Olson Odyssey

Cabin Love

2012-02-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

We were able to take a little weekend trip to a cabin in Wrightwood last weekend with my family. We had SO MUCH FUN! There is nothing better than cozying up to a fire with a good book while drinking a glass of wine:) All that took place after the kids were asleep of course! It actually SNOWED while we were there which was soooo cool! It wasn't a lot, and it only lasted a few hours, but it gave us Southern Californian's our cheap thrills for the weekend. We had yummy home made meals from mama, fun games, and the kids keps us entertained all weekend.

Papa and Dilly

Showing Papa the woodpecker

Connor LOVES the mirror

Kisses

The boys helping Yaya in the kitchen

My momma

All bundled up!

My love

Ready for some tubing!

Waiting so patiently

GOOOOO!

It's SNOWING!

Papa and Emery

Daddy and Dilly

Best Cousins

My mountain man!

The boys first time in the snow

So PRETTY!

Love this pic

My snow bunny

The boys

All bundled up

Beebers

Framer

Papa Bear

On a mission!

Dust being Dust

My snotty faced brown eyed boy

Connor's birthday party and dedication

2012-02-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

We were able to celebrate Connor's birthday on his actual day, which was super fun! We had all of our closest family and friends there to celebrate our little man. We also chose (like we did with Dillan) to dedicate Connor on this day. It was so special. His Oly, Dusty's dad, shared some very special words for Connor and Dusty and I. There is NOTHING that Dusty and I want more than to have Connor know Jesus at a young age. And not to just know Him, but to LOVE Him and live a life sold out for Him. I chose to do a balloon theme for the party and everything came together great! We got a bounce house and it was SO FUN! I am not sure if Dilly ever came out:) We had such a fun day celebrating our little Connor man!

Monthly Shots

ONE!

Let's Party!

Drinks

Balloon Arch that Papa made

Signature board for Con's room

Balloon cake pops...these were SO YUMMY!

Cupcakes

Connor's Smash Cake

Lunch....Subway was perfect!

Invite

Prepping for the dedication

Connor getting ready to bounce it up

Swingin'

Dedication

Cake Time!

We love you!

Frosting Mustache

Rainbow Cake

Kisses

The bounce house getting delivered!

Centerpieces

Party Favors

Welcome!

My birthday boy

Happy Birthday to Connor!

Yummy!

He likes cake!

Opening presents

New Burley!

Connor's 1 year Slideshow

2012-02-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the one year slide show that I made for Connor's birthday party. It is fun to put these together and look back and reflect on the year. Here's the sad part....I looked back at Dillan's 1 year slide show and it was twice the length of Connor's. Clearly you take more pictures with your first:) Even with the craziness of two, I managed to snap some shots and put this together. Enjoy!

12 months or in other words.....1 YEAR OLD!

2012-02-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

Connor Charles turned 1 year old on February 4th! We SURVIVED! We made it through the first year! I must say that this little nugget made it easy on us. Never did I know an easier baby. You hardly ever fussed and when you did, you could easily be soothed. Sometimes, I would literally forget you were there because you never made a peep! You were a great sleeper early on. You slept through the night at 10 weeks! To this day, you NEVER and I mean NEVER wake up in the middle of night....not even when you are sick! You just love to rack:) Your sweet baby blues melt my heart. Your laugh cracks me up and you are always laughing at your big bro (except when he is jacking you). You haven't taken your first steps yet, but take your time...you have your whole life! You are definitely starting to get a little fisty when you don't get your way. I like to see a little fight in you kid! You gotta stick up for yourself! You LOVE playing outside. You want to be out there all the time. Since you are still crawling you are basically dirty all the time....oh well! Boys should be dirty, right? You also can seriously bust a move! Any time there is a beat, you are shaking your bootay! Even when I am singing you Jesus Loves Me at night with the lights out you are trying to dance! We have heard you say mama, dada, yaya, but you don't say them very much. You do say GG very clearly because her voice is recorded on your teddy bear which you LOVE and point at every time you wake up from your nap. When you drop something you say "UH" but not the "OH"....it's so cute! You LOVE your blankie. As soon as you see it and grab it, your thumb goes in your mouth and you are cuddle bug. You don't love reading books. You mostly just bat it away and want to open and close it over and over again. You love to take baths with your bro and you speed down the hallway in your naked glory to climb in. We went to your 1 year Dr. Appt and you are my little peanut! You are 30 inches (40%) and 19 lbs 2 ozs (15%). But you are healthy and that is all this mama cares about! I have had so much fun with you this year Connor! I love watching you grow and learn and discover the world around you. I promise to teach you everything I know and I am sure you will teach me things too! We make a good team, you and I! We had a little photo shoot before your party and Meg got some great shots! Happy birthday my little man. I love you.

Cutie patootie!

My little blue eyes

Ummmm.....pretty sure you melt my heart

Up, Up, and Away!

ONE

The SMILE

Stud

Hey Mom.....I am 1!

How big are these boys????

They never look at the camera and I end up

with pics like this one....

This picture makes me laugh

My Dillymon

2012-02-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

Dillan, you are my first born boy. I still remember the first moment I held you. A love that I dreamt about became so real in an instant. The second you were placed in my arms (all 10 pounds of you), I was done. You had my heart....every ounce of it. The last year has been a big transition year for you and me. It was no longer just us. We had to share our time with your little brother, Connor. You have been so gracious Dillan. You have allowed me to be present in both your life and Connor's life, and for that, I am forever grateful. I know it's hard not to have all of me sometimes, and that you get upset, and that is okay. I am learning, just like you, that each stage of life brings new changes and transitions, and we have to learn to adjust. This is what you and I are doing. I am learning how to be a mom to two boys and you are learning how to share your life and me with a little brother. I am sorry when I lose my patience sometimes. I hope you know that I love you to the moon and back FOREVER AND EVER! You are cracking me up these days! You talk so much and you are SO expressive. Here are some of your favorite catchphrases: "Mom, TWO more minutes," "OH! I have a good idea!" "No, No Connor Charles" "I am a working dog!" You crack daddy and I up all the time. You do a lot of things early and you make daddy and I so proud! Watching you on your scooter is the raddest thing...you just shred that thing! Some of your favorite things right now are: helping us do ANYTHING! You have such a servant's heart. You even like helping pick up Jax's poop! You LOVE helping daddy in the garage and on his work bench, working with all the tools. Your favorite TV show is Little Einsteins and your favorite movies are Lion King and Curious George. You know how old you are ("2 and half" you say) you know the street you live on, and the city and state you live in. You LOVE to sing and play your instruments....guitar, harmonica, and drums. You like to have concerts and sing "Amazing Grace." Your favorite book to read at night is Treasure Hunt for Boys and you always say "I see it!" like it's the first time, when in reality we read the book EVERY SINGLE NIGHT:) We have had our struggles lately. You are learning your independence and your boundaries. Your favorite thing to say is "I do it." You are strong willed and I see SO MUCH of myself in you. Sometimes when we are with Papa and Yaya, I can see them just laughing and I know they are thinking "you deserve this kiddo, this is EXACTLY how you were as a child!" You don't throw tantrums too often, but when you do, you really know how to get going. I usually just give you your space and let you freak out, and sometimes when you finally calm down you come up to me and say "I'm all done mom." Almost like, I just needed to get that out of my system! Even with our ups and downs, ALL is right in the world when you come up to me (without any prompting) put your head in my lap and say "I love you mommy." I literally could die in that moment and everything would be ok. You melt my heart Dillan Davis. Every ounce of it still belongs to you. I know we will have hundreds of changes and transitions in our years ahead, but no matter what I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK FOREVER AND EVER! Here are some moments I have captured lately of you.

You and Me on the Rockets

at Disneyland

Having lunch with your best bud B

Fishin' with Caleb

Rainy day at the mall with your bro

The cutest boy! You truly are a show

stopper! I never go anywhere without

someone stopping me to tell me

how cute you are. Guess what?

I AGREE!!!!!!!!!

Dillan, Jack, and Bennett

THE THREE MUSKATEERS!

