My Three Favorite Men

I love this picture. It has the men I love the most in it.

Our Family

Car Garage

Andrew loves figuring out how things work. He spotted this car garage up in his closet and had to have it. Before I had it dusted off, he had figured out how it worked and had found a car to go up and down the ramps. He is a really good critical thinker. If he doesn't know how something works he will sit there and think about it until he figures it out, or he will want me to show him. I think I see an engineer in our future.

Cake

Today is Daddy's birthday. I had a great time playing with family. Especially playing with my cousins. But, the best part was definitely the cake. I love cake.

New Outfit

Grandma Johnson sent the kids new church outfits. Don't they look great?

We asked Andrew to smile for the camera and he gave us a big cheesy grin. I love it.

Happy Halloween

Woof Woof. Andrew's a puppy dog.

We had a great Halloween in Bisbee. The church had a trunk or treat for the kids. They were giving candy out by the handfuls. Andrew loved having people put things in his bucket. It got so heavy by the end, he couldn't carry it.

Grazing

Andrew had a great time at Aunt Jeremy's baby shower. He had easy access to the food throughout the entire party. On the other side of the table was the fruit platter with strawberries, pinapple, grapes, and apples on it. In this picture he has a cheescake bite in his hand.

After two hours of grazing, we finally had to cut him off.

What more could a little boy ask for in a party?

Sprinkler Time

It was a nice warm day to play in the sprinklers. Andrew loved getting wet. Elizabeth didn't care for the water, but loved watching Andrew run in and out of the water.

Playing in the Dirt

Grandma has many fun opprotunities to play in the dirt. Plastic shovels and rakes come in handy for dirty projects.

Fall Colors

We drove up to Goodenough campground to look at the fall colors. Andrew loved exploring. He always seems to be heading downhill on a dead run.

Our Fun Package

Aunt Lou sent us a very fun package. It had this bug in it. Andrew wanted to test it out immediately after getting it out of the box. Thank you Aunt Lou.

Snacking with Pa Pa

Thanks for sharing your snacks with me Grandpa.

John Deere

Grandpa has several different tractors on Hurricane Hill for Andrew to drive. He is pretty good at making motor noise with his mouth.

Cooking with Great Grandma Ross

Andrew and Grandma Ross have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen. He loves finding the pots in the cupboard around meal time.

The Zoo

Aunt Jeremy and Uncle Eric took us to the zoo in Idaho Falls. Andrew loved the animals. He especially liked the zebras and the lion.

Thanks for a great day.

A Dozer

We are at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's in Idaho. The first day we arrived, Andrew found Grandpa's dozer. He has been up several times to check on it since then.

A New Experience

We took Andrew and Elizabeth exploring up Carr Canyon. Andrew loved walking around the campground. There were an endless supply of rocks and stumps to climb over. He also loved picking up the rocks and pine cones.

This is the look of pure happiness.

Sleep

It is no secret that Andrew struggles with sleeping through the night. Since we have been in Bisbee he has been getting up every 2-3 hours wanting to be held and drink milk. We humored him for the first two weeks, but no one was sleeping well, which is not healthy for any of us. Because Andrew was filling up on milk at night he didn't have an appetite during the day...another big problem. On Saturday I decided to eliminate milk completely from our routine and replaced it with water. I told both children that I didn't have any milk to give them, which was true, and they would have to get by with water. We also knew that we would have to stop rescuing Andrew in the middle of the night and let him work it out himself. Multiple doctors have told us we need to let him cry, but it is very hard for me to let my children cry.

Andrew woke up Saturday night at 11:30 like normal, but we let him cry it out. He cried for an hour and settled back down and went to sleep. He slept until 5:00 when I handed him a sippy of water and he layed back down and slept until 7:30. It was wonderful to stay in bed until 7:30. The nights have been getting better since then. On Wednesday night he slept from 8pm to 6:15, which was the best he has done in months.

We have gone through this before, we have let him cry and he has slept good at night for a week afterwards. But it doesn't last and cycles into waking up at night. This time is different. We are not giving in. He has to learn to sleep continuously throughout the night. Because he isn't drinking milk, he is eating nonstop during the day. It has been so surprising to see how much this little boy can eat.

Andrew,

We love you very much. Mommy and Daddy are so glad you are sleeping and eating better. Please continue to sleep. You are so much happier. You are a good little boy, and we are so lucky to have you as a part of our family. Daddy has been bragging about you all week and even bought you a new truck to show how proud he is of you. We love watching you grow and try new things each day.

Love,

Mommy.

Toddler Time at the Bisbee Library

We have a great time at the Bisbee library on Fridays. They have a great program for toddlers. Andrew is still a little small to sit still during the story or participate in craft time, but he loves snack time. He also loves playing with the toys and puzzles in the children's area.

