The Holmes Legacy

Kentucky Meets Alaska

2010-07-17T21:08:00.002-08:00

After a year and a half of living in Alaska, I was finally able to get my family up for a visit. The weather leading up to their visit was awful. Rain and chilly every day, but after constant prayers for sunshine, we had pretty nice weather for the week. We ran (or should I say drove) our legs off while they were here. You have to remember that Alaska is about 3 times the size of Texas so anywhere you go, you're driving a ways to get there. We hiked to a glacier in Seward, went on an awesome glacier cruise in the Prince William Sound, and drove to Talkeetna to try to catch a glimpse of Denali (or for everyone in the other 49 states - Mt. McKinley) which proved a little unsuccessful since clouds covered the summit. We had a nice little picnic lunch there though. I wish we could have done and seen a lot more, but you definitely need a longer trip than 5-6 days. It takes most of that time to get used to the 4 hour time difference and the fact that it doesn't get dark here at night during the summer :) The whole family got to go to Colton's last t-ball game too. We had a great time though and hated to see them leave.

Where Do I Begin?

2010-07-17T13:19:00.005-08:00

Well, needless to say, it's been awhile since I have updated this blog so I'm going to try to do the best I can to bring everyone up to date on things.

I should probably start at the beginning and mention that Chance was recognized in March as a Rising Star for his outstanding work on his architecture model. He modeled the World Trade Center Twin Towers which was no surprise to those of us who know his infatuation with 9/11 and everything about it.

We also experienced a first for our family and that was hunting Easter eggs in the snow. No pretty, Sunday best - snowpants. It was a pretty warm day in the scheme of things but I will definitely look forward to the Spring of 2012 when we can at least see the grass :)

Once the snow was FINALLY gone, we were so excited to be able to really enjoy ourselves outside (without bundling up like an Eskimo!)Colton played t-ball and really enjoyed it too.

Addison turned 4! My baby's not a baby anymore! She had a "playdate" birthday with a few of her friends at McDonalds and then a family celebration on her actual birthday. She's still a little princess and has not missed a day of her life without crying of some sort. We hope she'll eventually grow out of that :)

On June 18th, we followed up with Savannah's birthday. She's 9 this year and is such a fashionista! She's our peacemaker (most of the time) and has more patience than anyone else in the family. We celebrated by going to see Toy Story 3 and then had steak (her favorite) and homemade vanilla ice cream since she is on a cake strike.

Rising Stars

2010-02-25T12:13:00.003-09:00

Colt and Savannah were among the students honored at Mt. Spurr Elementary this month as being a "Rising Star". They just started back to public school in January, so they were both tickled to be picked. Savannah was honored for her creative writing and her ability to learn new math concepts. Colt was honored for being able to put on his snow gear in less than 5 minutes! Funny, huh? When we first met with Colt's teacher, she said that he seemed to be on target with everything he needs to know for Kindergarten standards and the only thing she could suggest working on was trying to get his snow gear on faster. And, honestly, we HAD to work on this at home. Colt didn't really like going outside a lot in the snow before and when he did, he had his dear sweet mother to get everything on, so it took some practice. Chance's class had been learning a different type of poetry, so he participated in the program along with some of his classmates by reciting poems. All of the kids are doing great in school so far, they're first progress reports showed all O's (Outstanding) and 1 S+ for Savannah and straight A's for Chance. The older ones still miss homeschooling, but Colt wouldn't trade public school for anything!

Chance turns 12!

2009-12-30T15:59:00.003-09:00

Chance turned 12 the day after Christmas. We had a little family party. Chance had his choice of supper - he chose Taco Bell. Then, we came home, opened presents and enjoyed a Dairy Queen Reeses Cup Blizzard cake (yum!). Yes, the bad mom that I am forgot to make sure I had the right candles, so we had to settle for 1 candle on one side and a 2 on the other to represent the 12 - adaptation :) The next day was Sunday and Chance was ordained a deacon at church. I cannot believe the years have passed so quickly!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T18:18:00.004-09:00

We had an amazingly wonderful Christmas this year! We kept it simple, didn't even get out of our pajamas all day, and just enjoyed our time together. We scaled down on gifts to the kids so we could focus all month long on the true meaning of Christmas. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Here's a slide show of the kids with their Christmas gifts.

