# Chateau de la Tobler

## Saturday, December 31, 2005

### Re: Happy New Year

Keryn,
Did you cheat on that last post?

### Ezra, too

Oh, dear! Will we ever have a family gathering without giving/getting a flu bug of some kind. Poor little Ezra is coughing his evil seal-bark cough that always worries me--what if he gets pneumonia again? But I'm with LaDale--I wouldn't change that wonderful weekend for anything. I had the most wonderful time. Thank you everyone!

### I'm with you, Telima

Cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze, aaaachoooo!
I am right there with you Telima, except the throwing up part. Haven't done that recently but then again, I'm also not pregnant. Even if I caught the cold being around all those children, I wouldn't have changed that weekend for anything. I'm am already missing the total enthusiasm two year olds give to unwrapping presents, Heather's positive statements of "I know," when I tell her I love her and those 'to die for' smiles of Kip's. Have a fantastic New Year everyone. I love you all!!!
LaDale

### Happy New Year!!

Okay, so it's actually not the new year yet, but I thought I would get a jump start on it and wish you all a happy new year anyway. There hasn't been any posting recently, and that's probably because everyone is still so busy with after Christmas stuff. I know we're busy trying to get everything packed and cleaned and ready for the move. Tyler was up late last night doing a lot of packing and he's still in bed this morning. I hope that everyone is doing better than I am right now. I seem to have picked up a cold somewhere (I actually think from Kip, because I just couldn't stay away from him while we were there and I think he was starting to get one). My nose is running and my head is achy. I think that combining it with being pregnant is what finally got me to throw up. Yes, it's true. I've finally thrown up, twice actually. I know you're all thrilled to hear it. =) Anyway, I've been better. I'd probably still be asleep except for the fact that everytime I lay down, my nose clogs even faster. I'm sure that was more than you all wanted to know, so I'll move on now.
We're excited about moving next week. Tyler's been over at our new apartment making some repairs and changes so that it's perfect (well, as perfect as we can get it) by the time we move in. We've been talking about painting the walls and originally thought we would do that after we moved in. But Tyler thinks it's best to do that before hand, so that everything is done before we move in (and so I don't have to deal with the fumes from the paint). He's a wonderful husband who's trying so hard to take care of me and get us ready for the move. Anyway, so that's kind of what's been going on here. I love everyone and I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve!

## Monday, December 26, 2005

### Merry belated Christmas

Merry Christmas!!! I had a blast!!! Thanks to everyone!!!! Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

## Wednesday, December 21, 2005

### christmas song

samuel and i just read the blog about the songs. i thought for a minute. I thought it could be a play on words
"far far away on judea's plains."
plains instead of planes {air craft}
so there is my guess
good luck
love caren

### Help

Mom and Telima and I were trying this song game about Christmas songs. We were given a clue and had to figure out the title of the song. For example: 'A welcome to the loyal' would be O Come All Ye Faithful. Now, we are stuck on one and wondered if anyone could help us out. Here it is: 'We chartered several El Al aircraft for a long trip'. We do know El Al aircraft fly to Israel (we looked it up on the internet) but we still can't figure out the title of the Christmas song. Help. If anyone knows, let us know. Thanks

### Re: I Can't Wait

Me either! Merry Christmas everyone!

## Tuesday, December 20, 2005

### I Can't Wait

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait.
See you all soon.

## Sunday, December 18, 2005

### Christmas is coming and Darcy.....

Okay, so Chrismas IS coming but I'm hoping Darcy himself is not(just his song). My favorite things list:
1. Taking to my grandkids on the phone. The ones who talk have so much to say and the ones who listen are so very, very quite.
2. Just spending a lazy Saturday morning with Dad doing whatever he wants to. (That has been a favorite since we got married and the times we get to do are few and far between.)
3. Doing needlework, crocheting, knitting, embroidery but not sewing on the machine.
4. Being with any of my kids or their spouses.
5. Reading (anything, anytime)
6. I am not big on snow but i do like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold night or morning.
Now, for Caren's QOTW. I would die. I don't even think I could drink the water they were growing in. I had an apple that had been in the drawer with an onion for 2 days and I threw it away because it tasted like the onion. I could smell the onion on it. There you have it. I would die.

