Happy New Year

Happy New Year from here in Japan. Rhett and I just watched the fireworks together and I can honestly say that even though 2011 is going to be a year with lots of changes... I am so GLAD and THANKFUL that I got to bring in the New Year with Rhett. You truly are my best friend and I will miss you a ton when we head back to the states! I love you buddy! I'm glad that you have brought so many laughs into my life. We have had our ups and downs, but it has truly been one heck of a ride! Thank you for everything you do for me and the boys!

Beck's Resolution's for 2011-

Every year I make the resolution to get in shape and though this is sort of on the list for the next year- IT IS NOT A PRIORITY!

This year I want to bring the Lord into my life. I will do this by-

(1) Reading the scriptures NIGHTLY.

(2) Family Home Evening.

(3) Teaching the little ones the love that he has for each of us! I want them to feel the comfort I have felt throughout the years and KNOW they are choice sons of a loving Father in Heaven. I want to introduce them to the gospel and see them drink it all in.

(4) Be a GREAT Mom. This includes not yelling at the kids... and taking them to see the world. I want them to know that there in beauty in everything and everywhere. I want them to love the world the Lord created for us to enjoy! I want to take poor Carter camping. Bless his soul. He loves it SO much and I have vowed I'm going to do it this year. I may not love it, but by golly we are going to do it.

I would also like to work out and get back in shape AND eat healthy this year. Wish me luck!!!

Carter's Christmas Crafts~

This is Carter's first grade picture! What a handsome little stinker. He just turned 7 and loves riding the bus with his friends and eating hot lunch. The highlight of everyday is when Carter comes home and tells me what he had for lunch. He doesn't really like doing more homework, but loves reading with me at night. He always runs in and gives us all a hug and asks who missed him the most. I am so glad this little guy is in our family. He truly brightens my life.

I have LOVED Carter's school this year. He goes to Killin Elementary and they are the Killin Gecko's. He is in first grade and he loves Mrs. Willeford. She is such a great teacher and really cares about each one of her students. He has spanish three times a week and culture (Japanese) once a week. He also has some really fun specials like art class, music, computers, and P.E.

He loves all of his classes and brings home some really fun stuff from class. I just wanted to dedicate a little post for all of Carter's fun Christmas crafts that he worked so hard on. I think they definitely deserve a moment in the spotlight. Plus after I do this I can take a couple of them off the fridge! :)

Carter's story about being Santa's helper.

2010- Christmas wreath made from green puzzle pieces.

Santa

I thought this was a cute activity that they made. Too bad we didn't have any grass to sprinkle it on. I let him sprinkle some of it on the concrete patio. After he went to bed, I just went and swept it. He was excited to see it was gone in the morning.

Carter's little Santa bag that he brought all his little treats and presents home in.

Carter the little ELF.

Some of the fun treats he brought home. Carter and I made the little green Santa bags for the whole class. We put some fun treats in them and Carter had a blast helping me make them. His teacher was great. She gave them all two cute little Christmas books, some hot chocolate, some treats, and an ornament for the tree. She did the same thing for Halloween. All of it came right out of her pocket. What a great lady to do that for her students.

I walked in Carter's room and Carter had put the elf up on the window. When I asked why he said, "I wanted him to get to see the seawall and the water."

One of the ornaments that he made. It had his picture and a little star made from applesauce, cinnamon, and glue. It smelled SO good.

The hot chocolate that his teacher gave him. I thought the story was really cute!

Carter's decorated room with all his school stuff.

The last day they had a fun little carnival. They went through and did each activity on this list. The Snowball Fight was spit wads. I know GROSS, but the kids loved it. They were shot at a target not each other, thankfully.

Rudolf's Deli- They made sandwiches for lunch.

Musical Chairs- Carter actually got 2nd.

Snowball Relay- They had spoons and big marshmallows. They took turns balancing to the finish line.

Christmas Cheer- They got a juice box and did a cheer together.

Pin the Nose on Rudolf- Fun, fun, fun.

Face Painting- He got a snowman.

Reindeer Food- They made the cute little oatmeal package of food.

Pass the Santa- Similar to musical chairs, but you pass the Santa doll.

Christmas Bingo- Carter was a little sad he didn't win, but he really enjoyed it.

Snowman Gobble- Marshmallow tied to a string they had to gobble it with NO hands.

