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We had a wonderful Christmas this year full of surprises, laughter, and fun. Though we missed our families we enjoyed taking it easy with just the four of us. We took about 5 hours to open presents because Megan wanted to play with everything. So, we opened a few things, watched a movie and ate breakfast, then opened some more, then Meg insisted on trying out her new princess bubble bath, then we finally got around to finishing up. We all took a nap and then headed over to our friend's, the Curtis', for a wonderful ham dinner. It was nice to share the holiday with such good company. When we got home we talked on the phone and over Skype with our families. It was a wonderful day. We are so grateful for all our friends and family and the love we share, especially as we remember Him who has blessed us with all we have.

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What I've Been Doing...

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We Love Halloween!

Thanks to the Condie's for taking our picture for us! My camera decided to be temperamental and I could have cried! Thanks to Grandma Kristie for sending Megan the Snow White outfit and to Ashley and Tiffany for giving me the idea for us all to go with the same theme for our costumes. I sewed Logan's green "overcoat" and purple hat and I think he made the perfect "Dopey". I also sewed Kyle's tunic (including sleeves!!) and belt myself but decided to save time and money by buying the capes from a costume store. Kyle and Megan had fun spraying their hair black and I think it really added the perfect touch. Meg loved that I let her wear lipstick and blush too! I almost chickened out of wearing the nose to the party at the last minute, but Kyle wouldn't let me leave the house without it...and now I'm glad I did. Meg also said I had to wear it and got upset with me later that night when I finally did take it off! We had a blast!

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Megan had such a fun birthday and if we had a better camera we'd have more pictures and better pictures...*sigh*...someday...after school is over and we are not living on loans anymore...anyway - we got Megan a really pretty blue beta and a small tank to keep in her room. His name is "little blue" and she loves to feed him.

Megan and I went shopping for some new winter dresses for her for church and I had one of my amazing shopping days - I had picked out 2 dresses (which would use up the money her Grandma Robinette had sent) and when we got to the counter the dresses rang up at 60% off! Then, after I refused to sign up for the store's credit card, the cashier just scanned some sort of coupon she had sitting there and it gave me an additional $10 off! So, now I've got enough money left to go and get her at least one more dress! I love it when life works out.

We went to the All-Aboard Diner for Meg's birthday dinner...if you've never been there you should take your little kids. It was so cute to see our dinner brought to us on a remote-control train and then to see a cup of ice cream come out with a lit candle for the birthday girl...she loved it!

Well, I gotta go now because Megan is insisting I help her play with all her new toys...thank you everyone for helping us make her day so special.

Broadway in Chicago

Midwestern University offered its students tickets to see Disney's The Lion King (the Broadway Show) at the Cadillac Palace on Oct. 13, 2010. Normally, tickets for the seats we got are around $90 to $100, but we were able to get them for $25, which included the bus ride to and from the theater! It was an amazing opportunity we just couldn't pass up. I was nervous about leaving Logan for 5 hours, but it was well worth it (thanks again Nate&Missy!!). We went with a group of friends from the school, plus a few people from the ward, so it was a ton of fun.

The song I have playing is from the play but is not in the cartoon, which is sad because it is so beautiful and so full of meaning. I had sort of forgotten how wonderful the message of The Lion King is - about remembering who (whose) you are and reaching for your potential. Ah! It was just amazing! The cartoon is being re-released on DVD/Blu-ray next year and I was already planning to get it for the kids, but now I have a renewed appreciation for the story.

The costumes were SO COOL! It was good that we had the movie practically memorized because it allowed us to not have to focus so much on the lines and the plot and just be able to watch the costumes and marvel at how the actors really became the animals they were playing...it was incredible and I am SO glad we went!

I am really looking forward to this winter now when Wicked will be playing. We saw CATS last year and it was sort of cool to have that experience but the play was so weird that I wasn't sure I'd want to see another Broadway production...but now I'm hooked and I am going to try to take every opportunity while we are here in Chicago to have these amazing experiences.

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10/10/10 - Between 2 Months and 3 Years

Logan at 2 months is a chunk and a half at over 13 lbs. He is starting to smile and loves to be held and cuddled. He loves sitting in his swing and watching the mobile. He doesn't know which he hates more - being stinky or being changed. (I don't know why the middle picture kept loading sideways...)

Megan at 3 years is still wearing 24-month size pants! But she has a big imagination and attitude inside that tiny little body. She loves to play dress-up and doctor and tea party all day and loves to play in the leaves outside while singing "it's autumn time...like grandma sings...it's autumn time". She started pre-school a couple of weeks ago and LOVES it. I can't believe how smart she is and how quickly she is growing up.

Can't believe what cute kids I've got...they sure are growing fast!

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One of those "Life Lessons"

Everyone, the lesson for today is - GET IMMUNIZED! This advice is not just for the kids. Moms and Dads - you need to get your DPT booster shot because these illnesses are still around due to people from other parts of the world who are not immunized going around and getting other people sick.

