It's Christmas - again!

Our kids are so very fortunate! They are able to extend the Christmas season - due to the fact that they get Christmas in two different houses! This year, they were at their dad's for Christmas, so we celebrated a delayed Christmas with them when they returned on Sunday evening! As with any kids, they were so excited and anxious. They kept asking "When are we having Christmas at home?" I think they were hoping to have it before they went to their dad's, but with the weather how it was here, we decided to wait until after (secretly hoping that the roads would not permit us to travel so the kids would then be home for Christmas). And by the looks on Tommy's and Ryan's faces, they weren't very disappointed this year....

Tyler and Wendy were equally as pleased (maybe they were just happy to be back at home)!

He's off to be a missionary....

Two weeks ago, we had the privilege (?) of taking Steve to the MTC. What an experience! The only thing I could think about was I don't know how my parents did that five times over! I also thought of my oldest brother and how fortunate for him that he only had to go through it once (he did take my parents to the MTC, but I would like to think that was completely different)! I think I was so overwhelmed, because I have only had Steve in my house for three and a half years, and it was hard enough; I can't imagine how difficult it is when you raise them from the beginning!

We were able to get one last photo of all the kids before heading to the airport..

Steve's friends went to the airport with us to say goodbye. What a crazy bunch of kids! And since our flight was delayed, they were able to stick around and keep Steve entertained (Monique and I would have just irritated him).

Wednesday morning, you could see the anxiety setting in. It's interesting how much somebody's eyes can actually reveal! Steve really wasn't saying very much, but his eyes spoke volumes - nervousness, excitement, apprehension. Another small blessing - Steve was able to meet up with his friend Adam that was going to BYU! Again, less time for Monique and I to totally irritate him!

And after a very quick and emotion filled hour, we said our goodbyes. We are anxious to hear of Steve's new "adventures" and of the growth and changes that will take place in his life.

Het beste Steve! We love you!

Christmas Decorating help....

Monique has been decorating for Christmas the last couple of days. The excitement is filling the air at the Robinson-Sticht house! It's amazing how many kids offer to help when they see the Christmas stuff brought out! And, just like every year, the kids are told not to touch 'Monique's' tree (she does one tree with Delft's Blue ornaments from Holland). Last night, there was one helper that just wouldn't listen. He was bound and determined to help.......

Scooter must have put in a lot of hard work - he looks exhausted!

We're just wondering how long the tree will actually stay standing (no, this is not Monique's tree! That cat would no longer be living if it was).

Student of the Quarter....

Well, somehow, Wendy has once again managed to buffalo a few of her teachers at school. For some reason, they are under the impression that she is an incredible student and nominated her to be a "Student of the Quarter" at jr. high. We received a letter in the mail a couple of weeks ago advising us of this. We were to "honor" Wendy by going to a breakfast at her school at 6:30 A.M. - (yes, in the wee dark hours of the morning)!

Congratulations Wendy! Job well done! We are proud of you!

Happy Birthday Tommy!!

Today was Tommy's 13th birthday! As always, the day started bright and early with the ever so incredible Sticht Family Robinson Choir bursting into his room singing the Happy Birthday Song!! That should have been birthday present enough! But, like any other 13 year old (I'm assuming this is the case, anyway) he wanted more! No, not more singing, but actual presents! Tommy is our 'poky little puppy' - he usually doesn't get in too big of a hurry to do anything. This includes reading birthday cards in the early hours of the morning! This drives the older kids crazy (okay, it drives me a little crazy too). Finally, onto the presents - a book (why would we give him a book?), AXE body spray (which was sprayed on heavy enough to be enjoyed by everyone at school) and instead of a Tickle Me Elmo, or even a Barbie, he thought he needed an air soft pellet gun (egad, we actually caved in and got one for him). The day could not have started better (all because of the serenading)! But wait! He then got to go to school, to wrestling practice, and then a scout campout! And since it was his birthday, I didn't even harp on him about homework (that can wait until tomorrow)!

Tommy, you're a great kid! You are very concerned about how other people are doing, or will handle certain situations. I admire how thoughtful you are towards others. I appreciate your sense of adventure and willingness to try things, even if they tend to be scary at first, or foods that nobody else in their right minds would eat!

