Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

and lots of love

from our house to yours...

let's pray for peace on earth!

O Christmas Tree!

Hannah bid farewell to autumn

and welcome to winter!

as we set off to the snow to find the perfect Christmas tree

Poor Hannah expected the snow to be warm and was very disappointed!

but she warmed up to cold snow

We heart Pollock Pines!

Matt goes to work

having found the perfect tree!

 Hannah wholeheartedly agreed.

 We found it rather difficult to get both kids and the dog to look at the stinkin camera at the same time!
 but we got a couple decent shots.

DISCLAIMER: If this post lacks its usual flair in anyway, it is because it is not the beautiful and industrious Joy writing, but tis I, Matt Robbins, making my first post.  I have found the internets!

the practice of being thankful

After a flurry of fun houseguests and sleepless nights this past week, I found myself struck down with a cold. And when I have a cold I am grumpy. Matt and I are both encouraging eachother to be thankful in all circumstances. So in a quiet moment when both kids were napping, I sat down to write a list of things I was thankful for, even though I was sick. I thought I'd share it!


I am thankful that…
1. even though I am sick it is nothing serious and I will feel better again soon
2. my kids are fairly happy to play by themselves while mommy sits on the couch
3. my husband can come home in the middle of the day to help me when I am exhausted, plagued by a bad headache and need to get the kids down for naps
4. being sick is the exception and not the rule for my body
5. there are meals in the freezer that are easy to make
6. I got a good night’s sleep last night



And now I am thankful that I am well and can enjoy my family and this Christmas season!

a homemade thanksgiving

This year Matt had the brilliant idea that we make the Thanksgiving meal for my family at my grandparents' house!
We like cooking but having never attempted a turkey or some of the other traditional Thanksgiving dishes, we were a bit nervous. We got my sister on board, compiled recipes, wrote a detailed shopping list and crossed our fingers that all would go as planned. (And we decided that whatever didn't quite work out - well, at least we could laugh about it later.)

Matt tackled the 17lb. turkey (literally - it went flying at a couple of points in the cooking process, once in the sink and once onto the counter) and thanks to an oven bag and a savory rub,  it turned out deliciously!

I made a beautiful apple pie (which I sadly did not get a picture of, but that only motivates me to make it again) and then raced between assisting with other dishes, trying to keep the kitchen clean and tending at times to both kids.

My sister found an amazing sweet potato casserole recipe by Emeril and worked on that, as well as making her signature mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and gravy.  (Ah yes, when I say "homemade" not even the cranberry sauce was out of a can.)

By the time we sat down to eat my mom counted 14 dishes total and the only thing that remained untouched on the table at the end of the meal were the  rolls (okay, these ones were store bought).

Both kids graciously took naps during the Thanksgiving meal and when Hannah woke up she was anxious to try some pumpkin pie!   (She didn't seem to mind that we left out the evaporated milk and that it tasted, well, a bit dense.)

All went well until we tried to start the dishwasher and discovered it was broken!
 We spent a better part of black Friday washing dishes - but it was worth it!
We now feel very prepared for future Thanksgiving meals (not that I'm committing us to anything at this point).

grammie

This girl loves her grammie!

(and so do I)

In becoming a mom I realized just how much my own mom sacrificed for me.  I have a greater appreciation for all the times she made hard decisions and listened to much screaming & crying to do what she knew to be in my best interest.  I'm still 10+ years away from parenting a teenager but mothering a baby and a toddler opened my eyes to the necessity of good, involved, loving and firm parents for a child's development.  But it's not easy!

I am so glad my mom can now reap the benefits of her hardwork and enjoy her role as "Grammie" to both of her grandchildren!

We love you Grammie!

half a year

Dear Peter,

We can't believe you've been with us for half of a year already! We're starting to forget what life was like before you joined our family. We love you so much!

Mommy, Daddy, Hannah and Toby

family luv

the love of family takes many different forms...

cuddling with cousins on the couch

staking a claim on a future playmate

posing for lots of pictures

playing with play dough (even though you're an adult)

getting kisses from scratchy

and not so scratchy faces

we love it all!

signs of Fall

Some signs that Fall is (finally) upon us:

costumes

a strawberry and little lion
(or "roar" as Hannah calls his costume)

bundling up for the cold

a hay ride

pumpkins

baby chicks

muddy shoes

6 months of sibling love

5 months

Peter is 5 months old!

(which makes Hannah 2 years and 5 months old, if you were wondering)

And I am getting to know him more each day!

He is littler mover. I put him down on a blanket and he never stays there for long. He rolls all over the floor until he runs into something (usually Hannah's play kitchen). I wish I could position a video camera on him and just see exactly how he gets into where he is sometimes.

His fingers must taste delicious because he is always sucking on them.

He has a mighty strong grasp - so watch out if he gets your hair or shirt - you will have to fight him to get it back.

And flying up above mommy & daddy's head never fails to produce a smile and some giggles!

a giraffe, a chihuahua, & a maltese

What do a giraffe, a chihuahua and a Maltese (no, not the falcon) have in common?

My sister!

aka: Aunt "Ooh-p"


She came to visit a few weeks ago and we went to the Sacramento Zoo to see the giraffes...

And feed the giraffes! Did you know that giraffes have long, blue tongues?

Along with Hope came her little chihuahua, "Sami" - or as Hannah likes to say, "ah-mee-ssss"

and her Maltese puppy, "Max".

We had a very lively house that week!

a poem

Hannah (and daddy) wrote me this poem after a long day of potty training.

It made me smile.

my BIG girl!

Hannah is becoming such a big girl.

Not in size or stature, like her brother, but this past month she has made giant leaps in her development.

She started being able to say her own name "me, ah-nuh". And of course uses it to tell me that she wants to do things by herself - "no mommy, ah-nuh".

Her hair is even long enough to wear in a ponytail now!

Her coordination is getting better with each day and she takes every opportunity to dance with daddy or practice her yoga poses (here she is with Aunt Hope).

She's gotten very comfortable in the pool and loves kicking her little legs and trying to float. (Thank goodness both grandmas have pools we can swim in and practice.)

Sand never fails to attract her attention.

Every time I take out a piece of fruit (which still remains at the top of her list of favorite food items) she reminds me "no cut mommy".

She loves baby "Peetee" and even shares her special red couch with him.

And in my book the greatest thing of all (with which she totally surprised me) -

She found a great love for using the potty and delightfully delivered all her diapers to Peter this week.

At 28 months she is a growing girl!