Mrs. Claus Bakery- They decorated cookies and ate them.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was very exciting. The little kids woke up right around 5:45 which was a little early, but they tend to be early risers so not too much out of the norm. Carter was the first one out the door and he was SO excited. Taylor was equally excited. The babies just kind of came out and wondered around. Once they opened their stockings Hunter just went around and collected everyone's candy. They weren't really into presents this year, but liked the toys they got inside the paper!

Carter had asked for the red bionicle. It's a lego sort of toy. He not only got the red one, but he was stoked when he opened up the white one and the black one. He must have been an extremely good boy. I have really loved that my kids aren't greedy yet. He has only ever asked for one gift for Christmas and it is usually really cheap. I will keep my fingers crossed this will last a couple more years. I have doubts though because his friend got a nintendo ds and now Carter says maybe he'll ask for that next year. Yikes! :)

Taylor was a pretty sweet boy this year. All he wanted when asked was candy. :) It reminds me of when I was little and I just wanted candy, bubbles, and balloons. Anyway, he got some new clothes that were much NEEDED, a couple toys, and some candy. He was so excited he got what he wanted! :)

The babies could have cared less about unwrapping presents and LOVED the stockings. They pulled out a couple little toys and a little thing of candy and they were set. They spent the rest of the morning walking around asking everyone, "Peas open dis." They also had fun collecting everyone's candy and putting it in their pile. Their favorite gifts were the shape sorters, and the Dr. kit. They love giving people shots and making them drink the medicine or "mecin" as they call it. The shape sorters are funny. They love to have you point where the shape goes and then they do their best to force it in. Ryker will literally pound the shape for a couple minutes then just open up the top and put it in. Then he goes on to the next one. It is pretty funny to watch!

Me and Rhett also had a great year with some fun gifts. Rhett got a nike hat from Taylor and a 10 punch pass to a golf course from me. He also got call of duty black ops, which now we are already regretting. :)

I got a couple fun pair of dangly earrings and matching necklaces. Rhett also bought me some cologne that I love! Its' Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani. He used to wear it when we were dating and I fell in love with it. I always steal his and spray the little kids with it so when I hug them they smell SO good!. It is HEAVEN. Anyway, with me heading back I think I'll spray my pillow until I get used to sleeping alone! :)

Anyway, we had a very fun Christmas morning. The kids make everything so fun and exciting. It was fun to see how grateful they were for everything. We had also had a FHE on the real meaning of Christmas and it was fun to quiz the kids and see what they remembered. Carter did fantastic and Taylor even knew most of the answers! What sweet boys!

Santa came and left some fun presents!

He even left a note for leaving him cookies. Santa was so full he couldn't finish that last cookie, but don't worry Santa I saw Taylor sneak up to the table and eat the rest of it. :)

Carter with his lego things.

Carter with all his gifts in a pile. He LOVED it.

Taylor with his pile of goodies. He even shared his treats with Mommy. What a nice little monkey!
The babies with their fun gifts!

A special thank you to Melanie for sending money to pick out fun gifts. You got the kids the Dr. kit, a quiet book, and really fun chore charts for the big boys to earn an allowance!

Thank you Mom for the race car set, coloring stuff, and the shape sorters.

Thank you Grandma for the fun books, pizza cutter and peeler, and the fun musical toys for the kids.

Kids

I read this on somebody's blog the other day and was cracking up at how true the statements are. For us three and four came together so I think it was even worse! Enjoy!!!

What happens after the 3rd child....

*Maternity Clothes

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your
OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

*Preparing

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don' t bother because you remember that last time,
breathing didn't' t do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for a n epidural in your eighth month.


*The Layette

1st baby: You pre-wash newborns clothes, color-coordinate them, and
fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and
discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

*Worries

1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick
up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your three year old how to rewind the mechanical swing

*Pacifier

1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until
you can go home to wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off
with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

*Diapering

1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they
need it or not.

2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to
complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

*Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and
Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

*Going Out

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call
home five times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a
number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she
sees blood.

*At Home

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older
child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

*Swallowing Coins (a favorite)

1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to
the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for
the coin to pass.

3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Ryker got a new do.... and it ain't pretty!

Ryker found the scissors the other day and cut a little patch of hair near the top of his head. I almost died when I saw it. I was thinking I had a little longer before the babies loved to give themselves haircuts. I wasn't too worried because it was near the very top of his head and didn't really show so I just kind of blew it off.

