WHO IS HORTON? ISAAC IS! THAT'S WHO!

We are so proud of Isaac. After going through some rough times being bullied during fourth grade, Isaac decided that he would step out and take a risk. He wanted to be part of the 5th grade play. He was nervous to sing in front of the other 5th graders during auditions because he has a high tenor voice. But, nonetheless, Isaac decided to be himself and let the chips fall where they may. So, he auditioned. He auditioned for a part in Seussical. Not just any part but a bigger part and landed one of the leads as Horton in Seussical the Musical. The parent producers of the show were in tears when he auditioned. They said his voice was so clear and honest. It just struck them as being sweet and sincere.

He really took this one on all by himself. We all cheered and jumped and danced around celebrating with Isaac when he found out that he would be Horton. Over the past several months, I enjoyed hearing him practice his songs. He worked very very hard. His tenor voice is magnificent. Really really great pitch. Twice a week from September through October the kids would practice at school with Angela Borba, their director and several parent producers. The performances were wonderful and he appreciated all of the family support. Phone calls of encouragement from Grandmas Twitchell and Holt. Friends and families from our church and school gave him tons of pats on the back. Thanks as well to Gramy and Papa Twitchell for coming to the show. Isaac -- You are amazing! Great job! So wonderfully performed!

Halloween Photos

We had a great Halloween! Even though Trick or Treating fell on a Sunday, we had a great Halloween party at Church on the Friday before Halloween. It was great to enjoy Halloween and still keeping our Sabbath Day holy. Here are the photos of our family costumes. Griff won part of the costume contest at his school. Isaac's costume was totally his idea. I'm still laughing at how great his facial expressions were. He worked it! Noah has now been every one of the Super Heroes that he loves so he has now moved on to the side kicks. Bryan was obviously inspired by the Giants. FEAR THE BEARD. I was surprised that all of my boys didn't dress up as Brian Wilson. We were cheering our Giants on as loud as possible every night! I love my boys!

Seussically Sane

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."

— Dr. Seuss

I sit here just amazed at how quickly the time has passed this month. School is in full swing. Homework, band, mandarin, lunch boxes, scouting, piano lessons, piano practice, play practice....
So much goes on in this household and yet I often wonder do the kids have enough extra curricular stuff? Then I cringe and think..... these kids are booked up with what they have going already.

Let's just chat for a minute about the sheer volume of homework my 7th Grader has each night. Unbelievable! This is my self driven child. Completely focused. It is still a good 2 hours or more every night. How does he manage this when he is just 12 yrs old? I never had that kind of homework and I realize this is the world that we now live in. But, maybe we should take a step back and really look at how the demands of school are impacting our kids. By High School the kids well know the extremely high grades, high test scores, large volume of required community service plus extra curricular items required to get into that "college of your choice." It's a lot.... a lot of time, investment, energy, focus and stress for a kid.

JUMPING OFF MY SOAP BOX NOW....

The Low Down on the Fam:

• Griff - Busy as a bee and lovin' every minute of it. He began teaching piano lessons this summer and has continued on since school began. His students love him and he's working wonders with Noah. Awesomely awesome! Life for Griff is interesting. It's fun to here him chat about friends, his day and his thoughts. I like laughing with him and just hanging out. He is very kind. He has worked extremely hard over this past year to control his temper. I am blown away by his self control. Super impressed by him and wish I could master my temper in the same manner. He loves being a student body officer - 7th grade rep. They meet monthly, serve in their community and do all that is asked of them by the Principal and VPs as well. Griff's own Piano lessons are going well. He is tackling some baroque pieces currently. Griff and his buddies signed up for Cotillion lessons at the middle school. This is a big deal here and Griff is definitely looking forward to it. Scouting? Yep he's doing that too. This summer was a big Scouting time for Griff. He got all fired up about it. So at the September Court of Honor, Griff advanced to the Rank of Star and earned 11 merit badges from his work over the 3 months of summer. Ummmm...... we had a talk about "balance" in our lives just as school started so, he's slowing down in scouting and balancing it all out. Busy kid!

