Halloween

The girls had a fabulous Halloween. For Elizabeth this year, trick-or-treating was still secondary to dressing up. We only went to a handful of houses before she declared she was done. . .done trick-or-treating, but definitely not done wearing the mermaid costume! As for Anna, she was a bit mystified by trick-or-treating and didn't care much for her costume--she was content just to waddle around with a candy bar clutched in each hand.

Look-alike Meter, Part Deux

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Geneology

Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Roots - Free family tree software

Tell Me Why. . .

Things Elizabeth asked me today:

How can my nose get better all by itself?

What's blood? Does your brain have blood too?

How do you make cottage cheese?

What are those guys doing? How can they just build that whole house on the inside and the outside?

Is there caribou outside? Where's the snowy weather for them to live in? Or are they just pretend?

What sound do apples make when you chomp them?

Why is Sleeping Beauty barefoot?

That's how we roll

A Day In Our Life. . .Through Pictures

Tagged!

The last 3 things I purchased:

- Fabric
- Bug spray
- Marshmallows and Oreos (mmmmm, S'moreos!)

The last 3 songs I downloaded:

- Are we counting podcasts? In that case, I think it was episodes of Material Mama, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, and NPR's Selected Shorts.

The last 3 places I visited:

- My parents' house
- Heber/Midway
- My in-laws' house

My 3 favorite movies:

- West Side Story
- Fiddler on The Roof
- Ummmmm. . .can't think of another one right now.

My 3 favorite possessions:

- mp3 player
- sewing machine
- laptop

3 things I can't live without:

- My family
- My "alone time"
- Books

My 3 wishes: I'll just have to ditto Amy's. . .

- Happiness and health for my family
- Peace
- More endurance ... physical and spiritual .

3 things I haven't done yet:

- Run for more than a mile straight
- Learned to ski
- Gotten a graduate degree

My 3 favorite dishes:

- pasta primavera
- bacon cheeseburger
- French vanilla ice cream

3 celebs I'd want to hang out with:

- Sam Waterston (forever and always my primary "old guy" crush)
- James Taylor (I guess he qualifies as an "old guy" too?)
- Julie Andrews (What can I say? She just seems like a stand-up gal. . .)

3 things that freak me out:

- News stories about freak accidents involving children (like that kid who drowned hours after he finished swimming?!? Gah. One more thing to add to my ever-growing list of parenting anxieties.)
- Earwigs
- Topsoil erosion

3 things I'm good at:

- word puzzles
- making milk
- starting new hobbies

3 things I'm currently coveting:

- stay-at-home-moms with cleaning ladies and/or nannies
- finished basements
- embroidery machine

3 bloggers I tag

- Joni
- Lindsey
- Sarah Jo

My husband has my heart, but Edward can have my neck. . .

. . .And my soul? It belongs to Sam Walton now.


Some of you know of my rather strong feelings about Wal-Mart. I'm a very frugal person. I love a good deal more than just about anything. But long story short? I. Do. Not. Shop. At. Wal-Mart. After this weekend, though, I have to revise that personal statement.

Let's start at the beginning. The last volume of the "Twilight" series, Breaking Dawn, was released this weekend. For those of you who a) are over 30, and/or b) possess a Y chromosome, let me fill you in. "Twilight" is an insanely popular young adult series about a love triangle between a werewolf, a vampire, and a modern-day high school student. But the big surprise is that they're actually pretty good. Yes, the editing could be a little tighter (enough with the adverbs, already!), and the characters can be sophomoric (not surprising, since it's written for, well, sophomores). But they're fast-paced, with intricate and absorbing plots that make them all-but-impossible to put down once you start.

By the time the third book was released, the series was HOT. As in, "move over, Harry Potter" hot. And when a series gets that popular, suddenly fans aren't content to just hit the bookstore bright and early on the day that a new volume is released. When the Harry Potter series got big, bookstores began hosting midnight parties for each new volume--staying open the night before the official release date, right up until 12:01 when they could legally sell the book. With the Twilight books, the tradition has been continued.

So, my good friend Mandy happened to call last week and mentioned that she had pre-ordered Breaking Dawn and was going to pick it up at the midnight release party. And I decided to go with her. We agreed to meet at the bookstore around 10:00 and just hang out till midnight.

I should've known better. I witnessed firsthand the madness surrounding the midnight release of the final Harry Potter book. But that didn't even compare with the madness we witnessed at Barnes & Noble on Friday night. Hundreds of 14-year-old girls decked out in prom dresses, giggling and shrieking and just being fourteen. A werewolf riding a motorcycle. Groups of women in matching shirts declaring their love for the book and for their preferred paranormal paramour ("Team Edward" or "Team Jacob", "Only a vampire can love you FOREVER", and so on. . .)

