Ramblings from the Roberts family.... Yes, I'm alive!

WOW!
As I was sitting down tonight after everyone was fast asleep, I decided to veg out and browse fb, craigslist, pinterest, and oh yes... some really amazing blogs that I like to follow!  Blogs.  Yes, I should write on my blog! So, here I am.  Last time I wrote was before the whirlwind of life came along... named Olivia.  I laugh as I write this, but really she is quite a little ball of energy! She has been since she was in the womb.  So let's see.... a few things that have happened over the last year and a half!

* We moved into a new house.  We love this community and the people we have made friends with!

* The boys started attending Winslow Elementary... we couldn't have asked for a better school for them to be in.  WHAT A BLESSING!

*The birth of our first and only daughter - Olivia Nicole.  She melts my heart, makes me smile, and completely makes me feel insane!  She is spunky, smart, energetic (since she was in the womb), she LOVES to eat, and for now... she's a momma's girl! She is also quite opinionated.  The boys absolutely adore her... with a tiny mix of jealousy from the other "baby" Logan ;)

* Joe is now 10 min. from work, compared to 30 min.  Ahhh... this is wonderful.

*We started attending the Northridge Greece Campus, which is a multisite campus for Northridge Church.  LOVE it!

*We have had MANY parties... and lots of fun... with our Harry Potter Party, Kango Party, Olivia's first bday party, a Halloween party and a few get togethers as well.  We love hosting and having people over to our home!

* I am still baking cupcakes as a side business for specialty orders, but I slowed that down significantly once Olivia was born.  It's starting to pick up again, and I now offer 11 different flavors regularly, and any specialty orders as well.  

*Over the summer Logan played tball with a good friend he has made, Aiden.

*Both last year and this year the boys participated in the Winslow Elementary Talent Show... Ryan was part of a dancing group of kids, and Logan performed knock-knock jokes.  The courage they had was impressive.

*Also, over the summer we attended Seaside.  This is our usual family vacation to Cape May, NJ.  What a great time we always have there.  This year was extra special as we were just welcoming my mil and family back from Guatemala. Also, we found out we were going to be having our first niece/nephew on Joe's side.

All of this is to say... we have been SO incredibly blessed far beyond what we deserve.  So, I will try to keep up a little better with this from now on.  (maybe after Olivia is in school? haha.)

I found this awesome new book that I wanted to share for those of you with Gluten Free/YEAST free diets!

Click Here!

Memorable Moments Spring 2011

Often I write down sayings in random places that the boys have said, or things they've done. I am posting this on here so I dont lose them!

Logan: (Puts a twizzler half dangling into the side of his mouth)

Me: Logan, what are you doing that for?

Logan: to be like Ray (from Ghostbusters)

Me: Why is it just hanging there instead of you eating it, I don't understand.

Logan: Because that's what Ray on GB does. He has a stick in the side of his mouth (aka a cigarette).

SO innocent and I love it!!!

____________________________________________________________________

RYAN: Mom, there are ants in the bathroom and we don't even eat in the bathroom!

Me: (LAUGHING) There can be ants other places than where you eat and drop the crumbs.

age 6 ____________________________________________________________________

LOGAN: (while sitting in the back yard on a chair next to me) Ah, if only I were a REAL king, I'd be happy to live in a REAL castle.

I am not sure where that came from!

_____________________________________________________________________

LOGAN: (while playing the video game Little Big Planet and creating costumes)

"OH, I'm a fairy, I'm a REAL fairy!"

_______________________________________________________________________

Current Events:

Ryan played his first tball game 5-7-11, hit the ball 3 times from the tee, and made it all the way around the bases. I am so proud.

Logan had his first bloody nose also on 5-7-11. Ryan was being rough with him (but only playing) and hit him in the nose. Ryan ran off not thinking anything of them being rough, and when he saw that Logan was bleeding he started to cry. He really does love his little brother.

Oink! Oink!

Well, it's official... Ryan has read his first full book all by himself! He started to tell me how he was going to read to the baby when it was born and I informed him he didn't have to wait... he could do it now and the baby could hear him! He was quite excited and asked if I would help him. Once he got a little confidence, there was no stopping him! He read "How to be a Pig" by Price Stern Sloan. We are all quite excited about his accomplishment and the new reading adventures ahead!

Tick Tock

It has been almost 8 months since I've posted on here... and I did not forget you were here! So here's what been happening in our house while I was MIA....

1. Ryan started kindergarten and did not like his first day. He has loved it since then!

(He said "mom, all they did was talk and talk and talk about RUULES!") lol

2. Logan has progressed in potty training and is only using pullups at night! (YEAH!!)

3. Logan started Speech therapy and can now say Kiss instead of Tiss.... amongst a long list of other new words. He LOVES his teacher, Mrs. Laura.

