Friday, December 10, 2010

This time 3 years ago. . .




I can tell you exactly what I was doing this time 3 years ago. I went shopping with dad and Meg at Target. Meg got very frustrated with me that I was being a wimp because it hurt to walk. We ate at Furr's for dinner. Jimmy finished Hunter's nursery by putting together the bookshelf and a few other little things that needed to be done. I never imagined that in just a few hours I would wake up to a big contraction. Sweet memories. Three years ago tomorrow, our lives as a couple ended and a new chapter began with our sweet baby boy.



Saturday, November 6, 2010

Fun in Fall 2010


We've just been having fun lately at the Holloway house. There's no real rhyme or reason to these pictures, they just make me smile. I adore these boys!

Hunter decided to put on his daddy's shoes and socks (first picture) then he wanted to add his Tech jersey (second picture). He is constantly making me laugh!!

Hunter and Tanner's first bath together in the big boy bathtub. Hunter loved helping me bathe Brother.

It seems like all of my pictures of Tanner are in the stroller or car seat. Here's my clean boy. I love clean sugars from my frog prince.

Tanner rolled over on his 4 month birthday. He is a stubborn kid and won't do it for the camera. We were working on it here. His eyes are beautiful!

Thursday (11/04) Tanner had his first rice cereal. He didn't love it but it sure was fun!

I love it when my boys match. These jammies make this momma very happy! These boys make this momma swell with pride and joy and love.

Halloween 2010


Hunter is the cutest puppy dog I've ever seen!

Tanner my Tiny Giraffe.
Hunter wore this costume his first halloween. He was 10 months, Tanner is 4. I've got a big boy!









Saturday, October 30, 2010

Those Holloway Boys are Growing!



HUNTER JAMES:
Hunter is growing like a weed. He is so smart and curious. He weighs 30 lbs now. He's our skinny boy!
  • He loves baseball. He can play for hours. I am so impressed with his hand-eye coordination. He likes to hit and pitch. He hits the ball, throws the bat down, and yells, "Homerun!" He cheers for the Rangers every time they are on tv. He chants "Let's Go Rangers" while clapping (and sometimes spinning too!)
  • He loves books and cars. He enjoys watching Dora and Mickey Mouse Choo-Express and Road Rally.
  • He is a back seat driver. On the way to church the other day, he told his daddy to "drive with both hands." He also likes to tell us to "go" which doesn't always work because there are other cars around. He knows that red means stop and green means go. He likes to tell his daddy to drive faster.
  • He loves "mac'n" (macaroni and cheese). Anytime we ask him what he wants to eat, that's his answer. Lately, he has been telling us "Me not like that" before he tastes it. Stinker!
  • His new game is getting as many blankets and pillows as he can and pretending he is in a train, boat, airplane, helicopter, etc. He often wants one of us to ride with him.
  • He adores his baby "bruddah". He loves helping and tends to stay right in Tanner's face. The other day, he made a boat in our room. I had put Tanner in his vibrating chair while I was busy doing something. I looked away for a second and looked back and Tanner was no longer where I set him. I found him in Hunter's boat. It scared me to death and first but then we got a good laugh out of it. Hunter was very careful when he picked brother up and moved him. (He showed me how he did it!)
  • Hunter says the funniest things. Here are a few of his recent sayings: "What you do that for? (All questions end in "for" right now") Example: H: Momma, what you doing? Me: Talking to daddy (on the phone) H: What you talking to daddy for? Me: Just telling him I love him. H: What you doing talking to daddy on the phone telling him you love him? Ha! Also, "Are you happy?" We hear this especially when he thinks he is in trouble. At lunch the other day, he got in trouble for something and he asked his daddy, "Are you happy?" Daddy responded, "Yeah, Buddy, I'm happy." Hunter then asked, "Why you talking to me for?" (meaning, why are you talking to me like I'm in trouble?) It is so hard not to laugh when he says things like that when he is supposed to be in trouble!
  • Hunter is a potty trained boy! He won't even go in his pull-up on road trips. We have to pull over on the side of the road for him to go.
I am so in love with this kid. He is a joyful kid with a precious giggle and love for life. God blessed us beyond anything we deserve with our Hunter. We are blessed to be his momma and daddy.

