Ready for Spring....

The warmer weather the last few weeks made me ready for spring. Of course, I needed a wake up call and so, last night, it cooled down and what did Boise get- SNOW!

I know I should consider myself lucky. Look at the ice and snow storms the south is getting. But I still can't help but dream of warmer weather, flowers in bloom, sun shining and my chacos on my feet.

I'd say that I have Spring Fever, But it isn't even Spring.... keeps running through my head!

Spring, you have my permission to come early this year. I don't care what the groundhog says....

Starting to get things set up...

So today we started getting some things set up for the baby/guest/office room. Mike put together the dresser we bought. Today we had to go to the mall to return a shirt I had bought online on clearance that ended up having too large of arm holes so I couldn't wear it....anyways, we ended up doing a little baby shopping. We found a Mickey Mouse for the baby and Mike found a hat for the baby. I think Mickey looked pretty stylin' in the hat....

We decided to set Mickey on the dresser. He may move to the bookshelf once we start getting everything set up and start buying more things and putting them away.

Mike is bound and determined to have the coolest little boy in the world! Hence the hat!

The Moon Tonight

Tonight there was a full moon. There is a storm system moving in and so the clouds make it a "Wolf Moon"

I went outside and took a few pictures, however it was cold and I didn't have my tripod so sorry if they are not the best.

I love taking a moment to enjoy the God's creations. It makes me remember the big picture. That we will not just simply cease to exist after we pass away. That there is a plan in place that we may live forever, and not just live forever, but that we may be with our loved ones for all eternity. I am so grateful for that knowledge! I can not imagine going through this life without it.

My Eyes

A little self portrait of my eyes.

I have taken on the 2010 Photo Project and this is one of my self portraits. Thought I would share it on here.

Organizing!

I am finally getting around to organizing some photographs from trips I took over the year. I found this one I took of a fountain in Nashville. I just love finding things like this in each city I visit. A little something that is not the "normal" tourist attraction.

Just A Thought On... MONEY & SIMPLER LIVING

I have been thinking a lot lately about money. A little about how are we going to be able to get all the stuff we have yet to purchase but more about how we really can do without it. I realize how much can be cut from our budgets if we just take a few extra steps. Programming a thermostat, putting plastic sheeting over the windows to help insulate, and more. As I have been finding ways to save money and trim our budget, I have found myself thinking of a part of the song from Montgomery Gentry "Something to Be Proud Of"

"That's something to be proud of.

That's a life you can hang your hat on.

You don't need to make a million,

Just be thankful to be working.

If your doing what you're able,

And puttin' food there on the table,

And providing for the family that you love,

That's something to be proud of."

I find myself, even though my hours have been cut and times are hard, thanking the Lord everynight that I am employed and that Mike has a job as well. I think that America as a whole is starting to switch their attitude and it makes me so HAPPY! That is right, even with the added stress that comes from lower income, I am HAPPIER! The focus is not so much on material things.

Mike and I never were huge on spending a lot of money to go to movies, etc. But now, We are not the only ones who have not seen the latest and greatest movie until it is at Redbox, or even on TV. I love that more of our friends are willing to just get together for dessert and board games, where as before they always just wanted to meet up for dinner.

We are living such more fulfilling lives with a lot less money and it is GREAT!

Friends share deals they find as their status on facebook to help others save money. We are PROUD to be Crazy Coupon Ladies! We are cooking at home more- and be healthier in the process! People are keeping in touch with loved ones, planning family outings that don't cost an arm and a leg! Camping is on the rise! I used to be able to book our favorite campsite just a week before we went, now it is booked 8 months in advance!

How wonderful it is that we are all taking joy in a much SIMPLER life! I have often looked at this recession and been able to see the pride cycle in process. The humbleness of this country now is AMAZING! I hope everyone is able to find such JOY during this time and enjoy time with family and friends around the table, playing games, sharing stories and eating a dessert. I know we LOVE IT in our home.

Thank You for the Sunshine

The weather in Boise has been a lot warmer this last week. It has been in the upper 40s to mid 50s. Even though the wind has made it feel much colder I have enjoyed days filled with sunshine. At night it rains and the wind blows even harder, but during the day, the sun shines bright and I am able to get out during my breaks for walks and to take in some wonderful sunshine.
Thanks for the sunshine!

