jack and joe robbins

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

We went to Fossil Rim and Dinosaur Valley in Glen Rose, TX over Spring Break. SO much fun and the kids were awesome!

Bumble Bee

2008-12-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

Joe and Mommy messin' around with the toy bumblebee

Christmas at Grammy & Grandpap's 2008

2008-12-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

Grandpap and the boys enjoying some oatmeal Uncle Omar, Joe and Uncle Bubba (aka Brandon)

Brandon and Joe racing horses

Carla and baby brother Brandon

Omar hard at work - even on Christmas!

Joe wearing Daddy's Colts stocking hat

Daddy putting batteries in Joe's new computer (so he will leave Mommy's computer alone!)

Joe being Santa and passing out presents to everyone

Mommy got her new Crockpot! Yippee!

Grandpap playing with Jack's new drum set

Grammy and Joe

Jack and Joe - Christmas Eve Dinner

The Gang at Christmas Eve Dinner (clockwise from bottom) - Brent, Grandpa, Ginger, Mike, Grandpap and Grammy

Grandpap, Grammy, Carla, Grandpa, Ginger, Mike and Joe & Jack in the background

Grammy and Grandpap

Brent and Grandpap

Joe, Grandpap, Grammy, Jack and Brent

Joe, Grandpap, Grammy, Jack and Carla

Grammy, Jack, Carla and Joe

Brent, Grammy, Carla

More Christmas Morning 2008

2008-12-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

More of the boys discovering what Santa, Mommy and Daddy and Grandparents left them Christmas morning. Funny, the first thing Joe noticed was a cheap little Mickey Mouse sticker/coloring book! :)

Christmas Eve and Day 2008

2008-12-25T15:40:00.000-08:00

GFCF Sugar Cutout Cookies I made for Jack - there is icing on them, it's just clear. They turned out YUMMY! Before Christmas Eve Service at Church

Joe

Our tree - the first one we've ever bought since it's our first Christmas at our house

Joe and Jack Christmas Eve

Brent "aka Santa" assembling the boys' trampoline- Santa sure stays up late!

Our stockings

Letter to Santa and empty plate Santa left

Waiting to go see what Santa brought Christmas morning

Playing with the new kitchen the Heikkinen's gave the boys - they LOVE it!!!!!!1111

Neal Heikkinen's family recipe "Kropsu" - my oven was too hot so it looked all wrong but tasted ALL RIGHT! It was really yummy!

Autie Manta and David's egg casserole recipe and Mommy's Pigs in a Blanket

Jack on his new trampoline

Joe and Grandpa - Grandpa brought oatmeal pancakes with grapefruit syrup - YUM!

Christmas Day 2008

2008-12-25T14:35:00.000-08:00

Jack and Joe enjoying 2 of their favorite gifts. The Giddyup and Go horse is from Great Momma and Boppo (Bill and Sally) and the tramoline was from Grammy and Grandpap (Corliss and Vaughan).

I accidentally took this video sideways with the camera - dumb I know! Anyway, I had to include it even though it's sideways b/c it's so cute of Jack. He LOVED the trampoline and he literally jumped for an hour straight after he got it. Then he took a 3 1/2 hour nap - the longest in months!!!!!!!!!!!

Yard Work

2008-11-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is only one installment of Joe helping Daddy out in the yard but it took almost all night to download, I'm having to do them in imcrements as time allows. Joe is such a hoot!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

After Dark In The Park

2008-10-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

There is a beautiful park, nature preserve and science center next door to our house called River Legacy. Every year they have a Halloween Festival called After Dark in the Park. Jack got to go two nights in a row b/c he got free tickets through school but only he and one parent could go because everything was free. Brent took Jack on Thursday night and all of us went on Friday night. The boys had a blast! Joe was Superman and Jack was a Cowboy.

Joe practicing "flying" like Superman

We try to get them to hold hands and Jack always complies by grabbing for Joe's hand but Joe won't do it for long - he has to break free!

Joe is in love with Mickey Mouse and he bee lined it over to poor fallen over Mickey as soon as we walked into the park. Joe was supposed to be Mickey for Halloween but it's way too hot for the costume we have.

2 of Joe's favorite things to do, rake and sweep!

Jack did really well loading up his bucket with leaves then dumping them out

Joe got on a tear and was picking up pumpkins and throwing them!

Joe was flirting and trying to share his balloon animals but this little princess was having none of it

Jack's FAVORITE part of the night - jumping in the bounce house

Grammy Time

2008-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Bath Time Fun

2008-10-03T20:43:00.001-07:00

This is not a bathtime shot but I just love it! Jack's class was playing with these Krispy Kreme hats and Joe really liked wearing it.

Awwwww........

Silly Boys

2008-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

Joe fell asleep on the couch while I was having a meeting for Junior League in the other room - he has NEVER done this before! Chillin' on the trampoline Joe "the ham"

Are these not the most beautiful blue eyes ever?!

Check out these moves!

2008-10-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

Joe the Talker

2008-09-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

Jack and His Friend Naureen

2008-09-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is from today (Sunday) - it's Jack "playing"/working with his friend Naureen. He likes her very much as you will see. This first one is him reciting the ABC's while Naureen signs each letter. He gets distracted by me taping him so he doesn't do them perfectly like he normally does. Still good nonetheless!

This short one is the "f" we have worked SO hard for. We've been putting our finger on Jack's bottom lip, pushing on it and trying to get him to bite his lower lip while blowing air out against his teeth to produce the "f" sound. This is so difficult to do for someone who cannot put their mouth in the right position or who lacks the motor planning to do all of the things required to produce one single sound. All of us that talk take for granted how extremely hard it really is to talk. Not everyone learns to talk by listening and by repeating the sounds heard. The other hard part is getting the sound to be consistent and not forgetting or not being able to "motor plan" that same sound again. Jack can only learn by constantly practicing - repetition, repetition, repetition. He's got the "f" down now but he didn't do it in the previous video. I had to get it on tape b/c we are so proud of him!

This one is quite long but I couldn't bring myself to stop taping. This is mostly Jack interacting and "playing" with Naureen. He loves the stuffed dog puppet we got as a souvenir this summer at the Indianapolis Children's Museum. You will see him sign dog (by patting his leg) and saying "daw" which is his pronunciation of "dog". He finally becomes way too distracted by my taping him and has had enough of "performing" so, he goofs off during the ABC's puzzle game. He does know his ABC's very well! You'll see some his stalling tactics - pretty smart boy!

