We love you... Daddy!!!

Happy birthday, Matthew!!! What a whirlwind of a weekend... we were hopping from getting the kids ready to go back to school and AWANA, the Legacy Yard Sale, Isaac's baseball game, working on all of Abby's extra assignments to be "Special Person of the Week" in her classroom, baseball's opening day, and March Madness NCAA games.

Today, Dad took Matthew out for a special birthday lunch... so cute :) I am thankful that Matthew has such a great relationship. They not only share in their passion for the Word and sound doctrine, they also enjoy talking to each other about politics and business!

After Isaac's baseball practice, we "paused" for a moment to celebrate Matthew! I made lasagna in remembrance of our Olive Garden dinners in Westwood. We had a fun little birthday dessert in place of a birthday cake... I think everyone was ok with it :)

Matthew, thank you for being my leader and my best friend. You are a great father and husband. Your love-in-action always challenges me to excel still more. Thank you for your commitment to raise our children in a home that is grounded on the Word of God. I'm grateful that our boys have a perfect model of a godly man and that our daughter has front row seat view of the type of a man that she would want to marry (a long time from now!!!). I thank God that He has bless me with you!!!

I love you, Babe! Happy Birthday :)

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch

Abby's newest routine in her dance class... enjoy :)

Over the hills and through the woods, to Santa Maria we go...

Isaac, Seth, Abby and I took the opportunity of Easter vacation to drive up to visit with Grandpa Norris and Grandma Betsy for a bit. What a special treat for us to see Grandpa & Grandma and to just "hang out" with them!!!

Immediately after the boys greeted Grandpa and Grandma, they would disappear into the backroom to Great Grandma's "Yes" Drawer :) In this special drawer, there are treasures to explore and Legos to play with. Matthew thought that maybe those are the same toys that he played with as a kid! So cute!!!

Abby, on the other hand, will greet her Great Grandparents, and then sit and study each one of Great Grandma's "babies". Grandma Betsy made (with much love, care, and expertise) exquisit porcelin dolls. She still has about a dozen of them behind her glass case in her dining room area. This is where Abby would camp for about an hour. She would study each one's hair, eyes, expression, dress, and ask me (every time) when she can take one home :)

I brought up the kids' scooters (just for good measure). Boy, did they come in handy! When the kids would get too wiggly for me to contain inside, I would take them out in front of the house and they would race on their scooters in on the sidewalk. They had a blast!!!

We had such a good time with Grandpa Norris and Grandma Betsy going out to dinner, going to Golden Donuts, and doing normal things like that! I am prompted, more than ever, to pray that God would work on their hearts and on the circumstances for them to move down to Orange County, so that we might be able to spend time with them more frequently!

Happy Resurrection Day!!!

He is risen... He is risen indeed!

What a wonderful time of the year where we set aside time to remember, celebrate, and contemplate the work Christ did on the cross! I love Easter! I love the flowers, the colors, the Bible stories associated with it, the annual church brunch, the family get-together, the special music, the dressing up... I even love the jelly beans.

This year, Resurrection Sunday was especially special, in light of Grandma and Grandpa being in heaven. I am forever grateful that Christ conquered death and sin through His resurrection so that those whom He has chosen could rise again and spend eternity with Him.

Thank you, God, for Your amazing love for us that would allow Your Son to be pay for our iniquities and allow us to be made right with You!

We spent Easter at Mom & Dad's. Bethany, Ezekiel & Rebekah Jane were able to join in the fun :) We had a fabulous dinner, a nice nap time, a fun Easter Egg Hunt (including in some special eggs, the entire Resurection Story! Good job, Aunt Bethany!!!), and a little pool time. Thank you, Mom & Dad, for always being willing to be "Grand Central Station" :)

Legoland Fun

After all the "Please sit still...", "Be calm and quiet...", and "Don't make any messes and don't touch anything that's not yours" days that we've had recently, my kids were ready for some active hands-on days.


Isaac & Seth on their African Safari

We kicked off the kids' Easter Vacation with a trip to Legoland - a night in San Diego - and a a quick stop into Tecate, Mexico :)

Legoland was amazing!!! I'm sure the kids have not idea how amazing it is to see the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and the Sydney Opera House built out of Legos and all to scale... but I was in awe!!!












When we picked up Matthew at the San Diego Airport (he was in Oakland for about 24 hours), he asked the kids what their favorite part of Legoland was. What do you think they said??? The movie (a 4-D 12 minute movie) and building cars out of Legos and racing them. What??? You mean we could have stayed home and watched a movie and built cars and they would have been perfectly happy?!? This is why we don't have Disneyland passes...




Don't be in a hurry to drive, kids!!!

We had dinner in the Gaslamp District of San Diego, just a block away from our hotel. While we got a great deal through Priceline for this 4 star hotel, we had to pay $32 for mandatory valet parking (and that doesn't include tip!!!).

Saturday morning was a beautiful Southern California day - a perfect sunny 70's day ! After a nice breakfast and an hour in the pool, we headed across the boarder. I don't think I've ever crossed the boarder at Tecate before. The drive through the country was absolutely beautiful! With the amount of rain we had a month ago and the recent warm sunshine, God allowed the ground to be covered with gorgeous wild flowers of yellows, oranges, blues and purples!!! Matthew reminisced about the days when he would drive down to Mexico with Jack Churchill. My eyes welled up with tears as I said a silent prayer for Jack's family and our family - we will miss Jack, Grandpa Louie, and Grandma Molly for a long long time.

As we wandered through Tecate, the kids were fascinated by all the street signs (and stop signs) in Spanish. I am thankful that we have this opportunity to show them a glimpse of Mexico. At San Juan Bosco Orphanage (where our church has been ministering for the last couple of years), we weeded with the High School kids for a while and even put in a couple of screws into the door frame that our guys were working on :). Matthew got a tour of the facility and saw some projects that he might be able to facilitate with when he bring down a group in May.

What a fun little family excursion! We spent some much needed family time just bonding with one another. I think these are the times our kids will remember... just being together.

Isaac, Seth & Abby and their new family :)

Count your blessings, name them one by one...

We had Grandpa Louie's graveside service today. What a God honoring service to hear the Word preached and to hear the memories and testimonies of the family. I am overwhelmed by God's goodness and grace in allowing me and my children to have the privilege of being a Holbrook.

I am so challenged and inspired to seek more diligently after Christ's heart, to desire to be more hospitable, to serve with greater passion, to be more intentional in my parenting, to dig deeper into the Word, and to be more fervent in my prayers. As I learn and reflect upon the lives of Grandpa Louie and Grandma Molly, I have gained greater insight into the shaping influences of Dad & Mom and Matthew (and all the relatives :)). I love that because of how Grandpa & Grandma lived their lives, their vision for kingdom work and their love for people overflowed and colored the thoughts and actions of my family!

I pray that God would use my life to impact those around me. May my words and actions match my parenting and that my children would catch the love and the vision for the Lord.

Thank you, our family at Grace Church, for your loving support, your kind words and cards, and your constant prayers over these last couple of weeks. You have truly been the lips, the hands, and the feet of Jesus to our family. We are humbled by the love that you have showered upon us and by your willingness to walk this road with us. THANK YOU!

Easter Parties :)

I don't remember having SOOO MANY class parties when I was little... well, maybe it's because I didn't grow up in this country. Anyhow... here are some fun pictures of Seth and Abby's Easter class parties. I can't get to Isaac's to take pictures, because the little ones still nap and Isaac's parties are always in the afternoon. So... sorry, Isaac!


Seth is putting his name on the cross.


Abby's PJ Breakfast Party!!!


Mrs. Wyckhouse is in her PJs too :)


Abby got smuggled into Seth's party... sitting in the corner eating a Jello egg :)


Waffles... yum!!!

Psalm 23 Chapel

The kindergarden class recites the beloved 23rd Psalm in a special chapel time around Easter each year. This is Seth's year to shine :) He has worked very hard to make sure that he had every verse memorized just perfectly. He was the 2nd person in his class to recite it to the class with no helps.

Good job, Seth!!! We are so proud of you!

*** Seth is wearing red, in the back row, right in the center ***

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!!!

We had beautiful "Home Going" celebration for Grandma Molly and Grandpa Louie on Saturday. How amazingly blessed we are to have been included in the lives of these two very special faithful servants of God.



Thank you, Grandpa & Grandma for leaving us such a beautiful 70-year-long love story and the legacy of your heart and service for the Lord. Thank you for showing us what "love" looks like and for always holding hands :) Thank you for all the stories and rhymes, Grandpa. Grandma, thank you for always having perfect nails and beautiful jewelry. Thank you for pouring your love, lives, and wisdom into the children that God had entrusted to you. Thank you for your tiredless prayers for each one of us -- for hurting with our hurts and for celebrating our accomplishments. Thank you for holding and loving on all your great grand kids... even when they are loud or squirmy!



