Christmas in '09

This is your good friend Holden. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. For Christmas, I got a pair of insulated coveralls, a toboggan, and a Swiss Army knife. I also got a mess kit, and a new watch. On Christmas day, we went sledding up in Moody in the road. The day after, my mom and dad went snowmobiling and I went to the Galer's house. Madi watched Elliott, Hazel, and Ruby. The next day, we had the Jensens over for dinner. It was fun! On Monday, me and my dad went to DI and bought a pair of ski boots. I skied for the first time at Lincoln elementary. I get baptized the second of January, the day after my birthday. My mom made me a blanket. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Holden.

Wow!

My sister is a computer-addict. Also, my dad is almost done with his dissertation. We're starting an off-road club after he graduates. We'll call it "The 4x4 Club," and I already have an expedition in mind. We are going to meet every other Saturday and go on a four-wheeling trip. We will have one big off-road camping trip per month. Also, every Christmas break--well, five days of Christmas break--we will go up to a place that is almost impassable. Every summer we'll have a competition the first week of July. I will pick a place and one person at a time will drive through it. I believe that's it.

Oh My Gosh

My baby sister Ruby started standing up without holding onto anything! We're going to Oregon a week after we went to Utah. Anyone in Oregon who looks at my blog: we'll probably see you. My mom is a Coca Colaholic, as most of you know. It's almost time for school to start, and I kind of have mixed feelings. I'm kind of worried about the first day, but the rest I'm okay about. A few of my friends from first grade are going to be in my class, but not my best friend. I did most of my back-to-school shopping in Utah at Cal-Ranch. My parents just went on a cruise, so I went to Utah. Did I mention I am going into second grade? Oh, I did. My grandpa is a super-good draw-er. He draws about seventy-two million times better than I do. I aksed my little sister Ruby when she would start talking, and she replied "in a month." That's it.

Life is Interesting

My interesting Grandpa gave me and my dad a small four wheeler, well, actually big. And then he wanted it back three years later. And I knew he was just going to sell it. But actually he had another four wheeler for us! It was smaller than the big one. And then he told my dad he didn't want the yellow one back and he wanted us to take it back to Rexburg. Our jeep is up in Rexburg now, and the first thing we're going to do to it--well, I'm going to do to it--is I'm going to put the new fuel pump in. We found this place and it's very interesting. It has a very old dam and a waterfall. Right next to the dam, actually touching the dam, is an island. We decided we're going to take someone camping there, and so we decided that we should call that place a trailhead for all sorts of hiking trails. We are going to name them all. Life is a little bit boring in the summer, but I've got plenty of work to do. I have to finish my carport, I have to weld, I have to get new metal. . . I'm going to build nesting boxes for my chickens and I'm going to build a work treehouse. I want to make a camper to go with my jeep. But we're gonna have to learn some sewing, a lot of sewing. The end.

Me Rototilling

The Winters of Rexburg, and Other Harsh Times

Everyone knows it: Rexburg is cold. It seems as though on January 23 the temperature was minus twenty. Yes, it's true. It was the first time since the 1990s. That day my sister, who is three years old--you might have heard of her in old posts I've put on my blog--, she had preschool that day. I bet half her class wasn't there. I only went out two or three times that day. The second time I went out I had just four coats on and some insulated overalls. And a pair of hiking boots I got at the beginning of the school year back in August. Now in 2009, it's that time of year again. Things are greening up, it's raining like crazy. Yes, it's May. It shouldn't be raining. The saying says "April showers bring May flowers." But I believe next year we'll have that ocassional seven feet of snow followed by five feet of ice. When I woke up on the minus twenty morning, I went upstairs at about 6:30 in the morning. My dad had just gotten out of the shower and he told me what the temperature was, and he said "you won't go to school." Then I went and sat on the couch for about an hour. Then I went downstairs and I got dressed--my usual morning except for no shower, no school. It was on a Tuesday. I remember the exact day of the week because we had school the day before.

My sister has gained a little more bigness, but there are some things she does a lot--daily, actually. She whines like a maniac. That's Hazel. But Ruby isn't annoying. Ruby can crawl now. That's the end.

Elmo Stinks

You see Elmo has been on Sesame Street before, and three-year-olds just love the heck out of him. But Elmo is not very good at puppet shows. You see, if I was Elmo I would talk in a very mean voice like Oscar. But Sesame Street doesn't have anyone else who would do it. What should they do? Take Elmo off the show, then let Cookie Monster take over, eating cookies all day. And I also hate the song that's on Elmo. And poor old Mr. Noodle. If they took him off the show, that would be really good. Then he could go to grade school and learn how to put his shoes on. I think Elmo messes up three-year-old's brains. I think Cookie Monster should take the place of Elmo.

Holden's Wonder

My baby sister is really big now. She likes to grunt and grab my face, which I don't like. I'm a very good balancer these days. I'm also a very good faller. In 1983, the most famous rock star in the world made the buildings collapse by singing so loud that he actually fell down. Right now it is -20 outside. This world is crazy. I have a crazy clock and for the first four weeks in December it snowed 16 inches. Crazy! Crazy, I mean. I'm about to eat a weird doughnut. My sister started preschool last week. Last night I had pot stickers for dinner because it was Chinese New Year. Happy in Chinese New Year!