Scott & Janelle

Recruiting at BYU

2012-02-13T21:11:00.002-05:00

Not much over a year ago, it was me walking from booth to booth at the career fair in the Wilk(inson Student Center) trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. This time around I was doing the recruiting.

A co-worker and I got to go back to Provo to attend the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics career fair that BYU puts on twice a year. It was so fun to see friends and family who were in the area. I got to go to the career fair, help host an information session, and interview students.

Janelle wanted me to capture lots of pictures; I should have listened. I did get a few though:


When I got to the airport, it turned out they didn't have any small cars. Then it turned out they didn't have any cars at all. Instead, in typical Provo fashion, I got a mini van!

But not just any mini van. It was a snazzy mini van with
a touchscreen radio that turned into a backup camera when you went in reverse

I chose to stay at the Super 8 right across from Helaman Halls.
I really wanted to eat at the Cannon Center, but didn't get to this time around.
Even better, though, I got to have dinner with Jen and Taylor, and Jimmie, Emily. and Geoffrey

They had nice gifts for the recruiters like pens, water, a mint, an apron,
and I even was in the right place at the right time to get...

a ticket to the BYU v. Gonzaga basketball game. We even won pretty good!
As I was leaving the game I saw cousin Matt and Jessica, Cosmo, and the victory bell

It was a fun trip, I'm really glad I got to go. But, being gone for so long helps me realize what I really want to be when I grow up. A husband, a dad... and a Cougars fan: Rise and Shout!

(Don't worry Janelle has more pictures on queue for the next post for the real reason you're here: to see our boys...)

School

2012-02-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

So everyday for about a week, Alan has been telling me that he needs to go to school. Apparently he wants to go to a school by Archer's house (a boy in our ward). And he needs to walk there. Never mind that Archer lives 1/2 hour away (driving), and never mind that Alan often wants to go to school at 5pm or on Saturday. He is very emphatic and says that he just HAS to go to school now. He brought up a little riding toy from the basement and packed a little lunchbox full of stuff (all by himself), and headed off to school one day.

He got to the end of the driveway and then tried to convince me to let him go in the street, but to no avail.

After he went to bed, I had to peek in his bag...

I always offered that we could do a little school at home, but he would never be convinced. Finally he relented and we did a little schoolwork of our own. And he loved it. And the best thing about doing schoolwork at home is that you can do it in your pajamas.

Mr. Smiles

2012-02-01T21:10:00.000-05:00

So we had a little post-nap photo shoot the other day. I have about 20 pictures just like the ones below. I wanted to put them all up, but they look exactly the same and I thought that would be ridiculous, so I somehow managed to pick 3. I have never seen such a smiley baby. I mean, he doesn't smile all the time, but when he's in a good mood... so many smiles! And Alan can get him to crack up so easily. He sure loves his big brother.

In addition to the smiles, James has turned into Mr. Scooter. He is everywhere! I swear Alan hardly moved and really only crawled for a month or so before walking. I thought it was because he was so big. This little bugger is even bigger and still manages to do pushups in his crib and get stuck in all sorts of positions! I imagine he will be crawling much sooner than we want him too...

Spitting is another favorite thing right now. :)

And this is about the cutest thing ever. Alan will sit and read to James. He's read to himself before, but I had never heard him read out loud. And he can quote a good majority of the books. I tried to get it on video, but it's too quiet to really hear. (I was banished to the kitchen during the reading) James, of course, is quite content chewing on a frog.

FHE Packets

2012-01-27T21:54:00.000-05:00

So I joined this Family Home Evening packet group last fall. It's the type of deal where everyone takes turns making a lesson and they make a lesson for everyone in the group. So if there's 15 people in the group, you make 15 copies of your lesson and get a copy of everyone else's lesson. Yeah, kind of intense, but it's a good idea. Much more organized than I usually am, but I thought I'd give it a go.

Anyway, it was my turn to hand out my lesson this month. It's a lesson called "Whatsoever you sow, that shall ye also reap" and is adapted from a lesson that my mom used at home evening a few Christmases ago. So most of the text is hers, but I put them on matching cards instead of on poster board. This seemed easier to mass produce, and could be adapted several different ways.

So, I decided that I'd put up a link to the file in case anyone wanted it (pdf, Open Office). Mostly the lesson deals with agency and the "you get what you give" principle. You match the seed or choice, with the flower or consequence. Trust me, it's nothing special, but you can edit the text to fit your family. The situations are kind of general. And you'll have to either edit it or make three copies of the game because of the way I set it up... If you care, you'll see what I mean.

Anyway. I'm just happy to say mission accomplished! Project done! And we're taking a break from it now. Maybe when the kids are older...

Alan's sticker chart

2012-01-25T07:34:00.001-05:00

So, Alan has sort of a Pinky and the Brain problem. Well, more Brain than Pinky. He is very very smart and he thinks he can take over the world, or tries to every day. He can still be very good, but definitely has his moments. Recently he has taken every method we've used to discipline him, and turned around and word for word tries to use it on us. It is actually quite funny when you're not in the middle of the power struggle. :)

Anyway, this was all leading to quite a bit of negativity, so we decided to use some positive reinforcement. It has worked well in reducing the power struggles, and at times with the behavior. Actually, I'm not quite sure the difference between positive reinforcement and bribing. I think we're doing both, except I've heard bribing is "bad" and positive reinforcement is "good," so we're calling it that.

Anyway, here is Alan's sticker chart. He got a sticker when he made a "good choice" and lost one when he made a "bad choice." He was actually pretty good and pretty cute about the whole thing.

He was very excited when he got all the way to the end

And he got an ice cream cone at "Old McDonald's" as he calls it. :)

Humble Bumble

2012-01-16T21:59:00.001-05:00

Well, James is no longer a humble bumble but is now a tooth-ful little boy. (We've been on a Christmas Classics kick lately) This afternoon after a significant period of screaming, we noticed the sharp little thing protruding from his lower gum. Congrats Jamesy on entering the world of chewing.

An Oregonian Christmastime

2012-01-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

We have to be very specific around here. I was asked every day, multiple times a day, since Thanksgiving, if it was "Christmas" or ... "Christmastime". Kind of a hard concept, I guess, despite advent calendars and the continual watching of "A Very Monkey Christmas" which knowingly addresses the same issue.

Anyway, we spent Christmastime and Christmas in Oregon, and it was so much fun!

Here's our little Santa... chubby, plump, a right jolly little elf!

Making cookies with Grandma

Let's just say ninja turtles weren't only cool in the 80's. Alan and Grandpa had a blast with these heroes in a half shell.

And then Alan even got to decorate the cookies! Very daring considering we were giving them away. I don't usually have so much hope in his abilities, but he did a great job.

Alan wanted to hold James. Grandpa was singing "Jingle Bells" to him, which is now Alan's favorite song. He will sing it to himself all day long... and the chorus never ends...

And here's George the Wiener Dog (not to be confused with George the monkey) sporting his fancy sweater. He is getting kind of old and has to drag his back legs some of the time. So sad! But he is a good little doggie and we all loved playing with him.

Airplane rides!

We did a little nativity Christmas Eve. Alan was a shepherd, though he wouldn't wear a costume.

Mary and her babe, swaddling and all.

Alan had a wonderful Christmas morning and was very very excited.

Yup, Santa brought diapers!!!

Jolly little elf...take 2!

We went to church and then started on round 2 of presents.

Alan wrapped up this present for George. Then unwrapped it and gave him a treat.

We had our own little visit to the "North Pole"

I couldn't capture it all in a picture, but it was a pretty cool place.

And Alan loved the holiday friends.

And here's one more shot of the smiley guy.

We had so many fun memories this Christmas break. In addition to the things documented above we got to catch up with some old friends (and meet a wife and baby), see a great BYU bowl victory (thanks to Riley's fake spike touchdown pass on the last play), and celebrate our 4th anniversary by doing family sealings in the Portland temple. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Robertson for taking such good care of us and putting up with our craziness! We love you.

Christmas Trees

2012-01-05T15:34:00.001-05:00

We had kind of a crazy Christmas season this year! 3 different Christmas trees in 3 different states. Here is some sort of documentation of our experiences. :)

Some were small, fake, and kind of pathetic with lights only working on the bottom part of the tree and with no decorations, but worked well for the 1 day we were together in Boston from Dec 4th- Jan 4th.

