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!.

March Birthday Weekend on Whidbey

This past weekend, we made another trip up to Whidbey to celebrate the March birthday boys. And what a great weekend it was!!

On Saturday, we rose bright and early (much to Annika's chagrin) to catch the 8:30 ferry to the island. Honestly, Annika didn't complain much about getting up early on a Saturday (aside from a few groans of "its already time to wake up???" because it was for her that we had to get there by a certain time. Eric's mom had offered to take Annika to an on-island needle felting class and Annika wanted to participate. During the class (which she loved), Annika learned how to make a needle felted bunny. After the the class and returning to the house, Annika proceeded to make a whole family of bunnies! (You know what they say about rabbits multiplying!)

Conor was curious about the felting process, so Annika very sweetly taught him the techniques she learned during her class. Both kids learned the hard way about aiming the felting needle ... multiple bandaged fingers this weekend!

While Annika and Bestmore were at their class, Conor, Eric, and Bestefar busied themselves on a secret project in the workshop. (I wasn't allowed out there because of the surprise element, so I busied myself making the lemon meringue pie for that evening's birthday festivities.)

Little did I know that the guys were busying themselves making a Canada good napkin holder for our kitchen table. Bestefar has a project book with the template and had the idea all sorted out before our arrival. Together, they cut out the wood pieces and set to assembling the final product. Eric used his dad's wood burning tool to outline the goose and Conor did all of the shading himself. (I'd like it pointed out I didn't hear a single report of anyone getting burned or hurt ... talk about a workshop win!) Conor even burned his name and the year on the inside of the napkin holder, making it extra special.

Our kids have been completely clueless about some plans that have been in the works for going on a year. When I say clueless, I mean NOT A CLUE. Eric's parents have decided to continue their incredibly generous tradition (that started with our two older nieces) of taking each grandchild on a trip to Europe for a week-long tour with the Tauck Bridges program. This weekend, the kids learned about their upcoming trips.

This summer, Bestemor and Bestefar will take Annika to Ireland and in a year or two, they'll take Conor to Italy. The kids were over the moon with excitement as we told them about the trips and all that they'll do. Annika will get to do her Irish dancing while in Ireland (HOLY MOLY), as well as sleep in a castle, learn how to make Irish jewelry, go on a treasure hunt in Dublin, take a train through the Irish countryside, take an Irish cooking class, and more!!

Yup! She's excited!

When Conor's trip rolls around, he'll take a gladiator class, tour the Roman Catacombs, see the Sistine Chapel, visit St. Peter's Basilica, go to Pompeii and a family farm (to learn about how olive oil and cheese are made), take a pizza-making class, and more.

Conor still processing all that he is hearing about his Italy trip

Needless to say, both kids are beyond excited for their upcoming adventures and can hardly wait until it is time to go. Conor had an extra bit of excitement when he realized he'll get the kids' summer nanny for himself for an entire week this summer while Annika is in Ireland. (They do love Miss Emma!) That's his bonus for having to wait longer for his trip. :)

As if learning about big trips wasn't enough, we had THREE birthdays to celebrate on Saturday. (I told you, this was one heck of a fun weekend!) Conor received a really neat present from Bestemor and Bestefar - Bloxels. It is a kit (of sorts) that helps kids learn about computer coding and how that ties in with video game creation. One of Conor's current future career goals is to be a video game builder, so this is perfect for him!

Eric received a new X-box video game controller. We seem to go through them a bit faster than anyone would hope or expect due to people who shall remain nameless (cough cough ... the kids) dropping them on the floor. I have a feeling Eric might keep this one under lock and key so he's the only one using it!

Bestefar received some really neat gluten-free flour called Einkorn and a baking book specifically tailored to use that kind of flour from Bestemor, a golf book from Annika and Conor, and a snow blower from Eric/me, Eric's brother/sister-in-law, Eric's sister/brother-in-law, and Bestemor. (Eric's dad shoveled their driveway during Snowmageddon 2019 and I decided that a snowblower was a better alternative... everyone else agreed!) Of course, this probably means we won't get any snow for a few years. HA!

The rest of the weekend was filled with playing card and dice games, catching up, playing with the dogs, lounging around, and just being together.

