Harper Holder

Merry Christmas!

2008-01-05T03:17:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

Santa came to our house this year and brought a cell phone

and a real BSC football costume.

Not to mention the drum set:

I'm glad I'm headed out to San Francisco for Interim today!

This is what happens when you let a 6 year old have a turn with a digital camera

2007-10-11T09:26:00.001-04:00

Creative Child

2007-10-09T05:42:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday nights at our church, Graham and Carter take part in activities for the elementary schoolers. Last month, they painted a mural. This month, they are working with a church member who is a dietician to prepare healthy snacks. Last week, Graham was so proud of his creation we had to take a picture. It's a mouse made from a hard boiled egg, a radish, raisins, some spinach and cheese. Right after we took the picture, he gobbled down his mouse, spinach and all.

Happy Birthday Kristin!

2007-10-09T05:36:00.000-04:00

My sister Kelly hosted a birthday dinner for me last weekend. We enjoyed some much needed time with the whole family and a delicious dinner. Sometimes I wonder how Kelly has two energetic, healthy children (ages 1 and 3), keeps a clean and stylish home, works full time teaching and directing a dance program, and has time and energy to cook such good meals. She somehow got some domestic genes that were lost on me.

Anyway, Carter helped out by icing my birthday cake that my friend Prentiss had made the night before, while we were waiting on the bread to rise. Luckily, no one had 37 candles so I had an easy time blowing out the three we could find.

Nice.

Waiting on Bread to Rise

2007-10-09T05:22:00.000-04:00

As my friend Rachel says, I'm now in my late thirties. On October 1st, I turned 37. Several friends helped me celebrate a couple of weeks ago. We gathered in the mid-afternoon to learn to bake bread. While Reggie is the cook in our family, I've always been the better baker but I've never experimented with yeast breads. My freind Betty humored me and brought her kitchen-aid, her 50 pound bag of bread flour, some sourdough starter, her measuring cups and breadpans to our friend Pride's house and we started.

It takes a long time to bake bread. You mix it, knead it, let it rise, punch it down, let it rest, shape it, let it rise again, then bake it. All in all, there are about 3 hours of "down time" when the only task you have is to wait on the bread. I didn't really plan it this way, but I think this is a really good skill for me to learn at this point in my life. Life is really good but it's really full and really busy. Perhaps every once and a while, I can carve out 3-4 hours when my only task is to wait and watch my bread rise.

By the way, Betty gave me a jar of sourdough starter and I successfully made two loaves of bread last weekend. Yum!

Roll Tide

2007-09-20T18:27:00.000-04:00

Well, after the BSC-Rhodes game last Saturday, we drove straight to Tuscaloosa to witness the Alabama Arkansas game. It was quite thrilling and Alabama was doing so well (32-10) that we left late in the third quarter. As we were walking down the ramp we heard Arkansas rally back 28 unanswered points. Ugh. It made the ride back very exciting as we listened to the now legendary Alabama drive with 2 minutes left in the game. As we pulled onto the BSC campus, Alabama scored the winning touchdown with seconds on the clock. What a night!

The Return of BSC Football

2007-09-10T02:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy year for BSC athletics. After a move to NCAA Division III, we had a year without a men's basketball team or baseball team. Even with soccer, women's basketball and softball, we've missed the other sports. Since campus sporting events are important to our family entertainment schedule, we have eagerly anticipated BSC's return to football (the last game was played in 1939) which occurred last Thursday night. Here's the historic kickoff. Listen closely and you can hear Reggie clearly worried that the JV team from Mississippi College is going to score on the first kick return. Luckily, they didn't and BSC went on to win 41-13. Go panthers!

The first game was a Legion Feild and over 4000 fans showed up. The boys had a blast. Here they are in their replica BSC beanies.

Back to School

2007-09-10T02:45:00.000-04:00

On August 20, Carter and Graham started a new school year. Here they are outfitted with their new personalized backpacks and lunchboxes. Notice Carter has a messenger bag - evidently 4th graders are too cool to carry traditional backpacks. Hard to believe we have a 1st grader and a 4th grader. Time flies!

Eric & Christie's Wedding

2007-09-10T02:29:00.000-04:00

Our cousin Eric got married a few weeks ago and the Erickson Huff clan gathered in Atlanta for a weekend of festivities. Carter and Graham humored us and put on their summer wedding wear, including the infamous seersucker suit.

Here's the best picture of the bride and groom. We love Christie - just look what she puts up with...

The reception was a blast. Cousin Brad was a hit on the dance floor. Check it out... Yep, he's the only dude out there.

And he managed to keep his beverage steady no matter what the move. Impressive!

Sharon, who I affectionately referred to as MOG (mother of the groom) totally let loose too:

I guess Kelly and Beth are doing their best Angelina Jolie pout.

Yoga for Elephants and Hyper Kids

2007-09-10T02:23:00.001-04:00

So I walked in the den the other day and Graham has his book Babar's Yoga for Elephants out and is methodically doing a sun salutation following along with the illustrations of Babar in his book. For the record, the only thing more unbelievable than Graham having the attention span to do a complete sun salutation is an elephant doing yoga. Really.

Hootey Reunion

2007-09-10T02:16:00.000-04:00

I got to visit with my college buddies a few weekends ago and it was glorious. A whole 36 hours with just my 5 good friends discussing our lives since college without husbands or children around, except for Liza's in utero. It's hard to believe it's been 19 years since we all met each other as freshmen at BSC. There have been 6 weddings, 1 divorce, 9 babies including 2 adoptions and another on the way. There was lots of laughter and a few tears, a ton of good food and drink and very rich conversation. We can't wait for next year's 20th reunion!

