Garden...

Boy, am I gonna miss this new little baby of mine:) In just a few weeks it will be buried under a few feet of snow and I will be sad eating store bought tomatoes and zucchini, beans and sugar snap peas, but most of all...cucumbers and peppers (my favorite garden growns...so far)!

I have always wanted a garden. I remember getting off the bus in grade school with one of my best friends...and she had tomatoes. Without fail, before we opened her front door, we would each grab a big ol' red ripe juicy tomato and dig into it as if it were an apple....MMMMMM!

So, because Ive always wanted one...I got one. I even plowed it with a freakin shovel....because I was so anxious to get it started. Shawn helped me push the little seeds into the ground:) So grateful for him:) Im kidding Shawn, I really do love you:) And to his credit, he knew more than me when it came to this project, I just did all the manly work. Partly because, and like I said before, I was very impatient...and some people might argue Im part man:)

So, we pushed the seeds into the ground, and weeks later, to our surprise...a miracle occured! SPROUTS! From then on, I have been out in my garden every day watering away, checking on each little sprout, weeding like crazy, and now....enjoying the luscious fruits of my labor. Its a new found hobby...I love it. And I will miss it. So I will enjoy it. For now. Until that awful, cold, white stuff wipes it out! Blah.

More conversations...

Raegan was talking to herself...playing something...and this is how it went:

EVAN: "Rae, are you talking to me?"

RAE: "No."

EVAN: "Who'er you talking to...your friend?"

RAE: "No."

EVAN: "A honey?"

RAE: "Ya."

EVAN: "But...a gwirl (girl)...a honey...is not there?!"

Evan was so confused...she was talking, but nobody was there...not a girl (which is most commonly called a 'honey'...apparently) not a boy...nobody. And she made it clear she wasn't talking to him either. It was pretty classic.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Raegan can't get her helmet on...and this is how it went:

I asked: "What's goin' on...did your head grow?!

Raegan replied...in a frustrated manner: "I DON'T KNOW...I'm not upposed to be like a girrafe!"

[head...neck...its all the same]

_______________________________________________________________________________________


This one is good. So, we are at Shawn's practice, just running around, and Rae sits down by me...and rips a big one. We laugh. Then she starts to tell me about a girl who tooted real loud in her class. She was laughing so hard telling me this, so I was laughing too.

I thought it was so funny that SHE thought it was funny...when do they realize that's embarrassing.

So...I asked her in laughter...if she ever toots loud in class.

Her mouth dropped open, and she said 'NO! I hold it in then it goes gone.'

I was dying at this point. We were both laughing. Hard. I know...immature. But it was hilarious. So, I kept it going and asked her, 'where did it go?'

She stops laughing and says...'magic.'

WOW. So funny.

Just in passing...

Raegan: "Evan...did you know that hippo's toot out of their mouth?!"

Evan: ...giggle...

Nothing new...

I can't remember if this is number 5,6 or 7 for Farrah...but here she is after her surgery today. She is a trooper and doing well.

Evan doesn't usually try and cross the monkey bars without Mom or Dad but this morning he gave it a shot while Raegan was watching. He let go but landed wrong and was screaming bloody murder. Shawn ran out and got him and he was hysterical. He couldn't walk but we thought he was being a little "wimpy". We got him dressed and he made it to Church for 2 hours. He dropped some play-doh in nursery and forgetting about his foot, he attempted to pick it up but just collapsed when he got off his chair. So Mom and Evan went to Insta-Care and got some x-rays. Nothing showed up as broken but the Doctor said sometimes fractures don't show up in young kids for a week. At least he got a cool splint from it and now we have to monitor his progress or lack thereof. Thumbs-up for the swingset!!!!

