Fun Day 2015

Friday was the last day of school for the year.  Wow.  That went fast..too fast.  Anyhoo... the kiddos had a lot of fun celebrating summer with their friends.  

Andrew and Olivia finished the year with all A's.  I don't share that to proclaim that they are super smart or perfect.  They worked extremely hard everyday and put forth their very best efforts for 9 solid months.  This year that equaled A's.  Hard work, determination, strong study skills, and consistency are what they learned again this year.  In my opinion, those are the true measures of success.

Yeah for summer and NO SPELLING LISTS!

Fourth and sixth grades will just have to wait because this momma has a summer of fun planned for her cutie patooties.

A Sweet Towel and an Extra Sweet Friend

Scott and I have always treasured bath/bed time with our babies.  After every bath, Baby Andrew and Baby Olivia were wrapped in a super sweet frog towel.  This towel was the very last thing that I gave away.  Thankfully, my friend Sue realized my sentimental attachment to this particular item. 

Last summer when Sue found out that we were hoping to adopt, she sent a large container full of baby gear. She also sent a package with a note that read...

"Baby Holman,

We are so excited you are coming home!  A long time ago your mother gave this to me and now I know she meant for me to keep it for you.  I could tell when she gave it to me for safekeeping that it meant a lot to her. I hope you enjoy many happy moments in it.

Love, The S Family"

Tucked safely inside the package was the frog towel.

I can now say that all my babies shared this very towel.

So thankful for a super sweet friend.

A Month of Thankfulness Day 30

Today, I am extremely thankful for our car pool with the H family.  At first, I thought that it would be a great way to save time and money.  Now, I realize that it is so much more.  I have watched our kiddos bond, and I love the fact that Shannon is now a strong person of influence in their lives.  I love having a car full of giggling children every afternoon.

Shannon and I joke that we are one day going to be related.

Karly, you don't have to marry Andrew.

Andrew, if Karly wants to marry you, you have to marry her.

Shannon, you are my ever present friend, and I love it.  I love how you treat my children like they are your own.  I thank God for you daily!

A Month of Thankfulness-Day 5

I am so very thankful for my dearest friend Laura and her precious family.

Six years ago, I desperately prayed for a friend who would challenge me and love my family like her own.  God sent me that friend at a hole-in-the-wall preschool.  Andrew and Logan were friends in minutes while Laura and I were friends in seconds.  

While driving home from taking their family photos last night, my heart overflowed with gratitude.  God really outdid Himself by sending Laura into my life.  I am certain that our friendship was in His plans before we were even born.

Laura, I adore you and your funny stories.  I love your over-the-top family parties.  I love how we are in constant conversation even when we are not in communication.  You are one of God's greatest gifts, and I love your babies like they are my own.  When we are old, we are going to keep each other entertained with our crazy parenting stories.   They seem to just get more and more entertaining.

I am so very thankful for you!

A Month of Thankfulness- Day 2

*Note: I will be posting things that I am thankful for in random order.  I am going to see what jumps out at me each day.  My hope is that I will acknowledge new ideas, circumstances, and people that make my life richer.

Today, I am thankful for my wonderful, wacky friend, Deana.  She is my counselor, comedian, and thrifting partner.  She is honest to a fault and challenges me to be a better friend, mother, and person.  Some people may think that we are an odd combination, but I have never met someone who understands me more.  The difference is...she says what I am thinking!  We are a crazy, hot mess!

We ventured back to the zoo last week with our friend, Natalie.  It was a beautiful day with a high of 84.  Let's just say...going to the zoo was obviously not the creative choice.  The zoo opens at 9:00, and both parking lots were full by 9:37.  We did manage to tour the insect house, and we snagged front row seats to the Sea Lion show.

 (Nat didn't want to get wet.)

 The butterflies were a plenty, and they were absolutely beautiful.  This portion of the zoo always reminds me of the creativity of God and His attention to detail.

 Did I mention that we waited A LONG time for the Sea Lion Show?

