Holden has a Girlfriend!

Or at least so he says. The other night came home and declared "Mia is my girlfriend". I guess we knew this was coming. I just did not realize it would be soon!!

Fun Holden Stories

I can't believe that Holden is already five. He is such a funny little guy. Always saying something out of nowhere and making my dear husband and I giggle. His teachers call him "the little professor" and "Mr. McCarthy". He recently had a play date with Grandma and Grandpa and they spent the afternoon gathering wheat, separating the wheat from the chaff, and grinding it into flour. The following day Holden asked his teacher if he could give a presentation to the class. The teacher later relayed to me that Holden was quite descriptive and gave the class a full and detailed account of what he and Grandma and Grandpa had done. At the end of his presentation the teacher told him thank you and asked him to sit down. Holden then said, as only Holden can, "but teacher, I'm ready for questions and comments". Which is so classic Holden it's not even funny!

Another favorite is when we went to Sacramento to visit Gabe's Grandma Jenny he appointed another gardener to take care of the school's garden. He was super concerned that something would happen to it in the next five days. So he asked his buddy Chloe if she would take care of it for him while he was gone. He even went so far as to inform all of the teachers of his selection.

Another classic is when my dear husband and I went to go watch one of Holden's school swim classes. We were quite surprised when we saw Holden in with the three year olds. (Holden can jump off the diving board and swim half the length of a nine foot pool). It was ridiculously funny watching him. He was so happy and proud of himself floating in the two foot pool. The teacher kept telling him how great he was doing. Little did she know that he was totally snowing all of them. Such a stinker. We are in trouble as he can talk his way out of anything!!

My husband and I are in love with this little guy and we can not believe that another year has passed. He is such a sweet caring boy. Full of life and full of laughter. I hope that he never loses his kind and caring nature.

Love you buddy!

Yurting is Exciting!

We had an exciting time yurting this camping season. Exciting is the only word that could possibly describe our experience. We left early on Friday July 3rd to meet up with my husband's Mother and her husband in Idaho City. While we were waiting we decided to go get an ice cream cone from a place that my husband's sister worked when they lived there. In Holden's excitement to get an ice cream, he slammed his finger in the car door. Completely. It was one of those delayed screaming moments. The one where your child starts inhaling quite a bit of air before delivering the deafening earsplitting shriek. His finger had started to bleed, so I dashed into the car, snagged a bandaid, wrapped his finger, and swooped him up into my arms. The poor guy. It must of hurt horribly bad. But after a little ice cream and the promise of camping, he started to regain normalcy rather quick - especially in light of his injury.

At last, we met up with Gabe's Mother and we were on our way. The Yurt that we stayed at required a fairly decent fire road drive along with a .2 mile hike. It was beautiful. At the end of the hike, the yurt was at the end of a point with an amazing view. The yurt was perfect - it had dishes and a wood burning stove and pots and pans and the most glorious propane burning stove that we've ever had while camping! Totally fantastic. Friday night went off without a hitch. Everyone pitched in with the unloading of our cars. We had time for a little exploring and then we started right in with making a fire and roasting hot dogs. Because I was camping with my in-laws who are absolute masters at this sort of thing, we also had homemade ice cream that was beyond tasty and insanely tasty dutch over brownies. After our feast, we washed down the kids and bundled them for bed. What is so terrific about camping, is that after the kids are in bed, we had a chance for some great adult time. We were able to sit around the campfire and complete our sentences without the kids interrupting us. It was awesome!

Saturday morning we woke up and it was darn cool in our yurt. After the woodburning stove was roaring I got the kids dressed. Holden had watched his Grandma warm herself by the stove. Without thinking about what I was witnessing Holden actually pressed his backside to the stove for a decent amount of time. After he pulled away he shrieked, "It's too hot!" I instantly smelled something hot and burning. Of course. He had burned a huge hole into the back of his fleece jacket. If I hadn't of dressed the kids in several layers, he would have suffered a small burn. Yikes!

The rest of Saturday went without incident. We took a safari into the forest. We hiked around the campground. The kids played with the friendly beetles. They hauled firewood back and forth to the yurt and to the campfire. And we spent some time lounging in our camp chairs and staring at the beautiful forest.
Saturday night the kids did not want to go to sleep. We listened to the giggle and chit chat for about an hour. I think each of us took a turn trying to con them into a slumber. Finally it was Mommy that they wanted and I went in and rubbed their backs until they drifted off to sleep.
Early Sunday morning Holden fell off the bottom bunk of his bunk bed. It was completely pitch black as I vaulted over to him so that he wouldn't wake everyone up. I grabbed him off the ground and put him inside my sleeping bag to help him back to sleep. He fell asleep after a little while.

