The Year In Review...
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2012 The Year In Review... |
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01/05/13 |
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14 Dec 12 Holy crap I can't believe next week is Christmas! And it is even more surprising to me that Thanksgiving was already three weeks ago… We have been operating at full throttle throughout this holiday season, and loving every minute of it! I am just about done with my instructor pilot upgrade in the T-38, and I have my check ride on Wednesday. I actually busted one of my formation rides, but I made up for it by excelling in the rest of the program and they proficiency advanced me three full flights! Very happy, but I will be even more happy once it's finally over. Happy Birthday to Nikolai! Our big man is now 11... Holy
cow... We have enjoyed every minute with him. Pam once again
outdid herself with a Minecraft cake! Bu the biggest gift that he got
for his birthday was an eye exam! And from that eye exam, he got
CONTACT LENSES! He looks like a grown up without his glasses on - he
has a prominent chin - wonder where he gets that from? He is going to
be the object of many young lass's affections... For our anniversary in October, Pam surprised me with floor seats to Trans-Siberian Orchestra! We had been a few times when we lived here before, and then we saw the "other team" when we were in Ohio - not nearly as good as the original... It was a SPECTACULAR show! 15 years has never been so good...
23 Nov 12 Happy Thanksgiving! OMG, I can't believe that it is already the end of November… And you know what that means – Nikolai turns 11 tomorrow! Holy crap! I can't believe that just 11 short years ago our boys started to enter the world and make our life infinitely better…
The kids had their first swim meet last week in Columbia – we took the RV
out for our final trip of the season… The boys did great! There were over
1000 swimmers, so it was kind of a madhouse – but given how many people were
there it actually ran quite smooth. The boys each braced three different
races, and all three of them got disqualified on the butterfly stroke (for
having their feet come apart during swimming). But we are not concerned at
all. They got their confidence up on how these races are run, and it is
really honing their practices so that the next time they have a swim meet,
they will kick some ass! Halloween was a blast for the kids (and I missed it... :(
) Nikolai went as a Ghostbuster, Zander was the Stay-Puft
Marshmallow, and Max was a Penguin! The boys and Pam met up with the
Minors and had quite a haul in the candy department - not as much as last
year, but still not too shabby! 22 Oct 12 Happy Birthday to Ryan! Can't believe the little man is 11 already... We had a GREAT visit with Pam's Mom and Dad - and Ryan, too! This was the first time that the boys got to spend some serious time with their cousin - even though they live thousands of miles apart, they had little challenge finding topics they shared in common - video games! The boys hid down in the dude-ranch almost the entire time... Ryan now has his super-dose of minecraft! We did manage to go out to the zoo for a day - PERFECT weather! We had a really nice time - the KC zoo is one of the best... We also went to Whiteman AFB where I organized a tour for the Rossi's and our family - if not for a paperwork SNAFU, Pam would have even made it out to see the B-2 - HA! Seriously, though - she did get stranded at the entry control point because the numbers didn't match up perfectly... We got a bunch of great pix, and all of the boys even got to fly the Sim! I'm sad to report, however, that all of them CRASHED the sim, too! They all had a blast... Pam just wrapped up the "Ultimate Body Reset" - she lost 15.4 lbs in 3 weeks! A very strict (but overall healthy) diet - well done! She is now determined to finish off her weightloss and get back to her college weight... The boys and I raked a lot of leaves yesterday, and I'm paying for it! Almost forgot - I rode my bike 221 miles last week, including a 127 mile ride along the Katy Trail from Clinton, MO to Jefferson City, MO. I rode with a guy named Ben Huseman - unfortunately I had to leave him behind and catch the train... One of the tougher physical undertakings I have accomplished! A quick and dirty update - We hope that all is going well with you – drop us a line whenever you get a chance, and as always check out the pictures! 8 Oct 12 I have been very bad! It has been over a month since our last update… And what a busy month it has been! First off, congratulations to Pam for finishing her second half marathon! Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) I was unable to join her while she traveled out to Ohio for her second running of the USAF half marathon. And where was I, you may ask? Well, in the spirit of being the luckiest guy in the history of the Air Force, Whiteman thought that it was in my best interest to fly out to Germany to lead a communications test – 12 days in Germany in September – perfect weather, awesome scenery, and the best beer I've ever had… We missed Oktoberfest by only a week, but I'm not sure that I would've been able to handle it even if I did get to enjoy it. :-) The perfect ending to the perfect trip was upgrading to first class for the ten-hour flight home – we were on a 777 that have completely lay flat beds, and the time really flew by. I had a magic wine glass that kept refilling itself every time I open my eyes – pretty neat! Pam got to spend time with our friends from our old stomping grounds -
wish I could have been there for that, but I won't say that I missed the
13.1 mile run... Pam and I got iPhone 5s! We are far from "Apple Fan Boys", but
Apple does make a pretty kick ass product... We are loving them so
far! 1 Sep 12 Another fantastic couple of weeks! All three kids are back in school and
they are off to the best start yet… Nikolai Is really doing awesome in sixth
grade, and the Warrensburg schools are even better than we remember them.
