The Robbins' Nest

Sorrowfully Joyful

2011-12-29T19:39:00.005-07:00

My wife and I were asked how we were doing during the week my first son was born. The phrase, “wonderfully exhausted” came to mind. It best described the intensity of those first couple of days. David was 5 weeks premature and spent his precious first moments on this earth in the NICU at Swedish hospital. That first week I went through the darkest and greatest emotions as I helplessly watched my son struggle to adapt to living in this world. Both the joy of his arrival and the fear of losing him broke my spirit and brought me to my knees. It was at that moment my mortality hit me.

Dan was there in that moment for me. He rushed up to the hospital to be by my side and lend support to Donna and I. Here was a man that from an outsiders perspective was helpless and frail supporting me, but there was nothing helpless and frail about Dan. Although his body didn’t work like most of our, his passion and love for others and his LORD was stronger then anyone’s I’ve ever met. Like being “wonderfully exhausted” with the birth of my son I am “sorrowfully joyful” with the loss of Dan. Sorrow filled at not being able to hang out, talk with, watch movies, pray and just be with Dan and “joy filled” at having had those times with him and knowing that he is now with his LORD and savior Jesus Christ. I miss him so much. I am so blessed to have been able to have been loved on by him over the years and for him to have been around my family. Today on the celebration of Dan’s arrival in Glory I am “sorrowfully joyful”, still and will always be I think, having been able to have been able to call Dan my friend. Missing him terribly especially with the birth of my daughter, who Bob and Becky were the first outside of “blood family” to meet her in the NICU when she was born.

May the God who vibrantly lived in my friend Dan give you Love, Joy and Peace and may God comfort Dan’s family on this “sorrowfully joyful” day.

Happy Birthday, David!

2011-05-18T07:05:00.006-06:00

Happy Birthday, David!

We have such a fun week celebrating our little man.

Dandad and Grandma Joy came up for a visit

and the boys had a blast with them,

of course!

We had David's party on Saturday;

his first party with "all my friends"!

(Thank you, cousin Austin for Mater and Red!

Wish you could have been with us!)

On Monday (his actual birthday)

we went to the "green park"

and to the "new McDonalds"

with "all my family"

(Mom, Dad, Liam, Grandma and Papa, Grandma Joy and Dandad!)

More than anything, he wanted

"Happy Birthday balloons"!

We had such a fun couple of days with our boys

and our parents!

We are so blessed to have our kids

grow up with 2 sets of loving grandparents!

Love My Life

2011-04-05T20:45:00.004-06:00

The boys and I went for a walk today in the

BEAUTIFUL Colorado sunshine.

The boys had a blast climbing the rocks

and playing on the playground.

I just love this kid!

We realized just last week that he

is no longer a toddler.

No, we have a full fledged little boy

on our hands.

And couldn't be more excited as he explores

his world and learns more and more

every day!

Our little snuggler

(who also happens to always be eating!)

Another discovery: He's not a baby anymore.

He's a walking, talking (trying anyway)

almost running little man!

He LOVES reading books

and can say 'tractor'

thanks to Grandma Joy!

He hugs anything soft

and says "ahhhh"

as he does it!

It's the sweetest thing ever!

I couldn't ask for anything more.

I love my husband who is my very best friend and

am so enjoying this time in the boys' life.

Thank you, Jesus, for blessing us!

Grandma and Dandad's "Just Because" Visit!

2011-04-01T15:53:00.004-06:00

(I won't even try to catch up the last few months....so we'll just start from here!)

Last week my parents came to visit and we had a WONDERFUL time! It was relaxing and they were able to just spend time with their 2 favorite little boys!!

Dandad took the boys for a train ride at the mall!

Liam at the zoo

Grandma and Dandad took the boys on a train ride at the zoo

(are we seeing a pattern!)

Grandma's punkin

Dandad's little man

Yes, we had to remind him more than once to not climb into the animal's home!

Grandma got a kick out of the boys in the "car cart"

I am so thankful my parents are able to come up every few months (or more often!) to be an intricate part of their grandsons' lives! David is already excited to see them again the middle of May for his birthday!

Cookies with the boys

2011-01-14T22:03:00.002-07:00

I love staying home with my boys.

As a 'stay-at-home' mom, we find ourselves on the go quite often. And now that it is cold out most days, we can't just leave the house and go for walks around the lake to the cookie store or to the digger park. So we layer up and head to the 'train' mall to run around or to the 'puppy' mall to play in the indoor play area.

Every once in awhile, we actually do stay home.

So...

WE MAKE COOKIES

Just like their momma,

the boys love the dough!

My favorite picture of the boys!

Liam wanted to join in the fun

so I found my biggest cutting board

and made him a seat!

And Auntie Yo Yo perfectly called him 'hot buns!'

I think we are going to have more stay home days!

Happy Birthday, Liam!!

2010-12-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our little 7 pound love is

ONE

today!

Liam is a happy little guy with a smile to melt your heart!

He's quite goofy, especially in the bath tub!

And he loves his brother more than anything!

Happy birthday, Wee-Um!!

We love you!

Here's a video glimpse of our little man at lunch yesterday!!

Turn up the volume!

(if you get this via email, you have to go to the blog site to see the video!)

Opps...a little late!

2010-12-06T07:31:00.004-07:00

My parents visited at the end of October...guess I'm a little behind!

I thought I had posted these, but I guess not! Sorry, Grandma and Dandad!

I think the pictures speak for themselves!

We went to Family Fun Night at Grandma and Papa's church.

We had a firefighter and a race car driver with us!

Uncle Dan

2010-11-15T22:14:00.003-07:00

Uncle Dan and Bill have been friends for over 15 years!

Dan come to Noah's (river rafting) when he was in Jr. High and Bill was a guide.

They have been friends ever since.

Bill used to hang out with Dan every Tuesday in his single days and now we visit as a family every couple of weeks.

When Dan found out that David had been born,

he wanted to come immediately and was one of David's first visitors.

The boys LOVE going over there, especially David.

He prays for his Uncle Dan to 'be happy and to not hurt'.

Liam gives him loves and smiles.

Uncle Bob is Dan's dad and is another of David's favorite people.

Dan has muscular dystrophy and hasn't been able to

get into his wheel chair for the last few months.

He loves watching the boys play on his bedroom floor

and hears all about cars, trains and helicopters from David.

Uncle Dan is a prayer warrior and has faithfully lifted our family up

since before Bill and I were married.

Please keep Uncle Dan and his family in your prayers.

Happy Birthday, my love!

2010-11-11T21:10:00.005-07:00

Today is Bill's birthday and

was complete with family

friends who are family

and silly boys with their BIG puppy!

We went to dinner with Bill's parents and some GREAT friends!

(Thanks for joining us Uncle Chuck, Aunt Colie, and Grandma Pat!)

We didn't get any pictures during dinner,

but when we got home,

the boys had a captive audience

and performed accordingly!!

Liam snuggling the big puppy!

Liam and Grandma

The big puppy was jumping out at David!

(with help from Daddy!)

That's our happy boy!

Liam and Papa

David named the big puppy, Kee-a

after his favorite dog, Keena!