The next morning we were all kicking around the yurt and Holden was still snuggled into my sleeping bag. Finally it was time for breakfast so I asked him if he was ready to get up. He responded that his, "lip still hurt". I thought -- lip STILL hurts? Interesting. So I pulled down the sleeping bag and was simply horrified by what I saw. His mouth was huge!! There was also a teeny amount of blood right above his chin. We snagged some ice and had him hold it against his mouth. After everything was set for breakfast I decided to look inside his mouth to check to see if his teeth were okay. Inside his lip was a mess. I discreetly asked Grandma to take a peek. I whispered in her ear that I thought that he bitten all the way through his lip. We all took a peek and we all decided that he had completely bitten through.

In a flash my husband I packed up our stuff and started a shuttle to our car. Remember that we had a .2 mile hike in? We put Holden in the car last. Of course he had a fever. Of course he looked terrible. Of course we were over an hour away to our house and an urgent care center. Ugh. On the way home Holden kept throwing up and then crying because it hurt his mouth. Poor guy!

The urgent care person confirmed our fears. He had indeed bitten all the way through. We went home, unloaded our stuff, and started taking care of our poor little Holden. In spite of all of the excitement. We still managed to have an amazing time!!

Lions & Cousins - Oh My!!

While my sweet husband's sister was in town, we took all of the cousins to the zoo. It was so much fun to get the cousins together and let them properly terrorize the town. To our shock, the cousins were terrorized by one of the female lions at our zoo!! The kids were standing in front of her cage when all of a sudden she stalked up and looked a little angry. Then wham! She struck her giant paw against the glass. She did it again, and again, and again. It made poor Spencer scream! Luckily I had my trusty camera to catch the moment.

We later found an elephant statue that misted and a jeep that sat all three Cousins.

Everyone seemed to have a good time. Cousin Lucy slept through most of it. I did manage to sneak a quick photo of her as well.

"Guy Code"

While my husband's relatives were visiting from Portland, Holden was asked to explain what "Guy Code" was really all about. His answer, "Geico is saving money." I think he might be telling us in his own way that we let him watch too much television.

Holden's First Sleepover!

Holden had his first sleepover on Saturday night. I am happy to report that everyone survived! After a University of Idaho Alumni picnic we scooped up his friend and brought her home with us. After a couple of fun games (Chutes & Ladders and Candyland) I could tell that they were getting tired. They were also terrible at losing -- so it seemed like a good idea to do something else. I then tossed all of my kids into the bath. They had an incredibly good time in there. I don't think my bathmat has gotten quite that much of workout in its entire life. ;o) After bath time I helped all three kids into their jammies, brushed their teeth, and then ushered them into Holden and Jack's room for books. All three kids got to pick out a book and then I read it to them. Jack sat on my lap and Holden and his buddy sat on my left and right side. We were very cozy and the kids were sleepy and cuddly. My favorite! After books, I put Jack in a pack-n-play in my room, and the big kids to bed in the bunk bed. They were all out like a light in about five minutes. Pays to wear them out ;o)

The next morning everyone woke up early. Seriously early. Jack was awake and bopping around about 6:30 and Holden and his friend were awake at 6:50. So they were allowed to watch a few cartoons while I made pancakes for breakfast. The kids scarfed them down like we had never fed them before in their lives. Very cute.

Then after breakfast we all headed to the zoo. The kids were wonderful at the zoo. We had such a great time that we did not realize that we had zoomed past lunchtime and were zooming past Jack's nap time. Jack indicated as such as we ran for the car. After we got home I put two very sleepy boys down for a nap. I absolutely love having both kids nap at the same time. Such a treat to have grown up time right in the middle of the day!!!

After nap the kids were refreshed and ready to go - and thanks to their concurrent nap - I was too!

Easter

It's been too long since my last post! I was reminded today by a friend of mine that I really should get crackin! Due to the fact that I have a few cute pictures of the kids, I think I better start with Easter and work my way towards May ;o)


Easter was a blast this year! Holden and Jack went to a park with a few of Holden's soccer buddies and they ran around liked crazed monkeys picking up as many eggs as humanly possible. We "hid" over 100 plastic eggs, so it was not difficult to find them. Jack would pick up an egg, open it, eat the candy, and then discard the plastic egg. Smart kid. The older kids figured out that he was doing this and then would shake each plastic egg to ensure that Jack had not pilfered the goods. Holden was all about quantity. His basket literally spilled over with eggs. Jack had three.

