Holcombe's Happenings

Safely Home

2011-04-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying this eye-opening book! Not quite halfway through yet but it's really holding my interest and I'm anxious to see how it ends. It's about christian persecution in China. Fiction but based on truth.

Our newest addition!

2011-03-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's about time I updated our blog to add the newest addition to our family, Jackson Terry, born on January 10, 2011 at 6 lb. 13 oz. He is such a little blessing and we have been having so much fun with him! I will try to post more updated pics soon since he's 2 1/2 months old now. :-)

Youth Group comes from Arakansas!

2010-07-28T23:37:00.001-07:00

A wonderful youth group came from AR this week to help witness to the people in this area and get our new church's name out. One night we had an activity at a park and here are some pics from it.

1st post in over a year!!!

2010-07-28T23:01:00.001-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted! A lot has gone on this last year. We moved into a new home in West Pasco, WA. We are very blessed to have this home as it is our very first in the 10 years that Johnny and I have been married.

Baby #3 is due in January. We don't know what we are having yet but will post that as soon as we find out.

We are so excited to be helping my brother and sis-in-law start a new church here in West Pasco! Check out our website if you get a chance at http://summitlifenow.com/

Brody just had his 6th B-day and Cooper will be having his 5th in October. They are growing and changing so quickly.

Here's Brody at his B-day party with some of his cousins.

Blowing out the candles on his John Deere tractor cake. He wanted a lawn mower cake but we worked out a compromise.

Trying to hit the pinata with the golf club.

Go Audrey! Carter's turn was next and he busted the pinata on the 1st try but my pic didn't turn out.

Sadie and Cody on the teeter-totter.

Brody Learning to Swim

2009-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

Brody has been taking swimming lessons and is doing pretty good. He's still afraid to put his whole head under water but he's getting closer to accomplishing that. Hopefully Cooper will want to take lessons soon. He has some bad memories of falling in the water. :-(

Here's Brody sticking with the girls, as usual.

This is a great wading pool for the kids!

Brody really liked his swim instructor, Sean. He was a great instructor who made it fun for all the kids and was very patient with each of them.

Foundation

2009-07-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well, the foundation has been laid out for our new home. Just a few more months to go!

Fishing in Blue Mountains

2009-06-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

We went fishing with Johnny's grandpa a couple of weeks ago in the Blue Mountains. It was a beautiful day and we all caught our limit!

We made it 3 1/2 years!

2009-05-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

Cooper had his 1st ER visit a couple of weeks ago. Daddy's new bike was sitting upside down in our living room and Cooper was spinning the back wheel, stuck his hand in the brake and cut his thumb. In this picture he was just given a stuffed monkey as he was soaking his hand. He loves this monkey and has named it "Muh".

Brody was a trooper and waited very patiently in the ER. He sat in a chair hugging his stuffed hippo "Hippie" while Cooper was getting his stitches put in.

They're in!

Showing off the Go, Diego, Go bandaid.

Mercy for the Cowgirl Coffee shop

2009-04-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

The other day I was driving in town and as I was stopped at a light, I heard my oldest son say, "Mommy, what's that girl doing over there with no clothes on"? "WHAT?!", I shouted, looking over to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, there was a girl sitting in a chair wearing a really skimpy bikini (practically no clothes on, right?) next to a drive-thru coffee shop. I don't remember the name of the drive-thru but it was probably something like Cowgirl Coffee or Bikini-Bottom Espresso. :-) Anyhow, this really upset me so I decided to do something about it. The next day I drove through and warned them (as nicely as I could) that if they didn't keep their half-naked employees inside their shop that I was going to make a complaint to the city and that I probably wouldn't have any problems getting other women and mothers to join me. To my surprise the employee was very nice, apologized and agreed that they shouldn't be doing that.

This was a learning experience for me because as I began to calm down from being so worked-up over what I had just done & experienced, I was convicted of the many things I see or hear every day that I don't take a stand for. If I can do something as easy as this why can't I stand up for my Lord and God when someone speaks ill of Him or says His name in vain. Hearing God's name in vain is something that is taken so lightly now and we have become so callous to it. Exodus 20:7 says, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. I realize that we live in a sinful world and it's impossible to avoid sin but the Bible says that although we, as Christians, live IN this world we are not to be OF it. Romans 12:2 says And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The more I began to ponder all of this I began to feel ashamed for not being more Christ-like to that gal at the coffee shop. Where was my compassion and mercy? At the time all I could think of was how disgusted I was. I need God's grace to help me see people's hearts as He does. People need the Lord and I need to remember that's why I am here...to be an example for Him and be used for the furtherance of His gospel. Thankfully, God forgives and He HAS offered his grace. Ephesians 2:8 says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I'm thankful to be a child of the one, true God who shows endless mercy and always brings me back to the big picture. Are you a child of God?

