Christmas Eve Tradition

Traditions
Now that I am in charge, I have made some traditions with my kids. One of the traditions has been baking all day on Christmas Eve with Katherine and Jes.Kennedy isn't into this at all.

Katherine and I are going to give Martha a run for her money.

Ofc. Holt doing what he does, being a Rockstar

We love this tradition. Thanks kids!
Another tradition we have is opening one present on Christmas Eve, which just happens to be PJs. This year Colby and I exchanged our gifts too! Dont laugh too hard at my face, okay?
Sweet Tay

Kennedy getting excited about opening some PJs.
Martie loving her Pjs, she is so much like her mother, as you can see below.My incredibly adorable son.
Ofc. Holt getting ready to open his present, now seriously don't laugh!

He went to Jared's! Seriously, you said you wouldn't laugh! Yikes, next year I am totally doing my hair and makeup after I finish baking!
Here is the story. My mother lost my wedding set, and after 2 years of looking for it she found it. She called Colby and he got it fixed. It was a huge surprise... I thought I would never see it again.

Christmas memories

I started this post over a week ago, but hesitated to post it. Before I go into all of my family Christmas memories, I would first like to express my gratitude for my brother Jesus Christ. He is the reason we celebrate Christmas, and it was the miracle of his birth and life that the world comes together and celebrates on this day.

My cousin Sharon gave me the challenge to blog my favorite Christmas memory. At first I thought, "Well, I don't really have a favorite." But after some deep thinking, I started to recall a lot of fun and happy memories. Here our my top five favorite Christmases and if I do this correctly I might add in some video:)

#5. "The Drill" Growing up my parents had very little money, but some how some way we always had a great Christmas. My Dad would always buy my mom something and the same with my mom. Well I guess my dad had been wanting this drill that cost $80 and my mom told him that she wouldn't buy it. We didn't have a lot of money, and 80 dollars in the late 80's was definitely a lot of money. Anyway, my Dad thought he was a real comedian when he decided to buy my mom the drill. I am sure all the ladies that are reading this took a deep breath because we all know that this is mean and cruel. Anyway it is all on video and so the memory has been captured forever.

#4. "There is a Santa!" I posted this memory on my cousins blog, but I still would like to share it. All of my aunts had 2 kids, one boy and one girl. This was the same for my mom, except my mom was the only one that had her girl first. So if you haven't figured it out yet, the only cousins I had my age were boys! Anyway, it was probably Christmas of 1988, we were all outside Aunt Marsha's house, this was the usual spot for Christmas Eve. Jason, Josh and Mickey were convincing me that there wasn't a Santa. I remember looking in the Arizona sky wishing that I could see a sign to prove to these three boys that there was a Santa and that I was right! I can still remember their taunts of how "dumb" I was. The magic of believing is so a great feeling, a feeling that I still try to capture every year.

#3. "She's actually coming for Christmas?" Christmas of 1994 was a magical year. I was 15 and as my Christmas present my mom was sending for my cousin Margaret to come out from Kansas to spend the Holidays. It was one of the greatest Christmases with some of the greatest moments captured on video! We decided to make a music video, of course I would be the singer :) Anyway, we put on a performance that has gone down in Christmas history as "The Pretty Little Dolly" Christmas. And let me just add that "on the back if you turn the key, she goes through puberty." Love you Margarita!

#2. "Doing good" Christmas of 2005 was a year of miracles. I was in on a big secret in my ward, I don't want to go into details but this was a magical Christmas, the spirit of giving is just a magnificent feeling.

#1. "The Red Dress" If you have never heard of the Red Dress, well I don't have all day to explain it, but I will try to write some cliff notes:
It all started with:
Some rotten oatmeal cookies
Velvet Red Dress that was worn TOO many times
Mrs. Doubtfire and T'was the night before Christmas
A very Scary heart attack
A family that won't let things go

It all ended up with:
An open heart surgery
A Hospital that will never be the same
A heart shaped pillow made from the Velvet Read Dress
13 years of memories that will never be forgotten.


You are probably wondering where are the Christmases are from the years of me being married. Well they are special too, however now that I am an adult Christmas sometimes carries lots of stress and work. I am trying to create the same great memories and feelings that my mom and dad created for Kenny and me.