Chance's Basketball

2009-12-21T12:44:00.004-09:00

Here's Chance with his two coaches: Coach Bui and Coach Mitchell

Chance wrapped up his basketball season with a record of 9-4-1. He had a great time playing guard and learned a lot this year. He was really excited when he got a bloody nose during his last game of the season. Psycho C following in the footsteps of his idol, Psycho T. I wasn't able to get a picture of it (and yes, he wanted a picture for the record). He's hoping to play basketball at the church since he will soon be a deacon.

What a difference a day makes

2009-11-25T23:43:00.003-09:00

One day you think you are deploying and 24 hours later you find you have been diagnosed with a 4 cm acoustic neuroma on the left side of your brain that is shifting to the right into your 4th ventricle and brainstem and you will not be deploying after all.

I will have to have surgery to have it removed. I am requesting your faith and prayers.

Thanks,

BJ

P.S. I am not dead nor am I dying so save the sympathy stuff (no flowers)!!!

Bear Hugs

2009-11-23T18:34:00.003-09:00

Today we went to Build-A-Bear workshop where each of us (yes, including me!) chose a bear which included a special pre-recorded message from BJ so we can have him close by to cuddle while he's gone. The kids had a blast (although I'm afraid Chance seems to be getting to old for this kind of thing) and I know the kids and I will treasure these while BJ is deployed.

The Difference between Reindeer and Caribou

2009-11-03T19:48:00.004-09:00

What do you do on a cold, 15 degree day in Alaska when you're homeschooling. You take a trip to a reindeer farm! At a farm on the "outside" you feed goats, here we get to feed Santa's transportation. It was fun to learn more about these animals - did you know that the only difference in a reindeer and a caribou is a fence? Oh, and of course reindeer fly! We were quite frozen by the end of it, but had a good time.

Chance fed "Rudolph". They keep him here in disguise with a white nose until Christmas Eve when Santa comes to pick him up!

Zombies, Witches, and Jedi, Oh My!

2009-11-03T19:20:00.003-09:00

Yes, it's about time I added the Halloween pictures of the kids. Sorry for the delay - we are STILL unpacking! It was fun, cold, and probably a little too chaotic this Halloween. We will definitely be picking only ONE Halloween event to do next year! We have candy coming out of our ears!!!!

The Million Dollar (or at least Thousands of Dollars) Smile

2009-09-10T17:34:00.004-08:00

Even though 9-9-09 was my birthday, in Chance's eyes, there was an even bigger reason to celebrate....He finally, after a year, was able to get his braces taken off. He declared it a National Holiday and celebrated by eating all of the junk that he's been deprived of for the past year. Let's just hope filling a cavity won't be the next thing on our list at the dentist visit in October. He's also very excited to be able to eat the Halloween candy he gets this year without having to pass the majority of it along to his siblings :)

Boat Trip to Seward

2009-09-06T21:07:00.002-08:00

We were able to go on a boat tour in Seward Saturday in order to support the boy scouts. We rode out to Fox Island for supper and then toured the edges of the bay looking for wildlife. We were able to see Stellar sea lions, sea otters, puffins, mountain goats, jelly fish, and bald eagles. We missed seeing the whales since they are now migrating south. We'll have to come back earlier next year to take a peek at them. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful this state is!

Chance's Court of Honor

2009-08-06T13:34:00.002-08:00

Chance attended his 2nd Court of Honor for scouts last night. He advanced in class, receiving both his Tenderfoot and Second Class ranks. The amazing thing is that he only has one more requirement to meet to get his First Class rank. He also earned 6 merit badges. He's really enjoying scouting and his dad is making sure that he is motivated to reach his Eagle rank.

Colton's 5th Birthday

2009-07-19T18:58:00.005-08:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Colton's 5th birthday. We had a party at a place that had a bunch of those blow up trampolines which was a blast! Even the Dads had a good time with the kids playing around. They were also able to get their face painted and have balloon animals/swords as well. It was a really great day. I just can't believe my "Wild Man" is already 5!

Animals and More Glaciers

2009-06-26T21:59:00.004-08:00

It's the last full day we get to spend with family, so we drove down to Alaska's Wildlife Conservation Center to see all of the animals they had. It was great. One of the park's workers even had the brown bears doing tricks for us. It was like watching Maximus being trained, complete with the reward of hot dog pieces if they did what they were supposed to. We then drove over to Portage Glacier. The views there were breathtaking and the break up ice in the water was amazing! The beautiful blue color in that glacier ice is just awesome. The kids had a blast throwing rocks into the water. We really enjoyed ourselves. The scenery around here never gets old :)

I'm Trying to be Like Jesus

2009-06-22T23:02:00.001-08:00

Savannah was baptized on Saturday, June 20th by her dad. We are so proud of the choice she made.

