We love toys!

Hey Lachelle, thanks for the heads up on this, it would rock to win something, though I'm not holding my breath. Ha!

5minutesformom.com is have free toy give aways for the next two weeks. Check it out!

First Dates, Ice Cream, and Other Updates

Okay, so this post is LONG over due, but better late than never right? I have a picture of Alyssa from when Hailey shared some ice cream with her that just makes me smile. They were having so much fun, and really seem to be becoming friends as well as sisters. It's pretty cute. Anyway, here is the picture of Alyssa.

My girls seem to be more grown up by the day. The Sunday after Easter Hailey wore this little yellow dress that my friend Keri gave to her while we were in Arizona. I swear it made her look like she was going on 12 at least. She has gone poo poo in her big potty twice now and when I tell her how proud I am of her she just looks at me with this big grin and says, "thanks mom". It melts my heart. I love nothing more than to make my kids happy and help them realize how much I love them. I can only hope I do it enough.

On other grown up news from Hailey she went on her "first date". We wanted to take her to see Horton Hears a Who, but didn't want to take Alyssa since she is still so young. So, we took the four year old little boy next door (Corbyn) and they watched Alyssa for us. It was so cute. All the way there they were like tickling each other and laughing in the back seat. I couldn't help but laugh when Jed would, somewhat jokingly, tell Corbyn to keep his hands to himself. Then, when we left and were about to go back to the parking lot Corbyn was holding my hand and I told Hailey she needed to hold Daddy's hand to go in the street, instead she ran and took Corbyn's hand. It was adoreable. Too bad they fought all the way home and every time they have played since. They seem to have a love hate relationship that is rather amusing.

Alyssa is crawling now and has two front teeth. She is enjoying the bath finally and the girls love to play together almost any chance they get. Alyssa seems to be learning to stick up for herself when it comes to playing with Hailey, and Alyssa LOVES to follow Hailey around the house. I hope their relationship as sisters continues to grow with love and respect. I don't dellude myself into thinking it will always be peaches and cream, but I certainly hope their love-hate relationship will turn out to be more love than hate. I'm so proud of my girls.

Also, I have been really into making cards for some reason lately. I told my friend Melissa I would post this one I did because I tried to describe it to her and I don't think it really worked. It all started for my friend Abby who asked me if I wanted to make a card for someone she knows that is having a boy. The one I made for her was slightly different colors, but the same design. The inside is a pocket and you write whatever you want on the tag. I liked so much that I made a few for me to have on hand just in case. Enjoy.....

Lots of Catching Up.....

There are so many things to write about this week, especially since we were in Arizona for the last week or so and haven't been home. My girls are getting SO big. I swear the grow up more every day. Alyssa got her first two teeth on Wednesday, and slept through the night three nights in a row once we got home. Last night she was up twice, but I'm hoping she goes back to the sleeping through the night tonight. She can do the army crawl now, and I really don't think it will be long before she is ALL over the house. Time to baby proof some more....

Hailey seems to get smarter every day as her vocabulary just grows and grows. She speaks in full sentences that are actually right more often than not. She's still a little confused on gender and calls daddy 'she' a lot, but we are getting there.

She had SO much fun in Arizona with her aunts and uncle, and especially grandpa. She pretty much learned that she could get anything from him. If she even looked sad or started to cry he was there with a popsicle to cheer her up. She isn't too happy that that doesn't work at home, but she will have four months with grandpa this summer and I'm sure he will have stocked up. We also got a new car while we were in Arizona. It is a 2005 Toyota Camry and we love it. Our Oldsmobile was getting old and having more and more problems, so we went to the dealership we had bought it from to look around and they found us a great deal on this Camry. It will be MUCH safer for the girls and I driving all over the country this summer. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the trip itself...of all things to forget my camera was at home on the charger the whole week. Bummer! I guess it's better than last time we went down when I forgot all my under clothes...

Here are a few pictures of the girls and one of a layout I did last night to enter in a local contest...if anyone has any opinions on that, or any other comments just for fun I would LOVE to hear them!

