01/04/09

13 Dec 08

Only 1 week since the last update?  You gotta be kidding me!!!  No - I'm on the ball!  Not a whole lot to report since last week - other than the fact that I got an ass-kicking bout of the flu.  And of course it happened on the night of my school's Christmas party...  It sucked - I had to go Stag since Pam had to work - But I did have a placeholder in case she decided to surprise me...  After the party, I got home, went to bed, and then the dog woke me up at 1:30 a.m. - By that point, I was not sure if I would be able to make it to the bathroom in time to harf!  But, luckily for the carpets, I did...

One of Pam's nursing patients called her "just a nurse" the other day.  Good to know that you are appreciated around the holiday season, eh?  People's ignorance is deafening at times...  Just ridiculous...

In our flight at school (small class of 12 students), we have been giving out the "Bonehead Award" for those who committed the biggest act of buffoonery over the course of the previous week.  As you can imagine, there were some pretty funny stories...  Believe it or not - I had NEVER gotten the Bonehead (I know, right?!?)  Yesterday, we had the "Final Bonehead of the Semester" award.  And guess who won?  ME!!!  Of course it was a conspiracy from everyone else in my flight as they all went around the group and everyone had something witty to say about me.  Pam (who had never heard any of these stories) got the biggest chuckle out of the group...

And then OG walked in late, with his fly down.  I thought that I was going to be able to hand the award off to him, but no such luck...  :(

The kids are all doing great, and we are all looking forward to our trip to the Northeast!  It WAS going to be a surprise, but my mom errantly included it in her Christmas letter (after Pam and I SPECIFICALLY asked her not to), and then accidently mailed a copy of the letter to Pam's parents - thereby letting them know that we were coming to the Northeast for Christmas!!!  Oh well - At least Mom and Pop Rossi can plan for the clan rather than just having us show up like a bunch of vagrants!!!

We MAY have a renter for the house, starting in February.  Stay tuned for details!  If this falls through, I think I might cry...

We have MUCH to be thankful for over this holiday season - we hope you do, too!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

6 Dec 08

Happy Birthday, Nikolai!  That is right...  Our oldest is now 7 years old!  Can you believe it?  We had Grandma and Grandpa T come down for the celebration (in conjunction w/ T-giving), and everyone had a ton of fun...  Pam had to work the night prior as well as the night of his birthday, so we really didn't have time to do an in-depth party for him, however we rallied and had what can only be described as the world's fastest party!  People showed up at 5:00, hit a pinata and got candy at 5:10, cake by 5:30, presents at 5:45, and everyone was on their way home by 6:00!  All the while I cooked dinner for the fam - it was a whirlwind to say the least, but Nikolai had fun, and that was all that mattered!

He got some great gifts, too - Walkie Talkies, Battleship, and his very own camera to name a few!

When my parents were here, we went to the zoo, and we also went down to Florida (Destin area).  A GREAT time except for the fact that it rained almost the whole time we were there.  Maxwell AFB had these cabins that you could rent - 2 bedroom, slept 7 - which was exactly how many we had...  Standard Air Force, though - they put the plastic wrap on the bed so that they don't have to throw away the mattress if someone pees on it - nasty thought that this happens often enough for them to make it worth their while!  Sleeping on plastic is not a lot of fun, so I had to strip the bed - Pam was sleeping on (easily) the world's most uncomfortable couch-bed - I tried for 1/2 of 1 night, and then moved into where the kids were sleeping because I wanted to kill myself...

While down there, I went Deep Sea fishing w/ a friend of mine (OG).  The sea was ROUGH!  I usually don't get seasick, but I was looking pretty green when all was said and done.  We caught a ton of fish, however, and the next 2 nights, Pam dazzled us w/ a yummy fish fry!  We even got to see a crazy lady catch a pelican.  No kidding.

Still loving the Blackberrys!  And now we are getting more and more into facebook - I am talking to people that I have not thought of in YEARS - certainly an interesting way to keep in touch!

Funny Max story - Max was telling us about this show that he was watching on TV - "And then there was a shark who at this fish, and there was blood everywhere in the water, and a diver just barely avoided getting eaten by this shark, and then..."  I cut him off, and asked him, "Max - what show was this?"

And Max answered very confidently, "To Be Announced."  We about died laughing...

A quick and dirty update, but we have tons of pix from when my folks were here.  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

16 Nov 08

I am going to try to write this pretty quick, so I might speak in slightly choppy sentences.  Ready?  Here goes.

Sprint Instincts Suck.  Brought them back to store.  Argued w/ "Customer Service" for 1.5 hours.  Tried to trade in the 2xInstincts that Pam and I had for less than a month.  Because they were awful.  Tried to get Blackberrys instead.  They said, "That will be $750, please."  YGBSM.  Resolved nothing.  Called retention.  The guys suggested I cancel my Sprint account.  From the "retention department."  I was livid.  Tried to cancel the account.  They said, "That will be $400, please."  I was ready to scream.  Finally talked them down to $275 for one phone.  The next day, the "Advanced Customer Support" person called me.  Told her the story.  She was awesome.  Bottom line?  I got 2 Blackberrys for $99/each.  And let me tell you - these phones rock.

Took the kids to Huntsville, AL last weekend while Pam worked.  We went to a Children's museum, a Maize Maze, Haunted House, College Football Game, Launched rockets, rode bikes, went to Hooters, watched, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" and also the U.S. Space and Rocket Center - Home of Space Camp!  There was 2xAtlas V rockets there.  Just Huge.  These were the rockets used to get the astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and early 1970s.  And they were 368 feet tall!  Just enormous...  When you look at the pictures, use the kids as comparisons to how big the thing is!  They also had the "Mission to Mars" ride, and a centrifuge - the kids were not huge fans of that part of the trip, but they did like trying to land the shuttle.  Zander did the best out of that - with a little help from the pilot-Daddy...  They also had a huge Rock-Climbing Wall - Much to my surprise, all 3 kids opted to climb it - and they all made it really high!  Max was the champ, though, and he made it all the way to the top...We had a great weekend - lots of fun...

Joined Facebook.  And then I got 47 emails.  So I stopped the email madness!  Still on Facebook, but I will only see what is up when I log in - I don't need to be spammed every 30 seconds around the clock!  Apparently Pam and I were the last 2 people to join...  This dug up tons of people from years past - odd, and scary...

This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen!  A JC Penney Catalog from 1977.

We got a picture of all 1's on the clock on Veteran's Day...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

1 Nov 08

Happy November!  I can't believe that it is November already...  But have we done a lot since we've moved to Alabama!  Last night was Halloween - we took the kids trick or treating around our neighborhood with a few friends of ours - it was a good time, but I was amazed at how many kids there were!  Seemed like there were thousands...  And all at once, they all vanished - we were one of the last ones walking around the block, and then - nobody...  Kind of eerie...  The kids dressed up as Capt America (Nikolai), Dark Spiderman (Max), and Regular Spiderman (Zander) - they were adorable...  Nikolai insisted on wearing his mask almost the whole time...  Without his glasses...  Why is that significant?  I took him to an eye Dr. appointment yesterday, and his visibility has gotten significantly worse over the last few years - he is now ~ 20/400.  :(   The good news is that he is still correctable to 20/20.  He was 20/70 WITH his glasses on, so the new glasses he gets should open up a whole new world for him!  We knew that his vision was worse than at his last appointment, but we did not realize how bad it had gotten...

Last weekend we went to the Cub Scout Carnival - it was a camp-out sleep over ~45 minutes from here - perfect weather for camping, and we even brought the dog!  The bad part was that dogs were not allowed.  So we had to find a kennel.  On a Saturday.  In the middle of nowhere.  Fortunately we did, but I'm afraid the "kennel owner" molested our dog while we were gone.  Seriously - the kennel was a mobile home with a fenced of area for the dogs.  Brutal.  Overall, a good time...  So good, in fact, that in the first 10 minutes, Nikolai and Zander got lost.  And it took us ~30 minutes for us to find them.  Believe it or not, Luna helped follow the trail.  So quickly, in fact, that we almost lost her as well! 

Funny Max story...  We had a friend there who was swinging the kids around by their arms for fun.  They had a lot of fun with it, but it freaked Max out a bit at the beginning.  Now - Max will say (about once a week), "When [Insert person here] did [insert action here], I was like this [and then he makes this face]."  He always makes the same deadpan face when he says it.  And it is funny every single time...  Well - this time he said, "When Brant swung me around by my arms, I was like this" [making the same face, and then he said] "F@#K."  Pam and I stopped and just looked at each other.  We said, "Max - what did you just say?"  Max replied, "The F-word.  The one that rhymes with duck."  Yeah - that is what we thought...  Kids do say the darndest things, eh?  HAHA!

We also went back to Lake Martin 2 weeks ago - once again the weather was perfect, and the booze was cold...  So cold in fact, that OG (a friend of mine from my class) fell down the stairs and broke his leg.  Seriously.  I have never laughed so hard in my life.  HAHAHAHA!  Seriously, though.  It was a poorly lit stair case, and it could have been any one of us.  But it wasn't.  It was OG!!!  HAHAHAHA!!!

Funny Zander story.  The other day, I had the Chairman of the Joint Chief's of Staff (ADM Mike Mullen, USN) come talk to my class.  It was pretty cool that the highest ranking military officer came to talk to us - even cooler was that he gave us each a coin (bearing the, "Presented by the Chairman, JCS..." on it).  I came home and I told all of the kids - "Daddy met America's highest ranking military officer today.  He is in charge of the entire Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard."  There was silence.  Then Zander says, "And Wal-Mart?"  Apparently it matters not to a 4 year old if you have given ~40 years of your life serving the country - you better be able to bring goods from China at a low-price in order to mean something!  I'm thinking about sending ADM Mullen an email - you know - knock him down a bit off of his pedestal...

