Camping Trip

by Holly

We went camping in New Mexico with Holly's family this past weekend for 3 nights, which was wonderful but went by too quickly. The nights were cold and the days warm, allowing us to enjoy the weather but also have campfires at night. The crowd included the three of us, Holly's parents, Holly's brother and his family, and family friends Bill and Wanda. B&W have been camping with us, or rather us with them and their family since Holly was 2 months old. Great memories! We had to come home on Monday to return for work, but everyone else went on to Colorado to the campground we always went to growing up. I'm sad and jealous to be missing out on that, as we haven't been there in about 10 years. I spoke with my mom today and she said it is just as beautiful as ever and they are having a wonderful time.

Eli digging in the dirt. Yes, that's a flower behind his ear- he picked it and gave it to Nana but promptly wanted it back!

Jared and his two fish he caught that day. My dad calls him Willie Two Fish, as he always seems to catch them in two's.

Justin doing his thing with the campfire. Yes, that's lighter fluid. Wouldn't the Boy Scouts be proud? Seriously, we appreciated him keeping wood chopped and the fire stoked.

Group photo before we left this campground on Monday:

Back row- Dad, Kelly, Jared, Teresa, Mom

Front row- Holly, Eli, Justin, Tyler

Garage Sale

by Holly

We had our garage sale today. We have had a garage full of stuff leftover from home renovation and just stuff we realized we didn't need after we moved in, and it needed to go. Our two big ticket items were the stove and dishwasher we replaced, but we didn't have so much as a lowball offer on either one. So, they will be going on Craig's List for another attempt. We did sell quite a decent amount of 'gently used junk' and we are happy about that. It was a multi-family sale, with my mom and brother and sister-in-law all here helping with their fair share of items to unload on customers. My brother also set up a card table in the shade of our tree with his Herbalife products. I don't know that he sold any, but he had quite a few people show interest and listen to his sales pitch, and gave a few catalogs and business cards to the ones that really seemed to care.

Justin has been pessimistic from the get-go on the whole garage sale idea, which I have been trying to tune out and combat. I think garage sales have a fun quality to them, whether you are the seller or the buyer. Well, his attitude changed a bit this afternoon when he learned that we made about $425 and that $200 of that was ours. I think we did fairly well.

So, I'm tired and ready for a shower and a nap. Eli's been asleep for about an hour and a half, so I'd better get going if I wish to do either before he wakes!

Backyard Fun

by Holly

We have been enjoying having a covered back patio and the shade of the neighbors' trees, even though it is still very hot! Justin, Eli and I enjoyed a steak dinner complete with corn on the cob and grilled veggies on the patio one night last week. Eli didn't have to be instructed on how to eat corn on the cob- look at him go, and not a single kernel left!

A race to the finish! I think Daddy won, although Eli's ear of corn was smaller. Eli had to stop midway through for me to spray it with more butter! :)

Mama and Eli having a snack

Playing in the backyard in his diaper- I caught the 'tail end' of this new adventure!

Needing no help at all to go down the slide.

Shhh... Don't tell my son!

by Holly

I took Eli to the doctor yesterday for a recheck on his ears. He has had 3 (both sides) ear infections in the last 3 months, with this one being the worst. Combined with the 3-4 we had last year, we have passed the max allowed by our pediatrician without having an ENT consult. Turns out the earliest appointment we could get with him is August 17th, but I was told to feel free to call anytime to see if there has been a cancellation. Thank you, I will.

Anyway, Eli was a good boy at the doctor, as he always is. I'll overlook him throwing the car keys at the doctor, because we had to wait a while and Eli's patience was thin and throwing is his knee-jerk reaction to being told no. I told him no, I would not open my lipstick for him to play with. I know, mean Mama. So, for being good, actually the nurse said, "For being so cute" Eli got a sucker. Not just any old sucker. It was the Safety Pop kind with the twisted loop handle, you know the kind like you used to get at your doctor's office when you were little. The memories flooded back! I didn't go to the doctor much, but when I did all the tears dissolved when I got to choose my flavor of Safety Pop! Eli's was Green Apple and it smelled so good!

