4 ladies and a gentleman

Limited Edition: "Sweet on You"

2012-01-26T08:34:00.003-05:00

PHOTO OF THE YEAR - WINNERS!!!

2012-01-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

First of all I wanted to tell everyone THANK YOU for voting in this contest. This was my biggest contest yet, with 3,169 votes, wowzers........It gives me goosebumps b/c that just means Leah Robinson Photography is growing and growing =)

Also THANK YOU for your patience, we had a few hick-ups along the way but I appreciate those of you who understood!

1st Place - Congratulations!! Aren't they cute!

They will receive a 16x20 canvas gallery wrap, 1 FREE session, and $200 print credit toward their next session, as well as the honor of being the PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2011!!!

2nd Place - Congratulations!! What a sweetheart!

She and her family will receive $100 print credit at their next session!!!

3rd Place - Congratulations! Makes me smile every time I see this photo :)

He and his family will also receive $100 print credit at their next session!!!

The rest of the top 12 won't go away empty handed, they will all receive $25 print credit at their next session!! Woo-hoo!

Christmas Photo Shoot with my Girls

2012-01-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

I totally feel for my clients when it comes to "picture day". Why does it have to be so stressful???? Just know that you are not alone, and that even the photographer has a stressful time trying to get her family to take pictures. It's almost as if my girls do it on purpose =) Ya think? I finally got them all to stop fighting and take photos for momma, and of course there was bribing to go with it....I'm not against bribing kids to get a great photo ;)

My oldest, who is only 11, thank goodness her daddy is an MMA fighter and

Step-dad carries a shot gun! ha ha

My middle daughter, 5 years old....my "poser" and momma's lil helper =)

Oh and my youngest, who loves to show her personality!

If you look closely you can hear Stella saying "CHEEEEESSSEEE" ha ha ha

Photo of the Year - Final Round of Voting

2012-01-09T11:57:00.001-05:00

Round 2 - final round

The winner will receive a 16x20 canvas gallery wrap, 1 FREE session, and $200 print credit toward their next session, as well as the honor of being the PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2011!!!

2 runner-ups will receive $100 print credit at their next session!!!

Important Rules to Remember

2nd ROUND OF VOTING
-2nd round includes the top 12 photos (most votes) from the first round.

-2nd round will begin Monday, January 9th and ends Sunday, January 15th at midnight.
-2nd round will be the final round and it will determine the WINNER and 2 runner-ups!

You may begin voting NOW =)

This round you can choose your top 3 favorite photos. Find the number on the photos you wish to vote for, then scroll down to the poll, find the numbers, check, and vote...simple as that.

One vote per person/computer, so make sure you SHARE my link on my FB fan page!!

***TOP 11 and 12 now DUE TO MY OWN ERROR IN JUDGING***

PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2011

2012-01-04T18:39:00.004-05:00

How could I ever choose the best photo of 2011???? I can't, just can't....that's why YOU get to pick!

The winner will receive a 16x20 canvas gallery wrap, 1 FREE session, and $200 print credit toward their next session, as well as the honor of being the PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2011!!!

2 runner-ups will receive $100 print credit at their next session!!!

Important Rules to Remember
-There are 2, I repeat 2 rounds of this contest.

1st ROUND OF VOTING
-First round will narrow contest down to the top 10 contestants with the most votes
-Voting begins today, January 4th and ends this Sunday, January 8th at midnight.

2nd ROUND OF VOTING
-2nd round includes the top 10 photos (most votes) from the first round.

-2nd round will begin Monday, January 9th and ends Sunday, January 15th at midnight.
-2nd round will be the final round and it will determine the WINNER and 2 runner-ups!

You may begin voting NOW =) Find the number on the photo you wish to vote for, then scroll down to the poll, find the number and vote...simple as that. One vote per person, so make sure you SHARE my link on my FB fan page!!

Baby fever......

2011-12-16T09:58:00.001-05:00

Now let's not start any rumors, but geez how can you NOT have baby fever when you see something as perfect as this =)

He's back............

2011-12-02T08:15:00.001-05:00

Elvis is back and boy is he up to his old tricks again!! Look where we found him....

Happy Birthday Beckham

2011-11-30T13:04:00.001-05:00

This little guy is going to have so much love he won't know what to do. He has 3 older sisters and a mommy and daddy that could not wait for his arrival!! Mom and Dad showed me the ultrasound photos while we waited for Beckham to join us, and they showed me how you could actually see his hair on the ultrasound! Unbelievable. Take a look...did he have hair or what? ha ha Happy Birthday Beckham.

Black Friday Deal

2011-11-25T01:01:00.001-05:00

What’s better than stuffing yourself with warm turkey, green beans, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes? Well, not much…..EXCEPT shopping the day after Thanksgiving and finding all those Black Friday special deals and offers. Well as you know I’m not one to disappoint, so this year I am offering a special Black Friday Deal as well!

If you’re interested in booking a session with Leah next year, now is the time to do so because on Black Friday, November 25th, we will be offering 50% sessions for 2012, plus a FREE 8x10 print from the session. Most of you already know that effective December 1st, my session prices are increasing, so here is your chance to get a session at a discounted price! These sessions can be booked for anytime in 2012 so if you’re a senior, expecting mom or newly engaged couple, take advantage of this offer, save some cash and have an awesome session with Leah Robinson in 2012.

To purchase a special Black Friday 50% Off Session, visit Leah Robinson Photography Website TODAY November 25th and enter the main site.

Click on CLIENTS at the top.

Once there, enter the password “Black Friday” with no quotes.

Click on the ADD TO CART in the top right of photo

Then go to your cart, and walk through the steps…just like shopping anywhere else online =)

Check out and you’re good to go! You will have the choice to either pay with paypal or pay me directly. If you choose to pay me, you may come by the studio FRIDAY only. If it is after business hours I have a drop box outside you can drop off your payment. Please email or call me if you plan to do so, so that my husband won't shoot you ;) ha ha. email: leah@leahrobinsonphoto.com OR call 812-787-1154

Sessions must be booked for the 2012 year between 1/1/12 & 12/31/11. The Black Friday 50% Off Session Offer is only offered on 11/25/11 from 12:01am to 11:59pm. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Leah Robinson Photography via email (leah@leahrobinsonphoto.com) or call the studio at (812) 787-1154.

First client

2011-11-20T18:39:00.001-05:00

The very first client shot in the studio =) Isn't she adorable?

The Birth of Paisley Elyse

2011-11-20T17:37:00.001-05:00

I.Love.My.Job.

Black Friday Deal

2011-11-19T17:02:00.001-05:00

What’s better than stuffing yourself with warm turkey, green beans, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes? Well, not much…..EXCEPT shopping the day after Thanksgiving and finding all those Black Friday special deals and offers. Well as you know I’m not one to disappoint, so this year I am offering a special Black Friday Deal as well!

If you’re interested in booking a session with Leah next year, now is the time to do so because on Black Friday, November 25th, we will be offering 50% sessions for 2012, plus a FREE 8x10 print from the session. Most of you already know that effective December 1st, my session prices are increasing, so here is your chance to get a session at a discounted price! These sessions can be booked for anytime in 2012 so if you’re a senior, expecting mom or newly engaged couple, take advantage of this offer, save some cash and have an awesome session with Leah Robinson in 2012.

So am I driving you nuts with talking about myself in third person? ha ha There are big things coming in 2012 for the studio and that means bringing on some staff members I cannot wait to introduce! We are working together to give you all the freshest photography out there!

To purchase a special Black Friday 50% Off Session, visit Leah Robinson Photography Website on Friday November 25th and enter the main site.

Click on clients at the top.

Once there, enter the password “Black Friday” with no quotes.

Click on the add to cart in the top right of photo

Then go to your cart, and walk through the steps…just like shopping anywhere else online =)

Check out and you’re good to go! You will have the choice to either pay with paypal or pay me directly. If you choose to pay me, you may come by the studio FRIDAY only. If it is after business hours I have a drop box outside you can drop off your payment. Please email or call me if you plan to do so, so that my husband won't shoot you ;) ha ha.

Sessions must be booked for the 2012 year between 1/1/12 & 12/31/11. The Black Friday 50% Off Session Offer is only offered on 11/25/11 from 12:01am to 11:59pm. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Leah Robinson Photography via email (leah@leahrobinsonphoto.com) or call the studio at (812) 787-1154.

And while you're here check out the sneak peek of the Santa Minis we did!!

What's been going on........

2011-10-14T14:20:00.000-04:00

Well BIG things have been going on here! Two weeks ago, I decided that I was going to quit my day-time job and do photography FULL TIME! So today is my last day at my 8-5 job. I'm a little bit nervous, but so very excited on where this journey is going to take me =) Keep an eye out, you may just see my work in a magazine someday...the sky is the limit!

Birth Photography

2011-10-13T22:19:00.001-04:00

Why you should hire a birth photographer, hit play........

Swartzentruber Family Sneak Peek {Leah Robinson Photography}

2011-10-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

What a sweet family!!! Not to mention good lookin'!!

Bruce Framily Sneak Peek {Leah Robinson Photography}

2011-10-02T08:54:00.003-04:00

What a fun family! They didn't think their sweetie would cooperate, but boy did she!! I wanted to take her home with me!! Love her!! Cannot wait to meet their new addtion!

Granger Sneak Peek {Leah Robinson Photography}

2011-10-01T19:28:00.000-04:00

Talk about a "picture perfect" family (minus dad who was working) I'm pretty sure this family did NOT take one bad picture...geez!! ha ha Loved them!! Can't wait for future sessions!!

And you see why the kiddos are so darn cute....beautiful momma!!!

Photos With Santa!!! {Leah Robinson Photography}

2011-09-29T14:55:00.002-04:00

Welcome New Fans!!

