I remember sleep! Sleep is awesome!

Getting Ready for Church

2012-02-05T12:56:00.001-05:00

Had to post this cute picture from this morning of Oliver wearing his hat, sweater, scarf, and mittens from Great Grandma!

Frisch's

2012-01-16T08:41:00.003-05:00

Oliver loves Frisch's. Probably all of the pancakes and bacon. Here's a recent pic that Sam took of us at Frisch's while messing around with his new phone.

Pics with the Straters

2012-01-07T19:57:00.003-05:00

We had some family pictures taken with all of the Straters over break. Here are a few of the set. Some of them have been on facebook already, but I thought I would post here too.
We had some family pics taken with the Straters over break. Here are a few of the set...

Cute Cousins!

2011-12-26T23:17:00.002-05:00

Gluten Free Pot Pie!

2011-12-11T19:34:00.003-05:00

I just had to share this photo! I haven't had a pot pie in...well...years. This turned out great (although it was a lot of work). Sam even said, "It tastes just like a pot pie!"

Festival of Lights at the Zoo!

2011-12-03T06:43:00.011-05:00

Here is our tree this year. Can't make the camera take a decent picture.

Oliver and I visited the Festival of Lights last night! Lots of cookies... candy....hot dog....all around junk food. The gingerbread man was not nearly as creepy this year. Oliver did ask why the reindeer were at the zoo and not riding with Santa...my answer: "Santa is at the zoo too--this is just where he parked the reindeer".

School!

2011-11-13T10:02:00.003-05:00

Look what Oliver has learned at school...

Halloween

2011-11-05T12:08:00.003-04:00

Gramma and Papa handed out candy on Monday while Sam and I took Oliver out trick-or-treating. He sustained your standard trick-or-treating injury by falling down someone's steps. Check out that lump on his head! That didn't stop us, though. Plenty of candy to go around.

Decos!

2011-10-30T15:26:00.005-04:00

Sam really went all out this year with the decorations! We had fun cleaning out and carving pumpkins this afternoon. Oliver has been talking in his "ghost voice" for days. Really into it this year!

Shaw Farms

2011-10-22T16:58:00.005-04:00

Oliver and I visited Shaw Farms early this morning while Sam was at work. Oliver picked our pumkins out of a very muddy pumkin patch. There were also a lot of fun things to do--a wagon ride with draft horses, a blue barrel train ride, a fire truck to sit in, and all kinds of things to climb on.

Halloween Preview!

2011-10-21T21:45:00.002-04:00

Michigan in October

2011-10-10T20:22:00.004-04:00

Michigan in October! Near 80 degrees and beautiful. It was great to spend time with family. Joel, Sarah, and Henry...we have to catch you a Christmas. We missed you this weekend.

Friends!

2011-09-27T19:51:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to post a super cute picture of Bel, Oliver, and Amelia taken at the zoo last weekend. We've missed them!

Not too exciting, just a few weekend pics

2011-09-20T17:52:00.009-04:00

I am not sure why this post is all messed up, but here are a few weekend pics. Basketball and bubble blowing!

I just realized that Oliver is completely cross-eyed in most of these pictures.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T18:27:00.004-04:00

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Oliver had a great weekend that included an overnight camp out in the living room, watching Cars, having a milkshake, staying at Gramma and Papa's for an afternoon, going to the museum, going to the zoo, going to the park, watching fireworks (reluctantly), staying up late, meeting (and befriending) a stray cat... Here are a few pics from the weekend!

August

2011-08-28T20:25:00.004-04:00

I was terrible about uploading pictures for the month of August, but here is a short update. A few weeks ago, Sam and I went to see Paul McCartney at Great American Ballpark. The concert was unbelievably great--even though we were about as far away as you can get.

Oliver got his first "big boy" bike on Friday. He LOVES it. Our neighborhood is too hilly to ride, so we spent most of the weekend at parks with bike paths so that Oliver could ride. After a couple days of practice, he is getting pretty good!

Balloon sword. Enough said.

Cousins Part II

2011-08-01T19:15:00.002-04:00

Oliver, Maggie, and Archie!

Cousins!

2011-07-29T10:51:00.003-04:00

Here are a few shots from the last couple weeks. Oliver enjoyed all of his time with Maggie and Archie. Pics with Archie to follow...

