The Holland Family: 2010 in Review

2010 was a great year full of lots of changes. Some were good and others were great!

We rang in the New Year with lots of excitement and hope!

On February 11th, north Texas was hit with a snowstorm of epic proportions. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but we got over a foot of snow which was the most snow fall in a 24hr period for the area in a few decades. It was so pretty as it fell and covered everything outside.

A week later, we got to celebrate the upcoming arrival of who was then known as Baby Holland. We didn't know the gender of our baby yet, but I was just sure we were going to be blessed with a baby girl sometime around April 1st.

Imagine my surprise when our SON was born March 24th. Absolutely the happiest day of my life! It's a shame that I don't remember a good chunk of it due to the adrenaline high, IV drugs and surgery. The first few weeks that followed were a little hazy as Henry was colicky and I was recovering from the c-section. We had an amazing support system of family and friends and we all pulled through just fine.

In April, the 23rd to be exact, my third niece, Olivia was born. She seemed so tiny to me then but now she's growing like a weed! It seems like our extended family is more complete since she got here.

Earlier that day while we were waiting on her arrival, I got a great call asking if I was still interested in a job position that I had interviewed for back in February. I was thrilled at the new opportunity and told my new boss that I would be returning to work on May 5th.

Oh May 5th was a very hard day for this Mama. I didn't want to leave my baby behind and return to the working world. The day was a little easier due to the fact that I was getting to start a new adventure and the fact that Henry was going to be with his new nanny, Deb. She's like a surrogate grandmother to him and little did we know at that time, we would soon love her as family. Deb has been such a blessing in our lives and Henry absolutely adores her. Deb also keeps her granddaughter, Isabella, so Henry always has a playmate. Deb made going back to work a little easier on me as she sends text messages and pictures of the kids throughout the day.

June, July and August were a typical busy summer with lots of visits to see friends and family. During this time, Henry started sleeping through the night and gradually started getting better with his colic and acid reflux. He had his first (double!!) ear infection mid-June which was probably harder on Mama and Daddy than it was him. The following week, I developed shingles which only added to my anxiety. June wasn't all terrible though as Henry laughed for the very first time on our anniversary, June 30th and we were both there to witness it. Talk about a great sound to hear! To this day, his laugh still gets me.

July 11th was a very special day for me. I was saved and gained the salvation of Jesus Christ! I've grown up in church, attended a Baptist university and had tons of head knowledge, but never really had the heart knowledge. It was a very happy day that I will always remember. I was then baptised August 15th as a public profession of faith. It had to be faith guiding me as I got dunked in front of a packed Sanctuary. :)

September rolled around and we decided to change things up a bit and take a small road trip to Fredericksburg. The trip wasn't an all out blast as Henry screamed the majority of the car ride there and back but we did get to see some pretty scenery along the way. Oh and the best thing of the month, my aunt and uncle moved to Texas from the Denver area! So, so great to have them here with our family and I love hanging out with them.

October was another busy month as Mike had his semi-annual TLC golf tournament, we had Faith in Action the following weekend and then we stayed busy with Halloween activities with the Holland family, my office and our church. Henry dressed up as a puppy and was the cutest puppy I've ever seen. He handled the craziness pretty well and only spit up on his costume a few times.

November was a blur for a few reasons. We started off the month with a respiratory infection. The next thing we knew, Henry had Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and had to be quarantined from children under the age of 10 for 7-10 days. All this was right before Thanksgiving, but thankfully he was healed before the family visits started. We spent Thanksgiving lunch with my side of the family and went to Celina to spend the afternoon with Mike's side of the family. We had a great time getting to see everyone.

December, always the most crazy month, was just that. It was crazy! On the 1st, Mike called me at work and asked that I take him to the ER due to severe pain that he was experiencing. A couple of hours later, we learned that he had a kidney stone. Ouch! Fortunately he was able to pass it without issues so he avoided surgery. The rest of the month was busy, busy. We had something going on almost every night the entire month. We survived though and got to see almost all of our friends and family. Henry made out like a bandit at Christmas! Mike and I got a few things for the house as well as money for a new entertainment center. I look forward to Christmas in the future when Henry understands the real reason we're celebrating, the birth of Jesus Christ.