Family Update

Hello family and friends. I'm starting off  this week with a family update blog post. If you've come here for a "crafty" post, sorry there won't be any of that today. But I do hope you come back soon. 

I have noticed that in my scrapbook documentation, blogging had been an integral part of my journaling. As you might have noticed, I don't scrapbook in order and are a few years behind, so having the stories already journaled here has helped me when I am ready to scrapbook the story. 

That being said, there has been some stories meant preserving in my family. Here they are in no specific order...

At the end of April, Maddie's school choir culminated their Spring season with a performance at the Pikes Peak Center. Maddie participated in it last year and she had such a great experience that she wanted to do it again this year. It was a commitment on her part (and us too) as she had to wake up early two times a week to attend the practice and a couple more practice sessions just before the performance. On the day of the show, she was out of the house from 7:45 am - 9:15 pm. That was because of school, then practice right after and then the show at 7 pm. But it all paid off cause she did wonderful. Here are some pictures....

This festival is composed of many school choirs within the county. Hence that's why the picture above showcases many, many kids.

This little guy has been keeping us on our toes (as always) and he has improved in his speech this month. If you haven't heard it from me, he is going through speech therapy because he wasn't saying anything, not even mama, after turning a year old. We have been working with a therapist that comes to our home every month and gives us tools to help him communicate. As of the end of May, we counted that he can say, sign and/or sound about 43 words. That was a tremendous jump since we only started the therapy in January. Our goal is to get him to about 50-75 words by two years old, and that is in about two months. We have our work cut out for us but I am optimistic because of his achievements thus far.

In other news, Marcus participated in a big history fair at school. As part of their social studies class, they spent a lot of time researching and putting together a presentation, of their own choice, about something in history, Marcus decided to do his presentation on Samurai and Ninjas. Specifically asking the question who won win the battle between a Samurai and Ninja. Here he is with his presentation board and his made up sword and Ninja stars. 

In the month of May, Mitch finally got glasses. He has been using some reading glasses for years but the computer time at work made the need for glasses even stronger.

Also in May, I attended the scrapbook expo in Denver. It's a fun event for shopping, learning and just getting together with other crafty minded people. If you are a crafter and want to know my thoughts on the expo plus see what I purchased, you can view that in my YouTube channel and the link is on the right side of this blog.

Another thing we celebrated in the month of May was our wedding anniversary. We didn't get to do anything on our official day (the 18th) because it was in the middle of the work week but we did get to go out the week after. Mitch heard about this yummy Mexican place in Downtown and we had lunch there. It was yummy. Happy 14th anniversary to us. 

On that same date, Mitch and I took a little detour to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore shop and scored a great deal on this dining room set. We've had a mismatched set since being married and it only took us 14 years to upgrade. This set which has a leaf and six chairs only set us back $100. Yeah can't beat that! Oh and the wood is high quality and made in Canada. Score!

Maddie participated at her school's talent show. She sang alongside her bestie Keira. It was fun seeing her enjoy singing and having more courage to go up in front of people. We are definitely proud of her. 

One last story to tell....
So our dear Marcus has been on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) in school for three years now. It was due to his ADHD and High Functioning Autism diagnosis. It has helped him with his social skills and has given him accommodations to allow for the specific way he learns things.
Anyways at the end of the school year we had our annual IEP evaluation meeting. The good news is that he has made such great strides this past year that he no longer qualifies for the IEP. Basically it is deemed that he can get the necessary education that he needs through the regular school program without the IEP in place. This was a good news to him because he didn't like to be taken out of his exploratory classes to go to social group meetings. This would also mean that he can take a language class next year (which would be Spanish)
If you ask me, I'm not sure what to feel about the change. We've worked so hard to make sure that there are things in place for him in school so he can be the best he can be. I believe that one of the main reasons that he's done so well these past three years is because of the IEP in place. That being said, I do acknowledge that this kid has done some major maturing as well and he has taken on the responsibility of learning (the way he knows how) and we've seen that in his grades. I also want him to learn to succeed on his own without any extra help as the "help" won't always be there in his life.
So I am cautiously optimistic that we are on the right track for him. 8th grade would be a transition year for him and I'm prayerful that he will continue on his success and not regress.

Speaking of success, this kid got a silver medal (again) this year for grades. He got it from making major improvements on his grade from past quarters and having a GPA over 3.5. We are definitely proud of our Marcus.

So that's it. Thank you for stopping by and catching up on our lives.

