Our Recent Whidbey Weekend

 Last weekend, we celebrated Eric's mom's birthday WITH HER! (Thanks, COVID vaccines!!) 

We got up bright and early Saturday morning (much to Annika's chagrin) and headed north to the ferry terminal. Lo and behold - the ferry dock moved and there was a new terminal. What the what???? Obviously, it has been quite some time since we've been to Whidbey! (Side note - the new terminal is beautiful. Lots of lumber and a lovely incorporation of Native American artwork.)

We didn't make the original ferry we aimed for, but there are worse things in the world. Fortunately, the ferries run every 30 minutes and we easily got on the next one.

Soon after arriving, Eric's dad and Conor headed out to play golf and soak up a bit of sun together. They played 5 holes and came back with a few great stories about their time on the course together. Apparently Conor's first ball on the 1st tee went rogue. As did the second ball... however it followed the first rogue ball's path, so there was consistency there! A few tees later, from what we were told Conor hit a couple of nice shots that were worthy of praise and mentioning to the rest of us back at the house. (Way to go, Conor!)

Annika is one who enjoys organizing and seeing the results of those efforts. While we were on Whidbey, she decided it was time to clean Bestemor's birdbath. She grabbed a scrub brush and bucket full of water and went to work. By time she was done, she was exhausted and the bird bath looked almost new again. (Nicely done, Annika!)

Often, we celebrate extended family birthdays in the general timeframe of the birthday, but not necessarily ON the actual birthday. Fortunately for us, the stars (and days of the week) aligned, so we were able to celebrate Karen's birthday on her actual birthday. Win! Jack made amazing lamb chops on the grill for dinner. I mean A-MAZ-ING. I could have eaten twice as many as I did ... if I wasn't being kind and sharing with everyone else. For dessert, we made a strawberry/rhubarb crisp. Nom nom nom.

We gave Karen two photo-themed gifts for her birthday. The first is a digital frame that we can add photos to from afar. It's kind of perfect for a family that is scattered all over the country, if you ask me! We also gave Karen a canvas print of our recent "in the box photography" project. (She had asked for an updated family photo, so I took the idea and ran with it.)

Bestemor looking at her gift

Her gift!

Speaking of running, Finn decided to take a jaunt through the forest when a door was accidentally left open. That dog can RUN when he wants to. Of course, he thought it was all fun and games. The rest of us were in a panic that he'd get lost or hurt. Fortunately, we were able to wrangle him with the help of some bribery (aka dog treats). Unfortunately, our path to getting him back on a leash went straight through stinging nettles (SURPRISE!). Side note: Stinging nettles are no joke!

On Sunday, Jack took both of the kids fishing (1 at a time) on Lone Lake. It is a catch-and-release lake, so no fish came home, but there were definitely lots of nibbles on their hooks. Jack and Conor headed out first (so Annika could sleep in) and were on the water shortly after 7 AM. Karen and I took Annika to the lake around 9:00 for her turn on the lake with Bestefar and to retrieve Conor. Lone Lake is truly gorgeous! 

Conor and Bestefar on Lone Lake

Annika and Besefar on Lone Lake

In addition to birthday celebration fun, fishing, and golfing, we also played a new card games and even learned a new one called Rook. Talk about a fun weekend!!

A special thanks to Eric's parents for hosting us. Being able to spend time together again is truly wonderful. We can't wait to see you again (hopefully) soon!.

Christmas Break 2019 and Seattle Snow 2020

Some how, we have gotten to mid January and I'm not quite sure how, until I stop and think about all of the things we've been up to since the last time I wrote a blog post.

The Wednesday before their Christmas break started, the kids participated in their school's annual Christmas concert. Both kids did a fantastic job and had so much fun. Annika sang with her 6th grade class, with the entire middle school, and as part of the student choir. Conor sang with his 4th grade class and as part of the student choir; he also played drums as during the beginning band's performances. 

Once Christmas break began, we (very happily) eased up on life's accelerator pedal and sloooooowed way down. I had to burn time off from work, so was home with the kids throughout their entire break. Eric's office closed from Christmas Eve until January 2nd. It was marvelous to have all of us home and able to catch our collective breath. We played countless games and Conor even took up playing cribbage! (Yes, he is VERY proud to let everyone know that he not only learned how to play but skunked me ... LEGIT skunked me)

You KNOW we did plenty of baking and cookie-based activities over the break. There are a few required cookies that MUST make an appearance to celebrate Christmas: shortbread (I make those soon after Halloween so they can season .. easy one!), krumkake (Norwegian cookies that I learned how to make from Eric's mom waaaaaaay back in the day), pizzelles (a family tradition from my childhood), sugar cookies, and spritz cookies. (No shortage of sweets, let me tell you!!)