Olmstead Family

While in Carpinteria we went and took some pictures at the Bluffs. We didn't have matching denim or sweaters. No need for that. All we can say is Brion Hopkins is the man!!! He is an amazing photographer and a blast to be around... check him out here and hit him up for some amazing photos www.brionhopkins.com

happy fathers day...and rachel

well, first, i would like to say to my one and only...happy fathers day. we love you so much and miss you. cant wait to see you. i know you, shawn, i know you hate it when i do this on the blog, but i must say thank you. thank you for being the best dad in the whole world...to my kids. i wouldn't want any other. its a love/hate relationship when the kids ask for you, or miss you, or want you to come home.

i love it because they love you so much and want to be with you, but i hate it because i can sense their true and real longing for you. mmmm, what a relief to know my kids are so loved, by you:) i love you.

and about rachel. well, i have been meaning to post about her for many months now, but i guess i can just connect you to her blog where she has been updating up until now. i just wrote the latest update. please tune in here and pray pray pray.

ps...another note to shawn, and everyone he has fooled. that last update, well, it was his. i love it when he posts and makes it look and sound like its coming from me. what shawn? are you ashamed that you are blogging? well don't be. your quite talented and i must say, you did a real fine job. thank you...for doing that. and dont hate me...for blowing your cover. i love you. so much. good night:)

Long Time...No Blog!!!

Time for a little blogging update. It's been nice to have Dad around a bit more so we've been taking advantage of all the time together. Following are a few of the things we have done over the last month: Mayci was loving the Carpinteria weather and beach. We made it to the beach everyday while in Cali except for the one day we hit up Disneyland. Weather was perfect!!!!

We celebrated 3 birthdays in California. Evan, Farrah and Grandma Trudy. Evan was caught trying to get a little piece of Grandma's special Chocolate Cake.

Farrah' Bday celebration. Seated on the couch is the world's greatest photographer Brion Hopkins. We can't wait to get back some photos from our family shoot. ;)

Aunt Nicole was a crowd favorite as always. Evan is sporting his Brazil jersey in prep for the world cup. :)

Like I said...perfect weather.

Shawn and Grandpa taking the kids out "deep" as they said. No that's not Jaws in the background. We saw dolphins every day we were there which isn't uncommon, and Nicole was able to catch it in a photo.

Hot Grandma Trudy unaware of Mayci's hat.

Raegan with her bud Grandpa Rick!!!!

No better place on earth :)...this is walking distance from the Olmstead's home. Shawn and Nicole played a lot of beach ball and the kids couldn't get enough sand, surf and sun. They would play all day at the beach and then get home and use Grandpa's outside shower and go straight to bed.

More beautiful beach time!!!

Grandpa brought the bird in every night and let the kids chase it around the house.

Evan the beach bum.

Rae Rae.

Farrah... :)

Shawn and a handyman took a day and a half to build the kid's playset and it has definitely been put to good use. Notice the garden and sandbox in the back both pretty much created entirely by Farrah!!!

Disneyland!!! We stayed from 10a.m. to 10 p.m. We went on a Wednesday and never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride. Most lines were 5 to 10 minutes. Weather was in the 60's so not too hot. Kids went on all the rides minus Indiana Jones and Space Mountain. Both Rae and Evan did Matterhorn but Raegan said no to a repeat ride while Evan was pulling Shawn by the hand to go again. He knew when the "monster" would appear from the noise and covered his eyes until he couldn't hear it anymore. FYI...don't take your kids on Mr. Toad's wild ride first cause they may be a little scarred.

Happiest place on earth...really is. We left our backpack on a bench where we ate lunch for over an hour before we noticed it was gone. Shawn ran back to where we were sitting and sure enough it was still there. Good thing especially since it had the car keys.

Shawn dropped off Farrah in Vegas for a weekend with the Olmstead girls to celebrate Grandma's 60th birthday and then he continued on with Evan and Rae to Cali. This is what they did everyday with Grandpa. Good time was had by all. Evan looks like he is in dreamland so happy to be at the beach.

Farrah's garden is going strong. We ate a couple of the radishes already because Farrah was so excited to try something. Can't wait!!!

Sandbox designed and created by Farrah.

We picked up Kaya while in California but didn't want to leave Grandpa empty handed. This is Ruby who is now loving the beaches of Carpinteria with Grandma and Grandpa. She is a year old Red Heeler. Chews now and then but she'll grow out of it. ;) Will swim all day if you let her. We hope they enjoy her.

Raegan caught her first fish on a pre-school field trip with Dad. She was the first in her class to catch one.

Shawn and Evan enjoying an early spring bike ride.

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!