Till next time,
Grace

Sand Dunes *Family Adventure*

Hello friends. I'm going to break up all of the crafty posts with a recap of a recent camping trip that my family and I took over Memorial Day weekend. It was a bit last minute but with a three day weekend plus having a free pass to national parks this year because of our fourth grader, we couldn't pass it up.

We started our adventure on Saturday morning. We got a little bit delayed because we got caught in a long traffic through a certain part of the canyon right after passing Canyon City. Apparently there was a head on collision in one of the bends between two vehicles and a FedEx truck. We were in a stand still for about 45 minutes. Luckily the wait didn't seem too long, we had a good amount of Starburst in the car to keep everyone happy and the view was beautiful all around.

After the accident was cleared, we got back on the road and headed to our camp site. The weekend before, Marcus' scout troop went on a camping trip to Sand Dunes and Mitch found out that the guys camped at a free site an hour away from the dunes. We tried it and found our camping spot just in a nick of time. It was somewhat packed with fellow weekend campers/trailer users. The area where we camped is also used for ATVs so we had some of that noise going around. We didn't care much though as it wasn't too obnoxious.

After setting up the tent, eating our lunch and securing other camping items, we took the truck and did some 4x4 driving through the trails. Exploring in the truck is definitely an easier way than hiking. :)

After our exploration we went back to camp, started the fire and placed our foil dinner on top of the campfire. We had high hopes for the dinner but it took forever and we almost lost some hamburger meat in the fire because we were trying to flip it on the grill. The family made a decision that foil dinners won't be part of our camping menu next time.

After dinner, we roasted some marshmallow and had some smores. This one is a staple of our camping trips and everyone looks forward to it.

This was the first time that our little guy had smores and you can tell with his smile above that this is going to be a part of his fave camping traditions too.

The two older kids decided to explore a bit near our campsite. Our site was near a very steep part of the hill and they decided to climb that up. Well on the way back down, Maddie tripped on some rocks and did some tumbling all the way to a big bush. She ended up getting some gashes on her face, wrists and hip. Definitely her least favorite part of the trip.

It was a cold night but we endured it. The following morning, Mitch and I got up early and started our breakfast. After eating, we got on the road and headed south to the Sand Dunes National Park. I heard from a friend that it was best to get their early so that you can have a good parking spot. We ended up not getting a spot in the parking lot but we managed to get a spot in the nearby picnic area.

Our plan was to hike the dunes first, play in the water a bit, have lunch and then explore the rest of the park.

Not soon after we started our hike did we realize that there were a lot of people in this area too. I guess that's what you get when you visit this park during a holiday weekend. We all hiked up to the second tallest peak and then we let the boys go on the highest peak.

The photo above shows Marcus on the top peak. It's amazing for me to know that these giant hills of sand are surrounded by mountains. See the peak of that mountain behind Marcus? It is still snow capped!

And here's another view from the top. Mitch took the pictures.

When they got back to where the rest of us were, we took some quick photos and then headed back down to the water.

One fun part of the hike is having to go through the water. There was no other way to go around, so we had to take our shoes off. The water was actually very refreshing after doing the climb up the dunes.

The weather in the morning was beautiful. There was some wind, but not so bad that it ruined our time. But we were all getting hungry from the hike so we went back to our car and had lunch.

When we got back to the water, the wind started to pick up again and we could see the dark clouds looming over us.

The kids enjoyed the water, mostly to play in the mud and Mason was so enthralled with everything that he didn't even mind shaking because of the cold wind and water.

After a few big blows of the wind, we decided to pack up and soon after we left, the rain came. It took us a long time just to get out of the parking lot because of the amount of people trying to leave as well. It was so bad that we decided to just leave the park all together. We didn't even get to go see the falls on the other side of the park.

When we got back to our campsite, we had dinner, played some card games, had some more smores and then went to bed.

The following day, we got up, had breakfast, got warmed up with another campfire and then started getting everything packed up.

One thing that we did have to deal with was ticks. It was no fun for everyone. We were vigilant enough that it didn't stick to anyone but Mason. Thankfully we got it before it did any major damage. This was definitely one of the "low" parts of our trip.

Other than that, we had fun! We just wished we had more time (and less crowd) at the Sand Dunes. But since it's not that far from us (about three hour drive) then we will try to get back there sometime soon.

If you've read all the way through, thanks for being here.

I hope to do a family update post sometime soon too. There's been lots of stories to tell and not enough time to document them.

Till next time,
Grace

October Family Update

Hi friends. Well it's November already and that means this update is a bit late but it's better late than never. Right?

