I really have the best brother ever! Every year we see Robert Earl Keen at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth (with awesome seats) thanks to my bro. We had supper & a terrific time with REK. Thanks ROCKER!

the most wonderful time of the year

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. I'm so sorry to see it go, as we were taking down the Christmas tree, all the decorations, putting away the Christmas cds, I'm already looking forward to next Christmas. Here's a little of what the Olsons did this season:
We cut down our own tree...
M & J revealed their secret identities as super heros
Oh, & Jason grew out his mustache

xoxo

I HEART the awesome 3's

Jason: Mommy, can I wipe this booger on you?
Me: No!
Jason: SPOCK!
Me: JASON!
Jason: MADDIE!
Me: JASON, do not wipe a booger on your sister!

Olson Kids Free Time

I wanted to show you all what the M & J like to do during their free time...Maddie & Jason both love Nutella! They especially like it on waffles, toast, or on a spoon.

Maddie enjoys spending her free time organizing & doing office work. (She does not get this from Travis.)
Jason really values relaxation time.

Lewisville Garden Club Newcomer Award

So I was all set to accept Lewisville Garden Club's Newcomer Award for best new gardener who produced an awesome harvest 1st year gardening, until a couple of things happened. A) I was never nominated/awarded, b) Spock & Kirk destroyed cantaloupe batches 1 & 2, c) I spaced the squash too close to the "snugar snap peas" d) the bugs at the brocolli and e) Jason picked the awesome cherry tomatoes and fed them to Spock and Kirk.

Anywho, to all you naysayers out there, (and you know who you are, naysayers you!) I still have 3 corn stalks coming in, bell peppers out the @#$&, 1 producing tomato plant and 5 cantaloupe! I may not be a top seller at the farmer's market this year, but next year, watch out!

Do you know that moment, after you've flushed the toilet, when the water is rising, not draining, that moment of panic when you've realized, "it's gonna overflow!" "what should I do? Should I make a break for it and get some towels, what towels? Which towels would I be ok throwing away!? What about the rugs?! should I move the rugs?! No, plunge, now's the time to plunge!" Well, I just had that moment, not a good feeling.

"Jason, are you being mean to Spock?"
"No...I'm being to mean Maddie!"

Brownies anyone?

Brownies anyone?

Brownies anyone?

So I love, love, love, to bake, cook, and/or create food. Before I lived here at this circus tent I sometimes refer to as my "home" with the circus people that stay here that I sometimes refer to as my "family" I did a lot of creative cooking and baking. As a matter of fact, I've invented many recipes, but that's for another entry. Tonight I decided Jason and I would make brownies together, mistake number 1. I saw a really easy recipe on Everyday foods http://www.pbs.org/everydayfood/ for a brownie with cream cheese swirl that looked terrific (aside and an entry for another day as well, the recipe is fouled up, don't try it, you have to add the flour/cocoa mixture where is says "flour") anywho, I digress. Jason & I were really excited about our culinary venture that was about to begin. Trav had to mow, so it was just me, Jason, Maddie, Spock & Kirk, mistake #2. Chair comes into the kitchen, up goes M & J, Spock and Kirk sprawled out on the floor, chaos, Julia Childs herself couldn't have concocted something edible under these conditions. After several near altercations between M & J regarding whose stirring the above mentioned flour/cocoa mixture Maddie goes on my hip, mistake #, I can't remember. Jason pours in the flour/cocoa mixture, "very gently" I preface, half goes on the floor, "we're such good helpers!" Jason responds, (I'm pretty sure he could see the grief oozing from every pore). After Maddie sneezed in the batter, I tried to remember if I even washed my hands after turning the compost and fishing superheros out of the pool. Oops, mistake number 593. Finishing up the cream cheese mixture Jason disappears only to reemerge minutes later. "Check out this poopy, Mommy!" So we abandon the venture to take care of the aforementioned poopy. After 55 minutes, the brownies finally go into the oven. I can't wait to taste them.

Ultimus Prime, Deceptacon, & Bumble Bee?

Jason is now referring to himself as "Ultimus Prime," Maddie is "Deceptacon" and I have become "Bumble Bee." (Note, no need to dial CPS, he's only seen a few episodes of the cartoon from when we were kids), anywho, tonight it was "Jason, can you grab Maddie's shoes." "No, Mommy, I'm not Jason, I'm Ultimus Prime, she's Deceptacon." "Ok, Ultimus Prime, can you grab Deceptacon's shoes?" "Sure, Bumble Bee, we're such great helpers!" I love the 3's!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jason!

Birthday Thanks for Grama Candy & Grampa Gordy

*Caution: Following is extremely uninteresting, content only grandparents could love/appreciate.

Maddie & Spock

My Mom's a Reading Teacher...

Spock & Kirk

Here are the newest members of our family, Kirk & Spock, we adopted them last week from the Tulsa Lab Rescue, (they were already named, no, I am no a die hard Trekkey). M & J are just crazy about them.

Mommy, take a smile...

