A look into our world

Today the UPS man left a package for us on our front porch. When Mommy brought it in, we saw that it was from Aunt Jenna!! We won't see Aunt Jenna for Christmas this year, so she sent some gifts to us. She's very sweet. So... we dug in right away. I had 2 presents! And one was really, really big. I loved ripping the wrapping paper open and checking out my presents! I'm guessing you want to know what they were. Well, you see, my Auntie Jenna works at the Cranium headquarters (yes, Cranium, as in the game), so she got me some really fun games! One is called Hullabaloo, and it comes with a DVD, and it will help me learn my shapes and colors, etc. We haven't broken into it yet, but Aunt Jenna says I will love it. I can't wait to play! Next was the really big one....it's called Super Fort. It is a group of parts that you can set up to be a fort, but there are lots of different ways that you can set the fort up - so you can have all different kinds of forts! It looks like so much fun. The extra fun part about it all was that Aunt Jenna packed the big box that held all the presents with lots and lots of packing peanuts!! I really loved playing with the peanuts. After Dad got home from work tonight, and we showed him all our fun stuff, he put me right in the box! I wasn't sure what to think about it at first...
...but I very quickly started having lots of fun!!Dad kept sprinkling peanuts over my head, and I thought that was so funny :)After all the excitement wore down a bit, Mom and Dad started doing a few other things. Mommy looked over at me after a few minutes and saw that I was still very happily playing in the box of peanuts. What a perfect-sized box!And here's a picture of me with my presents from Aunt Jenna. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Auntie Jenna!!! I can't wait to play with my games!

On Friday we got to go over to my cousin Jamey and Jack's house for a little Christmas dinner/exchange. While we were over there, Jamey and I thought it would be fun to take a bubble bath together! This was my first time taking a bath with bubbles (and another person), so I was very intrigued by the bubbles at first.Jamey and I did lots of "high-fives," which the parents loved.It was a fun bath! Thanks for sharing your bath with me, Jamey!

The most exciting thing happened on Saturday.... it snowed!! It didn't snow much, which was nice, because we had things we needed to get out and do this weekend. But it snowed just enough (and BIG flakes!) to make it fun and a little bit pretty. We went outside for just a minute for a picture.Bella hurrying to find a potty-spot so she could get back in the warm house!

On Sunday Dad and I were playing with my shape sorter. I was doing pretty good with getting the right shapes into the right holes in the sorter. But after awhile, I got a little bit tired of sorting my shapes and just wanted to stack them.
Anytime Mom or Dad open the fridge, I try to get past them to sit on the bottom ledge. It's so fun :) It never lasts quite long enough, though...

This post is long overdue, and for that, we apologize.

2 weekends ago, we went with our friends, Jeff, Kara, and Hudson, to a special cabin in the Ozarks. What a fun time we had! Hudson and I brought lots of toys to play with, so we didn't get bored. Our cabin was super nice; it was the perfect place to stay for a few days. Our parents had a fun time playing cards, and Hudson and I pretty much did our usual - play, eat, sleep.

Here we are playing after breakfast one morning.And here's Mom and Dad in their comfy clothes one of the evenings. One of the days while we were there, we got to go to a special place called Silver Dollar City. I asked Mommy, and she's really not quite sure how to describe it. There are some fun rides to go on when the weather is nice; there are lots and lots of fun specialty stores (like a glass-blowing store, etc.), and there are some fun shows that go on as well. It's like its own little "city" in there (hence the name), with neat little roads you walk up and down, and yummy goodies like kettle corn, hot chocolate, fried Oreos, funnel cakes, etc. If you go at Christmas time, like we usually do, there are thousands and thousands of Christmas lights everywhere. It's really pretty! There's a fun train ride that you can go on, and at Christmas it stops in the middle of its course and someone tells the Christmas story next to you on a little hillside. Anyways, it's a really fun place! Here's the thing, though....when you go at Christmas time, it's really, really COLD. So, I got all bundled up before we went.

Here I am right after we got out of the car and got situated to head on in. Just inside the gates, the mommies and daddies had to make a potty-stop while Hudson and I waited.Mommy and me, posing for a picture in the cold.This was a fun little show that I got to watch for a little bit. It was Tinker the Talking Christmas Tree! He was very funny, and I really loved watching him.While we were in one of the stores looking for some Christmas presents, I started barking. Dad was pushing me around in my stroller, and Mommy could hear me barking all the way on the other side of the store. She wondered what that was all about. Anyways, the barking was because I saw this dog up ahead and really really wanted to hold him! Dad, of course, let me, and that was the end of it. I also wanted to hold a kitty (which Dad gave me, too), and I was a happy camper the rest of the time in that store, just holding onto my puppy and kitty. When it came time to check out, Mom and Dad said I had to choose one. I don't know why they wouldn't let me have both of them, but whatever. I chose the puppy dog, so I cuddled with him for the rest of the night. He helped keep me warm!Starting at 5:30pm, they have a special "lighting of the tree" event that goes on every 15 minutes for the rest of the night. It plays a really, really loud, exciting song while flashing all sorts of lights, and boy was I enamored with that. Here Dad and I (and my puppy dog) are checking it out...Our sweet family right before we left. What a fun time we had!

