Mat and Jamie Holt family

New Year's Eve 2012

2012-01-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

This year was The Holt's turn for the annual New Year's party. We thought about it in advance and booked the warehouse so we could have a little fun inside. Mat started the night our with his version of fear factor which included sucking people's toes, putting a snake on your spouse, and eating a variety of things including crickets, meal worms, and gold fish.

I had to assure people that the second half of the night I was in charge of and there would be no fear factor type of events. While I got ready for my competitions we played a few games of dodge ball and sadly the girls aren't the champions at all.

For my portion we played human bowling, duct taped people to the wall, made newspaper towers, and many other silly things.

No matter how old we get I hope we always keep this tradition going. It is such a blast and we always have the best sports and funnest people to ring in the New Year with!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas time has come and gone. Always far too quickly. We promised the kids we wouldn't host any Christmas parties at the house this year and kept true to our word. It still came too quickly.

We scaled things back this year since we took the kids on the cruise and I realized just how crazy spoiled they are every year. Even scaling back our children were overly spoiled and very happy with all of their gifts.

Of course for Christmas Eve we went to Grandpa and Grandma Nelson's for dinner and gifts. We played the gift exchange game and stayed a little later than we should have.

By the time we made it home Peyton was fast asleep so she didn't get to open her presents by the tree. The older three made it to bed around 11:00 which made for a late night for Santa who wraps all the gifts with the paper the kids leave out each Christmas.

Mom and dad made it to bed around 1:30 and were awoken 30 minutes later with kids excitedly telling us that Santa had came! After the 3rd or 4th time of them coming in our room and us telling them to go back to bed we reluctantly got up and opened presents.

It was a wonderful Christmas and all were happy which makes mom and dad the happiest of all.

Princesses to pirates and everything in between...

2011-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

A few years ago Mat and I decided to sneak away to Maui. The kids were completely jealous and wanted to go to Hawaii as well. Of course Maui was fun but we kept catching ourselves thinking of how much fun the kids would have in Hawaii. When we got home we started a fund and a few months later had the best vacation we had been on with the kids soaking up the tropical rays.

This past April/May Mat and I of course took Bailey on a Caribbean cruise and of course kept thinking how much the boys would enjoy it. Periodically I would glance over different cruise lines sights in hopes of finding a good deal on a cruise. Of course the one cruise line I really wanted to use was Disney but sadly every time I looked at the prices I talked myself out of it. Mat and I talked about trying to find another family or two to take the kids on a cheap Carnival cruise for Spring Break 2012. We were planning on booking the cheapest possible cruise and figured when all was said and done if we kept it under $2,000 we could do it.

In August as I was on my way to Las Vegas to go school shopping with the girls I got a phone call from my mom saying that Disney had super rates for travel agents. I called Mat and asked him to look into it. After many back and forth conversations he said we would be able to sail on a seven day Disney Cruise for $1,800 with everything like tips and port charges included! I told him to book it! My only hesitation was that the weekend we were booking was most likely going to be the same time as Bailey's first cheer competition of the season. To book a different weekend would have been $1,000 more. So I bit my over-competitive tongue and we booked. One of my friends shopping with me wanted to go also and we were able to secure her family cabins on the trip for the same price. With her kids being close in age to mine I was ecstatic. When we came back home we had another friend wanting to go and after some fancy room reworking we were all booked on board the Disney Wonder ready to sail on Nov. 27, 2011.

What we didn't know at the time was that A'mee and her friends as well as my parents, and Monica had all booked their families to sail on the exact same date.

Of course I had all the crazy motherly thoughts of the kids falling overboard and getting kid-napped in Mexico but after 5 minutes on board I had no control over where they were or what they did anyhow. The older kids scampered off with their friends and luckily we were able to locate them every night for dinner.

Peyton could have cared less to hang out with mom and dad as well. With the many friends and cousins her age on board she wanted to be off playing princess in the kids club or swimming with friends. She LOVED dressing up like Cinderella and getting her "fancy" dresses on for dinner.

The boys did not enjoy dressing up in their Sunday clothes but did as we asked anyways.

Bailey and her friends spent the majority of the time on board looking out for hot guys yet said they weren't able to find even one.

It was super hard for me to let the kids roam the ship unattended. There were so many kids there wasn't much any of the parents could do but sit back and enjoy the excitement from the little ones.

Every morning Peyton needed to look out the window and watch the waves. The happiness in her eyes the entire time makes me wish we could afford it more often.

Of course there were also the days off the ship at the Mexico ports. Our first stop was Puerto Vallarta. We didn't start our first excursion off on the best foot. We decided to save the taxi fare for the 14 of us going and walk the to meeting point. That in itself was quite the adventure. The road we were walking along wasn't exactly a calm slow moving road. At one point we ran out of sidewalk and had to cross the street. The street was quite wide and had several medians separating sections of it. We all lined up 9 kids and 5 adults in one big wall of white people and ran to one medium stopped, the next stopped, and so on. Of course the meeting point was on the other side of the road once we got there so we got to cross again. So fun. Of course once we arrived at the meeting point we were told the time we were going off wasn't the correct local time and that instead of being 15 minutes early we were indeed 45 minutes late and had missed our ride to the jungle. After some phone calls in Spanish we figured that we could take a taxi and still do our excursions. Of course as we waited we realized the "disco" we were waiting at was indeed a strip club. Once again 9 kids and 5 adults all white sitting in front of a Mexican strip club. Why oh why didn't I take pictures?

Luckily the excursion of zip-lining through the forest more than made up for our rough start and the kids loved every minute of it. We ate lunch at the restaurant there and the kids swam in the river, tried out water slides, held tarantulas, and even did service. There were three locals taking cement blocks two at a time across the river to build a house on the other side. There wasn't a road or a bridge so they just found the shallowest spot and spent all day walking the blocks across. We were waiting for our bus to go back to the ship so half of the kids picked up the cement blocks and started trucking them across the river as well.

Our next stop was Cabo San Lucas. The ship was docked there for two days. We rented a boat the first day with our friends and while the dads went scuba diving the moms relaxed on the beach with the kids snorkeling to their hearts content. The second day we took the older kids para sailing and they got to shop for their souvenirs.

The trip could only have been improved by the ride home. The kids were all completely exhausted from their adventures that they bordered just slightly on the ornery side. So much that they lost out on their next family vacation.

The staff of the Disney Wonder were incredible! The activites and shows on board were wonderful. It made it so much more enjoyable to have the other families aboard. It was certainly hard to come home and not have our chocolates waiting on our pillow...

Life is busy and worth it.

2011-12-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Fall is finally coming to an end at our house and we are able to feel a slight amount of breathing room amongst all of the activities our kids are involved in. Just a quick recap of all of the activities that have kept us running around like crazy people for the last few months.

Bailey ran her second half marathon with a time of 1:51:15. That's about a 8:30 minute mile. Yep, she's fast. Caleb ran the 5k and took first with a time of 23:30 and Easton ran the mile with a time of 6:20!

Bailey's cheer competition season is about to begin. Each year the local cheer teams gather together to raise money and canned goods for Dixie Care and Share and show off their routines. We are going to miss her competition this weekend so I'm so happy I at least got a preview of the routine.

All three older kids participated in the Turkey Tri at Sand Hollow. Caleb and Bailey each took first in their divisions with Easton taking a close second in his. If he hadn't been afraid of the deep end we have no doubt he would had taken first.

Of course mixed in with each holiday season is the Jubilee of Trees. I finally stopped decorating one of the main trees and only choose to help the school's with theirs. The kids still needed a visit from Santa however.

Bailey competed in her school's annual Tri. There was some FIERCE competition this year. She was about the 8th person out of the water but must've pulled some sort of superman change in the dressing room because she was the 2nd girl to come out! She quickly made up the difference on the bike and passed the lead girl. Beginning the run she had a decent lead over the 2nd place girl but I worried knowing 2nd place's legs were about double the length Bailey's was. She was able to pull of the win coming in only 5 seconds before the 2nd place girl! She was more than 6 minutes quicker than her time last year and was only a minute behind the winning boy's time. Like I said, fast.

Easton and Caleb have each been playing competitive soccer. It's taken a lot of time and effort on both theirs and my parts. I was the team manager for both teams and it wore me out!

They finished their fall season like the champions they are! Both teams competed in the Dixie Invitational Thanksgiving tournament and both teams went undefeated for gold!

Bailey provided us with the turkey for an upcoming Christmas dinner with her geck-a-thon efforts.

Knowing we were going to be out of town the first week of December I insisted the Christmas lights and decor were put up before we left. Of course it was warm then...

So much to do, so little time, so much to enjoy.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (& shorts).

2011-12-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

In 2010 Bailey came home from school excited that she had run a 8:10 minute mile. I was pretty impressed seeing as I've never been able to run that fast. She came home a few weeks later even more excited that she had run a 7:40 minute mile. At that point we thought it would be fun to enter her in the Swiss Days 5k run. She did well. She took second and we were thrilled. However, we wanted to see what she could do if she actually ran a little before trying a race. Caleb and Easton wanted to try it as well. We didn't think Easton was quite ready for a 5k but signed Caleb, Bailey and Mat up for a 5k in January of 2011. Easton ran the mile for that race and surprised us with a time of 8:09. The kids were excited with how well they each did. Bailey noticed that there was a half marathon going on at the same time as the 5k and asked if she could run the half next time. That's when the gears started turning...

It had been a rough morning getting the kids wanting to actually race and truthfully they had only run once or twice with Mat before it. They loved it though and wanted to run more. Mat and I asked them if it really was something they would like to pursue and they said yes. It was with some hesitation I will admit. That's when we initiated a challenge for the kids. They each needed to run one race each month for a year and work up to a long distance and they would receive and ipod or something comparable in value. The minimum they could run was a 5k. We went home and looked up local races in the internet and found that they would easily be able to participate in a race of some sort each month.

Easton backed out pretty quick. He wanted the reward but did NOT want to keep running. We said ok. He continued to run a few 5k and mile races throughout the year but only if he asked to participate as well. Bailey and Caleb both completed their goals. With Bailey completing (and taking first in the 14 and under divisions) two half marathons and Caleb EASLIY finishing a 10k.

Races our family has completed this year include:

St. George 5k in January

Race for Jace 5K & Dogtown 9k in February

Run for Kids 5k in March

Spectrum 10k & SHAC Tri in April

Midnight 5k in May

Mud run & Summer games 5k in June

Bryce Canyon half marathon and 5k in July

Pine Valley 15 miler and 5K in August

Swiss Days 5k in September

St. George marathon & Save a sister 5k, 10k, and mile in October

Snow Canyon half marathon, Turkey Tri and Lava Ridge geckathon in November

We took the month of December off since the only races we could find were during the weekend that we would be on our cruise. Plus, the kids had completed more than one each month so we figured it was ok ;). Placing first or top three in almost every race completed I was admittedly proud of my little gazelles. What made my heart soar was the early mornings during the summer where Bailey met up with the high school cross country team at 6:00am to train or the many hours each kid spent with their dad training at nights. It was a big commitment by everyone. Everyone met and exceeded their goals. I can't believe the kids that I have been blessed with. Yes, there were plenty of arguments about running and there were certainly "off" race days. They pressed on. I wish running came as naturally to me as to my kids but they still worked their tails off training and deserve every medal hanging in their rooms. Most of all I hope they continue with running. As much as I LOVE playing soccer I haven't since college. Running is plain and simple something they can always have. The memory of running beside their dad I can only imagine will be a highlight.

Halloween 2011

2011-12-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

This year Halloween was pretty awesome I must admit. Peyton wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake and I found an adorable costume online. The only problem being that it was way more than anyone should spend on a three year old's costume. A'mee said that Peyton could borrow her daughter's from last year. We told Peyton she was Stawberry Shortcake. She was happy and so were we! We felt so thrifty we convinced Caleb to go as a Bombers soccer player and Easton as a Raglan cheerleader. Costumes solved.

Of course the kids had a blast with all of their school parties and spent the Sunday afternoon before Halloween carving their pumpkins.

You have to love St. George weather that allows you to wear summer attire on Oct. 30.

Bailey and her friends all had matching shirts and went as nerds. Seriously I could get used to going the easy route!

Easton was (again) the show stopper with his ability to do an awesome toe-touch and the middle splits. He came home with twice as much candy as the rest of the kids. Apparently at each home he told them he would do his tricks for two pieces of candy and it worked rather well.

Tricky Tricky Me

2011-10-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

So I may not have realized from the time I first met Mat, and even though I was crushing pretty hard on him Memorial Day weekend in 1994 when he asked me to dance for the first time, February 24, 1995 when he first held my hand...

I KNEW! I was head over heels in love with MAT HOLT! Yes, we'd known each other basically since tee ball (see proof below), and while he may have been looking over at me on the tee ball bench, I'm pretty sure it was because my pants were undone. Despite the uproar we caused as we became an "item", two COMPLETE opposites joining forces, we both were smitten. Awww....

So here we are today. After dating a year and a half, waiting two years while he served a mission, 4 kids and a snake later, I've still got the poor schmuck fooled into loving me!

Thirteen years ago I made the smartest, and happiest decision I could ever make! I sealed the deal with an amazing man!

Warning: It's getting pretty sappy.

Why anyone ever questioned our union is beyond me! Here's a man who's clearly a stud (see picture above) not only can he knock a HUGE animal down with a single arrow (once again see picture above) he is the PERFECT match for me. Last weekend Mat ROCKED the marathon, running a time of 3:11:45. Most men I would imagine (and rightfully so) would take the weekend to recover, relax and let their spouse spoil them. After we finally came home after a LONG day of cheering him on, and then cheering others on for another hour, and then watching the boys soccer games, he gave ME a foot rub to thank me for my support in his goal! Yeah, I've definitely got him fooled!

Love him, love our family, love our happy life we have together. 13 years down, eternity to go!

Our kids are amazing!

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a full year since Bailey ran her first race. Last year for Swiss Days we didn't know if the boys could handle it so we didn't let them run. We should have. Mat, Bailey and Caleb have all taken to running this year. While it's not Bailey's favorite thing and Caleb doesn't train near as much as he should (he doesn't train at all) and Mat working a ton AND training for this weekend's marathon, the three have impressed me as well as many others over the past year with their ability to run FAST!

This was Caleb and Easton's first year running in the Swiss Day's 5k but not their first race. Caleb has been running a race each month since January while Easton has only ran a few. We didn't know what to expect with his run but he killed it! He ran around 27 minutes and we were super proud.

Caleb took 1st in his division beating out 14 other boys (including his younger brother) to take the win.

Mat took first in his division with a fantastic time of 18:50. He was still beat out by his younger sister Amber. What can you do?

Easton and Caleb have both been playing comp soccer with the Bombers (separate age groups) and while it isn't Caleb's passion they are both playing awesome. Easton wanted to also play flag football and since it didn't conflict with soccer we signed him up for Ivin's league. It is a perfect fit for him. Most people know that I can tip the scales on the competitive side, however, I want my kids to be able to be kids and not worry about being the best at everything (which seems to be an epidemic with some parents).

We all love how laid back the games are. ZERO pressure to excel and frankly it's a nice change. He's scored a hand full of touchdowns in the first few games and just plain has fun.

Between raising kids, school, athletics, work, church callings, etc. We don't always get the quiet alone time we cherish. One thing is for certain, we spend a LOT of time with eachother. All the running around counts right?

Lovin' this time of year!

2011-09-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

Although the fall usually brings on the cooler temps we have yet to feel too much of a temp drop yet. It is however fall and I love it!

Easton drew out to go mutton bustin' in the rodeo this year. He was visibly excited and thought all week of ways to be able to hold on. He did awesome! If he hadn't have gotten a stipud sheep that stop mid run and laid down he would have clung to the animal all night.

We were thrilled he was able to finally have a try at it.

