32 weeks

Here's the baby belly update. Things are going just great. We bought our graco stroller/car seat combo yesterday! Whohoo! We also now have some plastic drawers for baby stuff in our room. It's lots of fun to get ready for the baby. :)

Aye Aye Aye

I am...pleased to be at home.

I want...water-I'm thristy!

I hope...I can relax myself during labor!

I hear...the thoughts in my head.

I never...eat an arby's sandwich without horsey sauce.

I wonder...if I'll feel spunkier when I get my hair cut.

I always...am excited when Brian comes home.

I usually...take my time shopping.

I search...for things to pick up around the house.

I am not...mean.

I dance...and I love it!

I sing...and listen to myself way too much!

I wish...to regain some of my outgoing-ness; I feel a little bashful... silly me!

I dislike...having the TV on too long.

I rarely...am upset.

I cry...not very often.

I jump...when I'm really excited!

I fear...delivery! ahh!

I have...the things I need.

I should...eat more often.

I dream...and remember them.

I need...to go to bed.

I love...being inspired.

Things I've Learned Substitute Teaching

1. All elementary kids will respond to the phrase, "1-2-3 eyes on me" with a resounding "1-2 eyes on you!" That's a lifesaver when you're in real need!

2. Turning the lights off will also miraculously get kids' attention and quiet them down (works for high schoolers, too!). 

3. It's good not to abuse these tactics or they'll probably cease to be useful (like if you take too much Advil, you'll build an immunity to it and it no longer works!). 

4. It takes a lot of creativity and spunk to keep a class' attention.

5. Kindergarten is the most labor-intensive! You can probably figure out why.

6. When kids come to you tattling, you can respond with a simple, "That's not very nice, is it?" and that will usually solve everything because they don't know what else to say. (Some things are just not worth tackling unless it's a real problem.)

7. I like doing high school because I can be really down to earth with them. 

8. I like elementary because it's fun when they get excited about things and they're not afraid to show it. They also adore the teacher and like to make you things.

9. Tactic for discipline: 1- ask the student to please fix their behavior then give them 10 seconds while you ignore it momentarily; 2- if no results, tell the student they need to fix their behavior and wait 10 seconds; 3- if no results, use a method of discipline (less recess, revoke privileges, send away, bad marks on the board). 

10. Sometimes the above tactic takes too much time and you just gotta stare down a student the first time you ask until they comply. However, I still don't think this is the most effective.

11. Reward, Reward, Reward! A lot of times, the best way to fix the behaviors of some is to reward the others. Focus on those doing good. Give stars on the board, stickers, whatever! That gives the attention to the good students (for once) and makes the behavioral ones want the rewards and do what they're supposed to. 

12. When kids are working on a project, give advanced warning before clean-up time or they won't finish up (and some still don't finish up). 

13. If kids get hurt, sometimes they just need someone to cry to; usually they're okay.

14. It's hard to see kids feel bullied. 

15. I need about 1/2 an hour to look over lesson plans and get acquainted with the room before kids show up.

16. If the whole class is getting out of hand, it's totally okay to turn off the lights and make them sit at their desk with their heads down for as long as they need.

17. Elementary kids love to tell you how things go and what to do (this is very helpful, but sometimes can get annoying). 

18. When at high school, I wish I could instill in them all a desire to succeed and do something great with their lives. Too often I see people who don't care and are just trying to skim by, if that. It's kinda sad. I'm glad I had a desire to do well in school.

19. I like going to schools in good communities (the students are usually better behaved and more willing to work). 

20. It feels good to drive home after a long day! (But I'm always thankful for the new things I learn with each experience.)

Christmas Spirit

Deck the Halls! It's Christmas time! On Monday, we put up our christmas decorations; I was so thrilled! Our tree looks a little silly with a couple scrap pieces of ribbon, but I had to have the ribbon on regardless. I love having white lights up in the house too (window, kitchen, etc); it gives a nice homey feel at night time. 

 

Also this Christmas season, I haven't felt overwhelmed or "disgusted" by all the christmas shoppers/shopping or by the omnipresence of good ol' Saint Nick. Though I never had any disdain for these things, they just always made it harder to concentrate on how/why Christmas truly came to be. Consequently, its meaning has been somewhat distant for me while growing up. Sometimes I tried to force myself to have a spiritual experience, but it never really came. I hope that doesn't sound too awful to you, but I only say it because this year is becoming different. As I've looked at our nativity, I'm reminded of a time when there were people who had great faith but perhaps were struggling for hope. Jesus became their hope and their strength. I can't imagine the impact he had on those humble people that night who had been praying for their savior. His impact should be (and is) the same today for those who believe in Him. That's a powerful thing to think about and realize. I'm thankful for the experiences I had while performing in the production of Savior of the World and BYU-Idaho. To be a witness at the birth of Christ among my friends (who are also fellow believers) has made this more real to me. 

