What was I thinking!!

On Friday, something possessed me to join the gym. Can you believe it! I wanted to do something for myself and my naked silhouette in the mirror is not as attractive as it could be. I want to be as active and "in-shape" as I used to be. I went in on Friday, signed up and started right then!! It was so EASY!! 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes on circuit then 15 minutes on the treadmill. Piece of Cake!!! I felt SO good. I was all sweaty and out of breath, it was great. Then I woke up Saturday morning. Do I need to continue. I was sore, needless to say, but I was able to function pretty well. Then, I woke up Sunday morning. OH MY GOODNESS!! SO SORE!! I could not believe how bad my muscles hurt. It was so hard not to waddle through the church. It was very hard to sit with my legs crossed during the meetings. Then I got home and I felt even worse. I don't remember ever feeling so sore in my life. Guess what? I am going back today!! I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning!!

Another "Tag" Post

I was recently tagged by one of my favorite cousin-in-laws, Ashley. I know you all LOVE these so here it goes!!

Here are the rules:

1. Answer questions from your blog list of friends and family.
2. If you don’t have 18 names on your list, just pick one for the last question.
3. Tag 3 other people. (It was 5 but I changed it to 3.)

When did you meet the 1st person on your list?
Alicia. I met her back in 2003 I believe when I was in the ORIGINAL 6th Ward. She and Nicole were my visiting Teachers. I had a great time when they would come over and visit because we would just chat away and visit and occasionally we would have a lesson. Today, I enjoy reading her blog very much!

What do you like about the 3rd person on your list?
Ashley. I have watched her grow up. Literally. When you live in Warden you know everyone. She is like 7-8 years younger than me so I remember watching her grow up and go through high school, get married, and now she is a mommy?! Crazy! She truly is a sweetheart, so easy to get along with and she always has a welcoming smile on her face!!

What do you like best about the 5th and 6th people on your list?
Erin and Heather. Erin is also a cousin-in-law. We met the year both of us got married. Kevin and I were married in September of 1997 and Erin and Chris were married in December of 1997. We don't get to see them very often because they live in Vegas but are soon locating to the Spokane area. Heather I met in the 6th Ward as well. She is so funny, great sense of humor. I love her house, it is decorated to nicely and I LOVE her Scentsy product!! I think I may need some more actually!!

How long have you know the 9th person on your list?
I am counting Jodi as #9 because Heather is on my list twice. Jodi I met I believe, well, gosh, I am not Even sure when. Kevin knew Mick from their youth I think and I met Jodi one time when Kevin and Mick ran into each other somewhere a few years back when we first moved to Pasco I think. I think we may have played some softball together, too. I miss playing softball!!! And also, Ashley on my list is related to Jodi, so ya, small world!

What impresses you about the 11th and 12th people on your list?
Kate and Kim. Kate is amazing. I can relate to her in that we are both converts to the church. She has an amazing testimony. She is very pretty and extremely talented. I love her cakes!! Kim, another OG 6th Warder. She is so well-rounded. She can do it all it seems! I am impressed that she has the patience to run a pre-school out of her home. I could never do it!! She is a very inviting person, and has always made me feel "included".

What is a memory of the 16th?
Lindsay. I remember when they first moved into 6th Ward and we would hang out in the nursery because Jacob and Carson were not comfortable without us yet. We learned that we were both from the same area, Moses Lake/Warden. I remember one time (hopefully she won't mind me sharing this) we discussed whether or not we felt like we "fit in" with the "Mormon girls", both being converts to the church. Lindsay, I think I can safely say you "fit in" very well, and you have lots of amazing friends that likewise think you are amazing, including me.

Something nice about the 18th?
Nicole. Where do I begin. She is so honest. She is just Nicole and doesn't pretend to be anything but. She also has a way of making you feel invited and welcome. It may be months since you talked to her last, but you can pick up with her right where you left off. I have enjoyed chatting with her while we are at the boys' baseball practices before she rushes off to a SECOND practice that same night!!

Okay, so I guess it is my turn to Tag, so I choose, Lisa, Tiffani H, and Nicole. Sorry, I know another "List", but this one is nice I think.

FREEZING!!!

Are you sure it is April? It is flippin' cold outside!! Thank you Coach Steve for canceling baseball practice and sorry Kayla for skipping Tee-Ball yesterday but I am just too darn COLD!!! Please bring warmer weather May!!

The Karate Kid

Jacob has been taking TKD classes for about 2 months now and he absolutely loves it. He attends Pacific Kicks behind Sonic on Gage. On Friday he tested for his Gold belt and passed. He was very excited. There are nine different belt levels. Anyway, here are some pictures of my little Karate Kid.




We admittedly went out and bought the original Karate Kid movie and made Jacob watch it. He really like it. It brought back old memories. Lindsay's post made me laugh.