11 months

2012-01-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

Can it really be that my baby is going to turn 1 in a few short weeks??? AHHHH, I can barely take it. Connor got really crazy this last month, taking all sorts of falls and headers! He is pulling himself up on everything and let's go sometimes to be standing. But that is about it for the journey to being on two legs:) He got pretty sick this last month and was just not himself. He had an ear infection and went on his first antibiotic since he was born (that is a blessing in and of itself). He is starting to say more words, not with much intention, but just lots of babbling. His hair is growing a lot and is coming in much lighter than I thought it would. His bright blue eyes still capture my heart everyday. Connor LOVES to eat grapes and clementines. His favorite snack is Pirate Booty and Veggie Sticks. He will pretty much eat anything I put in front of him and I am loving it becuase I know what it is like to have a picky toddler. He is done with forumla, which makes Dusty and I very happy:) He is on whole milk and seems to love it. Such a big boy drinking out of his big boy sippy. He loves to play with balls and still puts everything in his mouth. I am having a fun time planning his 1st birthday party and dedication. We are doing a balloon theme and it is sure to be a very special day.

My handsome 11 month old

Hey Everybody

Dilly getting in on the mix

Bros

Sweetest boy you ever did know

New Years Eve and the big 3-0!!!!!!

2012-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun New Years Eve filled with yummy food, great friends, and a kidless dinner! We put all the kiddos (9 total!) down in rooms, bathrooms, closets, etc! Les spearheaded an AMAZING Barefoot meal and then we had an awesome time of answering questions about the birthday girl, which was really special for me. I always have loved having my birthday on New Years because it is a celebratory day. There is always friends and family around, and this year was no exception. I felt super loved by my friends who organized this night for me. We headed up to Pasadena on New Years Day to have a nice dinner out (without kids again!) and a fun time at a Champagne Bar that had live Jazz and the best dessert I have ever had! The next day we walked down from my parents house to the parade and watched all the marching bands and floats. Dillan sat on my shoulders and was pretty enthralled. Connor was sleeping:) That night we celebrated at Chuck and Pattie's with a yummy Japanese meal called Domburi and it was sooo good. My husband absolutely showered me with gifts this birthday. I got a new iPad and and a beautiful new purse! It was an awesome few days of celebration and I have enjoyed joining the 30's club so far! I am looking forward to this next decade and everything God has in store for me!

The Cordero's

Yummy cheese platter

Nothing Budt Cake....YUM!!!!!

Can't wait to eat!

Kim and Car

The gang

Les made Ina's Shrimp Scampi....SOOO GOOD!

Happy Birthday to me!

Heyyyyyy

Jordy, Les, and me getting ready to toast

the New Year with our almond Champange

Happy New Year!

Les wishing everyone a very zen filled New Year

Mom, Dad, and I at Shogun

Whit and Mom

My new diamond cross from

Mom and Dad

POP Champange Lounge....soo fun!

My love

Loved this place

Banana's Foster Crepes....YUM!

Cheers

Carmel Ice Cream? Yes Please!

Christmas Cheer!

2012-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas has come and gone! It is crazy what a whirlwind it is! You spend all the time and effort shopping, wrapping, packing, etc and then in a few hours it is done. All the time and effort was well worth it this year seeing the joy on the boy's faces. We started the shebang out at Chuck and Pattie's on the 23rd. We had a delicious family meal, and the spent the night and woke up on Christmas Eve to lots of presents! The kids got such cool stuff. Highlights were a new fishing pole, working gloves, bubble maker, and a blower! So FUN! Connor got a few new toys that are all his and not hand me downs! Plus tons of cute clothes. I got new bedding and towels after 8 years of marriage! YEAH! We went to the Rose Bowl for some play time at the park and a nice lunch at Brookside. It was SOOOO beautiful outside. We attended Lake Ave's Christmas eve service and the boys did pretty well. Connor did have one laughing spell when it was really quiet:) After church we went to Americana for dinner and it was so beautiful there with all the lights. Papa and GG joined us and that was fun to be with them. After that we headed to Papa and Yaya's house. We spent the night there with the whole family and had a yummy Christmas breakfast and then opened stockings and gifts. Dilly got a new vacuum cleaner and Connor got a fun new toy, and they both got LOTS and LOTS of sweet new clothes. My mom made all the grandkids BEAUTIFUL, cozy blankets. They are so cute and she did such an amazing job! I got an awesome new external hard drive to back my computer up so I NEVER LOSE MY PICTURES! This was high on my list, so I was stoked. Ann, Dan, Ty and Deck were with us this year so that is always fun. After a yummy late lunch we just relaxed and then had friends and family over in the evening. It was an EVENTFUL few days, but super fun. We are so blessed to be surrounded by family and teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas while also have fun Christmas traditions. I loved getting dressed up and going to church and singing Christmas songs and remembering what a gift we received when God sent his Son to us. What a story. One that I will never tire of telling my kids each year when we celebrate Christmas.

Stockings hung with care....

My blue eyed boy

Cool dudes

Me and my boys

Oly and Peej with their hockey pucks

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Oly and Peej's babes: Connor, Kate,

Dillan and Charlie

The sweetest baby you ever did know

Connor's 1st Christmas!

The dudes!

The 3 hockeypucks and the princess

Santa's little helper

Trying out his new fishing pole

Daddy and Dilly after church

My handsome boys

Merry Christmas!

Bubble Fun!

Connor and Daddy

Merry Christmas Beebers

New Harmonica

Christmas kisses

Mom and Dad

Vacuuming

Drummer Boy

Papa and Yaya and their babes: Wyatt,

Connor, Beebs, and Dilly

The kiddos

The babes

My little love

Christmas Day

A nice little afternoon

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

I wanted to have a little Christmas cooking decorating party for my kids and their buddies. My girlfriend Bonnie teaches a cooking class for kids and she gave me all her left over cookie decorating stuff, so it was perfect! I decided to turn the day into a nice little afternoon for the mommies as well. I fixed a yummy Barefoot Contessa lunch and set a pretty table. While the kids ran amuck in the backyard, we enjoyed a yummy lunch and some adult conversation. It was a really fun afternoon and I realize what amazing friends I have!

My festive table

Maddie and Beebs decorating

Dilly

Gavin

Caleb and Gavin swinging

Caden

Yummy soup and salad

My Christmas dishes:)

Maddie, Ira, Beebs and Dilly

The big kids and Connor:)

Girlfriends!

Jordyn, Steph, Lauren, Amber, Sarah,

Les, Kim, Nicole, and Carly

Jack and his momma

My adorable godson, Caden!

2011-12-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

Dusty and I are privledged to have Cady Brady Davis as our godson. When he was in his mom's belly, Dusty and Nicole asked us to be his godparents. They described the title as a special relationship in which, out of all their kids, we specifically pray for Caden. We go to special events. We take him on special dates. We SPOIL him:) Nicole was the first of my friends to have a baby and I felt so special being a godmom to her firstborn. I got a upfront seat to watch how things were done. Caden is the COOLEST! He is such a first born and I love watching it play out. He is careful and is always watching out for others. He wants to make sure people are following the rules. He is fun and such a great big brother and cousin. He includes everyone. He is smart and creative and a GREAT storyteller. He loves Jesus and has already accepted him into his heart which we are SO proud of. We have cherished watching him grow up and loving on him. This last week we went to his kindergarten Christmas performance. Well OF COURSE he was the cutest kid up there. He did such a great job and we were SO PROUD! Love you Caden Brady!

Cute little red nosed reindeer:)

Doing his motions...he was so into it!

10 months old!

2011-12-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

My little peanut is growing up so fast. I am super behind in this post, that Connor is already almost 11 months old! HELP! STOP TIME! My little angel is getting more and more active. He is pulling himself up all the time and "cruising" in between furniture and toys. He LOVES to laugh and dance. We are also pretty sure his first word is Jax. What the heck?? This was Dillan's first word too! We are still working on mama and dada:) I seriously just love this nugget more than I could ever describe to you in words. He has me wrapped around his little finger....that is for sure. I have been rocking him to bed before I lay him in his crib and I TREASURE that time with him. He is just the sweetest! I sing to him and we laugh together and he snuggles me and just lays his head on my chest. Melts my heart. I can't believe I am starting to plan your 1 year birthday! Where has the time gone little love? I am loving each day of watching him grow up. Love you Connor Charles!

