Swine Flu Outbreak

Well, due to the possibility of 2 children having Swine Flu we are out of school for 2 days!

Count 'em....2!!!!!

All I can say is....we've got beach plans the week after school gets out so we better not have to make up too many days after Memorial Day!

Future Cheerleader

Caitlin attended for the third year in a row the Liberty Middle School Cheer Clinic on Saturday. She had such a great time learning new cheers, chants, and a fun dance!


Doesn't she look cute out there?

Go team!!!!

Target Trip...ARRRGGHHH!!!

Ever have one of those trips to Target, Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc. that just went WRONG?! Well, yesterday was my day to have it! Harrison and I had to make our weekly Target run while waiting on Caitlin at Dance. Normally this is a pretty routine trip where we just make our way up and down the aisles wasting time. It started out that way...then when I told Harrison we needed to leave the toy section, he melted!! So I just calmly placed him in the cart and went on my way (with him screaming at the top of his lungs). He finally calmed down and was just whimpering a little UNTIL we got to the checkout. I wouldn't let him press the buttons on the credit card machine! I wasn't even paying that way--I had cash!! I kept ignoring him and I thought the checkout girl was going to have to put her hands over her ears. Well...we finally get to the door. WHEW!!! I decided not to take the cart out into the parking lot, so I got my bags out and proceeded to put the cart back in line. Harrison says, "I get out myself." I say to this, "Um...no. It's a long drop from the top of the cart to the floor and you'll crack your head wide open when you fall!" Another round of screaming starts! So I grab him up like a sack of potatoes and out we go. I am sure they were very happy to see me leave the store! So yes, Heather, I have frustrating days too with my children out in public!!

Mommy is Sick!!!

Well, I don't know if I am sick from my children at school, my own personal children, or because I was outside last night in 50 degree weather. Whatever the case...I woke up at 2:30 this morning with one of the worst sore throats I have EVER had! I took some cough syrup, not that I was coughing, but I thought it couldn't hurt. I also took my temperature (100) and went back to bed until being woken up by a boy climbing on top of me (I've told Randy not to do that!). I was still feeling like I had been hit by a Mack truck, so Randy took me to an Urgent Care Clinic as soon as they opened at 8:00. Surprise, surprise--I have strep throat!! So I have been in bed pretty much all day. Kinda spoiled our plans to go to Tuscaloosa to see the Alabama A-Day game! And my wonderful husband knew not to ask if he and Caitlin could go without me--he knows (as you do) how I feel about him going to T-Town without me now!!

Relay for Life

Last night I had the honor and privilege of walking in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at Madison Academy with my co-workers. The theme this year was "Bright Lights, Big Cure," so we formed a school team named "The Misfits" after an old Marilyn Monroe movie. We all come from different backgrounds and are all a little bit different from each other, so we felt this title fit our group perfectly! Here are most of the walkers--we took this picture at the end of the school day on Friday, and some teachers had already "walked" right out of the building! Ha-ha, don't you love my clever pun?!


This is one of my 1st grade neighbor teachers, Nakita Adams, and her best friend, LaTasha Webster, who has diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She is now in complete remission! YEA!!!!!

One of my best friends, Laura, and me at our 2nd place tent. My students think we are sisters! What do you think?

Some of my fellow teachers. Jennifer, Karen, me, Jamie, and Nakita

Laura and Mary Brown. Mary is a Caregiver to her husband, Dwight, who is now retired from teaching at our school. They were the "Dynamic Duo" when they were both teaching! He has been fighting lung cancer for several years now, and is presently undergoing treatment here in Huntsville. To the left of Laura is Mary and Dwight's daughter, Amber, who is about to graduate from Sparkman High School.

Even though we had lots of fun hanging out and walking around the track, there was an underlying sense of sadness in the air. One of our co-workers, Teisha Elkins, lost her dear husband, Neil, to leukemia on March 1. We started this team in an effort to honor his battle with the dreaded disease, but he was called home to Heaven before he could see what great support he had!

