2 Years of the OC

Hi there!
As promised, this blog is dedicated to the current state of two-ness the OC has miraculously achieved. Why is this feat so miraculous? Well, let's jump right in, shall we?!
Oliver's Top 5 of Two-ville
1. No fear. Still. None. Will dive head first off of couches, chairs, edges of pools, etc. How we have only gone to the ER once is quite simply amazing (and that one trip was my fault and am still riddled with guilt over the "nursemaid's elbow" incident).

2. Low-ridin'. My kid is skinny. If you've met my husband, this does not come as a surprise. But, seriously, we are still in 12 month pants. Even the pants with the adjustable elastic on the inside waistband don't fit when you make them as small as they go. We have tons of HUGE cute jeans, pants and shorts just aching to be worn. But, I resist the urge to break them out most of the time. Daycare can only handle so much of Oliver running right out of his pants, I'm sure. Seriously, that happens sometimes. I never got the experience of having the cute, chubby baby with lots of rolls and dimply thighs and cheeks. I did get a cute, skinny baby with acid reflex, who is awesome and I wouldn't trade for the world, but still, I do like a chubby baby. Like, this cutie! (Samantha Whaley @ Oliver's Bday weekend before last).

3. Baller. Shot caller. 

Good gracious do we have a ton of balls in our house! Soccer balls. Basketballs. Baseballs. Golf Balls. And Oliver loves them all. He LOVES them! He who does not sit still for nothin' actually asks to watch baseball, basketball, soccer and golf on TV (in that order), and will really and truly sit on the couch and watch, mesmerized. He especially enjoys baseball, which is the lowest ball on my list if forced to watch one of these sporting events. He is very good at dribbling a ball, has a mean throw (with his right), and packs a powerful kick (with the left foot. Always the left. Can't kick with his right to save his life.) He knows how to "shoot" a basketball, and seems okay with getting nowhere near the net ever. He says "miss" every time and just keeps at it.

Below is another pic from the party. O & his friend, Noah Clothier, and 2 basketballs that Oliver refused to let go of.

4. Catch me if you can. Chasing a dream. If you've ever seen me out and about and thought to yourself (but would never tell me in person, b/c that would just be mean), "Gosh, that poor girl looks so worn out. She could travel for weeks with those bags under her eyes." Well, let me tell you, it's because my kid is never happier than when he can run away from you and make you chase him. First thing in the morning when trying to get him dressed; when trying to get him to brush his teeth; when trying to undress him for a bath, when trying to put lotion on him; when trying to force him to take his medicine, and on. And on...Get the picture? And he is FAST. Freaky fast. Just a blur of skinny white butt flying by at breakneck speed around corners, up/down stairs, through doorways (see #1 above). His amazing laugh is kind of worth it to chase him around for a few minutes before laying down the law.
5. More water, please. Water. Oliver has loved water from very early in life and continues to be obsessed with water. We are signed up for swimming lessons starting in July, but I honestly think the lessons might be too basic for him. He kicks, dog paddles, can flip over onto his back and really likes to annoy me by dunking himself COMPLETELY under, head and all, whether it be in the swimming pool or the bathtub. He also drinks the stuff all day long.

O & friend Mia Kenkel. Notice the rolled-over waistband.

So, ta-da! There's my list of 5 of the top things that come to mind when I think of my son right now at this fun and crazy age.

And now, here are a few more pics of Oliver's birthday party at the South Park Wading Pool on June 16th, and his fantastically fun weekend in the Lawton, Oklahoma countryside with Nana and Pa-Pa (technically they might live in Faxon now. Wherever that is!). They graciously met O and I in Stillwater this past weekend and took him down to their house to spend a couple of days while I had a sorority reunion and a blast reconnecting with some amazing Tri Deltas celebrating our 50th Anniversary at Oklahoma State. Go Pokes! Oh, and Daddy got a bachelor weekend playing golf and hanging out with fraternity buddies. He has it so hard sometimes!

Hey look, it's a ball!

Grammy organizing.

Grandpa!

O's friend, Charlie Griffith

Our family is so blessed to have so many friends to help us celebrate these special moments in life!