Rites of Passage

2007-08-14T00:16:00.000-04:00

I knew it would happen one day - I just wasn't prepared for it today.

As I'm folding laundry and putting it away, I look out the window onto the back patio and Carter and Graham have dismantled a piece of their childhood. They've been playing with our neighbor friend Josh and they've decided it would be great fun to tie a big rope around one of their bikes and drag the little red Radio Flyer wagon behind the bike. That would actually be a good idea if said wagon hadn't been outside for, I don't know, three years, exposed to the elements. Yep, it's barely hanging together and the slightest bike ride uphill pulls the wagon apart.

I suppose I should be happy that the boys are not falling apart with grief at the destruction of their wagon. Oh no, they see this as an opportunity to transform it into something new. So they go back to Josh's house, find two cans of spray paint (orange and blue) and when I catch a glimpse of them out the window, they are well on their way to creating some bastardized folk art, or something...

I could almost feel a little piece of childhood slip away.

Long Time, No Post

2007-07-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a long hot summer without much blog posting. My apologies!

I keep thinking that I'll spend a day going back over all our adventures since, um April and fill you in but the task gets more and more overwhelming with each passing adventure. And boy, have there been adventures this summer. Here's a quick update:

Graham turned 6 and the Rave theater in Vestavia hasn't been the same since his buddies screened Meet the Robinsons in 3D.

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with our cousin Eric and his fiance Christie at the Erickson's house.

Carter was the star of the show in his spring dance recital, with ballet and jazz numbers.

We visited Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia.

We went to the mountains with our friends the Butterworths and rescued/captured nearly 100 frog eggs which we've nursed into tadpoles and so far, at least one frog.

Carter was the ringbearer in Wilson and Callie Nash's wedding (which was the wedding of the millenium!) and Graham humored me and wore his seersucker suit.

The boys and I went to the beach with Kelly (my sister) and her two children (Jackson, 3 and Harper, 1) to be with our extended family for a long weekend and we ALL survived.

Our family went back to the beach the next week this time with Reggie and our fairy godmother Nina and had a BLAST reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, seeing Ratatouille, and watching Graham master the art of underwater swimming.

Graham has enjoyed being the "big kid" at Creative Montessori this summer while Carter has enjoyed many different camps - cooking camp at One Nineteen Wellness Center, Camp Sumatanga, art camp and the Birmingham Museum of Art, science camps at McWane Center and zoo camp.

Carter dressed up as Harry Potter for the Deathly Hallows celebration at the McWane Center and convinced me to take him to get the book at 12:01 am on July 21st.

The boys enjoyed this last week at Avalanch Ranch at Highlands Vacation Bible School. Yahoo!

Whew. As you can see, who's had time for blogging?

Well, I'll promise to post pictures of all our adventures over the next few days.

The boys (all three of them) are cooking dinner now, I better go help.

I hope your summer has been as good as ours!

The Result of Too Much Sugar from the Spring Carnival

2007-04-15T21:11:00.000-04:00

After we come home from the Carnival, I say to the boys, let's change our clothes and cuddle up and watch a movie together. So I figure that's what they'll do. I go to change my clothes, come into the living room only to see that Carter and Graham have been kidnapped by

SpideyPirateCowboyDude

and CrusaderGrannyFireman.

I'm not joking. You can't make this stuff up.

CMS Spring Carnival or A Younger Brother's Dream

2007-04-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

So it's like 40 degrees and drizzling this afternoon and we're supposed to go to the Creative Montessori Spring Carnival and I am thinking I would rather have a root canal, so I try to bribe the boys to go home and curl up and watch one of our gazillion Disney DVD's but to no avail. I finally give in to their pleading (it's a fundraiser for the school after all) and we pull up to the school. After a turn in the giant tiger bouncy thing and a few trips round the cakewalk, Graham spots the pie in the face booth. It doesn't take him long to talk Carter into playing and here it goes...

READY...

AIM...

FIRE...

BULLSEYE!!!

He's got a bright future as a goalie...

2007-04-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

Graham and his teammate Blythe spent much of last week's game tending the goal like this.

I swear.

I think Graham is better at offense.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-15T20:53:00.000-04:00

Even though it feels more like Christmas weather here in Alabama, Happy Easter!

I keep waiting on our family easter picture to post but it hasn't been emailed to us yet, so here are some shots of the egg hunt at Brother Bryan Park. As you can see Peter Rabbit paid us a visit.

And Graham found the golden egg - oh joy!

Beach Blues

2007-04-01T03:30:00.000-04:00

We got back a week ago yesterday from what Reggie and I have said was the best beach trip we've taken in a very long time. Our good friend Pride invited us to her home at Fort Morgan Beach near Gulf Shores with four other families. We were excited but a little nervous about how so many people would live together for a week. In the middle of the week, I think there were nine adults and nine children. But it was GLORIOUS! The kids got along (for the most part) and the adults had a ball together. We're hoping to make it a spring break tradition.

Carter enjoys the wind by the beach.

Graham in a relatively quiet moment at sunset.

The kids (and us) had fun with old friends. Here's Carter with his lifelong friend Virginia.

And here's Graham with one of his best new buddies, Richard.

As soon as Betty puts all her good pictures of snapfish, I'll have more to show you! Hint, hint...

Digging for Dinosaurs

2007-03-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

Graham was so excited today when the mail came because he got a special delivery of a Dinosaur Excavation Kit. He's been asking about it for two weeks since we ordered it at the school book sale. It's not really a book, so I'm not quite sure how it ended up in the school book sale, but whatever. He and Carter spent 30 minutes carefully excavating the bones of a t-rex with cool archeological tools that came with the kit. Graham was very particular about wearing his safety goggles. Maybe he has a future in paleontology.