Mike and Ginger's Wedding

2008-09-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

Mike and Ginger got married tonight (Sept 6th, 2008) at Thistle Hill Mansion. It was very beautiful and so much fun b/c we got to hang out with lots of my family. The boys were perfect and so much fun. They especially loved the dancing and Joe was obsessed with the "neigh-neigh" that was to drive Mike and Ginger off in their horse drawn carriage. He cried and cried "neigh-neigh" when we had to go back into the house.

Grandpap and Grammy looking so GLAMOROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandpap bought these boots just for the happy occasion

Grammy and Jack

Sweet Jack and Momma

Joe and Uncle Omar

Uncle Omar

Uncle's Omar and Brandon (aka Uncle Bubba) and Joe

Uncle Brandon

Farmer's Market Day

2008-09-06T13:31:00.001-07:00

We have been going to Eden Farm Farmer's Market (about 45 minutes away from our house) each 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month for a couple of months now - ever since we cleaned up our eating habits. :) Organic, local farmers (mostly from around the Ennis/Corsicana area) come to Eden Farms with their organic, grass-fed beef and pastured chicken and chicken eggs. There is also wonderful organic pestos, fruit preserves, fruit butters, breads and veggies. There is also gardening supplies and herbs. It's a wonderful treat for us to go as a family and to come home with such nutritious and delicious foods. The boys love chasing after the various animals around the farm that mostly roam free (except the horses).

The best chicken ever!

The best chicken eggs ever!

Cherokee Point Ranch sells very lean, grass-fed ground beef from a calf (not veal!)

"The beef" up close and personal

Jack thinking about stealin' some pesto

Joe terrorizing the farm's cat

A nutrition class in progress

Jack's 1st Day of School 2008

2008-09-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jack WILL NOT smile for the camera anymore. Oh well, he is still darn cute anyway. We take the same picture each year, on the front step with his backpack. I guess we can't move until he graduates! :) This is Jack's classroom at Kooken with some of his classmates. His classmates were all boys until this year, they finally got ONE girl! Jack's teacher tells me he definitley noticed her and kept looking at her all day the first day she was there.

Potty Talk

2008-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yay! We might finally be getting a break. Jack is still not potty trained and not really interested at all - he'd just prefer for us to keep changing him forever. However, tonight our little independant Joseph might have been trying to tell us he is interested in the potty. :) Brent and I were washing dishes and chatting, Jack was playing with refrigerator magnets and Joe just kept shouting something we thought was just "babble". He seemed to be trying to get our attention so I looked at him and he was patting his diaper very profoundly and saying "poo-poo, poo-poo". I said to Brent, "Look at him. Do you think he's trying to say he "poo-poo'd"? I looked to see if he had indeed "poo-poo'd" and sure enough he had. Whoo-hoo, Joe!

Joe 15 Months

2008-08-20T20:21:00.001-07:00

Joe had his 15 month checkup yesterday (a month late). As expected, he is doing great. Here's the stats: Height: 34 inches (97th percentile) Weight: 27 lbs 12 ozs (80th percentile) Head: 19 1/2 inches (95th percentile) He is exactly 1 1/2 inches taller than Jack was as the same age and 5 lbs more! His head is also an inch bigger. He met and/or exceeded all milestones. The best part is he has about 30 or more words he says all the time and only 3-6 are expected for his age! If there has to be a downside, it's that he is also starting to tantrum as expected for his age.

Jackaroo

2008-08-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, little man Jack is starting to talk! However, all of a sudden at the tender age of 3 1/2 he does not like to be photographed. I guess he's practicing for when he's older and famous and hating the papparazzi. I did manage to get a smidgen of the progress he's made on film but it's even better when the camera isn't rolling. We're SOOOOOOOOO proud of how hard Jack works. He is so inspirational and cute too!

In this video you'll see a bit of the "bullying" Joe shows towards Jack. Jack is pretty patient most times but other times, he's had it up to his eyeballs and will bite Joe! Joe doesn't learn his lesson. :)

What's Momma Been Cookin' Up?

2008-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Just a sample of what the boys have been eating lately. I know NO ONE would believe it if they didn't see it with their own eyes. So, here is the proof! I've basically lived in the kitchen for the last 7 weeks but the result is, I've learned a lot and made some really delicious, wholesome meals for my family. The reward is, they LOVE everything I've made (and I mean EVERYTHING!) and Jack is doing so amazingly well. Hmmmmm........Maybe it's a coincidence. :) A Typical Snack Organic Beet Brownies These consist of pureed beets, pureed carrots, pastured eggs (or mashed banana), raw honey, nut butter (almond, cashew, pecan, walnut or whatever you prefer), and aluminum free baking soda Everyday Breakfast Smoothie Organic "Green Thing" Smoothie This consists of raw spinach, raw baby romaine, 3-4 celery stalks, 1/2 cucumber (with skin on), whole advocado, 1/2 green apple (skin on), raw honey, coconut oil, and a smidge white grape juice and filtered water The "green thing" all blended up

Joe, Jack and Mommy's cupfuls of our yummy "green thing" smoothies (Seriously, the boys can't get enough of this drink and they literally cry and fuss for more when it's gone!)

A Typical Dinner

Organic Spaghetti Squash

This consists of 1 whole large spaghetti squash cooked and shredded with a fork, grass-fed ground beef, and a sauce made from an organic veggie juice (tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, parsely, oregano, jalepeno. The boys both enhale this. I know it looks like "you know what" but it really is super delicious! Brent and I are eating whatever I make for the boys b/c I don't have time to make seperate meals and we are pleasantly surprised at how yummy everything is. This "spaghetti" and an eggless veggie meatloaf are so far beloved by both boys.

Future Michael Phelps

2008-08-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Joe Has Found His Calling :)

2008-08-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

The wonderful woman that ususally helps me keep the house clean has been on vacation for over two months and my house has been SO dirty! Joe kind of forgot about Maria and didn't warm up to her immediately. However, once she pulled out the vaccuum, he was her new best friend! He went and got his broom and his vaccuum and proceeded to follow her all around the house "helping". He would hand her his broom and a sponge from time to time.

Jack and Jill

2008-08-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

Jack's very good friend Jill is leaving next Monday for Graduate School in London and we will miss her dearly. Good luck Jill! We love you! XOXO

Fork Head

2008-08-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Joe revealed a new trick at the dinner table tonight...........balancing a fork on his head. He came up with this all on his own. Sheer talent I tell ya.

Jack found Joe's fork antics quite comical.

Jack the Fish

2008-07-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Jack started private swim lessons last week - today was only lesson number 5. Anyone that knows Jack well, knows he is not afraid of the water, never has been. This is good and bad as I fear one day he might fall in water and not know how to swim. He is doing GREAT at swim lessons!!!!! We are so proud of him we can't stand it. He is trying so hard. The first day he drank a ton of water because he didn't know how to blow in the water. Since that first day, we practice blowing in a big clear bowl of water every night. He's got the blowing down pat and he can apparently hold his breath for quite a while under water. Now he just needs to learn to come up for air at some point. His teacher Kale is just wonderful with Jack as you will see in the videos. Sorry I posted so many, it was hard to narrow them down b/c of course we thought they were all amazing! Go Jack!

