It's a Magical World Indeed

I know it's been an excruciatingly long time since our last post but as you know life has a way of running away with time. So, here's  another update which will span yet another 5 months. 

Oliver has really been growing and learning by leaps and bounds. It amazes us how much a true person he really is and now that he can really express himself it's like we're talking to a "real" person.We love it! 

One major thing Oliver got into during these past 5 months is playing dress up. It all started with Iron Man. We let him watch some of the first movie and after that he was hooked. All he wanted was to be Tony Stark in his red suit. Well, we indulged him, of course, but little did we know we were starting a true snowball effect. After we celebrated his birthday in full Iron Man garb his passions quickly turned to the more traditional super heroes like Spiderman, Superman and Bathman. We couldn't resist getting him the Toy Story characters too so his closet is full of costumes. 

We also celebrated Oliver's 3rd birthday during these past 5 months. This year we decided to spread the wealth and have two birthday parties so family and friends from NY, CT and MA could participate. The fun began in Connecticut at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Oliver got a special treat when his Grandma Teri and Aunt Samarah came to visit all the way from Michigan for his party. The weather was nice but a little cool for a pool party so we made the best of the situation and had an Iron Man/Captain Hook/Peter Pan themed party. As many of you know, one of Oliver's long standing obsessions has been with Captain Hook (not so much Peter Pan). He has a strange affinity for certain villains and Captain Hook is his all time favorite. 

After all the Connecticut birthday festivities were over we took to the streets of NYC for a little site seeing with Grandma Teri and Aunt Samarah. It was so much fun showing Oliver my home town and showing him some of the biggest and most amazing buildings in the world. It was an exhausting day but so much fun!

 

Literally passed out from exhaustion.

As if all this excitement wasn't enough to commemorate Oliver turning 3, we just had to continue the fun in Boston. We decided to go low key and have a quiet afternoon at Chuck-E-Cheese. Can I just say that we had a really fun time and it was a great way to include all of Oliver's friends...big and small.

 

 

Zoe

Carey

Nate and Jamie

Jenna and Riley

So many fun things to celebrate in the month of September...including Oliver's 3 year pediatrician's appointment. I must say that we are very proud that our son did not have one sick visit to the doctor during his entire 2nd year of life. Quite an accomplishment for his immune system. I guess getting salmanela poisoning while your pregnant isn't so bad after all. Result...great antibodies! 

Oliver waits patiently for the Dr. to come in. 

Another wonderful event that occurred in September was the meeting of Oliver's little cousin's Milo and Gus. They were born on August 4th and were finally plump enough for a little Oliver time. 

This year also marked the year we introduced Oliver to the magical world of Disney World. Thanks to some amazing friends, Jenna and Tim Connors,  we were able to stay at the Animal Kingdom which enhanced our experience at Disney ten-fold. 

The view from our room.

Upon entering the Magic Kingdom for the very first time in his entire life Oliver was sadly asleep. Yep, asleep. Very anticlimactic for the Moms but as soon as he woke up the adventures began. We started our day with a greeting from Peter Pan and thus began the hunt for more characters. We  were able to catch the awesome show in front of the castle where Oliver got a taste of the grand scale that defines Disney. He was transfixed for the entire performance...especially when the evil witch from Snow White came out (remember, he's very into villains).

 

We then commemorated our trip to the Magic Kingdom with his first ride on the obligatory "It's a Small World" ride. No lines, no waiting makes for happy Moms and happy child. 

Ok, not sure if he's happy or scared. 

Of course we were hoping to meet the infamous Captain Hook but we knew  there would be a slim to no chance of that happening at the park so we booked a very special pirate adventure where we had a sneaking suspicion there would be one Captain James Hook to greet our little man. Needless to say, the smiles were bountiful! 

 

 

And as if going to Disney World was not magical enough on it's own, we were joined by Auntie Stacey, Auntie Caroline, Auntie Q, and Auntie (Uncle) Ari. We all got to go to the Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom and explore these awesome parks...even if it did get a little wet in the process.

Should I be afraid of Oliver's expression???

Dancing with his half-sib, Mya.

On one of our last nights at Disney we partook in Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween where Oliver got to dress up and trick or treat in the park. It was so much fun and the excitement didn't stop until about 11 pm. What a day!

To our surprise, and everyone else's, while we were enjoying the nice Florida weather everyone back home was experiencing the first snow storm of the season. Fortunately for us, we missed the entire event and when we got home the weather became much more mild and has remained that way for a while. It was nice to have some commonly cold months be true "vest" wearing months instead. 

We were lucky enough to catch the traveling production of Peter Pan 360 in Boston this fall. It was a show that we knew we had to see no matter the expense. We got great seats and Oliver was mesmerized the entire time. He particularly loved it when the "Croc" came rushing toward him. It was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad we took him. He's turned into quite the theater buff which is just fine with us.

Oliver with his Tinker Bell/Butterfly wings.

About to take flight.

A little ice cream to cap off the evening.

And here's one last shot of Oliver at one of his favorite places on earth...The Rainforest Cafe. Now, if you think he likes it there because the food is so good, or the simulated thunderstorm is really cool, or the animatronic elephants are awesome....well, you would be incorrect. He asks to go there solely to see the Crocodile. He likes to look at it, talk to it and throw coins at it. That's all. So, if you are ever looking for us and we are not home...try the Rainforest Cafe at the Burlington Mall  because there's a good chance we'll be there.