O MY HEAVENS!!! What's that? You can't believe you're reading an update?! Believe it baby! Cuz here it is peeps:

There has been sooo much going on around here... I can't possibly cover it all from the past, what, 7 months?! So I will cover the biggies, and the rest might be in pics and I might not cover some of it at all. I will do what I can.

FIRST off, we have a new little addition coming soon to the Olson family! I'm currently about 4 1/2 months along, and about 5 pounds heavier! Haha, although I have to say it feels like 20. After much vomiting, migraines, fatigue... well, wait, I'm still going through all that, but I'm sooo looking forward to meeting our end product. Boy or girl? We haven't found out yet... but will be finding out in the next week or so, so I will definitely be posting about that in the near future.

SECOND, the Olson fam will be moving to a new location here in the next 2 MONTHS!!! Andy's being trasnferred with Chevron to DURANGO, COLORADO!!! We seriously couldn't be more excited about this upcoming move. We feel like it's such a blessing to our family. It's 5 hours closer to family, as well as around some of the most beautiful country... and it's surroundings will include all of mine and Andy's hobbies and recreational activities... so we are absolutely thrilled. We've been praying for an opportunity to live closer to family, and it's finally here! I'm going to brag a little for Andy in this family scrapbook in saying that this was the only engineering position being offered in the western US, besides California, and HE got it!!! I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work.

I do have to mention though, we will miss dearly all of our Bako friends and "family". We've made some very close connections here, and love everyone so much. Everyone's been sooo good to us. So thank you Bako friends.

THIRDLY, Atley is doing so well. We are in the midst of potty training right now, and I have to say, I've been impressed. She's done so well, and I'm so proud of her.

She is truly such a joy to be around, and says the most adorable things. She LOVES her princesses, loves to dance around the room in dress-up clothes, loves her "bearsies" and chocolate. She calls it "chokit". haha, and seriously asks for some multiple times each DAY! What can I say? She's a true girl!

So the pictures above (because I don't remember how to run this blogging system) are of a tea party we had with Sadie, Atley's friend, a few days ago, and I just have to document it because it was adorable.

FAMILY

This post may seem a bit random, but I had tons of pictures I wanted to post and write about... So ENJOY!

This photo is a bit out of order... but this was taken at Hart Park on Easter Sunday, when grandma and grandpa j and Auntie Merissa came out for a visit. I will explain more later on...

Grandpa J and Atley at Hart Park. I love capturing special moments like these... Grandpa is so good to Atley, and they have so much fun together.

Atley enjoying her spaghettio's for lunch. She's such a big girl now and can eat them all by herself with that little red spoon ya see there in her hand. She's such a happy girl, and giggles a lot. I can't remember what I was saying to her to make her laugh, but she thought it was hilarious. She's so obedient too, and listens to her mommy most of the time. She picks up her toys at the end of each day when asked, and she's so tender-hearted that she usually cries and gets her feelings hurt when we tell her sternly "no". My sweet little Atley. I'm so happy she's a part of this family.

Yesterday I was lying flat on the carpet near her because I was really tired, and she came over, put her head on my chest, then started whining and trying to lift up my head. She thought something was wrong with me. She kept whining "Mama! Mama!" I didn't mean to traumatize her, but it sure was cute.



Sunday afternoon... this girl loves her BUBBLES. So I filled up a bowl of suds, and took them outside and let her play in them. She loved it. Somehow she got the idea to put them on her face like a beard... she has so much personality!

Before suds on sunday... we made chocolate chip cookies together and took them to her friends, Nina and Sadie. She had a blast dumping the ingredients into the bowls and helping me stir... and eating the chocolate chips. :)

Last Saturday we had the pleasure of babysitting Nina while her parents went out. Well, Andy the engineer built this amazing tent for them to watch Nemo in. They absolutely loved it! What a fun daddy Atley has. I swear he worked on it for like 20 minutes. :) He had to have it perfect. And if you look carefully, you can see who else enjoyed the tent... our cat Moze. She always has to be in on the action. Haha.

