Saturday, November 11, 2006

Fall Fun


Fall Fun
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Leaves leaves everywhere! One of the "perks" of living in northern Virginia. A FOUR HOUR adventure. Matt blew the leaves into a pile that was near chest high. And note that this was not the first time the leaves had been cleaned up! David saw quite the opportunity when that big pile of leaves "appeared" in his yard. Unfortunately, when we tossed David on top of the pile, he SANK TO THE BOTTOM! Scared us all for a second, but he quickly recovered and stuck to riding on the smaller pile in the wheelbarrow! Fun times in the fall at our house!

Lions and Trains and Rock Stars, OH MY !!

Halloween 2006. David decided to be Thomas the Tank Engine for Halloween. No surprise. But then, he spotted the lion costume. The decision was a tough one, but Thomas won out. We had so much fun going trick or treating with our neighbors, Zahara and Imani, the rock stars. And Grammie was a champ. She stayed at our house and gave out candy to all the goblins that came by. Next time you call us, ask David to give you his best , "TRICK OR TREAT" !!!!! Sometimes, he'll even be a toot and say, "smell my feet, P.U." Happy 2006 Halloween!

Philly Fun


Philly Fun
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Here are several pictures of our recent trip to Philadelphia with Grammie, Uncle Matt and Aunt Sally, Francis and George. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, historic downtown Phildelphia by way of a horse drawn carriage, and we ate Philly cheesesteak sandwiches that were YUMMY !! David had fun playing in the leaves and being silly with his cousins!

Fun with Francis, George and Grammie

Here are several fun pictures of David with his cousins Francis and George and his Grammie on our recent trip to Philadelphia. FUN FUN FUN !!!.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Albuquerque Balloon Fest with the Guldes!!!

We spent a wonderful morning in Albuquerque with the Guldes (Jennie's Fam.) at the annual balloon fest. It is the largest international ballon fest in the nation! INCREDIBLE. We drove from Santa Fe to Albuquerque on Friday night, did a little swimming with
"O Jeff" and Jacki. David calls "Uncle Jeff, O Jeff". FUN FUN! Then we got up at 4:30 in the morning to head out to see the balloons. Rain caused a delay, but up up up went most of the balloons!! What a great time! Thanks, Guldes, for sharing this SUPER COOL day with us!!!! We had a BLAST !!!

Santa Fe, New Mexico and longtime friends

Here is Mom/ Grammie, with some longtime friends from Amarillo that now live in Santa Fe, NM. Bud and Jeanne Reitman. They helped us surprise Mom on our quick trip to Santa Fe.

Mesa Verde, Colorado


Mesa Verde, Colorado
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Mesa Verde, Colorado. Should be one of the wonders of the world. Hard to believe people LIVED and SURVIVED here! Go to www.mesaverde.com to get information and pictures. This is definitely worth the drive! You can actually tour down in the caverns. We opted out, as it was too cold and would make for a FULL day. We did climb around on a few little ruins. Probably not supposed to actually CLIMB on them, but................... Worth seeing!

MOVIE: THE FIRST FISH !!!

Here is the movie of David catching his very first fish. He calls them "swish".


David Catches His First Fish ! on Vimeo

David Catches His First Fish ! (and other fishing pictures too!)

Here are some great shots of David and Daddy and all their fishing expeditions. Does your Micky Mouse fishing pole look as good as Davids?

First Fishing Instructions from Daddy



C:\Documents and Settings\Main\My Documents\My Pictures\Adobe\Digital Camera Photos\2006-10-14-1938-30\DSCN0673 on Vimeo

ALL ABOARD! Train to Silverton is Approaching!