4. On New Year's Eve we got one tiny, well BIG surprise... we found out that I am having another BABY!!!! The boys are SOOO excited. I am due Sept. 5th!

5. We made a trip out to Texas to see the fam... and the boys LOVED playing with their cousins Jesse, Jonathan, Justice, Robert, Isaac, Tristan and Elaina... amongst others!

6. Yeah, Ryan turned 6!!! He is also well on his way to reading:) He is reading small words and doing well... although he REALLY dislikes reading. He prefers math and science over reading right now.

7. Has finally registered both boys for school next year... they will start around the same time that I have the baby! Later this week, we will be finding out the sex of the baby... fun times ahead!

Soooooooo... the clock is ticking and I have cakes to make, legos to build, and mouths to feed! These are a few of the moments that have taken my time over the last 8 months, and hopefully I will be back before the next 8 months roll around!

"That's all there is."

Well, as I said before this has been a summer to remember. Some of those fun things included swimming with Aunt Barb & going to the park with Aunt Barb & Jackie. While Aunt Barb has been battling cancer over the last year, the cancer has slowly been winning. At the end of our vacation to Seaside, we received a phone call from Aunt Deb letting us know that Aunt Barb only had a few days left with us. This was heartbreaking news. Not just for us, but for Ryan especially. He LOVES his Aunt Barb. She is always challenging that little brain of his, all while having fun! We had to break the news to Ryan, and Joe mentioned it to him. Not expecting Ryan to understand he replied "I know, and Jackie can come live with me." Joe didn't continue as he didn't want to alarm him. Later in the car I simply leaned over and asked Ryan if Daddy had told him about Aunt Barb. Ryan said "He was just kidding." After a few watery eyes and nervous looks he dropped it and moved on to something else. We decided not to mention it anymore and just see how things unfolded.

Two days later, Barb seemed Ok. While getting breakfast ready, very harsh & loudly Ryan said to Logan "AUNT BARB IS GOING TO DIE!" This was so hard for me to hear. He repeated himself and few times and Logan very loud and angrily said "NO SHE'S NOT!!!". This screaming match went on for about another minute when I finally called Ryan over to me.
This is how our conversation went:

Me: Ryan, you need to be gentle if you say something like that. People are going to be sad that she is dying, but I want you to know she is not sad. She is going to heaven to be with Jesus, and she is happy about that. We will miss each other but she is going to heaven, which is GREAT!

Ryan: I'm going to heaven too.

Me: Oh yeah?! How do you know that?

Ryan: (in his annoyed, you must be an idiot voice) Because Jesus died on the cross.

Me: Why did he die on the cross?

Ryan: For a punishment!!? ( like I am the dumbest person on earth for not knowing that)

Me: What was the punishment for?

Ryan: For our sins, to take away our sins. Like when (pointing to Logan) he's bad.

Me: Yeah we ALL sin right?

Ryan: yeah

Me: Well, you have to ask God to be part of your life and live in your heart if you want to go to heaven.

Ryan: OK, LETS DO IT!

Me: I can't do it for you, that is between you and God. You have to pray yourself and talk to God yourself.

Ryan: GOD PLEASE COME IN MY HEART TO LIVE.

Me: Is that it?

Ryan: That's all there is!


WOW. Now I do not want to be a foolish parent and assume or believe that all is taken care of because he prayed that little prayer. Yet I also must remember that CHILDLIKE faith. It's amazing and it encourages me that trusting HIM is just that simple. WE are the ones who make things so complex.
SO thankful for this amazing little boy God has given me.

TRANSLATION

There are some things in life we all take for granted. It happens. Well, it has happened once again to me. My sweet Logan is growing, and while struggling is really working hard on his speach. So while his speach is improving, there are some things I miss like....

When he called me Monny, instead of Mommy.

There will always be BUNNY MILK for chocolate milk, but I loved when he said TIT instead of Chris.

My other favorites are...

"DIRLIE" for girlie... which is ANY girl.

DEE NIDAS.... is Three Ninjas.

Those are just a few translations around our house, and I miss the "Logan" version often. He is growing and turning into an amazing little boy!

Summer Fun.

