First Bike

Joe took Oliver to REI to look at bikes on Friday evening after school.  We've been talking about getting him one this Spring since he is finally just tall enough to be able to fit on one and his interest was becoming more apparent.  Joe bikes to work a couple days a week and has a bike trailer that he will pick Oliver up from school with a few times a week as well.  Oliver loves it.  He loves the mechanics of it and, of course, he loves anything with wheels.  He has also started noticing a lot more what the "bigger kids" are doing.  And he has mentioned that when he gets a little bigger he will be able to get a big boy bike too.

When Oliver got to the bike store, it was clear that he was all in.  After test riding a couple, he picked the one he liked the best and wanted to take it home to ride.  He exhausted himself practicing in the alley last night.

When he woke up this morning, it became the centerpiece of all the activities we had planned for today.  "Let's ride my bike to Spanish", "Let's go to the park and ride my bike after Spanish", "Let's ride my bike to Olivia's birthday party."  He already asked Joe how much he needs to practice before he can take the "extra wheels" off.  I am not sure how long the love affair will last, but for right now the kid LOVES his bike.

Hair Cut with "Mom"

Saturday is our "Mommy and Oliver day."  Typically, it goes something like this:
-Oliver wakes up and crawls into bed with me (a few toys in tow).  He will snuggle in and drive his cars over me and my pillow and talk about whatever is on his mind.  Sometimes he will bring a book or two.  Yesterday, he brought a book we used to read a lot when he was little, "I took the moon for a walk."  We read it and talked about related topics for awhile.  Soon, I'll ask if he wants to get dressed and go get breakfast.  We will talk about what to make for breakfast and our plans for the day.
-Saturday breakfast is often cinnamon French toast, fruit, and sausage.  The little market near our house and in the same building as Oliver's pre-school always has fresh bread, so Joe usually picks me up a loaf of their amazing cinnamon bread on Friday's when he picks Oliver up from school.
-At 9:00am for the past year, we have been going to Spanish class on Saturday mornings.  Oliver does not mind it and we have become friends with Drew and his mom, Tara.  But, some mornings he would really rather stay home and play.  To ease the transition out of the house, I offer that if he has a positive attitude and participates, he can choose the activity after Spanish.  This has worked wonders, and he truly brings his best attitude to the class most weeks. 
-Oliver always picks one of two activities for after Spanish: 
1) "The train table", which is a toy store near us (about a mile) that does a great job of making available toys and games for kids to try out and, of course, they have a train table.  The train table is not any better than the one we have at home, but Oliver loves to go there and play with it.  Some days we spend the whole visit at the train table and other days we spend our time at the marble tracks, building activities, or playing games. 
2) The latte shop and bookstore (Politics and Prose).  We will have a latte/milk and a treat, usually a biscotti.  I usually bring some cars to play with at the table and we will hang out playing and chatting.  Sometimes we make it to the bookstore.
-If we go to the train table, we usually have lunch at "the Greek place" after.

Just down from the Greek place is a little barber shop.  I always consider trying it, but we like the other place he goes and avoided the change.  But, this week, his hair situation had really gotten out of control and I knew we would not make it to Georgetown for a cut.  I suggested we check out the barber shop before going to lunch.  He was game, but noted that since it was a new place they might or they might not have lolly pops.  I agreed.  We went, he did great, and they did a decent job.  He was thrilled when they offered him a sucker after.  I am happy we now have a barber much closer to home and a place that can easily be fit into our weekend routine. 

Random side note about the hair cut:  Shortly after Oliver started his cut, another little boy sat down in the chair next to him.  The boy was the same age as Oliver, and his dad looked familiar.  Then I realized, it was John King, the CNN news reporter. 

Finally, the past couple weeks Oliver for unknown reasons has definitively started calling me "Mom" and Joe "Dad".  This coincides with a burst of independence and generally maturity that makes us both happy for him and amazed again at how quickly he is growing up.

Easter 2015

Easter was a nice quiet day at home this year.  My brother Daniel and his wife Bethamy were in town over the weekend so we spent some time with them.  They were on their way back to Indiana early Easter Sunday.  Joe, Oliver, and I enjoyed Easter baskets, decorating eggs, hunting for eggs in the yard, eating treats at home, and playing trains. 

 

Let it be Spring

It felt like a long Winter.  For may reasons: the cold weather, snow delays/cancellations, many colds/flu/ear infections, shorter days and busy work schedules.  After a couple of false starts, I think Spring is finally prepared to stay.  We are still flip-flopping between windy cold days and warm sunshine filled afternoons.  Oliver kept busy inside during the cold months playing with his cars and trains, art projects, and building (model cars, train tracks, towers, you name it).  But, the past couple of weekends, we also enjoyed some time outside (even though half the time he was still in winter coat and hat).

We celebrated Daddy's 40th birthday in January.  He is currently planning a boys trip with his high school pals to Iceland to mark the milestone.

The last few months included a lot of trips to the train table, Legos, cars/trains, crafts and building stuff.  Oliver has also been practicing writing his name and letters.  Lots of new books and new favorite stories to read every week.  But, Thomas the train stories are always a hit.

