A Most Irreverent Night

Sometimes my husband releases tension by teasing the innocent members of his family. Saturday night was one of those nights. I had to threaten him to stop bugging me or else Aftyn and I were gonna take him down. He's afraid of us so that helped a little.

We went downstairs to watch something on TV as a family. Later Ken went to use the bathroom and when he returned he looked like this.  Pretty, Huh?

By now the show was over and it was time for family scriptures. Ken expected us to take him serious with this pretty decoration on his head as he read about "the worth of a soul". This is NOT a typical night of scriptures at the Roberts' home but I couldn't resist capturing a bit of it on film. The footage is terrible, Ken looks like a freak, I sound like a freak, but maybe it will be good for a little laugh. If nothing else, you'll all know that we're all a bunch of strange ducks.

Kaylie Goes to Clear Creek

Thursday Kaylie left for Clear Creek with all the 5th grade girls from Westmore. She was SO EXCITED to go. Clear Creek is an outdoor school where they get to spend the night and learn about outdoor stuff. They are only gone for 1 1/2 days, but that was too long for me. To me it just feels wrong when my kids are gone. I know she loved every minute of it, but every minute I couldn't wait for her to get home. Something was definitely missing around the house when Kaylie was gone.

On Friday as each of the kids came through the door from school the first thing they shouted was "Where's Kaylie?"

Tyler later came upstairs with a contented sigh and said, "Now I have someone to talk to again".

And Sydney mentioned how lonely her bedroom was without Kaylie home.

I'm glad that she had a wonderful time, and I'm glad she is home!

Happy Birthday, Ty

Tyler turned 10 years old today! Happy Birthday, Big Guy! Here are a few shots of my handsome guy.

Ten things about Tyler on his 10th Birthday....

1. Tyler LOVES war stuff. He especially loves learning about the Civil War. He loves playing Nerf wars with the neighbor boy.
2. Tyler wants a air soft gun or paint ball gun so bad he can hardly see straight. To bad for him his mommy thinks he'll shoot his eye out. Sorry, bud. :( 
3. Tyler is a great student. He works hard and wants to excel. He is a great writer.
4. Tyler is funny, witty, and a little sarcastic. Here's an example...A few minutes ago I asked him to clean up his bedding from a sleep over in the family room last night. He responded by saying..."I'd love to mom, but I'm busy standing around right now".
5. Tyler loves things that are good. He is very sensitized and does not like things that offend his spirit.
6. He loves to spend time playing with his siblings, playing cards, board games, basketball, drawing, or reading as a family.
7. He loves building things. He and Todd can play for hours building things with their erector set.
8. He is a mama's boy in the sense that he is so caring and thoughtful to me, and he is a daddy's boy in that he loves spending time with Ken going to the sports store, playing ball, or changing a tire together.
9. He is a good friend, and a good listener.
10. He is my favorite 10 year old in the whole world!

Love you, son, I hope you know how wonderful you are. Considering the fact that you are walking around the house announcing what a genius you are I think that maybe you at least have a clue. We love you so much, Mr. Genius! Have a super BIRTHDAY!

Poor Tyler

Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of someone crashing through the bathroom door and into my room. It was Tyler. He flopped himself on the bed complaining that he was dizzy, hot, itchy and nauseated. My bedroom light was not yet on so I didn't see the source of the itching right away. I was more concerned about the other symptoms which thankfully he quickly recovered from. After flipping on the light for further examination it didn't take long to see that he was covered in a red blotchy rash.

Wanna see? Beware you may start itching too!

OUCH! Ty was covered from head to toe. But he was so brave. I remember getting hives like this when I was about his age. I could stand it until they reached my face, then I started bawling to my mom to make them go away. I know that Tyler was so uncomfortable, but he did not complain. Except about the taste of his medicine and I can't say that I blame him for that. Ick!

Today he is looking much better, but not 100%. I'm sure by tomorrow he'll be back to his handsome self.

35 Weeks

The count down is on...this baby is coming in the next few weeks sometime. My blood pressure is looking good since switching to a new medication so my doctor is not as anxious to induce at 37 week, which is really fine with me. For a while I was wanting everything to move in fast forward, now I am content to slow things down. I may go until 39 weeks, which is 3 weeks and 5 days from now. I can handle that.