Volleyball & Batman

Volleyball: On occasional Saturday mornings, I get to play volleyball with the girls at my ward. They all impress me with their diving skills (of course, you won't see this young lady diving for the ball- even if I wasn't pregnant, which is a shame, I know). It's fun to play with them because no one is afraid of the ball, but we still have a lot of strategy to work on. Unfortunately, I'm not a big contributer when it comes to strategy (I'm a GREAT bump-er, but don't expect me to set or spike... I hurt myself that way!). Someday I'll learn the techniques. 

Whenever I think of volleyball and why I love it, I've gotta give it up to my Harrison Bay Babes (HBB's)! Hehe, we had great YW volleyball days! "Harrison Bay, we got a VOLLEYBALL team!" [To the tune of "Cool Runnings"]. 

Batman: Okay, so I was a little skeptical to see Batman: The Dark Knight this past weekend- It looked so... dark and kinda creepy. However, Brian and I were awed by what they had done with the movie; it wasn't like what we expected or feared, but much better! Even the morals behind the story were very interesting. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Creamy White Chili Recipe

This recipe is delicious!! It's really easy and pretty quick, too.

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed (uncooked)

1 med. onion, chopped

1 T veg. oil

1+1/2 t garlic powder

2 cans great northern beans, rinsed & drained

1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)

2 cans chopped green chilis (4 oz. each)

1 t salt

1 t dried oregano

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t pepper

1/2 c whipping cream

1 c sour cream

Directions:

In large pot, saute until brown the first 4 ingredients. Add the next 8 ingredients (stop at the pepper). Bring to boil, reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the last 2 ingredients.

Chili Cook-off and Dancing

This past Saturday our ward held a chili cook-off and talent show. Thanks to Jess Holloway (a good friend from our last ward), I have her delicious creamy white chili recipe which we use often for its deliciousness (it won the chili cook-off at that ward). So, I was thrilled to make it for this cook-off. Despite the fact that we didn't win the trophy, Brian and I were still convinced that ours was one of the best, if not the best in our eyes! Feel free to ask me for the recipe! 

Brian and I got extra involved for this activity and participated in the talent show as well. (Of course, it helps that we're part of the activities committee.) We danced some LINDY HOP for everyone! We had a wonderful time just winging it up there and even threw in a lift (the L-train). Brian says my extra few pounds makes it harder for lift off, so we didn't get too much air! No matter, we both truly had a fun time and it makes me smile to know we still got it (sorta!). We may not remember all our moves, but we mostly make it all up now anyway... it's all about flirting and having a good time. [The pic is of us dancing in the ocean in San Francisco - fall of 2006]

Little Party Girl

When I went in to the doc last, he was struggling to get baby girl's heartbeat and said "wow, you have a mover!" Yep, she likes to create her own little party. It's usually in spirts of wild energy of throwing elbows and knees and who knows what. Brian got a "kick" out of it the first time he got to feel- it was fun to see his surprise! I'm just glad to have a healthy, active little girl (at least whenever she feels like it). I hope she grows up to be like her mom! :) 

Here's a new picture at 23 weeks on Oct. 26th. 

Substitute Teaching

I think over time, I’m learning that substitute teaching (or teaching in general for that matter) isn’t solely about babysitting and telling the kids what not to do. Today it dawned on me that I can teach them something and they can learn and it can even be a satisfying and rewarding experience. Today I took the chance to interact with my students more by getting to know them and telling them about me before we started our lesson. By the time I got to teaching, it was fun to explain the things we were learning and it felt natural. 

Baby Blessing Dress

LOOK! I made it! :) I feel like a giddy little girl! I am SO excited and proud to show you the dress I made for our little baby's blessing. It took me a mere 4 days: 2 to shop for supplies/fabric and 2 to sew! I must have been way too eager! I'm absolutely in love with this adorable dress!! yay!!!!

It's a GIRL!

Yep, it's a GIRL! Our 20-week ultrasound was on October 1st. I give bonus points to Brian who didn't miss a beat at showing his excitement for our big news when he was hoping for a big brother in the family. We are both truly excited to be having a girl (though Brian 

admits he'll have a rough time pawning off all the boys when the time comes! Perhaps he'll have to buy a few more guns. :) I can't wait to dress up our little baby doll; it's becoming more and more exciting. 

