Winter 2023

 James turns 12!

We celebrated James turning twelve with a trip to Universal Studios.  The boys had never been before so it made it extra special.  We were joined by Uncle Peter and Sarah and Jacob Whitehead. It was an amazing time from start to finish.  

The boys loved seeing the Hogwarts ride and riding Harry's Forbidden Journey.  To prepare we watched a different Harry Potter movie in the evenings all week.  The castle did not disappoint and Foster was even able to try out Scott's want around Hogsmead.  

That evening we headed out of the park for some dinner on the Universal City Walk and then went right back in....even if all of the adults were feeling pretty tired...for round two of Universal Studios.  It was so fun to be there during the night hours to ride Jurassic Park and make our way back to the Hogwarts Castle one last time for an evening ride on the Forbidden Journey.  

James said Jurassic Park was his favorite ride and it definitely was the scariest ride of the day.  From doing our best not to get wet, to the thrill of being scared by dinosaurs at night and lastly to the death defying drop at the end.  Lots of screaming and laughing and even some crying.  But we'll never forget it.

James ended the day by picking out his birthday present, a TREX dinosaur from the Jurassic World store.  He said it is the last dinosaur he will ever buy....we'll see about that!  Foster lucked out and left with a Dodger Jersey and also met one of his favorites...Bettlejuice!

Some Stats on James

Favorite food: In N Out Burger

Favorite treat: chocolate cake

Favorite candy: Twix

Best Friends: Jacob Whitehead, Hudson McEwan, Atticus Bellasario, Simon Brailsford

Favorite subject: math

Favorite movie: Spiderman No Way Home/Jurassic World

Favorite sport: cross country

Favorite show: The Office

Favorite place to go: Target

Favorite thing to do: watch wrestling live

Favorite song: I feel like a Monster

Favorite toy: WWE characters/ dinosaurs

Bucket List Item: Attend Wrestlmania in person

Mi Ani's Birthday at Hogwarts

I know what you're thinking....didn't you just go to Universal Studios?  And the answer is YES.  But when Mi Ani said she wanted to spend her birthday at Hogwarts it was a resounding "Let's Go!"  It was the perfect day in February, the park was empty, the weather was perfect and all were happy.  The boys rode The Mummy for the first time with Haley and we hit up all of our favorite rides at least once.  The boys loved the WaterWorld show and we ate all of our favorite treats like Butter Beer, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Churros.  Universal is quickly becoming the new Disneyland for the Olsons.

Foster loves to take photos with all of the characters and I love to take photos.  It's a win win.

The boys had to get a pic with this amazing shark or should I say the remains of this amazing shark at the WaterWorld set.

This was us on the Jurassic Park ride.  I love Sarah Whitehead's description of this ride..."There's only one way out of this ride and it's through it".  We always get a little nervous for the death-defying drop at the end but it's worth it every time!

A great day with my boys, Mi Ani and Haley and our new favorite spot.  

Other Happenings

This winter we were blessed with so much rain which meant lots of days watching Harry Potter and making muffins!  After all that rain we were left with a paradise of wild flowers and green hills. We have loved being outside and enjoying the beauties San Diego has had to offer this winter.  One of our favorite hikes is Torrey Pines Preserve.  We've done with hike with the older two boys many times and now Crosby is getting in on the action.  The boys found some sea glass and a sea weed root that we took home and now display on our mantle.  We love bringing home souvenirs from our adventures!

Torrey Pines  Preserve

San Diego Safari Park

Crosby and I have loved our adventures this winter.  From our rainy days at the Safari Park, hiding in the bamboo forest to exploring the Natural History Museum and Model Railroad Museum.  I am cherishing this time with him.  He's grown up enough to be a little companion for me and I know before I know it, he will be  away at school each day.  

Balboa Park

We had grandma and grandpa over for Valentine's Dinner this year.  Meatloaf and mashed potatoes with ice cream pie were on the menu and then lots and lots and lots of Sees Candy.  We also had our famous Valentine floats made with vanilla ice cream, strawberry soda and licorice straws.

Our family was asked to speak in the Julian Brach in February.  Scott and I each gave talks, Foster played the piano and both grandma and grandpa gave the prayers.  After the meeting we were invited to expire the Faulkner ranch and the boys and I absolutely loved visiting all the animals on the farm.

James and Hudson at their band concert.