Spring Fever

2007-03-11T17:15:00.000-04:00

We're headed to the beach this weekend. But the boys couldn't wait. As we were cleaning up after dinner last night, I walked into the living room to this...

Honestly...

Mixed Blessings

2007-03-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

I don't know whether to be proud or mortified.

Carter received a good deal of money for his birthday on February 3, which he promptly put into his savings account. I'm not sure where he learned that, because he has more in savings that we do. So he's been thinking about what to do with all that money and early this week, he figured it out. He wanted to get Graham his own ipod.

You may remember that Carter purchased his own ipod last summer with money he earned after a holding a garage sale with all the stuff he cleaned out of his room before painting it. Well, ever since, Graham has admired Carter's electronic gadget and wanted one of his own.

So we went to Best Buy yesterday (after they got out of school because of bad weather but before it got really bad) and Carter bought Graham an ipod shuffle.

I'm so proud of Carter's generosity but I'm a little disturbed at his eagerness for consumerism. But I just had to laugh when last night Graham disappeared for a while and I found him rocking out in his room with his new ipod.

Overheard at Creative Montessori Parents Night...

2007-02-27T23:09:00.000-05:00

Once a year, the elementary students at CMS invite parents to come and watch the kids do various lessons. Tonight Carter and his friend Dagan worked multiplication problems using a checkerboard and beads (classic Montessori tools - you can see some in the background of this picture). Although we were all very tired, it was a good night and we were reminded again of how much we love Montessori.

Although we don't have any pictures, we heard some pretty cool things and I wanted to share a few...

Graham to a friend after visiting the "Dissecting a Flower" lesson: "Hey Oliver, you gotta see this. It's freakin' awesome!"

Brian, a 2nd grader, while working with bead bars, "10's are the easiest, but 9's are cool too. You just add the units together to make 9 to make sure you're right. 9x1=9; 9x2=18; 9x3=27; 9x4=36; 9x5=45 and so on."

Carter, on the way home after showing off his 4 digit multiplication skills to Graham, who seemed a bit anxious about entering the first grade in August, : "You know Graham, when I went to first grade, I didn't have a big brother to tell me that it was going to be OK and I was smart enough to do the lessons. You're SOOOOOOO lucky to have me around."

What great kids!

Carter and Harper's Birthday

2007-02-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, we had a joint birthday celebration for Harper (who turned 1 on Feb 2) and Carter (who turned 9 on Feb 3). February is a busy month for our family.

Here's Carter helping Harper blow out the candles!

Harper was pretty hungry!

She loved the cake!

Carter loved the presents!

Jackson and Graham loved helping Carter open them.

Stay tuned...Jackson turns 3 on February 14th!

Carter is 9!!!!!

2007-02-09T09:34:00.000-05:00

Which is much harder on me that it is on him.

Yes, last Saturday, Carter and several of his friends had a High School Musical party. They watched the movie and then sang several selections on his new kareoke machine (thanks to his fairy godmothers!).

Even some college aged folks got in on the action - check out Mary Page and the boys... We only wish Beth could have kareoked with us.

It was a blast but I don't think the Norton Theater will ever be the same.

Kristin's Home and We're Moving On

2007-01-31T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well, Kristin is home. The boys both stayed out of school last Thursday morning to go to the airport and greet her. Things are pretty much back to normal at home, the missing DVD from the library that was supposed to be returned in her absence has been located in a toy cabinet and has been returned and the fine has been paid. Thank you Public Library for fine limits.

After returning from one of her extended trips there is a sense of euphoria on every one's part and then a sense of reality that is hardest on Kristin to be sure. We are just glad that she still likes us during this period as she readjusts to our life of peace and serenity.

Right now we are hard at work on Carter's soon to be 9th birthday party. He has opted for a High Schoool Musical theme party and we are going to have a screening of the movie at a theater on campus, have a real concession stand for our guest's to get Cokes and Popcorn and then have sing-a-long slides and karaoke. Should be a blast. We wish cousin Beth was here to take part. Carter keeps practicing what he will say at various points in the proceedings and has some elaborate ticket scheme where only those with lucky numbers will get to visit the concession stand but it is rigged so that everyone gets to go. Graham's only reaction is to start planning his own birthday party which is still months away. (Photo is of Carter's eight year birthday at school preparing for the earth to go round the sun.)

Kristin Please Come Home Now

2007-01-18T18:20:00.000-05:00

We started our afternoon after school going to Lowes for Drain Opener. The kitchen sink is clogged and the water is backing up out of the washing machine drain. It may be of interest to know that most of the boys clothes are wet and in the washing machine. (see January 4 post re: my great system of staying on top of the laundry.)

As we are getting into the car to come home, I overhear Carter whispering to Graham that the way to get to go to McDonalds for supper is "to butter Dad up." After explaining to Graham what buttering Dad up means, I explain that one need not even bother with buttering anyone up, I am taking the path of least resistance and that path happens to be right through the drive-thru at McDonalds.

We get home and I use my extra strength drain opener which promptly begins to spew and foam and roar out of the washing machine drain all down the wall of the kitchen and onto the floor. I am mopping it up and wondering if I should evacuate and call the fire department but right as I am about to throw in the towel, it stops.

The house now smells like I imagine a meth lab smells, the boys are playing next door having proclaimed that the smell makes the litterbox smell good in comparison and the plumber is on the way-- should be here before eleven p.m.

Kristin, please come home.

