Sending you hugs this Christmas!

If you have time

So, the collage thing is a bit on the small side. Since, we are SO important n' all. . .you can click on the collage and BAM! BIG PICTURES! Did everybody know this already?

May the Merry Bells Keep Ringing!

Happy Holidays!
Can't believe my lil' boy is 3.5 and baby Brooke is almost 0.75 year. I miss teaching math if you can't tell.
(Elementary math)
I had fun making this collage. I hate downloading individual pictures. I give props to Picasa. They make the digital camera world so much easier!

Going sorta clockwise:

This is Will's look when his brain is ticking.
Brooke riding on her daddy's shoulders. I love both of their smiles in this shot!
Will had me dig out his baby Santa costume. I thought he just wanted to look at it! Silly boy wanted to wear it!
Me and my blue eyed angel.
Helping mommy with the neverending laundry. One sock off. One sock on!
Meema (Ali) knitted the sweet sweater and hat. It's so adorable. I love to hug her in it!
I love to hug her in this red sweater onesie too!
Will looks super cool in this shot. Almost like a Beastie Boy???? No way, he's way cooler than the Beasties!
Nothing is more fun to play with than Legos. He hopes Santa brings him more from the North Pole. We'll see!

Nothing deep for now. I don't think I've posted anything super deep in a long time. Does that mean something???
Brain, where are you????

Katy recommended that I read Twilight. I love it. . . Like all the other millions of people (or 14 year old girls) out there.
I love how Stephanie Meyer gave props to Wuthering Heights at the beginning of the novel. So, I figured it was worth reading from then on. And, I also love Bella. She would be a fun friend. (If I was still in high school!!!!)

Fall Time Fun!

I love Fall! I took these pictures last week of my favorite tree ever! And, it's in our front yard!
Brooke is now 8 months old and keeping me VERY busy. Will is 3.5 and keeping me very busy also!
Our preacher said several weeks ago that if you lay down at night and you are exahuasted, thank God because he has given you purpose! (not his words exactly!) His thoughts that day really encouraged me!

Fall equals leaves changing colors, which equals Mema's dressing at Thanksgiving, which equals Christmas just around the corner, which equals seeing the joy that the holiday season brings!!!! (This equals a very long incorrect, run-on sentence!)

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

LOST

OK, I was playing around with new Templates and the site LOST my BLOG friends list! Can anybody help!!!!!

Late Summer Vacation. . .almost.

Kids are great aren't they! No words can describe the level of excitement felt when I found out I was pregnant with Will and with Brooke. Tony and I did the typical Tony and I thing. We wanted to be real creative in telling each of our parents that we were pregnant. However, we gave into our excitement and called them over the phone to let them know they would soon be grandparents. We couldn't wait to tell them. Driving to their house (which is in the same zip code) would have taken too long.

Engagement kept dragging and dragging so we got married in whirlwind!
We just couldn't WAIT any longer to be husband and wife.

With that being said, children truly do make you wait. It has been a very interesting few days.
On Saturday morning, we drove Will and Brooke to a portrait studio to view our family pictures. Hayley and Diggs gave us this wonderful package. Will and Brooke were super great while viewing the pictures. While narrowing the pickings, Tony said, "Holly, is that a hive on Will's cheek?" Sure enough it was! In no less than 30 seconds Will broke into a full allergic reaction to whatever was on the pillow he was leaning on. Did I bring my benydryl? No. I left it in a different diaper bag. So, we had to ask the picture lady where the nearest CVS was located. Tony drove like a pro race car driver all the way there.
Got the benydryl. Gave Will a spoon full. Brooke starts screaming. She needs to nurse. So, we are in some strange part of town. Can't wait. She's got to nurse. We lock the doors and begin to laugh at what that positive sign on a pregnancy test really means.

Wait. View portrait pictures. No, wait. Eat breakfast at IHOP? No, just wait. Gotta use the restroom??? In a minute. The kiddos need you.