James decided not to go to 6th grade camp so instead he hung around with me and Crosby.  We took one day and went to Universal Studios and another day we teamed up with the Reimer's  for some mini golf and burgers.  He was pretty glad he passed on camp to hang out with us!

Crosby started soccer and swimming this winter.  He likes mom to be on the field with him but he is great at following directions and does a great job making goals and having fun with his class.  He especially loves the bouncy balls at the end of each class.  He is having a blast swimming with Coach Damon and is making strides towards being more comfortable in the water.  Our little routine has brought us both a lot of joy.  

James and Foster have joined the San Diego Elite Track Team and are running three times a week.  They have competed in two meets, James runs the 1500 and Foster runs the 100.  They doing a great job and Scott has even started to help coach the field events.  I see a lot of running in their future!

Grandma Olson and Pop-Pop also decided to move to San Diego!  They purchased a beautiful home in San Marco and move in early summer.  We are excited to have them so close.

All in all it's been a wonderful winter full of rain and routine.  Two things I absolutely love!!!

Winter/Spring/Summer 2020

Winter 2020

James Turns 9

 There was much to do in the first months of 2020, moving into our new house took lots of time and there were many projects to complete.  But we started off the winter by celebrating James turning 9.  We invited friends over for pizza, cake, some Star Wars and a light saber fight.  It was all very James and he had a blast.  The advantage to having a fixer upper is that boys can run through the house and they really can't mess anything up.  Even Scott got in on the light saber fight.  

All the Activites

We attended Foster's patriotic play in February which was fun and both boys started sports.  James started soccer and Foster started baseball.  We also got to enjoy Foster's piano recital.  He is becoming a great piano player and I'm always so impressed at how at ease he is at his recitals.  Foster also dressed up for the 100th day of school.  I think old man Foster is pretty cute.

Opening Night for Little League was a great time.  Foster is so excited to play on the Braves with his good buddies Christopher and Hagan.

James and Hudson signed up to play on the same soccer team this season.  Their team name was The Radioactive Muffins.  Oh my. 

Then Everything Changed.....

The world as we know it changed on March 13, 2020 when due to Coronavirus, a global pandemic, we were forced to quarantine indefinitely. School was shut down and I had the task of teaching the boys the remainder of first and third grades with  little help from the school district.  Church was shut down and we had home church where we learned out of the Come Follow Me Manual.  Gatherings of 10 or more people were not permitted.  We were told to stay six feet apart from anyone outside of our household and to where masks whenever outside our home.   It was a scary, isolated time where we did our best to make life feel as normal as possible when nothing was normal.  Scott worked from home for two months which made teaching the older boys easier as he held Crosby through most of his meetings.  Being a mother to an infant and teacher to two boys while never being able to see friends and family was very discouraging.  But we did our best to make learning fun and to get out for walks around the neighborhood, hikes and drives.  We survived but we will never forget the difficulties of this time in our lives.

The boys and I created tie dyed shirts one afternoon just for fun.  These shirts were worn frequently during our quarantine.  

The boys wanted to learn how to make a cake so we dedicated some homeschool time to them making and decorating and of course EATING their very own chocolate cake.

Homeschool P.E. meant lots of walks around our new neighborhood.  Vineland Hills has plenty of walking paths for us to explore and lots of boulders to climb.  This became a highlight of our day.

The boys did their best, learning from home.  We tried to make it as fun as possible but there were days when we all needed a break from the mother/child teaching thing.  And some days they ended up with diapers on their heads, watching a movie.  It's about balance.

Spring 2020

Home Renovations

The backyard needed so much work when we moved in and what better time to do it then quarantine.  The boys shoveled bags and bags of red lava rock to create a new space for our fire pit.  Bella enjoyed laying on the warm bags in the afternoon sun.  After working on the yard for a couple of months, it became the yard we imagined it could be.  It was a beautiful transformation that the entire family played a part in creating.  Crosby didn't do much work but he's so cute we let him get away with it.

The boys helped Scott put together this bench for our front yard.  While sitting on the bench you get the most perfect view of Mount Woodson.

Before pics of the yard.....

Things definitely got worse before they got better!

Grandpa taught the boys about sprinkler lines and had them help him in the front yard.

After pics of the yard... 

Outdoor hikes proved to be a great activity that kept us away from other people but provided a relief from being in our house all the time.  Good thing there are so many beautiful spots all around us.  We did many different hikes from Lake Poway, Blue Sky, Mount Laguna and more.  

Crosby was a wonderful part of being home.  We had all of the time in the world to enjoy our sweet baby boy.