2011-09-29T09:35:00.000-04:00

Welcome new fans and readers!! I have been writing this blog since 2008. I've tried to manage two blogs I don't know how many times and I always FAIL to keep up with both. So this blog is here to stay and I will be updating at LEAST once a week! Why do you care??? Well I love giveaways.....so I'm gonna have them ALL THE TIME!! Leave a comment today on this post and you'll have a chance to win =)

Slightly busy........

2011-09-19T16:15:00.004-04:00

I know, I know....I'm majorly slacking on blogging!!! I have reasons I promise!!Most importantly...something I've been training for for months, my first ever half marathon! Done, finished, checked off my bucket list!

I did the Indy Womens Half Marathon and I didn't die HA HA! Well close....but not quite LOL The race was on Saturday, September 3rd, 2011. We drove up to Indy the day before. I rode with one of my best friends who also happened to be running in the same race. We had her family & a friend, and also my oldest daughter, Hunter. When we first arrived we actually went to the wrong hotel.....close names, but not the same same =) So we carried our luggage and walked to the other hotel which was a couple blocks away. Got there and got settled into our rooms. Our room number.....

Yes, which meant we were on the 13th floor....didn't know hotels even had the 13th floor because of the whole "unlucky" thing....but ours did, and we were on it =) lol

It was the same hotel that was hosting the registration for the race, so all we had to do is head downstairs and register =)

So here is the board we had to find our names on.....a lot of women there!

Shortly after we registered, we were all STARVING...so we went piled in a cab, drove.....and ate at The Old Spaghetti Factory YUMMY!! Makes me hungry just thinking about it =) I believe I had the Chicken Parmigiana, delicious!

After that we headed back and pretty much headed to bed. I was so tired and knew that I needed the rest!

I think I slept pretty good considering. I remember waking up around 2am to pee, which caused a chain reaction and 2 other girls also got up to pee HA HA.

Woke up when my alarm went off and started to get ready. Once all of us runners were dressed we headed downstairs to find where the starting line was going to be. There were several ladies already out there. The lines to the porta potties were LONG lol My nerves started to kick in a bit as I looked around and saw all the women. Women of all shapes and sizes!! Most with smiles on their faces, some with nervousness griming through. Some ladies were stretching, others adjusting their GPS watches or iPods. We were READY!!

So the countdown began and we were off!!! Of course there were so many women at the starting line that we walked for what seemed like 5 minutes until we got to the actual start line. Then I started to jog. I felt pretty good! The weather was about 70 degrees at that time I believe. About mile 3 or so I saw my family, my mom, Hunter, Alli, Stella, Joe, my MIL Cheryl, Joe's Aunt Kim, and my step-dad Bob (I think that's everyone). My girls had a BIG sign that read, "Run Mommy"! So cute =) I ran till about mile 4 and then stopped for some water. I still felt great. Jogged another 5 miles and was still feeling good.

(Photo copyright Marathon Foto)

Then the next couple miles I felt the heat get HOTTER!! We began running on a strip of road that had no buildings blocking the sun and the heat reflected off the hot pavement right onto my body. I felt like I was in a sauna. I could not wait for the next water stop. After that it felt like each mile took longer than the previous 9! I would jog then walk, jog then walk. I remember seeing the 12 mile marker which meant only 1 mile to go, there was a BIG table of water and I just stood there and drank 2 cups LOL As I tossed my cup down I looked up and saw Joe (the hubs) standing there waiting to walk with me the rest of the way. He must have knew by the time that I was struggling so he walked all the way from the finish line to meet me. He told me how proud he was of me and that I was ALMOST THERE! I can't remember much more, just that I was extremely dehydrated and kept asking him how much further. He said, "two blocks"! So we went two blocks and I couldn't see the finish line anywhere in site....and he looked at me and said, "just two more blocks!" HA HA What a stinker!

Eventually I made it it and crossed the finish line and let me tell you....that moment went right up with the best moments of my life!!! No words can truly explain unless you have done it =)

The next hour or so is fuzzy, I do remember them giving me a rose, medal, and a few other things as I crossed the finish line. I remember seeing my family and my girls and everyone had the biggest smiles across their faces. I was soooooo thirsty. I was begging my family for a Gatorade, which for some reason (not to mention there were over 1,000 runners) we could not find one LOL So Cheryl found me a vitamin water and I gulped it down.

I was slowly coming off of the "high" from the finish and feeling horrible. I can't really describe the feeling except that I just didn't feel right. So I told the fam that we needed to head back to the hotel ASAP. They said it was about 2 blocks away and we'd have to walk. So we headed that way. I remember it felt like an hour had gone by and Joe said it was only a couple minutes we had been walking. I know I was really mean to everyone, even my kids. I made Alli Jo cry just because I yelled so loud.....I just wasn't myself at all. On the way a gentleman walked by me and asked if I had finished and I proudly said YES! Then not knowing I was right next to the hotel entrance I told them I needed to sit down. I leaned on the building for a minute then collapsed and started to vomit. It was all of the Vitamin water I believe LOL People were walking by just staring, I'm sure I looked beautiful HA HA But I eventually made it up and walked to the elevator and up to my room. After laying down for a good hour or so, I felt good enough to head across the road to eat at Arby's with the fam =) They were all glad to see my back to myself and proud of what I accomplished!

We gathered up our stuff from the hotel and headed home....what an AMAZING weekend!! I sort of think of it as labor, you forget all the negative and only remember the positive and you will most definitely do it again!

Zaela - Back to School {Leah Robinson Photography}

2011-08-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

Meet Zaela...such a sweetheart!!

Leah Robinson Photography - Back To School Minis {Indiana Lifestyle Photographer}

2011-08-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

Had some fun back to school mini sessions this weekend =) Sneak Peeks to come....

Back To School 8-11-11

2011-08-12T09:11:00.002-04:00

Well yesterday was the start of school again. Goodness, where did summer go? I have to say it is nice having a routine again, we just have to get IN the routine HA HA!

Alli Jo started Kindergarten. It was very hard for me, not so much for her! She was so excited...she popped right out of bed and couldn't wait to get there. I walked her in and I just felt like I wasn't ready....I wasn't ready for her to grow up and not need me anymore. She loves me so much right now, and I don't want that to change :( I know it's part of life, it's just the hard part of life!!! She got to take her favorite stuffed animal, that she calls giraffey. It's a little giraffe that was a boy, but we changed it to be a girl so "she" could wear a dress for the first day of school!! One thing I struggle with is Alli Jo's eating, or lack thereof. She is seriously the pickiest eater in the world. We packed her lunch in her Hello Kitty lunchbox.....two pieces of bread, jello, bag of chips, and a capri sun LOL Now I will accept my Mother of the Year award later folks HAHAHA

When she got home, she told me it was the best day ever! Her room is the "popcorn" themed room. They all sit at tables in their classroom, not desks. They had THREE recesses!! She had a partner named Lexi, because Elle wanted to be partners with Willow but that was ok b/c she likes Lexi and she is her new friend =) She ate everything in her lunchbox except the two pieces of bread. Oh and last night she told me, "mom...it's ok if you miss me during the day. You can send me a note in my lunchbox!" hahaha Isn't she the cutest thing!!! love her

Hunter wasn't so excited about starting school this year. Well she was until she found out that NONE of her friends are in her homeroom. Then she thought it was the end of the world. Well at age 11, that probably IS her world. So I understand. There's just nothing I can do about it. All I can do is reassure her that she will see her friends at lunch and recesses and band class. She eats the school lunch, so I don't have to worry about packing her lunch and I know she will eat well.

She stayed with her dad the night before school. I think it helped calm her nerves a bit. And she seemed to have a great day. Her teacher, Mr Graber likes to tease her...I think that will help get her through this school year! She said he asked her who her boyfriend was and that he would find out before the end of the day LOL She was giggling just telling me about it. I guess he never found out that special boy ;)

My two little students, Alli Jo - Kindergarten and Hunter - 5th grade

Alli Jo with her teacher, Mrs. Kavanaugh =)

She looks so grown up!

Sitting in line waiting for class to begin

One of AJ's besties, Emma =)

Combining Blogs

2011-08-10T15:10:00.001-04:00

So I've been debating for a while if I should combine my personal blog with photography posts and just have ONE blog. It's so hard to maintain more than one. I worry about weirdo's out there reading about my kiddos....but I guess if this one is public, they can do that anyway! So.....I'm going to start posting my photog sessions and info for photo lovers =) Hope you enjoy!!!

Speaking of photography.....

I had an amazing time getting to know Alexis. I knew Alexis when she was just a little girl about age 3 =) It's crazy to see her so grown up, so poised, and beautiful!!! Check out our sneak peek from the session.

Alli Jo turns 5

2011-08-04T16:52:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to upload pics for a while now...ARG. Here's a little sneak peek from Alli Jo's bday. It was BUG themed...they had so much fun with it!

I added two or three new blog posts under this one, so check 'em out!!

Changes around our home

2011-08-04T16:31:00.002-04:00

I'm tired of sick kids, I'm tired of being sick, frankly I'm sick and tired of the dr's bills LOL So this fall/winter....things are changing around our household. I've taken the advice of a good friend and my kiddos are going to start building up their immune systems and fight off those bugs!! I will update you all when I see how well they work! lol

For the beginner runner

2011-08-04T12:48:00.001-04:00

I know a lot of you like hearing about running, so I thought I'd post what has helped me to get started and actually STAY with it this time =)

First of all I have an iPhone. So I have all my iTunes on it and I created a playlist of up-temp songs to get me going....

