The years' end..

Well, another year has come and gone. It has been a year of memories, milestones, and new adventures! We spent new years in Seattle WA. Celebrated Ethan's first birthday. Moved 2 times. (not bad considering our record) Seth and I both started new jobs. Turned a year older. Took ethan to the beach for the first time, camping for the first time. Ethan started walking, talking, running, jumping, eating adult foods, he got his first molars.. wow.

Seth has been working at a local company as office manager. He is doing so well and loves his work! We are so proud of him. He has been helping in the worship team ministry at our church playing the piano and helping in leading worship. He's planning a completion degree program through linfield college. He's and awesome daddy and husband and enjoys getting out and doing fun things for the weekends. (hiking, sightseeing, traveling ect ect.) We are always on the go with this guy! :)

I continue to work at a local family medicine clinic, and its a great job! I love love love being a mommy and watching our little fella grow and change. God has truly blessed us above and beyond what we could ever ask for and we are so grateful! I have been keeping busy with 2 moves, lots of packing and still not completely unpacked. I love cooking and baking, and my biggest newest hobby this year is couponing and fine-tuning frugal living lifestyle. I made some adjustments the way we do things to save money and its very rewarding and exciting for me to contribute to our family in this way! A dear friend gave me a sewing machine and i look forward to finding ways to use it this coming year!

Ethan. What a wonderful, busy, happy, healthy little fella! He is growing and changing daily and i fail to keep up with him. He learns new words every day. His passion is cars and trucks and he spends hours playing with his hot wheels. He is very independant and stubborn like any healthy normal toddler, and we are working on cutting back on outbursts and tantrums. Somedays, its just flat out hard not to laugh at his efforts... But we continue to work on it. :) He loves to eat cereal "teo" and bread "bed" and is just a joy and a blessing to have in our lives. He is outgoing and very friendly, greeting most strangers with a bright little "HI!" He scared me as soon as he started walking with very little fear for his surroundings and often would just take off without looking back. He has gotten better about it, and comes when called.. mostly. :)

Im planning to start a new photo journal on our facebook page, a photo for every day of 2011. Stay tuned for that! im excited about it!

Here's hoping and praying that this next year is filled with blessing and the joy in knowing that we serve an awesome and powerful God who loves us!

Happy New Year! :)

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Its been tooo long.

Ethan got caught destroying(enjoying?) a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich.

When you notice that your last post speaks of summer being over, and you're staring Autumn strait in the face, its been too long since the last post...

So here it is. Fall. Halloween has come and gone, so now we can get to the BEST HOLIDAYS! (sorry Wren) :)

We love this season and all the fun things it has to offer! Starting with the fall leaves, starting to bundle up and wear hats and coats.. Ethan got his first pair of gloves, and it was so funny watching him try and get his fingers into all the holes...

I really hope it snows a lot this winter. Ive heard that it may, because it was so very mild last year. HERES HOPING!

We have been so blessed to find a bigger home. It is new and clean and has more room than we can fill! we are so excited about it! Im sitting next to the awesome gas fireplace as we speak.. :)

Ethan is growing and changing faster than we can believe. Every day he is learning new words and expressions, and his sense of humor keeps us laughing! He loves reading books and going on walks. He like to mimic our words like a little parrot. He also decided that tantrums were fun, and we are working through it one day at a time. Sometimes if we look at him wrong, he falls apart and its difficult to determine the cause of his frustrations. He is teething molars now, and so sometimes he will cry without any reason other than pain. But we are working through it, and trying to help him communicate what he wants or needs without whining/screaming/yelling.

We took Ethan to the pumkin patch for the first time last month, and he really enjoyed the hay ride.. the corn on the cob, and crawling over pumkins with his cousin Jason.. Were looking forward to Thanksgiving next, and fun wintery things to do, like going to see the zoo lights!

On another happy note, Josh was overseas for the Airforce reserves, and we are very happy and excited to have him home safely!

