Random Summer Shots

(Couldn't get this one to flip, sorry!)
All my superheros!

The war to end all wars!
I think they used ALL of their action figures and army guys!
Super cool!

Me and my Joel-er!

Cheezy Asher! ;)

We're baaaackk!!!

Sorry I sat the month of April out on the blog! My computer was out of commission most of the month but it is back and good as new!!
So, what have we been up to, you might ask?... Well, the boys are finishing up their year at CLC, the preschool they attend, and playing tball twice a week! Asher is basically along for the ride in all of it; from dropping the boys off, picking them up, and going to the practices and games, Asher gets put in and out of his carseat and stroller more times a week than I can probably count. But boy is he a trooper! He loves to put his shoes on and head out to the car when it's time to go...thank goodness!
When the boys aren't in school or at tball they enjoy playing Legos, Thomas, or Playmobil! Sam is becoming quite the Lego-maniac! ;) He can build all kinds of great ships and buildings and get all his "guys" set up inside and ready for battle! And Joel is usually flying something around the room with his hands! It could be a car, a plane, Buz Lightyear, or Thomas the train, but no matter what it is, it's flying, with sound effects to match! And Asher is now becoming quite fond of trains and cars as well (with sound effects too) and he gets excited whenever we see a large truck or digger around the area! He also LOVES to play outside, push anything on wheels, and throw things (though we try to limit it to balls)! ;) He is definitely "all boy"!

Most currently we are on the hunt for a swing set for them all to enjoy in our backyard! I really miss our old one and actually asked for a swing set for Mother's Day (hey, it will bless me just as much as them)! :) We've found several on line we like, but boy is shipping something like that ridiculous! I think we may have to be limited to what we can find at the stores.

In April we were able to go visit some family in Houston and Santa Fe! We got to spend some time with my two grandmothers and aunt and the boys did awesome! The boys hugged and talked and seemed to really enjoy being with them all. It was such a blessing! And in Santa Fe we visited Rob's grandparents and his sister. And again, the boys did well and seemed to enjoy being with them! I wish we could visit more often, but we are so thankful for the times we do get!

So there you have it. Nothing extremely exciting, but it's our life and we count ourselves blessed to have it...3 boys and all! It truly is in my three boys that the Lord has really taught me some of the most valuable lessons in my life (and continues to do so) and helped me to understand the gospel in a deeper! "How deep the Father's love for us..."

So long for now, and pictures to come!

Zoo Day!

Monday we headed to the Dallas Zoo! We decided to become members so we can go as many times as we want this year!!! It was a glorious day....sunny, no wind, not hot, and not too cool! Absolutely a zoo-perfect day! Here are a few pics of our fun family day!

Joel showing off his map!

Which penguin are you the same size as? Joel is about the same
size as the emperor penguin!

My big boy wading in the chilly water in the children's zoo area!

Joel enjoying the water too!

And don't forget Asher...he wanted in on the water fun too!

Our new friend...she walked over and picked up food

and then sat back down and kept looking at us

while she was eating!

Asher in his usually pose!

Joel, resorting to Daddy for a ride when his

legs were "tired" from all the walking!

sick zone ending.

• We officially have been to the doctor 4 times, and maybe one more time is needed tomorrow (for Asher).


• The flu has ended.


• Joel has a double ear infection now.


• Asher has a new mysterious fever w/ no other symptoms.


• Tball practice starts this weekend and their team name is now the Indians (sort of bummed about that b/c last year we went all out on the A's gear. Sorry Pop. Oh well, Academy shirts and/or caps will suffice this year!)


• Rob and I are going on a date tonight, thanks to our good friends Stan and Sarah! Much needed! Sometimes I feel like the kids and I just want to be w/ "Daddy", ie. my man! ;)


• My parents came last weekend and Rob's parents come this weekend! We love it when the grandparents visit! So much fun! Thanks for taking the time out guys to spend a weekend with us! We love you all!


• Rob is preaching this Sunday!!!!! Yeah! Can't help but love it when my all-time favorite preacher preaches!


• Boys went back to school today!! Yeah! They love it and hey, so do I!

brief catch up from a tired mommy...

okay so here are the latest highlights, in bullet form:

• It snowed a FOOT (ie 12 inches!!!!) last Thursday!!! (I could't decide what sounded more dramatic, a foot or 12 inches.) Needless to say, it was awesome and so beautiful! And sadly, not many pictures to show for it. (I will try to post what I have soon.)
• Our entire family is sick. :( Asher and Sam have the flu (swine the dr. assumes), Rob and I have sinus infections (again, Michelle?, you may ask. Yes, AGAIN.) And Joel is getting over an ear infection, and praying it stays at that....no more fevers and flu please!
• The big boys are all signed up for T-ball (hence the new blog background) and ready for "Spring Training"! Our coach emailed today and said start practicing throwing and catching!
• And finally, the Tombrella family is leaning daily, more than ever, on the help and grace of the Lord Jesus to not just "get us through" each day, but to empower us to do and say the right thing (primarily w/ each other), to forgive us when we don't, and joyfully walk through each day and all that it holds! And we strive to do it all for the glory of God!

photo shoot!

