February Fun!

Alright it is almost halfway through March and I haven't gotten to February yet. Shame on me!

February was interesting to say the least. We have lots of Birthdays in February and lots of celebrating. Unfortunately I am not the picture taker that I should be, but I have a few and a goal to do better.

Jason and I have not really been a big fan of Valentine's Day and so we have decided to make it a family holiday. I want to have a picture done with me and each child framed for them each year for Valentines Day and we decided that we would have a nice dinner and a dance as a family. So we got dinner ready for when Daddy would get home. Then after dinner we had a dance lesson by Daddy and then a sweet dance. I really wish I would have taken pictures of this because David was helping out by dancing with whomever didn't have a partner. It was ADORABLE watching him dance with his sisters. We also set up the strobe light and went to town doing some silly dancing. SO SO FUN! Definitely going to be a new tradition in this house. LOVED IT!

My Cailyn and me!

My Jessica and me!

My David and me!

My Coralee and me!

Jason, being a banker, had President's Day off and so we headed to Waco to spend the weekend. Jason ran in a trail race Saturday morning and I needed to do a long run(and better to do them with some hills since my race will have them). I ended up running about 3 miles of that in heavy rainfall. My sisters family came into town also that night and we chatted and talked, went to church together, and chatted some more. Monday was my birthday and I got to go shopping with my sister, my husband, and my son. It was honestly a GREAT birthday. Thank you Jason and Lynnae for making it a special day.

The following Saturday was David's 3rd birthday. It is so hard to believe that he is 3 years old. He keeps me insanely busy, but I wouldn't trade him for the world. He really is a sweet boy. Not to mention SOOO HANDSOME! David really wanted to go to the museum for his birthday and Jason was committed to Stake Youth Conference that day(in Waco) so we stayed there again. My brother, Kyle, was there picking up his new car and Dad was caravaning with him up to a granddaughter's baby blessing, so we got to see both of them before they left the next morning. Jason got me some round cake pans for my birthday and so I made David's cake a layered batman cake. I spent some time getting it right and looking pretty good(for my first one) and then proceeded to forget it when we headed to Waco for the weekend. I was totally disgusted with myself, but watcha gunna do? I had some fun games planned for the little birthday celebration and we had a good time, even if it was just us. I did end up getting s little package of tiny cupcakes at the grocer's bakery for the night. So the pictures you see of us eating the batman cake are on Monday night for Family Home Evening. Better late than never right ?

I love to compare old pictures to new ones. Look how they have all grown! Amazing!

The kids had to sit on a balloon filled with candy. Once it was popped they could eat their candy. So fun to watch, because they don't weigh enough to pop it easily so they had to do some serious bouncing.

Next up was the marshmallow poppers. They were so easy to make and so super fun to play with. We will be doing this again and soon. I was surprised how far we got them to go.

He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was 3 years old!

duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh etc. BATMAN!

Cheesing! and still cheesing!

Lately I have really been wanting to do some sewing. I have had some mending sitting at/in the sewing table for a long while now and thought I would tackle the how-to do that. My first attempt was this cute dress for Cailyn made out of some clothes that had either holes or paint on them. What do you think?

and lovely model too!

Jessica loved Cailyn's so much that she asked me to make her one. So I had to figure out what to use for hers. In the end I had to cut up some of my pajama pants that would probably still wear but they look much cuter as part of Jess' dress. Yes?

I have also been doing some altering of my clothes in attempt to not have to purchase new clothes. I have been pretty pleased thus far. Maybe I will take some pictures of those too.

We found out this month that Bank of America is closing the bank in which Jason works. So, Jason has been busy sending resumes and interviewing. He actually has another interview(3rd with same bank) this week. Please keep us in your prayers as we search for work. I feel confident that we will find something that will provide for our family, but the uncertainty is still unnerving a bit.

These next pictures were actually part of March, but March snuck up on me. Oh wait, that is because February is so short, even on this leap year. No wonder March seemed to "leap" at me. Anyway, I have been trying to spend more time doing what the kids want to do instead of obsessing so much about the clean house, so I had to leave the house as to not be distracted. Friday, March 2, we did just that. David and I, oh sorry, Heman and I fought the bad guys at the city park in the morning. Then we picked Jessica up and fought them some more. Then we took some naps, and picked Cailyn up and had to do some more fighting. Coralee loved being out in the sun, feeling the wind on her face, and watching the kids run to and fro. Overall it was a great day. It is fun to be carefree and only have to play for a while.

Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?

Me and Coralee trying to keep up with David/Heman.

Heman going into Castle Grey skull.

Prince Adam turning into Heman.

Prince Adam!

HEMAN and The Masters of the Universe!

We love all of you and hope you enjoy keeping up with our little family! Happy March!

January 2012

January is all about goals right? Well here is my blogging goal. I am going to try to do an update once a month. I have decided that I don't care if my pictures are adjusted to the best of my ability or if I even have pictures of the events. I am just going to give people an rundown of our month. So, with that said, here is the first post!

