Caroline is the Big Sister

Caroline has been melting some hearts lately.

She's Josie's protective big sister. Wait. Did I just say "big"? Sigh.

She's also the ultimate "shadow" for her big brother, Henry. Here she is "crushing" some cotton candy ice cream during their field trip to Hershey's Ice Cream.

And here's the singing Holman Sisters (with an assist from Mom).

Henry is "Staying Alive"

Okay. First off, my son can dance. In fact, he's got some pretty sick moves. He also apparently enjoys our family dance party on Friday nights.

Ladies, try not to faint.

A couple of important disclosures. Yes, that's house music. Maddy and Maura got Henry and Caroline hooked on "Crazy Frog" last year in Michigan...apparently Henry has not yet recovered (look it up at http://www.youtube.com/ if you want to get your children equally hooked).

Yes, our kids decided to do an homage to John Travolta from the 1983 box office bomb, "Staying Alive". I don't know if Henry was channeling Tony Manero, but you can make that comparison if you want to.

Yes, that's Erica and I laughing hysterically at the unchoreographed and very serious approach the H-Man takes to his dancing. I know there's a subtext in there somewhere, but if you saw this kid groove, you'd swear he was getting paid to do it.

Well, there went the baseball and football scholarship to IU. Do they offer any college scholarships for male dancers? Gulp. Anyone?

Josie Likes Rice, Then Sleeps.

Josie is now, officially, five months-old. Not a moment too soon, the transition to baby food has begun. Here's the set-up and the delivery...

You can also watch it here. Note three things: (1) only 33 years-old and a noticeable bald-spot (ouch!); (2) Josie gave some excellent yuck-faces to the first couple of attempts, despite a rebound later on; and, (3) Mommy sells rice cereal to an infant better than anyone I know.

Other than the fact that it doesn't come from Mom and it sets off the occasional gag reflex, Jo-Jo gave rice cereal high marks for overall taste and plating.

"It was light and flavorful with a hint of lactose. Is there any way you can have Mommy serve that to me in a bottle?"

-Josie Holman, 9/2/2008

HHI: Day Seven - The Last Day of Vacation

It rained again today, but during the breaks in the rain bands we made it out to the pool where the kids showed off their dance moves.

In the afternoon, we drove back to Savannah to do dinner and candy shopping with the kids.

Here's Mommy, Henry and Caroline in front of the River Street Sweets shop where we picked up some salt water taffy and pralines.

Here's Daddy and the kids in front of the Savannah River Queen. We ate at the Shrimp Factory on River Street which was delicious. Our placemats at the restaurant had a recipe for the most dangerous punch recipe I've ever seen -- Chatham Artillery Punch. If you've never tried the stuff, take a gander at this recipe. It tasted like gold and one batch had me wobbling like a fighter in the twelfth round. I scored a glass from the Shrimp Factory for managing to finish it (I think?).

I may be trying the Chatham Artillery Punch on the Pig Roast. Beware!

Well...that's a wrap for the vacation. I'll leave you all with one of my favorite videos from the trip.

You can tell a lot about the time your family is having by the morale they have at some of the lowest moments on the trip. Here we are on the Folly Field Road bike path after having taken a wrong turn and walked one mile out of the way off of the beach. It was 85 degrees and muggy and during the entire trek no one complained, no one whined and everyone was lost in their own precious thoughts.

Of all the memories you make on a vacation, sometimes it's the ones that you least expect with the least amount of effort that give you the most satisfaction.

This one is mine.

We'll see all of you very soon.

HHI: Day Six - Paula Deen and the Savannah Monsoon

We headed south to Savannah, Georgia today despite the wind and horizontal rain from T.S. Fay. Upon arrival, Mommy managed to score the fearsome fivesome a reservation at The Lady & Sons Restaurant (that's the Paula Deen joint in Savannah).

Here's Erica crossing the street in front of our main Savannah objective -- Lady & Son's.

While we waited for our table, we walked the City Market district and visited some candy stores and various historic sites.

The rains were constant and heavy, but the kids were surprisingly resilient.

However, the rain, the swimming, the beach and the anticipation of buffet dining were too much for the little Holmans.

Here's Caroline at Lady & Sons.

Ditto for Henry.

But once again, Lil' Jo was not going down without a fight! She was all smiles at the buffet.

Holmans love buffets, but this was different. The food was well-worth the drive, the wait and the weather. It was fantastic and only $36 bucks. I would have paid $100. It was that good.

With a successful meal, we hopped the trolleys and cruised the town in 90 minutes.

Savannah is a great place to visit. Cool architecture, trendy museums and art galleries and tons of history. We spent approximately six hours in town and would have done more if it weren't raining buckets.



There's always next year.

We're back in HHI for our last day. More to come...