• Isaac -This child is in such an interested "phase" of boyhood right now. Last year brought some awful school experiences for Isaac. Frankly, he got bullied pretty severely. It was all I could do not to beat up the other 4th grader that was creating misery in Isaac's life. We did the whole.... "What is it in Isaac's behavior that could prompt this reaction?" and the....... "Just ignore him" thing.... and the "try getting completely away from that kid" thing. Nothing worked. It was awful. So this year.... Isaac entered 5th grade super excited about class and 5th grade but very cautious about the social structure that he was walking into. Things have gone pretty well so far. Such a blessing. Isaac is blooming and although he is rough on the edges currently, I have much hope that this will be an amazing year for him. His biggest challenge right now is grasping "self motivation" and "doing his best" at everything in his "life basket"; not just the things that he loves or that interest him. But also the things that are asked by his parents, things that don't grab his interest... boring stuff too. He is very selfishly motivated.. and so 10 years old. But, it's time he matured a bit and stepped out of his selfishly selective enthusiam. Extracurricular......... Isaac got one of the leads in his 5th grade school play. He is Horton in Seussical the Musical, Jr.. He has such a great voice and although he was worried about being picked on for singing "high", he was brave and just gave it his best shot. He got the part and he is happy happy happy. It has done a ton for his self esteem that was so battered down last year. Blessing! He is loving piano and Webelos too. He is on track to get his Arrow of Light by November. Way to go Isaac! Isaac is a HUGE sports fan and is loving the success of the Giants this year. He loves football and this is his first year with his own fantasy football team. He is super into it. I love his enthusiasm for sports. He is looking forward to baseball this spring. He loves waterskiing and knee boarding. Such a fun kid to be around in general. (It is surprising that Isaac is really a pessimist most of the time. We're doing our best to turn that view around as well.) Overall, I think 5th grade will be a blast for Isaac. I can't wait to see how this lovely kid of mine matures and grows.
  

• Noah - Noah's enjoying school this year too. He's tackling First Grade II. Yep, a repeat and a thousand reasons for it.. We think that the developmental "click" is late for him because he lost 3 years to those terrible seizures. In the meantime, he is just like any other kid in a regular classroom. He is making leaps and bounds in his learning and is a good reader. Noah likes to draw, play games, have playdates, wear silly bands, read books and give hugs. He really is the sweetest kid ever. He is patiently waiting to be moved up and off of the "wait list" for a Taikwando class in Concord. Patiently waiting with his daily question of ...."Mom, did the Taikwando people call yet?" He is getting faster at running, loves jumping on the tramp and mastered swimming this summer. He is also looking forward baseball in the spring and loves cheering on the Giants and A's. He loves the mascots as much as the teams..... LouSeal and Stomper. He is a trooper with his Diet and just keeps plugging along every day doing his best to be kind happy self. He enjoys riding on the tube when we go boating. Big smile on his face every time. The biggest news for Noah is that he began taking piano lessons this month. He is great and his progress is fantastic.
  

• Cathy & Bry - Bry has been working his tail off to finish our master bedroom. Much of it was gutted and it's about 90% finished now. Our new bedroom furniture came. It's lovely and awesome. Currently we have about 25 different swatches of color painted on the walls because we struggled on color choice. But we've found it now and we are super close. About 2 weeks left. Bry has enjoyed golfing a few times this summer but it definitely wasn't enough. He really needs to get out there this fall for sure! We took up cycling together. It's been a great thing for the two of us. 1 hour ride, eat something small together downtown and ride home again. I love my Bry time! Me??? I began a 10 month Yoga Teacher Training course at Piedmont Yoga. It's harcore and I love it. I love teaching but didn't want to go back to teaching dance. Yoga is awesome for my Rheumatoid Arthritis and I hope to share that love of Yoga with other people to make their lives easier too.

That's us in a nutshell. Heading out boating when we can. Enjoying the weather and each other.

A Big Month

July was filled with Big Events....

1. Isaac being an amazing helper to Dad. Dad can't crawl under the house in some parts because there isn't enough space. We had a leaky pipe and Isaac quickly volunteered to be "the guy" to fix the pipe! Amazing! No fear! Awesome!

2. Scoutastic - Isaac and Noah and I attended a three day Cub-Scouting event. Scoutastic ran from 1pm-4pm from July 20-22. Both boys knocked out a bunch of their Scouting requirements! I loved designing the program and working with her friend Robynn to see this thing through!

3. Griff headed out with the Scouts to the Trinity Alps for a three day, 31 mile hiking trip. It was really really difficult but Griff rocked it!

4. Griff, Isaac and Noah spent 5 days at my Dad's home with Papa and Gramy Twitchell. They had some great quality time with the Grandparents.

5. Bryan took me to L.A. for 5 days of relaxing for my birthday. Bry actually worked but bought me a three day unlimited pass to Fusion Yoga in the Hotel Spa. I love love loved it! Poolside reading, yoga, great food and great company. We ate at some of the most amazing restaurants! Thanks to my lovey hubby for creating a great week for me!

