New Years Celebrations

The Zermatt Resort in Midway was where we spent our New Years celebrations this (well, I guess it is actually 'last') year. The resort is absolutely beautiful! It's like a little sliver of what the Swiss Alps are probably like. Just gorgeous! Claire enjoyed hanging out in our room reading books prior to going out to dinner that evening.
As soon as we got back to our room, it was time for Claire to go to bed. For convenience sake, I wanted to put the Pack 'n Play in the bathroom but it was too big. My solution? A "bed" in the bathtub. I don't think she cared. :)
While the two babies were sleeping (Claire and Soren), the rest of us (Erik's parents, sister and brother-in-law) watched TV and played domino's in a nearby room. I checked the baby monitor at least five times to make sure it was working correctly, checked on her every so often and triple checked that our room door was locked behind me every time. I was so nervous something was going to happen to her. As the clock stroke midnight, we rang in the new year with sparkling cider, cheesecake, and kisses from our spouses. It's hard to believe another year as passed; time goes by so quickly.

As soon as we said "happy New Year" I ran back to our room to put my mind at ease and make sure Claire was okay. She was sound asleep. Sigh!

Claire got me up at 7:45am the next morning. I wish I could have slept in, but you're never off the clock as a Mom. However, it was a nice change of pace to look out our window and see this:

and once I got Claire out of the bathtub I saw this:

That afternoon we checked out of the hotel and drove to Soldier Hollow to go sledding. Erik and I decided not to go down the hill because it was ridiculously overpriced, plus we had Claire. So it was a perfect opportunity for a family picture. :)

The experience didn't get off to a good start for my nephew, Soren. He is only two years old and the workers made him go all the way up the rope tow by himself! He finally made it to the top of the hill and then screamed and cried the entire way down. Poor thing.

While we were waiting, Erik and I played around with Claire. Our little Eskimo in her baby inter tube was so cute!

Claire was such a good sport while Erik and I amused ourselves by pushing her down the hill multiple times. Take a look:

I hope you all enjoyed your New Years celebrations and I'm sure we will all fulfill our resolutions for 2011 if we really dedicate ourselves. Well, we can probably make it to March. Good luck everyone!

Christmas with our 1st Child...It's About Time Right?!

Erik and I have spent 7 "married" Christmases together and it has finally come time to spend it with our first child. Can you believe it?! :) I woke up Christmas morning so excited (yet slightly stressed) for what the day would bring. I was concerned that Christmas wouldn't be very fun with a 6 month old baby that was going to miss nap after nap. To my surprise, Claire did very well.

Our first destination was Erik's aunt and uncle's house for breakfast. As usual, it was delicious. Claire got a little fussy as the morning went on as she still hadn't had a nap, but all the commotion from her cousins kept her pretty entertained.

The next stop was Erik's parents house. Claire and her cousin Soren took quick naps while the adults opened presents. It was a little strange...we had kids, but it was like they didn't exist for the moment. A total flashback to earlier Christmases. :) As usual, everyone was so generous and I loved getting to see other people unwrap their presents I picked out for them. Once Claire woke up she opened a few of her gifts from Santa. I think her favorite was her teething giraffe named "Sophie" (according to the box).

She was also very surprised to receive a picture book filled with pictures of Mom, Dad, Khloe and other family members. Santa remembered what she asked for. :)

We got a big reaction our of Claire when she opened up her sign language flashcards (J/K) as well as her "Claire's ABC" book we made for her. Although I think she looks more interested in the wrapping paper.

After Erik's parents house we made a pit stop at his grandparents and then finally made it home. My parents came over shortly after and gave Claire her very first piano. How perfect! For the first time it actually crossed my mind that I will be teaching her how to play the piano one day. I can't wait! She's already years ahead for her age...she can play twinkle twinkle little star...with the push of one, automatic button. :)

My parents also gave her a cute book about snow. Notice how Claire is just like her Daddy in this picture....tongue out in all. Compare it to this picture from Christmas 1982 when Erik was 2 years old. So cute!
Christmas was so much fun this year! Holidays are the BEST with children. Oh, and don't think for a second that we forgot about little Khloers. She got lots of bones, tennis balls and love!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas is always an exciting time of year with decorations to put up, my goal to find everyone the perfect gift, parties and of course, celebrations with family. It all began on Christmas Eve with the extended Olafsson family (my parents also joined us) dinner. The meal was delicious and it was so fun to see some of Erik's cousins and to spend the evening together.

This year was even more fun thanks to our new bundle of joy, Claire. As the newest member of the family, she got to play baby Jesus in the nativity. It had been a very long, napless evening for her so of course, there was some crying involved. The best part was when Claire's cousin Emily, who was playing Mary, placed Claire in the manger upside down. We all couldn't stop laughing, it was so cute.