I am so blessed to not only be married with 2 wonderful boys, but to be married to my best friend! Thank you, Bill, for being my perfect match and the best daddy our boys could need or want.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(I tried to post a video, but there was an error...I'll try next time)

Firefighter David

2010-10-25T10:43:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago, we went to an open house for a new fire house and training center. David, who loves all things rescue, was in HEAVEN! He was able to climb through the trucks and an ambulance, say hi to all the firefighters, and even see them put out a fire (although he wasn't too excited about all the smoke!)

Last year, we found a firefighter outfit for him at the thrift store. He wore it last year for Halloween and we're so excited it still fits for this year, especially since he's so into firefighting stuff these days!

Daddy and son walking around

Love this picture!

Checking out the big fire truck

In the ambulance

Checking something out!

He has the most BEAUTIFUL profile!

Love him!

On the front of the fire truck

Sitting on Daddy's shoulders waiting

for the fire to start

Liam had fun, too, in his fire shirt!

The burning room

The was at home with a fire hat Bill found at his school.

Summer Update 3 of 3!

2010-10-07T10:21:00.005-06:00

We spent two wonderful (but very hot) weeks in Arizona and California with my parents!

Here are a BUNCH of pictures!

David LOVED watching Kung Fu Panda on Dandad's big screen!
This rocking chair was my grandma and granddad's. Now that my granddad is in an assisted living home, my mom and her siblings needed to sell his house. My mom really wanted their rocking chair and had always dreamed of rocking her grandkids in it! Here she is with her cuddler, Liam!
Dandad took David on a train ride in the mall! He was in HEAVEN!

My parents bought an inflatable pool for their boys. David and Liam had a blast!

While in California, we stayed at a time share in Palm Desert. When we were getting packed to leave, Liam fell asleep while cuddling his prayer bear!
My cousin Audrey came out with her boys to swim while we were at the time share. Here's Hayden and David wrestling Bill!

We went to the beach with my uncle Efrain and Aunt Judy, their granddaughter, Stephanie, my brother Rich, and my nephew Jacob (Chris's son)

We went up to Lake Arrowhead to check out some houses that Rich was looking at buying. We also got to spend some time at his house and the boys got to play with his dog, Berlin!

Oh yeah...and Austin came with us! Chris and Eva let him go with Grandma and Dandad for the week and although he missed them, he had such a great time!

We had a wonderful time and can't wait for next summer... :)

The count down begins...my parents will be here in 3 weeks!!

Summer Update 2 of ???: June and July

2010-10-01T16:00:00.004-06:00

The Zoo! We went to the zoo this summer as a family and had a FABULOUS time! David is at such a fun age to watch and laugh at the animals. These monkeys were his favorite!

And Liam was content just being outside and enjoying the ride!
Daddy and David on the train
Liam and I on the train

Fourth of July and Chuck and Nicole's

Liam really was enjoying his brother's kisses!

Trying to tow Lightening McQueen!
Such happy boys!

One more summer update...our trip to Arizona and California! Then back to real time!

Summer Update 1 of ? : Breckenridge, CO

2010-07-17T11:53:00.009-06:00

Now that we have unpacked for our vacations this summer, Bill is back to work and we are settling into a routine, it's time to catch up on blogs!

We will begin at the beginning of summer and hopefully get everyone caught up soon!

We went to Breckenridge (in the mountains here in Colorado and also where we honeymooned!) with my parents and Bill's parents. Bill and I own at the timeshare we stayed at and my parents and his parents were able to trade their weeks for a week with us! So we had three separate rooms and were able to spend a ton of time together just hanging out on vacation.

Here are the highlights (in no order!)

Our smiley boy!

At one of the pools

David was falling asleep in his chair so Grandma Joy

took the opportunity to snuggle her boy!

I think we were waiting for the bus.

There was a shuttle bus that took us anywhere in town

and it was David's favorite part (that and the pool).

There was one day my parents had him

and they just stayed on the bus and

road around town!

We had to document everything...

including mom highlighting my hair!

I love this picture!

There was a kid's area downtown with a slide.

David had a blast!

Cute Grandma and Dandad

(aka Momma Joy and Daddy Dan!)

The whole group!

The best picture we could get of the four of us.

David is not into sitting still for pictures.

The boys are in their matching outfits from

Grandma Joy and Dandad!

The boys in the tub!

More matching shirts from my parents!

It's so fun to have them in sizes where we

can match!

Love it!

Grandma and David with Dandad's USC hat

Dandad and Liam

David and Papa checking out one of the other pools!

Dandad, Liam and I

Liam and I going for a walk!

One of the many great parts of driving to

our vacation spot is being able to bring

extra toys for the boys. We brought

David's train set, which Liam LOVES to watch

(and is starting grab for)

3 years...

2010-07-07T08:15:00.003-06:00

Three years ago today I married my best friend....

Today we have two precious boys and

couldn't be more blessed

Thank you for loving the boys and me unconditionally!

You are, and always will be,

my very best friend!

Happy 2nd Birthday, David!!

2010-06-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

David turned 2 on May 16th!

We are so very blessed to have this little man as a huge part of our lives!

Happy birthday, little bear!!

The birthday boy with his birthday sticker

and tractor from Aunt Sonnie and Uncle Dick!

I took it upon myself to make David's birthday cake!

Here's Lightening McQueen (after a bump to the mouth!)

David loved his "go-go" cake!

Liam first set of friends...

we couldn't ask for anyone better!

Anything car...or truck...or tractor...or anything that flies

was a big hit this year!

We are SO thankful Ronnie and Gayle could make it!

Here's Gayle getting some lovin' from our cuddler!

A "go-go" pillow!

Who could ask for more!!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

When I married you, I knew you'd be a great dad to our children.

What I didn't know, was just HOW great a dad you would be.

Two years ago you held this tiny miracle on your chest

to warm him when he couldn't warm himself.

He wants nothing more than to be close to you still.

Six months ago, you helped this small wonder

get healthy so we could bring him home.

And today, he smiles every time he sees you.

Our boys have the biggest blessing of all...

YOU for their DADDY!

Thank you for being the man to show our boys

how to be men of God.

I love you.

Catch up time...

2010-06-14T13:40:00.002-06:00

I know it's been well over a month since I've really blogged (besides the pictures here and there!).

So here's a update:

*Bill is done with work for the summer! YEAH! It's been WONDERFUL having him home. David has become incredibly attached to his daddy and wants to make sure daddy goes everywhere he goes! He gets very sad when we leave without daddy - it's heart breaking :(

* The boys and I walk 3 times a week with some of the mom's from the group I attend during the school year. It's been great getting to know the other families better!

* David is growing like a weed! He's 35 inches tall (50th percentile) and weighs 26 lbs (20-something percentile). He eats everything we eat and LOVES fruit! We sometimes wait to give it to him until he eats the rest of his meal! Can't complain about that!!

* Liam is getting bigger and stronger every day! He's rolling over both ways and we often find him far away from where we laid him down! Almost time to put the gate up on the stairs again! He sits up and is loving this new view of his world!

