Baby Holman has arrived!

Jett Eric Holman arrived Sunday June 6th at 4:23pm. He is 8lbs, 11oz and 21 inches long. His Mama and Daddy are thrilled to have him here. My day started bright and early on Sunday with a 6:45am text from Kari telling me that there would be a baby arriving sometime that day. Since little Jett had made it clear that he was going to come on his own (he was a week late) we didnt rush up to Greeley. We went to church, had some lunch and then went North at about 2:45pm. We made it up there in time to see the proud papa come out to the waiting area and announce the birth of his first son. It was such a tender and precious moment. Tears streaming down the faces of all of the family who have waited and prayed for this new life. Kari is doing very well. She was a little tired but in very high spirits! Here are just a few shots of the new baby. I cant wait to see more of him and kiss his little face. Congratulations Kari and Chad. We love you guys.

Graduation

It finally happened! Mark graduated from Metro State College on Sunday May 16th. It was a wonderful event filled with friends and family. I didnt expect to be emotional but I was. I dont think I actually cried, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me! But when I saw him walk accross that stage my heart was full of love for my husband. I felt like a proud Mama! And the Mom's were proud, that is for sure! After graduation we had a family BBQ. It was such a nice afternoon. The weather was beautiful and the food delicious! As you will see in the pictures, even the dog had a great time! Marks aunt and uncle from Ohio were here to celebrate with us. Its such a joy when we are with them. After the BBQ was over we had some of the family over to eat and visit. Uncle Mark rented The Graduate. My Mark had never seen it. We thought it was fitting. So after a long day of excitement we rested our heads on our pillows and reflected. The last 11 years have been filled with ups and downs. Doors closing and doors opening. But God has brought us here. To this wonderful point in our marriage. I know God will lead Mark to the perfect job. It wont come without a lot of prayer and maybe a little frustration. But we pray that it will happen quickly and that Mark will enjoy the next phase of his adult life. Thanks to all of our friends and family who have prayed us to this point. I know that the praying wont stop, the message in the prayers will just be different. Enjoy the pictures!



By the way...I just want to send a Happy Anniversary shout out to my sister Hollie and her Hubs Brandon. On May 16th they celebrated their 2 year wedding anniversary. I love you guys soo much!

Hello Spring

I made a liar out of myself on the last post. I said I was back...that was 2 months ago. Hmm, I really should get better at this someday. Anyway, baby update is neccesary. Ethan James Mellema was born on March 12th. He is adorable and is growing so fast. Kolby Matthew Knill was born on April 15th. His older siblings adore him. This month I await the news of the arrival of baby Jett Holman. My cousin Kari is ready to meet this little bundle due on Memorial day. And then comes baby Saige Thomasma to round out the summer. What a fun time it has been and will continue to be with the newest additions to our families.

I was driving home from work yesterday and it FINALLY felt like spring. The grass is green and the trees are starting to bloom. The smell of fresh cut grass lingering in through my window (which, thanks to the beautiful weather was in the down position)made me happy. I love this time of year. Everything is new and fresh. This is our first summer in the house and the kids are out in full force. Also out in full force is the ice cream man who insists on driving by right after I have had my dinner. I find it very coincidental that he come around right as I am craving my after dinner sweets. It's like he knows me. I think he stalks our house. He sees that adorable puppy sitting in the door and drives by extra slow. I want to yell out "Keep it moving sir, there aren't any children in this house"! Oh well, so far I have managed self control. Or could it be that we dont keep cash in the house? Either way, no ice cream truck visit for me. Last week we made a huge purchase and bought me a bike. Mark bought a really nice one when we graduated high school. I have not had a new bike since I was about 12. So it was time. Unfortunately we live in a wind tunnel and have not been able to ride all week. I am out of shape and have not been on a bike in years. The last thing I need is mother nature going against me. I am really looking forward to getting out in the sunny afternoons after work and riding our bikes. Mark thinks we can build something to carry Dutch in so that he can participate. Obviously we live with different dogs. The Dutch I know would have to be belted down. Mark disagrees. Anyway, I will definitely post pictures if the opportunity arises. In the meantime, I will leave you with that visual.

I'M BAAAACCCCKKKK

Hello blog world, its me! I know that its been quite some time since I have been here, blogging. I got frustrated trying to load some pictures the last time I was here. Apparently that turned into a long hiatus. But its a new year and I am ready to get back into it.

