Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Oh my goodness ~ what a quick year!  If you frequently follow my blog...then you will know that it has been suspiciously quiet this year.  So quick, go grab a cup of coffee and a biscotti, and settle down to get caught up in our chaos!  (Unless you are just here for the pictures....then just scroll down to the bottom. ~ Just a little FYI...watch for 2011 pictures to appear in posts in 2012 - I couldn't believe the number of pictures I found that didn't get posted!)

January brought a new adventure for the twins.  Since it was their 3rd birthday, they were exited from our state developmental program and entered into the public school for preschool development and intervention help.  That means they got to ride the bus and everything!  They hit the school running and have loved every minute of it ~ well, kinda.  For their birthday, we took them to the movies for the first time.  What a fun adventure that was!  They continue to remain close, but they each have their own friends, and their own personalities.  Aiden is loud, cuddly, and very active.  Isaiah is a bit more reserved, and enjoys role playing and pretending to be a monster.  He has discovered Spider Man and is HOOKED!  Aiden prefers Batman.

Tim and I are still busy running our Mr. Rooter business.  I found that I am far more involved with the business than I ever planned on!  We currently have 5 technicians and Tim working out in the field.  God has truly blessed us with this adventure.  I will admit though,  that I often wonder why He brought us in the direction.  My life's intent was not to be a working mom.  I'm definitely not taking well to this role I'm in right now.  Many of my activities have been set to the side while I figure out how to effectively be a good business owner.  I quit once, but then I was told that as an owner, I'm not allowed to quit.  Who made up that rule?  It is a sucky rule!  Tim seems to be enjoying himself.  He comes home with great stories to tell about the clients.  He also comes home with awesome descriptions of the multimillion dollar homes he works in.  :)
We were able to grab a few weekend getaways during the year.  A relaxing weekend in Scottsdale, and a fast paced few days in San Diego.  I've also convinced Tim to remodel the rest of the house so our last leg of this insane journey is the kitchen/dining room/great room.  Once it is done, I will post pictures.  The color is a lot more subtle than it has been in the past!  LOL!  Tim has continued his presidency on the school board.  It is a position that he takes very seriously.

In March, we were lucky enough to travel to Hawaii.  All six of us went, and we loved it.  We discovered that all of our kids (except Ashley) LOVES to fly!  (Go figure.)  Everytime we tell Aiden that we are going on vacation or going to fly he gets excited and says, "Boys going to Hawaii again?"  Boy do I wish...!  We also found out that Ashley enjoys surfing and Tyler and Isaiah are not good hikers.  Our "ultimate boat ride" turned out to be the "boat ride from hell" for Tim and Ashley.  They were both so severly sick that it was up to me to contain all three boys.  When Aiden saw the dolphins swimming alongside the boat he stepped on the railing and said, "Me gonna go swim with dolphins."  It was at that moment that I requested life vests for all the boys!  With Aiden, you just never know!

Tyler celebrated his 5th birthday during the year.  It happened to coincide with Easter so now he thinks that his birthday is on Easter!  He also started Kindergarten this year.  What a big step for him!  On the first day of school he decided that he wanted to ride the bus since he is a big kid.  I struggled with it far more than he did!  In fact, I'm not sure he missed me at all.  He has the most amazing kinder teacher!  She genuinely loves all the kids and wants to help them.  She is silly and sings songs and she is perfect!  We are so blessed to have her.  The Christmas Program was by far the BEST program I've ever seen.  Let me tell you, being a teacher for as long as I was...I had seen quite a few!  Tim and I had our eyes glued to the stage during the entire performance!  (I even forgot to watch the twins! Thank goodness the grandparents were there!)  Tyler is going to be a good little actor.  I'm thinking of putting him in the summer theater program in June.  He never missed a cue!  Singing...jamming on the guitar (not real)...hand motions...everything!  The worse part...I didn't have a video recorder, a regular camera, or even my phone!  I blaim it on the whole 4 kids syndrome...at least I had all of my kids with me when I left.  (Except Ashley who was at a soccer game where she suffered a severe concussion...)

