You Are Missed

LOVE these 3!

Look at those sweet chubby legs!

It's so nice when I have my mom around to hold Sadie so I can actually pay attention to the game! She usually looks like this at some point in the night... sleeping on her Nana!

Miss you guys!

Last weekend my family came up to see Russell's games & spend some time with us for their winter break. We had so much fun having them around. I grew up an only child, so my cousins, Haley & Luc, are like my siblings. They live in Laguna too so we were always close to them & I have been blessed to be there to watch them grow into the wonderful people they are now. I love them so much! They stayed up in Sundance for the first couple of days & invited us to go up there & spend some time. They treated us to an amazing steak dinner, a delicious treat! And then on saturday my mom & Jim were here & they took us to Happy Sumo, another favorite thing we rarely eat... yummy sushi!! The games were intense & we had a blast cheering on our guys. We had a sad night saturday with our first loss of the season... hopefully our last! I hate to see my sweetie sad! I miss them so much already & can't wait to be hanging out up the street from them in the next couple of weeks!! Thanks for the fun times & for thinking of us when planning your vacation!

Sleepy Head

Nothing exciting to blog about... just LOVE this photo of Sadie asleep mid playtime. Sometimes she gets so tired before her morning nap that she will just fall asleep on your lap. It is just so sweet to me... I am realizing how fast they grow & trying so hard to take advantage of each step she is at. She really is the most precious thing. Last night I couldn't sleep & I just wanted to stare at her & watch her sleep. Well, to be honest... I am a bit neurotic. I was so scared last night that something was going to happen to her. I always have been afraid to loose the ones I love, as I'm sure every one is. I am scared to death of flying & make Russ call me when the team takes off & lands! I got to thinking last night about loosing Sadie or Russell, my mind gets away from me sometimes, & I just couldn't calm down! It's too much to think about & I hope & pray that I never have to know what it feels like. Well, waking up to her sweet little voice makes all my fears drift away... for now. I can be such a spaz.
Who wouldn't want to wake up to this sleepy little face!

Seems So Long Ago

A little time in the grass with her toys

She was so excited for her dad to toss her around a bit, after missing him for a couple of days.

'The WALL' minus Robby!

Sadie loves when Ivan speaks Spanish to her, she lights up.

These are some photos from our weekend spent at home when the team played UCI. We had the team for a BBQ in Laguna. Sadie had a blast playing in the grass & spending some time with dad. She gets so worn out on game weekends that she took a nap form 1 - 5 pm. that day!

Little Miss Sunshine

We are ready for a little sunshine!!

Long Time Comin'

HOLMES NAMED MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK!
Russ recorded 15 kills each night. He hit .444 for the weekend, served 3 aces, & totaled 20 blocks in 9 games! Just a little bragging from a proud wife! I just have such a blast watching my hubby beat down & cheering him on to victory!! Our Cougs are still undefeated in the MPSF at 6~0 and 11~0 Nationally! Keep up the great work guys!

It was so fun to have Tim, Niccole, Joe, Britt & baby boy join us for this exciting night!

Thanks for coming to support girls... so excited to see the little one at our next visit! Good luck Britt!

Nachooooo & Evan, who is wearing the lucky headband, it worked!

Hangin' with Uncle Gentry

GOOO Cougars! Sorry Grandpa... she just gets a bit too excited... like her mom & Grandma!

Sadie is so fun at the games. She loves the crowd, & even though it's way past her bedtime she claps when everyone around her claps & she even cheers with the crowd! But she does get VERY worn out by the end, and this is what happens... Love those squishy cheeks!

We won in 5 on friday night, coming out on top of the most intense match I have ever witnessed! The game 5 was unbelievable! We won with the score going all the way to 28~26... in a game that's only supposed to go to 15. WOW! It actually was the longest game 5 in MPSF history! Anyway, what a night that was. I am so grateful to my Mom & Jim for flying me down for a few games this season, especially since it's Russell's last! It means so much for me to be there to cheer him on & celebrate the wins or comfort the losses... which I haven't had to do yet :) Sorry for this long post, there is still more to come from the weekend but I'm trying to pace myself. If you haven't made it to a match this season come and check it out! The more the merrier, I love seeing all our friends & family there and having a BIG cheering section for the guys!