Some came pre-cut

And others we cut down ourselves

Some were very very small

And some were very very tall

Sometimes we were awake

And sometimes we were asleep

(but daddy always carried us, either way.)

Some stayed standing up

And some fell down several times, and eventually just leaned against the wall

But all of them were a lot of fun to get, set up, and decorate, and had way too many presents underneath. And a little boy here doesn't think Christmas is over, and isn't sure why we have to take our pathetic one down today.

Big Boy Bed

2012-01-02T15:10:00.000-05:00

So....we are a little late with everything around here. Until last month, Alan had still been sleeping in the crib. I wasn't in any rush to have him mobile during naps/nighttime, and he didn't seem to mind. But since Jamesy is getting bigger every second (literally), we decided it was about time to make the switch.

I went down to visit my family in NJ for a week while Scott was away on business, and it seemed like a good time to make the transition, as Alan wouldn't be giving up sleeping in "his" crib. I was also quite fearful of him falling off the bed as we hear him rolling around and sometimes crashing into the crib walls during the night. So we blew up an air mattress and let him sleep on the floor, thinking this would minimize the falling. I went in a couple of hours later to find him like this:

I put him back on the air mattress several times that night, and every night, though he eventually got better at staying on the mattress. Luckily he is sleeping on a queen bed (that we have been using for a guest bed) at home so he has a little more rolling room. :) And thankfully Grandma Robertson was able to borrow a guard rail and he loved sleeping in the twin bed in Oregon. Overall, the transition has gone very smoothly.

Stocking update

2011-12-24T18:20:00.000-05:00

I went to visit my family earlier this month when Scott was away on a business trip for 2 weeks. Thankfully with a few extra hands to help with the boys, I was able to finish James stocking- the one craft that I attempt every couple of years. :) Although, now that Pinterest is sucking me in, I may have to try a few more. We'll see. Anyway, as an update to a previous post, here is the newest addition to our stocking line...

Tracey's Farm

2011-12-24T18:19:00.000-05:00

One of the highlights of Alan's recent NJ trips was a visit to my Aunt Tracey's farm.

Meg and Alan in their boots... all ready to go.

And Alan was just a little excited once we got there.

Here's Aunt Tracey showing Evan how to ride.

Alan is still warming up to the idea of getting on the horse.

He was a little nervous to get on, and once he did, he was quite nervous to start moving.

But eventually he loved riding, and even riding all by himself!

We all had a great time at the Farm. Thanks for letting us come, Tracey!

And if you want to see hesitancy and then enjoyment of the riding experience, the videos below capture it quite well.

NJ Thanksgiving

2011-12-21T19:18:00.000-05:00

Since Emily's wedding was the weekend before Thanksgiving, we were able to stay in NJ for the week and had a fun time with lots of family there. Here are some pics from our fun trip!

Grandpa Tucker and Baby James were pretty good friends

Alan tried his hand at some bead stringing

Baby James has become the smiliest baby of all! He seriously smiles at any time of night or day.

Playing some cards

Playing some trucks

Playing some Turkey Bowl (or getting ready to)

Thanksgiving Dinner

Look at that feast!

And Jamesy even got to try some rice cereal for the first time on Thanksgiving Day too! And someone was very excited to feed him.

Our aspiring athlete

Mamma and Jamesy

A little Turkey Bowl of our own

With some well designed runs,

And blocks

That all made for a pretty happy little boy

Thankful Cookies

2011-12-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of November we made a batch of cookies: "Thankful Cookies." We had to write down something we were thankful for before we ate a cookie. As you can see we ended up eating a lot of cookies, and it didn't even scratch the surface of things we are truly thankful for. It was fun to see Alan's responses, and hopefully helped us remember our many blessings the whole month long.

Emily and Jimmie's wedding

2011-12-21T16:38:00.000-05:00

I am so far behind with posts, but now that most of "Christmas projects" are nearing completion, I am determined to catch up (at least somewhat) before the year is over.

Here are a few pictures from Emily and Jimmie's wedding. They were sealed in the Washington DC temple on November19th and then we had a reception that evening back in NJ. It was a fun, busy day, and the married couple is doing well. :)

Family Pictures

2011-12-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

Again backtracking... but we had family pictures taken in October! We won a photo shoot at a girls camp fundraiser auction. Thanks again to Christy Brown for the wonderful pictures and we loved working with her. Here are a few of our favorites...

Robertson Family Visit/ James Blessing

2011-11-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

So I have some serious blog catching up to do!

Scott's parents were able to come out in October to escort an old friend around Boston. I believe they all had a wonderful time and it was great to be able to see everyone again!

We had dinner at the Colonial Inn in Concord. Kind of a funny place. Lots of weird ghost stories, etc. Perhaps not as funny as the people in the picture.

We also walked part of the freedom trail.

And Alan is always thrilled to stop by the playground at Frog Pond.

The old state house is in the background, surrounded by the new... everything.

We were also able to bless James when Scott's parents were here and my dad was able to fly up as well for the weekend too. It was a beautiful blessing and we we were so grateful to be surrounded by family who all love this little guy a lot!

The man of the hour, on his way to church.

And that is a pretty great group of guys. :)

Thanks to everyone who was able to be there on our special day.

Foulk Family Columbus Day Visit

2011-11-08T07:49:00.000-05:00

So it's a little delayed, but here are a few pictures from my family's most recent trip up here last month. They had a 3 day weekend around Columbus Day, so they graciously came up for a little visit, and we had a blast! Our blog thanks Mom and Megan, as they took most of these pictures!

Jamesy loved to chew on this little toy when we dangled it over him.

On Saturday we took a tour of the Louisa May Alcott House where Little Women was set. It was so fun and the stories about the Alcott family were incredible. Surprisingly our boys were pretty dang good on the tour as well.

Also in Concord we visited the North Bridge and posed next to this British Soldier. The feather on the hat was a hit as well.

Grandma and Baby James

And these two like each other a little bit I think.

Partial family pic on a pretty little path at the North Bridge.

After the North Bridge we went to the South Bridge to rent some canoes!

And we took off down the river!

...

To the North Bridge again!

Evan's victory pose. Too bad we were only half way, and we had to go upstream on the way back. :)

It was a beautiful trip, and I'd highly recommend it. (Grandma stayed with James)

Meg celebrated her birthday up here as well.

Which was a major hit, because Alan is now obsessed with birthdays. It's amazing the difference 6 months can make.

Uncle Nate and Baby James

Alan and Grandma made some Halloween cupcakes

And decorated some Halloween bowls

And decorated the cupcakes! So fun.

Megan, Nathan, Dad and Scott got to go to the temple and do some family file Baptisms and Confirmations as well.

And this picture says it all.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

Well, Alan is finally old enough to understand what is going on in the world around him and it made for a very fun Halloween this year. He really enjoyed the whole season and we had a fun time right along with him. Here are some highlights from the last week in October. :)

Decorating his pumpkin cookie at playgroup

We were supposed to have a trunk or treat at the church which was canceled because of snow. So instead we had a smashing pumpkin party! (without any actual smashing) We made a paper jack-o-lantern...

And a real jack-o-lantern. And ate lots of candy and pumpkin seeds and played some other games. Luckily Alan didn't really know about the trunk or treat, so he wasn't too disappointed.

This is Baby Jack. When I went to put a candle in the pumpkin, it reminded Alan of birthdays, and he felt that we needed to sing happy birthday to someone. Since we are lacking in October birthdays, I suggested we might sing to the pumpkin, as it was his birthday, but he needed a name. After much deliberation, Alan couldn't quite think of a name for our pumpkin. I suggested Jack. The reply: "No, BABY Jack." So Baby Jack it was, and happy birthday to him. (It was a little traumatic when the trash truck took Baby Jack away...but after some consoling, we're looking forward to reuniting with him next year.)

Our little Lion and Tiger on Halloween night.

Ready to go Trick or Treating! Alan however thinks we ought to say "Pick a Treat" instead of "Trick or Treat." I might kind of agree.

Baby James and Mom only went to our neighbor's house. Then this pair set off to do more of the neighborhood.

And as long as there weren't too many masks around, Alan had a blast.