Atley has a fetish with stuffed animals and really soft materials. She holds them close to her face and just loves on them. So Grandma J made this soft cuddly especially for Atley and sent it in the mail. Atley was hooked right from the get-go... and this is the cute blankie. She had made a her a larger one previously and Atley demanded to carry it EVERYWHERE she went, so grandma was kind enough to make a bit of a smaller one that she could carry around. :)

NO, she's not always watching TV. That's just the only time I can get her to hold still for pictures. :) So no judging.

Like I said... she loves her animals... this is a bunny that Grandma Vickie sent to her for Easter. She kissed it and gave it loves right away! Thanks Grandma J and Vickie for being so thoughtful! For being so far away, you sure know Atley really well! :)

Playdough creations by: Emi Fieldsted and Gin Olson. Aren't they a work of art?

Over Easter/General Conference weekend, my parents and Aunt Meriss came for a visit. They only stayed for a couple of days, but it was sooo nice to see them!!! We had so much fun with them, and Atley ADORES my mom. They have a special grandma/granddaughter relationship, that is for sure. I had so much fun with my mom, dad and sister, and was so sad to see them go. This picture was taken at Hart Park, sunday afternoon. You can see how happy little Atley is to be with her grandparents at the park.

Quality Daddy/daughter time! I love my dad sooo much! He is such an inspiration and strength in my life. Always full of optimism and humor, health facts and anecdotes. :) I love you dad and truly treasure our time together!

Another quality daddy/daughter time. Atley loves her daddy too, and always runs to him when he gets home from work. She loved feeding the ducks with Daddy. Mmmm... stale honey chex. Bon appetit' duckies!

On the riverbanks with grandma j... she's making her giggle.

TA-DA!!!

Everyday Life

So these aren't anything extraordinary to anyone else I'm sure, but to a mom, it's the little moments that make life worth living, and make life fun. These are some things my baby and I do nearly every day together...

Make music... whether it's with her small play keyboard, her little xylophone, the piano, or listening to mommy's music. We always have a good time, and we always find time to DaNcE! Atley LOVES dancing!

Watch a movie... I know, this probably isn't the greatest thing in the world. But ya know what? It keeps this mother sane!!!! So here she is, in her new Fairy chair. (Word of Caution to kids and kitties: NEVER try to sit in Atley's chair... she is very POSSESSIVE of this chair, and it can lead to minor bumps on the head or pulled fur... sorry Nina and Moze.)

Getting ready to go outside in mommy's cool sunglasses. Aren't they awesome? Haha. She puts them on, and doesn't ever want them taken off. She has so much personality.

That's right!!! It's already swimming suit season here in Cali! It's the best thing ever, having this weather. It's already high 70's here. We absolutely love it. So the other day, we went swimming in our backyard with Atley's little friend Sadie and her mom Tammy. It was lots of fun! Here she is in her little swimsuit Aunt Meriss bought for her, and her little sunhat (I'm sorry to say didn't stay on very long...)

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day... Not really a day we celebrate a whole lot of, at least not like most people do, drinking til' they're smashed (to put it bluntly). Instead we have a few traditions of our own. Like, the night before, each of us sets one of our shoes outside, and the little leprechauns come during the night and leave stuff in them that we find in the morning when we wake up. It's lots of fun! So here's what Atley got this year in her little shoe...

Tiny little animals that will fit in her hand, and a pair of pink snoopy socks. What a thoughtful leprechaun!

Here she is discovering...

And here's my little girl all dressed in green. Sooo festive! Even daddy wore green this day (which was a big surprise)! Too bad we didn't get a pic of it... I was gonna do green food, but Atley's so picky, I don't think she would eat it! Haha. And Andy wasn't home anyway to share in the fun. So no green eggs and ham this year.

End of leprechaun's day, and bath time. :)

Smiles & Boots

Atley insisted on wearing her boots the other night... anyway, we got a "kick" out of it. Haha... lame joke.

19 1/2 months

"I looked out the window..."

"and what did I see?... Popcorn popping on the apricot tree!!!" Aaaaah! Could it be? Spring is finally coming? This is one of my favorite times of year, when the beautiful blossoms are springing on the trees. So enchanting... So since I also have an "enchanting" little girl, I thought I would do a little photo shoot with her and her good buddy Nina. They really are funny little friends. The other day Atley accidentally knocked Nina down, and she went up to her afterwards and gave her a hug and kiss. And they always share snacks together, and will feed each other. It really is adorable.

