Christmas!!

Merry Christmas! This season is so busy and so wonderful! I love love love Christmastime! This week has been super busy. On Tuesday we had a party at our house. That took some work, but it was worth it to enjoy our friends. Wednesday we went to the Nutcracker. I loved it!! I don't think James loved it exactly, but he went with me anyway.

Tonight we had an enrichment meeting at the church. Some ladies sang a beautiful song. They sounded great! I can't remember the name of the song though. Tomorrow we're going to the see the Wildlights at the Zoo with the youth. Whew! And sometime between now and then we get to pack! Fun times in the Holt household. And on Saturday we get to fly across the country to be with family. That is was I am most excited about! (The being with family part, not necessarily the flying with Ethan:) ) Anyway, have a Merry Christmas!

Football rivalries...

So... the bad news is that BYU lost. boo hooo...


The good news is that OSU won... wahoo!! Although, I must say it was a bone chilling game... okay not so much the game, we pretty much expected them to win... but the weather! It took me a really long time to feel my feet (not just my toes, but my feet) and then I wasn't so sure I wanted to feel them. Anyway... it was pretty cool to see the band do the script ohio. And the hot chocolate I snuck in wasn't too bad either. The game itself was more interesting in the second half... too bad I was too frozen at that point to really care who won or lost... no I am not a die hard fan. If it were just up to me I would have left after the first quarter (they were going to win anyway, right?). I think the best part was warming up the car afterward... don't get me wrong, it is always more fun to be in the stadium and feel the energy and excitement of the crowd. And see the crazy lunatics who wear nothing in the freezing cold just so they can paint their bodies... anyway... it was fun! And now we're off to Thanksgiving for fun with family and super yummy food... yeah!! Oh yeah... Sunday was Ethan's first day in nursery... it was interesting... He cried for awhile after I left, but that is to be expected. I do wonder how long he would have cried though, if my friend, Julia had not stayed with her daughter and comforted Ethan. Anyway... things are great here in OHIO. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pumpkins and Skunks

A few weeks ago we went to the slightly over-hyped Circleville Pumpkin Show. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

Ethan enjoyed some roasted pumpkin seeds...

And this sucker was the largest pumpkin at the show... WOW!

and these are all the seeds from it's insides... okay maybe not. On Monday our family home evening activity was pumpkin carving. Here are the guts. For some reason we didn't take a final picture... hmm...




This week James had some help studying for boards (they're in March, YIKES!)



On Saturday night we went to our ward Trunk or Treat and chili cook-off. It was full of cute kids and yummy chili! I think the little skunk was adorable. And yes, sometimes he is very stinky!



The Critter Control man sure did his job, he caught himself the cutest little skunk in the world.

After the party we went to the OSU vs. Penn State game. On the upside we were able to go with some friends, without a kid and had yummy candy. On the down side OSU lost an uneventful game accompanied by every unintelligent way to express yourself known to mankind (courtesy of our fellow OSU fans). Needless to say there were some sleepy Holts in Sacrament Meeting this morning (not mentioning any names, but his drooling is not due to baby teeth).

Camping and other fun times...

A few weeks ago we had a wind storm(courtesy of Hurricane Ike)... our neighbors trampoline blew across our yard. We're lucky it didn't hit our house... Our power went out that night for about six hours. Some of our friends didn't have power for a few days. The power outage was quite exciting... Two of my friends and I decided to take a girl's night out and go bowling... Julia didn't want to drive, so she had me drive her SUV. Okay, so driving my little car is a little bit different than driving her big car. And she has touchy brakes. So, anywho... even though we had power there were still parts of the city that didn't. Namely, the bowling alley and surrounding area. Naturally, the traffic lights were out. I didn't notice the first one that was out and almost got us killed. Okay so not really almost killed, but it made for a little bit of excitement. Julia, Casey and I had our hearts racing, but we survived it and were able to sort of enjoy some really hot wings at Applebee's.

The day before the exciting un-bowling trip we went camping with the Hovermales. D.J. being the scoutmaster that he is took us on a nice long hike that night. It really was a nice hike, but we ended up setting up camp in the dark. We were "primitive camping" so of course we didn't have any bathrooms. When it was time for bed (about 11 or so) Casey and I decided that rather than use some unsuspecting bush we'd go use the bathrooms at the family campground. We were given directions and set off on our journey that was only supposed to be like 5 min. We found ourselves out in the pitch black "hollar" all by ourselves without cell service. Wahoo. So even though I'd like to say I'm grown up now... really I"m not. Our girly nerves and over active imaginations really did begin to get the best of us. Thankfully we ALWAYS have an atlas (okay two or three) in our car and were able to find our way out to the highway, lights, and a gas station. When we asked the attendant how to get back to the campground she looked at us like we were crazy and asked if we were really going out there at that time (it was probably around midnight)of night by ourselves. I think she thought we were a couple of crazy reckless teen-age girls looking for trouble. The scary part was this weird guy who asked us where we were going. We hi-tailed it out of there as fast as we could hoping the guy wouldn't come after us. Needless to say he didn't and we lived to enjoy a super yummy breakfast and an exciting non-bowling trip.