Backyard View

2009-04-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

I took this picture on Monday when it was so beautiful outside. We have a great view of the water and mountains outside our back window but there are a few obstructions to the view because of some trees. If you walk through the trees, this is what you see...so breathtaking. Praise God for His beautiful creation! Psalm 148

Oregon Vacation

2009-04-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful vacation with the Piefer family in Sisters, OR last week. Thanks to friends of the Piefers we were able to stay at a charming "cabin" with a beautiful view of the mountains. The kids loved strolling up and down the pathways on their scooters & trikes and throwing rocks in the "creek", not much water. They all got along better than expected for a 5 day vacation!

We took the kids skiing at Mt. Bachelor and it was Brody & Cooper's first time. Brody loved it but he was a little scared of the chair lift. Cooper was quite the opposite. He loved the chair lift but hated skiing down. Why do they always have to be opposite?! Hopefully next year will be better for him. Brody is already begging to go again so maybe we will make another trip before the season is over. Johnny & Craig went skiing another day by themselves and had a great powder day but unfortunately they forgot the camera so no pics to show for it. That same day Diana and I took the kids to this awesome park and trail in Bend, OR and the kids had loads of fun running off their energy. Of course Brody still had some left over. :-)

From fun in the cabin to relishing the outdoors, God's beautiful creation, we absolutely enjoyed this unforgettable vacation!

Exploring Mukilteo

2009-03-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Johnny has been working in Everett, just north of Seattle, for Feb. & Mar. and this is finally his last week. The boys and I have been able to visit off and on so we've been exploring this area a bit. Our hotel is actually in Mukilteo so that is where we have spent most of our time. We have enjoyed all the parks around here but our favorite has been Mukilteo Lighthouse Park, where we found many of the creatures pictured above. Brody & Cooper helped another boy at the park load as many crabs as they could into a water bottle and this kept them entertained for a very long time. Unfortunately the lighthouse is not open until April so I didn't get any good pics of it but here are some if you would like to see.

The Island across the water from the park is Whidbey.

I loved being able to watch the boys play at the park and enjoy the scenery of the water and beautiful mountains all at the same time!

These pics were taken at a different park closer to our hotel. Brody always likes to pretend that he's a "ticket-taker" at parks so he always stands at the top of the slide and demands each kid to give him a pretend ticket before they slide down. He likes to be in control of everthing around him...I don't know where he got that from. :-)

Well, it's been nice here but we are so ready to quit living out of our suitcases for a while and get back home!

North and South

2009-03-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

So I finished reading North and South this week and I give it two thumbs up. It was beautifully written and a real pleasure to read. There were a few aspects emphasized in this novel but the main ones are about the social and economical differences between Northern and Southern England in the 19th century. Of course, there is also a love story connected with the various events developing throughout the book that supplement this good read. I definitely recommend this book. Now on to Pilgrim's Progress!

North and South

2009-03-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

My review

I'm only a quarter of a way through this book but I am really enjoying it b/c I feel like I can relate somewhat to Margaret. Her Milton is my Bremerton. Bremerton is a very dirty, industrial city. Milton begins to appear more appealing to Margaret when she finds human interest. I think that's the only way Bremerton is going to become more appealing to me. :-) You have to make the best of what you have and where you're at, right? My initial impressions of this book are pretty obtrusive but I'm sure there are more covert messages to come from this classic. Looking forward to reading on.

View all my reviews.

Become a Friend on Good Reads and we can share what books we are currently reading, want to read and have already read. It's fun!

Catching Up and Moving On

2009-01-18T17:54:00.000-08:00

Well, much has gone on since my last post and yet I have no pictures to show for it...sorry Mom. I promise to dust my camera off and start snapping away again soon.