Just to make sure we had some contact with the outside world (and I forgot to get it done earlier in the fall), I got the kids in for their annual eye exams. Annika's Rx didn't change, so her existing reading glasses were still good to use. Conor was told he'd benefit from reading glasses, so he picked out some frames (strong, flexible ones geared for kids) and we got them ordered.

Christmas was chaotic, energetic, and so much fun! On Christmas Eve, the kids were altar servers at mass. While we were there, Eric made dinner (this year, it was breakfast sliders) ... because he's a rock star! We were even treated with some extended family members (Anna and Robert) joining us for dinner. Win!! 

Christmas morning was just the four of us. We opened stockings and presents, and then gobbled up the traditional Olson family Christmas Breakfast casserole. (SO GOOD!) Later in the morning, Eric's parents came over for part 2 of Christmas presents and game times. A little after noon, we were joined by my brother (Troy), sister-in-law (Staci), and niece (Kat), as well as Eric's best friend (Dave) for more celebrating and a big family dinner. We were all in a food coma by the end of dinner, but in a good way!

For New Year's Eve, we were invited by another CKS family to ring in the East Coast new year, which was lovely and not too late! Three CKS families were there (including ours) and the kids were practically bouncing off of the walls with their play and bubbling energy. Together, we said goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020!

Each year, the Olson Four attend the Woodland Park Zoo's WildLights display. We've learned a few things over the years - avoid going on a weekend, and going after Christmas helps reduce the crowd factor. We even managed to avoid getting rained on.... WIN! (During our traditional Zeek's Pizza dinner, we told the kids about our plans to visit Hawaii later this year. They could hardly believe it! We toyed with the idea of not telling them until closer to the trip, but thought they're old enough that they might want a voice in planning some of our activities. Now they are anxiously awaiting .... the long wait has begun!)

As January progressed, we started seeing snowflakes appear on our weather forecast app. We have learned after many years of snow being predicted and never showing up that holding our breath for a true snowfall is a fool's errand. This year, the forecast was (eventually) right. A few of the snowflake days didn't produce anything but disappointment, but Mother Nature eventually came through.

Annika spent the better part of two days playing in the snow with her friend Maddy (notice a lack of photos of Annika in the snow - we barely saw her!). Conor enjoyed some R&R at home, but did decide to do a little manual labor to earn some spending money for Hawaii. (Smart kid!)

Little did we know that our biggest snow fan would be Huck! He LOVED the snow and wanted to be in it (usually eating it) all of the time. We made him come inside to thaw every so often and he was anything but a fan of that approach. Whenever we'd bring him inside, he'd sit by the door looking at the snow and whining asking to go back out into it. He ate the snow, chased snowballs, laid in the snow (while eating the snow), and dug in the snow. We have a snow pup!

The kids' school was closed Monday and Tuesday, and had a 2-hour delayed start yesterday. After one last mini snow "blizzard" yesterday afternoon, our temps are now on the rise and most of the snow has melted. Much to our kids' chagrin this morning, they went to school on time and without nearly enough snow on the ground for their liking.

2019 Trip to Bottle Bay

In late August (yes, I am WAYYY behind on posting ... please forgive me!), the kids, Huck, and I had a long weekend in Idaho ...  Bottle Bay on Lake Pend Orielle, to be specific. We were hosted by my brother and his family at their new cabin, which is next door to the cabin my sister and brother-in-law own. (How handy!)

We drove to Lake Pend Orielle on Thursday after Annika finished the final day of her middle school study skills camp at Blanchet. Fortunately, the drive went off very smoothly. Huck proved himself to be a champ on a long drive (whew!) and the kids were really good about keeping themselves occupied to help past the time. On our final approach to the lake, we were lucky enough to see a wild turkey and a deer. Fun stuff! We got to the lake around 7 PM, so quickly unloaded the car and got settled at my brother's place before it got too dark.

Huck, my co-pilot

This was the first time I'd been to my brother's new place and wasn't quite sure what to expect, in terms of layout, accommodations, etc. The kids, Huck, and I were in the "apartment" above the garage and it worked out swimmingly! We had our own space to spread out and not disturb people when our kids woke up before their older cousins. It allowed for us to not be on top of each other and to keep me from stressing about getting in anyone else's way. So nice!!

Our first full day at the lake was Friday and we filed it with walks, swimming in the lake, a boat trip to Sandpoint (hello, Starbucks!), and catching up with our various family members. The kids and I had a quiet start to our morning with a little lounging around, followed by some breakfast, and a walk (with Huck) to the end of the road. We took in the beautiful views and enjoyed the serenity of the lake. Anna arrived later in the afternoon once she was done at work, which was an added bonus to the day.

