Ms. Katie Cat Corn...

Little lady has also had a wonderful summer. She has a brand new cousin named Trenton Anders Blomgren and has been enjoying doing "this little piggy goes to market" with him. She also loves playing with all of her cousins, her Grandmas and Grandpas, Anders, friend Libby and being a bit helper for Momma.

We have a little lady on our hands...watch out!

Talented Mr. Anders....

I couldn't miss the opportunity to share these great photos from Anders' experience at Luther Point Bible Camp with his Grandma Betty...Anders taught all of his friends a new talent.

The Incomparable Anders Olson

What a summer for Anders Cole! He is soon to be entering Kindergarten and is very eager to spend the day with friends and learning to read and write. When I asked him today what he's most looking forward to, he commented "I'm looking forward to being helpful and learning every day."

We will keep you posted as to how the year continues, but it is looking very sunny so far.

Summer Fun...

Photo captions---Pirates on the Kinni--Anders at T-ball--Kurt and the boys at the family reunion--Anders at soccer--and the beautiful Prizm.

We've been enjoying a fun summer with sports, playing and visiting loved ones.

Anders and I each ran in a race during River Falls Days. Anders and I ran the 1K together in which Anders took off so quickly, that I couldn't keep up. I ran the 10K earlier in the morning, so maybe I was just a little rickety. My time for the 10K was 58:03, which is 5 seconds faster than my previous 10K best :). Anders also competed in a water fight sponsored by the River Falls Fire Department...he loved that event and asks "How many days until we can do that again?"

My brother Kyle and I ran Grandma's Half Marathon on Kyle's birthday. Kyle finished in under 2 hours and I finished in 2:12:59...so close to my goal of 2:11:00. Next year will be another race!

Katie has been racing in the growing field. She just had her 18 month appointment and showed the doctor that she knows all of her body parts, knows that she is one years old and can say so many words that Mom and Dad have lost track. She is also finally over 20 pounds! She tips the scales at 20.6 pounds and is about 30.25" tall. 10% for both height and weight which is holding steady.

Brad has been busy gardening and working many hours at the University and with Uncle Bruce. He is very much looking forward to a fishing weekend with Brent, Bud, and Jerry in a couple of weeks.

We are also the proud new owners of a mini-van. It's been a fun transition. If anyone needs a great little Geo Prizm, let us know :)

Much Needed Face Lift!

The sweet little home in River Falls no longer has a huge gaping hole in the backyard. Many thanks to Forrest Construction of New Richmond we now have a playground and future ballfield for the Olson family. Grass seed will be nurtured in the near future and Anders will welcome a challenge from any loved one who would love to check our the face lift.

It was lots of fun watching the stages of de/construction...what a difference one week makes!

It all started on July 11--our wedding anniversary and was finished just six days later. We have had a big rain and there were no leaks, let's hope that continues to be par for the course. We will post more photos after the grass is growing and more landscaping is created...

More Photos...

Had to include a few more photos...especially enjoy the "like Father Like Son" sequence. I think Anders has a little more air in his jump :). Our adventures with Siri and Jillian needed a little more photo time as well, and I love seeing the difference of eye color in Anders and Kate in that closeup...they look so similar, but have such different eyes.

We have a six year old!

It's been a while since I've updated and there have been several birthday parties celebrating Anders Cole's Golden Birthday and many other wonderful activities as well.





Anders' first party was on the day...his Grandparents and four of his 15 cousins were able to celebrate with him. Anders' second party was with his preschool friends, Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud, Aunt Molly and cousin Siri, at the Pizza Hut in River Falls. Third party was a small party with Julie, Abby, Libby, Katie and Brad to celebrate May birthdays in our families. The fourth party was a celebration of baptism at Grandma Betty's house. The whirlwind of parties is over, but we will never forget the wonderful memories and fun had at our parties!





Visiting Grandma and Grandpa B during the first week of June was a big highlight of the month. We also enjoyed camping with the Kniers in June, camping with the Kyle Blomgren's and running a half marathon in June. Never thought I would enjoy running so much, but I have been bitten by the running bug! Last weekend Katie was introduced to parades and the candy that goes with them. Our family attended the Railroad Days parade in St. James and Katie took a tumble and scunned her nose running after a tootsie roll. We also were able to watch Stuart in production of Alice in Wonderland and attend the Pierson family reunion...busy month, but very special.

Kids are growing and changing daily. Anders is busy with t-ball and soccer. Kate just finished swimming lessons and is saying new words and developing more of a personality...much to Mom's chagrin.





Enjoy your summer and we will keep this posted hopefully a bit more often to journal happenings in our lives...

312 WEEKS!

312 weeks ago, Brad and I became parents...what an amazing experience! I am so happy to report that Anders is doing extremely well and is eagerly anticipating his Golden Birthday this coming Sunday, May 6th. We are celebrating with a few get togethers...one on Sunday with Grandparents...one on the following Thursday with friends and one on Memorial weekend with whomever is available to celebrate. Anders is loving pirates, army stuff, dinosaurs...he is such a fun and dynamic soul. He has changed our lives so much and we salute him for the special person he is.

New stuff...

We have been enjoying a nice weekend and start to the week at Grandma and Grandpa's home. There is a sheen of ice on the lake and Brad heard a gobbler this morning in his quest for turkeys that begins on Wednesday. Kate has been exploring the house and Anders has been spending some quality time playing legos and outside. I have been enjoying amazing food, visiting and time to get ready for my race next weekend and for my big race in June.

The photos attached are from a great trip to the Como Zoo with the Thibodeaus and from Easter festivities this weekend. The Como Zoo trip boasted an 81 degree day while the Easter photos were plagued with temps in the 20s. CRAZY! Love to all and enjoy your day!

April Fools

I could not resist the title--we are not fools, but this is one of my favorite holidays. The temps in River Falls have become more springlike and our maple syrup season has come to an end. I'm attaching some photos from our last days of sap collecting and we are proud to announce we have about 1/2 gallon of syrup for our efforts. We have enjoyed two evenings of waffle eating with our new syrup, and I have to say that the efforts are well worth it!

The other photo is from an invigorating day with Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud after an exploration of the Science Museum of Minnesota. Curiosity was the element of the day. Anders loved the dinosaurs and Katie enjoyed the informational telephones that spouted dinosaur facts...that girl is going to be a talker!

March Madness!

Hello again! We are getting a little Spring Fever in River Falls...we had some great snow last month, but we are ready to collect sap for maple syrup and enjoy the great outdoors even more.

Some new photos are attached. We enjoyed mid 40 temps and great snow at a park in River Falls just one week ago. Anders loved the speed on the hill and especially enjoyed getting buried in the snow. Kate was indifferent on the first trip down the hill, but thoroughly enjoyed subesquent trips.

Frosty was created yesterday and I have a feeling will have a short life span...it was a gorgeous Spring Day today. We are enjoying a weekend at Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud's so will find out his fate when we arrive home tomorrow.

Love to all and hope you enjoy the end of winter/beginning of spring.