Oliver

New Blog

2010-01-19T18:11:00.002-07:00

This one will get updated less (like thats saying anything!) and this one below will be updated daily. My new year resolution is to document his life better.

My Oliver, one picture a day. Minimal photoshopping, no staging...just real life, as it happens.

Can't wait to see how this one turns out! I can tell it's gonna be a good n'.

http://2010-oliver-365.blogspot.com/

Sometimes when we're bored...

2010-01-16T22:17:00.002-07:00

Sylvester the kitty was sound asleep on my lap. We realized just how soundly he was asleep when we started moving him around. He wouldn't budge. So I asked Al to film me trying to wake up him up. When the camera started rolling, the minds began melding, and suddenly Celine Dion lyrics started flowing from Alex's amazing voice, whilest my thumb became the instrument. The music was divine. See for yourself.

Alex and I like to entertain ourselves by laughing our guts out. Tonight was just one of those nights, and my sister,just happened to have allowed me to kitty-sit.

Oliver is busy

2009-10-22T00:15:00.001-06:00

Check him out

thebecausetour.blogspot.com

A boy and his Mama

2009-06-23T18:17:00.002-06:00

These were taken by my amazing friend Angie. I have only a handful of pictures of just Ollie and me so these are extra special to me. They really capture him and how sweet it is to be loved by O.

Still here

2009-03-03T22:53:00.003-07:00

I'm so far behind, I don't know where to start. I'm consumed with keeping my other blog up to date. Shameful, I know. How's about I make a big fat re-cap post by say, March 15th? A deadline. I can meet a deadline. I can. Just you wait.

Or maybe don't hold your breath. I've been known to be full of c-rap.

Here's a taste of the Ollie love as of late. I adore this kid.

Addresses...yours...please!

2008-12-11T21:30:00.004-07:00

You thought you were getting a real post? Of course not. I'm surprised if you're even reading this. Haven't you written me off completely?

Hmmm....pretty please email me your mailing address.

info@saraboulterphotography.com

It's holiday card time, and I want to send YOU one.

Go.

You have one day.

Hi Long Lost Blog....How are you?

2008-11-01T13:35:00.007-06:00

I know, I know....no excuse. I don't even know where to start to catch up. How's about some Halloween for you's?

Oliver: John McCain

Quinn: Sarah Palin

The Parents: Secret Service, of course.

Uhm, I'm gonna need to check the candy sir.

Doin' a little shopping.

"I'd take a bullet for you."

Campaign Kisses.

Carseat Candidates
"I can see Russia from my house!"
Ahhh, the McCain comb-over.

Explanation: The bandaid on O's head....he fell down during family pictures, just in time for Halloween.
See the PRE-injury pictures here: http://photosbyangie.blogspot.com/2008/10/for-sara.html

THE GROUP:

HAHA!

2008-08-05T10:49:00.003-06:00

I know I'm really behind on updating this here blog...can't do it now. I'm swamped.

Here's a quick funny for the day though....

So we have DVD players in the car and Ollie watches movies when we go out. (His attention span is about 45 seconds, so to say "watches movies" might be a stretch.)We got him Monsters Inc yesterday. He's watched the beginning few scenes maybe 3 times (between trips to Target and the gas station and Daddy's work.)
This morning, we get in the car to go to school (yeah, he goes to school..watch for furture posts about this n') and the DVD starts up. I hear Ollie say in a really low voice, "COMING SOON!" I laughed and said "what did you say?" He says again, "COMING SOOOOOON!" Then I hear the DVD say, "COMING SOON!" Yeah, the previews were playing and Ollie had that part memorized. It made me laugh so hard. Guess you had to be there...but really, this kid is hilarious. I love when he comes up with stuff on his own and I get to see his little personality. He's hilarious JUST like his mother. :)

This face...

2008-07-17T23:51:00.004-06:00

Go ahead and eat the dirt sweetie. Do anything you like.

Oh how I love this face.

Captain underpants...

