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Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

That's right, our little bug is TWO YEARS OLD. We celebrated her birthday by taking her to Temple Square to see the "oh, so beau'ful!" Christmas lights. It was a bit chilly, but Elizabeth had a grand time--she especially liked all the nativity scenes displayed around the plaza.

It's hard to believe that two years ago at this time Elizabeth was just a teeny bundle who did little more than sleep, eat, and poop (though she did PLENTY of those three things, for sure!) Now it seems every day we say goodbye to another part of that baby-ness as she barrels full steam ahead into kidhood. It's bittersweet, really. . .It's so fun to eavesdrop on the conversations she has with herself while she's playing, watch her determinedly try to get dressed "all by'self", and see her zeal for life grow with each passing day. But I find myself eager to rock her to sleep so I can look at that sweet face and think back to those early days we spent in the rocking chair together when she was just that sweet little armful of baby.

Most of the time, life with a toddler is equal parts hilarious and exasperating. Phew. . .I could write a few more volumes on the subject of parenting a toddler, but this'll get you started:

Let It Snow!

We got our first real snowstorm overnight! Elizabeth was so excited to see the snow that as soon as I mentioned going outside, she ran to get her hat and gloves from the closet and immediately put them on. . .but that was it. Once she realized Mom wasn't letting her go anywhere clad only in a diaper, she relented and let Mom (over)dress her a bit more appropriately:


Elizabeth had a blast stomping around the yard, carefully dusting snow off the bushes, and even trying her hand at throwing a few snowballs. Mom made a feeble attempt at a snowman but eventually gave up, claiming the powdery snow just wasn't the right kind for proper snowman-building. . .

By the time the obligatory video and photos were taken Elizabeth was starting to get cold and wet--not that it bothered *her* any, but mean old Mom insisted that she come inside to dry off and warm up for awhile. (Now it sounds like she's up from her nap, so we might just head outside once more!)

Bad Baby Names

I came across this site when I was pregnant with Elizabeth and shared it with a few of you. . .Today I was in need of a laugh and found it again, and figured I'd share the love all around:

Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing

(Disclaimer: The author of this blog accepts no responsibility for damage suffered by your monitor or keyboard should you choose to read the following while drinking or eating.)

Autumn

We spent Saturday afternoon at Uncle Dan's and Aunt Clare's house. The boys all went over to help Uncle Dan with the new house construction, while the girls had a little party for cousin Bronwen. We made some oh-so-stunning party crowns, decorated the bikes and wagons, and went for a "parade" down the street.


(I think Elizabeth is a little jealous that her cousins' neighbors are cows, goats, and chickens!)



On the way back we stopped at the pumpkin patch. Elizabeth thought the pumpkins made great chairs. . .


It's hard to believe that it's fall already! This has always been my favorite season, but this year it's been especially gratifying to me to share in Elizabeth's discoveries as the season changes. . .to see the smile on her face as she shuffles through the crunchy leaves, to watch her determined scramble across a muddy pumpkin patch, to teach her to throw those little winged maple tree seeds into the air and watch them spiral downwards (over and over and over!). I often tell Jared that becoming a mom has made me feel "old"--but for brief moments it also allows me to be young again, when I catch glimpses of the world through my little one's eyes.

New Baby

Congrats to Aunt Angie and Uncle Nick on the arrival of their little girl, Payton Kay! (This brings the grand total to 2 grandsons and 7 granddaughters for Grandma and Grandpa Olson. Phew!)



Congrats also to Aunt Kellie and Uncle Joseph on their new puppy, Panda. (This makes 2 granddaughters and 1 grandpuppy for Nonny and Poppa Epperson.)

Oops, I Did It Again. . .

September is National Child Safety Month (don’t you love all these “awareness” months/weeks/days? There is even an awareness week for. . .drumroll please. . .head lice. No, really.)

Anyway, unlike some of these "awareness topics", this one interests me greatly. It would take a few volumes to describe every particular thing you can do to try and keep your kid safe. And it changes on a near-daily basis as your little one learns to roll, crawl, walk, open cupboards, and operate heavy machinery. So I’ll narrow my focus to the NUMBER ONE safety issue. Nope, not rabid dogs. Or pennies. Or lead paint, iron pills, Drano, or the temperature on the water heater being too high. The number one cause of death for children 1-12 is car accidents. And sadly, many of those deaths occurred because child restraints were missing or improperly used. Of course, determining what “proper use” means isn’t always easy. . .The whole issue can start sounding like one of those logic problems on the SAT:

“A child can be in Seat A until he reaches 20 pounds OR 26 inches and must be in the rear-facing position at all times. In order to be forward facing the child must be 20 pounds AND 1 year, regardless of height. Seat B can be used in the rear-facing position from 5 pounds until 30 pounds OR approximately 35 inches. The straps may be at any slot setting but they must be below shoulder level. The seat may also be used in the forward-facing position, but only if the child is 1 year old AND 20 pounds and only until the child is 40 pounds OR 48 inches, but the straps may only be in the top slot setting AND must be above shoulder level. Seat C can be used as Seat B, but additionally as a booster without the internal harness if child is 40 pounds AND 4 years old and until the child is 100 pounds OR 4’8”.”

