Vacation Baby!!

Can you believe I am finally posting about our vacation that happend 2 months ago? Weird, I know!

Anyway... Way back in June, we took our two "big kids" on vacation. On our way out of town, we stopped at my parents' house in Utah to drop Damon off. (I'm sure we will never hear the end of it when Damon is old enough to figure out that we went on vacation without him!) From there we drove to Vegas. The kids LOVED Vegas! When we finally got there is was dark out, and when you make it to the top of this one hill right before getting there, you can see all of the lights. The kids were so excited to see all of those lights! (I'm sure partly because they were tired of being in the car.) When they saw the lights they started singing "Viva Las Vegas." It was pretty funny. We stayed in Vegas for one night, and took in some of the sights that night and the next day. Here are a few of the pictures from Vegas...

Here are the kids at the top of the Stratosphere over looking the Vegas strip. I have a really cheap camera so you really can't see the actual view.

The kids with some of Vegas in the background.

The kids giving their love to the M&M.

Blake trying to imitate the M&M.

The M&M race car.

We ran into Mario and Luigi. They are alot taller in person!!

We also saw Spongebob and Patrick.

The kids found these "Star Wars" Pod Racers, and had to give them a try.

Here's Blake mastering his pod racer.

And Ashlyn mastering her's.

After a little bit of sight seeing in Vegas, it was time for our "main attraction", California! So we got back in the car and drove the rest of the way to Cali. The first thing we did when we got there was hit the beach...

Terry and Blake playing catch at the beach.

The kids had the most fun throwing these little balls as far as they could into the ocean, and then waiting for the waves to bring them back in.

The beautiful Miss Ashlyn

Ashlyn digging for seashells.

Ashlyn showing off her bucket of seashells.

Ashlyn and I making a sand castle.

Showing off our sand castle.

(I have a blowpop in my mouth. Thanks for the "flattering" picture Terry!)

Cute kids.

(Don't be fooled by their sweet faces. And no they are not holding hands... they fought like crazy!)

The next day we took the kids to "Legoland"...

While the grownups waited in the lines for each ride, there were these little lego staions where the kids could play with legos rather than stand in the line.

(If you notice, my kids monopolized all of the legos... Ashlyn kept taking the legos from the little kids when they weren't looking. Isn't she sweet!)

Posing with a Bionicle. I'm loving Blake's pose!

Darth Vador made completely out of legos.

Terry and I with Darth.

Lego Chewbacca and R2D2.

Ashlyn driving her Lego car in Lego town.

Blake driving in Lego town.

Terry and Blake in their Lego copter.

Next stop... Disneyland!

Ashlyn with Jasmine and Aladdin

Ashlyn with Cinderella.

(This was a terrible pic! You can't even see their faces. Oh well.)

I can't remember the name of this area at Disneyland, so I am just going to call it Minnieland. It was such a cute little area. All of the buildings looked like cartoons.

Ashlyn and Blake breaking out of jail.

Also in "Minnieland."

Watching the parade at Disneyland.

Minnie Mouse waving right at Ashlyn.

Ashlyn was in heaven... we were the VERY last people in line at the parade, so all of the characters were able to see Ashlyn, and wave to her specifically. She loved all the attention. Blake could care less!

Ashlyn in "Fairytale Land".

(At least I think that's what it was called.)

Ashlyn dancing with the princesses.

I managed to get a pose out of Blake. He wasn't digging the whole "Fairytale Land" experience.

Ashlyn and I waiting in line for a ride.

Hanging out in Tarzan's Treehouse.

Disneyland could have been fun if we hadn't gone in the summertime. The lines were RIDICULOUS!!!! I never would have imagined waiting in line, for an hour, for a ride that I really didn't care to ride on, but waited anyways because it was the shortest line in the park! Anyway... be warned, going in the summertime will turn you ANTI-DISNEY! So just don't go! Its terrible! You will hate it! Unless you just LOVE standing in lines that have no end in sight! Now that I have said what I was really thinking... on with the rest of the trip...

