Snow Day!

This morning was very exciting when we woke up - it was snowing! It snowed big, big flakes for awhile, and then it went to smaller ones. Now it's not snowing at all anymore, but it's supposed to start back up again this afternoon...maybe after my nap I can go out in it and play!
I really enjoy playing the piano!
Okay, we were going to try to hold off on tower pictures for awhile, due to the long tower post last week. But after seeing this one this morning, Mommy couldn't resist.

Mommy was sitting on the couch with Bella, watching me bring out different blocks from my big-boy room into the living room to stack. One-by-one I brought out the blocks and carefully stacked them on top of each other. Then, I saw one of my trucks next to my tower and thought, "hmm, I think I'll stack the truck on the top." Mommy was sure it wouldn't work, but she watched anyway. Well, Mommy was wrong. Mommy thought she'd better take a few pictures of this cool tower, and while she was snapping away, I started adding more trucks to the top. When Mommy saw me adding the purple one, she smiled to herself and waited to watch it come tumbling down. Well, it didn't.Then for the finale - let's put the yellow train on top! Yeah! That sounds like a fun idea. Mommy thought she'd get in one final picture before I set the yellow train on top and the whole thing would come crashing down.......except the yellow train balanced! Mommy was laughing out loud by this time at the sheer craziness of the situation. Mommy said this is unbelievable - she's pretty sure it's one of those "freak" towers and probably wouldn't ever happen again. But it sure made for some great pictures and fun memories!

Towers

This week has been full of building towers. Building towers is definitely my favorite right now. My eyes see everything through the lens of tower-building. For those of you who don't know, I've been quite a fan of stacking blocks since a long, long time ago. I've made some pretty impressive towers in my day, and it seems my love for stacking has come back with a vengence.
Although I really do love reading (certain books, but quite a large repertoire), this week my books were put to much better use through stacking. "Let's try this one..." "See my big tower of books, Mom?" Peek-a-boo :)Cheese!
Then my blocks (books) fall down with a crash!!!

And I get all excited and crazy.


Okay, next day. I go into my big-boy room and bring out different sized and shaped blocks, one-by-one. This is looking good, but lets try a few more... Yep, still going strong! Let's try another... Is it going to hang on...??..... Sure! Let's keep it going!... One more...will it stay??.... Yaayy!! Let's try one more...CRASH!!!! Ah, maaan!
Then life got even more fun. Dad got home from the grocery store with some kleenex boxes. When I saw those kleenex boxes, I didn't see mere tissue. I saw stacking potential. Here I go!So proud of my cool tower :)Mom helped me start this one with the big block on the bottom. Then I took it from there. I'm concentrating very hard, can you tell?
Then tonight's tower was a doozy! Mommy started me with my first block on the big block, and then I took over. Block-by-block, my tower got higher and higher and higher! Fourteen blocks (not counting the big blue one) - this might be my biggest tower ever!!Then Dad came in to check my tower out, and he lifted me up so I could reach to add the big green block to the top. Dad promises to Mommy that he didn't help me place this big green block - just held me up so I could reach. I'm a pretty good balancer! Whew!! All this stacking is just so much fun! Mommy and Daddy are always amused by the towers I can get to stay strong and by my creativity in what I stack together. Towers are the best!

Presents and Playing

This week was very exciting...Auntie Julia sent back a few Christmas presents with Uncle James and Aunt Karyn from their trip to Colorado, and we just now got to open them! I'm getting quite good at opening presents...I got my very own Starbucks cup! My Auntie Julia works for Starbucks, and Mommy and Daddy have their own Starbucks cups, so it was high time I got one of my own. At least Auntie Julia thought so! It is Oliver-sized with penguins all over it! I love my cup, Auntie Julia - thank you!!!
I decided it would be fun to crawl under the table and play like I was in a fort. Dad closed the chairs together, and I peeked out to say peek-a-boo!

