Below is everything (newest at top) with "family OR " in its title or subcategories. For a strict listing (matching all categories and subcats), click herePARENTS CAN RELOCATE ON A BUDGET WITH THESE THRIFTY MOVING TIPSfrom 2024 in ( family / home-garden / moving )
pexels.com/photo/a-family-taking-a-selfie-8730061/ titlefrom pexels.com Embarking on the journey of buying a new home and relocating your famil... read more
MOVING TO MISSOURIfrom 2024 in ( family / holmes / doug / humor )
The adventure begins. A quiet, unassuming young man and his devoted wife and kids set out for parts unknown, unless you count Missouri as known. titleclick for larger view, if available href/images/meme-leaving-california.webp... read more
DOG GROOMINGfrom 2024 in ( family / pets / grooming / humor )
/images/joey-sitting-on-sunny.webp Someone asked, Do you guys do the grooming at your place only, or do you come to the dog's home? We don't do dog grooming or any other real world service. It's just a family... read more
CALIFORNIA INVADES TENNESSEEfrom 2023 in ( family / holmes / travel / usa )
June 20th 2023 -- The Road Warriors, head out from Cottonwood/Anderson California on a mission from God. Thomas, Finnegan, Skyla, and I left at 5:00 AM Pacific Time to start our 5,400 mile road trip in my 2019 Subaru Forester. We knew it would be a challenging journey but threw caution to the wind and headed out, anyway.We drove through Nevad... read more
GOTCHA DAY AND MERRY CHRISTMASfrom 2021 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Today we were finally able to celebrate Gotcha Day with our now-16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. She and I both forgot on the actual day, December 10th. Her mom, Tara, remembered but Elizabeth was working late, Tara knew it would not work out, so said nothing. Elizabeth called that night from work, saying No big deal, but we forgot my Gotcha ... read more
KEEP YOUR DOG SAFE FROM DOGNAPPINGfrom 2021 in ( family / pets / dogs / advice )
If you're anything like us here at Breed Advisor, we simply can't imagine life without our four-legged family members. That's why we were horrified to learn that approximately 2 million canines are dognapped each year.Sadly, dog abductions have become increasingly common over the past decade. In fact, American K... read more
COUNTERFEIT SERESTO COLLARS LINKED TO PET DEATHS AND INJURIESfrom 2021 in ( family / animals / pets / safety )
...from China, where they can monitor individuals down to the square inch, but cannot enforce safety laws at factories (or germ warfare labs). Go figure.
If we can't depend on the EPA to warn the public about something so thoroughly documented, should we depend on the agency...Read the targetbl... read more
TELL YOUR PET YOU LOVE THEMfrom 2020 in ( family / pets )
If you ever wondered how strong your furry friends' love is for you, here's your answer. Hearing 'I love you' from their owner makes pups' heart rate skyrocket by 46 percent, study shows... chron.com/life/pets/article/Hearing-I-lov... read more
MY OWN GENEALOGYfrom 2020 in ( family / genealogy / holmes )
Got my genealogy DNA test results back. I have bits from all over the world: 1% E.Central Africa1% Native American (Chile)5% Middle Eastern91% Europe (Portuguese, Flemish, German, Hungarian, Slovak) That leaves 2%, which I'm guessing is from the extra-terrestrial branch of the family tree. ... read more
GET RID OF DOG URINE SMELLfrom 2020 in ( family / pets / dogs / advice )
Does your whole house smell like dog urine? If so, you've come to the right place! If a dog hasn't been trained correctly or is suffering from a health problem, it's likely that it won't be able to control itself in the house. If your dog is peeing in the house, make sure not to scold it, but ... read more
MISSING PUP FOUND LIVING LIKE A KING AMONG DOTING INMATES from 2020 in ( family / pets / dogs )
Although this pup's owners were frantic with worry over his disappearance, he was found only days later living like a king amongst the local prisoners...: targetblank hrefgoodnewsnet... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTERfrom 2020 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
/pages/holmes-family-newsletter-vol-1-no-1 Vol 1 No 1 /pages/holmes-family-newsletter-vol-1-no-2... read more
HIKING WITH ELIZABETH, PART 2from 2019 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
continued from /pages/hiking-with-elizabethHiking with Elizabeth The scariest part was when we stopped. Then he stopped. I had my phone in hand, looking at the map. There was a tense moment until he smiled and said, Y'all lost?Just trying to find our way back to the parking lot, I said. He walked on ... read more
HIKING WITH ELIZABETHfrom 2019 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Went hiking with my daughter, Elizabeth, yesterday evening. There's a nice little park in Thompson's Station with fairly extensive walking trails on its south end, near the water tower. We saw an owl, so, with her new birthday-gift SLR camera in hand, Elizabeth shushed and gestured for me to stop while she took pictures. She got some ... read more
WHEN COYOTES (TRY TO) ATTACKfrom 2019 in ( family / animals / pets / dogs )
Well, I had an exciting morning. Who needs coffee to wake up? It was around 5:30 when I let our pug /images/joey-on-lap.webpJoey out in the backyard. I'm standing there keeping an eye out for critters (there is no fence) when, sure enough, a couple of coyotes start trotting toward us, all casual-like as if out ... read more
OUR PORTUGUESE TABLEfrom 2019 in ( family / genealogy / holmes )
My brother Doug podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digging-into-our-roots/id1088733338?i1000428248232talking about Portuguese genealogy on their January 22, 2019 podcast.In today's episode of Our Portuguese Table, we chat with Doug Holmes, one of the Portuguese community's pr... read more
MY YOUTUBE VIDEOSfrom 2019 in ( family / holmes / bill / movies-tv-video )
Most videos have been titlevideos-on-vimeo hrefvimeo.com/user767842moved to Vimeo . /contact/Contact us here for the password . youtu.be/9teileLfFeACracking up over Lottery ... read more
LIONEL ROCHA HOLMES MEMORIAL DNA FUNDfrom 2017 in ( family / genealogy / holmes )
In honor of my father and his strong support for DNA testing of the Portuguese people, I am awarding a free DNA test each quarter who is announced in each issue of O Progresso, the newsletter of the Portuguese Historical & Cultural Society in Sacramento. If you would like to be considered for a free test, please contact me at terc... read more
A FEW WORDS ABOUT MY DADfrom 2017 in ( family / holmes / lionel / obituaries )
I tried to come up with the best word to fill in the blank in the following sentence: He was the most ----- man I have ever known. He was certainly the finest, hands-down, bar none. Most fair-minded, too. With seven kids ready to cry It's not fair! at any moment, he had to be good about that.He always made it clear that none of his kids... read more
TAKING ELIZABETH TO SKATING PARTYfrom 2017 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Preparing to take Elizabeth to a skating party, I said, Here, take some money. Go ask your mom for more. I thought I had at least a $10, but only had $6. When she returned I asked how much she had now. Forty-six dollars.What?! Yeah, I'll need most of that back.... read more
PARENTING TIP #426from 2017 in ( family / advice )
: When taking out recycling/trash, check its contents. I almost threw out our daughter's purse and wallet! #parentingtips... read more
DIVERSITYfrom 2017 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Me (folding clothes): I need some of your hangers.Elizabeth: Here you go. Me: Wow, a variety of hanger types, thanks. Elizabeth: Well, I am diverse! Her friends are diverse, actually, but it's an inside joke with us about her overbearingly liberal school whose biggest source of pride is its diversity.... read more
YOU SAYING I'M UGLY?from 2015 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I was explaining to my 9-year-old daughter what networking is, and that I'm not very good at it. She said, That's because a lot of people judge you by your looks. And you're not ...You trying to say I'm ugly?I don't think so, she said, but other people do, yeah.Don't you just love kids?... read more
ELIZABETH SKIING FOR THE FIRST TIMEfrom 2015 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / skiing )
It was father-daughter day (for me, my brother, nephew and our daughters) at northstarcalifornia.com/NorthStar ski resort in Lake Tahoe . See vimeo.com/122485650Elizab... read more
I LOVE MY DAUGHTERfrom 2015 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
There's something on the kitchen counter. I'm thinking it's a shriveled, rotting potato. Not that we usually have that sort of thing on the counter, but that's what I'm thinking. I point at it and ask my wife, What is that?Elizabeth's rock, wife deadpans. She's convinced it's a fossilized dinosaur tooth.... read more
ONE TOO MANY CATSfrom 2014 in ( family / holmes / pets / cats )
