Mitchell and Corn Palace Fun

A trip to Mitchell for Thanksgiving allowed Oliver to enjoy some horsie riding and also time at the World's Only Corn Palace. 

This Kid Rocks

Playtime

We are finally celebrating weekends full of warmth and color. It's hard to top May in Minnesota, unless it's June in Minnesota. The days are long, the sun is brilliant, and everything is lush and green. We had been promising Oliver that winter wouldn't last forever, and now we could prove it. 

First, a lovely, rainy Saturday with my two best buds. 

We spent a relaxed and sunny Sunday playing in the yard. Friends from the North stopped in for a spell, and then we burned a few hours doing absolutely nothing. And we loved it.

Oliver would like Adam to wake up and play. Please.

Google has compiled this frenetic assortment of images that essentially sums up the day.

We still love all things tech, especially phones and laptops.

We also love to blow raspberries on everything, but especially arms. Oliver has mastered quite a solid grip, too. My left arm (generally nearest his head) is covered in little scratches. 

 

Trying to catch the camera.

 One more kiss for the road!

  

We're still working on figuring out Oliver's eczema triggers, although we are in a much better spot this month than last. Eliminating some of his known dietary allergens (peanuts/tree nuts, eggs, wheat, and dairy) from both my diet and his has made the biggest improvement. We only need to use a topical steroid perhaps once or twice a week, instead of multiple applications per day. The biggest change has been in his relative happiness, though. Although he's always had the best, most laid-back personality, it is so much more rewarding to watch him smile and laugh with ease. No more stubborn itching and persistent scratching to keep him awake at night. We can let him be, just to play by himself or bounce in his jumperoo, without constantly monitoring his hands. He scratches now more out of habit, I suspect, than actual itch. I think we still have quite a road ahead of us, but he's doing so well!

The little chunk-master is about seven and a half months now, and coming in at 21 pounds. He lives to eat and loves it all! I do wish we could introduce foods a little faster for him, but we can't. If he reacts to a new food, we have to pull back to his safe foods again. His all-time favorite food is still prunes, but apples and avocados tie for a close second. Unfortunately for Nicole, he also loves bananas, the smell and texture of which makes me want to throw up. Adam usually has to finish the banana feedings. Blech. He is, however, feeding himself actual solid pieces of bananas and avocados, and he loves to try to feed himself using the spoon. Our little guy is just growing up way too fast. Good thing that every day is a party!

Upside-down baby giggles - another favorite game.

Typical Day

Contrary to what the blog reveals, we are alive and well. This can be documented on at least four different memory-capturing devices. Here is a typical scene before a morning walk:

Got the shot!

Got the socks!

Also, look who has two brand new teeth!   

Faces

We've been loving the mirror lately. And no wonder...just look at that face! We are adorable!

In Old News - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a few months old, but in times of sustained winter, it can be nice to remember that everyday wasn't always -10 degrees. 

We started at the Barondeau house the day after Thanksgiving. It also happened to be a Nebraska Cornhusker football day. Oliver was ready for action. 

His twin cousins were also ready for the big game. 

They were very concerned about Oliver's ability to get a nap and checked on him regularly. 

Many wonderful people got to meet Oliver for the first time (he was only a month old) and that included his great-grandma Senger. 

Four generations!

Nicole pulled out some old family photographs which included this gem. Tyler did his best impression of a throw pillow while Christopher dined at Dakota Farms. 

 Oliver had plenty of cousin time with Raleigh and Kennedy.

He did a great job all weekend, as long as he could get in some regular naps.

Thanksgiving moved over to the Johnson side and Oliver got to meet a whole lot of new people.

Four Generations!

Four Generations!

Great-grandma Bruner was happy to see the Swedish flag he sported under his swaddle.

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Travis were happy to meet Oliver too. 

We had a small window of time outside to get sunset pictures. He was not happy. 

I don't remember him sleeping all the time, but these pictures are starting to tell a different story. 

Mom got in some sunset time too. 

Grandma Johnson was nice enough to read several stories to Oliver. He loved every minute of it.  

After all the fun of Thanksgiving, we stopped in to meet Oliver's newest cousin, Harlow. She was less than a week old. 

Harlow is very cute.  

They had a lot of fun crying together about how hungry/tired they were. Hopefully they will have more laughs in the future. 

Maybe we will try Christmas next.....