Tolbert Family Blog

Happy Birthday Week Hailey - 5 Years Old!

2011-08-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Hailey's official birthday. She woke up to a room filled balloons, and her mommy standing at her bed with presents in hand. She was excited to see that she got the movie, "Tangled", which she has been begging for, and a Hello Kitty backpack for school.

Hayden thought it was great to wake up with balloons everywhere

For her day activity I took Hailey Classic Water Slides. We met up with Talitha and Mila. Later that night we had a little birthday party for Hailey. Talitha, Mila, Grandpa Gary, Aunt Heidi, Tia and Austin came to celebrate. Hailey was so excited to blow out the candles on her cake. When she did, we asked her what she wished for. Her reply, "I can't tell you, or it won't come true." Pretty smart little 5-year-old I must say!

All the day of her birthday Hailey kept asking when her "friend" party was going to be. I felt so bad because I hadn't planned a friend party. She said she wanted to have a slumber party, so on Friday night we ended up having ALL of her friends for an hour to have cake and ice cream, and to open presents. The boys left, and the girls stayed to have a sleepover. In a nutshell, it was a little chaotic, but they all had so much fun!

My Attempt at Hailey's Hello Kitty Cake for her Friend Party

All the cute kids (notice Katelyn screaming in the background)

Hailey, Addie, Mila and Elena

Abi and Abby
All the crazy kids

Hailey opening presents

Slumber Party Time!

Neighborhood Birthday Party 2011

2011-08-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Since there are so many kids in our neighborhood we celebrate everyone's birthday on the same day. Hailey had been look forward to this party, and was so excited. The morning of the party our internet was down so I couldn't see my email to double check on the time. I was about to text one of my neighbors, but I thought, "No, it's got to be at 11am...All the other activities are". Well...we showed up at the park right at 11am, but the party was already going on! Oh great! It was at 10am! I sent Hailey and Hayden down to join the other kids. Unfortunately, they were on their last activity. Hailey came up to me and said, "Mom, I thought this party was going to be longer". I've never felt like such a failure as a mother. I secretly broke down in tears to one of my neighbors. Luckily Hailey's real birthday is this coming Tuesday. Hopefully I will be able to make it up to her.

Back To School Night

2011-08-21T22:02:00.000-07:00

This week Hailey got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Telford, and to see her classroom. I have to admit, I got teary-eyed watching my little girl sit at the table with all her little classmates.

She is so excited for this new adventure in her life. She asks me every day when she will get to go to school. I can't believe that day will be so soon!

Mila and Hailey (with a bunch of candy in her mouth)

Hailey was excited to see there was an apple with her name on it

The Ni-night Game

2011-08-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

Katie has been playing this silly game we call the "ni-night game". We say, "ni-night", and she closes her eyes like she's asleep. She's such little goofball.

Here's Hailey and Hayden getting in on the action...

Lately Katelyn has also loved pointing at the light fixtures. Here she is showing me the light over our kitchen table...

Herriman Lake

2011-08-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

After hearing for some time now about what a great lake they have in Herriman we finally were able to go check it out. We love it! We love it so much that we've gone there 3 times in the last 2 weeks. It has the perfect sand. The kids could seriously spend hours there, and not get bored. The best part is that it's only about 20 minutes away! It's a great place to go on a hot day.

Getting Ready For Kindergarten!!!

2011-08-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

This week I went and did Hailey's final registration for Kindergarten. She is so excited to start school in a few weeks. As so many mother's say when this time comes, I can't believe my baby is going to be starting school!

I could have held Hailey back if I wanted because her birthday is on the border, but we felt right about her starting now. She is definitely ready, and it will be good for her to be in the same grade as a lot of her friends.

To get ready for the big event we had a special mommy/daughter outing with her friends Abi Daniels and Abi Newman up in Park City, and bought a few clothes for school. It made this upcoming event more real, especially when we bought her backpack. I'm really excited and a little nervous at the same time, but we are ready for this new adventure in her life to begin!

Pirate Party

2011-08-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

In Primary this year the kids were able to earn a "Pirate Party" by being reverent on Sundays. Hailey has been looking forward to this for a long time. She had a blast! They had games, they taught them a dance, they had a treasure hunt and made their own eye patch. I'm sure Hailey would tell you her favorite part was when she got a ring pop. :)

Getting ready to learn the pirate dance

Learning the dance, or just standing there staring?
Making eye patches
Rrrrrrr.......

My little shadow

Silver Lake

2011-08-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

For our weekly neighborhood outing we took a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Silver Lake. I was so grateful I went! It was so beautiful up there, and the kids had a blast! We fed ducks, walked around the lake and had a picnic.

The ladies (Melodie, Valerie and Heather)

Helping Katelyn feed the ducks. She absolutely loved them!

Crazy group of kids :)

Feeding the ducks

Cute kids having fun

So Much For Pictures

2011-08-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating getting the kids pictures done. I have the outfits, but finding the time has been really tricky with our busy summer. So this week I was excited that Wednesday we finally had an open day.

Tuesday night we went to Kenny and Melodie Newman's house (our neighbors) to finish up some left over fireworks. Not 5 minutes after getting there I see Hayden running down the driveway, tripping and then face-planting.

This was the end result...

Poor boy! Everyone told me I should still get his pictures done, but after seeing how he looked in the morning I decided it would be best to wait...
It even ended up looking worse once a full-on scab appeared. Now we are just worried about it scaring. Especially because he keeps picking at it. Oh well! I should just get over it. I'm sure this won't be the last facial injury Hayden has.

