Can you believe it?

I thought having little kids was hard!

Now I have 3 kids in school.

Can we say, drop one off pick another one up,

help with this class party and go to that program!

It has thrown me for a loop, but I'm adjusting

and I'm enjoying watching my little

smarty pants learn and grow.

~~~

Carter is in 4th grade!!  Seriously???

4th grade is the first grade that I remember

ALOT about, and now I have a 4th grader???

Carter has started reading the Harry Potter books.

He is now on book 4, which is exciting for him,

because I haven't let him watch that movie,

so now he can find out what happens.

Dallin is attending an amazing charter school.

I have been so excited to see how well he is

picking everything up.  He has amazing penmanship

and he is reading like a madman!

And there is a little someone named

Olivia

who keeps leaving him notes in his backpack:)

Lyla is loving pre-school!

She will be playing and she'll

start singing songs that she learned in school.

My boys never did this, it has been

so fun to watch her soak everything up like a sponge.

Lately her favorite song is the "months of the year."

Time for an update...

A few times I've thought about putting up a new post, but it depressed me to think how far behind I am.  Just a little update on what has been going on.

I'm so sad to report that our sweet Abby passed away.  The vet called and said she needed more shots, and I was sure we had it all taken care of, but Jason volunteered to take her down and get them done.  The vet is no more than a mile up the road.  On the way home Jason rolled down the windows of the truck and just as he turned around to look at her, she hopped out the window.  He pulled over and picked her up and called me and I could hear her crying in the background.  He had Lyla with him and he wanted to bring her home first, but I told him to take her straight back to the vet.  I met him there and I was mad thinking she was going to have a broken leg and we were going to have to deal with a cast and pain meds.  When the vet walked in the room, I new it was a lot worse than I thought.  She broke both of her back legs so bad that she was going to need pins placed in and they didn't even have a vet there to do the surgery.  The surgery was estimated to be at least $3,000.00.  Jason and I talked about this before we ever got a dog.  A dog is a dog and we aren't going to ever pay a lot of money for a surgery.  They kept her and that night told us that the surgeon said it was too big of a surgery for a little puppy and that he didn't even want to do it, it was best to put her down.  I never thought I would cry over a dog like I did.  We only had her for 2 months and I was sad for days about it.  I spent practically every minute with her for 2 months, and I felt so bad that she was hurt.  I couldn't even go in and say goodbye to her.  Jason and Dallin and Lyla did, but Carter was at school.  He was really upset.  His little friend's mom told me that she heard Carter telling her son that sometimes at school he just starts to cry because he misses Abby so much.  Man, it just breaks my heart.  He loved her so much, she really was his dog.  I can't bring myself to get another dog.  It has been 7 months now and Jason is ready to get another one, I'm really having a hard time wanting to get another one. 
     Jason said that he is going to ask for a dog for Christmas, I just keep saying, "What about a shotgun, wouldn't you rather have a shotgun?"  Then everytime I see them in the paper on sale somewhere, I show them to him and try to get him excited about a shotgun.  He's not letting up.  So we'll see what happens.  My excuse lately is, "Thanksgiving is coming up, it would be hard to have a dog when we're suppose to be traveling."  Maybe when Thanksgiving is over I can use Christmas as an excuse. 
     Isn't every guy like this?  They get something in their head that they want and they don't give up until they get it!    I guess I have to be okay with that because if he wasn't like that then we probably wouldn't be married :) 
    

Meet Abby...

We've been thinking

about getting a dog.

I know, I know,

they're a lot of work,

but I've thought about it

and decided that I was ready.

(knowing that I'll be the one mostly taking care of it)

***

Here is our sweet Abby

Okay...

I know she looks sweet,

but she's got some chompers on her.

I told Jason that she bites

 too much

and too hard,

he thought it is normal puppy behavior

BUT

the vet confirmed that she has

a problem and we need to fix it.

Easier said than done, but we're working on it.

The vet explained

that because she was the runt of the liter

she had to make herself known.

On a good note:

runts are usually very smart

because they have to be able to

figure things out fast to keep up with the others.

It is true,

she is very smart.

I taught her to sit on our first day home.

She picked it up fast and 

also knows come, off, and down.