High School Musical

2007-01-17T09:38:00.000-05:00

Carter and Graham consult Marta Map to determine our route and destination.

We then headed to the Varsity for naked dogs and Frosted Oranges and paper Varsity Hats.

Then it was a short walk to the Fox, which we thought was very cool. It reminded us of our church, which it should since it was designed by the same person.
The show was great, better than the movie Carter declared.

We got cool High School Musical Tee Shirts and had to put them on right at the Fox Theater and wear them to the show. We couldn't wait. The only thing missing from our great day was Mom who we look forward to seeing in just over a week.

Buenos Dias from Ecuador!

2007-01-13T16:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, that´s right. I am in Ecuador with a group of students from BSC and instead of hiking up a volcano or biking along to see some of this area´s 30 waterfalls, I am at an internet cafe posting to my blog. I don´t know whether to be proud or disturbed.

Our trip has gone very well. We have a great group of 14 students and two faculty members who are lots of fun to travel with. We have learned about sustainable development efforts in the highlands of Ecuador and next week (after our weekend of relaxation here in Banos) we begin our service projects in a community known as Pataloma. I wish I could post some pictures, because I have about 400 already.

Even though every moment of this project has been rich and rewarding, I miss my family very much. I have talked to them about every three days and that helps but I´m totally bummed to have to miss the High School Musical show in Atlanta on Monday. (I´m totally singing Breaking Free to myself right now - not outloud, I´m in an internet cafe in Ecuador!)

I will plan to post the best pictures and stories when I return. In the meantime, maybe Reggie can juggle caring for two kids, a cat, a house, and another post.

Hasta Luego!

Missing Mom Already

2007-01-04T19:29:00.000-05:00

Kristin left this morning for Ecuador where she will be for most of the month. This means a couple of things -- most frighteningly that the Family Manager is gone and the boys are left to their own survival devices. Meals we can take care of (thank you Super Suppers) -- other things like remembering where just about anything is located in our house can be a problem. Right now I am wondering where the list of things that must be done by a certain day and time is. I know Kristin showed it to me, I just don't know what she did with it. Fortunately there is a well marked calender with most of the same information and it is still firmly attached to the fridge which I am certain is still in the kitchen. Anyway, I am proud to say while I may have lost a list or two, I have yet to lose one of the boys.

I do resort to my own household managerial system that may lack style but goes off the scale in functionality. For example, who needs clothes hampers and laundry baskets. Dirty clothes go right into the washing machine when they come off and we wash many small loads -- Good thing we have that energy efficent, water saving front loader. Also who needs drawers (as in chest of drawers, not underpants) ? My system --Out of the dryer, neatly folded onto the air hockey table/laundry center. Before this Christmas when were given the Air Hockey table, I had to dedicate one half of the dining table to the laundry center. Hey, it works. I have discovered that as long as I stay on top of things like dishes and laundry, I am okay. It falls apart when I let things pile up and then I get overwhelmed and it only mounds up even more.

My final survival system is bribes. I pay the boys dearly to help out with things that they should be doing anyway and they make out like bandits and there is little to no whining. You do what you have to do.

Kristin is slightly crazy for about 48 hours before departure on these interim trips. We try to give her wide berth as she packs and does all that last minute preparations. During those 48 hours we are really ready for her to go, then she does leave and we call her about six times between when she leaves the house and boards her international flight. Then a full eight hours after she is gone it sets in we miss her terribly.

All of us were sad at supper tonight and there were even some tears. Graham thinks Kristin shouldn't be flying this late at night. Who knows, we might have to move that laundry and play some air hockey.

Ho Ho Ho!

2006-12-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

We have had a great Christmas holiday. Lots of time with family and friends and lots of new things to play with. Air hockey, race cars, Rokenbok, and even new underwear. Here's Graham and Carter on Christmas morning...

After checking out what Santa left...

Carter got in on the giving action and gave Graham $10 of his own money...

I think they had a great Christmas!

Isaac and Graham take Courtney's

2006-12-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

Another Saturday morning, another trip to Courtney's. This time, we got to dine with Susan, Eric and Isaac. What a holiday treat. Carter spent the night out last night, so he couldn't join us but Graham and Isaac had fun enough for everyone. Isaac brought a truck and Percy and was really quite calm when Percy fell behind the booth. We had to disturb a table full of men who rode in on motorcycles to move the booth and retrieve poor Percy. Never a dull Saturday at Courtney's!

Welcome Benjamin & Elizabeth

2006-12-23T14:36:00.000-05:00

We got to see our good friends Benjamin and Elizabeth yesterday and as if that wasn't treat enough, we went to the McWane Center and lunch together. The three boys brought lots of energy wherever they went. Here they are in a rare moment of stillness. It's hard to believe these boys are growing so fast.

Christmas cookies

2006-12-23T14:29:00.000-05:00

Now that the boys are out of school for the holidays, we have lots of festive activities planned. First on our list was making Christmas cookies. OK, I admit, I bought the precut sugar cookies so we could concentrate on decorating and skip the rolling and cutting which usually ends up with someone screaming, someone crying and flour all over the floor. I think you'll agree that we look much more relaxed and the cookies are just as good.

Under Construction

2006-12-21T22:29:00.000-05:00

Our church is undergoing some renovations in the fellowship hall. Carter and Graham got to ride on the bulldozer last week.

The workers have been ripping up the floor in the fellowship hall and discovered a couple of wells and an old drainage pipe. For some reason, we thought it would be fun for Carter and Graham to take a picture in the pipe. I guess so that they could say they were two of the very few people who had been in the drainage pipe under the church. Whatever. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Courtney's - under new management

2006-12-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

Most Saturday mornings you can find a portion of the Harper Holder clan at Courtney's, a diner on Southside in Birmingham. Graham usually stacks creamers while waiting on his food.

