Flagstaff, Arizona

A couple weekends ago we were able to spend the weekend with some of the Rogers clan in Flagstaff. The weather was absolutely lovely and I think we are game to do it again sometime!

Ollie loved running around at a local park.

 And he especially loved when Grandpa taught him how to roll down the hill. 

Uncle Stevo was bound & determined to finally win over Oliver's ♥, {He has been skiddish around him for months now. We think it's because he is freakishly tall.} so he helped Ollie figure out the mechanics of rolling down the hill.

 And finally, won over Oliver's love & affection!

An old pro...

 jumping for joy!

Let's do it again sometime!

Turning TWO Means...

Turning TWO means...

giving up baby habits. For Oliver, that meant saying goodbye to his bottle and binkies. 

Maybe I was a little harsh in the fact that I chose to eliminate these beloved items on a whim and both on the same day. 

Maybe. 

I was probably as nervous about it as he was confused, 

BUT my boy is a champ and pretty much doesn't care that he has said his goodbyes. Hooray! So, thank you, for being there for us for these past two years, 

{especially comforting Ollie in times of strife}

 {Look closely. "Owwwe!"}

but we don't need you anymore. ;)

I don't know what the correlation of sleeping without a binkie and having some crazy cool bedhead is, but this is how my Ollie guy woke up today after his nap.

Turning TWO also means tantrums. More specifically, tantrums in public places. Like Sam's Club, when it was time to say goodbye to this sweet ride.

Turning TWO means, your inexperienced mother uses you for practice when shes learning how to cut hair.

Thank goodness you are only TWO and that means your hair is guaranteed to grow back...{above your ear when mom snips off your entire sideburn. Oops!}

Somehow, turning TWO also means, you believe clothing is optional. You have definitely been upping your streaking game. If Ollie gets his shirt dirty or wet he insists it come off. So when it rained cats & dogs yesterday, he stripped it down to the essentials. 

I stopped him from taking it all off, but I didn't stop him from showing off his muscles.

It definitely needs to rain more often. Free entertainment at its finest.

Most importantly, turning TWO  means, your mom has survived TWO years of your crazy & most of the time cute antics and she needs a break. Thanks for booking my flight to Denver Ollie, you know just what I need!

{This pic was taken pre-adios to the binkie...obviously. But I really am going to Denver. In ONE week. ALL. BY. MYSELF. !!!!!!}

Ninety Degrees

The other night it got down to Ninety-Something Degrees. Which in Arizona, means you better go outside and enjoy the 'cool' weather. So we did.

Ollie played with all his long-lost outdoor toys.

This kid loves playing outside.

Only a couple more months of sweltering heat buddy and then you can live outside  

a l l  w i n t e r  l o n g  for all I care.

Putting Sloths On the Map

One of my favorite movies is Ice Age. In my family, I am kind of known for my impersonations of Sid the Sloth. 

I quote the movie all the time. {Other movies I quote all the time include but are not limited to: The Grinch, Christmas Vacation, and Mulan} 

There is a scene where Sid is etching a picture of a sloth on a wall

and when asked what he is doing he answers, "I'm putting sloths on the map." I have been feeling the same way. So I am putting myself on the map, so to speak.

Stepping out from behind the camera for a limited appearance...

 

 Ollie - your mom DOES exist! {That's me, talking to him in the future. You know, when he looks back at this blog and sees a thousand pictures of his cute little self, but asks, "Where are YOU, Mom?"}

You can see how thrilled Ollie was with having his picture taken.

Cadbury thought he would like to be put on the map as well. 

Mission accomplished.

Cousins

It brings happiness and cheer to my soul when I see how much fun Ollie has had with his cousins this summer. He loves to play with them, copy them, follow them around, and learn new things from them. We have done so many fun things lately. A few weeks ago we went to Big Surf with Beth and kids. Ollie & Drake spent a couple hours there and then I took them to G-ma and Gpa's to nap. It didn't take long for both of them to pass out. I ditched the Dodo's and went back to hang out with these fun kiddos 

until closing time. 

It was a blast!

A couple days after that, we all went to Stapley Pool.  Ollie absolutely loved it there.

& so did I, for that matter.

After  l  o  n  g  days of swimming, we both enjoyed chilling out at home.

Ollie even fell dead asleep in the car one day, which NEVER happens.

Most of the time, this is what happens in the car...

This week, we went to the Sea Life Aquarium with Heather and kids.

Ollie thought this place was pretty rockin' as well.

Ryan and Ollie {Ryan was just trying to turn Ollie's head so he would look at the camera. :)}

In the shark tunnel, the floor was glass and Ollie sprawled out on it to get a better look at the creatures under his feet.

Have I forgot to mention the AWESOME RED RAIN BOOTS?

I found those bad boys for $6 and couldn't pass them up. They have been his shoe of choice for the last several days. :) Somebody get this kid some cowboy boots!

We have loved spending our summer days with cousins! It's exhausting...

but worth it!