 Well...we did!

However, I personally think that it was worth the wait.  Every time I watch this show, I think....I sure do love living in St. Louis!

A Perfectly Pink Sprinkle For My Perfectly Sweet Friend, Laura

Daun and I hosted a surprise sprinkle for Laura at my house on Sunday.  I spent very little money to create a sweet party space.  Andrew actually said, "Mom, it looks like a pink elephant exploded in our house."  We managed to pull off the surprise (which was a miracle).  Let's just say...Laura is hard to fool.

I am confident that Laura felt celebrated and loved.  I sure do love her, and I can't wait for the princess to arrive!

Lemonade For Sale

Andrew and Olivia have always wanted to try their hands at owning and operating a lemonade stand.  They were super excited when our sweet friends invited us over to sell lemonade.  Catherine created an adorable stand.  They were in heaven!

 Our first customer let the boys sit on his motorcycle.

Thanks S family for making our entrepreneurial dreams a reality!

A New Chapter

This week brings the "preschool teacher" chapter of my life to a conclusion (at least for a season).  I will not be returning to my colorful Turtle classroom because I strongly believe that God is leading my family in a different direction.  (I will be blogging about this opportunity very soon.)  Let's just say that this has been a very difficult decision for me.  (I am doing the ugly cry even as I write this.) I love teaching preschoolers.  When I am in the classroom, I feel God smiling down at me. 

I have been given the opportunity to impact 54 precious lives while at this school.  I have consciously tried to take every opportunity to share God's love with each one.  My prayer is that I have taught them a few things along the way.  However, they are the ones who have taught me so very much about myself and my Creator.  

Not only have I spent countless hours with the most precious 5 year old children, but I have been gifted the friendship of some pretty spectacular women.  Shelly has been such a blessing to me this year.  Our two peas in a pod relationship makes my leaving even more difficult.  Twice a week she encourages me to be the woman that God created me to be...a woman full of compassion, grace, servant-hood, and integrity.  She leads by example.  At the beginning of the year, I told parents, "Shelly and I love this school.  We love our Savior, and we love each other."  These statements are even more true today.  We are sisters at heart!

Thank you God for this wonderful opportunity to grow in so many ways.  


Thank you to all the parents who entrusted me with their greatest treasures. 

Goat Love

One afternoon last week, Laura and I decided to take our preschool graduates to Grant's Farm. The baby goats were incredibly full, and it was obviously nap time. We usually visit first thing in the morning when the creatures are obnoxious and starving. Anyhoo, we ended up begging them to eat. At one point Laura suggested that I pull up a rocking chair and rock all the goats to sleep. They were VERY affectionate.

Forever Friends

We met Laura, Brady, and Collin at the park one gorgeous day last week.

I made 'taking photographs' of these two a priority.

They are ABSOLUTELY adorable together!

Forever friends?.....I sure hope so! I am pretty confident that they are working on their secret language.

Yes, there is talk of an arranged marriage! :)

A Mother's Wish

I received a phone call this morning from one of my dearest friends asking me to photograph her baby's toothless smile.

It was quite the emergency since the new tooth is already beginning to appear.

It was such pleasure, and I think that the goal was accomplished!

I LOVE capturing these milestone moments!

Thanks Laura!

John and Stacy's Engagement

I was asked this week to take photos of a very special event.

Our sweet Stacy's boyfriend was going to propose.

It was such a special moment, and I captured a few sweet, emotion-filled photos.

Congratulations John and Stacy!

Thanks for letting me have a beautiful view of the unforgettable moment!

We decided that it was far time we paid the H Family a visit.

We spent a gorgeous Friday exploring their beautiful property and enjoying a day in the country.

Imagine my surprise when Amy told me that there will be another H arriving in October!

I was so busy chatting that I forgot to snap any photos until the very end of the day.

I L-O-V-E this boy...a true adventurer!

It was a great day!

True friendships last regardless of time and distance.

I am so very thankful for this family, and the new H on the way (maybe, it will be a girl).