Scary cat

No, not *scaredy-cat* . . . SCARY cat. Observe.

The pumpkin (is delicious)

Tonight the pumpkin carving happened. Olivia at first refused to approach the pumpkin's guts, and I can't say that I blame her. She did get into mixing the seeds, however, which added to the taste of the now-baked end product. I am proud to be part of a family where the main point of nearly every activity is to eat something.

Olivia the painter (aka "Oh-va-va")

Olivia received an easel from Uncle Todd and Auntie Erin. Here she is demonstrating how she has achieved the level of intensity and concentration required to be a great painter. The heavy breathing has less to do with painterly commitment than it did with a very bad cold. Thankfully, that's gone, but the easel is not.

Jam session 1: mellow riffs

This is when Olivia and her guitar, who also goes by the name "Piano," just met. Olivia opened the box to find him, a 2nd birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

Clearly they already have an electric connection.

Jam session 2: guitar jam en bateau

Here, Olivia and "Piano" bust out a few more licks--this time on the new chair Ahnee Kelly and Uncle Marc sent. (Note: chair goes by the name "motorboat," and demands pushing often.)

2 little monkies jumping on the couch

The title says everything.

The sublime reciprocity of first friends

Olivia loves Noema. They were first friends. Here, Noema pays Olivia a visit to practice remarkable sharing. I hope someday they run the world.

Charlie the Clambird

When we visited the arboretum on our way out of Vancouver, we were delighted to find so many awesome birds living among the greenery. Charlie charmed us by saying "Hello Charlie" over and over, which Olivia loved. He clammed right up, though, once the video started rolling. Enjoy this decidedly one-sided conversation between Olivia and Charlie.

Pigtails and Rockets

The kiddie rocket launcher at Angel's party was a big hit. Olivia loved it, but only if she could launch solo. Once another kid joined in and parents had to negotiate 1) loading, and 2) launching, the turns got all out of control and anxious-making for everyone. This is Olivia, blissful, launching by herself (with MommyDaddy audience).

Pea pods

Nature created pea pods for parents. Not only do they provide fabulous nutrition, but shelling them is apparently riveting for toddlers. Well, at least our toddler. Her love affair for these things began in our garden and now requires that we continue fueling her habit with stash from Whole Foods. I'm envisioning her shelling peas to pass the time during her college graduation ceremony. Oh -- and here you see her throwing in a little "CHEESE!!!!" as well.

Mini dance (cock-headed)

This video is on its side and I don't know how to turn it 90 degrees. (Damon? You there??) Nevertheless, I had to post it. Olivia launched into a spontaneous chicken/floor pounding dance that I manged to capture on video. Here she is jammin' among the merchandise in the loft.

Letter in my pocket

When Grandpa aka Papa was here visiting I snuck up on their conversation one morning and shot this video. Papa is great at explaining things, like how many toes Olivia and Baby have. Olivia is great at tricks, like finding letters in his pockets.

The Alphabet Easel

The Easel is the next Big Baby Toy in rotation, and Olivia loves it a lot. It features chalk drawing on one side and magnetic letters on the other. It replaces the toddler table where Olivia dined on Cheerios and raisins. Now that table is living at Lauren and Kevin's house, waiting for Baby Collins to enjoy it.

When Daddy busts out the letters, you can tell Olivia is into the easel. Wait for the WOWWW!!

Dookoo, Auntie Erin and Uncle Todd. (Dookoo = thank you).

kekk = /"cake"/

"Kekk." Is that Swedish? When presented with her very own cupcake-in-a-cone, with sprinkles, that's all Olivia can say, over and over again. It's like a meditation . . . she says it so much that she forgets to eat the kekk.

When I was little I was the envy of all the other elementary schoolers because MY mom didn't just make cupcakes -- she made cupCONES. Awesome. Olivia can look forward to the same tradition, provided all schools haven't outlawed sugary celebrations by then.

Peeks (Olivia's favorite video to watch)

I am not supposed to delete this video because Olivia loves to hold the camera and watch herself cracking up with Daddy. It cracks her up all over again. I think that's technically postmodern baby behavior.