I was present during the Luminary Lighting which was extremely emotional as well. You could purchase a luminary in honor or in memory of a loved one who had been stricken with cancer. When they lit the luminaries, they read a sweet poem written by a cancer survivor and sang "Amazing Grace." I don't think there was a dry eye on that football field!!

I just hope that we can help fund cancer research so that my two beautiful children do not have to suffer the effects of this awful disease! My family has already had its share of cancer: My daddy has fought cancer of the soft palate, his brother lost his battle to pancreatic cancer, his sister battled breast cancer, my Granny survived breast cancer only to be stricken with lymphoma 10 years later and go to Heaven, my mom's brother died of a brain tumor.

I am very grateful every day for mine and my family's health!!!!

Rocker!!

I officially have a Rocker on my hands!! Harrison has LOVED playing along with Rock Band on his own little guitar for the past 2 years, and then Randy's parents (Grandmother and Grandaddy) gave him a drum set for Christmas which he has had so much fun with. But over the weekend I had to remove the 5-point harness from his car seat to clean it, and before it could dry we had to be somewhere. So I had to strap him in with the seat belt. This became his "guitar" instantly. Here he is making his rocker face while playing guitar:

We also now have a routine in the car on the way to Ms. Rita's in the mornings. He picks 2 Bon Jovi songs to rock out to, 1 Steve Miller song, and 1 Third Day song. Nothing like a little variety in your day!

Happy Easter

From the Hollingsworth Family!

The Lord is risen indeed... Luke 24:34

Easter Sunday Lunch

Our Family Tradition is to host Easter Sunday Lunch at our house. It's a big task, but it is well worth it! My parents, Randy's parents, and my sister and her family all come over to eat and celebrate Jesus' Resurrection. It gets louder and more fun each year as the kids get older. I look forward to Easter almost as much as Christmas because we really have something to celebrate on Easter--not just His birth, but what He really did for us. It's just amazing to me that someone would think I was that special to die for!! Oh I know there are plenty of love songs out there that sing about it, but when you get down to it--who would really die for you? I just love Jesus, and I love Easter because I feel like we need to reflect on what He did for us! Anyway, on to pictures...

My parents (Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa) make up an Easter Basket for each of the grandkids each year. Here they are with their goodies: Stephanie, Caitlin, Pa-Pa, Harrison, Ma-Ma, and Daniel.

Hunting eggs

Found one!!

"I love you, Ma-Ma and Pa-Pa!"

Grandaddy and Grandmother in their Easter finest! As you can see, Caitlin just HAD to change out of that dress! She can only be my girly-girl for so long in a day.

Easter Morning

After reading about Jesus' resurrection, Caitlin and Harrison had to check to see if the Easter Bunny had left them anything in their Easter baskets. It's always a race to see who can find their basket first! But as you can see, these two early-birds were up with the sun this morning to celebrate Jesus and eat some chocolate.

After eating some chocolate and a little breakfast, we got dressed appropriately for church. We looked much, much better!!

Lo and behold!! The Easter Bunny left us something else! And in the car, of all places! Caitlin got a white rabbit with a pink raincoat...

and Harrison also got a white rabbit but with purple ears and feet.

Birthday Party Time!

Caitlin and I went to a birthday party for one of my fantastic first-graders, Bryce. It was a swimming party at Dublin's indoor pool. The kids had so much fun splishing and splashing for almost 2 whole hours! I just told my sister that she will sleep well tonight! I don't normally get invited to my students' birthday parties, but we go to church with Bryce and his parents as well as knowing them from the school setting. We had a lot of fun today.

The birthday boy

Caitlin getting ready to throw in a dive stick for her friends.

