ChRiStMaS 2008

We spent our Christmas up to the Cabin in Bear Lake this year. It's a tradition with the Olson side to go up with EVERYONE and take Christmas with us. It gets more chaotic every year. This year we had 3 more kids then we had last year. We're starting to run out of room for all of the gifts. This year we had 11 adults and 12 kids so it was a FULL house. We love getting together with everyone, though. We're lucky that everyone gets along so well and we all have a good time.

Of course, EVERYONE got spoiled. Our kids especially. Kenedee was SO excited to see all of her Disney Princess stuff. It was so much fun to watch her get overly excited about everything she opened.

Brooks got spoiled with a bunch of toys. His favorite, it seems, are his Drums and his Zoo. He's so much fun. He's walking all over the place now and must be the happiest kid ever. All he ever does is laugh and play all day long.

Nate and I both got some nice surprises. He gave me a cute KitchenAid mixer to match our new kitchen, a beautifully framed painting of the SLC Temple, and then I got spoiled with the usual clothes and such.

I surprised Nate with a signed BYU football helmet. He'd mentioned to me that he'd love to have one signed by Hall, Pitta, Unga, & Collie and I told him there was no way I could ever get that done. Little did he know, I called our "connection" with the Cougar Club and he took care of everything. Thanks Jeramiah! He also got spoiled with the usual clothes.

The kids did some sledding down our man-made bobsled track. Grandpa Bart took the time to make it and the kids loved it.

Nate, Brian, and my dad (Bart) went snowmobiling the day after Christmas and as usual, were crazy and had a ton of fun. Nate got a little too daring with a cornice and rolled the sled sideways. Luckily, no one got hurt. They have way too much fun when they go. So much, that they never let us girls go out with them.

We had a ton of fun this year at the cabin playing games, pulling late nighters with board/card games and just having fun with everyone. Thanks Mom & Dad for making this happen every year. Hopefully there's more to come in the future.

A Quick Update!

Our lives have been so busy lately that we haven't had time to do a post on all the changes that are going on with us. First off for those of you who dont know we sold our house at the end of October and are now living in Santaquin with my parents. We are building a new home in Spanish Fork, our foundation is poured and they should start framing it this week. Our builder is telling us we will be in by February and we are so excited.

The kids are doing great. Brooks started crawling a couple months ago, and is now starting to take his first steps, he is no pro yet but it is so fun to watch him try to walk I cant believe how fast he is growing up. Kenedee is just her usual busy self, and she is so excited for Christmas. Every day for the past week she has woke up and asked me "Mom is it Christmas today?" It breaks my heart to see the look on her face when I tell her no, but I know it will be worth the wait on Christmas morning, she gets so excited about everything. She is so funny, we took her to see Santa and she told him she just wanted a baby, a stroller and everything, we just laughed. I love my little kidos and am so thankful for them. There is no greater blessing than that of being a mother. Nate is busy as ever with work and school, I just want to take the time to thank him for all of his hard work that he does for me and the kids, we love yah babe. We are looking forward to Christmas and hope that we can all remember Christ and the true meaning of Christmas this year. We love all of you and hope that you have a GREAT Holiday Season.

P.S. I will get some new pictures posted hopefully within the next couple days!

Girls Night!

Me and some girlfriends went out this past weekend for a girls night. We did some shopping, ate some grub at CPK, and then headed back to Al's house for some girl talk. It was lots of fun. Thanks girls for such a fun night, we definetely need to do it more often.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

This year for Halloween Nate and I decided to dress up too. In Case you can't tell we were Shrek and Fiona, and the kids were Arial and Flounder it was so much fun. Kenedee loved the fact that Nate and I were dressed up.

Me, Al, and Chanel took the kids trick or treating at the mall.

Kenedee and Aurora were both little mermaid and they were so cute!

COUGAR FOOTBALL!!!

Last weekend we went with Brig & Brittany to see the Cougars take on Utah State. It was a fun game to be at, even though the Cougs played like crap. They should have man-handled the Aggies, but hey, a win is a win right? After the game we got some tasty Coldstone Ice Cream and then drove up to the cabin to spend the night. It was a quick trip but it was fun to get away and Brig & Brittany are a riot to be with. Thanks guys, for the fun weekend. We'll have to do it again for sure!

Bobby w/ our Future BYU Cougar

What can we say, We're a BYU Fam... Brooks loved the game, but Kenedee would've never sat still, so she went upto the cabin early with Bobby's sister.

After 3 quarters of action, Brooks was pooped and snuggled up with his dad for the rest of the game.

Brig, Brittany & Their growing Future BYU Cougar

One Last Trip To Powell For The Year!

This past weekend we headed down to Powell for one last trip brfore the cold weather hits. We went with our good friends Kip, Erika and their little Kennedy and a bunch of their family and friends. There is nothing quite like Lake Powell in September, not too hot but hot enough. We couldn't have asked for better weather while we were there, it was so beautiful. We had so much fun surfing, tubing on the Molecule and just relaxing. Thanks Kip and Erika for inviting us, we hope there are alot more trips in the future.

