Keepin' Up with the Olsons

She is 3! Our Zoe is Growing Up!

2011-03-31T09:06:00.000-07:00

It is shocking to me to think that it was 3 years ago today that we finally got to hold our beautiful little girl and welcome her into the world. She is growing up so fast and becoming quite the little lady.

She loves pink, babies (real and pretend), singing, helping in the kitchen, reading books and talking, though we sometimes need Malachi to translate :). She is very quiet and shy in new settings and takes a while to warm up to new people and yet she is also tough and has no problem sticking up for herself when teased by her older brother. She has spunk and is not afraid to let us know how she feels about something. We should have anticipated this with a 4 hour labor and naming her Zoe which means 'life' in Greek. She has a mind of her own and keeps us on our toes as parents. At the same time she makes us laugh and brings such joy!

Zo-ster, Zoe Girl, Sweet Pea...you are a bigger-than-life blessing. We love you! Happy 3rd Birthday!

10 Years!

2010-08-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

On this day 10 years ago, I married my best friend. Happy Anniversary, Babe!

God has blessed me tremendously with a dedicated husband and loving father to our 3 biggest blessings!

I am so excited to see what God has in store for us in the next 10 years...and more!

Our 7 month old saved us $70 today!

2010-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girl just saved us $70 today! She is acting like her normal self again after 2 days of a high fever and being very lethargic. Therefore I don't have to pay our insanely high copay to take her to see the doctor. Thank you Shiloh and Happy 7 Months!

This is a picture of Shiloh a week ago when she tried her first food, baby cereal, and did NOT like it!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Shiloh Grace never ceases to amaze me. I put her on the floor to play and checked on her when I realized she was very quiet. She just decided to take a nap!

...almost wordless :)

Riding Bikes

2010-07-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is at Grammy and Pops house. We had a few close calls on camera...and a couple good crashes off camera. Thank goodness for helmets!

Grandma and Grandpa

2010-07-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

My parents are visiting for a few days and all regular activities seem to stop when that happens. I want to sit and enjoy the time with them. I want to soak it all up. Living far away from them is tough.

My niece was telling me how it was going to be so difficult to not see them for a few weeks, because they live near each other and get to see Grandma and Grandpa on a regular basis. She asked how we can do it, living so far away and not getting to see them very often.

I guess you get into the grind of daily life and just deal with it. When the opportunity arises to be with them, I'm reminded of what it is that we are missing out on.

Thankfully, we do live near Kurtis' parents and seeing Grammy and Pops (as they are referred to by Malachi and Zoe) is a highlight of many weekends. What a blessing, though, it would be to have the opportunity to live near both Grandparents.

A Month Older

2010-06-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

In keeping with tradition, here is Shiloh's 6 month post. Yep, she is another month older
and just as love-able as ever! Here's what she's been up to lately...

sucks on 2-3 fingers to self-soothe
rolling front-to-back-to-front
showing the first signs of trying to army crawl but not moving
loves to blow bubbles/make raspberries
has had a few swimming lessons already and seems to enjoy the pool at Tessa's house
just got her first "new"(not hand-me-down) toy, Sophie the Giraffe, which was a total splurge but worth every penny cause she LOVES it! (and thanks to our good friend Taffy we did not lose her tonight!)
Wearing a baltic amber teething necklace full-time now. With such a content and happy baby it's a little difficult to tell if it's working but even if it's not it looks so darn cute!
Still as cute as a button in her fluffy, cloth diapered bottom.
Not always sleeping through the night now =/ but that's okay since she is such a sweet cuddler
Starting to sit up, but is still working on those abs
Beginning to show interest in food, but we'll try to wait a bit longer...that just creates one more thing to think about and, really, I don't think she's starving.

5 Months

2010-06-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it was 5 months ago that Shiloh Grace was born. She is an absolute joy. She continues to be our sleep-through-the-night, content and happy little girl. I think she is beginning to teethe so these may be some of the last gummy photos we take of her.

Pics of my handsome bro

2010-05-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Simple joys

2010-05-11T14:42:00.000-07:00

We have been busy with many different things lately and I missed Shiloh's 4 month post. So I thought I would post this video I got of her rolling over. The simple joys are such a blessing!

Our Girls: 2 years and 3 months

2010-03-31T07:09:00.000-07:00

What a blessing these two girls are for our family!

2 Months

2010-03-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

It is amazing that Shiloh is already 2 months old! She is such a sweet addition to our family. She continues to live up to her name and is a very content and 'peaceful' baby. She sleeps so well I still have not gotten used to it! I constantly check on her for fear that something is wrong...do babies REALLY sleep in 3 and 4 hour chunks?! Until Shiloh I thought not! She does love to sleep in our bed at night though, but she isn't doing it to nurse nonstop like Malachi did, she seems to just enjoy getting her cuddle time with mama and papa all to herself.

She is cooing and smiling, always a treat to begin to have that kind of interaction with a little baby. She's lifting her head up while on her tummy and seems to enjoy tummy time in general.
At her 2 month appointment on Tuesday we found out she's in the 95th percentile for length and weight. Gotta love her chunks!

Malachi and Zoe continue to love on, and when I say "on" I really mean ON, her :). Let's just say that the phrase "Give her space" is said many, many times a day! But I am oh so grateful that they adore her.

Sibling Love

2010-02-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

Malachi and Zoe have been doing an amazing job of playing together. I love that they can be in the back yard and enjoy time on the trampoline, in the sandbox or digging in the dirt...together!

UPDATE: Right after I posted I heard screaming from the back, only to find out that they were throwing sand at each other. So, it is not always peaceful between them, it's more of a love-hate thing but at least the love part is becoming more and more common...I think...gotta go cause I hear more screaming. :)

1 Month and Birthmarks

2010-01-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

Our sweet and beautiful Shiloh is already a month old!

So I was playing around with the camera after taking pictures today and saw I could fix the red eye with it (the camera) rather than doing it on the computer.
Well apparently it does not distinguish between eyes and birthmarks, or at least Shiloh's birthmark. ;)

On that note...
Many of our friends have asked about Shiloh's birthmark so I thought it may be helpful to disperse the information via our blog for those that are curious.
It is what some call a strawberry birthmark, also known as a hemangioma.

Basically it's a grouping of blood vessels. No one is quite sure what causes them to occur. It will grow for approximately one year, then there is a resting period and then it will slowly fade (at least this is what I have read, I'm sure there are variations of this timeline).
50% of hemagiomas are gone by age 5.

Here is Shiloh's birthmark progression...

In the hospital, the day she was born.
She had a very small purple-ish dot, barely visible in this picture.

2 weeks

1 month
Today was probably the first day I could feel that it is slightly raised, about a week ago I could see texture in it but it still was smooth to the touch.

Picture Summary

2010-01-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

First time holding Shiloh. Very proud to be big brother (again) and big sister!
Take note of Shiloh's amazing tan...or jaundice.At Shiloh's 3 day appointment we found out her bililevels were at 19.2 and we were admitted to Downey Kaiser to put her under the bili lights to get her levels down. The little velcro circles were glued onto her head so she could sport...
...these cool sunglasses. :) We were in the hospital 2 nights and finally got to go home when her levels were down to 10.7 (the whole thing was a bit of a rollercoaster and I will spare you the details cause I don't have the time or energy to write about it).
We got a visit from the Fieldhouses. Molly Grace was born 10 days before our Shiloh Grace, they are 2nd cousins, or at least I think that's the relation. :) (Not sure what the wet spot on my shirt is...pee or spit-up I suppose)
First bath, she loved getting her hair washed.
Sisters.
Proud big brother.
She's still a little jaundiced but clearly eating very well, note the chubby cheeks, :) and working on getting it out of her system.