Hope everyone is having a totally blessed fall season!

"And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on the house. But it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7 :25 "

The summer's end... or did it ever begin?

Mommy and Ethan Seaside, OR July 2010

Pebble Beach California July 2010

It doesnt quite seem fair, for the summer to be nearly over. I am pretty sure i could only count the number of hot days on one hand...

I really shouldnt complain, some days it gets so hot, and many people dont have air conditioners. But i can tell you, camping in the rain with a 14 mth old is not ideal. And so, we will plan ahead next year! Yurts are definetly the way to go!

Well, despite the lack of sunshine, things have been very busy around the Holmes household. Seth and I went on our first vacation without Ethan. My parents and In-law's took turns watching Ethan for us, and we had such an amazing trip! We flew down to sacramento and drove to Monterey (I grew up in this area and had always wanted to take Seth there) continued on towards Valencia, and stayed there 2 nights. We spent a whole day at 6 flags magic mountain and had a BLAST! It was wonderful to be able to spend some one on one time with my hubby. We love our son dearly but have learned that time away can be necessary for sanity's sake. And you know by the 3rd day, i was wanting to be home! :) I kept catching myself looking in the back seat to check on that little munchkin that wasnt there!!!

Anyways, Seth and I have started listening to the Dave Ramsey series and are inspired and excited to become debt free...A venture that we "coulda, shoulda, woulda" started a long time ago, but better late then never... (wow could i put any more cliche' phrases in there??)

We are excited to be working together on this new project in our home, and in the process i have become quite the coupon-queen. Those that know me well, are already sick of hearing "what i got for free at rite-aid this week" or how many samples i got in the mail today... But its just so exciting to me, to be able to save money and get things for such low prices, when all our lives weve been paying retail. Never again my friends. :)

God has truly inspired me to become more frugal in my home (thanks dad for the genes to go along) and it makes me feel so accomplished as a wife, and a mom when i can bring home $100 worth of groceries for $40. It makes me feel blessed to be able to use the money that we work so hard for, and make it stretch. It has become a game almost. "Just how far can i make this $20 bill go?" I even started a blog, to consolidate all my findings and ideas. Click Here to visit my blog Coupons Into Cash!

Also in our venture to save money, I have been getting more into photography. Friends have been nice enough to refer me to THEIR friends, for wedding photography. I did one wedding in April, and I have 2 coming up at the end of this month. I took one couple up to the Portland Rose Gardens for some Engagement shots, and they turned out really great! For more on how that is going visit my Photography blog by clicking here. (Finally created one)

Some of my goals, are to someday have a home where I can have a GARDEN. At the moment we only have a porch and driveway. So we arent there yet. I want to someday have a pantry where i can purchase bulk baking goods and cook using bulk. Make my own "bisquick". Bake bread from scratch. Learn how to can. Freeze. Cook in bulk so that we can have healthy freezer dinners ready in minutes. I want to raise my own hens, and have my own eggs. These are the things i aspire to do...One goal, one day, at a time.

We hope that this summer finds you as busy and blessed as we are!

Seaside, Oregon July 2010

New blog for coupons, freebies, and other randomness...

I got tired of posting pictures of body wash and toothbrushes on my facebook.. i think people were starting to questions my sanity. but when you get such a great bargain, its hard to keep it a secret.... so.

i started a new blog just for fun things like that.

www.couponsintocash.blogspot.com

follow me if youd like. :)

the dark side

sorry i havent posted in a while. we have crossed over to the dark side and are now using facebook to stay in touch.. find us! :)

Happy may day..

10 days from now is 1 year anniversary of the date i was due to have Ethan.. was he born on that day? no.. but ill always remember may 10th.. when your pregnant people ask you your due date a couple thousand times.. so that date will forever be engraved into my mind as significant. it was also mother's day last year..

