Getaway

"I want to get away" is what my heart and head were telling me by the end of the week last week. Sometimes you just feel like getting away and having fun family time. Mike had a very stressful week at work so we got up Saturday morning with no plans in our head, but we wanted to get away! We loaded up and as we were leaving our neighborhood, Mike asked Kyle to pick a state that borders ours, and Kyle picked Tennessee. So off we went and we ended up in Knoxville at the zoo!

We had a great time despite the high humidity and Hope's constipation. It appears that the 24 hours of formula she had to have this week due to my tooth incident really hurt her belly. She was a trooper and the boys had fun at the zoo.

Here are some pictures of our latest adventure. We stayed over in Knoxville and did some more exploring today on our way home. Sometimes spontaneous fun is the best:)

Hope and I took a nursing break in the air condition:)

David and Daddy looking at the giraffes.

David does a great imitation of a penguin and at the zoo there was a whole exhibit of them. Here is David learning some more penguin moves:)

The boys have a book called Big Smelly Bear and they decided that this bear looked exactly like the bear in the book.

Kyle and Hope:)

David listening to Kyle's Ipod on the way to the zoo. He has his own, but we have not finished loading songs on it.

This picture of David cracks me up! My mom bought him a new outfit and he tried it on. He knew he looked good and he modeled for us:) It was adorable and then we could not get him to take it off!!

This is a sweet picture I took of Hope outside.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Mike!! Yesterday was my hubbie's birthday and he HATES when he is the center of attention and does not let us make a big deal over his birthday. So, I thought I would do a little happy birthday message over the blog since he still does not know how to edit this!!!

Mike Robinson is:

1) Fiercely loyal and works his elbows off for our family. His dedication to his work can be obnoxious at times, but I know it is for the benefit of our family.

2) A great father. Truly, he has the discipline/love thing down pretty good that works for our boys. He holds them accountable and then loves on them. I have joked and it is really true, that if I raised these children solo then they would probably be juvenile delinquents! Really, I am such a softie.

3) A hands on Dad. There is nothing that our children do that Mike does not either coach or is on the sidelines cheering them on. Considering his crazy schedule, he puts our children first and does not miss a thing.

4) A godly influence for our children. He preaches God truths to our children. I love to hear him whisper goodnight prayers with the boys. I have heard before the line that a man never stands so tall as when he is on his knees in prayer.

5) A servant at heart. It annoys me when he takes calls on the weekend or stops and answers a question of a parent in the community. Really, I just about lost my cool one night at a Tball game when this mom had him cornered for 20 minutes with a specific question when I was trying to get some pictures of he and the boys before a game. I expressed my frustration at this mom to him for taking his time when he was "off" and Mike was appalled that I was annoyed. He really sees his job as a public service and that he is here to serve.

We love you honey!! Happy Birthday from us--your biggest fan club:)

Brutal

That word pretty much sums up our week. Mike has been sick and finally went to the doctor to get some medicine today. He has been fighting this for two weeks and was just now willing to go the doctor:) Hopefully he will be able to get some relief from all this coughing.

I have been having some tooth pain most of the summer and I finally went to our sweet dentist today. He referred me immediately to an oral surgeon and I now have one less tooth:( I am so sad and hurting so, but in the long run I will feel so much better. I have to give Hope formula for 24 hours and then I can resume nursing. I had to get the low down on formula today because I have little or no experience with it. Hopefully Hope will dig it:)

"Mama said there would be days like these" but during times that you feel pressed from all sides is when you remember that our God is bigger than any tough situation we face. He can fight fights that we do not have the energy or strength to fight and He can always right a wrong. I heard the best quote the other day on our Christian radio station and I have already committed it to memory. "Regret looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up!" We as a family are trying to look up during this difficult time knowing that our God is mighty and able.

Lazy Sunday

We have had a very lazy weekend:) We are on a mission to get this house organized after the past year of pregnancy and craziness! This weekend it was the playroom in the basement. Next up is my craft closet which truly might take weeks:) Anyway, I just wanted to post a recipe that we all enjoyed for lunch today.

