thirty-nine

week thirty-nine of fifty-two

hard to believe we're almost 40 weeks into the year!

I remember when we were at week 1 and it seems like it wasn't that long ago

....

speaking of things that don't seem like they were that long ago, 

last weekend we attended the wedding of one of my oldest friends

he and his lovely bride threw a fabulous party

(they even had a Kona Icee truck on-site: amazing!!) 

We shared in the company of some great people that I grew up with 

and I am still smiling about it.

I know everyone says they would never go back to high school,

 I can live without ever stressing about an algebra exam,

but those friends and their families were like an extension of my own

so this was kind of like a family wedding

and it was pretty great

to meet (or get to know better) 

the people they have chosen to spend their lives with, 

some of their kids, 

and introduce my own little ones to them!

but that's right.. this project is supposed to be about life through the eyes of the little ones.

this is their contribution (literally)

Ingrid is into self-portraits lately. 

This one is captioned

"I not dirty. I no make a mess with my cupcake." 

thirty-four

week thirty-four of fifty-two

Just trying to catch up (in order)

this is as much a scrapbook for me

as it is an update for you!

This week brought to you by the letter G

as in "Grandma & Grandpa"

also in "Good," "Glorious," "Glee"

and "Glorious." 

After joining me at the most fantastic

Gardens to Gourmet dinner

My mom & dad hosted the girls for about a week.

I don't have many photos, 

but they are still telling stories!

I think Ingrid's enthusiasm in this one about sums it up:

twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one & thirty-two.

Here we are again.
Summers are busy,
who knew?

week twenty-nine of fifty-two: 

Ingrid got her first (legitimate) haircut

Which was very well-received because it ended with a very large lollipop from Miss Lorraine:

Week thirty of fifty-two:

We got dressed up and went to ladies lunch with Grandma Judy, Great-Grandma Eleanor, 

and some other wonderful family members 

Week thirty-one of fifty-two:

Sisters with Smoothies

Week thirty-two of fifty-two (only 20 weeks left this year?!?!)

Amelia finished her last week of outdoor summer swimming lessons!

She passed! 

But it was cold that day, so Grandma Mary treated her to a hot cocoa! 

twenty-one through twenty-six

Well, it was inevitable that I would miss a week (or five).
Our heads have been spinning since we returned from vacation in North Carolina in May.
Spinning with good things, but spinning nonetheless: work, yard work, nice weather (finally), kid-stuff,  doctor appointments, more work stuff. All good.

Week Twenty-One

While mom&dad were on vacation, the girls had a fun vacation of their own at Grandma Mary & Grandpa Bill's house. They rolled out the red carpet for our little ladies, introducing new adventures each day: pool, swings, t-ball, visits to the farm and probably many grandparent/grandchild secret sugary treats that we will never know about.

Week Twenty-Two

Our very dear friends came to visit from Illinois, so we needed to take them to Cheesefest because.. well, it's called "Cheesefest." Amelia certainly had no complaints about the carnival rides!

Week Twenty-Three

We are not quite sure when or how it started, but we are in a major dress-up phase at the Olson house. Every day starts with a tutu (at the very least) and most often is also accentuated by a hot pink feather boa and oodles of costume jewelry. 

Week Twenty-Four

This week the girls had to say a very sad farewell to their little neighbor friends Ms. Natalie and Ms. Audrey as they prepare to move to the East Coast. We feel lucky to have the luxuries of technology that will hopefully allow the girls to feel a little bit closer! 

Week Twenty-Five

{Three photos for this week, because I make the rules here.. }

I celebrated by birthday this week. 

Amelia threw me a birthday party in my bedroom with two balloons and a very enthusiastic song!

Ingrid loved that my birthday involved ice cream, sprinkles, and swimsuits.

and 

last but not least:

The girls started their summer dance class this past week. 

Back-to-back lessons!

I snuck Ingrid into the two-year-old class 

they both love to practice their tap-tap-tapping

twenty.

week twenty of fifty-two.

twenty weeks?! already?! 

Gardening with Grandma Mary

thirteen.

week thirteen of fifty-two.

Tapping Maple Syrup for Easter Breakfast 

with Grandpa Bill

four.

week four of fifty-two

through the eyes of babes: for my children... once a week... every week in 2013

"Grandpa Bill and Grandma Mary came to visit. Even more people to read to me. This is incredible." 

-BabyIngrid

Clifford the Big, Big, Big, Big Dog

For her birthday last December, Grandma Mary purchased Amelia tickets to "Clifford the Big Red Dog" at the Appleton Performing Arts Center. So fun!! We love gifts that create memories like this!

She was very excited to see Clifford the "Big, big, big, big dog" whom she has read about in many books. We weren't sure how she would do at a "sit-down" event such as this, but all reports came back positive (Translation: if she threw a tantrum, no one told me about it! A true example of the idiom "ignorance is bliss"!!)

12 Days of {Olson} Christmas

Happy {Belated} Holidays from the Olsons! 

We had a whirlwind holiday, celebrating with friends and family alike. 

Below is a quick synopsis of the 12 Days of Olson Christmas 

-- one photo from each day--

No turtle doves, or golden rings

How do we know the holidays were a success? 