We are getting ready for Ethan's first birthday. Im still a little blown away at how quickly 1 year went by. And by how much he's changed.. from a little snuggly swaddled bunting, to a toothless-crawling-mini-monster, to a walking-babbling-2-toothed-mini-man with a ton of personality. The way he dances and laughs and falls down in his excitement when i get home from work, or the way he gives me slobbery kisses, or how sweet he looks when he sleeps on his tummy with his butt in the air..man, i love that kid. God has totally blessed us with a happy healthy handsome little boy.

On another note. Work has been changing a lot in the Holmes family. Seth accepted a new job as the accounting supervisor at a local family owned company. He is really excited to start on this new adventure and excited for new oppurtunities and to learn new skills to add to his resume. My employer was finally able to hire me on as a relief worker, so im not considered a temp anymore and im hoping to get going on that soon. Its been a real answer to prayer for us. We are hoping to purchase a home in the next year, but in order to get approved for a loan, my income wasnt even considered, being at a temp status. So hopefully we can get the ball rolling on that soon. :)

thats all for now. if your reading this, hope to see you at Ethan's birthday celebration! if you havent received an evite, and would like to stop by, will you please leave a comment with your correct email address?? :) thank you!

Here are a few misc pics of the family. The first is Ethan when i didnt feed him his oatmeal fast enough...i figured considering how angry he already was, i might as well snap a photo..the next one is his polar opposite, my happy son Ethan. with a diaper on his head. the 2 with the green shirt were taken at worship practice. he was having fun "dancing" to the music. and the last one is Seth and Ethan walking around the mall. that kid is ALWAYS on the move now. :)

Easter

So, Ethan actually slept through a majority of easter. so i dont have any photos of him. But there's photos of some of the other family.. Josh and Jason dumping their loot. Jason and Addison (a little girl that my mom watches also) posing together. We had an awesome dinner. I ate way to much. we went to church and this year our church combined the early and later service into one and had it at the high school auditorium. the place was packed. the worship was awesome. Josh played the drums which was awesome. Pastor John had some really awesome words about our efforts here on earth and the promises we have to look forward to.

On another note. Seth and I have started searching for our first "home"... we have actually moved 7 times in our almost 4 years of marriage but this would be the first time we actually buy. we are tentativly searching. luckily for us the market is a very devastated market, many houses for sale, and not really anyone buying. we have so many to choose from but need to have some financial issues with work tied up before we can really move to the next step (putting in an offer)... anyways, our prayers is that God would provide the perfect place for us, and in His perfect timing.


litttle addison searching for eggs

i threw in this random pic of Ethan because it makes me laugh.

travel size

so... ive recently discovered the power of the coupon.. but yesterday i had an epiphane(sp?).. perhaps if i cant spell something i shouldnt use the word.. i digress.... so... some coupons have the little tiny disclaimer "not valid on travel size" however some coupons dont. thus my example. $1 off coupon for any clean and clear product used toward a $.99 bottle.. well you know the rest.. for the 6 travle size items (except full size sure deodorant) total retail : $7.16 .. total after coupons $1.36. woohoo!

April showers.. bah humbug..

I know they are supposed to bring may flowers and all.. but really? rain 7 days in a row?... i hate how much it affects how i feel physically and mentally. If summer were just a little sooner...

I gave the blog a facelift, as youve probably already noticed. i love how it turned out. i was looking at some blogs of DIY home makeover ideas, not that i have a home yet, but it inspired me to makeover my blog, since i needed SOMETHING to utilize my artisitic inspiration.

Seth and I are hoping and praying to buy a house soon. there are a lot of things hanging in the balance that affect whether or not we will get into one this spring/summer or not... mostly work and finance-related on both our parts, but we feel very at peace and happy where we are in this season of our lives and are excitedly expectant of what God has in store for us this year.

