HollingKids

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

So, it has been a while since I have updated my blog! But I got new pictures taken of the family and I thought I would put them on here! This year has been a good one for our family. We have been very blessed.

Tyler is almost 10 now (Jan. 7). He is in 4th grade and doing really well. He is taking piano lessons, Karate, and scouts. He is singing in the school choir and the 4th graders are learning how to play the recorder. He is a very busy kid and always makes time to play with his friends!

Dakota is 7 and will turn 8 on Jan. 25. She is a big helper around here and is a second mom to the other kids! She loves to read, is taking dance lessons and piano lessons. She is doing awesome in school and has even been learning some sign language with me!

Paris is 6 now and is so sweet. She is my one child who doesn't mind doing chores. Anything she can help me with she will! She loves first grade and has lots of friends. She is also taking dance lessons and is in the same class with Dakota (which is good for me!)

Savannah is 4! She is in preschool this year and can't wait for kindergarten. She gets so bored at home with me and Garrett and can't wait for the other kids to get home from school every day! She wants to be a big helper but never wants to do anything I ask her to do! She loves to sing and dance and read books! She has an elephant memory and recites all day long the poems she learns at school! I have to ask her to stop talking b/c my ears get tired! :)

Then there is Garrett! He is 3 and what more needs to be said! He has a great little personality but is totally exhausting! He is a very busy child and gets into everything. He loves to explore his world especially if it is in Dakota and Tyler's rooms. They have such fun things that he loves to "look" at! My life would be very boring without this child!

Rich is still working at Metalcraft and enjoys his job! He is in the Elder's Quorum presidency in our ward. He has really been into reading lately and getting back into shape! It has been fun to have an exercise partner although I can't get him to run with me yet!

As for me, I am home with the kids and am never bored! I love being home with them. I am now a den leader over the bears with Tyler! This has been an adjustment for me and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I am taking sign language classes with a friend and I am loving it!

I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I'm grateful for my Savior and his love for me and my family! We have been blessed greatly and I am so glad that my family gets to be together forever. We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Labor Day 2010

2010-10-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Labor Day in Parowan is always fun. This is the iron county fair so there is lots to do. This year Dakota and Paris danced in the parade. They did so good. They were like # 74 in the parade and they were very patient waiting their turn.

For the past couple of years, we have been going to Yankee Resevior after the parade for lunch and a little hiking with our friends, James and Ali Threet and their family. We always look forward to this and the kids love it.

School Starts

2010-10-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

So it's a little late, but that's okay. Here are the kids on their first day of school.

Tyler and Dakota on their first day of school. They are attending Enoch Elementary this year and they are loving it.

Dakota at her desk in Mrs. Carney's class.

Tyler at his desk in Mrs. Johnson's class.

Paris' first day of Kindergarten. She really enjoys school. She is attending all day kindergarten until the first of the year and then they will reassess her! She loves it.

Savannah's first day of Preschool. She lives for school time with Mrs. Brenda.

Catch up

2010-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

So it has been a few months since I've updated my blog. We had a long summer full of lots of fun things. We went to the beach, had a fun family reunion, Rich's dad got married, we went to the mountain with friends, then school started and everything got extra crazy. With 5 kids life can be busy. So I'm just going to add a few pictures of the summer stuff.

My awesome sisters-in-law. We had a great girls weekend playing at Bryce Canyon and Brian Head!

The 4th of July parade in Parowan. That is Grandma Cheryl walking in the parade in Red.

Playing in the mountains with some good friends.

We picked a great day to go for a picnic. There was a big thunderstorm with hail. Luckily we were under the shelter!!

The kids by the fire, trying to warm up. We had a great time playing in the rain!!!

10 years

2010-06-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

So Rich and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary on June 10th. I can't believe how time flies. Rich surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas. He was so sweet and tried to take us back to our wedding day. He booked us a room at the hotel we stayed at the night of our wedding, Alexis Park Resort. Then we went to the temple. He also took me to see Phantom of the Opera and that was really good. We had a nice relaxing weekend. My brother and his wife, who are living with us, stayed with our kids. So nice of them because my kiddos are a handful. This was the first time Rich and I have been away together since we had Tyler. I'm grateful for my husband and for all he does for me. We have had a great 10 years and are excited to see what the next 10 bring us. (we forgot the camera so there are no pictures!)

Gulf Shores Alabama

2010-06-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

So our family ventured to Alabama for a week with my family. We had a great time. The car ride was really long (about 36 hrs one way), but we survived. I gave each of the kids a roll of quarters and took them away one at a time when they were not behaving well. They did so good. Then we spent the week on the beach. It was so beautiful and we weren't ready to come home. Thanks mom for the condo and the fun times. Here are some pictures from our trip.

Paris Preschool and Dance

2010-05-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Paris' Preschool Graduation! We are so proud of her!

She will be a great kindergartener.

Grandpa H and Grandma Cheryl came to watch.

Her teacher is Mrs. Brenda.

So for dance pictures their hair had to be curly. Paris has natural curl but I thought I would use curlers, because that is what dancers do right?

Well, these are the results we got!

And then this!

Finally, after spending time with the curling iron this is what we got!

She is so cute!

This is her First Dance Recital on May 24th, 2010.

Before make up.

After Make up. This is her tap dance costume.