TRAINS !!!
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Here's a few more pics of David with the big train! There are a few more scenery pictures too.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

Silverton and Durango Colorado Trip with Grammie

We spent a glorious week on vacation with Grammie. We drove to Durango Colorado in one day. We boarded the Silverton / Durango steam engine train the next morning and took a beautiful 3 hour ride up the mountain to Silverton Colorado. The scenery was incredible! After taking a nap in our hotel room that was built in 1802, we walked the tiny town to find a restaurant. We BARELY missed the brief ice storm that hit! It came and went and the sun was out! We toured the town more and even found a little grocery store! We went to bed early, then arose, packed our bags and went to eat a yummy breakfast at a little cafe. CHECK OUT THE PICTURES OF DAVID'S PANCAKE !! After shopping around, a quick fishing excursion by daddy and David, and taking a few pictures, we loaded up and headed back down the mountain for a 3 hour ride to Durango. We drank hot chocolate, caught a few zzzzz's and enjoyed the scenery. Check out our movies of the train ride!

Jennie's 20 year Tascosa High School Reunion

20 years! Wow! Came and went in a flash. Though there are only a couple of pictures of us, I put all of these on here anyway. What a great time we had. I can't believe I hesitated at the idea of going! Tascosa won by a landslide at the football game, the get togethers were fun, (though we stayed out WAY TOO LATE)! Thanks to Grammie and Jacki for watching David. Though finding out about the loss of one of my dear friends was a sad moment, overall, the entire weekend was spectacular. Favorite moments? Showing off my hunk of a husband and our beautiful son to all my friends, and getting escorted to the football game by my Tascosa High School freshman attendee nephew, Joey.................Can't believe that either!
Sure am looking forward to the next reunion!

Stretching Lessons from Aunt Sarah

Aunt Sarah came to visit ! YIPPEE! She does her stretching and yoga daily. After exercising and stretching with Aunt Sarah, David has learned few moves. One day, he quietly went to his room and rolled out his own stretching mat. He came and got me, and proclaimed that he was "stretching". Then, he went into his closet, tried to put on his Superman shoes (that are too small), then climbed on the side of the crib proclaiming, "I'm Superman!". If stretching makes you feel like you are superman, I"M STARTING TOMORROW !!! WE love you Aunt Sarah! Thanks for making us feel like SUPERMAN !!!

The Olson Farm


The Olson Farm
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We spent Labor Day weekend with Aunt Sarah and Rick at the Olson Farm. It was mostly a cold and rainy weekend, but we had a wonderful time. Matt and Rick did some SERIOUS BBQing, David played and had fun with Aunt Sarah and Rick, and Jennie did the overseeing of the major antique furniture sorting. The beagles got some much needed rest. HA. The farm is a fun, beautiful place, with so many memories for the Olson family.

Friday, September 08, 2006

A New Friend for David


A New Friend for David
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
I am in a babysitting co-op for our new neighborhood. Basically, we each get 20 hours of babysitting to start with. We trade cards to keep track of usage. All the moms in the co-op live in our neighborhood. We meet once a month to schedule needs, but can call anytime we need help. David has a new friend from this co-op. His name is Declan. He is a few months younger that David. David calls him , "Baby". David has now played with Declan twice and both times he had so much fun! Declan is precious!! The only time David shed a tear, was when Declan tried to get on David's prized horsey. After a kiss and hug from Mommy, David decided to not only let Declan ride the horse, butto help him put on the necessary cowboy hat. The two boys fell asleep after a bunch of fun and laughs! This is good for Mr. Olson, as he is learning how to share. A new thing that he has NOT been fond of. HA !

A Visit from Grammie !!


A Visit from Grammie !!
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Grammie came to visit ! YIPPEE !! We had soooo much fun! We even got to hang out with Uncle Matt as he was in the area for a wedding! Double fun! We visited the Shenandoah Valley, and went to the local farmers market. We went to the Museum of American History and looked at the trains, trucks and the former First Lady ball dresses. We took Grammie to see the REAL Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the National Archives. We even drove to Lancaster, PA to the Amish areas and shopped and shopped. We finished that fun day by eating at a place called Good and Plenty. It was GREAT food, served famiy style. We finished the weekend with a crab and shrimp fest. 2 1/2 doz. crab, 2 lbs of shrimp, fresh from the Chesapeake Bay! YUMMY! We spent time playing and swinging on the front porch swing. Thanks for a fun week Grammie and Uncle Matt! Come back soon!

