8/22/08 - A DAY WITH THE AMISH

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Today we met up with Grandpa George and the family and went to Ethridge, TN. There is an Amish community there that John and his Dad grew up around. We went to a produce auction in an open air barn. Local Amish farmers hauled their produce to the barn in their wagons and buggies. They would drive their wagons through the middle of the barn and people would bid on the crops as they moved through. The boys were excited to see the draft horses and all the different types of vegetables.

We then drove out into the farming community and stopped to buy corn, tomatoes and okra from the farms. We brought it all back to our cabin and roasted corn over the fire. Uncle Matt and John made the classic Alabama dish: fried green tomatoes. Great food and fun with the family.

Here are pictures of Oliver, Orion and Grandpa checking out the Amish buggies.

8/16/08 - OLLIE WANTS TO POTTY TRAIN!

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All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Ollie is interested in potty training. It started when one day he was in his high chair and he kept saying "poo poo". That used to mean that he had just gone poo poo in the diaper. But when I scooped him up and went to change him, his diaper was clean. And then he said "pah-eee? poo poo?" and pointed toward the bathroom. So I thought..."why not?"

Imagine my surprise when he actually went. He was so proud and clapped and said "yay...poo poo. bye bye poo poo." Then he pointed to the cabinet and wanted m & m's like Orion used to get. I didn't have any though (note to self: get chocolate potty rewards for Ollie!)

Then after his nap he woke up and said "pah-eee? pah-eee?". I checked him and he was dry. So I plopped him on the potty and he peed. Amazing. Anyway, the trend has continued. He's interested and continues to go. Now I understand those parents who brag "I had junior potty trained by 9 months!" (yeah, whatever). The truth is that some kids really do potty train all by themselves. I take no credit with Ollie. He's so tiny and so cute on the potty. He may be small, but he's always seeking to have the independence of a big boy. It will be so sad when he doesn't need Mommy's help anymore (probably by age 3 at this rate!)

**note** Ollie is stripped down naked in the pics because it's about 95 degrees with no air-conditioning right now in Olympia. Oy!!!

8/11/08 - HE'S A BALL BOY!

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It seems worth mentioning that Ollie is, and always has been, obsessed with balls. In fact, his first word was ball (at 7 months old). He is also very fond of balloons and bubbles. So, maybe it's just an obsession with round things. I don't know.

But today he enjoyed sitting in his laundry basket (which we call his "Pod", filled with blankets and pillows) and watching Olympic Beach Volleyball with me. He just kept calling out, "baw up, baw dow". He just loved it.

Here are some pictures of him from a week ago playing with a ball in the yard. Needless to say, we always carry a ball with us.