Pam is walking around like a zombie lately - she has been working 3 nights a week - so far, so good on the handoff between kids, activities, etc.  I am amazed that she can bounce between a night schedule and a day schedule as easy as she does.  I couldn't do it!  She has also managed to go on Field Trips with the kids as well...  SuperMom!  Pam went with both Max and Zander's classes to the pumpkin patch right before Halloween - they had a great time - bunch of cute pix as well...  We also took the kids to their school's Fall-Fest - they got to ride horses!  With Sped helmets...  Pretty funny...

Still no bites on the house - and we lowered the price.  This economy blows.  :(

And (Finally) today we went to go watch some guys fly remote-control airplanes - the kids got a kick out of how realistic some of the planes were -  these guys obviously took a lot of time/effort/pride to make these things fly.  And if you look closely in the pix - you might even be able to see me flying one of the planes...  After that we played mini-golf.  And I kicked Pam's butt.  But the scorecard didn't show it.  Because Pam cheats.

We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

13 Oct 08

Happy Columbus Day!  And more importantly...  Happy Anniversary to Pam and I!  That's right - on 11 Oct, Pam and I celebrated 11 (LONG...  HAHA!) years together.  She unfortunately had to work, but the boys and I surprised her at the hospital w/ roses, lunch, and a huge cookie!  She was a big fan - and we left the cookie behind for the other nurses on the floor - I know how to get in good with the other nurses!

Our anniversary gift to each other are new Samsung Instinct cell phones - I tried to re-get one of those digital picture frames, but as my dad says - "They're not ready for prime time..."  I ordered the phones, and then Pam and I were looking online about some of the specifics - there was a video comparing it to the iPhone, and it showed a cupcake with frosting being applied to it.  Max walked in, and we said that we were watching a video about our new phones - Max said (very excitedly), "Your phone comes with a cupcake?!?"

Last weekend we went to an Air Force Recreation Area called at nearby Lake Martin -  about 1 hour from here .  It was AWESOME!!!  We stayed in a cabin that was RIGHT on the water - seriously - I could have thrown a bowling ball off of the back porch into a beautiful lake.  The kids (not to mention us) all had a blast!  We went fishing, skipping rocks, played games, went canoeing, and even rode bikes!

Speaking about bikes...  After one of our bike rides (~ 4 miles), we pulled back up to the cabin, and then Zander's training wheel just fell off.  He had certainly gotten his money's worth out of the training wheel for sure!  I aksed him if he wanted me to get him a new training wheel, or if  "Now is the time..."  He said that "now is the time..."

And the next morning, he was riding a 2 wheeler all by himself.  I kid you not.  He was a quick study, and it certainly had a bit to do with, "keeping up with the brothers!"  We were so surprised how quickly it went.  And on Tuesday morning, he rode his 2 wheeler all the way to school (2 miles) without falling over!  We still can't wipe the smile off of his face...  Now, when the boys get home from school, all they want to do is ride bikes!  It is pretty funny...  They are getting more and more confident, which is actually leading to more wipe-outs - primarily because they are not paying attention!!!

Pam is really enjoying her new job, and it is nice to have the money coming in for sure...  She is rapidly getting back into the swing of things, and each little victory is a major milestone in getting her confidence back up to where it should be!  While she has been working, I have been playing Mr. Mom with the house and the kids - she was on day orientation for ~3 weeks, and tonight is her first "nightshift."  We'll check back in a few weeks and see how the nights are treating her!

As far as the house goes - There is someone who is expressing interest in the house, but is quite adamant on making ridiculous offers in attempts to get us to agree - not gonna happen...  With Pam working, we have exited the "sell at any cost" mindset that we would have had if there was no second income!  Don't get us wrong - we would still love to sell the house - it is just going to be on our terms...

I took all 3 kids on a few "geocaches" last Friday after school - they had a blast!  And we did it all by riding bikes - we went on a very busy road, and the kids all did perfect following directions and staying safe...  Like I kept telling them, "With a Boy and his Bicycle - the world is his oyster!"  They are more and more realizing how true that is...  Of course Pam and I won't let them go anywhere on their own - still a bit too young for that!

On Saturday, we went to the Montgomery Zoo - it was pretty small, but the perfect size to walk through in ~3 hours.  We got annual passes, so that will become part of "Tolmoff Tour Package #1" - not that anyone is going to come visit us in Montgomery!  HAHA!

I have not had a sip of alcohol in ~ 1 month.  It paid off!  I had my Physical Fitness Test this past Friday, and I scored higher than I have in 15 years...  I even ran 1.5 miles in 10 mins 48 Seconds - who can beat that?  You?  I don't think so...  I also had my Physical last week and my cholesterol is 192, blood pressure 116/72, and pulse of 54.  Am I getting younger?  I am the man...  I feel SPECTACULAR right now, but that will all change on Friday when I am back off the wagon!!!

We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

28 Sep 08

A quick and dirty update this week (about time, eh?).  First off - Pam started her new job!  This first week was only orientation at a local hospital, but it certainly reminded her of what waking up early and "the daily grind" was all about.  She has ~ 1 more week of basic orientation, then a few weeks of Pediatric-specific orientation, and then she will be on her own fixing the ails of Montgomery's kids!  Way to go, Pam!

The boys are now riding bikes!  Without training wheels!  2 out of 3 of them are, anyway.  Last Friday (9 days ago), I took the boys to a local park and we brought their bikes.  I was running with them as they rode, and I found that I could let go of them for ~ 20 seconds and they would stay up on their own - fantastic!  From there, we kept working on it, and by the end of last weekend, they were riding all over the place all by themselves...  It was so cute!  And they did sooo well...  The "riding" part was easy for them, but the stopping part - not so much.  I had them practice stopping over and over - Nikolai was very hesitant to use his brakes, because every time he touched them, he would skid and the bike would come to a screeching halt.  So instead of using his brakes - no matter what speed he was going, he would just jump off the front of his seat at much personal injury.  We finally took our time and he learned how to brake and stop.  Then once they figured out how to start on their own - the world was their oyster!  They did awesome, and we have been riding bikes everywhere...

This past Friday, I caught wind of a camping activity on base - It was $5 per FAMILY, and they gave burgers/dogs/chips/drinks/2xMovies (outside on a blow up screen)/Popcorn/S'mores/Breakfast AND the camping!  An unbelievable deal...  The boys (of course) brought their bikes and they were riding around like mad-men the whole time.  This was also the first time that we took Luna camping - she did great!  The kids had a lot of fun, although the aging parents of the group could have used a little cushier bed then "the ground."  The funniest part of the whole trip - we watched, "High School Musical" as one of the movies, and anytime that they would start to sing or dance, Nikolai would start to dance like an epileptic alcoholic!  It was so funny because he did it for about 90 minutes straight!  I think we've found his calling....

The boys and I made Pam a "Red Cross" Strawberry Shortcake for dessert after her first day of work - it came out cute!

Well - like I said - quick and dirty!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

20 Sep 08

The biggest news from the Team is Pam got a JOB!  It was a little earlier than we desired, but our Missouri house is still sitting vacant, and we can ill-afford double housing payments for much longer.  Pam has been out of the (formal) work force since 2002, so she was a smidge hesitant to jump back in, plus she did not know if she was going to get hired having not had any experience for the last 6 years.  She got her Mass license and used that to get an Alabama license, she studied up on the internet and figured out how to do a resume (which neither her or I have ever had to do since we have both only been employed in the Air Force), and she figured out what jobs were available on the internet.  Then something amazing happened:

She applied for 3 jobs.

She got 3 call backs.

She got 3 interviews.

And she got 3 job offers!!!

Way to go, Pam!  She still has mad-skillz...  And we couldn't be more proud of her!  She is going to be working on a pediatric floor (her dream job, and the one she had when she was in San Antonio.)  She turned down a Labor and Delivery nursing job, as well as a job working with newborns in a nursery.  I think she made the right choice!  So now she has 2 weeks of orientation, and then she will be working 3 nights a week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  And since she does not need medical benefits, she gets a 25% addition to salary right off the bat!  And since she is working nights, she gets a $4/hour pay addition since it is a tough shift to fill!  All that adds up to a happy bank account!  And once we sell the Missouri house, we will be back in the money...

As for the rest of us - we are in the GROOVE!!!  I just got back from a few days in Washington DC for a school "Field Trip."  For me, not the boys!  It was the Air Force Association convention held at the Marriot in Wardman Park.  It was pretty sweet - except for the one time that I went running, and got lost.  And didn't find my way back for 1 hour and 35 minutes!  It was painful...  And yes - you read that correctly - I was RUNNING!  I am on the super, ultra, king, kamayamaya FARP (Fat-Ass-Reduction-Program).  I had gotten so used to drinking the beer and the wine, then washing it down with a pot of spaghetti.  I don't look too terrible right now, but still uncomfortable enough to get my arse in shape.  No more booze, lots of exercise, and watching what I eat until I am down to my Olympic weight! 

Last weekend, I took the boys to "Old Alabama Town" in Montgomery - surprisingly, they loved it!  They had a really good time seeing how the Alabamites lived 150 years ago.  We saw how they spun cotton and yarn, made their own clothes, pots, flatware, went to school, and Nikolai even learned a bit about a horse! 

