Sweet Home Alabama

Understanding

2011-02-28T16:32:00.001-06:00

I love my children's current understanding of the resurrection. While we were talking about the subject a few months ago, I was trying to explain that everyone would be perfect - no sickness, all body parts (hair, etc.). Camden explained what she had understood - "so does that mean that there won't be anymore stupid people?"

I just overheard Brynn talking to Camden - "Camden, that means when we're resurrected we won't make any mistakes in basketball."

We are taught that we should apply our teachings to our life. I think they have done it perfectly.

Oh yeah, Ashlen started all-day preschool today. She was thrilled!

Graduation!!

2010-05-18T00:13:00.001-05:00

The day finally came! After 10 long years of effort from all of us, Greg finally graduated on Saturday, May 15, 2010 from Athens State University. He had a brief scare when we first arrived and couldn't find his name on the program, but it was just a mistake. We applied for graduation late (unbeknownst to us) and they didn't put his name in the right category so it was left off the program. But they caught it and ran new copies of the program for our family and the family of the other guy that was left off. It turns out though that Greg's name isn't really H. Gregory Hollingshead - so there should be some more programs in the mail. Greg made sure that the announcer said everything right though. It was a nice and short ceremony. All 8 girls were very good. We are very proud and very happy that he has finally finished.

Friends and Boys

2010-02-04T22:31:00.000-06:00

I found this book that Camden made at school.

These are just a couple of the pages. The boys page is my favorite!

Jump Rope for Heart

2010-02-04T22:01:00.002-06:00

Camden and Brynn did Jump Rope for Heart today. We skipped the fundraiser part, but they had fun jumping and we had fun watching. Brynn was sad that she didn't get to watch Camden, but she didn't realize that she got to do it herself this year. The perks of being in school. To show how times are changing . . . I remember doing this in elementary school. But I remember it lasting ALL day and I remember getting a blue athletic suit out of it. My girls got a Dum-Dum.

The BEST birthday ever!

2010-01-30T13:13:00.000-06:00

Brynn turned 6 yesterday and according to her it was THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! We heard that phrase several times during the day. She had a cake decorating party which included a game of "Pin the Hat on the Chef", a little freeze dancing and decorating your own cake. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

A first for Mom

2010-01-26T13:17:00.001-06:00

This year was the very first year that someone in my own family made a cake for me for my birthday. Not only that, but they got up at 6:30 in the morning to make it before the girls had to go to school. I knew it was going to be a good day when no one woke up crying and I got to stay in bed! Thanks family.

Buddy

2010-01-25T13:25:00.001-06:00

Buddy has grown a bit since we got him as a puppy. He'd really like to be a lap dog if he could. I don't think we're big enough. I'm not sure what I expected when I got a Basset Hound, but it sure wasn't Buddy. He gets jealous if anyone (dogwise) gets any attention. He wasn't going to let Fang be the only one to hang out on Greg's lap.

Fang

2010-01-25T13:21:00.001-06:00

Greg and I decided that my dad needed a new friend. My mom warned us about giving someone a real animal as a present. If we waited for them to decide, then nothing would ever happen. Since Dad is now retired we figured it would be a good time to follow through. Mom said that the next dog they got should be small so it could stay in the house where they could give it attention. Dad has always wanted to name a dog Fang. I decided that we'd surprise them with a small dog already named Fang. He ended up being a little bigger than what I expected, but he is very sweet and calm. He cleaned up pretty well and I think they like him.

What's your favorite color?

2009-10-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

Brown?

Pink? or Blue?

Purple?

Green?

or Black?

How about a box of us?

We actually got our pumpkins ahead of time this year. We learned that we might wait a little next year - the pumpkins really didn't make it until Halloween. But it was fun to have them and all the decorations up for a little longer.

Cackling Jack O'lanterns

2009-10-24T22:44:00.028-05:00

The girls each had a pumpkin that they designed and we carved for them.

BYU in New Orleans

2009-10-06T01:14:00.002-05:00

Greg and I got to make a quick trip to New Orleans to see BYU play. They don't come this way very often so we took advantage of Grandma and Grandpa and had a weekend on our own. They did win the game 54-3.

They played in the Superdome and somehow Stan managed to get us seats right up against the wall on the 40 yard line.

Out of all those seats, we were on the very bottom and pretty much in the middle. We actually had to move back a couple of rows because we couldn't see over the players!

