Tomlinson Times

The tooth fairy has arrived!!

2012-01-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

D has had this tooth dangling in his mouth for the past several weeks, and we had no idea when it was going to come out! Being that this was D's FIRST loose tooth, we had to tread waters carefully. We did our best to wiggle and twist, but it was stubborn. Finally, we resolved to just let it come out on its own. Two days ago, while eating a stale cookie before school, Daniel walked up to me in the kitchen while I had my back to him and said, "Mommy, I think that my tooth fell out!" He had teased me with this line before, so I wasn't going to be fooled. He told me again, and I did the obligatory glance over my shoulder to discover a bloody mouth! I ran to him and looked at what was in his hand! Indeed, my little man had lost his first tooth! He was so excited that he was shaking! He promptly told me that, "The tooth fairy is going to come tonight and I'm going to get money to buy my 'Spiderman web shooter' from the store!" Sorry kid, the Tooth Fairy isn't made of money! :) I love this toothless kid-- he sure is growing up!

Enjoy this super flattering shot of me and my three chins. :)

Someone need a squirrel exterminator?

2012-01-28T19:37:00.001-08:00

Squirrels have decided to make our attic their home. We don't appreciate their presence and wish that they would leave. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that there were several points of entrance through our roof vents (about 9 of our 16-- no wonder they were so thrilled with their new abode!). John, a true animal lover at heart (I couldn't speak this with more sarcasm-- John detests animals), tackled the project with gusto and fixed the roof vents by climbing around in the attic, setting traps to catch the perpetrators, and releasing the crazy beasts to a happier place. If you know John, you know that this probably had to be his least favorite thing to do EVER, but he rocked it and I was so proud of him. So, if you're ever in need of a squirrel man, give him a ring! :)

Rapunzel! Chopped off her hair! (As sung by the wicked mother in "Tangled")

2012-01-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

After three and a half years with her beautiful locks, Rachel took a big step and chopped off at least 12-14 inches to create the cutest "Princess" bob known to man! :) She looks adorable and absolutely LOVES her new hair. I can't count the times she's looked at herself in the mirror. And I truly can't wipe that smile off of her face.

Why cut it? Well, when Rapunzel doesn't let Mama brush it or do anything with it, it becomes a hazzard for catching insects and food, catching pee as she's using the potty, etc... It was definitely a good move! Way to go, beautiful!

And sorry, none of these pictures do the "do" justice. She looks adorable. You'll have to come and see her in person. :)

Happy Christmas, all!

2011-12-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

I have neglected our annual Christmas card... again. I promise that it will reinvent itself soon. In the meantime, enjoy my family report!

Sarah is affectionately called "Destructa-girl" because she manages to destroy everything in her path. She has grown up so much that she is now wearing many of Rachel's clothes. Sarah loves anything that her siblings or another child has in their posession first, and won't relent until it's hers... :) She is a ball of energy and humor. She knows how to entertain a crowd. Sarah has the sweetest little smile, but our camera is rarely quick enough to catch it. We seem to capture Miss Scrunchy Face, instead. We love everything about our goose!

Rachel is such a big girl now. Trailing behind Daniel in most events of the day, she does not want to be left behind. She thinks that Daniel's friends are her friends and wants to be included in everything, even superhero fighting. She is still our little princess who loves everything about dressing up, looking beautiful, playing doting mother to her dolls and baby sister, and dancing and singing around the house. She is often caught talking to her boyfriends "Alvin, Simon, or Theodore" on the cell phone, and their conversations are quite enchanting. She is growing up so fast and will be a Sunbeam next year... Rachie-bop is adored by all.

D-man is a huge kindergartener now. He is growing up rapidly before my eyes. I hate it, but what can I do? When I tell him that I don't want him to grow up anymore, he tells me that, "I have to, Mommy!" Fortunately, he has promised that I can visit him whenever I want after he gets married and lives on his own. :) Can someone tell his future wife? Daniel is an awesome reader and I love watching him as he learns more and more and more! His friends are an important part of his life; he calls them his "Masters" (like in TMNT). D is constantly thinking/plotting/planning/dreaming/scheming/talking about superheroes and superpowers... That's our boy! We love him to pieces!

John is a rock star. He and his friend decided to run a half marathon this past October and they did it! I was so impressed with his commitment and drive. It inspired me to want to run one, but I think that it's in my ten-year plan... He still works hard and is adored by his family. When he walks in the door, there is a mad dash to see who can get into his arms first. (The goose usually wins.) I make sure that I can be a close second, because I love this guy.

Megan (she enjoys speaking in the third person) is well. It's hard to identify what she does each day, but she always seems to be busy with something or someone. She tries to get into D's class when she can, and is grateful that she still has two sweet girls at home because life would be really boring without them. She sure loves her crazy family!

My family is cute!

2011-08-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sweet little girl...

It's raining, it's pouring...

Camping with gummy worms. By the way, I HATE camping. (Please disregard the smile.)

Daddy and his girls.

Our fearless climber. Heaven help us all...

Hey big blue eyes!

Hurray for Cousin Christine! (and the zoo, in no particular order...)

Daniel graduated from preschool. Thanks Miss Janet!

Happy birthday Spidey-D!

I think that we're ready for lessons! :)

Safety first!

Impromptu family picture...

Best buddies...

I see this face (and hear the accompanying scream) quite often...

Mama and baby.

Princess Rachel, with a big wad of gum.

I have no comment.

"I hope they call me on a mission, when I have grown a foot or two!"

This is how little goofy Sarah smiles. I love her chunky little face!

Here is yet another post for my mother and brother who check regularly for updates. They have been incredibly patient, so I hope that they enjoy! What can I say, my family is cute! I wish that I could add lots of exciting and witty news, but I have nothing for you tonight. Just pictures. Enjoy!

Upon uploading, I have noticed some themes:

-- my children enjoy running around with as little clothing as possible

-- cheesey grins run in our family

-- we need a professional photographer to capture some wall-hanging-worthy photos (or that can photoshop ME really well)

-- I love lazy lazy summers

-- my family is cute!

This one's for you, Mom...

2011-03-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

We are no longer a house of sickos. After strep, flu, colds, pink eye, yeast infections, six sets of double ear infections, I believe that we are finally well! Being sick since Thanksgiving has worn us out and we are ready for good health and SPRING!

Life keeps moving forward and we stay busy. But if you asked me what we did on any given day, I would have no idea. Such is life as the mother of three young kiddos. Here's a gazillion pictures of my family and WARNING: only a grandma could enjoy them all! Feel free to ignore them entirely. However, since I post semi-annually, you might be waiting awhile for the next update... :)

House of sickos!

2011-01-24T20:12:00.001-08:00

I feel like my family is always sick. Seriously! I would venture a guess and say that most of my local friends would agree. I'm wondering if we just have weak immune systems or if we have a germ factory running in our A/C. Either way, we are a house of sickos and I'm sick of it! I swear that we wash our hands regularly and clean our house at least once a month... :)

As of today:

- My 4-year-old has a "horribly nasty" ear infection that must be "ridiculously painful". ("" is the quote of the doctor diagnosing it.)

- My 2-year-old has a double ear infection.

- My 8-month-old has a double ear infection, a yeast infection, and RSV!

To go back a couple more weeks, I had Strep over Christmas, and John had Strep over Thanksgiving. We are falling apart here, people!

No picture of our nastiness. Wish us speedy recoveries!

Update anyone?

2011-01-10T21:14:00.000-08:00

Our crazy family! :)

D's Preschool shot-- what a handsome dude!

A frequent sight in our home-- with lots of noise.

At BriBri's wedding in October. Love this pic!

A pouty D... Now, THIS is a familiar face!

Love that the girls are holding hands...

Tubba bubba!

Wasn't strong enough. I'll try duct tape next time...

Edible or what?

Time flies when you're the mother of three little ones... Five months since my last post?? Shame on me! :) Here's a Cliff Notes version update!

D-- Got his tonsils out two days before Christmas! (What a horrible mother am I?? D might have nightmares about Christmas for years for that one.) He absolutely LOVES preschool. Miss Janet is everything that I'm not-- crafty, creative, and organized! D comes home with some of the cutest things and has learned tons. We love it. He loves to write words and draw scary pictures and is trying to sound things out now too. He would have "school" all day long if he could. I don't have the energy! Make believe and dress up are some of his favorite activities. He answers the phone constantly (my apologies ahead of time for messages you might have left that never made it to me) and idolizes his daddy. He rocks as a big brother but will always be my little boy. He's growing up way too fast.

R-- A princess diva extraordinaire! This girl has sass and an attitude to boot! She can be the most precious angel and turn into a raving demon within seconds. I am hoping that it is purely her two-year-old feistiness. If not, we're in trouble! She loves to play dress up and play with her dollies. She's a great little mama to her babies (especially her Aurora doll-- her favorite). I would cuddle with her all day long if I could-- she is so lovable!! Her nursery teaches adore her and we can't go anywhere without someone commenting on her gorgeous hair. She loves to sing songs, shake her bootie, and race her brother around the house. She is fiercely independent and competent at most anything she tries. She loves her friends and her family and will tell us often. She gets into more mischief than Daniel ever did and she is impossible to find when playing hide-n-seek. I'm just giving fair notice-- she's good! I ADORE this little girl-- she is our sunshine.

S-- My little baby is not so little anymore. Eight months old and EVERYWHERE! She started sitting up a little before six months and heaven help us since then! She was crawling a week later, and pulling herself up to things a week or two after that. My children are so fat that they rarely are on their legs this early. Yikes! She's now cruising and feeling like a super big girl with all of her new tricks! She has said Dada for FOREVER (of course), but Mama has only been for the last month. At first it was only when she was sad and irritable, but now it's for me and it's adorable. :) She has two teeth, eats solids pretty well (weighs over 20lbs., so I guess that speaks for itself, eh?), is finally growing some volume to her hair. She's sporting a mohawk right now. I love it. She started waving a couple of days ago. Her smile takes over her whole face and most of her body as well. She is edible and adorable and brings such joy into our home.

John and I are good. :)

Ouch!

2010-08-04T22:55:00.001-07:00

By the way, I broke my foot. No sympathy necessary (unless you want to bring cookies, candies, lemon blueberry cheesecake, babysitters...) I'm just a klutz that needs a refresher course in walking. I'm actually feeling MUCH better and get along quite well in my boot. I would not recommend breaking your foot with three young kids.

