Robinson Family

A peach!

2012-02-13T12:32:00.003-07:00

At my 1st doctors appointment the due date he gave me, and the # of weeks he told me didn't match up. I didn't put two and two together for a few weeks.

Last week I had another appointment and said, "You've got to get your ducks in a row doc!" So we concluded (after an ultrasound) that the due date he gave me was right, the # of weeks was wrong!

I'm 14 weeks now :) My sweet little babe is about the size of a peach. I wish it was much larger so I could justify all the extra weight that keeps appearing :(

I was miserably sick in the beginning, but am starting to feel more human now :) THANK YOU 2nd Trimester! I'm actually beginning to enjoy pregnancy a little bit! It seems like I've been much less stressed with baby #2, and more excited! It's nice not to worry so much, and just let it be!

We love you little peachy baby!

I just need . . .

2012-01-26T10:46:00.004-07:00

1st of all . . . I plan on updating our blog ASAP! I hate when I let it get so far behind!

Next of all, I NEED:

Summer to hurry here! I am so over winter this year!
Invisible people to come clean my house. I don't want to feel guilty or anything . . . :)
Energy . . . PLEASE! I feel like a bump on a log!
Wellness! I think we are finally (knock on wood) over all the sickness and misery lingering around. I just want to feel awesome!
Life to 'pause' when I need a nap!
Mostly, I need you all to know that the above 5 are because EVIE IS GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER!

We are super excited at the Robinson house! Braden has been wanting another baby FOREVER! I made the poor guy wait until I felt ready! And although Evie doesn't totally understand, she is very excited! She loooves babies. I know she will be extra helpful :)

We are expecting baby Robinson #2 to make his/her appearance in August. I am about 14 weeks, and hopefully can start feeling more like a human soon :)

My big girl!

2011-12-10T13:02:00.002-07:00

Can I just say, Evie is like a grown up girl these days! Everything about that girl just blows my mind! Her hair is SO long, when I pull on the curls her hair is to the middle of her back! WHAT!? She cooks food for us with her kitchen, we get pizza, drink refills, you name it! Just today I hung up a bird on the fridge that she made at story time . . . She's making crafts already!? We've gone to Jump N Jive about 4 times now, each time she gets a little more brave. Now, rather than sliding down the slides, she jumps from the top to the bottom. It scares me. She laughs her butt off. She sings "The wheels on the bus" like it's nobody's business! She memorized all the actions to "Catch a falling star". And last but not least, she had another evaluation recently, to make sure she's up to speed, and GUESS WHAT!? They told us that had Evie not been given a diagnoses of 'hearing loss' they would not be able to help us anymore, because she's doing so well! That tickles me to death! I'm so proud of my little miss! :)

Lexie's Pictures!

2011-11-22T18:26:00.002-07:00

My cousin, Lexie, asked me if I would take some senior pictures for her (she just GRADUATED!) yay :) So here are a few! I am NO professional, but we did have fun! Love ya Lex!

Like my mother does.

2011-11-17T18:35:00.003-07:00

I have a super amazing mom! I don't tell her NEARLY enough how much I appreciate her. She helped me SO much with Evie while I was working, and still does. I love how much she loves Evie. I love how thoughtful she is. I love how accepting she is of others. I love how she learns from the past. I love how she understands. She's such a sweetheart! I love you mom :)

I tried to post this song, but it was taking forever, so here is the link instead. To my sweet mom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX-04oKskFs

Rewind: Halloween!

2011-11-17T18:27:00.004-07:00

Evie was a little fairy for Halloween this year! We walked across the street and went to the 'Mayors Walk' around the Rec Center for 'trick or treating'. Evie had her head in her candy bucket the whole time, digging for more yummy treats! She didn't hardly look up!

Hopefully next year she'll be more into the dressing up thing, I had to wrangle this poor girl to get her in her costume!

Evie turns 2!!!!

2011-11-16T19:12:00.004-07:00

Each and every post about Evie I always have to say TIME is not on our side! Especially with a 2 year old! It's just FLYING by! Evie is such a sweetheart! We had a lot of fun with her party! I decided to do a 'Cookies and Milk' theme, because what 2 year old doesn't jump for cookies and milk! I know Eve does!

The week before Evie's party was HECTIC! I asked (FORCED) Braden to finish our dining room before the party, and when your house is going on 101 years old, it's not always as easy as it seems. We didn't quite finish, but at least it was somewhat presentable! :)

Evie LOVED having all the kids at our house! It was so packed, I just kept hoping everyone was comfortable! We've NEVER had that many people in our house, but it was so fun! I wish I would have taken more pictures! I didn't really slow down to think about it :) Thank goodness for the wonderful Jess! She snapped most of the pictures from Evie's party! I wasn't even thinking about it! THANKS JESS {have I told you, you're awesome!}

We just love Evie Grace to pieces! She's so smart, happy, loving and SWEET as a cookie! I know as soon as I press 'Publish Post', another year will have flown by and we'll be planning a 3rd birthday! SAD! So I am going to try and soak up every little moment!

I'll end with a little 'Evie-ism':

{Evie was in the tub: "HAAY, Baby! I'm in the bath . . . OKAAAY!?"}

Good Grief Child, YOU'RE ADORABLE!

My sweet 2 year old! Wait, WHAT!?

2011-11-04T20:16:00.003-06:00

First of all, I just have to say that time HAS to be going faster. I can't figure out how it's possible that I have a 2 year old 'baby' girl!

Evie Grace is just the sweetest little girl! She has the most tender and loving personality. There have been countless times where Braden and I simultaneously look at each other and say, "Evie is such a good girl!" She really is SO good! Let's not forget that she IS going to be 2 tomorrow, and we all know 2 year olds can be a handful - but really, she's good!

Lately Evie has been addicted to the TV! It's nice when I'm trying to get ready for the day, or clean, but she would honestly watch TV ALL day long if I let her! Literally the second she wakes up she says one of the following: "Monkey!" "Mickey Mickey Mouse!" "Waberry!" or "Bear!". These translate into Curious George, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Strawberry Shortcake, or Winnie the Pooh.

Evie also L.O.V.E.S. her babies! Which, contrary to popular belief, does not mean it's time for me to have another one . . . yet! :) We got her an American Girl Bitty Baby with the crib and high chair! I can't hardly wait until tomorrow to give it to her! It's killing me! She is so motherly and loves taking care of her babies. She even takes care of Braden and I. I'm telling you, she's that good!

Just a few other randoms about Evie @ 2 (for my own remembrance): She loves to color - especially with MARKERS, she is experimenting with more words and putting multiple together to express herself, we can usually get her to mimic anything we say, she loves her little friends - she's always talking about Kai Kai on her toy cell phone, she loves to get on facebook with me and look at pictures of her friends :), she knows every word of Baa Baa Black Sheep, Wheels on the Bus, and Old McDonald's Farm, she loves listening to nursery rhymes in the car, her ears have not changed over the past year!

Whew! Just love this little girl! Party pictures to come :)

Last Day

2011-09-29T20:09:00.007-06:00

Today was my last day working at Anadarko! It was kind of a hectic and bittersweet day, but now that it's all said and done I couldn't be happier! I'm so excited to be home with Evie! YAY!The office took me to lunch today and even showered me with gifts :) One of which was an awesome camera! Since Braden had class tonight, Evie and I went out and took some pictures with my new camera. Enjoy :)
Ahhhhh FREEDOM from work! LOL!

Update: We're still alive!

2011-09-04T14:12:00.004-06:00

I hate when I don't blog for so long! I forget everything! So I'll do my best to update for the past 2 months!

Evie has become seriously independent! There aren't many things she wan'ts help with anymore . . . especially things like playing in the pool @ the rec center, or at the park, which can be S.C.A.R.Y.
I QUIT MY JOB :) Well, I'm still working for a few more weeks - possibly months, but I did it! I'm so happy for myself, and more importantly EVIE! She needs me and I'm so happy I can be with her all the time now! :) :) :) :)
Braden got hired on with Anadarko Petroleum, and he really enjoys his job! We're so proud of him :) Such a good hubby & daddy!
We've been riding our bikes like crazy. Evie packs her babies, a movie, and her cell phone and she's good to ride in the trailer . . . as long as we make her think it was her idea! LOL
We took Evie to Seven Peaks in August and she had the time of her life! She went down at least 4 big slides with her daddy! She also LOVED the kiddie pools, they had so many little slides and fun things for her to play on. She wore herself right out - we had to make a bed out of one of the tubes for her to sleep on.
We also went to the Larsen Reunion the first weekend in Aug
ust. We all had a great time! Evie loved being outside so much, playing with her cousins, dressing up like a fairy, and painting!
And last, but not least - we're having mixed emotions about summer being over soon :( BUT at the same time - who doesn't LOVE everything about FALL {besides how many sticks fall from my trees and make my yard look trashy . . . boooo}.

{My Silly Girl}

{Where's Evie??}

{There she is :) She loves swimming @ the Rec Center - and playing in the lockers while I change! They are just her size!}

{Painting @ the Larsen Family Reunion - Evie's an artist!}

{Evie's new favorite thing - swimming in the backyard butt naked}

{Sleeping @ Seven Peaks in the tube}

{Evie loves dressing up lately. She put this shirt on of mine and I had to snap a picture because it looks like a formal gown LOL}

{And lastly, Evie is entering the terrible two stage! There are some days it makes me laugh, some days it makes cry, and some days it makes me crazy! But we sure do love her!}

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T13:38:00.003-06:00

Today I am especially proud to be an AMERICAN! There is just something about this holiday that leaves me on the verge of tears all day long! I feel so overwhelmingly BLESSED to live in this country, the BEAUTIFUL USA. I sat with Evie and some of our FAMILY @ the parade today watching the VETERANS drive by and all the American FLAGS. It seriously chokes me up! There are so many BRAVE men and women who fight for our FREEDOM on a daily basis - truly amazing.

THANK YOU!

I love this picture of Evie - it just screams FREEDOM to me! What an awesome thing it is to know that Evie can run, and play outside, and that she will always have place to call HOME!

We are so BLESSED! I could not ask for more!

Happy 4th of July 2011

Evie's 1st day of Nursery

2011-06-07T19:14:00.004-06:00

There she is :) There are SO many kids in our Nursery it's insane!

I can't believe my baby can go to nursery already! It was exciting, but SO sad! I felt like there were so many kids that no one would even notice Evie :( I went and checked on her 3 times! Once I went in because I couldn't stand looking @ her through the door {which was a bad idea - then she didn't want me to leave}. Evie is a good entertainer, and usually likes to 'mother' other kids her age. We think Evie is the greatest! This is the funnest age! Evie has been reading books to me, and teaching her dolls everything she knows! It's the sweetest thing! Love ya Eves!

Playing @ Grandma Jody's!

2011-05-28T11:39:00.002-06:00

{Evie and Kai Kai)

Can NOT WAIT until the weather gets warm more often! Evie LIVES for being outside! She will go knock on our door and beg me to take her outside! We spend hours strolling the neighborhoods around our house! We got her a baby stroller for her dolls and she absolutely loves taking them for walks! When I try to turn her around so we can head back home - she whips right back and keeps walking! I told my neighbor who had just witnessed her telling me what to do, "Evie thinks she's my mom!"

McDonalds!

2011-05-28T11:24:00.002-06:00

{Eve and cousin Chloe!}

{Weeee!}

We decided to go check out the new McDonalds play-place for lunch w/ my cousin Shellie and her girls. There were SO many people there! I didn't dare let Evie try out the new play-place because I was sure she'd get run over! So she stuck to the tree slide!

Softball Season

2011-05-28T11:06:00.003-06:00

{Evie and her Papa Robinson!}

This time last year, my sister-in-law, Deedra, and I were talking about how we couldn't wait for our tiny babies to be able to run around next year. NOW IT'S HERE! Crazy! Evie has so much fun cheering her daddy on at the games! She stands behind the fence and yells, "YAY!" and claps her little hands! It's so sweet! She claps for everyone! She does really well for the most part, until I took her to the park - then all she wanted to do was run back to the park!

