James' 3rd Birthday

James had a successful birthday. He turned 3. However, it wasn't just opening presents that made his day, it was the train cake with candles AND the presents. In James' mind, there's a certain order to how a birthday cake should be run. After you light the candles and blow them out, you pull out the candles and cut the cake. THEN the presents can be opened. And James will be sure to correct you if you forget what to do.

Earlier in the day, he got to go to the USS Yorktown with dad and had a great time.

Long Time

Wow....I just realized it's been a long time since I've written. Hopefully I can remember all the crazy and exciting stuff that's happened. November is always a busy month because it's James' Birthday, my anniversary and Thanksgiving. Oh, and my sister-in-law's birthday also. So, I start off the month thinking of James' cake a

nd what birthday presents we should get. This year things were a bit different because we've been focusing on finishing the new house. Everything came to a standstill with our banks so Alex has been really stressed!!

Halloween in Charleston

This was the first year where there wasn't a screaming baby or a baby too young to enjoy the parts of Halloween. James isn't too interested in wearing costumes but Ryan doesn't know any better. So, Ryan got to be a dragon. The day started off at James' preschool. They had a little pumpkin carving party which was the first time either boy saw that. In the evening we got to go to the Coastal Carolina Fair which was pretty fun. James and Alex got to ride the real helicopter for the first time and the whole rest of the time, James had to point out the copter as it went by. We could have just stood outside and watched the helicopter take off and land and saved ourselves some money. James did venture onto some rides, but he always got that panic look once he got inside and realized it might be a little scary. But he enjoyed it by the end.

This is a picture of Ryan eating the pumpkin tops....

So, this was a successful year. We didn't have to answer the doorbell and give out candy and thus have tons of candy to eat during the whole next 12 months!

The beginning of the Season

It sort of stinks that the beginning of this festive season of giving thanks has to start with Halloween. I don't particularly enjoy Halloween and have a hard time getting into it. Maybe it's because we weren't allowed to celebrate it as kids, I'm not sure. But I do get little costumes for the boys and usually give them some candy. There's a big fair that comes to Charleston every year and we usually go there around Halloween. I think this year we will go on Halloween, since it's Friday. Anyways, my festive season begins by making pumpkin bread. Alex's Granny Holdgate used to make pumpkin bread. But the boys, Alex and Nick, love it so much that at my bridal shower, I was given the recipe. Now, there's nothing special about this recipe, but a loaf usually lasts about 30 minutes. I made some for my sister-in-law, Althea, for her birthday one year and it went over really well.

I did make the first batch today because I did have some canned pumpkin readily available. This season I hope to make sticky buns and lots of holiday cookies. So, we'll see if it really happens :)

Clumsy Feet

This is one of silly little stories that only a mom appreciates. But not much happens with my boys, so when any sort of story appears, I try to remember. This morning, the boys wanted to go outside with Alex when he took the trash can to the curb. James was out the door first. He's really good about putting on shoes and coats (It's been 39 degrees in the morning). Then Ryan had to get out too. Within 1 minute of Ryan being outside I heard crying. I thought James had pushed him. But no, he just tripped on his feet and scratched his lip. Little bit of blood. Within a minute he was better and ready to go back out. Within 30 seconds, more crying. "Did he fall again?" I asked? "Yes" said Alex "He's trying to run". So, Alex proceeded to try to explain to Ryan why he shouldn't try running yet, seeing as both times he did this morning he ended up scratching his face on the concrete. I think the lecture at the end was my favorite part...seeing as Ryan's only 16 months :)

Me

As for me, I have many interests but no time or energy to do them. I do enjoy cooking so fun kitchen tools are always a plus. My favorite candies are Haribo Gummy Bears, Red Swedish Fish and Milkini's. Not sure what size I'll be wearing by Christmas. I also love to read. So, that's it for now. Short and sweet :)

Alex

Alex......He likes presents but will probably deny it. Some of his new hobbies include skeet shooting, hunting and fishing. He does enjoy the occasional Playstation game. He also loves to get gifts that allow him to put something together, i.e. model airplane, etc. Almost anything from a hobby shop would be fun for him. Just so you know, he is hoping to get a boat sometime in the future. He has a sweet tooth and likes dark chocolate. He wear a size Large in shirts and 34X32 pant size. Oh, he would also like all of the tools that are in Dick Bear's workshop.

James - Part 2

I forgot to mention a few things. James is working himself into 3T, but still wears 2T pants most of the time. Did I mention he loves movies??? We are working on our DVD collection and are missing a few essential pieces......

