Christmas 2008

We had a very Merry Christmas this year in California. We left early on Christmas Eve to spend a few days with the Holloway family. Sandi had a very busy schedule set for us with lots of fun things to do. On Christmas Eve, we got to meet little Rylan for the first time, we had a delicious dinner, watched "A Christmas Story", and Blake read Luke 2 to everyone. On Christmas morning, Blake woke me up at 5:45 so that we could see what Santa brought for us...then I went back to sleep for 2 hours. Blake was so excited to open presents and get the day started, but he had to wait for everyone else to wake up. We had a really fun day with everyone. We got lots of great stuff, but the best part was watching Reese and Drake open their presents.

The rest of the week was exciting as well. Brent and Sandi rented Duffy boats for the family and some of our friends to crusie around the harbor and look at Christmas lights. It was a blast! I could not believe how amazing some of the lights, houses, and yachts were!

I also wanted to say HAPPY 5 Year Anniversary to my wonderful husband! I can't believe that it has been 5 years already! I am so happy and lucky to have such an incredible husband! And I simply cannot wait to continue on this amazing journey with our little boy! Blake will be such a great dad and I know that we have some great times ahead of us...until then, enjoy the picture from our first Winter Formal. I think I was 16 and he was 15 at the time! That was over 10 years ago! Yikes!!

30 Week Ultrasound

I am just a few days away from being officially 30 weeks and I went to the doctor today for my first ultrasound in a really long time. The last time that I had an ultrasound was when we found out that we were having a boy, so I was very excited to see my little boy again. I wanted to have proof once again that he really is a boy because we only had one picture last time. Sure enough, he is still a boy! Yay!

It is always fun to see my little guy. It is so crazy to look at how big he is getting and how smashed he is! It's no wonder that he's always kicking and moving around. He kept putting his hands around his face and by his mouth, so it was hard to get a good picture of his face.

The first picture is a close-up of his face with his little hand resting on his nose. The second picture has his face in the upper left hand corner and his body takes up the rest of the picture. There's a good shot of his chest and round belly. The ultrasound tech said that he's measuring at about 3 pounds 6 ounces. I guess that's about average or a little bigger...I just can't believe that he's just going to get bigger and bigger over the next 11 weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving...

Blake, Molly, and I went to St. George to go visit my family over Thanksgiving weekend. We had a lot of fun hanging out with all of the nephews and everyone else. We left on Wednesday afternoon when I got out of school and enjoyed the beautiful scenery on the way. We actually got to see some snow on the way and it was really pretty.

Boyd, Sara, Me, Blake, Melissa, and Ben after dinner at the clubhouse

On Thanksgiving, we ate our turkey dinner at the clubhouse in my parent's neighborhood. It is actually the place where "High School Musical 2" was filmed. It was sooooo delicious! They had amazing prime rib and all sorts of goodies in their huge buffet! Braxton (Ben's 3 year-old) had apparently never seen a buffet before. He was darting in and out of people in line and yelling, "This is awesome!" He honestly did not know what to do with himself! He ended up eating plate after plate of fresh fruit - he is truly my brother's child! Then, we went back to my parent's house for dessert along with some other family members. I got to see my cousins and aunt, and they gave LOTS of love to little Molly. She was loving every second of it.

Braxton and Caleb at Dinner

On Friday, I was up at 4 am to go to Target. I always say that I won't do that ever again but I always go. I mainly went to hang out with my mom and my sister. We actually had quite a bit of fun standing in the cold and running into the store. We found some good deals and had a yummy breakfast together. We spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing video games. I played the Wii for the first time and I loved it!

On Saturday, I had my second baby shower. It was hosted by my wonderful mom. She did a great job and it was nice to see my family. We got some great gifts and I can't wait to wrap up my little boy in his snuggly blankets and cuddle with him! We also took family pictures on Saturday and I cannot wait to see how they turned out. Caleb AKA Chubbers AKA Big Fat Panda(Ben's 1 year-old) is at the age where pictures are terrible, so he will probably be furious in every picture. I'll post the pics when we get them.

Then, we had to drive home very early on Sunday morning. We had a really great time and I had a blast hanging out with my family and just relaxing. I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well! It's almost Christmas...Yay!!

My First Baby Shower!

