just a post

a few things worth mentioning...

- itunes radio. I wasn't completely sold on it until we discovered the "Van Morrison" station. I can listen to it for hours and hours and never hear a song worth changing. Never.

-In Kevin and I's latest bed war, he sat straight up at about 3am and poked me in the eyeball. !!!!!! Then he laid back down as if nothing had happened. Seriously! who eye pokes in their sleep? So i kicked him in the shin and rolled over. When the sun rose, my eye was all blood shot and he wondered what had happened.

- I threw away all the sugar in the house, and it's not going so well. I'm an addict.

- Don't think that because the sun has started to shine that my obsessive hobby of knitting has gone by the way side. I've just switched to bigger projects. Like poufs. with rope. you can imagine the rope burns on my fingers...

- My sister announced she's having a baby! boy! in September. Naturally I started going through the boxes underneath my bed for maternity clothes. But they weren't there. Henry is almost 18 months old and my maternity clothes were still hanging in my closet. whyyyyyyyyyy......

-On my trusty "van morrison" radio station, crazy love came on as I was pulling Gus out of his high chair. He didn't wiggle out of my arms, instead he laid his head on my shoulder and patted my back as we danced in the kitchen. for the entire song. I know it's not a long song, but that kid never has much affection for me. But there he was dancing in the kitchen to crazy love covered in goldfish crumbs and maybe a few tears rolled down my cheeks. maybe.

- Today is Pi Day. and naturally it seems like my kind of day. As I sit pouring over a few different recipes and options to commemorate this glorious holiday, I just really love baking pie. and since all my pie pans have been delivered to grateful homes, it's time to purchase my yearly stash of pans. I go through about a dozen every year. Easily.

- Last week I made the most beautiful pie. Salted Caramel Apple. from four and twenty blackbirds, and it was the best way to spend the morning. It was just so much fun baking it. Early in the morning, with a clean kitchen and a good playlist going. I was in my moment and grove and it felt so nice. Especially when it all turned out.

-and worth noting, in my fifteen years of obsessive pie baking, I have never changed my pie crust recipe. never. I've been there when someone's tested a vodka recipe, or listen to people drone on and on about an all butter crust and read all about the reasons why you do it one way or another. There has never been a different crust in my pie pans. Its the same recipe my mom used, her mom used, and my great grandma used. It's trusty and good, and you shouldn't fix something that isn't broken. But I had an itch, and I changed it last week. I did a part butter, part shortening crust. It was good. It had a different flavor, a different feel, and now I can say I've tried something else. But it won't be replacing my crust. not really ever again.

-also, all three of my kids are burying each other in the sand box and i'm so grossed out. I hate sandboxes and would give a lot of things for my kids to hate them too. But cheers to the sunshine and Gus being able to play outside with the others, he's in heaven.

love love

fresh air

The winter is giving up and the sunshine is peeking in. There are blossoms on our one lone tree and all the snow melted from the trampoline. The girls have spent every waking moment bouncing around. I found them yesterday propping their chairs up underneath it for shade with their books and blankets. I promptly brought their tents out and they snuggled with their noses peeking out of them for a good hour. They come inside with dirty feet and smelly like little wet puppies. The official smell of springtime. Nap time has been pushed an hour later but I'm not sure if that's because of the sunshine or the time change. I usually love the time change, it's light at night! Kevin comes home and there is still hours of daylight left. Hours to play outside, to snuggle, to talk about the day. But this year, I'm pretty sleepy. I'm giving it two more days before I officially complain about it.

I thought we were going to sneak through the winter months unscathed, untouched from the germs and viruses that were running rapid through our circles. Especially with that little baby of ours. Just as the sun starts to shine we got it. Henry mostly. The girls had terrible colds; runny noses and that cough that is lingering for way to many days. Henry's cold ventured straight to his lungs where he attempts to cough up his toes. His whole body shakes and trembles and his face turns red. All you can do hold his sad quivering body. Then that sneaky virus moved to his eyeballs, resulting in pink eye and this house has never seen so much hand sanitizer in its days. Considering he has a bronchial infection, shots and a raging case of pink eye, he is all smiles. That's how happy that kid is.