I am 10 months old!

Hi mom! I love you:)

Smiley pants

Stop! In the name of love.....

Biggest boy

Mom....you crack me up!

Handsome boy

7th Annual Christmas Party

2011-12-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

We had our 7th annual Christmas party this last weekend. Nicole and I decided to start this tradition when she was pregnant with Caden. .....now here we are, 7 years later with 5 kids between us! We have moved the location around many times since we first started, but we were at our house again this year and it was a blast! As all of our friend's families keep growing, and so does our annual party! We decided to do lasagna again this year and it was a hit! We had lots of yummy appetizers, sides and desserts. Dusty D's Christmas quiz did not disappoint (I actually won!) and the White Elephant gift exchange was hilarious! All in all it was a great night and something I look forward to doing with my dear friend every year!

Mom and Patti

Brad and Connor

Dad and Brady

Dusty, Jim, Sarah, and Chuck

Dillymon

Drew and Mike (and Wyatt)

Hostess' with the mostess'

My favorite boys

How lucky am I????

The Dusty's giving the answers to the

infamous Christmas quiz

The gang

Just what Damon always wanted:)

Shredder

The Lawson's

Papa getting some help from Caden

and Gavin

Holly will be living her "best life"

CCCHHHEEESSSEEEE!

Case and her kimono

Mom and son matching doo rags....YIKES!

Blaire's granny panties

Supper Club....Christmas style!

2011-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

It was time for supper club again and we had come full circle and were back to the Lawson's who started the whole thing. Since it was close to Christmas, Meg decided on an ugly Christmas sweater party with a "family style" meal. Good 'ole fashion cooking. We had filet mignon, beef tenderloin, cream corn, green beans, crispy potato casserole, and lots of wine and cocktails! It was a blast to be together and after dinner we headed into the Christmas light neighborhood for a brisk stroll and to see all the pretty lights. It was a great night. Dusty and I were decked out with the help of my mom and dad, Pattie, and GG. THanks for wearing ugly clothes back in the day! HAHA!

Decked out in our gear! Nice

pants Dust!

Meg's pretty table

Scott, Parker, Mike, and Dust

Lauren and Meghan working in the kitchen

Let's EAT!!!!

Heather and Lucy

Wierdos

and goofs....good combo

Love me some MM

Lawson's and Fords

Love birds...Parks and Erin

The Host's!

Girls being silly

I love this pic of Meghan

Kim, Meghan, Megan, Erin, Angel, and Heather

Dusty cracking us up with his dance moves

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-11-30T15:37:00.001-08:00

Well, not really considering it was 90 degrees outside when we went to pick out our tree! But you get the sentiment! The season is upon us and we were anxious to get our lights up and tree decorated! Let me just say that my husband is a PRO at putting lights up. He rents a HUGE extension ladder from Home Depot and goes to town! I love watching him do it, he is soo good and it is a total turn on:) Haha! Anyways, while daddy was putting the lights up, the boys and I got all our decorations down and started decorating the house. We got the nativity set out (unfortunately, we experienced a baby Jesus catastrophe last year and he is no longer with us), but we replaced him with Dillan's "Little People" baby Jesus... It fits right in with my beautiful porcelain set:) Once the boys had their bath and their cozy Christmas jammies from Yaya on, we put the Polar Express on and decorated our tree! This is such a fun family tradition for us, especially now that Dillan is old enough to participate. He calls all the ornaments "his." "Oh! There's my candy cane" or "there's my pickle." It is so cute. Connor, has to be "rerouted" several times a day as he heads to dismantle my tree! I love this stage....I am pretty sure he eats dog food on a daily basis:) Anyways, we got a beautiful tree that smells so good and looks beautiful. This is sure to be a very fun Christmas! We have Christmas tree lightings, gingerbread house making, visiting Santa, our annual party, Garrison St, work parties, and more! All the while celebrating our Savior who was born in such a humble way. I just love how God orchestrated how His son came into this world. I came across the following and loved it! Merry Christmas!

Christmas~ the unfolding of God's wonderful story of redemption, which reached it's crescendo with the birth of Christ Jesus. What a humble, quiet way for Him to say "I am the King of Kings" and have brought the power of my kingdom with me.

Dilly and Conman picking out our

tree in their shorts and t-shirts!

Watching Polar Express

Christmas Jammies!

Cutie Patootie

Me and Con

Our tree!

My mini me

Guess I didn't do a very good job at taking any pictures of Dust....he was there! I promise:)

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration this year. As always, it was a PACKED weekend! I considered myself blessed because Dusty and I get to celebrate with both sides of our family. This is so important to us and we are so grateful for the flexibility of our families that allow us to celebrate the day after so we don't have to forfeit a family every year. This year, we hosted the Olson gang (all 23 of us) at our house. It was so much fun and the weather cooperated which allowed us to eat outside. My 25 pound bird provided enough food to feed the entire neighborhood:) Everyone pitched in and brought some yummy food and we had a DELICIOUS feast! The after meal activities were organized by Oly and Uncle Gregg and they did not disappoint. We had a fierce competition of signing children's song (my group had the ants go marching and of course we won:). Gregg then organized his infamous magazine trivia game which was super fun as well. It's never dull with the Olson family:) The next day we headed up to Pasadena to my mom and dad's for another yummy meal. This year we all pitched in and brought something to help my mom out and it all came together very nicely. My mom's table looked so beautiful and you could tell she put a lot of time into it. We had a really nice time of sharing what we are grateful for and the consensus around the table this year was HEALTH. With my mom and dad both having some health stuff this year, we definitely are counting our blessings! God is good and He is present in the good and the bad. Drew and Jordyn and Dust and I even got to sneak out after the kids went to bed for a little adult time at the wine bar! It was so fun to be together! We are so blessed by our family, both the Olson's and the Davis'. This year, I was especially thankful for the health of my kids. I am constantly reminded that I need to remember, even on days that are SO HARD, they could be gone in an instant, so to cherish EVERY SINGLE moment with them, tantrums included:) So even though my kids had bad colds and we were wiping noses all weekend, we had a blast being surrounded by family and enjoying these little ones that bring SO MUCH joy to our lives! Lastly, I am so grateful for the cross and the fact that Jesus chose to save me as a sinner. I don't have to earn His love. He loves me just the way I am (trust me when I tell what a gift this is:) I am so excited to enter this season of celebrating Him and all He means to my life.

My 25 pounder soaking in brine

Our huge table:)

Place setting

Table

My carving man

The food table

Let's EAT!

Charlie and Dilly getting a push from

their big cousin Ryan

Girl chat....

GG, Lexy, Andy, and Chrissy

Wheels on the bus!

Itsy, bitsy spider

The WINNERS! The ants go marching:)

Beebs and Dilly at Papa and Yaya's

Yaya's pretty table

My place setting:)

My parent's neighbor, Mike, brought

his John Deere out for the kids to ride, and

my mom took it for a spin! You can take

the girl out of the farm, but you can't take

the farm out of the girl:)

Dilly riding with Yaya

He was definitely a little timid at first,

but then he got into it once Yaya took

the reigns!

Yaya and her babes. Wyatt

was nappin:)

9 months

2011-11-20T20:13:00.001-08:00

This post is definitely a little late. Connor turned 9 months on November 4th. Now that we have hit the holidays, the days are passing by so quickly! I feel like if I blink it will be Connor's 1st birthday! (Don't worry, I have already started looking into ideas:) Connor is getting really busy. He is crawling all around and started pulling himself up this month. He still eats everything in sight, but he must have a really high metabolism, because he is my little runt at just 18 lbs! The Dr really wants me to beef him up this month:) I officially weaned Connor right before he turned 9 months. I was happy to make it to 9, because I only got to 7 months with Dilly. He has waved hi a few times and LOVES to dance! Anytime there is music playing, he starts his head bob and then the whole body gets into it. Especially when he is standing at his music table! Check out the video below. Here are some of his other favorites:

playing with any type of ball, watching Jax trot around and also getting into his food and water bowl, riding the toy horse "Lucky", the bath, drinking water out of sippy cup (for some reason he always laughs and laughs), eating Mum Mums (shout out to Karly for the rec), and snuggling with mommy of course! We sure do love this little man!