Random from this Week

2011-07-08T20:04:00.004-04:00

So we are officially on summer break, and here are a few random shots from the week:

Oliver's projects at home: making a gate out of stuffed animals so Griffin can't walk from the dining room to the living room and making things out of legos.

On the slide at the Land of Make Believe.

Pony ride at Parky's Farm

The Frog Hopper at Coney Island

Trip to Michigan!

2011-07-04T09:04:00.007-04:00

Oliver and I took a trip to Michigan to see the new cottage and spend time with Landon! We had a very busy and great time. Sam joined us for a few days too in between concerts. The cottage was wonderful--so much fun. We had great food (almost all made by Anna) and plenty of time to play by the lake. We also got to visit with Great Grandma Menkveld, see the Holmans, go to the park with Landon, go to the beach....here are some pictures from our trip.

Here is Oliver playing by Pettibone Lake. Favorite activities: digging in the sand and being spun as fast as possible in a float tube.

Here is a characteristic picture of Mom by the lake =)

Anna and Steve after a lively game of Rummikub

Here are the flowers Sam sent me for our 10th anniversary. Can you believe it has been 10 years?

This is Anna's SPECTACULAR garden. It goes all the way back to the trees...she is growing everything!

We were looking for something to do last Wednesday, and Anna suggested that we go to Maranda's Free Park Party. It was really fun for Oliver. He got to sit in a fire truck, go on some rides, hold some chicks, and have a picnic.

We visited the Holmans on Monday afternoon. Here is Annika and Oliver dressed up like princesses.

Oliver and Landon also spent some time at the park. Landon liked the merry-go-round. Oliver's favorite was the spaceship.

When it was time to go to eat, Landon came downstairs with his hair up in a fohawk. Oliver said that he looked like a T-Rex. Then he asked Anna to do his hair like a bird. Here is Oliver looking llike a bird.

Oliver loved the beach. I took him out to Holland State Park for the afternoon on Wednesday.

Sunset pictures at the cottage.

Pirate Cruise

2011-06-18T11:25:00.007-04:00

Gramma and Papa took Oliver on a pirate-themed river boat ride yesterday. It sounds like for the most part, Oliver wanted to walk up and down the stairs and watch the "racing boats" go by. Looks like it was fun!

Swimming at Gramma and Papa's

2011-06-15T18:52:00.006-04:00

Our favorite activity!

Happy Birthday, Oliver!

2011-05-31T21:20:00.002-04:00

A few pics from Oliver's birthday party...at a balmy 95 degrees, he looks a bit sweaty (we all did). We celebrated yesterday with friends, a cookout, and birthday cake.

Oliver's friends from daycare, Ryan and Alivia, joined us!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Oliver!

School Pics and Graduation

2011-05-13T18:12:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pics from Oliver's graduation day!

Here's a video of Oliver singing in the program. It started out so well...

Hamster Ball and Face Painting

2011-05-07T16:48:00.002-04:00

Oliver got to try the Hamster Ball today!

Painted his own face yesterday...

I Did It!

2011-05-01T21:16:00.002-04:00

I made it! Half Marathon, here I come!

Pig Weekend

2011-04-30T20:44:00.005-04:00

The Pig is finally here! Tomorrow I get to run my 7.67 miles in the Flying Pig Marathon Relay. I am running with some people from work and am really looking forward to it. Wish me luck!

Oliver participated in the Piglet Fun Run today. It was a gorgeous day (finally), and he had a great time running with hundreds of other 2-yr-olds. Dad and Gramma got to watch while I helped get him going. On your mark, get set, go!

Oliver has never met a mascot that he doesn't love...

AND there was a Jumpy Castle!

10th Anniversary (a little early)!

2011-04-17T16:01:00.003-04:00

Sam and I went on a short trip for our 10th anniversary, which is coming up in June (unfortunately, our vacations don't line up in June). The next several posts are pics we took over this last weekend. This first one is just a few random pics that didn't make it into the other posts.

Hocking Hills State Park

l

The hotel

Happy to have my picture taken

Cleveland Indians

2011-04-17T15:55:00.002-04:00

We went to a Cleveland Indians game. There was gluten free fare at the ballpark! We had a good time (and managed to stay warm). The Indians won too!

