February Fun- Brrrr!

With the extreme cold and absurd amount of snow this winter, we've discovered our Lyddi loves to eat snow. Almost every time we go in the car she asks for some snow to eat. 

We made her day by bringing her her very own bowl of snow!

Lyddi in her Sunday best!

 We had several fun playdates this month. One was going to a big gym to play with some friends.

 Lydia testing out her gymnastic skills.

 We invited the Hutts over for Sunday lunch. Daniel and Lyddi are buds eating their chips and salsa together.

 Love this.

Daniel loves his Baby Carrie.

 Another exciting event of this past month was Lydia getting her first haircut! We went to this great place called, Snip-its. They specialize in children- the place is super fun and cute. Lydia wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but she was very courageous.

 To celebrate her new do, we got her a donut, with sprinkles.

 This is our good friend Ruth. She has been SUCH a blessing to our family this winter. She comes over a couple mornings a week to watch Carrie so that I can take Lyddi to the library and go out for other fun outings. Lyddi always looks forward to playing with Ms. Ruth when we return.

Here Lyddi is playing in the exploration bins at Toddler Time. We love our library!

 We had a playdate with my friend who has a boy. Lyddi thought it was pretty cool to try on all his outdoor gear. :-)

 This is Lydia's new favorite spot to eat breakfast and lunch.

 Our sweet girls. I so love watching them love each other. Now I understand why my parents always wanted my sisters and I to get along when we were growing up.

 Another fun outing of this month was going to the Children's Museum with some friends. That place rocks!

 Making pizza like Daddy.

 Driving the car.

 Our church had a winter picnic to help beat the winter blues. Everyone had to come in a hat. There were prizes, games and delicious food. It was awesome! (Sorry the picture's a bit grainy.)

This past month I've spent a LOT of time helping my parents sort through their house as they have moved and need to clean out their home they've lived in for over 30 years. We have found some very interesting items...

Below are some of the items I came across. Zach is graciously modelling them. I thought they would make great props for a photo booth at a wedding we have coming up!

 On a more terrifying note...those of you who know me well, know that I have a history of having run-ins with creepy rodents, animals and insects. Well, this past week I had another one to add to the list! Here's the story: Jayne and I were sorting through bins and bins of stuff from the attic. I came across a bin with some random Christmas stuff so I was just flying through it- throwing things in a donate pile, a sort pile, a pitch pile...etc. I came across this little thing that looked like a stuffed mouse. I picked it up several times thinking, "What is this?" I don't remember my mom having a little mouse as a decoration...so I just kept throwing it back in the bin to sort later- (maybe it was part of some set she had, I don't know). So I get to the bottom of the bin and I pick it up a final time and finally ask, "Jayne, what in the world is this little stuffed mouse?...Do you remember this thing?" She walks over to me, takes a closer look and says, "KASEY, THAT'S A DEAD SQUIRREL!" I literally threw the thing up in the air, screamed, and ran!! I continued to scream, shriek and wash my hands for the next 5 minutes!!! AHHHH!!! I touched a dead, petrified squirrel...not just once, but several times! I still get the willies when I think about it!!! :-)    (Side note- I don't know why that one sentence is highlighted- I couldn't figure out how to un-highlight it.)

Spontaneous Sister Photo Shoot

Today I was hanging out with my ladies when I looked at each of them and noticed a few amazing things:

They were wearing coordinating outfits (un-intentional).

Both of their outfits had minimal spit-up and food on them.

Both girls were awake and in pleasant moods.

Lyddi's hair was looking great...post nap (rarely happens).

I couldn't resist the opportunity for a quick photo shoot. It was fun and went as well as a photo shoot with 2 kids under the age of 2 can go. 

 Carrie has inherited her Daddy's ability to have her eyes closed in the majority of shots.

 ...So has Lyddi.

 Hang on Care!

 One out of two ain't bad.

 Lyddi has the "cheese" thing down.

 "Are we done yet, Mamma?"

Hey there Care Bear!

Oh how we love these two.

I give it an A for cuteness. And an E for Effort. :-)

January 2014!

Well, it's nearing the end of the month, so I uploaded all my January photos onto my computer. Here are a few goodies to share what life has been like for us this past month. Our sweet Care Bear is growing well. She is a happy girl who likes to be held and cuddled. She is starting to "coo" much more as she tries to imitate sounds she hears. These past weeks she has become completely focused on watching her big sister play. It's so neat to watch her follow Lyddi with her eyes and learn through her. She is sleeping about 4 hour stretches at night. We appreciate prayers for longer sleep stretches this next month.

 Bath time- it's a family affair.

 Our sweeties. When I take pictures and the flash flashes, Lyddi says, "So bright!" and covers her eyes to protect them from the bright flash. :-)

 As you can see, another bright flash.

 We had a play date with some friends. The girls had fun playing together. See them holding hands?

 Lyddi and Camille playing together- I love it!

 Smiles...

 The loves of my life.

 Sisters.

 Saturday morning is waffle day. We make home-made waffles and enjoy them together- a fun tradition!

