lil update

I know. I've neglected the blog. I've had friends and family ask where i've been in the blogging world so I'll run through a few things that have been happening in the household, sound good? 

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So a lot of you have known that Darin has flipped 4 homes.. I have been apart of 3 of them. We LOVE buying something old and making it look new.. cater it to what we want it to look like. 

Love.

It. 

And love the equity we've built. =)  But the both of us have had a dream from the get-go of our marriage.. we'd love to end up out in the country with some acreage and live in a home we've custom designed and built from scratch. We want to be super hands on and have a home that is new, but doesn't look or feel brand spanking new. We want build-in's and character.. we want it to have our touch like all of our other flipped homes had.

A few months we found it. Meet our new land. 3 acres. quiet, non-busy road, 6 min from Darin's high school, 1 minute from Adie's (and eventually all 3 girls') elementary school.. it's just perfect. 

We love it. 

We will build in 2-3 years and this is the cool part.. a high school building trades class will build our home. Yep, you read it right! 16-18 year old's will build our home. Well, along with Darin and I'm sure I'll be painting up a storm when the time comes! We are on the list for the 2014-15 year. It's just perfect for us because it's *very* cost effective and will let use be major contributors to building our home. And you all know we love high school kids. At the beginning of our marriage Darin was a youth pastor and we've both coached at the high school level every since. We love high schoolers!  Darin's had a dream of building a home himself but he kinda lacks the time for that with teaching and coaching 2 sports. He'll be able to do as much as he's able this way.  

I have a step sister whom is an architect so she has our favorite house plans and is making all kinds of changes to it to make it ours. Including a studio in the home this time, a high ceiling vaulted great room/kitchen, killer mud room, jack and jill bathroom for the girls and a grand 2 story foyer. 

I. can't. wait!!

It's so fun to have something to look forward to all while being completely content with our current home. We still love it.. it meets our needs.. we brought all 3 babies home here. Yeah, it will be hard to sell when it's time but we are perfectly content until the 14-15' school year! For now it's dreaming time!

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In other news.. Em had a massive fall last week. =( She climbed up on a bar stool and pulled it on top of her and had a crazy cut on her lip and moved one of her teeth. yep, you read that right.. moved a front tooth. This is what it looked like after she did it: 

Here's her little smile before.. 

again a before pic of her smile: 

and before picture of her up in the loft: 

And yes. I showed you all those pictures because she's climbing in every. single. one of them. The girl climbs like no other. Hm, wonder how she fell climbing? 

here's her new smile: 

Can you see the right front that's slightly up and into her gums? 

Ah. 

Hoping it doesn't turn gray.. fighting the urge to want baby braces. =/ 

It'll fall out, right? 

in 5 years. =( 

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It has been crazy cold here. Like keeps snowing 4 inches at a time and honking us all off cold. 

We are over it. 

Cept for this day when school got cancelled and the girls played outside in the snow. Doesn't Joya look like a Mario Brother in that hat? 

"Hey Luigi!"

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In other news, my baby can read!  Adie is reading at a crazy high level. Proof that there is no way that I could have taught her at home.. pretty sure she's going to read and spell better than I can hear soon.

 (Ok so I spelled "hear" wrong for you all to be funny. Promise.)  

She's such a smarty pants and I'm so, so proud of her!  And yes, that's an American Girl Doll chapter book she's reading in the pic! 

She's 5.

I KNOW.

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I am so. stinking. happy to announce that I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Praising the Lord for that one! 

Now. 

Body parts don't look exactly like they used to but the good ol scale and I are friends again cuz it says the right number. I've worked hard since January and did the 17 day diet at the beginning of the year and dropped 10 lbs.  It was hard core but it worked.  Still trying not to eat many carbs past 2pm and working out to my Turbo Fire.  

Love. Turbo. Fire.

When you can ring out your undies from sweat after a workout you know it's a good workout. =) 

Yes, TMI.

Yes, the truth. =)

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Done a couple of fun things with the girls since the weather is still crummy.. went to the Carousel at Shipshe...

