A 'Thank You' note

Dear family and friends,

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all those who came to support and attend our precious Mayci's baby blessing.

Really.

It was overwhelming to have family and friends make such an effort...

friends that drove 3 hours to make it happen,
family (with 2 small kids) that postponed a very long 10 hour drive home to make it happen,
family that pretty much walked out of the ER doors and into our door to make it happen,
mom who came early and left late to make it happen,
sister who is on bed rest (more or less) made food to make it happen,
sister-in-laws who would do anything to make it happen,
family who shared their sweet testimonies to make it happen,
everyone who made even the simplest effort of just taking a moment of their time, of their day, to make it happen,

and mostly, those men, those honorable and worthy men, who stood together, in a circle, arm and arm, as a powerful and protective sheild, to hold and to bless my most precious gift...my angel...my little Mayci Jo.

Shawn....specifically...who held his baby girl that fell fast asleep in his big arms only seconds before he stood up with her to give her a wonderful and special blessing. Who spoke softly, and slowly, the tender and sweet words that come from that powerful and priceless gift only he holds as the father of our household. Shawn...who sat down after he blessed her, and looked at her sleeping so soundly with overwhelming emotion spilling from his eyes. Thank you Shawn...thank you.

It was a beautiful day...and it would not have been as beautiful if it were'nt for all of you who came to share it with us.

Thank you.

Love,

Farrah

PS...pictures coming:)

Snotty little bratty little SNOTS!

So, this weekend was full of fun. We went to Auntie HO's volleyball tourny Saturday, and from there we attended the annual soccer alumni game. It was crazy...cause Shawn was gone and I was solo with the three little ones (which is why I only played...oh...about 5 total minutes in the game, but that was probably best anyway considering the awesome condition of my knee).

The kids had fun in the gym...yet again...but it was different cause there was no daddy, but there was auntie...so it was great.

We had a little spot that we stayed in the whole 3 hours we were there, and while we were there, different fans would come and go. Anyway, to get to the point here...and a small explanation for the title of this blog...here ya go:

Raegan spotted a few girls about her age playing with a bucket full of those bobble head toys. She kept eyeing them and then turned to me and said, "mom, do you think I can play with them?" At first I thought...'of course'...but then I re-thought. What if they turn her down? That is really brave of her if she really asks them...and then if she gets turned down...then what? What lesson can be learned? What would I tell her? Then I thought..' holy cow, Farrah, don't sweat it...of course they will let her play!'

So, I said..."sure, go and ask them if you can play with them...I'm sure they'll let you." She was a bit nervous and asked if I could go with her, so I did, but I stood a step behind her. Her brave, nervous little soul slowly approached these friends to be and cautiously asked..."can I play with you guys."

MMMM...my heart was sort of racing as I watched the girls look up at my sweet little Rae. They hesitated a bit, looked at eachother, and then the older one nodded her head......NO! Are you kidding me. Then the other little snotty little brat nodded her head NO!

I feel sick telling this story. This true story. Makes my heart break into peices. So, there I am...completely dumb founded and at a total loss of what to say to my blushing and humiliated, but brave little girl.

All I could come up with is this:

I put the baby down, sat her on my lap and said how proud I was of her for being so brave. For not getting mad and not saying anything mean to them. I asked her if she was okay. She softly said "yes" as she clearly held back those tears that come from shear embarrassment. I asked her another question, "If you were playing with a friend and a little person came and asked you if they could play, what would you tell them?" and she said "yes". And then...I wanted to cry. But I didn't. I held in my emotions, even though I really wanted to give those little girls a really mean look and tell them that was really snotty and bratty. I just held Rae for a bit more and said, "ya know what Rae, you don't want to play with them anyway cause they arn't very nice! Go play with Evan...he will always say yes!" Thats the meanest I got, and Im proud of myself.

I really wanted to just tell her, 'don't worry Rae, they are ugly and mean and snotty and bratty anyway....and you don't want to play with them...cause they're MEAN GIRLS' but I didnt (guess thats the mama bear speaking:)

When she finally slid off my lap in search for Evan, I sat there. I pondered. And I feared. She is going to Kindergarten in the Fall. Some kids are mean. And what if this happens when Im not by her side to help her and comfort her. The thought of her by herself, so hurt, hurts my heart so bad. How do you do it...moms...when your kid gets so broken? What do you tell them when that happens? I have no idea! This was a first for me...and her. She recovered, didn't even cry, was so brave and tough, and moved on. But I haven't.