It's amazing how happy a warm sunny day make me. I spend most of my spare thoughts feeling nothing but gratitude and loves towards this little ball of chaos that is mine. As much as I love being curled up next to the fire with a cup of cocoa and snowflakes falling; me and sunshine, we are about to begin our grand affair.

love love

Spring Soccer

You guys. Seriously. Let's talk how my little Juniper became old enough to play county soccer? Wasn't she just bouncing around the house with little blonde curls singing the wheels on the bus? Now she is strapping on shin guards and kicking the ball up and down the tiny little field. It was so cute watching her and Miss Finley run around in 3 on 3 county soccer ball. She was so excited to play and only a little nervous. She kept focusing really hard on not touching the ball with her hands. She waits patiently at home every night for Kevin so he can kick the ball with her, I volunteer to do it with her, but I'm not as much fun as as dad.

Who ever decided that little kids play 3 on 3 soccer for 30 minutes is genius! It's just enough time for them to love it and want to come back for more.
love love

Easter

It was a beautiful day full of jelly beans and egg hunts. The girls got a trampoline and we haven't seen them since. It really was a great day at church, a great nap, a great golf tournament and delicious food. I hope yours was as delightful.

love love

Easter Hippity Hop

I know you all are just dying to know about how my Easter went. Its one of those holiday's that when its over you know your Feeds box in your email will be busting open because everyone wants to tell you how awesome their kids egg hunt was and how much they love their family. I delayed my post this time because I didn't want to you to get distracted with all those other posts. I wanted your undivided attention here. So I forgot, its ok it's just a few days late.
Last year we celebrated Easter like you would on Easter, just a week later. More or less a do-over because it wasn't a Tolbert year for the holiday. Trace surprised his granddaughters with adorable seersucker dresses. Everyone went to church in my parents ward and had a delightful time.
This was last year:
Finley is 1 years old, Stella is 4 Months and Bampa is distinguished.

Notice how they all have the same haircut?



This year we enjoyed a lovely Easter in Heber with everyone! I made cheesecake the girls spent the entire time with Hunter on "Walks" We might have watched a lot, OK A LOT, of golf. What better way to spend Easter?
Here are this years photos:
This year Bampa didn't supply the Easter dresses, but yet somehow on two separate occasions at two separate stores two different mom's bought the SAME Easter dress. Love it!
Deb is sitting quietly with the calm child, and Trace is holding on for dear life because Stella is taking him down. huh, I'm shocked that Stella would wiggle; Ironic.

Interesting, they all have the same haircut this year too.


We really did have a great weekend with everyone, we played golf, ate lots of food, some went to a Jazz game, some hung out with me ( a way better option) and everyone participated in the golf tournament around the yard; Trace of course dominated and won. But he didn't get the hole in one on the island green. I did. :)

Spring?

A break in the inversion led Stella and I to playing outside. All of our snow as melted* and we have tulips and daffodils popping up all over the place! Its so great to see the yard coming back to life. Stella loves being outside so we sat and watched the kids come home from school. She was in heaven! She just said "Hi" to everyone, I mean EVERYONE, that walked by. Our neighborhood is full of pedestrians. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of little June Bug socializing. I'm glad I did because the break in winter only lasted 24 hours. Its now snowing and freezing outside again. I hope it goes away soon.

Quack Quack

A couple of weeks ago we had a break in the winter weather and we got sunshine. Lots of sunshine. In fact the temperature even rose above 45! We had to take advantage of the spring like moment before it was gone. We took Stella to Sugarhouse Park to feed the ducks. It was so funny! She loved the geese. She just wanted to touch them and eat the bread we were feeding them. I was a little nervous about her touching the geese, all I can remember from feeding such animals is when they bit me. I wanted Stella to have all fingers in the future. Luckily we survived with 10 fingers and 10 toes. She loved it! We loved it! We got to be outside together sitting on the grass soaking up the sunshine! I'm glad we did because 2 days later the inversion was back and we were stuck inside again.