2008-07-17T23:44:00.003-06:00

There is a story behind all this underwear business. Here is the 10 peso version. Ollie is getting really good about the whole potty thing, but when I bought him underwear he thought it was time to pee on it. Every time I put a new pair on him he'd shout loudly, "I PEED!" So we'd change them and he'd pee...three times we did this before the pull ups went on. He needs constant reminders, but so far so good. He told us "potty" a lot while while we were in IP so we figured we'd give it a go when we got home. I'm not too committed to it so I don't care if he's in a diaper, undies, or pull-ups. I'm just letting him explore the whole idea. We'll see.

These pictures? Cando and I had a fun time experimenting with our kids' hair today. It's what girls do when they have babies...they play dress-up.

Candace and I thought this shot looked like he was playing air-guitar. In his heart, he is Bret Michaels...I just know it.

Island Park

2008-07-17T23:32:00.006-06:00

Al's family has a cabin up in Island Park, ID. It's a special place for us all to go and be together. This time might have been my favorite trip so far. Oliver is at the age that he can come floating down the river with us, swim in the lake, go on bike rides etc. We had so much fun with him. I do love me some "I-yun Part" as O says. Here's shots of the some of the F.U.N.

Swimmin'/boating with Daddy and Grace
Taking a sunset boat ride to see baby greebs.

Alisa and the mama watching our peeps play on the dock. We're VERY busy.

This busts me up. He'd put his head in the water and swim like Uncle Yale. And his bum....oh his little bum. I love it.
Gearing up for some potty training. Peeing off the dock. Officially documented. 'Nuff said.

Buried in Nanny's shirt and yawning. It's very tiring..all this lazy stuff.

Goooood times!

The 4th is the 4th of course of course

2008-07-07T15:47:00.006-06:00

Here's the low-down on the 4th around the Boulter pad. Check it, love it. Peace out.

Ollie was so excited to walk down to the parade. We said, "Ollie, let's go outside! We're going to walk down the street and people are going to throw candy at you!" Who knows what he thought. But it was hilarious to see how excited he was.

Staring at the floats going by. What the? Who cares! They're throwing candy at me!
Candy!!!!
He wouldn't let any of it go. His hands got so full, he couldn't gather anymore. We tried to explain that if he made a little pile of candy, he could go back for more. No. He was holding it all tight. Hands off Mom.
Oh my little sugar bear. He ate soooo much sugar. I give in on holidays...I don't know why. He was crazy by 2 o'clock. I guess once a year won't kill us.
New shoes. I had to snap a shot of em. I love this kid.

O and Grandma Gleason at the family picnic. He does love his g'ma.
Reason #445 that I am a fantastic mother: I let O get out of the carseat when we got to the dirt road up the canyon. Yeah, DCFS...call me. :)
Again, my fantastic mothering in action. What's more American than Coke? Sheesh.
Making our way through the crowds. FUN!
Parade with the Mama. Good times.

Watching Daddy light fireworks from the fence.
I want to eat this face.

Happy 4th!

Re-cap-o-rama

2008-07-07T15:34:00.005-06:00

Seriously...busy isn't the word. What is MORE than busy? I'm up to my eyeballs in work and holiday hoo-ha. Kill me now. No, just look at these pictures and love me a little.

The story with the pool pictures goes a little something like this:

My Dad...oh, my Dad. He's sa' crazy. What a funny old man Herbie is. We were all swimming one night. (My family is in town from NY and TX-hooray!) My Dad got this bright idea to get in the hot-tub fully clothed, shoes and all. I was shnuggling O in the water and "PLOP" came Dad. Ollie got the biggest kick out of grandpa. He kept dunking him and my Dad totally let him. Hilarious. I'm pretty sure this is where I get my crazy. :)

Ahhh Lizzy and Mama. So glad you are all here!

Hawaii

2008-06-16T14:35:00.005-06:00

So it's been a little crazy since we got back and I haven't had a chance to post. Here's a peek of our week in HI. It was such a great trip. We shot the wedding on Saturday and Alex was the best assistant ever. The rest of the trip feels like a blur. I know there was a lot of laying on the beach. If we weren't on the beach, we were in the water getting sand stuck in all our 2000 parts. :) I love being there. It feels like home to us. We're excited to take O there next year. He'll be old enough to throw in the ocean by then.