Big Girl in a Little Body

2011-08-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

Katelyn has been loving the fact that she can walk...almost a little too much. She has been trying all sorts of new things that her big brother and big sister can do. The other night she even climbed onto this big rocking horse all by herself, and was rocking like crazy on it. It's the most hilarious looking thing because she's so small. I have a feeling she will have her training wheels on her future bike off before Hayden and Hailey. She's our little dare devil!

Swimming Lessons for Hailey!

2011-08-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hailey started swim lessons this week. These lessons are long over due, but I'm happy we finally signed her up. She loves the water, but she's always been afraid of getting water in her eyes and jumping into water. Thanks to these lessons, she's finally overcome her fears!!! She learned how to hold her breath under water without plugging her nose, she hasn't been panicking about getting water in her eyes, and she even jumps right into the water! I'm so proud of her! She has been loving the lessons, and can't wait to go every night.I've had to bring Hayden and Katelyn with me to her lessons because Ryan's been working late. I was dreading having to take them, but luckily the lifeguards haven't minded me letting them play in the shallow end during the lesson. It definitely keeps them entertained.

Splash Park

2011-08-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Every Thursday during the summers we have a play date with all the moms and kids in our neighborhood. Last year when we went to the splash park it was a complete nightmare for me. Katelyn was still a newborn and cried the entire time, Hailey didn't want to get wet and I was stressed the whole time about Hayden getting trampled by all the kids running around. So when I found out we were going again this year I was a little hesitant. It ended up being one of the funnest activities we've done this summer. Hailey actually got wet, Hayden was loving waiting for the water to spray him in the face, and Katelyn had a blast just wandering around.

Hailey and Sydney Bell

All the neighborhood friends

Play Dates with Hudson and Stryder

2011-08-02T22:36:00.000-07:00

We have been so lucky to have Hudson and Stryder as neighbors. We love having these cute boys over every week to play. Hailey and Hayden always look forward to having them, and Katelyn is in love with them! They really are some of the sweetest little boys I've ever meant.

Katelyn giving Hudson a hug...She really, really loves them!

Mila joined Hailey, Hudson and Stryder to build a nest for a caterpillar on the porch.

A Muddy Mess!

2011-08-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

This week it rained like crazy, which meant Hailey made a mud casserole, which also meant Katie got into the mud casserole. She was having so much fun I just couldn't take her away from it. I'm assuming she did some taste testing from the evidence on her mouth.

Walking, Walking, Walking!!!

2011-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Little Katie has been taking 3 to 5 steps for weeks now. This week she finally got the hang of it, and it cruising everywhere now!

Fun with Taylor

2011-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had Hailey's little friend Taylor from our old neighborhood come play this week. These two girls have played since they were 18 months old. It's been fun to watch them grow up together.

Our Body Is A Temple

2011-07-25T00:06:00.001-07:00

When we got home from Church today Hailey was excited to do a maze with me that she saw in the Friend magazine. The point of the maze was to teach that we need to treat our bodies the same way we would the Temple. I talked to Hailey about a few things we shouldn't do to our bodies. One was to not draw on our body because we wouldn't draw on the Temple.

When my little lesson was through we started to laugh at Daddy snoring on the couch. I couldn't help myself! His knee was right in my face. I took the pen in my hand, and this is what the end result was...Ryan woke up to the kids laughing hysterically! I know, I know.... I'm a bad example, a hypocrite and that totally defeated the whole point I was trying to get across to Hailey, but sometimes a family needs to throw in a little silliness. Plus it was well worth the 5 minutes of laughter we all shared. :P

Silly Girl

2011-07-24T23:58:00.000-07:00

The last few days we've been moving Hayden and Hailey to one of our upstairs bedrooms. Katelyn has had a blast with all the action. In the process of moving the dresser I pulled out all the drawers. Katelyn had found some chalk and created some beautiful artwork in the bottom. She is pretty proud as you can see.

Later I was folding laundry. She pulled some sheets off the bed, and kept me entertained while she rolled around in them.

Another Reason My Husband Is Cool...

2011-07-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

We were desperately in need of another cement pad in our backyard so we could have a place to put our shed. Ryan got to work this weekend, and made our cement pad dream a reality. He never ceases to amaze me. It turned out great! Thankful for our awesome new neighbor Eric who stood ankle deep in cement to help Ryan.

Of course you need to do the hand prints. :)

Sad Little Foot and Float Preview

2011-07-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Well, we began our wonderful week thinking Hayden had broken his foot. Katie was playing with his truck, which he did NOT like. He went to stand up to get it from her, but his big toe caught the carpet, and he face-planted. I thought he was crying just because he fell, but he wouldn't calm down. Then he started grabbing his foot. When I finally got him settled he went to stand up, and collapsed. The crying started all over again! After 3 hours of this I finally decided it would be worth it to take him to the doctor just to make sure he hadn't broken anything. On our way there we saw 2 floats driving down the road. Hayden was so excited to see them because they had all sorts of animals on them (more on that later).

At the doctor after an examination, a wheel chair ride and an x-ray it was determined that Hayden didn't break his foot. Phew! He tore something in his foot. That wasn't good enough for me. I wanted them to fix the, "Hayden not walking" problem. What on earth was this hyper, always on the go little boy going to do for the next few days while this heals? Poor kid kept forgetting he was injured. Every time he would stand up to walk...down he'd go in tears. :(

The next day he was still in a ton of pain, and not walking. He just crawled everywhere. I knew we had to get out of the house and do something. By coincidence the girls in our neighborhood planned for us to go to the Days of 47 float preview for our weekly activity. The kids loved every minute of it, and so did I! It was amazing to see the detail and all the work that went into making these floats. Hayden even recognized the 2 floats we saw driving down the road, and was so excited!!!

