Vince Shute Bear Sanctuary

Ten years ago was the last time we visited the Vince Shute Bear Sancutary as a family. The boys had been there a few times over the years with other family members or friends. 

Well we finally had a weekend evening free and what do we do? We hit the road and do something. NONE of us do well with just being. Something we should actually work on. But our weekends and time to do what we really want are pretty limited. Not that we don't want to travel for sports but sometimes we just need to have something different. 

Going back and reading the 2009 post makes me laugh and cringe at the same time. 

https://becknbear.blogspot.com/2009/06/bear-sanctuary.html

The boys were tiny, would never remember it, busy, harder to handle, etc...but we still took the time to do things with them. I still laugh that I thought we were heading to the bear dump to watch the bears from the back of our car! 

But here we are 10 years later and nobody peed off the observation deck, we didn't have to tell anyone not to yell or run and I wasn't concerned about anyone falling asleep in the car unless it was the driver.  

Still enjoy watching the little ones get down from a tree. 

Too "old" for a face painting tattoo, but will totally take one on his hand.

Bears = Bugs

And these new insect repellent wipes were a MUST towards the end of our evening!
Just open them up, wipe your skin and carry on. 

Still trying to get over the fact that he has me beat in height. But love that he'll still hang out with us.

Happy Easter | 2015

Gorgeous Easter weekend celebrating with traditions. We dyed 3 dozen eggs and they were gone in a little over a week. They LOVE hard boiled eggs! Egg salad or just plain! 

Parker mastered the "ugly egg" this year perfectly! This is an Olson tradition that daddy brought to the family. He always combined the last of the colors to see if he could make a black/brown egg. This year we did!

This was the first year that silly bunny hid eggs outside. It was 11 degrees out and both boys had their Christmas jammies on! Emmitt was even in footie jammies!  

Another tradition is black jelly beans. We all love them! I ended up taking the leftover candy to work and I was surprised to see how many coworkers picked out and ate the black jelly beans too. You either love them or hate them..YUM!

I think they actually counted how many eggs they found...60 some a piece! LOTS of eggs and through out the week they would spot more! A few in a shoe or a drawer tucked away!

We headed out to Ray to Papa and Grandma's. It wouldn't be complete without a little more sugar! Mom made a lemon dessert with sticky frosting that was amazing! We had an egg hunt out there also. A little different and we all had to find 26 eggs, each with a letter of the alphabet on it. The "N" eluded us until Grandma called later to tell us she finally found it!

And since we got all dressed up it would be complete without Easter pics. I needed some newbies for the wall! Papa said it best, "they look so innocent here." When I was previously telling them to stop throwing rocks and whacking each other with sticks. The dirty knees show they were up to no good prior to the picture. Boys! Gotta love them.

On April 3rd we celebrated 18 years together. 18 years since our first date. It's been a crazy fun ride and I cannot imagine it with anyone else.

Oh Emmitt Jon...growing so tall and so fast! He truly hit a growth spurt this year and isn't much shorter than Parker. He's losing that baby look and beginning to look more and more like a big boy. His laugh still comes through in the pics. He has the BEST giggle and it comes freely. Don't ever stop little man.

And this one!? WHEN did he get so grown up looking. His hair is a daily battle with dad. I like it! He's made a deal with us...if he keeps it out of his face he can keep it long. There are mornings he needs to wet it down and has learned how to operate the blow dryer. While I was taking these pics my mom even told him he was "acting like a teenager." And she was right...some of his mannerisms and expressions were very grown up.

A Day 25 miles out on the Ice

We actually had a weekend with no hockey this winter and headed out fishing. Amazing day on the ice with my boys! We were up and out the door by 5 a.m. and to the lodge in Baudette a little after 7. We had zero issues getting those boys out of bed! Funny how that works when we take them hunting too.

Bear and I weren't sure we should even attempt this trip. We end up with this grand idea in our heads and think the boys will get a long the whole time and we'll have a happy day of fishing. We can't help but keep trying things like this but part of me was dreading that we may end up stuck in a house for hours on end, catching no fish and crabby and fighting. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Makes me believe that other fun trips can happen!

We hadn't been in the house more than five minutes and Parker had a bite. He managed to set the hook and real in a keeper. The excitement he had was unforgettable. He gets giddy and all jacked up and it's so fun to watch!

This little guy instantly starting pouting that he didn't catch a fish right away but his brother did. I just had to remind him that he would get his chance and that we were going to catch fish! We've taken them before and sat all day and been miserable. But not this day!

Sure enough the next fish went to Emmitt. His mood quickly turned into pure excitement. One after the next he just kept catching fish! Believe me, we did lose a few, or they were too small to keep, but we kept getting bites! Never in all my years of fishing have I ever gone and hit the fish like this.

Of course Bella got to come with! She wasn't too interested in the fish. She would lick them once in awhile. But mainly she would sleep with one eye open and keep an eye on that flopping bag in the corner of the fish house. 

