Things to be THANKFUL for....

We have so much to be thankful for! This week Justin's parents have been in town and we have APPRECIATED more than words can say - Pa just has a way of entertaining Taija and Grandma is always happy to help with Luke! Gotta love family!


Also, I received and early Christmas present from my parents - a Nikon S8100! Such an awesome camera. Taija and I have loved playing with it and as a result I have some pics of my cute little kids!





This year we indeed have a lot to be grateful for...first and foremost is our family! We couldn't ask for better loved ones who are always here to share in our joy! We are so thankful to have Luke here and for what a great big sister Taija has turned out to be...she is my 'little helper.' We are thankful to be here in South Florida so that Justin can go to school - he has loved the program and we have met such AMAZING people who have turned out to be some of our best friends! We are also grateful for the gospel and all that it represents. The peace that the knowledge of our Savior brings us is just wonderful and I am so glad that I am a member! There is so much to be thankful for I can't even begin to list everything so suffice it to say I am so BLESSED!

Last week I took Luke to his very first photo shoot! Our friend Katrina (katiejoyphoto.blogspot.com) who also took my maternity pics took these FABULOUS pics! enjoy!

Taija holds Luke

Since Luke has been home, Taija is not too fond of holding him. So, anytime she asks we let her (which isn't very often), but it doesn't last very long!

Luke and Taija at the BEACH

While Auntie Kate was still in town we decided to hit up the beach! We went to Hollywood beach one evening and played in the water and sand; then yesterday we went to Ft. Lauderdale beach so that Daddy and Auntie Kate could play some volleyball with friends. The water was really crazy and there was a Dangerous Marine Wildlife warning due to the Portugese Man-of-War so Taija and I stayed clear! Instead we played in the next best thing at the beach - the showers!

Luke Update

So...I am a little behind in blogging, but I do have a good excuse! Luke came home last Sunday and I have been adjusting to life at home with 2 little ones (although not really alone, my Auntie Janet and Taija's Auntie Kate have been here to help out)! These are the pics of Luke's last day in the NICU and his cute little Halloween outfit for the car ride home.





Also, the other day we decided to be adventurous and take the kids to the mall - why we went on a Saturday nobody knows!

Auntie Kate and Taija were being so silly waiting at the table for lunch - they were making funny faces and sounds!

Taija MEETS Luke

Last night we were able to let Taija see Luke. Taija can't go into the NICU so the awesome nurse unhooked Luke for just a minute and brought him to the window so that Taija could meet her baby brother. Poor girl had come to the hospital twice now and was wondering why on earth we were ALL just hangin out here, but now she knows! Enjoy the pics!

BABY LUKE

Luke William Robison made his grand entrance to this world on October 28th at 11:21am! 8 lbs. 7 oz and 20 inches long! The delivery was smooth with a bit of drama...one of the med students shadowing Dr. Alexis fainted as Dr. Johnson began cutting. It was pretty funny due to the fact that it took 3 nurses and Justin to get her on the ground so that she wouldn't fall forward into the surgery area. The doctors and staff were talking/laughing about it the rest of the surgery! I guess she is a 3rd year and had barely made it through her first vaginal birth a few days before, but couldn't make it through a c-section. At least it makes for an interesting birth story for Luke. Justin was once again all too pleased that he was able to see over the curtain and witness the procedure. Shortly after Luke came out the pediatric nurse practitioner decided that Luke needed to go to the NICU because she didn't really like the way he was breathing. Justin says she was kind of torn as whether or not she wanted to admit him, but in the end for precautionary reasons she decided to. A total bummer because this meant I would not get to hold him til this morning! Taija and Auntie Janet came to the hospital a little later, but since Taija is in diapers she can't go in to the NICU so she will have to wait a few more days to meet her baby brother.

This morning I was able to go upstairs to the NICU and hold my little guy! It was so much fun to cuddle him and spend some time with Luke. Since he was under an oxygen bubble yesterday Justin wasn't able to hold him til today too. So enjoy our little guy...




These are the beautiful flowers my husband picked out from my Father-N-Law (he ALWAYS gives his grandkids/daughters-N-laws flowers for their birth)!

Halloween Happenings

Here at the Robison Household we are trying to squeeze in as much Halloween as we can before Luke gets here...Taija and I went and picked out pumpkins and painted them! She painted all of 2 minutes before she declared the pumpkins were 'all done.' Taija was going to be a fairy for Halloween, but since she doesn't like wearing her little skirt I made her I doubt she will even dress up. But she does like to put on her little pink wings and 'fly' around the house!





The other night Taija and I had a little Mommy-Daughter date. We went and played at the park and finished up the night with Cold Stone Ice Cream!

Maternity/Family Pics

The other day one of our good friends took some pics of my little family at Fort Lauderdale Beach - Katrina is an AMAZING photographer (katiejoyphoto.blogspot.com) and graciously spent the morning with us! Here are some of my faves (mind you Taija WAS NOT cooperating to say the least)!

