Santa?? Major Freakout!

Let's just say Annabelle's first experience with the white-beard man in a red suit was a little less than pleasant! We were in Onalaska this past weekend visiting Nannie & Gramps and took Annabelle to their small town Christmas festival. Since we were just dying to get a picture of Annabelle with Santa we ignored her protest and put her on his lap. Does that make us bad parents? Possible, but what we got was a picture that we'll laugh about for the rest of her life!

We were pampered the ENTIRE weekend! No stress, just lots of love and a chance to relax, which we L.O.V.E! Annabelle loves to visit the "big pool" (Lake Livingston) and really took a liking to Gramps "monkmee" jokes and Nannie's undying love & attention. Annabelle was sure to give them a choir concert complete with a music book standing on top of the fireplace. Thanks for a great weekend Nannie & Gramps!

She loves baby oranges!

The Tolman's         

Utah Fall "TRIP"

We visited Utah again... but this time is was a total surprise to Travis' family! It was awesome surprising his mom (she almost dropped her newest, adorable grandbaby out of shock) and the rest of the family was so excited! We love surprises, so ya never know when we'll show up;)

Utah in the fall is so nice. The weather is crisp and cool, perfect for a hike! We spent one morning at the "elk's house" (a.k.a mountains) enjoying the beautiful scenery. Annabelle kept saying the elk were "taking a nap or hiding." Then she'd laugh and say, "Annabelle find 'em!"

Visiting Utah was a "TRIP" instead of a "VACATION." A funny family friend classified a "vacation" as when you come away feeling rested & rejuvenated because you left your children safely as home. Then there's a "trip," one with children, a.k.a. you leave having had fun & enjoyed it, but you're more tired than when you left. Haha! Utah was absolutely wonderful and since Annabelle struggled to sleep because she was so excited we came home utterly exhausted, hence our trip!!

Enjoy some pictures of our amazing visit to Utah!

Playing with Aunt Danners at the Park- Annabelle's first piggy-back ride!

We met Danielle's "Prince Johnny"

We finally met "Prince Johnny!" Travis thinks he has some resemblance to Prince Harry, so the name has stuck.  When we asked Annabelle if she liked Johnny she said, "Annabelle touched him!" haha

We made gumbo (yummy!) then went ice skating... a first for Annabelle!

It was adorable and fun to watch her try out her new tiny skates.

 

 The ice-skate trio (aren't hers adorable!?)

Visiting the old roomies & their families!

Sara & Chad (Cute Lucy was asleep)

P.S. I'm jealous of their new house! Ahh, One day...

Sara, Britt, & Me

Uncle Keith & the famous "BOYS"

Hiking Squaw Peak

Luckily we were hiking on the sunny, but windy, mountain because right behind us there was a huge storm on Mt. Timpanogos!

 

We met Lyndsey, Coco, & Rowen for lunch at Kneaders our last day. We miss them sooo much!

This picture will be a reality in for us in just 5 1/2 months! Here comes baby number two!

That's all the pictures I took, but we saw all of Travis' family at the Tolman Fall Party, Taylor & Eva, Alyssa (Danielle's roommate)... fun fun trip!

Sincerely,              

Team Tolman

Visiting Utah & a Surprise Wedding!

Keith is MARRIED! He announced two weeks before the big day (surprise!) and even with 

the short notice the day turned out absolutely beautiful. Of course he had an absolutely 

gorgeous bride and three adorable boys to make the day perfect:)

Keith, Rhiannon, Cy, Seth, & Josh -- One Amazing Family 

Keith +... Rhiannon & 3 boys!

These boys are soooo adorable!!

After the wedding, Annabelle & I spent the next week visiting much missed friends & family. 

Enjoy some pictures of our 10-day trip!

Electric Lake At Grandma Tolman's

My adorable fishing baby girl!

 Scera Pool with Aunt Didders!

Annabelle bathed Danielle in sunscreen!

 

Me & my girl:)

 I miss these girls terribly! So good to see you both and meet baby Rowen:)

Shell, can't wait for Mr. P to arrive!

I wish I had more pictures because we saw Tyson & Amber's fam, Dustin & Jana (baby hurry up already!), and Britt, Liam, her new baby Gavin (Annabelle was obsessed with him!), & Brooke... I miss you guys! 

Until we visit again,                   

                                                                                                        Brittany & Annabelle

Houseboat on Lake Powell

Third vacation to Lake Powell, 3x as fun!

We had a blast on the Houseboat with the Durrans and Allens (my parent's forever-best friends from medical school). It gave me hope that we will still vacation with our college friends years and years down the road. We spent six days hiking slot canyons, exploring, boating, wakeboarding, building sand castles, napping, kayaking, eating, & lovin' the company. Enjoy pictures from our amazing week, and I know one friend who will be very jealous... Coco! Don't worry, we're still making future plans:)

Hiking Slot Canyons

At one point we had to swim through a narrow canyon and the whole time Annabelle was grinning and saying "Cold, cold, cold." It really was freezing! Such a good sport:)

Keith, Rhiannon, Me & Annabelle, Trav, Danielle

 

On the Ski Boat 

Stylin' baby girl

Wakeboarding- Rob, Me, Trav, & Keith

Hands-down Keith is the best and so awesome to watch. He did a 360!

Keith & Rhiannon- one good lookin' couple! Love you both!

 

Glorious Chacos

Catering to Little Miss Priss' every desire!

Don't let that sweet face deceive you, five seconds before this picture she was pitching a fit! 

Daily Life on the Lake

 Our Houseboat Captain: Rob

I love this picture:)

Annabelle was always saying, "Dad-Dan, boat, boat?!"

Of course the babies accompanied us on our trip. Luckily, we got away with bringing only three! 

Notice two have on diapers;)

Kayaking/ boat adventure... beautiful canyons!

Pops being Pops

Rainbow Bridge

Danielle's makeshift shoes for the hike!

Ironically, we found a pair of extra flip-flops after we got back... classic Dumb & Dumber!

We stopped for ice cream on our way to Rainbow Bridge and it was a heavenly relief from the heat!

Heading back to Wahweap Port

Annabelle & Lincoln sealing their love.

Almost everyday Annabelle says, "Incon, Incon" & wants me to show her these pictures:)

Looking for the "hiding" fish!

 

Oh, just hanging in the kayaks by Annabelle's command, "Momma sit here."

Beautiful Sunset

Saying goodbye... we miss you both so much already!

The Road Trip

Boy oh boy, where do I begin? Well, let's start with the highlight of Annabelle throwing up on Travis twice! It was awful, it was disgusting, and luckily was not repeating on our road trip back to Texas. The way home was much more enjoyable. We watched Old McDonald's Farm multiple times, played babies, slept, listened to Little People Tunes, and thought of a million distractions for Annabelle! Overall it was bearable and it was wonderful when Annabelle slept 9 hours overnight! The next few pictures are of her waking up...

The blanket was to block the light!

Yay! I found my way out:)

 

The Munchkin kept finding Oreos in the windowsill. Danielle took 2 away from her, so finally she shoved her head in between the window and seat and would not come out! We could see her chomping down on some Oreos in the window reflection; it was hilarious!

Victory!!

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Team Tolman