Bits & Pieces of Us

Still in the 20s, for a little longer

2011-10-10T14:12:00.000-07:00

When my family visits for the 4th the get a two for one deal, since my birthday is the next day. We had a great time fishing with the kids, playing my new karoke game, and eating delicious food before they had to head back to Idaho. It was a great birthday and so fun to have them around. Thanks guys for making the trip.

Red, White, and Blue 2011

2011-10-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July was so great this year. We were so lucky to have visitors over the holiday. Brady, me, and my sister, Mallory had way too much fun shopping at the outlets while Grandma and Grandpa played with all the kids. I think it may have been a little more FUN than they had bargined for but everyone survived and even smiled afterward. The next day we headed out to the parade and the festivities here in Highlands Ranch. The kids loved watching the parade eventhough the heat was a little much. Our family and Grandma even braved the heat for a few games after while Grandpa and Mal moved on to find cooler temperatures and a new stroller.

Trying to stay cool!

We linked back up for a great BBQ dinner and some rocket launching before heading to the concert and fireworks in the park. The kids loved the concert, especially because they had their own dancing stage. The girls could have danced all night.

The famous "Kamrie tongue." It is always sticking out.

And don't forget the fireworks!

The Greatest Friends EVER!

2011-10-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

We were so excited that on our way to Lake Powell we were able to make a stop and viait some of the greatest friends ever! We were in Dental School together and Caden and Macy were best friends. It was so fun to see each other again we all picked up right where we left off 2 years ago.

Thanks Moores for the fun day! We can't wait to do it again.

Take me out to the BALL GAME

2011-08-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Baseball is getting more and more fun every year. Caden was on a great team this year and things worked out so Brady could live his dream and help coach. The boys had a great time and won most of their games. Caden is getting more confident all the time and hopefully will follow in his daddy's footsteps and become a great player.

One of the devoted fans. Keeping score...not his favorite job but he was a good sport about it.Coach Ben handing out prizes after the last game.

It's not Bear Lake...But we loved it anyway

2011-08-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

We have heard so much about Cherry Creek Lake but could never find the time to get there. One day after a fun filled and very HOT day of baseball we made it. The weather was great and the kids had a ball in the sand. After growing up in Bear Lake I would say I'm a little spoiled but this was pretty great and it isn't too far from our house.

This girl LOVES sand!Playing catch in the sand...awesome!

The Training Wheels Are OFF

2011-08-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

So we are up to June in our catch up game...

When Caden was just 3 he was sure it was time to learn to ride his bike without training wheels. There was a lot of hesitation on my part because I didn't want him to get hurt and never want to try again. Luckily Brady is much more rational and had lots of faith in the little guy, they went out one afternoon and proved mommy wrong.

Well this time was a little different, Kamrie is a bit more timid with physical tasks and much more emotional so we just didn't push it, at all. She is 4 and has never even really talked about riding without training wheels. One day in June she decided it was time. Because of all the emotion Brady and I were both hesitant but she was AWESOME. She took off and before I even got outside with the camera she was riding like a pro. Daddy said she did it the very first time. What a big Girl!

So Proud!

Back to school means more BLOGGING!

2011-08-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, with the kids back in school and everything on a little more predictable schedule, I can find more time to keep up with my blogging. At least for a couple months until baby boy comes along and adds all kinds of excitement to our lives. So here is to catching up and keeping up!

Soccer Party 2011

2011-06-08T15:54:00.001-07:00

This year Kamrie was able to play with the same soccer team she started with last year. They are a great group of girls! Coach Greg goes above and beyond to teach them to love the game. Kamrie had a great season and can't wait to play with her team again. To close thing up this year we had a pizza party and celebrated the girls great season. They loved having all the attention and felt like a million bucks.

Go little Rascals!!!

Easter Morning 2011

2011-06-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Easter morning this year as always was full of fun. Egg hunts and way too much candy marks the day although the more important message of our Savior's resurrection was not forgotten.

The Greatest Snow Day Ever!

2011-06-08T15:32:00.000-07:00

So this is a bit of a flashback as you may have guessed since it is August and these are pictures are full of snow. This was one of our greatest Denver days so far...we woke up to tons of beautiful new snow on the ground, news of no school, and to top it off daddy had the day off. We spent the day at the school by our house taking complete advantage of the snow hill. We made jumps for the sleds and snowboards and rode until it was time for a food break. To get in the full spirit of the day I made homemade cinnamon rolls to eat with our Hot Cocoa. After eating and enjoying every bite we headed back out to enjoy the last little while of sunlight. The best part about snow days in Colorado it the SUN keeps you warm. It was the Greatest Snow Day EVER!

All Worn Out!

2011-06-08T15:24:00.001-07:00

My sweet little girl went to her first Princess dress up party with the big girls (she tagged along with Kamrie). She thought it was the greatest event of her life! Of course, she played so hard this was the result after leaving.

What an angel-face!

Spring Soccer 2011

2011-05-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Spring soccer was a blast this year. Caden and Kamrie both played and it was busy but they had a ball. The weather was good considering I hear some years spring soccer is mixed with lots of snow. Brady helps with Kamrie's team and has a good time helping the little ladies perfect the sport.

Here is Kamrie is the middle of the pile...she is pretty aggressive and not afraid to get in there.

Caden with his boys...trying to get a foot on it.

Kamrie's Story

2011-04-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Every time I look at this picture I cringe thinking of how bad it could have been, but then I have to smile because even though she has been through a "storm" my baby is still smiling, not because I told her to but because that is who she is.

Just to remember the story I'm going to put the details but it may bore you so feel free to move on.
Avery's Birthday was on Saturday and I had everything readyexcept the thing that I always forget, Ice Cream. As I quickly finished decorating the cake and putting up balloons while listening to General Conference, before we headed out for our round of Saturday soccer, Brady took the kids and ran to Target. He picked up a few things and was headed back to the frozen section for the ice cream, all three kids were sitting on the bench seats they have on the Target carts now. Kamrie was in her soccer gear already and because she was getting cold she tucked her arms and legs in her shirt to keep warm. As Brady stopped the cart she had nothing to brace herself and tipped off the bench face first, landing on the hard floor. He scooped her up knowing from the sound that it was a big one and tried to continue on his way. One man stopped him saying her nose was bleeding, so they headed to the bathroom. He wiped her off and with his level head was able to check out before taking her to the car. While in the car he called and asked if I could get some Motrin and an ice pack ready. I consented but wasn't quite ready for what I saw when they walked in. Her head was huge and already blue from her hairline all the way past her eye. I am the less rational one and thought we should head to the Dr. immediately, but Brady checked her eyes and responsiveness and thought she would be okay to ice it and lie down for a while. I held her while she cried until the Motrin kicked in. She was a trooper but there was no getting around the fact that it just hurt! Brady busied around getting things ready for Caden's soccer game and Kamrie started feeling better so we headed out to watch her team play. Once we were there she assured us she could play and since Brady helps coach, I told him to keep his eye on her and make sure she was okay. She ended up playing, though she was quite a bit slower than normal, and even scored one or two goals. I still think we were a little crazy to let her but Brady seemed pretty sure she would be fine. The rest of the day she seemed normal and didn't complain of any more pain until she was in bed trying to fall asleep for the night.
Avery had a check-up with the Dr. on Monday so I had him check it then...there was still a lot of swelling but from what he could see, he thought the bone structure looked okay. It turned lots of colors and still isn't completely back to normal even 4 weeks later. It was quite an experience but I'm so glad things weren't worse.

Avery's 2!

2011-04-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our littlest girl is TWO!!! I can hardly believe it, time really does fly. We had a little family celebration complete with soccer games, a little drama, a minor concussion, a bit of devastation, and a whole lot of fun. Avery woke up to our favorite family tradition...breakfast in bed, we didn't actually let her eat it there since she is practically our messiest child yet, but at least we started there. She was thrilled! We had been telling her that her Birthday was coming for a while and the excitement had been mounting. We watched conference while we decorated cake and hung balloons. Just before our soccer outing daddy took the kids to Target to pick up the ice cream for our little party later and Kamrie fell face first out of the Kart (details to come in a later post), this is where the minor concussion comes in. The soccer games were a little windy and Avery was restless because it was nap time but it was 84 degrees, which always makes me smile. After a long nap, "the girl" was ready for some fun. We took her to build a bear, where we built bears, had a ball , and lost our camera...this is where the devastation comes in. The pictures of this wonderful event have probably been deleted by the meanie who decided their money was far more important than my precious memories, oh well...we came home found another camera that could document the rest of the day and continued on with the party.