We drove home from San Diego around Christmas time, just in time for the big blizzard! Chains were required all the way from Salem, OR to Seattle, WA so we made it all the way to Tumwater, WA until the 1st chain fell off, then just North of Olympia when the 2nd fell off. We were so close to home and didn't want to stop so we just kept going, only 30 mph, but we were determined to make it and we did. The boys did great thanks to a quick stop at a Costco in CA to buy a portable DVD player. That was one of the best items we have ever purchased, worth every penny.

We had a very nice Christmas with Johnny's family. We spent Christmas Day at his sister Julie's house and had fun kicking back, playing Rock Band, eating Julie's awesome stuffed mushrooms, drinking coffee and just talking while the kids played.

Our Happy New Year was spent in the Tri-Cities with more of Johnny's family. We spent New Year's Eve with Johnny's grandpa at his nursing home. All the residents were wearing party hats as they sat around talking and listening to old records. Brody asked when the party was going to start and Daddy said, "It's in full-swing, boy." Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was nice to visit with Grandpa and meet all his new friends.

From the time we returned home from the Tri-Cities we immediately began looking for a place to move out closer to Johnny's work. We found a place in Bremerton, just 2.5 mi. from work and are very happy with it. It's small and pretty old but clean and simple and that's just right for us. Most importantly it's within our budget and that is a huge blessing as we work to pay off student loans!

We are all moved in now, although not all unpacked and are happy that the chaos of moving is over...for now, anyway.

A Magical Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

We were blessed to have family visit us in San Diego during the Thanksgiving holiday. We enjoyed visiting attractions and sightseeing but the most memorable of all was our trip to Disneyland. We decided to go on Thanksgiving day and it turned out to be a perfect time to go. The castle was decorated so beautifully. It looked even better at night with all the lights but unfortunately it was very hard to get a picture that did it justice. The day we were there was the first day they opened a new attraction called the "Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough", a walking tour of the inside of the castle. We ran out of time to see it but maybe next time.

While Cooper was meeting Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore, Brody was trying to meet the Big Bad Wolfe but he got too scared and decided not to so I don't have any pictures of that. Cooper also met Clarabell from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Cooper's favorite ride was the Casey Jr. train and Brody's favorite was It's a Small World. I'm not sure what Luke's favorite ride was but it might have been the Winnie the Pooh ride.

I think us Moms and Dads had more fun watching the boys try to pull the sword out of the stone. The boys didn't really seem to understand why it wouldn't come out...of course, they have never seen the movie.

Michele and Luke with pretzel Mickey...cute!

More of the Magic...

2008-12-09T22:06:00.000-08:00

Here are Daniel, Michele and Luke on the Storybook Canal Boat ride, getting ready to be swallowed up by the whale from Pinnochio. Daniel is Johnny's cousin and he and Michele will be having their 2nd child in March, a baby boy. Luke will be 2 in January.

This picture was taken from the Fantasmic show at the end of the day. You can see Pluto, Clarabell, Goofy, Woody & Buzz Lightyear at the top of the ferry boat. We had a really good view close to the water. It wasn't hard to conclude that this show and the fireworks were our favorite part of the day...we all agreed! I didn't get any good pics of the show b/c it was so dark but a few turned out of the fireworks.

We were also sitting in a section where fake snow started falling after the fireworks...top left-hand side of collage. It was all very magical!

I always love taking a picture of the boys when they are wiped out from a long day of activities, like today. We all got a kick out of Johnny pinning these huge buttons above their heads that said, "1st Visit to Disneyland". It was actually their 2nd visit but we didn't get the buttons on their 1st visit. What a momentous day!

Hiking at Mission Hills

2008-11-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

The boys and I spent the day, Saturday, hiking in one of the nation's largest urban natural parks, Mission Hills Regional Park. It was no Pacific NW but it definitely had a beauty of its own.

We started at the Oak Grove Trail, one of the many trails at Mission Hills. It was only 1 mi. and I thought it would be pretty easy for the boys. They made it without too many complaints. :-)

The boys taking a break to hug each other so Mommy can take their picture.

Every time they saw a rock they had to climb on it.

Taking a break in the shade.

Watch out for that cactus, boys!

Cooper taking a much needed water break. We were completely out of water by the end of the day.

Taking a lunch break along the trail.

Nothing like the good ol' PBJ. Brody took this picture.

We took another trail that led us to this dam, the Old Mission Dam.

This man-made dam was built 150 years ago.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there are actually rock climbers up there. This is the Kwaay Paay mountain. They were really fun to watch. Brody said he wants to be a rock climber when he grows up and I told him he was off to a good start.