Potty Training Woes

So...with only EIGHT days left til Luke is to make his BIG arrival I have pretty much given up on potty training. Taija still puts on her Elmo panties each day and runs around telling me "No mess" (meaning she is not supposed to make a mess in her panties) but usually tells me she wants a diaper on when she needs to go. Well, yesterday for the VERY FIRST time she went pee pee in her big girl potty! I of course was in the other room when she starts crying and getting all upset so I run in to see if she had an accident and with HUGE tears running down her face she is pointing to her potty and saying "mess, mess" over and over again. I was so excited that she FINALLY figured out that is where the mess goes! I kept trying to reassure her that is was a GOOD thing to go in the potty and let her wash her hands (a reward for her) and gave her a potty treat. Not sure if she understood, but at least I can now say she has GONE in the potty! YAY for small victories!

The weather has finally cooled down a bit (mid 80s) so we now go to Park Playgroup rather than pool playgroup. Here are some pics from the park last week. Enjoy!

Taija is 2!

My baby is officially TWO! I can't believe how fast the time has FLOWN by! I remember two years ago walking in to the hospital for my planned C-Section...not knowing what I was getting myself in to! Motherhood has truly been a blessing albeit a challenge. I can't imagine life without this beautiful, active, messy, drive-me-crazy girl!

Some of the fun things Taija is doing at the age of 2
- she LOVES to sing! Her favorite songs being the bus song, spider, happy song, temples, book of mormon stories and of course E-I-E-I-O
- Taija loves making animal sounds and learning new ones. The newest of which are penguins, seals, and snakes
- The other day we were able to feed the giraffes at the zoo so she is now obsessed! She has a stuffed animal named Jeffrey the Giraffe she doesn't go anywhere without!
- Taija LOVES to read her books and look at pics of Jesus. Each night we read the Book of Mormon and the only way to get her to put it away is to tell her ONE more pic of Jesus!
- She loves to call people on her computer (Webcam) and is always begging to talk to Ari, Unc, Kate, Nana, Grandpa, Pa, Grandma and whoever else she can think of!
- Taija is VERY ACTIVE! She loves to RUN, jump, bounce, climb or otherswise WIGGLE!
- Taija gives the BEST hugs, but you have to catch them at just the right time cuz she doesn't always give them out freely! Daddy is the best at conning them out of her!
- She is a TALKING machine...loves learning any new word and will repeat it for the next few hours so make sure it's a word you want to hear OVER and OVER again!
- In the car she gets mad at Mommy when I yell at other drivers or honk the horn...she says 'Mommy' and gives me a stern look! It's the cutest thing ever!

I could go on and on, but will spare you all the details and post a few pics from the past 2 years!

Another Day at the BEACH

Taking advantage of Daddy's slow week at school we hit the beach yesterday...Taija and Justin have so much FUN together at the beach. The water was REALLY ROUGH so we spent most of the time playing in the sand and chillin under the umbrella!

Taija's ELMO cake

Today we had Taija's friend Ella over for some cake and ice cream in anticipation for Taija's 2nd birthday! It of course had to be an ELMO cake!

Couldn't Resist

So I know I already posted two videos plus a couple pics of our Zoo Day, but when we were watching the videos I couldn't resist also posting this one of Taija just riding along in the bike...make sure you listen to the sound she is making! Hilarious!

FAMILY ZOO DAY

Justin has an unusual week of class...he had TODAY entirely OFF! So, we decided to go to the Miami Metro Zoo since Taija and I have an annual pass and it's due to expire soon. Justin has never been to this zoo and was so excited to take Taija now that she can recognize animals! We even rented a little bike so I didn't have to walk...absolutely a MUST!

SAFARI

With Luke coming I wanted to pick a new theme for Taija's room since they would eventually be sharing the same room...after looking at a ton of fabric I decided on a cute little Safari theme. I FINALLY finished Taija's quilt...now all that's left to do is Luke's quilt, painting the wood blocks that spell each of their names, finding cute matching decorations, and much much more! Since I have less than 5 weeks left I better get a move on!!!

Not Up to Much

So...we haven't really had anything to blog about. Just livin everyday life of swimming, pool groups, Splash Park, library storytime, etc. The other day I decided I would take my camera along anyways while we went to the mall that is across the street from the Nissan dealership while we had to wait for our car to get an oil change. They have this fun little place for kids to play and Taija LOVES it! Here are some cute pics of her there

Hollywood!

Today we went to Hollywood Beach for the 1st time...and can I tell you we LOVED it! It's a little further south than we normally venture, but was well worth it! Parking was not chaos, there wasn't a TON of beach to cross prior to getting to the water, and it was not very crowded at all! Taija had on her new swimsuit from her Auntie Kate (perfect fit, all except for the sagging britches)! It was the PERFECT day to be at the beach - slightly overcast and not too many waves. One of the MAJOR perks to being in Florida!