My kids are now done with sports!!! (at least for the fall)

Aaron's team lost 1st round in the playoffs (fitting for the COWBOYS huh?) :(

Charity also had her last game that weekend. She was so unbelievably thrilled to get a trophy! She had to have been the cutest little girl on the team - and I promise, I am not partial ;).

Charity was so thrilled to FINALLY get a trophy! She sleeps with it near her bed.
Now that we are free from sports, Joe has vowed to spend the rest of the fall weekends at the ranch. I don't mind. I absolutely LOVE that place. The weather was perfect. We all did the usual activities (frisbee golf, 4-wheeling, bike riding, game playing, SITTING AND WATCHING, getting dirty, eating, exploring, gabbing - use your imagination to assign the five of us to our own particular preferred amusements) but this time we had some extra fun:

1. Emily learned to drive a tractor (kindof like driving a standard, but with only a clutch and a brake - no gas pedal - and of course the hydrolic lifting thing...) - The ranch hand (Arturo) usually does the work, but this time, Dad Robinson let us in on some action... The task? Moving/reorganizing hay bales (kindof like moving cedars I am told). I moved several bales... although I must admit the chore was quite monotonous, so Steve took over (or kicked me off) and I was sortof glad to move on to something else (A.D.D. maybe?)... I did walk back and offer to relieve him, but he was content to finish alone.

And this is the nice line of hay...

2. The night was filled with excitement because there was a wild boar. Aaron was obsessed with hunting it down. He drew maps, and had a big plan for the hunt. It is tearing up the property. Unfortunately, the boar eluded the Robinsons this weekend, but I have a feeling it will meet its end next weekend when we are more prepared. (when i say WE i mean the boys - i would not go out driving around on 4 wheelers in the freezing cold night pointing guns at who knows what...)

3. I traveled the hilly and beautiful path from the house to the front gate (2 miles round trip) more times than ever: 1 time jogging by myself, 1 time biking (WOAH HILLS ARE HARD!), and 1 time walking with the sis-in-laws. Joe was in charge of Nate the whole time (it is so fun now that Nate is getting more independant), and I thoroughly enjoyed being outside in the beautiful weather and beautiful scenery.

Stephanie was so cute. This is how dirty a kid gets at the ranch. CLASSIC. She really wanted me to take her picture. I was glad to oblige.

Nate is FINALLY getting to be more fun and independant. Although I still feel required to check on him more often than the bigger kids, he is getting to be big enough to chill with the big boys. Nate loves it.

Syd and her funny face...
I honestly didn't see Aaron all weekend. He was too busy driving in figure 8s on this... (and making a plan to hunt the boar)
Classic shots - notice Nate - he thinks he is big enough to ride Charity's bike!!

I am sure they were talking about something very important.

Jeff.... lookin tough
We had to leave late Saturday night to make it back for the primary program EARLY Sunday morning. SO GLAD that starting next week, church is moved to 1pm. ;) ps, my kids were of course ADORABLE and ARTICULATE, and made their mom VERY PROUD.

Cherry, Mom and I took the kids to the Flower Mound pumpkin patch. It is complete with hay mazes, hay rides, bounce houses, and plenty of other jungle gyms and objects for kids to climb on and enjoy. It was fun to go with cousins. My kids keep begging me to go back.

I also wanted to post this picture of Lydia playing dress ups with the little girls. This particular evening gown was found in the memory closet at my mom's house - Cherry wore it to prom in NJ. Lyd, you are so much fun and glamorous - I wish you lived closer to me.

trains, rockband2 & ranch

what have the robinson's been up to lately?
1. nate has been busy playing with trains. he has developed a deep admiration for THOMAS, and aunt richelle was kind enough to lend us some of her train set. he carries an engine with him everywhere, and absolutely LOVES to play with the tracks. he even sleeps with a few engines and track or two!! even when he is exhausted, he lays his head down on the floor and keeps playing with his trains. i just love him so much! what a nut!
2. we have purchased rock band 2. we are big fans of the whole rock band game, and i must say so far we are quite pleased with our purchase. on top of the songs downloaded from the original rockband, the new rockband has TONS of new and fun songs to play together as a family! it also has some more features, and the new drum pedal is reinforced with a metallic plate! (our old one was patched together with a piece of scrap wood). PLUS, it is all wireless - a definite bonus.
3. we went to the ranch last weekend. i seriously love that place. joe's brothers (jeff, steve & dan) and their families as well as cherry and scott & their kids came along for the party. the weather was beautiful. the kids had a blast riding on the canoe, roaming, riding bikes and also riding the mules and 4wheelers. i had a blast sitting and enjoying the view. we caught the byu game, and even a few talks from conference (mom will be proud). we played rockband 2. the boys played frisbee golf. we gorged ourselves with food. it was a very relaxing weekend. i feel so lucky to have a place in the middle (between dallas and houston) so we can meet up with cousins.

nate's hair after the inaugural mule ride.


yay for the ranger - equipped with seatbelts for joe's crazy driving...