We saw a few birds along the way but I could only identify one, the Hermit Thrush bird.

What a day! Our only regret is that Daddy had to work.

LegoLand

2008-11-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

We went to Legoland this week. The kids loved it and so did Mommy & Daddy. There were TONS of rides for them, including boats, helicoptors, trains, plains & automobiles. :-) There was so much to do and we were only able to see half of the park so we hope to go again soon and see the rest.

This is MiniLand, the heart of LegoLand. They had replicas of New York, D.C., Las Vegas & New Orleans to name a few. It was so fun venturing from city to city and admiring all of the intricate details. A lot of things actually moved such as the cars, buses & even some people. It was very cool!

More of LegoLand

2008-11-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

Mt. Rushmore was one of my favorites. It was amazing and actually quite humorous...see the Q-tip in George Washington's ear?

Cooper loved the elephant. It actually moved and spit water out of its trunk.

Poor Cooper was crying b/c he a hard time driving the car.

Brody loved it though, this was probably his favorite thing at LegoLand.

Cooper finally found his favorite thing...Thomas!

Mom Visits San Diego

2008-11-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

We were so thankful my Mom could visit us here for a week in San Diego. We were able to go to the beach, Sea World, Balboa Park & Cabrillo Nat'l Monument to name a few. The boys had a lot of fun with their Meme. We were sad to see her leave but we will cherish the memories that were made forever.

We also went to Moo Time Creamery in Coronado.

Cooper's 3rd Birthday

2008-10-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Cooper's 3rd b-day yesterday. Cooper had fun spending his birthday with Brody, Makayla & Dayton. We had lunch and cake...a dinosaur cake. Cooper still hasn't eaten a piece of his cake; he's just happy playing with the dinosaurs on top of it.

Yearbook Your Husband

2008-10-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just so you know, I have Johnny's permission to post these. :-) I can't decide which one I like best, maybe the last one, the "80's mullet" pic.

Yearbook Yourself

2008-10-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I discovered this website where you can download a picture of yourself with different hairdo's from the olden days. Go to http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ and give it a try. You have to do this, Crystal and Mashel! This is what you get for tagging me. :-) This would be fun to do with our husbands pictures too. :-)

Seven Quirky Things

2008-10-20T06:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been tagged by Mashel AND Crystal to list 7 quirky things about myself and tag 5 others to do the same. You are right, Mashel...this is new to me. :-) So here's what I came up with:

1) At times when I need a moment of peace, I will lock myself in the bathroom to get away from the kids for a bit. Please don't think I'm a bad Mom!

2) I once ate a whole box of Golden Grahams in a day and I'm sure I could do it again if I let myself. I love Golden Grahams, only the off-brand kind though, b/c they taste more sugary.

3) When I was a little girl I always wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. My favorite toys were my chalkboard, my gradebook (it was a real one), pens & pencils, and anything a teacher might use.

4) I hate Coca-Cola! When I was in 2nd grade I drank too much of it and threw up all over my desk at school...I never have like it since.

5) I love to pop zits...gross, I know.

6) Ok, I'm getting desperate to think of more things so I have to steal one of Sarah's, but it definitely applies to me. I have a hard time sitting and doing one thing...if I'm watching TV, I like to be doing something else too like making to-do lists or grocery lists, folding clothes, checking e-mail, etc..

7) I'm an Amazon freak. I can thank my sister-in-law, Julie, for introducing me to http://www.amazon.com/ a while back. :-) I'm always checking Amazon for books, reviews, anything and everything...I love Amazon!!!

Okay, so I'm supposed to tag 5 more people but the only bloggers I know are the MOPS ladies and they have all been tagged already so I have something else up my sleeve. Check my next post for more details... :-)

The Holcombe Boys

2008-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

Brody & Cooper all dressed up for church.

I had to bribe them to let me take their picture. In this
picture they are saying "candy!".

Friends

2008-10-16T06:39:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of baby-sitting the Heymann kids last
weekend...what great kids!

Brody and Cooper just love Makayla. Can you tell?

We're so happy to have friends here from back home to
share this San Diego experience with.

DISNEYLAND

2008-10-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Click on the collage for a larger view.

More Disneyland...