We have officially started baby watch 2010. Angella and Steve are expecting baby boy Mellema any day now. I am beside myself with excitement for them. Today (fingers crossed) Laura and Cordelle will find out if they are going to be having a son or daughter. My dear friend Amber is a mere 5 weeks away from her new son and then we kick off summer with my cousin's new son on Memorial day. My heart is overwhelmed with love for all of these women...and men :). There is nothing quite like the feel and smell of a newborn. I was able to meet Kaley Nicole minutes after she was born and the joy was something I will probably never know again until my own children are born. The work it takes to carry a baby to term and then bring it into this world is something I didnt know much about until I had friends who were having babies. I want to congratulate all the people in my life who have had babies, and who are about to experience parenthood for the first time. I love you and I pray for you, all the time.

Reality Check

I have not been shopping for clothes in...a while. Its of course due to my not losing weight. I really need to lose about 50 lbs. I have been wating to do this for some time now. I even tried weight watchers before the wedding. I took what I learned from weight watchers and I have tried to apply it to my daily food intake. Obviously I am not trying that hard but the things I learned are constantly in the back of my mind. Anyway, this really is a funny story... So today, I went to Target to get some food for lunch (healthy food of course) and I thought, why not browse the clothes section. I tried on about 10 things. A few were ok, but I didnt LOVE anything. I really cannot actually purchase any item without a friend there to tell me that it looks good. So everything went back. But, before I could take it back, I had to get it off my body. Have you ever had that moment when you have been able to get a shirt on, and you cannot get it off?? I had that moment 3 times today. I almost got to the point with one shirt where I thought I should scream for help. Arms over my head and everything. I even tried to reach for my phone so that I could document the trauma with a photo. Then I relized, I dont want that memory. I finally got the darn thing off and my face was a lovely shade of redish pink. I was exhausted! And then to not even buy anything...its a tad sad if you ask me. But, the good thing that happened to me in that dressing room was this...I must get back to thinking about my health. After the very recent and unexpected death of one of my bosses, I have been relaizing that there is more to this life that I am not experiencing because of my weight. And I dont want to live this way anymore. My boss and 2 fellow co-workers have recently joined a gym together. I passed on the opportunity. I have been the girl who spends money every month on a gym membership, only to stop going after about 4 visits. I am not sure what is going to work for me. I know I am a very unmotivated person just in general. Not just with exercising but with about everything. I need to figure out what will work for me and do it. I know Mark will do whatever I want. He is easy that way. I just need to get there. Somehow. My Mom mentions to me that she is afraid of what will happen when I get pregnant. I cant afford to gain anymore weight on my 5 foot frame. I know this deep down in my knower. I just dont like to think about it. This last weekend My Mom and I went to a womens confrence. Beth Moore was the speaker and she is fantastic. The entire weekend was based on Psalm 37. It was about the desires of our heart and how we deserve those things and how God wants us to have those things. We just have to lay them out before him and he will answer our prayers. I know we dont always get what we want, but I need to re-think what the desires of my heart are. Over a year ago, the answer would have been marriage. I got that. I finally got that, and I am married to the man I have been in love with for over 10 years. I also know that I want to be a MOM. More than almost anything in this world I want to know what it feels like to be a Mom. To raise a child and lead them in the way that they should go. After todays debacle in the Target dressing room, I realize that my health should be a desire of my heart. Meaning, taking care of myself, should be my desire. God wants me to take care of this body. And I have failed him. So I am going to take all of the circumstances of the last week, and turn my heart around. Get to know what is truly important. Give God my desires no matter how small.

House and Mini Getaway

Well, I can start this off with good news! We have the new tub and it is firmly in place. Now Mark can begin drywalling and getting that bathroom put back together. Mark started his final year of school yesterday. We are so excited to see what God has in store for us after he graduates. The house is coming along. I need to start hanging my pictures that the house can start to feel like home. Right now it still just feels like a shell with people in it. I am ready to make it feel a little more like us. Here are a few pictures of the last few days before move in. Dad Euser was busy priming our walls. He is looking lovely.

Next is a picture of our room.

