Pillow Fort!

One of Holden's new favorite things to do is play in the couch pillows. Every day he asks me to put him "up" on the couch at least five times throughout the day- so he can bury himself and hide in the pillows. (So as you may have guessed, my couch frequently looks a mess...) And he just squeals and giggles the whole time. He's such a goof.

Peek-A-Boo!

King of the Pillows!

he just loves it.....

stinker.

we even try to hide under pillows on the ground sometimes....

and if not hiding under, bouncing on the pillows is the next best thing!








so easily entertained :)

happy guy♥

Nothing says "I love you" like heart-shaped cookies

I love baking. And since we were in the middle of moving all during the Christmas season, I didn't really get a chance to bake nearly as much as I would have liked to. So I made some Valentine's Day cut-out cookies.

And no one enjoyed that more than Holden :)

cookies♥

look at that ornery little grin...

such a sweetie

our little Valentine♥

"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination." - Ward Elliot Hour

I know that all the snow and ice can be such a dangerous burden. But sometimes, if you have a chance to just pause and really look, I think it can also be extremely beautiful.

Lately, I can't get over how pretty all the trees have looked. Just covered in snow.

And I'm not usually a fan of too many snow/nature photos. But all the trees just looked so pretty this morning - their branches all all formed into snow-covered icicles. I just had to take some pictures....

a soft and snowy world, wrapped in serene stillness

enveloped in powdery silence, draped in clean white

silent monuments of time – great trees – swaying and dancing
through storms, steadfastly enduring the icy frost. now fully
covered, yet still they stand. a living strength.

stark and graceful branches, sparkling icicles in morning light,
twisted and reaching ever skyward

a shining silver sun in a cold blue sky. twinkling, crystal covered
branches. a silent and beautiful reminder of God’s awesome Creation.

a gift so often overlooked.

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." - Mother Teresa

Our gift♥

Boots!

Holden got some really cute little green alligator rubber boots for Christmas. And of course, they are a bit big, so he can wear them for more than a week :)

But we tried to put them on one day to play outside in the snow, and he cried the whole time they were on his feet. He didn't feel steady so he wouldn't try to walk in them = tears.

Since then, we've been looking at them and playing with them a lot, to help get used to them. And then Mommy got herself some rubber boots (sidenote: I can't wait for gardening season :) ) and Holden got to watch Mommy wear her boots and then put Holden's boots on him..... and he's doing much better!

A week or so ago, when we were blessed with a few days that weren't so bitterly cold, we even went for a couple little walks outside in our boots! And he did great :)

The Boots!

Both wearing our cool rubber boots and going for a
walk around the yard... lazy Saturdays are the best♥

Feeling steady..... not afraid to stand/walk all by himself now!

There he goes!!

Such a big boy :)

The "Helper"

We have been slowly redoing the walls in the living room of our new home since we moved in. And I am very excited to someday post before and after photos for everyone to see - just as soon as there's an impressive "after" :) But, needless to say, Holden has been a bit more of a hindrance than a help with the whole process.

But the other night he was climbing around on the little ladder in the room and just looking very much like he'd like to help. And Mommy was wishing he could... 'cuz then maybe she could help too (instead of just keep Holden out of the way all the time) and then maybe it would all go faster if Daddy wasn't the only one working on it..... sigh..... such is life. But it's coming along.

And Jared is doing a great job. He actually primered all the woodwork last weekend, pretty much all by himself. I only got to help for like an hour while Holden napped - then I helped by keeping Holden out of the wet paint. But Jared got the whole room painted with the first coat. It's just too bad there's only one of him.... :)

our "helper"

looking a little ornery....

climbing!

stinker♥

"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen." - Winnie the Pooh

Some of the best times in my day are when I don't have to try to multitask anything and I can just sit down on the floor and give Holden all of my attention. He really is a very happy boy and most of the time, if I'm doing something and he starts to get unhappy, it's just because he wants Mommy to pay attention to him. Not really too much to ask for...

So after dinner the other night, Daddy had to go to band practice, and Holden and I were just playing. And he was being so cute, I decided to take some pictures. He was just being such a ham. And he's so much fun to play with now. He just understands so much more and tries to do new things. He was definitely entertaining Mommy :)

loving on Indy.
Holden just gets up, goes over, and pats him all the time now :)

Playing with the pull-toy he got for his birthday.... well, "carry"toy sometimes

Trying to put the "shell" on the "snail's" back

Got it to stay!

And this is our new favorite..... sitting on our toys....

...and now sitting on the "shell" part..... silly boy.
(it's even better when he tries to sit on his ball. hehe...)

Taking a break for a second - looking so big.

Showing Mommy where his hair is

And his belly :)

He needed a tissue, but he just looks so sweet I can't help it♥

"Youth comes but once in a lifetime." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

At the end of December, I celebrated my 26th birthday. And it was a very nice birthday. Jared invited my family over and we all had pizza and cake :)

And I don't feel especially old or fearful of growing old. I have a wonderful life. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful son - whom I get to stay home with every day of the week. We just bought a house and I can't wait to fix it up and make it our own, plant a huge garden this spring, and just watch Holden grow up here.

But for some reason, I read that quote above, and it just struck me. It struck me how true it is. How I'm always looking forward to the next thing in life, planning ahead, mapping things out. And I rarely ever take time to just be wholly content with where I am. And I think I may be missing things because of it.

No matter what I do, time keeps moving forward. And it seems to be moving quicker and quicker. I never noticed that as much as I do now. With Holden. How fast he grows and changes!

Six months ago he had just mastered sitting up by himself. And now he's a little person. He walks and talks. He has a sense of humor. He gives kisses. He "reads" books. He can't sleep without his special Blankie. He knows he'd rather have applesauce than green beans. He knows the milk is in the fridge and that's where he goes when he wants some. And I can tell that he understands much of what I say to him.

And it amazes me. I can see phases of his growth beginning and ending. And I can physically see how fast time is going when I look at him.

And it struck me today that the "time" that's flying by when I watch Holden, isn't just Holden's time. It's my time, too.

It's not as noticeable. We don't change as quickly. But that's why it's deceptive.

Our time is flying by, too.

And that is what has affected me. Not the growing older. Everyone does. It's not an age which I specifically fear. But, I guess, the end of things.

And I know that's useless and ignorant. All things must come to an end. Babies grow up, youth fades, loved ones go.

It's useless to worry. And so I refuse. But that doesn't mean I have to look forward to it, either.

From now on, I will be praying for awareness and contentment of the present. Because it really is a wonderful present♥

26!

The Birthday girl and her cheesy Buddy :)

The pretty necklace that Megan made me! Crafty sister.....

My big card from Jared :)

Better than any present♥
12.29.09

A Pint-Sized Buckeye

We went over to Mimi's (my mom's) to watch the big Rose Bowl Buckeye game. Holden even got in on the excitement. Haha....

The jingle bell that Mimi kept calling his Buckeye bell.
He was supposed to ring it when they did something good.
Mostly he was just being a silly boy :)

Wearing Daddy's hat

"Watching" the game :)

The Mower

For Christmas, one of Holden's cousins got a little vacuum cleaner that can be pushed around. And this was by far the coolest thing Holden had ever seen. It's all he wanted to play with that day. (We had to take it away to get him to open presents.)

So we decided that we would definitely have to get him something he could push/pull around.

A few days later, we had another Christmas celebration.... and Holden got a mower from Grandpa and Nana! Hooray! It's just perfect. Now he pushes/pulls it around all day.





These were just one morning. We came downstairs for breakfast and the first thing he went for was, of course, the mower :)

stinker*

dead end

here he comes!

♥