Yes, this was some sort of gross looking sushi (sashimi or whatever) that Tommy thought he needed to try. His comment, "it's not too bad"!

Happy Birthday Tommy! We love you!

(Mikki, the paint splotches in the background of the first photo - just think of them as shadow puppets!)

Veteran's Day, Camping and Tow Trucks.....

Ah Veteran's Day in the Pacific Northwest! What a beautiful time of year - moderate temperatures, rain, rain, and rain. Did I mention that we just had a "pineapple express"? (The "Pineapple Express" is when we have a weather system that has its origins from the Hawaiian tropics. These tend to be the wettest-type of storms we get around here -- bringing between 1-2" of rain per day for Seattle and much more near the mountains -- as it has an abundance of warm, tropical moisture.)

With weather like this, why not go camping? Especially since there was no school on Veteran's Day! This is the plan that Steve and a few of his friends came up with. No worries, as they have done this numerous times without reason to be concerned. Have fun and be careful, along with my usual advice "remember who you are and wear clean underwear"!

And fun they did have! Mission accomplished! Now to get home. Hey! Where's my car? Didn't we leave the car right over there?

The car got towed (and the reason is unclear - there were no private property signs or no parking signs) and it was slightly more than 50 bucks to get the car back. We are still questioning if the car was worth that much. It's a '94 Dodge Neon, afterall!

Costume Dilemma Solved.....

Friday afternoon, we were able to solve our Halloween Costume Dilemma! Monique came up with quite a few ideas (mine were a little too suggestive and quickly shot down by Monique). Some friends of ours, that were going to the same party, wanted us to dress up like them and go as hippies. This was something that we both agreed on (some what). We went looking for "hippie" stuff Friday, and we must have been shopping in the wrong stores (not to mention the wrong era), as we could not find "hippie" things! Now on to plan "M" at this point....what to dress up as. Wandering through the aisles of the Dollar Store, Monique had a brilliant idea! Now, how to implement the idea. As they say, two heads are better than one - we were able to figure out how to pull this idea off. We were able to get everything that we wanted for both costumes for less than $13!! Once home, the assembly took about an hour for both. The kids thought we looked like dorks, and gave the impression that no way would they be caught wearing something like this. We went as 'showers'!

We received several compliments on our costumes (positive compliments, no less)! I believe that the kids are still traumatized by this. But hey, we can't all go as 'Power Rangers' as Steve and Jon did (and these were a lot more comfortable)!

P.S. Yes, Mikki, there is a reindeer and an amaryllis plant in the background. And yes, they have both been around as long as the snowmen in photos from previous posts. You can't say that we aren't planning ahead on holiday decorating!

Halloween Costume Dilemma......

Halloween is fast approaching. This holiday (?) really wasn't that big of an issue for me, except for the past few years. The reason being, the ward trunk-or-treat party, as well as another BIG party that we are usually invited to, which necessitates dressing up. Herein lies the dilemma .....what to dress up as! I'm sure it's the same for everyone - one needs to be somewhat clever, yet be comfortable and still not look like a complete dork - all this while keeping a budget in mind!

But, thanks to having kids of all ages in the house, one option was quickly eliminated, thus narrowing down the prospects of Halloween costumes. In case others are experiencing the same dilemma, here is a request on what not to wear.....

But hey! They did get these on clearance - too bad it was in the kids section! (Be grateful I'm sparing you from the back view - hysterical, but not pretty!)

Happy Birthday Wendy!!!!

Today Wendy is celebrating her 15th Birthday! Congratulations Wendy!

Even though, I have only celebrated the past few birthdays with Wendy, I am very impressed with how she has matured and the young woman that she is becoming. It has been interesting to see the changes over the past couple of years. Even though we refer to her as "Whirlwind Wendy", life would certainly not be the same without her. She definitely adds a lot to our family. It helps that she can laugh at herself with the humor that she provides to us (which happens frequently (even though I am forbidden from calling her a blonde - as she has several blonde moments)). Wendy is involved in many things (like her mom - she doesn't like life to pass her by). Wendy, you are amazing and I am blessed to have you in my family!

Here are some photos of Wendy over the last few years.....

Oct. 2005 - Oct. 2006

Oct. 2007 - Oct. 2008

Wendy - here's to you! Happy Birthday!

