disgruntled artist. this photo is shocking to me on so many levels. Oliver looks so grownup. His feet look massive (they are) and I see more boy than toddler! He was very proud of his painting work and he loves helping out for the Lemon (that's what we have nicknamed the baby). I am very proud of my bug taking on his new responsibility with gusto.
swirls and twirls. 
all filled in and only a little drippy.
click through for more pictures.
hollering at a friend's house to come upstairs and play. they have a playroom and we do not. Oliver loves it. 
Oliver loves water. He loves to swim. And we have been doing swim classes with him for ages. But this past weekend we entered a new realm, Oliver would be in the pool without Mom or Dad. He was anxious about it all morning. When we got to the pool we chatted about what would go on and I thought he was doing better but then when it came time for me to go upstairs and the class to start he got in the pool and I thought whew, he's doing great! Cue two minutes later the other kids are taking turns and my poor bug is frozen, panicked and in tears. My mommy heart was breaking and although they told us to stay upstairs I marched downstairs, kneeled on the edge of the pool and hugged and kissed my soaking wet boy. He looked me square in the eye and told me he was scared. My heart broke. But I knew this class would be good for him so I kissed him again and told him it was ok to be scared but he was doing great. Thankfully, the class is run by the same teachers as our past classes so a familiar face came over and stuck by him for the rest of the class. In the end he rallied and had fun by the end of class. Thank goodness! 
See the fear in his face. Poor bug. But I was so proud of how he handled everything and he was so delighted with himself after the fact. 
Oliver and I had a weekend breakfast date since Daddy was out of town for a week. We went to Sound Bites in Somerville. It is a fun, family friendly space and the food is yummy. A highlight for Oliver this time was when four real live firefighters walked in to eat. I do believe that he was more enthralled seeing them than he was seeing Santa! I don't even know how I reacted so quickly to snap this photo but man am I happy I did. 
Another fun outing over the weekend was going to a birthday party for his friend, Elly's little brother Nate. They had the party at Flatbread Company/Sacco Bowl a pizza place that also has candlepin bowling (a New England classic). It was a blast and Oliver was dressed for the part, don't you agree?
two super cute munchkins. 
boy on a mission with his teddy and a pirate map, clearly. 
it has been cold. no snow. but cold. so we have been spending a lot of afternoons inside, playing games and building epic train tracks. 
I love Swedish pancakes. they are easy to make and perhaps it is because I love lingonberry jam and the pancake acts as a vehicle for the tasty sweet and tart jam. Oliver enjoyed them but he stated he enjoys Mickey Mouse pancakes (buttermilk) a bit better.
blowing bubbles in the tub. This picture is a bit blurry but I think it almost looks like a painting! 
he loves a tub but hates getting out. it's too cold, Mama! 
skinny minnie styling his hair. 
i had to document this moment. He has been getting better at playing on his own but he has never colored or played for as long as he did last night. I cleaned the kitchen, chatted with a friend on phone and even vacuumed! the entire time he happily colored! color me amazed!
