Category Archives: Family

Everyday Photos

Y’all, we’ve got all kinds of photos over here. I just haven’t been posting as fast as I’m taking them! Let’s be honest, though. I haven’t been posting much in general. I won’t hide the fact that sometimes I just don’t know where to start. I want to write, but it can be a bit intimidating when I don’t know how to say what’s in my mind. I suppose that’s the challenge of a writer, though, trying to turn jumbly thoughts into flowing words. Sometimes, it just doesn’t happen.

(And can I just tell you how many times a day the word – or phrase – y’all runs through my head? I blame all my southern Instagram friends. And the fact that it just works really well in so many situations! So I’m not deleting y’all from the top of this post today, in honor of all the southern lovelies.)

A few weeks ago, Ella and I were on our way to see the new Cinderella when Pete and Sam decided to join us. Sam’s first trip to the movie theater! He absolutely loved it. I wish I could have taken pictures of him. He sat on Pete’s lap while munching popcorn the entire movie. During a few of the scenes, like when the pumpkin was turned into a coach, he clapped and danced! It was adorable! We all really enjoyed the movie.

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Sam especially liked the popcorn.

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I recently added a little blonde to my hair. I had to think about it for a few weeks since we’re trying not to spend money right now. It had been six months since I last had my hair done, which is a bit longer that I tend to go when my hair is dark. It was fading quite a bit, so it was lovely to get a fresh do. Blonde! Does this mean summer is right around the corner?!

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Sweet boy didn’t want to sleep the night before I was leaving for a weekend conference in Dallas. I can’t resist his charm, even when I really need to pack and it’s way past his bedtime.

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While I was in Dallas, Daddy bundled these two and took them for their first bike ride of the season! We have access to bikes and Burleys through our condo association. We definitely plan to use them a lot on the Lakewalk this summer!

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We’re not far down the trail from Perkins, where these sweeties shared sprinkle pancakes and root beer. Aren’t they adorable?

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How big is this kid?! Crazy enough, he just keeps growing. I still can’t believe he’s going to be three next month!

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Now that the ice has melted off the lake, the ships are back. It’s pretty great to see them out nearly every day again. Ella and I have been following them on the Duluth Shipping News website, where we can watch them pass under the lift bridge on a webcam. She likes to look through the binoculars to read each ship’s name when they pass the house.

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I’ve been doing a bit more baking recently. Mostly it’s for the kids, but I got a little excited about what looked like an incredible recipe and forgot they might not eat something with ingredients like whole wheat flour, flax seed meal, oats, and whey. Bummer! I thought they were amazing, but the wee ones weren’t super impressed. I have to work with their tastes a little more to get them liking whole wheat flour.

We’ve been soaking in the sunshine outside! Last week was gorgeous and we were out a lot. The little taste of warm weather got us super excited to be out on the shore all summer!

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Sam had a great time at physical therapy last week. He worked so hard! His favorite part? The ball pit. Always.

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This sweet girl was on a date with Daddy last week when they found me writing at Caribou. I just love her!

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He figured out where the rain was coming from!

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Sam’s Tiny Toms finally fit! I ordered them on Zulily two years ago, knowing we’d have to wait a while. They’re just a touch big, so he’ll definitely be able to wear them all summer. Yay!

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Last week, Sammy baby made a quick trip to Saver’s with me. I think he likes his new shoes, too!

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These aren’t all the pictures, but it’s a start! We love sharing our days with you!


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Florida: Part 1

 One month  later we’ve got pictures! We had a wonderful trip to Florida over new years, but we’ve been so busy I haven’t had enough time to post photos. Alas! Here they are! These are the photos from my phone. The photos on my big camera will come very soon.