We have made lots of special memories with our kids, Ofc Holt and I. We have lots of traditions we do every year. This year, our routine on Christmas morning is going to be quite different. Some of our traditions are going to have to change some. Ofc. Holt works on Christmas from 5am to 3pm which is basically the whole day. I have already shed the tears, so I have accepted the idea. Anyway, I am trying really hard to make this year as special as all the others without the presence of my husband. I love my kids and the memories I am still creating each year with them.

Monday, Yay!

It's Monday and I am so excited to be finishing up the second quarter of school and the last week of school for the year 2009!
Changes are on the horizon... Yesterday our ward was split, Ward splits are tough, always have been. I am sad, but this time for different reasons. I am sad that I am going to get released from my calling :(. I will miss all of those YW that I get the honor of teaching every Sunday. I will miss my friends too. Some of them I have known for a really long time and we have outlasted lots of splits, but it has come to a point where we were separated. I am sad. But to look at the positive side, we still get to go to the same building and we don't have that long drive. I feel bad for those who do have to take that long drive to the stake center. It's not like it is that far, but when you get used to leaving your house 4 minutes before church starts, it is hard habit to break!

11 day till Christmas and I have a lot of shopping to do, anyone up to shopping with me on Saturday? I need to buy for my brother, sis n Law, Ofc. Holt, and Taylor (ummm... and maybe one little gift for Marley).
Hope everyone has a great week!

Tuesday, blah...

It is Tuesday, nothing too exciting happens on this day, but 5 things that happened to me were:

5. Battery was dead on the Armada when I tried to go to work... thank goodness it was Ofc. Holt's day off.
4. I taught GCF today, I love Math.
3. Ofc. Holt brought me Duck and Decanter for lunch, he is AWESOME!
2. Convinced the girls to donate some of their old toys to charity.
1. Remembered to put in a load of G's in the washer (that was mighty important!)

1 Shepard, 2 Ward parties, and a partridge in a pear tree...

Ward Party

Saturday night was our ward party. It can be described with three words: Big, Cold, and Uplifting. I love going to ward activities, but to be true to myself, it has been a long time since the Holt family has attended a ward function. I am not going to explain all the reasons why. Anyway, we had so much fun that we attended two ward parties in one night. One of the main events in our ward was the nativity play. This was definitely the high light of the night, and maybe for me it was because my son was a Shepard, who knows :). Here are a few pics in case you missed it.
Rehearsal (Colby with green jacket on)

Actual play (Colby with blue towel on his head)

After we left the ward party (we left early because, simply, I was FREEZING) we went to Vineyard's Ward party. Ofc. Holt went with us even though he was tired. It was nice spending time together on a Saturday, even if it was just for a few hours. The kids had a lot of fun and we were all in bed and asleep at 8:30 PM.

Craft Day/Family Day

Craft Day

I got a chance to craft with my family. It was awesome, and the company was great! I snapped a few pics. Also, I know that my last posting said that I was going to try and blog at least every other day, well obviously that didn't happen. BUT, I have been taking pictures with the intentions of blogging, so I will get those postings done soon.

This is me pretending to be exhausted from running the Cricut for all of my Aunts.

My Aunt Candi being creative!

Aunt Tam making some stuff

In case you were wondering....

I have decided that I would like to make a posting on my blog at least every other day. I know how much I look forward to reading my friends' and family's blog, and so I want to do more blogging. Anyway, top 5 things that happened to me today:

5. I was running so late this morning that all I had time to grab for lunch was an uncrustable.
4. I video taped first period to turn into ASU
(Today was my first day back teaching in 10 weeks, rude awakening.)
3. I had to make a Quick Trip to QT for some well needed Midol.
2. I had a really good laugh with Tiff after a really long day with a bunch of 7th graders.
1. Kept my promise to my 7 year old that we would go see Christmas lights for FHE.
(well kind of, I told her we would ride our bikes, not happening, TOO cold!)

Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving 2009


Giving Thanks for our Moms

Ofc. Holt carves the turkey

Cousins spent time together and building relationships that will last their lifetime

My father and me

Britt, Mike, Mom and Ryder enjoying each others company

My mom making her famous potatoes and Uncle Bill making the most
important item, gravy.

