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!