Utah (and Idaho) - Day 10...

After stuffing the van full to bursting with seven people and all their stuff, we headed back to Utah. We only managed to spill one container of ranch dressing and one milkshake on ourselves while driving. We entertained ourselves by recording new ring tones on our phones, playing a silly girls camp game that we never really figured out and "Go Fish" with Littlest Pet Shop cards.


We arrived at Uncle Mark's house to find out that Cooper had finally lost his tooth that has been loose for a while. He was really excited to share the news with us. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the tooth fairy.

The girls got busy playing a pretend game that involved making cell phones, acting like paparazzi, and driving the cars. They love being together! Then we made them all do the dishes after a yummy dinner of Chinese take-out.

We are all super tired but happy to be back in Utah and can't wait to pick up Quintin and William sometime around midnight.

ps: We did have a little trauma today when Grace, not knowing that the bike rack and bikes were on the back of the van, came around the corner of the van and ran right into the bikes. Something sharp poked her in the head and caused a bloody mess. It was just a little puncture, but it bled good. She is now sporting a beautiful scab right in her part line and has a bit of blood encrusted in her hair.

Up next...

Plans are up in the air but may include an early morning run for Q and Sarah, a trip to Snowbird, kids day at Home Depot, a baptism and an adult night out...

Utah (But We're Really in Idaho) - Day 9...

Happy Birthday Mom!!

The girls declared today to be a stay-at-home day! And so we stayed at home. We all slept very late and then had a big brunch with Idaho potatoes, pancakes and 3 kinds of syrup. The moms got started on their project and the girls got started on playing in the pond, riding the 4-wheeler, jumping on the trampoline, watching movies, taking a very bubbly bath, making cookies and rebuilding their fort.

The highlights:

The girls!

The mommy project - seven little shirts/dresses all in a row!

The very bubbly bubble bath to get the pond scum off!

The other mommy project - Grace's new "twirly" skirt!

Jumping for joy after a very fun day!

Up next..

Driving back to Salt Lake City and picking up Quintin and William!

Utah (But We're Really in Idaho) - Day 8...

Our day was a little more relaxed than the previous few days.

We had chocolate croissants and fresh raspberries for breakfast...


The girls tried their hand at the BB guns...


I learned to drive the 4-wheeler...


We started a little project...


The little girls went to see "Night at the Museum 2" while the big girls went to the beauty college to get pedicures...


We went to Craigo's for a pizza, pasta, salad buffet...


And the girls built an awesome 4-bedroom fort to spend the night in...



Up next...

A day at home - movies, sewing, playing in the pond, whatever sounds good...

Utah (But We're Really in Idaho) - Day 7...

We had a day full of activities - the girls played in the pond, I made more jam, Emi got her expander out finally and then we loaded up the car and headed to West Yellowstone. On the way we stopped at Mesa Falls for some beautiful scenery and actually got to see a kayak go down the Lower Falls. After our detour we drove into West Yellowstone for shopping, food and to see "Footloose" at the Playmill Theater.

And now a little poem...

Emi was captain
Gracie was crew
As they sailed in a pond
That looked like stew...



And some photo highlights of the day (in no particular order)...














Up next...

Chocolate croissants for breakfast, target practice, maybe a movie, pedis, and a project...

Utah (But We're Really in Idaho) - Day 6...

Grace has gone native...


and she's loving it!


Day 6 Highlights:

BYU-Idaho Bookstore - found a new "Settlers of Catan" expansion

Deseret Book - found a really expensive picture of SL Temple that I want really bad


Hannah Montana movie - I might have cried just a little


Great Harvest Bread - 3 loaves and a bag of cookies (for now...)


Hanging out with Annie all afternoon - lots of hugs and kisses and an awesome hand massage!


And boy can that girl jump...


Grace and the cousins going around and around on the 4-wheeler - again and again and again...


Callie and Grace staining their faces - duh girls, red food color stains!


Watching "Forever Strong" - that boy was "smokin' hot" (not my words!)


Up next,,,

More jam making, Mesa Falls, "Footloose" at the Playmill in West Yellowstone...

Preview the girls photo shoot - click HERE!

Utah (But We're Really in Idaho) - Day 5...

Our "day of rest" was full of fun, games and a lot of apricots.

Before church we had a fashion show where the girls (mostly Callie) displayed their new outfits from our shopping trip yesterday... Grace was still having some issues with having her picture taken, but we had a little chat and things should improve...


After the fashion show, Emi decided to take Grace on 4-wheeler rides around the yard and Annie played Twister on the trampoline. We also played an exciting game of Catch Phrase which ended in a tie-breaker - the winner to be decided after church.


After church and dinner, the moms got busy making apricot jam while the girls did a little more 4-wheelin'. We made 4 batches of jam and we still have tons of apricots - HELP!!



We ended our day with the Catch Phrase tie-breaker. The awesome team of Suzy, Cathy and Annie came away with the win! Hooray for us!!

