Holbrook's Hodgepodge of Hilarity

Camden Adventure Aquarium

2012-02-06T10:28:00.002-05:00

The girlie w/ Mighty Mike the alligator

Now we know what Santa does the other 364 days.

Love these two!!

They had a tunnel in the shark tank, and this guy was taking a rest.

Petting the sting rays

Downtown Philadelphia

Taking the Ben Franklin Bridge back to Pennsylvania

We took the girlie to the Camden aquarium while we were in Philly. She did such an amazing job the day before walking all over historic Philadelphia; there was no way we could not take her to do something really fun. The girlie really enjoys seeing all of the fish, and it is so neat to see her truly take interest in something. It was a great little adventure for our family. I pray that we get many more just like it.

Philadelphia

2012-01-17T10:11:00.001-05:00

The day after Christmas, we decided to take a short trip to Philadelphia before heading on up to Nathan's parents for Christmas/New Year's. It was a nice little trip, and the girlie did absolutely awesome. The first day we spent in historic Philly checking out Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Macy's Christmas light show. The second day we took the girlie to the Camden Aquarium. Something more fun for her.

Girlie with a statue of the Phillie Phanatic

She wanted her picture taken with EVERYTHING!

We really enjoyed the architecture around the historic area.

Waiting to tour Independence Hall

She's just so cute!

In a courtroom inside Independence Hall. To think that revolutionaries were tried for treason within this room before America won the revolution.

The room where the constitution was argued.

They had original, unsigned copies of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.

John Barry, the father of the U.S. Navy

They are renovating the outside of Independence Hall, so there was not any way to get a good shot of it.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution

The front of Independence Hall with George Washington statue

The Liberty Bell with Independence Hall in the background.

Love these two!

It was such a fun day! I believe that everybody should visit this historic city to learn and appreciate what had to occur for our great nation to have the freedoms we enjoy today.

Christmas Day

2012-01-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Meet Jamie. Jamie the Elf joined our family this year, and Emma really enjoyed finding Jamie every morning.

I'm not sure why this is rotated wrong but oh well. This is part of our tradition, which is to read from Luke 2. If you don't know what's in Luke 2, go get your Bible and read about it.

Opening stockings - a new big girl cup.

Her new ornament. Girlie is really into Cars the movies, so she got a Lightning McQueen ornament.

Helping Daddy open his stocking.

Kitty has his own stocking too.

My John Deere boy's new calendar.

Mommy received new knives. Just what she needed.

Picked out by Emma all by herself - hand warmers

From Emma - a candle

A sample wine set for my boy.

It was a nice, quiet Christmas in the Holbrook house. It was just the three of us, so we were able to just relax and do much of nothing but enjoy each other. We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then read the Christmas story from Luke 2. After we opened stockings and presents, Mommy made lunch of enchiladas, rice and beans. Mommy attempted to make a jelly roll, but it didn't turn out too well. So it became a jelly cake instead. Such an enjoyable day celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Cookies w/ Santa

2012-01-03T11:24:00.002-05:00

We went w/ the Scurlock's to the ARC's annual cookies w/ Santa. The girlie enjoyed decorating her cookie and seeing Santa.

Decorating their cookies

Getting her face painted. They did a present.

Decorations

2011-12-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

Since the day we get our tree is so busy, we decided to decorate the tree the following day so that we can take our time and enjoy it. The girlie has reached the age that she truly enjoys decorating. For a little bit. Every year though, she participates a little bit longer, and it is so fun to have these traditions with her.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-21T11:22:00.004-05:00

Blogspot has been giving me issues, so sorry that this has taken so long to get these posted.The day after Thanksgiving, we take our annual trip up to Lil Grandfather Mountain to get our Christmas tree. This year was the second year my mom and I braved the crowds to go out for Black Friday. Needless to say that it was a very long but very wonderful day.

I love these two!

On the wagon, up the mountain

As you can see, it was NOT cold this year at all! Bummer!

Yes, her father convinced her to put this stick on top of her head and pose for the camera.

Our tree!

It is so beautiful up here!

Cutting down our tree

Emma's tree (not really)

Double trouble!

Told you they were trouble - they would run down, and Emma would run into my parents.

She loves riding the horse.

Our little family

Helping Daddy

Even Kitty was happy.

Halloween

2011-12-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

Mommy dressed as Peyton Manning. Emma was our little pirate girl.

Ready to go trick or treating. The girlie was very excited!!!

