Cousin weekend!

This was sitting number 2...everyone was still pretty happy to take photos

Getting a little more challenging by frame 8

and attentions lost by many of the group by frame 12

Jenna, Vance, Stuart and Ross...Kurt is a very proud Dad!


We had a blast seeing 14 of 16 cousins this weekend...all of the Blomgren's and baby Siri. I also was able to visit with my cousin Erika which was a fabulous surprise!



Above are some photos from the Blomgren cousin portrait session...the copywrite has been purchased from Sears. Thanks to all who participated!

We have much to give thanks for and hope all had a restful Thanksgiving. Brad has so far brought home two nice does for our freezer; yum!

Grandma Betty's Giftas

As many of you know, Betty Olson is a tremendous cook! I am sharing her famous Giftas recipe...



6 Nature Valley pecan crunch granola bars
2 oz. pecan pieces
5oz. Yoplait thick and creamy vanilla yogurt
6 oz. Craisins
16 oz. jellied cranberries
1 tub cool whip



1. Blend the granola bars in a food processor until crumbled and set aside for #7.

2. Grind Craisins to approximately 1/4 original size in food processor.

3. Blend 16 oz. jellied cranberries until consistncy of pie filling in food processor.

4. Whip together yogurt, craisins and cranberry blend.

5. Add pecan pieces.

6. Blend cool whip into mixture.

7. Layer 1/2 mixture and 1/2 granola crumbles.

8. Repeat number 7.



Lastly, enjoy with your Thanksgiving dinner :).



Enjoy the holiday with your loved ones!

Race weekend...

A little late, but here are some photos from the beautiful race weekend on Oct 12-14. Brad, Anders, Katie, Bud, Betty and myself went to Ashland, Wisconsin where I ran a half marathon...the second half of my full marathon for 2007. I ran the first half in June.

The second half was very scenic and ran it a bit faster than my first--I jogged it in 2 hours 9 minutes, which I was very pleased with. We camped at Copper Falls State Park, visited Madeline Island and enjoyed the gorgeous Fall colors.

Hiliarious Halloween Adventures...

Hello to all! Hope you had an amazing Halloween day and evening...we sure did! Grandma Betty and Grandpa Bud made their journey to River Falls to watch Anders lead his class in the Halloween parade, trick or treat and watch Katie wilt at the end of the evening in her Kelty backpack. Anders was a very convincing cowboy and Katie was a not so ferocious lion. Dorothy the Dinosaur pumpkin was a huge hit in Katie's estimation.

Enjoy the beautiful Fall weather and more to come...

days of our lives...

Here are some various events of our lives since the last update. We had a wind storm that had an issue with our hammock...branch won the fight as you can see from first photo.

Second photo is a priceless glimpse of two generations enjoying a little panfishing expedition.

Third photo was from a magical bonfire of an old stump at Bud and Betty's.

Fourth is Anders and buddies Jack, Luke and John on Luke and Anders' first day of school. John is a seasoned 1st grader and Jack has a few years to grow before he heads to school.

and lastly is a wonderful photo of an amazing artist--our cousin Dionne Swanson. We were honored to attend an event where she was the featured artist.

Love to all and don't forget to watch the Brady's and Horton's in their fight against the DiMeara's....

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.