[Side note to this upcoming story - About 6 months ago, it was killing me as to how much the kids would spill their drinks.  We were trying to wean them off of sippy cups, but they would spontaneously knock over their drinks 2-3 times in one sitting.  All because they were not paying attention.  It was MADDENING to say the least!  I asked them how often they saw me spill.  And the answer, of course, was NEVER.  So in an effort to get them to emulate their infallible father (HA!), I told them that any time I spilled a drink, I would give EACH of them $5.00.  However if they spilled, I would take $1.00 out of their piggy bank.  Believe it or not, this worked.  The amount of spilling cut down to almost nothing.  And the habit patterns changed, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself for cracking the code of the ever-spilling beverages.  Until we went to DeSoto Caverns 2 weeks ago and got breakfast at a Waffle King (just like Waffle house.)  The waitress brought the coffee, and then handed us the menus.  And in about .00025 seconds, I had knocked over my coffee with the menu right toward Nikolai's lap.  After Pam shoved Nikolai out of the way, all 3 kids faces light up, and they start yelling, "YOU OWE US $5.00!!!"  And they were right.  I did.  However I could not believe their selective memory since I had made this deal almost 6 months ago and it had not come up since.  I re-remind you that this story was ~ 2 weeks ago.  And now this story]:

And then we went to Chick-Fil-A.  We have never eaten there, but at the prodding of Jenny (thanks Jenny), we went.  And I spilled 4 large drinks all over the table.  Once again, the kids could care less that I ruined our meal and every one else's around us - they just wanted their $5.00!  And once again, I paid up...  That is what I get for trying to alter the bad habits of a 4/5/6 year old!!!

UNBELIEVABLE STORY - I found a checkers/chess set in the closet of one of the kids rooms - I asked who wanted to play, and Max and Zander said they wanted to both play me.  Now - I had never played them checkers before, so I was not even sure that they were going to know which piece went where, or that you had to move diagonally or whatever.  And I remind you that they are 4 and 5.  The first game I ever played them, we tied!  And not the, "There are only 2 pieces left and we keep moving back forth" - I mean, there was NO JUMPS on either side - what we started with, was what we ended up with.  There were no more moves left, and there were zero missed opportunities on either side.  I didn't even know that this was possible!!!  Great job Max and Zander!!!

Pam is also Nikolai's CUB SCOUT leader!  She kind of got roped into it since there were no other volunteers, but Nikolai's face lit up when she told him the good news.  She is going to do great!  Once she gets all of her patches sewn on to her brown uniform, you can bet your sweet bippy I'll post them here!

The kids (Max and Nikolai) got "DIBELS" tested (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) during their first few weeks of school.  And both of them scored off the charts!  Nikolai (who started school early and should be in the first grade this year, but is in second grade instead) is reading at the 7th+ grade level!  We are so proud of both of them!

Zander's teacher told us that he is ever intent on doing whatever task is asked of him.  With rote perfection (wonder where he got that from, Nikolai?!?)...  He has brought home some great artwork - all done 100% by him!  Keep the great work up, guys!

Over the last few weeks, I have been out with the kids helping them to learn to ride bikes!  And they have been doing great - provided I've been holding onto them and keeping them from falling.  Until yesterday, that is!  Nikolai AND Max have been riding around like speed demons on 2 wheels!  The only thing that still needs a little bit of work is the starting and the stopping.  But they have "cruising" down to a science!  Max even rode all the way around our block with almost no help from me!  Nikolai got ~ 1/2 way around before he took a digger - but the tough guy earned himself a battle-bandaid for his heroics...  We'll take some pictures and post them next time!

The other pictures that you will see are of some friends of ours that we had over for dinner (the Obergs and the Delanos) from my Flight at school - the kids all played wicked well together...

I had not intended on making this the book that it ended up being, but thanks for hanging in there!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

6 Sep 08

All is quiet on the Western Front!  This weekend, anyway...  Last weekend was a different story, however.  We went on our first Team Tolmoff Roadtrip!  On Friday, we had some friends over for dinner, and then on Saturday, we drove up to Atlanta for some fun and frolic!  Our first stop was the aquarium - what we failed to realize was that it was the first Saturday of College Football season, and Centennial Park (the say one where now-dead Richard Jewell was falsely accused of blowing up the bomb during the olympics) was mobbed with ESPN and the college game-day crowd.  We finally did make it up to the aquarium, and it was packed...  We all ended up having a great time, but just with about 1.4M other people.  That night we stayed at Naval Air Station Atlanta and had a picnic in the hotel room before we headed off to bed.

The next morning, we went to Imagine it! children's museum in Atlanta - we thought that it was going to be a bit young for the kids, but they all ended up enjoying every minute of it.  They even got to star in their very own circus - Nikolai was a clown, Max was an elephant, and Zander was an acrobat!

We had a few extra hours to kill before we had to go on to our next activity, so I got on my phone - and found a play in the local area!  And not just a play - it was "Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume - the cast ranged in ages from 7-17, and they were funny as heck!  The kids had never seen a play, and Zander said, "Daddy - it's like a movie on a stage!!!"  It was air conditioned, and cheaper than a movie...

After the Play we drove to the DeSoto Caverns in Childersburg, AL.  We played at the campground, and then we pitched a tent (haha) and even had S'mores!  I can say with little doubt that the kids will never forget out S'more experience - It was so hot out (~94 degrees) that we did not want to start a fire.  We cooked S'mores over 2 candles!  It was pretty funny, but the kids did not know the difference.  And the S'mores were pretty good!

After a hot and sweaty night sleeping (barely), we were the first people in the gate of DeSoto caverns.  We went through a wooden-fence maze with supersoakers, shot bows and arrows, played mini golf, did a climbing wall, jumpy castle, panned for jewels, rode little skoot bikes, and shot nerf balls at each other.  I am not sure that I would go again, but it was great for the kids...  The highlight of the trip (for me anyway) was the cave tour - it was very cool!  The main room was 120 feet high, and over 300 feet long.  They said that during prohibition the cave was used as a bootlegging speakeasy - there were even bullet holes around the cave from various people shooting their guns - I couldn't imagine how loud that would be!

It was a great weekend overall!  It was nice to get home, but I was not looking forward to all of the school work that I had waiting for me when I got home...

One other funny story of note - we took the kids ice-skating 2 weeks ago, and it was comical to say the least.  First off, it took 22 minutes for me to get 3 pair of skates on, then my own, and then I forgot to take into account the strapping metal blades and sticking them on frozen water was a bad idea.  They clung the wall, and when they did venture away, it was because I was holding both of their hands over their head - no wait - I was HOLDING THEM OFF THE GROUND!!!  My arms were so sore when we got home...  Of course, if you ask the kids how they did - they said, "I did great!  I'm like the Michael Phelps of the ice-skating rink!"  It was pretty funny...

The boys made their own pizzas the other day - they were very proud of themselves - Nikolai even made his in his own likeness - Complete with Glasses and everything!

We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

23 Aug 08

Back on the grid - and in less than an entire month!  It was a very nice week - except for the fact that we have all been fighting a bit of a cold.  Nothing too serious, but still making our tissues dance at every turn...  Zander is now in 4 year old pre-school - and he loves it!  He just finished his first full week, and he was so excited...  He is a "Butterfly" at the Vaughn Forest Church right by our house.  It works out very well for the masses - Max and Nikolai take the bus, and Zander is only 2 miles away - couple the fact that I am carpooling with some of the guys I am in class with, and we are saving a truckload of gas money! 

We took a bunch of great pictures for his first day - he was so proud of himself, and he was ready to go about 45 minutes before it was time...

Funny Zander story - the other night we were playing a little game - "You have a little Updoc on your chin."  "What's updoc?"   "Not too much - what's up with you?"  HAHAHAHA.  "You have a little Henway on your cheek."  "What's a Henway?"  "About 3 pounds."  HAHAHAHA.

Then it was Zander's turn, and he says to me, "Daddy - you have a little Monkey head."

And that was the end of it.  And of course, that one got the most laughs!  Good stuff...

The other day we went to a Montgomery Biscuits AAA baseball game - it was pretty funny.  And in case you are wondering - yes, their logo is a biscuit.  With a slab of butter in his mouth.  But their Mascot?  I'm not sure what their mascot is.  But we did get a picture of it with the kids!

Quick and dirty - that is the theme of this week's update!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

16 Aug 08

Welcome to Alabama!  I can't believe that we are actually here...  It has been busy to say the least - we are finally settled, 2 of the 3 kids are in school, not to mention my school!  We have done everything we needed to do to get our lives back in order - but it was not without cost!  Pam wrote this email summarizing our experiences:

                As many of you already know, we were surprised at the very end of May with the call that Greg was picked up for school in Montgomery and we needed to be here by August 4^th.  Initially panic set in but we pulled together to get everything done.  I finally feel I am able to breathe enough to get an e-mail out with our new address and an update.  Sorry it has taken so long!

I apologize for the mega-mass e-mail but it is the easiest way to get new info out there.  We are now mostly settled here in Montgomery.  We arrived here on Sunday, July 27^th.  We thought that our stuff would be arriving on Wednesday or so but after a lot of truck trouble they finally delivered our stuff last Friday.  Our backs were very grateful for that!  We had quite the week waiting for our stuff to get there.  We weren’t even here for 15 hours when Monday morning, one of the kids opened the front door.  Well, since Luna (our puppy)  is used to Missouri life, she bolted out the front door and before I could even call her back, we heard a thud and she came yelping back into the house.  Yup, she got hit by a car on our first full day here in AL.  Thankfully we got her to a vet pretty quickly and she came away with a sprained paw and some pretty nasty road rash in a place that should never be road rashed.  We all learned a valuable lesson and she was very lucky.  Later that same day,  I had left my driver’s side door open when we got home from the vet.  When Greg got home,  he backed into our garage and ran right into my door.   Now we had a mini -van who’s driver side door wouldn’t close.  At this point, I was ready to pack the car back up and get out of Dodge! 

                Anyhoo,  we survived the first week and received all our stuff and pretty much actually have everything put away.  Nikolai starts 2^nd grade on Monday and Max will start Kindergarten at the same school.  They are very excited to start school!  Zander will start preschool on the 18^th and he will be going Mon-Fri  from 9-1p.  He is looking forward to it as well and everything finally seems to be settling down. 