Hard to believe they have already been in school for two weeks, while the
rest of the nation is just getting underway. Max and Zander are the best of
friends, and last night at dinner Max said that the best thing about Zander
was that he was always around whenever Max needed to talk to him. Made mommy
and I beamed with pride! This weekend we were supposed to go to Silver Dollar City for an RV weekend, but the remnants of Hurricane Isaac had different plans for us - we opted to stay home this weekend and try again at a different time. Last night we had the very first Team Tolmoff Decathlon! Pam was the judge and all the boys participated in 10 different events designed to test their mind and body... We had a blast! The winner got to choose the dessert, and the runner up got to pick what movie we watched - Team Tolmoff rocks! Lots of fun stuff going on with team Tolmoff! We hope that all is going well with you – drop us a line whenever you get a chance, and as always check out the pictures! 8 Aug 12 What a last few weeks! As a surprise "Happy Birthday" to Pam, my parents brought out Ashley to Missouri to come hang out with us... They have been here for the last 10 days and we have had an absolute blast... It has been great hanging out and watching the Olympics with everyone. The boys are great little patriots! Not to mention all the fun that they have been having with their cousin and their grandparents...
15 Jul 12 We made it to Missouri! And what a long, strange trip it has been… I
pushed out early so that I could drive the RV over the course of two days
while stopping in St. Louis to see my friend, Glen. Pam was going to stay
back with the kids for one extra night so that they could play in their
All-Star game. Unfortunately severe weather precluded the game from being
played - and this was not any ordinary "severe" weather – apparently the
winds were blowing at over 80 miles an hour, and it knocked out power to the
town for several days. Fortunately Pam and the boys (and the house we were
leaving) were unscathed. Here we are almost 3 weeks later, and I still don't
think that game has been played due to crazy weather and excessive heat! We hope that all is going well with you – drop us a line whenever you get a chance, and as always check out the pictures! 23 Jun 12 Another month goes by, and more adventures had by team Tolmoff! We have really been living it up for our last few weeks in Ohio. First of all, congratulations to Pam as she finished her masters degree! Woo hoo! We are all very proud of her, and we celebrated for three days. She ended up with a 3.87 grade-point average! Unbelievable. The night she graduated, we went out to McCormick and Schmick's seafood restaurant with her friend Cassie and daughter Sara. They even had personalized menus made for the occasion! The kids were on their best behavior and they really enjoyed playing dress-up to help mommy celebrate her success. The weekend before her graduation, she had to study for finals so I took the boys down to a campground near Cincinnati and we went to Kings Island amusement park and a water park. The kids absolutely loved it! We ended up with a fast pass so that we could go right to the front of the lines as I did not think that all of the kids would want to go on all the rides, nor did I want to leave one of the kids by themselves for an hour while we waited in line for a ride. It allowed us to split up the operation, and the boys did great. We also just wrapped up the baseball season, and Zander, Max, and Tyler were the three kids chosen from their team to rep present on the All-Star team! They were so excited, and we are all very proud of them! Way to go, boys! Pam got a ton of great pictures from their last game. We had a wicked Father's Day here - I got a World's Greatest Dad shirt and hat! That must make it true... Also got a new Tervis Tumbler with my boys on it! We went fishing and hit a bucket of balls on the driving range - a perfect day! They are the best... Yesterday was my last day of work, and the movers come on Monday to start packing us out. We have been going through all of our things and getting rid of anything that we don't need. Lots of old toys and outgrown clothes, I'll tell you what! The people in my office did a fantastic job for my farewell, and they even made a video called "Puddy's Office". It was tremendously funny, and based on the TV show " The Office". I was doubled over laughing it was so funny. I guess you never really realize your nuances until somebody points them out to you. Ha! Their words were too kind, and their gifts were overly generous. After the "formal" farewell, we all went to the officers club and drank way too much beer. The president of the Little League baseball league even came! He is not feeling too well this morning, I guarantee it. Lat Monday I took the day off and took the boys canoeing while Pam cleaned out closets in preparation for our move. I think I got the better end of the deal... :) There was some shenaniganry about getting my orders