Despite the 100 degree temps we've been having I've still getting requests for soup. Of course soup is one of my favortie things so I am more than happy to comply. I loved how cute Peyton was eating her chicken noodle soup. I have to make a double batch of noodles for my kids or there would be no way they'd get their fill. They love homemade noodles.

Along with fall comes Bailey's cheer team prepping for comp season. I'm not much of a football fan but I do love attending games my daughter performs at.

She makes it all look effortless and I hope one day to be to every highschool football game cheering on the cheerleaders. ;)

Pretty Princess

2011-09-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

Peyton is growing up far too fast. She is such a joy to be around. If you could get girlier than this I would like to see it. From her voice to the way she walks, she is ALL girl!

Peyton seems to be all bout her friends lately and cannot get enough play time with all of the fun kids in the circle. It melts my hear to see the little girls all cram into the barbie cars and take off carefree and giggling like crazy.

We had an amazing mom that moved in recently who paints the neighborhood kid's faces and the kids LOVE it! Who wouldn't? She is AWESOME!

Peyton seems to suprise us with every turn. She is not only crazy smart but has THE sweetest spirit. She is so full of life it's infectious. She loves everyone and everything and the smallest things keep her happy and smiling. She thanks us constantly and will even ask permission to use our restroom. Haha.

The years it took to make the decision to have another child and then when we actually decided losing two babies and the heartache that came with believing that our family would most likely be a party of five, make every smile that come from our baby girl's face that much sweeter. She is loved by every member of our house much more than we could have ever known or there would not have been a bit of hesitation on whether or not we should have had another. We ADORE our baby girl.

Labor Day Camping

2011-09-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Setting a record of THREE times this year pulling the camper out of the dirt lot we headed off to the mountains for Labor Day. Usually this is our only time we go camping each year. It seems as though the summer quickly rushes by and we've realized the camper has sat untouched all year so we head to cooler weather. Of course it doesn't hurt that it is always deer/elk hunting time as well.

Our labor day camp out is one of my favorites. The past couple of years we've camped with the Green family and our kids have had an amazing time with their cousins. They would happily play with their cousins before anyone else. This year we were treated to the Gardner family coming up for the day as well. Also Grandma Toni, Kyler and Trayson, and the Lewis family joined us for a few nights. Topping it off with my dad and Kobe and Kelton coming up on the last night. Way too much fun for one weekend.

With all of those people we knew there wouldn't be anyone for Bailey to hang out with so we allowed her to take her friend along. They were so silly together and we were happy Bailey could have just as much fun as the boys on our trip.

Peyton and Jace were THE cutest things to watch. They attracted dirt like crazy and were best buds the entire time.

I had to chuckle at one point. Although we had left the t.v.s and Internet behind us I still found the kids in the camper gathered around the iPad. I debated bringing it but it had the books I was reading on it. I guess you never want TOO much fresh air right?

Every time we go camping it takes a bit to get the four wheelers back in commission. They don't seem to take well to sitting around useless all year. They get plenty of use camping though. The fifty was running non-stop. The best part was we had some "neighbors" who camped a little close to us given the fact that there were thousands of acres that they could have chosen over pulling right next to us so we may have let the kids spin several circles over and over and over. The fifty's exhaust was loose and it wasn't exactly the quietest for a long time. I finally said it needed to be bolted back.

Although, I'm not much of a fisherman I do love watching Mat fish with he kids. Always my favorite pictures come from fishing.

Peyton was the first one to reel one in and was thrilled. She even got quite daring and tried to give the fish a kiss. She sat there for the longest time inching closer and closer until she was just about to kiss it and it flipped around on her! She had a small freak out.

Caleb has decided he is going to make us rich by panning for gold. Go for it buddy. I'm thinking a paper bowl isn't quite the best tool for such.

We had a wonderful time. Ate incredible food, spent much needed time with Mat and each other and got DIRTY! What more could you ask for?

Back to School

2011-09-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

School is back in session here in Southern Utah. Always starting way to early. While summer can be crazy with the kids wanting constant entertainment I'm always sad to have them return to school. I do love having a schedule back though.

Bailey began her second year at Lava Ridge and is officially a seventh grader. Wasn't I JUST in seventh grade? Lucky for her the "awkwardness" of being twelve either hasn't hit her yet or I'm guessing never will. Although these pictures don't show it she is also a brace face. Even with the metal smile she just seems to get prettier and prettier.

Caleb began 4th grade and Easton began third. I seriously cannot believe my boys are that old! When their older sister began the higher elementary grades we thought she seemed so old. The boys are still my babies.

I allowed the boys to choose their own outfits for the first day (which if you know me is a HUGE thing). They would choose sporty shorts and t-shirts as opposed to the closet full of nice jeans and collared shirts but oh well. They looked like studs!

This is the first year I didn't walk them into their classes. They wanted to ride their bikes and I learned I had to let go a little so off they went.

Peyton was quite disappointed last year when she broke her leg because she could no longer attend her ballet class. The fall session of dance began and Peyton's leg was healed so she was crazy with excitement to go back to dance. She looks forward to her class every week.

Peyton also started preschool! Another one of those things where I can't believe she is that old! She couldn't wait! We didn't end up getting her in the preschool that had the rest of the neighborhood kids in it but we LOVE the preschool she go into. It was more of a fluke that she even got in but it is DARLING and she is in heaven!

So twice a week I am officially all alone! Okay, well, maybe I haven't been at home alone yet. With going to lunch with Mat and running errands I actually enjoy the few hours a week kid free.

The joy of sisters...

2011-08-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

So we have this older sister in our house who likes to give makeovers. Only one problem. She only has one other sister who isn't always around when Bailey gets in her makeover giving mood. Caleb thinks it is hilarious to comply.

While mom and dad don't find it all that funny for their nine year old to put on a dress and let his big sister style his hair and makeup, we do admit he makes a pretty cute girl. The only saving grace in this scenario is that we used to do the same things with our brother growing up. Hopefully it's just a rite of passage...

However, Peyton is around often enough that she gets made over as well. She LOVES having Bailey do her hair and makeup.

Of course Bailey gets out the camera and makes her "clients" model their makeovers which they love as well.

I love that my kids like each other and play so well together. They don't know it but they really are the best friends that each one of them has. They can play longer and have funner with each other than anyone else.

How did we ever end up so blessed?

Summer Vacation...CHECK!

2011-08-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

We aren't much of a summer vacation type of family. We prefer to vacation during the winter when lines at amusement parks aren't as long and use the summer for camping. We want the excuse in the winter to escape the cold and head to warmer weather as well.

A couple of years ago however, Mat had work up north and we took the kids to Park City for the first time. We loved it then and have been back every summer since! We couldn't let this summer pass up by with out a trip to the cooler weather and all of the awesome rides. We were planning on spending most of our time in Park City but our first morning there we woke up to a ton of cloud cover and rain. Knowing the rides in Park City don't run in the rain we headed down to Lagoon instead. It turned out to be a perfect day at Lagoon. The rides were minimal and it didn't rain once. It stayed cooler in the morning and warmed enough in the afternoon for the kids to play at Lagoona Beach.

We found out that Peyton was in fact made from the same mold as the rest of the kids and couldn't get enough of the fast rides. Every ride was followed by her asking "Again? Can I go again?" She was able to get on a few roller coasters and older kids rides and loved them all the more.

Bailey had asked if she could try out the sky swing so we told all the kids they could go together. Easton was still a bit uneasy about it so Mat had to face his fear and go with the older two. Of course after Easton watched the three go by he wanted to try it out as well. Next time for him.

We were able to go on as many rides as we could handle at Lagoon and we even ended up staying until an hour before close. We never last that long.

We stayed up in Park City the following day along with the rest of the world. It was packed for a Tuesday but we got day passes none the less. We love the alpine coaster but the line was super long so we only rode it twice. Of course the kids loved the Olympic bungee and made it look easy once again. All three older kids were able to work in triple backflips and awed the crowd with their skill. Peyton particularly loved it. She got a really good operator that let her bounce really high and she didn't want to stop.

We had one minor hangup during the trip. Mat stayed back with Peyton while I took the kids up one last run on the Alpine slide. There was a moose nearby that caused us to get stuck on the lift. It would have been fine except we had another rider with us and my kids were getting super antsy and it started getting cold. By the time we reached the top the moose had left so we started of on our sleds. While I was sliding down the hill my cell phone came loose and was sliding around on the sled. I tried to grab it while I was still in motion and took a tumble (in my skirt) on the slide. I came down the mountain a tad scraped up and quite humiliated. No one saw the crash thankfully but Mat and the kids had a great time laughing at how clumsy I am. We gathered up the kids and started walking to the parking lot and I started to feel itchy...

By the time we got into the car I was really itchy. By the time we got to the hotel I was MISERABLE! It felt like the inside of my skin was on fire. I quickly dashed up to our room and showered to tried to get whatever I was allergic to off me and it got worse. Mat was gone to buy some allergy medication and I could feel my throat starting to close off. I looked in the mirror and the bottom half of my face looked like the joker from batman. My lips and ears were very swollen and I was in fact still miserable. Bailey was freaking out wanting Mat to come back and all the kids were worried. I took some medication and just tried to calm myself down. Mat stayed close by ready to call an ambulance while I kept saying it would be fine that he needed to take the kids somewhere else so they didn't have to see me like that. Mat gave me a priesthood blessing and about 10 minutes later I started feeling some relief. I was still talking funny but I started to be able to feel part of my tongue and could tell the worst was over. I took another shower and realized that the medication was making me very drowsy. I went and layed down and within the hour I was almost back to normal. Seriously, I was scared. My kids were scared. I've never felt so out of control in my life. I am very grateful it did not become more severe. We decided that when my skin scraped along the slide that I must have gotten fiberglass particles in me and had an allergic reaction to it. I felt 100% better the following morning.

We had such a fun time I felt awful to ruing our last night in Park City. At least it will always be a memorable vacation right?

2011-07-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

Who'd have ever thunk that I would have a family full of amazing runners? Since running certainly isn't one of my passions I could never have guessed we would be entering so many races. If you had even asked me last year at this time I would have been doubtful. It all started last year when Bailey began 6th grade. She had run the mile in elementary school and ran with a time similar to what I would run it in when I was in school. The first time she ran it in 6th grade however, she was 5 minutes quicker than her previous times! Of course the gears started turning. I quickly realized she had her dad's running abilities and her mom's competitive spirit. A GREAT combination if you as me! We entered Bailey in the Swiss Days 5K and she did quite well. Of course then her school had their annual "geckathon" and we encouraged her to give it a try. Both times taking a solid 2nd place. At some point the boys asked if they could run as well. In January we entered Caleb in his first 5K and Easton in a one mile race along with Mat and Bailey. All of them did awesome with Bailey being the only one placing but still not taking first. After the January race Bailey mentioned she'd like to try a half marathon. I asked her if she LIKED to run or if she was running for her parents benefit. She said that she liked it and would like to continue to compete. We made a deal that day with all of the kids that if they ran one race each month for a year that they would receive a nice reward at the end. Easton decided after his first 5K that running wasn't for him and that was okay. I don't want it to be something I am forcing. Part of the deal is that the kids can't just show up and race. They need to actually train. We gave them each a race distance to work up to with Bailey's being a half marathon. All summer long Bailey has gotten up at 5:30 am to meet the cross country team at the high school at 6:00 to run. She has run mostly with the A group which runs the longest distances and she has been happier and started to get really fast. Up to this point the only race she had taken first in was the Dogtown 9K and it wasn't a great race for her she just happened to be the only one in her division. She seems to always take second. Caleb always seems to walk away with medals and does well in his division so we really wanted to see Bailey do well for her half. Caleb ran the 5K in Bryce Canyon while Mat and Bailey were coming down the course of the half. Caleb didn't run his personal best but he still took a first for his division. After Bailey crossed the finish line we anxiously waited for the postings to see what she placed. Every thirty minutes new times were posted so when we saw hers we were bummed. Yes, she had taken first but was the only one in the 12-14 year division. I knew there were 11 year olds on the course and I couldn't believe she was the only one her age running. Surely there were 14 year olds that had ran?

We of course waited for the awards anyway. Caleb deserved his first and Bailey did too even if she didn't have anyone in her division. Both kids ran with awesome times! Caleb couldn't wait to run up and receive his medal. Bailey was a tad more reluctant.

When they finally called out Bailey's name they also called out a second and third place in her division! We were so excited! I went and looked again at the times. There were actually 7 kids total in her division and were all 14 years old except Bailey. We didn't see their times the first time because she was more than thirty minutes ahead of the second place winner! She took her first WELL DESERVED FIRST!

I am truly amazed at the runners in my little family! They rarely complain about running and seem to really enjoy it. It is merely icing on the cake that they are GOOD at it!

We couldn't get a room in Bryce Canyon because we had decided too late to run it so we hitched up the camper and camped in a campground for our first time.

It was definitely not the typical camping trip. Not only were the campsites pricier than I would have thought but we were so close to the rest of the campers. It was nice to have the pool to cool off in.

The kids loved trying to guess which country other families were from since most of the fellow campers didn't speak English.

We had a blast. The kids asked if we could please stay longer and while we would have loved to we knew we had to get back to daily life.

Overall a very successful weekend all around!

Top TWELVE reasons we love Bailey!

2011-07-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

With my little girl turning twelve I felt it was appropriate to dedicate a top twelve list to her so here goes:

12. Bailey's hilarious! Once she gets you laughing it's hard to stop. She's super smart but can be air headed about silly things and will definitely make your side hurt from the silliness she participates in.

11. As mentioned before, she's smart. Bailey gets great grades at school and always has. She doesn't have to put much effort into her school but certainly doesn't complain when she does have homework.

10. Bailey is very easy going. She's just happy for whatever comes along. Sometimes to point of frustration. If you ask her what she wants she really doesn't care she just wants everyone else to be happy.

9. She's our "built-in babysitter". Now that she's older it is SOOO nice to be able to run errands or go out on dates and not worry about finding a babysitter for the younger kids. The only problem we face is that other families are starting to catch onto the fact that she's old enough and they actually pay her so we don't get our freebies as often.

8. Bailey is creative. She likes to mess around with mom's crafts and while her creativity can be messy at times we love watching what she makes.

7. She's kind-hearted. Anyone that knows Bailey knows she cares more about others than herself. She wants everyone to be happy and is very loving and sweet to everyone. You don't ever catch her saying negative things about anyone and I doubt she ever even thinks negative things.

6. Bailey is super helpful. She gets her chores done and never fights me when asked to do them. Once in while she forgets to do them but never complains even when extra chores are added. We tease that Bailey is Peyton's second mom. She's always concerned about her baby sister and watches out for all of her family.

5. Bailey is considerate and polite. I have these closer on the list because they are two things that are SOOO Bailey. She is well-behaved and respectful when she needs to be and we never worry about her getting out of hand.

4. Bailey is athletic. She doesn't care for traditional sports much but she is uber-competitive and if needs be she has no problem playing sports and showing how amazingly athletic she is.

3. Bailey is BEAUTIFUL! She small for her age but that just adds to her charm. She really is quite stunning and I catch myself often looking at her and wondering how such a pretty little girl could be my daughter.

2. Bailey is TALENTED! Everything she does she makes look easy. Once she decides on doing something she is usually the best at it. Whether it be cheer, running, or competing against her family, she can do it all! Most kids get one or two things that they are good at and focus on those strengths. With Bailey it's hard not to want to put her in every activity because it is so fun to watch all of her amazing abilities.

And the number 1 reason we love Bailey is...

SHE'S OURS! Bailey chose us to be her parents! This incredible daughter of God chose our family to be a part of. She's such a great example to each one of us and we are all truly blessed to have her in our lives!

Happy 12th Birthday Bailey!

Trying to keep up this summer...

2011-07-12T16:04:00.000-07:00

So many fun things happening around the Holt homestead this summer. I admit the first week that school let out I was filled with anguish thinking about the forthcoming 3 months. Well, we have one month left of summer vacation and I wonder where the time has gone...So here's the run-down, quite out of order, of everything we've been up to.