Mandy and I got our wristbands and browsed the bookstore for awhile. It was crowded beyond belief and was starting to get toasty, so we headed outside to talk and people-watch. Shortly after midnight we heard a collective scream from inside the store; they'd officially started selling the books. One of the first girls through the line literally ran out the door and across the sidewalk with a boxful of books in her arms, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

After an hour or so, Mandy and I decided to head back inside to see how far they'd gotten. According to her wristband, Mandy was in Group 28. (Since I didn't pre-order my copy, I was so far down the totem pole I didn't even qualify for a number. I was in Group M.) When we checked, they were still serving Groups 1-9. Yikes. At this point we started to seriously question our sanity. Just WHY had we come here, again? I was eager to get home and feed Anna before I "milked" my shirt. Mandy was eager to get home and get some SLEEP because she had to get up early. We'd heard a rumor that Wal-Mart had books aplenty and no line at all, so we decided to check it out. At the very least, we could get a drink to bring back.

So we drove to Wal-Mart. (Oh, and it wasn't just any Wal-Mart. The very Wal-Mart that my friends and family personally petitioned against. But needs must when necessity drives.) We walked to the book section, where we found an employee unloading a box full of copies of Breaking Dawn. She handed us each a copy, we strolled to the checkout lane, and we were out the door with our prize (plus some bottled water and treats for Mandy's dog Festus). While the rest of Group M was still camped out on the floor of Barnes & Noble, I was tucked comfortably in bed reading the first dozen chapters or so.

And that's the story of how I sold out to The Man, all for a measly book.

P.S. Note to Mandy: We need to get together again. Before another 9 months goes by. :)

Summer Catch Up

So I've neglected the blog. Anna's first birthday came and went, and I didn't get a single picture of it (poor neglected second child. . .) I put off blogging about it since I didn't have pictures. Then I put it off some more because I felt guilty about not blogging about it sooner. And so forth.

But enough. . .Our little Anna Boo is one year old! We had a party for her at our house, complete with a little cake just for Anna. She didn't like the frosting much and actually scraped it off--but she thoroughly enjoyed the cake itself! It's hard to believe how quickly this first year with her has gone. . .She's not walking, but yesterday she stood all by herself for the first time! She loves to talk and tries hard to keep up with her chatty big sister, despite only knowing 3 or 4 real words. She's such a little ray of sunshine in our lives, always ready with a smile and a chuckle. We're truly blessed to have our little Boo Boo. . .Happy Birthday, Anna!

The Promise of Spring

Easter in March. . .what a tease. On Easter we celebrate Christ's resurrection, the triumph of life and hope over darkness and despair. It's all about light, warmth, and life returning to the world after a cold, dark winter. Well, for me it's a little harder to catch that vision when it comes so early in March that there's still snow in the church parking lot come Easter morning.

Really, though, we did have a lovely Easter. We attended church bright and early in the morning, came home to dye eggs, and then had Holly's family over for dinner and the egg hunt. As usual, I didn't think to take any pictures of the family party, but I did make my girls pose for a few photos before I let them out of their Easter Sunday finery. . .





The week before Easter, we planted some seeds for our garden. They're, um, actually seeds from last year--I bought a bunch with high hopes for planting a vegetable garden in our spacious new backyard. Riiiight. . .Anyway, we thought we'd give the seeds a try again this year and stuck them in some peat pots. Elizabeth helped color the marker-thingies:


Ever trusting, Elizabeth believed us that plants would actually grow from those tiny seeds we tucked into the soil, and she has patiently watched and watered the pots, checking each day for signs of growth. Just when I was starting to fret that nothing was going to grow, we saw a teeny shoot of green. . .and then another. And then we woke up today and found this:


So spring really IS coming. Our little peat pots are certainly a testament to that. The crocuses that I forgot I'd planted have bloomed, and the daffodils are close behind. The air is filled with birdsong, we've spotted quail scurrying around the backyard. . .and that pile of snow in the church parking lot is officially gone.

Build A Better Mousetrap. . .

. . .and engineers will just use it to fling Ping Pong balls.

In an effort to boost morale or to promote teamwork or perhaps just to get rid of an excess of Ping Pong balls and moustraps, the "higher ups" at the air force base announced a contest: Create a device that employs a mousetrap to catapult Ping Pong balls into a bucket 10 feet away.

After a trip to the hardware store and a few hours hunkered down in the garage, Jared emerged with a contraption. We spent the better part of last weekend launching Ping Pong balls across the living room, as Jared fine-tuned his Ping-Pong-a-pault and practiced for the big event. (Elizabeth and Anna LOVED this--Elizabeth would launch the balls and Anna would shriek with delight as they flew through the air and bounced and rolled around the room.)

Competition day dawned cold and grey. At the gymnasium on base, the geeks were out in full force. In the first round Jared tied with another engineer for first place, but the Mouse-a-pult had suffered some injuries. (We probably shouldn't have played with it *quite* so much over the weekend!) Jared had to resort to a quick-and-dirty repair job, heavy on duct tape, to be ready for the overtime round. But would it be enough? He took his place at the competition table, waited for the signal, and began firing. Another engineer happened to record the final round on her cell phone and shared it with Jared, so you have the select pleasure of actually watching the action:



That final shot--the one that hit the floor and then bounced into the bucket--put Jared one point ahead of his competitor, securing for him not only the gift certificate but also bragging rights. If only launching Ping Pong balls with a mousetrap were something one is apt to want to brag about. . .But truly, we ARE proud of our husband/dad and his many talents, including this one. Holly is particularly grateful for this skill--it's going to come in handy when our kids come home with one of those assignments that science teachers design to be engaging, authentic learning experiences but which inevitably ends up with a parent sitting with their frustrated, exhausted child at the kitchen table at 2 AM, surrounded by duct tape, cardboard, and muffin tin liners.