And James had a blast at home. :)

Alan is thrilled with all of his candy, which mom is finding convenient to use as bribes for chores. His room has never been so clean. :)

And if you want the full experience, you can get a taste for it in the clips below...

First Snow!

2011-10-28T08:08:00.000-04:00

Well, we got our first dusting of snow. We were sitting on the couch late last night when we heard our neighbor call "It's snowing!" Unbelievable. I cannot believe it is winter already.

A little managed to stick to the ground and stay the night, and someone was mildly excited about it this morning. He's been dying to wear his new coat, which I told him we would only wear once it started snowing. So even before breakfast he went out exploring. Immediately and instinctively picked up a little chunk of snow and threw it as hard as he could into the neighbor's yard. All boy. Fun times ahead. :)

A Little Spidery Craft

2011-10-27T13:15:00.001-04:00

So I decided to post this because it was the practically the quickest and easiest craft we have ever done, and I think they're pretty cute, and Alan loves them. So if you're looking for a boredom buster on these cold rainy days (at least here!) before Halloween, here you go! We don't even usually do anything this industrious, but I figured you can't go wrong with old lids. :) Happy Halloween!

I am the 99%

2011-10-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Baby James, and I'm in the 99(th) percent(ile)... for weight and head circumference that is. My height is lagging behind and I'm only in the 94th percentile. I'm quite content to occupy my mama's arms, and I don't really understand what corporate greed is. You wish you had my life, right?

Matchy Match

2011-10-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

We are so lucky that some very nice people buy our boys cute matching clothing so that I can take pictures like these...

And if you really want to see some cute pictures of our boys in matching clothes you should check out our family photos on these links:
http://photographychristybrown.blogspot.com/2011/10/robertson-family.html
http://photographychristybrown.blogspot.com/2011/10/baby-james.html

Sometimes I turn around and look at my baby and swear I've seen that face before...

Can you tell who's who??

Like father, like son.

Like father, like son. (take 2)

And I just love James' face in this picture. We all wonder what that kid under the sheets is up to most of the time. :)

Conference Weekend

2011-10-09T22:53:00.000-04:00

I have to say, this last weekend was super busy and super fun! The main event of the weekend was General Conference. We feel so blessed to be able to listen to the words of Prophets and Apostles of God. It was a very inspiring weekend and we came away spiritually strengthened and edified and resolved to be a little better.

While conference took up the majority of our weekend, we did a lot of kind of random, fun, local things as well.

On Friday we went to Castle Island and had a lot of fun at the fort and playground.

It was right on the ocean and we saw tons of boats and airplanes. Alan had a blast jumping off these "walls."

And here are mine boys.

Friday night, Scott and I went on a date to the philatelic museum. (aka stamps :)

As fascinating as stamps are, this we would not have normally been our first choice for a date activity. But they had a Harry Potter exhibit, so I dragged Scott along. :)

They had lots of official Harry Potter stamps from lots of different countries, as well as stamps of different elements from the books/movies.

Luckily everything was nicely labeled or I don't think I would have known whose wands were made from Yew, Hawthorn, and Elm. :)

And of course Friday finished with the most exciting BYU football game I've seen in a long time. source:byucougars.com

Saturday morning we went to a pancake breakfast with some friends and then went to MIT to look at their Great Glass Pumpkin Patch. The pumpkins were amazing. If I ever have a couple hundred dollars to drop, I might get one. :)

Sunday morning we walked at the North Bridge in Concord. It was amazingly beautiful. I didn't bring my camera as we didn't know we would be walking in such a cool place. So maybe we'll have to go back. :) All in all a very fun weekend!

Apple Picking

2011-10-03T13:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from our fun apple picking adventure! We were all prepared for rain, but luckily just a pretty humid day instead.

Anne came along for a fun day and to help me with the kids :)

Sarah, Kristin, and Lucas joined us as well!

Luckily our playgroup booked a "school tour." I think it was much more manageable with a bunch of kids to pick these small bags of apples, rather than bushels full. Plus we got donuts and cider at the end.

Here we are listening to the apple picking instructions. Some people are more interested in the dirt than the instructions, but oh well.

And we're off to pick a some...

Got one!

And looking for more.

Mamma and James helped some too

Of course, eating the apples is the best thing of all, and when you eat them on a tractor in your fireman boots, it doesn't get much better than that.

Until you want to please please please feed the goats

A very fun fallish New England trip!

Just some fun photos

2011-09-12T08:26:00.000-04:00

There is really no rhyme or reason to this post. I just wanted to put up a few pictures of our boys...

Alan made this block and book tower all by himself. I was pretty impressed, and as you can see, so was he.

We got these as party favors from a friend's birthday party, and couldn't resist this picture!

We went to the Decordova Sculpture Park and loved it! It was a great place for kids!

Parts of it were not great for strollers, but James had a fun time anyway.

Alan was not into posing at any of the sculptures, but he loved this "big man."

His favorite sculpture though was "the eggs," and he did agree to pose with me.

Big stretches in Mom and Dad's bed.

I think Alan looks so old in this picture...like he's ready to start kindergarten or something. Crazy.

Apparently I say the phrase, oh look at my boys! a lot. Because now whenever Alan goes next to James he yells that... Mom! Look at mine boys!

And here are some sweet loves

Brotherly Birthdays

2011-09-07T10:01:00.000-04:00

Summer is full of birthdays for Robertson boys, and as Michael and Sarah were staying with us for a week before they could move into their apartment, we got to celebrate these brothers' birthdays together- first Scott's and then Michael's four days later.

Cheeeeeese!

We've just been kind of excited about this upcoming season. Go Cougs!

Candles in a hot chocolate pudding cake = disaster. Oh well. The cake was still pretty delicious.

Michael was pretty excited about his cake.

Actually it was a pie. Key lime pie. It was in the freezer/fridge and worked much better with the candles. And was likewise delicious.

We also got to Skype with Mom and Dad Robertson while opening presents. (Alan is currently freaking out because he wants the chips in this picture... chips pleeeeeease!)

It was an adventurous first week for Michael and Sarah. They survived finding a new apartment (the one they had lined up had bed bugs), a hurricane (only minimal power loss and a few drips in the basement), and a week with a 2yr old and a 5 week old (certainly the most crazy thing of all), oh yeah, and starting law school. We're glad to live so close to them again.

Atlantic City Trip

2011-09-05T22:11:00.001-04:00

For the Foulk family vacation this year, my family rented a time share in Atlantic City. We got to go down and stay for a couple of days, and it was tons of fun. Though the Westerners couldn't make it, they got to be together as well. Alan called it our "ocean house" and still asks to go there. He also still tells us about the bird that he saw eating a crab. We all had a lot of fun and here are a few fun pics from our trip...

Baby James is getting bigger every day. He's all smiles now.

We got down there on Sunday and mostly just hung out at the apartment and played some games...

And read some books...

And did some computer programming...

And held pillows over the extremely loud speaker that repeated an "emergency message" for 10 minutes straight. Not that there was any emergency except the fact that they probably woke up or scared to death every kid in the whole place. The pillow ended up doing the trick though. Alan slept like a champ.

Jumping the waves with Aunt Meg

And more jumping

He loved, loved, loved everything about the beach

Oh, and did I mention he loved jumping?

Baby James was less impressed with the water, but did get his feet wet.

We buried Uncle Nate

Just relaxin on the beach.

Really relaxin at the beach

Alan jumped in for a game of Rook

This is the view from our balcony. We had left by the time the earthquake hit, but apparently there was quite the swaying and swinging lights up there on the 32nd floor.

Scott had never been to Atlantic City and was excited to see all the Monopoly streets.

Waiting for some funnel cake on the boardwalk

And enjoying it

We went to James salt water taffy shop along the boardwalk and really couldn't resist this picture.

And we rode bikes on the boardwalk one morning

A couple of cute guys

On our bike ride we found this big Monopoly board as well.

On Boardwalk on the boardwalk... get it?

I wasn't there this time, but I am amazed that Alan let this castle be built and didn't knock it down.

Apparently he was too busy standing on his head.

Wahhhhhhhhh!

Family visits

2011-09-02T12:51:00.000-04:00

Well, as we've said before, August was a family filled month. My Mom, Grandma, Nathan, and Evan came up to visit and help with James. Emily flew up during that time too. Then later that week, we drove down to NJ for a little visit and trip to Atlantic City! Here are some of the pics from my family's visit to our house, and our visit to their house!