Goofin!

2011-05-01T13:09:00.002-06:00

Braden played in the Ice Breaker Softball Tournament this weekend . . . and it SNOWED - so Evie and I only got to watch one game from the bleachers. The rest we sat in the truck! I was hoping Eve would take a nap, but instead she decided to be crazy! She was making me laugh so hard! She would climb up in her car seat and then jump down. She thought she was the funniest thing ever! Don't I have the cutest baby girl EVER :)

Easter Weekend

2011-05-01T12:50:00.004-06:00

{Eve in her pretty Easter dress with uncle Cy!}

For Easter this year we went camping with my family, and some family friends. We had a great time - Braden loves our little camper and jumps at any chance to use it! Evie was in heaven being outside for 2 whole days! She got to dig in the dirt and run wild an free!

On Sunday, we woke up early and came home so we could go to church. {We HAD to because Evie had the CUTEST Easter dress EVER}. Evie looked so cute @ church! She chews gum REALLY well, so we give it to her all the time. People were commenting how cute she looked in her dress just chewing her gum! She is getting so grown up! We just love her to pieces!

P.S. Next week Evie gets to go to nursery! YAY! I can't tell you how excited Braden and I are! We were saying this morning {while trying to get ready for church} how maybe we'll want to get up and be to church on time - knowing she will be able to go to nursery and we'll be able to listen to the lessons!

April 5th (Brade's B-day and Evie = 17months)

2011-04-15T12:12:00.005-06:00

Braden turned the big TWO FIVE this year, and on that same day, Evie turned 17 months! I love each of them SO SO SO much, and couldn't imagine life without them!

Braden and Evie have the sweetest bond with one another! Evie just loves her daddy - likewise, Braden would literally do anything for that little cutie! Don't worry, Evie exercises the power she has over him - she does the most adorable 'pouty face' and gets whatever she wants {That's my girl}!

Love them!

And might I add . . .

2011-03-22T17:49:00.003-06:00

Evie had another little evaluation last Friday and is about where the average 20 month old should be (She is 16 months)! WahO0o! This is extra exciting for us, because it would be normal for Evie to be behind (with her hearing loss) - yet she is AHEAD :)

Go Evie! You rock!

How sweet it is . . . to be loved by you!

2011-03-22T14:04:00.002-06:00

Little Miss Sunshine :)

2011-03-17T19:14:00.003-06:00

{Sporting her new suit before our weekly swim @ the Rec Center}

As I am typing this, Evie is trying to get her daddy to take her outside to see the 'goggies woof woof' aka doggies. If saying, "Daddy, goggies - woof woof, bye bye", doesn't get her point across then she will climb up on his lap, give him a hug - followed by another "goggie?". Followed by a kiss and another "goggie?" . . . she is hilarious! But Braden always caves - from the time he gets home from work to the time we go to bed, he usually takes her outside to see the dogs a few times!

Here are some other random 'funnies' about Evie:

She has learned to tickle people, she will even tickle herself. She is always saying, "Ticka, Ticka!"
She tries to do "This little piggie" on her toes, whenever I ask her where her toes are.
When you ask her where her teeth are she will bite her finger!
About 1/2 second BEFORE she changes the channel on the TV or takes her hearing aids out she'll say "UH OH!"
She LOVES to be outside (wish it would warm up soon) she will get her shoes and her coat and then go knock on the front door and say, "bye bye!"
She looks like the cutest little thing you ever did see with piggie tails in her hair!
When we ask her where her belly is she will lift up her shirt first, and then try to lift our shirts too! Super fun (awkward) in public . . . HAHA

Random

2011-03-09T12:13:00.003-07:00

Nothing new to post about really. Just the same ole random-ness! So here you are . . . Enjoy :)

I left my cell phone @ my moms house . . . I think this was Cy or possibly Add. Whoever you are LOVE YOU BACK :)

Have I mentioned that Evie LOVES babies? We had a game night with some friends the other night. As soon as they took their {newborn} baby out of this swing, Evie jumped right in! She loved that little baby though, she would squeal with excitement when she'd look at it, like she couldn't contain herself - it was just so cute, tiny, and REAL!

While discussing our taxes (which I'm not overjoyed about) at the FIL's office, Evie was running wild. She kept banging on the windows and pulling on the blinds. Then she finally wore herself out and came to me BEGGING for her bink (above)! Which, by the way, HOW HOW HOW do you break your baby of the bink. She usually only has it when sleeping, but it's a MUST for her. I want her to be rid of it by the time she's 2. Tips??

Last, but certainly not least . . . Evie trying to pick up 3 large pairs of socks at once and walk around with them. It was QUITE the task, but she did prevail - because she's awesome like that!

The CraZy BeNcH :)

2011-03-05T13:57:00.004-07:00

I nicknamed this bench the "Crazy Bench", because it is not made very well - and looks CRAZY! I didn't realize how bad it was until I brought it inside and started cleaning it up. IT'S BAD. It is so crooked and uneven! But, I think it has "charm". I REALLY hope Braden lets me keep it inside as a step stool, but it was an outside stool for our front porch - I have a feeling "Crazy Bench" is going to have to live outside :( At least until Braden makes a new stool for outside . . .

I painted it white - stenciled some damask - painted some dots - added some ribbon - sprayed some polyurethane - Wha La!

Miss Independent

2011-02-23T15:32:00.003-07:00

The past few weeks Evie has become Miss Independent! She is acting like a miniature adult - it cracks me up! She follows me around the house and copies my every move! She helps me sweep the floors, she's VERY good at mopping too! When she's not helping me, she is in her bedroom watching "Strawberry Shortcake's - The Glimmerberry Ball Movie" with her baby wrapped up in a dish towel! She's so motherly and loving! I just love her! I've repeatedly said this (I know) but this age is SO fun. Evie has QUITE the personality - she is so dramatic and fun! I just love putting her hair in pig tails lately because it totally fits her happy little self!

Evie is 110% in love with her daddy! They are so cute together. As soon as Braden gets home from work, Evie is done with me! She just wants her dad to play with her and hold her! They have such a sweet bond - I love it!

Oh, P.S. Evie chipped a teeny tiny piece of her front tooth on the bath tub :( Our bathroom still has the original porcelain tub from 100 years ago (which is SUPER hard) - I felt so awful! She's going to her 1st dentist appointment soon - I think I'll have them sand it down a little.

Evie is having a hard time keeping her hearing aids in lately! I'm hoping there aren't any changes going on in her little ears :( I think it has more to do with her age and being so active. Possibly they are just more noticeable to her???

Evie just keeps growing and getting funner! We LOVE her so much!

A Robinson Valentine

2011-02-17T18:22:00.004-07:00

VaLenTiNes DaY 2011

Our Valentine's Day this year consisted of new outfits for the 3 of us, Cafe Rio for dinner with Ryan, Deedra and Kai - and then Farr's Fresh for ice cream! YUM!

Happy Love Day!

The Annoying Valentine . . . :)

2011-02-14T12:48:00.003-07:00

We are celebrating Valentines tonight w/ our little family! Evie and I got some cute Valentine outfits and are making a special dinner for Braden. I'll post about that later - for now . . . I have to tell the tale of my 7th or maybe 8th grade Valentine! I'm dying laughing. Enjoy!

In 7th/8th grade it wasn't really dating - it was "going out". Well I told my friend, who told her friend that I thought {boy} was adorable! She told her friend, who told {boy}. And wha laa, we were "going out", which consisted of sitting by each other between classes, writing notes, the occasional {and very awkward} holding hands, a possible phone call a few times a week. So THE very next day happened to be Valentines Day. {Boy} shows up to school with a pink box for me, which happens to be a pink Victoria's Secret box . . . I was FREAKING OUT! Victoria's Secret!? I am 14ish years old! So I avoided him as long as possible that morning. Finally he tracked me down (can you imagine my humiliation - having to open a Victoria's Secret box in the 'commons' where EVERY ONE in the school was - and what if it was some pink undies or something! WHY would he do that! Beyond humiliating - at this point I already wanted to "dump" him because I was so embarrassed.)

So, it ended up being one of those little sets of lotions, soaps, body wash, bath salt - like the $5.00 K-Mart special . . . how romantic . . . . I'm really not the 'romantic' type, frankly the fact that he got me something for Valentines on our second day "going out" was not my cup of tea. So, now I'm ANNOYED! (I'm not that hard to live with anymore, promise!)

Anyways - we plan an ice skating night. All my friends come - all his friends come. Parents drop us off, parents pick us up. Well, turns out {boy} can't ice skate very well. ANNOYED! What boy has to hold on to the side of the rink while ice skating - not a very cool one! So - dumped him the next day via a note dropped in his locker! Brutal, I know.

Happy Valentines! Hope you have a great one!

XOXOXO

"Person of the day"

2011-02-10T14:53:00.003-07:00

Now, if I thought my husband, Braden, read our blog - I wouldn't be posting this! He would think that I'm making him sound "gay". BUT I think he's GREAT - and he deserves to be bragged up every now and then! He called me this morning and said that he was chosen at work as an example of "People and Passion" - one of Anadarko's Core Values. And I am proud of him :) He always works so hard to support our family. So, today {and almost every other day} he is my "Person of the day!" HAHA :)

Love you Brade!

My 'baby' is 15 months!

2011-02-06T11:22:00.004-07:00

I honestly can't help but tear up a little when I look at these pictures. Evie is such a beautiful little girl. So precious, petite, loving, smart, full of life, wonderful! I just love her! At 15 months, I feel like Evie has already overcome so many obstacles! She's such a sweet blessing to our family! She makes me want to be better and try harder every day! She definitely is my sunshine! I absolutely love that I am her mother and she is my daughter!

Love ya Evie bean!

Park City "Staycation"

2011-02-05T09:18:00.005-07:00

Last weekend Braden and I planned a spur of the moment snowboarding/skiing trip . . . minus baby Evie! It was great :) SOOO relaxing and FUN! We totally lucked out with an awesome room @ the Summit Watch Resort by Marriott! I booked our room on my BB on our way out of Vernal! I use the Marriott friends and family discount that my aunt gives us - we usually just stay wherever is cheap. Well, I booked a room here for $$ {you'd hate me if I told you}, and wa la! We got the keys to our room and to our GREAT surprise it was a GIANT suite! Including a fireplace, two flat screen TVs, giant bathtub w/ built in seats, laundry room, kitchen, dining room, living room, separate bedroom . . . awesomeness!

The next day we went to The Canyons and skiid/snowboarded all day! It's honestly weird to be able to spend two days just worrying about eachother - no baby! Weird in a good way! We tried to soak up every minute - time just seems to fly extra fast when you're on a "mom and dad" only trip!

We did miss Evie VERY much! Seeing all the little kids skiing and hearing their little voices made us wish we could have brought Evie girl. We had so much fun riding the ski lift up and listening to the little kids below taking lessons: "Why are you calling all of us little man!?", "Snowplowing is awesome!", "I don't even want to go over there, but I can't stop!" . . . . ya it was great!

Communication!

2011-01-24T17:09:00.004-07:00

Evie has been watching this DVD {Baby Einsteins's "My First Signs"} on a daily basis. Possibly an unhealthy amount of times a day, but she LOVES it!!! I would HIGHLY recommend this DVD to anyone and everyone w/ babies and/or toddlers who are learning to speak. It keeps her attention better than any show she watches! The BEST part of all is that she's learned almost every sign on the video and will tell me and sign what she wants! It's SO COOL! Evie is telling and signing:

Milk
Drink
Cereal
Eat
Mommy
Daddy
Sleep (which is SO awesome that she can communicate this to us)
Ball (she is constantly screaming the word ball everytime she see's one!)
Bath (after breakfast she signs/says 'bath' - COOL!!)
Play

My favorite are eat and sleep! It's so awesome to me (and her) that she can tell me these things and I understand! It's actually pretty cool that she can tell me all those things period! Even if I can't understand what she is trying to say, I understand what she is signing! YAY! I have to admit, when I first had Evie that was THE hardest thing for me, having a lack of communication! I'm loving that we can communicate so well!

