Happy Birthday Angee...

We spent the weekend in Camano Island visiting with an old high school friend and his family for the celebration of his wife Angee's birthday. We were flattered to have had the privilege to enjoy two days with them. We had so much fun. The kids got to stay up passed midnight...it was truly a party! Brian planned this wonderful BBQ and activities for the adults. The kids enjoyed each other and we played so many fun games all weekend. Thank you Brian and Angee for inviting us over and for sharing your wonderful children with us. We can't wait to see you all again to play this summer. It was truly a pleasure to be with you all! Happy Birthday ANGEE!

A way through my Heart...

There are many ways that Rob can get to my heart. One way is through food, not just any food, a steak. I don't get a steak very often and after detoxing last week, I had made the comment that it'd be nice to have a juicy steak for dinner one of these days. I didn't really think that Rob would take it literally and actually make me a steak dinner. He came home on Wednesday night after 9pm and proceeded to tell me to go do something for myself and not come near the kitchen. I watched him go through cooking books and some notes he had. Then the noise and the smell began. Within 30min. he managed to cook me up the most delicious steak ever, Medium rare, like I like it, he served it with grilled asparagus, a baked potato and sauteed onions and mushrooms. I was amazed. I had never had such a delicious dinner. Not even at a restaurant. He is such a good cook, especially when he sets his mind out to do so. Thank you Rob for spoiling me and for being so selfless. You are my bestfriend!

Last Day of Preschool...

Sophia graduated from her very first year of Preschool. Miss Mimi put together a fabulous luncheon for us Mom's, and spotlighted our little ones. She also made them this cute Silhouette of their profiles and awarded them a certificate. Sophia was awarded the "Artistic" Award. She has really become quite the artist and loves to draw and color. She has also develop an excitement for school and learning. I hope she keeps that up the rest of her life. Thank you Miss Mimi for teaching my Sophia so many great things and preparing her for Kindergarten. Thank you for loving her and helping her develop the skills she needs, so far, to socially and intelectually progress through life. Thank you for your Patience.

P.S. Paden it was a delight driving you to Preschool. Keep practicing how to buckle yourself. You are such a smart boy!The picture on the left was of her first day of preschool back in September and the one onthe right is fromher last day. She looks so grown up.

P.S.S I added some baby pictures of Paden and Sophia at the end of the slideshow. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox photobook

5th Grade Track N' Field Meet....

Bellingham's Schools had their annual "5Th Grade Track N' Field Meet" event today. It was pretty exciting stuff. James was up by 6am, he was too excited. I was taken back to High school years watching my little boy run in a couple of races I ran in, then. He only participated in the 200M. Dash and then the 400M. Relay Race. I loved sprinting, it was my favorite. I ran in every possible event that required sprinting, I even ran the Hurdles. The Relay racing was my favorite. It looks like I have one kid following in my foot steps for sure, so far, he seems to like it. He is not fund of long distance running, which his mother is now (due to age and knees), but he loves the acceleration of running fast. I don't blame him. It was a joy and a thrill to watch him and his friends compete on various events today and represent their school. There was a lot of excitement expressed and cheers from the crowd of children and parents hovering over the track from the bleachers. Pretty awesome feeling to be a runner and have your classmates cheering you on. Oh, his relay team placed first in their heat, and James came in first place for his 200m. race. Congratulations Ryan, James, Dante and Luke for working as a team and placing in first place. You boys looked great out there, even if there were some flaws. You all did awesome! P.S. Thank you Miss Stacie (our bus driver) for the amazing pictures

Elder Bednar: "Things As They Really Are"...

From a Friend's Blog...

I found this video and music absolutely worth blogging about. The music is what just got me...There is so much talent on this earth. I just had to share it with you all. ENJOY!

400M 5th grade Relay Race Practice...