After the game, we took a walk down to the French Market and had our beignets. You can't go to New Orleans without that. We also got to spend a couple of hours visiting with my aunt Carol, which was nice.

Cakes

2009-10-06T01:05:00.002-05:00

For Greg (top) and a friend.

The Places We Can Go

2009-10-06T00:40:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we find our children in random places.

This is the "book corner" in the girls' bedroom. It was overrun with books covered by what seemed to be every stuffed animal we own. Apparently, it was also a comfy place to sleep.

Thanks to Kroger and a shorter shopping list, I can still take all four kids shopping and go at my pace.

Dacey just manages to find herself in all sorts of odd places.

Baby Ballerina

2009-10-06T00:31:00.002-05:00

Ashlen has been waiting until she was old enough to take dance classes, pretty much since she was born. This year was the year! She loves it! I can't wait to see her at the recital.

Grandpa's Surgery

2009-10-05T23:38:00.002-05:00

Grandpa had an unexpected back surgery this summer that put him in rehab for a couple of weeks. The girls gladly helped decorate his room while he was there.

The girls liked visiting Grandpa so that he wouldn't be lonely. But I think they also really liked the snacks they got to have while we were there!

It's nice to see Grandpa able to walk on his own again.

1st Day of School (Kindergarten!)

2009-10-04T23:16:00.004-05:00

August 10 was the first day of school and the first day of kindergarten for Brynn. She was so excited! The school puts out signs in the yards to welcome all the new kindergarteners.

We also got to go and meet her teacher and see the classroom ahead of time.

School shopping with Grandma and Grandpa is our tradition to start off the school year; that, eating out and seeing a movie! I think we add something to it each year. Except this year we kind of left out Grandma and Grandpa (only for the shopping), considering they were both recovering from surgeries!

This was actually after school. We struggle to get to school on time EVERY day, the first day was no exception! As much as Brynn enjoys school, she does not like waking up in the morning. Another way she takes after me, I guess. :)

Camden and her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Mackey.

Twite

2009-10-04T22:54:00.004-05:00

This is Twite. He was the one kitten we caught (I was going to save them all) and decided to keep. The girls really wanted a kitten.

He was very playful and could do the neatest tricks! Things like jump on your back while you were sitting at the computer, attaching himself to your thigh as you walked by, attack your feet as you mistakenly stood too close to the edge of the bed, fun things like that. Unfortunately for him, not everyone thought his tricks were fun.

Twite suddenly became our "outside" cat! I'm glad that Dacey healed quickly and nicely. Because of all the scratches, the girls were not so sad when we decided that Twite needed to go.

The Wildlife Around Us

2009-10-04T22:08:00.004-05:00

Of course, these guys are usually always around. But while they were at the grandparents' this summer, these guys showed up . . .

This guy got a little too close. I first saw him in the backyard, more specifically in Buddy's mouth! Poor guy was just a play toy. I have no idea if he survived, but he did get at least as far as this wall next door.

A Special Day

2009-07-07T11:03:00.005-05:00

On July 4th Camden was baptized. We are so proud of her and the decision that she made to be baptized. We were lucky to have almost all of our family in town to share her special day with us. (We missed you Aunt Lo, Sydney and Cash!) Camden had a lot of people come to show their support, so many that we had to move to the chapel so that everyone would have a place to sit. We are grateful to all of our family and friends that came to support her. She was also a good missionary. She invited several nonmember friends, including her teacher, who came to share the occasion also. I hope that she remembers this experience always. At least she won't forget the date!

No water?

2009-06-20T11:27:00.004-05:00

Conversation with Brynn a few moments ago:

I hear her upstairs to herself: "Are you serious? Are you serious?!"

Then to me: "Mom, the water doesn't work upstairs. It won't come on. So it probably doesn't work in the kitchen, too."

So I get up and turn on the kitchen sink. It's fine. We go upstairs to the bathroom. I turn on the light and then turn on the sink.

Brynn: "Ohhh, so it only works with the light on!"