Ashley ended her junior year with a bang!  Prom was a huge success ~ I was invited to help decorate and I had a blast!  I love getting to know all the students.  She also found out that she was accepted into the CNA program through the hospital for the first semester of her senior year.  It was very odd having children entering both a senior year of high school and a kindergartener!  (Plus two preschoolers!)  Her heifer "dropped" her second baby in February.  It is always so much fun to watch the babies begin to breathe and take their first steps!  I recorded it all for Ashley so she could see it when she got home.  She has missed both births due to school!  Bummer.  Ashley graduated from her CNA program with honors and took the state boards on Monday. We will know after Christmas how she did.  Still suffering the side effects of a concussion, we are all a little worried about how her testing went.  As of Dec. 21 ~ she still hasn't been released to play soccer.  She struggles with not being able to take the field for practice, but we want her healthy before she plays again.  The trainer has her banned from ALL activity right now.  Please say a prayer of healing for her!  In July, Ashley and I spent a couple nights in San Fransisco.  The trip was mostly business, but we found time to play.  It was an adventure with her that I will cherish all of my life.  I'm so glad we were able to share that time together.  In October, Tim and Ashley took the Grand College Tour.  They spent a few days in Southern California touring university after university!  Tim texted at one point and said he was confused by which school was which.  He also said that he wants to go back to college!  Ashley is planning to attend college in California.  She plans on...surfing, swimming, and soccer.  I hope she finds time to study too!  So far ~ she has been accepted to Point Loma.  She is waiting to hear back from Biola, Pepperdine, and Bayler (TX).  ASU is an option, but she is really wanting to leave the state.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I frequently post small tidbits of our day, and the silly things that go on in FaceBook.  You can look me up and "friend" me.  One of my three New Year's Resolutions is to be better at blogging.  Hopefully, beginning December 27th, you will see more frequent blog posts.  I'm rearranging my work schedule to have a little more time at home.  It might just be a picture or two, or even just a snippet, but my goal is to stay connected!

Love and blessings to you all!

The Roth 6
Tim, Robyn, Ashley, Tyler, Aiden, and Isaiah

(Due to the slow upload at Blogger...there will be multiple days of pictures ~ not just this post!  Keep looking!)

Race Day at the Roth House!
Ready to Go Mom!
 This is what happens when you give "Sister" the clippers to cut hair!
 My little climber!
 Baby Bull Calf...about 2 hours old.
Momma love!
 This little guy is so lovable!  He is probably the last of Ashley's babies.  This will be her show steer for her Senior year.
My mom moved to Camp Verde last November.  This was our first of many family dinners!
 Scattergories = J + clothing = Javalina Slippers
Shopping trip to Prescott.  Three generations!  Mom with grandkids in far back...Tyler with Lance's boys in the middle...Ashley driving...me?  Riding shotgun, baby!
Tyler with his Prayer jar.
 Enjoying the morning with my fashionable young boys.  Donuts and lawn chairs are a must!
We were at my mom's waiting for her to get home so the boys could go hiking with Grandma.
"Hiking" with grandma in the woods (aka: her backyard!)


 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!



Me and My Dad!
June 18, 2011

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

An Evening in June...

My family, although appearing in many photos, don't enjoy having their picture taken.  In fact, it takes an act of congress, a request filled out in triplicate, and filed 6 months in advance for Tim to willingly take a photo.  (OK ~ perhaps that is an exaggeration, but you get the idea right?  He does not like his photo taken.)

Tonight was a little different...

*  It was date night!
(I LOVE date nights.)

PLUS...
*  Tim's mom called, and she is going to see family therefore she needs current photos to take with her...current FAMILY photos...not just KID photos.

Ashley is housesitting at a home in a different town, Tim and I were planning a date, Aiden had been sick, but we found a compromise...
take the boys to Ashley where she is housesitting, and
get a family photo there!
It's in a town that we don't eat out in often so the dynamics were perfect!
I love the flowers in the garden ~ they added an element I was pleasantly surprised with.
All in all...
I LOVE THEM!