Public Garden ducks and swan boats are always a hit

Alan, Daddy, Nate and Evan rode the merry-go-round in Boston Common

And everyone had a fun time at Frog Pond

Even Baby James

We found out it takes longer to make the drive down to NJ with a newborn, but we had a blast when we were there.

Alan kept talking about the toys, balls, and horse in Grandma's basement the entire drive down. We got in pretty late, but first thing the next morning he headed straight downstairs.

Alan borrowed Uncle Evan's old floaty swimsuit for a try in Grandma's pool.

At first he was a little afraid of the water, but had a blast throwing the diving sticks for his uncles to get.

He got a little braver and played on the steps

Then finally agreed to go for a ride on a "boat"

And finally went in the pool for little bits of time with us holding him. A couple of more days and he would have been a pro. :)

Jumping on the tramp with Megan and Evan. So cute.

Brothers

2011-08-26T09:22:00.000-04:00

One of the most common questions I get is: "So how is Alan doing with his little brother?"

Well, for the most part I'd say he's doing very well. We've had lots of help and lots of people to play with him and I think that has made the adjustment easier. As James is still pretty little and sleeps a lot, I still have time to play with Alan. And he gets frustrated that he doesn't get all the attention and wants me to "Put James down. Play Alan!" But he is also a big helper too. Funniest thing of all is how he copies him. He copies everyone right now, but he loves to be doing whatever James is doing. I took some pics the other day to document their playings together.

James joining Alan in his crib after nap time.

I took this picture of James laying on the blanket and then took James into the kitchen, only to come back and find...

this. Nothing like a soft rattle to entertain a 2 year old. :)

Alan wanted to join James for some tummy time. I made some comment about how James was eating his arm and he must think it tasted good...

And pretty soon, here is Alan eating his arm too. It is just hilarious.

Best of all was later that night in the bathtub. James was awake and happy during Alan's bath time, so I put them in together. I put James' infant tub in the regular tub with Alan, and he was apparently fascinated by it. I bathed James first, then got him out and dressed. When I went back in the bathroom, Alan was just laying in the infant tub "relaxin" as he says. As huge as he is with his arms and legs hanging out, I about died. Luckily he's listened to me so far, and not climbed in the infant swing.

Anyway, here's one last shot of our little guy that gets bigger every day...

Michael and Sarah's Wedding

2011-08-24T13:46:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Scott and Alan went out to Utah for Michael's wedding. Mama and Baby James didn't get to go, as James was too little to travel. We were so sad to have to miss the sealing, but are thrilled that Michael and Sarah are moving here to Boston! It will be sooooo nice to have family nearby once again.

Scott should probably be the one blogging about this, as he was there, but I'll put up a few of the pictures that I thought were cute, and let him add his two cents later. :)

The last couple of weeks...

2011-08-10T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well, we have had a busy couple of weeks! Grandma and Grandpa Robertson came to visit the day before I went into labor and stayed for about a week, and Uncle Michael visited for a day during that time as well. Then Grandma and Grandpa Foulk and Megan came up for a few days. Scott and Alan left this morning for Michael's wedding in Utah, and I finally have a few minutes to put up some pictures of our last crazy couple of weeks. (sidenote... it is AMAZING how much you can get done without a 2 year old in the house!) I figure I best get this up before my mom, grandma, and brothers come up today, and we visit them next week! Such a busy and family filled month! Within one month's time, Alan will have gotten to see each of his grandparents twice! (my mom 3 times!) Anyway, we are very blessed to have such wonderful family and we love spending time with all of them. Here are some pictures to prove it!

We went with Grandma and Grandpa Robertson to a splash park near our house on the 101 degree day that sent me into labor! Alan has been wary of too much splash all year, but has finally overcome his fear. He now comes home absolutely soaking wet.

Then... labor/delivery. I really feel like it was a pretty normal birth. We went in about 11:00 Friday night and James was born around 9 the next morning. I got an epidural in the middle of the night, mostly because I was going to get one eventually, and I was exhausted and wanted to sleep. I forgot that it is still hard to sleep when you can't move at all and have a million things hooked up to you and going off every 5 minutes. Oh well. I had to wait quite a while for the doctors to come and let me start pushing, (shift changes, etc) but because of the epidural, no big deal. It actually turned out to be a blessing because by the time they got around to me, my doctor was on call and there. I was so relieved to see him. Pushing this 10+lbs guy was by far the most physically exhausting thing I have ever done, but in the end... no cutting or tearing! I was shocked and credit my doctor for working me through that. It has led to a much smoother recovery.

Grandma and Grandpa helped ease the transition for Alan. They took him to the park almost every day, and he loves to throw rocks in the water.

Alan also got to visit the Children's Museum with "Grandma-pa" Robertson. This is Alan's way of shortening the whole Grandma and Grandpa thing.

We also got to celebrate Grandpa Robertson's birthday with him! How fun!

And here's baby James after a bath. Apparently it wore him out. :)

New babies = no cooking/cleaning = pizza = happy 2 year old

Such a sweet little guy :)

A pretty proud Aunt "Meyneg" We can say Meg just fine, but when we try to say Megan, it comes out Meyneg.

Alan loves picking the fruits and veggies from our garden, and we are just glad that we got some! Our first successful attempt at gardening. It turns out dirt and a yard give better results than Wymount patios.

Loving being held by Grandma

Waiting for ice cream. Not the least bit excited.

Sticking out that tongue

Such a big helper

My Mom, Dad, Scott and Megan got to go to a Redsox game!

They ended up losing, but it sounded like they had a great time anyway!

And this is what James is doing right now. The best part. :)

Baby James

2011-07-27T21:12:00.000-04:00

James Thomas Robertson was born on Saturday, 23 July 2011 at 9:19 AM. The labor and delivery went smoothly, despite James weighing in at 10 lbs. 3.7 oz and 21 inches. Both Janelle and James are doing great. Alan is being an awesome big brother. We'll have more details soon, but wanted to let people see some pictures before the new babe is old news :-)

Swimming and Sandcastles

2011-07-17T22:40:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from our attempts to keep cool this summer! Actually, the weather hasn't been as hot as we've expected. We have an occasional hot day or two, but it has usually cooled off nicely in the evenings, and we've had some cooler days as well. That being said, I am constantly very hot, but I guess that's being pregnant in the summer. Our basement is very cool and is my favorite place to be in our house. :)

We have a splash park down the street from us, that we've visited a few times, but Alan isn't really into the spraying water. Funny because he loved standing under the pouring water at Seven Peaks last summer... must be a new phase. Anyway he has much more fun splashing and wading in pools and we've spent several days with our neighbors in their kiddie pools! As you can see they have lots of fun together!

Alan, Violet, and Lucia in the little pool

Hanging out on the front porch...

And deciding to share. So cute. :)

This Saturday we decided to go to the beach. Alan was very excited to play in the sand and the water, and repeated that phrase the entire time we drove there, looked for a parking spot, and walked to the water. There was also a sand sculpting competition that we thought would be fun to check out. So despite being 9 months pregnant we braved the beach.

Alan was a little nervous at the beginning...

We tried to make a little sand sculpture ourselves, but Alan had the most fun knocking it down.

Getting braver and going out farther

And as you can see, Alan ended up having quite a fun time.

And here are some pictures from the sand sculpting competition. You can see the man working on it in the first picture. They were pretty much amazing. These are just water and sand, and they spray a diluted elmer's glue solution on the top to prevent the wind from blowing it away. And the turtle's shell in the last picture is hollow. I have no idea how they did that. Pretty incredible. All in all a very fun day.

4th Weekend Fun

2011-07-10T16:54:00.001-04:00

Well, I decided I better hurry and get some pictures from the 4th of July weekend up before they are too outdated and before the blog is overrun with pictures of little Robertson Jr. We had an extremely fun (and busy!) 4th of July weekend. On Saturday, the 2nd, we went downtown to the Common and Public Garden. They had some Colonial Militia and British Redcoats staging various demonstrations throughout the day. We just thought it would be fun to check it out and spend some time downtown. On the 4th itself we went to a community day at a park near our house, which was perfect for Alan, and went to some local fireworks as well. All in all a super fun weekend.

A few Colonials at Boston Common

I actually remembered my camera this time to get this shot!

