ESP: What has been your greatest surprise so far in your motherhood journey?
Rachel: Definitely having twins! I never expected it to happen since I am a twin. Even more unexpected, my fraternal twin sister had twins on my twins’ 9th birthday.
ESP: What was it like in the early years juggling a toddler and twins?
Rachel: We worked very hard to keep all of them on a schedule. Sleeping and eating at the same time and playing and cleaning up at the same time. We had a punctual nighttime routine so they could all soothe themselves to sleep eventually, and luckily, they were all excellent sleepers.
However, we still experienced mishaps, such as a baby powder container being emptied into the toy chest, a toddler cutting one of the twins’ hair, and Chapstick being used like a glue stick to create an art wall from coloring pages.
ESP: How has being a mother impacted your personal and professional goals?
Rachel: Becoming a mother completely changed my professional goals. I loved working in the legal field until I had my oldest. I took three months off of work when she was born and never wanted to go back, but I did go back full-time for a while.
Twenty-one months after having the twins my new dream of becoming a stay-at-home mom came true. I am grateful to my husband for working so hard for our family so that I can be with them.
ESP: How do you and your husband stay connected while raising your girls?
Rachel: I truly married the most southern gentleman. He always opens my car door, won’t let me or our girls open a door to a restaurant, and he is affectionate to me in front of our girls. They have truly learned by example how they deserve to be treated by a man. He plans date nights, and we get to go out often since he’s in a local band. (Shout out to our HOLLARD fam!)
ESP: How do you encourage your girls to pursue their own passions and interests?
Rachel: We let them try everything to figure out what they loved. Britton has cheered since 5th grade and has never looked back. She has always dreamt of cheering in college, so we are supporting that by traveling almost every weekend this fall for cheer clinics and college tours to see where her dreams take her next year.
The twins tried every sport at least once and have played soccer since elementary school. This year was their first year to play flag football, and their team had an undefeated season. It is my greatest joy to cheer them all on from the stands.
ESP: What do you feel is your greatest strength as a mother?
Rachel: Leading them to Christ. I started attending Bible study when they were very young. I let them see me pursue Bible knowledge and would talk with them about what I was learning. We had them in a private Christian school in their elementary years. Now, they attend their own youth events and Bible studies. I am so proud of how open they are with their faith and how they share their gifts in our church.
ESP: How do you help your daughters navigate social relationships and peer pressure?
Rachel: We are highly involved with the girls and their activities. We spend time talking to them and their friends. They always know they can ask us to be chaperones when they want to go places with their friends, because we can use the time in the car to talk about anything and work through social interactions.
I also work as a substitute at their high school, which gives me many opportunities to offer advice to them and to their friends. I am honored that they trust me enough to come to me.
ESP: What advice would you give to mothers currently in a season of raising little girls?
Rachel: The wise, old saying is so true — it goes by so fast! I remember drowning in diapers and puréed food and toys all over the living room. It’s too easy to wish that time would go by faster to get to the next phase, until you get to high school years and wish they were little again.
My advice is to let them wear the princess dress to the grocery store, take pictures of everything, let them help you in the kitchen — even though the mess will be bigger, so will the memories- go to every event at school and on the field, and take time for yourself when you need it. The joy on their faces when they return is priceless.
Rapid Fire Questions:
- Cozy Outfit or All Dressed Up? BOTH! Most often, I can be found in workout clothes, but I love an opportunity to get dressed up.
- Giving Gifts or Receiving? Giving
- Introvert or Extrovert? Extrovert
- Action Movie or Romantic Comedy? Romantic Comedy
- Take Out or Home Cooked Dinner? Home-cooked dinner always. I pride myself on being an ingredient-only household and love feeding my kids and their friends.
Rachel Holley and her husband Chris have been married for nearly 20 years after meeting in a college Chemistry class. Together, they have three girls: Britton, who is 17, and their twins Brelyn and Brookley, who are 15. The family loves to go to the beach and take trips to Disney World.