I am such a big boy!

This picture kills me

Hey mommy!

Bros

Come here Connor, I want to give you a kiss....

or a headlock

My dancing machine

Loma girls reunite

2011-11-17T13:08:00.001-08:00

I really do consider myself a lucky girl. You know when you leave to go to college and you think "who are going to be friends?" "Will these friendships last?" Well, I met my friends freshman year at Point Loma (11 years ago!!) and we have remained besties ever since. Two of the girls live up north so we have to be pretty proactive and intentional about planning get togethers! We had a little break in all of us pushing babies out (not by much, Steph is due in 3 weeks), so we snuck in a little weekend halfway between the northerners and southerners....Morro Bay! It was the perfect weekend. We slept in, stayed up late talking about everything under the sun (wouldn't you like to know the details:), ate yummy food, shopped, saw a movie, drank wine, got pedicures....everything we don't get to do at home since everyone that went is a mommy! We missed Kate, who couldn't come, but we made the most of it and just basked in one another's presence. We laughed, cried, laughed some more and parted ways once again. I cherish these trips and am counting down the time till the next one....Santa Barbara 2012.....with the WHOLE GANG.....hubbies and babies included! Let's make it happen ladies. Love you all!

Steph, Kim, Grace, Lex, and Jamie

Playing a little Bananagrams

Walk out to the rock with Lex

Besties

J and I being our typical

silly selves!

The other girls were making

fun of our pajamas all weekend

Roon eating right out of the carton:)

Connor's 1st Haircut!

2011-11-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Connor got his first haircut! I have tried to "trim" it around the edges for the last few months, but he was definitely starting to sport a ducktail! We are having our pictures taken next week, so I decided it was time to get both boys a haircut! Connor didn't make a peep! He just loved holding on to the wheel, and of course putting his mouth on toys that I am sure have a billion diseases on them....what are ya gonna do?? He is just the cutest little man on the planet!

Hanging in the rocket!

Who is this lady mom?

A little snip here

....and here

Almost done!

Looking good Conman!

Who is that handsome boy??

Halloween Fun

2011-11-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

We started the Halloween season by carving pumpkins at home. Both Dusty and I are not the most artistic people, but we had fun anyway! Dillan LOVED his pirate pumpkin! My pirate and lobster stole my heart this year. I have to admit it was so fun to figure out what Dillan wanted to be and we he decided on a pirate he was SOOO excited! He was so into it this year, it was great! He got to wear his costume on 3 separate occasions: Mommy and Me class, our annual party, and Halloween night. For Connor, I went the hand-me-down route and borrowed a costume from a friend. It was 3-6 months, so we just snapped a couple of pics and that was the end of that:) Our annual party was so much fun. Having a night of kids wreaking havoc and yummy chili is my idea of a good time:) Dillan was stoked to have all his buddies over! For Halloween night we headed over to our friends, the Bettino's, where Les cooked up some major yummy grub. We then headed over to a cute neighborhood in Ladera and trick or treated. Dillan would get some candy and then say "next house mom." It was classic! Surprisingly he didn't want to eat the candy right away and now I have it hidden so it is out of sight out of mind. All in all, we had such a fun fall season!

Ready for Pumpkin Carving

Dillan was wondering where his knife was

Cheese

Our pumpkin family

Self timer!

My little lobster

Cutest pirate and lobster you ever did see:)

Arrrrgggghhhhh Matey!

Beautfiul Peacock

Group Shot

Me and Dilly

Peej and the boys

Yaya and the boys

My loves

Yummy pumpkin trifle

Movie time after a fun party

Halloween dinner at Bettino's

Spider Cupcakes

Me and Baby McKenna

Time for some trick or treating!

Self Serve!

Trick or Treat!

Daddy and Dilly

Connor Bear

Mommy and Dilly

On to the "Next House"

Monster Mash Seranade

Video of Dilly in action

White and Blue

2011-10-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dillan is SUCH a snuggle bug! His bed is FILLED with like 20 stuffed animals and he always has to have his two blankies in bed: White and Blue. That is what we call them. It is funny to see what blankets your kids will gravitate to given that you have like 20 when they are babies. The two that Dilly chose were white and blue. White was a little blankie I bought at the Daisy Shop that was on sale and it was so soft (silly to buy white considering how dirty it gets, but at least I can bleach it:). Blue is the Little Giraffe blanket that has his name on it. Whenever he gets into bed for nap or nightime, the first question is "Where is white and blue?" We have to have both at all times. Anytime we spend the night somewhere else, they both make the trip. I love watching him snuggle, all the while sucking his thumb. Love this snugglebug!

White..Check, Blue...Check, Thumb....Check!

Mommy and Me Class

2011-10-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dillan and I joined a mommy and me class this year and it has been so fun! My girlfriend Nicole has done it with her boys, and finally we have a kid the same age (my first and her third:). Her mom, Patti, teaches the class which is so fun because Patti has known me since I was born! A lot of my close friends are taking the class too with their two year olds, so Dillan has all his buddies there! I leave Connor with a babysitter and it is Dillan and I's special date together every Tuesday. They get to do crafts, play with fun toys, have circle time where we sing songs, read books, and then play on the playground while the mommies have a lesson together. We have both thouroughly enjoyed the class together and love that it lasts the whole year! This last week we got to take a field trip to Tanaka Farms where the kids got to pick vegetables and their own pumpkin. Dillan LOVED riding in the tractor-pulled wagon as well as petting the goats at the petting zoo. It was a great day....just Mommy and Dilly!

My little Picasso

Our classroom....controlled chaos:)

Dillan and Bennett riding the teeter totter

Dilly and Beebs after their first

day of class

Cousins at Tanaka Farms

My special date

Steph and I are going to be in big trouble

with these boys! Future heartbreakers

for sure!

Ready for the wagon ride

Petting zoo

This one wanted to cozy up with Dillan

Picking some onions

Look what I got mom!

I like this one!

Cute little lion

A FUN day at Tanaka Farms!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

It is so fun every fall to head over to the pumpkin patch that is right by the house. We don't actually buy pumpkins from there because they are like a billion dollars:) But we do ride the rides and take LOTS of cute pictures. It is crazy to see how different our lives are each year we go. Last year I was pregnant with Connor and Dillan was 18 months old. This year, I got a crazy toddler and a little peanut! We went twice this year as usual. Once with friends, and once with daddy. This was the first year that Dillan wanted to ride the rides. It was so CUTE!

An attempt at a family shot, of course

the boys aren't looking

Conman and Daddy

Standing up

Bros

My two boys

Giddy up cowboy!

Boat ride:)

Me and Dilly

SUCCESS! It is a miracle that both boys

are looking at the camera!

My little man LOVES tractors

My blue eyed boy

The men in my life

Fishing with daddy

Mr. Pumpkin Head

A day with Friends:

Jack and Dilly riding the tractor

Connor hanging with the pumpkins

Mom, I want this one!

He MELTS my heart

Dillan, Bennett, and Jack on the choo choo train

The 3 musketeers!

Introducing....Wyatt Andrew!

2011-10-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

My new nephew was born on Friday, October 7th weighing in at 8 lbs 11 ozs and 21 inches long! He is the CUTEST and I got a front seat to his grand entrance into this world. Watching Wyatt be born was such a blessing. Jordyn did an amazing job during labor and he arrived at 5:41 pm. I already miss him so much and can't wait to get my hands back on him. Watching Wyatt grow up will one of this life's greatest blessings!

Welcome to the world Wyatt!

Hi little buddy

Uncle Dusty and Wyatt

Auntie Kimbie (as beebs calls me)

Kisses for Wyatt

Proud mommy

8 months old!