6. Griff took off for his first Scout Camp at Wente (near Willits, CA). He is gone for an entire week! Wowza!!

7. The exterior of our home is completely finished and painted!! Yay!

8. We have had a big harvest from our yard this summer! Rhubarb, strawberries, nectarines, peaches, plums, currents, apricots, zucchini, squash and the concord grapes on coming on strong for late August!

BUT OUR BIGGEST NEWS
IS THAT ON 7/28/10
NOAH HAD HIS
1 YEAR SEIZURE FREE ANNIVERSARY!!!

Thank you everybody for your prayers, support and love over the past 7 years! We love you! We are so grateful for this past year of respite and for God's - Guiding hand over every heart rending decision, every stay in the hospital and each step in our day! For preserving our older boys' childhoods although they handled situations with maturity well beyond their years. For helping Bryan and I to draw closer during the stressful and awful experiences that come with epilepsy. Most of all - for preserving Noah's life, his brain, his personality and his amazing Spirit. He has no guile, no meanness but rather he is the perfect example of a person with unconditional love for everyone around him. His ability to love everyone without bounds is an unexpected blessings to all of us.

Holt Boys performing at our Ward Lafayette Idol Show!!

Hello Mudda, Hello Faddah



Awesome!

www.youtube.com/voteforgriff

A Hilarious Campaign by the Griffster! Can ingenuity beat popularity? It's a good question. We'll see..... A difficult task considering that the Vice Principal refused to approve Griff's youtube links on his handouts and posters. So..... Bry suggested blacking out the "youtube.com" portion of the wording but leave the "voteforgriff." The result....... Kids asking Griff "Why did you black that out?" And Griff responding "Because the administration wouldn't approve my youtube campaign website."

AND.........Thus a bit of viral marketing to drive more traffic to the site!! Hilarious and great publicity!


Vote for Griff

Griff the Regular Guy With Chores

Griff the Regular Guy With Pets

Griff the Regular Guy Tying His Shoes

Fantastic Photos

CRAZY HAIR DAY

APRIL 2010

SPRING BREAK 2010
SANTA MONICA & KNOTTS BERRY FARM

Yosemite in May

(click on photos to enlarge)

The Holts finally traveled to Yosemite National Park after 12 years in the Bay Area! It was awesome! Tons of snow was melting and the many many waterfalls were going full force! Yosemite Valley is gorgeous with rivers rushing through it, small beaches, beautiful lakes, bright stars in the sky each night and hikes galore. A nice tour type bus takes you from whatever camping site you choose to the trail head for your hikes which really makes walking back to the tent cabin much easier.

We arrived on a Sunday evening and stayed in Curry Village's wooden framed canvas tent cabins. We had three single cot/mattress beds for the boys and a double bed for Bryan and me with a small dresser. We took warm sleeping bags plus blankets although bedding was provided. Each cabin had a Bear Locker for all food and smell good items (like toiletries) that kept our stash safe from roaming bears. Which, by the way, we did get to see during our time in Yosemite. That was a highlight and we were all super excited to see a California Brown Bear roaming through one of the fields in the middle of the valley. Luckily we were traveling by slowly on the bus and not venturing in that field!

Monday was filled with a 2 mile round trip hike to lower Yosemite Falls and then onto to another 2 mile roundtrip hike to Mirror Lake. I am happy to rep ort that all three children earned $1 for getting into Mirror Lake neck deep. Griff earned a few more bucks jumping off a huge rock into the water and swimming to the beach. Did I mention that Mirror Lake is water fresh off the snow melt from the surrounding mountains. The water was so cold that our feet hurt just sticking the tip of your toe in the water. It wasn't until a few minutes later when your feet became numb that you could actually hang out in the water! Funny Holt boys!!

Tuesday we all hiked up to the bridge at the base of Vernal Falls. Bryan, Griff and Isaac continued on their own toward Nevada Falls (3.6 miles to the base of Nevada Falls) while Noah and I wandered on the trail. I had no idea that Noah would hike the entire 3.6 miles up up up to the base of Nevada Falls. Bryan and the boys continued down to the top of Vernal Falls and then back up and down to the bridge and met up with Noah and I just after we had made the descent. At that point, the Mist Trail had opened to the top of Vernal Falls and we really wanted to try that. Noah charged ahead which surprised us all. We climbed climbed climbed the steep steps and it was well worth it (another 2 mile round trip)! Beautiful! Rainbows and water pouring over the falls and spraying us with every step! Many of the steps were as high as Noah's legs, but he managed to keep up perfectly. Can you believe that Noah hike 8 miles with me? Bryan, Griff & Isaac went an extra mile beyond that!! So fun! It was an amazing day!

