now and then

I am trying to
blog more regularly
but the problem is not
enough happens is my life
to have regular blogs.

So today, I have resorted
to the classic blog post
of recreating a picture
similar to that of a year ago.

Here is the picture taken a year ago
when Oliver was 7 months old.

Nothing is cuter
then a sweet little baby
in pajamas.
But what about a toddler?

Not quite the same
effect but still adorable
for other reasons.

I miss the baby
but as a toddler,
Oliver gives me
something to laugh about
each day.

He is constantly on the move.
Walking nonstop.
He loves to rock out to music.
Literally rocks.
The only time he does hold
still is when you read him a book,
which he requests frequently.

look-a-like

In attempt to help
broaden my husband's
cultural experiences,
I made him sit down
and watch the 1963 version of
BYE BYE BIRDIE.

And just as we were approaching
my favorite song,
Telephone Hour,
he comments,
"You kinda look like her".

No, not the beautiful
Ann Margaret on the left,
but her desperate for Birdie,
best friend,
Ursula.

The sad part is,
I can actually,
kind of,
sort of,
maybe,
see the resemblance.

boy armed with sticks

Oliver's favorite
time of the day
is when we go into
the backyard to play.
He has recently become
a collector of sticks.
Big sticks.

This stick is probably
3x his height
and he has very little

control over it.

He likes to whip it around

Indiana Jones style.

He carries it around
with such attitude
and is the man 
of the backyard.
However, this led
the man of the house, dad,
to break his stick in half.

The upside is

now Oliver has
two sticks.







Valentine's Party

How do we like

to celebrate the most

romantic holiday of the year?

By throwing a party

and celebrating with friends,

new and old.

This party really brought out
my inner Martha Stewart.

All that browsing through

blogs must really be getting to me.

The idea for these pom-poms

actually came from

Martha Stewart.

Easy to make,

huge impact,

and really really inexpensive.

I made these

water bottle labels

in one afternoon

while Oliver was napping.

This is when all that

old scrapbook paper

comes in handy.

Because lets be honest,

I probably will never

catch up on all my scrapbooking.

I made these sugar cookies

as party favors. 

I have always wanted to know

how to make cookies

that look perfectly frosted.

Thanks to the blog,

I am baker,

now I know.

It was fun

planning and hosting.

It also made the holiday

more memorable.

We can't wait to do it again

next year!

glare

I hate doing this
because I only want Oliver
to be thought of
as a perfect little angel.
It takes a lot of work to
try to maintain that reputation.

However,
it can't be hidden anymore,
and the world must know
that Oliver has an
evil glare.

Oliver is selective
in who he scowls at,
and no one gets it more
than my brother Sam.

When Sam is in town,
Oliver will stop in his tracks
to give Sam an icy stare down.

We mostly try to ignore it
in hopes that it will stop.
And it seems to be happening
less frequently.
But the true test will be when
Oliver sees Sam again,
eye to eye.

(picture courtesy of Sam)