Merry Christmas!

The day before Christmas Cal and Hannah came over to hang out while we baked and got ready for the night. Here we are having a "rest" after I worked out. We all did a few rounds of push-ups and were pooped out.

 Here we are at Dad and Tracy's. Carrie and the guys...

 Lyddi and Auntie Sheesh.

 Tracy found these great Berenstain Bears games for the girls (and me!). I love the Berenstain Bears. Great find Trace!

 On Christmas morning we woke up and came downstairs to open up our stockings. It was so fun to watch Lyddi enjoy the celebration.

 After a great worship service, we headed to my folks place for the afternoon. We had an opportunity to take a family shot. Getting a good photo with 2 kids under the age of 2 takes a few attempts.
First try...

 Number 2...

 Number 3...

Good enough!

 Grandma playing with Lyddi.

 Carrie, in her true Christmas spirit, wore her reindeer booties.

 Grandma reading to 5 of her 10 precious jewels.

 Care didn't want to miss a thing.

 Cheese!

Blake had Lyddi for the name draw and got Lyddi a ladybug on wheels. It was a HIT!

 The best gift we received this year...

We hope you all enjoyed a Christ-filled Christmas as you celebrated our Savior's birth- without a doubt the best gift ever offered! May your hearts be filled with His grace, compassion, peace and love in 2014.   Love, The Olsons

Carrie's 3 Month Photo Shoot!

Wow, 3 months old already. That's hard to believe. The last few months are a bit of a blur of late night feedings, spit up, laundry, and changing diapers… and we couldn't be more thankful. I'm also thankful for cameras to capture precious moments, especially when my memory is seriously lacking. Carrie is a happy, healthy baby who is so sweet we nicknamed her, "Smiles." She is quick to share her sweet smiles with whoever holds her. Here are some pictures of Carrie, 3 months old.

 Starting to get sick of this Mom...

 No more pictures!
 
Sweet little pose.

 Here's the money shot. :-)

 Giving Daddy a big smile.

 Sisters.

 Cheese!

 Just chill'n on the couch together.

Life Lately...

We have been enjoying a fun fall transitioning into winter. We got enough snow this past week for some shovelling and sled rides. Below is a picture of Lydia wearing her snow suit for the first time. I am smiling because I am happy to have successfully gotten the thing on her (not an easy task)!

 Zach picked up a shovel for Lyddi so she can help Daddy.

 Carrie continues to grow and is a happy, healthy little girl. She loves to watch her big sister.

I snapped this picture while getting dinner ready…check out that smile!

Someone's ready to eat...

When I looked at this picture I didn't see my baby anymore…she is a little girl! I am now understanding why, when I was a little girl, my aunts and uncles would always say, "We need to put a book on your head to stop you from growing up so fast!"

This year we are excited to teach Lyddi the reason we celebrate Christmas. Mimi (Tracy) bought us these nativity window stickers that make a great visual to teach the wonderful story. 

Lydia especially enjoyed the Advent calendar chocolate. Although it's a tough concept to understand that she can't eat all the chocolate in one day.

 A sweet shot of Lyddi looking at some pictures with Grandpa and her cousins.

We hope you are all enjoying the anticipation of Christmas. May the peace and joy of Christ dwell in your hearts this season!

Say "CHEESE!"

Lyddi now understands that when the camera is out, she gets to smile and say "Cheese!" She is one BIG smiler, as you can see. 

Oh dear Lyddi, how we adore that smile!

Carrie's Baptism

November 17 marked Carrie's baptism day! It was, again, so special to witness Zach baptizing his daughter. 

Zach invited all the kids to come up so they could get a better view of the baptism. It was neat to see Carrie's cousins gathered around her.

Care did a great job during the service. 

After the service we enjoyed some Costco cake and fellowship. Below Lyddi is enjoying her cake with Auntie Hannah and Uncle Cal.

Lyddi and her Auntie Jayne.

Cousins acting crazy on the floor- the sugar probably had something to do with it. :-)

Zach wore a special tie for the occasion. (Thanks Mom for your help getting this made- it was a fun surprise for Zach.)

Dear Carrie, 

We pray you will come to know and love your Savior. We pray for wisdom and strength to do all we can to help you find your highest aim and greatest joy in serving Him!

Canadian Visitors!

We had our first Canadian friends visit! Gerald, Rebecca and their three children came to GR for a visit. It was great catching up and re-connecting. Below, Lyddi and I are enjoying some popcorn together while we wait for them to show up.

 The kids all playing together in the morning (minus Shane).

 Gerald and Carrie checking out the weather outside.

 Rebecca made us a breakfast of crepes! They were awesome.

 Here we are enjoying a delicious breakfast together.

 Lyddi polished off the blueberries.

Rebecca is part of the Book Club I started in Jarvis. She brought along a bundle of baby gifts from my Bookies! One of the gifts was a toque. Lyddi wanted to put it on. Here she is embracing her dual citizenship and Canadian roots. If any of my Bookies are reading this...THANK YOU!!

 Giving hugs and saying goodbye.

 Thanks for coming guys! It was a lot of fun visiting and catching up. You are welcome back anytime!

As some of you know, Zach finds a lot of joy in bread making. I will often find him busy in the kitchen working on his next creation. I found this picture on my camera so I thought I would share it- his latest baguettes. They are delicious- he is a really good baker!

Play Date!

In this new stage of life with young kids, I like to schedule play dates with friends. It's so fun to watch your kids play together while catching up. And the kids have a great time! My good friend, Heidi, came over with her little guy for a fun morning. Below Lyddi is coloring while awaiting their arrival.

Carrie having some tummy time...

"I rolled over!!"

Below Colton and Lyddi are playing together. I was so excited to see how quickly they took to each other...insta-friends, just like their Mammas. :-)

Chill'n on the couch.

Thanks for a fun play date Heidi and Colton- Looking forward to the next one!