James and his team of buddies (Ryan, Luke and Dante, Jack came for the fun of it) decided to get together today to practice passing the batton and running, in preparation for their 400M Relay Race this Wednesday. The boys met at Squalicum High School for an hour and did a good job at practicing. They really needed to work on some hand-offs, and they eventually got it and worked together. I tried tohelp them, but you could tell I was just the MOM. They did do some of the stuff I asked them to try and change, but eventually still wanted to boys. They also enjoyed some goofing off time. James brought his "flowlab" skateboard and these boys decided that it would be fun to slide down the grassy hills with it near the track. That was very funny and scarey to watch and support as a parent. Then, after practice James says to me: "Can you pull me on my flowlab with the car?", I am thinking: Heck-N, tech-No...then he says "Dad has done it with me, and he goes very slow". What? Dad does What? Oh No, I am not falling for that one, I am going to be a responsible and mature parent here. "Sure" I said, "I will go slow, tell me when". Oh, my...they had fun taking turns going around in the parking lot, holding on to the trunk handle of my van. It was cute to see their faces of thrill riding and excitement and hearing thier laughs. I hope every parent trusts me with their kid next time...I did returned them all in one piece. I took a ton of pictures, but didn't take any of them on the flowlab being pulled by me. I was safely and carefully driving... Click on the slideshow to see a bigger version of it.

Day 8 of Detox and Fergi's Come to Visit

Well we hope you all had a wonderful Memorial day to celebrate and remember all of those people who have served our country to maintain our liberty. We are sure grateful for their sacrifices and devotion.

We tried to continue with Day 8 of our Detox. We started with a fruity Smoothie, and it followed 3.5 hours later with a delicious Brunch. We celebrated Memorial Day with our good friends the Ferguson's. We enjoyed cooking, eating and playing with them. Our kids love them and they especially love their little boy "Will". The girls spent all day yesterday just talking about today and how they wanted to go to bed earlier because they just couldn't wait to see our friends the FERGI'S (that is what we called them). This morning they would squeal with excitement at the thought that they could arrive any minute. When they did arrive, Juliette and Sophia literally leaped and squealed with so much excitement. We had to tell them to calm down so that little "Will" wouldn't freak out. Too Cute!

Well, we ate so much yummy breakfast food. We had the privilege of indulging in Matt's famous French Toast. He did a fabulous job, it is his own recipe, which I didn't get a chance to write down. Anyhow, we also had buttermilk and wholewheat-multi grain pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, strawberries and oranges. YUMMY! I had a little bit of each. Just enough to satisfy. Rob and I counted this as our one main meal for the day.

After our feast, we enjoyed a game of Badminton and then Soccer with the kids, as well as jumping on the trampoline. The weather was perfectly wonderful!

Thank you Matt, Patty and Will for coming over to play. We always enjoy your company. It is a pleasure to know you and be called your friends.

As to the detox routine, well, let's say that I had broccoli soup for dinner and have not had as many snacks or water, but I did squeeze in a mile run. One more day tomorrow and then we'll do it again in 6 months.

P.S Will, James just loves you! He hopes to have a little baby brother just like you someday...

Make a Smilebox photobook

Day 7...

Rob and I are on our 7th day of our Detox. We will go for another 2 days and see how we feel. We are doing great and feeling great so far. This experience has really got us thinking about what we eat more consciously and encouraged us to actually follow through with eating healthier on a daily basis. We do eat healthy, but I know we can do better. Our fridge is full of fruits and vegetables, it is quite a sight! I have gotten creative with mixing up fruits for Smoothies and Veggies for Soups. As well as consciously thinking the kind of snacks that would be most healthy for us to eat. I would not follow this liquid eating for too long, but for the duration that we are doing it for, it is very moderate and appropriate. It is serving its purpose. Having a Dinner and snacks in between has helped with cravings and kept us from feeling hungry. I really think that our stomachs have shrunk a bit, too. Which is great...it means smaller portions when we eat. We are definitely eating more, but it is healthier wholesome foods, instead of junk, processed, fatty, starchy, sugary stuff. Although I must confess that I am dying to make myself a loaded sour dough bread sandwich and some yummy chocolate chip cookies. I am a firm believer of not depriving myself of sweets too much, because I will crave it more and then lose control when I finally get some...but if I can learn to control myself to two cookies or a slice of pie...then I can enjoy having some sweets now and then. During our detox I have craved saltier foods more than sweets, which surprises me. So, I have improvised and added a little soy sauce or Kushur salt to someof our soups...I have also snacked on whole wheat pita crackers and pretzels. They do a great job of satisfying my salty cravings. Some of you have asked if we have lost weight. I will let you know at the end of our Detox, just for fun. Since I am not doing this to lose weight I have not been weighing myself, I just don't believe in weighing myself often either. But, that is another subject to get into. I am doing this for the Health of it!!