I was up a little earlier than usual this morning, which apparently surprised one of the cats in our house. The thing is, we only have one cat. Any more than that is too many. This one -- either a stray or just one of the neighbor's cats, I don't know; either way, it's apparently our cat's buddy -- was just coming out of the g... read more
WATCH TARA THE HERO CAT ATTEMPT TO THROW A CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCHfrom 2014 in ( family / pets / cats / dogs )
titleTara the hero cat hrefyoutube.com/watch?vhtgcssmApwWatch Tara the Hero Cat attempt to throw a ceremonial first pitch . The first pitch video is now missing from the Times, so there's now a link to the original news report, although YouTube has marked it offensive to some ... read more
SUNDAY RIDEfrom 2013 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Elizabeth dragged me onto another one of her outings this morning. If nothing else, she keeps me in shape. This time, she was on /images/scooter-motored.webpher motorized scooter (the kind you stand on), while I rode my bicycle. No fair making the old man use pedal power while she rides a scooter, giving only her t... read more
FERAL CATS FIND A NEW USEfrom 2013 in ( family / animals / pets / cats )
In case you're in the market for a barn cat, this is for you: petguide.com/blog/cat/in-nyc-feral-felines-get-a-second-chance-at-life-as-working-cats/petguide.com .Maybe other cities near you have a similar program.... read more
FATHER'S DAYfrom 2013 in ( family / holmes / holidays )
I'm just writing this post to get something new on the blog other than that free ad for Windows 7 . :)We drove up to be with my wife's side of the family today for Father's Day. An extra special treat upon returning home was to discover that our 8-year-old, Elizabeth, had decided to trim her hair -- to give herself bangs -- o... read more
HOLIDAY WORLD (2013)from 2013 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I rode a rollercoaster for the first time in I don't know how long. It was a blast! holidayworld.com/rides/ravenThe Raven has been voted most awesome or whatever wooden coaster several times in the past ten years. The Voyage, now the reigning champ of wooden coasters, was temporarily unavailable. Su... read more
BIRTHDAY CARD FROM GRANDPAfrom 2013 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / birthdays )
Elizabeth received a birthday card from Grandpa today with $20 inside! She said, I love your dad! Tell him thank you very much! Your dad is rich! I wouldn't have thought such an old old person would have so much money! ... read more
DAD'S 94TH BIRTHDAY, PART 3from 2013 in ( family / holmes / lionel / birthdays )
/images/cake.webp /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-1Part 1 , /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-2Part 2 , /pages/dads-94th-birthday... read more
DAD'S 94TH BIRTHDAY, PART 2from 2013 in ( family / holmes / lionel / birthdays )
/images/cake.webp /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-1/Part 1 , /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-2/Part 2 , /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-3/... read more
DAD'S 94TH BIRTHDAY, PART 1from 2013 in ( family / holmes / lionel / birthdays )
/images/e-at-airport.webp /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-1/Part 1 , /pages/dads-94th-birthday-part-2/Part 2 , /pages/... read more
CONTENTMENT ISfrom 2013 in ( family / holmes / pets )
Contentment is lying in bed, social networking on my laptop, listening to my wife and daughter fight/tease each other in the other room, while I've got the cat cuddled up on my left and two out of three pugs cuddled up on my right.... read more
FRANKLIN HAS BEEN ADOPTEDfrom 2012 in ( family / adoption / pets / dogs )
Franklin has been adopted!Our daughter was sad to see him go, but he's now in a good home. And they're close to us, so she might get to visit sometimes. ... read more
HAPPY FATHER'S DAYfrom 2012 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / holidays )
/images/fathers-day-card.webp My daughter just made my day. Here's her card to me.... read more
CHANDLER'S A GOOD DOGfrom 2012 in ( family / holmes / pets / dogs )
Chandler's a good dog. He's been through a lot in this life (before we adopted him) and will probably never fully recover. Never fully trust anyone again. I know the feeling. Maybe that's what we have in common. Whatever it is, I just love the heck out of that dog. And now he's getting old, like me. Blind in one eye. Mostly bl... read more
WHAT CRICKETS EATfrom 2011 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
After catching a cricket and putting it into her bug cage (yes, she has a bug cage), my six-year-old daughter Elizabeth asked, Can you ... um ... look on the Internet and see what crickets eat?I just laughed and said, Yes, I can actually do that. So, excuse me while I go do that.And here's the link: titlewhatdocricketseat ... read more
LESSON LEARNEDfrom 2011 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I'll be spending all week (Spring Break) with my almost-6-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. Woo hoo! Yesterday was supposed to be my only day off, as she was supposed to be in school (snow make-up day). But she's come down with the flu, so she stayed home with me.I took her to the doctor, and they confirmed she has type A flu. It's ... read more
MONKEY JOE'S AGAINfrom 2011 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
This could get expensive coming here on a regular basis at $9-$10 every time, but Tara had a coupon that made it half price. We're at monkeyjoes.comthe new one in Brentwood/Cool Springs . Much better than the one north of town near Rivergate. Much more professional-looking. For one thing, all the bou... read more
DETECTION DOGSfrom 2010 in ( family / animals / pets / dogs )
These are no hounds. These are highly trained detection dogs used by biologists to canvass for animals, scat, rare plants and invasive weeds that are easily missed by humans.: articles.latime... read more
YESTERDAY AT HOMEfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Tara had a busy day off. Her basic schedule consisted of: 1) taking our pug Chandler back to animalarkanimalhospital.com/the vet (for the fifth or sixth time the past month) to check on his ulcerated cornea; 2) awaiting delivery of our new used clothes washer; and, 3) picking up Elizabeth from schoo... read more
SUNNY CAME HOMEfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / pets / cats )
I spent all day today wondering how I was going to tell our 5-year-old that our cat, Sunny, was no longer with us. Literally. After being awakened last night at 2:30 a.m. by the sound of a VERY close coyote, and then not finding Sunny asleep somewhere in the house later that morning -- and she's ALWAYS sleeping it off by that time -- I... read more
ELIZABETH'S FIRST PLAYfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / plays )
Elizabeth, 5, came up with the following play just as we were finishing dinner the other day. Dinner theater, if you will. :) We were in Sacramento visiting my Dad, joined by my brother Greg and his wife June.MOM (Tara): Where is the prince? There he is. Will he join me for dinner? DAD : Will my mother stop making me work all day? Ca... read more
MISSING CAT RETURNSfrom 2010 in ( family / pets / cats )
Good news from best friends Julie and Bert in Las Vegas. One of their cats, Tobie, went missing this past January. He was an indoor/outdoor cat and one day just disappeared. Needless to say, they were heartbroken and spent many hours/days posting fliers, contacting neighbors and shelters, etc. Nothing. But no one gave up hope. Last night, Tob... read more
SATURDAY WITH ELIZABETHfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
As Elizabeth likes to say, she and I were hanging out today while Tara had a girls' day out with Ronica. I think Tara's was a belated birthday thing. Hers was on the 10th. Anyway, once Ronica finally called -- after Tara had started to worry -- I was left alone with Elizabeth. We went to the nash... read more
FIRST FULL WEEKfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
... of kindergarten! Tara's getting Elizabeth ready now. Elizabeth has been ready to go, already jumping into bed with us, then jumping out almost immediately, I guess because she couldn't sleep. Tara will usually be taking her in the morning and I'll be picking her up after. Yes, she could take the bus, but hell no we're n... read more
SISTER'S BIRTHDAYfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / birthdays )
Today's my sister's birthday. She must be having a good one, because she has not replied to anyone's email birthday greeting. The previous weekend was our nephew's 2nd birthday party in Smyrna. That kid partied until it was almost dark!In other birthday news, we drove all the way to Smyrna again (10 miles away) to get a free b... read more
UNCLES' OBITUARIESfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / obituaries )
