5 Months Past Due

I know, I know. It's been way too long since our last post. Sadly, I really don't have many excuses except that between summer activities, regular life and all the other stuff we tend to sprinkle into all the "free" time, Jennifer and I have simply been remiss. We apologize, especially to Oliver. Sooo, here are the highlights from the summer and some more recent fun activities we've been up to.

Oliver had another great time celebrating Passover at his friend Zoe's house. We broke a few Passover rules to allow the kids to eat some yummy Easter cupcakes. They were just too delicious to resist.

We continued the Easter fun by dying eggs for the first time with Oliver. He loved every second of the creative process and Marina actually broke more eggs than Oliver. He's quite skilled to say the least.

Oliver also spent a lot of the summer and spring walking the dogs with us. Most of the time though, he chose to walk something else while Jennifer and I walked the pugs.

In May, Oliver celebrated the 4th birthday of his good friend Zoe at Chuck-e-cheese. He had such a fun time playing with all the arcade games.

Oliver, Auntie Q and I participated in a really fun event this spring...the Boston Pops! While Jennifer was home recovering from her tonsillectomy, Auntie Q and I took Oliver to experience some truly amazing live music. He stayed riveted for almost 2 hours straight. He was so inspired when we got home that he couldn't resist trying to recreate the experience.

We all got to have some fun this summer marching in the Town Day parade representing his school. Ollie had a great time marching and handing out candy to all the kids watching.

As usual, this summer was filled with softball and as usual Oliver accompanied us to almost every game and to any and all the after game festivities we had. (there is only juice in his Bud Light cup)

The summer just wouldn't be the same without Oliver getting his summer hair cut. Pretty handsome if you ask me.

We also had so many fun times in CT this summer. Oliver is getting more and more brave in the water and demonstrates little fear when jumping in.

Oliver had so much fun playing with his Auntie Stacey in CT also. She really knows how to get his creative juices flowing.

Every time June roles around that means it's time to celebrate Gay Pride in Boston. This year, we took the train in and braved the rainy weather to celebrate. Oliver was a perfect companion and really made the day easy on us.

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Like most summers, this one was filled with a trip to the Bronx Zoo to celebrate Mother's Day. Every year it becomes more and more fun to do this trip with Oliver because he is more aware of all the animals and can really start to enjoy the whole experience. Oh, and the butterflies really seemed to like him.

Oliver has become quite the helper and took it upon himself to assist us with our landscaping work. It's nice to finally have a man around the house. Now if only he could carry the air conditioners up from the basement.

Of course the summer wasn't only filled with work. We had our fare share of play too. Oliver loves the water so we had to indulge him with a little pool for the backyard. That is one happy boy!

Just recently, Grandma and Grandpa Novoa went with us on an awesome whale watching trip. We must have seen 15-20 whales! Quite a first time outing for our little guy. He did very well on the long boat trip and really loved seeing the Humpbacks do their thing.

What better way to close out the summer of softball than with a rainbow hat and a piggy back ride on Auntie Q?! Seriously, could this kid be any luckier?!

This past weekend we had a hell of a good time celebrating our good friend's 40th birthday in a spectacular house down in Norwell MA. Oliver got to play with not only his buddy Zoe but also Aliza as well as all of his Aunties! It was awesome to say the least.

So, I hope you enjoyed this much anticipated and long awaited post. We will do our best to be more diligent about posting more often and keeping you well informed on the many adventures of our little man.

Out With Winter and In With Spring

As we bring in the new season on the first day of spring (even though it snowed today) we reflect on the past few weeks and all that Oliver has experienced and accomplished. He never ceases to amaze us with his growing vocabulary and ability to express himself. He's truly a little boy now with the ability to play pretend with his toys and express true wants and desires. We love it!

The few things that haven't changed much from our last post is Oliver's increasing love for all the Toy Story characters. As if watching the three movies multiple times wasn't enough reinforcement, Jennifer and I took him to see Toy Story 3 on Ice. This opened a whole new world for Oliver...one where he now "ice skates" around the house and consistently tells us he dreams about it at night. As you will notice, many of the photos in this post will have various different characters from the Toy Story series. It's a love that seemingly has no end.
Do you think the boy has enough toys?????
Oliver also got to spend some quality time with his Grandpa and Grandma this past late winter. I think there is a new sheriff in town.

Oliver was a good sport tagging along with his crazy parents to a running event in Hyannis, MA even though he was a little sick.
Oliver hit a big milestone these past few weeks. He transitioned into a big boy bed. Fortunately, we were able to remove the sliding rail of his crib and transform the bed in a way that he can get in and out of it himself. As with most transitions, Oliver is tackling this one like a expert. We have not had any issues with him staying in bed and going to sleep, although a few times we did catch him sneaking out but it only took a little bit of prompting to get him back into his bed and off to dream land (presumably to dream about ice skating). He continues to amaze us with his ability to adapt and we count our lucky stars each and every night.
Even though Toy Story is at the top of Oliver's list he also has affection for some other very famous Disney characters like Nemo and all the other characters of the movie Finding Nemo. When we were invited to celebrate Auntie Q's birthday at the New England Aquarium we just couldn't pass up the opportunity for Oliver to see some of the Finding Nemo characters come alive.

Most recently, Oliver had the pleasure of a visit from Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Erik and Aunt Anna. The cold winter/spring weather didn't stop us from going to the playground and having a really fun time. Grandpa also tells some really compelling stories that involve all kinds of animals.