Her ballet costume.

This is her tap dance!

Lots Going on!

2010-04-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

So this is kind of a brief catch up of what's been going on at our house! I've been terrible at blogging. My family keeps me busy. We have gymnastics, karate, dance, scouts, callings, book group, school and lots of other things going on! I love my family and am so grateful for them. This has been a really great year so far!

Easter!

1st Pinewood Derby!

Lots of Birthday Celebrations!

Savannah turned 3!

Dakota turned 6!

Tyler turned 8!

Tyler's Baptism!

Diamonds

2009-12-23T11:36:00.001-08:00

So I need to write this down before I forget! Dakota, 5 years old, has been wanting a necklace. When we were in Provo a couple of weeks ago, we were at the mall and she saw a diamond necklace in the jewlery store. "Mom, I want that necklace!" Me-Laughing hysterically!!!! I told her to tell her dad! Anyway, we were all cracking up laughing and she was soooo serious.

So she filled out her sticker chart and we were heading to the store to get her a necklace! She said to me "Do I get a diamond necklace today, because they are the prettiest!" Me- "When you get married you can ask your husband for a diamond necklace. You just tell him you want a diamond ring and a diamond necklace!" Dakota- "Well, I want some diamond earrings too! Can I ask him for those too?" Me-"You can ask your husband for whatever you want." She is very excited to now get married and get her diamond necklace, ring and earrings!!!

Halloween Fun!!!

2009-10-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween, with the exception of illness. Dakota has been down and out for 2 days but woke up today feeling better. I think we wore her out and she is again running a fever. We had our ward trunk or treat, a pumpkin carving party at our neighbors and trick or treating.

Which one is the real pumpkin?

Watching daddy do the carving!!

I love this picture of Garrett! Isn't he cute?

My mom made me wear this!!! And now I'm stuck!

Tyler the fierce knight!

Dakota the Vampiress!

Ready to Party!

He is getting so big!

This was the costume I wanted her to wear on Halloween. She was ragedy Ann for her school party, but wanted to be the dinosaur for Halloween.

Labor Day

2009-09-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

Labor day we went to the parade in Parowan (that was really longer than necessary) and the kids had fun. We met our friends Ali and James Threet there and also my sisters Katie and Carly came with us. Then we went to Yankee Meadow with the Threets and hiked around the lake. We had a great time. Oh and my kiddos didnt' whine once. I was so proud of them.

Me and Garrett at the lake.

Tyler and Dakota

The kids climbing on the rocks.

At the parade.

Lassen's come to visit

2009-09-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dani, Steve, Becca and Jakob came to visit us from Kansas. They stayed with us for a couple of days and we had a great time. Tyler and Jakob are best friends and they picked up where they left off in May. We are so glad they came to visit.

All of the kids at the temple.

Walking to the front doors of the St. George temple.

Cedar Breaks.

First Day of School for Everyone!

2009-09-13T17:53:00.001-07:00

Paris' first day of preschool at Busy Bee Preschool with Mrs. Brenda. She loves going to school.

Dakota heading to class on her first day of kindergarten.

Tyler on his first day of 2nd grade.

Tyler and Dakota before school.

Paris Singing

2009-09-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

I think this is so cute of her singing. She sings all the time about whatever she can think of. I had to cut her off because she just kept going.

Girls Haircuts!!!

2009-08-11T20:04:00.001-07:00

So I took the girls to get their hair cut today. This was Savannah's first haircut and she didn't have much to begin with but she cut a lot off. Paris got a few bangs and then just a trim and some layers. Dakota got all of her hair chopped off. I was really surprised that she was willing to have short hair. She has always told me that she wanted long hair like Hannah Montana. But I'm happy that she willingly got her hair cut short. She won't let me do it and now it does itself and it looks so cute.

Savannah- this is after her nap so her hair is kinda crazy.

Not the greatest picture of Dakota's hair but you can see how short it is.

And then there is Paris. I'm glad her hair has shape to it!!!

More Catch up

2009-08-07T20:56:00.001-07:00

Okay so here is a run down of our summer.

We had a family reunion with Rich's family in Parowan. It was so fun to see everyone.

We went on a hike and it was really hot. I didn't make it far carrying the baby. Yep, I'm a total wimp, but Garrett is heavy. Rich had to carry Savannah.

The three babies: Derrek, Samantha, Garrett. Garrett is the youngest and the biggest.

All of the sisters went and got our toes done. Thanks Ranelle.

Dakota got glasses this summer and she is so cute in them.

More family reunion stuff.

Paris turned 4 this summer.

Aunt Katie and Uncle Cameron made her this cute cake.

Then we went to the Palmer family reunion in Blanding and had a great time. The kids now want 4-wheelers. We had a blast at the mountains.

Playing family feud.

Garrett had a blast in the swing.

Dakota is a pyro!!! Everyone was making fun of me for not teaching my kids how to eat s'mores. They just don't like to get messy!! Yeah right!

Grandma Palmer and my kiddos.

So we had a fun summer. It has been crazy trying to get settled into a house. We are still not unpacked. We are getting ready for school to start. I have 3 going this year and it seems so wierd. Savannah no longer has her binki!!! That was a big mile stone and next is potty training when school starts (or sometime in that range). We are enjoying being back in Utah, but miss our friends in Kansas.

