For those who can help...

My heart has been touched by this little girl, Lily, who is fighting a rare form of cancer. Her family is good friends with our good friends, and if A=B, and B=C, than A=C, and that makes this family our friends too (by my elementary calculations).

The family blog can be read here. The family has three other children and must keep the house clean and all germs at bay to keep Lily healthy as she goes through chemo. I can't imagine needing to do this and take care of a sick child, and three others without help.

There is another blog set up to take donations to help out this family with the extra costs endured during this trial. If you are as touched by this family as I was, and can make a donation to help them during this time, please do. Go here for more information.

And please pray for the Mallory family, they need all the prayers they can get.

I've got so much, so much, so much to be Thankful for!!

If anyone knows the song "I've got so much, so much, so much to be thankful for..." than you now know the song that has been the constant background music in our family the last few days. Even as I write this, I hear Corban sleeping on his mat in the hotel singing "so much so much so much so much" (the only words of the song he really knows...). If you ask him what he's so thankful for he will point to the sky and say "Airplanes!". Which, our family does need to be thankful for airplanes, since they kind of pay our bills...

Anyway we DO have so much to be thankful for. In no particular order, I am thankful for

1) The most precious-hearted husband who absolutely adores me. He sacrifices so much for us, works 12 hour days and then comes home and helps me clean the house, bathe the boys, gives me a little bit of time to be alone. He never says a word when he comes home to me wearing the same pajamas that I was wearing when he left the house that morning. I honestly have never seen a daddy love on his boys and just enjoy them as much as Nate does his boys. He would really rather hang out with his boys than go out for a "Guy's night". He listens to me vent and then gently reminds me of how blessed I am. What can I say, I found me a good one.

2) My boys. They are a piece of heaven and I can't imagine life without them. They daily remind us that life can change drastically with the next breath we take, so we truly strive to just enjoy and capture every moment with them that we can.

3) We are very blessed. There is nothing that our family needs. Nate is constantly reminding me that if the biggest complaints in life that I can come up with is having to live in the boondocks, and having too much stuff for our house, than we are doing pretty good. Also, Nate's job. Although it sometimes requires sacrifice, it is a steady paycheck with job security during these tough financial times.

4) Family-both my family and Nate's. Both put the FUN in dysfunction, but life would be so boring and lonely without them. At the end of the day, they always have our backs. :)

5) Friends- My "sisters" back in Wichita who think so much like me, I don't seem like the weird one when I'm with them. My friends here who have become like family in such a short time. My friends all over who I get to keep in touch with via email, blogs, and Facebook! (thank God for technology!).

6) Do I dare say it?? I'm thankful for being stationed in Altus, OK. There I said it. Though not our choice, we have found it to be a blessing that we are here. We are close enough to family to visit fairly often, we are "off the radar" so to speak where we feel safe here, Nate doesn't deploy and is home every night (the biggest blessing of all), we have a lot of family time and have to be more creative as to how to have fun, and if we weren't here, we would never know some of the people who have become so precious to us.

There are so many other blessings big and small (big=our eternal salvation and current freedom to worship and small=coffee, down comforters, Christmas lights, etc.) but these scratch the surface.

I hope you all had a great and safe Thanksgiving. My next post will be about our Black Friday Extravaganza and our Christmas Tree Selection Process.

Better Late Than Never...

Here are the pictures of the boys in their costumes. We scored big time on the candy and my waistline is paying the price (though I blame the pregnancy!).

Good eye if you noticed that Caleb is wearing a different costume in each picture. That's what happens when you got a little pooper on your hands!

Fun with the Family in Florida

I know I've been a slacker in the blogging department. What can I say, life has been busy. But hopefully I can get back in the swing of things and blog on a regular basis again.

We got back last week from visiting Nate's family in Boca Raton, Florida. The week went by way too fast, of course, but was a much needed time away from Altus and it was great to reconnect with his family again. Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

10) All of Nate's family (thirteen of us total) rented a five bedroom condo for the week. It had a pool in the backyard, so Corban and the kids were in heaven.

9) Corban and Caleb had constant attention and always had someone to hold them and play with them, and it wasn't US!
Corban and his Aunt Celia
8) Caleb's first visit to the ocean, and Corban's first time that he remembers. He still talks about "da beach".

7) Nate and I and the boys got the Master bedroom with the jacuzzi!! (It pays to have the biggest family!) Unfortunately, we also got the bed with the bedbugs. (Yes, Kevin, they were bedbugs!! :))

6) A break from cooking... each couple took an evening to cook and we got to eat different things like Mom's famous Taco Salad, Julia and Kevin's Crab Bake, and Celia's Enchiladas.