Poppyseed Chicken

(this is such a good comfort food dish that you can usually count on leftovers for the following night)

4-5 chicken breast cut in bite-sized chunks cooked
16 ounces of sour cream (I use light)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of poppy seeds (these are found in the spices at the grocery store. I never measure and just shake liberally).
1 sleeve of ritz crackers
1 stick of butter

First cook your chicken. Then in a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, sour cream, and cream of chicken soups. Mix all together and then add your poppy seeds. Again, I do not measure I just shake liberally. Pour this mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Next, break ritz crackers over the top and then pour I stick of melted butter over the top of the crackers. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. Yummy:)

Also, for you locals, Royal Oak is starting a new bible study on September 20th. I cannot believe that the study they have chosen is ESTHER!!!! I have the study because Mike gave it to me for Christmas last year and umm, it just didn't quite get done:) It is an 8 week bible study happening on Sunday night. Email me or Amy at the church if you are interested. The workbook is about $15:) It is fun, girly fellowship time as we delve into Esther's life! I hear it is wonderful:)

Lastly, I want to share a cute Kyle story. Today, Mike was too sickly to go to church, so I suggested a family devotion time instead. Kyle jumped all over that idea and started pulling out his bibles and such. We decided to study King David and we read all about him. Then, my sweet boy decided to lead us in prayer and came up with all the people we should pray for. Then he suggested that we "sing some Christian songs." It was absolutely adorable and Mike and I were so amazed at him! Maybe we have an evangelist on our hands...:)

Hope Update

Hope went to the doctor for her 2 month checkup yesterday. She weighed 10 pounds, 9 ounces (30th%) and was 22 1/2 inches long (50th%). The doctor felt that she is growing exactly as she should and obviously she is getting enough milk. Due to the allergies in the family I will continue nursing exclusively until she is 6 months old. Dr. R did continue to hear a heart murmur and she is referring us to a pediatric cardiologist for an echocardiogram to check out that murmur. She told me not to worry, but we are both anxious to get that over with. Hope also got three vaccines:( I was only going to do two, but there is one that she can take by mouth and I was okay with that. I asked the doctor to pick the two most important vaccines and we will do those and save the rest for later. We are worried about giving her the DTP because Kyle and I both had bad reactions to those. Uggh-the vaccine issue freaks me out, but I have promised Mike I will get her completely vaccinated just on an alternate schedule.

We are cleaning out the playroom downstairs this weekend and Mike is trying to recover from that bad virus that we have all passed around. That was the virus that triggered Kyle's asthma two weeks ago.

I took some cupcakes to a swim team picnic last night that were pretty good and super easy-I will post the recipe soon:) If you like chocolate, you will love these!:)

First Day of School

My heart is always so full of emotion on the first day of school. This year was no exception. Kyle is going into 2nd grade and David is a big kindergartener!! Where has the time gone? They both had a great day and came home full of stories:) As a control freak Mom it is really hard to let go on the first day. This year I am excited to get some Mommy and Hope time that has been few and far between this summer.





David went right on in his class and got down to busines! He loves his teachers already and his BFF Hailey!:)


I know they will have a great year. I know it will seem like no time when I am bringing sweet Hope to school for her first day as well:)

Top Twelve

I cannot believe that my boys start school tomorrow-Kyle is going into 2nd grade and David is going into kindergarten!!! My baby (well not anymore) is going to big school. I am a nervous wreck but so excited for the year ahead. We went and met the teachers and I am so thrilled with both boys' placements.

Our summer has been interesting with a new baby in the house and lots of rainy, cool weather. This summer was different than most due to Hope, but when the weather cooperated, we made the most of it! We have made some wonderful memories that I have compiled in our top twelve list below:

#12 The 4th of July! I always love the 4th because my whole family meets at the lake for a fun day. We missed Hunter this year, but when you get the boys together it is always fun. This was the day that my grandfather caught that huge fish that ended up in the Roanoke Times!!

