Oh Glorious Day

Easter is a glorious day. A glorious reminder that Jesus is alive every day of the year. I am overwhelmed by His goodness today...

Because He suffered for me.

Because He died, so I could live with Him forever.

Because He didn't stay in the grave and is alive, so I can walk with Him. 

Because He offers peace, joy and life every day and forever.

Because He is actively working and drawing me into a closer relationship.

Because He saves those I love and pray for.

Because He saved me.

On Good Friday we went on our first cross walk. Our church met for a hike to downtown carrying a large cross on wheels, praying and talking to bystanders about Jesus. My husband walked with the cross for around a mile. It was definitely a powerful experience and I have jotted down a few thoughts that ran through his mind...

Everyone is looking at me. But no one is spitting, yelling or calling me names.

My back and shoulder are killing me. But I am not bloody, bruised or broken.

I am really tired and ready to stop. But Jesus suffered through it until death.

I feel strange. But Jesus was not ashamed.

My husband maybe caught a very small glimpse of Christ's experience. But it will forever change his perspective of Good Friday. His shoulder is still hurting. And as you can tell from the picture Grace couldn't have been more proud of her daddy.

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!

More Saving. More Doing.

More Saving. More Doing. Usually if you want to save money there is more work or more "doing" on your part. "More Doing" also gives you a sense of accomplishment and awe, especially when it requires sweat and maybe some blisters. This spring my husband and I planted our very first garden. Building a garden is not a walk in the park, but we had a lot of fun. We did some research, spoke to a few "garden" gurus, and began digging. Yes, a tiller would have been easier, but once my husband began with his shovel there was no turning back. He worked with the help of a friend for several hours and dug out a 20 by 10 foot garden in our backyard! The next week we bought top soil and humus (not the kind you eat) and tilled it in with our backyards' soil...




After we finished our soil preparation, we were ready to plant. Thanks to many friends we only had to buy a few vegetable plants. We planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, snap peas, and green beans. We also planted a blackberry bush. Yum! Yum!




This is a picture of our garden today. Everything seems to be growing, so hopefully we will have great crops soon. So now every evening we are out monitoring/watering our new garden, hoping that our hard work and "doing" pays off!

Spring Break 2011

I love spring break...especially when your husband is a public school teacher! It was so nice to have a week off in the middle of a very crazy spring with a third one on the way, potty training Grace (more to come on that progress), weaning Elijah, and supporting my husband through coaching three spring sports (tennis, track and golf). It was a much needed break for all of us! We were able to spend some time with Cliff's family in Marble Falls and see some of mine in Austin. Thank you family so very much for taking care of us, babysitting so Cliff and I could have some time together, feeding us and loving on us all! Here are a few pictures...wish we would have taken more...

Trip to the Exotic Zoo. So much fun!

Feeding a Buffalo!

Feeding an ostrich. This was a little scary.

Playing the the Llano River

In addition to the activities above we rode around in Mimi's golf cart, Cliff and I went canoeing and bike riding, ate amazing Thai food, watched Lady and the Tramp, went on long walks, drove around and looked at bluebonnets, watched and played basketball, went to the park, saw relatives, took naps and relaxed. Grace is still talking about our trip like it was yesterday telling everyone about the grandparents she was able to see. I think that was her favorite part on ours too :)

Expecting our third, spread the word!

We are expecting another little Holdridge! Hooray! Hooray! Our third little pumpkin will be arriving September 28 which puts me at about 13 weeks and a few days. I almost posted a picture I took of our sonogram but it didn't turn out well, so hopefully I will get a clearer picture next time we do a sonogram (around 20 weeks). I saw him/her a few weeks ago and everything looks great. Their profile is similar to Grace, so we will see in a few weeks which gender gets outnumbered in our family :) That will also put Elijah 17 months older than #3.

I asked one mom who had three babies back to back what she did when they were babies (in other words how did she survive), and she told me, very calmly, "I don't remember a thing..." I just had to laugh. I can't imagine how crazy it will be in the beginning, but another friend of mine said something very wise today who is thinking about having her fourth..."we can't think only short term when we are considering more children because busy seasons come and go. We have to think long term about what we want our families to look like and what kind of legacy we get to leave behind." It made me feel blessed that God has entrusted us with three children so quickly. It is easy to loose sight of the big picture while you have crying kiddos, a messy home, and a tired mama. But in this moment, right now, I am thankful...and sometimes God gives me glimpses in the middle of our busy life to the kind of people that are being built right before my eyes.