I love this picture of Alyssa, as long as you ignore my scrapping mess in the background...

She's getting so close...I'm not sure I'm ready for this!

I don't know what is up with this face, but I still think she's adorable. I might be biased though.

This is the layout I did for the contest. The theme is spring. This picture is Hailey about 2 years ago, but I just did the layout last night...

Recent Layouts

I have been doing a lot of scrapping lately for my friend, Charity. I have done a few pages here and there for me too, but mostly hers right now. Anyway, I have really enjoyed it, especially since I got several new cricut cartridges. I got the one to make paper dolls, Mickey and Friends, Dreams Come True, Happily Ever After, Cuttin Up, and Zooballoo is on it's way. Anyway, I wanted to share a few recent layouts. Let me know what you think. I also made a little book of letters for Hailey and am going to make her a book about counting sometime soon. =)

Six Months Already?

Well, Alyssa hit six months old the other day, but I was waiting for her check-up to post so I could put up her stats and all that fun stuff. She is now 17 lbs 11 ozs and 27 1/2 inches (which is in the 90th percentile). No wonder I can never find clothes that really fit her either. She is mobile and rolling all over the place. She gets up on all fours and will rock back and forth, but always ends up going backwards. It's pretty funny. I am betting she will be crawling by next week. She loves to play and pull Hailey's hair, but I think Hailey had it coming for all the times she would lay on her or whatever. =) Not too much else going on right now. Hailey had her well check too and she is 31 lbs and 36 1/2 inches. She has learned her full name and loves to tell everyone who she is. Life is crazy as always, but I'm not sure we would know how to survive any other way. I hope everyone is happy and healthy and having a great day!

I Never Expected.....

To hear Jed say he missed our dog Tessie. He told Hailey today that when we get settled and on base somewhere, if we are allowed, he will think about getting her a new dog. Then he went on to say he missed having Tessie because she LOVED to run with him and play fetch. This from the same man (I think) that once told me he would never own a pet.....hmmmmm....I love him to pieces and it's so cute to see how much he loves our girls. He is the best daddy ever!

Funny Story and New Craft

Hailey comes up with the goofiest stuff sometimes. Today on the way home from church she was (as most kids do) picking her nose. I told her that that was yucky and she should stop. She then turns and serious as can be just says "Silly Hands" like they were acting of thier own accord. Jed and I cracked up.

Also, I decided that since the girls and I are going to be traveling while Jed is gone this summer I needed an easy way to take along some of my favorite recipes so I didn't have to carry a bunch of cook books. This is how I solved that problem, just thought I would share. If you have any yummy, easy recipes please share and I will add them to my box. Have a great day!

A Little Vent....Sorry!

So lately, of course, we have had the new news of Jed joining the army when we see old friends or people we have known or whatever. It seems that a common answer to that for some people is "I'm sorry" or something to that effect. Why would someone say that? He CHOSE to join the army, it's not like he was drafted. Plus, if it weren't for people being willing to serve in the military we would not enjoy the freedoms that we do in this nation. Maybe I am just close to the situation and having grown up in a military family (dad-army, grandpa-air force, aunt-air force, uncle-air force and navy) I have an innate respect and gratitude for our armed forces. I understand everyone's right to their opinion, but when it comes to stuff like that I just don't think I'm sorry is an appropriate response. Am I way off base here? Thanks for letting me vent!

It's Official.....

Jed is officialy a soldier in the U.S. Army. He passed all his physicals and stuff today and leaves for basic training on May 20th. He will be a Health Care Specialist so right after his 10 weeks of basic (in Missouri) he goes to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio for his job training. I am really proud of him for finding this great way to pay for school and do some of the things he really wants to do. We will miss him tons, but I know he will come home and even better man for it.

Finally.....

I finally got in some scrap time and I thought I would post these two pages. They are so simple, but they really let me see the similarities and differences in my two beautiful girls. I love them so much! Hope you enjoy.

