Birthday Girl!

There she is--our beautiful little six year old!  Natalie turned six years old yesterday, the 22nd of October.  It's impossible to believe it's been six years since she made her quiet little entry into this world.

Six years old seems so...old.  She's not a baby girl anymore, she's my big girl.  So this year, I decided to make a big girl pretty cake for my princess.

Atop her head, you will notice a pretty pink party hat.  That was a gift from Natalie's great grandma Beatrice.  She's worn it every year except for last year, when we hadn't moved back into our house just yet.  I love that hat!

Time to open presents...Natalie got tons of pretty clothes and other gifts.  Lucky girl!

Of course, her FAVORITE thing in the world is her daddy!

But the gifts are pretty nice, too!

Time to blow out the candles, and the kids love that Natalie can't do it on her own.  They're always more than willing to help out! 

Mmmm...cake!

At six years old, Natalie has come a long way.  Some people may feel badly about the fact that she doesn't walk or talk and needs complete care from us.  I don't look at it that way at all.  Look at this beautiful face...

Natalie can smile.  She has the most beautiful blue eyes, and although she can't see, I feel like she sees me.  She can express when she's unhappy, too.  I know if she's hungry or needs a new diaper.  I've always felt (quite selfishly) that Natalie, as a handicapped child, is a gift to me from the Lord.  She has made me a better, more selfless person.  I don't sweat the small stuff in life anymore.  Natalie is a constant reminder that it's not all about me.

We're so thankful for the six years we've had with Natalie...when I say she defied all odds to be with us, I'm not kidding.  The odds were always against her...but here she is today, a beautiful young girl who brightens our lives.  Happy Birthday, Natalie Beatrice Olson! 

An Expanding Family...and Waistline!

I'm afraid I can no longer contain our little (BIG) secret!

That's right!  Perry and I are excited to announce there's a new Olson entering the world at the end of March.  He/she is kicking quite a bit these days, a welcome feeling for a mommy who has many fears during pregnancy!

We are currently 16 weeks pregnant, and were hoping to find out the gender today...no such luck.  The ultrasound tech told us he is leaning one way, but he can't be sure, so we won't reveal that quite yet--we'll wait until our 20 week ultrasound to hopefully have a 100% answer.

For now, I'm enjoying the second trimester and the increased energy that comes with it.  I have to say that I'm pretty lucky because I've never suffered through morning sickness or any other type of sickness that most women endure throughout the first trimester.

My baby belly is bursting out these days, though...faster than I had anticipated!  So now people won't have to wonder when they see me if I'm just enjoying the sweets too much.  Yes, I'm pregnant.  We're so overjoyed and blessed to be welcoming another member into our growing family.

OCD

Do you know what this is?

If you guessed "a slice of American cheese," you're wrong.

In our world, this is a tragedy.  It is a piece of cheese that is no longer edible.  It's enough to send a sweet little guy like this...

...into a throw-himself-on-the-floor tantrum of the highest magnitude.  How in the world is he supposed to eat BROKEN cheese?  When Calvin wants a piece of cheese, only he is allowed to open the cheese, which, 50% of the time, results in the afore mentioned tragedy.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Calvin's idiosyncracies.  Many involve the order in which things must be done, but many others are all about asserting his independence.  As exasperating as it is at times, it's so darn funny.  

I'm afraid I have passed my obsessive-compulsive tendencies on to my child.