It is like having a newborn...

1.  I get up with her every 2.5 hours

for potty breaks.

2.  We had the hardest time naming her,

feeling the pressure that she'll have to live

with it forever.

3.  I can't go anywhere for too long,

because I can't leave her in the crate for very long.

4.  I've had a bit of anxiety about what

she is going to need from me,

and how can I entertain her.

5.  I have to deal with poop, 

and I've heard

sometimes throw-up. 

***

I don't come from a family

of animal lovers,

but I've never minded dogs or cats.

We wanted a lab,

I wanted a white lab

Jason wanted a black lab.

Jason wanted a dog he could:

run with

and

hike with

and

hunt with.

I wanted a dog because:

I want my kids to grow up with an animal friend.

I really need the security if Jason has to get deployed again.

If we go camping, she can keep us safe from bears.

***

Just another quick story:

We were going to name the puppy

Iggy,

but after calling her that for a day

it just didn't stick.

Abby was a name that Jason mentioned

and Carter really liked it.

I personally wasn't too fond of it

but after I gave in,

I called her to me and gave her a big love

and called her Abby Cadabby.

I forgot about this darling

Sesame Street character.

So now that I have this cute mental

picture of Abby, I love the name.

{Here's to hoping we make it through the week

with all of our limbs in tact!}

Valentine's Day

I'm going to pat myself on the back for

two posts in one month.

Way to go me!

***

Our

Valentine's Day

started out with heart shaped pancakes! 

The kids made

valentine bags, so that we could do

a valentine exchange.

Lyla was sweet

And let me try heart piggy tails

While Carter was at school,

Dallin had a birthday party to go to.

So Jason took Lyla and I to

The Pizza Factory

for lunch.

After school we had our valentine exchange

Jason and I gave the kids small gifts.

I wasn't sure how Carter would react to his gift,

but he was very excited about his "Kidz Bop"

I got a "woohoo" as he thrust his arms in the air.

And Dallin LOVES anything to do with legos,

especially the lego people, they're his favorite.

So he got a lego people sticker book.

We gave Lyla another Leap Frog movie.

Thanks to these movies

and

 the "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" book

She knows all of her letters by sight and their sound.

She loves anything to do with letters!

I made heart shape sugar cookies

and the kids decorated them after dinner

and took them around to all of their friends,

including our sweet neighbor, Carol.

***

It was such a fun day filled with

FAMILY

and

LOVE

February

I have been so busy playing with Lyla

that I haven't been able to blog.

She has discovered starfall.com.

Every time I sit down at the computer

she runs to my lap to play starfall.

It has made me limit my  

computer time.

***

(Looking back to what I didn't post about)

We had a wonderful Christmas!

It was fun taking the kids around

to all of the family parties.

The boys have loved their gifts

and they're still playing with them

and its February! 

Seriously a record.

***

January:

Jason and I received new callings.

I'm the Young Woman Secretary

and

Jason is the Gospel Essentials Teacher.

It has been a big change for me,

but I'm loving every minute of it.

Just a few pics of January

We went sledding at the Muller Park Jr. High

I'm terrified in this picture.

The hill is HUGE

I screamed the whole way down

and dug my toes in the snow

because I'm pretty sure I was going 55mph

After hiking the hill so many times

we were beat,

but had a great time.

Lyla got a "baby curlz" curling iron

for Christmas. 

This is the first time we used it.

It turned out so stinking cute!

***

Today we went hiking up at Muller Park.

The trail was snowy,

it was fun for a change.

We took 3 of the boy's friends.

They had a great time

throwing snowballs and

sliding around in the snow.

Lyla did great in the hiking backpack.

She was just happy to be outside.

The weather is getting warmer

and the sun has been shining.

Spring is just around the corner.

I can't wait!

November

November is the beginning of "The Holidays"

for the Olsen family.

***

Jason and his Veteran co-workers

had Veteran's Day off of work.

So what do a bunch of men-boys

do on their celebrated day off?

1.  They met at the gas station that was giving away

free doughnuts and soda.

2.  They went to the hills of Saratoga Springs

and shot things with guns (old pumpkins and such)

3.  They went to Applebees for free lunch.

4.  They played 9 holes of golf.

5.  They went out for a free dinner.

A full day of war-vets bonding time.

I wish I had a picture of their group.

But all I got was a picture of the aftermath

of the truck 4-wheelin through the muddy hills.

We got our first big snow.

I really don't like the cold,

luckily I'm married to Jason who

loves playing in the snow with the kids.

