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A week in the life

of Holden!

The golden one has had a busy Summer so far. The month of June was school-free but not boring one bit! His school put on many summer camps and we signed Hold up for two of the activities that were offered; basketball and soccer. He begged for basketball and I signed him up for soccer as a few of his friends were doing it so I figured it couldn't be too bad. Last time he was involved in any form of soccer it was a disaster. He hated it and I didn't blame him. So much of the city league was based on winning rather than learning to play the game. T-ball in this city can get that way as well. I hoped that this one, being based on the school's system that there would be a lot of emphasis on sportsmanship and having fun. Luckily it was and he loved it. Three days a week he was at soccer from 8-10 every morning then home for a rest or on a playdate and then off to basketball from 2-5 every afternoon where they had brought in a few players from LA to teach the camp.

As if that wasn't enough, on the off days he was headed to tennis lessons in the mornings followed by a tutor in the afternoon that we hired to come in once a week to keep up his reading and writing over the summer. I was worried about him being "over-booked" but seriously, I never heard the words "I'm bored" once and for us that is a big WIN! He loved all of it, even the tutoring! I was exhausted running him from place to place and keeping up with the schedule of it all, but it was a good type of exhaustion.

In between the fun of the summer he has had a few photo shoots. He is lucky to still be at it having lost his lower two teeth along with the top two well on their way to falling out. He is getting to that stage where he is between childish looking and tween looking. There aren't a ton of jobs for his age group but he still gets a few things here and there especially from the companies who have used him before.

When soccer and basketball are over and we are done travelling, he will start swimming and golf for July. Holden is a good sport and he tries really hard a new things. He has high expectations of himself and gets frustrated when he isn't good at something. He had never played basketball before this camp and he expected to be good at it in an instant and when he wasn't there were tears and frustrations but he kept at it and worked hard. The boy has determination and we are very proud of his tenacity in anything he does. I hope he always keep this high self confidence and love of life. Posted by Nate and Melissa at 3:50 AM No comments: 

Back to the Beach School was just about out and Nate had a long Memorial Day weekend so headed back to Boracay just a short 50 minute flight out of the city. After a long hiatus from our favorite place, it was a welcome return. The new Shangrila hotel was massive and amazing. We spent every day lounging around the pool and the beach. Holden was in his element and Finnley even took to the sand this time. Warm white beaches and crystal blue waters kept us in a state of relaxation even without the yayas in tow! In between the cat naps in the hammocks and reading on the chaise at the beach, many mango shakes were consumed, Nate and Holden made a go at parasailing and on rainy days or when the beach and pool got to be too much, we sent the boys to the kids club area fully stocked with indoor basketball, airhockey, wii and massive slides and swings. On our final day there (June 1) we received a text from the airline telling us our flight had been cancelled due to wind and to call for re-booking. After quite some time of the phone they tell us that the earliest we can fly out is June 8th. Seriously. I laughed. They had to be kidding. Surely I would love to stay but really, that was out of the realm of reasonable. We decided to stay an extra night and fly out of a different airport. We left the hotel at 8:30am and pulled into our driveway at 3:00pm. So much for close, next time I will stay the extra 7 days! Holden made it back for his last (half-day) of school. We now have a first grader on our hands! Right now, Nate is in Dublin for work but coming up is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June, celebrating the 4th of July in Vietnam and Kota Kinabalu, Borneo in August. Truth be told, I'm a little exhausted just thinking about them but I am sure they will result in more tales of humor and adventure for our blog!
Posted by Nate and Melissa at 5:08 PM No comments: 
This face Does this face look like it could cause sleepless nights and early mornings and pure chaos? That head of reddish curls, those rosy cheeks and big brown eyes the color of junior mints along with the chubby little arms and legs bring us such joy and wreak havoc in our home! Finro, chubba bubba, Deuce, FinnleyGrinley our little pumpkin climbs out of his crib...FAST. He can also open doors, including the FRONT door. The best part of this (insert sarcasm) is that as he plans his escape route, he doesn't necessarily come and wake us up. Often he just decides to go exploring. Do you have any idea what kind of trouble a 1.5 year old can get into at 5am within a 3 story home? Yeah. We are exhausted.
Posted by Nate and Melissa at 4:50 PM 2 comments: