Christmas 2011

Christmas started for us Thursday night with Shawn's parents coming over to open gifts. Oliver received his first sled just his size, OLIVER letters, cheese balls, a savings bond and a recordable story book from Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Shirley. Shawn and I received a new ceiling fan for our bedroom and a 2-wheel cart.

The next Christmas was Saturday morning at our house with Shawn, Oliver and I. We had asked Santa if he could come to our house Christmas Eve morning instead of Christmas because we wouldn't be home on Christmas and he did! Here is our weekend in pictures.

All these present for me!!!

Getting the hang of unwrapping

A Caterpillar train set with a bulldozer, excavator, and wheel-loader along with the train cars.

A firetruck with lights and a siren

Playing with the wrapping paper after opening all the gifts was the most fun part for Oliver and Shawn I think.

Playing peek-a-boo with the wrapping paper. Where's Daddy?

I think he must have been a good boy. Gifts included 2 train set, a ball, a firetruck, a mini CAT dumptruck, a CAT truck, and books to name a few. Shawn got me a Kindle Fire and he got many odds and end stuff mostly for the garage.

After opening present we all loaded into my parents van to go down to Davenport. We celebrated with my Grandpa and Grandma Doerscher at their house that afternoon with my aunts, uncles, and cousins along with my parents and grandparents. My sister and her family made it down later that afternoon.

Oliver loved the singing cow who's horns twitch and vibrate. Oliver would get excited and would dance. Good thing they got him something that sang because that is what stopped him from crying on the way home multiple times on Sunday. He also received a Cars car in the gift exchange and Shawn and I received 40 pounds of sugar to make another batch of wine and an empty wine bottle...hint hint from my Grandparents. So cute!

I think Oliver's favorite part though was going up and down my Grandparent's 2 stairs separating the living and dinning room. He did this numerous times throughout the day by himself and would fuss if we'd carry him off somewhere else.

Then that evening we opened present with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and niece. We brought everything down to Davenport with us since we couldn't seem to find a better time to all get together and open our families gifts.

Some blocks for Oliver from his cousins Ian and Annaliese along with a Curious George book and a Leap Frog refrigerator magnet letters.

He and his cousins played with the Firetruck racing track around the firehouse from my parents. This was one of the only toys that came out of the box and that we put together though because it didn't have too many pieces to it.

Then Christmas morning we went to my Grandma Warnecke's house in Walcott. I think Oliver was a little overwhelmed as any new person would be at "Great Billie's" house with the amount of people, food, and gifts that are packed into her house. I think that and the lack of naps the last few days had caught up to him and he wasn't too excited about another Christmas. He had been sick earlier in the week and still didn't have too much of an appetite either. But he was a trooper and experienced his first Warnecke Christmas.

With his cousin Annaliese sharing an apple slice.

He's a pro at unwrapping gifts. We had stacked them all around us and I wasn't paying attention to what he was doing because I was watching Santa hand out the presents and he started tearing into them.

Part of a whole Thomas the train collection from Great Billie

Meeting Santa Claus for the first time. Oliver was fussing before we had even set him up there. Santa said though that it's a good thing we had the pacifier in so that we couldn't see that he was crying.

He didn't mind sitting there so much once Dillon started ringing Santa's jingle bells from his sleigh.

Look at all the stockings behind Santa on the fireplace; All Great Billie's Grandkids, their spouses, and her Great-grandkids.

We were home Sunday evening a little after 7:00 just in time to unload the van and go to bed. We had a great time and thank everyone for the company and gifts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

First snow of 2011

We woke up to our first real snow of 2011 and just in time to make it feel a little more like Christmas, although, I think it will melt away before Sunday. Oliver was sick yesterday so I didn't know how he would like going out in the snow, but he was much better today so we tried it. At first he hated it but then he liked it.

He didn't like sitting in it and wouldn't even touch it. I would throw some snow on his snow pants and he'd cry harder. I then tried to stand him by the picnic table to see if he' play in it and then he loved it. This is the same way he is with grass, he won't sit on it but he'll stand on it.

We made a snowman just Oliver's size on the picnic table but I think he thought it was blocks and tried knocking it over all the time. He even laughed and loved it when I would lightly throw a snow ball at his chest.

Needless to say, I think it took us longer for me to get him and myself all dressed up for the snow than we actually stayed out there, but he had fun. Can't wait to see his reaction when we get more than 2 inches of snow. Although really, I'm okay with just 2 inches being that we're spoiled and all with the lack of snow and it's almost January.

Merry Christmas to all. I finally have a Holiday off so we're headed down to the Quad Cities for Christmas's this year. I will post pictures of that next week.

Hanging with Dad in the garage

Last weekend Shawn wanted to get "stuff" done in the garage. Now I think he gets "stuff" done every weekend in the garage but we joined him this time. I think Oliver shares Shawn's love for being in the garage because he laughs and squeals with excitement when we get all dressed up to go out there. Our garage is heated so it's comfortable in there temperature wise and has almost everything in there that I think if I'd let him, Shawn would live out there. Oliver's favorite thing out there is still his wagon. But instead of riding in it now he likes to push it around. We have to do the steering for him but he goes around and around numerous times before just sitting indicating he's tired. See his excitement.


It was also this past weekend in the garage, that Oliver stood on his own without anything to hold on to and took a couple steps. Now these steps probably don't count in most people's book since they were more so falling steps he took trying to get to Shawn to hold him up but we'll count them.

Had to take a break to drink some water. All decked out in camouflage even the cup koosie.

