Merry Christmas from The Holemans

Madilyn is 2 years - 9 months old and so much fun! She is the biggest blessing either Pete or I could've ever asked for. We are really looking forward to Santa coming this year and experiencing that with our sweet little girl since this is really the first year she seems to understand what's going on. She keeps asking me "is it Sunday yet?" because she knows she can't open any of the gifts until then. Cute little stinker!

We have experienced our own share of ups and downs recently and many others have experienced their own tragedies. It is so hard to go through these trials at all muchless during this time of year. This is something I stumbled upon this week that I wanted to share: Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and always remember Jesus is the reason for the season!

Much love, Carrie

"Baby" girl turns TWO

It is completely surreal to me that my "baby" girl turned TWO on March 30th!! We had a girly monkey themed birthday party the weekend before and everyone really seemed to have a great time (see pictures below) We had lots of family and close friends to come celebrate with us and we are so thankful for all of them! Thanks to Pete's hard work we were able to get her swing set put together on time and she absolutely loves it! Just about every day as we pull in the driveway Madilyn hollars out "my swiiiiiiiing set" which reinforces how thrilled she really is to have her very own swing set. As I'm typing this I realized I don't have a swing set picture to attach so I will do that later!

We had our 'parents as teachers' meeting this week...this is an amazing program through the Petal School District where our parent educator comes to our house to provide educational information for parents and toys/books for Madilyn to use each month. Since this was Madilyn's 2 year mark Mrs. Teresa did an evaluation of her and she met all of the criteria. Yay! Something I'm still amazed by is Madilyn's speech. The average 2 year old is supposed to be able to combine 2-3 word sentences and Madilyn is up to some 8-9 word sentences which is more like a 3 year old. By no means is she perfect but I'm excited to think we have a little smarty on our hands. I was also told at her 2 year doctor's visit that not only is she very healthy but she is the size of an average 3 1/2 year old - yikes! Maybe she'll be a smart, tall, athletic, muscian ?? :)

Madilyn continues to be the biggest blessing of my life! I can't thank God enough for giving me the privilege to be her mother and raise her up in a loving christian home. She has beautiful light red curly hair, a smile that melts my heart and a laugh that is very contagious! She gives the best hugs and kisses in the world. I tend to lean towards her being a daddy's girl but we definitely have our special bond too! Recently she's started asking me to hold her hand while we are riding in the car which is so precious to me! Now I'll get into the things she likes....she is alot like both of us because she loves to eat! Although she loves her share of chicken strips and french fries I am still amazed at how she will try (and usually likes) most anything we feed her! She loves to sing songs, play in the bubble bath, cook in her kitchen, color, watch her favorite cartoons and most of all she loves to play outside. I'm sure she would stay outside all night if we would let her but thanks to the lovely Mississippi mosquitoes that won't be happening! Of course there are days where I think "is this what the terrible 2's are like?" but for the most part she is a fun daily adventure and I cherish every moment I spend with her!!

Encouragement

Today I'm needing some extra encouragement and this is what I found...

"God always answers our prayers. Either He changes the circumstances, or He supplies sufficient power to overcome them."

Thank you God for loving me and always providing my every need!

Playing catch up

Cute pic of Madilyn trying to sneak into my purse :)

Fun group shot after a BIG win over Gulfport!

This time of year is always incredibly busy for us because of football season and it's proven to be even busier now that Madilyn has gotten so big (19 months old yesterday to be exact)!!

Football is going really well this year and it looks like Petal will be in the playoffs which start in a few weeks. Pete continues to love his job which is such a praise! The new stadium and facility is amazing so I'm incredibly proud of and for him!!

Madilyn is a handful...literally! At her 18 month check-up she was 99% in height and weight. She is growing up so much faster than I could've ever imagined. Most of the time she is the sweetest/funniest little girl but she can definitely show her attitude on occasion. She says so many words now that I can't even keep count. She loves books, music, playing outside and still eats like a champ. Although she loves her share of junk food I'm definitely happy two of her favorites are grapes and apples!!

I'm still on the job hunt and continuing to seek God's guidance as I know he always provides my every need.

It's football time in Petal!!

After Petal defeats Oak Grove (first time in 10 years!)
Say cheeeeeese!!

Showing her Panther Pride

Painting I made for Pete's new office

17 Months Going On 17 Years!

Madilyn is 17 months old today and so much fun! Everyone kept telling me how fast time would fly and I believe it now. Time has already gone by so fast and before we know it she'll be a teenager...scary!

I'm not sure what her weight/height are this month. She's still a terrific eater but she's so much more active lately so I'm curious to see if she's gained or lost weight?! She has tried (and liked) every food we've given her - even brussels sprouts from her daddy = YUCK! I'm so thrilled she isn't a picky eater although she definitely loves her share of chicken nuggets, french fries and pizza!!!

She is talking ALOT and by alot I mean non-stop. ha. I am totally loving it though. It seems like she learns a several new words each week which is so exciting. Last week she learned momma is Carrie and daddy is Pete which is totally halarious to hear her say!

While daddy is in full swing with football that means Madilyn and I get lots of quality time! Some days can be challenging but most of the time we have a total blast together. I think the sweetest part of it all is her running across the house screaming "daddy" when he gets home every day. I know Pete loves every minute of it!

Updated pictures of Madilyn coming soon...