In case you're wondering, the story of how it happened is too boring to relate. I took a step and my ankle rolled, crushing my foot underneath. I guess. I was in the middle of a street at the time, so that's pretty exciting, but no one ran me over so the drama is shortlived.

Fourth of July fun!

2010-08-04T22:20:00.001-07:00

little pool that entertained my kids for HOURS!!

cute daddy/daughter photo op

d-man in foam. yes, foam. soda festivities include a firetruck hosing the town down with foam in their city park. isn't that grand? i love soda!

doesn't it look like fun??

We were lucky to be able to go to Soda for the fourth this year. We love the small town festivities and spending time with Martineau grandparents. This year my whole family was able to be there, which was nice. Chey drove up from California, which is hard for him to do, and Adam and their family met us there. It was fun to celebrate together.

We love grandparents!

2010-08-04T22:07:00.001-07:00

taking a stroll along the Boise river...

kids looking cute (and actually staying a reasonable distance away from Sarah)

Mima Sally enjoying her newest grandbaby... (number 25? 26? i lose count-- she loves them all like they're the only one, though)

grandpa getting whooped by D at Chuck-e-Cheese... D loves this game!

some good 'ole swinging time, courtesy of Grandpa!

Grandpa and Mima Tomlinson came to visit for Sarah's blessing. We love when they come to visit because we don't get to see them as often as we'd like and we know that it's a huge sacrifice for them to come up. They live in southern California so distance makes it tough for us to see them often. But boy, when they come up-- we party!! :)

We did Chuck-e-Cheese, the park, Iceberg, Boise river, walks, games, tree trimming, the works! My kids can't get enough of them from sun up to sun down. We are looking forward to seeing them in October in southern California-- YIPPEE!!

Blessing Sarah

2010-08-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

she's wondering why on earth everyone is staring at her! :)

the happy parents

the happy Martineau grandparents

the happy Tomlinson grandparents

the elated mama (it has nothing to do with the fact that her baby is asleep)

sweet little girl

the happy family... welcome to ours, Sarah!

I love John. It seems like I always have. But whenever it's time to bless a baby, I feel even MORE love for him. I am so overwhelmingly grateful for the Priesthood in our home. In our church we give newborn babies a name and a blessing by a man worthy to hold the Priesthood. It's a tremendous experience for families. So, on June 27th, John blessed little Sarah. It was a beautiful blessing which filled my heart with joy. I am so grateful to have Sarah in our home. Even in the chaos of "toddler-dom", she brings this sweet, sweet Spirit to our home. We love this precious girl.

My little princess...

2010-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

has turned two!!

cake courtesy of Mima Tomlinson-- we love having her in town for birthdays!

what a sweetie!

recovering from some serious partying!

pa and Mima Martineau were in town for the festivities. (rach's bday and sarah's blessing)
(and cute prego Dana too!)

Grandpa and Mima Tomlinson and the oh-so-photogenic Adam

never let Daniel loose with a hose...

that Spencer knows how to par-tay!

chillin' in the sweet pool.

those two! D has a vein bulging in his neck-- this must be serious!

happy birthday to Rach!

Rachel is two! Where did the time go? It makes me sad sometimes to see them grow up so fast! Rachie-bop is such a sweet girl. She has this sweet little voice with an angelic face. Everyone is tricked into thinking that she's a perfect little saint-- well, mama knows better! Although she has her naughty moments (and has learned had to drive D-man INSANE) she is really a good girl. She enjoys "reading" books to herself, kisses boo boos, pretends that she's a sweet mama to her dolls, follows D like a little puppy dog (and he loves it!), kisses Sarah 10,000 times, and gives me the best hugs and kisses and signs "I love you" just because. Our family wouldn't be complete without her.

Life back to normal??

2010-06-17T23:26:00.002-07:00

polka dot princess

a smiling picture (of course she has to cover her face). i love that she looks like she's just cracking up about something!

this wasn't a posed picture at all!

our Sarah is a thumb sucker. we've never had one before, and we're pretty excited about it. so long as the weaning doesn't involve chopping off a finger.

a dark smiling picture. she's been smiling since 5-6 weeks, but she will NOT smile when i need her to! oh, her smiles are to die for...

she weighed in at 13lbs. 13oz. at her two month... that's my girl! she's off the chart in every category. she's going to follow in her sumo brothers footsteps.

"hello? you talking to me?"

brother/sister love. do you see those shifty eyes that Rachel has? she's trouble, i tell you! watch out D!

I've obviously tried to catch up on several months of activities, and I've hardly scratched the surface. That's just how it goes sometimes. But I suppose life is as "back to normal" as it's gonna get! I have an inquisitive 4-year-old, a mishchievious 2-year-old, and an angelic 2-month-old that surround me with chaos daily. I'm not great at blogging, that's no surprise. I don't have witty or insightful posts, that much is obvious. But I feel much better that I've scratched this off of my "to do" list... Here's to no more binge posting!

Trampoline!

2010-06-17T23:26:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Grandpa and Mima Tomlinson, my kids have been in seventh heaven with a brand new trampoline! They were both a little cautious at first, not quite sure how to handle the beast, but they are quite proficient now. It is a GOOD thing we got the safety net because my kids would have broken their necks several times by now. It's probably teaching them bad habits (they like to throw their bodies full speed at the net) but it's saving their lives for time being. Hopefully by the time it breaks or we decide to take it down, they will be safety champs on there. In the meantime, we're having lots and lots of fun!

D-man is FOUR!

2010-06-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

Daniel had a pirate party for his birthday. He has been obsessed with pirates ever since we went to Disneyland over a year ago. He had a fabulous time (obviously), but the one thing that he remembers best is the pirate ride (Pirates of the Caribbean). D was TERRIFIED of that ride, and he will tell anyone who will listen what a traumatic event that was for him to go on it! I figured that was fine. I love that ride, but I can see how it can be scary-- the dark, the drops, the skeletons, the jail, the dog, the fires... Gosh, maybe that ride was scarier than I remember! Anyway, D has had a love/hate relationship with pirates ever since. I have to tell him that some pirates are nice. He wanted a pirate party for his fourth birthday party, but I'm not sure if he's trying to be the nice or the mean pirate... :) Check out his pirate hook!

Daniel had a Toy Story present smorgasbord! Woody, Jessie, Buzz, and Bulls Eye. His favorite? Jessie... :)

He loves his pirate cupcakes... What a cheesy smile.

Here's our answer! He is a MEAN pirate! (But still so cotton pickin' cute!)

The D-man loves orange, his sisters, Caillou, and digging in dirt. He tells me that he is going to be a doctor, a dentist, a digger, or a daddy when he grows up. He'll be excellent at them all. Although he loves to be rough and tumble with Daddy (and his sisters, if they'll let him), he is incredibly sensitive and affectionate. He still wants to cuddle with his mommy (and mommy can't get enough of his cuddles) and professes that he'd like to marry her. His sister, Rachel, is a close second. For those that he loves, he shares the dimensions as, "I love you all the way to Heaven and up Jesus' nose and back!" He is not trying to be disrespectful, I assure you-- Jesus is the focus of many of his thoughts and questions... Daniel is such a blessing in our family. We love him to pieces!

Two toddlers unsupervised??

2010-06-17T23:12:00.001-07:00

The hardest part of having a new baby for me is feeling like your other child/children are neglected. I struggled the worst with Daniel after having Rachel, and felt like the worst mom ever. With Sarah I haven't felt AS bad because D-man and Rachie-bop are great friends and like to play with each other (for the most part), but I still worry about what they're doing while I can't check on them... I worry most about the silence. I would prefer screaming and fighting to the terrifying silence. So far, we're all still alive!

Outside is one of their favorite places, even this old broken down swingset. Things go fine until Daniel sees and fly, or a bee, or an ant for that matter... This boy definitely has some phobias! A new addition to our backyard has been the BEST! (More details in another post).

They both share a room now and have bunk beds. We would constantly find Rachel trying to climb in bed with Daniel on the top, so we decided to make two beds, side by side. Life is much happier... Look at those faces!

This is what happens when little children find goodies in the cupboard. A sweet sister in my ward brought cupcakes with a meal. Can you guess what color the frosting was?

And then there were five!

2010-06-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

My mom came and helped for the first week. It was WONDERFUL to not have to worry about D and Rach. Not to mention all of the cooking and cleaning and listening to me be whiney and cranky... :) Thanks, Mom!

Here's our sweet Sarah Joy! She is beautiful and looks just like her siblings did at her age.

I look pretty happy here, but this was the day after. You don't want to see what I looked like the day of! Delivery went pretty well, but the epidural did some screwy things to me. My blood pressure plummeted and parts of the day were fuzzy. John thought that I was going to die. I might have thought so also if I hadn't been so loopy! She came out in two contractions, though, which was by FAR my fastest. She was a big girl with her umbilical cord wrapped around her several times. Why do my babies try to compete in being the most purple upon entering this world? After she was born, she just looked at me for over an hour. She was so completely alert and ready to join the family. We love her to pieces!

I love these little ones! I feel so blessed to have three perfect children.

Last minute pictures...

2010-06-17T22:30:00.001-07:00

One advantage of not having the internet was not having to show everyone my increasing size. I was feeling very large by the end (although I usually boast that I'm feeling awesome for the first eight months). I must be getting old or something because the last four weeks felt like FOREVER! :) Here's a picture of me and the family the day before Sarah was born. How's that for timing!

Nine months of roasted marshmallows and citrus produce cravings... Must be a girl.

Seven years of marriage... Still feel like the luckiest girl alive.

My cutey-patootey family... they have no idea how quickly their lives will turn upside down!

We're back!

2010-06-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

We could not stay away. We missed the internet too much! I dare any of you to go five months without!! :) John and I spontaneously decided to sign up again. I'm not sure why, but I'm not complaining. I feel like I've missed out on so much!

So, beware! I am going to catch up a little. We'll see how much I'm able to do before little Sarah needs to be fed!

Here's the cute family! John playing play doh with them... What a good daddy!

Mommy hiding her 9 month pregnant belly... :)

My favorite hair do. Is she Cindy-Lou Who or Pebbles? I can't decide...