Uhh Oh

So it's been almost a month since my last post, sorry it's been crazy busy so here's a little update. Oliver is doing great, he learned to crawl up the stairs now and does well with some assistance coming down them. He's still walking holding on to things but now at least he'll walk only holding onto one of your fingers in one of his hands. He's been good about staying out of the Christmas tree but loves helping to wrap presents. He's my official tape holder. He was playing with one of the toys we had gotten him and then I wrapped it and so he thought he'd poke his finger through the wrapping paper to get at it. I think he'll do great with unwrapping gifts this year needless to say. Shawn and Oliver went to one Christmas party already for the Kainz side at Grandma Shirley's sister's house. I had to work that weekend so it was just the boys. They missed out on Santa in St. Olaf that morning because Oliver wasn't feeling the best but we can't wait to see Santa at Great Billie's on Christmas day.


This is what I walked into the other day. I hadn't heard him for a while so I thought I would go investigate what he was doing. The only cupboard we don't have a safety lock on and he gets into it and starts pulling everything off the shelves. Oh well, I guess it needed to be reorganized anyway.

Using a fork

We've been trying for a few weeks now to have Oliver starting using his own silverware to eat instead of us having to feed him but he never care much for them or what they were doing sitting on his tray. Instead he used his fingers like most kids. When you'd take and put the spoon/fork in his hand he'd throw a tantrum until Wednesday. On Wednesday he actually took the fork and put it in his mouth. He did this throughout lunch and even was successful at stabbing a piece of food with his fork. Spoons are much harder for him because it all falls off the spoon before he can get it to his mouth leading to baths afterward. Now I think he does it on purpose to get a bath after. So smart! And, we think he's going to be a lefty, he does mostly everything with his left hand.

Wheel of Fortune

Oliver has an extreme fascination with Wheel of Fortune. I think this can be attributed to my parents watching him one night and they always have it on at 6:30. Now this is the only show we let Oliver watch. I don't know if it is the wheel or the clapping that he finds so mesmerizing but he loves it. He now claps with them and jabbers on throughout the whole show. And yes, the gait in front of the TV was our way of baby proofing and it works well.

Halloween part 3

So our little puppy got dressed up Halloween night and went out trick or treating in his wagon. The night started with a bowl full of chili to warm him with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Shirley and then the fun started. Now, I think for Oliver, he didn't know what to think about the going door to door, he just wanted to keep that wagon rolling. Every time we'd stop at someone's house he'd play shy and try and hide his face. We would tell people "no candy, just showing off our cute puppy" but of course it didn't work, we still came home with a lot of goodies. Oliver would get impatient and want to get going again. He didn't understand about the stopping part, just wanted a wagon ride.

Had to stop first at Grandpa Dave and Grandma Sandy's house.

His tail behind him

We did meet up with some of his friends.
Kimberly, Rebecca, Reese, and Oliver

The cute little couple Reese and Oliver

Before the trick or treating Oliver also got a new trike from Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Shirley. His feet don't touch the pedals yet but that didn't stop him for going for a ride. Anything that moves my son loves. But, he especially loved the horn my in-laws so thoughtfully placed on it. I'll just say when Shawn came home from work, the horn got filled full of Kleenex's to drown out the noise.

Happy Halloween part 2

Happy Halloween everyone! Tonight while to ghouls and goblins are out so will a cute little puppy Trick or Treating for his 2nd official Halloween, hopefully he'll stay awake for this one. This weekend Shawn, Oliver and I carved his pumpkin out in the garage. This pumpkin Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Dave grew especially for him. It was just his size, not to big and not to small.

Since he helped carve one at Grandpa Chuck's and Grandma Shirley's house last week, he's a pro at it and could tell by this picture that he was so excited!

He wasn't scared to dig into into the pumpkin guts and didn't even like it when I stuck my hand into it to help.



And, while I was busy cleaning out the pumpkin and Shawn taking pictures, Oliver sneaked a piece of the pumpkin into his mouth for a taste. Well it mustn't have tasted bad because he did it again a few minutes later. Hope raw pumpkin isn't bad for him! At least Shawn got a picture of it.

This is our way of carving a pumpkin, with a jigsaw. (I think that is what Shawn called it)


New game for Oliver called take the lid off the pumpkin and try and put it back on.


Here's Oliver's two pumpkins. I love how in the picture without the flash you can see the smoke from the candles coming out of the pumpkin's eyes.



HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween fun part 1

The end of last week Oliver had some early Halloween fun at Julie's - his daycare, and with Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Shirley.

As you can tell Oliver is going to be a cute little dalmatian puppy for Halloween. Oliver has a fascination with puppies. He hears the neighbors dogs barking or sees them outside and he just starts giggling. It really is adorable so we thought it was fitting to be a puppy this year and thanks to Grandma Shirley for making it happen by making the costume.

We had to work up to putting the rest of the costume on by first trying the hat on to see if he would keep it on.

After that he posed for the camera in his costume. Look at his cute little floppy ears and tail!

Oliver carved his first pumpkin at Grandma and Grandpa's last Thursday and they said that he actually helped pull the guts out. I'm sure knowing my son and his curious little mind that he dug right into it and then didn't know what to think after he touched it but he did grab a big handful of the pumpkin guts.



I think he liked using the wooden spoon better than his hand.


The pumpkin turned out great and Oliver and Grandpa and Grandma did a great job.

Then the very next day, Oliver had a Halloween party at daycare. All of his little friends dressed up in their costumes and made some frosted Halloween sugar cookies and a homemade Halloween snow globe.

More Halloween fun to come as we carve our pumpkin this weekend and actually do a little trick or treating around the neighborhood on Monday.