Carter usually talks one of us into playing tic tac toe with him using straws, utensils and sugar packets.

Last Saturday, we were just about done when our friends came in. Virginia was kind enough to pose for a picture.

You never know who you'll meet at Courtney's. Most Saturdays we run into Marie Jeff and her daughter Gail. You may have heard of Marie's grandson, Tyler, who is quite well known in the blogging world. This Saturday we're meeting our friends the Crowbermillers - watch future postings for pictures. Even if you don't see anyone you know at Courtney's, the cinnamon rolls are still good.

Christmas Pageant

2006-12-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

So this past Sunday was our annual Children's Christmas Pageant at our church. It was realitvely simple this year with two narrators, the congregation singing hymns, and children making different scenes (fancy name - tableaus). Carter sang "Still, Still, Still" beautifully and purely and Graham made his Christmas Pageant debut as a cow. In the story I believe they mention an ox but Graham insisted on being a cow, go figure.

Carter meets Carter

2006-12-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, Carter and I had the opportunity to say a quick hello to President Jimmy Carter and get him to sign his latest book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. Our friend Sara took this picture and she was so excited she was shaking, but you can make out Carter standing there admiring the President's penmanship. (The man is a wizard - he signs 800 books an hour!) Jimmy thought Carter was a very handsome young man and told him to stay in school. Carter and I got a chance to talk about Palestine and Israel while we waited in line for about 90 minutes, although it's a complicated subject - maybe you need more than 90 minutes to explain it to an 8 year old. What Carter knows is that we named him for Jimmy because we admire his peace-building efforts (even in complicated situations like Palestine) and we want for Carter to be a part of peaceful efforts. He's got a good start.

But he went far...

2006-12-05T13:47:00.000-05:00

So in Montessori preschool, there's this activity where kids draw a picture and then dictate a story about the picture to the teacher who writes it verbatim on the lines below the picture. Well, we have about a billion of them from both boys but yesterday, Graham brought home one that he wrote himself and I love it so much I just can't stand it. I will have to translate, since he has written in his own Graham-phonics language. When he read it with me last night, it went something like this:

"Once upon a time, there was a little boy and he went outside. He saw a big tree. There were lots of apples in it. And his mom told him to stay close by her house but he went far."

I think we'll definitely be having baked apples for dinner tonight.

alright already

2006-12-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, once again, I've let nearly a month slip by and haven't posted. So here you go:

For my birthday (back in October) my parents and my sister gave me a wonderful gift - a professional photographer who is apparantly skilled at getting very active boys to be still, smile, and act like they like each other. It's a wonder... I have yet to order the pictures, but here's a preview.

Life has been really full lately and it looks like it's not slowing down anytime soon, so I'll do my best to keep posting but I'm making no guarantees!

Baba's 60

2006-11-06T13:19:00.000-05:00

We celebrated my mom's 60th birthday last night and realized that she's now the matriarch of the family. I guess that means we should treat her with awe and respect. Only problem is, there's not much awe and respect when the HarperHolderAvery's get together.

Mostly just chaos. And then someone mentions the hot tub...

And everyone jumps in...

Except for Harper, who's inside busy trying to keep her balance...

Move Over Daniel Radcliffe

2006-10-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

OK I'm in love. Not with Harry Potter, but with my 8 year son who is more excited about his Halloween costume than anything else in the world, at least today. Check out his dyed black hair and AUTHENTIC Gryffindor sweater and tie.

Watch out for that spell cast by the AUTHENTIC replica of a Harry Potter wand. I am in love.

Late October Daze

2006-10-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I borrowed a title from Kelly's blog. My creative juices are very low this time of year. I guess that's apparant as there has been no real update in nearly a month. Well, never fear for much is happening in the Harper Holder world.

This past weekend we were SO EXCITED to visit our friends Prentiss and Darianna for a hayride and pumpkin carving party at their cabin in Springville. As you can see, Carter and Graham have different approaches to carving pumpkins...

Also in the past couple of weeks, the boys have had an opportunity to try out their Halloween costumes. Here's a preview of Graham (aka Darth Vader) -

Carter is going to be Harry Potter, complete with dyed black hair and glasses. Oh yeah, and the AUTHENTIC Gryffindor House sweater and tie. But of course, it's not Halloween yet so I don't have a picture of him in his complete Hogwarts attire. So we'll just have to settle for the green and blue dyed hair shot from the Fall Festival yesterday:

It's certainly never dull for the Harper Holders in October!

The World Is Flat (or at least red)

2006-10-17T09:59:00.000-04:00

Taking a page from my friend Mollie's blog, I decided to make my own map, showing all the places I've been (they're in red). In the interest of full disclosure, there are several countries I have only flown through, not leaving the airport, but I included them all. Check it out:

Create your own map: http://www.world66.com/community

Tennis Pro

2006-09-27T09:33:00.000-04:00

This summer Carter and Graham both took tennis lessons from "Tennis Dave" at West Homewood park. They really enjoyed it and Carter decided he wanted to continue this fall. So every Monday night, we trek out to West Homewood and spend an hour and fifteen minutes watching kids hit "rally balls" back and forth. Tennis Dave is an amazing coach - he teaches techniques through games and fun activites so that the kids are constantly encouraged and actually improve. Our friends, the Estes family introduced us to Tennis Dave this summer. Below you see Lane (who I understand is not such a bad tennis player himself) helping Carter with his swing.