January 2012

Coralee is growing like a weed. She will smile at anyone who talks to her and has even started laughing. Her favorite laughing buddy is Da. Seriously laughed together for at least 10 minutes straight. SOOOO fun to watch! She does baby crunches all day long and is getting really strong. She would stand on your lap all day long if you are willing to help her balance. She is being trained to use a bottle, although she doesn't care for that at all.

David is my big boy. He has really progressed with his potty training. He still wears a pull-up at night(it is usually dry in the morning), but he has mastered daytime pottying. I do believe he is the most "regular" boy in the world(or is it that he is just my only boy?). I am completely fine with it as long as he uses the potty. Next step is standing to pee. His favorite toys are Batman, Woody(aka Buddy) and Buzz. He fights "bad guys" and monsters all day long, keeping the women-folk safe. He loves to be tickled and gives the best kisses around.

Jessica is our little sunshine. She can't help but smile when asked. She is figuring things out very well these days. She is extremely honest(even to the point of telling on herself), but is very sweet about it. She can't stand it when someone is upset or hurting. She wants to just fix it(and does most of the time) with a hug and a kiss. She is constantly singing. She sings songs she has been taught and makes them up, singing them at the top of her lungs. Occasionally I have to ask her to sing quieter or stop for a while. It's too cute.

Cailyn is our little achiever. She really likes to master things, and does really well most of the time. She started piano lessons in the fall, but with craziness happening with us and her piano teacher she hasn't been consistent until now. She doesn't necessarily enjoy having to sit to practice, but when she learns a song, she wants to play it for everyone she can. I LOVE to see that excitement in her eyes as she progresses. At her school each nine weeks they have an awards ceremony. At each ceremony the Principal chooses a boy and a girl from each grade to receive the Principal's Award. Cailyn was the girl chosen for the 1st grade. I couldn't have been more proud of her. We have received praises from her teacher all year and this is proof that they appreciate her behavior and hard work at school. Jason went in to work late that day so he could attend. It was a surprise to Cailyn and of course I was fighting tears the whole time. Her teacher wrote a beautiful letter to Cailyn and the Principal read it to the school with Cailyn by her side.

The letter reads:

I am very excited to honor you with the Principal's Award for the 2nd nine weeks of the 2011-2012 school year at Whitney Elementary School. I chose you for this award because of your hard work, dedication, and awesome attitude. When I think of your name, there are many words that come to mind that help describe you.

C is for Character. You have many wonderful character traits that make you the delightful student that you are.

A if for Awesome Attitude. You come to school every day with a great attitude!

I is for Incredibly Intelligent. The knowledge that you add to our classroom is exciting!

L is for Loyal. I love the loyalty that you show towards your teacher, classmates, and your family, especially your new baby sister!

Y is for Yearning to Learn. You come to school each day ready to learn all that you can!

N is for Never Giving Up. Our motto "Can Do" is what you believe. You always do your best. Setting goals for yourself is important to you.

I know that you will be very successful in your school career and also as an adult. I'm sure you will conquer anything you choose to do. Always keep your good character and high motivation. I am so glad to have you in my class this year and I look forward to watching you grow. Congratulations on receiving this award, you deserve it!

Love always,

Mrs. Elder

1st grade 2011-2012

We love you Cailyn and are very proud of the girl you are choosing to be. Congratulations!

Jason has continued to follow his running cult. Oh wait, I mean Hobby. Sorry! He keeps that up with the running blog he writes with his brothers. Go check it out hollowayrunning.blogspot.com. I am proud of him for the hard work he puts into it. He truly enjoys it and I am glad that he has found something that makes him happy.

I, Mindi, have been working on several goals already this year. I got some knitting needles from my sister for Christmas and have taught myself how to do it. I am obviously still learning, but I have completed a scarf for Cailyn and am almost done with Jessica's. I am probably going to learn to do washcloths next.

One of the most standard new year's goals for women is to lose weight and of course I fit that profile also. However, I started that before the new year began. I have lost 25 pounds since our sweet Coralee was born. I have already started to wear clothes from before that pregnancy. It is a constant struggle everyday to make healthy choices(including exercise) but it is worth it.

With that said, I have been doing a little running myself. Jason is my unofficial coach/motivator. He is really good at it. I have done 3 5Ks since Coralee's arrival and have made some progress with those. My most recent race was last Saturday and I set a personal record. I know that this is really nothing to be bragging about but I ran it in 27 min. 21 sec. That is 4 minutes faster than the last one I did. I was pushing myself to the point of throwing up afterwards. It made me think of my older brother, Kyle. He used to do that all the time in High School. GROSS! My next big race is in March. I will be running another half marathon. I am following a steady training plan this time. Wish me luck!