## Saturday, December 17, 2005

### Answers

Onions- yes, to stay alive and even to add a little flavor, in tiny chopped pieces, to various good foods.
Favorite things- many, especially fat, slow moving snow flakes falling all day on a day I have few places to be.
I do have other favorite things but I am finding my time, even at home with few places to go, is crazily full at the moment. (Which can, at times, be another favorite thing. Sometimes I love being busy, other times, not so much. I am looking forward to being home where fewer people call on me to participate). :)

## Friday, December 16, 2005

### Questions and Answers

Hey all! I'm behind on the questions again, so I'll just take a minute to answer them all, in order. First of all, the music QOTW. My favorite Christmas hymn is With Wondering Awe. I'm not sure why, but it's definitely my favorite. As for my favorite radio Christmas song, I'd have to say Sleigh Ride, for much the same reason as LaDale likes Winter Wonderland. I love the beat, the pace, and the fun of the song. Someday I'd like to be in a horse-drawn sleigh through snow. It would be so fun.
The next question about the onions...well...I'd be the first to say that I don't really like onions all that much, but if it was between eating onions and dying, I'd eat the onions. No question about it.
And my favorite things? Here's a few:
1. Reading a good book with a cup of hot chocolate while it's snowing outside.
2. Laying in bed talking to Tyler on a morning when we have nothing pressing to do.
3. Watching a good movie with a bowl of ice cream.
That's just a few of my favorite things, and I'm sure that the list will continue to grow as I get closer and closer to having my baby. However, right now, there's not much about my pregnancy that can make the list of my favorite things.
Well, I love you all and I'll see you all very soon (within a week now! I'm so excited!). Have a wonderful day!

## Thursday, December 15, 2005

### These are a few of my favorite things!

The fact that “My Favorite Things” from “Sound of Music” is considered a Christmas song is weird, but let’s go with it. Although I like “silver white winters that melt into spring”, there are a few things I like better:

> 1. Mercy’s feet wiggling in delight when she eats Goldfish crackers.
> 2. Ezra saying, “Hi, Mom!” in a really surprised voice when I walk into a room.
> 3. Autumn. Winter is nice and all, but autumn is windy and rainy and coldish and Thanksgiving and Christmas coming…yay!
> 4. Going outside at night to look at my own Christmas lights through the window.
> 5. Brad getting home earlier than expected.

What are a few of your favorite things?

## Wednesday, December 14, 2005

### Re: QOTW

I actually don't hate onions. I don't like the texture of big pieces of cooked onions, though (all slimy and slithery). So I think I would eat the onions. BUT...what if all there was was cauliflower?
I'd probably starve.

### new question of the week

the back ground is Holes the book or movie. Actually we were watching the movie recently.
For those who don't know of it the main character gets sentenced to 18 months at camp green lake for getting caught with stolen shoes that were a famous baseball players donation to a charity auction. At this camp the prisoners/mislead youth have to dig holes all day in the hot texas sun in the middle of nowhere "to build character". The main character and his best friend end up running away from the camp and having onions as their only source of food for a while and they eat them to survive. {there was water to drink.
After that brief limited synopsis. I pose my next question of the week focusing on onion eating to survive.
My question of the week is:
if any of you were stranded anywhere with only onions to eat for a decent amount of time {NOT FOREVER} would you eat the onions to survive or just not eat at all{there is also water to drink}?
I personally don't like onions myself but i think i would bite the bullet and eat them to survive and also to survive without bigger migraine headaches than i already have normally. {not eating does that to me}
I know mom detests onions as well so i hope that she posts her answer. {maybe she'd eat it pretending in her mind it was a sugar free popsicle. {he,he,he}

### Re: Darcy

Frankly, I think Keryn is using the Good Samaritan as ammo to convince her husband that Darcy is an appropriate song to listen to at Christmas.