Moving Day

2009-08-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is moving day.

Our very empty house the morning of our move. The kids weren't sure about what was going on.

This is our car trip to Utah. We had stuff crammed in every spot possible.

Tyler's last day of school.

2009-05-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Tyler's last day of 1st grade. He is getting so old. He had an awesome year with the best teacher. I cried when I dropped him off. I will miss Mrs. Gentz. Tyler will miss his great friends here. We are all sad to leave, but excited to see family.

Dakota's preschool program

2009-05-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

These are some pictures from Dakota's fun preschool program. She is getting so big.

These are her awesome teachers.

Dancing!!

This is her best friend Logan. We will miss him.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

MOTHERS
Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
doesn't come out of carpets or off the bottom of shoes.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
and get their answer when a little
voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
is not measured by height or years or grade...
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother

As mothers it is probably best if we don't "should" on ourselves and just enjoy the journey, recognize we're all human and do the best we can!

I found this poem on a friends blog and loved it. I've learned that being a Mom is really hard work and I'm totally exhausted all of the time, but it is so worth it. Every whiney moment of it!!!(I have a 3 year old that no longer talks-she can only whine and cry at me). I have been blessed with 5 awesome kids. I love each one of them for being them! I'm so thankful to have had this past 3 months by myself with my kids to appreciate them and my role as a mother.

Thank you to all of the wonderful women in my life for your great examples.

Happy Mother's Day.

Playing Catch Up

2009-05-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, I can't seem to keep caught up with my blog lately. But I wanted to post a few pictures of the kids. I have a few from Easter that I haven't posted yet. We are counting down the days until our move. It is starting to hit me that I'm leaving Kansas. I will really miss my friends. But I am so excited to see our family. The kids are just ready to be done with everything. We will be leaving here on the 29th of May and will take a couple days to make the trip. So I guess I better quit procrastinating and start packing. I really haven't wanted to do anything. Anyway, here are a few pictures.

Garrett is getting so big. Isn't he adorable? Okay, well I can think that! He rolled over just a couple of times and is working on sitting. I hope once he gets these down he'll be a little happier.

My cute kids on Easter Sunday.

Our Friends had an Easter Egg hunt for the kids at their house the day before Easter. This is a picture of all of the kids. I'm going to miss this tradition when we move.

Garrett the Diva. Dakota was taking his picture and loved the sunglasses on him. Then she left and he cried until I took them off. He doesn't know what he has to look forward to with 3 older sisters. Poor kid.

Fun Times!

2009-04-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Savannah's birthday. We went to a friends house for cake because we had some showings of the house that night.

My little man. He is huge. He weighed 15 lbs at his 4 month check up. He loves rice cereal because he gets more to eat!!

Spring break in St. Louis with our friends, the Paul's. We had a great time.

Quick update

2009-04-06T19:50:00.001-07:00

I have been terrible at blogging lately, but my life has been slightly crazy. But just to update everyone. We got 3 offers on our home on Sunday. It was a crazy weekend. We had 7 showings over the weekend and I didn't get a whole lot out of conference. Anyway, we accepted an offer and are currently under contract. We should be getting the inspection this week and then moving forward. We do have a back up offer if things fall through after inspection. So I'm so relieved. I should take a picture of my house. It is the messiest it has been in a month. But I can't let it go too much-it has to be cleaned for inspections. I just was so excited to wake up today and not HAVE to do the dishes and we got to make cookies. My girls were so excited. We will be moving to Utah the end of May. Our closing date is the 29th. School gets out on the 27th, so Tyler will be able to finish up. We are excited to be moving back by family and I'm so grateful for our blessings. It has been a long 7 weeks but we have been blessed. Thanks to all of my friends who have helped me out and let me come crash at their houses during showings. I'll post pictures of my kids soon. Garrett is getting so big and is so fun. He throws lots of tantrums (really he has learned this already), but is so dang cute! Savannah's birthday was fun and I can't believe she is 2. My mom came to visit and I was thankful for the company. I miss her so much and am so glad that she could come. Rich comes home on Friday and the kids can't wait. They miss him so much. The Lord has watched over us and has truely blessed us.

Update on our family!

2009-02-14T13:15:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, we will be moving to Utah in June. So we have been busy trying (key word) to get our house ready to put on the market. I have learned that I am a procrastinator. Life keeps me busy and it is hard to find some spare time to do the things around the house that need to be done. Rich's last day of work here in Kansas City was Thursday. So now he has a little while to help me then off he goes to Utah. We will miss him but it is only for a short time. This past couple of weeks we have been to lots of doctor appointments. I took Tyler, Dakota and Garrett in on the 5th of Feb. for there check ups. They all had to get shots, which was really fun. Dakota had to get 5, Garrett got 3 plus an oral one and Tyler got the buster for the flu shot. Then I took Paris and Dakota to the dentist for cleanings. They are both good- no cavities. I feel very lucky that we all have such good teeth. Then Tyler had to go to the dentist for a small surgery. I don't know how to spell what it is called so I won't try. But you know that tissue that holds the upper lip to the gum? Well, his was really big and they lasered it off. So he was really sore from that. Tyler doesn't like needles. It took 3 of us to hold him down to get shots at the doctor. However, the dentist was different story. They gave him a game boy and he played games the whole time- needle and all. So the key to doctor visits is to get the kid a game boy. Well, maybe someday but not now. Then we have all been sick. So it has been a really fun couple of weeks. Hopefully, the upcoming week will be more fun!!!

