This one's for you, Mom! (and other sweet-tooth addicts)

This is "Cookies" from Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad Together, which P and I have been reading together lately. We really like this story. We're with Toad at the end. Who are you with? Any alternate endings?

Toad baked some cookies.
"These cookies smell very good," said Toad.
He ate one.
"And they taste even better," he said.
Toad ran to Frog's house.
"Frog, Frog," cried Toad, "taste these cookies that I have made."
Frog ate one of the cookies.
"These are the best cookies I have ever eaten!" said Frog.
Frog and Toad ate many cookies, one after another.
"You know, Toad," said Frog, with his mouth full, "I think we should stop eating.
We will soon be sick."
"You are right," said Toad.
"Let us eat one last cookie, and then we will stop."
Frog and Toad ate one last cookie.
There were many cookies left in the bowl.
"Frog," said Toad, "let us eat one very last cookie, and then we will stop."
Frog and Toad ate one very last cookie.
"We must stop eating!" cried Toad as he ate another.
"Yes," said Frog, reaching for a cookie, "we need will power."
"What is will power?" asked Toad.
"Will power is trying hard not to do something that you really want to do," said Frog.
"You mean like trying not to eat all of these cookies?" asked Toad.
"Right," said Frog.
Frog put the cookies in the box.
"There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies."
"But we can open the box," said Toad.
"That is true," said Frog.
Frog tied some string around the box.
"There," he said. "Now we will not eat any more cookies."
"But we can cut the string and open the box," said Toad.
"That is true," said Frog.
Frog got a ladder. He put the box up on a high shelf.
"There," said Frog. "Now we will not eat any more cookies."
"But we can climb the ladder and take the box down from the shelf and cut the string and open the box,"
said Toad.
"That is true," said Frog.
Frog climbed the ladder and took the box down from the shelf. He cut the string and opened the box.
Frog took the box outside.
He shouted in a loud voice, "HEY BIRDS, HERE ARE COOKIES!"
Birds came from everywhere. They picked up all the cookies in their beaks and flew away.
"Now we have no more cookies to eat," said Toad sadly. "Not even one."
"Yes," said Frog, "but we have lots and lots of will power."
"You may keep it all, Frog," said Toad. "I am going home now to bake a cake."

TIL DEATH US DO PART?

I know at least two people who will appreciate this picture...;)

Easter Montage

Just...

...Couldn't...

...figure out which pic had the best expressions. Are they related or what?

And look who showed up at Easter dinner! S was NOT pleased; P's still looking for candy.

Excuses, excuses

Harra, harra. I don't know what that means, but I guess it's my alternative to "harumph." Like the noise you make when you want to sound cynical and suspicious, but you don't have any words. Or when you don't know what to say. 

We I Olson have been lax on the blog lately. Papa gets a pass--he's been prepping for Holy Week, Easter, and a host of meetings/congregational life things that pastors tend to get in clumps (kind of like funerals always seem to happen in clumps. Like two years ago when Papa officiated at four funerals in two weeks. An older member came up to him after a service and said, "Don't worry, Pastor. I'll try to save you some work and not die.") Yet I digress again.

My excuse reason for not blogging is domestic. I'm a control freak, and I like a neat, clean house. With two--check that, three--boys, that gets challenging, which isn't even necessary to  say. Actually, my cleanliness fastidiousness waxes and wanes--I can actually go (two) weeks without cleaning the bathroom. (!!!) Anyway, I started getting behind, and not just with dusting the piano. We had dishes sitting by the sink for about four days. I hadn't gone into the laundry room for a week and a half. (Thank GOODNESS for a wonderful husband who does laundry!) So the thought of blogging just made me tired. And guilty. Because how could I blog when I had toothpaste residue on the sink? And other unmentionables that would guilt me into not typing.

This is borderline OCD, I know. And I've actually gotten better at setting some of this aside since we've had the boys! But what really put it over the edge was a few weeks ago I started feeling S-I-C-K. All day long. This was after the positive test but before the first appointment. In the back of my mind, I thought, "I started to feel like this at around six weeks with the boys, but... nooooo. I'm WAY past that." Yeah, right. If you pay close attention to this blog, you'd have noticed a few days ago that the baby calendar suddenly changed. Well, our baby's due date is December 11. Which means that I'm currently seven weeks, three days pregnant. Which is way earlier than what we originally thought.

So as these next weeks slog trickle go by, I'm praying for more energy to do dishes, laundry, and to blog. That sounds really pathetic and woe-is-me.  I've got it really easy. I'm healthy, Baby's healthy--we have the eensy, weensy, picture to prove it! Sorry, no digital version yet!--and I already get to nest when I have the urge. Like last week, when I ignored the dishes and the blog to clean out the spice/baking cupboard. Just wait until I hit week ten and I've got loads of energy again! Here I come, clothes closets!

You should have seen it BEFORE! Seven dirty piles of laundry not shown. And now you know why I've been exhausted for the last week and a half--this really took it out of me. All that cinnamon and ground ginger sorting.

S's First Steps

Here he is, our S! These are not his actual first steps (you can read about those here). But now that he's getting really brave--AND really proud of himself AND excited!--we can now capture his halting steps for posterity. This was taken over the weekend, which is when he started taking two and three or more steps together with no help (so virtual baby book note: two weeks shy of his 1st b-day, S steps out!).

P.S. For those interested, well-hearing parties, enjoy the background second-string dialogue, courtesy of P playing in the bathtub and realizing something. At least you couldn't hear what he was doing in the video.

Of Haircuts and Growing Boys

A week ago last Thursday we took a family trip to Julie's New Images, our regular awesome hair-cuttery. It's extremely local (half a block from us; a two minute walk!). Julie is amazing--excellent at what she does and just a terrific lady all-around! We always like "going to Julie's," as P now says.

It was a big day for us because S received his first haircut. I held him in my lap while Julie worked her magic--quite the job with a little guy who kept moving his head!--and Papa took pictures. S's cut turned out great! He is now without his endearing baby curls, but he looks like the toddler he's rapidly becoming--quite the little man. :D

Then P had his turn on the chair, and he held still and loved watching through the big picture window the cars and trucks drive by on U.S. 30. He, of course, looks terrific, too! Julie's a rock star! (P's latest complimentary phrase!)