to Whiteman that put our move date in jeopardy. What a pain in the butt, and stress we did not need! We were able to prevail and get the dates that we wanted even though we got them on short notice. Then we found out we might not even go to Whiteman at all! But that got resolved, and we should be there in a week. We are going to swing up to Omaha for a couple days and spend the Fourth of July with Heidi and her family. It should be a great time! I can't believe that this is our last update from Ohio, in the next top my post we should be in Missouri! Time is flying by, and I can't believe that I've been in the Air Force for 17 years. We hope that all is going well with you – drop us a line whenever you get a chance, and as always check out the pictures! 21 May 2012 First things first - Happy Birthday to Zander! I think that he got every single one of the Skylanders that we did not have. And Tyler also slept over - just like every weekend! One happy little 8 year old... Ding, dong, the house is dead! Yes! We sold the house!!! So excited... The house finally closed on 20 April, not without a LOT of drama and shenanigans up to the 11th hour. As I mentioned before, the RICHARD that rented the house from us decided that he would tear out the copper piping inside our utility room and thereby flood the entire basement upon his farewell - thanks a pantload! We had to get all of that fixed up and cleaned before the new owners did their final walk through. The new owners did not walk through until the day prior to the closing, and then they called me (through my agent) 12 minutes prior to the closing appointment to let me know that the septic grinder was not working, and that they wanted to get it inspected prior to closing (which, again, was 12 minutes away). The title agency did not have any other appointments for that day, so it was going to have to sit through the entire weekend without closing. Or (they gave me the option), I could agree to pay $500 should it need to be repaired and we could close right now. As it was a "verbal agreement" (ie, not legally binding), I jumped on it - better to get the thing closed... And close we did! And all was well, until I got the bill for $500... As I have a conscious, I paid the charge... Oh well - It is done! I am sleeping much better that the house is no longer our concern... And the very next week, I went house hunting back to Warrensburg to see where Team Tolmoff would live for the next 3 years! Pam had to do clinical and the kids had school, so they could not join me... I looked at about 7 houses, and I found a PERFECT house for Team Tolmoff! As an indicator at how depressed the housing market is in that neck of the woods, we are renting a 4800 square foot house (on 3 acres), for $1400/month! Absolutely unbelievable... Lots of pictures attached... I also got to go up to Omaha for a few days and spend time with Heidi Keeler and her family - always great to see them! When we move out to Missouri, we are going to spend a few days with them over the 4th of July - the kids are going to have a blast. I even got to see Rob Brogan the day after he got married (coincidentally also in Omaha!) When I got back to Ohio, Pam showed me the pictures and videos of Zander's school play! He did awesome... I hated that I missed the play, but unfortunately that was the only time that I could go out and find us a place... The boys are doing great at baseball! We have only lost 2 games, but Max and Zander are really going above and beyond - they are always paying attention and giving it their all... If everyone on the team played with the same intensity that the Tolmoff boys did, we would be undefeated... Last weekend, I went Walleye fishing in Lake Erie with a few guys I work with as well as the guys I went to Alaska with - great time! We limited out both days - lots of fillets for Team Tolmoff - some great pictures... Pam is still ROCKING at school! She has less than 3 weeks until she graduates! She has been plugging away at clinicals and should be wrapping up finals the first week in June. Needless to say, there is going to be a helluva celebration when she finishes! This past weekend, Team Tolmoff went for a family fun run during the military America Kids Run - I ran a 5K, and Zander ran the entire last mile with me without stopping - a great job by all of us! Yesterday, I rode the Huffman Spring Classic - 68 miles! I rode with an awesome group of guys called the Wright Patt Victory Riders - and we averaged 18.4 mph! Not too shabby - they had snacks, drinks, and lunch all along the way. My first "organized" ride - but definitely not my last! I can't believe that we will be moving in less than 6 weeks! And I also can't believe the kids will be done with school in 2 - wow! Max and Zander had a water main break in their school today, so it is closed - free day off! Helping me to get to all of the things I have not had time for... Like updating the website! We hope that all is going great for you and your families... Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 14 Apr 12 Another Awesome Trip! After my sister and her family left, we had a few days to relax before packing up the RV for the first trip of the season! The weather was absolutely perfect and we took major advantage of it... Pam still had to do her clinicals, so I took the boys with me to work one afternoon - Nikolai immediately got to my desk and put his feet on the desk and said, "I'm Daddy - I'm slacking off!" Glad to know what he thinks of his old man's bacon-home-bringing ability! Of course everyone at work absolutely adored them - they were very well behaved, and well fed by all the people who wanted to give them candy! We left early to go play dodgeball in the "Old Pistols vs. Young Guns" competition at the gym - I am on the "Old Pistols" team, and we SMOKED the young 'ins! The boys learned that me claiming that I am all-state dodgeball is not just me blowing smoke - they were quite impressed with my dodgeball prowess... The next day we packed up the RV and headed to another Ohio State Park that was about 60 miles away - Hueston Woods. We counted and this was our 10th RV trip (in addition to the 50 day road trip and the 35 day road trip) since we moved - we have certainly gotten our money out of this RV! When we pulled into the RV park, the clientele was not too "upscale" - Yes, even for a trailer park... We decided to stick it out, and are we glad we did! In the morning, we all got on our bikes and rode around Acton Lake (in the park) to the Hueston Woods Lodge - the weather was absolutely perfect and we all had a great time riding - except Pam... She is not such a fan... But she even gutted it out! At the lodge, we were introduced to Disc Golf, played video games in the arcade, had a picnic by the lake, played frisbee, and even tried to go paintballing (and we would have if the paintball clerk had any work ethic!) - what a great day... We rode around the rest of the lake and settled into the RV for some yummy dinner and home made cookies while we watched "The Other Guys" (great movie)... Nikolai even lost a tooth! The boys were very concerned that the Tooth Fairy would not be able to find us - not to mention, the Easter Bunny, because... The next morning was EASTER! And - Believe it or not - the Easter Bunny found us! And so did the tooth fairy! Simply amazing how those things work... The boys had a scavenger hunt in and around the RV, and they even had an Easter Egg Hunt outside the RV! They did great, and the Easter Bunny was MORE than generous with all of the Skylanders that Mommy could never find... (And when we returned back home, Hop was waiting for us, too! Thanks, Rossis!) That afternoon we went fishing and also to 2 nature programs put on by the Park Rangers - one about Predator birds, and one about reptiles... The kids loved them! Always great to get the kids a little edumacation. As for the fishing - I caught the first fish of the season! Not a huge one - just a little bluegill, but it still counted... We saw a water snake, and Max even caught a Northern HogSucker (look it up)! Zander didn't give up (even with some equipment malfunctions) and he reeled in a pair of fish as well... Pam was able to finish some school work, and Nikolai was at her side whenever she scouted out the wifi (as there was ZERO coverage at the park). We returned home the next day, tired and triumphant - just in time for Max to come down with a stomach bug to keep him out of school for 2 days! Fortunately Pam did not have clinical, so it didn't disrupt the entire household... He finally rallied and is back to his normal self. In theory, we close on our MO house on Friday, 20 Apr! Absolutely can't wait - the guy left the house in complete disrepair, and he even decided to tear some of the copper tubing out of the utility room! Thanks a pant-load, jackass... We are going to be so thankful when this thing is gone... Well - that about wraps it up for us (2 updates in 2 weeks? Nuts!) We hope that all is going great for you and your families... Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 5 Apr 12 Spring Break! And what fun it has been... My sister Terri and her family came out here all the way from New York (driving for 12 hours each way! Ugh!)... We had a BLAST! The boys just trip over their cousins Ashley and Alexis - almost to the point of smothering - but I don't think they minded! After we dumped off the dog at the *nicest* kennel we have ever seen (complete with a bed and TV in the kennel), we went to the Great Wolf Lodge down in Mason, OH for a night - a VERY cool lodge-type hotel with a massive indoor water park - just what the Doctor ordered! It was a bit crowded for our taste (not surprising since all of Ohio is on Spring Break), but we still managed to hit all of the water slides/activities that we wanted to hit... We even got arguably the best Mexican food in over a decade at a place named Viva Tequila right down the street... As seemed to be the theme of the trip, it "exceeded expectations!" The next morning, Pam had to