This is the arm band I use (when you get it, it's common sense, but put the Velcro part on the outside of your arm or else you will get chaffing from the band like I did)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZZKL6U

Speaking of chaffing...I've never got it before that I can remember until I started my long runs. You can get it ANYWHERE. You will notice new clothes sometimes do it...or just a lot of sweat from a hot day! They make: BODYGLIDE

http://www.bodyglide.com/

On your iPhone or iPod touch you can download Nike+GPS app that is your own personal coach. Here's where you can log in to nike plus, then you want to add the app Nike + GPS for $1.99

http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/

This is a site I did to create maps....I believe there's an app for your iPhone too!
http://www.dailymile.com/

Here is where I find upcoming races, I'm sure there are other sites out there also!
http://www.runningintheusa.com/race/List.aspx?State=IN

This is a store in Evansville that will fit you for running shoes
http://www.swiftathletics.com/

But you can find good deals online for the close-out shoes
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/

http://www.eastbay.com/
http://www.holabirdsports.com/

And search for coupons/codes online before you check out! I think I got my 2nd pair for like $70, I bought my first for like $125 :( LOL

Hope that helps someone out there =)

Here is my run from last night....oh it felt like about 100 degrees + which is actually cooler than it had been HA HA But it was my first time running in the grass...I ran with (well behind) the BR cross country team =)

I just finished my run

Distance: 3.08 mi

Editing Challenge

2011-08-03T16:54:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up with Faith's Simplicity Blog today! The editing challenge was to edit a picture of her and precious son =) So sweet!

Here is the original Faith took

Here are my editing skilz =) Photos by Faith R, editing by me!

I wasn't sure which one I liked better, what do you think?

You can find faith's blog here

Christmas in July Pageant

2011-07-19T10:38:00.000-04:00

Hunter has been asking to be in a pageant for a while now, and we really couldn't find any close by to enter her in. Well a friend told us about one that was in Santa Claus called Christmas in July....and well, she won a crown!! She won Beauty in her age division =) I'm so darn proud of her!!

It was a natural pageant. NO GLITZ! I loved that about it. They don't want contestants wearing makeup or fake anything.....just their natural beauty =) Here are a few pics from the day!

Enough with the pics mom!!

My little beauty queen!!

9 weeks

2011-06-30T10:47:00.001-04:00

9 weeks till my half marathon =) I'm excited, but I know soon the butterflies will hit and I'll be a nervous wreck! This past weekend I ran 6 miles for my long run. I must say the 6 mile mark is awesome. I felt this confidence I hadn't felt before, it was wonderful! It takes me a good 2-3 miles to get warmed up, but after that I felt great! I just want to encourage you readers that are wanting to start running, to push yourselves. You will be surprised how much mental strength can overcome physical. I would have never imagined I would run 6 miles w/out stopping...heck not even a 5k! Stick to a good schedule that has you doing "easy" runs during the week and long runs on the weekends (or whatever works for your schedule).

Also, some of you may remember me having an injury a year or so ago....I got a stress fracture on my foot. The more I think back I think that it was my shoes. I had horrible old shoes that I'd had for like two years. I'm sure you runners are thinking OH MY....bad, bad Leah!!! haha A good rule of thumb is to replace your running shoes every 300 to 400 miles. I have read that about halfway through the life of your running shoes, you might want to buy another pair of running shoes to rotate into your runs. Your shoes will last longer when you allow them to decompress and dry out between workouts. Also, having a fresh pair of shoes as a reference will help you notice when your old ones are ready to be replaced.

So when I decided to do this half marathon, I bought my first pair of GOOD running shoes called ASICS GEL-Nimbus 12 for around $125. Those are what I'm wearing now on my runs, and I love them. Just recently they came out with a newer version of the shoe, the Nimbus 13...so that meant the 12's would be closed out....good news for me =) I've been researching online and the cheapest place I found was runningwarehouse . I actually just google for a code and at the checkout if you enter RWJUNE11 you get 10% off. So I a brand new pair for around $71!!! SWEET!! YAY And they have Free 2 day shipping! So I will rotate out my new shoes on my runs so that I will have a good pair come the mini in September!

I'd love to hear from my readers....let me know what you're doing or what you'd like to do to stay healthy =)

I'll leave you with a video of my little peanut Stella. Hope it brings a smile to your face =)

I'm back!

2011-06-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

Sorry it's been a few days, we just got done with celebrating Alli Jo's 5th birthday!! WOW 5 years old....crazy! She will be starting Kindergarten this fall, and it just doesn't seem possible!! I wish I was one of those mommys who writes well, I'm just not. But if I could write you a letter Alli Jo, here is what it would say:

Dear AJ,

I know you like it when mommy calls you AJ, you always light up and giggle=) How could I ever tell you exactly what you mean to me and how much fun we have shared together? My life has been amazing since you were placed in my arms just five years ago! I remember when you were in my tummy your daddy and I tried to figure out the PERFECT name. Did you know that God already knew what your name was going to be before mommy and daddy even thought about it? He did! And he knows the number hairs on your beautiful head! hee hee He is amazing, and He has let me and your dad be your parents and guide you on this earth and we are so honored!

Back to your name.....Mommy was having trouble deciding on the "perfect" name. Your big sister Hunter said it should be AJ. I thought that was so cute, so we needed to come up with what the A & J stood for. Being that your daddy's name is Joe, it was fit that your middle name would be Jo =) I eventually had it narrowed down to either Aubrey Jo or Alli Jo. And daddy decided he liked Alli better =) So there it was Alli Jo Robinson, our soon to be baby girl!

Mommy's pregnancy went pretty good! It was a hot summer and I remembered being pregnant with Hunter who was born in July...so I was sort of used to it. I just stayed in the air conditioning as much as possible! Your due date was July 1st, but something just told me I wouldn't make it to then. Sure enough I was induced on June 26, 2006 and you were born at 11:31am.

I remember you had the cutest chubby cheeks ever and you were so alert as you tried to open your big beautiful eyes and see your mommy for the first time! You didn't cry much at all, but when you did we knew you wanted something and wanted it NOW!

I wanted to hold you all day long, you loved me and I loved you and to this day we still argue about who loves whom more....I say I love you forever Alli Jo and you tell me, "I love you all the way to Jesus and back!" haha It's just so darn cute how your mind works! You are ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS making us laugh. I honestly don't think a day goes by that your dad and I don't laugh at something you say....you love to make us happy! Whether it's mocking your big sister and acting like a DIVA or making silly faces at your little sis =)

You have grown into such a beautiful young lady Alli Jo! People come up to me and comment often how pretty and sweet you are, just like a princess =( And you are more loving than any five year old I know. You are kind, caring, love unconditionally and live fully. You love waking up each day and are ALWAYS in a good mood! Your joy is infectious…....your laughter contagious...... and your desire to learn is admirable.

I hope to always encourage you, respect you, be your biggest fan, your advocate and your supporter. I will always hope for a brighter, more accepting tomorrow. But above all, I will always love you for who you are...my beautiful, amazing, intelligent, fun-loving daughter .

Happy 5th Birthday, Alli Jo!

You will always be my little princess.

Love,

Mommy

Nike + GPS App

2011-06-23T09:36:00.000-04:00

For those of you with an iPhone or iPod touch...I wanted to share my all-time FAV app that a friend of mine discovered and has me hooked!! It's the Nike + GPS App. Here is a screen shot of what it looks like....

It's honestly like having your own coach with ya. You can map your runs, track your progress and get the motivation you need to go even further. Hear mid-run cheers every time your friends like or comment on your run status, or outrun them in a game of Nike+ Tag!

This app is basically a GPS app that makes use of your iPhone’s GPS functionality so you should be aware that utilizing GPS will decrease iPhone’s battery life dramatically. What makes this app is different with other GPS app is its features which designed specialized for runners and fast-walkers who want to track their running progress.

- The Nike+ GPS App is compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPod touch (2nd, 3rd, and 4th generations) running iOS 4.0 or later.
- Download it on the go and start running anywhere.
- Record your pace, distance and run route using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer technology
- Get voice feedback during your run on how you’re doing, or tap the map to see where you are
- Activate personalized PowerSongs to help you blast past your goals and records.
- Broadcast your accomplishments to the world via Facebook and Twitter.
- Keep a record of your best runs and see if you’ve got what it takes to break them.

I love syncing my runs afterwards and hearing if I've got a new PR or a new accomplishment. This morning it said I've ran the most this week, than any other week! Saturday it told me I got a new PR for my mile time as well as the 5k time ;) I post it to FB in hopes that I inspire people that they can do it also! Oh and I think I paid $1.99 for it....can't beat that!

Excuses

2011-06-22T09:29:00.000-04:00

For the last 4 years I've had so many "excuses" not to exercise and be healthy...that honestly I would write a book!

Here is my main one. "I just don't have time!" Do you hear yourself saying this? I did; I said it all the time! Well I have yet to meet someone busier than me (I'm sure they are out there) but I work a full time job M-F 8-5, have 3 kids (10 & under), a husband, and do photography part time......BUT yet I've managed the last 3 weeks to FIND TIME for ME! And you know what I'm HAPPY!!

I have trained my body to wake up at 4:30am on Tues & Thurs to run in the mornings. If you are NOT a morning person....let me tell you...I was worse than you. I'm serious, just ask my husband. I would sleep in until the last possible second. Setting my alarm to snooze 10 times or more HA HA. Well now I meet a friend and we run what my schedule calls for. Having a friend hold you accountable...make sure it's a friend that you don't want to disappoint. I suggest running with someone that is stronger than you when you're training. They can push you further than you think you can possible go! Find someone who knows the "rules of running" when you need advice they can help you!

Monday evenings I've hired a personal trainer to do Pilates. This is some cross-training that I NEED. I go straight after work so that I have NO DISTRACTIONS! If I chose to go home first I'm sure I'd pick my kiddos over myself, that's just the way it is =) So I head straight there and I'm home just about 1hr 1/2 after I usually get home.

