Monday, April 4, 2016

Ferdinand the Bull

The Grand Rapids Symphony put on a children's concert at a church near our home. I love taking the kids to these because it gives them exposure to live music and it's fun! The girls were excited to give the usher their tickets and find our seats!
 Waiting for the show to start.
 We were a bit early so we took some "groupies" while waiting for the show to start.


Unfortunately we had to leave the show early because it was a bit too scary for us. But is was still a fun outing. Afterward we went to my Uncle's memorial. We were thankful to show support and love to the girls' great grandma during a difficult time.


Meijer Gardens

We went to Frederik Meijer Gardens a few times this month. The butterflies were in! Below Carrie is patiently waiting for a butterfly to land.

 A group shot of one of the trips.


Always a fun outing!

Happy Birthday Lydia!

Our little lady had her golden birthday on March 4! We started her special day with a Mamma Daddy Lyddi breakfast at Russ'! 
 It is always so fun spending time one (or two) on one with the kids.
 Lydia was pretty pumped to get 4 pieces of bacon on her 4th birthday!
 We made her a teddy bear cake, as requested by the birthday girl.
 Lydia enjoyed celebrating with family and friends!
Happy Birthday Love! We delight in watching you learn and grow and thank God every day for giving us the privilege of being your parents!

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Some News...

We’ve been lacking sleep for years,
So what’s a little more…?
We’re excited to announce
We’re expecting Number 4!

Praising God from Whom All Blessings Flow!
Love, 
Zach, Kasey, Lydia, Carrie and Silas Olson


Sunday, February 28, 2016

Florida!

We were blessed to spend 5 days in beautiful Florida! This was our first trip on a plane with all three of the kids and we were curious to see how they would do. The girls were very pumped! Here they are all buckled in.
And here is our wild card for the journey. You never know how a baby will do on flights...
It started off going great. We even got two whole rows to ourselves! (Probably because people saw our three kids and went the opposite direction.)
Unfortunately, after the initial 20 minutes it became a bit of a nightmare. Silas cried, well screamed, off and on almost the entire time. Then Carrie started to melt down, followed by Lydia. It was definitely a patience and self control building experience for Zach and me. A sucker helped for about 10 minutes.

Are we there yet?
Care finally crashed for about the last 20 minutes of the flight.
But we made it safe and sound!! We joined my parents in Fort Myers where they were renting a beautiful house. We started every morning with a long swim in the warm pool!

Taking a trip to the beach!
First beach experience for Carrie and Silas! Lydia went to Florida when she was 7 months old.
Care practicing her "shelling" skills.
Sweet Silas just trying to avoid the wind.
Dessert after one of several delicious meals!
My parents scouted out an awesome park and we hung out there three afternoons. Silas preferred eating the wood chips to playing.
Carrie really liked the house in the playground.
Pausing during a walk in a park for a picture.
Family shot.
Carrie sporting her shades!

After a lovely, restful time we headed back to the airport for the flight home. Our flight was delayed for an hour so the girls practiced their gymnastics moves.
The flight home went better than the flight to Florida, but Zach and I have agreed that we won't be flying again for a while. But it was well worth it. What a gift to have a week away in beautiful weather with wonderful company!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Daddy Daughter Date!

For Valentines Day Zach took the girls on a Daddy Daughter Date! The girls were very excited for their dinner out with Daddy...
Daddy giving his beautiful girls a rose before they head out.
Cheese!

Kidney Ball!

Zach and I were invited to a Kidney Ball to honor and celebrate all the work being done to help those with kidney problems. It was a black tie event- a rare occasion for us. It was fun getting dressed up for a night out!
Dr. DeJong, who performed Zach's surgery a year ago, was honored that night. We had the pleasure of sitting next to him and his wife. What a wonderful, humble, Godly couple they are who live their life for the Lord, each other and others. We were even gleaning parenting advice from them. It was just a lovely evening.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Misc. January Pics

Here are some random pics from this past month. Daddy making a Lyddi-Care sandwich!
Zach got to do a little baking this past month...
I got the girls outside as much as I could: 10 minutes of bundling them up for 10 minutes of play time!
Care and Daddy hanging out.
Pony rides!
Lyddi nursing her baby...
Care playing waitress.
Got puffs?
Story time!
After a special "Mommy-daughter" outing, Lyddi was pretty tuckered.
Ready to head out with their new backpacks!
Onto February!