head to clinical (which was much closer since we were almost in Cincinnati), while the rest of us ventured down into Cincy - we walked around Eden Park, did a geocache, took a bunch of pictures and almost lost Nikolai due to a mis-communication... But Nikolai put on his Honey Badger persona and didn't care... When we found him, he was relaxing and playing his iPod, not even realizing that he was "lost" - HA! I wish I could be that mellow... After Eden Park, we went to the Embassy Suites, met back up with Pam, and then had some free cocktails and we walked ~1.5 miles to dinner at a GameWorks - we played some fun games to say the least and we were all doubled over in laughter - that walk was one of the highlights of the trip! The next day we hit the Cincy Zoo - the weather was perfect for a day outdoors... And 1.5 million of our closest friends thought so, too! The place was packed... Pete and Terri almost couldn't find parking! As it was, it took them almost 45 minutes to find a spot... Eventually they did and we all enjoyed the zoo. Definitely one of the nicer Zoos that we have been to - and it was huge! We were there for about 3 hours when we realized that we only travelled about 1/2 way through it... Lots of birght sunshine, and lots of great pictures... After the zoo, we picked up the dog and headed for home - the kids (mostly Ashley and Zander) cooked up an amazing chicken parm for the masses. Delicious! We stayed up late drinking wine and BSing about how I almost burned down my parent's house by cremating a rat... Good times! The next morning the Hassiaks had to head for home... Everyone was very sad to see them go - what a whirlwind trip! The rest of the day, the boys went to the man-cave in the basement for a little wii time - Max fell asleep for a nap, and Zander was asleep by 7:45 pm... Tuckered little troopers! Also - yesterday afternoon the most massive Easter Basket showed up on our front porch! Thank you Mom and Dad Rossi! It is awesome - fruit, chocolate, and even pet treats for the dog! You guys always go way over the top... Much appreciated! :) Today I break the RV out of storage - we are going to Hueston Woods State Park for the weekend! Gonna be awesome... Stand by for pictures and stories! We hope that all is going great for you and your families... Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 25 Mar 12 First things first... Happy 9th Birthday to our little middle boy, Max! Can't believe that it has been 9 years since the marathon labor and the most memorable burrito I've ever had... Spring has Sprung early this year! We have had the absolute best weather the last few weeks...It has really been awesome! I have been riding my bike absolutely every chance I can get - much to Pam's chagrin! It usually means that I will end up riding to the ballpark while she drives the kids. Or to the theatre. Or to a restaurant... I have a goal of riding at least 100 miles a week from now until the end of Summer - I am well on my way! It is not too hard when I knock out 50 miles in one day riding to and from Young's dairy... Today was my fifth week in a row at 50+ miles each - 250 miles! Pretty sweet... The old guys that I ride with are insistent that I get a "proper" road bike (instead of the hybrid that I have now). Even though my bike is still not in their "uber-elite" league, I can still keep up with them! Today I averaged 17.3 mph for the 53 mile ride - I was flying! Pam gives me a bit of guff (rightfully so) that every time she checks her email, she sees that I have bought more bike riding stuff... Oh well - I figure that if I am not spending the money on gas, I may as well be spending it on bike riding paraphernalia! Only about 3 more years of bike riding 100 miles/week before I break even... HA! The boys are full swing into baseball practice - Nikolai even found his catching and throwing arms! He is not on the team this year, but he is out participating - kind of makes it hard not to whn Pam and I have taken away any iPod or DS priviliges while he is at the park - it is either read, or play catch with Mom! Pam got an iPad for her graduation gift from the boys and I! It is VERY cool... So cool, in fact that, that less than 24 hours after she had her iPad, I had one of my very own, too! We have had an incredibly unproductive week getting to know the new iPad... Everything is so neat and clean, and it all just WORKS! The resolution is absolutely amazing - you can not detect ANY individual pixels at all... My mom got one as well, and she is figuring it to be fantastic as well - we even called the whole fam on facetime during their St Patrick's day rumpus... Max even got a tablet for his birthday a few weeks back - he is loving it! Zander is more than a bit annoyed that he does not have any high-tech gadgetry like the rest of the fam, but we have always said that the "big" gift will be at 9 years old - that is when Nikolai got his iPod, Max got his tablet, and who knows what they will have when it is time for Zander's 9th birthday... Pam got straight