The LAST week of school! WHEW!

 SWEET, SWEET MEGAN GIRL'S MOVING ON!

Our beautiful Megan had her 8th grade graduation on Tuesday night.  I can't believe she will be in high school next year!  I'm seriously freaking out here!  Shaun and I are so proud of our smarty-pants.  She received the Presidential Gold Award, which means during all three years of middle school she had a GPA of 3.5 or higher (which it easily was for her) and had to have scored in the advanced range on at least two areas on ISATS each year.  Can you be any happier as a parent than to have a daughter with personality, spirituality, brains and beauty?  Although she's a little too cute - that's why she's also working towards her black belt in Mixed Martial Arts.  WAY TO GO MEGAN!

GOOD JOB CALLEN!



On Wednesday, Callen participated in a 25 mile bike-a-thon.  I was SO IMPRESSED!!  I admit, I wondered if he could do it after being locked in the house all winter.  They also had a 12 mile ride, and I assured him that it would still be a great accomplishment if he made it that far and wanted to stop.  He was determined though, and DID IT!  He was able to use it to pass off his 25 mile bike ride for scouting.  Now, all he has left is the 50 miler.

My Sweet Ry-Man!

Ryan and Callen had their field day at school on Wednesday afternoon!  It had been rainy and miserable the days before, so we were all so relieved to wake up to clear blue skies.  They were so worried it would rain and they wouldn't get to have the fun things that were planned.  Their school brought in a climbing wall, the huge blowup slide, and a very cool blowup obstacle course.  The boys had a blast!  I would have liked to get more pics, but my batteries ran out (OF COURSE) and I was happy to squeak one out of each of them.

Monkey-Boy Seth!

Ryan received an award for math and reading, and Seth received an award for reading.  Callen also had an excellent year in middle school with very impressive grades.  I'm so proud of all my smart, smart kids!

Our new YELLOW belt!

On the 6th of May, Seth took his yellow belt test and PASSED!  Even his sensei was impressed with how well he did on his test.  He was so focused and strong.  There are no longer any white belts in the Tobler home, and Seth is very happy about that!  He had to do the 1st and 2nd kada, pass off a series of moves, and then spar with his sensei.  WAY TO GO SETH!!!!

EEEEOOOOOO!

Now THAT'S gross!  This picture is actually after 10 days of healing.  At least I didn't put on a really gross picture of it right after it happened.  On the 7th, the "boys" were out doing some clean up and Shaun asked Callen to pull the van forward.  When he got out, he shut his right pinkie finger in the door WITH his work gloves on.  He yanked his finger back, but the glove stayed in the door.  His nail was still attached at the end just fine, but it had ripped the entire nail bed up and out, and laid it on top of his finger.  ICK!  The doc had to CUT the rest of the nail off.  They numbed it, of course, and Callen watched the whole procedure.  They did have to put 3 stitches in to stop the bleeding, and Callen had a hard time watching the needle go into his flesh, but otherwise he watched the whole time.  He wanted to keep the nail, so the doctor put it in a little bottle of saline and Callen took his prize back to school to show off.  I suggested he not try to impress the girls with it.  The poor thing is taking forever to heal, and we think his bone tip must be fractured, so trying to keep a splint on this finger has been near impossible.  Callen was so mad at me 3 days after he did this because I wouldn't let him stay and play basketball with the young men.  That about sums up how this whole "healing" process has proceeded ever since.  POOR KID!

ViVa LaS vEgAs!

WHEW!  I am running way behind on my blogging lately!  I actually did our trip to Vegas once already, but something went quirky and I lost it all before I could post it...that, my friends, is a VERY frustrating thing.  ANYHOO...back to Vegas!  Shaun had some training to do the last week of April (for our dialysis unit) with the Kidney Foundation at the MGM Grand.  Neither Shaun or I were very excited about him going alone, so we figured it would be time for a nice, warm get-a-way.  Shaun had the WONDERFUL idea of asking Mike and Suzanne if they would be interested in coming to bathe in the sunny sunshine and entertain/babysit me while he was gone all day long.  THANKFULLY, they agreed to come, and they turned what could have been a very lonely and somewhat scary vacation for me, into a great one.  Just picture poor little innocent me alone all day for 3-1/2 days in sin city.  Not a pretty picture.  Can't say that Vegas was first on our list for vacation destinations, but let's face it, you all know my love for my fraline and could send me to the bitter ends of the earth with her as my company and I would still find joy in the world!  Mike was like the bonus strawberry on top (I hate cherry's).  I decided to list my favorite things about our get-a-way:

#1:  Being with my sweet honey-bunny!

It was so nice to spend some time together.  We always enjoy getting away to spend some time together.  This was at the first show we went to, Ka', by Cirque Du Soleil.  It was amazing!  We loved the martial artsy stuff.  Our four martial artists at home would have loved it.  What they could do with the stage itself was impressive.

#2:  Mike and Suzanne

 I do love my Mike and Fraline!  This was our first night out on the "strip".  We walked down to the Bellagio hotel for the water show, and by the time we walked around it, got to see two of them.  The second was by far the best.  It plays to music, but you can still hear the water blasting.  Very impressive!

This is at the Ka' Theater.  They are the handsomest couple ever!  It makes me smile to look at this picture!  I love these two!

Are these not the two cutest men on the planet!  I LOVE this picture.  This was right after their roller coaster ride at the NewYork NewYork hotel.