Here is Da finishing the race. I am blessed to have a father who will humor me and sign up to do races with me. Thanks Dad for your support. I love you!

Crazy Holloway Fall

I can't believe that it has been so long since I last posted. I have taken pictures of our events and activities and haven't shared them, shame on me. Here are a few of the highlights.

On November 7th our sweet Cailyn turned 7.

We had such a weird night. We invited Da and our friends, the Westbrooks over for the little party. The Westbrooks were signed up to feed the missionaries so we fed them too.

Well, a huge thunder/rain storm hit about an hour before the festivities were to begin. We were worried about Da traveling from Waco, but he made it just fine. We had 7 adults and 3 eating children, so we had 3 big pizzas. However, we lost power in the middle of cooking the second pizza. It didn't finish cooking. So, we ended up feeding everyone cheesy bread and one pizza. And of course a really rich cookie cake and ice-cream. It was hot, sticky and dark.

We ended up lighting scented candles because we aren't prepared for that. Between the pizza and all the different scents, it smelled interesting. I think she still had a great day though.

Cailyn's school prefers not to have cupcakes(extremely messy) so she decided she wanted to take bon-bons. They were yummy! We made enough to take to the office staff and music, PE, and the librarian. They all raved over Cailyn's baking.

The first present Cailyn opened was her gift from Da. He picked this cute dress out for her and I have to say that I think she looks older in it. Very cute!

Cailyn is such a sweet girl. She works very hard to learn new things. She is a people pleaser, so she is very aware of those around her and how they are feeling. She is quickly turning into one of my best friends. I love talking to her, cooking with her, and washing dishes with her. It is definitely one of the highlights of my day when I get to spend time with my darling Cailyn.

I love you sweetie!

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Jessica update: This is all that is left from her stitches. I think it blends in really well. It does get a bit pinker when she is crying or exercising.

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THANKSGIVING!

We decided that since Jason had the time this year we were going to travel to spend Thanksgiving with his family in Idaho. We had a great time. As you can see, there were MANY cousins to play with so we had a hard time leaving.

It was really fun because Jason's brother Brandon and his family live in Texas also and we decided to caravan up together. The best part about it was Jason's parents had no idea they were coming up with us. It was a total surprise when they walked up to the house with us. I love to actually surprise someone(when it is a good one) and see their excitement. Tears were shed and loves were given. Definitely a Thanksgiving I will never forget.

We spent most of our time at Lita and Papa's house. Our girls will tell you their favorite day was the make-over day. We had all the girls over to Lita and Papa's house for make-overs while the boys played video games at Cassie and Mark's house. I am pretty sure the boys had a good time and I KNOW the girls did. It was fun to see them bouncing all over the place. Well, we also had the princesses who walked calmly and daintily through the house too. So cute!

Coralee just started smiling in response to people talking to her. I absolutely LOVE this stage.

Here are a few pictures of our trip up. Cailyn was in charge of Coralee and was awesome at it. I think both girls were having a good time. However, Cailyn also loved to stay awake with Daddy and talk to him. Overall, Cailyn was our best traveler and always has been. Not only because she has had to be, but I think she genuinely enjoys it.

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A random picture of David I thought was too cute not to include.

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We were able to put our tree up the first monday of December, but David had to go to bed early because he was being a little toot. Well, he does his own decorating throughout the day. I examine the tree to find lots of interesting things. It is pretty funny!

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Jason's Birthday!

Jason is really hard to shop for, but he is even harder to surprise(or hide things from him). It was especially hard this year because he was home with me. I still think that he had a good day, but he is really nonchalant about it. Sometimes it drives me crazy that he is not more excited about it, but whatcha gunna do?

Him acting all surprised about a gift he got himself! Still though, he really likes them.

It was very entertaining to watch Jessica through the whole thing.

She really likes to see people celebrated.

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The First Annual Reindeer Run

The Elementary School put on a Reindeer Run and Tiny Tim Trot and the Holloways ran.

The Tiny Tim Trot was a 1K and the Reindeer Run was a 5K. The girls did the Trot and were super cute.

Unfortunately the PTO was doing a pancake breakfast with Santa that morning as well and I was back cooking pancakes while the girls ran, so I missed most of it. I got there just in time to see Jessica and Jason come across the finish line. This was Jessica's first official race and Cailyn ended up getting 3rd overall. We are proud of both girls and I think they had a great time!

Jason and I did the 5K. Jason finished 3rd overall as well, and I finished 3rd in my age group. I had some mixed feelings with my finish because it was my first medal, but I didn't beat my last time. It is weird to be excited and disappointed at the same time. It was a fun day.

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We made our wreaths and had a fun time getting all messy. Poor David had to miss out on the fun because he didn't eat his dinner. Hopefully at some point he will learn!

I have had this post sitting here for at least a month. It is time to post even though there are more pictures to post and happenings to journal. I will update more often hopefully now, so be looking for more soon.