I had my very first baby shower last weekend in California. I was very excited to see all of my family and friends...and I was also excited to eat some Taco Surf! This was the first time that my mom has seen me "really pregnant". She got a little teary-eyed and it was a lot of fun to see her. Alex (my best friend of 17 years!) was the hostess and she did a fabulous job. We had our own private room, fun games, lots of great presents, and just a fun time!

I was very excited to get all sorts of cute boy clothes and other fun gifts. I felt very loved because I got so many great presents. The only downfall is that I still have 3 months before I get to see my little guy and get him all dressed up in his cute clothes and snuggle with him in his warm blankies! Until then, I'll just have fun getting the nursery all ready with Blake and patiently awaiting the arrival of our little boy!

Just to explain the pictures - I am a fan of The Price is Right and I always wanted to be a "Barker's Beauty", so that's why I'm making stupid faces while I model the fun baby gifts. In the picture above, I'm showing my excitement for the "I Love New York" onesie from Alex. And in the picture below, I am checking out the adorable pirate quilt that my cousin, Becky, made. I got so excited when I saw it because it was just so perfect! Then, I found out that the fabric was from my Aunt Robyn's fabric collection and I got really emotional because I had previously thought that I wouldn't get a quilt from my Aunt who passed away last year. Now, I almost don't want him to use the blanket until he understands how special it is, but I guess I'll let him use it every now and then!

Senior Softball

Over this weekend, I had the wonderful privilege of going to some of my dad's softball games. He is in a senior softball league and often travels with his team. Every now and then, they will make their way out to the Phoenix area, and I'll get to go watch him play. I took Friday off of work (partially because I was REALLY sick of some of my students but mainly because I wanted to see lots of his games). It was pretty funny when I was looking around because I cannot believe how many men have moustaches! I thought my dad was one of the few, but that tournament seemed like moustache headquarters.
Anyway, my dad is a very talented athlete. In fact, when he's batting, he will often be walked because he's well-known as a home run hitter. I really enjoyed watching his games and having some peaceful, quiet time to myself. Blake and Molly also joined me on Saturday to one of his games and we had a great time.
I'm very impressed with how athletic he is at his old age (ha ha). I was talking to one guy at one of his games on Friday and he commented that my dad "looks young for such an old guy". I think that is very well said! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on both days so you'll just have to take my word for it. More than anything, though, it was nice to spend some time with him, get some free lunches, and get some baby stuff as well. And, it's always great to see him fall asleep within 3 minutes of sitting down on the couch.

Wanted: Advice on Bottles

Blake and I registered last weekend. To my surprise, we had a blast and were not really overwhelmed at all. We agreed on just about everything and kind of knew what we were doing. Our only question and frustrating moment was the bottle aisle. There are so many varieties of bottles!! We went ahead and registered for Dr. Brown's, but then we went back to reconsider when I realized how many parts that make up a Dr. Brown's bottle. Then, I just got more confused. Do we want drop-ins? Do we want Avent? We decided to just keep Dr. Brown's on the registry and figure it out once we get some expert advice.

So, here's my favor that I ask of you: If you have some advice on either what bottles are great or which ones I do NOT want to use, I would really appreciate it. I plan on nursing, but I'm hoping to pump as well. Speaking of which, if you have advice on a good breast pump, that would also be much appreciated. So, please help in any way that you can! Thanks!!

Goin' On a Bear Hunt

I had to give this post that title because Chas kept singing that song the entire time. "Goin' on a bear hunt...I'm not afraid!" And, indeed, he got to go on a "bear hunt" with Ryan, Blake, Carson, and Molly.

This was the first time that I have been camping in about ten years. And, it's the first time I've slept in a tent in about 15 years because I usually got to sleep in a cozy cabin. I have to say that I had an absolute blast and I am looking forward to our next camping trip. I had a tough time with the fact that I had to take a "trip" to go to the bathroom. The bathroom was very close, but in the middle of the night, I had to put on shoes, put on my jacket, get my flashlight, and somehow roll out of the tent...and don't get me started on the smell! Other than that, it was lots of fun!