Phew! It’s no wonder that more than half of all carseats are installed or used incorrectly—some studies even suggest it’s as high as 80%. (Starting to wonder if you’re in that 80%? Keep reading. . .)

We’ve made puh-lenty of our own carseat mistakes as new parents, and we’ve learned quite a bit in the process. I was planning on writing out all the things I wish someone had told us at the beginning about car seat safety. . .but then I found the following site that sums it all up quite nicely. So instead I've devised a little test. Go ahead and read the info on the following link--your current and future children and grandchildren will thank you!--then come back and take the test.

Car Seat Safety Guide

Okay, finished reading? Great, here's the test. . .What's wrong with this picture?:

(For the benefit of those who don't read PEOPLE magazine, that's Britney Spears with her 8-month-old son Sean Preston.)

a) The harness straps should be snug across the shoulders and body, with the harness clip at chest level.
b) The baby should be in a rear-facing seat until at least 1 year and 20 pounds.
c) World-famous pop singers should not have babies with their skeezy thug-wannabe backup dancers.
d) All of the above.

Eatin' good in the neighborhood. . .

Today was the second annual neighborhood "Fall Festival". This has been such a fun new tradition for our neighborhood! The main even is the Dutch oven cookoff; each family is assigned a slot in the church parking lot in which to set up their Dutch oven(s), but since much of Dutch oven cooking is about *waiting* (for the coals to heat up and then for the food to cook) everyone spends a lot of time walking around to visit with one another. . .and to size up the competition. A panel of judges samples each entry, and then everyone gets to enjoy all the food while the judges making their final decision.

Elizabeth loved the teepee that had been set up for the kiddos:


(I don't think that war paint is authentic, but the kids didn't seem to care.)

More Summer Fun

Several weeks ago we made a trip out to Liberty Park with the Olson cousins. . .what fun! The kiddos splashed and waded in the Seven Canyons water feature, built to represent--you guessed it--the seven canyons in the Salt Lake Valley, with rivers winding their way downhill to join together into a little "lake". This is a lot of fun for playful kids and sharp-eyed grownups alike! Here's Elizabeth playing in the "downtown" area (notice the city blocks and tall buildings):

I don't actually have any pictures of Elizabeth playing IN the water--she mostly walked around with a ball in each hand and let her cousins do the getting-wet bit.

When cousin Brooklyn came out a few weeks later, we headed back to the park to visit Tracy Aviary and splash around in the Canyons again. In fact, Elizabeth was talking about this second trip just today: "Mama! Bwoo bird! Ducks! Eat! Food! Throw! Carseat!" (Translation: We went to Tracy Aviary and saw a bluebird. Then we saw the ducks. They were eating. We threw food out on the water for them to eat. On the way home I was stuck in my carseat for an hour and a half while Mommy battled the rush hour traffic.)

Elizabeth, Uncle Brandon, and a lame pun in the background.

Elizabeth was much braver in the Canyons this time--I think she was trying to do the whole "older, more experienced cousin bit" to impress Brooklyn.

Sweet dreams, Imelda. . .

Elizabeth loves her big-girl bed--especially because it means more room for her "treasures"! We never know what we're going to find in her bed (or ours!) come morning. . .On this particular night, after we tucked her in with her plush menagerie, she was apparently overwhelmed by the need to ACCESSORIZE and climbed back out of bed to retrieve her beloved "bwoo shoes" and the oh-so-dainty Fisher Price pop-bead necklace.

A few nights later Mom woke up in the morning with Elizabeth snuggled up next to her--binky in mouth, security blanket in one hand, Matchbox car in another, and laying on top of a copy of "One Hungry Monster" and her pink chenille teddy bear. We're still not sure how she managed to climb into our bed carrying all that stuff!

Water Baby

Elizabeth had a great time swimming at Aunt Joni's grandmother's pool tonight. Okay, fine, maybe "swimming" isn't quite the right word--she did spend much of the time frantically wrapping herself around Mom or Dad's torso. . .but eventually she got a little braver and even tried paddling around with a kickboard for awhile. After cousin Jordan showed her what the slide was all about, she was eager to try it herself:

Art Project of the Day: Shaving Cream Finger Paints

Materials:
--paper
--shaving cream
--food coloring
--squeegee (optional)

Instructions:
Squirt shaving cream into bowls or muffin tin compartments; add a few drops of food coloring to each and mix well. Smear colored shaving cream onto paper until desired effect is achieved. Scrape off shaving cream with the squeegee (or just with your hand) and BEHOLD your masterpiece.