Little man is pretty much a pro when it comes to flying now. He ended up across Daddy’s lap and they both napped the entire flight. Ella sat in the row ahead of us with our dear friend and date night babysitter, Hannah, and her fiance Luke. We traveled with our babysitter? Oh yes, we did. Pete’s idea. Absolutely dreamy to have them along. The kids adore them, we were able to go on dates, and I had a beautiful friend to hang out with while shopping and at the salon. Luke & Hannah are far more than babysitters to our family. They have become dear friends. (And we’re trying to convince them they need to go to Kenya with us, so if you know them, tell them they belong in east Africa.)

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We flew into Tampa where one of my longest Instagram friends lives with her husband and two adorable kids. Ella & Brynn danced their way through lunch together. Two new friends!

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We rented a house we found on Vacation Rental By Owner, a website we’ve used to find rentals in Maine, Florida, and Virginia. We’ve loved every place!

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New Years Eve on the beach. Far different than any I’ve ever experienced.

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After the kids were in bed, Hannah & Luke celebrated at the house while Pete & I headed to downtown Naples. We found a pretty chic restaurant to ring in the new year. About 15 minutes before midnight we noticed everyone was leaving, which we hadn’t expected. Fortunately, we followed them out to discover the streets were filled! It hadn’t occurred to us that people would be outside, but when the weather is in the 70s it makes sense! A few moments before twelve, the lights went dim and everyone began to count down to 2015. Our first activity of the year? Well, after the kiss, of course. Ice cream! We shared a giant cone of Naples Mud Pie, sat on a bench along the buzzing main street, and watched people celebrate for nearly an hour. We loved it.

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The next morning, Ella stood for quite a while in the front yard, waving to every person who passed, yelling, “Happy New Year!”

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We didn’t go to Florida to meet any Disney princesses this time (perhaps in a few years). Our main goal was to spend as much time at the beach as possible. We did a pretty good job of it.

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We spent one morning at the Naples Farmers Market. It was refreshing to see baskets of fresh veggies and rows of blooming flowers.

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After the market, we drove south into Everglades National Park.

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After an afternoon out on the water near the Everglades, we drove back to Naples to watch the sunset on the beach.

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We also drove all over town to find what we had been told was the best key lime pie in the area. It was fairly amazing, especially eating it right along the water.

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One morning the guys went fishing while Hannah & I took the kids to the beach.

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What a week!

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More photos to come!

Ella’s swim suit from Vindie Baby


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Easter for Halloween?

Oh, my dear bloggy friends, I have not left you. I greatly apologize for my absence. Life has been a’movin!
Not long ago, I mentioned that I am working on two big projects this fall. I revealed one in our last post – a vintage camper makeover. I’m happy to share that yesterday she was taken away to begin work on her roof, the first step in her winter-long transformation. Next will be all new outside lights and a paint job. I can’t wait for the painting to begin! Then we’ll see real changes. Anyway, that’s project number one.
Project number two is a biggie and will surely be noticed by all of you. I am so exctied to let you in on my little secret: Amazing blog changes are just around the corner! I’m currently working with a deigner to create a completely new everything for the blog. We will soon be celebrating Little Olsen’s fifth (yes, fifth!) blogaversary, which will be the perfect time for more than just a makeover. With a new look, there will be a new commitment on my part to posting. Twice a week you’ll be able to ckeck in for written updates or simple musings. Two other days each week will feature photos or guest posts. You’ll be able to click to our blog and know which days you can find what and know that it will always be fresh and new. I want to tell you so much more, but I’ll try to contain myself for now. Just know that there is much more to come. And soon. I hope to have everything rolled out by the start of the new year. It’s going to be great!
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Now let us catch up a bit. A couple weeks ago, we had Halloween with our annual trick-or-treating with the cousins at the university dorms. Such a genius idea to do this in the dorms since then we don’t have to cover cute little costumes with big, bulky jackets and snow pants. You know how it can be here in Northern Minnesota. I remember many years trick-or-treating with a costume pulled on tightly over my pink snowsuit and boots. Do you know how hard it is to unwrap those tiny Tootsie Rolls while wearing plushy mittens? I’m so thankful to stay indoors for the festivities with our little ones.

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