We started off the month celebrating Maddie's 9th birthday. Her special day fell on a Saturday and the family had a busy day so we didn't get to celebrate her birthday till that night. We went to Itz which is a pizza and gaming place.  Then the following day, after dinner, we had her blow the candles from her Key Lime Pie. Why pie, you ask? Well that's what she wanted.  And I'm not complaining cause all I had to do was buy the frozen pie from the store, thaw it and stick candles over it. Hey if all my kids are gonna be this easy to please, this mama's life would be breezy. 

I added the last photo in the collage because that's how Mason has been with all of our adventures lately. He just sleeps in his car seat/stroller/baby sling. Such as easy baby when we are out. There was only one time that he cried and that was when I was doing some grocery shopping. But thankfully I was almost done so it was not that hard to hold him while I get the rest of the items on my list.

This month, the kids had some days off because of parent teacher conference. On the 17th of the month everyone was home (kids didn't have school and it was Mitch's day off) so we went for a hike. It was an easy path since that was my request. I'm still using the excuse that I just had a baby so I didn't want anything too difficult. It was technically Mason's first hike. The above collage are some photos that I took from that trip.
One thing that I wanted to add is that all the photos from this collage was taken from my phone. I now belong to the smart phone user group and I love it. I know it took a while but I really didn't see the need till recently. The main reason I wanted to upgrade was because of having a good quality camera on hand everywhere I go and I did some research and for the budget that I had plus what I needed, the Samsung Galaxy S3 fit the bill. Now I have a camera everywhere I go. Don't get me wrong, I still love my big DSLR and use it often but the convenience of having a lightweight camera on me all the time was what got me to switch and I'm very pleased with the quality of the camera on this phone. I haven't printed these photos yet and I'll let you know if my feelings change once I do that.

Halloween falls in October as well and this year nobody wanted to be part of a group costume so everyone did their own thing. Marcus wanted to be the grim reaper so we took the cloak that I made him from this costume and then made a slythe using cardboard, foil and a walking stick. Maddie originally wanted to be Madelyn Hatter but after reviewing some how to videos on how to make our own, i was overwhelmed. Thankfully she was fine just diving into her clothes and make something out of it. She ended up wearing her baptism dress (see more of that here) and then I made a veil and a bouquet to make her a princess bride. I was originally thinking of making something for Mason but after seeing the penquin suit at the thrift store for $3, I knew that's the easy route. And doesn't he look adorable in it?

And finally our little man turned 2 months in October. Some highlights would be:
1. He had his baby blessing this month. We had daddy give the blessing and unfortunately family wasn't able to come. But we still felt so loved by the friends that have come out and supported us.
2. He is growing like a weed. In his 2 month check up he weighed 11 lbs and 3 oz plus 23" in length.
3. Still not sleeping through the night. I'm not sure if it's because we are sleepy but it seems like he cries louder at night than during the day time.
4. I was concerned at his vision cause he always just likes to look up but this month, he started showing some attention. I would come up really close to his face and he would give me a half smile and babbles as well. We can't wait till he gets more interactive with us.

So that's it. Thanks for stopping by.

Till next time,
Grace

Cramming it all in here

Hi friends. 

So I know that this blog has been loaded with just crafty projects lately. It's been a very exciting few months for our family and if you have me as a friend on Facebook, you know that we are expecting our third child in September. We are crossing our fingers we will know if we are having a girl or a boy sometime very soon. 

So with that, I have been hit by morning sickness BIG TIME! I had a hard time for the first trimester. If I was not sick, I was super tired and sometimes I was both. Yuck! To top that, I was still trying to manage being a mommy, a crafter, a business owner and a student. Yeah, not so fun! That's the reason why this blog has been neglected. I have learned that when you are trying to survive, you put energy in the most important stuff and at the end of the day, sadly, blogging wasn't part of the list. 

Anyways, since we are passed the first trimester, I'm feeling back to my old self again and so I finally decided to go through some pictures from the last few months and share with all of you what we've been up to. Some are a little grainy since they were taken with my little IPod touch but I still count them as priceless as they were evidences of memories I don't want to forget. 

January was a rough one for us as my dad was admitted to the hospital for breathing problems in the middle of the month. His health quickly turned for the worst and there was even a scary time when the doctor said that if we wanted to see my dad alive, we would have to travel right at that second. Thankfully we had prayers being said for him in all corners of the world and he lived to tell his tale. He was in the ICU for over a month and is still connected to respirator to this day. Despite the health challenges, he is making progress. Just a couple of days ago my mom reported that he was able to sit up. It's a big leap being that he's been lying on a hospital bed for almost 3 months now. 

