Its only been 5 months...;)

Let's catch up on the last 5 months. If you'll stick with me I'll let you in on a surprise at the end.

I guess I should start with our adoption. I honestly hate this part because while I know progress is being made, it feels like it's taking forever. I have been asked (a lot) if we were quitting and I try not to take offense. When God calls you to do something you don't quit because its hard or it hurts or its taking too long.... I wonder how things would have been if Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul....had just quit. They would have missed out on the great rewards at the end of their journey whether here or in Heaven. So no, we are not quitting. We move forward in faith toward the redemption of Captain and Sister because we know that He who called us IS faithful and works all things for the good of those who love Him and are CALLED according to His purpose.
That said, we ask for you prayers as we continue.

Spring was BUSY! This was our first year to have 3 kids playing baseball

 

Melo and Joshua made lots of new friends on their teams, Isaiah turned out to be a pretty good catcher, Daddy learned not to make bets and poor Caleb just wanted to get out there and play so bad!

...and of course we made time for the Rangers

Somewhere in the middle of it all I managed to run my first (and last) full marathon. The lead car took the runners on a wrong turn at the start and we ended up running 27.7 miles! That extra mile and a half felt like eternity. My sweet husband surprised me at the finish line with the kids! He always knows just what to do.

May and June are really busy for Jacob so I decided to take the kids on a 7 day road trip by myself...

 We spent a lot of time in the car.....a lot

 and ate way too much McDonalds

 We stopped in Austin and spent time with Papa Phil

and got lots of sunshine!

Then we headed to Houston to see Peyton

If you've never been to Kemah it's a fun and inexpensive place for younger families. The kids and I have made it our yearly tradition.

Of course we found some time for fishing

I was so excited after days of sleeping on different floors to finally have a bed....

...well I found some room at the end to share with 8 little feet



When we got home I literally pulled in the driveway, left the kids with Jacob and went straight to the car wash....for obvious reasons

                                                                      Car floor - day 7
The rest of the summer has been full so far. The kids went to VBS at Willow Park (best one around). Isaiah and Melo went to Noize Camp at New River and Pine Cove Base Camp.  I finally understand how my parents felt when we got home from camp!

Joshy brought home a new pet which he cleverly named Guinea Pig.

It turns out that Guinea pigs really aren't great for families with dogs. Now I have 2 cages, plenty of toys, bedding and even food FREE to anyone interested.

A couple of weeks ago I got to run the Jalapeno Half Marathon with my friend Natalie. It was

Hot Hot Hot! but lots of fun....Ok, my friend Tiffany was there too but her 6 month pregnant self must have gotten tired waiting on us to finish. Its ok, I make a habit of finishing behind pregnant women...and the occassional wheelchair...true story


Alright, I promised a surprise...and trust me-no one is as surprised as me! Looks like the Holts will be growing even more than we thought this year...in more ways than ever imagined. When we chose the path of adoption we knew that meant no more newborns and that was ok. That season had ended for us and we were embracing the next. Well God (who is not surprised by anything) had a different plan. Baby Holt #5 should make his/her appearance in March...but probably April cause we know these Holt babies like Mama's belly.