Avery's First Day of Preschool Again

  The Sixteenth Avery started her second year of preschool.  She's still at our local elementary just a couple blocks from us.  One of these days I need to get a picture of her riding the bus.  Avery loves the bus so much, and in the morning if you even hint that we might be late for the bus this gets her hurrying up.  She would be mortified if she missed her bus.  We were a little worried about this year since Avery's beloved Mrs. Judy retired last year, but Avery seems to be doing great with Mrs. Barbara now.  She still asks where Mrs. Judy is, and I am not quite sure she grasps what retired means.  I'm just excited that we are one school year closer to full day Kindergarten.  Avery has more energy than I can handle right now.  

Harper really wanted to be in the picture with Avery.  Harper loves to go out to put Avery on the bus, and to pick her up from the bus stop.  Avery also insisted on wearing her Minnie Mouse scarf even though the weather was quite nice that day.

I managed to get a couple pictures of just Avery.  

If you remember from last year there was a picture of Avery jumping because she was so happy for preschool.  I thought it was cute that she jumped up and down in excitement again this year.  

Emery's Blessing and Mom and Dad Come Home from their Mission!

  September first we blessed Emery.  My parents also returned from their 18 month long mission in Santiago, Chile serving in the temple there.  We were blessed to have them there as well as my brother Adam and his wife Angie, and my Aunt Joanne. Daryl's brother Karl was there of course with his wife Aimee and their son Tyler.  Then Daryl's aunts Donna and Debbie with their husbands Laif and Kent.  Unfortunately I do not have a single picture of anyone really.  I didn't even get a picture of my parents and the girls seeing each other for the first time in a year and a half.  Some day I'll get better about pictures.  We blessed Emery at home since it worked better for everyone's schedules.  Thank you to all the family who came to celebrate Emery coming into our lives!

Angie took this picture of me and Emery.

                                        

Emery just barely fit into the blessing dress.  We couldn't do up the back buttons.  Also I had forgotten the dress was with my sister Nellie in Sacramento, so we had to overnight it without knowing Emery would actually fit in it.  Everything worked out though.

Emery and her great Aunt Joanne.

Aunt Joanne being super awesome pushing Avery and Harper around on her walker.

Bunk Beds!

  Daryl and I passed into a special stage of our parenting career this summer.  We bought our first bunk bed set.  Avery had slept on a bunk bed on her Disneyland trip without too much trouble, so we decided she was ready for top bunk sleeping.  Their room isn't very big and it benefited greatly from the space saving magic of bunk beds.  They love their beds a lot.  Whenever a new person comes to the house Avery was quick to show off her bunk bed.  So far she hasn't tried to jump off the top bunk, and we screwed that ladder into the beds.  They have already hung blankets from the top bunk to make a cozy enclosure on the bottom bunk just like I remember when I was a kid. 

I had just washed and made the beds.  This is not normally what the bedroom looks like.  Harper chose the Angry Birds comforter herself.

I took pictures of the girls sleeping last night, and found Harper snuggled together with her boyfriend Flynn Ryder from Tangled.

That's right Avery sleeps with a Star Wars pillow because she thinks it's a Star Wars Angry Birds pillow.

They had a variety of animals, dolls, and babies they wanted to show off.  At night there are a very specific group of stuffed animals that the girls must share the beds with.

Harper was happy to have a rare Avery sanctioned visit up top.

Avery wanted to demonstrate how the bottom bunk was used.

Avery wanted to have a picture taken of her with the princess castle with the Hello Kitty toy in it.  I know we've all been waiting for this one.

Only the Good Die Young

   We had noticed that Sebastian was losing weight around the time Emery was born, but I had chalked it up to the visitors and the new baby.  When my sister DeAnna came I noticed that Sebastian was looking pretty jaundiced.  Again I was hoping that he was super stressed, but the vets didn't sugar coat anything for me.  He either had cancer or a virus that would very shortly cause his death.  Sebastian ended up having cancer which was only a marginally better diagnosis.  There is no cure for kitty cancer because that would kill him, so treatment would be expensive and only send him into remission for who knows how long.  We opted not to treat him and endeavored to make his last days comfortable.  We got in a few more good cuddles, before one Monday in August he got out of the house and didn't come back.  He chose to find some place private to die.  He would have been two in October 16th.

