Santa Encounter

Tonight was our ward Christmas party. We waited in line to see Santa for about 20 minutes. When we got close enough to see him, Addy broke out a huge smile. Even though it was not her turn, she walked past two hesitating children and hopped on Santa's lap. Boston did not share her enthusiasm for the jolly fellow. Afterward she told me she asked for a little Sleeping Beauty, a little Sleeping Beauty, and a little people. I just hope Santa can find us all the way across the country!

Preparations For Christmas

When have been busy lately getting the house ready for Christmas and making gifts. After we told Addy about the stockings we place by the fireplace for Santa, she had to try them on. The other pics are of the kids playing in a box filled with packing peanuts. I still have not figured out why we buy them real presents when they like the packing more.

I am in love with felt play food right now. It is so easy to make and so cute. I think I like it more than Addy does. I have made fortune cookies, chocolate-chip and sugar cookies, cinnamon rolls, and I am currently working on a sandwich and potato chips.

These are Black Apple dolls from Martha Stewart's website. http://www.marthastewart.com/article/black-apple-doll?lnc=38f9cf380e1dd010VgnVCM1000005b09a00aRCRD&rsc=showmain_tv_the-martha-stewart-show

Christmas Card

I finished and ordered our Christmas cards. Tyler's sister, Heather took the pictures this fall. Her website is heatherlabauphotography.com. If you would like a real copy of the card just e-mail your address to my at trobb4@gmail.com.

We went to Dairy Queen for FHE tonight. Boston is developing so many new talents. Even with both hands full, he found a way to lick the last drop of ice cream off another spoon. As his parents, we could not be more proud of our little man.

Halloween

I mixed up the pictures so the Halloween ones are last. I made some felt chocolate chip cookies for Addy from craftpad website (http://www.craftpad.com/). She spent all morning mixing and baking cookies for Boston and I.

He likes to help me do the dishes.


I know that you are all thinking, "Addy was a chicken last year!" We have talked for two months about the fact that she was going to be a fairy princess for Halloween. She even wore her costume into Old Navy last Saturday so we could get a free shirt. She decided minutes before we left to go trick-or-treating that the fairy was too sparkly. So, she was a chicken again. Boston had this look on his face all night that seemed to say, "I look like a dork. Why do I have to wear this stupid hat?"

The Top Ten Things I Miss about Ohio

I think about Ohio almost everyday. I do not know if anyone else out there is having the same problem. I have to tell myself not to talk about Ohio all the time. It is not a good strategy to make new friends by talking about your old life. Here it is the things I miss the most, not in any specific order.

10- Meijer, Target, the mall, Once Upon a Child, etc. We live in the sticks there is no where (besides Walmart) to buy anything besides food.
9 - The rain. I even miss the rainy, dreary days. The sun shines all the time here which is great, but change is nice too. It rained last week and I felt so homesick for Ohio.
8 - Along with the rain, I miss the trees and everything green. Idaho is beautiful, but it is a different kind of beauty.
7 - football games. They were always a good reason to hang out with friends, even if it is mainly the guys hobby.
6 - the student ward. Wasn't it great to have everyone in the same situation as you. Anyone in the ward could have been our best friends.
5 - public library. Story time just is not the same and selection, well it is a little slim.
4 - Jeffersonville. This needs no explanation.
3 - Lunches with the girls. Most people here have three, four, or five kids. They do not have time or the patience for lunch get-togethers.
2 - My job. Yep, there is nothing around here that is as intense and rewarding as the PICU.
1 - Most of all I miss our friends who were our family for the four years we lived there. I feel like there is such a void in my life right now. (Insert tears here) Even though we plan to live here for the rest of our lives, I am afraid that Ohio will always be thought of as home.

New House

We have internet access again! I feels great to be able to check my e-mail and read up on all of the blogs that I have not been able to see for so long. Here are a bunch of random pictures from our lives.

We are so blessed to have our new home. It seems that the downturn in the housing market that made us lose so much sleep in Ohio helped us out in Idaho. We were in the right place and the right time to snatch up this place.

She told me "Like Cinderella, mom." The princess in her new room
My favorite room in the house, a kitchen big enough for me and the kids.

She fell and scraped her hands on the asphalt at the park yesterday. She screamed every time that she tried to use them. I was afraid she was going to starve to death because she could not get anything into her mouth without using her hands. Life was better this morning, she did eat her cereal without complaint.

The kiddos at our community pool

Helping Dad dig a hole for a tree in the backyard
The "toy room"

Miss Independence

A is starting to show her age. She now demands to do everything possible by herself. She puts on her own shoes, usually on the wrong feet, and she spread jam on her roll tonight at dinner. In this picture she put her own underwear on. I could not see that she was wearing any, but she sternly pointed out to me that she was.

Sorry to all readers (If there is anyone left who checks our blog). We do not have Internet access at our house yet. The computer just made it out the the box a few days ago. Hopefully someday (maybe after a few more paychecks) we will again be connected with the rest of the world! Then I can post some new pics.