This is a picture of him getting ready to be tested to "graduate" from a White belt to a Gold belt. There are Gold belts here as well testing up to Orange belt level.




This picture is of Jacob bowing to the head teacher guy or the "master" after he has passed and being presented a certificate and his new belt. I didn't get a very good angle but it was really neat.

Before they test they need to have their school teacher fill out a sheet about their attitude and personality at school and the parents also have to fill out a sheet. They also want a copy of their report cards to make sure their grades are where they should be. I really liked this.

The next pictures are of the "graduating class" of the month and Jacob wearing his Gold belt for the first time.





We are very proud of him and now he is thinking already of mastering his Gold Belt combinations and earning his Orange Belt. Now I have my own personal body guard!!


*** On a completely different note. I started reading Twilight yesterday and am enjoying it so far. Also here is a picture of the haircut I asked Rebecca to give me. She got it right on. She did a great job, now I just need to learn to style it the way she did!

Spring Break

I have been absent from blogging since spring break 1) to spend time with the kids over spring break and 2) to see if I could live without blogging. I found that I can live without blogging but it's not as fun. I felt like I was under a rock and I missed stalking all of your pages to see what you were all up to. So now I am back, and this is what we did over spring break.

I taught the kids how to make flour tortillas. I have no pictures because my hands were full, but we all had a great time. We went to the Playground of dreams on another day and had a picnic. We had so much fun. Unfortunately I forgot the camera (can you say 'bad mommy') so no pictures of that either. But I do have pictures of our FHE/Spring Break project.



Kevin and Jacob made these awesome "garden boxes", one for everyone.

Then we went and everyone got to pick out four of their own plants to take care of and "raise". Jacob chose a tomato plant (so his dad can make salsa), a strawberry plant (so I can make strawberry shortcake), a mum, and a daisy. Kayla chose a tomato plant and a strawberry plant for the same reasons as Jacob, a purple petunia and a pink Geranium. Surprise , surprise on the colors she chose, right? Kevin and I chose cilantro and jalapenos so we could make salsa. Anyway, we had a great time and it was fun to see them so excited about having their own "garden" to take care of. We moved them into the garage while it was really cold but they are back outside again. Can't wait to make some yummy salsa fresh from our own garden!!














Also on a side note - I would like to give a big shout out and a huge Thank You, Thank You to Rebecca for the amazing haircut she gave me when I was in an "I'm going to shave my head" moment!! I love it!!

All Star Cheer on TV

For those of you who are interested, they will be airing the All Star National Cheer Competition on April 5 at 12:00 pm and on April 7 at 2:00 pm on ESPN 2. They will probably only show a clip of Forces' routine since they didn't place Top 10 but it should be fun to watch if you like that sort of thing like me!!

It's GREAT to be 8!

On Sunday, Jacob was invited to attend the "It's great to be 8" information night that was put on bu our AMAZING Primary Presidency. Thank you very much ladies! Jacob will be 8 in August. Can you believe it? I surly can't. Anyway, it was wonderful. He is so excited now. I think he is more excited for Cub Scouts than anything else, honestly. It was very neat. We went to the Stake Center and they got to "tour" the baptismal font and the changing rooms. We got a check list of things to do before the baptism. It was very informative. I appreciated that because I realized I have no idea what I am doing? From my research I have found that some families make the baptisms big, grand events with slide shows and professional photography, professionally printed invitations, etc. I was way overwhelmed. Then I found that others keep it simple. It's about the baptism, right. Anyway, I find myself now wondering WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? Any suggestions or ideas?

FREE

Leave it to a country song to get me thinking and make me feel mushy. It wasn't a song about a dog or a farmer or anything like that. I was driving home today from picking up Kayla at preschool and a song I believe called, "You're gonna miss this" came on one of the country radio stations. Yes, I love country music. So anyway, I hadn't heard this song and I started listening to the words.

It started out with a high school girl complaining about school and wishing she was 18 and couldn't wait for her life to start. Her mother tells her, "You're gonna miss this". I started thinking about high school. It was so much fun. I was a cheerleader, I hung out with the "in" crowd, I played softball and was really good, I got good grades, went to all the football and basketball games, Homecoming and Prom, bon fires, boyfriends. It was great. I was so FREE.

The second verse talked about the girl being a young bride. Her dad came over to visit her small, one bedroom apartment and he tells her it's a nice place. She says it'll do for now and starts talking about a bigger house and babies, etc. Her dad says, "You're gonna miss this". I reflected back to My and Kevin's first apartment in Kennewick. It was actually pretty nice. We ate a lot of hamburger helper and laughed a lot. Our dining room table was a card table and two lawn chairs. We had mismatched furniture that we bought at yard sales. There wasn't a lot of money, but we had each other. We would just decide on a Saturday morning to drive to Coure D'Alene and we would. Little road trips together on the weekends were so much fun, we were so FREE.

