My own little world

Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-03-21T14:53:00.000-06:00

So, this year we broke our usual tradition of being last! Max place fourth!! And Kyler made a car just for fun, he tied the first place car! Unfortunately for Kyler, we have just figured the whole car making business out now that he has moved on from cub scouts (that whole first pancake thing). FOURTH PLACE!!

Utah

2011-03-21T14:49:00.001-06:00

In Febuary, we made a quick trip to Utah for Jason's grandma's 85th birthday. While we were there, we went to the Ogden Treehouse Museum, Ikea, Cabelas, the dinosaur museum, and ate at the Mayan. Kyler and Max had a blast, but it was a little much for Ridge. Turns out, Ridge doesn't like life sized dinosaurs....

Christmas Part 2

2010-12-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

The older boys made a gingerbread star tree with some help from Jason

Ridge was pretending to be in a bath during the tree building

Grandpa reading new books with Ridge

Cleaning up....

Christmas Part 1

2010-12-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

To begin our Christmas season, we went to the Museum of Idaho's Christmas exhibit. Ridge wasn't so impressed with Santa. (Thinking back though, we didn't really explain what we wanted him to do...we just tried to throw him into the arms of some guy he didn't know.)

I made this nativity set for the boys (mostly Ridge) to play with. I got the idea from this blog.

We had a Christmas eve's eve get together with Jason's side of the family.

The kids made gingerbread houses out of graham crackers.

Brielle's won for "most candy supported"

Cousinly love

For our sibling gift, Katie and Marc gave us money to go towards our Sam's Club membership. Since it was supposed to be a "homemade" gift, they took the money and made origami objects with it.

Bow tie, fan, chain, ring, snake, triangle, sunglasses......

It was also Marc's birthday so we got to make use of all of Jen's candles

First Piano Recital

2010-12-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Kyler and Max had their first piano recital in December. They played so well and we are proud of them!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jason's family this year. The boys had fun making hats and painting some Christmas decorations.

Great Grandma Tolman was a good sport!

Grandma Tolman and the boys

Ridge's 2nd Birthday

2010-12-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ridge turned 2 at the end of October. He is such a fun part of our family! As parents, I think Jason and I are enjoying this time with a toddler a lot. We are older and calmer, and I think we just see life differently now as opposed to when Kyler and Max were little.

The boys loved the snowstorm we go in early November!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T19:16:00.000-06:00

If this looks familiar, it's because they were the exact same things last year......We totally win the lame parents of the year award. Maybe next year we will actually think about costumes before Halloween's eve. I'm pretty sure Ridge won't fit into the lemur costume next year anyways.

We love fall.....

2010-10-28T16:13:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin carving

2010-10-27T20:22:00.001-06:00

Jason's family gets together every year to carve pumpkins before Halloween. We had dinner, cake (for Josh's birthday), and gutted some pumpkins.

Jason made this for his parents, they were thrilled....

Kyler's Birthday!!

2010-10-26T01:42:00.000-06:00

So, Kyler turned 11! He is amazing! I am seriously thankful that we get to be his parents....and I dread the day (coming very soon) when he realizes he is way smarter than us. Don't get me wrong, I want him to be smarter than us, I'm just not ready for him to realize it. He is very helpful and kind. He stands up for what he believes in and we are proud of him everyday. September has been a big month for Kyler. First he and Max went on a week long trip with their grandparents. They went to Denver, Mesa Verde, and Arches National Park (pictures to come soon). The boys had a great time and enjoyed everything they did. Kyler also received his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts. He worked very hard and also earned all the activity badges offered. Next up, Kyler finally had a friends birthday party. We usually stick to family parties or take him and a few friends to do something, but this year he wanted a friend party. We did a science theme and did several different experiments. Jason and I had a blast and we think the kids did too!

Kyler's Arrow of Light Ceremony

Kyler and his friend

Magic colored milk experiment

Blowing up balloons with CO2. This got lemon juice and baking soda everywhere!

