News of the Holmes

Well, a lot has happened since I have last posted. JC got layed off and is now working in Salt Lake roofing. It has been hard just me with the kids but I gotta do what I gotta do. I am scheduled to be enduced on March 30th so the countdown has officially started. 26 days!!! I am still working at the school 3 days a week. When my younger two are at preschool I go work. It is nice and will help out a little while we figure out what we are going to do. Damien's birthday is this week. He will be 4 on Friday. I can't believe it. He is really excited. Anyway... I will post soon.

Back to the Hospital

Well, this weekend has been a scary one. I went back to the hospital in preterm labor. They gave me shots and pills to stop it. I am fully effaced so it is getting scarier for me. I still have 8 weeks left so we are happy any day goes by and nothing has happened.
JC also got laid off at his security job so we are looking for work. It has been a very draining weekend but we are hoping things will start to turn around.

Nativity

I have been meaning to post this for a long time. Kyra and Damien had a nativity in preschool and here are some pictures from that. Damien is a Shepherd and my little Kyra was a cow. She had her choice on what she wanted to be and she knew she wanted to be a cow. I had to be really creative with this costume. The bottom half is actually part of a Scooby Doo costume and then the rest is things I could find around the house. At the time I had to be on bed rest so I am pretty proud of my creativity. They loved doing this. Have you seen happier kids ever? Well, maybe but not ones dressed like a cow and shepherd.

30 weeks and counting.

Well, we have hit the BIG 30 week mark. I am so happy to be here. I have had some rough patches along the way and now things are looking good. Little Bethany is doing well and we are so excited to meet her. She is going to be crazy I can tell. She doesn't stop moving and she is always punching or kicking something. JC wants to film my stomach since it ripples like the sea waves. We'll see what she brings to the table.
The kids are doing well. I have a lot of stories and pictures to share. I will be doing that in the near future. Until then.....

Our scary week

Well, a lot has happened this week. I had to be rushed to the hospital with contractions. I am only 22 weeks and so that was really scary. They gave me some shots to stop the contractions and some medicine to take home. I did that and I was still having them. I had to be put on stronger medicine and that is what finally did it. I was also on bed rest for the week. It was awful. Now I am doing o.k. but I still have to watch what I am doing. On a good note though JC has a job interview with Beaver county jail and if he gets it we will be making $9.20 more an hour. So we are really hopeful. Anyway, that is our last week in a nutshell. Hopefully it won't happen again.

I can't believe I forgot

Well, I can't believe I forgot to post a picture of my kids for Halloween. They were so cute and I tried really hard to get all the curls and make up just right (makeup on a 5 and 3 year old. That was never going to be perfect.) Damien was an Army man (costume bought by grandma) and I was going to camoflauge him but he is so dark it wouldn't have been worth it. He loved being an Army man. Kyra was Tinkerbell. As soon as she put on the costume she came to life and batted her eyelashes all over. (her costume was made by grandma.) Olivia was Cinderella. She got to wear her costume to school and was so excited. (costume also made by grandma.) They had a great time and JC and I have enjoyed sharing in their candy. It was fun to watch them get so excited. I can't imagine what Christmas is going to bring.

The Explosion

Well, we have has an explosion at the Holmes house. My belly has exploded to more than twice it's size in the past two weeks. I don't know what's going on here. I talked to my doctor yesterday and he said that was bound to happen since I didn't gain any weight at the beginning. I am now 20 weeks and going strong. JC and Olivia have both felt the baby and it get more and more real. I can't believe we are going to have 4 kids. I have almost filled up the Durango with children. I will post a picture soon of my expanding nature. We have decided on a name. She is going to be Bethany Ann Holmes. Time is flying and I can't wait to meet her. Other than that things have been going well. My birthday was simple and we didn't do much since we have no money but being with my kids and husband was the best present. I can't believe I am 26. I don't feel 26 and people still think I just graduated from high school. You wouldn't believe the looks I get when I take all the kids out and am pregnant. You know they are thinking "Hussey." I don't care though. It gives me a good laugh. Especially since Damien is black. :)

The baby is...