Well, we got my allergy tests back last week, so here's the latest on my food allergies. I have officially outgrown my milk allergy, cause milk came back completely undetectable. So, we are very excited about that. On the allergy scale, anything 3 and above is significant. Peanuts were a 2 for me. So, my Dr. suggested that we still stay away from peanuts at this point, and that Mom and Dad carefully introduce me to small amounts of walnuts and pecans to see how I do with other nuts. The kind of bad part is that egg whites were a 4 for me. So, no eggs at all. I'm supposed to stay away from anything with eggs in it, but Mommy's not completely convinced how necessary that is. My teacher at school told Mommy on Monday that I had a sugar cookie at snack-time, and Mommy's first thought was "those have eggs in them." But I didn't have any reaction. So we will see. We know I react to eggs themselves (I've had scrambled and hard-boiled, and both times my mouth got splotchy.)

So anyways, there you have it. I've been loving yogurt since we found out I'm not allergic to milk and am drinking whole milk like a champ.

Last week I got another package in the mail from M'laine and Papa! I was very excited about receiving mail.Mommy quickly got the scissors and opened it for me. Then it was my turn to pull out the contents! M'laine sent a pair of dark brown cords (Mommy loves them, M'laine).But I have to tell you the part I was really excited about was the next thing I pulled out. A pair of reindeer slippers!! I couldn't stop looking at them......and touching them. I like to bark at reindeer (Mom and Dad say it's okay - they kind of look like dogs...), but now I can say "deer"! Aren't they cute reindeer slippers?I had to go sit in my Elmo chair to get a closer look. Bella was also very curious about these reindeer on my feet.I love my new slippers! (and pants) - thank you so much, M'laine! (and Papa :))

Lately I have been climbing more. I was not an "early climber," so Mommy was thinking she might be getting away with a child who doesn't climb much. Yeah right, Mommy. My level of climbing has been raising over the past few weeks, but today it crossed a line. Mommy says I am officially an adventurous climber now.

Mommy was on the computer this afternoon, and I was playing on the floor behind her. When she turned around to look at me, this is what she saw:
A little while later, Mommy and I were in the kitchen (on the floor again, mind you.) Mommy went to take a few toys into my playroom, and when she got back, just a few seconds later, this is what she saw:
And you've seen this pose before, but I still like to do it. It's always fun to drag my Elmo chair up onto the black chair or ottoman, and then climb up and sit on it. It always makes me happy :) Another fun thing to climb on that Mommy didn't think to get a picture of this morning is the dishwasher. Not the open dishwasher, but the closed dishwasher. Yes that's right - closed. You know how there's a tiny little space between the base of the dishwasher and the door that folds down? Well, that space is perfect for tiny little toes like mine to fit into. So, you just reach up and hold onto the counter top, step into that little space, and pull up! It's very fun. Mommy's not even sure how I figured that one out, and I'm not telling. Climbing is so fun!

Today was my Dad's birthday, so we had a fun evening of celebrating! First, Mommy and I went to a few stores today in preparation. My Dad has wanted a motorized coin sorter for a number of years now, and his wish finally came true. Now that we have a Sharper Image store right here in our town, it was easy to go get it. Then we went and picked up some special ingredients to make Dad a yummy cake, and off to home we went to wrap and cook. Mommy felt very goofy because she didn't realize she forgot to get candles for Dad's cake until it was time to light the candles. Oops. Dad improvised and got one of Mommy's decorative candles from the living room. I have a funny Daddy :) Here Dad is, blowing out his candle after making his wish. And I decided to be sweet and share some of my graham cracker with Dad, since it was his birthday :) I love you, Dad! I sure am glad that you get to be my Daddy. You're pretty fun :)

I was playing in Mommy's bathroom while she was getting ready the other day, and I found this headband. I tried to put it on like sunglasses, and Mommy showed me the correct way to wear it. I left it on for quite some time - enough time for Dad to get home from his errand and see me and for Mommy to take a picture. Mommy thinks I'd make a pretty girl, except that I look too much like a boy :)
While Mommy wasn't watching, I grabbed a pen off the desk, popped the lid off, and aparently tried to put it in my mouth. She noticed pretty quickly, so she didn't get too worried about much getting in my mouth or anything...but she didn't notice quickly enough, obviously :)
Today for church I wore a super cool outfit (from M'laine). I got lots of compliments, and I even told a few people at church what the doggie on my sweater vest says.