Mickey

Minnie

Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-09T11:03:00.000-05:00

Painting Her Pumpkin

2011-11-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

I was so amazed to see the girlie paint her pumpkin. It seems that her interest in arts and crafts has really taken off recently. She was so excited to paint her pumpkin and picked out what colors she wanted to use. It was such a fun morning!

Pumpkin Patch Trip #2

2011-11-04T10:44:00.003-04:00

I was able to organize a trip to Patterson Farm with other families from the Down syndrome Association of Charlotte. It was a gorgeous day, and everybody had a blast! We were even blessed to have a company sponsor all the kids so that the parents didn't have to be burdened w/ that cost. I was amazed by the love that people have for our kids, whom they've never even met!

Feeding the animals

Driving the tractor

Mommy's ready!

Tomato sling shot!

Lots of fun for the grown ups!!!

On our way to the pumpkin patch

Yes, she wanted to sit on the pumpkin while getting her picture taken.

One of the best parts of the day: meeting these new families. We had three families join us that we had never met before. Emma had so much fun, and Mommy and Daddy did too!

Pumpkin Patch Trip #1

2011-11-04T10:24:00.001-04:00

Emma's class took a field trip to Riverbend Farm to visit the pumpkin patch. The kids had such a fun time, and the adults did too.

Emma and her buddy, Dominick

Ms. Nater is one of the teacher's assistants in Emma's class.

Ready to get started!

sweet Jeremiah

Buddies - Sarai, Jeremiah, Anthony and Emma

Lindsay

Emma and Makenzie are very close

Emma's two favorite people - Makenzie and Ms. Edwards

My pumpkin!

Driving the big tractor

Now that is a playground

Traffic jam on the slide

Ms. Whylly w/ Jeremiah

Caedon

It was such a beautiful day! We were very impressed w/ the farm and how well the kids did that day. Hopefully we can take a trip back next year!!

Buddy Walk

2011-10-19T10:04:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful day for the Buddy Walk this year. In the past, there always seemed to be a warming trend right around the same weekend, but not this year. We had our Emma's Ambassadors shirts on and our new sign all ready to go. The kids had a ton of fun! I didn't take a lot of pictures because a friend, who is a professional photographer, took pics with his camera. When I get those, I'll post them on here. The girlie says thank you to all who donated or participated in the walk with us!

The girls in the bounce house.

First face painting. She did extremely well!

With SpongeBob. Which is funny because she's never watched the show before.

Emma with her buddy, Matthew (aka Mamew)

Enjoying a hot dog after a very busy, fun afternoon.

Thanks again to all who made this day great!

Apple Picking

2011-10-07T09:54:00.002-04:00

Ready to pick some apples!

Emma tried to feed the sheep grass, but it was more interested in the feed that you could buy for them to eat.

We were able to go with the Bumgarner family to Sky Top Orchard for our annual apple picking. The girlie did so well and had such a good time. We had a picnic lunch at church after the service then took off for the mountains. After we were finished apple picking, we headed home with a quick stop at Cracker Barrel for dinner. What a fun day!

Labor Day Parade

2011-10-05T13:40:00.003-04:00

I am so behind. It doesn't help that we've been having Internet trouble for over a month now.
For Labor day weekend, we went to the town of Matthews for their parade. We didn't go to the festival because it was quite warm, and the girlie was worn out. She seemed to have enjoyed it more this year than last. She didn't cover her face the entire time. Only occasionally would she cover her ears.

Waiting patiently for the parade to start

It can't be a coincidence that Larry Sprinkle is a weather man.

Forget the politician, Mommy likes the car!

Dear Papa and Papaw - Emma said that she wanted this for Christmas.

Sir Purr

Daddy and his girl

The band is playing too loud.

It's never a real parade unless there's Shriners.

Zoo

2011-09-13T16:31:00.001-04:00

The day before school started, I decided to take Emma to the zoo as a fun little "end of summer" celebration. The best part...Daddy came with us! What a total surprise when I found out that he was taking the day off to go with us. What a huge help it was too since I was still recovering from my surgery.

The Africa entrance


Emma wanted a picture with Daddy as soon as we entered.

Emma wanted to get her picture taken with every single statue. Even the dung beetles. Hilarious.

White Alligators

So cute!

Playing in the water to stay cool.

More statues

She was playing this game with the quail. It was funny to watch.

On the tram back to the parking lot.

First Day of School

2011-08-26T10:10:00.005-04:00

Emma has been wanting to go to school since it ended back in June. She was thrilled to know that school has started again.

Her new book bag

Have a great first day of school, baby girl!