Getting our golf on. I AM Tiger Woods.

Surfin'....this day was a blaaaaaast. Surfing is such a rush. Mostly because I'm scared of deep water and paddling out freaked me out...the kind of scared where you're laughing and screaming. Once I got out there and saw all the huge sea turtles that were swimming with me, I chilled out and played with them. And it helped that Alex is really sexy in his surf gear. :)

This is our attempt at another self portrait. We were headed to our fancy anniversary dinner. We're right outside our condo. I swear I'm bringing a photographer on all our vacations in the future.

My cute husband. He was helping me get my camera ready for the wedding. Mmmmm I like this guy.

We went to see where Lost is filmed. It was really cool. This is the hill where they golf in Season 1. Remember when Hurley finds golf clubs?

We took our mo-peds off roading to the secluded spot where we got married. It was sooooo romantic. :)

THREE YEARS!

Here we are at our spot. Ya'all (those of you that were there) remember how beautiful it was? It is still gorgeous. It was sweet to stand there and look back on the last three years. We have such a happy life. I am still so in love with him. Gosh, I'm blessed.

Zooooooo...

2008-06-03T23:12:00.002-06:00

I got to take O to the zoo today with my friend, Melissa and her little girl, Katie. We had a great time (minus the part when Melissa's camera was stolen...grrrrr.) Again, another fabulous time watching Ollie experience things for the first time. We rode the train a few times and he LOVED seeing all the animals. He climbed every fence because he just couldn't get close enough. He also threw his water bottle down into the monkey pit. Oops! (Good arm though, son. It was an incredible toss.)

I LOVE ZOO DAY!

Bike a' me...

2008-06-03T23:08:00.003-06:00

When O wants to get his bikin' on, he says "Ah bike a' me? Ah bike a' me?" This is a little truck he drives around. He's got 2 other bikes and he spends hours out in the yard playing on all 3. On this particular evening he and Alex took turns going "fasss" down the hill in front of our house. I came outside to find Alex speeding down on one of Ollie's bikes. I like these boys.

Gone Fishin'

2008-06-03T22:55:00.006-06:00

We spent Sunday fishing and it was sooooo much fun. We got Oliver is own pole and practiced fishing in our pool before we headed to the pond. He had his casting skills down. When we got to the pond he would cast off and then throw his whole pole in the water. It was hilarious. We didn't catch a single fish but watched the pelicans catch plenty. Alex and I got the biggest kick watching Oliver play in the water. He fell in at one point up to his neck and laughed his guts out. So did we. I LOVE showing Oliver something for the first time. It delights me to no end to see him experience new things. My sides ached after this fishin' day...funny funny Ollie. :)

Lots to share....

2008-05-23T21:37:00.007-06:00

Okay...lots of summer goin' on in our world. Here's some pictures to prove it.

BBQ at Nanny and Papa's house...yummy!

Watching the birds fly...

Sitting on the diving bored while Daddy and Uncle Yale clean out the pool.

View from the top...eeeewwww! Yucky winter water. So long suck-a!

Buff men doing man things...

Puttin' out the "vibe" in the pool. I like him a lot. Sexy Daddy...:)

Al boosting Ollie onto the roof. What safe conscience parents we are!

Uncle Yale showing Ollie just how cold hose water can be.

Ollie braved the water...but he'd say "Ah' freedin! Ah' freedin!" (I'm freezing!)

BBQ at our house. The pool is officially open! Yahoo!!!

The pool was taking too long to heat up so they played in the hot tub most of the night.

Look at this face! He LOVES the pool!

Linzy is really pregnant...I am really not. But this is my best party trick. I can go from zero to 6 months in 2 seconds.

Cousin Grace, gettin' her "pool" on.

Little fish. It's a little scary having a pool with this kid running around. But he swims like a champ. He's not completely fearless, which is good. But he's quite brave swimming in the deep end with the big boys. All I've heard for the last week since we opened the pool is, "Ah shim! Ah shim!" It's impossible to keep him out of the water. He swam so much on this day that his little finger tips wore down till they bled..from holding onto the side of the pool and jumping in and out. Poor kid. Do they make aqua gloves? We have such fun.

