Throwback Thursday - Super Boy

I took this photo of our little Super Boy 7 years ago. 

He is now 5' 3" and rarely dons a cape, but he is still the same little boy in countless ways. 💓

Throwback Thursday

 He was soooo tiny!!!

Flashback Video: Conor Singing

When Conor was just a wee one in 2014, we captured this video of him singing "Paradise City". To this day, it remains one of my favorite video clips of him. Seriously, how can it not be with the adorable face, cute marching dance, and the "goils" reference.

Enjoy this little (and adorable) trip back in time!

 As a side note, the shirt he wore in this video was a fun craft we did together. The kids drew pictures on sandpaper with crayons and then we ironed the images onto their shirts. How fun is that???

Conor is double digits

My apologies to all involved for how long it has taken me to post. Time has become a strange beast over the past month+ (but I'll save that for another post). In the mean time, let's focus on something upbeat and celebratory...

On March 28th, our sweet boy turned 10-years-old. The night before, Eric asked me, "Tomorrow, we won't have any kids who are single digits in age. Do you feel old, yet?" (Yeah, I love you, too, Honey!) 😄

Even though Conor's birthday was spent during a pandemic/quarantine, we did our best to make it as fun as possible. We (aka Eric, because he's taller!) put up the Happy Birthday banner to mark the day. Conor requested food from the Mr. Gyro food truck for dinner (thank goodness some of the food trucks are still open!!) and grasshopper pie for dessert. We spent the day playing games, relaxing, and just being together. All-in-all, a fairly good way to spend a birthday!

One of the highlights from the day was when Conors' BFF (Theo) and his mom drove by our house to deliver a (socially distanced) birthday greeting. Conor stood on the sidewalk and Theo stayed in the car, but they still giggled and had fun catching up for a few minutes.

Conor opening a present

Modeling the shirt I made for him

Happy boy! He got a Pokemon video game

Obligatory birthday photo

His glowing grasshopper pie

Conor's Birthday Interview

Age: 10 years

What is your favorite thing to do? Play board games, dice games, and card games

What do you want to be when you grow up? An engineer

What is your favorite food? Either gyro or carbonara

What is your favorite color? Seafoam green

What is your favorite toy? Spot 1

What makes you laugh? Dad

What is your favorite song? Allstar by Smash Mouth

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Cookie dough

What do you like to do with your family? Everything

What is your favorite TV show? Atomic Puppet

What is your favorite book? Warriors

What do you do really well? Growing

If you have $1000 to spend, how would you spend it? Pokemon, Pokemon, Pokemon

What do you want to do before your next birthday? I want to go to Hawaii

What was your favorite thing done as a 9-year-old? We got our dog Huckleberry

Anatomy Lesson from Conor

This morning, I asked Conor to pick up the socks he left under the kitchen table last night. He crawled under the table and, on his way back up, he lightly bonked the back of his head on the lip of the table. 

I asked if he was OK and he replied, "Yup. I just bonked my back forehead a little. But I'm ok."

Back forehead ... huh.... that's not a term I recall from my human biology class in college. 😄

Conor's 9th Birthday

Yesterday, Conor celebrated his 9th birthday and proclaimed the day to be a hugely great day. 

One of the fundraisers at the kids' school is purchasing the message on the reader board for a week. Both kids asked for us to buy this so we could publicly wish them a happy birthday (Conor) and happy half birthday (Annika). 

The night before his big day, Conor and I baked chocolate mint cookies for his classroom treat. Conor toiled over which treat to bring as he thumbed through our Duff cookbook, but finally opted on a tried and true option that Conor knew he'd succeed at making and were quite tasty.

Conor awoke at 6:05 and proclaimed that he wasn't quite 9 years old  yet... he had few more minutes to go. Hello, Mr. Precise! True, he was born at 6:13 AM, but Eric and I were perfectly happy to still wish him a happy birthday and call him 9... even if we were 8 minutes early. Ha!

