Dear Robyn

Dear Robyn,

You think he would have forgotten about you a little, he is only 2 after all. You have been gone for months, and one would assume after some time had passed he would ask for you and talk about you less.

Nope, not this guy. He asks about you every day. Every. Day.

He talks about going to China, pretends to talk to you on the phone. You guys have some very interesting conversations, by the way. Apparently you told him you were eating cheese sticks the other day during your fake converstaion, and he had to have some too. You ate them together and chatted away like old gossipy friends.

When asked what he would like to do today, a usual response is, "Go China see Robyn!" If I tell him we are going to Grandma Penny's house, he says, "Robyn there?" Your car is in her garage, which is a constant source of conversation. "Robyn's car! Robyn here? Where Robyn go?" He knows the answer, he is just hoping for a different response.

So, can you please come home already?? I know you are gone again for college in the fall, but we need our Robyn fix please.

Thanks for your understanding.

Love,

Your favorite sister (I won't tell Princess Rachael)

Baby It's Cold Outside

Nope, I'm not up there.

But this was the view that greeted me as I parked next to my office on an early Monday morning workday. Beautiful.
I wish I would have been up there floating away rather than heading into work. . .or maybe not, as it has been crazy cold around these parts, and my office is pretty toasty. Cold and snowy, that's what we have been hiding out in lately.

I guess it's supposed to be, seeing as it's February in Utah, but still. Even with all the fun outdoor activities we get to do, by the end of February most of us start to dream of warm weather and a snowless landscape. Being able to go outside without spening ten minutes finding wool socks, boots and mittens. Bike rides and playgrounds without icicles.

Maybe I just need to hop on a plane to the beach. . .hint, hint.

The snow did give the kid and I a perfect opportunity to build our first ever snowman, which is significant because Utah is not a great place to build a snowman. Snowmen don't always turn out very well here because the snow is so light and fluffy, and the flakes refuse to stick togther. Perfect and powdery for skiing, but hopeless when trying to make a snowball. Perfect for just blowing the piles of snow off your car in an easy swipe, but maddening when trying to make a snowfort.

In the past I've resorted to dragging bowls of water outside to dampen the snow, but after this particular storm, the snow was the absolutely perfect consistancy of snowman snow.

And yeah, thats a real term.

He was a little confused about using a carrot for the nose, especially after the first one we brought outside was eaten by the dog when our backs were turned. But once we started using rakes as arms and rocks as eyes, he got into the swing of things. He was pretty happy until the dog peed on the snowman, which made him wag his finger at him and tell him that the potty goes in the toilet.

Maybe the potty training is starting to sink it?? Here's hoping.

Balls

So we're riding along in the car, heading home after a long day, when the little person in the backseat perks up and asks me nonchalantly,

"Mommy, I have balls?"

And yes, he means those kind of balls. Yeah.





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Two Little Munchkins Sitting In A Tree

My girlfriend and her family came in for a weekend visit recently, toting with them the cutest little girl ever. Really, they don't come any cuter than this. The little guy was absolutely smitten, and alternately followed her around stealing every toy she touched, and pushing her down. Which I learned in munchkin speak roughly translates to, "hubba hubba."

Yeah, she's knows she's adorable.

He had to do everything she did, there was some serious toy/fun/attention stealing paranoia going on in his little head. Which was of course hilarious for his parents to watch, so he got no help from us. Poor kid.

He would get closer to her if it were physically possible.

Only once did she get a little aggressive with the little redhead, which was a nice change of pace.

Hey.

Hey you.

Ewww, girls!

Oh, alright.

Hmmm, yummy.

Did you see that, Papa???!!! Did you??!

And just for good measure, we snapped a couple pics with which to embarrass them with a little later in life. Every mother should have a good arsenal of these things, you just never know when you might need them.

And since they've been gone, the little guy has been "talking" to her a lot on his toy phone. I distinctly overheard him this morning asking her to please come over to play race cars with him. And to bring bananas and frosting with her, because he was hungry.

I kid you not.

The Dance Is Here

The Sundance Film Festival that is. Hollywood takes over our cute little town for 10 days every January, and throngs of PIB's (People In Black) wreck havoc in the form of LA-worthy traffic jams, insanely bad driving by people who have no business behind the wheel when the snow is falling, making it impossible to get a reservation at any restaurant within a 20 mile radius, making a stop at the grocery store for some milk a harrowing experience and clogging up the line at my favorite coffee shop and then taking all the good seats.

Although the coffee shop line is the best place to check out the clothes. They are my absolute favorite, a sight to see. To the lady in the 5 inch stilettos and mini leather jacket, "Did you happen to notice that foot of new snow out there?". Or the chick overdoing it in the head to toe puffer jacket with the aviator fur hat, "Oh yeah, you blend." Or to the guy in the matching tasseled fur boots, hand muff and Russian trooper hat, "Really?. . . Really?" The PIB's also have an unwritten rule to never, under any circumstances, remove their sunglasses. No matter that its dark and storming and, oh yeah, we are indoors.