Wednesday we enjoyed a lazy day at one of the beaches by Housekeeping Camp. The boys played in the water, we played a little catch with a football, had a picnic and read books. Very relaxing. Each night we drank hot chocolate, played Phase 10 and read book until we fell asleep.

I think we'll take this vacation every year! It was by far one of the best trips we've ever taken. I'm not sure the photos can accurately convey the beauty of Yosemite National Forrest!

Facing Facts

Each morning for the past few years, I have woken up, gotten out of bed and winced just a titch because my feet felt extra puffy and a bit hurty walking on the hardwood floors. I blew it off and blamed it on my boney feet on hardwood floors.

In early January, I injured both feet. WaRnInG: Don't jump up and down and run around with the Primary kids for two hours while wearing 3" high healed boots. Anywho..... Once I was "grounded" from working out, my feet really began to hurt. So so painful. I assumed it was the injury that caused the increasing pain. Although I noticed that if I worked out through the pain, I was okay for the remainder of the day. But, lo and behold, the next morning the pain was back.

Sometime during this "down time" from running, dancing and working out, I began to notice my hands beginning to ache as well. A few joints a day. It varied with each day and I didn't think much of it. The pain increased both in my hands and feet throughout the next two months. So, I made an appointment with my Family Practice Doc. He ran some blood tests and ordered x-rays. What was he looking for? Osteo-Arthritis or Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I freaked a bit but figured it was probably a little Osteo-Arthritis. Osteo is joint pain caused by tissue deterioration from aging and over use. We doubted it was Rheumatoid because that is very different from Osteo. It's hereditary and it's an Auto-Immune disease in which the body recognizes the joint tissues as a "foreign body" and begins to attack itself. Rheumatoid is the disease that has the ability to cause severe joint deformation. Rheumatoid increases in severity with stress and causes fatigue.

The bad news is..... It's Rheumatoid. The good news is....... we caught it early. Another piece of good news is that I do not have Lupus! So, now I'm on the search. I want to take this thing on from every angle. I need to get educated about it. I meet with a Rheumatologist this week. Am I okay with taking modern meds? Absolutely. Am I okay with taking herbs, supplements and dietary restrictions? Of course! Another awesomely awesome thing about handling Rheumatoid is that exercise is very very good for it. Do I need to rethink how hard I push myself, how much I worry, how much I take on...........Totally. I suck at that part. For now, I'm jacking up on Ibuprofen to control the inflammation and it helps somewhat with the pain too.

Every day is a day of learning. I get up hurty and get my muffin top to the gym. That 3 months without working out was a killer! I feel a ton better after working out.

Does it suck that I have this. Yes! Yes! Yes! But, I am determined not to let it deform my joints, make me immobile and blah blah blah. So, my journey begins through this auto-immune disease. Some days are good and some not so good. But, this will not keep me down.

Joshua 1:9

Be strong and of a good courage;
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest.

**I'm so grateful for the example of my girlfriends that are battling cancer right now. Thank you to Kim & Kym for showing me what true womanhood and grace are all about in the face of adversity! Love you both!
(NO - I DON'T HAVE CANCER)

Ahhh Spring Schedules

Actually, for the first year, I'm feeling super excited about getting my kids to their "things" on time, watching them participate in team events, cheering loudly from the stands, helping them complete their homework projects (sometimes in the car), scouting merit badges and cub scout achievements, and making sure they are tucked into bed on time.

I decided to document it. Because when I look back at this time in our lives, I know I'm going to think - "Wow did we really do all of that? No way! That is so fun!" I might actually feel like I was a good mom for getting them where they needed to be, helping them have fun, helping them to work hard and gain that sense of accomplishment that eventually leads them to be strong self motivated young men.

Um...as a side note.....I think I'm actually going to have to fix the meals for the entire week every Monday. Is this how people do the meal prep for crazy seasons like Spring? Help me out here.... I don't want to eat cheeseburgers or Taco bell four nights each week....or crockpot meals every night either!

Besides school and church here are the boys' weekly schedules from now until the beginning of June .....