OH! Eric's dad and I got a little time together in the shop, too. It is always fun to build something in the shop with him because he's great at teaching what to do and why you do it a certain way. He even taught me how to confirm a measuring tape's accuracy ... something "many of those young construction guys don't know how to do". Now I'm feeling official! Because I haven't given the item we made away yet, I'll keep it as a bit of a secret for now. Shhhh....

Catching up: Fall 2018 (so far)

This morning, I realized that my last blog post covered Annika's birthday. Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind since then and I'll do my best to recap our patiently awaiting readers. (Well, I'm assuming your patient, considering no one has submitted any complaints ... and I think you for that!)

The weekend after Annika's birthday, the Olson Four piled into the car and headed down to Portland, OR for a family wedding. My cousin Terri's daughter (Kirstee) got married at a gorgeous location about 45-minutes outside of Portland. One of my other cousins (Tammy) invited us to crash at her house with a few other family members, so it turned into quite a family reunion/slumber party. I'm pretty sure there were seven kiddos who slept in the basement while their respective adults found beds upstairs. Talk about a full house! We drove down to Portland the day of the wedding and found ourselves in the middle of a decent bout of hot weather. We unloaded the car, said a quick hello to everyone in the house, changed into our fancy-schmancy clothes, and headed out to the wedding. It was a lovely ceremony at a gorgeous vineyard.

The wedding itself was fun and personable. It was great to catch up with so many of our extended family members and reconnect with some we haven't seen in a few years.

Kirstee

Annika and Eric 

Conor and Annika at the "post ceremony, fingers foods" portion of the reception

"OK, now walk away from me and hold hands and avoid the bees!" 

Kirstee's grandmothers were the two flower girls.
This is my Aunt Marie in her glower girl attire. How cute is this????

Married!

Hoehn Bend Farm
If you heard a few random shrieks of delight near the end of August, that was probably me expressing my excitement about returning to the farm we visited last summer. Yes, I really was THAT excited about being surrounded by the farm's critter and enjoying the open space that I could barely contain myself. Last year before we visited the farm, I was excited. This year, I was a combination of excitement and contentment. Knowing what to expect and the calmness I feel at the farm made the anticipation of this year's trip even that much better. As soon as we arrived, I could feel my heart rate slow and my smile get bigger. Farmer Terry was there to greet us, as were Maggie and Sadie, the farmers' dogs. Eric barely parked the car before the kids were high-tailing it to reacquainting themselves with the goats, pig, chickens, and miniature donkeys. They knew right where to go, where things were, and what to do.

Because we were repeat visitors, we already had a good idea of the farm's tasks and how to complete them. I quickly found myself in the barn (pitchfork in hand) feeding the cows and transporting the chickens from the barn to the chicken run. The kids were johnny-on-the-spot any time an egg was ready to be collected or chickens needed to be fed.

When we visited the farm last summer, we were on calf patrol, but sadly we were a few weeks too early and missed out on the babies. This year, there were LOTS of calves there for us to enjoy... 13 to be exact! Three more calves were expected to drop, so each morning and evening, we would wander out into the cow pasture and count the calves and lay eyes on the three remaining expectant mamas.

The kids loved jumping on the marshmallows of hay in the barn, and considering the wet weather we had, it was a great indoor activity that helped them burn off some energy! The outdoor marshmallows proved to be great climbing structures, too.... although a bit more worrisome for me because they were wet and more likely to cause a fall (which they didn't).

A few more farm photos from our weekend on the farm.....

Conor playing frisbee with me

Heading out to visit (and count) the cows with Farmer Terry

Putting the kids to work

Feeding the cows is hard work!

Conor and Farmer Terry taking hay to the donkeys

A little R&R on the farm

Game night at the farm

Uncle Dave joined us for our 2nd night on the farm

Eric communing with one of the cows ... MOO!

First Day of School
On September 4th, the kids said goodbye to summer break and hello to school. Annika started 5th grade (Ms. Adler's class) and Conor started 3rd grade (Ms. Fairbanks' class).

Fall = Soccer Season
Both of our kids signed up to play on their class soccer teams. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I have a true love/hate relationship with soccer season. I love the exercise and the team atmosphere for the kids. What I am less keen on is the pressure on our schedule and all of the driving to/from soccer fields.

