Congrats Greg!

I just wanted to give a "shout out" to Greg for graduating from UVU this month. He was worked so hard and is finally done! I want to let him know how proud I am of him! What a great accomplishment! Good job Greg! I love you so much!

Merry Christmas!

We had the most fun Christmas ever this year. It started on Christmas eve at our traditional Berry family party! This year, Doug decided that each family had to do a performance of a Christmas song. Let me just say that I was dreading this! I do not like to get in front of people and make a fool out of myself. However, it was one of the most fun things about the party. It provided for some good laughs!
We also were all supposed to e-mail Doug something about ourselves that no one else would know. He read them aloud and we all had to guess who it was. It was a riot. I learned some things about my family members that were both shocking and hilarious. It was such a fun party. I look forward to it every year.
Christmas morning was so fun. I loved seeing Olivia get all excited about her new toys. We gave her a little kitchenette and she loved it. She had to play with it for about 20 minutes before she was ready to move on to her other things.
The day after Christmas, all of my brothers and sisters and mom and Doug all went up and stayed the night in Salt Lake. We swam, hung out, played games, and just enjoyed each other's company! It was such a fun thing to do.
Well, now Christmas is over, and I'm a little sad to see it end. It is one of my favorite times of year. There's always next year, right?

Performing our Christmas Eve songs!



Opening her present from Gaga (Grandma). My mom gave her this little hamster and here she is snuggling it! She loves it!

Christmas morning enjoying her kitchen! So fun!

Enjoying the Holidays

Olivia has been loving this time of year. She has been so excited to experience all of the fun new things that happen during the winter. It has been so fun for Greg and I to experience them with her.

Sledding with her cousins! She doesn't quite know what to think of the snow!

Olivia and Payton

Helping put up the Tree! She couldn't be more proud of herself!

Ibby Loves Santa!!!

Tonight... Olivia met Santa! As you can clearly see from the photo, she was more than thrilled! Greg's mom had a ward Christmas party at her house tonight and we thought that Ibby would love to sit on Santa's lap... We were mistaken, guess that was poor judgment on our part.

New Favorite Commercial

I think this might be my new favorite commercial! For some reason, every time I see it I can't stop laughing, which is sad because it's quite stupid.

Anyways, enjoy!

Twinners!

I was so excited when it finally got cold enough for me to bust this bad boy out! Now, when I say "bad boy" I'm referring to this sweet one piece pj suit! It was a gift last year for Christmas and I just love it! It might not be attractive, but it's so cozy, and how awesome is it that I can be twinners with my 10 month old daughter! Ha Ha. Anyways, eat your hearts out!

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Greg

On Halloween, we went up to Marsh's for chili and trick-or-treating. We didn't end up taking Olivia out because it was raining, but we still had a blast! Olivia loved wearing her costume. She thought it was so funny, especially when she would catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror! It was so funny and so fun to experience her first Halloween. She was the cutest poodle I've ever seen.



Also on Sunday, was Greg's 25th birthday! He got Guitar Hero World Tour from his mom, and he has had the time of his life playing it. Even Olivia has gotten in on the action! She loves to sit and pound on the drums with dad! Happy Birthday Greg! We love you!

Havin Fun In The Sun!

While all of our friends were freezing their bums off last week, we were playing in St. George! It was Greg's final fall break at UVU so we thought that we needed to do something fun, rather than having Greg work full time on those days.

The ride down as one of the most enjoyable that we have ever made. We took the Jeep (despite high gas prices) so we would have more room and someone could be in the back with Olivia. We hooked up a TV and DVD player and Ibby watched movies and played with one of us the whole time. Ibby watched Peter Pan and The Lion King on the way down and loved them to death. She just laughed and sung to all of the music on the movies. It was hilarious.

St. George was beautiful. When we arrived on Wednesday afternoon is was 83 degrees and sunny! Much warmer than the 43 degrees that we had left 4 hours earlier. We were exited and ready to party! The fun began around 11:30 than night when Alex, McCall, Allison, Myken, Ellie, and Zoe arrived. Mom and Doug arrived the next day.

During the six days we were there, we did a lot of fun things, but mostly hung out and relaxed! We went shopping (of course), swam, captured a toad (named Frogger) and made him our house pet, ate out a lot (Wendys, Cafe Rio, Pizza Factory, Chillis, and Paulas), made many visits to to the Dollar Store (our new favorite store for buying worthless, but fun stuff), many visits to Nelsons Frozen Custard, and hiked around the narrows.

While there, we learned a few things about some of the members of our family that we didn't know before. We learned that Zoe is so excited now that she has someone smaller than her to boss around (Olivia). She was calling out orders non stop mostly telling Ibby to stop doing something or to tell her no. She would say, "NO Wibbies!" it was very cute.