Working our way back

2009-06-16T08:26:00.009-05:00

Our nephew Martin turned 8 in May. Eight is an important birthday because now he is old enough to decide to be baptized in our church. That is what he wanted to do, so this past weekend Grandma and Grandpa helped me out so that we could be in Arizona for his special day. Dacey got to come because she still flies free! Dad got to spend some quality time with the other girls while we were gone. This was the first trip that I have made away from the family. Everyone else has left me at some point, but never the other way around. It was Dacey's first airplane ride and she did great! At least until we had to wait on the plane for a couple hours BEFORE we got to take off. But that was the last leg of the trip home. Her usual routine was to fall asleep right before take off and sleep for at least part of the flight. The other part was not too bad. We didn't do a lot over the weekend, but what we did was fun. With Grandpa's mobility in question, there was a lot of time spent at the hotel. Adam's kids came and spent the night and most of the following day with us. All the family got together to see UP, attend the baptism and go for Chinese at Braden's favorite place. It was a short trip, but we had fun.

Dacey waiting for the plane. Getting settled before takeoff.

We had a posh ride to the hotel where the cousins were waiting for us.

At Martin's baptism.

Daniel and his faces.

What we called his pirate face.

Dacey enjoying crab off Grandpa's plate. Braden helped her get the good stuff.

Helping herself

Wondering what else she gets to eat.

Score! Thanks for not paying attention Grandpa!

So much

2009-06-16T08:15:00.003-05:00

Sometime you don't realize how much actually goes on in your life until you have to try and remember it all. Just since the beginning of May we've had a family vacation, 3 birthdays, the end of school, and another trip (those are the things I can remember!) Check out all the posts because I don't think one big blog barf is the way to go this time!

Things I loved today (Sunday)

2009-05-04T10:02:00.004-05:00

* Dinner someone else cooked AND paid for!
* Raspberries on a cute baby belly.
* Dessert
* The joy of simple things to my children. Who else would have such enjoyment come from running around the house with a helium balloon?
* The look of happiness on Dacey's face because of the balloons floating by her. Or when she is playing on the bed. Or when she's playing in the bathtub. Or... this list could go on.
* Backrubs. I am always up for a good back rub, but I am not sure that I am too the point that I will take whatever I can get. For instance - Ashlen was sitting on my back yesterday and was rocking back and forth. Out of her mouth: "Mom, I'm just rubbing your back - with my bum bum!"
* My family!! :)

Ashlen's 3!!!

2009-04-26T22:42:00.005-05:00

Ashlen turned 3 on Tuesday, finally . . . after asking for her cake or her party for a month! She wanted a strawberry cake. I never was really able to determine if she meant the flavor or the shape. So we had strawberry everything - cake flavor and shape and frosting, ice cream, fruit, outfit. I think that covers it all. She was just excited it was finally for her.
As soon as there was something to put on, she was in it!And then she immediately changed. This is what she wore to Brynn's dance class and out to eat after.When she got home it was right back to the cheerleading outfit. I believe it was her pajamas that night!

Can there be anything cuter?!

2009-04-26T22:20:00.005-05:00

Dacey got a pony for Christmas. She loves to jump around in it - when the mood is right! Her latest trick is standing up anywhere and everywhere. Her favorite place is right at the top of the stairs. Lucky for her, she has 3 older sisters that will either help her or tell on her! She may not feel so lucky in the future.

I realized this week that she had enough tufts of hair to make 2 ponytails! She added the cheesy grin! All we could do was smile.

It's All About Choice

2009-04-17T00:03:00.004-05:00

Brynn has some strong feelings about her hair. She feels strongly that I shouldn't do it. With that kind of attitude, we've had some rough mornings. I have even ruined what was going to be the best day of her life . . .ever! A couple of times. I have also tricked her into thinking having her hair done was a good idea. It didn't last long.

Don't you want to cry with her?

Needless to say, she was not happy with the results!

But when she gets to choose how it's done it's another story. . .

She cracks me up!

Going Up?

2009-04-16T23:28:00.005-05:00

Dacey has learned how to crawl up the stairs. She is quite good (and speedy!) I'm just not looking forward to the inevitable. What goes up, eventually must come down.

Compliments

2009-04-07T14:29:00.002-05:00

Children have the best compliments because they are simple and honest. They say what they mean. Brynn was telling me about her old dance teacher last night while we were waiting for Camden.
Brynn - "I like my old dance teacher. She is nice. I like her face and stuff."
We like Brynn - her face and stuff. :)

Too Young?