Fun in the Sun

Enjoying her very own swing at Nana & Papa's house

This one LOVES to stand... I hope she doesn't pass on crawling... she has no interest in it so far. She kind of squirms around and rolls to get where she wants to go. But she does love being on her feet!

She was so into this fountain that shoots up water at the Spectrum... I think she was hoping it was bath time.

No wonder I think California is so great... because it is!! We had a blast last weekend. It was such a great break from the snow & chilly weather. I feel so bad that Sadie gets all couped up in the house because her mom hates the cold! She loves going on walks & she was loving being outside all day & going in her swing. While there we walked downtown, enjoyed some shopping at the Spectrum, ate at Pinkberry, Cabana's, Wahoo's & In-in-Out. We went to the UCI games fri & sat nights, another post all together! And on saturday we had the team for lunch at our place in Laguna. All in all, a wonderful time in sunny California. Cant Wait to go back next month! More posts on all the events to come...

California Here We Come...

...or so we thought! So... Sadie & I had a flight to Long Beach at 8 pm. this evening. We left Provo at 5:30, it had just started to snow. We drove about 15 miles in 2 1/2 hours, NO JOKE!!! We just made it to Lehi, for those who know the area. WOW!! I can't even tell you how irate we were. All 3 of us. So I am sitting in the back singing every song I can to keep Sadie occupied & playing with every toy I had... that got old real fast! I also had packed empty bottles with my formula, knowing that the airline won't let you bring any liquid through check point. So I fed her some solids & cereal puffs until we could get to the gas station. She was such a trooper though, I was very impressed. After she got her bottle she seemed to have the late night sillies. SO we arrived home around 8:30 pm. The news reports were saying that there were still children stuck at school & on the roads in their busses! Poor little ones. 56 accidents & 49 cars had slid off the roads! We were so grateful to have made it home safe & sound. And we will brave it all again tomorrow morning at 4 am. to try to make it by 6 am. Wish us luck... we might need it!!

Eating Our Way Through...

Salt Lake City! We had a great day on Saturday, it being the only weekend that Russ doesn't have any volleyball games. We actually got to spend the day as a little family & it was divine. First I took Russ to this little bakery that is like a trip back to London. They had yummy pastry & these wrapped sausages, that are just like the ones we would get every day when we were in London. It was the cutest spot. After that we walked the Gateway for a bit, to burn off our breakfast & then headed to Spoon Me. It is pretty much a copy of Pinkberry. LOVED it! I could eat this stuff everyday, I'm telling you! And It even seems so good for you, I like to tell myself that anyway... On our way out we stopped at this new 'little' cupcake shop to pick some up to take home. It's called Mini's, they have the most adorable cupcakes, almost too cute to eat... almost. They are yummy too! So that was it for our weekend off & now back to Volleyball ruling Friday & Saturday... which is exciting in itself!
Sadie's pretend trip to London... she loved it!





no words can describe how much i love this little face!!!

cutest cupcakes on earth!

Valentines... already

loving that I got to wear my new 'hat' as I like to call it!

Trent & Kim, having their first baby... any minute really!

Ivan & Amy


We had an early Valentines Day celebration. When I got home form running errands there was a box of my favorite hand picked See's candies there with some beautiful flowers & the sweetest note form my valentine. It seriously made my day! Other than that wonderful treat this day is pretty much all about the food in our house... so we treat each other to a very yummy meal at the wonderful Tepanyaki! This year the guys will be gone on Valentines day, so we got together with some of Russell's teammates & their 'mates'. We had a great time & I am pretty sure we were one of the last tables to leave. I had a delicious filet mignon and Russ enjoyed a new york strip steak! I actually caught the shrimp the cook tossed my way. (the last time we went with all volleyball players I was the only non athlete & the only one not to catch the shrimp, it hit my eye!) Anyway, we laughed so much it hurt, hearing all the stories from the locker room. These guys have such great friendships & we are really going to miss everyone that Russ has played with, when we leave next year. We are still hoping that Russ & Ivan will be able to play together in Puerto Rico this summer... wish us luck!
* a special thanks to Uncky Dane & Honorary Auntie Jess for staying with Sadie so we could have a date night, LOVE you! *

Family Photos

These are a few from the last weekend that both our families were in town. We love having everyone here to visit & spend time with Sadie. Can't wait to see everyone this weekend!!
Sadie & her Nana

Uncky Dane & Jess

Sadie & her Grandma

More About Me...