Hocking Hills State Park

2011-04-17T15:46:00.003-04:00

Hocking Hills State Park was really beautiful. This could be a future camping spot! The pictures never do justice to places like this, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Hocking Hills

2011-04-17T15:12:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, we went zip lining at Hocking Hills Canopy Tours. It was a lot of fun! We didn't bring a camera small enough to attach to our harnesses, so we didn't get any action shots. But, they did give us certificates!

Visit

2011-04-09T22:24:00.008-04:00

Mom and Paul came for a visit this weekend. It felt too short, but it was great to spend time together. I think we'll have to make a plan to go to Michigan for a few extra days after school is out.

Oliver had is first taste of Blue Moon ice cream, but it didn't go so well (ice cream cones often end in tears). Too much "blue, sticky goo". Our hands ended up stuck together, and I started wiping his face on his shirt.

We visited the river park a couple times to swing. "I want wild push, Mommy!"

We got out to the zoo this morning, but only made it about an hour before it started raining. We stayed for a while so that we could see the monkeys, but ended up cutting the trip a bit short.

The zoo train broke down while we were on it today. We had to be evacuated 75 feet to the nearest exit. After waiting not-so-patiently 10-15 minutes for someone to escort us the 75 feet, we decided to walk it on our own. On our lengthy 75-ft walk, zoo employees followed behind us lecturing about the danger of choosing to disembark on our own and how they would have appreciated it if we had remained seated. All-in-all, it was a very pleasant experience.

High Water

2011-03-13T19:46:00.005-04:00

These are some pictures from Bellevue Beach Park (Oliver's favorite). We have had tons of rain over the past couple weeks, and the Ohio River is flooded. The whole park is under water.

I know this picture just looks like a pond, but this is actually the top step of an amphitheater that drops down about 12 feet.

"Mommy, can we go on it?"

This is the top of a statue in the amphitheater.

Visit

2011-03-09T21:17:00.005-05:00

The Holmans came to visit! We had a great time. The kids played and played and played. Sam and I took a day off on Tuesday so that we could all go to the zoo. Sixty degrees and sunny(ish). It's always great to spend time with good friends.

Hide and Seek: The Game of the Week

Face Painting at Totter's Otterville

2011-03-04T20:09:00.002-05:00

He was so proud of his "face color".

Random

2011-02-26T07:21:00.004-05:00

My post-per-month average has gone down to 2, so I thought I would add another couple pics to up my monthly percentage. These are just a few random pics from the last month.

Here is Oliver helping me vacuum. I was trying to get him to clean up the dog hair in the corners, but his motivation for this was rather low. Not sure why...

Here is Griffy after I gave him a haircut. Since you haven't seen him, you probably can't tell that I cut off 2 grocery bags of hair, but take my word for it, he looks much better.

Lately Oliver has been sitting on the heat register and surrounding himself with shoes and boots. It takes him about 1/2 hour to get them arranged the he wants them. He is very purposeful about it, but I have yet to figure out the purpose...

Bel's B-Day Party

2011-02-20T08:02:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Bel's birthday! Oliver thought that she would like to get a trumpet for her birthday. I can't believe that his friends are all turning 3--it is going by so fast.

I want this one, Mom. (Chocolate is his fav)

You Are My Sunshine

2011-02-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

You are my sunshine? Maybe not today, but you do have a monkey hat..

You are my sunshine...for real =)

A Few Random Pics

2011-01-17T18:35:00.004-05:00

Oliver's new favorite activity...

Oliver climbing out of tree (not a real one)

This sloth kept trying to reach for us, and I thought it was extra cute.

Welcome, Archie!

2011-01-11T21:10:00.002-05:00

We have a new nephew and cousin who arrived on January 1st! His name is Archer Henry, and everyone is doing great. Over the weekend, we made a short trip to Toronto. Although we were very glad to get to meet this BEAUTIFUL baby, I could have done without the excessive toddler vomit and 3 1/2 extra hours at a rest stop in northern Ohio.

This is Scarlett getting ready to go outside in the 8 inches of snow.

Maggie and Oliver got to play outside too, but I didn't manage to get any pictures.