This really is a BYU float, but Audrey thought it would
be funny to have Sydney and Hailey pose next to the U.

Hailey loved this penguin float

Hayden had a hard time sitting in the stroller. He got out a
few times, and limped around as much as he could.

Hayden checking out one of the floats
that we saw on the way to the doctor.

Katie enjoying her first sucker!
These two girls have been glued at the hip!

Checking out the flowers

Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-24T18:58:00.001-07:00

We had such a wonderful Easter this year! Of course, every Easter is wonderful, but this one was especially fun. It was Hayden's first Easter he really grasped the concept. The look on his face was hilarious when we told him that the Easter Bunny would be coming to fill up his basket. You always wonder what really goes through their mind.

Saturday morning, getting ready to head down to the park for the neighborhood Easter egg hunt chaos.

Waiting for the festivities to begin...

And...They're Off!!!

Easter Egg Hunt Success!!! There was a great turnout, and there were 36 dozen eggs to be found. The kids had a blast. I seriously love our neighborhood!!!

SUNDAY, EASTER MORNING...

I was up at 6am getting ready for the day, but I was really tempted to go wake the kids up. After much patients Hayden finally came waddling into our room about 7am. We headed in to wake Hailey up, but she must have heard mention of the Easter Bunny because she was already headed down the ladder of her bunk bed.

Getting Ready for Church, and showing off the treats

Hailey found her Easter basket in the pantry, and Hayden found his in the bathtub. The Easter Bunny had hidden eggs in the family room, so they enjoyed a little egg hunt before they dug into their baskets.

Smiley boy finishing up breakfast

Grandpa Green joined us for a wonderful Easter breakfast. He knows that I deprive my kids of sugar-filled cereal, so he surprised them with mini boxes of kid's cereal. I think that was the highlight of what they got for Easter.

Katie's highlight of the day was playing in all the Easter grass

We had a wonderful time at Church, had fun cooking dinner with the kids, and finished off the night with a movie sprawled out on the family room floor. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Little sleepy head

Over the last few weeks I've really taken the time to share with Hailey the true reason why we celebrate Easter. I want her to know how much I love our Savior, and how grateful I am that because of his sacrifice for us we can be whole again.

I love this day and all that it represents! Happy Easter everyone!

Our Last Trip To The Condo :(

2010-08-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

Since Katleyn's baby blessing chaos is over, and Ryan has been working like crazy we decided it was time to take a little family vacation. We knew we wanted to go camping, but since we don't have a trailer, and we have 3 kids 3 years-old and under we thought it would probably be a good idea that we just go to Ryan's parent's condo in Beaver.

The condo is actually up the canyon at a ski resort called Elk Meadows. The first time Ryan took me up there we were still dating. How is this picture for an awesome blast from the past...Yes...Both of our eyes were closed for this picture. I remember it was so bright! That was my first and last time snowboarding. I can't believe that was almost 9 years ago. Little did I know I would be bringing my 3 little bears up to that very place. :) This was unfortunately the last year the ski resort was up and running. It went into bankruptcy.

Ryan's parents have been trying to sell the condo for the last couple years now. They were finally able to put it under contract. Lucky for us it doesn't close until the end of this month, so we were able to go up one last time.

We invited our new friends and neighbors Brandon and Ali Olsen. They have 2 cute kids. Valerie is almost 3, and Graham is about 5 months.

Wednesday (Day 1)

Left at 3pm. What should have been a 3 hourish drive ended up being 5. We had to make quite a few stops between Hayden and Katelyn crying for what seemed like the entire time. Got to the condo, and went to bed.

Thursday (Day 2)

The highlight of our day was our little fishing trip to Puffer Lake. Hailey was SOOOOOO excited to catch a fish.

Hailey sat patiently waiting, but nothing. Luckily, Ryan got a bite and had the kids help him reel it in. When Hayden saw the fish he was terrified!!! He cried and hid between Ryan's legs. It was hilarious!

Hailey was really sad that we had to throw the fish back since it was just too small to keep.

Thursday night at about 10pm the Olsen's arrived. Hailey tried and tried to stay awake for her friend Valerie, but crashed on the couch.

Friday (Day 3)

Took the Olsen's fishing at Kent's Lake since we didn't have much luck at Puffer Lake. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but had a blast. Well, Brandon did anyway. He caught one fish after another with Valerie's princes pole. Hailey was really sad that she didn't catch anything, but we promised her there would be more opportunities.

When we got back we noticed the fire hydrant by the lodge was turned on and spraying water everywhere. There had been men there working on the lodge so we didn't think too much of it. Well, long story short they were testing the water pressure on the fire hydrant and broke the water main by doing so. We were without water the rest of the day. Ryan and Brandon drove a half hour down the canyon to get water bottles. We made due with what we had. We still had a fun night, and even stayed up a little later to play a game with Brandon and Ali.

Saturday (Day 4)

We were without water the entire day, but were grateful to have the water bottles. Saturday was more of just a lazy day. We ended up going back to Puffer Lake after nap time. Hailey really wanted to catch just one more fish. Luckily she did (off Ryan's pole anyway). She was so excited to bring it back to the condo with her. On our way back Ryan said that he hoped the water was back on. Trying to look on the bright side, I told Ryan I was just grateful we had power. When we got back to the Condo we discovered that we still didn't have water, and you guessed it, no power now too. We had some great neighbors that let us prepare our dinner on their barbecue. We fed the kids, and put them to bed. Soon after the water, and then the power both turned back on. Yay! We were so grateful. We stayed up and played games our last night.