                I am in the process of getting an AL nursing license so I can go back to work part-time.  I am actually excited about the idea of going back to nursing and a little nervous too because I have been out of it for so long.  I’m thinking of trying something new like labor and delivery or the nursery.  We’ll see how it goes! 

Greg started ACSC this past Tuesday and is taking to the role of student rather easily.   Our house in MO has not sold yet, so keep your fingers crossed that something happens soon!

Happy Birthday to Pam!  The day before all of our stuff was delivered, we celebrated Pam's birthday on the floor of our new house...  HA!

Max and Nikolai are both at a really great school that is only 1 mile from our house - and they love it!  They are even taking the bus to school in the morning - they are such big little men!  There will be way more to follow about the boys and their adventures at school, I'm sure...

My ACSC flight [a flight is a group of 12 people that are my primary "classmates" while here over the next year] is pretty cool - I came up with the "Bonehead Award" that is issued to the biggest Bonehead of the week - the first issue was yesterday, and it was fantastic...  Pam decorated the Bonehead - it came out perfect!  It sure helps when you are married to a creative genius...  I will post pictures when I get them (didn't take them yesterday - not sure why).

Before we left Missouri, we had about 45 people over to say good bye - It was a ton of fun, and we got a whole bunch of great pictures, but it was sad to leave all of our friends...

Nikolai lost BOTH of his front teeth!  Max helped him out a bit by head-butting him right in the grill - sent one of them flying, and the other was hanging by a thread - Pam plucked it right out, and we have a 6 year old w/ missing Gumpers!  So cute...

Lots of homework and reading coming up!  I guess it is now time that I learn how to read...  That is about it in a nutshell!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures… 

12 Jul 08

Wow - almost an entire month!   Well - we've been way busy, to say the least!  And - sad to say - this is the last update from our Missouri home.  We still don't have a buyer for our house yet, but hopefully soon!  It doesn't change the fact that we still have to move in less than 2 weeks - pray for us!!!

On a completely random side-note:  Nikolai had to poop on the way back from his Cub Scouts spy camp.  Really bad.  So we stopped on the side of the road.  And he pooped a T.  Can't say the kid doesn't have team spirit!  Click HERE to check it out... (Not for the weak of heart...)

[PAM WRITES]

Well…. It has been quite a month in the Tolmoff household.  When we returned from our last journey we were faced with the HUGE task of readying the house to be put on the market.  Day after exhausting day, we pulled closer and closer to our goal.  We discovered that we really were packrats after all and had a ton of stuff to give away and find new homes for.  No bites on the house yet but we hope something comes up soon! 

                The week of June 16^th…Nikolai had his Cub Scouts Day Camp.  He spent all week doing everything from Ultimate Frisbee, slingshots, BB Guns, Swimming, etc.  He had a blast and was so excited to go every day.  This is no small achievement for our boy who would rather play computer games than play outside.  He had a great time and definitely made some lifelong memories! 

                On 21 June, we all piled into the car to drive to Ohio to visit our friends Jen, Don, Taylor, Patrick and Finley.  We had a great time catching up and watching all the kids play together.  We even got to go out as adults while their babysitter took on the task of 6 kids.   She did great!  Greg and I took all the kids to see Kung Fu Panda and Horton Hears a Who.  Good movies!  The kids are all at a great age to watch movies with.  If they have a drink and popcorn, they sit very well!  The kids all spent quality time in the pool.  They are all like fish.  Zander looked so cute with a life vest, arm floaties, and flippers on.  He looked like a crazy scuba diver! A big Thank You to the Reins for opening their home to our crazy crew.  It is always so nice to spend time with our friends!  Funny story though:  The last night we were there, we were set to leave at about 8 the next morning.  Well, Greg woke up at 2 AM and couldn’t get back to sleep so he decided we should get on the road to drive to MA.  So we slunk out of the house in the dead of night and left a note for Jen and Don to explain.  We were rewarded with driving right into a blinding rainstorm but we did survive the trip, although we are still receiving some well deserved ribbing from the Reins….   We stopped at Niagara Falls and walked over to the Canada side. We rode on Maid of the Mist boat ride and got sprayed by the falls.  It was awesome! 

                We got to MA that evening.  Greg was exhausted but the kids and I were well rested from all our napping in the car.  We visited with my family.  It was so great to see everyone again.  The kids all played together great and had a blast together.  I hit Dunkin Donuts A LOT and the kids were funny because I told them they couldn’t sling a cat in New England without hitting a DD.  Everytime we saw a DD,  the kids got their “catmarang” ready with sound effects and everything.  They crack me up!  We had lots of QT with my family while Greg went to visit Jay the Canadian and then his family.  On our last night in MA, Liz and Rich and Marsha and Brian Wigton (friends of ours from Tucson who now live in MA.) came for a visit.  We were able to meet The Wigton’s daughter Josephine too.  Thank You for making the effort to come see us.  We love it when we can hang out and catch up with friends!

                When we left MA, we drove to Maine so the kids could say they have been in Maine.  (Our goal is to have the boys see all 50 states before they turn 18.  That would be a pretty cool thing to accomplish.) Then we headed to New Hampshire.  We visited with the Trainor family for lunch.  The kids loved playing with XBOX. They had the Rock Band game so all the kids were attempting to play the guitar, the drums and sing songs.  It was very funny to watch.

                We then arrived at the ski house in New Hampshire.  There we met up with Jeff Carter, Sue, Jackie and Ben.  Lucky, Stitch and Muck also made appearances.  We had a blast!  On the 4^th of July we went tubing down a river.  Greg, Zander and Nikolai were floating on this mattress-like float while Max and I were on a smaller chair-like float.  We came to a spot where there was a whirlpool type section.  Well, there go Max and I whipping around the whirlpool and then we bumped another float and tipped our float over.  That is right about when Max lost his cool.  He was wearing a life jacket but was scared out of his mind.  Not to mention that the water was COLD!!  So I try to reach out and grab Max but every time I got close, I would get whipped back around the whirlpool.  Our friend Stitch reached out and grabbed Max and got him on his float while I swam to shore.  Stitch told us that Max stopped screaming just long enough to say, “I’m freaking out here!”  and then went right back to screaming.  We got to shore and warmed up and then continued on our trip down the river.  Max was ‘freaked’ for the rest of the way but recovered nicely and now tells jokes about it.  I’m sure we will not soon forget our floating trip. 

                On Saturday, we drove to Loon Mountain where we watched Jackie scale a climbing wall in like 10 seconds flat.  It was pretty amazing and she made it look effortless.  We said goodbye to Jeff, Sue, Jackie and Ben, and then rode a gondola to the top of the mountain.  It was very cool.  The kids got to go “caving” and found a lost gold mining shaft.  They were so excited to ask the gondola guy for their share of the gold.  It was this little golden coin which they promptly lost.  From there we drove to Binghamton, NY to spend the night.  I introduced the kids to Friendly’s while Greg got some much needed rest.  He did all the driving and so we tried to let him get as much sleep as we could whenever he needed it. 

                The next day our journey took us back to the Rein’s in Ohio where we all got to visit and the kids got to swim.  We spent the night there and then continued onto St. Louis to have lunch with Heidi and the girls.  Oh, Greg saw a sign on the way to Heidi’s that advertised a foot high pie.  So he had to stop and buy one.  By the time we got to Heidi’s the pie had leaked all over my lap.  It was a yummy pie though.  Funny thing about this stop is that after lunch, the kids all scrambled into their swim suits to get in the pool.  They were in the pool about 5 minutes before it started to thunder and lightning.  Out of the pool they come, we go in the house where Greg checked the weather radar.  Apparently the only storm in 7 states was right over Heidi’s house.  It passed in 10 minutes and the kids all piled back into the pool. 

                We arrived back at the homestead that night.  It was good to be home but we had such a great time on our trip.  We have the 3 world’s best road-trippers for kids.  These boys don’t complain while in the car…. They just do their thing and as long as their Leapsters are charged they just behave!  They don’t even whine to stop to pee every 5 minutes.  It is awesome!  It really makes these road trips much easier to take. 

                We are home now until the move to Alabama.  Our house continues to be on the market and we pray that it sells soon so we can move on.  Keep your fingers crossed! 

[GREG WRITES]

While Pam was in Massachusetts visiting her family, I jumped on the road and headed North.  I stopped in Greenfield, MA to see a friend of mine that I had not seen in 10 years - Darren Pierce.  In college, Darren used to run a little coffee cart, and he mentioned that he was still in the coffee business, and that I should swing by where he worked.  I was figuring it was a small little coffee shop, or maybe a really big coffee cart.  Turns out Darren has a full-up warehouse and coffee distribution company!  He buys the raw-green coffee beans from around the world, roasts, grinds, bags, and distributes coffee all around the country and around the world!  And - I'm not kidding when I say this - it is the best coffee that I have ever had.  Give it a try!  www.piercebroscoffee.com - my favorite so far is the "FogBuster..."

After Darren and I hung out for a bit, I headed up to Montreal to see Jay the Canadian!  It was awesome to see him and his family - I have not seen them in ~ 3 years (funny that in college we hung out every 2-3 weeks), and he had even had a daughter since our last visit!  The kids were great, Karen was an awesome hostess, and Jay can still put back the Vin Rouge like a badass...  There were some rough mornings, but overall it was a great trip - I even got to meet the lead singer of a band called "Slaves on Dope." I had never heard of them, but apparently they were on tour w/ Ozzy during the Ozz-fest of a few years back.  Awesome guy!  Not to mention some awesome spaghetti, and some not-so-awesome malt-liquor-based Irish cream!  Funny stuff...