Ryan

Ryan, not yet 1 1/2, doesn't have too many interests. He does what James does, both good and bad. He has a super loud yell / scream but also laughs a whole lot. He's quite a different boy than he was the first 6 months of his month. Apart from what James does, he likes to sing and has pretty good tone. He also loves animals, particularly dogs and birds and squirrels. He is a very independent child, yet very dependent on your attention.

He wears size 12 - 18 months and looks really good in burnt orange and dark brown.

Christmas Part 1 - James

This is what me and my sister are doing this year. Actually, she did it last year and it was very helpful. We write blogs on each child and talk about their interests. So, here's my first one for James.

James is a pretty laid back child. He really loves books and especially sticker books. He has become quite an artist and loves to draw helicopters, trains, planes, trucks and sometimes houses. He is also a TV and movie buff. We are in the process of making our DVD Disney collection. He likes The Backyardigans and Go, Diego, Go! So, all in all, he likes boy toys. Matchbox cars, trucks, and in true Holdgate style, Presents!! He just loves presents. So, if anything is wrapped, it makes it super extra special for him.

Just a few more pics.

Pumpkin Patch

James got his first pumpkin patch experience last week. His preschool went to the one of the local farms. Actually, the kids and their parents all came. It was pretty fun. They got to pick pumpkins, although James didn't care for the dirt on them. We got to go feed some goats, but James prefers to throw the food at them one pellet at a time. Then the hayride, where you got to feed the cows. He wasn't thrilled that they came up so close. But, it was fun. He liked the swings and the toys and the mulch mountain. Alex made it for the hayride and that was very exciting too.

Here are a few pics.

Me

Enough about kids, let talk about me....I'm feeling decent, considering. When I was pregnant with James I threw up 5 times a day for 14 weeks. With Ryan I was nauseated till week 18 or 19. This time....Not that bad. I have that empty stomach nauseated feeling all day unless I'm shoveling food in my mouth every 30 minutes. That's frustrating, but definately doable. I'm 11 weeks and due May 6. That's a week after my birthday, in case you were wondering. This might be the only May baby in my family.

I saw it on an ultrasound yesterday and it was jumping around like it was at a party. So, all's well!

The house - is coming along. The floors are being sanded today, painting's done and the decking is all down. The porch needs to be screened it, the bathroom tiling needs to be done and some other items. but I think the major stuff is almost done. Maybe we'll be in for Thanksgiving!!

Trying to Figure it out!!!

So, as the kids get older, it turns out parenting does not get easier. It's nice that they can feed themselves and sleep through the night....But we've been trying to figure out issues.

Here's one: James decided he wants to get up and out of bed at 4:30 or 5:00 AM!!! For about 2 months. Sometimes he just occupies himself downstairs by reading, coloring, etc. However, he has meltdowns mid morning but won't take a nap. So, what to do?? We moved him to a twin sized bed thinking maybe he wasn't comfortable in a smaller bed. Didn't work that well. Then we tried spanking. That didn't work so well either so then, Alex would go back to bed with James and make him lay down. That happened for about a week and it didn't really work. So, besides tying your kids to the bed, what do you do?? I don't know what happened, but he just started sleeping in till 7 again. Just like that.....I don't attribute that to good parenting but God's grace.

And No, James did not have a boo-boo on his head. He just likes to pretend there's one and put band-aid's on.

Ryan

I wrote this long blog on Ryan and then my computer conveniently erased it all. So, I took that to mean, Keep it Short!!

So, here's my revised version. Did you know that Ryan means Little King? That's not why we named him that, but it's a strong name. Turns out, James means supplanter and for those of us who had to look that word up, that is someone who wrongfully or illegally seizes the place of another. That's not a very nice definition for such a strong name. But interesting. Anyways, Ry-Ry is keeping his red hair. He has fine straight hair but a few brillo like curls at the back. These do not brush out and gel does nothing to help.

As you've been reading, we have visited the Dr's alot. From rashes to constipation to fevers.....

James caught a high fever a few weeks ago. It went away the next day but then Ryan caught it and was miserable!! Crying all day, inconsolable, not going to bed till 11 or 12. So, after 2 Dr visits.....we were still waiting it out. Then Ryan got stung by a caterpillar. Yes, they do sting. Look up puss moth caterpillar. So, poor little Ryan's hand was red hot to the touch all up to his elbow. So, a trip to the emergency room and about 2 hours later, he was doped up on Benadryl and finally asleep!! So, it wasn't a crazy emergency, but enough to get the emotions going....That was a horrible week but it did end. And Ryan is healthy!!

