What's New - 2011?!?

Wow... Another great Christmas! Santa outdid himself this year - the boys got an Air Hockey table! It must've taken Santa every bit of 4 hours to put that thing together... The Tolmoff boys must've really been good this year, and Santa must really love them in order to take so much time out of his day to put together an air hockey table! Yup - they were that good... They were so cute in the morning - they all pig-piled on Pam and I at 7:05 am (we told them they couldn't come in until after 7:00), and then they made their way down the stairs - I wish we could freeze time - this age of all of them is just fantastic! Max and Nikolai are starting to look so big...

The boys also got their very own Kindles - at $79/each, how can you go wrong? Pam and my parent's were also WAAAYYYY too generous, but it is always much appreciated... :)

I got Pam the gift of new eyes! She is going in for her initial lasik consult the 12th of January... It is going to be pretty pricey, but what better gift than that of clear vision? Pam is a little but nervous about the whole procedure, but she is ready for it...

I got a few mythbuster science kits from the boys, as well as a pair of remote controlled helicopters! VERY fun stuff - it is amazing the progress that they have made in these things - it is wicked precise - very easy to fly... Zander is even having a go at it as we speak! Pam also got me a tiny little match-box sized bicycle - her way of telling me that when I am ready for a new bike, it is all mine! Gonna be sweet...

The kids also got a bunch of games from Grandma and Grandpa R - it has been tough for them - running from one thing to the next for the last 2 days - life as a Tolmoff boy must be pretty sweet...

It has been a very quiet holiday for Team Tolmoff - Pam's parents came out in October, and mine came out over Thanksgiving - couple that with the fact that I took 45 days worth of vacation last Summer, and that means that we couldn't go anywhere, either... Oh well - we needed it!

Pam is already talking about doing the 1/2 marathon again this year - I told her that I am not necessarily on board unless she RUNS it with me this year! She says she has a year of new resolutions and change in front of her - if she can pull it off, I will be happy to run at her side the entire way...

That about sums it up for us! We hope that all is going great for you and your family - take care and drop us a line when you get chance - and as always, check out the pictures!

After Nikolai's play, we all went out for ice-cream at McDonalds - Zander was goofing off by swinging in between two tables. He told Max, "when I swing back, grab my feet and hold them in the air." Max did as his brother instructed, and he promptly face planted on the tile floor! Zander lost his cool - and rightfully so! He chipped BOTH of his front (adult) teeth and wedged his appliance wire into his gums... FML! He finally settled down, and when we got home, Pam gave him some motrin and then sent him to bed. The next morning, they were at the orthodontist at 7 am for a once over by the doc. Fortunately everything is fixable, and it could have been WAY worse than it was - but still no condolence for a 7 year old with chipped front teeth. The good thing is that he has a dentist appt next week, and hopefully he will be good as new...

Funny boys' story - The other day at dinner we "shook things up" and sat at different seats than we normally sit at. The catch was, you had to "act" like the person who's seat you were in. Pam was Nikolai, I was Max, Nikolai was Zander, Max was Pam, and Zander acted like me. Zander took to the role quickly by saying, "where's my beer?" and then burped and farted up a storm... Max kept saying (as Mommy), "I need a nap", and I (as Max) kept saying, "what now?" It was really funny... After we got up from dinner, Zander (playing me) got up and started chasing Max (playing Mommy) around the house yelling, "Why won't you make love to me?!? Come here and make love to me!!!" And - just like in real life, Max (playing Mommy) was able to elude the advances... Pam and I were bent over at the waist unable to move for about 10 minutes laughing! It was one of the funniest things we have ever seen... And who says the boys aren't paying attention!

Oops - haven't updated in a month... My bad! As always, Team Tolmoff is taking the world by storm... We have had a busy last month! First of all, Happy Birthday to Nikolai! Pam and I both can't believe that our first-born is now a double-digit ten year old... Where does the time go? His birthday this year fell right on Thanksgiving, so we didn't have a real "party" for him, although we did have a bunch of people over. Nikolai got Portal and Portal 2 - he has been talking about these games for months, so he was beside himself when he actually got them. He ran around the room whooping and yelling like a crazy boy - very cute! Glad we could score something he really liked...

On Turkey Day, the boys, Pam, my Mom and I did a "Turkey-Trot" - basically it was a five mile race (for me) and a one mile "fun-run/walk" for everyone else. I rocked it in 38:00 - 2 minutes faster than I was going for! My legs still hurt... Pam had a friend of hers from school (Cassie) and her family, and I had a guy I work with (Bob Shaw) and his family over for dinner, in addition to both my parents - we had a full house! Pam really outdid herself this year for the meal... I bought a 29 lb Turkey, and she cooked it to perfection - it was a perfect day and we always have lots to be thankful for...

A few weeks back, we took the RV out for the final trip of the year before we put it up for the winter - we went to Gatlinburg, TN! There are a bunch of "Ripley's" attractions - we got all 8 attractions for all 5 of us for $135 total - talk about a military discount! Their aquarium is spectacular... We also went to the haunted house - scared the CRAP out of the boys! So much so, that they were crying and pleading for us to leave the house - pretty funny for me, but they were none too impressed... We also drove through the Great Smoky Mountains State park - we saw a bear! It was frickin' huge, but Pam was slow on the camera draw, so she missed it... We also saw a bunch of deer, and a sh*tload of turkeys! A VERY cool park... We caught it right when the leaves were changing - a fine time had by all!

The boys have been fishing every chance they can get before the weather turns nasty - they are blossoming into true fisherman - when their lips are moving, they are telling lies! They are going for the bigger fish now (bass and catfish), as the blue-gill no longer hold the interest of these serious fisherman...

The boys had a really cute "date night with your Mom" at their school. They all got dressed really nice and took Pam on a real date! (I crashed the first half of it at the restaurant) - They held her hand while they were walking to and from the car, and they even opened the door for her! As we pulled up to the restaurant, I said, "make sure you open the door for the lady and Zander jumped over 2 seats in the car, onto Pam's lap, so he could open the door - from the inside... Not quite the intent, but an A for effort, that is for sure! They all had a great time...

Just about every weekend, it seems that we have a sleep-over! A few weeks back we had a triple-sleepover - Nikolai had David from next door, Max had Sora, and Zander had Tyler... They all had a blast! No rest for Mom and Dad while they are here, though (more Mom than Dad - Ha!) The kids are all giddy when Pam makes them all a vat of pancakes - sleepover traditions! The boys have also gotten in to playing dodge ball and football - it seems they think it is fun to get all of the neighborhood kids to gang up on me for a game of dodge-ball - I still kick all their butts, however... Won't be forever, I'm sure, but I am having a blast while it lasts!

Halloween fell on a Monday this year, and the boys had a 2 hour window to knock out all of their trick or treating - they were machines! I can't believe how much candy they got - it covered the entire kitchen table, 4 inches deep... It was (no exaggeration) at least 25 lbs of candy. With our "no more than 2 pieces per day" limit, we are going to have candy in this house for a long time to come! Zander went as Pikachu, Max as the Grim Reaper, and Nikolai went as an astronaut - they were all very convincing in their costumes...

Nikolai finished first in his class-room for his Spelling Bee, so he had the school-wide competition the other day. There were 45 other kids, and Nikolai finished in 2nd place! Not bad for a school with over 700 people... The word that knocked him out was "harassment" - he added a second "r". Pam and I both agree that this was probably a good thing, because he will take his training before the District bee in January a lot more seriously - if he aced it this time around, then he would bee a bit cocky (ha!). We'll let you know how he does in January!

Yesterday we took my Mom and Dad to downtown Dayton where they were going to light the town tree - they had a big "winter celebration" that included shops specifically for kids, and a scavenger hunt to a lot of the neighborhood businesses - the kids loved it! Fun stuff until we lost Dad - he was wandering and looking for a bathroom - we finally found him about 30 mintues later and all was well... Nothing Hot Chocolate couldn't fix!

Pam is putting up Christmas decorations as we speak - hard to believe that another Christmas is right around the corner! We hope that you keep the deployed military members in your thoughts this season and give thanks to our great country - 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 pictures!