We had one night with not much to do, so we took the kids to the "Knights of the Round Table" dinner and show. It was alot of fun. We sat in a big arena, and they served us Medieval themed dinner, and then we got to watch the Knights fight. We sat in the Yellow Knights section, so we got to root for our Yellow Knight. (Which coincedentally was the cutest one there!) They did jousting, and real sword fighting. Terry and I went to this show while we were in Vegas a few years back, but this was the first time for the kids, so they thought it was really cool. For the rest of the night and the next day the kids kept doing their little made up cheers for the yellow knight. Here's a couple of pictures we took after the show...

The kids with their yellow crowns and yellow flags.

While in California, we did 2 days at Disneyland, 2 days at the beach,1 day at Legoland, and another day at the Legoland water park. (I didn't get any pictures at the waterpark.) We also had a few relaxing days at our resort pool, where we just swam and hung out all day. (those were the best days!) After spending a few days in Cali, we made our way back to Vegas where we stayed one more night before driving back home...

The kids and I standing in front of a pretty water feature in Vegas. My camera could not capture us and the water feature at the same time...

And here's the water feature, but you can't see us. Oh well, you get the point!

All in all it was a pretty good vacation. I will NEVER drive to California with the kids again! It was a nightmare. Those two fought nonstop! (maybe when they are older) I also really missed my sweet little Damon while we were gone. But I am glad we went and made some memories with our kids. We will probably stick with a few low key trips for the next couple of years.

Daddy-Daughter Dance

Today I was going through my video camera, and came across Ashlyn's ballet dance performance from last year. I realized that I never posted it anywhere, and its such a sweet little video of Ashlyn and her Dad, so I figured, better late than never. So here is Ashlyn and Terry dancing their very first Daddy-Daughter Dance....

Internet Sensations (The Olson Boys)

This week, all of Terry's brothers and their families were in town for a baptism and the 4th of July. We had lots of fun hanging out with them, and the kids LOVED having their cousins here to play with. One of the families had to leave town today, so lastnight I decided that we needed to have an "all boys" sleepover before they left. We sent Ashlyn to grandma's house with the other girls and had the boys here at our house. They were so good and had tons of fun. The oldest cousin, Taylor, taught the other boys a little "remix" to the song "Dynamite". They thought it was the funniest thing ever, so I decided we needed to make a little music video of it to post on Youtube. The boys were ALL FOR IT and were a little TOO excited about it. They honestly and trully think they are going to be famous because of it, and were talking about all of the "Hollywood Contracts" they were going to get. Shortly after I posted the video, the UPS guy delivered a package, and Donovan said, "I am gonna freak out if that is a Hollywood Contract!" Anyway, here is their music video. Its nothing special, but the boys LOVE it and think they are sooo hilarious!

So with no furthur delay... here is Taylor, Blake, Donovan, and Trace Olson singing, "The Deleted Verses" of "Dynamite"!


And incase you couldn't understand the words... here are the lyrics...

I throw my sandwich in the air sometimes
Saying Ayo, where's my mayo.
I want to celebrate and eat my fries,
Saying Ayo, Where's my mayo.
I throw my hands up in the air sometimes,
Like the return of Donkey Kong... Yeah!

Classic, I know!!

Ashlyn's Preschool Graduation

Ashlyn had her preschool graduation back in May. It was a really cute graduation. It was cowboy themed so the kids all dressed up in cowboy clothes for the program that they put on. For the program the kids all sang songs and they each had a part they had to memorize. Ashlyn's part was...

S is for stars,

there are so many.

They shine so bright,

just like a new penny.

She did a really good job at the program. She has learned alot this year at preschool and is ready to start kindergarten. And she sure does make a dang cute little cowgirl!!

Ashlyn with her sweet little friend Kinlee.

Ashlyn with her two handsome boys, Ashton and Cade.

Ashlyn's 5th Birthday

My Baby Girl is 5!

