Words from a mom

It's a typical Saturday night at the Ochs house. Oliver is playing with trucks, I'm following a Gonzaga game online and Anth is watching wrestling on our other computer. We're all doing our own thing independently. Its funny to me now because I never thought we would get to this point, where we wouldn't have to entertain Oliver ALL the time. He's a big boy now and he's not shy about telling us either.

He's so big now that he even started cussing. Yes, we only have ourselves to blame and that we do. And although I don't laugh, it is actually funny to hear a 2 year old say 'dammit' when he drops something or he accidentally bumps his head. The other day my friend Kelly and I were talking on the phone and we lost the connection. I said to him 'I guess Kelly hung up on us' and he said dammit. Its not so much the word, but his inflection and how appropriately he uses the word. Its as if he's been saying it for years. His other favorite is 'crap'. When I asked him where he learned these words, he forthrightly said 'Mommy do it'. There you go, I'm a terrible mom. He told me so.

Oliver loves to be independent now. He often doesn't want us to read books to him, he would rather read to himself. He also wants to unload the groceries, take the clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer, sweep the floors and run the vacuum. This sounds perfect doesn't it? Except that the cheese ends up in the oven, the cereal in the fridge and the broom is all over the walls and our pillows. He means well and I know that when he's 16 and won't budge from the couch I'll miss these days.

There a few things that I truly love about Oliver right now. One is that he is trying to sing songs with me. We sing Old McDonald over and over and he is actually starting to pick up on the words. We go beyond the typical cow, pig and horse. This Old McDonald has trains, planes, eyes, noses and Papa Marks on his farm. The other thing that just melts my heart is when we say goodnight he wants a group hug from mom and dad. So the 3 of us hug and then he kisses me on my cheeks. Both of them. Its about the best thing that I have ever felt. Moments like these will be in my heart forever.

Ok, well halftime is about over and its getting close to Oliver's bedtime. I don't want to miss my group hug or kisses.

Badger Mtn.

Today we hiked up Badger Mtn. just outside of Richland. The elevation gain was over 900 ft. in just 1.2 miles. We brought along our backpack carrier thinking that Oliver wouldn't want to walk. But no, our little boy is a trail runner in the making. He ran, not walked, about 3/4 of the way up to the top. It was amazing to watch. I think I have found my new running partner.

It was pretty cold, foggy and very windy today. I'm excited to see the view from up there when it's not foggy. With no trees I bet we can see all the way to the ocean on a sunny day. We're definitely doing this again!

Dance moves

Oliver has been dancing more and more these days. Here is a sample of his signature moves while listening to the Kings of Leon, which lately have been playing a lot at our house. They're a 'guys' band, and Oliver is truly a guy.

Welcoming the New Year

The Tri-City area got some snow on New Year's Eve and so our plans to travel to Portland were nixed for safety reasons. We stayed home, played in the snow, had dinner at Matt and Melissa's house, let off some fireworks and spent the night there as well. The five of us went for a lovely, snowy walk the next morning in the orchards behind their house. Oliver LOVES chasing and being chased and Matt happily obliged him in his pursuits. It was a really nice start to a new year!

Oliver sharing his popcorn with Melissa

Utilizing the empty and snow covered skate park by our house. Makes for very slick and fast slides.

Oliver leading the pack. I love this picture.