Shiloh's Birth

2010-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

All 3 kids just went down for a nap so I thought I would take a moment to post Shiloh's birth story before the details of it fade. Most people that read our blog have probably already heard all this but I wanted to write it down for my own record as well. :)

On Tuesday, Dec. 29, I had my 39 week appointment. I had to see a NP instead of my midwife because my midwife, Cheryl Pearce, was not in the office due to being on vacation...or so I thought. Anyway, I went in to see a very nice NP and was told I was 1cm dilated and 40% effaced. I went home and decided to take castor oil (even though every person I had asked about it had warned me against it). It was my brothers last night staying with us and if taking the castor oil could send me into labor then he would be there conveniently to stay with Malachi and Zoe. If it didn't start labor than at least it would clear out my system. ;)

So here is the timeline:

2:00pm Took 2 Tablespoons of castor oil mixed in orange juice which was no where near as gross as many on the internet made it out to be. My research said to take 2-4 T and I did play it safe and stuck to the lower end.

3:30pm - 5:00pm Took a nap, nothing was happening.

5:30pm We decided to go get food at Open Sesame. Wound up getting it to go cause I was beginning to feel sick to my stomach.

6:45pm Got home, tried to eat but didn't feel well. I only had 3 small bites of my favorite restaurant food, big red flag...

7:oopm Went to the bathroom...got cleared out from the bottom end but still felt icky.

7:30pm Went to the bathroom...got cleared out from the top end...can't remember the last time I threw up like that...felt much better! That was the end of the bathroom escapades for me so not too bad. :)

8:00pm Feeling contractions every 2-4 minutes but nothing intense.

9:00pm-ish Started packing hospital bag just in case. Big difference from my first pregnancy...I think the bag was packed 2 or 3 weeks before I delivered :)

11:30pm Went to the hospital. Contractions were still relatively minor but consistent enough that I wasn't really sleeping and due to Zoe's labor only lasting 4 hours we were concerned about getting to the hospital in time.

12:00am Got to Kaiser, checked in at triage and found out my midwife, Cheryl Pearce, was there until 8am! (If you are unfamiliar with Kaiser...you can see the same person throughout your pregnancy but will be delivered by whoever is at the hospital) She checked me and I was only 3cm. We chose to walk around for an hour...which turned into a little longer, I really did not want to be sent home.

2:30am Got checked again. 4cm, 80% effaced. We opted to have Cheryl strip my membranes and walk some more.

4:30am Got checked again in triage, 5cm, so we got admitted! Yay!

5:00am My contractions were still a little inconsistent so we had Cheryl break my bag of waters...I was trying to get this baby out before 8am. :) Cheryl asked if she could pray for us, so we held hands with her and one of my nurses while she prayed for a safe delivery!

5:30am I was having back labor and decided to get in the shower. Stayed in there about an hour. It felt great on my back but I could still tell the contractions were not intense enough ie I had not hit transition yet.

7:00am Got checked...7cm...Cheryl had me turn on my left side and showed Kurtis how to apply counter pressure. She said it would help my contractions work more efficiently...boy was she right! Cheryl started dressing to deliver me and Kurtis later told me he was a little doubtful that I was that close to delivering but then again Cheryl proved to be correct!

7:50am-ish Cheryl had me get on my elbows and knees and asked me to try pushing. I was a little leary when she said it but I went ahead. After 2 pushes she told Kurtis to look. He says he expected to see Shiloh's head crowning and was shocked to see her head was out. One more push and she was out, with Kurtis helping to deliver her!

Shiloh Grace was born at 7:59am on December 30. 1 week before her due date(good thing since she was already 8lbs 10oz), before the new year, delivered by my midwife before 8am, and as if that wasn't enough blessing...I didn't even tear! This was one of the biggest blessings considering what happened in Shiloh's first week, but that is another post...not to mention2 of the 3 kids are now awake. :)

God's Blessing of Peace and Grace!

2009-12-31T19:43:00.000-08:00

On December 30 at 7:59 am we welcomed Shiloh Grace into this world! Her first name means "His Peace" and boy do we feel blessed with God's Peace and Grace.

Thank you to all who have prayed with us for a timely birth. We feel overwhelmed by God's provision and orchestration of her arrival. I will give details at another time of our birth story but we want to give praise to God for this amazing gift!

Nesting

2009-12-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

My nesting instincts kicked in last night after midnight and wouldn't allow me to go back to sleep for another 3 hours or so. I didn't actually do anything around the house, just sat and thought up a LONG list of to-do's, mostly for Kurtis. :) Hopefully this means the baby's arrival is sooner rather than later!

And here's a recent picture...just because :)...

Picture Update

2009-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last post, thought I'd better catch up with our life happenings before our next big event, Baby #3, comes!

We took a road trip to Texas for Thanksgiving. We are a little crazy and chose to drive straight through. It took us 24 hours there and 28 hours on our way back, thanks to traffic coming back into LA...welcome home! :) (We had a fabulous time with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, cousins and my brother. I did a better job of taking pictures this time...
but really just of the kids.)

The kids did an amazing job on the long road trip!

While in Texas the cousins enjoyed playing together.

Zoe and Aaron...the "littles"

The girl cousins...

Two Peas in a Pod
The brilliant Isaiah...

All the cousins

We got home on Sunday at 4:30pm and put the kids' bunk beds in the room that we had finished building and painting before we left on our trip. Zoe has already gotten used to her big girl bed and Malachi is very good at climbing up and down from his top bunk.

Yesterday, Kurtis turned 38! He worked all day, came home and we had a yummy dinner followed by my 2-layer homemade Chocolate Motherload Cake. It was good, not quite as good as Claim Jumper, but Kurtis was pleasantly surprised! :)

The New Look

2009-11-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I happen to have a very talented sister and she is starting a blog and web design business called Uncluttered Design. She asked me a few weeks ago if I would be willing to be her guinea pig and let her give our blog a new look...uh...twist my arm...YES! We love the new look! Check out her site, she is even doing a GIVEAWAY right now with the launch of her business, maybe you could win a cool new look! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

We had a very fun Halloween party at our church this year.
We didn't have a family theme in our costumes but we did all have a costume: Dr. Kurtis, me as a maternity patient, I loved my comfortable and easy costume :), race car driver Malachi and Chickadee Zoe.

We brought a pumpkin for the pumpkin carving which I think turned out awesome, thanks to Kurtis cause I can't say Malachi was all that into it. :)

Malachi with his winnings, a jar full of Hershey's Kisses. The goal of course was to guess how many were in the jar and Malachi was only 5 off! The only direction I gave him was, "There are a lot in there so it's probably a big number." He then guessed, "1-3-0." I confirmed that he meant, "130," he said yes and I wrote it down on his paper for him...and he won!

Zoe being our cute little chickadee (thanks for letting us borrow the costume Verwys'!) She was pretty timid the whole night, wasn't quite sure what to make of all the strange costumes, but she seemed to have fun.

After the fun games, yummy food and lots of sugar we piled in the car to head home and the kids were asleep and in bed not too soon after their regular bedtime. No Trick-or-Treating door to door, which I was more than happy about!

My first conversation for the day

2009-10-28T06:00:00.001-07:00

Random lady at the gym : "When are you due?" (with smile on her face)

Me : "Beginning of January."

Random lady : "Are You SERIOUS?!" (stated with immense shock and almost horror)

Me : "Yep, I still have a ways to go."

Then while working out all I could think of were the responses I would love to say to people but never would because they're rude, like...