Cincinnati Museum Center--Great Christmas Present!

2010-12-30T21:10:00.003-05:00

I know this is just going to be a string of pictures of Oliver playing with stuff, but he (we) got a membership to the Museum Center and used it for the first time yesterday. It is going to be a great place to spend time this year. Thanks, Gramma and Papa!

Back to Kentucky

2010-12-29T09:01:00.006-05:00

I didn't take very many pictures at Christmas this year, but here are the few that I took on our latest visit to Michigan.

Oliver and I got to visit with the Holmans last week Monday. Oliver and Anni decorated Christmas cookies. Oliver spent much of the time licking the knife and his fingers. He also had more than his share of M&Ms.

Oliver and Anni also went swimming at the Spring Lake Aquatic Center. They had a great time and were very hungry for cookies when we got back.

This is Oliver after Grandma Menkveld's party at Aunt Debbie's last week Sunday. It was so much fun! Oliver especially enjoyed chasing Justin's hovercraft, digging for candy, and cleaning up the pinata. It was great to see family.

This is Oliver and Landon in one of the better "sharing" moments =).

Oliver made a pink snowman with his Play-Doh stocking stuffer at Gramma and Papa's house.

Snow Day!

2010-12-16T14:18:00.002-05:00

We had our 2nd snow day for the year and got to play outside a little bit. Oliver does NOT like the snow. He spent most of the time outside asking me to wipe the snow off of his boots and sled. "Mommy, I got snow. I need wipe!"

Looks thrilled about all this, right?

Not nearly as fond of Santa...

2010-12-12T21:03:00.003-05:00

Ran into Santa at the Levee...Oliver was not nearly as enthusiastic about him...

Festival of Lights

2010-12-11T07:31:00.004-05:00

Sam was working last night, so I took Oliver to the Festival of Lights at the zoo. These pics are blurry because I took them at night on my phone, but you'll get the point.

Oh--and I had to take a picture of the baby cougars because they were so cute.

Oliver made this gingerbread man follow us around for about 1/2 hour..."come on! come on!". The gingerbread man played with Oliver on the playground and took him over to see the goats. I, for my part, thought it was creepy to have an 8-ft, silent gingerbread man tailing us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T19:14:00.005-05:00

I am posting a ton of pictures today. These are all out of order, but here are some of the things we did this weekend.

A trip to the mall with Landon, Anna, and Grandma DY. The kids rode the carousel. Landon wasn't convinced that he really liked it.

This is our advertisement for the IPad. Anna just got it, and the kids loved it!

Oliver and Landon on the stool/chair made by Grandpa Paul. Thanks, Grandpa!

Oliver, Maggie, and Landon went to the GR Children's Museum. They had a great time with the bubble tables and other toys.

What is Thanksgiving without pie and T.V. watching?

New Vids

2010-11-19T21:49:00.002-05:00

Shake Your Booty!

Very Sneaky

Sneaky Number 2

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:14:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures from our 4-day Halloween celebration. This 1st one was from trick-or-treating on Thursday at Music Hall. Oliver was a bit afraid (in that he was screaming and crying) of the other kids in costumes and would go nowhere near them. But he did enjoy getting candy...

After a Halloween party on Friday morning at daycare, Oliver and I went to a pumpkin painting/carving party at Bel's house on Friday night.

We took a little break on Saturday night from dressing up, but Sam came through with several hours as a giant chicken.

Here are the pics from tonight. Bel, Amelia, Joe, and Kathy joined us for trick-or-treating in Bellevue. No more screaming and crying tonight--and lots and lots of candy!

Halloween Preview

2010-10-23T21:23:00.001-04:00

Visit from Geema, Eena, and Yandon

2010-10-18T21:03:00.003-04:00

This is Grandma, as agile as she was in her youth, showing us all that she is still able to climb playground equipment. Afterward, I was hoping to arm wrestle, but she was too tired.

Anna giving me the stink-eye

Oliver was drawing us pictures tonight. Here is what he told us he was drawing:

purple = horse

green = spider

orange = crab

blue = bike

red = excavator

yellow = cow

black = sea horse

pink = buh-luh-luh-luh-luh?

pencil = another spider

These are all obvious from the drawing, right?

