Oliver the Destroyer

Don't be fooled by this angelic little face, for underneath lies the heart of the most destructive force ever to have been created!!! (Bwa-ha-ha!) You think I am joking? Allow me to show you the devastation....... Warning: Not for the faint-hearted or those with weak stomachs. These are some disturbing images and viewers are advised to use discretion.

Look at that cherubic face, seems innocent enough, no? Guess again. Ollie is crushing the life out of his own father AND trying to destroy the bed that I had JUST made...

And here we have Oliver smashing our oak entertainment center with his body and him disorganizing all of his toys. Horrid, I know.

Smiling, adorable, lovable, most precious thing in this world, or brand new pajama soiling monster man? As if I can just toss these pj's into the washer....

Just look at this wake of destruction! And there you see him fleeing the scene... As if anyone else could be so heartless to a couch and living room.

This one is pretty gruesome, and I apologize. Just look at all those garbage bags thrown carelessly about the kitchen!

And here, trying to remove the clean clothes from the dryer onto the floor. The villainy is almost too much!

What's that you say? Just corral him in the living room to minimize the blast radius? This beast will not be caged! He will scale any gate that stands in his way!

As you can see, it is not just we parents that are terrified of this hobgoblin, even venomous snakes are no match for him!

And here, the most dangerous photo of all. That smile will melt your heart like acid will melt... pretty much anything.

You see the destruction I face daily? Not only is my house destroyed, but I am also completely in the control of that blue-eyed blond-haired angel. I apologize for these pictures again, for now I know you are also within the power of this beautiful boy and all his heart-melting power. He is after all, Oliver the Destroyer!!! (Echoing: Destroyer! destroyer! destroyer!)

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room!

So if you have been wondering what has been keeping me too busy to blog for the past month or two you are about to have all your puzzlings answered. (I know you have been dying to know what has been keeping me away:-) Anyways, it all started with a project I was doing for my Achievement Night girls. We were going to be making signs that said "Princess, daughter of a Heavenly King" so I had to tap into my inner crafter. In the process of buying materials for this project, I decided to also purchase some paints for myself and some new paintbrushes. From there it seemed to just get out of control. Before I knew it I was buying six canvases and planning a mural for Oliver's bedroom. Ollie's room has never been what you would call properly "decorated" so I guess some guilt came into the equation as well. Anyways, for the past few months I have been planning and painting for Oliver's room. Needless to say, I bit off quite a big chunk and am still nowhere near finished, but thought I would give everyone an update on what I do have finished/in the works.

This is a sign board that I had left over from my Achievement Night girls, so I figured I would put it to good use:-) The sign is not yet finished, but is closer to done than a lot of other projects that I have cooking:-)

As you have probably figured out, I am decorating Oliver's room with the Enchanted Tiki Room theme. Here is my first canvas primed and ready for color. I got inspiration for these birds from some original Tiki Room art which you can see at this link http://www.register123.com/event/profile/web/index.cfm?PKwebID=0x112329ffe5 I love this woman's style and I thought it would be so cute as Ollie's bedroom theme:-)

This was stage three of the painting process where I just did the perch and the straw roof.

Finally the completion of the bird, Fritz to be precise, but standing on its own it seemed a little lacking so I added some Birds of Paradise in bottom left corner. It is definitely a work in progress, but we still have three canvases to go and one wall mural of Tongaroa.

Painting and drawing again has been so fun, but it is even better now because I can do it for Oliver and Seth loves it:-) Seth has been so encouraging about my art that I can't help but be excited to start up this part of my life again. I'm still pretty rusty, and its been a long time since I picked up a brush, but I guess some things you never forget:-)

Its always fun when Grandpa comes, when Grandpa comes to stay!

