Blogging!

It seems my sis-in-law and I are inspiring each other to get our blogs updated!  I have several posts to do and I will do my best to get caught up.  Two biggies will have to wait until Nick gets home because I don't remember how to do a slide show on photo booth!  Oh well.....

Here is a picture of Nicholas' BFF Sam the week before we left Memphis.  We are all so blessed to have the Lawson's in our life.  Nicholas and Sam were together at CS for 3 years!

Busy weekend in July

Before we left Memphis we got to enjoy a very fun weekend.  Caroline and I went to church camp for 3 days --"Kicking it Old School".  I was there as the camp nurse and Caroline was a camper.  We enjoyed great lessons at a lovely camp (yes we had cabins to sleep in). We were taught that the things of Jesus that our grandmother learned were still very cool and relevant.  Part of "kicking it old school" was 80's night!  The staff and kiddos LOVED IT!   While we were there, the boys went to Heber Springs AK.  They were invited by our dear friends-- the Lawsons, who have a home there.  Nick and Nicholas got to water ski and fish for 3 days straight!  We are so thankful for this time to make memories!

Caroline's Birthday sleepover.

For her birthday Caroline wanted to have a sleepover with her favorite friends from school.  We asked Grace, Allie, and Aryika to help her celebrate.  We had pizza, cookie cake and ice cream.  We made cute picture frames and played American Girls.  We stayed up late watching Harry Potter #2 and played Barbies. We also told secrets under the blankets!  So much fun for these sweet friends!

First 48 hours.

We were here for less than 48 hours when Nicholas was stung by a jelly fish.  We went to the beach to celebrate Caroline's birthday with the Forresters and a picnic dinner.  As were getting ready to pack up and head home, Nicholas comes screaming out of the water and tells us he was stung by a jelly fish.  It stung really bad for several hours. Here are some pictures of what his leg looked like at first--bright red rash that went away in about 2 days.  The other two pictures are of the rash that appeared a week later and is still here.

Many of you have asked.....

Many of you have asked for some pictures.  Here are three.  The first one is a picture of our new home.  The second one is a picture across the street from our house.  Nick loves this picture because it has a sign in front of the pond that says "Do Not Feed the Alligators!" The third picture is the view 15 minutes down the road.  I will try to have more updates soon.  We are very blessed!

5th Grade Banquet

Every year, Nicholas' school has a banquet to honor all of the graduating 5th graders. It was a beautiful evening highlighted with the entire 5th grade singing, and a video of each 5th grader speaking about what their school meant to them. Nicholas stole the video-show, going on and on about his time. What a ham! Here are some photos from the evening...

I've Got Friends in...New Places!

The 'Holland Happenings' will soon be broadcast from a new locale, moving from our Memphis area location to our new, jaw-dropping, pinch-yourself-so-you-can-believe-it location - South Carolina!  Nick is the new Assistant Director of Bands/Director of Athletic Bands at Charleston Southern University, a small Baptist university in Charleston. We'll blog more on that later, but in the meantime, on to the children!


Nicholas, being the huge fish in a modest pond here in Memphis, is naturally reluctant, hesitant, even reticent to move...okay, downright not into it...BUT, Nick's new boss Marshall (and old friend from UNCG and TN) has 3 children: a freshman in HS, a rising 6th grader (just like Nicholas), and a rising 3rd grader (just like Caroline)!  Isn't God too much?!?

Then, there's Caroline...our little entertainer, bring-the-sunshine-along-with-you, if-there's-not-a-party-then-start-one gal! She's a little bit sad to leave her friends, and her beloved teacher and school, but she is SO excited to be living near the beach!  Caroline and her new pal Katie discovered they already have 104 things in common...(and counting)!

We were in SC house-hunting the week of Nick's birthday, and we celebrated with Marshall and his family over dinner, and here are a couple of shots of the new BFFs...

Caroline & Katie

Andrew & Nicholas

We can't wait for these guys to hang out some more, and for Nicholas & Caroline to make new friends. We are so excited about our new locale!