The Olsens

Thursday Pinterest - Gifts, Comfort Food, Laundry

2011-11-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

Pinterest, Pinterest Oh how I am addicted to you!

Here are a few things I did this week from Pinterest:

Printing on Paper bags for a gift.

I made 30 of these gifts for all of the Primary workers who serve in our church.

They were cheap, easy, and turned out so cute!

In the bag there was a hot chocolate mix, little bag of marshmallows, and Pirouette cookies.

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin -

This meal turned out really good!

I changed it a little by cooking the meat and vegies in 1/2 cup white wine and 1 cup chicken stock.

It was a very simple meal, but very good!

I served it with a green salad and homemade rolls.

I will be posting this recipe on my recipe blog soon, hut until then you can click on the link.

This will be a Sunday Staple at our house.

Laundry Detergent Glass Jar

When I saw this idea, I LOVED it!

I wanted to make my laundry room look a little prettier.

It is so simple, but makes it look so much nicer

then having a big orange box of detergent on my Dryer.

I bought the glass container at Hobby Lobby for 50% off it was $13.99.

I already had the ribbon.

Turkey Pot Pie

This is one of our families favorite comfort foods in the fall.

I had some left over Turkey from a Turkey Breast I Cooked on Sunday. I think I was more excited about using the leftovers for this pie then I was having just the Turkey breast.

This recipe was amazing!

Instead of cooking two smaller pies i made one big pie. My family ate the whole pie in one night. Even Seth my picky eater had 2 big pieces.

I will for sure make this again!

http://pinterest.com/pin/286823069987742896/

The First Snow Fall of The Year!

2011-11-10T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have seen the first snow of the season!

The kids were SO EXCITED.

I was excited until I remembered that I would not see green for another 6 months. . . winter in Michigan lasts FOREVER.

We are going to make this the BEST snowy winter EVER. It is our last one here in Michigan, next year we will be in Arizona with no snow.

This was the first time Kate has ever really seen the snow. It really was pretty to watch that snow fall. I think she liked it.

As soon as the snow starting falling,

Seth started looking for his snow suit, gloves, and hat.

He wanted to go sledding.

I had to brake it to him that it was not snowing that much (thank goodness) for a sledding day.

Isaac and Seth went out and tried to catch the snow on there tongues on our deck until they realized that it was COLD.

Go put your coats on boys!

They spent awhile playing outside in the snow falling.

Isaac then told me later that the only reason he was excited about the snow falling was that Christmas is almost here! I feel the same way. Here come the holidays!

One fun thing about living here in Michigan is that we always have a White Christmas!

9 Months Old!

2011-11-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Seriously,

where did the time go?

My baby girl is 9 months old now!

We are so grateful for Kate.

Our family would not be complete with out her,

we all love having a sweet baby girl in our home.

I tried to get Kate to smile for these pictures,

but she was more interested in my camera light.

So these are her serious poses.

Love this girl so much.

Leaf Pile

2011-11-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

This leaf pile entertained my boys all afternoon!

Outside with our neighborhood gang of boys,

they were raking and jumping

into this pile of leaves for a good couple of hours.

SO FUN.

Awwe. . .to be a kid and jump into a pile of leaves.

I love IT!

Balloons and Green Lantern

2011-11-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

My sweet Seth is in 1/2 day Kindergarten this year.

So that leaves the other 1/ 2 of the school day at home with me!

He gets SO bored during that time, so I do try to make it fun for him.

This week we made Balloon animals!

He did a great job, and actually ended up figuring out how to do it on his own then he taught me.

He now wants to be "Balloon maker when he gets older".

Have you ever seen a Green Lantern Turkey??

Well, that is what Seth wanted to make with his school project Turkey.

He is so proud of it!

He will take it back to school now and it will be hung up in the hall by his classroom.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had a Great Halloween.

With lots of pumpkins,

apple cider,

and Candy.

Here are some pictures of our 2011 Halloween

Our very own little "KatieBug" Lady bug!

The Force of Star Wars was with Isaac and Seth.

Isaac was Han Solo

Seth was Jango Fett

It is SO nice living only 15 minutes away from a really nice pumpkin patch.

We had fun picking out our pumpkins and putting them in our little wagon.

We had to do the corn maze. I thought it would be an easy one. BUt we got stuck in that corn maze for at least 30 minutes. I have never been so happy to get out of a corn maze in my life! :-)

I was able to go to Seth's Kindergarten class and help the kids carve pumpkins. It was so FUN! We carved a scary cat, if you couldn't tell.

Had a lot of fun with the kids this Halloween! Each year gets better!

Thursday Pinterest - Halloween Style

2011-11-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Just like many of you,

I am addicted to

PINTEREST!

I thought it would be fun and a good way for me to actually do these fun ideas I find on Pinterest and to Post about one thing I did from Pinterest once a week. So, every Thursday I am going post on my blog an idea I got from Pinterest and actually tried.

Here are a few Ideas I did this last month for

Halloween!

Jack-O-Lantern Quesadilla

These cute quesadillas were a fun lunch for my kids around Halloween. They were so EASY to make and my kids really loved them.

Pumpkin Bowling

I had so much fun making these bowling pins.

I was in charge of the games at a Church Halloween party, I made these for a pumpkin bowling game.

The kids at the party had a lot of fun with it.

Now my boys keep playing with them.

They cost me $0 to make. My friend gave me her empty soda bottles and I already had the paint and black marker.

Hanging Bats:

These turned out so cute!

I had SO MANY compliments on Trick-Or-Treat night.

They were very easy to make and hang up. I did it all in about an hour!

I used Black poster board to make the bats and they help up really well.

I will for sure do this again next year for Halloween.

Third Grade Class Halloween Party!

2011-11-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

This year in Isaac 3rd grade class

I was in charge of the

Halloween Party!

It was a little tricky doing the party and having Kate and Seth along with me. I wish we had a grandma near by to watch them. However, we made it work and the party was a success.

We started off the party with the whole school in their annual Halloween parade!

Here is Isaac with his friends getting ready to parade it, Isaac just cannot smile normally for me he always has to be silly! :-)

When the kids came back to the classroom we made these cute BATS out of pumpkins.

This bat is the one that Isaac made all my himself. It made for a great Halloween decoration in our house!

Here is the link to the directions on how to make them:

Pumpkin Bats

For the game we all went out in the hallway outside their classroom.

I divided the kids in two groups.

I put a strip of tape for the start and turn-around spots.

We then played a Pumpkin Relay Race!

This was such a great game for this age group. They did very well and really had fun.

After the Relay race we went back into the classroom and put the kids all in groups of 3. Then gave each group a roll of toilet paper. When I said GO, they wrapped one member of their group up like a mummy! They loved it.

Here is Isaac all wrapped up!

When games were over, we had snack!

Now in Isaac's class we have MANY FOOD allergies (peanut and milk being the biggest ones).

This made planning the snack very hard.

I ended up doing Apple slices, Kettlecorn popcorn, and Sprite and Apple juice. Not the most creative halloween snack, but I honestly had the hardest time finding anything 'fallish' that did not contain any peanuts or milk.

When snack was done, I read them one of kids Favorite Halloween books

"Where's My Mummy".

Seriously a cute halloween book, the 3rd graders really like it!

Halloween Monster Pudding Cups

2011-10-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

I found this fun Halloween idea on

HALLOWEEN MONSTER PUDDING CUPS

I knew right away that my boys would LOVE them!

It also looked easy enough for Seth to help me make them.

I have to keep him busy in the afternoon's when Isaac is not home. Poor guy gets so bored after he gets home in the afternoon after morning Kindergarten.

This is what you need to make these scary cups:

-clear plastic cups

-perminate black marker to make monster face

-large instant Vanilla pudding mix

-green food coloring

-any kind of crushed chocolate cookies

-brown M&M's glued on the sides for ears

Makes for a fun Halloween Treat!

Bundled Up and Ready to Go

2011-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of

Kate

all bundled up and looking so cute!

We had to all get bundled up warm for the boys last Soccer games on Saturday.

Both Isaac and Seth had a great fall season of Soccer. We had so much fun watching them improve and have fun with their friends.

Pony Farm Field Trip

2011-10-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

I had such a fun time hanging out with Seth on his

Pony Farm Field Trip!

All of the Kindergartners went on a bus to a pretty pony farm.

They all got to ride on a pony, Seth Loved that.

Then we all went on a hay ride through the woods.

We got to see all kinds of farm animals. Seth even got to pet a sweet baby cow.

They all got to feed the goats.

Such a fun field Trip!
I am so grateful that I was able to go with my Sweet Seth.

