Circles in the sand

Playing with Oliver has been such a treat this summer. Way better than last summer. Don't get me wrong, last summer was fun but Oliver is so much more interactive now and his personality is really starting to show. We love exploring new things with him and seeing life through the eyes of a child. Even the most routine things all of a sudden seem very interesting and fun. For instance, just sitting watching TV is way more fun especially because I have my son's head to rest on.

Going to the beach is way more fun because we get to see our son explore real ocean waves and play with ocean rocks.
Oliver was so in love with the water that even though he was cold enough to be shivering on a hot summer day he still refused to come out of the water. We literally had to pull him away.Oliver is also getting more adept at operating the computer. A task that he will master by age 3 I'm sure. He really enjoyed looking at himself in the web cam and making funny faces. Yet another somewhat routine thing made more fun by the Olliemiester.
And yes, that is a snow shovel in his hand. I guess he's getting prepared kind of early this year for a New England winter.

In between all this activity Oliver still had time to make a very important phone call while riding Aunt Tamar's childhood rocking horse. I hope he was opening an e-trade account to start saving for his college education.

Leave it to Oliver to make one of the most routine of activities exciting and simply adorable. Maybe he'll even have his very own bathroom library one day just like his Papa.
So I wouldn't consider going to the zoo a routine activity but watching my son learn about different animals and experience the joy of seeing wildlife up close and personal, as I did when I was a kid, brings back such wonderful memories. I can only hope Oliver is developing similar fond memories of his experiences as I have.
I know you can't tell from this picture but Oliver had the time of his life on the little train. He was literally laughing is ass off! Unfortunately, during the ride he was positioned with his back to us so I couldn't really capture the utter joy on camera. You will just have to take my word for it on this one...there actually was a smile on my sons face.

Footnote:
I almost forgot to include these cute pictures of Oliver playing in a sprinkler with his friend Carey.