Any advice, warnings, experience...feel free to leave for me. It would be welcomed and appreciated.

a sting in my eye...

so...do you have those moments where you look at your kids...
and feel a sting in your eye.

even just those spontaneous moments, where the love is so overwhelming
that you feel like you should just cry.

i'm having a lot of those lately. i feel a sting in my eye often.
when i check on them before i go to bed,
when i see them play together,
when they wake up and run to me to be held,
many moments through out the day.

raegan...she is giving me a sting lately.

she is growing up, and accomplishing those steps you never think your child will reach because in your mind...thats only what big kids do...and your kid will NEVER be a big kid.

well, here are just a few of those steps she is taking in becoming a big kid:


tied my shoes on her feet all by herself


just a face that growing up, a beautiful girl

being the 'biggest in our family'. taking care of her little sister...
not gonna be last time doing that either:)

riding her bike without training wheels

going out on a 'daddy/daughter date'...first of many to come,
but may not be so excited for them the older she gets.
gotta say, she adores that guy, and i think he adores her!

anyway, just want to say to my little, but getting so big, rae...
i love you with my whole heart and more.

your my angel,
forever and ever!
__________________________________________________________________

here are some little conversations between rae and ev...they made me laugh kinda hard:

...playing house...

Rae: "do you want to be Jackson or Sam?"

Evan: "Jackson."

Rae: "No, be Sam."
(she only wants him to be Sam because he chose Jackson...happens every time.:)

Evan: "No."

Rae: "Evan, you're gonna be Sam"

Evan: "NO!"

Rae: "Evan, just say K...K"

Evan: "K"
(and then...he was Sam...)

the DS feud:

so, whenever rae is playing the DS, evan likes to watch but rae doesn't let him because supposedly his 'breath smells'. whatever...

she sat down and began playing. evan trotted on by and saw her, so he crawled up beside her and poked his smelly little head right beside rae's , so rae pulled the DS into her chest, out of smelly evan's sight.

evan dropped his head and slid off the couch. defeated yet again, he sat on the ground and said:

"cause my bumb smells, huh raegan."

i could not stop laughing....

bumb...breath, guess its all the same:)

Natalie...an old friend that gave me a new life.

natalie, i want to write this to you. what i really want to do is see you and hug you but because distance keeps me here, and you there, i feel like the closest thing to that is a hug through words. though my words wont be nearly as beautiful as yours, i still have to tell you...

you have changed my life.

you have changed a lot of lives.

since i heard of your terrible loss, one that i cannot even comprehend, i have been thinking of you, crying for you, and praying hard for you.

when i heard, i had just given birth to my third baby. EVERY time i looked at her, i cried. i cried for you. i thought about you. when i would cradle her, my thoughts would carry me to your world of unimaginable sorrow and heartbreak for your loss of the same exact, and very real gift i was embracing, and i would weep. a lot.

from then, to now, and forever on, you have been the source of my new me.
your unwavering faith,
your courageous strength,
your sincere and open honesty...
i don't understand.

you have slowed my whole world down. you have highlighted the important from the not important. you have given me a perspective. when my crazy life gets crazier, i am able to look at myself from the outside looking in. a new and ever changing perspective. when im wrapped up in baby poop and my other 2 kids are goin at it, and the stove is on with food overflowing, and burning, and its sets the fire alarm off and the scene gets even more ridiculous...i smile...cause i would laugh if i saw it on tv...if it wasn't me...if i was outside looking in.

there are those monumental moments in life that you will never forget...that change you forever. natalie...i veiw you as a convert veiws that humble and faithful servant of the Lord...that young but fresh and powerful spirit who couageously knocked, and taught, and changed a life forever. a generation forever.

i thank my Heavenly Father every night for knowing you, for being friends wih you. and in the very same breath...i pray for you. i pray for peace, comfort, strength. i pray that He will be there for you in your very dark and lonely moments, that something, someone, some thought, will grab you and hold on to you. and that leads me to pray for myself. that if ever i am the one, or the source, that Heavenly Father needs, to comfort or be there for someone in need...i will listen, and act.

i love you natalie. i think about you everyday. i read about you everyday. and i pray for you everyday.

all i can say...is..

thank.you.

