School, New Jobs, First Birthdays

Chris is well into his first year of Dental School now and seems to be enjoying it thus far! He's made a lot of knew friends and between studying for tests and practicing with wax teeth making (you'll have to ask him about this!) is staying plenty busy. I've been working with Progressive Rehabilitation Associates in Iowa City, floating between two of their clinics, for about a month now and am trying to adjust to working four - ten hour days while Addy attends an in-home daycare four days a week. Chris has been doing a great job of getting Addy up and ready and taking her to and picking her up from the babysitter's each day and we continue to enjoy the few hours we all have together each night by going on walks, playing with Addy's new birthday presents, reading books and watching cartoons and movies!

It's hard to believe our little princess is ONE! Where has the time gone?! We had a nice weekend home to celebrate the occasion. There is never enough time in a day or a weekend for that matter, to be able to do everything and see everyone we would like to; it is however, a blessing that we are back in Iowa and closer to home so that Addy's grandparents can all be a bigger part of her life as she grows up :)

The first birthday party was Minnie Mouse/Cupcake themed and we got to celebrate with family and friends before heading back to Coralville for another week of school and work! Here are some photos to enjoy! (Sadly, we lost our camera before the big event and so the photos I'm including are the ones I smuggled from facebook- thanks for those of you who posted them!)

Addy needed only a little encouragement and then dug right in and thoroughly enjoyed it!
So Big! One of her two First Birthday Outfits!!!


Addy's very first car! Cozy Coup from Gma/Gpa Inman


This is what we like to call a Sugar Coma! It's hard work turning ONE :)

Photos! Only Photos!

I promise not to bore you with another random blog post. Here are some photos as a tribute to my family/friends in Utah (who have promised to follow me via blog and therefore requested timely updates) As well as some photos from Iowa! Enjoy!

Addy Loves Her Cousin Hallee

Happy Fourth Of July! Great Grandpa/Grandma Smith

At Fish Lake When Uncle Brad Came To Visit! California Family Luau With Grandma Angie

Goodbyes are never easy, but when you've made friends as great as these
you know it's not goodbye forever!

BYU Softball Intramural Champions!

Celebrating Sweet Corn
Days With Great Grandma Inman

These gents are two of the

always charming Olsen boys.
Staches courtesy of Nickel City!!!

Hello Humidity, I Have NOT Missed You!

After almost two years in Utah's glorious weather, and several teary-eyed goodbyes, we are back to the humidity and soon to be miserable winters of Iowa. Home Sweet Home! No, really, we're happy to be back; there's just something about being closer to family that helps to overlook the negatives. (Although we will never forget our "Utah Family and Friends Either")





After a very eventful trip, we are finally putting the finishing touches on our new home in Coralville, IA. The trip proved to be quite eventful for the mere fact that Chris' car decided to, at a very inopportune time, take a long and serious siesta. I guess you could say there was a bit of fortune in the mix (if you can look at the bright side of something like this) and say that when it finally decided to take a break, it did so at a gas station/mechanic shop. (It was mainly inopportune because I'm not currently employed and because we're about to take out a very large school loan)
We had battled with it several times after making pit stops along the way and then, four hours or so from "home" it had had enough. Addyson, Grandma Stacie and I went on our way as the guys stayed behind deciding what to do next. The mechanic that came in on his day off (God Bless Him) informed them that it would take a day or two to get the necessary parts and perform the necessary labor to fix it. They then decided that it would be best to rent a car from the airport and finish the trip to get on with unloading and moving in. A great big thank you goes out to my father-in-law Jim Olsen for putting up with the lack of AC and giving it his best shot each time the car died along the way.
Everything was unloaded and the majority of things put together and put away with everyone snuggled in bed by 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. I don't think anyone moved an inch that night! We're so very thankful for all of the help we've had along the way and look forward to journaling/blogging about our new adventures in Iowa!!!

Stay tuned for some photos of the place (just know that it's not finished and therefore still in shambles!) as well as photos of Addy's first Sweet Corn Days. Our first weekend back will consist of me interviewing for a PTA position on Friday followed by a trip back to Estherville to join in their annual Sweet Corn Days Celebration!

2 Months Later

I am such a slacker!
Here we are, Addyson is 7 months old, Chris has graduated from BYU and been accepted to Dental School and no blog updates for 2 whole months!!! Well to make up for it, here is an update and LOTS of photos :)

Addyson is babbling like crazy now, we had a lot of fun when both sets of grandparents came to visit for Daddy's graduation; and Addy, no fear, told lots of stories to them. She continues to melt our hearts every day, giggling, babbling, smiling and all of these things overshadow her tantrums. Yes, she is 7 months old and I believe already having "tantrums!" Haha- she knows how to get people to pay attention to her, and she's got her daddy wrapped around her little finger, caving in and giving her what she wants! Let's be honest - it's cute! Addy also went swimming for her first time with Mommy, Daddy, and Grandpa and Grandma Inman. She LOVED it!!! She was totally fine with being on her tummy as well as her back, she kicked like she knew exactly what to do and giggled and squealed like crazy! While Grandpa and Grandma Olsen as well as Uncle Brad and Aunt Amber were here for graduation, we got to meet Addy's cousin Marlee. The girls are exactly six months apart and here they are in matching dresses!