But my local barista did slide my usual toward me once she glimpsed me through all the weirdos and whispered, "This one's on me." I wanted to hug her, it really is the small things that can make a person's day.

And OK, I'll admit it. I have some movie tickets and am pretty excited to see some of the amazing movies that are in town. I'll be there, but I won't be wearing black, you can bet on that!

The China House

"Hey Mama, where Robyn go?"

She went on a trip.

"Were she go Mama?"

She's away at school, honey. It's very far away and we miss her soooo much, but she'll be back soon.

"Bat soon. . . Hey Mama, go see Robyn."

We can't go see her right now, she went to China. It's really, really far. She got on a big plane and flew in the sky, but she'll be back soon to see you.

"I see Robyn, Mama." "Hey Mama, where Robyn go?"

She's in China at school, but we can call her later, OK?

"Hey Mama, I go see Robyn."

She's far away at school, she's in China on a trip. We're going to Grandma's house, though!

"I go trip Mama." "Hey, Mama."

Yes, honey?

"Hey, Mama. I go to China's house Mama. Go China house now see Robyn."

No, sweetie. We're going to Grandma's house.

"Hey Mama. Go China house right now." "Hey Mama."

Yes?

"Want tooties mama."

China house? China's house? Not sure what his little mind is thinking. Beijing, China apparently is just someone's house down the road that I refuse to take him to, mean Mama that I am.

It's going to be a really long three months.

Kind of feels like this. Everyday. All the time. Constantly. You get the idea.

Do You Remember Your First Time?

Skiing I mean. Get your mind out of the gutter, there are children present.

It was finally warm enough weather to test out the tiniest skis you have ever seen. 'Nama Penny and Princess Rachael joined me and the crazy redheads to witness the munchkin's first time on skis other than on the driveway.

Here we are, trying to smile for the camera so we can capture the moment. The munchkin just keeps sticking out his tongue, so I tell him to show us his teeth instead.

Hmmm, maybe thats not much better either.

Skiing with Grandma Penny. He just kept yelling, "Weeeeeee." A good sign.

After a number of little runs on the side of the hill where we all took turns hiking back up the hill with him, we decided to give the chair lift a try. He absolutely loved it, and as soon as we skiied off at the top of the hill, he yelled, "Do it again!"

Not the skiing, just the chairlift. Of course.

Like my sticker Uncle J?

At the end of the day he could barely keep his eyes open or his head upright. The girls and I took a few more runs after the boys left, but his Papa told me he was out before the car left the parking lot.

Maybe this is how we will get him to sleep more. . . ?

My luck, probably not.

It was incredibly fun, and I was happy (though somewhat shocked) we didn't have any tantrums or breakdowns. He liked it so much, he talked about it all night. Which was a nice change from, "Where Robyn Go?" "Hey Mama, Where Robyn Go?" "Mama, go see Robyn now."

We are in withdrawals from Auntie Bob. She has left us for some school on the other side of the world and won't be back for months. Miss you Bobbie, wish you could have been there!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

The munchkin and I stopped by the community field house to meet up with the big redhead who was there playing soccer, and ended up staying for hours. The little guy kicked the ball around with his Papa for a bit, but then noticed a few 6 and 7 year olds playing baseball with their dads and decided he wanted to play too. Of course this was in his usual redheaded fashion involving lots of stomping.

He "borrowed" a bat and a tee from one of the little boys, and began copying them by hittting balls over and over again off the tee.

Did I mention he is only 2?? It was pretty incredible to watch, as I had no idea he could hit it so well. If I didn't know better I would think Grandma Penny has been out there with him practicing on the sly.

On second thought, that may not be a far stretch. . .

OK, we may have a lot to work on here. He refused to stand on the right side of the tee. Or hit the ball in the right direction for that matter. He thought that big white square was a great place to aim for.

I just really want to know what happened to my tiny little boy. He has disappeared and this small little man-boy person who yells, "Hey mama, look me! Hit bessbolls! Hi-ya!!!!!" has taken his place. And when he hit a particularly good one into the tarp, he turned to us and yelled, "Goooooooaaaaaaaaal!"

We may have our sports mixed up, but we sure are having fun.

In A Holiday Whirlwind And Loving It

That it's been a busy few weeks is an understatement. You know when you take an exciting trip someplace and do a ton of fun things, and come home exhausted and then need a vacation from your vacation? The holidays are kind of like that for me. All the excitement, the anticipation, the preparation. Then WHAM! It's here and amazing, then gone and you're left in an exhausted pile on the floor next to the dirty clothes, needing a good wash and press. Kinda like that.

So why am I already looking forward to next year??? I must be some kind of crazy, that's why.

Princess Rachael came home from college. We get her for six weeks, yay! Which will be good, because the munchkin's favorite person, Auntie Robyn, aka "Wobyn" is leaving us for 3 months to go to China and study. How the little one is going to live without her I am scared to find out. It's not going to be pretty, that I do know.

Then we had a very important birthday to celebrate, as the munchkin turned 2 years old last week. We had a huge bowling party, and since he's only two and has no friends, we invited all of ours! How many more years can I pull that one off ya think?

