Jan 8, 2011 Post By: Brooke

Blurry Christmas morning pics- low light, my i-phone

The Allen children joined us in our tradition of torturing children with a full cup of eggnog and a piece of toast before going to see what Santa brought. We all lined up, youngest to oldest. Santa had such a good time bringing boy toys to our house.

Post By: Marnie

This is for you, Mom

Jan 7, 2011 Post By: Anne and Peter

Long time Over due....

So considering I am still meaning to send out our Christmas card, obviously my mind has been so busy with other things that my blogging got put aside for a while.

December was a crazy month for us at the Olsen house:

- Camie began crawling and moving around over the holidays which has created a panic of having to keep all small things off the ground and preparing for blocking off stairs (which is a first for us).

- Peter sand in his first concerts with the Portland Mormon Choir. It was fantastic and he had a blast. He is looking forward to the next concert in April.

- We spent the week prior to Christmas and Christmas day in Vancouver. We had tons of fun celebrating and being able to be around family.

- Around 2 or 3 weeks before Christmas we found out we would have to make a trip to San Diego to attend Peter's brother's wedding. So 2 days after Christmas we got in our suburban and drove the 17 hour drive (with a stop at Peter's parents to break it up) down to Oceanside where we stay at a beachside house with all of Peter's family. We played in the sand and enjoyed the relaxing time with the family.

- While in Southern California, Peter and I celebrated our 7th anniversary by attending the San Diego temple. It was such a wonderful spiritual experience that I think it has become our favorite anniversary thus far.

- We also were able to take the kids to Disneyland and California Adventures. We had a blast playing and learning how the boys reacted to different rides. Andrew had issues with any drops or dark parts...quite funny to watch when we went on Thunder Mountain Railroad.

- We bought the boys a bunk bed over the holidays and they are loving it. I am so glad that we finally did it and it looks so good!

We are so glad to be back and finally able to get back on with life. This month we are preparing for Beck's 3rd birthday and for the beginning of my training for the Newport Marathon. It will be a fun month and we cannot wait to see what this year brings for us.

-Anne

(pictures to come later)

Jan 4, 2011 Post By: Tracey

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Even though we’ve been busy with the holidays we can’t forget to say Happy Birthday to our favorite boy!! Hayden turned 8 years old on Dec. 23rd and is loving it! This past year has been a lot of fun for him. I’m not sure where to start with Hayden because there is so much to say about him! He’s such a fun, energetic, smart, funny and intense boy. He loves to read and is currently devouring the Percy Jackson series. He enjoys reading science books and watching Planet Earth, which has turned into a bad thing because he’s now “too smart” to go in the ocean where there are dangerous creatures lurking... we go to the beach a lot and he just digs in the sand or reads a book. Hopefully eventually we’ll get him back in the water!
He’s got great friends in the neighborhood and they love legos, computer games, climbing trees, making clubs, riding bikes and everything else boys do. He's playing basketball right now and looks forward to soccer season starting up. Hayden hates to do homework and will complain for hours before doing 5 minutes of work but he likes school and enjoys learning. He writes fantastic stories at school, with great detail and drama. To his excitement he just recently got to “s.a.g.”, his made up name for skipping a grade. After Christmas he went to third grade instead of second grade. So far he really likes it and hasn’t missed a beat. Hopefully it will continue to be a positive thing for him.
One of my favorite things about Hayden is his sense of humor. He’s always loved jokes and I took great pride in making a comment that was rewarded with “good one mom!” His current thing is to mimic a drum and say something like “ba da chee” in response to a witty comment. It’s awesome and I live for it. He still enjoys challenging me as the authority figure but more and more we will battle it out and in the end he’ll say “yeah, you’re right mom.” It's giving me hope that we will survive the teenage years. I wish I had the video camera rolling all the time. The other day he couldn’t find his ipod and I suggested he check the pocket of the pants he put in the dirty clothes. A minute later I was caught off guard by a huge thank you hug. Love it.
Hayden will tell you that he thinks his sisters are annoying but I know the truth. He plays with them all the time and they have so much fun together. Every morning before school he tries to coax one of them to get under the blanket and snuggle with him to stay warm on the couch. He loves long hugs before bed time but usually treats me to a head butt when I try to hug him at the school. He finally lost one of his top teeth... actually Tom yanked it out. Now we’re working on the other one. Here is the last picture of Hayden with his top baby teeth.
For his birthday party this year we did a movie party. Very easy. In true “Tom” style it couldn’t just be a regular movie, it had to be huge, like a real theater. It turned out really well. We did the party early in the month before his best friend left town. Then closer to his birthday we enjoyed going bowling together as a family. On his birthday he took a friend and we went to the zoo and the science museum there. Here they are feeding the elephant at the zoo...so dressed up! Later that night we went to a lights display at a botanical garden, it was awesome. All around he had a fabulous birthday!!! Hayden just seems to get better every year. I can't wait to see what this year brings!!!