Annika was her teams' goalie again this year and LOVED it. She is one tough cookie and took more than one ball in the gut to save a goal. She thrives in the goal. Over the summer, her coach helped her fine-tune some skills knowing that Annika would be in the goal the majority of the season.

Conor was on a team that was comprised of boys from three different schools. His team had rotating positions, but he did get to  play goalie during one or two games this season. He says that he likes to play goalie, but REALLY likes to be a forward because there's more running involved with that position.

Annika had practices (at two different fields) Monday and Wednesday evenings. Conor had practices on Wednesday evenings ... at an overlapping time as Annika's practice and at a completely different field (of course). Both kids also had games on Saturdays... never at the same place! So, Eric and I put on our "tag team soccer parents" hats and took turns taking each kiddo to his/her soccer game. It worked out well, but (in all honesty) it will be nice to have a bit more breathing room in terms of our schedule for a bit. (Annika will play volleyball this winter, so I may be back to driving all over before I know it!)

*I don't have any of Conor's soccer photos on my phone, but will post some from my real camera soon!!


Time for Tears
The definite low point for our fall was the passing of our sweet Buca. We've known for a few years that he'd been experiencing neurological decay (as the vet put it) that impacted his hind legs ... and that was in addition to his ACL issues. On September 22, Buca tried to stand up, yelped, and simply couldn't use his hind legs. We knew it was time to let him go. It was a terrible choice to make, but we knew anything different would have been selfish on our part. Each of us had a chance to say goodbye. There have been plenty of tears since that day, but we are slowly finding a new normal. My eyes still dart over to where his water bowl was to see if it needs to be refilled. The funny thing is we hear sounds in the house that we attributed to him .... and now are realizing maybe they weren't him... or maybe it was and this is his way of saying "hi" from Dog Heaven.

Buca Olson
March 14, 2005- September 22, 2018

Bite of Broadview
Just like every other year, we have participated in BOB, but as planners and as participants. This year, however, was a bit different because I also took on the job of Espresso Cart chair. There was a STEEEEEEEP learning curve and plenty of "what have I gotten myself into??" moments leading up to the 3-day event, but it all turned out great. The weather cooperated, the kids had a great time, and I survived being in charge of the espresso cart (barely). The kids rode rides to their hearts content, we got henna tattoos, and enjoyed the various musical performers. All-in-all, a winner of a weekend!

Conor's Pokemon henna

My orca henna

Annika's flower henna

Annika and Conor on the ferris wheel

Hello from the fun house

Of course we stopped for ice cream along the way!

Wheeeeeeee

New couch
We (finally) upgraded the old couch Eric and I got sometime around circa 2002. It had been destroyed by time, kids, and good ol' Smudge. We picked out the new couch last spring, but waited until late summer so we could take advantage of the store's annual upholstery/furniture sale. I love, love, love our new couch! It is super comfy and looks great in the TV room. (Like my "FAMILY" photo collage on the wall? Yeah, me too!)

Annika the Lab Rat
If you have your kids at UWMC, they ask if you'd be interested in signing up for periodic research studies that UW does. Of course, we did! Over the years, the kids have been called on to participate in studies, but usually associated with the softer science: behavioral, emotional, empathy, etc. This time, Annika was selected to participate in a study that the Brain Research Institute is conducting. It was a 3-session commitment and it was beyond cool! During one of the sessions, they recorded her brain waves while she performed tasks on a computer. During the final session, they did 75 minutes of MRI scans on her (while she watched the Lego movie).

Annika's neuropathways

Annika's beautiful, bumpy brain

Whidbey Visit
The kids didn't have school one day in October due to a teacher in-service day, so we opted to hop on the ferry and visit Eric's parents for part of the day... and I am so glad we did!! In all honesty, it was probably the perfect way for us to spend the day. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was if Eric has been able to join us. We did Halloween crafts, played games, spent time outside with the dogs (a much-needed thing!), and caught up with Eric's parents.

Heading to Whidbey

Conor being goofy on the ferry

Annika modeling Bestemor's old dress-up wig and glasses

Annika and her yarn spider

Lots of yarn spiders

Our silly boy!