Fast forward about 6 hours and I'm out running errands while my mom is home with Eli. I run quickly into the bank (I like the personal service as opposed to the little video screen with the person's face and the Jetson's-esque suction tube that takes your money who knows where but that's a different story.), take care of my business there and as I'm leaving the bank lobby what do I see in a beautiful crystal bowl? Safety Pops! I quickly snagged an Orange one and take it to the car thinking what a wonderful surprise it will be for my son to have two suckers in one day. I think that's fair as he is sick and I don't spoil him enough in my opinion. Well, a couple of errands later and that Safety Pop was looking pretty good. There's no sense in telling my son that he could have had two suckers in one day, but instead his Mama ate the second one and enjoyed all the memories it brought with it!

7/7 Posting (a little late)

by Holly

So I forgot about my monthly postings of random pictures and its been a while. But here we go- the 7th picture in the 7th folder of pictures on our computer, because its July.

This is Eli at around 5-6 months and I love it! I made the bib as a joke at one of my baby showers b/c I don't like green beans and always had to eat them growing up. Ironically Eli threw a screaming fit while eating green beans while wearing the bib, even though he does and always has liked green beans. Just funny, and I made sure my parents had a copy of this one! :)

My Ultimate Goal!

by Holly

I've done it! I have reached my ultimate weight loss goal with the guidance of Weight Watchers and the support of some very good friends and loving family. It has been a long road of 16 months from start to finish, but I'm so excited to finally be there! I will say that the last 5 lbs were the hardest, which seems funny, but your body adjusts to your new metabolism and bmi and levels off, so you have to work a little harder to push through to the end. Its so worth it though! Thank you to all of you who held me accountable, encouraged me, gave me much needed constructive criticism and celebrated each smaller goal and finally this ultimate one. Thank you!! I'm a much better me, with more energy to play with my son and take care of my family, and my self esteem allows me to buy clothes I never would have looked at before and to live life without wondering what people think of my appearance. What a blessing! The final result was a loss of 50 pounds on Weight Watchers and a total loss of 75 pounds from the time I had Eli to now. Here are some before and after pictures for you.

Before: Justin and me on the day we went into the hospital for induction- 12/20/07.

Before: Holly holding Rachel Lehmann, Teri Lehmann holding Eli- January 2008.

Before: Holly, Justin and Eli on Easter Sunday 2008.

After: Holly with Eli on Memorial Day 2009.

After: My mom and I on Mother's Day 2009.

After: Holly 4 days after officially meeting the goal! July 2009.

July 4th Festivities

by Holly
Our little Firecracker- His shirt says: 'Rockets are Red, Fireworks are Blue, 4th of July is Fun Cuz I'm with You!'

Mama and Eli in the pool. We had overcast skies and wind, so the water was a little chilly!

Eli with a popsicle and a sippy cup. What else could you need?

Jared with his first catfish of the evening. He ended up with 5 catfish and 2 perch.

Tyler with his first catfish of the day. His final score was 5 catfish and 1 perch.

Justin's Birthday

by Holly
Happy Birthday (one day late) to Justin!!! He's the big 3-0 this year!!! This is a picture of him with his birthday banana pudding, candles and all, from my mom. I took him to Ruby Tequila's on his real birthday yesterday to celebrate some more.

Justin's co-workers decorated his office, hallway and stairwells with 'Old Man' and 'Welcome to the 30 and over Club' posters, black balloons, confetti... the works. He loved every bit of it- thank you guys for celebrating him!

Love you Justin!

Holly's Birthday Weekend

by Holly

My good friend Erin flew to Lubbock for the weekend to help me celebrate in style! We had tons of laughs, some great wine, quality time together and even a little exercise as we walked to the gas station to buy a can of gas in our snappy casual outfits! No, the hairstyles and cute clothes did not hold up in the summertime heat, but we got it done, and were on to our next adventure- a Wii bowling challenge with Justin!

Two lovely ladies pre-adventure.

Erin in the storeroom of the Llano Estacado winery, during our tour.