My lazy bones! Over a month since an update... I stink! It certainly isn't because we have been sitting around, wasting time - quite the opposite! Let's get started...

Just about every weekend (it seems), the kids have sleep overs, and they play like rock stars! Zander's friend is Tyler (from the baseball team this Spring), Max has his best friend Sora, and Nikolai has had a few boys over from school - we had a triple sleepover one night and it was nutz! When Tyler was here a few weeks ago, we went to the local Apple Festival, and then went to Oktoberfest - a great time... The boys got their faces painted, and went on a hayride - we had apple dumplings and ice cream - nothing can beat it!

Pam's parents came out for an awesome week trip in the beginning of October - we had a pretty low-key visit... The first day they were here, we went to Young's dairy farm - I had ridden my bike for 36 miles and met up with them there - ice cream has never tasted so good! Zander was glued to Grandma Rossi's hip the entire time they were here - they even had a day off, so they went bowling and had a great time - They capped off the visit by decorating pumpkins for halloween... It is a shame that we don't live closer! Hopefully we'll get to see them again real soon...

On Friday night, Pam and I got gussied up for the Aeronautical Systems Center Dining Out - it was a ton of fun! We had a bunch of people from my work sit at the same table, so we had a great time... I got sent to the grog, porked up my salute to the 3-star general, and had to partake of the beverage TWICE! Needless to say, the next day was pretty rough... We did get some nice pictures of Pam and I!

A few weeks back we went on a weekend RV trip to Cesar Creek campground just North of Cincinnati - it was FREEZING! The intent was to go camping and ride our bikes about 5 miles to the nearby Renaissance Festival - we rode for about 1 mile in the morning and the kids were shivering the tooshies off... We drove the RV instead! We had a great big turkey-leg, and watched the boys attempt to climb up a rock-wall... We even got to see a ton of awkward chubby couples!

Interspersed in all this madness was a 5 day trip to Barksdale AFB in Shreveport, LA where I got to meet up with Ross - good times! I also went tailgating during a monsoon at Penn State and saw the Shanksville, PA 9-11 memorial. VERY moving and somber place. Heroes - every single one of them. This past week I went out to California for a whirlwind 76 hour work trip. I was beat when I got home! I really need to slow down and smell the roses...

Pam is still rocking away at school - she has about 3 more weeks of this term, and then she will have ~6 weeks off! She is quite excited to say the least... She is trying to knock out 2-3 days of clinical every week - only kid's illnesses appear to stand in her way! She is doing great - hard to believe that in less than 8 months, we will have our very own Pediatric Nurse Practitioner! Way to go!

The next few weeks appear to be fairly low-key... At least by our standards! We are going to go on an RV trip this coming weekend down to the Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee... We went to Gatlinburg a few years ago, but never got a chance to go inside the park - hopefully the Fall foliage is in full bloom when we get there! We may even get a chance to meet up with Carolyn and her new baby... Stay tuned!

We have reached it! The proverbial finish line has been crossed - literally and figuratively! This has been an incredible last few months - trying to balance work and play, family and fun... All while trying to train for the USAF Half-Marathon! Well - yesterday was the race, and we kicked a lot of ass... I ran it in 1:50:26, and Pam walked it in 3 hrs, 37 minutes... Not too shabby considering that a year ago, we were both just getting off crutches! What a mess... All of the other Field Grade officers in my workplace all ran it as well - very cool "camaraderie" experience. Someone threw out, "we should do a full marathon!" That someone almost got their ass kicked... Not sure I am going to trip over myself to do something like this again... It was a fun experience, but I am sore as can be right now - the next few days are not going to be very fun... We got some great pictures at the finish line with out medals - proud little Americans!

Last weekend was the 10th anniversary of the attacks of September 11th. Fairborn (our town) put on a very classy remembrance ceremony. The boys were very solemn while paying their respects to those who lost their lives... The guest speakers were amazing - first responders at the Pentagon and World Trade Center were on hand, as well as a Lt Col who has volunteered to go to Iraq and Afghanistan over 20 times. Really well done... Taps and the 21 gun salute were well done, and resonated the reason for being there. A sad day to say the least, but remembering all the evil that day and how resilient Americans are - you can't help but feel that the best days of America are still in front of us! After the current administration leaves, of course...

While Pam and I were hobbled up on crutches last year, I made a promise to the boys that I would take them flying in a small aircraft. I was finally able to make good on my promise! The Aero-club at Wright Patt had their annual "open house" that offered airplane rides - it was very cool... Max was the most interested, so he got to be the co-pilot while Nikolai and Zander sat in the back with me... Fun stuff to say the least! Needless to say, Pam had ZERO interest in getting in the plane with us - it was a beautiful day and we did what Team Tolmoff does best - made some memories!

The boys went to the eye doctor the other day... Yup - we now have 3 boys who wear glasses! Zander was the last to fall, but he now is just as cute as his brothers... He is TOUGH on glasses! Now is your time to get in on the ground floor of Eye-Mart - because we are going to drive that stock through the roof!

Woo-hoo! The B-2 is home, safe and sound from Guam... It was quite a trip! Very cool to get to see the plane fly for the first time in 18 months... Northrop is supposed to get me a CD with a whole bunch of pictures of the plane and the return flight. I got to fly on a KC-135 tanker plane to get it back from Guam to Palmdale - I have never flown in a tanker before, so it was a pretty cool experience. All of the generals in the Air Force are very pleased that this thing is home, so life has been pretty sweet for me... There was also a write-up in the base newspaper about the flight home - you can read it here. Northrop also made a cool video about the recovery flight - you can watch the video here.

The boys are all back in school! I can't believe this crazy Summer has come to a close... Zander is in 2nd Grade, Max is in 3rd, and Nikolai is in 5th. We met all of their teachers and they are all very nice... Max was upset that he was not in Sora's class for a 3rd year in a row - he is actually sleeping over at Sora's house right now! Nikolai is genuinely excited for the school year and if the first 3 days are any indicator, then we are in for a great year! We took a bunch of pictures from the first day of school!

Pam finished up another quarter with straight A's -she is sitting at a 3.809 (less than .2 points away from mine - she's so close!) She actually has 2 weeks in between classes, so she is certainly taking advantage of the time to relax...

Next weekend is Matty B's wedding in New York - Pam and I are going to head out while one of her classmate's daughters stays the weekend with the kids. It is going to be a nice getaway!

Ahhh... A quick and easy update - we hope all is going great with you and your family... take a look at the pictures, and as always – drop us a line if you get a chance!

I can't believe it. I can't believe it is actually over. I can't believe the 50 days of vacation this Summer have come to an end! Yup - that's right - Team Tolmoff is done with Hawaii - and we DID Hawaii! As I type this, I am on a plane headed for Guam, while Pam and the boys are headed back East for Ohio. Where to begin?

After we returned from our Road Trip, my boss wanted me to (immediately) get on a plane and travel with him down to Shreveport, LA to brief a 3 star general about the game plan to get the burned up B-2 out of Guam. So while the boys were relaxing and Pam was ass-deep in school work, I got a harsh dose of reality and had to dive back into work. The briefing went as well as it could, and then it was time to focus my sights on Hawaii with the family! Or was it?

No - Northrop changed things around, and mucked up our already-bought plane tickets. So now, instead of travelling with Pam and the boys to Hawaii, I had to travel out to Guam a few days early so I could be at the B-2 Flight Readiness Review. Nothing like flying 9000 miles to watch a powerpoint presentation! It was a little more than that, but not much - and no, I could not have done it by a VTC or telecon. I was going to be delayed getting into Hawaii by one day due to this meeting (Pam was going to get into Hawaii on Monday, and I would get there on Tuesday). But it turned out her first flight got cancelled! So we ended up landing in Hawaii within about 3 hours of each other... HA! Talk about lucky, eh?

We were going to be staying at Ross and Shelly's house on Hickam Air Force Base (at the mouth of Pearl Harbor). They were VERY gracious and hospitable to have all 5 of us muck up their lives (and schedules of their 3 year old and 10 month old). We tried to make as little of an impact as possible... I guess only they know for sure how well we did!