Well, for those of you who don't know, we found out the sex of our new little baby. We are having another baby girl. I thought for sure this one was a boy but we were pleasantly surprised to find another Holmes girl is on the way. We haven't thought of names. We had a boy named picked so now we are back to the drawing board. The really good news is she is healthy so far. They couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and all my blood work showed she is fine. We don't have to buy anything either so that is also good news. The kids got to be there for the ultrasound and were so excited to see the baby moving around. So, just wanted to share the good news. YEAH!!!

The changes....

It has been along time since I last posted. One reason is due to the fact that I think no one is actually reading it. But, I decided that I should write this stuff down anyway since I don't keep a journal (a New Years resolution.) There has been a lot of things that have happened. We have been really busy here in Milford.

1. I am about to turn 26. Am I ready? Yes, I think I am. I am taking this better that 25. I am hoping for a lot of good things in this 26th year.
2. I am 17 weeks along with this pregnancy. I am really happy because I am barely showing so I am proud of myself. JC is still shocked.
3. Damien has graduated to a big boy bed. He is in a twin bed and actually in his own room. He is so excited and is doing quite well also.
4. Olivia can read. She is reading books sent home from kindergarten. I am so proud.
5. Kyra knows 23 out of 26 letters of the alphabet. She also knows most the sounds. She is picking things up so fast.
6. JC is still working as a security officer. He looks really nice in his uniform. :) If only it were military. :)
7. We are getting a wood burning stove put into the house so we might actually get heat this winter. That will be so nice.

We are doing well here and hope things are well for others.

Hide and go seek

Well, this is a very funny story but it doesn't show the true smarts of the Holmes children. Yesterday JC and I decided we would play hide and go seek with the kids. It was parents against children. Well, Jc and I were winning so we decided we would hide in some easier places for the kids. We went in our room where I hid behind the pillows on our bed and JC hid behind the door with a shirt on his head and he was looking out the arm hole. The kids come down and start running from room to room searching for their parents. We are peeking at each other and just laughing. After about a minute of searching the kids come back in our room. They then start jumping on the bed. I am right there on the bed with them and they don't notice me. They also look behind the door and see the floating shirt and don't put 2 and 2 together and eventually go into the living room and call "ollie ollie oxen free. " So Jc and I come out. I walk out and the kids start screaming and ask where I was hiding. JC comes out army crawling with the shirt on his head and they don't notice him until he is in the middle of the room. Talk about oblivious. So then JC and I take our turn and Kyra decides it will be a good hiding spot to put a shirt on her head and army crawl in front of the stairs. JC and I start laughing when we see her and pretend she's invisible until he pops out to scare us. Poor kids. They don't have a career as an investigator of anykind in their future. It was fun though.

10 weeks and all is well

Well, I had another doctor appointment yesterday. It was the best appointment ever. We are told that I am no longer high risk. My uterus is no longer wedged under my pelvic bone. It popped out and he did an ultrasound and the baby is fine. It was really scary for awhile. I kept thinking that any day I would lose it. So yeah... I am all free and clear. So, I am 10 weeks and so far so good.

Rusty Rooster Preschool... HOORAY!!

Well, today was officially the first day of preschool for Kyra and Damien. They got so excited to put on their t-shirts and head to school. How the morning dragged to 8:30. I took off work early to take them to school. They had their bags of school supplies and were ready to go. The preschool is on a farm and so there are animals everywhere. Ducks, chickens, geese, cats, dogs, horses, goats, and others. Kyra was out exploring and found a kitten and carried it around nonstop. She and that kitten are best friends now. Damien was helpful in getting out the chairs and supplies needed to get school going. Since Olivia had gone there they had an idea how things worked so it wasn't too bad. They were there for 2 hours and will go 3 days a week. They said they had fun but I am not really sure what they did. They have been singing the rusty rooster preschool song a lot today though so I am pretty sure they did some singing. Oh yeah, there are only 6 kids in this preschool so that means a lot of one on one attention. School is in full swing at the Holmes house.

One great year...

Well, it has been officially one year since we went to Ethiopia and adopted Damien. How time flies. I can't believe it. I thought that it would be appropriate to put some pictures of him on here to show his time line with us. Damien, we love you and are so happy you are part of our family. Here are the top 10 things we love about Damien.

