Farmer Ollie

A couple of weekends ago, we all went on an adventure. Not all the same adventure, mind you, but fun times were had by all. Matt went to Vegas on his annual "boys' trip". And before you ask, no, he did not come home a big winner. A winner in life, yes. A winner in Vegas, not so much.
So, while he was off having a grand old time, Oliver and I actually flew down to Lawton to visit Nana & Pa-Pa for the weekend. I wasn't sure if flying with a 2 year old would be better than strapping one down for 6.5 hours in a car, but was willing to experiment. And, it went well! He was a great flier (for the whole 42 minutes we were airborne to OKC) and we had a blast out in the countryside at Casa Karen & Ken. I wasn't sure we would even make the trip at all, as Oliver came down with a serious bout of bronchitis that lasted almost a week. But, by that Friday he was well enough to travel. I was one exhausted Mama so it was nice to then be able to lean on MY Mama for some TLC and much sought-after rest! Oliver rode on not just 1 but 2 of Pa-Pa's tractors, saw some prairie dogs, a choo-choo train, ran through a real live fort at the Museum Of The Great Plains, and generally had a ball being the center of attention. Here are some photos and a video of our trip.
Also below is a video of Oliver's soccer dribbling skills. Matt plays on a soccer league and O LOVES to go watch and yell for Dadda. I can't wait until Oliver is old enough to play on a team and really hone these mad skills!

This past week was a crazy one, as par for the course lately at our house. I had to travel for work, so Grammy & Grampy Coles came up to help watch Oliver, as Matt then met me in Baltimore/D.C. for a weekend of play after work! More to come from that trip next time.
Now, I am ready to settle into the normal routine for awhile, and enjoy the great early fall we are having in Lawrence!

So much for August.

Aaack! I'm so behind on blog updates. Please forgive me! This month has been a straight sprint from start to finish. I don't even know what I have or haven't shared with you, so sorry if some of this is a repeat.
We'll start with our visitor log for the month of August. In 3 consecutive weekends, we had Grammy & Grandpa -aka "Peeka" Coles come and stay, and then Aunt Meghan came, and then Nana, Pa-Pa & Aunt Jenny came to visit. Whew! There was lots of showing off and ABC singing, and pottying (much to all of our amazement)! Of course, I, being the forgetful mother that I am, did not capture any of these fun moments on camera.
I also had a birthday in the last few weeks. Oliver has been singing "Happy Birthday to Mama" ever since the 18th and I must admit, I dig it. I can definitely get used to getting the birthday treatment from him all year long! :) Okay, okay: He also sings Happy Birthday to his friend Charlie, himself and our dog Preston as well, so I probably shouldn't feel too special.
Other Oliver highlights this month: He had a couple more play dates with friends, watched Daddy play soccer, ate out with the "Big Dinos" at the T-Rex Cafe (2nd time in 2 months), and broke the car door from a little too much enthusiastic pretend driving. Oops!
We are ready for college football to dominate the weekends. Somehow I have to figure out how to make watching a 3 hour game entertaining for a 2 year old....Go Pokes!

Oliver's first self-styled outfit. Yes, those are socks. Orange socks. With sandals.