The Tahoe Files (last one): a video poem

This video contains no dialog and very little action . . . but it may be my favorite from Tahoe. Olivia and a little girl communicate wordlessly with the sound of Lake Tahoe waves in the background. Step into some baby meditation . . .

The Tahoe Files: Jibba Jabba

Olivia talks a ton these days. Our favorite is "Papi, no hit!" which she evidently picked up from Fatima at daycare. (She also names all the children that she plays with there: Papi, Naynay (Renée), Joy, Kiki (Luke), and Mama for Fatima.

Here she is narrating coats. Riveting. Daddy's proud, you can tell.

The Tahoe Files: Beware of nakes

I may have mentioned early that Olivia calls scary things "nakes." In this video Olivia practices safe exploration by only touching the scary, pinecone-shaped nake AFTER Mama does so. Good baby.

The Tahoe Files: Soft serve

Brain freeze, anyone? Here the phenomenon is documented by a baby and her facial expressions. Awesome.

The Tahoe Files: Sushi drum solo

This video needs very little intro. Suffice it to say that Olivia has musical inclinations. Dig the jamming facial expressions too. She really got into it.

The Tahoe Files: Pinecone Hunt

This weekend we went to Lake Tahoe and stayed at a cabin with a view of the lake. I kept remarking to Preston that it was absolutely the most perfect time to be there (off-season), since it was quiet and we could explore all of the historic 19th and early 20th century luxury cottages that rich people built to "get away from it all" all those years ago. It made me wish to have been friends with them.

In this video, Olivia takes great relish in collecting SMALL pinecones, which are rare on the grounds of Camp Richardson. It's also a bit like an Easter Egg Hunt. At the end, after some dark footage in the shadows of pine trees, she demands that the other parent come acknowledge her findings.

Olivia vs. The Mango

Some of you may remember that when Olivia designates a foe, or is just feeling a bit sassy toward someone/something, she rarely keeps it a mystery. (Exhibit A: Hot Tomato vs. Baby, circa 6 months.)

Just prior to this video, Olivia set her sights on a mango in Whole Foods and would not be denied. She began her attack in the store, with the peel still on. Once strapped into her carseat, she escalated the assault (and thankfully, gained access to the actual fruit instead of the peel).

At the end she announces her victory very simply: "Mango."

Garden reflection, then POW! (big finish)

Gardening makes Olivia ponder things, just like it does her mama. Here she meditates on flowers and lettuce. She may also be hoping that mama doesn't attempt to make her bond with another worm, which she has demonstrated on numerous occasions that she does NOT like. (It, like many other unknown animals, has become to be named "NAKE!"--snake, minus the s--and she would, please, prefer not to meet any more of them.)

This video has an enthusiastic, special big finish for Nanny and Grampy. Must have been all the silent meditating on plant life that contributes to the energy of the end declaration.

Pool stuff

Olivia swam a bit, but mostly constructed, rearranged, strolled and cultivated around the edge of the pool. Here she is at work.

We all scream . . .

There is no ice cream involved in this video (though Olivia did indulge in a strawberry scoop with a tiny, baby-sized cone perched on top, like a hat). This video features Grampy with an entire cadre of grandkids-on-wheels.

The driveway hijinks that followed the screaming contest included Grampy chasies and chalk tasting. Behold:

Big Cat with Cheese

Auntie Kathleen texted me the other day to remind me that it’s been two months since the last video post. Its true: I’ve been remiss, and Olivia has been up to all sorts of video-worthy shenenigans, some of which appear below.

This video has a familiar theme, but with the delicious flavor combo of fur and string cheese. Enjoy.

What does a sheep say?

This video is dedicated to my friend Lynne who has a sheep blog. She loves the wooly guys. So does Olivia. When a bunch of cartoon animals showed up in a Sesame Street segment, Olivia said “baa” to point out the sheep. Of course, she’ll also identify any teetee toute de suite. Looks like she has two favorite animal categories: domesticated and farm.

Gigglefoot

Just a little shake-em-up giggle session filmed and sustained by Mommy and her foot. Pink Uggs courtesy of Connie, brown corduroy mini jumper handed from Cameryn, sweatshirt by Nanny in consultation with Auntie Kell.