As I am an anal ass, I had a GREAT itinerary planned for the family. The first day was going to be a mellow drive around the island and check out the scenery. Our first stop (and one of my favorties), was Pali Lookout! The wind blows steadily at between 40 and 70 mph - the kids loved it! It was pretty cool since they had never seen wind that strong before... After Pali, we went to the Macadamia Nut farm and tried to get a tour, but the next one didn't leave for an hour and a half - we had to settle for a coconut that was opened by a fat guy with a tattoo (SHEEE SHEEEEEE!!! (Loosely translated means, "you give me $5, you get a coconut)). We also sampled about 20 different kinds of Macadamia nuts (yum!)

We also saw the Byodo-In temple - a replica of an ancient Japanese temple - very cool... After that, we hiked to the top of Waimea Falls, ate at Giovanni's Shrimp Shack on the North Shore, and then saw the giant Sea Turtles on Turtle Beach. We capped off the day with some FANTASTIC shaved-ice concoctions from Matsumoto's grocery. We then headed back to Ross's house, happy, but tired... And that was just the first day!

The next day we hit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial - very somber place and bizarre to see the oil still bubbling to the surface almost 70 years later. The boys were very well behaved and respectful to one of America's darkest days.

The following day, we went to Haunuma Bay! The boys had never been snorkeling before, so they were very excited. Ross had a bunch of extra snorkeling equipment, so we only had to buy one snorkeling set for me (which I will get to use in Guam, too). The boys were not as graceful snorkeling as they would like to have been, but they still had a good time. It was actually quite chilly (and very overcast), so the boys opted to just play on the beach while Pam and I played in the water - it was awesome!

The next day, Ross had rented a boat from the Marine Corps station Kaneohe Bay. Tons of fun cruising around the bay! We even beached the boat at a sand bar and played in the water. All of the boys found Red Sea Snakes (that were actually plants) - they wanted to chase Mommy around with them, but Mommy would have none of it! Max and I went for a longer snorkeling adventure, and we found a very cool reef with tons of very colorful fish - almost as cool as Haunuma Bay! We even drove the boat around the island where Gilligan's Island was filmed - Pretty cool... That night, we ate our weight in Sushi! Not a bad way to cap off the day!

The following day, we headed to the "Swap Meet" surrounding Aloha stadium - we bought 7 t-shirts for $20, and decked out all the boys in Aloha shirts and Hawaii hats. They were adorable... We also figured out that we all like Hawaiian Sweet bread... HA! After the shopping was done, we headed to the Hickam Beach and met up with Nick Guttman (from Pilot training) and his family. We caught up on old times and enjoyed watching all of our kids play with eachother... After that we headed over to the Sea Breeze restaurant (right on the beach) and enjoyed a seafood buffet to help CELEBRATE PAM'S BIRTHDAY! Shelly baked cupcakes (yummy) and decorated them with flowers picked off a tree in her back yard - very tropical! And Pam got the one thing that she really wanted - a "Tervis Tumbler" (google it) with a her name emblazoned on one side, and a Flying Elvis on the other... Needless to say, she was pretty happy with her hubby about that one...

The next day, we headed to the Polynesian Cultural center - I had been there as a kid and remember really enjoying it. The only problem that we had was that it was VERY hot that day, and all of the activities were out doors. It is a good thing we found another Shaved-Ice vendor to help cool things off! The kids liked the PCC, but it was certainly not the highlight of their trip - I can lead a child to culture, but I can't make them embrace it!

The next stop was the Dole Pineapple Plantation! We did the World's (2nd) Largest outdoor maze! And I am proud to report that Team Tolmoff did not fight or get lost - and we found all 8 of the hidden items in the maze... We celebrated our victory with a "Dole Whip" (a pineapple-y, ice cream-y concoction, ie, DELICIOUS). We also rode the Pineapple Express and now know more about pineapples than we ever thought possible... We spent more time goofing around with each other than actually listening to the tour, but either way was a success!

That night we went to the Paradise Cove Luau where Pam almost ran off with one of the pretty dancers. Which is fine, because the boys almost ran off with one of their own! The boys got to throw spears, bowl "Hawaiian style", watch a guy shimmy all the way to the top of a coconut tree, and they even got to get on stage and practice their best hula-moves. They were smiling from ear to ear!

Ross was then able to get some leave and bring the whole family out on some of our adventures. At his suggestion, we went to Bellows Air Force Base (I had never even heard of it) where they had a wicked beach - perfect for Boogie Boarding! According to Pam and the Boys, this was the highlight of the trip (and I can't disagree) - we had a great time boogie boarding, body surfing, and playing in the waves and the post-card worthy water... Just an awesome time that I will remember for ever - and I think the boys and Pam will as well... :)

The next day we were going to challenge ourselves with a "mildly challenging" hike to the top of Koko Head Park (a dormant volcano). After checking out the Blowhole (pretty cool), we gave the hike a go. The hike is straight up the side of the mountain - no turns or switchbacks. The trail is actually a world war II railroad. It was 1049 stairs (railroad ties) going up a total of 1250 feet! And Team Tolmoff did it in style - we earned the view and conquered Koko Head! Everyone that passed said, "Holy Crap, look at the kids!" The kids were very proud of themselves (as were we), but they were also pooped! And I think Pam's legs are probably STILL sore! HA! Ironically, this was on the one year anniversary of when I came home from Iraq with a broken foot, to meet my gimp-wife with a broken ankle. A lot has changed, eh? We took a bunch of great pictures to commemorate the journey to the top. To add insult to Pam's soreness, I googled Koko Head when we got back to Ross's house, and it said that it was "the most challenging hike in Oahu"! HAHA! Probably not something Pam would have sought out on her own...

The next day was our last full day in Hawaii. I had a "work" meeting that justified my whole trip out there (it was legit, albeit short), and then we went to the Hale Koa military resort - right on Waikiki Beach. The kids were loving it and had no desire to leave - even after we had been there for 5 hours! We played in the water (Dat's a Slip of Tongue!), went for a walk on the beach, and even went snorkeling again. Pam and I enjoyed a couple of umbrella-laden Mai-Tai's and toasted to the world's greatest family... An awesome way to end the tropical trip of a lifetime...

It was obvious that no one wanted the trip to end; a sure sign of a good time! I even drove down to the water and went snorkeling again before heading to the airport - just to get my needed fix! There was a small yellow fish that followed me for literally 45 minutes - he was my buddy! When I was getting out of the water, he was circling around my legs not wanting me to go... Very cool. I also saw an eel, and a 3.5' Big-Eyed fish - If only I had my spear gun...

After cleaning up the mess we made in Ross's house, we packed up and headed for the airport - and unfortunately to opposite ends of the world...

I forgot to mention - I was working every day in Hawaii - I was a slave to the Blackberry and keeping everyone up to speed with what was going on in with the plane in Guam. It was kind of ridiculous, but I made it work with as little impact as possible to the fam. Now I am stuck on Guam until the plane comes home! The plane already has missed 2 opportunities to fly (weather and parts). We will try again tomorrow! And it will be cool that I will be on the island to watch it fly for the first time...

That sums up a Summer like no other (unless you count Summer '09). HA! We hope all is going great with you and your family - take a look at the pictures, and as always – drop us a line if you get a chance!

Dude... It is a crime that we are having this much fun! We just wrapped up 36 days of another wildly successful Team Tolmoff family roadtrip... This last installment includes Pam's parent's house in MA, my parents in CT, Kris and Arin's in New Jersey, and then wrapping up our rumpus in our nation's capitol - Let's go!

We rolled into Worcester happy to actually be able to sleep indoors - up until that point, we had spent every night in the RV - nice to have some indoor plumbing! The boys had a GREAT time playing with Ryan and Angela - it turns out they had more in common than we knew! They played inside and out - they even came up with the idea of a "Dude and Game Ranch" - It was Mikey's old room - "Just a couple of dudes, hanging out playing games" - you had to be a dude AND have a game to enter - Grandpa Rossi found that out the hard way! It was really great to see the cousins get along so well together - it is not awesome that they don't get to see each other as often as they would like! Ryan and Angela are really great kids... Amazing how much they have grown!