Sorry for the long wait folks! I realize that our blog has been pretty boring over the last few months and I apologize. Things here have been kinda busy, and sadly the blog is the first thing that is forgotten on the list of things to do. Anyways, last weekend my Dad came into town and got to meet Ollie for the very first time! He stayed in Charlotte with my sister and her husband so Oliver and I made the drive up by ourselves on Monday, then Seth and Ollie and I all went to stay the weekend with the Wilde bunch and Grandpa. We all had an awesome time with Grandpa and Jess made the most AMAZING ribs for dinner on Saturday. I'm pretty sure I gained five pounds from that weekend:-) We have all really missed Grandpa and are happy we got to see him when we did. Right now he is tripping up North to visit some Aunts and Uncles and plans to head down to our home base soon! We can't wait!!!

Here is a little orange peel man that I made awhile ago. It seems a bit odd I know, but my Dad used to make these for my sisters and I when we were little and we just loved it! The orange man even had a navel! (get it? Navel oranges?)

Here we have Ollie and Grandpa getting better acquainted with each other.

And Grandpa with all the boys!

Grandpa lovin' on the baby:-)

And Grandpa creates another Caterpillar fan:-)

Out of Order

Okay, so I have given up on trying to get the pictures on this stinking blog in order, so, here we go. The perfectionist in me has gone through and restarted several different blogs, but I have finally thrown in the towel. Until this site makes uploading and editing pictures simpler, I will just let the pictures upload where they will, even though they are completely out of order and it drives me insane.... with anger.... So here we have what is supposed to be the second to last picture right here at the top... awesome.... This was a cute little frog that has been living in our screened patio area who decided to step inside for a little while.




Seth found him roaming the halls at about 10 pm last night just before we were going to head off to bed. Luckily we did find the little fella because I'm not sure if he would have survived in here at night, since i like to set the thermostat at about 65 before going to sleep. Seth proceeded to capture him in a Tupperware and then placed him outside in my flower bed where his buddy was waiting for him by the soaker hose. Very cute, and very random:-) Below is a picture from last weekend when Ollie, Seth and I ventured to the Sand Hills Walking Mall. We decided to look around inside of Gymboree where we found some way cute beanies. Too bad its a million degrees outside or I would have got him one of these hats! He looked so cute!



While he may have looked cute, he didn't really like to have any of the hats on, so we quickly moved on. Below is a picture of my boys looking as handsome as ever:-)

The picture I have below was from this morning, when Ollie and I were just goofing around:-) He loves to play peek-a-boo these days so I was covering him with a blanket and then yanking it off his face to hear him giggle like crazy. He is so fun! There seriously is nothing better than being able to stay home with this wonderful little imp!

Here is a picture from yesterday when he found the dust pan on top of the garbage can:-) I thought it was so cute that he was barely as tall as the can!

This picture is also from yesterday, but later on in the afternoon when he was being helpful. His new favorite activity these days is unloading the dishwasher with me and checking to see if the silverware is clean enough. This spoon apparently passed inspection:-)

Just a picture of my two boys first thing in the morning! Both are lookin' sharp in their uniforms! Blues and BDU's!

So, even though I'm sure most of you could care less that these photos are out of order, I have to apologize for them again. Seth has assured me that it doesn't matter and that I should just, "not get so worked up about it", but I can't stand how this site works. If any of you can tell me an easier way to post on here or how to just move the pictures around without wanting to tear my hair out, please let me know! :-) Hope you all enjoyed this rather backwards chronicle of this past week:-)

Family Vacation 2009

Here it is! The post you've all been waiting for! I apologize for taking so long in posting about our AWESOME vacation, (I have received several complaints about my stagnant blog page...:-) but we have all been super busy since our return home. For those of you not in the know, Seth, Oliver, and I all went to Sunny San Diego for our first ever family vacation! We kicked off our trip by first saying a prayer and driving to Charlotte, NC the night before our flight to SD. The next morning, July 10th, we all boarded a non-stop flight to SD and Oliver experienced his first plane ride! (well, outside of the womb anyways:-). He did so well! Here he is right before takeoff:-) There's something on the wing..... Some.... Thing!!!