There are only three, but that is all we needed...here they are.

Tim and I



The Family
Roth x 6


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Persian Nights...Prom 2011

My Persian Prom Princess...

Ashley, April 2011
Prom


At first she was excited for prom....
then ~ she decided she didn't want to go...
Finally, she went...
and she had a BLAST!

Nothing like last minute decisions...


Getting ready...
Yep, she did her own makeup...
threw her hair in a ponytail...
note the polish free fingernails...

One last look...

then off for Mommy's photo shoot!


I think this is one of my favorites...
subtle and classic.

I do love this close up though...
I absolutely ADORE the smile.



But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
(2 Timothy 3:14-15)


"I am the Master of My Universe!

Don't you just feel like bursting out in song...

"He's got the whole world in His hands,..."


Monday, June 13, 2011

31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way

Cleaning...

Not Cleaning...

CleANing..., but why?

So, it's no secret that I HATE to clean.  Well, I should rephrase that ... I don't HatE to clean...I just don't understand why we need to do it!  Yes, there is the roach and insect issue, but beyond that ~ WHY???

True, a clean home is honoring to God and your family...have you read Proverbs 31 or Titus 2?  Go, now and read.  If you are like me you will shake, get an eye twitch, become nauseous, get a sudden migraine, your palms will sweat and you will feel the need to hide in the closet (with the lights off and the door closed!). 

I always wonder: "How can I ever measure up to that?" 

Housework takes time away from reading, chatting on FaceBook, watching movies, playing in the yard with my kids, doing yard work, planting/growing a garden, exercising (hey, I might exercise more if I didn't have to clean), taking pictures, blogging...do you get the idea and the visual image that I have other things to do besides CLEAN?

In my efforts to be a better wife (in the house keeping area), I bought a book.  (Escapism...it's my reality! If I'm reading a book about what I need to be doing then it doesn't really count as procrastination or avoidance.)  31 Days to Clean - Having a Martha House the Mary Way. I grabbed my phone (because my mom has my Kindle...thank goodness I have a phone that has a Kindle app...whatever would my mom do?) and started reading.

I made it through the introduction just fine!  I thought, "Wow!  This lady has truly nailed it on the head!  I'm so glad she wrote this book JUST FOR ME!"

Next, I got to Chapter 1..."Why Clean" 
     Why, indeed...
             My thoughts exactly...

Then I got to the homework part...
Identify specific reasons you want to make your home a haven, and then complete a mission statement based on those reasons. 
(Oh boy...doomed for failure in the first chapter ~ the first day.)

So, I did what every obedient wife does...I went to my husband for counsel, and I asked him, "Why do we want a clean home?"
His response:  A blank stare.  Maybe he had gas.  I don't know...maybe he was forming a politically correct response, or trying to justify a clean home because deep down inside perhaps he too wants me to do more blogging or reading...or jeepers creepers more exercising!  His verbal response was something like this..  "Because I want to know what our house would look like clean."

My response:  "Whatever."  I said it with dignity...not teenager sarcasm...I'm an adult!

Finally, I sat down with paper and a pen to create a list of why I want a clean home...Here is what I came up with ~
Why I want a clean home...
by Robyn
  • so I don't see mounds of dog hair floating on the floors 
  • to have nice, shiny floors
  • it smells good
  • so my children don't get sick
  • I think...cleaning is suppose to make you feel good (I'm not real sure about this one!)
  • so people can sit on the sofa without dog fur sticking to them when they leave
  • so I don't have to panic every time someone shows up to the door
  • so the bathrooms are clean when guests show up
  • I think it might be pretty awesome to actually be able to see through the window...currently the windows are "artfully" decorated with finger prints and nose prints (4 kids...2 dogs...1 cat...at least I relocated the chickens!)
  • so I can be outside playing or working in a garden
  • so people can come to my home and feel comfortable
  • to serve my family as a Godly wife
  • to serve my husband with respect so he loves me.
After creating my list, I wondered...how much of this is authentically me?  I know that I want my friends and acquaintances to enter my home and feel comfortable.  I know that a clean home makes my husband feel happy when he comes home from work.  I know that I feel happy when I walk into the house and it is clean.  I can't help but wonder though...what is it going to take to turn myself around.  Is a Mission Statement going to be enough?
We will see...

