BIG boy underwear, HERE WE COME!

So 3 blogs in one day....we're excited, what can we say?!!!

Max, 20 months is eager to be a big boy, so much so that he's going potty on the toilet often. For the past 2 weeks he's been saying "potty" and then going and sitting on the toilet but nothing. Then, last week he went potty for the first time. YEA! A couple days ago Ann was watching the boys and while assisting Benson with his bathroom needs Max wonders in and is jumping around saying he had to go "potty". By the time Benson was done, Ann had Max undressed and lifting toward the potty and....too late, Max peed all over Ann's pants :) (Sorry again, Ann!) Then today, he told me he had to go potty and Tada! He went on the toilet! So excited!!! Maybe we'll be down to just pull ups by Christmas. NO MORE DIAPERS for us for a while...that would be WONDERFUL!

Halloween Preview

Monday we had gymnastics in Yuba City and the kids were invited to wear their costumes. They had so much fun and look so cute!

World Series Champs!

As most of you know, we are all B-O-Y in this house. We eat, sleep and breathe sports. Last night the the final game of the World Series was on and Justin and the boys were pretending to be the Phillies during the last inning. Benson the pitcher, Justin the batter and Max a fielder.

*****Top the the 9th, 1 up, 1 down. Pop fly to center. Second batter, base hit. Third batter, pop fly to Right field. 2 Outs, one to go. Fourth batter up...Strike 3! Phillies win! ****

Benson runs to Justin and gives him a biggest hug and says, "We won Dad, we won!"

So cute! The boys love watching every sporting event. You will often find Benson acting out the sport with Max by his side copying him and then Max reacting to the event. Usually "ahhs, Hike!, Ohhh, Strike," and clapping.

I can't say we have in any Professional Leagues but Go Phillies! You deserve it!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins and Beds

Last week Benson got a BIG BOY BED! Yea!!! He loves it. When Max is a little bigger the bed flips upside down and turns into a bunk style bed. Max's bed will actually rest on the ground which will be perfect for him. Falling off will only require a 9inch drop! :)

We're getting closer to finishing Benson's room. We still need to put up the baseboards and then hang the frames, which still are in the design process. We're doing a sports, Norman Rockwell theme which will include clippings of Grandpa Bagley and his sports playing mission along with Benson's pictures of him playing sports. It's going to be so cute! We'll have to add Max to the mix when they move in together.



PUMPKINS!

This past Sunday we had our annual Tolman Family Pumpkin carving contest! Each of the kids won! Ann and John got them little Halloween lanterns! They're so cute!

Benson, of course, chose to have the Lazy Town logo because we eat, sleep and breathe LT! Max chose to have a baseball. Max just happen to fall asleep on the way to grandma and grandpas so we missed all the messy fun but got to join later to see the pumpkins in the dark.

The kids always have such a fun time. It was weird not having Jordan. We miss him. But he's doing well. Max still goes straight to his room looking for him....we'll see how long that last.

The boys are so excited for Halloween. We're almost done with our costumes! Stay Tuned!!

Sending off Elder Tolman

It was a bitter sweet day. After Stake Conference Jordan was set apart by President Papa then Jordan bore his testimony. What a wonderful experience! His sweet thoughts and emotions of the Savior and the work he's about to do was motivating and sincere. I can't wait to hear him when he gets home.

The day was filled with lots of tears and hugs. My emotions felt uncontrolled. I must have been acting a little somber because Aunt Sally asked if I was okay. Again, later she asked and I broke down. I've really enjoyed having a brother and Jordan and I have had a great relationship. But most of all, all of the nieces and nephews love him to death and it's sad to think how much they're grow up when he's gone. I think Jaxson (Alisha's son) and Max will have a really hard time. Max runs into Ann and John's house and straight to Jordan's room looking for him every time we visit and wakes up asking for Jordan in the mornings....then if he's not around, he cries. In the mornings we've been calling so Max could talk to him.

We'll all miss him so much but are so excited for him to go and love and teach the people of Mozambique.

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday was our last hurrah with Jordan at our annual Bishop's Pumpkin Farm trip. We had such a great time. Yummy, fresh apple cider, pumpkin bread, caramel apples and the train ride around the farm.