To celebrate the 4th of July we have always swam and spent the day barbecuing and such in my parents backyard. Well, with the move that wasn't an option this year. My parents were still planning on hosting a barbecue but Mat and I volunteered our backyard since it was a fairly nice day. Bailey and Mat had began the day with an 8 mile run and it was even somewhat cool out. Nevertheless the kids still wanted water so my dad brought over the "slip n' slide".

Basically a 20 x 40 foot piece of visquine. We ran two hoses and covered it in dish soap.

Eventually the sinkhole in the backyard helped pool the water enough to bring out the skimboards.

Peyton and cousins were happy to sit and play with blocks and barbies all day.

Of course the kiddos could barely wait for the sun to go down to begin lighting the fireworks. I'm not even sure they watch them. They LOVE lighting them though and if that's what they want, we just sit back and enjoy the show!

Bailey and her friend were finally able to make their sparkler heart. Peyton loved sparklers and lighting the bigger fireworks as well.

Although Bailey ALREADY had her present (her cruise) and wasn't supposed to have a party we couldn't resist. And by we I mean ME! I got it in my head that she needed a surprise party and immediately the theme, and decorations all popped into my head. Once the planning in my head starts there's nothing you can do but embrace it if you're Mat.

Aunt Amber made another beautiful cake for dear little Bailey. Seriously we are so lucky to have Amber in our family to make such cute cakes for us.

Chantry invited Bailey over to play for the day so that we could decorate and get ready for the party. We asked Bailey to be home at 7:30 to babysit and told her the boys were in the backyard. She was so embarrassed her eyes were literally filling with tears.

We played minute to win it, doge ball, and lover's leap. Had cake and began an outdoor movie. About 30 minutes into the movie we heard the thunder crackle that said we better move the party inside. We should've began clearing out then but sure enough a minute later we were all scrambling to get everything inside as well as all of the guests. All of Bailey's friends decided it would be more fun to get wet so then they all headed back outside while the torrents of rain came down.

Despite some efforts of clean up the night before the next morning the carnage that was left in the backyard was extensive. Overturned cake plates, spilled popcorn bags, and my precious tissue balls were all sopping wet and made the backyard look like a disaster had hit.

Of course what is summer without a trip to Pine Valley with the Nelson clan?

The usual picnic spot was under construction so we had to hike down to the water which was still ice cold from the snow runoff but we had a blast.

Peyton found a tractor and was quite miffed that there were no keys to be found for it. Apparently she was going to take her cousins for a ride like she does in her barbie car.

Mixed in with all of our summer fun Bailey got to attend her first girl's camp. Although she hadn't turned 12 yet she was able to go with our ward to Lake Powell! Lucky girl to spend her first week at girl's camp lounging around on houseboats and being towed on a tube and learning how to wakeboard!

One very fun part about summer was having so many cousins come to town to visit. We are very fortunate to have most of our family live close but in the past two weeks alone we've had visits from ALL of our cousins coming to play, swim, and laugh with us.

While Bailey was at girl's camp I had another one of my "great ideas" that Mat loves me so much for. I thought it would be fun to finish decorating Bailey's room for her. It took about 10 hours and money we really shouldn't have spent on her but it turned our DARLING! When she came home from camp she was so exhausted she could barely talk but she loved it!

Our summer still has many fun and exciting things to look forward to. With the Bryce Canyon half marathon this weekend, school shopping in Vegas, and a quick getaway planned to Park City, I'm afraid the next month will fly by far too fast.

Saying goodbye...

2011-06-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

After almost 33 years of living on the Red Hill my parents have officially moved. While I've had plenty of time to come to terms with the move it was still very difficult for us. I've really only ever known this house. It was where we put on plays on the pool table in the basement. Where we filled up garbage cans with water to swim in during the summer. Where I would hit tennis balls against the gargage door everyday. On the porch was where Mat first told me he loved me.

Where every summer since I turned six was spent outside swimming in the pool. Playing with Becca, Christi, and the rest of the neighborhood gang. Where each Saturday morning we would all meet to hike up to the top of the red hill and goof off in our own "rooms" on top.

Most people I went to school with have at one time or another come to hang out there. Most people didn't knock at my parents they just walked right in. In fact if you knocked we would get irritated for having to answer the door.

This is where I learned by trial and many errors how to cook. Also where I decided that I never wanted a huge house. I really hated cleaning it.

This is the place that was welcome to almost anyone. The only people that weren't ever really wanted there (at least by me) only ever made it inside to the living room. It was a very formal place and I can remember spending a lot of time trying to be polite but still trying to get a particular group of boys to leave me alone. Thus, they only ever saw the formal side.

I grew up here. I have so many wonderful memories and my heart breaks that my kids will only get to take a few memories with them. I loved our home and will miss it greatly.

Going for GOLD!

2011-06-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

This past week was the Utah Summer Games. Mat so lovingly pointed out to me that it has been 16 years since I competed and took home a gold medal in soccer. Now I was cheering for my kids chasing after their own golds. Caleb would have two chances by running the 5k and playing for his soccer team. Bailey was running the 5k as well.

Caleb didn't medal in the 5k but ran his personal best with a time of 23:56 and took fourth! Bailey did end up getting a medal. Also running her personal best time of 23:24 she took a bronze home. Although she was a few minutes faster than the gold medalist from 2010 she was up against some VERY fast kids. The gold medalist in her division ran a 21:07 and was only eight years old. Very impressive!

For the most part we just drove up to Cedar everyday. Hotels were on high demand and they were fairly high dollar. We did end up staying in one Friday night. We had to be at the race on Saturday at 6:00 a.m. and since Mat was participating in the Summer Games Triathlon I was on my own. It worked out nicely since Peyton didn't sleep at all through the night but I was able to leave her with older kids while I took the kids to the race.

After the 5k Mat met us up in Cedar for the Gold medal game for Caleb's team. Mat did awesome in his triathlon and beat the time he had set as his goal by ten minutes! Caleb's team was playing a team that they had lost to in regular season play but had beat the previous day. We knew going into it that we had the better team but you never really know how things will go.

We wanted to not only win but win by a good margin. The boys ROCKED! The final score of the game was 8-1 in our favor! They were stoked as well as their parents and coaches!

It was a great game and the boys had earned it! They went undefeated in their age group for the Summer Games!

It was a great way to end a super busy week. I feel like I am constantly bragging about my kids, (which I really can't stand when parents do) in my defense, I am completely shocked at how amazing they are! I am stunned at their abilities and while I sometimes have to fight to get them to their practices I know that when I was their age my parents could have NEVER made me get up at 6:00 a.m. in the summer for practice or practice for as many hours as they do. They constantly impress me.

2011-06-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our little baby Peyton is growing up far too fast! She turned three last week and in perfect Peyton style was dressed like a princess for her party.

We had her party a few days early since we knew her actual birthday would be quite busy. We rented out the Veyo roller rink and invited all of her cousins and some friends to join us. Peyton didn't quite last on her roller skates so we gave her our gift at the beginning.

When Bailey turned three she got a barbie jeep so of course we wanted to get one for Peyton as well. Peyton didn't want a jeep however. She wanted a pink barbie car. She saw this one on the Internet and insisted on it. She was so cute about it of course we couldn't resist.

It worked out great at the roller rink. Peyton and the younger kids rode it around the rink the entire time and had a blast!

Of course Peyton needed a pink barbie cake as well. They only make smaller ones now so she also got a princess cake. She LOVED being the center of attention and of course loved all of the pink!

It was such a fun party we decided we needed to go up there more often. We truly didn't even think the old place was still open. I can't believe how fast the past three years have flown by! Peyton starts preschool in August and will start ballet as well. We love her very much and are constantly grateful she came to join our family!

Catching up!

2011-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

It has been FAR too long since I have updated our blog! As I was looking through my pics I realized that the last month or so have FLOWN by! Too many fun things happening. I love it!

The boys both finished their soccer seasons strong. Caleb played an AWESOME final game and secured him a spot on his team's summer games team (which we are currently in the middle of). Easton was able to secure him a spot on the comp team that we've been wanting him to play for and can't wait to get the fall season started with him!

Bailey finished up her 1st year of intermediate school and I totally made it through! It was touch and go for a few times there but she is an amazing girl and seemed unphased by any crazy stuff happening around her. While she doesn't turn 12 until July she will be going to girl's camp this year and ... wait for it... GOING TO LAKE POWELL!!! Seriously whatever happened to going to Cedar Mountain and hoping you got the campsite nearest to the flushing toilets?

The boys both played an awesome season of spring baseball. Easton hit a home run almost every game (whether his coach let him run home or not). ;)

Caleb got to try out his pitching arm and was pretty cute out there on the mound. By the end of the season we actually got him not to walk every time he was up and just swing the bat! He did and got some great hits. His team ended up being the Snow Canyon Little League minor champs!

Of course what's a month or two around our house without a couple of races thrown in? Easton has officially dropped out of the running challenge we set for the kids at the first of the year. I can't blame him of course. He's built like me and I LOATHE running! Mat, Caleb, and Bailey ran a 5k up at the old airport the week school ended and each one took home a medal! Mat and Caleb both took first in their divisions (this is the first time Mat has not ran with the kids) and Bailey took second in hers.

We couldn't do much for Memorial Day since the rest of the primary presidency decided they were taking their families on vacations so we hung around town. We ended up taking the kids up to the Gunlock run off on Monday.

It's been a very cold spring and so while it wasn't really hot enough to jump in a swim we had a great time hiking around the water and looking at the falls.

It was pretty packed with people but it was a blast.

We did convince Easton to run one more race...The New Harmony Mud Run. For kids they only had to run a 1.5k race through mud, logs, and other obstacles.

It was for ages 12 and under so all of the kids were in the same category. Bailey rocked it with taking 1st! She ran it in 7:15. Caleb came in a strong 3rd with a time of 7:40-ish. Easton didn't place but started the race walking with a side ache and came through the finish line muddy and running.

Bailey and Easton both successfully traversed through the muddy waters and came out looking like it. Caleb traversed the same waters yet tried his darndest to stay clean and pretty much did.

I truly thought summer was supposed to be a time to relax and unwind. It seems crazier than ever with all of the day camps, tutoring, sports, and playtime. As I mentioned before we are currently in the middle of Summer Games. Caleb had played three games so far and his team looks strong to play in the gold medal game tomorrow. Bailey and Caleb will be running a 5k in the morning with Mat running a triathlon in the morning as well. Hopefully we aren't too worn out for the gold medal game at noon. Busy...I wouldn't change a thing!

Bailey's Vacation

2011-05-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

When the kids were younger Mat and I discussed how fun it would be when the kids turned twelve to take them on a trip of their choice just them and us. We thought it would be fun before we became too lame and before the teenage years set in. Bailey is approaching her twelveth birthday and we kept asking where she wanted to go. Bailey's pretty laid back and so she really didn't care. She even liked the idea of heading up to Park City and shopping. She did mention a few times the Bahamas. One of the requirements we had made for the trip was that we needed to go somewhere that had an LDS temple. The Bahamas didn't qualify. However, we had an opportunity to save some money and go on a cruise before her birthday and the cruise stopped in the Bahamas and so we snuck her out of school and took her a couple of months early so she wasn't old enough to do baptisms anyhow.

After a red eye flight from Las Vegas to Fort Lauderdale and virtually no sleep we accidentally slept until 11:30 the first day that the ship was in port. We went to Princess Cays in the Bahamas and by the time we made it over to the island we only had three hours to play. Bailey saw people on the water bikes and that's the first thing she wanted to do. We saw a stingray in the water and I'm afraid I scared Bailey from going near them the rest of the trip. :( Mat and Bailey snorkeled for a bit. Mat somehow didn't pack Bailey's mask with her gear so she didn't snorkel for very long. She did have goggles but she wasn't able to use the breathing tube so it was a tad difficult for her. Of course I don't snorkel so I worked on my tan.

Princess Cays was Bailey's favorite island. It only had people from our ship on it and was a beautiful place. Of course we did a little shopping before heading back on the boat and were one of the last people back.

We had our first of two formal nights that evening and while we don't own full formal gowns and tuxes we still had fun dressing up a bit.

The next day we visited St. Maarten. Mat and Bailey were scheduled for a para sailing tour that ended up being canceled due to high winds on the coast it was held on. We hit the shopping and beach instead.

It was surprisingly hot. We've never been to the Caribbean before but figured the climate would be similar to Hawaii's. It was quite a bit warmer. Bailey spent most of her time in the water and impressed many onlookers with her beach tumbling skills.

Of course, whenever we leave kids at home we are always seeing everything we know they would love if they were with us. We knew Easton would dig seeing Mat hold an iguana and he wasn't about to pick one up so we tried to fake a picture.

We spent the following day on St. Thomas. We went on a kayaking/hiking/snorkeling excursion though a protected mangrove lagoon. It was gorgeous. The guides were concerned with Bailey being big enough to paddle so they asked her how many push ups she could do. She said around thirty so they had no problems after that. :) It was my favorite part about the trip. We walked over to a hermit crab village of sorts. Thousands of hermit crabs were everywhere! We had never been kayaking before and while it was about as beginner as you get we still had a blast.

We had two different days at sea within our week cruise so on the second day was the second formal night.

Our last island we visited was Grand Turk. It had GORGEOUS beaches. The island was fairly small and only have about 5,000 residents so it was very laid back which was refreshing after the crowded Virgin Islands.

The trip was such a fun way to spend time with our little girl who is growing up so blasted fast. As Peyton is learning to sing "I love to see the temple" I can't help think that we were JUST teaching Bailey the same song and buying the same pink barbies and dress ups. People kept commenting on what a lucky girl Bailey was to get to go on the trip. WE were the lucky mom and dad however, that got to take her and spend time with her and let her know how much we love her!

Easter 2011

2011-05-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

I figured it was time I did a post about Easter since it was almost a month ago. Usually for Easter we do the usual: Decorate eggs, the bunny comes, hit every egg hunt we can, and play for the rest of the day. This East Saturday was a bit more laid back than previous years. Sure we stayed up Friday night and decorated eggs, we just forgot to hide them with the goodies for the kiddos.

We hid treats and such for the kids outback but we didn't make it to ANY of the other morning eggs hunts and let the kids (except Peyton) go out in their jammies rather than getting dressed and looking springy.

Since we didn't make it to the morning egg hunts we took the kids to the aquatic center egg hunt. The older kids didn't care for it too much but Peyton was in heaven. She had her cast removed earlier on in the week and was still adjusting to walking with it. The water helped balance and she was an animal going after the eggs. Peyton had been outside the previous day and while it was warm we didn't think about her leg. It hadn't been exposed to the sun for weeks so it burned pretty quick while the rest of her body didn't. A concerned dad at the pool picked her up and took her to the lifeguard worried that she'd been hurt in the hunting process. I said that she wasn't and explained why her leg was red and she WAS limping badly on it but it wasn't hurt.

After the pool hunt we went back home instead of heading over to Grandpa and Grandma's like we usually do because Bailey, Mat, and I had to pack and catch a plane to Fort Lauderdale. We didn't get to see the kids in their new Easter clothes and didn't get pictures of them looking all fancy and such but we did at least get to spend SOME time with them over the weekend.

That's MY kid!

