bowling, beach, baseball, and bunnies

It's still spring right? Guess I better post some of these pics from spring break before summer gets here. Mark's sister Jen came down from Visalia with her family and lets just say by the middle of the week, the agenda of activities had me a bit exhausted! The week started off with a little bowling action... It got a little crazy. Note to self: big heavy bowling balls and toddlers probably not the best combination. They definitely had a good time despite the chaos and I think I even broke 100 for my final score. Next up on the agenda...a day at the beach

just a bunch of cute faces...Surprisingly they're pretty clean too.

This one's a keeper for Mom!

I love how the cousins seem to always find a buddy to bond with. Tryg and Timmy playing with their trucks in the sand...

Allie and Luke being goofy....

Nothing beats a sunny day at the beach in Beautiful San Diego! The next day we headed up to L.A. to see Mark and Jen's grandpa play baseball. Hard to believe he is 87!

It was great...the baseball field had a park right next to it so the kids had a blast..

I had to include the drool shot. Tryg and Grace did some bonding of their own...

Next up...the annual Easter egg hunt at the local Westwood club. Luke is quickly becoming my competitive child which I must say I kind of like :). The Easter egg hunts were divided into age groups and each hunt had a few stuffed bunnies for the taking so Luke sized up the competition, got his eyes set on the one he wanted and when they got the green light, he was off. He got his bunny and made out pretty well with the candy too... I was very proud :). CJ didn't really need a basket full of candy...he just hijacked Molly's cheerio tray instead. Then it was back to the house for the requisite Easter egg decorating. Dylan got back from Las Vegas just in time to dye some eggs... After all the week's activities these two win the prize of accomplishing the most bonding time. Tryg and Grace = B/F/F Molly celebrated her first Easter and scored some baby snacks, socks, and sunglasses from the Easter bunny.

It was an eventful week with lots of kiddos, the normal chaos (only one child got lost the whole week), fun times, and happy memories!

birthdays....and a little MJ

Playing a little catch up with birthdays. Tryg turned 3 earlier this year....and yet...the terrible two's are still in full force! He's even picked up a few new tantrum tactics. He got the totally awesome crown in Nursery at Church and wore it all day. Now...anytime someone mentions a birthday, Tryg runs and gets his birthday crown and proudly displays it.

Tryg and his "best friend" Luke are inseparable these days. You can usually find them fighting, playing, or just wreaking havoc...most of the time being really loud and slightly obnoxious!

My "crazies" as I like to lovingly call them.

The last few months have been all about Thomas....so I had to deliver. I think it turned out pretty cute...

Tryg seemed to enjoy it.

I think Timmy was determined to fit the whole thing into his mouth at once.

Happy Birthday to my (hopefully) last baby boy!

Next up was Dylan who turned double digits a couple weeks later. Shopping for a 10 year old is pretty tough. He's at a weird age where a lot of the kid toys are too kiddish but he's not quite old enough for the next phase of IPOD's, cell phones, and other electronic gadgets. So...we settled on a lava lamp, some Padre stuff, his first pocket knife, and a chess set from Brandon and Melanie.

He's been learning to play chess at the local library and has picked it up quickly and loves playing. The only problem...he wants Mom to play and I'll be honest... I just don't have the patience for a game like that. I'm more of a rock, paper, scissors kind of girl. 1,2,3 DONE! He even tried to teach me. Unfortunately...it kind of went in one ear and out the other. Luckily Mark has taken over for me on that one. Dylan's even teaching Luke how to play.

This is Dylan's latest ready made "FORT". Mark's a little frustrated that he built Dylan a whole new bedroom and this is where he wants to hang out! He likes to get away from the "crazies" and I guess this is a good place to hide. I'm not worried....Mark's a little concerned :)

Now for the cake.... At first he asked for a Bey Blade cake. WHAT? For those of you with boys, you'll know what I'm talking about. Basically it's this spinning top toy thing where you collect a bunch of em and then use them to battle eachother. Yea... I talked him into this one instead...

Happy Birthday to Dylan!!! Now....bring on the PRE-teen!

And...we can't leave Miss Molly J. out of this post. Her latest and greatest: SITTING and SPITTING!

I'm loving the blue eyes and dimples!!! Still waiting for the hair...

and....that's THE END!

A better person

Many of you that will read this have probably heard about the passing of my sister-in -law Kaci Cox. We attended her funeral this weekend. This post is much more personal than I usually will put out there and probably more theraputic for me than anything else. I woke up this morning kind of in a funk I guess. Watching those 6 kids say goodbye...at least for a time to their mother was heart wrenching. I have so much love and respect for my big brother as I watched him several times kneel down next to one of his children so he could explain to them things like why Mom was not going to wake up until Heavenly Father says it's time or how Mom is happy and free from the pain now. He was so patient and strong. I wonder when HE will have time to grieve for his loss.

Listening to people talk about the type of person Kaci was I think has left the biggest impact on me. I want to be more like her...and I feel so far from that right now. I think that's the 'funk' I was feeling today. Kaci "loved the road she was on" no matter what that road looked like. She had an awful cancer that she ultimately knew would take her from her family but she was determined to learn from it and in her words "gain everything she could from it". She used this trial to strengthen her and her family...not the other way around. I know that she was not perfect. I know that she had days when she felt that life was not fair but she made a choice, a choice that each one of us can make no matter what difficult circumstance or situation we find ourselves in.