Ashlyn had her 5th birthday on Wednesday, May 25th. She had a pretty good day. I asked her what she wanted to do during the day and all she wanted to do was play Candyland. So I put Damon down for his nap, turned on some music, and we played probably 10 rounds of Candyland. It was fun hanging out just her and I. After the big boys got home from work and school, we headed over to Leo's Place cause Blake had an end of the season basketball party there. An hour after the basketball party started, Ashlyn's friends started piling in cause it was time for her birthday party to start. She had a ton of fun with all of her friends at Leo's Place and got alot of great presents. She was one happy girl! Here are a few pictures from the party...

Happy Birthday Miss Ashlyn Jade!

All About Ashlyn

Things have been really slow for us here at the Olson residence, and I really haven't had tons to blog about. So I thought, why not do a random blog about my sweet little girl... So here is a blog all about Miss Ashlyn Jade...

Ashlyn Jade is pretty much what you would call a "tomboy". This picture above is from when I "forced" her to do some modeling for me. I personally think she is a gorgeous little girl, and would love her to be a little princess, but in the end, she is just a rough little girl at heart. Here is a picture taken at the same "photo shoot" wearing what she wanted, and acting the way she wanted...

I really can't blame her for the way she is. She is the only girl in her family with a big brother that she admires, and a little brother whom she adores. She has always wanted to do everything that Blake does, and has followed in his footsteps. (And lets be honest, her mother isn't much of a girly girl either, so she really doesn't stand a chance in that department.) Her most recent thing that she has aspired to do is play soccer. She was so excited when I signed her up, and even more excited when we got to pick up her soccer uniform. The whole week after we got it, she would change into it any chance she got, and would wear it around as long as I would let her. She is the only girl on her team, and that doesn't bother her a bit. She is loving playing, and asks me everyday if she has soccer that day. And let me just say, she is the cutest little soccer player I have ever seen...

Its too early to tell if she is going to be any good at it or not, but I have a pretty good feeling she will be. Plus she seems to be a really fast runner. Next on the list for her is t-ball, and if she is anything like her mom, this will probably be her favorite.

***

Now, while she is very much a tomboy, she luckily has given me a little bit of girly stuff to watch her do. She is still involved in dance, and though I have a feeling she might decide to make this her last year, we are enjoying watching her while we can. When she first started dance last year, she was actually pretty good and took her classes very seriously. Now that she is in her second year, and the year is coming to an end, she is starting to show signs of uninterest. She does a really good job when she actually tries, but for the most part she just goofs off and tries to be silly....

Here is Ashlyn with one of her newest friends Kinley. This was taken right before one of her performances.

And here she is with her group of dance friends.

***

Ashlyn really is a sweet little girl when she wants to be. She absolutely loves her little brother, and would do anything for him. (Even if it means giving him her last bite of her favorite treat.) She loves to share with him and make him happy. She also loves her big brother. Even when he is being mean to her, she will do whatever she can to please him. She really loves her mom, and I dread the day when she decides she doesn't want to be friends anymore. (hopefully that day never comes!) And she has a soft spot for her dad. (though, I'm happy to say that I am still her favorite.)

***

One of the things that has been on her mind lately is who she is going to marry. She always asks me who I think she will marry, and I always tell her she probably hasn't met him yet. Then she will go through the list of all of the little boys she knows, and asks me what her last name will be if she marries (blank). I think it is pretty cute. What's even cuter is, is that she pretty much has her mind made up who she is going to marry. (And that is Blake's best friend Dallin.) (Sorry Ashley! Looks like for the time being Dallin doesn't get a say in the matter!!) She always asks me what Dallin's last name is, and then giggles when I tell her. I think she has a little crush!

***

One thing about Ashlyn that drives me CRAZY, is her eating habits. If I cook it, she doesn't like it. If she has been playing outside, and walks in to see me cooking, the very first thing she says is, "I am not eating that!!!!!!" Even though she has absolutely no idea what I am even making. And when she sits down to eat, her mind is already made up that she isn't going to like it, and refuses to eat. We will try to make her take bites, and when we do manage to get some in her mouth, she immediately starts gagging and has to run to the garbage to spit it out. UGH!!! I have never claimed to be a good cook, but come on, what little kid doesn't like spaghetti???