A Storms A Brewin'

2008-07-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a Rainbow this morning and a little bit of a downpour. I couldn't get a decent photo b/c my camera was getting wet and we couldn't find an umbrella. The evening ended with these big beautiful thunder clouds and then no rain (or thunder)

Joe was doing some major "cloud watching" - he loved the big fluffy clouds

Joe.....Always the Character

2008-07-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

The Many Faces of Joe

2008-07-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Joe is SO expressive! He loves to make faces and he really expresses himself with his eyes. Such a uniquely funny kid!

Couple of Short Videos From Our Trip

2008-07-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

The boys cruising around at Mark and Michelle's house in Cincinnati - starts early huh?!

Joe at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis

4th of July in Indiana!

2008-07-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hudson, Jack and Molly the morning of the parade eating cereal in bed Jack and sweet cousin Molly Grammy and Grandpap came from Texas to help celebrate the 4th Uncle Bryan, Auntie Jenny and new baby cousin Dot Cousins Nate, Molly, Hudson and Hogan Uncle Bryan and Auntie Jenny's new house in town Brent, Jack, Joe and I gearing up for the parade The Robbins Boys! Me and my sweet niece Molly Me and my BFF/sister Jenny Franklin Street - beginnings of the parade Patriotic Molly New baby cousin Elijah Bryan and Jenny's dining room in their new house Bryan and Jenny's kitchen (Jenny's mom and Dawn Lee in the kitchen) Bryan and Jenny's kitchen Part 2 Hallway/Front Door at Bryan and Jenny's new house All the Robbins Grandkids (l to r: Nate, Hudson, Hogan, Jack, Joe, Molly, baby Dot and cousin Elijah) Grandkids and Grandparents (Robbins, Mitchells, Whites and Bubbs representin') Robbins Family- Bryan and Jenny's front porch Robbins Family cont'd - Joe is not too happy about photo taking at this point Jack and Hogan watching Jack's favorite obsession, his Spectrum Connection videos Super Auntie Samantha (aka Manta) whippin up some dinner for everyone at the Big House Checking out the goats Nate and his mommy Sarah Batman (I mean Hogan) :) Batman on the loose! Huddy and Jack feeding the goats Jack taking off on his own - his favorite thing to do Daddy and Jack cuddling Sunset at the Robbins' home Jack chillin' with the gang watching the sunset Happy Jack catching a ride from Daddy The race is on! Jack is loving the running and bouncing! Joe with his new "girlfriend" Auntie Manta Beginning of the firework show at the Robbins' home Fireworks spectators Joe LOVED the sparklers, even held one on his own! Sunshine Joe in the morning Joe at the Fair Grounds park Jack swinging with Boppo Joe loves to swing too (but not as much as Jack!) Jack and Nate riding a dinosaur The Fair Grounds park Jack watching his beloved "amah" (animal) video Brent, Boppo(Bill) and Greg going out to play golf for Boppo's Bday Greg Greg, Brent, Boppo and Auntie J.J. Brent, Boppo and Greg Boppo and Brent or Father and Son Brent and Jack or Father and Son XOXO Too sweet! Sarah, Greg and Nate Greg, Brent and the little guys on the deck at Cricket Ridge (Bday Dinner for Boppo) Cricket Ridge The Robbins Family - Cricket Ridge Daddy and Jack shucking corn Sarah, Nate, Daddy and Jack The men and the boys playing with sidewalk chalk at Bryan and Jenny's new house Joe and Nate Jack's masterpiece Outside Bryan and Jenny's house - getting ready to go for a walk to Dairy Point for dessert The gang taking an evening stroll for icecream Jack and Daddy We passed by the Greensburg Fire Station and they let the kids climb in the trucks! Honorary Fire Fighters Carla, Joe and Jack Robbins Big Joe sitting in the driver's seat Jack thinking about startin' her up! Daddy and Jack in a cave at the Dinosaur exhibit in the Indianapolis Children's Museum Nate and Joe checking out some dino eggs A sweet little girl handed Joe a dino egg Nate and Joe playing dinosaurs Jack and Joe playing dinosaurs Jack hauling some rocks Jack and Joe earning their keep Joe tumping the wheelbarrow over - TROUBLE! Glass art in the Children's Museum Museum employee cleaning the glass There was a Comic Book Heroe exhibit that was SUPER cool! Spidey (I mean Jack!) Jack, Nick, Drew (or vice versa - they're twins), Joe and baby Ryan. We went to visit Brent's friend Mark from college, his wife Michelle and their awesome little boys in Cincinnati while on our trip. They were so great and made a huge spread for lunch including cupcakes for Brent's Bday! We wish we lived closer and got to spend more time with them. :( We almost got to when our car died while trying to leave their house. We finally got it started - WHEW- bet they were relieved! Mark and Michelle's house Greensburg Farmer's Market - Brent's brother Bryan organizes this event! The Greensburg Courthouse (yes, that's a tree growing out the top) Jenny, Bryan and baby Dot supervising the Farmer's Market Building in downtown Greensburg Uncle Bryan takes charge with the help of Old Abe Uncle Greg lovingly sang to a captive Jack and Nate came along to join in with his pappa Brent and Jenny Anne - Big Sis and Lil' Bro

Indiana Trip Part 2

2008-07-19T15:14:00.000-07:00

These are some of Greg's photos I stole off of his blog. :) These are some I didn't have but liked. Below is the whole family, Robbins, Mauzy, Bubbs and Marroquins on the front porch of the Big House The Robbins' Family home

More of the Race

Neal and Jenny got a bounce house for the kids - that's Jack squishing his face up against the side

Fireworks spectators

2008-07-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8ePqQWsArk

Father's Day

2008-06-29T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hot, Hot Texas Day!

2008-06-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Jack & Joe's New Cousin Dorothy Louise

2008-06-09T18:53:00.001-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I proudly introduce our beautiful new niece Dorothy Louise Robbins. Jack and Joe's new cousin lives in Greensburg, IN with her proud mommy and daddy, Jenny and Bryan (Brent's brother). We have not met her yet but we can't wait - we get to see her for the first time on July 4th when we go on our annual Greensburg trip. Dot (as she is lovingly referred to as) was due on Joe's due date and actually born (April 24th) 2 days before Joe's birthday (April 26th). They are almost exactly one year apart by 2 days. Isn't she precious?!