ZERO + 2 PiGgiE tails = Our week{end}

2011-01-23T12:09:00.008-07:00

This past week, Braden and I took Evie to another appointment with her audiologist in Salt Lake City. Each time we go, I'm afraid! I am afraid to hear bad news, I'm afraid Evie won't cooperate, I'm afraid I have the appointment time wrong . . . etc! We decided to go out the night before and stay w/ Braden's brother Jed & Abby {thanks guys}, because it's so hard on Evie when we try to turn it into a one day event! Evie got to nap before her appointment and thankfully did AMAZING @ the appointment! {Sigh of relief} Evie mainly spent the appointment in the hearing booth with her daddy, because she was responding and cooperating so well! YAY! She was hearing {w/ hearing aids} things @ ZERO decibels!! So pretty much EVERYTHING :) :) :) It was so encouraging! And we could tell how confident she is w/ her hearing aids on! She's understanding that she hears better with them on and we're so proud of her!!!! The audiologist was tearing up {and possibly Braden?} because Eve was doing so well! It's been a great experience working with our audiologist! She's wonderful! Below is a chart that kind of puts things into perspective . . . (without hearing aids Eve hears @ 45 dB and higher - the Banana shape is where most of the speech sounds are)

On another note . . . Evie is now sporting some adorable piggie tails!!! HER 1st ONES! Her hair has been long enough to do them for a while, but I just never did it. It's a bittersweet thing - she looks totally grown up! But they are So SO sO adorable!

(Intently watching a show from nickjr.com {it's my saving grace})

We wish you a Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T18:40:00.007-07:00

We had a great Christmas this year! This is Eve's second Christmas - she still doesn't really understand, but she did get excited when we were opening presents! We were probably more excited to open Evie's presents than our own! Evie is LOVING all things BABY lately! She got some really cute babies for Christmas, fun toys, clothes, musical instruments . . . the works. Braden and I got $$$, Kinect, lift tickets to The Canyons, clothes, etc . . . we're spoiled!

We spend all holidays running from my parents, to his parents, to my grandma's, to his parents and over again . . .It's crazy, but we LoVe it! It's so nice to have our families here and be able to spend holidays with them.

Evie spent the holidays brushing up on her walking skills! She's been truckin all over the place! FINALLY! She's been taking steps here and there since Nov 1st, but hasn't really been too interested in walking. So we're VERY proud of her for finally 'taking the plunge'!

On Christmas Eve this year while I was putting presents out, I found myself thinking, I wish I would have got this or that too, and I should have got Braden some more presents. Then I had to FOCUS on why we have Christmas in the first place. One of my goals for next year (especially because Evie will be 'understanding' a little more) is to make sure we, as a family, don't lose sight of why we celebrate Christmas. It's such a beautiful holiday, with such a special meaning. I am so thankful for Christ, my Savior.

2010 was a great year for us! Evie has been so fun! She's CRAZY smart! I love watching her play and discover - she copies what we say and do, it's my favorite!

My ONE resolution for 2011 is to get healthy! Spritually, physically, mentally! Within each area are more goals, but who really wants to know . . .

Love,

The Robinson's

Play Date!

2010-12-22T21:43:00.003-07:00

Well, Evie finally met her match! MYLA! We had a 'play date' at Rafaela's house today with Ian, Myla, Payten, and Evie. Evie is Miss EnErGy - usually other kids her age are a little . . . overwhelmed! I think Evie and Myla wore each other out! It was hilarious to see them interact! They are both at the funnest age, and doing the funniest things! Eve was in Heaven!

Thanks again Rafaela for being the hostess! It was great to get out! :)

Snow Day!

2010-12-22T21:34:00.002-07:00

This snow has been CRAZY! I honestly can't remember a time when it snowed this much at once! I'm loving it :)

Last night Evie and I were feeling a little "cooped" so we went outside with Braden while he shoveled snow! I put some blankets in an old sled we have and pulled Evie around our yard. She didn't know what to think! This is her 1st time 'playing' in snow!

Shh . . .it happens!

2010-12-10T19:01:00.002-07:00

WELL! A few months ago our dog, Bear, dug a hole under his kennel, pushed this metal thing over, and knocked part of the fence down to get to this dog a few houses down that was in heat! GROSS! So, long story short . . . this neighbor lady (who we don't know) came over yesterday and told us her dog had just had puppies. UGH! And of course, out of all the millions of dogs who were probably at their house, our dog was the one to "get the job done". She could even prove that it was our dog! She'd done all these calculations! (???)

Well, she said she could use money to pay for the medical bills (???) . . . ya . . . What medical bills?

Braden was MIA at the time she came over, so I just apologized for my stupid dog and sent her on her way.

What would you do?

Champs!

2010-12-03T12:43:00.004-07:00

Thought I would give a quick shout out to Braden's Flag Football team! They won the "Championship!" a few weeks ago HAHA :) Go Team! GO TEAM GO!

My Girl . . . Talkin' 'bout My girl

2010-11-28T22:43:00.004-07:00

Ok, lets face it - Braden and I were blessed with the most beautiful little girl . . . EVER! I'm loving this stage of her life SO much! She cracks us up! I was going through my camera and a good portion of her pictures she's doing that "Cheese Face!" big time! I just love them!

Lately Evie:

L.O.V.E.S. her Princess Mobile! She will sit on that thing for hours if we let her! She loves us to push her around on it and she will bob her head to the music that it plays! And just recently she started scooting around on it - her feet barely touch the ground when she's sitting on it, so she leans to one side and pushes with one foot! We're in love w/ her!
Throws her amrs in the air and waits for us to say, "BBBIIIGGG GGGIIIRRRLLL!" I'm telling you, she can hear those two words from a mile away and her amrs shoot up in the air - she want's ALL to know she's a 'BIG GIRL'! ;)
When we laugh at her she does this fake laugh back! I can look at her and go, "Ahh ha ha ha" and she will do the funniest fake laugh you've ever heard!
Does SUPER great with her hearing aids! We're such proud parents! She doesn't even take them out {miracle}!
Almost has the walking down! She's been sick for the past 2 weeks almost, so now that she's feeling better I think she's going to take right off!
Points to herself and says, "Dada" then points to dada and says, "Dada"! I think 'Evie' is too hard to say! We'll have to come up w/ something easier for now!

I'm just loving my little Evie Grace to pieces! I wish I could jump inside her brain right now and see what she's thinking and hearing! She's trying so hard to say new words and do new things! It's so awesome to see them discover the world!

LOVE YOU EVIE GIRL!

Happy Birthday to Me

2010-11-28T22:32:00.003-07:00

Yep, I turned 22 on Nov 23 . . . I FEEL LIKE A BABY! Braden got me those fancy boots {love them} and I also got some clothes/jewelry from my parents and in-laws. It was a great day! We ate at Cafe Rio for dinner then went to Farrs Fresh for ice cream {thanks for everyone who came and ate ice cream w/ us - I felt special!} That's about it! Birthdays aren't as exciting as they used to be - what's up with that!?

New Hearing Aids

2010-11-07T18:47:00.004-07:00

{The first place we went after we got her hearing aids was Chili's for some lunch! She sat in her chair and listened to all the noises! She kept dancing to the music and bobbing her head to the beat! It was awesome :) }

Evie got her 1st set of hearing aids on Thursday, November 4th, 2010 (the day before her 1st birthday)! They are pink and have clear sparkly ear molds.
I'm going to be honest (don't think I'm awful) but I was not excited about this at all! I was only excited for Evie to hear better - hearing aids, not so much! I was nervous! Nervous they would make Evie look 'different', make her look 'weird', put a stamp on her that says, "I'm Deaf!" or "I have a problem". I also worried about her pulling at them, pulling them off, chewing on them, etc!
I tried to research the hearing aids that her audiologist had ordered so the appointment wouldn't be as overwhelming. I've talked to tons of other moms to get info as well. I HATE feeling overwhelmed and unprepared (which were the exact feelings I had when we found out about her hearing loss).
Braden and I took Evie on Thursday to pick up her hearing aids and try them out for the first time. IT WENT GREAT! Evie is still the same ole' Evie! To me, they don't make her look any different at all! It's obvious that they are there, but it's obvious that my Evie is still the same.
When we first turned the hearing aids on, Evie was sitting on her dad's lap. She just sat there and starred. She didn't move an inch or say a word for a good 5 minutes. THEN she started clapping! We loved it :) We went into the hearing booth where they play noises and see what Evie responds to. She responded multiple times at 10db . . . which is a whisper! Our audiologist said that she didn't think she could even get Braden to pass at that! Pretty awesome! I realized that these hearing aids aren't making her different, they are making her the same!
The even greater news is that she keeps them on ALL DAY LONG! She never even messes with them! I think she's enjoying being able to hear! It's been really cool! I sang happy birthday to her after I'd put them in and she bobbed her head as I sang. It was so cute.
I have noticed a lot of uncomfortably long starring eyes. I wish people would just ask instead of stare! It's awkward! BUT it's not like I don't get it - I was/am a starrer too! You can't blame people for wondering, it just makes for some awkward Wal-Mart shopping time. And I'm sure it will get better! Right now it's all I think about, so it's only natural that I would feel like EVERYONE is staring! And they should be, I have the most adorable daughter EVER! :)

Happy Evie = Happy Mom and Dad

(I forgot my camera for the appointment, but we have an awesome audiologist and she let me use hers - she's making me a CD - I'll post them soon)

THE 1st Party

2010-11-06T21:11:00.006-06:00

My beautiful little baby girl turned 1 yesterday on November 5th, 2010! Extremely weird, VERY bittersweet! Have I absorbed every minute of this past year . . . I hope so! I love her so much! (When I say "I love her so much" I mean, EVERYONE loves her so much!) She is one loved little girl! She has the most addicting personality and she's crazy adorable!
Here are a few things about Evie, the 1 year old princess:

6 . . . S.I.X. teeth (4 of which came in at the same time!)
Walking (she took her first steps on Nov. 1st, 2010)
Jibber Jabbering all day
Bobs her head to music
LOVES (as always) her dad THE most; she looks SO forward to him coming home from work! It's become my favorite time of the day just to see Evie so excited :)
Got her first (pink and sparkly) hearing aids on Nov. 4th, 2010, and is doing GREAT with them!
Loves peanut butter and honey sandwiches with a sippy of 2% milk!
OFF the bottle :) . . . working on the binky still . . .
Loves attention! She'll gets SUPER hyper and shows everyone all her tricks @ once if she has an audience!
(My favorite) She points @ everything! We say, "Where is ma ma?" "Where are the dogs?" "Where is grandma?" etc etc etc and she points to them!
Likes to stand on her head and look @ you through her legs. She's even somersaulted a few times!

Now to the {overdone} PAR-TAY! My mom and I had so much fun planning and decorating Evie's 1st birthday party! We had a great turn out! Evie got SO MANY new toys/clothes/books/blankies/etc! She's spoiled rotten! Here are some picts from the party of the century!

{DeCorAtiOnS}

{Kai, Jaycee, Evie}

{Birthday toy from Grandma Morton}

{Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Evie}

{1st birthday cake. . . . yummmmm}

{presents . . . THANKS EveRyOne!}

{my sweet mom! couldn't do it without her!}

Evie's 1st HaLLoWeeN :)

2010-11-03T21:27:00.005-06:00

{I realize this picture is awful, but it's the only family picture we had}

My little pigglet Evie! I love this chubby little costume! I swear you just wanted to pick Evie up and love and squish her! She looked adorable in her piggy costume! Braden and I were decked out in our 'Grease Lightenin' attire. I couldn't take Braden seriously with his hair in a comb-over.

We didn't do anything too eventfull! We went 'trick or treating' to 4 people :) Each of our parents, my aunt, and my grandma! Whoo! And we didn't take any treats either - we told them we were bringing the treat; and it was Evie the pig!

