A Day in the Park

A local magazine called "Mom Magazine" is going to publish an article on The Adoption Story (see my very first post). Eroica took some pictures of us at the park to get some pictures for the story.

Here's a picture of our family with Kyndall, Leeann's birth-mom.
Kyndall was pushing Leeann on the swing. Leeann LOVES the swings!
Leeann was trying to kiss me as I was holding her swing up in the air. When I let go of the swing she fell to the ground. Oops!
My BEAUTIFUL princess!

I don't know who's more in love, Leeann or her daddy!
My little guy doesn't seem so little anymore!

Our Vacation

Here are a few of our pictures from Canon Beach. It was such a fun and relaxing time together as a family. This will undoubtedly be a tradition for our family for as long as the conference center keeps inviting us back!

"Skipping" rocks together is one of Rob and Leeann's favorite past-times together. They've been throwing rocks into water together for a long time now!

The most wonderful man in the world!

Little Helpers

For some reason I can't move this picture to the bottom of this post. Don't fear, the pink is just primer...

Titus isn't helping do anything here, I just thought this was a cute picture!
This is Leeann helping daddy remove a wall paper border in preperation for some painting. Weston, Logan and Leeann helped clean up the big mess. Titus helped make the big mess!

Anatomy of Seagull catching?

Our Pastor is an Iowa farm boy. The staff and their wives had a retreat at the coast at the beginning of March and we ended the trip with a little bit of feeding the seagulls. Denny, being the farm boy that he is, wasn't content with just feeding them... he had to catch one! If you've never seen someone catch a seagull before, you can see it in slow motion below for your viewing pleasure!

Staff Retreat

Just for your peace of mind, he promptly let the seagull go after posing for this picture!
This is our staff
Me and Rob
Brenna and Joel (the youth pastor)

Debbie and Paul (our worship leader)
Denny and Pam (our Senior Pastor)

My Birthday?

Yup, it's been that long since I've posted any pictures. These are pictures of my 25th Birthday and my sister, Hope's 2nd Birthday. Since we share a Birthday it seemed fitting to share a party! I think I posted about it earlier, but here are the pictures...

I always wanted a sister!
This is Titus and my cousin's son, Dallas. They were playing some good ole' fashioned nintendo together... or at least Titus though he was helping. He seems to have things a little backward though :0)

On the Home Front

So I haven’t blogged much lately, what’s new? We’ve been up to much of the same ‘ole same ‘ole lately. Between work and home Rob and I are both keeping quite busy these days. Exciting things are happening at our church and it’s fun to be a part of, but it can also be exhausting at times!

I’m saving up for a lap-top computer. It would really simplify my life a bit to be able to use the same computer at work, at Precious Portraits and at home. It would also help for me to be able to do some things out side of my bedroom (which is where my home computer is) and/or out of the office (where it can be hard to concentrate). I also think it would go a long way for me to be able to get my work hours in, and to get my work done, if I had a mobile computer. Even being able to take my computer into the nursery at church while my kids play could be priceless, especially once Suzy and the boys leave. So, I’ll keep you updated on that progress. I think I’m about half way there. Anyone want to buy a previously loved desktop for say, $200? It’s still in great condition, but we won’t need it if we both have lap-tops… and it would get me closer to my goal! Just thought I’d check :0)

We’re in the middle of several minor home remodeling projects. Remodeling is tough, because when you do one thing you just want to do something else. Like, since I’m redoing the master bathroom floor, it would be nice to paint since the molding is already off. But then we’d have to take down the wall paper, and the towel racks and other fixtures. Not to mention the fact that we’d have to buy the paint. We've spent the last couple of days painting the living room and our entry way floor is half ripped up in preparation to lay new flooring in there. Luckily, we have the flooring already, but it’ll be quite a project to finish! I’ll post pictures when all is said and done. At the very least, it’s fun to do, and hopefully our house will look much nicer because of it!

Want more family news? Check the posts below for updates on my kiddos!

Life without pull-ups (for real this time!)

Leeann is officially 100% pull-up free—even at night! Yippie! We ran out of pull-ups toward the end of last week, and we told her that she was going to start wearing big-girl panties to bed. The first night she had an accident around 11:00. I made a silly mistake and borrowed one of Logan’s pull-ups because she was so concerned that she would wet again. The second night, she wet about 2 minutes after she went to bed. I got her cleaned up and changed and sent her back to bed. About 5 minutes later she’d wet again. Arrggg. Obviously she was doing it on purpose… I think she wanted another one of Logan’s pull-ups! So we cleaned her up again and told her she was just going to keep getting big-girl panties. So she went back upstairs to go to bed, but ended up going to the bathroom every couple of minutes. About 10 times later and with some snuggle time she finally fell asleep. Then we went to the store and got her some thicker night-time panties and those seem to make her feel safer like a pull-up but still uncomfortable when wet like big-girl panties. She’s had like 6 dry nights in a row and there’s no going back! One kid down, one to go!