Post Family Farm With Grandpa & Grandma

2011-10-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Last week Grandpa and Grandma Olsen came to see us for a few days.

We were so happy to have visitors, and it was such a beautiful week here in Michigan.

One of their favorite places to go while visiting us is Post Family Farm. They have the BEST EVER pumpkin donuts and make them fresh every hour. There apple cider is SO good too.

Here are a few things we did while visiting Post Family Farm:

Pumpkin Tree! I love this.

I wish I could have a smaller version of this at my home.

This is the barn where the pumpkin donuts and apple cider are made and served.

Such a pretty White barn.

The boys love the Zip line!

The coolest tire swings Ever. They look like horses.

We all got to feed the cute little goats.

Pumpkin Train Ride.

Michigan in the Fall is So fun! We love going to all of these fun farms.

So glad that Grandpa and Grandma came to see us.

What are we Playing Today?

2011-10-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Oh these boys totally crack me up!

They are so creative.

I love seeing them outside playing and they do almost everyday.

It seems like these days a lot of boys are staying inside more to play the Wii or their other video games. It is very refreshing to me that my boys would rather go outside and play with their friends.

We have a huge toy box in our garage for the boys to keep all of their outside toys in.

On our street and circle we have about 10 boys all around my boys age. It is so much fun when they are all playing with each other. And for the most part, thankfully, they all get along.

Everyday they play something different.

Some of their favorites are Star Wars, Harry Potter, War, Basketball, Football, tag, Soccer, and Pirates.

For the last 4 1/2 years these boys have been friends.

It has been so fun to watch them grow up. They are almost like brothers!

We will TOTALLY miss this when we move.

Rainbow Walk

2011-10-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a huge Fall rain and thunderstorm.

After the storm went away, the sky was so beautiful I had to go out and enjoy it.

Who better to go out and enjoy it with then my sweet little Kate.

So I put on her cute Missoni hat (from Target) and we headed out on a walk.

Look at that sky!

It was so SO BRIGHT.

Then I turned around and saw this. . .

a full RAINBOW!

It has been awhile since I have seen a full rainbow.

LOVED IT. So happy I decided to go on a walk with Kate, and had my camera to get a shot of the Rainbow.

So Grateful For Talented Friends

2011-10-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to be surrounded by friends who are very talented!

I am so impressed by what others can do and accomplish, it is so motivating.

My blog was seriously needing a major update. I had it designed a few years ago, and I just wanted a change.

My very talented friend Lindsey gave my blog a brand new look, and I LOVE IT!
I sent her the pictures that my other super talented friend Jill had just taken of our family, and told her kind of what I wanted. A couple of days later she had it done. I am so thankful to her for changing up my blog.

A big thank you to my talented friends!

Jill
&
Lindsey

Orchard Family Pictures

2011-10-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had our family pictures taken by one of my very talented friends

Jill Scripps at Fireflies Photography

When picking a location to get our pictures taken I wanted to pick one of our family's favorite spots that we have loved going to while living here in Michigan these last 4 1/2 years.

The very first year living here I went on a preschool field trip with Isaac to

Wells Apple Orchard.

It was a beautiful sunny Fall day, and I remember thinking that it was one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. I loved the colors, smells, and all around feel of the orchard. Now Wells Orchard has become our families favorite place to buy fresh apples, homemade pies, fresh apple cider, and around Halloween we love to pick our own pumpkins and do the corn maze. Wells has become one of our favorite Michigan spots. We sure will miss it when we move this spring.

The owners of Wells Orchard was very gracious to let us have their beautiful Orchard property be our family photo shoot backdrop.

I love how the pictures turned out, Jill did an amazing job as usual.

I also love that we will always have Wells orchard in the background to remember our time here in Michigan.

Here are a few of our favorite shots:

Saturdays = Soccer

2011-09-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Fall Time is a busy time for us.

Our boys have began their sports for the fall.

Soccer includes a practice during the week and a game on Saturday's, for both boys that is 2 practices a week and 2 games on Saturday!

This year Andy is Seth's coach, and Isaac's assistant coach. I also got involved by being Isaac's team parent.

It is busy.

But we LOVE watching them play and spending the time with them! So it is all worth it.

It is also fun to be outside and enjoying the fresh fall air, talking with other parents, and watching them improve and make goals.

I wasn't able to get many good shots of Isaac playing this time.

I will post some better ones of him later.

Here he is getting ready to be goaly.

Little Miss Giggles

2011-09-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

I don't think Kate will ever get bored in our house!

She has 2 crazy brothers to keep her giggling.

Isaac and Seth get her to laugh and giggle more than I can.

She will just stare. watch, and observe them while they play.

But when they try to get her to laugh she will giggle and smile so big.

Solid food and Sippy cup

2011-09-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Kate LOVES her solid food!

Sweet potatoes, green beans, applesauce, prunes, spinach, pears. . .

She started eating solid food at age 6 1/2 months.

I try to make her baby food as much as I can.

It is a lot cheaper, I guess it could be healthier too?

I do buy some organic baby food for when I run out of the food I make for her.

Here she is making a mess and loving her new found food!

It is taking her awhile to figure out the sippy cup.

I figure she will get the hang of it eventually.

I love that I can now buy PURPLE sippy cups.

Good thing she has an older brother to help her out with the sippy cup!

Back To School

2011-09-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

This was a big Back To School year for us.

Isaac started 3rd grade

Seth Kindergarten

The night before the first day of school

I made a special dinner, the boys favorite meal.

Menu was:

Raspberry Lemonade

Strawberries

Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake

Cinnamon Bread

Green Salad

Ice Cream Sandwiches

They LOVED IT!

They were both SO excited to start school.

Seth has been waiting for this day for a long time. Every year watching Isaac getting on the bus, he has been so excited to get on with him.

My sweet boys all ready and looking very handsome for school!

SETH - AGE 5 - KINDERGARTEN

ISAAC - AGE 8 - 3RD GRADE

Hugs and kisses,

Bye MOM and KATE. . .

I was good and didn't cry, just felt like this year is a big new step for our family.

I feel old. I am still in denial that I have a 3rd grader, I remember when I was in 3rd grade! And my baby boy is all grown up and off to Kindergarten. Where does the time go?

Love these boys.

Pentwater, Michigan

2011-09-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend

we drove up to Pentwater, MI

and spent the day with our friends the Smith's.

Their family has a very cute cottage right on the lake.

We only see the Smith's when they come up to the cottage, so we were very excited to spend time with them.

We all had a great time!

We miss the Smith's and So wish we lived closer to them.

Here are a few pics of our time at Pentwater:

Look Who is Sitting Up

2011-09-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

I love this baby stage

where they can sit up and stay in one place.

You know the stage where they don't know they can crawl and move around yet.

Kate started sitting up at age 6 months.

She will sit and play with her toys for a good 30 - 45 minutes before she starts fussing that she is done.

LOVE this pretty girl!!

Seth & Isaac's Basketball Camp

2011-09-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

This Summer the boys were in a Basketball Camp at

Courthouse Athletic Center

In Byron Center, MI

They LOVED IT!

The coaches were awesome.

Seth and Isaac both improved in their basketball skills so much.

Here are a few pictures of them showing off their skills.

Loved this camp, I will totally sign them up for this camp again!

Utah Trip Summer 2011

2011-09-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went out to Utah this summer to visit family.

We started out our trip in beautiful Park City, UT

This is the hotel we stayed in, so pretty.

When ever I go back to Utah, I am always taken back by the beautiful HUGE mountains.

Living in Michigan, I forget how pretty they really are.

We had a great time in Park City. Alpine Slide, Mountain Roller Coaster, Rocky Mountain Chocolate, hiking, and Factory Outlet stores.

We also took the kids to see

"This is the Place"

Monument in SLC, UT.

They got their 1st shave, done by a pioneer barber.

and got to go on pony rides.

We also went to a children's science center.

The kids loved it.

The Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving point, in Lehi, UT

My Pretty Miss. Kate!

Here we are up at Provo canyon having a picnic at Nunn's park.

We walked up to see Bridal Veil Falls.

My boys had never seen the waterfall, so I made sure they could see it.

I grew up going to Bridal Veil Falls a lot, it was a big part of my childhood.

Here is my brother Kevin and Sister Angela with my kiddos.

We had a lot of fun hanging out together.

I love my siblings so much!

(we missed my brother Scott and his family, who live in Austin, TX)

We had lots of FUN while in Utah this Summer.

I miss my family so much living away, it was so nice to be able to see them.