Lotsa riding in Barbie cars...

Lotsa cousin/BFF friend play dates doing hair on a train...

Going to a daddy/daughter dance for Valentine's day...

Trying to give up naps.  Ask mommy what she thinks about this... =(

And lotsa playing.  Most of the time in the front window of our house. So if you are a local and drive by and see baby strollers and barbies and blondies in the front window.. it's their favorite place to play. 

I think they are just HOPING that the weather will be nicer to play outside so they play in the sun through the window. =) 

That's all we're up to here. Track is in full swing and my photography schedule is packed. We've had our share of pukes and ear infections and fevers just like the rest of you, I'm sure! Just ready for spring!!!!

10 years

10 years ago today on 03-04-03 my mama left this world and became a resident of heaven. 

There is so much of that day that I remember.. so much that I want to forget... like watching her pass.  We were all by her side.. all of us took turns giving her permission to leave us and meet Jesus.  It was the most heart wrenching thing I hope I ever endure.  She was almost unconscious and in her last words prayed for us... she started with "thank you God for this wonderful day." She was praising Jesus just minutes before she met Him.  I will always remember minutes after she passed and we all sat by her bed in a silent, uncontrollable sob.. a lullaby played in the intercom. (the hospital played a lullaby when a baby was born). It was so fitting to hear a sweet lulluby of a baby being born into this world as my mom was being born into heaven. 

There's SOOOO much she's missed in the 10 years she's been gone. 

*My oldest sister, Denise and I both got married. She wasn't there to put our veils over our heads.. to zip up our dresses. To sit at the front row of the church beaming from ear to ear that we'd met "the one". 

*She hasn't met the 9 grand-babies that her 3 children have born. She missed waiting at the hospital to meet each and every one.. and I know she'd be running into the room as soon as she could to meet her new loves. Every hospital deliver I've had I mourned watching her rush in and fall love with my daughter's. Seriously.. I've cried after each baby wondering what it would look like for my mom to hold my girls.  It's a loss I can't even explain to you. 

*she's missed 10 anniversary's with my dad. They hit 31 years the year she died.. now it would be 41 years. I loved seeing them together.. watching them hold hands after so many years... watching my dad cherish her and keep the promise of his marriage vow" in sickness".. they were so perfect for each other.  

10 years have seriously flown by.. I'm now in my early 30's and not early 20's. I'm aging and maturing but if I live til I'm 100 I'll still long for my mom.

Anyone that knew me as a child knows of my bunnies.. this was my first one I received on Christmas.. I think it was pretty early in the morning with how tired my mama looks!

This was a few weeks before she died at my brother's wedding. Doesn't she look stunning?

I am positive that when my mom met Jesus he said "Good job, good and faithful servant. With you I am pleased."  My mom's legacy will never be forgotten . and I promise to my children, to Darin, to everyone that I meet that you will see my mom in me. 

Her ability to talk to strangers and make them feel like a best friend.. 

her ability to make others laugh. I loved her sense of humor. =)

to love my husband with my entire heart.. making each year better than the last. Submitting to him and supporting him through all the ups and downs. Never saying a bad word about him.. loving him to pieces and showing respect under every circumstance... just as she did for my dad. 

to love and nurture and sacrifice my own wants and needs for my children like she did for us.. 

to share Jesus with my mouth and actions just like her life displayed.. 

my mom left a legacy. One that I will never forget and will try my hardest every day to live up to. 

I love ya, mom. Hopefully you get a glimpse from heaven how much you are missed and how much we long for you to be here with us. But I know you are saving a place right next to you in heaven. I can't wait to see you again. 

we like elf around here

Guess I took a blog sabbatical! 

Sorry about that! 

Life is crazy, as always.. but this makes me smile and I thought it might make you smile too.

My Joya (and Emery) watching Elf.

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my little stinker bomb =)

How should we have spelled "Emery"? 

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

She's into EVERYTHING right now!  

So proud of herself for climbing up the steps like her big sisters. (You can't see Darin behind her making sure she doesn't fall over)

And there is one cabinet that she's figured out how to get the child lock open. 