Homemade smoke bombs. We forgot to take pictures when we lit them, but it was awsome!

Gak, messy and fun.

Diet Coke and Mentos. This one didn't work so well for us, but we will try again sometime.

We filled petri dishes with candy to take home in the goody bags.

Our Summer Vacation

2010-09-06T14:31:00.000-06:00

In June, we went to Rexburg for baby Ryann's blessing

Leslie, Taylynn, Ridge

Exceeding the slide weight limit

Crash

In July, we moved to Idaho Falls. The boys spent tons of time in the pool!

Ha ha, he really wanted to try on Ryann's bow

The Blue Angels did an airshow and we got to watch them fly over our house

Fishing at our favorite spot

The first day of school. Kyler is in 5th, Max is in 3rd grade.

The End.

April - May

2010-06-03T14:43:00.001-06:00

In April, my family did our sometimes annual MS Walk. We had a lot of fun and the babies did really well.

After the walk, we went to the park for some frisbee and playtime

Whoa, hair (Ridge needs a haircut, but I love it long)

We celebrated Max's 8th birthday with my family

Ridge and Waylon loved the pool, they didn't wait to put on swim clothes

Max got baptised! Some of both of our families were able to attend. We are so proud of Max!

After the baptism, we went to the park. Uncle Josh was really excited to swing!

This is how most of my pictures of Ridge turn out...

All the boy cousins on Jason's side

A few weeks ago, Katie, Marc, and the girls came over for dinner and jumping

Jason, trying to break bones

It's not that I failed....

2010-04-22T00:58:00.000-06:00

It's just that I have 500 pounds of clutter spread out in piles all over my house.....I totally failed. Without weighing everything, I have no idea where I ended up at. We are going to have a yard sale, but until then, we still have almost everything (but it's in piles...). We have a good idea of what we are getting rid of, and when we do have the yard sale, I have a feeling a lot more stuff will be leaving this house. But until then, we will still be clearing out clutter and making piles of things to get rid of.

On the cooking front, we have had a lot of junk this week. Tonight I did make tacos with smoked turkey, shredded broccoli, and cheese. They were really good, the boys had mac & cheese....ehh, some weeks are better than others.

Picture Post

2010-04-15T23:13:00.000-06:00

Boys at the zoo

Kyler's Pinewood Derby

Rainbow Cupcakes

mmmm.....

Easter goods, Ridge

Max

Kyler

Brotherly love

Way to pogo!! Seriously, he has some crazy record....like over 600 times in a row!

Kyler made this, I thought it was cool

The swan that lives at our pond. Apparently his name is Andy, but we've been calling him Bob for a year and a half. I don't think he cares much. He's fun to watch, but if he starts to get out of the water, we run! He's huge!!

Ahhh, deadlines.....

2010-04-15T22:47:00.000-06:00

So, I have 37 pounds of clothes, four boxes of videos, baby walker, exersaucer, random toys, more baby stuff, a couple rugs, a bag of shoes......and I am not so much in the mood to weigh it all. I did sell a bike, it probably weighed at least 40 or 100 pounds. So, really I'm probably at my 500. And guess what.....it hasn't even dented what I need to get rid of. I'm giving myself until Monday (cause Jason is here this weekend to help me) to get my "official" 500 pounds together.....but I am nowhere near done decluttering. Seriously....we have a THREE car garage that nobody can park in....I have issues. BUT, I am admitting it....that's the first step (so I hear). Our goal is to only need one moving truck to move back to Idaho Falls, so......we continue. Besides only three of you in this world know that I failed (mostly due to my lack of weighing junk).

On a cuter note...here is Leslie, Ridge, and Taylynn at Easter

Craigslist and pancakes

2010-04-11T21:09:00.000-06:00

We are making more progress. Today we posted some items on Craigslist, if they don't sell, we will try having a yard sale. Anybody need a baby walker, exersaucer, inchworm, bike, or wheelbarrow? Tommorrow we will weigh everything to see where we are at.