Me : "Yep, how long have you been coming to the gym?"

Random Lady : "(insert any amount of time)"

Me : "Are You SERIOUS?!"

Ha Ha...I of course would never say that! :)

To anyone who has ever thought to ask a woman when she is due, try to come up with something more gracious and flattering than "Are You SERIOUS?!"

Baby #3 update

2009-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

A week ago I went in for a follow up ultrasound to check on my low lying placenta. Today I had an appointment with my midwife and went over the results.

Thankfully my placenta has moved slightly and there is no sign of placenta previa. As my uterus grows it is expected that my placenta will continue to move appropriately out of the way.

On a different note, they found one of the baby's kidney's is measuring larger than the normal ranges. Of course, whenever you go in for an ultrasound all you want to hear is that your baby is perfect, everything looks great, etc, etc. So this wasn't the news I wanted to hear but it does sound like this is somewhat common. I will need to go in for another follow up ultrasound in a few weeks. If the baby still has numbers out of the normal range they will notify pediatrics at delivery so they can check that everything is okay. I of course briefly looked online for what this could mean and quickly decided that was pointless. I worry enough naturally as is, I surely do not want to make that worse. Please pray that all is well with our little one, that this is nothing serious and that our follow up ultrasound will show the kidneys as normal. Thank you for your prayers!

Our 18 month old Little Lady

2009-10-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Zoe is a fun, energetic little lady that keeps us on our toes. She is such a blessing!

I meant to post this a little over a week ago and I'm finally getting around to it...better late than never. :)

And I quote...

2009-09-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

"When people move side to side, it means their bottom is too heavy."

Statement made by Malachi as we were driving the other day.

It's Not a Vita-Mix

2009-09-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted about my love affair with blog giveaways. I recently won my second blog giveaway! I was more like a runner's up really. The giveaway was hosted by this gal. She was giving away a Vita-Mix Blender! I already have one for myself but I still left my comment to try to win it for someone I love...sorry Aim :)!

Anyhow, I was picked as a runner up and instead won a copy of her book, The Handbook of Vintage Remedies. This is a book with herbal remedies for a wide range of things like athlete's foot, heartburn, low milk supply for breastfeeding, teething, ulcers...to name a few. I haven't had the chance to look through the whole thing but I think it will be a nice resource to consider. She also has 'recipes' for natural cleaning and skin care remedies that I am anxious to try.

He Worked, He Saved, He Did It!

2009-09-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Malachi finally saved up the $20 for his Razor scooter! . We had been planning on finding one on craigslist but how excited we all :) were to get a NEW one when we found it on sale at Toys R Us 50% off so it was 19.99! He is very proud of his new toy, we are very proud of him for being so patient and saving! Here are a few pictures with his new "ride!" :)

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

2009-09-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

My parents were here visiting for a little over a week and we had a great time just hanging out. I did a horrible job of taking photos so I wish I had more to post than this one but I was just too busy soaking up all the spare minutes, I couldn't bother myself to get the camera. ;)

Highlights...going on walks, Grandma reading, reading, reading with Malachi, a couple trips to Costco (thanks mom and dad for stocking up our fridge and freezer), Kurtis and I got to go on 2 dates! And I can't forget, Grandma jumping on the trampoline with Malachi will be a memory Malachi won't soon forget! Thanks for all the time you spent with us. We love you!

At just over 20 weeks...

2009-08-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

...my belly is growing at an alarming rate! :)

I saw my midwife yesterday and was able to hear the baby's heartbeat and go over the ultrasound results. Heartbeat sounded wonderfully strong and everything for the baby looked great on the ultrasound. The one concern is that I have a low-lying placenta. More than likely that will move by the end of the pregnancy and my midwife was not concerned. It is something to pray about, we would like to have this baby naturally as well and with no complications. I will have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to check on the location of the placenta.

Beside the already large belly :) I am feeling good. I have my energy (most days) and not uncomfortable (yet).

# 14,760

2009-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am a bit of a sucker for a good blog giveaway. I have won one in my life and it was actually for some awesome blankets made by Aden & Anais. I actually won the heavier winter blankets which will work nicely for baby #3 coming in January but I LOVE their light weight muslin wraps too!

Anyway, back to my point...I love a good blog giveaway and I just entered to win one on thepioneerwoman. She is giving away 2 Le Creuset French Ovens! Last week she gave away 2 KitchenAid Stand Mixers. I entered that one as well but sadly did not get picked. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...pick me, pick me, comment #14,760.

And if you want to enter, just to give you an idea of your chances :) I posted my comment (#14,760, in case you thought I mistyped that) and 10 minutes later there were over 15,000 comments! :)

9 Years!

2009-08-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

Today Kurtis and I celebrate our 9th Anniversary! A lot has happened in that 9 years...completion of Kurtis' BA and MA, a number of job transitions for Kurtis, a house (and major remodel), 2 beautiful children with 1 on the way, transition for me from full time teacher to full time mom...many challenges and a multitude of blessings!

We often think of what we were told by our good friend Sherwood Lingenfelter, that finding a good mate is looking for someone that you will have fun and enjoy working through all your junk with and dealing with the things life throws at you. Every minute of every day has not been "fun" and it has been hard work and takes great commitment but what a true blessing it is to enjoy the journey we are on together and I wouldn't want to be on it with anyone else!

We cannot forget to say...
Thank you to everyone that has stood beside us in support and love to encourage us on this journey!

For those who haven't heard...

2009-08-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

We're having a GIRL!

Everything seemed to look fine on the ultrasound (I hate it that the tech can't tell you anything!), I will go over the ultrasound with my midwife on the 24th. We saw HER heart beating and HER little arms and legs moving around. How great it is to be able to refer to our precious baby as a HER and not an 'It'! The miracle of life never ceases to amaze me!

Now we just need to decide on a name...I'll keep you posted on that! :)

Boy or Girl?

2009-08-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will go in for my ultrasound not only to check to see how the baby is doing but to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I don't have a feeling either way, Kurtis and I are mostly concerned to hear that the baby is healthy. But it is a nice perk to be able to learn more about our little one.

I have friends that have decided to wait to find out but not us, no way! I think it's fabulous that we can have the opportunity to get to know our little one a little more even as he/she is in my belly. We have always chosen the names of our kids soon after the ultrasound so we can refer to them by name. I enjoy the attachment stuff that's able to begin as a result. Note: if you are one of these said friends, take no insult. I don't think there is anything wrong with choosing the surprise route, just not for me. ;)

When we had Zoe I think it was also great for Malachi to begin to prepare for a sister and call her by name. I thought it was helpful for him in his brotherly bonding as well. Speaking of Malachi, when asked what this baby is he has given the same response from the beginning..."It's a girl." When asked if he wants a brother or sister he responds..."I want a brother." Quite intriguing how his three year old mind works that he makes that distinction. :)

So tomorrow we shall see. I will post and let others know after we find out. When we choose a name, I suspect that will be posted as well. Then not only can we be praying for our little one by name, so can all of you! :) For now, our prayer is that whether a he or she this baby is healthy, strong and thriving.

Hi my name is Pamela and...

2009-08-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm addicted to allrecipes.com

Seriously, I think I could spend hours looking up yummy new recipes to try. Kurtis finds it amusing that I will make something tasty and then possibly not make it again just because I am so busy trying other new and exciting recipes.

