Sunday, December 21, 2008

Merry Christmas!


I wanted to post the words to one of the my favorite Christmas Carols growing up. It reminds us why we celebrate Christmas.


C is for the Christ child born upon this day

H is for Herald Angels in the night

R is for our Redeemer

I is for Israel

S is for the Star the shone so bright

T is for Three Wisemen, they who traveled far

M is for the manger where He lay

A is for all He stands for

S means shepherds came.


And that's why there's a CHRISTMAS Day!

I'm thankful at this time for the Savior and his sacrifice. I'm thankful for our family and friends and I'm thankful for all the great blessings we have received this year in our family.
Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year!

Jessie's new smile!


I took Jessica to the dentist on Tuesday. YEAH no cavities! which is a miracle with all the work we had done last year. That night, her tooth was loose and bleeding. She was crying and complaining and really worried about it. I calmed her down and sent her to bed, hoping it wouldn't fall out during the night. The next morning, it was really loose and bleeding again, so I took a kleenex and pulled it out-UGH. She is pretty proud and the tooth fairy feeling bad about all the drama left her $2.00!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

California Firestorm



They really come up with the best names for these fires when they call them a storm. The wind was so strong, up to 70 mph when the fires broke out. This is a view from the Sylmar/Sayer fire from my backyard. My camera doesn't do it justice. Later that night, the flames were huge, but my camera won't take night pics. 500 mobile homes along with 6 single family homes were completely destroyed, many homes and structures were damamged. The say this firestorm is one of the worst in California history since 1961. Even though the fire was still about 5 miles away...As always, I panic a little and pack my bag. I would hate to pray for safety and then not be somewhat prepared to leave in a moment's notice if needed.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Vegas



While I was in Utah, Gary let me know that his dad was sick and I wasn't sure if I would still be headed to Vegas, but Gary's mom reassured us that all would be well and that I should go ahead and meet Gary in Vegas. We had a great time. I got there Sat AM from Utah and spent the day with my sis and her family. Gary got there that night. We stayed at the Bellagio, we had a view of the fountains from our room. We had a fun time between classes. We shopped, we saw "KA" at the MGM- very good and ate at some great restaurants. It's nice when the tab is being picked up. It was nice to get away for a few days and relax.

Utah











The nice thing about funerals is getting together with family. All the years growing up, we would get together at grandma and grandpa's for a few weeks during the summer. There were 19 grandkids. I was one of the oldest. I remember "babysitting" the younger ones so that the adults could go out to dinner and to the temple at least one time. There are 49 great grandchildren (all but 6 were at the funeral) It was one of the rare times that actually ALL of my siblings were together with my parents. I really enjoyed catching up with my cousins that I hadn't seen in awhile. Grandma is certainly in a better place and we will all miss her. We love you grandma and grandpa.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Halloween
















We had a great Halloween. We carved the pumpkins that we got at Lombardi Ranch Pumpkin Patch here in Santa Clarita. For that night, we headed to The Liddiard's house for dinner and trick or treating. The girls had a great time. They were so tired, but wanted to keep going, so we wore them out and had to carry them home. The boys kept going and going and going. Jess had a sleep over with the girls, the boys came over here. I think they went to bed around midnight or so and then both ended up in our room on the floor.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Jake has my eyes...

Jake has the most gorgeous blue eyes...he takes after me. Anyway, the biggest problem with blue eyes is that you will most likely be nearsighted. So after complaining of not being able to see the board in class and a quick eye exam with my eye DR, Jake will begin wearing glasses. (He wishes that he could get lasik, but I told him he was way too young and that glasses were the only way to fix his eyes for now.) I guess when he turns 16 he can look forward to dates, driving and contact lenses!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Hawaii Vacation