Sunday (Day 5)

Ahhhhh... We were all able to take nice warm showers, and give the kids a bath, which they very much enjoyed.

We cleaned up the condo for our last time. Said goodbye, and headed home. Did I mention that Hayden and Katelyn both screamed the last 40 minutes of the ride? That was fun.

Considering the circumstances we really had a fun and memorable time for our last trip to the condo. I'm really going to miss that place. We've made many fun memories there.

Aquarium Adventures

2010-08-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

After a long week of remodeling, cleaning and blessing Katie, I decided this week would be focused on my poor neglected children. I told Hailey we could do whatever she wanted. Her first choice would have been Disney Land, but since that's not a possibility we went to her favorite place. The Living Planet Aquarium.

This was the first time I was able to let Hayden roam free. Normally he's strapped into his stroller, but this time he actually stayed with his sister instead of wondering off. They had a blast!

The New House

2010-07-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

So I really am going to keep up on our blog now. I am not and will never be a scrapbooker or journal writer. Now that my kids are getting older I'm starting to realize the importance of both. Instead of feeling guilty all the time for not keeping track of the happenings around me, I'm going to blog once a week. Then at the end of every year I can click "print" and stick our life in a 3 ringed binder. Less expensive and a big time saver.

I finally took a few pictures. So this is our new house...

I can't believe we've lived here 6 months. It seems like yesterday that it was our first night in our new house, and we had a slumber party with the kids in the front room. We love it here. Hailey and Hayden especially love it here. We are surrounded by grasshoppers, butterflies, praying mantis, stink bugs, crickets, and other strange insects. Hailey is forever catching bugs and wanting to keep them as pets. We are also excited that the neighborhood park is just about finished. We will live there I'm sure.

We have been working so hard to remodel a few things in our house in time for Katelyn's baby blessing. I painted every main wall in our house. What a pain! I painted our kitchen blue, and hated it! I didn't take a picture of the blue because it was so awful. So this is what I ended up with...

BEFORE (when it was white obviously)

4 COATS OF PAINT LATER

Ryan took 2 whole Saturdays working on a wall in our front room. The wall was supposed to have a fireplace, but it was a $3000 upgrade. We didn't think it was necessary in the first place, so we decided to keep the fireplace wall, and use it for our TV. Ryan built a cabinet, and placed granite slivers up the wall. It turned out amazing!

Ryan also laid granite pavers in our front entry. It looks awesome! I'm so lucky to have married such an amazing and talented handyman.

Eventually when we have the money Ryan will install granite countertops in the kitchen. For now though, we're taking a break. I'm completely happy with our home. It's been fun to make it feel like our own, and add our own personal touch.

I love our house, I love our neighborhood, I love our neighbors, and I LOVE being home with the kids. I couldn't ask for more. :)

I Am a SLaCkeR!

2010-04-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sort of a slacker. I just took what I felt was a well deserved break from everything, and focused completely on being a Mom. I had forgotten what that role felt like. :) Now that we're in our house, and somewhat settled I've tried slowly to add normal responsibilities back on, like blogging. I guess blogging really isn't a responsibility, but I actually have TIME to do it now. :)

As I said we are in our new house FINALLY, and we are loving every second of it. I get teared up when I say this, but my sweet little Hailey is finally sweet again. It's amazing what me working full-time did to that little girl. It was so hard on both of us. She tells me everyday how happy she is that I'm home with her. Hayden is loving that he has free reign of the house. However, we have learned the hard way that we ALWAYS have to shut the toilet and bathroom door. :) I will eventually get pictures of our new house on here, but I have to clean it first. :) Just kidding. It's actually clean. Another thing I have time for these days.

What I love the most about our new home is where we live. Yes, we are definitely far from anything and everything, but I love that. I feel safe out here. The funnest part has been getting to know all of our new neighbors. I seriously live by the cutest girls ever. They are all so nice, and we've all become good friends already. I can't tell you how great it is to live somewhere that everyone is on the same page of life as you. I also really love that Hailey and Hayden are going to have plenty of friends here. :) Our Ward has like 3 sunbeam classes. At least we don't feel bad anymore when our kids start screaming in Sacrament. They aren't a distraction anymore. They're just joining in now. :)

Ryan's work is going great. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but he and his partner Levi switched gears a little from the granite counter tops. They started a new business called Recycled Stone Products. They turn granite scraps that would normally go to the dump, and recycle them into granite pavers. They can be used inside or outside, and seriously turn out so beautiful. They recently did the Home and Garden Expo, and had a wonderful turn out. I'm so proud of them for how hard they've been working.

As for me, I have been so blessed to work a little from home instead of full-time. I'm loving every second of being at home with the kids, and have gotten back to the work of blogging on my homemaking blog. I recently received the funnest opportunity to do a cooking segment on Studio 5. I could have done without being 7 months pregnant, but it ended up going really well. Click here if you'd like to see pictures or watch the clip.

I'm so grateful for all the blessings we have received in the past and especially lately. We have taken a HUGE risk in having me quit, but we've prayed and prayed and really felt like home is where I need to be. Trusting in our Heavenly Father, and having faith that everything will work out is what we've put our focus on. It's amazing how when you do that everything does work out, and miracles come into your life.

