Cleaning Corrals...

Sunday is usually Tim's day for cleaning stalls. He and Ashley typically go out to rake and shovel together. Lately, Stephan has been wanting to get in on the action. This week though, Tim snagged Aiden and Isaiah as well, and tossed them into the back of the trekker to head out to the pasture to work.

I got a little nervous. About 2 months ago, Ashley's horse chaised one of the cows through the gate that separates the pastures, and she busted the dang thing apart. So now, there isn't anyway to keep the horses and cows separated unless we use the stalls. No biggie, but when my little kiddos are out in the pasture, I want the horses and cows away. Since the "littles" were in the pasture with the horses and cows, I thought I would venture out that way and keep an eye on them. After a few minutes, I thought to myself, "Duh. Get your camera. This is funny stuff. First, Aiden refused to sit anywhere in the trekker except the driver's seat. Isaiah, who usually climbs out of EVERYTHING sat like a seasoned pro in the back where the trash cans go. He hung his arm over the edge and all! (Nope didn't have my camera yet.) Then, we let the hens out of their coup. Aiden and Isaiah love them. It was so cute. That is when inspiration hit...get the camera!

Enjoy the photo journal of Scooping Poop Sunday...

Yep, this is the way I feel about scooping poop too. It's a dirty job...

Think of Isaiah as the foreman. He pretty much stays in one spot watching. He doesn't get in the way, therefore he doesn't attract attention.

I imagine, in his mind, he is telling everyone how to do it properly. Either that or he is scheming a plan to take Stephan's lawn chair...

Here is Stephan. Yep, he has his own rake, and his own style of raking. It's ok. We all have to be unique.

Here he sits on his chair. Is he guarding the gate? Is he taking a break? Nope! He was worried that Aiden (see him in the background?) was going to sit in his chair. He spent the next 5 minutes raking from his chair. Ashley's show steer is in the stall with him. Stephan, "You've come a long way baby!"

Another Give Away!

Check out this Give Away. It is for a very cool necklace. Shey (yep, camera strap Shey) is hosting the give away on her site. Here is the link.

Hot Butter ~ Hot Give Away

Ashley at Hot Butter has totally recycled a pair of linen capris into the cutest little pouches. She is also offering a give away. You need to click on over to see what she does. She's very creative.

My Wonderful, Adoring Husband...

Yep, he's a pretty cool guy. My hubbie, Tim, cleans the kitchen for me every morning. No matter how grumpy the kids are in the morning, I know that I will walk into a clean kitchen.It is truly a great feeling. (He also gets the bottles ready for the twins morning feeding. He puts them on my night stand so I don't have to find them. He's an awesome guy, huh?) Throughout the day, I will clean up, but when Tim gets home, he does the kitchen again. He's a Super Cleaner.

So, imagine my surprise when I walk into the kitchen the other evening and find this...

Obviously, they were nearly done by the time I spotted them and found my camera...

Guess that takes some of the guess work out of why he can clean the kitchen so fast. I wonder how the dishes get washed? I think I will stay out of the kitchen when he is cleaning...

Coffee! Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Remember the episode of Gilmore Girls where Lorilai isn't visiting Luke's and she has to go to a different coffee shop for her coffee? Then when she orders her "Coffee, coffee, coffee" she gets three?Hmmm... you're not laughing. Oh I get it ~ you don't watch the Gilmore Girls? Not even the reruns? (The only way you can watch it anymore because they stopped shooting the show.) Too bad...you're missing out my friend.

(Yep, I own them all on DVD)

ANYWAY...
I LOVE coffee. Now, I need to clarify. I like sweet, rich, doctored up coffee. Straight black coffee? Blah.