2011-10-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

Another month has come and gone! Connor is 8 months old and still the happiest baby on the block:) This month Connor cut his first two bottom teeth, and also started to army crawl! It's been a busy month:) It is so fun to watch Connor scoot all around the house. I can only imagine when he gets fast! I am going to have to keep my eye this one! Connor has also gotten pretty "choosey" about his food. He PREFERS to feed himself and only wants to eat big kid food. Sometimes he gets so frustrated with me feeding him baby food and just cries and cries, and then you give him a cracker or bagel and he holds it himself and is immediately happy and content! I have a feeling this kid is always going to want to be doing what his big bro is doing:) This next month we have lots to look forward to: pulling himself up, more crawling, weaning, and HALLOWEEN! Connor is going to be a lobster!

Hey Everybody!

Look at my feet

Standing up like a big boy!

Love that smile

Bros

Bathing Beauties

2011-10-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I know I am biased, of course, but HOW CUTE ARE THESE BOYS???!!!!!! The boys have been taking baths together for awhile now, but it is seriously so fun. They sit there and play together and Dillan shows Connor all of his tricks. Connor spends most of the time just laughing. After baths, Dusty and I usually tag team getting the boys out and dressed. Connor has an elephant towel and Dillan has a frog towel. We always say "who ordered an elephant" or "who ordered a froggy?" It is just so cute and I love all of our little routines!

Crawling

2011-10-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

My little man is scooting all around. He hasn't quite gotten up on his knees, but he can army crawl with the best of them! His favorite destinations? Jax's food and water bowl of course. He also really likes the door stopper and the sound it makes. Each stage with this sweet boy gets better and better. The only downside to Connor being mobile is that Dillan is not too happy with him being able to reach and grab his toys now:) I am trying to get Dillan to show him how all the toys work and be a good big brother! Love this little guy!

My two boys

2011-10-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I get to snuggle my two boys at once (this is rare since Dillan rarely sits still). But whenever I am holding both of them I always say "My two boys!" So now Dillan will ask me to pick him up or will come cuddle when I am holding Connor and he will say "Momma's two boys." It is pretty much the cutest thing ever. I LOVE being a mom to these two boys. And while I am hoping for pink, ribbons, and dolls sometime in the future (not the near future:)...right now I am LOVING trucks, scrapes, bruises, and blue! I am working my butt off to raise two God fearing, trustworthy, loving men of integrity and character. They bless me everyday. I love my two boys!

7 months old!

2011-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on this post! Connor turned 7 months old on September 4th, and we have been busy as ever. Summer seriously flew by! We had lots of fun taking trips to the beach club, the water park, beach, etc. Connor LOVES being in the water. He even sits up in the bathtub now! I sometimes sit back and watch him and Dillan playing in the bath and think "Wow, they are going to be best buds." It seriously just warms my heart. Each month that goes by the boys get more interactive with each other. Connor still has no teeth! I keep thinking they are going to break through any moment, but he is still all gums (which I secretly love:) They look so different when they get teeth. He is eating ALL sorts of things and this last month we introduced puffs and HE LOVES THEM! He wasn't able to get them in his mouth at first, but now he is all over it! He even drinks water out of a sippy cup! No scooting or crawling yet, just lots of rolling around. He has definitely found his voice and lets us know when he is bored and ready to do something else:) He remains the most sweet and gentle baby. He really is an angel. Every morning when I go get him from his crib he BURSTS out laughing and is the most excited baby you have ever seen. READY TO FACE THE DAY:) Watching Connor grow up is one of this life's greatest blessings. Up next??? What to be for Halloween!!!

Look at that sweet face

Mom, you are so funny!

Hello down there

Silly Con

Cool dude

Supper Club hoedown!

2011-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

It was our turn to host Supper Club and we settled on a good ole fashion hoedown! We chose a menu and then all the details started coming together! I picked out some fabrics at Joanne's and my mom graciously sewed the linens. I spent some time at the scrapbook store putting together some of the little details. We even bought some hay to transform the house and yard to a true ranch! We love these friends and had such a blast! The food was SOOOO good and we had enough to feed an army! My cowboy was the master grill man and the whole evening was delightful! Enjoy!

Welcome to the Olson Ranch!

My Wanted sign:)

Hay Bales

The table

Pretty sunflowers

Place settings

Appetizer table

Drinks

My handsome cowboy

Howdy!

The boys

The girls

Pretty lights that Dust hung

Ribs!

Beef Brisket

CHOWDOWN!

The gang

Kickin their boots up after a hearty meal

Potty Training

2011-08-11T11:57:00.001-07:00

Not my favorite event on the parenting journey so far:) Let's just say it's quite the commitment. However, I am happy to report that Dillan is doing amazing! He remains dry throughout the day and he went poop in the potty for the first time yesterday, which was HUGE! There are sure to be lots of accidents in the days to come, but I am reminding myself that it is a process. I am so proud of him! And there is nothing cuter than him running in, nudie, with his hands in the air screaming "Mommy! I went pee pee on the potty!"

6 months old!

2011-08-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Connor is half a year! These past 6 months have been so awesome! He truly is the happiest kid. Dusty and I ask each other all the time..."How did we get so lucky?" We have the most amazing boys and they just bring us so much joy! This last month has been crazy busy. Connor officially went to 2 naps. I say that with a little hesitation, because most mornings we are on the go so he gets a morning car ride nap and then takes a stellar nap in the afternoon. Such is the life of a second child I guess:) He is so flexible and go with the flow. He is eating every 4 hours and then having breakfast, lunch, and dinner of rice cereal. He is pretty much a regular human being, not a life sucking force:) He sleeps from 7 to 7 and sometime later if his big bro doesn't wake him up! The other morning Dillan came running in and said "Connor is awake." I went into Dillan's room first to find a snow filled room. He had gotten his toe nail cutting scissors and found an instruction manual in his room and cut and ripped it to lots of tiny shreds. When I walked into Connor's room, the chair was pulled up to his crib and there was a snow storm in there as well! I am glad Dillan felt like Connor could use some of that snow too....I am just glad he didn't choke on anything! We now have a very strict rule of staying out of Connor's room in the morning:) These boys are crazy! Connor is sitting up for short periods before slumping over! He rolls across the house pretty much, and he laughs at his big brother all the time! Life is good!

I am 6 months old!

Mom, give me that camera!

Happy Boy

Cool hair dude

Drooling man these days:)

Bros

My loves

Rice Cereal

2011-08-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

Time for the Conman to eat solids! Can it be? He is just getting so big:( He definitely wasn't sure about it the first time, but now he is a champ. I put bananas in it this week and now he LOVES it! I just love these milestones. I think back to when Dillan had rice cereal for the first time and now he downs everything from mac n cheese, to peas, to bagels, and even tomatoes! They just grow and change so much and I love watching every moment! Here are a couple of pics of the little man chowin' down:)

Got my bib on and I am ready!

Not sure what I think about this mom!

OK, maybe I like it:)

Flashback! Here is Dilly with his first experience

eating rice cereal. Clearly my camera skills have

gotten a little bit better in 2 years!

Palm Desert Getaway

2011-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome little getaway with Oly and Peej and Boe, Chrissy, Charlie and Kate! The desert was perfect weather! We thought it was going to be SOOO HOT, but it was actually perfect! We did LOTS of swimming and playing outside. The boys took such great naps because they were so worn out! We then got to head to Balboa Island for a couple of days which was so fun. Lots of walks on the island and ferry, which conveniently always included a Balboa Bar! Oly and Peej are so helpful and it really does feel like a vacation for me! I even got to go to the spa and get a massage! Thanks for such a great vacation! Obviously I was on this trip even though there are no pictures of me:) I guess I am the photographer in this family! HAHA!

Oly and Peej swimming with

Dillan and Charlie

Happy Conman

Daddy and Dilly

This picture is so funny! Daddy trying out

the slip n slide! Watch out Dilly!

Dillan giving it a try!

The boys

Little Miss Kate chillin with mommy

Olson party of 4 now:)

Dusty and his mini me

Charlie and Dilly running about (shorts optional)

Bubbles!

Water balloons provided LOTS of fun

entertainment

The princess

Peej and Connor

I love this picture!

Peej and Charlie looking for treasures!

Charlie showing Connor his shells

Dusty's 30th birthday!