The last verse, if I remember right, talked about her water heater being broken and a repair man, I think, coming over to fix it. Kids were crying and fighting and the everydays of life were around her. She apologizes to the man for her kids and he tells her that they aren't bothering him at all. He has two children of his own that are grown up and gone now, "You're gonna miss this". (This is were I admittedly ALMOST started crying. I got that lump in my throat. You know what I mean, right.) I started thinking about now. Today. My home, my husband, my three kids, my church, My life. It's so great. We are always busy. Baseball and gymnastics. School and church callings. My house is sometimes clean. We order pizza. We laugh. We go to church as a family with no argument. We play games, we are so FREE. I miss the right now already and it's not even gone yet. I am truly happy and blessed to be able to recognize all the wonderful things I have right now. I am happy to live in the now and in no hurry to start another chapter (or verse) of my life.

Darn that country music!

Olson Update

I thought I'd take this opportunity to update all on the goings on of the Olson family.

First up ...



Kevin. Today happens to be his 31st birthday!! I am so lucky to have him. He is an amazing father and a wonderful husband. He has many talents but they sometimes go unnoticed because he tends to hold back and let others take center stage. He is wonderful in so many ways, so I'll just say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART" and leave it at that.




Next. . .



ME. I am doing great. I think I am starting to get into a routine now that I am a stay at home mom. Then I realized that spring is coming and the kids start all of their spring sports. Change my routine again. But that is okay. I am enjoying being home and I won;t have to miss a single baseball game this year!! I need to find time to fit in some exercise, but whats a few extra pounds!! I love my callings in church. I teach the third Sunday in Releif Society and am an Activities Day Advisor. Being an Activities Day Advisor helps me to get to know the younger girls in church and our activities together are always so fun. I love the women who I work with. They are so creative and amazing. Teaching Releif Society has been a challenge. I really enjoy this calling and I canlt explain why. I am very thankful for all that I have.

Jacob . . .



I don't know where to start. He amazes me. He likes to be the best at everything which isn't always good, but he strives to do his best. He had a very good report card. (His teacher just had her first baby so wasn't able to have a parent/teacher conference, report cards just got sent home. It's nice to hear other people tell you how wonderful your kids are. He is currently taking tae-kwon do classes at Pacific Kicks and earned his white belt last week. Now he is working towards his gold belt. He really enjoys tae-kwon do. He is also anxiously awaiting baseball season to start. He is a busy little boy!!


Next up . . .



Kayla. One word. Giggly!! I love her laugh/giggle. It is so infectious. I absolutely love to hear her laugh. It makes me so happy. Her eyes literally sparkle! She loves gymnastics and cheer, which also makes mom very happy, and loves being a girl!! She is so girly! She is also little miss fashion. She loves preschool with Mrs. Hughes and can't wait to start kindergarten in the fall. She also will be starting T-Ball soon. Thanks to having a 16 year old aunt, my sister Ashley, she can sing you just about any song that you hear on the radio. Her favorite thing in the whole world right now is HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!!

Last but not least . . .



My little Kelsie. This is her saying "Cheeese". I love her curls. She gets them from me! She loves to laugh and play with her brother and sister. Unfortunately, they give her whatever she wants so when she is with other children it makes things difficult. She just had her first official day in nursery this past Sunday. I was happy and sad at the same time. She is just like me, so we get on each others nerves very easily. She loves to dance especially to Mexican music, she has my rhythm as well. She loves the sacrament at church and always wants more.

So there we are. The Olson's!!

So as you may know I had the opportunity to attend the National All-Star Cheer leading Competition in Orlando, FL earlier this month. It was amazing!!! I had the time of my life and it was a definite dream come true. This little collage that I put together are some of the highlights of my sisters 2008 year. Her team did GREAT! There were 26 teams in her division. It was the biggest division in the competition. They didn't get a top ten place like they had hoped, but they did really well. They placed 20Th, but let me tell you, that is good when you put them up against the teams from Georgia, Texas and Tennessee. The Georgia teams basically swept the entire competition all the way across the board. They are truly amazing!! But our girls held their own. After the competition there was an "after party" at Disney's Animal Kingdom. It was open only to the cheerleaders and their families. I don't know if I have ever been to an after party, but this party was so much fun!! I felt like I was 16 again. I held back at first, tried to be conservative, the responsible chaperon, you know. But then I thought this is once in a lifetime and I was out on the dance floor with my sister and her team. It was sooo fun! I learned a dance called the Cupid Shuffle which is basically a new hip-hop version of the electric slide. They played some old school music from my high school days, you know, House of Pain-JUMP AROUND, I know you know what song I am talking about. And some of the girls thought it was a new song. PLEASE! WE made that song cool!! My thighs were hurting the next day. I don't know how those girls do it. Anyway, my trip was a blast and I am very proud of the Elite Force Cheer squad for their amazing season. The competition will air in April I believe on ESPN and on FOXNW so watch your local listings for times and dates!!