His noggin is big enough to get stuck in there... We got lucky!

I love these kiddos!

Sarah Joy Tomlinson

2010-05-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

(Guest post)

Sarah was born today, May 10, 2010 at 4:42pm. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 10 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long. Everyone is doing well.

Crazy

2010-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

We might be crazy, but we are dumping the internet... I know, we are LOCO!! This shouldn't be a permanent change, but it is for now. We have changed our phone number as well (email me if you need the new one since I don't really want to post it online). So this is a heads up that there probably won't be many new posts for awhile (like I was ever good at posting regularly before...), but I will still be checking email and other fun stuff at my leisure (just not four times a day). The library and I are going to become good friends! :)

I would like to leave some pictures with you in parting so that you don't forget about us... :) Enjoy!

GIRLS RULE!

2009-12-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

Or at least they do now. Yup, it's a girl. We're overjoyed. The boys are going down!

This lovely picture is of the kiddos with their pink celebratory cupcakes. Although you might not believe me, they really ARE excited for a baby sister to join the family...

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-20T19:19:00.001-08:00

Here's our 2009 Tomlinson family Christmas letter! Procrastination has gotten the best of me and we'll have to settle for the online version. It sure is convenient! We'll get back to the "real deal" soon, I promise!

I won't bore you with all of my childrens endless achievements. (Isn't that what a blog is for anyway?) But I will try to remember how greatly we've been blessed this year.

Our greatest blessing is our family.

John still works for the Transportation Department, which he really enjoys. I can't articulate how grateful I am that John enjoys the work that he does. He's a hard-working husband and father and I am quite certain that our family would fall apart without him.

I am blessed to be able to stay at home with our two little ones, and I am plum-tuckered! (That's a common family phrase...) Every day is filled with smiles, joy, tears, frustration, tantrums, and chaos. (In no particular order.) I love being a mom, and I can't imagine what life without my munchkins would be like. I hope that we're ready for baby #3 coming in May! Are you every really ready?

D-man is my big boy! He is officially potty-trained!! That news might not make other Christmas letters, but it does ours! He mastered it a while ago, but we're still pretty stoked. He is a great big brother and loves Rachel to pieces. (I am actually afraid at times that we might find her in pieces...) He is still obsessed with all construction trucks-- the excavator being his favorite. He has told us that he would like to be a dentist when he grows up, or a teacher, or a doctor. Sounds good to me. He loves all Disney movies since enjoying Disneyland this past Fall with his grandparents in California. A day doesn't pass that D-land isn't mentioned. Danny is a smart kid that has limitless energy and countless questions. We love him!

Rachel is quite the little charmer! She knows how to smooth trouble over with those sparkling eyes and contagious smile. She follows D and does everything that he does (for better and worse). Rachie-bop loves to read with others or by herself. You can see her entertaining herself with stacks of books... That's my girl!! :) She's a complete nurturer. All of her dolls and stuffed animals receive special attention from this little mommy. Rachel is a sweetheart. She enters Nursery in church next week! Yup, she's eighteen months! She is such a joyful little girl and you can't help but smile when you're around her. I count my blessings every day that she is part of our family.

Our other blessings include our new home! We moved into a larger home at the end of Summer and we have loved stretching out a bit and letting the kids run free. In a time where many people have little, we are keenly aware of what a rich blessing it is to have a roof over our head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.

Lastly, but certainly not least, we are grateful for our knowledge and testimony of Jesus Christ, our Savior. It is Him that we are most mindful of and desiring to emulate this Christmas season. Life has been good this year, and we look forward to future adventures in 2010.

Merry Christmas to all!

Last but not least...

2009-10-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

Note: I have posted what feels like 10,000 posts tonight. If you care, scroll down. It won't hurt my feelings at all if you don't.

Life is grand. I don't do much anymore, though. (Who am I kidding, when have I ever done much?) But I'm allowed to be a couch potato right now. I'm pregnant!

Baby #3 is coming next summer. John and I are thrilled.

Autumn is the best!

2009-10-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

I love our new house. We have a huge tree in the backyard which sheds the most delightful leaves. They are big and crunchy and make lovely leaf stacks to jump in. The kids are hoping that we can keep them forever and ever. I love Fall!

Vacation!

2009-10-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Since I'm playing catch up, I will limit my commentary, but let me tell you-- vacation rocks!! We had a fabulous time in Southern California with John's family, and were so sad to be gone. Daniel was the most traumatized, but he recovers quickly when we show him pictures and tell him stories from our trip. He still is worried that, "Mima Sally misses me so much, huh?" Of course I tell him that she does. He then says, "I miss her lots and lots too..." Sweet boy. He loves his family.

Vacation had many highlights, but I'll just document the photographed ones... :) Beach, Disneyland, Trampoline, Angels game, oh my!

Beach

I knew that Daniel loved sand. He is Mr. Excavator, obsessed with ALL THINGS big and manly (that involve construction). He really took to it. Rachel wanted to but sand in her face kind of threw her off her game. We all recovered and had a great time.

It was Johnny's idea to bury the kids in sand... Daniel was a fan. Rachel, not so much.

We got four-day park hopper passes to Disneyland, my home away from home. When I was in High School I went to D-land 5 or 6 days a week. I couldn't get enough of that place. Still can't. I love to just sit on Main Street and watch people, or jump on the Mark Twain or Columbia and just daydream the cruise away. I couldn't wait to show the kids the Happiest Place on Earth. They loved it, although Daniel didn't like the "pirate ride" (Pirates of the Carribean) because they weren't very nice to each other. I was so proud of Daniel. We took him on everything we went on (with the exception of Tower of Terror and Splash). He's a stud! They were troopers for being so good. We had a blast.

Grandma Tomlinson was amazing as our official tour guide. The kids loved having Grandma there to share everything with. We even had John's brother, Gary, and his wife, Michelle, with their kids. So fun!

Daniel liked to play in the dirt while waiting in line. We should have taken some home with us.

Rachel loved to crawl in, around, and through the pole lines, smiling adoringly at other patrons.

Although Disneyland was great, the TRUE highlight might have been Grandma and Grandpa's trampoline. Oh, the simple pleasures of life. Look at these kids!! (And I include John in that sentiment.)

Finally, John was able to go to an Angels' playoff game against the Red Sox, which was a dream come true. As a So. Cal native, he grew up loving the Dodgers and Angels (I won't tell you which one he loves more), and went to thousands of games. But he had never been to a PLAYOFF game! When a ticket fell in his lap, he was elated. So elated in fact, that he chose to dress as a clown. Go Angels! (If you are wondering, that really IS an Angels hat, and John wasn't the only one dressed like such a goof ball...)

Angels won that game, but they couldn't get past the stupid pansy Yankees... Go Phillies!

Vacation was great. When can we go back??

Sprinklers and temples and Swine (in no particular order...)

2009-10-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm slow. I've never disputed that. The fact that I am posting about stuff that happened months before should be no surprise. I just dumped nearly 300 pictures to my computer, so I'm trying not to be too overwhelmed. Life is busy, as any of you avid bloggers can attest. I still have yet to figure out how to organize and prioritize... Until I do, enjoy the snippets!

SPRINKLERS!

I love wet and happy kids.

The family took a temple trip. It's one of D-mans favorite things to do. He loves to smell the beautiful flowers and play in the fountain. He was pretty excited to touch the temple this time. He is learning more and more how important and sacred temples are. I love the temple.

Can't you just feel the love between these two? It's a shame that you couldn't see Rachel's face-- I think that her eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets. Daniel sure loves his little sister!

Mr. Swiney struck poor little Rachel. She was out of it for a while, but is all better now. I hate having kids with fevers. I missed my little sunshine. Having the flu was annoying but what made matters worse was the fact that we were leaving for vacation four days later. Oh well! It wasn't anything that we could change, so we just finished recovering in So. Cal... Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for taking such great care of us!

Poor thing!

Life in a nutshell

2009-09-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Since I've neglected to blog regularly for the past several months, I thought that I'd write a doozy here.

Goodbye old home with wonderful memories!

First and foremost, we've moved! Our house miraculously sold and we were able to buy a new home that can/will fit our family for years to come if not FOREVER! It's not huge by any means (that was one of my criterion) but it's spacious enough, has four bedrooms, a nice simple yard, but most importantly, it feels like a home! We feel ridiculously blessed (can I say that??) to have been able to move and we are looking forward to getting completely moved in. (This might take years, I've discovered.) One of the greatest things about our new house is that it's still close enough to our old house (two miles) that I can still see my wonderful friends from my old ward. They can't get rid of me that easily!! :) (Although they probably think that I've fallen off the face of the earth because, well, I'm unpacking-- same thing). Life is good here! (Sorry-- no new pics of house. We'll post some soon).

Daniel and Rachel are my world. They have to be the cutest and zaniest kids around. I never know what's going to come out of Daniel's mouth nor can I predict what mischief little Rachel is going to get into. They are quite the dynamic pair and they keep me on my toes. Here's a little snippet on both:

Daniel loves the color orange, and he loves knowing everyone elses favorite colors. Weeks will pass and he will say, "There's a green truck. Mima would like that because that's her favorite color." He's got a keen memory which frightens me. He picks up on everything that I say, including my "naughty words" like "Criminitly!" or "Darnit!" or "Heavens to Betsies" or "Great day in the morning". He can bust those out at any time. D-man loves to sing. His favorites right now are the Sunbeam song, the wise man song (although he loves to switch the outcomes and let's the foolish mans house stand firm while the wise mans washes away), "you are my sunshine", "Bob the Builder" (all verses), "apples and bananas", just to name a few. I love singing with him. Daniel is still OBSESSED with excavators and any other heavy equipment known to the construction scene. He is a good boy, with tender feelings and a desire to do what's right. He's a great big brother.

