Miracles...

The past week I have been surrounded by miracles occurring around me, whether it be through friends, strangers or family, they are happening for us and for others. We have felt the Love and the Hands of the Lord answering our prayers and making things happen in ways least expected. It is nice to feel that the Lord watches over all His children and with much faith and trials blessings come, miracles take place, answers are received.

Most often in my life these things have come through others. We have all been giving the Light of Christ, and with that comes feelings and thoughts which are ways that the Lord communicates to His children. We often wonder why we do certain things at certain times, act certain ways, think certain thoughts, feel certain feelings. And when we act upon these, call them promptings, insights, inspiration, revelation, etc., things happen. We touch people's lives, we make a difference, we change lives, we change ourselves through those actions, we help miracles happen, we become Instruments in the Lord's Hands. WOW!

I am thankful to a loving Heavenly Father that sent us here with a Purpose and a Plan. He sent us here with a way to get back. He sent us here with the Light of Christ. He knew that earthly life would be difficult, challenging but not impossible, and He has to communicate with us in order to help us do His work and fulfill our earthly mission. I am grateful for the many people that follow these promptings and act as the Lord's instruments. We have been blessed because of these actions lately. Thank you!

It makes me think harder at what I am doing, thinking, and feeling everyday. It makes me want to hold still more often to be able to focus, to hear what the Lord wants me to do today for Him! Am I ready to be His Instrument and perform His works amongst His children? Am I ready to make a difference?...That is to change someones life, touch someones heart, uplift, motivate, and bring the Pure Love of Christ. Help them feel the Lord's love through my selflessness, actions, willingness to serve and words. OR however other ways He has planned for me to carry out/fulfill His Plan or Purpose.

I hope and pray that these feelings remain and that I can actively try harder every day to listen to the soft whisperings of the Spirit. To act on the promptings I will receive and not question why or how I am going to do whatever I am being prompted to do.

I want to publicly thank "Julie Strouse" for acting on her prompting to help our little family. She was able to serve as the Lord's instrument. As a complete stranger, in a different state, she came across our lives feeling the need to serve us and show us how Charity works. She acted and the Lord was able to Bless us through her actions. If we could all be this way with each other on a daily basis we would make such a difference in everyone's lives. We would be helping others feel of God's love and mercy, and thus we would have more people living happier and having more faith in our Savior and relying upon His merits and Grace to make it through this temporary earthly life.

I know that God lives and loves every single one of us. I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and Savior. I know that He died for me, for us, and that He lives. I really don't know how life would be without this knowledge, without these little miracles, without the gift of the Spirit (Holy Ghost for those of my faith) or the Light of Christ (for others of a different faith). I know I am a Child of God and that He answers my prayers and loves me unconditionally!

Out came the other...

Juliette lost her other tooth yesterday! She didn't do so well with this one. Rob tried to talk her into trying the same method as the one from this weekend and she quickly turned that one down. Rob had to trick her to pull her twisted tooth out. It looked so very painful. She had no clue the tooth had come out when Rob pulled it. But, after some crying she managed to pull herself together and seemed happy and excited again. Especially since the tooth-fairy left her a dollar from the previous tooth she lost.

Surprise!

Juliette has always surprised us. For example the other day Rob was running a spelling bee with the children; a "backwards" spelling bee that is. Eliza and James struggled with their words. Then it was Juliette's turn. Realizing that she didn't even know how to read, Rob hesitantly challenged her to spell her name backwards. Without missing a beat she fire right back with "E-T-T-E-I-L-U-J", with such lightening speed that we were stunned. We looked at each other with our mouths wide open. Rob said, "I think we've got a child prodigy on our hands."Today, after admiring her new look, she surprised us by informing us who her real mother was. See any resemblence?

A Father's Dream...

Rob has always dreamed of pulling out one of his kids' tooth by some creative mean. Juliette has had her two front teeth loose for a week or so now, and one finally was loose enough to pull out. He just couldn't resist the creativity that caved in as he planned his attempt to pull it out. I couldn't wait to see what he would come up with. His scheme would be something I would never think of, of course, we are talking about Rob here...I watched him set up his contraption, which was well thought through. He used rope, dental floss, a bench, a candle holder and a syrup bottle. The plan was to attach the tooth to the bottle, then try to throw a soft ball at it and whent the bottle fell, out came the tooth. Well, the plan worked! Juliette was such a good sport about the whole thing. We were so impressed. Eliza had the delightful pleasure of striking the bottle. Just watch this video. Sorry if it is too loud. We were laughing so hard. Have a good laugh on us. This is AFHV material... P.S his first idea was to pull the tooth with pliars. I am glad he came up wtih something more creative!

Soccer season has begun...