Thursday by the numbers....

James waited all year for this and prayed about it. We all looked forward to this event. It was a good experience and he came a long way since last year. He was more prepared and better skilled than ever. He went to the try-outs with a great attitude and faith, knowing that all he could do is give it his best and pray. CONGRATULATIONS my Boy!

BUGS, BUGS and More BUGS....

We cannot get enough bugs around here. Every day it seems like the girls are coming in the house with a new pet. At first it was rollie-pollies, then it was earth worms, then some moths and now Caterpillars. We have three pet caterpillars that are imprisoned in an empty flower pot outside. The girls have supplied them with branches, leaves and some dirt so that they feel right at home. They are hoping that they will build their cocoons soon and turn into beautiful butterflies. I told them that they needed to be freed and allowed to do their thing the way Jesus intended. Sophia disagreed and told me that she wanted to see her "Fuzzy-Wuzzy" turn into a butterfly. Well, I didn't have the heart to pursue such freedom and they have kept them alive for three days now. I am starting to believe that one of these caterpillars might actually adjust to the changes and make their new habitat their home, and begin their transformation. I will be posting it for sure, it this does happen...

P.S she also noticed that over 100 spiders hatched on our porch and she has decided to be their Mom, since the Mommy spider abandoned them...GREAT! Yucky!

To keep or not to keep...

Well, as I was taking the laundry out of the dryer, I came accross this awful stain looking fabric. I had no idea what article of clothing it was...all I saw was bright pink and a load of other laundry with it. I fel this panic come over me and the thought of having to remove pink stains from more than the article of clothing I was seeing, was beyond my imagination. Before I took it out, I thought to myself "Why didn't I check the clothes before throwing them in the washer or dryer?"

I finally got the courage to check it out. To my surprise it was a little pair of Capris pants (Sophia's favorite pants). I quickly rummished through the rest of the laundry and was pleased to know that nothing else was blemished with hotpink ink. I looked through the stained pocket and found myself laughing at what I found. There was a small pine cone, a plant hanger hook, two sticks of those blowing bubble things, a lipgloss tube and a small easter ornament.

How cute is that?

I quickly debated whether it would be worth attempting to remove the huge stain, but the greasy lipgloss ingredients made it look impossible...besides it had been through the dryer already, heating the stain permanently to the fabric. So, I took a picture and made an executive decision to throw them away without Sophia knowing. Terrible? I know! I am still feeling the guilt...maybe I will confess to her what I have done tomorrow or maybe Not?

Day 6...

Today was the same as the other days, except no eating out...that was no fun! I went to bed with the worst stomach ache after eating Mexican food and Fried Ice cream last night. I don't know what I was thinking when I ate that taco, refried beans, spanish rice, vanilla ice cream smothered in sugary stuff and topped with whip cream, and let's not forget the fried tortilla it came wtih that was smothered in cinnamon and sugar. It looked delicious, but I paid the price. I am doing better today. Here is what we ate: Breakfast: 8oz glass of water Approx. 9oz Tropical Fruit Smoothie (loaded with an assortment of tropical fruit, ie. mango, pineapple, peaches, banana, etc...Whey powder, 1/2 an orange, flax seed, skim milk, whole rolled oats and acai powder). Supplemental dose of vitamin tablets, including Vitamin C, E, B12, B6 (multivitamins). Snack before run: 1 C. or so of Fruit salad (apples, watermelon, melon, grapes, strawberries, etc) A handfull of Wholesome foods trail mix 8 oz glass of water Exercise: 45 min. run with Rob down our trail 8 oz glass of water Lunch: Vegetable soup (Blended in my VitaMix: carrots, zucchini, tomato, sauteed onions, garbanzo beans, spinach, a drop of soy sauce for flavor, Organic beef stock broth to make it more liquidy). It was Yummy! 8 oz glass of water Snack: 4 Whole wheat pita crackers with Brie cheese 4 slices of cucumbers 2 slice of cantaloupe 8 oz glass of water Dinner: 6oz glass of water Wheat pasta with Homemade Pesto (our neighbor made us some, Yum) Baked sweet potatoe chips (homemade by me, the kids had them fried in olive oil, Yum) 1/2 C. Soy Chocolate Milk ( I couldn't resist, YUM) Snack: 2 thin slices of avocado 2 slices of cantaloupe half a small apple 8 oz glass of water

