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Friday, December 30, 2011

Savannah Jane

THE most beautiful baby has arrived! 
Savannah Jane is absolutely adorable with her dark hair and chubby cheeks! 
We love her so much already and can't wait to spend the summer with this precious baby:)
View more adorable photos here

Proud new parents:)

He had the biggest grin the whole night!
You're going to be an amazing father, Aaron!



Annabelle watched her through the window and seemed fascinated!
She is going to love her new cousin:)

Of course Travis couldn't leave the wheelchair alone! 

We love you Savannah Jane,         
Team Tolman 



Thursday, December 29, 2011

Texas Crossley Christmas

It is always nice going home to Tejas this time of year: family, warm weather,
BBQ, Brandi (our Boxer), Hilton's, fireworks, and Blue Bell!
 
Mahana Christmas Party
 
Aunt Mitzi's famous cow ride

Kelsi loves entertaining Annabelle!

Gaylord Texan
         Every year the Gaylord Texan, an amazing resort in Dallas, does an ICE! exhibit that features different magical holiday scenes. All of the sculptures are hand-carved by 40 visiting artisan from China. This year Gaylord partnered with Dream Works to produce Shrek the Halls. It was absolutely amazing and the scenes were created with TWO MILLION pounds of ice! The tent was kept at 9 degrees, so it was freezing inside! 




Annabelle fell asleep before we could even get in the tent!



Solid Ice Slide!





At the very end, they had the Nativity Scene completely carved from ice as well!


Warming our toes after 9 degree weather!
 
Savannah Jane Arrives! (post in the works)

Good ole' Vidor

  
She loves, loves, loves her baby from Grammie & Grandad!


Brandi opening Christmas presents:)

Look at that jump shot!


Rivalry still continues!
Ya can't let the Hilton's leave without an intense game of basketball!

Brandi is starting to slow down but is still as sweet as ever

Typical scenario between these two...
Brandi ignores Annabelle
Annabelle works up the courage to poke Brandi!

The Cozy Coupe!
THE best present from Grammie & Grandad
Annabelle would ask anyone & everyone to push her around all week:)


Hilton New Year's Eve 

Watching the awesome firework show


Happy New Year,                    
Team Tolman         

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Tolman Christmas

This was our first Christmas to spend with the Tolman's... we loved it!
Travis' family is wonderful and it was fun to spend the holiday with them.


Tolman Traditions:
     -Rice pudding w/hidden almond for luck (Jana found it!)
     -Christmas Eve pajamas
     -Wassle 
     -Tele-Caroling (Travis started this new tradition: you randomly call people, sing a carol, 
       yell "Merry Christmas", and then hang up! It was quite something picking numbers out 
       of the phone book:)
    
An attempt at a "Chinese Gift Exchange" with babies under 2! 
Annabelle just went around stealing everyone's present and then starting 
eating her bracelet:)

  
Aunt Trinsica with Kelti & Annabelle

Annabelle's new ABC blocks

Dustin & Jana
Dustin gave her a Kitchen Aid ice cream maker... 
we will definitely taste yummy flavors soon:)

Sheri has always wanted a big family picture, so the married kids printed one! 
Notice the tears... :)

The little girls on Kelti's rocking horse... they absolutely loved this! 

Merry Christmas,               
Team Tolman    

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

3rd Year Anniversary


My husband is wonderful!
December 20, 2008 was the beginning of something beautiful…
 a life with Travis Orson Tolman.

We have completely enjoyed the last three years of marriage and
love knowing we will be together forever.


Top 10 Reasons “I Love You”
1.     Christ comes first in your life.
2.     You make me feel lucky to be a part of your life.
3.     I’m a better person when I’m with you.
4.     You’re an amazing Father.
5.     You dream big.
6.     You tell me I’m gorgeous and absolutely perfect for you.
7.     I feel complete, peaceful, safe, and loved by you.
8.     You keep me guessing and are always full of surprises.  
9.     You make me laugh everyday.
10.  You planned a 5-day surprise anniversary trip 6 months in advance.

                I love you Travis Orson…
                                          Brittany



Reason #10...
        Ever since August I've been telling Trav I wanted a nice get-away anniversary trip. I was dreaming of 4-star hotels, fine dining, and of course the beach (my favorite vacation spot). However, he kept telling me money was an issue and I shouldn't expect anything big. So, I have been prepping myself since then for a low-key, possible at-home anniversary. Little did I know, he was already planning a 5-day get-away surprise trip!   
        Last Monday, Keith took me on a lunch date to a Mexican restaurant I've been wanting to try, Milagros (the verdict: amazing, unique flavors!). I thought he was just dying to spend time with his favorite sister but secretly he was allowing Travis time to pack for his surprise anniversary trip! Once at the Tolman's, Travis asked Sheri (his Momma) if she would watch Annabelle while we ran errands (what Grandmother would say no, and Miss Annabelle loves it over there). So, without a second thought we left. If I would have known I would be gone for the next five days I would have given my baby girl a much bigger hug and kiss!
         On the way out, Travis told me we were going to a fancy, surprise place for dinner. On our way to his "surprise dinner" we stopped by our place to pick up Savannah's package (post to come on our new, adorable niece!). Travis wouldn't let me come in because he said he had a "surprise" set-up for when we got back from dinner. However, after I refused to use a gas station bathroom he finally led me blind-folded into the house. I found out later this secret "surprise" was a ridiculously messy house from him packing... very clever.    
Clue #1