One of the days we were planning on hitting Boston, but it was supposed to be 95+ degrees and high humidity on the day we were supposed to go - that was not our idea of a good time, so we just stuck near the house. We played a mean game of kickball with some of the neighbors, and we narrowly squeaked in a game of mini-golf in between raucous thunderstorms. We even got to see Liz and Rich, Jeff and Sue (and Ben and Jacqui) - but we didn't take ANY pictures that night! VERY unlike us - we were pissed when we figured it out. The night that Fetus and Marsha (and Poloma and Josephine) showed up, we remembered to break out the camera... Overall, another GREAT visit to Mass!

We did have one "eventful" thing happen to us while in Massachusetts - One night (~3:30 am), Pam got a phone call from the Worcester Police telling her to go outside and check out my car [which we were towing behind the RV]. Once a cruiser showed up, Pam went outside, and sure enough - someone had broken into my car - they stole the GPS, XM radio, ashtray change, spare RV keys, and a lighter - thank God the RV was getting it's starter looked at, otherwise we might have been out one RV! Well - the police caught the guy 2 streets away - because he set a car on fire... HA! When they questioned him (about 150' away from the still-burning car), he didn't have an answer as to why he was wandering the streets at 3 a.m. They asked him to empty his pockets, and lo and behold there was a GPS, change, a lighter, and an XM radio! Fortunately, we had Pam's phone number on the GPS, so the police were able to contact us right away. I got all my belongings back and was back in bed 33 minutes after I was awoken. Does my life rock, or what?

The next day, however, I couldn't get the key to turn in my ignition - It turned out the guy thought it would be a great idea to jam the RV key in my ignition and try and start it. In doing so, he knocked some of the tumblers loose and it had to be reset by a locksmith, so at the end of the day, I was out $100... Oh well - the price I pay for not locking my doors! Lesson = re-learned.

After MA, we shot down to CT to see my parents - it was an equally mellow couple of days (as NYC also got weathered out - 98+ degrees!). The first night we were there, my Mom got us front row seats to an off-Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - it was great! The actors were VERY close (and some even needed to brush their teeth... :) ) - It was very well done and we all enjoyed it very much...

The next day, we got to meet up with all the of the Tolmoff/Hassiak cousins (minus Oskar) - And this was less than 36 hours after Alexis had gotten off a plane from a year abroad in Germany! We went to the Candlewood Lake beach where I spent a sizable portion of my youth - we had a ton of fun playing in the water (That's a slip of tongue!) and diving off the board - I think I might STILL have water in my ear when I face-planted from a mis-placed flip... We even got to play another game of kickball with the Tolmoffs/Hassiaks - and my team won! Shocker... HA!

We got to see Joan and her two kids, and Jim, Liz, and their boy. Always great to catch up with old friends! They brought over a very nice bottle of wine. At least I think it was nice - I never got to try it. HA!

Jay from up the road recently moved back to CT - awesome to see him (and meet his fiancee, Stephanie, and his soon-to-be stepson, William). The boys all played in the pool and Jay fed us a righteous skoff of burgers and dogs - it looks like his life is shaping up nicely!

We headed down to see Kris and Arin in New Jersey after we left Connecticut - once again Kris fed us way too well (and we loved it!), and the boys got to beat up his Pyranees (aptly named, Max). Arin had to work late so we didn't get to hang out with her too long - but we did get to spend some time with her before we drove down to DC the next day. It always makes me happy that years and miles can separate us, but when ever good friends get together it is like nothing has ever changed...

We stayed at a wicked nice RV park down in DC - our last *sniff* stop before heading home! This place had everything - to include complimentary outdoor movies! It was too bad we were only staying there for 2 nights before heading out. The first day we went down to Arlington National Cemetery to watch the Changing of the Guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. It warmed our hearts to see the boys "get it." We walked around the grounds and let it sink in that all of these people had served America to help make it as great as it is. And it is up to the Tolmoff Boys to carry on the tradition of greatness and to pass America's excellence down to the next generation. There is not a question in my mind that they are up to the task!

The next day, we saw the Mall, the Washington Monument, the (new) WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, the White House, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. It was pretty hot that day, so that was all we could cram in. HA! We had a nice picnic by pone of the reflecting pools, and a brazen squirrel was even eating out of our hands - Max tried to pet it, but he got bit instead! That will learn him...

We headed back to the RV, and then took a refreshing dip in the pool and watched "RV" on the outdoor big-screen. With all of the shenanigans that I have been having with work while on this trip, the movie really hit home! After a good night sleep, I was behind the wheel and we drove the 482 miles in 8 hrs, 35 minutes (with one gas stop, and one pee stop). We have the world's best raod trippers! It was great to be home, but not so great to unload and clean the RV! I got the oil changed, and the clerk had me look at one of the inside, back tires of the RV - it was almost shredded! It had not popped (and disintegrated), but it was close! Awesome that we made it all the way home without incident... Team Tolmoff Rocks!

And last night, when all the work was done, I went to bed... And Pam took the boys to see Harry Potter 7, part 2! They loved it, but I think they were all sad that the series is over...

The trip rumbles on! I am writing this from a recliner in Worcester, Mass - home of the Rossi's! I can't believe there is less than 2 weeks left to our rumpus - and what a spectacular rumpus it has been! Let's get to it...

When we left Jay and Karen's house in Montreal, we hit Quebec City for a few days - I was a fat, bloated bastard after all of the great food and drink with the Freys, so I had a pennance to pay - to the tune of jumping on the bike and riding 25 miles up and down the hills (more like mountains, really), of Quebec City - I was a MESS by the time I got back. The next day we all headed into town to walk around QC - what a great city - very European feel to it. Unfortunately it was a little warm, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible - and maybe we even found an ice cream cone to help keep us cool! We saw a royal guard that the kids wouldn't attempt to make laugh (unlike me when I was their age - where I tried, and *succeeded* in making a Queen's guard laugh in England!), and took a ton of pictures of the city and the sights. It was really a great day - especially since the boys capped it off with a dip in the pool!

After QC, we were going to take 2 days to drive to Amherst, Nova Scotia - (a 520 mile trip). But as we got started, the team consensus was to just go for it and get us there a day early. Which we did! No issues whatsoever. The boys conserved their batteries on their games, napped when they wanted to, and didn't complain once... The campground that we were staying it was pretty sweet - they had a massive playground and a lake for fishing! As soon as we got out of the RV, we all decided to take a little bike ride around the park to stretch our legs - the dog was more than ready!

The next morning, I went for a run and a bikeride to scope things out for the fam. Our first stop once we all got motivated was to get a Donair. I remembered having them 18 years earlier when I was visiting Jay in Sackville, NB. So I got one for each family member - they were pretty nasty! They put a really sweet sauce on the sandwich that kind of turned everyone's stomach. Zander was a trooper who actually enjoyed it, but I ended up getting the other two a slice of pizza... HA! After lunch, we drove around Sackville trying to find the places that I had hung out with Jay the Canadian when I met him there back in (gulp) 1992. And I did have a degree of success! I found the house I stayed in, but one of the locals said that the pub we had frequented had been moved... Oh well - Max said, "Daddy sure is taking a nice little walk down memory lane, eh?", and Nikolai said that I was suffering from a bout of nostalgia...

We then headed for Prince Edward Island and stopped dead in our tracks when we saw the toll for the bridge was $43.25. YGBFSM! So we told the kids that if they wanted to do PEI, they were going to have to do it on their own at a later date... What we did find was an interpretive nature park (Cape Jourimain) that was perfect for what we were after - walking around, looking at lighthouses, and taking pictures of Dong flowers. The kids even got to dip a toe in the Atlantic and look for shells and try to catch fish with one of the nature-guide dudes. We then headed back for a swim at the RV park - the kids had a blast with the slide and Pam was a happy-snapper with the kids coming down the slide.