Uncle Yale and O...swimming buds.

And last but not least...we got some new couches. Nothing to do with summer fun, but look at this cute kid!!!

A' Sheep

2008-05-23T21:18:00.003-06:00

This is a rare sight at our house. Ollie ALWAYS sleeps in his bed, never with us. I can count on one hand how many times he's slept on/near us. He woke up the other day a little early from his nap and said "a' shnudd-o Daddy?" (snuggle) He climbed up on Al's chest and fell asleep. So precious....I adore this picture.

Funny for the day...

2008-05-14T20:59:00.003-06:00

After Ollie woke up from his nap we were shnuggling on the couch. I heard the ice-cream truck coming down the street so I jumped up with O in tote and went for the window. "Look O! That's the 'music' truck!!!" He was so entertained. I'm that mean mom who gives their kid a limited about of sugar every day and he'd already had his fair share so I didn't tell him the truth about what was in the "music" truck. :) All the neighbor kids came out and ran to buy some goods. I told O to go outside and watch the kids. I went back to doing my sewing and kept my eye on him from the window. After about 10 minutes I saw the truck drive away and the kids scatter. Ollie came in shortly thereafter. He came truckin' up the stairs with a big green dollar bill in his proud little hands. "Money! Money! Money!" I was laughing already. I said, "Where'd you get that!?" He looked down at his hands and inspected the dollar bill carefully and said "uhhhhhhhhhhh my freen." (my friend.) WHAT!? Hahah! My kid has friends? And my kids friends give him money? I ran outside to return the money but everyone was gone. No idea how the kid got the money but we put it in his piggy bank. I had a good laugh. This might not be too funny to ya'all but the fact that he can talk and say what he said and the fact that someone just handed my kid a dollar totally busts me up.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:29:00.002-06:00

I woke up to this in my ear...

"Hoppy Mama's Dee Sada."

Seriously, my life is so perfect. Sweet, sweet Oliver....you are my love. I adore you precious son. The sun is brighter and the sky is bluer in my world because of you.

We spent a lovely evening at Nanny and Papa's house. I love going there because O can run free in their gorgeous and HUGE yard....no rules, nothing dangerous to run over him, and plenty of sugar to eat. We did family pictures for Al's mom tonight too. Thank goodness for self-timers and little neighbor girls who know how to push shutter buttons!

Al hooked this mama up with a fancy new iphone. I am super stoked about it. Now we're both techie dorks...sitting on the couch with our eyeballs glued to our phones. Awwww, I love it.

All in all, a fabulous day. I felt blessed and loved from the moment I woke up.

Happy Mother's Day to all ya'all!

Lessons on Love and Oreos

2008-05-08T22:37:00.005-06:00

When Oliver reached 18 months, I knew I was in for it. He reached the "terrible twos" much too early. Honestly, it wasn't all that terrible, but I really had my hands full and seemed to fall apart on a regular basis. I wondered how other moms did it. And how did they do it with more than one if I'm falling apart with one!!?? I told myself every day I wasn't cut out to be Ollie's mom or a mom at all. My solution? Send him to the nanny. Send him to Grandma's. Give him to Daddy the minute he came home from work. He'd throw tantrums when he was with me, but everyone else got this sticky-sweet version of Oliver. I felt so frustrated with him everyday. Looking back, he wasn't terrible at all. Just curious and unable to really communicate all the goings-on in his little brain. There were moments of tenderness, of course. There were moments of overwhelming love. There were moments of pure joy and amazement at how perfect my sweet son is. But those moments were overshadowed by the "work" of it all. I felt tired and pulled in so many directions. I felt inadequate and small when I'd see him "prefer" Alex over me...knowing I, ME, THE MOM, was taking care of him every day.

