There's no dollar sign on a peace of mind

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.

Well things sure are crazy these days in the Holtry house! Nathan is finishing up pre-school and is looking forward to Kindergarten in the fall. We had a meet and greet with Mrs. Cookus, his K teacher at Seward Elementary. We are, of course, very excited and happy for him. We're really thrilled with the school so far.

Hubby's job is going well but he is working a lot of hours. He's also been doing a lot of work around the house and the yard, getting ready for summer.

I've been doing a lot of writing and have been cleaning Dad's house. I've also been tackling various projects around the house, myself.

We continue to undergo fertility treatments that take a lot of energy, time and money. That's why we haven't been posting much lately. I don't have a lot of oomph left after the 1201 trips to the dr's office each month.

Sadly, we had to give Penny up for pet adoption. We could NOT teach that dog to go potty only outside. We're back down to just having Shelby now and I have to say that having Penny around sure made us appreciate what a good dog our Shelbs is.

All is well, really. Life is quiet and peaceful and very dull, just the way we like it!

My greatest joy

I like to walk with Papa, His steps are short like mine. He doesn't say "Now Hurry Up," He always takes his time.

Nathan and I wanted to take some silly pictures to send to cheer Papa up, since he was missing us. Enjoy our goofy faces!

A heartbeat at my feet

"Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails"

I do hope everyone had a wonderful January! Things have been, as usual, quite crazy in the Holtry household. It is with GREAT pleasure, I introduce the newest member of our family...Penny "Queen Penelope" Holtry. She's a lost doggie that we can't find the owners for, so we're keeping her. She had her first vet visit today and Doc Stava says she's in good health.

Video from the Christmas pageant, part 2

Video from the Christmas pageant, part 1

Introducing...Jason!

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

Here's Nathan with his favorite Uncle, Uncle Cody (Jason's daddy)

At long last, the Halloween pictures!

My apologies for the delay in gettin the holiday pics up, y'all. I finally found the cord for my camera last night! Here's Nathan, being a "puppy like Shelby".

Shelby sniffing "NathanShelby's" tail

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Well hey there Shelby girl!

The cord is missing for my digital camera. Once I find it, more pics to come! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving back in Texas! But for now, here's a couple of pictures of Shelby! Love our girl!

We're a cute cartoon family

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His eyes twinkle

"O, tis a parlous boy,
bold, quick, ingenious, forward, capable.
He is all the mother's, from the top to toe"

When we went to Albuquerque in May 2005, right after Nathan turned 1, we met up with some friends of mine from my job there, at Lumber, Inc. One of my dear friends said, "yup, he's all Mike, but he has that same twinkle in his eyes that you do". I loved that comment, and I've held it close to my heart.

Fun at the zoo

"For a mother the project of raising a boy is the most
fulfilling project she can hope for"

This is one of my favorite pictures of Nathan

Ode to my mixer

"There are many tools of the domestic goddess trade..
some I like, some I hate, some I love...
but NONE are as beloved as my Kichen-Aid.

You came, many months ago by mail
and I just knew you'd make my life easier
I don't think I properly appreciated how much
but I used you every time without fail.

Today I used you to make my family's favorite dish
You mixed up the dough that I used to do by hand
Before the oven was even hot, I had a cherry pie ready to pop in
that was sure to be DE-LISH.

Gone are the days of getting my hands all sticky
With you by my side, we can make pie crusts lickety-splickety!

Thank you Kitchen aid, for making my life such a breeze..
I may spend the days making pie crusts to freeze!"

Erica Holtry 11/09/2008

Days turn into night when you're stuck in still life...

"Sure feels good for some time to be still..."

At long last, I got my seating area done in the front of my house. I've already spent some quiet days reading and drinking hot tea in my comfy chairs.





No, those are not weeds...My hollyhocks grew up ENORMOUS this year!

Boo!

"Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October's days"

Happy Halloween, friends and family! Nathan has dressed up as a puppy this year. He specifically requested to be a "puppy like Shelby". I fashioned him a costume of brown sweats, black spots, a tail and some floppy ears and he's throwing in his own sound effects by barking repeatedly. He had a party in pre-school where his friends were dressed up as princesses, robots and monkeys. He's out trick or treating with his Daddy now and will be home and tucked in for the night soon. We have been preparing for Halloween by carving jack-o-lanterns, roasting pumpkin seeds and watch such Halloween classics as Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie and It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

I hope everyone had a Spook-tacular Halloween and that you were all safe. <3

First day of school and first day of King's Kids

"God made little boys in a wondrous dream of man
Gave them strength, courage, dignity and will
and the curiosity to seek new horizons, to sail, fly, reach for the stars
God loves His boys for their spirit and pride,
their eagerness and wit
He watches over them as they grow
For it is through the miracle of little boys
that mature man is realized
And in their hands he has placed
the future of all living things"

Wanted to give y'all some pictures from Nathan's first day of school and his first night at King's Kids. King's Kids is the weekly program Nathan attends at our church. Enjoy!











Kite night at the park with Daddy. It was Daddy-Kite night at Nathan's pre-school. All Nathan wanted to do was chase the girls, yelling "HI girls! I'll catch you!" What a pimp :D

Snakes and snails and puppydog tails...

"A boy is Truth with dirt on its face,
beauty with a cut on its finger,
wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,
and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket"

My life as a mother is complete. I just extracted a raisin from Nathan's nose.

"Cousin to cousin, we'll always be,
special friends from the same family tree"

Nathan's youngest cousin, Madison

Madison with Mike's dad, John



Nathan, Uncle Tristan and Tyler who did NOT want his picture taken...



Miss Madison again, can you tell she's the only little girl in the family? :)



Aunt Cari and cousin Ethan



Nathan and Ethan, or as we like to call them N-Ethan!

If it's not one thing, it's your dirt floor basement and exploding water heater...

"Home, the spot of Earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest"

My apologies for the slowdown in posts. We finally got one plumbing problem fixed just to have another erupt, literally. I'll return to getting pictures and stories up soon! In the meantime, pray our basement dries out and that nothing else comes up!

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. ~Sam Levenson

Here are some random pictures of Nathan with his various grandparents.

Him and my dad, Grandpa Harley



Nathan and my mom and my stepdad.



Nathan and my Nany, the woman who raised me.