Special extension activities for toddlers:
Taste shaving cream. Smear it in your hair and all over your face. Throw it on the just-mopped floor. Coat your hands liberally with shaving cream, then shake vigorously to send the globs flying.

The Trip: Day 6

Day 6: Ahhh, now THIS is what a vacation should be like! We slept in and spent a leisurely morning puttering around "Moose Haven" (our cabin), before heading out to see some of the Black Hills.

We visited Crystal Cave--I don't have any pictures because Elizabeth quickly decided that caves aren't her "thing" and we took her back up to the surface, along with the diaper bag (containing, of course, the camera). Jared and I went back down into the cave while Elizabeth hung out with Grandma and reportedly had a grand old time playing in the rocks of the gravel parking lot. We also took a trip to the Reptile Gardens, home of the biggest 'gators, lizards, and snakes I'd ever care to see. . .The giant tortoises were pretty neat, although Elizabeth looked skeptical when we told her what they were--I think she still believes they were big rocks. Prairie Dog Town (you can quit laughing now!) was a big hit with her, though I'm afraid for Jared it probably brought back painful memories of the Backyard Gopher Conflict of '04.

Back at the cabin we grilled some burgers, had birthday cake in honor of. . .oh, I can't remember the whole list now. . .and watched "North By Northwest" (remember that chase across Mt. Rushmore?) Well, the boys watched the movie. It simply provided background noise for the girls as we scrapbooked. Leave it to Emily to pack not only the essentials for her family, but supplies for all manner of scrapbooking projects for the rest of us! :)

We had a nice, uneventful ride home the next morning. . .And now the clothes are all washed, the suitcases put away, and even the hokey Mt. Rushmore paperweight placed on the shelf. We're happy to be home and to have all these new memories to share as a family. Heck, give us a couple of years to forget how long the drive was, and we'll do it all again!

The Trip: Day 5

(Tired yet? Just imagine if you'd actually gone on the trip!)

Day 5: The fireworks display at Mt. Rushmore takes place on the 3rd of July--when they first began doing fireworks they would start the show right at midnight, thus ushering in the 4th of July. Now, thankfully, the show starts at 9:15, but they still do it on the third. Anyway, the short version of what happened today: We arrived around 10 AM. That leaves 11 hours till the fireworks. It rained for almost 3 of those hours. Poor Elizabeth was so spent that by the time the fireworks started she decided she was NOT going to put up with all that noise and light, and she promptly fell asleep on Jared's shoulder. So, was it worth it? Well, we have to say yes, right? No, really, it WAS amazing to spend a day at the foot of such an impressive monument. The fireworks were beautiful. We have some great memories of that day, in spite of (and partly in thanks to) the rain.

The Trip: Day 4

Day 4: We attended church at the Pierre Branch, practically tripling the congregation size. We had a potluck supper afterward, said our goodbyes, and then our branch of the Olson Clan headed to the Black Hills. We reached the Mt. Rushmore overlook just as the sun was setting--it was incredible to watch yet another breathtaking sunset against the backdrop of Mt. Rushmore. (Without a tripod and having yet to take Photography 101, this is the best picture I could manage. . .You'll just have to take my word that that really IS Mt. Rushmore in the background, okay?)

The Trip: Day 3

Day 3: The next day was spent playing around on the Missouri River. Elizabeth had a blast wading and throwing rocks into the river--until the boats started zooming by. As the waves reached the shore where she was wading, she panicked and ran onto the beach shouting, "No, NO! All done!" As Aunt Angie put it, she's a "bathtub" baby--she prefers her water warm, shallow, and WITHOUT waves.

After a nice long nap we hung around the hotel with our immediate family. I learned how to play the traditional Olson family game of Marbles. . .I still think it was a trick telling me that Skylar was my "partner" who was supposed to "help" me. We reconciled over a dinner of Chinese food, and then we did some sight-seeing around Pierre. We visited Scott and Angela (of SilkFudge fame) in their lovely new riverside home, and Jocke treated us to a walking tour of the block on which he grew up. He snagged a garter snake out of a backyard garden and gave Elizabeth her first up-close encounter with a reptile. (She was thoroughly non-plussed.) He also told us a great story about him and his friends chucking rotten tomatoes at passing cars, then hiding in the bell-tower of the church next door when one driver turned his car around to come after them.

The Trip: Day 2

Day 2: Another carload of Olsons (Aaron & Joni, Angie, and Sarah) met up with us in Casper, so we all set out together the next morning. Good thing, because as soon as we hit the highway again after lunch, a tire blew out on Aaron's car! After a tire change worthy of a NASCAR pit crew, we all stopped in Sturgis, aka Motorcycle Mecca! While the boys procured a new tire, we girls played dress-up with the biker gear and cowboy hats.