2011-04-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

One thing Mat and I have always teased Caleb about is his looks. In a GOOD way! He's such a handsome little guy and we definitely give him a hard time about it. Caleb is super smart and has AMAZING patience. He loves to draw or fold paper or spend time (lots of time) on any one thing to perfect it. He has an amazing talent at the piano and is by far the most kind hearted out of our bunch. Caleb LOVES sports. He loves being outside and being with his buddies. He is however, going to be "vertically challenged". So while basketball may be his favorite sport right now we've been helping him explore other avenues as well. He currently plays on a competitive soccer team and IS a valuable player but admittedly he lacks the aggression that soccer usually requires. He's VERY skilled with any sport he just seems a bit too polite sometimes. :)

Well, we think he's found his sport. He is playing his first year of "kid-pitch" baseball in the minor leagues. Mat is his coach and jokingly said Caleb would be the starting pitcher if HE was the coach. Well, Caleb's first game Mat knew I would be a bit late to so he put Caleb in as pitch the second inning. It didn't go as well as we both hoped. He was clearly nervous and wasn't pitching his best. Mat took him an hour early to his second game and worked on pitching and batting a bit before the game started. Caleb said he felt MUCH more comfortable about pitching that day. It SHOWED! He only was able to play one inning but he struck THREE boys out and didn't want anyone! Seriously, my mommy hear has wanted to jump out of my chest with pride since Friday! I am SOOO proud that he got back on that mound! He stuck to it and showed everyone that he came to play and even though he was the coaches son that he deserved to be on that mound!

I swear I've NEVER seen a cuter pitcher in my life! With his long curly hair hanging out the sides of his hat and his oh so serious face! He has been beaned twice up to bat and walked the other times so we haven't had a chance to watch his batting skills but we have no doubt that he will do well in the sport of baseball. We truly aren't as competitive with baseball as many of the folks in Santa Clara are so truthfully we may just keep him in minors for two years but he has, and always will, continue to amaze me!

One BIG busy day!

2011-04-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Friday night we started with the preparations for a very busy Saturday. Peyton helped Mat and I prepare everything we possibly could for Easton's baptism knowing that we would have no time on Saturday to prepare anything. We stayed up pretty late and woke up at 6:00 am to begin our day.

We started off with another race for the kids. The boys didn't get their March race in so they had to run two this month. Caleb placed third and took home his first real medal.

Easton was only a few minutes behind Caleb but was pretty discouraged that he didn't place at all. It was his FIRST 5k and he did really well.

Bailey took her first, first place in her division and while she didn't have her best time ever, we were just happy she was willing to run an extra race. I can never seem to get a picture of her running without her feet being in the air. She's just too fast!

After the race we went and watched Caleb's soccer game. The sun started to peek through the clouds a bit and it while it was a VERY frustrating game (the referee was terrible) we did enjoy that we weren't sitting in the April snow as we were that morning.

We rushed home after the game and bathed everyone for the baptism. We made it right on time.

We are so happy for Easton's decision to be baptized and can't believe we have THREE kids that have "taken the plunge". It will be another 5 plus years before we have a baptism take place at the Holt house.

Peyton was extremely tired and as we arrived at the stake center she had indeed given in and fell asleep. No pic with all the kids. :(

I am grateful that Easton could be baptized by his father and confirmed by him as well.

It was such an exciting day! Easton was baptized along with 3 other kids from our ward. One of which was his very best buddy in the whole ward. Because there were so many from our ward they divided of the baptisms but Easton still got to be there for his friends.

I love my little guy! With all of the challenges he presents with his strong personality I KNOW he is destined for great things!

"Tri" ing their best!

2011-04-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Mat and I have made the kids a deal. If they run a race every month this year they will be handsomely rewarded by the end of the year. The race this month was a triathlon. It was the boys first and Bailey's second. We decided to just have Mat compete on his own and the boys were competing in the kids divisions, so it was every Holt for themselves.

Caleb had a soccer game before the races began by the time we got to the aquatic center Mat had started his run and Bailey was finishing up on her bike. With a tri you never know how well they are doing because everyone starts at different times. I did know that Bailey's time wouldn't be as good as it should because as she was finishing up her bike she yelled that she had a broken chain while riding. Well, she didn't have a broken chain she had one come loose. A policeman helped her put the chain back on and it slowed her by about a minute. What we didn't know is that her lap counter also didn't stop her swimming in time and she swam and extra lap. Between the two mishaps she was about three minutes off. Three minutes which would have placed her in the top three overall for women! She ran the third fastest in women and it was such a good race day for her. She ended up taking second in her division. Her run being the fastest in her division with her bike and swimming being behind the other girls about three minutes!

Mat had caught my cold and didn't realize how bad it was until he started the tri. He was frustrated with his time knowing he can do better but still ended up taking third in his division. He was one minute away from taking first overall.

Easton struggled with swimming and wanted to give up after the first length. That's when Mat and I walked away and he no longer had anyone to complain to. He rocked the biking and swimming and ended up sixth in his division!

Caleb was slower in swimming as well but his bike and run were pretty good. He was the fastest kid in his division on the run and the third fastest for that race. He ended up fourth in his division.

Bailey joined Caleb for his run but backed out at the end while he kicked it into gear and sprinted to the finish.

It was such a fun day and Mat and I were so proud of how well each kid did. They are amazing!

By noon, Peyton was tired of being outside and badly needed a nap!

Oh this time of year!

2011-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Springtime is upon us! Caleb and Easton are both well into their spring soccer seasons, baseball is starting next week, along with all of the year end recitals and programs, tryouts, etc. Easton was the first to start of the spring programs along with the second graders at Arrowhead. Why is it that every time I go and take pics of my kids at these things I always manage to capture some sweet looks from the surrounding kids? Easton did a great air guitar for his part and of course he was so excited to show off all of their songs they learned all year. We loved it.

Caleb's school did their track meet a little different this year. They only allowed the kids that qualified during P.E. for the finals to attend the track meet. We took Caleb out the night before and apparently ran him a bit too hard. He was visibly tired as he ran. We were still thrilled he was in the top eight for both of his races and was able to run them. He took 4th in the 200 meter and 6 in the 400 meter.

As part of Bailey's 3rd semester grade she had to enter the science fair. After weeks of asking her to start it we indeed ended up doing it the night before. She did a great job! She didn't win but her project looked so nice and we were proud of all of the work she did end up putting into it.

We attended Bailey's cheer team review last night. She's had such an amazing year. It is sad to know that the team is no longer. There were about ten girls that left to tryout for high school cheer and after tryouts next week who knows what next year will bring. We love watching how easy she makes it all look. We love her and all of the kids!

An actual "break" for spring.

2011-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

We signed Mat and Bailey up a week before the Spectrum 10K and we were pretty excited. After Bailey's "stomach aches" for the 9K she has just run/walked in the freezing cold, the weather looked great and Bailey's weekly runs went well. After the first mile (in 7:15) she told Mat that she quit and wasn't running anymore. They argued and fought. An old lady passed and said "C'mon, you're NOT going to let an old lady pass you are you?" Well, they did. As I waited at the finish line I became more and more frustrated as the minutes went on. SLOW people were crossing and still no Mat and Bailey. When they finally did cross the finish line they looked so strong! Apparently once Bailey decided she would run she did. She has amazing abilities and I know that sometimes I need to remember how little she really is. It was frustrating however. The mental aspect won this time. Ugh!

After the race was over, Mat and I left the kids and went to buy some spring flowers to plant in the yard. Mat forgot a coupon while we were at the nursery so he ran home to get it while I chose the flowers. When he came back he said little Peyton was asleep. I chuckled knowing how early she had been up for the race and knew she was tired. Mat said she had hurt herself on the trampoline and cried then fell asleep. My heart felt bad that I wasn't there to console her but I was relieved to know she was getting a nap. Well, she napped, and napped, and when she finally woke up I tried to get her to go to the bathroom. She said no. She just wanted to lay in bed. I figured she must not be feeling well. She mentioned her leg hurt and I kissed it better and went out to plant. After a while I wasn't feeling all too hot so I went to lay down by her. Bailey and I were both cuddling with the little sweetheart when Mat came in to check on us. He expressed concern that Peyton was still laying in bed and thought we ought to get her owie checked out. I thought he was being silly and I didn't want to pay unnecessary medical bills so I asked him to call our neighbor to have her looked at. He wasn't home so Mat convinced me to take her to have her leg looked at. Yep, Mat was right. (This time.) Peyton had broken her leg. She WAS in pain and once she got a soft cast on her leg she was so much happier. Our neighbor came by the following day and said he would put a hard cast on her and that we could expect it to be on for 6-8 weeks! My heart ached for my baby girl. The one who LOVES dancing and would have to be taken out her class. The one who LOVES pretending she's a cheerleader and playing with friends. After checking the x-rays a few days later we were told she would be out for 4-6 weeks which was better but still disheartening. She quickly became adjusted to the cast and is hobbling around, going up and down stairs, and doing things much more independently which is fabulous! She loves all of the attention she gets from everyone and thinks every day is her birthday with people bringing gifts constantly. My poor little princess. :(

Spring break???

2011-03-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Our spring break started a bit early. We took Bailey out of school on Friday for her last two classes and headed up north to SLC with our two girls. Caleb and Easton stayed behind for Caleb's soccer game and fun with their grandparents. Bailey's cheer team was competing in their nationals competition and we needed to get there early the night before for a team dinner. We originally planned on watching all of Raglan's team perform on Saturday but learned Bailey wouldn't be competing until late in the afternoon and we thought it was best that she wasn't hanging out there ALL day. It turns out we were super glad we didn't have her there any earlier than we did. Her team didn't compete until 5:00pm and mad it to the match play round which meant they would go head to head with another team at 8:00pm. Our nerves were all over the place and we couldn't eat or relax. Once we knew her team was going to the match play round we knew they would take 1st or 2nd...We also knew that her team had blown the competition away in the first round and basically had 1st place wrapped up. After the two teams had performed they waited to hear the results. The judges took EXTREMELY long to decided (as they weren't scoring the 2nd round) and I watched as they argued back and forth. Finally I saw some basically throw their hands in the air and then the announcer said they had a winner. It wasn't Raglan. :( Raglan had dropped one stunt in the match play round where the other team didn't. Now typically the dropped stunt wouldn't have mattered because Raglan scored MUCH higher than their opponents in the first round and a dropped stunt is only a point deduction. I think they basically decided that since the other team didn't drop the stunt in the 2nd round (they did in the first) they were the winners. It was frustrating and disheartening to try to cheer out little girl up but we had to accept the fact and be super happy that they took SECOND!

Early Sunday morning we packed up our things and headed back to St. George. We picked up the boys, repacked and turned right back around and headed up to Brianhead. The kids took the snowboarding school on Monday and rocked it! Seriously, Mat and I were so impressed with how easily they picked up the sport. We originally had plans to snow tube on Tuesday but they had so much fun snowboarding they wanted to try out the larger lifts instead. We were able to stay in a condo for free which was great! We had the Christensens and the Edwards with us and all of our kids had a blast hanging out, making bracelets, and shooting dart guns.

Our kids can't wait to go again and want to know when they can hang out with their new friends again as well. They've already put snowboards on their Christmas lists for next year. It was such a packed weekend but we had a blast. We are so grateful our kids (and us) get to have such amazing experiences!

Oh that kid!

2011-03-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

When we set out to have kids I figured we would have a litter full of freckly, short, hyperactive runts. Well, we only got one really freckly kid. I think with each freckle it must be an added bit of personality. A kid who LOVES ALL animals! So much that all he ever wants for Christmas, birthdays, any occasion is some sort of live creature. A kid who hands-down can dirty a shirt like no other and wears through his clothes almost faster than I can shop online for them. :) Mat every now and then receives texts from friends wondering if he has any "Easton stories" for them. We came home on Saturday to find that he had convinced his grandma that we cook eggs in the microwave to hard boil them. Apparently he was rather convincing and since grandma I'm sure had never tried it on her own figured it must be okay. Too bad they didn't have time to clean it up as I was the lucky winner of cleaning the microwave with the remnants of the exploded egg all over. When the egg exploded it blew the door to the microwave open and tripped the breaker. Still, Easton claims it would be fine to try it again that he really does do it all the time. You can give this kid a roll of masking tape and he will have a fort, ball built, and probably have himself wrapped up in it in minutes. Easton has twitches. We've mostly gotten rid of the snorting, and the squinting while sticking your tongue out, and are currently working on him to stop over biting his lower lip so the poor lip can heal. Bailey and I were laughing at his stance the other day. He stands with both feet pointed outward. Seriously I LOVE him and all of his quirks. The best was later that night when I looked down at my own stance and yep...he gets it from me! He also gets the twitches, the easily frustrated personality, and so much more from ME!!! I love him. Every bit of challenge that comes with him. Every laugh he provides warms my heart. We are so BLESSED to have him in our family!

Save as...

2011-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Peyton is our baby. We have been blessed with two BEAUTIFUL girls and two very HANDSOME boys. Alas, we are done adding to our sweet little family. Lately I catch myself saying Bailey when I really mean Peyton. Was it really THAT long ago that Bailey was driving me crazy with dress-ups and leaving her dolls all around the house? We finally got around to hanging our family photos that were taken last September and found some others of the kiddos before Peyton was born. I can't believe how quickly they change from wee little things to big kids with a blink!

I am VERY grateful however, for digital photography. While I can't freeze my kids and make them stay little, I can clog up our computer with thousands of photos constantly. Peyton graciously accommodates my photo taking. Oh how I wish I could keep them little a bit longer...

Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post about the day of love. Caleb of course had another awesome Valentine box he made for his class party. Bailey broke a bit of her dad's heart when he realized his was not the first (or the most exciting Valentine) Bailey received from a boy at cheer. I hosted Easton's class party. We played Minute to Win it and it was a hit. Mat and I snuck off for a very early dinner before the hectic Monday evening hit us. Overall a very short but sweet Valentine's Day.

One strong kid!

2011-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Easton has a bit of a different temperament than his older brother and sister. While he is awesome at team sports he struggles with listening to coaches and dealing with other players. He asked if he could do gymnastics and we thought it was a great idea. He has been taking gym since September and recently we added Caleb to Easton's class. We thought it's a great way for our boys to build upper body strength and flexibility. Easton and Caleb have loved it. We let Easton perform in the annual review (Caleb had only been going for a month) and we were happy to see how strong he was. He was definitely one of the best in his group and looked like he really enjoyed it. He brought home a silver medal and only needs to pass off one more thing before he qualifies for gold. Love that kid!

I could happen to you.

2011-02-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

With thoughts from my last post in mind, here's another "it could so easily have been my kid" moment. Last month when Southern Utah got their yearly "snow day" the day before the kids went back to school from Christmas break, a little boy in Easton's class was playing with a lighter and lit his flannel shirt on fire. Although he "stopped, dropped, and rolled" the little boy had to be life flighted to SLC and suffered more than 25% of his body with third degree burns. He used to live in our circle and just recently moved out of our area but still attended school with Easton. Easton was very upset when he came home to tell me what had happened. When I knew that we would be going to SLC for Bailey's cheer comp I messaged the little boy's mother and asked if Easton could visit. She said of course and so Easton along with many notes and treats supplied by his class got to pay Jace a visit.

The following weekend the neighborhood had organized a race to earn money to help Jace's family with their medical expenses. Of course we wanted to support. Easton ran the mile in a whopping 6:30! Caleb was feeling quite sick and had to stop a few times and finished with a 26 minute 5k time. Bailey opted to walk/jog with her slower friends and came in somewhere around 27 minutes. It was a gorgeous day! the neighborhood donated over $15,000 to help Jace's family and even got a visit to the race by Jace himself.

I'm so very grateful for the health and strength of our little family.

Bittersweet Weekend

2011-02-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

No one could imagine how excited we get to watch Bailey compete. After her team got robbed at their Las Vegas competition last month we were ready for the team to take first! It worked out that her SLC championship took place the same weekend as our nephew Gage's baptism. We stayed at the same hotel as most of the team so we were able to send Bailey early to warm up with her teammate. Mat and I took the boys over to the baptism and of course Gage was one of the last to have the ordinance done so we weren't able to stay for the confirmation. We rushed over to the competition with about 10 minutes to spare before Bailey competed. Well, our hopes fell when we arrived. We had found out that one of the girls on Bailey's team had fallen and broken her arm in their warm ups and basically the team needed to pull it together and perform without her. It was heartbreaking for us. The girl was a flyer (same as Bailey) and we knew all too easily it could have been Bailey. So with their teamate on a stretcher getting ready to head to have surgery and 3 pins put in her elbow Bailey's team took the mat. They didn't look near like the team that competed in Las Vegas. Clearly they were shook up. They fumbled a bit and had a few minor deductions but I thought they actually might still pull off first place. AND THEY DID! After leaving the mat crying these girls deserved a win. Their hearts were with their teammate and they still pulled it off. Such an amazing team!

