Christmas photos

Our latest Christmas photos to brighten your day!

Christmas time and sleeping in.

Well, here we are, the day BEFORE the day before Christmas. It's snowing, really a lot actually, outside and I'm here at work, thinking about all the gifts at my house that need wrapping. I did really well this year. I finished my Christmas shopping last night. Just those last odds and ends for stockings and such. The main bulk of my shopping has been done for over a week now, which is definitely an improvement! I'm excited about everything I've bought and I'm really excited to go to Nephi tomorrow night. But tonight is for wrapping, wrapping, wrapping.

But a late night of wrapping will be rewarded with a morning of sleeping in! I love the sleeping in part of holidays and weekends. It's different now than it was when I was single. Sleeping in meant 10 or 11 or even noon sometimes. But then, the nights were much later too. Now, if I get to stay in my bed past 8am, it's a damn fine day! Usually the boys wake up before I do. If Jax is up first, he just comes in and climbs into bed with me. Sounds cozy, right? It is, until he wants the remote to watch SpongeBob and then he needs two pillows and then his feet are cold so he's putting them on my legs and then I need to slide over because he wants to be in the middle, and so on and so forth. There is no snoozing after that. If Hayden wakes up first, it's kinda like an alarm clock without a snooze button. He stands up in his crib and yells "GOUT...GOUT" which is not a medical term to him, it's the term for, "I am awake now and would like to get out of my bed; please come and get me." And he never wants to climb back in bed with me for a warm snuggle! Once he's up he is in full-blown awake mode. Jax is more like me when it comes to mornings. We will grudgingly get out of bed and wander around getting ready with our eyes mostly closed. Once Hayden is awake, it's like a light switch has been flipped. He is wide-awake, happy, babbling and ready for whatever the day brings. Isn't that funny that two brothers can be that different? It'll be interesting to see how that changes as they grow.

Well, kids, have a wonderful happy joyous Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you all the blessings you need and all the happiness you can hold!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, yes it's true

Yes, my friends and followers, we are pleased to announce that we are expecting a new baby boy (our third, poor me!) in April.

Baby boy #3 came as quite a shock to us! Everything sort of snowballed onto us in the month of September. You all know I took a new job that started mid-August and then about Labor Day weekend I got really sick. I had a horrible migraine and lots of vomitting and for some reason, the thought popped into my head that I might be pregnant....of course I immediately dismissed it...that wasn't in the plans! Surely I was just light-headed from spending so much time bent over the toilet. But the thought persisted until I found a pregnancy test at the very back of my bathroom cupboard. Lo and behold, two lines appeared. But the positive line was REALLY faint, so I thought....nah, must be an old test that's expired or something. I'll go get a new one and wait until tomorrow and try it again. Four positive tests later...I faced the inevitable, we were having another baby. Of course the panic immediately set in. All those things you think about, like just where exactly was this baby going to SLEEP? In our room until it's 5?? And things like, I don't WANT to have two in diapers and how is my new boss going to feel about a maternity leave so soon after me just starting and for the love of pete HOW are we going to pay for daycare for three??? I am not ashamed to say it took me about a week to get over the panic and embrace the thought of another baby. First, my boys are so good-natured that they'll be able to share a room for awhile longer. We'll find a bunk bed or a daybed with a trundle and they'll be more than happy to share a room until Kaitlyn goes to college and then we can move Jax to the basement and the little ones can stay upstairs for a while yet. And two in diapers, so what? Nothing lasts forever. And my boss was thrilled that I was pregnant. Okay, thrilled may be an exaggeration, but he was happy for me and concerned for my health and told me that everything would be okay and not to worry. It's probably a good possibility that when I do come back it will be for three days a week instead of five and then my mother-in-law would take the boys one day while I work and they would go to daycare two days. In the fall, Jax will be in kindergarten for a half day so that will help too. Lastly, I couldn't help but hope that this would be the time that we would have a GIRL! So, I was humming along and coping well and then we find out that the project Shane worked on at American Express was closing the Utah office and he would have to find a new job. It was really bad for awhile. But, he found a job still with AmEx and he's still looking for a better job and we're okay with that. So the only hurdle left was that magical gender ultrasound at 16 weeks. I kept telling everyone that I was okay with either, but I would rather have a girl. Even Jaxton told me that we were getting a baby sister. Alas, it was not meant to be. We had our ultrasound and after some prodding, there HE was, in all his male glory. And my hopes for pink and ribbons and lace were dashed again. I am destined to be surrounded by males. After a moment of disappointment, I was excited to see his little body and hear his tiny heart beating away. And to know that my boys will have another "little buddy" to play with. There are worse things than another boy and FAR worse things than a baby.