"POPCORN"

"M & M's??? This is the question I'm asking her... and this is her response... haha.

Pretty little Nina "dandelion picking"... much more preferred than the usual "nose picking". Haha.

She is soooo happy to be out of the house! She loves playing outside. I think in this picture she's smiling because she sees some ducks flying. There was a pond nearby.

Look how tiny my little girl is in comparison to these big snowy trees!

Olson Adventures :)

Okay... so here's a TON of pictures and updates.... so brace yourself... whoever actually looks at this site. :) This past month has been full of experiences. Both good and bad. Both happy and sad. I've learned a lot this month... to rely on the Lord, and to be happy even when life isn't going how you would like it to. I am so blessed in my life. I have wonderful family and friends who care about and love me and my family more than I have ever known. Thank you all... for showing us your love, and blessing us by being a part of our lives. We love you all, and are soooo grateful for your constant support and prayers for our sake.

BEST BUDS! My sister and I got a whole day and a half to ourselves while I was in Utah!!! We shopped, got pedi's and ate out at some of our favorite spots in Utah Valley. It was so much fun. I always have a blast with her. Sister relationships are so unexplainable... so special. She's 13 weeks preggo, and I'm soooo excited to get a new neice or nephew! While I was visiting, I got to attend a Dr appt with her, and hear the hearbeat! It was so special!

Ahhhhh.... I got to see snow! And lots of it! It snowed a lot while I was there, and it was so beautiful and peaceful. I love that the snow is white, and makes everything look so perfect and clean.

I thought this made a cool picture. This old shed is one I've passed many many times on my treks home to Gunny. I've always thought it was really neat. So I finally got a picture of it. This is what small towns are all about. Simplicity. And I really feel like for the first time in my life, this last visit, I really started to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of these small Utah towns.

Here's my baby with a silly bunny hat on. She would put it on and just play and play and play.
My parents got a kick out of it.

Here's Atley with her Grandma Jensen! Boy does she love her grandma! The only person that Atley has EVER turned her mommy down for! (mom, you should feel very privileged:) ). My mom made this adorable blanket for her while we were there, because Atley loves soft cuddly things. It has green, pink and black polka dots, and feels like a fluffy robe. Meriss, why don't you explain what that feels like to us all... I have a feeling you would know best...

Atley with Grandma Vickie. Grandma Vickie, Papose, and Dallin (Tuna) came out for a visit before we went to UT. We had a blast with them all, and we're so grateful for the efforts they made to come visit us... despite the horribly boring drive. :)

Atley maxin' and relaxin' at Aunt Merissa's house. We stayed there for 4 days this week, after finding out we couldn't stick with our original plans of flying out Monday due to Atley getting double ear infections Sunday night. She's had 4 ear infections this month alone poor girl!!! She's been thru heck and back, and still is happy as a lark. What a good example she is to me. She tries so hard to make others smile and laugh even when she's not feeling well. When I took her to the urgent care in UT on sunday night, she was lethargic and very very hot. But as soon as the Motrin kicked in and lowered her fever a little (we were waiting 2 1/2 hrs), she was running around the waiting room making everyone smile and laugh. Well when we got called back, I found out she had been running around with a fever of 101!!! Happy little girl...

Uh-Oh! Definitely a potential mess here!!! Watch out Aunt Merissa!

Atley and her cousin Dev. They had a blast together while were visiting. Atley would be sort of sickly and sad all day... until Dev would come home that is. She would have a sudden burst of new energy... He always made her giggle.

Making silly faces!

What does the cow say?? : "Moooooo"

Grandma J and Atley playing with soap suds. Atley loved this, and would get so upset if someone blew on the suds and made them disappear. She would giggle and giggle when Grandma would help her with this.

Mommy and Atley finally back at home...

BIG smiles! She definitely missed her daddy. All I had to do to get her to smile in this picture was to say "Where's daddy?"... and here's her response. Thanks daddy, for letting us go on our fun trip to see family. And most importantly, thanks for making sure we made it back home. ;) It feels good to be a complete family again.