He did alright though, and he got to blow out his candles no less than 4 times. It is the best part you know.

That and he got to eat all the pizza he could consume. Which is surprisingly a LOT for such a little punk.

Then of course there was the usual shopping and wrapping from Christmas. Which takes oh so much longer than you ever expect it to.

And then there were the cookies.

Ah, the cookies.

Every year at Christmastime I make cookies, lots and lots of cookies. It actually doesn't really feel like Christmas is really coming for me until the cookies are well underway, and this year with the help of the Sink Girl, we knocked them out in record time. There was only one mishap, as I for years have made hundreds of gingerbread snowflakes. The cookie cutter collection of snowflakes in all shapes and sizes is a Christmas mainstay. And currently in storage. Great foresight on that one, eh?

So I had to improvise a bit and make due with stars. Hopefully they did not cause too much grumbling.

Not bad I think.

OK, now it feels like the holidays. Cookies just do the trick for me and get me in the perfect holiday mood.

Santa brought him a drum set. He (Santa) thought he would enjoy the Wii Rockband. He (we!!) did, and played it for hours on Christmas morning. The best part? He doesn't care if it's actually hooked up or not. Not plugged in= no actual noisy, banging drums. It may be the perfect gift.

The rest of us may or may not have spent even more time playing with his gift. Good job Santa, and look for me on tour soon, I sang so much yesterday my throat hurts!

Notice the matching PJ's. Cheesy, but adorable nonetheless.

This might be my favorite Christmas photo. My mother unwrapping my little bro's framed Olympic jersey. A very moving moment, only improved by the kiddo mining for boogers. That's my boy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon (well, what was left of it after all the rocking out) sleeping, eating, and playing toys among the wrapping paper. And I can honestly say I can't wait to do it all again next year. Happy Holiday's everyone!

Broken Hearts and Frosty the Killer, It's Just Been That Kind Of Morning

So I am ready for work and starting to head out the door. The two redheads are at the kitchen island eating breakfast, just enjoying their time in the morning before the little one heads off to Grandma Penny's for the day. I kiss them both goodbye, and start to walk to the door.

"Mama, no going. Come bat. Mama, come bat."

Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouchie. I think my heart is still on a puddle on the floor in the entryway. This working mom stuff sucks. Seriously. Sucks.

On a lighter note, the guys building our house sent my husband this photo this morning.

They are good 'ol boys and I lov'em. They are also avid hunters, and my big redhead has never shot anything in his life, San Diego boy that he is. They keep trying to convince him to go "shoot shit" with them. Ducks, deer, whatever. When I drove out there the other day after work, they had a friend who had stopped by and they were all ogling a bow of some sort. Some contraption to shoot lots of shit I imagine. So my question is, did they build this or did their kids? Scary either way I think.

And How Do You Know This?

We were all in the kitchen cleaning up the other night (Read: I was cleaning, hubby was surfing the internet and munchkin was splashing water everywhere in and around the sink, his way of helping me do the dishes. Oh so very helpful) --and we decided we would all snuggle up and watch some T.V. before the munchkin went to bed.

Me: Maybe there's a movie we can find that the little guy would like?

Hubby: Hanna Montana is on at 8:30.

Me: And you know this how?????

I am afraid. Very afraid. You should be too.

All Wrapped Up For Christmas

It's getting there, slowly but surely. The house is wrapped and there are big strong men out there right now puting on shake and siding and rock. Oh my.


Oh so much better than my 2 front teeth.

Planes, Trains And An Apple Tree

A long weekend at the beach.

I just love how that rolls off my tongue. Or maybe I just love it because I'm sitting here after an exhausting day at work wishing I was about to embark on another long weekend at the beach rather than having just returned from a long weekend at the beach. It could also be because I spent the better part of my workday tied up in corporate meetings. And I work in finance, so I bet you can just imagine how riviting and exciting my day has been. Yeah, a weekend at the beach sounds pretty good right about now. Did you know they still make us gals wear panty hose? Who still wears panty hose anyway? I do I guess. Against my will.

Very much against my will.

I wish I was here instead, making birthday cake sand castles.

Or back at our aunt and uncle's beach house, where they have an apple tree in their yard. Apple trees don't grow at 9,000 feet. I don't think I will ever get to have one in my yard.

Do you think they would notice if we just moved there and pitched a tent?

And that's just the fenced in part. This is their real backyard. I'd hate them if I didn't love them.

I might even be having sentimental thoughts about visiting at Legoland, and it wasn't even that great. The munchkin thought it was pretty fantastic though, and that's all that really matters.

I mean, he got to drive for goodness sake. You know how boys are about their cars.

And planes. We did this ride over and over again. And by we I mean them.

It was a great long weekend. We have the swords to prove it.

And now that the blasted panty hose is off and I am relaxed and sitting in front of a fire with a fabulous glass of red, I'm pretty sure I like this place quite a bit too. Yeah, I think right where I am is just exactly where I'm supposed to be.