Up next...

BYU Bookstore, Deseret Book, hanging out at home and more apricot jam...

Utah - Day 4...

After a lovely breakfast with the whole gang made by Mark and a good butt-kicking for Camden (sorry Cam - I still feel bad. I love you buddy!), the Idaho van headed to Park City for a little outlet shopping.

Callie had some good shopping karma today...


but Grace was less than thrilled by the pink sequin hats at Justice and she's a little tired of having her picture taken every 5 minutes...


Then we loaded back in the van and began the journey to Rexburg, Idaho. We entertained ourselves by eating chocolate-covered cinnamon bears and listening to "You Belong to Me" by Taylor Swift over and over and over again. We were making record time until Rob got a flat tire on his truck and we had to go back and save him. The girls were really excited about putting one foot in Utah and one foot in Idaho and finally getting to show their house to Grace.



Up next...

A day of rest... and some jam making... and maybe we'll eat some potatoes...

Utah - Day 3...

Pioneer Day!!

Parade, swimming, carnival and meltdowns...











After very little sleep, a long and hot (but fun) parade, swimmming, sliding, and diving at Murray pool, and a bit more sliding and climbing at the carnival, there might have been a few meltdowns - nothing that a good night's sleep won't cure...

Up next...

A good night's sleep, donuts for breakfast, maybe a little outlet shopping and a drive to Idaho...

Utah - Day 2...

After viewing this site, I called Q and told him to pack the house we're moving to Utah...



We overwhelmed Arctic Circle with our 10 person food and ice cream order...



Aunt Cathy gave all the girls pedicures before their photo shoot...



We stressed out our photographer with 4 stage mothers, 1 dad, 2 brothers, and 7 over-eager participants (the real photographer is the one laying on the ground). I can hardly wait to see the results...



We ended the day with a beautiful view of the Great Salt Lake, fireworks and a sleepover on 2nd East...



Up tomorrow...

Parade and miscellaneous Pioneer Day festivities...

Utah - Day 1...

Grace and I arrived safely in Utah for our 3 week party with the family.

Day 1:

Wake up at 3:30 am to make our 7:15 flight out of Philly.
Arrive in Utah and get excited about mountains!
Jump up and down and scream when seeing the cousins.
Hang out and play with the cousins.
Shop for "photo shoot" outfits and pots.
Watch a movie and try to take a nap.
Enjoy a beautiful Utah evening at the "Bees" game.
Laugh while watching Brian give Mark a buzz cut.
Finally go to bed after almost 24 hours of being awake.

Up tomorrow...

The "Girl Cousin Photo Shoot", Fireworks, and a super fun sleepover...

What Goes Around...

During William's preschool years in Florida, he loved "Beanie Babies". I encouraged him to leave the tags on and keep them clean because they'd probably be worth money one day but he just wanted to play with them and love them. They now reside in a big box under his bed and haven't seen the light of day for many years. During this time, McDonald's started putting the "Teenie Beanie Babies" in their Happy Meals. My friend and I went a little berserk trying to collect all the toys. We would drive around to several McDonald's in one day or call each other to share information about where to find certain ones. It was a little crazy - I must admit.

Today I felt the craziness wash over me again when I drove past a McDonald's and saw that they have "Teenie Beanie Babies" in their Happy Meals. Let's just say that I visited more than one McDonald's at least twice today and William doesn't even collect them anymore.

Somebody stop the madness!

Riding In Cars With Boys...

Today I took the kids and Jeff to the mall just because we felt like it! On the way Jacob pulled my camera out of my bag and started taking photos (a lot of photos). What followed was a very interesting pictoral essay of our drive. Here is a smattering of his work:

There are a lot of these although most of them are extremely blurry:


We have about 40 pics of the backside of this truck:


Here's our exit:


And here's a blurry car right next to our favorite parking spot at the mall:


Later in the day I had to take Will to cross-country practice and he decided he would follow his brother's example and take even more pics. Here is some of his work:

There are plenty photos of this road:


Here is our local Stop and Shop:


And if you follow that white SUV, it will lead you right to my favorite Thai restaurant:



Maybe I'll take a drive over there right now...

Flashback Friday...

Summer 2006

William and his "biker gang"

Taken just prior to their 50-mile ride to earn the Biking Merit Badge

There was a lot of biking going on that summer

William is 5th from the left or 2nd from the right

Quintin is 2nd from the left or 5th from the right

Has Anybody Seen Grace?...

We often ask that question at our house. And then we remember to look in her secret hideaway - the attic playroom. She is isolated from the world and can't here us yelling for her.

Grace has total control over this room. She only has two rules:

1. If you bring food in there, then you have to bring it out.
2. Turn everything off before you come out.

She often rearranges the room to fit her mood. I think it is different every time I venture in there. It is a total girl paradise.