Because it was his birthday, Conor got to wear free dress to school. Bonus!! He also dug up the "Birthday Boy" pin that I bought a few years ago and insisted on wearing it all day. Hey, why not??

For his birthday dinner, Conor requested pasta carbonara and grasshopper pie for dessert. (I threw in some green beans as a side dish during dinner, just to round out things a bit.)  I'm pretty sure this is the third year in a row that he picked carbonara and grasshopper pie as his birthday meal. The boy knows what he likes!

Speaking of things that he likes ... he likes opening presents!! He received some very generous gifts from our extended family members (thanks, all!) and loved every moment of unwrapping them. After the paper finished flying, he and Eric got to work assembling the Lego robot that we gave to him. (I'm not sure who had more fun with it, if I'm being completely honest!) It was really fun to hear their conversations while building the ever-evolving robot, not to mention their reactions to the robot's abilities as its skills developed with each new task/set of instructions provided by the kit. 

To everyone who has had a hand in this little guy's life so far, thank you for your love, support, and energy. He's a silly, busy, inquisitive, and imaginative little guy and we are excited to see where this next year takes him. 

Happy birthday, Conor!

Batman Fluxx card game and Hex bug

Cold hard cash, a Taco Time g/c, and a wallet, baby!!
(one $ for each year... clever!)

Woot woot! Remote control toys are awesome

Future scientist!

Lego Robot kit

Blowing out his candles

Do you think he'll let me take his birthday sign photos even when he's a grown up?
I sure hope so! :)

Conor's Leprechaun Trap

In years past, the kids have made leprechaun traps at school and creativity always abounds with this project.

This year, St. Patrick's Day fell on a Sunday, so there was no need to make a trap ... that is to everyone except Conor. Our boy insisted on trying his hand at catching a leprechaun. He was bound and determined to build a trap at home and catch himself a genuine leprechaun.

Unfortunately for everyone except Conor, he chose to dig through the recycling bin for cardboard boxes and, because we were all still asleep, the house alarm was still on .... and (I'm guessing you're seeing where I'm going with this) the recycling bin is on the other side of a door that has a house alarm sensor. YUP!! As soon as he opened the door, the house alarm went off in full-blown alarm mode. WAHWAHWAHWAHWAHWAH!!! (Annika slept through it ... Eric and I didn't.)

Once our hearts returned to a more normal rate and we caught our breath, I knew I was up. SO, Conor and I got to work on his trap. I did the x-acto knife work for him to preserve his cute little fingers and avoid any trips to the ER... yeah, that's the kind of mom I am. :)

Conor decided to lure his leprechaun to the top of this trap with the promise of a party.

PAR-TAY!

The leprechaun had two party entrance options - a LEGO staircase and a popsicle stick ladder. (We are nothing if not accommodating.) When the leprechaun got to the top of the trap and stepped on the white welcome (correction ... "welcom") mat, the hole below the mat would cause the leprechaun to fall and become snared in the lower (inner) cardboard box. At least, that was Conor's hope.

It appears that our house's leprechaun had watched some MacGyver episodes and figured out a way to climb out of the trap using some tape and a piece of gold ribbon. (We are still trying to figure out if the leprechaun escaped on his/her own or if there is a Leprechaun Freedom Force (LFF) that rescues all trapped leprechauns. Either way.... this leprechaun left behind 4 pennies for Conor's efforts... so Conor is seeing it as a win, even though the leprechaun got away.

Conor and his leprechaun party trap

Conor's Basketball Season

On Sunday, Conor and his fellow teammates wrapped up their 3rd grade (debut) basketball season, and what a season it was!

The boys have practiced every Tuesday and Thursday (5-6 PM) for weeks to learn a bit about shooting, defending, and plays. These boys have never played on a basketball team before, so everything they learned was brand new. That's the beauty of CYO sports ... they give kids a chance to learn a sport before winning/losing becomes a factor. The kids play for a few years before score is kept. At this age, the refs also take on the role of educator/pseudo-coach during the games to help the kids learn and understand the sports. Love it!

