Growing and Glowing

(Better late than never, right?)



I've been sitting on photos from our August visit with Oliver, and today I've just returned from my Christmas visit with the little man. Let's review...



Julian had a conference in Melbourne during August this year, so we seized the opportunity to catch up with Damien and family. We caught a flight on a Friday night and made a long weekend of it.

There's something completely magical about an Ollie hug. It always comes with an excited squeal and a sunshine smile. He melts me.

At 2+ years old, Oliver can already rip through the alphabet, and count like Dracula.

The perfect play room has everything - places to hide, soft cuddly friends, things to count, things to ride, things to stack, things to write on, musical things...

...but what he really wants is an i-phone like Grandpa!



So now, here we are in December.

Julian was scheduled to work, so I drove to Melbourne myself, just after Christmas.

What did I discover about Oliver 5 months later?

Well, he looks FABULOUS in a Leafs jersey...

...nothing at "Scienceworks" will go unchallenged...

...and Oliver LOVES summertime!

Angel Boy

After an early morning arrival in Melbourne, I hid in the hallway as Jacki dressed Oliver for the day. There was excited conversation between the two...a special visitor was here today! I was already feeling teary when he raced out to find me, stopping in front of me with a big grin, little hands held behind his back. "Hi Nana!" before launching himself into my arms and squeezing my chicken neck with a warm Ollie bear hug.

It wasn't long before I was grasped by the finger and led through the yard.

There are two different types of apple trees in their backyard, an obvious hit with Oliver. The branches are low, heavy with fruit...perfect for a little man to choose and pick for himself, then straight to the tap to wash the fruit before eating.

The narrative was endless. Books, pets, toys, movies, friends, numbers, shapes...there was just so much to babble about!

The local playground is very close to home. Oliver knows all the gardens along the way, and the best sources for free flowers. His moves are smoothe and defined...bend comfortably, snap low on the stem, follow through with a raise to the nose and a deep inhaling of the sweet perfume. Tuck everything neatly into a small sweaty palm, ready for presentation to Mum.

Climbing, running, sliding, swinging...not a step out of place.

We spent some time in the Preston Library, a favourite spot for Oliver and Jacki. Oliver and I curled up into a bean bag chair to read for a while. Oliver turned the pages and told me the stories...