Since we were now a day ahead of schedule, we decided to spend that extra day down in Halifax - we drove down to Truro enroute to Halifax to watch the tidal bore. The Bay of Fundy is known for having the world's largest tides, and when they rush in all at once, it is called a tidal bore. We knew the time and the place, so we were going to eat sandwiches and watch the rush of water into the river. Everyone sat down to eat, and I was going to tie Luna to a tree. I had to unhook her leash to tie it to the tree, and the second I did, she took off like a shot for the river - never looking back. The only problem was that the river was not actually a river yet (as the water had not come in) - it was just mud. A lot of mud. Luna jumped in expecting to get a splash, instead she got a *squish*. She was covered in mud. She was not sure what to do, so she came back to two incredibly irate adults, and 3 very giggly children! I was at a loss. And then the tidal bore came while we were contemplating the fate of the world's muddiest dog before we got back in the RV. Pam ended up giving her a sponge bath in the parking lot - we told Zander that we would need his help and he said, "no problem" and whipped off his shirt, ready to get dirty... It is funny now, but not at the time! On a brighter note, Luna's coat has never been shinier... :)

When we made it down to Halifax, I went to get new tires put on the trailer (as they were unevenly wearing and I didn't want to blow a tire in the middle of nowhere enroute back to the States) while Pam and the boys played at the pool. Of course these were "special trailer" tires that cost $130 each! And in Canada, you have to pay them to install! Needless to say, I had not planned on blowing $340 on tires...

The next day was Canada day! And there was no better place to spend it... We started at a family picnic with jumpy houses and local food vendors, and 3.9 million people. We went to a restaurant and got the world's worst service - So we left there and went to the waterfront - gorgeous! We walked around the boardwalk a bit and then settled down in a little grassy park area - where we all just relaxed (and Max even fell asleep!) A little more sightseeing, some dinner, and then back to the RV. We did not stay for the fireworks downtown as it was going to be incredibly crowded, but as an added bonus, the RV park put on quite a display right out our back door! Or so I hear... Luna was not a fan to say the least!

My parents were supposed to fly in at noon on Canada day, but they got bumped off their flight, so they didn't get in until almost midnight. We met up with them the next morning and then hit the Halifax Royal International Tattoo. My mom had been to it a few years earlier and touted it as a "must see" - it was awesome! Since I had bought the tickets in January when they first went on sale, we had really good seats. It was 2.5 hours long, and the kids were enthralled! Canada is very proud of their military, and it showed... Pam even got a bit misty-eyed - ha!

After the tattoo, we walked around down at the harbourfront and then hit dinner - the boys stuffed themselves and learned that they like seafood chowder and crepes! We then headed home for the evening - pooped! The next morning we hit another tidal bore at the Shubenacadie river in South Maitland, NS - it was quite impressive how the incoming tidal rush literally reverses the flow of the river! My mom was loving it...

We parted ways (they were headed to PEI), and we were going to drive until I got tired, and then spend the 4th of July in Old Orchard Beach with Pam's Aunt Cathy and Uncle Butch - fortunately I did not get tired until we arrived at Old Orchard! Woo-hoo! A 600 mile drive in one shot - and we even made it back into the US without incident! The guard was laughing at our shenaniganry, however...

We had a BLAST in Old Orchard - the kids played with Theresa and Vern (Butch's parents), and tackled the best the Atlantic could throw at them on the boogie boards - they built sand castles, found shells, and even discovered what was making all of those squigglies in the sand! The dog was in heaven as we played with the chuck it in to the ocean. A perfect day - great hospitality, great location, great weather - a great 4th! Pam's parents even made the trip up for the day from Worcester - it was almost a surprise if it wasn't for Butch giving away the farm! And Pam's mom did it on no sleep...

After the 4th, we headed for Worcester with a quick stop in Derry, NH to visit with John Trainor and family - he was my ROTC Commandant of Cadets back at UMass - we have kept in touch with him and drop in whenever we are in the area - they fed us way too much and the kids got to play in the pool before we finally made it to Worcester... Ryan and Angela were already there and the kids were very excited to play - we also got to meet Mikey's girlfriend and even participate in the trivia game that he runs down at the local bar - We *almost* won! Damn you Soundgarden!

Here we sit in Montreal, hanging out with Team Frey! Great time with some great peeps... We have been BUSY! When we were still in Marquette, MI, we went fishing - and it rocked - Zander caught over a dozen fish! After Marquette we went to the Tahquamenon Falls enroute to Sault Ste Marie. Very cool place - the brown river was due to the Tannic acid in the river - not dirt. After the river tour, we went on a boat cruise over the Sault Ste Marie Locks (the Soo Locks) - interesting stuff... We then went South hit another tourist trap - the "Mystery Spot" - a place where gravity worked in mysterious ways (and it boggled Pam's mind!)... After a lunch of Pasties (think: beef pot pie), and jumped on a ferry to Mackinac Island and rode our bikes (with the dog) around the 8.2 mile loop. The dog was a trooper - and we got to dip our toes in great lake #4 - Lake Huron! The dog even got to run, splash, and play... One happy pup!

After Mackinac Island, we drove down to E. Lansing, MI to ride around Michigan State University (my parents and sisters alma-matter) - we took a couple of pix for the books and then headed down to Doris and Norm's in Coldwater. What a great day! We fished, went for a boat ride, and had some great conversation... The dog was loving the swimming, and we did our best to tucker her out...

After some "issues" at the border (no passports and no birth certificates), we headed for Toronto! Funny Zander story - we were talking to the immigration guy, and he was asking the boys questions (to make sure that we were not kidnapping them). Border guy - "What are you going to do while in Canada?" Zander - "We are going to see our friend." Border guy - "Oh - you have a friend in Canada? What is his name?" Zander - "Jay the Canadian." HAHAHA!!! Pretty funny...

In Toronto, we walked around downtown with the dog - Toronto is not the nicest city I've ever been to... We did get to dip our toes in the fifth and final great Lake - Lake Ontario! Woo-hoo! We also got to take a sailboat ride around the harbor, and the boys even got to help raise and lower the sails - and the dog was even invited! That was certainly the highlight of Toronto... The air conditioner started leaking in the RV, and I had to climb on the roof... And I fixed it! Very psyched...

After Toronto we hit Ottawa, but it rained non-stop, so we never got to run around Parliament hill. But the rain did let up long enough for us to get some squeaky cheese! Delicious...

Then we hit Montreal... Very cool to see the Freys and their kids - the boys are in their element, and it is funny to watch Jay and Karen's daughter (Katie) chase Nikolai around - she is smitten! We even played some kickball - Jay and I vs. the boys... I would say that the adults won, but I'd be lying! Lots of fun playing... And the beer was extra cold! The rain did let up enough for us to make a quick trip down to the Old Port - We got to eat some poutine (Cheese fries and gravy), and have a few massive Canadian beers! I can say for certain that Team Frey did not let us go hungry! I need a nap...

We are on our trip and loving life! I am writing this from Marquette, MI in the RV... Let me start at the beginning!

Pam and the boys all finished school the week that we were going to leave on our trip - it was a made race to keep all of the plates spinning for Pam juggling her homework, papers, projects, dental appointments, baseball and end of year activities for the boys - and of course she did it without so much as a hiccup! Maybe a B, but not a hiccup... Nikolai, Max, and Zander all have their appliances installed in their mouths - Max and Nikolai's only consist of a wire, but Zander has 1/2 of his mouth covered with plastic and metal. And this is only the prelude to the braces he will eventually get! It is funny to watch him eat as 3/4 of his food ends up stuck on the roof of his mouth - Pam has to dig at it to get it all free... They got the appliances put in on Friday, 10 Jun 11 while I was "working" at the golf course. Fortunately it rained (like a mother!) and the golf tournament was cancelled - that meant that we could load up the RV and head out a few hours early on Team Tolmoff's Summer Trip, 2011!

Luna was supposed to stay with our housekeeper for the entire time that we were gone, however Luna decided she liked to fight with the other dog, so we didn't force the issue. We also agreed that it would be mean to put Luna in a kennel for 36 days, so we opted to bring her with us. Not that we wanted to, more like we had to... So we loaded everyone up and hit the road - our first stop was Chicago! There were no RV parks within 40 miles of Chicago (no kidding - google it), so we stayed at a place 40 miles to the South called Emerald Trails, run by a racist named Zonda - a real bitch. Regardless, we were only going to be there for sleeping, so it didn't really matter how bad she was. The next morning, we were up and out early and dropped Luna off at a Kennel - we were planning on being in Chicago for 12+ hours, and it would have been mean to have the dog locked up in the cage in the RV for that amount of time. We dropped her off, took the Metra train in, and then our first stop was Dunkin' Donuts! Shocker...