The family surrounding the table to check out ads for
Black Friday.

My Aunt Marsha and Aunt Shirley

Thanksgiving was a great day. I hope everyone had a time to reflect on their year and the things they are most grateful for.

What time brings...

The boys headed to Turkey Bowl

Thankful for my son

Since the first year of my marriage, I have spent Thanksgiving morning putting on a turkey with the help of Ofc. Holt, then there he goes... he is off to relive some high school memories, playing football. Every year he comes home with war stories, which has always included being yelled at by Bro. Finell, and a few others for playing too "rough". This year was a special year, it was the first year our son got to go. He is finally at an age where Ofc. Holt says that he can "handle it". I told Ofc. Holt that Bub could only go if they were going to be on the same team (I DO listen to all of those war stories). Anyway, they had a lot of fun, and if anyone's husband complained about mine, I really am sorry.

Time for giving thanks...

This is the month for giving thanks. Even though I am guilty of jumping into Christmas a little too soon, I really love the month of November to reflect on all of my blessings. I have a lot to be thankful for this year, as I have every year. I have 4 healthy children who are the whole reason I wake up in the morning. They are so important to me and I can't imagine life with out them. I am so thankful for my amazing husband, who undoubtedly is my best friend. We have SOME time alone, and when we are, we talk about life and how fast it has gone by. We still dream together, and that is the best part. I am thankful for my parents. I am at an age where I really appreciate all that they have done and still do for me. They are great. I am thankful that I have a roof over my head and food on the table when so many others are struggling. I am thankful that I have a job that I love and enjoy, my dream job. I am thankful my husband has a job that he loves and talks about ALL the time :) I am thankful for my church calling. I can't imagine serving anywhere else. The young women in my ward are truly delightful daughters of God. They are examples to me every Sunday. I am thankful that I get to drive a car with heat and air conditioning, quiet, and dependable because for so many years I didn't.
I am thankful that I have had the chance to spend another year on this earth to raise my children and to continue building a life with my husband. There are so many things I have to be thankful for, but it is 2 til' four and I am going home.

Oh, one more project...

This is the time of year where I go project CRAZY! So here is something else I did. Yeah, that is my last name on my School Sweat Shirt cool, huh? Other than the fact that my students will be able to spot me across the hall. I should have rethought the sequins.

Ornaments... getting ready...

Bub, Marley, and Ofc. Holt working hard

Kennedy and the finished product.

Taylor kept reminding everyone that she takes after her mom and that she is crafty, naturally.

Marley wrote everyone's name on their ornament... FHE fun!

Tonight for FHE we made Christmas Ornaments. It was a lot of fun. I have a container of ornaments my kids have made at school, and these are the ornaments that I hold close to my heart. Not the Lennox ones that I paid an arm and a leg, or the hallmark ones that I had to sell dog for. They are ones with a simple picture surrounded by golden noodles, or painted puzzle pieces. I love these ornaments. Well the kids are getting older now and are not making these ornaments any more at school (dang NCLB). So I bought two kits from Hobby Lobby and we made our own. This was such a great way to celebrate the season approaching us. I think I even talked Ofc. Holt into putting up our Christmas tree this Wednesday. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment :)

A promise made...

The summer of 2007 we made a family vacation to Kansas. We promised our children we would go on a family vacation every year from that point forward. The following summer there were some major changes in our family and we were unable to go anywhere for vacation. We used our vacation money to keep us afloat and we survived. While Colby was finishing the academy and I was finishing grad school, we made a promise to our kids that when it was all over, we would go to Disneyland. Well the following summer came (2009) and Colby, since he was new on the job, didn't feel like he should take any time off, so once again we spent the summer at home. Colby's one year mark was August 25th, and he would be able to take some time off... so I did it, I planned a vacation that we had promised to our kids. I knew we would have fall break in October, which in our opinion is the best time to visit Disneyland anyway! So, it was set, we were headed to Disneyland Oct 20th! Woo Hoo!!!!
We had a blast. Our kids were on the go every minute of our three day visit. Disneyland wasn't crowded at all, we got on all the rides several times over! It was a blast. Here are some of our photos from our trip! Oh, and the best part: NO STROLLERS for us!!! :)

The girls and Tinkerbell

My silly family.