1. He is obsessed with the movie cars and any toy etc that has any characters from that show on it.


2. His big juicy lips that cover your cheek in a kiss.


3. He is the fastest kid I ever met. He told me be is going to the Olympics and I told him to bring mommy the gold.


4. How fast he learns things. He knows his colors and some shapes. Not bad for a kid who didn't speak English.


5. He loves to be with family. Immediate and extended.


6. He loves to try new things. Very adventurous.


7. He is very good at playing with his sisters and he loves them too.


8. How he still rolls his r's when talking.


9. How he loves to cuddle mom and wrestle dad.


10. How much we love him and are so happy he is in our family. We love you Damien and are so grateful to have you in our family.

Kindergarten... here she comes

Olivia had her first day of kindergarten. She has been bugging me for weeks wondering when it would start. So finally the big day arrived. She was up at the crack of dawn and ready to go. She couldn't wait to get her backpack on and head out. I got a job at Milford Elementary and so we walked to school together. Then we went to class and she met her teacher Mrs. Davis. Olivia was like an old pro. She put her backpack up and got started on her first assignment of coloring an apple. The day went well and she couldn't wait for the next day. She loves school and we get to walk to and from school together and she tells me about her day. I can't believe she is in Kindergarten. How time flies. Good job Olivia, we are so happy you love school. Next step: Kyra and Damien to pre-school.

The Beauty Pageant

So, I swore I was one of those moms who would never put their child in a beauty pageant. Well, not only did I put one girl in it, I put both my girls. I am not going to do this every year but I thought it would be a good opportunity for the girls and just something different for them to do. Olivia and Kyra had their moment in the spotlight and shined brightly. Kyra was in the age group 3-4. She was really nervous but she got up on stage dressed as a miner and sang her song "16 Tons" with all her might. JC and I were so proud. Then she dressed in her Ethiopian outfit for the dress competition and twirled til her little heart was full. She did so well. The judges gave their choices and Kyra didn't win. We weren't surprised. The judges knew the other mom and their kids won. SHOCKING Oh well, she did well anyway. Kyra did get a crown though. Then Olivia was up for the 5-6 year olds. She got up and sang all the words to "These Boots Are Made For Walking." She had on bright pink boots and when the song ended she started marching all over the stage. Then she wore her Ethiopian dress and twirled all around. The judges picked the winners and no Olivia didn't win either. Both girls had fun and were so proud of themselves. JC and I were so proud of both our girls. They got over their fears and did awesome. Too bad the judges didn't see them the way we do. Great job girls. We are so proud and we love you.

Mountain Fever

On Wednesday Jc and I decided that we wanted to go to the mountains. We got everything into the car, including our 2 dogs and off we went. It had been awhile since we have been to the mountains even though they are about 5 minutes away. Well, when we got there the roads were all sandy and my car was not happy about it. Plus because of the fires we had 2 years ago most of the trees were gone so it was really hot. We turned around and decided we would drive tot he Beaver mountains which are about 40 minutes away. That was so much better. The temperature started to drop and it was like driving through Big Cottonwood Canyon. We chose a path and went off roading a little only to find we couldn't stop because there were cows everywhere. I wasn't going to try to have a picnic with the cows. Plus our dog Aussie, she's an Australian Shepherd, was going crazy in the back of the car. She wanted to get out and herd them. So we kept driving up the mountain. We finally came to a really nice area that had trees and was just beautiful. We stayed for a few hours and really enjoyed ourselves. Olivia even caught a grasshopper. I also think the kids like peeing outdoors. :) All in all it was a fun trip. The kids want to go camping next.