Some Belly Pics

Ok, I have not yet taken any pictures of us and random activities but I have a few new belly pics. So I will share them.

This is my tummy at 24 weeks from the side. It is rounding out a little and getting bigger. The top of my belly is filling out A LOT! I don't have the cute pregnancy belly unless I wear the right shirt.

This is a front view. It is finally starting to get so it looks round from the front a little!

This is a picture Mike took when I was holding my tummy because Baby Robins was kicking really hard. I was trying to get him to move by putting a little pressure on my stomach. It did work. Thank goodness. It is wonderful to be able to feel him kicking stronger and stronger because up until now this pregnancy has seemed so surreal. Many times I still can't believe that we will be having a little one in less then 4 months!

I really don't rest my hand on my belly much, but I just was in these pics.

Slacking on some Photos

It came to my attention that I have not posted any new photos of us lately. Mostly because we don't do much during the winter but that is not a good excuse. I am always so antsy to see other people's photos but here I am not posting any new ones myself. I PROMISE I will try and get the camera out and get some new photos of us. (Or at least of Mike. I am not very photogenic.)

Mike's Big Pregnancy Moment

I haven't put this up yet and Mike is kind of antsy that I do so here it goes. Yes another pregnancy update.

For the last 2 weeks I have been able to feel Baby Boy kicking from the outside. I have tried, with no luck, to help Mike feel him. I think part of it has been because I know where he is kicking from the inside. Part of it is because Mike doesn't have much patience so if he doesn't kick within a few seconds he is done trying to feel him and partly because Mike has constantly tried to put pressure on my stomach to feel him, which just makes him move to a different spot.

Thursday night, Mike was in one of his "moods." You know, the kind where he is kind of being a jerk but it is all in fun. Well, when we went to bed he thought it would be funny to try and wake Baby Boy up (he had been up and moving most of the day and just settled down) by putting some pressure on my stomach. UNFORTUNATELY for me it worked. Little guy woke up and started kicking. So I decided that Mike needed to try and feel him so he knew what he was doing to me.

I first had to show him to NOT put pressure on my stomach. About a minute later he felt the first little tap. Then, I think Little Guy knew it wasn't my hand (and knows I don't like people touching my stomach) and gave 3 SUPER hard kicks as if to say "Don't touch my mommy!" It was the hardest kicks I have gotten yet and Mike was in AMAZEMENT! He thought it was the coolest thing!

So that is Mike's big pregnancy moment. He hasn't been able to feel him since because he has been active during the day while I am at work and not at night (WOOHOO!). He is excited to hopefully feel him again soon and maybe even be able to start seeing his kicks and punches.

A Pregnancy Update

Just an update on all things pregnancy. Figure if I do it all in one post, people who don't want to read it can skip it.

Mike FINALLY got his new insurance cards today so I spent the early afternoon filling out my Pre-admission forms. OK! This drove me nuts. They don't put a little box to check for address or employment info same as patients so I had to fill out my address about 8 times and my place of employment 4 times. REALLY?

We have made a few purchases. Mostly diapers and a few clothing items as they are on clearance (in many sizes). We did buy a dresser, which was missing a "specialty" screw that Mike could not find at any hardware store so we had to write the company to send us a screw. We also purchased a bouncy seat (the vibrating ones) and a travel system when they had great deals. I bought an Udder Cover when they had a deal to get them for FREE and you just had to pay shipping. I recently purchased a baby sling from DITTANY BABY when they had a good sale too.

Baby Boy was very active during the day up until his ultra sound. The night before his ultra sound I think I woke him up when I woke up around 1 and couldn't fall back asleep. He was active that entire night and since has been pretty calm during the day with just a kick here and there. I can feel kicks from the outside sometimes but Mike can't. I think it is because I can feel them inside as well.

I have purchased some maternity clothes but am mostly making the most out of a bella band so I haven't bought any pants. I was really hoping the bella band would last until Spring when I could just wear all my capris that were TOO BIG last year but I don't think that is going to happen. I bought a few shirts and am combining them with shirts that were too big and the loose flowing shirts I already had.

Mike can not quit saying we are having a baby! It kind of gets annoying sometimes but I understand why he is so excited.

We registered for some classes. We are taking some childbirth/pregnancy classes, a breast feeding class and hoping that the infant care and first aid class adds some dates (right now the next one is a month after my due date).