The past month has been a different story. The morning Oliver turned two something changed. In him, in me...I don't know, but something changed. I thought his good mood and his choosing me to shnuggle with that day was just a fluke...a good day. Sure we'd had those before. But the next day was the same. And then the next and the next and the next. Oliver has become the most pleasant little person to be around. I'm not sure if it came when he started speaking and the communication barrier was broken or if God zapped him in the middle of the night and turned him into my new favorite person. He plays independently for huge chunks of time every day....coming into my office for a quick kiss and to say "lub you Sada mama." (love you Sara mama.) He can sit in the car ALL the way to Target without whining or screaming. In fact, we have fabulous conversations as we drive all over town. He is so warm and tender and loving. He's so gentle with me. While this has always been true about him, I've not always been the recipient of his sweetness. He seemed to save all his kisses for everyone else. Now I get them all day long. He'll give me a hug and then look up at me and grab my face to make sure we're making eye contact and then he'll caress my cheek. It has brought me to tears more than once. I have fallen in love with him in a huge way. There was no part of me that didn't love him before, but there are parts of me that love him so deeply that didn't exhist before. I love my sweet son more than I can describe in words. I look at him and swell with gratitude for the gift that is Oliver. I've learned such incredible lessons since his birth. I am soaking up every moment I have with him. Gone are the days of sending him to the nanny. Suddenly I have balance in my life. My work is flowing perfectly and I have enough hours in the day to fill my soul with creativity AND be his mom. Gone are the days of getting nothing done if Oliver is home. Lately we are a perfect laundry-folding team.

For the past two weeks (thanks to the warm weather) we've been having lunch together outside. It's such a sweet time for us. We sit on a blanket and eat on our favorites. My favorite part of this time is when Oliver has to sit SO close to me. Here we sit on a huge blanket and he parks his little bum right next to mine. Gosh, I love him.

These pictures were from snack time the other day. I grabbed some oreos at Albertsons. I realized on the way home that Oliver had never had oreos and milk! I wasted no time bringing the rest of the groceries in. We ripped open the bag and I showed him the art of dunking, twisting and loving. I think we'll do this again very soon.

Self timer...perfect and candid right?

The official Ollie UPDATE!

2008-04-23T13:07:00.009-06:00

Okay, ask and ye shall receive....really really late. I'm busy....BLAH.

Where to start? Hmmm, the cast! He got it off at the 2 week appointment. Two whole weeks sooner than we expected. He walks like me now which is a problem. Ain't no body ought to walk like this Mama. Alas, he does. We're taking him in again to figure out the limp dealio. We're unsure if it's normal or not. He's doing great though. Doesn't seem to be in any pain. It's a done deal. First "man wound" is totally yesterdays news.

On to bigger and cooler things. O turned TWO on the 10th. We had a fabulous day doing whatever he wanted. We woke up and drove around looking for horses. We found some sheep and O leaned out the window and said "HIIIIIIIIIIII ship!" It was so stinkin' cute. I didn't know he even knew what a sheep was. Love love love that he is talking. Anyway, we drove around, looked for various farm animals, got him a bunch of sugar (ie. donuts, mcdonalds, candy) to chow on and then came home and put his new toys together. He LOVED his new slide and spent the rest of the day going down it over and over. Then he played in the box the slide came in for a good solid hour. Alex took the morning off so O was in heaven with both of us home.

After the nap (yes, even on his bday he naps...rules are rules!) my friend Candace and her kiddos came over to help us celebrate. We decided to go to Horton Hears a Who...O's FIRST movie. It was a terrible idea. While Grace sat and watched like a good little girl, Ollie ran up and down the isles screaming and laughing. Luckily we were the only ones in the theatre, so I let him do whatever. He belly rolled down the isle at one point...like a snowball rolling down a hill gathering more snow and getting bigger, Ollie gathered popcorn and theatre floor garbage. Then he dumped a frosty on his head and we decided to get the heck outta there. It was super funny. We ended up at McDonald's playplace where the kids could go crazy. I know, this doesn't sound like the best planned birthday ever, but I'm telling you Oliver had a blast. He was SO ready for bed. Here's some shots from the rest of the day.

