Day One - a few weeks late!

OK. Here it is. Hang On, and enjoy a week in the life of Heather Tober. (I know, I know - it's taken me long enough! but access to my computer has been limited - the spare room/computer room has been occupied with company for the past 2 weeks, and I'm not allowed to take the lap top in the baler! )
*Disclaimer* This will not be a fluffy account. I will be truthful. It is not a pity party, dirty laundry account of my life - but it's not a martha-perfect one either. The truth (or my version of it!) is not always pretty but it's not always ugly either!

Sunday July 11th
Woke up at 6:30 in the Chicken Chef Inn (classy, I know) in Ste. Rose du Lac, Manitoba. We went to our college friend Jesse’s wedding yesterday. I silently get ready for the day, gather up all our crap that our suitcase has puked everywhere, and stew & steam while everyone else is still sleeping. I am up this early because we have to be in Souris, Man. for 11:00 for a rodeo. If we leave at 8 we will have just enough time to get there. The kids and I came home from the wedding dance around midnight. Dan, in classic Dan fashion, made sure that everyone went home before calling it a night. He even got a ride to the hotel with the groom’s parents. I’m not sure but I think this was a lot closer to 3:00am than it was to 1:00. Regardless, it is HIS rodeo we are rushing away to today. But HE is not up getting ready to go. So this frustrates me. I got up, got myself ready (no shower, though, too loud and my hair takes to long to fix afterwards..) Gather up everything and become the THREE alarm clocks it takes to get the sleepy cowboy up and in the shower. While he’s in the shower I carefully load the 2 sleeping mini-Tobers into the truck, along with the suitcase, Monk & Sunny, a shoe bag, & 2 cowboy hats. One last check around the room while Dan gets dressed and we’re off to Souris – a half hour behind schedule. (Story of my life…)
HE sleeps in the truck on the way to Souris. I stop in some town that starts with an N and attempt to get a McD’s breakfast without murdering the morons that work there. Still have 3 sleepers in the truck. In Brandon everyone begins to stir, so I locate an A&W and get them some greasy breakfast. The kids LOVE hash brown patties.
We make it to Souris in time to learn that the rodeo is delayed by almost an hour (a silent sigh from the tired mom who could have enjoyed another HOUR in bed!)

We have a lot of fun at the rodeo. Lots of rodeo friends and their families there – everyone seems to have a 3 year old! Dan got second in the rodeo – so he was very happy (so am I – he LOVES to rodeo and it makes things better to be winning along the way!)
On the way home, just outside of Souris the low fuel light comes on and the countdown to empty begins… 80km…60km…. 20km…how far is the next town? 33km….lets hope the countdown is off a bit…5km to empty…panic for me – sleepy oblivion for the others…ZERO km to empty….thankfully the countdown computer had overestimated by at least 15km. We pull into the Melita White Owl and I fill my thirsty Expedition.

On the way home we go and check our new cow herd. We purchased 20 purebred Tarantaise and Hereford cows & calves from a farmer in Carnduff. They are still in his pasture for awhile. These new cows are beautiful – been shown at Agribition and all over – and are just like big pets – they come up to the fence looking for scratches and pats!
All good with these guys – onto the next stop. A hay field south of Alida that we have rented for this year. Mom & Dad are out there hauling bales, so we stop by to do a quick repair to the baler, and then bale 6 bales before it gets too tough. Mom took the kids to her place to have supper and get ready for bed. I haul a loaded trailer of bales back to the Hansen Farm by 9:00. We have a yummy supper with mom & dad and head to our place by 10. When we got home we found the Calgary Stampede on TV. The kids got to stay up to watch the chuckwagons before hitting the hay. (They’re first time seeing them – someday I hope we can take them to Stampede and they can experience them LIVE.)

Making up for lost time... (or something like that)

So it's been like a month since I updated this thing (told you I don't have time for this!) But to make up for it I'm going to do a week in the life of me. So stay tuned. I plan on jotting things down in my notebook for the next 7 days then updating on here. I've seen this done on a few other blogs...so I'll try to accurately portay what happens around here in a week - not just facts, but feels and maybe a revelation! I'm also trying to upload some pictures to make this blog a bit more interesting.

Tragedy in Vemilion

A very sad thing happened the other day. Our good friend, Curtis's sister passed away. She was in her mid 30s and has 3 little kids (all under 5). What a long, curvy, bumpy, crazy road her husband will be on now. I can't imagine if I was gone one day. Dan would have no clue about anything to do with the kids or the house. Things like where the kid's bathing suits are, what kind of cereal the kids like for breakfast, size Rachie's diapers are, who gets the green sponge and who gets the purple one in the tub, where the spare lightbulbs are, what meat is in the bottom of the freezer... why the hell I needed so many books i never read, scrapbook supplies and fabric I've never used.. (hmmm, maybe I should cut back on buying/stockpiling and up the crafting/quilting/reading time) Let alone having to deal with a toddler who always asks for momma, or a baby who never knew momma... SO SAD.