And there lies some Doritoes. 

You can see I caught her a little late because she has a Dorito beard.. along with the doggie. 

And she falls so much these days and bruises up her face that I want to make her a shirt that says, 

"don't call CPS..

I'm learning to walk"

The toddler days seem to have begun!

She walks!

I think it's safe to say.. the baby is walking. =(

Sniff, sniff. 

At least she waited almost an extra month than when Joya walked to we could enjoy her babyhood a little bit more. Em will be 11 months on next Tuesday. 

She thinks she's so cool.. and loves a good round of applause when she takes some steps. Um, who wouldn't!?!?!

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Also go to go to pumpkin day at school with Adie today! Loved seeing her in her classroom! She looks so big in this picture too!

And we did some fall fun stuff last week.. went and got some pumpkins to decorate the front of the house. 

Pumpkins on a hay trailer.. my kind of pumpkin picking!

Hope fall is treating you well too.. the BEST season of the year! 

In my opinion. =)

are you ready for some football????

Football is a HUGE part of our lives here in the Holsopple family! If we aren't at a game we are either watching a game on TV, Darin is at practice or Darin is thinking about football.  Darin's the varsity receiver coach and the offensive coach for JV. 

Not that his job is to offend people, he's in charge of offense.

That is a fun play on words that I've never noticed.. ha!

We have been to all the varsity home games but he finally had a JV game on Monday night so the girlies and I headed over to FHS. Here is Darin on the sidelines looking awfully important.

And hot. =)

My girlies LOVE to wear their cheer-leading uniforms grandma Holsopple made them!

And Em doesn't have a cheer uniform but she thoroughly enjoyed climbing on the bleachers. =)

And hitting her head on the said bleachers about 429 times. =/

Thought this was a fun pic of Adie at the top of the bleachers. If she ends up cheering, we'll have to take another picture of her in HS in the same pose! 

Someone remind me of this because I'm sure I'll forget. =)

I love that my rough and tough football hubby is such a softy when it comes to his ladies. 

I LOVE watching them run onto the field at the end of his games. Love it.

Not ONCE has he been bummed that we have 3 girls and no sons. Heck, he has 80 boys every football season to tie him over! 

(And for all you camera buffs.. the pic is bit noisy.. aka grainy) because it's shot at 6,400 ISO because it was almost dark at this point of the night.. it was about 8pm! I LOVE my camera!)

GO falcons!

Emery at 10 months

So much hub-bub about my older ladies going to school that I couldn't leave out the baby! My 10 MONTH OLD baby!  We are 2 months away from the dreaded 1 year b-day. I think it's going to be super hard for us. This is the end of our baby years! 

But I'm pretty sure she's going to live out "being" the baby for quite some time. Like maybe her whole life. =) Dedicating this post to my quirky baby Emery!

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Snapped a few pictures of her after her nap this afternoon. Amazing lighting and a happy little girl! She has been my only girl that leaves teeth marks on the crib. =/ 

She isn't walking but it getting close. She stands for 10 seconds or so on her own and waits for us to notice and clap and cheer for her. She loves her hippo walker.. as you can see here. It gets her where she needs to be. 

What she does not like is when her sisters put her IN the hippo walker. As seen below:

She loves to talk. She's doing "da-da-da" and "Wa-wa-wa". Again, she waits for us to clap and cheer for her when she jibber jabbers. I think you've noticed a theme here with the clapping and cheering. =)

She is a bit shy. If she's on my hip and you try to take her and hold her? Good luck.. never works. She's a lover of mommy's hip! Altho she does love daddy. She's got that over Joya.. Joya didn't like Darin much until about 18 months.. broke his heart!

She has always had the ability to go from upset to crazy happy in 2.0 seconds.. as seen below. She's been a finicky baby and a bit fussy. Lately she's been better because she crawls herself all over the place and keeps herself busy!

And her biggest love.. her sisters. She's crazy about them! When she sees Adie get off the bus she kicks and smiles from ear to ear. Just loves her sisters!