Coney Island

2010-10-09T16:35:00.003-04:00

We went to Coney Island today for the Fall-O-Ween Festival. At 90 degrees, it was a little too hot for Oliver to wear his costume, but he got to do some early trick-or-treating. We also rode the ferris wheel and paddle boats. Oliver went through the hay bale maze, played in the jumpy castle, and rode all of the kiddie rides. The line for pony rides was too long, but we also got to see goats, llamas, and alpacas. Fun day!

For Aunt Liz

2010-10-09T10:55:00.001-04:00

This is for Aunt Liz--so that she doesn't think Oliver has gotten too serious...

Haircut

2010-10-08T15:01:00.004-04:00

So I asked the Olga, the hair dresser at Supercuts, to scissor-cut the top of Oliver's hair and use the clippers on the sides and back. She proceeded to use the clippers over all of Oliver's head. As all of his hair dropped slowly to the ground, a single tear formed in my eye.

He still looks cute, although there is a great deal more space between his eyebrows and hairline.

Radom Pics from Phone

2010-10-02T20:01:00.004-04:00

I haven't taken any actual pics with the camera in a while, but here are a few random pics from my phone.

Oliver on the way home from Michigan last weekend for Landon's b-day.

Oliver and Grandpa Paul in one of the rare moments where Oliver's pants weren't falling down.

Looks serious, doesn't he?

Took Oliver to a Reds game a couple weeks ago. He enjoyed it until the fireworks. Then we had to leave.

Oliver in his new hat at the zoo.

Sam's Weekend Project

2010-09-20T00:55:00.001-04:00

Labor Day Weekend in 3 Parts

2010-09-06T18:32:00.005-04:00

We took a trip starting Thursday and covered a lot of ground. We spent Thursday night in Indianapolis. On Friday, we visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum. It was great--we probably could have spent a lot more time there. Oliver especially enjoyed dancing in the Guitars 'n Cars exhibit.

Friday night was spent in Lake Odessa. We left Oliver with the Straters, and Sam and I drove to Traverse City. We got to see the Overbeeks and spend some time with Landon!

The weather was cold, but there were rainbows and a beautiful sunset.

On Sunday, we drove back to Straters and got to spend some time with the Holmans. The kids got along great! It was good to see our friends who we have missed so much over the past months.

Sam's Fishing Trip

2010-08-20T17:37:00.004-04:00

Some shots from Sam's fishing trip to Canada last week. Note there's no pictures of Sam with an actual fish. He says he was just being a responsible sportsman and threw everything back, but that seems like a convenient excuse...

Annabel and Oliver

2010-08-14T13:44:00.003-04:00

Oliver spent the morning with his friend Annabel at the zoo. It was nearly impossible to get them both in the same picture--which is why they are all blurry.

Pics with Papa

2010-08-12T22:05:00.004-04:00

Now here are two peas of the same pod. Pics from last weekend at the zoo.

Also last weekend...Gramma and I got to see John Williams (you know... Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, Schindler's List, E.T., Superman, Indiana Jones, I could literally go on and on...) conduct the Cincinnati Pops. Sam actually got to meet him!

Hole-In-One!

2010-08-09T22:11:00.002-04:00

Big Bone Lick State Park

2010-08-01T21:20:00.003-04:00

We went to Big Bone Lick State Park today. Apparently, this park is one of the first places in North America where dinosaur bones were found. It had a small museum that had some big bones (hence, the name). It also had a place to watch bison and a lot of trails.

Here is Oliver afraid to touch the dinosaur teeth.

In other news, here is a picture of the cat who has been staying with us for a couple months and will be staying through September. We are cat-sitting for someone Sam works with.

Corn from the garden. We will have a ton of peppers to show in about a week =).

EnterTRAINment Junction

2010-07-24T14:27:00.004-04:00

This place was pretty awesome; however, it did remind me a little of the basement on Lake Michigan Drive =). The model trains were amazing and EXTENSIVE, and Oliver loved the play area. There was even a Thomas the Tank Engine ride outside. Best of all, we were there for nearly 4 hours and had no potty accidents!

This is the Mirror Maze. We didn't make it far before Oliver got too scared.

No More Crib...