Once upon a time, I wouldn't touch the stuff. Then, about a fourth of the way through my Master's program, (which I did in night school since I was teaching full time during the day ~ thus the need for coffee, chocolate, and anything else to keep me awake during class, and on the drive home) the lady that I would carpool with introduced me to Starbucks. mmmmm.... I became a coffee addict. I've tried many different kinds of concoctions. The crew here in our little town... don't trust their new recipes unless it is endorsed by Starbucks. They either don't have taste buds, they have a sick sense of humor, or they just have bad taste in coffee.

So, somewhere between my dislike of coffee and my love of coffee, I've become a coffee snob. Yep, I know, hard to believe little ol' small town me being a snob. (Stop snickering you three who know me so well...don't let the others in on this downfall of mine!) See how snobby I am? I only sit with others who have littles like mine! That is my good friend, Lindsay and her son Eli on the left, then there is me with my two littles, Aiden on my lap and Isaiah in the stroller. We were at an FFA ice cream social. See, I'm not snobby!

Sadly, I've drug my husband down the same path of ruin. He likes to savor his coffee, and since I've introduced him to good coffee, he has been known to throw out a bag or two if it doesn't meet his standards. I knew I loved him for a reason ~ yep, his love of rich coffee.

Currently, we are ordering our coffee from Boca Java.

Ths is my new favorite selection.

It is so easy, simply select the type of coffee, the flavor or coffee, and the amount of time in between deliveries, and they will send it to you! I change my selection frequently. They also have hot chocolate, tea, Lindt chocolates, and accessories. Check them out. They are really good. I just got my delivery in the mail today. I love the smell of coffee... Time to brew a pot.

News Alert!

Holy coffee beans Batman! I, (Robyn, heehee), just found another coffee site that looks pretty darn good... You might want to check it out ~ They have Starbuck's coffee recipes that you can make in your own home! (Golly, Beav. You mean I might save some money?) It is called Coffee Sage. Check them out.

How many of you know about SITS? Well, they are hosting a Give Away this week. It is a totally cool camera strap. Click here to be directed to their website. You can also click on their little pink/brown leopard widget on the right...

(I hope I linked it all correctly...)

Let me tell you about the camera straps...they are awesome. If you are a family member and need a suggestion for my birthday... I want the tourquoise and brown with Minky. Gotta have it! Might just get it for myself...but that would delay the new lense that I was looking at... The straps were designed by a lady in Phx. She has an etsy shop with all of her strap covers displayed. You go here to be directed to the shop. Her shop is called *Shey* [B]. Shealynn's Strap Covers. You "gotta" check it out!

Hmmm....I hope it's not a new trend...

At what point do you begin allowing your toddler to use their own spoon and dish?

Both Aiden and Isaiah are grabbing at the spoon when I feed them. Now, they have been eating with their fingers for quite some time, but soft mushy foods require mommy to spoon feed. So ~ me being brave and optimistic ~ I bought a suction cup plate/bowl combo and decided to let the littles eat on their own for lunch yesterday. I have since rethought my position on the little's self feeding phase. Let the photos do the talking...(oh boy.)

Look at this smiling beauty? He has a tray full of Kraft Mac n Cheese with peas of course!

Look a little closer...there is a distinct ring of cheese around his mouth, and his hands are clearly messy. Nothing that a wet washrag won't be able to handle.

Now check out brother, Isaiah...

Note the nifty suction cup bowl/plate thing easily fit the top of his head. Isn't he talented?

Now watch the mac n cheese slowly fall out of the bowl, and slide down the side of his head.

Do you see the trickle of mac n cheese juice sliding down the side of his head, and the greasy smears on his cheeks, and the cheese stuck to the top of his eyelid? This is my messy eater.

This is going to take more than a wet washrag to clean up. Dang, and he hates to have his hair washed.

Thank you Lord, for allowing me to have my camera loaded with an empty chip, a full battery, and the knowlege of its location. Who would ever have thought to have a camera nearby?

Aiden and Isaiah Turn 1 !

Hip Hip Hurray!

We made it to the one year mark.

