Do you give your kid a cow?

So Easton's turning 6 in a week and for the last 3 months he's told pretty much everyone that he is getting a cow for his birthday. Ughh! Where did he get a thought like that??? Certainly not from his mother! Mat suggested a few months back that he should ask for one and it would be tons of fun. How is a cow going to be fun for anyone? Frustrated that I wasn't consulted on the matter I quickly interjected that we don't live on a farm and that city ordinances (thankfully) don't allow non-domesticated animals in our subdivision. Thus one of the big selling points for me when we purchased here. Now, I tease Mat that he grew up on a farm, which his family insists is not true, but he had his own pet pig, they had goats, chickens, rabbits (which they ate, yuck) and horses etc. Sounds like a farm to me but whatever. For Mat asking for a cow probably wouldn't be something his parents needed to discuss before they committed to one. I don't live on a farm people! Mat thinks it's ridiculous that I don't have to discuss my gifts (which I truly do anyway) but he has to ask my permission. This is a little bit different than say a board game. He has reassured Easton that the cow can be kept a block down the road at an actual farm and if that doesn't work out he had Easton call his Grandpa Holt and got permission to keep it at his house. Is this the weirdest birthday gift or what? I keep telling Easton that I will let him pick out the coolest, fastest bike at the store, but my ideas are nothing compared to the idea of his cow. The best part is that he has a name for his cow that we don't even have yet...Bullet. That is what Mat's pig was named because Mat knew what would happen to him and Easton is all for getting to raise this thing so he can kill it for food. Luckily Mat convinced him that he can take it to auction and make money on it. I really think this is an awful idea. I think it's a novelty that will wear off and I'll get stuck (as I have with other pets) taking care of Bullet. Seriously what do you do with a cow? A really cool bike however...

California

We're home now and as always had a blast. This was the first time we actually spent time in the hotel. We tried to watch our pennies so the boys got some great one-on-one time with Mat playing hours of basketball (which they loved) and Bailey got to spend time with one of her fellow cheerleaders, and mom got to play with Peyton. We always have a ton of fun together but love exiting into St. George after a long trip. It always feels so good to be home. Bailey's team performed well and we were happy to see the progress they've mad over the year. Nationals was a lot of fun. There was a lot of energy and Bailey was excited about how her team did. There were teams competing from Alaska and Hawaii even. We're looking forward to next year.

So...it's Holt Vacation time again and here we are in sunny California. Bailey is competing in her 1st national level cheer competition. It is day 1 of the 2 day comp. Her team did awesome! They struggled a bit at the last one so all the parents were happy to see no mistakes. They were the first team to compete which is such a hard place to start! We started off the trip with a day a Disneyland. We came away unscathed! The funniest thing I will take away from our trip is the reactions people have to my family of blondies. I never thought of being blonde as a rarity. I was a little ticked when someone asked if they could buy my two boys as they drove by! Creepy!!! People adore Peyton! Of course who wouldn't. She waves to EVERYONE and claps her hand and smiles. I told Mat that we'll have to put her in parades when she gets older. She loves the attention. I am so excited that Mat for the most part has shut off his cell phone and is interacting with us. He is such a great dad. I really couldn't build a better scenario in my mind to raise a family in. When everyone's exhausted and can't go any further that's when he puts the kids on his back along with carrying all the bags and trudges on. We are having a great time. Shopping for me, the beach and rides for the kids, competing for Bailey, and overall relaxing for all of us. Love it!

One Tough Little Kid

I really am not planning on posting everyday but what do you know, I have an Easton story. Easton is our toughest kid by far. He falls and quickly gets back up again. He seems to have a large pain threshold. We marvel as we watch some pretty nasty spills and he seems unphased. He's also made a few trips to the doctor over some of his spills. Last March we went to disneyland and before we went on the first ride Easton helped us try out the old GPS to find a children's hospital. I know what you're thinking "how nice ... a children's hospital. I bet they are great with kids." So wrong. They not only told me Easton who was 4 at the time, had a social disorder, but that I was being very inappropriate towards the situation because I dared try to console the 4 year old and let him know it would be okay! They told me telling him "Shhh, sweetie it's okay," was out of line because he was kicking and screaming. It took everything in me to not slug the woman! I told her it was not the time or place to discuss my childs behavior seeing as she had known him all of 2 minutes and that I had other kids and in the same situation they behaved the same. She told me she was a mother too. HAHA! Come to find out she had a 7 month old! Good luck lady! I get heated thinking about it. The bill was $3,500! Well, we are planning on spending our spring break, this March, at Disneyland and what do you know? Easton took another spill and cut his lip clear through almost in the exact spot as before. Luckily we were at home. We took him to instacare and 20 minutes, $250 later he was home being loved by mom. What a difference nice people make. Mat said that he was laughing and felt very comfortable. Easton told me later that he really like those doctors not the ones at Disneyland.

The Role of Mothers

Bailey is my little sweetheart. We call her a mother hen. She is always concerned about others above her own needs. She is a pretty bright kid to boot. A couple of Sunday's ago they were discussing the roles we have in our families. In particular, a mother's role. They asked the kids what is a mother's role in the home. Bailey being the smart, sweet girl that she is quickly raised her hand and said "a mother's role is to hurry and clean the house before anyone comes over." I wasn't in primary but Mat said she got quite a chuckle. She felt horrible. She didn't understand what was so funny. When Mat retold the story to me of course I laughed! She did not like it. She left the room sad and said "I don't know why everyone thinks that's funny." It's hilarious because she hit the nail on the head! She is really complimentary and was trying to be with her comment. It isn't her fault that it's the truth. :)

So I gave in...

While I love to read everyone else's blogs and think they are great, Mat and I haven't ever been to inspired to do our own. My sister pointed out that it is like a journal about your family. Mat and I have a journal about our family that we try to write in as often as we can, it just isn't all that often. So...we're giving in. At least I am. Even if know one cares to look at our blog besides us and hopefully some grandparents every now and then at least we'll be able to have another outlet to preserve some fun stories, and having Easton as a kid...we have a lot! I am excited to share some fun tidbits about the Holt's. :)