Garrett

2009-02-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post a video of Garrett. He is so dang cute and BIG. I took him to the doctor on Feb. 5th (about 2 1/2 months) and he weighed in at 13lbs. 1oz. and 23 1/4 inches long. I just looked up Tyler at this age and he was 10lbs. 13oz. and 22 1/4 inches long. So Garrett is a healthy baby.

Dakota's Birthday Party

2009-02-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Dakota is now 5. She is getting so big. I just love this picture of her reading her Book of Mormon. She carries it with her all of the time and opens it up and "reads" it. I think it is awesome, but she tends to be pretty harsh on it too. When she is mad that is what gets thrown on the ground. I keep telling her she needs to treat them nicely. She is trying at least.

We originally planned her party for the 24th of Jan. About an hour before the party she told me to cancel it because she didn't feel well. Rich took her to urgent care and found out she had some constipation problems. So we rescheduled her party on the 29th. Rich and Tyler weren't there but a lot of others were. I think there were about 18 kids and lots of adults. We had a good time. But when everyone left she was ready for her down time.

Tyler's new club!

2009-01-27T05:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, I just wanted to share with you what my son came home from school with. He came home yesterday and told me he and some of his friends started a new club (are you ready for this)- The Idiot Club!!! Now if that isn't something to be proud of I don't know what is. I just started laughing and he was really confused. I'm not sure he even knows what that word means. One of his friends thought of it and they are recruiting members of their class to join. Oh to be a seven year old boy!

Garrett's Blessing!

2009-01-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

Well, our little man is growing up. He was blessed in Church on Sunday January 18.

Rich's Dad and sister Ranelle were able to come and spend a few days with us. We had a great time having them here. We were able to go to Liberty and Independence for a few hours and had a great time. Thanks for coming out to see us. We really miss you.

Garrett is all smiles now and is so much fun. He is trying to talk to us, but hasn't gotten there yet.

All the crew!

Kisses

2009-01-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm posting lots tonight trying to catch up. So make sure you read all of the posts. I had to share one last little thing. Our bedtime routine is to read scriptures, say prayers and then tuck the kids into bed. Well, we always start with Dakota and Paris for some reason. So we were in saying goodnight and tucking them in. I gave Dakota a kiss and she wiped it off. I asked her why she always wipes away my kisses. "Because I don't want them to stay on me." Okay, so then I go to give Paris a kiss and she tells me she doesn't want a kiss. Now I kiss my kids almost every night before bed, so I was shocked. So I walked out of the room and onto the next child who needed to be tucked in. Paris starts crying and yelling for me (this is a normal occurance- the child always has something wrong with her). So I walk in a she is in tears saying "you didn't kiss me goodnight" over and over. It was so sweet. So I kissed her goodnight, the tears stopped and she went to sleep. This is why I love being a mom.

Happy Birthday to Tyler!

2009-01-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Tyler turned 7 years old on the 7th. I can't believe he is so old. We had a pretty low key day and will have a birthday party for him on the 17th. Yes I know that is a long ways from his birthday but I couldn't plan a party any sooner. I was actually trying to convince him and Dakota to forgo a party and we would get a Wii. Dakota wanted a party so badly that we decided to throw them both a party. So on Tyler's birthday, Garrett and I took doughnuts to his class at school. The kids were so excited to see Tyler's baby. They asked me all sorts of fun questions like "Is he dead?" and "Does he have eyes?" Of course the baby was sleeping. Tyler was so proud to show off his brother. Then we had our friends, the Lassen's, over for dinner. Steve's birthday is the same day. So I made hawaiian haystacks (Tyler's favorite) and Dani made an ice cream cake. It was yummy. Then they blew out their candles and opened their presents. It was really fun.

Trip to Atlanta

2009-01-11T20:08:00.001-08:00

Well off we headed for Atlanta. The kids were great. A couple hours into our trip Savannah decides to throw up all over herself and she wouldn't use a bucket. So we stopped and cleaned her up. Then Garrett decided to throw up a couple hours later. So we are off to a great start. But the kids were fantastic on this long journey. It is a 141/2 hour drive to my moms house. So we were in the car all day only stopping when necessary. Then they got to play with their cousins and play the Wii. They had a great time. Paris and Josh became great friends and they are two peas in a pod. They are very mischievious (spell?) together. They would dissappear and when it got too quiet everyone went on a search to find them. It was fun to watch them together. We spent New Year's Eve at mom's house. Lindsay and her family came over and we played the Wii and dominoes. The kids actually made it until midnight, except for Josh (I think). We were all pretty tired. Mom broke out the fireworks and the sparkling cider and we all toasted. The kids thought this was so much fun. We had so much fun visiting with family and letting the kids play with their cousins. The first day we went to Lindsay's house Josh kept asking Lindsay where "her people" were. I got a good laugh out of that. Thanks Lindsay for letting us come and crash at your house and Thanks mom for all that you do for us. We really had a great time. Oh Lindsay, Dakota wants to know if her cousins are going to come to her birthday party? I told her they lived far away, but she assured me that they would make it because they like her and want to come. So don't break her heart!!! Just kidding.