A's again this quarter! Her GPA going into her final quarter is 3.866.... Unbelieveable! Provided she doesn't have a complete and total meltdown this quarter, she should have a KILLER graduating GPA in a very challenging program - way to go, Pam! Max has been no slouch in the academics, either - he went to the regional competition for the invention convention - and he was deemed a "Superior Inventor" which scored him a $50 US Savings Bond! Way to go, buddy! And while we are talking about accolades... I received the Commander's Award at work - given annually to the person who has contributed most to the B-2 program office - and this was for AV0332 (the burned up plane in Guam). It came with a VERY cool plaque/trophy with the Wright Brother's Flyer on it... It was a total shock, but happy I got it! Tyler spent the last two nights over our house - he calls us his "second family" - he is a really great kid... Less than 4 weeks until we sell the MO house! We absolutely can't wait... It will be great to have this anchor gone from around our necks! We are still "cautiously optimistic" that things will go according to schedule - hopefully the tenant doesn't leave it in ruins... Terri, Peter, Alexis and Ashley come out here in less than a week for Spring break! We already have reservations at the Great Wolf Lodge and a fun time planned running around Cincinnati... Gonna be a blast! Stand by for pictures... Well - that about sums it up for us! We hope that all is going great for you and your families... Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 11 Mar 12 Zander finally got his appliance out! Thank God... He has been such a trooper over these last 9 months - he slept in headgear just about every night, and had plastic covering 80% of his top teeth - he couldn't even put his teeth together! We are all sooo glad that it is finally out. He still has to wear it as a "retainer" for about 14 hours a day, but no more headgear, and he can remove it. The Orthodontist said that if he failed to wear it often enough, then the possibility existed that he might need to go back to headgear again - he was not too thrilled! It scared him straight, though - he is always asking us, "do you think I should put on my headgear now?" Max had his Invention Convention a few weeks back and he was selected to go the regional convention! He even got a shout out from his principal in the school newsletter saying that his Kernel Colander was her favorite of all of the inventions. Way to go, Max! Next week is the regional convention - keep your fingers crossed! That would be a helluva birthday present for him (which is in only 2 days! Gulp!) Our niece Ashley came out here for a week during her Winter break to hang out with us - we all had a blast! The weather was decent, so we were able to go for walks every night, and the boys enjoyed crawling all over her... I brought her to work (where my team won the Aeronautical Systems Center annual award for returning the burned up B-2 from Guam - woo-hoo!), and also to the Air Force museum - we all had a great time! The only bad part was that she had to take a bus all the way from China town - nobody spoke English! It was a bit sketchy, but she made it to and from without incident... Terri and her family are all planning on coming out here in the beginning of April for their Spring Break - we already have reservations at the Great Wolf Lodge hotel/waterpark down near Cincinnati - gonna be a blast! We moved the Wii down to the basement since we do not have any (sniff) football to watch anymore. The boys have quickly dubbed the whole basement their "Man Cave". They actually have friends over right now, and they are loving their freedom and their space... We try to limit their screen time as much as possible, but we are not always as successful as we would like. We'll keep trying! Pam is still rocking in school - she is wrapping up this quarter, and then there is only one quarter left! She has been wicked buys, but we have made it work. The worst is when she has lots of clinicals (50 minutes away), I am out of town, and then a boy throws up in school. Not that this actually happened! To Max. 10 days ago... Suck! For Pam's graduation present, I was going to get her an iPad - and it turns out that they just released the "New" iPad (not the iPad 3, apparently), so we may have gotten it for her a little early... Just in time for her to mess with it for her week break between quarters - this thing looks like it is going to be pretty slick! We'll let you know how it goes! I have been a workout machine... I have not had a beer, wine, or any cocktails since the Pats lost the Superbowl. I have been sleeping like a rock, running a few times a week, and riding my bike whenever possible. I have started riding with the Dayton Cycling Club - every Sunday they do a 50+ mile ride to Young's Dairy for breakfast - the first two weeks it was cold and windy, but today was beautiful! It was 60 degrees out and less than 10 mph of wind... There are a bunch of old guys in