Oliver Is 11

 

Oliver Christian turned 11 on Saturday, January 2nd.

Oliver is honestly my easiest child! He's such a happy, even-tempered, 

and charming kid. Plus, he's always up early and gets to bed on time. 

He is relatively easy to reason with when he is mad or frustrated.  

He listens and is very obedient. 

I love Oliver with all my heart and

I love at the end of the day when I plug my phone

 into the computer and download my photos from the day because he has

taken random photos of things he loves.  Like his army backpack, Lego creations, 

a cut on his arm, his Star Wars guys, the sunset, a deer out the window,

or his siblings doing stuff.

He is a joy, a light, and a  breath of fresh air!

Usually the traditional birthday breakfast around our house is 

pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles.  

Not for this growing boy, he requested his birthday breakfast be a

 salmon and egg sandwich. 

 I usually make my kids eat their birthday breakfast 

with the awesome felt birthday crowns that they loved
when they were like 3 years old.

  They still indulge me and wear it every year
no matter how old they are turning.

I hope this happens forever and ever.

Mr. Nielson told Oliver he needed his "birthday Squeeze", 

so we packed up the family to check out some cattle squeeze chutes for the ranch
and we made Ollie get inside one where we gave him a good squeeze. 

I think Lottie was totally confused, but I think Temple Grandin would
agree it's actually quite comforting.

On the Sunday following my children's birthdays, 

we celebrate by having them blow out candles 

on a cake I make specially for the occasion. 

During dinner, we take turns sharing stories about the birthday boy or girl.

 I then retell the story of their birth, including the time of day they were born,

 their weight, and all the unique details that make their birth story special. 

This year I retold the story of when Ollie was almost born on a train 

from Manhattan to East Brunswick, New Jersey, 

but we made it home just in time. 

Ollie was born on my bed and he was always the best snuggler. 

One thing about Ollie is that he doesn't really like frosting, 

so he asked for an angel food cake with whipped cream, 

which I happily made for him. Happy Birthday to my lovely little boy!