After I took leave of the Canadians, I drove down to see my sister in Mahopac, NY for a few hours, and then off to my folks house in CT.  We had a massive steak for dinner, and a booze-free evening - needless to say, it was uneventful...  We did, however, get to see my Mom and Dad's pictures from their trip to China - the best part was the picture of the 5'3" Chinese guy hauling around my parents on a Rik-shaw!  Worth the price of admission right there!  HA!  The next morning, I awoke w/o a hangover (in CT - this was a rarity), and took a walk around my old stomping grounds, and got an awesome sandwich w/ my Dad at Karl Ehmer's deli (yum!).  For dinner, I met up w/ a friend of mine named Jim who had a 1 month old kid - unbelievable that we are all growed up!  A very brief but nice visit...

I then went to Torrington to meet up w/ my brother and check out his new digs - what a nice house!  It truly is a buyers market, and my brother and Chelley lucked into quite a deal.  By the time I got there, Hunter (their 7 month old/my neffer) was already sleeping, so I did not get to see him.  But I did get to hear him!  At 4a.m., and then again at 5 a.m., and one last time at 6 a.m...  HA!

I walked up a ridiculously long hill called "Highland."  My legs still hurt.

I then saw an old family friend (Joan), and we hung out for about an hour - it was great to see her and her 2 little ones!  She lives across the street from a very cool pond - chock full of lily-pads, turtles, and flowering water-plants - very nice area...

My brother is a liquor distributor, so I rode around w/ him for a couple of hours on his route - there are some DIVE bars out there!  But at least the economy did not keep people from boozing at 11 in the morning!

I had a $10 tequila shot.  With lunch.  Thanks, Ron.

After lunch, and the world's most expensive shot, I met back up with Pam and the fam in Massachusetts...

So now I have my Change of Command on Thursday, and the movers come next Monday - then we roll out of town on Friday!  Incredible...  The stress level would plummet if we could only sell the house.  It is now advertised in 4 locations:

http://www.realtor.com/realestate/warrensburg-mo-64093-1100727803/

http://www.sandyrussell.com/listings.asp?listing_id=1100727803

http://www.militarybyowner.com/listings/tourplus.asp?F_BASE_ID=163&F_STATE=MO&LISTING_ID=76543

and my own creation - http://www.tolmoff.com/House/WarrensburgHouse.htm

So - you know anybody who wants to buy a house?!?

Well the next time I update this - we'll be in Alabama - wish us luck!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

9 Jun 08

[Editor's note - it is pouring rain outside right now, and I am updating this while waiting for the house to float away...]

Where have we been?  I will put the bottom line up Front-Pam, the kids and I are going to be moving to Maxwell Air Force Base, in Montgomery, Alabama!  Where do I begin?  Well-let’s start from the beginning:

It all started out as a fun family vacation-we were going to go see Heidi for a few days in St. Louis, and then head down to Florida for a TDY.  After that we were going to go to the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.  The first few days of the vacation went great-Heidi’s kids and our kids played with each other swimmingly!  Even the drive to Florida was completely uneventful.  Pam and I have decided we have the greatest kids for road tripping!  The total roundtrip was 2700 miles and they did not complain once!

Anyway, while down in Florida I was playing golf with some of my coworkers when I got a phone call from a former boss of mine… who told me that I was going to be attending Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base!  This is a great career move for me, however it is very painful on the family seeing that I have to be in place in less than two months.  Needless to say there was a lot of shock between myself and Pam to say the least!

The following day we were going to drive up to the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, however we decided it was going to be a better use of time to go to Montgomery and do some house hunting, and we were glad we did!  We looked at a bunch of different homes all of which were well smaller than the one that we are currently living in in Missouri.  It is going to be very hard to downsize!  We have gotten very accustomed to living in a large house on five acres of land over the last 4 ½ years.  We did manage to find a suitable 2300 square foot house in one of the nice subdivisions in Montgomery.  We got the lay of the land while we were down there, and drummed up a of a lot of enthusiasm and support from the kids on the move.  We looked at schools, shops, churches, restaurants, and everything else that we have to drive very far for where we currently live.  Although it is a big change from what we were expecting to do the next year, we’re getting more and more excited for the trip!

After a few days in Montgomery, Alabama-Team Tolmoff made their way up to the Great Smokey Mountains!  And we were glad we did…  If you have never been there, it is a very cool place.  I should mention that the whole reason that we were going there in the first place, was to attend a vacation time share presentation-in return for attending presentation, we were going to get two free hotel nights.  And of course me being cheap bastard that I am, we could not pass that up!  We met up with Carolyn and Rob and quaffed several beers with them as well - for those who do not remember, Rob is one of the guys who went with me to Alaska last summer.  They now live in Knoxville, Tennessee-so it was good to see them.

While we were in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, we went to the coolest aquarium I think I’ve ever been to-it was the Ripley’s aquarium, and they even offered a 75% off military discount!  It cost our whole family $11.00 to go through a fantastic aquarium.  They had a 300 foot tunnel that went underneath their giant tank, and there were sharks within 3 inches of us.  Very cool!  We also did a fine of round of Ripley’s  mini golf, saw a magic show, and went to a Hoot and Holler dinner theater.  Everything was very good except for the dinner theater, which was a little too hillbilly for our liking… 

After all was said and done, and we went to our timeshare presentation, it was time for the long drive back home-721 miles worth!  We did it all in just over 10 hours, and once again the kids were perfect!

Overall it was a fantastic vacation, however getting back home was not the fun than it normally is-we have the daunting task of getting everything prepared in the house for sale!  There has been a cleaning dervish going on over the last few days!  It looked like a fire “everything must go” sale.  We’re cleaning drawers and closets that have not seen the light of day since we moved in!  The end of our driveway is piled with CRAP that is waiting to get picked up by the garbage man!

Well  - wish us luck over the next couple weeks as we prepare to move-there are a lot of activities that will be occurring between now and then!

Before I forgot, here is a laundry list of things we did on our Trip:

St. Louis City museum

St. Louis zoo

Eckert’s family fun center

Met up with above Mark Perry, Jason, and Nicole for Dinner

Swam In The Gulf Of Mexico

Gulfarium

Mini golfing in Florida

Glass bottom boat dolphin cruise

The kids got to play with and pet a whole bunch of different kinds of animals at the hotel

Rode a Jet Ski w/ Daddy

Rode a Kayak w/ Daddy

Tormented Carolyn and Rob’s dogs

Ripley’s aquarium

Hoot and Holler dinner theater

Timeshare presentation

Ripley’s mini golf

Beyond belief Magic show

Pizza and beers and Carolyn and Rob

And lots and lots and lots and lots of time in various pools around the country!

As always, it was a very successful trip!  The kids and we had a blast…  We hope that all is going great with you and your family-drop us a line when you get a chance!  And as always, check out the latest pictures…

23 May 08

[Pam Writes]  Busy, Busy, Busy….  Such is life with 3 active crazy boys!  School is over for Max and Zander.  Friday is Nikolai’s last day as a 1^st grader.  Where does the time go?  We finally got these boys some haircuts.  They were starting to look like chia pets!  Max won the most patient award during the haircut as he got the brand new hairdresser.  I kid you not, it took her over 30 minutes to cut Max’s hair.  He sat there and didn’t make a peep.  Good job Max!

                This past Sunday, Nikolai graduated from being a Tiger Cub and is now a Wolf Cub.  He was very excited about this change.  Now he will wear the yellow scarf instead of the orange one.  He has been walking around howling ever since.  He says he has to do that because he is a wolf now.  A little side note… I had volunteered to be the assistant den leader for his wolves den.  Now there is a possibility they may need me to be the den leader instead.  Keep your fingers crossed that does not happen.  I need to start small and work my way up!   Either way, it will be fun.  Tiger Cubs was a blast!  The summer will be peppered with campouts, day camp and the like but Nikolai loves it and Max and Zander can’t wait until they can also be a part of it!

                Zander has been coughing a lot over the last couple of days.  He keeps telling me that he doesn’t like to be sick.  He is still running all over the place though. Nothing can slow that boy down.

                So starts the summer full of adventure for the Tolmoff Clan.  We are all so excited to start on our way!

As we enter this Memorial Day Weekend, please take a moment and thank those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who put their Lives on the line for us to enjoy our freedoms - as well as those who went before  --  All game some.  Some gave all...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

10 May 08

Happy Birthday to Zander!  We have the cutest little 4 year old in all the world!  Zander woke up on the morning of the 6th to all of us wishing him Happy Birthday, and he had a look of trepidation on his face - when we asked him what the problem was, he said, "But I don't feel four..."  Consider that a good thing, Zander!

Pam (as always) outdid herself on making the cake - Zander has always been into puppies, so Pam decided to make him a Dalmation cake!  And it came out adorable...  For his present, he got a Webkinz puppy where you can go online and take care of your puppy and buy the puppy stuff, and feed it, etc.  Max and Nikolai also got a Webkinz, and they have been loving it!  I thought they were going to be online for about 10 minutes and be bored with it, but they are really into it.  Max kept putting all of the stuff he would buy the puppy (actually, he has Pig named "Oinky") in one room - making it so full that the piggy can't get in or out.  You gotta learn sometime, right?

Max and Zander also had their last day of school yesterday!  Way to go, boys!  Max had a formal Pre-K graduation, and it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen...  They made mortar boards with a cardboard square painted white, and a styrofoam bowl that they wore on their heads - they even made the tassles!  Max was BEAMING!  He was so proud of himself - and we couldn't be prouder of him, either!  We swung by the school on Zander's B-day to take part in some cake, and Zander almost appeared a bit shy while we were there!  What is up with that?

Nikolai only has 2 more weeks of school - he can't wait!  We are so glad that we got him out of the JCCA (where he went to Kindergarten last year) - he has done so much better this year...

