Fall Photos

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks. So far we are having a wonderful fall! Hope you are as well!

Early morning wake up!

Paul being the super motivated man that he is went running this morning at o'dark thirty! He set the alarm before leaving knowing that I prefer having it on while we are all sleeping. How thoughtful - right? Well when Anna came up at 6 am to get her phone the alarm went off b/c Paul forgot to turn off the motion sensor. So we were all awake!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! Needless to say there were no kind words for Paul in my mind this morning.

However, since I insist on finding a bright side we did take this great picture. All of the kids ate breakfast together in their school clothes at 7 am! WOW!!! The boys are usually still sleeping at this time. So, it was nice to have this moment together. Mind you I am still in my PJs and waiting for my coffee!! :)

School is Back!

Here are all the kids headed off to school this week. Anna and Joey started on Tuesday, Matthew on Monday and Ben on Thursday. Matthew is in a MWF morning program which will give me some much needed down time and be able to volunteer at Joey & Ben's school. So far he has done really well and I couldn't be happier!

Pueblo, CO

At the Garden of the Gods

At the Garden of the Gods

In Pueblo

The big boys and I went to Pueblo a few weeks ago to visit the Van Ettens (our dearest friends from NM). We had a blast, of course! It was great to get of NC and be able to just spend some time with Joey and Ben. All the kids got along beautifully and we can't wait to go back next year!

We are back!

Sheesh...I forgot about our blog for quite awhile! Well now that summer is nearly over I had better put up a few pictures of the kiddos! My computer time has been sucked up in facebook and couponing (Leigh Anne - you have created a whole new world of shopping in this house and I am saving SO much money!)

We are just slowly making our way through these past few months. Joey and Ben have done both golf and tennis camps and a lot of swimming. We took one vacation to the beach and are headed to Colorado in a few weeks. School starts on the 25th of August and I can't wait...really Anna is the only one who doesn't want school to resume. Joey's teacher is looping and so he will have her again next year and we are all very happy about it. Ben can't wait to head to kindergarten. Matt is even going to preschool for a few mornings a week. Which means....I am going to have time alone this school year! WOW! It has been 7 years since I had any time to myself and I can't wait!


Back at the aquarium at Fort Fisher...they have an albino alligator - how cool!


Paul & the big boys swimming....they swim like fish now!



Ben is digging for bivalves @ Wrightsville Beach.


Heading to golf camp!

Matthew just being cute!

Slip n Slide

My dear friend Jennifer sent Ben the BEST birthday gift, a slip N slide!!!!! He was so happy to get it today and both the big boys could hardly wait to use it. Joey had a friend come over this afternoon so once Matthew laid down for his nap we pulled headed outside for sliding fun! The water was SO cold and it was just around 70 today but the boys didn't care, they had a blast! Thanks Aust Jenna!

Ben is 5!

Here are just a few photos from Ben's fifth birthday last weekend. We had a party at the science center. The kids were able to touch several different animals ( a snake, hissing cockroaches, a turtle and a lizard), made a mask, had cake and juice boxes and we were out of there! I love not having parties at my house!

Easter photos

We spent Easter with my family and had a great time. Anna was with her friend Haley and grandfather for part of the day. We had a great brunch and then went to my Mom's for a few hours. We had brunch at Bermuda Run which is where we had our reception. We were reminiscing about how nine years ago we were enjoying our wedding there and now fast forward nine years and we are coming to have brunch with our three sons!

Dying eggs

It is hard to believe but we have NEVER dyed Easter eggs as a family. Yes, Joey is now 6 years old and we have been married for 9 years and somehow we have simply missed out on doing this messy tradition! The boys had a blast and so did Anna and her friend Haley. I think we will do it again next year....it wasn't as messy as I thought it would be!

Transformers

My Mom bought the boys their first transformers for Easter. (Yes, I know, how is it that these are their first transformers?) Those darn things are VERY hard to transform. So, Paul and Anthony (my brother) took on the transformers. They are both very competitive and they had quite the race to see who could complete the transformation first. Sorry Paul but this one goes to Anthony!

Van Etten Visit

The boys trying on turtle shells at the science center....



Marcy and me in downtown Hickory.



The boys in their underoos!!


I somehow convinced my dear friend Marcy to fly cross country (she lives in CO) with her two boys and spend a few days of their spring break with us in NC! We were nearly inseparable while living in ABQ. We really only took breaks from each other when our kids were trying to kill one another. The boys still consider themselves to be best friends and once they saw each other it was just like old times!

Unfortunately while they were here it rained the ENTIRE time! Ugh!!!! We made the best of it though. Marcy LOVED Hickory and has made me appreciate our house and new town a lot more. We went to the science center, movies, swimming and also took the boys out to hear an honky tonk band and watch professional cloggers (yes I live in the country)! Paul and Anna braved babysitting for a night and Marcy and I were able to go out to dinner and have a few drinks, I really needed a night out!