On the Swan Boats

There were tons of ducks, which Alan loved, plus the swans. We even saw several nests and a turtle.

Frog Pond (different from the lagoon above) is a little one-foot swimming pool that all the kids loved. We didn't know that it was just a free and open little wading pool in the summer, so we weren't prepared for swimming. But we saved it for last and Alan had a blast!

Then, on the 4th itself, Alan helped to make/eat this strawberry blueberry cheesecake.

"Cheese!" He usually refuses to do that these days.

This is at the city sponsored family fun day at the park. As you can tell, Alan loved the bounce house. He would have probably stayed in there all day if we had let him.

"Dat Tun!" aka That's fun! (repeated about 100 times as he is bouncing)

We had some lunch and then waited for a trolley ride

There it comes!!

On board! It took us to the top of a hill that overlooks the city.

A very fun little ride, and Alan loved it.

When the line for the obstacle course died down, we let Alan give that a go as well.

Alan just came over and gave me the caption for this pic: "Daddy make hamburgers, too hot." In reality they were delicious for our little 4th BBQ.

A bunch of people from our ward met up for fireworks here in Waltham as well. The kids were able to run around for a couple of hours before the fireworks began, and it was a little warm, but a nice night. Here we are before the fireworks, and Alan with a mouthful of pretzels.

Fireworks!!

And Alan's reaction to the fireworks. Turns out to be very similar to his reaction to haircuts. :) Overall, not a huge fan of them, but he did better than we thought. The crying was on and off (favoring the on side), and he was the biggest fan of them being all done. In fact, he has said that to me every day since... "Fireworks all done."

A Little Fenway Fun

2011-06-28T08:47:00.003-04:00

Well, we've been wanting for some time now to visit the oldest functioning ballpark in the US, but with rain on the days we've considered going to games and the tours seeming a bit much for Alan, we hadn't gotten a chance to make it there. On Saturday, however, the Northeastern University Alumni Association hosted a Family Fun Day at Fenway! One of our friends from the ward is an alum, and she invited anyone who wanted to attend. Sounded like a perfect deal for us, so we took her up on it and had a blast at Fenway. Here are some pics from our adventure. :)

Walking to the ballpark. The term ballpark confused Alan greatly. I think he was expecting slides and lots of balls, but oh well. :)

The entrance

Scott and Alan in front of the teammates statue

Inside the park. They had lots of fun performers, moving statues, etc.

Yes, he tried to go take the balls from this juggler

A view of the park from the outfield

The lone red chair which marks the longest officially measured home run ever hit inside of Fenway Park by Ted Williams

Alan loved running up all the stairs. It kept him busy for quite some time.

The "Green Monster"

Sitting in the stands

Of course Alan found a "hill" to run up and down

The World Series Trophies

Touching the "Green Monster." Ok, not really. These are the seats added above the original green monster, but it's as close as we could get. :)

So we still have to go to a game, but in the mean time it was really fun to see all of the cool history surrounding the park. And it's fun to be in an area with such a great baseball tradition. We haven't even watched any games, but you can't live here and not have this Red Sox fever rub off on you a little bit. So while we're not true loyal fans, we can cheer for them any night... except tonight of course, and tomorrow, and the night after that. Yes, despite the Fenway tour, for the next three days I'm gonna have to be cheering against them. Go Phils. :)

Birthday Boy!

2011-06-24T13:59:00.000-04:00

Well, our little boy is growing up. He no longer gets into airplanes, sporting events, buffets, or almost anything else for free. :( But at the same time he is turning into such a character. He is talking more and more, and it is absolutely hilarious the things he comes up with. He will occasionally call Scott "hun" or say "Good job guys" when he is talking to one person, and often just to himself. :) He cracks us up every day with some new phrase. He also shows me that he has colored on the wall, and tells me it is a "no, no, no." (Speaking of which, is there a way to get pen off the wall?) I guess this all comes with the territory of having a 2-year-old!

We all had such a fun filled day as we celebrated his birthday on Monday! He was so excited and absolutely loved every minute of it. He will even tell you that he's 2, if he feels like it. Here are some pictures from the big day!

Happy Birthday morning!

Loving the T-ball set

And wanting to play NOW!

He would yell "Present!" when we brought another present in the room, and then when he pulled out the gift he would yell "Oh, Wow!" It was all very exciting.

He immediately found a perfect place for this new dog to sleep between George and his bear. "Now we got that in an order, don't we." :)

Unwrapping was very serious business.

Thank you aunts and uncles. They are everywhere. He will peek in a room and then go back and hide behind the wall and throw them in the room like a grenade. He thinks it's hilarious. :)

Squatting next to his new sandbox as he hadn't quite discovered that you can actually get in it. As he was still in his jammies, I didn't encourage him.

We also went to a farm on Alan's b-day. We went strawberry picking, saw some animals, and played on this little playground. It was a nice day and a lot of fun, but chasing Alan around didn't leave much time for picture taking, so this is what we got. :)

We had a BBQ that night with some friends to celebrate. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of Scott with his new grill! He made us some very tasty burgers.

And we really couldn't have Alan's birthday without ball cupcakes.

Alan's reaction to singing "Happy Birthday." Very nervous, as you can tell, but no crying! He even did a little puff to try to blow out his candles. Such a big guy!!

I think it helped that he knew he would get cake afterwords. :)

Balls, sticks, and cupcakes. Doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Birthday Alan!

My Boys and their Drills

2011-06-24T13:02:00.001-04:00

I just couldn't help posting these pictures from Father's Day on Sunday. We got Scott a new drill and as soon as Scott opened his gift, Alan wanted to go get his toolbox to be just like Dad. Kind of some classic Father's Day pics, and I think they had a lot of fun together.

"Let me show you how this works, Alan"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, huh."

Admiring and exploring their "toys"

Paint Job

2011-06-16T21:30:00.000-04:00

So I realized I never documented our painting project that we did last month. So just for fun I'll post a few pictures so that we can remember our first paint job. Luckily it was just one room and it wasn't too hard, but still took a little time we found out. The old yellow paint just made all of our furniture blend into the walls and was kind of scuffed up, so we decided on "Rocky Mountain Sky" to add some color. Can you tell that Scott misses Provo? He wanted to paint a big Y on the window as no Rocky Mountain sky would be complete without it, but we decided against it. :) Ok, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but still.
I don't feel like our camera really does justice to the true colors of the room. The flash kind of washes everything out, but you can get a general idea from these pics. Now I just need to finish decorating before this baby comes as I know nothing will get done afterwards!

NJ Memorial Day Trip: Birthdays, Baseball and More

2011-06-03T13:53:00.001-04:00

We had such a fun trip to New Jersey last week! Alan and I flew down on Tuesday, as I got a $9 airline ticket on Jet Blue. Insane deal that we just couldn't pass up. Then Scott drove down after work on Friday and we all drove back up on Monday. Alan LOVED having the constant attention of his grandparents and aunts and uncles in addition to the new toys, swings, and exploring that comes from being somewhere new. The whole way home in the car he talked about Grandma's house and constantly said "bye" to everything: Grandma, Grandpa, Em, Meg, Nate, Evan, Gin, Grandma's car, toys, balls, couch, etc. In fact, when we got home he had a tough time remembering our house. But once he got to his room he was quite excited to see his bed and chair again. Such a fun, fun trip and we were so glad to be able to visit! Here are a few picture highlights:

Evan at his T-ball game. Alan loved it. He clapped every time anyone got a hit, which in T-ball, is any time anyone is up to bat. :)

Giving "Gin" a love.

Playing lots of ball with Grandma.

A little footprint trail after some chalk action that I though was pretty cute.

We went to a Phillies game on Em's birthday. Mom and Dad surprised her with a birthday deal that included a hat, her name on the birthday board, and a very energetic employee throwing confetti on her and getting our whole section to sing happy birthday. Well worth it. :)

The first Phils game I've been to in a very long time. It was terribly hot, but it was a great game. We weren't really expecting much as the previous game went to 19 innings and ended 12 hours before the start of this game. But we ended up winning 10-4, and see that guy on the picther's mound? He got 2 AMAZING hits and 3 rbi's. Thank you Cliff Lee. I always knew we wanted him back.

We also had so much fun as the whole fam went strawberry picking. We realized that the last time we had done this was with Scott as well, before we were married, and Evan was just a little older than Alan is now. Crazy how time flies!