So here we go again, another boy to bless our home, giving us five children and giving my parents their 11th grandchild. Everyone is pretty excited and now, of course, begins the search for a new name and all the fighting that will occur over that. I just hope Grandpa Ken comes up with another nickname worthy enough to join the ranks of "Fred" and "Ralph."

Snow Day

It snowed yesterday and I finally had to say good-bye to summer, warm weather, the leaves on my trees in the front yard. And I was sad. I hate winter! I hate scraping windows and shovelling sidewalks and de-icing the front porch and all of it! There, I think I got all of the bitterness out. I was driving to work today and there's an elementary school across the street from the office. I drove along the street and I laughed at the little boys (I suppose girls do it to, but I didn't see any today) gathered in front of the school scooping up snowballs and throwing snow around. And then as I passed the school and got to the playground and fields that are behind the school I counted not one, not three, but 7 or 8! giant snowballs. Obviously the kids were enjoying yesterday's snowfall pretty much most of the day, while I sat at work and groaned every time I caught a glimpse of the outside world through the windows. Just one more part of growing up, I guess. Snow no longer holds a fascination for me. I only think of the grown-up things like driving in it, knowing that the heating bill is about to skyrocket, wondering if I need a new ice scraper for the car, wondering if the ice scraper is even still IN the car. And then, I arrived home, safe and sound last night and the minute I walked in the door, Jaxton met me at the top of the stairs and he said, "Mommy, it snowed all day today! Can we make a snowman?" And just like that, I remembered why snow is fascinating. It covers the ground with possibility. Maybe this weekend, Jax and I will see what possibilities the snow has waiting for us in our own front yard.

Musings on a Friday

Baby Jaydyn Ryan Robinson

8lbs 1oz 20 & 3/4"

Born at 6:59

October 24, 2008

I know, I'm supposed to be talking about Halloween and all that fun stuff, but today I've been thinking about my newest nephew Baby Jaydyn, so that's what I'm blogging about! Maybe next week we'll blog about Halloween and I'll post some fun pix of our Nephi trick-or-treating adventure, but until then....

Aren't babies amazing? Since last week when Baby Jayd was born I've been pondering. You know, right up until we found out that Ryan and Jess were pregnant, I thought our family was pretty complete. I think that's a normal idea for most, but maybe not. Nichole had already proclaimed that she was done; I certainly wasn't thinking of another baby with Hayden being only a year old; Marci is FAR to young to be considering babies (I know how that sounds, but I'm still her big sister and she's still the BABY) and who knew what Ryan's plans were. But from the time we knew about a that baby, we couldn't wait for him to come! And then when he finally arrived, a week ago today, our family was all complete again. It's amazing how that changes, isn't it? One little tiny person arrived (well, not TEENY, but you know) and our family grew and changed to encompass this little boy. And who knows what he'll become? We have ten grandbabies in our family now, four girls, 6 boys and we've watched them grow and change from little ones swaddled in blankies to kindergarteners and preschoolers and now we have a new one, swaddled in a blankie that we'll watch grow and change and find his personality. I can't wait to watch him grow. Bless you, Baby Jayd and welcome.