We spent the rest of the day at Sandi's and Peyton got an overdose of dressing up with her girl cousins. The girls were so flippin' cute playing together. Topped off with a trip to Jump On It that night we had an awesome day!

6 inches gone!

2011-02-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

Peyton has the prettiest hair out of any of our kids. It grows the best and it is SUCH a gorgeous color! It had been getting a tad straggly however, so we visited the hairdresser's. 6 inches were cut from her lovely locks and along with it her babish looks. She looks far too grown up now yet still draws as much (if not more) attention from onlookers over her beautiful hair. She's just too darn pretty and she knows it!

What you get when you mess with the Holt's! (And even when you don't.)

2011-02-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

We came home a few weekends ago around 7:00 to find our house had been toilet papered. My first instinct said that it was a certain group of 11/12 year old boys that frequently doorbell ditch our house asking for our 11 year old daughter to chase them. Caleb and Easton insisted however, that it was their buddies from next door. I believed them as I knew the kids had been toilet papering the construction vehicles across the street earlier in the week. So we devised a plan of retaliation....

We still hadn't wrapped our Christmas tree in cellophane and needed to purchase a new roll so we did that night. Easton had some left over construction tape from a white elephant party and so we covered the neighbors car with the remaining tape and put a good dose of cellophane around it as well. When the neighbors came back that night they didn't even recognize the car and felt bad for the poor saps that it had been done to. Sunday morning we got a chuckle as we were leaving for church and their boys were out cleaning up the mess. Only problem was...WE RETALIATED AGAINST THE WRONG PEOPLE! It was in fact the group of 11/12 year old boys after all. In fact we were toilet papered AGAIN by the same group this past weekend and before we could even consider retaliation their dad had tracked them down and made them clean it all up! Apparently he wasn't too happy when once again all of their Charmin they had just purchased was wasted. Haha!

Ready to run!

2011-02-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

In the past I have SOMETIMES been referred to as just a BIT competitive. What people don't know is that Mat is JUST (if not more) competitive than I am. The result of such malarkey? Extremely competitive children. Lucky for them, they are inherited the gene that masks the competitiveness and they just look they like they are good at things. Well, they ARE GREAT at things! The kids tend to not want to try new things, in case they may not be good at them. Of course when you have very competitive parents you're going to be coerced into trying many things. One thing we've realized is that our kids are fast! They are small for their ages but that just seems to weigh them down less. After entering Bailey in a few races here and there Caleb decided he wanted to give it a go. He ran a few times with Mat and Bailey and shocked them both with the fact that he totally could keep up and even push them a little. Easton had been asking to try out the running thing as well but we've still been a bit hesitant to let him try it out.

We entered the kids (and Mat) in the St. George half marathon/5k and tuff kids run in January and were once again extremely impressed with our kids abilities. Bailey went from complaining as we showed up to the race that she didn't want to run to asking if she could run the half marathon next time. She had a awesome time of 24:36 and would have placed second but when we showed up the divisions had changed to 14 and under so she took 4th, 27th out of the women, and 101st overall.

Caleb rocked his first 5k bringing in a time of 25:08 and neither kid seemed to tired at all.

We entered Easton in the mile run and he surprised us with a time of 8:05! He took 9th in his race. Beat out by 13 year olds!

These people AMAZE me! I am definitely not a runner and could care less for it. My kids seem to have just the right genetic codes for it and it doesn't even phase them. SO PROUD!

Looking fine at age nine!

2011-02-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

When Bailey was little and I threw extravagant birthday parties for her I would have moms tell me " I used to throw fancy parties like this, but it's too much trouble now." Truthfully, I thought I would NEVER have that attitude. That I would ALWAYS want to go above and beyond for all of my kids. Well, I've joined the ranks of the moms that want something simpler when it comes to parties. This year we convinced Caleb that it would be a blast if he just took a couple of his closest friends up to Brianhead to go tubing. We decided that midweek would actually be best and Caleb's birthday fell on a Tuesday so we had him take his two cousins out of school and they headed up to the mountain. Bailey can only miss so many days of school and we are finicky about her missing so I stayed home with the girls and we decorated Caleb's room and set up cake and ice cream while the boys were away.

Caleb had a basketball game that night and so we knew there wouldn't be much time for anything but the tubing hill was vacant other than our group of five so the boys wore out quicker and thus we were able to open gifts and have cake and ice cream before the game.

I was taking cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy to Caleb's game as treats so I wasn't planning on getting a cake. Caleb however, asked for a snow tubing cake and I thought I could "maybe" pull it off. Well, it was a cake, and it had snow tubers on it, other than that it wasn't much to look at. It made Caleb happy however.

Caleb is the most thoughtful, easy-going little boy. He is always willing to do what you ask and sometimes shares a little too much. His older sister and little brother know exactly how to take advantage of his kindness. His baby sister claims him as her " Wawob". He is SUCH a blessing in our home and I have cherished the past nine years with such and amazing kid! Happy Birthday Caleb!

My confession.

2011-01-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

I sometimes feel like a slacker mom. The house will be a disaster, I'll yell at the kids over silly things, and I'm just overall not measuring up. I haven't left the kids that many times over the years but when I do I secretly wish that I will come home to a mess, that Mat will have locked himself in a room, the kids will be fighting, and I can swoop in and save the day.

That my friends has NEVER happened. The worst I ever came home to was a rearranged and still not put entirely back together kitchen. I kept calling the kids and Mat while I was in San Francisco and they always seemed to be off having fun with each other. They completed a HUGE primary project for me as well. Mat even had them all ready and at our 9:00 am church. I was sure I would come home to a sink full of dishes and I could do that swooping in thing.

Nope, not only did the kids get to go hiking and out to dinner, they made crafts and built things with Mat. They cleaned out closets, did all the laundry, and had posters and cute little popsicle stick buildings for me when I came through the door.

I missed them so much and admit I would rather have been doing all of the fun things with them. I want them to experience everything I get to as well. Although, I would have loved to play super hero and hear Mat ramble on and on about how amazed he is that I can function at the house on a daily basis, I WAS happy to come home to such a clean and put together home.

Girl's Trip

2011-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

Last week I got to turn in my mom card for the weekend and be Jamie again. My friends invited me on a girl's trip to San Francisco. I hadn't been since I was a kid and wanted/needed a break. I was hesitant about leaving Mat and the kids but knew they were in good hands. As we were waiting for our flight a gentlemen in the airport told us that if were weren't careful we could easily end up in th e"Tenderloin District" and that we should avoid it at all costs. Easier said then done. Before we had even checked into our hotel one of the gal's wallets was stolen. We got to then take a walk into the scary part of town since that was the closet police department. I was SHOCKED! My kids reveled in the stories of hobos every five feet and human feces on the sidewalk. I seriously almost stepped in some! What a CRAZY city!

While we were there we did all of the very touristy stuff. We rented Segways, took pictures on trollys, and visited Alcatraz. Our Alcatraz visit made us feel like celebrities. We had connections for a private guided tour and after 6 hours spent on the island I'm relatively sure that I saw it all! Anywhere where there were signs posted to stay out or locked doors that we were supposed to just gander though windows we had access to. We got to go to the top of the lighthouse, the top of the jail, and the citadels, which basically no one ever has access to. Everytime we went somewhere behind a locked door we had people trying to follow and got a little chuckle everytime they were scolded for trying to follow us.

Such a fun group of girls and a VERY memorable trip!

The necessities of life.

2011-01-19T11:35:00.000-08:00

Awww...my baby girl! It's January and her "must haves" are a swimsuit, boots, and her "mochit" milk in a pink princess sippy cup. Truly is there anything more important to life than this?

Here we are again...

2011-01-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

More than 8 years ago, we were renting a house while building our Catawba Circle home. I remember getting my baby girl Bailey ready for her first day of dance. She wore a lavender leotard and her hair was cut into a crop so she wore it long. I remember thinking she was far too little to be beginning dance but she was so excited to start! I remember getting the film developed and being shocked at how old she actually looked.

The cycle has begun again. I took some similar photos of Peyton before her first dance class! Her hair needed to be in a bun since it is quite long and she wore pink instead of purple, but I feel as though I get a special pass to be able to experience the same things I did with Bailey with a sassy twist that Peyton provides.

She LOVED her first day of class. I was concerned she would be hesitant about me leaving but once she saw that her cousin Riley and her friend Sadie from nursery were there she could have cared less that I left. She's growing...far too fast!

Noteworthy for SURE!

2011-01-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

After 2 1/2 weeks off for Christmas vacation for the kiddos, and inches upon inches of rainfall during that break, I was less than enthused that the last day the kids would have off from school was fore casted for rain with a possibility of snow. Thanksgiving weekend was unseasonably cold, and while Christmas was plenty warm outside I was growing tired of kids being cooped up in the house every flippin' day! My body was still accustomed to waking up at 6:00 in time to get Bailey ready for school so I was pleasantly surprised to peak out the window first thing and see our yard covered in white. It was still dark outside so I flipped on the back flood lights and saw that it was still snowing! I was so excited for the kids to get up and hoped it wouldn't melt before they had a chance to play in it. They woke up at 8:00 and while going outside to see how cold it was saw the snow and within minutes were suited up and out the door. It was quite powdery so they had trouble building their forts and making snowmen but it wasn't long before the backyard was bombarded by neighborhood kids and it became one big snowball fight. I was thrilled that on the kids final day of their break they FINALLY got snow instead of rain! Even more thrilled that after all this IS Southern Utah and the majority of the snow is already gone and I don't have to deal with the mess anymore. ;)

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-04T08:41:00.000-08:00

Since Bailey was a wee little baby we started having New Year's parties. Over the years they have escalated into some really fun competitions for the adults. Each couple takes a turn hosting and usually puts a ton of time into making it a blast with games and prizes to be won. This year the couple hosting backed out at the last minute and everyone seemed to be exhausted from Christmas so we spent New Year's Eve with our kiddos this year. I think it is actually the first time we have rung in the New Year with Caleb, Easton, and Peyton at all! Bailey of course had places she'd rather be then hang out at home with her parents so she went to a couple of different parties at her friends houses while Mat and I hung back with the younger kids. We bought snacks and rented movies and planned on partying until midnight. I had to leave after we had watched a movie with the boys to transport Bailey to a different friend's house and when I came back the boys had settled in the put a puzzle together. I thought I'd better hurry and help them assemble it so that we could move onto funner things. By the time we solved the puzzle however, it was 15 minutes before midnight. Peyton had fallen asleep during the movie and I was shocked at how quiet our little party was. I loved it! When midnight hit the boys went out front and blew air horns and banged the pot lids together. We could see the fireworks from downtown so all in all it was pretty fun. Plus, like always, I got my New Year's kiss from the best looking guy around!!!

Christmas part 2!

2010-12-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas needed an additional post. One of the best parts about Christmas is spending time with family. Easton even mentioned that he wished he could just play with our family EVERYDAY! I wish we could too!

The night before Christmas Eve we threw a small party together so that the Orchard's could spend some Christmas time with all of us before they headed back up north.

The kids absolutely love hanging out with their cousins and I'm sure the kids could have played all through the night. We played the white elephant game and attempted I've never but not every kid understood how it worked.

Peyton had two of her favorites in one spot. Her cousin Riley and Grandpa Gene. Needless to say she was one happy camper.

After the many hours spent Christmas morning playing with gifts, we finally got all of us dressed and went to visit Grandpa Holt and Grandma Wendy. It was a GORGEOUS day outside (bordering in the high 50'2 low 60's) and the kids wanted to "see" the horses.

Of course these are my kids we're talking about and seeing just isn't enough. So the horses got some passengers. Peyton LOVES horses and was thrilled to be riding one!

Easton thinks he is an old pro and kept showing off all of his knowledge on how to get the horses to go and stop.

I watched Caleb and thought that I was really watching a mini-Mat and it warmed my heart.

Bailey was just pretty and graceful as always.

We had a blast riding and finally convinced the kids to go back home to play with their gifts more. We played the wii (which seems to have became a Christmas day tradition) and watched a new movie. We stayed up late again and once again just felt VERY blessed!

So this is Christmas..

2010-12-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas has once again come and gone in a flash at the Holt house. We hosted SEVEN Christmas parties among trying to keep every other tradition we have alive. Next year I think we will be taking a break from the parties all together. We love having our family and friends over and the parties are always such a blast but I felt a little bad the day before Christmas when Bailey mentioned that it just didn't feel like Christmas. It didn't, I admit and I believe some of it is that even though we still "fit" everything in, it was just that, "fitted in". The past few days have been wonderful. Mat's been home to celebrate with us and Santa treated us well.

The kids were so excited for Santa to come they went to bed at 9:00! If you know us, that is pretty early for the Holt kiddos. They must've gone to bed a little too early because at 11:30 they were up and checking out what Santa (who must've been rather quick) left for them! They wanted to open their gifts of course but Peyton was still asleep and wanted to stay that way. I admit, I was envious of her.

We gave in and let them open their gifts and Peyton remained asleep throughout the noise.

Easton's big gift of the year was a "ginormous" box! He told everyone how he had asked Santa for a ginormous box and was sure he was getting one. After he saw it he came running into our room telling us we MUST see how huge it really was! All of his gifts were inside the box and he had a blast going in to get each one. He now cannot stop talking about his box and frankly feels mighty rad to have such a treasure.

The kids must've used their two and a half hours as their power nap because they stayed up until 4:00am playing with their toys and were back up at 8:00 to play some more.

Peyton finally emerged around 9:30 am and found her new bike that she has been talking about for months.

All of the kids were completely spoiled with gifts. Peyton was especially fun to watch open hers. She marveled over each one and they all made her so happy.

The best gift given and received however, belongs to me! My sweet little boys made me a new cedar chest. Made in my preferred style (shaker style with white lacquer) and made almost completely by their seven and eight year old hands. Along with the cedar chest I received a packet full of photos showing my boys building it from start to finish. It filled my mommy heart with so much joy!

We been having a blast with all of our gifts. The kids have seen mom cry over the season on more occasions than they would like I'm sure, which overall I think makes for a fabulous holiday! Blessed, always very blessed!

1st Cheer Comp of the Season

2010-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

Bailey's cheer team had their first cheer competition last week. This is her 3rd year of competitive cheer. She loves it! Not only is she an AMAZING tumbler but thanks to her size (and of course skill) she is an AWESOME flyer! Her team placed 2nd. It was the first time I have EVER seen bailey fall from a stunt, much less a pyramid. Her poor team has had several injuries over the past few weeks and they haven't been able to hold practices where the entire team performs together. They did great regardless.

After the competition was over and the teams were on the mat waiting for the results Mat and I noticed a mother walk in with 2 sets of Raglan colored balloons. Smiling to myself, knowing who the mother was, I got out my camcorder and videoed Bailey's "boyfriend" being nudged by his mother to go onto the mat and give the balloons to Bailey. He finally gained the courage to go onto the mat only to find that Bailey was more scared to receive than he was to give. Both kids had to be pushed together and then they both hurried away after the transaction was made. Of course this only made me want a photo of the 2 of them. :)

Peyton LOVED the competition! She could watch the girls cheer for hours. Of course once all the teams came onto the mat and started dancing she wanted to be in the middle of it. The cheerleaders all thought Peyton was as cute as she must have thought she was.

Feeling pooped?