On the cooking front, we made the potatoes and mini German pancakes (linked in my previous post) today and they were awesome!! The boys love having breakfast for dinner, and it's nice to take a few hours to make new things.

Progress

2010-04-09T19:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was too busy decluttering the candy bowl to post.....I have 35 pounds of clothes, five boxes of videos, and a dog house to give away or donate. I'm thinking about having a yard sale, but then I still have all this stuff sitting here waiting for warm weather. Big decisions! I do plan on getting the bulk of the 500 pounds done when Jason is here this weekend.

In other news, we made German Pancakes and strawberry sauce for dinner tonight. The boys really liked it, we thought it tasted like a thick crepe. I now have the mini version on my mind. Earlier this week, we made this, it was amazing! And slightly artery clogging, so a few days ago we made it with roasted potato wedges and it was even better! On this weekend's to-do list is also THIS. Why have I never thought to try it already?

Losing 500 pounds!!

2010-04-07T22:28:00.000-06:00

So, anyone who knows me, knows that I decorate with clutter and piles of paper.....I have been inspired by this blog and another upcoming move to lose 500 pounds of clutter. Not furniture so much, just paper, clutter, and randoms things we no longer need. My plan is to throw things away, donate, save for a yard sale, give to others. Since I work better if I let my plans be known.....here's letting you (all six of you that read this) know. And, I want to lose 500 pounds in ten days......yep, ten little days. Totally do-able! (maybe) (if not, I'll just delete this post and only six of you people would ever know that I failed). So, starting tomorrow, April 8, 2010, I will be starting this little project. Stay tuned for details!

What did the dad tomato say to the baby tomato, who was falling behind?

2010-03-19T23:18:00.000-06:00

"Ketchup"
Ha ha, well I thought it was funny! So, anyways, this is a catch up post.

In Jan. we went to Chuckee Cheese.

In Feb. we made rainbow pancakes....

And we celebrated a few birthdays with Texas Sheet Cake, pumpkin cookies,

cake balls, and frosting shots!!

Ridge is working on his spoon skills.....

Jason is still working in Idaho Falls, the drive is getting really old, but we all do what we have to do. Kyler is doing amazing in school, he is active in scouts, and is reading like crazy! Seriously on the reading, for March, he has already read over 1000 minutes! He is a great helper with Ridge which helps me out tons. Max is doing very well in school, and is excited to start scouts next month. He is always building something with legos or knex, or drawing, or has some sort of crafty project going on. Ridge is growing and learning new things all the time. He loves animals.....from a safe distance, he is terrified of them up close. He loves to see birds, or "quacks" as he calls them. He's not talking so much, but is an expert on grunting to tell us what he wants. We are working on words.....it's probably easier than the mind reading we are currently using. I have been baking A LOT! We've tried creme brulee (way easy and delish), tons of cake balls (way too many!), chocolate marshmallow cake (thanks to Dana), and the occasional actual meal.

For the boys...

2010-02-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

I am having these printed for the boys to hang in their room. I think it would be a fun way to remember each year.

Jason & Theresa

2010-02-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

Word Clouds

2010-02-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

I made some word clouds describing the boys. The words I used are things they are interested in right now.

More Hawaii pics...

2010-01-27T20:23:00.001-07:00

This is Hanauma Bay, a nature preserve where we went snorkeling. You can see the coral in the water. Just feet off of the shore there are all kinds of fish swimming with you. We didn't see any turtles or Humuhumunukunukuapuaa (you know, Hawaii's state fish), but they are there also.

This is a whale part, we saw a mother and baby whale on our

tour.

This is a nuclear submarine that we also saw on the whale watching tour.

There are tons of Banyan trees all over the island. The roots grow down, like vines until they plant themselves into the ground. They can be massive! There is a tree in Lahaina, Hawaii that covers two thirds of an acre (we did not go there).

Rebecca and I at the Polynesian Cultural Center

HAWAII!!

