We chopped down a tree!

There was a tree between our yard and our neighbor's that was making big cracks in the yard. Bob decided it was time for it to go so we all got into our yardwork clothes and went out. Bob used the chainsaw to cut it down. Oliver and I were far enough away for the tree not to fall on us, but we felt a BIG gust of wind when it came down.
Oliver helped cut the logs up into smaller pieces to be bundled up for the trash pickup. Of course he didn't get to hold the (tiny) saw without Daddy's help, but he had fun!
After we were done he played in the wood chips. He just sat there for the longest time picking them up and dropping them.
I love this shot, I don't know why. Just look how CUTE he is!

I'm a good sharer!

Want some of my yummy cracker?

look what we did!!

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=94529

At Isabelle's birthday party...

He's sticking his tongue out in this one. That'll teach us to take HIS picture!

what a handsome little fellow!

it's raining!!!

After the severe drought we've been having - with only 125 days left of water last I heard - it is finally raining. It started about 3am and has been raining ever since. Hooray!! We need this water so badly!

I don't know if I mentioned it before but Oliver is picking up some signs. He now does the hand motions to his "sleepy song" Moon Moon Moon. He does moon (hands over head in a circle) and "taking care of me" (rocking arms like you are holding a baby) it is tooooooo cute! He also lifts his arms up to be picked up. He points at everything and talks. We say the correct names for things, but at this point everything seems to be "DAT!" Hmmm, seems like he might be saying "What's THAT?"

He's walking so much more now, but still crawling most of the time. He can walk all the way across the playroom and back. He can squat down and pick up a toy and stand back up without holding onto anything. He dances all the time - bouncing up and down on his chubby little legs and waving his fists all around.

He fills up all my time, that's why I post so seldom now. He's full of energy!

OIiver's new tricks...

Oliver has learned a new word! He says "dah" and points at Jasper, so we are taking that to mean "dog". So now he says kitty, dog, tickle, mim and dad. Wow!

He started using a little bit of sign - including one he made up himself. He pats his chest with both hands for "naked". As in, I'm naked! It must be bathtime! Or I'm naked! Put me in some clothes!

Adventures at the Barber Shop...

Since Oliver started looking like this in the mornings and after naps we decided it was time for that first haircut.

We took him up to Bob's usual barber...in an actual BARBER shop...with old men sleeping while they wait their turn and everything. He sat up in the chair like a big boy, he didn't even really mind when he got covered up with the sheet thing...

He did cry a little bit toward the end, but I think it was only because he doesn't like sitting still that long.
Here is the final picture before he got down. He looks like a little boy! He really did so well - the barber used scissors and the clipper things that buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oliver liked the buzz in his ear when he trimmed around there. When we were done we snatched up some pieces of hair for his book. The barber gave us a certificate for Oliver's first haircut. I almost cried!

Here is the picture of him after we brushed it like he usually wears it. Isn't he cute?!?!

messy face pic...and...

Oliver was eating gruel with blueberries and cherries in it. He made such a messy face that I just had to snap this picture. Isn't he the cutest?!
Then of course we tried drinking from a REAL cup. Thank you Aunt Rachael and Uncle Dave for giving him this froggie cup. He did really well as long as there was just one sip in it. I guess that's how we all start out. We're working on this every lunch and dinner now, but he really did so well on the first try!
mmmmmmm, milk!

mmmmm cookies!

Bob got Oliver some cookies that he can hold and eat all by himself. What that means is that he can't stick the whole thing in his mouth at one time!


He likes them a LOT. When we first give it to him he holds it and just smiles at it and talks to it. "Hello, cookie, I'm Oliver. I'll be eating you today." hehehehe

he's so playful!

One of Oliver's winter outfits

I love this color on him! These turtlenecks are so cute - and only 3.99 at Target. He looks so adorable. What a cute face!

cute things Oliver does...

If I say "Oliver, it's HOT!" he blows...not on anything, just blows.

He has started making a big CHEESE face...he grins really big and squints his eyes closed

He crawls around with a block in each hand - the blocks make a big stomping noise.

more from GSOCM

In the firetruck

While we were waiting for it to open we were sitting on this bench. Oliver liked playing the chimes.

The perps, getting carted off to jail in the back of the police car.

Me and Oliver racing...weeee!

our trip to the GSO children's museum

We sat in a HUGE chair

This was in the 2 years and younger area. They had these big foamy blocks in different shapes for the babies to climb on. Oliver even went up the stairs by himself to get to the one he's sitting in.

He actually spent quite a bit of time in there. It was so much fun!