Playing with his new super annoying toy. Elmo says "yummy yummy yummy" over and over and so now Ollie says "yummy yummy yummy" over and over. Thank you Candace, you good little friend you.

Getting calls from Nanny and Papa. Everytime someone would call he'd give them a big "kiss."

We put the kids to bed and thought they were sound asleep. We had to get our "Office" on so we were glued to the TV. When Candace went to get Grace so they could go home, this is what she found. Miss Grace wasn't asleep at all! Rather, she had found my mascara and dazzled her little self all up. I think she wanted to impress Ollie on his birthday. I think he prefers the natural look, Grace.
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Birthday TAKE TWO:

We had part 2 of the birthday festivities at the park with Al's family on Sunday. It was such a gorgeous day. Ollie played his heart out and ate another pound of sugar.

CAST FREE!!!!

Running across the entire park to greet Nanny and Papa...he was SO excited.

Telling cousing Grace who's boss.

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Update #3.....NEW BED!

Ollie climbed out of his crib the first time on the morning of his bday. We didn't get too mad because it was pretty cute when he waltzed into our bedroom. It sorta freaked us out and then we just laughed. Ever since then, he's done it every morning. Sometimes at 5 am! Grrrr. So we decided to move his bedroom upstairs and get him a big boy bed. Might as well make the transition now right? He had a hard time the first night going down..being in an unfamiliar room and all. 4 am came REALLY early. From 4 till 6:30 we tried to get him to go back to bed. Finally we let him come sleep with us...first ever family nap. It was sweet when he finally fell asleep and I watched my two boys snoring. Last night was try #2 and it went better. He got up once at midnight and went right back to sleep after a drink. It'll be interesting to see how it goes. My boy is getting so big. It's weird and sweet.

Here's some shots of the new diggs. It's not finished yet, but the basic decor is up (paint etc.)

So far so awesome...

2008-03-31T14:29:00.003-06:00

Oliver is a power-house. He's running around like crazy on that darn cast of his. He's totally accepted it as "part of him." It's like nothing ever happened. He DOES walk like me, which is hilarious. He's got Daddy's eyes and Mommy's limp. Nice.
We'll go get the cast cut down to the knee on Thursday. I hope it's easier to bathe him. I drenched him the other day. I wrapped him in 2 garbage sacks and used an entire roll of water proof tape. The water still found it's way in. Ugh. He left a little water trail everywhere he went, despite the hour of blowdrying. :)
Beyond the injry hullabaloo, he's talking up a storm. It feels like he learned to talk overnight. It is so much fun to hear all the stuff he has to say. Funny little man, that Oliver is.

Oh and birthday #2 plans are in the works. Get excited Oliver. Mama knows how to plan a par-tay!

Injury Update...

2008-03-20T13:02:00.005-06:00

Ollie got a shiney new red cast this morning. I swear his leg can't be broken--he's being way too good. He just sat there while the dr's did their business. I don't know why, but it busts me up to see the little cast on his leg. Of course I feel terrible and sad that he's hurt, but there is something so cute about it. When the Dr asked him what color of cast he wanted, he said "peent!" (pink) I made an executive decision and pushed for the red. :)

I had a flood of memories from my own childhood today. I was in a cast for most of it. When they were wrapping O's leg, I remembered what it was like for me. Hmmmm, he was so brave.

He's been really frustrated all day because he can't walk and the army crawl isn't as exciting as it was yesterday. I also think he hurts worse than he did yesterday. He wimpers when I move him or when he crawls. We've been sitting on the couch watching TV. He's such a busy boy and I think his frustration is going to get worse as the days go by.

As for the cast....the Dr today said that it will more like 4 weeks instead of 3. Bummer. I really wanted him to have a "cast free" birthday. We'll see. In 2 weeks we go back for another x-ray and hopefully they'll cut the cast off down to the knee so he'll be able to walk around on it.
I've got to say, this is teaching me a huge lesson. I've been going a million miles an hour lately and haven't paused for a second. The last 24 hours I've had to pause A LOT. I get to drop everything I'm doing and my business is about Ollie. I looked at him today and had a huge flood of love for him wash over me. I truly would do anything for this boy. Awww, my little broken leggy little bear.

