Trevor Turns TWO!

Yesterday was TJ's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Bubba!

Unfortunately, much of the day was spent like the picture below, with fingers in his mouth and very sad because of a sore throat.


He looks pretty happy about his ice cream, but he didn't even want to finish it... which proves he is sick! =)


Here he's trying to put up two fingers to show how old he is


He was pretty excited about his new scooter! Now the little man doesn't have to share his sister's pink scooter.


Now they can both go scootering simultaneously!

Yeah! A Little Gothold Has Arrived!

Huge congrats and love to our dear friends Chris and Kirsten on the birth of their son, Johann Ezekiel Gothold!

While the Moms Are Away...

...the Dads and Kids Will Play!

Amy is away this weekend at a women's retreat. She and many other ladies from our church are enjoying Laguna Beach! She was ready for this get-away and I'm so glad that she gets this chance to connect with Jesus, with the other ladies and just plain gets some down time and time away from our kiddos.

Anyway... while the ladies are gone, some of us dads met at the park for dinner and fun on the playground. It was fun!

Zoe, Isaiah, Elsie and Kaylin (L-R)

We're Moving!

In yet another incredible way, God is showing us his amazing faithfulness in always providing for our needs. Although we have felt pretty settled in our Cypress apartment, we had continued to pray for and keep feelers out for a housing situation closer to our church community because it is our desire to use our house for ministry and hospitality of all kinds. In order to be able to afford living in a single-family home in La Mirada or Whittier, we were asking God to provide a unique situation where we would be able to rent for less than the going rate.

Well, as Ephesians 3:20 says, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Through a good friend at Talbot, God led us to a unique situation where we will be able to rent a very large home for only a little more than we are currently paying for rent. The house is in Whittier (5 minutes from our church), it provides much more space for our family, and it allows us to live in closer proximity to our church community. In addition, we are incredibly blessed and excited to report that it has great entertaining spaces including a recreation room with pool table, a patio and barbeque area, and a pool! How cool is that for a Young Adults Pastor and his family!

We look forward to using this home that God has provided to love others and glorify Him! We’ll move in late April. Although we are really excited about the house and thankful for God's provision, we're admittedly not that excited about moving. This will be the 8th place that Amy and I have lived in our almost 9 years of marriage. We would appreciate your prayers because the move comes in the midst of a busy season of ministry and as the semester workload is heating up. Thanks!

It's the one right in the middle of the picture... quiet street, nice neighborhood, very close to a good little school where Kaylin will start Kindergarten in the fall.

OlsonWeb's 2nd Anniversary!

OlsonWeb recently celebrated it's 2-year anniversary! Well, OK... OlsonWeb didn't actually celebrate and neither did we. I just now realized that we've been blogging for over 2 years.

Anyway, considering that we have been bloggers for that long and that we have also become major blog surfers, I can't believe that I just recently discovered the joys of... Google Reader

Amy and I no longer have to click on link after link, hopping from one blog to another in order to see if anyone has posted anything new lately. Let me interject this -- Although Robyn is back to blogging regularly over at Camp Anderson, this Google Reader thing would have come in handy for when she was pregnant and we would check the blog everyday hoping for something new... but months went by without any new posts! =)

With Google Reader, it's like checking your email. Any new posts show up like new emails... and you can catch up on everybody's news in one place... or click links and go to their blogs.

So... if you already knew about services like Reader, shame on you for not telling us! And if you didn't know, get over there now and set yours up. It only takes a few minutes... you just enter the URL of each blog you like to visit and your subscribed!

Matt & Elise's Wedding

This post is overdue... but better late than never I guess!

We'd like to congratulate Matt & Elise on their recent (March 8th) marriage! Amy and I have gotten to know Matt & Elise through church and it's been a joy for us to be part of their lives. Matt & Elise, we wish you all the best and we continue to pray that God will always be the center of your marriage!

Their wedding was also my first opportunity to participate in a wedding. OK, I guess I need to clarify that... I've participated in many weddings before. The BEST one was obviously my own wedding where I participated as the groom! =) I've also been a candlelighter, a groomsman, and a best man... those were also great weddings to be a part of. So to be more specific, this was the first wedding where I participated in a pastoral role. =)

The bride and her father are on the left and on the right are the groom, Pastor Ed Morsey, and myself

What a privilege to be a part of such a special day in their lives. Matt & Elise asked me to do the welcome and the opening prayer. It was an honor to assist in that way!

I suppose that pictures of someone praying are always going to look awkward! =)

Amy and I with the newlywed couple!
(sorry for the picture quality, only had my cell phone camera with us)

NorCal Trip - Part II

While we were at my parents' house, Earlene cut Amy's hair. The previous day, Jenni had also gotten her hair cut. Here they are in their new, short-hair looks!

After leaving Pittsburg, we drove to San Jose to visit my brother and his family. Our friends from Mission Springs, the Andersons, came over the hill to visit with us one evening... it was great to see them! When their 2-month old daughter Selah was born, Ocean became a big sister. So here are the members of the "Big Sister Club" at their first official meeting and wearing their official uniform.

Ocean, Kaylin and Avery - "The Big Sister Club"

Actually, Amy's latest sewing adventure was making these cute sun dresses! So after making
a couple different ones for Kaylin, she decided to make some matching ones for Kaylins friends!

Kaylins FIRST Movie Theater Experience!

While we were in Pittsburg visiting my parents, Amy and I got to take Kaylin to her first movie in the theater! Kaylin saw the beginning and the end... but fell asleep for the middle third of the movie! =) I guess Mommy and Daddy should have know that a 1:50 p.m. showing on a day when she'd been up early and playing hard might not work so well... Oh well! Kaylin still enjoyed the experience and, of course, it's just her first of many movies to come.