I did measure ahead at my ultra sound (but are not changing the due date since we did IUI). We were measuring about a week ahead on everything (height, weight, organ development, etc). Hoping that means our little guy will not come to late. Although early may not be good either as I am due the day after Mike's last final at school.

That is about all for now. We are getting very excited for Baby Boy to come. We are watching for great deals and I must say the Idaho Youth Ranch has AWESOME prices on baby clothes. ($1/item). I still have times where it doesn't seem quite real but they are few and far between now.

A Pretty Slow Week

It has been a pretty slow week here at the Robins' household. We endured a work week that DRAGGED (that usually happens after vacation). Mike had to work six days this week BUT he does get Monday off so he survived (plus he will probably get a 4 day weekend next weekend due to MLK Day).

The one thing Mike and I have been focusing on this month is THRIFTINESS. I think a lot of people have been trying to make their money last longer. This has been very true in our household. With a 30% decrease in pay coming (at least for a while, maybe for good) we are trying to make our money STRETCH as far as we can. My income is being solely used for baby items, stocking up on household goods/food and savings. It has been hard, but good. It is also a real learning process. It felt great when I was able to get $100 worth of groceries for $50. But then I saw how I could have gotten it for $25. But, that is why we are starting now. To give me time to learn.
We also have been spending a lot of time decluttering and organizing. This has been a goal for a few years. HOWEVER- now it is the main focus in our household. It is amazing to me how much stuff you accumulate over an 8 year marriage. We can never figure out how people who live in the same apartments as us, can have so much room that adding a baby still makes their place seem very minimal and spacious! Then we remember, we have been married 8 they have been married 1 year. That makes a big difference! So we are trying to figure out what things we actually need, how we can find areas to store my new stock of baby items and household goods, and still make room for all the new things we are going to have to buy.
We are looking forward to warmer weather and longer days. I was so excited when I came out of work the other day and it was not pitch dark! I am one of those people who gets the winter blues and so the longer days do me a lot of good. The cold winter has kept us from doing a lot of things. I usually walk at least 2 times a day at work and then again in the evening. With the cooler weather I have kept to at least 1 time a day at work. I miss my walks!
That is about all we have been up to in the Robins' home. We are excited for this year and all it holds. We hope that everyone is still looking to this new year with hope and a positive attitude!

22 Week Belly Shot

So we won't even start what is technically wrong with this picture. The line down the middle (since I used the camera that fell in the Snake River this summer) is just one thing. HOWEVER, I have been told I need to post a belly pic. Since I am not taking one just for the blog, you get the one I used for the online group I belong to. They have rules to protect people and one is you must crop out your face, etc. So this is the best you will get. This is my picture from this morning at 22 weeks.

BOISE STATE BRONCOS!!! 14-0!!!

Boise State does it again. We beat TCU at the Fiesta Bowl 17-10.

Only the SECOND team to ever go 14-0 in the NCAA!!!!

GO BRONCOS!

5 Things To Be Happy About In January

1) A new year- a clean slate- a fresh start and so much to look forward to

2) Fiesta Bowl- GO BRONCOS!!!!!

3) Longer days

4) Some time to rest after the Holiday hustle and bustle

5) Great sales for all the stores to get rid of all that excess stock from Christmas time

Top Ten Moments of 2009- #1

#1

SAN ANTONIO NEW YEARS!

This was the highlight of our year. And it started it off!

We traveled down to San Antonio to see our friends the Bolanders.

It was so amazing to take in all the sights and culture. We LOVED seeing the Bolanders. We are always sad to have to part with them. We hope to see them again this coming year.

Top Ten Moments of 2009- #2

#2

CH-CH-CH-Changes

There were some great changes this year. At the time, we were not sure how they would work out but now we see how WONDERFUL they are.

First, Mike lost his job at the end of January, but got an even better one! WOOHOO!

Mike also had a baby sister born this year. This has given him and his father ground to start rebuilding their relationship.

Our car kept biting the dust, so we had to get a new one. AND IT IS SO NICE to have a safe, reliable car, especially with a little guy coming.

My hours are cut. This led to me working and developing new talents, becoming better with saving money and being thrifty (though I still have a lot to learn). I don't know if I will be happy if they pick back up (LOL)!