When the twins were born, other people with twins would say, "Well, if you make it to the first year, you'll do fine." I always wondered if I actually had an option. I remember one time asking Tim, "Are you kidding me? Did he just say, "if?" Raising twins is definitely a challenge, but throw in a 2 1/2 year old midstream, and you have an obstacle course. We just started working out harder, and now we are so thankful for all that we have.

The boys actually turned one on Saturday, Jan. 10th, but Ashley had a soccer game in another town. (A town that was a 3 hour and 15 minute ride!) Needless to say, we didn't celebrate much. I told Stephan (our 2 YO) that it was the babies birthday. He said, "Oh, I like birthdays!" Then he walked to Isaiah's crib, and said "Happy Birthday YaYah." He would break out in the birthday song periodically throughout the day. It was so sweet!

So, we celebrated on Sunday (today)...

The boys had a wonderful day. It started out by attending church. Their favorite nursery ladies (Auntie Deb and Ms. Charlotte) were there. (Although, first thing Aiden did was fall right into the corner of the door. Yikes. It even scared Tim ~ he doesn't scare easy.) Then, at the end of the service, we had the boys (all three of them) dedicated. Having the boys dedicated was very important to me. It was such a special moment. I couldn't have chosen a better day to have them dedicated either. We had a beautiful young lady come forward today to give her testimony, and also to talk about the Sanctity of Family. She did a fabulous job. A lot of our family was in church for the service and it was just a special morning.

Then for the fun stuff! We headed home for lunch, presents, and cake and ice cream. (The cake is always my favorite part!)

Aiden, my neat eater (kinda), took nice small bites. Isaiah, my messy boy, took the entire piece of cake and shoved it into his mouth. I was dying laughing. I don't have any picts of it because I was videoing it.

Happy Birthday Boys!

The Adoption is Final!

On December 17, 2008, the adoption of our twins sons, Aiden Jo and Isaiah Van was final!!! Hurray!!!

We feel so blessed that God would allow such a beautiful young lady come into our lives, and allow us to raise the sons she gave birth to. We think of her daily, love her giving spirit, pray for her, and we sometimes discuss which boy recieved which facial feature from her. (I think Aiden has her eyes.) Thank you bio mom. We love you. We think you "rock"!

The adoption ceremony took a whole whopping 5 minutes. It felt like longer, but someone actually recorded the start and stop time. It is so funny, the feelings that went through my mind that day. I've never been in court for actually doing something wrong. Yet, I felt nervous. What if this judge deamed us unworthy? What if he asked us hard questions? (I had to ask Tim how long we had actually lived in the county we are currently living in.) Silly little things, but still...

Isaiah
Aiden

After reviewing the photos of the proceeding (yep, we took the paparrazzi with us), I noticed that the judge seldom looked at us. Every photo I have during the proceeding was of him looking at the boys and smiling. He must really enjoy this part of his job.

When the hearing was over, we headed to a local pizza place for a celebratory lunch. Afterall, it was Chander's (my nephew) birthday that day as well. Celebrating all around!!!!

On the left is Stephan, then Cameron, Chandler (birthday boy), and Ashley
At the head of the table is Isaiah, then Aiden, Tim (daddy), Gramps (Tim's dad), Grandma Goof (my mom), Larry aka: Pop (my step-dad), and Grammy (Tim's mom).

Chandler blowing out his candle. The pizza place gave him a piece of cheesecake!

Welcome, officially, to the family Aiden and Isaiah. We love you both!

Me, Isaiah, Louise (our caseworker from the agency), Tim, and Aiden

HGTV's Dream Home Give Away

Have you entered yet? I have. Not sure what I'm talking about? Then you aren't keeping up with your HGTV!!

HGTV builds these amazing houses every year. Then, they give you a chance to win it! Isn't that very generous of them? I think it is.

Here is what you need to do. Simply "click" on the top button. Unfortunately you can't see the entire button, but if you roll you mouse around the top portion, a little piece of the cut off button will be highlighted, and it will take you straight to the entry form. (I hope.)