Dinner came to an end with an annual Norwegian tradition. An almond is placed in a bowl of pudding and everyone takes one scoop in hopes of getting the almond in their bowl. Whoever gets it, wins a chocolate Santa. There were two bowls this year and Emily and her brother Benjamin both got the almonds. It was so cute to see how excited they were.

Once we finally made it home, Claire opened her first present, which was a pair of red pajamas. Even though it was such a long day, she was all smiles. I must have taken at least ten pictures and she had a big smile in every one of them. I was so excited to start some of the Christmas traditions that I took part in as a child with Claire. I wanted to put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer just for fun, but I thought I'd wait until she had a little idea as to what was going on. Maybe next year. :) With her brand new pajamas on, it was finally time for bed. We all needed to rest up for the big day ahead of us.

Merry Christmas!

On behalf of our entire family, Claire wants to wish you a very merry Christmas!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The last couple of years, I've created a "Christmas Activities" list so that Erik is well aware of the things I want to do during the month of December. That way, nothing is a surprise and he can't say, "you didn't tell me we were going to do that?" :)

On my list this year was to decorate the christmas tree, get Claire's picture taken with Santa, bake cookies, go to Temple Square, wrap presents, go see the "extreme christmas light display" in murray, donate to Outreach International, go to the Ward Christmas party, play in the snow, and watch Christmas movies. Usually, we don't fit everything in, which was how it ended up being this year. We did go to temple square with friends...

...I baked my favorite Hershey kiss cookies...

...Claire got her picture taken with Santa...


...we decorated the tree, wrapped presents, went to the Ward Christmas party, donated to Outreach International (a FANTASTIC organization that doesn't "give handouts, or believe in short-term fixes...'they' believe in long-term investments that bring about sustainable solutions and long-lasting change for the better"), and tomorrow we'll probably watch Christmas Vacation (a Christmas Eve "must do"). We tried to go see the "extreme christmas light display" in murray but each time we got there, the line of cars was about a mile long. I had to settle for watching it on YouTube, but hopefully I'll see the real thing next year.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Spending time together as a family and giving to others...what could be better?!

Wordless Wednesday

Yes, No, Maybe So

A few weeks ago we started Claire on solid foods. I was so excited to see how she would react, yet also a little hesitant because feeding time was about to become a lot more time consuming. Nursing and rice cereal? When was I going to have time to eat? :) As expected, she was skeptical as the spoon started coming towards her mouth.

It would be a little strange to have your Mom get real excited about some strange foreign substance entering your mouth. This was the first time I felt like she was embarrassed by how I was acting. :)

Claire took a few bites and it seemed to be going fairly smooth; or as smooth as the first time can go I guess. Ever since then, it's been quite a battle. Sometimes she'll eat willingly and sometimes she will eat a few bites and then I practically have to pry her lips open. On other days, her mouth is completely sealed shut. I've even tried mixing her cereal with squash. I guess maybe she's not quite ready so we'll keep trying until she is. I just wish she'd make up her mind already! :)

Claire Bear - 5 Months

Our little Claire Bear turned 5 months old a couple of weeks ago. I cannot believe she is growing up so fast! Lately she's been:

• Losing her brown hair (blonde hair is growing in)
• Making lots of screaching noises (she loves the sound of her voice)
• Pulling my hair (her strong grip always surprises me)
• Extremely interested in Khloe (she always tries to touch her and see where she is)
• Pushing herself up onto her hands
• As of last week, she can sit up for over a minute all by herself!
• Eating rice cereal (first time pictures to come)
• Sleeping great as always (12 hours at night and 3, 2 hour naps during the day)

Month 5

Month 3

Month 1

I am so thankful to have such an easy baby. She barely ever cries and is so much fun to have around. We love you so much little Claire Bear!

Christmas Card 2010

Every year around Halloween, I start thinking about what I am going to do for our Christmas card. Actually, I think about it all year! Strange, I know. I love creating our card and put a lot (probably too much) thought into it. Each year I try to do something different, whether it's a fall, winter, or summer picture; I always want the card to have a different "feel". This year we took our picture in September. I wanted a summer type picture for this card, Claire had a really cute dress to wear and Erik and Khloe's hair were at perfect lengths. Every once in a while, Erik grows his hair out so I had to take advantage of it while I could. You all should have received our card by now. If not, send me your address and I'll pop one in the mail. I hope you enjoy seeing our card every year because I get excited every time I open yours.

FRONT

BACK

Random Note: Blogger is so annoying. These lines are 1.5 spaced and the others are single. How does it do this? Ugh!

Santa Traditions - Old & New

Every year since my I was born, my sisters and I have gotten our picture taken with Santa. It is one of my most cherished Christmas traditions. As we grew up and got married, we made a deal that as soon as Erik and I had a child, the adults would not be in the picture and it would be just the "cousins". Erik and his fellow in-laws were so excited last year knowing they never had to do it again. I, on the other hand, was sad that I would no longer experience a much loved part of Christmas. An old tradition ended but a new one has begun, as I now get to start the tradition with my own daughter.