Day 5 of Detoxication and Eliza's Birthday....

We had a wonderful day. Rob had the day off. We enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to Eliza and served her favorite dessert for Breakfast; Strawberry Shortcake without the whip cream. Rob and I controlled ourselves and continued with our 5th day of detoxing with our morning smoothies. After school we picked up James, Eliza and her little friend Bianca to continue celebrating her birthday with deinner, a trip to Hovander Park (petting zoo) and shopping at the Mall for a Webkinz (Aunt Frandi gave her $20.00 for her b-day). She chose our family's favorite Mexican restaurant "CHIHUAHUA". They give you free fried ice cream on your birthday, make you wear a Charro hat and sing you a Mexican B-day song. It is yummy food as well, we could eat their "Pico de Gallo" Salsa all night. Well, Rob and I shared a two taco dinner, enjoyed half a fried ice cream and we are now feeling the discomforts of heartburn and stomach pains. We hardly ate our normal portions, but I guess with this detox plan we have been on, our bodies just didn't handle the fatty foods very well. But, it was sure YUMMY! We had a good time with the kids. Eliza said that this was the funnest birthday ever. Sheis such a cute girl! I am glad we were able to spend the day with her as a family. Birthdays for her are a bigger deal than the other kids, so I am glad it turned out better than she had imagined. Happy birthday my sweet girl! P.S. Eliza says Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa Tobler, Abuela & Abuelo for calling. Thank You Great-Grandma Gulliver for the card and cash as well as Aunt Frandi.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY ELIZA....

Eliza, Birdie, our girl with charity in her heart....Happy Birthday!

We're so glad to have you in our family. Thanks for coming. We can't wait for the next 9 years to come. We love you. You are such a special daughter of God. Mom and Dad.

Day 3...

We are doing great, although with Rob's schedule it has been interesting to pack him the ingredients to make himself smoothies and soups at work. He forgot his stuff this morning. He is improvising at work with what he already has. Breakfast: 8oz glass of water Approx. 9oz Fruit Smoothie (loaded with an assortment of berries, peaches, Honeydew melon, banana, orange, Whey powder, flax seed, skim milk, a dab of vanilla and pineapple chunks), 1tsp of ACAI powder. Supplemental dose of vitamin tablets, including Vitamin C, E, B12, B6 (multivitamins). Snack before run: Half banana 1 large strawberry Exercise: 53min Run with friends on a trail 8 oz glass of water Snack: Half a Cutie Orange 1 boiled egg 8 oz glass of water Lunch: Vegetable soup (Blended in my VitaMix: celery, carrots, zucchini, tomatoe, steamed asparagus, sauteed potatoes with onions, 1/4 breast of grilled chicken, a drop of soy sauce for flavor, Organic chicken broth to make it more liquidy). I used some of my left over dinner stuff to make the soup a little more flavorful and creamy. It was Yummy! The flavor was just right. 8 oz glass of water Snack: 8 oz glass of water I slice of toasted flax bread with PB and banana slices Some carrots Dinner: Jambalaya with shrimp, chicken and chicken italian sausage (I altered the recipe so that it was cooked in wholesome foods and used canola oil instead of butter) It was delicious. I have a ton of left over. The kids even loved it! 8 oz glass of water Snack: 8 oz glass of water Herbal tea with Honey: Cinnamon flavor I have noticed that my body has been craving more salty foods and bread. So, I gave into having more bread and slightly salted my food.

