Meeting Up With The Robisons

In early May, we had the very special treat of being able to hang out with our very best friends.  All of them! After four long years, Justin had finished medical school in Florida and was looking forward to graduation and his residency in Delaware.  To celebrate their new found freedom from books and tests, the whole family came out to Utah to visit.  We get to see Toshi and the kids twice a year, usually.  But it had been over 2 years since we had seen Justin AND Toshi AND the kids!  It was long overdue.

Especially because we still need to lay some serious groundwork for these two future lovebirds!

Luke seems to be totally on board.  Mika has a bit more hesitation.  But I can't blame her...the kid has a tube coming out of his nose!  Don't worry, Mika.  We'll get Luke all better and then you won't be able to resist his charm.  From thenceforth you two shall be known as...Luka. :)

Danny and Justin have the most amazing friendship.  An enviable one, in fact.  It doesn't seem to matter how much distance or time is put between them, as soon as they are together they are the same friends they've been since high school.  They don't skip a beat.  For graduation, Justin's parents gave him an iPhone, so Danny had to show him all the cool apps he just had to have.  Boys. :)

And we experienced a major breakthrough with the girls.  In visits past, Toshi and I basically had to force them to play together and it would never last for long.  But this time, they were basically inseparable!  It made all us parents who are such good friends happy to see the friendship extend into the next adorable generation.

The boys did a little better playing together, but they're still pretty young.  They weren't really sure what to think of each other at first.  But I'm confident the time will come.  These two handsome fellas are going to be just like their Daddies...BFFs.

The kids were getting a bit noisy for us adults, so we decided to take them on a walk to get their wiggles out.  What an adventure that was!  Luke was still trying to break the ice with Mika, and she was still playing hard to get.

Big Luke decided he was going to be the runner.  He ran and ran and ran...

Johnny, on the other hand, just had to take his dump truck along with him.  He rolled and rolled and rolled...

Sophie and Taija were also all about the wheels, but they insisted on more style and finesse.  They switched between the bike and scooter at least once.  It's crazy how alike these two are.

Eventually, Luke petered out.  So he caught a ride with Dad.  Johnny was still going strong with the dump truck.

And our sweet Claire tried desperately to work up enough courage to go fast enough on her scooter to remain balanced.  She practiced, and practiced.  But didn't get much faster. :)

While the walk was craziness, it did the trick.  The kids were MUCH more manageable once we got back home!  And the boys finally found something in common.  While the Daddies played with their iPhones, the boys enjoyed the iPad.  

We all enjoyed some quiet time as we waited for two more very special guests to arrive for dinner.  Scott and Tina, Justin's parents, were coming!  They both have been quite a fixture in Danny's life, and they have always been so good to me and the kids.  They really are family to us.  So it was nice to enjoy a meal together in our new home!  The kids loved their picnic outside, and we loved that they were outside! :)

We had an awesome meal together, and the adults enjoyed visiting quite a bit.  After dinner, Toshi and I even ducked away for a quick pedicure!  It was a meager attempt to make up for the fact that she wasn't able to be with us when we did the George Strait concert in January. :)  And it was great to have some time to visit with Scott and Tina.  They've come to visit Luke a few times while he was in the hospital, but they much preferred playing with him while he was at home and happy.  Can't blame them!

Danny and I have been so blessed by the friends in our life, both those we had before we were married and those we've made since.  And especially for the select few who were friends to us individually and then extended that friendship to a new spouse.  We are excited for Justin and Toshi and their sweet family.  They have quite the adventure ahead of themselves in Delaware.  And we're not afraid to say we can hardly wait until Justin's career lands them back in Utah...or at least within a days drive. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is a fun day for me.  I know I should be more mature, but I totally look forward to being able to say, "Go ask your Dad, it's Mother's Day!"  I also totally look forward to what Danny will do with the kids for me.  It's a day all about me.  I love it.

But this Mother's Day was almost thwarted by Luke's admission to the hospital.  I was so mad all day on Saturday that my Mother's Day was going to be ruined!  I had so looked forward to having all my children at home with me.  So it was a tender mercy for me when Luke was discharged Sunday morning.  We were going to be together after all!

Before Danny left to go get Luke, the kids were dying to give me their presents.  Especially Claire.  She had made her present in school the week before, and had hid them in her backpack...and then hid her backpack...so I wouldn't see before Mother's Day.  This is quite the accomplishment for our Claire!  Usually, Claire can't keep a present secret for the life of her. ;)  I was so proud.  My pride, along with Claire's excitement, grew exponentially once I opened her present.

I can't believe I'm getting homemade Mother's Day gifts from my baby girl.  One's she made in school, no less!  How the time flies.  After Claire and I calmed down, Danny and the kids dragged me into the kitchen to sit down to my delicious Mother's Day breakfast.  And more presents!

I love the classics.  And Danny makes a mean breakfast.  On the menu this year were fried eggs, ham, and southern-style hash browns.  Delicious!

Then the kids gave me their present.  The newest "Our Best Bites" cookbook!  It's the gift that keeps on giving, really.  We spent a good part of the morning flipping through the pages, salivating, and committing to make them ALL in the future. 