  

The funniest moment was during their first game. The whistle blew and LITERALLY, not a single boy on the court moved.... on either team. No one was 100% sure what to do and just stood there. After a second, the coaches and ref offered a little guidance. From then on, it was smoother sailing. (Full disclosure: There were still plenty of comedic moments, but hey! They're little kids!! Coordination and follow-through aren't exactly their defining characteristics at this point in life!)

This past Sunday was the boys' fourth (and final) game of the season. It was such fun to see their abilities develop and confidence grow over the season. They had a much better understanding of how to run their screen play (yes, play .... again, they are 3rd graders ... learning multiple screen plays would have probably made their minds explode and bodies combust), pass effectively, and try to out-maneuver defending players. Sure, there were still many instances of traveling, double dribbling, and waaay off-target passes, but we just see that as part of the learning process. This game also included some strong offense (Eric taught Conor how he could use his backside to keep a defending player from stealing the ball as he dribbled toward the basket ... and he did it!!!), some knee-sacrificing moves toward recovering the ball when it went rogue, team communication, and some impressive rebounds.

 The boys enjoyed their season so much that they opted to practice this week, even though they are done with their games. A special shout out to their coaches for taking the time to work with the boys and showing what patience can achieve!

 Here's a quick video of Conor making one of his three (four?) baskets during this week's game. (#ProudMama)

Conor's Dream Treehouse

Conor and I have been reading the book The Dangerous Book for Boys together and have been learning a lot about really random things. Reading this book together has become "our" thing.... we snuggle up and read a couple of sections now and then. It's wonderful to have this 1:1 time to slow down, learn some new things, and just be.

This book is very eclectic. There are sections on fossils, how to play stickball, how to fold paper airplanes, etc. One of the topics we read about last night was how to build the perfect tree house. Mind you, this was a VERY in-depth construction tutorial... pages and pages of specific board lengths, cutting angles, and hardware.

Needless to say, Conor was VERY inspired to build a treehouse after we read this section, and is gung ho about building a treehouse or fort at his grandparent's house .. Watch out, Bestemor and Bestefar! :D

Before going to bed last night, Conor insisted on drawing out the plans for his dream treehouse (see below). It comes complete with a juice/lemonade/smoothie hut, two dog houses (for Bestemor and Bestefar's dogs), a variety of M.C. Escher-esque staircases, and a rooftop deck complete with a pointy decoration thing-a-ma-bob. It is fall in his drawing, so there's only one leaf on the tree, but it is sunny enough for Conor to require sunglasses.

Conor, a Future Titan

A new show called "Titan Games" started on NBC a few weeks ago. It is hosted by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and it is basically an obstacle course competition for some seriously amazing athletes. We've watched similar shows as a family, and we appreciate the lack of drama as well as the physical prowess displayed by the competitors. Honestly, these people are agile, strong, and determined beyond belief. 

For some reason, this show has inspired Conor to start working out. I don't know what clicked for him, but something did. He watches the show with weights in hand and now works out 4-5 days per week with Eric's small weights and my workout bands. Last night, we watched the latest episode of "Titan Games" and there was Conor with Eric's weights... doing curls. What really got me was his teddy bear sitting there next to him. It made my mama heart absolutely melt. 

Tough boy with his weights .... and his teddy. 

Sigh.... 

Lest ye not forget

So, the kids and I visited my mom on Sunday and this was the first time she didn't recognize one of the kids.

Annika, Conor, my mom, and I were seated at a table waiting for lunch and my mom asked, "Where are the others?" I asked, "What others?" She said, "Sister. Conor, where is sister?" To which, Conor and I pointed to Annika and she raised her hand somewhat sheepishly. Oh dementia, you are a cruel beast.

(Fortunately, Annika was OK after this having a good understanding that Nana's brain isn't as healthy and her memory isn't what it used to be. In fact, Annika was more concerned about me and the fact that my mom would, one day, completely forget who I am. Awww! What a sweet girl we have!)