It's Great to Be 8!

2009-06-22T21:34:00.002-08:00

Savannah had her 8th birthday this past Thursday (June 18th). We had a fun family celebration with a yummy cake from Dairy Queen and some presents (which were mainly clothes and accessories for her American Girl Doll, Mia). The girls - Mommy, Grandmom, Savannah, and Addison - went shopping at Toys R Us to spend a little of the birthday money she received. We've promised her a "friend party" in the next couple of weeks but wanted it to be a special time with her Grandparents on the official day.

Trip to Seward and Exit Glacier

2009-06-22T21:05:00.003-08:00

We drove down to Seward for the day and visited the Sea Life Center there and hiked around Exit Glacier. The drive down was absolutely stunning! We even saw a brown bear and several bald eagles on the way there and back. It's been great visiting with family and enjoying all of the beauty of nature here in Alaska!

Happy 3rd Birthday Addison!

2009-05-30T20:19:00.011-08:00

Addison turned three years old today (May 30th). It's hard to believe she is that old! Time flies by so fast and you just wonder where it went. We started the morning by throwing her pacifiers away - YES, I have prolonged this situation way too long, but with all the stress and moving it was the last thing we wanted to do. We've talked to her about it for a while, telling her that when she is 3, she's a big girl and can't have a paci anymore so she was prepared. She woke up this morning and I sang Happy Birthday to her and she handed me her pacifier. I got all three of them down and had her throw them in the trash can.

We let her open one present this morning which was a "Dorothy" barbie doll from the Wizard of Oz (which she LOVES!) It sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and she loves to sing along so here's a taste of her and Savannah this morning playing together: (And yes, I'm ignoring Colton saying "Mommy...." a million times)

Then we took her to Build a Bear to make an animal to replace her pacifiers and for her to have a buddy to sleep with. She chose a long-eared bunny (since they had retired the koala bear she had wanted) and named her "Princess" although now that we have her home, she calls her "Star" or "Bunny Rabbit" - whatever she's in the mood for. We'll see if Princess makes her happy at bedtime or if the screaming and crying for the pacifier will be unavoidable.

Later that evening we had pizza and a Disney Princess Cake. She got many presents (too many, in BJ's opinion) one of which was a Bus Tent that she and her brothers and sister have enjoyed playing with. Here's some pictures and a video of the "Cake moment".

Numb and in Pain - STILL!

2009-05-19T20:12:00.002-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately but I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed last Thursday and I'm still having problems. I went yesterday to have a dry socket packed, but am still having a lot of pain and have some numbness as well. I can't open my mouth wide enough to get a good bite of anything so I'm still having to eat soft foods. Who would ever think of craving a salad over a milkshake! But I am and I know it's just because I can't chew it! So things kind of stink right now. The kids are adjusting to a mom that doesn't do much but lay around and sleep (because of the percocet). Maybe I need an INTERVENTION ha! Pray for my recovery - I'm going nuts!

For Grandad

2009-05-03T19:30:00.003-08:00

Addison got a new gown. This morning, while she was twirling and playing around, she picked up the toy gun and said "Am I pretty?" Maybe she'll president of the NRA one day! I'm sure she makes Grandad proud!

Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-01T17:49:00.002-08:00

We took advantage of the beautiful, sunny, warm (finally in the 60's) weather and went on a homeschool "field trip" to the Alaska Zoo. It's a small place but the kids and I enjoyed it. Addison and Colton held their nose through most of the place though, complaining about how stinky it was.

Better Late than Never

2009-04-30T17:17:00.006-08:00

Here are some pictures of the kids on Easter Sunday. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get them up!

Goodbye Tooth

2009-03-31T16:00:00.003-08:00

Savannah lost another tooth last night. She is such a trooper. Once her tooth gets so loose she just can't stand it, she goes to her Dad and lets him pull it out. She has two more that are loose, but she'll keep them in there as long as possible :)

Pinewood Derby

2009-03-26T11:07:00.004-08:00

This is Chance with his friend Jayden from church

Chance went to the Pinewood Derby last night. He wasn't able to "officially" participate because he has crossed over into boy scouts and the awards were for the cubs only. He did race against the other 11 yr. old that had a car there and won. Afterwards, they had a derby event for everyone - adults, young men, and the boys. Chance raced in that and beat everyone, including the Bishop and young men's president. He even beat Jayden, his best friend, who was the champion of the cub scout pack. It was the fastest car in the ward - too bad he didn't get one of the pretty trophies. He added a couple of stickers to that shiny black paint job - a "Psycho C Racing" sticker along the side, 2 UNC logos and the number 50 of course in honor of the great Tyler Hansbrough. He was very tickled with the car. A big thanks goes out to Grandad who helped Chance build an awesome car and to Daddy for getting the wheels on and helping with the final touches.