*As of last night, the boys are now sharing a room! We a two bedroom house, we had to wait until Liam was sleeping through the night AND the boys were waking up about the same time before we could move Liam out of our room! Now our laundry might get put away in a timely manner (kind of hard to put stuff away in the dark with a sleeping baby!)

The next 2 weeks of posts will be pictures from our adventures over the last month!

Enjoy!

Thankful Thursday (because I didn't make Wordless Wednesday!)

2010-06-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-26T07:35:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T08:00:00.002-06:00

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

(check the outfits)

First Bath Together

2010-05-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

The boys are bathing together now. Liam in his tub and David ... well, wherever he can fit! We put them both in together and then when I take Liam out, Bill stays with David so he can have free reign of the tub!

Easter!

2010-05-06T08:00:00.002-06:00

We didn't get any pictures on Easter Sunday, but we did get this video!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

Liam's First Meal

2010-05-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

We started Liam on 'real' food this week! Right now he's just learning how to eat, so he's not really getting much substance from it. Check out the video at the end!

Grandma and Dandad were here with us in spirit

(or in a picture!)

David checking on his little brother

The Excersaucer!

2010-05-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

These were from a few weeks ago. Bill brought out and put together the excersaucer to see if Liam would like it ... well ... you be the judge!

David liked it too...so much that he climbs in by himself and spins around!

Updates w/o Photos!

2010-04-30T14:00:00.003-06:00

I seemed to have misplaced the cord to download pictures and videos from our camera, so this update will be sans pictures. It's around here somewhere...

DAVID-

He's almost 2!! We can't believe it and have loved every minute of it!

He loves playing outside in the dirt with his tractors and trucks and finding sticks and rocks. If he looks up in the air and makes the helicopter sound, that's what he's looking for. That, and jets!

He rarely spends time in the stroller anymore, as he would rather be out walking (running!). When we go to the store, he knows he gets to pick out a cookie ... then he'll sit in the stroller!

He's starting to put together some more words. I think he said 'big jet' today! He tells us stories all the time and we catch a word here and there. Watching him process has made me realize how hard it is to learn language!

LIAM - Oh, where to begin with our growing and growing AND GROWING little big man!

Liam just had his 4 month check-up and is doing just fine! He's 26 1/2 inches long (97th percentile) and 15 1/2 pounds (50th percentile) and is developing just fine! He's wearing 9 month clothes. The same ones David wore while cruising around our furniture. It looks so different on Liam who just lays there and plays!

He was sleeping through the night (12-13 hours) just fine with very few wake-ups. Yes, I said he WAS... until last Wednesday. He started getting up every 3 hours ... then 2 1/2 hours, then 2, then sometimes every hour! He was eating like crazy and I couldn't keep up with him. He was also eating every 2-2 1/2 hours during the day. The problem was this crazy cycle: he'd wake up in the morning still tired, so he'd fall asleep eating and not get enough. So when I'd go to put him down for a nap, he was hungry and wouldn't go to sleep. So I fed him. Only to have him fall asleep eating and not take a very long nap. Thus repeating this cycle over and over again all day long. Made for a tired, hungry baby and a tired, not so happy mom! Until last night: We put Liam down at 7:30 and he woke up at 8:45. ugg. My wonderful, loving, VERY WISE husband decided to try to put him back to sleep. Bill held him, rocked him then put him back down. He cried for a bit, but then went back to sleep. Bill got up with him to repeat this process throughout the night. Eventually we just let Liam cry a bit and he went back to sleep. He slept until 9 this morning and woke up in such a GREAT mood! We may have turned a corner here. I can't even tell you how much this has changed our day! He's been happy, playful, laughing, smiling, and AWAKE!! He's also taken longer naps today! Hopefully, we've turned a corner!

We started him on baby cereal yesterday. Reason? See above! He's doing well and getting the hang of it!

He's playing in the exersaucer now! So fun to watch him pull at toys and be able to see everything going on!

OK...so one picture! I took this with my phone today while we were outside!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

A Contagious Laugh

2010-04-23T08:00:00.002-06:00

David was with his grandparents yesterday.

Liam and I had some fun bonding time!

(video)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Saving Money

2010-04-15T14:59:00.004-06:00

A friend of mine presented a seminar on how to use coupons and sales to find GREAT deals!

I've only just begun, but have had some great successes!

I've learned so much from her and still have a ways to go!

The idea is to match a store sale on a product with a coupon. I learned also that grocery stores with club cards have online coupons that are uploaded to your card or cell phone (cellfire.com). So... if something is on sale PLUS you have a coupon (doubled at some stores) PLUS you have the coupon on your card = getting stuff you need for cheap, or sometimes FREE! You can also stack all of that with a printed coupon from the store! Sometimes, the store has owed me money on products! (they won't give money back, so I had to purchase other things!)

I used to shop only at Wal-Mart because I thought I was getting the best deals with their generic brand. Not anymore...I RARELY go there now!

Here are some examples:

Barillo pasta at Safeway:

Normally $1.25/box

On sale for $0.88

I had 4 coupons for $0.50 off each box (doubled to $1.00)

=4 boxes of pasta FREE with $0.88 to spend on something else.

Toothpaste at Safeway:

Colgate normally $2.35/tube

On sale for $1.75/tube, but if you bought 3+, they were $1 each

I had 3 coupons for $0.75 off each tube (doubled to $1.00)

= All 3 tubes were FREE!

Yogurt at King Soopers (Kroger)

Yoplait Trix yogurt normally $2.50/6 pack

On sale for $2

Online coupon for $0.40 off

Printed coupon for $0.40 off doubled to $0.80

= 6 yogurt cups for $.80!

Old Spice Deodorant and Body Wash

3 sticks of deodorant and 1 body wash normally $ 11.00 (about)

Deodorant on sale for $1.88/stick

Coupon for $0.50 off (doubled to $1.00)

Coupon for buy one deodorant get one free

Coupon for buy one deodorant get a body wash free

= $1.76 for 3 sticks of deodorant and 1 body wash

OH... and if you use a Buy One Get One Free coupon on something that is on sale for Buy One Get One Free ... YOU GET BOTH FOR FREE!! I recently got 2 rolls of sausage for free!

I don't need 4 boxes of pasta or 3 tubes of toothpaste or 3 deodorants right now, but when I need it, I won't spend $1-$2.50 for each!

I've also been watching when meat goes on sale and stocking up on that!

I have learned I have to change my way of thinking when I go through the coupons. I can't be brand picky! I had never bought Barillo pasta before because I always bought the generic stuff, but you can't beat cheaper than FREE!

Bill and I started getting the paper delivered Thursday-Sunday so I can clip coupons and see the ads for drug stores and grocery stores. I've also registered with a lot of online sites to print coupons and load them to my shopper club cards (create an email address just for this, you'll get a lot of junk!)

I'll keep you posted on more great deals!

If you are in the Denver area, check out Savvy Shopper (on the right) for more deals. I learned from her and she's been doing it for over a year now!

Fun at the Park = Loving Spring!

