Toothless!!

Ok so picture day is Thursday and Livi will be toothless :)

This is my favorite.

Love to all,

Holly

My little cherub

Olivia auditioned for The Nutcracker and made it! My sweet little Lu is going to be a cherub! Here are some pics from her audition and one of the costume that she will be wearing.

Love to all,

Holly

Memories

Just a few memories I never want to forget.

1. Livi lost her top tooth 9/6/10

2. Cole trying on his football pads 9/7/10

3.Holden after his first 2 mile cross counrty meet. 9/4/10

Love to all,

Holly

lessons to be learned

Good morning, world. Just a little epiphany I had this morning, I thought I'd share. If I am supposed to set an example for my children, then why do I behave so badly in front of them? And why do I get so upset when they behave badly in front of me?
When my children act up and are disobedient, it frustrates me beyond belief. It occured to me that when I act up and am disobedient to God, it frustrates Him. The difference is His grace is sufficient and His mercy is new every morning.
I seem to be asking my children all the time, "How many times have I told you.............?" and I realized that God tells me over and over, in His word, how I should live and what I should say. And yet, I still don't listen sometimes.

Heavenly Father,
Please forgive me for acting like a spoiled brat sometimes. Help me to see my children the way you see me. Shower me with your grace so I may give my children the same grace that You bestow upon me, day after day. Thank You for blessing me with 3 beautiful, healthy children. Thank You for the air in my lungs every morning and for Your mercy, which is new every morning.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

Lesson learned.
Love to all,
Holly

Cheese!

My beautiful children

First Day of School

All My Babies are home

Just a quick post.........

Holden came back from the National Boyscout Jamboree (100th Anniversary) last night and we are so happy to have him home. Here is a candid shot of all my babies home under one roof.

Love to all,

Holly

A new arrival

What a great month! I love the month of May :) For starters, Olivia's birthday is May 16th and she just turned 5! I can not believe my baby girl is a five year old. This month is the start of summer excitement. I know that summer doesn't really begin until June but the anticipation begins in May. I am proud to say that I am reaching one of my goals......to be home more with my kids. I am making more time for my family and I think the kids really notice.

Holden just completed 5 performances of 101 Dalmatians over the past 2 weekends and I have to congratulate him on a job well done.

Cole is becoming quite the slugger. He started baseball last month and he is playing with boys older than him......and holding his own.

Olivia is riding a 2 wheeled bike and swimming like a fish. She is excited about starting ballet in the fall.

All 3 kids will be very busy this summer with swim team and all their various summer camps. And Paul and I are looking forward to taking them on a fun family vacation in July.

Speaking of Paul......My wonderful husband has taken the initiative in our back courtyard and turned it into a wonderful, relaxing space for me. I am so thankful to be married to the most wonderful man in the world.

Looking forward to a great summer with my family!

Love to all,

Holly

Spring

I'm a little ashamed of myself for taking this long to blog. My last post was January 27th and now we are almost half way through March. Life just gets in the way sometimes!

February was great and horrible at the same time. The Saints won the Superbowl, which is unbelievable! Then we celebrated Mardi Gras, but unfortunately Cole was sick the whole time. Also this year Mardi Gras only reminded me of what happened last year during that time. February 24th marked the one year anniversary of Meme's death. Not only does it bring back feelings of loss, but it reminds me that her funeral was the last time I saw Aaron. It's hard to separate the two because they will always be connected, at least in my mind they will.

It is hard for me to articulate the exact feelings I have. The only way I can explain it is sorrow, regret and longing.

Next month will be one year since Aaron was taken away from us and two years since Maw Maw died. And it's only one day apart so the 18th and 19th will be rough. It is true that time heals all wounds. I can attest to that. The days of crying on and off all day are few and far between now. But every now and then it sneaks up on me. Something triggers an emotion and the waterworks begin. I am so grateful to know the Lord though because I don't know how people go through tragedy and loss without God's grace and love. He has wrapped His arms around me and held me when I needed it the most. And without the safety and comfort of the Father's arms, I'd be lost.

If I could say one thing to each of the loved ones I've lost........