Holly in front of the vineyard at the Llano winery, post-tour.

Having a sweet Eli laugh and hug before his nap on my real birthday, which was Sunday.

Father's Day

by Holly
Eli's gift to Daddy and Pops was manual labor! They spent 11 hours on Saturday assembling Eli's new fort/swingset. It was worth it, or at least to Eli it was! Eli helped out as much as he could.

Look how big our boy is!

The finished product- 11pm. Pitch black, working with a shop light.

When Eli tired of the swingset assembly, he had a good time playing in the sand tub that was by then mud after a full night's rain.

Yep- all boy! On the face and everywhere!!!

A Day With The Boys

by Holly

We spent one fine Saturday recently with our nephews Jared and Tyler. It started with a teeball game which is a lot of fun if you haven't experienced this! Below is Jared ready for a play at first base. He's six and a half.

This is Tyler at short stop. He sucks his two middle fingers routinely so I'm not sure if that's what he's doing here or not. Tyler is 4.

After the game and lunch, the boys came home with us and they all played in the pool. This was fabulous! Eli did well with the rambunctious splashing for a little while. Justin and I sat in the shade and enjoyed watching them.

Eli had enough pool action and decided to play on his own. Look how grown up in his swim trunks!

Tyler and Jared relaxing after the swim. We were watching Nemo and having cookies and lemonade. What a day!

And one footnote: Eli's car hasn't been the same since this day. Tyler decided it was dirty and dunked it in the pool. No more sounds. I think the engine's frozen up.

Are We Getting Old?

by Holly

I don't have anything of great significance to write about, or even have any pictures moved to the computer as of late, so here you go. I was wondering today if I'm getting old, for two reasons.

1. I love my birthday more than most anyone, and those of you that know me understand my celebration of my birthmonth. My husband helps me celebrate, last year hosting a fabulous party for my 30th. June is my birthmonth, so a few days ago Justin brought home a birthday banner from the store and hung it around the office, over my computer. Thanks honey! Why does this relate to me getting old? Because this year on my birthday, the majority of my family will be in North Carolina for a family reunion while we will be here in Lubbock... I will be going to church and then on to a bridal shower that afternoon and don't feel as if this is even recognized as the tragedy that it is in the 'birthmonth' scheme of things. No festive celebration with 50 friends? No every-member-of-the-family-must-be-present-for-cake shindig? Its so sad getting old.

2. We ate at Furr's cafeteria last week when my parents were in town, and picked up a coupon on our way out for $5.99 buffet on 6/15 and 6/16 only, good for 4 people. I've been looking forward to going back to Furr's all week, and tonight we did. I had liver and onions. Enough said on this point.

Happy Birthmonth to me, and to anyone else celebrating this fine June!

In All Fairness

by Holly

Is it fair of me to get frustrated when my friends don't post often, when I just noticed that its been 11 days since I have?

Pandora Radio

by Holly

I know I'm not 'up' on most modern things, including technology and basically anything happening in the world, so bear with me if you all already know about this. Pandora Radio! This is fantastic! Justin introduced me to it, where you enter your favorite artist and it builds your personal radio station around that artist and similar ones. You can give it a thumbs up or down, or flat out tell it never to play a song again.

Justin had made a station that he listens to at work at times, of course called Garth Brooks station. I just jumped onto his account, so I can listen to his station if I want, but I instead made 3 more stations myself. Just like the radio in my car, I can choose whichever one fits my mood at the time. Naturally, my first was George Strait station, to which I added Billy Currington, Don Williams and Johnny Cash. How can you go wrong with those? A most pleasant surprise with this one was when Pandora surprised me with a little Creedence Clearwater. That's right, CCR! Man, this is the best!

The next one is my Third Day station. I didn't add any artists to this b/c Pandora is doing a fine job all on its own providing me with variety here. And my third station is Sheryl Crow station. All I've added to her is Collective Soul so far. She's my newest one, just created today. I seem to be getting a lot of Michelle Branch and Natalie Merchant, but I guess they do have similar styles.