Addyson is eating fruits and veggies in addition to her cereal and sitting up now - she can sit unsupported but occasionally does a nose dive which she isn't so fond of! We tested out the grass the other day...she's been outdoors but up until just the other day, she's never really touched and experienced "grass". She wasn't sure what to think, when she was on her tummy she did what we like to call the "superman" trying to avoid contact with both her arms and her legs! That same day, Mommy and Daddy bought drivers, deciding we'd like to one day get into golf; we've been to the driving range once and let's just say we are definitely inexperienced!! (and now very sore!)



Let's see, I'm beginning to ramble......what else am I leaving out.... oh yes! Perhaps some of the best news yet....


Chris was accepted to The University of Iowa Dental School!!! That's right! We're going back to the Midwest :) Needless to say, we are ecstatic and so are our parents. It will be a bitter sweet time as we leave Provo and all of the memories and friends we've made here. I will have worked for Central Utah Clinic for nearly 1 and 1/2 years by then and made some awesome friendships with my co-workers and patients. We've got a lot of exciting things planned between now and the end of July (when we will be moving) and I hope to be able to also get in a lot of time with the family and friends we have here in Utah. The end of May we are headed to Iowa via Chicago - we had planned this trip before the acceptance to Iowa, we had decided that Chicago would be a good place to fly into in case we decided to check housing in Indiana, Chicago AND Iowa. Now that we've decided on Iowa , we will have some fun while in Chicago and then focus on finding housing in Iowa City, and then spend time with family and friends in Estherville of course! Well...that's a brief synopsis of the past 2 months, hope a few of you are still reading! :)

5 Months Old!!!

That's right, Addyson is 5 months old already! How can our baby be turning into such a big girl?! She is still very aware of her surroundings anytime she's awake and not trapped in her carseat, putting everything into her mouth and reaching out for whatever she can grasp. Addyson LOVES to play with mommy and daddy's cell phones (even though uncle Chris gave her one of her own) as well as the remote control, she's SO close to rolling from back to tummy (she can do tummy to back almost anytime she's put on her tummy with help) and she's got two teeth coming in!!! We're working on eating solids (cereal with "yummies" mixed in) and sitting up now too, she tolerates the bumbo a little bit better each time she's in it and we've put together a fun booster seat so baby can join us at the kitchen table (Thanks Great Grandma Inman) I think her favorite thing of all is sitting on mommy and daddy's lap or next to us on the couch...with a little help of course! We are having so much fun watching her change and grow everyday...living in the moment and thriving with all of the joys that come along with parenthood :)


Hope you enjoy the posts, of course we're proud parents with much to brag about....Love to all.



The Olsens

Home From The Hospital

We've already updated things on facebook (yes, it's facebook official) but I thought since the blog has become somewhat of a "journal" for us, I should update the blog for memory sake!! This morning Chris complained of some back and shoulder pain, me being the PTA that I am asked, "do you think you just slept on it wrong and it's muscle soreness?" Chris wasn't sure what was causing it and headed off to school. After surviving one class he decided that since the pain had migrated to his chest and gotten worse, he would go get things checked out. Boy are we glad he decided to do just that! After having gone to an instacare and getting some x-rays taken, the PA he saw first suggested going straight to the ER to get the "spontaneous pneumothorax" (or partially collapsed lung) looked at/taken care of. After calling me, I met him at the ER and we got him checked in. He was only given oxygen for the first several hours, needless to say, I was not impressed with the ER care (but I'll leave it at that). The pulmonologist we met with informed us that Chris would need to have a chest tube inserted into his lung at some point today. Our options were a small tube that could allow us to go home, or a larger tube that would require him to be admitted to the hospital for several days. 7 hours later, the small tube was inserted into his chest and we slowly but surely made our way home. A big thank you goes out to the Bennett family for taking Addyson over night, Dan Olsen for keeping his sister-in-law company and sane, and also Carie Eastman (one of the best co-workers ever!) for visiting while we waited during his procedure. Dan also helped get Chris home and settled so I could pick up some pain meds. and a wedge from the clinic to help with sleeping arrangements. We've now been half listening, half watching the Jazz game and trying to introduce liquids and finally solids into Chris' system....Poor kid hasn't eaten since last night (it was an early morning and no breakfast was had). Once he's feeling a little bit better I'll try to get him to agree to some photos and have those posted soon.

Thanks to all those who have expressed their thoughts, concerns and offered up prayers for Chris, Addy and I. We love and appreciate you all :)

After his x-ray tomorrow we should have a better update...

Christmas Break/Addy's First Christmas & Addy's Baby Blessing

A little out of order...

Baby's first Christmas was also a success!!! We flew back home to Iowa (another first for baby-she even got her "wings") to celebrate with the immediate Inman's and Olsen's and to meet Great Grandma Dolores and Great Great Great Aunt Thelma. She of course was spoiled by her grandparents and got lots of cuddle time with grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles as well as great aunts and uncles!!! Uncle Andy and Aunt Emily entertained Addyson with a fun photo shoot, those photos still to come, and Uncle Jamie and Aunt Amber got some practice in as they are expecting a little girl in March!