If you can't tell by the pictures, Evie was so worn out! It had been a long day and she didn't get too excited about the whole Halloween thing this year!

Happy Halloween!

9 more days . . . .

2010-10-27T21:01:00.003-06:00

In 9 more days my baby is going to be a 'big girl'! That's how I feel! In 9 more days my Evie will be 1 year old! TOO. WeIrD. for. THE. mOm. I seriously don't understand! That was THE fastest year of my entire life! By far much faster than the last year, when I was pregnant, when time seemed to D.R.A.G! Time is such a weird thing.

My cousin, Shelli http://greeneinkphotos.blogspot.com/, did Evie's 1st year pictures yesterday! My auntie, Lexus, came with us, and we had so much fun! We ended up doing her picts. @ the new SpringHill Suites, Marriott (it's totally funky and fun in there)! It has been SO cold outside! And I'm so glad Shelli thought to do them there - SUCH a great idea! The style of the hotel matched Evie's funky outfit perfectly! The whole setting was very 'Evie-ish' aka ExTreMelY SpUnKy! Evie L.O.V.E.S. attention (as do most children) and was having a blast w/ the photo shoot! "All eye's on Evie" is Evie's motto . . . I KNOW it is :)

I love my baby girl! She's such a 'go-get-errr'! I'm so happy that she's here on this earth with Braden and I. Healthy. Happy. Beautiful. PERFECT. Evie is such a special girl, her Heavenly Father sent her to this earth to be with us (her parents) - to help US love, learn, and grow MORE than we ever would have without her. I KNOW, without a doubt, that Evie is here for a special purpose. We've had too many special things happen since she came to us for her not to be on an amazing journey. Since we found out about Evie's hearing loss - it was like before I had time to seek information it was hitting me in the face! A.l.w.a.y.s. and still is! THE BEST information out there is readily available at my fingertips. THE BEST people, professionals, and support are at our sides right now. It's amazing. Truly Amazing. I know that everything happens for a reason. I know this priceless information we are getting is to HELP Evie become the person she needs to be. A Wonderful Person. A Unique Person. A Beautiful Person, inside and out

It's hard to imagine that Braden and I have been sent such a precious jewel from Heaven! I thank Heavenly Father each and every day! We are SO blessed! What a beauty queen for a daughter, right!?

EVA (Update on Miss E)

2010-10-24T21:01:00.003-06:00

OK, I'm feeling like I need to update everyone on the latest with our Evie girl! Last week we spent 3 out of 5 days in Salt Lake City @ Primary Children's! UGH! Longest 3 days ever . . . for all of us! We found out some 'news', good news, not great news, hard news, confusing news, etc etc etc. Here is how it all went down! Day 1 of 3: Evie had an MRI of her brain/ears to see if there is anything structurally wrong with her inner ears. After the MRI, while in recovery, they did another Auditory Brain stem Response test. Both of these tests are done while your child is sedated :( Probably spent a good 7 hours there that day!
Day 2 of 3: We met with a Geneticist and her ENT, where they explained to us that Evie has a moderate hearing loss in both ears AND has LVA (Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct). It's this tiny little tube in our ears, and hers is enlarged, aiding in the cause of her hearing loss (picture @ bottom). The good news, is that this only effects the ears. We don't have to worry about her eyes or any other kind of syndromes associated with hearing loss. The bad news is that this can be progressive. The overwhelming part is that it can progress SUPER fast, super slow or not at all - we just have to play the 'waiting game'! I'm praying that for her it doesn't progress at all!!! Just as we were leaving the hospital the doctor called Braden's cell phone and says, "I just got a call from radiology, please come back!" Then we find out that her MRI showed some 'spots' on her brain, they didn't know what they were so they ordered a CT scan immediately! Talk about roller coaster! Since we knew Evie wasn't going to 'hold completely still' for 5 minutes while getting the x-ray they had to sedate her AGAIN! This time it was the worst for us because she was awake but totally out of it! She started giggling and trying to wave at us and I just wanted to pick her up and cry! The test results showed that it was 'nothing' . . .
Day 3 of 3: Hearing aid evaluation. This was SO hard for me. Harder than I thought it would or could ever be. The audiologist kept saying, "This is the 'fun' part, picking out colors and ear molds!!" It really wasn't fun at all. I had a hard time picking colors and getting into it. Which is really hard for me to even admit, but it's the truth. That's when all of this became a reality for me. My sweet little baby has to wear these hearing aids for the rest of her life. I felt sorry for Evie a good portion of the way home that day. Then I started thinking about the past few days - while we were waiting for Evie's MRI there was this lady in the waiting room who was feeding her baby through a feeding tube with syringes. Now that is a lifetime commitment if I ever saw one! Evie's hearing loss is seriously nothing she or I can't handle! Worst case, she losses her hearing completely, we have options! 100% deaf people with cochlear implants actually HEAR! Pretty freaking amazing.

Evie will have her pink/glitter hearing aids Nov. 4th, the day before she turns the big 1 year old!

Life is SO crazy! (Random nothings)

2010-10-14T17:03:00.004-06:00

Lately I feel like we're ALWAYS 'On The GO'! I feel like I can never catch my breath! Evie time, work work work, Braden's sports (right now it's b-ball and football), tons of quilts/quilting, cleaning house, appointments for Evie, Evie's 'hearing consultant' comes over, etc etc etc! Eeek!
I usually handle stress VERY well! Which, is super awesome for me! My mind can usually wrap around all of it somehow, but my body . . . NOPE, not having this stress! So, have this lovely sore throat, head ache and body aches! YES! We're actually on the up and up now though! SO glad!

AND who said Evie could turn 1 so fast! That's completely unfair! SO I'm throwing her the best 1st birthday any one's ever seen! I'll have to post pictures of these adorable pict. frames I'm making for it :) :) And Christmas . . . whaaa!!!!???? When did summer sneak away? TOO weird!

Can I also just say that I need to diet/exercise . . . in a bad way! I tried the HCG drops . . . for a week! In my defense, I think that diet is too extreme for someone trying to lose a smaller amount of weight. The hardest part about it for me was the lack (NO) of carbs. I love bread . . . with a sick freaking passion! If there was a bread diet I would do it in a heart beat! Anyone see a problem here . . . ya, I know! So if anyone knows a good diet (that is logical) let me know! I love Weight Watchers, but with all the chaos in our lives right now I doubt I'd be very faithful to the 'weighing in' once a week - which is the only reason I do good on that diet in the first place!

Sorry to rant and rave! :) Sometimes it does a girl good! AND Even thought our life is crazy, I really wouldn't change a thing (except to be skinnier)! I believe we are given different experiences in life to better ourselves.

Soak up the good times, learn from the hard times and always be thankful for the many blessings we have!

ENT (Exciting News, Thanks!) or Ear, Nose and Throat . . .

2010-10-09T16:46:00.003-06:00

Evie and her daddy @ the doctor {love her face}

So Evie had an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist on Friday, October 8th! We weren't even sure why we were going to him before getting hearing aids, we were just following directions! Supposedly her ABR results were consistent with fluid in her middle ear, which was confusing to me because I think they would have seen that before now! BUT that was not the case, anyways. So we're in the waiting room and thinking, 'ok, they'll call us any minute now', well, right about that same time, Evie decides to poop her pants! YAY!

Braden: Is she . . .

Whitney: Yep

We just started laughing. We took our stinky babe into the bathroom and she yelled and screamed the whole time we were holding her down on the changing table! Nightmarish!

We finally get called in to Dr. Parks office! His 'assistant' came in and wanted us to give him a little 'history' of Evie. When we told him about all her 'bells and whistles' he was shocked! He couldn't believe her vocabulary and alertness. He said he wanted us to have a behavioral test and another OAE done before we saw the doctor. As it turns out, there was an audiologist available to do one right then! The {impatient} audiologist did the OAE in Evie's RIGHT ear and she P.A.S.S.E.D . . . . . she's never passed. She PASSED!!!!! :o) She even did a little better in her left ear too!

So we went back to Dr. Parks office and he didn't really do all that much. He pulled some ear wax out, which Eve HATED and then told us some amazing news! He said that he thinks her right ear is better than what we've been told. Possibly, not certainly, a perfectly normal hearing ear! SUPER GREAT! {It gets better} She may not need hearing aids at all! Even though she is severly deaf in her left ear, if her right ear turns out to be fine, they don't usually put a hearing aid on the bad ear if there is a good ear. He said it's like a person who is blind in one eye and see's perfect in the other. Why wear glasses? You're still going to use your good eye to see.

SO, just FYI, I'm not getting my heart set on Evie not having hearing aids. I think it still is a possibility and I am totally ok with that! BUT it would be really neat if she didn't need them!

We are going back out to Primary Children's in 2 weeks for another ABR . . . sad (I hate seeing Evie be sedated) and they will do an MRI of the brain at the same time! Isn't technology cool! Yes, it is! Then the next day we'll go back to Dr. Parks office to talk about the results of the tests and see what the best solution is.

I felt like I was prepared this time to hear whatever they had to throw at us. I'm glad it was finally something good! Even if hearing aids end up being the best option, I'm happy that she is hearing better in her right ear.

Evie did get some pretty cute things out of this trip, if nothing else! We got some super cute things for her 'Pinkalicious' 1st birthday party! I went a little overboard shopping for 'Evie clothes' . . . :) When we were @ the checkout Braden told the cashier that we weren't going to have enough money to buy food now . . . . hahaha He loves to make a fool out of me!

Evie Grace is 11 Months Old! (wait, what!?)

2010-10-05T16:56:00.003-06:00

I know, I say it every time . . . but I still don't believe it! How do they grow up so fast!? I can't believe that Miss Evie is almost ONE whole YEAR old! I'm trying to wrap my head around it! This past month has been a BUSY one! Evie is always on the move and it's so fun {exhausting, but very fun}! We LOVE our little bundle of spunk! This is the funnest age!

A "few" things about Evie @ 11 months old:

She LOVES her da da SO much! We wait on the front porch for him to get home, and when he pulls into the driveway she almost hyperventilates! {Braden LOVES it} Then she won't go back to ma ma for a good hour or so! She even has to get in the shower with him or it's CRAZY Evie!
Evie points at people/things and names them {ie: da da, ma ma, grrma, grrpa, bar aka car}
She has 3 (almost 4) teeth! They are the biggest 'baby' teeth I've ever seen! OUCH!
She eats anything you put in front of her! Even lemons!
She's SO happy!
She climbs the stairs!
She waves and says, "Bye, Bye" like a pro! And does this at least 50+ times a day!
LOVES being outside! Once we're out there it's hard to get her back inside without a fit! {likes eating dirt, playing in dirt, playing in my flower pots, picking/ eating grass}
Her pretty hair is finally coming in . . . THICK too! I'm loving having a little hair on that head to curl!
Understanding simple commands, like, "Evie, throw the ball!" and, "Give ma ma the keys!"

I usually have to stop myself, because this list goes ON AND ON! As far as the hearing loss goes, we have an appointment with an ENT this weekend! CAN'T WAIT! But she seems to be staying caught up, I still have a hard time believing she's hard of hearing! Kathy Johnson, Evie's hearing consultant, came over two times last week! She's such a sweet lady! She's so cute with Evie and told us so much good information! I'm glad to have resources like her!

Well, until next time . . . {which will be weird} because Evie will be ONE whole YEAR old, hopefully I'll get some other posts in before then!

Also, thinking about having a "Pinkalicious" 1st birthday party for Miss Evie! All things pink! Or maybe pink polka dots and monkeys! Or maybe a cupcake theme! Or who knows! Any fun ideas?

"Hear" we go!