A Robbins' must...Heavy, heavy hangover Avery is obsessed with Tangled. She is not a real movie girl but this one struck her fancy. Caden knew she couldn't live without "Punzel" so he and Kamrie made sure it made the birthday pile.
This one is hilarious...the pain on Kam's face makes me so sad.

The awesome "fancy shoes" from Grandma and Grandpa Robbins

"Shabby Chic" from aunt Kyr and the crew

Trying to master the peddling skill...

The blowing of the candles did not come easy, there is not much air in that little tiny body of hers. It took several tries but she finally got it.

And the excitement!

Waiting for the best part.

Avery is so much fun! She brings mounds of happiness to our little family. I'm not going to lie, the frustration of a two year old is there but there is so much cuteness and fun you almost forget(sometimes). Her "kids" love her and she adores them just as much. She has more smarts than she needs and just the right amount of sass to make it all bearable. We can't imagine life without her! We love you Ave.

Where in the World have we been??? Again!

2011-04-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been out of the loop for quite some time. First of all we were able to spend spring break in none other but our favorite vacation spot in all the world...Idaho and Utah. Brady's littlest brother Tab got married and we were lucky to be able to make the trip and be a part of all the wedding bliss. It really was awesome being a part of everything and seeing everyone in the temple together. What a sweet sweet moment for us all. After all that fun wrapped up, Brady had to head back home to work his heart out while the kids and I headed to Idaho for another week of relaxation and fun with family. Since Mallory (my little sis.) and Emily(my sis-in-law) are both due in a few months us girls decided to have a double baby shower while I was in town. It was awesome for me to be able to be a part of it since I usually have to miss out. I loved being there and sharing in all the joy. While I was there I decided to put myself to work and help Mallory paint and decorate her baby room. we had a ball but in the end I'm not sure if I helped or just created more work for them. I wish I had pictures of all the cuteness. Maybe Mal will send me some. After all the excitement was over mom and dad made the long trip with us so I wouldn't have to drive back myself...it ended up being more than we all bargained for so I really owe them one. Thanks mom and pops!!! We had all kids of fun with sickness while we were there and then fun with Avery's birthday when we got back so there is more posting to be done. Also, one last little note...we are having another baby! That is the biggest reason I have disappeared for a while, but I'm 14 weeks now and feeling on top of my game again. More to come soon.

Snow Day

2011-01-26T13:13:00.001-08:00

We had our first SNOW DAY here in Denver and we were so excited, we made it the best one ever. Caden was thrilled to not have to go to school and I was excited to have Daddy home to share in the fun. We had a ball sledding, snowboarding, and making jumps for the entire neighborhood. After Avery had had enough she and I came home and made cinnamon rolls for the troops. They stayed out forever and came in for a rest before heading back out until it was too dark and cold to go any longer. On the way home Caden said, "I hope tomorrow is another snow day!" We all need days like this sometimes.

A Day Out

2011-01-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

Over the break we were able to get out and go to the Museum and a little cupcake shop with some friends. It was fun to be together again. There is still nothing quite like the Children's Museum in Indy...but we saw lots of fun stuff and it's always nice to have a day out.

I love that Kamrie takes such good care of Avery.

BUGS!

The Gingerbread Tradition

2011-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

We have tried to carry on a tradition that I have always loved...GINGERBREAD! I am getting better at letting the kids do it their way. It turned out cute...

...but didn't last long. They really wanted to eat it, so I let them.They LOVED it!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

Just a few shots of Christmas morning. We had such a great holiday this year. The kids are so much fun!!!

Finally a Wii. Look at the smile!

One of the Many Reasons We Love Grandma's House

2011-01-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

SNOW!!!!!!!SNOW!!!!!!SNOW!!!!!SNOW!!!!! SNOW!!!!!SNOW!!!!!SNOW!!!!!SNOW!!!!!SNOW!!!!!
After a long Fall with absolutely no snow in Denver it was nice to have some to get us in the spirit at Gradnma's house. The kids couldn't get enough.

Our little poser!Little angles!

Love the snow ball fights...

A Night with the Man in Red

2011-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

We missed our Ward Christmas Party this year because of a trip to Grandma's house but luckily we were able to catch theirs the day we arrived. After a long drive, the kids were ready for some fun with Santa. This is the first year that we have been tear free. Kamrie informed me she is big now so she isn't scared anymore, her face suggests otherwise but at least her eyes were dry.

I know you are all thinking, I didn't know she had four kids! This one isn't mine but we would sure take him if we could. My sisters little man Wyatt. Kamrie even got up on stage and sang with their primary. Gotta love this girl, any chance to shine.

The Performance of the Year

2011-01-24T14:09:00.001-08:00

Kamrie had a Christmas program this year and she was so excited. If you know Kamrie, you know she is quite the performer. She was directly in the front and center of her class, I think they may have done this on purpose because there are some kids who are still pretty timid at this age. Not Kam...She had no problem with the actions and she put on quite the show. I was there myself with the other kids so I wasn't able to video it but I have had others tell me they will give me a copy of theirs because she was so fun to watch.

This is the picture I took before we left the house. She chose the pose herself.Kamrie and one of her besties, Lainey after the show.
I love that these girlies are such great friends. Lainey, Leena, and Kamrie.

Decking the Halls

2011-01-24T14:04:00.000-08:00

We have always had a real tree but had a tough time finding a tree farm last year like the one we grew to love in Indy. We finally got one at a lot but the experience just wasn't as fun...So this year we were checking out some garage sales in the summer and found a perfect artificial tree, it was a tough switch for me but we decided to try it for now.

The boys took the tough job of setting it up

And we all had a ball decorating(except Kamrie, I think she was taking a really long time finishing dinner-she did do some later but I forgot the pics.)I've always heard artificial trees are so nice but we spent so much time bending and shaping the crazy branches, it may be easier to cut one down in the forest.

Tough Times...But we are optimistic

2011-01-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

I feel a little dramatic as I sit down to write this post...it all seems more okay now but I want to remember how we got wherever we are going...

This is a hard post to write and will be even harder to read over and over as we continue on this journey of where we are supposed to end up, but we are making history, our very own little family history, and all the feelings we feel will be forgotten if they aren't recorded.
So I will start from the beginning to try to make as much sense of all the craziness as possible. Just before we left for Idaho on Dec. 17th, Brady got an interesting call from a guy he had met when he came to Denver looking for job prospects before he graduated. This fellow Doc. told him of a great opportunity within the company and asked if he was interested. Brady quickly told me of the new job opening not wanting it to slip away and after much conversation and scenario building we agreed that it would be a good move for our family. The new job would be with the same company, in Denver, just on the other side of town. This came at an interesting time as we had almost completed all the final decisions on the house we would be building in Broomfield. After making this new decision we wondered if we should still go through with the house as the commute to the new office would be much longer than Brady had expected...but we had also already put money down and gotten pretty attached to our beautiful home. Just two days(if my memory serves me well) after the call about the new job, Brady was headed to the builder's office to sign some of the final paperwork before they started building, when he got a call from them. They informed him that they were going to have to switch the house to the mirror image of what we had originally planned because of some water lines and we would have to sign off to approve the changes. Brady called me and we discussed how this changed everything and we were really unsettled with it all. We hated the thought of letting the house go, but I didn't really want it the way it had to be now either. It seems small but it ended up changing which way our driveway would face so it would effect the melting snow and ice, our view, instead of open space would now be another home, etc. The builder was really understanding and told us to think about it and get back to them before we went out of town the next day, they also informed us that since they had made the changes we could cancel our contract and get a complete refund of all we had paid. We worried about it all night as we packed and contacted out realtor with the news. We also noticed on the new plot plan they gave us the grade of the lot had not been flattened as they said it would be, this was a huge concern as well since we bought a big lot to have a nice back yard not a sledding hill, the contract was also contingent on the leveling of the plot. To make a very long story short our realtor bought us time so we didn't feel like we were making a hasty decision and we were able to enjoy our Holiday. After returning home and enjoying a nice Christmas and New Year, we started searching for homes again to see if there was anything that compared so that we could cancel with peace of mind if that is what it came to after our meeting with the builder. We looked at tons of houses and found nothing perfect but saw that there were options out there. Last week we met with the builder and canceled what in the beginning was our dream home. I hated every second of it but I wouldn't have wanted to go through with it the way it had to be now. Through it all I have been blessed to see the Lord's hand guiding us. I know that things are working on His timeline and not ours and he has our best interests in mind. Brady wouldn't have been happy driving so far to work forever, and it would have been so much harder to let go of the perfect house and lose money if we had decided to go somewhere else on our own. I feel so blessed to know that we are being watched over and that our lives matter. As I think about problems others face I am grateful these are my problems, although they aren't easy, we are all healthy, we have a steady income, and we are happy.
We still aren't sure where we will end up. Brady starts work at the new practice tomorrow and we will see what happens as we search.

