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!