Iditarod/Iditaread Finish

2009-03-24T21:04:00.004-08:00

Here Chance is showing his "Three-peat" sign for Lance Macky's win

Here are the kids with their certificates for finishing the Iditaread

In homeschool we began studying about the Iditarod in February so that we would know what was going on when the race started in March. We made a neat little lapbook for it with most of the info we learned. We also participated in the "Iditaread" which is where each of the kids pick a musher to race against during the Iditarod. The kids read books while the musher runs the race. One page = 1 mile, so the kids work hard to read at least 1,131 pages (books on their grade level) which is how many miles the southern route is this year. Savannah picked a rookie musher - Jen Seavey, while Chance went up against Ryan Reddington who is one of the grandsons of the founder of the race - Joe Redington, Sr. It was a really exciting thing to do. The kids pressed hard and each one finished their pages before their musher crossed the finish line in Nome. Chance finished about 7 hours before his musher (12 days, 7 hours) and Savannah finished about 4 hours before hers crossed (13 days, 21 hours). I was so proud of how diligent they were. We rewarded them by taking the family out to Chuck E Cheese last night for pizza and games. The Iditarod was awesome to be a part of - it's lots of fun and so exciting to check on every day. We were cheering for Lance Mackey who ended up winning for the 3rd year in a row - he reminds us of Dale Earnhardt - just a good ole' boy. The race officially ended today as the last musher crossed the finish line. We can't wait to do it again next year!

Welcome Spring Gift

2009-03-22T17:57:00.005-08:00

Well, we woke up to about 6 inches of snow on top of what we already had. We went out late in the afternoon to shovel the driveway and let the kids play a bit. So here's a few pics of the start of spring here

Happy Spring!

2009-03-21T21:52:00.002-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy First Day of Spring. For the past several days we have had some beautiful sunshine and toasty 20 -30 degree temperatures which was putting us somewhat in the spring mood - we even saw a little bit of our grass in the back yard as the snow slowly began melting away from the fenceline. However, after about 6:30 pm it has been snowing non stop and looks to give us a pretty good little dump of snow (on top of the foot or more we already have). I guess in Alaska, you always bring spring in like a lion, huh? We did get to see our neighborhood moose this morning and not that I'm an expert on moose, but she looks to be getting bigger in the belly and is expecting. We still all get so excited when we see the moose around here. I'm sure the novelty will eventually wear off. But anyway, all of you that are enjoying the buds on the trees and the starts of flowers, send a spring wish our way. Maybe we'll see grass sometime in April or so :)

Fun FHE

2009-03-17T14:09:00.005-08:00

I just thought I'd post some pictures from our FHE last night. We read over the "Stripling Warrior" story from Who's Your Hero Vol. 2 (I absolutely love those books). We did the "Helaman's Stripling Warrior Boot Camp" idea in the book and was it a hoot! BJ was the drill sergeant/Helaman and the kid's got the biggest kick out of it.

The pictures above are when they are learning how to be STRONG by doing an obstacle course

Here they were learning to "OBEY with EXACTNESS" while playing a game of "Helaman Says"

They did a TRUST fall into their dad's arms off of the ottoman to learn to TRUST in God continually

And walked with a book on their head to "WALK UPRIGHTLY before God"

Addison was not happy with it though - she didn't think that Daddy being a drill sergeant was very funny at all.

She was quite happy by the time we ate our ice cream sundaes for our treat though :)

Picture Tag

2009-03-02T15:49:00.003-09:00

Well, my wonderful sister-in law, Erika (love ya Erke!), has tagged me for this 6th folder, 6th picture thing, so being on the laptop, this is the one that I got. This is Addison on her first Christmas. The kids were so excited in opening their presents that Addison ended up with a massive pile of wrapping paper all around. A baby's dream! She had a hay day in that paper! I can't believe she's almost 3 years old now - she's still just as beautiful and just as high maintenance!

