Christmas 2010

Robinson Christmas Eve

The Dinner

We are often asked about the naked Gavin... This is my answer: I am not good at (and plain don't like) getting stains out of clothes and he doesn't always keep his bib on.

Brian made Paula Dean's Coconut Shrimp. He was a hit.

The party was held one week early since we were leaving.

Nativity

This year a shepherd. McKay was sleeping downstairs, or else he may have given Lorin a run for her money as baby Jesus.

Gifts from G&G Robinson

A Thomas the Train set for Gavin. He was so excited and protected it all night. After each present was opened, he kept walking back to it to make sure everyone knew that this one was his.

A walker toy for McKay. Just glad to be awake for at least ten minutes of the party.

Cousin Luke. These boys are one month apart. And yes, McKay's head is officially huge.

An Arizona Christmas

Dave & Karyn's house

We stayed in Mesa with my brother, his wife and their four kids. These pics were taken moments before Gavin's eye got a kick and a day before all heck broke loose in the Woolf girls' mouths. Cold sores, kanker sores galore.

The girls were sad for most of the time, but Gavin enjoyed his time playing with his cousin Cade and we had fun chatting, cooking, cleaning, wrapping, and playing games with

Dave and Karyn.

Annual Woolf/Terry Hayride

My parents have done this for several years now, but this was our first trip. A fun idea. This is not everyone, but most of the kiddos.

Gavin's been singing carols all month long. He's got Rudolph, Santa Claus is coming to town, and Jingle Bells down.

Christmas Presents from G&G Woolf

Pillow pets and then Mickey's Christmas Carol for everyone!

My house at Christmas is a zoo. This year we were missing Mark, Jenn and their three kids and Matt, Melissa and their three kids. That made 18 adults and 20 kids (8 and under!) for Christmas this year.

Nativity

This year a sincere little cow. He had a special part written in the script. (I don't recall anything about a cow in Luke 2...) My mom's good like that.

Christmas Eve

Christmas jammies. It's rare to get Gavin to smile a real/normal smile these days.

Glad for this happy shot.

Christmas Morning

Gavin slept and slept and the moment he woke up he knew it was time. "Santa Claus is coming to town!" His eyes were bright and anxious. Each gift was exciting. He was content with the first gift and expected nothing else. That won't last forever, but it was fun to see him so happy.

McKay couldn't sit on the stairs with the kiddos - he was watching and taking notes for next year. All morning he was content with wrapping paper, plastic, and cardboard. His big brother helped him open his presents.

Gavin's stocking: Thomas the Train toothpaste, a slinky, a recorder, Snow White, ring pop, and tic tacs. Other presents: a truck, Cars, a barn, a microphone, and train accessories. Thank you Target 75% off in August. I'll do that again for sure!

McKay's stocking: baby puffs, a shirt, and books. Other presents: a car seat toy, a music toy, more books, diapers, wipes, and formula. A little more practical for this guy. He didn't mind.

Thomas' friend, Victor. A remote to play with a friend!

Road Trip to Show Low

My friend Ann lives three hours away from Mesa. We decided to take a detour and stop by their house on our way back to Utah. After a semi-tragic ride through the canyon (think throw-up x 2) we arrived to their beautiful house in the country. Totally worth it. SUCH a good family.

I haven't seen her in at least four years. We've been friends since 8th grade. Almost twenty years! Honest to goodness some of my best memories are with this fabulous girl.

Meeting the horses with Steve. Gavin and Brian got to go on an ATV ride as well.

The Williams' kids. I wish we lived closer.

We stayed up and visited for quite awhile. Lots of laughing. Gavin was starting to get sick so we were ready to get on the road and get home the next morning. He ended up with a fever and the same mouth problems his cousins had, so we were glad to get back.

We had such a great Christmas. December flew by more quickly than I wanted it to. We spent good time with family and friends. We are always happy to come back to our little home but are glad to have time off work and the resources to travel to be with people we love.

Gingerbread

This was our first attempt. Don't ask who was on icing duty.

Gavin was in heaven. He ate a treat in between each placement. Because everyone knows that is how it should be done.

So this is Santa

I could not stop laughing while I helped this Santa get ready for his debut at the Argyle family Christmas party. He looked emaciated. I had to find multiple sweaters and jackets to make it work.
We wondered if Gavin would recognize this bearded fellow. It doesn't look like he knows him too well here, but apparently during the singing Gavin said, "That's my dad!"
Luckily, our family had the 'in' with Santa, so we were able to get a group photo.
And Santa may have grabbed my butt.

Eight Month McKay

YOU

sit up

put your binky and other treats into your mouth

roll around the house to get to where you need to be

eat new foods...

and gag and cough if you don't like it

say da-da

have two teeth on the bottom

got a cold

still love to be held

had your first haircut (we needed to even out the hairs that are there)

laugh, interact, and play more with Gavin

are loved

Thirty Two

Thirty Two Things You May or May Not Know About Me on my 32nd Birthday:

1. I am a list maker. I make a list or two everyday. I love to cross things off my list. Things that don't get crossed off get neatly rewritten onto a new list.