Well, I guess whatever it was wasn't that much to worry about...:-) Look at this perfect little angel sleeping on me during the flight! I love that he sucks his thumb! What makes it even sweeter is that he only sucks his thumb when he is falling asleep. So cute!

Here we are finally in San Diego and the first stop when we got here: In-N-Out Burger. Seth and I were discussing how In-N-Out is like our pilgrimage. Every time we venture West, we must stop and sample the nectar of the Gods by visiting the most amazing burger joint in the world. Here we have Ollie visiting In-N-Out Burger for the first time:-)

It is quite clear that he loved it! Free straws! What more could a nine month old ask for out of life? And here we have our first, but not last, order from In-N-Out: Two cheeseburgers animal style with fries. Glorious! We didn't order shakes yet, but the shakes here are AMAZING!

Next stop was visiting Auntie Julia (aka Auntie Boo Boo:-) and Uncle David for the very first time! Ollie just adored Auntie Boo right from the start and Mommy was forgotten the rest of the weekend. Here we are visiting the beach our first day in town.

While Ollie loved the beach, you can see it tuckered him right out:-) He didn't even have to walk up the killer hill afterwards, (thank you Auntie Boo Boo for the ride:-).

Here we are at our second day at the beach when Oliver actually got to sit in the waves and eat the sand:-) He seemed a little unsure when he first sat down in the water, but once he was used to the temperature, he LOVED it!

Here is Uncle David helping Ollie sit up and not get swept away by the waves:-) Later that night after the beach, Seth and I got to go out on a date while Auntie Boo Boo and Uncle David watched Oliver:-) We went to an excellent sushi restaurant where we ordered the "Kiwi Roll" and the "Angry Dragon Roll". Both were delicious and afterwards Mommy and Daddy got to watch the sunset while walking on the beach. Needless to say, the evening was wonderful, as was the entire day. But, what romantic date would be complete without a round of RockBand as dessert? While Oliver slept peacefully in the next room, David, Julia, Seth and I all rocked out to several classics like "Volcano" and "Eye of the Tiger". We all had an awesome time staying with Auntie Boo Boo and Uncle David and cannot wait to see them again! (October maybe?...:-)

After we said our goodbyes to Jules and David, Seth, Ollie and I all went to Balboa Park to meet Grandpa Poulsen:-) Oliver was very excited to see Grandpa, especially his hat:-), and we got to ride the carousel and the little train that is in the park. Here are the dudes, enjoying some apple juice and a delicious pasty:-)

Here is Oliver on his first carousel ride with his Daddy! My goodness they are both such handsome men!

And here we have Ollie being goofy at his second trip to In-N-Out:-)

We all had a great time, but the one cloud over the day was that Grandma was stuck in Bozeman due to overbooked flights, improperly cared for planes, and the general incompetence of the Airlines. What we thought would only be a day long delay ended up taking two while Grandma fought her way down for the weekend. Needless to say, we were all very bummed out.

This here is the view from our Villa at the Lawrence Welks Resort. We all stayed here for the remainder of our time in California, and yes, it was very beautiful. Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa for letting us stay with you!!! A couple of days after we got to Welks, Seth and I were able to go to Disneyland while Grandma and Grandpa watched Oliver for us! We have no pictures from that day because, as serious Disneylanders, taking a backpack around the park get to be really annoying after awhile, so we just stowed everything in a locker and just forgot to take pictures that day:-) Seth and I had a GREAT time, especially since I was able to ride the rides this time because I was no longer prego! Woo hoo! The next day we took Oliver with us, and here we are on the third ride of the day, Casey Jr.'s Railroad:-) Look at that happy little family!