#11 Introducing Hope to her first friend, Brady. My friend Samantha had a baby 8 weeks before me and it has been nice to have another friend with a baby. It has been five years since we did this newborn thing and it is fun to go through it with a friend. We have tried to talk some of our friends into having another baby so we will know more babies, but no one has taken us up on it yet?!

#10 Watching Kyle perform in the Missoula Children's Theatre play, Robinson Crusoe. He played the part of a chameleon with several friends. It was a fun memorable week for him!

#9 Watching Kyle jump off this high dive all summer:) He was so proud of himself because I was on the beach watching him-he did this all by himself!!

#8 An impromtu sleepover with Clayton (my nephew) back in June. My Mom came to visit overight and brought Clayton with her. My boys loved having their cousin over and they had fun playing together. Clayton even remarked that he liked my place!!

#7 Father's Day 2009! Hope was unexpectedly with us on Father's Day and we hosted a small family cookout to celebrate the Dads in the family. I have loved watching Mike become a girly Daddy and I think he is even starting to appreciate her hairbows!

#6 Our new playground! It has been wonderful watching David strengthen his muscles on this new playground and have fun outside time. It has also been a fun social thing for us as our playground is the happening neighborhood place after dinner for friends. The adults chat while the kids play. I will miss these fun evenings when the weather cools off:)

#5 Our White Sox Tball season where both boys played on the team and Daddy coached. Precious, pricelss memories because I feel that the boys will have few opportunities to be on the same team for sports due to their ages.

#4 Watching the boys share their life with Mike's mom for a week. Because of her schedule in Texas, she is not able to come here often and we have yet to make it to Texas, so time with her is a treat.

#3 Celebrating David's 5th birthday. I think that the 5th birthday is really a big deal-you are saying goodbye to the preschool days and hello to school age! I cannot believe that David is starting the big K tomorrow-where has the time gone??

#2Watching the boys morph into big brothers has been such a joy. It does not always feel like that when I am saying "David leave Hope alone" a million times a day, BUT it is wonderful to see the boys hover over her and love on her:)

#1 Hands down, the top highlight of the Robinson summer was the birth of Hope Madeline on June 15th.:)

I will be excited for the boys in the morning, but I always feel a little pit in my stomach as I walk out of the school on the first day. My control freak tendencies make it hard for me to turn them over to someone for 7 hours a day, but I know that for them to grow they must leave the nest:) I love them dearly and pray that they have a wonderful school year! I will post first day pics tomorrow:)

Two Months Old!

Little girl, how is it that you are two months old already?! Over the weekend sweet Hope turned two months old and we did our photo shoot and I am just now getting around to editing the pictures after our super-packed weekend! Here are some of my favorite pictures of our girl:)








We love her baby chick hair and I am pretty sure there is going to be some red in it! At two months, Hope is still a laid back sweet girl that puts herself to sleep at night (praise you Jesus!) She loves watching her big brothers and truly would love to be held 24/7 if we would oblige. Her reflux is still there but more manageable, but if I eat ANY dairy we are in for a rough night. She goes to the doctor Friday, so I will know more growth details then. She nurses well and only gets up around 4 a.m. for a quick nursing before drifting back to sleep. She is easy to take anywhere and loves to be carried in the sling. I think she might be musical because she cries when I sing to her, but the other day Chris Tomlin came on the radio and she stopped crying in the car. She can recognize true musical talent already! What more can I say, but we are so thankful that God chose us to parent this angel:)

It's Back!

My oh my, life has certainly been interesting lately and frankly my hormones have been a tad aggressive lately and often have won the battle! I am ashamed to admit that I need a Not Me Monday for pure therapeutic reasons:) Feel free to laugh along with me and leave some of your Not Me moments!

1) I did not turn on the hairdryer when I was not drying my hair just so I could blog without a babe in arms. It seems my sweet daughter loves the hairdryer sound and drifts peacefully off to sleep when she hears that magical sound! Odd, but whatever works!

