Thanks Bethany...

Another blog that I am always on to see the adorable kids was talking about geocaching. Here is a brief intro to Geocaching I found:
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.
I told Jack and Grace about it and of course we had to go online to see if there was any "caches" near our house.... and of course there was. So afterschool we went for a quick search (in the car...it's cold here!) and couldn't find it. My Garmin GPS doesn't do coordinates so we had to rely on looking at a map on google and then going out and searching :). After coming back home and looking I knew where it was so after dinner we all went out and actually found it. It was a tiny magnet that someone has put on a dead end post. In the magnet was a paper rolled up with all the names of people/families that had found it and the date. The kids were not happy that there was no treasure for them to take. We did find out through the geocache site that there is a box hidden back on our nature preserve. I told them as soon as we hit a day without snow/ice/rain/flooding we will trek out there and dig it up. So anyone else out there that would like to join our fun times this summer looking for buried treasures, let me know :). Here is the site link if you are interested:

http://www.geocaching.com/

Jack's turn!

In honor of Jack of turning 9 this month I thought I would do a post just for him. It seems like Grace and Kate (mainly Kate) get the spotlight on here more often. Happy Birth-month Butter!

Jack was due on March 9th, 2000. March 9th came and went and I was pretty sure he was going to live in his "apartment" in my belly forever. Finally on March 23, 2000 (yes, 2 weeks late) my 1st baby was born. It was the best day of my life (and the most painful!). Jack weighed 10 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. My pumpkin was finally here and I was finally a mom. I remember being so excited (and tired). Our journey with Jack has been wonderful. As he has grown into a young man we have watched his hobbies change, but the one thing that has remained the same with Jack is his love of babies. To this day he LOVES LOVES LOVES babies. Probably because they all laugh at him and his funny faces and noises. Jack is the king of noise making...the kid has a rhythm in his head all the time! When he was about 1 1/2 years old he had a baby doll and he would love his doll and carry it around and give it rides on his bike. I thought "what a wonderful little guy to be taking such good care of his baby". The next thing I know he is running it over with his bike....oh well! Now, Jack is in 3rd grade and has learned how to multiply & divide, knows his 50 states and their capitals (and how to spell them all), loves to read and has read 1000 pages in the 1st quarter of school and plays football at EVERY recess. His favorite things to do are hunt, play football, read (when he is suppose to be sleeping), hunt, play football and hunt some more. He also loves to make Grace and Kate laugh. Kate gets so excited when she sees Jack coming and cries when he walks away. He is the best big brother I could ever hope for and we look forward to seeing what God has planned for the rest of Jack's life. Here are some pictures of Jack from birth to almost 9 years old...enjoy!

2 weeks old

6 months old (sorry, I couldn't get it to rotate)

1 year old (playing football already)

2 years old (I love the white hair)

3 years old (ready to go fishing)

4 years old (Jack posed himself)

5 years old (his 3rd trip to Walt Disney World)

6 years old (at his kindergarten science fair)

7 years old (he seemed to grown up between 6 & 7)

8 years old (Jack's dream: A Packer Game)

And there you have it....Jack Arnold Holthe!

Day 7......

Ok, so I have blogged for 6 days straight and trying to come up with a topic for today....and not having much luck! Does anyone have any questions for us?

How about anyone looking for a great house on the lake in Verona, WI? We had another Open House today and it poured rain...AGAIN. This is our theme. We have an open house and it rains. Is God trying to tell us something? Well, tomorrow we have already advertised that we will be having another open house and guess what....Winter Storm Watch with 4-8 inches of snow and ice coming. At least my house is clean :). I will try to get back down here after we read the bible verses for today and wrangle the kids into bed and try to convince Kate that it is her bedtime too. If I don't make it....then this is officially my blog for the day :)

The Happy Painter

Grace LOVES to color. She will color all day if we let her and had the paper to do it! We should have known this would be something she loved when as a 2 year old she used yogurt to color on the stair railing going downstairs and then butter to color on her bedroom wall and then desitin to color on her bedroom door and then foundation makeup to color all over the TV set. This was all in 1 week....yes, we all survived!

Grace is sad when Daddy asked who put the "yogy" on the stairs

The door of either butter or Desitin...I am thinking butter on this day:

Butter on her bedroom walls and floor (not easy to get out or wash off):

A couple months before all of this, I found her downstairs with red ink (Holiday Red from my stamps) all over her hands and face. Here is our conversation...

