The Holders

The Big House

2011-08-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

While on our way to Dublin for the wedding, we made a pit stop in Macon to check out The Big House. The Big House, aka-Allman Brothers Musuem, was very interesting and very well put together. Being ABB fans, we were glad that we made the detour! Here are few pics:

More Wedding Pics

2011-07-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Uncle James

Dancing with my favorite Bridesmaid

Tired of taking blasted pictures

Showtime

Bridesmaid Brunch with bride, Merri Ellen

Practicing for the big event

Ring bearer

2011-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my cousin, Merri Ellen got married. She was sweet enough to ask Mitchell to participate in the special day as ring bearer. He was great all weekend long and we are so proud of him. He did walk down the aisle, numerous times at the rehearsal, after we told him he would get a present every time he did. It was touch and go right before the wedding. I thought he may not perform, but once he saw the flower girls throwing out petals, he decided he wanted to help and followed behind. For every petal he/they threw, he jumped over it all the way down to the pulpit! We enjoyed the weekend and it was most rewarding to watch his cute little self be part of the center of attention!

Moon Lake Sneak Peek

2011-07-06T09:48:00.000-07:00

We had some friends out to the lake this past weekend and here are just a couple of the pics. As you can see, the kiddos had a blast (the adults did too)!

Just a few pics from last couple of months

2011-06-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Abby & Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

Mitchell loves to go into our backyard and pic up stones (that we paid to have placed in our yard) and drop them in between the grates.

This is the pumpkin that he picked out (or the only one he could really pick up).

Abby and the Maykowski's came over for dinner and the game on Saturday night. We caught this pic as M & A were going to back to his bedroom to destroy it. Isn't it cute?

Swimming Lessons

2010-06-30T09:42:00.001-07:00

The week before we left for the beach, Mitchell and I took a Mommy and Me class in Olive Branch. He HATED it the first day but LOVED it the rest of the week. Here are a few pics. We had little miss Miller in the class with us!

More Beach (really more Pool)

2010-06-30T09:39:00.001-07:00

Beach 2010

2010-06-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

We went down to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach this past weekend and had a great time. Unfortunately, there are not many pics. It is just about impossible to make the little man stay still and smile long enough for me to snap pics. Not to mention, I have the hardest time chasing him around. Thanks to Auby and Granna for taking us and thank to GG for helping mom and dad keep up with him at the pool!!

Weekend with Mommy & Friends

2010-06-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, Clay took his annual trip with the guys to New Orleans. Mitchell and I stayed home, played in the water sprinkler, ate some great Mac & Cheese from Panera Bread and got to play with Kendall & Abby and Kellye & Kendall. We had a great time. Here are some snapshots from the weekend. I did not get many (and actually none with little Miss Kendall :( ) but here they are.....

New Toy

2010-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, poor Mitchell got poison ivy. Well, this is what we received in the mail a couple of days later-courtsey of Auby and Granna. Mitchell thought he would be a big boy and help Daddy put it together. He loves this new toy. Thanks Auby & Granna!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

We did our usual-went to Moon Lake on Memorial Day weekend. You would have thought that the boat was the Kiddie Corral! We had 3 toddlers on board who did not really like to share! Hayes, Kendall & Mitchell really only got along perfectly when they were quadrupal dipping in a bean/corn dip. Other than all the mine, mine, mines-the weekend was great. WE had a fantastic time with GG, Pop Pete, the Mcarra's, 1/2 of the Abraham's and many others. However, we did spend most of Sunday afternoon looking for 2 lost anchors. Luckily, Pop Pete and Chuckles found one of them on Monday morning.

Recent Pics

2010-04-30T09:33:00.001-07:00

Ok. So, I'm not the best blogger in the world! I'm going to attempt to just post pics from here on out. Hopefully, I will do much better!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, I know that I'm a bit tardy in posting this. We had a HUGE labor day weekend and had so much fun. Mitchell attended his 2nd football game but 1st MSU game. Some of you would say that his first official football game to Ole Miss would not count b/c he was in my belly. I disagree. He was there. It was a very different tailgate than one that we are all use to-our own children were in attendence. It was the first time that we have been able to get Sam, Sawyer & Mitchell together. I tried my hardest to get a pic of the guys with boys (altogether), but I had no luck. Either a child was missing or asleep everytime the adults were around. However, I did get bits and pieces of each.

We also went to my Mom's on Sunday to visit with our family who was in from out of town. I have a copy of the picture that Kate took of the whole family, but I do not know how to get it off of facebook. However, I did capture a pic of James and Mitchell together.