5) I again rejoined civilization and enjoyed Panera, Jason's Deli, Macaroni Grill, Target, and a Christian Bookstore.
Caleb and his Uncle Stevie

4) Activities including the West Palm Beach Zoo, Sugar Sand Park, and Ice cream in Mizner park.

3) Playing the most political game of Monopoly ever where every move made a person either Obama or McCain.

2) Getting a nice long date with Nate. We ate at a fancy restaurant in Mizner Park and then went to a lounge bar where Nate drank a beer and I drank Coke and we just talked for hours and enjoyed each others company.

1) Having the best and happiest little travelers in the world. Both of them did great on the plane, the long layover, and the two and a half hour drive home after landing. (Another sign that we live in the boondocks.)

Thanks family for a wonderful vacation.!! Sorry we got you all sick! We love you all so much. Corban mentions you all daily. See you next year in Orlando ??!!??

I've been Tagged!!

I just got "Tagged" by my friend Erin (who I met in Alabama) to do a random post, so here goes.

Rules:
1) Post the rules on your blog
2) Write 6 random things about yourself
3) Tag 6 other people at the end of your post

1) I just got back from Florida 24 hours ago and our luggage didn't arrive, so they have to UPS it from Oklahoma City to Altus and it won't be here til Monday...so Nate and I are currently sharing a toothbrush!! (Gross, I know!)

2) My oldest son, Corban's, new favorite phrase is "Dat's Ahwshome!!" (That's awesome!)

3) My nine month old son is STILL not sleeping through the night. I'm 15 weeks pregnant with baby #3 and a Mama needs her rest, if you know what I'm saying!

4) My number one biggest time killer is cyber stalking my friends through Facebook and blogs.

5) For my birthday/Christmas/anniversary present (all happen within six days of each other) I want 24 hours to myself in a bed and breakfast nearby. Time to journal, read, scrapbook, plan, soul search, etc.

6) I'm starving right now and am debating whether to rough it out for the night or muster up the energy to go downstairs and get something to eat. Decisions, Decisions.



Now onto tagging six other people:

Ruth
Jen
Kirsten
Sandy
Lenora
Rena

On a side note, we just got back from Florida and I have a lot of posts and pictures that I want to share, but the camera is in the lost luggage bag, so it may be a few days before I get some real posts up. Check back soon!

The Best Things in Life Aren't Things

Feeding the ducks (Altus skyline in the background :P)
Sweet happy baby
I love this little boy!!!
"Daddy, I hold you!!"
Our Growing Family

Yep, Another Tax Write Off

Well, it's official, come Mother's Day of 2009, we will have another tax write off! We recently found out that we are expecting Baby Tolle number three. (Right after I finally got used to two!) I am ten and a half weeks. We thought 16 months between babies were close, 14 and a 1/2 months is even closer! Yikes! (On a side note, I am surprised by the countless friends I have all due around early to mid-May. What was going on in mid-August?? :))

We are still in shock and until our first appointment today, were pretty much in denial. There's something about seeing the little peanut on the sonogram and seeing his heart beat that just really puts it in perspective and pushes you into reality.

Here are the answers to some questions we've gotten from previous pregnancies that I'll go ahead and knock out now...

1) Yes, we were *surprised*. We have yet to "plan" a child, but Nate and I both know that children are a huge blessing from the Lord, and who are we to deny a blessing? Even if he comes to us a little sooner than expected.

2) Yes, I'm feeling good for the most part, just EXTREMELY EXHAUSTED. Let's just say, our house is a pig sty right now.

3) I know that I know that I know that I know that it is a boy. We just work that way apparently. And yes, he will have a "C" name.

4) Yes, I think we are finally catching on to "what causes this".

Thanks for celebrating with us, and for those who can, drink a glass of wine for me!

This made me happy today!

We paid $2.59 per gallon for gas today...wahoo! There is at least one good thing that comes out of a troubled economy.

Nate and I have been trying to pinch pennies these past few months (even more than usual) due to the rising costs of living life...though our nation doesn't even know the meaning of the term "discomfort" (i.e. we are not forced to ration bread, sugar, gas, meat, etc...we really don't have it that bad!). Here are a list of 10 things we've done recently to save money.

1) We keep our thermostat at 76 degrees during the day during the summer and 78 at night. (I know, I know, no menopausal women will want to come hang out with us!)

2) We are eating at home more...not sure if this is necessarily to save money or if the options in Altus just aren't really worthy of our hard earned money, but hey the result is saved money. We do however, look up recipes online to restaurants we miss and make them at home. We've made PF Chang's Mongolian Beef, Johnny Carino's Spicy Ramano Chicken, and Olive Garden's Zuppo Tuscana to name a few.