Emmitt was by far the best "fish measurer." We read them the rules and regs and they were sure to measure the fish and keep or toss them back. 

I managed to catch the biggest perch I have ever seen! She was huge and tasted yummy when Bear cooked her up for supper!

My boys and their fish! And footie jammie's too. They basically live in those things! 

Bear got a 22 incher! He was huge and had to be thrown back, but so fun to see those giant fish!

We headed back on the 25 miles of ice to the mainland. The trip home was a little scarier than heading out. I don't love being on the ice, especially that far out, but the pressure ridges that had developed while we were out quickly freaked us all out. We had another vehicle pass us when we stopped to check out the new ridge and the kind fisherman decided to lead us back and make sure we were okay. The boys judged our reaction and were a little more scared, but we reminded them that good people are out there and after an hour and a half ride we were back on dry land. Until next year Lake of the Woods!

Young Living NEW 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse. Day THREE is complete!

Here I am on evening THREE of the the NEW 5-Day Nutritive Cleanse by Young Living. I finally have WAY more energy and am feeling really good!

So first things first, I weighed in this morning and am down another 2 pounds for a total of 4.5 pounds. Way pumped about that!

I completed the three "meals" of Digest + Cleanse (at least 30-60 minutes before the shake) and a big glass of water, Balance Complete Shake and 1-2 oz of Ningxia Red. I drank the recommended water in between meals but chose not to do the snacks.

I was still a little hungry between the shakes, but less than the last two days. I stuck to just drinking water all day today. I did add peppermint to the water to try to change up the flavor and to see if it would help get things moving.

I was able to lift today in an arm class and had my shake right before I worked out I felt way better during and after the workout! So those extra calories were needed to exercise!

I am still not experiencing the gas and bloating more than usual. II had no headache today so that is a bonus!

Stay tuned for day four! It's supposed to bring even little to no cravings and even more energy! CAN'T WAIT!

For all of the cleanse videos, visit: 

Day FIVE: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive_10.html

Day FOUR: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive_9.html

Day THREE: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive_8.html

Day TWO: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive_7.html

Day ONE Evening: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive_6.html

Day ONE Morning: http://becknbear.blogspot.com/2015/01/young-living-new-5-day-nutritive.html

Happy New Year from the Olson's! Cheers to 2015! May it be just as FUN!

Merry Christmas from the Olson's!

Merry Christmas from the Olson's!

Complete with footie jammie's, Santa hats, puppy kisses and smiles!

I chose to scale back on not stress out about sending out Christmas cards this year. I just couldn't do it. The amount of time and money that goes into the card was just too overwhelming for me this year. I did however still get my family together for a picture in our jammie's under the tree. Just being us and enjoying the season together. It was one of our favorite years yet.

Merry Christmas!

The photo of him that made me realize just how great of a dad he was gonna be...

"Vegas Vow Renewal"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

We were blessed to have Kim join us for this wedding. Rich and Kim are two great friends who witnessed for us. Along with Rachel and Shawn. Every 10 years we plan to recommit to each other and celebrate somewhere new. Even with this time around being with Elvis, when you take your life partners hands in your own and say those special words, it does something to you and your relationship. As funny as this experience was, we both got a bit choked up. We don't take time for date night as often as we should and when we do, we do it big! We take our frustrations with life out on our easiest target...our spouse. But we really are each others best friends, our life partners, our therapists and the other half to complete ourselves. We've known since the moment we met, we had something special. It's hard work and we knew it 15 years ago when we met and 10 years ago when we married each other. It'll be hard work 50 years from now and we both know that. Those bumps in the road are what make it exciting!

Happy 9th Anniversary

Happy 9th Anniversary to the One that I love.

Happy Birthday to Bear

Happy 34th to The One that I Love.

It seemed like just yesterday you were the hottie from History class. I secretly stole a copy of your schedule, placed myself in all the right corridors, I sat at just the right angle behind you, then we ended up at the same venue and come to find out you think I'm the hottie! I think you knew all along that I was scoping you out. We were just kids, 16 and 20, but we knew we would be together forever. I love celebrating each and every birthday. We can look back and see how far we have come. The birthdays change a bit from year to year and now it seems like we do them more for the kids, but it gives us a reason to act silly if we want. So Happy Birthday to my Bear, my hottie! Here's to many more birthdays...

Happy 8th Anniversary

I pulled this post from last year...but added a year! Wow 8 years since we got hitched...it's fun to go back and look at those pics. Tonight when I get home from my trip, I am going to force him to watched the video of our wedding. I should have that thing converted to a DVD before it's gone. Maybe we'll whip out the scrapbooks too...Happy Anniversary Bear!

08/18/01

Here is our marital blessing


A favorite of my sweet hubby-I love the looks of the guys from behind him


Because you all know my husband does not dance...this is a great pic-I am fairly certain it was his one and only "fast" dance...EVER


My Milo walking me down the aisle


Sweet newly wed kiss...

