Sunday Dinner

Sunday has always been our time to be with family. Though our California family has dwindled over the years, it is always special to us when Kayla and Mackenzie burst in the door and give us hugs and smiles. We love their personalities and enthusiasm. We love being a weekly part of their lives as well as JR and Casey's. If the time comes when we have no family to have for Sunday dinner, we will have to pack up and leave!

Kayla always had a mouthful of ice cream, but Mackenzie would rather draw.

Happy to pose!

Always a twinkle!

Crazy Husband

After almost 40 years, some things never change. Alan has another pregnant dog! When we moved here he said he was finished raising puppies and promised me we would have no more than two dogs. Somehow we now have three. Even though he swears he checked the new female daily and the male never, ever, never acted interested in her, those tricky dogs sneaked it passed him somehow and puppies are imminent. Consequently, he has built this amazing whelping box. Now most people just get a cardboard box and some old towels and put the dog and her puppies in a corner in the garage or something. Not Alan. He has spent the last five days designing and building this elaborate elevated enclosure complete with lights, a warming pad in the puppy end, a tin roof, a special floor to make clean up with a hose possible, and two doors for easy access to puppies and mother. Of course, the creation was enormous and very heavy. He found the association landscape maintenance guys willing to help move the beast out of the garage, around the corner, over and past the gas meter and into the kennel. Now if he can just keep Abby from chewing up the electrical cords, his puppies can be born and raised in true Alan Dickson style!

Shelby Week

Shelby, my niece who lives outside St. Louis, finally let me come visit and help out while she is finishing her last radiation treatments. She has had lymphoma, which was diagnosed in September. She underwent almost 4 months of chemotherapy, but had many others who loved her who came to help her and her young family get through the hard parts of this treatment. Luckily, the chemo did its job and the radiation is to ensure the cancer doesn't return. Since the worst was over, Shelby has been back to work at her computer as the graphic designer for Bazzill Paper, my sister and brother-in-law's cardstock company. Of course, weeks of chemo have left their effects and the radiation saps much of her strength and stamina. I cringed when I thought of her taking two little ones daily to her radiation treatments with her. So I watched the kids while she went on her own and did my best to make it easier for her to finish the Bazzil catalog. A little too much chatting, but it was so fun for me to get better acquainted with Shelby's cute children and husband Jaymeson, who is in his last months of residency in radiological oncology at Washington University in St. Louis. I got to observe first hand what a positive, funny, hardworking, faith filled person Shelby is. I am grateful I got to spend this week with the Strouds.

Here are Camryn (Duck), Mason, Preslie, and Sienna (SiSi) as the girls leave for school. I will forever think of Mason when I blow dry my hair alone or get out my vaccuum. He loved machines!
No one to take this picture at the airport. Leave it to me to wait until the last day to take pictures!

Isn't she still so cute!

Now On To The New Year!

Okay, I have finally posted all the Christmas pictures I am going to and we are now looking forward to a great new year! We have two babies due (so far) this year: Ashley & Todd's in a couple of weeks and Casey and JR's in the summer. We have a wonderful vacation planned in June with every member of our family (we hope) together in a giant house at the Outer Banks of North Carolina . I have set some important goals for this year, which are mostly basics, and think it will be a wonderful year overall.

Here is the view yesterday from our balcony with 75 degree weather, green hills already, and a clear view of San Clemente island, always a good sign.



New Years with JR and Casey. Happy New Year to all you that I love so much!

Time with Grandkids At Christmas...How We Loved It!

We love being with our grandchildren. But it is rare that we can be with all of them at once. It was great to share Christmas with the Utah families this year and spend a little more time with these kids.

It has become a tradition for JR, Casey, Mackenzie and Kayla to come over and help us decorate our tree. Mackenzie is a real helper and even gets on the ladder to get the high places.

Kayla just loves being in the middle of things. She definitely wants to be in charge, but her decorating skills leave a little to be desired yet.

We had to do our Christmas with these Dicksons a couple of days early, but it was warm and cozy and full of love.

We did Christmas about 10 days early with Hunter. Since it is the first he will remember, at least this part was fun. The Hernandez went to Colombia and were very sick the whole time. It will be a Christmas to remember, but not fondly.

These two were always clowning for the camera, and then wanted to see how it turned out. Instead of pj's for Christmas Eve, Sunny's kids opened new swimming suits, since they are going on a cruise in a couple of weeks.

Riley is such a poser! She has certain stances and faces she knows will be cute!

