Thursday, October 26, 2006

A Picture You Have to See

There is a picture you just have to see! It was taken by Bobbi Jo Brooks, a former co-worker of mine from Mission to the World (www.mtw.org) and it's on her blog. I just can't get the picture off of my mind. It is so beautiful and unique. All of her pictures are great, but the one I'm referring to is the first one - the orange leaf. Check it out: www.bobbijobrooks.blogspot.com or you can just click on the link to her blog that is on the left of this page. Hope you are having a great week!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Grateful Friday


Nolan Glenn Holloway was born on Wednesday, October 18th, just a day shy of his due date. He ended up being born via emergency c-section because his heart rate started dropping drastically with each contraction. I'm happy to report that mommy and baby are doing just fine, except of course for the painful recovery that comes with having a baby, and especially a c-section delivery. He is absolutely gorgeous! He has a beautiful head covered with fine dark hair and precious long fingers with fingernails that already need clipping! Isn't it amazing what all goes on in the womb? God even thought about fingernails! He weighed 8 lbs., 7 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. I'm grateful for this new life and for a safe delivery.

And I'm also grateful for:

- A night out with John
- John's mom offering to babysit before we even asked her
- Mother's Morning Out which usually allows me to get out of the house and work at John's office but this week allowed me to spend some time with Meredith and to meet baby Nolan
- A caring, loving family
- John David's jibber-jabber - makes me smile throughout the day. This week he said umbrella, stroller and ball... I have witnesses!
- John David's friendly spirit - he loves to say hi to everyone he sees, especially in the grocery store or Wal-Mart type places. It totally makes people's day and keeps a smile on my face while I respond to their compliments on what a sweet baby he is
- A day out of the house with Karla and Jacob
- A trip to the beach with my parents planned for next weekend. It will be John David's first time to see the ocean and the sand (other than what's in his sandbox!)
- Good lessons and reminders from the book of Ecclesiastes

Friday, October 13, 2006

Grateful Friday


Can't believe it's Friday already! Here is my list of things for which I am grateful:

1. Time I spent with my Mom today.
2. Opportunities to help some people and a renewed interest in seeking out those opportunities.
3. A good time at a Sunday School Fellowship last Friday night with new friends.
4. John David's relationship with his grandparents.
5. New life - Aaron and Kate were both born this week.
6. A thoughtful husband and the sweet gifts he brought home from a run to the drugstore to get medicine for my aching back (a crossword puzzle book and a magazine on digital photography tips).
7. Crossword puzzles.
8. My brother's sense of humor.

Car, Eat and Brushing Teeth


"Car" and "eat" are John David's words of the week. I'm sure about his mastery of the word car, but I'm not sure that he is really saying "eat" when the sound comes out of his mouth. But it is usually after I ask him if he is ready for breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc., that he responds with a nod and the sound that resembles "eat". He jibber-jabbers all day long and sometimes I get so tickled at what comes out. Sometimes it sounds like very complicated words that I'm pretty sure he can't really say...like elephant...and zebra. But it's usually when we are looking at pictures of these animals that the sounds come out! So either I'm hearing things or I have a child prodigy on my hands. I like to think the latter is the case! (I don't really think he's a prodigy, but I do think he can communicate well for being only 13 months old...hope I'm not being an annoyingly proud mama!)

Other words he says throughout the day include but are not limited to: hi, dog, mama, dada, out, what's that, thank you, door, bye-bye, and night-night. He enunciates some more than others, but he definitely knows what he is trying to say. For example, he doesn't exactly say "what's that", but the inflection and cadence of his voice communicates exactly what he is asking. And sometimes when you answer he says "oh". It's the cutest thing!

John David loves to brush his teeth. He cut his first tooth a week before he turned 5 months old and now has 8 teeth that fill his smile. So we've been brushing his teeth for quite a while and now he loves to do it by himself. Everytime we are at the sink and religiously after bath time he wants to brush his teeth. And of course we let him! Even if it is more for the taste of the toothpaste than his quest for good dental hygeine, we encourage it.

He still hasn't taken his first step but I know it's just about to happen. Everyone seems very eager for him to walk. The way I see it, Lord willing, he will walk the rest of his life so what's the rush? He's hard enough to catch on his all fours.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Grateful Friday


There is a blog that I love to read and I don't even know the author personally. But I love the way she writes and what she writes about. Every Friday she posts a blog entry entitled "Grateful Friday". (There is a link to her blog on the left of this page - Four Sweet Peas.)I think it's a great idea to list the things for which you are grateful. So I'm going to attempt to post a "Grateful Friday" blog on Fridays. Here are the things for which I am especially grateful...

1. John and his unconditional goodness.
2. John David's health, growing cuirosity and budding personality.
3. My Mother-in-law for offering to keep John David overnight for us.
4. My Mother for offering to keep John David while John and I attend a couple's Bible study.
5. Old friends.
6. New friends.
7. Good things happening to former co-workers (one got married, several are dating seriously, and one is pregnant after a long wait).
8. Cooler weather.
9. Going for walks in cooler weather.
10. Tennis.
11. Bloggers whose posts challenge me to be more positive and challenge me to be a better person.
12. Jesus' unconditional love for me.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

John's Birthday


John's birthday was September 24th. Karen, Travis, Susan, Michael and Malachi came over after church to celebrate with John. I played in a tennis match and missed most of the afternoon, but John enjoyed being with everyone. And of course John David loved having his cousins over to play!