Wednesday & Sundays are my rest days. I use them to sleep in an extra hour or two. And you NEED your rest days. Some only take 1, right now I take 2. You can view this article HERE to see why rest and recovery is sooooo important.

Fridays I try to do just a little bit of cross training. Sometimes I just do a video I have at home or I may go to the gym first thing in the morning.

Saturday is my LONG RUN. Long runs are VERY important! You can build the endurance you need to run a successful half-marathon!

Give yourself 2 weeks. 2 weeks for your body to get into a new routine. That's what it took for me =)

13.1

2011-06-21T15:59:00.000-04:00

Well it's nice to know that I have 1 reader out there, thanks Courtney HAHA!! J/K Glad you all are tuning in and reading this post today. I know that I haven't updated about my weight-loss/running in a while...so I thought I'd fill you all in.

For the last 3 weeks or so I started to train for a half marathon. YIKES How many miles is that you ask? 13.1 to be exact. You all know that I've ran two 5k's (3.1 mile) ...I actually just finished another this past weekend as well! I achieved a new PR of 36.44, yay me! ha ha It was the toughest 5k thus far...seemed to be all up-hill :( But I made it, I survived! Hunter my oldest decided to join me...ok well I made her LOL She is a great runner, just gets very nervous before the race.

Hunter got an award for being 10 & under

I was a little worried when I saw my number was 13 haha...but it all worked out!

So back to the half marathon talk. I'm using a schedule that a friend and I found online, then modified to fit our schedules =) Here's a scanned copy of what I'm doing. As you can see it's not as bad as you might have thought...at least I don't think so =) The number one thing I hear from people when I tell them what I am doing is, "I'm just not a runner!" Well technically I'm not either folks. I've been overweight for 4 years now, since having my 2nd daughter....and if I just ran 5 miles Saturday SO CAN YOU!!

My long term goal is to do at least 2 minis a year and as many 5k's that I can do. 10k's just don't seem to come around here very often. I'm excited...not quite nervous yet, but I know when it starts getting closer I will be.

One of the gals I run with gave me this quote this morning and I love it:

"Enjoy your pain, you've earned it"!

As for pain, yeah it hurts during my runs...not hurt like I need to stop....just sucks to be blunt. But to be honest the "runner's high" that I get afterward and all day long...is sooooo worth it!!!!!

Cliffhanger

2011-06-20T16:54:00.001-04:00

13.1
(Blog post to follow tomorrow)

I love you......

2011-06-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Alli Jo....as you always say, "I love you all the way to Jesus and back!"

Sorry readers...I'm busy preparing for a big 5 birthday party, will get to updating soon =)

Someone is turning 5

2011-06-13T15:05:00.000-04:00

When you think about 5 years it seems so long ago, but when I realize that my baby girl AJ is turning 5...man where did the time go??? Sorry for the lack of posting, it's been crazy as always! I have some weight-loss victories I'll have to share in another blog =) Preparing for Miss thing's 5th birthday party...can't wait to celebrate her life!

I offically have a Kindergartener!

2011-05-27T13:32:00.001-04:00

No words really to say...my baby is growing up :( This morning she woke up and said, "Gosh I can't believe I'm graduating!" LOL She cracks me up! Then she said later, "Mom, I used to be a baby...remember that? Now I'm big and I'm not even standing on my tip toes!" ahhhh Alli Jo, I love you to Jesus and back (that's her saying) =) MWAH!

Before school opening card from Mamaw =)

T-ball

2011-05-16T10:23:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe AJ has started t-ball already. She is probably one of the smallest out there, it cracks me up! The helmet doesn't fit at all...as you can see in the pictures LOL The first game she was running to first base and the first basemen tagged her really hard (too hard) and the entire crowd was like "oh!!". So I waited for it.....and sure enough here came the water works. She started SCREAMING for me. I couldn't get up b/c I had Stella....so the coach just lifted her up over the fence ha ha! But she got back out there!

So cute!!!

Dress Rehearsal

2011-05-06T16:31:00.000-04:00

I've been busy, imagine that...ha ha! Girls have their dance recital this week. Last night we had dress rehearsal, here are a few pics =)

Embrace the Camera Thursday

2011-04-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

Linking up again today to Emily's blog!!

It's THURSDAY, you know what that means....

"embrace the camera"!

Get out your cameras and get in front of them.
your kids want pictures of you in them.
so, do them a favor and say CHEESE!!

Click here to see how I got this idea from this inspiring blog:

Me with Stella...I just had 6in. cut off my hair =)

More Florida Pics

2011-04-26T15:29:00.001-04:00

Yes, I have more.......

Vacation Pics from my phone....

2011-04-26T15:14:00.000-04:00

So as you can imagine I have TONS of photos from vacation. Here are a few from my cell phone.....

Day 1 - Hunter getting buried in the sand LOL

Alli Jo pretending to eat a sand ice cream cone LOL

Stells soakin up some rays during her nap at the beach

Anyone see AJ?

Stells doing her "angry" face the girls taught her

Burying Keshon (a boy from their class)

Took these cool dudes to see "Hop"

Me & my manicured feet relaxin'

The 10 year olds =)

Our vacation house - photo overload

2011-04-26T15:03:00.000-04:00

I wanted to post some pictures of the house we stayed in over spring break in FL. I posted several so that when I do my blog book it will fill up the pages, so bare with me =) My girls and I would die to just "own" a vacation home like this...Joe on the other hand researched the house across the street and with it's price tag, gently crushed our dream LOL We stayed with two other families so it was very reasonable for the week and we are very blessed we had this opportunity!

2nd 5k of the year...

2011-04-26T10:57:00.000-04:00

Right when I crossed the finish line (HORRIBLE picture) But hey it's me ;)

Kayla, Alison, and myself (Hunter is MIA) LOL

Well I did it again...another 5k for the year! I had a blast and I'm so happy I have the "running bug" again!! We did the 5K race for the YMCA Kids Healthy Day in Vincennes on April 16th. Hunter joined me again (so much fun) I set a personal goal of not walking at all, and CHECK...goal accomplished! If I keep this up...this baby weight (from the last 4 years) will be gone!!! I have another 5k next month...then hopefully a 10k this summer, and this fall I'm signed up for a mini marathon (GULP) yes you heard me, a mini!! Ha ha

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-20T12:56:00.001-04:00

Here are a few pictures from spring break. I don't have much time to write about it today, but that blog post is yet to come

Just our luck......

2011-04-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

Nope I didn't fall off of the face of the earth....but boy do I feel like it! We were on vacation from March 26th-April 3rd....while driving to our destination our back brakes went out. Since Joe didn't have his tools we decided to hire someone down there his boss suggested. On the 2nd day we blew a tire and Joe had to change it in the pouring rain :( The rest of the trip went ok, besides the fact 3 out of the 4 girls got strep-throat, ugh! But it could have been worse and we still had a blast! (blog to follow).

On the way back home we noticed the front brakes were going out (just wonderful). Joe said he had changed his brakes on his truck several times so he could do it. He went to work that morning and came home early that afternoon to change them. I took the rest of the day off and was just getting back from getting groceries. I took them inside and was walking to my room when I heard Joe screaming from the garage. All sorts of thoughts went through my head....I just KNEW that the van had fallen on him, but it was all S-L-O-W motion as I was running out there. I didn't want to see him crushed, I was scared to even look! When I got out there, he was laying on the garage floor. He was crying in pain. I asked if he could get up, he wasn't sure, but we managed to get him up and into bed. We tried to asses the injury, but he wasn't sure how bad it was. He was being a typical man and didn't want to get an x-ray. So I told him we'd go in town and see his friend that is a chiropractor.

When we got there, he suggested we get an x-ray before he did anything invasive. Joe wanted to wait until the next day, but I said he was going that night through the ER, I didn't care what it cost. So I had his mom take him to get the x-ray and I stayed with the girls. This all had occurred around 4pm, and by 9:30pm I still had not heard anything from them...both their cell phones were dead so I couldn't reach them. I finally got a call that all the blood work and initial tests came back ok; they were just waiting for the last CAT scan to come back. When it did they called me from the hospital and said they were rushing Joe by ambulance to Deaconess...that if he even moved or twisted the wrong way he could be paralyzed. This was around 10:30pm I think....so I called my mom and she rushed over to watch the girls and I drove down to the hospital.

When we first arrived, the ER dr there was VERY rude. She acted like we shouldn't even be there...had no idea why they sent us. We didn't know, we just did what the dr's told us to. So I got to the point where I just said, TALK TO THE DR THAT TALKED WITH OUR DR!! JEEZ LADY! So she did and when she came back she acted completely different. They were treating him for a compressed fracture of his L1. He had to log roll if he wanted to move at all. He couldn't get up to even use the bathroom! They had to bring him a hospital urinal (thank goodness he's a guy) lol

So long story short we had to wait until he saw the neurologist the next day before we knew what to do. Once we saw him he told us Joe would have to be fitted for a brace. He would have to wear this brace for 2 months. He cannot drive or even be in a car unless he HAS to. One thing they told us was that if he would try to drive while in the brace and he's in an accident, insurance WILL NOT cover it...so don't do it LOL

Here you can see our girls sent him some love =)

Getting "molded" for his brace--laughing b/c

I'm taking his picture and he can't do anything

about it!

I'm sure he's ticked at me ;)

Alli Jo feeding her daddy =)

He is doing "ok" now. Home and trying to rest as much as he can with 4 ladies in the house. I have to admit, I didn't realize how much he did around the house until now...it absolutely sucks being a single mommy taking care of 3 kiddos and an injured husband...all while taking care of myself!! But I THANK GOD that Joe wasn't injured worse or even killed. He was definitely watching over him! Thank you Jesus!

