Hot Hot Hot

Two Fridays ago it was 125 degrees out. Ok, well only 102, but it felt like 125. But no matter the temperature, you can't let that stop you from getting out of the house with an energetic toddler. So what do you do? Why, you go to Ikea with your Grandma and your friends* of course!

(*Adorable aside: when Mama says to Ollie "we're going to visit your friends now." Ollie says, "Zadia?" (which sounds more like "Adia?"). But so adorable.)

So we packed up and took the B61 bus straight to the air conditioned gloriousness that is cheap furniture heaven and more importantly, a vast playland for kids.

After a delicious Swedish lunch, it was right to the designated play area. Clearly stools are way more fun to stack and arrange than to sit on. Zadia did most of the directing, while Ollie made subtle suggestions on color patterns.

Zadia was very particular about how she wanted things. 

While Ollie was more interested in finding the best seat in the house to watch the big tv that was on.

He rarely gets to watch anywhere else, so he was a bit mesmerized, from whatever seat he could find.

The duo then went off to explore possible furniture combinations for their dream bedrooms.

hmmmm... a slide in my room? i could get used to this.

a floor full of pillows? also an amazing idea. they must have 2 year olds working in the design department at ikea.

tunnels with ribbons!

give that two year old a raise!

what do you think, do i look sexy in pink hearts?

i'm not sure about that, but they sure are comfortable. come get me when you're done shopping, mama.

Ikea is just baskets full of fun for these two! A great idea on a hot, hot day.

Bath Phases

He's in an "I love my bath, but only when Mama gives it to me" phase.

Boy Knows Who He Is!

So many things to post, but this is by far the cutest one as of late:

spoiled again!

nana and poppy came to visit us the week before last and i had a blast. they like to spoil me rotten and i can't get enough of that.

i got to watch more videos than mama ever lets me watch!

nana and poppy brought me my very own chair, which i love, and sit in every day, mostly to read my books or play my harmonica.

while poppy took a nap, me and nana went up on the roof and played ball, which as you can see, i love to do.

nana and poppy also brought me my very own set of golf clubs. golf is okay, but i mostly like to play a new game i made up called gockey. it's more like hockey and and little bit like whack-the-ball-around-and-scream. tons of fun. you should try it.

we also drove up to the bronx zoo where i saw tons of new animals.

my favorites were the alligators and the ducks, mostly because i liked saying those two words over and over.

i also got to pretend i was a prairie dog, which was thrilling.

i don't remember what we were looking at here, but it looks like something scary.

as always though, my favorite parts of their visit were the silly times at home. upside down with papa.

and tickled by nana and poppy. i miss you nana and poppy!

4th of July at The Cottage

Well, it was two weeks ago, but hey, we've been busy. Here's a (rather long) recap of our awesome time at The Cottage with Mama's entire extended family.

Up at 5:30 am on the sunporch.

Reading Clifford the Big Red Dog (from Grampa and Grammy) with Mama and his cousins Sofia and Matias and Clifford himself.

Being pulled in the wagon full of Legos by Grampa.

Chowing on Papa's famous corn.

Freestyling on the cottage steps.

Throwing rocks and balls into the lake with his cousins.

Fixin' the lawn mower.

Learning to play ball with Grampa.

Swinging in Papa's arms.

Coloring with Sofia.

Getting ready to go on the boat.

On the boat!

And everyone got to drive.

With Grampa at the helm.

Even Ollie!

Loving the water.

Really loving it.

On the swing with Grammy, Sofia, and Matias.

Chillin' on the dock.

Playing dolls with his cousin Riley.

Lots of napping with Papa.

Throwing balls into the pool.

Actually playing in the pool with Alexis and Sofia.

A little Brooklyn tiger...

Who sure loves The Cottage!

How Ollie Is Spending His Summer

He fills the cooler with beer, puts on a shirt that shows off his tattoo, and hangs out on the roof deck with the ladies. That's our boy!

(Sometimes with ladies and activities more appropriate for his age.)

Although they're often still up to no good... you can see more about that here.

Ollie View

Following his mama's footsteps (former boom chick), Ollie decided it was his turn to try video.
Check out OllieView: