Happy Birthday TAYLOR

Today is Taylor's 12th birthday.

I remember the day he was born very distinctly. We were in the process of moving from Beijing, China to Springville, Utah. Elizabeth, Michael and I had been living in California with my parents for about 1 month while Matthew finished up work in Beijing.

One day old - July 30, 1996

Matthew came to California about a week before Taylor was due and then we waited....and waited...and his due date came and went. My neice, Sarah, who was due to be born in August, was born on his due date, July 24th.

Finally, the labor pains started on July 29th and I still wasn't sure if I was ready to give birth again. Elizabeth and Michael had been born in Taiwan where they weren't real keen on epidurals or much pain relief, so my memories of the pain were still present in my head.

Much to my relief, I found out the U.S. was a much nicer place to give birth. There were no cock roaches scurrying across the floor, everyone spoke English, it smelled good, they didn't use lovely iodine as a "cure all" measure, and they were pros at giving epidurals and other pain relief. It was wonderful and gave me a whole new appreciation of the U.S. of A.

Of course, when I held Taylor in my arms the first time, just like with Michael and Elizabeth, all the pain was worth it!! He was adorable and looked up at me with his sweet, little eyes.

He was a very good baby--quite adaptable--which was a good thing. He was 10 days old when we flew from California to Utah and all of twelve days old when we moved into our home in Springville, Utah and Matthew started his new job. It was quite a job unpacking everything from our China shipment with a new baby, a three year old and a six year old. But alas, I was young then!

August 4, 1996- Blessing Day
Matthew and Taylor (5 days old)



Taylor was a great baby and busy toddler. He loved to be where the action was and by the time he could crawl, he became a master at being the first one to the door whenever anyone arrived. He always greeted you with such a big smile and happy coos. He has always been good natured, pleasant and fun to be around.

(Okay, except when he insists on singing "High School Musical" to annoy everyone....)



April, 1997 - 9 months old





Michael and Taylor - Dec. 1998 (2 1/2 & 5 1/2 years old)









July 30, 2000 - 4 years old





When Taylor was turning four years old, he REALLY wanted a suit for his birthday to wear to church like his Dad.


Taylor has always loved to build things. He made his first friend in kindergarten, Nick, during the kindergarten open house by sharing a love of building with blocks.

Taylor has always been quite creative. He loved to build things with both his grandpas and made a special house out of wood for his Grandpa Hollingshaus for his birthday. Grandpa Hollingshaus put the house in a place of honor in his workshop. We found it sitting in the workshop when we went to California for his funeral.



Taylor and his Grandpa Hollingshaus
July 2, 2003 - Almost 7 years old

Taylor is also a very hard worker. When ever there is a project outside, Taylor is the first one there to help. He and Grandpa Safsten have worked many hours side-by-side digging and planting together. He is great at fixing things which is wonderful!

We will not be a bit surprised if Taylor has his own successful business one day. He has a real entrepreneurial spirit. He has already found success this year with his spinners and shericks as well has a serialized book.

January, 1999 - 2 1/2 years old Fall, 2005 - 9 years old

Spring, 2008 - 11 1/2 years old

Taylor, we are really glad Heavenly Father sent you to our home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Tip of the Day: NEVER Disremember

On Matthew's business trips to China, the companies he visits oftentimes will give him special gifts. He in turn gives these special gifts to me (because I'm so000 special...). However, even with my creative mind, sometimes I have a hard time figuring out what to do with certain special gifts.




For example, the item to the left has left me puzzled. I have yet to figure out:

1. where to put it

and

2. how to best utilize it.



I do know it is made of Bangkok Pewter (the label told me so) and there are lovely elephants emblazened on it.



Inside it looks like it might be a thermos of some sort, but the lids (there is an inner lid as well as an outer lid) just pull off and there is no seal that would make it so liquid could not be spilled. So I haven't put it in the kid's lunch boxes yet.


I must admit, the most interesting part of the gift to me has been the box in which it was placed. Just look at it:

The box is so beautifully lined in silk---it kind of looks like a coffin of sorts. I've never seen a thermos placed in a silk-lined coffin before. Is it a thermos or not? So it puts me back to square one as to how to use the item......


Recently, the item has found residence on our bathroom counter this last week. Then, this morning, as I was putting on makeup and fixing my hair IT HIT ME!!!

IT HIT ME that maybe it's not about the pewter elephant-engraved cylinder at all!



I looked at the box and this is what I saw:

I realized, for me, the important part of the gift was on the OUTSIDE of the box. Right below the circle with the elephant it states, "MAKE YOU NEVER DISREMEMBER."

I then realized that like so many things in life, I missed what has been right in front of me the whole time!!! I realized how important it is to make sure that I make sure that you (and I) never disremember whatever it is we're suppose to not disremember!

So, now that my mystery is solved about the Cylindrical Pewter Elephant thing, I share with you the tip of the day: Do what you need to do each day so that you make yourself, and others, never disremember!

Maybe you can leave testimonials in the comment section on how this has touched your life and worked for you and we can all share together our never disremembering!

P.S. I now know this is meant to be. As I was writing this post Matthew got a phone call from Asia and so I had Chinese being spoken in the background as I wrote this......

But I DON'T want to; therefore, I shouldn't have to!

I hear the above phrase from my children multiple times during the day. I always remind them that wanting to has NOTHING to do with it! Well, now I don't want to....

What do I NOT want to do????? I DON'T WANT TO FIX ANOTHER BROKEN THING IN THIS HOUSE!!!! I am sick and tired of having to fix things!!

Last summer was the worst---the finished basement flooded because the violent summer storms wrecked havoc with the back-up sump pump and frazzeled it. Matthew was gone to China and so I lugged all the wet, soaking carpet pieces that were in our storage room up and out of the house. Then I called our neighborhood carpet cleaner and had them remove all the excess water in the 1200 sq. feet of carpet in the finished area and clean, deodorize, and santize the carpet. I was told that that would elimate the funky, semi-moldy smell that accumulated. They came back twice and deodorized but to no avail. So after spending all the time and money on that we ended up replacing the carpet anyway.

Within a few days of this glorious event, our outside refridgerator/freezer broke down. Of course it happened the day after garbage collection and it was in the middle of a heat wave in July. That was a dandy mess to clean up and try to live with the nasty smell for a week until the garbage was collected. Luckily, Matthew arrived home from China just in time to clean out the refridge/freezer crap and take it out to the curbside for garbage collection. I gladly let him handle it.

The positive part of it was I replaced that refridgerator with a "CHILLERATOR." This is a refridgerator made to work in the garage with all the wide fluctutaing temperatures (like HOT summers and FREEZING winters). Anyway, I LOVE it because it works year round here!


Then the dishwasher broke down (it breaks at least once every 9 to 12 months) and then the computer crashed and then something was wrong with the shower and then something else and then something else.

I thought I FINALLY had everything fixed and working and then the kitchen faucet head broke off in my hand and proceeded to spew water all across the kitchen. I have replaced a kitchen faucet before, but I HAD HAD IT and hired my neighborhood fix-it man to come over and replace it. I watched him in peace and gladly handed over a check.


Today I found the dishwasher is broken AGAIN. I just DON'T want to deal with another fix-it job. I don't want to have to hunt around for a replacement. I just want it to work. NOW. PLEASE. This puts me in a VERY GRUMPY MOOD!!! But wanting to has NOTHING to do with it!


I know.....I HAVE 4 free dishwashers at home.....named Michael, Taylor, Kristen and Ryan. I'll just use them.......and remind them that wanting to has NOTHING to do with it.....
and then I think we'll all move back in with my parents and let them deal with all this stuff just like when I was young. :)

Happy Birthday MICHAEL!!

(Left) Michael - Hospital picture - weighing in at 4295 grams!






(Right) Michael 2 hours old.

Today is Michael's 15th Birthday!

Michael was born in Taipei, Taiwan on July 13, 1993 at 8:40 p.m. He weighed in at a mere 9 lbs. 7 oz. I remember looking over at him when they were weighing and measuring him and seeing his little (big-little) fist and saying to Matthew "How big is he?" Matthew laughed because the nurses kept calling him "Little Giant" in Chinese---they hadn't seen a baby born this big!

After delivery, I was famished and really needed something to eat. I was told, "Too bad. There is no food available..." (It was after 8:00 p.m. after all!) They took no pity on me.....





March, 1994 - 7 1/2 months old

Michael was a wonderful baby. He was so content and happy. I think he smiled at the earliest age of any of our children and smiled all the way through his childhood.











October, 1995 - Beijing, China - 2 1/2 years old

When Michael was little, his favorite things were playing baseball with this ball and bat, his pacifiers, and READING.

He talked everyone and anyone into playing baseball with him. He would "run" the bases in our family room.

He loved his pacifiers. He felt most comfortable when he had one on every finger of both hands and two in his mouth.

Michael has always loved reading. I remember the first word he read to me. We were sitting in the Chapel in Menlo Park, California. He looked at the sign above one of the doors and said, "Mom, that says EXIT." He was right! And he was 3.




July 13, 1998 - 5 years old



By the time he was about 2 years old, Michael became fascinated with dinosaurs. He could not get enough of them. When we moved back to the U.S., I think we read about every book there was to read on dinosaurs in the Springville, UT library.

By the time this picture was taken, he was determined that Paleontology was the career path for him. He could spew off more facts and figures about dinosaurs than a Jeopardy champ.



(Left) July, 2001 - 8 years old

(Right) July 13, 2003 - 10 years old

Michael has always been very sweet, kind and thoughtful. I don't think there has been more than a handful of dinners in his lifetime that he hasn't told me they were good and thank you! (And even if he didn't like the food all that much, he still ate it!)

He has always had an immense curiousity that has kept me on my toes.



September, 2007 - 14 years old

The last few years have been a real challenge with the development of his Crohn's Disease. However, I have seen Michael grow and mature because of it. He has learned to stick things out even when they are really hard and to endure to the end.

One of the positive outcomes of this whole ordeal is it has peaked Michael's interest in possibly becoming a Gastroentrologist. With his great compassion and keen mind, he'd be a great one!






June 2, 2008



Here's to another great 15 years!


Happy Birthday Michael!!

Soccer, Stinky Scouts, and the Great Wall of China

It's been a busy day at the Hollingshaus' house....
Kristen, Ryan and I got up at 6 a.m. and left promptly at 7:00 a.m. for Kristen's all-day Kicks 4 Cancer soccer tournament. We drove for an hour to Olympic Park in Schaumburg. Upon arriving, I called her coach to see where we were suppose to meet him. I was informed that the tournament had been cancelled due to the heavy rains we were experiencing. (Originally, they were going to play rain or shine, but the fields were too soggy from the rain so it was cancelled.) So we turned around and drove an hour home.

Upon arriving home, I made a list for Michael's birthday dinner tomorrow night. For his "Quince," we are having a family from our ward and the missionaries over for dinner. We will be serving Chicken Cordon Bleu, Spanish Rice, Green Salad, Fruit Salad, rolls and the pink fluffy jello. Kristen and I then went to the grocery store, bought groceries, and then meandered over to the appointed place to pick up Taylor from Scout camp.




All I can say is STINKY, STINKY SCOUT CAMP!! During Taylor's adventures at Scout Camp, they had to endure many days of rain which translated into wet, soggy, stinky clothes, sleeping bag and tent.

However, I was sort of prepared because just the week before, I fetched Michael from his scouting High Adventure and was accosted by the same sort of stinkiness....(although not as stinky....)

Upon arriving home, the offending items were quickly thrown into my beloved washing machine.

All the while I was dealing with these issues, Matthew was enjoying the GREAT WALL OF CHINA ....He has been in China for two weeks of work and spent his last day there enjoying some of the fabulous sights, sounds and smells of Beijing and Shanghai.


The highlight of today was picking Matthew up at the airport. YEAH!!!

He became an instant hero in our children's eyes as he unveiled his gifts for them.....

Great Wall of China clothes....





Beautiful golf clubs with a travel bag.

More beautiful golf clubs...
Who knew they made Callaway's so small????

4th of July FUN, FUN, FUN

We enjoyed our 4th, but missed Matthew and Elizabeth....

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!!

Today is Elizabeth's 18th Birthday. I know all parents say this, but I can't believe it's been 18 years. I remember, so well, WAITING for her to be born and thinking it was NEVER going to happen. (She was 2 weeks over due.)

July 7, 2000 - Elizabeth - One day old - in hospital in Taipei, Taiwan

I remember being paranoid about the medical staff (not trusting what they would do) and not letting her out of my sight---and for good reason to--she got impetigo in the hospital even with my hawk eyes. Elizabeth was extremely alert from the moment she was born. I remember her looking around at everything in the hospital room even at 9 hours old. She has always had an inquisitive nature that has served her well. I remember looking at Elizabeth and wondering what was in store for her and what she would be like. We so wanted to create an environment where she could grow and learn and become what Heavenly Father wanted her to become.

October, 1991

October, 1993

In our apartment in Tien Mu, Taipei, Taiwan

Elizabeth has always had alot of gumption and tenacity. She developed a keen sense of humor very young. I remember finding a "Junie B. Jones" book at a bookstore in Taiwan when she was 3 years old. I read it to her everyday and she laughed at everything funny in the book.

High School Graduation, May, 2008
Plainfield, Illinois

First day of Kindergarten, Sept., 1995
Beijing, China



















June 18, 2008 - Moving to college
Moving into the dorms



Elizabeth, you have done a wonderful job of "growing up." You have developed so many talents and abilities, I know Heavenly Father would be pleased with what you have done with your life. Dad and I are!

And so Elizabeth, on this day, we wish you a VERY Happy Birthday. We are so thankful Heavenly Father sent you to us. We can't wait to see what the next 18 years brings you!!! Have a wonderful day.

Public Education is FREE in Illinois????

Public education isn't as "free" in Illinois as other places. I am in the midst of filling out all the forms for the kids for school and there is always a "Student Fee and OBLIGATIONS" sheet that lists all the fees that need to be paid before your child can attend a public school.

I just finished with Michael's and Taylor's fee sheets. Michael's fees for the 2008 - 2009 school year are only $390.00. Taylor's fees are measley by comparison: $193.00. Luckily, Taylor's fees include the yearbook. Another $50.00 check is necessary for Michael to get one. I haven't paid Kristen and Ryan's fees yet....

Don't live in Illinois if you like to be taxed. In Cook County, (downtown Chicago) they just started charging people over 10% in sales tax, over 11% for some things. Luckily, we don't live in Cook County--but we're close enough that we might get those taxes as well.

House taxes, which are suppose to support the schools are almost FIVE times what we payed in Utah for approximately the same size home. And we keep paying more (and more and more) every year. They kindly allow us to pay our taxes in two installments, rather than the whole chunk at once. The joke in the neighborhood is we all need part time jobs just to pay the house taxes.

Remember voters, Barack Obama comes from this highly taxed state and doesn't seem to have a problem with all these taxes we pay.....

I LOVE the U.S. of A.

Happy 4th of July. This day took on new meaning 18 years ago, my first 4th of July outside of the United States. It took on even greater meaning in 1995, my first 4th of July in Beijing, China.



China has changed SO much since we lived there. In 1995, it was common to see people still wearing "Mao" suits. The street sweepers literally swept the streets with hand-made brooms made of sticks.

I remember the hospitals and clinics so vividly. In downtown Beijing, in the bigger hospitals, there were special elevators labeled "For Foreigners." It always made me wonder what was behind the elevators for the locals.

I remember one of the medical clinics I saw one day in the country. There were no doors---only large, vertical pieces of thick plastic, cut about 4 inches in width, that you passed through as the "door." It reminded me of the long vertical things you see in car washes here.

Needless to say, I felt we were very blessed not to have any medical issues while we lived there. The medical care was better in Taiwan where Elizabeth and Michael were born, but it is NOTHING like the care we get here in the U.S. I will NEVER forget being in labor with Elizabeth, trying not to choke on the unusual smells in the hospital and seeing a cock roach run gleefully across my hospital room....

Another thing I really appreciate about the United States are the beautiful surroundings--grass, flowers, trees. Taiwan is very much a "concrete jungle" and Beijing, when we lived there, wasn't much different. I remember in Beijing we had a little patch of grass out front. The workers were able to "mow" the grass by using some large scissors!

I am grateful for the easy access to all the things we need and a million other things. Now there are some WalMarts and other stores that make shopping much easier. Not so when we lived there. It took hours each week to go shopping because I had to go to different markets for everything--meat market, fruit/vegetable market, imported things etc. It was always an adventure! Shopping at the State-owned/run stores was interesting as well. You looked at the things available (there wasn't much to choose from), stood in a line for a ticket to buy a particular item, stood in another line to pick up that item, and then stood in another line to pay for the item. It would be like having to shop at a place run like our DMVs. Believe me, we NEVER, EVER want any government run stores. Chinese Meat Market

I was never brave enough to buy meat from an outside market like this---I bought our meat from a German meat market. I did buy our fruits and vegetables from an outside market.

On this 4th of July, Matthew is in Shanghai, China on a business trip. Today, China is a different place than when we lived there. Free enterprise has done so much for so many there. Their lives have improved greatly. I hope that continues.

Shanghai, China

I hope we have another chance to live in China. It is a fascinating place with an unbelieveable history.

So, from one who LOVES LOVES LOVES the United States of America,

Happy 4th of July!!!