I was going to end, but I'd like to note, if you are offended at how spiritual I've been lately, I mean this in a nicest way...Get over it. :) I can't help but feel the way I feel. We've been through too much, and had too many wonderful things happen that we would be ungrateful if we didn't give credit to the One that deserves it.

Here are some recent pictures:

DON'T ASK!

Hailey must have been bored, because I came in her room, and this is what I found:

Hayden's new favorite thing is to sit next to his sister on the couch and play with the remote.

Hailey getting ready for the funnest night of her life...Disney On Ice!!!

These two kids are 2 peas in a pod. They seriously love eachother so much! Hailey is the best older sister to little Hayden.

Pour guy! In desperate need of a nap. :)

The Hard Part Is Almost Over

2010-01-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling like my personal blog strike can finally come to an end. I haven't wanted to share ANYTHING that we've had to go through because I for sure would have a mental breakdown telling you about it. All that I can say is the last 7 months of my life have been the most stressful and challenging I've had to face yet. My reasons include:

Working full-time (Three 13 hour days per week from 5am to 6pm)
Trying to figure out a babysitter for my kids.
Always feeling like we're a burden on our babysitters and my in-laws.
Building one house, starting over and building another and having everything you can think of go wrong in the process.
Feeling like I'm the worst Mom ever between working and being tired all the time.
Oh, and if that's not enough, let's throw a surprise pregnancy in the mix (don't worry, I'm happy about this).

Yes, these are all stressful and crazy things, but we can honestly say we're grateful for every single one! We've grown the most these last 7 months than we ever have before inividually and as a couple. Every time we would turn around something terrible would happen, but then almost instantly we would understand why that "terrible" thing happened. We really feel like our Heavenly Father has been looking out for us, and has blessed us so much! We are so much more grateful for our kids, eachother, and especially to have the blessings of the Gospel in our lives.

So here we are, a week or two away from closing, and I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas! Everything is going to change for the good once we get into this house. I will finally be able to put all my focus and energy into being a mom and a wife again. We will finally have a home that is OUR home. Not to mention:

I will finally have my own kitchen to cook in!
We will live right by our dearest friends.
We will have a park right across the street that we can play at all day.
A ward that will actually have people our age.
A home that we can grow into instead of grow out of.
Most importantly, I can finally take a bath in my nice big bathtub. Hooray!

Ryan went to the house today, and said that there were tons of people there finishing it up so hopefully the construction part will get done today. I don't have any recent pictures to share, but here is the some of the construction. We will definitely have more to share in the following weeks. :)

Family Room

My Bathtub!!!

Loft Area

Future Kitchen and where I will always be found if I'm not in the tub :)

Here We Go Again...

2009-11-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

Here we go again because this is the house we were supposed to be moving into at the end of November:

Now...because of builder error this is our "other" new house that will be done in January(ish) .

Here we go again because we are expecting baby #3!!! Surprised? Well, so are we, but we are also so very EXCITED! Due date is now May 23rd. The best part is Cortney and Lindsey (my two sister-in-laws) and myself are all due within weeks of each other. Another really bad thing for me to pack away in the Pack Rat...MY MATERNITY CLOTHES!

Here we go again because we celebrated yet another one of our children's birthdays. This, however, was a very special birthday for a very special little boy. Our little buddy is now officially a 1 year old! Yes, I know he looks younger than one for the fact that he has NO hair, but he is still as handsome as ever!

We had a fun little party for Hayden at Ryan's parent's house. My family came as well.

Hailey helped me bake the cake, but she was really sad when Mom wouldn't let her decorate it, so she just ate the frosting instead. :) I felt bad that she couldn't help so I let her decorate baby brother's smash cake. She loved every minute, and was so proud that she had to show everyone as they walked through the door.
Lots of happy things happening in our crazy lives! We are thankful for everything that comes our way. As Joseph B Worthlin's Mom said, "Come what may, and love it!"

September Update

2009-09-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time to update our blog. I feel like our life is in limbo right now between waiting to move into our new house, and me working full time, so I guess I've put everything "extra" in my life on hold.

Here are the updates of the last month:

As we now head into month 4 of living at Ryan's parent's house we have seemed to adjust pretty well. Hailey has loved the fact that we live with Mimi and Poppy. She has a new adventure daily with her Grandpa. Although it would be much nicer to have our own home, and our own beds we sure appreciate their hospitality. It's been nice to save the house payment every month. The only thing I've really regretted since moving is putting my sewing machine in the Pack Rat. That was a bad idea!

As for our house, well....where do I start? Pretty much lot 49 (in picture) is no longer our lot. It's a long story as to what happened, but the short version is communication got lost between people and our hole didn't get dug deep enough (as you can see the foundations is sticking a mile high out of the ground). They were going to fix it by giving us 12 steps from our garage into our house instead of 3, cutting out our mud room, giving us a smaller kitchen, and making us walk through our laundry room to get into our house. So their idea of a "FIX" was more of a disaster than anything. So our only real option was to pick a new lot, and start completely over. Now we are looking at a move in date at the end of December. Oh well, what can you do? I'm sure there is a good reason this all happened, so we are just continuing to be patient. The only thing I'm really sad about is that I have to work full-time until our home is built, which means more time away from our kids.