In other Leeann news, she talks longingly about wanting to be 4 and about getting her Cindegrella (that’s how she says it) cake. She told me on Saturday night that she wants 3 friends to come over and help her eat cake. Ashly, Amanda and Faith. It’s so awesome to daily witness the growth and comprehension in her language. She gets bigger and smarter and prettier every single day! Leeann is such a blessing. It’s a little weird to think about this way, but Leeann truly is one of my best friends. She’s so sweet and kind and loving, and she’s such a joy to be around and spend time with. She’s going to be one of those super-loyal friends. I can already tell that God’s got something wonderful planned for my little princess!

Getting Bigger?

Titus’s 15.5 month stats:

18 lbs 10 oz
28 inches long

So, he’s still off the bottom of the charts, and he still hasn’t hit 20 pounds (which is what I was hoping for!) but he’s happy and healthy and developing well. He is, however, the size of an average 9 month-old. It’s okay, it just makes him appear really advanced!

In other news, he’s got the greatest smile I’ve ever seen—he gets that from his dad! He’s running and playing and babbling lots. He still doesn’t really have any words yet though. He’ll say mamamamamama and dadadadadadada, but I’m not sure he’s purposefully using them in the right context yet. He said banana clear as day once a couple months ago, but we haven’t heard it since. He signs more and milk pretty regularly, and though he doesn’t ‘sign’ all-done, he throws his food on the floor or pushes in away making it very obvious that he’s “all-done”. Aunt Suzy swears she’s heard him say all-done, but he hasn’t said it for me yet.

It’s great and marvelous to see him growing so big and learning so many new things. Kids truly are a wonderous sight to behold. I love being a mommy!

"One of those days"

Do you ever go to bed with a heavy heart and so much to pray about and think about, and with so many things going on around you, that even after 8 solid hours of sleep you wake up feeling beat up and ragged like you've just run a marathon... and the day hasn't even started! For me, it's one of those days!

I'm sitting here eating my Captain Crunch wondering if the best way to face my day is not even to face it at all and just crawl back in bed. Maybe my "healthy breakfast" will give me the pick-me-up I need? Probably not though. I imagine once this cereal is gone I really should crawl back into bed, and spend some time praying and giving my cares to God. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. That's what I read this morning in a devotional book from Rob's mom (thanks!). I think I'll go do that now :0)

p.s. God is so great and Rob and the kids and I just got to go to the coast for 3 days for vacation... I'll give you more details on that soon hopefully. And I've got pictures, so stay tuned!

My children, disobedient?

Everybody thinks their kids are perfect. I recognize this. I just know that in most instances, I happen to be right :0)

Well, yesterday I was about at my whits-end. Leeann had several disobedient spells last night, which is fairly rare for her. She seems to test the bounderies every-so-often, but is pretty compliant most of the time. Her "challenging side" seems to be more in that she's very emotional and easily hurt or upset. Yesterday however, was a day of testing for sure!

Titus on the other hand--he's giving me a run for my money. Leeann was almost too easy. You discipline, she responds. You encourage her, she repeats the positive behavior. Classic text-book. Not only that, but she's also snuggly which helps ease my frustration because my #1 love language is physical touch.

Titus--touch? No way! He wants to be down, left alone and able to explore. Not only that but he also wants to explore anything and everything that he can get his hands on. His response to any form of discipline? Let me see how many times I can do this again and get the same result! He reminds me of my brother just trying to push my buttons when I was a kid! Would you like to know how many times yesterday that he tried to put his socks in the VCR, pull the tape deck off of my boom box, grab the silverware from the dishwasher while I was trying to do dishes, or grab at the sharp tools I was using in a little remodling project? Way too many times for my sanity, that's for sure!

Oh, the joys of parenting!

Challenged by God

I went to a breakfast this morning with one of the missionaries our church supports and some others. His name is Manny Fernandez from World Link. I was so encouraged and inspired by the stories he was telling of churches upon churches being planted in various parts of the world, and about their expodential growth because of their obedience to God and their desire to reach those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior.

They are unashamedly telling people about God's love for them and instructing them about how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Have we made church too complicated? Are we complicating the simplicity of the message of Christ?

The Bible tells us that while we were still sinners He died for us. That's amazing! He didn't die for those who have their life in order. He didn't die for those who are already perfect. He died for everyone. For those who recognize their inperfection. Those who know they aren't holy enough to stand in the presence of God without the blood of Jesus to cover their sins. Even those who have done such bad things that they don't think Jesus could forgive them for what they've done. Yes, even the 'worst' of them. Not only will God forgive you of your sins, but He'll forget them, never to be used against you again. A clean slate--it seems like we all need that!

