Another "Okay" Day

Olivia's vocabulary is exploding-- it seems like she learns a new word every day. Sometimes several in one day. Occasionally there's a word that she seems to get stuck on, which is common at this age. Right now, she is hooked on "okay" which means that she says it roughly 4,296 a day. Here's how the conversations at our house are going today:

Me: Olivia, are you ready to eat some breakfast?
Olivia: Okay, okay.

Me: Olivia, are you done eating?
Olivia: Okay.

Me: Olivia, why are you crying?
Olivia: Okaaaaaay!

Me: What are you doing, Olivia?
Olivia: Okay!


You get the idea.

Frick & Frack

She might pull his ears and pop him on the nose when she's mad (we're working on that), but make no mistake: Rocky loves Olivia. 

And she is crazy about him.

Busted

So having a dog and a toddler is a lot like having two toddlers. Rocky has been with me for more than six years now, so one big difference between him and Olivia (besides the obvious) is that I know what Rocky is thinking. He, unlike my daughter, is done developing, learning and evolving and after years of watching his wheels turn, I am fairly in sync with my dog. Have you seen the commercials with the dogs who have thought bubbles on cards that they display to their owners? I swear sometimes I can see Rocky's thought bubbles. I like to think he is pretty smart, but he can do things occasionally that remind me he is just a dog.

Rocky knows that there are some things he is not allowed to do, and he has gotten fairly good at not getting caught doing them. Notice I did not say he has gotten good at following the rules. One of these things he is not supposed to do is play with Olivia's stuffed animals. I try to keep their toys separate, although neither one of them sees a problem with sharing.
 

I don't think these photos can properly convey his utter humiliation at being caught red-handed when I came home from the grocery store. Eeyore's tail got snagged on his collar, and his Walk of Shame was a slow and clunky one. I think all the laughing further wounded his pride.

WOW Fun

One recent morning, around eight o'clock, I was losing my mind. More than usual. Olivia had been up since before six and was on Wide Open with a generous side of Whine. So as I sat there wondering how I was going to make it through the day, I suddenly remembered that one of the moms I know from MOPS said she takes her kids to the Exploreum. A quick internet search for hours and admission info, and I called C to let him know that we were going. I called my friend Emily, whose daughter Halle is 4 months older than Olivia and we headed downtown.

The Exploreum has an area specifically designed for small children called the Wharf of Wonder, or WOW. The girls had a blast exploring and playing for a couple of hours before we headed off to find lunch. Here's a few photos from the morning:

Halle is crossing the Wharf

Those green things connect together, and Liv is trying to attach them

These wedge mats form a "Reading Room Circle"

This is Halle's baby brother, Max, who Olivia just adores. She's giving him hugs and kisses.

Building and climbing in a different part of the Wharf.

The only downside to our little adventure was the fact that Olivia and I woke up the next morning with colds. I can only assume this is because she played in a petri dish, WOW Style. I think our next visit will be the day after the monthly Wharf cleaning.

A Story

I am going to tell you a story of love and loss.

Once upon a time, there was a guy and a girl, and they fell in love. He bought her a ring, she picked out a dress and early one evening in May, they promised each other forever. The next day, the guy and the girl got on a plane, and they spent seven lovely days together on a small, exquisite island eating incredible food, lounging in the sun and sight-seeing. 

One of their sight-seeing adventures took them to a neighboring island where the streets were teeming with cruise ship tourists. They wandered through stores and sat at a sidewalk restaurant listening to music and watching people as they passed by. He smiled at her as she browsed in the stores, content to watch her shop. He even helped her pick out a watch. On their last day on the island, the guy and the girl packed their bags and took the ferry back to the neighboring island where they would board a plane headed back to Real Life. They ate conch for lunch and while they sat there, the girl realized that she really wished she had bought the sunglasses she'd tried on while they shopped. They were expensive, way more money than she had ever spent on a single item of clothing before. The girl looked at her new watch and assured the guy they had plenty of time to pick the sunglasses up -- she knew exactly where the store was and just needed to run in to grab them and jump back into the cab on the way to the airport. The guy, because he loves her, said okay. So they jumped in a cab and sped down the road until they ran into dead stopped traffic. They crept along slower than they could have walked (and would have except for the luggage and the airplane) until finally, finally the girl saw the store. She jumped out and ran in, grabbing the sunglasses and throwing her credit card at the clerk with a smile, running out the door as the cab and the guy passed the store. They sped off for the airport, where the guy and the girl ran to their plane as the final call for passengers was being announced. 

The guy and the girl came back to Real Life, where nine months later they had a baby. Eighteen months later that little girl was riding on her Pops and Gran's pontoon boat at the lake on a lazy late summer afternoon. She was having so much fun that she jumped into her mother's arms, which knocked her sunglasses right off of her head and into the lake.

 

The End.

Labor Day

Sunday morning during church, I asked C how he felt about inviting some families from church over for a cookout on Monday. Since he is incredibly good-natured and easy-going, he said sure. So we had four families join us Monday afternoon for burgers, hotdogs, tacos and a host of other dishes and desserts. We had so much fun! The kids all played so well together, and after we ate they splashed around in the yard until it was dark outside. (Miraculously, there were no bugs!) Rocky had more fun than anyone else, I think. He was in heaven with so many children turned loose with food. I never thought to pull my camera out once the whole time our friends were visiting, so thank you to Keri for sending me hers!

 
Here are the guys eating – the dining table was full of women and children. I think someone forgot to tell Matt to wear green.
 
(Most of) the ladies. We were enjoying a few minutes of adult conversation before we had to help wrangle the (missing from this picture) kiddos.

Lily and Blake having fun with balls. How cute (and up to no good) is this duo?
 
The par-tay moved outside. I’m not sure what John Michael is showing Lily, but these two are best buds.

Olivia is the youngest of this crowd by six months, which is a lot at this age, but she had a blast trying to keep up!



Rocky was never very far from the action – he’s hoping John Michael will share his fig newton here. And Olivia is displaying her “shock and awe” face, which cracks me up.

All in all, it was a great day, and we are so thankful for our friends.

This Photo Needs No Explanation

Look Who's Rockin' a Pony

She looks like such a big girl! Where did my baby go?

Summertime Fun

We've had to stay inside a lot this summer because of the ridiculous heat and the bugs that infest our lovely wooded neighborhood, but we have enjoyed the occasional day playing outside as a family. I've tried to keep the plants in my flowerbed alive (somewhat successfully) and now that Olivia is walking, she has enjoyed exploring the yard around the house. I think on this particular weekend, C was weeding while I watered. After a while, Olivia insisted on trying her hand at using the hose. These are the photos I got before she turned it on me.

Everything goes in the mouth, even the water hose.

She has absolutely no control over where this thing is pointing.

Soaked but highly pleased with herself.

After all that hard work in the flowerbeds, Olivia was ready for a break. C had the ultimate summer time treat for her to enjoy -- watermelon! He chopped up a seedless melon and gave her a slice. I think she likes it.

C and Mini-C

Mmmm.

 

 

So at this point, Olivia decided that Rocky should get to enjoy some watermelon, too. He got the rest of this piece, and she got a new one.

Then she dropped this one on the ground -- watermelon is slippery! -- and before either of us could do anything about it, she picked it up, gave Rocky a lick, and started eating it again. Oh well, she's eaten worse.