Sunny Disposition

Olivia is an optimist. She sees things with glasses half on, not half off.

Swimsuit Issues

Olivia, modeling Speedo’s latest body armor/turtle inspiration, found it difficult traversing both land and water on account of the suit’s bulkiness. This picture was taken at the pool of our hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Slide Rules

If at first you don’t succeed at getting your child to go down the slide, don’t wait around for her. Gently nudge – I mean encourage – her along. She’ll scream – I mean beam – at you afterwards.

Pasta Famiglia

Beni and Olivia reach the bend in the world’s largest piece of elbow macaroni.

Little O

I’ve heard that NASCAR is trying to diversify their sport, but this is just ridiculous. The girl can’t even ride a tricycle yet.

Ice Capades/Ice Ice Baby

Remember the Batman TV series that ran in the 1960s? Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Cesar Romero, Eartha Kitt, and the like…well, they were central characters of a show prone to tight costumes, onomatopoeia, and double titles (e.g., Instant Freeze/Rats Like Cheese). My two-for-one effort is an ode to the Dynamic Duo. The show’s Wikipedia entry reports that critics of the series contended that the titles helped hide generally low-quality stunts and frequently missed punches. I’ll be the first to admit that I use titles to cover up my lowbrow stunts and frequently missed punchlines.

Apologies for the non sequitur. Enjoy Miss Freeze.

White Wash

Olivia, decked out in her All England Club Wimbledon whites, showed great enthusiasm when helping me launder other hueless duds.

O-Mail

Yesterday marked the return of our virus-eradicated computer. This pose is a recurring scene. We often catch her IM-ing her buddies or updating her blog.

Nuthin But a “G” Thang, Baby

Oliva, accompanied by G’s Randi and Tsune, got into her Valentine’s Day gifts a couple days early. Grandparents are great – they’ll find any reason to spoil a grandchild. Perhaps the following sentiments are most appropriate for this occasion, but they’re certainly applicable to all others as well – we wholeheartedly appreciate their loving support. As does Olivia.

Olivia, the Kissing Bandit

Our daughter is like a politician in that she’s always glad-handing and kissing babies. Here’s a recent example, also taken at the Lincoln Museum, right after she wished our sixteenth president an early 197^th birthday. Baby Maddie, a previously unfamiliar face whose face Olivia tried to become familiar with, was on the receiving end of this smooch.

Lincoln (B)logs

G-Randi is doing her best to pass along her love of history to her granddaughter. From the look on Olivia’s face, grandma has a ways to go. This picture was taken at the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Honestly, this is one of the best museums I’ve ever been to – I’d rate it four scores and seven out of a possible 100.

Ballgirl

Olivia and I have a new favorite game. Most nights, after a hearty dinner, she gives me the signal – a hand gesture that hip-hoppers use to show they’re feeling the vibe. My daughter uses it in conjunction with the phrase “ball,” precursors both to the hottest parent-toddler activity out there. We play what can best be described as a hybrid of soccer, volleyball, racquetball, and bocce ball. The game works on hand-eye coordination, lateral footspeed, and mental stamina. Not really, I made all that up. We just have fun chasing and stacking the balls. And making everyone at the gym laugh.