The Twins

The Whole Family

Just us girls.

Kennedy turns into a Young Woman

Kennedy on her birthday.

Kennedy at Disneyland 10/09

Kennedy turns 12 today. This is quite the big deal in our church. She no longer goes to primary, she is now in YW. I can't believe how fast her life has gone bye. She is so grown up and independent. She is very responsible and a great student. She is driven and wants to be a police officer like her dad. That really doesn't make me happy because I worry, but I know when she puts her mind to it, it happens. I love her and so glad that my Heavenly Father gave me a daughter 12 years ago. I have made several parenting mistakes, but she survived! I will post some pictures when I get home!

Wow, braces have done wonders!

Okay, even though Colby II has had his braces off for some time now, I still thought that I should post some before and afters.

Before (yikes :)

After :)

He will have to get braces again, but for now at least my son can smile without being so self-conscience. I know that I am giving him a gift that he will be grateful for the rest of his life. A beautiful smile is priceless.





Funny story... Colby II is currently wearing two retainers. At school he wrapped his retainers into a napkin (which I have told him several times not to do because he will throw them away:) So guess what he did? Yep, he threw them away. The cafeteria aid told me the story. Colby walks up to her and says, "Mrs. Scott, I think I threw my retainers in the trash can?" She said as soon as he finished his sentence he fell to his knees gripping onto the trash can, bawling his eyes out saying, "My mom is going to kill me!" Now, as Mrs. Scott is telling me the story, I can't help but laugh (I am not mad because I know that if they hadn't found them she wouldn't be some calm telling me the story.) She told me that she calmed him down and reassured him that I wouldn't kill him. They started looking through the trash and viola, found the retainers, she saved his life :)

4 Holts with braces = a lot of debt. two more to go.

Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I'm not a fool...

Family Photo

The kids getting a little irritated waiting for their dad.

Well I feel really bad that it has been forever since I have blogged, but as you can imagine I have been a tad bit busy. Anyway, things are going well here in the Holt house hold. I got my winnings today, but I didn't celebrate, instead stayed at school for a late meeting (oh, I don't gamble, so don't think it is from the casino). This has been the best start of school I have ever experienced. My students are wonderful, seriously, 7th graders can be wonderful. My children have been very happy coming home from school talking positive about the school day, so that is always good. Taylor and Colby are officially middle schoolers! I can't believe it! They are so grown up! Kennedy is in 6th grade and Marley is the big 2nd grader. She is enjoying being the big girl helping her cousin Madi get used to Rose Lane now that she started Kinder. Marley really likes her teacher so that is a good thing.
We had a weird day yesterday. Taylor got her braces put on early in the morning (see pic below) and Colby dropped her off around 10:30. Well at around 11:45 there is an all call at school asking for Mrs. Holt to come to the office. I was thinking, what the heck? I was at lunch so little bit grouchy that I had to go to the office. Well low and behold it was Taylor. She was in the nurse's office. She passed out at lunch... I guess she really is a minnie me. I am a passer outer, and we just have to adjust. I think she might have got over heated, but I still took her to the doctor. They want to run an EKG and an ECG??? I think, something like that, but heck my parents didn't even take me to the doctor when I was passing out all the time. No, but seriously, I think it was just an overwhelming day yesterday and she hadn't eaten all day. I will keep my eye on her, but I really do feel like she is okay. Life is good, and I feel really blessed.

Taylor 10 years old, first day of braces! Yikes!

Passing up Pom Poms...