TANNER STEVEN:
Tanner is our chunky monkey. At 4 months, he weighs 13 lbs 11 oz. and is 25 inches tall. He has great big eyes and long eyelashes. His smile lights up his whole face. He is a content boy and patient. Lately, he has had a big meltdown about 9:00, but it isn't too bad. He is a momma's boy right now (I hope that doesn't change too much!) He rolled over (front to back) for the first time on his 4 month birthday. I probably tried 20 times to get it on video, but stubborn boy wouldn't do it again. He enjoys his bouncer and swing and loves being held. He sleeps like a champ. He's a big boy with great thighs and cheeks. He is a long boy. He wore a Halloween onesie that Hunter wore at 1o months and it was only a tiny bit too big! He's got long feet too. What a joy this boy is!

I am one proud momma of two beautiful boys!

Fun Times with the Holloway Boys

We have been some busy Holloways lately. Life is so much fun with our two sweet boys. We love our down time but we also love doing things that Hunter gets so excited about. Here's just a glimpse of some of the things we have been up to over the last month or so.

ABILENE ZOO AND GRACE MUSEUM:
Mom's fifth graders went on a day trip to Abilene and was so blessed to be able to make it a family trip. Jimmy, Hunter, and Tanner made the trip with us and we had a blast at the zoo and playing in the Children's museum at the Grace. Hunter really felt like one of the big kids!

Hunter's giraffe face. He loved standing on the bridge and feeding the giraffes his crackers.

Hunter climbing inside the tree at The Grace Museum's children's area.

I love this picture! Daddy and Hunter driving the trains at the museum. Hunter made Daddy wear the hat.

CORN MAZE AND PUMPKIN PATCH:
We went to a birthday party at the Corn Maze. While we didn't go through the big maze, Hunter did enjoy going through the kid's hay maze. We loved going on the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. Tanner was a trooper like always. We got some good family pictures for fall.

SOUTH PLAINS FAIR:
We always do our "warm-up fair" before we hit the State Fair. Hunter did much better this year. He loved riding the rides and seeing the sites. He got pretty tired while we were there, but had fun nonetheless. He really seemed to enjoy the turkey leg and lemonade. Smart kid! I can't believe how big Hunter is getting!

Momma and Hunter getting ready to ride the train.

I have to admit, I teared up a little watching this tiny guy get his carpet and climb up these tall stairs to go down the big slide ALL BY HIMSELF. I don't know if momma is ready for him to be such a big boy.


This warmed my heart and made me smile all over. Hunter and Daddy on the Ferris Wheel.

This picture is one of my all time favorite pictures of Hunter. He is gorgeous!

This boy has loved tractors since we was a tiny guy. We always have to stop and
"drive" several tractors while we are at the fair.

I am just overwhelmed with love and joy to share my life with my 3 boys. I am so blessed. Thank you God!

Texas State Fair 2010

We took our annual trip to the Texas State Fair recently. I love the fair and I hope my boys will love it as well. It was hot and crowded but we had a great time! As always, the food was great. I think Tanner got a little overstimulated but did great. We can't wait for next year!

Tanner in the stroller. Check out those cheeks and that double chin!

Daddy and Hunter at the car show.

Hunter really loved driving the cars. We may be in trouble! (I love this smile!)

Momma and her favorite 2 year old

Hunter in the railroad exhibit.


Check out those thighs! It was so hot we had to take off his pants. I can't believe how big he already is!

Brother love

Hunter loves the merry-go-round

So big. He had a great time riding the roller coaster and other rides in the kids area.

My sweet Tiny T.

We are so blessed to have two flexible boys who go along for the ride whatever we do. Hunter loves life and gets so excited. We are just flat out blessed to share life with our boys. Thank you God!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Tanner at Two Months

Well, now that Tanner is almost 3 months old, I will update this thing with his two month info. He is such an amazing baby. Content, unless he's hungry or sleepy. Easy! We are all just so in love with him. He makes faces all of the time. He constantly has bubbles on his lips or his tongue is sticking out. When he smiles, his whole face lights up and we melt into big puddles. He sleeps great, waking up about 3am and goes right back to sleep. He is just an angel and his momma, daddy and big brother adore him.

Height 23 inches (75%)
Weight 10 lbs 8 oz (25%)


Hunter's First Day of School



Hunter is now in the Two Year Old class at Trinity Learning Center. He loves it! He goes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He is learning so much and growing so fast. He likes being able to go upstairs with mom before and/or after school to draw on my board and play with my students' kickballs. He has a really cool new backpack and lunch box. I love having my boy at school with me so I can peek in on him when I get a chance. What a blessing. It is also a blessing to have mom so close so I can go see both boys at lunch when they are both there. Life is good!




