If the Lord leads you to it He will lead you through it.



Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Vacation to Montana

Toph and I went to Montana a couple weeks ago to visit Grandma and Grandpa Croft, Uncle Chris and Aunt Tabbatha, and Toph's cousins Samantha, Damian, Kaitlyn, and Christopher. We went to the carousel and ate lunch in the park, went to the movies (got pop and popcorn which was such a treat), went to the park, went to a cub scout day camp (Toph mostly tried to eat rocks. We tried to teach him to throw the rocks down on the ground instead of putting them in his mouth. It worked about 50% of the time.), helped Grandpa plant a tree, played with Toph's cousins, played in the McDonald's play place for the first time, and Toph ate his first Popsicle. He loved it.

Thank you mom and dad for letting us come and visit. We had tons of fun. It was great to get away and relax. Here are a few pics of our trip.


I told Toph to give the Horse lov'ns. I thought he was giving it a kiss until I looked really close at this picture and saw that he was sticking his tongue out. He was licking inside the horses nostril.

Toph with his cousins Damian and Samantha. Toph loves Damian. He climbed all over him while we were there and kept trying to give him hugs and kisses. He also liked stealing his pillow at night.


When we say, we helped Grandpa plant a tree, we really mean we watched Grandpa do all the work, took pictures that look like we helped, ate crackers on the lawn while Grandpa worked, and Toph ate the dirt. I guess that's one way to rid of the access dirt. Toph also got to hold a worm for the first time, but not for long. I didn't want this to be his first time also eating a worm. :(


Toph enjoyed riding around on the riding lawn mower. He actually fell asleep in his Grandpas arms while mowing the back yard. Good thing riding in the carseat also does the trick. Not sure where we would store or even use a riding lawn mower. We would have to move closer Grandma and Grandpa. :)
I am glad he was sitting on Grandpa's lap and not mine. HAHAHA!! I would have let him eat it outside without a shirt on but it wasn't warm enough. He actually stayed pretty clean.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

NEW TIE

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A CUTE TIE OR PATTERN TO MAKE A TIE SINCE TOPH WAS BORN. I HAVE FOUND A COUPLE GOOD PATTERNS BUT I DIDN'T REALLY WANT TO PURCHASE THEM. I FOUND A TUTORIAL TONIGHT THAT MADE A CHILD'S TIE FROM AN ADULT TIE. I THOUGHT IT WAS SO CUTE. I LOVE TIES. I THINK THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY.


Monday, April 5, 2010

SHORT STORIES

1. WHERE IS THE TOPH?
Sometimes the things Toph does make me laugh so hard I wish others were there experiencing the moment with me. Earlier today I was sitting on the couch reading and Toph was just playing with his toys. A few minutes went by (that's how long his attention span is sometimes) and he decided to come and see what I was doing. Once he realized I didn't have any food he quickly moved on. He started crawling down the hall towards his bedroom or maybe the bathroom. He likes to pull tub toys out of the bath tub and crawl around with them. Crazy kid!
Then he was quite, never a good sign, so i decided to get up and go find him. As soon as I got up and turned around to look for him I heard a door slowly start to close. As I looked up the first bedroom door slammed shut. I could see his shadow on the other side of the door. I went to open the door, barely, since he was sitting right behind it. He was probably hoping I didn't hear the door and he would be able to play. We currently consider our first bedroom storage. He tries to get into that room all the time knowing it is full of fun things.
I slowly pushed the door (and Toph) open to find The Toph smiling back at me. He slowly crawled out. I consider this a mom moment - might not be funny to everyone but completely cherished by me.

2. SHIMMY SHIMMY
Today I found another characteristic that Toph has in common with his dad. So ... when Chris was single he use to give huge hugs to some of his girl friends. I think mostly just to Leslie Cook. She used to give Chris huge bear hugs. While she was hugging him Chris would shimmy her (otherwise shake her back and forth as they hugged). I often put Toph's arms around my neck and give him a hug. Well, today I put his arms around my neck and gave him a shimmy hug, aka Topher hug. He would throw his head back and laugh so loud. I couldn't help but give him several Topher hugs. It was great. Can't wait to show Chris.

3. WHAT NOW?
This morning I finished reading "The Actor and the Housewife" by Shannon Hale. It was a pretty good book. One that tugs on every emotion even after you read it. It made me want to be a better person, Continually rekindle the love/relationship Chris and I have, Give thanks for all I have, Cherish my family, Live my life in a way that the Lord can directly guide and bless me, and to Avoid the appearance of evil. I have to admit, it was kind of a long book. Some intense moments and some monotonous moments, which I actually put the book down to read another one. The beginning and end were the best, so when I picked it back up I couldn't put it down. I have spent every available moment these last few days reading. Now I am not sure why I was in such a hurry. I don't have another book and feel slightly lost. I tend to get extremely wrapped up in the books I am reading and finish them in days. When it is a good book I tend to get wrapped up in the characters and plot and feel slight remorse when I finish. Each time a finish a book I often want one just like it, although it is always fun to start a new adventure.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Easter Playgroup

We had our Easter playgroup this morning. It was so much fun!!! Erin, you did a great job with everything. We made bunny ears, listened to an easter story, hunted for eggs (well, actually got out of the way quick as the kids were let loose to grab the eggs they had been staring at since they got to playgroup), and then decorated cupcakes and chatted. It was great, just what I needed. Minus the 2 cupcakes I ate. :)

It's always great to get together with everyone and just forget the stresses of life for awhile. It is really nice that Toph has a few friends his age that play with him. He kind of has a short attention span and crawls away after a few minutes, especially if he sees other kids running around. He always wants to be where the action is. He tries to chase after the big kids. Thankfully they slow down and play with him. Thanks Tristen, Kate, and Tyler. Your awesome.

Toph didn't really participate in the egg hunt, he will have his chance Sunday. YAY!!! But he did get bunny ears. He is a very cute bunny. HAHA

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

1 step closer

Month 11 -

1st time walking with his bike. He walked from the living room to our bedroom this morning.
1st time playing peek-a-boo by himself. He holds the blanket over his face as I said, Where is Topher? Then he would pull it away, I would say There he is, and he would just laugh.
1st savings account. He was so cute when we were at the bank. He sat in a big chair next to me as he played with the personal bankers pen and flirted with every female banker that passed by. What a ham.
1st time discovering that he can splash in the tub by waving his hands really fast. He got a little surprised the first few times his hands actually hit the water. He also learned how much fun it is to try and stand in the tub.

He loves to talk and make noises. He absolutley loves being outside and being around other children. He says Momma, Dadda, Hi, Hey. He talks back to us when we talk to him and repeats most of what we do. Chris loves how Toph laughs when we laugh. He is so much fun; learning and growing every day.


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

9 months and counting

Kind of late with this post. Toph will be 10 months on February 28th. WOW!!! They grow up fast. Toph loves to interact/play with other kids and loves to talk. He is not shy at all. We went to reading time today and he was crawling all over the place, being so adventurous. He loves to sit right next to other kids and tries to play with everything. We are working on not taking others toys. He is just so curious to see and chew on any toy someone else is playing with. He is an extremely easy going little guy who loves hugs, kisses, and laying on his daddy. When he gets super tired he will put his cheek to Chris's and loves when Chris talks in his ear. Very adorable. He brings much joy and excitement to our lives daily. We love him and are very blessed that he is part of our family.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010