After having had a "test run" on finding Easter eggs, I thought Jack would be a shoe in for his school's Easter egg hunt. Of course not. He ran past literally a hundred eggs and did not pick up a single one. I finally grabbed a few for him as they were disappearing fast and he happily munched the contents. Such a silly boy.

Jack is 2!!

I know that he's been 2 since March 26th, but I just haven't been able to talk about him being 2. It should not upset me so much that Jack is finally 2. But, it does. I can't wrap my head around the fact that my youngest is now a full-on toddler. A real one. He's no longer my baby. So sad! But so much fun too! Jack is such a fun little guy. He's quick with smiles and giggles. He's a great sleeper and a great little eater.

He's been recently walking around the house once he's in his jammies and saying "G'night Mommy" and then I get a hug and kiss, then onto the next person, "G'night Unca Joshie" and then hug and kiss, and then "G'night Ho-den" and then hug and kiss (if he can catch Holden), and then "G'night Daddy" and then hug and kiss. It's so incredibly sweet. He and Holden are now sharing a room and are sleeping together in their bunk bed. I can't believe how well that they are sharing a room. In fact (big knock on wood) I would venture to say that they are easier to put to bed together in the same room than separately. Go figure! Jack is also starting to put together sentences. This morning on the way to bagels he said "WATCH OUT CARS! Big Bus! WATCH OUT!" Too cute. His little face was bright and shining as he declared this very important information. Jack and I also started running together in the mornings. It's fun to pull him all sleepy warm out of his bed and get the first morning snuggles. Then off we go to the greenbelt. I snuggle him into my jog stroller with a special blanket that his Grandma & Grandpa McCarthy made him, a cute little purple hat that Holden used to wear when we went jogging, and soft fleecy red mittens. I found out with Holden that the kids stay much warmer in their jammies, so Jack wears his little jammies as well. Just like Holden, he stays quiet for most of the run. Right before I finish he jolts awake and starts chattering away about this and that. "Look Mommy! Ducks!" "Look Mommy! Right there" and he'll point with his cute little red mittens. So many wonderful moments with Jack. I love you little guy!

That's Not My Name! *

While Holden was cruising around our living room, he started saying something that my husband and I did not catch. He kept mumbling and so I asked him, "Holden, what are you saying?" And he said, "... Joleisa, that's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name" It looks like Holden has a love for the Ting Tings, just like his Daddy and his Mommy. Too cute! Guess it's time to start really listening to the lyrics of the songs we play for him ;o)

Check out the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UX0p7uAW2s

It's Time for Soccer!

Holden has started soccer again! Last season was so much fun. We have been waiting for it to start back up again. We were prepared for Holden to decide that he did not like soccer anymore, but thankfully, he was just as thrilled as last season! We can't believe how well he's doing. With his parentage, he really should not be good at sports. At. All. But he is actually good at soccer. We're definitely impressed! Go Holden Go!

Here You Go!

The other night, well actually several nights ago - but who's counting? - Jack started to cry in his room after I put the boys down for the night. I promptly went to the door and opened it and nearly soiled myself from laughing so hard. He had taken off his pajamas (the ones with a zipper and feet) and also his diaper and he was just standing by the door and crying. When I looked down at him, he said, "Here you go!" and handed me his diaper and jammies. It was so funny that I grabbed him up and brought him into the front room to show my sweet husband and his brother. We could not stop laughing. Not even close. After I got him back into his jammies and into bed, I still could not stop giggling. Soooo funny. But guess what? He now thinks it is funny to do this and does it frequently. I now have to literally bite my lip so I don't giggle outloud. *Sigh* It really is funny...

He's Brilliant!

Well of course he is! Tuesday night Holden and Jack and I went out to eat at a local pizza place. The kids actually love the salad bar. They love all of the different colored beans, raisins, croutons, goldfish crackers, raisins, peas, and sometimes they even have chocolate pudding! Awesome! While the kids and I were waiting for the server, I started to entertain Holden. I had foolishly only thought to bring in a toy for Jack and as soon as I pulled it out, Holden starting clamoring for a toy too. So I flipped over the menu and drew a cat. Well, I drew something that if you squinted just right and turned the paper slightly looked like a cat. Maybe. And then I drew three lines next to the picture. I told Holden it was a cat and asked him to write the first letter of the word cat next to the picture on the first line. He then proceeded to write C-A-T in the spaces without my prompting. Brilliant child. Then I drew a hat. He had to ask what it was. But he repeated his performance with the word hat, rat, bat, and pat. He told me it was my turn and he drew a horse. I wrote out H-O-R-S-E next to his picture. He told me he was, "very proud of you Mommy". I kept the menu and it's now firmly affixed to our refrigerator. I will try and take a picture of it tonight.

