Holloway Family

January 2012

2012-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-06T06:58:00.001-08:00

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!

========================================================
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.

==================================================

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.

======================================================

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

=============================================================

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!

============================================================

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.

======================================================

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.

=======================================================

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.

Cora's first photo shoot!

2011-10-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning, my sister-in-law came to visit us in the hospital. I am so blessed to have such wonderful in-laws. It is always nice to spend time with Rachel. She is so talented in so many ways. She doesn't consider herself to be a professional photographer, but after looking at these pictures I am sure all of you would pay her to take pictures of your family. Thank you, Rachel, for capturing some of the first moments in Coralee's life with such beauty!

Coralee Hope's first trip

2011-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Not that any of you really want to know our birth story for Coralee, but for our records we are going to share it. Our due date was October 4th and so we scheduled our induction for that day. We had contractions all night the night before, so Jason and I didn't get any sleep. We were not progressing enough on our own so we waited for our appointment and went in around 5:00 am. We got the process started, received the epidural, and our Doctor came in around 8:30 and decided to break the water. It still took a couple more hours before things really got going. I started to feel pressure(and of course pain) around 10:30. The nurse had been told to inform the dr when I started to feel pressure because this was my 4th and I was going to go fast. The nurse kept checking me and I was topping off at about a 9 with an upper lip that wasn't budging. She wanted that to go away before we called the dr, but I didn't like that plan. She kept talking like it was going to be so much harder to push through that lip, I felt totally defeated before I even started. I am not sure if all women feel that "I can't do this" moment during childbirth, but I have each time. That was it for me. Tears streaming, Jason comforting, and the nurse talking about a lip standing in my way.

I kept feeling the need to push, but the doctor wasn't there yet. I did have to do some pushing just to relieve the pain at least a little bit for each contraction. The doctor got there and got dressed in her get-up. I told her I needed to push, she said go ahead and in 2 pushes Coralee was out. Oh sweet instant relief from pain. I heard Jason say,"Hold on, hold on, hold on." And then I saw the Doctor look at him intently while saying,"I caught her." There was never any doubt that she would, it just startled Jason that it happened so fast I guess. So, at 11:20 AM on Tuesday October 4, 2011, our sweet Coralee Hope was born. She weighed 7 pounds 11.8 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. She screamed and cried until Jason calmly talked to her. She loved that!

We have had her for a full week and are adjusting as much as possible. David is having the hardest time sharing mommy time. I am trying really hard to give him more love and time rather than punishing him. Although sometimes he needs to be shown his limits(am I right, am I right?) For the most part we all Love having baby Cora around. Welcome home Cora!

This is the only before picture from the hospital. I am sure you can see why I didn't want a bunch of pictures taken of me. However, you can use this as the before picture in my weight loss journey if you would like. I will soon look a lot better.

This is Coralee's starting weight and will be working in the opposite direction as I will. She is already off to a good start. Eating like a champ.

Daddy comforting her while she is experiencing the world and her new body for the first time. He is really good at that.

Poor thing is not happy being without her womb.

Her first bath. The only part she liked was the head massage.

Clean and holding Daddy's hand. It doesn't get much better than that.

I am not sure what happened to this picture. I doesn't look like this on my camera or in my pictures file. But, this is my David and me.

Da was awesome to watch David for us the day of Coralee's arrival. They had a good time playing in the mud and then shopping for new shoes. Good times all around. We were happy to see them when they came to meet baby Cora.

Swaddled babies are too cute.

Getting all dressed to go home.

Sweet baby feet. Yes, I put socks on her before we left.

Kisses from big brother David. He does this every time he walks by her(if we let him).

Napping at home. Doesn't she look so peaceful?

I am overly irritated about these pictures being ruined. I LOVE this one. I love this new little one. My heart gets all fluttery when I see this man and his gentleness and love he shows to his children. I am humbled that I am blessed to have him for eternity. I LOVE YOU JASON!

The girls stayed at a friend's house Tuesday and Wednesday. They didn't meet Coralee until Wednesday afternoon when we got home from the hospital. They were anxious to hold her and kiss on her. So, after a bath we let the girls have a turn. They were in Heaven.

Jessica couldn't stop smiling with Cora in her arms. Well, until Cora started to squirm and then she got nervous. She is already getting better each time she gets a "turn" with Cora.

We were able to visit with Lynnae and her kids on Saturday. She got the girls new skirts. They look like tutus and the girls LOVE them. They prance around like princesses/ballerinas. Twirling and twirling and twirling!

She also got David a Batman pajama set with a cape, but we managed to leave the cape at Dad's house so we used his old batman footed pj's for this picture. We will take his picture later in that one.
Thank you Aunt Nae for the perfect clothes. Now we just have to have that fight every morning about whether we can wear it to school again today.

We love and appreciate all of you who have helped to welcome our little bundle into our family. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you!

Random happenings

2011-10-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

These pictures are all from before the arrival of baby #4. I hope you enjoy.

I love this picture because it shows each of their personalities. David confident in his handsomeness. Jessica whipping out her dimple. Cailyn pulling out her sweetest pose. I just want to squeeze each of them.

These 2 are inseparable.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My Cailyn and me about(or fixin' to-if you will) to head out on a date. We went to watch a children's musical at our local theatre. I am glad that she is already learning to appreciate stage performances.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We had the opportunity to meet Ronald McDonald at our nearest McDonald's.

As you can tell, we all had a good time.

David was more than willing to share his ice cream cone.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our Branch threw us a baby shower. We received lots of necessities. Apparently we gave all our baby girl clothes away and we were in need of newborn things.
They took care of us, thank you, thank you, thank you!

A sister in the Branch made this little mommy and baby monster for us. Too cute!

Another hand made item. Many talented people in our Branch.

I had to put this picture in because Cailyn was fanning me while I opened gifts. I was the only one that was hot, go figure.

_______________________________________________

The next day we went to McGregor to cheer on our Branch President and his wife for their first 5K race. They both ran faster than they thought they would.

Jason volunteered and was in charge of recording their numbers as they crossed the finish line. Isn't he cute?

The real question though is, Aren't these beauties adorable?

I turned around and saw this happening. I don't think I could have sweeter kids.

Of course playing in the dirt was the funnest part of being at the race. Nothing like getting dirty.

Six

2011-09-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to visit my sister. All of us went to the pool and spent a fun filled 2 hours before we had to make a special trip to the ER with our little Jessica. We were all out of the water with towels on getting ready to leave when I noticed Jessica wandering around by the other side of the pool. I called to have her come back. She followed instructions the first time(yeah!), however she decided to go up the stairs and over a bridge to get to us. On her way back down the metal stairs she fell. I personally didn't witness the fall, but apparently it was somewhere between 7 and 10 steps up and she rolled feet over head and back around to land head first on several steps before the pavement broke her fall. Being quite clumsy myself and a bit out of balance at the moment, Jason put David down and ran after her. My sister, the nurse, looked at it and knew instantly that she would need stitches. She made a few calls and found out which of the 2 hospitals in town was least busy and (after signing some paperwork at the pool) Jason, Lynnae, Jessica and I headed off to the ER. Dad, Cory and Andrea took charge of the other children. Thank you so much for your help!!!

We made sure that she didn't go to sleep on the way. She was a champ. We were given a bag of ice at the pool and when Jason put it on her brow he asked her if it was cold. She said, "yes, really cold. Cold as Ice." That got us all laughing. She is too cute.

Here is the cut before she was stitched up.

Just after the doctor finished putting in 6 stitches. The numbing process was the hardest. I thought I could be strong, however, when Jessica starting crying/whimpering I lost it. I made sure I was standing somewhere that she couldn't see me(because I was afraid I might cry), so once again Daddy had to be the hero. Thanks for always being strong for our kids, babe. As soon as that was over, she was great. No crying, just a few tense moments. We had people comment that they were impressed they could not hear her even in the next room.

Strong, brave 4-year-old.

Jessica is always good for a smile. 'Almost' under any circumstances.

Jessica thanking the Dr. for the good sewing work. He was really nice. He has 2 small children and has done MANY stitch jobs(including both of his children). His wife is pregnant with twins right now, he was very personable and made the ER trip as pleasant as could be. Thank you!

side note: I do think it will be interesting hearing people's reaction when we tell them that our 4-year-old is all bruised up because she "fell down the stairs". I surely hope that we don't get any CPS calls on us.

First day of school

2011-09-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have 2 kids in school. The first day was exciting, to say the least.

Here are our little cuties just before we got in the car. Jason was able to go in late that day so we could all go. As you can probably tell by the look on Cailyn's face, she was a bit nervous. She was trying to fake a smile and that was the best she could do. By the time we got to school she was in full tears. Poor thing, she was so nervous. We stopped to talk to the principal on the way in. She was great. She gave Cailyn a hug and even came to her class later to check on her. Have I mentioned that I REALLY like this principal?

Cailyn is such a good student. She is always loved by her teachers and we are excited to see the progress she makes this year in the first grade.

Jessica was the first to be ready for school. She was bouncing around all morning anxiously awaiting the time to leave. Too cute. Had NO fear going into class and Mommy and Daddy leaving her there.

David and I pick Jess up around 11:00. She was frantically looking for Mommy. It didn't take long to locate us.

Then. . .BIG dimply smile! (this happens EVERY day, I absolutely love it)

We go back a little after 3:00 to get Cailyn. She had calmed down enough to have a good first day. She was happy to find out that her best friend from last year is in her class again this year. I think that helped too.

They had a Pirate first day. With treasure hunts and everything. Her smile is genuine this time. I love you, Cailyn!

We are still getting used to the schedule, but will settle in shortly I am sure. David and I are having a good time together. The first day however, about 10 minutes after we got home he asked,"where are my sisters?" I told him they were in school. To that he replied, "Let's go get them." It was too cute.

He is busy working on learning his shapes, colors, and potty training. He has done really well with all 3 things thus far(the third thing being the most frustrating of course). Soon we are going to add his ABCs and recognizing his numbers. He already counts really well, so we will just go from there.

In between his "school" and potty breaks we are using swords to kill dragons and bad guys. David of course always gets them. He is such a little Hero! We are becoming best buds. That is until baby Cora gets here. Then we will have to adjust some more. I am not sure he will want THAT sister around. We'll see.

