Los Pollitos

I recently ordered a CD for the kids that we LOVE-Elizabeth Mitchell's You Are My Little Bird. If you don't have it, you must buy it! It will be your favoritest kid CD that parents love too! We finally got it in the mail today-Max and Annabelle were so happy! They love music, any kind, all the time. As they were boppin' along in the backseat while we were running errands, a song came on that is so special to us. I had no idea that it was on this CD. It is called "Los Pollitos," and our friend Lorena used to sing it to Annabelle when we lived in Costa Rica. She was still little, not even 2 years old, and she loved it! Actually, any spanish speaking person knows it well. As I heard it begin, I immediately started crying because I still miss Lorena so much. Then Max recognized it and said, "Mommy! It's Lorena's song!!!! We've got to call her and tell her!" Annabelle doesn't remember the song or Lorena singing it to her, which makes me sad, but now we will always have a reminder of Lorena!

Just for the record...

That was MY child who scored 3 goals in his soccer game today-the first 2 within the first 5 minutes of the game! Believe me, he is as proud of himself as we are! Go, Vipers!

Camo-ed Up

Max LOVES to get decked out in his "camo." He calls it "getting camo-ed up." in celebration of going to Academy Sports store today for no particular reason, Max and Simon "camo-ed up!" Max was so proud of how tough his little brother looked! That's what it's all about, right?

The Great Pumpkin

I LOVE pumpkin. Pumpkin anything really, except pumpkin pie. A friend from Panama gave me this recipe last year. I was pregnant, and really craving pumpkin, so I ate as much of this as I could get my hands on. My only problem was that canned pumpkin in Panama is rare. When someone finds it, they usually buy every single can because they know how hard it is to come by. I know-I bought 7 cans last year when I found it in a store, and that was the last I saw of it! Thankfully, Wal-Mart is not in short supply. So here it is, in all its creamy delicious-ness!

Jana's Pumpkin Dip

3/4 c. cream cheese, softened (6 oz.)

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

2 tsp. maple syrup

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well (with a mixer). We eat it with apples!

Rose Parade

This is where dreams begin! Can't you just see those wheels turnin'?
Darren took the kids to their first ever Tyler Rose Parade! It may have been their first North American parade, though they have seen some pretty interesting ones in Costa Rica and Panama! The weather was beautiful, though we had to do some explaining on what exactly the "Rose Queen" is the queen of, etc. Our camera memory was full, so we only got a few pictures, but you get the general idea!

Crazy Boy=Crazy Driver

Maybe we should start praying now for the days when he really will be behind the wheel. We met my aunt, uncle, and cousin this past weekend at the farm-it was so good to see them! Simon got into the kids' Jeep for the first time and LOVED it! Hmmm...future Nascar driver? His Daddy would love that!

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

If the Lord burdens your heart, pray for a sweet friend from Pine Cove, Miss Connie. She lost her husband in a car accident a few years ago. Yesterday she also lost both of her teen-aged sons in a car accident. You can read about it here.

Her Big Day

Max made Sis play football with him. Of course they went all out!
We celebrated with Andy's ice cream! She is a new creation!

Last week was monumental for Annabelle. In our schoolwork, we were memorizing the fruit of the Spirit-Galatians 5:22-so we talked alot about the Holy Spirit and how he works in our hearts. Annabelle has always thought of herself as a "believer," mainly because her brother became a Christian in Costa Rica and she remembers it. She also thought that because she believes that Jesus is real, she would go to heaven.

Out of nowhere in the midst of studying the fruit of the Spirit, she began asking lots of questions about heaven. Basically, she didn't want to go to heaven because it sounded scary to her. All of the descriptions we would give her didn't sound very appealing. She always said that she would rather just stay here on earth!

Well, as we talked about the fruit of the Spirit throughout the week, it bothered her that only the Holy Spirit could cultivate these things in your heart. She began to realize that she didn't have the Holy Spirit, which led to a realization that she was someone who actually needed forgiveness for her sins. I just thought this was another step towards her salvation.

We were coming back from the library last Friday when she said, "Mommy, I don't want to be a regular person anymore. I want to be a Christian." She said that she wanted Jesus to live in her, even if she had to go to heaven! Oh well, I will let God reveal the glory of heaven to her in His time! She has always been able to give a good gospel presentation, mainly due to her brother. I told her that when we got home, we would talk more about it. This gave me some time to pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment, and I knew that Darren would be heartbroken if he missed out on one more minute! We prayed for her in the car and went home.