We got there on Friday night, set up our tent, and joined the rest of the group at the campfire. We had a relaxing Saturday hanging out with Ryan, Tenneal, and the boys. We took a short hike to the lake and took some pictures. Now that we have a blog, there is more of a purpose to take pictures! Blake made some delicious food and he seemed to enjoy the fact that he finally got to use our camping equipment that we've had since we got married. For the most part, Molly had a blast. She just didn't like the fire. But, she LOVED playing with the boys and cuddling with us at night. We hope you enjoy the pictures!

When we were at the lake, Blake kept trying to take pictures of people looking stupid. He would call their name, they would turn and look with a weird expression on their face, and he snapped the picture. When we tried it with me, I was prepared and had this dazzling smile ready for him.

Carson and Chas wanted to cuddle with Molly by the fire and they were more than ready to say "cheese" for this adorable picture.


Here is a good one of Blake looking like a stud with his walkie-talkie. Am I lucky or what?

Gas prices: $3.50/gallon

Campground fees for 2 nights: $28

Taking a picture of a Los Al girl who never camps, who hasn't showered in almost two days, who has no make-up on, and who has serious pregnancy acne on her chin: Priceless!

I was tired and dirty when Blake took this picture on Sunday morning. Plus, I was in the middle of a conversation and I had no idea that Blake was taking a picture. There is a good chance that I will be deleting this picture soon so enjoy it while it lasts!

It's A...

Molly helped us break the news (big surprise)! So, we were getting the ultrasound and the tech checked the anatomy almost immediately. Right away, she said, "Oh. What's that right there - in between the legs?" I punched Blake in the arm and told him he was wrong. He was so sure that it would be a girl. I kept thinking girl because everyone was telling me girl. But, something kept telling me that we are going to have a boy.

My parents are now going to have their 5th grandson - and no granddaughters! Oh well. It will be fun to have all 5 boys hang out for vacations and holidays. Brent and Sandi will have a pretty good mix, and I think that will be a blast as well to see them all grow up together.

Thanks for all of your votes and comments! We are so excited to have a baby boy!!

Just to explain the other pictures: the first one is verification that he's a boy and the other one is a profile shot of his little face. We hope you enjoy the pics!!

One More Week!

I have an appointment for a Level 2 Ultrasound on Monday, September 15th. I will be 18 weeks and they will finally be able to tell us what we are having! I am so excited to call my baby either "he" or "she" rather than always saying "it".
People keep asking if I want a boy or a girl and I really don't have a preference. Sometimes I want a boy because I have more experience with taking care of boys since I have 5 nephews. Plus, boys are just less maintenance and they don't have as much drama. Especially since I teach 12-year-olds all day, I know how sweet boys are at such an awkward age. Other times I want a girl because she would be my parent's first granddaughter. Plus, girls are just so much fun. I would have a total blast with a little mini-me. I would teach her to have a serious attitude when she was at the right age. And, I would teach her to say, "Whatever, Donovan" as soon as possible!
So, honestly, I don't have a preference. And I really don't have any ideas. My mind changes nearly every day, so I'll be surprised and happy either way. Please feel free to vote on what you think we're having!!

13 Weeks

I had my 13 week appointment on Wednesday, and it was so exciting! It was incredible how much my little one has changed in such a small amount of time. This baby was kicking all over and rolling all around, which certainly wasn't the case at 7 weeks. I could see its arms, legs, and little feet! The first picture is the profile, and I just love its little gut. I think I can see pouty lips, but who knows? In the other picture, it's laying on its side with its legs crossed. You can see its foot pretty clearly (and its tee-tiny toes!). For that brief moment, it was just chillin' and having a good time. Then, it started to move all over again. It is just so amazing how this little baby is moving all over the place and I don't even feel it. I am completely in love with this little baby and I can't stop staring at these pictures. I am very excited to find out what it is so that I can stop saying "it" all the time. Every now and then, I catch myself saying "him" or "her". I honestly don't have a preference because I will be happy no matter what. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

I am my Mother's Son

So there used to be a serious issue in the Holloway household. When we would sit down to dinners we ended up using napkins from all of the favorite fast food restaurants in the area. Some of the usuals were Tommy's, In N Out, and Burger King. Even if we had normal napkins or paper towels, we ended up using the fast food ones at the dinner table. Another issue in the Holloway household was birthdays, usually the cake. Well, I hope I have made you proud Mom, because here we have brought them both together. Now the one difference is that the different napkins and plates were purchased, yet they were for many different holidays. And since it was Kevin and Clint's birthday we were celebrating, we had to somehow make the candles work out. We had a 5 candle and Andrea had brought over a box of regular candles, but with how old Kevin and Clint are we had to figure out a way to make it work. I think the picture tell the rest of that story. Some may call us ghetto and some may call us white trash, but we call ourselves the Holloways.

