Pumpkin Carving 2019

Carving pumpkins when you live in a wet climate requires great calculations. No, not in terms of design, but in terms of timing. Carve too soon, and you wind up with a gloppy/moldy mess on your porch before Halloween rolls around. And no one finds that appealing, I have to guess.

We tucked our pumpkins away in the cool basement in hope it would prolong their pre-carving lives. For the most part, it worked. Conor's pumpkin proved to be a bit less cooperative than those belonging to the rest of us. When he attempted to pick up his pumpkin so he could bring it upstairs, the stem and some of the surrounding pumpkin flesh went with Conor ... the rest stayed on the floor. Whoops! (Conor and I made an emergency trip to QFC so he could pick out another one, so all was not lost!)

The kids, Eric, and I cleared off the kitchen table, covered it with plastic bags, and quickly got started on our gourd masterpieces. 

Ready, set, carve!

He's such a goof!

And so is his big sister!

Eric opted to scrap a design into his pumpkin instead of taking the more traditional carving approach

Scoopin' out the guts

Stringy gunk

Eric's spider web design 

This was the first year that the kids had complete control over their carving. We didn't hold their hands as they took blade to pumpkin. As a mom, it was a bit nerve wracking, I have to admit! I'm also proud to report that everyone completed the project with the same number of fingers they started with and no one required stitches. WIN!

Conor's final product

To make the experience THAT much better, we put some dry ice in the kids' pumpkins because, well, it's cool!! All of us giggled and clapped as the vapor poured out of the pumpkins. 

Happy Halloween, everyone! Be safe, have fun, and enjoy the sugar rush.

Pumpkin Patch 2019

On Sunday, the Olson Four made our annual trip to Fairbank Animal Farm/Pumpkin Patch. As I've said in past posts, Eric and I started going there before we had the kids ... possibly before we got married. It has become part of our fall to-do list and one we all look forward to each year.

It is with great enthusiasm that I can report we didn't get rained on. Talk about a pumpkin miracle!!  It rained on our way there and on our drive home. Not a DROP during our time there. We were geared up - boots, rain coats, hats! We definitely needed the boots because of the mud, but not because of any rain.       

Eric and Annika on their way to the farm
(Can I just say how much I love that she still holds our hands?!!)

We peeked at the various animals (a bit quickly, knowing the weather was not going to be kind to those who dallied and because the farm was rather packed. (Our "there won't be many people there because of the weather" theory turned out to be completely wrong!) We saw a mama pig with her brood and another mama pig who was ready to have babies at any time. (That poor girl looked miserable ... even while napping!) We saw the ducks, geese, peacocks, and pony before darting into the barn. (Back in the old days, we were allowed into the stalls, but insurance regulations put an end to that a number of years ago.) We contented ourselves with petting the calf through the gate... fortunately, it was close enough for everyone to give it a little love and enjoy how soft its nose was. We also got to pet (with one finger!) some ducklings and chicks. The bunnies were constantly busy, so we just waved as we hopped along. (Ha! See what I did there??)  We also took a few minutes to watch the newly-hatched chicks in the incubators.

MOO!

The calf was particularly interested in nibbling on Annika during the visit!

Our cute chickies with the chickies

Fluffy ducklings

Knowing our time between rain showers was probably rather short, we high-tailed it to the pumpkin patches to pick out THE perfect pumpkins to take home. Because of the recent rain. many of the pumpkins were rather squishy, so the hunt evolved from a "is it a good size and shape?" to "is it a good size and shape ... and is it not decaying?". We do have standards, ya know!

On our way out, Eric paid for the pumpkins while the kids and I took advantage of the photo op boards around the property. (Yes, the kids are less enthusiastic about this part of the outing than they were when they were younger, but they are still good about humoring their dear old mom!)

On our way home, we stopped at MOD Pizza for a warm-up sort of lunch to celebrate our great pumpkin adventure, the lack of rain while we were out and about, and, oh, my 46th birthday. :)

1st day of school 2019

Yes, I'm still playing catch up, but am getting a bit closer. Slowly but surely.