2009-04-07T14:15:00.003-05:00

Are my girls too young to think about boys? I would say not. But I like the way they think.
Camden was getting ready for school this morning and put on a shirt that had a small keyhole in the front. She came to me and said: "Mom, I think that you should pin this up." I asked why and she explained, "I sit next to Hunter and I sit across from Brandon, so . . ." I told her that her shirt was ok but if she thought it would be better then of course, I would pin it shut for her. She thought it would be better.
Brynn thinks about boys too. She insists on wearing boy shorts. There are really no other kind that will do. She likes to have her shorts go at least to her knees, if not longer. Boy shorts it is!!
See, they aren't too young to think about boys. They also aren't to young to understand what we teach them about being modest. I hope that this rides through the teenage years. It'll be one less battle that I know we'll have to face. My girls are the best!!

Birthdays and Love Days

2009-02-15T21:44:00.011-06:00

We've spent a lot of time in the past couple of weeks celebrating. With 3 birthdays in a week, Chinese New Year, and Valentine's Day, what else could we do? I even had the courage to let Camden have a friend over. I just to realize that the house will never be "clean" and if we wait for that day before having friends over - my kids won't have any friends! They had a blast, especially with dress up. You never know what creations are going to come out of the boxes under the bed! As I said, 3 birthdays in a week. Mine first, then Brynn's, then Grandpa's. Since Brynn is in preschool, she got to bring a treat. She chose white cupcakes with blue frosting. She also wanted chocolate because that's the kind her teacher likes. Here she is with her cupcake and her birthday outfit.

Right after her preschool "party", we were off to Camden's school to celebrate Chinese New Year. We had to wait a little for the dragon parade. I just thought Brynn looked cute in this one.

This is Camden's dragon for the parade. Pink, of course!

This is how Dacey has spent many of our events. Here she slept through our family birthday dinner at Carrabba's, but she had the same pose for Chinese New Year and Brynn's birthday party.

How Brynn's Cake Came To Be:

Mom: What kind of cake do you want?

Brynn: A Castle

Mom: (a few months later) What kind of cake do you want?

Brynn: A fire truck

(Mom comes up with a great plan to get fire hats and go to the fire station because that would go with her cake.)

Mom: What kind of cake do you want?

Brynn: A castle.

Mom: You ruined all my plans! We were going to go to the fire station since you wanted a fire truck.

Brynn: The fire truck was for Dad. I wanted a castle. Mom, you know we can still go to the fire station even if I have a castle cake.

(But I had already come up with cake and everything so now I had to work it all together.)

Mom: What if your castle cake was on fire, then you could have a fire truck come save it.

Brynn: Castles don't catch on fire.

Mom: Yes they do, they have kitchens, fireplaces, etc. What if a fire-breathing dragon comes and attacks the castle?

Brynn: The prince would save it.

Mom: What if there was more than one dragon? The prince couldn't get them all.

Brynn: The guards would help him.

There was no convincing her that the castle could indeed be on fire so that there could be a fire truck. Finally, I just told her that her cake would be a surprise! She was fine with that.

Poor Dacey was not feeling good. She probably didn't even enjoy the Doritos that she managed to find and snack on while I was busy creating a cake!

See, I told you that a castle could catch on fire! And the firemen have back up - on horse back.

She was pretty happy with the cake when all was said and done.

This was a great party! We met at the fire station. They let the kids climb all over and through the truck for as long as they wanted. Then they took them on a tour through the station, gave them brief fire safety talk, let them play again, sounded the siren and we were done. Didn't cost us a thing and I don't think we could've topped it. Then back to our house for cake and ice cream. Had the cake not been so unstable, we would've just gone to the nearby park, but . . .

A cute sister-to-sister moment.

Dacey finally has enough hair to put into a small ponytail.

My valentine from the girls - completely done on their own. (Well I had cut the heart for other purposes). Aren't they sweet? They gave me candy and flowers.

We "heart-attacked" Daddy and our neighbor across the street.

They just like to be goofy!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! We Love You!