The plastic was still on the floor but you get the idea. I have not taken many more pictures since this one. I will do that as soon as I get some stuff on the walls. :)

This last weekend Mark and I decided to take a leave of absence from the house and go on a mini trip. Kevin (Mark's youngest brother) works at Rainbow Trout Ranch, South West of Antonito. Its about a 5.5 hour drive from Denver. This is his second summer as a wrangler and he seems to be enjoying this summer job. Since the summer is quickly winding down, we decided to take a visit to see Kevin. We wanted to see what he did all day and experience life on the ranch. We left Friday after work and after some very annoying traffic, we arrived at about 11pm. Dear dear Kevin waited up for us so that he could take us to our cabin in the woods.

Breakfast was bright and early Saturday morning. Obviously these people dont know me. 7:30 am breakfast??!! Hmm, these people have not met me. I dont do anything before 9 am on the weekends. Especially after a late night drive the day before. But I bucked up and we were at the lodge for Breakfast, on time.

We dined on breakfast burritos and coffee. The best I have ever tasted. I could have sat and eaten them all day. But, we were on a schedule and needed to meet Kevin for our morning horseback ride.

Kevin took us on the river ride. I think he mentioned that it was one of the more favored rides. We got to walk in the river and get soaked! It was a blast. The ranch has a dog named Mudflap. We are not sure of her breed but boy is she sweet. She likes to go out with the first ride of the day and that happened to be us! What a treat! She loved to swim in the river and chase any, and I mean any stick we would throw. She was a little thing but she wanted to prove that she could handle the big guys!

After our 2.5 hour ride we made it back to the Ranch. A little more sore than when we left...I am still sore in places I didnt know had muscles. But, well worth the pain. Kevin was a great leader. We had some time to kill before lunch so we got cleaned up and headed back to the lodge. Kevin was able to eat with us. Grilled cheese and tomato soup. One of my favorite combos! We were able to meet a bunch of kids that Kevin works with and they seem to just adore him. After lunch we sat out on the huge wrap around porch and just let the scenery take us away.

One of the reasons we came to the ranch this weekend was for the rodeo. Kevin has become quite good at ropping and we wanted to check out his skills for ourselves.

After the rodeo, we hiked back up to the lodge and did some more sitting. It was so nice to just sit and close your eyes and let the mountain air just cover you. At 6:15 we headed down to the park by the river for a steak dinner. It was sooo good. Of course as soon as we were all seated th rain came. We ate fast and loaded up to get back to the lodge. At 8pm we had a sing along. The fire was roaring and we sat around and sang some old classics. Home On the Range was of course a favorite. Afer the sing along and talent show (the kids love to perform) we said our goodbyes and headed to bed. Kevin gets Sunday off so we knew he would sleep in right past breakfast. It is at 7:30 afterall. Mark and I joined a few of the other guests for our last meal together. Home made cinnamon rolls and hashbrowns. YUMMY! I dont know that I have ever tasted something so great. After breakfast it was time for us to hit the road. We wanted to beat the mountain traffic back to Denver. Luckily, we did and we were home in the early afternoon. We had a great weekend with Kevin and we are so thankful that we had the chance to go. He is in his element down there, and its a great sight to see.

Frustration

I know, its been forever since I have been on here. The house certainly keeps us busy every minute of the day. Since my last update we have moved in! Thats right, we finally live there! Not a single room is complete yet but they are getting there. The main bathroom renovation has hit us with some setbacks. Its very frustrating to have set backs when you are on such a tight schedule. Mark starts school on the 24th and we really wanted the bathroom to be done by then. Its not looking so good now. First we were sent a purple/sage window trim kit. We ordered white. I had been having dreams that we ended up with a purple tub. And would you believe it, that happened! It wasnt the tub but it was purple! So we had to send that back. Now today, Mark went to put the tub in, and its cracked!! I blame myself for not checking it sooner. Its been sitting in our garage for a couple of weeks now. Mark just took that back and we have a new one ordered. Wont be here for 10 days. You can imagine how upsetting that is. So now the bathroom project is on hold. Not the best of days but we will get over it. I guess I should look on the bright side...now Mark has plenty of time to get the "little" things done. Maybe I can get some pictures up on the walls soon and start making that house feel like home. Right now I feel like I am staying in someone elses house. Its kind of strange. I am charging the camera so that I can post some great "after" pictures. Stay tuned!