Rachel is my little sunshine. She is a joy-filled and energetic little thing! She is much smaller than Daniel was at her age (which I'm sort of grateful for because if you knew Daniel, he was SUMO-big!). But what she lacks in girth (yes I really just used that word in my blog), she more than makes up for in spunk! She knows how to antagonize big brother and drives him mad! Yet she follows him around and want sto be near him always. When Daniel is asleep (he takes longer naps than Rachel), Rachel is in mourning, walking past his door, saying his name "Da Da Da". It's sweet. Rachel is finally getting some more teeth and now has six to her name. She loves anything stuffed. She is very caring and hugs and kisses them all and cuddles with them on her bed. She also loves trucks and excavators (go figure). I think that she'll take after her mama and be a little tomboy. Rachel will NOT allow mom to do anything with her hair, so her gorgeous hair does whatever it wants. I think that she's darling even with her crazy 'do... She likes her animal noises and has mastered elephant, cow, dog, horse, and bear (which also sound like a tiger, lion, cougar, leopard or any other fierce beast...) I was so nervous about having a little girl; I was afraid that I wouldn't know what to do with her. Now I can tell you... You simply love her. No other child could be this easy to adore. And this mama sure does.

In other exciting news, or not, we might be canceling our internet. (**GASP**) How will we live? I'm not sure. John and I just feel like this might be something that we need to do for the time being. In the meantime, don't fret-- I'm still checking on all of you and reading email, etc... Me and the library are going to become good friends. So don't neglect me.

In more exciting news, Rachel had her first ER trip today. She fell down off of a fireplace and bit out a nice chunk of her tongue. She has a long and deep laceration that is ragged and bloody and nasty. I nearly passed out when I saw how deep it was. I called Dr. and she told me to go to the ER. Rachel was a trooper and endured much poking and prodding. The verdict was happy-- no stitches. The doctor hadn't seen one that deep and long on such a small child, but he said that it should heal on its own fine. He almost did the "cheerio test", where you give the child a cheerio and if it gets stuck in the wound (gross, right?), then you operate, but he felt that Rachel was okay. What an exciting day!

The pictures do not do the wound justice-- this thing flaps around when she's crying, for Petes' sake!

What a sweet girl.

So, that's my life in a nutshell. I'm sure that there have been many more exciting things, but that'll have to do it for now.

Go BYU Cougars!

We had to capture the exciting victory in pictures somehow! :)

Parks and sprinkers... I love summer!

2009-07-19T20:50:00.001-07:00

We love our local park. It's great to come in the morning before things get too hot. Rachel is now an official "park-ie". She can't get enough. Here are some cute pictures...

It's been HOT here. I hate hot. Time to bust out the sprinker. My kids love water, so it's a fun and cheap party in the front yard. John loves that it helps our dead grass. :)

Happy Fourth!

2009-07-19T20:45:00.001-07:00

A fun fourth of July with a "candy" parade, fireworks, and friends. Good times.

Rachel's first birthday... TWICE!

2009-07-19T20:17:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Rachel, happy birthday to you! Our little girl has turned one! (Technically her birthday was nearly a month ago, but we're a little slow in posting-- the story of my life!) We celebrated first with my parents while camping in their trailer. We went to a place called Mackay, ID, and lived it up with their ATV buddies. Daniel and Rachel had a great time going on "motorcycle" rides. It was beautiful up there and we were glad to be able to enjoy some of the gorgeous sights here in ID.

Her second first birthday party was today at her cousins' house. We always have fun partying with Ben, Emma, and Spencer (oh, and their parents too!). We enjoyed a lively evening of gifts, cupcakes, and hide-n-seek. Fun stuff! Notice Rachel eating her cupcake like a lady? She was daintily eating sprinkle after sprinkle until daddy finally showed her the way to get it done... :) Happy birthday, little one! We love you!!

D-man's 3rd Birthday!

2009-07-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

Our little man is THREE! (Well, he's been three for almost two months, but I'm a little slow). Daniel was lucky enough to have three birthday parties. I have pictures from two-- the third will come later. He is elated to be three and realizes now that he is, indeed, a big boy. We love this boy to pieces. Enjoy some pics!

Brother/Sister Love... Bedhead... Fathers & Sons (before and after)

2009-07-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Some quick pics...

2009-07-10T08:35:00.000-07:00

Just a little something for the grandparents (and anyone else that loves my kids as much as we do...)

Hodge podge of goodness

2009-04-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Too tired to really "catch up" with my life so I'm going to provide you with some short snipets that should help. House is on the market-- always a pain keeping an immaculate house, but it doesn't really matter since no one is coming to see it... :( We'll keep our fingers crossed, but we're perfectly content to stay here as well.

Rachel is growing like crazy. She cruises all over and can now stand up for a few seconds on her own. She'll be walking before you know it. She is so cotton pickin' adorable that I can hardly stop squeezing her at times, but she doesn't seem to mind. Only says "dada", but I'm trying not to take it personally. Her hair is growing in thick and red. I hope that she keeps the red! What a lucky girl!

D-man is a stud. He is such a little boy! He is still obsessed with excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, rollers, cement mixers, motor graders, tow trucks, fork lifts, and anything else that is macho. (If you aren't familiar with any of those things, I assure you that Daniel would love to give you an earful). Speaking of, BOY CAN THIS KID TALK! I don't know where he gets this (hmmmm...) but he doesn't stop! I am amazed (and terrified at the same time) at the things that he knows and remembers. John and I have had to completely change our vocabulary! He loves to play, play, play.

Johnny T and I are good. John is assistant coaching a soccer team with a friend, and I am playing lots and lots of volleyball. Our church callings keep us busy, but we love them. Gosh, this is starting to sound like a Christmas card. Okay, I'm done!

Let there be sun, and it was good!

2009-03-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am so incredibly ready for warmth. I have never been a big fan of cold, but I don't mind it for a month or two. Well, those months have passed and now it's time for some sunshine! I love going to the park with the kids. John surprised the kids when he got home from work today and told them that we would go and play and then have a treat. I was so excited to leave the house that I grabbed my camera and got ready to shoot the excitement! I cannot wait for our daily walks to the park. I think that the kids are pretty excited too... :)

Happy Friday the 13th!

Daniel, my croonin' little man!

2009-03-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

Daniel loves talking, singing, yelling, crying. We think that when he was premature they injected something into his lungs that made him extra loud. Others think that it's because his daddy is so loud. I don't know who else he could have learned it from... :) Enjoy the video of my little man! (Sorry that you have to crink your neck!)

Also, little Rachel is now an official crawler! She has been for the past couple of weeks, but this is my first time posting about it...

By the way, if you're interested into the lyrics of "DIG, DIG, DIG", they are as follows: Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig my excavator Push, push, push, push, push, push my bulldozer I think that you all probably know the ABC song, although you might not be as familiar with his twist on some of the letters. That's my boy!

Hey Good Lookin'!

2009-03-05T21:37:00.001-08:00

As some of you might know, little Rachel was born with a little skin-tag looking thingy on her face. Throughout her eight months of life, countless numbers have inspected her face and tried to rub off what they thought was spit up, drool, or food remnants. Aren't they surprised when they rub and rub and still it doesn't come off?! :) We have one young man in our ward who was very concerned about it and I thought that he was going to rip it off himself! We grew used to it and hardly noticed it, but it was something that we thought that we should remove. Our pediatrician referred us to a plastic surgeon because she "wouldn't touch a little baby girls' face with a ten-foot pole" (apparently, she has no problem snipping something off of a little boys face...) So, three weeks ago little Rachel had her first surgery. They knocked her out with a gas mask and cut it out and stitched it up. I was really worried that it would leave a more noticeable and unsightly scar, but I was incredibly pleased. It looks better than some of the scratches that she has given herself! :) We were very happy that all went well and now we won't have to worry about young men trying to snip off her face...

BEFORE

AFTER

Besides that, our house "renovating" (I'm not sure exactly what to call what we've been doing) is nearly done and our house should be on the market within a week or so. We're anxious to see if there are any bites. We're fortunate to be in a situation where we don't HAVE to sell. If it happens, great. If it doesn't happen, that's fine too. We just want to get things moving on it so that we can better plan for the future.

Daniel is a hilarious kid. I have caught myself frustrated with him for one thing or another and then he'll just say or do something that completely catches me off guard and I feel instantly better. It's usually funny the first time but then loses it's humor as it's repeated over and over and over again... For example:

Me: Daniel, please don't throw Rachel to the ground.
Daniel: (looks at me carefully to see how serious I am)
Me: (looking serious)
Daniel: (moves closer and closer to Rachel in a threatening manner)
Me: Daniel?? (in a menacing and stern voice)
Daniel: (jumps up, throws hands up in the air, and with a big smile says, "HAPPY MOMMY!!!")

Me: Daniel, please don't step on Rachels head.
Daniel: No.
Me: That will hurt her, Daniel, please stop.
Daniel: No.
Me: Daniel, do you want to go to time out?
Daniel: (with hands on hips, apparently mimicking mommy) Don't talk to me like that!!

One day at Walgreens, we were waiting to fill a prescription and Daniel was getting to something that he shouldn't. I told him to come over. Of course he says, "Don't talk to me like that". I find it not so funny seeing as we have an audience and my two-year old is telling me what to do. I try again, "Daniel, please listen to mommy". His return: "You do it again, you'll go to your room! One, two, three..." His memory is far too keen.

What can I say, Daniel wears the pants in my family... :)

Happy Birthday!!

2009-03-05T17:44:00.000-08:00

This post is our economical way of celebrating my dad (aka "Pops") on his special day. "Pa", as he is most commonly called these days, happens to be the greatest dad on this planet. I say this with a very full heart as he has sacrificed a LOT of time helping John and I get our house into shape. Dad is always willing to help someone in need, family or otherwise. I don't know how many times I have called on him to help me with tasks, big and small. He gladly does it even though he would much rather be golfing. :)

As the baby of the family, I have always felt that I was Dad's "little girl". He has the greatest sense of humor and perfectly clever wit which makes him great fun to be around. I'm certain that Dad has to be the funniest guy on this planet. I knew that Dad would support me in anything that I wanted to do, whether it was sports or music. He was at my games and taught me how to enjoy the game and better myself. There were many nights that I remember going to our church to shoot free throws and play around. To this day, I don't think that my Dad ever lost in a free throw shooting contest. Maybe we need a rematch?

I remember once in high school wanting to go home from school early. I don't remember the reason, whether I wasn't prepared for something, or didn't want to see someone, but I called Dad and he came to pick me up, no questions asked. And do you know what we did? He took me to McDonalds! (Yes, we could make some sentimental commercial about that event! By the way, McDonalds is to my Dad as Disneyland is to a two-year old-- the happiest place on Earth!) I always felt like I could talk to my dad, and he wouldn't judge me or reprimand me. He would listen and often make me feel better just because of his optimism and good humor.