We just got back from our annual “it’s fall break” Olsen family trip. We went to Hawaii for a week. Gary’s parents joined us. We spent 5 nights on Lanai and 3 nights on Oahu. Lanai is a small island that you can see from Maui. It is beautiful. We stayed at The Four Seasons Manele Bay. It was beautiful. Our room was ocean view. We swam, snorkeled, had massages, Gary golfed at two of the most best golf courses in the world, 4WD tour of the island, kids caught lizards and did tons of crafts at the kids club, clay shooting, archery, mini golf , small hikes and ate at great restaurants. The town is very small and laid back. The shops closed for lunch or whenever they felt like it and most everything was closed by 7. The other resort on the island is The Lodge at Koele. It is like a hunting lodge near the mountains. It has awesome views of the island and is surrounded by pine trees. Most of the island used to be pineapple plantations run by Dole, but they no longer grow them on the island.
We stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu. It is situated on a point at the North Shore- gorgeous views of the ocean, which we had from our room as well. We spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is great to get all the culture, dancing, etc all in one place. I think it’s incredible the opportunity the polynesian people have to attend BYU and get a college education in return for working at the PCC. We hiked up to Waimea Falls. We spent an afternoon at Pearl Harbor, Battleship Missouri and the Submarine USS Bowfin. We shopped in North Shore town and stopped for Dole Whip at the Pineapple plantation. We had a great time.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Finally!!!





I promised pics of the house to everyone and I've been so busy, I haven't had time to post, so here you go! Come and visit anytime! (I couldn't take a pic of my closet because it was too big! j/k) Anyway, we are so happy. Even while we are on vacation, Jessica said she missed her "Roxy" room and bathroom. Now back to unpacking and hanging pics.


Thursday, September 18, 2008

Starly?

SO both my kids love stuffed animals...and have plenty of them. BUT, both of them have their one favorite that goes everywhere with them. Jake has had Pluto since he was almost 4 and it has been on every vacation, etc. Jessica finally latched onto 1 last January. Then with the move, and unpacking tons of boxes I had told Jessica that Starly was lost FOREVER!

UNTIL today- Jessica found her under the couch!!!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Conversations with a 5 yr old

At Dinner
5 yr old- Mommy, where does food come from?
Mommy-We buy it from the store.
5 yr old- Where does the store get it?
Mommy-The store gets food from farms and factories that process it.
5 yr old- We should just make our own bread so we don’t have to go to the store.
Mommy-We would still have to go to the store to get the ingredients to make the bread.
5 yr old- No, we could just get them online.

At a restaurant:
Daddy- after we buy the house, we don’t get to go out to eat all the time.
5yr old- Why not?
Daddy- Because we won’t have the money to go out all the time because we have to pay for the house.
5 yr old- Then you will have to go to the bank.

On the way to grandma's house:
5 yr old- Mommy, You know your mommy and daddy and daddy’s mommy and daddy?
Mommy- Yes.
5 yr old- Did you know they are all like the same age?

Friday, August 29, 2008

Rock Band



Gary got Rock Band this summer for PS3 and even though it takes up the whole front room of our apartment, I don't mind too much. It's pretty fun. I was the drummer for this song! Jake plays guitar and bass. Gary is getting to be quite the expert on the guitar. Jessie just sings the best she can so she isn't left out. I think I don't mind because it's one of the few "video games" I can actually play.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The countdown...8 days

We sign our papers 1 week from tomorrow on the new house! yeah! We had our walkthrough today and it's the first time I've seen the inside for a few weeks. The last time I saw it only the wood floors were in and they were covered, the rest of the house was still cement. I can't believe it's done. The walkthrough was tedious, it took about 2 1/2 hours (thanks Dionne for taking jess to school), the guy was very good at pointing out things that I didn't even catch...He even baked us a pie in our oven as a "housewarming" gift.
So sign papers 9/4, keys 9/5, move in 9/6!