June and July

The last few months have been very busy for us but also exciting! At the end of June I fulfilled one of my dreams of seeing Sting in concert. He performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and together they put on an Amazing show!! Although I can't remember the last time he performed nearby, Pete and I had numerous discussions about how we didn't need to spend "that kind of money" to see Sting and came to the conclusion that we shouldn't go. WELL, a few days before the show a friend of mine found out she couldn't go so she offered me her tickets for about 1/3 of the original price. Needless to say I was super excited we didn't already have plans so I jumped at the opportunity to go! Pete was such a good sport about going with me since I know it's not really his style of music! (See pics below)

July began with our wonderful beach vacation to Gulf Shores (lots of pics in the blog below). What a great way to start out the month! The following weekend we went to Yazoo City and

Indianola to visit several family and friends. Lots of people had not even met Madilyn yet so it was a very busy weekend!

The next week was my birthday and Pete & I took an over night trip to NOLA to see Michael Buble' in concert. It was my 2nd show but it was another great one! Pete actually got us a room @ Le Pavillion which is where we stayed on our wedding night. What a sweetie!! The next morning we had Cafe Du Monde and walked around downtown so I could shoot some pics. The rest of my day off was spent at home with Madilyn so it was perfect!!

Last weekend was our FIVE year anniversary! We had a nice dinner out and after we put Madilyn to bed we enjoyed a movie and desserts I made for us. A perfect way to celebrate! I truly feel that God picked the perfect man for me. I'm so grateful he's my best friend, husband and father of my child. I look forward to many many more years together!!

Summer Vacation in Gulf Shores

Pete, Madilyn, Ms. Holeman and I spent several days in Gulf Shores at the beginning of July. We did see some oil here & there but that didn't stop us from enjoying our family vacation!! Madilyn enjoyed some play time in the sand but she mostly preferred pool time with daddy every evening!

We had lots of relaxation time in our room, fun time at the beach/pool, did a little shopping (all for Madilyn of course!), tried several different restaurants for our dinners out and enjoyed the firework show for the 4th. Overall a very enjoyable vacation and some much needed time away :)

Family shot on the balcony

I sure do love this little girl!

*Cutie pie*

Having a blast in the pool with daddy!

In my 4th of July dress

Fireworks

She loves her daddy!!

Always stealing mommy's chair

One of my favs

Summer

Two of the best ways to cellebrate summer:watermelon

swimming

Pete and I are loving the adventures of being parents. Although it is incredibly hot it has been so nice to enjoy being outside with Madilyn! She absolutely LOVED her first watermelon and we let her play in her pool at least once a week. She has a total blast!! I'll try to post some videos of her in action. These two sweet pictures will have to do for now :)

Tomorrow (6/30) she will be 15 months old and I cannot believe it. We don't go for her check-up for several more weeks but I'm guessing she's around 26 lbs and such a great eater. So far she has eaten everything we've given her except cooked carrots. Not sure why she doesn't like them but I don't either! I love that she actually prefers raisins and fruits over everything else. What a blessing she's not picky like her momma!! She got four BIG teeth within the last few weeks which was a much bigger challenge than the eight front teeth...poor thing! She is saying several words now: momma, daddy, mawmaw, pawpaw, pup pup, sassy (dog @ daycare), bubbles, cracker, pool, milk, no no, hey, bye bye, several animal sounds, etc. She lights up when her daddy walks in the room but she also loves to cuddle up with momma. She still loves her bath time and sleeps through the night. She gives hugs/kisses and even blows us kisses when we're leaving. I charish every minute I'm with her and miss her every minute I'm away from her. I am so grateful God has given me the best husband and sweetest baby girl. I am blessed!!

Happy 30th Birthday to Pete!!!

Party Pics

Welcome to Madilyn's 1st Birthday!

amazing cake by Red Maple

proud parents...sleepy girl

we can't believe she's really ONE

not the greatest pic but you get the idea ;) wasn't so sure @ first but then she literally dove in

AFTER
getting all cleaned up

the percussion set mommy picked out...of course last gift...cozy coupe - she LOVED it!!!
birthday photo shoot
sweet profile
riding in style
seriously mommy?

Happy Birthday Madilyn!!!

I cannot believe it has already been a year since Madilyn was born. I remember that morning like it was yesterday! What an incredible gift God has given us! I can honestly say that being a mother is the most rewarding task God could ever bless me with and not a day goes by that I don't thank him for this privelege.

Madilyn Lea Holeman: born 3/30/09 @ 9:14 am weighing 6lb, 10oz and being 19.5 inches.

Today:
-weighs around 23 lbs
-loves to eat...hasn't turned down any foods we've given her so far *not picky like me
-getting her 7th tooth
-talks sooo much and still loves to entertain us by dancing :)
-would play in the bath tub all night if we would let her
-loves being outside so we are super excited about the spring weather!!

Birthday party pics from Saturday to follow in the next few days...

Where does the time go?

It is surreal to me that Madilyn is almost 11 months old and I'm already trying to plan her first birthday! Pete and I cherish every moment we spend with her and she truly makes us happier than we could've ever imagined. I'm so thankful God has given us the opportunity to be parents to such a special little girl.

She has changed so much in these last few months. It took over 8 months for her to ever get a tooth and now she has SIX. With those six teeth also came lots of fun table foods which she absolutely loves!! No more baby food which means we have started cooking more nutritious meals for all of us so we can make sure she gets plenty of veggies.

She crawls around constantly, she loves to walk around holding onto the couch and her new favorite thing is DANCING. At first it was a little "booty shake" here and there when her musical turtle would play but now she dances all the time and loves every minute of it. Of course Pete and I laugh every single time! How incredible to see her smiling and dancing and of course making sure mommy & daddy are watching!! She even seems to be on beat so maybe she'll take after me and have a love for music :)

holiday favs

2010 Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX

Playing with Pawpaw

Cousins - Haylee & Jackson

Ticklish!

Bubba & Granny