The Amazing Wonder Horse!

Grandpa Rick refurbished his 1950s Wonder Horse. As a child, he spent many hours on the horse, so many hours that the neighbors in the below apartment would ask him to take some breaks! Anyway, the kids really seemed to enjoy the Wonder Horse. Thanks, Grandpa Rick

The Holtlets Turn Two!

Instead of a "birthday," the Holtlets essentially got a "birthweek," celebrating with family two weekends in a row. I think the extended celebration was quite reasonable, since they have to share the actual birthday! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the events. And, click the Flickr link to see some of our summer photos. Thanks to Rachael Schirano, a photographer and fellow triplet mother, for taking these pictures (www.schiranotriplets.blogspot.com).

Pumpkin Patch

Where has the time gone?

I have nothing to say for myself. I have been a terrible blogger. No excuses. Well, maybe just a few... September just flew by. In 14 short days, I managed to drive to Atlanta to see my sister (with Lila, Grandma, and Grandpa), visit St. Louis with Derek and the kids, fly to New York City for work, and then drive to Kansas City with Derek to see the Raiders. What a whirlwind. I am still recovering. But, back to NYC for work next week.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much the kids have changed since my last post. I can no longer count the words that they know. They are not yet using complete sentences, but they certainly know how to get their points across. Last monday, Derek turned on Monday Night Football. Addie promptly reacted "no football, daddy." I love this girl! Will and Lila are also quite vocal. When frustrated, though, Will resorts to crying, and Lila emits an ear-piercing scream.

We took down "baby jail," so the kids now have access to the entire first floor, not just the family room. Oh, what little monkeys! They climb the stove, play in the dogs' bowls, crawl in the cabinets... We have stepped up our baby-proofing efforts, but it is hard to stay ahead of them!

P.S. I should have more time for posts now that football and post season baseball have started. :-)

All Star Fun

A couple of weeks ago, we attended some of the All Star festivities in St. Louis. We happened upon the line to meet Jack Clark. He was quite friendly (and a fan of Will's Pumas). Note that we are not sexist, despite just having Will's picture taken with Jack Clark. Will, surprisingly, was in the best mood.

The kids are doing well. They love to dance, and they have some great moves... especially Addie. Will is our singer. He has a smashing rendition of "Row, row, row your boat" that uses only two words, row and merrily. Oh, and Will has a new way of expressing his anger. He will roll from one side of the room to the other. It's a bit comical. Last but not least, Lila is such a sweetheart. She loves to cuddle and is the best at giving hugs and kisses. Oh, and she went to the petting zoo yesterday and did not scream at the animals. Such progress!

A fun night out

This past weekend, Derek and I attended a close friend's wedding. We certainly enjoyed a night out without a curfew!

Overall, the kids behaved for Grandma Linda and Grandpa Rick, although the girls are really beginning to fight...hitting, pushing, etc. Will is quite passive compared to the girls, but he will reach a point when he stands up to his sisters! So, we are utilizing "time out" more and more. Will and Lila are infuriated when put in time out. Addie, the little stinker, doesn't seem to mind. She spends her time flopping around in the pack n' play and giggling. Oh, is she going to be trouble!

Road Trip

Earlier this month, we drove to Wisconsin for a mini family vacation. Our fears of toddlers on a long road trip kept us close to home. But, it was far enough to leave our "everyday" behind. We were joined by my parents and sister, brother-in-law, and niece. It was unseasonably cool, so we did not get to play on the beach as anticipated. But, we had a blast just staying up late talking. At the end of the vacation, we tried to get a picture of the kids with cousin Audrey. This is the best that we could do!