This was in a little castle area. Oliver really liked playing with that "other" baby.

We also got to get in a firetruck, a police car, a reacecar and an airplane. The siren on the police car really worked! I think we scared some people!

my big boy!!

Oliver has been taking a few steps here and there lately. Nothing terribly impressive, just one step to get to the next hand hold...but today! Today he walked 7 steps. Then he did it again...and again. I tempted him with some milk in a cup to get him on video (because nothing else was tempting enough) so hopefully I'll be able to post it soon. Ignore the screaming cries while he's doing it...he's NOT in pain - just tired and wanted that milk BAD. I'm so proud of my baby boy!

trying out some new recipes...

I got the new Parents magazine a few weeks ago and they had some really yummy looking soup recipes that I wanted to try. The next time I went out I got all the ingredients and cooked them up and they were really super!
The first one I made was Mac & Cheese soup - it's chicken broth with shredded cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and macaroni (recipe calls for shells). I used fresh veggies instead of frozen (as called for in the recipe) and I used more cheese than it said, too. The only thing I would do differently is add chicken to it next time.
The other day I made Taco Soup. It was fantastic! It's made with beef broth, corn, ground beef (although I used ground turkey), black beans, taco seasoning, and tomato. I modified it a little bit, with the turkey and added black beans and pinto beans to make it thicker. I also used salsa instead of tomato. It was just the right spicy the way I made it. Of course, we dipped tortilla chips in it. The only thing I would do differently next time is to use half as much broth. The broth makes it harder to use as a dip. It was really good by itself too, though. I also shredded some cheese on top of Bob's when I served it. I think maybe you could mix a little sour cream in, too, and that wouldn't be too bad.
I would have posted the actual recipes but I can't find the magazine right now...maybe later.

if you have 12 children then this could happen to you...

she's the one on the left!

if you are researching vaccinations...

check out this book. I haven't actually read it yet (soon, though!) but I heard it has a breakdown of each vaccine with possible side effects AND what it could prevent. From what I could read on Amazon it looked pretty good. It even states that they present both sides of view - provaccination and antivaccination, although most of their information is against it. It also says that if you do decide to go ahead with the vaccinations to do it spread out over more time so your child isn't getting multiple shots at one visit. I'm going to get a copy of this book as soon as I can. I'll post more about it once I've read it. Here are some excerpts from the book from the writer's website.

what a mess!

It started out as just putting in a new back door. The only door between the laundry room and the back yard was a busted up old screen door. So Bob took it down and attempted to put in a regular door. Well once he took it down he found out the studs were rotten. He had to tear down all the siding on this side, rebuild the wall, and then install the door. Here's the progress:

This was about 8:45 that night. Bob worked all day and finally got the wall built back up and the insulation put in. Since then he has also put in the new door and started putting up the new siding. Whew! What a job!

what IS this?

Oliver and I were going around looking at all the trees in our yard when we saw this. It's gross! It wasn't moving or anything, just sitting there, so I took this picture. The next day I went out again and it was still there in the same place. It looked like it hadn't moved at all!!

new project

I started a new crochet project. Remember the blankie I made for Oliver? Well I started another one just with different colors. I figure since it took me 3 years to finish the first one I better get started on the next one now.

vaccinations...

We've decided to further research all vaccinations before deciding whether to give them to Oliver. My preference right now is to forgo any that he hasn't already had. Did you know that the vast majority of vaccine safety studies are conducted by government health officials and drug companies selling vaccines? That means the people who are saying it's safe are the same people who make money from their continued use. Sounds like a conflict of interest to me! Here is a petition for the release of all vaccine safety information to the public. The information needs to be released for study by independent researchers.

1 year appointment!

Oliver had his 1 year appointment yesterday. He weighs 20 pounds (no ounces) and is 30 inches tall. His head is 18 3/4 inches. Which means he's still in the 10% for weight, 90% for height and somewhere around 75% for head. Soooo...tall skinny boy with big head....hehehe!

He's developing right on schedule. Pincher grasp, feeding himself, using a cup, saying a few words, crawling, cruising, sooo close to walking, etc etc.

Also, he's getting a molar! There is one peeking through on the top left and another swollen one ready to pop on the bottom right. No wonder he's been so cranky!!!

In other news, Bob is still working on getting the back door finished. He had to tear down the wall and rebuild it, then install the door. All that's left now is finishing up the siding and calking the sides of the door. Hopefully he'll be able to finish that tomorrow when we are both home. It's so hard to get anything done when one of us is gone.

what? I like my Tonka!