Holt Family Adventures: Week Two (And "Wet Wednesday" Stats)

"Wet Wednesday" Stats

Eight - The number of seconds Tommy held his breath under water at the wading pool.  Way to go, buddy!

Seven - The number of times that Sam took off his diaper today

Six - The number of things Sam dumped on the floor in large quantities at various times and places: bran flakes, shampoo, chicken bouillon, spot cleaner, poop, and pee (okay, so the last two weren't so bad.  The poop stayed contained in his diaper and the pee luckily occurred in the bathroom).

Five - Bedtime stories we enjoyed tonight

Four - The number of kids I successfully took to the pool today

Three - The number of hugs Sam gave me spontaneously

Two - How many chores I got done today.  One and a half might be more like it unless I get up and finish the dishes.

One - The Number One accomplishment today was Nathan feeding himself scrambled eggs and toast bites!

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Week Two has been a little bumpy.  We were rained out of "Muddy Monday's" trip to the park--what can I say?  It was just too muddy!  So instead I began painting my baseboards white.  But it turned out SO disastrously--seriously, the color is too stark, the paint stuck to the tape and came off the baseboards in jagged designs when I removed the tape, I couldn't paint all the way to the bottom of the baseboards because of the carpet, and the white baseboards make the carpet look really dirty--that I went to bed horrified at the damage I'd done.

I woke up on Tuesday feeling a little more optimistic at the possibility of fixing the mess and salvaging the project, but I haven't had time to work on it yet.  We "Took a Trip" to Como Zoo and had a great time.  Later, Tommy and I went to his softball game, which was a pleasant end to the day.

Today was a lot of fun because we found a really fun wading pool and playground, and the boys had a blast while I relaxed in the shade with my friend Caroline.  Friends make each day so much more fun!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the week--we don't have anything big planned, so we should be able to relax and enjoy each other's company.  I LOVE the summer so far!

"Holt Family Summer Adventures"

"Holt Family Summer Adventures" officially began on Monday, and we are off to a GREAT start!  So far, we've had a phenomenal week.  Monday was "Muddy Monday" (i.e., go to the park day) but instead, we were treated by our friends to an invitation to swim and splash at the YMCA.  The boys were thrilled, especially since they'd been enthralled by the construction of the Y's splash pad for the past several months.

"Take a Trip Tuesday's" highlights included not only a relaxing trip to the Children's Museum, but also the fact that Joey learned to pump himself on the swing.  Happy Day for Joey and for me!!!

"Wet Wednesday" was a hit, especially for Joey who loves nothing more than to turn on the hose...and never turn it off.

Today, "Thinking Thursday," we took a leisurely trip to the library.  I adore children's books, and the librarians are exceptionally sweet, so it was as fun for me as it was for the kids.

Tomorrow will be "Friendly Friday" and we're having a few friends over to play in the morning, as well as making treats for a wonderful friend's baptism in the afternoon.

What a blessed week we've had!  I'm loving summer so far, and although I don't know if every week will go this smoothly, it occurred to me that maybe my plans for the summer were inspired by our loving Heavenly Father, and if so, it makes sense that this summer will be great!

Brothers Being Brothers

"Fascination"

Some of Joey's Preschool Pics

Happy Birthday, Tommy!

Yesterday our baby turned SEVEN!  I can't believe the time has flown by so quickly.  I still remember holding him in my arms as a newborn, filled with love for that tiny person.  He was a sweet, happy little baby.  He'd lay contentedly on the floor, happily playing for long stretches of time.  He was smiley and very cute.  As a toddler he was a bit grumpy, but not really very difficult.  He's always been willing to obey and please us, he's very thoughtful and careful, and he can easily entertain himself.  I can usually count on him to do the things I ask, and he's very trustworthy.

Tommy also has a great memory and amazing attention to detail.  He has a much better knowledge of maps than I do, and he's an amazing artist.  His art specialty, in addition to drawing very accurate maps, is creating action sketches involving an elaborate, imaginative event, often some kind of disaster like an earthquake or flood.  He has very good, deliberate handwriting, he excels at math, and he's even begun to learn to play the piano.  He reads well in both Spanish and English, and his vocabulary in both languages has grown a lot.

I've always been grateful for his faith--how easily he accepts the principles of truth that he's taught.  He has a testimony like I did at his age, and he wants to choose the right.  He asked for his own scriptures a few months ago, so we got him some, and he has enjoyed reading them from time to time.

Tommy is a child in whom we've seen remarkable growth over the past few years as he's had more experiences.  For example, during his first year of soccer he was so scared of the other children, but now he plays sports with ease.  He really enjoys baseball, soccer, basketball, biking, and rollerblading.  He's always enjoyed ECFE, preschool, and now school, and his teachers always report that he's a great student, easy to get along with, mindful of the rules, and very intelligent.

I am so grateful to have Tommy as a son.  He is the perfect boy to serve as an example to his younger siblings in our family.  I love him with all my heart.

Grandma & Grandpa Are Here!

My parents have been here for about a week, and they're always a lot of fun and a big help.  

Sam's expression below says it all:

My dad has done several small projects around the house: tripling the usefulness of our laundry room by installing shelves and a clothes rod (THANKS, Dad!); installing new, white electrical outlets and switches to go with our new gray walls and decor; with Jon's help, fixing a couple of leaks in our sprinkler system; replacing the rotten boards on our deck; and raising the boys' beds so that we can put storage underneath.  On top of that, he and my mom have both helped clean the house and done a ton of fun things with the boys, giving me a much-needed break.  Here are some pictures of the kids from the past few days.

Our New Radio Flyer Wagon

Grandma Julie and Grandpa Jay always give the kids cool, thoughtful presents.  This year they gave Joey a gift that brought back my own memories as a little girl!  The kids love it...

May the Force Be with You...

...Especially when "You" refers to parents who host a Star Wars birthday party for their son and nine of his 7-year-old friends.  We had a fun party for Tommy today, complete with asteroids, hot lava, light sabers, and a visit from Darth Vader himself.  We were grateful to all of his friends who came--rambunctious little seven-year-olds who love everything Star Wars including whacking each other with light sabers--thank goodness the party didn't end in a brawl!--but who were overall sweet, polite little boys.

Here are some pictures of the fun:

Hopping across a "dangerous planet"

 Lining up for the "alien walk" (four-legged-race)

 Light saber training (keep the balloons off the lawn)

 Impromptu light saber duals

 Waiting for Darth Vader

 Battling Darth Vader!!!

 Gleeful

 The awesome cake made by Risa (it's pretty sweet--excuse the pun--to have a professional chef as a friend!)

 Darth Vader already missing a leg even before getting the candy beaten out of him by a pack of hungry boys

 Walking across the hot lava

 Tommy and friends

 Defeating Daddy

 Daddy's a good sport!

Happy Birthday, Tommy!