Speaking of kids!!! We celebrated Hailey's 3rd birthday last month (holy cow! 3 already!). We were going to do a little birthday party with all of her little friends, but then decided it wouldn't be a good idea with all the chaos in our lives right now. So we just had a little family get together at Ryan's parents house. The only thing Hailey really wanted for her birthday was an Elmo birthday cake, which thanks to Wilton cake pans and her mom's determination to make her own cake no matter how it turned out, she got it! We were also really lucky to score a bike for her for $10 and a Barbie car for $30 that same day at a garage sale. Needless to say, Hailey was a spoiled little girl this year.

Almost 11 months old now, and still no hair, Hayden keeps getting bigger every day. He seriously is the best baby ever. He is almost crawling, but pretty much gets anywhere he wants to go. He keeps looking more and more like his daddy every day. We love this little guy, and are so happy to have him join our little family.

We have so much to be grateful for, and so many blessings in our life! We couldn't be happier!

Random pictures of the last month:

Lake Powell Fun!

2009-08-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

So the last time Ryan and I went to Lake Powell was 4 years ago with NO KIDS. This time the trip was a little bit different. Okay....a whole lot different. My kids included there were a total of 7 kids (5 of which were ages 3 and under). I had a friend at work describe a trip like this as "houseboat hell". Imaging 4 little girls all doing this at the same time in a confined area:

Little Miss El

Our perfect little angel throwing a tantrum

At times it was a little overwhelming, but we survived! I know it's hard to believe, but through the crying and fighting we really had a great time. The one thing I learned on this trip is that family trips are no longer about Ryan and I, but they are about our darling kids, and making sure they have a good time. And boy they did...

Addie and Hailey's first time a the tube

Hayden loved to play in the mud, and eat it too!

Addie & Hailey Racing

Our chubby little man

Hailey caught a fish!

Yummy!

Best Friends (some of the time anyway)

Happy Boy

Having fun on the house boat

Playing on the beach

Even though our main focus was on the kids, Ryan and I still had a ton of fun too....

A really, really bad blowout that required a team effort!

Mommy & Hayden

Daddy & Hayden (yeah, they don't look anything alike)

Ry cruising in the boat

Tiff wakeboarding for the first time in 4 years!

4 Wakeboarders! Maron, Ryan, Nate & Jeremy

Ryan catching some mean air!

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE DEFRIES FAMILY!!! LAKE POWELL

WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT THEM!

My Two Little Angels!

2009-07-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

One thing I know I shouldn't hesitate to spend a little money on is pictures of my kids. They won't be little for long, plus the only professional pictures that I have of Hailey and Hayden was when Hayden was first born.

I got these pics taken at Sam's Club. They had a little photography studio set up there called Studio Max. I guess they come every year. I didn't expect to like them too much, but I think they turned out pretty cute.

The Fishing Trip

2009-07-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a blast! We went and spent time up at Soldier Creek on my parent's boat.

Grandpa bought Hailey her first fishing pole, and guess who got the first and the most fish??? Hailey! What a fun experience for her. She loved every minute.

Little Hayden was such a good boy. I'm not quite sure he knew what to do with this new adventure in his life, but other than four of his top teeth coming in all at the same time he did really good. He had the most fun watching his big sister being silly.

Hailey absolutely did NOT want to wear her life jacket. It was too "ITCHY" for her. After a little while she got used to it. I think it might be a good time to invest in a better life jacket for Lake Powell.

Luckily Ryan was able to get off from to come and spend time with us the last couple of days. Hailey was thrilled when her best bud showed up!

Needless to say, we had a great time.

On To Our Next Adventure!

2009-07-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

So we finally moved out and closed on our house. What a nightmare!!! I told Ryan I'm dying in our next house, because I am never moving again! Seriously. I know we've been married 7 years now, and have two kids, but where did all our stuff come from? Holy cow! Now I have to deal with unpacking half our stuff at Ryan's parent's house, only to pack it up again later. Oh well, at least it's for a good reason and I have a 3 month break before I have to do it again.

We went last week to the design center to pick out everything for our new house. The only problem we had was trying to figure out a color for the outside. We were completely set on green, but the lot next to us already chose that color. Our other options are yellow, tan or red. I'm thinking we will settle on red. Our house will be a combination of the two houses above. The green house is the design, and the red obviously is the color. They are set to start digging a whole in a couple of weeks if all goes as planned. Hooray!

Starting a New Chapter...

2009-05-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

When our friends told us they were building a house about 10 minutes away from us we were really excited that they would be living closer. We took a drive to see exactly how close, and, well, what can I tell you... We fell in love with one of the model homes. When we found out the price we fell in love even more.

After much discussion, planning and praying we felt really strongly that building this house and moving out of our scary neighborhood is what we should be doing. I normally freak out about making such a big step, but I have felt great about everything.

So on Friday I listed our house on the MLS at around 2pm, had a call from a realtor by 5pm, and had an offer by midnight. We couldn't even believe it! So our house is now under contract. I didn't even stick a for sale sign in front of our house. It just all happened so fast. So if everything goes as planned (because it doesn't always) we will close the end of June. Our house won't be done until about October, so that means we will be moving in with Ryan's parents for the next few months. It should be an adventure for all of us.

The next 4 months or so are going to be so hard between two moves, not having all our stuff and feeling like we're inconveniencing my in-laws, but I know it will all be worth it. I'm just so excited to be able to sit in our front yard, and not have to worry as much about neighbor kids shouting out swear words. Oh, and did I mention there will be a park in the neighborhood? It will be a great place to raise our family, and it will finally feel like we can get settled in.

Long Lived Shelby....A Little Too Long.

2009-05-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have had Shelby since I was eight. When we found her we guessed that she was around a year or two old, which would make her now almost 20.

