The Hair

We haven't quite compiled our list of invitees prior to the privatization of our blog. Whether it's due to our remarkable popularity or our tepid enthusiasm for the change, we're dragging our feet a bit.

In the mean time, we've had several people asking us about the results of our baby shave which took place last September. Well,

There it is. Behold the flowing, golden locks. A veritable Rapunzel. Did it work? Eh. Would I take more advice from a Mexican Gypsy? Almost certainly.

Going Private

We've heard enough horror stories that we have decided to make our blog private.

However...

the reason we update our blog is to amuse, entertain, or help you feel better about yourselves.

Therefore...

we need visitors to make the updating time worth while (or is it worth wild?).

So...

if you want to keep having access to our blog, we will send you an invite. Just leave us a comment and tell us so and we'll e-mail you an invite. Even if you don't know us all that well, we're happy to have you peeking in on our lives, as long as we know you somewhat.

So go ahead, click on the comment section and tell us so. If we don't have your current e-mail, you might need to e-mail us to tell us so (or you can leave it in the comment section if you're comfortable with that).

Our e-mail is: xarthog at hotmail dot com

(For those who are not familiar with blogger, going private means you will have to be invited and have a password to look at our blog in the very near future).

UPDATE: This is not us trying to exclude people from getting to know us. We're glad that friends of our parents, and people we haven't seen in years, and even random friendly people have visited our blog. However, we have three very pretty little girls and we live within walking distance of quite a few registered offenders. We don't want to stop posting pictures of our daughters or sharing personal details about ourselves. That's the whole point. We just want to be safe. Anyone is welcome to an invite, we only ask that you introduce yourselves. Example: "Hi. I'm Boba Fett. I'm a friend of your mom's and I love your blog. Here's my email: bountyhunter4hire at clonedman.com."
Easy, right?

The Grind

The holidays are over, and we're getting back into the rhythm of our ordinary existences.


Very back in the rhythm.



Nora is just about to turn one. Grandma Deanna made her this remarkbly soft jacket. It would actually fit Lucy were it not for our girls' tendency to have humongous skulls.


And, to demonstrate the full use of the Tolman cranium:


The following video will start to grate on your inner ear at about second 40. She can keep this up for hours. She wanted another bandaid.



This is Samantha, because I hadn't included a picture or video of her.

Last Regarding the Lone Star State

On cool, but not cold, winters day in Austin, Texas, nineteen people related by blood or marriage to Wendell Tolman set out capture catfish so that they might consume fish flesh.

Samantha Love Tolman is much more attractive than a catfish.

Nora Deanne Tolman is smarter than a catfish, though she'd probably fare worse if we were to toss her into a fresh-water pond.

Several things should be noted here as you compare and contrast the following two digital images:

1: Both Jon and Becky Tolman are mightier than a catfish

2: Becky, with her 10-pound catch, is obviously mightier than Jon

3: That fish is as large as Becky's leg

4: Adam Benefield and Ben Terry did not catch any fish.

These are not catfish, though I suppose they could one day grow whiskers.

Lucy Tolman and Annie Benefield were not interested in fish. They are dainty. They say things like "teacup" and "pony" and "nuva ring".

Tolman Clan

So we went to Austin for New Years. The trip involved flaming tractors, propeller hats, and a fair bit of vomit. Overall, a spectacular time.

From left to right: Becky Tolman, Eva's Angry face, Rachel Terry

Hyrum Benefield pondering, "Could I hide a shiv in here?"

Grandma and Nora Tolman wondering, "What does that boy want with a shiv?"

Manly men with guns. Big guns. Guns that kill.

One of the vomitters. Here, Becca Terry ruminates on the religious significance of dark matter.

Samantha and a pile of bramble.

This picture of Becky holding Lucy's coat was taken just milliseconds after a bird's nest fell onto her chest from the foliage above.

This gets a little repetitive. Sam "jumped" at the opportunity to bungee around at the Leander Mall. It was fun for Jon to use his language skills on the unfriendly immigrant who operated the contraption.

I'll post a late Christmas without you.

We've been pretty busy since Christmas Day. In fact, the girls got a letter FROM Santa Claus explaining that he had heard Dad would be working on Christmas Day so Santa was going to come one day early. We tried starting a tradition this year of giving each girl 3 presents, just like like Jesus got. We fudged a bit by not including gifts in the stockings and presents from girls to one another as part of the three. We may or may not stick to it once we actually have money to spend.

Sam woke up at 5:30 AM. We put her in bed with us and told her she had to wait until Lucy woke up. She kept us awake by telling us the time on the clock. "It's 5-4-7!!"...."It's 5-4-8!!"..."It's 5-4-9!!!" I finally took her out and we laid down on the couch looked a the presents and waited for Lucy and Mom."

Sam took a picture of her computer-based Dora Candy Land game.

Then Dad worked the next 4 days in a row and we left for Austin. More on that in a bit.

They're big and bright because there aren't any street lamps

Well, we're a little behind. I suppose Christmas pictures and what-not might get posted next week sometime. Jon had to work Christmas Day and the three days after, then we headed down to Austin for a Tolman gathering of sorts, so spare computer time has not been plentiful.

This is a sunrise view of Allison (Tolman) Benefield's back window in her new, cavernous home. It accomodates 19 people, and every one of them can hear what the other 18 are doing at any given moment.




Here is Rachel (Tolman) Terry giving Jon a swift kick to the goods.

Here is a group of people.

Here is some of that same group of people.

Here are two small people. Lucy finally has a cousin her age to play with.