Here are some recent photos of our little trouble maker. Ethan is officially walking, and hopefully i can post a video soon.. he amazes us everyday with his developing changes and personality. he also has quite the sense of humor..btw he gives the sweetest kisses... makes me smile everytime i think about it. We are excited to celebrate our first easter as a family.

i couldnt help but to post this one... he's just so funny! sorry for anyone thats offended by this photo... is this illegal?... anyways, he was fresh outta the bath and loves being in his birthday suit!

wish i knew what was on his mind.

..

"oh.. you know you want to feed me more french toast!!..."

"thats more like it.."

cheeeeeese!!!

this is what ive been up to in my spare minutes... for those of you who ARENT avid twilighters, this is the 4th book of the series.. im just getting prepped for the next movie to come out is all.. p.s. if youve never watched the commentary version of the first twilight movie, i highly recommend.. very interesting, little hints and secrets about the filiming of the movie, the sets, the cast, the locations. very cool.. ok. so im obsessed. at least i dont have a bag that says "team edward" on it......

so granted, you might find it a little strange that i posted a picture of the contents of my last trip to safeway, however, im too excited about the deals that i got to not share (brag) about them...

2- 24 roll packs of t.p.

2- boxes of cheerios

2- boxes kashi brand cereal

2- healthy choice frozen dinners

3- boxes rice-a-roni

6 boxes instant pudding

1 packet crystal light

1 loaf whole wheat bread

1 softsoap body wash

1 pam spray oil

1 4 pack yo-plus yogurt

1 4 pack yopait delights (yum for the record)

3- bags frozen corn

1 lb smoked turkey breast

1 bag honey graham gold fish

1 can mighty dog dog food

1 cucumber...

total retail value: $91.00

after coupons,sales,clubcard,freebie vouchers, total spent $41.00

(p.s. the toilet paper was $10 a peice making my total GROCERY bill $$$21.00!!!!!)

i still cant belieive it...

After work thoughts...

Just got done with work. Sitting here watching Jeopardy and watching Ethan play with his toys. Its truly amazing how quickly this little boy has grown and changed. As his personality develops and he starts to become more personable, I fall more in love with the little guy every day.. does he know that the word he's constantly repeating is "dope"?... when he crawls into the kitchen looking for food, does he know its innapropriate to try and pull down my pants in his effort to get food?.. does he know crying at 2 am isnt what humans do? his obsession with bread and bananas makes me laugh. Will he ever know how cute it is when he laughs around his binky? Or how sweet his open mouth kisses are? or how it breaks my heart when i have to tell him no for sucking on the laptop computer.... Not till he is a daddy himself some day i assume..

He loves it when we read books and sing him songs.. if you pause your song he will grunt in his cute little way to ask us to continue.. and i love his silly little giggle when i set him up to walk accross the room with his little car..silly boy.

He is such a blessing. God is smiling me when i look at my little boy.

On another subject. Seth and I went to a blazer's game a few days ago.. Mike and Molly had some tickets available. It was so nice to get out and do something new. and they won. no free chalupas though :(. (thanks for thinking of us M&M) :)

we were also able to get away last month for a day and go snowboarding for the first time in 2 years. ( i was busy being pregnant last year) we discovered how 2 years was too long. gotta get on that elliptical... but we had a great day nevertheless... mt hood is beautiful. and it was completely clear and sunny!

So looking forward to spring. I want to help finance some seedlings for moms' garden (considering all i have is a porch, no yard) really craving some garden fresh veggies, and some summer fruits.. its so scary buying produce anymore with all the awful salmonella outbreaks. if you havent seen the movie Food Inc. We HIGHLY reccomend it.. great documentary.

Enjoy these recent pics. :)

HAITI CONCERT

Last night there was a benefit concert for raising funds to help Haiti,

here's a crummy couple of photos from my cell phone.. Josh at the drums.. Erics' dancing around, thus the blur.. Josh H. and James at the guitars :)..

completley unrelated-- a super cute photo of Ethan playing in the bathtub ;)

February is gone...

where did it go? 28 days seem like 2 lately...