Anniversary & singing debut

2011-09-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

On August 8th Jason and I celebrated out 9th anniversary. It is hard to believe that it has been 9 years. I am eternally blessed to have him. I never knew how amazing love can be, but it truly is. We work so well together, mostly he just puts up with me enough to make me unbelievably happy. I hope that I do the same for him. We have had 9 incredible years and are excited for many many more. I love you Jason!

Jason had a couple days off that week so we decided to go to Sea World. It was REALLY HOT, but so much FUN!

They have some really big Spray parks for the kids. We spent a lot of time there.

The kids never tired of the water.

In case you can't tell, that is our sweet Jessica being doused by that water.

There was about 2 inches of water sitting there and Jess loved to just lay down in it. It was funny to watch other kids stop and look to make sure she was alright.

David was apparently thirsty too.

He was also very attached to me and Jason. He didn't spend as much time in the water as the girls. By the end of the second day, he had warmed up to it. Of course it was just before we left. There were some kiddie carnival rides also and he LOVED to ride the carousel over and over and over again. So, Jason and I took turns taking him over there.

We also really enjoyed watching the shows. Our favorite is definitely the Azul show. It had the animals doing lots of tricks, but it also has synchronized swimmers, divers, and even some exotic birds.

And the trainers get to swim with the animals.

Cailyn's favorite part is the bird lady. She was amazing. She would wrap herself up in those red cloths, drop, climb back up and do it another way. It was incredible to watch.

Overall, it was a great way to celebrate our Anniversary. Kids and all. Very layed back and fun. Happy Anniversary, Jason.

_____________________________

Since I am the Choir Director for our Branch I was able to put together a song featuring my little beauties. The girls sang the opening section of "Where Love Is" and the choir sang the rest. It was so precious. Jason had a deal going that they would get $10 if they made me cry. Amazingly enough, I didn't this time.

They had just gotten their hair cut and also some matching dresses for the occasion. Everyone loved it, including the girls. Jessica is fearless in front of a crowd which really helped Cailyn to muscle through her fright. They were perfect. I sure do love these girls, how could you not?

Sunday cookies with a twist!

2011-08-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

As I have said before, Sundays are a day of popcorn and cookies. This Sunday we decided to try something different. Since it has been so ridiculously HOT here in Texas we decided to try our hand at "Dashboard Cookies."

Jason made cookie dough yesterday and we put some in the car to cook during church. Apparently it takes more than 3 hours to cook chocolate chip cookies on the dashboard of your car. So, we carried them home and waited some more.

We made sure that they were in the sun the entire time. (Really hard I know)

Cooking. . .

and Cooking. . .

Almost Done.

FINALLY!

*note: still a need for an oven mitt. Yup, it is that HOT!

I guess there is no need to heat up our house when the Lord will cook them in our car. We just have to be patient. They were a bit different, but just as good!

Jenny, here is the recipe we use. We didn't change it in any way.

Jason's Chocolate Chip cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cube butter(if refrigerated, microwave for 13 seconds)

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

vanilla(we don't measure this, but 1 tsp would work)
2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

chocolate chips(we use milk and semi-sweet if we have it)

put in the dash of your car for 4 hours(if the weather is cooking)

cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes

Now it is your turn, share your recipe with us. The more cookie recipes we have the better. I am pregnant!

Family Water Fun

2011-08-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight we headed over to our Branch President's community pool for some family swimming and a picnic. We had so much fun, the time flew by. Cailyn is getting better and better at swimming, and Jessica and David are becoming more brave. I just love to watch kids playing in the water. Too Cute!

I had Jason take some pictures of me to prove I was there, but at 7 months pregnant I really don't think there should be many pictures taken of me in a swimsuit.

Me and my kiddos.

Jess was having a blast "diving" into the water and gliding to the other side.

David says, "Take THAT!"

Cailyn says,"and THAT!"

Daddy took care of the situation.

Really though, Cailyn and Jason were so fun to watch. They had so much fun playing and wrestling in the water. There can never be too much Daddy Time.

We would have stayed until the sun went down(or someone kicked us out), but David pooed in his swim diaper. GROSS! Poo is always gross but somehow particularly nasty when in a swim diaper. Anyway, he got us home at a relatively decent time tonight. A blessing in disguise.

We had a wonderful time. Family time is the greatest!

Library Craft Time

2011-08-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

We had a busy day today. I had a Dr. appointment in Waco, so we headed off a few minutes after Jason left for work. I had a great appointment, then took the kids to a spray park in Waco. We stayed there for about 45 minutes before I felt like I was about to melt. We met Dad for lunch, went to HEB for some great produce, then headed to Hillsboro for Library time. I just want to say that I LOVE summer library programs. Our local Library finished their program several weeks ago and so we travel up the road to Hillsboro to attend theirs. The only complaint is that it is scheduled for 2:00 in the afternoon and that is smack-dab in the middle of David's regular nap time. So we have to do some serious planning to make it worth it.

We started with paper mosaic.

Then David's attention was wavering.

It is a good thing this kid is cute. He had several sweet ladies at his beck and call.

Jessica LOVED the mosaic art. She was concentrated pretty hard on this for at least 30 minutes.

Cailyn wanted to try a little of everything. . . .on the same page. So creative!

Straw art was fun for a while.

Then it turned into finger/hand art.

Cailyn doesn't like to get as messy as my Jessie.

However, they both LOVED being a bit different than the other children.

OUR FINISHED PRODUCTS:

David's fish

Jessica's Butterfly and Bird

Cailyn's Butterfly

and her Peace Sign(she LOVES peace signs)

Our next destination: a dinner picnic at the pool.

*note: we would already be there, but we are waiting for my insane husband to finish running in this 110 degree temperature.

Can we say CRAZY!!!!!

Reflections of a Mother

2011-07-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

I have never had a hard time sleeping(well, extremely rare anyway). However, tonight I was in bed staring at the ceiling. So, instead of just lying there, I decided to come unload some thoughts on blogger. Be warned, it is going to be random and sporadic.

I am not sure if there is a set time for people to be kind about a lost loved one, but if there is then it is apparently over for how some people talk about my mother around me. Let me just say that I am probably reading into some of them more than is there, but it still stings.

As a teacher I learned that no matter how many ways, or how hard I try to teach someone something, they are not ever going to learn it if THEY don't want to or try. I would always become frustrated, but in the end I always thought "Well, that is their loss" But this lesson is harder to accept as a parent. My kids are very young and I have not experienced this so much with them yet, but I watched my parents struggle with this with my siblings and me. I would see the frustration, disappointment, and heartache in their eyes. I felt that as I would do something that was contrary to their teachings and examples. I fear this as a parent, but know that some lessons are better learned through experience rather than words. It won't make it any easier to watch their mistakes. I only hope and pray that I can teach them what they need to know to make good decisions and how to return when they don't. I hope they will always know that I love them dearly and always will.

With that said, I want everyone to know that regardless of how I turned out, I was taught with love through scripture, prayer, and example. I have not learned all the lessons my parents have taught me yet, but am truly doing my best to make them proud of who I am.

We fed the missionaries dinner the other night and one of them asked us to think of someone who has influenced us in our lives. Then he wanted us to think of what we could do to show/tell them that we appreciate them. My thoughts turned first to my mother. She was/is a remarkable person. The only thing that I can really do to show her my gratitude now is to live the way she taught me to live. That got me thinking of the MANY things she tried to instill in me.

So, here is a list of only SOME of the things that she taught(remember that I am still trying to learn them).

Marriage is important and can be extremely happy when you give it your all.

Anything you want to know or how to do, you can learn

Callings are not only to be accepted, but magnified(and enjoyed)

How to work

A clean house is happier

Dinner around the table with your family should happen every night

Our talents are to be developed and enjoyed

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true

There is always something more to be learned, you never know everything about something

Love the sinner, Hate the sin

Parenting is largely a guessing game, but is also a battle of wills(you will conquer if you are following God's will)

The Atonement is for each of us

We should make decisions that will help us get to the Temple

If all I ever do is my absolute best, then it will be enough.

Families can be together forever

I know that my mother knew these things because I saw her live it everyday. I am not trying to say that my mother was perfect. She wasn't. There were things about her that drove me crazy, but when I think of the things she was striving to do to be a good example-I am impressed.

I am impressed that my parents loved and cared for my grandmother(even through difficult years for her) for many many years. That alone showed patience, but rearing 5 children in the same house with her, and keeping a loving relationship with each other and her, is nothing short of a miracle.

I am impressed that they were able to decide together how they were going to rear us and they banded together to do that even with criticism from family who thought they knew better. Their example of a happy marriage and unconditional love for one another is impressive. Their ability to work through disagreements was seemingly effortless(I have learned that it is harder than it appeared, but possible and worth it).

I watched both parents serve in time demanding callings while rearing 5 children and it seemed to me that they were always excited and happy to serve.

I watched them give and take with "traditional" chores around the house.

I watched as they both worked tirelessly to help those in need and take them in their hearts.

I watched my mother do what was necessary to care for my father's mother when no one else wanted to do the difficult tasks.

Etc. etc. etc.

One of the things that I am trying to learn that my mother seemed to always do well is to not let people make her feel less important or loved. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and we are to help each other, not tear each other down. Mom seemed to know the proper time to verbally stand up for herself and when to just let it roll off her back. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am an extremely emotional person. I am pretty much a textbook hormonal female. I try to be level-headed when I am insulted or when someone I care about is insulted, but I have not had as much successes with that as I would like. However, I am doing my best to overcome this personality fault, and trust me when I say that I do a pretty good job of beating myself up. I really don't need much help in that department. So, when you have something critical to say, please keep it constructive and in a loving way.

I have had some experiences this past month of people implying or just plain saying that I wasn't taught something they thought I should have been taught by my parents. I am here to tell you that it wasn't from lack of trying. Being a parent is difficult and I am learning this more and more as my children get older. However, if all I do is my best then it will be enough. AND I feel that my parents did their best(and still are).