Whooping cough is NO FUN!! It is especially not fun to have to watch your 3-week old cough so hard he turns purple and cannot breathe in afterward. Neither is it fun to cough so hard yourself that you cannot breathe in and then, while trying to breathe in, you gag yourself and throw-up. Chest x-rays, nasal swabs, weekly doctor visits for every member of your family, a course of antibiotics for everyone in the household, and a lingering cough for the next 4 weeks are no fun either.

This is serious business and I hope everyone I know will make sure to not only get their kids vaccinated but to also be sure they themselves have their booster shots. Infants under the age of 2 months (when the first DPT shot is administered) and the elderly are especially vulnerable. So, everyone, PLEASE be sure you take care of yourselves and your families. Class dismissed...

It's Been a Month!

ONE MONTH OLD!

I can't believe it's been a month. This little guy sure has made life more exciting. He is a good sleeper and a good eater. He has a great big sister who loves him and thinks he is "so cute". We love our little angels!

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Robinette Bed&Breakfast

We've had some visitors over the past few weeks and have jokingly said we're turning into a B&B. Aunt Irene came to stay with us for about a week after Kyle finished his finals and we were able to take her all over Chicago. We all got up enough courage to walk out onto the Sky Deck at the Willis (Sears) Tower and look down 103 floors beneath our shoes...ahhh!! We had a lot of fun and were very sad when she had to go.

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About 3 days after Irene left, Kyle's parents flew into town because his dad had a business trip and so they stayed for a little over a week as well. We had so much fun and I cannot believe how fast time just flies by. They spoiled us all rotten by taking us out to dinner and movies and, of course, with presents while they were here - some maternity clothes and a glider chair for me, clothes and new basketball shoes for Kyle, clothes and a toy puppy for Meg, and clothes for the new baby. While Steve and Kyle were both working, Kristie and I worked on a quilt and bumpers for the baby's crib. It turned out very cute - brown, green, and blue with monkeys and bananas on it.

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I am 31 weeks along now and little "bubba" will be here before I know it. He is VERY active - always kicking and rolling around and driving me nuts! I do not know if I am ready for a little boy, especially after this Sunday when I started serving in the primary helping to teach the sunbeams - there were four little boys and I could not believe how rambunctious they can be. I am praying for another mild-tempered little angel like my Meggers...but we'll see!

She's A BIG GIRL now!

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So, Kyle had his last final this morning and so is officially done with his first year of medical school! He made it! Hooray!! I'm so proud of him and all the hard work he has put into everything...we love you Kyle!!

We had a wonderful day just being together and running errands. One of the main events today was that we bought Meg a new bed! We found an awesome deal at the Salvation Army for a matching box spring and mattress set that was brand new (it had a defect in some of the stitching on one side of the mattress but was still wrapped in plastic from the manufacturer). (Oh, and a HUGE thank you to Greg for helping us get it home!) We let Meg pick out her sheets and she could hardly contain her excitement when we got it all set up. She is growing up so quickly...it is hard to believe how fast these past few months here have flown by and how much our lives are changing, but we are all healthy and happy and incredibly grateful for all we've been blessed with.

Exciting Week

Well, after the fiasco with a certain OB doctor who will (for his sake) remain nameless, I called around and found a new OB for my pregnancy. Turns out that Dr. Barton is in our ward, takes Medicaid from poor college students, delivers at the same hospital I had wanted to deliver at, and that his brother's family lives 2 doors down from Kyle's parents in Lindon, UT!! Things seem to finally be coming together for us. Our first appointment went great (Kyle was allowed to be there) and we (to my relief) got an ultrasound showing everything was just perfect and that we are having a healthy baby BOY!! So, bring on the BLUE!

It's hard to believe I am 6 months pregnant already. The time has been flying by and I'm looking forward to all the company we will be having over the summer to make time go by even faster. I'm feeling good and trying to keep on top of things, but I know having another little one around is going to take a lot of getting used to. I've been able to exercise more lately and that helps my mood and has helped me maintain my weight better. I am looking forward to getting back to my WeightWatchers meetings as soon as the baby is here.

Kyle is gearing up for his last month of school. It is hard to believe his first year of medical school is almost over, but exciting too because he is in need of a much-deserved break. We took a small break last night and went to Chicago to a Cubs game! Midwestern offered tickets to the students - 2 for $25 - which also included a bus-ride to and from Wrigley Field and a T-shirt for each of us. The Cubs lost and it was a very cold night, but it was still fun to get out and leave Meg with a friend for the night. We ate Chicago-style hot dogs (ok, mine was plain with just ketchup, but Kyle had the works) and peanut-butter M&M's and had a really nice time.

Megan is working on potty-training. She has done very well, as you can see from her collection of stickers she keeps hanging on the bathroom wall.

She is growing up more and more every day and her favorite saying now is, "no mommy, I do it myself!" She loves her "new dress" (the one I got her for Easter) and asks to wear it every day, but I have to tell her it is for Sunday; she also always wants to wear mommy's rings and necklaces and is quite the "girly" girl. Meg loves to sing and read books. She is enjoying a "new" dollhouse we got at a church swap&save and still loves to dress up and dance around. She also tells me every day that she is going to "get married in the temple and live happily ever after". We couldn't be more proud of our little "nutMeg".