2010-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

Although she will likely hate me for this later in life, I felt this moment needed to be recorded in the Holt family history. Peyton has been potty-tranied for months. We put the training seat away and never looked back. Until...she decided one day that she in fact didn't want to go in the potty. It was a full week before we got her back into the swing of things and luckily it was in time for our trip to California. Ever since then however, she has a few quirks. She uses an ENITRE roll of toilet paper each time, and sits on the toilet FOREVER!!! I have to check periodically to make sure she isn't on it too long or she will get a rash. The other day I went to check on her and found that she indeed had gone "potty" but had sat there a bit too long for a tired little two year old. Haha!

I almost got off the hook...

2010-11-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Since before Mat and I were married I have helped with the Jubilee of Trees. Each year decorating a tree to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the hospital. Each year, Mat begs me to say no. It is such a great cause but I admit takes a lot of time and a lot of extra cash out of our pockets. Last year I made a promise to Mat that I wouldn't volunteer at all. I kept my promise and loved it! I didn't get off quite as easy this year. The foundation called and asked if I would decorate a tree and I declined. However, I did commit to helping the students at our school decorate their tree for the Jubilee. I themed it "Under the Same Stars" and had each of the 4th grade students write a letter to the troops and decorated it American style. It was my favorite school tree to date! We had a rough time getting down to let the kids look at the trees but finally made it then Sunday of after church. They had a blast making sand bracelets and gandering at the trees. Peyton didn't care for it a whole lot since she slept the entire time we were there. We got to see Santa, even though it took some convincing to get Bailey to go. Such fun memories and I'm always glad when the Jubilee is OVER!!!

We may not have an income for the month but we have this...

2010-11-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

We had a neighbor a couple of months ago wanting Mat to build two custom beds for her daughters. I gently nudged Mat into accepting the job based on the fact that I knew if he was building two, he would build three. What I didn't realize is that even the materials alone for him to build it would cost us more than simply buying her a bed. Not to mention the hours spent on the bed and not on paying clients projects. However, our little girl wouldn't have THIS bed! Made by her daddy with love.

I was so excited to see the finished product. Not only did he do an amazing job but he also chose the bedding! What a lucky little girl to have a daddy like that!

Gobble gobble...

2010-11-26T09:15:00.000-08:00

All of Utah over the past week, had a lot of anticipation over a storm set to hit the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. From what I hear up north, it didn't hit too hard but nevertheless did make an entrance. Mat and I watched weather.com as the predicted temps kept dropping and dropping. We took precautions on Monday night by insulating pipes and the air condensers. I really have no idea how cold it did get but it was cold enough Wednesday night that we woke up on Thanksgiving morning literally watching all the leaves (that the day before were still all on the tree) cascade off each one. It had gotten cold for sure.

Of course the kids went right out that morning and instantly began gathering "their" piles. This amazingly led to fighting, because of course, how DARE someone try to take some that weren't part of their pile! Of course this is what prys into my sanity daily. Also the fact that the temps in the morning hours were still in the 20's and MY kids went out in t-shirts and shorts. "No mom, it's not THAT cold!"

Peyton at least put on boots and a coat...

I spent my time indoors preparing for my first Thanksgiving dinner at our house! It couldn't have been a more perfect arrangement for me. Mat's family did all the cooking (they are all AMAZING cooks) and I got to decorate the tables. I was having some grief with not having all matching plates and no spare $$$ to buy the ones I wanted.

I hit the jackpot last week by finding the plates and goblets at a price I could afford...at the DOLLAR STORE!!! Haha! I also had everyone that would be attending dinner a few days prior send me the top 5 things they were thankful for and the kids glittered pine cones and we stuck our "thankful" feathers into them to make turkeys for the table.

We had an AMAZING dinner at our house and then quickly loaded the car to go to my parents dinner. Still full from the first dinner we didn't eat much but ended up staying HOURS at my parents while the kids enjoyed spending time with their cousins. I love that they would rather play with family than anyone else.

I love November. I spend all month it seems recalling everything in my life that I am grateful for. From the silly things to the most important what it all comes down to is this picture. One beautiful, happy family!!! We are truly happy. We have SOOO much to be thankful for!

She's one speedy chick!

2010-11-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Bailey's school holds an annual "Geckathon". It is a triathalon for the students who attend Lava Ridge. Bailey had mentioned it and of course knowing what a quick little bugger she is, we started right away trying to convince her to participate. After much coaxing and a little bit of bribing we convinced her to give it a try. She was VERY nervous as the race day grew closer. She would be swimming 300 meters, followed by a 4-5 mile bike ride, and end it with a 2 mile run. It seemed like a lot for such a little girl. I admit I wondered if it would be too much for her.

Since Bailey was participating Mat and I were asked to volunteer so we didn't really get a chance to see her once she left the pool. One of the boys in the swimming lane that I was helping with mentioned he didn't have a towel. I thought I could just sneak into the girls locker room and grab Bailey's since I was sure she would be finishing up with it since she had just gotten out of the pool. Not only had she dominated in swimming she was one of the first girls on the bikes! She had already left the locker room when I went in there! Mat and I rushed from the pool once our time to volunteer was over hoping we could watch some of Bailey's racing. We called my dad and asked if she was running yet. He said yes, and she was in the lead!!! Once we parked we high-tailed it to the school hoping we wouldn't miss her crossing the finish line. We made it in time to watch her last lap around the running course. Mat ran up to her and told her she was in first and needed to keep pushing. He stayed with her until the final stretch and my mommy heart couldn't have been filled with more happiness at seeing my baby girl run that final stretch with no other competitors around her and looking amazingly strong!

After she came across the finish line and we checked her time we realized that a 7th grader who was quite taller and had a bit better bike came in a couple of minutes before her. We didn't care. She ROCKED!!! Out of around 40 girls she placed 2nd and Mat and I were bursting with pride over our tiny little girl who left so many in the dust!

Goodbye warmth...I will miss you!

2010-11-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again. I detest buying tomatoes at the store! I'm quite sad to say goodbye to our lovely garden. Despite the fact that it was more neglected than ever this year, we were still able to enjoy many delicious tomatoes, and other veggies from it.

Soccer season is no over which is also a sad day for me. I do enjoy having Saturdays free once again but Mat and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching our boys play a fantastic season. On to basketball I suppose.

I will miss the warm afternoons spent in our backyard. I will miss being warm period.

How grateful I am to have such a wonderful family that truly enjoys working in the garden and enjoys the fruits of their labor as well.

Goodbye to our green lawn. You will be quite missed!

We love living in Southern Utah with all of it's surrounding beauty. I love that even mid November we can spend time outdoors in our shorts, barefoot, spending glorious time together.

Shutterfly Promo

2010-11-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

I'm copying Rachel and posting about Shutterfly's free 50 card promo if you blog about them. I've used Shutterfly before for their photobooks and also personalized thank you cards. I've gone through Costco for my Holiday cards previously but Shutterfly's selection is quite a bit better. I'm planning on ordering my family Chirstmas cards as well as Mat's business cards from Shutterfly this year. Here's the link if you would like to try it for yourself. http://bit.ly/sfly2010 And a couple of more: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

I'm thinking this is quite the sweet deal! I hope it works. If not, I'm blaming Rachel. Haha!

Oh the fun of Halloween...

2010-11-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

We had a fabulous Halloween! Caleb originally wanted to wear the boys ghille suit. It is a moss-covered hunting suit and while it looks super cool, it certainly wasn't the best choice to wear in So. Utah trick-or-treating. Maybe if the kids were trucking through a snowstorm. It is one HOT outfit! We brought up the idea of a nerd and he jumped on it. Seriously, he fit the part a little too well.

Easton...I love the kid and he comes up with some pretty funny costume ideas. Last year he was an old man so this year he switched it up to be an old lady in a wheelchair. We were able to borrow the wheelchair from my parents and my dad brought it over a few weeks early. By the time Halloween came Easton had mastered the "wheelie" and showed his skills to EVERYONE! It was pretty impressive that he could wheelie around the school track during the parade I must admit.

Riley came over to play with Peyton on Halloween which pretty much made Peyton's day. She LOVES her girl cousins her age and they all get along so well.

Bailey went from wearing one boy's football uniform last year to wearing a different boys soccer jersey this year. The boy she borrowed it from wore a Raglan cheerleader uniform to school as well. Pretty cute.

The past two years I've had Peyton wearing a tutu skirt for Halloween. I wanted to go a different direction this year but had a difficult time deciding on what she should wear. I never really care for the run-of-the-mill store costumes and have no talent on my own to make one. Lucky for me there are others out there with talent and I was able to order her an handmade "Alice" costume which turned our sooo CUTE! Of course as soon as I ordered it I also had to buy the Alice in Wonderland DVD so that she could fall in love with the costume idea before it even came in the mail. She did of course!

Peyton wouldn't cooperate for a group shot as she just wasn't feeling well this year but she did warm up to having her grandpa and cousin Riley take her trick-or-treating around our circle.

I loved Halloween but I admit I'm looking forward to the winter holidays. I'm truly so grateful for so many things this year I feel extra emotional about Thanksgiving coming up and I always love Christmas. Can't wait.

I know that my Savior loves me!

2010-10-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our ward primary program. I always look forward to these yet this year was the exception. I was called into primary last Nov. as th 1st counselor. This was my first time EVER serving a Sunday primary calling besides nursery. Also, I knew that I should have paid more attention in Oct. to the primary program because I would be writing the next year's. I didn't even know they were written by individual wards.

I wrote it though. It even seemed decent. As I went through the parts I started having all of these hangups. As the time grew closer I kept getting confused about who was singing and who was speaking and such. After 2 primary practices I wasn't feeling entirely confident that I could actually be a part of this and pull it off.

Saturday night met me with little sleep and the sleep that I received was more restless than anything. I kept dreaming I couldn't find the parts the kids needed and that the program just kept running over.

Sunday morning, I had decided to make flowers for the pulpit. Just a small, non-intrusive, primary colors arrangement. I made it 3 different times before I was happy. This made me feel as though I was running behind however.

I made it to the church and after quickly changing half of the seating arrangements, the sacrament service began. I was starting to panic...

The program began.

It was BEAUTIFUL!

The children were amazing!

I was truly touched and honored to have the privilege of being up there behind the scenes.

There was such a sweet spirit.

Caleb played a piano solo and although I've heard the song he played non-stop for weeks I hadn't realized the extent of how well he knew and could play it. I watched as he even knew which pedals to push and when! Bailey gave a talk for her last primary program and it was wonderful! Easton gave his part perfectly and was so well-behaved the entire time.

98 kids in our primary ended with standing up and saying "He lives!" and then sang my new favorite primary song through beautifully.

I know my Savior loves me!

Lesson Learned

2010-10-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

When Easton was younger we couldn't find the car keys one day. He quickly went and kneeled down by the coffee table and said a quick prayer asking for help. He jumped up and said Heavenly Father told him we would find the keys if we looked for them! He was so happy that he had the solution all figured out.

Last Sunday as we arrived home from California I was working on updating a few things on my ipod. Caleb brought me Bailey's and asked if I would do the same for hers. He set it next to the computer. When we woke up Mon. morning however, we couldn't find it.

All week it has been right there in my head that we should easily be able to find it. After all it couldn't have gone very far. Usually when I can't find something I say a quick little prayer and try to think like the child who lost the item. Where would they go with it? I did this with the ipod. I did it several times. In fact, for almost a week I looked at LEAST once a day for a good amount of time each day, in hopes of finding it.

After it had been 5 days I told the kids the first one to find it got $5. They looked...I looked...nothing! I started to face my fear that on the previous Mon. when I had the kids empty all of the garbages that it had accidentally been in one of the bags. I went to go dumpster diving...It was nasty, so instead I went back inside the house and looked for over an hour. Finally, Mat offered to go look in the dumpsters. Of course this wasn't a typical week for the garbages though. All of the bags were buried underneath yard clippings, nasty carpet, and just nasty, nasty stuff.

I went out to see how it was going and was overwhelmed by the smell as I walked outside. Poor Mat. At least he had the foresight to lay out plastic to dump the contents onto. I wouldn't have and it would have been a treat putting it all back...

Here's the crazy part: All week, every time I walked by the treadmill upstairs I thought to lift it and look under it. I didn't though. WHY would it be there? If Peyton had it there's no way she could have put it underneath. SOOOO very many times I thought to look under it and didn't. I kept thinking that usually when I say my little prayers for help I always find the items right away. However, I knew in my mind this time would not be that easy. I was missing something.

Late last night I was up washing Bailey's gym clothes and the thought to look under it came again. I walked past it and then turned around reluctantly to lift it. After all I HAD looked everywhere else. Even as I was lifting it I was thinking how stupid it was that it wouldn't and couldn't be there.

Yeah, it was there.

I need to notice what is right in front of me more and not feel the need to look beyond that. I am humbled by how SUCH an insignificant item taught me such a simple lesson that I already knew but was overlooking.

It's that time of year.

2010-10-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

100% my absolute favorite time of year is upon us! While each fall seems to get crazier and crazier with the kids involved in so many different things I LOVE all of it! I love soccer season. Oh how I miss playing the game myself...I get so excited to watch Caleb and Easton play the game I grew up loving. Caleb does exactly what you tell him to so he does well and scores regularly. Easton is his own person but "gets" the game. He knows where to stand and how to play it. I love watching him use soccer as an outlet for his aggressiveness. The apple sure doesn't fall too far from the tree with that kid!
I love the cool air (not cold). I love the smell and the feel in the air. I love shopping for pumpkins and starting the "phantom" in our neighborhood.

I love how luscious our flowers and grass looks as the air starts to cool. It makes for some rather purdy photos!
Even though it's the sign of winter approaching and cold air following I love that fall is also the beginning of the holiday season and all of the parties, family time, and excitement that follow.
Yeah, I pretty much LOVE it!

Because they need their own post.

2010-10-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Three of my favorite things include:

My girls,

Shopping,

Receiving packages in the mail.

Needless to say Etsy.com has become one of my favorite things to spend time on. I get to shop, get packages in the mail, and dress up my girls (namely Peyton) in darling outfits! Woohoo!

I took some photos of Peyton in some of her Etsy clothes and just thought they needed to be included in our record. Heehee.

A REAL vacation!

2010-10-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Fall break is this weekend and since there was no soccer, cheer, school, etc., we took off to California for a few days. We actually took the kids out of school on Thursday so that we could hopefully miss some of the weekend crowds in Disneyland.
It wasn't Peyton's first time in Disneyland but it was the first time she was old enough to enjoy it the way the older kids do. She LOVES Mickey Mouse and all of the Disney characters. She was so excited to see Mickey's clubhouse and ride the teacups. While it is a blast going on the older kid rides it is such a pleasure to see Peyton's happiness through her younger eyes.
Of course the kids could have been just as happy swimming in the hotel pool or spending every minute at the cold beach but they did have to appease mom and dad by spending a few days at the park. Poor things!

After a lot of the traditional "Holt stuffing of the shoes" Easton was able to ride California Screaming for the first time and loved it! The park wasn't too busy at all and the weather was perfect.

Peyton loved the parades, the shows, the kiddie rides. She was in HEAVEN!
The older kids went on every ride they could have hope for and were happy to ride the teacups time after time for Peyton's benefit.

Both mom and dad got to spend quality time with Peyton and the older kids.

We are so blessed to be able to spend time together as a family. As the kids grow older and need mom and dad less we cherish our time with them more.
I could be worng but I think that they even like spending time with us as well.

How grateful I am.

2010-10-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

When Mat proposed to me it was very simple. I think Heavenly Father was helping him with it a bit because right after I said yes a rainbow appeared in the sky on the overlook we were at. I took it as a sign that the hardship of having him leave on a mission for two years would be a blessing to us. It has been an amazing blessing! We have four wonderful children and last week celebrated 12 years together!

The day before our anniversary however, was quite solemn. I've hugged my kids a little tighter and listened to them a little more since. The day started out very frustrating for me. I kept wanting to take Peyton on a walk and enjoy the fall weather but the rain would start back up each time I went outside. I even tried to mow the lawn but each time the rain would start back up. At one point I decided I would just mow in the rain and the lawn mower wouldn't start back up. I resigned to spending the day indoors and went online...

