Charleston-Spring Break

We had the BEST spring break ever in Charleston, SC last week. We were there all week long and did absolutely nothing. And it was absolutely perfect. Spending time with Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Ray.

We blew bubbles, went to the park, commissary, played soccer in the front yard, had races, played with the dogs and hoses, PS3, Blue Bell Ice cream, southern home cooked food, and most importantly,

we enjoyed being with family.

Welcome Home!

Daddy came home March 26th and it was just magic! We LOVE picking him up in the airport! We have countdowns and chains and everything else to mark the day that Daddy comes home. We love going to the International arrivals at Dulles and the kids call the long parking tunnel the "dungeon." We, as the welcoming committee were there with posters and banners in hand. It's always a tearful reunion. Yeah Daddy!

Awaiting Dad at home was his favorite cake (yellow with chocolate buttercream frosting with Reese's on top.). I found this website Bakerella and it's DIVINE! We love sweets at our home. Love them. I mean, really love them. Like if there were a Krispy Kreme donuts down the streeet (like there was when we lived in Utah) we'd be there every morning for breakfast. So, new creations from sites like Bakerella and my dear friend Abby's Huckleblerries, I LOVE trying new desserts! So, please let me know if you know of any good dessert websites! I need something to bake after Jonathan leaves again! My nickname being Goose, I've been baking so many treats, JD has called me Goosarella short for the Bakarella Queen.

So anyways, only pictures of us eating cake, no pictures of the tearful reunion. The Toler's have priorities. Yummm.

Sassy Girl

Ashley woke up one day from a nap and looked at me with her big angelic eyes. I told her she was beautiful and she said, "I know. But you are not. Isn't that so sad?"

My cutest in the world nephews Jax and Brigg enjoying Boston outdoors.

Baseball Boy. Austin did baseball camp this weekend sponsored by the Gainesville District Little League. This year is machine pitch. This will be his first time playing baseball! He's on the team Raptors. He was very nervous at first, but has warmed up the idea. He likes hitting the ball the best. Go Austin!

Tomorrow Jonathan comes home.

We've seen him only 18 days in the past 8 months.

Wow.

We are sooooooooooooo excited.

He'll be here for 3 weeks. Yahoo!

Ciao for now.

I need a Medic!

This week I caught strep throat. I knew I had it only 12 hours after I had a sore throat. The tight neck, sore spine, blistery throat, slight fever. My $20 copay was worth it.

The next day, Ash had a 104 degree fever. Blistery throat. Bingo. Her $20 copay was worth it.

Austin is unscathed. But half of the school has strep it seems.

And head lice is going around the schools too. Gross. Please stay far away from us.

As I'm recovering from strep, 3 days later Austin was tickling my head with those wire head ticklers and when I turned my head to the side and one of the wire prongs stabbed inside of my ear. Ouch. I screamed and the blood started trickling out of my hand, down my neck. I thought I'd never hear again outside of my right ear. Austin was mortified. We've got a bleeder!

So of course it's on a Saturday night at 9:30pm. No urgent care was open, didn't want to haul the kids to the ER, so I just called my on call Dr. and he said I'd be alright. I'm already taking antibiotics for the strep anyway.

Made it to the ENT Monday with cotton in my ear and brought the bloody contraption that brought me to my knees. He even cringed. He cleaned me up and I'm good to go.

Ear is healing. The head tickler is in the can. Not an ear tickler.

Familia

Aunt Reghan and Mom

My brother Aaron (Rocco) and dear Dad

Reghan

CONGRATULATIONS to Aunt Reghan and Uncle Rocco! My brother and Sis-in law are expecting their first little kidlet on September 10. We don't know the sex yet, but I'm already pawning my baby stuff off to them. They're starting their new little cute family in Manhattan right now. Aaron has been there since Jan 1 and Reghan is packing out to move to NYC by April. The bambino will arrive just months later. So exciting!

Familia-

From January 28-March 14, my mom was here. Dad came to visit for one weekend, then again for a week in March. Then Aaron and Reghan came for a weekend in March. I had so much family around this winter and it made things so wonderful. Nothing in the world is more important than Family. I'm so thankful that I have an amazing one. We're very close. We watch out for each other. We're very loyal. We love each other. That's what families do.

St. Patty's Day!

Creepy leprechuan, right? This is the picture that Jonathan shows the kids every year of the leprechaun that will come visit them at night on St. Patty's day. He's such a turkey! The kids hardly want to go to sleep at night on the Eve of St. Patrick's Day because of this feared, fictional leprechaun. While it's troubling, it's quite funny.

I love Holidays. Love em. No matter what they are. So for about a week before St. Patrick's Day, my sis-in law Reghan and I were scheming what tricks we should play on the kids and what traditions they still expect.

So this year, we did our usual. Turning furniture over, messing up the rooms downstairs, setting up our leprechaun trap...getting our green outfits all laid out for the next day.

The kids come down and look under the trap for gold coins or this year, Aunt Reghan made green jelly balls (green truffles)! But even though the leprechaun messed the furniture up, he led the kids to the fridge, where the green pistachio pudding was waiting for them. They even got shiny new half dollars under the trap. No leprechaun, but they did get some coins. We ate green eggs, the whole green works this day.

The leprechaun even left green pee in the toilets and in the sinks where he washed his hands!

I met up with my buddy Abby and Clayton that day at Chikfila! Green fun there too! Luckily the chicken wasn't green.

When the kids got off the bus we played some games at home and ended the night with Corned Beef and swiss. And green milk. Lucky fun day!

Piano Lessons

This picture scares me. Seriously. My older brother used to scare me with dolls when I was little. So Ash's Baby Alive doll looks anything but alive here. In the instruction manual it says that the baby needs new batteries if the facial expressions become distorted. I always wondered what that meant or how she would look. And here it is! Yikes! Baby Alive is coming to get me!