At the end of November my dear friend, Christi MacNelly, was kind enough to endure 2 hours of photo taking with our rambunctious family of 5! She took over 200 pictures and ended up with about 46 good shots! Below you will find a few of our favorites! Enjoy and yes, family, you are getting a print for Christmas!

the pumpkin patch

Here are a few pics of our day at the "Big Orange Pumpkin Farm"! We had a blast being together and enjoying the fall day as a family! A fun memory to be sure! We ate lunch, fed the animals, went on a hay ride, and picked pumpkins! The boys seemed to really like it, though near the end, Asher started to "meltdown"! Enjoy the pics!

Our picnic lunch...the big bubbas

Joel checkin' out the little hay maze!

Gettin' into the ropin' pen! Go Sam go!

All my boys! And looking at the camera too! ;)

Having a taste of the mud. Yum...I mean yuck!

Enjoying the hayride!

The blondies!

Too cute for words...!

five for friday...

It's been a while, so here goes:

1. We are all moved into our new home!!!! We absolutely love it, and now that it is not raining, we are getting to enjoy our porch and backyard! This house is so much more than I ever dreamed possible and I am SOOOO thankful to the Lord for it and his obvious blessing and kindness towards us in it! Can't wait to make lots of memories here!

2. Rob is taking me on a date tonight! Yeah! No pressure Babe, but I hope it's good! I need some fun and relaxing! It's been a long two weeks indoors outnumbered by very active boys!

3. Asher is into EVERYTHING!! And I mean EVERYTHING! He loves the kitchen cabinets, opening them,that is and pulling out whatever is inside. He loves pulling on drawer knobs, even if it means the entire table may fall over on him! AHHH! Oh, and his new favorite thing is to step/climb up on things and stand. He climbs up on the boys stepstool in the bathroom while one of them is on it....it's so cute! He obviously can't wait to do the things that they can!

4. Sam was "Chapel Angel of the Day" yesterday at school and he was beaming! He couldn't wait to show me when he came out of class and then tell his Daddy about it as soon as he got home! I nearly cried as I watched him tell Rob all about it, why he got it, and how all the other kids gave him a high five on the way out. We are so proud of him and how he is really maturing and growing! He absolutely loves school! And he really is getting good at communicating all that he did during the day and what he is learning! I am so thankful!

5. And there's our sweet Joel-er Bear! No matter how big he gets, I'm afraid he will forever be my Joel-er Bear! He is doing well in school too and loving it! He likes to tell me all about his friends and who he ate lunch with (his life revolves around meals)! He still struggles a bit with studdering, but it really seems to be improving. I am going to call the public school next week and see about getting him evaluated though...I'm sure with a little help he will improve greatly and not get frustrated when he is excited and wants to tell me something (and neither will I)!

under construction

So....our new home got started on Aug. 22nd and it is well underway now! The first two pictures are just a few days after the construction began, and then the rest are the pics we took on Sunday!
Sunday was an awesome day.... it began with an amazing sermon at church preached by my very own Robbie! I never expected to be so impacted by the death of Jacob in Genesis 50! Take a listen...http://www.gracechurchfrisco.org/our-sermon-audio/2009_08_09_Rob_Tombrella_48kbps.mp3 ! Then after a wonderful afternoon nap, we headed out with the boys to check out the progress on our home! Quite a change had occurred!It was framed and we could really picture all the rooms as we walked through it! It was so fun! We are SOOOOO excited about it!

Our big boys in our "front yard".

Our home takes shape!

Sam and Joel in their room!

...in the family room. I can just imagine the

family nights of fun to be had in that room! :)

MY kitchen! Oh, I can't wait! There will

be a window behind me and an island

right in front of me....so excited!

Summer Chaos....

Pictures of our vacation are coming soon, but until I get to it, here is a quick update. (You will soon understand why those pictures are NOT posted yet...)
Okay, so here is how the past month has gone for our family...

• moved in with Cherith at the end of June
• closed on the selling of our house the next day
• headed to Florida on a 20 hour car trip with 3 boys 4 and under! (Yes, we are crazy!)
• Asher got sick once we arrived in Florida and required a trip to the doctor and antibiotics.
• Saw rain EVERY day we were in FL so thankfully, no one got sunburned!
• Michelle ended the vacation with a sinus infection and antibiotics from the doctor too!
• One week of joyous readjustment to life.
• Rob got hit with a mild stomach flu.
• Sam and Joel attended VBS at a local church for the first time! They had a blast!
  