Just a little broken bone....

2008-03-19T21:10:00.007-06:00

No biggie right? :)

O done gone broke his leg today. We were playing in Aunt Jenny's backyard and he fell off some steps. He fell "just right." I thought he'd just gotten a regular owie, but when he kept crying I figured something was wrong. I scooped him up and rocked him and thought maybe he'd stubbed his toe. Nope. I put him down to see if he'd stand up and his little leg just buckled. It was so sad. We headed to the insta-care and O got his first x-ray. He was so curious about it all. He stopped crying half way to the hospital and stayed so still while the dr's looked him over. They put this big ol' splint on him and we go in tomorrow to cast him.

He'll only have to wear a cast for 3 weeks...but grrrrrrrrrrr! It's Easter and we had a big hunt planned! I wanted to see him run around in the park finding eggs. Ugh. I'm hoping the cast they put on him tomorrow will allow him to put weight on it. Right now he "slithers" all over. Daddy taught him to army crawl and Oliver thinks it's pretty awesome. He sticks his tongue out and looks so determined. It's funny. Alex also put on his own "big boy band-aid" to help O feel cool about his new cast. He kept trying to take it off (I'm sure it's uncomfortable) but when he saw that Daddy had one too, he got all giggly. Smart Daddy. :)

Jen and her kids came over tonight to visit "the wounded" and her boys had him laughing so hard. They climbed in the TV cabinet and played peek-a-boo with Jen. Ollie is in really good spirits considering his terrible, no good, very bad day.

I have to admit, I thought it was so stinkin' cute watching him at the hospital....his first real injury. Get used to it little man. If you're anything like your mom, you'll be back to the insta-care in no time. :)

PS. Don't you love the jammies I fashioned for him? :) We taught him to "arrrrgh" like a pirate.

Quick pics before our trip

2008-03-05T20:47:00.003-07:00

Mama and Dadda are headed to Texas tomorrow to run the tri. I took the whole day off and spent it with O. I LOVE Ollie days.

Here are some shots from our somewhat chilly adventure into the front yard this afternoon. The light was little harsh...forgive the wash outs.

I love you little man. Be good for Nanny! See you on Tuesday.

The world according to O

2008-02-26T19:49:00.002-07:00

So my boy became a man today...

HE SPEAKS!

Oliver has always been really talkative, but heaven knows that Al and I are the only ones who know what heck he's saying. His vocabulary is big and full of all sorts of wonderous words, but SO many of them have always sounded like this, "ba-ba!" We ALL know that "ba-ba" means, er...well, it means....let me give you an Ollie dictionary:

"Mama"=Mama
"Dadda"=Daddy
"Emmoo"=Elmo, Nemo, Oatmeal
"Cheet"=Treat
"Two-two!"=more of anything please
"uh-huh"=Please, yes, no
"sha-sha"=sorry
"Nayna"=Erin
"Tin"=Quinn
"Nanny"=Nanny McDonald
"Papa"=Papa McDonald
"Seesa"=Alisa
"Ta"=Tye
"Da"=Mike "Dough"
"gggggga" sound=Kitty
"Ba!" =Ball
"Jink"=Drink
"shoos"=Juice, shoes
"baboo"=bubble
"munty"=monkey
"sha"=shower
"Bap"=bath, up
"dat"=down
"woowoo"=woobie
"beet"=binkie,blankie
"tish"=shirt
"pfft" sound=fart

Okay, you get the idea.

Anyway, TODAY was a big day at the Boulter house. The last few days I've been playing the "Ollie saaaaaaaaaaay _______" game with him. He'll attempt to repeat what I say as best he can. Everything sounds exactly like written above. Today I started adding some new words. I said, "Ollie saaaaaaaaaaay SUNSHINE."

And he said............"SUNSHINE!"

It was totally clear and I thought I was hearing things. So I asked him again. He said "SUNSHINE!" I screamed "hooray!" and he got so excited. (A little positive reinforcement goes a long way with O.) So for the last 2 hours he's been running around the house saying "sunshine sunshine sunshine" over and over and over again.