2010-04-15T14:41:00.003-06:00

These are from last week. We walked to a park about 1/2 mile away. And yes, WE walked! David walked most of the way there (except when we crossed a major intersection!) and then rode in the stroller on the way home.

I wish this picture had turned out better!

He loved climbing up the ladder

and going down the slide.

David did really well on the swing!

He fell off once when he turned around to look at

a dog coming toward us.

But he got right back on!

You can't tell by this picture,

but Liam really is having a fun time!

And he wasn't so slouched most of the time!

I know the sweatshirts and pants don't make it look like nice weather, but after the LONG, COLD winter we had... we'll take sunshine any day! Even if it means an extra layer!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

David's Favorite Part of Our Arizona Trip!

2010-04-13T07:38:00.006-06:00

Some friends of my parents breed Labradors and invited us over to see their newest two litters! The puppies were 3 and 5 weeks old when we visited. The pictures and video are of the 5 week old ones!

David had a BLAST with the pup-pups! He was super gentle with them and loved getting down on all fours, burying his head and letting them play with him! Seeing him with the puppies made us want to get one even more! When we get a house with a yard, a puppy will be our first purchase!

They have an indoor room for the puppies with a doggy door that goes to an outside, fenced-in area.

Their backyard is fenced in for the older dogs.

The dogs have an air conditioned 'house'

and even a swimming pool!

We didn't go into their yard

but were able to see them through the fence!

Liam had fun hanging with Grandma Joy!

Here's the video of David and the pup-pups.

Remember, you have to go the blog site to view the video. It won't work through the email!

Spring Break in Arizona

2010-04-12T10:30:00.006-06:00

A week late, but hopefully worth the wait!

Just hanging out at Grandma and Dandad's house!

David loved just running around in their house

and playing in the back yard!

He was, of course, wiped out and taking a PRECIOUS nap with daddy!

And then there was the park...

Liam snuggling with Grandma!

This was David's first time on a backless swing!

He loved it and only almost fell off once!

And the zoo...

His first carousel ride!

Austin!

We had a FANTASTIC time and can't wait to visit again! We will see Grandma and Dandad again at the end of June for vacation in Breckenridge!

Here's a quick video of some of the highlights!

One more AZ post to come!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Home!

2010-04-04T20:19:00.003-06:00

We are home from Arizona.

We had an AMAZING time with my parents.

The boys LOVED hanging out with Grandma and Dandad.

Back to normal tomorrow!

Pictures to come!

Wordless Wednesday (it's back!)

2010-03-31T08:00:00.001-06:00

Snow Day!

2010-03-28T08:00:00.001-06:00

OK...so remember the zoo pictures?

Beautiful day

Sunshine

Warm

Yeah... welcome to Colorado!

The next night it snowed

and snowed

More than a foot!

(thankfully, Bill had a snow day!)

Of course, it's almost gone now...

just in time for another storm tonight!

(These pictures are actually from a snow storm last weekend)

Bill found a fireplace 'shovel' under our deck.

David helped daddy shovel.

Cute lil tushy!

You can't see them,

but he has

Lightening McQueen snow boots!

(thank you Craig's list!)

He was crying because he hates the vacuum

and I had turned it on inside!

With all this snow,

I am MORE THAN READY to

enjoy the warm AZ sunshine!

Don't get me wrong...

I really do like the snow and

I love living in Colorado!

But with 2 kiddos,

cabin fever creeps up quickly!

We will be with Grandma and Dandad tomorrow!

Come back for more pictures next week!

Just Hanging at Home!

2010-03-26T14:20:00.004-06:00

Today is a cold, going-to-snow-tonight day.

We went up to Bill's work and had lunch with him. We usually do it on Wednesdays, but because Wednesday was a snow day, the school treated today like a Wednesday and had a block schedule.

Both boys are napping and mom has some time to herself!

These were from earlier in the week:

Our camera has a remote control with it, so I decided to try to set up my own photo shoot... didn't work as well as I had hoped! Maybe it's time to use the free (or cheap) coupons for pictures from Sears, Wal-Mart or Target!

(I love Liam's look here ... 'what are you doing, brother?'

David's 'smile'!

This was the best. I put Liam on a blanket with his favorite light up sunshine. David came over and sat down next to his brother to 'help' him. He would shake the sunshine so it would light up and play music!

We leave for Arizona in 3 days! So excited!

Liam has slept through the night (7:30/8 to 8/8:30) for the last 2 nights! For the last month, he'd sleep through one night and then get up once the next night or 2 and then go back to not getting up! This is the first time he's done it twice in a row. Maybe we're on to something... :)

Loving the Outdoors

2010-03-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

David has been LOVING playing outside! He's ready for spring (and so is his momma!)

(video)

Get ready, though... snow pictures are coming!

Grandma (was) in the House!

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Grandma Joy came to visit us (and spoke at the mom's group I go to) last week. We had a FABULOUS time and can't wait to see her (and Dandad) again next week.

Grandma brought a couple new books for David and

he LOVED the one about a helicopter!

Liam loved the extra snuggles and cuddles!

And there was plenty of kissing to go around!

We can't wait to see you guys

in 4 days and a wake up!

The Zoo!

2010-03-23T13:30:00.005-06:00

We had BEAUTIFUL weather yesterday, so Bill's parents, the boys and I headed to the zoo! David had a blast walking around and watching the animals. He would even try to talk to some of them and tell us stories about them!

Here he is with Papa watching the elephants

He thought the monkeys were very funny!

(there's one over his left shoulder)

Liam loved riding forward and was awake most of the time!

He's about 32 inches tall!

He and Papa watching the brown bears

I can't remember what they were looking at... :)

And we rode the train!

David LOVES trains and was excited to get on...

We even got to ride right up front!

Grandma took this picture before the train departed

(she and Liam stayed with the stroller)

On our train trip!

Liam enjoyed his stay in the stroller...

He can come next time!

Besides the train, this was David's next favorite...

Forget the animals, give the boy a tractor anyday!

____

The boys are doing well today ...

David has been getting up earlier than normal and waking up a bit grumpy. Today he was happier, though!

Liam got up earlier than normal, but wasn't tired for his first nap. He only slept about 20 minutes, but then fell asleep eating! He's now awake and ready to eat again...

Bath Pics - take 36

2010-03-22T08:00:00.001-06:00

I know I post a lot of pictures from the bath, but my boys just love it there!

David helps us with Liam's bath and we can't wait for them to be able to bathe together.

These we taken when Liam was taking baths in the sink with his bath chair. His in too big for our sink, so we've started putting him in his chair in the bath tub. He's not big enough to hold his own with his brother, so they still bathe separately!

What's New in the Nest!

2010-03-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I realize our updates are random, so I thought I'd give them all at once, get caught up, and then try to post more often! We're going to do this bullet style!

*Bill is working at the high school and the church. It's frustrating to be working 2 jobs, but he can do most of the church work from home, so he's home with us a lot. He's home by 3:30 every day but Wednesday and we have all day Saturday and Sunday afternoons together.

*I am on leadership for a mom's group at the church we got married at. Bill grew up there so I have some connections! I'm really enjoying getting to know the other moms and really look forward to taking a more active role in leadership next year. I'm in the process of planning our summer activities, so I'm learning more about where to take kids in Colorado!