There have been a lot of other changes, but I can't think of them right now (dang hormones!). I think for many of us, this has been a year of changes. Many of them unexpected. It may seem like everything went wrong, but I think eventually we will all be able to see the good that came from this year.

Top Ten Moments of 2009- #3

#3

Baby Robins is on the way...and is a boy!

This was a HUGE moment for Mike and I. As many of you know, we struggled with infertility for almost 8 years. It is amazing to me how our Father knows when we are really at the bottom and at the point where we are not sure we can go on, and knows, we are willing to except His will no matter what it is. This was the point we were at when we went for our last cycle to try and have a child of our own. This was our last shot, unless we somehow could get a grant for IVF. I was not very hopeful about this cycle. I just thought of it as the end. We were so SURPRISED and BLESSED to learn that this trial was coming to an end.

We were very excited to learn on December 29th that we will be having a boy!

It was not our number one moment because this is not the end of this journey. We know the result of this will be number one next year and we wanted to not be the boring parents bragging about their kid already. LOL!

Top Ten Moments of 2009- #4

#4

Floating Henry's Fork of the Snake River

This is something else we did with Mike's niece. This was actually on our last day of the Yellowstone Trip. Mike and I had not done this float before and we really enjoyed it. It is a nice easy float. If anybody has not done it yet, you should. It was definitely nice. Just wear plenty of sun screen because it is slow and you will have the sun beating on you for hours. (I missed my back and still have a tan line from this burn.)

Word of the Year

I got this from my cousin, Michelle over at Just Jump.

How many of us HATE oops, I mean DISLIKE, New Years Resolutions? I think for some people this kind of goal setting is wonderful! Not for me! I always feel like it is something you say at the beginning of the year and then forget about by March. I think sometimes we bite off a lot more then we can chew. Why, do we expect that we can accomplish 5 HARD goals like meeting our ideal weight, quitting a habit, organizing years of clutter, and more all at once in a year? REALLY? We start off the new year with high hopes, sometimes too high. So when Michelle posted this idea on her blog I loved it! I immediately went to this site to read up a little more on it.

THE GENERAL IDEA:

The general idea is that instead of a list of resolutions, you choose one word. One word that speaks to you and what you want to become this year. Instead of the resolution of "Organize all my clutter" you may choose the word of "release" so while you are cleaning, you remember that word, and are able to release and let go of clutter you may not have gotten rid of otherwise.

I haven't decided on a word yet. I am torn between a few of them to be honest. Really, my thing was I wanted to focus on words that would help me as we welcome our little one in to the world. I must confess, I am worried about becoming a mom. WHY? Simply because I have never been super maternal, compassionate, etc. None of my family really is. We aren't the kind of people you look at and go "SO-and-SO is meant to be a mom." So, I really want to focus on a word that will help me develop some of those traits that I want to have.

So once I decide on a word, I will post it. But I didn't want to wait to post this because I want EVERYONE to check out this idea and have a chance to choose their own word.

Happy Birthday To This Guy

Picture: Drake Bolander Jan 3, 2009

This handsome young man turns 8 today! Plus, he is getting baptized today.

This is Mike's best little buddy Drake. We really hoped to make it to San Antonio for this special day, but were not able too.

We miss you Drake! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND BAPTISM DAY!

Great Deals At Babies R Us

Mike and I got such a great deal today we HAD to share it in case anyone else is out there shopping. This will work TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!

BRU has 2 sales/specials going on these two days. The first is IN STORE ONLY and is 30% off select items (some which are already on sale).

If you go to this link: http://toysrus.shoplocal.com/BabiesRus/default.aspx?action=entryflash&promotioncode=BabiesRus-100101&DisplayPageNumber=1

They have specials for January for FREE items with purchase or coupons off of items. This is the deal we got:

Graco Tour Quatro Travel System with Snugride 32 car seat in Deco Normally $270.00
On sale for $249.99
Minus the 30% in store sale brings it to $174.99
Minus the $20 off coupon from the internet brings it to $154.99
Minus our $5 off coupon for registring with them brought it to $149.99 plus tax!
We saved $120 on a brand new travel system! This was one thing I DID NOT want to buy used and I wanted a Snugride 32 so it would last longer. I was VERY excited to be able to combine all these deals.