Lydia is growing leaps and bounds these days. I am amazed at how quickly she picks up new phrases and words. For instance, when I ask her a question, she often responds, "Um...How about..." and then states her response. She loves to sing and dance. Her current favorite songs are: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Jesus Loves Me," and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." She is very compassionate as she quickly comes to Carrie's aid when Carrie cries by gently patting her back and saying, "It's okay Carrie, don't cry." Lyddi is just a hoot these days. Her personality is really developing and she has us in stitches many times a day. Here she is playing dress-up and having fun.

 A future pianist...I hope!

My parents are in the process of moving so we've been helping them sort through their things and decide what to keep/throw away/donate. We came across my mom's wedding dress!

 Auntie Jayne found this wig and put it on Lyddi. :-)

Canadian Visitors!! Our dear friends, Pete and Ev, came to visit for a weekend. It was SO great to see them and connect again; and so fun watching them meet Carrie and play with Lyddi. They were Lyddi's adoptive grandparents while we were in Canada.

 Playing with Grandpa Pete.

 My Peeling Pal, Ev. She is like a second mother to me. You know how you meet someone and you just click?...that's Ev. We connected right off the bat when we met a few years ago. She is such a sweet, selfless person. She helped out so much while they were here by changing diapers, doing dishes, cleaning up, helping with meals...etc. Thank you Ev!

Pete was one of Zach's golfing buddies while we lived in Jarvis. They went out every week and I know Zach really missed that this summer.

 Thank you so much for coming Pete and Ev! And thank you for loving our girls! We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next get together- hopefully this summer!

Another fun event this past month was going to the Lollipops symphony concert! Lyddi joined her cousins for a wonderful play, "Peter and the Wolf." It was awesome. Here Lyddi is enjoying the concert.

 Three of the four girl cousins.

Mamma and Lyddi "selfies."  (That's about as as current I get with the teen lingo.)

 Care watching her silly Mamma and sister.

We found these dress up stickers you put on a doll. My mom put them on Lyddi instead...doesn't she look like Charlie Chaplin?!

So that's January in a nutshell. As you can see, never a dull moment these days.

Life Lately...

I recently uploaded all our pics and videos from our phones and camera to our computer. As I was organizing them I found some goodies I just had to share with you. 

Lyddi playing pat-a-cake with snowman.

Our sweet Care bear.

Our book worms.

                                                                      Daddy's girls.

Uncle Cal and Auntie Hannah enjoying Lyddi's music.

Future Fashionista!

New Years Resolution

Wow, 2013 feels like a wisp. It's hard to believe this past year has come and gone so quickly. It has been a year full of change for the Olsons. Here is a list of some of the main events in our lives this past year:
January: Finding out I was pregnant with Carrie!
February: Making the BIG decision to move back to Grand Rapids.
March: Lyddi's first birthday! Announcing to our Jarvis friends we were leaving- very tough. Announcing to our GR family and friends we were returning- very exciting.
April: Many farewell cookouts and time spent with our friends in Jarvis.
May: Preparing mentally and physically for another move- our 4th one in 4 years.
June: Moving in with Kasey's parents and then a wonderful 10 day trip in Hawaii with Kasey's family! Then Zach began his new job and we entered into our new church family.
July: House-hunting…ugh. Finding our new home and moving in while 7 months pregnant and with a one year old- whew!
August: Transitioning. Many doctors appointments, re-connecting with family/friends and unpacking.
September: Transitioning. Carrie is born, a beautiful and healthy girl!
October: Transitioning. A blur of sleepless nights as well as some tough baby blues. Zach and I finding our rhythm with 2 girls under the age of 2.
November: Transitioning. Zach and I going on our first "post-Carrie's-birth" date night to see "Hunger Games Catching Fire" - so good. Carrie's baptism!
December: Transitioning. Celebrating our Savior's birth! Carrie slept through the night! (It was only 1 night but we'll take it!)

This past year has brought deep joy and great blessings as well some unexpected challenges. As I now reflect on the year I'm able to see more clearly God's faithfulness- even if I don't see all His purposes. It's quite amazing how quickly life can completely change. A good reminder to be grateful for each day and the many blessings He provides. Blessings like: meaningful conversations, genuine encouragement, phones to talk to dear friends far away, enough food for each day, health!, warm towels out of the dryer, God's promises, laughter!, delighting in children, hot showers, toothpaste, new opportunities…just to name a few.

I'm not a big New Years resolution person, but this year I'm doing it. And I'm telling you about it because I want the accountability. I feel like I am continually working at disciplining myself in regard to my time with God. I need it. I want it. Yet so often I let my pride and the excuse of being busy replace that time with Him. And so often my time with Him is spent in small windows throughout the day in prayer and trying to read a quick devotional and have a quick quiet time. Not that that is a bad thing…with 2 young kids it's reality some days. But I still want to keep working on it.

I was thinking about what book I wanted to focus on and Psalms jumped into my mind. I thought the book of Psalms would be a great book to study, since David cries out to God with every possible emotion throughout it…kind of like parenting huh?!  :-) My goal is to study the first 12 chapters, one each month. I want to read them thoroughly, meditate on them daily, memorize portions of them, and grow through them. So that's my resolution. Please ask me about it. Keep me accountable. I am really looking forward to seeing how God will speak to me and grow me through this goal.
I hope you have a great New Years celebration and are looking forward to the year with energy and joy! God is good- always. I hope you find that truth in your lives this year.