I will always cherish in my heart my time with both of you, especially your time in Yorba Linda. Grandma, I will remember how your eyes tracked with Abby and the special smile that you gave her when she was singing all her little songs to you (with hand motions and all!), two days before you went to heaven. I know that must have taken a herculean effort, thank you!!! I loved that day when I came over to see you (maybe a year and a half ago?) and we sang and cried through all the old and favorite hymns together for what seemed like hours!!! I would love to do that with you again in our glorified voices :)

And Grandpa, thank you for being patient with Isaac and Seth in playing checkers! I know that they will have vivid memories of playing checkers (using the right rules) with their Great Grandpa! Do you remember what you said to me the first time Matthew brought me to meet you? As soon as you found out my name, you said, "... Oh! You are Alice from Dallas, living in a palace, drinking from a challis... and full of malice!" You are a BIG IMPRESSION maker, and I love it!!! Thank you for putting up with the strange Chinese girl that always comes waltzing into your house at Sunrise, calling you "Grandpa" and acting like she belonged... usually with a kid or more. I will really miss those "...hey kids, let's swing by and say hi to Great Grandpa & Great Grandma!" visits... but, I guess it only right that you should still be chasing the love of your life even after all these years :)

So, I guess this is "See you later, Grandpa & Grandma!" My heart hurts especially for Dad and rest of your kids, but it rejoices for your permanent residence in Heaven. I am thankful, that beyond the shadow of a doubt, that you are in heaven. I am grateful that He called you and that you answered. I thank God that He allowed you both to live lives with Christ as the center and as your personal Lord and Savior. We love you and will miss you deeply.

Mr. Reliable

Isaac was selected as the Student of the Week for the character trait of "reliability". He was selected last year, in 1st grade, for the same character trait! What can I say, I guess the teachers all recognize him as Mr. Reliable in class :)

Good job, Isaac! Mom and Dad are very proud of you for displaying the character trait of RELIABILITY. We thank God that you take your responsibilities seriously and that other people to count on you to do what you say. We pray that you will continue to allow God to develop you into who He would like you to be. Keep memorizing all those verses, typing up sermon notes, and reading the Bible!!! You are a great big brother. Continue to pray for God's help in being a good example to your siblings and making wise choices.

We'll miss you, Grandma Molly

Early Sunday morning, our beautiful-sweet-spunky Grandma Molly went home to heaven. I told Matthew that I imagined her dancing the Charleston on the streets of gold. I am sad that Grandpa Louie didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye -- for he is also fighting for his life, at the hospital, away from Grandma. 70 wonderful years of marriage and a beautiful legacy. I'm thankful that God chose for me to be married into this family. I'm thankful that my children are able to have some memories of their Great Grandparents. I'm thankful that when we visit, Abby always sang her favorite songs to Great Grandma and that Isaac and Seth would always recite their latest memory verses to her.

When we told the kids about Grandma going to heaven, Seth said, "She went on Sunday? Oh, that is a good day to go to heaven, cuz she could just worship God there!" I love how when the kids pray for Grandma and Grandpa, they pray, "... help Great Grandpa to feel better and thank you that Great Grandma got to go to heaven..." Thank you, Lord, for sharing Grandma and Grandpa with us for all these years!

We love you, Grandma! We are praying for you, Grandpa!

Happy Birthday... to me!!!

My sweet sweet children treated me to a Special Surprise Breakfast the Saturday before my birthday! I was so proud that my 8-year-old and 6-year-old could actually pull off cooking breakfast for the family (with the exception that we were running really low on Bisquick, so Matthew helped them get the right amount of flour in the batter to make things stretch)! The boys got up early and went straight to work :)

The table was all set with "name cards"!




We had a delicious breakfast of oatmeal, 3-berry-pancakes, toast, and bacon. I think Abby helped with setting and clearing the table. It was so much fun!!! A perfect start to a beautiful weekend :)

Happy Birthday... to me!!! Part II

If you are like me, now that I'm all "grown up", I tend to down play my birthday. Well... that is probably possible if you don't have children :)


This morning, I was greeted by all 3 of my kids' cold feet on my thigh in my warm cozy bed with shouts of "Happy Birthday, Mommy!!! You turn 38 TODAY!" Well kids... thank you very much, now that our whole neighborhood knows what day it is and how old I am...


This evening, Matthew took us to dinner at Mimi's Cafe. Mom and Bethany (and kids) came to make it a party! It was fun to celebrate with family. I am so spoiled that we have family close by and that we get to see them every week (at least in passing) at church.







WE LOVE YOU, MOM!!!