Love you!!!

Snowbird.........

Ah – Snowbird! It was the destination of our week long trip to Utah at the beginning of the month. What is in store for us? What is there to do? Who all are we going to see? Do I have to do homework while we are gone? These are some of the questions that were posed while making preparations for the vacation (?).
We began our delayed journey on Fri. the 3rd (keep in mind, this is also the day that we took Scooter to the vet with a broken leg, and also the infamous day of the security system trial run). When a vacation starts out like this, what more fun is there to be had?! We managed to make it to Jerome about 2:00 am to spend the rest of the dark hours at my parents’ house (they were already in UT). The anticipation must have been too much, as Tommy & Ryan were awake by 9:00 am and felt the need to make sure Monique & I were also awake. They and the two girls (Wendy and her friend Camille) managed to find some breakfast. First they found my dad’s Klondike Bars and thought that would make a great breakfast – an idea that I quickly nixed. Cereal was a much better option! After another few hours, a longer than necessary potty break (thanks Ryan!) and a torrential downpour, we finally made it to Salt Lake City! We had a quick lunch at Wendy's with these four little characters....

And then finally arrived at our home for the week! Mom & Dad Robinson were able to join us for a couple of days, and we all had a great time. Thanks Mom & Dad for all of the great food!

The kids did have a great time (and so did we). Very relaxing. The kids enjoyed the swimming pool, the game room, sleeping in, and the hottub on the balcony. We ate, slept, shopped, went to the planetarium, visisted with friends, rode the tram and had a great time.

After the fun-filled week, we were able to experience the first snow storm of the year. Just after crossing the UT-ID border, we were in the middle of the storm - cars were off the side of the road everywhere! It wasn't until after we got back home that we found out the interstate was actually closed after we got through! Fortunately, my brother Lonnie had cheesecake for us when we got to his house!

Leaving home check list......

1. Activate security system. Check.

2. Instruct Tyler how to use system while we will be out of town. Check.

3. Give Tyler the password in case alarm goes off and security company calls. Check.

4. Inform neighbors they are listed as emergency contacts. Ummm... Check - after security company calls them when alarm goes off. Okay, maybe they should have been informed when the security system was first activated! Oops - guess we forgot!

5. Notify Tyler that the police have been dispatched since he didn't answer the security company's phone call, nor did the emergency contacts have the password when they were called. Check.

6. Find the humor in the situation and realize that information is a good thing. Check!

Okay, so we learned we could be better with passing on information while on our way to UT. A crash course on the security system was not a good idea. We do have this neat little remote to turn the alarm on and off, which we thought would make it a lot easier for Tyler. While we were picking up Scooter from the vet, Tyler mentioned that he set the alarm when he left. When we got home, however, the system was not set. So, being the clever person that I am, I set it when we left that afternoon. When Tyler came back home, the remote did not turn the alarm off and this set off a series of events - the alarm blarring and making the neighbor's dog bark, which made them curious as to what was going on. Since the alarm was so loud, Tyler was outside calling us on his cell phone when the security company called on the house phone, which resulted in Tyler missing that call. The other neighbors were then called, only we had failed to inform them that we listed them as emergency contacts. They ran down the street to make sure everything was okay, but as mentioned, we did not give them the password, so the police were dispatched! Quite an exciting evening at our house, and Monique and I weren't even home to enjoy it!

Scooter Magoo.....

Okay, so we were getting ready the first part of October to take the kids to Utah for a week. In the midst of getting ready to go and still trudging through the normal daily routine, Tommy calls me at work one morning and asks, "What is wrong with Scooter?". Apparently, Scooter was limping and not moving around very well. When I got home that evening, I noticed what Tommy failed to mention - Scooter's front leg had a very curious bend to it that was not normal. Friday morning (Oct. 3rd - the day we were to leave for UT), I took Scooter to the vet. After hours and hours and x-rays, it was determined that Scooter broke his leg - both bones at the growth plate! We still don't have a clue as to how this happened. Our options were: 1. to have surgery or 2. to set it and cast it (the cheaper option according to the vet). While Monique and I were discussing this, the vet called back and said he spoke with an orthopedic specialist (do they really have such things for animals?) and he said Scooter was too young and the bones were too small to try putting pins in and correcting this. The cheaper option won out! (I'd hate to think how much the more expensive option would have cost - especially after getting the bill for the cheaper one!). Our departure was delayed about an hour and a half and Scooter came home looking like this.....