Arrow of Light and Ice Fishing

2009-03-02T15:10:00.003-09:00

During the "Blue and Gold" Banquet at Scouts last week, Chance was able to receive his Arrow of Light badge which is a highest accomplishment in cub scouts. He was also able to officially "Cross Over" into Boy Scouts. They had a really neat ceremony before Chance crossed over, where the cubmaster was dressed up like an Indian Chief, and presented him with an arrow (complete with authentic arrowhead and Eagle's feathers on it) which represented the path he would take that would lead him on the course to Eagle Scout. They had built a wooden bridge that he crossed over to meet the boy scouts on the other side and then he was given his new neckerchief. The troop here really put a lot into it and made it very special for us all. Chance's first outing with the scouts was this past Saturday, where he went ice fishing. It was very cold and snowy that day, but he and BJ had a good time and learned some tips for the next time they go.

We finally saw one!

2009-02-19T11:18:00.003-09:00

(Okay, so this isn't the one we saw, because it was still dark and I didn't figure my camera would do her any justice - but this one's very similar to the one we saw.)

Well, we finally saw our first moose since coming to Alaska. I was beginning to think people were just telling us stories about them coming into yards, but it's true! BJ was getting ready to start his truck this morning at 6:15 am, when he ran back up the stairs to wake me up and tell me there was a moose out front. It was a cow, and by the time we got down there, she had moved next door into our neighbor's yard to nibble on their tree. It was snowing a little and so quiet and dark still, that we just watched her a bit. She didn't have a baby with her so she seemed pretty unconcerned with us. She was so big and it was truly amazing to see one so close. I was afraid for BJ to start his truck thinking it might frighten her, but as he did, she didn't even look and eventually just went to the next house to snack on some bushes. We were the fortunate ones, though, because she left us a pretty large present beside our tree - either it was her, or we have some giant rabbits running around too!

Thar' She Blows????????

2009-02-01T20:30:00.006-09:00

Okay, so we studied Pompeii and that devastating volcanic eruption in homeschool, but I never realized we would have our own little hands on experience with it. Here we are still in the midst of chaos and boxes and now the priority has to be preparing ourselves for the eruption of a volcano about 100 miles away. Evidently we live just a little too close to one of the more active volcanoes here in Alaska, Mt. Redoubt. It is now listed at an "orange level" which is the highest you go before the actual eruption. BJ's Elder's quorum lesson was on getting prepared for "Doomsday" and he is having continual briefings and info from the base on it. Needless to say, we got rid of a lot of our supplies during this huge move because of the possibility of things freezing, bursting, etc. during the transit/storage time. We are going to have to get out and make sure we have the things we need tomorrow - that is, if anything is left. The problem for us will be the ash fall and not being able to really get out and things. So anyway, say a prayer for us and hopefully we will be able to get everything in before she blows! I've heard of going out with a bang, but coming in with one? Our new adventures in Alaska continue.....

We Made It!

2009-01-20T10:00:00.003-09:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we have made it safe and sound to a very melted Alaska. Must be "global warming" (ha!ha!) It was a long flight and we have all been trying to adjust to the time difference. We've been "camping out" at our new house for the past few days, but we are having household goods delivered today so we will be in the midst of cardboard boxes and chaos for the next several days. We're bouncing off of someone else's wireless connection, so I'll try to post more when I can. Just thought I would post a picture of the view from our living room window - nice, huh?

Catch Up

2008-12-29T10:38:00.010-09:00

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I would try to catch everyone up with the goings on of the Holmes' Home. We are currently "homeless" since we moved out of our house in Ohio on December 1st. We stayed in TLF for a week and have since been going around visiting family since and will continue to do so until January 15th when we will fly from North Carolina to Alaska to make a new home there for the next 3 years at least. So here are some highlights:

BJ graduated from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences on December 5th with his Masters Degree in Anesthesia. A week later he took his board exam and passed and is now a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthestist (CRNA for short). It has been a very long and stressful 30 month program for us all and we are very proud and happy that he has reached his goal! Way to go BJ!

Right before Christmas, Savannah FINALLY lost (with a little help from Daddy) her other top front tooth. She was able to sing the "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" song even though she wanted a whole lot more than that!

We had a great Christmas! We spent some pre-Christmas time in Kentucky with my family and then came to North Carolina to spend the big event with them. The kids were thrilled to get a Wii and have played it so much with all of the family. We've had a lot of fun. Chance was thrilled to get some airplanes (especially the F-15 and F-22's that will be flying at Elmendorf AFB) and legos and a North Carolina basketball jersey, Colton stocked up on Star Wars figures, Addison has been enchanted with her Tinkerbell movie and fairies, and Savannah had "the best Christmas ever" (in her words) after receiving an American Girl doll and a digital camera.