Well, I have been telling the kids for the last three days that they all need haircuts. We were watching a movie and I noticed that Ryker was being a little too quiet behind the couch. I glanced over to huge chunks of hair on the floor. He had somehow found the scissors in the drawer; which is amazing in itself. I can never find them when I need them. Anyway, he just took it upon himself to do the haircut. Personally I think I do a better job, but feel free to let me know if you like his better! :)

This is a picture from a couple days ago. Before-

Ryker's version of an awesome new do-

Seriously, I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. He had taken at least 4 HUGE chunks right out of the front of it. What a little stinker. I have never been overly attached to hair so it wasn't too devastating to me. I just pulled the clippers out and tried to even it up a little. For those of you who cut hair... I used a 1 setting and it still has a few tiny spots that aren't even. It was the best I could do without using a razor. Poor baby! He just looks so ugly with a bald head. On the plus side, my kids were so excited. I got done and Carter exclaims, "He looks just like Ben. I love it." Not to dis Ben in anyway, because you are one heck of a guy, BUT Ryker CANNOT pull off your haircut!

Looking again at the glass half full- People can now tell the twins apart. Hunter is the totally adorable one with a nice haircut and cute spiky hair in the front. Ryker is the equally adorable one with absolutely NO hair on his head. It was hard to get mad though because he was so proud of his work. "Look Mommy. I did it. I did da cutty." Yes Ryker, you sure did! Plus it was funny to take him serious because he looked so silly!

Without further ado I would love to introduce the new, not necessarily improved, but still totally loved... Ryker.

Oh and on a side note- Not everyone can be as "tight" as my kids... it's not easy to pull off a double popped collar! :)

It kind of like the time in Hawaii that Rhett had me dye his hair black.

This is for you Julie-

He has really light eyebrows so he told me to do the eyebrows too. I had never done eyebrows and told him that I didn't think you were suppose to do your eyebrows. He told me to just do them anyway. Well, we found out exactly why you aren't suppose to do your eyebrows. Rhett looked like a clown for a good two weeks. The best part is that we had church the next morning!

We would be trying to have a serious conversation and then he would look up and I would just start laughing. I couldn't even help it. Every time I saw him I would just bust into a huge grin followed by peals of laughter! Poor Rhett. He was such a great sport though and even learned to laugh with me. :) I still remember it so well. I can picture the look on his face after he had washed out the hair dye and walked into the living room. For those of you that can't picture it... I have included a couple pictures for your enjoyment!

Ta Da~

A Soldiers Silent Night

Don't forget to hit the pause button on the music at the top left side of the page! that way you can hear what they're saying! Bless all the troops! They truly are giving up so much for our freedom!

Meeting the man in RED!

We went and saw some Christmas lights on the 23rd. It really put us in a great Christmas mood. The kids thought it was so fun. We then headed over to the BX for a bite to eat and guess who was there? Santa! We were surprised with it being so close to Christmas and Santa having so much to do, but he said he had to make sure that he knew what all the kids wanted for Christmas. He had actually repelled off of a Blackhawk earlier in the day. What a sweet ride and fantastic way to make an entrance! :)

Anyway, Carter hopped right up on his lap and told him what he wanted. Santa asked if he had been a good boy to which he replied, "I have really tried this year." Santa gave him a smile and some cool spiderman stuff.

Taylor went next and whispered that he wanted some candy. This made Santa chuckle a little. He told him that he would make sure that he got something special for him. I'm pretty sure Santa is checking me out in his photo, but really who can blame him. j/k. :)

The babies just laughed being up on his lap. I told Santa that they were on the naughty list and he laughed and said most children their age are, but that he still might have to get them something fun because they were so cute! What a fantastic guy!

The kids were in HEAVEN seeing him. It totally made their day.

See those wondering eyes? :)

Oh yeah... check out the outfit. We really are wearing shorts and t-shirts here! :) It has started to cool off, but we have had some pretty fantastic days!

Merry Christmas 2010

Our family has has a really busy year in 2010. We just wanted to write a quick little note and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

A little about what we have been doing this year-

Rhett graduated from his 1 year residency at Nellis Air Base in August. What a great accomplishment. This was the hardest year of both our lives. I feel as though me and the kids never saw Rhett due to how busy the residency kept him. I am so proud of all the hard work he put in to make it through. We also got our "Top Choice" for the next base. Rhett was stationed to Kadena, Japan and a short week after he finished his residency we arrived in Okinawa, Japan. He works for the 18 DS (Dental Squadron) and is loving his job. He is a great dentist and enjoys that he gets to DO IT ALL now, from root canals to IV sedation and surgeries. He loves golfing and has had the chance several times to play on the beautiful courses of Okinawa. He is a great Dad and has all the kids begging for his attention most the time!