Coping

Hey y'all. I know I haven't blogged in a bit (okay, okay a MONTH) but there has been INSANITY in my life for the last month! I've been busy at home, Kath and I tried to have a yard sale (tried being the operative word there) and then we found out that Shane will be out of a job on October 31st. I'm finally coping with things and he did find another job. It may be temporary or it may be permanent but it's the best option for the moment. American Express is closing the consumer project at Convergys in Orem, but they are keeping the business project at Convergys in Ogden. The commute doesn't matter much, he'll just go north in the morning instead of south, but the problem is going to be his shift. They've told him that he has to work the night shift to begin with and that after 1 month he can request a shift transfer, but it's not a guarantee and he'll also have to work either Saturday or Sunday every week. The shift available now is 1pm to 9pm and he's not sure which day of the week he would have off. We've talked and talked about it, but the bottom line (har, har) is that we can't afford for him to be out of work for any time at all. They've already told him that training starts Oct. 6th-17th and it is M-F from 11am to 5pm. Yes, your math is correct, that's only 30 hours per week for two weeks with no chance for commission. Scary times. So which is the lesser of two evils? Start a new job now, tighten our belts for a month or so, pray that in a month he can transfer to days and keep looking for a better job...or stay in Orem until the very bitter end, but knowing that you can work full hours plus overtime, make commission, still look for a better job and then hope to find a job you can start on November 3rd? There is no easy answer here, but at least there is a job available. Which is why we decided this morning after lots of whispered talking last night (small ears you know) that he would call Ogden and tell them he's willing to work nights. We just have to keep reminding ourselves...okay ME, I I I I have to remind myself that this is NOT a permanent arrangement. Something will improve. Either he'll get a shift transfer to normal people hours or we'll find him a different wonderful fabulous job with normal people hours. And really, what's a month, right? I can do anything for a month, right? We were discussing the positives of him being home in the mornings

1. I will only have to get myself up and ready for work every day and I'll only take Kaitlyn to school on our days, since she goes at 7:30 and it's on my way to work and then I'll be able to go to work earlier and then leave earlier since I will be rounding up children in the evening times. Shane will be able to take Shannon later in the morning and then drop off my baby boys on his way to work.

2. He will still be able to help around the house in the mornings while the rest of us are at work and school.

3. He'll be available to go to interviews any morning, instead of being limited to Fridays.

I'd list the negatives about this plan, but they are MYRIAD. The biggest negative in all of this is him not being home in the evenings to be with us. But, it's only for a month, right? And it's not a permanent solution. I remember when we first got married, he had just started with Convergys and the only shift available was the 2pm to 10pm and we lived in Springville, so it was about a 30 minute drive each way and he worked on Saturday nights and then his one night a week off he drove to SLC to go to school and that lasted for 6 months! It wasn't until after Jax was born that he could put in for a shift change to days. I have to remind myself that we survived then. It took him just over 3 years to command the schedule he has now--there was no one else on his team that worked 4 tens, M-Th, but when you're the top of the leader board in commission, you get privileges. Now he just has to start over a little, but at least it's not a 6 month waiting period for a shift change. It's only 1 month, 4 weeks, 30 days. That's nothing! Right?

Anyways--think good thoughts for me and by Thanksgiving this will all be a happy little memory, right? Besides, I'm sure by then there will be a new drama!

We will NEVER forget...

Small world

It amazes me every day how small this world is. You can meet someone, see them occasionally, chat it up, and never think a thing of it. And one day, you have a conversation that reveals just how interconnected people in this world really are. I spoke with a man today whose family was forever changed by an incident that happened almost 14 years ago. Coincidentally, it was the same incident that forever changed my family. He and I have been acquaintances now for roughly a year, year and a half, and neither of us knew that we were on opposite sides of this incredible tragedy that marked us both.

On October 5th, 1994, my uncle, Trooper Randy K. Ingram of the Utah Highway Patrol was conducting a traffic stop on a rainy stretch of I-15 when a truck driver hauling a load of pumpkins drifted into the emergency lane, crashing into Randy's patrol car, killing him instantly. He left behind a wife, two children, two parents, a sister & brother-in-law, three nieces and one nephew and many, many others that adored him. Our lives were forever changed by that night. I've always wondered how different things would be if he were still with us. I wonder if has met my children and my nieces and nephews in the spirit world before they were sent to us. It's impossible to list the what-ifs; you'll go completely crazy, but I've uttered a few. What if?


On October 5th, 1994, an acquaintance of mine had a brother who was driving a semi loaded with pumpkins on I-15. He drifted into the emergency lane, crashed into a patrol car and killed a man. His life changed irrevocably that night, as did the lives of his parents, who owned the trucking company and his kid brother, who was just in high school. I know that family has uttered a lot of what-ifs.