Up until yesterday I could say that I was feeling pretty good, but yesterday I could not get comfortable. I think Aftyn may have finally turned to a head down position (not sure though). She has been breech. All I know is that my hips are killing me and she's found a new nerve in my butt to torture me with.

Yesterday we had a bit of a scare, but no worries all is well. As I mentioned yesterday I could not get comfortable I tossed and turned last night and could not sleep. My mind started to wonder and I found myself thinking about things that are just scary to think about. Then it dawned on me that I had not felt Aftyn move for a while, not since dinner that I could recall, it was now near 2 am. She always gets the hiccups, especially at night, and a least 5 times a day, but I couldn't remember feeling any hiccups at all yesterday. I sat up and drank some water hoping to get her to stir, but I felt nothing. I got up and put in a mint thinking that a little jolt of sugar would help, but again I felt nothing. This was weird! I went down stairs where Ken was sleeping with Tyler who wasn't feeling well. Again I tried water, candy, and apple cider to get this baby moving. I laid down on my side and in a hour I only felt two small movements, which did little to reassure me that she was okay.  So Ken and I headed to the hospital. On the way I popped in another mint, that time it woke her up and I felt several movements on the way to the hospital. Thank goodness! In labor and delivery they monitored me for about an hour and felt like Aftyn was doing fine. So we came home a little before 4 am this morning. This morning she seems back to her normal squirmy self and I am grateful for every little jab and poke.

Here is a picture at 35 weeks pregnant. As you can she I'm looking a little more fluffy. Fluffy sounds better than HUGE, perhaps not as accurate, but softer on the ego.

2010 - A Year In Review

At the end of each year I like to look over the calender and remember what happened in our lives that year. Here's a look into our lives in 2010...

January
* Tyler turns 9.
* Ken starts a new job after 7 months of unemployment.
* Ken and I start a new semester at UVU. Everyone is now in school except McKenna and Daric.

February
*Emma turns 7.
*Nancy turns 35.
* Lots of activities...singing group, scouts, activity days, temple night, Emma's patriotic program, Primary activity, Valentines Day parties, concerts, ward activity, all the kids take a trip to the dentist, and every Thursday night, thanks to Tami, is date night!

March
* Register Sydney for Junior High.
* Syd and Ty start piano lessons.
* Ken spends a week in Texas.
* Syd goes to Space Camp & Westmore's maturation program (oh, the joy!)
* Ken has a campout with the Priests.
* Tyler gets braces.

April
* Had spring break. Can't remember what we did. Must have been boring except for the evening we spent playing games with the Throckmorton's. They ROCK!
* The semester ends...lots of papers, & stress comes to an end. Hallelujah! For now.
* I take a trip to the OBGYN, making plans for baby #8.
* Sydney attends her 6th grade etiquette dinner.
* Daric dislocates his elbow twice.

May
* Emma gets a concussion at the swimming pool and spends two days in the hospital.
* Todd falls off back fence and breaks his arm.
* Syd preforms in Hope of America.
* Ken goes to Florida.
* McKenna slices her hand open and gets 10 stitches.
* Lots and lots of school stuff happening...dance festival, author's fair, Syd's N.O.V.A graduation, Todd's preschool graduation, Syd's 6th grade graduation, Josh's High School Graduation, the play Annie, the cat walk.
* Grandma and Grandpa Roberts come for a visit.
* Attended a wedding and a funeral.
* Kids get out of school for the summer.
* Holy cow...busy month.

June
* The girls perform with their singing group.
* Ken goes to Youth Conference with the Young Men.
* I found out we are expecting #8.
* The kids make some summer cash taking care of neighbors dogs and flowers. They have way more money than Ken and I. On occasion I ask them for a loan.
* Sydney goes to girl's camp.
* We go to the Wolfley Family Reunion w/out Syd...sad.
* Syd comes home from camp and mother and daughter cry like babies! Oh, yes...we did.

July
* Had my first doctors appointment at 8 weeks and found out that baby #8 had a friend with them. We were now expecting #8 and #9. Twins!
* Ken spends a few days in Las Vegas.
* Ken takes the boys on a father/son campout.
* Ken camps with girls in the backyard.
* Ty goes to day camp.
* Ty gives his first talk in Sacrament mtg. at the old folks home in our Stake.

