cross one off the life list - should have been posted July 1

The triathlon is complete and....I finished 5th!!! (Out of 5 in my division of women ages 31-35) Lessons learned: Triathlon has 3 syllables, mountain bikes are slower than racing bikes and bathing suits that are 10 years old actually do look old.

Annika, Harland and Grandpa were there to cheer me on. Thanks for that!

We were proud to celebrate Harland's dad at a party in his honor this past week. He took care of the teeth of Jackson for many years and is now settling in to enjoy life at home with his wife of 45 years. We were excited to be with cousin Matisse and "all the aunties" for this special event.

Summer is in full gear. Greta is crawling and creeping all over the place. She waves and says "Hi!" She loves being in a swing and eating food off the floor. Annika is enjoying her school. She can count in spanish and "knows some other words but doesn't want to tell us now." She loves playing in the sand and cooking in the kitchen (especially making blueberry muffins)

Next up on the lifelist: Kira wants to get back into playing bass in a local orchestra and Harland wants to run another marathon -- wish us luck on those goals.

June

On my last entry I promised a biweekly blog -- but now I feel that a blog entered weekly using the Fibonacci sequence would be much more interesting (1-1-2-3....) In all reality, breaking the biweekly promise does help free me from the guilt that has been plaguing me for nearly 1.5 weeks so now the promise is: I'll blog when I'll blog. So here it is....

Tonight seems particularly appropriate for a new blog entry. I can now say with confidence that the Holman family has settled into our new home in Spring Lake. As of today, Kira has been back at work, Annika has starting her summer school camp, Grandma and Auntie Anjali have watched the girls for 2 weeks and Harland has officially been dubbed the "office sweetie-pie."

This morning, Harland and Kira drove to work together. Work is a challenge. We are constantly surprised at the stories we hear behind closed doors in the office. Sometimes all we can do is hope that we can make a difference not through the medicine we offer but perhaps through our interactions with the patients. We are learning every day.

Annika is now officially 3 years old as evidenced by the pictures attached today. I will record the following information for posterity sake (I'm digging deep now for that sentimental bone in my body). Annika's official birthday was spent with the Sieplinga extended family celebrating several family graduations. We then celebrated a week later with aunts, 4 grandparents and 2 great-grandmas. Annika requested a "purple Dora/boots castle cake" and mommy delivered! After cake was eaten, presents were received and an exhausted 3-year-old fell asleep, it dawned on me that 3 is officially not a baby any more. As Annika constantly reminds me...."3 is not a little, it is a few" Our little girl is growing fast. She is riding her purple princess bike keeping up with her friends in the neighborhood. She is playing dress-up, puzzles, dolls, bus and whatever her amazing mind can dream up. She just began school at Michigan Dunes Montessori. We are looking forward to her actually telling us what happens there -- we just get a daily report on the snack offered. :)

Greta is growing fast too. At her 9 month check, she was 21.5 lbs and her length scored at the 95th percentile (you can tell I've already forgotten what it was). She spent a nice weekend with her "bestest cousin Miriam" who visited from Denver. She is creeping around tables, chasing after Annika (much to Annika's delight and chagrin), makes lovely messes at the dinner table and is practicing her loud voice. She has a beautiful smile and a sense of humor that is starting to come out. She seems enamored with her grandparents but has a very cute shy/coy look when they come near. We actually made it through one church service with her in nursery.....she's growing up too.

So that's the Holman's at the beginning of June 2010. We're looking forward in the coming weeks to Harland's birthday, a visit from cousin Matisse, 4th of July at the cottage, Kira's triathlon (she just realized that this is pronounced with only 3 syllables) and Harland's big fishing trip. We miss Kentucky but are loving our new home and new office. Thanks for reading!