A few years ago my friend's fiance was killed. Since then, I've half expected Dan to die. I guess the reality of such a terrible thing happening made it real and possible (not just something that happens to other people). It's a fear that is always in the back of my mind, often bringing me to tears on nights he forgets to call when away. How would I ever survive without him? When Dan's Grandpa passed away, his grandma was helpless - there was so many things that she'd never had to do. (pay a bill, adjust the thermostat, mow the grass) Dan has told me that he doesn't want me to be like that if he's ever not around, so we try to make decisions together and he encourages me to think for myself and do things on my own before relying on him to do it.

Maybe I need to start making him more independent with the kids stuff - just incase I'm ever not available. :(

Mrs. Tober's coming to EFC!.

I got exciting news the other day! I've been hired to be the preschool and pre-k teacher at the local Family Centre! Registrations have begun and I'm really looking forward to the job. I've been planning bulletin boards and lessons since I first applied for the job. My co-worker will be amazing to work with! Lisa is a very positive person who always has a smile and a kind word. I know that the kids will respond well to her. It's both of our first year as teachers in this capacity, so the whole year will be a learning year for both of us - I'm sure we'll make a few goofups along the way, but for the most part I'm really excited to help shape all the little minds. I really do love kids and I've always wanted to teach. Also anticipating lots of positive mentoring for a fabulous kindergarden teacher, and opportunities to attend workshops! (..nerd..)
I've been on the family centre's board for a few years, as a parent, I'm happy to be involved with them on a new level now. It's an amazing resource for the community and I'm so happy to be contibuting to it!
On a side note, T will be starting preschool with me! (..maybe we'll get matching backpacks..)

Pennie's Got A Ring!!

My good friend Pennie called me the other day to tell me that SOMEDAY finally happend! She got engaged!! I am thrilled for her! She had some crappy stuff happen to her along the road of life - things that no one should have to go through - but she's fallen in love again and is having a seemingly stellar life in Swift. She asked me to be one of the girls-in-the-pretty-dresses up at the front with her. I'm very excited to help her plan this wedding. She'll be a geourgous bride! She's coming to visit us tomorrow and I can't wait to see the RING!!! (which her fiance kept hidden from her for 5 months...chicken)

Holy Baby Fever Batman!

Seems like EVERYONE is either pregant or has a baby. After news of 3 new baby girls in Alberta (Abby, Emily, and Jessica) and some snuggles with 2 of Oxbow's newest handsome men (Ethan and Hayden) Baby Fever has struck the Tober house. I don't feel like we're done with 2 little redheads. In my mind we have 2 more (FOUR...seriously? am I nuts) Not that I don't completely love T and RET, and I do feel spread pretty thin mentally most days, but I have SO much more love in me!

We'll see if these fever stays for the next few weeks...or if it's fleeting. We got preggo first try with T and RET was a surprise, so I guess that counts as a 1st try! So if I'm going to stop with the no-baby-pill, I need to be totally ready!
I've been looking at the calendar and thinking that if I don't get preggo this month or next, then we'll be done with these 2.
I just got a new job (see future post) so I don't want to have to leave part way through my 1st year. BUT I could be pregnant for the whole school year and have the baby may/jun and still be good for summer farm jobs (aka living in the tractor - baling, and calving out 100 cows) and return to my job in the fall. And besides, i really feel that any more than 3 years between kids is too much - especailly when the 1st 2 are so close in age...
So watch for future posts to see if the Tober family is growing...

I have been very intriged by the idea of adoption. I have always thought that adopting would be cool, and ever since the Haiti Earthquake I've really been thinking about it...so many kids lost their parents in that disaster. What if that happened here? I can't bear to think of MY kids in that situation. I know that adoptin from Haiti right now would be a gong show - with all the restructuring needed there, but I'll certainly be researching often to see when things get opened up. Adopting locally (Canada) is interesting and we would surely be seen as a possible home, given my disability background and the fact that so many adoptees have various degrees of disabilities. But I'm such a planner and adopting is so out of my hands, that I don't know if I could do it! (ControlFreakMuch??) Maybe further down my life's path this will be an option and we'll adopt a bit older child (near the same age as T & RET) So if I continue to blog watch for adoption info updates!

80th Birthday Party

Today we celebrated my Grandma Margaret's 80th birthday. EIGHTY! I can't even begin to imagine what life will be like when I'm 80. How different things will be - how old T and Rach will be. I've often imgained what it would be like to have lived in the 30's like my grandma did, and think that I would have enjoyed growing up and being a mom back then. Sure it was very hard work, and most were very poor but I think that in many ways things were better then.
It was a great tea party this afternoon at the senior's centre, with over 120 people coming to celebrate with her, then about 30 family and close friends stayed for BBQ burgers and all that jazz. Then the 'after-party' spilled across the street to her house for a case of beer and some laughs with HER family (her 2 children, grandkids and greatgrands)