James

Well, let's see. James is in preschool 2 days a week and some weeks I wish for 3. He could go for 3, but I have to remember he is still 2. But he loves going and I enjoy the break.

James is doing well with speech therapy. I have heard from a few friends that they are understanding him better. So, one day I will have a toddler speaking to me in sentences. I may regret that though.

James is into chocolate milk. He also loves to do everything himself. Although if he doesn't get it the first time, he will ask for help.

He is into drawing, trucks, trains, planes and helicopters. He is actually quite a serious drawer. I think he gets that from his grandmother and aunt. They're both artists.

I bought him a Superman outfit for halloween, so we'll see if he wears it. He's still not sure about costumes. Definately no masks!! Anyways, clothes-wise, he's beginning to wear some 3T but can still fit into some 2T. There needs to be a 2 1/2 T.

Where have I been?

Well, nowhere. It's true. I haven't gone anywhere. I just don't have many fun stories to talk about. We have had a roller coaster of a time here, but nothing terribly exciting. So, it's October and the beginning of birthday, anniversary and holiday season. I am very much looking forward to being home for Christmas this year. We will be traveling to Texas for Thanksgiving and we are looking forward to being in Texas, but not necessarily the plane ride. We fly through Atlanta this time which can be rough, but we've done it before and we're fairly familiar with the airport.

We do get to go to a friend's wedding in December. Apparently, it is in the middle of nowhere. There's a lot of places like that in South Carolina. But a fun excuse to get dressed up.

Back to Christmas. I'm looking forward to being in our new house, having a decorated Christmas tree, stockings, candles in the windows, lots of cookies and food! I'm excited to cook also. I bake a lot of pumpkin bread during this season and I know my husband will be very happy about that. Although, he's not so happy about the weight gain :) But if I'm gaining weight, it's okay if he does too.

I'm looking through a lot of holiday decorating and cooking magazines to get some ideas to spruce up the house. Hopefully I'll be in a new house to spruce up!

New Words for James

James has had 2 speech therapy sessions and he does really well. Shelly, the speech therapist, is very enthusiastic and keeps his attention. He like Mr. Potato Head and the trains that she brings. She asks him questions like "Point to the boy who's running" and he can do that. He tries to say what she says, and it's pretty cute. But every now and then James will just come out and say a word that sounds really close to the real word. Here are some examples,

"May-Man" = Mailman (not sure why he chose to say this word)
"Beesh" = Beach

So, we're just waiting and encouraging!!

Self Serve Pudding

I think every child goes through this stage with some sort of pudding, jello, etc. They manage to get some in their mouths but most on their face. But they're happy and quiet and sometimes, it's just worth it! Ryan got his opportunity the other day and BOY!! was he thrilled!! James wasn't so sure about sharing his pudding. Actually, James does like to share his food, but only when he gets to serve it :) So, we think his spiritual gift will be serving.

Tadpoles

So, it was dinnertime. And that means that both little boys are either yelling or crying. Ryan usually wants to held and James wants more snacks. We invited a friend over for dinner, so I was preparing an extra-special dinner (shrimp) and we were ALL in the kitchen waiting for Alex to get home. I usually do as much preparing for dinner as I can and when Alex gets home I pass the kids over. But tonight, he got home a little later than was expected. So, amidst my dirty kitchen because Ryan and James had taken out all the pots, pans, tupperware, etc, Alex walks in. I notice right away he's carrying a cooler. Sort of an odd picture because he doesn't ever bring a cooler into the kitchen.

He sets it down right in the center of the kitchen and I now begin to wonder what's in it????? Whatever it is, it does not fit into my kitchen where dinner is now cooked.

He says "James, look what I got!". He then reveals a cooler full of tadpoles!! Must have been 30 or 40 in yucky pond water.

My thoughts "Great! Now what? Frogs jumping into my shrimp and then all over my kitchen?"

Alex then asks "Where's your trifle bowl?" I give him a look that suggests I don't approve of what he's thinking, I ask "Why?"

"So, I can put the tadpoles in it"

So, I'm going to have a trifle bowl with yucky pond water and a bunch of tadpoles swimming around in my kitchen. All for the sake of "science".

Anyways, I did buy a little tank and they now reside in my kitchen, but in a covered tank. They're growing little legs and we're excited to see what kind of frogs they will be. Then we'll let them go.

Oh, Alex found them in a little puddle outside our new house. So, free tadpoles!!