Mommy: "You MUST BE KIDDING!"

Grace: "No, I not kidding. I a clown!"

I stuck her in the bath and did what any normally perfect mom would do....I called Grandma to save her little butt! We are thankful that she now colors in coloring books and on paper...granted she is 5, but I am still thanking God that she has outgrown her naughty coloring. So, onto the reason for this post (it really wasn't to tattle on my princess)...Grace was sitting and coloring one night and I walked into the livingroom to check on her and found this:

Yep...sound asleep coloring! Notice the Color Wonder markers and paper....Santa is soooo smart!

Bethany, I have seen your wonderful colorer and she would get along GREAT with Grace...however, we probably wouldn't want to see what masterpieces they came up with!

Just keep swimming....

Today's post has nothing to do with the kids....it is all about ME :)

When a very good friend (that would never steer me wrong) challenged me to doing a triathlon 2 years ago, I said "sure"! Then, I got out of it by being pregnant with Kate. Now I have had Kate and she didn't forget I said "sure" 2 years ago, so I am signed up, paid for and committed to doing a triathlon this July. This is considered a "sprint" triathlon. That means the really good people do this at top speed with no problems. For me it means: I hope I finish without drowning, falling off my bike and fainting while I "run". I have to swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles and run 3.1 miles (5K)...all in one day :). I am now able to "run" 2 miles without stopping..it is more of a very slow jog, but I am technically getting both feet off the earth at the same time so it is running :). Granted I have only ran that far once, but I know I can do it. Today I did some cardio on the eliptical (sp?) machine for 20 minutes and then hit the pool. When I first started training 5 months ago (Kate was only 4 weeks old) I was only able to swim 1.5 laps without stopping (it was pathetic). Today I swam all 16 laps (1/2 mile) without stopping :). I now know that I will not drown in the tri! Tomorrow is supposed to be 53 degrees outside so as soon as the snow has melted and the bike trails are open I am going to be out biking. Another friend (what kind of insane friends have I found) has talked me into doing a run 15 minute/spin 30 minutes/run 15 minutes class at the gym on Wednesdays. That scares me a little but I am going to give it a try! Anyone else out there reading this that wants to join me this summer let me know...Missy, want to TRI?

Tempers....

So, our littlest princess has developed quite the temper if she isn't getting her way. When did that little connection in her little head develop? It seems like one day she is perfectly fine sitting in her exersaucer while I fold laundry and the next day she is throwing her arms out straight, her head back and screaming with her eyes closed tightly the entire time I fold a pair of socks. As soon as I move toward her....the huge smile comes out and she reaches up to me. What is a mom to do? On one hand I know she is playing me like a fiddle and on the other hand she is reaching out to me with that big smile and bigger blue eyes saying "I love you mama, hold me NOW" and how can I ignore that? I am in so much trouble....and am learning how to fold socks with the help of a 6 month old. It also takes a bit more time to type this one handed because a little certain someone doesn't want to play on the floor...the keyboard is SO MUCH more fun. Did I mention I am creating a monster...a very cute monster :). Here is what happened when I was trying to get pictures of her yesterday for her 6 month shot...she had enough and tipped herself over and the temper started :)...isn't she cute?

Happy 1/2 Birthday Kate!

Today our princess-in-training turns 6 months. I have truely enjoyed EVERY minute of her 1st 6 months and am eager to see all that God has planned for her in her future. Everyone asks how it has been going from 2 kids to 3 kids and my answer for everyone is always the same: EASY! I think it has to do with the fact that the other 2 kids are in school everyday so in a way it is like having my 1st baby all over without all the questions of a first time mom. Kate is such a happy baby and loves to flash her gorgeous smile at anyone that looks at her. She is just starting to show her "little" temper when she doesn't get something she wants (usually it has to do with us not giving her a drink of Sprite or a bite of ice cream). In 6 months she has grown 8 inches and gained 6 pounds. She can sit up on her own for more than a minute and has her 1st two bottom teeth. She has got the BIGGEST blue eyes that just sparkle and a smile that will melt your heart. She LOVES LOVES LOVES Jack and Grace and is determined to poke the dogs eyes out. She is our little Tater and we love her sooooo much. Happy 1/2 birthday peanut!