Here's another exciting thing: We hit bank at a garage sale and got lots of baby stuff- including a great crib and mattress for cheap, and all the bedding too! I was so excited to put it up (though we have a while to go) that I did it all myself and I can't help but grin every time I look at it. :)

I apologize for not showing off our ultrasound, but the pictures didn't turn out very exciting and I'm a little resentful I guess! We were hoping to get a cool picture of her spine as we watched the ultrasound live, but oh well.

A touch on being pregnant: I didn't know it could be exhausting or even a chore to feed myself, but it is! I usually love meal time, but since I'm supposed to eat all the time, I have to think of, prepare, eat, and put away everything I eat for every snack/meal. That gets quite laborious- especially including dishes. However, I keep going because my body needs it and the docs say I'm still underweight. Trust me- I'm not worried about gaining weight, because well duh I'm having a baby! But I'm not going to start on cookies and milkshakes just to put on some pounds. I'm surprisingly not into sweets. I only want to eat healthy stuff with the exception of maybe some fatty whole milk- yeah, I love that stuff and it's FREE being on WIC!  Whoo-hoo!

Olsen Family Reunion

That's a good lookin' bunch, huh. We had a great time taking pictures together and had a great photographer, too.

Mom-to-be

So there's the pregnant lady belly! This is at 15 or 16 weeks along. We're glad everything is going smoothly and we'll let ya know in October what we'll be having. I'm due around February 18th. It sure is strange to be a pregnant lady, let me tell ya!

The Move to Provo

Thinking about our beloved Rexburg, Idaho already gives me nostalgia, but I must say we were ready for the move. Brian and I both had many rewarding experiences at BYU-Idaho and will miss that beautiful place very much; however, when it's time to move on- it's time. By graduation, we felt we had "worn-out" our stay in this happy community and our lives were pushing us forward.
We were crossing our fingers for grad school at Virginia Tech, but to our surprise the path led to BYU. At first, Utah didn't sound very adventurous to either of us- especially being in another predominately LDS community once again, but we've been happy with our stay here so far.
Our appartment was hard to snatch, but it was worth the effort! It's a good price for all the amenities we get and the little perks (like a garbage disposal and no carpet in the kitchen!) We're 8 minutes biking distance away from campus, which is great for Brian. I've got a temporary job doing substitute teaching until we have a little baby in our hands, so it works out nicely.
We love taking bike rides around the community and being close to so many stores, the library, and the mountains.

Palisades & Jackson Hole Vacation

You don't mess with this.

Ohio Family Reunion '08

That's the whole bunch! It's all of Bonnie's immediate family... take a good look!
David's appearance at the talent show...
Mmm, fondue party!
These are the sisters :)

Graduations

I (Bonnie) graduated April 2008 with my bachelor's degree in Integrated Studio Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a minor in Music.




Brian graduated July 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

First Year Together

Of course, it's the honeymoon! We skipped school for a few days in the middle of the semester to get hitched, so we didn't go too far for the honeymoon. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at some condos in a quiet area in Midway Utah. The gas fireplace was our favorite!

Playing Games!Picking Apples.Enjoying married life with each other and with friends!

Four-wheeling in Kimberly Idaho. I love changing the gears!

Our first camping trip at South Leigh Creek with Carol and Scott-Bob!

Cruisin' the Pacific with family!

Backpacking at Zion's National Park with the swing team!

Mountain Biking- one of our favorite hobbies!

Just the Beginning

Welcome to our little spot. B&B Olsen. Let me get you started at the beginning: Brian and I were introduced by our best friends, Carol Ashby and Scott Scharnhorst at BYU-Idaho in the fall of 2005 (the date is negotiable, but I'm the one telling the story!).

Brian likes Bonnie: For Thanksgiving 2005, Brian picked up Bonnie for a "date" (we'll call it our first date). After an afternoon of boom-trucking, gingerbread houses and swing/country dancing on the patio, Brian decided he liked Bonnie.

Bonnie likes Brian: After a couple months of having fun, Bonnie dropped the "let's just be friends" bomb, sending their relationship into hibernation for the winter. In the summer of 2006, Bonnie realized she was missing Brian and started to rebuild their friendship over the phone. By the end of that summer, they took a date to the mountains in Utah for some concreting, swimming, and shopping. It was then that Bonnie fell for Brian.

Bonnie and Brian like each other: At the start of Fall semester 2006, they made their relationship official and called themselves a pair.

Engagement: November 11, 2006 on a nature hike near Kelly Canyon, Idaho.


Marriage: January 27, 2007 in the Bountiful Utah LDS temple.