She has "Dollhouse World":


She has "Littlest Pet Shop Land:


She has the "Reading and Television Corner":


And somewhere in there are Barbies, American Girl dolls, craft supplies, an art gallery and who knows what else... but, most importantly, she has a place to be all girl and escape the boys. What could be better than that??

We Were There...

It was good! I did jump a little at some parts though...

Missing Will...

Last week William was at Scout Camp all week. He got home Saturday afternoon. We unpacked his bag, did the laundry and repacked his bag to leave early Monday morning for EFY in Buena Vista, VA. Next week he will be gone half the week at Trek. And then Grace and I are leaving to Utah for 3 weeks and we won't see Little Will until he meets us there on August 1st.

We miss the boy!!

Me and Will on the Ferris Wheel at the Califon Carnival (7/2/09)- the next day we cut all his hair off and got him new glasses!

Summer Days with a BFF..

Grace's wish for a sister has come true (at least temporarily!). Rachel's mom volunteered to drive the kids (William and a few others) to EFY in Buena Vista, VA and we volunteered to have Rachel stay with us while she is gone.

Grace and Rachel play wonderfully together. They disappear into the playroom, Grace's room or outside and we never even hear them (except for an occasional girl shriek)! Today they spent most of the day outside playing in the water and jumping on the trampoline and living in their own imaginary world.

It was a day of pure childhood bliss...

The Sibling Quiz...

The Robbins Family siblings were recently all together and we managed to photograph it so I thought I would conduct a little quiz:



1. Name the siblings in order from left to right.

2. Name the siblings in order from oldest to youngest.

3. Name the spouses of all the siblings.

4. Who is the favorite sibling?

5. Who is older - Suzy or Cathy?

Leave your answers in the comment section. Thanks for playing! Prizes may be awarded.

**Please note: Siblings, spouses of siblings, children of siblings and parents of siblings are not eligible to take this quiz - except that you may answer Question #4.

Flashback Week - Graduation Day...

2 weeks ago today Jacob graduated from high school and there was much rejoicing...


and much sushi (2 boatloads to be exact)...


And many congratulations...


It was a beautiful day!

Flashback Week, Day 2...

Date: June 20, 2009

Event: Ryan's Run 5K

Place: Middletown, NJ

The running boys are back!! They haven't done a 5K for awhile and it was Quintin's first race since his heart attack. He felt good!!

The official race times:

Jacob - 21:16 (he started off too fast and then burned out)

William - 23:23 (steady pace, pretty good time)

Quintin - 27:30 (not bad for the old man)

Flashback Week...

Quintin and William are at Scout Camp this week and Jacob, Grace and I are having a quiet week at home catching up on life so all the posts this week will be "flashbacks". Enjoy...

Date: June 30, 2009

Event: Garrett Robbins Memorial HighK

Place: Ferguson Canyon Trailhead, Utah

Gary and Jean wanted take a hike to a place where Garrett liked to be so we gathered up as many people as were available and headed into the mountains. I was totally unprepared for the event as I only had sandals to wear and I don't live at altitude but with the help of my brothers and sister I made it almost to the top. The scenery was beautiful, the company was wonderful, the cool pond to stick our feet in at the bottom was heavenly and Gavin's mouth will never be the same.

Nephew and Cousin...

Garrett Richard Robbins

G-Rat

12/09/1990 – 06/ 23/2009

Fun, outgoing and cool, best describe Garrett Robbins. Many hearts are broken and fond memories of him are flooding those who knew him.

Garrett is best known for his outrageous and unpredictable wit. He was just a naturally funny guy. He had slick dance moves and wasn’t afraid to use them. He would challenge a cliff for a dive in the summer or a mountain cliff in the winter, and would always go first. Athletic and full of adventure, he thought his Mazda was a go-cart at times and rode his mountain bike rarely using his brakes. He also enjoyed mission trips to Canada and Skid Row with his youth group in addition to taking part in an after school program for Reach Salt Lake. Having an impact on the lives of at risk kids brought out a more serious side of Garrett, however, it never overshadowed his zeal for fun and laughter. Garrett was just a cool guy. He dressed unique, he would wear a jacket one day and a home-made t-shirt the next. He had no fear and made a big statement by distributing t-shirts he made following an athletic controversy at Hillcrest High school. He danced to his own beat.

Garrett was synonymous with Gavin, his younger brother, who he was very close with, along with his brother, Klint. Garrett made a big profession of faith in Jesus and was later baptized on July 23, 2000. He is now with the Lord who had been preparing a place just for him. He is joining his brother Kolby.

His parents Gary and Jean (Snyder) Robbins, along with his brothers Klint De Marco and Gavin Robbins share much sadness at his passing with his many uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, grandparents and friends.

**I've been in Utah spending time with family. It's hard to know how to go on from here. We all wish we could reverse time and change what happened but we know that is not possible and so we just go on... go on doing laundry, working our jobs, living our lives and loving each other.