After 26 years of sitting on Santa's lap, I got a little teary eyed as I put my baby girl on his knee and walked to the side to cheer her on. She did a great job! We got so many smiles, the "elves" even said "you're hired!" :) It was a wonderful beginning to Claire's Santa tradition that she (and I) will cherish for the rest of her life.

(Photos taken over Thanksgiving weekend with Claire and her cousins.)

Thanksgiving - Part 2

Thanksgiving concluded with moving out of my fun-filled (I'll be it cramped) sister's house and into a hotel room. I know Claire was so excited. :) We could finally sleep in peace and quiet.

On Friday, Erik went golfing with a friend of his and I went to the Shark Reef with part of my family. It was incredible! Claire couldn't take her eyes off of this giant "saw shark".

Later, the entire family met up and watched the "dancing fountains" (as all the little kids call them) at the Bellagio. My parents had never seen them either. It was a fun night out as a family.

Saturday morning we went to the Las Vegas sign. I've been to Vegas a million times but had never seen the sign before. We actually got a good picture out of it too; it turned out the guy was a photographer. You all know how I LOVE good pictures. They just make my day!

Afterwards, we watched the stressful Utah/BYU game. Thank goodness Utah won. I about had a heart attack. Later that night, my awesome parents babysat Claire while Erik and I went to our first ever Vegas "show" .... Blue Man Group. We even got to be part of the show! We were "late arrivals". A little while after the show started, an escort came and got us and we walked to our new seats up front. A spotlight was on us as we walked to the seats and that was about it. :) Kind of stupid but hey, we got great seats out of it.

Erik flew home the following morning and Claire and I followed the next day. I was so nervous about how she was going to do on an airplane. Going through the disabled line is definitely the way to travel. :) The only hiccup was that my breastmilk had to go through 3 extra security measures because it wasn't passing. Weird. Anyway, when I got on the flight I thought this is going to be awesome. The plane wasn't full so Claire got her own seat and she was sound asleep. Well, I spoke too soon. Right as we were taking off, she woke up. She did okay for the first little while but the last 30 minutes, she really fussed. Thank goodness it was a very short flight.

It's always nice to finally get home after a vacation, but of course, it's hard to leave. Especially when you leave family. I only get to see my sisters about two times a year and I miss them a lot! Next time they see us, Claire will probably be walking. :( I am so thankful for telephones, email and Skype!

Thanksgiving - Part 1

For Thanksgiving this year, my family all met at my sister's in Las Vegas. Me, Claire and Khloe drove down with my parents a few days before the weekend. Claire did a pretty good job sitting in her carseat for 7 hours, but by the time we made it into the city, she definetely had enough (as did I).

The next 4 days, we hung out at the house, did a little shopping and walked around Ceasar's Palace. Once my other sister got there, the fun really began. :) That night there were 19 people and 2 dogs all jammed in their 3-bedroom house. It was a little chaotic to say the least. The best part was finally getting to meet my new niece, Brooklyn. She is 6 weeks younger than Claire and totally adorable! I can't wait for the 2 of them to have fun together.

Erik finally flew in Thanksgiving morning and I was so excited! It had been 6 days since we had seen him and I know he missed Khloe and his little Claire Bear (and hopefully me as well).

Thanksigiving morning, my sister and I woke up at 6:30am to start cooking the turkey. This was the first year I helped with the turkey. I even pulled out all the guts; it was pretty disgusting. After preparing the stuffing and knowing what ingredients actually went in it (cut up turkey "insides"), I couldn't eat more than a bite. Yuck! No more stuffing for me.

Overall, it was fun to be with family but completely exhausting. Being the 6th day on our "vacation", Claire was completely off schedule and had become quite a handful. Traveling with a little one is a lot harder than I had expected. It was nice having so many people around to help with her. I definitely needed it.

Later that night we were off to our hotel room for the remainder of our vacation. I was so happy to finally get some much needed sleep. Stay tuned for part 2.

Flashback Friday

November 5, 2010 - Khloe's 3rd birthday!

Their faces say it all. :)

Claire Bear - 4 Months

Our little "Claire Bear" turned 4 months old about a week ago. She's been such a blessing to our family and I love being with her everyday. Lately she's been rolling over, pushing herself up with her arms, laughing every now and then, making cute gurgling noises and standing up (with help of course) every chance she can. She's an absolute joy! I wish time would slow down. Look how much she's grown!

Month 4

Month 3

Month 2

Newborn

Being There For Our Children

My Mom emailed me this short video clip about parenting last night that I'd like to share with all of you.



Now that I have a child of my own, I realize how easy it is to get caught up in the stresses of everyday life. Claire is growing up so fast and I know she's going to be running around before I know it. It is so important for us to slow down and be "present" for our children. So after you watch this video, take an extra few moments to interact with your child and make a goal for yourself to really be there for them, even though you probably have a million things to do. They'll thank you for it later.