More updates

Trust me, I do this as much for myself as I do for anyone else who may be reading my little blog! The days and weeks seem to fly by and all of a sudden, it's almost Halloween! What?! On to the kids...

Miss Zoe has had a great start to 1st grade. After debating, deciding, debating some more and then changing our minds AGAIN about changing schools for the kids, we are thrilled that we stayed put for this year. We are blessed to have two excellent options for school (one public, one private) we kept the kids in public school for the time being. All three kids have truly amazing teachers this year...perfect fits for each of them. Zoe needs lots of direction (or re-direction as the case may be), while being very bright and needing to be challenged. Both her kindergarten and first grade teachers "get" her and I'm so thankful to have these great influences in her little life! Beyond school, Zoe is a rock star soccer player as well as a ballerina. She's a super fun kid to be around, that's for sure!








Oh and did I mention she loves to cook? Lucky me...I never have to crack an egg or stir a thing when Zoe's around!

Tate is my little buddy and pretty much constant companion. He has started asking for Starbucks dates (how can I say no to that?!) and is up for pretty much any adventure we can find. I love having 2 mornings to just hang out with Mia while Tate's at school but we both LOVE picking him up from school. He's a really happy-go-lucky kid but can show his stubborn side and makes his little voice heard when he needs to. He's been talking about his "birday" for WEEKS now even though it's still 4 weeks away! There is a list a mile long of things he wants--among the wants are cowboy boots, anything from Power Rangers, and Cars toys. I feel like I have tons more pics of Tate and Mia because I'm with them all day! So enjoy...
















Isn't that funny...same place, same pose, different days. He loves saying "I'm the king of the mountain!" when we visit this play place.

And oh, Miss Mia. Our little Bell (we have called her Bell since Tate dubbed her LuluBell when she was born...the ways nicknames get started!). She is a girl on the MOVE! Crazy girl started walking at 9 months and trust me, I was helping her sit down. Funny how with your first child, you want them to meet all their milestones so quickly and get worried when they're not walking at 12 months (at least I did!) but with your fifth you're saying "slow down, sister!" Not only because you know how fast these months go, but also because a walker is a LOT more work than a non-walker. :) Another fun thing about Mia is that she is into everything. Special loves are crawling on top of the open dishwasher door, pulling ALL the sippy cups and tupperware out of the bottom drawers in the kitchen, and having radar for anytime someone forgot to close the baby gate up the stairs. :) Love my curious girl!! She is a hoot. I kid you not, she loves Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" and can seriously bust a move! And one of the sweetest things ever is the precious moments (well...mostly precious) between Tate and Mia. He is an awesome big brother and she adores him. I love when he says "It's ok, sweet girl." Melt my heart, these two!




"Helping" Mia walk




Just hangin out in the car.




Snuggles




Last but not least...my monkeys! Have a happy week, friends.

Laura Joy

Where to begin?

Where do I begin to catch up on the last month? It's been a fast, busy, fun ride! Of course most of you likely know our most exciting news...Olsen Baby Six is on the way (yes, the old-fashioned way as we call it around here). Yes, we were most certainly surprised by this news even though yes, we DO know how that happens. :) And for those who have or have not had the courage to ask (because you know you want to), YES WE ARE DONE. Hard to hear myself say those words but this "old" mama needs some sleep someday! I told Buck we will probably never have an empty house...with our oldest and youngest being 10.5 years apart...but that's fine with us! And we are beyond thrilled to learn we are having another precious baby boy. This little guy has tipped the scales toward testosterone in our house but I LOVE raising boys and am so thankful for how God has built our family exactly the way it was supposed to be.




Thumbs up and smiles for this sweet boy!!

We have wrapped up football season...Max's first in tackle football. For being one of the biggest kids on his team, he's a gentle spirit and not sure he loves the tackling thing. Bless his heart. He sure looks like a tough guy!



Get him with his cleats and helmet on and I kid you not, my 10-year-old is pretty much looking me straight in the eye! I have high hopes that he will make it to 11 before he passes me up in height! His feet are already well beyond my puny size 7's. Love this sweet guy.

And Charlie had a great first season of flag football! The artist of our family (drawing, drumming, writing song lyrics and stories are among his many talents!) he surprised me by wanting to play football. He is a speedy guy and loved grabbing flags and "Tebow-ing" when his team had a big play. He also started Cub Scouts this year which has been a great addition for him!




Seriously...could you resist buying popcorn from this kid??

Well...that's all I have time for as Miss Mia is telling me she's ready to get up from her morning nap. It's been a busy Monday morning already and we're looking forward to a quieter week without football practices! Updates on the other monkeys coming soon. We'll enjoy the downtime before basketball season. Have a great week, friends!

Laura Joy