And finally, my gift from Danny.  I was so confused when I opened up this little package containing a pillow case for a travel pillow.  Honestly, the first thought that went through my head was, "Danny couldn't be taking me on a trip, could he?  We don't have the budget for that, and what would we do with Luke?!"  Then Danny explained that the gift was to formalize his commitment to build in a linen closet in place of our current (and useless) coat closet.  Then it made sense!  I am SO excited to get a linen closet.  We couldn't believe we never noticed the house didn't have one when we were in the process of buying it!  A linen closet is an organizational must.

My best present of all was getting Luke home.  This boy has my heart in his chubby little hands.  Mother's Day just wouldn't have been any fun if he wasn't at home.

Seriously, I could kiss his chubby, furry cheeks all day!

After church, it was time for dinner.  Probably my next favorite part about Mother's Day.  I'm sure I've made it pretty evident, but in case I haven't made it clear I'll state this little fact unequivocally.  Danny is no dummy in the kitchen.  Quite the opposite, actually.  He's a genius.  Especially on the grill!  As I took this picture, I couldn't decide which looked yummier...the man or the meat. :)

As we were waiting for dinner to be finished, Johnny came up to give me a kiss.  I happened to have the camera in my hand and caught this priceless moment.  Watch out, ladies.  I don't know that there is a woman in the world that can resist that face!  I know I can't.  

On the menu for dinner was cedar plank salmon, coconut rice, watermelon, and salad.  It was beyond scrumptious.  We invited Grandma and Papa to join us for dinner, and they were sure happy they came!

But dinner just might have been upstaged by dessert.  Nothing quite compares with Dairy Queen's Chocolate Xtreme Ice Cream Cake! 

Except maybe ice cream cake smeared all over this cute face!  Luke was in chocolate ice cream heaven!

When dinner was over, Grandma Candy came by to visit along with David, Millie, and the girls.  It was such a fun treat to see Grandma Candy two days in a row!  She was especially excited that Luke made it home for Mother's Day.

  Since everyone had congregated at our house, we decided it was a good time to give Grandma Call her Mother's Day present.  Grandma didn't mince words in the weeks preceding Mother's Day.  She knew exactly what she wanted!  All she wanted for Mother's Day was a picture of Luke, Lucy, and Liam together.  That's all.  Well, we figured we could do that!  But to make it a surprise Kris, Millie, and I decided to get together in secret for the photo shoot.  I even managed to find coordinating outfits!  We got the kids together, but did they cooperate?  NO!  But the little stinkers smiled their best smiles when we were all together for a cookout at the school.  NOT in coordinating outfits. We even took Luke's NG tube out for the initial photo shoot!  But kids will be kids.  They rarely follow plans. :)  The important thing is that Grandma was thrilled to tears with her present.  Literally. :)

In the end, we were pretty thrilled with how it turned out, too.

After all the food and presents, we took some time to just enjoy being together.  Danny and I particularly loved watching everyone enjoy themselves at our house!  We watched the kids play until someone inevitably started crying.  I guess in the end, without the kids, we wouldn't have Mother's Day.  It's always about the kids. :)

I love being a Mom.  It's not an easy job, but I've known since I was 5 years old that it was what I wanted to be when I grew up.  And it hasn't disappointed.  These four children have brought me more joy, and conversely more sorrow, than I could have ever imagined.  I literally don't know who I would be without them.  They are each my friend in their own special way.  They give me purpose, and they are their own reward.  I have learned more about my divine nature as I delve deeper into my role as a mother.  I have come to understand my Heavenly Father's love for me as I somehow find a way to love my children more each day.  I am grateful every day for the blessing it is to be a mother.  It doesn't hurt that I have the cutest, coolest, smartest, best kids in the whole wide world.  Claire, Sophie, Johnny, and Luke...I love you each without end.  Thanks for letting me be your Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Grandma Candy's Mother's Day

We started Mother's Day weekend by inviting Grandma Candy on a date on Saturday.  Luke was in the hospital, and so I planned on taking the kids to do a little shopping.  We thought it would be fun to invite Grandma Candy along!  We had so much fun just hanging out with Grandma.  She's a pretty fun lady!

We had worked up quite the appetite with all our shopping, so we asked Grandma Candy where she wanted to go for lunch.  She decided on Mongolian BBQ!  Yummers!

We enjoyed the food immensely!  Then we gave Grandma Candy her present.  It's kind of a funny story, actually.  My sister Rachel had this thing for owls...way before they were super trendy.  Well, a few months back I was in Antropologie with Danny and saw the most gorgeous owl cookie jar.  I knew I wanted to get it for my Mom for Mother's Day, especially after she bought a nice new hutch for her kitchen.  Turns out, that gorgeous owl in Anthropologie fetched a gorgeous price of $120.00!  A little much for our budget, unfortunately. :)  So, I hopped on Amazon determined to find an owl cookie jar that would be perfect for my Mom.  I found one, and promptly ordered it.  When it came in the mail, I opened it to take a closer look only to notice the sticker across the top that said "Not safe for food storage".  Seriously?!  It's a cookie jar!  After debating about sending it back and continuing to shop, I realized that realistically it wasn't going to happen.  Not with Luke in the hospital still.  So, Grandma Candy got an awesome owl cookie jar that can't be used for cookies.  But will still look awesome on the hutch. :)

Happy Mother's Day, Grandma Candy!  We love you!