First Words

So I was really hoping that Alyssa's first word would be mama since she has been way more of a mama's girl than Hailey was.....but alas that was not to be. Jed came in from school this afternoon and she got all excited. He asked her if she heard daddy and low and behold she started excitedly saying 'dada'. I was a little jealous, but glad that my girls have such a good dad. He was so excited and I'm sure I will hear about it for a while. Anyway, this was a picture I took earlier today of some tummy time. She can scoot around and I'm just afraid she will be crawling way before I want her to and following Hailey all over the place. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Time for Updates...Mostly Pictures

It has been a long time since I have posted and for that I am sorry. Life has been a bit nuts around here. We had a great Christmas, it was pretty quiet since we just stayed home, but it was wonderful. Hailey got a play kitchen from Santa that she adores and lots of food to go with it. She also got an alphabet magnet set that sings the ABC's and we hear that about 50 times a day (minimum). The other 50 times that I hear the alphabet Hailey is singing it to Alyssa which is pretty cute. She loves to sing to her and read to her or anything that can get Alyssa to smile. All Hailey has to do usually is start laughing and Alyssa will crack up. It's very cute. I have tried to capture it on the video camera, but as soon as Hailey sees it she starts performing for the camera. Anyway, Jed got a really nice bike for Christmas and we got a family wall portrait of the Savior calming the sea. It is called Peace Be Still and I love it. Then Jed got me a big Prayer at Valley Forge picture of George Washington kneeling by his horse to pray during the war. It has been one of my favorite pictures for a long time and I'm very excited to finally have it hanging on my wall.
The girls are growing like weeds. Hailey is a little over 3 feet tall now and weighs about 30 lbs. Alyssa is just under 15 lbs. and is about 26 inches long. They are both so cute and we love them to pieces. The latest update for them is that we went and got their ears pierced last night (sorry dad!) and it is adorable! Hailey had been telling me all day that she wanted earrings like mommy so we just did both the girls. Alyssa got green and Hailey got pink. Alyssa has also been eating solid foods and rolling over since the 1st of the year. It's so cute and she loves all the new things she is discovering.

Family Updates

So I think it is about time that I update everyone on the goings on around here....especially with some pictures. Sorry it has been so long! Alyssa is three months old today, which is just crazy to me. I can't believe how fast time flies. Here are a few pictures of her that I took before church today. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet girl in my life!

Hailey is so sweet with Alyssa, she really loves her sister. She is always telling me she wants to hug her, hold her, and especially kiss her. Thankfully Alyssa is pretty patient up to this point. The other morning Hailey came in to my room and I was laying there playing with Alyssa so Hailey just climbed up on the bed and laid beside Alyssa to hold her hand. I couldn't help taking a couple pictures.......

Finally, I know this is really late, but I wanted to put up the picture of Hailey from Halloween. She was Snow White and she had so much fun! She just loves anything that is princess or play food related....There is also a cute picture of Alyssa smiling from Halloween morning. I haven't been able to get her really good smile in a picture yet, but we are getting closer so you will just have to stay tuned for that!

Cute Moment

Early today, while I was cleaning the house, Hailey came and asked me to paint her toenails. If I were a better mother, I would have stopped cleaning and taken the time to paint her toenails for her....but then I would have missed a very sweet moment. I came out from doing laundry to find Jed painting Hailey's toenails. He is such a great dad. I wish I had had my camera, but he probably would have stopped if I had tried to take a picture. =)

Family Updates

So life seems to fly by these days. Alyssa will be 2 months old on Thursday and I can't believe all that has happened in that time. I just thought I would try to get up a quick update. Hailey is growing like a weed. She had an appointment the other day and she is measuring at 36 1/2 inches and almost 28 lbs. The difference between holding her and holding Alyssa is crazy. Alyssa was just measured today and she is just over 9 lbs. But is already 23 3/4 inches. That is over 4 inches longer than when she is born....I have two weeds! I think I will keep them in my little family garden though since they are so precious. Alyssa is smiling quite a bit now...especially in the morning. I don't know what's up with that because I'm certainly not a morning person. I guess she might turn me into one. It's so funny though because sometime usually around 7:00 she will wake up and smile a lot for a little bit, then she will want to eat and go back to sleep so we pretty much just stay in bed and it's not quite as bad. Hailey has been sleeping until around 9:00 lately and then she comes and climbs into my bed to tickle me. It's pretty cute.
We went today to try to take Christmas pictures, but Hailey wouldn't cooperate so I guess we will have to try again some other time. I got a couple really cute pictures of Alyssa though. I will try to find a place to scan them in when I get them back. I think that is about it for now. We are going to a wedding this weekend so it will be fun to see friends and family. Oh yeah, and basketball preseason has started so we got to watch the Suns kill the Jazz last night. It was AWESOME! GO SUNS!!!!!