2011-07-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my hubby's 30th birthday a couple of weeks ago with a big party with all of our friends. Dusty started his day off doing what he loves best....playing golf! When he got home I wisked him away to the Ritz Carlton in Laguna where we checked in for our night's stay! We got ready and all dressed up and headed out to party! We have a good friend who is the GM at Bella Collina golf club in San Clemente and he graciously allowed us to have Dusty's party there. It was such a beautiful night and we had the best view from out on the patio! The night was filled with yummy food, good friends, and of course affirmations! At the end of the night we gathered around the firepit and we each got to share what we love and respect about Dusty. It was such a special night. The next morning my parents brought the boys to the Ritz and we all had a nice breakfast together....the perfect end to Dusty's 30th!

Dusty is FINALLY 30!

Picture collage I put together for Dust....

he loved the title:)

Matt, Jimmy, Jon, Drew, and Kyle

Mich, Car, and Sarah

Dave and Mikey

Nic and Steph

Dust and Dust

I love the birthday boy!

Such a beautiful setting

Parker and Erin Moffett

Whit and Hilary

Megan and Todd Melrose

Couple for the evening....Dave and Mike

Me and my sissy

Bros

Make a wish!

Kar and Jordy

The girls!

Mich, Kar, Kim, Car, Nic, Sarah, Jord,

Meg, Erin, Whit, and Hilary

Affirmations!

Firepit action

Breakfast the next morning with

our boys!

5 months old

2011-07-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Connor is 5 months old and reaching lots and lots of milestones! He is now a rolley poley! He rolls everywhere, including in his crib when I want him to stay on his tummy and sleep!!! The other day I was doing some computer work and set him on the play mat. When I came in he was half way across the room!!! HAHA! He still hasn't cut his bottom tooth, but it is definitely going to pop through any day (and he lets me know about it:). He loves to blow big slobbery raspberries and make lots of noise. He laughs and smiles all the time and just brings us so much joy! He can sit up by himself for small spurts at a time, before toppling over:) Next up....RICE CEREAL! Stay tuned....

Handsome boy

I am 5 months old!

Hi everybody

Some brotherly lovin...I love that they are

holding hands in this pic!

Cheese!

Swing time!

2011-07-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

We have the BEST backyard which we are so grateful for! We have been spending our summer days outside! Dillan LOVES to swing out there and was THRILLED when I informed him his brother was going to join in the fun! Aren't these boys just the cutest!!!!

"Diddy have blue. Baby Connor have red"

Big boy in the swing and loving it!

Big bro showing little bro the ropes:)

4th of July

2011-07-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

We headed straight to the beach this fourth of July! Del Mar is where we set up camp and had a fun day in the sun. At nap time we headed up to the Kortman's house and while the babies slept we relaxed by the pool. It was Karly's birthday so we fixed a yummy dinner, had Ina's flag cake, and celebrated with some good ole fashion fire works! It was a really fun day:)

Beebs and Dilly being quite patriotic!

Flag boy

Connor relaxin at the beach

Me and my boys

Boogie boarding!

We had so much fun

Beebs giving "Conyer" some love

Jackson, Beebs, Connor, and Dilly....best buddies!

Beebs and Dilly helping me make the cake

Yummy birthday dinner

Thank you Barefoot for the yummy flag cake

Happy Birthday Karly!

Kim, Kar, and Jordy

Drew, Kyle, and Dust

Watching fireworks

Family Bonfire

2011-07-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

I love SUMMER! Especially when it involves hanging out with good friends and family! This last weekend we headed down to Old Man's for a bonfire to celebrate Shad's birthday. It was so BEAUTIFUL out! We enjoyed watching the kiddos play, yummy food, an amazing sunset, SMORES, and some good ole affirmation for the birthday boy! It blows my mind to see this new generation of kiddos enjoy the same things we did when we were their age! So fun....we have totally comef ull circle and my heart is full!

Beebs and Dilly ready for some fun

Drew and Jordy

Enjoying the beautiful day

The crew hanging down by the water

Dilly and Daddy

Kim, Nic, and Jordyn

Dust and his mini me

Dilly watching his cousins surfing

Caden surfin

Dust and Caden

Beebs and Daddy

Boys will be boys

Brad, James and Shad...the birthday boy

Bonfire action

Best buds

Bath time with Maddy in the back of the car:)

Painting time!

2011-07-05T15:29:00.001-07:00

My sister, Auntie Whitna, got Dillan this really cool paint set for his 2nd birthday. We busted it out the other day and Dillan LOVED it! This set is so perfect for toddlers! I attempted the water colors and he clearly did not get the concept of not mixing the colors, so we stuck with this set:) Love watching him discover new things and diving right in. He worked on his shapes and colors and had a blast! Thanks Whitna for the cool gift!

Ready to start!

This is fun!

Future Picasso

Best Friends

2011-06-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind in my blogging, so be prepared for an onslaught of posts:) A couple of weeks ago we had a little mini reunion with all of my best girlfriends from Pt Loma. We try to get together all of us at least twice a year. With babies in the mix now it makes it a little bit harder (since two of the girls live in Norcal), but we still make an effort! This year we got to have a nice relaxing retreat at our good friends, the Kortman's home. They were out of town and let us girls raid their home:) We had SO MUCH FUN! It was like being back in college again and we so easily fall into the younger versions of ourselves:) We talked for hours, laid by the pool, nursed our babies, ate good food, and talked some more! I love these girls more than anything, and now I love their kids even more! Most of the pics are actually of the babies...HAHA! We left the toddlers at home and brought the babies, so it was actually very relaxing for me:) Miss them already!

Avy, Connor, and Selah

Avy and Connor are 5 days apart and Selah

is a few weeks behind them

My bestie Jamie and her miracle baby Avy!

Connor and his two girls by his side:)

Pretty Avy aka...mini Jamie

My handsome man

The newest addition to the group:

Penelope Jane...just 8 days old in this picture!

Nudie swim time for the babes

Connor hanging with his auntie Steph

Selah snoozin with mama

Multi-tasking

One started and they all joined it!

Father's Day

2011-06-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

This year was Dusty's first father's day as a father of 2! It was his day and he got to do whatever he wanted....which of course meant starting the day with a round of golf! After his round, the boys and I met him at the club for a fun lunch. Dillan got to play golf on the putting course with his daddy, which both he and Dusty LOVED! After that we headed home for naps and got ready for the Davis clan to come over for dinner to celebrate our dad. It was an awesome day and I felt so immensely blessed for a few reasons.....

Dusty is truly the most amazing dad! When Dusty and I fell in love (over 10 years ago!) I knew he would be a great father. He is fun loving, affectionate, an affirmer, a good listener, goofy, a warrior and protector, a seeker of Jesus....so many characteristics that make up a good father....HE HAS ALL OF THEM! Dusty POURS into our boys. He comes home after a long day of work and is immediately hands on. He gets up with Dillan almost every morning and does the morning routine while I feed Connor. He SHARES in the parenting process, and for that I am so grateful. I don't think there is anything more joyful for me then to hear Dillan and Dusty laughing while they wrestle and play "bunking bronco." When we were at church on Saturday night our pastor gave this fact "The SINGLE most important relationship there is in determining a child's heart for the Lord is the role of their earthly father." WOW! That is heavy stuff. But Dusty has taken that challenge head on! And the reason he is so good at it is because he had a father, Chuck, who took that role very seriously as well.

I am so grateful for my father in law. I have never met a man more steady and disciplined then Chuck Olson. He has a HUGE heart and to be on the receiving end of his love is more than I could have asked for. He was SO intentional and purposeful in raising Dusty to be a man of God and for that I am forever grateful.

Lastly, I am blessed my Papa Bear. My dad was the most affirming, encouraging, affectionate, and fun loving dad around. He never missed an event and built me up so much. I am very confident that the reason I have such a good self esteem is due to my dad and his affirmation of me growing up. Even in my adult life, I have SO MUCH FUN with my dad. We really love life and enjoy everything it has to offer us.

Both of these men LOVE my kids and invest in them which is so special. Dillan and Connor sure do love their Papa and Oly! Happy Father's Day to all the special men in my life. My cup is sooo full:)

My boys on Father's Day

Daddy helping Dillan sink a putt

Chuck...aka OLY!

