Morning Madness

This is what happens when you let your child pick out her outfit and do her own hair at the start of the day.

H2Olivia

Whether at the farmers’ markets or at cafes, our water-lugging and water-loving daughter beats the summer heat by maintaining proper levels of hydration.

Fun Run?

Is it still called a Fun Run if your child doesn’t run or have fun? Olivia was resistant to the whole idea from the minute we pinned her number to her shirt. She feigned heatstroke and ultimately had to be carried across the finish line because she refused to participate on her own accord. Immediately after the race, she found safety and consolation against her mom’s shoulder. Predictably, she joyfully scampered about the park shortly thereafter.

Pooped Partyer

On Sunday, Olivia suffered from party fatigue, having celebrated her birthday for the fourth time in a week. Rejuvenated by the falling rain, she bounced back in the end. She bypassed a table full of gifts to frolic in a puddle.

Eyes Wide Shut

Olivia closes her eyes during her guffaws. Here she’s laughing hysterically at her hilarious mommy.

Threecycling

As environmentalists, we’re big into threecycling. We found the combination of a tandem bike and restless toddler to be quite challenging, but fortunately we were on Mackinac Island, where the only things we had to dodge were fellow cyclists and horse manure.

Melts Your Heart, Not in Your Hands

Our sweetheart heartily enjoys the occasional sugary treat. Most parents are curious as to when their toddler’s teeth will come in; we wonder when they’ll all fall out from decay.

Bored Walk

Olivia made her aunt and uncle accompany her on a stroll made dull by her insistence that they repeatedly walk the planks. At least I had plenty of time to capture this image.

Leela's Happy Day

Our (not so) little one turned two today. All day long, she kept reminding us that it was “Leela’s happy day.” She got the same amount of parties today as years she’s graced this earth – she woke up to a birthday brunch with my side of the family and wound down (actually, she got wound up) with cake and ice cream in the company of her mama’s family at their summer lake house.

To Appear Pool-ish in Front of One’s Peers

A.J., Nicholas, and Olivia gathered for a pool party over Memorial Day weekend.

Party Train-ed

These pics are from our fun-filled trek to Union Station. Sadly but unsurprisingly, we beat the Amtrak up there.

O-Leela and the Bee

“Akeelah and the Bee” is the spelling bee movie du jour. Delightfully, it’s the third film in five years – the other two being Richard Gere’s “Bee Season” (2005) and the darling documentary “Spellbound” (2002) – to feature kids competing in orthography contests, a cinematic trend that’s welcomed by this word nerd. Olivia is currently exploring the world of letters and words. Her game attempts to spell her name fill us with laughter and pride.