I truly believe that we are families before we come to this earth and we are paired to each other because we are the ones to best help each other reach our potential if we work our hardest. I KNOW that my parents were the best parents I could ask for because they are mine and they are exactly what I needed. I KNOW that my children are in my family because I can offer what they need to progress in this life and they can help me in my journey as well. I KNOW that Jason was meant for me because only he can put up with my emotional swings and accept me for who I am while helping me to become a better me.

I KNOW that my Heavenly Father loves me and is blessing me each and every day. I KNOW that my Savior Jesus Christ suffered for my sins, pains, sicknesses, and heartache. I KNOW that through the Atonement I can return to my Heavenly home, and be with my family forever. I KNOW that if I make good decisions that I will be reunited with my mother. And I hope that she will tell me that she is proud of me and the woman I have become. I am grateful for my family and the happiness they bring into my life.

Swimming Fun!

2011-07-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

Seeing that we have had 26 days in a row of 100+ temperatures, we needed to get into some water. Our Branch President lives in a community that has 4 different pools, so we called and asked if we could come swimming. They couldn't swim with us, but we had a great time. Thank you for allowing us to get out of the house in the only way we could enjoy it. . . in water.

Our little "fish" Cailyn.

I can't believe this girl. After an entire "winter" without swimming, she just jumped right in and started swimming as if there was no break at all. I am continually impressed with this girl.

Do you think he is enjoying himself?

There was a kiddie pool with an awesome fountain in it. Jessica and David LOVED it and didn't want to leave. However, they kept leaning over the side of the water falls scaring me each time.

Just Chillin'

We had a great time, and will have to go again. . .SOON!

Granola

2011-07-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

After looking at the store for granola, I have decided that it would be to our wallets interest to make our own granola. I tried it today and have to say that this is going to become a standard treat around here. It was too easy!

I found a recipe on-line, and I think that it can be modified to your own taste. I tried it following the recipe first(almonds excepted because I didn't have it in the cupboard). Next I will try maple syrup instead of honey just to see if we like it.

Here is the recipe I used:

Granola

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup raisins

1. mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in bowl

2. warm oil and honey in saucepan, whisk in vanilla

3. carefully pour liquid over oat mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon, finish mixing by hand

4. spread granola in 15 x 10 baking pan

5. bake 40 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes

6. allow to cool completely before adding dried fruit.

*note: store in airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, or in freezer for up to 3 months.

It makes about 7 cups. I put in some freeze-dried strawberries from my food storage along with the raisins. It came out crunchy and yummilicious. If you like granola, try it. You'll be glad you did. THEN you can try different things in it and find your favorite combination. I am pretty pumped about this one.

Next: homemade yogurt(to go with our granola of course)

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2011-07-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 envelopes yeast
4 cups water
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. salt
6 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups white flour

Directions:

1. dissolve yeast in warm water
2. combine butter, molasses, honey, and salt
3. add yeast mixture, gradually add flours(just enough flour for dough to leave sides of bowl and is easy to handle)
4. knead on floured surface until smooth
5. put dough in buttered bowl, let rise until it has doubled in size
6. punch down, let rise a few minutes
7. divide into 4 parts, shape into loaves
8. place in greased pans, let rise an hour
9. bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes

*note-the bread is done when it is lightly browned on top and when tapped it sounds hollow.

WW info- each loaf is 39 points plus

We LOVE this bread. It does take some time, but it is well worth it. Try it, you will be glad you did.

Bread

2011-07-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

I have made the decision to make bread instead of buying it from now on. So, I have been trying to find THE recipe that works for my family the best. I have tried 2 so far and wouldn't you know it, it is the more time consuming recipe that everyone likes better(including me). I guess I am alright with it because the one we like makes 4 loaves instead of only 2. We have already breezed through about 2 1/2 loaves this week. I have been pretty happy with it though because ALL the kids have been finishing their sandwiches(even David).

So, if you have a recipe that you like/swear by please share. Keep in mind I don't have a mixer strong enough to handle it OR a bread machine, so it will all be done by hand.

*note: I really like making it by hand. The process is therapeutic.

These pictures are of the Honey Wheat bread that we all enjoy. The girls helped me make it and are pretty proud of themselves(as they should be). It was fun!

Summer fun at the Holloways

2011-07-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

I walked into the kids room the other day and found the baby toy box was emptied and the babies were all "dolled" up. We have been talking baby a lot around here and I think the girls are ready for another girl to dress up and play with. What do you think?

Several days this week the kids have wanted to play in the sprinkler. Not really a big shock because it is so ridiculously hot outside. However, the request is made around 8:00 in the morning. So, these pictures were 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning. Welcome to Texas summers!

Sunday evening treats

2011-07-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

Growing up, Jason's family AND my family had popcorn with a family movie. We have carried that tradition on in our house as well. Another thing that isn't quite as frequent, but just as much a part of Sundays for us is making cookies. We only do one batch so it doesn't last long. I mean a couple of days at the most. I like this tradition a great deal because it has become something that Jason does with the kids. They love to help put everything in and of course taste it in the process.

David was running around TRYING to be patient for the cookies to be done.

Now that everything is ready we can sit down and watch a movie, while partaking in the yummy treats.

Ingredients for a Happy Sunday!

Harvesting

2011-07-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

We planted our first "real" garden this year and have been having such a good time watching it grow and enjoying the harvest.

We planted:

Potatoes

Carrots

Tomatoes

Cayenne

Crook-neck squash

Lettuce

We have had several salads from our garden, many squash(too many if you ask Jason), oodles of tomatoes, bunches of cayenne, and potatoes and carrots.

We are about to plant some cucumber and pumpkin for our fall garden and next year we are doubling the size of the garden. I have a great time with it!

Our lovely carrots which were used to enhance our delicious roast this past Sunday. We also had a plethora of potatoes, I just didn't get a picture of them.

We planted tomatoes and Cayenne peppers this year for the precise reason of canning our own salsa. We have been harvesting tomatoes for a couple of months now, and will continue for at least another month. We have several containers of homemade salsa, and also made some homemade tomato sauce for our food storage. It really is pretty exciting to see all of it in the cabinet.

Another project I am undertaking.

Our Branch President and his wife gave us this patio furniture and we LOVE it. They are so very comfortable, but weren't very pretty. So, I decided to make it more attractive.

What do you think?

This has a glass top.

It is a set of 4 chairs and that table. I have not quite finished and will wait until the temperatures are more reasonable to get it done. We are currently under construction in the back(and the 100+ temps) so we don't spend a whole lot of time out there right now anyway.

Birthday Fun!

2011-07-10T16:25:00.000-07:00

Our big 4-year old, Jessica Faith.

On June 11 we had a little birthday party for Jessica at Dad's house. We had friends, family, food, and fun. Thank you to everyone who came and made the experience perfect. We love you all!

Pinkalicious cupcakes!

Presents!

Swimsuits, sprinkler, and girls to play with. Could anything be more fun?

Well, maybe dancing in the water adds the final touch.

She has such a contagious smile.

And such a fun personality!

Don't you just want to squeeze her? I am so blessed that I get to hug and kiss on this little girl(who is starting to look less like a little girl) everyday!

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, JESSICA!

Kindergarten Graduation

2011-07-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe, but Cailyn graduated from Kindergarten this year. She is such a good little student. We couldn't be prouder of her.

Jessica, David and I got there early enough to get good seats. However, that means that we didn't make it through the entire ceremony. We watched Cailyn's class go up on stage to receive their individual awards(one of Cailyn's being independent reader for the Accelerated Reading program), then David let me know in his oh-so-subtle ways that it was time to leave. We missed the kindergarten song they had prepared for the end of the ceremony(BIG frowns). 2 days later the kids and I went to Cailyn's class for them to perform it for us. They were so cute!

Walking in, excitedly nervous.

Walking in to her spot on the stage. That is her adorable principal. I REALLY like her!

Can you see how interested she is at this point. I love how kids can get away with showing their boredom. Graduations always make me feel this way. Anyone else?

Cailyn, we are so proud of you and know that you will continue to learn new things because you LOVE learning. WE LOVE YOU!

Cailyn's Field Day

2011-05-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Hoppity Hop, Cailyn's first event, and she busted. Poor thing!

The dash! Doesn't she look so professional?

Out of 5 racers, she was one of 2 who didn't drop her egg. Proud Momma!

The football kick. We are in Texas, aren't we?

The scooters. I remember these things. She is too adorable!

Garden update

2011-05-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

See my tomato? I really have more than 15 growing on 8 different plants.

Can you see the cayenne?

About a dozen squash.

And what does this hole mean?

Yep, a critter. We are going to try a few things to get rid of it. Holes all over the yard. If it gets my garden, it is toast for sure.

Adding On

2011-05-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

We live in a 2 bedroom house and are about to have a 4th child so we felt it was necessary to add a room on. So, Jason is using his weekends to do the construction on the house. It is going to be so nice to have a 3rd bedroom!!!

Our experienced help! Experience means you don't have to actually work, just supervise.

Part of the mess we have to live with during the addition.

Getting the roof up.

Luckily the temperatures were perfect for working on a roof in Texas.

What Weight Watchers doesn't tell you!

2011-05-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

We had this ultrasound done today and we were excited to hear that this newest baby is going to be another girl. Poor David will have to deal with 3 bossy sisters. We are still trying out names so if you have any suggestions please let us know. Once we have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 we will have a poll to ask your opinion.

I just wanted you all to be warned that Weight Watchers doesn't tell you these things.

2011-04-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, all these pictures are out of order and I didn't want to take the time to move them around to make it right.

Our family has really been bitten by the racing bug. Jason has the biggest bite. He is constantly looking for the next race and is very successful with them. Success being that he beats his last time and is

having a blast. The pictures you will see here are of the Rhythm Run put on by the Midway Choir in Waco. It was at a park down by Lake Waco. I didn't do this race, so I watched the kids while Jason, Dad, and Cailyn ran. Yep, I said Cailyn. This marked her first official race. She did a 1K and came in 3rd place. She was the first girl to cross the finish line, but she was the only girl in the race. We were very proud of her and she is ready for the next one.

Jason had his game face on and was the overall winner, running the 5K in 20.29. We were impressed. He is working hard to be able to beat that next time.