Papa

3 generations on the golf course!

Happenings

2011-06-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

We have had some fun things going on in the Olson household! Dillan got bunk beds and is officially sleeping in a BIG BOY BED! I didn't think I would have to put him in a big kid bed for awhile, but he was climbing out of his crib on a regular basis, so it was time to graduate to the big bed! He has done GREAT! Only a couple of days of getting up at naptime and once in the middle of the night, but other than that he has done AMAZING! Check out this big boy!

Look at me mom!

Getting ready to help dad put the beds together...

he has his tool belt and goggles on:)

All done

Dilly was so excited to be able to climb

in his bed himself and get his blankies:)

Such a big boy in a big boy bed

I love my bed!

In Connor news....he LOVES his exosaucer! We just put him in it yesterday for the first time and he really does love it. He stands up and bounces around and checks out all the fun buttons and toys. It is SOOOO nice to be able to put him in something while I can get other stuff done! It is so funny because I specifically remember Dillan being in there when he was little. He would always barf in it and I was constantly cleaning the barf off the tray. Well the second we put him in there, he barfed all over! HAHA! Somethings never change:) Love this little guy!

Hey everybody

I love my exosaucer

Lastly, check out our Herb Garden! It is going off! I made a really yummy meal for Father's Day...all Barefoot Contessa meals. It was so fun to go cut fresh basil, mint and parsley for my dishes! Our tomatoes have sprouted up too! There are a ton of them growing and I got a sweet recipe for creamy tomato soup and a homemade salsa. I can't wait to try them out!

Yummy herbs

Tomatoes

Waterfun!

2011-06-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Summer is here (even though it doesn't get sunny till about noon....I dislike "June gloom".) We have been having some really fun water time in the backyard! Dillan got a new water table for his birthday from Beebs and Jack and he absolutely LOVES it! He also really loves showing off his butt crack as you can see from the picture below:) We heart summer!

My little plumber

Sprinkler Fun!

Dilly turns 2!!!!!!

2011-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Dillan turned 2 on June 4th and we celebrated with a fun party in the park. A couple of months ago I asked Dillan what kind of birthday party he wanted and he immediately responded with "MICK!!!!!!!" He definitely loves Mickey Mouse and all his pals so we went for it! It was a beautiful day in the park and we celebrated with our closest friends and family. Dillan's favorite part was eating his mickey mouse cupcake! It is so fun to celebrate my boys and this was no exception. I can't believe I have a 2 year old! Dillan Davis, I love you so much! You bring me more joy that I could ever know. I love teaching you new things and watching you learn and discover the world around you. I love when you come get in bed with me in the morning and snuggle while you watch Calliou or Mick. I love when we go for walks and you gather sticks and you point out everything you see. Whenever we go anywhere you want to "walk" and you get into everything! I can't wait to see you grow up this next year. I love you so much Dilly!

The picture we used for his invitation

Happy Birthday sign and pinata!

We love this little guy!

Dillan's new balance bike from mommy and daddy

Daddy showing him how

Mickey Ears for the kids

Cupcakes!

Cute cupcake toppers from Laurenlolly on Etsy

Decorations

Snack table

Food table

Dilly's cupcake

"Happy Birthday to you!"

YUM!

Pinata time

"We've got ears....say CHEERS!"

Reading his card from Papa and Yaya

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Two peas in a pod

2011-06-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

This sequence of photos just KILLS me. I love these two together. Dillan and Emery are 12 weeks apart and they sure do love each other. Beebs is gentle and sweet (always wants to know where "Dillwy" is and be right along side him). Dilly loves to give Beebs big bear hugs (which sometimes turns into a "loveable" choke hold:) They really do light up our lives and make life that much more enjoyable!

Labor of Love

2011-06-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

I put a video together of my pregnancy and delivery of Connor. Enjoy! (PS...to hear the sound, press pause on the mini iPod on the left side of my page so you can just hear the video sound:)

4 months old!

2011-06-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Connor is 4 months old! This last month has been filled with milestones! Connor has been rolling over and reaching and grabbing for things, which is so fun to watch! He is so much more aware now. He watches Dillan and will laugh, which kills me. The other day he was in the Bjourn as I was putting groceries away. I was putting all the plastic bags in each other and he started laughing hysterically. I think they were tickling his legs or he just liked the sound they were making, but it made my day! So funny:) We went to Connor's 4 month appt and he is 25 1/2 inches (75%) and 14 pounds and 8 oz (50%). He got two shots and didn't even cry!!!!!!!!! I think I might try breaking the exosaucer out in the next couple of weeks and see how he does! He is pretty over the swing at this point and mommy needs to be able to set him down:) He looks more and more like Dusty every single day! I love my little Connor Charles!

Hello world....watch me grow!!!!

Sitting up like a big boy (for about 5 seconds:)

You are so funny mom!

This is Dilly's "Cheese" face! HA!

Palm Desert Vaca

2011-06-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love Palm Desert! Every year the Davis' head east for a week in the desert around Memorial Day, and this year was no exception. We had SO much fun and DID NOT want to come home. Dillan was an absolute fish....he cried everyday when it was time to leave the pool and go take a nap. We tried floaties and he did so great. Dusty and I could literally sit on the chairs and just watch him swim....it was so fun to watch him LOVE the water! Dillan and Beebs had so much fun together and kept each other entertained. I think we heard "Yeah baby" about 30 times a day between the two of them:) Connor also did amazing....he is such a flexible baby. And when he was fussy, I had extra hands to help which was so nice!!!! I love spending time with my family and watching these babies grow up right before our eyes.....what an incredible gift!

Hey Dilly!

My Conman and I

Happy boy

"One, two, tree......."

Yaya and Papa with their babes

Having so much fun in the pool!

Slide time

Connor taking a little cat nap

Naptime by the pool

Drew and Emery

My beebers

Cool dude

Family swim time

Blue eyes

The daddies

Papa and Dilly

Happy Boy!

Our little fishy

Band of Brothers

2011-06-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Morning walk with my three little guys. They are the best of buds!

Morro Bay

2011-05-31T12:30:00.001-07:00

We had an awesome weekend up in Morro Bay to celebrate Jordyn and Leslie's 30th birthdays. I left BOTH of my boys with Papa and Yaya and had an unadulterated weekend away. Connor did great with the bottle and mommy got to take a 3 hour nap one day and sleep in until 9 am!!!!!! I felt so refreshed and it was a well deserved break in my mind:) We had an awesome time just relaxing, taking long walks, watching movies, and cooking up some really yummy food. Both of these girls are HUGE influences in my life and it was a joy to celebrate their birthdays together. Love you Jordy and Les-O-lee! I also just realized that Dusty is not in any of these pictures...but I swear he was there and we had such a great time connecting and relaxing with no kiddos!

Getting ready to grub a yummy breakfast!

Beer was flowin for the boys!

Dinner out to celebrate....so we actually showered:)

Matt and Drewbie bbqing it up!

Homemade Banana cream pie to celebrate

Happy 3-0 girls!

Weekend Getaway

2011-05-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

We had a great Mother's Day weekend away in the desert with our good friends, The Cefalia's. James and Dillan had a blast together, especially on the slip and slide. The weather was perfect! While the boys golfed, the girls hung with the kiddos and relaxed (as much as we could with 3 kids). When it was nap time we enjoyed a drink and the sun:) Love doing life with these peeps!

Family Photo

Conman

Classic worker man

Sarah and I being goofs

Pool time!

Slip n Slide!

May's Centerfold:)

Mimicking Mommy

2011-05-22T23:15:00.001-07:00

Dillan is seriously cracking me up these days! His vocabulary is growing by the minute and he says and does the funniest things. The other day he asked if he could wear the baby bjourn and put his bear in it. He ran around the whole house laughing so hard. He really does get a kick out of himself:)

A day to celebrate....ME!