We have mouse ears for Oliver, but he would not keep them on long enough for a picture, so we got him a little T-shirt too to commemorate his very first visit to the Happiest Place on Earth:-) After Casey Jr. we went on Pirates of the Caribbean, one of Daddy's favorite rides, where we have a picture of Mommy's two favorite men next to Seth.... Captain Barbossa, you have stolen my heart, you pirate you! :-)

After Pirates, my boys and I headed to one of Mommy's favorite rides, The Flight of Peter Pan. Sadly, Ollie fell asleep during the line and was passed out the entire flight, BUT one super cool thing happened:-) When Seth and I boarded our flying pirate ship, the controller of the ride asked us if we liked Disney trivia and if we were any good:-) I of course said yes immediately and he said: "What is the name of the dwarf who wears glasses"? Well, obviously I got the question right (Doc) and Seth and I got a free pass to jump to the head of any line by handing them this little sheet of paper. It was so SWEET! Anyone who has ever ridden Peter Pan's Flight knows that it has one of the longest lines in Fantasy Land, so later that night we got to take Oliver on the Flight with no wait whatsoever:-) I LOVE Disneyland!!!

Here is Oliver on his favorite ride of the day, Small World... I had mixed feeling about this discovery, because it is not really a favorite of mine and it takes FOREVER to get through, but Ollie LOVED it! Just watching him on this ride was totally worth it and we rode this one twice. I think he liked it because of the little dolls that look like kids. Ollie just loves watching older kids playing or talking, so he was in heaven on this ride:-)

Here is the whole family by Mommy's all time favorite ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Seth and I got a cute picture here while we were on our honeymoon and I think it will be our annual tradition to always have a family picture taken in this spot:-)

After our two wonderful days at Disneyland, Grandma, Grandpa, Seth, Oliver, and I all went to Balboa park to meet with Uncle Dane. Here is a picture of the beautiful lily pads that were just outside of the botanical gardens.

We walked around the Botanical Gardens for awhile, where Oliver explored the vegetation with his curious little paws:-)

Here is Oliver getting a better view of the Gardens and a better taste as well:-)

After we had walked through the entirety of the Botanical Gardens, we migrated to the Japanese garden where we did a pretty quick walk through and saw some pretty bizarre art. Here is a picture of one of the buildings in the park that was just beautiful. I have decided that when I am an old lady, I want to live in a huge castle with courtyards that look like this:-)

Here is Uncle Dane and Oliver getting better acquainted by seeing whose tongue is longer:-) It was a draw:-)

After our day at Balboa Park, we all went back to Welks where we grilled Shark, Swordfish, Shrimp, and Steak. Glorious, simply glorious. We had a great evening together watching cousin Bjorn's stomp video and part of the Tour de France. Grandma also showed us some old love letters to her from Grandpa and their GradNite tickets to Disneyland. The best of the night though was an old letter that Seth had written to Santa Claus when he was maybe eight or ten? It was priceless! So cute and so funny, just like my wonderful husband now:-) The next day, we all went up to Riverside to celebrate Great-Grandma LaRue's 90th birthday! It was great! Seth got to see a lot of family that he hadn't seen in years, and I got to meet everyone:-) Great-Grandma LaRue looked wonderful and was doing great! On our way up to the party we, of course, stopped at In-N-Out Burger with Uncle Dane and caught this awesome picture of Oliver staring down the fry Uncle Dane had given him:-)

And this is Oliver after afore mentioned fry was consumed:-) The fries are that good:-)

After the birthday party, we all decided to go to Acapulco's Mexican restaurant. Ollie said he would drive:-)

During dinner, Oliver got his very first balloon and was completely obsessed with it:-) It makes me sad that we didn't get him a balloon at Disneyland, but there is always next time:-)

Overall, this was by FAR the best vacation I/We have ever been on! We had such a wonderful time seeing family, enjoying the beach, going to Disneyland, and just hanging out. We are all so thankful to everyone who made this vacation possible and for all the hospitality we received from our families. We love you all and can't wait to see you all again!