Last Day of Kindergarten!

On the last day, we bought presents for the kids. A cinderella music box for Ash and a Leapster w games for Austin (a great yard sale find!) It was a little Christmas in the summer.

Another one of Ash's famous sour puss faces

SCHOOL'S OUT...FOR... SUMMER!!!

Go Ash go!

Ashley did  cheer camp this week and LOVED it.  Anytime we're allowed to jump around AND yell?  What could be better?

Kindergarten Graduation

My baby.  Austin had a Hawaiian Luau kindergarten graduation on Friday.  Sniff sniff.  For some reason it wasn't as heartbreaking as his preschool graduation.  Maybe it's because he's already in public schooling, and k to 1st isn't as bad as pre-k to the big elementary school.  Regardless, I was happy for him because he was beaming, but another milestone gone for me. 

Austin was so happy Ashley could come to school and join in the festivities.  We had a picnic outside, then Austin's class sang songs to us inside, got their graduation certificate, then we did lots of fun Luau crafts inside.  I brought Hawaiian music and all the kids had a WONDERFUL time.   

Our dog Annie turned 1 on Sunday!  Of course we had cake (for us) and frosty paws Dog dessert for her.  Happy Birthday to the beast!  We now have a nickname for our dog...it's Eunice.  It was a common name in Kenya. Pop actually started that name with her.  But now she has another nickname--Eukus Peukus.  Tolers and our nicknames.  Sometimes if she chews something she shouldn't she might get a "Stop that you fat hog!" as well.  Poor Annie.

Little Gym Graduation

I must say I love the Little Gym. 

I love the trained instructors.  It's all about the teachers.  We have skilled, trained, athletically inclined instructors the past 2 years. 

I love the individual attention they give my kids.  

The self-esteem gained when they're constantly complimented.  

The self-confidence gained when they complete a difficult task they couldn't do physically the week before.  

The sweat they exude while they're having fun.  

The tiredness felt and then go right to sleep.  The friends they make (and mommy friends too).

Word up

This week Austin has asked me what a cigar was, how many eggs I have, everyday if there was a tick on him, and has recently started doing all good deeds only to want either money in return or his beloved toy of choice...a BAKUGAN.  He's collected a lot of them.  And that's not enough.  He now has to have the entire trap collection.  This wonderful world of bakugans is a "make believe" game of power and battles among these little plastic balls.  When the balls are thrown "battled" upon something magnetic, the pop open into a creature.  You should hear little boy of 5, 6,7 talk about how many "G's" of power each one has.  It's all made up as they go along!  Unbelievable world of imagination, masculinity and maybe too much Japanese anime.  

This week I hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Brooke who's having her third child, an only baby GIRL.  It was so fun!!!

Ashley is all about making faces.  I've posted the sour puss face, and here's the "scary face."  The many faces all us girls have.  Only Little girls only choose to wear them on the outside whenever they want.

Hair Bows

So I finally learned with some of my buds how to make hair bows.  Girly, frilly, razzle-tazzle bows.  It was so much fun and SO easy. I loved it!

Now, if only my little girl grew her hair back.  

And yes, that is a bow I created attached to Annie's collar!  Bows for all! 

Austin CUT Ashley's HAIR!

This is a story that we can look back upon with a smile, but when it happened, I was mortified.  

I was at the computer and I hear Austin fiddling around the pencil basket.  I asked what he was doing and he said, oh just playing.  5 minutes later Ashley proudly announces that she 'got a haircut!'  At that, leapt from the computer kicking anything in my way to see a beaming sweet Ashley that had mutant hair.  Chunks missing all over, bangs cut off...you must remember that her hair is extremely fine and has taken about 3 years to grow in.  She was just starting to wear bows and her hair was naturally waving. And now...GONE.  

I was so angry at Austin as I saw the pile of locks on my bed.  I picked up the handful and asked him what on earth he was thinking.  "I gave her a makeover!"  He had even cut off a chunk on the front of his head too.  Ahhhh!

So off to Bubbles salon we went the next day to clean it up.  I asked the gal if she could blend in the pieces and give her a little stack in back.  She looked at me and said, "There's no stacking. She needs a pixy cut."  So it goes.  Hair gone.  But Ash wouldn't know the difference.  Thank goodness.  Only me, and all my many bows are now waiting again in the top drawer for another year or so till we can use them.  

5th tooth!

Austin lost his 5th tooth, first front tooth this week.  That's two teeth in one week!  Our little bundle of toothless wonder.  We love it!  And this was Jonathan's first tooth to pull. Such excitement!

Shenandoah

The Toler's can never have enough fireworks.  We play with sparklers year round for different festivities!

Austin the pyro....manned the fire the entire time with Mr. Travis.

Ashley killed about 20 marshmallows this night.

Knock it off Mom.  Enough with the pictures already!

This weekend we went up with some friends to Shenandoah 

to enjoy nature, a picnic and s'mores.

Austin is definitely a fire boy.  He played with the fire the whole time.  

Ticks, red eyes and blood...oh my!

This week Austin got his first tick.  The first tick I'd actually seen ever, on anyone.  On his back.  Nasty.  Duane tried burning it off, Austin was horrified. But luckily it came right off with a pluck of the tweezers.  Ew.

So here's the story with Captain Redeye.  Right before family pictures, literally 15 min before we're supposed to meet Jean, Austin runs into Ashley's room where I'm dressing her and he has RED LIPSTICK all over his face.  Not just any lipstick, but my only RED COLOSTAY-8 hr lipstick on his face.  Eye lids, lips, cheeks, eyebrows, forehead.  It was horrible.  He thoughts it was funny looking.  Of course on the day we take pictures!!!  So I take a washcloth and soap and start to scrub on his little face.  I got it all off, and the pics are great.  However, that night Austin had what I thought was pink eye.  So I treated it.  But then 2 days later Austin woke up with BLOOD EYE pictured above. Yikes. Pink eye gone bad.

I took him to the pediatrician and she asked what happened, Austin replied, "My mom hit me."  I looked at him shocked, then he said, "okay, she didn't hit, she really just flipped me with her fingers."  WHAT?@?  She then asked Austin what exactly happened and he said, "she rubbed my eye really hard and this is what happened!"  Oh dear.  The Dr. then asked if he was yelling and asked me to stop and of course he was yelling!  I was trying to rub colorstay lipstick off his face!  She told us to see an opthamologist.

Went to a fantastic opthamologist, and he said it was conjuctival hemorrhaging.  Only bursted/broken blood vessels.  Like bruising.  It goes away.  I did this to my child.  And Austin tells EVERYONE.  I'm still waiting for child protective services to knock at my door.  Note to all moms out there---be super super gentle while washing your kids face.  You never know what might bruise!  It's just horrible.  It look like I used steel wool on his eyes.  But really, I didn't!  Sorry buddy!

Tooth #4

Ash loves playing her Caillou games on PBS sprout, and sesame.org!!!

Wet street rats

Last night, I pulled out Austin's 4th tooth!  I love pulling teeth.  He pulled his first two, he's allowed me to pull out the last 2.  I love my little toothless wonder.

A picture of Annie smiling compliments of Jean Allen!

Austin saw a pillow in our trash can.  He took it out and when I was cleaning up his room while he as at school, I noticed he drew a smiley face and put "Pop" his grandpa on there.  They napped w/each other while he was here.  He sure loves Pop!