I noticed posts on facebook about how worried people were about two of the boys from the high school. I asked my friend what was going on and was horrified to hear that two boys were struck by lightning waiting for a ride just blocks from my house! My heart was heavy and I was worried sick about boys I didn't know and their families. Bailey was receiving texts that they both were killed and I was beside myself. I checked into the story myself and found that the boys were alive and holding on...

The kids went outside during one of the breaks in the storm and a beautiful double rainbow appeared in the sky. I wondered how such a sad thing could happen with such a beautiful promise outside.

Thankfully, one of the boys is back at home and expected to return to school soon, while the other is making progress toward recovery! I am so happy these boys are healing! I am so grateful for the safety of my own children and the privilege I have to be their mother.

My favorite hiking spot.

2010-10-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Back in high school I spent a very miserable night camping with some friends. It was dark when we hiked in and we were sleeping under the stars on a particularly windy night. The sand blasting my skin all night was quickly forgotten in the morning when I awoke to a gorgeous little cove surrounded by white sandstone. The hike into the cove is under a mile and when visited in the spring or summer is simply gorgeous.

A few weeks ago was General Conference and after the morning session we knew we'd be asking a lot to have our kids sit through another session without a nice break. We headed up to the white sand dunes in Snow Canyon armed with a play parachute, snow sled, umbrella, and lunch. Quite the combination of items. The sled was too be used to ride down the sand hill in the cove but we quickly discovered this was NOT the brightest idea. The sled moved very slowly down the hill and it was torture to keep climbing back up it. The umbrella was unnecessary due to the overcast skies which made for a beautiful fall day until we looked over and the overcast skies quickly became dark ones. Mat had the idea to take the parachute and umbrella and make a shelter that we would wait out the storm in. I had and idea to get the heck out of there! Guess who won! We grabbed all of our gear and the kids. Peyton was not happy with the fact that she was being carried to the car rather than walking and the kids were bummed that we didn't get to make a shelter. While I'm sure in theory the rainstorm would have been an adventure by the time we reached the van and pulled away there was a full blown storm happening. Lighting, drenching rains, the works. Silly me for enjoying it from the comfort of my minivan. :)

Ya...We grow our own!

2010-09-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Last spring Caleb's 2nd grade class took a field trip to Cotton Days in Washington. Caleb was so excited to show me his cotton seeds when he got home. Little pieces of lint is all it looked like to me. He of course went right outside to plant his treasures. After about a week I noticed they were actually growing plants! I mentioned to Mat that Caleb had planted his seeds in the front planter so they weren't mistaken for weeds. Mat said he had already realized that only after he had pulled all but one plant out. Well, who woulda thought that it would grow so well! The biggest drawback when the kids plant their seeds from school is that they don't really use the uniform way of planting that I prefer in my front planters. Needless to say this plant was just about to get pulled until last night...

Easton came running in saying "Caleb! You have COTTON!" Both boys rushed outside and came in with the first fruits of Caleb's crop. A handful of cotton!Seriously? This stuff really grows this well here? I suppose if we ever REALLY need to be self-sufficient we can grow our own cotton, spin it, weave it, and make our own clothing. How ambitious is that?!! SO glad I'm not a pioneer in so many ways! For now I'll stick to ordering our clothing with a click of the mouse and wait impatiently for my packages to arrive.

Top Ten Dumbest Purchases Ever!

2010-09-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

I will fully admit that when it comes to my kids, money doesn't seem to be an object (whether we have it or not). Mat and I both decided long ago that we didn't want to have to limit the amount of activities our kids did based on finances. Basically we figured we would rather go without or work longer hours to be able to give them the opportunity to participate in sports, dance, music, whatever was within reason for a child to do. Somewhere along those lines, that type of thinking completely took over our attitudes toward our kids. Mat was joking last night that Bailey has a new pair of jeans for everyday and I have "A" pair for everyday. One little word but it explains so much. Then of course the guilt settled in and I thought about the addiction I have with buying my kids clothes. (After all I had just spent another $60 on an outfit for Peyton that day...WHO DOES THAT???) I would NEVER spend that on myself and thought I would never spend that on my kids either. Well, I became a parent and things changed. What I wish sometimes that I COULD change is all of the CRAZY things we've spent money on becoming adults (which we are still working our way on becoming). So here it is, as good as I can think of...Our top ten dumbest purchases ever!

10. A pair of True Religion jeans (along with many other dumb clothing purchases) for a 10 year old.
9. The ski boat we bought when Bailey was a baby. We took it out once in April and sold it that summer.
8. A big-screen TV for the upstairs family room. We don't actually have a TV in the downstairs family room so we thought this would be where we watched movies and spent time. WRONG! The only use it gets is by a bunch of 7-9 year olds playing the Wii on it.
7. Our house. Don't get me wrong I LOVE LOVE LOVE our house. It was nevertheless a dumb purchase. We owed 1/3 of what we owe on this house on our last one and the timing and everything when we built just wasn't the smartest. Disclaimer: Even though the home is worth FAR less than originally and we've put a TON of our own cash into it we still are not upside-down in it and we wouldn't trade it for anything!
6. Stamps. Rubber scrapbooking stamps, many of which have never been used. Although I've actually sold a bunch from my stash there are still those that remain collecting dust, while the ink dries out, on the slight chance they'll actually get used one day.
5. Pretty much all of Peyton's furniture and baby accessories. With the first 3 kids we didn't have much income as we did with Peyton. In fact with the first 3 it was crazy tight! We actually did need to purchase new items for Peyton since we had given away all of our previous baby things, we just didn't need to get as many or as fancy of items that we did.
4. Exercise equipment. This includes everything from the elliptical (I HAD to have) to the "as seen on TV" items that I was positive would be easier than going to the gym.
3. A gym membership. 'Nuff said.
2. Cars. This includes the SUV's that my ego thought it needed that were so NOT practical I really don't know what we were thinking. Yes, I now drive a minivan, my ego is no longer...It can't be when driving a minivan.
1. Seriously, I can't just narrow it down for the last one. We have made MANY dumb purchases and been very careless with the direction we've allowed our money to take (not all bad purchases were our fault but WE allowed the bad purchases to be made with OUR money). I think of the financial security we would have without that darn ego always working its way into our lives. I admit though, I'm HAPPY! We gave ourselves to the end of the year to pay of a credit card that we had allowed someone else usage of and it subsequently reached over $20,000, and it is looking VERY likely that we will meet our goal. We have been able to refinance our crazy house payment and lowered it by $450 a month! We have been able to KEEP our house while others sadly have not. :( We have been blessed in so MANY MANY ways that I can't dwell on the past and just hope to have gained insight for the future. :)

Once a year, whether we need it or not.

2010-09-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

Since I was old enough to complete the hunter safety course and officially have my name submitted for "special" hunts my dad has dutifully done just that. When Mat married me I believe that this knowledge was what eventually cinched the deal for him at least. Well, a few years ago all of those "points" I had accumulated over the years paid off. Mat, finally got to "help" me hunt in a special unit for archery. Like I said though...archery. Which means that you have to hike quite a bit, scout quite a bit, and frankly I knew I wasn't going to be spending a lot of time at home that year during the hunt. Mat and I talked it over and we decided that if he was going to drag me up the mountain for weeks on end that a tent wouldn't quite cut it. We bought a camper that summer. At first it was used quite a bit. It was after all hunting season. My hunt was successful and all was well. The following year Mat drew out for the same tag. The following year my dad did. Each year the camper has come out of the dirt lot we park it in less and less.

Well, with Labor Day weekend upon us we decided it was finally time to charge the battery, fill the tanks, and take the family camping for the first time this year! Of course I assume it will be the last as well.
We still took the family up to Panguitch frankly because it's just become tradition now. We had the Green's join us and had a blast. I admit, I really do like to camp. I don't like to go out to the camper to load up and have it be a disaster that's sat there for a year or being the maid, cook, and babysitter while Mat hunts, but he promised me that wouldn't happen this time. Well, the camper was in fact in shambles so after I wiped up all of the spills that has sat for a year and washed all of the bedding we were on our way!

Mat ended up being very helpful and didn't spend all of his time hunting. Peyton was in heaven riding on the 4-wheelers and stealing snacks from the camper. The boys had a blast building huts with their cousins, fishing, and doing all the things boys do in the mountains. Bailey spent a good portion of her time perfecting hemp necklaces for a boy at school she likes. Haha!

One thing about camping is we ALWAYS eat well. Sure the utensils probably aren't near as sanitary as they are at home, and the food does get a bit of dirt in it here and there, but dutch oven potatoes, fruit, snacks, all of it, are just some of the best things in life.

I can never understand why the bunk in the camper is so exciting. There are miles and miles of trees, streams, 4-wheeling trails and such, and the camper is still one of the favorite places for the kids to hang out.

We finally allowed Bailey to drive dad's 4-wheeler by herself and she certainly loved it. It's never been an issue of not being old enough, she's just so darn tiny we've worried about her ability to control it. I think she's officially done driving the kid 50 around. Of course 3rd gear is all she's allowed to put it in still.

We all came back late Saturday night so we could make it to baby Ryder's blessing and the boys headed back up for an extra night while the girls have stayed home where there's showers, clean bedding, and not so many bugs. I suppose we'll be treating ourselves to pedicures tomorrow while the boys can clean out the camper for once!

48 Hours

2010-08-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Ever since Caleb was little Mat and I have teased him that he had "convenient" hearing. It seemed that whenever we wanted him to do something he couldn't hear us. We joked that he couldn't hear and such and then we'd say something we knew he'd want to hear and sure enough he could always hear if there were treats involved. Caleb's also had a constant runny nose every time the cold weather sets in. Chalk one up to bad parenting because Caleb really couldn't hear! His runny nose was really fluid build up behind his ears. Who knew? Needless to say we felt awful when we had him tested several times and each time his hearing failed.

Well, at least we could do something to fix the problem. :) Caleb went in on Friday for his first surgery! He had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. When I talked with the surgical center the previous day I mentioned Caleb really wanted to attend his friend's birthday party the day of his surgery. They basically said that wouldn't be happening. They said he'd be down most of the day and he'd need the weekend to recover but could probably attend school on Monday. He was super excited about his surgery (crazy kid) but he was really bummed that he'd have to miss the party. We didn't want to break his heart so we told him we would see how he felt.The surgery only took about 30 minutes before they were calling us back into recovery. Caleb was wide awake and smiling. The first thing he asked was "Can I go to the party?" He really seemed fine but we told him we'd see how he felt in a few hours. We left the surgical center and gave him a bag of "get well" gifts. You know, pj's, a DVD, and cream soda thinking that he wouldn't be able to eat solid foods. Of course who knew that no one would ever know he even had surgery if they'd seen him that day! Caleb did not slow down all weekend. He went to his party after all and had 3 giant pieces of pizza! I filled his prescriptions and not once has he needed his pain medication! He's amazing!
Well, since Caleb seemed to be doing well, Mat called around Friday afternoon for a babysitter and his sweet Grandma Wilson said she'd love to take the kids overnight! So, once again great parenting and all, but we took off to Las Vegas for the night. We went to dinner and then hit the Stratosphere rides with Sandi and Gabe. Of course we didn't realize what wimps we had with us. Sandi barely went up the elevator to the top and would NOT go near the edge, much less on any rides. Gabe did go on the rides and it wasn't until we saw the pictures taken of us on the rides that we realized how scared he really was. Of course Mat and I were smiling so we'd look good in the pics but Gabe looked terrified! Oh how I wish that we'd have purchased that one!
Saturday morning we woke up early, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel, stopped and stocked up on health food from Trader Joe's and hurried home. We had a High Priests Social in Duck Creek so as fast as I could throw a salad together once we were home we loaded up the kids and headed to Cedar Mountain. We had a great time at the social and Bailey seems to have started a new tradition for herself by falling out of the swings on her face two years in a row. She's looking forward to next year! After the social we took the kids fishing. Peyton was a bit tired and so was I so while the kids caught grasshoppers to fish with and plenty of fish, Peyton and I took a much needed nap. Although they caught quite a few fish they were all rather small and a few swallowed the hooks so the kids got a lesson in cleaning their fish. All three of the older kids cleaned and gutted their fish themselves. Me...never in a million years!
We had such a fun weekend but I was a bit relieved when Sunday came and we were able to relax a bit. The kids made their traditional huts Sunday morning while Mat and I slept in. Mat made dinner and I made the traditional batch of chocolate cookies for Sunday. We are blessed beyond measure with our beautiful family and all of the fun things we get to do!

I'm worried...very worried...

2010-08-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Reasons Why I'm Afraid We've Created a Monster

1. Peyton knows EXACTLY how to find the "I Want it All" music video from High School Musical on the itouch and plays it constantly.

2. If you ask Peyton if she's pretty she immediately puts her hand up to smooth her hair and smiles.

3. Peyton says hi to EVERYONE out and about and blows them a kiss.

4. Peyton thinks clothes are optional but shoes are ALWAYS a necessity! (Of course they have to be pretty.)

5. When we go shopping and Peyton likes something she says "OHHH MOM!!!" and of course she gets it.

6. Peyton has mastered "facials".

7. When we watch Bailey at cheer Peyton thinks she needs to run on the mat and perform herself.

8. If Peyton's hands or anything else are even a bit sticky or dirty they MUST be cleaned right away. If her binky (yes she's decided she needs them again) touches anything other than her mouth it needs to be rinsed immediately. (Her rules not mine. By age two I'm not quite so concerned about germs anymore.)

9. Peyton does not like ANYONE but Bailey to get her out of her crib in the morning. This has been a challenge with Bailey leaving to school three hours before Peyton gets up.

10. We love Peyton so much she can basically get away with anything and we just smile and think she's adorable. She knows she is and we love it and her!!!

Are you kidding me?

2010-08-11T09:54:00.001-07:00

Living in Southern Utah I'm used to the fact that our school district always begins the year earlier than most. This year however, I feel has just really come to fast! I can't believe the boys are in 2nd and 3rd grade!
Caleb has Mrs. Paulson this year and has a ton of friends in his class.

Easton has Mrs. Brey this year and we love her! While Easton doesn't have as many friends in his class he does have his best buddy from the neighborhood so we are thrilled for him!

Bailey...I'm having a bit of a freak out about this morning! I took her to her new school yesterday and we walked her through her class schedule and the whole bit but I am having a really rough morning wondering if she's okay. I swear she grew up overnight and very much looked like a teenager as she left the house this morning. She is so very nervous and excited to start at the intermediate school. I can't believe she's no longer in elementary! I have kept the tears in check so far and as long as I don't think about today I should be fine. Although I still have my little Peyton our house just seems too quiet. :(

Why we LOVE weekends...

2010-07-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

For some reason unbeknown st to me Mat has been crazy busy every summer since he went out on his own. I used to dread the holidays because that meant the parade of homes was just around the corner and there were always several homes he was working on for it. Now, however, the summer seems to be his busy time. Having work is great and we are blessed. With that said, we LOVE weekends because Mat is home! Even though the only Saturdays that he has taken completely off this summer were for the weddings we still have a blast when he is home. We love barbecuing and hanging out with friends and family so a couple of weekends ago we headed up to Pine Valley to escape the heat. Lucky for us "Uncle Jeff" said we could use his family's cabin because the campgrounds were sure to be full. We had the Gardners, the Despains, and the Greens join us and enjoyed a gorgeous evening! "Uncle Jeff" put the kids to working hoeing weeds in the garden, Easton caught 2 snakes, and we enjoyed YUMMY beef brisket cooked by Mat. ;) Even if we end up sticking around the house and doing yard work everything just feels complete when we are all together. Love those Holt's.

