Merry Christmas from the Hollemans

I made our Christmas card this year and love it! I love that the kids look so adorable...I wish we would have done family pictures so I could have had all of us but that's ok! Next year!
I wanted to make the card more personal with a reminder of what we are celebrating this time of year...so I added John 3:16.
We are so blessed to have such a loving God!
Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

3 Already?!

If I like it, it's mine.
If it's in my hand, it's mine.
If I can take it from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
If I think it's mine, it's mine.


My aunt Cora gave this to me a few months and all I can do when I read it is laugh because it describes Kolby completely (almost every toddler I'm sure), but it's these little things about our kids that may drive us nuts at the time but it is so humorous when we look back....as a mother of a high energy, strong willed and smart little boy, I have to often remind myself of that (this too shall pass as my mother in law always says). Kolby has taught me so much over the past 3 years, I am his mother and trying to teach him and guide him through this life but I think he teaches me everyday (he teaches me how to have patience that's for sure!) We have our moments; our great fun times and our "mommy pulling her hair out" times but when I look at him, I see a sweet, caring, funny, happy little boy and I am so thankful for him...Some people mistake his high energy, curiosity and stubborn nature as naughty, but I don't see him like that at all (in fact it bothers me when people say that)- I love his personality and those "challenging qualities" are such gifts and when he learns to use them correctly they will be such great qualities to have! I know, I have some of them :)
Well happy birthday to my amazing, adorable, fun and loving little boy!

Father/Daughter Dance- 50s Sock Hop

Tonight Deven & Randi went to the "Sock Hop"! They looked great! Deven is such a great dad and dressed up with Randi...you would think with a theme most dad's would but Deven said he was pretty much the only one dressed up. LAME! but at least Randi's dad did!:)

Kolby Needs an Update!

Kolby needs an update!
He is almost 3!He is so excited for his birthday and when he sees toy commercials, he wants everything! I never knew it started so young... "Mom, I want that!" & "Mom, do you think I should get that?!" ...WOW...and he also does it with the catalogs from Target & Walmart...he sat with Grandma Lou yesterday and today telling her everything he wanted for his birthday and Christmas...UGH...I guess this means he is growing up!
Kolby is still as stubborn and strong willed as he always has been...thankfully though, he understands his consequences...not that he follows the rules all the time but I at least feel better about punishments when I know that he knows better :) He says long sentences now and talks all the time. He has a very good vocabulary and speak very clear (in my opinion)! Him and Kamryn are so cute together...they love eachother and play really good together most of the time but there are days/times where they antagonize and tease eachother.Kam definitely holds her own with him though, mostly by screaming at the top of her lungs! Kamryn also copies Kolby all the time...if he starts making sounds or singing or acting funny, she does too...He loves to get her when she wakes up and he runs into her room and says " HI Tootie-Patootie" because I always call her "cutie patootie".
Here are Kolby's likes: Trucks, 4 wheelers, deer, "Tom & Jerry", Curious George, Chicken, BBQ sauce-has to have the Bull on the bottle, Orange Juice, Vanilla Ice Cream, Baths, playing soccer, playing in the dirt, going to the park, TT (Kelli) is his favorite!, his "blues" (2 blue blankets), camping, the sale barn with TT, reading, his yellow rain boots, talking on pretend & real phones, measuring things, French toast, Fruit Snacks, Nana E's house (the cement mixer & Fire truck are his favorite toys and Nana E has them!), Daddy, Fuzzy,church, Planes & Helicopters, the itsy-bitsy spider song, his sisters and ME (Mom). There are many more things he likes but those are the big ones...
2 Must Haves are his blankets and Orange Juice....We do not go anywhere with out them!

Halloween

Halloween was so fun this year! Randi created her own costume and looked awesome! Kolby was a tiger and Kamryn was a pirate, both looked so stinkin cute! We had our "Halloween" on Saturday night instead of Sunday. I took Kolby & Kam to Oma & Opa's house (my grandma and grandpa) and then we went to see Randi at her mom's house. I snapped a few photos and then we headed to Nana E's house to see Nana (my mom), TT (kelli) & TanTan (Stan). After having some dinner, we headed to our church, Faith Community Church, where the "Fairmont Fair" was happening! Lots of games to play and win candy, face painting(Kolby got some wiskers and a nose painted on and he sit so still and good for the girl!)and a maze that was in the dark! We stayed for an hour or so and then the kids were done, and needed to go to bed.