Monday

• Griff - Golf Team (3pm-6pm) shooting a round of golf

Tuesday

• Griff Golf Team (3pm-5pm) instruction on course
• Noah Baseball Game (5:00 - 6:30)
• Griff & Isaac - Scouting & Cub Scouting (7pm-8:15pm)

Wednesday

• Griff & Isaac Baseball Game (5pm-7pm)

Thursday

• Griff & Isaac Baseball Practice (5:30pm-6:30pm)

Friday

• Noah Baseball Practice (4pm-5pm)

Saturday

• Griff & Isaac Piano (8am-9:45am)
• Noah w/Tutor (9:45am-10:30)

Two Teeth Missing and Happy Birthday

Noah lost his first two teeth within 12 hours of each other. He pulled the first one out on his own and then excitedly asked Daddy to pull the other out with pliers the next morning. I love his little smile without those teeth. Suddenly, he looks a bit older to me. He was so excited and cheering and smiling. We were all cheering right along with him. He happened to be sick at home that week and wasn't able to share the news with his class until the next week. I'm guessing the tooth fairy's large monetary payoff corrected any sadness associated with having to stay home sick. He made $1 off of the first tooth. The tooth fairy apparently received a notice that Griff and Isaac had received $5 for their very first lost teeth and then $1 for subsequent loses. So..........the second lost tooth received a $5 payout with the reasoning that Noah experienced it in a bit scarier way via pliers.

It all cracks me up!

Thursday our Noah will be 7 years old! I can't believe it! 7!!! I didn't even think he would live to see 2 years. Seven is a miracle and I'm so glad he is still here. He is one of the brightest stars in my life! He has an unconditional love for others that is amazing to be around. Such a gem!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy NoAh!!!

It's Not A Tumor!

It's not a tumor just a minor set back...

Recently I've been struggling through some serious foot pain. Ok, I will admit that my threshold for pain is low but this pain is over the top. I've run when I shouldn't have been running thinking that I would just run through it. Instead, it just made it worse.

In the mornings, I feel like just cutting off my feet. It hurst so badly. I hobble around and it looks super lame. I've been wearing my Adidas with my orthodics. No high heels, no tight toe boxed shoes. Bare footin' it is painful because I don't having any padding on my feet. Sometimes the balls of my feet feel really puffy and ready to burst even though they don't look puffy at all. The strange thing is that my feet feel better when they are resting but as soon as I step back onto the floor...........they kill just as badly as they kill each morning. Craziness!

With Bry's urging, and a few friends, I went to our amazing Family Practice Doctor. Here is what he thinks;

If you sometimes feel that you are "walking on a marble," and you have persistent pain in the ball of your foot, you may have a condition called Morton's neuroma. A neuroma is a benign tumor of a nerve. Morton's neuroma is not actually a tumor, but a thickening of the tissue that surrounds the digital nerve leading to the toes.
Morton's neuroma occurs as the nerve passes under the ligament connecting the toe bones (metatarsals) in the forefoot. Symptoms

• Normally, there are no outward signs, such as a lump, because this is not really a tumor.
• Burning pain in the ball of the foot that may radiate into the toes. The pain generally intensifies with activity or wearing shoes. Night pain is rare.
• There may also be numbness in the toes, or an unpleasant feeling in the toes.

Runners may feel pain as they push off from the starting block. High-heeled shoes, which put the foot in a similar position to the push-off, can also aggravate the condition. Tight, narrow shoes also aggravate this condition by compressing the toe bones and pinching the nerve

I will be okay. I'm resting it for a few days and then I'll be ready to spin or cycle.

Happy 10th Birthday Isaac

Isaac is my adventurous, no fear, sports loving, hardworking, honest because of determination, tender hearted, trumpet playing, cuddly 10 year old! He loves football - college and pro. He is all about watching it with his Dad, talking about the players, cheering as loud as he can for his teams and playing flag football. So clearly, this is the season for a Flag Football Party for my boy!

Saturday morning, Isaac, his brothers and seven of his good friends met at our home for a Flag Football Party. 9 boys and 1 girl. Keeley is the greatest girl and one of Isaac's good friends.
Anyway, we gave each kid a football jersey, painted the black no-glare stripes on their faces and headed over to the local High School to play some serious football! Bry quarterbacked for both teams. Half time included Gatorades and Cutie Mandarine Oranges. After the hour long game, both teams headed back to our house for pizza, cake and time for Isaac to open his presents and express his gratitude to his friends!

I love you Isaac! You are simply the best! You've worked hard to become optomistic, happy, honest and self motivated this past year! I admire you and am blessed to be your Mom!

Behold The Light Photos

Just wanted to post a few photos from the dance concert - Behold The Light... Mostly these are for you MOM!! I knew you wanted to be here and hope you'll love these. The photographer couldn't get many from my solo because the lighting was too dark but hope you like these anyway.. If you aren't sure which one I am..... I only posted the photos in which I am in the center - blue costume. In one I am wearing a Martha Graham type skirt and I am center stage.