Updates From My Week

Sometime this week (we've lost track - sorry it's been so long since we've posted...Mommy says the baby is making her tummy not feel so good these days)...anyways, sometime this week while Mommy was folding towels on the couch, I took one of my washcloths (I did this all on my own with no prompting, mind you) and went over to the kitchen floor and started wiping up the dust. I'm such a good helper :)
I like gadgets. What guy doesn't? Well, since Mommy and Daddy's old camera broke, they let me have it to play with. I like to walk around with the camera up to my face and say "cheeeeese!" Taking pictures is so much fun! Maybe I'll be a photographer someday...
The other day Dad's hat was sitting on the table, so I thought I should grab it and put it on. Aren't I cute in Dad's hat?
And while Mommy was fiddling with something in the living room, she looked up at me to see me on the couch reading my book. I sure like reading. Mommy's so glad that I like reading - it's the only time I will sit still! (literally). Mommy says she cherishes our reading time these days...something about me wearing her out. Who needs to sit around when there's so much to do?!
I still love stacking towers. Mom and I were playing in the living room, and I brought out an assortment of stacking objects. Mommy was putting away the DVDs I had gotten out, and before she knew it, I was talking wildly and loudly to her trying to get her attention to look at my COOL tower!! I even put the golf ball on top! Towers are so much fun.
And here are a few pictures of my big-boy room! It started out as my playroom awhile back, but now it is my big-boy room. I don't sleep in there yet, but all my toys are in there, and we get dressed in there and change diapers in there. Pretty much I only sleep in my baby room. I really like my big-boy room...I think it will be a lot of fun when it becomes my all-the-time-room! We're not sure when I'll start sleeping in there...probably not until we need to switch my bedroom into our new baby's room, a few months before our new baby comes to play. Did I mention that I really like to play in my big-boy room?


Surprise!!!

Around Labor Day, I'm going to be a big brother!

Miscellaneous Happenings (to catch you up on the past few weeks)

Sometime last week (we think it was actually the Friday before New Year's....we're really catching you up here) we had a little gift exchange between my friend Alex and me. I got Alex an Ugly Doll called Minimum Wage, and also a soft photo cube that Auntie Sarah can put pictures in all the sides and Alex can play with it. Alex got me 3 awesome sports balls - a basketball, soccer ball, and football. They are awesome! I've been playing with them lots, and Dad is teaching me how to catch. I'm getting pretty good.
Here I am blowing a BIG kiss....I love blowing kisses!
Uncle Tim got Guitar Hero for Christmas, and I love playing with him.
Alex and I hugging, thanking each other for our presents.
Here I am "getting psyched." Many months ago, every now and then, (usually during dinner) I would get all crazy and clench my fists and my teeth and shake....Mommy just thought it was a "rambunctious boy thing" and laughed it off. Well, a month or so ago, when I did it, Daddy said "Oliver, are you gettin' psyched?" So now, anytime someone tells me to get psyched, I do it, and everyone laughs and laughs. It's really funny :) Auntie Sarah caught me getting psyched at dinner last week.
These days I'm a pretty big kisser. I love taking a hold of both sides of one's face and kissing them right on the lips. Even Bella! She's an easy target.
One of my favorite things to do has been to empty out the DVD bin and take the DVDs out of their cases. It started out pretty harmless, but now I'm getting in trouble for it. Something about scratching the DVDs....
Mommy gave me another haircut a few days ago, and it turned out great! I didn't cry this time, so we're doing better. Dad loves giving me mohawks, and my new haircut, since it's shorter, holds the mohawk really well. So Dad gouped my hair up and gave me a kickin' mohawk for the day.

Playing Hullabaloo (my cool Cranium game from Auntie Jenna).
I also love touching all the buttons on the TV and DVD player. I'm getting in trouble for this too. I just always forget that I'm not supposed to do it. Pushing buttons is so much fun!
Here are Mommy and Daddy last Friday night. It was Mommy's birthday, so they dropped me off at Alex's house while they went to dinner and a movie. Auntie Sarah wrote a great post about it on her blog with lots of fun pictures....see it all here.
Today while Mommy and I were at Walmart, Mommy decided it was high time for me to get some crayons. When we got home, Mommy got me set up in my high chair and I colored away.
Coloring was fun! That is until I started putting the crayons in my mouth and Mommy told me not to. Of course anytime Mommy says not to do something, it's very intriguing and I want to keep doing it. So a short time later, coloring time was over. Next time I'll have to remember not to chew on the crayons.