Pam and I like to play old-school video games with eachother, but we do not always have the best language while playing.  This little reality struck us full force the other day when Zander called Max a "Stupid Asshole."  Twice.  Oops...

And now the Parents of the Year Award goes to???   Yeah right...

Max and Zander made us some of the cutest things that you have ever seen for Mother's Day and Father's day - Made us cry!  *sniff*

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

4 May 08

Like I say every month...  Holy Crap - I can't believe it's May already!  Seriously - time is flying by!  Team Tolmoff is having a great time as always - The weather is getting really nice outside, and Pam had the foresight to get the whole Fam some baseball gloves!  Every night after dinner, we play catch for a few hours - they love it!  Luna loves it, too - so much so that she grabs the ball and makes us (Pam) chase her until it is retrieved...  Pretty funny stuff!  Pam ends up playing w/ Luna, while I teach the boys how to throw and catch.  It is incredible how good they have all gotten in just a week!  Tons of fun - Making memories!  *sniff*

Nikolai was able to call the color guard to post the colors at his last Cub Scouts pack meeting - it was so cute - and you could tell he was just a little more than proud of himself...  Way to go, Nikolai!

Zander and Max finish up school Next Week!  Max is going into Kindergarten next year, and Zander will be in 4 yr old preschool.  Time is really flying by!  Not to mention that Nikolai will be going into 2nd grade next year!  Hokey-smokes...

Funny Nikolai story - Nikolai has always said that he does not like peanuts.  I am not sure if he has ever even tried them - but regardless, he still won't touch them.  Loves peanut butter - hates peanuts...

So the other day, Pam puts in a little, tiny milky way snack-size candy bar in his lunch box as a Mom's way of saying, "I love you."  Imagine her surprise when she opens it up when he gets home to find the milky-way (Chocolate, caramel, and nougat), still in his lunch box.  She asked if he saw it, and he said he had.  So then she asked why he did not eat it, and he said, "Because it may contain peanuts."  Sure enough, in little, tiny wording - on the little, tiny package, the only thing it said was, "May contain peanuts," as a warning to those w/ peanut allergies that this produce was made in a factory where they use peanuts...  Silly kid...

Last weekend I took the kids to a BBQ with some other little kids - they decided to make a rock band and put on a concert for the adults - very cute!  And yes, that 5 year old does have a mohawk...

While at the BBQ - Nikolai went all the way across the monkey bars without any help - way to go, Nikolai!

I am going on a little trip next week, so I won't be home for Mother's Day - so yesterday the boys and I stormed in on a still-sleeping Pam and greeted her with a Mother's Day surprise - 8 days early!  The boys and I took some wicked cute pictures for her present...  Happy Mother's Day, Pam!

That is it for this week - quick and dirty!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

20 Apr 08

Another busy week at work, but at least I was home to enjoy it with the fam!  I had a SIMCERT this week - basically we certify that the B-2 Weapon System Trainers (Simulators) are certified to train the crews.  Not super high stress, but there are a lot of people that come in and give the objective once-over.  Since they were from out of town, I did my best to keep them entertained - On Monday night we went to a Kansas City Brigade Arena Football game (where I ate the biggest hot dog of my life), and on Wednesday we had everybody over for a BBQ (and coincidentally, we watched the Yanks spank the Red Sox) - overall, a very good time...

Yesterday, I walked 18 holes of muddy golf.  Just nasty.

Funny kids stories - Max was singing , "Take me out to the ballgame," the other day - Pam sat quietly and listened to him as he said, "...Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd, buy me some crackers and cracker-jacks, I don't care if we ever go home..."  Funny stuff - he should be on the show, Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Nikolai had a real doozy this week - I mentioned that we watched Ace Ventura last week - well our little Elephant-Who-Never-Forgets leans over to Pam while sitting on the couch and whispers, "Excuse me...  Your balls are showing!"  Yeah - maybe we should have waited a few years before showing that movie...

So it is now Lawn-mowing season again, so yesterday I figure I'd change the oil, inflate the tires, and get the battery charged.  Everything was going swimmingly until my car got stuck (after jump-starting the tractor), and we came up with a plan to pull it out using Pam's car.  I was looking for a rope or a chain, (Pam said, "How about Bungee Cords?"), when I get the brain-child of an idea to use the old chain from one of the swings that the kids use.  We looked around for a metal loop on Pam's car that we could tie the chain to - and we found one inside the trunk of her car - we tied it on, and pulled the car right out.  Thereby ruining the ability for Pam to ever shut her trunk again.  Yeah - I'm not good at these things!  Not to mention I have 2 HUGE ruts in my yard from where the car got stuck...

There was a little drama last week when Zander pointed out a 3 foot Snake!  Of course no one new what kind it was, or whether or not it was poisonous, but Pam said that the tail was certainly vibrating!  After a little research, here is what we found...

Great Plains Rat Snake

Elaphe guttata

This species is another member of the rat snake group and is seldom seen. This snake has numerous brown blotches along the body, a brown eye stripe, and a spearpoint marking on top of the head. It is 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm) long. Lives in open, rocky, wooded hillsides, where they venture out at night to feed on rodents, bats and small birds. Like other rat snakes, Great Plains rat snakes vibrate their tails when alarmed, and will bite to defend themselves, but the bite is harmless.

Missouri Distribution: Mainly wooded areas in the southern half of the state and along Missouri River counties, excluding southeastern counties.

Never a dull moment in the Tolmoff household...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

12 Apr 08

Nintendo, and I mean the OLD SCHOOL Nintendo...  ROCKS!  My old Roommate from college (Matty B) sent us a penguin looking thing that has 111 different old Nintendo games - classics like Duck Hunt, Super Mario Brothers, Joust, Burger Time, Defender, Donkey Kong, etc.  Needless to say, Team Tolmoff has been having a blast playing all of these fun games from our childhood!  The kids are getting pretty good at the game, and it is amazing how fast Pam and I have re-remembered all of the little tips and tricks from when we would waste hours in front of the TV playing these games.  Making memories!  *Sniff*!

Nikolai has been doing great in school - he is working very hard at being the best possible 6 year old he can possibly be.  The last few nights, we watched Ace Ventura 1 and 2 - Nikolai likes when Crazy Ace talks with his butt.  Not to mention that the mere mention of the term "AllllllllRighty Then" sends Pam off into a fit of giggles...  Last night after the movie, there was a dying a balloon on the counter with a string attached to it - Nikolai said, "Hey - watch this!" and he proceeded to grab the balloon string and rip it off the counter (much like someone trying to pull a tablecloth out from underneath a set-table) - needless to say, the drink that was on the counter, ended up being a drink on the floor.  Nikolai then looked at us with a goofy face and said, "Whoopsie!"

Last weekend we all went to a Kansas City Wizards soccer game - we got there a bit early and the kids played in a bouncy-castle obstacle course - we got a few really cute pictures! The kids even had a college co-ed grabbing their booty!

After the game, we all went to the restaurant Jazz, and I broke a chair.  Apparently it was God's-not-so-subtle way of telling me that I need to shed a few pounds...

Max continues to come home from school with the cutest arts and crafts projects - we are very lucky to have found the preschool program at the Methodist Church - they love it there!  Max is reading very well with Pam every night, and he is making more and more progress every day.  Pam made a little "Shoe-tying" practice board out of an old Spiderman shoe-box.  This was in effort to get Nikolai to learn how to tie his shoes - he has done pretty well, but it is Max who has taken it upon himself to learn how to tie his shoes, too!  Way to go, Max!  Max made a spider catcher with a jar w/ a few holes in it - he caught a spider, and 3 days later, Pam said, "Max-I think your spider is dead."  Max came back with, "That's OK, Mommy - I will just put some grass in there and it will be just fine..."

Zander is still our little accident prone almost-4 year old - the other day he ran full-force into the corner of a wall and has a nice little cut on his cheek...  He is a battle tested little boy!  Like any good parents, we are bribing Zander into speaking correctly - specifically, he has trouble saying his "L's" - so we promised him a penny every time he annunciates the L's properly.  So now whenever he says Luna's name, he looks at Pam and I and says, "That will be a penny, please!" 

Luna continues to chew everything and anything that she can get her teeth on - especially tissues.  She will jump on the bed and pull tissues right out of the box and shred them into 1.4 million pieces - makes clean up fun!  She will also pee wherever she deems fit.  She is nicely blossoming into a mildly-retarded 50 pound ball of not-listening energy!

I have been home for the last 2 weeks (woo-hoo!) and have done a lot of relaxing with the family - it has been very nice...

Pam is still in constant battle w/ her car - the other day she walked out and the tire was flat in the garage - she was able to fill it full of air [funny story - it went flat while she was driving, so she stopped to get more air, and the air cost $.75 - with no change, she went to go get $ from the ATM, but then the ATM card didn't work - so she was going to use the credit card - but the card was missing!  After re-tracing her steps for ~ 3 hours, she finally fiugred out that the last thing that she bought with the card was on-line - so she looked where she used the card last - and there was the card, safe and sound - between the couch cushions!], but when she brought it to get fixed, the guy said that it was un-repairable, so $75 later, she has a new tire.  To carry around the dumpster she calls a car...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

31 Mar 08

At least you can't say that I didn't get 2 updates in March!  Wow - I have been busy...  Not to mention the family!  We have a NEW 5 YEAR OLD!  Happy Birthday, Max!  He got to celebrate his birthday 3 times - Once at school, once at home (when I was on a trip), and then one more time when I got home from the trip.  Pam, of course, went above and beyond when she made him a Frog cake at his request...  He even got a COMPUTER for his birthday!  It is a pretty sweet computer - better than mine!  When I got home from my trip, Max could barely contain himself when I set up the computer in his room - and he loves using it!  The new game of addiction is a game where you shoot arrows at Balloons - All of the kids (not to mention Pam) LOVE this game...