Mitchell also attended the zoo for the first time. We went to Members Only Night with some really good friends of ours, Clark, Amanda & Charlie. The boys had the best time and we are looking forward to going back!

FYI-Mitchell did not wear the same football outfit for MSU gameday to the Zoo. The one for the Zoo was red for the REBS game day that Sunday.

9 Months!!

2009-08-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

WOW! I can hardly believe that my sweet baby boy is 9 months old! Time flies by so fast! We went to the doctor for our check up and here are our stats:

Weight 19.1 25-50%
Height 28.5 50-75%
HC 46.5 75-90%

Mitchell is crawling everywhere and talking a little bit. His words consist of Dada & bahbah. Not sure if Mama is ever going to come into play b/c I've been working on that one ever since Dada came out. He is also exploring his tastebuds. We are giving him table food 3 times a day and he seems to like everything we've given him if not on the first try but the second.

We are enjoying him every minute and feel so lucky to have him in our lives!

Welcome Abigail Grace Maykowski!!

2009-08-24T09:19:00.001-07:00

Our good friends, Kendall & Jason, welcomed their precious baby girl into the world on Friday night at 11:12 pm. Abby weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long. We are so glad she is finally here!! Congrats Kendall & Jason! I'm so glad that you guys have joined us in parenthood. I know that we have great times ahead of us with Mitchell & Abby!!

My baby boy is 8 months old!!

2009-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not posting in a while, we have been very busy! Below is a bullet point of the things we have done the last month.
1. Boating on Moon Lake

2. Took first crawl on Miss Dixie on Moon Lake
3. Pulled up at Daycare
4. Crawled out of swing

5. Decided that we don't like eating for mommy or daddy and throws temper tantrums while doing so (Daycare says they have no problem during the day-hmmmmm)
6. Started talking with our 1st word being Da Da
7. Plays pattycakes

Mitchell is growing up so fast and it makes me so sad! It seems like just yesterday I was in the delivery room! Clay and I are enjoying every minute of him and are so blessed that we have him in our lives! Happy 8th month birthday Mitchell! We love you!

Orange Beach 2009

2009-06-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the family took off to spend the week with Clay's parents and DeeDee at Orange Beach. We had a great time & are looking forward to going back next year!

Playing in the pool that Auby bought

Hmmmmm, I wonder what this will taste like?

I am so worn out from all this activity on the beach!

6 months old

2009-05-29T09:38:00.001-07:00

WOW-how time flies! I cannot believe that my sweet baby boy is half a year old today! It makes me sad to think that he is growing up so fast. The past 6 months have been absolute joy (even though Clay & I have barely slept)!! Happy 6 month birthday Mitchell!

BBQ Fest 2009

2009-05-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

This year marked Mitchell's 1st BBQ Fest. Clay & I have been part of the cooking team, Totally B'oard, for the Memphis in May contest for several years now. It was a lot of fun to take Mitchell this year.
I must say that this year has been quite different from years past. I think you either had to have a stroller or be pregnant to get into our tent. When we arrived on Wednesday, there was stroller after stroller parked along side the tent.
It was fun watching all the kids run around on that Wednesday night. It certainly entertained Mitchell--he was pooped when we got home that night. He spent the next 2days at Granna & Auby's in Eupora so that Clay & I could enjoy the festival with our friends. He came back & participated in the events on Saturday. He finally got to meet a new friend, Anna Kathryn Head. I think they both enjoyed rolling around on the pallet under the tent on Saturday afternoon.
We had a great time & are looking forward to next year!

Dead Shows

2009-05-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Clay and I travelled to NYC a couple of weeks ago to catch the Dead at Madison Square Gardens. We ended up making a long weekend of it. We landed on Friday afternoon and just walked around mostly people watching. That night, we had a nice dinner at The Stanton Social. It was great. On Saturday, we had brunch at this fantastic little restuarant in Greenwich Village. Once again, we people watched. We later met up with Becca & Matt Harrigan at McSorley's (which is where our pic was taken)before the show. The show was fantastic & we had a great time.

This past weekend, XM/Sirius was playing the Philadelphia Dead Show live. So, Clay, Mitchell & I cooked out and listened to the tunes. I think Mitchell enjoyed his first Dead show--he noodled with his dad for most of it!