(picture was taken of me and my dad in the summer of 2011) 

On the last day of January we had a good snow storm. The following day was a Saturday and the family decided to test out the new sleds we bought at Costco. We went to a nearby park and when we got there it seemed like every single family in the area had the same idea. Mitch and the kids still managed to find a good spot to slide down from. I took these photos in the first five minutes of them sledding and then I went back to the truck to keep warm and refrain from fainting or worst, throwing up! 

February was also the month where Marcus presented his Science fair project this year. This is his last one as an elementary student and he chose rockets. He picked three kinds of rockets that he will make and test which one had the better engine. 

Here he is during the actual fair. He didn't place (he was bummed about it) but I believe it's because he didn't even bring his rockets to show. I wanted him to take responsibility for this and he decided (against my persistent advice) to leave the rockets home. I think a little disappointment doesn't hurt a kid, especially if he realizes he would've made a better choice with it.

One thing I've noticed with this pregnancy was that I was craving a lot of Filipino food. It was very hard to fill that craving as there are no Filipino restaurants in the area. Luckily my mom and dad gave me enough recipes and knowledge to make my own at home. During those times where I had a burst of energy (or I just couldn't stand not filling the craving) I'd cook something. This Pansit (Filipino noodle dish) was made sometime in February. 

A good friend of mine introduced me to these mints. I told her of my struggle with the nasty "pregnancy" after taste and how Tums just didn't seem to calm my stomach down. She gave me some of these mints and from then on, I was hooked! Apparently these are "British" mints. They are bigger than a lifesaver and have quite a strong mint flavor. It was one of my "survivor" necessities during the first trimester. I couldn't leave the house without it. At one point, I had a roll in my purse, by the computer, on my craft table, on my nightstand and any other place in the house where I might need to quickly pop them in my mouth. Thanks Heather, you and these mints were a lifesaver. :)

Also in February we got our first glimpse of baby #3. I had my first ultrasound at about 10 weeks and this is our first picture of the baby. 

In March, the cub scouts in our stake had their annual Pinewood Derby car race. Mitch and I let Marcus design his car. We are slowly giving him more opportunities to make choices and also accept the consequences of them. Our big lesson for him these days is "taking ownership" of things and choices. We want him to be ready for middle school. Yikes, that's in the fall! 

Anyways despite the lack of creativity in his car design and very little effort in painting his car, he still managed to rank second in all of his races. At the final scoring, he was in the middle of the pack.

After the race we treated him (and the whole family) to dinner at Steak and Shake. The kids love that place cause of the shake and as you can see in the photos, it's a pretty good size treat.

Also in March, Maddie started borrowing kid cookbooks at the library. I'm not sure why but I'm excited for her and her new found enthusiasm for cooking and making things in the kitchen. Who knows maybe she'll be the next chef in the family (My dad was a professional chef for many years). For our Family Home Evening treat this one particular Monday she (with some help from me) made a no bake cheese cake. We had to substitute some of the ingredients as we didn't have them on hand. So instead of a berry topping, we used fresh mangoes and a little bit of my homemade pineapple/zucchini preserves. It sure was delicious! 

The kids had their Spring break in March and one of the things we did was walk (2 miles round trip) to a local duck pond. We brought all of our old crackers and chips to feed to the ducks. It seemed like the ducks and geese haven't been fed in a while cause they were all excited to see Marcus and Maddie throw the crackers their way. 

I started feeling well about halfway through March and I had more energy to be a "better mom" to the children. I know that I've neglected them in one way or another in the past few months so to "redeem" myself, I searched Pinterest for cool activities to do for General Conference weekend. We did conference cash where the kids got to earn paper money during the sessions if they were listening, participating in the singing parts and being reverent. Mitch and I were in charge of handing them out and if we found them not following the rules, money was taken away as well. I went to the dollar store to grab a few items but as you can see in this photo, I just went through my home and tried to find what items I can put in the "conference store". Most of them were food but they did save up enough "cash" to get the big ticket items like a bug catcher bought at the $ store. 

I also found this cool idea where the kids can move the picture of the apostle behind the paper podium so that they can familiarize themselves to who is speaking at that time. I only found pictures of the presidency and quorum of the 12. I didn't have a big enough egg carton to name all the seventies and the other general authorities.

and finally, something to remember the growing life inside of me. I never did a progressive belly shot with any of my kids and I thought it would be fun to do it with this one. This was taken at 17 weeks of pregnancy. We just started second trimester on this one so I had the energy to get myself looking 'somewhat' put together. :)

So there you have it. A post, that hopefully gets everyone updated on what's going on at the Tolman home. Know that we appreciate family and friend that check up on us through this blog and Facebook. We feel of your love and support. 

Till next time,

Grace