... Heard Today?

"Boiling water makes eggs hard and carrots soft... which one are you?" It was in reference to life's tough times and challenges. All of us are going to hit some boiling water along the way, but what are we going to let it do to us?

(Don't get this fable confused with the frog that doesn't jump out of the pot warm water that slowly heats to boiling. That's more about not letting evil things creep up on you. Plus eggs don't jump (except that amazing egg on Garfield and Friends) and I've heard that frog legs get pretty crispy.)

...Am Ready For?

Springtime!
Seriously, I don't think spring has ever taken this long to arrive. Maybe I only notice now because I have a toddler that loves the outdoors and screams every time he has to go inside even with his frozen fingers, bright red cheeks, and a runny nose. "In like a lion out like a lamb," was my mantra throughout March. But that month was all feline. Now it is, "April showers bring May flowers..." but as I trudged through several inches of snow and slush to drop Grant off and get to work this morning, I had serious doubts that these are the kind of showers that the month-weather-rhymers were talking about. Here are a few things that I am excited for spring to bring:

1. flip flops
2. driving with the windows down
   
3. slurpees and snowcones
   
4. fun on the playground with a cute little blond boy in tank tops and shorts
   
5. playing catch (without frozen fingers)
6. bar-b-ques
   
7. that great feeling when the sunshine makes your hair warm to the touch...
   

...Recommend?

Google Reader. It's the perfect way to keep up on all your blogs, and find new and interesting ones to read. You set up your Google Reader to subscribe to all your most important blogs and whenever you visit, it will show you who has added a new post. You can even read the posts from that same page. In the beginning, I went from blog to blog try to find someone who had posted new wisdom or pictures. Now I've got a one-stop shop.

...Bought My Hubby Last Night?

Well, I'll give you a hint, I'm typing on it right now and one a day will keep the doctor away. That's right, an Apple Mac Book Pro. Dave is the happiest boy in the world.  We went to the Apple store last night and thought we going to give some lucky guy his sale of the night. The exact opposite happened. As we stood there waiting for a free salesperson, we saw 4 full Mac computers sell. It was probably 10,000 dollars in about 20 minutes, and we were only in one little corner of the store. And it was just an ordinary Thursday night in February in the Apple store. 

...Read For the Best Reviews Around?

These are the Bitches of Judgment, Maggie (pictured with Grant) and Sammi.
They are stay-at-home dogs, and they fill their time with reviews about movies, TV shows, books, and politics. Now, there are some skeptics out there that question their ability to type, but Sammi still has her dew claws so I believe that she's the one who publishes the posts. This is a must read blog; read it and you're barking up the right tree.
http://dooduns.blogspot.com/

...Think Is a Great Movie?

I Am David.

You've got to check it out. I won't say much because I love watching movies before I know too much about them. The movie follows a young boy that was raised in a concentration camp, and manages to escape. The tag line: Believe in the power to change your destiny.

...Did Last Weekend?

Dave, Grant, and I hosted an unofficial President's Day Tolman sibling reunion! It was so fun. It started on Friday night as the troops arrived. First Maddie rolled in from Rexburg, ID, then Morgan, Raf, Jocelyn (3), and Mallory (2) arrived from Rangely, CO, and finally Joey and her 4 kids (Damon (7), Keely (5), Kameron (2), and Brit (5 mo) luckily arrived safely after battling the treacherous roads of I-80 across southern Wyoming. She definitely wins the prize of worst weather and longest drive. Rock, Jen and Rhett (2 mo) represent the Provo branch of our family, and we didn't see them until Saturday. That's right, 16 of the 18 Tolman's (sorry Mom and Dad!) in one 1100 square foot condo. Here are some lessons learned from the weekend:

1. Bunk beds are worth their weight in gold. Our full/twin bunk bed set from IKEA (love it!) has been one of the best purchases we have ever made. It sleeps three adults comfortably at night and entertains 6 rowdy kids during the day, while the other 2 babies keep the adults entertained.


2. Raf's movie fetish has paid off. If he had never went to go see Rambo, we would have never known that Rock and Jen's car was being towed, and they would have been ready to leave and blamed our crazy neighbors for grand theft auto. Word to the wise: Just because it is a gray curb and there are no No Parking signs anywhere, doesn't mean that some random tow truck won't drive by and decide to tow your car.


3. There seems to be a one-way portal for cardboard between the back of Dave's Civic and the trunk of my Camry. One minute you're asking your brother to shove a bunch of cardboard into the civie and the next your standing at Costco with with cases of things you can't live with out and no where to put them.
   
4. Always wear plenty of rings if you are going to play up-chickens. It is a fact that 6 kids can sleep through 6 adults slamming their hands down on a table for an hour.
   
5. Grant gets the award for the crappiest sleeping arrangement (his pack and play shoved in our bathroom.)


6. Kameron sounds a lot like Barry White when he gets a cough. I've never seen something floor a two-year old like that (he was literally lying on the floor several times throughout the weekend.


7. Never, never, never tell your niece to lick her mom's ear. Even if she is completely willing. Both of you will get in trouble.

As you can see, there were a lot of lessons learned. There were so many poopy diapers, sinks full of dishes, piles of toys, bodies everywhere and laughter like you wouldn't believe. It was a great weekend, and I'd definitely do it again.