Awe-some April!

April was lovely around here.  We were feeling more settled and comfortable in our new place, and it was a nice month. 

Spring has hit in Washington in full bloom. It is awe-some. So many colors and flowers everywhere! I've been cutting all sorts of fresh flowers from my yard and keeping them in vases upstairs. I've been joking with Jeff he doesn't have to buy me flowers now. ha! Our backyard has come to life and we have some stunning plants that create the most interesting blooms. I told Jeff the other day that I think our backyard could pass as a botanical garden. It is thanks to the original owner of the house...I have no idea how to keep up with it! I hope to gain a green thumb living here. 

We were greeted every day out our front door with this lovely Rhododendron bush. The blooms lasted all month long, and I loved it. 

We bought this little patio set for the girls on Craigslist since we've been spending so much time outside:

Brielle got her first hair cut! I cut off 7 inches! Wow. It was just getting to be too long and I thought it would be nice to have shorter hair in the summer. She watched a show while I chopped and never even noticed! hee. 

I love her short hair cut and we think she's so cute with a little bob.  (Now my family pictures are outdated...didn't take long!) 

We spent a day or two in Olympia with Marie & Jeff & Claire while my parents were in Mexico. We got to see Claire's tennis match! She won doubles:

We experienced the loss of "Dolly" this month.  This little stuffed doll is Rosalyn's beloved possession:

So beloved, in fact that she wouldn't sleep without it. Jeff and I didn't fully recognize the extent of her attachment to this cute little doll. She started caring for it just a few months ago, but carries it around the house and keeps it in her crib. It's always been really cute that she has a little friend with her while she slept. No big deal, right?
Well, I let her take it in the car one time ... first time outside the house...
can you see where this is going???
...we lost it in the store.

I hyperventilated a little when I couldn't find it.

This little dolly was precious to me too...I got it before Rosalyn was born at her baby shower. I missed Dolly too!
I put Rosalyn down for her nap. Where was dolly? She cried a little but settled down. That night she cried more. She couldn't find Dolly.  How could I explain? She slept without her little friend. :(
Jeff and I became "those" parents in an instant...Jeff spent hours on the internet searching for images of this little stuffed doll that ruled our lives in ways we never knew. We couldn't find it.

Rosalyn was very sad. And it hurt our hearts. She would fall asleep, but was just sad in her crib not knowing where Dolly was. A week went by.

Finally, by some stroke of luck, we found a picture that matched and figured out what brand...blah blah blah. They were all sold out everywhere.  Jeff contacted the manufacturer (yes, he's that dedicated to finding Dolly!) and they said they had discontinued making it.

I hyperventilated a little when I heard that.

Jeff searched some more and found a similar doll - same brand, just a bigger size. He bought one and we got it the next day. Rosalyn immediately recognized the face and loved it as if Dolly had come back from the dead.  It is being discontinued too, and I might just see if I can find another one on Ebay somewhere as a backup!

All is well in the Tolsma household. Dolly is alive and well as ever. Rosalyn will tuck her under her chin and carry her to bed with her.

Before I had children, I would have laughed at this silly story and the details. Was she going to be fine without her toy? yes.
But as parents, we just felt so sad for our little toddler who had no idea what happened and missed her friend.  We wanted to do anything to make her happy. (to a financial extent. hee)

And so we've experienced one of those typical parental experiences (poop in the tub, kids throwing up in the car, and losing a beloved stuffed animal are the three I think of.)

And I'm proud to say we all love our new Dolly:

We had a visit from Jeff's Dad, Curtis and his wife Kristi! They came over and had a fun evening eating dinner and getting to know each other better. It was my first time meeting Kristi and she was so nice. It was a good night, and the girls had a really fun time. 

They were on a 4,200 mile trip around Washington and Oregon Coast back to their home in Montana. I'm glad they stopped by to see us. 

Two nights later, Jeff went with them to a Mariner's Baseball game downtown.  Nice night for some baseball! 

Here they are:

What an awesome April we had.