/images/obituary-clipart.webp I lost a couple of uncles this year. Here are their obituaries: legacy.com/obituaries/insidebayarea/obituary.aspx?pagelifestory&pid143583831Unc... read more
ROTTWEILER TRICKSfrom 2010 in ( family / pets / dogs )
Here are some videos by my sister's friend who bought a puppy from her: youtube.com/watch?vPTyOqZemOq4watch?vPTyOqZemOq4 youtube.com/watch?vnVFlSQdzQjI&featurefvwwatch?vnVFlSQdzQjI&fea... read more
A WARNING TO PET OWNERS WITH KIDSfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / pets / dogs )
I had to take our dog Chandler (my best puppy, the big man, or Chanva as our daughter Elizabeth used to call him) to animalarkanimalhospital.com/the vet Thursday. I had discovered while giving him a bath what looked like a bloody gash on his throat. I was horrified. I literally gasped in shock (I&... read more
OUR ADOPTION STORYfrom 2010 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
My wife Tara has written up our adoption story in response to that woman (not far from us, unfortunately) who returned that boy to Russia a couple weeks ago. With the recent headline news about the Russian adoption that went very very wrong, I have been asked by many friends and family about my opinion of the situatio... read more
OUR RUSSIAN ADOPTION STORYfrom 2010 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
/images/cities-moscow-st-basils.webp With the recent headline news about the Russian adoption that went very very wrong, I have been asked by many friends and family about my opinion of the s... read more
PETITION IN FAVOR OF RUSSIAN ADOPTIONfrom 2010 in ( family / adoption )
Please sign the petition (at the bottom of this post) in favor of Russian adoption. I did. My wife and I adopted from Russia in 2007. You can watch the videos vimeo.com/1776317here and h... read more
FINNEGAN WALTER BROUNS HATCHED OUTfrom 2010 in ( family / brouns )
/images/finnegan-in-belly.webp Finnegan Walter Brouns. Born April 1st at 9:35 AM. ... read more
AN ENTIRE WEEK WITH ELIZABETHfrom 2010 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
You will not believe what I've been through! :) Okay, maybe it's not been that bad. You single parents out there are laughing at me, I'm sure. But I went an entire week taking care of Elizabeth, our 4-year-old, while Tara not only had to work all week, but also came down with a cold. So, I've had to start her baths -- El... read more
ELEVEN ROTTWEILER PUPPIESfrom 2010 in ( family / pets / dogs )
Help her come up with names starting with the letter B by leaving comments below! comments closed... read more
VIDEOS ON VIMEOfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
In chronological order (I think): vimeo.com/3271045Bill in Europe, 1996 vimeo.com/1776317Holmes Russian Adoption, part 1 targetblan... read more
AN ENTIRE DAY WITH ELIZABETHfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I can't believe I made it. Of course, it's not over yet. It's only dinner time. It's been a LONG day. I'm at McDonald's as I write this. I tried to get online with their free wi-fi, but you have to have an account already before you can use it. Now I know. For some reason, this McDonald's reminded me of the o... read more
DOWN BY THE CREEKfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / bicycles )
Elizabeth and I went down to the creek this cold fall morning. With all the recent rain, Indian and Mill Creeks both had a lot of rushing water. We walked along the edge of Mill Creek. Usually, we stick to the closer Indian Creek. Elizabeth went as far as she could (or wanted to), then I had to carry her. At one point while carrying her, I slipp... read more
ELIZABETH CUT OFF ALL HER HAIRfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
In the twenty minutes that Tara and I left Elizabeth alone, she found some (child-safe) scissors and cut off all her hair. At first I thought it was just wet. Then I realized she'd cut it all off. I laughed and said I was just glad she hadn't hurt herself. A few seconds later, Tara came into the room and I told her what Elizabeth had ... read more
ONE HOUR WITH ELIZABETHfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
We had a list of stops to make. First came AceHardware.comAce Hardware for a clothes line and a no-pest-strip. Elizabeth had rediscovered her Barbie electric guitar earlier that day and brought it with her on this trip. She wanted to bring it into the store, she said, so everyone can hear my music. I... read more
HOLIDAY WORLD (2009)from 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Tara just brought me back from the pharmacy where I'm having a prescription filled. We used cvs.comCVS because Tara had a coupon. She is the coupon queen. Doesn't buy anything without a coupon these days. It's a hobby. You should check out her blog at titleTara's Favorites target... read more
ELIZABETH'S HOUSEfrom 2009 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
The other day at the house, we had this conversation:Elizabeth: This is my house.Bill: Your house? I thought it was my and mom's house.Elizabeth: No. It's mine. I'm sharing it with you. Tara and I cracked up.... read more
ADOPTION VIDEOS UPDATEDfrom 2009 in ( family / adoption / holmes / movies-tv-video )
You can watch them here: vimeo.com/3058687?pgtranscoded-embed&sec3058687Holmes Russian Adoption, Part 1 (updated) titleHolmes Russian Adoption, Part 2 (updated) hrefhttp... read more
A FEW MORE VIDEOSfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / movies-tv-video )
I finally edited these a little bit and uploaded them: vimeo.com/2470715Chandler hanging out titlebaby shower hrefvimeo.com/2524334Elizabeth's baby shower in Feb... read more
TARA'S FAVORITESfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / tara )
Tara's got a new blog! It's called Tara's Favorites, available at titleTara's Favorites hreftarasfaves.comtarasfaves.com or titleTara's Favorites hreftarasfavorites.comtarasfavorites.com . Check it out!Information a... read more
WALKING THE DOGSfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / pets / dogs )
It's something I do every night. I actually stopped for several months starting in May, I guess, when my back problems flared up. Then came my knee surgery, which kept me from walking much. Then I got to where I enjoyed not having to walk the dogs every freakin' night of my life. :) But then they started doing their business in the house... read more
ELIZABETH'S FIRST VIDEOfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / movies-tv-video )
Elizabeth's directorial debut. A probing, provocative, sometimes introspective look at a typical weekend around the house with Mama and Papa and the pugs. : href... read more
MORE PICTURES OF ELIZABETH IN CALIFORNIAfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Bill on Rosie, while Jeannie, Tara, even Shayden, fall for /images/thomas-wedding-180.webpElizabeth's attention-getting antics. ... read more
HAD A SCAREfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
We had a scare a couple of Wednesdays back with Elizabeth. She was at pre-school/daycare when she tripped and fell head-first onto the pavement outside as everyone was told to get in line to go back inside. We figure, being so competitive, she was racing to get in the front of the line when she tripped. She lost consciousness for a second or two... read more
HOLMES RUSSIAN ADOPTION VIDEOSfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / movies-tv-video )
The links to both 1 and 2 are here. Part 1 has been updated slightly, in case you want to watch it again. Part 2 might be updated eventually, too, if more pictures come in. Here are the links: vimeo.com/1776317... read more
CALIFORNIA TRIP (2008)from 2008 in ( family / holmes / travel )
Tara, Elizabeth and I just returned from a trip to California. We went for my nephew Thomas's wedding (to bride Heather at Lake Tahoe), but it was also a convenient excuse to let everyone on my side of the family, especially her Grandma and Grandpa, finally meet Elizabeth. No offense to Thomas and Heather!Tara's side are alre... read more
SLEEP-OVER AT RONICA'Sfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I delegated the responsibility of reading Elizabeth her bedtime story to her son. :) By the way, she slept great! I put her to bed at 8:15 and she was asleep by 8:30. We woke up at 8:00 this morning.... read more
A VERY ARTSY PICTURE OF ELIZABETHfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / photography )
Just because I liked it, I'm posting it here! :)... read more
BIRTHDAY PARTY PICS (2008)from 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / birthdays )
Elizabeth's 3rd birthday. April 2008. vimeo.com/24707963rd birthday ... read more
BIRTHDAY PARTY (2008)from 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth / birthdays )
Well, Elizabeth's birthday party is this Saturday. She'll be 3, and it'll be her first real party. It'll be outside at a covered table next to a playground in a nearby park. I can't tell you here on the Internet exactly where this park is because you might be a murderer or child molester. You know who you are. Anyway, le... read more