CHUBBY BUNNY-the game where you stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth at once and still say, "CHubby Bunny!" Austin won with about 25 mini marshmallows! This was a fun game we played with Aunt Reghan here!

We love you Uncle Rocco!

Ash just konked out in front of the computer. This is normally what I look like every night...

So Ashley is in her 3rd month of piano lessons. Mary Had a Little Lamb is almost there...

A little Liberacci?

State Dept. Recognition

The U. S. Department of State is grateful to the courageous men and women who serve our country at dangerous overseas posts. They recognize the sacrifices family members must make while separated from their loved one serving overseas. With a parent gone for an extended period of time, kids bear a particularly difficult burden. To acknowledge this hardship, the Dept of State created a special medal and certificate for the kids. They asked that a Principal present the medals to the kids in a very special way.

This was absolutely wonderful! The presentation of these awards really did let the kids know that their sacrifice is appreciated and that their Daddy is a hero and is making history right now!

Mrs. Fisher, the amazing Principal of Mountain View Elementary (who came from a State Dept family as well), surprised Austin by bringing him down to the media room and he was being televised on the morning announcements in front of 780 kids and he was proud as pie! He saw me there and we got a video of the televised announcements. Mrs. Fisher read the State Department certificate and presented him the medal around his neck. Austin stood 5 inches taller that day.

Ashley got hers presented to her by the superior Principal Mrs. Frasz at Haymarket Baptist Preschool as well. She stood up in Chapel time in front of all the classes after the pledge of allegiance was said. They presented her the medal around her neck and read the certificate of recognition.

"Ashley-In appreciation for the sacrifice asked of you wile separated from your father during his tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq this Certificate and accompanying Medal of Recognition are offered as a symbol of the Department of State's gratitude. Just as we are proud of the men and women serving at Unaccompanied posts, we are also proud of their families. Thank you for sharing your Father."

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

What an honor! The Department of State has done a phenomenal job at recognizing the sacrifices of family members. Thank you!

Austin got a standing ovation as he returned to his classroom and was such a proud boy as he was able to show his medal and Certificate to everyone in his class.

Both kids proudly have their medals and certificates mounted in their room and are so thankful that someone knows the sacrifice their making too.

Daddy is a hero!

Dr. Suess Day

Here comes Peter Cottontail...as soon as Spring has sprung, I (being the holiday fanatic that I am) get out all of my Easter decorations! Yes, there might have still been a little post winter snow clumps on the ground, but there were also flower buds coming up, the frost was gone, and by golly after this record-breaking winter, I was ready for a little spring in my step! Nothing does that better than holiday decorations--no matter what time of year it is.

Ashley obviously not as keen about the picture as I am.

As an early Easter treat, Pop and Grandma brought Ashley "Penny" the big stuffed rabbit that I had as a little girl growing up! Penny is making it through the generations.

Growing up with 3 brothers, we wrestled, fought, wrestled, fought...and Austin only having Ashley they do the same. But there are those times that I hear tremors of giggles and when I think they're wrestling, they're tickling each other and I love it when the kiddos can play and laugh and enjoy one another's company.

This was taken on Dr. Suess's birthday, and at preschool they called it "Crazy Day". This was an obvious picture of what "crazy day" really is. We set a whole new standard for this defintion.

Not Happy!

Burdens

At church on Sunday, there was a wonderful lesson about burdens. It has really helped me understand things better.

There are 3 types of burdens.

1. Mortality-burdens that affect us just from living on this earth: aging, physical, hunger, sickness, etc.

2. Misconduct of others-other's agency: crimes that are committed against us.

3. Our own mistakes, shortcomings: sins that we're responsible for.

We can really only be held accountable for #3. We are bound to have unfortunate things happen to us because we're human. But the more we can lesson our own shortcomings, the better off we'll be.

So many of my friends are going through a rough time right now. We will only be judged on our own mistakes and can only take others bad behavior and #2 pain from being a living person on this life (death) #3.

But with all the negatives in this world, the positives far outweigh our trials. We learn from our trials and become better. Smarter. I'm thankful for this wonderful life, my husband, kids, family and friends.

It's a wonderful world.

I Love to See the Temple...

Austin's friend Clayton Huck gave Austin a very cool electric train track set. Austin now makes high rise bridges with his blocks and makes the train go through all sorts of scary situations. I guess a regular train going around a track isn't "extreme" enough for a 7 year old anymore! Thanks Clayton!

On Friday night, I had a WONDERFUL time going to a bow party and making the most adorable bows ever with the greatest friends ever. This is Ash's (she's quite excited) collection. I must say, I think I love her bows more than she does. I love making them and displaying them like artwork! Now if I could only get her to wear them an entire day long without her ripping them out of her hair after 3 hours....

Austin's teacher at school-Mrs. Scott's birthday is tomorrow. She will be delighted to read this birthday card Austin wrote her.

Grandma and Ashley love to make little treats with her little princess oven!

This week I also had the chance to go out with a dear friend Ginger and my momma again to Cheesecake Factory and then stopped by Sephora. What a wonderful weekend. We got samples of bare minerals makeup, a free tester of my fav perfume, and got 'beautifed'. So fun. When I see the doors of Sephora, they call to me.

On Wednesday of this week was our Centreville Stake Temple Day. I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Washington LDS Temple with my MOM! What an experience. It's such a beautiful temple too.

Finally, to top off this wonderful week, my mom got to come to BUNKO night with me. And she won! It was a Martha Stewart themed night and it was delicious. And beautiful. And fun.

These are the kinds of weeks I love.

Let's just get the weather warm now.

Bye Bye February.