What a beautiful weekend!!!

Well, we took advantage of the perfect weekend weather and dragged Lance to the zoo with us. Jesse doesn't get to go nearly as much these days since he's in school all day. The new Teton Trek exhibit is fabulous!

Mom with her very wound up children.....

This is the view from the back of the Teton Lodge....The 3 grizzly cubs have the whole area and stream to roam.

View from the front of the Teton Trek Exhibit. Well, lots going on this week! Promises to post again very soon!

Love,Gretchen

Fall Sewing......

Well, I had a bit of the sewing bug again, so here are a few of the items I've sewn for Claire lately. Hard to believe it's almost time for Holiday Parties and events!! Bring it on!

This I just made with extra fabric from another project and extra ribbon.

A mutual friend of mine does these as a business, so I ordered one and applied it to this tshirt. She did a great job I think! I made the cord pants to match.

This one I love the color of and a friend of mine made the hairbow with the extra ribbon. Thanks Kirsten!

So sweet and simple for the holidays! Enjoy! Promises to post soon!

Love,Gretchen

Happy Halloween!!

Well, Iceman and Spot the Dalmation had a lovely Halloween. Lots of great times and treat were to be had. The kids did great trick or treating and used their manners so nicely!

Jesse's pumpkin that he and Lance designed and carved!

The pumpkin Claire picked out and Lance carved (claire mainly just observed).....

Our neighborhood has a yearly Halloween Parade, so the kids can show off their costumes to the neighbors. They do a lap around the block and have a blast! Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!!

Love,Gretchen

Project Complete!!

Well, Jesse has spent the last week making his musical instrument with Grandpa and finished last night! Here he is playing his finished product!

Jesse in action putting on the finish.

Jesse used the jigsaw with Grandpa's help to cut out the grooves for the top of the drum.

Almost done.....way to go Jesse! I see an A in your future (we hope.....!)

With Halloween festivities all this week and weekend, I will post again real soon with promises of a fighter pilot and a panting dalamation dog!!!

Love,Gretchen

Fall Fun!!!

Well, the kid's Aunt Cathie had them over Saturday for a day full of Halloween fun, crafts, goodies, and lots of sugar!! We all had such a great time and always love seeing our Aunt Cathie! Thank you for the fabulous day!

Jesse is working on building an African Tongue Drum for his music class project. He is to make a musical instrument and thanks to Grandpa, we have lots of wood and tools at our disposal! Jesse really shows an interest in woodworking, and grandpa loves showing Jesse new skills. Here is Jesse sanding the top of the drum.

Jesse using the table saw (Grandpa helped also......such a big blade!)

Will post the final product very soon!

Love,Gretchen

On our way to Tiger Madness.....

Well, it's almost time for UofM Basketball to begin...so Lance & I took the kids to Tiger Madness Friday evening. They had a great time, starting with dinner downtown and the festivities at the forum afterwards. Such a great time they had!

Claire pretended she was a cheerleader and would try to minmick the moves the "real cheerleaders" made. Let's just say she needs a lot of practice!!! Well, I promise to post lots soon! Enjoy the photos!

Love,Gretchen

Jesse's New Look

Well, guess who has inherited his mother's eyes?? Poor Jesse. Well, here is is after receiving his 1st pair of glasses. He was apprehensive at first, but I think he'll be much better tomorrow when he can show them off to his friends! Just as handsome, I must say!

Well, all is well here in the Hollingsworth Family! Promise to post again very soon...as we always have events going on to blog about! Hope all is well!

Love,Gretchen

Sorry so long....

Well my great friends and family, so very sorry I have not posted in quite a while. Jesse fell ill last week and we have spent the last week nursing him back to health....and disinfecting everything along the way. He's much better now, and ready to resume school. Thanks for all the calls and prayers. We love you all!!! Claire turns out to be a great helper....I see a little nurse or doctor in our future!

We have lots of great activities planned in the very near future, so stay tuned and promise to post again very soon!

Love,Gretchen

Our 1st visit to the Botanic Gardens!

Well today Claire and some friends all met at the "My Big Backyard", which just opened inside the Memphis Botanic Gardens. I was totally blown away by how wonderful it was! The kids had such a great time and there was always some great surprise around the next bend. For all my Memphis blog followers, you should definitely check it out!

Noah, Elliot, Lily Grace, & Claire banging away at the outdoor music area!

The huge and beautiful treehouse as seen from a distance. Maybe Lance will make the kids one of those????.......

Claire at the raindrop area.....every few minutes a "faux thunderstorm" occurs, complete with loud thunder, fog, mists, and then a downpour! The kids were hit and loved the cool reprieve!

Posing as best as they can for 4 different cameras in the splash pond area......

We truly enjoyed our day and company as much as can be today! We plan another visit very soon!

Love, Gretchen

More Botanic Garden Pictures......

Lots of fun in the sand and water area...watch out for falling sand!

There was a worm themed area with huge worm pipes coming in and out of the ground....they were so cool!

Claire taking a closer look at mommy on the top deck of the tree house!

Lily Grace & Claire taking a rest in the "birds nest" portion of the gardens. Our little chicks are so very cute!

Weekend with Family!

Well, our great family members, The Schiller Family, were kind enough to invite us for a day on Horseshoe Lake on their great boat. This was Claire's 1st time on a boat and Jesse's 2nd. They both had such a fantastic time! Jesse especially enjoyed riding on the tube, "Big Bertha!"

Claire had no fears and loves swimming in the lake with Uncle Tommy and all the cousins!

Peyton & Jesse after jumping off the boat again and again....

Jesse in action! Thanks to The Schiler Family for such a great Saturday!

Guess who started 3rd grade today.......

Holding up the big #3 before heading off to meet his new teacher this morning. Jesse wasn't too thrilled about going back to school....but the fact that he is going to have a "guy teacher" gave him a reason to be excited! We'll see.....

Jesse upon taking his seat, anxious to meet his new friends in Mr. Cook's class!

Well, there's lots going on around here, so I promise to post again very soon!
Love,Gretchen