### Re: Christmas music

I'm not sure if I should take Keryn's "Darcy the Dragon" paragraph seriously or not. Everything seemed just fine and then here come something from nowhere. Keeping that in mind I would have to disagree with Keryn. There is nothing about the good samaritan in Darcy. ;-) See you all in about a week or so.

## Monday, December 12, 2005

### Re: Christmas music

Wow! “Joy to the World” really isn’t even sort of a Christmas song! I could be reading it wrong, but the entire thing is about the Second Coming. Weird. I never noticed that before.
So I did a little research to see if any of the other hymns talk about the Second Coming:
“Once in Royal David’s City” The first verse is about His birth, the second about His life, and the last about (not the Second Coming, exactly) His redeeming power: “And our eyes at last shall see Him/Though His own redeeming love”
“It Came Upon the Midnight Clea r” The first verse is about Christmas, third verse (“When the new heaven and earth shall own/The Prince of Peace their King”) is about the Second Coming. (And thanks, Mickey Rooney)
So, thank you, LaDale, for sending me off on an interesting tangent. And now for some trivia: Does anyone know what song in the 1985 hymnbook (the current one) has the word “sultry” in it? How about the song that has the word “adorable”?
AND...speaking of themes in Christmas music, who can ignore the blatant religious themes of "Darcy the Dragon"? I mean, it is very obvious that Darcy is the wounded man on the road to Jericho, the townspeople are the men who pass on the wayside, and the snowstorm the Good Samaratian. Right? Right???????

## Sunday, December 11, 2005

### Re:QOTW

Okay, my favorite hymn is "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". I think it has more to do with the memories of singing it with my dad than just the music itself. I really do think it has a great message but to get it you have to sing the whole song and that doesn't happen very often because it is so long.
My favorite radio song is "I'll Be Home for Christmas". I can't help but think of the times (rarely if ever) when we have not had family around us at Christmas but I also can't think of many things that would be harder to handle.
Just to tell you why there have been no new puzzles. I can't find the paper. I threw things around because I finally had the carpets cleaned and now I can't remember where I put that paper. Oh, well, I'll find it someday and then I can post the next puzzle.
Love you all.

## Saturday, December 10, 2005

### Christmas music

Favorite Christmas Hymn- Joy to the World, which I think we should be able to sing all year round as it is not a Christ's birth hymn, but a second coming hymn. Think about it.
Favorite Christmas Radio Song- Walking in a Winter Wonderland- I'm not sure why, but I have always liked that one, maybe because it has to do with snow and sleighs and everything. I was out driving this week and wishing I was behind the wheel of a sleigh with bells and such.(Okay, maybe not the wheel, as that probably means I would be being run over, but behind the reins?!?) The weather was perfect- cold, so that I was bundled and my cheeks were tingling. Also, I was looking at all the black snow cars create and wondering if the world were prettier before such thing. Probably not, now that I think about it. Horses left things behind in the snow too, didn't they.

## Thursday, December 08, 2005

### Movie quote

> "Laughs? I thought you said it was a gripping drama!"

Can you name it? Put your guesses in the comment section. Double points if you can figure it out without using Google.

## Wednesday, December 07, 2005

### Re: QOTW

My favorite Christmas hymn is 212: "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plain", although close seconds are "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" and "Once in Royal David's City".
My favorite radio Christmas song? "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
And I absolutely ADORE Handel's "Messiah"--the whole thing, choruses, solos, and recitative.
(Oh, and LaDale, I found a good website to help you decide what is your favorite radio Christmas song--a list of popular Christmas songs!)