The message is true, and Jesus Christ is amazingly real. If you haven't asked Jesus Christ into your life--don't wait.

The time is now, just as you are. Who knows that tomorrow will bring? Ask Jesus to come into your life. Accept him as your Savior. Put your life in his hands. It's that simple. No strings attached.

The angels in heaven rejoice when even just one who is lost comes to know Christ. Give the angels a reason to party today! God loves you more than any human being ever could. He loves you more than you could love any other human. His love is that big, and that perfect. Nothing would give Him more joy than for you to accept the gift of His son, Jesus Christ. He's waiting with open arms. Run to Him!

A New Name

I've thought for quite some time now about changing my name. It might seem silly to some of you, but the whole "Rob and Robyn" thing is just too cute (and too confusing) sometimes. Besides, I'd kind of like to do something wild and crazy like change my name. So, I am currently open to ideas about what my new name should be. I don't really have any requirements for my new name other than maybe something a little more feminine (couldn't be a boy's name).

Any suggestions? Leave a comment by clicking on the comment button below this post.

My middle name is Elizabeth, so any variation thereof is always a bonus, but not necessary.

p.s. I'm not going to change my name tomorrow, but probably at some point... so I'm just taking suggestions, don't go all crazy on me for changing my name just yet.

Children's Ministry

I love my job! I really do. I look forward to going to work with great excitement and I feel like I have a very meaningful job that has the potential to make a huge impact in the lives of kids. Could you imagine any greater calling than to win kids to Christ and grow them in their faith?

Wow.

I try not to spout off about my job too much on this blog because it's very purpose is to keep you updated about what's going on in "Robyn's Nest", and I don't want this blog to turn into ministry musings. However, I've been reading a book that's been rocking my world and it seems to encompass most of my thoughts lately, so I feel compelled to blog about it.

I'm reading a book called Children's Ministry in the 21st Century. I would recommend this book for anyone called to reach kids in the 21st Century (and if you have kids, that includes you!). I'm only 2 or 3 chapters through and my mind is already spinning. It gives great insight into today's kids and puts before us a great challenge to meet kids where they are at, even if it doesn't make sense to us.

I'm tempted to expound on what I've been learning more than that, but I wouldn't know where to start or where to finish, and I'd probably end up writing a book-lenth commentary by the time I was finished. Those of you who recall my IKEA post I'm sure will be greatful if I just stop there and recommend that you pick up a copy of the book for yourself.

25 and Other Such Things

It's typically seeing pictures on my computer that make me think to post. Our internet is currently upstairs on Suzy's computer and our pictures are on my computer (with no internet and no way to blog them currently). That's one of the reasons I've had a lack in postings recently.

So, here's the short of what you've missed in Robyn's Nest in the last couple of weeks.

I turned 25 and went home for my Birthday, which I shared with my 2 year-old sister. Secretly, I wanted Hope's Aqua Doodle... but I let her keep it. I thought it was the mature thing to do!

I cut my hair. Actually, I chopped it. And I bought some semi-expensive make-up. Then I realized that my big ole eyebrows didn't match my new look so I got them waxed. To take it one step furthur I even painted my toe nails. Now I just need to loose a few pounds. I'm on a quest for femininity. It's never come naturally to me... but it feels good to be girly, so I'm going to give it a try!

Rob and I went on a staff retreat with the other staff members at the church and their wives. It was lot's of fun! We went to Newport overnight. I like our staff... and their wives. I also liked having a place I could escape to will my hubby since our kids have been in our room for a couple of months. When we got back we decided to put Leeann upstairs with the boys and Titus's pack-n-play fits perfectly in a little nook in our closet. Before you freak out about our kid being in our closet, you have to see our closet. It's huge. It's big enough for all of mine, Rob's, Leeann and Titus's clothes as well as his pack-n-play with a little room left over. People in other countries share a house this size (okay I'm exagerating a little, but he's not being neglected by any means!)

Anyway, so that's been good because the last couple of nights Rob and I have been able to debrief before bed in a place away from everyone else... which is something we've been acustomed to doing but have felt somewhat lacking in lately. So, I hope this new arrangement works out well!

In other news: Titus has mastered the stairs. He looks so cute sliding down them on his stomach! He's also asserting his opinion stronger than ever, but I still think he'll be a somewhat mild-mannered little guy. He seems to maybe even be growing a bit too. Maybe I'm just hopeful though!

Leeann is sweet as ever and beautiful as can be. We're very blessed by having such wonderful children. She's woken up dry three nights in a row now. It goes against everything I stand for to bribe her with candy, but she's been getting some after breakfast each morning she wakes up dry. Could this be our last batch of pull-ups? Yippie!

Well, I should go now. Yup...