2010-01-26T20:39:00.003-07:00

So, I think that I have the best husband ever. Jason took a week off of work to stay home with the boys while I went to Hawaii!! My friend, Rebecca (the best friend ever) invited me to visit her in Hawaii for a week.....so I did. We did all of the tourist things and spent some quality time on the beach. I ate some amazing food, and I am pretty sure I had pineapple, coconut, and macadamia nuts every day. I still dream about the pancakes with a macadamia nut sauce from the restaurant in Kailua....I didn't take nearly enough pictures, but I had an amazing time! I am incredibly thankful for Jason and he had a blast just being home with the boys. We hope to do this trip again someday as a family.

USS Arizona Memorial

Hawaii Temple

Byodo-In Temple (Replica of a Buddist Temple in Japan)

Discovery Center

2009-12-31T20:54:00.004-07:00

We went to the Discovery Center today and the boys had a blast!

Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T23:51:00.003-07:00

We had a great Christmas this year! The boys and I went to Idaho Falls for a week to spend some time with Jason, and then celebrated Christmas day at Jason's parents house. Jason's sisters and their families were there and Ridge was way overwhelmed. He was completely out of his comfort zone for the entire week, but especially on Christmas day (such a baby, I know!). Kyler and Max, on the other hand, had a blast. They played outside for hours, played with their new nerf guns, and video taped everything with their new cameras.

Max in his new Snuggie!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T23:40:00.002-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We had it at our house with my family....all 29 of us. Jason cleaned out the garage and we set tables and heaters up in it because our dining room is Barbie sized. Except for the minor flames shooting out of the oven (note to self - DO NOT broil the sweet potato casserole to speed the browning process), we had a great time. It is tradition to have a few minutes of "panic time" while preparing the meal, but we mostly skipped that this year. We did not take any pictures (much like the rest of our blogging friends), but we enjoyed being with our family and having a great meal.

Just a random pic.....

2009-12-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

I smile everytime I see this!!

Ridge's 1 Year

2009-11-11T16:06:00.001-07:00

Check out the link on the very bottom of this page! It's a book I made for Ridge.

Ridge's 1st Birthday Party

2009-11-01T18:36:00.002-07:00

We had Ridge's birthday party today. Instead of goody bags, we sent everyone home with a plate of cupcakes.

He's a pretty clean eater and wanted us to wipe his hands everytime he took a bite. He made it through about 1/20 of the cake.

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T23:28:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween from Einstein, a vampire, and the cutest ring tailed lemur ever!

Turns out, Ridge doesn't like "Where the Wild Things Are". I, on the other hand, thought the costumes were pretty amazing.

Happy 1st Birthday Ridge!!

2009-10-29T23:12:00.002-06:00

Randoms!

2009-10-19T20:11:00.004-06:00

Here are random pics from the past few months.

Kyler and Max swimming
Ridge and his cousin, Leslie, playing

We tried to get some pics take of Ridge, he was not so amused

The boys playing on the trampoline
Watching football!
Digging for fossils!

Happy Birthday Kyler!!!!

2009-10-03T00:00:00.003-06:00

Happy 10th Birthday to the most amazing firstborn any person could ask for!!!! Kyler is such a good helper to me and to his brothers. He is thoughtful and kind. He is one of the smartest people I know and I am thankful everyday that he is part of my life. He has grand plans for his life and I can't wait to see all he can do. Oddly enough, we don't have very many birthday pics of him (everyone knows firstborn=massive amounts of pictures for every occasion). I LOVE YOU KYLER!!!

Not such a good blogger

2009-10-02T23:43:00.002-06:00

Soooo, internet............there's a lot to catch up on. I just don't know if I want to......life gets busy with raising three boys. Lots has happened over the summer, maybe more than I feel like catching up on. Anyways, here's a pic of some wild herd of animals we saw at Yellowstone this summer (funny, it's about the only wild animals we saw).

I'm in love.....

2009-07-10T22:22:00.002-06:00

Ridge is 8 months old and amazing!! He makes nine months of being sick and throwing up worth every second. He is the perfect addition to our family and he was definitely worth the wait.