Christmas time catch up

2009-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't posted in so long and I have so much to catch up on. We have certainly been busy. Christmas was lots of fun at our house. The kids got lots of presents and toys. Christmas Eve we had some of our friends come over for dinner. We had the kids sort of dress up for the nativity and we read the Christmas story out of the bible. Then we opened our pj's and went to bed. We had no presents under our tree up to this point. Savannah is into everything and we didn't want the other kids to know what they got until Christmas morning!! They were excited to see lots of presents under the tree. Tyler keeps telling his friends that he didn't get anything he asked for from Santa. Well, he asked for a Nintendo DS and a Wii about a week before Christmas. Santa had already done his shopping and that wasn't on the list. But he'll get over it and maybe next year he'll get something that he "asked" for. Then we spent the rest of the day opening all of their gifts and doing laundry. We headed for Atlanta the next morning and I hadn't done any laundry or packed. Yep, I'm a big procrastinator.

I'm on my own now!

2008-12-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Well, my mom is gone and Rich went back to work. I keep wondering what I'm going to do with five kids by myself. I'm feeling very out numbered, yet very blessed. We had a great time with my mom here. We kept very busy. I didn't realize how tired I was until we got home from the airport and all I wanted to do was sleep. While mom was here we went and cut down our Christmas tree and went on a sleigh ride in the snow (mom stayed in the car with Garrett-she didn't want to get snowed on!) We baked lots of goodies, we decorated sugar cookies with the kids and went shopping for Christmas presents. We also went to Longview Lake and looked at the Christmas lights. They do a huge display of lights and they are so fun to watch. My kids keep asking if we can go back to see the moving lights since they have displays of characters riding skate boards or skiing, etc. It was really cool. We also drove to the plaza to look at lights down there. I've decided that driving all the way to the plaza to look at lights on buildings is quite boring. I'd rather look at lights in the neighborhood, they are more exciting. Anyway, we kept busing while mom was here and I was sad that she had to go home. Paris keeps walking around the house looking for Grammie and I know that Savannah misses her. Grammie would hold Savannah when I was holding the baby- yes she is spoiled. Well, Garrett is getting big way too fast. I can't believe how long it takes for the nine months to get here and then how quickly they grow up. It seems it should be the opposite. This is my last baby and I'm trying to cherish every moment. Although I'm struggling to enjoy this adjustment period that my family is going through. The kids have not been very good since we brought the baby home and I hope this will pass soon. I finally got so frustrated this morning that I broke down in tears. They didn't understand why I was sad and I told them that I just wanted them to behave and it made me sad that they weren't getting along with each other. They all told me they would try, but soon forgot as they were fighting about 5 minutes later. Oh well, this too shall pass- I hope. Well, I'm just rambling on so I'll stop but I wanted to post some cute pictures of the kids.

Isn't he so cute?

Paris and Dakota waiting for the Christmas tree to be bagged. Tyler ended up in the car after about 10 minutes b/c he was too cold.

Decorating cookies is so much fun.

My sweet baby boy.

Grammie with Garrett before she left.

Paris and Savannah are such big helpers when it comes to taking pictures.

Garrett at one week old!

2008-11-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

Well, One week has passed and all 7 of us are surviving. It has been so nice to have Rich home for the week and have my mom here. We had our Thanksgiving day feast today and what an appropriate day to have it, Garrett's one week birthday. We are so thankful for our kids and all of our family. We have been very blessed and watched over. Thanks to everyone for their love and support. We wouldn't be where we are without all of our friends and family. I just wanted to post some pictures of Garrett. He has changed so much and is such a good baby. He actually sleeps at night (knock on wood). The Lord knows that we need a sleeper, since we are up all night with the other kids.

What a sweet little boy.

Savannah is a good big sister!

Garrett Allan Hollingshead

2008-11-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

We'd like to introduce you to the newest Hollingshead addition. Please say hi to Garrett Allan Hollingshead. We was born Nov 21, 2008 at 9:39 am. He weighed 6 lb 12 oz and was 18 inches long. He likes sleeping, mom, and sleeping. He does not like baths and probably won't like circumcision after tomorrow. I'll let Hill tell you more when she returns from her vacation from the 4 star hotel she is staying at where she is being pampered by customer relations professionals.

Surprise Baby Shower

2008-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

So I have some awesome friends. There is a group of us from Dakota's preschool that get together occasionally for play groups and girls night out. We have become good friends. Well, this wonderful group of ladies put together a surprise baby shower. The invited me over for a playgroup and lunch. When I got there they came to my car to help me with all of my stuff. They are so funny. Anyway, I walked in and the table was decorated and there were presents on the table and a cake. Amy made the cake and it was so cute. Thanks to you all for a wonderful surprise and all of the fun presents. It was a fun day and I was glad to have good company and good friends. Now it is time for the baby to come.

Baby update

2008-11-10T14:43:00.001-08:00

I went to the doctor today. They said the baby could come at any time now. I am only dialated to a 1 and am 50% effaced, so it could be a while. But I'm excited that I'm progressing and am finally considered term. They also told me that my iron levels are pretty low. I'm taking a supplement to help that before the baby comes. I guess that is why I have been so tired. I just thought it was the fact that I have 4 kids and am pregnant. But what do I know!!! Anyway, I just thought I would let you all know the update. I'm ready to be done.