O was very excited to drive Pa Pa's "tractor"!

 Possibly my favorite picture EVER!

Gardening is serious business!

Apparently, bungee cords can provide hours of entertainment!

Life in the country is pretty cool!

No cupcake TWO messy!

Oliver is 2! On Monday, June 11th, he turned "twooooo" as he says proudly. He was not very amused at being woken up by both of his parents singing "Happy Birthday" rather loudly. So, sadly I am not going to show you the video of the birthday wake up as there is alot of grumpiness involved.
But, he rallied quickly and thoroughly enjoyed his special day. We started off with opening a present at breakfast - sidenote, Oliver has a banana every morning. EVERY morning. Woe is he who comes to the table without a banana to present to his highness.
His first present of the day was a baseball mitt with velcro to help catch a soft baseball. No, the Coles family is not above finding shortcuts in life. :)
Anyways, I got to leave work early to take cupcakes to daycare and hang out with O and his crew in the afternoon. I have never received so many hugs in my life! I have also never seen so many snotty noses at one time. The mother in me was aching to get at these kids with some serious kleenex. But, I resisted the urge to overstep (for once!). I could not, however, resist giggling at the sight of eight two-year-olds chowing down on cupcakes. Holy Messiness! Oliver would not leave my side, so we called it quits a bit early for the day, went and picked up Daddy from work, and hung out at the wading pool for a bit before it was birthday pizza time and ice cream from Sylas & Maddy's. Another sidenote, if you are ever in Lawrence, KS, and have never enjoyed the deliciousness of Sylas & Maddy's, please put that on your to-do list, as you are missing out!
Then, it was home to open more presents and take a much needed bath. A perfect birthday for a perfect two year old.
And, the birthday fun is not over yet. Stay tuned for a recap of the big par-tay this Saturday! Also, I am way overdue for some stats on the boy and what is happening right now in his state of two-ness. I am working on the list, don't worry!

Frustrated face at Mommy's wrapping prowess.

Aha! He's got it now.

The makings of a slugger.

Did someone say cupcakes?

nom, nom, nom

Life is sweet!

Sunday Funday

In 6 days, Oliver turns 2. How can this be?!
The terrible two's have commenced, and if crossing oneself truly helps the Lord deliver an extra dose of patience upon signing, I may just convert to Catholicism, like, yesterday.
Fact of the week: I had to order training pants online today. Babies are expensive, but potty training toddlers take the cake on pricey underthings!
Nana and Pa-Pa came to visit this past weekend, fresh off the boat of their Alaskan cruise. I'm pretty sure Oliver gave them a rude jolt back to the real world with his never-ending energy and tendencies to inflict self-injury at a moment's notice. But, he had fun and is still asking for them 3 days later. I failed to get any good photos of the grands with their grandson, mostly b/c we have officially entered the stage where all good photo ops immediately die once the camera is ready to shoot. How does he know to turn off the smile right when I'm about to snap?! Ggrrr.
I'm in the midst of final menu planning for O's birthday party which will be June 16th at a perfect-size-for-wee-ones wading pool in Lawrence. It's the same place we used for his 1st birthday party last year. It went well last time and as long as the weather is cooperating, my house will remain destruction-free again. And that's really the important thing here, right? :)
After Nana and Pa-Pa left on Sunday, we had some fun family time at a park near downtown. Here's the neat thing about having a kid. You tend to happen upon facets of your city you never knew existed. Like this sculpture in the photo below. Pretty, right? Who knew?! I am hoping we will make it to the Topeka Zoo for the first time this weekend. I am told it's pretty good and a good size for toddlers. And, who doesn't love a place with a song written about it by two of the all-time greatest musicians ever?! "Orangutans are skeptical of changes in their cages..." Ha! You have that song stuck in your head now, don't you?
Okay, check back soon-ish for a birthday recap and an emotional mommy taking a trip down memory lane.

First statue sighting in six years of living in Lawrence

I've tried to crop out most of the downer of what is surely an "Occupy Lawrence" RV in the background.

He keeps getting blonder!

A little underwhelming when it was discovered you can't actually step into the train anymore.