Robinson Blog

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Dog Days of Summer

Nick has been out of MDO since mid-May. I jokingly complain about it, but this summer is really special b/c it's our last one together before Biscuit arrives. Here are a few things we've done to pass the time this summer... playing on his new swing set, doing arts and crafts, swimming, casting a few spells, helping daddy do manly stuff, drinking cream soda for the first time and running around naked. I won't post a picture of him in the buff, but let me assure you, this last one is a particular favorite of his. Notice that a lot of the pictures are taken inside. He gets outside, but it's too hot for my pregnant self to go chasing him around w/ a camera. Sit and shoot (in the A/C) is more my style. I have noticed after looking at these pictures that there are no pictures of me and Nick. I'm gonna have to remedy that.

Playing on his new swing set ...

He's waiting patiently while his swingset is being put together


Doing arts and crafts...



Swimming...

With his little buddies, Eli and Uriah


Casting a few spells...

Seriously, how cute his he?

Doing manly stuff around the house like helping daddy and chugging cream soda...

He got tired of helping w/ the toolbox, so decided to draw instead

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Seven Dollar City

Scott took a day off work to take Nicholas to Seven Dollar City aka Silver Dollar City in Branson. They took off early in the morning w/out me. Normally, I would have joined in their adventure, but it was one of the hottest days so far. There was no way I was even going to attempt it. So I was able to run some errands and then relax at home. Although based on what Scott told me about Nick's reaction to everything, I wish I had been there to witness it myself.

When they arrived in Branson, Nick could hardly contain his excitement. Branson has often been described as Las Vegas w/out the gambling. That's what I've heard anyway. Scott did manage to make a wrong turn and was reminded of that the entire day. Looks like Mommy was there in spirit after all.

Here's a picture of Nick as they pulled into Branson...

Majority of the kiddie rides were pretty tame, so Nick was able to ride them by himself. Although he did go on the "big swing", "giant boat" and roller coaster w/ his daddy. Since they went during the middle of the week, it wasn't as crowded and they often had their pick of rides. They also had a huge indoor area w/ several large tables set up with all the crafts a child could want. Nick enjoyed the crafts, Scott enjoyed the a/c.

I think this moment best described how much fun he had spending time w/ his daddy. They were sitting down sharing a sno cone and out of the blue he looks at Scott and says, "daddy's the best daddy in world!" It was so sweet, though I'm sure the sugar rush might have had a little to do with it. All in all a fantastic day. He played so hard that he passed out in his car seat before they even pulled out of the parking lot.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Did You Miss Me???

Hi! I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a month. I thought about it, but it was not meant to be. Let me just say you never know what you've got till it's gone. In this case it was our computer. How in the world did we manage before the internet came along? I actually had use a regular phonebook a few times. I know, bless my little heart. I've lots of posts to catch up on, and I'll be putting them in chronological order. So you'll have to scroll down from time to time to see if I've added anything new. Sorry about that, but that's the way it's got to be. I'm off to organize my thoughts and photos, but will leave you with this nifty graph I created during my "free" time. Toodles.

***Update***
So I've decided to add to my sidebar when I have a "new" post, since most are backdated. That way you'll know where to find it.


Sunday, July 5, 2009

July 4th Weekend

It was nice having the 4th fall on a Saturday this year, Scott was able to have a long 3 day weekend. My family came up to celebrate w/ us. We hung out at my brother Steve's house Friday evening. We took Nick to the fireworks stand and bought a few things, just to see if he had any interest in them. He loved the little snaps that you throw on the ground. Those kept him entertained for at least 45 mins. Then my family took turns playing chase w/ Nick. Yet another good reason having my family around. Scott and I can just sit back while they entertain Nick. He especially loved the all the colorful fountains. It was funny, every time we set one off, he'd make a fist and point it in that direction. Not really sure what that was all about, but it was amusing. He also got to hold his first sparkler. Nothing says good parenting like handing your child a flaming stick, right?

We left Nick to stay the night over there and caught a late movie, "The Hangover". We didn't get home until almost midnight! The movie was hilarious, btw. Sleeping in with no middle of the night shenanigans from our little man... yet another plus having my family visit. We got a pleasant treat that afternoon when our good friends, the Dormans, stopped by for a visit. Their little 3 mo old son, Joshua, is just the cutest little fellow. He has chunked up since the last time we saw him. I just love him, he's so squeezable. He loves to eat and doesn't like to be interrupted when doing so. A man after my own heart!

Later that afternoon, we stopped by our neighborhood block party to check out the festivities. We didn't stay long as it was hotter than hades. It was neat though, got to meet a few of our neighbors and Nick got to play in the bouncy house. We pulled Nick out there in his wagon. On the way back, my sweet hubby told me to hop in and pulled both of us back. I got a few stares, and a chuckle from another pregnant lady, but it was worth it.

We cooked out that evening w/ my family and then watched the fireworks show our neighborhood put on from our backyard. Nick was not too enthused this time around. It was late and he was tired. About 10 mins into the show he said, "I'm tired of watching fireworks." I don't blame the kid. After a while, it all looks the same, especially after a long couple of days.