Notice Carter's tongue hanging out as he concentrates on making contact.

Haircut Time

2006-09-25T12:23:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, all four of us got much needed haircuts. Carter and Graham have decided to grow their hair out in preparation for Halloween (stay tuned!), so you can hardly tell that they got any hair cut. Here they are browsing through magazines while waiting on Mom and Dad.

Fun with the cousins

2006-09-19T10:07:00.000-04:00

So football season is underway and Kelly and Dan scored some sweet tickets to the Auburn LSU game last weekend and I got to keep Jackson and Harper for the day. Carter and Graham joined me at 7 am and pretty much entertained their cousins all day long. If you ignore the red eye in these pictures, they're really pretty cute. Notice the Avery children decked out in their War Eagle attire.

Soccer Star

2006-09-12T15:27:00.000-04:00

So Graham had his first soccer game last Saturday and he scored two goals. In this soccer league, we try not to keep score, but Graham was VERY aware that he scored the winning goal. He was so way cute. I'm not quite sure where his athleticism comes from but we're just going with it. Carter started tennis yesterday and starts dance today, so stay tuned for pictures of him...

A Budding Artist

2006-09-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

As our fall gets underway, the chaotic dance of after school activities has started.

Graham is enrolled in a Young Rembradts drawing class and playing soccer while Carter is playing tennis and taking jazz and ballet. Today I thought I would share a picture of Graham's first drawing - a beautiful ladybug. It's on display at his school with others like it.

As soccer, tennis and dance begin, we'll post other pictures of our boys in action, that is, if we can catch them...

School Daze

2006-09-07T09:16:00.001-04:00

We're closing in on our second full week of school - 3rd grade for Carter and kindergarten (or as Montessorians call is, Extended Day) for Graham. Here are some pictures from their first day on August 28. Notice Graham is ready to be Harry Potter ready to play quidditch.

For those who are interested, Carter has determined that this year, for his science collection, he will be working on rocks and minerals. We're almost through his first report which is due tomorrow.

In Extended Day, Graham is getting used to contracts. At Montessori, students have contracts with their teachers to accomplish a certain number of lessons at their own pace in about a week to ten days. Graham was a little nervous about the prospect of deadlines, but he finished his first contract two days early. What an overachiever!

Our Favorite Lake

2006-09-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

Each time we go to the mountains, we spend at least a full day at Cliffside Lake. There's a mile hike around the lake with a creek along the way that they boys like to play in. This year they built a dam with sticks and rocks. Then we swing and play on the beach for a few hours and enjoy a picnic lunch before leaving. We successfully ran off an old woman and her daughter during one of our two trips there this year. Although we didn't really fish here (you have to have a license and a trout stamp, whatever that is), Carter and Reggie did enjoy playing Go Fish. And Graham discovered an inch worm which he held very gently for several minutes. Aaaahhh nature...

The Bear Series

2006-09-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

We spent a lot of time talking about bears. We never really saw one, a live one, that is. But the boys had a good time posing with stuffed ones. In this picture on the left, you'll notice they have their native american outfits on and they have successfully hunted a bear for dinner. Whatever it takes to keep the peace...

Alright Already

2006-08-31T19:30:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while since our last post. We went to the mountains and had a great time. As soon as we returned, school started, first for me at BSC, then for the boys at Creative Montessori. Needless to say, we haven't had a lot of time. And there's another problem. We have so many good pictures from our vacation, it's hard to figure out which ones to post. One of these days I'm going to figure out how to post whole slide shows but when you don't have time to make a single post, well, you know...

Anyway, here are a few of our favorites from our time in the mountains. THANKS to Mike and Gayle for sharing their fabulous home with us!

TED : Majora Carter (2006) video

2006-08-16T16:16:00.000-04:00

Majora Carter is the Macarthur-winning founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organization dedicated to holistic community development, sponsoring projects that create jobs, protect the environment and bring beautiful green space to the inner city. In this charismatic presentation (which received a prolonged standing ovation), she explains the inspiration behind her commitment to environmental justice and her vision for a renewed South Bronx. [Recorded February, 2006 in Monterey, CA]

We're Heading for the Mountains

2006-08-14T12:18:00.000-04:00

We can't handle the heat of the city any longer and are headed for Highlands where hopefully the air is cooler. Cecil will hold down the fort at home. We are looking forward to our annual romp to various waterfalls, the largest tree in Georgia, swimming in a mountain lake and the picking of blackberries. Two of us (I won't call any names) hope to forgo the annual fishing for trout. Hmmm, maybe trout aren't in season in August . . .

This is the view from the balcony of the mountain home some friends of ours so graciously share each summer. Kristin and I will also celebrate eleven (11!) years of marital bliss this coming week.

Webb comes home!

2006-08-07T09:56:00.000-04:00

The Harper Holder family was lucky enough to have lunch with these fine folks yesterday. Our friend Webb Lyons is in town for a couple of weeks between his Washington DC jobs - sounds so important. Of course it will never be as satisfying as the job Webb held for over a year picking up Carter and Graham from school and hanging out with them until Mom and Dad could get home from work. I guess the DC job pays better. Whatever.

Webb's brother, RG is new to Birmingham and is building a new church community in West End through Urban Ministry. Our family is enjoying getting to know him better. And I'm so happy that Sara Doughton has joined me in the Service-Learning office at BSC. Needless to say, this lunch was a highlight of our week as you can see by all the smiling faces!

Our cousin Svea turns one!