House Update

Just a few pics this time. This is the back porch. It's tiger wood. A beautiful color! Alex picked it out and it looks great! Down here, it doesn't matter what color a porch is, when it's hot, it's hot! I haven't taken a picture of the stairs in the foyer yet, but I will. The house is coming along and hopefully by the end of September, we'll be moving in.

James' 1st day at Preschool

So, I made it through the first "day" of preschool. So did James. I found myself looking at the clock constantly to see when it would be time to go. Ryan slept so I was able to do some work around the house as well as relax a little. It was quite unsettling to have a house that quiet and know that 1 child wasn't in my house.

I went to pick James up and he looked a bit like he had been crying. Sure enough, he got upset at the snack table because he didn't want the juice, just the fish crackers. Then at story time, he didn't want the teacher to hand him his treat for sitting down. He probably wanted to hold the bag, pick one out for himself and probably pass it out to the other kids. He likes to share food. Anyways, other than that, it was a successful day!!

No more Chick-fil-A!

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you think " I can't believe that mom brought her kids out when they're sick!". Well, I'm sure that's what some moms thought of me, although James wasn't sick. We had lunch at Chick-fil-A this past weekend and while I'm cleaning up, Alex took the boys to the play area. Saturdays must be party days because they had the Chick-fil-A cow out, a jump castle and face painting. So, it was pretty crowded with children and adults. So, I look up and see Alex holding James out yelling for some napkins. I was a bit flustered and confused so I tried grabbing some off the tray. I wasn't fast enough so Alex set James down to go get some himself. Then 3 rounds of vomit came out.....Very fast and very forceful. Needless to say, Chocolate milk and chicken were on the menu. So, figuring out that napkins weren't gonna do it, we tried to find an employee to help clean up, with a mop. The girls that tried to help, came out with Lysol and a rag. So, Alex ended up cleaning up while I took the children to the car. The conclusion: James wasn't sick, but the combination of grease and chocolate milk did not sit well. I can understand that because sometimes their food is too greasy for my tummy. So, we won't be visiting that Chick-fil-A for a while, or any for that matter.

Speech Therapy

We had our 1st visit with the speech therapist today. She was a nice young lady who thought my boys were sooo cute! Well, I think they are too, at least 1/2 of the day. Anyways, James will probably have his speech therapy sessions 1x a week, because his case isn't so bad. He is just a little behind on the expressive/communicative part. So, there were a bunch of questions and asking James to point to a few things. When asked which of these do you cook with? He points to the water glass. Then he knew there was only 1 thing left to point to, he pointed to the pot when asked what do you drink from? I hope she doesn't think we drink from our pots and pans. But James was real receptive to her and I think he'll enjoy having her come by and "playing".

More Pics!

This is the view from the screen porch over to the man room. The other one is of the kitchen.



This is our living room and master bath.




Here are some more pics of the improvements. The living room doesn't have much storage space, but that's okay because then we can use it for junk.

House Update

Well, Alex has been working diligently on our new house while we wait for the Kiawah house to sell. Please pray that it will sell!!! Alex has had some help from our friend, Brett, who is helping Alex install the cabinets and anything else that needs to get done. The plan is to move into the house once it is livable and safe. That means, decking down, screens up and the pool area secured. We can whack away at the pool, landscaping, etc. once we get in there.

The above pics are of the additions. The addition on the right side of the house is the man room (to have man things, like a pool table). The other side will be a screen porch. This is our kitchen with some of the cabinets installed. I'm most excited about the garbage drawer with 2 garbage bins in it!! Cool! But not as exciting as the bedet seat! The little room at the end of the kitchen with have our washer dryer, storage and another refrigerator. I think every house needs 2 refrigerators. 1 for every day use and 1 for storage and drinks!! I posted some more pics of the additions.

No sinus surgery!

Yea, I don't need sinus surgery. The ENT was not concerned about the sinus polyps. He recommended a daily dose of antihistamine and decongestants. However, should those not work, a surgery to fix my deviated septum would be recommended. So, that's good news!! Although going to the ENT to have his stick long needles up your nose to look around isn't so fun, even when your nose is lidocained. It's still uncomfortable.

What a Poopy Morning.

Sometimes I wake the boys up to "OH what a beautiful morning! Oh What a Beautiful day!" This morning though, I went in to get Ryan up. Sometimes he poops in the morning but it's usually in his diaper. This morning though, it was a little more pungent and a little more all over the place. He managed to get his diaper off and then poop all in his crib. So, he had poop in his ear, eyes, face, body, EVERYTHING!!

So, how was your morning?

Updates

Sometimes I take a break from blogging because nothing interesting happens. Just the same old stuff. But it's been a while so I figured it is time to update our life.