GOOD FRIDAYfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
It WAS a good Friday. There was nothing religious about it. If you know me at all, that wouldn't surprise you. I was just reading my previous post and wanted to have something more positive this time. We're all still adjusting to each other and getting better at it every day. That last post was three weeks ago and feels like months ag... read more
FAMILY NEWSLETTERfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Old stuff, but some of it's still funny ... It's basically the precursor to this website. Click the links in the table of contents, above. Otherwise, just do a search in the home page's... read more
FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF DAYCAREfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Elizabeth spent her first official full day at kindercare.com/daycare yesterday. The teacher went on and on about how wonderful and good and helpful she was. I say first official day because Tara took her to a free trial day last week. Daycare is probably a lot like the orphanage, which is why she flo... read more
RECENT PHOTOS OF ELIZABETHfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / elizabeth )
Around the housetitleathome-1.webp href/images/athome-1.webp titleathome-2.webp href/images/athome-2.webp titleathome-3.webp href/images/athome-3.webp... read more
DOCTORS SAY SHE'S NORMALfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Tara took Elizabeth to the international adoption specialist doctors today for a psychological evaluation and another physical exam. They say she is perfectly average/normal for a girl her age. Of course, that puts her well above average for a foreign orphan.We think she's better than any other girl her age, but we might be bia... read more
LUNCHEON FOR ELIZABETHfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / lunch )
I can't believe how nice my coworkers at Franklin are. On Friday, they had a luncheon at work for Elizabeth and Tara. They invited me, too. :) Great food, several gifts, and the biggest surprise: a money tree. Tara and I were speechless at that. It's not like my coworkers have any more spare money than we do. Don't w... read more
BABY SHOWERfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Tara's female family and friends threw Elizabeth a baby shower last weekend. I was the only man there. The only reason I went was so that any other men showing up wouldn't be the only man. Oh well. I was able to get a lot on video, and Tara took pictures. titleShower1 href/images/shower1.webp... read more
PETS PAGEfrom 2008 in ( family / pets )
Cool toys equi-spirit-toys.com/store/here! /pages/pets/Pet-related posts facebook.com/cottonwoodcreekpetspaCottonwood Creek Pet Spa (Facebook page) tar... read more
SETTLING INfrom 2008 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
I just thought I'd mention that Elizabeth is settling into her new life pretty well. Tara is her full-time parent, I just appear after work and on weekends. :) Even then, it's Tara who does most of the work. Elizabeth's biggest hurdle so far has been getting used to our pets, three pugs and a cat. She's ALMOST completely used ... read more
SUMMARY OF OUR RUSSIAN ADOPTION EXPERIENCEfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
To sum it all up: We love our daughter. Elizabeth is a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent little girl. We thank Russia for giving her to us. Otherwise, we did not enjoy Russia. In their defense, we weren't there under normal circumstances. It was not a vacation. We felt under pressure and stressed-out as we spent most of our time dealing w... read more
STAY TUNEDfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I hope to get the rest of the photos and videos on here, at least in raw form, over the next few days. I think I'm getting over my post traumatic stress disorder from the trip and can now face looking at the video again. :)Regarding Comments, I had to set those to require approval before showing up on the site because spammers have discov... read more
AIRPORT ARRIVALfrom 2008 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Some pictures as we arrived in the airport. There was a great welcoming party there! We've never had an airport welcoming party before!... read more
MORE PICS (12/28/2007)from 2007 in ( family / holmes / elizabeth )
Elizabeth likes bows in her hairtitlebows1 href/images/elizabeth-bows-1.webp titlebows2 href/images/elizabeth-bows.webp Red SquaretitleRed Square 1 href/im... read more
A FEW PICTURESfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Finally, some pictures of Elizabeth. They're not even the latest, but it should hold you over if you've never seen her before.titlewith orphanage director href/images/elizabeth-with-director.webp title... read more
WE'RE HOME! (FOR GOOD, THIS TIME)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
And now I'm going to bed! :) I'll blog tomorrow.... read more
RIDING THE METROfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're going to attempt to ride the Metro subway to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square today. Wish us luck. The exits aren't numbered, they are listed by name ... in Cyrillic. Of course, the overhead announcements are in Russian. One helpful thing is that the announcements are in a male voic... read more
STILL IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in a different hotel, the ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/Moscow/mowso/hoteldetailHoliday Inn -- Moscow Sokolniki , for the rest of our stay. This is the one that was originally reserved for our return from Astrakhan. It has a reliable internet connection, costs less per night than yesterday... read more
TO THE EMBASSYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Our last stop before the airport on the magical mystery tour is the Google.com/maps/place/EmbassyoftheUnitedStates/@55.7560229,37.576976,17z/data!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x46b54bcacb7fc963:0xc2075a0e27388e24!8m2!3d55.7560199!4d37.5791646US Embassy . They will make Elizabeth a US citizen and a registered Repub... read more
CAN'T LEAVE EARLYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
... but at least it's all over. The Embassy visit went fine. Delta said that the only way we could take the available seats on earlier flights was to pay $2800 extra FOR EACH ticket. We said no. Unless someone wants to donate that to us, then we'll call them back. :) As it is, we can't leave until Sunday as originally planned.... read more
MOSCOW UPDATE CONTINUEDfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in Moscow.Bill already summarized our trip here. I do believe that I am fully initiated into the sisterhood of Mothers. I have changed an exploding poopy diaper in an airplane bathroom, with turbulence! I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say, I will be burning our clothes from that trip. Internet access is very expe... read more
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE'S UPDATEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it. The hotel sure did send up some techs quickly to check it out. Tara and Elizabet... read more
RIDING THE METRO, PART DEUXfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
All three of us went to history.com/topics/red-squareRed Square this time. I'm glad Tara was able to see it. Elizabeth was fascinated, too, but probably won't remember a thing. We then had lunch at sbarro.com/Sbarro in the ht... read more
JUST ANOTHER WEEK TO GOfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
... maybe less! That cheers me up. That's assuming everything goes as planned ... and it WILL. I believe in positive thinking (when I'm desperate, anyway, because it leads to positive actions, which lead to positive results, or at least your chances are better). I don't always practice it, but I try. It doesn't always work, but i... read more
PICTURES OF OUR LIFE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Tonight is our last night in Astrakhan. So, I thought I'd post some pictures of where we've been living for the past 19 days. We've had many battles over clothing. She thinks I put too much clothes on her. In the hotel room, she wears her thermals. But, she loves her boots. So, she often walks around in her thermals with her snow ... read more
BACK IN MOSCOW (12/18/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it this far! The plane ride was terrible for several minutes when we had to fasten our seat belts, which Elizabeth did not want to do. She SCREAMED loudly for quite a while, ticking off everyone nearby. Luckily, part of it was drowned out by the sound of the jet engines revving up and taking off. After that, she pooped her pants (I think... read more
51-1/2 HOURSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
