Thursday and Friday in Arizona

David slept great in his crib, so we all woke up refreshed and ready for some fun with family and friends

THURSDAY

David on his bear rug from Grandma and Dandad

Grandma's boys and their animal rugs!
Before we came, Austin asked my mom if he could hold David when we got there (of course, he thought David was about the size of a banana!).  Grandma told him he could, but needed to be really careful.  Austin loved having David on his lap and gave him smooches at every opportunity.  David is lucky to have him as a big cousin!
Uncle Rich

The weather was BEAUTIFUL so the boys played baseball outside.

Austin swinging away!
Curran getting ready to hit the ball!

FRIDAY

David LOVED the strawberry shake at In 'n' Out!

When I was upstairs helping my mom, David woke up from his nap to hang out with Dad and watch TV on his bear rug!

Hanging out waiting for friends to arrive!

Andie and Lee and their family were my other family when I lived in Arizona.  I started out as the baby sitter for their 3 kiddos, but quickly turned to friend and sister.  They are missed GREATLY!  Bill and I took their boys to the mountains last winter and had a great time!

Shelly and her husband Scott worked with the youth group when Bill worked in Arizona.  We are great friends and are always thrilled to see them when we visit... Maybe they'll make it to Colorado this summer?!?

Our Flight and First Night

David did awesome through the airport and the flight!  Bill carried him in the back pack which proved to be a great way to transport him.  Bill had both hands free and we were able to set the back pack on the floor with David in it while we ate dinner.  Once on the plane, David had a minor melt down while we were taxiing for take off, but then did great.  He slept a bit, ate a bit, played a bit and then watched the lights out the window as we landed.  

When we got to the house, we were greeted by a house full of love from family!  Rich and his girlfriend, Shelby, were there with Shelby's son, Curren.  Austin was there to spend the night and of course, Grandma and Dandad!

Austin LOVED holding David and did so many times throughout the week!

Dandad and his boys!

Austin and Curren were the best of friends!  

More to come in the days to come!

Laura and Sally are here!  We are having a great time and the kids are having fun playing together (ie pulling ears, touching hair, examining shoes!)

Quick Peek at our trip to AZ

Here's a quick run down of our week.  We had a GREAT time and can't wait to go back!   I'll post more pictures later, but for now...

When we arrived Wednesday: David met his cousins and saw Dandad and Grandma again!

Thursday: Grandma gave the boys their animal rugs!

Friday: Practicing sitting while waiting for friends to arrive!

Saturday: Went to the Mesa Mart (an outdoor, covered swap meet!)

Sunday: More kisses from cousin Austin

Monday: Took a bath with cousin Austin, then had to say goodbye :(

Tuesday: Had to say goodbye to Grandma and Dandad :(

David did AMAZING the whole trip!  We can't wait to share more pictures with you, but there is much to be done today!  Laura and Sally Jane arrive in 4 hours.  We are thrilled that they are coming and can't wait to spend some time together!

Getting Ready for AZ!

We are stoked to be getting ready to head to Arizona!  We won't be bringing our computer, so we'll post pictures when we get back.  Until then, here's the latest...

David was so tired the other night that he fell asleep eating before bed.  Dad was THRILLED to have his little bear sleep on his chest again.  David looked huge on him compared to the last time he was sleeping there!

(the day we brought David home)

Bill is working part time as the youth pastor for our church.  They had a service retreat last weekend.  We all went up on Sunday to help out and hang with the kids.

Go Broncos?  I guess I should have posted this before the game last night! Maybe the outcome would have been better...OUCH!

That's all for now.  We leave tomorrow for Arizona, will be back on Tuesday and Laura and Sally Jane come on Thursday!  

Pray for our flight with David.  He's been teething (we think?) and has a really hard time in the evenings.  Of course, our flights takes off at 7...his bed time!  When we booked the flight back in July, we didn't have a schedule for David yet!  Oh well... it's a short flight and a generally happy little boy!

5 Months!

Wow! David is 5 months old today!  Sometimes we feel like it was just yesterday when we saw him for the first time! Crazy.  It is a BLESSING to say that we have enjoyed every moment and are taking it all in!  David is a joy to have and brightens our days with his smile, laughter and fun new sounds and discoveries.

We started a new strategy to teach David to sleep longer at night and for his naps.  We are very pleased to say that he is now sleeping all night (8PM - 7/8AM) without getting up to eat (he was eating 1 or 2 times at night) and is taking longer naps (anywhere from 1 to 2 1/2 hours at a time... up from 30 minutes!)

He's now rolling over a little more regularly, but gets frustrated when he can't quite figure out what he did to get over the last time!

Here's a funny conversation Bill and I had last weekend.  David was playing on the floor in front of me and was doing a good job of sitting up on his own.  He started to fall over and...

Bill: Aren't  you going to catch him when he falls?

Me: Do you want me to be a helicopter parent and not let him ever fall and learn?  Should I hover over him and protect him from ever being hurt?  Do you really want me to hold him every step of the way?

Of course all of this was said with laughter and smiles.  We talk a lot about how parents at his school rescue their kids all the time and never let them learn from their mistakes or take consequences for their actions.

Then this:

We are very excited to be heading to Arizona to be with the Bethel family for a week.  Rich is coming out with Shelby and her son!  And Laura is coming out the week get back!  

Fun times ahead for the Robbins Nest!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Chuck!

Every Monday for the last decade or longer, Bill and Chuck have gotten together on Monday nights for Monday Night Football and/or wrestling.  We have continued this tradition and celebrated Chuck's birthday last night.  David had a great time and even spent some of the evening talking to dad and laughing at Keena!  Check out the videos at the end!

 

Matchy Matchy Same Same!  Not really planned, but I certainly didn't change when I realized it!

TURN UP THE VOLUME!!

Belly Time and the Swing!

You wouldn't know it from these pictures, but David is not a fan of being on his belly for any length of time.  He's enjoying it more as he gets older and stronger, but still would rather sit up (with some help) or hold our fingers to stand up!  He's a goof and we're loving every minute with him!

He's become very fond of his swing, now that he can sit up better.  It's been a great way for me to continue cleaning out the closet in his room!  

 

He's also finding his voice.  Lately he's been talking in a high pitch scream and we were having difficulty telling if he was unhappy or just vocalizing.  We've decided he's vocalizing because he'll do it at us and try to smile at the same time!  He's a nut!

A Day of Firsts!

1st First: David slept in until 9:15!  Here's to hoping this is the beginning of knowing the difference between a weekday and the weekend!  Wishful thinking, I'm afraid!

2nd First: David is now big enough to fit in a backpack carrier!  None of the baby front carrier stuff anymore!  He LOVED sitting up higher and being able to look all around.  Since it's much easier on my back than the front carrier, we'll be taking walks this way from now on!

 

3rd First: We took David out to eat with us.  Although he's been out to eat with us before, this is the first time he was entertained by the toys we brought and was content to sit on our lap.  Much better than taking shifts carrying him around (which is why we halted eating out with him for awhile!)  Chuck and Nicole, he's now ready for 'kid row' at Chili's!  And a first for this mom:  I picked up the toy he dropped...I know, the first of many!

 

4th First: We picked up David's crib today from a friend (thank you cousin Bailey for letting David use your crib!) and he is sleeping in it tonight!  We finally get to use the Lions, Tigers, and Bears!

We laid him in it for a practice run this afternoon!

The end of a very long day!

GO BRONCOS!