(Oh, and Jared has just informed me that I have left out much of the high drama regarding the duct tape repairs. . .you'll have to ask him for the details.)

The Grumpiest Little Pirate

A few weeks ago Anna was happily playing by herself when she poked herself in the eye. Several hours later she was still acting pretty miserable, so Mom took her in to the pediatrician, who confirmed a corneal scratch and sent us home with ointment and an eye patch for our poor little monkey. Thankfully eyes (particularly babies' eyes) heal VERY quickly; by the next day the scratch was gone and Anna was back to her happy self--just in time to cut tooth #4 and start crawling.

I can't understand why Mother Nature designed babies so that they gain mobility right after they learn to pick up tiny objects--but before they've gotten over that urge to put EVERYTHING in their mouths. These days Anna much prefers dust bunnies and tiny balls of lint to anything the Gerber company has to offer. Maybe I should just start scattering Cheerios across the floor. . .

Top Ten Best Holiday Moments

Whew, we had a busy and wonderful holiday season! We're still in the process of uploading and organizing our pictures, but for now we'll share some of the highlights of this year's festivities. . .(UPDATE 11/22/08--pictures!)

10. A modern take on classic lyrics
Elizabeth had been singing the chorus to "Jingle Bells" for weeks, but we didn't realize she even knew the rest of the words until Christmas morning. . .We received a good amount of snow over Christmas Eve, and on Christmas morning the roads were still pretty snowy as we drove to the grandparents' house. Ever observant, Elizabeth noticed the snow being thrown to the side of the car as we drove through it and asked, "Mommy, are we 'dashing through the snow'?"

9. A very Kiwi Christmas
We got to talk to Jared's little sis Sarah when she called from New Zealand on Christmas Eve. It's hard to believe that her mission is already halfway over! She got to spend her holidays serving at the temple and sent us pictures of the Christmas lights. It was a little surprising to see the palm trees wrapped in lights, with people milling around in short sleeves; sometimes we forget that NZ is *literally* on the other side of the world. (Holly keeps meaning to ask Sarah if water going down the drain actually spins clockwise, too.)


8. "We sure got a good crop of cheeks this year!"
So says Aunt Lisa, upon seeing all three of the June* babies together for the first time:
I think we decided Henry is the official winner of fattest cheeks--but Anna has him beat for fattest thighs, and Emmett wins for fattest arms. . .gotta love those elbow dimples! (*Emmett is technically a May baby--he surprised everyone by coming 5 weeks early!--but I'm still sticking with the original "June babies".)

7. The best Christmas pageant ever

Sinead, our Christmas Star
We decided it was high time the Olson family pick up the tradition of dressing all the kids in bathrobes and towels to act out the Christmas story. Elizabeth was a "wise woman", complete with tinfoil-filled jewelry box. The highlight of the event came when our beautiful angel Madi burst into tears when it time to bring "good tidings of great joy" to the shepherds.

6. "I wish they did EASTER lights instead."
We made a trek around Temple Square with the girls to see the Christmas lights this year. They were dazzling, as usual, but every year we somehow forget just how COLD it is walking around downtown in December. On the way back to our car Holly seriously started thinking of moving to the Southern Hemisphere so she could enjoy Christmas lights in short sleeves, like the aforementioned Kiwis.

5. Cheese-dipped marshmallows
We had a party at our house on New Year's Eve--with both a cheese and chocolate fondue and over dozen "dippables", the whole spread was a bit overwhelming. Sarah's honey Seamus, ever the engineer, tackled the problem quite logically: he took 2 of each item and dipped one in each fondue. (Thus proving that the most logical solution doesn't always make the most sense.) Holly's just glad she didn't put out any gherkins after all--she's sure Seamus wouldn't have hesitated to try a chocolate-covered pickle.

4. Dressing up with Pixie Pants
After Christmas Holly's brother and his family arrived for a visit. Elizabeth and Brooklyn (aka Pixie Pants) spent a good portion of the evening playing dress-ups, with Aaron taking WAY too many pictures with his--I mean Amy's--new camera.

3. British guys in tuxedos
The King's Singers came into town to perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and we were able to attend one of their concerts. It was so heavenly to take an evening during the busy holiday season to just *sit down* and listen to such a masterful performance.

2. Our new addition
Santa came a little early this year, when Jared won a tractor on eBay. Yes, a tractor. No, really. A real tractor with big ol' wheels and a digging thing on the front and that charming aroma of eau de diesel. Holly is still trying to figure out how he managed to talk her into letting him buy it. On the plus side, now she's got some serious leverage when she's ready to buy a serger.

1. Family
More than any specific moment, the best part of the holiday season was simply getting to spend time with our families in general. We are so grateful to have you guys in our life. We hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season, and we wish you blessings beyond measure for this new year!

(Olson Clan: The Next Generation)