2010-07-18T21:43:00.004-04:00

Oliver was a little dismayed at bedtime when he wasn't going to get to sleep in his crib, but we made it through. Hopefully tomorrow will go a little better. Here is a picture of his new bed.

Sam was playing Guitar Hero--both Oliver and I were watching. I looked down and Oliver had fallen asleep on the ottoman with a cereal bar in his hand!

4th of July

2010-07-07T11:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a shot that should make aunt Megan happy. Taken on July 4 at Riverbend just before the concert...

Random

2010-07-06T21:07:00.011-04:00

I haven't posted at all in a while...I got a bit behind. Here are a few random things from the past couple weeks.

This was Oliver today after spending the morning at the pool and the afternoon at the zoo.

We spent the weekend at Anna and Steve's house for Claire's wedding--this is Oliver dressed and ready to go. It was a very beautiful wedding, although Oliver made me miss much of the actual ceremony. He alternated between shushing me and screaming at the top of his lungs.

Nathan and Liz came to stay with us 2 weekends ago. They were in town for another wedding. We were glad to have them here!

Here is a pepper that I picked from the garden and ate on my pizza.

This is Oliver's favorite video to watch. He sings it all day while he plays his drum

Here are a couple videos of Oliver watching his favorite video.

Water Video

2010-06-21T22:42:00.002-04:00

Oliver and Maggie playing in the water

Weekend in Toronto

2010-06-21T22:14:00.012-04:00

We drove to Toronto this last weekend over Father's Day. With the help of Bob the Builder, Elmo, and Larry the Cucumber, we successfully made it the 10-11 hours in the car. We had a great time visiting with family and catching up with everyone. Pictures below are mostly of Maggie and Oliver playing.

Garden

2010-06-14T20:13:00.004-04:00

Well, no post is complete without a picture of Oliver. Here he is playing in the water while I am making dinner.

Our first pepper. It is supposed to be red.

Our first tomato. I think it will turn red.

Corn and tomatoes

Dinner was salad from the garden!

First Bean

2010-06-09T07:31:00.001-04:00

Here is the first vegetable from our garden! It was delicious.

Oliver's Birthday

2010-05-31T20:56:00.005-04:00

Bellevue Memorial Day Parade

Presents!

Cake!

Happy Birthday Oliver!

Basketball!

2010-05-29T21:18:00.006-04:00

Oliver got a basketball hoop from Grandma and Grandpa DY for his birthday. He's very serious about it.

Look at him jump!

Just kidding.

So, while I was trying to get the net on the hoop, I hear Oliver yelling, "I did it, I did it!" I turned around and he was on top of the car. All safety aside, I thought I should get a picture. I probably wouldn't have posted it had he fallen off the car.

The Hokey Pokey

2010-05-22T22:04:00.001-04:00

I finally got this video uploaded. This is Oliver kind of doing the Hokey Pokey this morning at the walk.

Walk Now for Autism Speaks

2010-05-22T13:43:00.010-04:00

Oliver and I attended Cincinnati's Walk Now for Autism Speaks this morning with a few people from work. We had a great time and another day of great weather. Oliver wasn't too thrilled to have to stay in his stroller, but he made it through...

Mr. Redlegs (Cincinnati Reds mascot) was there. I think he is Oliver's new best friend. When we got home, he wanted to give "kissy" to the pictures.

Walk for Angelman Syndrome

2010-05-16T20:47:00.005-04:00

Oliver and I joined Derek's Angels on Saturday on the Walk for Angelman Syndrome in Cincinnati. It was perfect weather, and we had a great time with some very special people!

Thanks for inviting us and giving us the opportunity to share these pictures with our family!

If you want to find out more, here is a link:
http://www.angelman.org/

Oliver eating his first cheese Coney: a Cincinnati staple

Goats

2010-05-09T07:21:00.002-04:00

The Children's Zoo opened last weekend so we went yesterday morning. Oliver rode the "Choo-choo" for the first time. He was a little scared, but he really liked it.

Apparently, he also really likes goats.

New School Pics

2010-05-06T20:28:00.002-04:00

Raining

2010-05-04T20:46:00.002-04:00

It rained all weekend, and we got a little stir-crazy in the house. We went out to play in the rain!

