on-hand modern

some family photos + more

hey, look! it's our traditional semi-annual family self-portrait. you can see how much has changed--and hasn't changed--here and here.

and now for a bit of news:

the olsons are expecting a baby! hooray! a few details:

- i am currently 21 weeks along. (more like 17 in the photos; i've grown since then)

- the baby is due in march.

- we've decided to keep with tradition and be surprised about the whole boy/girl thing.

- we've had an ultrasound. baby looks healthy and perfect, and it's definitely not a puppy. (sorry, asher.)

okay, so those are the basics. i have a little more to say on the matter, which is personal and maybe a bit heavy. i hope you'll excuse the abrupt change in tone, but it's important for me to be honest and real here, as vulnerable as that feels.

we've been a bit quiet about this pregnancy, which, frankly, has caused a raised eyebrow or two. some have inferred, or even directly implied, that we are not happy about this pregnancy. let me assure you, this is absolutely not true. we are thrilled/grateful/humbled to welcome another addition to our family. but the process of getting our family here has never been easy for us, and this pregnancy is no exception. the past several months have been some of the most difficult we've ever experienced. among other challenges, my health has been a very real issue, and for children whose life experience has taught them that Very Bad Things sometimes happen to moms and babies, it's taken a heavy emotional toll. now more than ever, our focus as parents has had to turn inward on our family, especially these little ones. i think most people understand that--the need to hunker down and take care of each other during hard times, but I just want to be clear. not shouting our news from the rooftops doesn't mean we aren't happy, or that we mean to exclude people from what's going on in our life. it just means that we're human, and that we're being selective with where our focus needs to be right now.

thanks for your understanding, support, and love.

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independence day

we went to breakfast again like last year (sidenote: no buffet this time. we couldn't find one! an unfortunate circumstance we all agreed = distinctly un-american. ha!) and swam and watched fireworks and somewhere in between browsed at the bookstore for new activity books to keep everybody busy in the car on our upcoming road trip. all in all it was a good family day, and for that i am grateful. the long summer days, while completely awesome in many ways, aren't devoid of challenges and i've been pretty discouraged of late by what i perceive to be an excess of negative energy in our home. teasing, arguing, getting on each other's nerves--all of it normal stuff but, you know. sometimes it feels like...a lot. i'm hopeful that a vacation and change of scenery will be just what the doctor ordered.

how are things with you?

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hello again

i'm just gonna say it: coming back after a long blawging break is haaaard. somebody say something encouraging. :)

photos are of the delicious mother's day fajita feast prepared by k and kids.

i hope your summer is off to a great start!

p.s. this would make a great summer read. it's non-fiction but reads like fiction. fascinating. loved it.

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easter traditions 2012

1) making resurrection bread

2) dyeing easter eggs

3) new saltwater sandals (read more about that tradition here)

4) new for 2012 : eggs filled with "fish and honeycomb" (i.e. swedish fish and sugar babies) + reading luke 24:39-42

i hope your easter holiday was happy and meaningful. i miss being in this space more often and connecting with all of you. fyi, tomorrow evening i'll be playing the organ at the kansas city temple open house. eek! i'm nervous and excited. cross your fingers i don't do anything (too) embarrassing. maybe i'll see you there? i hope i do.

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valentine's day by dad

Whoa. Way too much time between posts. Must try to remedy that situation starting...now.
 
Hey! I wanted to talk to you about holidays and who's in charge of planning. In my experience, the role of holiday cruise director usually falls under the job description of Mom, but at some point over the years the Engineer took over Valentine's Day, and it's pretty great. There are usually flowers involved, for me and the girls. (Attention dads: if you give your daughter flowers on Valentine's Day, she will feel loved and special and remember your thoughtfulness forever. Learned this tip from my own dad who probably doesn't remember he once sent me flowers at BYU on Valentine's Day, but I do. Hi Dad!)
 
There is also chocolate for everyone--this year giant Hershey kisses for the kids, something a little more grown up for me--and maybe a surprise or two. Like paper hearts everywhere! It doesn't have to cost a lot or be elaborate to make a big impact. As a mom (and blogger) I always try to remember that. Simple is just fine, and over-the-top is generally overrated. (Do you agree? Is this easier for guys, do you think?)
 
Anyway, that's our family Valentine's Day. What do you think? Is dad in charge of any holidays at your house? As a mom, would you be cool with a holiday dad's way? Love to hear your thoughts.