Natalie is a treasured friend from High School. This is her website. Please read...you will be lifted.
http://www.natalienortonphoto.com/

Child of God

Now this is what it's all about...really!

I LOVE how serious Raegan is...and how monotone Evan is. Makes me laugh a lot.

Gender Neutral

So, there was a show on Discovery the other night called 'Extreme Parenting'. It had extreme styles of parenting....one in particular was labeled 'Un-schooling'. Anyone heard of that one. Well, I really try to be open-minded, but this one had me quite flabbergasted. Look it up if you are interested...basically I think its lazy parenting and neglectful.

Anyway, there was another called 'Gender-neutral' and by the looks of the picture above...looks like we might fall into that catagory! Ha ha ha. Makes a pretty handsome Tinkerbell:) That smile pretty much melts my soul!

Multi-purpose...

...according to these kids:)

'Mustaches' is what they called them...I about dies when I turned around and saw this.
They keep me going, thats for sure.

better late then never...

so...since new years ive had this on my mind:

goals.

one particular goal.

i need to be a better friend...to my family,
to my already friends,
to my old friends,
and to my new friends.

so...there ya have it.

J/K

to elaborate a little...

in the past, before I decided to grow up, i was really flaky. so flaky that sometimes i wonder if it cost me a few really close friends...and it kind of makes me sick to think that i am the reason i may have lost out on friendships that i treasure. and...through the years ive realized that relationships are so important to make, have, and keep. also, i am really bad at keeping in touch. i know life grabs you by the ankles and sweeps you away from the real world sometimes but i need to make a better effort at keeping in touch with friends.

to make a long thought process short...i will try my best to do this. i will try to mend broken relationships...try to strengthen current relationships...and try to find lost relationships.

i love you friends:)

FHE, Family prayer, and Dad

So, I'm not gonna lie and tell you all that we have been doing FHE, and family prayer consistently...but we are doing much better. Probably over the last month we have done FHE every Monday...and can I say that it is hilarious. It lasts a total of 10 minutes, and half that time we are laughing. We try. We really do try, but really, the kids are too funny and their comments are so great.

Prayer is my favorite part. Rae usually opens our meeting with a prayer, and I generally peer out my half open eyelids at Evan...trying with all his might to be reverent. He folds his arms, peeks out his little eyes around the room, sneaks a treat to his mouth occasionally then quickly resumes prayer position. Only to do it again but this time he quickly gives his truck a little ride up his leg...all the meanwhile he has his eyes still just half way open and the arm that he doesn't use he still has folded over his small chest....trying. Too funny.

Then Rae ends the prayer and gets to pick a song. We have a short...very short lesson then Evan picks a song and says the closing prayer...and this is how his prayer goes:

"Hebanly Father...thank you for the food, and Raegan, and daddy, and mommy, and Mayci..."

and this is where the normalcy ends...he then can't resist and opens his beady little eyes just a little, starts to observe, and then says,

"and thank you for the trucks...and the table...and the babies that are Raegans...and Mayci's blankets..."

and on and on and on.

I can't help but laugh, and then he laughs and then we all laugh, and then we say Amen!

LOVE IT!

And yes, that is Shawn being the 'teacher' reading all the kids Barney before bed. Even Mayci enjoys the action. How cute.

Evan vs. Nemo

So the other day Evan and Rae were playing in the bathroom while Farrah was getting dressed. All of a sudden Rae runs out of the bathroom screaming that Evan had left a present in the toilet and sure enough he did. He and Rae were messing around and she was talking to him about using the toilet. Good teacher!!! haha So Farrah decided maybe it was time to potty train Evan. She has put it off due to a couple reasons and wasn't in a hurry to go through that training with a new baby in hand. After the incident with Rae she thought she would give it a try. She put him in some Little Nemo "swimmers" since we hadn't planned this and had no pull-ups. We brought down the toilet and he was sitting on it but just not doing anything. The morning passed with a bunch of attempts but no accidents nor progress. Well Farrah has to run up and get Mayci who was waking up and when she comes down Evan is panicking and with a pouty/scared face says, "I'm sorry Mom. I'm sorry". Farrah asks what happened and he replies that "I pooped on Nemo." Farrah tells him that's okay but you can see he's worried. She picks him up and lays him down to change his diaper and Evan asks, "Is Nemo Ok Mom?" Farrah couldn't stop laughing... :)

