Happy Halloween!!

Hey there!! Just making some changes to blog and getting ready for Holdaway Christmas, also known as Halloween. We are still here, happy, and healthy and look forward to tricking seeing you this season!! So drop us a line and let us know what you're up to!!

Who's got the love?

So, I've been pondering lately...could be a very good thing, usually, but it sometime leaves me stumped.  It's been years since I was a kid, so I am sometimes baffled by how my children act and why they do what they do.  Do you ever find yourself trying to revert back to when you were your kid's age (if you have children) and wonder how you probably would have acted in certain situations and how your parents may have disciplined you?  I find myself doing this increasingly - still trying to decide if this is a red flag for what's down the road;  Anyway, so my question is, do you kill with love or do you kill with parental authority when kids are thinking they're world as they know it is ending?  I've tried both - not always successful.  I'm either getting trampled on with the "love" part because the kids see it as an open opportunity of mom being weak, or, I pull the reigns WAY in and then the kids are crying constantly, and really who's happy with the outcome?  And if I try a combination of the two, I just end up heading one way or the other anyway.  So yeah, this is me pondering, and this is what Scott gets for having me do the next entry on the blog.  Discuss...

How Else Would You Celebrate Pioneers?

SO, a few years ago we were sitting around with extended family discussing some plans we had for celebrating the 4th of July.  As the discussion grew longer we started throwing a few different ideas out trying to find some way to spice up the usual fireworks stand display of smoke bombs, flowers and fountains. The event that came out of that discussion was Tank Wars.

Here's the idea: Family members are divided into teams. Each team is required to assemble a battallion of sorts using the kind of vehicles you would find for sale at a fireworks stand. Each battallion must contain a certain number of those cardboard tanks you buy by the case. Outside of that, pretty much any thing goes.   

We've been doing this on and off for about 5 years and even though we did manage to scare off one potential family member we think it's a riot!  ONe word of warning, make sure at least one the participants is well versed in the art of band-aids, minor burns, and road rash.  

This year we actually had three teams competing for bragging rights and complaining about illegal trips to Evanston, but in the end we give a big shout out to Aunt Kim, who won this year's contest by decision!

Of course it's all in good fun and we round it out by following up with a traditional fireworks display Black Cat style, you know, for the kiddies...

So anways, what kind of weird family stuff do you guys do over the summer holidays?

 

 

Road Trip Chronicles: Vol II

Well, when we named the last post Road Trip Chronicles: Vol. I, we didn't think that vol. II would actually be a continuation of the first trip... but once again this summer we found ourselves adventure seeking in Moab (rough problem to have, we know..). We packed up the jeep and hit the road for the 4th of July weekend sans motorhome hoping to find some better weather and more comfortable fun!

Our first adventure? Dinner at the 5 Star in Gunnison. We hadn't been there before and it was the perfect drive in for a summer road trip.

In Moab we met up with Grandma & Grandpa for the annual 4th of July parade which is pretty much put on by citizens of  Moab. It's pretty small and unfortunately poorly attended. But of course that means we get all the taffy and tootsie rolls we can eat... until next 4th of July!

Then we spent the morning at the farmer's market at the city park where we tried some new foods, some authentic fry bread, and Jami & Scott competed in a watermelon eating contest (which will not be pictured here as we were both defeated by an 8 year old with a hole in the bottom of his foot!) The highlight of the morning had to be the chance for Rylee & Luke to ride a camel around the park!!

...And some more playtime...

...and some more...

This trip we were lucky enough to have all kinds of family hanging around and we met up with the Other Holdaways for some BBQing, swimming at the campground pool, and hanging out at Hole in the Rock.

We loved having both Grandma & Grandpa with us as well as having the cousins to play with and all in all it was a pretty great trip!

So, what have you guys been up to?

Road Trip Chronicles: Vol I

"Is everything okay?" asked a curiously nervous voice.

"It's nothing," I reply dryly. "just pretty windy outside."

Of course, it was Nothing... Nothing a.k.a the hurricane force wind that tried with much of it's might to take our little borrowed RV and send it right back to home base. The invisible force that wrestled with me at the wheel as I fought to keep us on the road and on schedule. Now I do emphasize a little for drama, but still it was my first driving an RV through the desert and head on into a spring windstorm. And at times it did seem like the wind may get the better of me as my wife wondered why I couldn't drive in a straight line. But we were on vacation... finally. Even if only for a few days. And Nothing was going to ruin it...

We'd been planning this trip for a few months. Since the day we got tired of cold and snow (sometime in December, actually) when thinking about sitting a hot desert in May was more like Christmas than... well, Christmas. Normally a weekend trip for us would consist of throwing a few necessities into to the back of a 4 wheel drive and heading out into the wilderness. This trip, thanks to the advent of children and the need to get away and still have access to indoor plumbing, we decided to borrow an RV from a family member and make it the Great American Road Trip... to our usual camp spot.