About a year after Ryan and I were married, my Dad talked us in to taking her with us under the impression that she would only live a few more years. Well, it's been 6 and she was still going strong, or acting anyway. Unfortunately so was the smell in our room. As most old cats do, she started peeing in our bedroom. That's when enough was enough.

I had the carpets cleaned which meant the cat had to go. Ryan took her to go put her down. I didn't think I would have such a hard time with it, but I cried when he left. Hailey kept asking me why I was crying. I figured that she would eventually find out so I just told her that the kitty cat went to go live with Heavenly Father. She was upset for about a minute, and then asked if she could get a bunny rabbit. I wish I could forget about my problems that fast. :)

I didn't just put her down because she was peeing everywhere. She also was completely deaf, was going blind, had hardly any teeth and started pooping blood. I would rather do it now anyway then let her suffer.

I really loved that cat, and she was such a sweetheart, but I will NEVER own a cat again.

Baby Animal Days!

2009-05-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took a little trip to This Is The Place Heritage Park for Baby Animal Days. Ryan had to work, so my Mom came to help out with the kids. She's the greatest! As you can see, we had a ball. Hailey wasn't afraid to jump in and grab every baby animal in sight. Especially the bunnies. I think they always have the baby animals there, so if you have kids I highly recommend going. I know I put a ton of pictures, but they all turned out so cute!

7 Amazing Years and Counting!

2009-05-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

I can' believe it has been 7 years ago today that I married my sweetheart in the Salt Lake Temple. I seriously can say that I have the best husband in the world. Every year we take turns planning our anniversary. This year was Ryan's turn. He did a great job! First, we went to dinner at Tiburon. They have the greatest food ever. Then he drove me up to Midway to stay at the Zermatt Resort. It was the most beautiful drive, and it was so pretty up there. It was fun to reflect on the last seven/eight years of being together. We have been through so much, and we grow more in love every day. I know...I'm getting gushy, but I seriously love him so much! Happy Anniversay honey!

My Poor Little Boy

2009-05-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hayden is the best baby ever, and when something is wrong you know because he never cries. My little man has his 3rd ear infection in two months! I wish they would just go away. If you're a parent, and your kid has ever had an ear infection, you know it's the saddest thing in the world. The doctor hasn't done the tubes yet, but I'm hoping this time the antibiotics work.

Oh...The Drama!!!

2009-05-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

So I literally have one of the first Johnny Jumpers ever invented. This one has been passed down from my Grandma. I loved to use this thing for Hailey, and she enjoyed it just as much. I recently pulled it out of the closet for Hayden. So the second time I put him in it was a complete catastrophe. We were getting ready for Ryan to take me out for a nice dinner the day before Mother's Day. Hayden was fusing while I was trying to get ready, so I thought it would be a good idea to stick him in it. NOT! I hooked it to the door frame, and left to go hook him in the straps. When I came back to hook him on Hailey was standing in the doorway swinging it. I should have checked to make sure it was still secure, but of course I didn't. I went to hook him on, and the ten pound spring fell on his head right on his soft spot. I just started screaming, "OH NO, OH NO!!!" In return Hailey started screaming and crying. As I was trying to take him out the spot on his head that got hit started to swell and it looked like it was filling with blood. Ryan was in the shower, and was hurrying to get out to see what happened. I was yelling at him to call 911. Instead I ditched Ryan and Hailey (which Ryan wasn't too happy about) and decided to run him to Jordan Valley Emergency Room. He didn't make one sound all the way to the hospital. When I got there I didn't know what I would find when I opened the car door. I swung the door opened, and all I got was a great big smile. I pulled him out and looked at his head. It still looked really bad, but the swelling had stopped. I ran him in, and started filling out the paperwork to check him in. Luckily my Mom showed up. She looked at it and laughed at me. She said he was fine. We took him to her house and had her watch him to make sure he didn't have a concussion. The next day there wasn't hardly even a bruise. What a miracle! Some people would say that I overreacted, but I don't care. I really thought I hurt him, and was so worried. I guess kids are a lot tougher than we think. It makes me realize how much I love my kids!

The Expo Update

2009-05-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to say that these two awesome guys pulled off a successful weekend at the expo center. They only had a couple of days to build their displays, so I must say I'm quite impressed with the out come of their booth. Ryan and Levi worked really hard, and had a great turn out. I'm am so proud of both of them. Way to go guys!

Kitchens-4-Less

2009-04-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce that Ryan is expanding his granite business. He is bringing on his friend, Levi Ernest, who happens to know a thing or two about cabinetry. Their new business name will be none other than...... Kitchens-4-Less. :)

They will be at the South Towne Expo this weekend for the home remodeling and decorating show, so go say hello if you see them.

A Fun Filled Easter

2009-04-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure why it is that Hailey keeps getting sick during every holiday. We're not sure if her ear infection is back, but the whole weekend she cried non-stop. She was a good sport anyway. She was so excited to have the Easter Bunny come to our house. She left carrots and a glass of water out for him, and was so excited to see that he had eaten the carrots when she woke up.

We had a great time with my family Saturday morning. We had a little Easter Egg hunt in our backyard. On Sunday after church we went to Ryan's parent's house for dinner and another Easter Egg hunt. It was so fun to see the little girls running around in their dresses. They all looked so adorable! My wonderful mother-in-law even did a little egg hunt for the adults. I didn't think I'd get into it until I found out there was money involved. I about tackled my brother-in-law Jesse for an egg only to find out it just had a Snickers in it. :)

We love Easter and all that it stands for. We're so grateful for our Savior and his sacrifice for us. What a wonderful example he is for all of us!