8 months

Our little Elijah is 8 months!! This picture was taking on his eighth month birthday, March 1st, and was proudly colored by Sister Grace. There are such a cute pair.

There is so much going on in our little boys life right now. Lets start with his first, yucky virus. Last week he recovered from a four day, high fever virus. We took him to the doctor twice where they tested for flu, ear infection, bladder infection and who knows what else. Since it was a virus, we just kept him on Motrin to help with his fever and let his immune system fight it out. It was so sad. He was so lethargic and just wanted to lay his head on our chest. His fever got up to 104 at one point which was so scary. He slept a lot, but after four days he began to recover. We were so glad and thankful. He is now completely back to normal and doing great! Take that you ugly virus!


Our little buddy is now crawling, standing up, and trying to get into everything in sight. Yikes! I just turned around for a minute yesterday and he had a big dust ball in his mouth. I didn't even realize it was on the floor, and I had just cleaned. Sigh. Well, at least, I have another helper, Grace, who tries to police what goes in Elijah's mouth. Sometimes, it is her toys she doesn't want him bothering with, but most of the time it is objects she knows are bad...crayons, paper, etc. She is growing into such a helpful little girl. I am so proud of them both.

1 Corinthians 13

I am reading a book right now (actually second time to read it because it is so good!), A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming, that wrote 1 Corinthians 13 from a mother's perspective. Since the subject of LOVE is on a lot of minds right now, I thought I would share it with you with some changes from my own experience...

1 Corinthians 13

If I read the best parenting book, attend the best seminar, and listen to the best mother's advice but do not love my family, I am nothing.
If I keep my home perfectly clean, decorate it to look like a spread from Southern Living, look like a super model, and cook gourmet, organic meals but do not love my family, I am nothing. 
If I disciple college students, teach a women's bible study, and pursue creative hobbies but do not love my family, I am nothing.

Love changes diapers, cleans up messes, and sings the same song over and over again.
Love is kind even when my child spills my coffee all over the floor.
Love is kind even when I am tired and frazzled.
Love is not jealous of others who have fewer children, more free time to pursue their own interest or family in town to help.
Love doesn't try to impress others with my abilities or knowledge as a mother and wife.
Love doesn't scream at the kids or disrespect my husband.
Love doesn't feel cheated because I didn't get to do what I wanted to do today...read, craft, take a nap, call a friend or exercise.
Love doesn't lose my temper easily.
Love doesn't assume the worst about my family even when they make mistakes.
Love doesn't rejoice when other children misbehave making my children look good. Love is genuinely happy when others to right.
Love bears even the worst temper tantrum, endures every sleepless night, and hopes for the most abundant and fruitful life for my family.

I pray that I can share this kind of love to my family today and forever! Lord please help me.


Happy Valentine's Day!

Elijah almost 7 months

Our sweet, happy, curious little baby boy Elijah will turn 7 months on February 1st, and I am not sure where the time went. I am so excited to watch him grow and hit new milestones. Like learning to crawl, giggle (he has the sweetest laugh), coo and eat solid foods. I had to capture this little boy eating because he LOVES food. He is almost too excited to eat. Take a look:

Last week was another big milestone...well probably for me. I left him in the nursery for the first time. I am sure I could have left him in there earlier, but it was always easy to be right there for him if he needed to nurse or just needed me...I think it made me just feel better. I know older moms are thinking...oh just wait until they go off to kindergarten, on their first field trip, on their first date, college, or when the get married...and I just want to say I don't know how you did it! That has got to be so hard!

Well, I guess the best way to think about it is I am daily lending both of my children over to the Lord since He is the one protecting and guiding them ultimately. Elijah was dedicated to the Lord a few months ago, and it is a good reminder that the Lord has great things in store for Grace and him. So, whether in the nursery or on the football field, God is strong and He loves him more than I can imagine.

Here are some highlights from Elijah's dedication that I never published. God has great plans for you little man. Thank you to my grandfather and husband for making this day so special.