Merry Christmas!

Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

In the past 24 hours, Daddy Jeff has been diagnosed with bronchitis, and Graham and I have been diagnosed with pneumonia. Amelia is the only healthy one in the house but she did take her turn with pneumonia just two weeks ago so it's not like she has been completely spared either. So, for Christmas, we'd love the respiratory gods to please be kind to our family and allow us to be healthy enough to enjoy an inhaler, nebulizer, codeine, wheezing, and coughing free Christmas. Thank you in advance for your help.

Love,
The Olson Family

Winter Adventure

We're always up for an adventure, so yesterday we headed off on a winter adventure! As if we weren't already buried by enough snow and the temperatures weren't quite cold enough for, we headed 3 hours north to Duluth! We arrived in Duluth early yesterday afternoon and we were pleasantly surprised that we only had to make one quick bathroom stop for our newly potty trained princess! Our first stop was a visit with Santa. Last year Amelia was terrified so we didn't know what to expect. Amelia proceeded with GREAT caution, but followed Graham onto Santa's lap without shedding a tear. Graham was extremely excited to tell Santa he wanted Iron Man toys and a zip line (he's going to be sorely disappointed in Christmas morning!) and when Santa asked Amelia what she wanted I wasn't surprised that she didn't want to answer. Chatty Big Brother Graham took care of that though and told Santa that Amelia wants a new pair of princess shoes.


After our Santa visit, we boarded a train for a short ride to one of the most extensive holiday lights displays imaginable. Graham was convinced the train was headed for the North Pole so we went with it. I didn't have the heart to disappoint him and children only believe in this sort of magic for so long, right? As amazing as the lights were, it was hard to ignore the freezing cold temperatures and wind blowing off of Lake Superior! Let's just say I was thankful when the sensation to my toes returned a few hours later! We ended our evening back at the hotel, which with toddlers always adds to the adventure. There is something about those standard rooms that brings out super, high energy levels from Graham and Amelia!

Lucky

At the end of what was a very stressful week, I'm reminded of just how lucky I am. How could I not smile with these two in my life?

Christmas Concert

This morning was a milestone event for our family....our very first, of what will be many, Christmas concert! Graham marched in with confidence, waved to us, then took his place right in the front. He knew all the words and hand motions to his songs. The program was so cute and we were so proud of him! Graham had the audience laughing because at the end of every single song, he took a very deep, dramatic bow! This type of milestone makes me feel sentimental-how is Graham old enough to be taking part in such a concert? It seems like just yesterday we brought home our chubby cheeked little guy from Korea. Now today, he's a confident big preschool student who loves learning and looks forward to attending school. What's even crazier than Graham being old enough to take party in such a concert is that next year, Amelia will also be a part of this. We'll have two kids singing for us-WOW!

Graham was singing his heart out!

Miles came and thanks to Mickey on the ipod, he was able to sit through the entire thing! :)

Right after the concert Graham found Amelia and put his arm around her

Enjoying a cookie treat in Graham's classroom

Two Years Ago

Exactly two years ago, I woke up in the morning as the proud Mommy of one happy little guy. Exactly two years ago I went to sleep the proud Mommy of two beautiful children. It's amazing how one little afternoon phone call changed our world.....December 12, 2008 was the first day we saw Amelia's sweet little face.


Amelia and I today, December 12, 2010 on the way to my Mom's annual Holiday tea. I am so thankful to be able to call Amelia my daughter!

Messages from Santa

Santa was kind enough to send both Graham and Amelia a personalized message! In case any other Mommy's or Daddy's want to request the same thing from Santa, here are the links so you can check them out!

Graham's message:
http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/4ajhl2luGjmfouLAokEyiA

Amelia's message:
http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/g1i1c7d7nUgNy9_WoM9GRQ

Sick

Amelia and Graham both came home from Florida with colds. Graham has continued to get better every day and is clearly at the end of his illness. Amelia on the other hand has gotten worse. When I went to wake her up this morning I found a very lethargic little girl who just wanted to be held. I brought her to the pediatrician and I'm so glad I did since a chest x-ray was able to diagnose her with pneumonia. Poor thing! She's already had her first dose of antibiotics and she'll also be getting a big dose of "whatever she wants" from her Mama. So, I'm guessing our next few days are going to be filled with episodes of Dora, sippy cups full of apple juice, and goldfish crackers.

Long time no blog!

It's been a while....I know. We're as busy as ever, still taking just as many pictures as ever, I just don't feel like I have as much time as I used to, so blogging as fallen by the wayside. But, I do have a fun update today! While our part of the country got dumped on with close to a foot of snow last week, we were only hearing about it on the news and getting updates from friends because we were on the beach in Florida! We, along with cousin Miles and his family, and my parents, headed south to visit my own Grandparents, Graham, Amelia, and Miles' GREAT Grandparents. Although we did fly home with two sick kids, we had a great time as a family and the gorgeous weather didn't hurt a bit!

Amelia didn't understand why "Baby" couldn't have her own seat on the plane

The three great grandkids with their Great Grandparents

Graham and Amelia were very amused by the large mirror at their Great Grandparents house

Graham thought it was so funny to be buried in the sand

Amelia LOVES the beach

These two are such good buddies

It was very difficult to get a picture of Graham on the beach because he was always in motion!

