I suppose that it is normal for a child, as she gets older, to try and negotiate with her parents over nearly everything–a later bedtime, fewer chores, more privileges. So, it should come as no surprise that, instead of simply celebrating a birthDAY, Guppy scored a birthWEEK that then turned into a birthMONTH. I caved pretty easily. It seemed logical that since she is such a good kid (and she REALLY is) that celebrating her birth for a short 24 hours was simply insufficient. Plus, it has been a really busy time for our family, so I welcomed the extra time to try and pull together a party, etc.

We celebrated Guppy’s actual birthday with special family friends, the McFaddens. She also lost another tooth. I think this is the 2nd year in a row that she’s lost a tooth on her birthday.

A week and a half later, we hosted a fun swim and pizza party for Guppy and a few of her friends. Everyone seemed to have a blast.

Ariana, I love you and am so proud of you! You are growing up into such a beautiful, caring, obedient daughter and are the best big sister that Miss Vivi could ever have.

Happy BirthYEAR!

Even though the call was issued more than a month ago, the title still doesn’t sound quite right. That’s not to say that I don’t think that Bryan will be a wonderful Bishop of our newly-formed Frisco 6th ward. I’m just still in shock and haven’t quite adjusted to having him gone so much. And even when he is home, he’s sometimes not REALLY home; his mind is elsewhere, or he’s on the phone, or on the computer, or meeting with someone in the other room. He has even fallen asleep reading church handbooks.

But in true Bryan fashion, he is trying so very hard to make it easier for us, and I love him for it. And I know that the blessings our family receives as Bryan serves in this capacity will more than compensate for the sacrifice. But on the first Sunday afternoon that Bryan had to leave for meetings instead of spend time with us, it was still hard for all of us. Miss Vivi cried. I guess that’s one of the privileges of childhood–You can cry when you feel like it, no matter who is watching.

(For those readers not of our faith, the LDS church is primarily administered by lay clergy. Bryan has been asked to oversee our congregation of 300+ members for the next five years or so).

As a child, the first day back to school was exciting. I loved to learn and reunite with my friends. As a mom, a different set of emotions seems to accompany this day for me. To say that I am “mournful” wouldn’t be too far from the truth. Rather than being 1 day older than she was yesterday, it seems that my baby has grown a year over night. And while I’m glad that Ariana is excited for this day, I’ll count the hours until I can go pick her up and bring her back to the safety of the nest.

While on my trip to Utah, I was able to meet my newest niece, Ava Grace Summerhays. Bryan is incredibly envious that he wasn’t able to meet her in person (work kept him home), but I told him that I’d post these photos to help ease the disappointment.

She’s a beauty! Click here for more photos: http://www.tolberts.org/lori/photo-albums/album/72157601193760046/Ava_Grace_Summerhays.html

Back in January, Lisa and I headed out to the box office to get tickets to Wicked for me, Ariana, Clint & Lisa. I was excited when we were able to get four good tickets together on opening night–April 18th. In fact, this was the only night that they had four seats together. Bryan had teased that the tickets were my Valentine’s Day present. But then when I called Bryan on our way home from the box office to tell him of our success, he laughed and said that the tickets should also be my anniversary present. AAGH! It finally occurred to me why the date of April 18th had a vaguely familiar ring to it. My wedding anniversary! Needless to say, Bryan will tease me about this for years to come.

Despite the unfortunate timing, Ariana and I had a wonderful mother/daughter evening.

I’ve been working on math story problems with Ariana over the summer.  See if you can solve this one. 

QUESTION:  IF WE ALREADY OWN ONE HOME, AND THEN WE BUY ANOTHER ONE, HOW MANY HOMES DO WE HAVE?

ANSWER: TOO MANY

Two yards to maintain, two homes to keep clean, and two sets of bills equal two nervous homeowners.  But after careful, prayerful consideration, we really felt like this was the course we should take and that everything would work out.  And it has.  We are scheduled to close on the sale of our home on July 18th. 

2 – 1 = 1DERFUL

My grandfather, Milton John Hess, has always emphasized the motto “No Empty Chairs!”  It’s his hope that each of his posterity will live his/her life in such a way to merit the blessings of heaven when this life is through, and as a result, when we are all gathered around the big dinner table in heaven, no one will be missing.

A few weeks ago, the Tolbert clan made the trek to Armington, Illinois for a family reunion, and except for Uncle Matthew who is serving his country in Afghanistan, there were “no empty chairs.”  Even Bryan’s grandfather (“Papa”) had his first plane trip and was with us.  Although I had a few apprehensions about the event (driving 13+ hours with 2 kids, staying with 30 people in one house in the middle of nothing but corn fields for a week), I must say that the gathering was as close to heaven as you can get here on earth.