2006-08-07T09:42:00.000-04:00

Our sweet cousin Svea had her one year old birthday party this weekend, complete with a slip 'n slide (check out Henry below) and baby pools. Graham especially enjoyed helping Svea celebrate as he encouraged her to dive into her cake.

A good time was had by all and it was great to see our Indiana family. Here's Brian pontificating with Henry.

And Carter and Graham loved the Hawaiin theme...

Graham has Teeth

2006-08-03T11:41:00.000-04:00

Here is an updated image of Graham with his new front teeth. Thanks Dr. Bo!! Graham continues the long-standing turban wearing tradition although Mom still frowns upon Dad's cherished Indian accents whenever the turban appears.

Carter

2006-08-03T08:46:00.000-04:00

Carter has had a wonderful summer. He has attended several day camps, had play dates with friends, spent the night with his grandparents, spent the night at a friend’s house, gone to the office with us, been to the beach and helped Kristin paint and redecorate his room. When cleaning out his room to paint, Carter decided to sell all his and Graham’s old toys that they no longer needed or wanted. They made a tidy profit from the yard sale they had, although I must say they did not pay their day laborer at all.

The sale was for the express purpose of getting the final money Carter needed for his latest purchase, an ipod nano. Carter had been saving all summer to raise the needed $149 plus tax. He had been doing chores around the house, filling up holes in the Fairy Godmother’s yards and convincing his Grandfather Bee that he should have some monetary compensation since Baba bought Graham some new shirts but there were none available in his size.

It has been great fun to watch Carter learn all about his ipod. He has about fifty songs loaded on it right now. Mostly songs from movies he likes, Shrek, Chicken Little, High School Musical, Madagascar and Chronicles of Narnia. In addition, he has all the music that he learned dances to at Sumatanga and Vacation Bible School.

Already he has started talking too loud with the ear buds in his ears, singing without being aware that he is singing and ignoring his parents while listening to his tunes – it had to happen. The good news is that for now, just now, it is all music I can understand and tolerate.

The Downside of Having a Child Who Reads

2006-08-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

Well, Carter's reading now. And we're really happy about that. I'm so proud of him for all he's learning. We're also learning the multiplication tables this summer (we're nearly to the 6's). But there is a downside to having a child who can read. He zoned in on the Chuck-E-Cheese ad in Sunday's paper in no time and his math skills helped him to realize that the coupon which was a part of the ad really meant that we couldn't afford NOT to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. I mean, really, a large pizza, four drinks and 30 tokens for $19.99 - who wouldn't jump at the chance? OK so we went last night and two of the four of us had a blast.

Here they are pictured with ChuckE. So do you think that this mean that we lose the parent-of-the-year award? Again?

Graham I Am

2006-08-01T11:13:00.000-04:00

This is my first attempt to post to the Harper Holder Blog and in
doing so, I am going to share a few observations about our youngest son, Graham.

Graham, like many second children is less photographed, less likely to want to be photographed than his older brother. We have a collection box (as opposed to a baby book) for both boys. Carter's is the size of a case of paper, Graham's the size of a cigar box. So in the interest of trying to balance the parental playing field I am focuing my first post on the subject of son number two.

The thing that amazes me about Graham is how wonderfully unique he is and how he is his own person. Graham is such an athlete -- something that is quite foreign to Kristin and especially to me. He has never met a ball that he did not love and our house and yard are swarmed in baseballs, basketballs, footballs, kick balls, cheap dime store balls, nerf balls, marbles, golf balls, gumball machine balls, rubber band balls . . . you get the picture. If we are out and there isn't a ball for Graham to play with, he will make a ball out of paper or in the dire straits take off a shoe and pretend it is a ball. (Note: Crocs while made of some sort of rubber-like substance, can't be dribbled.)

I have an odd admiration and fear of Graham's athleticism. When he is on the soccer field or tennis court, parents that are complete strangers and from opposing teams come up and talk to me about how good he is at whatever sport is at hand. I beam and then immediatley fear that they are going to say, "so you played ________________." I only played sports when forced to and then was the last chosen. I was one of the only boys in junior high school that actually appreciated the six week square dance requirement. I am committed to Graham following his own dreams and passions even if that means something like football (God forbid.) Just know as I find my way to the parents section in the stadium, there must be room for all my Samsonite.

Another part of Graham's make-up is his insane love of coloring. For about the last year Graham has loved coloring like a fiend. When first starting to get into coloring, Graham would come home from school everyday with a picture of a single tree. We have about two dozen of these trees with a tree in the middle of the page, green grass at the bottom, blue sky at the top and a sun in the left hand corner. Graham's tree period was followed by the house and family period which included various members of the family the house and sometimes a tree. Following this period was the complex Knights period that included complex battle fields with sword touting knights. Yesterday the knights were replace with clashing robots with swords.

Graham loves to play dress up and leans heavily toward super heroes and I must admit that every family needs and deserves a super hero. He suggested to me the other day that I should have named him Jesus. When I asked why, he said, "because you really like Jesus." Graham refused for about four and a half years to say or even participate in blessing of the food before dinner, then out of the blue, he asked to say grace one night and offered this blessing learned in Montessori School:

Earth we thank you for this food
for rest, and home and all things good
For wind and rain and sun above
but most of all for those we love

Finally I will observe that Graham really too seems to enjoy singing and is beginning to add a few dance moves. He is clear that he does not want to take a dance class like his older brother but learning a few moves and a discrete talent show in the living rooms for family and close friends is to his liking and I must admit, to our liking as well.