Isn't Joshua the cutest little booger?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Open Up!

Nick had his first visit to the dentist. Should I have scheduled it sooner? Sure. But I had it in my head it was going to be a nightmare. Well guess what... he did fantastic! I am so proud of how well he did because I could tell he was really apprehensive. He's getting to be such a big boy now. Let me tell you, it is a far cry from my first visit to the dentist. I swear the man came at me w/ pliers from a toolbox out back. At least that's how I remembered it anyway.

He took Doggy w/ him to help keep him company

A picture w/ his dentist, Dr. Rhodes

Monday, June 8, 2009

Quick Update

We have been without internet access since Thursday. The only access I have is through Scott's phone and it's pretty limited. But once we're back up and running, I'll have a few entries to post. I did want to add that Nick has picked out a name for his baby sister... Biscuit. It's got a nice ring to it. More on this later. Until then...

Thursday, June 4, 2009

And Verdict Is...


We wanted to share our good news with everyone. Even though I had a feeling it was a girl, it's still a little bit shocking. We would have been equally happy if it was a boy, but can't help feeling a bit giddy that we'll now have one of each. Nicholas took the news well. His response? How he typically responds to most things... Meh. His preference for a baby brother or sister changes from day to day anyway.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Eli's 3rd Birthday Party

Nicholas' sweet friend, Eli, turned 3 and had a super fun birthday bash. His mama is my good friend, Laya. It was a firemen themed party and she did a wonderful job. We started the party w/ a tour of the Bentonville fire station. FYI, the Roger's FD won't bring their trucks out to your house, but the Bentonville FD will. Only problem, Laya doesn't live in Bentonville, thus the tour at the station. Let me tell you, that place was cush. I've only ever seen fire stations on TV, and none of them looked like this. They did a really nice job w/ the tour, you could tell they did it often. Nicholas really enjoyed it. After the tour around the living quarters, the kids got to climb on the fire trucks and ring the bell. Apparently not wanting one fireman to feel neglected, Scott peppered him with tons of questions. Most of them about meth labs and meth lab explosions. That guy looked pretty sure he'd be hearing about Scott on the local news soon.

After the tour, it was back to Eli's house for some pizza and cake. The kids all played outside, even though it was sizzling. After the cake came the pinata, and each kid took a turn. It was funny, when the pinata was cracked open (courtesy of Del) and all the candy came pouring out, Nicholas ran over there and picked up one piece of candy. That's it. Just one. We told him he could have some more, look at all the other kids grabbing candy. He came back with 3 pieces. He was very selective. It made me and Scott laugh. Nicholas had such a good time, he asked to go back to Eli's house the next day. Thanks for having us, Eli!


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend

We made our annual Memorial day trek to Texas last week to see Nick's Magi and Grandad. Though the drive seemed a bit longer for me this time around, it went relatively smooth. We only had one 15 min bout of kicking and screaming, followed by peaceful slumber and not one potty accident the entire trip. Nicholas did really well, too!

Nick was so excited he could talk of nothing else the week leading up to it. He would ask everyday when we were going. He was so pumped the night before, he had a hard time going to sleep, thus the tantrum the next day. Scott and I also look forward to this trip every year. It was a nice relaxing weekend, w/ the weather mostly cooperating. There was plenty of good food, an early birthday celebration for Scott and lots of entertainment by Nicholas. Thanks for having us, we had a wonderful time. Looking forward to seeing you up here in a couple of weeks!

He's cooking baked beans w/ his Magi. They were delicious, btw!

He's worn out from wearing his grandparents out.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Daddy's The Best

Nick has been quite a daddy's boy lately. He follows Scott everywhere, asks for him first thing in the morning, and says that daddy does everything better. My only consolation in all of this is that I'm the one he asks to cuddle at the end of the night. This keeps Scott's smugness from spinning too out of control. So I thought I'd post some pictures of my two boys hanging out together.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Wood(n't) You Know It - 5yrs And Counting

Happy Anniversary to my sweet, sweet hubby!



Monday, May 11, 2009

A Happy Mother's Day And Then Some

I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother's day. I did. Just want to thank my wonderful husband and son for a lovely day. I thought I'd post a few pictures of the gifts Nicholas got me. He made me a cute little ladybug box at MDO. On Thursday, Scott took him to the mall to pick out his present for me. He was pretty pleased w/ himself. When I asked him what he got, he said it was a secret and then immediately told me he got an "A". I had a feeling it was a coffee mug. Close. It was a travel mug, and I think it's the cutest thing! However, my favorite was my card from him. I posted a vid below, turn up your volume so you can hear. After a yummy brunch at Common Grounds, it was off to do some shopping. Scott took care of Nicholas the rest of the day and dinner as well. Of course, he usually takes Nicholas off my hands when he's home from work, so I'm definitely spoiled to begin with.





You know I never win anything, but the tide has turned! It's nothing close to what Beth won the other day, but I'm pretty excited. I entered the LifePlusKids blog contest for free earrings. Found out yesterday I was a winner. I'm going to invest our savings in lotto tickets now.