Here are some pics of my cutie pies! (kamryn would NOT stand still but you can still see how cute she looked :) )

Little Update on Randi

So, I am very "dutch" and refuse to buy those expensive school portrait packages...last year I took Randi's "School" pic too and love it...it's free and I can get as many prints in whatever sizes I want....



Anyway, Randi...she is now in 5th grade! She is definitely becoming a "pre-teen" but is a really good kid...and she cares so much about people and their feelings. I feel like she grew up a lot this summer...her look, her fashion, her attitude(a little sassier :) ), her social life (much more social and lots of friends)& some of the thing she liked last year are "babyish" this year. This fall she played soccer for the first time and loved it! Yeah for me because if any one knows me, they know I played soccer from age 4-18 and love the sport. Her team won 1st place and did great! Can't wait for next fall :)

She is growing up and still manages to be a great kid and a very helpful member of the family. We love her so much and appreciate every bit of her!

Hunting Camp!

So October is dedicated to hunting in our family! Before I married Deven I was told, no babies, anniversaries or anything special because hunting is #1 in October! Got it! :) This year we went to Twisp with the kids (minus Randi-her mom just had a baby boy (Cole) the weekend before so she needed some family time with her new brother:) ),my sister and her boyfriend Stan and our friends Tyler & Kesley Stauffer & their little ones,Sammy & Craig.
We were lucky to be able to borrow my dad and stepmom's truck and trailer for the weekend...it was so comfortable and great for the kids! Deven & I thought we were being smart by leaving at nap time but that backfired and Kamryn screamed, cried and whined for 2.5 hours of the 3.5 hour trip, she slept for 1 hour (thankfully!)...I just kept reminding Deven, we are going to hunting camp babe! ignore it...ugh, that was difficult but we managed :) We arrived before anyone else and set up the trailer and camp site. Kolby spent most of the day running around, exploring the outdoors and Kam hung out in her playpen by the fire...Thankfully the kids went to bed good and I followed shortly after...Deven however had to wait til Kelli and Stan arrived which was later than expected (1am) but they made it safe! The next day the Stauffers arrived and we spent the rest of the weekend hanging out, kids playing and riding the 4 wheeler and enjoying the outdoors...The guys went up hunting but unfortunately didn't shoot anything :( We still had a GREAT time and we are all excited for next year!

Holleman Summer update

So I haven't blogged pretty much the whole summer...not sure why but thought I should catch up to present time for the Hollemans. This summer has been awesome. Started out with a little vacation to Leavenworth with our friends the Fischlins. It was a short but fun trip. We got to swim and relax and get out of town for a bit! We have Randi every other week during the summer which we all LOVE! It's so nice to see her and spend time with her. The kids just love when she is home at our house. July was a busier month...filled with Justin Bieber, the family cabin, and Kamryn's 1st birthday! I know you are all thinking, Justin Bieber?? oh yes, we had some "Bieber Fever" at our house :) A few months ago, I heard he was coming to Everett and immediately got online and got tickets. Tarah(Randi's mom) and I took Randi, Randi's step-sister Angelique and Randi's friend Anna to the Justin Bieber concert in July. I must say, even though the "Bieber Fever" is a little intense, he is a great artist and very talented.I think my favorite part of the concert was when they would have video clips of him as a little boy, probably 3 years old, playing the drums and singing...totally reminded me of Kolby (Kolby has a drumset that he loves to play and he also loves singing and dancing),not saying Kolby would ever be a Justin Bieber, but it was just so cute!:) It was so fun watching the girls at the concert, dancing and singing and having a blast!
The following weekend we headed to my family cabin near Lake Wenatchee. Deven, myself and the kids, my sister Kimmy and Deven's sister Doriana all went. It was so much fun! I hadn't been to the cabin in years and forgot how awesome it is! We did a lot of BBQing, hung out at Lake Wenatchee, the girls road the 4 wheeler A LOT and one night Dev and I got to go for a ride down to the Chiwawa River with no children...it was so nice! We can't wait to go back this winter for snowmobiling!
A week or so later, we had Kamryn's 1st Birthday! Yes, my little girl turned 1...it's pretty crazy how fast the year went but I am really enjoying both kids being a little older, not having to wake up in the middle of the night and no more nursing...Kamryn is crawling like crazy, still no walking, but taking a step here and there...no rush though in my opinion :) I love how different you are as a mom, the second time around. You are a little wiser and let things happen a little slower...or at least I do! With Kolby I was so anxious for him to walk, which he did at 14 months, but once they start, there is no going back! So now that I am aware of this, I can wait for my second to start :) Speaking of Kolby and milestones...he has been happily potty-trained since the end of June! WOO-HOO!!!!! I love only having one in diapers. He is doing so good...the only time we have issues is through the night, which I am not too worried about. He now takes his naps without a diaper and goes on long trips to Bellingham with only his undies! So proud of him, I think I am pretty lucky to have a 2.5 year old boy potty-trained already. ok, back to Kam...she says in baby/Kamryn talk, dada, doggy, look-it!, nigh-night (and blows a kiss) she waves bye and shakes her head no...she will not say mama though! I swear she does it in spite of me...but I am not worried, I know in time she will be blabbing all the time just like her big brother. We have her 1 year appt. on Monday so I will give a little update on Kam next week.



