3...2...1...BLASTOFF!

One of Joshua's favorite toys lately is his Radio Flyer rocket.



Look at me, Momma!



He pushes that thing all over the house. He still hasn't quite figured out how to ride on it, but he'll fill the seat with toys and give his toys a ride.



Rocket broke down...Mr. Fix-It to the rescue!



I can see this being a toy that brings hours of entertainment for years to come!

3...2...1...ready or not, we are blasting off into March! And hopefully into some warmer, sunnier days!

Have a great week!

Love,
The Hollemans

Chillaxin'

Table Manners

Our latest adventure is learning to eat like a big boy at the table, with silverware and dishes. It is still a work-in-progress, but little man is learning fast! Tonight's feast consisted of chicken and wild rice soup, mixed veggies and apple sauce!



He tries so hard to get food on his fork, but by the time the fork reaches his mouth, the food has fallen off. After a couple attempts, he usually gives in and just uses his fingers...after all, he is one HUNGRY boy!



What mess, Momma?



And for dessert? Brownies...YUM! :-)

Cabin Fever

I must say, last week's beautiful weather has made this week's chill seem especially depressing. Winter has been fun, but I am over it. Time for spring - green grass, flowers, sunshine, rain, walks outdoors...bring it on!

Our week has been pretty uneventful, which makes me want to get out of the house even more...I may make another trip to the grocery store just for the sake of going out, haha. Pathetic, I know. Wow, was that whiny enough for you? I'll quit complaining now...I truly love being able to stay home with Joshua, but we are ready for some fun in the sun!



Despite the dreary weather, this little boy never fails to bring a smile to my face!



He loves to make people laugh, and when he does something that makes us laugh, he will try to repeat that action over and over again. For example, the other day he was playing in the bathroom while Mommy got ready. There was some water on the floor, and he kept slipping and landing on his backside. He started cracking up, which got me to laughing, and we both just couldn't quit! I dried the floor, and when he realized he couldn't slip anymore, he started fake falling to make me laugh! Sweet boy. :-D



Well, that's about it on our end! Have a wonderful rest of week!

Love and blessings,
M, K & JJ

Rainy Sunday

This morning when we woke up, it was raining!



So after I was dressed for church, Mommy let me wear my new raincoat and rain boots. Cool, huh?



Mommy just kept snapping pictures...



I guess she thinks I look cute or something? She keeps telling me to stop growing up so fast! I have no idea what she is talking about...



Hope you have a wonderful day! Mommy said since it's raining we can snuggle and watch movies this afternoon...yay!

Love,
Joshua (& Mommy & Daddy)

So What Wednesday & Bananas

I am borrowing this idea from my friend Traci at Traci's Trip. So What Wednesday is a fun way of saying what all us mothers and wives are thinking. Enjoy!

So What If...

*So what if my son lost his sippy cup three days ago and I just found it yesterday...still full of milk you don't want to know...

*So what if yesterday, while making spaghetti for dinner, I accidentally dumped all the dry spaghetti noodles onto the kitchen floor...yes, we are talking the entire box...and picked them up, dusted them off and proceeded to cook spaghetti for my boys...

*So what if my child wore his pajamas all day yesterday...he probably will today, too...

*So what if we sometimes eat frozen pizza twice a week...

*So what if every time I open the pantry something falls out on me because we are too lazy to put things away correctly...after all, an overflowing pantry is a blessing, right?

*So what if when I do laundry it sometimes sits folded in the basket for a week...I despise putting laundry away...

*So what if every time I walk through my kitchen my feet crunch because my child dumped crackers all over the floor and I have yet to clean them up...

*So what if I am trying to kick my caffeine addiction and am currently on my fourth cup of coffee this morning...hey, it's half-caff!

*So what if all my Tupperware is currently scattered across the kitchen floor...amongst the cracker crumbs...the boy loves to play with Tupperware!

*So what if I already went grocery shopping this week and will probably go again because I forgot half the things we need...

*So what if I just caught my child eating leftover Fruit Loops out of his high chair...I meant to clean those up...

I hope you enjoyed So What Wednesday! Feel free to share some of your "So-What" moments! :-)

On another note, here are some photos of our little man inhaling his lunch today...the kid has a love affair with bananas!



NOM NOM NOM...



Among the new words he has learned recently is "Banana." Yes, he can actually say banana! So cute. Comes out more like, "Badana," but for 13 months, it is very clear what he's saying! And since he loves bananas so much, every time we ask what he wants to eat, he says, "Badana." Probably because it is the only food name he knows, but it's so sweet!



