Back to School

The summer is winding down and it is time for school to begin. Hannah has started 1st grade, mommy starts school on Monday and Hayden is getting ready for pre-school. Hannah scared us a bit when she said she wasn't ready for school to start, but I think she just got used to doing her own thing this summer...she has been excited to go, she likes her teachers, and she is excited to see her friends every morning and throughout the day.

Sadly, the summer ended with my camera dying :( so, the pics are borrowed from neighbors or taken from our old camera (which makes me miss my newer one even more).

I will post pics from Hayden's school when he starts, which won't be until the 18th, but here are a few from Hannah's first day.

Ready for 1st grade

Hannah and mommy

Hannah, daddy and Hayden

Hannah and Ally (their annual pic). It will be fun to pic our favorites for their senior year yearbooks (but, I am getting ahead of myself)

ps - the music is for Hannah and I - we love high school musical :)

Summer Fun

I am so bad - it has been two months already since my last post - this could take a while! I will start with the latest and greatest....our summer vacation!


Greenacres: we started our summer vacation off with a trip to Nana and Pop-pops in West Palm Beach. The weather was fine and we had a great time just hanging out with our Florida family.










Key West: Bunky and I were lucky enough to have the time to get away for a few days to Key West. We enjoyed our time away and had a great time hanging out with Ron and Kerri. Irish Kevin's bar was the funnest bar in town and we were rode all over the island on our beach cruiser bikes. Bunky went scuba diving with his Ron while Kerri and I chilled out at Smather's Beach - it was quiet and peaceful and gave us a chance to relax. We never really slept in, which is ok because we were able to take a few naps along the way. Duval Street was a happening place with never ending entertainment. Thanks to Nana and Pop-pop for taking the kids for us and giving us a chance to get away.












Disney: As soon as our time was finished in Key West, we met the kids at our favorite destination, Disney World! It was our first time staying off property. The great thing was that we were all able to be together in the condo. We celebrated Uncle Ronnie's birthday with everyone and got hyped up about our next three days!

Magic Kingdom: the kids were so excited about our day at Magic Kingdom. Hannah says that her favorite ride was Splash Mountain, although it would be difficult to tell from the picture. Hayden enjoyed Splash Mountain too because he was able to cool off. We had dinner at the Crystal Palace, having fun with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. We had some tired children by the end of the night, but we were all excited about the great day we had and the next day's activities.

Hollywood Studios: Our second day was a fun filled day at Hollywood Studios. We had a slow start with a rain storm, but after that, we were off...The first ride of the day was the Tower of Terror, a ride Hannah was sure she was going to ride when she went there. I have provided the before and after shots for this ride. Our favorite ride, by far, was the Toy Story Mania ride, it was a great way to end our night. We had fast-passed the ride and our time was not until 8:45. I hadn't been to Hollywood Studios in years (previously MGM), so it was cool to go back with the kids. Everyone had a great time!

Epcot: Our final destination was Epcot. Spaceship Earth, Soarin' and the Fireworks display were favorites for us all. Cousin Alle, Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Kerri had to leave a day early, so we missed them at Epcot, but we had a great time at our final day in Disney. Hannah is seen here coming out of one of the shops after buying a toy with her money. We are in trouble in the future if she is this happy spending money :)

Overall, we had a great vacation. It was great to see the family - the kids (and adults) had a fantastic time. We miss Disney World already and can't wait to go back soon!

Hayden started his t-ball season with his first game last weekend. Dizzy Dean in Canton allows for three/four year olds to play in a league of their own. It is so fun and cute to see these little guys in their uniforms that are too big! Hayden was very excited to start his season after missing the first game and having another postponed. He was so excited to wear his uniform that he wore it for several hours before and after the game. Daddy is one of the assistant coaches and is pumped to help out the White Sox this year.

Daddy - Daughter Dance

Hannah and Bunky went to the daddy-daughter dance hosted by Harmony on the lakes neighborhood and they had a blast! Hannah and I went out to do the girl thing prior to the dance while Hayden and Bunky went to baseball practice. We had a great time getting her nails painted and having her hair put up for the big event. The dance started at 6pm and ended at 8pm. The final shot was taken during the "last dance" - just in time as Hannah fell asleep on daddy's shoulder....too cute!

one fish, two fish....

three fish, four fish.

The title comes from an evening of fishing with Bunky and the kids. Lake Harmony in the neighborhood has tons of fish supposedly, but it had never been too good to the kids or Bunky....I guess the secret is live "shiners" and a spongebob squarepants fishing pole. Included are pictures to commemorate the evening.

Hayden's First Fish

Hayden holding his second fish - he's a natural!

The third fish caught with the spongebob pole!

I have a feeling now that Bunky knows the secret, there will more evenings at the lake this spring, which is fine for the members of the Robbinsnest (a great view and beautiful weather to come!)

3-day weekend and new year happenings

Whew! I finally have a few minutes to update...

Luckily, we have a three-day weekend and a chance to catch up on things around here.

Everyone is working to get back on schedule since the Christmas break. With the cold temperatures, currently 18 degrees, waking up has been difficult for everyone in the morning - our beds are just so comfy!

Since 2009 has begun, a few new events have taken place: Hannah has been signed up for the Daisy Scouts and had her first meeting on Thursday night. The troop meets once a month in our neighborhood clubhouse. There are 13 girls, all kindergarteners from Hannah's school, Holly Springs Elementary. Luckily, she recognized several of the girls from school and seemed to really enjoy it. It was so fun watching her and the troop do things that I remember from when I was a little girl:

• the girl scout promise
• being a flag bearer
• the squeeze circle
• the badges
• and of course, the cookies!

Bonnie and Ally came with us and I couldn't help but feel like the girl scouts are just like me and my friends just 25 years later - you know, good friends, fun crafts, etc. If I do not look too crazy, I will take pictures next time to share.

Hayden has a big season coming up as well. He is signed up for T-ball with the local Dizzy Dean teams. They start the kids at 3 years old, which should be chaotic and fun! Hayden is very excited and has been practicing with daddy during the day (with soft materials since it is 18 degrees outside). Of course, there is always the Wii Sports package, which Hayden has become very attached to, to practice his skills as well.