If you haven't been around Evan lately, you are missing out. He now loves to tell you that you are hurting his feelings if you ever say no to anything. Fruit snacks, gum, cookies. Today we were walking to the park and Evan was on his bike. Farrah got him a helmet that she says he looks funny wearing. While on our way Farrah was giggling to herself looking at Evan. He tells her to "Stop looking at me Mom. You're hurting my feelings Mom."

Cute Kid!!!

Lots of Mayci=Lots of smiles

Well, its been 3 months now that we have had Mayci in our lives...and she truly has added so much joy! She is now smiling...at everyone...and it is the best. She has turned out to be THE BEST baby ever. She had us going there for a bit though. She turned 2 weeks...and was full on colic! I thought I knew what colic was with Evan, but I found out he was just fussy:) Mayci would literally scream from 8pm to 3am...scream. Not fuss, scream. After talking to a few people who experienced colic babies, I knew it would end but I remember those nights thinking...'really, another 2 1/2 months'.

But lucky us, it only lasted one month and now...I can't describe what an angel she is. She now sleeps 10 hours at night...consistently. I didn't know that was possible either (I kept her in my room thinking oh this will change, but ended up moving her to her crib and still hasn't changed)! And she just chills. Shawn said last night, 'she seems different than our other babies' and I said, 'what do ya mean' and he said 'she seems more...' and I finished 'chill!!!!' Yes, she is sooooo mellow.

I have heard from so many people who have 3 or more kids say their third was the best. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that you can't pick them up the second they squeak and they learn to adapt, but whatever it is, I am one of those parents who can claim the same about the third child. I was the third and my mom tells me I used to sleep like Mayci and that I was a really good baby...if I didn't know this I might think something is wrong with her, but look how I turned out...beautiful, funny, so smart... :)

Anyway, I could go on about this new little treasure, about how my heart swells when I hear her waking from her naps just so I can see her big beautiful smile cross her face once she see's mine, and how I still stare at all her little features in amazement at the pure innocence she holds, and how I try to comprehend the unmeasurable amount of trust my Father in Heaven has given me with His most precious gift. It's overwhelming.

As busy as life gets, I am doing my best to soak up my kids and the special time I get to spend with each one of them. Life seems to move so fast...I'm just trying to slow it down and enjoy each step because before I know it I will miss constantly picking up puzzle pieces, sippy cups, binkis, blankets, trucks, babies, blocks...and will miss folding footies, and onsies...and miss sweeping up crumbs under boosters and high chairs...and so on. I know this day will come so I'm gonna hold on for as long as I can to 'the now' and enjoy:)

Tune in for a few more posts I have comin...one in particular I've been thinking about writing for a while now so it won't be long till Im back!

Mayci Jo Olmstead

Mayci is now 3 months and doing great. She is an absolute doll and joy to have in our family. Farrah is pretty cute too!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Shawn was out of town recruiting this Valentine's day so we decided a date was in order for Monday. We brought our kids and had a great time at Texas Roadhouse. Raegan and Evan brought along their glasses that Mom gave them in their Valentine's boxes. Enjoy these two kids because we sure do!!! Happy Valentine's Day!!!! (if you're wondering about the picture quality in our recent pictures they're all from Shawn's phone)

L.O.V.E.

Well, from these pictures, you can see the love our little Mayci has for grandma Trudy! How adorable are these pictures...TOO MUCH! She wouldn't look forward for a picture but I didn't mind cause these turned out much cuter!

Thanks...grandma and grandpa...for your visit. We were so excited to finally be able to share our precious angel with you both. We love you. Hope Kaya is doing well...not being too naughty. I'm sure she is in pure HEAVEN!

DAD...thank you...

Dad...
thank you for being there for mommy when grandma left...
for taking care of us while mommy held the baby so much...
for getting up with us every morning and getting us our favorite cereal...
for giving us baths and singing us the toothbrush song every night...
for being the 'nigh nigh' train...
and tucking us in bed...and singing me 'sunshine'...
for letting us come to your work...
for helping mommy so much around the house...
and for going to work everyday so we can have a nice home...
and clothes
and toys
and food.