*I'm getting back to the land of 'normalcy' (whatever and wherever that is!). Now that Liam is sleeping better, I've had the energy to get up earlier, shower and spend some time reading my Bible, praying, and reading a book called "Shepherding your Child's Heart". It's made my days much better! Next, I will add some exercise!

On to David...

*He makes us laugh everyday. Here are two examples:

This laundry basket now holds his 'big cars'.

Except for the times when he dumps them out and

plays with the basket instead of the cars!

Or like the time he wanted to play in Liam's cradle!

Bill helped him climb in and he sat there for awhile!

He had fun rocking it back and forth.

The kid has GREAT balance!

*He RUNS everywhere. We've been able to go on walks lately because the weather is warming up. Once we get to a quieter neighborhood, he gets out of the stroller and runs! He stops only to pick up sticks, rocks and leaves. They usually end up coming home with us... and I love it!

*We've stopped by the park on our way home from our walks. The last time we were there, David wasn't too sure on his feet, so he just walked around the playground. This time, however, he was all over it! He was up and down the stairs, sliding on his belly and bottom! It was so fun to see the difference 6 months made!

*He also loves his little brother. He often gives Liam kisses and likes to touch his nose and mouth. That may stop when Liam gets teeth!

He likes to make sure his brother is warm

by pouring water on him...or drinking it!

Liam's turn...

*He is growing like crazy! He's not yet 3 months old and is wearing 6-9, and some 12, month clothes! I have a feeling we will be starting solid foods earlier than 6 months! He rolls from his belly to his back , but often likes to stay on his belly and try to look around.
*He's got a smile that will melt your heart and big blue eyes!

*Liam was sleeping through the night for about a week, but lately he's been getting up once (sometimes twice if he wakes up when we are going to bed), eats and goes back to sleep. One night, I tried to rock the cradle to get him back to sleep. That only made him more upset. When I checked on him, I found that he had squirmed his way to one side and had his face up against the slats! I'd be upset too if I couldn't get away from that. So for the rest of the night, he slept on the changing table! I didn't have anywhere else to put him! The next day we put the changing table pad in his cradle, so he's back in his 'bed'!

*He takes 3 1-hour naps a day and will probably be ready to transition to 2 naps in the next few weeks. He can't stay up more than 2 hours at a time now, but often isn't tired at 8:00 for bed time. So he's in that in between stage!

*He is LOVING his play mat with the light up sun! He kicks and giggles at it. It's so fun to watch him get excited and it's wonderful to be able to leave him to play on his own so I can get meals ready or clean up a bit!

That's our family! We are BLESSED beyond words and are THOROUGHLY enjoying this time!

Thursdays

2010-03-20T08:00:00.001-06:00

Every Thursday for the past 8 months or so, David has been going with his Grandma and Papa (Bill's parents) for the day. On warm days, they go to a park and play. Through the winter, they have been going to a mall to let David run around. These pictures were from a few Thursdays ago.

David, of course, has a blast with his Grandparents, and it gives me some time with just Liam and to run errands if I need to.

Last week, however, we just hung out and this is what I got to look at all day!

I love my life with my boys!

Too Quiet

2010-03-18T14:36:00.003-06:00

A few days ago, Bill and I were talking downstairs. David was with us and then wandered upstairs. We knew he had gone up, but we know he is safe and probably just playing with his cars. After a few minutes, I told Bill is was much too quiet. As I came up the stairs, here's what I saw:

Lovin' on Mom and Dad

2010-03-07T08:00:00.004-07:00

We love our boys!

And they love us!

The Stairs

2010-03-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

He started this at the top of the stairs, but we only got the last few on video!

A Glimpse of Liam

2010-02-25T11:20:00.008-07:00

Liam just had his 2 month check up and here are his stats:

Weight: 13 lbs 6 ounces (78th percentile)

Length: 25 inches (96th percentile)

He's wearing 6 and 6-9 month clothes!

I think the boys will be sharing clothes by next winter!

We have a big boy to love! He feels heavy, but he's not chunky!

He's just solid! It runs in the family as his big brother is the same way

(and their daddy)

He has been smiling for a few weeks and now tries to laugh!

Here's that big smile that lights up our day!

These past 2 months have flown by, yet we feel like we've have Liam in our family for longer than the 9 weeks he's been with us! I keep thinking he is older than he really is. Maybe because he's so much bigger than David was at this age or maybe because we've been through the newborn stage already. I don't know! But we do know that he is such a sweetheart and so much fun!

He's eating every 3 hours or so and has slept through the night a few times. After I feed him around 7:30 or 8 we put him to bed and he sleeps until 5-6, eats and goes back to sleep until 8-9. Except for last night...he was up at midnight, 4 then 8! He naps about 3 times each day and we're working on putting him down awake so he can learn to put himself to sleep. He'll only be little for a short time, so we don't have any problems letting him sleep on us sometimes!

Liam loves his big brother! He smiles at David all the time and just this morning he laughed at him when he ran by! David loves giving his brother kisses and is so patient when Liam is crying.

Here's a video of our little man ROLLING OVER at 7 weeks! Crazy!

I have a few more blog posts ready to go, so be on the look out for our boys!!

A Glimpse of David

2010-02-25T11:02:00.005-07:00

Our amazing first born will be 2 in May. We can't believe it. He is such an incredible blessing and can brighten the darkest of days with his giggle.

Just before this video was taken, I was trying to get Liam to smile. David thought it was hysterical for me to be saying 'boo' to Liam. So I had to get it on video.

Our little wonder... where to begin...

*He loves to run. Anywhere and everywhere he is running! His new favorite is to RUN down ramps. It makes us nervous, but what can you do?!?

*Things need to be in there place: He puts his toys away where they belong and gets frustrated when he can't (like putting books back on the book shelf-so we now have a basket to put books in that he is done with). He goes through the kitchen and closes the drawers and cupboards that I didn't close all the way.

*He's very 'spacial': He wants to see what will fit through holes and openings of different sizes and shapes.

*The bath is still one of his favorite places to play!

*His daddy is his best friend. I love watching them play and wrestle together.

*Like I said, his smile will light up the darkest day.

Our Boys!

2010-02-17T10:25:00.002-07:00

This is from the day we brought Liam home. The videos from Liam's first days and Christmas were just downloaded this week. I had accidently deleted these videos when I thought I was deleting pictures that I had just downloaded.

I was absolutely devastated.

But my awesome husband called Sony to see if there was anything we could do. We sent the camera in and they were able to retrieve all of our videos!!

We had so many in the batch of our little man's first couple weeks, the boys meeting for the first time, and Christmas.

THANK YOU SONY!

So here we go...this is a video of the boys meeting. Liam was born in the middle to flu season, so David wasn't able to come to the hospital to meet him. We got home just as David was waking up from his nap:

(if you get the blog posts through email, you will need to go to the blog website to watch the video)

SURPRISE!!

2010-02-03T14:06:00.006-07:00

My last post revealed that we would have a party for my dad in March when we went down to visit. That won't be happening!