Fruit is Yummy

Andrew loves fruit. I decided to have a nectarine for lunch today but Andrew saw it and wanted it immediately. It was a big piece of fruit and he ate at least half of it. I think it felt good on his gums.

His teeth have finally broken through the skin. We are all happier.

Teething

See the drool coming from Andrew's mouth? He is teething, and is not happy. We will be so glad when his molars make an appearance.

Animal Book

Andrew loves reading a particular animal book at least 3 times a day. He loves it when you point to the animal and make the sound. He is getting good at making the sounds himself. He can bark like a dog, say quack quack for a duck, and go ROAR for a lion. Occasionally Andrew and Elizabeth will read the book together.

But Elizabeth is too impatient to read the book together...so it winds up being a fight for the book, and this is how it usually ends up.

Someday, Andrew is going to be a lot stronger than E...and the tables will be turned.

Pool Fun

Andrew loves the water. He is so relaxed, and could stay in for hours. Daddy dunked him, and he came up smiling.

Children At Play

I left my children unsupervised for 2 minutes and this is what I found.

Oh, The Places We Find Andrew

Buzz

We gave Andrew a buzz last night before his bath. I love his new look.

Backyard Grilling

Andrew has been grilling with Daddy on Saturdays. I guess he has been paying attention because he is cooking a hot dog on his grill. Andrew is a smart little boy. He watches people like a hawk and always has to know what I am doing in the kitchen.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day. We love Daddy and are so grateful when we are able to spend time with him.

He's Quick!

Andrew is officially a walker. I will try and post some video for you to see his new skills. He has also learned how to push the pantry door open. He loves playing with the cans or anything else those little hands can reach.

Can You Guess

Where this is?

I did not put my child in the drier....he willfully climbed in there himself. I really thought Elizabeth was good at climbing on/in things. He has her beat hands down, and he's quick too.

Cool Dude

I have been working to get Andrew to wear a hat when we go walking in the mornings to keep the sun off of him. I found the hat and the glasses today. He was a good sport to humor us while we took a picture.

Happy Birthday Andrew

Andrew is 1 year old. We are so blessed to have him in our family. He is such a special little boy. He has a tender heart and a loving spirit. He is very patient with his sister and loves playing with her every day. He is also protective of Mommy. If I leave the room he has to know where I am and when I will be back. We love you very much Andrew. You brighten our lives each day.

Andrew is 20 lbs 15 ounces. He is a great eater. He will eat just about anything you give him. His current favorite is watermelon. He eats it at every meal. He is strong and healthy. He keeps up with his sister with some speed crawling and will take 3-4 steps at a time. It won't be long before he is running faster than Elizabeth.

For his birthday we wanted to give him a Tonka Truck. Ever since my first summer job driving a giant "Tonka" I wanted my little boy to have his own. The first thing he did when he opened it was crawl in the truck bed. Look at the smile on that boy's face. Andrew also many other fun toys and we are all grateful for family and their generosity.

For Andrew's cake I tried to make it look like a Tonka truck. My Grandmother had given me the M&M's a couple of days earlier. Thanks Grandma, I couldn't have finished this project without them.

Andrew wasn't quite sure about the cake. The frosting was really sticky.He did eat a little of it, but mainly just squished it in his fingers.

All the young Olsen cousins enjoying lunch.

Thank you to everyone who came to spend the day with Andrew or sent cards and gifts. We love all of you.

Will Climb on Anything

I want to get Andrew a shirt that reads "Will Climb On Anything." I didn't think he could lift himself up there like that, but I was wrong. He has a really strong upper body. I think he has been watching Elizabeth a little too closely.

Mommy is SO Pround

I love my children so much. We drove 400 miles today in the car today and Andrew and Elizabeth didn't complain once. They are wonderful travelers. Thank you for being so good Andrew. You are such a good boy.

Each time I would look back to check on him, this is what I would find. Fingers in his mouth and a little grin.

New Seat

With Andrew's birthday next week it was time for a new car seat. He was way too big and heavy for the infant seat. It is a little bit of a change for him to see Mommy and Daddy. Before, he had a great view of Elizabeth, which he didn't seem to mind. After all, she is pretty entertaining to watch and is pretty good at sharing unwanted toys and snacks.

Playmates

Andrew and Elizabeth get along very well. They love playing with each other. Often times I find them giggling at each other on the floor. Elizabeth is very good at making sure Andrew has a toy to play with and making him feel included.

There is a small crawl space in between the couch and wall. This seems to be their little play place. Elizabeth will chase Andrew in there and then they sit together and giggle.


I've also found them sitting in the chair together. It looks like I put them in the chair to take their picture...but I didn't, I promise. If one does something that looks fun, the other follows.
I am so grateful they love each other. (Let's keep it up!)