Although we kept Addy on her "Utah sleep schedule" she still had a habit of waking up at the wee hours of the night and morning and sometimes both so it was nice to have both grandmas around to take over so mom and dad (Chris and I) could nap and/or sleep in!!!

On December 26th Addyson was blessed by her father as we visited our home branch. She wore the beautiful dress made by her Great Grandma Verla Smith and two beautiful bracelets given to her by each Grandmother. We love our family and are so very blessed to have had a safe and enjoyable trip, having had the opportunity to spend lots of valuable time with both sides!

I'd have to say some of the biggest excitement happened just as we got back to Utah. We were escorted from the airport to Chris's Aunt and Uncles house in Salt Lake by a fancy taxi service, after unloading our luggage and finding our car keys we started the car, hooked Addy's car seat into the base and Chris and I began to uncover our snow buried car. While clearing off the car and trying to open each frozen door, the car locked for no apparent reason. The keys were in the ignition, the car running and not a single lock was touched, however...ADDYSON WAS LOCKED IN THE CAR and Chris and I were stuck outside in the freezing weather. (it was nearly 9:00 at night) Thank goodness for internet on our phones, I googled a locksmith (we look back and regret not having just called the police) and we called to have them come help us out. As we waited for the locksmith to get to us on his list of stops to make, Addyson was inside the car, carseat cover on, screaming at the top of her lungs. I was crying, Chris was making phone calls, and all we could do was wait. There were moments that I couldn't hear Addy crying....which made me nervous...so I'd pound on the window hoping to keep her "alive" of COURSE I was over-reacting, afterall I'm a new mom and this was the worst thing I'd done in her life yet!!!! When the locksmith finally reached us after what seemed like an eternity (it was really just shy of 30 minutes) he got the car unlocked and I sprinted to the door and threw open the carseat cover only to find a sleeping baby. She had cried herself to sleep I'm sure, but that didn't stop me from getting her promptly out of the carseat to hold her in my arms. It was then that I realized she had had a blowout ontop of having sweated quite a bit from being nice and toasty warm inside the car and under the cover! In the backseat of the car I changed her stinky diaper and put her in her jammies and then being quite physically and emotionally drained, we FINALLY headed home! People keep telling me, "you'll look back on that and laugh some day" and honestly....I'm still having a tough time believing that!

I knew I'd struggle with this....

Another few months go by, and of course I have yet to blog!!!! Sadly, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to journal and blog more often. It's been my goal to keep up to date on work, our Dental School journey, date nights, friends and of course our little lady growing and changing like a weed!!! Addyson is now four months old and such a joy in our lives! She is such a happy little girl, smiling, giggling and squealing with joy everyday. We just had her four month check up and although she is a bit on the light side, she is already 24 inches long and healthy as can be. (she was 18 inches when she was born) Poor little girl got three more immunizations though and was sick the day after, but daddy came to our rescue when he joined us for her appointment and provided some moral support for mommy, agreeing to hold Addy down while she got her shots. He was a good cuddler right after too! He's keeping busy with school and still working quite a bit here and there at the Dental Lab and I'm keeping plenty busy working at the clinic full-time (four days a week now though!).
We did find time in our crazy schedules however, to attend the #4 SDSU vs. #9 BYU basketball game on January 26th. It was a night to remember as we stood in line for almost one hour with thousands of other people waiting to get into the Mariott Center. They had handed out 4,000 wristbands (two of which we were the proud recipients of) ahead of time, all of which ensured you a spot in the student section. As the Mariott Center filled up quickly, everyone hoping to get a seat as close as possible, we ended up believe it or not, being able to sit with some good friends of ours! The energy inside the building was amazing, the noise intense! Needless to say, Addy stayed at the sitter's while mom and dad enjoyed the game to the max! BYU played great!!! Aside from some poor defensive rebounding I was quite impressed :) As the game came to an end, BYU up by 13, the fans stormed the court for the perfect ending to a perfect night! I'd say that night has definitely been the highlight of our new year thus far. As I type this I'm thinking to myself, "how can it possibly already be February"?!!
This month we are probably going to be pretty busy....I will share my birthday with super bowl Sunday, Valentine's Day is always a hit and President's Day gets Chris out of school and me out of work!!! We are looking forward to celebrating my birthday this Saturday and are also planning a possible trip to California over President's Day weekend. We hope to visit Chris' mission area and if we can swing some free Disney tickets, even take the little lady there for some fun and sight seeing :)
Grandma Inman will be visiting in March and then a fun gathering and celebration will be had with both sides of the family in April as Chris graduates from BYU!!!!
Life is fun and unexpected, Chris has been accepted into Midwestern University in Downer's Grove, IL and we look forward to begin planning for Dental school, hoping to have heard from a few other schools by graduation time. Decision time will come in April as we will need to start looking for housing and I'd like to look around for possible PTA jobs wherever we might end up!

I've said it once and I'll say it again.....I'm going to do my best to keep you all up to date on the happenings in the life of the Olsen's.