Me and two of my great students--Courtney and Kyleigh

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Kyleigh, Courtney, and Caitlin after swimming

Daddy's New Toy

Daddy (aka Randy) got himself a new toy today! It was not really by choice, mind you. Our old lawnmower has been giving him fits for the past year. He has replaced the battery twice and both of the back tires. That got him through last summer. However, when he tried to crank it up last weekend, it just sputtered. He tried to replace the spark plugs, but that didn't make it crank this time around. So instead of pouring more money into our 14-year-old beast, we bit the bullet and bought a new one this morning. But not before shopping around. Oh no! My husband doesn't just go out and buy something spur of the moment. He is a Consumer Reports kinda guy (which I really love about him). So after researching and looking at yard sales for used ones to get us by, he finally bought a bright red one (my favorite color!).

Too bad Big Boy Toys are made for work!

2nd Easter Egg Hunt

Harrison had his second Easter Egg Hunt on Thursday at Ms. Rita's with his friends. They ate yummy snacks while we, the Mommies, went out and hid all the eggs. Then Ms. Rita let them loose with their Easter baskets to find all the eggs. Harrison found quite a few eggs--some were basketball and baseball eggs which he was very excited about! He then got to sit and compare candy with his friend, Jacob. I was very proud of Harrison afterwards. He saw that one little girl, Jerrica, only had a few eggs so he put 3 of his eggs into her basket. It made this Mommy's heart smile! They had a good time!

Finding one of those good sports eggs!

"Look! I got Starburst in this egg!"

Posing with his friends and Ms. Rita after collecting the eggs. Notice he's sitting next to his friend, Jacob. They were busily comparing who got the best candy!

PTA Performance

Caitlin, along with the other 3rd grade classes at Monrovia, performed at the PTA meeting on Tuesday night. The theme was Earth Day, and they sang some cute songs about recycling and trash. She was completely in her element--performing! I keep thinking that if American Idol is still on when she is 18 that she is going to want to try out!

Walking to the stage and recycling along the way

That song must have been really funny!!

Group shot--Caitlin is on the left in the second row

Kaleigh, Caitlin, and Cameron--the Three Amigas. They have been in the same class together since 1st grade.

Caitlin and her teacher, Mrs. Boyer

Silly Faces

Harrison has been entertaining us lately with his silly faces, so I decided to snap his picture making some of them.

I just don't know where he gets this comedic side from?! Surely not his Daddy who likes to be the life of the party!

Report Card Time

Caitlin got her report card last week, and she made A/B Honor Roll for the third time this year!!! We are so very proud of our little Smartie! She continues to amaze us with all that she comes up with each and every day. It is just so hard to believe that she is this old! It really does go by in a blink of an eye!

Easter Egg Hunt

This morning our church held its annual Easter Egg Hunt. It is usually held on the day before Easter Sunday, but they changed it to the week before Easter so that more families could attend. We have been every year since Caitlin was 22 months old! That's 6 years worth of Egg Hunts at Asbury! I wonder how many eggs that is?! We always have a lot of fun seeing our friends and eating lots of candy!
Before the fun started

After Harrison's Egg Hunt--they stagger the age groups so that families don't have to split up. The younger ones always go first.

On your mark...Get set...GO!!!!!

Look at all those eggs!!! Some even have prize slips in them!

Posing with the Easter Bunny

New Addition to the Family

My parents got a new dog this past week! We finally got to meet the new addition to the family today. He has a unique name--Wally. And no, he was not named after the movie. Their last dog, Chester, was named after the road his breeder lived on (Winchester), so my Daddy decided that since they rescued this dog from the Animal Shelter on Bob Wallace they ought to name him Wally. It's a better name than what their cat has--Kitty! He's a sweet four-year-old toy poodle who is still getting used to my parents' house. He's very good around the kids and loves to play in the backyard. I'm just glad my Daddy now has someone to accompany him on his many walks around the neighborhood!

Guy Time

Randy, Harrison, and I were sitting on the couch last night, and this is the conversation that followed:

Harrison: "Mommy, you need to leave."

Me: "Why? Are you going to make me a surprise?!"

Harrison: "No. We need guy time."

Thanks, Buddy!!! Now I've been kicked out of the room by a three-year-old! However I am so glad that Harrison absolutely LOVES to spend time with his Daddy!!!