The 4th

2009-07-10T21:41:00.006-06:00

My sister and her girls came to visit us for the 4th of July. We had a great time swimming, going to the park, and visiting the Discovery Center. All the kids had fun playing together and it was nice just hanging out. It's fun to watch Ridge and Taylin grow and learn new things.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T00:40:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Maxson Brady!!

2009-04-04T00:04:00.004-06:00

Max is honestly the funniest kid I know. He enjoys playing outside and is eager to try new things. We love him so much and are excited to see what he does in his life.

Happy Five Months!!

2009-03-29T22:38:00.001-06:00

New Pictures

2009-03-21T23:18:00.007-06:00

So this last month has been busy (I feel like I post that every time). My sister and her girls were here for a little while so we took all five kids in to get pictures done. Three hours later, we were happy with what we got and tired...very tired. Here are some pictures, these are not cropped or edited.

A quick pic

2009-03-21T00:35:00.002-06:00

Here is a sneak peek, I will update more soon.....

The last month....

2009-02-12T22:34:00.005-07:00

So here is an update of our last month (or two). Life is still just as busy. Jason went to Tennesse for a week, and I got to experience life with three boys alone. Ridge has discovered his feet and toys and smiling. I pretty much love life with a baby again. It's amazing how fast he grows. I don't remember the other boys growing quite so quickly. Kyler and Max have been adjusting really well to all of the changes. They like the new school and are meeting new friends at church. I think I like our new ward, I've mostly spent my time in the mother's room. Our ward just split so all the women I met are in the other ward now, ah such is life. On to the pictures, there's a lot!!

Ridge and Waylon hanging out....they love their playdates!!

Guess what's in the crib.....

Surprisingly, it's Ridge.

He sleeps in his crib for the first four hours, then he likes to eat every hour or two.
Max at the circus workshop at school

Kyler at the workshop

These, we had to buy, Kyler love practicing with his poi

This is how we roll....

Discovering his feet

All smiles

So, this is on my to do list....

and this, mt. laundry...

and this, somebody should make this bed....

it's crazy how fast this accumulates!!

He thinks he's funny

It's a lot easier to play DS on your head!!

Ahhh, toes

Busy

2008-12-23T17:37:00.002-07:00

So, in the last eight weeks, we have had a baby, traveled to Boise for over a week, moved to Boise, traveled to Rexburg, and Jason started a new job. We've been a little busy. Since Thanksgiving, we have calmed down a lot. The boys started their new school and Jason is getting used to work. We have been getting to know Ridge. He's pretty serious, it takes some work to get a smile, but then it is so worth it.

2008-11-03T20:17:00.002-07:00

First bath

Wide awake

Going home

Meeting for the first time

Welcome to the world!!

2008-11-03T20:08:00.004-07:00

Ridge Joseph Tolman

6 lbs 14 0z

20 1/2" long

Internet, we need help....

2008-09-30T16:43:00.002-06:00

So, we are having a boy. I am due in a month or so. I'm thinking this baby needs a name. If you have any great suggestions, we are all ears. Grandma Tolman says she thinks babies bring their names with them, we hope so....cause we got nothing. If you can help, we'd love to hear it.

What are the odds?

2008-09-30T16:40:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Kyler, Aspen, and Taylynn!!! One third of Dallas and Janette's grandkids share a birthday. Kyler is nine today, Aspen is six, and Taylynn was born at 3:36 this morning.

Recipes

2008-09-29T20:28:00.000-06:00

Check out this blog http://yummyyummyforyourtummy.blogspot.com/

Update coming soon

2008-06-17T00:53:00.000-06:00

here is a link to see some recent pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/tolman.jason

Update

2008-05-20T16:09:00.001-06:00

Yeah, I know, we need to update. As soon as the hives go away and I stop being allergic to all things, I'll think about it.