House Progress 1

2010-12-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

We have been busy! Since we signed our contract there have been so very many questions...the first of which was which lot was best. There were not tons of options, but enough, and it seemed like each one had pros and cons. We finally weighed them all and decided on this one. It is a larger lot that will give us a big (for Colorado) backyard, backing to open space. We do have the one house you can see above us and this lot was not set up for a walk-out basement so I had to compromise there, but we feel so lucky to have got this one!

Sorry about the dark pic and the random cars in front...the huge pile of dirt is right where our house will sit.

Next we went to the Design Center to have our first session with our designer...we got a lot of exposure and learned a ton, but between sick kids and all the options smothering us, I felt like we didn't get too much accomplished in the first session. We did find out that you can upgrade yourself by thousands in no time at all. And I'm told I have expensive taste...hmmm

After that it was off to Utah for a little break for Thanksgiving...while it was a welcome break, it was hard to leave when things felt so pressing. It turns out the break was just what the doctor ordered and after returning home we have gotten right to business and we have almost everything picked out.

This is what we went with for the exterior (that is our stone on the counter next to me that you can't see very well. I know this isn't the greatest pic but do what you can with it.

I guess our first visit to the Design Center was more productive than I thought because when we went back we were totally ready to make decisions and things moved pretty quickly. We didn't get many pics but there will be more to come, I promise.

This is our kids and guest bath color scheme.

And our master bath.

We did end up going with the wood cabinets with the cocoa glaze instead of the white. I was definitely leaning the other way, but after much deliberation I decided we can always change them to white later if I still dream of a white kitchen. And we may do the laundry room cabinets white!!! For now, we are waiting on the laundry room because it is huge and it is a laundry/mudroom so we want custom cabinets there to make it more organized for shoes, coats,backpacks, and things.

We decided to go standard on somethings to save money and we will change them out hopefully just after we close, before we move in. The design center prices are a little inflated and we should be able to do better this way, despite the extra work.

Here is the hardwood we want...probably the biggest upgrade by far.

We still have to decide on carpet and granite, but that will come a little later since we are doing it this way. They also didn't have a fridge we were happy with so I am shopping around for one of those if anyone has any ideas. It has been a fun and stressful process so far. I love that we get to make our decisions but at the same time it really scares me that we are responsible for it all.

We Did It!

2010-12-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

This is kind of old news if you are on Facebook, but if not...We are finally buying a house! We started looking a few weeks ago and to our surprise ended up in a new construction area. We wern't really planning to build, but after looking at our options decided this is the route we would take. We are so excited! It has been a long time coming. During the next couple of weeks things will be really crazy. We have to decide everything from exterior paint, shingle, and rock, to carpet and light fixtures, and everything in between. After that we just wait. The build out time is 5-6 months, so we are hoping spring but planning for summer. We will definitely keep progress shots on here so we can document this exciting journey for ourselves and anyone who is interested.

After we signed our contract, we got to put a little red monopoly house on our lot.

4 wheeling

2010-11-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some great friends who let us try out their 4-wheelers and some other great frineds that came with us to share the fun, we had an exciting day. We rigged up the wheelers to make the ride comfy for the kids and off we went with food, gear, and a U-haul full of wheelers (only Brady would think of these things). The weather was perfect and despite some small mishaps that cost us at the 4 wheeler rental shop, we all came home with smiles on our faces.

We had some guys stop and ask if they could take pictures of Avery chillin in her seat, you gotta love Brady's unique ideas.

Thanks Travis and Vickie for sharing your day with us...we had a ball.

Soccer Celebration

2010-11-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

After another fun-filled season of soccer, we ended with our first win and had a pizza party with our team. Caden had a good season, he really enjoyed playing but was discouraged because the field was bigger, there were goalies, and it was harder to score. He had a great time with his team and was thrilled to get yet another trophy in the end.

The Halloween Wrap Up

2010-11-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

The kids loved painting their pumpkins this year. They were very intent on getting them just right.

Here we are all dressed up and ready to celebrate. We had a fun dinner with some friends and then went Trick-or-treating around our neighborhood.

Our adorable Cindy Lou Who

Our vicious Pirates

The whole gang before the ward Trunk-or-treat.

I think I am slowly starting to appreciate Halloween. As a kid it was definitely my least favorite holiday but it is gaining ground. I have fun getting the kids dressed up and even dressing up myself and there is so much you can do if you get into it a little.

Sugar Cookies Make it Official

2010-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Making sugar cookies has always been a really fun tradition for our kids. They love decorating them and I love eating them so really everybody wins. This time we even had some friends join in the fun. It's almost like once we make sugar cookies Halloween is really coming.

Everybody loves dough!

Kamrie always works extra hard decorating and then says she will eat it tomorrow. Either she really doesn't like them or she just can't eat the masterpiece she has created.

Caden usually has a much easier time eating his and loves to make more and more.

Fun for Everyone, sort of

2010-11-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

After picking our pumpkins, we couldn't wait to carve them into glowing Jack-O-Lanterns. We had pizza that looked like a pumpkin for dinner and then started in on the fun.

Caden was so excited and loved every minute of it, He even confessed at one point that he wished he was me so he could CUT!

Kamrie wanted to like it, she really did, but in reality...

this is how she felt and her participation didn't last long.

She and Avery moved on...

hard at work...(sorry I forgot to turn this one, just turn your head, it is much quicker)

At last...

We had lots of fun, the only bummer is that we couldn't involve the kids more. It's a little hard for them to do too much when your activity involves playing with knives. They enjoyed what they could and we painted pumpkins later so that they could all do their very own.

Pickin' Punkns

2010-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

We love Colorado, but I have to say we have yet to find a pumpkin patch that compares with Waterman's in Indy. Even though is wasn't Watermans...we found a pile of pumpkins to chose from and loved picking the perfect ones.

Caden wanted white!

And Kamrie just wanted something small. She picked one for her and an even smaller one for Avery since she was sleeping in the car.

Brady and I helped choose bigger ones to carve into Jack-o-lanterns and we were on our way!

Really???

2010-10-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

So Caden is totally into reading lately, and he is quite good at it; although I'm not sure he is quite ready for this! This picture is 100% real...he was on fall break for 2 weeks so I think he was missing school.
Now for the proud mama talk...I am so proud of this little guy. He has done so much already in first grade and he just continues to amaze us. Everything seems to come easy to him so far and we are happy for that because if for some reason something fouls him up he get frustrated pretty easily. He loves to goof around and be the center of attention which makes for trouble when he can't figure out when it's time to focus. It is so fun to see him grow and become a KID! He is a fantastic friend and a great brother complete with teasing, making the girls cry, and comforting them when it wasn't him that made them cry. He loves school, friends, video games, sports of all kinds (he even thinks he may want to give tennis a shot), and playing anything with daddy. What a kid! We LOVE you Caden!

Avery is in Nursery

2010-10-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe she's old enough for nursery! ...I'm a little sad that she isn't a baby anymore, but it totally makes Sunday's much happier for our family. She was excited to go and even waved bye-bye as I walked out. Every time I asked her if she had a good time all she had to say was, "aaaa bubbles! We love this little girl more everyday! Way to go Ave!

She is a poser just like her sister.

Estes Park

2010-10-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

Mom has had this trip on her mind since we moved to Colorado. She saw the Elk in the "Rutt" on the Internet in downtown in Estes Park and has been dying to see if it is "real" ever since. I'm so glad we did it!