Jack and Joe's New 2nd Cousin Elijah James

2008-06-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Brent's cousin Robbin and her husband James gave birth to this perfect baby boy Elijah (Eli) on May 30th (also Brent's sister Jenny Anne's Bday). They have been living a few blocks over from us for the past couple of years but sadly are moving in a week to Boston for James' new fellowship. They are taking Eli with them! Can you imagine?! :) So sad we will miss out on getting to see him whenever we want.

Jack's Last Day of School

2008-06-02T21:08:00.001-07:00

Jack had his last day at First Presbyterian Preschool this year. This is Jack with the famous and adored Mrs. Wixson. Miss Becky (equally as amazing!) is over to the right in the background. Jack didn't really quite get that is was his last day in Mrs. Wixson's class but Mommy did. Mommy cried like a baby when we had to say goodbye to Mrs. Wixson who has been such a blessing in Jack's life this year.

Jack's EEG

2008-06-02T20:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the poor picture quality! We forgot our camera and had to buy a disposable in the hospital gift shop. Obviously we forgot how to work them and forgot to use the flash. Anyway, as you can see, Jack was super cooperative and he looked so sad but cute in all those wires. He just carried on about his little business like the trooper that he is.

Memorial Day at the Zoo 2008

2008-05-26T19:32:00.001-07:00

We decided to go to the zoo for Memorial Day very spur of the moment. It could not have been HOTTER today or more humid but we all had a great day despite the heat. Jack and Joe LOVED the animals. They are both big animal fans and both have a repertoire of animal noises. Joe liked the gorillas the best - he was absolutely enamored with them. Jack fell asleep while sitting up in the wagon right in the middle of the zoo trip and Brent had to carry him for about a half an hour until he woke up and rejoined us. We also had the scare of our lives when Jack took off while we were looking for his water cup in our backpack - we literally turned around and he was gone! I grabbed Joe and took off screaming his name and Brent took off in the other direction. We could not find him and we were absolutely panicked. How could he have gotten so far so quickly? Finally, after what seemed like forever I heard a women's voice yelling "here he is!" and I looked around to see a woman holding Jack's hand and he was hysterically laughing. I of course grabbed him and burst into tears. He had no idea what he had done but it just about killed Brent and I. We managed to calm down and finish our zoo trip off but we never let Jack walk more than a foot away from us after that. We learned a valuable lesson today in a very hard way and we are SO thankful that it all turned out okay.

Jack catching a quick power nap Right before Jack's "escape"

Jack fell asleep again in the car coming home from the grocery (right after the zoo). We brought him in and put him at the table to eat dinner b/f bed but he just put his head down and continued to sleep. We changed him into his p.j.'s after this and just put him to bed. What a day!

Joe was not sleepy in the slightest after all the excitement. Quite the contrary, he was recharged and ready to go!

Joe the Comedian

2008-05-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Boys!

2008-05-21T20:06:00.001-07:00

Whoa.............melt my heart! Joe's "cheeeeese" smile

Joe is not really our child, he's really a "Jolie-Pitt" offspring

Joe Walking

2008-05-12T11:31:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Weekend 2008

2008-05-12T10:36:00.001-07:00

Mommy cuddling with her boys More cuddling

My Jack is SOOOOOOOOO sweet!

Joe playing with his new water/sand table (for which we have no sand yet)

Jack and Joe playing together at water/sand table

Joe's got the "cheeeeeese" smile down pat

Mommy and Jack

Mommy and Joe saying "cheeeeeeese"

Joe on his motorized bubble blowing bike (gift from Uncle Will)

Jack watching Daddy blow bubbles

Jack trying to blow bubbles

More attempts at bubble blowing Joe getting mad at Mommy (I couldn't restist taking this photo - he has the most dramatic pout/cry ever!)

Joe Turns 1!

2008-04-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Joe in his Daddy's 1st Birthday rocking chair and in his big brother's 1st Birthday t-shirt and crown - he's learned to smile like this when I say "cheese" Happy 1st Birthday Joe!

The Dinosaur Party

Joe's cake - the one meant for demolition

The "adult cookie cake"

Joe and his party friends, cousins Molly, Hudson and Hogan and second cousins Devin and Timothy and of course his beloved big brother Jack

Sweet big brother Jack

Joe loved all his gifts and it showed all over his face - Joe has great expressions

Happy Birthday to you dear Joe

Joe enjoying his cake

Ummmm Yum! Cake is good!

Daddy, Cake Face Joe and Mommy

Joe sharing his cake with Daddy

What was left of the cake after Joe finished with it :)

Adventures in Eating (peas and blueberries that is....)

2008-04-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday Egg Hunt

2008-03-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Today our church had a picnic and egg hunt for Palm Sunday. There was a petting zoo and a mini train that drove all around the parking lot. I did not get any picts of either of those but I did get a lot on the lawn and during the egg hunt. Jack wasn't feeling well (he actually had fallen asleep on his Sunday school teacher's lap just prior during class) and just kind of "hung out". Joe, however was ALL OVER THE PLACE! He loved the animals and when I picked him up to move onto something else he started wailing and crying b/c he wanted to stay. Then when we went to go see the Easter Bunny he was pointing and all excited to get over there. He kept playing with the Bunny's big, furry hands. Then when I tried to pick him up to give some other kiddos a chance, he again started wailing and crying. He kept pointing over to the Easter Bunny and crying, crying, crying - he wanted to go back. Usually this scenario is reversed and the kids are crying to get away from the Bunny. ?????????????? Once I put Joe down, he proceeded to take off crawling right back over the Easter Bunny. It was very funny. During the egg hunt, Joe watched another little boy (14 months) putting eggs into his basket. So, then Joe picked up an egg, crawled over to the little boy's basket and put his egg into the basket. Then they both took them out and put them back in repeatedly. Joe also kept pointing over to the Easter Bunny. In just about every picture we took you'll see Joe's pointer finger out in action. :)

Cold Day Play

2008-03-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

Joe showing me a piece of grass - WOW! Somber Jack

Take a look at those teeth! When Joe is being silly, he throws his head back, squints his eyes and puts on the biggest toothy grin you've ever seen.

Both boys love to swing. Jack is really good at making this "horsey" swing go all by himself.

Jack's Animal Sounds

2008-03-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

Jack doing some of his animal noises, signing for "swing" and mimicking a fish with his lips.

Jack Riding His Tricycle

2008-03-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

Jack has gotten pretty good at riding his tricycle but he still doesn't steer so great. Joe is in the background of this crying b/c I am holding him back from chasing out into the street after Jack.

"MaMa"

2008-03-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Joe has started "mamamama" all the time which of course I love!

