Ahhh, there's nothing like SPRING in the Bear Lake Valley!

So, I have been browsing through a few of your blogs, and chatting with a few of you about you're lovely spring weather.  I sighed with pleasure at the pictures Sheena had of blossoms and Miles in the park with their 70's weather...congratulated Shaun's parents today about how their lawn is starting to green up ever so nicely...Suzanne was even out hanging up rugs on the line the other day...spring has sprung!  Isn't it wonderful!  Just so I can make each of you equally jealous, I thought I would also share some of our pictures of spring in the Bear Lake Valley, so you can be equally jealous.  I just barely came in from taking these:

 These were taken standing on the steps right out my front door so you can partake of the breathtaking view that we get to gaze upon every singe day!!!  In case you can't see all the detail, it is actually snowing BIG, FLUFFY flakes too! 

Yes, those piles of snow in the distance from the neighbors plowing out their driveways are about 6 to 8 feet tall, but have melted quite a bit this spring!

 The boys were so excited to be able to jump on the trampoline.  They were doing flips off if it into the nice soft snow!  For some reason, they haven't touched the other equipment yet?

And this is my clothesline.  I'm still just too lazy to go hang out any clothes yet.

If these pictures do not make you envious enough, know that it was a balmy 44 degrees the very moment I snapped these pictures.  The boys have been so excited to be able to go out and ride their bikes.  One day they even made it a whole 30 minutes before it started to snow again and they came back in soaked and frozen to the bone!  So, I'm just letting you all know that if your spring weather is not quite up to snuff, you are all invited at any time to come visit us!  Just give us a quick ring to let us know you're on your way so we can make sure and clear the sidewalks.  Mind you hurry and make it before April 15th though, because the local radio man swears all this snow will be gone by then!

P.S.  Just a forewarning...you may also see the Tobler family suddenly appear on your doorstep in shorts and sandals before then, wanting to roll in your green grass the way my boys did one spring when we went to Shaun's parents (since it had been SO LONG since they'd seen anything green)!

His name...WALDO...I mean Merlin!

Our family is addicted to this BBC series, "Merlin"!  This picture is even actually my wallpaper right now.  We've just finished the second season via Netflix and are dying for more.  But, alas, the 3rd season is airing right now, and of course we do not get it, so we have to wait clear until January again.   RRRRRR!!

When the Nelson's were here, we got them all addicted to it too.  During the intro, it says this line, "His name...MERLIN!"  I think it was Tucker that was talking about it while they were here and said something about watching "Waldo" again, so that is now what we say every time we hear the intro!!  Only if you really know me and my struggle with finding the right words can you truly appreciate the humor our family finds in that!!  Our family is all so jealous of the Nelson's now though because they are getting to watch season 3 right now.  We all proclaim it NOT FAIR!!

Any-hoo, to anyone looking for a great series, check this one out!  You can watch previous seasons on the their home site on the internet as well.  Shaun's sister, Marilee, got us started on it. 

"But WE'RE not Irish!"

This is the response I got from Shaun when I informed him that for St. Patrick's Day I was going to make corned beef and cabbage for supper.  My mom used to make it quite often when I was growing up, and I don't ever remember being revolted by the idea, so I thought, WHY NOT? Just for fun, we'll do it!  Well, as too many days often go, it was crazy and I wasn't home in time to get it in the pot.  So SADLY we had other green food instead.  Shaun did not seem disappointed until I informed him it was on for the next day's din-din! 

I frankly did not know what I was doing, and mine did not look like this picture.  I had it all mixed together and in edible sizes.  I was pretty sure Seth was going to like it because cabbage is one of his favorite veggies (go figure), and is a carnivore, but I was unsure about the rest of the troop.

Well, EVERYONE liked it.  Yes, even my Shaun-boy admitted it was tasty enough and I could make it again!  Might make a great Sunday dinner in place of roast on occasion since the cooking process is similar.  So, corned beef and cabbage has been added to the menu...at the very least for St. Patrick's Day.  GO IRISH!!