National Zoo and Aquarium


National Zoo and Aquarium
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We visited our national zoo and aquarium recently. David absolutely loved the animals. His favorites at the zoo are the elephant, giraffe and horse. He enjoyed playing in the cooling mists as well. At the aquarium, he loved the big blue crab the most. And since Finding Nemo is his all time favorite movie, he was sure that he saw Nemo, his dad Marlin, and Dori. Come visit us and we will take you to our nations zoo!

Breakfast with Daddy


Breakfast with Daddy
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
David and Daddy had yummy breakfast with sausage, coffee, OJ, cake cakes (waffels), and blackberries. David LOVES fresh blackberries from the farmers market, as evidenced by the leftovers on his face. Breakfast with Daddy is so much fun!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Lincoln, Jefferson and WWII Memorials

We went on another weekend excursion to learn more about DC. We went to 3 memorials and walked around a BIG lake. David did really well, especially after a big ice cream break. There are so many more things to see! Can't wait to continue our learning! We ended our afternoon at the big fish market. We purchased 24 BIG BLUE CRABS.............ALIVE!!!! We took them home and had our first crab fest! So, everyone come visit, and we will cook you a FEAST !!!!

Saturday, August 12, 2006

A Pirate in the house!!!


A Pirate in the house!!!
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Grandma Bitsy (BeeWee) gave this pirate outfit to David last year. It has been waiting patiently in the drawer for David to fit into it. We pulled it out thinking it might be a little big yet. BUT NO! IT FITS! Now we have a pirate in the house! A nice one at that! You can see by the marks on his forehead that this pirate has been in a few scuffles, but he's been the winner every time! Thank you Grandma Bitsy, for the pirate outfit!

Ocean City, NJ


Ocean City, NJ
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We spent the weekend with Aunt Sarah in Ocean City, NJ. David played in the ocean and on the beach for the first time. He learned to say crab, ocean, sand, beach, sandcastle and FUN! We rode rides at the amusement park and he even met a pretty girl on the beach who insisted on having her picture made with David! We were covered in sand from head to toe! David played with his shovel and bucket and scooped hundreds of loads of sand! What a great time! Thanks to Aunt Sarah for drawing more cool pictures of David! We love the OCEAN!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

VIDEO : David's Train Ride



CHOO CHOO ! David loves trains! on Vimeo

CHOO CHOO ! DAVID loves trains!

We went to Burke Lake Park which is 10 minutes from our house. We rode the choo choo train AGAIN! David just LOVES it! If you come visit us, we will take you on a train ride too!

Sunday, July 30, 2006

He is finally here! Our nephew, George William Finch Gulde


IMG_9139.JPG
Originally uploaded by The Gulde Family.
Weighing in at 8 lbs and 14 ounces, and "standing" 21 inches tall, George William Finch Gulde made his debut today, July 30, 2006! We are so happy for Matt, Sally, Francie and Scoutie dog. We want to meet this guy in person! He is a super addition to the Gulde family and looks as if he may even have that Gulde chin! Cousin David thinks he is "good", and calls him "Geowge". We call him, wonderful! Welcome, George William Finch Gulde. We love you.
Uncle Matt, Aunt Jennie, David, Herbie dog, Molly Dog, and even Morris kitty.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Museum of Natural History


Museum of Natural History
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We have been going to one Smithsonian Museum every weekend that we can. Our goal is to thoroughly see each and every one. Here are a few pictures of our trip to the museum of natural history. David liked all the bugs! We cooled off by running through the sprinklers by the Washington Monument! Each trip, David gets to ride the carousel in the park! David has the best views! Dad carries him around in the backpack!

A few more pictures from our visit with Pop Pop


At the pool.
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Here are a few more pictures of our visit with Pop Pop. David sure liked the big pool and the trip to Grandfather mountain. He especially liked the bears !