So you know our crazy, huge tomato? The one I thought would make some delicious pico de gallo. Well, I used it instead to make a vegetarian version of this recipe...yummy! I had enough for the vodka cream sauce, the fresh tomato chopped up was an excellent replacement for the canned tomatoes if I can be so bold :), and more to top our salad. I sliced up our squash and tore up our kale and skipped the Italian sausage (cause I didn't have any). I also didn't have heavy whipping cream so I used half and half with a teaspoon of cornstarch (thanks for the tip from VBHOKIE). The reviews are a favorite part for me, they have helped me break out of that "I have to do exactly what it says" mentality. And about those reviews, it is nice to order them by 'most helpful' to get some of the best tips. We enjoyed it with these breadsticks that Malachi and I made earlier in the day, another new favorite food blog I have been devouring lately that you should check out.

So what have you been cooking up lately and where do you go to find inspiration and new recipes? And, I'm always game to try a new recipe so if you have a favorite don't be shy, share the recipe! :)

Spoils from our Garden!

2009-08-03T10:50:00.001-07:00

Malachi helped me picked some things from our garden this morning: kale, tomatoes, chili peppers and summer squash.

Here is our crazy tomato! It looks like three large tomatoes that grew together, plus the little afterthought green one on top. I'm thinking some yummy pico de gallo is in our future.

My little readers

2009-08-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

This morning I caught Malachi and Zoe quietly sitting near each other reading books. This is very common for Malachi, but Zoe is just recently having more enjoyment in books. I love it!!Note the upside down book :)

16 Months

2009-08-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Took this yesterday when Zoe woke from her nap. Typical scene, she puts her pacifier in (upside down) in an effort to tell me that she wants to take it with her out of the crib. She is now weaned from breastfeeding, it's been a whole 3 days :), and our next step will be getting rid of the pacifier completely. She is growing up so fast!
A few things about our Zoester...
Loves to put dirty clothes in the laundry basket and understands and follows most simple directions. Does not have very many words yet but still is able to communicate her desires. Loves to laugh and play with her big brother. Enjoys dancing to music. Affectionate...yet has a bad habit of pinching that we're working on. Fun loving and a pure joy! What a blessing she is!

grow garden, grow!

2009-06-20T15:55:00.001-07:00

we got back from TX and were so excited to see how much our garden had grown (thank you Nicks for taking care of it for us!)

we have anaheim chili peppers, kale, summer squash, tomatoes, basil, oregano and bell peppers

I am most excited about the tomatoes. I love tomatoes! My mouth waters thinking about home grown tomatoes with a little salt sprinkled on top.

Trip to Texas

2009-06-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

We spent two weeks at the beginning of this month in Texas. We had a wonderful time with my parents and sister's family. I didn't take as many photos as I should have, I had morning, or rather all day, sickness and had very little energy. Thankfully my mom and sister both can relate and were wonderful to let me relax and rest on the couch for the majority of the time. The cousins played and we just enjoyed being together. Oh how I wish we lived down the street from them and Grandma and Grandpa!

two peas in a pod. they did a great job playing together...most of the time. :)my beautiful niece. we were able to be there to celebrate her 9th birthday!

my oldest nephew is always thinking. he was always working on something, building something, reading or figuring something out. one day he is going to be famous for discovering something important I'm sure!the littlest nephew. quite a personality and such a doll. he quickly learned to stay clear of zoe and her nose tweaking habit which we are still working on breaking her of.

the car that malachi could not get enough of. the cousins were very good at sharing!we also got to see our dear friends, the ishams, who moved to texas was it 4 years ago? thanks for driving out to spend the day with us!

Mark Your Calendars

2009-05-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Got an email today from a nurse at Kaiser...according to the ultrasound I am 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant which makes my due date January 7, 2010.

Heartbeat!

2009-05-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Just got home from the ultrasound, still don't have an idea of how many weeks I am. I hate it that the techs can't give you info! I did get to see the tiny heart beating on the screen and hear it!! What a miracle new life is!

Ultrasound

2009-05-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

We have one scheduled...May 2o at 8:30 pm! I had no idea they did them that late but that's fine by me. I guess that is what you get when you ask for it to be ordered STAT! Anyone want to babysit our kiddos at our house? :)

No news...sorry I forgot to update

2009-05-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

Kaiser has changed the way they do things and we only had paperwork and lab work at this appointment. I am not too happy about their change, don't they realize that everyone loves to see that little peanut at the first prenatal?! Note to self...and anyone else that has Kaiser...don't have your husband come with you to the first prenatal (unless of course you need help answering all the history questions). We will have our next appointment on the 28th and get to have an informal ultrasound then. I am supposed to have a formal ultrasound to give me a due date, since we have no idea, since I had no "first day of my last..." :) but I am working on getting in earlier than mid-June :|. I actually really like Kaiser but today I was a little perturbed with their new system. Maybe God just wants to give me the opportunity to practice patience...lovely. :\

To end on a positive note, I already got my lab results (good job Kaiser!) and all my numbers came back within the desired ranges. Hemoglobbin, did I spell that right?, was on the lower end but still okay. I guess I just need to eat a few more In-N-Out burgers to get that iron. :)
Anyway, thank you to everyone that prayed for us and the baby. You can continue to pray of course :) and I promise to update a little sooner next time for all those waiting on pins and needles cause you have nothing better to do than to keep checking our blog...hahaha. Yeah, I think it's too late and I'm rambling. I do have better things to do, like sleep.

1:30 pm

2009-05-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

We will be going to our first prenatal appointment today. Please pray that our new little one is healthy and strong. I will update this afternoon when we get home.

We're seeing double!

2009-05-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dancing Maniac

2009-05-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Oh Sweet Slumber!!

2009-05-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Our Zoe Girl is officially, I think, sleeping through the night. She has reached this milestone at the 1 year and 1 month old mark. It was not that difficult, I think she and I were both ready. What a blessed thing it is for me to have an entire night of uninterrupted sleep, however it was a huge blessing to have a whole year of nighttime bonding (even though I was not always thinking that at 1 am). Zoe you are a treasure and joy!

Marble Run

2009-04-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

We love this toy!!I had no idea there were so many variations of this toy! This one looks fabulous, but it has a little bit of a pricey price tag.

3 Years Old!

2009-04-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

Malachi is 3 years old today! We are so blessed to have him as our son. Here are a few photos from today and yesterday.

Malachi chose oatmeal and strawberries for his birthday breakfast...

He enjoyed a left over cupcake (actually left over from Zoe's birthday party, they were in the freezer)...
Malachi and Kurtis worked on his new train set this morning and while they did that Zoe picked up this piece...put it in her mouth...tripped...
...and did this to her mouth. It bled quite a bit but we think she is fine and will keep her two front teeth. Hopefully we won't have anymore accidents any time soon, otherwise social services will come after us.

We 'celebrated' Malachi's birthday by working on our garden. We switched out our winter vegetable garden and planted our spring/summer vegetables. Here Malachi is inspecting the two puny carrots we grew. He was not impressed and wouldn't even taste them. I ate them, they were good.This is Malachi opening up the gift Gramma and Grampa (from Texas) sent him, a CD of stories read by Jim Weiss. We started listening to it already, thank you!!!
On Friday, we celebrated Malachi's birthday with some of his friends. Here they are holding up some books we found at the One Dollar Bookstore to give as favors, they are some of Malachi's favorite stories.
We did a "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" theme which is another of Malachi's favorite books.
The kids made coconut trees out of their food. I found the idea here. I used PB&J sandwich slices instead of the chocolate wafer cookie.

We also tried coconut bowling but the kids weren't too into that. It was a fun time, quite crazy having that many kids in our tiny little place, but fun!