I am proud of my dad for all that he has accomplished. He has seen some tough times, but I have always seen him persevere and learn from what life had to throw at him. I have learned countless lessons from the example that he has set for me. He is one of the hardest working and most giving men I know. I am so grateful to be his daughter. I could go on and on, but my daughter wants me and I want to get this posted while it is still actually his birthday...

I love you, Dad! Happy Birthday!

(I was wishing that I had the brain freeze picture on my computer, but I didn't... You got lucky!)

I AM THE BIGGEST SLACKER PADDY WHACKER KNOWN TO MAN

2009-02-28T20:53:00.001-08:00

I think that the title says enough. I have not blogged simply because there is no time. John and I are crazy enough to decide to put our house up on the market. We have pages upon pages of to-do lists, and I feel like we've hardly made a dent. Fortunately, my parents have come to save us (for the second time) and we are hopeful that we can finally get things put together before too long. We are not overly optimistic that it'll sell fast (and maybe not at all), but we're hopeful nonetheless. It's a win/win for us. Either the house will sell and we'll be able to get a bigger home for our family, or it won't sell and we'll have a practically new home here! (We've got new paint and new carpet and new decor-- I'm loving it!) So, if you wonder why you don't hear from me, assume that it's because this house is driving me mad!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY BABY!!!!!!

2009-02-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to wish my sweetheart a Happy 30th Birthday!!!! I love you so much and am so lucky to have you as my wife. The last 5 1/2 years have been the best of my life. You are such a wonderful wife and mother. I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with you!! You are the best!! WE LOVE YOU!

Love,

John, Daniel and Rachel

When it rains, it pours...

2009-01-31T22:39:00.001-08:00

I may not be the most regular blogger, but I try to make up for it with triple and quadruple postings. :) (In other words, I have new blogs posted underneath this one...) Nothing much has been going on in our neck of the woods. Now that our kids are recovered, we are ready for it to get warm again so we can go out and play! I am more than sick of indoor activities, so if you have any swell ideas, send them my way!

In the meantime, here are some more cute pics of the kids. Enjoy grandma and grandpa Martineau and Tomlinson!

My water babies

2009-01-31T22:34:00.001-08:00

I can't get enough of my naked babes. I love to snuggle them after they get out of their bath when they're fresh as a daisy. Daniel also enjoys the feeling of freedom because he dumps the towel and runs around screaming, "Daniel running the wee-wee" (interpreted as "Look at me, I'm running around naked!") These kids could spend all day long in the tub, and sometimes I let them. Here's some pics to show off their pure delight...

Poor sick kids...

2009-01-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

I hate having sick kids. There is nothing worse than feeling helpless as they burn up with fever or moan from their aches and pains. Rachel was supposed to have her surgery last week, but it was a no-go due to her illness. The doctor diagnosed both kids as having severe ear infections. This was my first experience with ear infections, which I'm grateful for because I know that some kids have tons. It was heartbreaking, though, and I'm glad that they're better now. :)

My top eights... Yeah, I did it!

2009-01-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

I am so not a slacker-- look at me! :) By the way, my husband is sitting here watching me type this up, so my answers might be slightly altered...

8 TV shows I love to watch:
(I feel like this is some sort of confessional...)

1. The Biggest Loser
2. House
3. Lost
4. The Bachelor (I really like this Jason dude, so sue me!)
5. Criminal Minds
6. The Amazing Race
7. American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance
8. Anything Food Network

8 Places I love eating at:
(I am recalling days pre-baby... Oh, how I miss those days)

1. Goodwood
2. Costa Vida (Cafe Rio for the Utahns...)
3. Olive Garden
4. Red Lobster
5. Winger's
6. Macaroni Grill
7. Beto's (24 hour Mexican food joint-- Provo got me hooked, and now they're here. Yippee!)
8. Anything Thai

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Found a peeping tom outside my window. Quite literally. I was lucky to be clothed, or else they would have had quite a show... :) (I'm just teasing you, Scooby-Doo)
2. Had Family Home Evening with the family... That consisted of scripture reading, songs, and goodies... I love family time.
3. Went grocery shopping and fortunately the store still had one of those Cozy Coupe grocery carts left. Phew!
4. Made some yummy desserts to deliver to family/friends
5. Watched "The Bachelor" while wishing that ABC would get rid of hot tubs and pools for their shows.
6. Wiped runny noses, medicated fevers, changed diapers, and cuddled with my poor sick little kids.
7. FINALLY finished a journal entry that got me all caught up. It covered 4 months; I've had it MUCH worse...
8. Made grilled ham/cheese and soup for dinner. Nothing to write home about...

8 Things that I love about winter:

1. Cuddling in my blankies
2. LOOKING at snow-- oh, how pretty
3. Watching the kids get so excited to see snow
4. Christmas time and everything that comes with it
5. Soups-- I'd have soup for dinner every night if John would let me
6. Hot Cocoa with lots of marshmallows and whipped cream
7. Wearing "Homey G's". I actually don't know what they're called... Winter hats? Ski hats? I dubbed them "Homey G's" at BYU and it's stuck with me. If you know the real name, let me know...
8. The start of a new year and resolving to be/do better than the year before

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1. Going to bed soon. Having sick kids doesn't make sleep very easy. (As I write this, John is sleeping right next to me... Apparently, he is a wee-bit sleep deprived. Maybe I should alter some of my answers above now that he's not watching...) :)
2. Seeing my parents for the Girls State Basketball Championships... (GO SODA!)
3. Heading to Utah to see family and friends (It feels like FOREVER since we've been there...) Let me know who has a couch to sleep on! Our Chateau le Tomlinson has moved, so we're in a pickle.
4. Rachel's 1st, Daniel's 3rd, John's 29th, and my new big fat age birthday
5. Organizing my house (this has been needing to happen for the past three years)
6. Going camping this summer
7. Having picnics in the park
8. Living happily ever after with my sweet family

8 People that I tag:

Oh, the pressure! I will tag anyone who happens to see this tag. I am an Equal Opportunity Tagger. :)

I love chocolate...

My trip to Cali...

2009-01-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love California! I wish that we could visit more often because we always have a fabulous time when we go down. We flew down Christmas morning (I know, we are crazy...) and stayed until New Years Day. There was lots of fun and relaxation and partying-- everyone had a blast! The main event of the vacation was celebrating the 65th birthday of John's Dad. This was the first time that all seven kids were together with their families since John got home from his mission! It was wonderful! Here are some pics of our time there, including a FREEZING trip to the beach, park fun, family partying and flow-riding (John's brother, Gary, hooked us up in Lindsay, CA). Good times.

You might notice that John and I still think that we're 18 years old. After we "flowrode", I hurt. And I'm talking about pain that I never believed existed (and I have had two children-- one naturally, for Pete's sake!). For some reason we turn into teenagers when we get to Cali. I love it!

Merry Christmas Card...

2008-12-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Tomlinson Christmas letter has been a tradition for years. Each Christmas I carefully plan the content and prepare extensive lists to make sure that everyone is included. This year, I am pooped. I am going to save both time AND money (and who doesn’t need to be saving money right now!) by sending out our first annual E-Christmas card! I hope that receiving this letter via email doesn’t tarnish the sentiment enclosed. It’s just our way of financially (and psychologically) keeping the tradition alive… Enjoy!

What a whirlwind this year has been! The highlight was the birth of our daughter, Rachel Brooke, on June 26th. She is absolutely beautiful and brings such a joy into our home. Rachel’s favorite things are her brother (she ADORES him—truly!), cooing, rolling over, TV (she cranes her head to find the TV anytime it’s on), and growling like a tiger. We feel so incredibly blessed to be her parents and hope that we can protect her from her “loving” big brother before any serious accidents occur.

Daniel is a whirlwind in and of himself! He is 2 ½ years old and keeps both mom and dad constantly on their toes (and in a protective stance—he has a tendency to pounce without any warning… ask John!). He talks up a storm. I don’t know where he learns half of the things that he talks about, which is kind of scary. He sings and jumps and somersaults and dances and flips and dives and then does it all over again. Daniel is one fun kid and lights up our hearts. He loves being a big brother, even though that means he has to give Rachel some “tough love”. They’re quite a pair and I love seeing them together.

John has had a busy year! He went from Channel 2, to DBSI (a commercial real estate company), to the Idaho Transportation Department. He really loves the job—suspending the licenses of drunks. Who wouldn’t love that?? He gets to use his Spanish every once in a while, which is a nice perk as well. He is serving in the Elders’ Quorum Presidency, which has been an incredible blessing for our family. John is an amazing husband and incredible father to the kids. They adore him nearly as much as I.

I get to hang out with my kids every day. How lucky am I? They are my full-time job. My house is usually a mess, and dinner is never gourmet, but I know that I won’t have my babies forever, so I’m soaking it all in. (That’s what I tell myself so that I don’t feel guilty when the house is a disaster and we’re eating spaghetti for the fourth night in a row.) I serve as the Compassionate Service leader in our ward. I love the calling and I’m learning a lot. I feel incredibly blessed to be a mother and to have so many tremendous people in my life.

Happy holidays to each of you! We hope that this Christmas season is full of joy and peace.

Love, the Tomlinsons

Disco Inferno!

2008-12-16T22:59:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

happy hour!

2008-11-29T17:16:00.001-08:00

rachel is a happy little girl. i know i blubber about her all the time, but i just adore this sweet baby! she brings so much joy to our home. daniel loves her, johnny loves her, and i adore her. our home is infinitely brighter with her in it. we count our blessings daily to have our sweet children. this post is dedicated to my happy little girl. she's growing up too fast.

My absolute FAVORITE picture of Danny boy!

2008-11-29T17:06:00.000-08:00

just ignore the rootbeer can... :) for some reason (namely, JOHN), Daniel absolutely loves soda. he wants it when we're drinking it, he refuses juice or water unless it's added to it-- he's a nut! we started a really bad habit with him when we were on a Coke kick and drank it more often than we should. so, rather than asking for a "soda", D would ask for a "Coke". it didn't matter if it was a sprite, a root beer, or grape soda, it was all a "Coke" to him. we were worried that D would start confessing our sins to his nursery leaders or our friends when he was at play dates, so we abstained. he's done much better and now just asks for "drink" which is the equivalent of a carbonated drink. we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house this past week and the "drinks" were flowing freely, hence this picture.