To protect himself from the same fate, Conor did this after we got back home:

Honestly, I think he deserves double points. It is effective AND funny! Conor for the win!

Conor's Two-fer Funnies

This afternoon was a true treat for me. Why? Because Conor said not one, but TWO, highly entertaining things within only a few minutes apart. It's like seeing a double rainbow up in the sky ... except funnier ... and cuter.

As I was tying Conor's shoe when I picked him up from school, Conor's buddy Theo decided to try doing the splits next to us and wanted Conor to notice how well he was doing. I told Theo he was doing a great job and Conor said, "You get that stretchiness from me. I'm your best friend, so it makes sense, you know." (I was beyond grateful to be looking at his shoe at that very moment so he couldn't see my smile and the tears in my eyes caused by the pain of holding in my laughter.)

The kids and I have been playing a car game lately called The Great Out-of-State License Plate Game. (Clever rhyming, eh??) We inherited a wooden map of the US (thanks, Hall family!) that has a small wooden block on each state with its name. On the flip side of the block, is a picture of the state's license plate. As we see an out-of-state license plate while we are out and about, the kids get to flip over that state's block. It passes the time and helps them learn a little geography. Today, I was behind a car with New Hampshire plates. When we were in the car after school, I mentioned to Conor that he could flip another block. I told him the state name and approximately on where on the map to find New Hampshire. (We saw a Maine license plate recently, so was able to use that as a reference point.) When he found the state on the map, Conor exclaimed, "I found it! New Hampster!"

Yup, I'm still smiling! :)

Conor's First Communion

This weekend was a big deal for our little boy. After months of preparation and hard work, his big day finally arrived. (A few days prior, Annika turned to me and said, "I can't believe Brother is going to be able to go to Communion with us soon!" I agree, kiddo!! You two are speeding through childhood and I can barely keep up with your pace.)

It was a no-brainer that we'd have Fr. Fred involved in the whole thing. Fred provided the same curriculum that he had Annika follow, so we knew Conor was ready and knew what he needed to know. The fact that Conor received his First Communion in the same chapel he was baptized in is beyond special to me. And the fact that the same priest ... OUR priest ... did the sacraments fills my soul with joy. Before mass, Fred and Conor stepped to the side of the getting everyone settled chaos so Conor could receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. (That night, I asked Conor what he thought of that experience and if he felt good talking to Fred about his spiritual mis-steps. He replied, "Oh yes! I like talking with Fred." We went on to talk about how special it is to have someone like Fred in our lives ... someone who is a true friend and spiritual guide.)

The mass was wonderfully personal. The only attendees were the four Olsons, the four Nelsons, Nana,  my best friend Kate, and the three "aunties" (Joann Roberts, Mary Ann Seiwerath, and Sheila Linggi). Oh, and Fred.... but that was a given, right?? One thing I cherish about mass with Fred is he never stops teaching. He'll often throw in a question, tidbit of info, or random insight here and there throughout the mass. He turns mass into a welcoming, comfortable, personable, thought-provoking experience that is sprinkled with humor... 

My brother (Troy) read the first reading and gave a hilarious nod to his wedding joke (ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death) before reading the correct Bible passage. Annika followed him by reading the responsorial psalm, (She practiced her little heart out to make sure she had all of the words down pat and maintained a good speaking pace. Kudos, Annika!) 

Troy reading St Paul's Letters to the Corinthians (11:23-26)

Annika leading the responsorial psalm (Ps 147:12-15, 19-20)

 Fred returned to the helm after that. During the preparation of the gifts, he invited the kids up to the altar so they were part of the experience and closer to the action. As a side note, I have never seen Conor stand so still as he did when he was next to Fred at the altar. Pretty sure the boy didn't shift a single inch the entire time! Before long, it was Conor's big moment.... his first communion. He was nervous but didn't let that get in the way. (Fred giving him quiet little reminders also helped!) It was quite apparent from the look on his face that Conor was less than impressed with the taste of the sacramental wine. Pretty sure his face would screw up less if he bit into a lemon! Ha ha!! This turned into a bit of a special day for our nephew (Ian), too; Fr. Fred had him take on the role of Eucharistic minister and offer the chalice to the mass participants. Ian was composed and took on the role with marvelous maturity and focus. It was fun to see him in such a "big kid" role.