Thank you to everyone for coming and for the fabulous gifts! He can't get enough of the Ikea rocker (thanks Allens); he will wear his outfit from the Igos for Easter tomorrow, thanks Igos; he can barely wait to do the sand art (thanks Smiths); Copelands, he loves the balls (so does Zoe) he even took one to bed with him tonight, thank you!; Thank you Verwys' for the memory game, I hope to play that enough to sharpen my mind :); and Nespers, he has helped me clean once already with his cleaning set, thank you!

What a Day!!

2009-04-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

First off, I have to say that I am very glad to be home with both of my children and very thankful that Malachi, in particular, is okay.

I had a slightly rough morning. Let's see, bullet points...

*Loaded the kids up in the car to go for a bike ride at the park then do a bunch of errands.

*Went to Dollar Tree to return some stuff, well exchange stuff I guess since they do not do returns. :(

*Went next door to Fresh & Easy to get a few groceries.

*Regretfully, I made the decision to allow Malachi to sit in the cart as opposed to the seat. Though, I told him a few times to remain on his bottom...you guessed it, he stood up and...fell out. Bonking his head on the ever so soft concrete floor! Not sure if you've been to F&E but they have carts that are very shallow thus very easy to topple out of. Hind sight is fabulous, I have kicked myself a bizillion times!

*The staff at F&E were VERY helpful! I had Zoe with me, on my back in the becco, and there I was sitting in the middle of the aisle trying to stay calm for Malachi, my mind racing about what to do. The manager called for the ambulance (while I was still unsure of what to do).

*Paramedics checked him out and then recommended he go to the hospital...so he got his first(hopefully not of many) ambulance ride.

*Then 3 HOURS in ER (they took us to my not so favorite Kaiser!!!) The doctor looked at him for all of 30 seconds, said he was fine and that was that! I was frustrated to say the least about that and could go on and on but I won't.

I am so grateful Malachi is acting normal. We pray and trust God that he will be fine.

I tried to get a picture of the large goose egg on the back of his head. Can't really tell in the photo. Poor thing can't really lay on it, I'm pretty sure it'll be sore for a bit.This was him when he was told he got to ride in the ambulance with the firefighters.

1 Year Old Birthday Party

2009-04-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had some family and friends over to celebrate Zoe's First Birthday. Here are a few photos.

Enjoying time on Pop's lap before the party began.
The Birthday Girl in her sun dress from the Andrews. Brian, Aim, Hayley, Isaiah, Josiah and Aaron thank you for the cute dress!(Thank you Gwen for watching Zoe while I prepped the food)

The adults relaxing after pasta and meatballs...
Some of the kids enjoying the sandbox...
Cousin Noah enjoying the chalk...:)
Big brother was quite willing to help with the birthday candle and cupcake...
The kids enjoyed frosting and decorating their own cupcakes...
Zoe (in a different outfit only because it got a little chilly) enjoyed playing in the dirt, of which there was a lot since we just rebuilt our fence...
Opening presents. Thank you Smiths for the sun hat!Since the party Zoe and Malachi have been having fun playing with the birthday gifts.

Thank you Williams, we love the puzzle. Larry and Conny, thank you for the cow which is especially fun with the balloon from the Fieldhouses :) tied to it...
The stroller is Great! (Thanks Nespers) Thank you Grammy and Pop for the bunnies that make music!
Fieldhouses, thank you for the adorable Hoody Towel!!
We've already used the caterpillar sprinkler, thank you Copelands!
Pruetts, the dresses are adorable, thank you! Here she is in the brown one last Sunday...

We are so grateful to God for our beautiful Zoe Girl and for the family and friends that are a part of her life. Thank you all for the love you give her and us!

My (almost) 3 year old

2009-04-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

This video shows the different aspects of Malachi...his humor :) (whether he realizes it or not), verbal ability AND his ability to push the limits. I guess it also shows some of me too...can you depict my slight frustration with him when he doesn't close the door immediately and then when he doesn't come when I tell him too? I realize that I kind of have a "I say jump, you say how high" mentality when it comes to my kids or at least Malachi, Zoe is still small enough I am able to be patient. I am trying to work on this aspect of my soul.

Happy 1st Birthday Zoe!

2009-03-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

Zoe...Zo, Zoe Girl, Zo-ster, Zo-ster with the Most-er, ZoPo...these are all the names Zoe has accumulated in her first year of life. No matter what we affectionately call her, she is loved by all of us!She entered the world exactly one year ago, March 31 at 9:28 pm after only 4 hours of labor. It is incredible to look back at pictures and see how she has grown. We are amazed at her abundant joy and fun-loving personality. Already we see her showing signs of taking after her mom in being passionate about expressing her feelings. Since she has learned only a few words so far (mama, papa, bah-bah for bye bye) screaming is her most often used technique to get her point across, and being that she is so happy this is often done with a little smirk. :)

Here are a few pictures from her day today.

Bright and early our birthday girl enjoyed breakfast (oatmeal and yogurt) and was eager to show me her cute scrunched up nose grin when she saw the camera...
Outside, enjoying the afternoon sun before naptime...
Satisfied after enjoying her first cupcake after her birthday dinner of Peanut Satay with Veggies and Tofu over Rice. Yes I know they say not to do the peanuts until 3 years old or something but she IS the second born, they get all the neglect :) I'd say she enjoyed the cupcake a lot more than the satay and tofu even though it was tasty...
Opening her present from Malachi that he wrapped by himself (mostly)...
Figuring out her new toy that Malachi picked out for her probably because he has a friend with this toy and wanted it for his own playing enjoyment :)...
Happy Birthday Precious Girl! We love you!!

Air Force One

2009-03-19T23:33:00.000-07:00

We went and watched it land at our local airport yesterday...along with a bizillion other people. :) I don't think Zoe was all that impressed...

Feeling Good

2009-03-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today I joined my two great friends and cousins-in-law on their weekly bike ride to the beach. It felt good to make it there and back and now I am hoping for quick recovery. :) The kids did a fabulous job which is a huge bonus. They fell asleep on the way back, screwing up naptime for the day, but it was worth it! Looking forward to many more rides ladies, thanks for lettin' me join the 'Fit Mama Brigade!' :)

Lenten pretzels

2009-03-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today Malachi and I made pretzels, the oldest, traditional Christian Lenten bread. The shape is said to represent arms folded in prayer. The three holes represent the Trinity. We used this recipe except altered a little. We used 3 cups whole wheat flour instead of the 4 cups of all-purpose and bread). We chose to top them with a little cinnamon sugar since I did not have coarse salt. They turned out nicely, though I plan on trying the original recipe as well.
oh, and lesson learned...wax paper cannot be substituted for parchment paper. :)

I love my camera!!

2009-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

my blue-eyed boy...my green?hazel?brown?-eyed girl...beautiful no matter what:)
just another cute picture (her older brother was not interested in me taking another photo)

We're Baaaack!

2009-03-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

got a new camera, the Canon PowerShot SD 1100 IS, love it and so glad I can take pics again!

here's one of malachi and our first garden lettuce of the season.

speaking of garden i should get a picture of that. it's pitiful looking really. we have a lot of beautiful lettuce but all the other veggies are barely sprouted, go figure. we'll see how long it takes them to come up. nonetheless we enjoyed the lettuce in our salad last night and very grateful for it. (btw, if you want some lettuce let me know, there is no way we can eat it all.)

and with our other camera out of commission i missed zoe's 11 month update. she is a walking maniac. not so into food. beginning to spend small chunks of time looking at books by herself. loves her brother, though she puts up with a lot of teasing. seems to say "da" for yes,maybe we have some russian in our blood?:). she also says mama, papa and can sign 'all finished'.

that's the end of that

2009-02-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

This is the last photo taken with our camera (our shower curtain) before...Malachi dropped it on it's lens.
Yesterday I took this picture of Zoe at the library and it did not register as to why the picture turned out so white.
I didn't have a chance to even think about it cause something happened that needed my attention (can't remember what though). Then I took this picture today of Malachi outside of our new Costco (which I am so excited about!) and it all became so clear...in my mind that is. ;)

This camera was actually loaned, or rather given :), to us by my parents when I lost our other one. What a bummer to have to be in the market to get another one, especially considering we are also needing a new computer, after I dropped that!!