After a little convincing, Alan learned that we couldn't eat the strawberries until later and that we had to put them nicely in the box, rather than his, um, not-so-soft throws.

But the true highlight might have been riding in the truck. Always a big hit.

As is the lunch afterwords. :)

Uncle Nate, Alan and Daddy playing some ball.

I love this picture. Somehow the ball always ends up in the "boosh."

We had a fun family barbecue on Saturday night. The weather cooled down a bit and was perfect for relaxing and a little game of baseball.

And these two had a lot of fun together all weekend long. :)

Isn't Emily an amazing cake decorator? She made her own cake this year.

And as she blew out the candles, Alan didn't even shed a tear. We'll see what he does next month when the attention's on him...

Really can't have a trip home without a little name game. Family Feud was also a blast. In case you were wondering, save yourself some money and don't buy the DVD version.

Memorial Day waffles. Pretty sure Alan ate 2+. And I'm talking whole waffles.

Meg and Alan at the Memorial Day Parade in Medford. Alan loved the fire trucks.

Watching the parade.

My Dad drove my Grandpa's '54 Chevy in the parade. Evan drove with him and Alan and I jumped in as he drove by.

Here's a pic of my Grandma at the cemetery in Medford. We visited many family graves... 4 generations I believe.

And here is everyone gathered around my Grandpa Foulk's grave.

Happy Memorial Day!!!!

A Visit to the Farm

2011-05-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

We had such a fun time on Saturday when we went to visit a farm near our house. Alan absolutely loved it. His current obsession of running up and down hills kept him very busy, and wore him right out. We went on a little trail through the woods and he ran the entire way. :) He loved all of the animals, particularly the chickens and the cows. There were even some stuffed chickens and wooden eggs that you could "gather" in little baskets, and this made his day. Also he loved the tractor ride, or "hay truck" as he called it. All in all, a couple of dollars very well spent, and we'll probably have to go back again soon!

There were lots of baby animals at the farm! These piglets were less than a month old.

Plenty of sheep and lambs

The "goaks" and their little kids

And this little baby was just too cute!

Alan needed a little break after all of his running.

May flowers

2011-05-16T16:18:00.000-04:00

So, Alan and I did visit Plymouth Rock last week and saw the Mayflower replica, but we didn't take any pictures. It was super super windy, and Alan wasn't in a very good picture-taking mood. :) But we had lots of fun and visited the cape as well. So I thought I'd put a few pictures up of the actual May flowers in our yard, since I realized that the only pictures I had posted previously were when we were covered with several feet of snow.

The beautiful dogwood tree in our front yard

And we have a couple of lilac trees in the back yard as well

Here is our little garden area. We only planed a few tomato and pepper plants and there are some hydrangea bushes, raspberries, and little flowers the landlord had planted previously. We also planted some squash seeds along the foundation, but as it looks like a patch of dirt as yet, I'll spare you the pic.

New season, new sport. Still need some practice with this one. So far, Alan prefers pitching. :)

Loving the bike

And really loving the park.

We love having our own little yard and a park so close by as well, in addition to a million fun parks in the area. Alan would be outside every minute if he could. Turns out a yard is a little more work than an apartment, but a lot of fun as well. :)

Make Way for Swans!

2011-05-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

It is such a beautiful, beautiful spring here in Boston. There are flowering trees every where you look and it is just gorgeous. The allergens say otherwise, but besides that, so so so pretty. One of the prettiest places I've ever been in spring.

Yesterday, Alan and I braved the "T" for the first time and went down to the Public Garden in downtown Boston. (completely unforgivable that I forgot my camera!!!!) They had a fun little event where they released Romeo and Juliet, Boston's 2 swans that have been at the zoo all winter, into the pond at the Public Garden. Of course the swan boats were running, and there were plenty of ducks as well. Alan had a blast. A park ranger read a big copy of Make Way for Ducklings in front of the statue. Then we had a little parade behind the swans through the gardens and I cannot stress how beautiful all the trees and tulips were. The mayor released the swans and then they had cookies, lemonade, and ice cream for everyone. It was the most beautiful day and a truly wonderful Boston experience.

Here's the Make Way for Ducklings statue. Like I said, no camera, so this pic is from wikipedia. If I had taken one today there would have been children on the back of each of these ducks. So cute.

And I just found a few more photos in a local newspaper, and thought I'd post them to compensate for my lack of photos.

Park Ranger reading Make Way for Ducklings

This little girl is in our ward. They brought out the swans in these glass cages and the kids all got right up close to see. Then we followed them around the park.

Releasing the swans

And here's a pic of the swans and swan boats.

Because he's curious...

2011-04-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

like Curious George!

Even though Alan LOVES Curious George, I didn't think in a million years he'd actually pose for a picture with him. He usually doesn't sit still for one minute, let alone with large mascots, as has been illustrated in previous posts. So while he didn't like waiting in the long line to take a picture, and he didn't like that he couldn't go up to play with him afterwords (he tried to bring George a puzzle to do with him), he loved seeing him. I wish I had a video as well. He walked up to him and gave him a hug, then tried to feed him a banana that was sitting next to him- so cute! I guess he must be growing up. :)

Our Little Relationship Expert

2011-04-07T13:32:00.000-04:00

So Alan's new favorite thing is to climb up into his big yellow recliner and read a book or two all by himself. If he's in the chair and I ask him if he wants me to read to him, he says no, points to me and then the ground, then himself then the chair.

The other day, I found him on the couch like this:

Yes, he is reading Finding the Love of your Life, and taking it quite seriously as you can see. I guess he figures it's never too early to start looking. :) Special thanks to Dr. Barlow and his marriage prep class for providing us with such captivating reading material for our 21 month old. He would be quite proud, I'm sure. :)

Spring Break Visit

2011-04-01T09:36:00.000-04:00

We have had so much fun during the past week as Grandma and Grandpa Robertson got to come for a visit to Massachusetts! They were here for a week during Spring Break. Scott had to miss a few days as he was traveling for work. Bummer! But we had such a fun time anyway, and Scott got to experience some of the fun too. Here are a few pics from our week together.

Even though it was a little cold, we still took a walk to the playground

Alan was NOT a fan of the presentation at the Minuteman National Park (darkness, cannons, etc). He had much more fun finding sticks along the battle trail and running up and down hills.

Grandma and Grandpa at the Minuteman statue in Concord

Making cookies with Grandma!

Walking around Harvard

Curious George store at Harvard Square. Wasn't as big of a hit with Alan as we had thought it would be, but it was still fun.

We got some very rich Hot Chocolate from Burdicks in Harvard Square. Soooo good.

The first sign of spring after a very snowy winter!

Alan loved this little toolbox that Grandma and Grandpa got him.

The second sign of spring! There wasn't all that much to do in Salem, MA (some kind of weird witch stuff) but we did find a Rita's! They told us it was the only one in New England. Doesn't get much better than this!

Basketball

2011-03-17T16:52:00.000-04:00

So I am overdue for a blogpost, and thought I ought to blog about the thing that takes up the majority of our time these days: basketball. Now, you may think I'm referring to the NCAA and conference tournaments, winning conference championships, or having a national player of the year on our team. Don't get me wrong, this is what takes up the majority of our free time, thanks to Greg Wrubell and ksl, and and no thanks to the mtn.

Over the head

But I probably hear the words: a ball! woosh! a hundred times a day. Absolutely Alan's obsession! From the moment he wakes up until we go to bed, he wants to be shooting the basketball. And he's so funny about it, and determined too. He will stand in one spot and shoot the ball about 4 times, and then he will move a few inches to a new spot and try from there. Next he will practice shooting from standing on a step stool. Then he will sit on the stool. Then on the ground. Then move the stool directly under the hoop, then on the other side of the basement. Recently his new thing has been to steal a peek at the basket, then either turn his head and try to shoot without looking. I have no idea where he gets these ideas! And he is developing a pretty good shot as well.

Pretty pleased with his shot

Now from the very beginning, we though this guy would be a basketball player. His first ultrasound showed his entire hand stretched open with all five long fingers spread wide. When he ended up being kind of a bigger guy we thought that football may be his destiny. But now when I see childhood pictures of a certain short chubby kid who has turned into our player of the year, and Alan's passion for basketball, I'm beginning to think we may have a future jimmer on our hands.