Various Pics from the last month

2009-05-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post pictures from Easter and Super Bulldog Weekend and just have not had the chance. So, I've put a slideshow together to show them.
We had the best time in C'dale for Easter. Mitchell dyed his 1st Easter eggs and the Easter bunny came to see him. He got a life vest & hat for the lake this summer, a family zoo membership and lots of toys.
Super Bulldog Weekend marked Mitchell's 1st trip down to Eupora. So, we gave Granna and Auby the whole weekend to show him off. He had the best time meeting all of their friends.

Happy Birthday Hayes!

2009-05-01T17:43:00.000-07:00

I want to wish my friend Hayes a Happy 1st Birthday! I am so sorry that we won't be able to come to your party tomorrow BUT I look forward to seeing you Memorial Day Weekend. I know that us and Kendall will have so much fun at the lake!

5 months old!!

2009-04-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that 5 months ago, today, I was giving birth to Mitchell! Boy, how time flies! He has grown so much in 5 months and is really starting to move around. He is rolling over and has just found his toes and feet. He loves to squeal when talking to you and he has the sweetest smile that will make you melt! Can't you already tell I'm going to be a sucker when he trys to get himself out of trouble? Just tonight, he acts like he finally gets solids (he is now actually swallowing them). I know I say this all the time, but Clay and I truly are blessed to have him in our lives & we love him dearly! Happy 5 month birthday Mitchell!!

Rolling Over!!

2009-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mitchell made his first "roll over" last night! Mom got so excited that I think it frightened him. He looked at me like "what in the heck just happened". I am so proud of him but sad that he is growing up so fast. I have lots of other pics to post (and will do that as soon as I can get to my computer at home)..but, this one will have to do for now. He loves to play on his excersaucer!

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

I also wanted to post the pic of Mitchell and the Easter bunny. However, I cannot locate the picture in my house. We hope everyone has a wonderful Easter holiday!

4 month check up

2009-04-02T16:45:00.001-07:00

We took Mitchell to his 4 month check up yesterday and this is what we discovered:

Weight 14.12 lbs 50th percentile
Height 25 1/2 inches 75th percentile
HC 42 cm 50th percentile

Oh, and our pediatrician gave us the green light to start solids. This was Mitchell's reaction.......

Weekend at GG's & Pop Pete's

2009-03-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last, Clay headed off to Bristol for the races. So, Mitchell and I decided to take our very first road trip together (by ourselves) down to the Delta. My mom and Pete just finished moving into their new house, so we figured we would check it out and visit Clarksdale since Mitchell has yet to make it there. Well, I must say, I don't think we will be "roadtripping" it alone again anytime soon. Mitchell screamed from about Tunica to Clarksdale (even with a stop off at Uncle James' in Lula). It made me a nervous wreck because it was dark and I could not pull over. Aside from that one little thing, we had the best time down in MS. The McCarras and Abrahams decided to travel to the Delta too! This is the first time we have all been together since having the little ones. We christened mom's house by having a cookout with everyone. As you can tell we had a great time and will have to do it again very soon!

My 1st night away from Mitchell

2009-03-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the 1st time I've been away overnight from my little munchkin. Let me tell you, it was more difficult that I thought it would be! Clay and I flew to Vegas to check things out and we left little bit at home with Granna. I enjoyed my sleep over the weekend, BUT I missed the little booger terribly. When we finally got home on Sunday, Mitchell had more hair and was talking more! It's amazing how much they grow in such a short period of time!

As everyone was leaving brunch....

2009-03-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

I noticed that Clay and Mitchell had disappeared. This is what I found-the two of them engrossed in the final minutes of the SEC Basketball Championship Game......

Baptism

2009-03-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks!

2009-03-19T09:08:00.001-07:00

I want to thank Aunt Kendall & Uncle Jmack for keeping the little tike yesterday afternoon while Clay and I went to a visitation. Aunt K-sorry that his diaper did not hold up very well after we dropped him off and that you had to change his clothes...not to mention your own!

If the pictures above are any indication of what you guys will look like as parents, I would say y'all are going to be great! Thanks again!

Baptism

2009-03-15T18:05:00.001-07:00

Today marked a very special day in our family. Mitchell was baptized. The ceremony was short and sweet...however, Mitchell and the other little boy being baptized decided that they could not be very quiet for that long. Once again, Clay swears he wasn't comfortable because of the frilly dress I had on him. But, he didn't seem to mind the gown until I got ready to take it off of him later that afternoon! I have posted one pic from the day and more will come. Thanks to all of our family and friends for sharing in this very special time.