Nikolai had his first Pinewood Derby race!  I would love to say that I had ANYTHING to do with it, but in fact, it was all Pam and Nikolai.  I tried for ~ 3 hours (not counting the countless hours of research on the computer on "How to Build The Best Pinewood Derby RaceCar" - but alas - I failed miserably.  To the point where I walked into the bathroom where Pam was painting and I threw ~ 6 pieces of one Car into the sink and said, "If Nikolai is going to have a Car to race, it is going to be because his MOM helped build it for him!!!"  I know what I am good at, and Derby cars are apparently not my Forte... 

And build they did!  They even won an award for the Most-Patriotic Car!  Yup, the Freedom Mobile turned some heads, and it even placed in 3 races!  It wasn't the fastest car out there, but it was certainly the best looking...

Zander is going to end up being 7 feet tall.  Everytime I would go away for a few days and come back, I swear he had grown 3 inches - he is huge!  And he has an appetite a mile long.  Pam and I are talking about locking up the food pantry when it is not meal-time - we are convinced that all 3 kids would graze all day given 1/2 the opportunity...

I have been traveling all over the place this past month.  I was in Dayton, OH for 5 days, Los Angeles, CA for 10 days, Las Vegas for 5 days, and Orlando for 6 days.  It has been wicked busy, but I have had quite a good time on the road.  Some of the highlights of my trips: 

Got to see The Rein's and NEIL in Ohio

Went Deep Sea Fishing in LA

Went for a 30 mile bike ride up the coast of CA to Venice beach where all the freaks are.

Got to see Jay from up the road while in CA.

Went to the Jimmy Kimmel show in Hollywood (and pointed me out to the kids on TV - they got a kick out of it!).

Went to Cirque de Soleil's La Nouba in Orlando.

Went to Universal Studios in Orlando

Heard the Space Shuttle break the sound barrier on re-entry back to FL for landing.

(Funny side story - we drove to Titusville to see if we could watch the shuttle land - the guy I was with, SuperDave, struck up a conversation with some people who were also awaiting the shuttle return.  After playing the standard 20 questions (Have you ever seen the shuttle before?  Do you live here?  etc...), he found out they were from Connecticut.  I pipe up that I grew up in Brookfield, and they said they were from Danbury!  I mentioned that I worked ~ every job in the Danbury Fair Mall, and that my Mom worked at Broadview Junior High in the Danbury School system.  This Woman's face blanched and said, "Who is your mother?!?"  I told her Nancy Tolmoff, and she said, "NO WAY!  I'M JOYCE CARBONI!  I WAS YOUR MOM'S SECRETARY FOR 15 YEARS!!!")

Small world, eh?

While I have been on the road, Pam has been doing constant battle w/ the Dog and the Kids!  She has not only kept the house from exploding, but she has also managed to redecorate (to include painting) all 3 bathrooms, organize parties, and play chauffer to 3 VERY active boys!  Without her as my Rock at home, I'd never be able to get my job done at work...  Keep up the great work, Pam!

I'm sure that I am missing a ton of good stories, but those are certainly the highlights of the last few weeks. 

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

1 Mar 08

Holy crap, I can't believe it is March already...

Ladies and gentlemen, our little Tiger Cub has finally earned his Tiger Badge!  Last night was Pack 399's Blue and Gold Banquet, and Nikolai was honored with his Tiger Badge! Not to mention his Computer belt-loop, bowling belt loop, and bowling pin.  Go Nikolai!  We are so proud of you!  Pam (of course) had to help out with the decorations - she came up with the centerpieces - decorated buckets, filled w/ Frogs (the night's theme), and lollipops for all of the kids to enjoy - and enjoy they did!

We went on a geocache today and took Luna with us - she was ECSTATIC!  It has been a LONG winter, and she was happy to finally be able to be out and running around.  She even went for a few leaps in a pond while we were hiking - she was in heaven!  We played outside long enough for her to dry off before we got back into the car.  While Pam was playing w/ Zander and the dog - I was teaching Max and Nikolai how to ride a 2-wheeler!  Without training wheels!  They are not there yet, but both of them admitted that they were having a great time...

I had been putting Max's computer together over the last couple of months - My neighbor had an old computer that they were not using, so they gave it to us.  I installed a fresh copy of Windows XP, and some of the kids games that we have, but the computer was too old to keep up with the processing power required by the games, so I had to get him a new computer!  Poop.  The same thing happened when Nikolai turned 5.  At least w/ Zander I will know exactly what to get him up front!  Max was very excited when I got the desk and chair put together - 2 more weeks until we have a 5 year old!  Not to mention a reading 5 year old!  With a new computer...

The other day, I went to check on the kids while they were playing computer games, and all 3 were sitting in the same chair - they were so cute!

My back has been killing me lately - it has felt like I have had a row of acorns on the lower part of my back - I am not sure why they are there, but I bet all of the driving that I have been doing the last few months has not helped much...  And today our new bed arrives!  We have had our current bed for over 10 years, and it absolutely needs to go...  I hope that the new bed fixes everything...  Wish me luck!

I'm not sure if it is possible for one woman to be "more pregnant" than another, but if so, here is my vote...

Funny Nikolai story...  Last weekend, I took the kids to a basketball game at the local university.  As we were walking through the gymnasium, there was a woman with a T-shirt on that looked like this:

I had never seen a shirt like that, so I snickered.  When we got home, I told Pam about the shirt, and I even drew it out on a piece of paper.  Of course Nikolai saw the paper and immediately said, "What are ta-tas?"

I might mention here, that I was on my 3rd glass of red wine when this happened - so I look at Pam and go, "Yeah Mommy - what are Ta-Tas?"  Pam shot me an evil look and said, "Ummm...  Well...  Nikolai...  Ta-Tas are a slang term for Breasts."

Nikolai was happy with that answer for about .25 seconds, and then asked, "What is slang?"  I start beaming at this point.  I say, "Yeah Mommy - what is slang?"

She thought a little bit, trying to choose her words very carefully.  She then said, "A slang word is a word that can be used for another word as a common, although not always proper, use for the word..."

And why she said the following, I'll never know:

"Like...  A Penis can be called a Peter..."

Nikolai snickered.  Why I said the following I'll never know:

"COCK!"

Pam's face dropped, Nikolai burst into laughter, and I did my best to hold it together while I said:

"...Is a slang term for rooster..."

Nikolai was in tears as he was saying, "Cock, cock, cock, cock, cock, cock..."  Pam shot me the look that said, "FIX IT!  NOW!"

I apologized, and told Nikolai that that was not a great word to use too often, "Daddy should not have said that, and neither should you.  Let's not use that word again..."

The laughter finally subsided, and we thought all was well and the word was forgotten.  Until...

About 3 hours later, Zander farted, and Nikolai said, "Oh!  Someone Farted!"

I said, "You know what they say - whoever smelt it, dealt it!"

And Nikolai said, "Well whoever smelt it is a COCK!"

I had to change my pee-soaked skivvies...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

17 Feb 08

Finally - what I can actually call a RELAXING week!  My parents came into town last week (for a week), and I took the whole week off of work.  It was awesome!  The kids had a great time seeing their grandparents, and the grandparents (of course) had a great time w/ their Grandkids!

The first few days we were here, we took it quite easy.  The bathroom was finally finished (and it looks spectacular!), and we had a housekeeper come in and clean up all of the dust that Gentry had left all over the place.  We went to church, took a few walks, and overall just relaxed.  Luna really took to my father, being at his feet whenever he was around - Just like Paddington (my childhood dog) was when he was alive.  My mom had fun playing with the boys with the blocks that she got them for Christmas, reading to them, and watching all of the kid's movies that we have amassed.

The kids had bowling on Monday night, and my Dad got a kick out of watching a 3,4, and 6 year old bowl w/ bumpers!  He was unaware that bumpers even existed, so he thought that he was going to watch a couple of young kids throw gutter-balls for an hour...  HA!

On Tuesday, I took my parents to Indian Food (after my Dad ate at IHOP, since he wouldn't touch the Indian Food), and then to the World War I memorial in Kansas City.  We had a great time hanging out, even though it was COLD!

On Wednesday, we went to a bunch of kids Valentine's day parties at all of the kid's classes - they had fun showing off their classrooms, friends, and teachers.  That night, my Mom took us out to Macaroni Grill, and I ended up killing a bottle of their finest house Chianti - good times!  Although Thursday morning was not my best friend...

Thursday was Valentine's Day!  I took my Valentine out to dinner (Habaneros - yummy Mexican), and then I surprised her with tickets to a Robert Schimmel comedy show.  He is a really funny comedian (although very off-color) that we have followed since our Tucson days.  (For those following, this was the 3rd day in a row I drove to Kansas City).  Huge thanks to my parents for watching the kids while we went out on a much needed date night!

On Friday, we packed up the truckster for the 4th trip to KC in as many days - this time we went to Union Station!  There are a ton of Kid-friendly things to do there (Science City, 3-D Dinosaur iMax, Laser Light Show, etc.) - Although it was like we were herding cats all day, we all had a great time...

And then on Saturday, I drove to KC (5th time) to drop my parents off at the airport.  What a great trip!

Funny Zander story - Nikolai was sick one night, so Pam slept with him on the couch.  When she woke up, she almost stepped on Zander.  Who was on the floor.  Sleeping next to the dog.  Talk about a family member whose loyalty goes both ways!!!

Funny Max story - Pam was trying to get the boys into the tub quickly - Max took that to heart, and got in the tub - w/ his underwear still on!  Nikolai had his glasses on, but luckily did not get them wet!!!