Our kids started back to school the day after Labor Day and have hit the ground running! Annika is officially a middle school student now that she's in 6th grade. Conor is in 4th grade and is quick to agree with Annika that the 4th grade teacher is amazing!!

This fall's activities line up for the Olson crew includes: Irish dance (both kids), figuring out middle school (Annika), CYO soccer (Conor), ongoing Wired for Reading tutoring (Annika), band (Conor - percussion), choir (Conor, because why NOT add more things to the list), Bite of Broadview planning (Eric and Meredith), and altar server at church (Annika). WHEW!!! (Yes, I will be a lump on the floor by the time this fall wraps up.... thanks for asking!)

It wouldn't be a real first day of school without the required "stand in the yard while holding a sign for your mother and do it quickly so we aren't late for school" photos.

They are growing into these shirts much too quickly for my liking!

And now, a few of the outtakes...

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.   

Annika's 12th Birthday

The teenage years are officially on the horizon. Too close, if you ask my opinion. Not close enough if you ask Annika! 

Last night before she went to bed, Annika asked me to recount the story of her birth. (Yes, she was stalling, but how can a mother resist such a request???) I told her all about Eric's huge eyes when he woke up enough to process the fact I told him my water broke, how we had to return a rental car en route to the hospital, how the theme of her birth was "THEY LIED" (in terms of how labor would most likely ramp up... there was no ramping!! Contractions were 3-5 minutes from the get go!), and how I left a message at work from the rental car return parking lot while Eric got gas in the rental car to let them know (a) I was in labor and (b) what I'd been working on most recently, how we made a U-turn on the Montlake Bridge because we overshot the ER entrance (good thing it was midnight and no one else was on the bridge!!), how I wanted an epidural but there wasn't enough time, and how she was about 20 minutes old before I was able to (finally) ... Daddy got to see her first and tell me all about her. I told her about how much love we had for her from the first moment, how fun it was to surprise people with the news that she arrived during the night (3 weeks early!), and how cute her 1st night hiccups were. She heard all about how tiny she was (I wound up going to Babies R Us the day after coming home from the hospital because we needed preemie clothes and diapers), and how she was so little that we had to feed her with a tube.

Looking back, so much of that story feels like ancient history ... but so much more of it feels new and very recent. It startles me to think that she's 12. Then I stop to think about all of the things she has done, how much our family has done and experienced over the years, and how much she's grown (5' 2" at last measuring) and the math adds up. Our little girls is knocking on her teenage years... loudly at times.

Annika, we are so proud of who you are, your empathy, your willingness to lend a hand, and your ability to see challenges as opportunities (even if sometimes begrudgingly). You are a blessing to our family.

Annika's 12th birthday was a fun-filled one. She, Conor, Emma (nanny), and Huck (our pup) went to Greenlake to swim and enjoy the beautiful summer weather. For her celebration dinner, Annika requested chicken enchiladas and green beans (I threw in a bonus salad for good measure). For dessert, it was all about the Oreo cheesecake. 

Happy 12th birthday, sweet girl! Here's to a great year ahead of you!

Annika's 12-year-old interview

Favorite thing to do in your free time: Irish dancing and playing on iPod

Favorite food: Schnitzel

Favorite drink: Fanta (orange)

Favorite book: Evil Spy School

Favorite color: Seafoam green

Favorite song: "Wonderful Life" (from Smallfoot movie)

Favorite TV show: No Good Nick

Favorite movie: Smallfoot

Favorite subject at school: Art

Memories from being 11: Breaking my left arm on the monkey bars (again!), going to Ireland with Bestemor and Bestefar, doing MacBeth with my 5th grade class, finding out I have dyslexia, doing my first feis (and taking home a 2nd place trophy and 2 bronze medals), getting a new puppy (Huck!)