Halloween and other stuff

2008-11-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy late Halloween. I have been such a slacker on updating my blog. We have been busy getting ready for the baby to come. Here are my happy trick or treaters! Halloween night we had some friends over for Chili and Homemade rootbeer (Thanks Kerry and Tony). Then we all went around our neighborhood trick or treating. We live in a horse u type neighborhood and it is perfect for my kids (and me). I was really tired when we were done. Tony pulled Savannah and his daughter Avery in the wagon, which really helped me out.

This is the group of kids at my house for Halloween night. They were all anxious to get out and get some more candy (because we didn't get enough at our ward trunk or treat). We had a great night- thanks everyone for coming over.

On a different note. Here is Paris with her pretty hair cut. She was getting a serious mullet. I love her little curls and now I don't feel like I have to waste my time pulling her hair in piggies for her to pull them out 10 minutes later. She loves for me to do her hair, but hates it pulled back.

Finally, we got the girls their bunk beds. Last weekend, we rearranged rooms to make room for the new baby coming. We put up the bunk beds for Dakota and Paris (I have new bedding for them, it's just not on). Then we moved Tyler into the baby's room. It has it's own bathroom for him (and the rest of us) to have some privacy. He really struggled at first, but I think he likes it now. Savannah is now in Tyler's old room in a toddler bed. I was really worried about it, but she loves it. Now if I can just get her to sleep past 5:45 am, I will be a happy mommy. Now the only thing I have left to do is go through the baby's clothes and wash them. I'm ready to be done being pregnant. I think Savannah knows that changes are coming. She is so clingy and just cries a lot. I don't know what to do for her. I think between her crying and Paris whining all day long I might go crazy. I think I'll have to stay in the hospital for an extra day or so. A friend of mine in Enoch told me that I should stay in the hospital one day per child and husband. So that puts me there for a week- Okay I think I would go crazy for that long, but it is a nice thought!

Ward Halloween Party

2008-10-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday night we had our ward Halloween Party. It was so much fun. The kids all had a good time. Our ward does a chili cook-off and a trunk or treat. Our ward activities person thought it would be fun to have the Thriller dance performed. I couldn't resist a chance to humiliate myself and decided to participate. I am posting the video and you all need to remember I am 5 weeks away from having a baby, so be kind! (the video is at the end, so as not to distract from the rest of my blog!)

I realized at the party how big Tyler is getting and it made me sad to think how fast he is growing up. I saw him as I was standing in line to get food and during the costume parade they had for the kids. The rest of the time he was off with his friends. He came and found me in line for the costume parade and told me that he decided he would come walk with me. I felt very privileged. He also informed me that he missed my dance. I asked him, jokingly, what kind of son he was for missing my awesome dance!! He said he was sorry and that he watched some of it from the hallway. He had been tortured enough by coming to all of the rehearsals. Then during the trunk or treat he informed me that he was going around by himself. I asked him to just walk with me and the girls, but he was too big to go with mom! Well, I ended up losing Dakota too. So Paris and I walked the parking lot and then she was tired and buckled into her seat and proceeded to eat her candy (I thought she was tired!). The kids got lots of candy (I'm contemplating passing it back out on Halloween) and they had a blast with there friends.

Savannah is pouting because I took her binky so I could get a picture of her. Notice she wouldn't look at me? This is her universal face of I'm mad, embarrassed, sad, etc.

Dakota with her pretty Barbie dress! She is getting so big.

This is my sad attempt at being a zombie. I haven't done stage make-up since high school (luckily, you can't see it very well in this small picture). Tyler helped me with the dress. He took it to our flower bed outside and got it dirty. Then the kids wondered why I was cutting up my dress. I had to explain it was only a costume and they should NEVER cut up anything other than paper!
Paris was not real thrilled to have to be in the parade. She cried at me the whole time.

Now on to the video. We all had a good time learning this dance. It was also fun to get to know some of the other people in our ward that I don't know every well. Thanks to Adam for teaching us the dance!

Cider Mill

2008-10-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

For play group we went to the cider mill and had a little tour. We had doughnuts and cider (my kids would not eat the doughnuts for some reason) and then went on a hay ride. It was fun. I took a few pictures of the kids and thought I would share them. It was pretty cold that day, but luckily no rain.

Weekend in Illinois

2008-10-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got out of Kansas City!!! I like to get away every now and then and this past weekend I got that opportunity. We met my mom and brother in southwestern illinois. There wasn't much there but we got to see family. Friday, Rich took the day off work and Tyler was already out of school for end of the quarter. As we started to leave, Rich noticed the tire on the driver's side of the car was flat. We stopped to fill it up and noticed a nail in the tire. Rich told me that we needed to get it fixed before we could leave. I wasn't happy, but new that was the safest thing to do. After driving around for about an hour to find someone to fix it, we passed a little tire shop. They were able to get us right in and fixed in about 10 minutes. What a blessing. I know that we were being watched over, even if I didn't have the best attitude!! Then off we went. Paris got sick the night we got there, so she and Rich stayed at the hotel while the rest of us went to dinner. Saturday, we went swimming and then got ready for the wedding. My mom's adopted sister, Georgia, got married. The Wedding was beautiful and at a friends house. The kids had a blast with the other kids there and enjoyed being outside. After the wedding we went to dinner with the groom's family. It was really fun and luckily we were outside and the kids didn't have to be quiet.