I'm sure there's a lesson in all this somewhere. Is it "watch what you say, you never know who's listening?" Or is it "judge not, lest ye be judged?" Maybe it's simply, "the past is gone forever and the future is unknown. All we have is the gift of today."

Today is your gift, use it wisely that tomorrow you can look back to yesterday with a smile in your heart.

Have you ever had one of those weeks? I'm not just talking about "one of those days," but one of those WEEKS? It starts BAD; normally Mondays are bad, but when it's a short work week Tuesdays are twice as terrible; and it just goes downhill. Your Tuesday is completely unmentionable and it takes most of Wednesday to recover from Tuesday and then WHAM, Wednesday night you get hit upside the head with something COMPLETELY out of the blue. By Thursday, you're completely numb from the Wednesday night bashing, so you really don't remember all that much about it, which is good, because you resolve Thursday night that at least tomorrow is Friday and then it will all be over, right? WRONG. Friday is just as cruddy as the rest of the week and you find yourself counting the minutes--yes, minutes not hours--until you can crawl into bed and not have to face an alarm clock the next morning. OH WAIT! Now you've suddenly remembered that you can't just go home and become a vegetable in front of the tube and order takeout, because you have a prior commitment. AND, you DO have to face an alarm clock, because you have to be at the State Capitol by 9:30 to meet your family for the Fallen Officers Memorial Dedication. So what does that leave? Sunday? SUNDAY! That blessed day--no alarm clock, no early commitments, just sleep, glorious sleep! YAY! There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Oh wait, Sunday is the start of a new week.....ARRRRGGGG!

In pursuit of perfection

Well, here I am. Week 1 of my newest job adventure is in the books. So, how did it go? It was mostly good with a little stress and a little overwhelm-ment (is that a word??) thrown in, but overall I think we came out on the plus side. I have to keep reminding myself that PERFECTION is not a job requirement and that I can't expect to know everything about everything the first week. It's tough though; I went from being a spine expert to the new kid on the block and I don't know all about the computer systems yet, I don't know phone numbers or the names of all the people I should....I don't know where everything is!!! But again, perfection is not instantaneous...it takes time to figure everything out. I'm not being pressured by anyone but myself and I have to remember to take it easy on me! When I started at ISI I didn't know anything about spines--I just need to remind myself of that more often. It'll come; six months down the road I'll be clicking through IDX like a pro and scheduling surgeries without breaking a sweat!

As for the rest of my life...it just keeps getting better. The kids are back in school, Jax starts preschool next week and things are smoothing out. I gave up on selling stuff on eBay...I just don't have the time to devote to it now. So instead I'm going to have a MONSTER yard sale. I haven't decided yet it it'll be now or in the spring. Depends on what's happening the next few weekends and how the weather is.

So, for now, we chalk life up to "not bad for a first week, be patient with yourself and just enjoy the ride."

MWAH to all my readers!

Abandoned

Guess I kinda abandoned this blog, didn't I? S'ok, I don't thing anyone reads this! But we'll try to revive it. So, I'm hanging out at work--my NEW job, which I absolutely love! I have my own desk, my own computer and it's really just fabulous. Tomorrow I have a training class *yick* but then I'll be back and there will be actual patients to see! It was a really long two weeks, but now we're going strong. I'm so glad I made this change. I can't believe the difference it's made, already! I'm home early, EVERY NIGHT! I actually have time to DO things when I get home from work, instead of rush through dinner, get the kids bathed and in bed and then fall into bed. It's kinda strange sometimes, but overall it's been incredibly nice to be home by 5:30pm every night! No more late night, no more getting home just in time for the boys to go to bed. I know Shane's a happy man; I think he was getting a little tired of the old routine. Anywho....

BYU football season starts on Saturday *Go Cougars!* And we're going camping with Grams and Gramps and we'll have the girls and it'll be soooooo nice to have one last weekend of summer fun before it's time to be serious about work and school and winter. It'll be nice for everything to kind of calm down and for everyone to be on a schedule again. Maybe now that we're back into a smoother groove I can get some scrapbooking done!