He gets to wear the cast for about two weeks (if I remember correctly from the fog I was in with everything going on at the time). He still gets around extremely well, dragging his cast along behind him. He, somehow, is even able to climb up on the couch and also on the cat tower!

Bottoms up to the winners.....

Wendy has been having a series of tests done this week. For nearly a year, she has been dealing with stomach pains, and has been to the specialist numerous times trying to determine what is going on. In May, she had an endoscopy - nothing to worry about there. Later this summer, she had a fructose test done and some other test (I can't remember just what right now) - again, nothing to worry about as everything came back normal. Tuesday, she had some tests done to check her gall bladder and today, she is the lucky recipient of a colonoscopy! It has not been the most pleasant couple of days for her (we have still managed to find some humor in it while still being sympathetic to what she's going through). Yesterday she was on a clear liquid diet, and also had to drink magnesium citrate - lemon flavored (she couldn't have anything red or purple, so that eliminated her choices of cherry or grape flavoring). She refused to take a second dose last night. Her reasoning was, "I'm already peeing out of my butt hole! I shouldn't need to take anymore!" I guess she has a point there. (We do feel bad for her - no 14 yr old should have to go through so much, especially some of these things that can be so humiliating and embarrassing - particularly at that age). So, to Wendy and her colonoscopy - bottoms up!

And the winners are... Tommy had his first flag football game on Tuesday afternoon. He was so excited about this. On Monday evening, he was going on and on about how his team was going to totally kick some butt. As it turned out, his team did win! Congrats Tommy on your teams first win! Bottoms up!

Front Yard Makeover.....

Well, thanks to our neighbors John & Lynnette, our front yard has received a makeover. The sod that was originally put down was not very good, and no matter how much weed & feed and watering was done, the lawn still looked quite sad. Lynnette did some research and found some type of grass that would do extremely well in this part of the country. Last week, they rented a rototiller and John found that it was much easier to go all the way across our front yard as well, instead of trying to stop and turn around half way across (it was previously agreed that we would participate in the yard makeover). And wearing a neck brace DOES have its advantages, as they took pity on me and restricted me from doing too much of the work! So, here are the before (above) and after (below) pictures of our front yard makeover....(maybe this will make our Gladys Kravitz nosy, wench of neighbor a little bit happy)!


But, riddle me this...

Why is it that the tree in our front yard can look like this...


And the neighbors across the street have a tree that looks like this?...


I'm having a problem understanding this!

Happy 19th Birthday, Steve!

Today Steve is 19! It's funny to see, that as the kids get older, they still enjoy the old traditions. When the kids were tiny, Monique began their birthday by waking them up early in the morning, singing Happy Birthday and opening presents (her take on it is, it's your birthday the entire day - why wait?! She thinks everyone in Holland does this, too). Yesterday evening, we took Steve (and his friend Jon) out to dinner for his birthday. We went to a Mexican restaurant - Mazatlan. Again this is a tradition of Steve's. When I asked the other day where he wanted to go for dinner, his reply was, "Mazatalan! That's where I always go for my birthday"! Later he was going to watch a movie at Jon's, but was definitely going to be home so we could wake him up this morning! Now seriously, what 19 year old would really want the family to wake him up at 5:00 am singing to him?! And of course, we couldn't disappoint him.




We did birthday cake last night too (the kids will be leaving this afternoon to spend the weekend with their dad). It's amazing how bright a cake can be with only 19 candles! What is even more amazing, is how smoky it can be when the 19 candles are blown out! I hate to think how much smoke there is when there are 40 + candles to be blown out (maybe that is why we don't have any of those pictures).

I Hope They Call Me on a Mission.......