We made our way to the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower), and the visibility was completely obscured by clouds. We bought tickets to save us time later in the day if it cleared up, and got back on the road (walking). We went to Portillo's for a world famous Chicago Hot Dog (and all the boys ate their dog's Chicago style - no ketchup, only diced tomatoes, onions, and spicy mustard). We were surprised, but they loved them! After lunch, we walked to the Navy Pier and took in the sights - Zander got called on stage for a street performer and he was happy as could be! We hit the world's worst "Fun house", and we also stopped by the USO on Navy Pier for a snack and a bit of relaxation...

When we got off Navy Pier, the clouds had lifted and we hoofed it back to the Sears Tower! After a short line, we were on top of the Western Hemisphere - it was awesome! We even called Grandpa T to wish him a happy birthday - he admitted that was a first! After the Sears Tower, we hit the Exchequer for some authentic Deep Dish Chicago Pizza... Yum! We were wiped out when we finally got back to the RV 13 hours later...

The next day was a bit more relaxed - We loaded up and hit Chicago's downtown parks (Millenium/Grant), saw the world's largest silver bean, caught a bit of the Jazz festival, photo-bombed the odd tourists, and took a lot of great pictures. We then headed to the El and rode the train down to Coniskey Park (now Cellular Field) to catch a White Sox/Oakland A's game - the tickets weren't cheap (nor was the beer), but we had a great time! After the game, we walked down MLK Blvd (in a *nice* neighborhood) to catch the train home. We were fortunate to be able to pick Luna up enroute to the RV so that we could head out early the next day...

On Monday, we hit the road for Milwaukee, but I had a surprise in store for the fam - we stopped at the Jelly Belly factory for a tour! It was a cute tour that was starting right as we arrived - the kids got a kick out of it, and loved all the free samples that we got. Too bad they couldn't eat them with their mouth appliances! They showed remarkable restraint by sucking on the jelly beans and never once biting into them...

When we got to Milwaukee, the team consensus was to go to a park (rather than a museum, zoo, or discovery center) - no problem here! It was PERFECT weather as we walked around Veteran's park (VERY nice), and had a great time talking and laughing with the kids - a snap shot I will forever remember from this trip... We then went to a brewery and sat on a patio (with the dog) for a couple of beers and some people watching. A great day!

The next morning we took a nice bike-ride and nearly killed the dog by having her run for about 10 miles while we rode bikes - after that we jumped on the road headed for Green Bay. The only reason we were even going to stop at Green Bay was because it was 1/2 way to our next destination - the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We had 2 plumbing issues in the RV that we needed someone to take a look at, so we called around and found an RV service shop who could take a look at it in Green Bay - we were in and out in 35 minutes which left us time to go hit Lambeau Field for a tour! It was a VERY cool tour - lots of history - the best part was walking out of the tunnel to the cheering masses...

The next morning, we were up and out early (while everyone slept), and made it all the way to the Yooper Tourist Trap before anyone woke up - pretty funny place - the kids got a kick out of the outhouses and the world's largest chainsaw and rifle - again, lots of pictures...

We touched down in Marquette, and went for an awesome bike ride along Lake Superior, and we even all got to dip our toes in the frigid water! That makes great lake # 3 out of 5 (only Huron and Ontario remain). I had to take a work telecon while we were in a huge park - pretty funny! We did a couple of geocaches, had some yummy ice cream, and played a bunch of baseball... We capped it off with a mountain of spaghetti and a movie - so far, so good!

We still have 30 days of road-tripping left - keep checking back! We hope that all is going great with you and your family – take a look at the pictures, and as always – drop us a line if you get a chance!

Easter?!? Where does the time go? I’ll tell you where it went! Team Tolmoff has been quite busy – hang on – it’s been a wild ride…

First of all, I did end up going on that long trip to California, then Hawaii, and then Guam – it was a good trip, but I was BEAT when I got back! In Palmdale (CA), I was able to meet up with the Rein’s for dinner one night – it is always great to see them! And then in Hawaii I was able to meet up with Ross and his family – we had a great time! Even got to see Nick Guttman – a guy that we both went to Pilot Training with 14 (gulp) years ago… We tore up the town after a promotion party – it made my head hurt! The next day we hit the Hale Koa hotel for a little swimming – a nice weekend after by 57 minute meeting… HA!

From there it was on to Guam – our job (I had a “travelling companion” – SMSgt Keith Sanders) was to evaluate the safety of the work being done by Northrop in the efforts to repair a burned up B-2 (from an engine fire back in Feb ’10). Northrop is fixing it, and I sign it off. Then it flies home in September – easy! We had our hands full meeting with all of the on-base agencies to ensure that everyone was doing their part to get the plane home…

We were only in Guam for about 60 hours before we had to turn around and fly home – that turned into a 35 hour day! Our delay out of Guam caused us to miss our Tokyo connection, and then we had to sit in Tokyo for 7 hours. Fortunately I was able to “sweet talk” our way to the United Red Carpet Club – free food and cocktails! Not a bad way to pass the 7 hours… Then we had to fly non-stop from Tokyo to Newark! Brutal… 14 hours, and then we had to hold before landing because ol’ Obama was in the air headed to Ground Zero to celebrate Bin Laden’s death (kick ass!). Then a 5 hour layover in Newark, and we headed home… I was a quivering heap by the time I rolled back home!

The worst part about the entire trip was that my body refused to get on an appropriate sleep schedule – every place I went, I would wake up at 3 in the morning. The bad part was that I had to be “on my game” at 0800, and was therefore exhausted by 1600! Regardless of when I went to sleep, though, I was up again at 0300… That part sucked… Makes me wonder how well I will be a UPS pilot if I can’t adjust my sleep on command.

The boys have been troopers in baseball this season! It has rained. A lot. A super lot. We went for weeks with rain, rain, and more rain. Pam and the boys almost got caught in a tornado and had to wait out a storm in the concession stand! That part has not been great, but when we play, the boys have had quite a good time… I am the assistant to the assistant coach. I have a ton of fun with the kids (as both of the other coaches are Grandfathers), and I chase them around and keep them laughing. We may have only won one game, but we are a fun team! Max has cracked the code on hitting, and Zander is coming around – Nikolai has still not gotten it this season – I’m not sure why, but it still just hasn’t happened… Maybe Grandpa Rossi can figure it out while on our road trip this summer ( J )?!?

This past weekend, we went to Cedar Point roller coaster amusement park in the RV! Pam and I were supposed to take the boys last August when I came home from Iraq, but several limb injuries precluded the trip. This debt felt GREAT to re-pay! It didn’t hurt that the weather was perfect, and the boys were extra adventurous… All 3 of them went on several double-black diamond (highest thrill rating) rides! Zander and Nikolai even came with me on the Millennium Force roller coaster – that one almost made ME sh*t my pants! Pam was brave, but not as brave as her 3 little ones! On the third day, we went to the Soak City water park – we had so much fun! Pam lubed the boys up really well with sunscreen, but they all still had a nice pink hue by the end of the day. Fortunately it all went away by the morning!

There was one casualty of the weekend, however - Pam's phone was in the camera bag, that Pam accidentally dropped while getting onto a ride - it went under the roller coaster's tracks and after a bit of searching, we found it... Unfortunately the screen was smashed! Not good... Fortunately we had insurance and she already has a new one in hand. Oh well - that's why you have insurance!

Pam took all 3 boys to the dentist a few weeks back…. Who promptly recommended that we contact an orthodontist – for all three boys! Suck… It turns out that Zander has a wicked underbite, Max a cross-bite, and Nikolai’s teeth spacing is messed up. It means lots of $ headed into the orthodontist’s grubby mitts in the next few years – to the tune of $16,000! And you can’t get “orthodontist” insurance… We just paid our first block of $4000. Ouch – didn’t need that! Hopefully the Doctor is able to make them all have gumpers like their old man – this may even help out Zander’s speech impediment – time will tell! The kids are excited now, but getting mildly annoyed with the rubber-bands – just wait until the wires and the train tracks show up!

