While we're away

...little people did play.

Last night Karl and I went to a show down on the strip with our friends.   When we came home the house was quiet and empty.  But these photos were on my camera.

 Perfecting her "Runway" walk and pose.

Love these people...big and little 

and will miss them something awful when they move to Tennessee.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

This post is still being  "built" :)

Happy Birthday Kyle!

You've still got it

 

....some where.

You always have motivated the rest of us Toblers 

to try harder and be better.

We love you.

Mom and Dad T.

Happy, Happy Mother's Day

We had a couple little people  for a few hours this weekend (34.5 hours to exact)  while their parents drove north (in a rented convertible)  for a  temple session in St. George, a wedding reception in Sandy and a trip to IKEA for me.
We love these little people more than words can express and know our time having them close is so short.   So we appreciate every minutes we get to spend with them.

 Now the little people were so good and so happy... they didn't miss mommy or daddy at all (except we did miss Steph and her nursing ability at 12 am, 1 am , 2 am and 6 am)  but we survived and by hour 28 Duke had about decided maybe he'd take a bottle.  Thank goodness he was a hearty eater of everything else I put on his highchair tray. 

We even made it to church 10 minutes early...where everyone greeted us with "Happy Mother's Day" said with a  a smirk and a laugh.
Duke fell asleep during sacrament meeting and slept soundly as long as I didn't move my arm...which was throbbing. (fussy tired baby vs. throbbing arm...sleeping baby won.)  He woke up during Sunday school and after he had eaten a banana muffin out on the lawn (a treat from someone's sunday school lesson) it evident that staying in a class just wasn't going to happen.    Karl was getting spiritually feed in the nursery with Ethnie (marshmallow and Goldfish.) So  nobody objected to our early exit.

" Hi Mister Turtle"

 "Hey.everybody left me in the house by myself"

" I'm coming too."

 Harvesting to feed Mister Turtle. 

After a quick lunch we decided to wear the kids out with 15 minutes at the park so they would both nap soundly at the same time.. They both fell asleep in the car going to the park.  Now our skills at removing sleeping children from a car needs work.   They both promptly woke up after their 10 minute power nap and were up for the rest of the day.

.

Snuggling with her "Pa"

 

and having a snack while watching Ratatouille.

 Oh how she loves her "Pa".

Oh how I admire mothers of small children.   How do they keep smiling when they are so tired?  How I did I do it so many years ago?  How do I remember those years as such happy years...being so tired?  So tired and surrounded by chaos.

Oh how I love and appreciate my daughter-in-laws...they take such good care of the little people...and they act so happy....when they must be soooo tired.

And we were all sooo happy to see the Mom and Dad of these little people walk through the door.   Yay...we were all doing a happy dance.  Needless to say...we ALL slept so good that night.   

Paragonah

We drove to Paragonah on  Friday before the funeral 

 to  hang out with Clare and Kaye.

  I LOVE this place. 

 It feels like home

 The big garden.

Lilacs

 and apple blossoms in the Springtime.

 "Will work for room and board".

 Love this old shed

...just needs an old bench and some wild flowers around it.

 And the countryside...

Beautiful.

Friday evening we went to a little cafe in  Parowan for dinner. (didn't take my camera).  The Parowan Cafe is a little mom and pop place that  has down home cooking  with portions to fill a farmer.   I highly recommend it.
 It will be a regular stop from here on out.
I can hardly wait to go back to try the chicken fried steak.
Hmmmmm....

Hug your children

Because we never know what tomorrow will bring.

Today we attended a funeral.

 Riley was the grandson of Karl's brother Leo.
(son of Karl's nephew Scott)

He was the only child of  Scott and Mindy

 He was a happy 15 years old.

 His dad was his best friend.

 He loved hunting, fishing and the Green Bay Packers. 

 He  had great plans for the future.

 But last Sunday were was an accident.

No one knows what really happened. 

 The police called it a freak accident.

All they know he was alone in his room. 

 He had a deer rifle. 

 And something went terribly wrong.

 

  His parents are devastated.

 Heart broken.

 He was their whole world.

 (Karl and his brothers)

His death touched and changed so many.

Hug your children a little tighter tonight.

Easter

 Easter Sunday was Jordon Honey's Mission farewell.   Really it was more of a congratulations than a farewell...since he's really not leaving.  Jordon has Autism so he has been "officially" called to serve a one year service mission locally.  He gave one of the best talks I've heard about how so many had helped him get to this point. We are so proud of him...and Pam too!

   The family all gathered at Pam an Doug's after church to celebrate the occasion and visit.  We look like quite a solemn bunch in these photos but we were far from it.  Most of the time we were laughing so hard the tears were rolling.  The kind of laughter where you uncontrollably snort...then you laugh more.

.

Very therapeutic...and good for ya' too.

 

 Then there was a little jammin' at Clare's.

 

 The Banjo has been Karl's instrument of choice lately.

 Next was Easter dinner with Jake and Steph.

Hamburgers on paper plates.

We went all out for this festive occasion:)

Now for the egg hunt.

 How Grampa hides eggs.

"Hey Pa...I can't reach."

 

"Now you can."

 

 

 What's this? An Easter egg with legs.

 
 
The "DON'T TOUCH THE TURTLE!" reaction.   

 .

Where's the treats?

.

(What does this say?  I can't read it.)

 The big people filled their eggs with " Why I love you" messages

...so much better than chocolate.

At least Steph's well thought-out missives were.

The rest of us took about five minutes before the egg hunt to scribble our trite/lame/hilarious thoughts.

...Maybe chocolate would have been better:)