When I say he inhales them, I am not exaggerating...I usually break the banana in half for him, and before I've even turned around, it's gone! He stuffs one half into his mouth and then the other...maybe he will be a world record banana eater someday, ha!



His other new words this week are "Crackers," which comes out, "Ta-tas," and "Cheese," which sounds more like, "Teese." When I pull out the camera and ask him to say "Cheese," he scrunches up his little nose, gives me his goofiest grin and says, "TEESE!" This is his "Cheese" face.



Another big development is understanding what "Please" means and knowing when to say it. Now when I ask him, "Do you want a sippy cup?" or "Do you want a snack?" he says, "PEESE" without any prompting. We are working on, "Thank you," but usually by the time he would need to say thank you, his mouth is full of something... ;-)



Ta-Da! Finished my banana, Momma! What else do we have?????

Hope you are having a wonderful week, and if not, it's already Wednesday...you're halfway there!

Love and Blessings,
Mike, Krys & Joshua

My Valentines

We hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!



My forever Valentine...love him more every day!



And my little Valentine! It's difficult to see in this picture, but he had a big lipstick kiss on his forehead from his mommy.



And I just had to throw this photo in because I think it's hilarious. This is his We-were-playing-chase-and-Mommy-just-caught-me face. Yes, he still loves to run around in just his diaper, and since the weather's been a tad warmer, I don't mind. Crazy kid!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,
The Hollemans

Whirlwind Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! As stated in my previous post, we finally made it to Michigan to spend a weekend with Mike's family. The weather was beautiful for traveling, and we were blessed with NO car troubles OR health issues! PTL!



We headed out Wednesday afternoon. Joshua was so excited - we are extremely blessed that he is such a wonderful traveler and loves riding in the car.



The 5.5-hour trip never daunts him...he smiles, babbles, squeals and takes intermittent naps all along the way.



Thursday, we spent the day in the Holland/Zeeland area and Joshua got to spend time with his Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma DePree,



as well as his Great-Grandma Holleman.



Is he one spoiled blessed little boy or WHAT?!?! :-)



Friday was spent at Grandpa and Grandma Holleman's house,



playing,



relaxing,



reading (Daddy's favorite childhood book, I Am A Bunny),



eating way too much delicious food (Jillian Michaels will be whipping my butt tomorrow morning) and just enjoying our time together.



We had dinner with Uncle Adam and Auntie Sara Friday night.



And today we returned home, tired, but feeling truly blessed. Unfortunately, our time together always seems too short, but we enjoyed our weekend immensely.



Joshy and Grandpa did not want to say goodbye "see you later," but we gave our hugs and kisses and hit the road, looking forward to the next time we'll be together!

God has blessed us with amazing families who have taught us to live each day in his love and grace. Thank you all for being such strong, faithful examples after which we can strive to model our own family. We love you all!



Our little man is not feeling well after his busy weekend (just a little worn out, I think), so we are snuggling and watching movies before bed. Goodnight and God bless!

M, K & JJ

Finally

After 2 failed attempts, the first due to bad weather and the second due to our bout of stomach flu, we FINALLY made it to Michigan to spend a weekend with family. We are so excited and relieved to be here! LOTS of pictures to come! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Love,
The Hollemans

Before & After

Joshua has needed a haircut for weeks now, but you all know how it goes...busy, busy, busy! Well, Mommy finally made an appointment for him this week.

These are the "before" pictures...



His hair is so long and thick and grows SO quickly! Must be those 3 gallons of milk he drinks by himself every week...and no, I am not joking about that!



While I always think he is adorable, this hair was getting out of control! The "after" is much better!



So handsome and clean-cut!



Precious boy. :-)

Sleepy Sweet Pea

Lunchtime today started out with this happy-faced little boy...



...who soon realized Mommy was trying to trick him into eating his green veggies! This kid does NOT like his veggies...Mommy usually has to sneak them into something he does like, such as Spaghetti-O's or macaroni and cheese.



I don't like peas, Momma!



Mommy left him with his peas to go fold some laundry, and when she came back, he was sound asleep!



So I slipped him out of the high chair and tucked him into bed. I don't think he actually got very many of those peas into his mouth, so I'm sure he will wake up STARVING...Mommy will probably just give in and let him have some fruit instead. :-)

Happy Monday!