   Sebastian was an amazing cat.  He loved to sit on your lap, and be around his people.  Every night he was with Daryl and I to help put the girls to bed.  When Avery and Harper gave them love he never complained.  He was soft spoken and rarely felt the need to meow.  In fact he once got trapped in the girls' bathroom for a majority of a Sunday because he never let us know he was in there.  We'll miss our little guy.  

This is the last picture I took of Sebastian.  After that I didn't want to remember him that sick looking.

Sebastian warming up Emery's bassinet for her.

Playing in a box.

Watching out the window with Karl.

I'll miss his little teddy bear face.

Baby Sebastian

Daryl and Avery do Disneyland

  As I mentioned before Daryl and Avery went to Disneyland about three weeks after Emery was born.  Daryl's Aunt Donna and Uncle Laif were going with their children, and had invited us along.  It was a little too soon after the baby for the whole family to go, but we thought it was important for Daryl to spend some time with his family.  And we were pretty sure Avery would really appreciate the trip.  By all accounts Avery was a very good girl at Disneyland.  The only thing that was a slight problem is she wouldn't want to leave the park.  She often told Daryl, "I'm not done yet!"  They were there three days so she did get plenty of time there.

  Daryl took her on everything she was tall enough for, and that was pretty much everything except the Matterhorn and Indiana Jones.  She loved them all: Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, and Space Mountain.  After Space Mountain she told Daryl that they were flying.  She even enjoyed the Haunted Mansion finally.  We would take her on that ride in times past and she was definitely not happy to be there, but we would force her on the ride anyway.  

   Daryl did a couple special things for Avery while they were there.  On the last day he took her to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where fairy godmothers in training turned her into a beautiful princess.  I don't think I have ever seen her look quite so pleased.  She was obviously enjoying every moment of the primping they did to her.  Daryl took her on the last day because he didn't want her to be dressed like a princess the entire time.  The other thing they did was Avery and her girl cousins went to Ariel's Grotto for a special princess luncheon.  It's always a good idea to do a character meal with your kids if they really would like to see them all at the park.  That way you don't have to go hunting down all the princesses.  All those girls loved the princesses.  

  Thanks Olsons for letting Daryl and Avery come, and getting the sweet Olson family reunion Disneyland official t-shirt!  Daryl and Avery both really enjoyed the trip.  Also you should know that in the ride photos Daryl practices his poses for the camera and are in no way, shape, or form represent any spontaneous feelings he was experiencing on any of the rides.  He is hamming it up times ten for the pictures.

Avery at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.   

Avery is in the back with Daryl's cousin Michael on the left.  Michael's daughter Hazel changed her mind about going on the ride, so Daryl took her out since he had already been on the ride.  Even though Avery looks very uncomfortable she often speaks very fondly of the ride that went up and down,  up and down.

I think this is my favorite picture.  You can see Daryl's cousin Michael in the third row, and Michael's wife Rachael directly behind Daryl with their daughter Hazel.  

Avery on the Tea Cups.

Avery on the carousel in Fantasy land.  That's Daryl's Uncle Laif by her.

Princess Tiana wasn't at the luncheon at Ariel's Grotto, so Avery was determined to find her and give her a hug.

Avery in front of the castle with good old tiger bag.

Family Visits in July

   Since Emery was born at the end of June my sisters were all planning to come up and visit during June and July.  Alex, Addison, and Ashlyn were here when Emery was born to help out.  Nellie and Reagan were also here in June the weekend before Emery was born.  We were really hoping that Emery would make her appearance then, but all the walking in the world when not convince her to come out before her due date. 

   Alex, Addison, and Ashlyn were here through Fourth of July. Since Emery was about a week old on the Fourth, we spent a rather low key day at the house.  In the evening we went to go see Adam and Angie.

   A couple weeks after that Nellie and Reagan came back for a visit, but this time they brought Paul. (A visit that I have no pictures of.)  Then DeAnna and Brad also came up too while Daryl and Avery went off to Disneyland, which I will hopefully get to posting about soon.  It was great to see all my sisters.  They live too far away.

Brad and DeAnna took Harper on the Duck Tour with them.

Avery, Ashlyn holding Reagan, Addison, and Harper.  All the girl cousins before Emery was born.

Alex and Addison.  Addison likes to make that goofy fish face a lot.

Angie and Addison

Reagan being adorable.

Emery and Alex snuggling.

Here's my picture of DeAnna holding a sleepy Reagan.