We surprised him the day after his birthday by flying to Arizona to spend the next 4 days with my family!

Dandad was VERY surprised...

Hanging with Liam

Grandma got A LOT of cuddle time!

Liam and Uncle Chris

Liam and Auntie Eva

David watched Madagascar (his new favorite movie) on Dandad and Grandma's HUGE TV!

David and Austin

Dandad with his boys

Dandad feeding David some of his birthday cake!

Cuz buds in the tub!

David with Uncle Rich

David fell asleep against Daddy watching Cars!

Dandad teaching David how to throw a ball

David LOVED playing outside!

Just before we left, David helped Dandad put a desk together!

We had a WONDERFUL long weekend just relaxing and hanging out with my family. We decided not to try to visit with people this trip because our trip was short and we wanted to spend extra time with our family. We will be down in March again and will meet up with friends!

Happy Birthday, Dandad!

2010-01-21T10:13:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!

We love you and thank God daily for the blessing you are to our family!

You are an amazing example of

Godly character

a loving husband

a devoted dad

and

an adoring dandad!

We wish we could celebrate with you today!

We'll have a party in March!

Love,

Bill, Donna, David and Liam

I LOVE MY BOYS!

2010-01-14T08:00:00.002-07:00

Grandma and Dandad Visit

2010-01-12T07:30:00.002-07:00

My parents were visiting the week after Christmas. We were SO blessed by them being here and we even had the awesome privilege of them being here when we brought Liam home from the hospital!

Grandma made us some meals to freeze and eat later and Dandad played with David while his world was being transformed before his eyes.

Here are some highlights...

They had so much fun playing with David and holding Liam. The boys love their Grandma and Dandad so much!

THANK YOU FOR VISITING AND HELPING US OUT!

WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN A COUPLE MONTHS!

____________

Yesterday was our first day without daddy :( Bill took the rest of last week off so we were able to hang out as a family. We had a WONDERFUL vacation and were all sad when he went back to work!

David is doing great with his new brother. He wants to know where Liam is at all times and loves giving him kisses. Bill and I keep talking about this summer and how much fun the boys will have together!

Liam is doing great also. He's sleeping from about 9PM-7 or 8 in the morning, getting up once to eat and going right back to sleep. It's such a blessing that he didn't get stuck on the 3 hour NICU schedule. He's eating well and only needs to be supplemented with a bottle every once in awhile.

I LOVE MY BOYS!

NICU Pictures

2010-01-06T19:32:00.004-07:00

Our newest addition spent 7 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Ironically, so did his big brother. Liam, just like David, had trouble keeping his blood sugar up. He was on an IV of glucose until he could hold his own. Here are some pictures of our little wonder during his hospital stay:

Liam had his 10 day check-up on Monday. His doctor said he is doing VERY well and should be treated like a regular 2 week old! Meaning, to us, we don't have to wake him every 4 hours at night to feed him! He slept 5 hours the first night before needing to eat and 6 hours last night! I will be just fine with getting up once at night!

He is laying in my arms right now and is just as sweet as can be!

Brothers

2010-01-04T21:06:00.003-07:00

We are home.

Grandma and Dandad left yesterday :( So sad. But we will see them again at the end of March... unless they want to come visit again before that!! :)

More updates will come, but this momma needs to go to bed.

For now ... check out these brothers who are quickly becoming best friends.

Robbins Family Update

2009-12-27T21:51:00.003-07:00

I'm home ... but without my husband or our Liam :( Bill stayed at the hospital tonight so I could come home and be with David. Liam is doing MUCH BETTER!! PRAISES TO JESUS!! He is keeping his blood sugar up and eating a bunch! He was on 10 units/hour of glucose and is down to 7. Once he gets off the IV, he'll need to be stable for 12-18 hours and then he can come home!! Hopefully by the middle/end of the week. Oh... and Grandma Joy and Dandad come in tomorrow!

David and Grandma have been staying at our house for the past few nights. David does GREAT at their house, but after 2 nights, he was ready to be home. We played tonight and he took a bath. When I sang him his goodnight song, he looked up at me and smiled before putting his head on my shoulder. I missed him a lot and really felt I needed to come home to him tonight. Here he is this morning when Grandma went in to get him!

Liam and I had some 'skin to skin' time this afternoon. His nurse brought over a recliner for me to sit in and have him lay on my chest in between feedings. This is done mostly for premies, but it's good bonding for all kids. Bill really felt he needed to stay with Liam tonight and do his feedings.

I am so thankful for a husband who is a wonderful daddy to our two boys.

Thank you for your prayers!

Big Brother

2009-12-24T19:44:00.002-07:00

David spent today with Grandma, Papa, and Auntie Alice.

They played at home,

went to Costco and

then came to visit us at the hospital.

Due to the swine flu, no one under the age of 18 is allowed in the hospital.

So Bill and I came down to the lobby to play with him.

He was SO EXCITED to see us and, of course,

I cried a little when he came running up to us to give us hugs and kisses!

We played for about an hour and then they left to get lunch and

put David down for a nap while we fed and cuddled with Liam.

Tonight, they all went to the Christmas Eve service at their church and

David was able to play in his classroom

(the same one he goes to for the Mom's group we are in!).

He is asleep now after a fun bath and dinner!

Thank you Grandma, Papa, and Auntie Alice for taking care of the

BIG BROTHER

so we can care for the

LITTLE BROTHER

Liam is doing very well. He's still in the NICU because he's not eating much yet. His oxygen levels are great and his blood sugar is staying up. Now we just need to get him to eat more and we will be able to take him home! Thank you for your prayers!

It's a BOY!

2009-12-24T01:45:00.003-07:00

Introducing...

William (Liam) Dan Robbins

7 lbs 1 oz and 18 inches long.

He was having trouble with his blood sugar, so he is currently in the NICU. At his 10 PM check, his blood sugar had gone up:

We are now praying it stays up so he can join us in our room again soon.

We just went in again at 1 AM and Liam's blood sugar is doing great!

There is another minor set back, though. He is breathing just fine on his own, but his blood/oxygen level is low. After taking a chest x-ray, it was discovered that there are little holes in the 'balloons' that surround his lungs (I'm sure I'm not explaining this right, but it's close!). This probably happened when he took his first big breath. It will heal on it's own, but in the mean time, he was on oxygen through his little nose and is now in an oxygen 'hood' for 4 hours. We will go back in around 4:30 or 5 to feed him and check on how he is doing.

We will keep you posted! Thank you again for your prayers!

David spent the day with Grandma and is sleeping at Grandma and Papa's house tonight. Unfortunately, he is not allowed in the hospital at all. We are hoping tomorrow he can come down here and we can meet up with him in the lobby and at least be able to see him and hug him. He'll have to wait until we get home to meet his little brother!

We are very excited to have brothers so close in age

and pray they will be best friends as they grow up!

So sorry this is a mismash of information. I pieced together a few emails to give this update. Besides, I've been up since 6:30 this morning and it's now 1AM! Oh, and I went through labor!

Bed time for us!

Love,

Bill, Donna, David and Liam

Here and There

2009-12-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is no rhyme or reason to these pictures,

other than they were all taken this month!