Once we got home and before I got changed, Mommy wanted to take a sweet picture of me to share with you. Well, I wasn't really in a picture-taking mood. Mommy is posting this picture solely for those of you that think I only smile all the time. Mommy says "told you so." :)

Then Mommy got smart and grabbed my squirrel (note: see previous post). She turned him on, and the minute he got to singing and dancing, I started smiling. Good thinking, Mommy. Mommy says she can't get over how cute her boy is. I think it's a Mommy-thing.
Cheesin' it up bigtime for the camera (with a little extra drool thrown in there just for you!)

Last weekend after we got home from Colorado, Mom, Dad, and I put up some Christmas decorations. Well, okay, Mom put them up while Dad and I "supervised." Mommy did a great job, and our house is ready for the Christmas season! This year is a little bit different for Mommy. You see, Mommy is used to decorating her tree very pretty and not worrying about little hands touching (in a not-so-gentle fashion) the ornaments. Well, not this year. Mommy is trying her hardest to teach me "one finger," but that phrase can be interpreted in many ways. The following is my interpretation of "one finger." What you don't see in these pictures is me grabbing the ornament off the tree after I've touched it with "one finger." :) Mommy compromised by putting all her nice ornaments on the top half of the tree, and putting "Oliver-friendly" ornaments on the bottom half. I'm just taller than Mommy wishes.

The fun part of it all is I have my very own Christmas tree on the table in my playroom! A few years back when Daddy was selling his Christmas CD at church, "we" (I was in Mommy's tummy then) bought this little tree to put on the booth to make it festive. The edges of the pine needles light up in all different colors, and it's so pretty! I love watching it, and I'm actually very good with touching this tree gently. This is my Christmas squirrel that my great, great uncle Alex gave me, and I LOVE it! He dances around and sings a song very loudly, and at first, I was very unsure (Mommy says it would be appropriate to use the word "afraid") of this squirrel. But Mommy and Daddy smiled and sang and danced along with the squirrel enough that I finally warmed up to him. And now he's my favorite. (I have a few favorites, but he's one of them.) Every time Mom or Dad turns him on, I get my big cheesy smile and giggle going! And sometimes I even dance right along. Thank you Uncle Alex and M'laine for my fun squirrel!

Last week I was officially 18-months-old, and today I got to go (had to go was more like it) to the Dr. for my check-up. Mommy was looking forward to finding out all my stats. Me? Well, all I did was get stuck with needles, so I wasn't looking forward to much. But I did get some cool band-aids out of the deal! I only had to get 2 shots this time, and I only cried for a minute. It was quick and then over. I like my band-aids :)Since we think I have a peanut allergy, my Dr. decided to do a blood test to find out what allergies I might have. So, after I got stuck with needles for my shots, I got to go to the lab to get stuck with one more needle to draw my blood. Mommy was so thankful, because after the nurse looked at and felt both my arms for a long time (to make certain she could get a vein), she did indeed hit the vein and drew my blood with no problem. Here you can sorta see the red spot where I got my blood drawn. It wasn't the most fun Dr. appointment of my life, but I survived. Okay, so you want to know my stats? Here they are. I am about 26 1/2 lbs. and a little over 35 inches long. My weight is a little over the 50th percentile, and my height? Well, Mommy knew I was tall, but she didn't know I was off-the-charts tall. My height was like the 107th percentile or something like that. Whatever it was, it was way off the chart. And my head is perfectly normal - I think about in the 75th percentile. Basically, I'm a healthy, growing boy! Even thought I have a bit of a cold from Colorado (my ears and chest are clear), the Dr. gave me a clean bill of health and said I'm doing great! He gave Mommy some pointers on how to discipline me, and encouraged her that my "strong will", while seemingly hard for parents at times, is actually a good thing when steered in the right direction. All in all, Mommy came away from the appointment feeling good about how I'm doing in life. I'm glad she did, cause I came away with band-aids and needle stings :)

Since we are going to visit Papa and M'laine and the rest of my Primm family for Christmas, this Thanksgiving was our special time with Grandma and Grandpa. When I got up on Thanksgiving morning, there were some special surprises waiting for me on the fireplace! I went right over to check it all out.The first thing was this great farm! It is perfect for me, cause I really like to do animal sounds these days. What a fun farm this is!There are spots for all the little animals......and even some hiding spots that I've found I can put them!My next gift was my very own laptop! It has the whole alphabet on it as well as the numbers, and I can do all kinds of things on it. This is a toy that I will "grow into," but even now I'm having fun with it! It helped our car ride home go a little faster :)And next I got a whole bag full of blocks!! You know how much I love blocks. Well, now I have a real set of them, and I can build and knock down towers til my heart's content.