The day after Christmas, Chance celebrated his 11th birthday. We had a yummy birthday supper and North Carolina cake. The greatest gift he received was tickets to a North Carolina basketball game that he went to with his dad and two uncles. You've got to realize that this is a dream for him. He was able to see his idol, Tyler Hansbrough, play and create a memory that will forever be in his best of bests.

Here are the boys at the game.

We're planning on spending a relaxing New Year's here with the family and then Friday, BJ and I are taking a Carribean Cruise for 7 days. We're going to try to soak up as many UV rays as we can before we head up to the cold north!

Way to go Chance!

2008-11-25T18:34:00.003-09:00

We attended Chance's last pack meeting here in Ohio where he received his Webelos rank along with 4 more activity pins and his Compass Point Emblem along with 2 more Compass points. That means that he has completed 16 out of 20 Webelos activity pins in less than a year. He will receive his Arrow of Light once we get to Alaska and then advance on to the "Boy Scouts". For those of you that have been through scouts or have sons in it, you know how much work this requires. We are very proud of him, and I couldn't resist giving him a big hug - it seems like we've been real partners this past year in trying to achieve this.

Trick or Treat

2008-10-30T17:26:00.009-08:00

Bye Daddy!

2008-10-03T19:06:00.001-08:00

We had to say "goodbye" to BJ this evening as he set off for a trauma rotation in Germany. We went out to eat at Outback before dropping him off at the airport. He'll only be gone for the month, but it's the first time we've physically been apart since he started this grad school program. I guess it's just an exercise to get us somewhat used to deployments again which will begin when we move to Alaska (within the first year, we're told). The kids already have shed tears, but fell asleep pretty easily after staying up late to watch Star Wars the Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. We all miss you BJ - stay safe, work hard, and study lots! We love you.

The Journey Begins

2008-09-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

Chance had braces put on his upper teeth today. He has embarked on a long journey that will involve many orthodontic visits. He was a real trooper today getting them on, but is starting to feel sore already. I'm sure tomorrow will be when it really hits. He's really bummed about not being able to eat Skittles, Candy Corn, and popcorn. He was really psyched, though, about getting his own blog entry and has a picture, proudly showing the "Carolina Blue" bands he picked to go around the brackets. I told him that one day he would be glad he did this while he was young - he is questioning my wisdom right now.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

We, at the Holmes Academy for the Gifted and Talented, finally kicked off our second homeschooling year yesterday. (I would have put up the pics last night but was totally exhausted!) We didn't have new lunch boxes or backpacks, but instead wore togas as we continued learning about the Romans. We're looking forward to a fun year of school. Colton had his first "official" day of school as well as he began preschool. It should be a challenge to try and juggle, 5th grade, 2nd grade, and preschool, not to mention Addison in the mix as well. Say a prayer for us!

Singing Addi-fly

2008-08-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

Addison loves to go around singing CONSTANTLY. I know we have her singing on the blog already but I couldn't resist when I caught her today standing on the dining room chair doing it. She's just too darn cute! At the end, she gives a little Happy Birthday wish to her Aunt Nicole whose birthday is today :)

Happy 4th Birthday Colton!

2008-07-19T09:03:00.002-08:00

Colton had a great birthday yesterday. We went out to eat at a steak restaurant because he just loves steak with A1 sauce (actually he loves A1 on just about everything!). We had cake and ice cream and opened presents. Aunt Nicole was here along with the rest of our family. He happily received money, dinosaurs, a spiderman toy, new baseball mitt, hot wheels play set, and his much requested "Better, Batter Baseball".

Happy 4th Birthday Colton!

2008-07-19T09:03:00.001-08:00

Soccer Camp

2008-07-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here is Savannah with her British coaches: Coach Rich, Coach Matt, Coach Nathan, Coach Dan

Savannah just wrapped up a British soccer camp this past Friday. She had a blast and learned a lot. On the last night they were each supposed to represent the country they had been given for the week. We made her a shirt for Brazil and even had a big soccer ball on the back which had "I love soccer" in Portuguese. During the night they gave them all a little soccer quiz and based on this, how they represented their country, teamwork, enthusiasm, and effort they awarded the "World Cup" to one player. Savannah won! The look on her face was priceless. She was the youngest in the whole group! We were very proud of her and she was thrilled.

Celebration

2008-07-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Since my mom is never able to be around when each of the kids have a birthday, she decided to give them all a group birthday party for the year. We tried to go swimming, but it was a wee bit chilly. We still enjoyed playing with friends and cousins down in Kentucky and having a big cake!