(Elizabeth and Jordan got in on the dress-ups too. . .)

Despite our little detour, we made it to the family reunion dinner in good time. It was a little creepy to walk into this huge assembly hall in the middle of nowhere and see a bunch of people that I'd never met. . .but who all looked vaguely like Jared. We ate some delectable homemade pies and posed for the obligatory group shot, then we all headed out to the family farm.


(Oh, come on, how could we pass up THIS shot?) The family farm was. . .a real live FARM, which had been handed down through the generations from Jared's grandfather Everett, who was a real live FARMER his whole life. Oh, and did I mention he only had one hand? Seriously, he lost his hand in a farming accident but kept right on working--teaching himself to do everything from branding cattle to nailing a metal roof with his one remaining hand. This was just one of the great stories I got to hear from my father-in-law from this trip. I sure hope he's written all these stories down someplace for us (Hint, HINT, Jocke!)

The Trip: Day 1

Day 1: Around 3:00 we hit the road, along with Jared's brother Jay and his family. We drove to Casper, where we spent the night. Those of you who've driven through Wyoming will understand why we have no pictures of this day of the trip.

Home at last. . .

We just got home yesterday from a week-long vacation with Jared's family in South Dakota. The main reason for our trip was the Olson Family Reunion--over 100 descendants of Ruth and Everett, Jared's grandparents, gathered together for a few days of fun. We visited the family farm, played in the nearby Oahe Lake, had some of the best fudge EVER (Angela is Jared's cousin-in-law), and took LOTS of pictures. Above is a picture of the beautiful South Dakota sunset that greeted us upon arrival at the Olson family farm. I'll be telling the rest of the story (Jocke the snake charmer, a side trip to Sturgis, fireworks at Mt. Rushmore, and more!) once I get the rest of our pictures off of our brother-in-law's computer (our puny memory cards just couldn't hold them all. . .)

Summer Fun

I *thought* I was snapping pictures of Elizabeth eating her very first ice cream cone. . .until Jared broke it to me that he'd already taken care of that milestone, a few months ago when she went to Arctic Circle with him. Oh, well--cute pictures nonetheless. :)


Enjoying a taste of summer with two of her doting uncles, Aaron and Joseph.



On Tuesday we spent the morning at Red Butte Garden--the weather was beautiful and so were the gardens. Elizabeth wasn't terribly excited about the life-sized dino sculptures currently on display, but she did enjoy the Children's Garden!


The snake maze--even Mommy thought this was pretty fun. . .a long, winding mesh frame covered in Virginia creeper vines.



Fish-watching at the Water Pavilion. Be sure to have quarters handy when you come, to buy a handful of feed for the ducks and goldfish. . .you may even manage to entice some of the HUGE lake trout to surface!

Nice day for a white wedding. . .

(. . .with some green accents.)


Holly's little sister Kellie is now a married woman! And her husband Joseph is about the sweetest, cutest, smartest uncle Elizabeth could've hoped for. They were married yesterday afternoon at the Jordan River Temple. The reception to follow was supposed to be in our uncle's and aunt's gorgeous backyard. . .The evening rain cleared up just long enough for us to get hopeful and get everything set up outside--only to start up again as the first guests were arriving. We rushed everything inside and did some re-arranging. The end result: a slightly crowded but very fun and memorable evening!



Grandpa Brent ("Poppa") and his brother, Great-Uncle Doug, holding Elizabeth and cousin Brooklyn. (Hairbows courtesy of Miss Monkey's Boutique--thanks again, Ashley!)



Proud new parents Kim (matron of honor) and Gavin adoring their newly-adopted betta fish, Cosmo. (No way was my mom taking home all those fishbowl centerpieces!)



Kellie is such a "pretty princess" that we sisters decided that even if SHE didn't wear a tiara on her wedding day, WE certainly would. From left to right--Holly and Elizabeth, Amy, Sarah, and Brittiny and Brooklyn.


Tired but happy. . .It was quite a day!

We're thrilled to have a new brother, and Elizabeth just adores her newest uncle. Congratulations to Kellie and Joseph. . .Many wishes for a wonderful life together. We love you!

Happy Birthday, Super Jordan!

We celebrated cousin Jordan's fourth birthday today with a Superman-themed party. The kids had a lot of fun meeting the superheros, flying around the yard in their capes, and decapitating the Superman pinata.

Elizabeth, enjoying the wind in her hair. . .


Do you know these superheros' mild-mannered alter egos? (left to right: Jared, Uncle Jay, Aunt Lisa, and Grandma and Grandpa Allred)


The Super Family (cousin Madison, Uncle Jay, Aunt Lisa, and cousin Jordan)


The Superkids plot to rescue the pinata from the evil clutches of Lex Luthor. . .


Super Fiona!