Shrove Tuesday

2009-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday a.k.a. Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday. It is the day before Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. Obviously the season of Lent is much more important than the day-before celebration but I thought I would mention, for those that are interested, visit any IHOP and you can enjoy a free short stack of pancakes to commemorate the day.

a couple of cuties...they don't look sick...

2009-02-23T12:09:00.001-08:00

not sure if they are still sick. they both threw up on saturday night and zoe did so again early this morning but they seem to be acting completely normal...we'll see.

another first...he's riding a bike now!

2009-02-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

Malachi has enjoyed riding his tricycle for a while now but last weekend we made the transition to a bike. We'll let him get used to the bike and take the training wheels off when he seems ready. I am curious for those friends of mine who've been there done that, how old was your child when they learned to ride without the training wheels?

i love thrifting!

2009-02-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

i have some new photos and some video to post but i don't have the time or patience to do that right now so i thought i would just update with a little something.

i love going to thrift stores. well, i love shopping for my kids clothes at thrift stores...not so much clothes for me since i have a freakish body shape/size ;) we have been blessed by friends to be able to borrow clothes which is wonderful (and free) but then i also am concerned about the clothes getting ruined. since i like to have a few clothes and let the kids wear them over and over again the clothes we have do tend to get worn looking. so i figure it best to move out of the borrowing only, to borrowing every now and then but getting our own at thrifts.

tonight i went to one thrift store and was amazed at the deals. i should take pictures but let's just say i get a giddy feeling when i find a nice brand-name (gap, gymboree, children's place), cute shirt, or rather and few of those, for 39 cents each!! for those that go to thrift stores, you know what i'm talking about. for those who like the mall...you should really try thrifting!

A Fun Activity

2009-02-11T09:23:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Malachi and I made TWB (The World's Best) Play Dough. This recipe is from a book called The Incredible Secret Formula Book which has a number of fun things to do with kids. He had a blast molding and shaping the dough into many different things.

This morning he had fun making "snakes" and then I helped him spell out his name. I wrote his name, one letter on each paper, and then he laid the snakes on the letters. Just a fun way to review how to spell his name, shape the letters and order the letters in his name. I thought I would share. :)
(There are many different recipes for play dough out there but here is the one from the book)
TWB Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1-2 drops food coloring
1/2 cup salt
1 Tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture just starts to cook. Stir while it heats, when it is done it should form a ball and look like sticky play dough.
2. Dump the play dough onto a floured board and let it cool until you can handle safely. Knead it until you have a smooth dough.
3. Store in a resealable plastic bag.

The Oven Calls My Name

2009-02-09T13:36:00.001-08:00

On rainy days like today I can't help but turn the oven on and start baking. Of course as I type right now it is crystal blue out and the sun is shining but it was raining earlier. :) Malachi, my wonderful helper, and I made a batch of these scones. I used a lemon from our tree and some dried blueberries for Lemon Blueberry Scones, yum! And as I type I can smell the two loaves of bread that are in the oven. I love days such as this!

And there she goes!

2009-02-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

It was just over a week ago that Zoe took her first steps. She is amazing us with her determination to get this walking thing down. She has decided she needs to improve her skills quickly...to keep up with Malachi I'm sure...and walking everywhere.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2009-02-06T07:43:00.000-08:00

10 months...

2009-01-31T22:58:00.000-08:00

...and she's walking...

...and just so darn cute!

9 Months...well closer to 10 now!

2009-01-22T23:33:00.000-08:00

Zoe's 9 month 'birthday' hit when we were out visiting family in Texas and I failed to do a post. We just went to her 9 month check up yesterday so I figure it is fitting to do the post now even though she will be 10 months in 9 days.

She's 20 lbs, 30 inches long and has a larger than average head circumference :).

She has decided she likes eating, mostly when it is finger food she can feed herself, string cheese is her current favorite. She just got her third tooth.

She squeals in delight when her brother plays with her, especially when he chases her and lets her chase him.

She enjoys flipping through books, we will see if we will be lucky enough to be blessed with another child that loves reading.

She can say uh-oh, clearly and at appropriate times, like when she 'accidentally' drops her food on the floor while looking at us with an adorable smile.

She waves bye-bye and claps.

AND...

She took her first steps, 3 or 4 actually, today!!

Malachi's Morning Prayer

2009-01-15T09:27:00.000-08:00

"Thank you for Autumn and Hunter and Savannah.
Thank you for all their souls.
Thank you for our tummies and belly buttons.
Amen"

Long Overdue Update

2009-01-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

To all...three or so:)...faithful readers I do apologize for the dry spell of posts. I want to bring you up to date but don't want this to suck up tons of time since one of my goals/resolutions for this year is to spend less time on the computer. If you want more details I love phone calls or face to face get togethers :)

Kurtis finished up work on the 19th of December, we spent Saturday packing up the car and addressing/stuffing/stamping Christmas cards. We got in the car and left for Texas around
10:30 pm. We drove straight through, a few stops for gas, food and a bit of shut eye and 26 hours later we arrived at my parent's house in Dallas.

We had a great time there with my family. We didn't do a whole lot but rest and enjoy being together. We were able to get a family photo even, we haven't done that in years. (this is going to get a lot shorter...Zoe just woke up)

We left Dallas, drove through Conroe (a possible place we could move since Kurtis' work has an office there) and 36, yes that is right, 36 HOURS later we were back home!

The kids did fabulous on both trips! We are glad to be home and are getting settled back in.

Gotta go!

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

2008-12-06T20:53:00.001-08:00

Tonight we read The Baker's Dozen (Look at that price on Amazon!! We just got our copy at the library) and then we made these cinnamon ornaments. They are amazingly strong scented, I think I am a little light headed as I sit a few feet away from them right now. I am anxious to see if they stay together after drying overnight.

Malachi and our friends' kids that are staying with us all put their shoes out tonight for their big surprise in the morning!

Our Garden Pictures

2008-12-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

Newspaper...
Blood meal and bone meal...
Alfalfa...
Straw...
Compost...

I will post more when we see sprouting plants. I hope we see things, I just found Rafiki sprawled out in the garden...we may need to put something around it to prevent that. :)

Advent Pictures

2008-12-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Advent Calendar...filled with fun activities to do each day.Advent Wreath...to light each Sunday. I still need to get a rose colored candle to switch out one of the purple ones, or maybe I won't get around to that.

Jesse Tree...despite the strained look on Malachi's face, he is thoroughly enjoying this. :)

37 Years!

2008-12-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

It is Kurtis' birthday today. Thank you Lord for blessing him with 37 years! I pray for many, many more years to come.

Thank you for being an amazing husband and father. I couldn't imagine a better best friend or soul mate. I love you! Happy Birthday!

What were you thinking??!!

2008-12-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Today, Malachi was sitting on his potty. He tends to sit for a while when he needs to go number 2 :). He was in there for a while but I had this feeling something was amiss so I decided to check on him.