That's how long before we leave Astrakhan for Moscow. Not that we're counting or anything. The bad thing about these in-country flights is that they don't use jetways, those expandable tubes that protect you from the weather as you get on and off the plane. You are out there exposed on the tarmac, which is no fun in bad weather. ... read more
HERE'S YOUR UPDATEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Everyone is wanting an update! Well, we're parents of a two-year-old now. No time for updates!She is keeping us busy. Her favorite things to do are: play in the sink, play in the tub, and play in the toilet. She is a waterbaby! One of the things we were warned about an adopted child from an orphanage was that they may hate baths and it wo... read more
SLEEP, WHAT A CONCEPTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I slept on the floor most of last night. It's a little after 7 a.m. here. Elizabeth refuses to sleep in her crib, even though we're told that's what she slept in at the orphanage. So, she sleeps with us in our bed. That bed is barely big enough for just me and Tara. Anyway, Elizabeth can go to sleep in the bed, but whenever she wakes... read more
NOTHING MUCH TO UPDATE ABOUTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
She's just driving us crazy. Luckily, Tara is taking the brunt of it. I had to get out and walk around town in the freezing cold, just for the sake of getting out. I was at least useful, coming back with some groceries. Elizabeth's sweet as can be and very playful most of the time, but she turns on a dime. The main problem is just kee... read more
BOWEL MOVEMENTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I like a headline that demands attention!It's official, I'm a parent. Elizabeth had her first bowel movement since we've had her, and it was on my watch! Tara was unable to put Elizabeth down for a nap while I was out walking around town looking for groceries and sundry items. Once I returned, Tara decided to take a nap h... read more
MORE PICTURES (12-09-2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Here are some photos from today of the hotel and the closest major street to us. We didn't get very far on our walk because it was too cold.titleAzimut Hotel front href/images/azimut-front4.webp titleAzimut Hotel side href/images/azimut-front... read more
THE FIRST HOURS OF PARENTHOODfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh my gosh! She's a handful!Well, we left the orphanage without much incident. She told the orphanage staff that she wanted to leave in the car. But, she refused to let me or Bill hold her hand or touch her other than put her snowsuit and boots on. The orphanage director walked her out and then Vika, our interpreter took her from there. S... read more
SHE'S OURSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We have her in the hotel now. I tried typing that sentence earlier but she shut the computer down as I was typing! I don't know how. But just a few keystrokes and it was shutting down. Now she kee... read more
PICTURE OF US BEFORE COURTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
titleBill and Tara before Court href/images/bill-and-tara-before-court.webp ...from several days ago, the morning of our court appearance. Taken by the other adoptive family in town... read more
LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNELfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We visited Elizabeth again today. We caught her when she was in the music room with all the other kids in her age group. She smiled wide when she saw us, but by the time she reached us, she tried to k... read more
SHE'S WARMING UP TO USfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp We had her laughing, smiling and giggling today. I pushed her around on the three-wheeler, then flew her around the room. She even let us chase her around, and it didn't scare her when I chased ... read more
IT'S GOING TO BE A GOOD WEEKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp That's all I wanted to say. :)We had a shortened visit with Elizabeth today because we had to first stop by the pharmacy and get some bengay.comBen-Gay and ibu... read more
SATURDAY MORNINGfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Tara made a good guess earlier. She thinks the orphanage caretakers are telling Elizabeth that we will be taking her away soon. They think they're doing us a favor, trying to prepare her.... read more
THE DAY AFTERfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Well, we're much more relaxed now that we've gotten past the court appearance. The problem now is getting Elizabeth to like us again. Today, she cried for the first time. She let me hold her, ... read more
MUCH BETTER VISIT TODAYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp Elizabeth (a.k.a. Masha) was much happier today. We were told that the orphanage caretakers probably were not telling her that we would be taking her away, but who knows? She let... read more
WENT FOR A WALKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp ... in the freezing cold, we were THAT bored. I'm starting to hate this place. There's just nothing to do when we're not visiting Elizabeth or going shopping, and both of those require a d... read more
SUCCESSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp As you probably read below in Tara's post, our court appearance went very well. Ten days from now we will officially be the proud parents of Elizabeth! And now Vika tells us that we get to visit h... read more
AND THE JUDGE SAYSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
She's ours!It's official! Elizabeth is ours. The court hearing went very smooth. It took about an hour and a half. There was a judge, prosecutor, a rep from the Child protective services, and the Minister of Education. They had a lot of questions about our parenting style, our finances and guardianship of her in the event of both our ... read more
IT'S SHOWTIMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We leave in an hour for Court. I just got back from breakfast. Tara did not join me because she can't eat, she's so nervous. Gotta go get dressed. Wish us luck!... read more
RUSSIAN BUREAUCRACYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh... my... God. Do not EVER lose that document they have you fill out on the plane before you land! Stapling it to your forehead would be less painful than what Galina, Liena and I went through today. Vika was tending to the other couple, Nancy and Joel. Anyway, we just spent ALL afternoon standing and sitting in line at the Immigration departm... read more
RUSSIAN ADOPTION CONSULTANTfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I've taken a job here as a Russian adoption consultant. The hours are long, and the pay is in barter, but you gotta do what you gotta do, seein' as how I can't leave the country. :)But seriously, the childrenshope.netChildren's Hope office in Brentwood, TN has an opening for such a job. T... read more
COMMENTS WELCOMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I set this blog so that you can now add your comments anonymously without logging in. So, comment away! I was afraid that the requirement for a login was keeping people from participating. Now you can go crazy because you're anonymous. Just watch your language! Elizabeth is reading this, too ... some day. :) Email me if you have a problem us... read more
BACK IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it to Astrakhan, but I've lost my immigration form that goes with the passport and visa. It's just a little sheet that they have you fill out on the airplane before you land. If I'd known it was so important, I would have stapled it into the passport instead of just sliding it in there. It's not the end of the world, but ... read more
IN THE AIR AGAINfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Sunday, November 25, 2007, 5:00pm CSTWe're in the air on our way back to Moscow. Delta Flight 46. The current in-flight movie is Evan Almighty, which we saw on one of our other flights to or from Moscow last time. You know, when you jet back and forth like we do, you forget exactly which flight it was. :) I guess it's rentable, but ... read more
BEET SALADfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/images/adoption-video-frame.webp The time stamp on these blog posts are in US Central Time, not Russia time. It's 6am Sunday morning here. We had lunch the other day with Nancy, Joel, Vika and Liena at a Wester... read more
MWEH YEDDUM V AEROPORT ETA OOTRAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
You probably guessed what that means: We are going to the aiport this morning. It's probably not grammatically correct, but I ain't got no time for linguistic correctitude. :)Unlike last time when the cat kept waking me up, this time I was able to get a good night's sleep. I was up at 5:30, but I got a good seven hours. It helped ... read more
TUESDAY (11/27/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Time flies when you lose nine hours. We fly to Astrakhan this afternoon. This morning, we'll be having the free breakfast that the hotel offers. Then we'll exchange our dollars for rubles (before the dollar devalues even more). I could've done that yesterday, but I ... just ... didn't ... feel like it. :)They don't get a l... read more
BACK IN MOSCOW (11/26/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We made it. The flight was horrible. I think I slept about 30 seconds out of the 11 hour flight. It was not a full flight, and half the people around us were able to take up two or three seats, but we weren't quick enough. The other movie on the flight was imdb.com/title/tt0435705/?refnmflmgact58... read more
INTERNET ACCESSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I'm wondering about internet access now that we've tentatively planned to stay in a weekly apartment in Astrakhan instead of the hotel the entire time. We'll probably want/need that internet access for the sake of something to do. Normally, we could go sightseeing, but when it's below-freezing outside, that doesn't sound fun.... read more
ELIZABETH'S ROOMfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
OK, here are the pictures:BeforetitleChild's room 1 href/images/childsroom001.webp titleChild's room 2 href/images/childsroom002.webp After... read more
SKORA MWEH TAM BOOJUMfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Translation: We'll be there soon. This time next week, actually. I really want to be able to communicate with our daughter Elizabeth when we get there. I've been playing titleUPDATE: I think this is the one hrefpaypal.com/xclick/businessbobkatjane%40yahoo.com&item-nameRussianforAdoptiveParents-t... read more
ROUND TWOfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We've received our court date. We're haggling with the airlines now. One round-trip ticket for one adult costs a little over $800. One one-way ticket for our daughter's flight home with us costs $1,600!! I suggested just buying our daughter a round-trip ticket (which would be only $900) and not using the return portion of it, but T... read more
BACK IN ATLANTAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're in the Atlanta airport now! Good to be on US soil, except that they keep mentioning George Bush (... as in the Houston Airport). :) It's 1:45a.m. Moscow time right now (5:45p.m. EDT), but I'm not tired. I'm anxious to catch the flight to Nashville. Customs and security here in Atlanta is sooo much smoother than Russia, th... read more
WE'RE HOMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
OK, now we're home! I'll try and do a trip summary tomorrow after a good night's sleep ... in my own bed. Tara says she feels like Dorothy, There's no place like home!... read more
ANOTHER GREAT VISITfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We're feeling closer and closer to our child, especially after today. And I think we passed the test of having the psychologist there, observing. She was pretty cool, actually. She didn't stay the entire visit. I think she could see that Tara, the child and I are all getting along well. She'll be observing again tomorrow, but we... read more
THURSDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
First things first: Our little girl is warming up to Tara. She gave her a kiss yesterday, I think without even being asked. Now, for some more random thoughts:Before I forget to mention it, I need to tell you what happened Tuesday. I think it was Tuesday. My whole sense of time is pretty messed up. Anyway, it was a momentous day. Yeah, yea... read more
LAST VISIT FOR A WHILEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be leaving in a few minutes for our last visit to the orphanage this trip. I'm practicing asking for my baggage back from the hotel baggage room. Baggage actually sounds like boggage. Please is pa-ZHAL-sta. Fascinating, I know. I thought about getting a parting video shot of the lobby as we sit here waiting for our ride. But th... read more
WEDNESDAY IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We just got back from today's first visit with the child (we're not supposed to mention her name online). We'll be going back this afternoon. In the meantime, Tara's trying to catch up on her sleep. She had woken up around 5 this morning. I was able to sleep until almost 8. The girl (hopefully soon to be known as our... read more
SIGHTS OF ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room. We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while the rooms are decorated in traditional Russian decor like lace curtains, handblown gl... read more
GREAT VISITfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We had a great visit with our little girl this morning. There were no observers. That happens this afternoon. Vika mentioned we should think about showing more affection in front of the observers. It's more in line with how Russians treat their kids. We're fine with that. We like kids so much, we flew half way around the world to have on... read more
IT'S A GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Oh My Gosh what a difference 1 day makes! So, we have a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed, 2-1/2-year-old girl!First, the obvious question: What happened to the 4-year-old boy? We don't know. After 2 trips to the Minister of Education, and two interviews, they gave us a referral for this girl. It's been so difficult get... read more
WHAT A DAYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Where to begin... The original plan was for us to go to the Minister of Education and submit our dossier and then formally receive our referral. What really happened:Galina called the ministry this morning only to find out that they were closed in the morning supposedly because there had been a death within the ministry (I'm assuming a... read more
WE'RE IN ASTRAKHANfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
After a nerve-wracking trip to the airport and getting through the airport security we finally made it to our plane. We were told that our Rep, Galina, would be flying with us. We never saw her until we were already on the plane. She was one of the last passengers on the plane, she saw us and gestured to Bill. He figured it was Galina. Her seat ... read more
CHECK-OUT TIMEfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We check out in an hour. We got a nice free breakfast this morning, then went back to that grocery store and managed to pay the right amount for the right kind of water (still, not sparkling, which is hard to find). Security guard work is apparently a large pa... read more
IT'S ONLY MONDAY?from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Monday -- 1 Oct 07 -- 6:37PMzzzDRAHST-vueet-ya, DRAHST-ya, BREEV-yet ee DO-bree-dyen from Astrakhan! I just (phonetically) said Hello, hey, hi and good afternoon (even though it's now evening here) in Russian. I couldn't remember how to say evening.We visited the Ministry of Education today, the people who decide who lives and ... read more
FIRST TIME IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Well, we made it to Moscow!After a long plane trip, we managed to get through passport control and customs with no problems. And all of our luggage made it!Our CHI Rep and driver were late getting to the airport and we were worried, but they did eventually show up. We got our first taste of traffic, and let me go on record to say -- I will... read more
ADOPTION VIDEOSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / movies-tv-video )
OK, so it took a year, but here they are, finally: vimeo.com/1776317Part 1 titleadoption part 2 hrefvimeo.com/1774164Part 2 You'll see all of our videos of E... read more
LINKS TO ALL HOLMES FAMILY ADOPTION POSTSfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
/pages/this-time-next-weekThis Time Next Week -- I'm happy to say that this time next week, we will be in Astrakhan, Russia! We leave the States on Friday, September 28 ... read more
WE'RE IN MOSCOWfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
We'll be spending the night in Moscow, after all, and flying down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon. I was stressed out without an internet or even a usable power connection. But I'm obviously connected now. I had the power converters, but not the three-prong-to-two-prong adapter that I have plenty of at home. We ran into another cou... read more
IN THE AIRfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
28 Sept -- 3:55pm CDT -- We're in the air on our way to Moscow. A little bit of good news is that it's only a 10 hour flight instead of 12 as we had thought.... read more
TUESDAY (10/2/2007)from 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes / travel )
Just some random notes this morningThere's a real /images/russian-stray-dog.webpstray dog problem in Russian cities; or, at least Moscow and Astrakhan. A lot of people even apparently let their dogs run loose. They're almost all large dogs. The small ones don't survive. There's a real... read more