2011-05-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

This Mother's Day we were out in the desert with our good friends, the Cefalia's. We had an amazing weekend in the sun (post coming soon) and the boys really spoiled us on Mother's Day! Dillan came in with flowers and a Starbucks for mommy, which started my morning out just right. I got a sweet card from my hubby and my boys. Dillan told Dusty to write that I was his best friend (tear) and Connor said thanks for all the milk:) Dusty cooked an amazing breakfast and then Jimmy and Dusty sent Sarah and I to the spa at the Marriott hotel. I had an hour massage (first massage since having Connor). Let's just say I was in HEAVEN! We then hit up the jacuzzi, steam room, and had a long leisurely lunch by the pool. I honestly could have stayed all day, but I only pumped one bottle! It was such a wonderful day and I felt very loved and cherished by my boys. Being a mommy to Dillan and Connor is the best thing that has happened to me in this life. Even though I know they ultimately belong to Jesus, I am so glad He chose ME to be there mommy and take care of them on earth. As a mom, my #1 desire for both of them is that they would come to know Jesus at a young age and pursue Him passionately. Thank you Dusty for planning an amazing day for me......I NEEDED IT!

Opening my card with Connor

Dillan and Connor....my amazing sons

I also need to give a shout out to my mom and mother in law. I am so blessed by my mom. She has been my #1 fan since the day I was born. She is the most hard working woman I know. She is passionate, fiery, fun loving, and loyal. She would do ANYTHING for me and let me tell you, she has done a WHOLE LOT! She is my best friend and I am so blessed by her. And on top of all that, she is the best YAYA around! Then there is the mother of the man I love. She raised an awesome Godly man and is THE MOST nurturing woman I know. She has the heart the size of Texas! I am so lucky to have Pattie in my life and be the daughter she never had:) Not to mention her love for my kids is out of this world! I celebrate both of these women and am very grateful for them both!

My moms!

My new niece...Katherine Jane Olson

2011-05-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Dusty's brother, Boe and his wife Chrissy, had their little baby girl last Wednesday on May 4th! Kate weighed in at 8 lbs (much lighter than her big bro Charlie:) We are so excited to finally have a girl in our Olson clan! I can't wait to spoil her and buy her so many cute clothes. She is such a beauty!

Katherine Jane Olson....so cute!

What a little cutie!

My brave boy

2011-05-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

Dillan has had a pretty rough 6 months when it comes to his ear infections. Since Thanksgiving he had 3 double ear infections. My pediatrician finally suggested we go see an ENT. When we did it was confirmed that Dilly's ears didn't drain properly and the Dr recommended he get ear tubes. It is a minor surgery in which the Dr. makes a tiny incision in the middle ear and puts tubes in that help the fluid drain from the ear. The tubes fall out on their own anytime in the next year. The surgery in and of iteself only took 20 minutes, but it was pretty scary to have Dillan go under anesthesia. The nurses warned us that his age group has a pretty rough time when they come to after being under. I am so glad that they warned us because Dillan was such a mess for like 20 minutes. Then all of the sudden he was fine! It was pretty crazy. He was such a big boy and we were so PROUD of him. The Dr said he had a ton of fluid in his ears and that the tubes will make him feel much happier! We have his follow up appt on Wednesday and I am praying that everything looks good! He will get his ear plugs and be all set for when we go to the desert in a couple of weeks!

This is what we saw when we got to come

back and see him after surgery. It was so

sad to see him like this:( But I was just grateful

everything went well!

3 months old!

2011-05-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

My big boy is growing! How is it possible that he is already 3 months old?? Connor is Mr. Smiley pants! He is starting to be much more aware of his surroundings. He started grabbing at the toys on his playmat, and always pulls his paci out of his mouth. We were at my parents house the other day and the doggies kept walking back and forth and he would laugh everytime:) We started giving the boys their bath at the same time this last month and Dillan loves it! He helps me rinse his hair and makes sure "baby" is ALL CLEAN! Connor now goes down around 7:30ish and sleeps till about 7! HOLLA! Let me just say, getting the boys on the same schedule at night has been SO NICE! Another big change this last month was that I went back to work. Leaving my little guy this early was a little tough, but I so grateful to get offered my old position working part time that I had to jump on it. My mom and Pattie watch the boys two days a week, and Connor has been doing great. I truly am so blessed by this little man and I love watching him grow!

Hello Handsome

Sitting up like a big boy (this only lasted

about a second longer before he slowly

fell over:)

I love this picture

Hey everybody....I am 3 months old!

Bros

Always wants to hold his brother

He is Risen...so we celebrate!

2011-04-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

We hosted Easter this year, which meant that instead of driving up to Pasadena, like we usually do, we got to stay in the OC and go to our own church. It was great to get dressed up as a family and go celebrate Christ's resurrection with our own community. When we came home from church we opened Easter baskets, which was so fun! Dillan got some really fun stuff, but his favorite was "The Incredibles" DVD. He is pretty much obsessed. Then the family came over and we had a delicious meal while the kiddos took their naps. We were forced to make a last minute move from outside to inside when the rain came! WHAT? But we adapted and it was awesome! When the kids were up it was EASTER EGG HUNT time. This was the highlight of the day. Beebs and Dilly were a little unsure at first, but once they caught on they were on fire. Emery liked to sample each egg, while Dillan just went for as many as he could! The day was filled with lots of sugar, an awesome time of sharing amongst family, and an overall CELEBRATION of Christ's ultimate sacrifice and his victory over death!

My handsome boys

Me and my little man

Momma and her boys

Family photo

The Easter Bunny

Easter Baskets

Connor's basket had advil, teething tablets,

and mylicon:)

Bubble blower!

Enjoying his goldfish on his new Toy Story plate

Food table

Pretty roses

Table Setting

Pillow Pets! Compliments of Papa and Yaya

Easter Egg Hunt time!

I found one!!!!!!

He had some fans cheering him on!

My little man

Beebs and Dilly diggin into their baskets

CANDY!!!

Oly and Connor

My homemade cupcakes!

Huntin' it up!

Aquarium for Oly's birthday

2011-04-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

We ventured to the Long Beach Aquarium for Chuck's birthday on Saturday. We haven't been there since last June, and Dillan has become much more "aware" since then. Let's just say he didn't quite grasp the concept that the animals cannot actually come through the glass and get him:) He was a little timid, but good thing he had Charlie! They are members and go all the time, so he happily showed his cousin the ropes! We had so much fun with Oly and Peej. Happy Birthday to a man FULL of integrity. Dillan and Connor are so lucky to have you as their Oly. Hope this next year is the best yet!

Three generations (that's Connor in the stroller:)

Peej showing Dillan the fishies

Mommy and Dilly

"Look Dad!"....there was a guy in the tank,

and Dillan was so enthralled

Seal!

Charlie getting in for a closer look

Feeding the parrot

Best Cousins!

Petting the sharks with dad....believe it or not,

Dusty did actually get that close!

I love this picture (amidst the craziness, Chuck

is just admiring Connor:)

Livin'!

EGGS!

2011-04-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun decorating easter eggs this year. Dillan is really into his colors right now, so you can imagine how much fun he had:) He loved using his little tool to stir the eggs. He even wanted to dye eggs that he had already done.....a second go around! He didn't quite get the "place the egg gently in the bowl" at first and was pretty much throwing them in, but he caught on real quick!

One is each cup. He didn't waste any time!

Daddy showing him the ropes

Connor got in on the action

I Love Dillan egg

Puuurttyy!

Bath time!

2011-04-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

I started giving Connor his bath at night as part of his nightly routine. We do a little splashing around and he loves to kick his legs! Connor is such an amazing baby. I just can't believe that he is almost three months old already! Check out the little nudie!

Stretch!

Whatcha lookin' at?

Choo Choo!

2011-04-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun day at the Irvine Park Railroad. They were having their "Eggstravaganza" event and it was so much fun. We headed over with Boe, Chrissy, and Charlie, and the boys had a blast! We rode the train, went to the zoo, and let the boys run amuck! So fun to see them run around together....they are so cute:)

The conductor:)

Waiting for the train

Daddy and Dilly

Ready for the train ride

Mommy and her two boys

Petting the goats at the zoo

Cheese!

My little bunnies

Cream Cheese Face

2011-04-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Dillan was really enjoying his morning bagel and juice (while watching Toy Story 3) in his movie theatre...aka....our garage:)

I love Cream Cheese:)

OBSESSED with Buzz!