Oceanside, CA & Disneyland 2011

2011-09-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

We were so extremely lucky and grateful to be able to take a

Family Vacation to

Oceanside, CA

and Disneyland this last July 2011.

We meet up with Andy's family in Oceanside, Ca.

Where we all stayed in a big house right on the beach!

It was SO beautiful.

Here are a few pics of the boys LOVING

the Beach!

We all went to San Diego a few times while we were there.

Ate at Anthony's Fish Grotto and visited the Midway Aircraft Carrier ship.

Lots of little fun things to do in Oceanside.

We all went to Cafe 101 for some yummy chocolate malts.

LOVE

DISNEYLAND!!

We had a blast with all of our cousins there.

Kate's 1st Trip to

Disneyland!

She did so good, took her naps in her stroller and really was a trooper.

Disneyland is a long day, and she handled it really well.

Happy 4th of July 2011

2011-09-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

For the last 4 years we have really enjoyed spending

our 4th of July Holidays in Grandville, MI

Day starting out with the city parade.

Sitting with friends, enjoying watching the boys get as much candy has they possibly can from the different cars going by in the parade, and being together as a family.

After parade,

a good nap always feels good.

We always grill some good food, then off to our pool for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening, we like to go to the city carnival and the boys always have to get their

Elephant ear. :-)

Then we stay for city fireworks.

Love the 4th of July!

Next year we will be living in a different state, we really enjoyed our last 4th of July in Grandville this year.

Summer Vacation

2011-09-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

This summer vacation was a little bit trickier than past ones.

Having a 4 month old who needs to nap and eat a lot and two active boys who want to play all day was hard to balance.

We did take many days and do fun things, just not as much as in years past.

Here are a few things we did over Summer Vacation 2011:

John Ball Zoo

We did get a Zoo pass and made it to the zoo about every week.

It is a small zoo, but none the less it got us out of house and the boys got some energy out.

There is always something fun going on in Grand Rapids in the summer.

We went to a park party at Lamar park,

the boys loved meeting Ronald McDonald.

Did some rock Climbing

and got to pet chicks and see chickens.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

2011-09-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Last Spring, I made these

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

for the boys school teachers.

Very simple, easy, and inexpensive gifts.

I lOVED how they turned out and the teachers LOVED them too.

I bought the plant/ flowers at our local Home Depot Gardening center.

Then Printed off the saying on white card stock

"THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME GROW"

Then mounted the saying on colored cardstock.

I then used a wood BBQ Skewer for the stick.

I just taped in on the back of the colored cardstock, then glued another piece of cardstock on the back to hide the wood skewer.

On the back side, the side with out the saying. I had my boys write a little thank you note to their teacher and then sign their name.

Then stuck the saying in the plant.

This is a great gift for teachers. I think they like to receive non-food gifts. I thought the flowers were a nice and pretty way to brighten up their day and something they could plant in their gardens at home.

Pictures of Our Miss Kate

2011-09-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Kate is 4 months old in these pictures.

At 4 months old Kate Loves her Stuffed Animals!

She sleeps every night with her dolly or bunny.

And the sweet little girl is sleeping through the night.

She is not sitting up yet, but is arching her back and making cute little baby sounds.

Kate in her first swimming suit!

She loves going swimming, she even takes the water splashing of her brother's pretty well.

Snuggle time.

Kate loves to sit and snuggle with her brother's. She is one lucky girl to have two older brothers that love her SO MUCH!

Spring Sunday Pictures

2011-09-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

It is not very often when I can get a picture of my kids before church!

After church is never a good option. My boys usually have their tie off and shirt unbuttoned by the time I get into our home drive way.

Anyways, our church starts at 9:00 am and we are usually lucky to grab a granola bar and get out the door to get there in time.

And it is not very often when my husband is not working at the hospital and going to church with us.

Everything was aligned perfect this Spring morning and we actually had time to spare for a picture and my husband was home do the honors of snapping those pic's.

What a pretty day it was!

Isaac and Seth in their church attire.

Miss Kate in her pretty Yellow dress!

She just would not smile for the camera, too early in the morning maybe?

I completely understand.

And there you have Seth sneaking in the picture. What a funny little guy. He is always trying to sneak in pictures.

Isaac (8) Seth (5) Kate (4 months)

Kate In Her BUMBO

2011-09-27T20:33:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to buy a BUMBO for

Kate.

Many of my friends have used them with their babies, and I was so happy that I finally had a baby and I could get one!

When my boys were babies, there were NO bumbos.

At first, she didn't quite know what to think. . .

(Kate at 3 months old)

She got the hang of it pretty quickly, and just loved being able to sit up and watch her brothers.

Her Brothers can entertain her pretty good!

LOVE THE BUMBO!

(Kate at 4 months old)

Happy Happy Happy Birthday to Seth!

2011-05-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

Our little man is now 5 years old!
He is such a light in our family.
We are so lucky to have this sweet energetic little boy.
Even at 5 years old he still loves to snuggle with his mommy.
He says his Best Friend is his big brother Isaac,
and he loves to wrestle with his daddy.
He is all boy but when it comes to his baby sister he is so sweet and gentle.

We had a HUGE birthday party for him with all 20 of his Preschool friends.
We all went to the CRAZY BOUNCE HOUSE in Holland MI.
They all had a GREAT time!

We love you so much Seth!
Happy 5 years.

Seth's Preschool Performance. . .

2011-05-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

Seth just finished his last day of Preschool.
He had a such great year and made SO many fun friends.
A few weeks ago they had the cutest Preschool Performance.
Seth sang really well and he looked so cute.
We are so proud of Seth and all he learned this year in Preschool.

Next Year Kindergarten.
Where did the time go?
My baby boy is heading off to big boy school.

Kate 3 months Old

2011-05-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

kate is now 3 months old!

She is sleeping through the night (7pm - 7am)
She smiles, coes, and likes to look at her Brothers.
She is eating a lot and growing so big!
We love our Princess Kate SO Much!

Isaac's Basketball

2011-05-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

The last 8 Weeks Isaac has been in a Basketball league
at the YMCA.

He had so much fun,
and did a Super good job!

We are so proud of him.

He now goes outside and shoots hoops in our driveway for hours after school.
He loves to play Basketball and is getting really good at it!

Happy Easter! Spring 2011

2011-05-03T19:14:00.001-07:00

Seth (4), Kate (12 weeks), Isaac (8)

I feel SO BLESSED to be the mother of these three beautiful kids.
I am grateful to have them in my life.
This picture was taken Easter Morning right before we went to church.
Our Little Easter Bunny.

Seth's Basketball Game. . .

2011-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

For the past 6 weeks Isaac and Seth have been taking
Basketball classes at the YMCA.
Here are a couple pictures of Seth during his class.
He is a good head taller then everyone else his age in his class.
On the first day of class they thought that he was in the 6 and 7 year old class. I had to tell them that he is only 4!
He is loving playing basketball and is really good at it to.
He has got his dribbling down and has been making his baskets really well too.
We are so proud of him!

Slam Dunk!

Kate 1 week - 7 week old pictures. . .

2011-04-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet Kate
Pictures from
1 week old - 7 weeks old

1 Week Old

2 weeks old

3 weeks old

4 weeks old

5 weeks old

6 weeks old

7 weeks old

Baby Quilts

2011-04-17T10:23:00.001-07:00

I make all of my kids baby quilts when they are born.
Here are the two that I made for Kate.

I bought all of my material from my favorite quilting stores in Utah.
This one is machine quilted:

This one is a tied quilt made out of flannel. With a light green on the back.

I had so much fun making these while I was pregnant.
It is so rewarding to now see Kate laying on them and using them.

The Baby Nursery. . .

2011-04-17T10:22:00.001-07:00

Kate has Seth's old room now!
We didn't want to repaint over the blue because we will be moving next year,
so this is how we made it look more girly for her.

We added vinyl flower decals, a new rug, and a new lamp shade.
Everything else was already there.

I am wanting to add pink curtains, and a picture or two as soon as I get around to it.

We really like how it turned out, and that we didn't have to spend much money on making it girly for Kate!

Kate's Baby blessing

2011-04-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Kate was Blessed by her daddy on
Sunday, March 6th 2011
in the LDS Church.
Andy gave her a beautiful Baby Blessing.
She looked so pretty in her blessing dress!
She did so well during the blessing and did not even make a peep.
We are so blessed to have her in our family.
We love you Kate.

My Cub Scouter. . .

2011-04-15T18:33:00.001-07:00

Now that Isaac is
8
he has started
Cub Scouts
and he LOVES it!

His first Pinewood Durby Car
he made a BYU 'Jimmer' car, with the help of his dad.
He was so proud of his car.