I walked into the bathroom and noticed he had a washcloth in his hand that was clearly wet and he was sucking on it. I didn't recall hearing a faucet running so I asked him how he got the washcloth wet. And, yes, he had soaked it in the toilet water. That's my son, a toilet water drinker. :) Of course I proceeded to ask him, "What were you thinking??" but the only response I got was, "Because I like it." Oh, the mind of a two year old boy.

Tonight he threw up a little and had some loose problems on the other end which I was somewhat grateful for. I have no idea if it is related to the contaminated water he drank but it was a great object lesson for why NOT to drink water from a toilet...even when it looks clean!

Advent Festivities

2008-12-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

We are having a wonderful time celebrating the season of Advent. We have our Advent Wreath, our Jesse Tree and the Advent Calendar. Last year we had little chocolates in the calendar. This year I have written activities to do each day. Well, if I must tell the truth, I have not actually filled out each piece of paper yet I am kind of doing it as we go. However, The Crafty Crow is revisting her Advent activities she posted on her other site Bella Dia last year. Go here to see the list in it's entirety. I definitely want to do that next year. Maybe not all the same books but she sure has some great ideas.

Garden, Tree and Herpangina...8 months old

2008-12-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

So there is a lot going on at the Olson home. This weekend we finally put in our garden. I have been wanting to have one for a while now and since Kurtis has not been working on the weekends lately we have been able to get a lot of projects done at the house and that was one of them.

We went 'organic' and did this crazy layering method that we read about in this article. Well, in all honesty I don't know if it is all that crazy, maybe this is how all of our friends do their gardens and I just am clueless. Anyhow, we layered newspaper, blood meal, bone meal, alfalfa, straw and compost. I have some great photos of the process but I can't find the cord to hook up my camera to the computer right now so you'll have to imagine it until I find the cord. Then we planted broccoli, bell peppers, green onion, spinach, lettuce, carrots and radishes. We also planted a different section with some herbs. It will be so interesting to see what we get especially considering Malachi helped with the planting. :)

Advent started yesterday and we lit the first candle in our Advent wreath (which Kurtis made and did a fabulous job at I might add). Then today Malachi and I put together our Jesse tree and tonight we read the story of creation and hung our first ornament. Again, I would love to post a picture but... I have not completed all the ornaments so now I have the fire under my bum to make sure I stay at least one step ahead.

Today I took Zoe to the doctor and found out she has herpangina, it's also called hand, foot, mouth disease but I like how 'herpangina' sounds. :) She had a fever for a couple days, it even got as high as 103.9 but now that seems to be subsiding and the pain of the little sores in her mouth seem to be bothering her. Hopefully she will get over it soon and the 4 other children that are in our house right now will not get it from her.

I also cannot fail to mention that our beautiful Zoe is 8 months old. I have to admit I actually scheduled her doctors appointment today a while ago because I was not thinking and figured it was necessary for her 8 month well baby...ya, no, that would be the 9 month well baby. So I was a month early :), I only felt a little dumb, I seem to be having more and more blonde moments as I get older. And speaking of getting older...Kurtis is turning 37 on Thursday!

Well, sorry about the lack of photos. Maybe I will find that cord and post them at a later date. I
think I will sign off for now and go sew some more ornaments next to the fire in our "hick pit".

I finally made a decision!

2008-11-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

I have been working on my ornaments for my Jesse Tree over the last couple weeks and I would post a picture of them but I am too lazy to go through that whole process right now. Maybe I will get around to posting a picture when they are hanging on the tree. Anyway, in my online search for help with the ornaments I have realized that there are different lists of Bible characters and passages to use. I have been very indecisive up until this afternoon. I thought I would share and add my idea to the numerous other ideas out there. Maybe there are some of you that like my idea as much as I did. :)

We have The Jesus Storybook Bible that we read to Malachi almost every night. We usually let him pick whichever story he wants to read. (Interestingly enough his favorite as of late is "A little girl and a poor frail lady" which is the story of Jairus' daughter, from Luke 8) One of the great things about the JSB is that the stories are written in such a way as to point to Christ being our Rescuer. If you do not have this Bible for your kids, I highly recommend it!

Well, back to my Jesse Tree ornaments. I decided tonight that I will follow the Old Testament stories in the JSB. Due to the number of stories it works out that we will not do a new ornament on Sundays but that's okay because we will have our Advent Wreath. So here is what we will be doing...

Nov. 30 - Advent Wreath
Dec. 1 - Creation (pg. 18) *globe*
Dec. 2 - Adam & Eve (pg. 28) *apple with snake*
Dec. 3 - Noah (pg. 38) *rainbow and ark*
Dec. 4 - Tower of Babel (pg. 48) *tower*
Dec. 5 - Abraham & Sarah (pg.56) *?baby with stars??*
Dec. 6 - Isaac (pg.62) *ram*
Dec. 7 - Advent Wreath
Dec. 8 - Jacob (pg.70) *???*
Dec. 9 - Joseph (pg.76) *coat of many colors*
Dec. 10 - Moses (pg. 84) *burning bush*
Dec. 11 - Moses (pg. 92) *parted Red Sea
Dec. 12 - Moses (pg. 100) *two tablets of stone for the ten comm.*
Dec. 13 - Joshua (pg. 108) *trumpet*
Dec. 14 - Advent Wreath
Dec. 15 - Samuel (pg. 116) *jar of oil*
Dec. 16 - David (pg. 122) *5 stones*
Dec. 17 - David (pg. 130) *shepherd's staff or harp*
Dec. 18 - Namaan & Elisha (pg. 136) *??river??*
Dec. 19 - Isaiah (pg. 144) *letter/envelope*
Dec. 20 - Daniel (pg. 152) *lion*
Dec. 21 - Advent Wreath
Dec. 22 - Jonah (pg. 160) *big fish*
Dec. 23 - Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi (pg. 168) *heart*
Dec. 24 - Mary & Joseph (pg. 176-181) *??lily and saw??*
Dec. 25 - Jesus (finish story from yesterday pg. 182, cont. reading til 199?) *manger*

I am excited to see how it goes. I really liked the idea of doing a devotion of some sort with Malachi but I think being able to read the stories with pictures will be perfect for him at this age. I figure I can always change it a little next year if I don't like any part of it. I also like that it cuts down the number of ornaments since I am a tad behind schedule on sewing them. :)

The Plight of the Second Child

2008-11-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Zoe got Malachi's old carseat...

...Malachi got a new one.

Craziness of Life

2008-11-18T06:48:00.000-08:00

We are having some friends stay with us and I realized this morning that I have not been doing a very good job of updating our blog. I think it is due to the fact that our home is buzzing with noise almost nonstop. Our friends have 3 kids (4, almost 3 and 9 months), then add our two and well...you can imagine. :)

Malachi is getting a lot of practice, or should I say opportunity to practice his sharing skills. He isn't very good at it but then again he is 2 and at this stage thinks the world revolves around him. I guess with a sinful nature, we all fight against that 'natural' tendency to think everything revolves around us. It is interesting (read frustrating) to watch him just walk up to his friends and take a toy just because he has determined he "needs" (yes that is a quote from my eldest) it. Oh the challenges we get to face as parents. I wish I could say I was responding with love and patience each and every time but I'm not. Lord, give me wisdom, patience, loving words and all the other things I need, yes need, today!

Yes, I am such a proud Mama!

2008-11-12T21:33:00.000-08:00

Isn't she the cutest! Zoe has also begun to give those wonderful first baby kisses.

2008-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Halloween pictures I forgot to post...Malachi's carving his first Jack-o-Lantern

On our way to our friend's Halloween party.

Our little Jack-o-Lantern

Don't Forget

2008-11-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

First of all, don't forget to vote if you haven't already. But that's not why I was going to post.