We stayed here...

In this adorable little cabin...
And had this just a few steps from our front door.

We spent lots of time fishing.

And even a little time in the water.

This is what we came up with the first day. It was Caden's very 1st fish and he was so excited. He struggled a little when Grandpa gutted the fish, probably due to lack of explanation, and even cried a little. He is a tender little guy and I'm not sure he knew what happened after the fish was out of the water. After a little explanation he couldn't wait to eat it for dinner.Kamrie wanted to be part of all the fun too, although she wasn't sure how much a part of it ...the next day Grandpa had a fish on the line and let her reel it in. As it came out of the water the "flipping" scared her and she threw the pole and took off.
Kamrie caught a pet butterfly she named "Rosa" and kept it in this cage until she realized it could fit through the spaces.We took a drive through Rocky Mountain National Park and ended up on a really high mountain where we had a picnic and waited in line to use the bathrooms with "everyone else in the State of Colorado," as my dad put it. It was beautiful a beautiful drive and crazy how high it was.Another day of fishing and playing by the river.

Avery fell in love with this little cowboy decoration and loved on it every chance she got.After being out all day the kids loved going back to cabin and making a fire in our real fireplace.We got lucky and planned our trip right around "Elk Fest" a big celebration in Estes Park. They had Native American Dancing...All kinds of cool animals, booths, food, and one of the best parts... a bugling contest which I thought was quite humorous, especially since Avery still bugles from time to time.No this is not just a dog, it is a WOLFF!
And even fun little games for the kids made out of antlersCaden tasting his very first self caught (with a little help from grandpa) fish.And, yes we did find what mom was dreaming of... One night driving through town we saw a crowd of people and found a few herds of elk right in the middle of town, on the golf course. We were able to get super close and just watched them do their thing. One bull even stole another one's pack of women, which usually causes a fight, but this guy gave up easy.

Even more fishing and playing by the cabin...Another herd of Elk on a different golf course this time...complete with golfer and balls flying at them.

We had such a fantastic trip. We are so glad Grandpa and Grandma got to come with us and can't wait to go back again.

Caden's New Passion

2010-10-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

At Kamrie's soccer game a few weeks ago Caden had the camera...this is what I found later when I was looking through the pics. They aren't so bad, maybe he got some photography blood from Gpa Robbins and Aunt Whitnie! It doesn't hurt that his subject is simply adorable.

Child Labor?

2010-10-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

We were on our way to the car wash after soccer one day and Caden asked if we could just wash the car in our backyard. Fabulous Idea!!! We couldn't quite get to our backyard but they loved it. Is it still called child Labor if they ask to do it?

The car probably would have gotten much cleaner had we just gone through the car wash as planned, but where is the memory-making in that. These are the moments we will always remember.

Kamrie's Soccer Debut

2010-10-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

Who knew! About a year ago we were playing soccer in the back yard and Kamrie showed some attitude and aggression. Brady commented that we might need to put her in soccer. She loves all things girlie and is busy with dance and gymnastics but she said she wanted to try soccer, so here we are. She is loving every minute of it, and she is pretty good too. She has a great coach who really wants them to excel. We are so excited to see her get better and better.

Caden took most of these pictures because I spend the entire game struggling to keep this little terror off the field. I should just get her some cleats and let her go!

Colorado Rapids

2010-10-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

The kids got free tickets to a Colorado Rapids Soccer game through a reading program this summer, so we roped some friends into going and hanging out with us for the evening. We could have planned the night a little better but aside from being stuck in what we like to call "little Mexico" while the game was starting, it turned out to be an awesome night.

The kids loved the game and actually sat and watched most of it. While I have never known much about soccer and have never been interested unless one of my children or my husband is playing, I have to say this game was very entertaining.

Caden saw a few guys without their shirts on doing the"die hard" fan thing and decided to join them, he was disappointed that he didn't get on the big TV...maybe dad will have to take his shirt off next time and see if that helps.

Let Fall Soccer begin

2010-09-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Caden and Kamrie just started fall soccer... Caden is on a bigger field this year and they introduced goalies which makes life a little tougher but he is enjoying the challenge. This is Kamrie's very first year doing anything with a soccer ball and we are having a great time watching her learn to play the game. She loves it so far and has some serious aggressiveness about her, which I hear is a good thing in soccer, hopefully she will be like her aunt Lindsie on the soccer field. Brady can't be a coach right now with his work schedule, but he helps a lot any time he can...it is fun for him to help them do what he loved. With practices, games, school, and all the other daily activities that bombard our lives i am starting to understand the term "soccer mom." It seems like life is just new and totally different from where we were just a short time ago...a new season I guess. It all goes so fast.

This is Caden after his first game...the bigger field is killer at first.

Elich Gardens

2010-09-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

The kids earned free tickets to Elich Garden (Six Flags) through a summer reading program so we went as a last hurrah for the end of summer. We had a ball. Of course, Caden wanted to ride everything and was super disappointed when he wasn't tall enough for some of the coolest roller coaters but we had fun and have more to look forward to when we grow some.

Just as we got there Bob was doing a little show. The girls thought it was cool but Caden wasn't too impressed as he says, "Bob is for Babies."

Kamrie is getting better and better with the character thing...6 months ago this would have never happened. Way to go sis.Caden loved the roller coster and rode it over and over again. Kamrie took one look and decided she just wanted to watch.
This one we all got to try. I got super sick (due to Caden's twisting) and Kamrie and Avery were both crying by the time it was over. They rode again with daddy and Caden went in his own so he could twist without killing everyone and the second round went much better than the first.
A shot of the deadly twisting
Being independent!
Look how tight Kamrie is holding me! Wowza!

Our New Toys

2010-09-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Brady grew up with motorcycles and realized after the Smith family Camp Out that Caden is old enough to enjoy it with him. After that he brought the ones he had left in Utah and bought a "new" ancient little 50 for Caden to ride. After getting them all here there was a lot of work to be done! Brady and Caden have been working on them tons and our garage smells like a mechanic shop. They got 2 of them going great so we were able to go into the mountains and play. We all had a ball. Brady's "BIG" bike is still giving him grief but he hopes to get it running soon.

Avery followed Daddy, desperately trying to keep up!

The girls and their rides.

The only crash of the evening.

He got pretty confident and started standing up

I grew up riding four wheelers so this is new to me but two wheels isn't so bad.

Avery watched Caden stand up and thought she should take her riding to the next level.

After all that riding a girl needs a drink!We played until we just couldn't see anymore and then everyone crashed in the car.

We had an awesome time and can't wait to do it again. Thanks Daddy for all of your hard work to make it happen.

Kamrie's 1st Day of Pre-K

2010-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

Because of our move we were scrambling to get Kamrie into a preschool here in Highlands Ranch...just a note, preschools fill up FAST. Someone told us about Christ Lutheran and we jumped on it. Lucky, because we got the last spot and we are so glad we did. She started Sept. 8th which is a full month behind Caden an she asked every single day for a month when she got to go. It seems to be a fantastic school and she loves every second she is there. We have heard from some of the other moms already that Kamrie helps their kids whenever they need something, does that surprise anyone? This is the girl who had the orphanage with all her babies going all the way up our stairs when she was 2. We aren't sure when she got so big but we love her to pieces and can't wait to watch as she experience all that her little life has to offer.

If you look closely you can see some of the Kamrie tude!

"Me Talor"

2010-09-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

One of Avery's favorite pastimes as of late is coloring. She is constantly saying "me talor?" but I can't really trust her so it is a strictly supervised activity.

Make up Party

2010-09-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

So have I mentioned that my girls are turning into the best of friends. Kamrie is a fantastic big sister and helps Avery with everything, sometimes it's too much but Avery isn't afraid to let her know so it usually works out just fine.

Kamrie got some real make-up for her Birthday and she and Avery have way too much fun with it, thanks Aunt Whitnie we all LOVE it. Make-up, just one of the many things they love doing together right now.

"Pretty" Faces

Kamrie's Princess Party

2010-09-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to be in Utah and finally around family for Kamrie's Birthday. It was a blast to do a party with all her cousins. Of course she wanted a princess party, which wasn't Caden's first choice for her, but he attended anyway and the boys were able to have a good time too, despite the theme.