Friday, August 15, 2008

School starts


Well we survived the first week (3days) of school. I think I finally have drop off and pick up figured out... It was very confusing the 1st day because most of the roads were closed for construction..I don't even think the teachers knew what was going on. Jessica has found some new friends and loves her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Greenfield. She is very excited and has already received her 1st homework packet. Jake is adjusting and has made some friends as well. He is in a 4/5 split, which can be intimidating, but he's been in a split before and will do fine. His teacher is Ms. Klahs. It is hard waiting until noon to take Jessica---she is so excited to go in the am when I take Jake..that for the next 3 hrs, all I hear is it time to go yet????? It's not so bad commuting across town to school either- it takes less than 10 minutes. BUT, it will be very nice to be less than 5 min. when we move. I'm trying to get motivated to actually walk to school in the am with Jake and Jess.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Happy Anniversary


14 years! WOW, I can’t believe it’s been 14 years since Gary and I got married. It seems like yesterday he walked in for his first day at work at Officemax in Orem, and I was immediately attracted. I know it was our Heavenly Father’s plan for us to meet. I should not have been working at Officemax. I had graduated and had started my new job in SLC, but I wanted the extra money. Gary was headed somewhere else and decided to stop at Officemax and fill out an application for a job. I’m not sure we would have met otherwise. Anyway, Gary is my best friend and is always there for me no matter what and I am thankful for all that he has done for me. I am thankful for my two children that make our family more complete. I am thankful for the gospel so that I know our family will be together always and forever.

Monday, August 11, 2008

End of Summer

I can't believe that there are only 2 days left before the kids go back to school. Last night Gary asked me what I'm going to do now that the kids are gone all afternoon. I told him that I would read and take a nap every day. I might have to practice the drums for Rock Band though because Gary is getting really good and I haven't progressed at all. Really, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do for now, but once we move into our house (Sept.5/6), I'll probably spend every afternoon for a month or two unpacking boxes!!!

Since I've been reading quite a bit lately, maybe I should get a job at Barnes and Noble, so I can save on the cost of books... BTW, Breaking Dawn was good. A little darker than the others, but great.

It has been a great summer though...Spending time with family and friends, traveling, Disney, swimming, beach, shopping and just hanging out. The kids are excited about going to school, but a little nervous about a going to a new school, but I'm sure they will make new friends quickly.

Monday, July 21, 2008

BUZZ lightyear


Gary and I have a friendly competition with Buzz Lightyear and while I have a high score of 310,000....he is always way better.... Here is a picture of his last "high score". He was 3rd place for the day at Disneyland with a score of 1,058,800. Initials-GDO

It's been a while...






I know it's been a while...alot has happened since my last post. We moved to our apartment...2 days later we took a 10 day trip to Oklahoma and Missouri with my family...1 day later, we took an 8 day trip to Park City, Utah with Gary's family...and 3 days later we took a 3 day trip to Disneyland with Gary's family. We have had a lot of fun. Here is the updated pic of our house which should be done at the end of August or first part of Sept. We had alot of fun spending time with both families. Sightseeing, golfing, fishing, pool, horseback riding, wagon rides, card and dice games, visiting, alpine slides/coasters, movies....Jake and Jessica really love playing with their cousins and are always sad to say goodbye.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Brittany's Quincenerra






Brittany has been Jake and Jessica's babysitter for the past 3 1/2 years (maybe even more).In South American culture, it is customary to have a huge party that is basically the same as a wedding (except no groom) for your daughter when she turns 15. Brittany Johnson's mom is from Guatamala. Jake and Jessica were part of the Royal Court escorting the princess "quincenerra". It was very nice. They had to walk in and bow and curtsey, stand in a line with roses, do a candle light ceremony and the "waltz" dance.

Monday, June 2, 2008

House Update



Here is the latest pic of our house. It looks like they are getting ready to drywall and put in the windows this week. We found an apartment that we will be living in this summer. We have to be out of here by June 23 (escrow closing). Our apt is ready June 18. I leave for Oklahoma on the 25th and Gary leaves for SFO on the 24th. I guess we could have waited on the apt...but it will be nice to have a place to put some of our stuff. The storage movers will be here on the 20th to move most of our stuff to storage until Sept when the house should be finished. Until then, we are down to beds, suitcases and a few toys for the kids. We don't want to have to move too much stuff to the 2nd floor apt.