Pam is still plugging away at school and doing great – she finally got her clinical going, but unfortunately it is overlapping with her midterms and finals (and baseball, and life, etc., etc.) – She is working with a Dr. that specializes in respiratory issues in children – makes us extra happy that our kids are healthy! Asthma and other related breathing difficulties would be no fun whatsoever…

The kids have had all of their Spring Concerts – and they did GREAT! Max was first, and he even had a speaking line – then went Zander with “The Cheese Stands Alone” – Cute! Then it was Nikolai’s turn – he volunteered (and was selected) for the Select Choir – he showed up early to school 2 days a week for the last 2+ months prepping for the show. He was a Knight in Shining Armor! He did a great job and was very proud of himself…

Zander had a great birthday party with the associated sleepover – it seems that every morning there are more and more kids sleeping over at our house! Oh well – the kids love it, so I guess we do as well! I can’t believe that our baby is now 7! The same age Nikolai was when we did our 50 day road trip in 2009 – crazy! Time is zipping by, but we are making the most of every day that we possibly can…

I also got to go fishing a few weeks ago with the same guys that I went to Alaska with in 2007 - it turns out that we all live 3 hours from each other - pretty sweet! Rob Milnes is the one who set it up - we were going for Walleye on Lake Erie. There was even on-site lodging (a trailer) for $25/nt per person. Well worth it when you consider all we had to do was walk across the street! We did have some Holligan neighbors that were taking Oxy like it was going out of style, but everything else was fine. It was forecast for some NASTY weather the whole time we were there, but after a little drizzle, it just settled in to a dense fog (less than 1/4 mile visibility). But the fish were biting! Apparently they had a pretty slow Spring, but things turned around the day we got there... The luck of the Tolmoff! We didn't limit-out, but we brought home a respectable 19 on the first day. The second day I graciously bowed out from as it was going to be high-seas, heavy wind and rain - turned out the boats didn't even go and we got our money back! We got home early but have already booked for next year! Great time...

In 7 days we hit the road for the big road trip for 2011! It is hard to believe that the time is already upon us… I can’t wait! I am much ready for some legitimate “down time”… Going to have to re-teach myself how to relax!

I am also broaching a cross-road for the career as well – what do I want to do when I grow up? Do I want to be a Commander? Or just ride out the next few years and retire in prep for a new career? Decisions, decisions… As long as I have Team Tolmoff by my side, whatever decision I make will be the right one!

Wow – that is a big update… And the next time we update, we’ll be on the road-trip! We hope that all is going great with you and your family – take a look at the pictures, and as always – drop us a line if you get a chance!

We have had a great past week - Terri and Ashley drove out from New York for a quick visit during Spring break. It was a good chance for Ashley to practice driving with her shiny new learner's permit, as well as some time to spend with us, as well as a friend (a boy!) that Ashley made here while tending to Pam's shattered ankle last Summer. We had an awesome time! We went for a walk every day (all 7 of us), played freeze tag, went to the Boonshoft kids science museum, a playground, saw the movie "Hop", dyed Easter eggs, and even scarfed down some Waffle House waffles... It was quite busy, but very enjoyable... Wish we lived closer!

The kids also had a wicked scavenger hunt to find their Easter baskets - The Easter Bunny even froze one of their clues in the deep freezer - it took the boys about 10 minutes to fiugre out how to thaw out the frozen plastic egg (after Pam and I steered them away from smashing the frozen egg on the concrete floor). They eventually prevailed and got all sorts of goodies. Whoodathunk that Easter would rival Christmas in the "presents" department?!?

Pam took all 3 kids to the dentist last week - no cavities for any of them! It looks like 2 out of 3 may need braces, but all 3 will end up with a visit to the orthodontist... Not going to be easy on the wallet, that is for sure!

Pam applied for a scholarship through the Air Force Association - wish her luck! That would be awesome if she got it...

I go on another World Tour starting tomorrow - LA, then Hawaii, and then to Guam and back - all in less than 2 weeks! It is going to be a lot of time on a plane... Ugh!

Unbelievable-another month has gone by! Nikolai just said, “it doesn’t get much better than this – sitting around, wearing a panda hat, and playing video games.” My sentiments exactly…

I just returned from a two week trip around the country-I had to take a class in Long Beach California, visit Mattie B in Phoenix, go to a meeting in Oklahoma City, and finally talk about some mission planning issues in Hanscom air force base, Massachusetts. I never turn down a free trip back to the East Coast! As always, I was able to see lots of friends along the way. I’m very fortunate to have a job that enables me to do that! Even if it does mean that I get cut off from a bar in Boston… Still not sure how that happened!

Pam is still licking her wounds from getting her first B in pharmacology. It happens to the best of us! She has recovered stronger than ever, and is even working on getting a $2,500 scholarship from the Air Force Association for the spouses of America – I really hope she gets it-and there are few more qualified than her! She is having difficulty right now getting placed in a clinical environment for an 88 hour clinical requirement. It is absolutely not her fault-it is the school’s issue, but needless to say it is offering unneeded stress. Hopefully we will find something out this week!

Pam was even featured during a research symposium at her school! She had to draft up a research abstract, and present it to her peers. Way to go, Pam!

Nikolai has been having a rough couple of weeks. He came to the painful realization yesterday that his “best friend” is kind of a douche-this kid turned in Nikolai to the teacher for doing something stupid, and resulted in a one day in school suspension. Certainly not like our Nikolai, but overall I think it was a good thing to learn who his friends are and who is friends aren’t. Hopefully we will not be getting any more calls from the principal!

Max had his spring musical a few weeks back and he even had one of the very few speaking lines! He got behind the microphone, said it loud, said it proud, and said “a bad day of fishing, is still better than a good day at school!” He is doing absolutely wonderfully in school, and he even got selected for gifted testing-we do not have the results yet, but we know that he is a very special boy!

We’ve even discovered that Zander has quite a few gifted tendencies-we found that he was finishing his work, and then bothering all of the other students. Quite the little cut up! Ahhh, I remember those times well… Ha!

We had a chance to go out to Indianapolis for our first RV trip of the year! Daisy worked like a champ... We had friends watch the dog and we were able to meet up with Jeff Carter and hit the Indy Zoo and the Children's museum - we all had a blast! It was a little bit cold, but PERFECT for Team Tolmoff to go on an RV trip! We can't wait to do it again this summer!

My training for the half marathon is still going quite well, despite the fact that I tried to derail myself every time I go on the road! Pam has taken a little bit of a hiatus from training, but she intends to get back on its starting today. We can’t believe that we will be on our big summer trip in less than two months! We are very excited, but there is quite a bit to do between now and then. We still have an entire baseball season to play! Of course, it never looks like we will get to play any baseball, because the weather is always raining here in Ohio!

In a bout a week, I will be heading out to California, then to Hawaii, and then onto Guam for a few days-I am going to be a gov’t flight representative for the recovery of a broken airplane in Guam-it is more of an interesting job than I normally get to do, the only unfortunate part is that I will be traveling for a long time. It still looks like the summer vacation should be able to go off without a hitch, however the timing might interrupt our marathon in September. That will be very unfortunate, but at least I will be in shape to run a half marathon by then… Ha!

A few weeks ago I got a Motorola Xoom-it is kind of like an iPad, but it is the android version. It is very cool! There are still a few things they need to work on, but I can see tablet computing being the way of the future…

Our Warrensburg, Missouri house just add a new roof put on it! Normally I would not be excited for such a thing, however this was due to hail damage. That means the insurance covered the entire thing (minus the deductible). If you were going to need your roof replaced (which we did) having insurance pay for it is the best way to do it!

Happy Birthday to Max! I can't believe that we are the proud owner of an 8 year old!!! He is soooo excited... Yesterday we had a fun birthday party for him at the bowling alley - he had a few friends come from school (Sora, Natalie, Katelynn, Devin, Emily, and Erin), in addition to the brothers - just like herding cats! We had pizza and soda at the bowling alley, and then returned back to our house for cake and ice cream. Pam and I were able to visit Max's school on Friday to deliver cupcakes to his class - the class all sang him Happy Birthday, and he couldn't have been more embarrassed... Very cute!

