Ouch!

So, we set down for lunch today, Adam and Andrew eating their pizza and me eating my Lean Cuisine (yippee.). Andrew of course asked why I was eating something different which led into a discussion of how much weight Mommy and Daddy have gained in the 11 years we have been together.

I said it was my fault. Adam said it wasn't. So I asked him "In the 10 years we have been living together, who has done most of the cooking?"

And my husband, without missing a beat, replied "McDonalds."

Ouch.

The Holleys Take on 2009

I usually send a letter with my Christmas card, kind of a look back at the year. But thanks to my bout of the flu right after Thanksgiving, I found myself with too many things to do and not enough time to do them all, so the Christmas letter was jettisoned. But now on the far side of Christmas, I feel the need to sum up the year. So without further explanation, I give you the "The Holleys Take on 2009."

This was a pretty good year for us. Adam continues to work at IBM and received the highest employee rating from his manager for the fourth year in a row. Even though I have no idea exactly what it is that he does (even though he has explained it to me), I am very proud of him. For pleasure, Adam spent many late Friday nights shooting zombies and other things on his X-box 360. Again, I don't understand it but if it makes him happy....

Andrew turned three years old this year. He continues to delight us and, also, drive us crazy, usually at the same time. He loves to sing and dance and play with his trucks and tractors. This fall, he began a soccer program at school and is very good at kicking the ball (not sure he needed any lessons to learn that one).

We bought season passes to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in the spring and visited the amusement park many times. We all had a great time and we discovered that Andrew is an adrenaline junkie. He was tall enough to ride his first big roller coaster on our last visit. He rode it with his hands up and immediately demanded to "go again," which we did 3 times.

In September, we went to the beach for a few days. I was a little concerned because Andrew hates getting water in his face when we wash his hair. Apparently, that only applies when it's fresh water, salt water in the face elicits a laugh. He loved digging in the sand, running in the waves, and chasing any seagull that came within 10 yards of him.

This fall, we took our first camping trip. We decided to take Andrew to the Renaissance Festival in Plantersville and then camp out overnight. We had a great time at the Festival, we rode the elephant and the camel, went for a ride on the giant swing, and Andrew bounced on the bungee jump ("I want to go really, really high" -- that adrenaline junkie thing). Afterwards, we roasted hot dogs over the campfire for dinner and made s'mores. It was a great camping trip and one we intend to repeat next year.

Finally, we went to Michigan at Thanksgiving to visit Adam's brother David and his family. It was great seeing David, Kris, Davney, and Nixon. We had a great time with them at the Michigan v. Ohio State game and Andrew loved playing with his cousins. We miss them so much and wish they lived closer (hint, hint).

The end of the year finds us all in good health and happy, I don't think I could ask for anything more. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Holleys

Random Things from Michigan

We went to Michigan last week for Thanksgiving. We drove. I know, I know. What were we thinking. But it was a great trip and we really loved seeing David, Kris, Davney and Nixon. I don't really have any stories to tell just a collection of random thoughts, quotes, snippets to share.

1. There is absolutely nothing in parts of Arkansas and all of Missouri which is why your child will choose that spot to announce he has to go potty "right now!"

2. Favorite quote "Uncle David, you stink. You need to take a bath."

3. Andrew has decided a highway flyover is similar to a roller coaster. So when we are going over one we throw our arms into the air and yell "Wheeeeeee!"

4. I am so thankful we do not have wood floors over a basement in our house. When your 3-year old runs over those types of floors it is really loud.

5. Least favorite moment, Andrew leaning over me at 4:30 in the morning and whispering "Mommy, I ready to get up now." Most mornings it happened at 5:30 but on the way home he was thrown off by the time change and it happened at 4:30....uuuugghh.

6. I am also thankful Andrew does not sleep with us. Not only do he and Adam hog the covers but he also is a bed hog.

7. Finally, I would like to add that 24 hours in a car with a 3-year old is not for the weak. In the future I will remember to pack Valium...for both of us.

Did he really say that?

Kids say the darndest things. It's really true. There is this song by Basement Jaxx, the chorus of which is "Where's your head at? Where's your head at? Where's your head at?" Pretty simple right? Well, Andrew and I sing it pretty frequently and some times replace the words. For example, while getting dressed we sometimes sing "Where's your underwear?" Good harmless fun.

On Saturday, Andrew and I are sitting at a table at the Renaissance Faire waiting for Adam to return with food. There is a young man (about 25 years old) standing nearby. And my son starts singing the above song but with the words "tweaked." The guy looks at me and says "Did he just say what I think he said?" And I had to confirm that he did.

What was my precious baby boy singing, you ask.

"Where's your penis? Where's your penis? Where's your penis?"