Teeter Totter

2006-08-01T10:58:00.000-04:00

I don't know if this is OK or not, but I was so intrigued by this editorial in today's New York Times that I decided to post it to start some discussion. I'm so out of it watching the news from the middle east that I missed this development in which Katie Couric has decided it's not in her family's best interest that she report for CBS news from Iraq. You go girl. I'd like to think that she is paving the way for a more family friendly work environment for all of us, but as Warner points out, Ms. Couric is among a privileged few who have the ability to pick and choose what work they will do.

If you have thoughts, please post them in the comments section. It takes a village to raise our children and to think clearly about how to build the world where families of all shapes and sizes are valued. Thanks for thinking with me...

Mom’s Balancing Act
by Judith Warner

The little media tempest over Katie Couric’s non-refusal to go to Iraq is, in news cycle time, long past. Yet, I’m still hearing echoes about her “wimping out” from male journalist friends. And I’m still feeling that, by having the honesty and courage to publicly admit that there are limits to what she is willing to do as CBS’s new evening anchor, she has done all of us a great service.

Couric did not categorically refuse to report from war zones. But she did say, in late May, when asked if she would go to Iraq after the CBS news correspondent Kimberly Dozier was badly wounded there, “I think the situation there is so dangerous, and as a single parent with two children, that’s something I won’t be doing.” She later said she’d resolve questions of travel on a “case-by-case basis ... it really depends on the situation and what’s happening.”

In other words, if her CBS bosses told her to jump, Couric, unlike most ambitious journalists, wouldn’t immediately answer, “How high?” Family considerations would come first.
It seems to me that Couric — in her mind, at least, as the situation under discussion was hypothetical — was drawing a line in the sand: There are work demands that are appropriate and those that are inappropriate. There are tradeoffs that are reasonable and feasible, and others that simply can’t be reconciled with a life of sole parental responsibility.

Many people have said they believe that Couric is out of line. Being a top journalist, they say, is an if-you-can’t-take-the-heat-get-out-of-the-kitchen situation. Others — and these people seem, generally, to be increasingly vocal these days — feel that Couric’s sense of entitlement, her self-given right to even think “no” to a job demand, is typical of today’s parents, who are always looking for an easy out from job responsibilities that the childless end up having to shoulder.

I disagree very strongly with these people. But I would, on the other hand, qualify my glee at Couric’s statements with the recognition that the freedom to say — or even think — “no” to potential job demands is a privilege enjoyed by very, very few working people. To do it, you either need to be so desirable as to be all but indispensable or so financially well-cushioned that you can afford the fallout from the worst-case consequences of your actions. Couric, of course, is both. Most of us are neither.

Extrapolating from what Couric was able (at least verbally) to do to what most women and men might or ought to do would be a disservice; it would steamroll over the realities of most people’s lives. But still — let’s just fantasize for a moment. Imagine that more women like Couric — women of influence and means, women who have choices and the freedom to live comfortably with the consequences of their choices — started throwing down a gauntlet at work to say: This I will do (my job, all that it reasonably requires), and no more.

No jaunts abroad just to “show the flag.” No less-than-essential meetings or face-time lunches. No excess evenings out wooing clients, no night-time heroics. No posturing. No preening. Just the essentials.

It might be deemed a trend. It might — like all trends involving women of privilege — be perceived as a new norm. Imagine that: Ten-hour days boiled down to eight. Eight-hour days boiled down to six. It’s what working mothers already do — when they can get away with it. It’s what working fathers ought to do — if they’d dare.

I’ve never been a big believer in male or female essences (though discussions of them amuse me to no end). I’ve never quite bought into the notion that if women ruled the world they would change it, making it greener, and nicer, and more peaceful, life-affirming, collaborative and zen. But I do think that working mothers have a mode of operating that is different from that of the cultural mainstream and that ought to be more widely emulated. Born of necessity, it’s about priorities and efficiency and cutting to the chase. If we’re lucky — and if the attitude polls showing that the rising generations of fathers want to spend more time with their kids prove true — it might well spread in the future.

A future in which work and family could be put in the proper perspective would be a fantastic thing. If only we could make doing so viable for people less privileged than Katie Couric.

Judith Warner is the author of "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety" and a contributing columnist for TimesSelect. She will be on vacation during the rest of August, and return in September.

It's nice to have good friends!

2006-07-31T11:34:00.000-04:00

Carter and Graham enjoyed an afternoon with the Estes girls selling lemonade and cookies for MS - note their attractive choice of clothing - whatever it takes to get a customer.

After making nearly $180 (OK the girls had a $100 check before we even arrived), the kids decided it was game time. Graham joined Isabel and Lydia in the new "clubhouse" while Carter and Virginia (AKA Emma Kate) played cards.

If you look really closely at Graham, you can see his new "fake" teeth.

Silver Medalists!!!

2006-07-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Carter and Graham joined their teammates on the West Homewood Tennis team for a rousing game of rally ball. For all you aspiring tennis pros out there, rally ball is like tennis but played with a nerf-like ball a little larger than a tennis ball. Here they are proudly displaying their medals!

Serenity? What's that?

2006-07-26T12:21:00.000-04:00

I guess there's no better way to start a blog than to dive right into our serene and peaceful life. As you can see, Carter and Graham enjoy painting their bodies and are all around zestful kids.

I especially wanted to post a picture of Graham before he gets his "fake teeth" in a couple of days. His big smile indicates two big spaces where his two front teeth were before the fateful day about a month ago when he fell getting out of the bathtub. Lots of blood (his) and tears (mine) later, he's enjoyed being the first 5 year old without his two front teeth. Go figure...

Test Post

2006-07-25T17:29:00.000-04:00

This is a test. It's only a test. It's not a real posting, yet.

Wow, the anticipation of a real post is killing me...