            Once we were back in the car, Travis handed me my first clue.... "Let's go to a place we've always wanted to go... Just hope that we can get through the snow! I ask for your patience with the blindfold... for a great surprise is about to unfold!"  My first guess was we were going to the "Melting Pot," a fondue restaurant we've been wanting to try. I couldn't have been more wrong...
            After driving for FOUR hours Travis couldn't stand it any longer. He stopped, I took off my blindfold and we're sitting in a Wendy's drive-thru. Wendy's was definitely not the food I'd been dreaming of. I kind of half-laughed, praying it was a joke, and then he gave me my second clue...

Clue #2
         VEGAS! I was so excited to realize we weren't driving all the way back for his "surprise" at home AND we would be alone for Five days! 
         Side Note: Travis' co-workers knew every detail of his plan and made bets on how long I would last on the car ride before demanding to know where we were going. Some said two hours, one hour, and even 30 minutes! (I'm not that impatient...) But, I've learned from past experience not to "ruin" Travis' surprises or make them more extravagant than he planned, so I kept my mouth shut. I wondered the whole way there about his surprise back home, asked him four times if he for sure had work the next day, and was secretly dreading driving back that night. Lucky for me his plan was much bigger than I imaged!

Clue #3
          This clue scared me... Travis packed my bags for five days?! Don't worry, it gets worse... He then handed me a small American Eagle bag and said, "Everything you need is in this bag." I opened it (very worried at this point) and pulled out some red & black lingerie... I am now terrified! I know we're on our anniversary but have to go out in public sometime! I couldn't believe that was it and luckily discovered something hidden under the bottom cardboard... a gift card for a shopping spree! I'm feeling much better at this point and found out later he did indeed pack (quite a bit) for me... 

He packed a ton! Instead of packing a bag, he simply brought two bathroom buckets, about 15 pairs of shoes, our wedding clothes (just in case), and so much more! 


         After a scrumptious Wendy's meal, and more driving, we arrived in Vegas pretty late. Travis planned a romantic evening complete with a fireplace, Sangria in wine glasses, R&B music, rose pedals on the floor, and... The next morning Trav woke me up with his fourth & final clue.
 
Clue #4
           The website bit.ly/nextstop4us was a coverup url name for pictures of beautiful Oceanside, California. At first I thought he was just being sweet and showing me pictures of my "beach" but after he convinced me we were really going I was ecstatic! So, after enduring a painful sales pitch to get a $100 gift card and a stop at FatBurger, we were off to Southern California. 




We shared the XL burger... I can't believe people actually eat the entire thing by themselves!


Southern California
   -IHOP breakfast
   -Walk on the beach
   -Oceanside Pier (longest wooden pier on the West Coast/ 1,954 ft.) 
   -Anniversary dinner at a bar (recommendation from the hotel attendant for the best fish tacos around)
   -Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (a must-see!)
   -Shopping at Carlsbad Premium Outlets
   -Watched the sunset & grabbed a peanut butter Oreo milkshake
   -San Diego Segway tour...(a blast)
   -Hot Tub every night   

Beautiful California Sunset
          
 
First sighting of the Pacific Ocean

IHOP: Pumpkin Praline Pancakes w/ Gingerbread hot chocolate... Delicious!







Oceanside Pier

Travis bought a Groupon to ride this bicycle on water but didn't know they were only open on weekends! Bummer...

Shopping spree

Waiting for our Milkshakes

We were so tired of eating out we thought frozen lasagna was homemade!
(Sadly, we discovered our "full" kitchen didn't have an oven! So, the microwave had to do.)  

Mohawk helmets!
We're feeling like Paul Blart at this point;)

Historic downtown San Diego

Padres Baseball field

This historic building became part of the Padres stadium, complete with box seats and a top floor restaurant.


"Unconditional Surrender"
This sculpture is a replica of the famous picture taken in Times Square after World Ward II ended. The nurse was engaged to her husband when this happened and waited until after he died until she came forward saying she was the woman in the picture. Her name was Edith Shain. The editors of Life magazine then asked the kissing soldier to come forward. 1,100 men came forward claiming to be him and 11 passed the polygraph test. I guess she was kissing more than one soldier that day!

Travis & Mary

Beautiful architecture... everything was hand-carved!



The World's Largest Outdoor Organ
The financial donor had a passion for music and wanted everyone to enjoy the beautiful instrument. Every Sunday evening, organ concerts are open to the public.  


The building behind us is made entirely from Redwoods


Back to Vegas 

 
My "fine dining" wish was granted... dinner at Ferraro's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar 


Happy 3 Years Travis!                       
Brittany