Locks of Love

2011-08-26T10:03:00.003-04:00

After one year, we decided to cut Emma's hair and donate it to Locks of Love. She did so well getting it cut and sitting still for the stylist. She looks so grown up now w/ her hair short.

Our big girl

Auction Closed!

2011-08-07T21:48:00.001-04:00

Thank you so much for your generosity w/ our auction for Emma's Ambassadors! Because I am having surgery tomorrow, it will be a couple of days before I get in contact w/ the individual winners, but I am still so excited! Thank you again!

Emma's Ambassadors Auction!

2011-08-01T11:59:00.006-04:00

The auction is now open to raise funds for our Buddy Walk team: Emma's Ambassadors! You have from now until Sunday @8pm to bid on any of the items listed below. To place a bid, simply put your bid in the comment section for which item you would like to purchase. Once the bidding is closed, I will notify the winner. If you are out of town, we will ship directly to you! Most of the smaller items will be around $5 for shipping, and the larger basket will probably be around $10. Thanks! Happy bidding!

Auction #101 Apron

2011-08-01T11:57:00.003-04:00

Love to cook! Or like me, just messy in the kitchen. Now you can protect your clothes while getting the cooking done with this handmade apron!

Opening Bid: $15

Auction #102 Child's Apron

2011-08-01T11:51:00.003-04:00

Have a little one who likes to be a helper in the kitchen? This will keep the clothes clean while allowing your child to help you. Or if your child is too grown, give it as a gift!

Opening Bid: $10

Auction #103 Beach/Pool Bag

2011-08-01T11:48:00.004-04:00

Need a bag to put all your stuff in for the pool/beach? Here is a perfect opportunity to purchase one while raising money for a good cause.

Opening Bid: $10

Auction #104 Fleece Throw Blanket

2011-08-01T11:40:00.005-04:00

This blanket is soft and perfect to keep or give to a friend. Would be an ideal baby shower gift!

Front

Back

Opening Bid: $20

Auction #105 Spa Basket

2011-08-01T11:36:00.004-04:00

Every lady needs a spa day once in a while! Now you can have one at home for a fraction of the cost to go to a salon. This basket includes all you need to pampered yourself right in your own home, and if you're not into spa treatments, don't forget Christmas is right around the corner. Buy it as a gift or keep for yourself!

Opening bid: $50

Tillamook

2011-07-19T13:54:00.004-04:00

Mmmmm...cheese!

We couldn't go to Tillamook without going to the cheese factory.

As much as we wanted to buy a bunch of Tillamook cheese to bring home with us, it just wasn't feasible. But we did get some yummy Tillamook ice cream! Delicious!

Our trip is quickly coming to a close, but there are still much more to see!

Mount St. Helens

2011-07-15T13:18:00.002-04:00

May 18, 1980
8:32 AM PDT
"Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"

Note: There is already a very big lava dome in the center of the crater.

On our way...

2011-07-13T09:55:00.010-04:00

to see this...

via this. But it didn't work out so...

we came across this on our way to...

here where we happened upon...

this. A small trail that lead up to...

this. Yup. That is snow. In the middle of June. But we did end up finding...

something beautiful. While we were there though we decided to...

be a little silly. This is my tribute to Emma. Also while we were walking back I thought that I could...

hold up the mountain. Bet you didn't know that I was THAT strong?!

There are no pictures that can do justice to how majestic this mountain is. We were in absolute awe! Where we were standing was in the middle of a river bed. You can't really get a good picture of how wide it is, but when this area floods, the entire area where you see rocks would be under water.

We came across this little guy while we were driving up to Paradise on the mountain.

There's just a little bit of snow left.

Just a bit.

It was such a fun day. If we had taken the train, we never would've come across that trail or saw the fox or saw how much snow was really on the mountain. Isn't it amazing how things work out sometimes?!

Baseball Game

2011-07-08T14:29:00.007-04:00

To check another stadium off of Nathan's list, we went to a Mariners game in Seattle. It was a night game, which is always more enjoyable. We almost caught a foul ball but had our hands full. Literally. We were eating when the ball came at us. Bummer. Maybe next time.

We thought that this was hilarious! A guest services guy in a box on a Segway.

An avid fan made these out of license plates and pop cans. They were really cool. He made all the teams from both the National and American Leagues.

As is tradition, we arrived early so that we could walk all around the stadium, and Nathan could take pictures.

A view from our seats. Seattle won 3-1.

What a fun day in Seattle. Now off to the next great adventure!