Watch out. That's all I'm saying.

If you have any questions about this, just call and ask. Alan always wants to talk on the phone to whoever I'm talking to. And when he does, he usually tells them two things: a ball! woosh! (he quite frequently adds miss! as, well, as we all make mistakes. :)

Super jumper

Woosh!

Anyway, we're way excited about being able to actually watch the game tonight. It's been a fun, fun season with some super exciting times (52 points over New Mexico???) and some not so exciting ones (seeing former Provo High students kicked off team). But regardless of how we play tonight, I can be sure of one thing. The next two words out of Alan's mouth will be: a ball! woosh!

Birthday, family, and more

2011-02-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I feel like it's been a while, but wanted to catch up on a few recent happenings. My family was able to come up for president's day weekend, and it was so fun to be able to spend some time with them. Alan loved having everyone here. He always had someone to take downstairs with him to play basketball, which is seriously an obsession. For the next couple of days after everyone left he kept going and looking for them after waking up.

We mostly spent time here, as it was freezing outside, but we did go in to Cambridge to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which was pretty cool, and my parents got to drive around the city and see some sites. My grandma was also able to come up and she and my parents and Scott and I were able to go the Boston Temple, which was wonderful.

Since my birthday was the day after they left, we got to celebrate my birthday for several days in a row. My grandma took us out to dinner on Saturday, and my mom made a great dinner on Sunday and we had cake #1. As you can tell in the video below, Alan's reaction to birthday cakes hasn't changed that much since his first birthday. :)

Then on my actual birthday, Scott made dinner and another cake (much to Alan's dismay). He also got us tickets to see Mary Poppins in a couple of weeks! So fun!

Overall, a great birthday weekend! Thanks everyone. Here are a couple of other cute pictures that I thought I'd tack on the end.

Snuggling with Daddy

Always a big helper when it comes to making (and tasting) brownies :)

Great Grandma's bag was just the right size for Alan, and he loved it.

Boy, oh Boy

2011-02-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

Janelle's ultrasound last week confirmed a healthy mom and baby, for which we're all grateful. Also, the technician was quite confident we have another baby boy!

Alan and I got to be there and see the little baby on the screen. I still don't think Alan understands that the baby is in Mommy's tummy, and not in his, though. Either way, he will be here in a few months and we're excited to meet him!

What's up with Wednesdays?

2011-02-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

So every single Wednesday since we've been here it has snowed, and I mean a significant amount of snow. Sometimes more, but at least 6 inches every Wednesday (and occasionally on other days too). And none of this snow has melted. Which means it's all piling on top of each other, which means our front yard is forever a huge mountain of snow. I used to tell people that New Jersey and Utah snow is different. In Utah it snows a little bit seemingly every day, and in New Jersey when we get snow, we get a lot, but it's only a couple of times a winter. Well, in Boston, we get snow almost every day, and we get a lot! It seems that way at least. Everyone tells me... I've lived here X number of years, and I've never seen it snow like this. This isn't normal. It usually only snows a couple of times, and sometimes not at all... well, we'll see, but we sure picked a great winter to move in. I think Scott is quite sick of clearing snow, especially after a long day at work. But they closed Scott's lab again today, which means he'll get to be home with us, so that's a perk!

Anyway, besides the snow, things are good here. We are continuing to get unpacked and settled and slowly acquiring more furniture, etc. Our ward is wonderful and the Relief Society is the most active RS that I have ever seen, with all kinds of great activities. I'm excited about the book club because it will give me more incentive to read again- something that normally gets put at the end of my endless to do list. But it's moved up in priority thanks to book club. Although, I am currently listening to a book on tape, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, I love it because I can listen as I play with Alan, do dishes, laundry, etc., which means I actually do it. But then again, I wonder if this can be considered reading a book. If I'm listening to a novel, is it really that much different than watching a movie? I know it is, but I don't know, I guess it's somewhere in between. It's good though.

Scott is liking work so far, and Alan is obsessed with a cute little monkey named George. The TV doesn't really keep his interest as much as PBS kids online. I'm pretty sure he would do this all day if I would let him. He also loves the Mr. Rodger's picture picture clips online where they make things in the factory. Especially when they make balls. Actually he loves everything about balls. Again, obsessed. He ate peas the other day because I asked him if he wanted to eat green balls. (Didn't last too long, though) He is soooo funny, and understands more and more everyday. And has the best memory in the world. It is unbelievable what things he'll remember from a week ago. I will have forgotten what we did, and he will get so frustrated trying to tell me what he wants, until it finally dawns on me that we did something last week and he wants to do it again. He's had a tough time with nursery, but he actually stayed for the last half on Sunday! Who knows what next week will bring, but at least that's some progress.

Well, that's probably enough blabbing for one snowy Wednesday. Maybe you'll have to wait until next snowy Wednesday to hear more about our exciting lives. Wait, I just realized it was groundhog's day and I hear that spring is near! Maybe no more snowy Wednesdays after all. Good thing Phil doesn't live in Boston, he wouldn't make it out of his hole!

Robertsons = Robertsons + 1 -or- George Bailey Lassos Stork, take 2.

2011-01-23T21:10:00.001-05:00

We're excited to be able to start telling people that we are going to have another baby this July! Janelle had her first doctor's appointment last week, and everything is looking good for her and the baby. The due date is July 19th, but we don't expect any new family members until about a week later. Alan is so sweet and will be a great big brother.

I was thinking the new baby would be a girl, but now I'm not so sure. I figure it'll be one or the other. We'll keep you posted when we learn the gender, or have any other fun baby news.

The Big Move & The Big Snow

2011-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, well I've been promising to post about our move, so here we go!

Thanks to tons of help from friends and family, we were able to finish up in Provo and get our place cleaned and packed up just in time. We flew out here on Thursday the 16th, and then spent Friday and Saturday looking at apartments (and only got to watch a little of the bowl game, much to Scott's dismay). There were two places we really liked. A nice, new apartment and a little older, but fun house. Both had 3 bedrooms and were over twice the size (and well over twice the cost) of our Wymount apartment and came with a dishwasher and central a/c. We originally decided to get the apartment (it was really, really, really nice). But then after deciding on the apartment we looked at this little house on google maps and Scott drove by it on our way home and we really felt like we really needed to rent the house instead. So even though it is not as new and fancy as the apartment, it is so nice to be in a home, with our own driveway, backyard, etc. Our landlord was also very nice and left all of the baby proofing that he already had in the home in addition to installing a banister on the stairs down to the basement and a couple of doors down there as well.

We then went down to NJ for Christmas/New Years and came up here again the following Wednesday. We moved in Thursday and then Scott started work on Monday! I'll let him post about that if he wants, but he seems to like it so far.

So anyway, our new home has three bedrooms, a living room, and kitchen, all on the main floor. Then half of the basement is finished and is a family room/ play room, and half is unfinished with lots of storage shelving and a washer/dryer. It also has two full baths, one upstairs and one down. And even though it is an older house, our landlord has kept it in great condition and we absolutely love it. It is sooooo nice to have a bit more room, especially for Alan to run around in.

And with all of this extra room, and the extra bedroom, we have plenty of space for visitors!!!! We would love to have anyone who can come! You know you've always wanted to visit Boston. ;)

But anyway, here are a few pictures of our new house. Excuse the boxes and snow, but you can get a general idea of what it looks like. As I was writing this post it was dumping 20+ inches of snow on us, so I'll put some pictures of that up too. It was a lot of snow, but Scott's work was canceled, so it was nice to just be able to stay home and shovel. I loved it. Very satisfying. Alan hasn't gotten to go out yet, but I'm sure he will today. :)

This is our house from the front, covered in snow.


This will be our living room/dining area most likely as there is not much room for the table in the kitchen.

Here is our beautiful kitchen, which I love.

Probably an unnecessary picture, I know, but I didn't think I needed to put pictures of all the individual bedrooms, so this can just give you an idea of the layout. The spare bedroom is the first door on the left, then our bedroom, Alan's room is the one at the end of the hall and then there's a closet and bathroom on the right.

And here is our basement which Alan especially loves.

Here's Scott trying to get clear a little path out of our house.

Thankfully the landlord left his snow-blower for us.