So, if you haven't tried Pandora out, give her a try. She's amazing!

My Baby is Sick

by Holly

Gone are the days when feeling sick was also a good thing because you got to stay home from school and be free! Well, I called into work today, but staying home means my heart breaking because my baby is sick, burning up with fever, horrible runny nose and just plain doesn't feel good. We have an appointment with a new pediatrician, getting established with a new doctor not being on my fun list at all.

I know Eli doesn't feel like himself by all of his symptoms, but above all of that, he just fell asleep in my lap watching cartoons and he has NEVER done that before. So, he's napping on the couch till we leave for the doctor in a little while.

Pray for his quick recovery, but more than that, for the kids who are really sick dealing with issues far beyond a summer cold. May you and your little ones all be well and full of life today!

ADDENDUM: Eli actually has two ear infections, so we've got another round of antibiotics and are giving him Motrin and Tylenol for the fever, but it could be a lot worse.

Memorial Day

by Holly

We hosted a backyard cookout for Memorial Day for some of Holly's family. My parents had been fishing the week before, so the meal consisted of grilled salmon and trout (and chicken for Justin), corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, yummy breads, cornbread salad, fruit salad and of course pie. Thanks to Mom K (my grandma) for serving up the coconut and chocolate delights!

First time using Eli's new pool, but he was more interested in watching his cousins than getting in himself. Jared's in the pool and Tyler is testing the slide. Look out!
Playing in the water makes me so hungry Mama! Eli actually slept through lunch and then when he woke up everyone was here, so he had to eat before the big meal was ready. He did love corn on the cob though and would lean towards mine with his mouth open when he was ready for a bite.

Mom K, my aunt Bobbi, my mom and Eli, who was playing peek-a-boo through the folding chair. (yes, he plays peek-a-boo with any and everything!)

And in the other corner... PawPaw, my uncle Larry, Dad, Justin, Teresa and Kelly

Nothing more precious than little boys! Jared and Tyler call Eli their 'little buddy' and are showing him all the ropes. I don't know what Jared and Eli were scheming here, but I loved it!

New Home, After

by Holly
Well, here are the much anticipated 'after' photos. This is just a glimpse of our new home- for the rest you have to come visit! :)

Our sanctuary- the covered back patio with our Mother's Day/Father's Day gift to each other, the patio furniture. We eat dinner out here 2-3 times per week and watch Eli play. He's got a kiddie slide, balls, rocks, pinecones and sand. What else could he need?
Eli's bathroom. Yes, I found a shower curtain with monkeys on it! There are adorable pictures of a monkey and a giraffe playing peek-a-boo over the toilet that he really does play peek-a-boo with. Adorable!

The guest room. The wall is torn paper sack and looks really interesting. We did one wall in here and one in Eli's room as well. Sorry no pics of his room tonight. He's supposed to be in there going to sleep but I can still here babbling and his feet thumping the wall.

View from the front door through the entry way into the living room. This entry had the worst wallpaper, scroll down if you don't remember. The sign over the doorway says "Happy is the house that shelters a friend" and truly it is. Please come visit!

Our bedroom. No, Justin had nothing to do with the green wall and this is probably his least favorite part of the house, but I think it turned out to be quite the romantic hideaway. I pretend its from a magazine, or perhaps Heather's blog! :)

Moving Day!

by Holly

Moving day was finally here! We had a lot of help thankfully and the actual moving in of furniture and boxes went faster than I expected. The boys here are taking a break and watching some toons and having a snack. I believe Jared and Tyler were sharing their jelly beans with Eli- quite a treat!

Eli helping Papa and Nanny, Justin's grandmother, with the kitchen table assembly. I think that's Justin's dad on the right actually assembling, but whoever had my camera cut him out of this one.
A portion of our help: Pops, Holly, Papa with Eli, PawPaw, Mom (Holly's grandparents)

Come on Pops! We've got work to do!

Eli finally got placed in the laundry room to play with his wagon of blocks as he was constantly underfoot 'helping'. Justin's grandmother sat and played with him- its not like he was locked in a room by himself!