Founder's Day 2009

A few weeks ago Paul and I attended a Founder's Day dinner in Winston-Salem. This is an event held throughout the country to honor the founding of West Point. West Point was founded in 1802, so it is 207 years old.

We had a great time together and thoroughly enjoyed an evening without the kids. I learned a bunch about West Point and as always I am amazed by its traditions. Paul really enjoyed being with 'his people' and just mucking it up. And by the way the most interesting thing I learned is that he has NEVER taken me on the kissing walk but has been there with other girls, hmmmm, I am quite annoyed by this fact! :)

short update

For those who comment on the blog here is the update.....Anna had a great time at the ball and she and Chris remain to be friends despite his many valiant efforts to woo her. The speaker only spoke for less than ten minutes, Anna danced for four hours on a tile floor, her shoes did not stay on her feet for much of the night, and her feet paid for it for days after!

P.S. - for my smart alec friends....there was A LOT of snow earlier in the day and the temperature didn't go above freezing! My pictures were taken late in the afternoon. :)

Anna's first formal

Anna is at her first formal dance this evening. Her friend Chris invited her to the Hickory High military ball. She spent the better part of the afternoon getting ready and looked beautiful this evening! I hope she is having fun. She was worried about being very bored during the guest speaker's speech (but really haven't all of us who have attended military balls dreaded that part). I am sure she will love dancing and I can't wait to hear all about it in the morning as I will more than likely be asleep when she comes home at 11ish!

This must be a Hollenack trait

As many of you may know I am a NEAT freak. Well much to my horror Matthew is not...ahhhhh!!! Joey followed in my ways with very little resistance and Ben is pretty clean as well. But Matthew..whew! This week I have seen a new side of him. We spent two afternoons at the park and I took him out of the stroller to let him explore and he just kept shoveling the sand in his face and digging in the dirt. I was quite surprised as Joey & Ben just didn't do these things. Then at dinner Matthew smashed blueberries on his cheek and used the chicken pie to make his hair into a mohawk. So now I just have decided that this is a Hollenack trait and I hope that he will come to the Greco side of life soon! :) - Just kidding Hollenacks!

Men with weapons

Since moving here we have lost our 'little' boy ways. We have an older neighbor who has lots of cool toys, guns, sword, daggers etc etc (of course all fake). The boys immediately decided that Ian was so cool because of these things and are now obsessed with them. We caved this summer and bought them light sabers which went surprisingly well. They also received Nerf guns for Christmas and after a few days of shooting at each other that stopped. Well today was a warm spring day and the kids were outside. They decided to play war and spent the afternoon chasing each other and fighting with sticks, guns and light sabers....wow....look at who they became...my babies are now boys...

We were snowed in..

Well like most of the East coast we spent today snowed into our house. Actually Paul made it to work around 9 and Anna went out with a friend in the late afternoon. But I refuse to drive in this type of weather unless necessary and Joey is sick (again!) so we were home.

I had a boy handsomification morning which consists of baths, hair trimming, nail clipping and other fun stuff (not really because they all hate it and fight me tooth and nail). We then lounged for awhile and then I pulled out Brad Paisley's album Fifth Gear. This is a family favorite. So we cranked it up and danced all around. Ben pulled out his guitar and then Matthew danced around with an inflatable one as well. It was a blast. The big boys then settled into playing with Legos and Playdoh while Matthew napped. I conquered a small mountain of laundry and ironing-yuck!!!!

While folding my mountain of clothes I spotted a hawk in our backyard. At least I think it was a hawk, this is the best picture I could take from inside the house. Paul is very into birds and his passion has rubbed off on me and the kids. So this was a HUGE thing for us. I hope he comes back!




Matthew and his guitar.




Perhaps they will start a band....do you catch that subtle reference?




Our new visitor. He is perched above and to the left of the slide. He is SO hard to pick out in the picture...sorry.




Ben making pizza and shrimp from playdoh.




Joey making a composter/trash/computer creation from legos.

Matthew's new look

during...


before...

Hurrah!!! Matthew is now walking. He is doing a great job of it and we are all so very excited for him. He is able to take about 10 steps more or less. We are in trouble now!

We took him for his first hair cut several weeks ago. I have always waited until the boys are one to have their hair cut. He did very well....not the screaming and flailing that Joey and Ben always did.

Snow Day

Our house.

Using our neighbors sled.

Joey bike riding in the back yard.

Joey and Ben getting ready to head out.
We had one nice day of snow a few weeks ago. The boys got out in it for a few hours but they didn't last long and nor did the snow. Luckily the neighbors have a sled and the boys were able to use it in the front yard!