I will never forget this great poem that gina wrote for us and had the girls read during the dinner...it was truly a hit with everyone there...people still talk about it 7 years later!

Here it is~

We want to tell you about how they met,
Something neither us nor them will soon forget-
Becky looked at me not so long ago, pointed at Barrett and proudly said,
I’m gonna marry that man one day-someday, somehow, we will be wed.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, please understand,
Regardless of her master plan
We had plenty of work to do,
For who Becky was, Barrett hadn’t a clue!
We did things we won’t mention
In order to attract Barrett’s attention…
We followed him from practice to class
And giggled each time he passed

Then Becky called me late one night
Her voice full of excitement and fright
And said,
You’ll never believe what I just did!
Guess! No, wait, I’ll tell you instead!
I just called Barrett and asked him on a date…
For Becky just could not be patient and wait.

And so the fairytale goes,
How it really ended up here, Lord only knows,
We remember hearing all about that first date
That love-filled dance in the driveway,
We all knew that it was fate
And from that they’ve never strayed

May the tears your cry, be tears of joy.
May you grow old on one pillow
May you change looking in the same direction
May “for better or worse” be far better than worse.
May you never forget what is worth remembering
Or remember what is worth forgetting.

May your love be like the wind-
Strong enough to move the clouds
Soft enough never to hurt
But always never ending.

As you sit side-by-side through this roller coaster of life-
Remember to scream from the peaks,
Hold hands through the dips,
Laugh through the upside-down flips
And enjoy every turn and twist-
For the ride is better,
because you share it together.

Here’s to love and laughter
And happily ever after
As Mr. and Mrs. start their new life
Join with us in toasting the new husband and wife!

When it's raining...

A couple of weekends ago it was so windy and rainy out, we locked ourselves in the house, put on some good music, played marble run, play-doh, puzzles, read books and didn't leave the house until Sunday afternoon/evening.

The boys actually let me take a few pics of them playing without making strange faces at me (Parker) or hitting the camera with some random toy and then tackling me to the ground (Emmitt).

I love how babyish his cheeks can still look. He has actually gained 3 pounds since his surgery in February so we are moving in the right direction. He is stuck at 30 pounds now...but definitely better. His speech is still improving and most days it is crystal clear. I really notice the backslide in speech when he has a cold and/or is stuffed up. And it comes back to me-the way he used to sound-and then when it clears up, he sounds just fine again.I think the weather made me want to shoot in black and white. It was so dreary that weekend. I had to dig out sweatshirts from the back of the kids' closets and then Parker ends up going topless most of the day. He made me cold just looking at him. He has this thing of wanting to sleep in just his underwear. Even if we put him in jammies, we go up to tuck him in and he has stripped them off onto a pile on the floor.

Oh and that Emmitt. What a character! He is a little stinker sometimes. We keep forgetting that he really isn't a baby anymore. I almost have to go back and look at scrapbooks and blog posts of what Parker was doing at 16-17 months. But I think we really put more on Parker and pushed him into doing things as our first. With Emmitt we just keep thinking he can't do much because he is just a baby and when he does something we aren't expecting we are actually shocked by it! Duh. You would think by this time around we would have figured it out.Emmitt goes from being a total momma's boy to a daddy's boy in the same breath. One minute he wants me and only me and screams if daddy tries to take him away and the next he acts like I am not even in the room. He is so predictable sometimes it's hilarious and maddening at the same time. We can anticipate what he is going to do based on our day. Like when I pick him up from daycare, I know he is going to scream when I put him in his car seat. When we get home, I have to unload my car while he is still buckled or I won't be able to get anything done. When I take him out of the car I had better be prepared to hold him on my hip for awhile because if I set him down he will scream, throw his head on the floor and cling to my legs. So I hold him. Can't really blame him for wanting to see me after the whole day, but he does not understand that if he wants to eat, I'm gonna have to make supper. And I cannot stand the screaming and clinging to my legs... My boys...they are different yet the same. Bear keeps saying "Parker did not do this" or "Emmitt is so much more____" Like snuggling. Bear is convinced that Emmitt snuggles more than Parker ever did. But with me, I think Parker snuggled me more. Emmitt is signing everything we show him now where Parker was not signing much any more at this age but actually talking. Emmitt says about 5 words! Lots of noises for objects though. Like shoes is ssseess. Bird is caw caw. But he signs it too. He signs milk for everything to drink. He waves frantically to anybody who walks into the room, followed by a very high pitched Hiiieee. He copies everything Parker does and his brother gets the biggest kick out of it. Just tonight they were both "swimming like Nicker" in the tub...laying on their bellies going as fast as they could from one end of the tub to the other laughing big belly laughs!
Sometimes we are not so sure what the heck we are doing raising these two boys, but we aim to have fun doing it.