Just thought I'd share a little of our daily life.

Yes, it's daily that David sits on/in the dishwasher!

Yes, I see the butter knives.

And yes, when you ask him to smile,

this is what you will get!

Or this one...

This is a book from Grandma Joy and Dandad.

They brought it (and another one) with them on their trip in October.

They are David's two favorites and the only ones he reads!

Little People: Busy Town

and

Cars and Trucks and Things that Go!

A Baby Shower

2009-12-17T08:00:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago, our church blessed us with a baby shower!

We had a great time and enjoyed the company and

blessings of our friends there.

We played a few games.

This one is a stroller race!

Baby Update

2009-12-16T13:11:00.001-07:00

We had our appointment yesterday and the baby and I are healthy and growing! YEAH!!

Last week we had an appointment with an NP. After talking with my doctor, it was decided that they would induce this week. Unfortunately, nothing was ever written in my chart AND no one ever called the Perinatologist (high risk doctor - for my heparin) to see what he thought.

Yesterday when we went in, the doctor actually called the Perinatologist to get the opinion of the expert! They decided I should be induced at 39 weeks instead. So when the doctor went to the hospital yesterday afternoon, he registered me to be induced next week.

So...if the baby doesn't come on his/her own in the next week, I will be induced on December 23rd at 8:30.

My last dose of heparin will be the evening on the 21st, so I will not take it at all the day before. This will help with bleeding and I'll be able to have an epidural (I bled a lot with David and wasn't able to have an epidural because my heparin level was too high).

So that's where we are. Kind of crazy to be able to plan an end date and not just wait around for contractions to start or my water to break!

The bummer for us is that we really wanted to avoid having a "Christmas" baby. We didn't want Christmas and birthday to get mixed in together every year. We'll just have to get creative and maybe do 1/2 birthdays every once in awhile!

I think that covers it!

Hope you all have a GREAT week!

Love,

Donna, Bill, David, and BROB 2.0

Eighteen Months Later

2009-12-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

We recently had David's 18 month check up and our little bear is THRIVING! His doctor said we don't need to adjust for him being early because he is right on track in all areas. We are so thankful for a HEALTHY, GROWING boy who loves to giggle, give kisses and hugs, play wherever we go!

Early Thanksgiving (But Late Blog Post!)

2009-11-23T09:31:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago, David and I (Bill was at a youth conference) went to a good friend's house for an early Thanksgiving party with the group of kids and parents we hung out with this summer. This is the same family that had the early Halloween party!

The weather was BEAUTIFUL so the kiddos played outside most of the day. They have a big basketball court area, a sandbox and all kinds and sizes of bikes to ride.

David had a blast as this was the first time we've been there when he's been sure on his feet and we didn't have to follow him around!

(It looks worse than it was!)

I'll try to blog more often, but it might be more pictures than updates!

Regarding BROB 2.0 -

At the ultrasound last week (33 weeks), the baby was estimated to be about 4 lbs 13 oz, so he/she is already bigger than David was at 35 weeks.

I started having contractions pretty regularly on Friday, so I went to the doctor. They had me on the monitor for 20 minutes, during which time I had 4 contractions (which, of course, averages about every 6 minutes). The doctor (not my regular doctor, but he was great!) checked me out and I have dilated to 2 ... long way to go, but 2 weeks ago I hadn't dilated at all. The doctor could feel the baby's head (that was really weird to me!), but my water hadn't broken and there is still enough fluid around the baby.

I passed the mucus plug last night (sorry if that's too much info for the men out there!), called the after hour's nurse and was told to hang tight until my water broke or I had regular, strong contractions 5 or less minutes apart. I didn't sleep real well last night: part nerves, part just uncomfortable!

Thankfully, Bill is home all week on Thanksgiving break!!

Discovering Dirt

2009-11-10T08:00:00.003-07:00

A week ago, we had a HUGE pile of snow covering our rose bushes.

This is all that is left!

David went out to play yesterday afternoon and instead of running around our deck,

he ventured down the stairs and discovered the dirt and mud left behind from the snow!

Once I finally put the camera down,

I remembered he had toys that would be great in the mud!

At last he found his way through the rose bushes to the bucket in the back (it holds our Dish Network!) and was putting mud in the bucket!

After the adventure in the dirt, we headed right for the bath tub!

He had dirt all over his hands, in his shoes and in his mouth!

Too much to just wipe down!

In baby news: I am now 33 weeks pregnant and very ready to be done! The first 30 weeks went by fast, but time is CRAWLING now that the end is near! Looking at pictures from 18 months ago, I'm about as big now as I was with David right before he was born. Bill's not ready to hear that!

I go in for a growth scan ultra sound on Thursday to check the baby's progress. At 33 weeks pregnant with David, the doctor's discovered that he had slowed down on his growth. They were going to take him early, but he came on his own. My doctor just wants to make sure this little one is doing OK! We will know more on Thursday afternoon!

Our Little Firefighter... take 2

2009-11-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night we (my parents, Bill's parents, and our family) went to Bill's parents' church (where we got married) for their annual "Family Fun Night"!

They had food for all and games for the kids.

David played a few games, but was more interested in running around!

So the grandparents tag-teamed watching him while Bill and I

talked with friends we hadn't seen in awhile.

When we got home, he shed the jacket and still had energy to burn...

Our always happy boy!

Fun Times with Grandma and Dandad

2009-11-03T14:04:00.005-07:00

Grandma Joy and Dandad (Donna's parents) flew in last week to hang out with us! Dandad was able to come in a day early because of a big snow storm that hit the Denver area. We got about 18 inches of snow and Bill had 2 days off from work. Unfortunately, we didn't get any snow pictures because it was melting by the time we left the house after the storm! That's Colorado for you: 25 degrees and snowing one day, 50 degrees and melting the next!

Grandma and David had fun building train tracks

Their finished product

Dandad loved having David sit on his lap and read books!

Grandma and her 'sweetie bud'

Dandad and his lion

Bill and I went to the grocery store one afternoon and came home to this:

Dandad, Grandma Joy and David cuddled under a blanket watching 'Cars': David's favorite movie! He'll even stick out his tongue like Lightening McQueen if you ask him!

Fall Fun!

2009-10-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Fun with Grandma and Papa

2009-10-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

On Thursdays, Bill's parents take David for the day to give me time to get things done around the house or, lately, to just rest! They love having him and it's so wonderful to have a day to do laundry without a stair climbing trying to keep up!

Sometimes they go to the mall to walk (or run) and play on the cars.

He's just now learning that they move and

somehow has learned where the money goes in!!

If the weather is nice,

they head to the park to play, swing, slide and climb.

No matter where they go,

there are always smiles from all sides!

Early Halloween Party

2009-10-19T08:00:00.002-06:00

Some good friends of ours had a halloween party last weekend. The games were going to be outside, but the weather changed all that for us! They set up their house with:

a bean bag toss

scavenger hunt

ball throw

bowling

even a cake walk!

Our little Firefighter had a great time .. and made Uncle Rich very proud!

He found the book shelf first!