Embrace the Camera Thursday

2011-03-24T10:39:00.000-04:00

Linking up today to Emily's blog!!

It's THURSDAY, you know what that means....

"embrace the camera"!

Get out your cameras and get in front of them.
your kids want pictures of you in them.
so, do them a favor and say CHEESE!!

Click here to see how I got this idea from this inspiring blog:

Last Friday Joe and I went to a PACERS vs BULLS game.

It was awesome! I grew up a die-hard BULLS fan...Jordan era, and never got the chance of seeing a game in person. So this was amazing. He got the tickets thru work and we even got a private suite for us & his co-workers! We felt famous, ha ha! So much fun!!

Andrea Boes 5k/10k Run/Walk

2011-03-21T13:02:00.002-04:00

Well I did it, and I'm not dead HAHA! I survived my first 5k! I cannot begin to describe the endorphins that run through your body when you accomplish something like this. The entire race environment is amazing! I love it!! I want MORE of it!!

Here are some pictures from the race:

Hunter and I before the race

Hunter and her best friend Ashley

Getting ready at the start

Walking to the start

Hunter crossing the finish line, so proud of her!! Time of 0:36:08

Me crossing the finish line: Time of 0:38:01

Kayla & Jenn two co-workers and great friends with me and Hunter

Here are some things I found online and also learned from my first 5k:

1. Don’t be nervous. Remember it is first and for most for a GOOD CAUSE. Remember the reason behind the race and forget all the selfish thoughts that cross your mind. Most likely all the other women are thinking the same thing you are so get over "what you look like" and "what the woman next to you looks like"!!

2. Pace yourself. Everyone starts out very fast, don't worry about getting to the front, just lightly jog until you get out on your own!

3. There is no shame in walking. Some people run; some people walk. Others do a little of both. Even the fastest runners pulled over to the sidewalk to take walking breaks along the way, and I was one of them! I even walked the first hill we got too...the cool air got to me and I couldn't catch my breath, but I got back into it on the next straight-away!

4. Enjoy the moment. The whole experience was unlike anything else. Along the way, you hear the collective pounding of sneakers on the pavement all around you. People sit in their front yards and gather on the sidewalks just to cheer on complete strangers. When you look around, you see people who are all there for one common goal. I listened to some rockin’ songs on my iPod (without which I might have lost motivation when it got really tough). And when you see the finish line approaching, no matter how tired you feel, somehow you dig down deep and give it everything you’ve got left. It's the most fun you'll ever have running.

5. Keep moving. Don’t stop moving just because you cross the finish line. Keep walking for several minutes to cool down, and visit the water station to get hydrated. Stay on your feet as much as possible—this will help you avoid cramps and post-workout soreness. Spend several minutes stretching, too, focusing on the calves, quads and hips, which are likely to be sore in the coming days.

6. Be proud. I never thought that a 5K was really a big deal—I mean, it’s no marathon, right? But it was a challenge and I was glad that I had pushed myself to the end!

7. You CAN do it. I saw children under 10, seniors over 60, pregnant women, dads pushing strollers, tall, short—every size, shape and age imaginable. Everyone was there and they all did it! Don’t let the fear of coming in last deter you—it’s still better than all the people who never try.

8. Try again. I am 100% motivated to try again! I want to get a better time and I want to run the whole course without taking a break. These goals are enough to inspire me to finally take up a regular running program (never saw that one coming!). In fact, there’s another race in a month that I think I might try!!

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-18T10:47:00.000-04:00

Alli Jo was ready to go this morning for her St. Patty's day party at school!! She wasn't quite sure about a "holiday" that you pinch people. She asked me about a million questions, just to make sure she heard me right HA HA She made sure she wore a GREEN night gown to bed the night before so she could wake up with green on =) Too cute!

Stella Alyse - 14months

2011-03-15T15:31:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe I bought these shoes last year at a yard sale, thinking how BIG they were and now they fit Stells :( She is growing up soooo much!! I just lub her so much, yes I said "lub" hee hee!

Here are few pics of the Diva from my iPhone:

Copied this from my girl Courtney...

Right now Stella.....

Loves: dancing, screaming, bananas, climbing in chairs or anything she can, our cats (kitty she calls them),

her baby who she calls "stella"

Learning: says the following words......daddy, momma, mamaw, Ner (Hunter), sis, kitty, no, yuck, see (she points to everything while saying this), pap, and many more!

Life: eats whatever everyone else is eating even if she just ate. Takes 2 naps a day. Still taking her meds for the absence seizures. Doing ok with them, but still has an occasional seizure, dr. said that is "normal".

Body: wears 12mos clothes, size 4 diapers, size 2-3 shoes

No joke, my kids are fighting over DOING chores!!

2011-03-11T11:13:00.002-05:00

So the other day I decided it's time for my kids to REALLY do chores!! I am so fed up with Joe and I doing everything around the house! So I was looking online for chore charts to print off, but nothing was what I wanted and it just seemed to hard! I went to my blog and started reading my favs that I follow, and clicked on eighteen25's post. Could be fate because what are the odds I was looking for it the SAME day she posted!! Crazy!! And it's EXACTLY what I was looking for!!

So no joke, my kids are fighting over DOING the chores!!

Check out my job chart.

in fact their mission is to...

provide parents a website to help teach children the value of a dollar, how to work and be responsible, in a fun and positive way.

here is what you do:

go to the website

http://www.myjobchart.com/

create a page for your family

click on assign jobs

(once you are in that window, you are able to select child, chore, reward, day, am/pm.)
i love that you can set up each child's account with chores that are specific to their age and abilities.

once you are all set up you're ready to roll.

head on over to the website and browse a minute.

take a look at the option of setting specific rewards.
vacations
a new toy/video game
they can shop on amazon...Hunter chose her big prize Going to a concert!

they also have the option of setting their money aside for savings
or
they can share with charities...
how cool is that?

oh... and when they finish their chores, you will be notified...
by text or email!!
(no, i'm not joking...cool, right?)

Just keep swimmin.....

2011-03-09T11:03:00.001-05:00

I was trying to help Alli learn to go under the water w/out being afraid, so I filled up our master tub and let the girls play in their swim suits =) So much fun as you can see!! By the way this was taken with my new iPhone...what was I thinking, should have got me one years ago! ha ha

Dance 2011

2011-03-08T15:39:00.001-05:00

This will be Hunter's 6th year in dance! WOW when did my baby girl grow up??? I went for the first time (this year) last night to watch Hunter's dance. She practices at home, but I like to be surprised at recital...and I must admit when all the girls are together it's awesome! She has come so far! She also does a tap song and this year a hip-hop song (extra class she is taking).

Here she is with one of their songs...she has the dark green pants on.

This was Alli's first year in dance! She LOVES it! She cannot wait till Monday's because she has class!!

Here is one of her songs (she is in the turquoise shirt in back) .

Aniston Sneak Peek

2011-03-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Had such a fun session with Miss Aniston this morning! Such a sweetheart!! So tiny and petite, just like Stella...it's not often Stella sees another baby her size and Aniston is even smaller =) So darn cute!!

Back Yo Files up Peeps!

2011-03-04T11:03:00.000-05:00

You often hear of the horror stories of losing ALL the pictures on your computer. And before I worked in IT I had no idea how to prevent that. Most people when uploading their files, save them straight to the computer hard drive. Either on their "c" drive under my photos or whatever it's named on your computer. Well what happens is that internal hard drive fails...this could be just a random day or it could take a lightning strike...anything really. Well anything and everything you have saved is gone :( My suggestion is to take it into a computer repair business first see if they can recover anything. Worse case scenario is all is gone :( We've had customers have their entire "lives" on their computer!! I just wanna cry with them!

Here is how you can PREVENT that from ever happening....

Get an external hard drive. Above is the picture of the one I bought HERE. I got this just a few months back and it was $90 then, so price has significantly come down. This is seriously the easiest thing to use. It comes with a USB cable and you plug it right into the USB port just like a little thumb drive, but this stores TONS of data! Now these can fail too, just the same as an internal.....so I would suggest if you're a photographer, to have (2) or more of them and to back up on cds and dvds as well! There are also many online sites that sell storage.

My work flow goes something like this:

*upload photos to computer
*create a folder on my desktop (right click, create new)
*copy and paste all files into new folder
*burn new folder to CD or DVD depending on file size
*copy and paste new folder to external hard drive
*start editing

Now I have 4 copies of those files (memory card, computer, CD, and external hard drive). Don't be lazy, if it would kill you to lose these pictures, then BACK THEM UP! Make it part of your routine!

Just another day......

2011-03-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

in the Robinson house =)

Alli Jo driving Stella crazy

Stella throwing one of her MANY fits

Again with a fit :( LOL

Alli Jo will kill me one day for posting this. But she has picked up a nasty habit of picking her nose, gross!! So I just so happened to catch her in the act. I told her if I caught her again I would take the picture to her preschool class (OUCH MOM). Yeah I'm mean, but I want her to quit, so I gotta do what I gotta do HA HA!

Once I caught her

It didn't seem so funny when I said I was going to show her classmates

But my sweet baby can't stay mad at me long, I told her, "DO NOT LAUGH!"

Such a sweetie pie!!!

What's your blog?

2011-02-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

I've lost A LOT of my blogs....if you follow me, I'd love to follow you =) Can you please leave a comment or email me your blog so that I may follow you again!

Thanks

lrobinson@rtccom.com

Mommy & Me Minis

2011-02-25T10:12:00.006-05:00

Location: TBA

The session fee is non-refundable. In the event of inclement weather we will reschedule for the next available date.