Inspite of the wind, we arrived safely, found our campground, checked in, and set up camp by plugging in the power and the hose. Certainly this is not as adventuresome as staking claim to a barren piece of land you have to hike to, but RV-ing presents it's own kind of adventures and we were glad to have it. More than we would know, as our friend The Wind followed us all the way to Moab.

Though our first day was still pretty windy, it was sunny and warm so we headed out for a day at Arches N.P. We like Arches because it's one of the most amazing places on the planet and it offers quite a few hikes that are easy and short enough for small children. And our four year old has been talking about it since her first visit last year!!

The big hike was to Landscape Arch. (a whopping 1 1/2 mile round trip hike). After the hike it was lunch and naps! This is why we LOVE the RV for camping with families: Built in napping stations wherever you are!

Day two, the weather took a bit of turn for the worse with wind (still) and some rain. But we thought Canyonlands would be okay as you can see alot without having to get too far out of the car. We toured Island in the Sky disrict and had good enough weather to make one short hike to Mesa Arch. Even though it was cloudy and windy, the views were spectacular!!

Day three was our heading home day, but we decided to take the long way and see some sights we had never seen. A decision that would later prove a bit too adventurous. We made a stop for snacks and a stop for lunch at Hite Marina at Lake Powell then headed for home.

Of course, no family trip is complete without that one memorable experience that you probably would want to happen, but will think of it fondly in the years to come. Ours came about halfway between Lake Powell and Hanksville when the right front tire on the motorhome decided to shed its tread. I managed to get the RV off the road safely to inspect the damage. What I found was a tire with no tread and, being unfamiliar with the RV as a whole, no jack to fix said tire.

As I searched to find some way to get the tire changed, Jami was finding out that we had no cell phone service to call for help. In the meantime, dozens of passers by came down the road slowing down just enough to... Well, lets just say no one really slowed down. Ok, one car did stop. 4 middle aged tourist from somehwere in Europe happen to pass by and decided to stop and see if they could help. Inspite of some obvious language barriers they really tried to help, and when they couldn't, they drove in to Hanksville to find someone who could.

I wasnt sure how long help might be so I continued to find a fix for the flat. I ended taking some leveling blocks that I was able to drive up on and using them for a makeshift jack. With the RV on the leveling blocks I stacked some wood planks under the front axle, then drove off the leveling blocks onto the wood. Luckily, the wood stack held and it was tall enough to get the spare tire on. Road trip saved!!

SO, all in all, we had a pretty good, in some moderately good weather, and we made it home in one piece!

So, how are you guys?

We Have Seen the Top of the Mountain!

Well, we made it through another Presient's Day Snowmobiling Extravaganza!! And this time, no "major" injuries! We packed our bags, our Californian cousin-folk, and sleds and headed for the mountains of Utah! I think the pictures will tell it best...

The weekend started with a broken sled (okay, there a few injuries...)






But that (of course) won't stop any of the fun... SUIT UP!!

Get ready to ride...

Lets Play!!

And some other random stuff...

As you can see, we had a great time and already look forward to next year!!

Though, now that we have this trip out of the way, we will be glad to see some sunshine and spring weather (hint...)

The Princess & the Party(s)

wOw! It's been quite a busy February and it's only half over!!

We started out with Rylee's birthday weekend. First it was a little surprise pizza party at the local pirate-themed restaurant, where both kids were immediately scared to death by a) all the pirate-waiters walking around, then 2) the thunderstorm effects which included lightning and thunder, and finally the frequent pirate battle show with pretend cannon fire and smoke machines. Luckily, these fears were easily remedied by the arrival of pizza and bread sticks.

After, it was off to the arcade where we competed with college students to play games that were clearly designed for small children. When that ship had sailed we headed back to port to get ready for Saturday.

As dawn broke (not a Twilight reference) we prepared for the "friends" party more appropriately princess themed. 10 giggling little girls all dressed as their favorite princess converged at Nana's house for (of course) giggling, eating cake, opening presents, and an appearance from real royalty, Princess Amerah. The princess told stories about her many adventures and took pictures with each little girl (and a few of the boys) and even brought in her magical dog. She was actually able to get those little princess types to sit still for nearly half an hour!

P.S. - If you are looking for a good party idea for you little girl, Princess Amerah is the real deal... we highly recommend her!!!

P.S.S. - Below is an inside look at what boys do at princess parties:


The party then moved over to Grandma's where extended family got a chance to hang out and eat more cake.


All in all we made thru the weekend and no princesses were harmed in the process (short of anything psychological) and we had a pretty good time. So I think it will be recorded in history as a success. Now where did I put that crown...

Tune in next time when you'll here Scott say:

"Are you sure this isn't dangerous?"