Cute or Ugly?

Snow Day!

Today when we woke up it had snowed, about 2 inches! Our school system thought it was way too dangerous for the buses to drive about on the wet county roads, so we had a snow day. Yea! We love snow days, they are the best! Brian had to run off to work so the family did what families do on snow days....play in the snow. Check it out.

Our Angel making a snow angel

Our new Holland...it's a snow girl, not a snow man

Sledding, everyone had several trips up and down the hill

After work Brian was able to join the family at the sledding hill.

Youth Group Logo

Our new youth group logo. Pretty cool don't you think?

Congrats!!

Today was a good day. Hospitals are not my favorite places to go. I really don't like going except when it is to go visit a family that has just delivered a baby. Today I went to visit one of our church couples in the hospital. Chad and Erin where seniors in high school when I first came to Chapel Pike. These many years later I've got to watch them get married and now give birth to their first child, a baby boy named Cohen. He is amazing. I'm so excited for them. It's even a bigger bonus that I got to hold him before Jaye did. We often race, Jaye and I, to see which one of us gets to hold the new babies in the church. It was so much fun listening to them talk about Cohen. They are going to be great parents. I was listening to them tell me about the trip to the hospital, the hours of labor and the excitement of birth. I was reminded of when Jaye and I had Jessica. All that waiting, the anticipation, the excitement of wanting to "see" your baby and the joy and love that you learn you have once you hold that little one in your arms. It was a good day.

American Idol 2008

Our family has been watching American Idol for a couple years now. We've enjoyed the show. To mix it up a little last year we held our first idol competition. We took turns picking from the group until all the idols were "drafted". The winner of the competition was the person that picked the winner of the idol show. Well, last years game ended like this; Wesley 1st place, Jessica 2nd, Jaye 3rd and I had come in 4th. That set this years draft, Wes picked 1st, Jess 2nd.....and so on.
Last night the show had already started before we got a chance to pick (pizza party, we didn't get back early enough: Bekah hope you made it home in time) so we were rushed. The first guy was gone before we started picking....so he was out. I don't think any of us wanted him anyway. We hurried through our drafts and here is how they came out. Just to let you know we like to pick nick-names for each contestant. We assign them as the show goes on but some have already earned them.

Wesley's picks: Amy Jean Davis-kicked out last night, Michael Johns, David Hernandez, Kristy Lee Cook, Kady Malloy and Colton Berry="Nathan" (he looks like a guy that used to go to our church)

Jessica picks: Chikezie ="mustard" because of that horrible suit he had on, Danny Noriega = "he/she", I think Danny and Ramiele Malubay are the same person. Jessica also picked her. David Archuleta. We all like this kid. We hope he goes far, he is really lovable. Alexandrea Lushington="suspenders" and Jason Yeager.

Jaye's picks: Brooke White (I wanted her but Jaye got her before I could) Jason Castro=smiley "dreadlock" boy, Robbie Carrico, Joanne Borgella- kicked off the show last night and Asia'h Epperson.

Brian's picks: I think I have the strongest team :) Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson="tatoo", David Cook, Alaina Whitaker, Amanda Overmyer= "rocker girl" or "skunk girl" and Luke Menard.

This year is going to be different as far as how we pick the winner. What we've done is assign a point value to each person. The first person kicked off is worth one point, the next 2 points all the way up to 24 points. That way the people (me) that have a good team that might not go to number one still has a chance of winning. What do you think? Any ideas that might help the Holland Idol tournament? We'd be glad to consider changing the rules, as long as they help me win.

Pizza Party

Last night we attended out first JR High Sunday School pizza party. A good time was had by all. Me and Jaye along with my co teacher, Bekah took our JR High Sunday School class to Brooks Upper Crust Pizza. The food was great, I'm going to heat up the leftovers for lunch today. Yum. It is really fun to hang out with the teens outside of church. I think they had a good time? I was excited to treat everyone in the van to a donut as we left the church parking lot. I noticed that my wife had spun a couple on her way in to the parking lot. Nice work Jaye :) I'm looking forward to our next Jr High Sunday School outing, an suggestions? ~Brian

What a Good Morning Surprise

Look what I woke up to this morning!! Our kitty had kitties!! We've been awaiting this day anxiously...well, the girls in the house anyway!! We noticed last month that Tito was putting on a little weight. Then it was quite obvious that it just wasn't her winter coat. We figured the "crime" had occurred while we were in Florida and she was alone in the house with her "mate".

Anyway, this didn't at all play out like I imagined it. I figured I would have more of a role in this whole thing. But...I went to bed and she was pregnant...I woke up and we have four kittens. Hmmm, must have been a pretty smooth process!! Funny thing is this all happened on the floor by Joseph's crib. This kid wakes up when he hears the doorknob to our bedroom turn but he sleeps thru the whole birthing process right under his crib!!!

Well, if anyone is in the market for kitties we'll have some for you...2 pure white ones (the twins is what I call them), 1 mostly black w/some white and 1 mostly white w/some black.

Black one getting bathed.

"Miley" getting her bath...Anna's been naming these.

This Weekend

This weekend our church welcomed several new people into membership. Among those becoming members were two Hollands, Jessica and Wesley are now full members of the Wesleyan church. It was a cool weekend. ~Brian

Winter Pounding

Last night after watching the news the Hollands prepared for one of the worst snow storms of the year. We did the normal stuff, milk, eggs and bread from the store. Gloves, hats and scarves set out for the trip to the mailbox or some snowman building. The kids went to sleep all jazzed up knowing that the morning would bring a fun filled day of snowball fights, fort building, sledding and building the favorite giant snowman.
The professional weather forecaster said that it would start about 9 pm, bedtime. So about midnight, after falling asleep on the couch, Jay Leno woke me up. I peeked out the window on the way to bed, NO SNOW. Well, the weather folks must have missed the timing a bit because when we woke up and ran to the window we were greeted by grass peeking through the skimming of snow that we received.
Those guys/gals on tv have no idea what they are talking about. I wonder if they go home after a long day of lying to us and laugh. Do they work for the big bread/eggs/milk companies. "We've not sold enough milk this month, call the weather puppets and have a fake snowstorm. Stat!" They must be in cahoots with the school bus drivers too. Check this out, very little snow, roads are wet and NO school today. I will enjoy the day with the kids. Fridays are my day off so that's a good thing. But come summer when I think my kids should start summer vacation they will be making up "Snow Days" because the milk companies didn't sell enough milk.