monday monday

i should probably be working, but if i don't do this now, i probably won't get to it before next weekend.

we had a great weekend. oliver was good about both his nap and nighttime sleeping and his schedule in general. he did have a little tummy ache thursday night; bryan fed him *2* containers of prunes. so that was fun over the next 2 days when changing diapers. somehow, it always happened on my watch as well, when bryan wasn't around. hmmmm... overall, though, the few times oliver woke up at night (generally once in the middle of the night), bryan would change his diaper and put him back in bed, and he'd be fine. he also napped well for me all weekend, which i had been afraid could be a total disaster, but it wasn't. i love it when he naps well. he is going through a new phase where he wants to be in my arms at ALL TIMES, which is kind of annoying, but it's a pretty normal phase. and i don't give in all the time. i can't be swayed by crocodile tears, either. what can i say, i'm a mean mommy.

friday, we headed over to mom & dad's for a grill out lunch. it wasn't overly warm, but we had lovely weather for it. we had hamburgers on shannon's homemade kaiser rolls (yes, they were as awesome as it sounds). we also had grilled corn and mom's german potato salad. we skipped out on dessert, as junior was starting to get rather cranky (it was nap time). and i just realized i forgot to try some of those lemon bars while i was visiting yesterday, grrr!!

after oliver's nap and some dinner, bryan got the tube fixed on my bike so we could all take a bike ride together. it was oliver's 2nd time riding in the bike trailer, and as he can sit up on his own far better than the 1st time, he enjoyed it quite a bit more. he was smiling and giggling the entire time, giving hannah and i big huge grins every time we rode by the check on him. we rode through the park, where there were LOTS of picnics going on. it was a great ride, and a good way to end the day.

that night, hannah and bryan headed up to state fair park to watch the fireworks. hannah colored her hair pink, silver, and blue in honor of the occasion. oliver and i stayed home, as it was waaaaay past his bed time. i was able to see some of the fireworks over the tops of the trees, and we could definitely hear them (they are probably 2 miles away or less). luckily, they didn't wake the baby up. although, the dogs were very, very scared.

saturday morning, once i got oliver down for his nap, hannah and i headed out to do some shopping. turns out she grew, who woulda thought! so she needed all new shorts. so we had fun picking out some cute new things for her. we weren't gone for very long, though, before bryan called to let us know oliver was awake. we finished up and headed home, then drove over to the milwaukee zoo. we decided to become members this year, so once we got that squared away, we walked around for an hour or so. we think it will be a great place to escape to for a change of scenery. oliver loves going on walks, so this will help enable us to walk for an hour or two and provide both him and hannah with some entertainment. oliver is used to having 5 kids amuse him all day at day care, so i'm pretty boring to him after a short while. oliver started getting cranky right about at lunch time, so we got him fed & headed home for nap #2.

that afternoon, oliver, ally, moose and i hung out on the deck to play in the shade for awhile while hannah cut the grass. bryan put her to work! he had suggested it jokingly, and she was all for it, so we figured with supervision, why not? she ended up rather hot and tired. i don't think she had any idea how heavy the lawn mower is or much work it is! i doubt she'll volunteer for that job again. afterwards, she spread out a blanket in the freshly mowed lawn so she, oliver, and i could enjoy her handiwork and play with some toys (she brought just a few out for him). it was nice being able to hang out outside and get some fresh air without the threat of rain or mosquitos. not so lucky today - i can hear the thunder now.

sunday was another beautiful day. we decided to have a picnic in the park for lunch, using my cute new picnic basket. we all walked over and found a lovely shady spot under a tree, spread out the blanket, and relaxed while eating some delicious ham sandwiches (pb&j for hannah, of course). there was a lovely breeze - the perfect day for a picnic. and i finally got to use my picnic basket. after searching 2+ years for the perfect one, i was very happy with the one i found, and it worked perfectly. i think that oliver enjoyed his first picnic as well. hannah took lots of video to prove it.

that afternoon, hannah and bryan went to see iron man at the theater while oliver napped. unfortunately (for me), he woke up shortly after they left. he and i ended up heading over to visit nana for a change of scenery. the 3 of us sat on the back patio, rocking on the swing, enjoying some lemonade in the shade. i was hoping to trick oliver into taking a 3rd nap, but no such luck. instead he stayed up way too long and was pretty over tired, which resulted in 2 hours of work to get him down for bed.

back to work today, which i am thankful for. the weekend was great, but extremely tiring. i could never be a stay at home mom!!!

tons more pictures in the july gallery, if you can believe that.