Labor Day was another batch of unexpected rushing and waiting. Tony and Will were working in the garage creating some cool device. I was simpy not allowed out there upon my son's orders. He was hanging with Dad. After playing and being incredibly dirty, he decided he wanted some Raisin Bran cereal. He kept eating bowl after bowl after bowl.

Later on, Tony called me into Brooke's room and said, "Holly check out Will's nose." OH MY GOODNESS! The left side of the top nose grew the size of a large grape. I started running all over the house gathering everything we needed in 1 minute flat to race to the ER.
Once again, Tony drove like a pro race car driver all the way to Cook's.

Tony took Will into the ER and I stayed with Brooke. We didn't want Brooke in the ER and I needed to be with her because I'm her lunch. I can't tell you how hard this was. I started staring at all the places that reminded me of our stay there when William was 8 months old. I'm glad my smiling daughter kept my spirits up. Once again, waiting was the only way. And, our cell phones don't work in the Cook's ER. Wanna talk about mommy insanity!!!!

After waiting and waiting, Will was seen by a wonderful doctor. After performing 2 catheter procedures, she was still unable to tell what was wrong with Will. He was diagnosed with Sinusitis and was referred to a pediatric ENT specialist.

Pray. Wait. All night and all morning. Pray again.

Thankfully, the ENT doctor said Will is perfectly fine and whatever affected him yesterday is gone today. It could have been a hive or some sort of something that got in his nose in the garage. Who knows???? The doctor said all that mattered was that he was pefectly wonderful today.

All this being said, Will and Brooke are the best lessons that could have ever happened to me. They teach me to be calm and wait. They are God's. He loves them and continues to protect them. (every single second of the day)

Waiting is now a part of my life. I've come to expect it and actually find the blessings that reside there.

Tomorrow we are going to spend some family time at a water park. I'm bringing sunscreen, a camera, and most definitely some benydryl. Hopefully, Tony will not have any need to be the next Dale Earnhardt.

Sum, Sum, Summertime

Brooke is now 4 months old. She will be 5 months old on Sunday. So, yes she is still 4 months old. She will still be 4 months old on Saturday. All the way up until 11:09 on Sunday morning. I wish I could make each day longer and slow time. I'm just loving my lil' baby and she is growing right before my very eyes.

Will is such a great boy. He has really been enjoying the backyard. His favorite toy is the water hose. He is also quite the runner. He loves to run, run, run around our house nonstop. I don't know where he gets all that energy!!!! I laugh the whole time while he is running because I think his 3 year old legs are just so cute. I tell him he is cute and he says,

"No Mom, I'm not cute, I'm fast."

Will got to eat a 4th of July doughnut. I couldn't resist it and I knew it would make his day extra special. I think he ran extra fast that day. Wonder why????

Mommy's Day II

Silly fun times with Mom and Mema!

Both of our families celebrated our moms together.

Brooke loves to take a bath with big bro. Notice Pablo at the bottom of the picture. Will is real into Backyardigans. They are so cute. We like to dance with them!

Mommy's Day I

Flowers from my little flowers!!!! Yes, I'm kinda tired.

Yum-O. . "Chokate" cake!

I wore this coming home from the hospital 30 years ago! My mom saved it for my little girl and here she is!!!!

Tony rubbing my feet on Mother's Day. I often sit in between my pumpkins. Will hated his carseat when he was iddy biddy. Brooke hates it almost as much as he did.

Way too late to be blogging

It's 1:27 a.m. and I should be in BED! Tony, Will, and Brooke are sawing logs and I'm just having a great ol' time reading every one's blogs!

Things that have been on my mind and heart:

Brooke is just plain sweet! She is growing and cooing and doing all the cute things that makes me want 6 or 7 more babies!!!

Will told me that his toys are just the right size tonight. I love his perspective!

Tony took Will Mother's Day shopping on Saturday. Will came busting through the backdoor shouting, "Happy Mother's Day!!!!" He had the cutest smile on his 3 year old face!!!! He handed me an In Style magazine and a big piece of chocolate cake. Then, husband came in the door with this awesome bouquet of flowers. (That Will picked out!) I felt so very special!!!!

