The Holbrook Family

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Valentines

I tried to make Valentines Day pretty simple this year. We had our usual heart shaped pink pancakes for breakfast and the kids got a couple things. Kenya was begging me for this robe so I ended up getting them for the girls and Charlie got a couple Olympic T-shirts, he's been pretty into them this year. They all got some cute coupon books too. Love these four kids of mine and I'm so grateful for them!

My cute valentines.

I know, I'm mean that I take a picture before I help her.

Charlie is not so excited about the day of love these days but the girls are all about it. In fact I never even got a picture of him that day because he didn't want to be in any and I didn't want to fight him. :)

Mark gave some roses to the girls. Look at Leila's face!

Cora wanted in on the daddy daughter action.

Selfies with my Valentine. 14 Valentines with him! I planned a little spa retreat for us that weekend. Massages and foot soaks. It was right up my ally and I know Mark liked it too but he's not much of a splurger. :) That night we went to Mandarin with some friends.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Day to Day

Cora was clinging to me when I came home from Arizona. Missed her!

She's finally starting to move around in her crib. I need to put her bumpers up, don't know how she falls asleep in these positions!

Little Valentine photo shoot.

Writing her name on her Valentines.

Kenya really wanted to make a box so I wrapped one up and let her decorate it. I don't think I'll ever be the mom to make extravagant Valentines boxes or Valentines for my kids.

Monday, February 10, 2014

My Little Valentines

Cora, 10 months

Arizona Sun

Cami and I took a little trip down to Arizona to visit my mom. My mom has lived there for almost 9 years and this is the first time we've gone down for a girls trip. What?! It might become a yearly ritual now. It was so fun to shop, eat, soak up the sun, and be the kid again instead of the mom. I was also able to read a book start to finish! That doesn't happen very often for me these days. Thanks mom and Rick for such a great relaxing weekend!!

We found some great finds while shopping...not! I can't believe body suits are back in the stores. 7th grade flash backs!

Too much?

Went for a little run at Saguaro National Park

Sunshine!

Mark had church meetings in the morning while I was gone and he sent this to me saying Charlie had it waiting for him when he got home. Sweet boy!

Monday, February 3, 2014

10 Months

At ten months you finally started crawling. It was really bitter sweet, kind of more bitter though. You have the cutest little crawl. Once you get on the hard wood you have a hook leg and scoot around on just one knee. You're not a crazy crawler yet, just enough to keep you entertained so it's probably a good thing. You love clucking your tongue and smacking your lips. You're good at mimicking lots of sounds, no no no, na na na, ba ba ba, to name a few. You haven't been taking two great naps every day anymore. There are some days you really struggle with that second nap. Maybe it's teething because I don't think you're ready to go down to one nap. I love when you are tired and I can sit you on my lap facing me and you'll just rest your head on my chest. It's my favorite. You're pretty snuggly and I can still hold you in my arms without you worming away too much. You're a good lap sitter. You still love, love, love eating food and struggle with drinking bottles, kind of hit and miss with them. You go to bed around 7 and wake up around 7 with an occasional middle of the night crying but not for long. You either soothe yourself back to sleep or we find your binky for you. You are very ticklish on your upper legs and under your chin and very flexible. You can spread your legs out wide like I've never seen before. Love your sweet little face Cora. xoxo

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Our Day to Day

Cora finally got her first teeth. The doctor said at six months they were close, Almost 4 months later they popped through. My oldest teether.

Daddy trying to show us the teeth. It didn't really work but she's still cute.

Pretty depressed to be back to the inversion and smog. Oh, and cold. Kenya walking to the bus stop. She disappeared into the smog pretty quickly.

Leila had her beach day at preschool. She was pretty excited about all the little goodies she got, her preschool teachers are so much fun! She loves it.

They look so sweet but they're really not. I went upstairs later in the day to find they'd thrown all of the rainbow loom bands all over the playroom. They were everywhere. Stinkers.