We were originally going to come home Sunday night but decided to stay one more night and come home Monday afternoon. It was a great decision and we had a lot of fun that night and the next morning. As you can probably tell, we had an awesome trip! One that will be remembered for a long time.

Here we are at The Narrows. It was fun to just walk around and enjoy the nice weather.

Zoe and Ellie with Frogger!


Oh Boy! Just relaxing and being lazy.

Thriller!

On Saturday, Greg surprised me with tickets to go see Odyssey Dance Theater's Thriller! I was so excited! I've wanted to see this for a long time, and I couldn't wait.
So, that night we went to Cafe Rio (my absolute fave), and then headed to the show. This year, they came to the old provo library, so we didn't head up to Salt Lake.
Here's my review of the show:
Though it was fun, it was odd! I was hoping that they would do lots of cool dances, but they didn't. They acted things out instead. There were only like 2 or 3 cool dances. I was kinda disappointed. Overall, Greg and I decided that it wasn't worth the $, so I wouldn't recommend checking it out! Go see a movie instead.
However, it was very sweet of Greg to get tickets and be willing to sit through a dance show. Though the show wasn't that great, we had a fun and much needed date night.

The Alpine Loop

Our little family took a drive over the loop on Friday night. It is so gorgeous up in the canyon right now! It was so nice to get out and walk around and enjoy the nice weather and the colored leaves. I just love this time of year!

Some New Pictures

Our hike to Stuart Falls. Olivia loved it! She was so happy to be out! She talked and laughed with everyone that we passed on the trail. it was so cute!

Sweet girl fell asleep right at the end of the hike, so we had to take her out of the Baby Bjorn and carry her because her head was bobbing!
Just a funny picture of Olivia's favorite new thing to do. She loved to crawl to the oven and get the dish towel. She could sit and play with it for hours. What a kook!

Tagged!

I AM...
*I am....sitting on the couch with Greg counting down until Desperate Housewives starts! (Embarrassing, I know!)
*I think....Olivia's getting another tooth!
*I know....my breath stinks right now (cause Greg just kindly informed me. How sad)
*I want....to move into a house soon!
*I have....The funniest little girl ever!
*I miss.....Sleeping in. This a luxury you don't have once you have a child.
*I fear....we're going to live in "little mexico" forever.
*I feel...Hungry! I started Weight Watchers AGAIN about a week ago! (Hopefully I can last longer this time than I have in the past)
*I hear....The High School Musical cast singing a commercial on T.V.
*I crave....Cafe Rio pork salad. It's my new addiction.
*I cry....about everything. I'm such an emotional basketcase!
*I search...for sales and promo codes on the internet all the time lately.
*I wonder....if we will be able to afford a house when Greg graduates. (can you tell that this is about all I think about lately?)
*I regret....not traveling before we had Olivia. (Same as Myken)
*I wish....I lived in American Fork. I want to be closer to my family.
*I love....having such a close family. I have so many good memories of family.
*I care....way too much about what people think. I need to get over that fast.
*I always....talk too much. Sometimes I think Greg gets sick of hearing me, but bless his heart he would never tell me that. He just listens and responds like a good husband should.
*I worry....about the trials Olivia will have to face as she gets older. I can't imagine what things will be like in High School by the time she's that old.
*I am not....excited about going grocery shopping tomorrow.
*I remember....all of the fun times Lacey and I had in High School. We were inseparable, and we had a blast!
*I believe....that it's important to be a good example to Olivia. I want to teach her to be a good person.
*I sing....Jonas Brothers nonstop. How sad and embarrassing. Don't think less of me!
*I am not always....right, though I would like to be.
*I argue....with Greg about going to bed so early. He wants to turn in at like 9, and I'm ready to party!
*I write....reminders for myself on the calender. I wish I could say something more interesting.
*I lose....sleep when Olivia's getting a tooth. She wakes up in the middle of the night cause her mouth hurts!
*I listen....to music all the time. I love music!
*I don't understand....how we are going to live forever. That seems like a REALLY long time.
*I can usually be found....at home, or at Nordstrom. I love that place. Don't worry, I'm not usually buying things, but I like to go in there and look around. A girl can dream, right?
*I need....exercise more. I need to be more positive about myself.
*I forget....everything. I'm quite forgetful.
*I am happy....being a mom. I love it. I'm also happy when I'm with my family.

I tag Lace, Goldie, and McCall

Mini Golf

Last night, Greg and I went mini golfing at Boondocks with Lacey and Tyson. It was a serious competition. Greg talked me up at dinner, so I was feeling pretty confident, but I bombed. Tyson won with a 10 pt. lead with Greg, Lacey, and I tying for second. Obviously, the three of us need to work on or mini golfing skills before our next competition. I'm comin' for ya Tys!

