December 2007

12/27/2007 - Jolly Holiday

Kati Oliver — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:23:51 GMT

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas. It was the first year we didn't travel and found that starting new tradtions as a family is really fun. We also enjoyed that Nick's family is close by and got to have them all over to watch a very exciting BYU football Bowl game. We also saw them for Sunday dinner, fishing, Christmas Day, and shooting the guns the day after Christmas. Thanks Olivers, Jones family and Mark and Melissa for helping to make our holiday so fun!

Spencer made this hat at playgroup "Christ-mess" is what my children made while I baked all day

This year we took the boys on the "Santa Train" so the boys could talk to Santa. The boys had a really good time and Nick and I both agreed it beat the line at the mall.

Family picture on the train Spencer testing out if the new Tonka truck can hold his weight.

Christmas morning (notice it's still dark outside). Santa brought Spencer these fun Home Depot work benches. Santa was so tricky this year, he was able to convert our train table into a Lego table for Carson along with some new Star Wars Legos. Really the table was as much a gift for me as it was for Carson. I couldn't take stepping on them or having to nag Carson about cleaning them up any longer. Thanks Santa!

11/18/2007 - 7 Things

Kati Oliver — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:18:14 GMT

My sister-in law Erin “tagged” me on her blog which apparently means I need to come up with 7 interesting things about myself. What a whole post about me? I don’t know if I can say 7 things without mentioning my kids. Okay let’s see how this goes.

1. I love to eat. It’s true I never met a baked good I didn’t like. I especially like eating out (McDonalds does not count) but we don’t do it all that often. Doesn’t really matter what kind of food it is as long as it tastes good and I’m not the one making or cleaning it up.

2. The gym is one of my favorite places to go, which is a good thing because food was just my #1. Sometimes it’s for training purposes or to maintain my weight but mostly I love the way I feel after a good workout. I also like that it’s something I’m doing just for me!

3. I’m addicted to playing Beautiful Katamari on our XBOX 360 (besides Tetris it’s the only game I’ll play). The whole point of the game is that you are a ball and you roll around town/ world rolling things up to make your Katamari ball bigger. It’s surprisingly satisfying!

4. My 2^nd toe is longer than my big toe. I’ve heard it’s a sign of intelligence.

5. I am the most musically challenged person you will ever meet. Nick can even attest I border on being tone deaf. In college I had to take a music class for my Education degree. Long story short the professor offered some “after class help” upon reviewing my assignment where I had to sing “America the Beautiful” on tape. Humiliation! Every patriotic holiday I am reminded of that experience. It’s not just singing, I faked my song flute recital in the 3^rd grade. Sorry Mom and Dad but I was just moving my fingers trying to look like I knew what I was doing. Piano lessons weren’t much better either. But ability aside I really enjoy and can appreciate good music.

6. The Office is my favorite show. Nick and I recently rented seasons one and two and watched them all in one weekend. It was the best weekend ever (“that’s what she said”).

7. I am not an animal person. I had a horse biting experience when I was 13 at Girls Camp. The raccoons tormented me and stole our food when I was a camp counselor in Santa Cruz. I hit a dog on our way to the courthouse to get a marriage license (while I cried in the car Nick carried it home for the elderly lady). Right now we have fish in an aquarium and that’s good enough for me!

Look I did it! 7 things about me with no mention of kids! Okay now it’s my turn to tag. So I’m sending the love out of state to the Gunn Family in Utah.

12/14/2007 - A Year in Review

Kati Oliver — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:17:16 GMT

For some reason I couldn’t muster the energy or enthusiasm to write a “family brag letter” this year to go in our Christmas cards. I figure I post every week on the family blog and that should be sufficient. That is if anyone is actually visiting our blog site. Well in any case I thought I’d post a few of this year’s highlights for the Oliver Family.

Spencer(2) has had a lot of those "Wait-when-did-my-baby-grow-up?" moments lately. One of those times being when he rode a horse all by himself on a camping trip this summer. He loves going to music class every Monday morning with mom while Carson is at preschool. As he has learned to talk better his personality and sense of humor are beginning to surface and he can be a big tease. There are many nights we hear Spencer heckling Carson from his crib trying to get him to play around some more. Spencer's true love is his blanket which we have to lock up during the day in his bedroom, but that is a whole other post. . .

Carson(4) also had one of those "moments" metioned previously this fall when he gave a talk on the Holy Ghost in Sacrament Meeting during the Primary program. It was a talk he had given in Sharing Time and they asked him to do it again during the program. He had most of it memorized and couldn't sit still waiting for his turn to give it. I don't know where he gets his confidence and love for public speaking, not from Nick or I that's for sure. Carson is in his 2nd year of co-op preschool and I enjoy being a part of teaching him and watching him learn. He has taken off when it comes to learning to write and recognize letters and reading some familiar sight words. I look forward to sending him off to Kindergarten next year for all sorts of reasons. Carson has inherited Nick's engineering skills and is becoming a master Lego builder. One of Carson's loves is spending time with Grandpa Doll and the trains in California.

Then there is Nick and I. . . not nearly as interesting as our little boys. I took on the challenge of training for a triathlon this year. The training seemed more managable than another marathon. It's nice to know that all those hours spent in the swimming pool growing up could come in handy later in life. I am proud to report that I finished the race, enjoyed training with friends and have plans to do another someday. I have found that I enjoy working on personal goals that are independent of me being a mother. As for Nick he has braved numerous campouts this year with the scouts in our ward, some even in the rain. Nick, a true outdoorsman even went fly fishing in the snow. When in Utah this summer we made sure to visit the Cabela's store, and found that Nick could have stayed and browsed for hours. He and I both have taken on a few DIY home projects and truly enjoy spending some of our weekends working together.

12/11/2007 - All I need

Kati Oliver — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:12:59 GMT

Living in Western Washington we see plenty of rain but this last snow/ rain storm hit this area unusually hard. It is unbelievable how roads and houses have been washed away. In our city of Duvall and in the neighboring communities the flooding was mostly in farm fields and roads, nothing like the images above. For me it defintiely puts this time of year into perspective. I have a home that is warm and dry and my family is safe, I have all I need.

12/3/2007 - Winter Has Arrived

Kati Oliver — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 05:11:56 GMT

Saturday December 1st brought us 5 inches of snow! The boys went outside and took full of advantage of the opportunity to throw things at each other without getting in trouble. Nick gets two gold stars for taking the boys with him to cut down the Christmas tree and for hanging lights in the snow! Sunday we woke up to no power, warmer weather and nonstop rain which meant. . . Flooding! For now there is still one road open to get in and out of our town, and hopefully that one will hold until the water recedes. Until then we will be grateful we live on a hill and that we've got plenty of hot chocolate!