Now and Then

Oliver is a big cuddle-bucket, and we like him that way! One of his favourite things to do is "sit with you" first thing in the morning. When we're in Glendora, it's just as likely to be Grandpa as Mama, and this year's Christmas visit was no exception.


Just for fun I thought I'd include some other shots of OP and Gramps in this pose from years gone by.

Vacation Fun

Thought you might like a peek at how we kept ourselves busy during winter break (when not coughing, sneezing, or snoozing).

Grandpa, Oliver, and Philip worked together to try out a rocket that uses the old baking soda and vinegar combination. They cooperated so well. It worked really well the first time; you can just see the rocket on its descent. Alas, each of the next attempts were failures of one sort or another.



Not quite sure what led to this, but Philip and Oliver wrote a short play one day using puppets from Gramme's collection. Our family of three rehearsed the parts and then performed from behind the dining room table.

Grandpa treated OP to his first professional haircut:


This year Oliver was stocking taskmaster. He took them down, passed them out, directed opening, and returned all to the mantlepiece. (All this reminded me of Oliver leading us around Newport Beach at the age of 2 & 1/2, saying, "I'm the director! I'm the director!"



And of course he figured out some repetitive olympic maneuvers for the living room at Uncle Warren's and Auntie Nichole's house...Right before the smack down from Uncle Tyler.

Christmas Crafting

Hi, peeps!
We've been absent from the blogosphere but not at all inactive. Here are some photos of our family's Christmas crafts.

Cousin Cuddles

some self portraits

Every few months OP decides to take out his camera. Today he started off using the camera and camera bag as part of his spy equipment, but he later decided he'd actually like to take some photos. Here's a view he often sees from his seat in the back of our car.
This was taken outside near our apartment. Could be a good album cover one day.
We had to include one of OP in his exuberant monkey-ness.

Tiger Suit on Sunday

(NOTE: angled shot especially for Krista)

You gotta love a kid who'll put on his tiger suit just because. Oliver has periodically donned his tiger suit in its entire or with just the head many times over the two years since my mama made the costume for him. Yesterday he wore just the head to church, but put on the whole outfit after nap to read.

And in a little less than two weeks, he'll put it on again to be a tiger for Halloween (3rd year in a row!). Thank you, Gramme!

First Field Trip: Pumpkin Patch

OP went on his first school field trip today--got on one of those big yellowy-orange school buses and everything. I did not trail the bus by car or bicycle, nor did I observe the event from bushes near by. He did the whole thing without me--sitting on pumpkins (I'm guessing they were large), meeting Scare Crow Jim, sitting on a tractor, and taking a hay ride with his entire class!--and had a great time, "loved it," in fact. He is so not a baby anymore.

Go Blue Sharks!

Student of the Month!

In one of those classic where-do-we-go -from-here? kind of experiences, Oliver was chosen as one of the students of the month for September, his first month in kindergarten. We were stupefied (and proud, of course), but discovered upon arrival at the celebration assembly that the award accorded all too well with the son we know and love. He was honored as "excellent reader," which we know already and which predates kindergarten by a few years. Kind of difficult to be launched into the stratosphere over this one. I don't want to seem ungrateful. Quite the contrary; Oliver went through a long period in which he would not read for classmates; they thought his skill was very strange. So, we are proud that in kindergarten he has already treated them to the full range of his reading ability, having taken Treasure Island to school for sharing day recently. Instead of being weirded out, his enlightened K-1 class was "amazed," according to his teacher.

Let's see if he can get a citizenship award; then his teacher-parents will be REALLY proud! ;o)

Mystical Garden

Some big kids who love Oliver a whole lot (Stefania & Tommaso) picked up this fun project whilst on holiday. Intrigued, assured of its mystical powers, but not at all convinced it would live up to expectations, they gifted OP with it recently. It develops over 10 hours (16), so we thought it best to wait all week until Saturday to put it together. It arrived in a fairly flat box--see below. Oliver and I assembled the pieces and poured the magic water, all before Papa woke up. It took awhile for anything to show up. We rejoiced over every blossom, which convinced us that this project was thought up by someone who suffers through a bleak winter
and waits expectantly for spring. It was good fun, but a week on, it is now fit for the dustbin. Thanks, friends!

First Day of Kindergarten!

Oliver had his backpack on by 7:30am today. He was ready to go to kindergarten! After months of waiting the day he'd been waiting for arrived: 24th August 2009. He was quite happy to go off to school. Quiet and observant upon entering the classroom, as usual, he looked around and seemed to enjoy watching other children explore the room. He was not especially clingy, but he did want lots of cuddles and wanted mama to be the last one to leave the classroom. The photo that appears sideways (sorry about that) was taken during one such cuddle.
























I took this last photo through the window after Oliver had ceased attempts at communication. The teacher is speaking his language--books! I think they're going to get along fine!

Fun in San Diego

We had a great time with Molly and Matt San Diego! We went to Legoland, a Dodgers game at Petco Park (very traumatic for OP when they lost), geocaching, and hung out around their house (that's a bow and arrows, for all of you clueless folks stuck in the time of Robin Hood). Thanks, friends!

Recent Costumed Adventures

OP likes stories. He likes to read them, rehearse them, and act them out. Along with this love of stories, he has admirable style and imagination. He often fashions costumes and props out of unlikely household items. Of course, occasionally the costume is just right as is. Here are some of his recent costumed adventures:
Auntie Claire sent this one by post after her recent trip with Gavin. Oliver was so excited to open his very own package.
Below is how Oliver prepared himself to walk to dinner at our local Brewery Restaurant.
And here he is trying on costumes at Legoland.

Assistant Bat Boy

Foresters Game, SB, June 23.