August
* I spend lots of time lying on the couch. So sick. :(
* Ken spends a week in Georgia.
* Went to see my brother perform in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"
* Sydney turns 12.
* Ken and I take Sydney to the temple to do baptisms for the first time.
* School starts. Syd starts Junior High (7th grade) on her b-day, Kaylie 5th, Tyler 4th, Emma 2nd.
* Ken also heads back to school.
* On August 30th our hearts break. At 16 weeks pregnant baby Zachary dies.

September
* Todd starts Kindergarten.
* Ken and I spend a weekend in Salt Lake.
* Ken turns 37.
* We celebrate our 13 year anniversary.
* One nephew goes to college, one nephew gets baptized.
* We found out we are having a GIRL! Baby Aftyn.

October
* Todd turns 6.
* All the kids go to the dentist again.
* Todd get to be the VIP at school.
* Fall break, Juliann stays with us.
* Lots of Halloween parties.
* Lots of doctor appointments...Othrodontists, Dentist, OBGYN, Maternal/Fetal Medicine.

November
* Daric turns 2.
* Kaylie turns 11.
* We get to see Josh play his first college b-ball game BYU vs BYU Hawaii.
* Went to Sydney's first Young Women's in Excellence.
* Ty's pinewood derby
* Lot more doctors appointments....more dentist (for me), back doctor for Ken, well child checks, lab work, more, more, more...
* Spent Thanksgiving at home with Ken's parents and siblings.

December
* Sydney gets braces.
* Lots of Christmas parties.
* Ken finishes another semester. All A's - so awesome.
* And what do you know...more doctors appointments.
* Spent a quiet and wonderful Christmas and New Years at home as a family.

That's THE END of 2010.

Here's to a whole new year. Welcome 2011!

Robert's Wrap Up: December

Here are a few of our December happenings...
* Syd got braces.

* Ken finished his semester with straight A's - Way to go, Baby!

* Lots of doctors appointments, Christmas parties, and shopping.

* The kids got a two week break from school, and Ken has had the whole week after Christmas off. It has been SO nice to be together without school and schedules getting in the way. PLUS, bonus for me...I am totally "nesting" right now getting ready for a new baby to join our family in the next few weeks and I have a whole army to boss around. I have been a complete slave driver and it's been so fun to worked together and get things done around the house. We had a LOT of little "to do's" to accomplish before heading into another busy semester and newborn phase of life.

Here are some of my favorite pics/December moments.

In December we spent a lot of time reading together, including lots of Christmas stories. This is one of our favorite ways to spend time together.

Little-D hanging out with Dad while he does his homework. We sure have been enjoying this little guy. He is in such a cute stage right now.

He's a good little lover too. He gives great hugs and kisses.

We were driving down Center St. in Orem when we noticed this sign. It has both the names Kenny and Roberts on it. The kids thought that was pretty cool. It was what Todd said the next day that made me laugh. I noticed him talking to himself so I listened for a second and heard something about kenroberts.com...then he comes to me with a smile on his face and says...I can't believe that my famous favorite Dad has his name on that sign. So funny that he thought that was so cool even the next day. I just had to take a picture the next time we were in that parking lot so I could remember Toddy's "famous favorite Dad".

It was so sad to watch the Provo Tabernacle burn. I actually cried when I saw it on the news. What a loss.

We enjoyed a surprise visit from Grandpa Wolfley and Grandma Loreen. They stopped by with lots of Christmas goodies. We felt spoiled and sure enjoyed their company.

Syd and Kay in their new Christmas jammies.

The kids have had a great time playing in the snow. Kaylie and Todd can stay out in it for hours and hours. I don't know how they manage not to freeze to death. They come in completely soaked, but they love every minute of it.

Here's one impromptu family photo at Aunt Tami's house. We went over on Sunday for a delicious day after Christmas, Christmas dinner. Yum!

Here are the girls with their matching Target clearance rack matching shirts. Love it!

That is December in a nutshell.

We spent New Year's evening watching movies, playing games, and eating junk food. The four oldest made it till 12:00 to ring in the new year with Ken and I. They started getting a little loopy by 11:00 but they made it.  Can't believe it's 2011.

Here's to a wonderful New Year!