Eat, Sleep, Poop.

Oliver tries spaghetti

Before:

After:

Goggle Girl

Sometimes I like to practice my swimming in the bathtub.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!

This and that

Oliver has two, almost three chompers.

Pretty cute, huh?

This is what Oliver wears when he goes to the office.

Lucky for him, his employer allows him to wear nothing but a lime green diaper and a necktie.

Mom left Dad in charge of us for a few hours.

It turns out that beets are not a very good finger food for a 10-month-old.

Oliver really enjoyed those beets.

He came clean after a nice soak in the tub.

Oliver also enjoys playing football.

He is very athletic for a baby. He is also a Gophers fan.

In other news, I started preschool this week.

I LOVE it! It is tons of fun. I'll have more to report on this subject after I get a few more days under my belt.

Vacation Picture Overload

Whew, we survived our whirlwind trip to Michigan. Saw lots of Dad's relatives and 4 out of the 5 Great Lakes. I wowed all of my relatives by telling them exactly which states we drove through on our way to Michigan. Without further ado, here are some highlights from our "carcation" to Michigan:

This is what I looked like after logging about 900 miles in the car.

Despite this crazy moment, both Oliver and I were world-class travelers. Mom and Dad can't wait to hop in the car with us for another week.

First, we drove to Gibraltar, MI to visit the Browns. Here are various pictures of Oliver and myself with our great grandparents:

Oliver enjoyed spending time with Grandma Brown.

I did too.

Oliver spent some time inspecting Grandpa Brown's mouth.

Grandpa and I got a little goofy for the benefit of the camera.

I did some boating.

I also did some fishing. I was in charge of deciding whether the rock bass were girls or boys.

After our visit to the Browns, we headed up north to visit the rest of the family. We stopped at a lighthouse along Lake Superior, where I went for a swim in my clothes.

So what if the average temperature is only 40 degrees. I found it refreshing.

I also enjoyed gathering rocks.

I must take after my dad. He's into rocks, too.

Oliver was there too. He opted not to go for a dip.

He was happy just hanging out with Dad.

And Mom.

Yep, she was there too.

Next up was a visit to the Thills. We spent some time with Uncle Joe.

Steamrolling Uncle Joe was a highlight of the trip for me.

We spent an afternoon at Fayette State Park where my Dad showed me this horse tree.

He used to ride it just like this when he was a kid.

Oliver did some snoozing.

I guess he wasn't very impressed with all of the history this park had to offer.

We visited many city parks while we were on the road.

Outta the way, Mom. I'm going to help Oliver ride this horse.

We did some sliding.

And some swinging.

And then we went home. We had a lovely trip, but I'm happy to be back in Minnesota. I was really happy to see my house after a week on the road.

My fried egg dress and other assorted topics

I am really into dresses. Mom said that I could pick out any fabric I wanted from her collection for a new dress. I chose this lovely fried egg pattern.

I'm a little concerned that my dad might try to crack me and cook me, but otherwise I'm really digging my new fried egg dress.

Oliver has two teeth now.

You'll have to trust me on this. He is always trying them on whatever he can find.

I, on the other hand, have 20 teeth.

Aaaaaaaaah.

I'm really into blowing bubbles on the deck.

I also like to run around.

I'm quite fast.

Oliver is now eating finger foods.

This is what happens when I get into the box of O's and serve him.

Don't want him to go hungry.

After all, you don't get to be 22 lbs and 13 ounces just by thinking about it. Yes, folks, that is how big Oliver is these days. He is also 28 5/8 inches tall. We call him Big Boy.

Uh-oh, looks like someone is on the move.

Mom took this video of Oliver trying to crawl last week. Since this video, he has figured it out and can move about 12 inches at a time. This video also features a brief glimpse of how he can wave bye-bye.

Looks like I will have to start taking steps to protect all of my toys from the Olivator.

Fun in the sun

Summer is officially here and Oliver and I enjoyed some time out on the deck.

Wow, we're both looking at the camera at the same time! That doesn't happen very often.

Here Oliver, let me show you how this ladybug toy works.

Oliver, are you paying attention to me?

Oliver can sit up all by himself these days.

He can stay like this for a long time before he topples over.

I still have the ability to make him crack up like nobody else.

Jumping makes him laugh every time.