2008-10-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland yesterday and had a blast! The boys did so good all day so we were able to stay from open to close allowing us to do and see a lot. Their favorite ride was probably Casey Jr.'s Circus Train. We were really surprised that Cooper wanted to ride the large roller coaster, the Matterhorn. We had our doubts but we let him ride it with Daddy and he loved it! Brody didn't want to have anything to do with the roller coasters so he and Mommy rode Dumbo, Mad Tea Party & the carousel while Cooper and Daddy were busy doing their thing. We took a dinner break at the Hungry Bear Restaurant and enjoyed a lovely view of the Mark Twain steamboat ride while we were eating. We can't wait to go back again some day. What a memory!

"Stanley Mows the Lawn"

2008-10-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever heard of the "STANLEY" books? Brody found this one at the library yesterday and he has been wanting me to read it to him over and over and over again. Anyone that knows Brody knows how much he loves lawnmowers and loves to help his Daddy and Grandpa when they mow the lawn. When Brody was first looking through the pages of this book, he said "Uh-oh Mommy, you are not going to like this book because it has a snake in it". I thought that was so cute...he knows I don't like snakes. I don't even like to look at them at the zoo. Anyway, I was so excited to find a book that he absolutely loves and wants to read a lot. This is definitely a must buy for us!

Friends

2008-10-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

Check out the "Friends" blog post at http://www.theheymannfamily.blogspot.com/ for some cute pics of the kids. We spent the day with my friend from back home, Sarah, and her kids and she got much better pics than me so I thought I would direct everyone to her blog for those. :-)

Play-doh Fun!

2008-10-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

The boys may not look sick in this picture but they were so we stayed inside for a few days earlier this week until they felt better. I tried to think of different indoor activities that we could do instead of laying around and watching TV, so I decided on making play-doh one day. In this picture the boys are yelling "play-doh!".

They loved stirring all the ingredients but got tired of it after about a minute so Mommy had to stir until it was done.

Now we had to be patient and wait for it to cool so we could dye it, the best part...besides playing with it of course.

I forgot to buy gloves so we had to use plastic bags so as not to dye our hands.

Brody wanted green and Cooper wanted purple but his turned what I like to call "pretty plum" b/c we got a little carried away with the dye...oops!

Now it's time to....

PLAY!!!

Cooper's Famous Flip

2008-09-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

This is for you, Sandy...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ashleyh3/CooperFlippinOut?authkey=1UXCvXR1zfk#5129955342292016226

Quote by Corrie ten Boom

2008-09-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

"The human spirit fails, except when the Holy Spirit fills."

Beach Fun!

2008-09-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

We spent a day at Del Mar Beach with the fam this last week. I only got pics of the little kids b/c I never ventured out as far as Bryce & Brianna were in the water. You can see them in the distance behind Cooper in the picture of him by himself. Click on the collage to get a bigger view of the pics.

A Day in the Park

2008-09-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a day at Balboa Park with Johnny's family. This is our country's largest urban park and is also called the "Smithsonian of the West" because it contains 15 museums. There we went to an Organ concert at the Great Spreckels Organ Pavilion, the largest outdoor organ in the world. Since 1917 this organ has been played once a week to this very day, except in WWII. It was a very unique experience. This collage also contains a couple pictures of a huge fig tree, possibly the largest in the world, but I'll have to research that some more.

Family Visit

2008-09-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Johnny's Mom, Dad, oldest sister and her 3 kids were able to visit us here in San Diego this week. We were so happy to have them here and enjoyed doing sightseeing and various other activities with them. I will try to post more pics of all that we did soon. We were sad to see them go this morning but were left with a week full of memories for a lifetime.

Sunset View

2008-09-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

This was the view from the balcony at our apartment last night. Click on the picture to get a better view of the sunset. The building just to the left of the sunset is a large mormon temple. What a view! Bryce, Brianna & Chubby enjoyed the Sunset too! We were so glad to have them visit this week.

Proverbs 31 Ministries

2008-09-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know about this website, http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/, you can sign up to have daily devotionals sent to your email. They are good devotionals that also include a list of christian books related to the topic of the day at the end of each devotional.

Sea World

2008-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Our Family

2008-09-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

We are currently living in San Diego, CA until at least November. We are here temporarily for Johnny's work. This picture was taken at the zoo which we all love and even though we have already been 3 times, we still haven't seen it all! We are enjoying our time here although we miss all of our friends and family a lot.