We also managed to use all the letters a second time.

This is just a random picture that I took because I needed a new one for my phone.

Weekend

2010-04-25T14:28:00.004-04:00

We started a vegetable garden! We are attempting to grow peas, beans, carrots, lettuce, a few different kinds of peppers, basil, and corn. We don't know much about gardening, but after watching Food, Inc., we thought we should give it a good try (I haven't been very motivated work in the garden or even water the plants ever before). Hopefully we'll get something =)!

Oliver had been doing this for about 20 minutes before I took this vid. He has been walking around the house with 2 pencils in his hands and playing everything like it is a drum (or "La-La" as he calls it).

Thursday in Michigan with the Holmans

2010-04-15T21:46:00.004-04:00

We are in Michigan for Spring Break and got to visit the Holmans who recently moved to Spring Lake. Here are a few pics from our quick trip to the beach. It was 78 degrees and beautiful! Oliver has missed his friends Anni and Baby Greta.

We Rule!

2010-04-13T23:35:00.003-04:00

This took a surprisingly long amount of time. After weeks of staring at this during dinner, we finally used all the Fridge Phonics letters to create real words (without turning the "c" sideways to make another "u"). And yes, "zek" is a real word. Apparently, a "zek" is a POW in a Soviet work camp. That sounds made up, doesn't it...

Everyone should try this...it keeps your mind from going numb with the nonstop alphabet songs.

Oh--One More Thing...

2010-04-11T22:10:00.008-04:00

I am having the worst time trying to upload this video, so I hope this finally works. I had to drive all the way to Michigan to finally have success...This is a video of Sam and Landon from last weekend.

Anna, Steve, and Landon

2010-04-11T20:57:00.012-04:00

I am posting a ton of pictures this week. Anna, Steve, and Landon came for a visit. We went to the zoo and walked all around town. Landon did great, and he is sooooo cute! These pics are way out of order, but it was too hard to change them around--I'll explain as we go.

This is how Landon looks 99% of the time--smiley and genuinely happy to see you.

I think I take a picture of Oliver and the rhino every time we go to the zoo, but here's another one--in case you haven't seen the last six.

We moved Oliver's table to the kitchen, so now he has a place to color and bang things all the time.

The tulips are in bloom!

So here are a few more animal pics from the latest trip to the zoo. Maybe by the end of the summer, you will have seen the whole thing without actually visiting.

Here is Anna with a very happy look on her face and Landon in the carrier. He was kicked out of the stroller by Oliver.

Landon was very excited about being at the zoo.

Family pic next to the turkeys

Oliver looks a bit blank in this picture, but Steve and Landon looked so charming that I decided to post it.

New Fence

2010-03-28T14:11:00.005-04:00

We put up a new fence this weekend with the help of Gramma and Papa. Now the dog and the baby shouldn't be able to escape!

Oliver also got an early birthday present from Gramma and Papa. He has spent many waking hours in his new car.

"This little piggy cried, 'Wee, wee, wee...'"
I had to fix the punctuation on that statement twice. I hope it's right.

Easter Bunny

2010-03-25T20:31:00.003-04:00

We went to the mall today on the way home from work. It was raining, so we had to find somewhere indoors to play. Oliver saw the Easter Bunny and went nuts, running over 3 kids and a stroller to try to get to his new fuzzy friend. After a wiggly wait, he got his picture taken. He cried when it was time to leave.

The Holmans' Last Night

2010-03-25T20:19:00.003-04:00

The Holmans have moved back to Michigan (well, mostly anyway). We will miss them tons. They came over Wednesday night for one last dinner and play time. Oliver is already asking for "Nanni, Nanni, Nanni". Good luck in your new home and jobs, Kira and Harland!

Cincinnati Pics

2010-03-22T20:43:00.009-04:00

Suzanne took some good pictures of the sights near our house. I thought I would share a few with you.

The Purple People Bridge

The "Big Mac"

The daffodils popped out this weekend!

The Roebling Bridge

River Boat art thing at the end of Bicentennial Park

Weekend Visitors

2010-03-22T20:15:00.006-04:00

We had a lot of fun and a lot of visitors this weekend! We were glad to be able to spend time with family and friends. We walked to Bellevue Beach, ate at Schneider's Sweet Shop, went to IKEA, toured a house, walked around at the Levee, went to the GAP Store, went for a bike ride through Bicentennial Park, and played at Sawyer Point. We kept ourselves busy!