One Last Horrah!

Last Saturday night (or should I say Sunday morning), while we were kickin it with the Beans (Lacey and Tyson), at about 1am, we decided that we were going to go to Park City on Sunday afternoon and stay the night! Greg said he needed one last horrah before school started. We booked the Mountain Side Marriott resort and headed up Sunday after church.
Greg, Olivia, and I went to main street and shopped and then headed to the outlets. Olivia was so good and hilarious. She was working it with everyone that walked by. She would laugh and scream to get their attention.
Lacey and Tyson came up at about 5 pm and we met them at a yummy mexican restaurant. We then went swimming, played games, talked, and laughed for hours. Lacey and Tyson headed home later that night, and Greg, Ibby, and I slept over!
We had such a blast! It is so fun hanging out with Lacey and Tys. We have so many laughs! I am so excited for them to get married! They are the best!

When we were in Gap, I was trying on a sweater, when Greg walked up and told me to turn around. This is what we saw! Our sweet Ibby was either trying to escape, or checking out the world! Hilarious!

Here we are eating dinner with the Beans!

Pineview

This last weekend, the WHOLE Holmstead crew went to Pineview Reservoir in Ogden Canyon. We had so much fun! We jet skied, tubed, wakeboarded, ATE, and just hung out with the fam!
The first night, the power went off at around 5:30 and was out the rest of the night. It was a little inconvenient, but we still managed to have fun. We hung by the pool til it was too dark, then just hung out with the cousins, talked, and played cards.
The next day was our day at the lake. We had so much fun. Even Olivia got to go on the jet ski. Her face was quite concerned the whole time. We had to keep stoping to make sure she was still breathing (she always holds her breath when the wind is in her face)!
Myken, Greg, and I did the tube, and I still have bruises to prove it. It was a rough ride, and my swim bottoms will agree. I almost lost them countless times. That would've been just a little embarasing. When Myken drove, she was determined to get Greg off, and the nerd wouldn't let go of the dang tube! It was so funny. I was a little sore the next day, but it was still a blast.
Later, Greg and I decided to take the jet ski out and wakeboard. Unfortunately, the rope got sucked into the engine. Count on us to be the idiots to do that. We had to swim the jet ski to shore and cut the rope out. Don't worry, the jet ski still worked (thank heavens)!
We had so much fun! I always love our yearly getaways with the Holmsteads. We make so many fun memories.
I didn't do so well with getting pics, but here's what I got:

Kickin it in the hot tub with the kids! Olivia loved it! (Don't worry, it wasn't very hot)

Matt and Easton napping. Matt might be Olivia's favorite uncle now because when I would put her down for a nap, Matt would sneak in and rescue her if she was crying. He would either snuggle her until she fell asleep, or take her outside to play!

Greg's disgusting mustache that he grew for the trip. Thank heaven's it's gone now!

Family Pics

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Almost 7 Months And Crawling!!!

We cannot believe that our little Ibby is crawling! She has been so close for so long and she finally figured it out about three days ago and now our house is no longer safe!

This is also a new skill that Ibby has acquired over the last week. Now that she can pull herself up in her crib, she won't nap! It is a constant battle and one that is rarely won by the parents.

Summer Time!

I haven't posted any pics for a long time. I guess you could say I've been a little lazy. Here's some pictures of what we've been up to lately...

Uncle Bri put all of Grandma Shuey's beany babies in Olivia"s pack 'n play. She was in heaven!

For the 4th of July Me, Greg, Ibbs, Myken, and her kids went to Chili's, then went to Marsh's to watch fireworks. Olivia was mesmerized by the fireworks. She sang and talked the whole time she watched them.

Here's Olivia meeting Aunt Lacey's dog, Ziggy. She loved it, and Ziggy loved her. He wanted to climb all over her and eat her pony tail. It was hilarious!

Greg and I took Olivia up to Bridal Veil Falls. She loves being outside and hearing water. She just stares at it and sings!

For the 24th, Greg, Olivia, and I went and spent the whole day at Myken's! We did the big water slide, swam in the pool, and did a BBQ. It was a fun day! Greg didn't want to leave. Myken may have thought that we were gonna move right in her house! Good times!

Greg loves the water slide. He's like a little boy! He looks a little too big for it though!

Check out Zoe's soggy diaper! She looked like a little wadling duck when she walked!Olivia lounging in the pool! She loved this tube!It's been a fun summer so far! It's been nice having Greg out of school for a minute. I can't wait til December when he's finished! We've been having so much fun with Olivia. She gets more fun and funny every day! Not to sound cheesy, but, being a mom really is the greatest job ever!