The session fee must be in full, you will have 4 days to submit your payment via paypal or check before your time slot is opened back up.

No more than 5 to a session.

Available Time Slots:

April 9th
~~8:30 am – KN (confirmed)~~
~~9:00 am - SR (confirmed)~~
9:30 am - AP
~~10:00 am - LJ (confirmed)~~
~~10:30 am - AW (confirmed~~
~~11:00am - AW~~
~~11:30am - AK (confirmed)~~

April 10th
~~3:00 pm - MW (confirmed)~~
~~3:30 pm - RC~~
~~4:00 pm - SS~~
4:30 pm - AL
~~5:00 pm - SW~~

errr....UPDATE!

2011-02-23T15:55:00.001-05:00

Trying to update the best I can life has just been a whirlwind lately!

Oh January 20th one of my best friends gave birth to her 2nd son, and named him Hudson Alan. Such a CUTE name! I just ADORE it, and HIM! I must say we've talked about this sweetheart since I can remember, so he feels like such a part of my life! The entire family is part of my family and I love them so much. Here are just a few pics I snapped during our newborn session.

For some reason I can't get the rest to load, but you can view them on my facebook page and soak in the cuteness =)

A lot of people tell us how tiny Stella is, and at first I really didn't see it.....but now that I see her compared to other 1 year olds, she's just a peanut =) Here Miss thing sitting at Alli's princess table. I think this is one of the first times she climbed up there by herself....stayed there for about 45 minutes! I'm not sure if she was just having "that" much fun or she was too scared to get down, ha ha!

Not often do I do self-portraits, but Alli Jo has been stuck to my hip lately so I grabbed Hunter's camera and snapped one of us...yep she's my bestie!

I have been soooo self conscious my entire life! It doesn't matter if I'm skinny, fat, tan, white LOL I just am not fond of my outer appearance. But I'm sick of that! God made ME, ME! My body and looks do not define who I am....how do I know this? Because my AWESOME husband, still loves me despite the weight I've gained over the last few years. He loves ME!

I recently came accross a popular blog about a young mother & father of four children. Both the mother & father were in a horrible plane crash and are now scarred over 80% of their body. At first the mother (who was a blogger) didn't want anything to do with blogging or the computer, but now she blogs and writes all the time. And she has discovered that she is HERSELF and not a body! It was very inspirational and touched my heart. I pray that I won't be so self-absorbed and learn who I am and not judge others by looks when I first meet them.

Alli Jo started swim lessons again for Febrary. Since we're heading to the sunshine state for spring break, and the house has a pool I wanted to make sure she touches up on her swimming again. Alli actually doesn't do "too" bad. But this round seems to be struggling with the male instructor. She doesn't quite trust him like she did last month with an older woman. She is still afraid to get water on her face. I'm not sure where this fear comes from, but hopefully we will work on it before the end of March! We got a little behind these past couple of weeks because she got sick again with borderline pneumonia. I'm not even sure if I told many people. I felt like our entire family has been so sick, I'm kind of tired of complaining and don't want people to feel like I'm a complainer....but it sucks! We're all starting to feel better (knock on wood).

This month I launced my new website: http://www.leahrobinsonphoto.com/ Well same site, just a new design. I'm very humbled by the gift God has chosen for me. I hope that I can capture memories for a lifetime!

Had to post this picture b/c these two are just hilarious together =)

I just hope and pray they stay this close!

Valentine's Day...gosh I think AJ was sick with pneumonia, so we all really didn't do much. The hubs and I hired a babysitter the Saturday before and we went and saw JUST GO WITH IT. It was pretty hilarious!! I'm a BIG Adam Sandler fan...so it was definitely up there on favs! It's nice having adult converstation every now and then, but we end up talking about the kiddos =) ALWAYS! We started talking about finally finishing our basement. The hubs got excited b/c he "thinks" it's going to be some sort of man cave or something HA HA! We'll just have to see about that. I have no problem turning it into a sports theme, but he wants to put his deer heads up....which is "ok" I guess, but I don't want him turning it into a mossy oak oasis or something LOL

Here are the flowers he brought home for V-day =) So sweet!

It has been honestly one of the LONGEST winters I ever remember! It's been sooooo COLD. And trust me I do not complain of coldness (just ask hubs who I freeze out of the house).

Here are a few pics of the "kids" playing in the snow a few weeks ago....

Stella got to see her first 3D movie, sit in a booster seat, and wear the 3D glasses! Yep, she's only 13 mos, but she was soooo good! Joe did end up taking her out the last 15 minutes, b/c he dropped her bottle and it busted everywhere LOL She probably would have fell asleep otherwise ;)

Now see why I've been soooo busy?? HA HA I'm excused for slacking on the blog right? hee hee Thanks ;)

I will leave you with this HILARIOUS photo my cleaning lady sent me this morning.

It was titled "See something that doesn't belong?"

Gotta love kids! ha

St. Patty's Day

2011-02-19T11:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks to some cute props from Beez Kneez Boutique I did a little photo shoot with Alli, Stella, and my nephew Grady. Here's a sneak peek =)

Love-Hate Relationship

2011-02-11T09:49:00.001-05:00

If you have never been hated by your child you have never been a parent. ~Bette Davis

Often I feel I only talk about the positives of my family on this blog. Not because we're the perfect family or that we don't have negativity in our lives....but mostly because I hate to bring out dirty laundry when it should be left at home. But as I've started to talk to a few other close friends, I've realized sometimes it helps to talk about things hoping that someone else might be going through the exact same thing!

The quote above summarizes mine and Hunter's relationship right now. It's literally a love-hate relationship. One day, I'm her best friend....and the next day I'm her enemy. I'm not sure why God gave mother's this role, maybe it's because we can forgive easier than a dad??? I'm learning with Hunter, when I can give-in and when I have to stand my ground. I think it's part of being a young mom, I want to let her do things I couldn't do. Having guilt over not being with her real dad, let's her get away with more. And the fact I don't want her to be left out by her friends, I give in. But I'm tired of it, I'm tired of giving-in, only to have her treat me like crap and smart off to me. Last night I had her go pick out her clothes because she is going to a birthday party tonight. I knew if she waited until the morning it would be DRAMA over what to wear. So she picked them out but threw a fit when I wouldn't let her wear her shoe string boots. These are boots that she picked out when I wasn't there, and I'm not the biggest fan LOL Sooooo, being the nice mom I am told her we'd run to Shoe Show and pick out a pair of simple black boots. So we did. And all was well again.

Then I was going to check on her before I went to bed and make sure she was tucked in tight and sleeping. Well she was on the laptop, playing a game. It was 10:30pm on a school night!!! So I yelled, "Get in bed right now!" and she slammed the laptop shut and thew a fit. I grounded her from the laptop, and that was that. Then every word out of her mouth this morning was smart alec!! UGH I can never WIN!! I wanted to ground her so bad from the party tonight, and I know you're all thinking I should.....but every one of her friends is going and I don't want her to be left out. The kids are mean these days and come Monday they'd all leave Hunter out and be talking about the party. Sooooo, that's always my delima. I know she hates writing sentences, so when she comes home tonight before she goes to bed (I know she'll be exhausted) she will have to write, "I will not talk rude to my mom."

I really didn't think this would start at age 10. I cannot imagine what it's going to be like when the DRAMA super-sizes when she's 16!! Let alone when I have 3 DRAMA queens all at once, ha ha! Joe has told me several times he is building a detached garage and living in there when that time of the month comes HAHAHA!!

P.S. If you do not see your blog to the right, I accidentally deleted all of them :( I was so upset!! So if you comment again, I'll know your blog address to add u back.

No more sickies!!

2011-02-03T16:38:00.002-05:00

We hope!

Last week on Monday (January 24th) Alli Jo got what we thought was the flu. It was a preschool day, so she usually takes a nap....well no nap, just fell asleep around 5pm. I knew she was tired so I let her sleep. Joe had left with Hunter to go to a ball game. Around 7pm Alli Jo came in my bedroom and scared me to death because she snuck up on me. She looked at me and said, "I threw up." I was like, "are you serious?" So I ran to her room and it was EVERYWHERE! Just the fun mom's like :( UGH Anyway, she got sick off and on until early morning. When we woke up the next day she was doing "ok" but didn't look too good. She was drinking as much as she could. I went to work and didn't get any calls from my mom who watches her so I figured she was on the mend. Even that evening she was tired, but expected of what she just went through. What I didn't realize was that Alli had started having diarrhea. So therefore I didn't know to try to push even MORE fluids. So the next day I went to work, but when I came home on lunch, Alli Jo looked VERY ill. She was laying in bed and could not even stand up. She was so weak, when she stood up her legs were shaky. I had to carry her to even use the restroom. Her lips were very dry, so I knew she must be dehydrated. I realized it was lunch time at her pediatrician's office, but since it was over a 1/2hr away, I thought I would just get her loaded in the van and drive that way...then when they opened I would call. So I did. When I called I explained what was going on and I needed to get her in. The lady on the phone said they were full, but I could go to the ER or Quickcare in Huntingburg. I was a little irritated that they would not see her (and so was her pediatrician when I told her later) , but decided to head to the ER.

Here's a picture of sweet Alli on the way there

At the ER she of course had to get an IV. It's the worst feeling

in the world to have to hold your baby down while she's being

"tortured". It just broke my heart :( But as a mother, you have

to just put your "it's ok" face on and do it!

As you can see, she was not happy with me :(

So she got some fluids, and actually within an hour started feeling pretty good! Even the nurse was shocked. So after just a bit long, they monitored her and said she could go home. Just make sure she had some fluids. Well on the way home, she fell asleep. I wasn't thinking about her not drinking, b/c she was resting. She slept the entire night through...I was so exhausted I honestly didn't think to wake her up to drink anything. When she woke up, she was back at square 1 again :( So took her to the pediatrician and they admitted her to the hospital pediatric unit. I did not get any pictures of her during the really bad times, but I did take a few once she started feeling better :) The did a culture and found she had the rotavirus. I was familiar with it because Hunter got it around the same age and also ended up in the hospital.