Sesame Place ! ELMO !!


Sesame Place ! ELMO !!
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We traveled to Langhorne, PA to Sesame Place. We saw ELMO, Mr. Noodle, Big BIrd, and all the Sesame Street gang. David went on the slide, jumped and played and even had his picture made with ELMO ! It sure was hot, but lots of fun. We topped off the day with ice cream and a big nap, and then a trip in to Philadelphia for a cheese steak sandwich! WOW! What a great day!

Aunt Sarah, NYC and July 4th

We took a trip to NYC and spent a day with Aunt Sarah! David practiced his potty training and met the pigeon mommy in the window. It was hot, so he practiced "being free". We even followed Aunt Sarah to the ocean in Maryland and watched her draw! Thank you, Aunt Sarah, for a super duper fun time!

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Really BAD Boo Boo


Really BAD Boo Bo
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
David got in a "fight" with and escalator at the mall. 27 stitches and 6 hours in the ER later........well, you get the picture. He was a trooper. The stitches were removed a week later. Yes, there will be a scar, but it will be something he can brag about to his football buddies and show off to the ladies..........:)

Sunday, June 18, 2006

June 10, 2006 David Joseph is 2 years old.


David and Elmo
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
June 10, 2006. Today, our precious boy turned 2 years old. Wow......what a busy two years. Because we had a big party in Georgia, we celebrated as a family. We went to the park and played on the slides and swings, then ended the day eating pizza and playing games at Chuck E. Cheese in Fairfax, VA. We had an Elmo candle for the pizza! What a great day! We love you, David, our big 2 year old.

David and Pop Pop


David and Pop Pop
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
David now calls Grandpa Olson his "Pop Pop". We recently visited Pop Pop at his new home on Lake James! We went to Grandfather mountain and saw cool animals, we BBQ'd and David got his first lifejacket to go out on Pop Pop's new boat and go fishing for the first time!

Beautiful Smile


Beautiful Smile
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Here are a few pictures taken on our last few days in Newnan, GA. David is so silly! He loves to smile for the camera! David loves to ride in his wagon that Ma Ma gave him last year for his first birthday. We'll be taking more wagon rides in Fairfax, VA !

Big Boy Birthday Party


Big Boy Birthday Party
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
On May 6th, David celebrated (early) his 2nd birthday. The party was a month early since we were moving. Our dearest friends came to help us celebrate. We all had such a great time, sliding, bouncing, eating pizza, cake and cupcakes, and enjoying silly giggles and laughs. Thank you to each and every person that made David's 2nd birthday party a huge success! We love you all!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Georgia Aquarium


Georgia Aquarium
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.

This past weekend, the Olson family finally went to the Georgia Aquarium! WOW! We had a great time!. David loved the otters and the penguins the best! ( We think Poppy would like the penguins too! Are there penguins in England?)

David kept saying, "Fish! Fish!", and "Oh look!". We thought the stingrays and the beluga whales were awesome too!
We recommend a visit to the aquarium if you are ever in Atlanta!
We finished the day with a late lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and went home for a long nap!

Hoppy Easter !


Hoppy Easter !
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Matt and David went to St. Matthew's church in Tyrone with Kiki & Lauren. Of course, David's best friend, Margie, was there to help David on his very first Easter egg hunt! They had so much fun!. Unfortunately, Mommy was at work. But she got to see all the eggs & candy at home! Doesn't David look smashing in his searsucker outfit with matching hat? What a handsome boy!

Renaissance Festival


Renaissance Festival
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
The Renaissance Festival is in Atlanta for a couple of months. Our friends, Kiki, Steve, Lauren, Margie, Anna, Jan and hubby, and kids Gabe and Noah, invited us out for a good time. Margie and Anna dressed up as fairies!. David liked the finger painting the best! He got to play on a jungle gym and he even rode a pony! It was very hot, so we put on lots of sunscreen and wore cool looking hats. What fun! David took a 3 hour nap after all the excitement!

American Adventures!