My bother, Brennon, decided that kids need an off switch. He thought it would be pretty cool if you could put the kids in bed and turn off their switch and then go out. I laughed at him and told him that is what we call a babysitter!!! He said that would cost money and wouldn't work. We determined that he is not ready for kids. I was cracking up at dinner, because he said that he needed a drink from being with the kids all day. He didn't even have to take care of them. It was really good to see mom and Brennon. Oh, Savannah even went to mom's room to spend the night at the hotel. She wanted to go with Grammie. I was really shocked. Then about 12:30 a.m. Rich woke me up and told me he could hear her crying. So I went and got her. She woke up very confused because she didn't know the people in the room. But even a couple of hours is a nice break!!! Then Sunday we headed home. We had a really good time. Thanks mom and Brennon for meeting us. We sure do miss you all and can't wait to see you when the baby comes.

Conference Weekend.

2008-10-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, as most of you know it was General Conference this weekend. What a wonderful conference it was. I wasn't able to hear all of the talks, due to loud kids and arguing with little boy about listening to conference, but what I did hear was great. I am so excited about the announcement of the temple coming to Kansas City. I was just screaming with excitement and Dakota started yelling "We're getting a temple." I'm not sure she even really knows what that means, but it was cute.

On Friday night, we had a ward bonfire. It was really fun. We went to Cedar Lake and roasted marshmellows (well, Rich helped the kids) and visited with friends. Then on Saturday night, I decided to invite a few friends over with their kids for ice cream while the men were at the Priesthood session of Conference. We had a fun time. Thanks to all of you who came. I think we had about 30 people here and 23 of them were kids. The kids all played in the basement and it was surprisingly less chaotic than I thought it would be. When it was time to leave we decided to come down and clean up real fast. Well, to my surprise the kids had been playing in the bathroom. The door to the closet in the bathroom had been broken. Rich was home by then and told me not to worry about it. Then he said we really don't need a door on that closet anyway. Well you tell me if you would want a door.
This used to be a fish tank and the closet door would allow privacy in the bathroom. Anyway, Rich tried to fix the door but it is broken. Well, despite the door, we had a great time.

Sunday came and the kids were bored with conference. So I decided to paint their toes and fingers to keep them occupied.

Well, last year Tyler had painted my finger nails at school for Mother's Day. He thought that he should be the one to do all of the painting from now on. Dakota was nice enough to let him practice on her toes. Although, she kept telling him he wasn't doing it right.

Then he wanted to do mine, but I told him no. I should have let him because I could barely bend over to paint them myself. It was a fun weekend and we are very blessed to be able to listen to the prophets and apostles at home.

Lucky 7

2008-09-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I got tagged for the first time since blogging (thanks Jade).

7 things I can do:
1. I can change a diaper (I have lots of practice)
2. I love to read
3. I can talk- LOTS!
4. I can sing
5. I can calm a crying child (usually with a kiss or hug)
6. I can bake bread (thanks Chauntelle for your recipe)
7. I can smile even when I want to cry!

7 Things I can't do:
1. I can't sew
2. I can't sleep most nights
3. I can't keep my house clean (the kids are really good at making messes)
4. I can't decorate
5. I can't remember things I have just said (I have to ask Rich "did I already say that?")
6. I can't make it anywhere on time
7. I can't stop missing all of my family and friends who live so far away!!

7 Things that attracted me to Rich:
1. How laid back he is.
2. His respect for his mom and sisters
3. His patience with me
4. His testimony of the gospel and his respect for the priesthood
5. His work ethic (He works really hard to support our family)
6. His desire to have a family and for me to stay home
7. His sense of humor

7 Things that I say most often:
1. Stop picking on your sisters (to Tyler of course)
2. I love you
3. What were you thinking?
4. Not right now
5. Be quiet
6. Are you okay?
7. Anyway

7 Celebrity Admirations:
I don't really have any.

7 Favorite Foods:
1. Shrimp
2. Cookie dough ice cream
3. Lemon-berry slushes from Sonic
4. Chicken Sandwich
5. Chicken Salad Sandwiches
6. Hamburgers
7. Any chocolate

7 People to tag:
1. Sarah
2. Dani
3. Kerry
4. Lindsay
5. Carrie
6. Holly
7. Megan

This was harder than I thought it would be!!!

Savannah

2008-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a video clip of Savannah! She is so cute (most of the time). She really doesn't talk much, but she is funny trying. Enjoy!

Random Pictures

2008-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Savannah helping me clean. What a good helper she is.

Okay, the other day the kids are bored and so we pulled out some Halloween crafts. These are what the girls made. The bat and pumpkin were more than I thought when I bought them. I thought the kids would be able to put them together themselves, but that was not the case. It required hot gluing and cutting. I started these projects after Savannah went down for a nap, but she decided that she didn't want to take a nap. So I was trying to keep her away from everything and help the girls do these. Savannah is not helpful when it comes to cutting and glitter glue, she thinks that everything is fun to eat. Anyway, the girls had a good time. The projects only lasted for a few hours. The girls left them out and Savannah ate the eyes off of everything and pulled all of the stickers off. I guess they will learn to put things away so Savannah can't get to them.