Lots of pictures to enjoy this update - my Mom tends to get snap-happy!  Since I copied a bunch of these pictures from her camera, I included some of my parents anniversary, as well as my little nephew Hunter, who was born on 7 Nov 07...

We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

2 Feb 08

Happy Groundhog Day!

After another exasperating 2 weeks on the road, I am home again, and there are no trips scheduled in the near future - woo-hoo!  I spent one week in Albuquerque, NM, then home for a few days, and then I just got home yesterday after driving (ick!) to Ft. Walton Beach, FL.  Max is wicked cute when he says, "I don't want you to leave again."  Nikolai has a different take, "I like when you're gone - Mommy lets us do whatever we want!"  Probably not the whole truth, but probably not too far from it, either...  HA!

The bathroom is coming along nicely, and we can't wait for it to be finished!  Gentry (and his brother) are doing an outstanding job - Pam has been taking pictures every day after he leaves showing all of the progress - it looks fantastic!

Luna is still growing like a weed - she gets bigger every time I see her!  She has taken to eating Pam's boots, Pam's shoes, the kids toys, etc. - anything she can get her grubby little paws on gets chewed.  Luckily she has not touched my stuff!  I'll kick her little butt if she shreds my stuff...  Luna spends her days torturing Tucker and getting as dirty as possible, and her nights?  She waits for Pam to fall asleep on the couch, and then jumps up to join her without her knowing...

The Superbowl is tomorrow, and we can't wait!  Heidi and her girls are making the journey from IL, and Ross is swinging by from Kentucky.  It is going to be a slice!  I will cry real tears if the Patriots lose...

The weather has been up and down here like crazy - one day we are playing outside in shorts and t-shirts, and the next day it is snowing!  When Pam dropped off Nikolai at school the other day, it was 55 degrees out, and 2 hours later it was 27 degrees!  Crazy stuff...

After it snowed the most recent time, Pam was in line to pick up Nikolai, and the principal (Mr. Finnane), was out waiting with the students - Max and Zander saw all of the snow covering his head and then they belted out their new tune - "Frosty Mr. Finnane" to the tune of Frosty the snow-man!  Pam tinkled.  Nikolai came from school and said, "Uh, Mommy?  About that snow?  Sorry - that was me...  Mrs. Shippey and I did a snow dance and sang a snow song at school - and then it started to snow!"  The next day Nikolai (still feeling bad), said, "So Mommy - what can I do to make up all of that snow to you?" - It is good thing that Mommy likes snow days, too!

A nice quick-and-dirty update...  We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

22 Jan 08

[Editor's note - I will no longer be linking individual pictures to the narrative of the story - it ends up taking as long to link the pictures as it does to write the update!  You can always check out the latest pictures here...]

The Patriots are going to the SuperBowl!!!  Wicked psyched...

Luna (our puppy) is growing by leaps and bounds every day...  I keep telling Pam to take a ton of pictures of her, because she will never be this small again!  Fortunately, Pam took that to heart, and we have a bunch of pix of the world's cutest puppy.  Too bad most of them suck!  It is just that she is constantly running around and it is very difficult to get her to pose for a picture...

The other day, Pam had Jen and Jenny come visit from Ohio and California (respectively).  She was on a girl's only weekend, and she was loving it!  Needless to say, she was zonked when they left...  And while Pam was off galavanting, I got to take care of 3 kids and a puppy!  I was out of town for most of last week, so it appeared that Luna had forgotten all about me.  I would try to get her to go outside and say, "Luna, do you have to go outside and pee?"  Luna would look at me and unleash a torrent of pee wherever she was standing - all before I could get her outside.  I'm not kidding - this happened 3 times!  The worst of which was at 3 in the morning where I ended up having to rush her outside butt-arse nekkid when it was 4 degrees out!  I cursed Pam more than once...  Luna is lucky she made it through the night!

These past couple of days, Team Tolmoff had a blast!  It was last night (at the end of a 3 day weekend), that I realized that we did not watch any TV - we did watch 2 movies, but none of the mindless TV we normally watch - Lots of good family time.  Nikolai was the giddiest he had ever been - he would keel over with the heartiest belly laughter he could muster over the smallest things - that kind of laughter is contagious!

Mommy has a fun game that the kids get a huge kick out of - she narrates story-lines of objects that can not talk.  Her favorite story line is the imaginary conversation between Tucker and Luna - the kids are in stitches as the story unfolds!  I tried the same thing narrating a Tom and Jerry cartoon this morning, and they were big fans...

Max and Zander continue to be a ton of fun in everything that they do - the imagination and the critical thinking of both of them absolutely astounds us!  They have the same memory that Nikolai has - Max recites facts from something that he heard once many months ago, and he is always correct!  Zander is still the family clown - he'll do anything for a laugh...  Every time he slips and falls, he immediately stands up and says, "I'm OK!" as if to answer the question on everyone's mind...

This winter has been quite a cold one, but we keep dragging the kids out once or twice a day to take Luna for a walk.  Nikolai is not overly happy when we do it!

We are in the midst of getting our Master bathroom fixed - when we first moved here (about 4 1/4 years ago), I took a shower, and the shower leaked into the (finished) basement.  I queried the former owners, and they said, "we never really used the shower - we just took baths..."  Right...  So that went on for about 2 months, and we sucked it up and had a contractor come in and re-do the entire shower - which he did.  And it leaked less than a week later.  So I called him back, and he came out and patched 2 or 3 spots, and it held.  For a week.  And then it leaked again.  YGBSM!  So I called the guy back, and he would never answer or return my phonecalls.  NICE, eh?

For the next 4 years, we showered in fear (literally going to the basement daily) and seeing if the shower was leaking.  When it would, I would caulk the crap out of the edges of the shower.  Let me tell you - the shower looked great with about 6 inches of caulk in every corner!  And then it all broke free, and the ceiling in the room below the shower was almost completely saturated with soggy drywall.  We had to bite the bullet and have another (obviously different) tiloe guy come in to re-do the shower.  Then we figured that we couldn't re-do the shower, and not the tub, so we decided to do that, too.  Then the floor would look out of place, right?  So we decided to re-do the floor, too!  In for a penny, in for a million dollars...

As the guy (Gentry) started tearing up the tile, he couldn't believe what was so obvious to us - there was not one-shred of waterproofing material (shower pan or liner) between the tile and the floor!  It looked as if the last time the shower was re-done, the guy glued tile almost straight onto the drywall and plywood!  Now - I'm no tile guy, but I would guess that there should be some sort of liner to the shower!!!

Fortunately, Gentry appears to know what he is doing, and we can't wait to get the use of our shower back!  We have been showering in the basement for the last 2 months, and it is annoying as hell...

We have included a bunch of pictures of the various stages of disarray from the work - including the rotten wood that was beneath the shower floor.  We are lucky that we didn't fall through and end up crashing through the floor into the basement!  Just unbelievable...

Pam farted right as I was ready to take a really cute picture of Max and the Puppy.  It both took their attention away from looking at the camera right as I clicked the photo.  No kidding.

That concludes our saga!  We hope that all is going great with you and your family - check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!

9 Jan 2008

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!  We have FINALLY had a few weeks to relax, and it has been GREAT!  We are getting to know our new puppy, Luna - overall she is a lot of fun, but with that fun comes a bit of a PITA!  Just this morning we awoke to find our bedroom had been littered with puppy-poop.  Sweet!  Smelt like a barnyard...

Luna is a very happy, yet rambunctious puppy - she loves to jump on all sorts of things, and as the kids are figuring out, she loves to nip - and her teeth are SHARP!  She also has taken a fancy to sneakers - mine in particular!  She likes to carry the shoes out from wherever she is, and bring them under the coffee table.  When I was little, we had a dog named Paddington who loved to run top speed under our coffee table.  When she was a puppy - this was not a problem - however when we returned from a 2 week vacation, Paddington came running inside at Top-Speed to head underneath the coffee table, and *WHAM!* She went down like a sack of Chuck Norris' potatoes!  I keep waiting for Luna to hit her head...  It is not too long now!  She is growing like a weed - I can't believe how big she has gotten in just a few short weeks...  The kids love playing with Luna, although when she gets in a "biting mood", they all shriek like scared little girls!  It is pretty funny, actually...  HA!

We had a VERY low-key Christmas - it was great just being with our family...  Santa was very generous with the kids, even bringing them a second Leapster!  Now instead of fighting over one Leapster, they fight twice as much over 2 Leapsters!  All 3 boys are getting very good at playing the Leapster games - I've played a few, and they are addictive!  It is a good thing that all of the games are educational...

New Year's brought hope, laughter, celebration, and a stomach-bug-like-no-other to the Tolmoff house.  Max was the only one who did not violently vomit on 31 Dec 07!  I thought I was going to die.  As I was wretching, I said, "O God" about 100 times.  Pam (who had not thrown up yet), said, "Come on - it can't be that bad!"  Later on, after she had thrown up (I was sleeping), I asked if she called out for her Lord and Saviour.  She said that she had not, but she really wanted to!

The Team's resolutions are:

Daddy - Don't be such a boozebag in '08.  And lose a few pounds already!  I am already starting off well - no sauce since last year...  I am sleeping great, and I have a ton of energy.  I think this trend will continue!

Mommy - Start that diet - and stick to it!

Nikolai - Stay well behaved in school.

Max - Learn how to read!

Zander -

They are all attainable goals, and we will do our best to achieve them!

Right now, we have 2 workers putting in a new master-bathroom.  The old one was getting to be an absolute disaster...  The shower, as it turns out, did not have any water-proofing whatsoever!  It is a good thing that we are taking care of this now before we have to sell the house!  It has been kind of a bummer having to take a shower in the basement every day...

We hope that your '08 is off to a great start!  Check out the new pictures when you get a chance, and as always - Drop us a line!