I've been thinking so much about Advent and Christmas that I have not really thought much about Thanksgiving. I just came across this great idea for an activity to do with the little ones to make Thanksgiving more than just a day filled with good food.

Christmas Cards

2008-11-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am trying to plan ahead this year so that we can enjoy Christmas Day AND the Advent Season as well. I am following simplemom's 12 weekly projects for a more peaceful season to help get things accomplished. She has a lot of great ideas and is worth checking out and on top of that
this week she is having a giveaway for a customized high-resolution digital photo card file of their choice from Chickpea Designs, my graphic design shop.

What a Blessing they are!!

2008-10-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Happy 7 Months Beautiful Girl!My 2 Sweet Blessings!

2008-10-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

So tonight we will collect money for UNICEF and Malachi can use this little bag I whipped up (ha ha, it actually took a couple hours) to collect some candy.

An Idea for Halloween

2008-10-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

I struggle with the idea of taking my 2 year old around the neighborhood to ask for candy that he otherwise would not be allowed to eat. Then having to fight the whining about why he can't eat all of it at once. I like the healthy treat ideas that Mama Manifesto suggests to give to trick-or-treaters but I found another idea that I think is fabulous.

In the book The Catholic Home, which my friend Jessica told me about, the author, Meredith Gould, suggests Trick or Treating for UNICEF. I went to their website today and printed up the canister wrapper. I am not sure how it will work. I may not be able to get around the candy thing completely but maybe this will give Malachi something better to focus on instead of the "gimme" attitude that pervades this holiday and our culture.

We've been busy

2008-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for over a week and figure I will write in order to fill people in on what has been going on at our place. We have been purging and organizing our garage. The main task at hand was to bring all of our, I mean Kurtis' :), books back indoors. For those that don't know, he has his own library.
I banished the bookshelves out to the garage before Malachi was born because we were drywalling and putting in flooring. I was happy they were out there, Kurtis was not but he lovingly let me have my way. All that changed this weekend and our walls are once again lined with books.
It is sweet honey to Kurtis' soul to have his books easily accessible however they are easily accessible to our darling-crawling-all-over-the-place daughter as well. We found out Ikea actually sells doors for our bookshelves that cover the bottom three shelves, now to figure out how we can get those cheap...Craigslist maybe.
THAT brings up a very irritating subject. For some reason I am not able to post on Craigslist. Can't get a response from them so I have no idea what's wrong. Don't know if we got blacklisted or flagged but if anyone out there can be of any help...with all this purging, we have a bunch to sell so it is driving me mad!!

Goat Hill Junction

2008-10-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited Goat Hill Junction. Every third Saturday and Sunday of the month you can ride the miniature train for free. Kurtis and Malachi rode while Zoe and I sat it out since the sign said you can't hold kids on your lap, they have to be able to sit on their own. Technically, Zoe can sit on her own but it worked out fine for Papa and son to share the experience.

Already???

2008-10-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Zoe has already started pulling herself up on furniture. Yesterday she pulled herself up on the dishwasher. I took a couple photos for evidence but somehow I deleted them from our camera before I got them on the computer. :( I don't think I am quite ready for this stage. I will have to post some pictures the next time I can catch her in action. She was oh so proud of herself!

2 1/2

2008-10-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Malachi is a joy and a challenge :) these days. He amazes us each day with the new things he is learning. We love watching his personality develop and often crack up at the ideas he comes up with.

He enjoys playing with his cars, reading, going to the store, and loves chocolate milk! (well anything labeled as "dessert" really.) He can be a little introverted at times when around a lot of other kids, but has no problem asking adults questions when we are at stores. He is now very big into asking "Why?" which is a lot of fun! I tried to interact with him last night via the camera and this is what we got.

A New Kind of Crawl

2008-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

The crawl of choice, the Army crawl - good for getting somewhere fast, especially when on the wood floor.

Slowly becoming the crawl of choice...

Yes, I am cracking up at that crazy left arm. Kurtis and I wonder if she is already working on that leftie swing for hitting the volleyball. ;)

Friday Favorite

2008-10-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

We have been reading the book The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis quite a bit lately. I love to read books that pertain to the season. This is a fun one with great rhyme. I read it today with my son and 3 other toddler friends and then we made a construction paper jack-o-lantern. We talked about the shapes as they glued the eyes, nose and mouth on to their orange pumpkin. The Granny in the story makes yummy pumpkin foods at the end of the story, Malachi and I want to try these pumpkin spice muffins...I wasn't about ready to try baking with 4 toddlers, though I considered it :).

What is your favorite book for the fall season?
Add it to the list for Friday Favorites at withpurpose

6 Months! How Time Flies!

2008-10-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Zoe had her 6 month appointment yesterday. She's growing up way too fast, so is Malachi for that matter. She is babbling and squealing all the time, sits on her own without toppling over, army crawls all over the house and can go from sitting to crawling and back to sitting. And apparently is off the charts in length, it is anyones guess whether she will be taller than her brother.

Rethinking Christmas Planning

2008-10-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I wrote this post about getting ready for Christmas. I am 15 days into it and have finally accepted the fact that 100 Days to Christmas is a little bit too organized for me. I love the idea, but have failed tremendously at doing each days 'assignment.' Lo and behold, I hav e found another blog that has a list to help with planning. Let's see if I can follow this one, at least a tad bit more than the first. I am hoping since it is broken up by weeks, I will find time to do it. I have enjoyed reading simplemom's great ideas to simplify, but admittedly I don't always take the time to implement. So let me give this a whirl.

Eyes

2008-09-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

People comment on Malachi and Zoe's eyes often. I love how they both have blue eyes (at least for now with Zoe) but the shades of blue are so different.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-09-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Do you see any resemblance?

A Broken Tooth and Avocado

2008-09-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

Malachi was pushing a truck on the sidewalk the other day at the park and apparently hit a uneven crack that stopped the truck. He unfortunately had more momentum and continued over the top, landing on his face. When I heard him continue to cry more than a few seconds I got up to check him out. I immediately noticed a little blood on his lip, to be expected, but then after further inspection noticed he chipped his front tooth. Thankfully it is a baby tooth and will eventually be replaced, until then he is sportin' a new grin.
And the new thing with Zoe...the avocado. Yesterday was the first time she had anything other than mama's milk. We chose avocado for her first food. She didn't really have much, I'll let the pictures tell how it went.

In this picture you can see avocado on her face, but she hadn't really gotten much in her mouth yet...hence the smile

Then we had to get down to business, mama took hold of the spoon to ensure a good taste.

And this was the result.

100 Days to Christmas

2008-09-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love that we attend a church that follows the Church calendar. I have learned much and have much to learn about it but I know it has helped my faith in God grow deeper. There is so much more to celebrate than Christmas and Easter, the birth of our Savior and His death and resurrection for our salvation, these of course are of huge importance! However, there is so much more to be reminded of. So many more people of unbelievable character and strength and trust in God that have gone before me that I can learn from. The Church calendar helps remind me I am part of the Body.
All that to say, I was reminded today when I came across this site, that we have only 100 days till Christmas. This year I would like to be a little bit more purposeful in my preparation for the Advent season and Christmas day. I am wanting to be reasonable with spending and so my goal is to give gifts that are thoughtful, useful, fun and homemade (all the gifts may not meet all criteria but it's a "goal"). I realize posting that on here will be an accountability thing for me which is scary but good. I hope 1oo Days to Christmas helps me on this endeavor. Feel free to leave me a comment if you have any fabulous tips or other websites that could be helpful. :)