THE DAY BEFOREfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Sounds like a movie title. Anyway, it's Thursday morning. amazon.com/dp/B01E7XUONI/refas-li-qf-sp-asin-il-tl?ieUTF8&taghepyacom-20&camp1789&creative9325&linkCodeas2&creativeASINB01E7XUONI&linkId19a52ec4efea06a810015bed361ed046Grey's Anatomy season premier tonight. Tara says woo-... read more
TRAVEL DAYfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
We fly out today. It would've been nice to have gotten one last good night's sleep, but the cat made sure that didn't happen. Stupid cat. Anyone want one? Seriously. She's very pretty; and sweet when she's not keeping you from sleeping. I'll miss the pugs while we're gone, but if one of our pet sitters happens to los... read more
PREPARATION FOR OUR FIRST TRIP TO RUSSIAfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
Tuesday morning. Everyone's still asleep except for me, the pug Joey and /images/joey-sitting-on-sunny.webpthe cat Sunny . In preparation for our trip, I'm trying to reacquaint myself with the digital cameras, video and still. I would've put Joey's and Sunny's pictures here, but the camera is con... read more
THIS TIME NEXT WEEKfrom 2007 in ( family / adoption / holmes )
I'm happy to say that this time next week, we will be in Astrakhan, Russia! We leave the States on Friday, September 28 and arrive in Moscow on the 29th. Depending upon the schedule of the flights to Astrakhan, we may have to stay in Moscow one night or we will board another plane on Saturday and fly straight to Astrakhan. We're kinda ho... read more
OUR FIRST (AND BEST-EVER) DOG, DAISYfrom 2006 in ( family / holmes / pets )
Daisy graduates! Pic /images/daisy-class1-073103.webpOne, /images/daisy-073103.webpPicture from earlier that day! Previous pictures: /images/daisy-060503.webpOne and /images/daisy-puppy-on-lap.webpTwo targetblan... read more
ALL ABOUT DONfrom 2005 in ( family / holmes / pets )
/pages/music-by-a-brother/Music by a brother Conan Our cat Conan died of a kidney infection today (we had to have him put down). We had him 18-1/2 years. He seems to have known it was his last year because, unli... read more
DOUG AND FAMILY PAGEfrom 2003 in ( family / holmes / doug )
/pages/doug-sells-power-toolsDoug sells power tools titleThis link is NOT unsafe, despite that 'signature' warning some browsers/antiviruses give. hrefdholmes.com/Doug's genealogy services titleThis link is NOT unsafe, despite that 'signature' wa... read more
ELEANOR AND LIONELfrom 2001 in ( family / holmes / lionel / obituaries )
Eleanor's back surgery was a success!Everyone warned me against back surgery, she says. But, I'd be in a wheelchair now if I hadn't had surgery!titleThis link IS safe, despite that 'signature' warning some browsers/antiviruses give. hrefdholmes.com/o-prog.h... read more
ENGAGED... FINALLYfrom 2001 in ( family / holmes / bill )
Engaged... finally!Tara and I are finally getting married. We've felt married, but now we're making it official, just for the sake of making it official. :) The actual wedding will be August 22, which we've always celebrated as our anniversary because that was the day of our first date. It'll be a very small, quick ceremo... read more
AN EMAIL EXCHANGEfrom 2001 in ( family / holmes / bill / humor )
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001, 2:59 PMTara McKinneySubject: rescheduled againBetter not bring any boyfriends home tonight. I'll be here, after all. It's been rescheduled for tomorrow. Got a call from TekSystems-Huntsville. They've got a contract-to-perm job possibility. I told them that you would LOVE to relo... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 8 NO 1from 1997 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Once in a Blue MoonVol. 8 No. 1, February 1997A lot has happened since our last newsletter, so let's just jump right in with the news... Mike and Evelyn get marrie... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 7 NO 1from 1995 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Wandering Eye Vol. 7 No. 1, March 19, 1995We're back! Sorry it took so long between issues, but the entire staff was frozen solid in... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 7from 1995 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Yee-Haw The only newsletter we do!Vol. 6, No. 7, December 29, 1994Belinda Has Puppies!Another one of Lucy's dogs has gone and had a litter of pups.... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 6from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Coyote BreathVol. 6 No. 6, October 26, 1994 Don rides to DenverIn August, Don rode his motorcycle from Nashville to Denver. He wouldn't say wh... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 5from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
/images/behind-the-8-bal.gifBehind the Eight Ball Who is that behind the eight ball, anyway?Vol. 6 No. 5, August 21, 1994 Jeannie Breaks HandJe... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 4from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Fish Stories Best when lightly buttered, with just a pinch of lemon.Vol. 6 No. 4June 28, 1994 titleTiffany nameTiffanyTiffany wins awardsTiffany and her horse, Rocky, of Tracy, CA, competed in a local horse show a couple of months ago. See how... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 3from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Obtuse Moose Vol. 6, No. 3, April 21, 1994 Jeannie finds dog Jeannie and John have a ranch in Tracy, California. To help pay the bills, they boar... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 2from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Falling Down a Manhole (can be quite painful and should be avoided)Vol. 6, No. 2, March 1, 1994 Michael moves!M... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 6 NO 1from 1994 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Itchy Trigger FingerVol. 6, No. 1, February 6, 1994Earthquake in Southern California!We're sure you've heard all about it on the news, but we just wanted to mention it in case you've just recently emerged from a cave.... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 8from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Happy Hairball (something we keep coughing up) Volume 5, Number 8 December 20, 1993 Publisher: This guy ->> Editor: Same guy Distributor: Brave little delivery boys and girls worldwide Address: Nashvi... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 7from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Rotten Apple Journalism with visible holesVol. 5 No. 7, December 1, 1993 Mike Rolls Car!LIVINGSTON, CA - Remember... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 6from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Hoot and a HollerVol. 5, No. 6, September 28, 1993 - Nashville editionJournalism at its finest! - Yearly subscription rate: $135 Brouns family buys property LAT... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 5from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
rabblerouser Vol. 5, No. 5, August 8, 1993 Bill moving to NashvilleBill is moving to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his boyhood dream of being a country singing star! Oh wait, that's Do... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 4from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Not Just Another NewsletterMONDAY, JULY 19, 1993CIRCULATION: From 8 to 15 (depending on our mood and how many stamps we have)... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 3from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
A Face in the Crowd Vol. 5, No. 3, May 25, 1993 Eleanor Gets LicenseAfter taking the DMV driving test every year since the age of 16, Eleanor has finally passed and been given her drivers license!It just goes to show that perseverance pays off, said Eleanor. Bill Moves... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 2from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Sacred CowVol. 5, No. 2, March 15, 1993 Dad sucked from plane!Well, almost. And it was 41 years ago. Hey, nobody can accuse us of being accurate or cu... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 5 NO 1from 1993 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Stupid Kangaroo Vol. 5, No. 1, February 1, 1993 Editor's Note: This newsletter welcomes the New Year (kicking and screami... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 8from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaping Lizard Vol. 4, No. 8, October 20, 1992 EDITOR'S NOTE ...After Grandma's recent birthday party (see article below), this newsletter was... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 7from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Belching Frog Vol. 4, No. 7, September 16, 1992Thomas should like this name. Doug returns again On August... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 6from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Barking Dog Vol. 4 No. 6, July 22, 1992 Who names these newsletters, anyway? earthquakes, earthquakes! ... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 5from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Broken Record Vol. 4, No. 5, June 25, 1992Predictable, irritating. Really, no redeeming qualities whatsoever.L.A. riots: T... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 4from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Squeaky Sprocket Vol. 4, No. 4, May 11, 1992 The intelligent person's newsletter of choice. Riots in L.A., earthq... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 3from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky Faucet Vol. 4, No. 3, March 18, 1992More of the same, basically. Doug elected presidentWith this nati... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 2from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky Faucet Vol. 4, No. 2, February 13, 1992 The quintessential newsletter. Warning: May not be suitable for the humor impaired. ... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 4 NO 1from 1992 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky Faucet Vol. 4, No. 1, January 4, 1992Everything you've ever wanted to know about anything. Diane has sur... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 8from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky Faucet Vol. 3, No. 8, December 10, 1991 Steve & Denise host ThanksgivingTurkey was served and everybody ate it. What else is there to say? Ok... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 7from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky Faucet Vol. 3, No. 7, October 14, 1991 Mike lands great job!Michael has been named Executive Producer of Cal State Stanislaus' new bi-we... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 6from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Leaky FaucetIrritating, yet soothing. Obnoxious, yet hypnoticVol. 3, No. 6, July 30, 1991Sapphire dispute settled out of courtSteve... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 5from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
NEWS Vol. 3, No. 5, July 6, 1991Northern California's leading newsletter since 1989 (except for those few months when we were Southern California's leading newsletter) Record heat melts... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 4from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
the Evening Star Post-Tribune Dispatch (we couldn't decide on a name) Vol. 3, No. 4, June 4, 1991 Bikers ride to YosemiteOn Mother's Day, John, Jeannie, Don and Diane (collectively known as Hell... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 3from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
and now...THE NEWS Vol. 3, No. 3 (yes, only No. 3)April 26, 1991 Doug returns from Hungary On March 21, Doug left Sacrament... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 2from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
the NEWSLETTER Vol. 3, No. 2 February 10, 1991 It's a girl... and a boy and a girl and a boy... Chance, a dog, has given birth to... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 3 NO 1from 1991 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
news from La-La Land HAPPY NEW YEAR!!Vol. 3, No. 1, January 4, 1991 Newsletter editor murdered!The editor of this newsletter was a... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 15from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
NEWS, ETC. Vol. 2, No. 15, December 18, 1990Christmas Issue Lucy to Host ChristmasLucy will be having Christmas at her house t... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 14from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Daily Gargoyle Vol. 2, No. 14, November 16, 1990 Just when you thought it was safe to open the mailbox!Editor's note: For those of you who actually believed, or hoped, that there would... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 13from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Hometown NewsVol. 2, No. 13, October 20, 1990Editor's Note: This is most definitely the last issue. Bill graduates!After seven months, Bill has finally completed his computer programmi... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 12from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Newsletter Vol. 2 No. 12, September 17, 1990Your Only News Source It's a girl!!We asked Denise if she could hurry up and have the baby because we wanted to put out this issue. And, sure enough, she had the baby two weeks early! Wasn't that nice? The bouncing baby girl... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 11from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
the NEWSLETTER Vol. 2, No. 11, August 13, 1990 Doug makes pilgrimageDoug, aka Sluggo, made a pilgrima... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 10from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Things You Need To Know Vol. 2, No. 10, July 16, 1990 Pioneer Portuguese now availableWorld famous Portuguese historian Lionel Ho... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 9from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
WORLD NEWS Award-Winning JournalismVol. 2, No. 9, June 14, 1990 Dad kills rattler! Special to... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 8from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 8 Anniversary IssueMay 25, 1990Editor's Note: This is the big one! The big enchi... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 7from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
the NEWS Vol. 2, No. 7, May 1, 1990Editor's Note: We would like to apologize for that last issue, but we won't. We'd like to say it'l... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 6from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
the NEWS Vol. 2, No. 6, April 16, 1990Back in spite of popular demand. WORLD NEWS Mike is back from Germany and looking very Europea... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 5from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Big News & Other Stuff Vol. 2, No. 5 Yeah, another new name. March 19, 1990 Mike to return earlyMike has had a c... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 4from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Billy ClubNews That Hits You Over The Head Vol. 2, No. 4, February 26, 1990... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 3from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Billy Club Vol. 2, No. 3, February 8, 1990 aka Bullseye, Hard Copy, The Holmes Family Newsletter Diane now a doctorCa... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 2from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
Bullseye Vol. 2, No. 2, January 26, 1990formerly known as Hard Copy; before that, The Holmes Family Newsletter Denise expecting!... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 2 NO 1from 1990 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
HARD COPY Vol. 2, No. 1 Hard-Hitting JournalismJanuary 3, 1990 formerly known as The Holmes Family Newsletter Predictions f... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 10from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
/images/newspaper.gifThe Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 10 - Worldwide Circulation - December 6, 1989 Newsletter sold! The Holmes Family... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 9from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter A Newsletter With A Mission In Life! Vol. 1, No. 9 Worldwide Circulation November 21, 1989 The Environmental Issu... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 8from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 8, October 23, 1989 earthquake! Where were you when it hit?Don was just leaving his office on the 15th floor in downtown San Francisco when the whole building started to shake. I survived, said Don. But it definitely wasn't fun. It was t... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 7from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 7, October 5, 1989Let's face it, these things are going to just keep coming. Steve arrested... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 6from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 6a, September 17, 1989Everyone seems to be on a diet these days. Lucy and Jeannie are tryi... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 5from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 5, September 5, 1989 Jeannie breaks elbow Placed on Disabled ListLathrop - While attempting... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 4from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1, No. 4, August 1, 1989 Largest Tri-Weekly Newsletter Circulation in the West! tri-weekly (tri-week'lee) 1. we... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 3from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family Newsletter Vol. 1 No. 3, July, 1989Editor's Note: Due to profanity, nudity, and the mature theme of this issue, parental discr... read more
HOLMES FAMILY NEWSLETTER VOL 1 NO 2from 1989 in ( family / holmes / newsletter )
The Holmes Family newsletter June 23, 1989 - Vol. 1, No. 2 - Since 1989Editor's Note: This may be the last issue. NEWSJeannie's dog, Chance... read more