I have had a busy year this year. The twins and Taylor are keeping my hands full. I love to sneak off with the girls when I have the chance. I have gotten a couple pedicures from some extremely talented Japanese women. The small detail they paint on my stubbing little nails is absolutely great! I have also been sucking in Japan as fast as I can. I love everything about it here. I love taking the kids to do and see new things and am rewarded by the beauty of this tiny island everyday I'm here!

Carter is in first grade this year. He is such a great kid and is doing really well. He just won an award at his assembly last month. He got a positive action award. The little kids and I were so proud to be there and see him walk up and get his award. He is such a great helper and loves taking the trash down. He loves when we get the chance to do new adventures. He has just started loving video games and asks Dad to play with him whenever he gets the chance. He can smoke me at mario cart and loves to play sonic with Taylor.

Taylor is turning 4 years old in just a couple weeks. He is getting so big and loves SONIC. From the minute he wakes up he asks if we are getting to play it today. This world of video games is very new to me so I make sure we do a lot outside to make up for the game play in the boys lives. He gets dressed by himself for the most part which is a huge accomplishment. :) He acts a little like a baby and I look forward to getting him in preschool. I think it's to due with always being with the twins. He is a very affection little guy and LOVES to give kisses! Taylor is also my little collector and has his pockets full of a variety of things at all times. He loves wet wipes to "clean" and always has 2-3 in a little ziplock bag that he carries with his "treasures." These treasures change daily as he goes to bed and I put my stuff away. EX. stapler, hair clips, fork...ect. The next day he quickly rummages around and fills it up with random stuff he can find.

Hunter is my little adventurous boy. He loves to go with Mommy outside. He kind of does things without thinking through consequences like jumping on stairs, so I kind of have to watch this one. He is very into animals and anything that moves. It is torture to walk down the road with him because he has to look and pick up EVERYTHING from glass to snails. He is super curious about birds and would love if they would slow down so he could catch one. He is starting to talk really well and is my most polite child. He thanks me for everything. He especially loves when another child gets in trouble. :) He is great at saying prayers and prays for everyone he can think of. He is not a very great eater and we struggle at every meal. He has his favorite foods and suggests that I make pancakes for dinner every night.

Ryker is my little cuddler. He is a Momma's boy and loves to be right by me. He is also my little bully and teaser. He does things to Hunter and Taylor just to get a reaction from them. Little twerp! He loves to hold my hand when we are going for a walk. He is a little more cautious than Hunter. He is my AWESOME eater and I have no doubt he will soon be able to bench press Hunter and Taylor. He loves food and loves to help Mommy with the baking. He is a good little listener, but I have noticed that Ryker and Hunter both have started throwing tantrums lately. :( I mean full blown face to the carpet tantrums. I think the next few months will definitely be interesting. Ryker is also obsessed with being naked. Hopefully he will potty train smoothly.

Well, that has kind of been our year in a nutshell. We hope that the holidays find your family healthy and happy!

Merry Christmas from the Olsen Family 2010!!!

Run, Run, fast as you can...

I have had more fun with these three little ones than is probably fair. They love to go out and explore. The other day I started cleaning the kitchen and noticed we had a whole loaf of moldy bread. Ew... gross! So we decided it had been a little while since we had been to feed the fish. We got dressed, spiked hair, and ran down to the van. It was a beautiful morning and I knew if we played hard for a couple hours they would all take a great nap when we got home.

We started by feeding the fish and when we ran out of the bread we chased birds. Up and down the dock over and over we chased those poor pigeons. The birds finally got a clue that we were here to stay and took off. We then RACED up and down the dock! What a blast for little boys to be able to just run and run without slowing down or stopping. :) The whole time Taylor singing in his adorable little voice, "Run, run, fast as you can I'm a big mean gingerbread man." We had read the story a couple days ago and he must have really liked it.

After running up and down the dock we headed over to the little petting zoo that they have there. The babies love the little animals. I get a little nervous because they just want to hold them and kiss them!

We started by walking the little dog they had on a leash?!? Who doesn't want to walk a mangy little dog that needs a bath and a good meal? From there we headed in and to our great surprise they had little chicks. They were so adorable. Hunter is a little more adventurous than Ryker so he would pick up the animal and they would both check it out. I tried to help Ryker hold a guinea pig, but he really didn't want to. I love the looks on their face. It's like "What the heck is that?"

