Here he is, back from the Dentist. They were given the option of waiting for it to fall out on it's own, or getting it pulled. Steven said, "This tooth's got to go." The Dentist said after that it wouldn't have come out by itself, we would have had to come back. Steven was a brave little trooper, not crying. Look at the root on that tooth!! My baby teeth didn't look like that.

2008 Goes out with a Bang!

Don't they look excited for Christmas morning?

Sorry if the pictures gross you out! After a year with no big problems, 2008 has decided we need some excitement. Our first news is that Steven's big teeth are coming in. Yes, they are coming in without knocking out the baby ones. Basically he his mouth looks like a shark. He came to me on Friday night crying, "I have a problem!" Well, what is it? He opened his mouth and yes he has a problem. I hope it can be fixed without too much trauma. He is going to the pediatric dentist today. I'm not sure if they will pull those baby teeth or just consult and make another appointment.

In other news, Isaac has come down with the stomach flu and has been barfing all night. Let's just say this put a wrench in my plans. Poor kid is so sick, but he handles it better than most 4 year olds and rarely misses the bucket. I have taught him well. Chris had to come home from work to take Steven to his appointment so that I don't drag Isaac out and expose anyone but myself. I was supposed to babysit for the YW leaders so that they could do their activity during the day. I had to call them this morning and let them know to find someone else.

Some good news: All of our vehicles have good tires now! We put new tires on the van last year and they have been great. This fall, Chris ran over a screw with the truck and there was too much wear on the tires to fix it. It sat in our driveway for weeks with a flat until Chris had to use it and put the spare on. He found some new tires for sale online for a good price and had them put on yesterday. Chris thought the "junker" would be ok for tires for a while, but the snow proved him WRONG. We could hardly get the thing out of the neighborhood to go to the tire store. I told Chris they are going to put a sign on the wall at Discount that says, "watch out, this guy haggles." I'm sure they are sick of him getting good deals there.

Family Christmas letter

The Christmas season is in full swing at the Olson house. The boys are so excited about our tree and decorations. While we were setting things up they said over and over, "I remember this!" or "I just love this thing." They are big enough to help with some supervision and a few adjustments when they turn their backs!

We have had a blessedly uneventful year. By that I mean that no one has gone to the hospital. We haven’t sold any cars. We haven’t undertaken any huge projects. But, that doesn’t mean we have been sitting around doing nothing! Daily life keeps us busy.

Steven started first grade this year. I love his teacher! She seems to be the perfect mix of persistence and patience. Just perfect for Steven, who has a hard time paying attention to anything but Pirates. He got a pirate computer game from the library that he loves. We have had it checked out constantly since early summer! He has the introduction story memorized and will share it with anyone. He had a hard time grasping the spelling test concept until I took his game away and told him he had to have 8/8 to get it back. Guess what? The next week he got 8 and has done well ever since. We have been helping Steven to stop wetting the bed. We bought an alarm, and it has taken several months, but he only rarely has accidents now. Steven still likes having friends and is a real sweet boy at home.

Isaac is going to pre-school. He loves Miss Bev and I love her too. They are doing so many fun things. At least once a week he comes out dressed up. The best was the dog ears and the Indian and Pilgrim outfits! We have gone on great field trips with her. Isaac really misses Steven while he is at school. For many months we started out the day with him asking, "Is it time to get Steven yet? How about after lunch?" Isaac is exercising his independence. He has an opinion about everything and lets you know it. He hates eating potatoes unless they are french fries or chips! Isaac’s defective heart valve seems to be keeping up with his growth, and we are all relieved with this happy news! My favorite thing Isaac says is, "Mommy, me love you."
Chris is working in the Engine Shop at Skywest. It is nice to be on a regular schedule and have a few holidays off. He often gets to travel, but it is unpredictable and usually all at the same time. His co-workers nominated him for an award. He was one of the only mechanics who got to go to Quebec to pick up a new jet. He says he was uncomfortable with the wining and dining, but he got to tour the CRJ plant and got a lot of cool gifts. Chris found a junker car to buy when gas prices got so high and has had to fix it many times. His church calling also keeps him very busy.

I am enjoying being a mom to my 2 great boys. We are so lucky to have them! They are fun and hard and exciting and exasperating all at the same time. My herniated disc (of 3 years ago) is healing slowly, but surely. I can go for longer stretches without back pain and chiropractor visits. I do have to take care of myself and had to stop playing church sports. I am having a lot of fun in Young Women’s. I probably spend too much time on the computer. I’m slightly hooked to facebook and I have started this blog.

We really love all of our family and friends and we are thinking of you at this special time of year. Please take time to read the real Christmas story this year and enjoy the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas,
Love Chris, Dixie, Steven, and Isaac

Clutter

I can't resist writing down this little rant. I have been fighting the clutter in my house for a long time. It seems to be winning. I try to sort and organize, but somehow everything gets away from me. There is just too much stuff coming in, and not enough going out! All the kids' art projects are just so cute this year. How can I dare throw them away? I am thinking about wallpapering their rooms with their art. Floor to ceiling. I did throw Isaac's "Mayflower" in the recycle bin last night. Guess what he was asking for first thing this morning? "Where is my Mayflower ship? Can we hang it up?" It just never fails, the only thing I throw out is wanted within 24 hours. Sorry Chris about your junkyard receipt. I threw that away and now we are stuck with someones old broken car door that we can't return for the core charge without the receipt!

May I mention the closets? Isaac and Steven seem to be wearing the same size shirts. So all the shirts I thought Isaac could wear this year: HE CAN'T. Chris' closet is jam packed with shirts he finds "uncomfortable." They have all been worn once. The comfortable shirts all look like a rat's eaten the edges. We were in a furniture store on Saturday. Chris was hot, but couldn't take his coat off because his t-shirt sleeve had several holes in it. Hello. Can we throw it away? No.

5 1/2 years ago we moved from our tiny house to this one that is roughly twice the size. Our stuff has multiplied. I can't even walk through the basement without stepping on a toy - oh wait that goes for the living room too. There are boxes that I haven't unpacked from 5 year ago, but rummaged through to find what I need. I can't help but imagine what life would be like if we had stayed at our old house!

I guess I can imagine. I drive through that neighborhood to Isaac's preschool. One of our old neighbors threw out their couch. Yes, they threw it out the front door and down the steps to where it landed and has stayed for 2 weeks!!! I can't help staring with my mouth wide open as I drive down that street.

And then there is the cyber clutter. I spend too much time on the internet. I have to update my shelfari book case, my babycenter group, Frandsen Fat Camp, my blog, and of course facebook takes hours to sift through! I love all these things, but sometimes I look back at my day and don't have much to show for my time.

Argh! If anyone has some tips let me know. Or if you feel like throwing things in the garbage, come and visit. But don't call first because then I would have to squirrel away a bunch of stuff before you got here.