2) I was not too lazy to make grilled cheeses for my children and simply threw some hamburger buns in the toaster with some cheese on it to suffice as their favorite sandwich. When Kyle then complained, I did NOT start that whole "there are starving children in this world" speech! Nope-not me!

3 I have not told my children that it was time for them to go back to school. Nope, not me-I am a mother that never threatens daycare or summer school during bad behavior days. I pride myself on only using positive behavior interventions:)

4) I did NOT make David go to the bathroom at a party just to remove myself from talking with a Mom that is a tad bit of a know it all. Nothing like the "excuse me my child is about to wet his pants" to end a conversation quickly!!!

5) I did not have a moment of control issues when I realized that Mike was helping the boys pick out their outfits for the first few days of school. I would never be ungrateful for help with a household task just because I wanted to be in charge of what they wore for the first day! Just a note though, Mike totally picked out great outfits for the boys that they are happy with!

That is all I am willing to admit this week-what about you?! Just on a serious note, Kyle is really struggling with asthma issues and we have been dealing with this for well over a week and he is not better at all. He has had a virus that has triggered asthma again and he has spent the last few days laying around with a blanket over him. We are going to the pharmacy to pick up another prescription that I PRAY works. He is pretty miserable and we are worried about him. We would appreciate your prayers. Asthma stinks and it is pitiful to see your happy and active boy without energy to sit up to the table and eat his lunch.

Summer Fun and Princesses

We have had a super busy week and weekend, and I just had to share some pictures that I have taken lately. I love this picture below-Mike usually grabs Hope when he walks in the door and here she is giving him one of her award-winning smiles. She is working him hard! I have noticed today while editing some of these pictures that Hope's hair looks a little red. I would be so thrilled if she had that beautiful auburn hair like David has!!



One of our joys of living here is this local state park 5 minutes from our house. The boys love to swim on the beach in the summer. Kyle has conquered the high dive this summer and I love to watch him jump! It is quite a ways out to the diving platform, but he is a confident swimmer these days.



David practicing his strokes!

I can never get enough pictures of Hope smiling her cute smile:)

Here are the princess party pictures! Lauren, one of my preschoolers had a princess birthday party at a local salon. Hope was invited as an honorary princess! In this picture above, here is princess Lauren, her mom Crystal and Hope! It was an adorable party. The girls got to dress up in princess dresses complete with heels, and then they got their hair, nails and makeup done! It was adorable and it was also fun to catch up with all the five girls that were in my preschool class. This group will always hold a special place in my heart and I will miss teaching so much this year, but I am blessed that I will still get to keep in touch with all the families.
In this picture above I think Hope is crying because she realized that her nails were not painted like all the princesses:)

More Beautiful You

You know that when I stumble on my new favorite song I must share! In the car I typically listen to the local christian station unless the kids request a certain CD. Today I heard the best song ever and it strikes a cord with me now that I have a daughter. It is called More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz and you must play the above video. Here is also the link to his website so you can read the words. http://www.jonnydiaz.com/?p=77

It also ties into my second favorite bible verse of all time from Psalm 45:11 "The King is enthralled by your beauty, honor Him, for He is your God!" Can I just say that God is so good and that I think he has a great way with words! How many of us need to tattoo that verse on our foreheads and recite daily to remember that we were created by Him!

As I look on the horizon for Hope as she matures that is one of the concepts that I PRAY she will understand-that she is created by God and that He is enthralled with her beauty. Maybe I should post that scripture above her crib so we can start reciting it early:) I desperately hope that she will not succumb to the pressures of society and understand as the words of the song say that beauty is within her heart and that God alone can treat her as the jewel that she is. Oh, if we all could grasp that concept now how much more at peace with ourselves and our circumstances we would be. It is so easy to get caught up in a number such as our size or the number on the scale and let that number dictate our self worth.

I want Hope to understand the jewel that she is whether she turns out to be a jock, ballerina, book worm like her mother, or soccer star that her brother wants her to be:) I pray this God truth sinks into her soul and that she will never gauge her self worth based on whether she is a size 2 or 22! I want her to grasp the princess concept early and hang on for dear life-she is a princess of the most high God and he already is enthralled with her beauty:)


Please share this post/song with someone that needs to remember that the King is enthralled with their beauty!