Dad did the race also(he calls it the walk/waddle). He did a great job, also beating his previous times. He did a running finish. We were very proud of him. His doctor was running the race also and mentioned how proud he was of him also.

All the kids have a hard time waiting for the runners to finish. There was a pretty little park for the kids to play and that made it a bit easier. They didn't have to wait long for Daddy to cross the line though, so I was pretty happy.

The week prior to this race was the Bearathon put on by Baylor. They have a 5K race and a half-marathon. Last year I was signed up for the 5K(and not ready for it, which worked out because it was rained out) and this year I signed up for the half-marathon(and wasn't quite ready for it). Jason signed up for it with me. He did an ultra-marathon(trail racing) the week prior to that, so a measly 13.1 miles was nothing for him. He was just jogging along enjoying himself the entire time. Making me disgusted as him the entire time too, but I digress. This was the first time I had run more than 7 miles at a time, so I was nervous. However I did it, finishing it in a little less than 2 and half hours. I hope to SOMEDAY do it faster than that, but for now and just proud of myself for finishing it. And even though I was jealous of Jason's ability to just happily jog the entire thing, I was very, VERY glad he ran it with me. While most of the time Jason is pretty quiet and doesn't really talk much, he is quite the chatter box when running. So, we were able to have many conversations during the run. This was good for 2 main reasons. #1 It kept my mind off the race and how much I wanted to stop. #2 I was able to hear Jason's opinion about a lot of things. Most of the time, I just do the talking and get one word answers, if any. So this was good news.

Here is a link to a picture of Jason and me finishing the race.

https://picasaweb.google.com/wacostriders/BearathonMarch192011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJbWmu601_LNCw&feat=embedwebsite#slideshow/5587368257181141202

The girls played so well together that morning.

Jessica loved to run around in that field.

Like father, like daughter. Always climbing.

Their smiles say it all.

Nature exploration.

But Mom, it's Saturday. Daddy is supposed to be playing with me.

Just chillin'.

Our speedy guys.

Go Da, Go!

First place baby!

Nice, fast walking.

Jason getting ready to smoke all the other runners.

Our runners getting ready for the race.

Signing up for the race.

Our sweet little runner.

On your mark, get set, go!

The boy in black was the winner.

Beautiful game face.

We are proud of our runners.

When at first you don't succeed, Try try again!

2011-04-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

We have been in our new house for 3 and a half months and we have planted a garden and 3 fruit trees. We have 2 peach trees and a plum tree. In a couple of years we will have fruit a plenty. I will be doing some canning and am super excited.

This is the plum.

We had some onions already growing here when we moved in.

Here is Jason Rotor tilling the garden spot.

Then we had to get rid of rocks and grass/weeds. The kids LOVED this part.

Big smiles while playing in the dirt.

Cailyn was great at helping with the rake.

Necessary dirty stuff.

The stuff to be planted.

They were planted and currently growing.

We started small, and if/when successful we will grow.

Story time

2011-04-12T12:36:00.001-07:00

Every Wednesday(well, almost every) we go to the library for story time. We have a lot of fun. It is a pretty small library, so the book/movie selection is limited. However, we LOVE the story time. Singing, dancing, stuffed animals, puzzles, crafts and of course many books all make for a great time.

Snail

2011-04-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

We were out working in the yard and the kids found a snail. They couldn't just leave it alone until we brought some toys out for it to play on. They were too cute, all excited about this slimy snail.

The snail trying really hard to escape!

The guards making sure he can't.

OH NO! A damsel in distress!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's too much for Mr. Incredible!

Disclaimer

2011-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

I have never been a consistent blogger, however, THIS time I have a really good excuse. We just moved into a really small town and our Internet has been acting really weird. We could browse the Internet but couldn't sign in to e-mail, facebook, blogger, or anything that has an individual account. SOOOO weird, but I think we have figured out what we need to do to fix that until we can get a new modem. Hopefully I will be able to communicate with people outside of this little town again.
With that said, I have made several posts in attempt to catch up on our happenings lately. So, be sure to scroll down and read all the new posts. I hope you enjoy!

And the Terrible Two's are official

2011-03-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

On February 25, 2009 David Christopher joined our family and changed our lives forever. Here are a couple pictures of some of his first days in this world.

He is our precious boy and has received MANY kisses everyday of his life.

Starting with the first one.

1 year later he had changed into this handful(cute as he may be, handful none-the-less)

Now, he is more than 2 handfuls, but we wouldn't change it for the world.

This is his "cheesy" smile as he sits on Carol's lap.
Carol and Joe are some of our dear friends and we are lucky enough to live

about 2 miles from them now.

His new favorite toys. He always knows where they are. Too cute. He can't play with one and not the other. They are a team, you know.

Presents are the best. Soon he will figure out that those particular shaped boxes are always clothes. Until then, he just wants to tear the paper.

He got a new book, always a perfect gift. Thank you Carol!

Loves to go around. Da is always good for a "Big Bear Hug."

The new church duds. He looks so much older now. Why do they grow so fast?

All the fun was too much to handle. He was tired and couldn't handle all the attention.

David is speaking more and more everyday. His favorite words being "Buzz" and "Oody"

He is such a joy to have around(2-year-old fits excluded of course).

He loves to run in our new large back yard.

He loves to be a big boy and eat his food all by himself, and he is really good at it.

He has successfully given up the pacifier, and now is not as attached to his blanket too.

His best friend is Jessica(wanting to do everything she does and be just like her).

He could watch the movie "Toy Story" everyday, ALL day if I let him.

He can spot anything that has Toy Story on it.

He would be completely content if his diet was made entirely of fruit "nack" snacks.

If it were possible to kiss a hole in his cheek from kissing it too much, it would happen everyday. His cheeks are soooo kissable.

Our lives would not be the same without our favorite little guy, David. Everyone loves him dearly. The girls fight over his affections, and I don't think he would have it any other way.

We love you David!!!! Happy 2nd Birthday!

5K fun run

2011-03-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

On February 26, we all got up and went to a neighboring town to run a 5K. Dad met us there and off we went(sort of). We didn't have a sitter for the kids, so Jason ran first and when he got back I took off.

It was a very small race. Actually it was the first race this particular group had ever put on, so it lacked some of the formalities we have seen in other races. You know things like a timer, placement of any kind and in turn medals. However, it felt kind of nice to have a new place to run, having the help of the adrenaline that comes with a race, but not really having the competition(just a FUN run--if that exists). Most of the people who did it were walking. I am really glad I did it. I woke up that morning with full intent of just watching Jason run, but seeing as it only took him about(no timers remember) 24 minutes to run it, I had time to do it myself. WARNING: Self patting on the back approaching! So, as I said I started later than everyone else(around 30 minutes later), but I finished before at least half of them. Remember that most of them were walking though, so don't be too impressed. It did feel pretty good though.

Here are some pictures from the race.

It was kind of a cold morning, so Jason waited until the last minute to take his long pants and sweater off.

Dad got there just a few minutes before the race began, but was ready to speed-walk his way through the course.

The kids were cold and anxious to see Daddy cross the finish line.

Cailyn is so good at cheering us on when we are competing. I think she is ready to have a race of her own. We will sign her up for the next 1-mile race we find on a Saturday.

Jessica can find a reason to smile anywhere she goes.

David, however, wasn't very happy with the cold temperatures and having to stay in a specific area.

In order of finishing:

Jason won the race by several minutes. Speedy, speedy!

Dad walked most of it with another man, just chatting away. He is very gregarious! He walks very fast and did a great job that day too. Way to go Da!

Here I come, after running the entire time, trying to catch Dad. I didn't make it but had a great time anyway. I probably beat my personal best, but there is no way to really know. Overall I am proud of all of us. Now on to the next one. It will be much harder, but probably more fullfilling too.

Cailyn's music program

2011-03-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago Cailyn had her first School Music Program. She only goes to music once a week and had only been in her new school for about 6 weeks, so she only had 6 practices before she sang. I think she did wonderfully. She was terrified of being on the back row of the risers, so she was a little pre-occupied the whole time. Oh, the price to pay for being tall for her age. Poor thing!

Check our that sweet face. My heart was beaming!

Could she be any cuter?

All the kids were given some time to wave to their parents before the program started and this was Cailyn's sweet love being sent from across the room. We are so proud of our precious Cailyn. She is at the top of her class and learning fast. She makes my heart melt.

We love you Cailyn!

Getting settled in

2011-03-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

We have officially been in our house for 2 months. So the question remains, are we settled in yet? Maybe some of these pictures will answer that.

The kids seem to be sleeping well.

We have our favorite decorations out.

AND the kids have their books and toys back.

We are very happy to be in our new home. We are still trying to figure out where we want everything(trying new spots frequently), finding things to repair or change, and still creating our routines. We LOVE our new house. Please come visit us, we love showing it off. By the way, our "Open House" went very well(which I of course didn't get any pictures of) and want to thank all of you who came by. It was very fun and somehow makes being settled more official.

Who are you listening to?