Kaci didn't have much from a wordly point of view but she knew that she had everything that mattered. I never saw her 'want' for more. She never seemed to care about the bigger house, the nicer car, the fancy clothes. She was so happy with her life and had such a sense of gratitude for her blessings even in the midst of battling cancer....she was grateful! I've thought a lot today about how I measure up to these attributes. I've wondered what would people say about me after I leave this world. I want to be better. I want to love my life more, I want to be more grateful, and I want to make a choice everyday to love the road I'm on. Not the road that I think I should be on or will be on next year...this one right now. The one with poopy diapers, piled up laundry, and dirty dishes. The one where there is no extra money for stuff and where little people try my patience and leave me exhausted on a daily basis. I want to be more happy with all that. I want to be happy like she was. I want to play with and love my kids more. I want to be less judgemental and more helpful and kind to others. I want to never forget how I'm feeling today ...which is why I'm writing it down.

I can't imagine how people go through something like this without the knowledge and testimony that this life is but a mere moment in the grand scheme of eternity and that Heavenly Father has provided a way for us to be together as families forever!! Opposition is a bitter sweet thing. The pain that is felt now will only make the joy of that reunion that much better. They WILL see her again. They WILL get to hug and kiss her again. They know it and because they know it.... they will be okay. I'm grateful for Kaci and all that she has taught me. I'm grateful for the influence and example she has been in my life. She makes me want to be a better person and hopefully I can be because of her.

If you want to feel more grateful or just be uplifted check out these posts from Kaci's blog. I promise they will inspire you!

HAPPY

Just Thoughts

Gratitude, The Diagnosis, and my trip to the ER

If you want to help my brother and his 6 awesome kids check out this website: http://www.helpdavidcoxfamily.org/

Fa LA LA LA LA, lights, and leaks

I just made it! I told myself that if I get my Christmas pics posted before the end of January then I wouldn't be a total loser. December started with the requisite church party which did not disappoint. The primary kids put on a great show with music from around the world. I kind of felt like I was on the Christmas version of It's a small World ride at Disneyland. Luke was the star of Feliz Navidad Tryg was not a fan. And....he didn't like Santa too much either. Dylan and Luke however did not shy away. At the top of their lists...Lego building sets and Criss Cross Crash. Next up was a Family Home Evening visit to the San Diego Temple to see the lights, sip on hot chocolate and munch on homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Did I tell you that I really like having a girl? ....just waiting for that hair to come in so I can put my french braiding techniques to use!

Cold San Diego air (not to be confused with cold Utah air) and warm coco = good times! Yummmmm....

Then...a couple of chocolate chip cookies later, I began to wonder if bringing the sugar along was the wisest choice. It was definitely hard to keep these boys in a "reverent" frame of mind.

Especially Tryg. Although keeping the kids in check was the usual chore it was still great to be on the temple grounds as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

I think we will definitely be keeping it as a family tradition. Then...it rained for about a week straight and we got a lovely surprise on December 23rd. Just as all the presents were wrapped and we were ready to head to Grandma Olson's, I heard the dreaded DRIP DRIP DRIP! NOOOOO!!! Yep, the leaking started in our office and then a few days later...the bedroom. Of course I panicked thinking we were going to need a whole new roof which would cost a fortune but I decided to kick my attitude of gratitude into gear...Grateful for a husband that knows how to deal with stuff like this, a father- in-law that is always so helpful, a roof (in general) over our heads, etc... It worked pretty well. We still have a dry wall hole in our ceiling that my handy husband will be repairing but the roof is fixed and it didn't cost nearly as much as I thought it would. Merry Christmas to us!

It was off to Grandma's we go for the Christmas Eve festivities. This year we spent the holiday at the Olson's. We've added a few grand kids and spouses over the last couple years and I think we all kind of realized that it may be the last time the Olson clan is all together on the big day which definitely made for a special time.

Mary managed to figure out sleeping arrangements for 12 adults and 10 kiddos without making anyone sleep outside. I personally thought the tent idea in the backyard for the kids was a good one :). It wasn't that cold! Mark and his Dad got a little creative with blowing up the air matresses...

We got a few songs on the guitar from Grandpa.

Presents wrapped: CHECK

Stockings hung: CHECK

cookies and milk out: CHECK

Night before Christmas story: CHECK

Santa's whereabouts checked on the Internet: CHECK (didn't have that one when I was a kid)

As you can imagine 22 people made for a bit of chaos but surprisingly there were no kids crying over toys that didn't belong to them, maybe a little screaming, and lots of smiles.

I think I got about 17 of them (at least in part) in this picture.

I had every intention of getting a Christmas Card out in 2010 complete with a family picture and believe me....getting all my kids to look in the same direction let alone smile is quite the challenge these days. Well...I wasn't able to pull it off in time so consider this our belated holiday greeting:

Hope you had a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR from our family to yours!

(Does this count for 2011 too?)