Holly...
...Holly...
...Holly...
The greatest blessing Shelly & I have ever received.
As you can see, there are many faces of Holly. All of them sweet, of course. It's hard to believe, but she is almost two now. Every day she does something new that reminds us just how smart she really is. For nearly two years now she has been watching and listening to everything we do and say. And now that she is beginning to communicate, it shows.
It's hard to explain "having a kid" to someone who does not yet have children. It changes you in a very real way. When Holly was born, I had so many emotions running through me - I felt like a woman! (Don't worry - my mood swings have settled now) She has been so awesome to have and hold, and the feeling that we (mom & I) are the world to her is just un-explainable. It simply can not be put into words. With that, I'll quit babbling! I will try to keep this page as updated as possible with fresh Holly pic.'s and happenings.
Camping along the Poudre River in Roosevelt National Forest - August,2002
Sometime in late August, when the weather was still nice, we decided to go camping along the Poudre. It would be Holly's 3rd camping trip over-all, but her 1st this year, and her 1st as a toddler. I wish we wouldn't have waited so long into the season, as she had a great time. We decided to go to the Poudre River Recreation area because it was close to home
in case things were not going well. Things actually went pretty well though. Finding a spot and setting up camp was easy. Dinner was...well, dinner was ok. I ran out of olive oil so the fried zucchini did not cook all that well. 
To compensate, I fried up some pre-seasoned pork chops - mmmm-good! Now we were on our way to a fun and successful outing. Holly loved to play in the river. Every time I'd throw her in - she'd swim right back! Just Kidding!! - She had a lot of fun wading in the shallow areas and feeling the current on her body. I think she really liked the chips too! The tent was kind of a new experience for her. She had a lot of fun being in the tent, but had a hard time
remembering the strings and stakes that keep it tied to the ground. More than once, she would take off out of the tent, make a hard left, and then trip over the tie-down strings. Finally, after a pretty good hit to the ground she became very cautious while motoring around the perimeter of the tent.
"O.K. Holly - time to go to bed" - Yeah right. While she did not want to go to sleep, she was at least quite entertaining for Shelly & I. Holly learned how to wear and operate a headlamp. 
She got a kick out of the whole sleeping bag concept. She did a lot of things that night - unfortunately, sleep was not one of them. Holly was not used to sleeping in a tent and woke up regularly with great frustration in the fact that things were not as she knew them to be. Doing a change-up on a toddler's sleeping routine is not an easy feat.
We finally made through the night and woke to a beautiful sunny day. Holly, being the morning person that she is, was ready for action. After a quick breakfast, we went for a mini hike and did some exploring. I think Holly got to dip her feet in the river a little more. 
And soon enough, we were packing up to head home. I think Holly would have gladly stayed for some more fun and exploration; so many new things for her to see, touch, and smell. It must be very exciting for her. Her little mind must be like a sponge to water when doing new things like this.