Eric and Conor listening to Fred 

Troy and Ian giggling at one of Fred's jokes

Ian, Kat, Annika, Fred, Conor at the altar

Fr. Fred and Conor

Conor receiving his first Holy Communion

Conor receiving the wine

Annika congratulating Conor with a big hug

After mass, all of us poured into a conference room for a small reception of sandwich platters, a veggie tray, and cake. Everyone was chatty, smiling, and in a grand mood. We are incredibly blessed by our family, friends, and faith community.  

Conor and His Robot Prototypes

Last night, we Olsons unplugged. Annika and Eric worked on a robotics building project for much of the night while Conor and I played a few hands of Crazy 8s.

I see so much of Eric in his face from this angle. 

During our marathon of cards, Conor had the uncontrollable urge to put down his cards and pick up a pen to draw ideas for robots prototypes that were apparently zipping around in the depths of his imagination. Watching his creativity at work was a true joy. So often, as parents, we ask "What were you thinking???" Last night, I got to see what he was thinking flow from his brain, down his arm, and onto a lot of pieces of paper.

Yes, the tongue does help!

His focus and attention to detail were remarkable. Often, this kid can't sit still for more than 30 seconds... when he was drawing his robots, he was the poster child for self control, patience, and focus. His face would sqinch this way and he'd shift a little that way to get a better view of his art, but that was about it. He was steadfast and welcomed his ideas as they sprang forth.

Naturally, after the second or third cute face squinch, I grabbed my camera to work on my low-light, non-posed photography skills. Come one, he was being way too cute not to photograph!! Honestly, who could blame me??

Hard at work
(Please ignore his dirty finger nails!)

Conor and  one of his robot creations

Robots galore!

In all, I think he came up with ideas for 17 robots. One set the table for you. One was a robotic spatula that attached to your arm. One was a Mama foot massager (my favorite!).

Keep those creative juices flowing, sweet boy!! They will serve you well in life.

Conor's Audition Recap

A number of weeks ago, Conor's school music teacher asked me if Conor would be interested in auditioning for the NW Boys Choir. I said we didn't know anything about it, so she sent information about the program to me and we set up an audition for him.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I was really torn about the idea of the choir. On one hand, I knew he'd really enjoy it because of his love for music. On the other hand, it had rehearsals 2x per week in the U. District starting at 4:30 (hello, rush hour traffic) and would disrupt my work schedule and I wasn't convinced he has hit the maturity level needed for this type of group. I had more than one sleepless night trying to figure out how it would work out and my stress level climbed at the thought of it all. On the other hand (how many hands do I have??), I felt guilty putting my stress ahead of his potential growth.

Ready for his audition

Fast forward to Saturday. Conor's audition lasted 10-ish minutes and the man who ran the audition was lovely. He obviously is a natural with kids and was highly encouraging and positive with Conor. The audition began with Conor singing a song of his choice. He was then asked to repeat (clap) rhythms that he heard. Finally, he was asked to repeat one of two notes played simultaneously on the piano. Conor did a lovely job with his song and nailed the rhythms. He struggled with the portion of the audition where he needed to hear and then repeat a note. Because of this, he wasn't invited back for a callback; instead, he was encouraged to try again in 6-12 months. Sometimes this skill can still develop with practice; we aren't sure if he simply doesn't have this skill figured out yet or if his recent double ear infection and fluidy ears impacted his ability to hear the notes.

