4th of July on the Detroit Riverfront

We debated whether or not Ollie could stay awake late enough to see fireworks this year. Eventually we decided that even if we could keep him up late enough, he would probably be emotionally on-edge for the experience (and probably the next day too). So to make the day special for him, we went for a walk along the Detroit riverfront.

The big highlights for Ollie were riding on the carousel, spotting boats on the river, and splashing in the water fountains. Oliver ended up riding home wearing only a diaper since were not prepared for how adventurous he would be in the water!

Wow - this is pretty cool!

Getting a little braver...
....and then a lot braver!
Soaked! Run, run, run.....

Uh oh, where is the water going?

There it is!

So Proud

Yeah!!!

One more time with Dada

Chris' Birthday

Oliver's cousin Chris had a birthday at the end of June. We felt so lucky that he was in town and we were able to celebrate his birthday together.

Angelo, Alex, Chris, Oliver, and Olivia.

Summer Catch Up

We have spent so little time inside this summer and as a result I have fallen way behind in the blogging. Even though it seems as if I rarely have the camera on hand (usually only for special occasions and trips), there are a lot of pictures that capture our everyday life in the summer going all the way back to May & June: Ollie enjoys the pool with Adin and his new friend, Ellie (Amy's niece who visited for a week). Occasionally our neighbors, the Weiners, blow up their "bounce house" and let the neighborhood kids jump and slide!
Even baby Colin joined in the fun!
Amy, Erin & Colin
We make lots of visits to our local park.

Sandbox time with Adin....

...and Max

We play with sidewalk chalk.

It is not for eating. Really!
Oliver loves his toy lawn mower (and Adin's too).
Tony can't wait for the day that Ollie can mow for real (and neither can Oliver)!

Rain or shine, we go for scooter rides, and wagon rides, and bike rides, and stroller walks...

We eat snacks in the garden and hunt for strawberries and raspberries growing in the yard.

We sometimes get together with the neighbors to "grill out."

Ollie has also become an expert at spotting planes, helicopters, and trucks.

Doing anything that the adults do is pretty great. Here Oliver puts on his Dada's glasses and pretends to drive his car.

...and a photo from inside! Oliver recently moved into his new room so that when his baby brother arrives in November, he doesn't feel like he has been "kicked out" of the nursery.

Overall, the toddler life is pretty sweet!!!