I forgot to mention Joe was sick with bronchitis at home. He could not help me at all. He could barely get out of bed. My step-dad came home early from work and watched Stella & Hunter so my mom could bring me a few things at the hospital. God bless them!

Shawn the pastor at the church we attend, came and visited Alli Jo and prayed with us. Honestly that meant so much to me! Alli was not at a good point, half-way sleeping and grouchy LOL But Shawn was so sweet and asked if he could pray with us. After that, I felt like we both got a 2nd wind...so much better! She even asked to play a game on the laptop!

The next morning she was even better!

She had drank an entire diet sprite by herself! (she wouldn't

drink anything else). And look I even got a smile =)

I just love her so much! It's really times like these that make you stop and thank God that she is healthy and doesn't have a life-threatening illness. My heart goes out to the mom's and dad's that have to be in the hospital for days, months, years...I cannot even imagine! Many prayers to them!

Oh and the day after we got home Stella started getting white patches in her mouth! She was so miserable! Then the following day Hunt got strep throat. Oh I have the best luck! But I think we are all on the mend and could not be any more ready for SPRING BREAK!

What I Would Tell Her....

2011-01-20T10:12:00.007-05:00

So as I sit here pondering how 1 year went by so fast, I simply smile. My BABY girl is growing into a LITTLE girl, and as soon as I blink she will be a YOUNG woman! My friend Wendi had a post like this not too long ago, and I completely understood what she and all moms go through. So Stella THIS is what I would tell you, if I knew what to say…….

WHAT I WOULD TELL HER: (If I knew what to say.)

You are a miracle. And I have to love you this fiercely: So that you can feel it even after you leave for school, or even while you are asleep, or even after your childhood becomes a memory. You’ll forget all this when you grow up. But it’s okay.Being a mother means having your heart broken. And it means loving and losing and falling apart and coming back together. And it’s the best there is. And also, sometimes, the worst. Sometimes you won’t have anyone to talk to. Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’ve forgotten who you are. But you must remember this: What you’re doing matters. And you have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs. The truth is, being a woman is a gift. Tenderness is a gift. Intimacy is a gift. And nurturing the good in this world is a nothing short of a privilege. That’s why I have to love you this way. So I can give what I have to you. So that you can carry it in your body and pass it on. I have watched you sleep. I’ve kissed you a million times. And I know something that you don’t, yet: You are writing the story of your only life every single minute of every day. And my greatest hope for you, sweet child, is that I can teach you how to write a good one.

Dr. Seuss rocked our house!!

2011-01-17T10:14:00.031-05:00

So as you know Miss Stella turned one last week :(

Yes this momma is sad that time has gone so fast! But I'm

so happy that God has blessed us with this amazing little

girl! I cannot imagine life without her! She brings us so

much joy and laughter!

I decided to go with a Dr. Seuss theme for her 1st birthday

party. I had went back and forth between a few different

things. I was going to do a snow flake party with blue & red,

but kept coming accross Dr. Suess party ideas when searching!

Here are the pictures from her birthday party Friday night.

The best thing about all of this was that I traded services

with my great friend Mandi, and she took pictures for

me! I took some at her little ones's birthday pictures a

couple weeks ago! Thanks a MILLION Mandi =)

I put a few tutorials on how easy some of the decor was =)

ENJOY!

I did almost everything last minute. I didn't have a banner

for the party, so last minute decided to cut up on old Dr. Seuss

book.

I tore the pages out of the book (do not let your 4 year olds see you

do this, Alli Jo was NOT happy I tore a book LOL)

Measure the first pennant. Make it the size you want...

I just guessed and it worked!

Use the first pennant to make the rest....

Punch holes for the ribbon

Tie the ribbon and you're done! Tie the ribbon lose b/c

if it's too tight the banner won't arch.

Another EASY decor was these cans I also made

from old books....

I simply tore off the paper and emptied the cans...

Then wrapped the page around the can!

I figured out the hard way, it's much

easier just to tape it to the can then to

glue it!

The main thing I focussed on for this party was the colors,

blue, yellow, and red. It's very easy to find these colors,

but if you can't...simply grab some paint from wal-mart

and you have yourself some party decor!

I painted 3 black picture frames, and then printed off

Dr. Seuss quotes and sat them around, it was so simple

and made such an impact!

Bought the table decor from Party Express!

The AWESOME CAKE by Steph!

The "Green Eggs and Ham" smash cake! Loved it!

Some cake balls that guests went NUTS over!

Cupcakes I made myself (shocker I know) lol

LOVE my baby girl!

Got her outfit from ETSY SHOP!

Our family!

Guests were welcomed by this table....

Cute little leg warmers that were so "Dr. Seuss"

Stella with her future hubby!

Daddy helping her ride her new bike we got her!

Singing Happy Birthday...

Me with some of my Besties!

Hunter with her besties!

Stella with her bestie Adalyn =)

We asked "in lieu of gifts" to bring books for Riley's Children's Hospital since we have been so blessed this year with Stella's outcome....there are still so many families that aren't so lucky. We got TONS of books!! Thanks to everyone!!!!

Embrace the Camera Thursday

2011-01-13T08:46:00.003-05:00

Ok I've been slacking a bit on this...but,

It's THURSDAY, you know what that means....

"embrace the camera"!

Get out your cameras and get in front of them.
your kids want pictures of you in them.
so, do them a favor and say CHEESE!!

Click here to see how I got this idea from this inspiring blog:

This morning is a sweet little girls 1st birthday!!

We love you Stella Aylse Robinson!

Somebody is turning 1 this week.........

2011-01-10T09:26:00.002-05:00

Can you guess who it is?

Great start to our New Year

2011-01-05T16:50:00.003-05:00

Well we've been a little busy the last couple days, to say the least =) Monday night at dance Hunter fell during a spin and twisted her foot. She is ok, no broken bones...just a sprain. But she is to be off of it for a week or so and is using crutches. She's not a pro just yet at walking with them, so it's quite comical!

Here she is at the ER before her xray

That same day Miss Stella decided to tear apart a picture frame w/out gma knowing. She got the entire back and glass out of the frame and then broke the edge of the glass. In the meantime she sliced her thumb open :( So mommy had to rush home from work and take her to the dr. b/c the blood wasn't stopping!

Here is mommy's nice wrapping job HA HA!

Little Stinker Stella =)

Christmas Festivities 2010

2010-12-29T15:30:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from our Christmas festivities. They are all mixed up, and I don't have time to fix them...so you get what you get HA HA! We are so blessed to have loved ones close by and everyone healthy this year!

Here are all the Robinson grandkids/great-grandkids

Thomas, Elise, Alison, Hunter, Casey, Alli Jo, and Stella

Passing out gifts at Grandma Cheryl and Papaw Dean's
Stella wearing Alli's Rapunzel wig

Opening gifts at Mamaw Nita's

Pretty much sums up our Chistmas 2010

Gift from the wife =)

Hunter opening her iPod touch

Traditional BINGO at the Eaton's

Stella walking ALL THE WAY to Aunt Kim

Intense playing, I tell ya!

Aunt Deanna with Stella

Gift from the kiddos

My sister Megan and my nephew Grady

(and she's expecting again, woo hoo!)

At our house, what a mess!

Getting spoiled some more!

Yep, she was spoiled just like a Princess!

Traditional PJ's for Christmas Eve from mommy & daddy

25 Days of Joy - Day 23

2010-12-24T09:34:00.003-05:00

Love watching my baby girl laugh at the silliest things!

Like seeing "another baby" in the mirror =)

Elvis, Elvis, Elvis (Shaking my head)

2010-12-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

I guess Elvis got stinky at the North Pole

Wednesday night LOL

Hunter left for her dad's last night for Christmas, I'm guessing

Elvis thought he'd have a chance to catch her fish....bad, bad Elvis!

25 Days of Joy - Day 22

2010-12-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

Brings me JOY to see all the Christmas cards we received this year =) LOVED all of them, especially the ones with pictures =)

25 Days of Joy - Day 21

2010-12-23T08:34:00.002-05:00

Watch my girls grow up & do big girl things,

bring me JOY!

BR Cheer Clinic 2010

2010-12-22T14:46:00.004-05:00

Alli Jo had her first cheer clinic this past weekend.

I think it was Hunter's 4th time. Saturday they went to a

2 hour clinic where they learned cheers and had some fun

with the high school cheerleaders. Then last night they got

to cheer during the half time of the varsity game. I missed it

b/c I was a little under the weather, but Joe

recorded it for me =)

"He didn't even flush!"

2010-12-22T12:42:00.001-05:00

Those were Alli Jo's words this morning LOL

How embarrassing for Elvis, to be caught

still on the potty, didn't even have time to

flush! (I will spare you the picture of what's

in the toilet) ha ha

Elvis, when do you sleep???

2010-12-21T12:48:00.003-05:00

Oh Elvis, don't you ever sleep? You are constantly up to something!! This momma thought she knew it all (how to raise children)...but you are a step ahead of me every day!! The girls cannot wait to wake up and see where you're hiding ;)

You must have thought it was cold the day we had the

ice storm...here you are sipping hot chocolate!

You already know how to please the ladies!

What woman doesn't want to be in a hot tub

full of chocolate!!!

Took us ALL DAY LONG to find you up here....

Even longer when you were trying to

cool off in the freezer!

And who stole the cookie from the

cookie pile.......