Alright, we survived our first day of Soccer games. We were at the fields from 10am until 4:30pm. Three games every Saturday always seems like a challenge to think about, but it works out every time. The kids had a great time and they were so excited to play. Juliette had the first game and it was super windy and freezing cold. The girls struggled to play after the first 30minutes. They were freezing and some had snotty noses and coughs. I wore my ski jacket with a hoodie under and lots of layers...I was still freezing. James, Eliza and Sophia survived as well. Eliza played awesome. James had shown her some moves before her game and she put them into practice. Her team won 7 to 1. She has a great coach this year. The girls are really progressing in the sport with his caoching. James played awesome as well. He is so good at it. He loves the sport too much...he is just too hard on himself his expectations are way too high, I think. I don't know where he gets it. Seriously, he gets really worked up about it. I love watching him play. His body is so agile, so bendable and he is so fast on the field. He is a great team player and tries to talk to his teammates...sometimes they listen sometimes they don't. But he is a great communicator and makes great passes. Rob, this year has been asked to be the assistant coach for James' team. He was called and asked if he could help out at practices and games. Because of his schedule, he said he would when he could. James' coach is also the coach for one of the High Schools in town, so he might not make it to every game on time or to every practice. James seems pretty excited about it! ob never played soccer but he has learned a few things here and there, and he is very motivational to the boys. We'll see how the season goes... P.S...The first video is of Juliette blocking a goal, the second is of Eliza showing some great Defense:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Late Birthday Date...

Thanks to our friends the Hawley's, Rob and I enjoyed a night out with no kids. Linda offered as part of my birthday gift to watch all of our kids this last Tuesday. Rob and I had a wonderful time. We went to the Gym (didn't have to pay for Day care), ate at this awesome local Burger joint downtown called "Fiamma" where we ate the yummiest chicken burger and the best sweet potatoe fries ever, oh and the largest onion rings. Then we walked around and drove to Boomer's for the perfect "Chocolate hot fudge Peanut Butter" Shake. YUMMY! We did make a stop at Haggen's for some ice cream for the kids and the Hawley's. Thank you Linda and Paul for such a sweet gesture. We truly appreciate your friendship and generosity! The kids had a wonderful time with you and your daughters. THANK YOU! If you are ever in Bellingham, check out these two great local Burger joints: http://www.fiammaburger.com/ http://www.boomersdrivein.com/

What in the world is that?

That is the question, what in the world is that? I felt this gross, hard stuff under my countertop the other day. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to dare look under the countertop or not and find out what it was! Well, can you guess by the picture? It was GUM. I just about died laughing. I couldn't get it off either, it was really stuck. I had to use a knife. Then, I went searching around the living room and kitchen for more. I found some under the kitchen table and next to the couch. Only one kid would do such a thing. I questioned the child in mind and she giggled as she said "I didn't do it". Could you guess which child? Nope, not Sophia, Nope not Eliza, Yep...Juliette. She has been grounded from gum for a week. YUCK!

A Late St. Patrick's Day post...

Thanks to Rob's childhood we have adapted this tradition of celebrating more holidays than what I celebrated growing up. He reminds me to do something fun. One of the things we do is that we make breakfast that goes with the Holiday. I think it is fun to put food coloring on their food and watch them eat it. Green was a bit much on their milk this year. I got a lot of YUCK, and it looks GROSS. Last year I made their scrambled eggs green, I didn't think that green milk would be as bad. Heeeheee! But, we had fun and they ate their breakfast that's all that mattered! Stay tuned for the next Holiday Breakfast at the Tobler house...

Create....

This was an awesome video. It really got me thinking and reminded me of how wonderful it is to be able to create in many ways, many things...we have all been given the gift of creating in one way or another. We forget to expand our imagination and find ourselves too often comparing our creativity with others'. We are all individually unique! That is the fun part about the gift of creating. So, Create!!!

Full Marathon, Here I come....

I have finally decided to do a half and a full marathon this year. I figured if I am training for Ragnar (15.5 miles) might as well continue and train for a full 26.2miler. I have been wanting to do this for a while. I finally made up my mind. No more talk, now let's get some action! If there is anyone interested in running these with me, let me know! The first 1/2 marathon is in Seattle on June 27th, 2009 (fee is $100 by 6/21) http://www.rnrseattle.com/registration.html. The full Marathon will be on Dec. 31st, 2009 in Fairhaven, WA. That one is for free. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

Dance, Dance Evolution...

At the Tobler house, we know how to have some fun...So we kicked off our boots and stepped out with some groovey moves. The kids really loved being silly and on the spotlight. There is a video, which I will not blog, where Sophia actually moons me. Thanks a lot Frandie!!! The things kids learn from their favorite AUNT?! This just comes to show that kids don't need expensive gifts or entertainment. All they need is their parents full attention, some wild music and each other. P.S Sophia was having a little fun trying to keep this head-band on her head and the thing just kept coming off. We were all laughing so hard with how cute she was. Here is a little video of it. Sorry that it is sideways. I don't know how to turn it. The other two videos are of Eliza doint her hanger trick and James with is funky dance moves...Have a laugh on us!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

"Running O' the Green" Race...