The Kiawah house that Alex built is beautiful and is showing really well. We're praying we'll have a buyer soon. Alex is also helping our church do some demolition and rebuilding. It's a historical building that needs some serious repair. So, Alex has been very instrumental in helping to get it all done at a low cost. Fiddler Island is coming along. The addition in the back is almost completely framed. We have some flooring issues that will add on a little more time till completion.

James is doing well. He's learning he does not like to be disciplined and sometimes fights us on it. But we're sticking with it. James got evaluated by a government program called BabyNet. It's a government funding program that evaluates children under 3, for free, for any type of delays. We had James get evaluated for his speech. He qualifies and we are now waiting to get a call from the speech therapist to do her evaluation. All this is free so we figured, Why not?!

Ryan is walking. He's still quite fearless. He has teeth breaking through but they are taking forever to work their way down. So, I'm running out of food for him...

Me, I've been battling sinus problems and allergies. What I'm allergic to, I don't know. But I've been seeing an allergist and have taken many, many types of medication. I got a CT scan done and it turns out I have a big sinus polyp. So, I get to see an ENT next week for a consultation.

So, that's our life in a nutshell!

That poor bug!!

Ryan...my fearless child. I already have visions of what Ryan will be like when he gets older. Some are funny, some are scary. At one point I looked over at Ryan because he was being very quiet. He had managed to find a little green katydid grasshopper thing. Without hesitating and with James saying "UG", "UG" (that's "bug), Ryan picked up the grasshopper, looked at it and pulled a leg off. Then another leg. Then somehow, the body was separated from the head. If you look closely at the picture on the right, there's a little green bug body on the ground near his right hand. The picture on the left shows the rest of the beg in the left hand.

,

James and Camping

We got to go camping last weekend at Pisgah National Forest in NC. It was great weather and the boys did well. James had a great time playing in dirt, sand and the cooler. Ryan enjoyed running towards the fire, eating dirt, playing with sticks and everything else! We went with our friend James and Hillary and their little boy Brooks.

At one point during the weekend, I went in the tent to get Ryan up from his nap. I noticed that there was a diaper on the floor and I didn't remember leaving one there. After looking at Ryan, I noticed he wasn't wearing his diaper. So, somehow he managed to get it off and then throw it on the floor. Early potty training????

Music Man

I always knew my children would be exceptional. And it is proven! I have a very talent, musical son. In addition to this instrument, he also plays the recorder. Enjoy!

Ryan is Finally Walking

Well, we knew it would happen, but Ryan finally got the nerve to take his first series of steps last week. Since then, he walks a lot and tries to run. He really enjoys throwing himself on others, pillows and even the floor. James deals with that most of the time. The other times aren't so great.

James and Ryan playing

These boys are gonna be a handful once they figure out how to gang up..

Future Basketball Player

Cute pic of Ryan

This is what Ryan does. He climbs into things, under things, over things. He climbed into an old clothes box under the foyer table and started throwing clothes around and picking at the boxes. He's so messy!

Kiawah Update

Well, Alex did a great job getting his spec house ready for an open house yesterday. It is 99% complete and looks great! Although the lady who was staging the house didn't do a good job and cried when Alex told her (you know how tough Alex can be :) ), the visitors really liked the house. I meant to take pictures, but forgot. But I just wanted you all to know how proud I am of him!! Pictures will come soon.

Ryan's 1st Bday

We celebrated Ryan's 1st birthday on Saturday, the 21st. It's always amazing to think how much that has happened in a year...birth, rolling over, smiling, laughing, crying, screaming, bottles, baby food, crawling and developing personality. At this point, I enjoy looking back at their pictures just to see how much they've changed. Ryan is such a ball of energy, has no fear, loves music, loves people and enjoys pretty much everything we throw at him. No, we don't throw anything too hard :) This is a video of Ryan eating his own personal cake. He had such a good time, but what a mess. He's a very messy eater.

We're looking forward to some more milestones this next year such as walking, talking and the Terrible Two's!. Okay, I'm not looking forward to that because Ryan can sure scream, but I am looking forward to getting it over with. Anyways, enjoy!

Week 2 of my Co-OP

I took a pic this time. I got some heirloom tomatoes which are making me really happy. I got more patti pan squash and that was good last time I cooked it.

I gave the eggplant to my neighbors because I know I don't like that. I gave the plum tomatoes to Bobby because he loves tomatoes.Everything else, I'll keep. We got more turnips so I guess i'll make a turnip casserole.

And these are the boys playing in the dirt

And this is what I saw last night...

And it wasn't even good beer.