A personal mission statement provides clarity and gives you a sense of purpose.  It defines who you are and how you will live.
Great...this is what I get for living in the age of technology...I can look up anything I want easily, but I don't know how to put it in to practice.  I could use a little help here friends...

Robyn's Household Cleaning Mission Statement

I will serve my husband and my children by providing a clean and welcoming home to family and friends.  I will put God first and seek His help to maintain the discipline and self-control needed to maintain the daily chores.

Now, I need to figure out a plan...
please...
someone....
tell me what "daily chores" are!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

A Cat's Life

I love when my teenager comes into my room early in the morning to snuggle with the cat, and converse with the mom!
What great friends the three of us are!


No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. 
~Leo Dworken

This quote is so true...

Can you see the cat hair on my comforter?

Tigger came to live with us when Ashley was 2.  She would haul him around in doll buggies, and child size shopping carts.  She put boas on him as well as clip on jewelry.  If Ashley was dressing up ~ Tigger got dressed up too.  During the early years of roping...when Ashley had roping lessons ~ Tigger got roped.
Tigger has attacked large animals and small animals.
Now, 15 years later, he still gets into bed with the kids and waits for them to wake up.  At that point he begins purring while they "maul" him.
By the way...He HATES to have his picture taken.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

No Fear...of Cold Temperatures or Shallow Water

We swim because we are too sexy for a sport that requires clothes. 


~Author Unknown

Caution:  No Diving
Shallow Water

 Guess he can't read yet...




 Will someone PLEASE wash this child's face?
Who is his mom?




There's a lot of LoVe in this little BaCkYard!

I Love My Kids!!!!

Isaiah & Aiden ~ 3 yr * Ashley ~ 17 yr * Tyler ~ 5 yr

Friday, June 10, 2011

Dinner at the Roth Table...

Busy day?
OR
Just don't want to eat the salad?


Eat little, sleep sound. 

~Iranian Proverb

Thursday, June 9, 2011

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. 

~Ralph Waldo Emerson
...JaGgeD toEnaiLs...

*sTicKY, diRty HanDs*

<sunBurNed Cheeks, ScaRred FoReHEad, ThIck BRowN EyELaSheS>


 { The peacefulness of sleep. }

Isaiah, May 2011, 3 years old

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Summer Frivolity


You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing.  What! 
Is it nothing to be happy? 
Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? 
Never in his life will he be so busy again. 

~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I love birthdays...

I LOVE birthdays!

It doesn't matter if it is mine, yours, a friend, a kid...I just love them!

Last week, my friend Pat and I met for dinner.  We ate at a Foxconcept restaurant called sauce.  We had pizza, salad, lasagne, and I had a glass of wine...and we TALKED! and Talked... and talked... then we decided to walk (since we missed the movie).  The beauty of AZ is the number of outdoor malls.  This particular spot was no different.  The weather was beautiful, our tummies were full, we missed the movie so obviously ...the next logical step was to sHoP!

While shopping, Pat took dragged me into this cute boutique called Charming Charlies.  Oh my goodness!  Can you say, "I Love It!"  I tried to walk out, but she blocked the door.  What was I to do?  There are racks and racks of jewelry, shelves filled with purses of every color and size, and clothes!  and shoes!  I couldn't contain myself.  Well, actually I did ~ I didn't come home with everything I wanted...but enough.

Here is a photo of the dress that I picked up...along with the chain necklace!  (and some other jewelry...I'll show you another time!)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Random Ramblings and Scenic Images

Tyler...just spotted the water fall.


Beautiful isn't it?