the 5 of us with cupcakes and his favorite meal.

The night of his birthday we had surprise visitors! My parents drove down for the weekend! Ollie was so happy to have Pap and Grandma at his party. They helped me so much at his party, I would have been a frazzled mess without them!
The next day all of our friends came over for lunch and cake! We borrowed a friends bounce house for outside entertainment along with the sand box and chickens.

 We had minestrone soup and pepperoni bread for lunch. It was sort of a gamble making a new soup recipe but I thought it turned out delicious and hearty.
The cake...I found a great idea online to put a cake in the bed of a dump truck.

 Layers of chocolate cake and chocolate mousse and a couple gummi worms hiding out. The cupcakes were my Great Grandmother's chocolate cake and caramel icing. Just as good as I remember.

Never left Pap's side the whole time!

Happy Birthday Oliver! Here's hoping next year is just as full of fun and surprises!

Kiddos

An Ollie Day

The day started out with a cry coming from the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen there is a boy laying half out of the baby's bouncy chair trying to gain balance to hurry back up to the desk he pulled over to the counter to retrieve a box of day old donuts. I notice that box of donuts has been has been snacked on already. Maybe a donut and a half gone.
Later in the day...
Coffee grounds fished out of the trash can and thrown on the kitchen floor and front of two cabinets and the dishwasher.
Carrots from lunch thrown on the floor.
Dinner noodles thrown on the floor and all around the dining room.
Screaming in time-out trying desperately to get an about to lose it Mom to react to something knowingly not allowed indoors while baby sister is sleeping.
Unable to open the door into the chicken's yard so thoughtfully he opens the door to the coop and slides on his belly down their stairs to gain access to their yard. Shook a piece of plastic in front of them. They pecked his fingers.

We shook hands and called it a truce at bedtime. Repeat after me, TOMORROW will be a better day, tomorrow WILL be a better day.