Western Washington

2011-07-07T13:42:00.012-04:00

We took a ferry as we were leaving Seattle to visit Western Washington.

Some shots from the ferry ride.

Seattle skyline

This lake was absolutely beautiful. We were amazed at how blue it was.

Taking a trail.

Big trees

I wanted to visit Forks. Yes, I admit it. I'm a Twilight fan. I thought that since we were in Washington, we could go to Forks. What a disappointment! I don't know where they filmed the movie, but it was definitely not there! The sign was the only thing that looked familiar. They have even completely re-constructed the high school, so it doesn't even look the same. So I decided let's try La Push to see if any of that is real. There is a La Push, but we never found a First Beach. We did find a beach, and it was absolutely breathtaking.

The beach in La Push

Some big driftwood

So long Western Washington. It was beautiful, but we must move on...

Seattle

2011-07-05T10:38:00.007-04:00

We took the light rail into downtown Seattle for the day with the intent of going to a baseball game that evening, then catching the light rail back to the hotel. We didn't have too much planned for the day so that we wouldn't overdo it and be too tired for the game. It was a beautiful day to walk around the city and take in the sites.

Pike Place Market was our first stop.

Rachel the pig.
Rachel became a part of the market in 1986 and is an actual piggy bank. The market uses Rachel to raise money for their foundation, which provides funds to food banks and other social services.

Inside the market. There are little shops that sell just about everything on all levels.

THE famous Pike Place Fish Market. We had just missed "the big show" of them throwing the bigger fish, but we did get to see them toss around a couple of the smaller ones.

The original Starbucks

Walking around the waterfront.

We took the monorail from downtown to the Seattle Center where the Space Needle is located. The area and needle were built for the 1962 World's Fair.

From the top of the Space Needle

Very big bolt

As we were walking around, we came across this fountain. It is called the International Fountain and is a very popular attraction for families because the kids love to play in the water. They even have segments when the water is synchronized to music. We sat there for quite some time just watching the fountain and the kids play.
Next up: baseball!

Leaving Vancouver

2011-07-05T10:26:00.002-04:00

As we were leaving Vancouver, I really wanted to see the Olympic cauldron since we didn't find it the other day. What we found out was that the cauldron was not located near the Olympic village or the stadiums, but on the other side of town, near the waterfront. We did find it. I did get a picture. Goodbye Vancouver.

Lego killer whale

The Olympic cauldron

Back home in the U.S.A.

We started our trip back down to Seattle. We took the loooong way, but it was so beautiful that we didn't mine it at all.

Whistler

2011-06-30T13:33:00.012-04:00

Our second day took us on an adventure up to Whistler, B.C. Our hope was to see big mountains and take a gondola ride, but the weather decided not to cooperate. Surprise! Surprise! It was rainy and cloudy. That did not deter us from having a great day.

On the drive to Whistler, we made a couple of stops and took a couple of hikes to see some beautiful waterfalls. Our first stop took us to Sharon Falls.

We were very impressed by the height of the falls, even though it was foggy.

I can't remember the name of these falls, but they were still beautiful. The trail took us up to a overlook that stuck out over a cliff near the falls. Needless to say that Dawny was not too excited to be out there.

The Village of Whistler

The people wouldn't move out of the picture. Oh well.

All of the skiing events for the 2010 Winter Olympics took place in Whistler. The village was very cute. I had never been to a ski village before.

As we were driving around Whistler, we saw bear #1 at the tube park. Make note: bear #1.

As we were driving around the country side, we came across a mama bear and her cubs. Note: bears # 2, 3, & 4.

Since we couldn't take a gondola ride in Whistler, we decided to drive around just to see what we could see. We happen to come across the Olympic Park where all of the ski events took place. We were amazed that they let anyone walk around to see all the event sites. During the heavy snow season, they even have the park open for people to use. That means just a few weeks ago, there were people there cross country skiing. Yup. Just a few weeks ago, there was even more snow there.

Meet Ilanaaq.
We called him Stonehenge. In the area, these are called inuksuk, which are used for
reference marks or navigation. This was the logo for the Olympics.

The ski jump area. Those are HIGH! I was completely amazed by how high they were.

The cross country skiing trails used also for the biathlon.

A lot of snow!

A whole lotta snow!!!!

The shooting range which was part of the biathlon.

The start/finish line for the cross country skiing.

Remember Sharon Falls at the beginning of the post. Well, as we were driving back to Vancouver, the clouds started clearing, and as we were passing by the falls again we noticed something...it is a whole lot bigger than what we first saw! What we saw the first trip was just above the electrical line. Look at how much further up it goes?! Completely amazing!!

