My Twin?

Cam has become a collector of things...sticks, rocks, bugs..anything he can get his hands on outside, he picks them up and carries them around with him. I feel like over-nite he has become a little boy, and no longer a baby. He is so into anything with wheels and just rough and tough, getting dirty and into things. Man, I love my little guy!
Cam showing his award-winning smile. He loves to "smile" for the camera!

So this is my friend Charity...everyone that sees the two of us together thinks we're sisters or at least somehow related, but to both our knowledge we aren't. At church even, when we've both been at this ward for over a year, we are still confused for the other unless our husbands are wtih us. :) I totally loveher and think she's awesome, so at least it's someone I like to be mistaken for :). What do you think? (we took this picture at her son's b-day party and were laughing, cause we both had white v-necks on and our hair up, so even our clothes matched and it was when one of her friends asked if I was her sister that we decided that we should have a poll to see if we should consider ourselves "long-lost twins". :))

Holly takes a Time Out

This past weekend I was blessed with the oppertunity to attend Time Out for Women in Cincinnati. It was so great! If any of you live near a city that hosts one, I definatly reccomend going! I was able to spend time with my gal-pal Liz Carr, what an awesome time we had and I am so grateful for our friendship, I wish she wasn't moving in a couple months! Stinkin' Air force! But I was able to be so spiritually up-lifted by the speakers and beautiful music. The performers were Hilary Weeks and Jenny Oaks Baker, both are so talented and their music invited the spirit so well, it was great! Some of the gospel tid-bits I learned and brought back with me were:
"You haven't really learned something unless you've changed from it" ~Sheri Dew
"Nothing will quiet the spirit of a rightous woman."
"Obedience is not perfection, obedience is trying" ~Wendy Watson Nelson (wife of Russell M. Nelson)
"A stubborn child can turn into a rightous adult that won't succum to the world"~ Emily Watts
"Bring to the Lord your needs and he will take them, bless you, then give you sufficiant supply to meet your need and give you comfort."
"The highest form of worship is duplication." ~ S. Michael Wilcox
And the greatest thing I've heard in a while that really made me want to change is this:
"If you saw a mother treating her daughter the way you treat yourself, what would you think of her? How should a daughter who's deserving of such wonderful blessings be treated? Heavenly Father loves us like we love our children, unconditionally and fully. He gave us the oppertunity to be parents to see things from his perspective. He loved us even before we came to this Earth." ~ Kim Nelson
As I heard these things I realized that I do beat myself up alot that things aren't clean enough, the kids aren't as smart/well behaved/obiedient/etc. as other kids and it's by short-coming, I'm not keeping myself spiritual enough, and the list goes on, but after I heard Brother Nelson's talk, I realized that Heavenly Father loves me so much more then I give myself credit for and he doesn't see those things as short-comings. Instead he sees the things I am blessed with the ability to do and I should also. So here's to all you women and mother's out there...We are loved, and you are doing a fambulous job! Even if there is dishes in the sink, laundry in heeps and babies screaming, YOU ARE AN AMAZING WOMAN, give your babies hugs and kisses and tell them and your hubby you love them and give yourself a hug also. That will please your Heavenly Father more then if you clean your whole house. I love this gospel and all the wonderful lessons I have been taught, I am so grateful for my family and the wonderful life I have been blessed with. Thank you all for being a part of it! :)

Just in case you wanted an update....

Well, where do I began? I've decided that any mom with more then one child that is able to keep an up-to-date blog deserves an award! Holy cow, what a crazy schedual I have now! It's so wonderful to have a baby in the house again though. I just look at her tiny, sweet, little face and smile. Ally is such a beautiful baby, espacially now that she is smiling and starting to coo. It's the sweetest thing. When she smiles her whole face lights up and your heart melts. Cam is just too fun for words these days. He mimicks all the words you say, except "I love you"...Mommy is working really hard on that one. But he is learning so fast! He now knows about 5-6 letters and 3 numbers, and he knows circle and all the basic colors. His favorite movies are Elmo visits the Firehouse, Finding Nemo, and Cars. He will do anything and everything to get outside where a walk and swinging on the swing for an hour will make you his new best friend. Dan and I are hanging in there...as a couple we are fabulous, but as parents we are always reminding ourselves that we are blessed to be parents and that someday we are going to miss the tantrums, screaming babies and poopy diapers :). We just took a family trip to California, Dan had to go there for work and the kids and I were able to tag along and visit my sister Kris and her family for a week. We had a great time and Cam totally loved playing with his cousins. He keeps running to the picture I have of their family and pointing out Jeffery and Kate and asking to play with them. I wish so much we lived closer! And lastly we are finally sealed together as a family! That whole experience was so incredable. It really is true, the week you are preparing to go to the Temple is the hardest! Just a breif re-cap, Monday Cam put a hanger in his mouth and ruptured a saliva gland causing a trip to the ER and an overnight stay in the hospital. Thursday my sister-in-law went into labor causing my parents to delay their trip, which caused us to have to find an alternate to shorten Dan's temple pants, and have our home teacher pick up Chelsea and Rod at the airport. Oh and my mom cut her finger and was sick to her stomach the whole drive here....But after all that, we made it to the temple on Friday night to recieve our endowments and went back on Saturday morning and were sealed. I can't put into words how unbelievable it felt to be in that sealing room. The spirit we felt was overwhelming. I have never been so at peace and felt so loved. Cam and Ally were great and after the ceremony holding our children I felt so blessed. I know now that we truly have a Father in heaven that loves us and if we live worthily, he will pour out his blessings upon us. I am so greatful for my husband and children, and it ment the world to us to have all those who were able come share that day with us. We couldn't have dreamed of a better day or experience. Dan and I have both agreed that this is the happiest either of us have ever been. Now, enough serious emotional stuff...on to the pictures :)....

It was so great to have Chelsea be able to come to our sealing. I had missed her and all our friends from Del Rio SOOOOO much! We still love you all, and think of you often!
I was so greatful to have my parents and my sister and her husband be able to join us that day. It ment the world to me espacially to have my parents both be able to put their arms around me in the Celestral room. It really was a heaven on earth.

Cam loved all the different flowers outside the Temple. It was all so beautiful.

Our Eternal Family :)

Hanging out Sunday afternoon...Cam loves to smile for the camera lately.

Daddy loves to see his little tyke follow in his footsteps.

Daddy gave Cam some war paint the other day after cam discovered a bag of charcoal in the garage.

Ally has discovered her smile, and it goes strait to our hearts :)

This is Ally these days....she has turned into quite the happy baby

Dinner was just too much effort...

Checking out the construction scene in Walnut Creek, CA

A cute shot of Cam before he got his 1st hair cut

Ally around 1 1/2 months old

Cam and Ally supporting the local sports teams... :) Thanks Aunt Kristin!