Post By: Tracey

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, the Year of the Rabbit!

Dec 31, 2010 Post By: Jane

Happy New Year:D

Happy New Year!! 2010 went by so fast!SO many great things happened this year. I do not know where the time goes. Looking forward to another great year:D Finishing off the night with making new year resolutions!

Dec 29, 2010 Post By: Anne and Peter

We're in San Diego...

You Jealous?

Dec 25, 2010 Post By: Marnie

Merry Christmas, everyone!

from all the WA/OR Stinchfields of 2010!

Dec 24, 2010 Post By: Brooke

Sawyer visits with Santa

Christmas Eve isn't too late! Soy Bean climbed right up onto Santa's lap and gave him a huge hug. It was the cutest thing ever!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Post By: Mike

Christmas "Card"

Laziest Christmas Card ever:-)

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Updates:

Me: I have about 7 more months until I finish grad school here in Monterey, CA. It has been a great experience for us living in this beautiful area. Other than finishing my thesis, my other big personal goal for the year is the Big Sur Marathon in May. My next stop is Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for a year of military related studies. After that? Who knows.

Brooke: Remains the same amazing woman I met 18 years ago. She spends a lot of her time caring for Ellyn but somehow manages to take care of all of us as well. She has made tremendous progress in running recently and has the Newport marathon in her sights next year.

Jane: We are so impressed with her grades and performance with her flute. Despite no personal lessons, Jane was able to get second chair in the regional honor band...amazing persistence. She has also started her own exercise regimen and is making some amazing progress. We are very proud of her. Next year she starts High School, kind of (unfortunately it looks like a 7-8-9 Junior High in Kansas).

Sadie: An amazing child. She is such a good sister, especially as playmate to her little brother. Sadie has an unlimited imagination and it is rare to catch her without a big, thick book in her hand. Her 3rd grade teacher had to retire early this year because of family health issues, but she is excited for the second half of the year.

Ellyn: She has made so much progress this year. She turns 7 on Valentine's Day. Her therapists and assistants have added so much to her abilities. Although she is still not talking (coherently), her interaction with others has increased 10-fold. She occasionally will get a phrase out like "C'mon Let's Go" or "Vamonos" ...your guess where she gets that from:-)

Sawyer: Our boy. 3 years old and obsessed with superheroes, trucks, and cars. He has had a run of bad luck with getting sick the last few months but is doing fine now. We love the kid. He is loving to everyone, always says thank you, complements others regularly "I like your shirt", and is just a joy to have around.

We hope you all have a great holiday. God bless you and your families. Thanks for your effect on our lives. Let us never forget those in the military and others who are away from their families this season looking only to do their duty and serve their fellow human beings.

Post By: Dave

Happy Birthday, Brown Eyes

Dec 23, 2010 Post By: Marnie

Go Aztecs!!

Post By: Marnie

Train time with Papa

Dec 21, 2010 Post By: Dave

AZ

We spent a few days in Arizona last week as a family. Dave had a conference he was attending and wisely decided we should all go. I say 'wisely', because it would normally seem careless to pull the kids out of school for a couple of days and go out of town mid-December, leaving all responsibilities and holiday hustle-bustle. But we needed it. It's to easy to get caught up in crossing stuff off your to-do list during this time of year...we left our lists at home and just hung out.

In other news - Isaac took a serious hit to the face during a basketball game yesterday. Gushed a lot of blood, but we don't think it's broken. Taylor got his braces on yesterday and is requesting soup at every meal and sucks on ice to relieve the pain. Oh - and he got straight A's, earning him dinner at any place of his choosing. Parker has a hard time with the word 'double'. He says 'debble'. So - we all got a good laugh when we ate at In-N-Out in AZ and he requested a 'debble-debble'. And Morgan wants a cockatiel. She has cleared off a spot on her closet shelf and there is a post-it note there that says: Saving space for cockatiel cage and cockatiel play sets. No - she's not getting one.

The renovation is finally making headway. We've picked out some colors and discussed the phasing of the project. We are hoping to get the operatories done while we are in Japan in January. We'll see...

Keep the updates coming...

Adina

Dec 19, 2010 Post By: Brooke

Carmelites

We haven't dropped off the face of the earth

We've been busy- and sick.