2. I am a firm believer that a pedicure solves almost any problem.

3. I have never sent a text message in my life. I don't even have the option to send or receive them on my phone. The AT&T man said that I was "one of the last mohicans." My 82-year-old grandma texts. But still, I am resisting for as long as possible.

4. Along the same lines, people who text and drive are my pet peeve. Seriously. Nothing angers me more. If there is someone honking at you, shaking a finger and giving a dirty look, it's totally me. NO ONE is that coordinated. Don't do it. You are going to kill someone.

5. Like most moms, I am convinced that my children are the cutest. I never knew that I could create something so darling. They don't always act darling, but something about them being mine makes them beyond wonderful to me. I love them dearly.

6. I am usually tired.

7. Almost every day I sit in the shower and let the water run from super hot until it gets lukewarm. Wasteful, I know. But still my favorite thing to do.

8. I am chronically messy. I have good, good intentions. I wish this was different, but I just can't keep up. Ever.

9. However, I am a really good organizer. I am good at getting rid of stuff and making it look nice. I just need to take the time to do it. It doesn't happen because of #6 and then I give in to taking a nap.

10. My favorite books to read are about mothering, babies, and "how to" stuff. I get stuck on novels and have been known to start the same book eight times. I am on chapter 3 or 4 of Catching Fire and have been for a few months now. But I read Project Organization and A Mother's Book of Secrets in 2 days.

11. I love to cook and bake. I make stuff that I can't even eat. I love to try new recipes and share treats with people. My friend said that food is my "love currency." She's right. I think a good treat makes anyone happy. Especially if they are Marci's sugar cookies. I've made a lot of friends with those babies.

12. I am a bum pincher/tapper. Gavin's non-diapered bum screams out to me everytime he walks by. I can't help myself. And Brian gets bum taps all day. Funny thing is that I don't love my own bum being tapped. Maybe if it jiggled less.

13. I think we'll probably end up living in Utah forever. I'd be surprised, but open, if we go somewhere else.

14. I tend to over-commit myself. I'm doing much better at being more realistic, but sometimes I'll have several things going on at the exact same moment. Brian is helping me work on this problem.

15. I think I'm a fairly patient mother. I certainly have moments of near-losing it, but in general, I am not a screamer-freaker-outer. The times I have lost it have not given me any results worth repeating, so I try to keep my cool. Gavin is making that harder and harder these days...

16. I am not really creative. I love creative things and can copy them really well, but I can't usually think up ideas on my own. Scrapbook pages, primary music lessons, etc. - all stolen ideas. I'm just admitting that I am not the genius people think I am.

17. I would love to go to the Oprah show. It probably won't happen, but it's a secret dream.

18. My feelings for our dog, Wilson, have changed in recent months. We've got history, so I do love him. But I cannot stand his bark, crazy behavior, or hairy body. It cracks me up that I have multiple scrapbook pages of that animal. That was like a whole other life.

19. I feel like for the first time in my life, I am comfortable in my own skin. I hope this continues into my 32nd year, because it's nice when thoughts like I wonder if that person walking behind me is staring at my huge butt stop invading my mind and I can finally just walk already. And I'm not only talking physically - I finally feeling like the real me. Always a work in progress, but as Oprah would say, my authentic self.

20. I watch too much Oprah. And TV in general for that matter.

21. I prefer lifting weights to doing cardio. Cardio is killer and I certainly don't push myself as much as I should.

22. Sometimes I wait for so long to fold laundry we are pulling underwear out of the wadded up pile for days. And then it's time to wash again, so there was no folding necessary!

23. I am a nail biter. Have been for over 30 years. Maybe in the next 30 years I'll get a grip.

24. I love not working. Working meaning teaching or at the district office. Lots of people have asked me if I miss it. No hesitation: NO. This is what I'll say - for me, being at home with these boys is the hardest thing I've ever done. It is more WORK than my nine years of 'working.' But it is by far the the best thing and I am right where I want to be.

25. I love blankies. No matter the season, I need to be covered in something. I feel naked if I'm not. We bought a nice comforter for our bed and sometimes I bring in a real blankie just because I need it. Brian still doesn't get it.

26. I wear flip-flops in the winter. Today I walked in snow in them. No wonder my feet look like crud.

27. My body is telling me I am older. My skin on my face especially. Gone are the days of people mistaking me for a 10-year-old and asking, "Where is the teacher?" Now even if I don't have two kids in tow, people call me ma'am. Yikes. And my bladder just ain't like it used to be.

28. I don't love soft back rubs or tickles. They give me the hebs.

29. Although I don't eat them often, I still love peppermint patties, M&Ms, cheetos and mint ice cream. Based on the way I pound the Mike&Ikes, Brian reminded me to include them on my list. I had to break the news that they don't belong. I only eat them because there is an endless supply at his parents' house. Mindless eating. Wasted calories. I'll have to watch that.