"Stop this seahorse play!" -Squidward Q. Tentacles (jason's first encounter with sharpies)

awesome pool time with super jason, spidermaddy, and spider man (plus, my awesome garden in the back with beginning compost pile)

"mommy, can you take my smile?"

Travis & Jason on merry go round at zoo, pre-meltdown (jason, not trav)

Maddie's Birthday Cupcake

7 Words I thought I'd Never Udder:
Don't you pee in that cat box!

Baby Sister Chewbacca

At our house, Chewbacca has become known as Jason's New Baby Sister, today he was nursing New Baby Sister Chewbacca (I'm not making this up). It just makes me wonder how Chewbacca is feeling about his post-Star Wars career. 20 years ago he was defending the galaxy, now he's being toted around swaddled in a pink burb cloth. I'm thinking he's probably the laughing stock of the other Wookies; even among his Star Wars co-stars, Harrison Ford has Ally McBeal, Princess Leia as those really cool photos in that awesome bikini, Lando had that awesome JeriCurl line, and now Chewy is New Baby Sister Olson.

Super MT

The moment a woman gives birth, a plethora of knowledge, skills, and super powers are bestowed upon her (moms, back me up on this, those of you who still are yet to give birth, just wait and see). Among those super powers: multitasking, is that one word or two...nevertheless, I digress. If I were a superhero I would be MultiTasker, my awesome spandex suit would have a MT on the front. Now, you may be thinking multitasking is not a superpower. I'm not talking ordinary, run of the mill, 'send emails while eating lunch' multitasking.' I'm talking hard-core, only elite superhero power multitasking. We're talking 'pumping while driving on I-10' multitasking, 'baby in one arm, cooking supper, & changing a diaper all at the same time' multitasking. "Why," might you ask, "would one want to change a diaper while cooking supper?" I say, because I can! Because I am Super MultiTasker! and because I really don't want Jason to get that nasty rash on his bum.

Life's Lesson #382 Amber Had To Learn The Hard Way:
Never take a 2 year old to a beauty school for a hair cut.

Life's Lesson #383 Amber Had To Learn The Hard Way:
Never take a 1 year old WITH a 2 year old to get his hair cut at a beauty school.

Life's Lesson #384 Amber Had To Learn The Hard Way:
Never take a 1 year old & a 2 year old anywhere alone. Actually just anwhere. (I'm sure you'll read about it on the Associated Press or hear about it on nightline, or maybe TMZ).

words of advice I'll never have to worry about: "when tying your string bikini..."

ARG!

What do online social networking, sending Christmas cards, and shaving (well, body hair removal in general, for that mattter) all have in common? You guessed it, once you start, there's no going back, you've crossed the point of no return. And I've now crossed the point of no return. I've been sucked into the abyss of the online world and I'm not seein' any exit signs. Example: check my blog at 9:30, just before settling into bed, before I know it, it's summer and I'm reading Courtney's mother's cousin's sister's blog, whom I've never met, (and by her online interests, don't think I want to) (j.k. courtney, your aunt and her various pet/farm/exotic animal caretakers seem very nice).

But in the whole cyber social networking world, I am in the remedial class, the slow lane if you will, as I only have 5 "followers" and I'm not yet a "follower" (but only because I haven't figured out how to become one, oh, but I will) *aside, my 6th grade counselor is cringing at this last clause, isn't middle school all about not becoming a follower? anywho, it's just Trav has like 12,000 followers (is that what they're called on facelift?) but he says facelift is in "real time" but isn't all time "real"? Ok, maybe not star trek time, because they can travel through time, oh and Scott Bakula can too, but other than that I think that might be all. Nevertheless, I'm rambling, I just meant to say, boy am nosy, I love reading about yall's days and seeing your photos, keep 'em comin, cause I know I will.
As the sun sets slowly in the west, I bid you fine farewell my friends,
ap

Promised Goods

Alrighty folks, after several conversations with the United States Postmaster General, (by the way, nice guy, a Sagittarius, but cooperative nonetheless) it looks like the bunch of you are going to have to split this ordinary 9in. single layer cyber-cake, now it's definitely not my pick in the baked good arena as best delicacy, however, I did good to find this one. If you're adamant about receiving a real live cupcake, simply send $9.95 plus S & H to...

Opening Day!

Where, you might ask, are the polkadots and/or cupcakes? Well, I don't yet have either, I need to read into adding stuff, like, polkadots, or cupcakes, to these sorts of pages.

I resisted MySpace, alternating between Jake & Trav, "can I log onto your myspace, to look up..." then came facebook, same scenario, there's just no time, myspace, facebook, they all suck you in. For instance, this summer, I'm surfing around after I put Maddie down at about 9:00, next thing I know it's Thanksgiving & Trav's yelling at me to get off the internet. But, I'm thinking this will be less trendy, more time conscious, we'll see how it goes, I'll keep you "posted."

p.s. if you're one of the first 10 people to visit AND read my page, you'll get your very own free polkadot and cupcake (as soon as I, a) find these items, and b) figure out how to adhere them to where I want them.)