Here we go!!! The big catch up!

Hi!

Well, just as soon as I promised to post, Aiden got a fever! GEESH! Are you kidding me??? Turns out it was a weird virus with the only symptoms being a fever and a bit of fatique for 24 hours or so. I can say that as I post this, everyone is healthy. Let's hope it stays that way!

So.. since I've missed out on lots of posting.. I'll just update what is going on NOW and them back post a bit..

Tomorrow Anna is going on her first big field trip of the year to the Orlando Science Center. Will is volunteering as a chaperone so that should be lots of fun. I asked him to take lots of pictures! :)
Last weekend we met up with Dori and crew, and Rachael and crew at the Oak Haven Farms strawberry patch. I took the kids there last year. It was a lot of fun, and the kids had a blast. Here's some picture highlights!




































































We also recently took the kids to the Orlando Repatory Theater to see Blue Clues Live. They both loved it!


















Both kids are doing great in school. Anna is excelling in her reading. Her teaching has her on a 1st grade reading level so she continues to be challenged. We are of course VERY proud of her! Aiden LOVES going to A Kid's Gym. He just smiles from ear to ear when we drop him off! I also still take him to Kindermusik each week. I just love being a "Kindermusik mommy" once a week in the midst of all the craziness! Lately, Aiden has really been into puzzles! He's able to put together 24 piece puzzles. We are still working on peaking his interest in potty training, but are not pushing the issue. (though Will and I are definitely ready to move away from diapers already!!!)

There is a pretty lake in Downtown Orlando called Lake Eola that we like to go to once in a while. It has a sidewalk all the way around it, playground, cafe, gardens, ducks/bird feeding area, swan paddles boats, ampitheater, etc. It's very charming, I have always liked it down there. Anyway, while I was suffering with the vertigo, and SOOOO sick of being in the house - we decided to go down there. We snapped a few pics...(but of course!)


















































































Okay, well there are many pictures from February that I never got to post..but I think we are are back on track now, at least for March! I hope to be WAY more on top of things now.

L, Hol

Feeling GOOD!

I'm finally feeling human again! So... I promise a post WITH PICTURES this weekend!!! YEY! Holly's back! :)

C ya soon!
Holly

SICKY SICK SICK!

Oh my gosh. It's been so long since I've blogged! Right around Valentines Day our whole household got SICK!!! First it was Will, then Aiden, then me, and then Anna. We had what was probably the flu, mixed with Strep for Aiden, Ear infections and Bronchitis for me. YUCK!!! It's been a lousy bunch of weeks, and we are all finally coming out of it. I'm last, as just as I was coming out of my bronchitis, I got vertigo! I'm really dizzy... So... this is the reason for the lack of blogging.. but I really hope to post some pictures tomorrow (Monday), and get back on track!!

Hugs to anyone that reads this!

Love, Holly

Bear Hugs!

Happy Valentines Day!!

My Boy is THREE, and as CUTE as can be!

I had EVERY intention of posting right away about Aiden's birthday...but then, alas...I got sick. I was fighting a pretty nasty chest cold that pretty much hit me on Monday. So, here I am, a week late, but excited to share the pictures!

Aiden is very into trains right now, so we decided to have a Thomas the Tank Engine Party. We found a company who brought over 2 train tables and a ride on train. Our friend Paul made an AMAZING cake, and everyone had a great time. :)

And....here are the pictures!











































































Many more pictures were taken of course, and close family and friends were there! :) So much fun!

We have been taking lots of pictures this month.. so another post will follow soon. Right now, Will and I are sort of obsessed over teh new HBO show "In Treatment", and I MUST go watch an episode right now!!!! heehee...

Love, Hol

Doing GREAT! :)

Tomorrow is Aiden's birthday party! Oh my gosh. I can't believe my little guy is turning 3!! His official birthday is on Monday.. so that will be the day I post birthday pictures..

Things have been very busy (of course!). Kindermusik has been great. Classes are all going along wonderfully and I just can't believe how many families we see each week. I think we are upwards of 130!! WOWIE!!!