Birthday Girl

When the princesses (and princes) arrived we decorated crowns (and transformer masks). The kids loved it and spent way more time than I thought they would perfecting every single detail. Next we played kiss the Frog, to see who could turn him into a prince by getting closest to his lips. Our camera died so Whitnie got pics of it...I will post them when I get them.

After kissing the Frog it was on to more crafting. We had a scavenger hunt that led us to a box filled with treasure and jewels. With the jewels we found, we made our very own necklaces. The girls loved it but the boys lost interest pretty quick.

When everyone was finished, we opened presents and then roasted hot dogs over the fire. Cupcakes followed at the end with some soft serve ice cream that was left over from Lindsie's wedding.

I love the "Joker" lips from the lipstick during kiss the frog

Avery was thrilled with the cupcakes

These last few are pics of the festivities after we got home and she got presents on her real birthday. Brady thinks we are confusing our kids by letting them have parties that aren't on their Birthday because they get to celebrate more than once. Hopefully we don't ruin them with too much celebration but it sure was fun to be with our cousins for the party. Thanks for all the help everyone. Aunt Kyr was a lifesaver!
Happy Birthday sweet girl! It's hard to believe but we love you more and more each day.

Daredevil Avery

2010-08-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

We are learning more and more what a dare devil our little Avery is. At the beginning of the summer she was riding her little car in the garage while I cleaned out our car after one of the many road trips. She made her way to the edge of the garage and decided to push off and go down the steep part of the driveway. I was watching and wondering if I should stop her but didn't because I could tell she was being cautious and I wanted to see the outcome...it didn't end well. She gave a big push, lifted her legs, got going really fast, then turned the handles and bailed. I raced over to kiss her wounds and all she wanted was to get back on the car so I carried it back to the garage and told her again to ride "by mommy". This time before I knew what was happening she was doing it again, this time it ended worse with lots of scrapes and even a little blood. When I picked her up this time she still wanted to get back on the car but we decided to come inside where the scrapes don't happen quite as easily.

Here are the worst of the battle wounds after they had had a few days to heal.

She now rides the three wheel scooter and wants to be pushed on the 2-wheeler bikes constantly. She is simply is just not scared of anything.

Sleepy Boys

2010-08-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

While we were in Idaho last time Tyson got to sleep over while his parents were away for their anniversary. When the boys went to bed they wanted to sleep with Grandpa, of course, and Grandpa is a great sport and never turns down sleeping buddies...he actually encourages it. When I went to check on them this is what I found. I love that Caden is latched on to Tyson

Back to School for Caden 2010

2010-08-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Caden is starting FIRST GRADE. These pictures are a little late and he has now been in school for almost a month. Kindergarten seemed like a big step but since it was just half day it wasn't much different than preschool and we coped okay. This year seems like it is his first step out into the real world, and although I know I can't put it off I want to remember to soak up every single moment I can because it all goes way too fast. Caden is an amazing kid!

Walking to school. We live about 4 houses away from the school. It is such a perfect location.getting lost in the crowd, waiting to go inside

Dancing Queen #2

2010-08-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Kamrie and Avery often play dress-up and DANCE! The other day after Kamrie had moved on I found Avery in the front room doing dance moves that Kamrie has taught her. Of course as soon as she saw the camera she got really shy and I couldn't get anything out of her.

This one is an attempt at a posse'

And then she got shy and started running from me
And then she got silly

More running

Oh well, I tried.

This is the BEST

2010-08-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago I went upstairs a while after tucking the kids in and Kamrie was in bed with Caden. He was reading her a story. She quickly told me why she was out of her bed thinking she might get in trouble but all I could do was smile. I loved seeing it! With a smile on my face and that good feeling you get when your kids are getting along I went back downstairs and continued with my evening. When I checked on the kids before I headed to bed hours later this is what I found...

It is moments like these that makes all the bickering and long days of "what do you need" all seem worth it.

Caden is Six

2010-08-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

For Caden's birthday party this year we celebrated Star Wars style with a Toy Story 3 twist. Caden decided to go to Broomfield so that we could spend time with his friends up there. Since it is too far from the house we live in now, we decided to have a few festivities at the park and then head to the theater for some fun at the movies. We had a small group that was just right for the movie and we had a great time bashing the Darth Vader pinata and eating Star Wars cake beforehand. Caden loved being the center of it all! He was beaming the entire time. As for me, the Toy Story 3 movie really hit home. I know Caden's not going to college quite yet but first grade is the first step, and as I look back at the last 6 years I see just how TIME FLIES. We love this little guy! He makes everyday unique and we are so blessed to have him as part of our family. Happy Birthday Caden!

The Pals

The Cake

The Gifts

The cute little sis

Fighting the Dark Side

Enjoying the fruits of their labor

The Big Hunt

2010-08-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know much about my family, they are avid hunters. If this isn't your thing or perhaps something you are strongly opposed to you may want to skip this post altogether. They seriously hunt EVERYTHING! Caden thinks life in Idaho is so cool. From the camping to the dead animals and everything in between. This summer as we were camping with my family, Dad got a wild idea that the grand kids needed a small gun that fit them better for target practice and such. He ended up finding just what he wanted, a Savage Cub. Caden loved shooting the silhouettes at camp and was even more excited when Dad took him out shooting squirrels. The fist trip was unsuccessful but the second proved to be very fruitful. Caden shot 6 squirrels, most of which he said "he blew the nerves out of." He was able to salvage one to bring home for the pictures. After we had a few trophy pics of his first big kill, Caden asked for a bucket of water to wash the blood off of it. I'm not sure what kind of ritual he was having but I had to let him do his thing. I did draw the line however when he asked to bring it home to Denver to show his dad.

Kamrie just wanted to be a part of it all.

Smith Family Camp Out 2010

2010-08-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

So we missed the first annual Smith family camp out and it sounded fun so my kids and I made it a point to be there this year(despite our greatest efforts, Brady wasn't able to make it). My entire family goes and we stay as close to a week as we can. Since the rest of my family are kind of camping gurus, they have everything we need to make it as fun as anyone can imagine.

Good Company...

Good Food...

(there were even good friendly cook-0ffs of which I got to be the judge) Shooting guns...

Riding Wheelers...
(even the "nap rides" were fun)
and motorcycles...

Catching Butterflies...
(uncle Casey is the master) Picking Pretty Flowers...
(lots and lots of pretty flowers.
The other mom's and I constantly had a fresh bouquet of wild flowers)

And the dirt, oh THE DIRT!!! I have never seen a more dirty bunch of kids.

That is not all...there is plenty we don't have pictures for. The colorful, rainbow fire, the ride to the swamp to catch the salamander, the burn, the late night chats around the fire, the fireworks, and the spur of the minute trips to get stuff that we just couldn't live without. We had such a great time. It is hard to believe that our family is big enough to start having reunions with just us but we have had a pretty successful 2 years to get us started I guess we can't let it stop there. We can't wait to do it again next year.

Independence Day 2010

2010-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Since we moved in June we weren't sure where to go for a fun 4th celebration, so we looked online and found something that looked entertaining. It ended up being a little drive from our house and then we had to walk forever to get to where the festivities were. After walking into the park we wondered what we were thinking. However, we got some food and sat down to listen to the live band. Shortly after sitting down, it started to rain. As I write this I'm wondering why we didn't just give up and come home but we stuck it out and it ended up being such a fun night. The rain stopped, we let the kids play a few little games, and then we sat down to wait for the fireworks. There was another live band that wasn't too bad, and the kids loved them. The firework show was AWESOME! As we left all I could remember was the fun stuff. And the 4th of July remains one of my very favorite holidays.

Kamrie dancing to the band

It didn't take long for the girls to make their way to the very front so they could watch and listen uninterrupted.

I love that Avery just laid there and watched. She was mesmerised.

Random Summer Update

2010-08-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

What a summer we have had. It's hard to believe that it is over. We have had such a crazy but fun summer. We have moved to another suburb of Denver, traveled to Idaho/Utah 4 times, rode bikes, swam, hiked, played t-ball and just enjoyed being together.