Easily measured by the difficulty we found in choosing just one photo from each day

::December 21::

Amelia and Ingrid celebrated Christmas with some of her best buds as a brave mom invited twelve little people under age 3 into her friendly home! (Special shout out to Brynn for the sweet Santa pajamas!)

::December 22::

Amelia spent the day with Grandma Judes and Grandpa Paul as Nicole & Ingrid spent some quality time together and packed for our Christmas traveling adventures.

::December 23::

These next four days were particularly hard to choose just one photo. This day, the girls and I spent with Judy as Paul and Issac finished up the week's work before the holiday. We made and decorated cookies. Amelia tried--and loved--eggnog. {Who knew?!?!} And Issac was finally inducted into that eve-before-Christmas tradition of parents assembling children's gifts putting together Amelia's balance bike from Grandma and Grandpa Olson!  

::December 24::

Christmas Eve Morning Brunch with Grandma and Grandpa Olson and Auntie Heidi. Santa! Visiting with the Olson/Blatz families. Many wonderful memories made. More eggnog. 

::December 25::

Amelia was so proud to give Ingrid the stuffed bunny that she made for her at Build-a-Bear. Santa surprised the girls with a little slide, and Amelia's wish came true for Elmo and Super Grover stickers. We spent Christmas morning at home with the girls, then were off to Grandma & Grandpa Niggemann's house for more Christmas celebrating with family. Three hours of arguing with the antenna and we (Issac+Grandpa Bill) achieved in finding reception to watch the Sunday evening Packer Game that Uncle Bill and Auntie Lindsay were at!

::December 26::

Another day of celebrating Christmas with the Niggemann family! Though she wasn't as interested in 'tearing wrapping paper' as everyone thought, she did love to deliver the gifts under the tree to their respective owners.

::December 27::

Today was devoted to playing with our new toys and unpacking. 

The glasses from Ingrid's new stuffed bunny proved most entertaining for Amelia.

::December 28::

Practicing taking turns on the slide, in preparation for sharing with our friends (and our sister).

::December 29::

Definitely not her first smile, but the first caught on film!

Ingrid, at 14 weeks old.

::December 30::

Our good friends Chris + Jen brought their stunning little man Evan to our "Bring-Your-Own-Baby" New Year's Eve weekend. We were thrilled with their company, per usual! Even though Amelia pushed him down the slide a few times, their friendship was rekindled when he willingly shared his iPad and the "Monster at the End of This Book" app.

::December 31::

New recipe + 2 dads + 1970s waffle maker = cereal for breakfast.

I had to laugh, this is one of the only photos from the weekend that included any adults. I'd like to say that it was because the kids were being so gosh-darn adorable the whole time, but it also could have been because Issac & myself were seldom in anything but pajamas :)

::January 1::

Amelia starts off 2012 with some horticulture:

Anyone who visits will undoubtedly be asked by Amelia to play 'The Apple Game' with her.

Over. And over. And over.

It was her 2nd birthday present from mom&dad, and is absolutely toddler-approved!

She figured out the rules in about ten minutes and we are excited to have an interactive game we can all play together. Auntie Lindsay rolled a raven: "Uh-Oh... Way-Ven!!!" 

{for those of you who have asked - here is a link to the game I'm referencing}

What a wonderful two weeks of fun and memories made with friends and family. Thanks to everyone who made this our most eventful holiday season yet!

Stationery card

Niggemann Family Christmas Card

Grandparents Day(s)

We may have missed the official "Grandparent's Day" in September but are sending a special shout out to some very special Grandparents (and Great Grandparents) today! Thank you for being so present in the lives of our little girls, they (and we) sure appreciate the love and adventures that you share with them!

Amazingly, all of these photos were taken within seven days - how lucky are we to have spent all of that family time together in October?

::Grandpas::

"Appa-Paul" (or Grandpa Paul) and Amelia at Little Farmer

Ingrid and Grandpa Bill share the "Niggemann Forehead" :)

::Grandmas::

"Dramma Mary" and the girls learn how to make matches in Go Fish!

"Dramma Judes" and the ladies share a special treat: lunch at Panera!

::Great Grandparents::

Five Generations: Great Grandma Vi, Amelia, Nicole, Ingrid & Grandma Mary

Amelia watches as Great Grandma Eleanor meets Miss Ingrid

Belated June Update

Wow, it's been over a month since our last post. We apologize. Please forgive us.

As you can see, we've been working hard on straighening out our smile, now I guess next we need to work on keeping our eyes open!

::Amelia and Mom::                                                                     ::Amelia at friend Levi's birthday party::

Amelia, Mom, and Baby#2 have all been growing. In fact, Amelia finally surpassed the milestone 20 pound mark at her 18 month doctor's appointment last week, putting her back into the 3rd percentile for weight. No one seems remotely concerned as she is a busy busy girl who loves to run around while yelling "Go! Go! Go!!" She has many words and signs and makes us all laugh at least a hundred times every day.

 The 4 Generations of Olsons Photo: Judy (Issac's mom), Amelia, Issac, Eleanor (Issac's grandmother)

Issac and myself have been busy celebrating nuptials with many great couples this summer (and will celebrate another tomorrow, actually!). While Amelia looks forward to her second-ever wedding dance party in late July, while Mom&Dad were celebrating the aforementioned weddings, Amelia spent a few exciting days with her Grandma Mary, Grandpa Bill & Auntie Lisa.