2011-02-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever grown overwhelmed with hopelessness and fear as you think about this world and all its troubles? It seems I have done this a lot lately. I think about this country and those leading it(and where they are leading it), I think about the unrest of countries around the world(that seem to never have felt rest or peace), and I think about my generation and what they are doing with their lives and what they are teaching their children(who then teach MY children). With all of these problems it leads my thoughts to despair. I can't believe how vulnerable people today(and I guess forever) are to the destruction of the Devil. How can they not see that their decisions are causing pain to those around them, not to mention their own spirit? How can they not recognize how unhappy they are? And if they do recognize it, shouldn't that be enough to want to change? I ask myself these questions and more(usually with tears streaming) completely confused about the world today and always come up with the same answer.
Satan is good at what he does. He plays us against ourselves. We knew we would make mistakes, but somehow we forget that we can come back. There comes a point when Satan tells us we have gone too far and are not wanted anymore, and can't return. He tells us that everyone can see our sins written on our forehead and hate us because of them. He tells us we are worthless and ugly. Eventually if we listen to him long enough we begin to believe him. That belief can then become knowledge and it snowballs from there. A great big snowball of pain and anguish.
I know this is how it works because I have felt all of these things. I listened to the wrong voice. I paid very close attention to it and began hating myself, thinking that no one would ever love me, least of all Heavenly Father.
It took a very dear friend of mine to change that thinking. She merely repeated the opposite over and over until I thought that it was possible. I felt the joy of her love to me and began to doubt that awful voice telling me I was nothing. She bore her testimony often in everyday conversation until I could feel the Holy Ghost again(through her). The stark contrast from what I was feeling(or lack of feeling) everyday and what she was introducing again in my life was amazingly strong. It was enough to help me want to change and turn to Christ.
I know that Heavenly Father loves me. I know He loves you. I know that He feels pain when we feel pain. I know that He wants to take it away from us terribly, but we have to turn to Him. He is waiting with open arms aching to heal our hearts. It is possible to return. We all have worth in His eyes. I know these things because He tells me often. He will tell you too if you listen. . .often and hard enough. God does not give us the feeling of fear. That comes from a different source. However, God does take fear away if we let Him.
I thank my sweet friend Alyson for being strong enough for both of us. I thank you more than you know. I am eternally thankful for the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ because it has been a miracle in my life. I know the Savior personally through the Atonement and know that I am loved. I now pay close attention to the Holy Ghost and His promptings daily. I can recognize when I am being influenced by Satan and do what I can to counteract that. I realize that the overwhelming sense of doom I feel when I think too hard about all the pain and suffering in the world is not from my Heavenly Father and I then turn to Him for comfort and guidance. I am studying the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray that I can live it through service and obedience. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is about time

2011-01-02T20:21:00.001-08:00

It is official. We have a new home...By new, of course, I mean almost 100 years old but we love our home. Not to say it didn't take some work...Every room in the house was plastered with wall paper, not the cute "Oh, how nice" wall paper, but the wall paper that makes you go, "Wow...that's........nice?" Take a look at the "Before" pictures to get a feel for it. Please note that if the pictures give you a head ache just look away for a few minutes and it will subside.
This first picture is of a bedroom. This was the only room that did not have the 70's pea green color in it. As you can see it was toned down with a deep reddish-purple.

Bedroom Before

And then after.

The main color we chose was a conservative tan color. We think it gives the house a very relaxing and comfortable feel. The white trim accents the woodwork that you find only in older homes and adds character to the house. (We will be replacing the curtains soon)

This next picture is another bedroom. The large windows allow plenty of natural light in. We splashed some paint on the walls and....

We did paint the lower portion of the wall...I just don't get along well with pea green.

This picture is the office area. This was the one area that we left wall paper on...partly out of exhaustion, but partly because it keeps with the time and style of the home. We may end up painting it later...what do you think, should it stay or should it go?

For the evening entertainment we had some ballet dancers come to the house and put on a show. Here they are dancing in the hallway.

I still haven't figured out why folks on the lower side of five foot have to buy a house with 10 foot ceilings but we love the openness and spacious feeling of the house. We are pretty proud of our paint job and look forward to showing it off.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Good help doesn't come cheap these days. However, it was worth every cent because she was fun to have around. She was a painter, court jester, and photographer all-in-one. It made an otherwise tedious day a complete "Joy".

Christmas Time has come and gone

2011-01-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

However, we enjoyed every minute of it. Dad went up north to spend the holiday with family(mainly my brothers) so we waited to exchange gifts with him until he got back. I think he had fun!!!

Big surprise!!

Getting ready to set it up!!!

Tools of the trade!

Recruiting help wasn't very difficult!

The finished product is beautiful!!

We got a cool new floor puzzle from Jim and Candace. Thank you!

Team work!

Christmas wreaths are a must have. Again!

Christmas Lasagna!

and Bread!

Turtles in a half shell!

Hand-made, personalized gifts are my favorite!

Santa did a great job, and David didn't need any help knowing what to do with his gifts.

Overall, we had a GREAT Christmas. It was just us and very relaxed. We ate the traditional cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lasagna for dinner, but the best of all was having the time to just sit down and play, pretend, and squeal in excitement with our sweet little angels.

We hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the birth of our Savior. As I stop to think of what the season means, it bring tears to my eyes. What a blessing to have a time of year when we can freely express our testimonies without hesitation. I love that the world around us is turning to Christ. My goal is to share my beliefs and testimony more frequently and without a tone of apology throughout the year. I want to do this because I know that Jesus was born to atone for my sins and pains. I know that my Savior loves me and understands my heart, no matter what I am struggling with. I can trust that repentance in possible because I have used it and felt the change in my heart and life. I also know that if I follow Christ's example I will have peace and love. I bear this testimony in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

December Doings

2010-12-20T20:16:00.000-08:00

We kicked off December with Jason's 31st birthday. Somehow I managed to not get any picture of him opening gifts, eating cake, or anything. Such a disappointment. However, he had a good one and it is always fun to dedicate an entire day to him, making him the spotlight( although I think part of the fun for me is that he doesn't really like to have a lot of attention on himself).

We had a great time at our Branch's Christmas party. Lots of yummy food to eat, festive music, and wonderful friends.

My best girl friend Heather's daughter, Madelyn with Santa.

Her son Ethan with Santa.

And you know these 3.

We decorated the Christmas Tree and LOVED the results. It was way fun and we had to get some pictures while we were all happy with each other.

Next on our list of Christmas traditions was making wreaths of course. This we did several times. Fun times all around. What is better than making gooey, marshmallowy, green beautiful Christmas wreaths?

And this always leads to . . .

THIS!!!!

Fun Fall

2010-12-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Weekend after Thanksgiving we went with Kyle and his family to the Homestead Heritage. We had a great time seeing all the hand made items and of course all the animals. Something we might try doing every year. You guys going to join us, Kyle?

Some random pictures.

Falling leaves are too fun. They spent hours out in the piles.

We love Peanuts and Popcorn

Family exercise

2010-11-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Friday afternoon with Jason home we took the rare opportunity to go to the park

and exercise as a family.

Jason is planning on doing a marathon in January and in conjunction with that Cailyn is going to do the kids marathon. The kids are to run on their own and record their miles. They are to do the last mile the day of the race. When we talked to Cailyn about it she was super excited to run with Daddy. We has gone only twice so far, but is geared and ready to do more.

Jessica is tracking her miles as well, although she is not even close to being ready for something like that. I think she might wait until next year or the year after before she is

officially signed up for a race.

Me after our family run!

Jason doing some dips at the park.

Two of the most attractive guys around.

Cailyn doing her mile. I have to say I am impressed with her form and speed. Now all she needs to do is keep it up for a longer period of time.

Jessica loving her run!!!

Of course after we did our exercising we HAD to go to the park and play. We had a great time having Jason home early to play. We love fall weather!

Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

This past Friday Cailyn's school had a Thanksgiving feast. Younger siblings were not allowed to attend so Jason took off early from work so he could go. He said that they had a 2 minute presentation and spent the rest of the time eating. They did all get to make a little costume. As you can see, Cailyn was a Pilgrim(cutest pilgrim around if I do say so myself). Overall she had a great time and I was glad that Jason was able to be there with her.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Our big 6-year-old

2010-11-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

Our Baby girl turned 6 this month. We can hardly believe how time flies. Her birthday was on a Sunday this year so we had her party on Saturday with a handful of friends. We played games, destroyed a pinata, and had cupcakes and hot cocoa. Oh yeah, and she opened presents. Thank you to all that attended and helped make our little girl feel special.

Some things that you might not know about Cailyn:

Her favorite color is PURPLE

She LOVES school(she gets the best conduct color almost everyday)

She is running everywhere she goes and will make anything a race if allowed.

She loves to draw, paint, color, write, cut, paste, etc. Basically she is an artist(which means craft stores are dangerous to go to with her)

She has a great memory(thank you Daddy for sharing that gene)

She has a beautiful smile that she willingly shares for all to enjoy.

She is very creative with story telling and has very innovative ideas.

She loves to have a plan and know just what is going on, yet

she is spontaneous at the same time.

There is no one like this gorgeous little Daughter of our Heavenly Father.

On Sunday morning Cailyn opened this present from her Mommy and Daddy(which Daddy picked out all by himself). She loved(and by that I mean LOVED) it and was extremely excited to wear it to church. Don't you love her crazy hair. It looks like that every morning.

Cailyn, We love you and are Eternally Blessed to have you in our Family!!!

We LOVE Da!

2010-11-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Da is one of our favorite people. He has such a contagious smile and his "loves" are the best.

Boo!

2010-11-15T20:56:00.000-08:00

Jessica. . . or is it?

Cailyn, the pretty witch.

Little Devil David!

Jessica as Glinda, the good witch of the north.

We had a Happy Halloween!

Running and Flying

2010-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

It is a little embarrassing how long it has been since I have blogged. I want to do my best to catch up. I will start with just a few things that have happened since the last time anyone heard from the Texas Holloways.

Jason has always been a runner, but this year he has been pretty serious about taking up the sport. He has done 2 official races and run MANY miles in between. He placed in both races. We are very proud of him.

Our strong runner.

The silver medalist and his cheering squad.

The cheering section at the best.

David taking a little walk.

Jason's equipment. He got teased by some of the other runners about him running in "Chucks".

In October we had some visitors. I am not very good at taking pictures often so I didn't get any pictures of Uncle Brandon. He was here for the entire month of October and we greatly enjoyed his visit. Thank you for coming, now we are waiting for y'all to move down here.

My Uncle Les was another visitor in October. We had a fun time having him around. One of the most unique things about his visit was him flying us around in his plane. Thank you, we had a blast.

The Red Flyer.

Uncle Les

The pilot

The co-pilot

The passengers.

Brain secretary please

2010-09-08T04:37:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those moments when you have really deep thoughts(you know the ones that help you to better yourself), but they are so mixed in with other thoughts they don't come out clearly. I feel at times I have so much going on in my brain that I can't focus on what is truly important. Does that happen to everyone?

Since we have been back from vacation I haven't been able to really get anything done. I can't focus. It seems I am just doing what needs to be done to get by, but that I am making no real progress. Like I am in neutral, unable to put myself in gear. It is frustrating.

