Prom 2009

Getting ready to go!


And the full picture!


Pete and Jenna at our house.


The 3 Musketeers...




Or the 3 Amigos?!?!


Or the 3 Stooges!?!?


What a good looking group! Kelsie and Clint, Tyler and Laura, Peter and Jenna.


Yes Pete is taller than me!


Do those girls know what they are getting themselves into?!?!


Peter and Kim


Pete and Jenna, Clint and Kelsie
They had fun! I asked Jenna Sunday at church what she thought of prom and she said she thought it was over-rated! I told her she was very smart to have figured that out already. But they did have fun and that is what counts! But where has the time gone that these kids are so grown up?

Well, I haven't put anything new on, I know, but we have had a few additions to our family. We adopted 5 Asian kids. We named all the boys Dave and the girls Lucinda.... Ok, that's Pete's weird story.

But seriously we have a new puppy. One of the patients from work asked if I knew anyone who wanted a Pomeranian. They had 4 puppies (they raise them). They said they were giving them away, as long as it was to someone they new that would give them a good home. I talked to the boys that night and Matt asked "It's not a yippy dog is it?" When I told them it was like what a friend of ours used to have, they said yes and told me what color they wanted.

I didn't know for sure when I would bring her home, so they were surprised when I did. They just love her!! She is so much fun to play with and she was already pretty much house trained. She is black with just a little bit of white. She is so little she is easy to lose. She only weighs about a pound but has a lot of hair!

Jenn had spring break this last week. She worked a few of the days, and then she was sick. She is better now, but not the most fun way to spend your first college spring break!

The choir is doing Oklahoma and Peter is playing Judd, the bad guy. He said, the most cheerful guy at school is playing a guy who never smiles. Weird!! But he does have prom next week.

Matt and I are going to Omaha March 31st to see a pediatric endocrinologist and see what they can figure out for him. Hopefully we will have some answers.

And me, let's see...work, work, work... not really but sometimes it seems like it. We have actually had 2 Sundays in a row now where we haven't had to go anywhere or do anything and we have been able to just relax. Matt and I are working on a puzzle together (thanks Kim) if it doesn't drive us crazy first!!! And the weather was nice this weekend so yesterday I did some things outside.

So that is our exciting life at the moment. lol

A STORY FROM MATTHEW
Once upon a time in a land not so far away (Palisade) there lived a frog this frog was named Geoffery he wanted to be a caterpillar. So one day Geoffery set out on an adventure with his trusty pal Alfonse the Penguin :D so they went to a place called Vesperia (The Grand Canyons). It was a perilus journey in which they encountered many a foes. It was very hot in the cold month of January, in Peru. To Be Continued...

Ok, now you can see what it is like in the Holmes home.

Friends

It's not fun to think about getting older (unless you think of the alternative!) but when you celebrate with friends, then it is fun! There are four of us who get together and do things together, scrapbooking (yes Sara puts up with it!!), eat, movies, play games, whatever. It is just fun to hang out together. Well, a couple of us have birthdays this week, so the four of us had decided to go out and eat and go to a movie Friday. All was great until a snowstorm came. I work in Imperial and the snow was worse there, so I was a little worried that we wouldn't be able to do this. I really needed a fun girl's night out. Plus one of the four's husband works for the Roads Dept, so I was afraid he might have to go to work and couldn't stay home with the kids. But the closer I got to Wauneta the better the roads were. Whew!! Was I releived. Everyone had decided to stay in town instead of traveling, which was just fine.

We went and ate yummy Mexican food and then opened gifts and just visited and laughed. Then went to the movie together, got our drinks and food, (yes eating is a rule when we are together) strategically planning where we were going to sit. Then laughed, gasped, and were shocked during the movie.

We all had fun, not doing much of anything really, just enjoying each other. And isn't that what friends are all about?!?!

Headline News!!!

Just in... Renee Wheeler does a great job of making Blog Headers for people and if it wasn't for her, I (my header anyway) wouldn't look so great! The rest of me is my own fault and no one else's. lol

Thanks Renee for your creativity and sharing it with us!!

New Year!!

This is what we all hope for with New Year's. Peaceful, calm, things flowing along, but unfortunately what we usually get is this...



Poor Pete was on his way to school the first day back and the time has changed for when school starts and gets out. School now has longer days. So Pete had to run to catch the bus. He started not feeling well on the bus and threw up 3 times before it got to Hamlet. Then he got off to ask our Asst Pastor if they could give him a ride home when he threw up 4 more times! Poor guy! He missed the first 4 days of this semester!

Matt still hasn't been to school. He has mono and they found out his thyroid isn't working right either. He's been having trouble with the medicine and our family doc is thinking of sending us to a specialist.

But it could be worse! I have a good job I love and I'm not sick. Jenn isn't sick and had a safe trip to Denver to her cousin's place. And God is in control. Nothing gets better than that!!

God's Lavish Love

I have been going to a Bible study on Tuesday nights. It has been really good. One of the last lessons we had was on God's lavish love. How we don't have to do anything to earn His love, He just gives it to us because it pleases Him. And there are many ways He loves us. I have been a recipient of His lavish love lately and am completely overwhelmed!!

You see, things have been awfully tight around here if you know what I mean. I had applied for a 2nd job because we needed the money. The car needed tire, brakes, etc and Christmas was coming. I got my Christmas savings acct money from the bank but HAD to use it to fix the car so I told the kids we weren't having much for presents at Christmas. But we all know that presents aren't what Christmas is all about anyway. So the kids were all ok with that. But then...

It started around Thanksgiving. We started getting things in the mail with no return address. Once we got money just as the boys needed it for their One Act trip, meals and shirts when I didn't have the money at the time for it. There was no signature with it. We received money a couple times. We received Pizza Hut gift cards and Wal-Mart gift cards. Some of it I used to buy some things we needed and then I started buying just a few things for Christmas.

Then I got a call from Wal-Mart Friday evening saying that someone had bought a gift card for me and they had it at the service desk. I started crying when they said how much it was for! The kids actually have things under the tree that are things they had on their Christmas lists. I was able to buy some stuff to make goodies!

And then when I went to clock out at work today, someone had left 2 bags of gifts for my family and me from Santa. And this person must be a christian! There were several christian books in the bags. I was overwhelmed!

We were all set to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the story of Jesus' birth and what it means to the world. How much God loves us and what He does for us and look what happens! Some one else shows us God's love. I think when we are truly content with what God does or doesn't give us, He rewards us. Maybe with things, maybe with friends, I don't know but I do know this...God loves us with a lavish love, as has been shown to us this Christmas season by all the anonymous things we have received. And even though I don't know any names of the people down here who did all this, I do believe they all acted on God's prompting.

And so, during this most precious season, my prayer is that you all would know and experience God's lavish love. that is truly the most wonderful gift any of us could receive.

Finals

Finals week for Jenn!! I wonder if this is how she feels!!!