I'm SO excited because our dear friend Sam is returning from Iraq sometime is the next few days (it's unclear exactly when). He has been there for a year, and it will be such a relief to hear that he has once again returned safely back to his base and kiddos who miss him terribly. I can't believe this Iraq thing is still going on. No comment. Anyway, we can't wait until he can visit Florida and get some seriously good R&R.

We have been very busy lately doing more renevations on the house. We painted some walls, changed kitchen hardware, hung pictures, shelves, and completely re-arranged the kids' playroom.... lots of work but SOOO worth it. I will most definitely take some pictures and post soon.

What else?! I don't know.. I'll add some pictures, and I'm sure that will spark some ideas as to what to update on!

Ah...yes! Last weekend, I had this idea to all go strawberry picking at a nearby patch. Well...we got there and they were CLOSED. The kids were really excited to get out and do something, so we drove a bit, and came upon a park of sorts called Black Hammock. Well, it was really fun. They have gators to check out, birds, airboat rides, a restaurant -- and all of it waterfront! We had absolutely NO idea it was here, and it's only 15 minutes away from our house. It's so much fun to discover things like that!! Here's a couple pictures from that fun day:




























Our dog Sagan (who we adopted from Rachael's brother Robert a few months ago), we have discovered is afraid of cameras. The minute he detects that a camera is coming out, or if he hears the BEEP, he flees the room immediately. I have spent the last few months trying to get a picture, and have been unsuccessful. However, I FINALLY did it! I turned the camera on in another room, waited a few minutes, pressed the button halfway, and walked in ...here is what I got!












Will also caught a cute moment with the cats recently...

Aiden got a froggy towel from Grandmolly and Grandpa over the holidays and it's just TOOO cute!!!





















A couple other pictures... Anna after her and I had returned home from getting our hair done. She LOVES going to Miss Denise (our hairdresser) because she straightens it!
















Here's a picture just to say I'm proud of myself that I have been successfully maintaining my weight since the end of summer! I've been working out with weights also and I feel SOOO good!

Okay, off to bed, so we are fresh and ready for Aiden's big day!!!!

Love to all...

Holly

Busy times!

The last couple weeks are a big blur. Well not really, but there isn't a TON to report since most of the time I have been prepping or gearing up for the new Kindermusik session to begin. The kids went back to school. Basically got back to "normal".

We did have a fun New Year's Eve. I never posted the pictures from that.. so here are a few! :)

























































While we were all on break, we tried to do fun little things with the kids. There is a nearby trail, so we decided to hike a bit.












































We also went to Chuck E Cheese, which is INSANE when the kids are out of school.



































Life has been a whirwind the last few weeks as I have prepared for a Kindermusik session for over 120 families so far (and counting)!!

Poor Anna has gotton a bad stomach virus and is just now coming out of it.

Since my mom has been traveling during the week we have been getting together for Sunday brunches lately. Here's a pic from last week!













Onward to another busy week! Now that I'm caught up, I'll be motivated to keep up. Have a great week!

Love, Holly

more coming soooooooon!

I hope to add more pictures to the blog tonight, so please check back ..hmm...let's say either VERY late tonight or tomorrow!! I've been majorly busy as my Kindermusik Spring 2008 semester has started this week. So far 116 spots filled! Is that amazing or what?? That's a lot of happy musical children and parents!

Okay, I'll be back!

Have a perfect day.

Love, Holly

This is why I love John Mayer!

Well, beside his fabulous music, and amazing guitar skills.... http://www.johnmayer.com/blog#2019

Enjoy and DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!

Love, Holly

For you...

Pieces of Time

New years come and new years go,
Pieces of time all in a row.
As I live my life, each second and minute,
I know I'm privileged to be in it.
My appreciation never ends
For my greatest blessings: my family and friends.

You can click on the collage to make it larger for viewing. :)














Happy New Year!
Love, Holly

p.s. if you are reading this, and you are not in the collage, you are still in my heart and thoughts! I was limited on space and pictures!! :)

Singing at Disney!!

