St. Patty's Weekend Excitement

Top o' the evenin' to ya. Here is a recap of our fun St. Patty's weekend. Heidi Houwers (sorority sister to the stars) came up from Dallas to visit! Oliver was happy to have a bigger audience to play to than just the usual parental units. We all went to the annual Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown and met up with the Clothiers and the Griffiths. The Clothiers were on the ball this year, and parked a car right up close the night before so we would all have a prime spot. We have such smart friends!
Oliver had a ball watching all of the horses, doggies, bands, and old cars drive by. His word of the day was "whoa!" repeated over and over. It was easy being green this year! Can't wait for next year's events.

I couldn't resist getting this shirt for O. It reads "You're Lucky I'm Not Your Kid". Yes, I realize this might sound a little harsh, but if you truly know my child, I think you will chuckle while nodding your head in agreement!

         Aunt Heidi and Mama (and Dadda) got in some St. Patty's fun sans kiddo on Saturday night!

And last but certainly not least, here is video of Oliver watching the parade. He was mesmerized! (Also, this is my first time uploading a video to YouTube, so bear with me if there are technical details!) Click on the link to open.
Oliver's First Parade!

Logistics overload!

Whew! I finally have a moment to sit and recap the past week or two. We have been crazy busy. I had to go to Chicago for work (Housewares Tradeshow) on March 9th and was going to be gone through that next Monday. Well, Chicago is really close to Indiana, so Matt had an idea to take Oliver to see his whole extended family in two different parts of Indiana at the same time I was going to be gone. Now, I sort of thought he was crazy for suggesting a plane trip as solo parent with a 21 month old, and was crossing everything I could that the flight and trip as a whole would go okay. I was a mess being away from my boys for so long. My heart goes out to all those with families who have to travel often for work. I don't think I could do it!
Anywhoo, Oliver had a fantastic time in Indiana. First up, Matt & O met Grammy Melanie and Grampa Jerry at the airport, and then they all headed up to Union City to visist the Mangas clan. From what I hear, Oliver had a blast hamming it up in front of all of the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and great grandma. He amazed everyone with his eating prowess, was a great sleeper, and an all around "joy"! I am so sad I missed it, but the pictures Matt sent kept me updated on the fun and made me feel a little like I was there.
On Monday, Matt, Oliver, and the Grandparents started the second half of their trip. They dropped Matt off with another rental car in Indianapolis, and he drove up to Chicago to spend the night with moi. I would love to say it was b/c he missed me so much and couldn't stand the thought of another day without me, but I also know how much he loves and misses Chicago so I'm sure that factored into the plan a little bit. ;)
Our anniversary was on Tuesday, so we celebrated early on Monday with a jaunt through the Field Museum followed by a tasty romantic dinner (just so happened bottles of wine were 1/2 price on Mondays at Wildfire :).
On Tuesday, we headed back south and drove to Columbus to meet up with the Coles side of the family. I was beyond happy to be reunited with my little man. O was definitely happy to see me. But, also equally happy to chase Banjo around the room for the 87th time on the trip. It was great to see Aunt Jenny, more cousins and aunts & uncles and another GG (Great Grandma)! We are very blessed to have so much family who are all wonderful, caring, happy people to spend time with. Thanks to all for the hospitality and patience in having the Coles men around for a few days!
Here are some pics from Oliver's adventure. He got to experience lots of extended family and Uncle Everett and Aunt Emmy's pond. There is also a video of GG Coles reading Oliver's favorite bedtime book - "How Do Dinosours Say Goodnight?"

I Pity The Potty

Last night we went to a potty training workshop hosted by our daycare. All of the toddler room parents were invited, and not ones wanting to be branded bad parents for not attending, we went. The topic of potty training had not entered anywhere near the realm of consciousness for me, so this was kind of a rude awakening. Now, Oliver is 20 months, which is still early, but daycare will actively start his potty training when he turns 2.
The discussion was very helpful - we learned about how potty training underwear are the most expensive things next to a college education, and that we will want to throw our hands in the air and give up many times during the ordeal. Can't wait! :)
Seriously, though, our daycare is fantastic at what they do, and I am so thankful for all of the tips shared that I will hopefully remember when we start the process. Already, Oliver is showing some signs of potty interest. He asks to sit on the potty - and then immediately wants off as soon as we set him on there. Hey, you've got to start somewhere.
So, until the day Oliver turns 2 (unless there are more signs of real interest on his part), I am going to enjoy babying my baby and getting more comfortable with having daily conversations about bodily functions.
Happy Weekend!
I leave you with one of the top 5 funniest photos of Oliver you will ever see. He will hate me for this one day. I did at least blur out body parts that could end up on the wrong sort of blog sites. ;)