Please know that I'm not getting any type of endorsement or kick back from HGTV. They don't even know I embedded their little widget on my blog. I don't care if you click it or not. I'm just simply getting the information out to you.

I do have a question. What would you do with the house and car? Especially if you live in the mid-west or the East coast? Leave me post and tell me... I'm dying to know.

Aiden, my smiley one!

It is usually Tim's job to give the boys their baths. This night, however; bathing was left up to me. Aiden is a lot ornery when it comes to bathing. He is a splasher. He loves to watch the water fly around. It drives Tim crazy! Me? I just laugh. I can't help it. If you tell him, "No." He looks and you and grins. If you sternly tell him, "No." He flat out laughs at you. What are you suppose to do? Yep, we all laugh...and regret it because then it defeats the point of sternly saying, "No."

Back to School...What a bummer.

Isaiah playing blocks. Daddy and the other boys were building towers and knocking them down in the background.
Puzzle Time!

Tim and Stephan love to wrestle. Isaiah is always nearby waiting for his chance to jump in!

Isaiah's war cry.

As Ashley and I were relaxing with a movie one night, I snapped a photo of her eating popcorn. She is such a hard target to photograph. At her age, she thinks that photos are embarrasing. I guess this could be considered one of those moments...

Stephan and Ellie relaxing before bed.

A wonderful shot of Ashley. Ellie, my corgie, is always a beauty.

Yuck! I'm so bummed that school is back in session. In previous years, I would look forward to going back to school. I was teaching, and going back to school meant going back to work. I actually liked teaching. (It was the dealing with the parents' crud I didn't like. It has to do with tact and I don't have much of that tact stuff in my system. Especially when a child needs to be dealt with.) My daughter was also older and she kind of outgrew her need for me so school breaks were sometimes boring.

This year though...

WE HAD A BLAST!!! Tim took a few days off so we could go to San Diego, Ashley didn't have to be at an arena showing cows or at soccer practice ~ she was home, and we have the "littles".

It was so nice to sit each evening with the kids and talk or play.

Our first adventure was to Sea World. You will have to check out the Sea World post to learn about the details, but it was fun. Winter, although a little chilly, is the best time to go! Ashley stayed in a hotel room with my mom, but came down to be us in the evenings.

Then, came Christmas. Christmas is always fun ~ especially with a two year old around.

Next, came the week of New Year's. We had absolutely NO plans for the entire week. We slept in, we stayed in our pjs, and we were bums. Except Tim of course. He had to work. (Someone has to find a way to pay the bills so we can be lazy! Thanks Tim! You're a great provider. We love and appreciate you.)

Overall, it was a great bonding time for Ashley and the boys. It was just fun being a family without the stress of getting homework done, or going to practice or whatever!

Please be Patient...

I know, I know. I'm terribly behind on my blog. Please be patient and I will get the holiday photos up soon. Life is crazy in our house.
Updates:
Aiden is walking. He still crawls most places, but walking is fun too.
Isaiah crawls faster than I can walk.
Stephan received golf clubs for Christmas and spent a record breaking 25 minutes hitting the ball around the yard today ~ without asking me to come play with him! The funniest moment was when he hopped in his little car. It looked like he was riding in a little mini golf cart.
I ate out all three meals today! Breakfast with Ashley at Beto's. (The boys ate food that I cooked.) Lunch with my friend, M. (A very nice lunch at the casino. I don't think I've eaten at a restaurant with any of my friends since the twins were born. It was a much needed ~ appreciated lunch.) Then, when I asked Tim what he wanted for dinner tonight he replied that he was thinking about taking me out. Whoo hoo! We went to a Mexican food restaurant in a nearby town. It had great food. We will definitely go back.
Ashley spent much of her Christmas vacation babysitting for me, playing with the boys, and being a teenager.
Photos will be up soon.