Dawn's picture

Nathan's picture
You can tell the difference in our styles.

And yes, another bear. We saw seven bears total that day, but it didn't compare to the number of Starbucks we saw in downtown Seattle. ;-P

Vancouver

2011-06-28T13:59:00.016-04:00

What a wonderful trip Nathan and I had. It went by in such a blur, yet it felt like we had been away from Emma forever. We flew into Seattle Saturday evening and drove a little over half way to Vancouver. On Sunday morning, we finished the drive up and spent the day in Vancouver. It was such a beautiful day!

Our day started in Stanley Park. The park is 1000 acres just across the bay from downtown Vancouver and has an aquarium, beaches, totem poles and tons more!

A nice jogger took our picture.

We saw lots of sea planes.

There is a section in the park dedicated to totem poles of the original aboriginal people of the area. Some of the poles were built around the late 1880s. Some have been refurbished while others have been added over time.

Brockton Point Lighthouse

Some big driftwood and my cute boy!

A view of downtown

Rogers Arena where the Vancouver Canuks play. We missed the last playoff game, which was probably a good thing since there were riots after.

Olympic Village where the athletes stayed during the Winter Olympics last year.

After walking around downtown, we drove around for a while just to take it all in. It was a great start to our trip!
More pictures to come...there are A LOT!!!

Lazy 5 Ranch

2011-05-10T10:48:00.004-04:00

During spring break, my sister and grandmother came down for a visit. While they were here, we decided to take Emma to the Lazy 5 Ranch. I had never been, so I had NO idea what to expect. The only thing I knew was that it was a drive-thru safari type experience. That is an understatement! We bought a bucket of food, which now we know isn't enough, and the animals flocked to the car. They even block the car so that you can't move, then they bombard you to get to the food. I'm so glad they are use to humans because my sister and I (we shared the bucket of food between the two of us) screamed A LOT! Emma and my grandmother just hung out in the backseat, laughing at us both while they had their windows up. That didn't seem quite fair, but oh well. It was still a fun time, and we definitely want to go back.

Scary birds!

Laughing at mommy

This was taken from inside the car

Everybody had a great time! We were so glad that Danielle and Grandma could come visit us. For some reason I took NO pictures of them w/ Emma. Guess I was too busy just enjoying the visit.

Easter

2011-05-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

Wilmington Day #2

2011-05-03T10:20:00.006-04:00

We took the next day to do a little sight seeing because the weather was questionable, so we drove down to the Oak Island Lighthouse first.

It's a newer lighthouse, so there isn't a light-keeper's house on site.

After visiting the lighthouse, we drove back into Wilmington and stopped at the USS North Carolina battleship. We didn't tour the ship because we knew that Emma wouldn't be interested, but it was neat to see it up close.

Finally we drove to downtown Wilmington and walked around, looking at the old buildings. We were glad that the weather cooperated for the rest of the day.

Emma didn't really care for how windy it was.

It was such a relaxing trip, and we will be so grateful to those who helped make this trip possible.

Wilmington

2011-04-22T09:49:00.004-04:00

We have been so blessed this year with not just one trip away but two! A friend's parents invited us to their house while they were away on vacation. I got to go to the beach! We got to go to the beach together as a family!
Emma LOVES the beach! We had such an enjoyable time. We went to the beach Friday afternoon, even though it was chilly, we still had fun. We couldn't get into the water but got in enough to get water to make sand castles.
Thank you Lord for such wonderful friends and their parents who wish to bless us in such meaningful ways!!!

Making a sand castle w/ Daddy. Getting this time w/ her daddy was such a joy for the girlie!

Look! Mommy does exist.

Mommy's first sand castle! Ever.

What a glorious day!

Special Olympics

2011-04-21T11:29:00.008-04:00

Doing our warm-ups

The gang

She is so attached to her teacher! She didn't want me only Ms. Edwards.

The look

Playing w/ the parachute was her favorite activity!

Receiving her medal

Driving her race car

Hugging Sonic the Tot

It was a wonderful day for Emma's school to compete at the Special Olympics. Emma couldn't do any of the major events because of the age limit, but they did have lots of activities set up for the younger kids to do. She did an awesome job and was very excited to receive her medal. The most hilarious part was watching her "buddy" chase her around all morning, which gave Mommy a nice little break. They ended the day w/ a hot dog and chips lunch, then the kids returned to school. After they return, it is tradition for all of the other classes to line the halls, while they parade through w/ their medals, and everybody cheers for them! How very sweet of the school to do that for them!!!

