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

new post coming VERY soon

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been blogging lately! It's been incredibly busy, as I'm sure it is for everyone. My Kindermusik session ends tomorrow, and then I plan to upload pictures and post a nice fun long blog! So come back in a day or so, and you'll have something fun to read! :)

Love, Holly

Miracles do happen....

Many of you reading might remember that on my right hand, I wear the solid gold wedding band that Will and I got married with. This ring was my adopted Dad Mark's wedding band that he wore up until the day he passed away. My mom had it sized down for me because in Jewish custom, we are required to be married with solid bands. My wedding band that I wear on my left hand has diamonds in it, so it's not a FULL circle, and the wedding ring is meant to represent the wholeness and eternity of the marriage. It is VERY sentimental to me. Also on that finger I wear a MOM ring that Will bought me for my 1st mother's day (it's big on me so the wedding band keeps it on). Anyway, I took them off because I wasn't supposed to wear them extra jewelry at my Disney performances, and I decided to keep them off because last week I also worked out at the gym, and they hurt when I do the weights. The other day I went to put them back on, and couldn't find them. I didn't do much of a search because I was in a rush... so another day went by, and I looked a bit more, and again, couldn't find them... but didn't really worry to much because I figured I just put them somewhere in my room and would find them later. Well Saturday I finally freaked out. We went to Disney all day, and when we got home at around 11:30pm, I started looking EVERYWHERE and no rings anywhere. My mind started playing tricks on me. I started thinking... where in the world did I put them??? I really thought I had left them on the dresser, but starting doubting that. It ate at me all day on Sunday. We met my family for brunch, and I broke the news to my Mom and sister that I might have lost the ring. They were pretty good about it, but I could tell underneath they were upset. Sunday night when we got home, I started looking again, this time tearing through anything I could think of. Finally, I asked myself where a 2 year old would put them? Something (or someone) told me to start looking in my dresser drawers and remove articles of clothing one by one. I don't know why. Well, lo and behold, in the very bottom of my pajama drawer were BOTH of my rings! Aiden had opened up the drawer, picked up the clothes, and dropped the rings in there!! It was definitely a big miracle that I found them, and that he didn't throw them in the trash can which happened to be RIGHT NEXT to the drawer. I couldn't believe it, and am SOOO thankful. A piece of me was missing when I thought they were gone. It's silly how little pieces of jewelry are such a HUGE representation of special memories and people that you loved and that you miss. It is comforting to wear the band, and I just can't express how upset I was when I thought it was gone. I haven't taken them off since, but when I do, they will go into a VERY safe place where little hands can't reach. Just thought I would share my story, so 1) if you have little kids -- put your valuables in a VERY safe place and 2) who would have thought it would have ended so happily and so fast? I don't know if I believe this or not, but boy did it feel like my dad told me where to look!!!!!!

Have a great day!
Love, Holly