25 Day of Joy - Day 20

2010-12-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

25 Days of Joy - Day 19

2010-12-20T19:19:00.003-05:00

No words really need to explain this JOY =)

Tried to get a picture of their aprons, as you can see the new "walker"

doesn't like standing still =)

25 Days of Joy - Day 18

2010-12-20T19:16:00.003-05:00

Even though you can't see Joe in this picture (he's taking it)...it brings me such JOY to see him and Hunter bond. Although they can fight like brother and sister, at the end of the day they love each other like father and daughter!

25 Days of Joy - Day 17

2010-12-20T19:12:00.003-05:00

Oh Stella, you are going to be more of a stinker than both your sisters combined! But...you bring me JOY with your little scheming antics.

25 Days of Joy - Day 16

2010-12-18T08:00:00.003-05:00

It brings me great joy to introduce my niece or nephew, set to make his/her debut July 2011 =)

25 Days of Joy - Day 15

2010-12-16T11:10:00.004-05:00

Well the first JOY of the day was getting a text from my boss that THE OFFICE IS CLOSED!! Who doesn't love when you DON'T HAVE TO GO TO WORK!!! Woo hoo!! We had a major ICE storm last night and most people can't even get out of their driveways.

So I'm living up the day today, having fun with my girls that bring me TONS of JOY!!! Love my babies =)

Playing limbo with mommy's backdrdop stand

Elvis and his antics....

2010-12-15T11:03:00.002-05:00

Monday I woke up to see a light coming from our desktop computer....

turns out Elvis was up all night creating a facebook page.....I guess it's

true, EVERYONE is on facebook now =)

I guess Monday evening Mary and Joseph were out pretty

late, b/c Elvis ended up babysitting baby Jesus all night.

This is where we found him Tuesday morning....

And then this morning we caught him still in the train,

giving Sleeping Beauty and Rudolph train rides

(Polar Express perhaps?)

25 Days of Joy Day 13 & 14

2010-12-15T10:55:00.003-05:00

Each day my girls take turns moving the nativity scene around.

(ok, ok..maybe mom does too!) It brings me JOY to see them have fun

with it. This is the picture BEFORE Jesus lost an arm &

the angel lost her wing!

Christmas trees always bring me great joy! And of course

my little helper does too ;)

25 Days of Joy - Day 12

2010-12-14T09:39:00.004-05:00

My photography has brought me great JOY!

Oh....Elvis.......

2010-12-12T08:56:00.004-05:00

Day 2 and Elvis is already making

SNOW ANGELS in the house!! What a stinker!!

25 Days of Joy - Day 11

2010-12-11T18:44:00.002-05:00

Watching my girls together brings me tons of JOY! This morning our adopted Elf on the Shelf arrived!! The girls all agreed on his name, Elvis =) He has dark skin and dark eyes and he's PERFECT for our family! Stay tune for the MANY adventures Elvis takes us on!

25 Day of Joy - Day 10

2010-12-10T16:45:00.002-05:00

Rainbows (God's promise) bring me tons of Joy

25 Days of Joy - Day 9

2010-12-10T16:33:00.005-05:00

How can you even look at this guy and not laugh =) This is my dear friend Tim who I work with. He makes days go so much better and faster and of course brings JOY into my life! And as you can see, we are always working hard!!

25 Days of Joy - Day 8

2010-12-08T10:11:00.004-05:00

When I read God’s Word it brings me joy. (Jeremiah 15:16)

I took this picture for a facebook project I was working on called 30 days. For day 7 I had to post a picture of my most treasured item. I had to post my Bible of course and my wedding rings, simply because they keep my grounded!

Santa's Email to Alli Jo

2010-12-07T16:13:00.006-05:00

If this isn't the cutest thing ever! LOL
Santa emailed Alli Jo the other day and I grabbed my
camera to record her. It cuts off a bit early b/c
my memory card was full :(

25 Days of Joy - Day 7

2010-12-07T14:24:00.002-05:00

It brings me JOY to know that I can worship my Savior Jesus Christ in this FREE country. I'm not forced to believe in something I do not. I do not have to hide my religion. And I can teach my children about God.

It brings JOY to my heart that my daughter is now saved and asked Jesus Christ into her heart this summer =) Here's her getting baptized June 30, 2010.

25 Days of Joy - Day 6

2010-12-07T14:08:00.000-05:00

My nephew Grady Michael.

Boy is he a STINKER! But I love him to death!

He will be 3 in Feb and he loves his Aunt Leah =)

25 Days of Joy - Day 5

2010-12-07T14:02:00.003-05:00

Eating Mexican food =) Enough said, right? lol

25 Days of Joy - Day 4

2010-12-06T14:42:00.005-05:00

My best friend, love of my life, and husband of 5 years....Joe! Gosh I love this man! I always thought it was corny to say "my other half" but seriously he completes me and I could not do it without him by my side! He puts up with my mood swings and still loves me HA HA! He will do sweet little things randomly like dishes and laundry and even stop and get flowers w/out any special occasion. So of course he brings me JOY!

25 Days of Joy - Day 3

2010-12-03T10:20:00.003-05:00

Alli Jo, where do I even start. You are such a character! You are at the age where you're learning so many new things. You want to repeat everything ANYONE says, and you try so hard to get it right! Last night sissy was pretending she had a big belly and said, "Look at my big belly!" And you out of nowhere said, "Look how belly my big is!" BAHAHA You crack us up, and seriously have momma laughing so hard that I cry! LOL

You're also the "little mommy" around the house. Even the "little wife" because you tell your daddy what to do HA HA! I love you Alli Jo, you bring tons of Joy to my life!!

Look at how much you grew in just 1 year!

25 Days of Joy - Day 2

2010-12-03T10:09:00.002-05:00

Oh Hunter, you bring so much joy and laughter to our family! You have set such a great example for your younger sisters. I could not ask more of you, you do amazing work at school and at home. Although we tend to butt heads a lot, it’s only because we’re so much alike =) You’ll always be my first born , the one that helped me grow up, the one that taught me how to LOVE …love you Boo Boo!

25 Days of Joy - Day 1

2010-12-02T08:55:00.003-05:00

I'm so loving all the bloggers posting 25 days of joy! Posting 1 picture a day of things that bring you joy =)

Here is my little Stella Belle. She is one of the sweetest joys of my life! I don't believe there has been a day since she was born that she didn't make me smile. She is going to turn 1 next month and she has such her own personality, it cracks us up. When she doesn't get her way, she will pound her hands on whatever she can find...her highchair, the floor, a wall!! Ha Ha She loves her sisters VERY much, infact MUST be in the same room with at least one of them at all times! She cannot wait until Daddy walks through the door from work, her face just lights up and she starts yelling, "Da Da Da!!" And of course there's no bond like mother and daughter. She loves to snuggle with me and dig her body into mine like she's trying to get back inside LOL She loves to look right up at me, grin with her 6 teefers showing and then give momma an eskimo kiss =)

She's a keeper, that's for sure!

Hunter's first Colts game

2010-11-30T09:58:00.012-05:00

Sunday night we headed to Indy for some football! It was my early bday gift from the hubs. We had an extra ticket so took Miss Hunter with us. We hardly get to spend much time with her b/c most of the time we're focussing on the youngest two. So I hope she felt special =) Joe was so excited he bought her a PINK jersey! She loved it! He tried to be a good hubby and bought me one too, but I'm pretty sure it was a kids size b/c I couldn't fit it over my head LOL So thanks hunny for thinking I'm three sizes smaller!

I don't know what it is about Indy but we always get turned around no matter where we're headed! I assured Joe I remembered how to get there a "back way" and we didn't need to program our GPS. HA We took the back way and the ROAD WAS CLOSED! He was NOT happy with me. We got back on the main road and found our way again with my phone GPS....so funny!

It was a Sunday night game, so it didn't start until 8:20pm. I wasn't sure how Hunter would hold up, but she did very well! She was tired before the game started but the Colts fans are not quiet and she got into the game just the same =)

Our seats were pretty good...from the pictures it looks like we're

in the nosebleed section, but we were in section 408...

so definitely not nosebleed LOL

She was so into the game, I loved it! I explained a lot of the rules

of the game to her b/c it gets confusing as why the fans are booing HA HA!

Some weird-o fan guy but I thought it would be

funny to get her picture with him LOL

Always gives me chills to see a flag this big and what it represents
Mr. Manning did NOT have a good game, hense the "ticked off" look

Update on Stella 11.22.10

2010-11-23T10:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our appointment with the neurologist. He first asked why we came to visit, and I explained the “episodes” we had noticed Stella having. He asked several questions and made me tell him in detail what happened, how long it happened, how often, etc. We went over Stella’s history from birth, and discussed her development, etc. He gave her a physical exam as well to test her muscle strength and so forth.

He then looked over Stella’s MRI and found nothing what-so-ever to worry about. He did find a cyst, but said he was VERY confident that it was nothing to worry about. He said if you took an MRI of every child 70% would have cysts show up. So thank you Jesus! He could not get the EEG to work on his computer, but the results were sent to one of his colleagues and he read him the results and they read “normal”.

He believes Stella IS having absence seizures. Although, he feels the outcome is good and she WILL stop having them eventually. If they get worse she will be ordered a 48-72hr EEG to further diagnose them.

Our goal is to stop the seizures 100%. So we will increase her dose of keppra. We will closely watch her for rash, kidney issues, and behaviors/side effects from the drug. Once we find the right med, dose, etc she will be on that for 1-1.5yrs. If we feel she is ready to be weaned off, we will then slowly do that.

Again, I just want to thank everyone from the bottom of our heart for the calls, texts, messages, etc that everyone has sent us. We have been overwhelmed with love! Thank you so much and when Stella gets older I will share with her the love shown! God is good!!