Thursday, August 12, 2010

Let Me Tell You About . . .


I cannot believe that summer is over. It just flew by. We have had so many fun days and many restful, hang around the house days. I have two amazing boys that I just drink in everyday. My heart overflows every time I look at them. Finally, I am sitting down to catch up my Holloway Boys fan club on the happenings of Hunter and Tanner.

Hunter:

This precious two and a half year old steals my heart everyday. He is full of imagination and joy. He enjoys "cooking" which often consists of moving his hands around on the hearth and moving his "food" to his rocking chair to "cook" then bringing his creation to mom and dad. Most often, he cooks peanut butter and jelly, cheeseburgers, or grilled cheese.

He loves to build with his blocks and makes cars and boats for mom to ride in. Sometimes, he sits on top of his tiny creation and goes for a ride. This summer he learned to pedal his bike and spends lots of time riding around Granna's house on the tile floor.

He is full of attitude, both good and not so good. He is independent and often refuses any help. His flip flops end up on the wrong feet or his shorts on backward, but he does it himself. He has a mind of his own. Earlier this week, we were at the pool. He and Granna were playing with a tennis ball, which he continued to call a baseball. Granna would correct him. Finally, he got tired of her calling the ball a tennis ball and said, "Granna, call it a baseball." Alrighty then Big Shot.

He spells his name, "Hmper, no P, T." He sings lots of songs including "Jesus loves me" and is working on the alphabet but gets stuck at Q often. He gets stuck in repeat often. We probably hear, "What doin?" a hundred times a day. We even asks, "What man doin?" of complete strangers. He asks us everyday, "You happy?" Another saying we hear often is, "Where'd _____ go?" of anything he likes or was looking at. One of my favorite things right now is that he randomly cheers, "H-S-H-S-U-U!" He's a Cowboy at heart already. It's just in his blood. :)

Everyone asks how Hunter is doing with the new baby in the house. Well, he loves him. I often find him inches from Tanner's face talking to him or putting his pacifier in his mouth. He periodically tells people that brother came out of mommy's tummy. He is such a huge helper too. He carries his stool around so he can watch and help with diaper changes. He helps throw away diapers and puts laundry in the dirty clothes basket. Tanner gets all kinds of kisses from his big brother. Hunter calls Tanner "Brother" most of the time, which I love.

The biggest news from this summer is that Hunter is potty trained! It took him 9 days to get it down. Yesterday, he went all day without an accident so he got to pick out a new toy. He likes picking out his undies from his favorite characters (Thomas the Train, Toy Story, and other Disney Movies). We spent almost a week in Ruidoso so I decided it was time to get this boy potty trained. We didn't have anywhere to go so it was the perfect time. We set a timer and everytime it barked, Hunter had to go potty. He fought it a little. He often tells me, "I don't want to go potty," in which I respond, "I didn't ask if you want to go potty, do you NEED to go?" See, attitude! I cannot describe how proud I am of my big boy.

Hunter is an amazing, loving son, a great big brother and a fun kid all around. God truly blessed us with him.
Daddy took Hunter to "Critter Fest" at the Science Spectrum. He got to ride a horse and see tigers. What a fun day those 2 had. We often hear, "Hold you". I love it!
We went to the Children's Museum in Fort Worth. My little chef went shopping in the grocery store, which he enjoys doing with Momma at home. Sometimes, he puts on his shoes, grabs his backpacks and says, "Bye Momma." When I ask where he is going, he tells me he is going to the grocery store."Sleeping" in a dinosaur track at the FW Museum.

Momma and Hunter at the park in Ruidoso.
TANNER:
Well, what can you say about a 7 week old baby boy? He is perfect. He sleeps wonderfully, eats great, and loves to cuddle. What more could you ask for? He makes the funniest faces. He has great big eyes and his tongue is out a lot of the time. We just laugh at his faces. He stretches big (which I love watching because he has done that since before he was born). He is just an easy baby. We can't decide who he looks like. I guess he just looks like Tiny Tanner. He has all sorts of names from Tiny to Teniny to Brother and Tanner Man and many more. He is pretty quiet. He grunts and squeaks mostly but occasionally he gets mad, mainly when he's hungry. He's really working hard on holding his head up. He has just slid right into our family without much disruption or difficulty. Now that I'm back at work, my prayer is that I don't miss any of his major milestones. God was so faithful to answer that prayer with Hunter, I'm believing He is faithful to answer it with Tanner. We just adore this tiny boy and are so thankful that God added him to our family.