Joe Tackling Mommy

2008-03-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Joe loves to climb all over me, he literally tackles me! I feel very loved. :)

The Wheels On the Bus

2008-03-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Everytime we start to sing the Wheels On the Bus, Joe starts moving his hands for the "round and round" part. He even does it when we see the school buses lined up at Jack's school.

Joe Briefly Balancing

2008-03-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

"Walker" Walking

2008-03-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Jumping Joe!

2008-03-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Joe's Rythym Nation!

2008-03-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street Live 2008 - "Elmo Grows Up"

2008-02-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

We went Sesame Street Live for the second year in a row and were not disappointed! This year we had GREAT seats, about 10 rows back from the stage on the floor level. The kids really enjoyed it - especially Joe. Joe was mesmerized by all the lights and all the characters. He kept pointing and exclaiming "ooohhhh, ooohhhh". I was pregnant with Joe when we went last year, so technically he's been twice. :)

The Hulk

2008-02-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Brent is a huge HULK fan since childhood so we buy the boys anything "HULK" related. This is Jack's new HULK shirt and in the photos below he is pretending to do a HULK "grrrrrrrrr". Actually, I asked him to smile and instead I got a "grrrrrrrr". :)

"Here's the scoop I Love You!"

2008-02-21T20:02:00.001-08:00

When I picked Jack up at school today he had on this cute hat he made. In case you cannot read it, it says "Here's the scoop I love you!". He wore it all the way home in the car without trying to take it off. It even fell over his eyes at one point while he was trying to look at a book in the car and he just kept moving his book and his eyes around so he could see - he never took it off. So cute!

Joe The Artist

2008-02-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

Joe is already drawing and seems to favor his right hand. Pretty amazing huh?

Mommy & Daddy's 5th Wedding Anniversary

2008-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Brent and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary on Friday (February 15th) by going to dinner at the French Room in the Adolphus Hotel then we stayed the night in a suite at the Magnolia Hotel (thanks to a generous XMAS gift from Brandon and Omar!). We had a great time despite the freezing and rainy weather (and oh yeah, the Cheerleading Nationals going on in Dallas with millions of cheerleaders everywhere!). We got room service breakfast on Sat. and then saw a matinee movie which I am embarrassed to say, was probably my favorite part. :) The Magnolia Hotel lobby (this whole building has been beautifully restored - it's the old Mobile Gas Building)

Magnolia Hotel elevator hallway

Magolia Hotel bar

The Frech Room

Brent and I - The French Room

Our delicious chocolate souffle!

Jack Dancing and Joe Causing Trouble

2008-02-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

Jack got a boombox from Grammy for his 3rd Bday and he LOVES it! He does his version of dancing here in this video and then lil' bro Joe comes a long and wreaks havoc. Then you will see Jack sign "music" to Daddy so he will turn it back on.

I Caught A Smile! And A Beautiful One It Is!

2008-02-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

Joe Pleased As Punch With His Own Antics

2008-02-10T11:38:00.001-08:00

Joe's Version of "Playing" With Jack (More Like Harrassing)

2008-02-10T11:33:00.001-08:00

Joe is 9 Months!

2008-01-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

Joe had his 9 month checkup yesterday so I thought I'd post the stats. He weighed 22 1/2 lbs (90th percentile), he was 30 1/2 inches long (98th percentile), and his head was 18 1/2 inches around (90th percentile). He is meeting all his milestones and exceeding a couple as well. He is crawling like a madman, pulling up on everything he can and starting to cruise very cautiously. He is babbling some consonants (bababa, dadada, gheegheeghee, ttttttttt,), he clicks his tongue, squeals, laughs, and changes his tone to match ours. He has 6 teeth, he drinks through a straw, feeds himself a bottle (in the car or in his highchair), eats many foods (no finger foods yet - taking that very slow), and can stick out his tongue and smack his lips together. His biggest accomplishment is that he points at EVERYTHING! He constantly has his right index finger extended and points at everyone and everything all day. I have nicknamed him "permapoint". According to our pediatrician this is a 1 year milestone. Go Joe! The picture below shows his first facial bruise under his right eye. He lost his balance in the kitchen the other day and fell face first on the tile. This is a sort of long video of Joe pulling up, cruising, playing and talking a little. It's so long because I kept trying to capture what he was doing when I wasn't filming him. He stopped whatever he had been doing every time I turned on the camera. Typical!

Jack Turns 3!

2008-01-25T20:08:00.000-08:00

The day started out with Jack going to school. He and Daddy had to match today! This is Jack's beloved cousin Molly and he being silly. Jack adores Molly! Sorry for the fuzzy picts - my new camera is not a "good buy".

The gluten free, dairy free and egg free chocolate cake with vanilla icing I made for Jack. It actually wasn't bad and he did eat some WILLINGLY! :)

Jack feeding Mommy some icing

Mommy feeding Jack some icing

Joe was fascinated with the boom box Jack got from Grammy. Joe kept shaking his legs like Elvis - it was hilarious!

"Pooped and Partied Out" Jack chillin' on the couch after everyone left.

I did not get that many great photos due to my awful new camera. I did get lots of good video though. Jack had a really good time at his party which he really hasn't had the last 2 years. He was SO happy when all his guests (very small gathering of a few family members) showed up (especially his cousins), he ran around playing, dancing, jabbering, he opened some presents on his own, he tried really hard to blow out his candle and almost did it, and he ate cake. He was a good little host and we were very proud of him.

Random Cuteness

2008-01-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

So, I think I explained in an earlier post how BEHIND and CRAZY we are around here lately. This is a random collection of some very cute picts I took right before XMAS. I had to share even though they are out of order and as I said, random. Enjoy!

All Boy!

2008-01-20T18:47:00.000-08:00

Last Friday while at some friend's of ours new home, Jack tripped and fell on his chin. His teeth bit threw and just below his lip was hanging open and bleeding like I've never seen before. We took him to Cook Children's Hospital nearby in Ft. Worth and he had to get 8 stitches on the outside and 3 on the inside - 11 total. It was so sad b/c they had to wrap him up in a straight jacket device to keep him still, 3 people had to hold him down and they had this bright light glaring in his eyes. Once stitched up he did remarkably well. Now, a week later, they are out and there is barely a scar. It sure was traumatic though and nothing we'd like to repeat anytime soon. Yesterday, a week after the stitches incident, I took Joe to the doctor's office for their Saturday clinic and found out Joe has a mild case of RSV. He threw up every bottle yesterday which was completely unrelated to the RSV. Poor guy seems to have a double whammy of viruses. To top it off, Jack woke up at 2am this morning throwing up. One bed sheet, 3 p.j. changes, countless vomiting episodes, and several hours later, we all finally got sleep around 4:30am. Fun times at the Robbins' house this MLK weekend!