Jeremy and Julie were awesome hosts.  They achieved the perfect balance of scheduled activities and relaxing down time.

Friday–Departed from Frisco.  Drove many hours to a small town near Branson, MO where we stayed the night.

Saturday–More driving.  Stopped at a fun antique store in Illinois where purchased our first “vintage” Nancy Drew book ($2).  A little further up the road, we stopped in Springfield, IL and toured the home where Abraham Lincoln resided prior to his presidency.  I wish that we’d had a little more time to spend in the area.  Finished driving to Jeremy and Julie’s.

Sunday–Church together and then to a beautiful park for a picnic.

Monday–Private swimming and pizza party at a local small-town pool.

Tuesday–Guys took the kids to a movie while the gals went shopping.  Fishing and s’mores at a neighbor’s pond.  I caught a fish!

Wednesday–Boating (tubing, water skiing) at a nearby lake.  The water was very warm thanks to a nearby nuclear power plant.  I’m assured that it is 100% safe.  I was more afraid of the VERY LARGE fish that boldly swam close to shore.

Thursday–Carthage jail and Nauvoo.

Friday–Water sliding in the river.  Started the long trip home.  Stayed the night in the nastiest hotel room EVER–Travelodge in Blytheville, AR.  I reported them to the health department upon my return to Frisco.

Saturday–Bopped around Little Rock, AR where Ariana and I went to the Discovery’s Museum and saw a fascinating Bubble Magic show.  I’d love to go back to Little Rock and spend more time exploring.  Drove to Hot Springs, AR.  Ariana and I did a little ceramic painting, and then we all went to The Bath House variety show.  Very fun!

Sunday–Church in Hot Springs and visited Mr. and Mrs. Baber–mentors from my high school days.  Seeing them was a highlight of the trip for me.  Safely arrived home to find all well.  What a blessing to have traveled so many miles (2,700 in all) with no mishap.

I am grateful to have married into such a WONDERFUL family who loves being together!

I’ve posted a sizeable photo album of trip photos for your enjoyment: http://www.tolberts.org/lori/photo-albums/album/72157600568629727/Tolbert_Family_ReunionJune_2007.html

I’m sore.  I’m tired.  I’m sweaty.  I’m anxious for this move to be over.

I’m going to bed. 

IMAGINE A HUSBAND WHO . . .

• Never criticizes his wife
• Tells his wife that he loves her EVERY day
• Gets up with the baby in the middle of the night so his wife can sleep
• Never complains about a mediocre dinner or a messy house
• Encourages his wife to pursue her interests

IMAGINE A FATHER WHO . . .

• Never loses his temper with his children
• Makes time for Daddy Daughter Time
• Goes to work each and every day to provide for his family
• Never criticizes his children

IMAGINE A HOME WHERE . . .

• Children flourish in a safe environment knowing that their parents adore them, and each other
• Everyone works together toward common goals
• You can find a piece of heaven on earth

I am so grateful that I don’t have to just imagine a life like this. I live it every day.  This is my husband, the father of my children, my home.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Us!

We’re pretty squished in our current house, and the lack of order caused by our lack of space has been driving me NUTS!  Plus, our yard is tiny, and Bryan really wants a bigger vegetable garden.  Not to mention the fact that our home is so close to our neighbor’s that their dog barks at us when we’re in our master bathroom.  And when our neighbors watch t.v. at night, we see the flicker of lights through our bedroom window.  So, for the past two years, we’ve been searching for the perfect new home.  As we canvassed North Texas from Aubry to Anna and everywhere in between, Ariana was a good sport . . . better than her mother, at times.  But despite our best efforts, the perfect house eluded us, and I was getting mighty grumpy and horribly impatient.

Wouldn’t you know it, but a week and a half ago, on our way to see “Night at the Museum” at the $1 movies, we drove by a house in our neighborhood that we’ve driven by many times before.  It was vacant and had been on the market a while, but we had never paid much attention to it because we didn’t think that it had a very large yard, and I always assumed that it would be out of our price range.  But, unlike all the other times we drove past it, this time Bryan stopped.  He and I got out and, when we entered the backyard, we discovered that it was an ideal size.  And a phone call to my mom who did a quick internet search for us revealed that the price had recently been dropped quite a bit.

To make a long story short, we toured the house later in the day with our agent, and today, only 10 days later, the seller signed the contract amendment, agreeing to all of our terms.  We’ll close sometime next week.

Ariana will have to switch schools in the fall, but many of her close friends go to her new school, so she is very excited.  And I am thrilled to have a home where my kids can bring their friends to play under my watchful eye.

As evidenced by lots of little miracles that have led us to this point, this new home is truly an answer to our prayers.