Funny story- while we were there Ryker walked over to this goat and was trying to kiss his face. The goat thought this little boy was a little too close for comfort and nudged him with head. Ryker wouldn't give up though. He really LOVES goats. He got a little leaf to feed it and right as he came up close the goat totally rammed into his legs, taking them out from under him. Ryker didn't cry, but got up and said in his cute baby/toddler voice, "No goat, you to time out... no be mean a me." I gave Ryker a huge hug and he explained what happened. I had seen the whole thing, but it was funny to hear it from him as he held my face right next to his. I know to most of you that doesn't sound like a funny story. Maybe you just had to be there for it. It was hilarious! :)

Anyway, they had goats, chicks, turtles, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and a pony. The kids were in HEAVEN. We then went over and scrubbed our hands with soap. I was a little grossed out touching all the animals. I guess it's just not my thing! I don't hate animals. I love going to the zoo and I would LOVE to have a salt water tank. Fish count, right?

Look at those tired kids. We stayed a tiny bit too long though. My plan for a long nap when we got home didn't work out too well. They all fell asleep on the way home. Total bummer! I did have a very relaxing ride home though! :)

Okuma

We went to Okuma for Thanksgiving. Yes, I am actually that far behind on the blog. :) I have been so busy playing that we I guess I just haven't gotten around to posting everything. So bare with me.

Okuma is this awesome little beach resort on the North part of Okinawa. It's about an hour and a half from our house. We have wanted to go there since we first moved here and heard about how fun and relaxing it is up there. Kristen called me up about a month and a half before Thanksgiving and said they were going to book a room and wanted us to come and join in the fun. They were completely booked for Thanksgiving night, but they had the Wednesday night before it opened. I checked with Kristen who assured me that Rhett and Aaron had off the Wednesday so we could drive up early to play. (Well that information was wrong.) They didn't have it off so we ended up driving up there LATE Wednesday night and got there right as we should be putting kids to bed. We let the munchkins play with Gunnar and Lily for a little while then shuffled all the kids to bed. After we got them asleep the adults walked around Okuma a little and mostly ended up just catching up and visiting. It was a lot of fun to have adult conversation. I feel like I get very little of it so I just LOVE it.

The next morning we took turns feeding the kids pop tarts while the other couple went and had a nice hot breakfast. It was seriously SO good. I had pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Rhett had french toast and biscuits and gravy. All of it was delicious. We then met back up with all the kids and got everyone ready for the day. We thought of a couple different activities to do and came up with a some fun ones for the kids. We would go for a bike ride, mini golf, go eat at the Thanksgiving buffet, then head to the beach. Kristen and Aaron had put their names on a waiting list for a second night so we decided to do the same. They had a couple cabins open, but we were waiting for a hotel room. The cabins didn't have a bathroom in them... and with kids and the beach, it was a must! Thankfully we both got one.

The bikes were awesome. The kids had such a fun time while we wheeled them all over Okuma. The kids also liked the mini golf. The twins had a hard time toward the end because it was nap time and we hadn't got a room yet. That meant there was no where to lay them down... so there were a lot of tears! The food was amazing. They had all the traditional foods plus lots of seafood and Japanese food. I loved it there. I was so glad that we got the second night. We played a lot in the sand and water and then headed back to the room for baths, snacks, and a movie. What a wonderful relaxing getaway.

We thought it was cute that the babies crawled in with the big boys to sleep. They sure love their big brothers.

Me and Rhett waiting for our breakfast to come. Yummy!

It was so pretty there. It's on a small strip so it is basically Ocean all around you.

This was the bike we rode around. It was so fun for all of us to fit. It was pretty hard work for me and Rhett to push all that weight, especially the hills were total killers, but we all had a ball!

A little hike to a lookout.

Rhett and his babies headed back down.

Carter LOVES the beach.

Rhett in the water.

Taylor with a stick in his hand. He is my little collector. Shells, rocks, and sticks are his favorite things to pick up and keep, but he also carries around a little ziplock bag at home that has stuff ranging from a tiny stapler to wet wipes?!? What a nutty kid!

The babies also loved the sand and water. It was such a fun time there.

Carter did great with the mini golf.

Rhett showing Taylor the right way to hold the club.

This was Ryker watching his Mommy golf. Some of the shots I was pulling off were pretty impressive. I think Rhett gave me that exact look at times.

Me and Ryker looking for some pretty shells.

The little boys splashing in the waves.

We were so glad for a little vacation. It was fun for the little boys to get to spend some time with their Daddy. It is definitely a place that we are glad that we got to see while in Okinawa. Happy Thanksgiving. Oh and I should probably say Happy Valentines Day too. Maybe by then I'll be caught up.