Onto August...I spent the first weekend of August with great old friends from High School, first at my friend Sally's Seafair Party and then onto my friend Renee's bachelorette party. Which by the way was so fun! We had a hotel room in downtown Seattle, had dinner at a great Mexican restaurant on Capitol Hill and then onto the Havana Club for dancing. I must say, I haven't danced like that in years, being a mommy has made me a little boring, but it came right back to me :) Sunday morning we had breakfast at another friend Lolly's parents house on the Island. It was so great to catch up with friends and meet new ones too...The whole weekend Deven was home with Kolby and Kamryn and not once did I get a phone call, which means he did amazing with the kids...I was so happy and proud of him. It was my first time away and his first time alone with them for that long.
The next weekend I had my friend Renee's wedding which was BEAUTIFUL. She did an amazing job planning and designing her big day.Again, I hung out with old friends and had a great time.
The following week was Fair Week! I took the kids to the Fair on Monday with Deven, Aunt TT (Kelli) and my cousin Lindsay. It was SO hot but we still enjoyed our 3 hours there. Kolby went on a few rides and loved them, he even went on the helicopter ride, BY HIMSELF!! such a brave boy... next year we will def. have to do an all day ride pass for him. Both kids loved the animals too, the pigs were really stinky though!
Saturday night, Deven and I went to dinner to the Hearthfire in Bellingham to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. The restaurant was AMAZING, the food was the best I think I have ever had, our friends Tyler and Kesley met us for a drink afterwards and we had a great time with them too...can't wait for them to move here in a week! We celebrated our 4 year anniversary...It's hard to believe it's already been 4 years, we have had such great things happen to us, our 2 kids, our first home...and I believe God will continue to bless us :) It is because of him that we are where we are, and our marriage is solid and strong because of Him.
Now we are upto date. Tonight Randi had her first soccer practice...I am SO excited for her to play...I love soccer, watching and playing it. She has never played before but she did so good! We got her all her gear today and she looked great too!
Ok, I am all caught up...I will def. be better at blogging from now on. That was way too much to remember and blog about at once!

Holleman Photography Blog

Hello family & friends!
So I decided to create a blog for Holleman Photography as an easy way for people to follow my most recent photo sessions as well as any special offers I may be giving! Please feel free to "follow" it :)Thanks!
Visit: http://kerrihollemanphotography.blogspot.com

Time goes too fast!