Oh, for the love of PIE!

I just wanted to say how much I love pie!  I know that's a totally random thought, but there you have it.  That's how this ole' brain of mine works.  I had to make two pies yesterday for Seth's class since they were celebrating Pi-Day (the mathematical one).  After sampling all the other pies that were there, I was reminded how much I really like pie.  It is one of the simple pleasures in this life that makes me really happy.  Fruity, nutty, pumpkin, cream, it's ALL good.  So, to honor my love for pie, I decided that the Tobler house will celebrate Pi-Day (March 14, if you care), by eating homemade pie/pies on that day from now until I grow sick of it...which, as of right now, does not appear to be a problem if you consider how fast the left over pies disappeared.  The only real threat I can see to this great plan is my constant battle with laziness.  In that case, there are lots of ways to cheat.  So, next year at this time you will hear the Tobler household demanding, BRING ON THE PI...I mean PIE!!

Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho, A pirates life for me!

Meet Pedro and her fellow pirate!   ARRRRRRRG!Megan and Callen both performed last night in the middle school play, " 'Treasure Island' a wacky pirate play".  They both did a great job and it was fun to watch!  Ryan and Seth laughed right out loud many times, but at the end of the play, Seth pronounced it a "weird play".  I had to explain to him that that was the whole point of the thing!  Megan's done the play all three years of middle school and looks forward to more drama in high school (hoping it only comes on stage and not with friends).  She would love to play an evil part some day.  She says that way you get to act all mean and nasty, but know that you're really just a great person still.  Callen, of course, has always loved to entertain a good audience and I'm sure the future will hold more performing for him as well!  BRAVO!

I had plenty of opportunities to get great pictures of Callen as he seemed to migrate to the front edge of the stage-Thank you, son!  He was very animated and really got into his role!  He mentioned to Megan and I that he couldn't believe we could stand having long hair after wearing his wig.  Thankfully, the real deal isn't as scratchy and uncomfortable.  Maybe this will help him avoid wanting to have the shaggy-mutt look!

Megan was a bit more aloof, but I was still able to track her down! Such a cute little pirate-ess! 

We LOVE the Nelsons!

Yea!!! The Nelsons made it down for a visit this last weekend, thanks to good timing on weather and healthy bodies (FINALLY).  My family has been DYING to see them since they had to cancel their visit over New Year's due to sickies.  You'd think my family had all died and gone to heaven.  We had LOTS of snow to play in.  The boys cross country skied, wrestled (yes, even Shaun and Mike), and Megan and Emma did some baking (YUM! thank you ladies). 



We also did a couple days of Zumba (SO fun and CHALLENGING with fraline as your instructor)!  We got them hooked on our latest kick, Merlin (BBC).  On Saturday, we got to celebrate Emma's 14th b-day (happy b-day today "M") and had a blast with Cosmic Bowling.  And yes, Mike and Nate, though I was letting you start to feel a little cocky in the last round before they turned everything off, the challenge for next year remains.  I think it should be men vs ladies (combined average score), and whoever loses buys the Artic Circle shakes from now on??  A little motivation can't hurt right?

The ONLY complaint I have about the whole weekend was that it went WAY too fast.  Today I am so lonely and blah!  I had to console the kids in knowing that it will only be 3 months until they come again for EFY, and then one more month after that until the Wardell Family Reunion on the Big Horns.  That seemed to calm them all a bit.  I did not, however, brag at the time that Shaun and I will get to see Mike and Suzanne before all that for a little sunny get-a-way in Las Vegas!  Can't wait!!! 

Thanks Nelson's for a GREAT weekend!  We ADORE you all!!

She's a good girl that one!

WOW!  I was so impressed when I woke up from my Sunday nap to this!!  It looks just like the picture!  I was even more impressed when I ate it...and ate some more, and more and more of it.  It is SO YUMMY!  Megan had watched it made on America's Test Kitchen on Friday, so we printed out the recipe for her cookbook.  She always hates it when you have to watch them eat it after it's made and they moan and groan about how good it is.  Today she said she was still craving something after dinner so I mentioned, hey, you should make Monkey Bread.  It is an ALL from scratch recipe too, no mixes of any kind.  So, I can't tell you how pleased for her I was when I walked out to the smell of cinnamon bread and saw her amazing creation...all on her own too.