Growing closer to Christ. I told Tony after church tonight I desire to be a happier Christian. I want to follow Him DAILY and know his will DAILY. . . not just every now and then. I do feel his presence and I know he is working on me.

I'm mad about House last night. It was a show about intense medical mysteries. Last night they completely made it so very trashy. Now, it's like CSI. . .I just can't stomach it. I guess I will just start TIVOing Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers and watching it when the kids go to bed because that is the only thing worth watching. I miss The Cosby Show. Where are shows like that??? If I had all the money in the world I would start a Christian television production company with great dramas and comedies that you could actually enjoy.

So, I'm nursing Brookadee and potty-training Willstonian. His doc said no more diapers. He gave us a great plan and it's working. However, I was just so afraid of climbing that mountain (full of you know what!). So, I prayed that God give me the strength to tend to Brooke's newborn needs and tend to Will's stinky hiney. God answered my prayer and has given me strength to do both.
It's not the picture of organization around here. . . but it's getting done!

So excited about our new preacher, Randy and his wife, Andrea. Oh yes, and their sweet four kiddos! They bring so much sunshine to our church! Andrea has a nifty blog listed on my contacts or whatever you call that list. She is a really good writer. Read it when you get a chance!

Did you know Blog is short for Web log???

Did you know that honey bees have more brain cells than other bees in the hive??? This is because they spend their time exploring and venturing out into the world. I'm reading this super cool book (a tiny bit at a time) called Magic Trees of the Mind. It's about brain development and ways we can encourage our children to be intelligent. While I was prego with Will I asked my principal about any books he could recommend over child development. He said Magic Trees was the only one that counted. Anyway. . . I feel like I'm back in one of my linguistic courses. It's challenging and I'm enjoying it.

Now it's almost 2:00 a.m. and I think I'm growing a bit sleepy. . . Good night computer. OK Computer. . .Radiohead joke.

Dallas Mavs?

So, I started becoming a Mavs fan about 5 years ago. I can't say I'm on of those fans that watch EVERY game. . . I just like 'em. Up until 4 days ago I had a poster of Dirk, Howard, and Jet Terry hanging on our kitchen door. I got VERY upset at goofy Josh Howard talking on ESPN about his fun times with Marijuana. Great. Thanks for the example you are setting Howard!
I'm also upset that Avery is gone. I like his charisma and drive. I will miss seeing his enthusiasm on the sidelines. Oh Well.
Will was watching one of the playoff games with us and he asked when football is coming.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Tony loves football. It's a funny thing. We start stinking at football and this house gets excited about Mavs season. We start stinking at basketball and we get excited about Cowboys playing in the Fall!
So, I'm once again a little sad for the Dallas Mavs. Hopefully, next season will be amazing. (Steve Nash come back!)

Time flies when you're having. . .

Fun!!!!!!!

Laundry Explosion

It just occured to me as I was giving Brooke a bath tonight that the actual stages of laundry completion have been avoided for 8 weeks. I will wash the many piles, place them in clean piles, and search through the rather large piles for the day's clothes. College revisited. My room mates in college used to make fun of me for this very thing.

I asked Tony to get me a washcloth for Brooke's cute little bottom. He searched where it should be and it wasn't there. Oops. "Where's a clean washcloth, Holly?" "Ummmm go check down the hall, on the guest bed, next to Brooke's diaper basket. Under the very top pile."
Yes, Tony had to go on a scavenger hunt for the thing! Where's Washcloth?