Our Trip To The Cabin

This past weekend we took some friends and headed up to the old Cabin at Bear Lake. We had so much fun just Relaxing, Boating, and riding The 4 Wheelers. We did however have a small incident with the boat. We packed up and headed to the beach in the boat. The guys went out and played for a while and the girls chilled on the beach with the kids, when they came back they said that the battery was getting low on juice, and then the battery went dead on us. Now this can be a small problem when it is starting to get cold, dark and you have 12 kids under the age of 5. Luckily we found an awesome family who was willing to take Nate around to the marina to get the battery out of his truck to temporarily put in the boat until we made it back. Now you have to know that the marina was on the other side of the lake so we are talking a 30 minute drive. While Nate was gone we realized that he left his keys to his truck in the boat, so he had to break into the truck to get the battery. When he returned they weren't sure if the battery was going to work and thought it was a bad idea to load 12 kids in the boat and get out in the middle of the lake in the dark and have the battery stop working, so they left us girls and the kids behind and headed across the lake and said if they were not back in and hour to call search and rescue. So this nice family took us and our 12 kids into their cabin and fed us and kept us warm. The boys did make it across the lake and brought the cars back to get us. It turned out to be a good thing because we made friends with this cute family.Thanks Kortni and Karli. Besides the boat incident we had a great time and want to thank everyone who came and made it so much fun.

To Bobby...

Well, We made it 4 years. It's crazy to think that it's been that long. Time has flown by and it's gone by even faster since we started having kids. There's nothing that I value more than our family. My love for you grows each and every day and I can't imagine life without you. Even though there are times when I want to get away by myself and blow off some steam, I still love you! It's those hard times that bring us even closer. I can honestly say that you're my best friend in the world and I wouldn't change that for anything.

I love thinking back to when we first met. I'll always remember how fast you and your friend's heads snapped back as you passed me in the parking lot of the offices. Not that I'm being cocky or anything, but you have to admit, it was pretty funny. The next 6 months were some of the funnest of my life before I left for the mission.

Thanks for waiting for me... at least for the first little bit anyways. I always knew in the back of my mind that you'd still be there when I got home. Even though you did Dear John me. It's all good though 'cause the day I got the letter, me and 5 other elders spent a couple hours throwing darts at your picture. We couldn't quit until we got both of your eyes. Your right eye was pretty elusive for quite a while, but someone finally nailed it.

Seriously though, Thanks for all you do. I couldn't ask for a better wife/best friend/mother to my kids. We've got the cutest kids around for sure and I credit it to you. You're a knockout and you've passed it down to our kids. You're an awesome mom. Our kids love you and you do so much to make sure that they are always having fun. Kenedee idolizes you. I hope she turns out just like you. Maybe not so much when it comes down to your OCD with cleaning, or your constant back-seat driving, but everything else for sure.

Thanks for being understanding when I want to take off and go golfing with the guys or hunting with my brothers, or doing home improvement projects when you think it's not neccesary. Really, just thanks for putting up with me. I know it's hard sometimes.

I Love You Bobby and can't wait for the next 4 years.. heck lets make it 40..

-Your Best Friend,

-Nate

The Dog Days of August...

Well, it's been a busy month and we've had a ton of fun. It's crazy to think that summer is over and now it's going to get cold. But we tried to do as much as we could this summer to make it one to remember. We for sure took advantage of the boat and escaped to the lake every chance we could get, but I think everyones seen enough of the boating pictures, for this year at least. Our brother-in-law, Cody, has always had a thing for demolition derbies and has been a contestant in the Payson Days Derby for quite a few years. They got rid of that derby, but someone finally got one going for the Utah County Fair. Cody couldn't resist and entered into it. Here's some pics of the excitement. By far the best derby we've ever been to.

Pioneer Day

We started off the day at the Speedy Spaniard where I ran in the race. Then I took the kids to the parade with Rachelle and Allyson. Nate and I then took Kenedee to lunch and the Disney Store, she thinks that the Disney Store is Disneyland so it's great. To finish off the night we went to the Orem Owlz game with our kids, and enjoyed a fantastic firework show. We had so much fun!

Lake Powell Trip 2008

We look forward to this vacation every year. We get to do alot of things but Lake Powell is hands down the
funnest place to take a vacation. It's always fun to be out on the water and playing with everyone. It's always a full house, but the more the merrier, right?

There's always the "mishaps" like Brian telling us the rope was clear when it wasn't and catching it in the prop. Prop gets bent and we have to get towed to the marina to change the prop out. Luckily we brought an extra prop with us.

Or there's the one where Ben's neice doesn't know how to drive a waverunner and she crashes into Ben on other the other waverunner and takes his thigh and another girls knee out. 10 points for you Steph.(j/k)

And how 'bout when Nate thinks that 3/4 of a tank of fuel is enough to drive to Escalante to see the ruins, but he drives an extra 5 miles past the turn off so we lose a total of 10 miles worth of fuel. Once we finally get to Escalante, the guage is pinned on "E" and we still have a 15 mile drive back. Yep, we ran out of gas on the way back to the houseboat. Luckily we found another passing houseboat that hooked us up with some fuel. Once we told them we were from Utah and they saw just Nate and Ben in the boat with 6 other women and a whole slew of kids, the people on the houseboat were SURE that we were polygamists.

And to finish off the trip, Ben and Allyson get lost in Gunnison (Ben's got an unpaid ticket so he woudn't go 10mph over the limit and we lost him) on the way home and had to end up taking the long way through Manti and down Spanish Fork Canyon. Come on Ben. Pay the ticket. Seriously!

We had some interesting things happen, but it was still a blast. We had tons of fun with everyone that was there. We can't wait to go again next year. Thanks to everyone for coming and making it a fun vacation.

And thanks to Bart & Yvonne for taking us on this awesome trip every year. You guys are the best.

We can't wait 'til next year when Brandon is home from the mission. It's not the same with out him. We missed you bud.

Yuba Reservoir

A Bunch Of Our Friends Went Down To Yuba For The Day. It Was A Blast! We Stayed til Dark And Had A Ton Of Fun. Thanks Everyone For Coming Down.