On an ending note- the idea of actually wearing Tinkerbell panties seems to be the ticket. Ashlen has decided that being potty-trained will work for her. It only took a few days and a few accidents. Yay! Ashlen! Now if e could just figure out what the mysterious knee pain is that has her crying in the middle of the night - EVERY night! :(

Adventures in Arizona (among other things)

2009-01-18T22:03:00.009-06:00

On the day after Christmas, we packed up Grandpa's "big van" and took off on a trek across the country. Destination - Maricopa, Arizona to visit Uncle Adam, Aunt Karina and the kids. Greg was fortunate enough to have to work, so he got to fly. The rest of us spent 2 1/2 days traveling 1800 miles. The girls were terrific! I don't think I can think of any complaints that any of us had about the drive (other than it being 1800 miles!) I can mention that we have put away the new Tinkerbell, Ariel's Beginning, and Sleeping Beauty DVDs that we got for Christmas. I think that maybe the girls could recite them by heart if asked. But the trip was great. We got to spend time with my brother and his family for almost a week. The kids had a terrific time together and of course, didn't want the trip to end. This was the first time in about 3 years that all of the family has been together at one time. We are glad that Adam and Karina were willing to open up their home to 8 travellers so that we could come visit.

While the trip there and back was an adventure, we had a few other adventures in between and since we've been back.

We went to visit on "Old West" town called RAWHIDE. We got to see a gun show, ride a stagecoach and burro, and end the evening having a taste of the desert - RATTLESNAKE!
Everyone waiting for our appetizer of RATTLESNAKE!
Brynn, Ashlen, Camden & Braden
Daniel
Martin, Grandma, Grandpa & Dacey
Grandpa with Dacey

The RATTLESNAKE

Everyone was brave enough to have a bite. Actually, all of the kids wanted seconds! I don't remember snake being on the do not feed list, so even Dacey got to have a taste!
Karina and Adam

We got to venture out on our own (remember we came with Grandma & Grandpa) and go visit Greg's Uncle Jay and his wife Jennifer. They were kind enough to let us come visit with only a day or so's notice. Greg hadn't seen them since he was 14. Of course, the rest of us had only seen pictures. We got to visit and go to lunch with them. The highlight for the girls was the orange tree they had in the backyard. The girls got to pick their own oranges to take home with us. They were so excited that we ended up with 3 bags full!

Uncle Jay, Greg, Ashlen

Camden, Jennifer with Dacey and Brynn

I helped Dacey pick her orange.

Ashlen working hard to get hers.

Brynn showing off her pick.

Camden picking the grapefruit size orange that she found and was so proud of.

ADVENTURES AT HOME

Ashlen's hair is always an adventure. We're never quite sure how wild looking she'll be each day. This morning was particularly fun. She had a nice combo of bedhead and static. I don't think the picture quite does it justice!

We were mouth-open amazed at how different she looks without curly hair.

DRESS UP IS ALWAYS HAPPENING AT OUR HOUSE

Even Dacey is not left out of the fun.

Who knew what could be done with poncho?

SUNDAY NIGHT WRESTLING MATCHES WITH DADDY

Brynn getting her game face on!
Poor Daddy never has a chance. He'll always be outnumbered!
Dacey was referee

Last, but not least - Brynn started preschool this week. She was so excited to go to school and have a bus with her name on it, her own tote bage, and to finally get to use her Spongebob lunchbox that she picked when Camden went back to school.

Family Pictures

2008-12-06T22:17:00.004-06:00

At the end of September, my parents took us to have family pictures made. They did the same thing with my brother in Arizona in August. This is a big thing because the last family picture I know of taken with my parents was when I was a baby. So out of the adventure we have pictures of all of us with Grandma and Grandpa, just our family, just the kids, each kid, and just Greg and I. I don't think we've had that since our wedding! I'd like to say it was fun, and it was . . . for the first 15 minutes, maybe. Then the beast in Ashlen was released! She just wanted to play, not pose. She cried anytime we tried to get her in the pictures. I recommend Portrait Innovations to everyone. In spite of her drama, we still ended up with some good pictures. As matter a fact, Ashlen's picture was probably the best one, just because when the photographer did get a smile, it was real! These pictures were what we chose from and aren't the final prints, but they're still nice to share. Can anyone tell me how to rotate pictures on here? Sometimes it does it automatically, but sometimes you get the following results!

Dance Class

2008-12-06T21:48:00.004-06:00

We got to visit Camden and Brynn's dance classes this week and take pictures. It looks like we love Brynn more, but this is not the case. Camden's class was on Monday, which falls into the category of 'all pictures taken before Tuesday are GONE'. I say again- GRRRRRR! But, rather than dwell on what I don't have, I can spotlight Brynn.

Brynn tends to dance to the beat of her own drum. We've noticed dance class is spent doing things her own way, but as she has pointed out, she never gets in trouble and she always listens. Apparently that doesn't mean that she always does what they say. Some good family fun!