Lyla loved being in the snow,

but had a hard time walking from one place to the next.

Jason has his very own tradition

that on the first big snow of the season

he has to build the biggest snowman he can.

Lyla kept on patting the snowman,

she thought he was great.

Another one of Jason's "first snow" traditions

is that he has to build a big ramp for sledding down.

***

Jason ended up having the Wednesday

before Thanksgiving off.

I found out that the Disney "Tangled" movie

came out that day.  Jason said that I could

take the boys and he would be more than happy

to stay home with Lyla.

I loved the movie, it was adorable.

***

Our Thanksgiving weekend

was busier than normal.

It was my siblings turn to be with the in-laws.

So we had a quiet dinner at my mom's without any cousins.

I went Black Friday shopping with my sisters,

which is a Thanksgiving tradition

and Jason took Carter tree hunting which is another tradition.

This year we had the truck, so they went up farther

onto the mountain than previous years.

They hiked until they found the perfect tree

It was GREAT to be able to throw the tree

into the back of the truck

instead

of wrapping a tarp around it and

tying it to the top of the pilot.

After finding the tree,

Jason came and picked me up in Orem

so that we could get back up to Aunt Michelle's

for Thanksgiving with his Mom's side of the family.

Jason's sister was suppose to come in from Washington,

but because of all the crazy blizzards

they decided to post-pone their trip for another time.

She had tickets to the Utah vs. BYU game on Saturday.

She was kind enough to give them to Jason.

It was really cold this Thanksgiving weekend.

I really didn't want to find a babysitter to go and

sit in the cold for 3 hours,

so I suggested Jason take Carter to the game.

Carter got to ride Front Runner for the first time.  

At the game

They had great seats, on the 4th row

This was Jason's first game,

they had a great time and want to go back.

October

October was a busy one for our family.

We harvested all of our vegetables,

and our one little watermelon

(which was very tasty)

Jason had a weekend off

(never happens)

and we needed some family time.

So we went on a stay-cation to Orem

Why Orem?

Because my Dad was celebrating his

60th birthday at the ol' Golden Corral

Saturday afternoon.

Yup, that's Alice on TV,

we watched the Brady Bunch while waiting

for our pizza to be delivered

Carter received his Bobcat

and a bunch of belt loops

at Pack Meeting.

He loves Scouts!

We knew the bad weather was coming on Saturday

so Friday we took one last visit to the zoo.

Carter DID NOT want to go,

so we let him bring a friend.

(Carter was at school all day and wanted to stay home to play the wii,

Jason and I often comment that he has such a hard life.

His parents made him go to the zoo, seriously?

Rough Life!)

Dallin had his field trip to the pumpkin patch again.

We had to stay longer to go through the hay maze a few extra times.

Our annual pumpkin carving went like this:

Mom and Dallin and Lyla decorate the pumpkins

with our potato head pieces

while

Dad tries to get Carter excited to carve the pumpkins.

He wouldn't touch the seeds, but did do a bit of carving,

enough to satisfy Jason anyway.

I decided for Halloween, I wanted to have a little party.

So my sisters came up with their families

and we had yummy soup and sandwiches before trick-or-treating.

Everyone was telling me to put on a costume.

So I threw on a wig and a t-shirt.

I'm Clark Kent or something.

(funny how you throw on a wig and everyone is satisfied)

Jason is a mechanic

Carter is Indiana Jones with his shirt busting open from his muscles

(Carter is very embarrassed of his costume,

but I thought it was hilarious

I bought it and told him he was wearing it...again, a rough life)

Dallin is Venom or the black spiderman

and Lyla is Minnie Mouse.

We had a great Halloween.

This year my kids didn't count down the days like they did last year.

I was kinda bummed,

I think they're growing up a little too fast.

***

I've been busy in the scouts.

We had some big "Den Meetings" in October.

I've learned to like it.

I was hoping when I learned to like it they would release me.

That hasn't happened, so now I'm thinking

when I break down and buy a scout shirt they'll release me.

I don't have any plans to buy a scout shirt.

I wouldn't mind staying in until I get Carter in my group.

So here's to another year and a half!

And if I'm still in after that, I'll buy the scout shirt and see if that works.

Looking back to September

Sitting in my warm house with 8 inches of snow outside,

I was looking back at these pictures and really missing

going outside without a coat.

Here are some highlights of September

***

Our annual camping trip

with my family.

Jason & I took second place in the Ladder Golf Tournament



Kelly braided Lyla's hair, it stayed out of her face all day!