***

My little girl is getting so big. She will start kindergarten this fall and is really excited. I must admit, I am a little nervous for her. When Blake started I wasn't nervous at all, he has always been so independent, I knew he would be fine.  But my sweet little baby girl is going!!! Its just going to be weird. She has always been the little one, and Blake has always been the big one, its just weird for her to be big enough to go to school. I know she will be fine though.

Here's one last picture I wanted to throw in. I just think her true personality shows through this picture... and if I would allow her to dress silly like this everyday, I think she would!

***

I just love my little Ashlyn and am happy that she is the person she is, and I wouldn't want her to change for anyone.

***

Here is a list of some of Ashlyn's favorites:

Food: Mac and Cheese, chicken nuggets, carrots, peanuts, sandwiches, and pancakes.

Things to do: Play wii, ride her bike, ride her 4 wheeler, play with her friends, and go to church

Best friends: Blake, Damon, Hailee, Ellie, and Kinley

Damon's Freak Accident

Here's sweet little Damon. He is just over 16 months old now. He is walking around, and in the stage where he likes to get into everything. Well, now that it is starting to warm up a little bit, his new favorite thing is to be outside. So yesterday, when it was time for Blake to get home from school, I decided I would take the kids for a walk down to the bus stop to wait for Blake's bus to arrive.  It was a nice day, and I was chatting with Mindy (one of the other mom's at the bus stop), while Damon was enjoying walking around in some weeds that are along side of the road. Suddenly I hear Damon start to cry, and when I look over I see this...

sticking out of Damon's nose!

Damon had fallen, and landed just right, so that this stick went up his nose. My first reaction was confusion. I thought, "Is that stick really hanging out of his nose?" My next thought was, "Oh my goodness, there is a stick hanging out of Damon's nose!"

So I run over to him and start to take it out, thinking that it probably just poked into his nose a little bit. But to my horror, as I pull on it, it doesn't just come out quickly, it had gone up his nose anywhere from an inch and a half to two inches. So here are a couple of pictures so that you really get the full visual of what took place...

Here is a comparison as to about how big this stick is. This is just a regular size butter knife next to the stick.

(This is not the actual stick. Mindy and I searched for the other stick, but couldn't find it. The actual stick had blood on it. This one is very close to the size of the actual stick, but the actual stick may have been a little bit bigger.)

Here is the size of Damon's little nose.

From the top of the stick, to where my fingers cut it off, is approximately how far the stick went in.

And here is the little nose next to the now huge looking stick!

I was HORRIFIED! And I am pretty sure Mindy was too. I scooped Damon up in my arms, and ran him home as quickly as I could while he screamed into my ear. Once I got him home, I immediately called Terry at work to ask him what I should do. We decided that I needed to first try to calm him down so that I could figure out if he was actually injured or not. Once he was over the initial crying, he pretty much turned right back into being his normal self. His nose never really "gushed" blood. After pulling the stick out, his nose only bled like a normal kind of nose bleed. And throughout the day a little bit of watery blood would come out. But other than that he seemed just fine. He was a little extra fussy throughout the rest of the day, but really, who wouldn't be after having a stick shoved up their nose. In the end I think we got VERY lucky. He seems to be doing just fine today, and his nose isn't bleeding anymore. I CRINGE thinking back about it, but at the time, I think I just jumped into "super mom mode" and took care of the situation. I was really more sick about it last night, than I was at the time of it happening. But I just can't help thinking how luck we are that it didn't turn out worse. Could you imagine if it had hit his eye!!! I'm cringing just thinking about it! Anyway, I am happy to report that he is alive and doing well.
Here is a picture I took of him this morning admiring his little gun...

I sure do love my little guy!!