Well, it came today! Steve's mission call. I think we have all been waiting on pins and needles hoping and praying for his mission call to come. When it didn't come over the weekend, Monique was a little put off thinking that she would need to wait for another week. Today, we both had the thought, that since Monique's pay stub wasn't in the mail on Saturday, that maybe Steve's mission call would have been there too! This afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised when I checked the mail and found the "big, white envelope"!. I immediately called Monique and said, "I think his mission call is here! How close are you to being home? Should I give it to him, or not say anything and wait?" We agreed to wait at least until Monique got home. We did call Jon (Steve's friend) and had him come right over. When we told Steve his call was here, he decided to call a couple more friends to come over (including Alex, a non-member friend). We each had to guess a state and a country that we thought Steve might be called to. Finally, Steve opened the envelope and read that he had been called to serve in the Belgium Brussels/Netherlands Mission! What?! No way - certainly he couldn't be called to where his mom grew up and where I served my mission! Surely they wouldn't call him to a mission where he has so much family living! But, he is, indeed, going to serve in this mission and will learn his mother's native tongue! The ironic thing is, when Steve was younger and needed speech therapy, they told Monique not to teach him Dutch - now he will learn it! He will report to the MTC on Dec 17th!

The Nightmares Continue......

Okay, you would think that after being out of school for 20 + years, that I would no longer be traumatized by certain school things, namely band. Horrid flashbacks came back to mind earlier in the week when Ryan brought home paperwork to be in the 5th grade band. The worst part was when he indicated what instrument he was interested in playing. I asked him about other instruments, but to no avail. He had his mind made up. I was holding out some hope that his band teacher would have him play something different, but when another paper came home, it also had his instrument of choice written down. So, this morning, we went to the music store to pick up the instrument that he will be lugging around and tormenting and torturing the rest of the family with. And with our luck, he will become quite proficient and we will have to endure years and years of Ryan's entertainment.

Calling Caleb....

The other evening, my sister and I were playing phone tag. When it was my turn to tag her, Caleb, her six year old, answered the phone. Here is how the conversation went:

UD (Uncle Doug): What are you doing?
C (Caleb): I was on my way to play Star Wars Lego's, but got interrupted by the phone ringing!
UD: Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt (note to self, try not to call Caleb when he is trying to do something).
C: Hey, I know who you are!
UD: Really?! Who am I?
C: Umm, Umm, ... you're Uncle Wally!
UD: ummm, nope! I'm not Uncle Wally.
C: But I know who you are! You are.. umm, umm, Uncle Alan!
UD: Nope!
C: But I know who you are!
UD: then who am I, if you really know who I am?!
C: Umm, Umm....
UD: I'm Uncle Doug!
C: Uncle Duck - I knew who you were! Laura said she used to call you "Uncle Duck"!
UD: I'm sure she did! Is Jillea home?
C: Not right now, she's at a meeting.
UD: Will you please let her know that I called?
C: I can't! I'll be in bed when she gets home!
UD: Okay! I'll just call her later then!
C: Maybe you should call tomorrow. Do you know when I get out of school?
UD: Probably about 3:00 or 3:30.
C: Maybe you should call about 10 or 15 minutes after that, 'cause then I'll be home!
UD: Okay! Have fun playing Lego's Star Wars Caleb!
C: It's not Lego's Star Wars - it's Star Wars Lego's!
UD: Sorry! Have fun playing Stars War Lego's (another note to self, get the names of things correct the first time).
If anybody needs to be entertained, just call Caleb for a few minutes. That should do the trick!

Thursday evening wakeboarding....

The Egbert's called this evening inviting the kids to go wake boarding on a local lake. Of course, Wendy, Tommy and Ryan would not pass up this opportunity. We were all invited to go, but as Monique was not yet home from work, she opted to come home where it was quiet to relax. Steve, at 18, can very seldom do things with the family and Tyler was with some friends and felt a little rusty on the wake board, as he has not been out very much doing it this summer. I was able to go along for the ride (only the ride!). The kids made sure I was taking it easy with the neck brace and all. They had a great time out on the lake. Tommy, in his eagerness, mentioned that maybe next year, they can get me out on the water and teach me how to wake board. Wendy quickly deflated all hopes by saying, "You'll probably break something!" It really didn't help when we got home and Monique made a comment along those same lines (she did clarify by saying that in four years I have only broken my knee cap and then the surgery for my neck (like that makes it all better)).

It's been confirmed.....