Grandma DY and Oliver playing in the kitchen

Great Grandma Menkveld knitting and reading with Oliver

Suzanne and Oliver having a snack

Suzanne took some great pictures!

Sawyer Point Park

Bath Time

Me and Oliver riding at Bicentennial Park

Just cleaned up around the house this weekend...

2010-03-14T21:00:00.003-04:00

We had kind of a boring weekend...grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning the house. It rained almost all weekend too--so we couldn't even go outside. Took a few pics Saturday morning before we got moving for the day.

We Went to the Zoo Too!

2010-03-06T15:00:00.011-05:00

We went to the zoo today with Oliver's friends Annika, Greta, and Annabel (and their parents). We had a great time! Oliver and Bel had a good discussion going over who the pretzels belonged to:

Oliver: Mine!
Bel: No!
Oliver: Mine!
Bel: No!
Oliver: Mine!
Bel: No!

You get the drift =)

A sleepy sea lion...

These are called Gibbons, but Oliver called them monkeys ("bunkees"). They were really fun to watch (and hear)!

The Holmans came over for dinner tonight too. The food was good, and the kids had fun rearranging the pantry.

Weekend in Michigan

2010-02-15T18:17:00.001-05:00

Here are a few highlights of our trip to MI this weekend!

It's Actually Snowing this Time

2010-02-09T13:36:00.003-05:00

So we are having a snow day with actual snow. We played outside for a while this morning. Oliver loved the sled and climbing on the play structure knee-deep in snow (at least knee-deep for him).

Oliver has been walking around the house for hours at a time with these Spiderman knee pads strapped to his feet. He calls them his "Spi-mn shoos".

1st Haircut!

2010-02-06T12:49:00.003-05:00

With a little help from Elmo, a car chair, and some fruit snacks, Oliver sat for his 1st haircut!

Cincinnati Zoo

2010-01-18T20:32:00.003-05:00

It was supposed to be 50 degrees today and somewhat sunny, so I planned a trip to the zoo. It really only got to about 35, but we went anyway. It was fun (and a bit cold)!

This pic got a bit steamy in the bird area.

Oliver's favorite exhibit...a skid steer ("sk-sk") and excavator ("a-la-la-la").

Snow Day, Part III

2010-01-08T15:50:00.002-05:00

I've taken a bunch of pictures over the last 3 snow days, but this one is my fav.

Snow Day at the Aquarium

2010-01-06T18:17:00.003-05:00

I didn't actually buy this picture (clearly), but I still wanted to post it!

New Vids

2010-01-03T08:24:00.004-05:00

I haven't posted any videos in a while, so I thought I would take a few. None of them is terribly exciting, but Oliver likes to watch them. I was hoping to give him something new to watch.

Paint

2010-01-02T15:28:00.003-05:00

It's amazing what a coat of paint and some $10 curtains from IKEA will do for you. We have spent hundreds of hours (well, not really hundreds--but it has been many) painting and rearranging our furniture. I think it is finally getting to be the way we want it =).

Kitchen!

2009-12-29T08:17:00.003-05:00

It took 2 1/2 hours to put this kitchen together, but it was well worth it. I feel like a real parent at Christmas.

Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:53:00.005-05:00

We had a GREAT and BUSY Christmas day! We started with presents and Christmas breakfast at Gramma and Papa Strater's house.

After lunch we headed to Grammy and Grandpa Paul's house for homemade mac-n-cheese (made by Anna). It was delicious and GF (at least for me)! I think Henry and Oliver wore a track in the carpet with their running and chasing. We had a great time!

The boys in their new Christmas PJs

Doesn't Landon look like Steve?

This is Anna fake sleeping. You can tell she is faking because her eyes are open.

Christmas Eve Update

2009-12-24T21:23:00.006-05:00

Here are some highlights from our trip so far! We got to spend some time with Henry and Landon. Landon is a great baby, and Henry is good at sharing (especially with a demanding Oliver)!

Maggie arrived early this morning!

Winter fun!