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thanksgiving 2011

without any family around to share the holiday, it's become our tradition the last few years to eat out on thanksgiving. to be totally honest, i still much prefer a home-cooked meal surrounded by parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews, but this way at least we get to spend more time hanging around with the kids instead of doing dishes. it's also become our tradition in recent years to book a hotel room close to home for the night. so for us the holiday pretty much goes like this: morning--see a movie in the theater, afternoon--eat an early dinner, evening--swim in the hotel pool. then the next day we get up and explore the city where we're staying.

so, these are some of my favorite photos from this year's thanksgiving festivities in...lawrence, kansas. haha. it's a cute little college town, home to the University of Kansas. we spent most of the day after thanksgiving on massachusetts street, poking our heads into all the quirky shops and making mental wishlists. olivia bought herself a vintage nancy drew book in an antique store. and asher picked out a $1 plastic reindeer at one of the local toy shops. around dinner time, the holiday lights came on for the first time and santa made his much-anticipated appearance on top of weavers, the department store.

it all sounds pretty idyllic and "thanksgiving in mayberry" as i type this. in reality...well.

we had our moments.

the thing is i look at the photos, and pretty much i only remember the good parts.

[photo of me by k]

***

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that it's tradition.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that if you use pre-made graham cracker crusts, it takes exactly the same amount of effort to make 4 pies as it does to make one. so always make the full recipe.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that when you look in the fridge and see FOUR PIES, you feel rich.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is knowing that if someone were to drop by unexpectedly, you could say, "please come in. i have pie." and they would think you are awesome. even if you are still in your pajamas.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that when you wake up too early and can't get back to sleep, at least you have something to write about.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is that it signals the start of the holiday season. and girls in red dresses.

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is how cute are these mini pies my sister made?

the thing about pumpkin chiffon pie is it's my 1950s entrepreneurial grandmother's recipe. my favorite vintage photo of her + the recipe are right here.

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thoughts on holiday shopping

are you thinking about gifts for the holidays yet? it still feels early to me, but i made my first purchase for the kids this morning. i'm not much of a shopper usually--i get overwhelmed by crowds and choices (not to mention tiny-house-more-stuff syndrome, and the expense) so i tend to avoid it as much as possible. then the holidays come around and there's all this (self-induced) pressure to buybuybuy! just.the.right.thing. i confess. i can get a bit...crazy.

to try to keep the consumerism + my stress level at a minimum, i strive to abide by the following guidelines:

1) children may ask santa for ONE thing.

2) when shopping for children use this rule of thumb: one thing they want, one thing they need (our tradition is new shoes), one thing i made, one thing to read.

3) shop online as much as possible.

4) buy the grandparents the same thing every year.

5) avoid shipping costs + trips to the post office by sending gift cards to out-of-towners.

do you have any other anti-stress holiday shopping tips? i'd love to hear them.

***

diy: family portrait october 2011

it's our tradition every six months to put the camera on timer and take a family photo. april + october. we do it during LDS conference weekend (the same day we make donuts) so we don't forget.

there are probably a dozen more of these, and they are all pretty much comical. they have soul though, i think.

(am also pleased to report the engineer gave up trying to grow his hair out.)

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i believe in: God, traditions, and donuts

if you've been reading here for any length of time you've probably heard me talk about conference weekend + homemade spudnuts before, but (spoiler alert!) i'll probably keep talking about them because i believe in family traditions. be they simple or elaborate, big or small, silly or of a more serious nature--those things which we do consciously over and over again as families have value, bringing us together in a very real way and providing those shared experiences that, regularly and collectively, serve to strengthen our family bonds, create commonalities among (sometimes very different) family members, build understanding and familiarity across generations, and just generally bring an added level of richness and meaning to our lives.

i should say that i also believe in adapting our traditions as our families grow and evolve and our circumstances change, but for now--

sugary pastries twice a year it is!

[recipe here]

p.s. for my LDS-curious friends. :) in case you are wondering, there is no theological connection between LDS general conference and fried foods with holes in them. it's just a random thing we do, although family-specific traditions regarding food and that weekend seem to be pretty common among us mormons. my sister's family makes ebelskivers (puffy danish pancakes) and my sister-in-law's in-laws (did you follow that?) have a tradtion they fondly refer to as Bacon Fest. ha!

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