Happy Mother's Day!

We wish our moms a very happy Mother's Day! Thanks for all you do and for being you! We love you!

On Friday, Kaylin helped me plant flowers for mommy in the flowerbed on the front porch. Last night Amy and I enjoyed a double date with our friends Jason and Lyndsay. They are the ones who are moving to Alaska in a month and we'll miss them. Our trip to The Cheesecake Factory for dessert with them doubled as a Mother's Day weekend treat for Amy. Then, today, we had some family over after church for Mexican take-out lunch, hanging out together and even some swimming!

Amy with her Mom and Grammy


Four Generations


Here's an action photo of our "Mom-of-the-Year" from a couple of months ago

To my amazing wife: I love you so much and am so thankful for the incredible job you do in loving and caring for our kids each day. Happy Mother's Day gorgeous!

Our New Home - The Virtual Tour

We already told the story of how God provided an amazing new place to live in this post. We are truly blessed to be renting this house for such a reasonable amount! We have already been using it for hanging out with people and we're looking forward to continuing to use it for ministry.

Anyway, on with the virtual tour...


Here's the house from the street:


When you walk through the front door, there is a formal sitting/living room on the left... but as you can see, we're using it as a playroom:


If you walk straight ahead from the front door, you come to our family/dining room. In the first picture, the front door is at the back left:


At the other end of this room is a big table for dining when guests are over. The family room has a great big window that overlooks the backyard and a sliding glass door to the back patio:


You can see in this picture how the family room is connected to the kitchen:


Here's the kitchen and kitchen table where we eat as a family:


The kitchen from the opposite angle... laundry room in the back... our side entry door from the driveway comes into the laundry room:


From the front door, if you go down the hallway to the right, you pass a guest bathroom and come to our bedroom:


Across the hall from our room is Kaylin and Trevor's room:


One side is "Princess Way:"


And the other side is firetrucks, cars and dump trucks:


At the end of the hallway, there used to be a 3rd bedroom... but at some point the owner's added on to the house and turned it into this large recreation room (talk about great for young adult ministry!):


I took out the bar counter in the corner and converted the space to my office, a place where I can go to study:


The rec room has large sliding glass doors that overlook the backyard and will also function as our guest room:


Here's the back patio just outside the rec room and then the next two pictures are panning around the yard:






Here's a closer look at the pool with the vintage slide. And beyond the pool is more backyard where there are avocado, peach, and orange trees:


From the far back yard looking back at the house:

We looking forward to having you over! =)

Friends In New Ministries!

I just wanted to use this blog entry to spread the word about the new ministry positions that two of my good friends recently accepted. Congrats to Jason and Chris and their families... and many blessings on you as you serve the Lord. We love you all! If the Lord ever calls me to plant a church, these are two guys I'd want to serve alongside!

My best friend Chris, whom I've know since I've know for almost 15 years, recently started serving The Creek Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, CA as the Associate Pastor of Worship & Outreach.



The best friend I've made during my time in seminary, Jason Swain and his family will be moving to Anchorage, Alaska in June! Jason recently accepted a pastoral position at Change Point Church.

Trevor's Basketball Birthday Bash!

We had a few families with little kids come over to celebrate TJ's 2nd Birthday! It was as basketball themed bash, appropriate for a little guy that said "gataygall" as one of his first words. =)

This picture captures the chaos of the many kids running around quite well... look, the kids in the back are so out of control they are blurry! =)


We're singing to the little man of the hour. Notice he's sporting his "Monster Dunk" t-shirt and a basketball whistle that his mom got him.

The birthday boy and his biggest fans!

Check out the cool treats that Mommy made! Mini-cupcake "hoops" with cookies for "backboards" and a even a chocolate ball!

... and I think TJ enjoyed his!

Thanks to all who came to celebrate with us and thanks to our great family who helped get things ready for the party!

First YA Event @ Our New Home!

Last night was the first young adult hang out time & Bible study held at our new home! We had lots of laughs, some excellent cookies for dessert and a great discussion based on 1 Samuel 15 about the importance of obeying ALL of God's will.

Michael, Ryan, Elyse, Matt and Elise (L-R)
Jessica, see what happens when you have to leave early? You miss out on being in the picture! =)

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