So this weekend someone said to me " Kamryn's going to be 1 next month right?"...I paused and realized...OH MY WORD~ my little girl is going to be one year old next month! Where did the time go?? Why do they grow up SO fast?!
These days Kamryn's nickname is "Miss Independence"...my sweet little girl has grown into a sweet, feisty, independent girl. When she wants something, she goes for it! She is into EVERYTHING, crawling everywhere and of course, wants to touch and play with everything that she isn't supposed to. She screams and squeals when she is taken away from her "mission"-most of the time, that mission is to climb the stairs...she is so funny, once she gets to the top of the stairs she laughs and makes a mad dash for Kolby's room, giggling all the way down the hallway. Kolby and Kamryn are quite the brother and sister. They love each other SO much...this morning Kolby and I were sitting on the stairs (after Kam had just climbed up them) and she crawled over to us and he put his arm around Kamryn and said "hey tutie(cutie)"...my heart just melted...he kept calling her 'tutie'...I LOVE IT! They have those lovely brother/sister moments but they also have their not so lovely moments. Kolby is learning to share and let Kamryn play with what have been HIS toys for the past few years...majority of the time, it starts off Kamryn trying to play with something and Kolby ripping it out of her hands, her screaming at him and grabbing it back and then the two of them have a power struggle...it's pretty amusing to watch but she definitely holds her own. Kolby slyly pushes her over and is definitely trying to show his "dominance" over the playroom...too bad for him, she is like her mama and that isn't going to intimidate her, she will still go for what she wants and prove he can't stop her :)
Some more updates on Kam...She is eating all table food now, even though she really has no teeth. Her top two teeth have popped through and are slowly coming down. She still doesn't say mama :( every time I tell her to say it, she says "dada"...She is starting to sign "more" and always signs for "milk". She loves jelly sandwiches, bananas and fruit loops...I am still nursing her and will be weaning her over the next month to whole milk. As I said earlier, she is crawling all over the place, climbing stairs and pulling herself up on everything and walks when you hold her hands. She doesn't like to walk behind her "walking toys" yet, I think she gets a little scared.
Well that's the update on Kam at 10.5 months old...I can't believe she will be 1 next month...I took some photos of her on Monday...outdoor ones! Oh how I love taking photos outside. The natural light is awesome!

Kolby & His Aunt TT (aka Kelli)

Anyone who knows me, knows my sister means the world to me. We are SO close and she has helped me out SO much with my kids. She is a great sister & friend and I don't know what I would do without her. My kids also adore her. Kolby LOVES his aunt TT (for anyone who doesn't know why she is called TT, it's because he couldn't say his Ks and she really wanted him to say her name so we came up with TT, anyway...)She was over a few weeks ago and we were looking through Kolby's baby book and she pointed out (not very happy with me) that in everything I had written in his book ( I write to him every few months ) I had never talked about their relationship...which is crazy because from the beginning she has been there and loved him almost as much as me. So I asked her to come to the park so I could take a few photos of them together...I don't know if I mentioned I would blog about them though :) Anyway, Kolby loves Kelli. From the beginning, she was determined to teach him all sorts of things. I remember when he was probably 7 or 8 months old, she would let him climb off the couch, only holding his shirt...I would of course freak out because he was my precious little baby boy and she would always tell me to " relax, he's fine!" Her latest mission was to get him to be comfortable around animals...Every Monday she picks him up and takes him to the Sale Barn to eat lunch and see the horses, pigs, cows, goats, chickens...and whatever other animals are there. The first few times, he just freaked out when they saw them up close but after a few weeks, she managed to get him over his fear and he loves touching them and being close to see everything they are doing. Whenever I mention the Sale Barn to Kolby he says " TT take me to the sale barn on Monday mama!" with a huge smile. Kolby loves when she comes to see him because she always takes him to do something, whether it is just playing outside at our house, or going to the park...he even sobs sometimes when she leaves...They have a very special bond! I know that there are a handful of people that come close to loving Kolby as much as me and she is at the top of the list. I always tell her that if she loves my kids this much, she is going to go crazy with how much she will love her own. Well here are a few pics from about a month ago(Kolby isn't the easiest to take photos of, he is SO busy)...they melt my heart :)

Memorial Weekend

To me memorial weekend is not only a time to remember and reflect upon the men/women, who are no longer with us, who have served this amazing country and protected our freedom but also, the men/women who are still protecting us, putting their life on the line everyday, so that we can live this free, blessed life...I am also thankful for their families, I can't imagine what they go through constantly, but how proud they must feel. So to any person or family member who I just described. THANK YOU!


This weekend we stayed home and enjoyed lots of family time...Deven was home all weekend and the kids LOVED being with daddy, I did too :) Saturday we BBQd with my mother-in-law and my niece (Annie-who we haven't seen since Thanksgiving)...Randi and Annie had so much fun playing together, and they even let Kolby join in the fun a little bit...Sunday, Kolby and Deven, along with Grandpa DeHaan went fishing up at Silver Lake. Apparently Kolby was into in for about 2 minutes and then he just wanted to splash with his rain boots in the water, typical Kolby :) Deven had today off too so we were all able to go see Papa Fuzzy's grave with him. We brought some flowers and the kids said hi...Every time we go to his grave I get sad because not only do I wish I could have met him (the man Deven adores SO much), but I know the kids would have LOVED him and Kolby and him would have been best buds. As I tell Kolby, we'll meet in Heaven someday :)