3) The water is nasty here, even when filtered, so Nate and I drink more bottled water that we stock up on at the commissary case lot sales. And when we drink pop, we take advantage of Sonic's Happy Hour for half priced drinks and slushes. We'll be in big trouble if/when Sonic ends this deal!

4) We shop at Walgreens for their rebates and coupon sales. Just this past month we got over $85.00 in free health and beauty products and stocked up on some really cheap Huggies diapers. I'd never shop at Walgreens for something full price, but they have a great rebate system that you can score some great freebies and can submit the rebate form online and you don't even have to remember to mail it in.

5) We buy only used clothes and toys. Seriously, not even Corban's birthday presents were brand new. We get all their toys at garage sales, Goodwill, and off craigslist.

6) As previously posted, we are Dollar Tree fans.

7) We don't go to movies (no baby-sitters and a crappy movie theatre), and we don't have cable. Our family entertainment thrives off of Netflix, parks, walks, our backyard, the internet, playgroups, books, Wal-Mart, and each other. I know, it may sound pathetic, but we are in a *small* town in the middle of nowhere, remember?

8) We don't eat hot dogs. That really really has nothing to do with saving money, but I just had to throw it in...we have a Bar S Factory (the makers of Bar S Hotdogs, Bacon, and other meats) about a half mile away from our house and some of the smells that come from there are just gross enough to turn a person away from hot dogs for awhile.

9) We plan our meals. I make a loose, semi flexible menu for the week based on what we have already and shop for what we need to complete the meals. We base our meals on what's on sale, what we have, and what sounds good to us. Just this step alone has saved us a ton of moolah by not throwing out spoiled, rotten food.

10) We mooch. :) Not in an annoying way, but we borrow stuff if needed. For an example, I hosted a party last week and didn't have enough pitchers or a nice ice bucket. Though I could buy them so I'd have them for the next time, I asked a couple of friends if I could borrow their nice crystal pitchers and ice bucket, and ta da, I was set.

Really, I am frugal more out of desire than out of necessity. I like the challenge of living for less. Nate doesn't call me his "Bargain Bloodhound" for nothing!

Operation Hydration

It's been a long week here in the Tolle house...with two sick kids and a husband with the Rotavirus. I'll spare you pictures of the nastiness that has entered our walls, but let's just say it hasn't been fun. I have lost track of how many poopy diapers I've changed, sheets I've changed, loads of laundry I've done, and Pedialyte bottles I've bought.

They seem to be healed by day... I'll think they are all better, than inevitably at night, the fun begins. We are trying to keep them hydrated, but who knows how much is actually staying in. The internet says it could lasty 7-10 days. We are on Day 9 right now, so hopefully it will end soon. If you think about it, say a prayer for us...we need it!

My Three Loves

What a bunch of goobers. But I can't get enough of them.

Thanks Abuela!!!

Corban got a special treat in the mail the other day from his "Abuela" in Florida and has been riding it ever since.

Let's rewind 28 years...as the story goes, Nate had a rocking horse when he was Corban's age. He was so excited that he rode it all day. The next day Nate's butt and inner thigh's were so sore, he couldn't walk and his mom had to rub them all day.

Well, for that reason, we didn't let Corban ride all day...

Caleb watched Corban for a few minutes and then looked at me like "What in the *%#*?"

Corban reluctantly lets Caleb ride with him for a minute. Note that Caleb, as usual when left unattented with Corban, looks scared for his life.

And at the end of a long day, the boys are still friends enough to sit for a picture (but no smiles, mom!).

Corban's Party

I was going to buy a cheap Wal-Mart cake. Things have been a little crazy around here and it seemed easiest. But my friend and partner in frugality, Amy, strongly encouraged me to make Corban's cake myself. She brought over books about children's cakes, she offered to help, she promised it was cheaper and fun to do it yourself. So, I committed. All the pictures in the book seemed a little over ambitious for someone who's idea of "making a cake" is adding frosting to a store bought angel food cake. She gave me all the decorations from her son's Race Car themed party, so that was an easy theme to borrow. I looked up some easy cakes on the internet and set out to make the cake. And whaddaya know. It WAS easy, fun, and cheaper....and it tasted better too! Thanks, Amy!!

Corban gives his stamp of approval.



So, now I feel all domesticated. Corban had fun and still talks about all his friends coming over for the Par-tay. He won't leave his new toys alone for a second and cries a heartbroken cry when it is time for bed.

Where Have The Past Two Years Gone?

