Park Day in January

It's 62 degrees and sunny in the Denver area today. After Jo woke up from her morning nap, we set out for the park. I love park days in January. It was so hot with the beating sun that some of the slides were too hot to go on!

Joanna loves slides and wanted to go down the slides herself head first. I had to be there to grab her and rotate her feet first. Oliver loved running, climbing, and going down the smaller slides himself. He enjoyed watching the older kids (4 and 5) run and chase each other. He looked tempted to join in but was too shy to try. Maybe by summer he'll be playing games with the other kids!

Toddler Scales Climbing Wall

Oliver loves climbing the stairs to the tallest slide in the toddler park and sliding down on his belly, feet first. Today, I showed him how to scale the easiest rock wall at the park, too. He loved it!

Another nice day out! Yesterday reached 68 degrees, so Oliver and I went for a stroll and took two trips to the park. This time, he couldn't get enough of the slide. He wanted to go down it over and over again and wasn't even patient enough for me to walk him to the top (I had to lift him and set him on the top). I held is armpits as he slid, and he thought it was the greatest thing ever!

One older little boy came by and handed Oliver wood chips. I told the boy, "Thank you very much!" and Oliver picked up a handful of chips to give to the boy. Unfortunately, the boy didn't see them to take them, but I told Oliver, "That's so nice! Sharing wood chips!" What a sweet little interaction between two kiddos.

A Trip to the Park

I almost feel guilty about our warm weather. The east coast just got their sixth blizzard of the season! Meanwhile, we keep getting 50 and 60 degree days. Today in the Denver area, we had yet another 60 degree day. Oliver and I couldn't stay cooped up, so I took him to the park.

We drive to the park, as it's about a mile and a half away. As I pulled him out of the car, he screeched, "DJEEJ!" It surprised me, and I jumped. After a moment passed, I realized he was pointing to a little dog! He was so excited about it. He usually calls dogs, "JEESH," so I was delighted that his word is starting to become more coherent. The ladies with the dog laughed and said, "Oh! He wants to see the dog!" They let the dog get just close enough to lick Oliver's fingers. Oliver was thrilled!

The park was bustling with kids and parents. There seriously had to be forty people. Thankfully, the park is split in two; there's an area for bigger kids and a shorter area for toddlers. Oliver liked to watch the big kids run around, but his favorite thing was the wood chips (again). He wanted to pick them up and watch them fall, and he wanted to put them on the slide to watch them slide down. He also gave a few handfuls of wood chips to me and other moms. He thought the playground equipment was OK. He asked me to put him on the slide a couple of times, but he only tolerated the swing for about a minute before whining for me to pull him out.

Where Art Thou, Snow?

This is likely to be the driest December in Denver's history. So far this season, I could count the number of times we've gotten a light dusting of snow on one hand. There's yet to be a snow substantial enough to play in. I love the snow, and so I was so hyped last week when I woke up to a thin layer of snow on the cars and trees (not even enough to stick to the pavement). Andrew teased me when I got bundled up to go sweep the nearly non-existent snow off of his car so he could go to work. He started laughing when I sprinkled sidewalk salt on the front stoop "in case we got more snow" (we didn't).

Today, the temperature reached 53 degrees. I decided to make the most of the warm day, and so Oliver and I went to the park. It was our first time there since October. Oliver's favorite part was the wood chips, which he enjoyed throwing and dropping and putting on the slide to watch slide down.

Oliver's Birthday in Photos