Ryan's New Ride

2009-03-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Since we've been married (7 years is May) we have owned 8 vehicles. I have no idea why we've had so many! Ryan just made it 9 by buying his first truck. The Tahoe was so run down between Ryan using it for his business and all the miles it had on it. We're excited to also use it for camping and hopefully some boating trips this summer.

Getting to Work

2009-03-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

With all the nice weather we had last week I've been anxious to go out to work on my yard. During Hayden's naps, Hailey and I have been out getting my sad looking garden ready to plant. This year I'm going to plant the usual stuff'; tomato plants, zucchini, peppers, peas, strawberries, etc. Yummy! This year my goal is to learn how to jar my tomatoes. I can't tell you how many went to waste last year. So if anyone is an expert at this please let me know! I will give you free tomatoes.

Hailey's New Room

2009-03-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Adding a new addition to our family also meant sheetrock, nails and paint. It was time to kick Hayden out of our room, which unfortunately meant we had to move Hailey to a new room. I put Ryan to work and he finished a new office for us in the basement. So last Saturday with a lot of hard work and a babysitter Ryan and I transformed the old office into a little furly princess room. Hailey absolutely loves it! She spends most of her time now playing in her new bedroom.

We spent under $50 for the whole room. I bought the little wall shelf and her dresser at the DI. They both need a little paint, but they are in great condition. One thing I love about Ryan is I can tell him what I want, and he can build it. The wall with the window had a boring little ledge going across it. I thought it would be cute to build a little shelf with some crown molding to put her books on.

Now that it's all painted, we've decided that we hate the pink and should have done a light purple instead. Oh well. I'll save that for another day.

All the work on this room was well worth it to see this little girl's happy face, and to get a little more sleep at night. :) Next project...Hayden's room.

Our Chubby Little Man

2009-03-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our growing boy has not only out grown the bathroom sink, but he's almost outgrown the kitchen sink as well! I can't believe Hayden is 4 months old already. It seems like everyday he's learning something new. My little man is such a good happy baby too, and for a good reason. Just look at him. He is well taken care of. Yesterday I had to put away all of his 3 to 6 month clothes. Can you believe it? 4 months, and he's in 6 to 9 month clothes already!

Why I did it...

2009-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

I know...I know.... I look better with long hair. However, there finally came the day that I just couldn't take it anymore. I get up every morning at 5am to go to the gym. Then I go to work or go back home to take care of the kids. I just don't have time for long hair anymore. Plus, Hayden was either getting his hands stuck in it, or he was eating it. It's so much easier and faster to do now, and it will be fun for the summer. I would have left it long if it was Ryan's request, but he didn't care either way. I'm sure I'll grow it back out eventually, but it was time for a change.

The Perfect Loaf

2009-02-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at making bread early in our marriage was a complete disaster. So when I told Ryan I was going to make bread to save money, all he could do was laugh. Well, after one bread making class, asking advice from everyone I know, a great recipe from my Grandma Joyce, a lot of help from Hailey, not to mention the hours and hours of kneading, raising and baking I finally figured it out! Ryan was so proud of me he even got me a wheat grinder for Valentines Day (way to go Ry)! I love to make my own bread now. Homemade bread tastes so much better than store bought, and you can put all sorts of healthy things in it. Plus, it's a good mother-daughter activity. :)

When enough is enough

2009-02-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

For the last 3 years Ryan has been flipping houses, and doing a great job at it. Luckily we sold the last one we had right before the market went south. We decided it was a good time for Ryan to try something else. That's when the granite business came along. However, when Ryan finds a good deal it's hard for him to pass it up. In March we found a great home in South Jordan. The homes in the area were selling within 30 days, so we thought it wouldn't be a problem. Plus, we would just move into it if we couldn't sell it. Well, the market got worse in the 3 months we fixed it up, and we just couldn't sell it. When we tried to get a loan we found that it was really tricky since Ryan has only had his granite business for a year. Well, after alot of stress, headaches and countless prayers we finally sold it in December. Ryan said that he wouldn't mind flipping a house again in the future. I told him not as long as he's married to me. :)

Life at home with Daddy

2009-02-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Being that the ecomony is what it is, and Ryan's granite business slows down in the winter months anyway, I had to go back to work pretty much full time in December and January. Even though it was the hardest thing in the world to switch roles for a little while, we found it has been the biggest blessing for our family. We both definately appreciate eachother more, and the time we spend with our kids. Ryan has done such a great job being Mr. Mom. It's been fun for me to come home and see the pictures of their adventures throughout the day. Although, I could do without the mess. :)

Christmas 2008

2009-02-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

I'll start off our blog by giving an update on the most recent Tolbert Family events begining with Christmas. What an exciting year for Hailey! Her first Christmas of really looking forward to Santa bringing her presents, and what do you know...She gets of all things the stomach flu. Starting from Christmas Eve and for 5 days after our poor little girl was so sick. She didn't even want to open presents Christmas morning. When she opened up her princess sleeping bag from Santa she climbed right in, and the picture explains the rest. What a bummer! She was still a good sport.

Our new family blog

2009-02-20T21:52:00.000-08:00

Okay... I'm starting to figure out how to do this whole blogging thing since it seems like I'm the only one in the world without one. It only took me about 3 late nights to figure it out. I'm still an amature, so don't judge my page design. Anyway, I thought this would be a good way to keep up on everyone's busy lifes when I have time to waste (ha, ha, ha....).