Congratulations, Derrick!

2008-11-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

We are sorry that we couldn't make it to your special day, but we wanted you to know that we were thinking of you. Here is a special message from your two Boise cousins... The message might be difficult to understand, but it was heartfelt. Here-- I'll translate, "HAPPY BAPTISM DAY, DERRICK!! I LOVE YOU!!" Congrats again, what a special day for you. We love you!

"I am a Child of God"

2008-11-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

Daniel has been our little entertainer the past couple of months. He learns new words and phrases so quickly that it has been easy for him to pick up music. I love hearing his singing voice because it is so deep. He is the only toddler that I know that seems to have gone through puberty... :) Between his mom and dad's deep voices, he is doomed! Enjoy D's song. Rachel doesn't seem to enjoy it much.

Candyland!

2008-11-06T21:32:00.001-08:00

Our Halloween pictures! Yeah, what a fun holiday! I think that if Daniel were president that he would make every day a "trick-or-treating" day. (That's my boy!) We stayed out for over two hours (with Rachel in Snugli or Daddy's arms-- thanks Daddy!) and really scored on the candy. We even got two FULL-SIZED candy bars! Meridian in the "real deal", people!

A big thank you to Lana for Daniel's spider costume. He loved it and it kept him warm! What more does a toddler need??

Daniel threw a tantrum right before we left for trick-or-treating... Can you guess which picture it is?? :) Click on it for a really cute close-up.

Mas fotos de mi familia...

2008-11-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Do you like how I switched the title up with some spanish? Yeah, I'm just sick and tired of trying to be creative when really, all that I am doing is adding more pictures to show my family and friends. Sometimes I feel creative, most of the time, I don't. :) So, here is the translation-- "more pictures of my family". Sorry to leave you in suspense.

I always forget to put captions with my pictures, so I'm sorry. Essentially, this bunch of pictures need no captions. Enjoy!

Fall pictures... (and a Bumbo)

2008-11-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

I love Fall. Without a doubt, it is my favorite season. Here are some obligatory leaf raking pictures. Daniel loves when we do anything outside, and Rachel seems to be following suit. So, although it was quite nippy we had a great time raking and playing. John was a tad bit grossed out by the idea of swimming in leaves, but it started to grow on him. I love my family. And I love the simple things in life...

Johnny comes home tomorrow-- Hooray!

2008-10-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

We can't wait for you to come home, babe. Here are some pictures just to make you miss us more. I thought that the video was cute. A little bit of a headache but cute... :) See you in 20 hours!

Ward Halloween Party!

2008-10-23T20:59:00.001-07:00

Some shots courtesy of Vanesa... THANK YOU! Everyone had a blast!

What a handsome dude with my little Rachel! "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match..."

We miss you, babe!

2008-10-23T20:36:00.001-07:00

Just a little video to help you feel like you're not missing anything. We have such an incredible little family... We'll try to hang in there until you get back.

I love you.

Martineau Cousins...

2008-10-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Some pictures of my parents' grandkids. It helps that we live less than 10 miles away from each other. On John's side there are (I'm counting in my head, and I hope that I'm counting everyone...) 21 and 1/2?? Unfortunately, we're spread out in four states and it's tough to get everyone together. When we do, I'll post them as well. I love family!

Love this shot!

I told them to do "silly faces". Hmmm...

I stole this one from Lana's blog. Love it!

Happy times!

2008-10-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hopefully John doesn't notice that I post this picture... :) I love him as "Lion Daddy".

Gosh, isn't that a great title? I wish that I had something equally exciting to elaborate upon, but alas, the happiest that I feel is from what you see in these pictures-- happy kids and big, fat grins. There is nothing like a big slobbery smile to warm your heart.

I can't believe how quickly Rachel has grown. She is nearly rolling over both ways, loves to sit up (although we still have to help her-- she's got a Martineau head you know), and adores her big brother (and I think that she's kind of fond of me as well-- I am her food source!)

Daniel is also loving his little sister. Each morning he'll ask, "Where did Rachel go now?" even when he knows very well that Rachel is in our bedroom-- ASLEEP! He is still talking up a storm and anxious to be into everything. He now uses his indoor riding toy as a stepping stool to get into a whole new world of mischief. I'm glad that we have a small home-- it's much easier to keep tabs on him!

Enjoy the pics!

Also celebrated Johnny's birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE!

Family Night at the Temple!

2008-09-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

Daniel is obsessed with temples. We have a picture of the San Diego Temple in our bedroom (the temple that we were married/sealed in) and he talks about it whenever he's in our room. We took him to the Boise temple when he was just a week or two old, and we try to take him back often, even though he doesn't get to go inside quite yet. His favorite part of the temple is the water fountain. (Do all temples have water fountains on the grounds? I don't think that I've ever been to one that doesn't...)

For Family Night we went to the temple and we enjoyed the grounds once again. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time. There is such a peace at the temple, even when you're just meandering through the landscaping. It was a nice way to spend an evening with my little family. Enjoy the pictures! (I went a little picture happy...)

My little sumos...

2008-09-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Daniel at nearly four months...

Rachel at 11 weeks...

I love big fat babies! There is nothing like cuddling with rolls and rolls of flesh! (How often do you get to say something like that?) I have two naked pics of my kids-- aren't they adorable?? It's amazing how much they look alike. Daniel has Rachel beat on the rolls, but he is over a month older than her at the time of the photo. I miss all of Daniel's rolls. He's just really buff now! But it looks like Rachel might be a pretty formidable opponent before long! You go, girl! :) Gosh, I love them to pieces...

Then I thought that I'd add a couple more shots of the kids. I have to remember that my mom "Mima" and brother, Chey, check this often and they'll get sad if I don't update the pics... Enjoy!

one happy girl...

what exactly is he doing, you ask? nothing says love like a soft head butt...

Sweet little girl...

2008-08-28T21:56:00.001-07:00

Rachel is such a doll. She started smiling a couple of weeks ago (but of course, she'll never smile for the camera) and I finally snapped a shot. Isn't she a cutie?? Note: five minutes after the picture was taken, Daniel accidentally threw a book at her face-- needless to say, the shot wouldn't have been nearly as pretty with the blue welt.

BTW, I realized that I haven't updated the blog on John's work situation. He got a job working for the State of Idaho, specifically the Idaho Transportation Department. Yeah! He's working in the Suspension unit (which John loves-- suspending licenses because of DUI's gives him quite the rush!) and is really enjoying the job. We're grateful to have a steady income once again. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Rachel's Baby Blessing

2008-08-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

Family and friends came over for Rachel's baby blessing on August 3, 2008. We were so grateful to have Mom and Dad Tomlinson drive up from Orange, CA, and Mom and Dad Martineau from Soda Springs, ID. Adam and Dana are just down the street so they were able to make it as well. In addition, we had Natalie Hurst, CBS 2 main anchor and previous co-worker of John's, and my old boss from Riverglen Junior High, Connie Buckley. John gave Rachel a very special blessing. It's always an emotional day for a mother. I am so grateful for John and his Priesthood authority to bless our family.

A shot of Rachel... I need to fix the lighting...

The Tomlinson family

The Martineau family

Natalie and our family

Twin Falls Open House

2008-08-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

Twin Falls, Idaho, is about two hours from our home. A temple was just finished there a month or two ago and, as is customary with LDS temples, there was an Open House for anyone interested to enter and see what they're like inside. John and I thought that it would be neat to bring both sets of our parents (since they would both be in town for Rachel's baby blessing) to check it out. The temple was absolutely gorgeous. It is a "medium-sized" temple with really unique craftsmanship. Daniel LOVED it, and was perhaps a little bit more vocal than he should have been in some of the rooms. When he entered the Celestial Room he couldn't contain himself. Everyone was silent and then you could hear him say, "WOW". It was sweet. Even a small child can recognize the holiness of a House of God. I look forward to returning soon. (For those interested, Boise has a temple, so we are lucky enough to have one a couple of miles away-- but it's always fun to visit different temples.) Here are some pictures from the day!

Shoshone Falls

2008-08-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

Just a couple miles away from the Twin Falls temple is Shoshone Falls, the "Niagra" of the west. It was breathtaking! Incredibly, Shoshone Falls is over 50 feet taller than Niagra! Daniel loved it and kept telling us that he wanted to "swim in the waterfall..." Needless to say, we kept our reigns a little tighter on him. The pictures don't do it justice.

Sibling bonding...

2008-08-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am grateful that babies are so resilient because Rachel has been kicked, punched, slapped, head-butted, and squeezed by her darling big brother, Daniel. All incidents were out of love (for the most part), but Daniel just wants to love her to pieces! I can tell him "soft", "gentle", "not around your sister", "careful", "STOP IT!!!" until I'm blue in the face, to no avail... :) I love being a mama. Daniel really has been good with Rachel. He loves to give kisses and hugs and he makes sure to check on her every morning. It really is so sweet to see the two of them together. I can't wait until she's a little bit stronger (and more mobile) so that they can play together (and so that she can defend herself). Rachel is such a sweetheart. We love her smiles and coo's. I don't remember Daniel coo'ing nearly as much as she does. She is precious.

A moment for Rachel... and Rachel's presents!

2008-07-25T12:39:00.001-07:00

Sorry for all of the posts at once. It seems that's the only way I can get this blog updated! I thought that I would take some time and post some pictures of Rachel. She has been such a fabulous little baby! She sleeps like a dream, is such a little cuddle-bug, is very tolerant of her big brothers love and attention, and adds such a sweet Spirit to our home. We love having her and are so grateful to have her in our family.

Daniel has loved opening up all of the presents that we've received for Rachel (THANK YOU EVERYONE!), but he thinks that they are all for him. He took a particular liking to this blanket that was made for us. It's a cat towel, and Daniel spends at least an hour or two a day being "Super Cat" extraordinaire... So fun!