So, the pb sandwiches & summer fun have kept me away from here. In doing so, there have been a lot of "moments" this summer that couldn't go without mentioning. With my being home, I have been able to enjoy more little moments, and some not so little.
One of the first this summer was Ryan's first Lemonade Stand. Aunt Deb & Aunt Barb hosted a yard sale at mop mop's (Ry's ggrandma) house and allowed Ryan to have his very own lemonade stand. On the way over, after some discussing, Ryan decided he wanted his lemonade money to go to the giving project of the month at church. Aunt Barb helped him draw up a nice sign, Ry & I both MADE the lemonade, and he did all the hard work... sitting in the sun and waiting for customers. He did well over all... maybe the best of us all. Most importantly, he had fun and we made memories.
One of the BIG moments of this summer so far... is potty training. Logan is now quite proud of himself, and no longer prefers a diaper. (WIN for us!) After a few (or many) messy incidents, he is getting the hang of it with a few (every 15 min:)) reminders. He now calls himself "underwear man like Robin" ( from Batman & Robin).

Along with the many sunny days of summer, we've had MANY rainy days as well. I must mention the cutest conversation I overheard the other day. That would be Ryan's conversation with God.
Ryan: You can make a flood so I can be a fishie. I like to swim.
Me: Ryan were you talking to me?
Ryan: No, Just God. I want to be a fishy, so I want it to flood. That's what I told God.

Ryan is growing spiritually, mentally, & physically. Recently Ryan told Joe and I that he would like to be the voices in movies when he "grows up". He likes to make "frog" voices, as well as many others. OFTEN he will say from the back seat of the van "Dad, can you make this voice?"... and you just never know what that will entail.

Our greatest family time these days is spent at the YMCA. Ryan is becoming quite a good swimmer, and is now working on his technique. He has made it clear that he would like to be on the swim team someday. Logan also really enjoys going "Y". He still wears a bubble, but has NO fear with it on. He will jump right in, all the while holding his arms straight out and yelling "TO INFINITY & BEYOND!"

We are still midsummer, so I'm sure we will have lots more moments this summer. I wanted to post these before I forgot! The boys are sure looking forward to our vacation at the beach with Granny, Nana, Aunt Erica, Uncle Nick, Aunt Ellie & Charissa. Those are the peeps they've been most excited to go to the beach with. Although, I must admit Uncle Nick is Logan's fav these days. He has been referring to the character Chucky on Rugrats as "Uncle Nick"... I assume bc of the red hair?

Well.... until the next list of moments... stay tuned!

Fun with Eggs!

Today we colored eggs since Ryan and Logan will be with granny next weekend.... a fun time for sure. Here are a few pics from our day...

Our Growing Boys...

Some mommy's really anticipate that monthly visit when their baby is first born to see how much they have grown. How much do they weigh, will they be in the 10th, 50th, or 80th percentile? As they grow, some parents mark the childs height with a pencil on the back of a door or in a special place that doesnt get removed.... as we do. Well, I hadn't marked any growth in quite awhile. Ryan recently turned 5, ( I know I havent even blogged about that yet! Bad mommy!) and Logan will be 3 in May. It seems over the last few weeks that Ryan has become AWARE of EVERYTHING, including his growth.
The newest way that growth has been measured in our home:


Ryan: "MOM, I grew - I dont need the stool to pee in the potty anymore!"
ME: WOW. I could've just measured you.


Ryan: "Mom, Logan can turn the lights off now, we dont need you."

That hit me in the gut. "We dont need you".... WHAT??!!!


Im thinking, I'd much rather mark the height on the wall than hear "we dont need you" anymore... but I suppose, they could just mark it themselves, right?!

I love my growing boys, but I wouldn't mind if they stayed right here in this moment.

Artwork of a Preschooler

To interpret - The happy face at the top of the picture is "Ryan" and the sad face below it is "Daddy".... Dad has spikey hair, and the lines below his eyes are tears. Not only that but the little circlish patch below the sadface is "daddy's beard". When asked why dad was sad... Ryan replies "because I beat you in Lego Star Wars with my light sabre." Oh my.

Mealtime Menu

Well, it's been quite awhile since I have posted my weekly menu. For one, we have been dieting and I didn't have any exciting new meals.... but I realized (once I found a few new meals) that even if I didn't think they were exciting, they may be something to change up your menu with!

So here goes... and we do have several new ones this week from this months TASTE OF HOME magazine. MMMMMM......



* Indicates a new recipe we've never had.



1. Broccoli/Ham Macaroni * - If you'd like this recipe go to http://tasteofhome.com/ and type in

broccoli/ham macaroni in the search box. Joe and I loved the flavor with the red pepper but

dearest child Ryan did not. So next time I will probably leave those out for the picky eaters,

but Joe and I loved it. Not only did we love it, it is far less fattening than the regular mac n

cheese I normally make with heavy cream etc.
2. Taco Salad - its an easy Monday night recipe... I love Mondays to be easy because I'm usually most tired on Mondays:P


3. Steak & New Potato Toss * - This is also a toh recipe - http://tasteofhome.com/ you can get the recipe yourself. Joe and I recently purchased a large quantity of beef. This is a different way to have steak and veggies with a little added flavor and veggies!