2010-09-14T21:49:00.004-06:00

These past few weeks have been OVERWHELMING . . . to say the least! I feel like I've had an 'information overload' learning about children with hearing loss. BUT it's been great! Evie meets with an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist @ Primary Childrens on Oct. 1st! THEN we'll get the clearance for a hearing aid evaluation! THEN we'll get molds made of her tiny winy ears for hearing aids to be made! THEN we'll wait for the hearing aids to get here! THEN she'll have more tests done to make sure she's hearing WoNdErFuLLy as she possibly can! :)
So, in the meantime Braden and I were thinking . . . ok, what now!? Yell at her so she can hear us until the hearing aids are here? What can she even hear? What do we do? Should we change how we communicate with her!? Do we WAIT for the hearing aids to be here?
And then . . . a MiRaCle happened . . . .
My mom, just recently, started keeping in touch with a friend from 5th GRADE! (5th grade people). Who, ironicly, has 2 children with coclear implants (used when hearing loss is severe to profound), AND is the president (I think) of the Nevada chapter of some program for parents of deaf or hard of hearing children. ANYWAYS, Like a day after we found out about Evie's hearing loss (at the time pretty much no one knew but us), this lady (from 5th grade) sent my mom a package with a magazine that had some pages flagged w/ sticky notes. So my mom is going through this magazine and the first note says, "Just thought you might find this article interesting, this is so much a part of me." It was an article w/ questions and answers for parents just finding out about their childs hearing loss. SO GREAT! But the greatest part of it all, is we called my moms friend to get some more info and she hooked me up with a lady she knows from http://www.jtc.org/ and gave me her number, and here is the most EnCouRaGiNg information she told me:

3 most important things to do with your child while waiting for hearing aids (BUT I think this really applies to any infant - it's very basic, but very effective)

Talk close to them. Don't be further than 1ft away when trying to communicate. Speak with clarity, don't yell, and don't exagerate your lip movements.
TALK and TALK and TALK to them. Tons of conversation! Explain and narrorate everything going on around you. Talk until people around you are thinking, "Geez lady, are you ever going to shut up?!"
SING to them! Singing imitates speech. It will help them learn high and low, loud and soft, and rythem. You can also turn on music - any music (dance too)!

I love Evie so much! This journey is just begining for all of us. I have a much better attitude towards it NOW than I did before! Educating myself is the KEY! There is so much the I can do as her parent to help her. It excites me, and also makes me nervous! Yay for technology :)

Evie Grace is 10 Months Old!

2010-09-05T14:04:00.005-06:00

**Evie and her friend, Talia Nelson**

**Bobbing her head to Dad's tunes**

**Ice Cream Sandwich @ Grandma's House**

Evie inches closer and closer to a year old every day. It's freaking me out how fast they grow up! Like slow down, will ya!? BUT it's so much fun to see her discover herself and become a little person! She's amazing to me! I'm so happy to have her in our lives. What a little piece of Heaven! Since we found out about Evie's hearing loss last week, I've seriously been overwhelmed at what an amazing child we've been blessed with. Only chosen few are given trials like hers - what a special girl! Anyone who has been around Evie knows that she was given an extra special personality! She's our little ball of energy and charm! I know that she can handle anything that life has to offer her.
Here are a few special things about our sweetheart at 10 (seriously) months old:

Always on the move! She follows me throughout the house and 'helps' me do everything! She especially loves doing dishes :)
Her vocabulary consists of the following: ma ma, da da dada, no no, pa pa, bye bye (and that's just what we understand) She carries on some serious converstaions!
When she wakes up (even from naps) and I come to get her out of her crib she gets SO excited she jumps back and rolls over, burries her head, screams and giggles! (I look forward to it everyday!)

She really wants to walk! She can balance for a few seconds but then gets a concerned look on her face and sits back down.
She has a different crawl for every room in the house. Living room (hardwood floors) she does this one-legged crawl/scoot, dining room/kitchen (tile floors) she will not let her knees touch the ground! She crawls on her hands and feet only (smart girl)! And the rest of the house has carpet - she usually manages a normal crawl there.
She LoVeS her daddy! When he gets home from work she gets extatic and cralws right to him and puts her arms in the air like 'dad pick me up!'
Braden will put music on his phone and put it up to her ear and she bobs her head with the music!
When the flash on a camera goes off she gives us a major cheesy two bottom teeth grin! Hopefully she'll start cheesing it beforehand!

Evie is just a joy! This age is so much fun! I'm so thankful that Evie is ours! We love her to pieces! :)

ABR

2010-09-01T17:48:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, Evie had her first A (auditory) B (brainstem) R (response test) at Primary Children's Medical Center. What a day! We needed this test to see what Evie is and isn't hearing, because she hasn't been able to pass any of the tests done on her so far.

Evie had to come to the test, deprived of food and sleep because they had to partially sedate her (so sad). By the time they finally administered the sedation medication Evie was falling asleep no matter what we did! Not to mention the poor babe hadn't eaten anything since the night before @ 10:30pm. ANYWAYS, the testing began! We sat in a dark room in silence for 2 hours! They try to keep things as quiet as possible, so we had no idea how the test was going the entire time! But in my mind, we were only doing this test to prove that she hears fine. Which, as it turns out, is NOT the case! Evie has significant hearing loss in both ears. I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I am just amazed with how smart Evie is for having such a major hearing loss. She is right up to speed with any other 10 month old. I am so proud of her!

Hearing that something is wrong with your child is honestly one of the hardest things to take in. At first all I could do was cry. You just want your child to feel normal - to be normal. BUT being in Primary Children's Hospital is a humbling experience. We saw SO many babies and children who have MAJOR health problems and disabilities. Evie's hearing loss is something that CAN be fixed. It will be hard for her at times, but throughout this week I've learned that certain people are given different trials in life to better them. If anyone could handle a hearing loss, it's Evie. She has the most up-beat and spunky personality. I know she won't let it hold her back.

I'm so glad we were able to find this out NOW! Technology is amazing! The people who do these kinds of tests are truly Heaven sent! The knowledge that they have is priceless!

What the future holds: Next month we are meeting with an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist @ Primary Children's to re-evaluate the test results that we just got. From there we'll go to a Hearing Aid Evaluation then another ABR, and somewhere in all that we want to have genetic testing done to see what has caused her this hearing loss.

Thank you everyone for your support and love :)

Back to ScHoOL . . .

2010-08-18T16:49:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is Maddie's last day babysitting Evie :( We're SO sad! I even asked her mom if she HAD to go back to school. I mean really, who remembers a thing from Jr. High? All I remember is 'holding hands', being awkward around boys, and taking that crazy baby home, that cried like an elephant, for 'Teen Living'.

Maddie has been the best babysitter we could have asked for! At the beginning of the summer, Evie was JUST becoming a 'normal' baby. She still had some miserable days! So I was SOOO nervous about having a babysitter besides my mom - just because it's stressful to babysit a baby, let alone an extremely fussy baby.

BUT when Maddie came over for the first day, Evie's little eyes lit up! (She only does that with certain few) And well, it was LoVe at first sight! Haha Evie has so much fun with Maddie. And STILL when Maddie comes over Evie gets this big grin on her face! It's been such a relief to have someone who takes great care of Evie. I made her the cutest quilt for helping me this summer!

I have the best babysitter(s) ever! (My mom watches Evie too - which is also AwEsOmE!)

We'll miss you Maddie - you're the best!

LoVe

2010-08-16T18:24:00.000-06:00

Evie has been cracking me up lately! She’s DiScOvErInG the world and I’m so lucky to be a part of it! Evie got this book at the doctor last Friday called, “Global Babies”. She LoVeS! It just has pictures of babies in it – she talks to them, yells at them and pats every one of them on the head. So funny! She’s such a sweetheart! She is growing up TOO TOO fast! It feels like she was just an itty bitty baby like YeSteRdAy! And I really don’t even feel like she’s my baby anymore – she’s like a big girl! So SAD L BUT it’s also a good thing! Braden and I LoVe this age – we’ve been having so much fun with her! It’s so funny the things they pick up on!

I always make kissing noises to her - she's started doing that! We've been clapping our hands for her - she claps all the time now, even when she's upset!

Who knew you could love someone so much . . . . . . . . .

(After an Ice Cream Sundae . . . . maybe it was too much!)

Evis . . .

2010-08-13T15:48:00.001-06:00

(After little Misses doctor appointment)

Our nephew, Jaxon, calls Evie, Evis! Like Bevus . . . but Evis! It cracks me up!

Anyways!

Today Evie and I went to her 9 month check up! Healthy as ever! She's moving up those charts - now in the 5th percentile; weighing 15 lbs! Which seems SUPER weird because she doesn't seem that much smaller than babies her age. Even our pediatrician couldn't believe it! But . . . she is Little Miss Deceiving because of those big chipmunk cheeks! They make her look like my little chubby babe! The rest of her body is so petite! She's a dolly!

Today they gave her the TB test and the poke on her foot to check her iron levels. She didn't even cry! We just gave her a sucker and she was so content! COOL! That always is a relief to mom!

Evie has been totally enjoying herself some F.O.O.D! Anything I eat - she wants! She downed a whole banana the other day - which must have not agreed with her system because a few minutes later - bam - dirty diaper! Just FYI for everyone! Haha!

Evie is into everything lately! She is such a stinker! She loves to be the center of attention! She is such a loud baby - I wouldn't have it any other way! We're always laughing at her!

Last weekend we went up to my family reunion at Moon Lake (beautiful!) and Evie learned the word 'Pop' - I feel like all we did was drink pop! She apparently felt the same way! Daddy was making sure she got her feel for it! In reality, family reunions should be called 'Stuff your faces' - but I'm not the one making the rules.

Haven't been to the gym in 2 weeks! Woo Woo! I'm feeling a little 'giggly'. Evie isn't loving the long stroller adventures anymore! :( I used to just go jog/walk while Braden lifted @ the rec center but Evie isn't having that anymore - and I am so unmotivated to go w/ out Braden. He keeps telling me to just go after he gets back - but what fun is that? All alone! No baby, no hubby? But I'm going to have to buckle down and do it anyways! I'm feeling like a giggly lady!

Braden and I have been playing co-ed softball with my work. I have been having a blast! Sometime I feel like we should be called Motards instead of Anadarko, but hey - that's ok! We won the first 2 games then have lost every game since! HAHAHA! Oh well :) Just so you can get a feel for our team - Last week during our second game I was sitting on the bench thinking to myself, "Wow - wonder if they think we signed up this year as a joke!" - RIGHT THEN one of our teammates tripped over first base! It was so awesome! I was laughed so hard I cried! It was a full on 'knock down drag out' fall.

Well now that you know a little big of everything about whats been going on lately - I'm going to go put on some gym clothes and see if that motivates me to go for a walk! :)

Whitney

Evie Grace is 9 Months Old!

2010-08-05T09:07:00.000-06:00

Man, does time fly! My tiny bean is 9 months old today! I can't even believe it! She's getting so big and smart and funny and full of life! Here are a few things about our little Evie bug at 9 months:

'Thinks' she can walk . . . she's still pretty far from!
Crawls all over the house! She's really fast now! I can't take my eyes off her!
She's still a head banging fool . . . which leads us into the next one . . .
She head banged right on the edge of her crib! Ouchie right between her eyes!
Did a nose dive into the hardwood floor (while 'walking')! Ouchie on her forehead!
Likes to pull herself up on anything she can reach!
LOVES real cell phones - not her play one!
Claps her hands
Has combined mama and papa and says, "Mamba" when daddy gets home!
She loves reading the "Peekaboo" books
Sleeping through the night 9pm to 9am! (Mom is loving her life)
She gets so excited when her dad gets home from work she can't hardly stand it and has to bury her head in something! (Cutest thing ever)
Loves being outside
Loves when her dogs, Polar and Bear, lick her feet - she giggles and giggles!
Getting quite the head of hair going on! Yahoo!
Last but definitely not least . . . Evie is so smart! She amazes me everyday! We feel like she is a genius! She knows how to work all her toys and twist the knobs or spin the wheels! I can't even believe some of the things she figures out!