And after all that excitement...

General Conference this weekend was wonderful. As I listened to the speakers this weekend and last week at the Relief Society meeting I felt the Holy Ghost testify of the love that my Savior has for all of His children. I have a deepened resolve to strengthen my testimony and faith in Jesus Christ and to share it with others.

Oh p.s. Ethan is FINALLY walking.... sorry the video is sideways...oops

Dams and Grams...

What did the fish say when he hit the stone wall?..... Dam! (oh so scandalous!) While on our trip to Utah to see Ethan's grandparents (and the rest of the Holt clan) we went with Mom, Ahsla, Kenley and Erin to Beaver Dam just across the state line in Nevada. I guess back in the day they used to go slide down it. But, a few years back a flood washed it out... apparently this was not national news because when we got there, there was no dam. Such is life... We were able to find some shade and enjoy dutch oven cookin' (courtesy of Erin). On the way home we experienced a nice little flat (courtesy of a dirt road).

A few days later... we went and hiked Emerald Pools in Zion National Park with Ashla, Kimball, and Shelley. It was beautiful! We didn't think to take a child carrier so we used our built in ones... James and Kimball's shoulders. After Ethan got his faced whacked a few times by some branches he learned to duck very quickly. He also loved the water....

We enjoyed tennis tournaments on the Wii and movies at Jared and Amy's. Where I lost my glasses.. don't ask me how that happened. James and I had a perfect record against Jared and Kimball (0-5... yeah we're perfect losers).

On Labor Day we went out to the cabin. It made for some good times... we ate yummy food, played rook, went on 4-wheeler rides (I've always wondered what was over that ridge), dug thistles (not quite as much fun, but it wouldn't be a Holt gathering without some good old fashioned work), and we shot guns. I'm sure Dallin and Ryan were chuckling to themselves as James explained to me how to stand and what to do (it was my second time ever... the first was when I was twelve). Mockery turned to amazement when I nailed that poor water bottle (do water bottles have rights?) on my first shot. I think it was beginner's luck. But, of course, James thinks it's excellent instruction.

We enjoyed James' family a ton. We had a great time with them and hope someone gets married soon (ahem, Ashla or Blake) so we can visit again...

What we've been up to...

The month of July was a blast... we began the month by taking a trip to Charlotte to see Seth, Mary, and Tillie while they were there. It was so good to be with family. Someday we'll be out west again.... Tillie is soooo adorable. One night during dinner Mary asked Tillie, "Are you a girl?" Her reply, "No, I'm a child of God." Cute girl... It was fun going to the park with them and of course eating scrumptious food courtesy of Mary. We love the LeBrauns!

Another time we went to the zoo. Ethan loved the fish. Now every time we go to Meijer he whines if we don't stop to watch the fish and you better believe he puts up a fuss when it really is time to get our groceries. I think they strategically placed those tanks so that kids would get their parents to buy the fish. Tricky tricky... anyway.... we went with some friends of mine and enjoyed watching the animals.

Last week we ran a 5K. It was so much fun. This time James pushed Ethan in the jogging stroller that we were fortunate enough to borrow from some friends. Lots of people were admiring him. Some would guess his age and say, "Oh, is he what 6 mo? 8 mo?" He would be a big eight month old. He enjoyed the attention though. He also enjoyed the dogs. He loves dogs! He barks all the time. Sometimes I wonder if I have a child or a dog.

On Friday we went the Ohio State Fair with some friends. The highlight was eating elephant ears and throwing powdered sugar all over each other... yes we are grown ups now. It was fun. The only sad part is we came too early. The 4-H kids weren't there yet with their animals. They came on Saturday... so we missed the animals... oh well...

And yesterday I canned peaches. It was time consuming, but this winter I'm sure it will be worth it. I'm also planning on canning pears and tomatoes. Wahoo! I'm so proud of myself, I feel so domestic! All seven jars sealed and everything.

Father's Day and Girl's Camp

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. If you asked me I'd have to say James had a great Father's Day! .... Even if he doesn't know it he is an incredible father. I appreciate the love, patience, and kindness he shows to both Ethan and me. He's a great daddy!

For Father's Day I gave James the "opportunity" to tend Ethan while I was at Girl's Camp all week. I think they had fun together. Ethan has been clinging to James more than to me, which has been nice. :)

James did tell me about their library trip. We have been thinking about finishing our basement so James needed some how-to books. It was going to be a quick trip in and out. What real man carries a diaper bag after lunch anyway? What could the kid need? With a stack of books in one arm and a delighted baby on the floor yanking books from the bottom shelf as fast as his chubby little arms could move James found himself in quite the predicament. He quickly swooped Ethan up under the belly in a motion very simliar the the Heimlich. It worked! It dislodged all of Ethan's lunch all over James and the library floor. But a real man does not carry a diaper bag (which would have the all important wipes). Needless to say the 1-ply toilet paper from the public library does not hold up well to baby vomit and carpet.