Rich trying to relax, but the kids never leave him alone when he gets home.

I have to admit that I kind of like this set up. Just means that they aren't hanging on me!!!

Paris at the park. She loves to have her picture taken. She is getting so big. Now if I can just get her to stop whining at me and crying all day over everything!! She is such a sensitive child.

Weekend News

2008-09-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I didn't realize how uneventful our lives are until I started blogging and tried to come up with stuff to write about. All of my friends kept telling me to get a blog going because I have 4 kids and would always have stuff to blog about. Well, I've been trying all weekend to think about what to say. This weekend was pretty low key. Friday night, I'm in the kitchen making dinner and Rich called. He calls every night when he is on his way home (it takes him about 25 minutes to get home). Anyway, he says "I'm not sure I want to come home because of the tornado warnings." I must be in my own world. I had no idea we were in the middle of tornado warnings. The sirens were going off and I didn't even know it. Well, that makes me feel very safe. Then, my friend Dani calls and says that she is keeping Tyler for dinner until the storm passes. Well, I decided I would get the girls and head down stairs and watch the news. I'm glad that our basement is a comfortable place to be. Although the girls were mad at me because I wanted to watch the "tormado" instead of cartoons. What was I thinking?

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. Tyler wasn't feeling well and was up for most of Friday and Saturday night. He has been having nightmares and just cries any time we tell him it is time to get ready for bed. I hope this is just a phase. He and I stayed home from church on Sunday, because he was up for about two hours in the middle of the night. So we decided to let him stay home. Which I have to say I didn't mind. I was up most of the night with him and church is at 8:30 in the morning. I was tired.

On a more positive note. Tyler brought home his math test and he got 100% on it. I was so proud of him. For those of you who don't know, Tyler has struggled in school the past several years (yes, even in preschool). We are in a school district that is in the top 10 in the nation. They require a lot (or at least I think so). If your child is not brilliant, they have extra groups they get to go to. Well, Tyler gets to go to all of these groups. I was sent a letter this year telling me that Tyler was behind in math and was going to meet with a para-educator for a math group. The tests they gave them were pretests on things that had not been taught them. I was confused. Well, I can't be too pessimistic the groups do help and I'm grateful to live in a district that has these things made available to them. But I was very proud of Tyler for bring home his first 100% on a test. He is catching on!!!!

Well, that was our exciting weekend. I hate to end so abruptly, but I have a little girl yelling at me from the bathroom- she's done.

Dakota's Preschool Days

2008-09-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well Dakota started preschool on Wednesday. She is such a funny girl. She likes to play by herself. I ask her if she plays with anyone and she tells me "no one wants to play with me." Then she tells me except this person and this friend who played house with me. I just crack up at her. Today she told me, when I asked her if she played with anyone, "no friends wanted to play with me." I asked her if they said to her "Dakota you can't play with us!" and she said yep. Then she says "Mom, they choose not to play with me so I choose not to play with them!" Well, what can you say to that? She is just really funny. All of the kids like to play with her, but she does her own thing. She loves going to school and will do just fine in Kindergarten. She asked me about a little girl in her class who is black and why she had black skin and then told me that her skin makes her smell bad. I explained to her that Heavenly Father made all people no matter what color their skin is and that skin color doesn't make people smell bad. She said "well, she doesn't really smell bad I just thought she did because she is black." Maybe, she thought she was dirty. So we have had talks about how Heavenly Father made all different kinds of people. I hope that she got it. She is very curious about people and smells lately!! She had a great week at preschool.

Our Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Deanna Rose Farmstead on Labor Day to go fishing. The kids had a great time. Tyler caught 4 fish and Dakota caught 2. It was very exciting for them. Tyler even put the worm on his hook all by himself. It was funny to watch, but I wouldn't do it. Paris wasn't very interested in the whole fishing thing. She just wanted to stay by the stroller where the water bottle was. Savannah didn't care much either, but she liked looking at the worms. Then we went and fed the goats and sheep. They always enjoy doing this. We love this farm, it is free and the kids have a great time. The weather was hot and humid so we didn't stay long. I was whining, which I'm entitled to do, and Rich was tired of listening to me. The rest of the weekend was busy also. Saturday I went to the Winter Quarters temple with a couple of my friends. I don't get to go very often so it was really nice. The drive is long, but it is worth it. We left at 6:20 and got home about 4:30. Then the girls had a birthday party for a friend of Dakota's from preschool. The party started at 6:00. Needless to say, I was exhausted. Anyway, it was a fun weekend and we always enjoy having Rich home for long weekends.

Pictures from Powell Gardens

2008-08-27T09:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of us at Powell Gardens. We had a a great time. Melinda, from Rich's work, met us there with her kids. The kids played in the water fountain. Savannah hated the water, but the other kids loved it. Paris had a blast, but wouldn't get too close to the water.

My First Blog

2008-08-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have no idea what I am doing. I have seen lots of blogs and decided to start my own. So I guess this is a learning curve for me. Rich just laughed when I told him I was going to start one. But this is a good way for family and friends to see how we are doing and see pictures of my kids!! Well, I have to go figure out how to upload pictures. I'm totally computer stupid but I guess I will learn.