It has been raining a lot here and so I didn't get to go walking yesterday morning with my Dad. So, last night in the intermission of the rain I went running. I think that my mind was more clear then than it has been in several weeks. I am trying to make myself into a runner, but I just don't like the process. I can't stand to sweat, or the soreness that comes from a run, or struggling to breathe. It feels like a waste of time most of the time because I have so many others things I should be doing(0r I am missing out on precious sleep). However, I do love that after I run I have this sense of accomplishment. I love that I feel more energized and motivated to do my chores. I feel like I have just done something positive 'just for me'. I feel almost thinner/prettier. I just wish that I could get that from something else. Until I figure what that something else is, I will continue to walk and run.

This may seem random and unorganized, but it is all coming from an overloaded brain unable to file information. It is like that drawer that everyone has with papers, pens, bills, etc. You know that what you are looking for is in there, you just can't find it when you need it. I guess what I am trying to say is that I think I will be able to get in gear if I run more frequently(you know, to clear my mind). I have gotten out of the habit of going every day and I need to do it again. I just wish I liked the process a little better. It would sure make it easier to get out of bed.

Summer 2010

2010-08-26T12:34:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that school has already started. I would have said that summer was over, but as it is still HOT outside I don't think that truly applies right now. When I look at how long it has been since I last posted I get a bit embarrassed. SOOOO much has happened since then. I will try to update slowly to better my chances of remembering everything.

We took 2 vacations this summer, both several states away and we drove to both of them. Oh yeah, and we only had 2 weeks in between them. Crazy you say. I would totally agree. We have decided that we are not going to do that again, EVER!

Originally we were traveling to Utah for Jason's graduation. However, we discovered that there was no possible way to get there in time for the ceremony so we just made it into a family trip to Idaho(visiting Jason's family).

================================================

Park fun including lots of racing, popcorn and some cheese balls.

================================================
When you are from Texas and the summers are so miserable, you spend as much time outside as you can when visiting Idaho. And we did. We ate outside every night. Went to parks, Jensen's grove, and of course the beautiful backyard of Lita and Papa. Thank you so much for helping our summer be unforgettable. We love y'all.

silly girls pretending to be asleep

Camella and McKenna

Chelsi's face says it all. Pure Happiness!!!

================================================

We have the best Lita around!!!!
=============================================

Jensen's Grove:

predictable fun!

==============================================

Church group sponsored activities:

face painting, picture frames, music, dancing, acting, and

oh yeah--- SNOW CONES!!!!

We had a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed teeth changing snow cones!

================================================

Two weeks later we got back into the car(Da's car this time because our van broke down-luckily while we were in Texas and not somewhere on either trips) to travel to Ohio to have a little family reunion celebrating Tyler coming home from his Church Mission to The Dominican Republic. It was great to see him again(we missed you Tyler). Unfortunately I completely forgot our camera for the trip so I don't have any pictures. We had so much fun. Activities include: spending time with cousins, in-laws, Broadway shows, egg tosses, 5K race, musical catch phrase, IMAX, children amusement park, Church historical sites, Amish country, date night, lots of yummy food, etc. Basically FUN, FUN, FUN!!! It was hard to leave, and hard to get home. Talk about exhaustion.

We are home now and adjusting to our new schedule. We have big goals we are working on and I will share those as we are progressing with them.

David is "pushing" his own weight around here

2010-07-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last week Da was out of town. He went north to visit family. While he was gone it rained and rained and rained. That means that the grass grew and grew and grew. Jason and I had to mow the lawn twice. However we didn't have to do it alone. David came out to help. The first time I came to get him and feed him some breakfast while Jason finished. The second day he helped Jason finish. What a trooper. Jason said that he didn't even get tired or slow down at all. Let's just pray that he continues to want to help when he is big/old enough to do it himself.

Just a piece of paper?

2010-07-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Definitely the most exciting thing that has happened this summer is:

JASON GRADUATED!

WE LOVE YOU DADDY!

We could not be more proud of Daddy/Jason. He has worked so hard, for what seems like ever since I have known him. He did a phenomenal job juggling school with home and church responsibilities. The best part is that we get to spend more time with him now. We don't know what the future holds for his career, but this degree certainly cannot hurt.

I am so proud of you Jason.

I couldn't ask for a better man to be my husband/best friend.

I love you!!!

Lost

2010-07-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I lost my phone. It nearly drove me crazy. I went through everything, retracing my steps, calling the phone every 5 minutes. It was completely gone. I was constantly distracted, unable to do my normal routine. I was certain that either I had left it in the grocery basket that morning(yes I went there and called all day), or David had thrown it in the trash(which was taken to the street when the truck had come). I was in the process of getting it turned off and replaced all day with the necessary people all the while panicked that I had lost all the numbers and contacts, not to mention the last recording of Mom's voice. Needless to say I was devastated.
Today the kids and I went to visit Memema and Aunt Kathy(and of course see that beautiful new baby of Sadie's) in Arlington. I gave the kids a small baggie of honey nut cheerios for the ride home. It was obviously not small enough because there were cheerios all over the seat and floor of the van when we got home. So, after bathroom visits we got some trash bags and proceeded to clean up the back seat. While crouched under the seat I saw a familiar little contraption. IT WAS MY PHONE! My first thought was that the Lord works is mysterious ways. I probably would not have found the phone early enough to not get it turned off without that mess there. Then my thoughts turned to my blame of David. I immediately felt guilty for blaming my mistake on sweet little David.
This evening Jason and I went in search of the missing DVD remote. And while going through EVERY toy box, couch, drawer, and cabinet was a lot of fun, it was only when we went through the kitchen trash can that we found the remote. My feeling of guilt vanished instantly. THAT I can blame on David without any doubt.

3-year old Jessica!!!

2010-06-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Jessica!

We had a party for Jessica on Thursday night(even though her birthday was Friday) so Jason could join us(Fridays are late nights for him at work). So we celebrated Jessica at Chuckie Cheeses(of course, because Cailyn had her party there). It was really fun. Pizza, games, friends, family, cake, presents, balloons. What more could she ask for? (Don't answer that). Overall it was a great night(even though the air-conditioning wasn't working right). We absolutely LOVE our sweet and extreme Jessica Faith!

I think she liked it!

Anything pink is always a good thing, but when it is also accessories, you can't go wrong.

David with a stolen cup.

It's cake time. Oh Yeah!

Cailyn doing her best to show her Texan heart!

Jessica didn't handle the horse well. Scared the entire time. I guess her Texan pride is harder to reach.

One of our favorites!

The makings of a great birthday party.

Another Barbie cake. *Warning: a self patting of the back coming. I couldn't find any tips to decorate the cake so I used a children's medicine syringe. Pretty good considering huh? Cinderella's shirt and necklace are made of icing. She must be modest, right?

The princess and the King.

Happy Birthday, Princess Jessica!

Go Da, Go!!!

2010-06-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago the kids and I went to see Da play softball for a team at his work. It was early in the morning so it wasn't too hot. It was fun to watch him play. We didn't get to stay for the entire game because David kept trying to run into the field. We were glad we went, and it looked like Da had a good time also.

The Da Fan Club!

These shoes were about 2 days old and EVERYONE heard about them. *please ignore the dirty feet!!!

David is such a cool kid. He found a water bottle wrapper and took it to the trash can without anyone prompting him. Way cool!

Devouring popcorn & good literature

2010-05-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

For both our families growing up it was a tradition to eat popcorn on Sunday night, so it wasn't hard to keep that going with our little ones. Last night we set up the popcorn in the kids room. Even Emma got in on the fun.

Jason keeping the girls occupied.

Isn't Andrea beautiful? She joined us at the end for family scripture study and prayers.

Sweet little hands enjoying the treat.

When I say devouring, I mean it!

2 people who have the most contagious smiles I have ever seen. I sure do love them!

Sweet little Emma!

Our Handsome David!(he would crinkle his nose to do his cheesy smile, but stop just before my camera would take the picture--little stinker)

How's that for cheesy smile? She saw that I wanted one from David and he wasn't working with me, so she helped me out. How observant and sweet!

Our little girl isn't so little anymore! What a beauty?

Running

2010-05-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

I had a very detailed dream last night. It was very insightful and frightening at the same time. I am trying to write this down before I get so distracted that I forget. I have already forgotten enough already. Here is how it goes.

I am jogging/running on a residential road. Running past houses and
feeling the cool air breeze across my face and make its way through my
hair. I am enjoying the time alone and the feeling of accomplishing a
goal. All of a sudden another female runner passes me. Not really
fast, just a steady pass. She doesn't seem to notice me until I say
'hello'. She politely says hello and to enjoy my run. As I am
running behind her she slowly gets farther and farther away, but I begin to
realize that she is me. Not me as I am now, but a perfect version of
me. I began to examine her closer and was able to see her deeply.

She was in great shape. She had a real, happy smile. She was
enjoying her run, but was excited to spend the day with her children. She
never raises her voice to them and always uses a gentle hand. She never
complains about her chores. She cheerfully cuts coupons and pinches
pennies. She lovingly supports her husband's work/school/church
obligations without any complaints. She magnifies her own
calling. She recognizes when she needs help and asks for it when the time
calls. She offers help to other mothers who are struggling. She
provides healthy, delicious meals to her family and patiently helps her children
eat them. She never moans about personal sacrifice for her family and
loved ones, just readjusts her schedule and life for them. She sets goals
and works very hard to reach them. She studies the Gospel everyday for an
hour just after her run. She makes sure that her family does FHE every
week and reads/studies the scriptures daily. She has family prayers many
times a day. She bears her testimony to her children and helps them
to find theirs. I could go on and on. Like I said, she is the
perfect version of me.

Eventually she is so far ahead of me that I can no longer see her. I
am then left with the much less perfect me, almost hobbling along at this
point.

That is the last thing I remember before I was woken up this morning.

I think it is interesting that I was running in the dream because I want to be a runner. I have wanted to be a runner for quite some time now. I try to force myself into it, but lose steam. It is like I am trying to be something I can't. Just like the dream. I am trying to force myself to be this perfect Mindi, but I will never catch up. There are times when I can be a little closer to her, but only in 1 or 2 ways at a time.

So I am torn today. Was this dream a way of telling me that I can never be her, or was it showing me what I could be if I keep pushing myself. I guess it could be both, huh?