4. Ravioli Primavera - another quick & easy recipe, which is quite healthy.


5. Mom's fried rice * - A new recipe I found while trying to find something with chicken, since we are eating a lot more beef lately. You can also get this recipe from the taste of home link. This has bacon pieces in it, which was a different spin for me:)


6. Hamburgers/Hotdogs & sweet potato fries.... burgers & dogs are self explanatory... hoping to cook those on the grill, weather permitting. The sweet potato fries I recently made for the first time. I cut the sweet potatoes length wise into strips, sprinkle with cinammon, and drizzle with olive oil. Then I bake on a cookie sheet for a good 15 min (or longer if you want them crispier).
A healthier/tasty fry to go with the grill foods. Love it.


*** We will be traveling one evening and therefore I did not add a 7th meal*** :) I am hoping there is someone out there who can benefit from my crazy meal planning practices, and maybe, just maybe pass a new recipe along to me! Happy Eating :)

Where did winter go?

So, I just recently realized I didnt make a single post all of winter 09! As I was looking through pics, I realized how I enjoyed lots of special "moments" with my boys that I didnt record. One of those "moments" included going to Canandaigua and participating in various Christmas activities. We saw "elves, Santa, and 100 decorated Christmas trees"... and here are a few pics to show for our day. Let me not forget to mention that we went with Aunt Debbie Krieger, Chelsea, Dominic and Natalie... being with ones you love always makes a good time, a GREAT time!

My crazies

"Families are like fudge -- mostly sweet with a few nuts."

Little man... FULL of energy. Small for size, but enough energy for two!!

Openly expresses himself... very well. This kid ain't lettin' nobody take advantage of him:)

Glowing. His smile, his eyes.... they glow. He is simply a happy child, and spreads his joy through his smile.

Apples are his favorite food!

N' sync. This kid has got rythm!! He LOVES the guitar, and plays air guitar any time there's a tune... whether it be on the radio, rock band, or even a commercial. Not only that, he can keep a beat when using the drum sticks.

Logan - So full of life, and he marches to his own little beat. In a good way. He is TOTALLY content playing with "his guys" (army men) alone in the room. On the other hand, he will not turn down a wrestling match, video game, story time, or a good game of tage with Ryan for anything. He loves his big brother and will let you know it instantly. He also loves pretending, and playing dress up - like a cowboy, or batman, or any other super hero:)

Ryan's Random Questions, thoughts, and DREAMS.

As usual, I like to update about my kiddos first! They are truly awesome. I know, I am biased. So... Ryan is 4 now. About to enter preschool, so we decided to talk about why we go to school. Our conversation started with JOBS. A few days later we decided he should start having responsibilities... so now he has 3 chores each day.
1.Feed the dog in the morning before school
2.Putting away the shoes each night.
3. Putting his clothes in the laundry basket each night.

He was quite proud of himself when he was rewarded with a quarter... yeah, a quarter. I'm sure that won't last as long as I'd like it to!

Our next big question has been..." what do you want to be when you get big?"

Ryan:
1.Astronaut... I am really going into a space ship when I am big.

2. Pretend Superman

3.A pretend bird so I can eat bugs.

4. A tree and Logan can be the "tree cutter downer guy"

5. and I will fall down on the tree cutter downer guy.... cause I am a tree!

That was a little much for my imagination! hehe.





Also was "singing in his head" to "oh no you didnt" and ... when the word "ass" came on(which he knows he's not allowed to say) ... out loud he said - "I said ASS in my head"... how could you not laugh at that? Not proud that he did it disobediently... but the fact that he used the word as he was telling us was slightly amusing. Of course, I did not let him know I thought it was cute.



RYAN:Does God move the moon every night?



RYAN:Does God change the lights (speaking of traffic lights?)



RYAN:I will marry Charissa or my mom.



WOW! That was a lot about Ryan.... and then there's my sweetest baby Logan. More about him tomorrow....

Our "Honeymoon"...part 1.

Well, as many of you already know Joe and I went to the Bahamas a few weeks ago .... ALONE! Yes, thanks to someone GIVING us a cruise, and to my AWESOME inlaws... we were able to go on our "honeymoon". Joe and I never went on a honeymoon, and in September we will be married 5 wonderful years! This was the most relaxing we've done... since we've known each other. It was great. The first day was so weird. So many things to do... and at least 2,000 people onboard but we were so ALONE.

Here's a brief overview...