P.S. If you can't tell what number is on the cake, it is a 59. Kevin is 31 and Clint is 28.

Killer Pit

With the recent news of us expecting we have had some people express their concerns about us having a "Killer" pitbull. Those of you who know Molly know better, but for those of you who don't, here is a small glimpse of how dangerous she can be. This is Molly with her best friend and cousin Reese. This was not a planned picture. Reese just wanted to cuddle with Molly and watch "Little Einsteins" with her. Molly was more than happy to be used as a pillow, but it was tough for her to not kiss her all over.

Earlier during that day, I took Reese and Molly to the park. It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. Molly would watch Reese very carefully as she climbed to the top to get to the slide. As soon as Reese was about to slide down, Molly would run to the bottom of the slide and wait for Reese. When Reese got to the bottom, Molly would cover her with kisses. Then, they would start all over again.

So, yes, Molly is going to be a great big sister. We will continue to train her to be sweet and gentle. We just have to hope that she has enough love in her heart for the baby, Reese, and us. I have a feeling we may be pushed aside at some point. Well, maybe Blake won't be, but I'm sure I'll be first off the list!

P.S. Once Reese realized that Blake had a camera, she started to pose. In the second picture, she is trying to pretend like she's asleep. I don't know who sleeps with a face like this, but she is Kevin's daughter so go figure!

Happy 4th of July??

We had quite the interesting 4th of July...thanks to Blake and his diving abilities, or lack thereof. We went to a friend's house for an innocent barbeque and pool party. Kevin, Clint, and Andrea were there as well. They decided to begin a "dunk" contest. Kevin began the creative shots with an in-between the legs shot, then good ol' Blake wanted to try an upside-down, headfirst dunk. Unfortunately, he went in right about where the pool goes from 8 feet and slants up to 4 feet rather quickly without his hands over his head. Instead, his forehead took the brunt of the dive, followed by the bridge of his nose, and then his chin. He came up with blood pouring down his face and calmly stated, "I think I hit the bottom of the pool." The watermelon that I had just eaten was back in my throat at that point, since I immediately thought, "Great, I'm going to be a single mom...or, my husband is now deformed." Then, Gayla, our friend hosting the party said, "Yeah, you're bleeding! You need to get out of the pool!" I got a towel and put some pressure on his poor, bloody face. That was the first time that I have actually seen cartilage so up close. I was feeling a little queasy, so I put Clint and Kevin in charge of first aid. They cleaned his wounds with hydrogen peroxide and put on some gauze. Now, two days later, his wounds are slowly healing and he doesn't look like he'll be too deformed. I'm actually quite impressed with my nursing skills now that I am in charge of neosporin and gauze applications every night. I think the permanent dent on his nose will give him some added character on his already adorable face!

We broke the news!

We were so excited to find out that we were finally expecting that we couldn't wait to tell everyone. I(Blake) wanted to call everyone that second. Liz came up with a good idea that included our spoiled dog. Anyone who knows us knows that our lives revolve around our pit bull Molly. Don't ask me why but we already had a pink polo shirt for her (Liz enjoys torturing her and making her wear ridiculous clothing), so Liz decided to get iron-on letters and then let her run around the family and see how long it took them to notice. It was a Sunday and we were getting together with Clint and Andrea at Kevin and Melissa's house. Almost the second Molly ran in the house we heard a gasp from Andrea...and Melissa was right behind. We are just so excited to finally be expecting a child and we were happy to incorporate our little girl in helping us make this wonderful announcement. We are grateful to have such great family and friends who are excited for us.

First Ultrasound

Here is the picture of our first ultrasound! Our little peanut is 7 weeks in this picture...very, very teeny! Who would have ever thought that something so tiny could be so loved and cherished!!?? We got to see its little heart beating, which was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life! The heart beat was 132 beats/minute. According to babycenter.com, the baby is the size of a blueberry...how crazy! We'll keep you posted on the updates and progress of our little embryo!