Okay, I had to really think about this blog and couldn't decide whether or not I should post it. Of course we all know that Michael Jackson died June 25th, and if this is news to you, well I guess you have been living under a rock. Watching all of the news coverage of his death really gave me a chance to think and reflect on Michael. I have a story that I would like to share... when I was a little girl my parents didn't have a lot of money. Getting something from the store was very rare. Sometimes my mom would buy me some paper dolls or a Sunkist soda if I were lucky. But there is one occastion I remember so clear in my mind. I had to be in Kindergarten. My dad, mom, and my cousin Angie went to Smitty's. For those of you who are new to Laveen or South Phoenix, Smitty's was the only grocery store and it was located on Central and Baseline. Smitty's was the "one stop shop". They had everything, groceries, movie rentals, candy shop, toys, and of course records. I can't remember what I did that was so special, but I was able to pick something out, something big! I can clearly remember standing there holding the Michael Jackson Thriller album and staring at the red and white pom poms hanging on the shelf. I had to choose. I couldn't make up my mind, but I passed up the Pom Poms and my parents bought "the album".

I remember going home and listening to "wanna be started something" over and over. I don't think that I really liked "thriller" because it was scary, but I cherished that album. It was on a shelf right next to my record player. I also wore one white glove that I got from the parade. I seriously had issues :() Later came the We are the World record that was added to my collection. This has always been a childhood memory for some reason, I am not sure, but my memories of Michael don't end there.

My brother was a Michael fan too. He can still do that famous move and spin... he was really good at it. For entertainment (because there weren't video games, internet, or DirecTV) I would beg my brother to dance to Billy Jean. I would just sit back and laugh. Those were some really good days for me and Michael... I am not sure what happened to the Michael Jackson that captured a 5 year old little girl's heart, but he definitely had some charisma.

What ever happened, I am sure we will never know or understand.

However, I am understanding that Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, or like Barry Gordy said, "The Greatest Entertainer that ever lived."

I guess Michael, in death, can still capture a little girl's heart with his talent.

GO NAVY!

Well another girls camp has come and gone... of course it was a blast. As I reflect on girls camp this year, I learned a lot about myself, witnessed amazing teamwork, and once again felt the spirit of Christ.

Rejli put on an uplifting program on Sunday night, there is not a doubt in my mind that the message that night will be remembered by the girls for many years. It is special people like Rejli Woodecki and Janet Bencomo that dedicate their time and life to service, and in turn the young woman of this stake will grow testimonies from programs like Girls Camp @ Camp Lo Mia.

I watched Sister Chancellor work non stop for five days cooking for nearly 140 people, just amazing, of course she didn't do it alone, but let me tell you, she is the BOSS.:) The teamwork was extraordinary. We live in a world that is selfish and self-centered, it was refreshing to see the people helping each other out. I couldn't have survived the week without Tobie Stevens. She was my right arm. Thanks Tobie.

About learning something about myself, well again, I learned that people who are just "nice" get further in life, and if they don't get further, they are just a little bit happier. I have been accused of being too passive, but I have to say it's better here in "passive" land, I like it.

Some of my greatest memories I have are from my youth. I love thinking about Camp Lo Mia, I made a life long best friend there, Amanda Bartlett. I strengthened my testimony by embracing the words spoken by my leaders and following their example. I will be forever indebted to my leaders. It was now time for me to return those favors, or pass it on.

Summer begins...

Summer has begun!

The first day of summer, or weekend of summer, was spent with my husband. We had a blast... it was so nice just the two of us. The kids were in Texas visiting with my grandfather. They had a lot of fun. Colby's schedule just changed, he now works days and gets Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thrusdays off, it has a been an adjustment, but I think it is going to be perfect. We have spent a lot of time together, time that we have lost in the last couple of years with what life has brought us. I am definitely not complaining, life has been really good to us lately, or should I say the Lord has been really good to us. When the kids came back, we went to a couple of movies and went on bike rides every night.

Taylor on her bike.


Me posing of course on my bike.

It was awesome. This last week, we went to Woods Canyon Lake. That was a lot of fun. It was like out of the movies, it was so perfect. There was a couple of times where I felt like I needed to pinch myself. I took two naps! I am really enjoying our family and the age of my kids.


Bub at Woods Canyon Lake.

We went on bike rides, rented a boat, and did some "fishing", if that is what you want to call it.
All in all we had a lot of fun! It has been a great start to a long and restful summer...


My Husband, Officer Holt. (I love saying that :)


Kennedy enjoying her bike ride!


Marley does her "trick", isn't she so cute?


Our Family Flag... we have some more stuff to add since the last time we used it two years ago!