Sage was always deep into a game or music with Nintendo DS or an ipod or something electronic. Notice the full cheek. There is so much Christmas candy to choose from!

Jessie gets double presents. Her birthday is December 28th so we opened birthday presents as well.

This is the computer generation. The kids entertain themselves on computers all the time. Jessie and Bailey are wonderful friends. Luckily, they even go to the same school.

Tristan is growing his hair longer. Papa offered to cut it for him. Not on your life. He is really growing up and is a help to Sunny, especially with the twins, who he adores.

Alex's Christmas was fashion, fashion, fashion. Cute boots, cute girl!

Our oldest two together--Jade and Alex.

We didn't see as much of Jade as we did last Christmas in Israel, but it was fun to do it the traditional way this year. Here she is with Adam. He is sure proud of her!

There was still something to set up Christmas morning for Bailey--Polly Pockets racetrack to the mall. Gordon and Karen Schooley advise.

Lacey and some of her Christmas stuff.

Halle and her new outfit.

Halle loves her American girl doll Santa brought.

Jack got his own lounge chair.

Jack is so cool.

Rock band was the hit of Christmas. There was no need to keep an eye on the kids. They were totally consumed with rocking out downstairs. They were good, too. You should hear Tristan sing!

Time to sit around together. Alex and Jack with Papa.

Snow, snow, snow! Halle, Lacey and Bailey pose for me in front of the white stuff. It was my first White Christmas ever! So much fun!

The audience waiting their turn on Guitar Hero. Lacey, Bailey, Jennifer, and Halle & friend.

Jade, Lacey and Jack at the Toblers after Christmas.

New Entry Console

(Time out from updating my Christmas pictures.) A very few of you will be mildly interested in the new piece of furniture we bought with some of Granddad's Christmas gift. The picture just doesn't do it justice. It goes better with the "Cowboy Mirror" and is more of a unique piece, with lots of simple detail . It is done by Greene and Greene and is reminiscent of the Craftsman. We put the black console up in the red room with the TV on it and it looks okay.

Utah Babies at Christmastime

So many cute baby pictures to choose from. Here are a few:

Sunny and Charlie at 5 1/2 months.
Steve and Tristan looking for a winning smile from Sam


Kate has the cutest wrinkled-nose smile, which she will flash at you anytime you smile at her! She is 7 1/2 months here.

Since Kate is two months older she still has the upper hand with the boys. She is so tiny and they are already bigger. It won't be long before they are doing the pushing and she will have to win them over with her personality.

Lindsey with Kate. Though Kate has some definite Lindsey features, the overall look is so Tobler!Sunny has her hands full! Occasionally, she has to be creative to satisfy their demands at the same time.
Everyone wants to hold Kate! Bailey with her cousin.

Because of the angle, the difference in size between Sam (in the front) and Charlie is accentuated. We miss these little ones when we're gone. They change so much in a few months.

Christmas in Five Places

This year we opened Christmas presents in five homes with five of our families. We couldn't figure out how to be with Ashley and Todd in Boston or Sam and Lindsay in North Carolina, but we celebrated with the others in some way.

First we had a little Christmas with Mao, Cathy and Hunter in Vegas following the NFR. They were leaving on the 20th for Colombia to spend Christmas with Mao's family there.

Next we had Christmas with JR, Casey, Mackenzie and Kayla at our house on Saturday before we left the following day for Utah. They were good sports about us being gone Christmas day two years in a row. Next year we will definitely stay in California!

Alan included pictures of the girls and this cute family on his blog. So I thought I would share the great gift they gave me even though this isn't my best photo.

We drove to Utah and slept Christmas Eve with Sunny and Steve and all seven. It was so fun to be there amidst the chaos of Santa's surprises and many, many gifts to unwrap.

Oldest to youngest (the twins don't count this time) come down the stairs to see what Santa left.

So many presents and so many kids to choose pictures to include!

Then it was on to Adam and Jennifer's where Gordon and Karen Schooley had been spending Christmas with them as well. It was fun to be with them and see what Jade and Bailey had received. We opened our presents to each other...

... and shared a little breakfast, a breakfast dish that was a tradition of the Schooleys which we also adopted some years ago thanks to Jen.

Finally, we headed down the road to the Toblers. Early morning Christmas excitement had long since passed, but was rekindled as we opened presents with them.

Jack loved this gift. Kate just loved the ribbon and wrappings.

Halle and Lacey in their new clothes and cute hats.