Scott and the boys had a campout one night in Spring.  Crosby, Bella and I slept snug as bugs inside.

Easter

Easter felt very different this year.  We had an Easter service via Zoom with the Olson family.  I gave a talk and Foster played a hymn on the piano.  Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for socially distanced Easter Egg hunt.  It was unusually cold this Easter which seemed to fit out circumstances.  But the boys had a blast hunting for baskets and eggs and we even had a socially distanced drive by Easter Egg Hunt at the Ewell's.

Foster Turns 7

Foster celebrated his birthday during quarantine which meant he had a drive-by birthday party.  Friends drove by, threw candy, honked and even brought him presents.  Even though it was a different type of birthday party, he had a blast collecting all his goodies.  The family came over for some socially distanced birthday cake and presents.  And mom and dad surprised Foster with an above ground pool which the boys played in all day.  The pool got lots of use during our days at home.

Last Day of School

The Last day of first and third grade was very anticlimactic.  We finished school at home and then closed our computers for the summer.  There was not much celebration other than a total feeling of relief.  No more trying to create assignments for them, teach math, make up essay prompts, grade their work, nag them to do their work all while watching a baby.  We survived.  

Summer 2020

Summer looked a lot like winter and spring.  Still in quarantine, working on the house and occasionally seeing family but mostly on our own.  Life resembled the movie Groundhog Day.  

Interior Renovations

 

Dining Room

Entryway

Kitchen nook 

Crosby's Room

Mudroom

Fun in the Sun

For the first few months of quarantine the beach was also closed.  Then it was open to walking on the beach but no sitting.  Finally, by summertime, you could sit on the beach six feet away from anyone not in your immediate family.  So we spent many Saturday's at the beach.  Crosby is definitely a beach boy, he absolutely loves playing in the sand but he is still not too sure about the water.  After mornings at the beach, our tradition was to drive through McDonald's for an ice cream cone and some french fries.  These little pleasures became huge for us.  

The above ground pool became another source of fun.  We created a "pod" of kids that we hung out with during quarantine. The boys each had one friend they did things with.  Foster was allowed to play with Hudson McKay, his best friend on our street.  And James played with Jacob Whitehead.  Those playdates were treasures for the boys.

After years of putting it off, James learned to ride a bike during quarantine. 

We broke in the fire pit on many occasions.  Roasting marshmallows and watching outdoor movies.  We tried to keep summer fun even though public spaces were closed down.  We had to create a backyard with lots to do.  We had family over for outdoor movies nights too.

Trips to Grandma and Grandpa's house became a fun outing as well.  Often times Grandpa would pick up lunch for everyone and we would hang out for the afternoon.  The boys were introduced to Kentucky Fried Chicken from grandpa and it became one of their favorites.

We also were able to take a trip to Santa Barbara.  We fed donkeys, went to the Santa Barbara Zoo and swam in the Sorenson's pool.  Scott brought his electric skateboard and spent time riding with his dad.

Losing Bella

After ten years with our Bella, she passed away July 13, 2000.  After a surgery for an abscessed tooth, her health declined rapidly.  I was deeply saddened by her passing.  She had been my shadow for ten years and a constant companion.  During quarantine there were many low days but none were harder than the day we lost Bella.  We made the decision to let her go and because of quarantine, I had to go alone to the vet's office to say goodbye.  I'll never forget that day.  Twenty minutes before I took her in, I held her under the Jacaranda tree and said goodbye.  Then the family each took a turn saying goodbye to Bella.  For weeks after, I felt her loss.  She was the dog that saw all our kids as babies.  She was here before them.  She was a staple in our home and without her in it, it felt very sad.  We'll never forget her.

Andrea and Julia Warren both painted pictures of Bella .  Such a sweet gesture.

Hindsight is 2020...

When I look back at out time during intense quarantine, I'm able to see the blessings.  We were given precious time to be together as a family.  Even though we didn't do much, hikes, beach, pool...we appreciated all of the simple things that normally we take for granted.  I appreciate the memories of those good times.  But I also learned something else.  We need people.  We need relationships with others.  Interactions with friends, with neighbors, with teachers.  We desperately need those things to thrive and without them we can find ourselves in a dark place.  I will never again take for granted the opportunity my children have to go to school with other kids, to play on sports teams.  I will never again take for granted going to lunch with my friends, gathering with family for the holidays or getting my hair done in a salon!  These things used to be commonplace but after quarantine they are a privilege.