Here is Chance with his friend, Boone and cousin, Trey hamming it up for the camera.

Here is Savannah and her cousins, Jaylee and Kennedy after a quick dip in the pool.

Colton's ready for some cake.

Since it was the week of Savannah's birthday, we took her and my sister-in-law, Kristy's, neice to Libby Lu's for a makeover. They had a blast and looked beautiful. Here's some pictures, aren't they beautiful!

Addison Singing

2008-07-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

Here is Addison singing her ABC song to Aunt Erika. She enjoyed the attention and loves to watch the video on the camera over and over again!

Week of Fun!

2008-07-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

We just spent the past week having loads of fun with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jeremy and Erika. The highlight of the week was the trip to Kirtland, Ohio to see the temple and the church history sights there. It was such a spiritually uplifting experience which has strengthened my testimony of the church. Here we are after our tour of the temple.

After we toured the temple we went to the church history sites, saw two movies at the visitor's center (one of which was Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration - my favorite of all time), and received an in depth tour from the missionaries there. It was truly amazing to be in the same places where Joseph Smith lived and received many revelations for the church. It was awesome to be in the same places where many heavenly messengers appeared to him, including Jesus! Words just can't explain the experience!

Here we are in front of the Newell K. Whitney store. All of the these buildings are original. It's amazing how well they were kept.

Here is the School of Prophets were all of the apostles met and had many visions and visits from Jesus and others. This is where Joseph would take the revelations he had received to present to the apostles. Chance and Savannah are sitting where the first apostles did.

This is the room where Joseph received many revelations, translated the Book of Moses, and worked on the translations of the Bible.

This was Joseph and Emma's room and their kitchen. This is where they had the twins that they later lost. I have a ton of other pictures that could go on for days!

We also went to the Air Force Museum:

We went to Young's Jersey Dairy where we played miniature golf, fed the goats, had a wagon ride through some of the farm, and had a small little train ride. Chance was at Webelo's camp so he missed out on this little excursion :)

We had a wonderful visit with Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Erika!

Harness Up The Sled Dogs and Call us Eskimo!

2008-06-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a great little visit home in Kentucky. BJ had called me midway through my trip with the news that we are going to Elmendorf AFB in Alaska come December of this year! We were a little shocked since it wasn't at all on our wish list, but the idea of it is really growing on us! We don't have official orders yet, but that is the plan as far as we know. So everybody save your $ for a trip to the great state of AK!

Happy Birthday Savannah!

2008-06-19T03:24:00.001-08:00

Here's our second birthday in the string of 3! Savannah turned 7 yesterday. It's truly amazing how time can speedily get away from you. We did a small celebration by eating cinnamon rolls (Savannah's favorite) for breakfast - with candles included, had CiCi's pizza for supper followed by a trip to Toys R Us to let her pick out a brand new bicycle "with a kickstand". She has loved riding a bike since she finally took her training wheels off last month. She's our princess ladybug who loves a structured routine and wants to always help out. She loves her brothers despite their sometimes mean and rude comments and has loved having a little sister who loves to be around her. We get to go to Kentucky today and will have a group birthday celebration at Grandma's for everyone - since she never gets to be around for everyone's birthday. Savannah has a special trip planned on Saturday to Libby Lu with her friend Haley for a birthday makeover. It should be a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday Addison!

2008-06-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

Addison celebrated her 2nd birthday on Friday, May 30th. It's hard to believe that I was just having her as BJ was beginning his Anesthesia program and that it's already been two years! She's such a little copy cat and will do and say anything her older brothers and sister do. She's VERY vocal and can be heard from miles away when she is upset. Her favorite thing to do is look at books and magazines and sing. She did get a water table for her birthday and it is slowly making it's way to the top of her list as well. Time flies! I no longer have a baby!

All Hail Maximus!

2008-06-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

We'd like to introduce you to our newest family member, Antares Prinz Maximus (or Maximus for short). I would've posted this sooner, but Maximus actually chewed through our keyboard cord forcing us to go out to buy a new one! He's such a sweetie and already has begun making himself at home. He loves to chew on rocks and eat dirt. He's quite fond of pooping at the front door and pouncing on Addison. We're enjoying him and his smallness at the moment because we know that it won't last long and he will truly be "maximus".