Blue and Gold Banquet
Isaac made a Star Wars cake all by himself!
And he won 1st place
for the best looking cake!
So SUPER proud of him.

Kate 1 Week Old

2011-04-13T19:40:00.001-07:00

My sweet friend Liz took these adorable pictures of Kate when she was
1 week old.
Here are some of our favorite pictures:

Our New LIttle Addition to our Family

2011-04-13T18:59:00.001-07:00

Katelyn Amber Olsen
Born at 8:07 am
Tuesday, February 1st 2011

Weighing 8 pounds 15 ounces
20 inches long

Kate was born at Metro Hospital
in Wyoming, Michigan.
She was my third c-section
and my biggest baby.

We loved Kate at first sight!
She is our little princess.

Isaac and Seth were so excited to meet their baby sister.
She is just a few hours old in this picture.

Kate and I stayed at the hospital for 3 days,
while we recovered from her birth.
I will always remember the quiet times Kate and I spent at the hospital together, I feel so very blessed to have a daughter. She is such a sweet little baby.

Isaac's Baptism

2011-04-12T20:25:00.001-07:00

We are so proud of Isaac and his decision to be
Baptized
a member of our church.
He was baptized on
January 31st 2011
by his dad.

His baby picture and 8 year old picture.

My Dad, Mom, and sister Angela came up to Michigan for his Baptism and Kate's birth (the next day Feb. 1st). It was so nice to have them be apart of his special day.
Isaac and Seth LOVE their aunt Angela!

Isaac's 8th Birthday Party!

2011-04-12T20:02:00.001-07:00

Isaac turned
8
on January 14th!
We had a
Pajama / Movie / Pizza Party
with a few of his friends!

Oh boy did they have a great time!
There was a lot of laughter and silliness, I wouldn't have expected anything else.
These boys are so fun.

I am pretty sure that Isaac had a great Birthday Party with his friends!
Good times.

Christmas 2010

2011-04-12T19:32:00.001-07:00

Our yearly Christmas Eve Olsen Family Bowling,
the boys get better every year!

Seth built his own Gingerbread house in preschool with the help of Andy and I.
He did a great job and we had so much spending the time with him in Preschool.

Christmas Morning!
I love these boys, and the memories of these Christmas's are priceless.

November 2010 In Utah

2011-04-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

My Little Sis Angela was married last November to her sweetheart Mark.
We were so happy to be able to fly out to Utah to be with her on her special day!
She looked so Beautiful and happy.
Mark and Angela are such great couple and we are so excited for them.

We all had a big Thanks giving Dinner at my parents house with all of my brothers and sisters!
It was so nice to be with all of my family for a few days.
(my mom and dad)

Our good friends the Yeates moved from Michigan back to Utah this last year.
We had the chance to visit them in Utah while we were there. It was so fun to see them and Isaac and Seth had so much fun playing dress ups with their friends for a little while.

We also had a visit to our Dentist Dr. Wiest, my dad.
Poor Seth had a cavity and had to get it taken care of.
Our little man looked so cute with his gas mask on.

The boys had fun trying on hats and sunglasses at Nordstrom while we were out shopping.

We also got together with our cousins, Seth and his cousin with their yummy cupcakes from a cute little cupcake store.

Halloween and Post Family Farm 2010

2011-04-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

For Halloween Isaac was a Dragon Ninja.

Seth was Spiderman (and so was his friend).

We took our yearly fall trip out to Post Family Farm. . .

and picked out our pumpkins!

The boys took a ride in the Pumpkin train. . .

got their faces painted. . .

and went through the corn maze.

We love the fall in Michigan!

Walt Disney World & Universal Studios

2011-04-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last October (2010) we were very lucky to join my parents in
Walt Disney World & Universal Studios in Florida.
We love Disney and had so much fun!
The boys were perfect ages and could ride on almost all of the rides.
However , I couldn't ride on many rides being 6 months pregnant with Kate. That was OK, it was fun seeing the boys enjoying themselves.
The weather was perfect, and the parks were not to crowded. October is a great time to go to Disney. We can't wait until we can go back. :-)
Here are some pictures of our time there:

Downtown Disney:

Hollywood Studios :

The Magic Kingdom:

Typhoon Lagoon:

Epcot:

Animal Kingdom:

Universal Studios & Harry Potter:

September Events 2010

2010-11-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

Isaac's 1st Day of 2nd Grade
his teacher this year is Mrs. Gaul

He was very excited to start school and has been doing so good in school this year. We are so super proud of him!

Seth's 1st day of 4 year old preschool.
He was so excited to start school! He had been looking forward to it for so long.
He has been doing so well in school this year and has made so many friends, and even got his own locker.

Fall Soccer 2010
We were very busy with both boys in Soccer last Fall.
Isaac and Seth both did a great job and had a lot of fun playing.

Grand Rapids Art Prize 2010
We headed down to Grand Rapids downtown last September to check out Art Prize.
It was fun walking around the city and checking out all of the different art.
These were the boys favorite art pieces.

Mackinac Island 2010

2010-11-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

Last Fall (September 2010)
My Dad, Mom, and sister Angela came out to visit us here in Michigan.
We took them up North to Mackinaw Island.

Mackinaw Island is a Beautiful Island.
No cars are used on this Island, so you get around by horse and buggy or biking.

This is the hotel we stayed in, it was such a nice hotel with beautiful rooms and a yummy complimentary breakfast.

Here are the boys just outside of our hotel room, we were just getting ready to bike around the Island and they were so excited!

Seth and my dad were biking buddies on our trip.
Seth had some bonding time with Grandpa!

We biked to so many beautiful places on the Island, every stop was breath taking!

This is the Grand Hotel, and it is a HUGE hotel.
They filmed the movie 'Somewhere in Time' at this hotel.

We also took my family to Grand Haven to see the Beach that we like to go to in the Summer time.

We all had Grand Haven's Famous Pronto Pups.
They are corn dogs that are dipped and fried right in front of you.
So very good!

We also had to show them Grand Rapids popular Meijer Gardens.
We just really loved having them visit us last fall.
We had lots of fun and great memories together.

Summer 'catch up' Part 1

2010-09-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

I totally slacked off on posting on my blog this summer.
I was so super sick with the first 4 months of my pregnancy that I could barely get my house chores done and take care of my family. I couldn't even think about my blog.
So now that I am feeling much better, I want to document some of the fun things we did this summer.

Summer 2010 Part 1:

Isaac and Seth put on their fast racing shoes for the
Grandville 4th of July Kids run
Andy and I cheered them on, they did great!

Getting a ribbon at the end of race was their favorite part!

Grandville 4th of July Parade!
We sat with our friends Kyle and Liz Orme and their two boys.
Isaac and Seth got SO much CANDY at the parade, so they loved it.
Andy and I were melting in the super HOT sun, and wondering why are we doing this???
Oh ya, for the kids.

Grand Rapids Children's museum had a Curious George exhibit this summer.
Seth LOVED it! He is a BIG Curious George fan.

Ahhh, my two handsome boys.
Isaac 7 & Seth 4

We read the book 'The Marshmallow Incident ' by Judi Barrett.
Then the boys made their very own Marshmallow Work of Art!
They had so much fun with this.

We had a very HOT summer!
So we took many trips to the local splash pad and our neighborhood swimming pool so we could cool off.

John Ball Zoo made for many fun days this summer!
Our favorite thing to do at the Zoo is to touch and feed the Sting-Rays. We did it every time we visited the Zoo.

We also went and saw 'Steve Songs' from PBS kids at the Zoo.
Seth loves 'Steve Songs' so he went up on stage and helped Steve out with a few of his songs.

The boys also had the chance to ride a Camel at the Zoo.
They thought that was pretty fun, and did a great job!

We are Having A GIRL!!

2010-09-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

After 7 years of
Trucks, SuperHeroes, Star Wars, and Wrestling. . .
we are welcoming into our family a BABY GIRL to even out the genders in our family.

We are beyond excited to announce that we are having a BABY GIRL!
The OB tech told us that it was a 100% GIRL, I really wanted to make sure.

Isaac and Seth are so excited to have a baby sister!
They are already making plans to play with her.
"Mom, she can be Superwomen, and a princess!" Seth said.

Oh, am I going to have fun shopping! Can't wait.

1st Grade Field Trip - Holland Dutch Village

2010-06-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Holland, MI is known for it's Dutch Heritage and their Dutch Village celebrating that Heritage.

A couple of weeks ago I was able to go with Isaac on his last field trip as a 1st grader to the
Holland Dutch Village.
We had a Blast!
I was so happy that I was able to go with him.