Family visits

2008-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Having a new baby is great for obvious reasons, but we had forgotten about how great it is to have family come and visit! We had my mom with us for a week before and after Rachel was born and then John's mom came up when Rachel was two weeks old and stayed for a week. It was such a blessing to have both Mom's here to help out with the babe and Danny boy. He's still adjusting to this "baby sister" business and needs more attention than before (if that is at all possible?!?!) We thank both of them for coming to visit!

We also had John's oldest brother, Bob, and his family from Oregon swing by on their way to Utah. It was so fun to see them and Daniel loved having their dog, Toby, to hang out with. Thanks for coming, guys!

We are blessing little Rachel on August 3rd, so we are looking forward to having both sets of parents here for that, with whomever else might be able to join them... Family time is always great.

Soda Fun...

2008-07-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a little trip to my parents home in Soda Springs, Idaho (about 4-5 hours away) since we have no job keeping us here in Meridian. It was a nice little break for us and Daniel had a blast with Pa and Mima's big house and yard. He also enjoyed their four-wheeler, their junk food, and their dog, Mo. He was in heaven! John and I enjoyed the slower lifestyle and just relaxed and enjoyed the cooler weather.

Finally some pictures of our little girl...

2008-06-28T21:08:00.000-07:00

Mommy and baby are home now. YEAH! (This is Megan writing, by the way...) We wanted to go home last night, but Rachel had high bilirubin counts, so the docs wanted to keep her overnight. She is still a little jaundiced, but they let her come home today, and we'll have to test her at the hospital again tomorrow. Rachel is absolutely beautiful. She is fun to hold (what newborn isn't, right?) and she's very tolerant of all of the noise around her. Nights aren't so fun right now, but hopefully we'll be able to switch that up sooner than later. She has a cute little skin tag on her face (an eleventh finger is close to a mother, I suppose) that is definitely a Martineau trait. We see her pediatrician on Monday and we'll see what she wants to do with it. If they snip it off, am I suppose to scrap book it?? :) Just kidding!

Here's some fun pics of baby Rachel and the family. Thanks for all the well wishes and good thoughts... We'll keep you posted!

Rachel Brooke Tomlinson has arrived

2008-06-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that baby Rachel Brooke Tomlinson was born today at 3:41 pm. She weighed in at 7 lbs 15.5 ounces and was 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing great. I forgot the camera at the hospital so we'll have to put up pictures tomorrow. If you are interested you can go to this website and see a picture the hospital took. It is: http://saintalphonsus.netreturns.biz/Nursery and the password is 87305. She's a cutie. Everything went well. Megan had to push for a 1/2 hour and when she came out her cord was wrapped around her neck two times. But she went from a dark purple to a normal color as soon as the doctor unwrapped the cord. Rachel has big eyes and loves to stay awake. She didn't close her eyes for a few hours after being born. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Sorry we don't have more pictures right now, but I promise some tomorrow.

The good, the bad, and the baby...

2008-06-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

So, the fabulous news is that we are having a baby on Thursday, June 26! We are being induced a day or two shy of 40 weeks... alelulia!

The not-so-fabulous news is that John was laid off from his job last week. There were some major cuts at his company and nearly his entire department was let go (about 22 of the 25 people). We expected to be cut since John is their newest employee, but there were some folks that were laid off that had been there forever. I really feel for them. Certainly not the best news for a family about to add another baby to the mix, but we have faith that things will work out. In the meantime, John is home and he doesn't have to worry about taking too much time for family leave since he doesn't have a job to rush off to! :) We are trying not to stress out about the unemployment-- we have more important things to focus on... our new baby girl!!

No baby yet...

2008-06-11T12:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have resigned myself to the fact that I am never going to have this baby. I don't know what it is about this little girl, but she's a stubborn one! Sure, I am only 38 weeks and some women have to wait another month, but I'm impatient (and obviously spoiled to have an early baby last time...) and want this little girl to join us now! :) John and I have been doing the, "is today going to be the day?" conversation for the past several weeks, but we're done. No more talk of when the baby is coming. My new mental due date is Christmas. If the baby is born before Christmas, I'll be happy. Obviously, I'm exaggerating (somewhat) but I have decided that if I think about the impending arrival anymore, then I will suffer a nervous breakdown. :) That's my update.

I hope that everyone is doing well!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANNY BOY!!

2008-05-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

Yup, our little boy is officially TWO! Where did the time go? He seems so grown up to me... He really isn't my "baby boy" anymore. For D's birthday, we decided to go to the Boise Zoo, throw rocks in the Boise River, eat french fries, take a nap, and decorate/eat cake. The day was perfect! There were a couple of scares at the Zoo, but Daniel is recovering... (so's his Daddy-- my boys are such wusses!) We really had a great time spending the day together. Here's some photos of the fun.

2008-05-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

35 weeks... YEAH!!

2008-05-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

I'm celebrating two things... One, I made it 35 weeks! For those that remember, I had Daniel at 34 weeks 2 days or something like that, so John and I were pretty excited to make it to 35 weeks. Unfortunately, we now feel like this pregnancy is taking forever and we still have five weeks to go! We're trying to talk baby girl into coming around 36 or 37 weeks. That would work great for us...

The second thing that I'm celebrating is... I got a haircut! Yup, needed to get rid of my horse mane that goes up into a ponytail know matter the occasion. When I went in, I was pretty vague about what I wanted, just a lot shorter, somewhere between my shoulders and chin. I asked if I had enough to donate to "Locks of Love" and by golly, I sure did! The hair lady convinced me into getting an A-line cut, which looked a lot better when she did it than these pictures show, but you get the idea right? I am actually really enjoying it! I use so much less shampoo, it doesn't take 24 hours to air dry (since I never use a blow dryer), and I can still put some of it into a half pony to get it out of my eyes. I was just so proud of myself for cutting it so short! Daniel told me when I got home, "Mama pretty" and John says that he loves it (he's just elated that he's not going to find "Megan hair" all over the house-- not easy to hide when hair is SO LONG!). Who else matters, right? :)

A completely unrelated picture, but this one's for you, Mom...

Our boy of the elements...

2008-05-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

With the warmer weather, we have found ourselves enjoying the park (Earth) and the sprinklers (Water) and the barbeque (Fire) and strolls around the neighborhood (Wind)... Okay, so some of those were a stretch, but I snapped a couple of shots of Danny boy enjoying the dirt and the water and thought that I'd share them. Please note that "Popeye" still appears in nearly every smile, therefore I am choosing to snatch candids instead... :) Enjoy!

33 Weeks... and looking lovely!

2008-05-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm joking about the lovely part, but just thought that I'd throw up a prego pick for your viewing pleasure...

Notice Daniel's "Popeye" smile. That's what we get when we ask D to smile on demand. He's a pretty cute kid.

DO NOT ENTER!! DANGER ZONE!!

2008-05-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

With billions of thanks to my dad, we put in new wood laminate flooring in our entry way and kitchen. Previously, we had ugly linoleum in the kitchen and this nasty wood parque (sp?) flooring in the entry. I can't describe to you how much I hated the flooring. We were going to just deal with the ugliness until my dad volunteered to be our manpower and mentor for the new laminate (since John nor I had any idea what it would entail). We couldn't pass it up! :) Ironically, I think that if my dad knew how much work it would be, then he would have kept his mouth shut before volunteering. Thanks PA!!!!

Here are some pics of the work. We love the new floor and the continuity of the space. I don't know if we're going to take on any other projects for awhile... (or at least until the baby is 6 months old!!)

Chalk Buster!

2008-05-08T19:57:00.001-07:00

We're currently under construction at the Tomlinson home, so we have taken to the outdoors while we make a mess of the house... (More pictures to come on the flooring project) Daniel loves being outside, unfortunately, his fat pregnant mother would rather not. This is where sidewalk chalk comes in. Big D loves chalking it up outside. He is pretty fluent with his colors so he loves to show me which color he's using and what he's drawing "usually BIG CIRCLE". I just love the classic image of the "toddler squat". There is something about those chubby legs. And while Danny chalks it up, I get to sit on the front step. Life is good... :)

FHE and SHAKES!

2008-04-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Do you see that gut sticking out?? That's my boy!

Shakes are one of the only things Daniel will eat at this stage in his life (hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, and ketchup are the other four). Tonight for Family Home Evening (FHE) our activity was shake preparation (fortunately Daddy is a pro) and Daniel loves to help. He has gotten to the point where he knows all of the ingredients and the order to put them in. He is always anxious to push the "smoothie" button to get the stuff grinding together. Sometimes he is a little TOO anxious... :)

From the time he wakes up til the time he goes "nighty-night", Daniel is yapping about wanting a shake. With Daddy gone during the day, I don't try to make them. Try as I might, they never taste as good. So we just wait for Daddy to come home and treat us. Yummy!

FHE was great tonight. We read some from the illustrated "Stories of the Book of Mormon"-- he thought that the pictures of the camels and rivers were the coolest. He is getting quite competent at saying prayer. He needs our help, obviously, but he is good at repeating after us. He jumps the gun at the end though, and he is chanting "Amen" before we can close it in Jesus' name. At meal time he is very sly and waits until Mom and Dad have their eyes shut and then he sneaks a hand to his food and starts chowing down-- with his arms still folded, mind you! How would we know? Yes, we peek too... He's a pretty cute kid.

Boise Temple Trip

2008-04-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

We decided to brave the cold and take a trip to the temple. He sees the San Diego Temple picture that we have in our bedroom and chants "temple, temple" all the time, so we thought that it was high time to get him there. He's actually been there before with Grandma Tomlinson and us when he was just a couple weeks old, but we haven't taken him since. Naughty us. I love these pictures. Daniel was so cute! Please don't comment on his "homey G"-- it's not a hunting cap, contrary to most Idahoans' belief... it's just a cool, bright orange cap!

The beautiful Boise Temple

Daddy and son sitting by the frozen fountain... :)

Still sitting... still frozen

Family shot

D taking some time to smell the flowers... What a cutie!

I stink at posting...

2008-04-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Not that this is a surprise to anyone, but I really stink at updating this blog. Being sick for the past three weeks (and I anticipate that I'll have a miserable cold until this baby comes) doesn't help. So here I am, adding something... anything.

I thought that I'd put some newborn pictures of Daniel up here, since most of you probably didn't see pics of Daniel when he was in the NICU. I still thought that he was the most adorable little dude in the place (of course, when you double and probably triple the other preemies weight, that's easy to do...). I can't believe that he'll be two in a couple of weeks... My little boy is growing up!