Whoops!

The Holleys Go Camping

So the Holley family went camping this weekend...for the first time. I should say that Adam and I have been camping once but we went with our friends Dan and Carrie who are experienced campers and, well, basically, they carried us. This time we were completely on our own and with a little boy in tow. Wow.

Because we were unable to find a single open campsite in any of our surrounding state parks, we decided to take Andrew to the Texas Renaissance Festival and camp out at the fair grounds on Saturday nite. I am not sure they should legally be able to call it a camp ground. There is no water, no electricity, no lights, no bathrooms (only portapotties), no nothing. They don't even have campsites marked out. You basically pull up and pitch your tent where ever you want.

So we pulled up about 10 in the morning and did just that. We pitched our tent under some big beautiful trees. We unloaded everything and then went into the Fair. We had a great time and then headed back out to our campsite about 5:30.

By 6:15 it was pitch black. Did I mention there are no lights on the campground? So now I am trying to get a meal prepared in the dark. We didn't think to bring a table so the only elevated surface I have to work on is the lid of the cooler. But hey, how much space do you need to roast hot dogs and marshmallows, right? Fortunately, I had packed some snack items (chips and bean dip anyone) and dinner turned out fine.

Then it was time for bed.

Hmmm...the campers next to us were playing Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train rather loudly and the campers behind us had apparently had a little bit to drink and found themselves very amusing. I mean really amusing. But things finally quieted down and we fell asleep...until the train came through. Oh yes dear reader, a train track runs 50 yards away from the campground and crosses several nearby roads. So it had to blow its horn, several times. And a train seem to come by every hour all nite long. And then there was the small airplane that circled the campground several times at a low altitude. Fortunately, once Andrew is asleep nothing wakes him up, the same does not apply to me or my lovely husband.

In addition, when Adam and I bought our tent we were just a 2-person family. And Andrew is an "active" sleeper." I had hoped to put him at our feet but the tent wasn't big enough. So, he had to sleep in between us. I have several unexplained bruises this morning and I am pretty sure he kicked me in the kidneys at least once.

Andrew woke up about 6 am this morning. I know your thinking "Ugh, 6 am? That sucks." Hey, at least it was light outside. We made and ate breakfast, broke camp, and were on the road by 7:40.

It may not have been the ideal camping experience but Andrew loved it and, well, at least it didn't rain. So we have started a list of things we need to take the next time, including a bigger tent and some really good earplugs.

Try, Try Again

In case you didn't know, I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. When you combine those two things with the cough syrup I am drinking these days (which leaves me pretty woozy), I just can't muster the will to cook. So we decided to order take-out tonite. Actually, we placed an order for delivery not take out because I was in no condition to drive. But anyway, courtesy of my illness, I don't really have an appetite these days so I just ordered Spinach Artichoke Dip and Chips.

We ordered from California Pizza Kitchen. I generally like their food. It's not out of this world wonderful, but it's all good. Not the Spinach Artichoke Dip. I just did not like it.

I love spinach. I love artichokes. I love cheese. By all the laws of nature, I should love spinach artichoke dip. But it occurred to me as I was eating this spinach artichoke dip, that I didn't like, that I have never had a spinach artichoke dip that I liked. I have tried it over and over again at different restaurants and I have never liked it.

Perhaps it is not the recipe I don't like. Maybe I just don't like spinach artichoke dip...period?

No...that couldn't be it...could it?

The Sacred Orange Cookie

I think I have stated before that I am a superstitious (lots of vowels in that word!) person. What I didn't know is that all of my friends are too. In case you didn't know it (and I would be shocked if you didn't), Texas played OU yesterday in the Red River Rivalry. Its a huge game every year that takes place in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. Very big deal in the college football world. And every year we gather with friends to watch the game.

This year was no different. Us Longhorns are hoping to make it to the national championship this year and so every game is important. Apparently, that has brought out the superstitious side in all of us.

Phil always wears a white shirt to our games. Well he showed up yesterday in a burnt orange shirt but announced that he had a white shirt in the car. The first half did not go well (Texas 3, OU 6). Phil changed shirts during halftime.

Then during the 3rd quarter, Staci asked someone to hand her one of the orange cookies (afterwards referred to as the sacred orange cookie). While Staci was eating the sacred orange cookie, Texas scored its first touchdown of the game. It was clear to everyone present that, in order for Texas to score, Staci needed to be eating one of the sacred orange cookies. Poor Staci was forced to eat (or at least lick) a sacred orange cookie during every Texas possession for the remainder of the game.

I hope Staci doesn't want to lose any weight because there are 6 games left in Texas' regular season. That's a lot of possessions and a lot of sacred orange cookies.