Monday Tidbits

We have had a pretty laid back Monday. It is really hot here today and I had a ton of errands to do, so Alex came over this morning to play with the boys while I got some things knocked off the "to do" list today. Alex is a sweet babysitter that we found through a good friend and the boys love her.

We also got to find out teachers today for the boys and we are really excited. Kyle got a veteran teacher that is known for doing really creative things in the classroom and I think he will love her sweet and gentle spirit. He also has a few friends from preschool in his class and he is really excited. David's teacher was no surprise to us today, but we were thrilled that he also knew several friends in his class. His super excitement is that his friend, Hailey is in his class! I know the boys will both have a great year.

I just love this picture of Hope playing on her jungle gym mat. She is really starting to make sounds and smile! This cute little outfit came from my brother and SIL, but the shorts that match this onesie still fall off of her!

Like mother, like son. Kyle has REALLY gotten into picking out school clothes this year and asked nicely today if he could look on the Under Armor website for new shoes. Sure, I said as I nursed Hope and read a book to David. He wanted me to come look at everything he deemed "cool" but I could not while I was nursing and reading The Little Engine that Could to David. Kyle then got the bright idea to add everything he liked to his cart so when I was done nursing I could come check them out. Imagine my shock when I pulled up this cart full of stuff! Thank goodness Kyle has no idea how to check out anything online! I got so tickled when I realized that he is inheriting his mother's love for online shopping already:) By the way, look closely at how many items he put in his cart and that total!

I am also working so hard on putting this house back together from the remodel and it is taking so long to sort clothes for the kids and get organized. You can tell that I have been pregnant this last year because this house is desperately needing to be organized. I am also obsessed with looking up recipes and finding new things to cook for the family that Mike and the boys will eat and enjoy. I found a chicken breast recipe that we all loved that I will post later in the week. Super easy and yummy! Today I made some homemade chocolate chip cookies that are relatively healthy-they were okay but not blog-worthy! I feel like I should be wearing a dress and pearls these days with my organization mission and my newfound cooking obsession! HA! Maybe, the nesting instinct is kicking in postpartum... Anyway, this week the boys and I will continue to squeeze in summer fun and enjoy these last hot days of freedom before school beckons!:)

Weekend Fun

Now that the weather is finally cooperating, we are trying to squeeze in all the summer fun before school starts on the 19th. Friday I took the kids with Ashley's help to the local wave pool. It opened last year and we are just getting around to visiting this fun place. The boys had a ball and we were so proud of David's bravery with the waves! Here are some fun pictures of our day.

Hope was so sweet and snoozed in the shade all day.

Kyle was brave boy and rode the waves all day. He rarely came out except to eat and get more sunscreen!

David was way braver than I thought he would be and actually let the waves break on him! I love this picture of Ashley giving him a thumbs up after he got all wet! I also love the picture below of David riding the waves on the tube! It was a fun and sunny day.



Saturday we gave our skin a break from the sun (since we got a little toasty Friday) and headed to the local mall for some tax free shopping! We had a list to accomplish and we actually did it. Kyle has gotten to that size where he needs to try stuff on. Mike braved the dressing room with two boys and they actually came out with jeans that fit! Our first stop was Gymboree (with my coupon in hand) and we found some cute shirts and pants for the fall. We were gone all day long and the boys were actually pretty good. We rewarded them with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese after the shopping was over. We bought them a bucket of tokens each and let them blow off some steam!

This week we are going to try to squeeze in some last minute fun things before the start of school next week. Tomorrow is the big day where class list are posted! Kyle is so excited to see his teacher and see who else will be in his class. I love that he is excited:)

I just have to add that Hope was invited to her first birthday party next weekend! One of my girls from preschool is having her birthday party next week at a local salon. They are having makeovers for her birthday and she wanted Hope to come-is that not the sweetest thing!