oliver michael

Sophie Lu & Ollie :)

2009-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sophie Lu (almost 5) & Oliver (almost 2 1/2)... they really do love eachother!

Because Mommy is always trying to get Ollie to look at the camera, big sis Sophie Lu gives him a little guidance! This is probably my favorite photo of the two of them ever... ♥

Egg Hunter Ollie

2009-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Ollie had so much fun hunting for eggs this Easter! He really got into it, and I think big sister Sophie Lu got a run for her money for once! I wish I had more photos from Easter- but I did salvage this shot- at least it's not of the back of his head! I'm also going to post some of all three- they're pretty funny! :)

Attempted photos at the park... :)

2009-03-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

Oliver just won't let me take his photo! I recently took my camera to the park with us so I could get some shots of him playing, but he watched me like a hawk- and every time I held my cmera up, he bolted!

Several people have suggested trying to get him while he's lying on his back... so when he and Sophie were making their "sand angels" I stood above him & this is what I got (gosh he's so quick)!

Running away from me again... lol

I thought I'd for sure get him when he came down the slide... but he came down looking away!!!

A HA! I had to hide and pop out with my camera ready... but at least I got him! :)

Oliver

2009-02-01T08:51:00.001-08:00

I finally caught him... isn't he cute? :)

Family Visits :)

2009-01-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

Grandma Rae & her Ollie Boy... :)

Cousins, Braden, Ethan & Ian and Grandpa Elliot (Pappy) with Ollie & Sophie Lu-

Cousins! Braden, Ethan, Ian, Sophie Lu & Ollie! We wish Jordyn was here! :)

Sweet Ollie

2009-01-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

I found this from a couple months ago... I've tried so hard since then to get some great shots of Ollie- but all I get is the back of his head- lol. He thinks it's funny to run away from the camera & he is still unbribable (is that a word?)... :)

Anyway, our Ollie can be so tender- and I am thankful to have captured one of those moments... I do have a few from the park recently & will be posting about Ollie's speech, etc. soon. And even though I'm back-dating this, Happy Valentine's Day sweet Ollie- we love you so much! xoxoxo

My new favorite of Ollie

2009-01-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to have gotten this shot... it really shows how intense his eyes really are... Sweet Ollie!

Ollie's First Snow!

2009-01-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

Ollie & Sophie Lu had so much fun at their preschool's annual "Snow Day"! Usually, Ollie's class doesn't get to go sledding, but Michael asked for an exception & Ollie loved it!! :)

Camo

2008-12-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas presents, 2008

2008-12-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Ollie's Christmas Portrait!

2008-12-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

At the Christmas Tree Lot

2008-12-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

I put one Christmas Tree lot photo on each of the kids' blogs this year, but this one is my favorite because Ollie is smiling!

Oliver's Baptism

2008-11-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

This cracks me up... I have so many out-takes from trying to photograph Sophie and Ollie together. Most of them involve her turning his head toward me or reaching out to catch him from running away! :)

I love this photo because it shows the love that Aunt Teri (the kids' Godmother) has for Ollie. She loves all the kids and has an extra special relationship with Oliver. He loves her SO much. Every time Teri comes over, she brings gifts for our kids. She completely spoils them, and Sophie has gotten used to her showing up with gifts. But Ollie could care less about the gifts... when he sees her, he gets a huge smile and immediately reaches up for her to hold him. They play and laugh together- it's the sweetest thing. He even behaves in church when she's there with us (we don't like to go without her, though-lol). I know that Aunt Teri will be a very special and influential person in Ollie's life, and I am so grateful to her for that. She is a true angel...

Ollie's special moment- he was so brave!

All of us together with Deacon Richard who was amazing! What a perfect day! :)

Ollie, Sophie Lu & Sasha

2008-11-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween, Ollie!

2008-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

Is Ollie a cute little monkey, or what? I thought this was the perfect costume for him!

I love it when he does this with his eyebrows...

In keeping with tradition, we went trick-or-treating with our neighbors Grace and Holden! We made it to about 7 houses, before Sophie got totally freaked out by a big kid in a Scream mask... :)

See this "I'm outta here" pose? Ollie is always on the run and very hard to catch or keep still for photos, so...

Grandma Loretta caught him for me! She and Ollie share a very special relationship- they adore each other!

And I finally was able to get a great photo of Ollie actually smiling! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Ollie Baby!

2008-10-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Shortly after his new baby sister was born, we celebrated Ollie's 2nd birthday! (I'm so glad I finally found this memory card!) Ollie and I were both sick, and I was still recovering... so we had a small but special celebration with Grandma Loretta and Grandpa Felix! Here, Ollie seems more interested in the Elmo birthday card than his cake!

Daddy helped his big boy blow out the candles!

Ollie loved the Happy Birthday song and all the clapping that followed!

But Ollie's favorite birthday surprise was all the San Francisco 49er's gear that Grandpa Felix brought him! Grandpa is a big fan as I'm sure Ollie will be one day soon!

Happy birthday, sweet Ollie Baby! We all love you sooooo much, and we know that this will be your year... You will continue to grow and bloom.... You will learn and experience so much, and you will have so much fun! We have faith in you, and we are very very proud of you! :)

About Ollie & Thank You...