I will settle on this: If I keep working diligently to accomplish my goals I can accomplish remarkable things, but I will have to put my trust in the Lord and His atonement to actually catch up to 'perfect Mindi'. With the Lord in my life/heart I CAN be her.

"Mommy, I don't want to take a nap. Can I please watch a movie?"

2010-05-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

"Sure honey. Let me lay David down."

Then I walk in to find Jess like this.

She may not have wanted a nap, but she obviously needed one.

Isn't she just so sweet?

Carefully holding on to her new toy.

I love you Jess!!

Totally disgusting, no good Roaches!!!

2010-05-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

Da went to a robotics convention a while ago and came home with bugs. Ugh! Texas and its bugs. I thought that I would show y'all a video of the icky roaches Da brought home. Enjoy!

Robotic Roaches. We were still ironing out the rules while playing with these cool new toys during that video, but have gotten MUCH BETTER since then. We set up the "house" differently each time. I have had to replace the batteries already. They have even been on a trip to Cailyn's classroom. The kids will sit and watch the roaches for the better part of half and hour(before we start to forget the rules). So lets just say that Mommy is happy that Da brought home bugs. I wish I had taken a video of the first time we got them out. David was more than a little unsure of them. He was mesmerized, but he didn't want to be too close. He has since then relaxed, but it was hilarious to watch him.

For the record, I have never seen a real roach in Dad's house. I have seen a few(only a few) spiders, and of course mosquitoes, but NEVER ROACHES! I am truly grateful for that. I loathe roaches.

Museum

2010-05-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

One of the things we love to do is go to the museum. We have it down to a science. We usually only have an hour and a half due to Cailyn's afternoon school, which means that we can only go to one floor(and usually only one wing of that floor. So on the way in we have to decide what we want to do. If we do not do this we end up with a huge fight and usually a fit. We also take MANY bathroom breaks while there. Overall we have a blast every time we go.

Officer Cailyn

Firefighter Jessica

Bus Driver David

David's favorite rooms are the animal rooms.

Cailyn's favorite room is the village.

Jessica doesn't really have a favorite, but this vehicle room is definitely on the top of her list.

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 7

2010-05-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to
be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and
service next to the angels.
--Heber J. Grant

My final dedication goes to my mother, Becky Gropp(Meme). I love her dearly and am so honored to have had her as my mother. She always took care of those she loved. She made it a point to help others feel important and special. She never tired of mothering. Mom taught me many things that I strive to do daily. Some of the most important things she taught by example. For instance : daily prayers, daily scripture study, healing hugs, church attendance, magnifying callings, a happy marriage(not always easy, but happy), cleaning house, Temple attendance, sharing the Gospel, getting an education, family dinners, striving to better oneself, and the list could go on and on. I know that I am who I am today because of her influence and am grateful. I try each day to be as good of a mother as she was(is).
I would never give up those difficult last few weeks with her. I cherish those memories and that time. What a blessing it was to care for such a remarkable person. I love her and ache for her deeply. Happy Birthday and Mother's Day Mom. I miss you!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 6

2010-05-05T19:06:00.001-07:00

Let your first business be to perform your duties at home. But
inasmuch as you are wise stewards. . . you will find that your capacity will
increase, and you will be astonished at what you can
accomplish.
--Eliza R. Snow

I honor my paternal grandmother, Grandma Gropp, with this quote. When I think of her life and what she did and accomplished, I am honestly astonished. I grow weary. It seems that she has been doing hard labor since she was a little girl and I don't remember her ever stopping. After only being married for a short while her husband was hurt in a bad accident leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. She never tired of caring for him, which she did until his passing in May of 2004; a relfection of her love for him. Grandma only slowed down when her body wouldn't allow her to do it anymore. I am grateful that she knew how to work and taught that to her children(and all who knew her). She loved her beautiful/yummy garden, a clean house, and something to keep her busy. She was constantly going or doing. She was not always the most affectionate person; she was known for her hard work. What I see is that she loved deeply and cared unceasingly. She always wanted to help in some way. I have many fond memories visiting with her and wish I could now. I love you Grandma. Happy Mother's Day!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 5

2010-05-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

If I had the choice of educating a boy or a girl, I would educate the
girl. If you educate a boy, you educate one, but if you educate a girl,
you educate a generation.
--Brigham Young

This quote is in honor of my maternal grandmother, Memema. She lost her husband in 1971, while she had 2 daughters at BYU and 3 children still at home. I am so impressed by her. You see, I lived in her house for 10 years growing up. I wouldn't say that she was the easiest person to get to know during those years, but she has grown to be one of my favorite people. I love to talk to her about what is going on in my life because she always seems to be so excited when my kids hit another milestone, AND she has a very insightful way of looking at things. Sometimes if feels like when I am struggling with a decision the light seems to have been turned on while talking to her and I can see the options more clearly. I value her as a grandmother, mother and friend.

Memema I love you and miss you terribly. Thank you for listening to me, laughing with me and helping me grow. You are truly a choice daughter of God. I love you and Happy Mother's Day!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 4

2010-05-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

"The noblest calling in the world is motherhood. True motherhood is
the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who
can paint a masterpiece, or who can write a book that will influence millions,
deserves the admiration and plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully
a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose immortal souls will
exert an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded,
and books and statues shall have decayed or have been destroyed, deserves the
highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God."

-David O. McKay

I share this quote in honor of my beautiful Mother-in-law, Anita "Lita" Holloway. The more I get to know her and her children the more I am impressed with the mother she is. From the first moment I met her(8 years ago) she has been nothing but sincere and loving. She is a wonderful example of Charity, the pure love of Christ.
I am truly blessed to have you as my Mother(in-law). It is wonderful to be able to confide in someone and know that I am not being judged, just loved. Thank you for raising Jason the way you did, teaching him the Gospel, and for your unconditional love. You are an amazing woman and I love you. Happy Mother's Day!!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 3

2010-05-05T04:45:00.001-07:00

Mother to Child

Look--
Your littel fist fits mine
Like the pit in a plum.

One day and one size
These two hands
Will clasp companionably.

Help me, child.
Forgive me when I fail you.
I'm your mother, true,
But in the end
Merely an older equal
Doing her faltering best
For a dear, small friend.
Carol Lynn Pearson

I dedicate this poem to my beautiful Aunt Tricia. Over the years of raising 7 children she has supported and struggled(as most do). Now I see a strong, loving, and ever serving mother/Nana. I grow tired just thinking of everything she does for her children, grandchildren and husband. She is a wonderful example of someone who puts others before herself.
I cannot begin to think of how hard it would have been for me(not to mention Memema) through those years(and final months) of Mom's life. You are a beautiful, talented, and compassionate daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves you and is proud of you. Thank you for your continual mothering and your friendship. I love you. Happy Mother's Day!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 2

2010-05-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

The Vow

How could I hide you from hate?
I would, though my arms break with the trying.

Life leans in at the window there
With its bag of dark treasures
Trying for your eyes
So utterly open, so unaware.

You will see men smile over blood
And you will know there is hate.
You may see bombs and butcheries
And you will know there is horror.

Against all this what can I do?
Only vow that before you leave my arms
You will know past ever doubting
That there is love, too.
Carol Lynn Pearson

I dedicate this poem to another beautiful mother in my life, My Aunt Kathy. Knowing and watching many of the struggles she has had with the evils in this world attacking her children and those she loves, I have been impressed with her ability to still see the beauty in life. She knows how to love and protect deeply. I admire this in her. Her strength and compassion. Thank you Aunt Kathy for everything you have done and do for me and my family. Many times you have stepped in and been my mother right when she would have if she had been here. I love you. Happy Mother's Day!!

A Tribute to the Mothers in My Life: Part 1

2010-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

Stop waiting to be happy--
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your new job comes along
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you lose 10 lbs
Until you gain 10 lbs
Until you get married
Until you get divorced
Until you have kids
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die
Anonymous

I dedicate this poem to a beautiful mother in my life, my Aunt Dinah. She is such a fun person. She doesn't wait to be happy or have fun, she enjoys life now. She has a remarkable ability to see the good and positive aspects of every situation. I love her example of experiencing joy along the path of life. Thank you Aunt Dinah for your love, your friendship, and most of all for being a good mother(which includes to me). Happy Mother's Day!!!

The Cool Red Button

2010-04-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have two things that made me smile today(well actually MANY, but only 2 I am going to share at the moment).

#1 The vacuum was in the living room still plugged in from a run in there before naps and right after I changed David's diaper he thought it looked interesting. Everything else on the vacuum was grey or blue(BORING), but there was an interesting bright red button right where he could reach, so he did. Wow the look of alarm on his face as he pushed the unknown button was priceless. I had a hard time stopping my laughter. He and Jessica(who was also quite interested but knew better than to touch something she didn't know) both jumped and had a mad dash for me. It didn't actually turn on all the way, just started to. I was laughing and so with their relieved hearts they did too. Then it turned into a game. Who would have the courage to push the red button again? Jessica would get really close and then stand up and look at me saying, " I just can't, Mommy." Eventually, David did it again and the we had the exact same reaction(even with the knowledge of what would happen). I love moments like this one that make me belly laugh!

#2 I have a clean vacuumed carpet in the living room! :)

Blessing for the day: Children I can laugh and play with.

Spring Flowers!

2010-04-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

I took all of these pictures of flowers I found in Dad's yard. Wow! I love the look of Spring in Texas. The trick with living here is keeping the children from picking them!

Blessing of the Day: The peace that comes from looking at beauty!

Sprinkler Fun!

2010-04-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

It was a bit warmer the other day so we started a sprinkler in the back yard. The kids had a great time for a while, but the breeze got a bit too cold for all of them. It didn't last long, but it was great while it did. As you will be able to see, some of them liked it more than others. Good thing big sister Cailyn came to the rescue. What a bunch of cuties!

Baby Collin has arrived!

2010-04-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

He is so kissable!

"What?! This thing is staying?"

Born: April 12, 2010 Around 4:00 pm

Weight: 8 pounds 6 ounces

inches: 21

"This is MY mommy!"

It is nice to live with a newborn and not be in-charge.

So I get a baby fix without actually having a baby.