This is an attempt to show how deep the snow is. It was at least 20 inches, maybe more.

Here you can see the little screened in porch area on the side of our house.

Alan loved putting together this little dresser.

Trying to be just like daddy...

And it took a lot of concentration...

But in the end he got two screwdrivers and nothing could have been better than that!

Christmas Break Picture Updates

2011-01-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

Well, sorry for the delay, but we've had an exciting month! We are here safe and sound in Boston and getting settled in (more pics to come on that), but we wanted to post a few pictures from our Christmas break in New Jersey. We got to spend a couple of weeks with my family and it was the first time my whole family had been together since Scott and I got married! We met up with old friends, enjoyed plenty of Christmas traditions, and Alan had the time of his life playing with all of his aunts and uncles and grandparents. It snowed 15-18 inches, and Alan absolutely loved it. Grandma would take him outside (when Mom was too lazy) and he had soooo much fun. We loved being home and are excited for our new adventures here in Boston!

A Change of Plans and cs.byu.edu

2010-12-03T15:16:00.000-05:00

Well, many of you already know this, but for those who don't.... are you ready for the big news? We're moving to Boston! Just a tad different than Boise, huh? As you can imagine, things have been a little crazy around here trying to decide what the heck we are doing with our lives. The last month has been a whirlwind trying to see if we could hurry and get an offer before we had to move. We still had the job at HP, but as Scott got further into his master's he discovered that he really enjoyed doing research as well as software development. He interviewed out in Boston at MIT Lincoln Labs, and it seems like a good fit. We just officially decided this week, and we leave here two weeks from yesterday! So we're trying to figure out airline tickets, moving companies, moving our car, hotels, etc, but we're excited! Never a dull moment.

Oh, and if Scott hasn't been busy enough interviewing and accepting jobs, you should see what he's been doing in his free time. Check out cs.byu.edu. And I'll just put up a screenshot too...

What a guy! Oh, and yes, you noticed correctly. He's defending his thesis three days before we move. :) Wish him luck!

Oregon trip: Dogs, Cows, and Cheese

2010-12-01T23:33:00.000-05:00

So these are a few of Alan's favorite things of all time, and he had such a fun time with all of these things while visiting Scott's parents for Thanksgiving. It was so fun to be able to relax (a little!) and spend time with family. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the immaculate meal, but here are a few we managed to snap while on our trip!

Here's Alan sporting his new coat. He seems to like it. :)

At the Oregon Coast.

At the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I can't imagine a place Alan would rather be.

He's a pro at throwing back his head and making a mooooo sound.

Can't miss that opportunity. :)

Free samples!

Alan absolutely loved George. He would be throwing a fit and then see George walk across the room and immediately "say" puppy! and start panting. Hilarious.

George was very patient and let Alan give him some loves.

Both wanting a snack.

George really wanting a taste. :)

Doing dishes with Grandpa (for hours!)

And loving every minute of it.

Jimmertime

2010-11-16T21:41:00.000-05:00

That's our Jimmer on tomorrow's Sports Illustrated!

(article at byucougars.com)

Mama's little helper

2010-11-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

Alan is busy, busy, busy! He always wants to be involved with everything. Currently, his favorite activity is rearranging the house. He seems to think that the house would look much better if we kept the laundry baskets in the kitchen and the highchair in the bedroom. Mom disagrees.
But probably his second favorite housekeeping activity is vacuuming. He still loves doing dishes, but he loves to push the vacuum around the whole house. Here are some pictures of our busy little guy.

You have no idea how much concentration it takes to vacuum this floor.

Better take a little break and watch some TV.

Let me see...I can fix that. Just gotta get this in here...

Phew. I'm done. Better take a nap and let mom finish.

Election Day

2010-11-02T10:47:00.000-04:00

Today is election day! Google Maps gives you directions to your polling location.

What a blessing and a privilege it is to have the right to choose our government leaders.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T00:27:00.000-04:00

Alan, the pumpkin's not too gross.

No need to convince me, Dad!

We chose this pattern because it was easy, not because it was sad.

Janelle made these without one stitch! (including ordering Alan's from Amazon)

Jessie and little Jessie

Alan's favorite part of the party was probably the balloons.

Happy Halloween!

Welcome Home

2010-10-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some pics from my most recent trip home. Alan and I went back to NJ for 10 days while my parents were in Albania and Italy picking up my brother Geoffrey from his mission. So the first week we were there, I played mom for a week. It was so fun to be able to spend some time with my younger siblings that I don't get to see very often. Then once my parents got home, it was a great little reunion, minus Marc and Steph who are there now.

Evan's Soccer Game

Pumpkin picking was a HUGE hit. :) He calls them balls. Actually anything round is a ball.

It's more fun when you're not being forced to sit still for a picture, though.

Despite swings & playgrounds, as you can see, Alan had the most fun in the dirt.

He was fascinated by these balloons. (balls)

Hugs all around

Happy homecoming

More soccer games, and I must admit that Ev is a very intense and good player.

Cheering section. Oh, Alan loved Ginny too. He started panting every morning when I he got up because he wanted to see her. Also Anne was able to come visit for a little while too! So fun!

Balls and Dirt. Doesn't get much better than that.

Geoffrey even managed to make it home in time for a playoff game. Game 1 of the NLCS, which they lost, but oh well. I thought I better put this up while the Phils are still hanging in there by a thread. I had given up hope before the win last night, as Scott can attest to. I became a Rangers fan. :) Anyone but the Yankees or Giants. But I've decided to wait and see if they can somehow manage to pull this thing together. So there you have it. Still a Phils fan.

Emily came home too, and her boyfriend, Jimmie got baptized.

Post Baptism

Balloons, again.


And he loved throwing the balls to my little cousins.

All in all a great trip! It was so fun to get to see Geoffrey again and the rest of the family too. Alan was soooo good on the plane rides. I was seriously dreading this, but he was just as good as could be. Fell asleep for a little bit on both flights, and was pretty happy the rest of the time. We're looking forward to Christmas when the WHOLE family will be together again.

September Summary

2010-10-05T09:59:00.000-04:00

So here is an attempt to catch up and describe a little bit of our life lately.

I must admit, a good portion of our time has been spent following BYU football, and the Phillies. BYU football.... well, it's one of those growing years and we're all feeling the pains. Hopefully we'll get a few kinks worked out throughout the course of this year. The Phillies have had some better luck and put together a pretty strong finish. Go Phils in the NLCS!

September at BYU is filled with about every kind of opening social imaginable. I didn't have to cook dinner for a week, although we probably had our quota of hot dogs and pizza for the year. This is our ward in the annual Wymount tug-of-war contest. Our ward got 2nd place for the 4th year in a row. Unbelievable! I don't have any pictures of the actual tugging though, because Alan freaked out with the screaming as usual. :)

We get to watch baby Benjamin sometimes when his mom is in school,
and Alan loves it.

He's a pretty sweet guy and loves to give kisses and hugs.
Benjamin is a great sport about it too!

This means I like to climb on everything.

This means mommy left me alone in the kitchen for a few minutes, although now that I can open the fridge, it is even scarier.

This means I want to watch Old King Cole.

This means mom said "no."

This is our ward volleyball team, which to date, is defeated. They did manage to win one set though! We're hoping for a win in the tournament this Thursday!

And this is their lovely cheering section. :)

All of these things are somewhat funny to me, because it is so typical BYU, and we've been here such a long time. Though, it will be kind of sad to not have any of these things too. But we're excited for the next big adventure, whatever it ends up bringing!

Steph and Marc's Wedding

2010-09-05T22:24:00.001-04:00

August 27, 2010

Happy Birthday Scott!

2010-09-01T01:00:00.001-04:00

Well, in the midst of family coming into town and wedding planning, we got to celebrate Scott's birthday last Wednesday. The big 26. Seems old to me, so it's a good thing I have a good 6 months to get used to the sound of that. :) My parents took us out to dinner at Olive Garden, where Scott was in heaven with the never-ending pasta bowl. We came back here for a little brownies, ice cream, and presents, and it was overall a great night. Here are a few pics from the evening.

Lighting the candles.

Blowing out the candles. My sister turned off the flash on this one, but I thought the picture was kind of cool, even though Scott is missing his head.

Here is Scott in his new BYU shirt. You can see he has his head back now and is looking pretty snazzy.
Love you hun!