Just as school was ending in May, Kamrie had her last dance recital. It was adorable and although I am just a parent, I would say she was born to dance.Next, we have been able to have lots of fun in the sun. The weather here is wonderful and we are blessed with kids that love, love, love the water. Weather it is deep water swimming or just splashing around, they can't seem to get enough. Another highlight of the summer at least for me, was running the 5k in West Haven with some family before our reunion in Utah. This is the second time we have done it and there are always such fun memories to be made. This is becoming a tradition I really look forward to.Soon after moving to our new house, we pulled out a surprise we had been holding on to for a while. I ran into a screaming deal on BLACK FRIDAY so we bought a trampoline and just held onto it until the time was right. Although the yard here made us think, we made it work and we have been loving it ever since.For my birthday this year my little sis Mallory and baby Wyatt were able to visit. The weekend was filled with shopping, fireworks, BBQ's, and a little DRAMA. Brady got up early to pick up breakfast and brought it to me in bed and the kids helped him make me the most adorable cake ever. It was a great day finished off with a call from one of my very favorite people...Hannah you never forget!T-ball was a pretty big highlight as well. The girls liked watching and Caden enjoyed every minute of it. He was so excited to be the catcher, not sure if you can tell but he is grinning from ear to ear.

Our Girls

2010-08-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

So our girls are becoming quite the team. These pictures are from 2 different occasions when I walked into the room to check on them because I thought it was too quiet.

This first one is loving known as the "tattoo parlor" incident. My visiting teachers were here (the first time I had met them since we moved to our new ward) and the girls disappeared and became very quiet. I thought at first that I was lucky they were being so good, then my sis, who was visiting checked on them...this is what she found!

This next one made me really nervous just thinking about what COULD have happened. We were lucky that all the poop stayed contained. I was surprised at how still Avery was. At first it was just the girls, but as soon as Caden realized what was going on he joined in to lend his expertise.

I'm sure there is so much more fun to come with these two and this is just a taste so I'd better get used to walking in on things that make me laugh or cry depending on the mood.

Sand Hero

2010-08-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to be the recipients of such kindness from Mallory and Tanner...they sent the lizard they caught to live with Caden. Grandma and Grandpa brought it with them when they came to help us move. Caden loved it right away and just couldn't get enough while Kamrie and Avery took some time to warm up. At one point, Avery wouldn't even walk across the kitchen because she didn't dare get close to the cage. While searching for a name I gave all the "L" suggestions I could think of, after all a lizard needs an "l" name right? Well we agreed on Lenny but the next day Caden asked if we could name him some name sounding like it originated in the middle east. When I told him he could name him whatever he wanted he said I think "Sand Hero" would be good. I loved it, so we dropped Lenny and he was our little Sand Hero. Unfortunately due to lots of travel and who knows what else, Sand Hero didn't make it home from our last Utah trip. Caden was heart broken but it was a good learning experience for us all. We miss Sand Hero, even the trips to the pet store to buy BUGS for him to eat.

We had to build up the courage for this one, you can tell by the look on her face.

The End of the Beginning

2010-08-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Since we are about to embark on a new adventure with school, I thought that I at least had to post the pictures I had from the end of Kindergarten. We loved our time at Mountain View Elementry and love Mrs. Anderson and all the friends we made there. Tomorrow Caden will be starting first grade at a new school. I have mixed feelings about it, I can't believe he is already going to be in school ALL DAY and I can feel him slipping away more and more all the time. But I look forward to him meeting new friends and seeing all the things he can become. Good luck, Bug!

Spring Soccer

2010-08-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sadly we missed fall soccer because of the move but luckily Caden picked it right up and proved to be quite the little soccer player. He went from being super timid to being pretty aggressive in one short season. He was able to score a goal during each game which was good for him because we carried on the Robbins tradition of Slurpee's when you score, we actually got hot cocoa once instead because it was so blasted cold. He learned lots and had a great time playing, we can't wait to start again in the fall

What is Wrong with my BLOG?

2010-07-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't been the best blogger as of late but I am going to catch Up. I just can't get this little square to disappear! What is going on and how do I fix it? Please help.

Where in the World?

2010-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

No we haven't disappeared off the face of the planet! It may seem as though that were the case, but we are just getting settled in our new place. We are liking the new area and slowing feeling like we belong. I have some exciting posts in store and I hope to get to them soon...

Look Who's ONE

2010-04-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

AVERY MAE

I really can't believe how time flies! People say it all the time but it truly boggles my mind. This little Avery has brought pure joy into our home since the day we met her. Caden and Kamrie have loved her since the moment they laid eyes on her and that love continues to grow with each new day. Celebrating her birthday was so much fun, we kept things pretty simple and spent the evening together as a family. When Avery woke up the kids started the day by singing Happy Birthday, she loved every minute of the song the first time and each of the million times she heard it that day.

Her Biggest FansThis is the excitement she had for opening presents...everyone got lots of applause.Here she is testing to see if the new lovie passes the sniff test...And it DID! Thanks Meredith, she loves it.The Cake!The famous "bite face" that started when she first saw the cake. It was sitting on the counter waiting for the festivities to begin and I walked by holding her...this is what I got. Each time she saw it after that, she pulled this face. She still does it if she really wants a bite of something.I'm pretty sure she is telling her "don't" because she wants it all to herself.

Here she is with her very own cake, timid at first but it didn't take long at all before she was enjoying every last bite.

Avery at ONE...

she is below the 3 % for weight, we are trying to pack on the pounds but I am convinced she burns off everything she eats trying to keep up with Caden and Kamrie
despite Kamrie's tendency to smother her, they are the best of friends
she loves playing kitchen, dollies, and Caden's transformers
she has started telling the other kids "don't" when they are doing something she doesn't like
she LOVES her daddy
she squeals every time she sees a dog and recently has started trying to bark at them
she has a new love for shoes, she picks up any that are lying around and brings them to me to put on her
she loves the Hammonds, lovies, bananas, and anything to do with music: listening, singing, dancing, she loves it all.
she already loves to read. She goes to the book shelf several times a day and brings me books to read.
she gained all the confidence she needed on her birthday to start walking all over, now she practically runs everywhere she goes.
she does great with signing so we can communicate, she signs please, more, milk, thank you, and eat, each with a twist that is all her own

Easter Duds

2010-04-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

Since General Conference fell on Easter this year we wore our Easter Duds the week before and the week after. I usually end up scrambling to find a dress I like at the last minute but I was really excited to find matching dresses for the girls super early this year.

2010-04-21T23:39:00.000-07:00

The following posts are all a little out dated but I had to get them published so I could continue the blog with new, more current things.

Just recently life has placed another tiny little bump in our road. We had just made the decision to stay in our current rental home and put off buying a house for one more year to build up income history and pay off some student loans when we got a call from our landlord telling us we needed to move so that the owners could put the house on the market. So, now we are moving and since we have to move anyway we have decided to go to the opposite end of Denver to see if we love it there as much as here. I felt a little up-rooted at first but since we have found another home that will suit our needs, I can see that after the pain of packing, moving, unpacking, and adjusting life as a whole we are going to be just fine. The people I love most are going with me and the ones I have to leave I will have fond memories of and this won't be the end.

Now that I have the vaca. posts done I can move on to Birthdays, missing teeth, and all sorts of fun stuff...

Superbowl, Vacation Style

2010-04-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

Since we planned our Disney World trip well in advance, we had no idea that it would take place over Superbowl Sunday, we also didn't know that our FAVORITE team of all time would be playing in said Superbowl. Although different from the norm, we had a great Superbowl celebration. We kept the day pretty low key. We attended a local church where we found that members are peculiar everywhere but the sweet simple testimonies can be found everywhere. We spent a few hours at Disney Quest and Downtown Disney before heading back to our condo to watch the BIG GAME. Thanks to Connie's great planning, we had great food and the company was nice. The game could have ended better but what can you do?

The Magic Continues

2010-04-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most MAGICAL times during our trip for me. It was the end of the first day and it all still seemed a little like a fairy tale. We were able to find a quiet spot by these rocks and sit and enjoy the spectacular firework show. It was the perfect end to a fantastic day.