New pictures of the boys

2008-04-13T22:52:00.005-06:00

Massive Picture Update

2008-04-13T20:34:00.006-06:00

Here is an update of recent happenings at our house. This is an ugly moose. We've seen it a few times around Jason's parents house. If moose can molt, this is what it would look like.

Here are the boys dying eggs at Jason's parents house. They had fun and even Jason got into it.

Easter morning, the boys made out really well.

Two weeks ago, we went sledding in our yard. There was at least two feet of snow.

Max's sixth birthday, we went to Boise and enjoyed the warm weather.

After the party, we went to my Uncle Mike's house and played with the baby goats. I pretty much am in love with them.

We've had two bald eagles and a juvinile eagle hanging around our house lately. We have enjoyed watching them.
Here is Rex, he is a bit lonely since Indy died.

Busy month

2008-03-17T23:01:00.002-06:00

I'm not so good with commitment. The picture a day lasted for barely more than a day. Anyways, we've been busy. Kyler is done with wrestling. He did really well at the tournament, he won two matches and lost two. We are proud of how well he did.

Big news

2008-03-17T22:58:00.002-06:00

Day 3

2008-03-03T21:26:00.003-07:00

Kyler, wrestling

Max at wrestling practice
Indiana and Rex getting some much needed attention

Day 2

2008-03-02T19:10:00.003-07:00

Well, my goal is going fabulous, except that I didn't take any pictures today. Guess I'll work on that. Instead, here is a picture from April, 2004 in Savannah, Georgia. Notice the shadow on Kyler, that's me. Kinda like a family portrait.

Picture a day

2008-03-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

So, my goal for March is to take and post a picture each day. This one was taken today after a long afternoon sledding and snowball fights.

Pics in Georgia

2008-02-28T23:31:00.000-07:00

Update

2008-02-27T01:23:00.000-07:00

So, life has been busy for us lately. It always is, but we have definite plans to slow down...... soon. We have gone to Denver, Utah for two funerals, started taking a religion class at the college, Kyler was in the temple cultural ceremony, and other little things. The temple program was awesome, only one child from each ward got to be in the choir. Kyler loved it. He was sorry to see it end, but it is nice to be done with all of the practices.

Jan/Feb 2008 pictures

2008-02-27T00:33:00.000-07:00

Snow on the roof of a cabin in Island Park.

Jason in Island Park. The snow has drifted some, but he is also on at least a foot of ice. Fun stuff, huh.

Moose in Ashton

Kyler jumping off our shed

Max jumping into snow

Primary choir for temple cultural celebration.

Final attempt

Cousin attempt #2

Cousin picture attempt #1

Grandma Tolman's birthday breakfast

The boys in their snow cave.

Speaking of being bad pet owners, here is our Christmas present from one of Jason's framers.

2007 in Pictures

2008-02-24T00:31:00.001-07:00

From our front window in Jan.

Cousins
Max's fifth birthday

Mesa Falls

Fishing at Flaming Gorge

Fishing in Ashton

Yellowstone

Forth of July parade

Fishing

Riding horses

First day of school

Family Reunion

Tennis raquet softball

Kyler's Baptism

Danny (frome Grease) and a green dinosaur

Bad pet owners

2008-02-24T00:10:00.000-07:00

So, in the two and a half years or so that we have lived on the river here, we have gained and lost two hermit crabs, eight kittens, one dog, one turtle, one hamster, three guinea pigs, countless fish, and a partridge in a pear tree. Okay, maybe not a partridge, but our remaining cats have killed their share of birds. Oh, and there is the deer our dog killed, and the beaver the other dog brought home....perhaps pets aren't our thing. We try. In fact we try really hard to have pets and keep them alive. We have learned tons. We still have two (maybe three) cats, two dogs, and some fish. Crazy, huh.

2007-10-22T14:37:00.000-06:00

Jack, we love you. Dec. 2004 - Oct. 16, 2007

My First Post

2007-09-25T00:46:00.000-06:00

So...I thought maybe I would try this blog thing.