Kenya really wanted me to take a picture of her with all her Lions. Oh and send it to somebody too. :)

First time they've really wanted much to do with crazy hair day.

I am amazed at how much Cora will eat. She has been eating table food for a couple of months now and absolutely loves it. She ate this whole plate of food. She doesn't stop. Although she's chunked up a little since I stopped nursing and she started eating so much she's still pretty little. She doesn't drink a lot of formula, she just prefers food! I think she just poops it all out because she poops several times a day, little pooperella.

Charlie's been battling a cough for a while now. This kid never takes sick days, doesn't really even ask for them, hasn't really ever had one. He asked to stay home this day. He wasn't really that bad but for whatever reason I let him. It was kind of nice to have him around, he didn't do much besides the rainbow loom. Literally for hours.

She's finally pushing herself up to sitting. Up until now she hasn't really even cared to roll over. She started crawling too. I have a a really cute video of it.

The kids got their report cards back. Straight 3's for Kenya and Charlie got his first ever 3 in Social Responsibility! That was really exciting. He gets 3's in everything else but always struggles with that one. We turned in their report cards for their free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme. They love watching how they're glazed.

Crazy hair day for these crazies. I was watching Scarlett and Emi came over right before preschool with purple hair. Luckily because I had forgotten about crazy hair day. Cami had too. We quickly sprayed some color in their hair and they were completely thrilled with it.

Ivy and Cora. Cousins four months apart but Ivy is already bigger than Cora. :)

The World Through Kids Eyes

August 2013

Leila has officially stopped saying "I wanna hold you" :( She would always say that to us and I have never corrected her but I guess she figured it out for herself because tonight she said "hold me". She's growing up too fast!

November 2011
I told Kenya tonight that I was glad Heavenly Father sent her to me. She said "Why did Heavenly Father send me to you?" I said "well we were all a family before we came to earth, in heaven." She said "Mom, how did you get up in the sky?" "I don't know." I said. "Did Santa give you a ride?" Followed with giggles by both of us.

November 2010
Today I was telling Mark about how angry I got at Kenya for coloring on the table for like the millionth time. She heard me talking about it and said "You're not a nice mom, you're like the BEAST! I'm gonna put you in da gawbage and get a new mommy!" Then later Mark asked her when he was reading her a bedtime story "Kenya, am I the King?" She said "No, you're the debil (devil)." Charlie was drawing a picture of our family for school and drew me with my mouth open he said "Look mom, you're yelling." I don't think we're leaving the right kind of impression on our kids here.

July2010
Today Kenya came up to Mark and said "Daddy I have to tell you something." She then made him bend down so she could whisper in his ear "You're the best dad in the whole wide world." He thought maybe I told her to say that but she came up with it all on her own. She then did the same thing to me. I love hearing that little whisper in my ear.

June 2010
Kenya randomly makes comments on the baby in my belly, it usually goes something like this. "I like your big belly mom" then "I like your baby Leila." Then it's followed by "I have a big belly too." Tonight that was followed by "It's hooge."

March 2010
When Kenya is demanding something I will tell her she needs to ask nicely. She then yells at me "NICELY!" Not quite what I was meaning.
If you say something like "How are you doing?" She'll say "Kenya" instead of good, or bad, or sad, or happy. Kinda cute.
She's really starting to put her sentences together and express herself a lot better. It's fun to have conversations with her.

March 2010
At dinner we were discussing how babies just drink when they're newborns and don't eat food. We asked Charlie if he knew what they drank and he said "yes, milk from your..." he paused for a few seconds and we were anticipating what was going to come out, then he said "from your belly!" What innocence.
February 2010-
Kenya has been saying some cute things lately most mornings she comes into our bed and snuggles in right in the middle of us. This morning she snuggled up next to Mark, put her hand on his cheek and said "daddy you're my sweetie girl." We had to laugh. Last night we were in the car, Mark was on the phone and Charlie was being really loud so he turned around and grabbed his leg to get him to be quiet. Charlie started crying and Kenya got really mad "don't hurt my sista! You otay Charlay?" We explained it was her brother and she said it all over again, this time with brother. She's been calling a lot of people her sister lately, she's a bit confused.
I made chocolate football cake bites for the superbowl and whenever she finishes her food she says "I want a hapball!" The first couple times I didn't know what she was saying until she ran over to them and pointed, now we know that hapball is football.