Vicki (my mil) drove us from Philly to NYC to get on the boat...

It was quite cold out in NYC... so we took a look around the ship until our sailaway party...

and we got quite a good view of the statue of Liberty, despite the wind and freezing temp!

Then we decided to find our Room..... we were a little nervous that we would end up with bunkbeds, as some of our friends did on their honeymoon. That wouldn't have been a good thing...

And that was day one. Just kidding... it was all a bit overwhelming on day one. So many shows. Lots to eat and drink. 4 pools, 5 hot tubs, too many bars, and a nice QUIET room... to read.

That WAS day one.

Back to reality... Meal Plan for this week!

So, I seem to have had this AWESOME vacation to the Bahamas... yeah, it was awesome. Not to brag... but there was food EVERYWHERE! One night we even enjoyed the chocoholic buffet. But now we have returned home to our two little munchkins, and our lovely diets. It's been awhile, but I am trying to get back on my schedule of meal planning. I have found that if I do not meal plan, we end up just eating junk on those nights when our schedule is jam packed or someone gets home super late from work! Som here it is....

Meal Plan #300000000000.....(slightly exaggerated)

1. Taco Salad
2. Salsa chicken (8 tortilla chips), and salad
3. Deviled chicken, salad,... and vegetable of choice.
4.Ravioli Primavera and Salad
5. Sesame Terriyaki Thai Chicken Dinner... its a box baby!
6. White Chicken Chili
7. Meatloaf, Mashed Cauliflower, Salad
8. Mesquite Grilled Chicken, corn on cob, salad
9. Sweet/Sour Chicken stirfry w/ brown rice
10. Pork Chops, Brown Gravy, Rice, Green beans
11. Beef Enchilada Casserole & Corn
12. Eggplant soup
13.Cream Baked Chicken & Steamed Broccoli
14. Spaghetti w/ meatsauce & green beans.

We are trying to stay away from pasta as much as possible... if you have any great recipes.... pass em' along PLEASE!

4 already?

This past weekend my firstborn Ryan turned 4! Yeah, to some it is no big deal... but if you know me at all, you know I cried. I cry about EVERYTHING! Don't worry... I didnt cry the whole day. I DID cry as I saw Ryan get on his new bicycle... he didnt need me at all for that! Over the last 4 years, he has been totally dependent on myself or Joe. So I am starting this journey .... which I know only continues, of LETTING GO.

So Ryan.... I hope you had a most wonderful 4th birthday! Batman was the theme, and Aunt Debbie Krieger made it the best birthday by making you a pinata, Pin the Batman signal on the spotlight game, and toss the Batman game. I thoroughly enjoyed watching you as you were having fun with the games, just being a boy. As you ventured out on your first bike ride, you were filled with pride and joy. It was bittersweet for me... but I am so proud to see the boy you are becoming.

Your fav's at four:

color: red

food: peanut butter & jelly

toy: "Batman Batman Batman Batman Batman Batman Batman, always Batman."

game: Lego Batman

Place to go: Toys R Us " I always like toys r us mommy"

Best Friend: "Aaron & Kaitlin, and Chris, and Daddy, and Charissa, And Uncle Pully, and Nick, Kala"

I am so proud of you, and who you are becoming. I look forward to seeing you grow, and to seeing how God works in you in the next year. I love you~!

Love

Mommy

Meal Planning... and diets.

Its been awhile since I've posted anything, and have truly been slacking in my meal planning! SO.... I'm trying to gather some more meals that fit our "diet". Not only would we appreciate losing a few pounds before our cruise ( imagine me clapping my hands and screaming happily when this "cruise" is mentioned ), but are also working to change our lifestyle to eating healthier. We are aware that this crash diet is simply that - a CRASH diet. So for the next few weeks... well until April 2nd, we will be going HIGH protein NO carbs. Ok, well we haven't forgone fruit, but other than that - nuttin'. These are the meals I have so far, and if anyone else has ideas I'd LOOOOVE to hear them!~

1. Chili.
2. Lemon pepper chicken, broccoli, salad
3. Steak, baked asparagus, salad.
4. White chicken chili.
5. Salsa chicken salad
6. Almond crusted chicken, brussel sprouts, and salad.
7. Eggplant soup minus the macaroni.
8. Baked chicken, bean soup, and salad.
9. Ham, egg, cheese omelettes.
10. meatloaf, garlic green beans, salad.
11. Baked chicken, egg salad
12. Asian chicken salad.
13. Pork Roast w/ carrots and green beans, and you guessed it - salad.
14. Taco salad

So as you can see ... we have LOTS of chicken. Some of us are not into seafood... but any other ideas are welcome!!!!