I didn't fall off the face of the Earth

I know it has been awhile and it seems like I have fallen off the face of the Earth but surprise here I am. I have had so many things happen that I don't even know where it begin.
1- I am pregnant again. So far this pregnancy is going a lot smoother than the one I lose so I am a little more hopeful. The doctor is keeping a close eye on me. The kids are really excited. Olivia wants me to name it Tinkerbell and Damien has chosen Lightning McQueen. I will take those into consideration but I don't think they are going to make the cut.
2- JC and I are very excited summer is starting to end. We don't have air conditioning so we have been slowly melting. Fall come early if you can.
3- We have a new dog. It is a Dachsund aka weiner dog. She is 7 months and pretty good. Olivia named her Tigerlily. I call her Tiger and she is the complete opposite. When we walk the 2 dogs we get a lot of strange looks. Our other dog is a big Australian Shepherd.
4- Olivia and Kyra are going to compete in the Little Miss Beaver contest on Saturday. Olivia is going to sing "These boots are made for walking," and Kyra is going to sing "16 Tons." It is going to be a riot. They are really excited. All the girls get a crown if they win or now. Pictures to come
5- Olivia is going to Kindergarten this coming Monday. I can't believe my little girl is going to school. I feel like I just graduated and here I am sending mine off. Where does the time go?
6- Damien and Kyra are going to Rusty Rooster Preschool soon. They are really excited. It's where Olivia went and they are ready to learn. What am I going to do with all my time?
7- I have a new calling at church. In addition to being a Relief Society Teacher and visiting teacher I am seretary of the young womens. In Milford it is very common to hold more than 1 calling. There just aren't enough members here.
8- I spoke in church on Sunday. I was the concluding speaker and I thought that sacrament got out at 12:00 when it actually gets out at 12:10. Yes, I got us out 10 minutes early. I even cut my talk short. This pregnancy is making me stupider. :)
All in all that is my life in a nutshell. I will post about the pageant. It will be a lot of fun. Hope all is well.

The return on JC

It has been awhile since I last posted and I apologize. There are a few reasons for this. The main one is that JC has come home from Oregon. He is now home and we have been really enjoying him. We didn't realize how much we missed each other and this kids really missed him. We have been having family time. I have also been painting our house and trying to make it look nice. Plus the continuous yard work. It has been a busy time for us. But I just wanted to explain what has been happening.

Happy Birthday Olivia!!

Well, last month my oldest daughter had her 5th birthday. It has been surreal to me that I am old enough to have a child this age. I can't believe she will be going to kindergarten and my other two children will be going to preschool. Her birthday was a special one. I threw her a Luau for all her friends. I made grass skirts out of brown gorcery sacks and we played pin the beak on the flamingo. Everyone has a great time. One thing that didn't go well was the wind. Milford is known for their wind and it wasn't an exception either. We had the party at my friend Kendra's house where one of the rooms just happens to be orange with pink flowers on it. (She just moved in and hasn't had a chance to pain this room. It worked out for me though.) The hula hoop contest was also another highlight. Her cake was also flamingo. Later, we had another party for her in Salt Lake. The family party was much simpler but just as fun. This party was a princess party and we all got high on suger thanks to Costco. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.
Here are some things that I love about my daughter.
1. She is a great big sister. She has taken care of her siblings and wants to have more. She loves Kyra and Damien.
2. She is a great teacher. She learns something and can't wait to teach all of us about it.
3. Her giggle is so contagious. She can make anyone laugh.
4. She loves to spend time with her family. Family time is one of her favorite things.
5. I can see a lot of me in her. It makes me happy and nervous all at the same time.
6. She is a special little girl and I am so happy to have her in my life.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA! WE LOVE YOU!

An ER visit, a car crash and more

Well, we have just returned from our trip to Salt Lake. We had a lot to do while we were there. We had 6 doctor visits, 2 birthday parties, mothers day and a temple trip. SO much to do in so little time. We did get to see JC for 4 days but he is once again in Oregon working. So, while in Salt Lake we had a few things happen. First, we were on our way to the temple for my sister-in-law, she is going on a mission, and JC, my father-in-law Joe and brother-in-law Robert were all riding together in Joe's car. Joe's brakes gave out and we hit a car on our way. No one was imjured, it was barely even a fender bender. The cops said the accident was unreportable. We missed the temple completely. The next day I was taking the kids to my mom's house and as the kids were getting in the car, Kyra shut the car door on her fingers. I rushed her to the ER thinking she was going to need stitches or maybe even have a broken bone. Luckily everything was fine. On another day I had to get a stool sample from Damien, the real highlight of my trip let me tell you. We found out he has a parasite, brought over from Ethiopia, and he is now on medication. Let me just say that carrying around a cup of your childs poop should be example enough of how much we love our children. Those are some of the highlights of my trip. I was really happy to get home. I do miss my family but nothing beats your own home. Things aren't any calmer here though. Hopefully my next trip up North will be a little calmer.