1st Crawfish Boil

2009-03-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, a group of us went over to the Steens to enjoy some crawfish. I must say that they were fantastic! I had not had any crawfish in well over a year and partaking in a crawfish boil was a long time coming! We snapped a few pics throughout the day to capture Mitchell's 1st crawfish boil. As you can see, Clay and I barely had to do anything with him throughout the afternoon and that night. As usual, the boys and girls segregated from each other as the afternoon turned into evening. Us girls aren't quite sure how to compete with Playstation 3?!?

Germs!

2009-03-03T10:13:00.000-08:00

Well, we haven't been in daycare but a week and have already caught a cold!! Mitchell is having a hard time breathing comfortably at night when we put him down to sleep. So, I took him to the doctor yesterday. The only thing I got out of the doctor's visit was that he now weighs 14.4 lbs! The doctor told me that I was going to have to weather through it since he did not have an ear infection, sore throat or fever. I guess I should not blame it on daycare--especially since the weather has been so fickle here lately....

Thanks Aunt Harriet!!

2009-02-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

I should have posted this thank you earlier this week but have been so busy with work that I have not had a chance. We want to thank Aunt Harriet (and Uncle David with his getchy finger) for taking care of Mitchell the first two weeks that I went back to work. They definitely made my transition back a very smooth one! I know that since then, Mitchell has missed seeing you two & Josh every day. Thanks again for everything!!

3 Months & Daycare!!!!

2009-02-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Boy, how time flies! I cannot believe that my little munchkin is 3 months old! Mitchell is definitely becoming a little man. He and I have all kinds of conversations everyday after we get home from work & daycare! His first two days at daycare have been good. They say that he has been a little fussy but nothing out of the ordinary with him being the new little one in the room. He has definitely been worn out when I pick him up. I think it's because he is staying so busy checking out all the cute little girls in his room! I haven't seen all of the babies in his class yet-but, I think that there is only one other little boy. So, the girls outnumber the boys 2:1!!

Back to work....

2009-02-18T10:44:00.001-08:00

Well, I have officially been back at work for almost 2 weeks. I must say that I have enjoyed the adult interaction! However, I do miss my little munchkin terribly during the day. I am so afraid that I am going to miss out on something he does for the first time now that I am not with him 24/7! Mitchell has been staying with Aunt Harriet these past two weeks and will start daycare on Monday. I have enjoyed the idea of slowly sliding back into things by letting Mitchell stay with family for a couple of weeks before dropping him off at daycare. I will definitely post next week to let you know how the first day of daycare goes for both Mitchell & Mommy!

2 Months Old!!

2009-02-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I am a little late in posting Mitchell's 2 month birthday. Things have been a little hectic. Our little chunk weighed in at his 2 month check up at 12.11 lbs. Luckily, he had also grown 2 inches and you can't really tell that he weighs that much!! He is growing up so fast! I have attached pics from his b'day. Clay and I are so blessed to have him in our lives and love him dearly. Happy Belated Birthday Punkin!

DeeDee & Cousin Ava

2009-02-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in posting these pics but I wanted to share them with everyone. DeeDee and cousins Ava and Allison came to visit about a week and a half ago. Cousin Ava was born about 2 weeks ahead of Mitchell and Mitchell has already outgrown her! We really enjoyed our visit and are looking forward to seeing them again real soon.

Small Visitors

2009-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

We have had a great time with all of the visitors stopping by since we've been home. Hayes, Haley and Bevo were stopped by during the Christmas holidays. I think that in the future Hayes (with the help of Kendall) will have a big time bossing little Mitchell around. We also had sweet Sessions and Kate Scott stop by one day while in town for a Dr. appt. I think Mitchell is going to have his pick of women to choose from when he gets older with all of these little girls! The Vowell clan also came to town on Saturday to visit us. Both John Daniel and Kate wanted to take Mitchell home with them. If I thought that they could get him to sleep at night, I might have gone along with it!

A bunch of "Firsts"

2009-01-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

Sorry that I have not posted in a while. It's been quite hectic around here. We are still trying to adapt to parenthood. We have had a time trying to get Mitchell to sleep at night and sleep in his bed. Luckily, I think we are beginning to head in the right direction! Since our last post, we have had many "firsts". We had our first doctor's appointment. We learned that our cute bundle of joy weighed in at 9.2 lbs at his first visit. Mitchell has also had his 2nd doctor's appointment last week (I thought he may be coming down with a cold). I was shocked to learn that he now weighs 11.4 lbs. We have a little chunk on our hands! Mitchell has also taken a bath (which he doesn't seem to like very much), experienced his first visit to Church on Christmas Eve and also visited with Santa.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

Well, first let me start off by saying, that I am very sorry that we have not sent out Holiday Cards this year. I just could not seem to get it together-why, I don't know....it may have something to do with me wanting to sleep while Mitchell is sleeping and the fact that we haven't been able to get any good shots of him while he is awake. Anyway, I am going to let this picture act as our Holiday Greeting Card. I hope each of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks Granna!

