A Hoe Down at the Olson Farm

For Ryan's 1st birthday we had a barnyard themed party in our front yard and invited our friends and neighbors. We had great weather, some good food, and lots of fun that lasted well into the night!

The barn and the little cows, pigs, and sheep

Ryan trying to attck the cake

Our little family of 4

The garage set up with a big screen of the college football game and a plethora of toys for the little ones

Birthday boy with our neighbor, Mark

Devouring his piggy cupcake

He loved it!

Ryan with his buddy Braden

Ryan learning from the older boys how to maintain a car

Mama and her baby boy

Singing "happy birthday"

Another rare family photo

Partying into the night

So happy to be 1!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Ry Ry!

A year ago today, the Olson's became a family of four.  Jacob became a big brother, and Tim and I became parents of two boys under age two.  Our hearts grew even bigger to make room for all the love we had for our newest little baby.

Ryan, your smile is infectious and brightens all of our days.  Your dimples are just about the cutest things I have ever seen.  Your have a temper and don't hesitate to let us know how you really feel, but at the same time you are such a happy little guy and always ready to flash your pearly whites.  I love watching you look up to your big brother and I love watching your big brother love on you and teach you and share with you.  It makes me tear up with pride just thinking about how special the two of you are!  I can't wait to see how your friendship with Jake grows even more throughout the next year.  I'm looking forward to watching you grow and change from a baby to a boy.  Thank you for an amazing year!  Our lives would not be the same without you.  We love our RyRy sooooooooooo much!  Happy first birthda,y baby boy!!!

Photo Shoot with Grandma Carol

Tim's mom, Carol came into town for Ryan's birthday and before she left we had her take a few photos of the boys on the Square in downtown McKinney. It was tough to keep them still and get them to both smile at the same time, but I love what we got. The boys are so adorable and silly together!

Maui - In Random Order {Part 3}

Our drive from Kaanapali beach (west side of Maui) along the north shore and all the way to Hana was quite an experience. We didn't have the best weather, as it drizzled pretty much the entire time, but we made the most of it and tried to stop at as many tourist traps scenic views as possible.

Dragon's Teeth, or Devils Teeth, or something like that (I'm too lazy to reference my Maui Revealed book)

It is really hard to take a photo of yourself when you have to run through jagged lava rocks to strike your pose

When we first arrived here we saw a lady walking back and forth and in circles and I could not for the life of me figure out what she was doing.  I thought maybe she was crazy and our guidebook had somehow led us to the insane asylum, but as we got closer I realized she was simply walking through a maze.  Whew!

The Ritz-Carlton was supposed to be a beach front resort.  They broke ground and began digging up the land only to unearth handreds of human remains.  The Hawaiians were furious about this and eventually the Ritz was forced to put back the remains as best they could and move their resort back off of the ocean.  This burial site is what remains today.

Hang Ten!

Looks like nothing.....

But look closer....

It's a blowhole! Naleakala (I think) blowhole.  If it hadn't been raining we would have hiked right down to it, but the mud was too slippery and we didn't want to risk our lives for a blowhole.

People stack rocks everywhere out here.  Very strange.

Trying to figure out where Olivine Pools are.  The directions in the guidebook were kind of confusing so I kept reading, and re-reading trying to figure it out.

We thought we found them....

But we were wrong :(  I think if we would have walked about 100 yards to our right we would have found them. 

There was an artists studio in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  Very cool wood work!

If you look closely you can see the storm moving in.  I was scared for that little sailboat out there in the big ocean!

A Waterfall

Tim on a rope swing at our first official stop on the Hana Highway (I did it too, but no pics!)

A freezing cold little pool we had all to ourselves

Black Sand Beach

The Olson's in a lava tube!