Oliver Trevor Jay Connell's Photoblog

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & ninety

tcp — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:07:09 +0000

Christmas Day is a day most of us look forward to. This year however, I think most of us in the Connell household would just rather hope that next years is better and forget what’s already been.

You see, Oliver was sick, then Dana slowly came down with the flu as well, culminating with all three of us getting it and effectively ruining our Christmas/New Year’s plans and holidays this year. We didn’t start feeling better until the first week of January, which as you know by then, most holidays are over.

So, we woke up Christmas Day morning and Dana fell out of bed. She didn’t have any energy. We trudged our way through the gift opening process but it wasn’t the joyous occasion we had hoped. Oliver and I then made the trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Christmas Day dinner. It was nice, but as you can see from the photos, Oliver looks pretty beat. We stayed the night and went home the next day, hoping we’d find a happy and healthy Mama but alas, she was in the exact same curled up position on the couch where we had left her. Things were not looking up.

But I’m happy we got to make a few photos this past Christmas. At least there is some documentation that we made it through. One of my favourite family portraits of Oliver and his Grandparents came on this trip so I have to be thankful for that!

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & eighty-eight

tcp — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:12:24 +0000

This year we celebrated Christmas with the Ruprechts a couple of days earlier. We had a great time opening gifts, exchanging compliments and stories, and having a great dinner. Unfortunately, this was ultimately the start of what would become a month long sickness at our house which eventually crippled our Christmas break/New Year’s plans completely. Oh well, some years are just like that.

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & eighty-five

tcp — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:57:27 +0000

Every year we’ve taken Oliver to visit Santa at the Bramalea City Centre. When Santa comes there, he is always in a good mood and Oliver really enjoys seeing him. It’s also really fun to have a “family photo” taken with Santa each year. You can see how much we’ve changed over the past four years just by comparing the photos (year one here, year two here and year three here). Oliver is really growing up quickly!

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & fifty

tcp — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:47:56 +0000

We had a little party for Oliver’s 4th birthday. Nothing huge, just a couple friends, some games, treats, and presents. It was a cowboy-themed event, and the kids seemed to really enjoy the activities Dana planned out for them. Definitely a highlight for me was making s’mores in our fireplace.

Enjoy the photos.

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & thirty-two

tcp — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:59:40 +0000

Hallowe’en is always fun around our house. Dana really decorates the place up right. Oliver loves to get dressed up as seen in our previous posts (Oliver’s first Hallowe’en, Oliver’s second Hallowe’en, & Oliver’s third Hallowe’en) and this year was no exception. Oliver originally wanted to be a pig, then a duck, then something else and then he saw the Sheriff Woody costume and had to have it. Dana ordered it online and it took everything Oliver had not to wear it before the special day.

But when the 31st came, Oliver did a great job, hamming it up for the camera. And even though it was cold and rainy that Hallowe’en night, Oliver’s spirits couldn’t be dampened. We actually went out trick or treating a second time after emptying what turned out to be an undersized pumpkin bowl! Lots of fun (and candy) was had by all.

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day fourteen hundred & twenty-two

tcp — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:11:22 +0000

Downey’s Farm, it’s a great place for kids and adults alike. We tend to go once a year, when the pumpkins are all out because they really do it up for the kids. It’s great to go back to the same location every year because it gives us a chance to really see how Oliver has grown. Here are the previous years posts: Year 1, Year 2, & Year 3.

This year we had a blast again. Oliver is at a great age to be out doing these things. Downey’s not only has a pumpkin patch, but they have a great play area, a petting zoo and wagon rides. Even though we went on a busy weekend day, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day thirteen hundred & eighty-six

tcp — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:08:36 +0000

Spending time with our friends is something we love to do but most certainly don’t have as much time to do as we would like. So, when we get a chance to spend a Saturday afternoon with our friends, we jump at the opportunity. On this lovely day, we spent the afternoon and evening with Tigh and Janet. We went for a visit to an Antique Market in Cambridge called Southworks and then we went for a walk around the surrounding neighbourhoods. This was particularly fun because it gave Tigh and I a chance to go on a photowalk together.

Below are some of the photos I took throughout the afternoon.

We look forward to being able to do it all again this summer!

Cheers!
t.

oliver connell | day thirteen hundred & seventy-six

tcp — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:03:20 +0000

Today was the day every parent wishes for, hopes for, and dreads a little bit. Today, was my baby’s first day of school. It’s strange to think that Oliver is already in school even though he has been mentally ready for it for quite some time. And none of that prepares you for the myriad of emotions this day is as a parent. And believe me – Oliver wasn’t the one that was even crying! Strange how that happens eh?

Before school, we spent some time outside documenting Oliver’s special day.

I hope you enjoy the photos.

Cheers!
t.

Video Shorts: Making Bread Sticks

tcp — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:23:55 +0000

Dana has a great recipe for making homemade breadsticks. Both Oliver and I enjoy eating these breadsticks! Yum! I’m hungry just thinking about them.

Enjoy the vid.

Video Shorts: The Train Track

tcp — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 18:42:19 +0000

Oliver loves his Chuggington Trains and he loves to build train tracks. Here’s a quick video of Oliver describing what he built.

Cheers!
t.