American Adventures!
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
American Adventures is an amusement park in Atlanta for kids 10 yrs old & under. We went with David's best friend, Margie, her mom, Kiki, Kiki's sister and her kids. David had a great time even though he didn't feel good. David rode all the rides. His favorite was the giant slide! We don't have any pictures of that though, because Mom went down the slide too! Check out David's red little cheeks in some of the pictures. We found out later that day that he had a sinus infection and 2 ear infections! He still had fun! What a trooper!

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Judy

Here are a few pictures of Grandpa Dave and Grandma Judy as they were camping out at the lake!

Just a few ole pics we found

Here are a few pictures that we came across. These are from last spring. David was so little! He is with his Grandpa Dave in some of these pics. Herbie and Molly are lounging around as usual.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

1 week after surgery, Ma Ma goes home

MaMa stayed for a week to help David get better. We don't know if we would have survived without her! She took David on a wagon ride, walked to the mailbox with him, rocked him, slept in a chair at the hospital, spoon fed ice to David, read him stories, helped him brush his teeth, and even bought him a new wooden puzzle that he LOVES. Ma Ma got David a new red and white outfit and he wore it as he helped her get ready to go home. He ate noodles on the way to the airport, and waved bye bye to Ma Ma at the airport. He kept yelling, "MA! MA !" as Ma Ma went through security. We sure hated to say bye ! Thanks MaMa!

Back to the hospital- The Rescue Crew!

David was very ill 3 days after surgery. We rushed him back to the ER at the hospital that Jennie works at. He was readmitted for 4 more days. He refused all fluids & food, had diarrhea, a fever & was severly dehydrated. He absulutely loves his best friend Margie and her mom, Kiki. We call them, The Rescue Crew. They brought all sorts of goodies for David. Margie was so generous and thoughtful, that she went through all of her crayons and toys and made a bag for David, knowing that she may not get those items back. Thank you Margie! The biggest hit was a snow cone machine! Kiki made snowcones and David finally ate!!! Yippee!!! It was downhill from there! Thanks to The Rescue Crew! We appreciate all the balloons, toys, snacks, encouragement, and yummy snow cones! You guys are awesome friends!!!!! We love you!

2 days after Tonsillectomy

Ma Ma (Grammie) came to visit. Thank goodness. She helped us check David out of the hospital the day after surgery. 2 days after surgery, we thought David was on the road to recovery. He walked with Ma Ma to the mailbox, and even went for a short wagon ride................But, the poor little guy just couldn't eat or drink, and kept running a fever. See more pictures of David going back into the hospital.

Let me check YOUR ears now!

Here are a couple of pictures of David prior to his tonsillectomy. He is practicing his audiology skills, by working with an otoscope. It is the device used to check your ears. He would much rather do the checking than be the patient!

Not a PINK car! (it's still fun!)

Just 2 cell phone pics here. One is David at a consignment sale. We LOVE consignment sales! The other is David at Toys R Us. He likes the big cars. Of course, we would have to get a different color (ha).

David and Margie at CrackerBarrel

Here are 3 pictures of David and his very best friend, Margie Kane. Margie is the daughter of David's sitter and our dear friend, Kiki. A couple of these pics are with the 2 buddies in the car, and one is a cracker barrel, rocking in the chairs. David loves his Margie!

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Heartbreaker on Valentines

Having thought about the word, LOVE, and it's true meaning, we decided to show David with some of the things he truely loves. Of course, we couldn't get a picture of everything, but it's a good start. David loves Molly. His "Mol Mol". He hugs her, kisses her, sits on her, and insists on Mol Mol being close by. In turn, Molly loves Buddy just as much. He loves to wear those shades. Lookin' cool! He loves to jump, jump jump. He jumps off of furniture (yeah), he jumps to music, he just jumps. He even counts aloud. "One, Two, Three!", just before he jumps. He loves Elmo and Sesame Street. He loves books. He insists on reading books numerous times of the day, over and over again. What could be better than reading TO Elmo! He loves to play with all his great toys in his room. He loves to be silly and put things on his head. He loves teddy bears- simple as that. And, ...........he loves his Daddy. Even more, he loves watching Sesame Street or the Wiggles, while eating broccoli and corn on the cob, just hanging with Dad. LOVE. Isn't it amazing what it means to a 20 month old. ...................Happy Valentines Day from David