I spent a lot of time blowing bubbles out on the deck today.

After some lightheaded moments, I finally figured out the proper technique.

Check it out!

I caught one!

Oliver is really on the move now. He doesn't crawl, but he still manages to get himself into all kinds of interesting situations.

Unfortunately he has not figured out how to move forward yet. It won't be long before he's crawling on all fours.

I don't really nap much these days, but when I have a busy day I sometimes need a little siesta.

You can call me Sleeping Beauty, even though I'm wearing my Cinderella dress. Complete with duck slippers.

Cleary he is NOT sleeping

Mom put Oliver to bed one night and instead of peacefully drifting off to sleep, he decided to crack up.

He's pretty easily amused.

Fun in Florida

Oliver and I went to Florida to visit with our Nanna and Grandpa. I was quite the jet-setter.

I wore my Cinderella crown and everywhere I went, people exclaimed, "Look! It's a princess!"

Just in case there was any doubt, I was definitely a tourist.

Nanna kept trying to fold my socks down to a more appropriate height for 90-degree weather, but I wasn't having it.

Our friends Paula and Maddie came for a visit and Maddie and I couldn't wait to jump in the pool.

What are we waiting for?

I did a lot of swimming in Florida.

Grandpa took me swimming every night.

Sometimes Mom went swimming too.

I liked this little pool quite a bit.

Oliver also had a good time in the pool.

He likes to splash around and stick his face in the water.

Oliver also did some strolling on this vacation.

He had a good time.

We spent some time at the Children's Park.

There were so many fun things to do there, like ride this dinosaur.

The Florida heat wore poor Oliver right out.

Mom just folds him in half and puts him in the sling when he gets a little fussy. He is very flexible.

We went to see some marine animals at the Gulfarium.

The dolphins, sea lions, and fish were neat, but I really liked flying this helicopter.

Oliver enjoyed it too.

He really looks like he knows what he's doing, doesn't he?

Did I mention that I really liked flying this helicopter?

It sure was fun!

Oliver also took a turn on this motorcycle.

He looks like he might be kind of a daredevil. I think that Mom and Dad should probably be a little concerned.

I hope you enjoyed my Florida picture overload! I had a great time and can't wait to visit again!

Beard of peas

Mom and Dad said that Oliver is too young for a beard of bees, so he'll have to settle for wearing a beard of peas for now:

Pretty impressive, isn't it?

It looks like I am taking a bite out of Oliver's head in this photo.

I'm not. I'm kissing him.

I am a pretty silly kid sometimes.

Did I say sometimes? I should have said all the time.

Oliver has his silly moments too.

He's especially fond of sticking his pointy little tongue out whenever he can.

Oliver's Movie Debut

I like to jump. Oliver likes to crack up. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My only requests were a white cake with polka dots, balloons, and birthday hats.

All of my birthday wishes came true!

What a Ham

Oliver really enjoys hamming it up for the camera.

Quite frankly, we're all a little worried about what is going to happen when he gets to expand his cuisine choices. A little rice cereal in your eye isn't too terrible, but sweet potatoes in the eye can't be good.

Oliver Likes Food. A Lot.

Even though he's not quite six months old yet, Mom thought maybe Oliver would like to try some food. He's been trying to grab food off her plate for quite a while, so we dusted off my old high chair and Mom made him a lovely dish of rice cereal.

This is how the first bite went down. (By the way, I decided that he should wear the pink bib.)

After the first bite, Oliver was ready to take matters into his own hands.

He insisted on helping Mom with every bite.

Mom even let me have a turn feeding the Beeba (that's my pet name for him).

I was a little too slow for Oliver's liking, but I'm sure I'll get plenty more opportunities to feed him. It's a perk of being a big sister.

Flower Princess and Blankie Boy

Now that I am nearly three years old, I pick out my own clothes and accessories.

I think this look is quite stylish. I get a lot of compliments when we are out and about.

I am not a flower, I am a PRINCESS. The headpiece is my crown.

And yes, I am wearing the tutu under the dress. I don't leave home without it.

In other news, Mom's friend Jenn knitted Oliver this really soft baby blanket.

He seems to like it. It made him pretty happy.

The true test is whether he can pull the blanket up over his head.

Whew, this blanket passes muster. Mom says thanks for including a ventilation system since this is Oliver's favorite way to sleep.