Is there nothing he can't do?

2008-01-20T18:43:00.000-08:00

Joe can already drink out of a straw! Jack could not do this until age 2 or after. I gave Joe a cup full of water with a straw the other day just to see what he would do and he started sucking on it like an old pro.

I don't want to grow up

2008-01-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

I came in the kitchen the other day to find Jack sitting in Joe's baby carrier seat. It was too funny, he was just hanging out lounging.

Texas XMAS 2007

2008-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

This XMAS actually came before Indiana but we've just downloaded all our pictures. Things have been crazy! This was a picture session I tried to do of Jack and Joe in their matching XMAS p.j.'s - it didn't really go well as most picture sessions with the two of them don't these days. I think you all understand.

My family at our mock XMAS EVE dinner (this was the weekend before XMAS) Vaughan, Brandon, Omar, Brent, Mom, Joe and Jack

All the same folks minus Brent and plus me!

Grandpap helping Joe to a sip of water

Me, Jack, Brent and Joe

Uncle Brandon helping Jack open a present

Uncle Brandon, Joe, Jack and Uncle Omar playing airplane

Joe checkin' out all the loot

Mommy and Jack on his new bouncy ball

Mock XMAS DAY - Jack, Me, Joe and Brent

Uncle Brandon, Uncle Omar, Jack, Me, Joe and Brent

We had so much fun this XMAS and got to spend good, long QT time with my family and then Brent's in Indiana. We spent the whole weekend with my family and we created many long lasting memories. This will be the last XMAS in this house - Grammy and Grandpap are in the process of building their new home (down the street!) and will be moved in by the next XMAS.

Christmas in Indiana 2007

2008-01-13T06:56:00.000-08:00

Robbins Family Home - side view We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. We went to Greensburg, Indiana (Brent's hometown) and once again his parents managed to pull off an unbelievably special time for all of the family to be together. This was the first year in a long time where all of Brent's 6 siblings were able to be home. The house was full with all us married folk and our little ones. It was crowded but so fun for all of us. Jack and Joe got to hang out with their cousins Molly, Hudson, Hogan, and Nate on a daily basis - SO FUN! Brent's brother Bryan and his wife Jenny are expecting the 7th Robbins Family Grandchild on April 18th (Joe's original due date!). They are having a girl which everyone is so excited about since poor Molly has been the only girl for the last 6 years. Greg and Sarah got to come from Portland with precious Nate who turned 1 on 12-30-07. We celebrated an early Bday for him while they were in Indiana. We stayed 10 days and could not have had more fun if we tried. We got absolutley zero snow which was the one and only disappointment. We can't wait for next year already!"Hiking" - Jack, Mommy, Joe, Daddy, Auntie Sarah with Nate on her back and Uncle Greg

Robbins Family Home - back view

Jack on the slide in the backyard

Robbins Family Home - front porch

All the Grandkids in their Colt's Jerseys - Joe(8mo), Hudson(4), Nate(1), Molly(6), Jack(3) and Hogan(2)

Joe in his XMAS p.j.'s

"Christams Carolers" LOL! (Brent and his sister Samantha came caroling on XMAS EVE)

Molly helping feed Joe

"The Big House" - Brent's Grandparent's house on the farm - Christmas Eve 2007

All the girls (minus Sarah and Robbin) - Auntie J.J., Jenny Beth, Me, Sally (Brent's mom), Jenny Anne, Molly, Samantha & Jenny Rebecca (expecting baby Robbins in April '08) - Christmas EVE 2007

Daddy and Jack carousing with the cows

Huddy (the pig) and Jack (the cow) playing farm animals

Run Through the Woods 2007 - Travis won (Bryan's friend who is a firefighter in Utah -far right), Brent came in 2nd and Bryan finished last (granted he was padded with a "sympathy" baby in honor of his wife and unborn child) - Molly greeted the runners at the finish line

The kids trying to "dance" at the Children's Museum in nearby Colombus, IN

Joe On The Move!

2008-01-09T17:23:00.000-08:00

Joe has been on the verge of crawling for a couple of months now. He has been rocking on all fours but being very cautious and staying put. 2 days ago he all of a sudden started moving forward. Yahoo! Yesterday he literally was all over the house and into EVERYTHING! This is a short video of him showing off his new moves just tonight. Enjoy!

Bloops and Blunders of Picture Taking

2007-12-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Trying to get a picture for our Christmas card gets more challenging every year. Neither kid looks at the camera or smiles at the same time and inevitably someone is crying. We took about 300 photos and got a lot of duds! These are just a few of the "attempts".

This was the best one of Jack and pretty good overall, so it was the "chosen one". :)

Joe Learning To Sign

2007-11-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

We were feeding Joe his 3rd solid food today (sweet potatoes) and I decided to model the sign for "more" for Joe and put his hands together to show him how to do it while saying "more". After a few times I stopped because I didn't think he was really absorbing it and he was probably too young. I called Brent in to video us because we had not taken any photos or anything of Joe's first solids yet. You know how it is with the second child - poor kid. When Brent started video taping, our miraculously smart baby Joe signed for "more" over and over again all by himself to my utter amazement! It was no fluke. We were stunned and very excited to say the least. You all know how long we've waited to have a child communicate with us in any way, shape or form. He is not babbling consonants yet but this is a nice start at communicating and we will take it!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Sweet Dreams

2007-10-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

This is actually a picture from our September trip to Indiana (other pictures on earlier post) but I found it on our older camera and I couldn't help but post such a sweet moment caught on film. Jack and Boppo really got to spend a lot of time together on this trip and this picture is priceless.

Whitt, Texas

2007-10-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Jack exploring

We went to Grammy and Grandpap's land in Whitt, TX (1 hour, 20 minutes west of Arlington) on Saturday to just have kick around and be together. Grandpap was there with his friend Dick and they were "running their bird dogs" which means they were letting the dogs "stretch their legs" in translation. There are 80 some odd acres and Grandpap is slowly acquiring enough animals for a small wildlife preserve. :) He has 40-50 goats, a donkey, 2 longhorns and about 1,000 fish in his stock tank. There are 2 barns being built right now, one for humans equipped with a bathroom and one for the animals so they have shelter in those crazy Texas storms. They are also eventually going to build a weekend home somewhere on the land after they finish building the new home they are currently building down the road from us in Arlington. We had a blast in Whitt and Jack really enjoyed stretching his legs just as much as the dogs did.

Mommy and her boys Daddy feeding Joe on the Barn Deck

Daddy hangin' with the boys on the Barn Deck

Jenny the Donkey

A few of the Bird Dogs (Grandpap's - Ross, Betty & Bob and Dick's - Grits & dont' know the other dog's name?) FYI...the black dots you see all over the ground in this picture are goat poop pellets!!!!! YUCK!