We saw Dutch dancers wearing big wooden shoes.

All of the sweet kids in Isaac's 1st grade class with his teacher Mrs. Arim.

There were so many fun Dutch props that the kids were able to play on.

There was also rides for the kids, Isaac rode on the swing ride 4 times in a row with his crazy friends.

Isaac is the little short boy in a red shirt, you got to love these!

They also showed us how to make Dutch cheese, then we all got to try a few samples.
Isaac and his friend loved the cheese, and wearing these hats.

They showed us how they make their Traditional Dutch Wooden Shoes. The kids tried on the wooden shoes and tried to walk in them. They really thought the big wooden shoes were pretty cool.

I had a fun time hanging out with Isaac and his friends, they are so funny when they are all together.
I love that Isaac wanted me to be at his field trip with him! Fun memories.

Let's Go Fly A Kite!

2010-06-04T13:40:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went as a family to the

KITE FESTIVAL

in Grand Haven, MI.

We saw so many kites of so many sizes!

The kids loved the big ones!

We can't go to Grand Haven with out getting a little wet.
We feel so lucky to have this beautiful beach so close to our home!

We had a fun day together and enjoyed the very hot and humid weather.

Downeast Swim Winner!

2010-06-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

The Winner for the Downeast Swim line 2010

was chosen by Random.org

and is

comment number 20:

janabigelow

Congratulation Jana!
You have 24 hours to respond to my email, or I will have to pick a new winner.

For all of you Ladies who did not win but still want a cute Downeast Swim suit they are having a great deal right now.
If you order 3 of the swim items on -line you get $15 off !
at checkout enter SWIM3 as a promo code.

Enjoy your Summer!

Downeast Swim Giveaway!

2010-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know about You but I don't really look forward to swimsuit shopping and I really don't know a lot of people who do!

However, I really do look forward to seeing what Downeast has to offer in their swim line.
This year they have so many great swim suit combos!

Downeast Basics Clothing has asked me to do another
Review and Give-away for their 2010 Swim line.

With many Mix and Match Tops and Bottoms, as well as a few ruffly skirts to hide those trouble spots, there is something for everyone!

They sent me this suit to review:
The Oceanside Clover
and the Crystal Cove Biknini

I LOVE IT!
The suit is lined with supportive cups that work really well, and the nylon/spandex is the perfect blend for holding you in, in all the right places! I also really LOVE the color of the suit. It is very well made and feels like a suit you would pend a lot more money on.

I also really love this combo, and just placed an order for it. I am so excited to get it and wear it to the pool this summer!

Today Downeast is giving away one suit of your choice.
Which suit would you LOVE to own?

Would you love to win? be sure to:

1. comment on this post - with your name and email

2. answer question above (what suit would you love to have?)

**extra entries can be made for facebook/twitter/blog posts etc.

This Give-away will close on Wednesday June 2nd at Midnight.

A winner will be announced on Thursday June 3th!

Curious George Party!

2010-05-20T06:53:00.001-07:00

A Curious George Birthday party was very fitting for our
very active and very curious, Seth.

Seth loves watching Curious George on PBS kids and this theme was all his idea!
I really wanted to make him a big part of the planning of his party, he picked out (with a little help from me) all of the games, party treats, and decorations for the party.

We invited 20 of his friends from the neighborhood and from church.
Here is what the invites looked like:
I ordered them off of this website

The setting of the Party was a park that is located right behind our house.

Decorations:
-we tied bananas on brown yarn and hung them from the trees
-we also had an electronic bubble maker going to add to the fun
-we had green, yellow, red, and blue balloons tied individually on to bananas

When the kids first arrived we had Curious George masks for them to color.
I printed the masks from Here.
We punched holes in the sides and tied on elastic string so they could wear them.

Because all kids color and different speeds, we had a few activities for the kids to play while we waited for all to finish their masks. We had Side walk chalk, two big buckets of balls to play with, and a bean bag toss.

Now Seth picked out all of the games we played,
1st game we played was "Hot Banana"
The kids were all in a big circle, we played the Jack Johnson Curious George sound track as they each passed around the bananas. I had three bananas being passed around to make the game go quicker. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the bananas got to pick out a sticker and sit down and wait for every one to get out.

The Second game we played was Monkey Tag.
Who ever was tagged 'it' was the monkey and got to go and run to tag someone else.
This was a good game, it got them to run around and get some energy out.

The third game was Help George find the Butterfly or pin the butterfly on the poster.
I picked up this poster at the Party store.

Now on to the cake!
I got a big cake at Costco this year.
Seth wanted all chocolate.
I got this little George and Candles at the Party store.

Seth had to have his favorite color RED balloon. Yum look at that big glob of Frosting!

We also had juice boxes, and vanilla ice cream cups along with the cake.

After the kids were done eating they went over and played on the play ground.

We then had a Pinata!
Seth picked out a football Pinata.
Each kid got a few swings at the pinata. . .
but it would not break!

So I ended up dumping the candy out by hand.
Oh well, the kids liked hitting it and then of coarse getting the candy!
I gave them each a little plastic baggie, them told them they could fit as much candy as they could in their plastic baggie.

We then all gathered around and watched Seth open his presents.

After the presents were all opened,
Seth thanked every one for coming then handed out his present to all of them.
In the bag we had a bottle of bubbles, Curious George Fruit snacks, Curious George stickers, a twisty colorful straw, and some banana laffy taffy.

They kids played until parents came to pick them up.
When they left each kiddo got to take home a balloon tied onto a banana and their treat bag.

The party was a success!
I think they all had a great time being curious and having fun.

Happy Birthday Curious Seth!

My Baby is 4!

2010-05-19T06:04:00.001-07:00

Last week on May 10th,
my baby Boy
Seth
turned the Big
4!
Where did the time go?

For his birthday we made him his favorite dinner
Hot Dogs
Cheetos
Strawberries
Watermelon
Lemonade

Then we went to his Favorite Ice Cream Place
Houseman's

Seth picked out a Dora Ice Cream, Isaac picked out a Spider Man Ice Cream.

Andy and I shared this yummy Brownie Ice Cream Parfait.

Happy Birthday Sethie!
We love you.

I will post soon about his super FUN Curious George Birthday Party we had with his friends.

25K Race 2010

2010-05-18T17:28:00.001-07:00

Last week I ran in the Fifth Third 25 K race here in Downtown Grand Rapids.
This was my third time running this race and it was also my best time!
(25 K is roughly 15.3 miles)
My finishing time this year was 2 hour 14 minutes.

I had a few obstacles to face this year:

The first being that Andy had to work at the hospital, so I had to find a babysitter for 7:00 in the morning. My sweet friend Tabby left her family Saturday morning to come and watch my boys while I ran in the race. I am so blessed to have such dear friends who unselfishly help me when I am in need.

The second being the weather was terrible! The night before it was 25 mile an hour wind, rain, and 35 degrees in temp. Luckily the weather calmed down enough to run the race in the morning, but it was still very cold!

The third being I had a VERY stressful busy week, so I really had no time to mentally prepare like I usually do before a race.

I knew if I did not run it, I would be very disappointed in myself for training for the race and then not running it. So I ran the 25 K regardless of the circumstances.

I am happy I did! It was a great race and I felt great.
I also love the Green ribbon and metal I got when I finished!

Downeast Late-Spring Give-away WINNER!

2010-04-28T05:37:00.001-07:00

Thank You All who Entered into this FUN Give-Away.
And a BIG Thank You to DownEast Basics for asking me to do this Review/Give-away.

The winner was chosen by Random.Org
the NEW winner is:
#29- Laura

CONGRATULATIONS!

Just so you all know I will be doing another Downeast Basics Review and Give-away on their new Swim line!
I am very excited to try out their Swim line.
Check back soon to enter into that Give-Away.

GIVEAWAY: DOWNEAST BASICS

2010-04-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

I was completely
Thrilled, Honored, and very Excited
when DOWNEAST BASICS asked me to do a Review and Give-away for their LATE SPRING items.

Downeast Basics is one of my weaknesses, I am always checking their online store to see what their new arrivals are.
Their clothing line includes cute tops, skirts, dresses, accessories and more.
With their high-design and trendy fashions at low prices Downeast Basics offers something for everyone!