I must say this momentous occasion excites me for 2 reasons.

1. The language barrier will finally be broken and Ollie will soon be able to ask for exactly what he wants.

2. I can start teaching him hilarious things to say to strangers and embarrass Daddy.

Photography in your genes?

2008-02-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

Maybe....

This is Oliver's FIRST picture! He snapped the shutter all by himself. It's funny to see him try to look through the lens to see what he's "shooting."

I must say, the composition and colors are superb. Well done, son.

(Subjects: Melissa and Katie Allen)

Pictureless Post

2008-02-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I always put off posting if I don't have new pictures, but I realized I can write about my Ollie without pictures....

Before Oliver turned one, I was convinced he was definitely Alex's kid...mellow, easily pleased, attentive. When he hit 13 months, I started to see signs of trouble a' brewin'. He was turning into me! He turned into a little fireball...busy, stubborn, picky, defiant. He spins and spins and goes a million miles an hour. Maybe this is just toddler hood, but I suspect he got more of my genes than I'd first thought.
This weekend was especially "busy" for the Oliver. He got into EVERYTHING and learned to scream for attention. I ignore most of the behavior I deem as "naughty" but sometimes I just have to laugh at him. He is generally so obediant, but every now and then he'll push the limits when I say "no."
I know I'm not the first Mama to write a blog about their toddler this way, but I am just so amused by this part of motherhood. I know I have a job to teach him, to be an example for him, but sometimes I really have to sit back and laugh at him when he throws a fit. Of course I turn my head and hide my giggles, but gosh..I am SO entertained by him. Is it terrible for me to be amused when he cries about something he can't have? I don't feel a devilish delight, but I do delight in seeing him learn coping skills. Does this even make sense? I'm just enjoying the boy he's turning into. I feel like I'm getting to know the "person" in him. He is one crazy little clone of his Mama. Uh-Oh....

All you need is LOVE

2008-02-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I've been holding off on posting the latest pictures so that I could hide them from Alex. I took some selfies for a Valentines gift for him and I knew if I posted them here, he'd see em!!! So here they are on this V-Day eve.
Oliver, let me just say this....you are seriously the hardest kid to take pictures of. It's crazy that I'm a photographer and you're not photogenic. BUT, this shoot was totally different than any other I've done with you. Every single picture turned out! Your eyes were open and you were happy as can be to let me stick my camera in your face. I'm so glad you cooperated for Daddy's present. He is going to LOVE these pictures. You are an angel, and these pictures really capture that truth. XO my love. Happy Valentines Day!!!

2008-02-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Superbowl Sunday! Oh, sweet boy...you ate so much junk! We went over to Uncle Tye's house (you call him "Ta Ta") and had a good ol' party. There was lots to eat and you had your fair share of greasy goodness. The game was awesome and it was really a great time.
In the middle of the night you woke up 3 times crying your eyes out with a belly ache. You poor thing. No more dinners of lil' smokies, snickers bars, chips, diet coke, donuts and lasagne for you buddy!!!

2008-02-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well Mister Oliver...I'm finally starting a blog just for YOU! It's not your first birthday and February 8th is not a significant day in your life...but I'm starting this today anyway.

I want to remember every minute of your life. Taking your picture and journaling about you helps me to hang on to all the pieces of you that I adore. You are growing up so fast and it seems like I'm already forgetting your tiny newborn self. You are so busy and full of life. I chase after you and wonder some days how I'll keep up with you. Daddy and I laugh at you all the time--you are hilarious! Your personality is really starting to shine and I love getting to know all the things that make you

OLIVER.

Here's to you sweet boy.
PICTURE 1: Jan 27th

Taking a BIG bubble bath with Daddy

It's now Feb 8th and you've taken a bubble bath with Daddy (sometimes I'm in there too) every single night since the 27th. I don't know who loves it more, you or daddy. We've used up most of the soap throughout the house! Daddy uses SO much soap and you dissapear into the bubbles....

You say, "bubboo bubboo bubboooo!"