Well, today was my last day singing at the Christmas Candlelight processional at Epcot. Will took the kids to the park to see me sing! Steve brought Kayla and Brandon as well to see Dori. It was SO much fun knowing they were out there watching us. Every time I looked out at the crowd, I saw Anna enthusiastically waving at me, or conducting to the music. Will was able to capture some pictures, so thought I would share.

Here are Dori and I processing in.

Here is a picture of the stage. Look towards the bottom right. I put an arrow that says "I am here" so you can find me. Unfortunately there was a mike right in front of me. Dori is directly to the left (my right). :) I believe if you click on this picture, it will allow you to view it a bit larger.

Will did a fabulous job with the kids today. I give him MAJOR kudos for braving a theme park alone with the two kids. Superdad!!!

Okay, goodnight all!
Love, Holly

Celebrate good times, come on!

Well, I must have been crazy to think that I would have MORE time over the last bunch of weeks to blog. RIGHT!!! :) But here I am, and I will do my best to catch everyone up on the going ons around here! The last series of pictures ended with Anna getting her ears pierced, Hanukkah and the Disney Parade. Good times!!

Next came my birthday. I turned 35 on December 11th. My family celebrated with me during our Hanukkah dinner...



















My friends and Will celebrated with me at Colorado Fondue. What a great time that was. Lots of pictures were taken. Here's the highlights...
































Hanukkah continued on and was lots of fun. The kids just LOVED it all. We had a great time at my family dinner. I love this picture of my mom. Multi-tasking as a puppeteer and candle lighter. :)



















The kids just cleaned up with gifts this season. I think it's time to get rid of some of our older toys to make room for all the new! By the end of Hanukkah, Anna learned the complete Hebrew blessing. Here I am lighting on the last night..














Here's pictures of the kiddos enjoying their last night of Hanukkah presents. Aiden with his car track, and Anna with her new "I'm a vet" kit. (she has been claiming for well over a year now that she wants to be a Vet!)




























I took Anna to The Rep to see "It's a Wonderful Life". I wasn't sure how she would do, since it's not a musical and quite long. She LOVED it! I had to explain some things to her during the play, but overall she got it, and really enjoyed it. She and I have so much fun on our little dates at The Rep. Here is Anna in front of the "Why my life is wonderful" tree...

We had a great time at our friend's The Sharpes, family Christmas Party. Anna loved the crafts, Aiden talked with Santa. Also a pic of me and my friends with Santa also...

My mom has been traveling a lot during the week with work, so on the weekends we all try to get together. We were over at my sisters last week for brunch and my nephew Brandon was a total cuddle bug with me!

The girls were SO silly!

We went down to Plantation for Christmas. Will's family does a tree, and has Christmas Dinner, etc., so we are able to celebrate both each year. I must say, our kids -- after weeks of PRESENTS come to just expect things all the time. We have to explain that it's finally over, and the presents have stopped!! We had a nice time down South for the most part. Aiden was caught in a dog commotion between one of their dogs and Sagan, and was knocked down on the pavement. He cut his lip, and scraped his chin. It was a pretty dramatic fat lip for a couple days, but he's fine now! We took lots of pictures... here are some..

Here's a little reading before the kids' bedtime

I love this picture of Aiden playing the piano!

Here's Will getting the lights on the tree...

Anna hanging ornaments with Grandmolly's assistance!





















This is a house we visit every year on Christmas Eve. The family gives the kids goody bags, and we can walk around and enjoy the lights. They even choreograph the flashing lights to the music!! Pretty impressive!






















































Anna enjoying some hot chocolate on Christmas Eve (that is until one of the dogs decided to drink the rest!!)
















I love this pic of the kids by the tree!





















Christmas Morning!




































We came back home yesterday. On the way we stopped to visit our friends, the Paprotna's, who just moved to Palm City. Today Will had a video shoot, and the rest of us just relaxed. Tomorrow I am singing for the last time at Epcot. Will has decided to bring the kids to see me tomorrow, so they are going to enjoy a day at the park.

We'll be going to the Mizo's for New Year's Eve (a family friendly party), so more pictures to come from that I'm sure!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Healthy New Year!! I'll be back soon, but just in case it's after the 1st! ;)

Love, Holly