For those of you that have been thinking this for years, it has been medically confirmed - I have a screw loose! Hence the reasoning for getting to wear this lovely neck brace. For those that aren't aware, with the surgery that I had the end of July, they put a plate in my neck which is attached with four small screws. Apparently, the doctors were able to see that one of the screws had loosened on the x-ray from last week. I'm not exactly sure how wearing the neck brace is going to tighten the screw - maybe there are magical creatures living in the brace that can magnetically tighten things while I'm sleeping!

On a different note (yes, I'm trying to turn the subject away from me), last night, Monique and I took Tommy to WalMart to look for some cleats for football (he's playing flag football in 7th grade). While waiting for some assistance, we were reading the directions for forming his mouthguard. Part of what we read was "with one hand, hold the mouthguard in the boiling water for ..... seconds. (Use a second hand for an accurate count (yes, it really says this on the packaging)). At this point, my sarcastic self felt the need to explain to Tommy that this would be the second hand on a clock or watch. To this, his comment was, "Oh! that makes sense, I was going to use my other hand to count with!" (his second hand). We needed that little laugh!

My new LEAST favorite thing...

Well, I have found it - my new least favorite thing. No, it's not making school lunches. No, it's not playing ball with the dog. Nor is it even unclogging the toilet in the kids' bathroom. My new least favorite thing is the neck collar that I now get to sport around for the next six, yes SIX weeks! I met with the doctor on Tuesday for a follow up visit where they took x-rays, and I left thinking that everything was just fine. Late Friday afternoon, the dr's office called informing me that the dr wants me to wear this thing 24/7, and of course, they couldn't give me an answer as to why. We are suspecting that there was something on the x-ray that they didn't like, so they are having me wear this as a precaution. To answer any questions, yes, it is rather uncomfortable. Yes, I do sleep in it. Yes, I sweat profusely while wearing it. And no, Monique does not find it to be a turn on (I asked her if it would be more appealing if I wore my blue gym shorts and church socks with it). I didn't get a response!

1st day fo school (Wednesday)

Yesterday was the first day of school! What a happy day (at least for Monique and I)! And even though I'm sure the kids would deny it, there was excitement in the air emanating from them as well. After enjoying nice quiet mornings for most of the summer, I was able to experience the hustle/bustle of kids starting their day. Monique was patiently awaiting her turn to get ready for the day. Wendy asked the night before if I was going to fix breakfast for the first day of school. I laughed pretty hard over that one - guess it didn't happen. I did, however, make their lunches (and that is something I really don't care to do (I must admit, that Monique was going to make their lunches, but I told her I would do it)). I even made Steve's for work (what's one more when you're already doing it?)!

As you can tell, the expressions on their faces speak volumes: Tyler - Oh man! I can't believe I'm getting up this early to go to school. Wendy - Isn't this fun & exciting?! Tommy - yep - I'm a ladies man alright! Ryan - What? School? Today? Just kidding - I knew that! And of course, Sammy is once again left behind to hold the fort down.

All in all, it turned out to be a good day for all of them. Tyler's classes, even though they sound dumb, might turn out to be pretty cool (his words, not mine). Wendy was excited to start seminary and to be in the midst of everything again. Tommy has a locker this year, so it's all good! Ryan said his teacher is actually pretty cool! Do you think we can keep them this happy and excited all year?!

A little about us....

We became a family on July 16, 2005. Monique and the kids had been living in UT and I had been living in WA. I was impressed with my influence, as we are all living in WA now.
Steve is the oldest. He just graduated from high school this past spring. He is currently working and preparing for a mission. His main interests are his friends and their "adventures".
Tyler will be a junior in high school. He is trying to negotiate getting his drivers license, but so far, we are holding our ground until he gets his grades up.
Wendy is a freshman this year. She keeps everyone busy (understatement). She is co-editor of the yearbook this year, on two soccer teams, and so much more.
Tommy will be in 7th grade (first year at junior high). He loves scouting and is going to be on the football team at school.
Ryan is our 5th grader. He likes to do whatever the older boys are doing. But he's best at keeping everybody in line - this includes his teachers at school.
Monique works as a vocational rehabilitation counselor (development specialist is her real title). She absolutely loves her job. She teaches the 5 yr olds in primary.
I (Doug) do import/export logistics for one of the steamship lines at the Port of Tacoma.
Needless to say, with five kids, a dog and two cats, we are not lacking on things to do - just on things we would like to do!