"Rule of Thumb" - Our Trip to the Zoo

2008-05-25T15:29:00.001-08:00

Well, the kids and I along with the Uber family, went to the Columbus Zoo to celebrate the end of our homeschool year. We, of course, had a great time! One of the funniest experiences we had was at the beginning of our day at the tidal pool where the kids were able to touch starfish, horshoe crabs, etc. One of the zoo employees working there was an older woman who felt it important as she was pointing out the parts of starfish to flip it over and show them where it "poops." All of the kids responded by saying "Ewwwww!" The starfish advocate became very upset at the immaturity of these small children and proceded to tell them in a very loud voice: "Rule of thumb, everything poops! If you don't poop, you will die!" Well, there was our health/science lesson for the day. Throughout the day we were able to witness many of the animals saving thier own lives by excreting their wastes in front of us. One of the larger animals came very close to the fence, did an about face, and showed us what the "rule of thumb" was all about. We were thrilled to witness a life saving event so up close and personal! We did have a great time. Colton's favorite was the sea turtles, Chance's was the sting rays, Savannah's was the leopard (maybe because she had a coordinating ribbon), and Addison's was the "choo-choo train" ride.

2008-05-25T15:17:00.000-08:00

Chance aboard his favorite, the stingray. The C-rex, otherwise known as Colton.

2008-05-25T15:16:00.001-08:00

We saw Aslan there too!

2008-05-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

Close your eyes, Grandmom! The kids were able to touch a real, live corn snake!

2008-05-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

Watching our "Rule of Thumb" lesson. Another Okapee saved today!

2008-05-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

Savannah and her matching leopard

2008-05-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

At the tidal pool learning "The Rule of Thumb" lesson

Now that's something to pray about!

2008-05-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist posting this.... as Colton was saying his prayers tonight, he asked Heavenly Father to "please keep his bologna safe" I knew he really loved bologna, but thought it a little strange to include it in his prayers so I asked him, "Why did you pray to keep your bologna safe?" He said "well, that's what Daddy said in the family prayer - to please keep our bologna safe". What Daddy really said was to please keep our "belongings" safe. I guess bolongna is one of our belongings so it works, huh? :)

2008-05-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Holmes Home

2008-05-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm going to try to get with the times and post things about our family so that others know what's going on with us here in The Buckeye State.

We're well on our way to finishing our first year of homeschooling and overall it has been a pretty amazing experience! I've learned a new patience that I never knew I had (not that it always shows) and the kids and I have really learned to appreciate each other more and have a good time together. The added bonus was that they learned a lot, too! Savannah can read know and is enjoying trying to read as high a level book as she can (much to the aggravation of her older brother). Chance has become an expert at multiple digit multiplication and division. If you ever need to know some history facts about Ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome just ask Chance or Savannah - they'd love to share what they know. We've done everything from raise tadpoles which morphed into small frogs (which we still have, yipee!), grew lima beans into plants, and are currently watching caterpillars transform into painted lady butterflys! (Our first one made its chysalis last night!) It's been great and I truly have learned as much as the kids have.

Colton and Addison are two peas in a pod! We call them Peat and Repeat because whatever Colton does or says, Addison is right there to do the same! Colton loves to play with army men, race cars (or any type of cars for that matter) and is still way into dinosaurs and Scooby Doo. Addison loves to be read to and could sit for hours while you read the same books over and over again to her. She also loves to sing and you can usually hear her singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "I'm a Little Teapot", "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider", and half a dozen more. It's really sweet to hear.

Savannah just learned to ride her bike without training wheels this past weekend and already rides like a pro. She's decided to get a new and bigger bike for her birthday instead of her original request for an American Girl doll. We've been reading all of the books about each American Girl to see which one we like the best.

Chance had his piano recital a couple of weeks ago. He plays so well, that no one would ever guess he's only been taking lessons for less than a year. He had to have yet another tooth pulled last week as we get ourselves ready for years of braces. His tooth had roots at least 1/2 inch long! We have just finished re-reading Prince Caspian so that we can compare it to the movie when we get to go see it in a few weeks.

BJ is still trudging along through his Anesthesia program. He doesn't know how it feels to sleep past 4 am! We're hoping to find out soon what our next station will be, but have been told we may not find out until August and then will be moving in December.

We're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of our newest member of the family - a rottweiler puppy - which is supposed to be coming to us from Texas toward the end of next week. His name is Antares Prinz Maximus but we'll call him Maximus. He's a doll and the kids are absolutely extatic about getting him but are fretting a bit about who is going to clean up his accidents and how we go about doing that. Anyway, I know this has been a long post, but since it was the first I thought I would catch everyone up on the goings on at the Holmes Home.