• Michelle got hit with a massive stomach virus and ended the night in the ER!
• Visit from Nana and Pop!
• Michelle headed down to Houston with the boys for a few days of visiting family and being stretched and sanctified in the process! God is faithful and my help in time of need!
• Returned to Frisco and just a few days later the A/C in Cherith's home went out!
• Spent 3 nights and 4 days, thankfully, at the Palmer's home! Sleepovers (as the kids were calling it)!

....and now we are back home relaxing at last and anticipating a good night's sleep in our own bed and getting back to "normal life", though I'm not sure that really exists for us anymore these days!
So, though it has been quite a chaotic summer, we have made a ton of memories along the way, seen the Lord's grace carry us through, experienced a new passion and desire to pray and cry out to the Lord in all situations, and seen the Lord answer many of those prayers too! We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our family in August!

the latest...

...our house is in total chaos these days:

• boxes stacked all over the place


• many boxes yet to be packed


• crawling baby on the loose


• leaking a/c unit that cost $200 to fix!


• big brothers are best friends and worst enemies (the status changes moment by moment)


• "big" part of the move scheduled for tomorrow evening


• extremely hot outside these days, so outdoors is not a lengthy refuge for mommy to send the kiddos


• stressed mommy on the loose (much worse and more dangerous than the crawling baby)!

And so now you may ask, "Why is she telling us all this?"

To ask for your prayers....that is why! These days are short, I know, but in the midst of it all, it can feel very overwhelming! Please pray for the Lord's peace, help, provision, and longsuffering (especially w/ the boys!) in these days. And pray that He would be where this tired mommy runs to in the many moments of fear, anger, or stress that WILL arise. Thanks.

my trip to oregon...

As I mentioned in my last post, last weekend I headed to Oregon (with Asher) to visit my sister and her family! They have lived there for nearly a year and a half now, so I was thrilled to finally get to see their "new home"! I also wanted my sister's husband, Stephen, to meet Asher Stephen, since we named him after him!
It was a sweet reunion with them and I had a great time! Asher did amazing on the plane rides, both there and back, and was a trooper on a couple long days of outings and sight-seeing!
It was also a joy to see my two nieces and how much they have grown since I saw them at Christmas! Kaitlyn is quite a big girl now (in first grade) and reads like a pro! She was always sitting and trying to read to Asher every chance she got; it was very sweet, especially since Asher was not always the best audience! And Rebekah, age 4, is addicted to animals, especially dogs and horses. She is quite the expert on dog breeds and knows all the dogs in their apartment complex! Oh, and she definitely has "dog radar", as I came to call it....she could spot a dog before anyone else and at quite a distance too!

I arrived Thursday evening and then Friday was a day out! We went to the Tulip festival and then to Silver Falls (which I think is a state park). Both were breathtaking and spectacular! I love tulips so seeing fields full of them was amazing! And seeing a waterfall upclose and personal was a taste of God's handywork I had never beheld before...absolutely beautiful!
Then on Saturday we headed to downtown Portland to take in the "sights" at the Saturday market and see what local treasures we could find! It was quite an interesting place, to be sure, but all I kept thinking was how much the many dirty, unlovely, and obscure people we saw needed Jesus. He died for them and loves them. I certainly was tempted, at first glance, to judge them, but then the Lord helped me put on "gospel-colored" glasses and see them a little more like Jesus does.

The last two days we were there were quieter, but fun just to be together. We went to church on Sunday and then out to eat (which is a huge treat in my life these days!), and then just hung out at their apartment. Monday we ran to Trader Joe's (one of my favorite places that I miss since leaving MD) and then headed to the airport around 2.

Overall I had a fabulous time and am so thankful the Lord made it possible for me to go! Thank you, Stephen and Alicia for opening your home to me, sacraficing time (Stephen took all 4 days off!) and money to "entertain" me and especially for going out and buying that new air mattress! ;) No really, I had a great time and I love you guys a ton!

Enjoy the pics everyone!

Rows and rows of tulips!

Me and Ash by the mulitcolored section!

Sisters... sisters... (can you hear the tune from White Christmas?!)

The cutest little boy in a shoe; he had so many admirers,

he didn't know what to do!

Just beautiful!

Me and Ash again.

Sitting on a rock behind the waterfall...so cute!

Kissing cousins!

Love from Aunt Lecia!

Playing with Uncle Stephen! They were enjoying a little "man time"!

More fun with Uncle Stephen!

They all look a little hungry to me...with the open mouths and all! ;)

Cutie Rebekah!

Kaitlyn...smiling between bites of dinner and

a bit like her Daddy!