The item Downeast basics sent me to review was:

The Razzleberry Skirt
~A-line skirt with 1/4" pintucks all around front and back of skirt
~Lined
~Cotton Poplin
~Imported
~XXS-XXL

My Review:
When I opened the package I first noticed the pretty colors of the skirt. Soft and bright pinks perfect for Spring going into Summer. The fit is great! The skirt is a tiny bit big around my natural waist so it sits more just above my hips, but I like that. Makes for a very comfortable fit. The length on me hits right in the middle of my knees. The quality is awesome, and I love that it is fully lined. The skirt can be dressed up with heels or dressed down with flip flops. This skirt will easily go from church or lunch with the girls to date night. I couldn't be more happy with it. Thank You Downeast.

You can buy the Razzleberry Skirt here for $29.99

OR you can enter this

GIVE-AWAY
here on my blog! Here are some more of my favorites that Downeast has to offer:

marina bag awesome blossom dress

lots of dot skirt bead necklace natural beauty bag

Downeast Basics is generously giving one of you an item of your choice from their New Arrivals .

Please comment on this post by
Tuesday April 27th (midnight) to enter.

In Your comments: (2 comments per person)

1. Tell me what item from the New Arrivals sections at DownEast Basics you'd love to own.
email and name (so I can contact you if you win)
2. Let your Facebook friends know about this give-away.

*A winner will be selected at random on Wednesday April 28th and then contacted.

***This giveaway is open to anyone who hasn't won something from DownEast in the last 90 days.

Spring Break 'Home' Vacation

2010-04-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

We have just finished up our 9 days of Spring Break Vacation!

I really REALLY wish we could have gone on a fun trip to somewhere fun, but our only option this year was to stay home. So, in order to make it a fun one for these two boys we. . .

. . .had a 'HOME-CATION'.
Each day the boys took turns to open up a SURPRISE box for our FUN activity for the day.
Here is what we did too keep us busy (and me from going crazy with two little guys running around the house all week).

DAY 1: Grand Rapids Public Museum BIG BUGS NIGHT!

We saw the BIG BUGS, the kids loved this exhibit. A lot of hands on fun all centered around bugs. Perfect for the boys.
We also got to check out the rest of the museum.

The boys liked this pretty amazing quilt of 'The Last Supper'.

Andy and the boys went on the indoor Carousel.
We also saw a Planetarium movie and had a fun kid dinner.

Day 2: Easter Egg Hunt!

This year we joined in on the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt.

Seth was able to meet Mr. Easter Bunny and had a big hug for him too.

Isaac had fun collecting the eggs, and was nice to also help Seth with his collecting of the eggs.

Day 3: Feed the ducks at the Park and Nature Trail walk

Day 4: Picnic at the park with our friends and a MOVIE:

We had a really nice picnic with our dear friends at the park, and the kids had a great time playing and being silly!

I then took the boys to see
"How to Train Your Dragon" in 3-D
it was such a FUN movie, the boys LOVED IT!

Day 5: Public Library
We saw a puppet show, read books, and did your basic Library stuff.

Day 6: Grand Rapids Children's Museum and
a Drumming Performance by WaZoBia (music from Haiti)

Day 7: Boys PAMPERING Day!
Hair cuts
Out to Lunch
Old Navy
I let Isaac and Seth pick out one new SUMMER outfit, with my guidance.

Day 8: Bike to a park and then went out for Hot Chocolate
(My original plans for this day was to go to a Superhero and Princess Ballet with our friends. But unfortunately the performance sold out. So we did the park thing, but it was so cold outside we had to get hot chocolate to warm us back up again. )

Day 9: Frederick Meijer Gardens & the Butterfly Exhibit

To end our fabulous Spring 'Home-cation' we went to see the butterflies at Meijer Gardens. We were able to walk through a beautiful greenhouse with Hundreds of butterflies. Here are a few pictures I took of the Butterflies:

When we finished looking at the butterflies we headed outside to the children's Garden where we all had a great time exploring and having FUN!

I hope that the kids had a Memorable Spring Break.
Even though we didn't travel anywhere, I think that we found some fun things to do in our own city of Grand Rapids.

Dreams Do Come True!

2010-03-24T19:16:00.001-07:00

BEWARE: Lots and Lots of Star Wars pictures are ahead!

Yes, one of Isaac's dreams has now come true.
His school had a

FATHER & SON'S STAR WARS NIGHT!

How cool is that, uh?

He is totally into everything Star Wars right now, if you didn't already know that from the Star Wars Birthday party we had for him.

He was beyond excited to go, and had a count down to the night on his calender.

Since it was just a Father and Son's night, I was not able to go. But I have to be honest with you I really wanted to go. I now know more about Star Wars then I have ever known before OR ever thought that I wanted to know.
Anyways, so I sent along my camera with Andy to document the event. He did a great job and brought home some fun pictures:

Isaac, Andy, and Darth Vador with his real LIGHT-UP Light Saber-very cool!

Ice-Sculpture of R2-D2

I have no idea what the slimy thing is in the background but it looks like something that the boys would think is 'so awesome'.

Obi-Wan Kanobi letting Isaac use his Light Saber.

I am drawing a blank on who the red guy is. He looks scary, must be a bad guy!

Storm Trooper Capt. Rex,
Seth's favorite Star Wars Character.

The book that Issac has is his autograph book. He made it before he went that night and got every single character to sign it. Way to go Isaac!

Desert Trooper

Chewy-Chabacca, he is like a big stuffed animal.

Having a Clone Trooper serve you Pizza and Cake, now that is very cool.

"Luke I am your Father"

Yoda. . .Yoda. . .Yoda

All of the boys went through Jedi Training, and by the end of the night they were all REAL Jedi's!
Isaac's teacher was Obi-Wan.

So yes, Isaac had a VERY hard time going to sleep that night. What a very memorable and fun night for him. I am so glad that Andy was able to share it with him.

May the Force be with you!

Happy 32 Years!

2010-03-24T18:46:00.001-07:00

(I am so embarrassed I am very late in posting this)

Last Month
my Sweet Husband,
Andy
had his 32nd Birthday!

Isaac, our 7 year old took it upon himself to plan a very fun Birthday 'day' for him.
We got balloons, cake, and went to. . .
Craig's Crusiers!
(a HUGE arcade/indoor race cars/laser tag/ lots of kids kid of place)

We had a great time, especially Isaac and Seth.
However I started feeling a little like the 'tag-a-long' on a guys day out. There was a lot of shooting games, trying to beat each other on racing games, and just guy stuff. And you know what? I think that I am OK with that.

I think that Andy had a good Birthday with the kids.
However, Andy and I did go out the next week end just the two of us to celebrate his Birthday. I really love the times we can just go out the two of us
and actually you know what they call it. . . 'talk' with no distractions.

Happy 32nd Birthday Andy! Love you.

Tooth Time. . .

2010-02-19T19:18:00.001-08:00

February is
Dental Health Month!

At the Children's museum here in Grand Rapids they celebrate
Dental Health Month
with a Tooth Fair.

The kids and I went this year with eight of our neighborhood friends.

The kids loved talking with the Cavity Bug, Captain Fluoride, and Gingivitis!

Here is Seth searching for different kinds of teeth in sand box, he found them Molars and all.

Isaac and his friend making beaded necklaces with a tooth holder in the middle of it, to hold your tooth that has fallen out. This way it won't get lost before the Tooth Fairy can come along.

Isaac is getting a picture of his mouth from the Inner Oral Camera.

Seth pretending to be a Dentist. . .he has a great Role Model, his Grandpa.

The boys taking x-rays of their patients mouth.

We all had a FUN time and came home with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and other fun stickers and charts.
I was excited about the free Dental Supplies :-)

I Love You - Craft Night

2010-02-12T16:32:00.001-08:00

This past week my friend and I hosted a craft night for our church.
We taught the ladies how to make these adorable
'I Love You'
Valentine Decorations (they could also be used as a cute Decoration to put in a little girls room).

They are very easy to make and I just loved how they turned out.

If you are interested in making them, you will need:
-3 pieces of wood measurements are about 5 1/2" by 1" board, cut the board in 10" peices
(I got my wood cut at Home Depot)
-Stencils of I, Heart, U (I made my own Stencils from a font I had on my computer and stretched it to give the letter more length)
-Paint (I used light Buttermilk from Americana, dry brush in on the wood very lightly)
-Wood Stain (lightly rubbed on edges)
-Paint brushes (a 2" paint brush, and a sponge brush for stencils)
-Ribbon

Love Notes. . .

2010-02-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a fun Valentines Day Tradition at our house.
We write
"Love Notes"
to one another the week before Valentines Day.

We each have our own mailbox's, and through out the day we will write nice notes to each other and put them in the mailboxes. At the end of the day we open our "Love Mail".

The boys have so much fun doing this, and we all love opening up our mail and seeing what nice notes our family members have given us.