Gatlinburg Day #1

2011-04-18T10:26:00.009-04:00

Cousins

Can you tell she didn't get to sleep until late?

The winery

The Titanic museum. We didn't go this trip because we didn't think that Emma would enjoy it too much. Maybe next time. But thankfully nobody minded we stop so that I could get pictures from the outside.

We were able to meet Kurt, Jennifer and Haley in Gatlinburg for a quick weekend trip. We arrived late Friday evening and stayed through Sunday morning.
On Saturday we took a "small" hike to an observation tower. Emma very quickly wrapped her Uncle Kurt around her little finger, and next thing we knew, he was carrying her on his shoulders both up and down. The view from the observation tower was not very good because it was quite foggy, but it was still neat to see. After the hike, we went for lunch at the Applewood Winery. They had a Christmas shop, grill, and a winery area. The girls seem to really enjoy the Christmas shop and all the decorations. Then we were off to play mini golf. Emma had never played before, so we weren't sure how this was going to play out. But overall, she did extremely well! She enjoyed playing and didn't whack the ball very hard too often. By the time we were all finished, everybody was pretty worn out, so we headed back to the condos to crash for the evening.

Gatlinburg Day #2

2011-04-18T10:13:00.002-04:00

The trip quickly came to a close, but it was great being able to see Kurt, Jennifer and Haley. Nathan and I decided that since we had an early check out; instead of driving straight home, we would drive around the mountains some and see what we came across. We happen across this waterfall on the way home.
Emma did such a good job the entire weekend, even with less sleep than usual. We were so proud of her!

Wings of Eagles Ranch

2011-03-22T10:16:00.010-04:00

Ready to get started!

Our cute girl

Matthew (Emma calls Mamew)

Dominic

William

Jeremiah climbing the rock wall

Emma's turn

Now Dominic gets to climb

William doing a great job!

Getting ready to ride

All the kids LOVED riding the horses!

Going on a nature walk - Emma helped push William's stroller

Walking the tight rope

ALL of the kids did it!!

Last but not least, a wagon ride

Somebody was worn out

Emma and her class took a field trip to the Wings of Eagles Ranch in Kannapolis. It is a place where kids with Special Needs do therapeutic horseback riding and other activities. The class was divided into teams, so these pictures are only of Emma and her team, not the rest of the class. Emma's team started off climbing the rock wall, then the rode the horses. While on the horse, the volunteers took each horse around and then the had a capture the flag race. It was probably the slowest race on record, but it was so cute to watch. After lunch, we went on a nature walk, then finished out the day with a wagon ride. We went all over the property, and the kids thought that it was amazing!
It was so wonderful to watch each child attempt and accomplish tasks that most people would say isn't possible. It was also neat to see the child's family member see the child accomplish each task! What a great day!!

It's Party Time!

2011-03-15T10:08:00.007-04:00

The cake! Nathan did another wonderful job.

Heat races

The dads

Making gummy candy - it didn't work quite like we wanted, but everybody did get some.

Cute Maggie

Rachel w/ her license plate

The birthday girl!

Marielle

Lucas

Sydney

Jackson

Ellie

Hitting the pinata

Singing "Happy Birthday"

Mmmm...cake

Opening presents

We did it!

This year we had "Cars" as Emma's birthday theme. Every child was given his/her own driver's license and tattoo. For activities, they pinned the tire on the race car, had heat races with their own car, beat up a pinata, made gummy candy, and created their own license plate. Emma had such a fun time w/ her friends. She is still talking about her party! We have been so blessed that Emma has such good friends.

Presents #1

2011-03-11T09:56:00.002-05:00

On Emma's birthday, she gets to open her presents from Mommy and Daddy. It's such a fun time w/ just our little family before the big party w/ our family and friends.

Party #1

2011-03-11T09:47:00.002-05:00

Singing to Emma

Emma's friends enjoying their cupcakes

Yummy cupcake!!!

How old is Emma?

What fun!

Mommy brought cupcakes to Emma's class for her birthday. All the kids and the teachers were very excited to celebrate Emma's birthday w/ her. We sang "Happy Birthday", enjoyed vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, and apple juice boxes. It was such a great time! Mommy is so glad that she was able to do this for not only Emma but for all the kids.

Emma's Playground

2011-03-09T10:20:00.003-05:00

For her birthday, Daddy gave Emma a play set. She was so excited to watch Daddy build it and then to get to play on it. In these pictures, it isn't quite finished because there were a couple of bolts missing, but we wanted to give her the opportunity to play on it before bedtime. She had a blast!