the club, but they are FAST! I can't simultaneously lower the average age AND the average speed! So I kick my own butt into keeping up with and even leading them... They all have top of the line racing bikes, and mine is more of an "around town" bike, so I have to work doubly hard... But I can do it! Good stuff... The baseball season is right around the corner! I am an assistant coach again this year, and the team manager is actually the president of the local league - he is a good dude who is really pouring his heart and soul into the program! We are about to start spending lots of time at the ball park! We have already shifted from karate (as it will conflict with the upcoming practices) in favor instead of swimming for this month. No rest for the weary! Nikolai has opted to not play baseball this season, so we are trying to figure out something for him to do this Spring... We got a Roku! It is a little box that streams video content from the internet - so far, it is pretty slick - not sure that we need another TV gadget, but the price was right! That about sums it up from here - we hope that all is going great with you and your fam! Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 12 Feb 12 A moment of silence to remember the once great Pats - who lost (again!) to the New York Giants in the Superbowl! Very painful to watch... Now that football season is over, we are not sure what to do with ourselves on Sundays! Stay tuned... After a VERY mild winter thus far, the temps finally dropped into the teens and we got a light dusting of snow - it finally looks a little bit like winter outside - it took long enought! If statistics tell us anything, then we are going to get hammered in the month of March! Two weeks ago, the boys had another insane triple-sleepover - nuts! They had a great time... Sora (Max's best friend even got dropped off at the house after we told him that he couldn't come - he was hoodwinked!) We took everyone to the local convention center where there was a dinosaur expo - the boys loved it! Nothing better on a weekend then to see very realistic dinosaurs with six boys... Max has his "invention convention" this coming week - his invention is a great one - he invented a "Kernel Colander" - it is a mixing bowl with 1/2" holes drilled into the bottom of it, and a retaractable lid on the bottom of the bowl. You pop a bag of popcorn, dump it all into the Kernel Colander, shake, and all of the unpopped kernels fall out the bottom - you then slide the lid back into place and enjoy! The kids absolutely love that popcorn is fun again - every time we watch a movie, the demand is high for freshly popped corn - now kernel free! I finally got a new bike! It is a fantastic - I tried 3 different stores to get a bike - I went in, cash in hand, ready to buy a bike - one store, no salesperson even looked at me for over 30 minutes, and the second and third stores were both closed (during their "we are open" operating hours. No wonder the economy is not improving! I ended up with a 2011 Giant Rapid 2. It is 20% faster than my old bike - instead of averaging aroun 15 mph, I am now over 18 mph. I can really haul ass! And it was only $820 (bikes can *easily* be over $4,000 - so I am very happy with the price). If I ride it as much as I plan to, it should pay for itself in a year or two, just in saved gas money... Pam's eyes are MUCH better than they were even just a few short weeks ago. Every day continues to be better than the last, although they still get tired and dry out easily. Still not at the "best decision ever" moment, but I think it is coming soon! Still no final word on the assignment - I got the call saying that I was tentatively going back to Whiteman, but then the next day I got called from California saything that they were not done fighting for me yet - time will tell! The house is not sold yet - we keep lowering the price every two weeks - we are sitting at $65K less than we paid for it! Turns my stomach... I was out in Missouri last week and the guy *finally* cleaned it - it still is nowhere near the level of awesomeness that Pam and I had it, but it was way better than any other time that I have seen it since he lived there. Hopefully we will be out from under it soon enough! If all went EXCEPTIONALLY well, we might even have an offer by the time I update next! It is getting shown today at 4 pm... Keep your fingers crossed! My niece Ashley is coming out next week - woo-hoo! The boys are wicked excited... As are we! That about sums it up from here - we hope that all is going great with you and your fam! Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 28 Jan 12 4 weeks... I suck. Not off to a good start! Oh well - we've been busy as always - Here goes! First off - Pam now has laser-eyes! That was my Christmas present to her and she finally got to get it done... The unfortunate thing is that it is not healing as quickly as she wants it to, but for the most part, every day is better than the day prior (which is a very good thing)... She is legal to drive now without corrective lenses, although her eyes are often dry and she is still seeing fuzzy halos around lights... Everything that we are reading says that this is normal, but it is still frustrating that it was not the instant fix to her vision that we both thought it would be... Hopefully it soon turns into the "best decision ever!" But for now, we're not there... Nikolai has had quite a month! He had his DARE graduation and he was in the District Spelling Bee! I told him that if he won the District Bee, I was going to give him $100. Unfortunately for him, he forgot how to spell the word "Afghan" - he had some wicked hard words and he got knocked out in ~ 15th round. The last 2 kids standing went to the 28th round, but Nikolai knew how to spell all of the words that they got, so he said, "If I didn't screw up Afghan, we would still be there". The girl who ended up winning was very good - but I think Nikolai could have gone the distance! 3rd place out of 3000 students is not too shabby in my book... Max and Zander are both signed up for Little League again this year! I am going to be one of their coaches - very excited... Nikolai decided that he had no interest in baseball - he really did not enjoy it last year like his brother's did, so he is trying to find another sport to play this Spring - no iPod in the bleachers for him! It should be fun again.... The weather has been very bizarre this year - no snow to speak of and the weather has been above freezing almost all Winter! I'm thinking we are going to get walloped in February - we'll see! The Pats are headed to the Superbowl! Wicked psyched... The AFC championships against the Ravens almost gave me a heart-attack, though! We are going to have a little soiree here to celebrate (hopefully) a Pats victory! Going to be a long off season without football, though... My assignment is still up in the air but it looks like it might be back to Whiteman. Not ideal, but as long as I can make sure that I am flying for my last assignment, then that is all that matters - I need to be marketable for the airlines! There was talk of sending me to Palmdale, CA to be a Government Flight Representative (like what I did for the burned up B-2 in Guam this past Summer), but it doesn't look like that will pan out - too bad! That would have been a cool job, and we would have been able to tear up the West Coast in the RV... Pam is back in the thick of school - last two quarters! We are wicked psyched to have our very own Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - She wants an iPad as her graduation gift! I will be more than happy to oblige... Speaking about Tablets - Nikolai spun around in my chair, knocked over a glass of wine, and killed my Motorola Xoom. Suck! I really liked my tablet, and now it is dead. I was livid, but I have gotten over it. We can't afford a new one right now, but it will be replaced when we can afford it... Our Missouri house - I have a friend who wants to buy it - we are still reducing the price every two weeks to try and get this thing sold using the military's homeowner assistance program. If this pans out the way I hope it will is that we won't lose any more than 5% equity in the house from when we bought it - even though we will be selling it for WAY less than we bought it (because the jackass tenant has systematically destroyed it). We should know something in the next month or so - keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck! That about sums it up from here - we hope that all is going great with you and your fam! Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures! 1 Jan 12 Happy New Year! 2012... Wow! 2011 has really just flown by... Team Tolmoff has enjoyed every single minute of it! Last night, the boys hosted their very first boy/girl party! Well - not quite... Pam and I went to a friend's house to hang out with three other couples, and we had Sara and Jacob (2 kids of one of Pam's classmates) watch the kids... But the boys were quite excited to be the host of a party of 8 peeps! They played games (twister, air hockey, apples to apples), and ate - A LOT! So much so that none of them were hungry for breakfast this morning! Oh well - New Year's is a time to celebrate! We played Pictionary on the X-box last night - you actually had to draw on a tablet and your drawing would show up on the screen... One of the funniest things I have ever seen! Especially Molly's "artistic rendition" of Santa! New Years resolutions - Pam is to eat right and get in shape to run the 1/2 marathon in September - and mine is to stay in shape and run it with her! The boys are going to do their best in everything they try, and Luna is going to attempt to not be terrible... We'll see how that pans out! We hope that all is going great with you and your families! Thanks for checking in... We hope you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012! Drop us a line when you get a chance, and as always - check out the pictures!
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