Socks and Dental Floss

My kids never cease to provide my husband and I with entertainment. My husband had just helped Jack go to the potty and had left him briefly in the bathroom by himself. Jack came cruising out of the bathroom at the speed of light in only his socks (argyle of course) and a very long string of dental floss. He could not have been more pleased with himself. It's really unfortunate that I did not have quick access to my camera. I need to start my stack of blackmail photographs now for when the two boys start dating!! Regardless, it did provide a good laugh. Thanks Jack!

I'm Back! Were the kids always this loud??

I'm back! My trip to Sun Valley was quite successful! The seminar was great and I actually had a chance to kick up my heels a bit. The only problem is that staying up late only makes me tired. Which is not a great idea with my two boys. Wow am I tired. When I walked in the door Jack was crying (he had just seen me outside and the two second wait for me to come inside was faaaaar too long) and Holden was running around the living room screeching like a bird. My first thought was, were they always this loud?? Or are they being extra loud just to make me feel special?? Turns out Jack had respectfully declined his nap. Which is never good. And Holden had been cooped up in the house the whole day. The odds were not in my favor. My sweet husband left me to run some errands shortly after I arrived. The short errand that he ran turned into a really long one and I ended up chasing after the kids and putting them both to bed. Which was not too bad. I missed them and I got to get all of the bedtime hugs and kisses. By the time I eased myself into bed, I was exhausted!! I still don't know if they were extra loud or not, but it turns out that I don't really care. I missed them and it was a joy to be home and to snuggle them again. I just wish they weren't so stinking noisy!!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I am supposed to be packing right now. Tomorrow morning a friend and I are leaving for Sun Valley in order to enjoy a three day conference on Bankruptcy. Yep. I lead a very very exciting life. This I know! Despite the fact that it will be soooo exciting, I am having a difficult time with the whole thing. I have never ever been away from Jack for one whole day. Ever. My dear sweet husband calls me mental. But, I really don't like leaving either of the kids. Ever. Really! So I have been stalling all week and now for most of the night in the hopes that tomorrow won't really come. But of course it will. So as soon as I am 100% certain that Jack's asleep -- I will start packing. Because I really should be ready for how much fun I am going to have!! Actually, in all honesty, it will end up being fun. I will have zero obligations for the next three days. No kids to get ready for school. No kids to dress in the morning. No kids to put to sleep at night. No kids to keep putting to sleep at night. No last books. No last minute hugs and kisses. And no last snacks in the hopes of delaying bedtime. I honestly have no idea where either of these kids have learned the art of procrastination!! Hopefully I will find some people to help me live like people without children. :o) Wish me luck!!

Squeaky - May he Rest in Peace

Yesterday Holden announced to my husband and I on the car ride home, that "Squeaky died." We of course inquired as to who this Squeaky was. We were promptly informed that, "Squeaky was our guinnea pig. But it's okay. We got a new one. It's a baby. We have to WHISPER." We were happy to learn that he was not traumatized in the slightest and he was very happy to have the new baby in place of Squeaky. My husband and I seriously cannot stop laughing. We are awfully morbid people.

We've Hit the Terrible Twos!

Not quite-- but almost. Jack turns two later next month. Although he's been diligently explaining to his Daddy and I that he turned two at about 18 months. He's normally a delightful child. But there are times when he really can not handle being told no. Yesterday, the kids and I had the day off, so we all jumped in the car and went to the zoo to run off some extra energy. Jack and Holden were doing really well at listening and keeping close until about halfway through. That's when Jack decided that he could give a rip that Holden wanted to move along. And there I was, struggling to try and keep the two of them from heading in two different directions, frantic that I would lose one of them. I ended up grabbing Jack and throwing him over my shoulder as I caught up with Holden. The problem was Jack. Holden shouldn't have his zoo day ruined. But as it turns out, Jack is REALLY LOUD! So I promised Holden a treat if he would run as fast as he could with me to the car. The allure of a vanilla milkshake was all he needed and out we went. We totally were THAT family. Everyone turned and stared at the crazy Mom with one kid over her shoulder wailing and the other running as fast as he could to keep up with his Mom. Awesome.

Fun with Holden

Holden never ceases to amaze me. He actually told me yesterday, "Mommy, if you don't leave now, you'll be late for your appointment". Seriously? What four-year-old says that? Apparently mine does!