The Goats

The Barn (human barn where the bathroom will be)

Mommy and boys on Polaris cart (I actually drove everyone around with Jack in between Mommy and Daddy up front, Joe securely on Daddy's lap and Grandpap and Dick in the back directing me)

Jack pretending to drive (he actually initiated this on his own which is rare)

Jack doing some more driving and Grandpap and Dick fillin' us up with gas

All the boys checkin' out the tank and looking for fish

Jack beaming at his Grandpap and lovin' life

Jack relaxing after all the fun - laying in the trunk eating pretzels

Fall Evening Walks

2007-10-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

We started taking nightly walks every evening after dinner since the weather cooled off. At first Jack wasn't too keen to sit next to Joe though Joe LOVED looking over to see Jack sitting next to him. After about the first two nights of this Jack warmed up to the concept of sitting next to and sharing a stroller ride with his baby brother, or at least he "tolerates" it. Brent and I are LOVING our nightly walks as the weather is so uncharacteristically beautiful right now - our temp in the evenings has been in the 60's.

Joe Catching zzzzz's Anywhere He Can

2007-10-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

Kissable Baby Voting Page

2007-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks! The contest has been going on for a few days and we have gotten responses from MANY of you that you have been voting for Joe. If you could kindly keep it up, we would appreciate it. Once a day, each day until Friday the 26th at midnight, please just click on the link below, type in your email address at the bottom of the voting page, click "vote" and viola, you've voted for Baby Joe!

http://www.1061kissfm.com/pages/contests/baby/vote_group_11.html

Most Kissable Baby Contest

2007-10-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone, we have a favor/job for you all. We entered Joe in a "Most Kissable Baby Contest" for a local radio station here 106.1 Kiss FM. The baby with the most votes wins $5,000.00!!!!!!! We will be posting and sending by email the link to the voting page. The hard part is that we need everyone to vote from their personal email once a day during each round and there are 5 rounds. We'll send out reminders but we really need everyone's help so Joe can win. Of course he IS the most kissable baby in the contest and should by all fairness win on his own merits but, I think it would not hurt to get bunches and bunches of votes from all our friends and family. We'll post the link to vote tomorrow. Thanks in advance for your help!

Move Over Shiloh Jolie-Pitt! There's A Cuter Baby In Town Now!

2007-10-13T19:17:00.001-07:00

Joe and I were out in the backyard today enjoying the beautiful Fall day and I was able to capture some great snapshots of my beautiful boy. He LOVED checking out the leaves and the grass - he was completely engrossed and I could hardly get a glance my way. I had to lay him down to make him look away from the grass and the leaves. If the above photo were closer up you would notice his two bottom teeth. He's growing up so fast - too fast! I had to include this hilarious face. Doesn't it just go with the outfit perfectly?

Jack's Tonsil and Adenoidectomy

2007-10-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jack had his tonsils and adenoids removed last Friday, October 5th, 2007 at noon. He has had multiple strep infections - last one was 2 weeks ago (he also was the youngest case of strep at his pediatrician's office ever at the tender age of 12 months), his tonsils were HUGE, he snored and woke frequently at night so we and his doctor decided it was best to take those suckers out! We were SO worried about the anesthesia and surgery to the point of nausea and sleepless nights but once again, Jack surprised us with his bravery and his ability to come out on top seemingly unscathed. He is resilient if nothing else. He also knows how to milk it but more on that later. :) Brent's mom (Great Momma) came in from Indiana just for Jack's surgery and to help out with Joe. Thank goodness she did because her help was so needed and invaluable. She took over with Joe so we could concentrate on Jack for a couple of nights following his surgery. He slept with us so we could keep a check on his fever and Great Momma took such tender loving care of Joe which he LOVED! We also loved having her here and wish she could come more often. It was also her Bday on Sunday the 7th so we had a mini-celebration with cake. Jack was awesome about not getting to eat or even take a sip of water for about 7 hours before surgery. He was scheduled at noon because they apparently take the youngest first at 7 am. If his surgery was at noon that tells you how many kids younger than him went first. He wasn't even considered young at 2 1/2 yrs old! He played in the surgery waiting/play room until it was time for his anesthesia. He cruised around inspecting everything and seemed to enjoy wearing a "dress" -LOL! They gave him a nose spray that was an anti-anxiety med and it was supposed to make him feel something like an adult would feel after 3-4 cocktails. He got really relaxed and happy. The anesthesiologist came to get him and Jack went with him willingly - I started to cry like a baby. We went to the waiting room to meet up with my mom and Vaughan (stepdad) then they and Brent went down to get lunch and coffee. I stayed in the waiting room not willing to budge an inch for fear Jack might need me. Literally, 5 minutes later Jack's doctor, Dr. Palmer came out to find us and my heart stopped. I thought something had gone wrong and he was coming to find me. I asked breathlessly, "what's wrong?" and he replied, "nothing, we're done and Jack did great!" Wow! The surgery was supposed to last 7 minutes, was scheduled for 15 not counting the time for anesthesia and here the doctor was 5 minutes later! We went in to see Jack in recovery within 15 minutes and once again my heart was pounding. I walked through the recovery room full of kids and scanned each bed not seeing Jack. Finally, as we approached the back of the room I saw a nurse standing holding a sweet little boy curled up in her arms stroking her hair. That was my Jack and that was how I knew he was okay - he loves to cuddle on me and play with my hair. The nurse said he never cried when he woke up, he just looked at her and reached up for her to pick him up. Awwwwww! She didn't want to hand him over to me but I was so anxious to hold him in my arms. He slept on me for about 20 minutes then he started to come to and he stood up, we put his clothes on and drank some water. He was cleared to go home, they loaded him up in the Red Wagon and gave him a ride downstairs to our waiting car. Once we got in the car Jack got a Get Well Wish from Miss Teen Hunt County, an autographed photo and a card handmade from a little boy named Daryl. Once home, within 2 hours of surgery Jack wanted to eat, he played outside in his baby pool and played on his swing set. He seemed remarkably well considering. Then, that night after all the drugs wore off he began to decline and start feeling pretty puny and running a fever. We let Jack keep his paci which otherwise is for "night night" only and it proved to be magical. As long as he has had his paci over the last few days, all is good. Now, 6 days later, he is doing great! He is eating pretty darn well, drinking well, sleeping well, no fever and I took him to speech therapy today. He does have this awful stink associated with the adenoid removal that is supposed to last for a couple of weeks and it is potent. We are glad the surgery is behind us and we have our sweet little boy back. Jack checking things out The cute yellow duck socks they gave him to wear

Jack showing off his cute bum

Jack and Daddy canoodling

Jack figuring out he likes the breeziness of a skirt - maybe a kilt is in his future

"I've got you now Dad"

Cool Man Jack

Jack right after his "anti-anxiety" nose spray

Grammy and Grandpap in the waiting area

Jack being discharged in the Red Wagon

Miss Teen Hunt County wishing Jack a speedy recovery

Jack playing in the yard 2 hours after surgery

Still lovin' that water, surgery or not Awwww....Life is good (still on drugs!)