When we got home LATE Saturday night

we found Jason's car like this.

We don't leave our cars parked on the street anymore.



Jason's busted windows.



My sweet Dallin loves school



Dallin started his second year of pre-school



Jason tried to talk Dallin into staying 4 forever,
but he was ready to turn 5

After searching for the perfect cake
and only finding babyish options,
 we decided to make our own

Olsen birthday tradition says that you get to pick out
your own balloons on your birthday. 
Dallin chose Harry Potter.

September is always Utah's Governor's Day.

They have so many fun free activities for the kids.

Carter coming down the zip line at Governor's Day



The kiddos checking out the Blackhawk



Lyla jumping on the bouncy obstacle course.





August in an unorganized nutshell!

Here are our family adventures in August,

in a very unorganized sort of way.

***

August came with its hot weather

and we decided to get up

to them thar mountains

for some fresh air. 

We did luck out with a couple

of thunder storms that brought

lovely rainbows,

 which made for perfect weather for

practicing ninja moves.

The big event of August was hiking

Mount Timpanogos

I was nervous that Dallin would get tired

too quickly, but he hiked the whole trail.

If we stopped to rest for too long,

Lyla would want out of the backpack.

Once she's out, its hard to get her back in.

So our breaks were short and sweet.

Dallin was a trooper, I'm so proud of him!

When you get to a certain point,

you have to leave the baby hiking backpack behind.

Lyla loved walking, but she made me

nervous, getting too close to the edge.

Quick story...

We had to stop on the side of the trail for Dallin to pee.

We reached the bathroom, which was the last

chance to use the bathroom and we made him pee there.

(He had his own camelback and drank like a camel.)

After being in the cave for about 5 minutes

he had to pee again. 

We looked around and decided that

it wasn't appropriate to step off to the side

and pee on the stalagmites,

he was going to have to hold it.

Two minutes later Lyla pooped.

Our cave guide was quite the storyteller

and in our opinion and because of our circumstances

she was very long winded.

We made it out of the cave and the guide

pointed Dallin to an emergency bathroom

and I found a bench to change Lyla.

Hiking down the trail

we were all exhausted, but Lyla especially.

I am so proud of all of us for making it to the top!

Mount Timpanogos has made it into

my top 5 highlights of the year!

The next week we took the boys on their

first fishing trip to Pineview Reservour.

Dallin was afraid of the waves

and felt more comfortable sitting on the sidelines.

I decided last minute that it wouldn't

be a bad idea to throw in the life jacket

for Lyla. 

Good thing,

turns out she isn't afraid of water.

Dallin and I played in the sand

and I reassured him every time a boat went

by that the waves wouldn't get us,

we were safe on the beach.

Only one fish was caught on the trip,

and it was caught by the fisherman with the most experience.

I was thrilled I wouldn't have to eat it.

Then Carter started his first day of third grade.

I haven't heard great things about his teacher,

but so far everything is going good.

I was really nervous for him,

but decided after meeting her

I needed to give her a chance and not pre-judge.

The soccer season has begun!

Carter & Dallin's games overlap,

so Jason and I are taking turns

going to their games.

I didn't know how Dallin would do...

but to my surprise,

he's turning out to be quite aggressive.

So aggressive in fact,

when it was my turn to go to his game

I had to pull him aside during half time

and give him a talk about not

pulling the other kids down and

to stop pulling on their jerseys.

His reply was, "Dad said I could if they did it to me."

That reply has led to some family discussions on the matter.

Carter has done really well.

They have young kids referee

and it is a lot more organized.

He even scored a goal at his first game.

He's really good at controlling the ball and

passing to his teammates when they're open.

However...

he gets discouraged when he is open

and his teammates don't pass him the ball.

He informed us after his last game

that soccer is boring and he doesn't want to play anymore.

My $75.00 tells me that he's going to play

and he's going to like it!



I also turned the big

31

this August.

I'm not really sad to report that there

weren't any pictures taken of this event.

I'm bummed that I'm officially

IN MY 30'S

and not just 30 anymore.

It's pretty sad when you see someone

and think they're

WAY

older than I am

only to find out

they're my age.

Pretty irritating if you ask me,

not to mention

that I'm pretty sure my metabolism has taken a dive.

On a good note,

wait...

I forgot what that good note was.

I guess that's another bonus of

BEING IN MY 30'S