Also, today is Eat What You Want Day. Seriously, I read that somewhere on the net. I really try to embody that philosophy everyday, but for those of you who have more discipline, here is your free pass. You're welcome. Enjoy.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Let's Catch Up...

Hi, everyone! First, my sincerest apologies to the grandparents, aunts and uncles who've been waiting for a new post on Nicholas. I know I've been slacking in the blog dept, and I'll try my best to update more regularly. But, no promises. It's difficult to find motivation to blog after a long day. I just want to lie on the couch and stare at my big, fat belly in the evenings.

A quick update on the pregnancy. I had my doctor's appointment Thurs and everything is looking good so far. I'm showing much more at this point than I was w/ Nick, but I heard that's common w/ your second. Many would say it's due to a lack of muscle tone, but I'd prefer to say it's due to, well, okay lack of muscle tone. My thyroid had been hypoactive, so it's been rough to say the least. But now that it's corrected, I'm feeling so much better. We'll find out in 4 weeks the sex of the baby! Now, on to Nicholas and what he's been up to these past weeks. Sorry there are only a few pictures and they don't really go w/ the subject, but wanted to post them anyway.

**Nocturnal Visits**
When we initially put Nick in his big boy bed a few months ago, he quickly developed the habit every night of casually sauntering out of his room to hang out (7-8 times at least). Not to mention the 4am visits to our room. I had sternly told him no more getting out of bed. He took me at my word. He didn't get out of bed. Ever. Instead he would just sit in bed and sing and/or holler at the top of his lungs until he fell asleep and continued when he woke up. We would have to open his door and tell him to get out of bed. Growing weary of that, we told him it was okay to get out of bed if he needed anything. In fact, we encouraged it.

We're back to the 7-8 visits each night before he nods off, but at least he is more creative this time around. No longer does he come to hang out, he has needs. Drink of water, one last drink of water, I need to pee pee, I need to talk to my mommy, I want to cuddle you, etc... We have to bite our lips not to laugh at times. We still get the occasional middle of the night visits, but it's worth it, especially when he comes bounding into our room each morning and says, "whatchu doin, Daddy?"


**Shameless Promotion**
Are you ready for it? Nicholas can read, write and spell upwards of a hundred words. Don't blame me for the shameless promotion. Blame it on the grandparents, aunts and uncles. I've got an audience I need to appease. Besides, I like to record when he's doing what. I'm sure there are other kids doing this at this age, but we're pretty proud of him nonetheless. He's like a sponge, always asking me, "mommy, what's that word" or "how do you spell...?" It's cute, except when we're in a hurry.


**A Boy By Any Other Name...**
Lately he's been making us call him by different names. Sometimes he's SuperWhy, other times he's the Zinus Kids (Science kid), he's also the Wemones (the Ramones).

Me: Good night, Nicholas.
Nick: SuperWhy. Good night, SuperWhy.

**Green Thumb**
Nick loves working out in the yard w/ Scott. He's gotten quite good at helping Scott plant. Scott took him to the store the other week to pick out a couple of plants of his own. He chose okra and tomato. If you ask him what he's growing, he'll tell you okra and donuts. My kind of garden.


**I'm A Big Boy Now**
Me: I love my baby boy. Are you my baby?
Nick: No. I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy.

Scott: I think you're being a little toot.
Nick: No whittle. I'm a big toot.



Well, that's it for now. Happy Mother's day to all the wonderful mommies out there!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

100th Post - Celebrate Good Times, Come On...

This is my 100th post! I'm sure many of you have reached this "milestone" already, but I thought I'd celebrate at any rate. So, yay! Alright, I don't have any Easter stuff to update you w/... yet. I will try to get to that this week.

First, we want to say congratulations to our friends, Thao and Alan. On April 9th, they welcomed into the world, Joshua Alan. He is just the cutest little thing. Although I'm a little disappointed at the picture of Thao below. She hardly looks like someone who just gave birth. I, on the other hand, looked like a water balloon after I delivered (not that I'm bitter or anything). Congratulations again, we are so happy and excited for you guys and cannot wait to meet your little man!






Since we're talking about babies and all that, we have some wonderful news to share ourselves. We are expecting our second child. My due date is Oct. 21. I'm almost out of the 1st trimester. Woo hoo. We are ecstatic. We've kicked the idea around w/ Nick to get his reaction. It really depends on his mood. It changes from one minute to the next. Sometimes, he says yes to mommy having a baby, and other times, he says he's the baby. I guess he won't actually get it until #2 comes along and rocks his world. We know it'll be the best thing in the world for him. We have a picture of an early ultrasound we had, but unfortunately it is not in a format that I can post. If I can get it converted, I'll add it. That's it for now. Have a great rest of the week!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Dear Diary

Time outs. They're a frequent occurrence in our house lately. The other day after Nick had been in time out, he was sitting quietly playing w/ his magnadoodle. I could hear him saying something over and over. I finally stopped to listen. He was saying something about me. Curious, I went over there to see what he was doing. He had written a bunch of "words" on his magnadoodle. When I asked him what it said, he replied, "mommy, put you in time out." I had to give him a big kiss after that.