We always start talking about this activity as soon as September hits. The kids have so much fun every year. I love traditions!!!

This year was nice because it was actually fall weather, although I could have done without the wind. It made it soooooo cold but we loved it anyway.

Our next family activity - Bumper to Bumper on Halloween!

We're getting our family Halloween costumes complete for the premiere of Tolman Family gone LAZY TOWN! Stay Tuned!

Help Support the Fight! Please post on your site!

Here's another video for our grassroots effort! We've had a lot of negative comments towards our other video so I thought I'd post one with a lot of facts to prove our point!

Thanks for you all help!

Tolmans

Weekend Update

Still no news on the biopsy from my dad's head. I'm guessing Tuesday. He says he has a headache still and it hurts to yawn because it stretches the skin. 11 staples are keeping his noggin together. Gross! But he's up and around and feeling decent considering his week.

We've enjoyed the rain and cooler weather this week. It's supposed to be around mid 80's again by Monday :(

We've been cooking and baking a lot this weekend. We kept the kids busy during conference by making sugar cookies and frosting them. They were decently quiet and we've heard a good portion this time around. Thank goodness for TiVo! We'd never get to actually watch if it weren't for the best invention in the history of TVs.

As of 12:30 ALL the boys are sleeping....ahhh quite! I almost don't know what to do with all the silence. Hopefully Benson and Max stay asleep. I love the last session!

INSANE Week

This week started off well. Justin and I were feeling great from our detox which was decently successful. I lost a total of 8lbs and Justin around 7. We were able to enjoy Summer and Steve's reception and also the delicious food they had. I actually ended up eating mostly the veggies and fruits with a little dip. A dip goes a long way after the week we had! :) Monday was as usual with gymnastics and errands but when we got home later that afternoon I was presented with some information I wasn't prepared for.

A month or so ago my dad had fallen in the bathroom in the middle of the night and had to be revived by his girlfriend while she was on the phone with 911. Once at the hospital they did a lot of tests and scans to see what the problem was. Nothing was found until later in the week the scans showed a spot on his brain. After tests, and tests and more tests they did a blood test to see if he perhaps had pancreatic cancer (which in most cases is terminal). We were supposed to have the blood test results by 5pm Tuesday and if everything was clear he'd go in for BRAIN SURGERY!!! to remove and biopsy the mass.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well Monday night and Tuesday was filled with anxiety and an ill stomach. By Tuesday night still no news on the test. Come to find out that they still hadn't done the test and had to run it over to the coast (2+hours away) and do them before 8am Wednesday.

Needless to say again, no sleep on Tuesday night either.

Wednesday morning came and he was instructed to head to the hospital to prep for surgery. The test showed negative on pancreatic cancer.

- By this time, I was trying to decide whether or not to take my boys up there to be with my dad. I felt I HAD to be there for support but when I thought it through I came to my senses and realized we'd just be troublesome. My mom is in Mexico with her fiance' so they wouldn't be there to help and I am not going to be sitting at the hospital with my boys doing nothing all day. I'm not a good mom when I'm stressed or overwhelmed which I would have been if I were there. My dad also told me that I could only come up if I had the boys with me - halfway kidding - At this point we didn't know if he'd be in the hospital for a day or 3 days and if he went home, would he want my boys running crazy around the house...probably not. We decided to head up another time when he'd feel better and was able to enjoy our company rather than feel bad because of his recovery time.

Wednesday afternoon he was in the ICU for recovery and everything went well. As soon as I heard the news I hit the couch and crashed for a well needed afternoon nap. He was out and everything went well...I can finally relax a little.

Now we're waiting for the biopsy results which could take until Monday. I'm trying not to be too stressed and just wait for the results.

TGIF!!!! It's raining for the first time in months (at least for more than 2 minutes) and this has relaxed me a lot. Conference is this weekend and it's supposed to rain through Saturday. Great excuse to be in comfies and drink hot chocolate and lounge on the couch....much needed around here.

Justin was a saint through my crazy week. So supportive, not upset that the house wasn't touched or dinner even thought of. He just stepped right in and took care of the family when he got home. So wonderful is he!!!! I would have gone insane if it weren't for him!