The Funeral, Friends move, Preschool, etc...

So, I am a bit behind on some blogging. I am attempting to catch up on some of the things that have been going on in our lives the last three weeks or so, that I have not yet blogged about. So, let's see...we had two hens die. An Ugly Black Raven got them. The girls were not very happy so we held a funeral for one of them. We buried the hen next to our puppy that died three years ago. Quite funny and sad at the same time. Eliza was very angry for a while and walked around with a huge stone, ready to throw it at the Raven that was still flying around our yard after its kill. She let it go after the funeral, thank goodness! We had some good friends (Paul and Linda Hawley) move away and we helped them pack and clean their house for three days, along with some other friends from our ward. Our friends' daughters, Alex and Grace, before their big move, at our house. These are Eliza's best friends, she still cries thinking about them. Poor thing! We can't wait to come visit them in Zillah, WA. Let's see what else...Juliette has had some playdates with her best friend Elise. Sophia loves, loves Miss Mimi's Preschool still. I helped Sophia make her first "Flan" ever. She loves to bake. What else?...I am sure I will leave something out, but this is good for now. Until next time...stay tuned for more to come! There is never a dull moment in our house. Every day is a new journey filled with adventures and challenges. But, overall we have a home where happiness abides and the Spirit of the Lord resides.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Station Rotation with a twist...

So, our little "Station Rotation" tradition is a complete success with the kids. We have been doing this for almost 9 months now and the kids are loving it. It is our way of spending quality and quantity time together as a family. Talk about Inspired Parenting. Rob came up with this one, thank you for listening to the promptings of the Spirit. We did one this morning and Rob thought he could trick the kids and watch their reactions. Instead of the usual Rotation he made some funny ones. On one Station he had "Nose picking", then another was "Hug a Tree", another "Sit on Toilet" and the last one "Catch and eat Bugs". I was laughing so hard. Eliza was asked to read the Stations out loud and it was so funny to hear complete silence and then all of the sudden a big YUCK! Sophia and Juliette were ready to do them all, until Daddy presented the real Rotation Plan. Sophia was not happy, she wanted to hug a tree and catch some bugs. Eliza actually went and sat on the toilet. I tell ya, sometimes I don't know what kind of kids I have? But then if you look at the Father, there is my answer!

Anyhow, we did do the real Rotation for 15min each. The kids loved it. We had these stations"

"Church Videos, Missionary letter writing with Mom, Reading time with Dad, and Free-time Outside" Complete success!

Built-In Baysitter...

I finally have my very own Built-In Babysitter. I love having an older kid that can now watch his little sisters for a few hours while Mom and Dad have some alone time. This was his fourth time babysitting for us and he is only getting better and better at it. He even put them all to bed on-time. They had a dance off show and watched some movies, he even popped some popcorn. WOW! What a cool big brother? We did have this cute note, left on our pillow by Eliza, that said, in these exact words and mis-spells: "Dear Dad: James was a great Babby sterr. Better then last time. We had lost of fun. Love, Eliza" Now that is exactly what every parent wants to hear. YEAH! Thank you James, it is an honor to call you my Son. I am so blessed to be your Mom. You are awesome!

Remembering Special People...

I was thinking about friends today, that have come and gone from our lives that were of great influence and showed an abundance of love to all of us. Many, Many came to mind, but there is this specific family that just brought tears to my eyes thinking about them. In a good way. They are missed more than they will ever know. They are the Gardiner Family. They were one of the first families we met when we first moved to Bellingham and within two years they had to move. We were really sad to see them go. But, excited to see what their future awaited them. Through the internet like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube we have had the pleasure of seeing what a few of their girls have become. They are a very talented family...but these three have really pursued a singing career and I thought I would share a video with you for your enjoyment. It is a delight to see the Gospel in action in this family as well. We just love the Gardiners and admire their dedication, devotion and motivation. Thanks for your great example. Go GIRLS!