July 2009-
Charlie was asking me if his dreams would come true (I thought he was referring to bad dreams because he's been so scared of having bad dreams lately thanks to watching "Thriller") I told him they wouldn't come true and he kept asking me about it. Finally he said "Well daddy's dream came true when you were his wife!" Awww, thanks bud!

June 2009-
Yesterday Charlie randomly said to me "You know mom Jesus is sad when you're mean to me." I guess what goes around comes around. He also told me as we were reading "Little Red Cap" (the real Little Red Riding Hood story) "She shouldn't have lied to her mom" he said. I said "No she should've minded her mom and not gone off the path." He said "well sometimes I lie to you." At least he's honest, well sometimes. :)
May 2009-
Kenya loves the park. Every time we drive by one she freaks out "side, side! Mama side mease, meeease!" (slide please) she says "mease" all the time, it kills me! So cute. She also loves to say "go way!" Every time she's mad at someone or we're trying to get her to do something she doesn't want to its "go way!"

February 2009-Charlie said a prayer the other day that went like this "Grateful we could go to Disneyland, grateful for Halloween, grateful for Christmas, in the name..." That was it! Kind of funny.

December 2008-Last night when Mark was putting Charlie to bed Charlie said "Dad, I think Jaxon isn't choosing the right." Mark said "Yeah, how come? " Charlie said "Because he likes BYU and that's not choosing the right." Mark was pretty proud.

December 2008-

Charlie had a Christmas pajama party at preschool. He got a gift from his teachers. He opened it up and it was a blanket they had made for him, "Wow, a blanket!" I said. Charlie said "It's beautiful!" Then a bit later he was doing a puzzle while I was on the computer and out of nowhere he just says "Merry Christmas mom." He can be so sweet.

November 2008- With Christmas right around the corner and his birthday a couple weeks ago Charlie wants everything he sees on TV. He'll be upstairs watching TV and you'll just hear him say "How 'bout that!" And if it's a girl toy it's "How 'bout that for Kenya!" I don't know why it's "how 'bout that" but it puts a smile on my face every time he says it. It's too cute.

I love how honest Charlie is. The other day he went to the bathroom and when he came out I said "wash your hands" as he came out he got distracted for a minute and then said "Oh yeah, I got poop on my finger." And went to the bathroom. The same day he told me that while he was playing outside with his friend Brady he peed in our dirt, just randomly told me later that afternoon with a guilty look on his face. I was surprised because he hates peeing outside!

I took Charlie to Target to pick out a Halloween costume. I thought he would pick one out immediately and probably choose spider man or batman, well he wasn't really jumping on anything he saw, until he saw a transformer costume he said "I want to be a transformer!" I said "Ok do you want to be Bumble Bee?" "No, I want to be Octopus Prime!" I think it's so cute to hear him say it I haven't told him it's Optimus Prime.

One morning while we were getting ready for church Charlie in his best little sick voice says to me "Mom, (cough cough) I can't go to church, I'm sick (cough cough) see I have a cough.! Isn't he a little young to be doing that?

Last night I was kneeling down by Charlie as he said his prayers. This is what he said- "...Grateful I could go to preschool, grateful for daddy and Kenya," then he reached out and stroked my hair, "and grateful for mommy's hair." He was so happy yesterday when I came home from work and my hair was done and not in a pony tail anymore.

Charlie's Aunt Kristen asked him one day "Charlie what did you do today?" He said " I played with Samara." She said "Oh, is that your friend?" "No!" He said, " she's my husband!"