A Few Firsts

2008-12-06T21:22:00.003-06:00

These are just a few pictures of a couple of firsts for Dacey. You can see why I feed her just about anywhere besides her high chair. She fits it as well as Camden did when we first got it. To celebrate her 6 month birthday (6 months already!?), we decided that it was time for Dacey to finally have her first bath! This does not mean she has never been bathed! She has taken several showers, but I think that everyone would appreciate the lack of pictures of those events! She wasn't too sure what to do at first, but just hanging out in the tub-in the tub with her sisters seemed to be ok. Poor thing, she doesn't get to experience much by herself like the older ones did. I guess that's what happens when there are three more always lurking around.

GRRRRR!!!! I have just experienced the joy of losing pictures! I guess this is my first! You WOULD have been able to see the very funny pictures of Dacey eating her high chair tray because that's where her mouth reaches, except you can't because somehow all pictures taken before Tuesday are gone! Now I could recreate the eating the tray scene, but there is NO WAY I will ever capture the face she made just as I took one of the pictures. That was the one I was excited to share! :( They make everything else so hard to figure out, deleting pictures should be too, just so you have a chance to save them! I have a feeling that I will be remembering a few other events/pictures that are now gone and will not be feeling very happy!

All The Rage

2008-11-09T15:35:00.009-06:00

From reading other blogs and posts, etc. it seems that going to the ER was all the rage so we decided to join in. Words of advice . . . do not let your little ones try to cook pancakes when they are only 5 months old. As excited as they might get and however much they want to help (cook or eat), this is definitely not a good idea. The result? A sad baby with a burned hand, a trip to the ER, and wound treatment for several days. Once Dacey got over the initial pain and received a blessing, she has been great! Her poor little chubby hand that I love - it is getting special treatment everyday and she gets to have a mitt for a hand to hit me with. Dacey has been amazing. By the time the doctor at the ER saw her, she was laughing and talking. The only time she seems bothered by her hand is when the therapist is cleaning it, even then she doesn't cry every time. Today she entertained herself during the process by gnawing on her helper's hand. I'm just thankful it wasn't worse and that it doesn't hurt her.

After the ER

After a couple days of treatment. We still have about a week to go, maybe.Not so happy to be here.

We spent the day with cousins in Nashville to watch the BYU game. The exciting part for all the girls? Touchdown chocolate! Although the thrill was gone once the reeses cups were. It's just fun that we can drive a little and be able to have fun with family.

Hangin' with Uncle Stan

Camden seems to lose a tooth each time we visit. She now has what Greg calls an "Alabama Smile" She is so excited and has informed me that until she has teeth again, she needs her apples sliced. And not just one slice like I like to do.

Ashlen would probably do just about anything for a "sucka"!

Meet the Flintstones

2008-11-02T19:22:00.001-06:00

For the 8 years that we've been married, Greg has wanted us to dress up for Halloween as a family. This year he finally had an idea early enough that we could try to work with. I am not the seamstress, but I managed to make everyone's costumes (except my own). I even made a hat for Bam-Bam. The girls loved their costumes and being a part of their own pretend families. So. . . meet the Flintstones and the Rubbles.

Bam-Bam
Betty

Barney

The Rubbles in full gear on Halloween.

Fred

Pebbles

The Flintstones (Camden practiced her photography skills for this one!)

Since the Young Men didn't do a haunted house or spook alley for the Trunk-or-Treat this year, Greg finally got to decorate our "trunk" like he has wanted to. Here is the final result. Notice the deceased . . . Troy and Gabriella won't be around for a HSM 4 at our house!

Brynn was not too sure about subjecting Troy to this display. She could've cared less about Gabriella!

We took full advantage of Halloween festivities this year, but it was too much effort to use our "real" costumes every time. Here is our cowgirl rounding up her cattle, the bumblebee and our knight in shining armor for the fall festival at the YMCA.

Dacey playing dress up!

GOT MILK?

MEOW!

Is there a better way to say Happy Halloween than with a rice crispy treat pumpkin? I didn't get to carve a real one with the rest of the family, so here is my contribution.

These are the few pictures I tried to post last week and did not succeed. But they were too cute to forget about. One, or a few of my favorite things about Dacey are her chubby little fingers and toes. Can you tell which is which?