Yes, they had a great week. And so did I. Although, I was ready to come home. It was nice to be able to sleep in a clean bed and shower without my flip flops.

Fun times...

DUR HUR HUR

It seems like as soon as it warmed up a little bit we became super busy!! We planted a garden! Wahoo! Well... actually everything I planted at first died! And then thanks to a few friends who planted way too many plants I have some tomatoes and peppers and such and then I re-planted some other things and voila! now I have a beautiful garden. Well, half of it is still in paper cups on my kitchen table... but they too will be in the ground soon!

I have also been super busy with Young Women's. It is fun getting to know the girls a little bit better. We had a beehive sleepover at our house a few weeks ago. I was introduced to the world of Guitar Hero, DDR and Drake Bell (whoever that is). I also showed the girls how to make their own bags. And you know what we should have taken a picture. They did a great job sewing, their bags are darn cute! The next Friday we had the pre-camp clinic for all the YW. It was tons o' fun! We went to our Bishop's place, shot each other with marshmallows (Bishop and his wife used paintball guns and a golf cart - cheaters!), enjoyed tinfoil dinners, cobbler, camp songs, and a great devotional. After the devotional I left the girls and other leaders to the racoons and went home for some beauty sleep. This is Delight shooting a marshmallow into Jennifer's mouth. Yum!

The next day James and I mostly ran the Race for the Cure. It was incredible! The energy downtown was amazing! And the river of people was a sight to see! We are excited to run another 5k sometime this summer. I never really thought running was fun, but truly it is. We had a great time!

This past Friday was Ethan's first birthday. Happy Birthday Sweets! He had some shots, some good food, and a yummy chocolate cupcake for his birthday. What more could a little boy ask for? Sometimes it seems like no time has past since last year, and sometimes it feels like he has been a part of our lives forever. I sure do love that little munchkin!

here comes the sun

So, recently when people have asked me how I'm doing and I have almost feltsorry to them that I did't have some wild tail of deep despair (you'll have to excuse the dramatic sentiments I just completed my latest reading of Pride and Prejucide. James just can't understand how I can read and watch it over and over again...although I must admit I sometimes skip ahead to my favorite parts(like when Darcy proposes to Lizzie for the first time) anyway...), but then I am so thankful that everything seems to be going just right. My reason for musing on this point is that people often think, "oh you're not really that happy, something must be wrong she just isn't telling me." But, you know what, for this moment I am perfectly contented. That may change tomorrow, but for right now I have so much to be grateful for.



I have the most wonderful husband in the world. For example, tonight while I was cooking dinner he came up behind me and said, "Sweetheart, I should cook dinner more often." I thought, that sounds great! The funny thing is that when I was about to ask for his help I noticed him thoroughly enjoying the Sunday paper. What can you do? I really do think he'll cook dinner more often. What a great guy!!



I also have the sweetest little boy ever (so I know some of you other moms will have to disagree and say that your child is the sweetest ever and that's okay i guess). He loves to give kisses, the only problem is that he hasn't quite learned how to kiss with his lips, rather than his teeth. OUCH!!



James and I are blessed with great families. Even though we don't keep in touch as well as we should, we love them and are appreciative of their love and support. We sure do miss them and are looking forward to seeing some of them this weekend. Thank goodness for weddings and airplanes.



I am also so thankful that it is almost summer time. It is supposed to be cold this week, but then it is May. Wahoo! Good thing I didn't put away all of the winter clothes! I guess I was a little bit flip flop happy! There are few things I love more than flip flops on my feet and the sun on my face, smothered in sunblock of course.



So, I'm grateful nothing exciting is going on. I love living a simple life and enjoying the beautiful outdoors.

Ethan is on the move!

As you can see Ethan is on the move... he promptly took a nap after this photo...

He's still so cute even when he's sad. We sure are enjoying our little boy. It is so hard to believe he will be one at the end of next month. WOW!

We have been busy lately... Ethan got his first haircut. I did it myself (if you looked at the back of his head you would know). Maybe next time will be a smoother ride. I began with scissors, but that didn't work out too well. Then I tried the clippers which worked a lot better despite him being afraid of them. At least we got the job done. It's a good thing his hair will grow back (but with uncle Seth's hairline maybe not).

James has seen his first semi-real patient, too bad his patient couldn't see him. I'm next. Wish me luck. James tells me I will never see the same again. I can only hope that's a good thing. We enjoyed conference this weekend. It is a good feeling knowing that President Monson is our Prophet. I also particularly enjoyed Elder Oaks, Elder Ballard, and Elder Bednar. I love General Conference and so does Ethan....

Prince Ethan

One Sunday afternoon after seeing that most of our hard drive was jammed up with pictures of Ethan we paused for a moment and came to the conclusion that we just don't have quite enough pictures of him. Ethan has quite the set up. He has his own space heater on one side of his room and a humidifier on the other. Add that to being spoon fed and being waited on hand and foot we affectionately refer to our son as "Prince Ethan".

Here he is doing his daily push ups. He is on a very strict regimen. We start 'em young around here. :)

And here he is playing airplane with mommy. What a cute airplane!!