30. I think I've cooked dinner 5 times in the last 8 months. Like a planned out meal with us sitting at the table. We've been eating differently (Living the Life!) and pretty much stand around the island with Gavin while he eats.

31. I have the three loves of my life right here in this house. I am truly happy.

32. You tell me - something you know about me that I haven't thought of. Be nice with the quirks...

Happy Birthday to me. It's going to be a good day.

Thanksgiving 2010

It was a Utah year. Colder than usual. We were glad to be able to spend several days with Brian at home. We were sad to see him leave for work on Monday morning.

Brian invited his friend Mike McConnell. Super nice kid.
Gavin was diggin' on the food, as usual. Didn't like the stuffing. He ate for a bit and then decided it would be more fun to run around with cousins.

He looks silly in this high chair. He doesn't sit in one other than at Grandma's...mostly to contain him for five minutes or so.
This is about what I'm getting out of him these days. Does anyone else see a sassy teenager?
McKay enjoyed his first Thanksgiving. His first two hours were spent napping and then he was ready to play. Sweet boy.
It's getting harder to get everyone to sit still for three seconds. I am THANKFUL for my family. Our big ones and this very little one of my own.
We are very blessed, indeed.

Time Out for Women

If you live anywhere remotely close to where the Time Out For Women tour travels, GO. It's put on by Deseret Book and was simply the most uplifting, perfect thing to do on a weekend.

I found Shawni's blog through Clover Lane. I read both religiously. Shawni was on the TOFW tour and from there, I called my friend Karen and got us signed up for Salt Lake. I wasn't totally sure what I was signing up for, but it was a weekend away. Somehow I got to where I needed to be when I needed to be there and gave my heart the perfect boost.

I feel pretty cool standing here next to Shawni. But you know what? She's just a regular person. An incredible mom, but just one of us. We walked ourselves right up front during a break and felt like we were talking to an old friend.
The theme was "Infinite Hope." Something I've been lacking these days. I'm not totally sure, but I think it's a combination of sleep deprivation, my messy house, my lists that are never finished, knowing what's behind the cupboards and drawers that need fixing, finding/making time to work out, my bad attitude and being impatient with a husband who really doesn't deserve it, eating bad in September and then October and now November, mothering a 2 1/2-year-old who absolutely has his own agenda and on and on.... All those things that aren't good enough that I beat myself up over. Silly things, really, but the day in and day out has been getting to me. I'm fairly positive the day before I left for this conference I dragged Gavin down the hall by his arms to time out thinking to myself This can't be right. Certainly I'm doing this wrong. Good thing for him (and everyone!) I was getting my 'time out' the very next day.

Hilary Weeks sang between every speaker. I LOVE her. Her personality is cute and funny. I think we would be good friends if I lived in Lehi. Her songs are amazing and cheesy as it sounds, speak to my soul. She was wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful.
Karen and I stayed at a hotel and slept until 8:00am. We hardly knew what to do with ourselves. I thought that at least a speaker or two would be less than stellar so we could slip out and go shopping. But neither of us wanted to leave. I was eating it up. Every word. I took copious notes and was reminded of a few things:

• comparing ourselves to others is the path to misery
• in regards to grace: Christ doesn't make up the difference...he makes ALL the difference
• my best is good enough
• keep your hopes up. What's the worst that could happen?
• being a mother is like being pecked to death by ducks. BUT the time goes quickly and I need to enjoy in the doing rather than the getting it done

I came back uplifted, refreshed, and ready to do better. What more could my husband and sons ask for than a mom with a charged battery?

Check out the 2011 tour dates now - you won't want to miss it. Nie will be there.

Cougar Fans

I graduated from BYU. I can count on one hand - and maybe not even need all of the fingers - how many BYU football games I have watched. Brian, on the other hand, is fairly interested and always loves to watch the BYU game when he gets the chance.
He is not, however, quite the superfan that this gentleman is. But close.
Our friends and neighbors, Aaron and Angie Evans, know of Brian's love for BYU football and thought we would be the perfect guests for the next home game. We had a great time driving down and spending the afternoon with them. Little did we know the treatment we'd be in for...

We had tickets on the 50 yard line, 20 rows up. Included with our tickets was admission to the "Hospitality Tent." Who knew such a thing existed? We went in and had free dinner, drinks, treats - whatever we wanted. It was crazy. The people in this tent know how to live it up during the game, and we were happy to join them.

Under our seats were individual coolers with two water bottles, king-sized Kit Kats and coupons for free drinks and ice cream or doughnuts. For half-time, we went back to the tent for popcorn and hotdogs. More chocolate fountain dipping. Yikes. We could not believe the food. I don't think we ate for the rest of the day.

This doughnut was literally 18 inches long. Brian took a few bites and gave it to those dudes behind us.
After this, how will we ever attend another game as common folk?