He is such a cutie-pie. Emma does love him and is a great big sister.
Welcome Collin, we love you!

Morning fun

2010-04-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided that chores(which usually takes me about 2 hours to get done) weren't as important as spending time with my kids. So just after breakfast we went to the park. This park is just down the road from where I grew up. I played many days at this park in my youth. We had so much fun racing in the field, running on the track, and playing at the playground.

I LOVE SPRING!

Sleepless

2010-04-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

I am wide awake and don't know why. It is driving me crazy. I can count on one hand the number of times this has happened to me. I can understand better those that have this problem and I am SO SORRY.

As I was laying in bed staring at the ceiling or trying to force my eyes shut I was thinking, "What does one do when they can't sleep?" I thought of many things I needed to do before church tomorrow, but all of that makes noise and everyone else in the house is sleeping. I know nothing worth watching would be on TV, and so I sit here blogging. Watch out, it could be a little weird to be in Mindi's head this late at night.

Those of you who know my father know that he is very passionate about politics. Lately I have been really paying attention to all of that, mostly because I desire conversation material with my father, but also because it scares me. I don't feel like i know enough about all of it to carry on a debate with anyone, but the whole government take over mentality in Washington is pretty scary and it looms over me. I know that it is a very controversial subject and I don't want to offend anyone but I feel like I need to say just a couple of things about it.

Why do the politicians not seem to care what Americans' want or need? Are they really that selfish and power hungry? How did America let this happen to itself? How did WE let this happen?

I go from feeling hopeful to feeling defeated, back and forth each day. I hear the different things that the politicians are saying and doing and feel like they have full control and We, the People only have 1 weapon(votes). It doesn't seem to be a fair fight. But, as I read in the scriptures I realize that they are filled with examples of seemingly unfair fights. The faithful always conquer in the end. Why? Because they are fighting with the power of God.

It all boils down to one thing(in my mind and heart): We need to be FAITHFUL! We need to trust in our GOD. We need to pay attention to the prompting of the SPIRIT! I think that there are too many good people who seem to think that our faith and relationship with the Holy Ghost stops with church or making decisions about the commandments. It doesn't! We need to rely on the Spirit for ALL our decisions. This includes politics.

I don't know about all of you, but the current politicians leave my heart and mind uneasy. The Spirit is telling me that something is wrong and we need to do something to change it.

I pray daily that we, as Americans, as Children of God, will decide to make a positive change. That we will do what it takes to preserve this beautiful country that so many have died and suffered to give to us. I know that if we live close to the Spirit and heed His promptings, then we can!

God Bless America! (it needs it)

Who has the power

2010-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday someone from Dad's Ward came by to see Andrea's baby and Emma was holding a headless Heman. This is how the conversation went:

Sister: "Who is that"

Jessica: "That's Heman"

Sister: " Oh!"

Jessica: very matter-of-factly " He has the power"

I'm Sorry!!!

2010-04-15T07:54:00.001-07:00

So lately I have been thinking and I have come to the realization that Jason is definitely the better half. I know that no one is perfect, but he comes a GREAT DEAL closer than I do. He is such a gentle person. He is patient and kind. He is such a good example of someone who thinks through his thoughts before he expresses them to anyone(a skill I have a ways to go to master). Sometimes it feels like it takes Jason an abnormally long to make decisions, but I am learning that this is a good thing. I would much rather wait a little longer for a good decision and avoid bad ones than just having everything in a short amount of time(does that make sense?). Some of the worst decisions we have made as a couple have been ones I made or ones I rushed him into.

We have received an offer on our house and are supposed to be closing soon(HOORAY!). However, that means that we are now in the process of looking for a house. I know this seems like a lot of fun(and sometimes it is), but with 3 small children in tow and an hour at least to drive to each house it becomes extremely taxing. We have looked at 4 houses this week; thrown 2 out of the running; fallen in love with one; and grown sad because we disagree about some things. I want to say that I LOVE the house we saw yesterday. It is everything I have ever wanted in a house and within our price range. I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I will probably never have that house and I am trying my hardest not to be too emotional over it, but I will need many prayers to accomplish that. You see, that PERFECT HOUSE has an offer already on it and that would rush us into making a decision(which Jason is uncomfortable with). It would also put us in a new Ward/Branch and we are not sure that is what we want to do. I guess I am just torn by many things and am trying to figure it out. Unfortunately I have let my emotions get the better of me and have been pretty mean to Jason. So I am publicly apologizing to him for not being more like him. I love you Jason and will try harder to slow my emotions and thoughts down to spiritually look at the situation. Thank you for everything you do including: working long hours, commuting about 1 1/2 hours a day, overlooking my downfalls, being my listening ear and eyes on the outside, being the best Dad my children could ever have, and basically putting up with me. I love you!

New pictures

2010-04-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

Jason's sister's family came to Texas last week and I realized that I have been so out of the whole blogging thing long enough that I didn't even carry my camera with me to all of our outings. I am totally embarrassed that I hadn't taken any pictures that I decided to take tons of pictures. So, here are just a few of the shots I have taken lately. Among them are Easter shots and Texas Bluebonnet pictures. I absolutely LOVE Texas bluebonnets and they are in full bloom all over the place right now. Spring wildflowers in Texas are my favorite, so vibrant and fun. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Wow, Lynnae you are gonna have to scare the girls away from this handsome guy.

Becca has such a fun personality.

2 of some of my favorite people. This picture will ALWAYS bring a smile to my face.

These girls love each other, can you tell?

What a sweet little girl!

I LOVE these kids.

She is growing too fast.

Don't you want to squeeze him?

AWE!

David's First Birthday

2010-03-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday our sweet, adorable David turned the BIG # 1. I can't believe that he has been here for an entire year already. We had a quaint little family party with pizza, presents, and of course cake and ice cream. As you can see David enjoyed each part of the evening. I am not sure that he even ate any of is cake, but that isn't the point is it?

A few things about David that make him such a special little guy:

He loves people and interacting with them, which includes a smile every time.

He has been walking for about 3 weeks now, most of the time carrying something(usually a trash can or a toy box).

He can eat 2 full corn dogs in one sitting. That's my little man.

He loves batman and his cars(Daddy loves to play with him; it is nice to have someone around with his same maturity level--he he)

He is completely possessive of his mommy(something new to THIS mommy, which she loves most of the time).

Because he loves to smile and see smiles, he is definitely our peacemaker. Occasionally Mommy and David take a time-out together to restore a good mood. Thank you every time David.

Bottom line is WE LOVE YOU DAVID!

We are so happy you are a part of our family.

Much needed post

2010-02-23T18:36:00.000-08:00

Weather in Texas is so weird and unpredictable(except in the summer, it is ALWAYS hot). One day we can have the most perfect 70 degree sunny day and the very next day we can have snow and/or ice. None the less we have had many days enjoying the weather at the park. It is so fun to watch the kids explore and try new things. They notice and examine the smallest things. It's incredible. And then there is my husband who is still just as much a kid with the most interesting thought process. Will I ever be able to follow that? I truly hope not!

Back off ladies, he's mine!!!

The best sounds in the world are baby/children giggles.

A couple of weeks ago Jason took some time off of work so I could go to San Antonio for a music teachers convention. It was a wonderful 4 days of change. I felt like Mindi again. However, when it was time to come home I was READY to see my family again. The kids and Jason had some homemade cards and vases of flowers for me. It was the best thing in the world to come home to such a loving family rested and rejuvenated.

My BEAUTIFUL flowers. The girls flowers were pink, but they wilted faster.

Sunday was such a gorgeous day we went to the park just before dinner. Today it snowed all day long. We are expected to get snow for several days now. CRAZY!!

This morning around 10:30.

Christmas Time is Here

2009-12-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

Presents here
and presents there

fun for all that children call their favorite time of year

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

Naughty

Nice

sick princess

happy princess

All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth

or dinosaurs

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

pumpkin carving by Jason.

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. We LOVE candy and we LOVE dressing up. (when I say we I mean all of us---including Jason). We were happy to be able to spend halloween with family and friends. We spent the evening with Lynnae and her kids, Cory and his family, Da, and many of the Eyers family. It was lots of fun. And most importantly we got Tons and TONS of candy.

This year Cailyn was Ariel(at the end when she is getting married)

Jessica was Sleeping Beauty

And David was a box of cookies with Maycie(his oldest cousin) as the cookie monster. However last week at the church carnival he was mickey mouse--we will get a picture of that for you soon.

Keaton was a football player.

Becca was Tinker Bell.

Emma(Cory's little girl) was the cutest little lady bug out there.

Teagan(Amy's youngest) was Cinderella, Madelynn(Heather's oldest) was a cowgirl and Ethan(Heather's youngest) was a cowboy.

Our trick-or-treating group says: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

a little Holloway happenings

2009-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share some of the things that have happened in our family lately.

Since my last 'real' post:

*The anniversary of Mom's death and funeral.(difficult because it is now sinking in that it is a semi-permanent situation--I know, how slow can Mindi be)

*Beginning of August Jason received a promotion(including a transfer) at work.

*We put our house up for sale(which includes many little repairs and a few bigger ones)--I am tired

*Cailyn started school. Pre-K was fun for a week in Mineral Wells before we moved.

*Jason was starting work in Hillsboro August 31 so we moved to Waco until our house sells.

*Cailyn got her hair cut. She got a lot older in just about 30 minutes. Thank you Shelia for cutting it. We Love you!

*We decided to put Cailyn in school here in Waco and she is loving it.

*David started sitting up, then crawling. He received his first 2 teeth and the next 2 are on the way.

We are still getting used to living in 2 rooms which are detached from the house, but it is much better then being far away from Jason. We have not had much luck selling our house so your prayers are requested. In the mean time we are enjoying the chaos at Da's house with 5 adults and 4 young children in the house. I hope to do a better job keeping up with my blog. It does seem that lately there are not enough minutes in the day, or that I have turned into a chicken with her head cut off(who just so happens to have 3 little chicks teasing and torturing her).

I love you and miss you.

I miss my blog

2009-09-21T19:54:00.001-07:00

Just a little shout out to say Hello and that I will be back soon. Sorry for being gone so long. I truly miss this blogging thing.