Newport Beach






We spent Memorial weekend in Newport Beach. We stayed at the Island Hotel near Fashion Island, shopped at South Coast and Fashion Island, frequented the local Sprinkles (it was Gary's birthday), spent a little time on beach (it was cold that weekend) and ate some great food. We tried a restaurant- Oysters, which was pretty good. We also did Cheesecake and PF Changs, which I know are chains, but not located in Valencia, so we like to go when we can. We did a small harbor tour where we saw sea lions and celebrity homes in the Newport and along Balboa Island. The kids had fun swimming. It was really nice and relaxing. (Of course it helped that our house had sold the day before we left.)

Jake at the beach

I really think I should put him on a diving team or something....

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

SOLD!!!
WE sold our house on Friday! YEAH!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Go Dodgers!



Yes, the only time you will EVER catch me eating a hot dog would be a famous Dodger Dog. We had a great time at the game. Dodgers scored 7 runs before we left after the 5th inning against the Giants. Jessica kept cheering Go Chargers!!! she gets confused between baseball and football.

Progress



Here are the latest pics of our house "lot". I did go by this week and saw them framing, so it will be fun to see it this weekend.

My schedule for the past few weeks

Clean, take the kids to school, clean, pick up the Jess, clean, leave the house for a showing, pick up Jake, clean, leave the house because of a showing, clean, go to bed. Did I mention that all I do is clean?! In between, pta meetings (last one was this week), some work (thank goodness for some $), book club (my escape), swimming (to beat the heat), Dentist Surgery for Jess (no fun, but she did well), cubscouts (No comment), Dodger Game (family night fun), car trouble (yes- car trouble with my new car), advance screening of Prince Caspian (really good movie and fun screening), scrapbooking with my cousin (just so I feel productive and get out of the house).

Thursday, April 24, 2008

New House

Well we did it, we bought a new house. It will be ready in Sept., so it gives a little bit of time to sell this one. I'm so excited. It's in Rivervillage in Valencia. It's 3500 sq ft. on a 10000sq ft lot. It's at the end of the cul de sac. It's beautiful. You can go to lennar.com and see pics. It's the heirloom plan 2 home. We aren't sure what ward/stake we'll be in. The kids won't be able to go to Bridgeport, I tried to pull some strings...and may still resort to begging...But- they will go to Emblem, which is a great school and was just re-awarded their Distinguished School Award. (BP just got theirs---and received a perfect score) I still have to resign as the VP of the PTA next year and not sure if I'm bummed or relieved? I love being involved at the school, and I'm sure that any school is happy to have parent volunteers.
Jake's a little nervous, but excited for his new room. Jessica is excited...she's nervous about starting Kindergarten anyway. (she wants me to be her teacher and can't understand why I can't be her teacher at school, when I'm can be a teacher at church.)Also, since she's been right along my side for 3 years on the PTA at Bridgeport it will be an interesting move because she knows the staff, the Principal, the custodians, the teachers, everyone at BP and they know her...

Monday, April 14, 2008

I always hated going to the dentist...

I was traumatized by every visit and every small cavity...very sensitive teeth. So it only seems fitting that one of my kids "HATES" going to the dentist and that I should have to deal with all the drama...Long story short, 1 year, 4 tries and 3 dentists later, I have no choice but to do the IV sedation thing for her 11 cavities, 2 root canals and 2 crowns. UGH...I can't wait until braces.
(BTW, she started out with only about 5 or 6 small cavities)

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Remember when they were so cute!



I just ran across these pics--weren't they SO cute. The first pic is 2005- Jess, Bella, Quinn, Maddie. The 2nd is 2006-Kayley, Maddie, Jess, Bella.