Her brothers were equally impressed...especially if the amount of moaning and groaning is any indicator of satisfaction.  Callen said to her, "I want this for my birthday, and YOU'RE making it!"  I'm not going to object to that!  The only problem I can foresee is this is another one of those things I really should altogether avoid because I don't want to stop.  Yeah, it's that good.  WAY TO GO MEGAN!!

HELP! They're Everywhere, They're Everywhere!

Okay, I have enough fevering, hacking, boogers and puking to make a sane mama cry!  For the last three weeks now we've had sickies, and they're not just taking turns.  My favorite was last week when I had Seth home for two days with a sore throat and fever, Callen home with an upset stomach for three days, and even Shaun home with a fever and cough!  Shaun fevered for FOUR DAYS on medication.  In fact, all those that were on meds for fevers still had fevers.  Seth took a break over the weekend and started with round two on Sunday trading his sore throat in for a cough, and continued with a fever of 104.5* on Monday.  SCARY!  And yes, Valentines Day was very romantic with Shaun fevering and hacking!  Very memorable.

Megan and I were the only ones that were holding out until Sunday morning...and then Megan caved in to the dark side.  I'm the sole survivor to date.  I feel like I'm drowning in germs!  I'm just hoping my old bod holds out until the air clears.  Our whole valley is infested right now.  There were 25% of the high school students home sick today, and about another 25% that should have stayed home according to my friend/neighbor/teacher.  We're all just hoping this long weekend gives everyone in the valley time to get better and QUIT SHARING!  This mama's all worn out!

Speaking of love...Looking back to Alaska.

This last August Shaun and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary by going on an Alaskan Cruise.  We went with our buddies (Shaun's sister and her husband) Marilee and Mike Tueller.  It was their 20th wedding anniversary. It was WONDERFUL!!  We LOVED it!  I thought I would share a few pictures so you could get a taste of how great it was.  It is so hard to pick...but I would like you to notice how happy and peaceful we look.  We would highly recommend it to anyone.

This is the four of us in Ketchikan on the boardwalk where there were millions of Salmon.

 

                            

YUM!!  But my favorite food on the ship were their varities of bread...including bread pudding.  They had wonderful food and I really enjoyed eating it all without having to plan it, cook it, or clean it up.  The most stressful part was choosing WHAT to pick.

We would always come back to a new "towel critter" in our room made by housekeeping.  I loved not having to make my own bed! I'm a simple woman, what can I say.

 This is one of the most beautiful places on earth, Butchart Gardens in Victoria.  The pictures did not do it justice.  This was only one part, the sunken garden.  I would LOVE to go back some day.

                                         This is our beautiful ship, the Rotterdam.

Coming into our first port, Juneau.  It was a untypically sunshiny day there.  We went whale watching and got to see a humpback whale that breached multiple times for us.  The guide told us it was not normal behavior in their feeding grounds.  We were so happy.  It was AMAZING!

Hubbard Glacier...we were told on the way out to it we would probably not get to go very close, BUT DID!  We got to see and hear it calving.  It was so cool...literally.

             This was one of out two formal nights.  It was fun to get all dressed up. 

It was a trip we will never forget and we had such a great time with Mike and Marilee!  I won't bore you with anymore pics or details (although you know how I could really go on and on).  WE would HIGHLY recommend it to all.

Another one bites the dust!