### new question of the week

yes i'm still alive!
my newest question is due to christmas season and since the tobler family is very musical and what have you i thought that this question would be appropriate to get us going on the questions of the week again.
The question is a two part question if both apply, if not that's okay.
What is your favorite christmas hymn and what is your favorite christmas radio song?
{if that makes sense}
My favorite christmas hymn is , "The First Noel". Noel is my middle name and ilike the tune to the song as well. My favorite chrismas radio song is
"Jingle Bell Rock" It's just so much fun and the beat is catchy and it makes you dance.
So there it is the question of the week.

### Re: Oh the weather outside...

It is 7:30 in the morning here in Colorado Springs and I have just forced myself out of my nice warm bed because the day has to start sometime. Yesterday, as I was out walking with a friend, we decided not to get together on Wednesday morning if it was snowing, as had been predicted. It is not snowing, but I am still not headed out. I got on line first thing to check the temperature. Right now it is -5 degrees outside although the computer assures me it feels like -19 degrees. I happen to feel a slight aversion to finding out for myself it that is true. Have I ever felt -19 degrees before? Have I ever felt -5 degrees? In any case, I have reason to feel blessed that I don't have to rush out to my car, dig it out from under the snow we had yesterday (which actually would not be the hard part because it wasn't much) and drive on what I understand are the worst kinds of roads (inches of frozen ice under new powder!!!!!) Hideously dangerous!!! I think I'll work from home today, wear lots of sweaters and drink lots of hot cider! Burr, I better go put on that said sweater now, I'm cold. Maybe I'll put on a hat as well!!!!
Love you all!

## Tuesday, December 06, 2005

### Oh, the weather outside...

Hey, LaDale, don't freeze:
Bitter Cold Continues in Rockies, Midwest

### New home stuff

OK. Here is the first post being written in our new home and sent over the internet from our new home. Only a week after being here we now have internet. Although it is the slow dial-up option, but we really don't do much other then check email, read this blog, and a few other things. We don't need high speed. We love you all.
P.S. Now that we have internet again Caren will most likely be putting up the question of the week again.

### Christmas is coming...

Seems like a perfect day to put up the Christmas decorations! (Okay, yes, I'm way behind in putting up the tree, but, look, I have an excuse...we were sick last week! And...um...I've been busy...and...okay, I don't have a good excuse. But it's snowing, so what could be better?!

## Monday, December 05, 2005

### Re: Baby

For the record, Samuel, your babies also look like siblings. I don't have any good pictures of Kip, but I was looking at some pictures of Adam when he was 9 months old, and, yup, he and Kip look a lot alike!
And, Samuel, trust me. You are an uncommon brother.

### Re: Baby confusion

When I first say little Mercy during Thanksgiving I thought she was a he and that he was Ezra. I do believe Mercy was not wearing pink and I was so used to seeing Ezra smaller then he currently is. After spending a little time with them during Thanksgiving I must say that they have enough in common for the common brother (like me) to know that they are siblings. Yet they are enough different to be distinguishable by the same brother. Their relative size to one another helps out as well. There you go.

## Sunday, December 04, 2005

### Baby confusion

Their eyes are different colors. I really never thought that Mercy looked like Ezra, but I guess I'm wrong. What do you think?

### New Hosting Site

Yay! We're back up and running. We've been limping along since Thanksgiving with our web hosting for this family blog. Keryn and I have been annoyed at the frequent errors when trying to post things to the blogs. Many of you have been annoyed too with the failures when you try to save your posts.
Finally, LaDale broke the camel's back on Thanksgiving day. She tried to upload a picture and got a message that said the server was full. I couldn't take it anymore and initiated the process to move our website to a new hosting company. This new place is a much better deal and I'm already much more pleased with it. You should be able to read things in all their beauty now at http://www.lavalane.org/tobler. Let me know if you are still having any trouble.
Oh, and don't ask LaDale about the camel. It's still a sore subject. (ha!)