New Friends

2010-04-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Besides the Princesses, we didn't meet too many characters. Kamrie is terrified of almost everything in costume and when we asked Caden if he wanted to meet characters he said "I already know their name" so there wasn't tons of interest, but the day we showed up at the Animal Kingdom there were new friends to meet at the entrance with no lines at all, so we didn't pass it up. Kamrie stayed back with me but Caden was excited to have them sign his book. ...And I am happy to report that by the end of the trip Kamrie gave Dasiy Duck a hug (sadly we didn't get a picture because it was pouring rain and we didn't really think she would do it). Maybe next time she will want to hug them all.

Disney Quest

2010-04-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

We had some pretty rainy weather so we spent one of those days at Disney Quest. Caden (and Brady) love video games so we had a great time. We got to fight bad guys on the Pirates of the Caribbean ship, raft on some rapids, and play all kinds of other games.

Epcot

2010-04-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Our day at Epcot was a little more relaxed so we didn't get to see everything there. We just took it easy and went at the kids pace. We loved Turtle Talk with Crush, the finding Nemo ride, and eating dinner in "Mexico" by the valcano.

Hollywood Studios

2010-04-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Studios was awesome as well, we loved the car stunt show, the face painting, the 3D Toy Story game, the American Idol show, Beauty and the Beast, and so much more. Just blogging about it makes me want to go back already.

Animal Kingdom

2010-04-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Our day at the Animal Kingdom was a blast. In the end we were all completely soaked because of the rain but we still had so much fun. It was like the zoo only totally better and with rides and all kinds of spectacular stuff. Someday we will have to do it without the rain, but what great memories!

Every Little Boy's Dream

2010-04-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

At Hollywood Studios there is a Training session where you can become a Jedi Warrior. I'm not sure where it comes from but Caden is sort of obessed with Star Wars. Thanks to some great friends we knew about this before our trip and looked forward to it for a few weeks. The line was definitely the longest we waited in the entire trip but it was so worth to see the look on Caden's face as he was fighting Darth Vader.

Coloring Eggs & Easter Morning

2010-04-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday between conference sessions we colored eggs, always a good time. We had a ball and ended up with some pretty fantastic eggs.

Sunday morning (April 4th) we woke to find that the Bunny had visited. We searched for eggs...

found someAnd enjoyed the stash before settling in and watching conference.

After conference we had a new family, The Gerbers over for a traditional Easter Dinner. It was a great weekend and a wonderful Holiday.

Easter Fun

2010-04-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

Right before Easter our community had a little party just for preschool aged kids. While I was getting ready for Avery's Birthday, Daddy took the kids for a little pre-Easter celebration. They had a blast!

For any of you who know Kamrie or have read my blog recently you know that this getting this picture was no easy task, as she is terrified of almost anything in costume...this is a big step. Way to go Kam.

There was bouncy fun... ...and all kinds of other games and prizes. Perfect for a morning of excitement away from home so mom could get things done.

Missing Teeth

2010-04-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Right now there is a whole lot of teeth stuff going on in our house...Avery is getting four and Caden is losing them almost as fast as she gets them. Caden had been working on a loose tooth for about a week when he finally just gave in and let dad take a stab at it. Being the professional that he is, it wasn't long until...That was Tuesday April 6th, by Saturday he had pulled the one next to it all by himself. He couldn't have been happier. And although somewhat late the second time the tooth fairy visited and brought even more excitement to the experience.

The Big 30

2010-03-08T00:38:00.000-08:00

So we can't decide if he is over the hill or if he has another 10 years until that happens, whatever happens at 30 he's there. I didn't get many pictures, I guess I was pictured out after Disney World, oh well pictures or not we still had a great time.

I finally pulled off a surprise, for the first time in our married lives. I had friends waiting at Red Robbin for a night out with the family but he thought we were running errands. Not a huge surprise but it worked. Then we had an ice cream cake at our place. Sunday (his real birthday) we had ribs, opened presents, and just loved our daddy.

Happy Birthday Daddy, we love you and can't wait to celebrate the next 30 with you.

Every Little Girl's Dream

2010-03-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

We got so lucky when we went to meet the princesses. Our wait was only 15 minutes and worth every second when we saw Kamrie's reaction. She was absolutely in Heaven! Caden didn't want to admit it but he kindof thought it was cool too. He kept his distance until Belle coaxed him a little and then he crept in and got in on the "Princess Love".

Magic Kingdom

2010-03-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

The Magic Kingdom really is "MAGICAL." Since this was the first time I had been I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was all we had dreamed of and more. Weather it is the musical parades in the street, or the beautiful princesses that just sit and talk with little girls one and one, or the rides that are an experience in themselves, or the fireworks that are the perfect end to the perfect day; there is too much to take in all in one visit. We had two days blocked out to do all that this magical place had to offer but got rained out the 2nd day. The kids loved every moment and we can't wait to visit again and again.

Let the FUN begin

2010-03-01T15:43:00.000-08:00

This is the beginning of our Disney World Trip. The kids had a blast from the moment we stepped off the plane. This Snow White was in the airport, but the kids thought we were in Disney World already. (Definitely way more to come)

Still Growing...

2010-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is not so baby anymore! She's not a pro yet, but she loves trying to walk. Her balance isn't great, in fact she reminds me a little of a drunken sailor but you gotta love her enthusiasm.

Should'a Been a Cowboy

2010-01-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

Every year they have a really fun Rodeo and "fair-like" thing here in Denver called the stock show. I don't really understand why it is in January...it was cold, but we had a blast. Thanks Dave and Joy for going with us and adding to the fun.

The kids loved the animals
They had a great time watching the cowboys, but Caden did admit to being a little worried about the baby cows. Avery doesn't love to sit through anything, but she loved the cheering and clapping.

Visiting Idaho

2010-01-26T22:46:00.000-08:00

We took a little trip to Idaho for New Years. There was a lot going on while we were there and it was great to see everyone and be a part of all the fun. I didn't get pictures of everything but here are some of the highlights.

Jake was a good sport and let all the kids take turns on his sled. This is heaven for a kid.

The grandkids all had a sleepover at Grandmas' house on New Years Eve. We thought it would be easier so they could fall asleep and stay asleep when their parents left...they outlasted the adults in the end.

Kamrie loves stories and Grandpa is always up for reading.

The kids loved the game that Santa left for Grandpa. The pistol shoots these plastic bottles that come apart. They had a ball.

Kamrie shoots like such a girl.
Nice, I couldn't close one eye like that until I was married.

While we were there, we got together almost every night for food and fun. Tanner got baptized and we were so excited to be able to share that special day with them...the kids sang and it was so so cute. Thanks for letting us share your day. We are so proud of you and know no other decision will bring you more happiness. Stay close to Heavenly Father and let him help when you just don't understand or you need help...He will help you. He loves you and so do we. Congrats!!!

Sooo BIG!

2010-01-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

This is a little old but I just found the picture and didn't want to miss it. Kamrie is so awesome! She has always loved Nursery. She loves to sing and I hear she can always be found helping take care of the younger kids, surprise, surprise. She graduated and has moved on to Sunbeams, which she also loves. Each week she asks me when she get to stand up and talk. We love this little girl!

My little Apron Model

2010-01-26T22:32:00.001-08:00

I know I already posted pics of the aprons but I had to add a picture of them in use. Kamrie absolutely loves both of them...and Avery gets one draped over her whenever she is close to the kitchen. This was such a fun project, I can't wait to make more.

Santa Stopped Here

2010-01-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic Christmas this year! It was our second year having Christmas with just our little family and we are trying out some traditons to see just what fits us. On Christmas Eve we went out and looked at Christmas lights. We found some really great places close to us here in Denver where people went all out. It was super cold so we didn't want to spend too much time outside but we loved seeing how creative people get with lights. I forgot the camera but there were some really spectacular displays.

After we had our fill of lights, we came home opened our Christmas pjs, read and talked about the Christmas story, prepared some snacks for Santa, and ended the evening with "silent night" daddy's favorite.

Santa came and there were wonderful surprises. Everyone was thrilled!

Christmas Day was full of toys, fun, and food. We tried something new this year and took the kids to a movie later in the day with some friends. Avery didn't love the movie so mom spent forever walking around the theater with her while everyone enjoyed the movie. It was a good way to relax in the middle of the day but not the greatest idea with the little one.

All in all it was a wonderful day with lots of time just BEING together.

Thanks to our second family for sharing your holiday with us.