Evie is so happy now! She has the most unique, spunky, funny personality! I'm so happy she's ours! I'm so glad that her little belly and body finally started working better so she can be this fun little girl who feels GrEaT! LOVE LOVE LOVE HER!

Evie Grace is 8 Months Old!

2010-07-07T10:40:00.001-06:00

Dear 8 month old Evie,

If I could freeze you in this moment, I would definitely think seriously about doing so! You are such a ball of fire right now! You have the MOST sPuNkY personality, and I am love love loving it! You are so precious to your dad and I. We love you more than you'll ever know!

Love you,

Mom

A few things about Evie at 8 months:

Sitting up like a pro!
Has 2 bottom teeth!
Says, "Ma ma ma!"
Says, "Ma ma, ba ba!" aka Mom feed me ASAP
Says, "Gea!" We're not sure . . . Braden thinks it stands for Dad????? I'm sure . . .
Loves getting a death grip on any of our facial features . . . very painful
Loves uncle Cy
Loves our heaven sent babysitter Maddie (she's awesome)
LOVES being outside
Helps dad feed the dogs every day!
She is a head banger! She nods her head up and down when she's excited!
Gets in the crawling position and rocks back and forth . . . she'll be crawling soon!
Loves to stick her tongue out and spit at EveRyOnE!
Very Very LOVED

Best July Treats

2010-07-03T16:44:00.000-06:00

I am making these delicious chocolate covered strawberries tomorrow for a family bbq! The ingredients are obvious by looking @ the picture - I just made a few really quick to make sure they were going to work out for tomorrow . . . DELICIOUS! The blue sprinkles add just the right 'crunch' to the strawberries! MMM mmm MMM! They go together SUPER fast and are really appealing and fun for July!

Cousins

2010-06-25T21:32:00.000-06:00

This is Miss Evie and her cousin Waylon! He's such a chunk! He weighs 23 lbs! Waylon is only a week older than Evie! I can't wait until all these little cousins can play together! So cute :)

Stitches

2010-06-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

Before Tetanus Shot :)

After Tetanus Shot :(

Last week Braden took a softball to the chin! Oh what fun :) You can't really tell in the pictures, but it was a pretty deep slice! I saw the ball hit him in the chin, but he was in the outfield so I couldn't really tell what had happened or if he was ok. I assumed everything was fine because he kept right on playing. When they came in I walked over to make sure everything was good - oh, no worries, it was gushing blood and HE WANTED TO STAY AND FINISH THE GAME! I wouldn't have cared except no one could get it to stop! Eventually he gave in and we went to Urgent Care and he had to get 8 stitches + a tetanus shot! Braden said he would have rather taken another softball to the chin than the shot! They shot it right in the cut! UGH! But we're all fine and dandy now! Braden gets his stitches out tomorrow! Wahoo!

He's been telling people that he mouthed off to me and I punched him in the face! Oh boy(s)! In reality, I just wait for something like this to happen. It's bound to with a husband like mine! He plays sports like his life depends on it - if it means breaking your back to catch the ball . . . by all means break your back to get that ball!

Love you Braden :)

Mr.Robinson's First Father's Day

2010-06-22T15:12:00.000-06:00

Boy! Evie and I are so glad AND lucky to have a husband/father like Braden! He's such a good daddy! This year was his 1st Father's Day AND he had to work :( Bummer! But I let him open his gifts early . . . . . . . . da da da da GYM SHORTS (even 2 pair)! Woo Hoo! That kid plays every sport in the book and he can never have too many!

A few things that make Braden so special to Evie and I:

He LOVES us so much!
He is so FUNNY!
He loves being with EVIE - she's already got him wrapped around that itty bitty finger!
He likes Jones Green APPLE Soda . . . and so does Evie!
He WORKS hard to provide for us!
He is so HANDY!
He makes BOTTLES in the middle of the night, yes . . . STILL!
HE IS THE BEST DAD EVER!

I seriously am so blessed to have Braden as my husband, and the father to my sweet baby girl. Happy 1st Father's Day Braden! We love you more than you can imagine!

Love,

Your 2 Favorite Girls

Morton Family Get Together

2010-06-12T17:46:00.000-06:00

{LoEe tHis GiRL So MuCh}

This past Thursday and Friday was our 'Morton Fam Get Together'. Every year my dad and his brothers and families get together - this year we all went to Steinaker. It is always so much fun to have everyone get together. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have though. I was so exhausted the whole time we were there! Evie hasn't been sleeping wonderfully - don't know what the deal is!

There are SO many little babies in our family right now! It was so much fun to see everyone and their little ones. Here are all the little ones (just in our family) that Evie will be running around with in no time: Kai (3mo.), Chloe (12mo.), Asay (2.5mo.), Tyan (9mo.), Waylon (7mo.) . . . can you just imagine! It's going to be crazy. I can't wait!

Evie (Crazy Baby) Grace is 7 Months Old!

2010-06-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

Wow . . . how is this even happening?! I honestly can't believe that Evie is 7 months old! For some reason 7 months sound WAY older than 6 months! And really, when I think back on this past month Evie has changed SO much. She is growing like a weed! Lately Evie has been acting like a crazy woman . . . in a good way. She has THE FUNNIEST personality. She LOVES her 'popper' (for some reason that's what I've been calling Braden? . . . weird huh). She also LOVES attention, and she spazzez out and does all these 'tricks' when there are people watching her. She is definitely a crowd pleaser! And lately she's had a lot of people crowding around her to see what she'll do next! Never a dull moment with this one!

I would say that a very good portion of this month, Evie has spent in her ExerSaucer. She is loving that thing! I think it makes her feel 'big'. She REALLY wants to be BIG! She actually sat in it for an hour on the front porch last week while Braden and I were doing yard work (praise the Lord for nice weather!) Evie LOVES being outside!

Evie CAN sit up, but she chooses not to! Haha! She would rather be rolling around or scooting on her belly. Usually when she does sit up she does a hard nose dive to get into the crawling position - this is because her BODY weight is still in the 3rd percentile and her HEAD is in the 25th percentile . . . she's going to be SO smart :)

Evie has the yummiest cheeks! They are the best kissing cheeks I've ever seen! We've been told before that Eve is 'deceiving' - because her cheeks are SO big and the rest of her body is so petite!

I think Evie may be getting her FIRST cold - as I write this! I've had a cold (the same stupid cold I get EVERY summer) and I think I've passed it her way. OH NO :( I'm not looking forward to what's to come with that. I just hope it's something her body will be able to handle without an Emergency Room visit.

All in all Evie is SO FUN right now!! This stage has been the BEST. Being a mom is the greatest blessing - especially with a girlie like Evie Grace! She's made me realize so much about myself. Being a mom is definitely NOT easy, but it's SO SO worth it! I LOVE (most) every step of the journey!

Grandma and Grandpa Thomson's 50th Wedding Anniversary!

2010-06-03T11:42:00.000-06:00

(Note: Even if you don't read this post - scroll down and look at the last picture. It will put a smile on your face!)

May 22nd and 23rd we celebrated my grandparent's (my mom's mom and dad) 50th Anniversary in Salt Lake City! It was such a fun trip! All of my mom's siblings were able to be there except one. We all stayed at the Grand America, went to the Desert Star Theater, ate at Bucca de Beppo, and then had Sunday Brunch at the Little America. I think my grandparent's felt so special.
So back to dinner at Bucca de Beppo - it was delish! For those of you who don't know, they bring the food out 'family style' so you have TONS of food. We ended up leaving with two GIANT bags full of food. My mom really - and I mean REALLY wanted to take all the food to some homeless people. So we drove around downtown SLC until we found someone . . . 20 mins later we found this guy and gave him ALL the food! He'll be eatin' good for a while! My youngest brother and our cousin were sitting in the back seat saying, "Why is it that when you're not looking for hobo they are everywhere, and now that we're looking for them - there nowhere to be found!"
Later that night when everyone was settling down. I called room service for a crib. A few minutes later they come door. To my surprise they bring up a crib . . a rocking chair, a diaper genie, all kinds of lotions and soaps, a baby bath and a bottle warmer! I was like geez! I wish I lived like this all the time!
Anyways . . .
So I drove out there all by myself ( to Salt Lake) with Evie! Braden wasn't able to take work off, and I really wanted to be there for this special event! So I just waited for miss Eve to fall asleep and as soon as she did I hopped in the truck and drove as fast as I dared! She actually slept all the way to Heber! I was amazed and thankful! I had decided to come out a day early and stay with my grandma Sandy and aunties Lexus and Lacey in Prove so the trip wouldn't be so long for Evie. It was so good to see those 3 girlies! Evie was eating up all that attention. She's so funny! Here are a few pictures from our adventure!

Dinner @ Bucca
Miss Evie and I

Grand America

Cy (my youngest bro). . . . he is freaking hilarious!

Evie's 1st Temper Tantrum!

2010-05-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

Braden had softball games on Wednesday night that didn't get over until 10:30! So . . . we stopped at McDonalds on the way home for some din din. I was eating some fries and everytime I would put one to my mouth Evie would watch me! She stared at my hand as I picked one up and put it to my mouth - with every fry she seemed so jealous! So - being the awesome mom I am, I gave her one. She L.O.V.E.D. it! She just chewed on it until it started falling apart, then I took it away because I didn't want her to choke. ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! She FA-REAKED! So I gave her another one and she IMMEDIATELY stopped crying. Until I took that fry away because it was falling apart too. Yet again she has a mental break down! We finally had to put her in the bath tub because it was just too much for her to handle. She totally knows what she wants and how to get her way! :) It was so funny - but it kind of made me nervous for what's to come! If she can do that at 6 months - just think . . . . . .

Evie Grace is 6 Months Old!

2010-05-06T20:24:00.000-06:00

Evie is getting so big! She's cracking me up everyday! She jibber jabbers VERY loud for a good portion of the day! She is such a sweet heart! She is now LOVING her dad! When he leaves her she cries - just until she remembers that I am still there ;) Here are a few things about Evie at 6 months:

She flaps her arms and kicks her legs like crazy
She can roll over and over and over again!
She is finally starting to grow some hair :) Yess!!!
She is a serious drama queen!
She goes crazy in the bathtub - we can't take our eyes off her for one second!
We can't take our eyes off her for one second . . . period!
She loves chewing on her toes!
Still loving (and needing) the bink and being swaddled!
She loves all her toys!
Tries to sit up, but hasn't quite got that down yet.
Still cute as ever :)

Happy Anniversary to us!

2010-04-29T21:58:00.000-06:00

Braden and I have been married for two years! Whoa! I can't believe it - but at the same time I can. We went out to dinner and Braden got me beautiful flowers and a new WillowTree statue to add to my collection! I LOVE being married. Braden always makes married life interesting and fun/ funny! He is so fun to be around.

Braden and I first met in December '06. CRAZY! Braden was home for Christmas and was living in Las Vegas at the time. My best friend Marci (VanTassell) Modde set us up on a blind date. We roasted marshmallows at Zach Modde's parents house up Dry Fork Canyon and watched the movie "A Cinderella Story" (the boxing movie). Two years later in February '08 Braden proposed in the same place we'd had our first date! Except I was so fooled! Zach's parents had sold their house up Dry Fork and Marci called me and said that Braden and Zach needed to go get some tables that his parents had left up there during the moving process. I was ANNOYED because we were all supposed to go to the movies that night. Marci came and picked me up and we were going to have a "girls night". Then Marci said, "Why don't we go up and see what those guys are up to!" So we get to his house and Zach was outside and he told me to walk down by the fire pit because that's where Braden was. So I start making the hike to the fire pit - it was pitch black. Braden heard me coming and thought I was a deer! haha! Then as I got closer there were candles and roses all over! Braden played a song he'd written for me on his guitar then PROPOSED! I was so shocked/ excited/ cold/ happy/ excited! :) Best proposal ever! We got married April 26th, 2008!

Side note: When we went back to my house to tell my fam the good news I will never forget what my mom told my 2 little brothers, "Guys!! Do you know what this means??!! Braden is going to be your brother!!!!" . . . . . . Love her :)

Nanny?!