All of this silliness to say that being a mom of two has been great and very challenging! When Will was a baby, I sat down quietly to nurse and enjoyed Food Network. Now, while Brooke is nursing I make pretend Thomas the Tank voices. Will pretends that he is Thomas and I'm Molly. It goes something like this:

Thomas: Hi Molly
Molly: Hi Thomas, Do you like being Will's toy???
Thomas: Yeah. Will you play with me?
Molly: Yes! Let's go in the gold mine and play!
(Will moves Thomas over to the gold mine and makes Thomas laugh)
(Brooke is getting fussy because she needs to burp.)
Will: Mom, stop nursing Brooke. Will you talk to ME?
Holly: Yes, I will talk to you. However, your sis needs her milk so she can grow.
(Back to the RR set)
Hey Thomas the Tank, let's go Choo choo!
Thomas: I'm going to crash into Cranky the Crank!
Molly: Oh no! Don't crash!
(Will precedes to crash into Cranky)

So on and so on!

Brooke is smiling several times a day. It's a huge event! We all gather around her to watch her sweet little mouth form a grin! Yesterday Will said, "Mom! Brooke is smiling!"
"Yes she is, honey!"
"I can smile too!"

Will is smitten with her. He calls Brooke baby sis. Love it! He is VERY proud and protective of her already. I love watching his unguarded heart. What a lesson in love. He willfully and happily embraces his sister each day. Maybe that is why God tells us to be like little children. Completely trusting. Vulnerable. Silly. Impressionable. Teachable. Approachable. Joyful.

I'm going to sign off with that last thought. . . .nighty night. Gotta dream of folding clothes because it might actually happen then.

Sweet kiddos!

2 Weeks!

Hello Everyone!!!!!!!

Our new sweet baby girl!

Hello! We are loving our new sweet gift from God! She is fresh from heaven! Brooke Addison is so wonderful! She is just so so so so so sweet and adorable. All three of us are enjoying her so much. Will loves to hold, kiss, tickle, and hug her. (which is super fun to watch too!)

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Some fav pix over the last month!

Will and Daddy opening a PINK bedskirt! Love it!

Will was very sick in this picture but still managed to build a highway with Daddy.

All of us and a motorcycle of course!

Making Christmas cookies with neighborhood friends.

Eating Christmas cookies with neighborhood friends! Even better!

Will loves it when Pa flips him over!!!

Will got a hoodie just like the big boys at the company Christmas party.

Will and Daddy playing with Mack off of Cars. Mack, Mater, and Lightnin McQueen have become some of Will's best friends. (and ours too!)

Me and Big Bro!

Mid January already!!!!

I think this past holiday season was my favorite! Will was so much fun to watch. While passing out presents at my parent's house he would say, "Is it my's" or "Is it for me?" He loved ripping through all the pretty paper and holding his new found treasure for all of us to see.
Tony and I enjoyed every minute of it. We felt so privileged to be parents.
There are 350 pictures on my camera that I need to download. I will post some of them soon.

One thing that I really enjoyed over Christmas: seeing so many sweet friends and happy babies! God has blessed me so richly with kind friends who are so carying and I LOVE seeing each of you love on your babies!!!!! It brings such joy to my heart!!!!!!!

Tony and I decided to come back to our home church. We missed the love that is so evident there. We have always wondered what it would be like to attend elsewhere. We grew from this experience and for that I'm so thankful. I also got to see what it is like to be a visitor and a new member at a different church. I have many different perspectives that I can draw upon now.

While I was shopping at Target yesterday, a lady in the checkout line asked me if I was carrying a girl. In my 8 month pregnancy state, I don't know if that question infers such things as "MY, my, my. . .you are huge!" Or, "Wow, Your face sure is round, you must be having a little girl." Luckily, she just commented how she is low and round. Who knows???? I do feel like she is much lower than Will was. My neighbor who is due two weeks before me (with her fourth girl) told me it is because I'm already stretched out. Cool stuff.

We saw Juno on our 6th anniversary. Great movie by the way. She described her pregnant self as a planet. I'm Saturn!

Sometimes I don't really know how to end my blog thoughts so I will end it on a verse that is probably one of your favorites too:

Psalms 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: your works are wonderful. I know that full well.

I love this verse because it makes me feel known by God. Also, it makes me feel purposeful and special. I'm glad he knitted each of you! His works ARE wonderful!