Finally a Break! (somewhat)

2010-07-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Between hosting the weddings, celebrating the 4th, Bailey's birthday party, the kids being out of school, we all needed a break! This weekend we went up north to see A'mee's and Sandi's families and attend Luke's baptism. We left Friday night and came back Sunday night so it wasn't quite the long vacation everyone around us seem to be taking but it was nice to get away.
After convincing the kids (truly just telling them what we were doing) that going to Seven Peaks with their cousins wouldn't be nearly as fun as going to Park City, we left Peyton with Sandi, and headed up the mountain with the older kids.
While we knew they'd rather be with their cousins playing, mom and dad needed to spend some time with them more. It was a gorgeous day. 85 degrees and partly cloudy. Bailey and Caleb were both old enough to drive their own sled on the Alpine Slide and Bailey was barely tall enough to drive her Alpine Coaster sled. This is the 2nd time we've taken the kids down the Alpine Slide but the 1st time down the Coaster. Mat said it best, "A roller coaster in the mountains, that's my kind of ride!" It was AWESOME!

Next time we go we will be buying the day passes for sure! Peyton will actually be old enough next summer to be a passenger on all of the rides besides the zip line and since you have to weigh 70+ pounds, I'm not sure any of the kids will qualify to ride that anytime soon.
We LOVE Peyton and were very sad to leave her behind. I am so very happy however, that I got a chance to hang out with my older kids for a while without Peyton needing my full attention.
Of course the kids HAD to go on the trampolines! They love this and Mat and I love watching other kids (and adults) try the tricks our kids are able to do. I admit that the Holt kiddos make it look easy and if I were to actually try it I'm sure I would fall into the category of those that try but just can't make it look good. Caleb had other people taking pictures of him. Kinda inappropriate but oh well, he WAS pretty fun to watch. He loved hearing the kids tell their parents "Look at THAT boy! He is SO high!" We finished of the weekend with a tour through the conference center and a picnic in the park with A'mee and Sandi's families to celebrate my little Bailey turning 11 on the 11th. It was so fun to hang out with both families. Short but oh so sweet of a mini-getaway. I wish we could spend every summer weekend in Park City but until we win the lottery or inherit millions from an unknown benefactor we will just have to be glad for grandparents with swimming pools.

She's a "Survivor"

2010-07-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our little girl (which is still little so I can say that) turns 11 on the 11th! We are heading up north for a baptism this weekend so we had her friend birthday a few days early. Since this will be her last :( friend birthday we wanted to do something a little bigger than usual. We chose a "Survivor" themed party full of challenges.

When the guests arrived they chose out of a paper bag their headbands and the color designated the team they were on.

We had each team sit at the colored table that they belonged and after some yummy eats they made a team flag with a name they chose for their team. We ended up with the "Green Greens" (which were supposed to be the "Green Giants" but they messed up their flag) and the "Shananae's".
We then started the challenges which consisted of:

Ice-filled pool

Blindfolded spaghetti relay

Cake Feeding

Structure Building

Scavenger Hunt

Blindfolded Makeover

We had a few more competitions planned but we ran out of time in the 3 hours we had allotted for the party.

Bailey has such a fun group of friends. I was so sad when Mat asked what schools they were all going to next year and there were only 2 others going to the same school as Bailey! Between school, and cheer, Bailey has friends from all over. She is such a fun-loving person I think she'll always be surrounded by good friends.

Mat did a great job decorating the backyard with palm fronds and tiki torches. The skewered meat and fruit were delish. We had a cluster of friends not able to make it so we ended up with only 12, it was a perfect amount. Overall it was one of the funnest birthday parties she's had and one I think she'll always remember. Happy Birthday Bailey!

Good Times, Good Times

2010-07-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally begun at the Holt house. After hosting 2 weddings at the house we are spent. All the preparations paid off beautifully however. While Mat and I are probably the only 2 people that would have noticed the minor details that were addressed, the weddings were great motivation to get our yard to the point we absolutely love it. My birthday is coming up and I had asked for new bedding but soon realized my wish would be too costly to come to fruition. Mat and I were looking at clearance patio furniture and he asked wouldn't I rather have that then bedding? Well...yeah, but I've asked for patio furniture for years and it's NEVER been in the budget so I've sent it to the back of my mental wish list. Well, I found out he'd bought me some early and although it's not the set he paid for, it is a beautifully discounted set, and I love it. The store had sold the set Mat bought without realizing he'd already paid for it so they gave him this set 1/2 off. :)
We never did end up barbecuing this weekend but we did break out the briquettes for some s'mores in the backyard.

You know that looks good!
While all of our friends and family seemed to be heading out of town to cooler weather camping I admittedly grew envious. However, there's a lot to be said about having the experiences and sleeping in your own bed afterward.
Plus, I do love the scenery...

Peyton has been finding all sorts of ways to not only keep cool (naked of course) but entertained while we prepped for the weddings. She made this hat while we were arranging the flowers for Lana's reception out of her clothes. 2 birds with 1 stone if you ask me.
Mat began June with the idea that he had to get the house "wedding ready" with being 100% booked with work. Doable certainly, but not ideal. Then came an opportunity that was hard to pass up. More work! With the economy the way it is and the summer months as his busiest we hate to turn away any work, especially very well paying jobs. Soooo....we added a HUGE house to his refinish schedule and has spent MANY nights working until the wee hours trying to get everything done. Last Tuesday he decided we all needed a day off. So when he finally came home from working around noon on his day off we hopped in the truck and headed up to Veyo for some crawdad catching and swimming.
Peyton preferred the clear water of the pool so wasn't too excited about the rocky stream bed.
There was a group of boys catching crawdads nearby with nets who thought they were pretty special catching their crawdads with ease. But "Holy mother of pearl!" (as they OFTEN said) we only needed Mat's quick ninja crawdad catching skills to take home our loot. Easton took 2 home and sold them for a profit of $1.50. Not bad. Haha!

Here I thought I was so spoiled with my patio furniture and then THIS! A NEW BOAT!!! Hahahahaha!!! Easton and Mat picked this beauty up from Grandpa Wilson on Sat. This would be beauty number 2 that dear sweet Grandpa has given us. Can you imagine my excitement to house such a beauty in MY yard? Yeah, I bet you can. I have resolved to give Mat and the boys the benefit of the doubt and wait out their "restoration" of this magnificent vessel until the day that sadly it WILL leave my yard. It's going to be a great bonding experience for them right???

While we spent the 3rd of July at my parents swimming, eating, watching fireworks as usual, we saved our box for the 4th to light of at home. Kyler and Trayson joined us from Idaho and the kids had a blast!
The kids all saw Karate Kid at the theaters for the free movie day at the orthodontist so they may have learned some moves enhanced by sparklers.
Burning a hole in your shirt was NOT an approved move by mom however! The little....! I still love him.

Peyton became the first non-wimpy kid of mine when she saw the fireworks and DIDN'T run into the house screaming. She LOVED them!
So grateful to live with the freedom's I enjoy daily and for those who have sacrificed selflessly to allow us such a blessed life! Happy birthday to the country I love!!!

Call Me a Junkie...

2010-07-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm an addict. I have a problem and I fully admit it. No need for intervention, it's just my thing. I LOVE hair products! From the time my hair was long enough my mother took me to the salon had them wrap my hair with the absolute smallest curlers and perm my hair until it was the frizziest fur ball around. Once I reached middle/high school I took a stand. Yes I admit to still getting a few perms during those years but this is also when I my addiction started.

It began with me strolling the aisles of Smith's to find a miracle treatment to help heal my hair from all of the torture it had been through. The grocer's products sufficed for a small while until I began working at a beauty supply store at the mall. (Yes, it was a dream job for me.) While my employment there only lasted a few months, mostly due to the fact that all the workers there were far more in love with themselves than I could ever be, I was hooked!

I truly didn't know what I would do when I got married and had to actually "budget" for my habit. I knew there was no way Mat would allow my expenditures in the hair care area. In fact a very sweet guest to our wedding even gave us some salon products. It was a VERY difficult thing to share with Mat. It WAS after all a gift for both of us but come on, did he really need to use it too? After being married a short while I disregarded the budget and spoiled myself with a bottle of my favorite conditioner. I finally mustered up the courage to tell Mat that it was VERY expensive and I wanted it to last as long as it would. He understood and never used it. However, one day he was rubbing my aching back and the "lotion" he was using get drying out and getting pasty. He just kept adding until I finally recognized the scent and asked what on earth he was using for my back rub! He had used the majority of the bottle on my back!!!

Mat's gotten better with understanding my addiction and lucky for me, (not so much for Mat) I have a list of close friends who are licensed hair stylists and while for the most part I only burden one with my phone calls asking to help me get a discount and rarely pay full price for my salon products anymore.

Mat has really come full circle with the understanding that my hair is longer and thus needs the more expensive products and rarely uses "my" products. The only problem now is that I have this sweet little girl about to turn 11 and she is already showing the signs of being a hair product junkie. She understands that she may use certain products of mine only in extreme dry times. However, every now and then I catch a whiff of her hair and know exactly what was used. How can I really be mad when I understand the need for shiny, smelly hair?

Happy Birthday Peyton!

2010-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today almost to the minute that I am typing this, we welcomed the sweetest little package from heaven into our arms. So incredibly chubby at 9lbs 2oz and beautiful! Of course that was the only time in her life that she had to be bigger than average. Weighing in at 22 lbs today Peyton may be small but has a HUGE personality! She makes us laugh when she laughs, cry when she cries, and love her more than we ever knew we could. After 4 years to decide we wanted another baby and then losing 2 we had resigned to love and enjoy the 3 we had. Guiltily we still craved another baby girl. How blessed are we to get EXACTLY what we wanted from Heavenly Father? Our family is complete with our little angel. She is very set in her ways and knows exactly what she wants. Can't say that I mind that she insists on a song sung to her before naps or bedtimes. In fact I LOVE when she sings "Tinkle, Tinkle" along with me. Can't say that I mind that she insists I sit next to her every morning while she gets her fix of cartoons in. Can't say that I haven't enjoyed every minute of the last 2 years with my baby girl! Love you Peyton!

Love is all around...

2010-06-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, so a guilty pleasure of mine is watching "Sex and the City" reruns on TBS. Yes, I know it's not the "best" show to be watching but it comes on after the kids are in bed and is edited, and it's my thing, so be it. One of my favorite things about the show is how the four main characters always seem to feel as though they are on the chopping block when it comes to married folk. Said married folk almost look down on them for being single. Well guess what?! I agree a bit with the married folk. I don't look down on single people but I do feel that being married is one of the greatest things I have done and want the same happiness for all of my single friends out there. I have a few people in particular that I would love to see "tie the knot". Well... I must say, love is surely going around. I have a very sweet friend from high school that I was trying to "set up". he must be some sort of luck (good or bad depending on who you are) charm because the 3 women I was trying to set him up with will all be married within the same month! One was married last week and the other 2... This is where it gets stressful for me.

My little sister is remarrying and is having her ceremony and a dinner following in MY backyard! I will be her florist, caterer, and photographer, as well as set up and take down crew as well. I opted NOT to attempt a cake. Haha. This truly wouldn't be that daunting but Mat's little sister is ALSO getting married and while her ceremony will be in the temple her reception will be... in MY backyard!

This is where a huge amount of stress comes into play. This will be her first (and hopefully only haha) wedding and the guest list is quite a bit larger than my lil' sisses. So preparations MUST and have been being made. Along with basic updating (re staining the doors and such) we have taken this "opportunity" to get some things done in the backyard that otherwise would have sat untouched for a few more years. Exciting for me but very daunting given the fact that summer seems to be Mat's busiest time for work and this summer is certainly no exception. We hate to turn away work but by the time fall comes around poor Mat will be spent.

There are things I can do to help out and major improvements have already been made.

Something I've been working on is keeping our luscious grass luscious. While I am no green thumb I am ecstatic with how it looks! The longer spring has helped the trees and shrubs in my yard look gorgeous!
We finally made the decision to do away the bark that we used around the yard. While we've loved the look and the smell it frankly became to costly to upkeep so we opted to filled the perimeter with rocks. Everything looks amazingly clean! I love it already!
Don't mind the ATV ramps and basketball just focus on the awesome Disneyland ripoff that we've made with our honeysuckle. I LOVE it!

After much pleading last summer Mat built me these beautiful pathways around the yard.

Hands-down our FAVORITE thing about our home! The vines have almost covered the top of the arbor and other than mid-morning when I took these photos it is completely shaded and the best gathering spot around.

My mother's day gift from Mat. He has fought me on hanging plants from the patio for years but finally caved and was pleasantly surprised that he really liked them. They are such a cozy little addition.

Mat stained the back patio and walkway to the front of the house in preparation for the weddings and seriously it took him a full day but oh so worth it!

For my little sister's centerpieces Mat made these boxes and I tried my hand at growing wheat grass. It is TOTALLY working! I planted the grass a few days ago and am hoping it isn't too long by Saturday! I told the kids we could keep letting it grow after the wedding until it becomes wheat again and make bread. Okay that might be a TAD ambitious. Haha.

I don't make this post to brag. Frankly Mat and I work our arses off on our yard and it darn well should look good! (The inside is another story :). ) I am truly surprised and honored that these women have asked us to host such an important event for them and want to make it the nicest we can for them. Our home is no where near the estate style homes that backyard weddings are usually held at but while smaller we are very pleased with how it is all coming together. Best wishes to the brides and grooms!

How Time Flies...

2010-05-31T08:53:00.001-07:00

Was it really only five years ago that Bailey graduated kindergarten? While she still trades lip gloss with her friends and hasn't "physically" grown a lot since then she has matured and grown far too fast.

We attended Bailey's 5th grade graduation last week and had to keep the tears in check. Not only was it a fabulous program about our country but my little girl is no longer in elementary school! No more recess to swing on the bars or see who can do the most cartwheels in a row (I'm pretty sure Bailey always won that one). No more riding bikes to school and making sure your little brothers make it home safe. No more class parties, having only one teacher, and no more having mom come "help" aka spy on you in class. While there are kids Bailey's age that are starting to meet boys at the movies, Bailey so far seems to care less for that type of behavior. I'm grateful she has a great group of friends that for the meantime, just seem to be happy hanging out together. I've heard the "rumors" of the 6th & 7th grade center and am admittedly scared. I hope that Bailey carries on her group of friends into 6th grade and always remembers her worth.

I am constantly in awe that I was privileged to have such a beautiful, special daughter. There's just something about her. She is always aware of others feelings and is such a happy content person. I used to get frustrated that after Santa came there wasn't much excitement. Bailey is just happy no matter what. Such a smart and talented kid to boot. I really wonder sometimes if there was a switch in the hospital. Of course, I could see all of this the first time the doctor placed her in my arms. She had my heart then and only continues to make it grow. Congratulations Bailey!

Sunday Morning

2010-05-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday mornings at our house are usually quite busy. For some reason no matter what time our service starts at we are always running behind. Unless, of course, we have the 1:00 time slot. Today in particular Easton isn't feeling well and since I was only conducting Mat is opting to take the other kids so I can stay home with Easton (and Peyton of course). Needless to say we are having quite the lazy morning.
Last night we had a fun BBQ in the backyard for the "adults" so the kids wanted to do something fun for them. Mat took the mattress off Bailey's bed and put it in the upstairs family room for them to sleep on. While Mat and I were being lazy lying around in the backyard, eating peas this morning, the kids were adding enhancements to their "bed". They took the mattresses off the boys beds and used them as the box-springs and somehow took down Bailey's canopy netting and reconnected to the fan in the family room. I shouldn't say somehow, apparently it was a series of stacked up object (including Caleb's back) that played a part in their ability to reach that high.
I must admit it is rather a cozy spot. I love my kids doing silly things like this. My siblings and I used to make the most elaborate huts (in my mind at least) and I loved it. The kids know they can't play with friends on Sunday so it is always such a treat to see them working and playing together.

Peyton spent most of the morning sitting in the pea patch chomping away. Our vines are super tall this year but they are no match for a 23 month old who likes her veggies. Peas are like gold in our house so normally the trampling of the vines would lead to a major fence being built but how can we NOT let her fill her tummy with vitamins?