2010-04-21T18:32:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking about hiring a nanny for the summer for Miss Evie Grace! I feel like I take her all over Timbuktu for babysitters and it makes me feel awful! I think this woman (Evie) needs some consistency! And so do I! So if anyone knows of a SUPER DUPER GREAT girl who would LOVE to come nanny for us let me know! I only work part time and only on Monday - Thursday!

P.S. I pay REALLY good :)

Loving the Sunshine!

2010-04-18T07:19:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went out to Layton and got our new truck! We are loving it! The new F150 has way more room in the back for Evie's car seat! And it's also been nice for me because I don't really sit up front anymore, I usually sit in the back seat with my girly - having the extra room is wonderful! :)

On our little adventure we took Evie to the hotel pool! She didn't seem to love it or hate it. She seemed sort of indifferent. But we had fun with her :)

Evie's 1st time in the grass!!

Denver!

2010-04-07T13:52:00.000-06:00

Braden and I had an opportunity to go to Denver for my work March 28-30th. I was nervous about leaving Evie and didn't even want to say that I was going because I thought I would chicken out last minute! Braden was able to take a few days off of work and come with me so we decided to leave Evie and have some time together! I'm so glad we did! We had so much fun together! Even though we missed Evie like crazy we were still able to have a great time! We knew she was being well taken care of! (THANKS MOM AND DAD!)

We flew out of Vernal on the huge 20 passenger plane :) I was nervous because last time I flew to Denver I was about to barf when we finally landed. It's like being on a roller coaster for an hour and a half! But this time it really wasn't too bad at all. THANK GOODNESS! We stayed at the Ritz Carlton aka HEAVEN. We ate dinner at Earl's on 16th street. TO DIE FOR FOOD - honestly the best food I have ever eaten in my entire life! Yummm! Braden was able to come w/ me to work on the 29th for our presentation - not sure how much fun he had, but I was glad he came :) Afterwards we got a couples message at the Ritz . . . AHHHH - BEST message of my life, we did some shopping for Evie and ate at Rock Bottom. On our last day we tried to sleep in as much as we could - since that is a luxury we no longer get to enjoy :)

We had so much fun! I'm so glad Braden was able to come with me! We loved it!

No comment . . .

Evie Grace is 5 Months Old!

2010-04-06T15:10:00.000-06:00

Yet another month is passing us by! Evie turned 5 months yesterday on her daddies b-day! My baby girl is getting so big! We went to her "4 month" check up today. Yes, I'm a little off, I know! We've had a busy month - but besides that the doctors office couldn't get us in until then! ANYWAYS :) Little miss is weighing in at 11.5 lbs, and 24 inches long - healthy as a horse! Tiny little squirt! I love every inch of her! The shots were not so much fun :( Eve was smiling at the nurse and I up until she poked that needle into her thigh! Then she did the gradual cry - starts out as a frown . . . bigger frown . . . looks up with sad eyes . . . . SCREAMS! That is THE WORST! That look alone could break ANYONES heart - I swear!

Here are a few things about our tiny bean at 5 months old:

Spent her first nights away from mom and dad while Braden and I were in Denver.
Earned the name "Squawk 'n Bush" Indian Princess while staying w/ my parents because she squawks sooo much!
Sucks and chews on her hands A LOT!
Started wearing her 3-6month clothes.
First Easter! Wore the cutest purple polka dot outfit from Snug-a-bugs!
Eats rice cereal in her bottle and some baby food also!
Rolls over!
Lays on her belly and pulls her legs up like she wants to crawl!
Smiles all the time!
Major mommies girl - which is good and also bad at times!
Starting to babble to herself.
SUPER SUPER ADORABLE AND LOVED!

Evie and Grandma while we were in Denver!

The new bath robe!

Happy Birthday Braden/Daddy!

2010-04-05T16:41:00.000-06:00

Braden turned 24 today! He's old :) Evie and I got him some shorts and shirts for summer (if it ever gets here) and a Sony Reader - which is pretty awesome!

I woke up and made breakfast before he went to work (4:30am) - which was also awesome!

Then I teased him all day long about what his present was going to be! Tonight we are going to his parents house for the big "Birthday Dinner!"

Here are 24 reasons I love my husband, Braden: He loves me, he loves Evie, he loves the Lord, he's a hard worker, he makes me and Evie laugh, and he's smart, he provides for our family, he thinks of the future, he supports my shopping needs, and my quilting needs, he cares how he looks so I don't have to give him guff, he changes Evie's diaper, he makes bottles in the middle of the night, we have fun together, we get along, we can talk through are disagreements, he is honest with me no matter the situation (even with "does this make me look fat?"), he prays with me, he cooks breakfast for me when he's not working, he melts my heart with his guitar, he plays x-box less than he used to, he helps me cook dinner, and sometimes even laundry, BECAUSE without him I would be missing a part of me!

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!

Fights . . .

2010-04-03T21:26:00.000-06:00

I have decided I'm not a huge fan of the "Vernal Fights". Haha I don't even know what they are really called - Ultimate Combat Experience? I have no clue. Anyways. I'm still trying to figure out WHY the guys that fight do it? Braden said it's an adrenaline rush and bla bla bla. BUT why? The whole time they were fighting I was flinching and doing "ahh . . . ohh . . . babe do you think he's hurt? . . . " I don't think Braden will take me back. I guess I'm embarrassing or something.

Whitney: Hey babe is he really hurting that guy - do you think that hurts him?

Braden: Are you serious? No. . . they are just playing "name 10 candy bars"

Whitney: Well I guess I know it hurts him, but why doesn't he just get up or tap out?

Braden: Shhhh

THEN here comes Ben's fight (my brother in law). I was so nervous - probably more nervous than Ben. He was doing SO good. Then POP his knee dislocates! UGH! The paramedic person came and yanked it back into position . . . I freaked. I was clenching Braden's arm and I felt tears well up inside me. I'm thinking OMG pull it together! Which don't worry, I did. I honestly don't know how Jody, my mother in law, can watch those! Yikes. I told Braden not to get any ideas I couldn't compose myself if he did that. Anyways, everyone is fine. Just had to get that off my chest :)

We're LoViNg this girl!

2010-03-20T17:09:00.000-06:00

This is Evie saying AHHH! It's pretty much what she says all day long!

The shirt says it all! A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Above is "THE" yellow duck. It's the only toy she pays any attention to!

Evie says, "Hey guys - yes my mom puts matching bows on w/ my jam jams aka pajamas!"

P.S. No Evie doesn't sit in this bouncer all day long. Just for picture time. I'll have to start being more creative!

Evie Grace is 4 Months Old!

2010-03-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'm a little off. Evie turned 4 months on the 5th of March. We'll pretend like I'm not almost a month behind! Evie is getting SO FUN! Here are a few things about our little bean at 4 months old:

She's found her voice! All day long Evie say's AHHH! . . . AHHH! . . . AHHH! It's super cute!
She's full on laughing. She laughs super hard at herself in the mirror and when her daddy gobbles her hand in his mouth.
Teeth must be in the near future because she SLOBBERS so much that she has to wear a bib all day long!
She chews on her fists - or anything else that she can get her hands on!
She is reaching for toys - and loves her yellow duck the best.
She's eating like crazy! AND spitting up like crazy! She never used to do this!
She's finally feeling better and (dare I say it?) I think we're seeing the light at the end of the colic tunnel!
She is little Miss Smiles! She always smiles at her mommy and daddy!
Little peeps of hair are FINALLY growing! WAHOO!
She just started wearing 3-6month clothes this week! 3/15/2010
She ALMOST sleeps through the night!

I could go on and on. We're loving our baby girl so much. What a blessing she is in our lives!

Oh Snap!

2010-03-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Soooo. . . . . Evie's new thing is crying uncontrollably when her daddy holds her. Well, usually she is fine for like the first 2 minutes - then she starts screaming! AND as soon as I take her she stops! The first time this happened, in my mind I was thinking "Haha Evie loves her momma more!" NOW it's really annoying! Braden feels bad and he never wants to watch her now because he's afraid he won't be able to calm her down. We think maybe it's because I am with her all day and feed her and etc. Like how the heck am I going to cook dinner . . . that's right Braden is :) But if you've had any similar experiences P.L.E.A.S.E. pass on some advice. I really don't want Evie to be like this! It's SO hard! Plus I feel bad for Braden :(

Ahhhh!!!!!!! Chiquita Banana :o)

2010-03-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Evie has recently found her voice. It has to be the cutest thing ever! Yesterday Braden, Evie and I were sitting on the couch and I looked at her and said, "AHHHH"! Then she said, "AHHHH"! This went on for a few minutes and it was AWESOME! Braden was so amazed - his reaction was probably better than Evie saying "AHHH"! Ok no, it wasn't better. Evie is so cool! :) We love love love her!

Evie also tried Chiquita Bananas yesterday! I just fed her that because I like saying 'Chiquita Banana'. Anyways - she didn't really get very much down. She was starving and was too frustrated to try Chiquita Bananas. So we ended up having a bottle instead. Maybe we'll try some more Chiquita Bananas today :o) CHIQUITA BANANA! (Think it's safe to say I'm Lacking in the sleep department?)

Whoa!

2010-02-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

So here is our little messy girl. Actually it's not her fault. Braden has been letting her suck on candy!!!!! Well, we've been feeding her peppermint water to help w/ the colic and all I do is put a peppermint candy in like 3 oz of water. So Braden has the bright idea to just let her lick the peppermint. Mmmm not so sure if it's the BEST idea - but she seems to be enjoying herself every time he does it. But NOW Braden is not only letting her have peppermints, but lick gummy bears, fruit snacks, and even gum (he just lets her lick it of course). This is not a mom thing - it's a dad thing. I just let him go. Gotta love it :)

Perfect Blessing for Perfect Baby

2010-02-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday, February 7th was Evie's blessing day. Braden did such a great job - even though he said his jaw was quivering! We were so worried about Evie screaming through the blessing, BUT she slept through it! Wahoo! We had a lot of friends and family there - thanks everyone for supporting us on Evie's special day! Here are a few picts from the day . . .

Evie Grace is 3 Months Old!

2010-02-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

It's true! Miss Evie is 3 months old! She is getting so big! Well, she's big for me! She almost weighs 10 lbs now! Which in reality a lot of babies weigh that much at their 2 week appointment - but she's perfect just the way she is :) Tiny beany - and we love her! Evie is FINALLY getting out of the colicky stage! And now that I've said that we're going to have a colicky day . . . . hahaha. I pretty much feel like an expert when it comes to colic - thinking about writing a book or something :) Anyways! Evie is so alert and it's so much fun! Every night we have our "nightly conversation" and we (I) talk about everything that happened that day. Evie cracks up, Braden rolls his eyes, and by the time I'm done my head usually hurts from talking like a retard for so long!

Here are a few things about Evie at 3 months:

Binkey = Savior
Daddy's girl for sure
Toot
LOVES bath time
HATES getting dressed after bath time
Eating 3 oz. every 3 hours
Toot
Tried rice cereal in her bottle
Graduated from sleeping in car-seat to sleeping in mom & dads bed (Note: Evie has a crib and bassinet that she refuses to sleep in . . . crap)
Toot
Tries to chew on her fists all day (if wearing a long sleeve shirt both sleeves are soaking wet)
Follows things with her eyes
Toot
Holds toys in her hands
Loves her mommy's kisses! (for sure)
AND toots like crazy :)

Evie and Daddy!

2010-02-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday I left Evie and Braden and went to a baby shower for my friend. I was only gone about an hour and this was how I found my babies! When Evie is totally zonked she sleeps with her arms in the air like this. Love it!

New TuTu!

2010-01-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I just bought Evie the most ADORABLE Tutu! You can't even see it in these pictures though. Anyways it's light pink with brown polka dots! LOVE IT! I recently discovered this place called Over the Picket Fence on main street. They have bows and tutus and all kinds of fun stuff there! I went a little overboard there . . . But here are the most recent pics of our little Evie girl. She is so precious! And she was so patient with me while I was dolling her up and taking pictures! Love her!