Thanks for loving mommy so much...
and for loving us unconditionally.

We love you
and love every minute we get to spend with you.

We don't know what kind of day you have at work...
but
We can't wait till you come home...
and do puzzles with you
ride on your back
tickle you
wrestle
hug...
kiss...
and love you.

We love you dad.
You really are the best dad in the whole wide world!
Thank you.

Love...

Raegan and Evan

Time marches on...

Things in the Olmstead home have been going well. Mayci has a funky sleep schedule but she's healthy and slowly changing patterns so we're ok. She is smiling a bit now and loving her swing. Grandma and Grandpa Trudy came to visit and spent a ton of time with us. Thanks so much to Trudy and Rick for hanging out and having fun and allowing us our first date without any kids in a long time. :) They drove out so they could take Kaya back with them to the sunny weather. We're happy that Kaya can have a California winter and go to the beach daily with Grandpa Rick. You can see what Raegan and Evan are up to this winter...whatever keeps them happy and occupied. This photo actually has a little story. When Shawn and I got home from the Jazz game, Trudy and Rick couldn't wait to show us the pictures of Evan in some princess dress-up. They couldn't stop laughing. Shawn told them that he was going to take Evan out the next day to get some batman or spiderman costumes. haha True story...next morning as Shawn and Rae are down stairs eating breakfast Raegan says she needs to go to the bathroom. Shawn tells her to listen for Evan and if she hears him to bring him down. 5 minutes later they both come down with Evan dressed as what he calls a Policeman dress-up. That kid will have you laughing all day. How can you not laugh just looking at them right now? Tonight he was back in his Policeman gear and Raegan was in her Tinkerbell outfit. They were doing "ring around the rosie" stuff and when they finished Evan looks right at Rae and says, "I love you Tinkerbell." hahahaha... Life is good!!!!!!!!!!!

New Pics and Video...keep reading!!!

This one wouldn't go on that post so here you go!!! Look at Rae's form...haha. She was awesome. She would wait for me to tell her and she would skoot her skis until they started going. So much fun!!!

Raegan Lee...our little skibunny!!!

Today was a day I would describe as AWESOME. Scott and I were able to take Raegan and Austin up to Sundance for their first ski day. It was a blast and they were unbelievable. Snow was falling all day. We hauled up there all loaded up in the Civic and parked front and center in a loading spot since my car wouldn't make it to the upper lot. Sundance has a rope pull that's free for anyone. Raegan and Austin were troopers. We went up the hill about 5 or 6 times. Both did a great job considering they were both skiing on skis that were two sizes to big for them and no ropes to hold them together. (We didn't get to the ski rental till about noon and they were out of small skis and those rope things.)



Above is Austin and Raegan getting sized up for their day on the hill. Shout out to Outdoors Unlimited at BYU for their 10$ ski/boot rental. What a deal!!!

Raegan and Austin at the end of the day. I did these last two photos in reverse order.

Raegan ready to ski!!!! I was amazed at how well she took everything and she wanted to do a bunch of it alone. I would go down the hill a little and have her ski to me. As you can see in the video, she enjoyed pointing her tips downhill and taking off. Listen to me yelling "Stop" even though she really has no idea how to. Please don't critique my coaching skills. I pretty much listened to the Sundance Ski instructors who were teaching other kids. Thanks Scott for a fun day.

Little Evan

This little kid had a wonderful Christmas (as did all of us!!!) and can sit by his railroad track all day long. I think the best part about Evan's Holiday season was the time he was able to spend with relatives on both sides of the family. He kept everyone laughing and had 3 nights in a row going to bed around midnight. This is a funny picture taken when we ate In n' Out. He was begging for his milkshake but we told him he couldn't have it until he ate his food. The picture says it all. He pushed his fries off his plate and said "I finished my fries, can I have my milkshake." We look over and see what he did and can't help but laugh our head off and give in to his request. Could any of you tell that face No? Didn't think so. We thoroughly enjoyed that moment as did Raegan.

Rae and Evan

Really just trying to see if I can upload video on here. Raegan and Evan gave us a little Sunday evening concert. Sorry about the poor picture quality. It's from my cell phone.