Since I cannot show you any pictures, I will try to discribe what the kiddos look like these days. A's arms and legs and covered with mosquito bites or the scars from her scratching at them. Her parents always forget the bug spray. They do not have mosquitos in Ohio. B cannot hold still long enough to have his picture taken. His new trick is to let go of the couch and bounce a few times before sitting on the ground and crawling for what he wants. We are expecting him to take off walking any day now. Tyler has tear-stained cheeks from not being in the Shoe for Ohio State's season opener.

The Madness!

We closed on our house on the 21st of July. It seems like we spend all of our awake and not at work time there, but we are still not living there. Hopefully sometime next week we can offically move in. At some point after that we will get internet access so I can post some new pics of the kiddos.

A's current favorite prase is "Mommy mine's!" B has learned to pull himself up on everything. There is no longer any place to put her toys where he cannot reach them.

We also have a new address and phone numbers. If you are trying to contact us, e-mail me.

Update

Tyler is working five days a week now at three different offices. He enjoys completing dental work without the red tape and slow pace of the dental school. We bought our second home on Thursday. Construction had never been completed on the house. It is missing toilets, sink, and faucets and the wood floors have not been finished. Tyler has been spending all of his spare time finishing the place. The kids have enjoyed living so much closer to their grandparents and cousins. They seem to be growing up so much since we left Ohio.

HELP!

Somehow I deleted the list of my favorite blogs! Please leave a comment or send me an e-mail at trobb4@gmail.com giving me your blog address. Thanks in advance!

We are in contract!!!

We closed on our condo this week and put in an offer on this house. Our offer was really low, but they accepted it! We will close next month.

We closed on our condo

Sleep

It seems like no one has been able to get any sleep since we left Columbus. A has started having nightmares and B wakes up every two hours a night just to be reassured that we are still there.



The caption for this pic, "The big bed is too hard. The little bed is too soft. I'll just sleep on the floor!"



This is what I woke up to a few days ago. He has been sleeping on the floor in the closet because he refuses to sleep in his crib. Who knew he could crawl?

In case the round face, dimples, and chubby cheeks were not enough evidence to prove that A is Tyler's daughter, here is one more piece.

Starting Over

A is adjusting well. She has already met some new country friends.


and has developed some quirky new hobbies.

Saying Goodbye

We had so many great friends (practically family) in Columbus that we had a really hard time saying goodbye. Here are a few of the departing pics that we snagged.



Yep, our junk filled up the whole truck!

Graduation

I know that this is old news by now, but, I wanted to share some pictures of Tyler at his graduation from The Ohio State School of Dentistry.



Four years of syllabi and paperwork

Idaho... or bust

After two CRAZY days of packing, three flights for the kids and I, and five long days of driving for Tyler; we, and all of our belongings, arrived in Idaho. We are staying with Tyler's parents while we look for a house. I have not figured out the wireless internet here yet. Don't give up on our blog yet. Someday I will find the box that the wireless router is hid in. Or, maybe we will find a home so we can unpack that mountain of boxes!

Reality Finally Catching Up with Me

We picked up the moving truck on Saturday. A thought it was a new toy. She frequently talks about the "yellow truck." This is her waving good-bye to Columbus. She has no idea the world she knows is going to be turned upside down.

"Cannies!"

It seems like the blog is now dedicated to telling stories about A in her toddler bed. We thought that she was just taking a really long nap, but when I went up to get her she was so excited to tell me about the "cannies" she had eaten. (a half bag of cough drops)

We have been so busy this past month that I have not even taken the time to post anything. Our lives are changing very quickly all of the sudden. Tyler took his dental licensure board exam last week. He has also found jobs in Fruitland and Weiser, Idaho. We are packing everything we own and leaving Columbus in two weeks! Columbus has been our home for the last four years. We are already missing our friends who have been our family while we have lived here.

Hanging out with the girls!

Playing babies with her best friend.
It has been cold lately, so we have been playing inside a lot. This is her "blinky tunnel". She played inside it for hours.

New Bed!

We bought this bed from our friends at last week's garage sale. It has been her new toy. She loves to play in it. The best part of this picture is that she is actually reaching her hand into the back of her diaper. Right after I took this picture she showed me her hand that was covered with the contents of her diaper and asked, "What's that, mommy?"

Waiting for Dad

Pictures

Here are a bunch of pictures that I thought were fun:

A was having a difficult time falling asleep, so Tyler volunteered to lay down by her so she would fall asleep. A came down stairs a few minutes later and this is where I found Tyler. Completely out with A's blanket over his eyes.


She figured out how to move the step stool this week and now there is no place in the kitchen that is out of her reach. Eveything seems to be just a little bit stickier too.
I caught this pic of the kids playing together this week. They are getting so cute together! He loves just to sit there and watch her and she likes to bring him toys to make, "Baba happy". This pictures also accutates his bald spot, which has grown to cover most of the back of his head, very nicely.

Like Father, Like Daughter