Through out the week it is so fun to see how they are always thinking about what nice thing they can write for another in the family. It really does add more LOVE into our home.

Here are a few notes Isaac put in my mailbox today:

A STAR WARS PARTY, we had. . .

2010-01-17T17:48:00.000-08:00

This week 7 years old, Isaac turned.
With 10 of his friends a STAR WARS party, we had!
Strong with all, the force was.

I had so much fun planning this party! Isaac and all of his friends are REALLY into Star Wars the Clone Wars right now. They all had such a fun time.
Here is what we did:

The invitations looked like this:

7 years ago in a Galaxy
not so far away, A baby boy
was born. His name is Isaac,
and he is strong with the Force.

You have been chosen to join
forces with Isaac and his Jedi,
please make your way to:

Isaac's 7th Birthday party!

I downloaded FREE Star Wars fonts off of the computer and printed the invite off on my computer and then glued them on black cardstock. Isaac then put Star Wars stickers on each one.

When the guest Jedi's arrived. . .
we helped them make their own lightsabers.
Made with long balloons (the twisty animal balloon kind) I bought a pack at the Party store.
Then the handle was the cardboard inside of a toilet roll.
Then kids colored their handle and then we taped them on the balloon.

1st Game:
Don't let the Death Star (black balloons) hit the floor.
They tried to keep all of the black balloons in the air by hitting them with their balloon lightsabers.

2nd Game:
Help Restore Order To the Galaxy!
I bought this game at the party store.
Each child took a turn, blindfolded, they put a big sticker over part of the poster, each part of the poster was worth different points.

Lunch Menu Was:
-Galactic Pizza (Little Caesars)
-Blaster Cheetos
-Jabba Jello Jigulars
-Rookies apple slices
-Yoda Sodas (lime cool-aid with Sprite)

Birthday Boy!

Dessert:
Giant Space Cup Cakes
(made with the giant Wilton cupcake mold, and after I frosted the cupcakes I used food coloring spray to add the blue on top)

Make a Wish Isaac. . .

Game 3:
Concor the DARTH VADOR Pinata!
Each Jedi had a chance to get a good swing at the Darth Vador head until the candy all fell out.

Then on to the Birthday Presents. . .
Isaac wore on his head what was left of the Darth Vador head :-)

While we waited for the parents to come and pick up their Jedi's, most of them played Star Wars downstairs and we also had the Movie "Star Wars, the Clone Wars" playing.

We sent home each Jedi with a goodie bag that included:
-Star Wars stickers
-Star Wars notepad and crayons
-Fruit Roll up
-Glow Sticks
-and all of their collected pinata candy

The Party was a success, and Isaac had such a great time with his friends.
Andy and I took a good nap after the party was all cleaned up, it was a lot of work but totally worth it!

A Utah Wedding & Christmas. . .

2010-01-03T16:42:00.002-08:00

We just returned home from a busy fun packed trip to Utah.
We started the trip off with going tubing with all of my extended family at Soldier Hollow in Heber, UT.

My brother Kevin and Cynthia the night before they got married. Aren't they a cute couple?

Isaac LOVES his aunt Angela, my little sis.

We really enjoyed walking around Temple Square in SLC. The lights were so pretty, and the music and feeling of being there was amazing. It made our Christmas that much better this year.

Kevin and Cynthia's Wedding!
It was so nice to be there with them on their special day.

Christmas Eve at Grandpa and Grandma Olsen's house with all 8 of the cousins.

This year all of the cousins were given BYU Sweatshirts from Grandpa Olsen.
They were all very excited!

Christmas Morning!
Isaac was very happy to see that Santa brought him Star Wars ships and Star Wars guy's for Christmas.

Seth was so excited to see that Santa brought him Capt. Rex from Star Wars.

My brother Scott and his pretty wife Abigail of 9 months.
It was so fun to spend Christmas morning with them at my parents house.

My parents and Andy's parents were so nice to the kids and I this Christmas.
Andy had to fly back home to GR to work a 24 hour shift at the hospital on Christmas day and night, and then started night shifts.
I stayed in Utah through Christmas so the kids and I could spend more time with our family.
I missed Andy so much, being away from your spouse on Christmas is not fun. We made the best of it and had a good time.

Bowling is always a fun Christmas Vacation tradition of ours.
Isaac and Seth always have so much fun bowling with the bumpers.

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas Vacation!
We sure enjoy keeping in touch with all of you through blogs, facebook, and phone calls. We are looking forward to a new year.
Here's to the new year of 2010.
Happy New Years!

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-17T08:06:00.001-08:00

Reflecting back on this past year. . .
we are so thankful to all of you,
our family and friends.
For the blessings that your friendship brings into our little family.
We have had a busy year, like I am sure most of you have had.

Andy, is in his 3rd year of Residency for Radiology. He has two more years to go! Residency life is busy but he is really good about spending quality time with us (me and the kids). In our church Andy has been teaching Sunday School to 12 and 13 year olds this year. He really enjoys this calling. When he has time (HA HA) he loves to run, watch sports, and wrestle with Isaac and Seth.

Jessica (ME), wonders why this year flew by so fast? Seriously, I can't believe that it is already Christmas time again. Anyways, I have had a busy year as well. I was called to serve in our church, last year in January, as the Primary President. I have found that it is pretty time consuming and feel as though I have a part time job sometimes. Despite the business of it, I love working with all of the children and really enjoy being around them. I also trained and ran a 25 K (15 miles) race last spring. I am finding it harder to train for these races as my kids get older. However, I still do it and try my best! I have had fun this year helping in Isaac's class at school when I can, and spending my days with Seth. I love being a stay-at-Home-Mom and enjoy times we can all be together as a family!

Isaac, is growing up way to fast. I am still in shock that he is going to be turning 7 in a few weeks. He is first grade this year and loves it. He is also doing so well in school! Getting 100% on all of his spelling tests and math homework. We are so proud of him. He also got over his fear of swimming this fall, and is now swimming freestyle. He also took soccer, and golf lessons this year as well. He enjoys playing Star Wars with his friends and coloring and writing his own Star Wars books. Isaac is tender hearted boy. He is always thinking of others, and does not hide his emotions if something makes him sad. He is also a great big brother to Seth.

Seth, is our Big 3 year old. I say big because everyone thinks that he is 5, because he is so tall! But let me assure you he is a 3 year old with tantrums and everything that a 3 year old brings. Right now we are in the process of potty Training him, we have good days and bad days. Seth enjoys playing Star Wars with Isaac and his friends and he also loves batman. He enjoys going to the YMCA 'school' as we call it, where he gets to play with his friends. He also had a fun year of soccer lessons, swim lessons, and flag football. Seth is a sweetie, he always had a hug and kiss for me and tells me everyday that he loves me. He is a joy to be around!

We hope that your family has much joy this Christmas season!

Merry Christmas,

The Olsen family

December 09' Craft Group!

2009-12-13T17:36:00.001-08:00

I hosted a FUN Christmas craft group at my house this month!
We made:

Christmas Wood Ornaments
With Vinyl Letters

We had a great turnout of 15 ladies.

painting + sanding + girl talk + good food = a Super FUN night!

And I think the ornaments turned out so cute.

Each ornament kit was $2.00 the whole set of eight was $16.00.

Here is how to make them:

You will need:
- 3/4 inch BY 1 1/2 inch wood, sawed to fit the length of Vinyl lettering wood
(I bought my wood at Home depot in the lumber department, a really nice guy cut most of the wood for me there, then I hand sawed the smaller pieces.)
- Vinyl Lettering, creme color, 1 inch letters
(I buy my vinyl letters from AllysAttic)
-Craft paint,
(I like the brand Americana the red color I used is Deep Burgundy)
-Filer, (used for rounding the edges)
-Sandpaper, (used to rough up the edges)
-1/8 Drill bit and drill, (used to drill two holes in the top of ornament)
-Thick 16 gauge wire, (found in the picture hanging isle at Home Depot)
-Matt or Glossy Finishing Spray
-Glue Gun or strong hold wood and metal glue (to hang to ornament)

To put then together you simply,
Cut the wood, File or sand the edges if you want a rounded edge, Paint 2-3 coats of the craft paint. After dry, sand the edges for a worn look. Now Spray with the finishing spray. After dry, apply vinyl lettering. Now you can Drill your holes at the top, and glue in your wire.

Christmas Card Time!

2009-12-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family,
I am in the process of sending off our families yearly Christmas card,
if you would like one sent to you,
please send me your address. . .
andyandjessie@gmail.com

1st Snow Day of the Year. . .