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Little D right after birth, with his fat cone head... John and my Dad watched while the NICU nurses worked on him. They eventually had to kick them out when D took a turn for the worse.

My first visit with Daniel. I wasn't able to stroke or pat him... that aggravates him. Instead I could just touch him every so slightly... Poor kid.

Sleeping little boy... He'd had a traumatic day...

Little Daniel under the "bili" lights to help his jaundice. He looked so cute in his shades...

Also, for those that are wondering, John's job is going well. I LOVE having him come home for lunch and then I get him again right after work for the whole evening. Daniel is adjusting. He was spoiled to have Dad with him every morning. He goes around the house chanting, "Dad's at work... Dad's at work..." It's cute. In addition, they released me from the Nursery. I am now going to be the Compassionate Service Leader. Heaven help us all. So, I guess this means that I get to plan my own meals after I have the baby?? :) It will be nice to be in Relief Society again, but I will miss those kids. I hope that Daniel can handle the Nursery without me.

BIG NEWS! (So big that I'm using all caps!)

2008-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

So, as if adding a new baby wasn't exciting enough news, we have more! "Hold onto your hats and glasses kids, cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness!" (Extra kudos for knowing that quote...) The news isn't mine to share, so I have John editing this update. My version would be much longer and more dramatic, I assure you...

John has a new job!! He has been sick and tired of working at KBCI, but because he was in a 2-year contract, we thought that we were stuck. As the situation there got progressively worse, we decided to start looking. Then an opportunity came our way and we jumped at it... John is now a copywriter for a commercial real estate company based here in Meridian. It's less than 5 miles away, has normal hours, plenty of vacation days, much better pay, sane co-workers, and he won't have to work on Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, New Years, etc. What more could we ask for??

We were very fortunate (I know that we were being looked after) that KBCI didn't put up much of a fight. They just required him to give 4 weeks notice, which made for a long goodbye, but we would have done anything to get out of that work situation. John started working his new job last Monday, so he's been at it for nearly two weeks. He gets to come home for lunch and we get a daddy at night. Heck, I even went to the cannery last night! We feel so blessed and love having Daddy home again...

Sorry that my posts come so infrequently. I have no excuses, just lazy. I guess life has been pretty busy for us with new jobs and new schedules. I'll get my groove on, I promise. In the meantime, here's a picture of me a month ago at about 24 weeks. I normally try to avoid putting hideous pictures of me up on the blog, but I'm afraid that's unavoidable at this time. So, enjoy!

More sides of Daniel...

2008-03-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

the intellectual side...

and the giddy side!

Little fishy

2008-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

We went from bundling up for a day at the park, to swimming in the local indoor pool! My parents were in town for the State Girls Basketball Championship that their team was playing in (Go Soda Spring Cardinals!), and since they were with the team, they got to stay in their hotel with an indoor swimming pool! Yeah! You cannot know how EXCITED we were to go swimming! Daniel had the time of his life and although the water was still a little chilly, he wouldn't get out until we dragged him out. I think that we have a little water baby on our hands! Now if we could only find someone with a swimming pool for the summer, we'd be set!

Our happy boy...

2008-02-21T19:51:00.000-08:00

The sun peaked out just long enough for us to get some long awaited park time! In the summer, Danny and I usually go for walks twice a day, so it's been REALLY hard having a toddler get stir crazy in our little house... We had fun this day. It was still pretty nippy, but I don't think that Daniel even noticed. I will say that John complained the whole time about his poor frozen ears... :) It was worth it so see my little boy have fun at the park!

As promised, more squishy-face pictures. Once again, not flattering in the slightest, but oh so fun. Let's see, who has the fatter face? Mommy, Daddy, or Daniel??

I think that Mama wins!

See what Nursery is doing to us??

2008-02-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I am Nursery Leader in my ward here in Meridian. I actually love the calling, but it is definitely one of the most exhausting in the church! We currently have 12-13 kids each week, most of whom are just barely two or under. That makes it interesting to prepare lessons, activities, etc... What I love is that we have a five member rotation so that there are four leaders in the nursery each Sunday with one person attending auxiliaries. We rotate and every five weeks we get our Sunday without goldfish and animal crackers... It's glorious! Poor John is called to sub quite often, but he's great in there. After three hours, we all need a siesta!

It's a GIRL!!

2008-02-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

Holy cowabunga, we are having a little girl! You cannot know how shocked John and I are over this little bit of news. We were both certain that we were having a little boy. So much so that during our ultrasound I kept referring to the baby as a him, ("his" head, "his" legs, etc.) and the sonographer had to correct me... more than once.

John and I are really excited, though. The more we think about it, the happier we are. Neither of us are overly confident in doing "girly" things, per se, but I guess we'll have to figure it out sooner than later! The idea of having to do hair absolutely TERRIFIES me! I know, I know, I'm a girl, these things shouldn't be so shocking, but I have never really done my hair, nor do I like to shop, or dress up, or get overly emotional... Hopefully she'll be like me! :) (SCARY THOUGHT!)

Daniel is pretty excited to be having a little sister. I think that he kind of gets it, to be honest with you. He loves to come and kiss mama's baby, and he is always very soft and gentle when he does so. John still thinks that we're going to have to be careful because there is a good likelihood that Danny is still going to want to use her as his little punching bag. Man, our lives are going to change radically in a couple of months!

And you know what? We can't wait!

New Year Resolutions?

2008-02-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

Daniel has decided that he still has some baby fat to lose, so we've encouraged him to get on a daily Gazelle regimen. I think that he's enjoying his workout a little too much, eh?

And John and I have decided that we need more squishy-face pictures of the three of us. (What will we do when there's four??) I love these! Don't ask me why since no one ever looks good in them, but I continue to force John to take them whenever I want. And he does. What a great hubby!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2008-02-07T20:50:00.001-08:00

I actually don't mean that. I'm sick of the snow and ready for some warmth. Daniel loves the "no" (the "s" isn't really all that important, is it??), but it's been too cold to let him spend much time out there. These pictures were taken after one of the first snow storms here in the Treasure Valley. It is nothing compared to what we have now, though... Man, oh man, has it been snowing here! As pretty as the snow is, we're ready to return to our daily walks and park trips. Come on, sun!

Bad bad blogger...

2008-01-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I am a horrible blogger. No excuses, just lazy. But I'm allowed to be lazy every once in a while, right? Hey, I'm pregnant! Therefore, I can do whatever I cotton-pickin want to do! :) (I tell John that all the time-- he loves when I'm pregnant...) I actually have been out of town on vacation (Yeah!) and busy with some other stuff, so forgive me, if you would...

Here's a little update. For those shocked to hear that I was pregnant-- good! :) We were hoping to surprise people a little bit this time. John and I are elated to be having another little baby and feel blessed that it didn't take us so long to get pregnant this time. I am 19 weeks and will have my ultrasound the day after Valentine's day. We are going to find out the sex because we know that we will need to start crashing thrift stores and garage sales for girls stuff if we're having a little girl. Otherwise she's going to be stuck in baseball jersies and dinosaur jammies (not that that would be so bad, right?) We'll see if we tell everyone else what we're having... Hehehe, oh the power! Thanks for the well wishes. I've been feeling great, and have just started feeling the baby move. I love being pregnant.

John and I have had a great Christmas holiday! We spent Christmas here in Boise (of course, since John doesn't get holidays off work). But we wanted to see the Tomlinsons also, so we had a belated Christmas in So Cal. It was great (except for the fact that we were sick the whole time... argh!)! We flew out on a Thursday, hung out with family, played at the park, went to Sea World, and went for nice walks in the California sunshine. Actually, it was a little cold, but nothing like Idaho! It was great. We stayed for a week and then had to come home. Daniel had a great time playing with/getting to know his cousins, and we were bummed to leave. I wish that we lived closer.

Here are some pics for your viewing pleasure. It's going to be a little scrambled, but that's okay.

First, the Tomlinson grandkids minus 5 (so sad that they couldn't be there!) :(

Next, the Tomlinson siblings. We're missing Bob from Oregon (wish that your family could have been there!) but we got six out of seven-- not bad!

Then a family picture of our little family...

Then a close up of Danny boy. He's growing up so fast! (Don't ask me what this face is...)

2007-12-20T19:41:00.002-08:00

Santa Fright!

2007-12-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

Our ward Christmas party had a special little visitor. Good 'ole St. Nick decided to grace us with his presence and bring the good little girls and boys a bag of candy. Well, as good parents, we were anxious for Daniel to be recognized for his good behavior by Santa. We waited our turn (with Daniel checking every single move that Santa made) and got our camera ready. We finally got to the front of the line and we plopped Danny boy on Santa's lap. It took Daniel less than a second to realize that Santa was a very scary furball and he wanted nothing to do with him. We grabbed a couple of quick pictures and you can see for yourselves that we might have created a Santa-phobia in our little boy.

Merry Christmas!

Bubba in a basket!

2007-12-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

I can catch Daniel in the darnedest of positions... For some crazy reason, he thinks that he's really petite and can fit in anything. Such is not usually the case, but he got lucky this time. He loves his lego basket.

My little reader...

2007-12-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

I have always told John that I hope that Daniel doesn't have his disinterest in books. So far, so good! Daniel loves reading time (although in the pictures it looks like he's bored stiff). He definitely has his favorites and likes them to be read over and over and over and over... :) I wouldn't have it any other way.

Some cousin shots...

2007-12-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

We had Adam/Dana and family over for dinner a couple weeks back and here were some cute shots. I love the one with Emma and Daniel swinging in the chair. And of course the one of Daniel trying to give Emma a kiss... What fun!

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-12-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

I'm a wee bit behind on updating my little bloggie, but I have had good reason. We've had family in town (thanks, Bri Bri for coming to visit!), a trip to Soda for Turkey day x 2, work, work, work, and Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Overall, the past couple of weeks have been fabulous! Who doesn't love overeating??

Here are a couple of pictures from our Turkey bowl (Brian demanded that we have one or else he wouldn't come visit and John was happy to oblige). Daniel loved the idea, of course, because it involved balls! It was a little confusing for him, however, since he's usually obsessed with basketball. He kept wanting to throw the football in the basket at the park. Hey, whatever works, right? :)