#3 The Temple

Can I just say that the celestial room in the Vegas temple is one of my favorites.  It is gorgeous!  I loved the etched glass and ceiling lines.  It was so nice to be there with Mike and Suzanne, and what a contrast after being on the "Strip".  Unfortunately, but probably for the best, I did not get a picture of the occasion.  The wind was a-whippin' and the hair was going crazy with it.  I got to add another temple to my list!  Mike was a great chauffeur for us the whole trip.  Thanks Mike!

#4:  The warm SUN!

"Which one of these things is not like the others...?"  On one of the only days it was really warm enough to soak up the rays, my poor honey had to leave soon to get back to training and had to roast fully clothed.  This was the first day, and the day fraline and esp. Mike fried their shins!  Obviously not one of us has seen much needed sun before this time.  It felt so good to soak.  Mr. Social Butterfly Mike made a new friend after being threatened by her when he thought to steal her water bottle. Mike, you're such a nice guy!  Fraline and I had some fun being fishies in the pool until some guy invaded our personal space, and then bragged it wasn't his first invasion of the day.  OOOOOOOO!  Unfortunately, the last day we had a chance at soaking it up, it was a little cool.  Suzanne and I were content to dose and soak up the sun, but Shaun and Mike braved the current pool and found some unwanted entertainment provided for them there. 

#5:  The FOOD!

Can I just mention here my passion for food.  It was high on my list of things I was looking forward to.  Not only did I not have to make my bed, clean up after anyone, or gaze out my window at yet another spring snow, I got to eat some very YUMMY food and did not have to cook one bite of it!  There were many happy feastings for me, but I'll list my favs: 

The last night there we went to Cirque Du Soleil's "O".   Afterwards, we realized why it was called that.  You couldn't help but say "Oh" at all the amazing things that were going on.  It was "O" so impressive.  After the show, we were on the scrounge for food off the "strip", and after laboring much, stumbled upon "Toto's" as much out of desperation as anything.  It was 10 at night by now.  Well, they were still serving and we were the only ones in the place.  Can I just say that this is the best Mexican food I've ever had.  They had the best fresh salsa and this other bean dip.  Mike and Shaun went for the El Grande Burro-HOLY MOLY was it grande!  It was impressive/verging icky to watch it all disappear.  Suzanne and I shared fajitas, then we all ended with fried ice cream.  Let's just say it would be worth the trip to Vegas to just go eat there.

Another favorite was PF Chang's lettuce wraps, a delightful first for me, where Shaun kindly (accidentally)  provided entertainment for everyone!  (Even if Mike almost disowned him for it.)

And lastly, my worst stuffing of the trip, the buffet at the Bellagio.  By the time we'd sampled all the good food and should have stopped, it was time for dessert sampling.  Then, much to Mike's concern about getting handcuffed and thrown in jail, Suzanne and I nearly literally split open with laughter as we smuggled some of the yummy bread out of there.  I'll have you know, it was not as good by Sunday, but I still ate it just because of the risk involved in smuggling it out of there.  I didn't want Mike to think the risk was all for nothing.

This is the ceiling in the "O" Theater.  How cool is that!

"Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters!"  I love you my fraline.  You are one the my true joys in this world.  I'm so glad that Shaun and I got to spend this time with you and Mike.  We are NOT waiting so long for the next get-a-way.   Sun sounds like a good plan though, hum?  Thanks for making this a happy memory for Shaun and I!

Last, but not least, I must mention the gifts.  The Nelson's and we brought our boys home a New Zealand All Blacks rugby ball.  This was the day we got home, it started to snow, and they were still out making body piles.  I hope it's not the most expensive 8 bucks we've ever spent, ending with ER visits.  My boys became very popular at school that next week!

HaPpY B-dAy Callen!

April was an extra exciting month for Callen.  He is now a big 12-year-old!  This means great things for Callen.  He graduated from primary and moved on to young men's, and he also was able to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood.  I have always called Callen "Sunshine" since he was a baby because he brought such life and a brightness into our lives.  Heavenly Father must have a special place in his heart for Callen as well, because Callen's "big" days have always had a special touch to them.  Callen's 8th birthday and baptism day happened to be on Easter Sunday.  And if that was not special enough, that same day after his baptism, there was a double rainbow out our front window.  We hadn't even gotten much moisture that day, but there they were.  The one was even low enough that we were able to get this picture of Callen standing out on our front lawn under his own personal rainbow sent for his special day.  How cool is that?!

Well, the love doesn't stop there for Callen.  Since Shaun's parent's were gone on a cruise during his birthday, he wanted to wait to be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood until after they got back so they could be there.  What a sweet boy!  Shaun's parent's were so pleased.  And guess what day his ordination fell on...why EASTER SUNDAY, of course (April 24)!  Callen is the first grandson carrying the Tobler name to be ordained since Shaun, and Shaun ordained him. 

I LOVE this picture!  Three generations of Tobler priesthood  holders: Callen, Shaun and Leon!

We had a lot of family there to support Callen since the Tueller's and Danielson's happened to be at the condos by Bear Lake for the weekend as well.  We got to go down an play in the pool with them that Saturday.

Just a few of the bunch: Garrett and Paula, Shaun, Callen, Seth, Devan and Ryan in front.

Callen continues to be our "Sunshine"!  He is so full of love and goodness.  We are so happy that Heavenly Father sent him to our home.  I hope that he also feels that same love from our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, as he has gotten to share some of his special events on Easter, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior!  I feel so blessed to now have two priesthood holders in our home., and to be surrounded by my family that I love so much.

                                                                           

We even squeezed in the all-important sugar high!