2009-12-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

Friday we woke up to 8 inches of snow on the ground,
and
School was Canceled!

Isaac was so excited,

NO SCHOOL!

NO SPELLING TEST!

AN EARLY WEEKEND!

SLEDDING @ 8 am with friends

SNOWBALL FIGHTS

SNOW ANGELS

Seth chose to stay out of the COLD snowy weather and
stay in his PJ's and watch cartoons.

Later that day I ran to the store and got a Pre-made Gingerbread house kit.
I was lazy this year, and did not have time to make one from scratch.
The kit was actually really easy to put together and Isaac and Seth were able to help me with most of it. They had fun decorating the house with candy, and of course eating the candy!

We had a fun SNOW DAY together,
However, we are all ready for a normal school day tomorrow.

Lessons. . .

2009-11-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

Super Busy,
Crazy,
and having lots of Fun.

Is how I can sum up our fall.
October and November have just gone by so fast.
I feel like I want to jump off of a fast moving ride to just slow down and take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.
My kids are just growing up way to fast.

We have been enjoying watching them learn and discover knew talents this fall.
They have been taking some different lessons to keep them active and burn off that cold weather energy.

Isaac told us one day that he wanted to learn how to play golf.
It actually took me by surprise. He is usually not one to ask to take a lesson. So I just had to get him signed up for golf!
Andy was pretty excited about Isaac taking Golf too. We live right by a golf course and hitting range, so they would go on the Saturday's that Andy had off and practice golf together. A little father son time.
Isaac really enjoyed his lessons, he now can actually hit the golf ball pretty good.
So proud of him.

Seth is our football guy.
He loves watching football with daddy.
So we signed him up for flag football.
It is so funny and cute watching a bunch of 3 year old's running around trying to ripe each others flags off.
The coach is teaching them how to throw a football and how to play defense.
So fun to watch.
This picture is after Seth threw the football, he put his whole body into it and fell to the floor.

Both boys are taking swim lessons right now up until the New year.
They love it, and are really improving on their skills.
It is so nice to keep them active in the cold fall/winter months.
They need to be able to get their energy out somewhere.
The YMCA is a great place to do that.

So proud of these two boys!
Dad and Mom love you.

“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”

2009-11-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

The FORCE was with us this Halloween!

With Isaac dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi
and Seth dressed as Clone Trouper Capt. Rex
they both combined to use their good and protect us all from the dark side!

Truck or Treating at our church Halloween Party:

Isaac's school Halloween Parade:

Isaac's class party:

Isaac and Seth loved having a Star Wars Halloween.
The Freezing cold Temperatures did not scare them away from walking all over the neighborhood to Trick-or-Treat. . .

. . . and having a fun time with their friends!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Chic.A.Go & Special Visitors. . .

2009-10-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

We just returned from a FUN vacation to the Windy city of
CHICAGO.
Andy's dad and mom flew into Chicago from Utah,
to enjoy Andy's week off with us.
We had a ton of fun, Chicago Style!

At our hotel, Seth is thinking,
"I really think I could get used to this Chicago way of life."

To start off we ventured to
Millennium Park in down town Chicago.
We saw, touched, and admired the all-famous giant silver bean.
Why a giant bean? I have no idea. But it was pretty cool.

Isaac and Seth just loved being with their
Grandpa and Grandma Olsen!
We do not get to see them that often, so it was a HUGE treat to spend this past week with them.

You can see a little part of the Chicago skyline in this picture.
I am loving the bean!

A funky water fountain that had changing faces on it.
Kinda cool.

The boys loved this T-Rex.

Isaac and Seth had a lot of one-on-one special time with Grandpa and Grandma.
Andy's mom is a great story teller. She tells the boys fun and wonderful stories that they love to hear.

The Field Museum!
Was very fun and really neat.
That is SUE the T-rex in the background.

While we were at the Field museum,
we went to an extra exhibit
all about a REAL PIRATE SHIP that crashed.

Don't shoot, don't shoot!
After I took this picture, I got in bug trouble.
The pirate exhibit lady came up to me and said,
"NO PICTURES!"
What NO pictures, how could that even be?
I was so disappointed that I was not able to take a picture of the first real pirate treasure ever found.

We then all went through a shrinking machine.
Were we where the same size as insects and bugs. . .
and a penny.

ewwww. . .

You can't go to Chicago without going to the
Magnificent Mile.
We did it kid style!
Going to the Lego Store, were Darth Vador himself was their made of legos!
The boys LOVED it.

In Chicago we ate at some yummy places in the city.
Seth took this picture of me as we were eating dinner at the LUX restaurant on the Magnificent Mile!

Our next adventure was the
John E. Shedd Aquarium.

This Aquarium was so Awesome!
Totally was better then I thought it would be.

We saw so many neat things.

Here is a
the biggest Spider EVER!
YUCK.

This BIGGEST FISH. . .
HUGE!

This fish just totally cracked me up!
I love how his head is poking out of the hole.
What a funny looking little guy.

Also, while Andy's parents were in town,
we went to the Post family Farm and had
FRESH PUMPKIN DONUTS, and WARM APPLE CIDER. YUM!
The boys then picked out what pumpkins they wanted to take home with them.

Good Times. . .Fun Places. . .Yummy Food. . .Pretty Fall Colors. . .Great Company!

Thank You for Visiting us Grandpa and Grandma Olsen.
We had a super fun time with you.

and the winners are. . .

2009-10-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

First, I want to Thank all of you who entered in the Shirley J contest!

This is such a fun company with awesome products,
I am so thrilled to be able to introduce the company and products to those of you who have not already heard of them.

So here we go. . .

We picked the Winner's the old fashioned way.
(when I say 'we', I am referring to me and my two kiddos)

First, we printed off all 72 comments off of my computer. Then we cut and folded each comment and placed them in our Pumpkin Cookie Jar. :-)

My oldest son, Isaac picked out our first winner:
this lucky lady gets to pick out what ever Shirley J product she wants for FREE!

and the winner is. . .

Congratulations Camille!
I will be emailing you about your win.

My youngest son, Seth picked out our second winner.
This lady gets my favorite Shirley J product, the Honey Wheat or honey White bread mix.

and the winner is. . .

Congratulations theamazingjohnsons (Tiffany)!
I will be emailing you about your win.

I really wish that you could have all won!
I really mean that.

The Shirley J products are really fantastic!
We have been using the products for the last 6 months and have really Loved them.

If you are still interested in trying out Shirley J Products, I would really appreciate it if you would use my referral number (1027) or name (Jessica Olsen) if you place an order OR sign up as a Home Chef. That way I can get credit for referring you. :-) lol
Referral number is: 1027
Jessica Olsen

You can become a registered Costumer OR they call it a Home Chef. (That does not cost anything, basically it is just them keeping you on their files as a costumer. )

Just so you know, Shirley J is having a great price on their Home Chef packs until Oct. 17th: ( you can also purchase single items as a Home Chef- the packs are optional but a lot cheaper if you want to try out more products)

Program:	Home Chef Membership Only	HC Membership With Startup Pack A	HC Membership With Startup Pack B	HC Membership With Both Starter Packs A & B
Includes:	Lifetime Home Chef membership and the ability to receive discounts as high as 35% off.	Home Chef Membership + 1 Universal Sauce 1 White Cheddar 1 Pizza/Pasta 1 Onion Seasoning 1 Beef Bouillon 1 Chicken Bouillon 1 BBQ 1 Sour Dough Mix	Home Chef Membership + 1 Universal Sauce 1 Pizza/Pasta 1 Onion Seasoning 1 Wheat Bread Mix 1 White Bread Mix 1 Sour Dough Mix 1 Biscuit Mix 1 Sweet Roll Mix 1 Muffin Mix 1 Pancake Mix	Lifetime Home Chef membership and the ability to receive discounts as high as 35% off (plus) everything in startup packs A (and) B. Basically, you get the works!
Standard Price:	FREE	$117.30	$118.45	$235.75
At Normal Discount Price:	FREE	$105.57	$106.61	$200.39
Special Signup Price:	FREE	One Time Only: $95.00	One Time Only: $95.00	One Time Only: $180.00

If you have any questions at all about anything Shirley J related or are interested in ordering any product please email me at andyandjessie@gmail.com.

3 ways to place an order:
1. Online at ShirleyJ

type referral# 1027 (Jessica Olsen) in the box under the payment info, where is says 'how did you hear about us'
(or)
2. Call Shirley J @ Phone # 801-225-5073 and give them the Referral # 1027 (Jesica Olsen)
(or)
3. email me at andyandjessie@gmail.com