Aaron ready to go!


the cows....


why is it so fun riding in the same field as the cows? maybe it has something to do with getting manure on the tires, smelling the stink, or making the cows run away...


the staging area



kids canoeing on the lake


dirty kids... time to go!!!

the view in the morning


the view at night


we'll be back!!!

the things kids write

I was the luckiest little girl in the world. My parents were amazing. One of my favorite things about my awesome parents was their creative parenting style - especially when it came to punishments. The most common infraction in our house (5 of their 6 children were girls) was cat fighting. Sometimes they would make my sister and I balance together on a tiny popcorn tin for 15 minutes (this usually ended in laughter). Other times they would separate us and make us write poems containing 5 nice things (or reasons we love our sister) before we could come out. I have a very specific memory of being stuck in our Finley drive bathroom writing a poem for Dawn. This particular exercise planted a seed in me - a need to express myself on paper when I am emotional. When I was a teenager, I was very emotionally charged - dramatic is almost an understatement. I would write my mother notes when I was mad or felt I was suffering from some injustice. One time I wrote out this entire verse from one of my favorite hymns: "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly..."

I secretly think my mom enjoyed the letters I gave her. She always said that although I was trouble, I was still very fun and enjoyable - I think it was because I left her gems like this:
I left this on her bed one day. My mom caught me and some friends being stupid 13 year-olds. This is so mean. I have such a sharp tongue. I am glad my mom knew I still loved her. I am glad she kept this so I could see and remember what a drama queen I was at 13. I am glad she was able to laugh at this - not in a cruel way, but in a sweet motherly way that understood that I was just a stupid teenager doing stupid teenager things.

Writing has since become my therapy; after writing my emotions in a song, poem or letter, I gain new perspective, and emerge with a new ability to cope or understand. I don't write hate letters anymore. Joe would claim that I write hate songs now, but I also write love songs, and I don't keep the really mean ones. ;) I am glad my parents were able to find the humor in my teenage, over-emotional, snake-tongued self.

My mother was a saint. I am not.

I know I am in for a wild ride with my children. Here is a sampling of some of their most recent writings:

Aaron:
The other day, rather than finishing his math homework, Aaron decided to protest. He didn't yell or stamp his feet - he simply turned over the worksheet and wrote me this note:
Oh my...

Charity:
She is dramatic like her mother. Sometimes, time-outs don't help her calm down. This did:
I wonder if my kids will be like me...
I am so excited to see the things they will write! ;)

Sisters' Weekend

Last weekend, we did a girl's retreat in UT... It was SO MUCH FUN! Cherry, Mom and I flew out from TX, Dawn flew in from AZ, Lyd and Steph live in UT already, so they were already there. Best thing about it? NO KIDS AT ALL!!!! Friday night, we went to my Grandpa Sanders' cabin in Midway. My mom's sisters and their daughters were all there too... It was a great evening. We all sat around talking and listening to my aunt LeeLee's stories... We even danced a bit (yes, my mom was in charge of that part... we learned the thriller dance!!) We woke up to the best waffles ever. I need that recipie - waffles that were lighter than air - I could have eaten a MILLION of them... but i didnt ;). Dawn and I went running. It was simply beautiful. The mountains are so amazing with all their colors. The weather was perfect - not too hot and not too cold. It was just so pretty. I could have run forever. This was the only pic I got there.... everyone getting ready to leave.

We all went our seperate ways Saturday. Lydia, Julie, Steph and I (the real cool ones) went to the BYU game. It was a lot of fun. So many great memories... Lydia made us all wear blue. It was fun to be back in that stadium again. I wish I would have spent more time walking around campus. I can't believe how long it's been and how old I have gotten... Sad to know I am no longer 19. But anyways... GO COUGARS!!!
We went by Steph and Nate's apartment - oh to be a newlywed again! They are cute and cheesy and I cant help but love them. Then, everyone met up again at Lydia's house for fondue. Cherry and Dawn went shopping with Jen that day. I figure I saved at least $200 by going to the game. They came home with lots of great things from the outlets... Yes, it would be nice to have a cute coach purse, or some cool clothes, but I had a good time at the game, so Joe and I are both happy ;). Lydia's house was fun. Dave and Misty and their kids came by, along w/Jen and Julie. But, at night, we all just vegged out and fell asleep watching a chick flick.
Sunday morning was low-key. We were all enjoying Lydia's struggle to wean her STUBBORN Mckenzie. ;) Then, everyone had to go to church, and Cher, Dawn and I headed up to the airport to return home.