### Just noticing

As I was reading over my post I was noticing the salaries offered in Clark County and wondering. In the ( ) is states that the range includes benefits such as health/ vision/ dental/ Workman's Comp/ Medicare and retirement and I was wondering about that approximately $15,000 a year I was missing out on because it was included. Is this normal in most job areas? I certainly, even after 5 years, was not seeing the low end of $41,917 dollars a year teaching in Clark County. It makes me wonder what the break down is. Oh well, I guess I don't really care any more, just wondering.

### Add in the sunshine and Las Vegas is an ideal place to live.

I have to share with you an offer I received from a program I signed up for last year when I was still looking for a job in teaching. (And no doubt I will use it again soon). Here it is, word for word.
Dear LaDale,
Are you looking for great students, great weather and a great salary? Look west
to Nevada!
If you’re ready for an enriching and rewarding career opportunity, Clark County
is the place for you. We’re the 5th largest school district in the nation and
home to approximately 65% of Nevada’s students. Add in the sunshine, low
humidity and pleasant winters and Las Vegas is an ideal place to live. We also
offer very competitive salaries from $41,917 - $67,791 (salary range includes
benefits paid by CCSD such as health/vision/dental/Workman's Comp/Medicare and
retirement).
There you have it. Did you catch the part where it says "Add in the sunshine, low humidity and pleasant winters and Las Vegas is an ideal place to live." For someone out there, I am sure it is perfect.

## Saturday, December 03, 2005

### Ha, Ha, Hee. It's snowing!

Yes, here too. Surprise, surprise. Of course, that's the best kind and I am not really snowed in, as there are too many things planned for this weekend to get done, but it's snowing!!!!!

### Ha Ha Ha It's Snowing

Sorry, LaDale. But it is snowing! And it is beautiful! I'm finally feeling Christmasy.
About the volcano post--um, yes. There should be an amazing picture of a volcano there. I think this is all related to the switch-over, which, finally, should be done Monday by the latest. In the meantime, our site is temporarily up at this address: http://s145742384.onlinehome.us/tobler
Hope that helps a little bit.

### Question...And Life

Keryn, did your "I See Volcanoes..." post have anything on it besides the title? Just wondering, because I can't see anything on it except the title.
It sounds like everyone is doing well. Samuel, I'm so excited for you! I can't wait to see your new house at Christmas. Actually, I can't wait to see all of you again (and of course, Jenafer and David too). We're starting to get ready for our move as well, although it won't be nearly as long of a process or as complicated as yours was. We're excited to be moving, though we'll miss our ward. Isn't it amazing how you grow attached to one ward? Of course when you move, inevitably you'll grow attached to your new ward too. But that's part of what makes this Church so great. Anyway, we'll be sure to let you all know how the move went.
So Keryn told me I had to post something about my pregnancy about two weeks ago when I told everyone about it and I haven't yet. I'll just let you all know that I'm very nauseous, mostly late at night, but I haven't yet thrown up. I'm hoping I won't, although sometimes when the nausea is really bad I wish I could just throw up and get it over with. Anyway, other than that and the occasional cramping, I seem to be doing well. Everyone we've told is thrilled to hear it and of course, we're very excited too. Well, this turned out to be much longer than I expected, so I'll stop there. I love you all!

## Friday, December 02, 2005

### Not Fair

Oh, it is not fair!!! Where, oh, where is my cool weather? (Literally and figuratively speaking).

### "I see volcanoes..."

### Oh, Say, Can You See?

(Be sure to read the title of this post in a slightly offbeat, operatic voice.)
I can see your posts too, I promise. The transfer is taking FAR longer than we antipicated. It should be completed by Monday. We've been busy too--first Mercy, then Ezra, then I got the stomach flu. Such FUN! But no pink-eye.
It's a good thing I didn't call LaDale this morning to brag about our fabulous weather. Although the snow we got on Saturday and Sunday is gone, it is COLD today and windy and pouring down rain. GORGEOUS weather, some of the best in the world in my opinion. Just the kind of day you want to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and warm cookies or brownies, with a good book and a warm blanket on your legs and a good view outside the window. And then--no, Ezra, you can't take a drink, it's too hot--no, sweetie, I'm reading that book! Okay, you can have the blanket to put on your lap...wait, sweetheart, you can't sit on my lap right now...ooops, there goes the hot chocolate...no, Merce, don't sit in it...
Maybe I'll just pretend. It seems cleaner that way.