Space Kidets

2011-03-09T10:08:00.003-05:00

The DSAC was invited to the Space Kidets bounce house on a Saturday morning. Emma was so excited to go and play w/ her friends. It was a fun morning for our little family.

Birthday Girl

2011-03-03T09:55:00.002-05:00

Our girlie turns six today. Six! The time has passed so quickly. We were looking at the pictures of her from last year's birthday and noticed how much she looks like a little girl now; instead of, a toddler/baby face.
The past year has been amazing to see how much Emma has grown and progressed. She has tested out of PT, and is now starting to do three-four word phrases. She is learning to read sight words and can count to twenty. We are so pleased w/ how well she is doing.
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!! We love you!

Bowling Trip

2011-02-28T14:26:00.002-05:00

B

Emma went on a CBT trip in mid-January. They went to the local bowling alley and then lunch to McDonald's. Emma's favorite! I don't go with the class on these trips so that she can learn to do these real life situations w/o Mommy. Another mom was kind enough to send me these pictures, so we can enjoy them. It looked like she had a lot of fun!!! Plus she looked so cute in her little bowling shoes!

Here Kitty, Kitty

2011-01-27T14:15:00.000-05:00

Snow Day Part Deux

2011-01-21T10:28:00.004-05:00

We got another snow day! Not only that, but we got Daddy all to ourselves for the entire day! It was a powdery snow, so we couldn't build a snowman or throw snowballs. But we still had fun. Emma did awesome making a snow angel. She looked so cute in her snow pants and light up boots.

Happy Birthday, Jesus

2011-01-19T09:45:00.005-05:00

Such a good helper!

We have started a new tradition of baking a birthday cake for Jesus. Emma enjoys helping to make the cake, decorating the cake, singing "happy birthday" to Jesus, and eating the cake.

Christmas in PA

2011-01-19T09:23:00.004-05:00

Opening her stocking

Reading about Jesus' birth from Emma's Bible

A new Purdue hat for Daddy

It's Mater!

Daddy got a helicopter

A new devotional for Mommy

Papa Mzungu

The aftermath

Daddy got a marshmallow gun - or as Emma calls it "pooh gun"

A few days after Christmas, the fam loaded up the old front wheel drive sleigh and headed up to PA to visit Papa and Gramma. It was a relaxing trip, and everybody enjoyed themselves. Emma was very excited to wake up to presents...again!

White Day After Christmas!!!

2011-01-11T10:37:00.005-05:00

Waiting patiently

Her new boots - they light up!

All ready to play!

Our neighbors came over to help us finish our snowman, then we went over to their house to build one. But the snow was just not cooperating, so we just threw snowballs at each other.

It was so wonderful to see their interaction with Emma. Most people will say hi to her or give her a hug, but never really PLAY with her. It was awesome!

Our snowman!

The night of Christmas it started to snow. Snow! Charlotte has not seen a white Christmas in 60+ years. I didn't want to put too much stock into what the weathermen were predicting b/c I didn't want to be disappointed if nothing happened. But it did. We received around 3 1/2 inches, and it was even cold enough that the snow stuck around for the day. So pretty to see it on the trees. I have missed snow. I was so appreciative that the Lord would bless us in such a little way.

Christmas Day

2011-01-05T11:04:00.004-05:00

Opening stockings - her new ornament TinkerBell

From Mommy's stocking - peanut butter M&Ms!!

His present from Emma. A back scratcher. She picked it out all by herself.

The after math. Well, party of it.

We had a very relaxing Christmas this year. Even though we love having family with us for Christmas, it was nice to have just the three of us together to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. We opened stockings first to help wet the girlie's appetite. We enjoyed Monkey Bread for breakfast, then Daddy read from Luke 2 before we opened our presents. We had a nice fire going, watched A Christmas Story and enjoyed the day together. We played some Mario Kart and went driving around looking at Christmas lights in the snow! Yes, we had snow for Christmas!!! (kind of) More pictures of that to come later. At the end of the day, Emma did sing happy birthday to Jesus and more than a few times spontaneously yelled "Merry Christmas". So, Merry Christmas everyone!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-01-05T11:02:00.000-05:00

Love,
the Holbrook's

DSAC Christmas Party

2011-01-05T10:32:00.004-05:00

We were able to attend the Down syndrome Association of Charlotte's annual Christmas party. This year the party was held downtown Charlotte at a local church. Shortly after our arrival, it started snowing. Not just snowing but big flakes! It felt like the holidays had finally arrived.
Emma enjoyed herself and was able to visit with Santa. She was so excited that Santa even gave her a bag of goodies. Such a fun day.