Well, I've finally reached the big 4-0!  Can I really be that old all ready?  I still think we should determine age off of mental status, don't you agree?  Though I wouldn't want anyone taking away my driver's license, or wonder how in the world I've got 4 children.  Never mind!  You know, it's not as painful as every one's made it out to be though.  I was expecting more to tell you the truth after all the hype.  I will pass on a bit of advice to all of you youngsters who are only gazing upon the 40's still.  Milk it for all it's worth.  Let's face it, birthdays in general are not that exciting any more, but I did find that since everyone feels extra bad for you for some reason, they also go out of their way to be extra nice when you turn 40.  I had a day that my children didn't fight and were happy all day, a birthday dinner from my honey and delicious cake made by Megan, and a look of love in every eye that was edged with a touch of elderly concern. . . and I was even gone most of the day.  My family was all extremely kind to me-they're the BEST!  I'm just glad Megan didn't put 40 candles on my cake. . . I about passed out blowing out the few there were!

Megan's cake was SCRUM-DILLY-UMPTIOUS!!  (Unfortunately for my rear-end, I couldn't get enough of it! DARN!)

Ry-Man Superstar!

Ryan is playing little league basketball this year.  It has been so fun the watch him and all his little teammates.  It's amazing how quick the small frys pick up on the sport.  Ryan is quite the little hustler.  He was feeling bad about some of his skill ability so I had to remind him that he was playing to learn.  The skills will come as he works at it, but being a hustler is harder to teach, coaches always love the guys that hustle.  He was thrilled the last game to make a basket.  Callen has even been getting to go to his practices to help even up the numbers for scrimaging.  He's been loving it too.

Vermin...that's right, two of them.

Okay, you're right, this is just wrong!  I couldn't believe it when we allowed Megan to get a rat last spring...and like vermin do, they've multiplied.  Callen has been wanting a pet for a long time.  We keep reminding  him that we already have a dog, Chewy, but he wanted one to call his very own to love and to care for.  Megan got "Squeakers" from her science teacher for $2 (cheap pet).  She insisted that she had bonded with the rat and needed to save it from being snake food.  I was not easily swayed, but you can see who holds the power around here...not me.  Callen has the same teacher this year and so began the pleading.  We told him that if he would get an A in Science that he would be able to get a rat.  After his grade school science grades we felt fairly safe.  Little did we know that Callen's totalling clicked with middle school work and has had straight A's in everything.  So, after Christmas, with a big smile on my face, we welcomed home "Whiskers", also saved from some very nasty snakes.  I've officially cracked.  Shaun and I decided we should have made the requirement of A's throughout the school year instead.  That was way too easy for him.

So, the moral of the story is...be careful what you let into the house, things tend to multiply.  We started with a dog and now we have a beta fish and two rats.

Seth's 7th B-day!

          My BABY is now 7 years old.  It is hard for me to believe.  He's my New Year's Eve (not so much now) baby.  We went to our local pizza place, Studebaker's for lunch.  Seth decided right then that it was the best birthday EVER!  Callen got cross country skis for Christmas this year, and so he and Seth were both ecstatic when Seth got cross country skis for his birthday.  SNOW BUDDIES!  They went out for a couple of hours that afternoon and had a blast out in the 1 foot of freah snow in the back field.  Then, New Year's day, Ryan and Megan got in on the action and they all took turns going out in pairs.  The skis did not get a rest the entire day.  It was so fun to see them out puttering around.  It's so nice that they just go right out in our back yard and can be entertained for the entire day.  Brings me great joy!!  Now I need to scout out a pair for me!

                                                            Seth showing off his new skills.

                                                              Callen-my cute poser boy!

CAN IT REALLY BE?

Yes, I finally made it into the high speed world!  I can tell you already I will be wasting way too much time trying to figure out how to do all of this.  For those of you who have gone before, you might have an idea of how long it took me to just decide what I wanted things to look like, and that's without all the extra sights to search through! 

All I know it that I have loved being able to SEE and read about what's going on in everyone else's lives.  It makes me feel close to those of you that I don't get to be with as often as I'd like.  I guess I just want you to be a part of my life as much as I feel like I get to be a part of yours. . . reciprocal sharing.  Trust me, when you think your just wasting your time and nobody cares, you can know I appreciate all of your efforts.  I just hope I can figure out how to get a picture on here now!