Last weekend we enjoyed a really beautiful day.  Oliver was excited to hang out with Abby and Bo, who we have not seen a lot of this winter due to everyone taking turns being sick.  All three kids rode their scooters to and from the park.  It as quite the adorable scooter gang.

Today, we finally planted some seeds (several varieties of tomatoes, sweet peas, cucumbers, sunflowers) and started getting the garden ready.  Dandelions popped up and the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom.

 

 

 

We are ready Spring, please stay!

Half Birthday

School has been going great.  Oliver really enjoys his friends and is adjusted to the routine and structure.  In February, Oliver celebrated his "half birthday" at school with his friend Clara since they both have birthdays during the Summer when regular school is not in session.

We sent pictures for a timeline of his life.  The kids sang a song, blew out a candle and then his teacher read a little summary story (filled in by parents) about the child.  I copied Oliver's below.  The b-day kids can bring treats to share.  Clara's mom send cupcakes, we shared strawberries, and Oliver volunteered to help pass them out to his friends.

A Birthday Celebration Bio for:  Oliver Joseph Marx
When I was born on August 8, 2011, it was such a special day!   On that day, my Mommy and Daddy were there to greet me and welcome me to the world.

Newborn:     As a newborn baby, during my first year of life, I accomplished so much, like…When I was a baby, I learned how to crawl, walk, and talk at the condo on M Street in Washington, DC.  I loved jumping in my jumper, dancing with my mommy, going for walks while riding in my daddy’s backpack, playing with cars and trucks, and reading books.  When I was a baby my favorite toys were Sophie the giraffe and my wooden truck.
                                                                                                           …Then I turned 1!

1 Year Old:    When I was 1, I learned to do many things that year, like…When I was 1 year old, we still lived on M Street.  I learned how to say lots of new sentences, sing songs, and paint.  When I was one, my favorite toys were Myrtle and my yellow school bus.
                                                                                                          …Then I turned 2!
                                                                                                                                                                                         
2 Years Old:   When I was 2, I found I could do things like…When I was 2 years old we moved to Rittenhouse.  I learned to climb up and down stairs, how to garden, and how to drive my fire engine really, really fast.  I started sleeping in my race car bed, got my sandbox and met my friends Abby and Bo.  When I was 2 years old, my favorite toys were Myrtle and Panda, my ’57 Chevy, and my fire engine.
                                                                                                        …Then I turned 3!                                                                                                     
3 Years Old:    When I was 3, I discovered …When I turned 3 years old, I started school at Broad Branch Children’s House.  I learned how to ride my scooter, use the potty by myself, and be a really good friend.  My favorite toys are Legos, trains, cars and trucks.  I am really good at building things and having great ideas.

                                                                         …and then I turned 3 and a half!                          

Now I can do so much…like I am learning how to read and write…
It’s GREAT to be me!!

Now, whenever someone asks him how old he is, he proudly tells them, "I am three and a half years old."

Note:  the green shoes are not a fashion statement.  All the kids are given green or blue slippers to wear inside while at school:-)

Ice Skating

Oliver's school had a going away outing this Saturday for a teacher who is leaving.  It was at an ice skating rink.  This was Oliver's first time, and he had lots of questions.  Most of which revolved around the safety of the event.  Mommy: "What happens if you fall down on the ice?"  "Will there be a Zamboni?"  "How sharp are the blades on the skates?"  "Do people break their bones ice skating?"  Despite my assurances, he informed me when we arrived that he did not want to ice skate.  I said it was fine and we could just watch.  So we found a spot and visited with friends.  He watched the kids and asked more questions.  I asked a couple times if he wanted to go get skates and try it.  His response, "No, thank you."

After about 20 minutes of watching.  He looked at me and said, "Mommy, no one has broken any bones."  I agreed.  About 5 more minutes passed, then he said, "Ok, I am ready, let's go ice skating."  And he did.  He was fearless and happy.  He loved it.

With his good pal, Avery.

For perspective, chatting with his friend who is 6 months younger.  

Oliver is still the little guy for his age.

Video:

My Little Engineer

Before work on Tuesday, Grandma was talking about a conversation she had with a Wisconsin Congresswoman at the airport when she was flying out to DC.  One topic that came up was related to digester legislation.  Oliver, who had been playing with his trains, immediately perked up..."mommy, do you know what Grandma is talking about?  What is a digester?"  After a short verbal description, he was still not satisfied and asked to see some pictures and a video of a digester on my phone.  We managed to find some good information on-line (thank you YouTube).  For a good basic intro on anaerobic digesters see:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aULRryCVMyY

 
Once he was done with his research, he declared that he wanted to build a digester.  So I set to work scanning the kitchen for options.  Our first version was a good attempt, but our work was not done because he insisted, "I want this digester to work!"  Version two was more to his standards, and he digested manure and organic waste (aka chia seeds) for at least an hour while discussing the process of using a digester to make biogas.  We have been talking about digesters, biogas, and energy therefrom all week.

Another day this week, Oliver declared: "I want to build something."  So I flipped through one of our science project books and we settled on this marshmallow and toothpick tower.  He built most if it himself, I just helped by adding a few extra toothpicks for stabilization at the end.  He was pretty pleased with the resulting "parking garage tower."  And, yes, I did let him eat a few of the non-essential marshmallows.