The Nutcracker

2011-01-05T10:20:00.003-05:00

This year a new tradition was started. Mommy and daughter date to see The Nutcracker in Kannapolis. Emma has a couple of friends who dance in that particular show, so we thought it would be more meaningful to her to see her friends up on stage.
The beginning of the performance was uneventful. Emma mostly stared and played with her glow in the dark seat number on her chair. Then when the dancing really began, she became enthralled. During the intermission, she acted out the dances while we waited for the second act to begin. The second act, she sat on my lap and really enjoyed the remainder of the performance.
After we got home from the performance, Emma had to act it out for Daddy. She refused to take her dress off and was tippy-toeing around and around the living room just like the dancers. It was so cute to watch, and I am really looking forward to next year.

Gingerbread House

2010-12-21T09:51:00.003-05:00

Every year we are amazed at how much Emma is learning and doing, and every year we are so thankful that the Lord gave us another year w/ our special girl. This year our little family all sat down together to construct our annual gingerbread house. Yes, it is a pre-fab house, and some day Mommy might attempt to make a homemade one. But at this point, it's pre-fab for us!
Daddy put the house together and the icing on the cookies, and Emma picked out which candy she wanted on each piece. She and Mommy put the candy on all the cookies and house. We only had a couple of instances where she wanted to eat the candy, and she didn't understand why Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let her. Try explaining to a five year old that the candy in question has probably been sitting in some warehouse for the past twenty years before it was boxed up and shipped out in this package. Yuck! Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it still seems yucky to eat.
The Holbrook house wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!!

Christmas presents

2010-12-16T11:11:00.005-05:00

Passing out presents

Our Mzungu Papaw :-)

Emma received a LeapFrog laptop, and she has loved it ever since. She sits on the couch every day after school and "types" e-mails out to her friends.

My parents got us a Wii for Christmas. They wanted to get us something that we would never get for ourselves.

Gramma received an angel that Mommy had bought for her while in Africa.

The looks says: "do NOT touch my buckeyes!"

Even Bailey got a present!

While Gramma and Papaw Savage were here for Thanksgiving, we decided to exchange presents since they would not be able to come for Christmas. This is always an enjoyable time because I really love giving gifts no matter how big or small. The time passed quickly and soon the holiday was over. It was nice having my parents here to celebrate with us.

Christmas Tree

2010-12-10T10:19:00.006-05:00

On the wagon, ready to head up the hill

Our tree

My Love!!!!

Emma really enjoys riding the horse

On the day after Thanksgiving, we took our annual trip to Lil Grandfather Mountain to get our Christmas tree. This year was a little different because Mom and I went out early for Black Friday, so we left later than normal. Usually when we get home we put the tree up and decorate it, but this year I was so tired from being up so early we put off decorating the tree until the next day. It was nice to put the lights on the tree and hang the ornaments the next day because there wasn't a feel of being rushed due to bedtime or supper time or anything else. Emma has finally reached the stage where she really enjoys decorating the tree. Although it is very cute because she wanted to place all the ornaments on the same branch, so now the bottom part of the tree kind of sags. So sweet. I love this time of year!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-10T10:04:00.004-05:00

Starting the cooking process

Even though it's hard to see, notice the look on Papaw's face

In her Papaw's shoes

Grandma and Papaw Savage came to visit for Thanksgiving this year. Emma always enjoys when she gets to see either set of grandparents. Daddy was even able to take the day off before Thanksgiving. It was nice to have everyone at home.
Being the cook didn't allow me to take any pictures on Thanksgiving day, but the day went well overall. Emma had a rough morning because she wanted to watch Mickey Mouse; instead of, the Macy's parade. But she really enjoyed the dinner and playing games in the afternoon.

North Carolina Zoo

2010-12-10T09:48:00.003-05:00

Emma had a few days off of school, so Mommy took the girlie to Greensboro to the NC Zoo. To say that it didn't go well would be a huge understatement. Not wanting to go into too many details, we ended up leaving w/o seeing everything, and both of us were in tears. Life w/ Emma has it's tremendous blessings but the challenges come w/ it too. And they sneak up on us out of nowhere.
This Mommy will try to take the girlie back to the zoo someday. Emma does enjoy the zoo. She's been to a couple of them and enjoyed being there. This day just was not one of those days.