Maw Maw you brought joy into my life and the lives of my children. And I miss you and your gumbo and potato salad :)

Meme you loved me and accepted my decisions when not many people did. I miss your ability to make us all laugh :)

And Aaron, this is the hardest one of all. I am so glad I had the first half of your life to be with you and really get to know and love you. I wish I had made more of an effort to be a part of the second half of your life. I am so proud of the person you became and when I see you in the faces of my children, it makes me hopeful for their future. I miss the way you became a child again and played with my kids when you came back for Christmas every year. I miss rocking you as a baby and I will forever miss the possibility of knowing you as an adult. I love you so very much, more than you will ever know.

And one last thing, The fact that all three of you are in heaven together with the Father is a great comfort to me and gives me peace.

Spring is a time for life and rebirth and it's ironic that God chose Spring time to bring you all home. I guess I have to trust that He knows what He is doing. There is a season for everything. Now that spring is in the air, I am hopeful.

Love to all,

Holly

Divine Intervention

We all could use a little divine intervention every once in a while. Right?

I believe that there was divine intervention in Sunday's game against the vikings. I would have loved for Sean Peyton or Drew Brees to stand there after the game and give all glory to God because I know without the real "saints" on their side, they might have lost.

Anyway it got me thinking. How many times in my life did God intervene when I desperately needed Him to? I can think of several specific incidences. So why am I always surprised when He shows up? And why are there some areas of my life that I hesitate to give up control?

Just a thought I'm having................

Thank You God for Your Divine intervention in my life................whenever You see fit.

Love to all,
Holly

January 11, 2010

Today I drove to Baton Rouge to teach a class and I got to have lunch with my good friend Lacey on her birthday. Of course she had Oliver with her so I was so excited. He is the cutest and funniest 2 year old I have ever met. I can't wait to meet the new baby Sam when he finally gets here, but that won't be until May so I guess I'll have to wait a while. But anyway, it was so nice to spend a little time with them today.

On my way back to New Orleans, I was just driving and enjoying the music and "Finally Home" by Mercy Me came on the radio. If you don't know, that was the song that I sang at Aaron's funeral. I have only heard it a few times on the radio since the funeral and when I do hear it, I get choked up. As the song played, I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes and eventually spill over and run down my face. Even though time is supposed to heal all wounds, there will always be little reminders here and there that I've experienced great loss. Even though emotional triggers can be very difficult and sad to deal with, they can also be powerful reminders about what is really important in life.

This year I challenge you to get your priorities in order. Find out what is really important to you and place the highest value on it. Where your treasure is, so shall your heart be. In my last post I wrote a few of my goals for this year and I put God as my number one and family as my number two priorities. It only takes a second to tell someone you love them. You never know what tomorrow holds and tomorrow may be too late.

Love to all,
Holly

Hello 2010

My oh my, it's been quite a while. This holiday season has relly been hectic. First I want to start off by telling you what my mantra for the new year is. "In 2010 we're all going to win!" I know it's cheesy but it is catchy :) So if you own a business or breathe, you know how hard you got hit by the economy in 2009. Well I, like many of you, was starting to accept it for what it was. But then I had a wake up call Sunday morning by Pastor Mike. I am not going to accept it. I am going to believe that my God is who He says He is. Another little catchy phrase I'm going to use is, "In 2010, I'm not going to live like that again!" This is the start of a whole new decade. Life is what you make it. I am going to make this the best year of my life, personally and professionally.

I have so much to be thankful for and I intend to thank God every single day that I am alive and well and that my children and my family are healthy, happy and whole. Of course, I do have to make the standard resolutions that I do every year, but this year I'm not calling them resolutions. I am calling them goals because I do much better hitting the target when I know where the target is.

My first goal is to put God first in EVERY thing I do. Before I do something I will ask myself, will this honor God?
My second goal is to spend more time at home with my husband and children. I don't want my kids to ask me, "Why do you always have to go back to work?"
My third goal is learn more. This is a very broad goal and I intend to keep track of what I am learning by documenting it here in my online journal.

I have several other goals but those are just a few that I am asking you to hold me accountable for. I promise to post more often this year and I encourage your comments.
Have a Blessed and Prosperous 2010!

Love to all,
Holly