Max prayed alot after that, and pulled her to the side later to give her the "facts" about the gospel. I eavesdropped and she did a great job answering his questions! Later she prayed with her Daddy and took hold of the greatest gift ever! Honestly, I was a bit shocked. Sometimes salvation can be a long process, but we can't always see what God is doing in the hearts of others. We trust that our Sis will be in heaven with us, and are rejoicing! She loves the fact that she is a part of God's family now. I love the fact that her journey has begun!

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..."

Heavy Hearted

This sweet family, whom I don't know, needs lots of prayers right now. Let's intercede for them.

Video Coming Soon!

Simon is growing so fast! In the past few weeks he has learned how to wave good-bye, shake his head no, and throw his little soccer ball! The dude loves to swing and seems to be the daredevil that we have never had! He does not like his carseat, or being restrained in any form or fashion. He does have a few bad habits, of course. He bites and pulls your clothes when he gets mad, which is quite often. He has also decided that he no longer likes any type of meat or vegetable. He spits them out and screams. Aren't kids supposed to start the "picky stage" at the age of 2? Too bad you can't reason with him! We are all enjoying him so much-and he is still a Mama's boy, which I am totally taking advantage of! What a monkey he is!

Las Bailadores-The Dancers

Mom and Dad just got back from visiting my sister in Spain. They brought these Flamenco dresses and shoes back for the girls-they are awesome! After trying them on, they danced for a good while to Mexican music rather tham Flamenco music-it was all we could find!

Cooler Weather is Coming

To celebrate, I made a new recipe tonight! Although Rachael Ray isn't my favorite recipe resource, I do like lots of her soups. This one was REALLY good-Winter White Chicken Stew. Something about chicken and potatoes sounded good to me, although I rarely eat chicken these days due to burn-out from years of eating too much of it. The lemon flavor in the soup was great! I used less fennel and no Sicilian olives (I couldn't find any in the store!) What are Sicilian olives anyway? I was fully prepared to make hot dogs afterward, but to my amazement, the whole family liked it!

Team Holt!

Go Vipers!

Que Portero!
Sis thought it was too hot, but was all about the drinks!
Kyra had her first game today too!

We are a soccer family. It is one of Darren's favorite sports to play, Max loves it, I love to watch, and Annabelle and Simon will learn to love it too! Being in Latin America gave us even deeper soccer roots. Today was Max's first official game, and Darren is the coach. I have always thought of myself as a reserved, inhibited person, that is, until today. I had NO IDEA what it would be like to see my boy out on that field! My heart was POUNDING the entire game-I could barely stay on the sidelines! I wanted to be out there on that field, so I screamed like a maniac instead! I had no idea this side of me existed! It didn't surface during T-ball season, but I am now officially one of those parents who gets too involved in the games!

1621 Feast

The feast of 1621, otherwise known as Thanksgiving! Yes, it is a little early to be celebrating, but Max is studying "Early Modern Times" for history at his enrichment program, so they had a feast for the elementary aged kids. The kids dressed as pilgrims or Indians, and learned the history of the settlers. They had to do all the things that the pilgrims and Indians did. For example, the men sat while the women stood. They even had a visit from a "real" Wampanoag Indian and "Edward Winslow" to tell them about the journey on the Mayflower. I learned a ton! Did you know that the first Thanksgiving feast was a secular celebration? They danced, sang, and played games, which wouldn't have been allowed if it were a religious celebration. They didn't call it Thanksgiving, and it did not turn into a tradition for them. It was an autumn harvest feast, and their feast didn't include any of the foods we now cook for Thanksgiving. Simon and I had a great time watching!

Our Max

We are enjoying the cool mornings and evenings lately! It is so refreshing after missing this season for the past few years. Fall is by far my favorite season! Max has been wearing "fall clothes" for a few weeks now, no matter how warm it gets! The other morning I found him bundled up outside eating his oatmeal!

Sometimes Max gets into trouble for making or taking things apart while I am not watching him...having his own toolbox is apparently very tempting! While I was in the shower today, he decided to teach Annabelle how to ride her bike without training wheels. He took off her training wheels with his plyers, and this is what I found...

Annabelle doesn't quite have it down yet, but she was thrilled to try! Max definitely has his own ideas and doesn't wait on anyone to implement them. He is so creative! Our Max is somethin' else!