Sadness and Joy

Today is a day of sadness and joy all at the same time. Jed's mom passed away last night after a long battle with lung cancer. We are all of course sad, but I'm sure she is experiencing unexplicable joy. She will be missed beyond comprehension. I'm so thankful for the knowledge that families are indeed eternal.

I Can't Believe......

That my precious little girl is already a month old! How did that happen? I couldn't believe it, when I took her to the doctor a few days ago she has already grown almost three inches and is up to 21 3/4 inches, but only 7 lbs 9 ozs. She seems so much more alert to me than Hailey ever did, from day one it has been that way. She loves to just look at the world around her and take everything in. The problem with that is she doesn't want to sleep and seriously seems to think she will miss something if she does. Anyway, I thought I would post a couple new pictures of my princess. I hope you enjoy them!

My Statue of Liberty

I have been wanting to get on here and post a little about Alyssa's arrival, other than the meager information that Jed gave while I was in the hospital, but also wanted to wait for just the right picture. Alyssa became pretty famous at the hospital. She is now known as the statue of liberty baby. You see, she decided to come out arm first. All day they had been prepping me for a c-section because the nurse could feel her hand and arm above her head when she would check me. Well, let me back up a little....My pitosin was started about 4:00 in the afternoon and Dr. Sanders broke my water just a little after 5:00. At 7:30 I was still only a 4 (and had been for about 2 hours) and Jed was starving so I let him go get some dinner. At 8:20 the nurse came in to check me and said she couldn't find my cervix so she wanted to go call the doctor. He came in about 8:23 to check and said, "The hand is prolapsed (already out)...PUSH!" My first thought was, but my husband isn't back yet! But, I didn't have a choice, with one push Alyssa Anne was born at 8:25. They didn't even have the delivery stuff out of the sterile bags or anything. Thankfully Jed got back just as she was laid on the bed, so he still got to cut her chord and all that stuff. It was pretty crazy and her arm was bruised for a few days from the contractions around it, but thankfully we didn't end up in the operating room.

Alyssa has been a joy. She is a pretty calm baby and really doesn't cry much, which I am very grateful for because Hailey is making up for that right now. She is getting her last four molars in so she hasn't been feeling very good (2 in, 2 to go). Hailey loves her little sister, sometimes a little too much. She tries to pick her up all the time and seems to think she has to lay on her to give her kisses. It gets a little crazy, but I'm glad that she likes her. She is a little jealous with daddy time or when I am feeding Alyssa, but I'm sure she will get better with some adjustment time. We are blessing Alyssa this Sunday so I will post pictures after that. We hope everyone is doing well! Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers especially through the end of my pregnancy.

Alyssa Anne

Alyssa Anne was born on Saturday August 18th at about 8:30pm. She weighed 6lbs and 15oz And was 19 1/2 inches long. She is a cutie and we are excited about having her in our life.

For many more pictures go to http://picasaweb.google.com/jrobins25

The Final Countdown! =)

So this last few days has been a little trying. I found out last Friday that I have preeclampsia (or however you spell it). There are good and bad to that of course, just like everything it seems. My bed rest became a lot more strict for the rest of my pregnancy, but the good news is that's only 3 more days! With preeclampsia they deliver you at 37 weeks, so I am scheduled for an induction this coming Friday morning at 6:30. I am rather excited to get to hold my little girl! I will post pictures when I get home. I hope everyone is doing well.