Confused by the cake walk.
"Can I just take one?"

My smiley boys!

We had fun and brought home a very tired firefighter! We will dress up again for a Trick-or-Treat Street at Bill's school and Family Fun Night at Bill's parents' church (both on the 30th!).

And the best part...

GRANDMA JOY AND DANDAD WILL BE HERE!!

They fly in next week!!

Just a Cute Kid!

2009-10-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Race car jammies...

Sitting high and reading! He loves sitting on the couch or this chair to read books or play with his toys!

Fall Foliage Flury

2009-10-14T19:29:00.003-06:00

This is from a few weeks ago... we will catch up soon! Promise!

A few Saturdays ago we decided to take a drive up to the mountains to see the changing leaves. There are some BEAUTIFUL drives to see the aspens change, but you have to hit it at just the right time. There are only a couple weeks of changing colors before the first snow storm hits and the leaves drop.

So we headed up I 70, with this GORGEOUS view ahead of us:

And this PRECIOUS view behind us!
When we got to the road we were going to take to see the colors, it was closed for construction! So we just continued up I 70 and went over Loveland Pass. When we got to the top ... well, let's just say I'm so thankful for a husband who knows how to pack for a day trip to the mountains ... in any season!
It wasn't snowing, but it was COLD and WINDY!

Our family!

Bronco Bear Fun

2009-09-29T19:28:00.003-06:00

Last Christmas, Bill's parents gave David a bear from Build-A-Bear with a Bronco uniform. For some reason, he has really taken to it in the last few weeks (must be the start of the NFL season!). He LOVES playing with it in his crib when he wakes up in the morning and after his nap. When we go in to get him, he stands up, puts his arms up to show football and points to his Bronco Bear! He cries if we get him out of the crib before he has had ample time to play!

He likes taking the helmet off and asks for help to put it back on.

Happy boy! He wakes up in the morning and after a nap in such a great mood! On the weekends, we will lay in bed listening to him through the monitor as he talks to his animals and tell stories. We just crack up!

Watching football with Daddy!

Homecoming Parade!

2009-09-26T08:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, David and I went up to Bill's school to watch the homecoming parade! He had a BLAST! He was waving at everyone and clapping for them. Here are some pictures:

Bath Time, Belly, and Bullets

2009-09-24T16:30:00.003-06:00

We're finally back. Kind of. Actually, we never went anywhere, I've just needed more rest during the day and have opted out of blogging and in to rest and sleep. I don't nap everyday, but I've found if I don't take at least a few moments to myself during David's nap, my day is long and I'm wiped out by the time Bill gets home.

Here's the fun we've been having the last few weeks:

BATH TIME - still David's favorite time of the day. He's now taken to standing and feeling the water come out of the faucet. The only problem: The way our bath is set up, he either gets cold water coming out slowly or warm water coming out too fast to play with! He cracks up when we splash him with cold water! I think the shock of the cold makes him laugh because he doesn't know what else to do!

He stands only with daddy. I don't feel strong enough, nor agile enough, to keep him from slipping!

Bubble baths are another favorite!

Just a happy boy!

WARNING: Belly pictures coming! Some of you have asked... here goes!

To answer your questions

1. Yes, I really am only 27 weeks along.

2. No, I'm not carrying twins (or more). At least not that the ultra sound showed nor in listening to the heart beat.

3. Yes, my belly button has popped. Evidently, our belly buttons are held in by our stomach muscles. Since mine were shot after having David and never really got back to normal (do they ever?), the belly button poked out early!

An update on our life:

*We are settling into a routine with Bill back to work at both jobs. He works from 7-3 at the school and does most of his youth stuff from home. He loves being able to hang out in the afternoons when David wakes up from his nap and be with us through dinner, bath time and bed time. He does youth prep stuff in the evenings after David goes to bed. Some nights are really late for him, but he's a trooper and so committed to his family. I fall in love with him more and more every day.

*As the picture shows, I'm getting quite large and slow! For the most part, I feel fine. I've had some trouble sleeping, but taking a Benadryl at night is helping. I'm so thankful David is such an easy kid!

*Bill's parents take David for the day every Thursday. They love the extended time with him and I'm loving the time to get things cleaned around the house and rest.

*David's new favorites:

Football: When he sees it on TV, he lifts his arms up to show "touchdown". My dad can't wait to watch football with him when they visit in October!

Modes of Transportation: Anything with wheels that move! He makes sounds for cars, trains, airplanes, tractors, you name it! When we read books now, he has an eye for these and will find them in the most obscure places!

*In an effort to prepare for 2 kids, David and I have been practicing walking holding hands into stores, church, anywhere we can! So far, there has only been one time that I've had to pick him up because he tried to run away. Today, Grandma Robbins had him and met me at a craft store to pick him up. He was walking holding her hand and I got to see what he looked like walking toward the store! He looked so little, yet so big! Our little boy is growing up!

That's all for now! We'll try to be more consistent in keeping everyone posted!

Bathtime fun!

2009-09-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

Turn up the volume for this video! He was drinking the water I gave him from the sink and then dumping it on himself... soon, dumping was more fun!

Our Little Man...

2009-09-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

What a perfect joy it is to be the parents of a little wonder. We are just loving this stage with David. However, we've loved them all so far and can't pick our favorite! Here are the highlights of the last few days...

The first of many! David was running on the sidewalk and took a headfirst digger! He was fine and running again in no time!

He reads like this often. No wonder his legs have huge muscles!

We've made the move! David is now eating at the table like a big boy! He has Incredible Hulk and Iron Man placemats!

From Last Saturday

2009-09-06T08:00:00.006-06:00

Our church hosted a family fair last weekend with carnival style games, a bounce house and BBQ. Bill was up there all day, and David and I came up for a few hours. He had a blast and loved walking around everywhere.

A family from our church brought their sweetie golden retriever "Harley" and David just loved him!

He's learning to drink out of a cup, so when he sees a drink without a lid, he thinks it's fair game!

Straws are the same way...

His first attempt at the bounce house!

Not so sure of the cotton candy!

Fishing for ducks

It was a beautiful day!

My hot hubby...

We even had some friends from Arizona, who were visiting family in Colorado, stop by to play!

Here's Cody the frog!

And Shaun as Spiderman!

(short video of the highlights)

Summer Cleaning...

2009-09-04T13:04:00.004-06:00

Bill's wonderful parents have been taking David on Thursdays to give me time to get things organized in our house, to get some rest, and because they just love hang out with him!

I took the day to reorganize our living room, mainly David's toys and books. He has more books than anything else, and not enough room to store them - as you can see from these two before pictures!

Really, I am making progress here!

The finished product! Bigger book case, more space for toys bins and Puppy gets to be right by the fan!

This morning, David had a blast playing in his new area... without needing to step on and over toys in the process!

With this comes our new desire to teach him to put things away before getting something else out. With much help, and not too much resistance, he did pretty well today! We have to start somewhere!

David's scream

2009-08-28T08:00:00.003-06:00

(video)

It's a little dark, but so fun!

Football and Muscles

2009-08-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

A short video of us just having fun with our son!