Annika, Ian, and Conor at Starbucks

Conor and Annika on Lake Pend Orielle

Captain Troy, at yer service

Lake girl

Conor and Huck checking out the lake

SPLASH

Cute kiddos

Staci paddling around Pend Orielle

Ian mastering his new paddle board

Annika trying out Ian's paddle board

 The big news of the day was Annika decided it was time to learn how to water ski. Uncle Troy drove the boat while Uncle Randy coached her from the water. After quite a few failed attempts, Uncle Randy had the idea of having the boat "walk" her for a bit so Annika could get the feel for being pulled by the boat. That was the trick! After being "walked" for a little bit, she gave us the "hit it!" command and she was up!!

Randy showing us how its done

Troy taking a lap around the bay

Randy coaching Annika

 

She did it!! Annika's first time up on skis

Huck says the lake is fun but tiring

Unfortunately for Conor, the day took a bit of a downturn when a sharp lake rock and Conor's foot became one. Fortunately, Auntie Suzanne was on hand to evaluate things and deemed stitches unnecessary (whew). That said, having a big slice on his foot kept Conor a bit lower key and we decided to let his foot heal before trying to learn how to water ski. (Next year, buddy!) 

Playing a dice game with Conor while he kept his foot up

Annika and Huck chilling out after lots of lake fun

Ian and Conor playing catch before dinner ... yes, Ian wound up
in the lake many times over the course of their game

 The other big news of the day was it was Ian's 18th birthday. We had a fun family dinner at Troy'Staci's main cabin, complete with chicken alfredo and tiramisu (Aegis style!) for dessert. Yum and yum! Welcome to adulthood, Ian! :)

Singing "Happy Birthday' to Ian and belated b-day to Annika

Day two at the lake was much like the day before. We started out with a quiet morning ... the pace at the cabin is truly a marvelous thing. We went for more walks, relaxed by the lake, played games, read, and enjoyed being with each other. The Nelsons and the Olsons opted to hit the Bottle Bay Marina for lunch after hearing the rave reviews from Suzanne and Randy about the improved food. Staci and I walked to the marina while Troy and the kids boated over. We got two tables right next to the lake (oh darn...) and wound up having a lovely lunch together chatting about life, Ian's upcoming move to CWU, and how we should spend the rest of our day. All in all, quite a lovely outing.

Troy and Randy wound up running some errands earlier in the day, which took them into town and to a sporting goods store. They came back with a two-seat inner tube for the boat. Win!! Needless to say, THAT was a big hit with the kids. (Considering Conor's foot was still less than perfect ... having the inner tube was a pretty perfect thing. Fun behind the boat without the need for more bandaids than we were already using!)

Conor and Annika ready for some fun

Kat ... all geared up and ready for some time on the water

WHEEEE

SO. MUCH. FUN.

Troy and Kat enjoying the inner tube

With tubing time behind us, it was back to donning the water skis! Anna started us out with a brave plunge into the cold water. She was up her first try ... cold water will motivate you to get it right! She took a lap around the bay, showing us her parade princess wave, and made the whole thing look so darned easy.

Anna's turn to show us how it's done

Conor mastering the kayak

 Annika enjoyed the previous day's skiing efforts so much that she was HUNGRY to try again. God bless Randy for spending THAT much time floating in the water with her ... and after she got up and took a lap around the bay! Fortunately, Ian and his new paddle board proved to be quite the handy "lake lyft".... Ian "rescued" Randy and wound up shuttling various skiers back and forth between the boat (or where they let go of the ski rope) and the dock much of the afternoon.

Annika up for a full lap around the bay

Not to be outdone by everyone else!

We finished off our last full day at the lake with more family time and a big group of very tired people ... but tired in a good way.

Huck and Bo ... vacation dogs

Our drive home on Sunday was timed on getting to the fruit stand in Ellensburg before it closed at 6. We packed up our things, cleaned the cabin, helped with a few last-minute tasks, and headed down the road at 11:58. (My goal was to leave by noon. Mic drop!) We drove across the state without incident and got to the fruit stand in plenty of time (yippee) and I happily bought my 20-pound box of peaches that were turned into peach butter a few days later (YUM!). The portion of our drive from Ellensberg to our house SHOULD have taken just under 2 hours. Thanks to a previous accident and funky traffic flows caused by construction projects, it took us over 3 hours. An extra hour plus at that point in our drive was truly painful. Yes, we made it in one piece ... but one very tired and glad to be home piece.