The boys tested for their yellow-white belts in Tae Kwon Do! They did very well - they studied diligently running over the mental and physical aspects of Tae Kwon Do... Success comes to those who work for it!

Pam has been running! She has been well into her dieting/exercise commitment since New Years, and beginning in March, I have her running a little bit every day in the works to get her running a mile without stopping by the end of March, 2 by April, and 3 by May! Despite what she thinks, she is well on her way...

Pam has also been psycho with this semester's classes - she is taking Pharmacology and Assessment - she had to give the boys a filmed once over for a class - Nikolai and Max were super-troopers. We will even be taking them to her finals where other people in her class will "assess" - and they each get $20 for it! Pretty sweet deal... We will know by next update if Pam was able to maintain the 4.0 - wish her luck!

Nikolai made the Special Choir! He is very psyched - the only bad thing is that the rehearsals are before school - which translates to Pam having to get up even earlier... Oh well - it is only for 2 months... He also did the math pentathlon with his gifted class and he got second place! The kid is wicked smart...

The boys had their baseball tryouts, and they did great - all of them caught and hit without many issues - they will all be on the same team again this year - the next 3 months are going to be busy! Baseball will replace swimming, but we are going to do our best to keep them in Tae Kwon Do.

The battery of the RV had died some time in January, so I had not started it since November. I got a new battery, and it fired right up! We have a trip planned this coming weekend to Indianapolis - the zoo, Children's Science Center, and the City Market are all on our to do list. Jeff Carter will be in for about 12 days on business, but it looks like he will be able to join us for the trip - gonna be fun! Hopefully the first trip after the winter does not yield too many issues!

Another few weeks passed… It seems time is just screaming by! I have to be totally honest when I tell you I had a mini-panic attack yesterday – I was upgrading Nikolai’s computer – adding/removing software, and overall just performing a routine “tune-up”. Not a big deal, right? Well – all of the programs that I took off his computer, he was now “too old” for – Reader Rabbit, Elmo, Disney, Mickey Mouse… It hit me really hard… I got up to walk around a little bit, and I started looking at the pictures that he had hanging in his room – a collage when we went to Disney in Nov ’07, and pix of Nikolai and Max when they were 1 and 2 years old… I suddenly felt very old! We have really had a great time every step of the way, but it is just bizarre to think that those days are behind us. Granted there are many more great days in front of us, but they will all be different from the ones that we have had so much fun with in the past. Not that it is a bad thing, it is just different, and I had not really processed it like this before…

Alright – enough of the sensi-talk… We bought a new Washer and Dryer! I used my realization that boys are getting older and needed to see things like price-comparison and haggling, so I took them out on an adventure (with the lure of ice cream for a job well done). After we set a budget, we went to 3 different places and compared features, price, service, delivery, etc. When we found one that we liked (at the first place), they were ready to buy – at the end of the day, we found a washer/dryer set that had better specifications, reviews, and were $300 cheaper than the first ones we found! When I told them that we could buy another iPod with the money we saved, they were hooked! And then we celebrated with ice cream and milk shakes… Life was grand!

1.5 weeks ago, we surprised Pam with an early Valentine’s Day! In addition to the (small) box of chocolates (that the kids ate), new sheets, balloons, and some home-made goodies, we took her to Columbus for a Team Tolmoff family fun weekend at Fort Rapids Hotel and Water Park in Columbus, OH. It was a GREAT time! Besides the hotel being a little ghetto, we all had a great time. Max was even fearless by going down the Devil’s Punchbowl and all of the other slides… After a few hours at the waterpark on Saturday, we went to the COSI Skid’s Science Center – we all had a blast… Then we went to KDB, a “Game Works/Dave and Buster’s” type place – we had a nice dinner, and then settled down to 3 hours of high-end video games… Needless to say, the kids loved it – and they were pooped when we got back to the hotel!

On Sunday, we saw a play, The K of D, at a local high school before making it back to Fairborn (and pick up the dog at the Kennel). It was a slightly dark-drama play. Nikolai understood most of the content, but it went right over the other’s heads…

This past weekend we went to a “Tech-Fest” – basically a college had a bunch of booths that had different things relating to Science and Technology. The boys each got ride a Segway, they made a small bat out of a small aluminum rod, saw a dissected shark, flew a flight simulator, and many other fun little technology projects… A great way to spend an afternoon!

Pam has still been a trooper with not only school (still a 4.0!), but also with her exercise and dieting… Things have slowed off of the first month’s pace, but she is sticking with the program. She is getting to ready to enter the last 3 weeks of Hell as this term’s classes culminate. Hopefully she’ll be able to keep the 4.0 reign of awesome-ness!

Team Tolmoff continues to keep very busy – but we are (as always) having a blast and taking advantage of every day… We hope that you and your families are all doing great - take care and drop us a line when you get a chance - and as always, check out the latest pictures!

We're Back!!! Wicked busy - lots of work trips... So far this month, I have been in Vegas for a week, California for a week, and DC for a few days - crazy busy... But having fun as always!

First - Congrats to Nikolai! He competed in the District Spelling Bee for the Fairborn schools - and he took third place! Considering that at his age he is supposed to be a third grader, and there were 8th graders in the competition! Pam said that he was a stalwart of confidence as he took the mic... The word that knocked him out in the 4th round was "legalese"... I bet he never mis-spells it again! We are very proud of him - quite an accomplishment!

Pam has been doing SPECTACULAR with her diet and exercise! It really does look like 2011 is shaping up to be her year... I have been running like a champ in spite of the cold weather - can't let myself get soft while my hard-body wife takes center stage! I am already looking forward to it warming up so that I can ride my bike again. Fortunately many of the places that I have travelled to have been warm enough for me to run outside.

Pam is still cruising through school and doing very well! She wants to make sure that she ties my GPA from my grad school (seeing that she can't beat it... :) ) - She is well on her way!

Max and Zander are both doing great - we just signed up all three boys for baseball for this Spring - I am so excited that I will actually be around to see them play this year! We even worked it so Nikolai would be able to play on the same team as his brothers - otherwise we would have been doing baseball 6 days a week! I even signed up to be an assistant coach - and Pam is going to be the team Mom! OLFR!

The kids have been growing like weeds, and they love to wrestle (when I can wrestle them away from their video games). If they ever figure out to all attack me at the same time, they might actually be able to beat me! As it stands right now, it is like a bad kung-fu movie - they will attack me one at a time while the other two watch. Pretty funny stuff!

Pam got a new computer the other day - our first one with a solid-state hard drive! Hopefully we can get 4-5 years out of it... As for me, I have my eye on an iPad - it will be a while (long while) before I get one, but it was pretty damned cool to play with...

That is about the extent of things with us - nothing too exciting - just busy! I can't believe it is almost February... The Summer Trip 2011 will be hear before we know it... Gonna be a blast!

The year is off to a rockin' start! Pam has been working out like a champ and she is taking the marathon training seriously... We are going to do great! We have taken a few pictures over the last couple of weeks, but not enough to warrant a whole update. I will be travelling for the next 2 weeks, so I'll have a bigger update then! Hopefully all is going great with you and your families! Take care...

Happy New Year! 2011 already... Wow... We had a truly exceptional holiday season and we are sad to see it go! Pam and I have made a New Year's resolution to get in shape well enough to run a half-marathon in September! We are both very excited and are looking forward to having the world's greatest boys cheer us on...

Last night we went over to a friend of our's house and rang in the New Year in style! There were a lot of people that I worked with and we had a great time - they even had a Kinect - that is the new motion-based video gaming system that doesn't require any sort of physical controller. Needless to say, the kids were uber-enamored... The next couple of weeks are going to be quite busy as the kids and Pam return back to school, and I have to hit the travelling work-circuit again... But needless to say, it will be interesting! We hope that you and your families are all doing great - take care and drop us a line when you get a chance - and as always, check out the latest pictures!

		*2011 in Review...*

01/01/12