I love our town. There is plenty to do for families. Every year we have various activities that we enjoy participating in as a family. They have become traditions for us. The kids expect these activities and look forward to them each year. One is this ""Running O' the Green" Race. You have a choice to run a 2 or a 5 miler. This year Eliza and I decided to run it together and so we choce the 2-miler. The day was cold and wet. It had been raining since the night before. I was not too excited about running in this kind of weather, especially with Eliza. But, she surprised me and amazed me once more.

She had a sleep-over at a friend's house, and I had to pick her up before the race. I was delighted to see a happy, smiling and excited girl! We geared up for the run and we set a goal. She wanted to beat last year's time, which I believe was close to 26 or 27 minutes for the 2-miler. So, we thought that it would be fun to run the race in less than 23 minutes. We did it! We had an enjoyable time running alongside each other. I just love her energy and she was the perfect partner.

I love her excitement about running. I really need to encourage her and motivate her to pursue it. I started around her age and has kept at it on and off through out my life. I just enjoy it a lot. It is a part of my life and it keeps me happy and healthy. It is more thrilling to see my family get into it, especially my children. I have a little secret to confess: I dream of my little family and I to run a race together. All of us! We can't yet, but some day! That would be so exciting. I just love doing things together with the kids and Rob that involve events like these. It is so much fun!

P.S. Thank you James for babysitting your little sisters while Eliza and I ran the race. You are awesome!

Y.M Basketball Madness...

James had the opportunity to play Basketball today with our church group of 11 and 12 year old boys. He had a great time! His team played three games in three hours and won every game. Bro. Reid was their Team Coach and he sure did a fantastic job! I hope these kinds of activities happen more often. It was nice to see the boys play together and work at attaining the same goal. James had a few great shots, especially when he got a free throw and got a point. If James had it his way he would probably play Soccer and Basketball. He really enjoyed playing Basketball....

Every Day is a Good Day blog...

Don't forget to visit my other blog : http://smileandrun.blogspot.com/

Day of Faith Interview...

Rob and I watched this video this morning. We were super touched and impressed. Rachel Esplin is LDS and a student at Harvard University. She was interviewed last October about the LDS faith and this is the video of her interview. She is absolutely amazing! I want my girls to be this strong in the Gospel, this confident and with such a dear Testimony of the Savior, the scriptures, our Prophet and our believes. WOW! Enjoy.... Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.

The Meanest Mom Contest....

I hesitated at first to enter this contest after taking an online test that revealed that I am just 57% Mean. I am also hesitating now because my children finally realized that I am not the meanest Mom in the world. I felt inadecquate to compete against the best of the best out there. But, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and admit that I am a Mean Mom sometimes as well as accept responsibility for my atrocious acts of villainy. Heeeeheeee!

Here are some of the things I do that my children would describe as qualities for a Mean Mom:

1. I make them have bedtimes (earlier than their friends)

2. I make them eat spinach in their scrambled eggs, and whatever else mom feels like putting it in.

3. All my children have a daily chore and assigned dinner chores.

4. All my children are expected to put away their own laundry and help out with each other's as well.

5. I don't allow drinking any kind of beverage after 6:30pm.

6. Children are not allowed to eat in the family van

7. I make my kids eat all of their vegetables

8. My kids do not buy school lunch

9. I don't let them have sleep-overs at every friend's house that they know

10. I make my kids make their beds every morning before breakfast.

11. I hug and kiss my kids until they cry out for help!

12. I make my kids pick up the toys they were palying before they take out more.

13. We have a jail for items that get left on the ground and then they have to do jobs in order to free the item from Jail. At the end of the month whatever is in the Jail gets donated.

14. We don't do allowances. They are a part of a family team and I am not willing to pay them for what they already are responsible for as a member of a family.

15. We have Saturday jobs. Each kid takes turn each Saturday in drawing from a bucket their jobs for that day. It could be toilets, sinks, sweeping, vaccuming, dusting, cleaning windows, dirty dishes, a load of laundry, etc.

16. I praise my children at every opportunity I get

17. I make my kids pack thier own school lunches

18. I give my kids consequences for thier wrong choices

19. I make my kids chew with their mouths closed

20. I don't give my kids bandaids unless they are bleeding profusely. I always tell them that "Scabs are Nature's Bandaids".

21. I make my, soon to be, 11-year old son share a room with his 3 year-old sister

22. I make my kids drink water instead of juices or sodas

23. I make my kids flush the toilet and wash their hands

24. I make my kids earn "Playdates" based on good behavior

25. I make my kids wear second-hand clothing (hand-me-downs)

And the list goes on....

So, you choose. Am I truly the Meanest Mom and do I qualify or deserve to win a "truly horrendous form of corporeal punishment" of a $100.00 gift certificate to SalonWish.com, and "be forced to endure a massage/facial/day of pampering at a fancy salon" of my choice?

Anti-Theft Lunch bags....

I am still reading friends' blogs while waiting for Rob to come home from work. It is way passed my bedtime, but I had to share this one, too. It is too funny to not pass on, or maybe it is funny because it is passed midnight and I am deliriously tired...you be the judge!