2008-10-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who sent emails and comments of support. Every time something like this upsets me enough that I have to say something, I get an outpouring of love that makes me change my mind about closing his blog.

I know that I don't post to Ollie's blog very often or in great detail, and there are reasons for that. I've mentioned before that our entire dossier (2 copies actually- since we never got the other one back) and all of our personal information is floating around somewhere down there and that we were told that the birth family has had access to it. This makes me nervous, but there are also other reasons why I feel that Ollie needs more privacy...

Also, I realize that I do take more photos of the girls (I think many moms with both boys and girls do). It's not like you can dress your son up in tutus and pettiskirts for multiple photo sessions, you know? Not to mention, Ollie doesn't cooperate or pose for the camera and is impossible to catch! :)

As for "video of him talking, singing, etc.", well I won't go into great detail (maybe soon though, as I might welcome the support)... but Ollie isn't talking yet. So he doesn't talk or sing- thus no video. He is receiving lots of help and many services, so we are very hopeful though...

Again, thank you to everyone for your kindness. We love Ollie very much and would love to keep his blog open so his grandparents, etc. can see new photos every once in while~

Shana

Anonymous Commenter

2008-10-09T13:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks for leaving that last mean comment at 12:51pm my time today. I just happened to be on the computer when it came in, so I checked both of my stat counters and I now know your city, state, AND IP address. From what my computer whiz step-son says, I can learn a LOT from your IP address. I'd suggest you NOT leave me any more comments. You have NO idea what our personal story is, and you'd probably feel really badly if you did.

Ollie in blue

2008-09-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

I love this photo of Ollie (taken in August)- he has the deepest eyes! Poor little guy, though, he can't seem to catch a break. He has had 3 awful colds right on top of each other. It seems like he is always sick. His pediatrician thinks he has allergies and has prescribed some medication- but it doesn't seem to be working yet. I'll be posting a couple photos from his birthday soon too. :)

Ollie goes to pre-school!

2008-09-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ollie Bear recently started preschool, and he LOVES it! Here he is on his first day!

I'm not sure what Sophie was telling Ollie to make him laugh so hard... I was just thankful they were sitting down next to each other so I could grab these shots!

Happy little sweethearts! :)

Daddy & a sick Ollie Baby

2008-09-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

Poor Ollie was sick for most of August. He gets sick so often- I feel so sorry for him and wonder about his nutrition while in Guatemala. In any case, most of the time all that could comfort him was laying on Daddy's chest (it's been this way since our long stay in Guatemala when Ollie was just 2 months old). Ollie is such a Daddy's boy- it's really very sweet. And his Daddy absolutely adores him too. This was just too cute a scene not to capture. :)

Big brown eyes...

2008-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

With Ollie running faster than ever, it's harder than ever to grab a shot of him! But I did manage to get this shot of his big beautiful brown eyes during one of the kids' slip n' slide afternoons. He loves playing with his big sister in the water- they have so much fun together!

Ollie & Alex (last photos together)

2008-07-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Rest in peace, my sweet kitty Alex. We all miss you so much...

Happy 1 Year Anniversary, Ollie!

2008-06-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Precious Ollie,

It's been one whole year since we brought you home to be with us forever! You made such an easy transition and have been such a happy boy since day one. Your sweet giggles and warm smile have blessed us, and we love you more with each day! It's hard to believe in just a few months, you will be 2 years old! Here's just a little bit more about you at 21 months and home for one year:

* You easily find joy in the simplest things, and you are so easy to please. You are very good natured, and you charm everyone you meet.

* You love to play! Your favorite toys are anything musical and anything that you can sort or stack. But above all else, you love little stuffed animals. You almost always carry one of them around with you, and you are so cute when you are sleeping- all snuggled up with your favorite plush platypus.

* You are determined and serious, but also playful and silly. You laugh so hard when we play peek-a-boo, and you love to be tickled!

* You are a Daddy's boy! You cry when Daddy leaves, and you squeal with happiness when he comes home. Everyone says you look like Daddy, too! You are so very cute together!

* You love to play outside... you enjoy the swing, climbing on everything, and playing in the sprinkler, water table, and slip n' slide. Sometimes you cry when you realize that you are wet, so we dry you off- but then you run straight out to get wet again!

* You also love to play "I'm gonna get you"! We chase you around the center island in the kitchen, and that is when you laugh the hardest (it's so cute)!

* You adore our kitties, Alex, Pookie, and Baby Pumpkin. Alex is the most patient with you, and you are very tender with him (most of the time)!

* You really really love to dance, and daddy says that you have his "moves"! I love watching you dance!

* You love Sophie Lu and want to do everything she does. You follow her around and try to copy her; and when she's not around, you play with her special things. You really, really love her. She loves you, too!

We all love you very much, sweet boy! And very soon, you will be a big brother! I know your baby sister will adore you, and I can't wait to have my three little angels altogether!

Happy 1 year anniversary, Ollie Baby!!!

Love, Mommy
xoxoxo

How cute are they?

2008-06-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

I love this photo of my guys!