I dont have any recent pictures to post, but i will throw in a quick update..

Seth and i continue to be busy with work, but try and make time weekly to spend time together with the help of some really great babysitters.. We are both involved in worship team at our church and really enjoy it. Seth started the "biggest loser" contest at work and has already lost 22 pounds in just 8 weeks! unbelievable! i got back into pottery, joining a local co-op that i go to weekly..we both are love being a mommy and daddy. Speaking of Ethan, he is growing rediculously fast.. changing every day, his personality, mobility, and vocabulary. He likes to say "dope" a lot. real cute. not sure where he picked that up.. his favorite activity is taking baths, which, he will try and crawl in at any time.. along with "fishing" for toilet paper when we forget to put the seat cover down. oops.

he is walking easily with assistance, and will take 1-2 steps alone before sitting, but he's on the move for sure! he is just starting to show signs of seperation anxiety and shyness around people, which i realize is a normal phase, but i thought for a while it wouldnt come.. he was always so chipper and sunshiney around people. When i took him in for his 9 month well child check, the poor kid panicked when they were measuring and weighing him. understandably so, as they stripped him naked to put him in the scale. poor fella... speaking of measurments, his current height is OFF the charts, at 30 and 3/4 inches long, however he did lose a pound since his last appt topping off at about 19 and 1/2 lbs. so tall and skinny dude. :)

alltogether, a happy and healthy Holmes family, very much looking forward to the summer. :)

Catching up...Seattle Trip

So now that ive caught up on my holiday posts i can update everyone on current Holmes family activities!

Weve moved! yay! we are no longer living in our parents' basement apartment. We found a great duplex and Ethan now has his own bedroom ! YAY!

Ethan is into everything, crawling , and quickly approaching the walking stage. He can walk great assisted by a little walker-car, so all he needs to do is work on balance. He is a very happy little person, mostly in the morning (like his mommy) and has gotten into a wonderful one-nap routine. He's eating solid foods now in addition to the usual baby fare (mom's milk) and his favorites are bananas and cooked zucchini and bread! man does that kid love bread! amazing how strong some family genes are.... weird.

His sense of humor is beginning to show, he likes to get you involved in a laughing match making fake cough noises to get your attention and then cracking himself up. He can say words like DA DA and NANA, and MA MA but we dont know if he knows what he's saying yet. .. sometimes he will just yell at the top of his lungs BA BA BRAH! and we just joke that he's talking to his imaginary friend Barbara...

here's some recent pics of a family trip we took to seattle..

hotel pillows are the best!

watching the cars go by..

at the top of the Space needle!

yep, thats my boy with the platinum blond hair! He didnt get it from me! :)

Christmas/New years post (in February)

So its been a while. I am so awful at updating! by the time the photos make it FROM the camera to the computer its months later. Sorry about that. So since so much has gone on, ill post twice...:)

Christmas for the Holmes family was really awesome. It was fun to have our first "family" Christmas. We were totally blessed with so many fun new toys for Ethan. He got new clothes of course which are always appreciated. Ethan got to meet his Great Grandma Ellen which was really awesome.

I have a few silly pictures to post of our little elf. :) he decided to cut his first 2 teeth and crawl the week before Christmas so he is a very busy little boy! He is growing so quickly and changes every day. He is fast approaching his older cousin's height and we think he will be a really big guy.

New years was spent with some friends and my brother, sister-in-law and our Nephew Jason. we stayed up just long enough to watch the ball drop and then crashed. other than pizza and board games it was pretty un-eventful.

It has only snowed once here this winter, and it was a dissapointing 2 inches. hopefully before the winter is over!

Seth and I continue to be busy with work. But we are hoping to save to buy our first house in the next year!

his shirt in this photo reads "silent night, yeah right!"

so so true.

First time we caught him standing up on his own!Pepsi is such a good sport!not sure how he got here! :)