All of us on the beach. Last time we were on the beach, we were posing for a picture to go along with our home study so we could start the adoption process for Amelia. That picture is on the right side of the blog

Just having fun

I'm kind of in love with her ruffled suit :)

These two actually thought we were going to let them sleep in the same bed together....riiiiiiight because they would have actually gone to sleep?!?

Luggage cart rides!

Grandpa drives the cart really fast!

Just to make you smile...

We're getting in the Holiday spirit around here with our fancy dance moves!


Enjoy :)
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/Y7ANGdLedsvMZAEB

Around the house...

Someone was REALLY excited to have painted nails!

Two hours of uninterrupted play...Legos are AMAZING!

Welcome to Winter!

Just earlier this week, the kids and I were enjoying our afternoons in the park. The weather was so warm we didn't even have to wear our jackets which is completely unheard of for this time of year in Minnesota. Winter arrived with a vengeance while we slept last night and I know we won't be enjoying afternoons in the park for many months now. The snow (all 11 inches that fell on our part of the city) is actually quite beautiful so I can't say I mind it too much...ask me what I think about it a few months from now though! Graham and Amelia couldn't have been more thrilled with our fresh blanket of snow and I have a feeling they'll be thankful it's here to stick around for the season.

Story Time!

The kids disappeared immediately after dinner and things were very quiet which is highly unusual. We found them curled up together in Graham's chair reading a book. It's a very cute video clip, but it is over 2 minutes long so consider yourself warned. I should also add that Amelia is EXTREMELY proud of the crown she's wearing. She made it at school today and she hasn't taken it off since she woke up from her nap!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Back by popular demand...

In honor of those who were commenting on Graham and his life jacket situation...here it is! If I'm having a bad day or just need a laugh I watch this specific video clip. Even after all this time, I still laugh right along with Graham. Watch it-I dare you to at least not smile! :)

Trick-or-Treat!

Happy Halloween from T-Rex, Elephant, Afro Wonder Woman, and the 70's Disco Dada who happens to be behind the camera!

Halloween at school...

Graham had a Halloween party at school today and he was thrilled to wear his dinosaur costume out in public. There are 10 children in Graham's class but only a handful were willing to pose for pictures. Although Graham looks angry in this photo, I assure you he isn't. He's actually making what he calls his "t-rex face".

Amelia also had school today, but since her class is part of the public school district (Graham attends a Lutheran pre-school) costumes weren't encouraged since they could possibly be offensive to some (grrr....don't even get me started on this!). I couldn't possibly let a holiday pass by without dressing Amelia up in something though, so an orange tutu seemed like the perfectly appropriate option. :)

Mail Call!

Yesterday, Graham and Amelia were the lucky recipients of a big box that came all the way from Korea! The kids wanted to tear into it immediately, but we waited until Daddy got home from work and I was actually able to hold them off until after dinner. In fact, I will confess to lining the packages up on the counter and insisting that the broccoli on their plate be gone before they were able to open them. It's all in the interest of healthy eating right??? And, since Halmoni is the healthy eating Queen, I figured it was ok to actually follow through! :)

The broccoli was eaten in record time and soon Graham and Amelia were happily ripping open their Halloween packages. Thank you very much, Halmoni and Haraboji, for all the treats! They loved everything, but I will say that the books, even a day later, are still what they're dragging around the house. I'm so thankful I have two little bookworms on my hands!

Amelia especially loves her Clifford book! This past week, Amelia has started talking NON STOP. No joke-the girl talks from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep. She even talks through every meal. The other night at dinner, Jeff actually looked at me from across the table and mouthed "Does she ever stop?". The answer is no and the world according to Amelia is actually quite funny at times. Most of the time she talks about babies, princesses, and shoes, but recently, she's added "the big red dog" to her list of conversation topics, so the timing of the Clifford book and stuffed animal couldn't have been more perfect.

It's pumpkin picking time!

What a treat to have Daddy home for an afternoon so we could visit the pumpkin patch during the week instead of fighting the crowds on the weekend!

Amelia held this pumpkin for about .5 seconds before putting it on the ground and proclaiming it "Dirty!"

We told Graham and Amelia that they could choose any pumpkin they wanted as long as they could carry it. Graham made sure he found the absolute largest pumpkin that his arms could lift!

Listening intently to the rules of the ride. They were going without an adult, so I lost track of how many times we told them "Do not stand up when the train is moving!"

There they go!

St. Olaf

Since Jeff and I both attended St. Olaf and loved every minute of it, we head down to campus at least twice a year. Fun visits to Northfield every now and then can't hurt in our quest to raise little Oles. :) Even at 3 years old, Graham looks forward to those special days when we visit his "cowlidge". In fact, on Gotcha Day, when we asked Graham what he wanted to do, he requested a St. Olaf visit. We couldn't make it happen during the week, but yesterday afternoon, seemed the perfect day to hang out at college.

Each time we visit campus, we take pictures of the kids in the giant St. Olaf chairs that are scattered around campus. I wonder how long Graham and Amelia will tolerate this little tradition of ours. I have a hard time imagining teenage kids thinking this is very cool! Anyways, here is a picture of each kid on their first St. Olaf visit and a picture from yesterday. Is it just me, or are these two growing up way too fast?!?!?