2008-12-11T15:58:00.001-08:00

We want to thank Granna for helping us out the past week! We will definitely miss her. She stayed busy keeping laundry clean (especially Mitchell's outfits), cooking and helping with Mitchell. Please come back and see us soon!

Coming Home

2008-12-11T15:35:00.001-08:00

Well, I think this picture says it all-I'm terrified that you guys are sending me home with these people!!! Mitchell was not a very a happy camper the day that we were released from the hospital. Clay swears that it is because I had him dressed in a frilly outfit.

Happy Birthday Gigi!

2008-12-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

We could not have made it without you these last couple of days. You were such a help with Mitchell, cooking and washing clothes! Please don't wait too long before you come back to visit. We love you!

Mitchell's friends and family con't......

2008-12-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Here is my side of the family....Gigi, Pop and Uncle James. And oops, I left off John Daniel from the last post......I think I still may have a little bit of pregnancy brain or, better yet, sleep deprivation!

Mitchell's friends and family

2008-12-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post a few of the many pics we took while in the hospital. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! These first couple of ones are from Clay's side of the family....Granna, Daddy Warbucks :) , DeeDee and John Daniel. Do you see a similarity between all the generations in the Holder men???

Our Sweet Angel....

2008-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

has finally arrived! Mitchell Reed Holder was born on Saturday, November 29th at 6:09 p.m. I was beginning to think that he would never make his debut! It was a very long day that resulted in a c-section but it was well worth it!!! Mitchell was born 8 lbs 8 oz and is 21 inches long. There is no question that he is a Holder. He looks just like Clay. Here are a few pics from the big day. Clay and I are so happy that he is here and truly feel blessed to have him in our lives. Thanks to all of you who stopped by, phoned, and sent emails/texts-we really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers. Look for more pics to come........

Another Dr. Appt

2008-11-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

Well, still not much to report. I have yet to do anything and I'm seriously starting to think that some of you, who are due in December and January, are definitely going to have your little ones before me!! We've got 8 days until his EDD and I'm praying that maybe I will be one of those who just goes all at once since I have yet to dilate! Everyone please keep your fingers crossed. As always, hopefully, I'll have something to report from the next appointment.

Dr. Update = No real update

2008-11-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

Well, I had another appointment today. The only progress that has been made in the last week is that I gained a few lbs and Mitchell is definitely head down and ready to go. Hopefully, I will have more to report next Tuesday!!

Doctor Update

2008-11-04T17:05:00.001-08:00

I started my weekly visits today....and, quite honestly, not much to report than the normal! Mitchell's heartrate was good and my weight gain and measurements are on track. As for being dialated and such, I think Mitchell wants to stay in my belly forever! I'm not sure why I am disappointed. I did not really expect to have made any progress. My doctor did say that he seemed to be in the correct position. So, I guess that is a start! Hopefully, there will be more to report next Tuesday!!

Baby Showers

2008-11-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a couple of pics from some of our baby showers. Clay & I are so blessed to have such wonderful family & friends. Thanks to all of you who have made this special time in our lives a memorable one!

Welcome Kendall Scott Abraham!!!

2008-10-12T08:32:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends, Kellye, gave birth to her little girl on Friday at 10:53 pm. Kendall weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was 18 3/4 inches long. Both she and Kellye are doing great! I travelled to Tupelo on Saturday to see this little bundle of joy and I must say she is as cute as a button!! She looks just like her daddy, Chet. I was so excited to have gotten the chance to meet her b/c I was afraid that I would not be able to travel when she was actually due to arrive (she was 2 weeks early). We are so excited she is finally here and I am a little jealous of Kellye---I want to be where she is now--already done with LABOR & DELIVERY!!

Ok.....So, here we go........

2008-10-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, after much harrassment, I've decided to create a blog for our family. Like so many of you, it seems that this is the easiest way to keep everyone up to date on the Holder Happenings! I figured that I should go ahead and create the blog now as opposed to waiting until after Mitchell makes his debut in November! I agree with Kellye, I think I may need a little direction on how to "spiff up" our blog--so all/any ideas are welcome!