### I Can See, I Can See

Samuel,
I can see and read your posts. Not on the blog, but on the edit posts part of this whole program. I am sorry that I haven't written since Thanksgiving. Actually, it has been a little crazy here since I got back from Vegas and only looks to get crazier as time passes. I was kind of hoping to get snowed in today or tomorrow like Mom saw on the weather channel, but it looks like the storm is not willing to pass over the mountains to the east just yet. We are already to 50 stinking degrees today although the weekend looks colder. Sigh and Sigh!!! I love you all!

### If you can see this...

I am making this post as a question. Can any of you see the posts that I am putting on the blog? If you do, make a post. I know Thanksgiving has just come and gone, but I enjoy reading about what is going on in your lives. We don't have internet at our house just yet so Caren has been unable to post a question of the week in a while. I will try to get her to give it to me so I can post it while I am on campus. I love you all.

## Thursday, December 01, 2005

### The making of "The Big Move"

OK, here we go about how it all went with the move to Arizona.
It all started back in Utah with Keryn and Brad giving us furniture. Telima drove with Caren and the boys while I drove the big moving truck. This was of course before Telima became a Smith. We used U-Haul to get to Vegas. We encountered a small snow storm, remember this was in May, and one of the windshield wippers on the truck blew off. Luckily for us we paid for the insurance on the truck. I believe LaDale, Dad, and Telima helped to unload the truck in Vegas while Mom helped Caren with the boys. LaDale was kind enough to help me return the truck the next day, if my memory serves me correct.
Caren and I took 2 trips to Arizona to find a house. The Roy's allowed us to stay at their place for the first visit and the Tobler's (David and Amy) allowed us to sleep at their place during the second trip. It was at this second trip that we first signed paper work on the new house.
Then we spent 3-4 months in Vegas while I worked for Sam's Club.
ASU started in August and so I stayed with Jenafer and Jeff while Caren and the boys stayed in Vegas. After 2 months of being apart with only 1 weekend visit during Labor Day, Caren and kids joined me starting in October. We stayed at the Roy's house for the majority of the time with a short week at David and Amy's right before Halloween.
Thanksgiving comes around and with it came pink eye for Caren. In addition to this Caren also recieved a scratch on her eye, probably from one of our kids. Caren could not drive our car to Arizona. The family to the rescue. First to load the truck. Brad and Tyler helped to load the truck in Vegas. Now to move our stuff to Arizona. Mom drove Caren and the boys to Wickenberg with Dad and LaDale following behind me. I was driving the truck. Jenafer and Jeff met us in Wickenberg and Jenafer drove Caren the rest of the way to Queen Creek. Finally the big day has arrived.
After signing our paper work we discovered a slight problem with our keys. Once it got sorted out we discovered we have 12 keys to our house. There was a switch out of one of the dead bolts and that is why I think so many copies were main. Caren and I unpacked our truck on Monday night and, with the help of Jenafer, returned the truck Tuesday morning. We arrived back at the house on Tuesday morning just in time to catch the Maytag guys delivering our washer, dryer, and fridge. (They had been once before but we convinced them to go back to our house on the same day.) Everything looked great but our phone lines needed a wire tightened before it would work. (It now works.) Our master bath had a small crack so they replaced the walls and now we can finally use it. The best of all, we are finally in our own place again. With spending over 6 months living in someone elses house I almost forgot we did not have to label our food any more.
There you have it. The long version of the move. Notice that everyone in the family had a name located in here somewhere.