I really feel so lucky to have such a great family! My mom is amazing. Friday night, hanging out with her sisters made me realize how lucky I am to have my mom. Her mom died when she was just 16, (and my mom had 4 younger sisters too). Because of that, my mom had all her babies without a mother there to help her. Her sisters spoke of feeling their mother's presence several times in their lives since her death. I don't know what I would do without my mom. She is the mom who comes and cleans out my cupboards and organizes closets - just because. She plays with her grandkids. She teaches my kids songs and dances (and us too). She is the one who always inspires me to be better, and to do more. She is the voice in my head that tells me I would feel a LOT better if my house was clean (so get up and stop moping around)... In fact, because of her inspiration, one day when I was throwing up and sick sick sick, she told me to get up and clean - that day, I got a call 20mins before a showing - the very showing that sold my house. (I think she helped me clean that day, so thanks again mom). She is so helpful and kind and a great example. She is the world's best mom and the most fun and amazing grandma. I am so grateful that she is here for me. I wish I could have met my Grandma Cherry.

ANYWAYS, YAY for sisters' weekend! I had a great time. It was short, but sweet. Can't wait to see you guys again soon!! LOVE YA!!!

Rainy days

Rainy days are always fun!
Practices were cancelled... so, after school, we went to McDonalds for icecream sundaes.
Michael's was close by, so we raided the craft section. Those $1 crafts are awesome! The kids were in heaven, and I was glad we didn't waste the day in front of the TV.
Looks like we need to go back before IKE comes!

Her is our AWESOME art. Yes, i am the world's best painter! ;)
Aaron is more about speed, so he finished painting 2 ceramic animals, and moved on to this window hanging before anyone else finished one thing. Charity concentrated so hard. Girls and boys are so different in how they do crafts!
Nate was just thrilled to get to participate with his older siblings. He did surprisingly well for a 2yr old.

Last weekend was the beginning of fall sports for our kids. Charity is on the STORM. Their uniforms didn't come in on time, but they still looked so cute! She is pretty fast. I can't figure out if she had more fun doing gymnastics on the sidelines, or playing in the game!!!

Aaron is on the COWBOYS! He played against the blue COWBOYS (yes, there are a lot of cowboy's fans here... what other team would we want to be on?) Aaron tried real hard, and did pretty well. There is so much to learn in football. He is pretty hard on himself. Hopefully this next game (if IKE doesnt get us cancelled) will be a little better.

Ode To College

It might be because an old college chum connected with me on facebook.
It might be because I had to dig through a box of pictures this morning trying to find a baby pic of Aaron so he could take it to school.

Whatever it was, I went for a stroll down memory lane today, and it was a lot of fun.

Before I got married, I was livin it up at BYU.

I had a lot of holes in my ears.


Karla was my best friend. She was a rare find - the perfect girlfriend who didn't require the daily phone call. We knew we were friends, but our friendship was not high maintenance. We were crazy together. We did lots of stupid things together... we got in lots of trouble together. When I think of life at BYU, I think of her. I think of the Aspire. I think of fireworks, toilet seats, running around, dancing, talking, laughing, and crying. She made my college experience one I could look back and smile upon.

I went camping a LOT. The "Mesa Boys" were always up for an adventure, and we could sure find them! We jumped from cliffs, we swam in reservoirs, we sang songs, and did so many fun things together! I can't help smiling just thinking about those fun times. Some adventures didn't happen while camping; some came while running around on and off campus. We did some silly stuff... (but I cant actually put it on the internet).


Was it here that we woke up to a park ranger saying we cant sleep in a picnic area?
We lived on granola bars.
We got free t-shirts ;)

It was such a short chapter in my life, but my college experience made me who I am today. It was then that I decided who I wanted to be, and what I wanted out of life. I am so grateful for the friends I had there, and the experiences we shared.

Somewhere, in the same town, a boy named Joe was having his own experiences. He, of course, was dating all the wrong women - until he met me. I haven't gotten all his stories out of him yet. I think it was because they weren't nearly as exciting as mine. ;)

The Y on the mountain always stared at me (freshman year, I even wrote a song about it). Y were you there? As I graduated, I could finally answer the question.