Snow in July

As Denver begins to heat up for the summer, it's nice to get away to cooler areas. The fabulous thing about Colorado is that you can always hop on I-70 West and you will inevitably hit cooler weather somewhere down the road. Today we did just that. And, not only did we hit cooler weather (a refreshing 64 degrees), we also hit snow.

Just 50 miles west of Denver is St. Mary's Glacier. With a short rocky hike upwards you soon reach a picturesque lake and the year-round snowfield that lies behind it. While Ruthie had very little interest in actually hiking the hike, she loved bouldering on the big rocks, throwing little rocks in the lake and walking in and eating the "no."

So, when the kids are hot and sticky in the middle of July, we can hop in the car for some sledding and snowball fights and, yes, even skiing!

I Wanna Be Like Ruth

As I've been snapping photos of Gabe, I've noticed that many of them look an awful lot like big sis Ruthie. I'm not referring to their faces looking alike (I'll let you decide that) so much as their mannerisms. I won't say anymore, because I think the pictures speak for themselves. And, just in case you can't tell them apart, Gabe is always on the left and Ruthie's on the right.


First days




Coming home




Naptime




Striking a pose




Oy!

And then there were four

Gabriel Lars Olson, 1 day old


That's right- the Olson family is expanding! Gabriel Lars joined us in the wee early hours of Tuesday, April 22nd (1:42am) to become the newest Olson on the block! His arrival was a bit of a surprise, since he wasn't due to join us for about 5 more weeks, but we are very happy and excited that he's here.

He weighed in at a healthy 6lbs2.8oz, 19 1/4" long (for this I am thankful that he did not wait another 5 weeks to come out!). However, since the lungs are the last major organ to develop in a fetus, Gabe did need some extra help breathing. I got to hold him for just a minute before he was taken off to the NICU where they put him on oxygen and helped to relieve some of the extra fluid in his lungs.

Since then, he's been improving steadily! He came off his oxygen and all tubes on Tuesday night. His goal now is to eat more on his own so that he can come off his IV and come home to his family. We're hoping that with the vast progress he's made so far, that this won't much time to achieve.

From what I can tell, though, Gabe is already trying to catch up with his big sister. He had a very quick birth (first written contraction to birth=2 hours, total time in delivery room=27 minutes, total number of pushes=4 or 5). Just like his big sister, he decided for mommy that she was not going to get an epidural. He also decided he wanted to be born in April, and to be born on a Tuesday, and to give his mommy the rest of the school year off, all just like his big sis!

And, in return, we already love him just as much as his big sis!


First family photo!

Turning Two

Before I post any more blogs, I just want to wish my little girl a happy birthday. She turned 2 years old on April 4th, celebrating in style at the park with all her friends young and old.

It's still amazing to watch her grow and learn, to see her struggles and successes, and to have her presence in our lives every single day.

Happy Birthday, Ruthie!

Dinner Time

No, this dinner is not for Ruthie. It's "feed the doggies" time and we have the perfect little helper. Ruthie can run this routine with her eyes closed. She knows where to find the bowls, which bowl belongs to which dog, and where each of them eats. Before we switched Gertie to Hirschel's adult food, Ruthie could even tell you which container held which dogs' food. I wonder how many years will pass before Ruthie determines "feed the doggies" time to be a chore and begins demanding allowance money?

Ruthie Olson- Skier Extraordinaire

Don't worry- Ruthie's not skiing just yet! But, she does enjoy testing out daddy's homemade skis! She wants to make sure they're solid and sturdy and that daddy's signature stripes are nice and dry.

Night Night

As we are getting closer to transitioning Ruthie to her "big girl" bed, she is showing us clear signs that she is ready for the switch. Of course, you might notice that her choice of "beds" isn't too far off from her crib. Maybe I should ask the dogs their opinion on the matter.