We saw Horton Hears A Who! Click here for the trailer

Here is Kaylin in her seat with her "Snack Pack" (Thanks Grams!)


Kaylin and Mommy ready for the movie to start!


Daddy and Kaylin in front of the theater

NorCal Trip - Part I

This week we are visiting family in NorCal. On Monday morning we left Cypress at 5:00 am and arrived at my parents' house in Pittsburg, CA at about Noon. We all enjoyed a nice visit with Grams and Papa! Thanks Mom & Dad for having us... we love you!

Our digital camera is having issues so we couldn't take any pics. However, Grams and Papa took the kids to the park and they took these pics...


TJ loves to hang any chance he gets


Miss Kaylin posing by a tree

Jesus is Risen!

Dear Family & Friends,

We hope that you are having a blessed Resurrection Sunday! Rejoice... Jesus is Risen!

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. - Matthew 28:5-9

Here's a good article by Josh McDowell if you'd like to read about the 3 choices that Jesus gave us to explain his identity. Was Jesus a liar, a lunatic or Lord and God? It is our conviction that He is the Son of God who came to earth as a man in order to save us from our sins and give us access to God. Feel free to read the article and see what you think... Jesus: God or Just a Good Man?

Take care and God bless!

Love,
The Olsons

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!

Judging by the scoring, the kids were just along for the ride. However, it's also clear that Daddy whooped up on Mommy!

Mommy and yes, Kaylin is in there somewhere...

Daddy and Trevor

Lucky Girl!

I'm still catchin' up on blogging since I haven't done much lately...

Kaylin is one lucky kid, particularly lately. Not only has she been to Disneyland a couple times recently (because our family was given Disneyland passes), but her Grams came to visit and took her to Knotts Berry Farm for the day! =) Thanks Grams! Kaylin was talking about it for a couple weeks before going and now she's still telling me about what she did there.

Knotts has an area called "Camp Snoopy" so Kaylin got to hang out with the man, uh the dog, himself!


Kaylin & Grams on a rollercoaster!


Looks like she enjoyed the ride!

Valentine Dinner @ Blue Bayou

As a belated Valentine's Day celebration, we went to Disneyland last night and had a very nice dinner at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. Blue Bayou overlooks the "swamp" at the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride... the atmosphere was great! Note: You can see a boat full of riders behind us below.

This was also our first time we used our Disney passes for just the two of us to go and have a date. We had a great time going on various rides after dinner, including our first time ever on the huge rollercoaster at California Adventure called "California Screamin'." We both loved the rollercoaster... but Amy wasn't doing so well afterward... she was white as a ghost and felt nauseous. However, the most important thing was that her icky feelings wore off just in time for us to share a dessert treat before heading home. It would take a lot more than a rollercoaster to force Amy to miss dessert! =)

More Disneyland Pictures... Finally!

I know, I know... in the previous post, I said I'd post more pictures soon. Well, it wan't "soon" but here they are. Kaylin got her one, big souvenir for the year... an autograph photo album. Each character that she gets to meet signs her book and then later we'll put these pictures in there too.

TIGGER



POCAHONTAS



WINNIE THE POOH



SNOW WHITE



ARIEL (The Little Mermaid)



Just before we "met" Mickey (see picture in previous post), TJ ran right up to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the nose! CLASSIC!



Mommy and Kaylin on the train



Daddy and TJ saying "cheese"



Dumbo! That's the name of the elephant, not the guy in the black sweatshirt.

Disneyland!

We went to Disneyland today! This is just a "teaser" post... more pictures will be posted in the next few days.

We bought annual passes and will be able to go to Disneyland for occasional family fun days and date nights. We had been saving up gift money and then we received a couple of generous gifts specifically for the passes or for "doing something fun for the family." What a blessing and what fun!

Here we are after meeting Mickey!

Kaylin had a nice chat with Cinderella and then posed for a picture!

TJ's FIRST Haircut!

It's a family tradition... all the boys in the family get their first haircut from Amy's Uncle Gene. So today we went to visit Uncle Gene and Aunt Joyce in Huntington Beach for this special occasion....

Here's the MopHead before his FIRST haircut!


Amy's Uncle Gene doing the honors. Trevor had fun, was very cooperative, didn't complain but he was a bit impatient... a couple times saying "All done. All done."

NOTE: After receiving some questions about it, we'd like to clarify that Amy is NOT pregnant... her shirt just happens to look a bit "poofy."

Trevor ran over to the mirror to check himself out!

TJ even received a personalized, framed certificate from Uncle Gene documenting the occasion.
Thanks Uncle Gene!

Power Wheels!

Here's Kaylin taking her brother for a ride in the 2nd-hand Barbie Power Wheels Jeep she got recently. She's enjoying learning how to drive!

This video features some good problem-solving by Kaylin to get out of a jam... followed closely by her brother making sure he's in the shot while saying "Cheese!"

Her driver's training wasn't without some, learning experiences...

More Christmas Celebrations...

Great Grammy opening a present from us


Kaylin opening the new shopping cart and food... thanks Grammy & Grampa! Kaylin and Trevor play store together quite often... loading and unloading the cart, scanning the food, bagging it, etc. =)

Christmas Recap... finally!

Christmas in Pittsburg... It was great to be together! Thanks Mom & Dad for your hospitality!

Kaylin got some Christmas socks in her stocking and was so excited that she had to take off her socks and try them on immediately! =)


Kaylin was VERY excited to have her own camera! She has been quite interested in photography and Grams gave her some pointers.


Kaylin & cousin Avery putting out cookies for Santa!


Trevor posing on the basketball court, saying "Cheese!"


Trevor enjoying racing cars down the track!