Happy Birthday, my sweet Corban! You are such a joy to your Mamma and Daddy! You are such a fun spirited boy, full of life and joy. You bring a smile to everyone's face. You have such a fun personality already and such a tender heart. Thank you for all the laughter and love that you bring into our home. You are our first born and our first blessing. Our prayer for you is that you will come to know the Lord at an early age. We love you so so so much and praise God for your precious life!!

A Weekend of Disappointment

What a bummer of a weekend. We were all excited to head to the Jackson County Fair that advertised Fun, Food, a petting zoo, and so much more. In the spirit of trying to take in all that Altus has to offer (or not) we also decided to enter Caleb in the Beautiful Baby Contest.



Disappointment number one: If by "food" they mean a tiny booth selling rice crispy treats and bags of chips, etc., then they should have made that clear. I mean COME ON, I KNOW I'm not the ONLY one who thinks the words "Fair food" equal "Fried food." There was not a single item of fried food on the menu.



Second disappointment: The fair was the size of a barn. I mean, I have literally been to bigger, more exciting barn parties than this "Fair".



Third disappointment: The "Petting zoo" consisted of a few prize winning chickens, a couple of ponies, a sheep, and calf. Corban was bored after three minutes.




And the Fourth and Biggest Disappointment...



Caleb didn't win the Beautiful Baby Contest...in fact he didn't even place. Now, I know that every mother thinks that *her* baby is the cutest, but let's just say that I think Oklahoman's have a different definition of "beautiful" than the rest of the world. We were in the fourth division and I knew by the winners in the divisions before us that Caleb wouldn't win. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.



So all the work of clipping his fingernails every night this past week so he wouldn't scratch up his face and making sure he stayed awake and happy all morning during the contest (a nearly impossible feat) were a waste. I will never get those hours back.



Now how can you tell me this baby isn't cute enough for the top 3 baby boys ages 6-12 months? You can't.





It's good to know that Nate and I are going home this week for the Kansas State Fair where there will be lots of yummy fried food, a quality petting zoo, and lots of family and friends to dote on Caleb and tell me he's cute.

Our Labor Day

We got to "get out of Dodge" for the Labor Day weekend to Oklahoma City which was a treat. Hurrican Gustav threatened to send Nate to the coast to help evacuate people, but thankfully, Nate never got "the call." Frontier City, a small amusement park, lets military people in for fifty cents on Mondays. So for $1.oo, (the babies were free) our family got to have loads of fun riding all the baby rides for several hours. Well...$1.00 plus $7.00 for parking...(I just don't get the concept of paying for parking. To me it's like paying to breathe. But that's just me.)



Anyway, we had fun at the pool at the pool at the hotel, eating at Johnny Carino's (YUM!) and dessert at The Cheesecake Factory (again, YUM!) and shopping at stores we miss like Target, Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, a health food store, and Best Buy.



My camera ran out of batteries, so we don't have many pics, but here are a couple.

Swimming Lessons with Daddy.

Singing Bears
Caleb completley enamored with the freaky singing bears.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

I was lying in bed last night typing on my computer, listening to the GOP on TV when I see something scurry past. I said "What the heck?" and looked down to make eye contact with A MOUSE!! YUCK!!!! So, after screaming so loud that Nate thought for sure I was being murdered, I refused to get out of bed for hours knowing there is a mouse loose in the house. I can not emphasize enough how NOT COOL this is! I am so grossed out.

So I spend the day cleaning so there is nothing to tempt rodents to come into our house. We live right by a field so it's a possibility that this could be a reoccuring thing. I don't know how mice get on the second story of a house. Do they climb? Jump stairs? Who knows. i just know I still get the heeby jeebies when I think of it. And I'm even more paranoid than usual.

Oh Corban!!! You are too cute to be mad at (for long)!!

So about an hour ago, I went upstairs to our bedroom and handed my sick husband a drink of Gatorade.


Nate: "Thanks honey! Um hon, you smell like baby powder." (Mind you, my husband is sick with a cold and can't smell anything)


Me: "I smell it too, but it's not me."...


We both stare at each other for about three seconds and then we both scatter to the boys room across the hall. Here is what we found after turning the boys light on.


No, the camera is not out of focus, that is the dust of A WHOLE CONTAINER OF BABY POWDER ALL AROUND THEIR ROOM. (Click on pictures to enlarge and get the full effect.)

(I bought the stool steps at the Goodwill yesterday so Corban can wash his hands on his own, but he thought they would make great stairs to his bed.)

Needless to say, we've spend the last hour changing sheets, vacuuming the floor, dusting and wiping all the furniture, vacuuming again, and making sure our boys could breathe. Stupid me for leaving the lid open. All I have to say is, good thing Corban is so cute...