10 Days In Pictures

The past week and a half has been crammed full of photo opportunities. I thought I'd jam all of them into one post so I don't get too far behind. I know how cranky all my readers get when I don't regularly keep them up-to-date on my life's happenings.

Thursday, June 3rd, was the day before the girls' last day of school. Ryan was working the evening shift and the weather was beautiful, so when Ollie woke up from his nap I took the kids to the Garden City Library per Cora's request. Then we grabbed a Little Caesars pizza and headed to Fairmont Park. I've been wanting to take the girls there for a while, so I finally made time to go. They loved it!

Oliver's look of "slide approval".


This thingy rotates with the weight of its passengers.


These pedestals also spin around. Cora looks like she's training for a future night job. Luckily, she's a smart cookie and won't need to resort to that sort of employment...


I'm not quite sure what the purpose of these recliners is. It's a playground, not a lounge-ground!


It would be scary to get tangled in this piece of equipment. Luckily, it looks like Jane is in complete control of the situation.


The ever popular wood chip store.


At one point Oliver and I were sitting on a bench so I could tie his shoe. He kept trying to show me something exciting, so he was yelling, "Mama, see!" I told him to say "mamacita", and he willingly and loudly did, just as two women were strolling past. They looked over and laughed. What a cute little guy! He makes me so happy.



On Saturday, June 6th, we went to the Boise Institute's production of The Ark by Michael McLean. It was a cute show with good singing. Ryan's mom, Shirley, was the "Set Master", which means she designed and built the stage set. She painted it all to make the wood resemble the interior of the ark. She is so talented. It looked awesome! Sorry the picture is so dark.





This flowering shrub was in front of the library. I often pause to appreciate pretty blossoms.



These pink peonies are in Shirley's backyard. They're so lovely and fluffy.


More pretty flowers surrounding a tree in Shirley's yard.


Ryan's sister, Jackie, is in town with her new baby girl, Tomi (pronounced Tommy) and her almost 4-year-old boy, Ethan. They are staying with Ryan's parents, so we've been over there a few times in the last week. We've all taken advantage of our chance to hold the wee one. She is a sweet baby. Cora especially loves toting her around.





Tomi had such a cute little outfit on, and it just so happened to coordinate with what I was wearing, so Jackie offered to take a picture of me with her. It looks like she's waving at someone.
:)

We were having dessert after Sunday dinner and Oliver took charge of the chocolate ice cream. I love this picture. He looks so totally enamored by the treat before him.


This was right after Grandpa confiscated the ice cream scoop. He looks so sad. I felt his pain and I wanted to give the scoop back to him! Poor honey bun...

Don't worry, he got his own dish of ice cream and was content with that arrangement.


Ollie and cousin Ethan playing an impromptu, post-dessert duet.



Tuesday, June 8th, was the season finale of "Glee". My sister, Erin, hosted a dinner party at her house. She decorated it like the restaurant on the show, Breadstix. She went all out and it looked great! Like a real Italian eatery.


I made the obligatory Rachel Berry "I'm Sorry" cookies.


Erin's husband (who is a talented graphic artist) designed the tri-fold menus. How impressive!


Erin even curtained off the kitchen entrance for effect.


My nephews were the waiters. Don't they look cute?



A yummy Italian feast.


Megan (my sister) and Maren (my sister-in-law) .


After we ate, it was time for the show! I loved the music, and the plot developments were touching. I really enjoy Glee.

Some of Erin's friends.






Friday, June 11th, was a fun day. Jane had a friend from school over to play. The first time I saw this girl I was amazed by how similar she and Jane look. It's no wonder they're such good little friends.




The other night, Ryan got home from work and sifted through the pile of laundry on the bed to find something more comfy to slip into. He came into the kitchen a minute later, wearing a little more than he bargained for. He had a sock tucked tail-like into the waistband of his shorts! He didn't seem to mind when I whipped out the camera. Maybe because I spanked him first. ;)





Okay, I veered off topic. I was talking about how Friday the 11th was a fun day. The highlight was going to Flying Pie for Cora's designated day to make a free pizza. A few days prior, my good friend Rachel told me Cora's name was coming up on their website! How exciting! Who would have thought a name as rare as Cora would be chosen?
We waited for the evening time slot to go, so as to not interfere with Ollie's nap. Ryan had to work from 2 to 10pm, so he unfortunately missed out.



She was kind of sheepish about it. She had to choose a fun hat from their collection, and she picked a parrot one. She said she was thinking about choosing the hot dog hat. :) Life is filled with tough decisions.



That's why they call it Flying Pie! The dough is nearly unpictured.


She tried to toss the dough like the employee, but dropped it on the counter. Oopsie.



Such concentration!



She applied plenty of Canadian bacon, pepperoni, cheese and olives.



All done!

Oliver and I were watching and taking pics, and we wanted to get in on some photo fun ourselves.

Oops! I forgot the camera was in zoom mode.


Ollie doing a long, happy blink.



Third time's a charm. Depending on your definition of "charm".


Waiting patiently for the pizza to arrive.



Ryan's sister, Jackie, and her baby.


Pizza monster


Ryan's parents, Ethan and Oliver devouring a party size pizza. It was so yummy!


The next night we went on a greenbelt walk with Shirley, Jackie and the kids. I was babysitting my nephew, Fletcher, so we had him as well. It was likely the slowest walk I've ever been on. We had strollers for Ollie and Fletch, but they wanted to push them on their own, alternately meandering away from said strollers in search of rocks to throw in the river.

I thought it was due time for some more awkward mommy-daughter closeup shots. I always prefer natural light, so I corralled Cora and started snapping away. I don't know why none of my familial onlookers (Ryan, Shirley, Jackie...) didn't offer to man the camera for my cause. I suppose they didn't want to encourage my narcissism. ;)

Uh-oh, lens was in zoom position again. I love Cora's eyes! Ha!


Who is this picture really about? In my defense, I was hunched down and leaning in, so naturally my hair was going to cascade across poor Cora's face.



Laughing at the previous picture. I look like a real nerd here.


And along comes Janey. Wuh-oh, where did Cora go?


Little did I know, the girls weren't smiling wistfully like I'd envisioned... This, my friends, is why I sometimes call her "Crazy Jane"!


Holding Tomi again. Love the stripey pants.







Cora excels at a lot of things, and this face is one of them.


This was just before Cora twisted Jane's arm and pulled her to the ground, reducing her to tears. I have the feeling this is just a short preview of the long summer ahead.




So pretty...



Now for the grand finale! (Sorry, I don't have a picture to illustrate this one yet.)

As if the past 10 days weren't already wonderful enough, Oliver progressively potty-trained over the course of it (well, maybe it started sooner). He has done so well! I give him most of the
credit. He tells me when he needs to go, simply by calling out, "poop!" or "pee!" He hasn't had any accidents over the entire last week or more, and now when I try to assist him, he tells me, "Mom, go 'way", as he motions for me to exit the bathroom. What a champ! And he looks so cute in his boxer briefs. :)