We are so proud of Conor for putting himself out there and taking a chance. Did he made the choir? No. Did he have fun? Yes. Did he try something new? Yes. Did he take a risk? Yes. Did he get a little reminder that life doesn't always go your way? Yes. Does he care that he didn't make the choir? Nope! (Is my stress level reduced? YES! Selfishly, I'm glad the choir people made the decision for us... it rids me of some mom guilt.) 😃

Way to go, kiddo!!

Newest Funny Kid-isms

Annika's Recent Funny
While singing some Hamilton songs together a couple of days ago, Annika asked "Was Alexander Hamilton real?" I explained that he was part of the U.S. Revolution and what that entailed, as well as how he was behind much of our government's original policies (etc) and he worked to establish the central bank. She then, "A bank? A bank?? He gets all these songs about him for inventing a bank?" (I think she missed the point!)

Conor's Recent Funny
Last night, Eric was at his desk and happened to have a beverage near him. Conor came up to him and said, "Daddy, here you go! I brought you a cup trivet." He then handed Eric a coaster. 

Last Day of School 2017

Yesterday, the kids bid adieu to 1st and 3rd grade.

They'd been counting down to it for the past two weeks with great anticipation. This week was filled with "wrapping it up" activities, including cleaning out their desks at school, bringing home piles of art projects and graded homework, field day, field trips, and a board game party (for Annika's class).

As soon as the last bell rang, the kids came flooding out... and that is when the reality of change hit Conor and he decided he wasn't quite ready for 1st grade to end. The proclaimed that he would really like to have another week or two of school. We talked about how change can be a bit unsettling and that's OK. We also talked up 2nd grade and how much Annika liked having her as a teacher. He seemed a bit more at ease, but also might have just been humoring his crazy old parents.

After school, we zipped home to reveal the surprise we had in store: a family outing to the newly-released Captain Underpants movie followed by lunch at Five Guys. The kids were beyond thrilled!! Not a bad way to start their summer vacation, if you ask them. :)

As I write this post, I can't help but be a bit amazed by how much the kids changed over the school year. Annika has grown almost 3 inches in height and is very close to her goal of growing out her bangs. Conor started out 1st grade without his two front teeth and is now about 2 inches taller than when he started the school year.

  

Conor's Year-end Interview

My favorite thing to play is: Hula-hoop tag

My favorite color is: Chartreuse

My favorite book: The Book with No Pictures

My favorite TV show: Pokemon XYZ

My favorite food: Suckers

When I grow up, I want to: Be a famous soccer player

My favorite thing about 1st grade was: Getting to play Ga-Ga Ball

Something cool I learned this year was: How to tell time

Something I want to learn in 2nd grade is: Multiplication

Something I want to do over the summer is: Go to the Dollar Store

Annika's Year-end Interview

My favorite thing to play is: Kitties

My favorite color is: A glowing red pink

My favorite book: Captain Underpants

My favorite TV show: How to Train Your Dragon

My favorite food: Swedish Meatballs

When I grow up, I want to: Take a vacation to Hawaii

My favorite thing about 3rd grade was: Having a very nice teacher

Something cool I learned this year was: That a right angle is a point of a square or rectangle

Something I want to learn in 4th grade is: Grammar

Something I want to do over the summer is: Go to the pool

Conor's Latest Funny

A few days ago, the kids and I were driving home from Ballard and were stuck at a red light heading. To pass the time, Annika and Conor started reading the signs on the nearby buildings.

I heard them struggle with a word; they kept trying to sound it out, but without any luck. Because the light was so long, I was able to start looking around and realized they were trying to read the word "psychic" on a building. I helped them figure out the word and asked if they knew what a psychic is.

Conor replied, "Yes! It is a super hero's little buddy."

At that moment, I was so grateful that I could grab the steering wheel to within an inch of its life to help control the giggles that wanted to erupt from the core of my very being. After taking a few slow breaths, I was able to say, "Close, but not quite. That's a side kick, honey, not psychic."

Psychic ... side kick ... tomato ... potato