Sadie's class Christmas party. Her favorite teacher ever, Mr. Taylor.

Jane examining the results of her science project. Very gross- bacteria from swabs around the house. My laptop keys were surprisingly bacteria free.

Ellie warming up after swim therapy.

Sawyer modeling Fangs from my Eclipse party.

Still need to write about Thanksgiving. The flu has been a frequent, unwelcome visitor at our house for weeks now. That has not been cool. Poor Soy has taken the brunt of it. He's such a good kid, it breaks your heart to see him sick.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Post By: Tracey

Christmas Letter 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We have enjoyed a wonderful year full of fun and adventure! It was our last full year in Okinawa and has really flown by! I can’t possibly summarize all of it so I’ll share just a few of the highlights! Most of these activities were made even more memorable by the fantastic friends we’ve made here in Okinawa. They’ve become our family while we are so far away! We’ve been sad to lose so many of them this year but are grateful for the technology that allows us to keep in touch with all of them and the family that we miss so much!

Some of our favorite things this year: (details on all of these fun times can be found on our blog!)

** Visit from Papa and Grandma Barb in March!!!
** Karamas: A trip with friends to a small chain of islands. We stayed in a traditional Japanese tatami room and had the best snorkeling ever! We saw huge sea turtles and even a manta ray!
** IE Island Half Marathon: Tom and Tracey ran it together!
** Trip back to the states: Lake house with the Stinchfield’s in Washington and tons of shopping then off to Utah for the 4th of July with the Rowan's, seeing old friends, going to the temple with my sister Rachel, relaxing in Park City and playing at Lagoon!
** Iheya Island Marathon: Tom ran and met his goal of under 4 hours! While on the island we went exploring and found the most amazing beaches!
** Tour de Okinawa: Tom and I trained for a participated in a 110 mile bike ride. It was pouring rain and there were insane hills but we had a great time!
**Parks - Karaoke - Beach - Snorkeling - Aquarium - Rain - Dragonboat races -Water slides - Cultural sites - Fish market - Bike rides - Races -
Hayden: He continues to amaze us with his mind and abilities at school. We were sitting around one night after dinner trying to solve some riddles and Tom and I were both stumped when suddenly Hayden blurted out the answer. I imagine it’s not the last time he’ll show us he’s smarter than we are! He took first place in the school science fair and placed second at district. He’s a reading machine and recently finished the Fablehaven series. This past year he played soccer and basketball and likes them both. Most of his time is spent creating with legos, playing computer games, doing science experiments and running around with his friends in their imaginary world! He will actually be starting in the third grade after Christmas break and is looking forward to the challenge.
Danica: It’s been a really big year for Danica as she has grown a lot physically and emotionally. Her confidence and enthusiasm for life has really grown. She’s doing at gymnastics and can’t get enough of her time at preschool. A while back she began begging me to teach her to read and she loves it! During the summer she learned to swim on her own and has now taken the training wheels off her bike! She spends all her free time coloring with markers and playing “mom and dad” while dressed like a princess. Last week she turned 5 and tells everyone she can find!
Alyssa: She has such a great outlook on life and approaches every new situation with a smile and sense of adventure. In August she turned 3 and in September she started preschool. Although she’s the youngest kid at the school she loves it and is doing really well. Her teachers report that is always full of smiles and hugs, constantly telling them she loves them. If it were up to Alyssa she would have me push her in the swing all day, going “super, super high!”
Tracey: I’ve had a busy and fun year with not enough time to sit and read. I was the Girls Camp leader which was a new and exciting experience. For Christmas last year I got a road bike and I spent this year learning to ride it, culminating in the 110 mile ride in November. I’ve been very busy at church, the kids schools and running my family. To stay sane I have kept up on running and exercise. I listen to audiobooks throughout the day while doing housework and love the multi-tasking! Recently I've had the pleasure of going to a Japanese hospital for infertility treatment because we have been unable to conceive for the last 18 months. Everything has come back normal so we're back to playing the waiting game. Fortunately life is full and happy while we wait.
Tom: He has spent all of his free time this year in training for one event or another. It started with just a half marathon but then he decided to do a marathon in October and the bike race in November. He was faithful to his work out schedule and succeeded in both! He’s also in the progress of getting scuba dive certified and found a new interest in racquetball. He officially turned in his separation from the Navy and will be getting out this next summer. Although he has enjoyed his time serving in the military and all he has learned he is looking forward to the next adventure in life!
We truly are so blessed and recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives daily. He watches us over always and we feel his love. It is our hope that you to have found peace and happiness in 2010.

Love,

The Stinchfields