The many faces of Evie!

2010-01-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Evie is growing every day! I'm amazed! I was sad at first when she started growing out of her newborn clothes but i'm loving how alert she is getting. She totally has a mind of her own. She is getting so fun! I really hope we're coming out of the colicky stage. She definitely still has her moments and it's soooo hard! I took her back to Dr. Kwak AGAIN to see if he could do anything else for her upset tummy. He bumped her up from Zantac to Prevacid. We're still trying to decide if it's made any difference. Poor girl is on old man medication :( I'm loving this little girl so much. She's a dolly! I love all these faces of her! I sometimes sit in front of her and say STUPID STUPID stuff to make her laugh. Like ridiculously stupid things that after I say them i'm like embarrassed for myself and no one was even around. The things you'll do for your child :)

Evie the Dryer Sleeper . . .

2010-01-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

New Discovery! Ok well not exactly a "new" discovery but it is for us! Everyone has been telling me to put my colicky Evie on top of the dryer to calm her down. I never tried it because I was afraid I'd have to sit by the dryer all day so she wouldn't shake right off! Well . . . Braden and I were cleaning the house up over the weekend and we just set her in her car seat and put it on top of the dryer while doing laundry. She slept the WHOLE cycle! Like through the washing machine then through the dryer! She loved the vibration from them! I think it has the same effect of being in the car! I'm amazed! AND it doesn't vibrate right off either, the car seat has these little grips on the bottom and it sticks right in place! YES! While I'm getting ready for work in the morning I just switch my laundry and set her on top of the dryer and she sleeps! It's awesome! :) This also helps me with one of my new years resolutions - Keep up with my laundry! YEAH!

Want Want Want!

2010-01-12T16:04:00.001-07:00

Things I WANT right now (Want to have, want to make, want to do, want etc.):

I LOVE these photo necklaces. I seriously WANT this one!

My kitchen is this color of green and I WANT to decorate like this!

I WANT to make Evie one of these adorable trench coats (the polka dot style):

I WANT a new pair of Laguna Beach Jeans - they were my fav until baby came along and I haven't been able to squeeze back into them yet :(

I WANT to make some fun "springish" dresses for Evie:

OK so I could go on and on and on! But this is a start! I thought if I got this all out so I could see a few of the things i'm WANTING I could maybe accomplish some of my WANTS! :) :) :)

Back to Work!

2010-01-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is little E with Grandma J!

Today was my first day back to work in what feels like forever (3.5 months). My mother in law, Jody, is watching Evie 3 days a week from 9:00-1:00. IT'S SO HARD! I absolutely HATE leaving Evie bug. I was kind of excited to go back to work, but not to leave my baby! I am only working part time so I think once I get into a routine it will get better. I HOPE. Evie has been doing so much better lately and then this morning she cried from 5:30am until we got to Grandma Jody's. I felt so awful! I spent the whole morning trying to tend to my screaming Eve while getting ready. I wanted to call my office and QUIT! Braden said, "Just take today off and go tomorrow" . . . except that I was actually supposed to go back to work last week and I couldn't make myself! So I knew I had to just go or it would never get easier. I am lucky to have a job I love, but it doesn't seem to make much difference when I want to just be with Evie. We'll see how long I last . . . .

First Shots :(

2010-01-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Evie's 2 month appointment - which meant her first set of immunizations! This picture sucks - but it's the only one for now. I felt bad that I was taking pictures while she needed to be sniggled! She actually did surprisingly well though. She only cried until I picked her up then I think she forgot about it for a while. The shots made her SOOOO sleepy! She slept for quite a while after, then she got REALLY cranky, then . . . . SHE SLEPT ALL NIGHT LONG! SHE SLEPT FOR 7 HOURS IN A ROW! I was so amazed! Woo Woo! We switched to Dr. Kwak and I LOVED him! He was so good with Evie. He prescribed her some baby Zantac so hopefully that will help her sad belly! She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz! She's gained 3 lbs since birth! She has so many 0-3month clothes that she's fitting in now and I love it! Here is one of them!

(And if you're feeling like I post too much - I'm just doing this for myself! I want to have a book of this made at the end of the year! Plus it's therapeutic for me!)

(Pretend that the Christmas Tree isn't still up . . .)

2010!

2010-01-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am just getting around to even thinking about my (our) new years resolutions! Wow! 2009, for me, was a LONG year - I honestly felt like I was going to be pregnant for the rest of my life. Luckily, that has passed and now we have a beautiful baby girl! I have a giant list of things that I would like to accomplish in 2010, here are a few:

FINALLY go through the Temple and all be sealed together!
Go to church every Sunday
Be a good mom to Evie :) And have fun doing it!
Finish remodeling the dining room and bathroom
Pay things off and save money
Take lots and lots of pictures and videos of Evie
Get quilting so I can quit my job and be home with my Evie! Anyone need a quilt done?
Exercise regularly and lose baby weight plus some!
Get ORGANIZED! And TRY to keep my house clean!
Plant flowers in my front yard and water them! (Last year they died - oops)
LAUNDRY - keep up on it! I blame my mom for not making me do my own laundry when I lived at home. But when I'm honest with myself that's just an excuse!
Learn to be more PATIENT

There are MANY more, but I will spare you! Happy New Year Everyone! Hope 2010 is a great year!

Tiny Bean is 2 Months Old!

2010-01-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Evie is already 2 months old today! I'm trying to figure out how this can be! My tiny little bean is getting big! She is such a dolly! I absolutely love her to death! Evie is growing - and she finally fits in her 0-3 month clothes! It's a bitter sweet thing for me. Her little body is so adorable! She is long and lean with some chubby cheeks! I swear I probably kiss her little cheeks a million times a day! Evie consistently sleeps 3 hrs at a time at night - wakes up to eat and goes back to sleep! FINALLY - something I can handle! :) Braden is the only one who can almost make Evie laugh! When he talks to her she smiles for so long and makes little giggle noises like she wants to bust into laughter! I LOVE it - it melts my heart! I do believe she is going to be a daddy's girl because no matter what I do I cannot get that same reaction from her. We are so blessed to have Evie. She teaches me things about myself everyday. I sometimes just hold her while she's sleeping and I feel like my heart is going to explode with love! She is so awesome! Love ya Eve!

Glenwood Springs

2010-01-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Glenwood Springs, CO. Our first vacation w/ Evie Grace! We stayed at Glenwood Hot Springs (above). We had such a good time. We love going there this time of year because the hot springs steams up so much that you can barely see the person next to you! It's so cool! We also went snowboarding/ skiing at Sunlight Mtn. Resort. I decided to go back to my old ways and went skiing. I had SO much fun I think I might retire the snowboard - and buy some skis! I was kind of nervous because I haven't skied since the snowboarding phase in middle school! But it luckily came back to me and I had a blast! Where was Evie during all this? My parents are AWESOME and they watched Evie while we skied/boarded and swam. It was so nice! THANK YOU! And to every ones disappointment (except Braden's) we didn't even get any pictures except these ones of Evie in the car on the way there. I even thought about it this morning and here is what happened:

Whitney: Braden, let's go get a family picture in the lobby by something that says Glenwood Springs.

Braden: No! I am ready to go. That is stupid.

So anyways - blame Braden. I really tried to fight for that family picture! Anyways Happy New Year everyone!

Life is Good!

2009-12-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Evie slept so great last night! I'm loving life today! She slept from 9pm until 2am then from 2:30am to 7am then I popped the bink in her mouth and she slept clear till 10am! I was so proud of her! I was amazed! I woke up at 1:30am and woke Braden up and said "AHH she's still sleeping - you think she's alive over there?" We couldn't hardly believe it! YOU GO EVIE - GOOD JOB GIRL! When we got out of bed at 10am she was like a little ball of joy! She was cracking me right up. She was smiling so much that she acted like she wanted to bust out laughing. It was so funny! So we had to do this little photo shoot! She is so cute! And she's getting so big! Almost 2 months old - time flies!

HE? is so cute!

2009-12-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I read way to into things. And this is one of those things . . . I know. But still! I was at the rec. center the other night for a family Christmas party that my grandma does every year. Evie was dressed in her Santa dress and looked seriously ADORABLE! The little Santa hat (that even had a flower on it) that went with the dress wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world so I took it off her towards the end of the night. After the party we got Evie all loaded up in the car seat - snug as a bug! We were heading out the door and I ran into a lady from our ward. She hadn't seen Evie and apparently didn't know we'd even had her yet. So she took a peak and says, "HE is so cute!". Not even kidding my heart broke right at that very moment! I was so distraught that I didn't even tell her SHE'S A GIRL! Honestly I didn't really know what to say - I just said "it was good to see you" and walked out the door. When Braden and I got to the car I kept asking him "she doesn't look like a boy, does she?" - Braden says "Whitney you can't even tell with babies this small" - OH YES YOU CAN i'm thinking. My baby girl is too beautiful to be a baby boy! Anyways now I feel VERY dumb that I didn't tell the lady that she's a girl and my plan is to dress her in the CUTEST DRESS and BOW and SHOES when we finally go back to church. Poor lady is going to feel so bad! HAHA that is evil . . . isn't it? And I'm over the whole thing now so don't anyone worry :) Honestly does this picture look like a boy to you? Hmmm wow this is a hard one . . . .

Ugh!

2009-12-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! What a morning we had today! I laugh every time I think about it. Evie woke up this morning and cried and cried . . . and cried! I couldn't do anything to calm her down so I decided to put her in the tub with me. If all else fails she always calms down in the tub! So I filled up the tub then we got in. We were only in for like 2 minutes then she starts grunting . . . and pooped . . . a lot! So I am frantically trying to drain the bath, and clean her off, and clean me off. YUCK! I wrapped her up and cleaned the tub and I was going to shower off before we got back in the tub again. Except I'd forgotten that I'd had the washing machine and dishwasher going all morning and I'd just drained a tub full of hot water. So no more hot water in the Robinson home and I felt disgusting! Took a cold shower then had to wrap Evie up and wait for the water to get hot again! CRAZY! I was all flustered at the time but now I can't quit laughing about it! Thanks Evie :)

I miss you sleep!

2009-12-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

Evie slept really well the past few nights! I was getting so excited! We would even sneak upstairs when she fell asleep and get in bed with Braden. Yes, we haven't been sharing a bed lately because Evie is a fuss muffin! It's ok though . . . we somehow both survive the night and are able to function the next day - barely! The thing that cracks me up lately is as soon as I'm up and wanting to do something productive, that's when Eve falls asleep! So at that point I don't want to go get in bed - I want to clean my house! So it's partly my fault for not sleeping when I have the opportunity I guess. I hate sleeping during the day because I feel lazy and ugly (ugly because I don't get ready when i'm being lazy)! And when you are being lazy and ugly, that's usually when someone comes over to your house! HAHA at least that is my experience. When I'm thinking to myself, "Gosh, I would die if anyone saw me or my house like this." I can pretty much guarantee that is exactly whats going to happen! And all this due to lack of sleep? Wow! I never realized what a precious thing sleep is! Evie is actually catching up on her Zzz's as I'm typing this - how ironic :) Hahaha Gotta love this girl! In all reality I don't know what I did without her - I feel like she is a part of me now. She is pretty amazing! Here is a tribute to Sleeping Beauty (during the day)!

Our first family blog!

2009-12-06T21:21:00.000-07:00

I actually started a blog when Braden and I were first married. I've since forgotten the e-mail address, password and everything else I used to create it! Oops! I decided to start another one and maybe I'll be better this time! Evie keeps me up a good portion of the night so I spend a lot of time on FB and reading other peoples blogs! Gotta love this parenting thing, especially at 3:00am! I never expected it to be this hard! Fun and rewarding but HARD! Evie is so dang cute and lovable that it's all worth it though! My cousin Shelli Greene took Evie's first pictures for us and I am in love! Here are a few . . .