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Christmas Day at the Park


Christmas Day at the Park
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
Who would have thought that it would be 60 degrees on Christmas day. Off to the park down the street. It was full of kids and dogs and everyone enjoying the beautiful weather. David wore his new jeans from Grandpa. We played on the swings, dug in the dirt and had a great time. Check out David's "rear view" for a good look at those awesome Levi jeans!

Storytime with Ma Ma


Storytime with Ma Ma
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
What could be better than stories about Elmo, read to you at dinnertime by your MA MA ?

Saturday, January 28, 2006

IMAGINE IT !


IMAGINE IT !
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We took David to IMAGINE IT. This is the children's museum in Atlanta! What fun running, jumping, climbing & riding toys. David had a great time digging in the sand, fishing, sliding, ringing the pipe organ and just being a kid! This kid is so creative and fun ! It is amazing to watch him think and to see what he can do ! WOW ! They grow up fast! At the end of the fun day, David rested in a big blue sqooshy chair! We can't wait to have Francis come and play at IMAGINE IT !

Let's Go Skiing !


Let's Go Skiing !
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.

Off to Red River, New Mexico for SNOW!

Joey, Jacki, Grammie, Matt, David and Jennie. All in one car! Crammed full of ski gear, I pods, snow boots, snacks, and......oh my goodness! We took off to the mountains the day after Christmas. Matt O. had never been to New Mexico, so we were on an adventure! And this was David's first time to go the the ski slopes! We arrived in Red River, early evening. Got set up in our room, and went out for a big dinner. Up early the next morning for a big breakfast. Matt and Joey took off EARLY to the slopes. It was soooo cold! Grammie, Jacki and Jennie took David on a sled ride in the snow. After playing for a while, Grammie and David went back to the hotel for a nap, and Jacki and Jen were off to the slopes! Well, in no time at all, Jacki was off and swooshing down the hills!. We met up with Matt and Joey, and off they all went up the BIG lift to the BIG HILLS ! SWOOSHING and SWOOSHING! Joey, Jacki and Matt O! Downhill skiiers they are! We have a couple of olympic potentials here! Jen went back and got Grammie and David, and we all played more on the slopes. David kept saying "brrrrr"! He liked to stomp in the snow! What a great time skiing! Thanks, Joey and Jacki! What great skiiers you are! Thanks to Matt for skiing all day with Joe and Jacki, and thanks to Grammie for a great vacation!

Amarillo Christmas '05


Amarillo Christmas '05
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.

Ahh, home to Amarillo for Christmas.

Great to be back in Texas ! Warm days, cool nights, beautiful sunsets. Even a few windy days wouldn't keep us away. We had such a wonderful 10 days. Fun with family and friends. Fun celebrating Matt's 35th birthday watching NC State win a great football game. We celebrated our 3rd anniversary at Scott's Oyster Bar (Outstanding!), while mom watched David. We brought in the New Year sipping champagne with Terri, Jennie's dearest friend. We went skiing, watched lots of football, slept in, took long naps and just had a great time. Thanks to Jeff and Matt for all the yummy grilling! We ate well! Thanks to everyone for lovely gifts. Most of all, thanks to Mom for making it so wonderful to come home for Christmas. The only thing missing were Matt, Sally, Francis and baby Gulde to be. But they were near by in Oklahoma ! We can't wait to see you guys at Christmas '06 ! We love you!

What a great holiday in Amarillo!

Aunt Pauline


Aunt Pauline
Originally uploaded by Jennie Olson.
We all went to Panhandle to visit Aunt Pauline! What a great time! We are so happy to have her closer to home!