My Sunshine

"I got to see Daddy (before he left for work) because I was the first sunshine up!"

This girl really is a sunshine! (And, she is usually up before the sun shines)! She tells all of us she loves us more than a thousand times a day. (In fact, just last night in the middle of dinner, she called me into the bathroom. I figured she needed help. She just looked up at me sweetly and said, "I love you, Mom.")

I'm looking forward to the little bit of extra one-on-one time we'll have to spend together now that school is in full swing for the other girls.

This is a girl who warms my heart, expands my patience, and cracks me up! Today at lunch, she made an original sandwich by wrapping up a banana in a slice of bread and eating it like a hot dog.

Here's some of her latest questions, observations, and exclamations:

(On a 104-degree day, totally out of the blue) So, I'm just wondering when Christmas Eve is going to be happenin' for me.

(As the ice-cream man drove by, again) I really want a sundae from that man...Ah, someday. When I grow up and I'm a mom and MY kids ask ME if THEY can have some, I'm gonna say yes!

Me: Wow, you put your clean clothes away without me even asking?! You must be 3!
Macy: Yeah, I really am 3, in real life.

(After hopping up to join me on my bed) That was a great trick! I should've taught you that when YOU were a kid!

(All the time) I love you. I hope you have a good day!

What Macy says: Translation:

Good-Night! I'm done!
heartbeep heartbeat
orgit yogurt
tapatoes potatoes
The End! I'm done!

There was a bird on the wire, but then it flapped away.

Don't let the bunkbeds (bedbugs) bite!

(While reaching from the toilet) The toilet paper is like 3 miles away!

Mommy, how do kittens kiss?

I am not so happy.

I have a good idea, a wonderful good idea!

Robyn: We don't talk about rodents at the table.
Macy: Or rats!

I have an awful good idea!

(Singing) I love my mommy in a special way. She gives me a hug and kiss everyday. My mother and father take me to church when it is Sunday.

I'll pinky promise that I'll go to sleep today.

The Final Countdown!

I thought it was very appropriate to hear "The Final Countdown" when I turned on the radio this morning! Carly has been counting down for quite some time to go to school!

She was so excited to get afternoon kindergarten, mostly so she wouldn't have to have "rest time" anymore, but also so she could still play with Macy in the mornings. Right before it was time to leave, I found Carly sweetly reading a book to Macy. They are good friends and will miss each other. I'll miss her, too, but know she'll have so much fun. Before she left, she was asking me how many hours long it would be for kindergarten and was sad it wasn't longer.

She is excited to have her friend, Ethan, in her class. They had fun riding their "Razors" together.

Robyn's First Day

3rd grade means...

not being one of the little kids anymore, and yet not being one of the big kids quite yet.
having a classroom UPstairs.
packing lunches again, never forgetting a treat.
the boys sitting at one lunch table and the girls sitting at another.
seeing good friends again and making plans.
getting Mrs. Neilsen, who is so nice.
being in the middle of lots of chapter books all at once--one Mrs. Neilsen reads to the class, one independently at school, one at home, one with Mom and one with Dad, and sometimes one with Carly!
coming home to 2 sisters and a mom who have missed you ALL day!

The Big Day

What a happy bride and groom! We feel blessed that we could be part of your special day. Conrad, you always felt like family; we're glad that now it's official!

Congratulations!

8 is Great!

Happy Birthday, Robyn!

It's hard to believe you're 8.

You love to hear us re-tell the story of how you were (not) born. My due date came and went, and so did Gram who came to help from Chicago.

During the Vernonia Logging Festival, we paid a quarter a piece for wonderful children's books at the library sale and paid nothing for all the great advice we got about how to make you come. "Eat a big bowl of chili...Go on a bumpy motorcycle ride...Run lots of stairs..."

We didn't try any of those, but I had already walked all over downtown Portland, was still doing water aerobics, and picked and ate over 11 lbs of blueberries (with Dad's help), none of which seemed to do a thing.

11 days after you were supposed to come, I was induced and labored all day. When your heart rate dropped, the doc. said we had to get you out right away. I didn't want a C-section, but Daddy said a prayer and we felt at peace. Even though my recovery was far from easy, we were both healthy. I was SO glad to have you, and everything was OK.

The doc. said there are 3 signs of an overdue baby, and you didn't look a day overdue. You were so long and had such long feet that the nurse had to stamp them twice to get them to fit in the right spot on the birth certificate.

We named you Robyn after my maiden name, Robins.

Grammy came, the Rzepkas came, and then Gram came back. Two weeks later, I took you to your wellness check and then drove with Dad in the moving truck back to Provo.

You have been such a joy in our lives, a wonderful daughter and a loving big sister. You wake up extra early to sneak in an extra chapter of your book. (Right now, you're in the middle of the Little House on the Prairie series). You love to keep a journal like me. You love to cook and play music like Dad. When you want to learn something, like jump roping, you do it. You're responsible, honest, and thoughtful.

I'm so happy you're in our family!

love, Mom

PS I felt badly about posting this late, but it's less than 11 days after your B-day, which means I'm early, right?!

Camp Grammy at the Tim's River

Camp Grammy, a place to relax and reunite.

Thanks for the memories.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Wizzard's Juke Joint

Nothing like a good dance party!

Starved Rock

A trip to Gram's wouldn't be complete without a trip to this state park to wander the trails.

Ruffner Reunion

We got to see family all the way from Oregon to DC. So glad we could meet new baby Jack, Andrew, JD, and Erica! We had so much fun playing bags, we didn't even break out the Bocce balls this time. Thanks to Annie, Carly was motivated to swim without any help for the first time! It's always so fun to see everyone. What a wonderful reunion!

Build-a-Bear

Gram hit the jackpot with this year's camp craft. She found Build-a-Bear kits at the day after Thanksgiving sales that you can do at home. This was fun for the little and big "kids!"

Carmily

Oklahoma!

The girls and I got to spend a week in Tulsa. It was so fun to see Tom, Emily, Tyler, and their place. I felt like the girls and Tyler really got to know each other. They were so cute about helping him.

Since it was 107 when we first got there, the slip-n-slide was a big hit. We also liked visiting our first Splash Pad.

Carly (when we stepped outside after church): It's so hot, it feels like my eyeballs are going to pop outta my head!

We had fun at the neighborhood pool, where Robyn went off the diving board for the first time, and seeing Em's parents.

We also had fun doing our morning pilates.

The (old) cell phones were also a big hit! Em said if she would've known how well loved they'd be, she would've saved them for Christmas.

The kids did well on our drive to Chicago, especially for the first 7 hrs. Thanks, Stephanie, for the stickers, etc.

Thanks for being so brave to make the trek with us! Thanks for such a nice visit.

So Happy Together

With the help of a business trip and Grammy and Granddad staying with the girls, we got to celebrate our 10th anniversary (a little early) in CA. It was fun to eat at Casa Madrid since we wrote to each other the summer I was in Madrid while we were dating. We also went to the coast and aquarium, like on our Honeymoon in OR. These few days together were so wonderful!!

I can't believe 10 yrs. have passed, and yet I feel like we've always been together.

Tiny Cute's Blessing Day

Elayna, we love you, beautiful, smiley girl! The "big" kids love taking care of you.

Welcome Grammy and Granddad!

We will miss our OR visits, but are so excited to have Myles' parents close by! The kids were really cute about helping unload.