Nine Months and Counting

2010-01-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Avery is almost a year old. It seems like such a short time ago that a few of my favorite people and I were sharing the "joys" of pregnancy and now there are all these adorable little ones crawling around. Avery is definitely getting more and more fun (interactive) all the time. She has so many new tricks. In the past little while she has learned to do pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo and is mastering a few words in sign language. She signs please, more, and all done, all with her own little twist. She has also started saying a few words like dada, mama, caden (dayda), bye bye, uh oh (uh uh), and our favorite no no no. She continues to crawl and is cruising along things very well. During our visit to Grandma's she mastered the stairs, up and down. We had a little scare with her weight this past month. According to our scale she didn't gain any weight for 2 months but at her weight check she had added almost a pound. That put her just out of the danger zone, so we will keep watching but for now the doctor just says "someone has to be small." At her 9 month visit she tipped the scales at 15lb 11oz. We love every little ounce of her and adore each new thing she does. She adds so much to our little family and we can't imagine life without her.

No, I'm not in LONDON!

2009-12-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

So I have been told that there was a mass email sent out from my account asking for money because I'm stuck in London. Although it would be nice to go to London I am safe and sound here in beautiful Colorado. Apparently someone has hacked into my email and changed the password so I can't even log on now. I am a little disturbed by this and feel somewhat violated. Hopefully I can figure out how to fix it but in the meantime it is probably best not to try to contact me through email. Sorry everyone!!! I will try to notify you all when I get a new email.

2009-12-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

This year I planned ahead and was able to carry on a family tradition that I have always looked forward to and loved. Everyone who knows her knows that my mom is one in a million when it comes to making Christmas candy. I have always taken it for granted as I was always too close to really appreciate it. However, the last couple of years since I have been away from home during the holidays I have come to realize just how wonderful and unique her talent really is. I hope that by starting now and calling about every half hour to ask silly questions that someday I might be almost as good as she is. Thanks mom, for teaching me everything I know and for all the wonderful memories in the kitchen at Christmas...I hope that my kids will have some great one's too.

Brady had a couple of days off during the week so we took full advantage and spent an entire day in the kitchen making Goodies. By the end I was grumpy and ready to be done, it had been a long day and nothing seemed to turn out as good as I remembered it at mom's...hopefully with practice I can master the skill. All in all we had a really great time. Everyone pitched in and when we were done we delivered a few plates. The kids loved it and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at every single house (which surly comes from the Robbin's side), it was so cute. Caden even delivered a plate to his new "friend" Sarah, that was his only request so I thought I should honor it. When we got to the door he was so shy I had to do all the talking but I hope it scores him some points.

The caramel's actually come from the kitchen of my mother-in-law and they are by far the most delicious I have ever tasted. Ours were not quite hard enough but we will try again next year.

Kamrie really loves to help and of course she wants to do everything herself.

Brady was such a good sport...he helped an ton in the kitchen and I think he had to make 3 grocery runs. Thanks B, it would have been a disaster without you.
The "tasty fingers" one of the best parts.

Wha'd ya Know, I'm domestic.

2009-12-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

So I feel a little like Martha Stewart, except the whole prison thing. I have been really brave lately and tried a couple of sewing projects...with a lot of help from my good friends. Thanks guys for everything. This started as a last minute Christmas present for Kamrie but then I realized I now have 2 girls so I added another one to the mix. I had a lot of fun and I think these turned out great for a first attempt.

Deck the Halls

2009-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not even going to apologize for taking so long to post this update. December is a crazy time for everyone so I'm sure you understand. We have been having a fantastic time getting ready for Christmas. We were able to get a "real" tree again this year, however the Christmas tree lot where we got it was not nearly as exciting as the tree farm from last year's adventure, but we still made some memories in the below-zero, freezing Denver weather. We picked by far the coldest day of the year to date to get our tree but the chill didn't bother the kids. We found a great tree and got it up but the decorations had to wait for a couple of days. It was a long time coming but we were pretty happy with our final product.

Looking for the one for us...Caden liked this one

Kamrie liked the baby one (does that surprise anyone?)And daddy wasn't quite sure.Avery was a good sport, but I don't think she really loved her first Christmas Tree adventure.The kids took a little break and warmed up in the little shack by the lot.

Avery was so excited to help decorate.

I love the look of intense concentration

I have found that one downside to having a real tree is the NEEDLES! I keep the vacuum right next to the tree and suck up needles at least twice a day. Brady kind of thinks I'm obsessed but they drive me crazy...I think it just might be enough to make me get an artificial one. I guess we'll see.

Turkey Day

2009-12-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Thanksgiving. Some of my family was able to make the trip on Wednesday to spend the Holiday with us. Mom, Dad, Mal, Tanner, and Baby Wyatt arrived on Wednesday night. The boys got up early Thursday to play in the Turkey Bowl, I was sleeping so I didn't get any pictures but they were sore for a few days so the memories are there I assure you. While the boys were away us ladies had a ball in the kitchen. We had a fantastic dinner and then the boys went to the Broncos game, they just couldn't get enough football. They had a great time although they almost froze to death. Brady had to work some the rest of the weekend, but some of us were able to take advantage of black friday. There was also a gun show, dinner at the olive garden, lots of games, and so much more. Thanks guys for making the trip. It was so much fun.

Mal and Kamrie making Turkey Crafts

Not the most beautiful pies but they sure were delicious.

We didn't get too fancy but here is the spread

My very first Thanksgivning Turkey!

More of our adorable BALLERINA

2009-12-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Kamrie had her first dance recital in November! I am so sad to report that of the three most adorable dances I have ever seen we only captured one on video due to some technical difficulties. I cried over the loss of footage but Brady assured me there will be many more to come. She loved being on stage and did so good. I just love this little girl. Here is the video that we have. Enjoy!

3 New Posts

2009-11-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

Don't miss a moment...the next 3 posts are new. Enjoy!

Seven Months

2009-11-05T23:14:00.001-08:00

This little girl is the love of our lives. Caden and Kamrie adore her! We are really loving watching her grow. She really is awesome. In just a couple of months she has started crawling, pulling up on things crawling up stairs, playing peek-a-boo, clapping, and so much more.

Fall In Colorado

2009-11-05T21:54:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a HUGE snow storm. Everything was white, white, white.

And yesterday, just 5 days after the start of the big storm, I mowed the lawn. It is absolutely groegeous. It was 76 today and we are expecting 79 tomorrow.

Have I mentioned that I love it here?!?

Fall, Winter, and Halloween

2009-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had a little of everything since I last posted. Grandma and Grandpa were able to drop in for a few days and we just loved having them around. Having visitors just makes life great. We had fun visiting the book fair at Caden's school, checking out Brady's office and even getting a little dental work done, going to the pumpkin patch, shopping, and all kinds of other excitement. Thanks for staying with us, we had way too much fun.

Then we had 2 days of winter. We went sledding, had a fantastic snow day meal and treats with friends, and made a snowman with our favorite neighbor. Halloween was beautiful. The snow all melted, we carved pumpkins, visited the nursing home in full costume, and trunk or treated after a dinner of chili and cinnamon rolls.

Our Tiny Dancer

2009-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

She LOVES it!!! And I love that she loves it.

Thanks Grandpa, for sneeking in and taking pictures. They really are priceless!

What's New?

2009-10-11T00:39:00.000-07:00

We have been having so much fun lately. We feel like we are getting more and more settled all the time. We love it here and are just enjoying life.

Avery, who we thought was our super calm little baby has blossemed into quite the little wiggler. I was shocked when at just under 5 months she was started army crawling...she wasn't even sitting at the time. No fair, we totally missed the sit on the blanket and play stage. Now she has also mastered sitting on her own as well, but who wants to just sit on a blanket and play when you can crawl around and get into things??? She has also started eating solid foods and really loves it. Kamrie just started Dance. This isn't her first class ever but she is really into it this time. I have to say that as I peeked in through the door, I just loved watching her. She was really trying hard to do everything just like the teacher did. She can't wait to go back.

Caden decided while we were visiting Utah this time that he would try his luck at water skiing. I was really nervous for him but he tried it and got up his very first try. It was the highlight of our boating trip for sure. Way to go big guy!!!

Still Growing

2009-10-11T00:36:00.000-07:00

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

We all love this girl more and more everyday. She is our little dollie.