Mark sold his car and Charlie was with us as we dropped it off to the new owner. Charlie said "Dad, where is your car going?" Mark said " I sold it, it's going bye bye." Charlie said "All our of our stuff going bye bye?" I hope we're not traumatizing him! :)

Charlie has been learning about the Holy Ghost and he seems a bit confused at the concept. Today out of the blue he asked me "Mom, where is the Holy Ghost?" I tried to explain to him that he's a spirit and he can bring good feelings to you etc.. Then he said "Oh, can I touch his blanket?" (This is what a ghost is to him, somebody with a blanket over them.) So then I explained that he's not a real ghost he's a spirit and he doesn't have a body etc. Then he said "Yeah, but he almost has a body, and when I pull off it's blanket is the Holy Ghost a girl or a boy?" Let's just say he's still confused. :)

We went to Discovery Gateway today and as we were walking in there was a little person standing by the entrance. Charlie looks at me and says "Mom, that was a wittle mom." I thought that was pretty politically correct. :)

Today at church Charlie was playing with some cards on the bench during sacrament when I looked over at him he seemed to be pondering something and said to me "mom, am I going to get baptized?" I said "Yes, when you're 8 you can get baptized." "But I want to get baptized now!" (The lady sitting in front of us turns around and whispers "precious." :)) I told him again he could when he's eight. Then he said "Can daddy help me get baptized?" I guess he is learning something in primary and FHE!

Almost every morning I have a battle with Charlie on what he's going to wear. At least the mornings when I care what he wears and want him to look decent. Last night he got to pick out a movie to rent, he chose a Buzz Lightyear one (this is his latest obsession.) This morning I brought out some clothes and he saw them and said "No, not that shirt! That shirt won't make me Buzz Lightyear!" I said "Oh, what shirt will?" "Come here, I'll show you." And he took me into his room and insisted that he wear a white baseball T with green sleeves. This is the closest shirt he has that resembles Buzz Lightyear's costume. Pretty creative kid.

Charlie is in sunbeams now but we've been watching Cami's kids this weekend at her house so he went to nursery today with his cousin Luke. When we got home I asked him what he learned in nursery. He said "nothing." I said "didn't you have a lesson, you must have learned something." Very adamantly he responded "No we don't learn anything in nursery, we just have snacks!" No wonder why he loves it! :)

Cami has a piano in her house and yesterday towards the end of Charlie's nap Luke started softly touching the keys. Charlie woke up and came out of the bedroom with his hands out to the side palms facing up and said in a sweet surprised voice "I wake up and heard the piano singing." Mark and I thought it was too funny.

Those of you who have been around us probably know that Charlie hates my hair in a pony tail. I have no idea where this came from but for about a year he has been like this. It's getting better but at first he would throw a huge fit and say "Don't cutta your hair!" Then I explained to him it was a pony tail so it became "Take out your ponytail!" And he would grab my hair and try and get the elastic out. He's made progress over the past year, it went from forbidding it to throwing a fit but on occasion after I explained to him I was going to the gym or didn't have time to do my hair a few times a day I could make it through the day. Now He doesn't immediately respond to it when he sees it but at some point through out the day he'll comment on it. The other day he was going down for his nap and he said "Mom when I wake up will you take your ponytail out?" I can't believe a three year old boy could care so much about a ponytail! So much for short hair, he probably wouldn't speak to me for weeks! :)

After we sold our house we moved into my dad's. Charlie loves being around his grandpa and the other day he was sitting on the potty and I said "Charlie, do you need help?" and he said "no, I want grandpa to wipe me!" I said "no, grandpa doesn't wipe you, just mommy." So a couple days later he says to grandpa "Grandpa, are you a boy or a girl?" Grandpa said "I'm a boy." Charlie said "if you're a boy then you can wipe me!" Don't know how he decided that one but I guess he's got it all figured out!

Kenya has been sick the past day and tonight at dinner Charlie said "why isn't Kenya eating?" I said "Because she's sick." He said "Oh, does she have a snotty nose?" I said "No, she has a tummy ache." "Oh, did she eat an egg?" "No, I said ache, not egg, it means her tummy hurts." In classic Charlie response to everything "Oh." :)