A special delivery from Auntie Samantha for Jack

Jack lovin' on his zebra

Jack starting to feel a little puny

Jack DEFINITELY feeling puny now! He crashed on the living room floor

We had to celebrate Great Momma's Bday without Jack since he was passed out on the floor - he just could not stay up a moment later

Jack's Surgery :(

2007-10-03T20:52:00.001-07:00

Jack is having his tonsils and adenoids removed this Friday, October 5th at Cook Children's Hospital. We are SO nervous about the anethesia and surgery. Any of you out there who pray much, please add Jack to your prayer list. Brent's mom is flying in for Jack's surgery and to help with anything we need (like Joe!) which is SOOOOOOOOOOO great of her. We'll of course keep you all updated with how the surgery went when it's all over with. Prayers, prayers, prayers!

Indiana

2007-10-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

We went to Indiana a couple of weeks ago to visit Brent's family and to go to the wedding of a college buddy of Brent's in Louisville, Kentucky (about an hour and a half from Brent's hometown of Greensburg, IN). We decided to drive the approx. 15 hours with both boys STRAIGHT through! Crazy, I know. We rented a minivan so we could fit comfortably with the kids and all our gear and we ended up really liking that minivan (never thought that would happen). :) Jack was awesome and stayed entertained with his books and his mini dvd player. Joe, however, HATED the long stretches in the car seat. Everytime we stopped to stretch and change diapers he screamed and cried when put back in his car seat. He figured it out quick. Once we finally got to Indiana we had such a wonderful visit. We stayed at Brent's family home with his parents (Bill and Sally aka Boppo and Great Momma) and got to see much of his family and friends including Auntie Samantha, Uncle Bryan & Auntie Jenny, Uncle Will, Auntie Jenny Anne, Uncle Bill & Aunt Ginny, Bill & Lynda Smith and their daughter Anne. The Smiths are the oldest and closest friends of Brent's parents and they along with their kids Chris, his wife Caroline and Anne come over every Christmas Eve to have a special Christmas get together. We took Jack over to see the goats at Uncle Bryan and Auntie Jenny's house and he got to feed them. He also thoroughly enjoyed chasing one of the many farm kitties around. Uncle Will was staying at the farm for a spell while working on one of his big movie projects - Brent's brother Will works on computer graphic scenes for most of the Hollywood movies you've seen. I know I'm not describing his job accurately but nonetheless, we are proud of him. Uncle Bryan and Auntie Jenny are expecting a baby in April, only one day off from Joe's original due date of April 17th! How cool is that?! Auntie Jenny looks BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Auntie Jenny Anne and her husband Mike just got a horse which we did not get to see this time around but next time I know Jack will want to ride that horse. Auntie Manta (i.e. Samantha) graciously drove in from Indianapolis (45 minute drive) upon her very recent return from a work trip to Hawaii just to see us. She got to play a lot with Jack which he LOVED! Auntie Manta is very good at pretend play and keeps up a very good dialogue with Jack. A few days into our visit we left for Louisville, KY for Brent's friend's wedding. Boppo and Great Momma came with us to watch the kids so Brent and I could have sort of a date night - actually two since we went to the rehearsal dinner the night before. They got a hotel room adjoining ours and it worked out beautifully. We stayed at the historic Seelbach Hilton in downtown Louisville which apparently is where they filmed the Great Gatsby. Boppo sort of took over with Jack and Great Momma got a lot of special bonding time with Joe. It worked out so well and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. While in Louisville, we of course had to visit the Louisville Slugger Museum and got the kids tshirts (no bats yet). We also went to Kids Science Museum which wasn't very impressive but we still had loads of fun being together. This was a trip we have never taken - we always go to Indiana during Christmas and the 4th of July but we've never gone during the Fall. We had such a great visit as you will see from the photos. I took so many more than this and it was hard to narrow it down. We can't wait to go back for Christmas!

Great Momma and Joe

Jack "The Thinker"

Joe hammin' it up as usual

Auntie Manta playing with JackThe Robbins' Family Farm - a painting The Family Farm - Hoosier Homestead Farm (Brent's Grandfather Hunter Robbins was born in a bedroom upstairs in the house on this farm) Wildflower The Hog Barns John Deere

Uncle Will working with his massive computer screens! Uncle Will's Hummer

Daddy, Jack and Uncle Bryan feeding the goats

Daddy and Jack feeding the goats some more

Joe and Mommy with the corn fields in the background

Mommy, Joe, Jack and Daddy on the porch at the affectionately known "Big House"

The Robbins' Family Farm Home (aka "The Big House") - a painting

The road to Brent's house on North County Road

More North County Road

The old barn next to Brent's family home - it's about to be torn down for an as of yet unknown structure

The Louisville Slugger Museum - Louisville, KY

Boppo and Great Momma playing with Joe at the Louisville Children's Science MuseumGreat Momma and Jack exploring at the Science Museum Joe and Boppo chillin' out with the lava lamps :)

Jack and Boppo exploring some more at the Science Museum

Mommy and Daddy on their date night out to Mike and Allison's Wedding - Louisville, KY

Jack and Joe helping Mommy blow out her Birthday candles

The infamous Tower Tree in downtown Greensburg, IN - the tree grows out of the top of the Greensburg Courthouse (hence Greensburg's nickname Tree City)

Sorry No Posts Lately

2007-10-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know that we have TONS of great pictures from our trip to Indiana but they were all taken on my new camera Brent gave me for my Bday and I accidentally left the mechanism needed to download the picts in Indiana. Brent's mom is bringing it with her tomorrow (Thursday) when she gets in town.

Just Some Random Shots

2007-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd share that Joe is not always a happy camper and he sure lets you know when he is not happy. Jack decided to plop down in Joe's Baby Bumbo Seat today - it's supposed to help Joe learn to sit on his own. I can't believe Jack could fit into it.

The Face of an Angel

2007-09-17T21:37:00.001-07:00

I bought this "pool" on sale at Target for $15 - all the summer stuff was on closeout. It was really too babyish for Jack but we pulled it out anyway so he could enjoy these last beautiful summer like days. Jack truly has the face of an angel and he reminds us daily just by looking into his eyes that there is indeed a God!