I have already done a tag "6 things about me" ... I have been tagged again to do 7 things about me. So I am subjecting you all to yet another list that tells you a bit more about myself.

1. I LOVE veggies! True, I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but ever since I was young I would come home to snack on veggies & dip, cucumber salad, or steamed asparagus. In kindergarden I would even take an artichoke in my lunch. Hopefully my children will inherit this love!

2. I am a BIG crier! I can even shed a tear during a heartfelt commercial. Russ loves to peak over at me to see if the water works are going... most of the time they are!

3. I LOVE movies! Going to them, renting them, & owning my favs. When we have money we will be going to many more in the theater. But for now we have our local Blockbuster. And, as I'm sure you know, Target & Walmart are the best places to buy your favorites old & new. Russ gave me Splash in my stocking, a classic in my book!

4. I hoard make~up. I say 'hoard' because I love to buy new eyeshadows & lip anything but then I only wear mascara & chap sick. My lips are too dry here in Utah for anything else! And I don't even buy the cheap stuff... it's MAC all the way baby!

5. I have a shopping problem...I wouldn't look at it as a 'problem' if I had the money for it! It used to be just about me, but now I have a little baby doll to dress as well, making things even worse... a lot worse. At least when I buy things for myself they last for a while. She grows out of some before she even gets to wear them. I am trying to curb this addiction, but I might need to go to meetings.

6. I am praying that our choice to go to Europe works out. At first I was a bit hesitant to go across the pond form my friends & family... but as the time approaches all I want is to go there & have some adventures with 'my family', meaning Russ & Sadie. I am so looking forward to having this experience with them... is it April yet?? I can't wait for graduation so we can finally start talking to teams!

7. I make & sell baby goods & I am having a ball doing it! I need some sort of outlet for creativity... and why not make some cash with that outlet? I have been doing pretty well with this & I am so happy to have a little hobby. I hope those who have my stuff enjoy using it as much as I enjoy making it!

OK so thats that. And last time I tagged 6 girls only 4 did it so here goes again... Ashly, Natalie (I miss you girls! Need more updates!) Brittnie, Kim, Krystal, Chelsea & Brittany A. Make me proud ladies!
p.s. to my love Niccole... if you still want to do the last tag you can :) xo

Taking Charge

Well, this is just a little blog to brag about my sweetie! You will probably be getting quite a few of these as we enter into his final season as a cougar. This weekend was truly an exciting one! The boys took out Northridge in a 4 game match on friday night and at the start of saturdays match I was already making dinner plans... thinking we would get out even earlier. Well, Northridge turned up the heat on the Cougs in the third game and took it 30~25. Game 4 was an absolute thriller ending at an intense 36~34 with Northridge taking the lead!! Needless to say, my heart was pounding in my chest and I couldn't contain myself, as my Aunt Diane would call me "the shrieking wife". This forced us into a game 5, never a favorite of mine... but I was pushing for a win, as was the rest of the Smith Fieldhouse. The crowd was wild, and a bit miffed at one of the Matador's players! I was ready to punch this guys lights out... but I have been known to get a little defensive & feisty! All the fans & the players got the BEST kind of revenge on his bad attitude by taking them out in game five 15~9 & the boys even held them back to single digits! I was so proud to be a cougar fan & so proud of our team for really coming together & fighting to the bitter end... which was actually pretty sweet! Here is a snip~it from last nights article... I can't figure out how to add a link so I just took out the good stuff... about Russ for you all to see!
"Senior middle blocker Russell Holmes also became the second Cougar to record a double-double on the season with 11 kills and 10 blocks.Holmes' presence at the net loomed large on offense and defense. He recorded a block assist and three early kills that helped to boost the Cougar lead to 14-7. He finished the second game hitting a perfect five for five. The Cougars never allowed CSUN an opportunity in the fifth game. They maintained least a four-point lead and fittingly closed the match on Holmes' 10th block of the match. "

Submersion

My little shnookums got a hold of my phone & she might as well have submerged it in water! So we will be getting it fixed asap, but until then...