I tried holding off on the cereal so that Greg could be home to take the "first time eating" pictures. Well, Dacey was hungry! So here are the pictures I took of me feeding her for the first time! Not too bad for either one of us.

That's a lot for one time, but since I never do anything with the hundreds of pictures that I take, I'm finally taking advantage of the opportunity to share them with others. Now if I only let others know that these pictures are here.

Assorted Poses

2008-10-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Dacey's standard sleeping position.
We wonder if she is trying to figure out why she ended up in our family. Maybe it's just better to hide. They say we're sisters . . .
It wasn't for another two weeks before Dacey really tried to get herself over again. All the inbetween was spent practicing and napping.
The joy of success! I think the smile was more for me than excitement of rolling over. The bigger girls get more excited when she rolls over than she does. Now I can't leave her on the couch anymore.

Annual Fun Run

2008-09-28T16:37:00.000-05:00

Every year the hospital hosts a Fun Run for school age kids. Camden started running it 3 years ago and we've added in a kid each year. This time we added Greg to help Brynn Camden is not much of a walker or a quitter. Even when there was a pile up in front of her that took her down, she got right back up and kept going. Dad couldn't keep up with her. Of course, he had just run the course with Brynn.
Brynn was ready for the run in her brand new basketball outfit. We got two of them and we couldn't keep her out of them for a few days. I tried to convince her that they were dirty, but she wouldn't hear of it. I believe her exact words were "Mom, real basketball shirts smell like pee when they're clean!" Needless to say, she had to wear another outfit until I did laundry.
Ashlen was not about to miss out on the action (or t-shirt)! She joined the run near the end - right where parents had to leave their kids to let them finish on their own. She had to cross the finish line whether she wanted to or not! She was proud of her ribbon.
We had some sweaty girls when it was all over!
Dacey has decided that it would be beneficial to spend some time upright these days, so I pulled out the exersaucer to see how she fit. We still have some growing to do, but the bigger girls enjoy playing with it in the mean time!

Mission Accomplished

2008-09-20T23:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight was the night for dear Dacey. I've been wondering when she was going to roll over, or even get the thought. But after teetering on her side every now and then, she did it! Of course it was right after I said, "Look Greg, she's going to roll over." And of course right after I said that, I took two steps into the kitchen and pretty much missed the whole thing! But I was right, she rolled over! Roll on, Dacey! Pictures will have to come later. We didn't have our camera, so it's all captured on Grandpa's.

Hondo

2008-09-14T21:39:00.000-05:00

We've been without Daddy for almost 4 days! The first night I almost went insane. I don't know why, I'm the one usually with the kids. Greg went to Utah to bring home the "Hondo" as Brynn calls it; Aunt Lo's car that is helping in our efforts to reduce costs in our household. I think Hondo will have to be its new name. Sorry Ivy, you're a man's car now!
I just have to say how great it is to live near family, especially the grandparents! Especially grandparents who really like to spend time with the grandkids! Having Greg gone wasn't so bad since we spent half the time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa. We didn't have to be home and they bought us food. I love that my kids get to spend so much time with them. Maybe we take advantage of them at times, but they love it! They say no when they want to.

The Girls

2008-09-10T16:30:00.000-05:00

We're lucky to have four beautiful girls! It's amazing how different each one is in looks and personality!

Camden - 7 years old

She loves to dance, sing, read and ask questions. She is definitely our "sensitive" one. She's the one who looks the most like Daddy.

Brynn - 4 1/2 years old

She loves to sing and dance and play with boy stuff, whether it's the boy version or actual toys for boys! She's our "independent" one. She's the one who looks most like Mommy.

Ashlen - 2 1/2 years old

She loves to do whatever any of her sisters are doing - sing, dance, gymnastics, make a mess... She is the most stubborn one. She looks the most like a mix of Camden and Brynn.Dacey - 3 months old

She loves to eat, sleep, swing, lay, and smile. She is our "easy-going" one at the moment. They all were at this age. She doesn't really look like any of the rest of us! Maybe she's the true Hollingshead?

I Love Technology. . . (think Napolean)

2008-09-10T00:05:00.000-05:00

Here I am giving into the new age of technology and I can't get it to do what I want it to do! I figure this is how I learn about some other families - so here we are! Hopefully we can update regularly. This is really just a test. Check out the cool cakes Greg and I made for a one year old's birthday last weekend.