Happy Easter: He is Risen!!

What a great day we had with family and friends. We started off the day making our way through the pouring rain to church to meet family and some friends that we had invited. It was a great service, and completely packed. Afterwards, we all headed back to our house and we had lots of food, looking for Easter eggs, and the kids ran circles around the house. Of course, the day before, it was nice weather. It would have been perfect for an Easter egg hunt. Not today. This is a picture of the kids waiting back in our room, while the rest of us hid the eggs throughout the front part of the house-improvising due to weather.

This is Sophia, my niece, who will be turning two years old next month. She is the youngest cousin, but she can hold her own with the bigger kids. She is very cute and loves to wear the dresses. All of her cousins take care of her.

Any time we all get together, Noah (4) and Nolan (4), instantly run off and start wreaking havoc. They have a great time together. We have decided that they are like two puppies. Always tackling each other and rolling around the floor. They are hilarious to watch.

Once the kids were in the back bedroom playing around, it did give us small moments to hang out and talk to people. We are so glad our remodel is done, because it allows us to have people over and enjoy our home. And hey, we had one extra bathroom that was complete with a toilet and a shower. (Rebecca, Stacy, and Sarah-pregnant)

Like always, everyone seems to congregate around the kitchen. We had great food. It is funny how the kids could care less what we eat all day long, but the parents plan it, prepare it, fuss over it, and eat it.

Once we had all of the eggs hidden, we lined the kids up in the hall and made them wait while we explained the rules. This year, we had six kids, so we got six different colors. Each child was a different color so they would all gets eggs in the end. This way, Sophia (2), would get to find eggs even if she takes a little more time and walks a little slower. All of the kids loved this and ended up helping each other out. It was fun to watch. We did give Sophia a head start.

This is after they had found all the eggs and candy. I think most of them were going into a candy coma. Their cousin Amanda also came to help them out towards the end.

Rebecca's cousin, Amanda, came. All the kids look up to her since she is the oldest of the cousins. They think she is great.

Noah, looking around for more eggs. He is the master at finding the eggs. We would have normally hidden the eggs outside, but living in thenorthwest means being flexible...and so we were. We really enjoyed the day with our friends and family.

Happy Easter,

RnR

Rebecca finally takes a shower!

Yes, it has finally happened. Rebecca finally took a shower. Most of you know how Rebecca is always put together and believes in cleanliness. Well, after taking showers in the children's' bathroom for the last six months, we are proud to announce that our shower is working. As of Saturday, the shower is complete and the sink is in and working. We almost don't know what to do with ourselves. We have a full working master bathroom. I am almost positive that Rebecca will love that I posted these pictures of her showering, but it is for the greater good. Rebecca did a lot of the work, which made it fitting that she would test drive the shower.

The thumbs up from the Reba!

The "Easter egg dip"

It is that time of year again....dipping those Easter eggs. We got home from our night away this afternoon right around the time that the kids got home from school. We had decided to have a family night so we made burgers, let the kids play outside for a bit, colored the Easter eggs and then finished off the night watching Star Wars V. The kids hadn't really seen it, so they loved watching the whole things. Our time was littered with questions about which one was Darth Vader and why they were shooting at one another. It was great. We let the kids stay up and finish the movie, which they thought was the best part.


Coloring the Easter eggs actually takes longer than the actual dipping. They were excited to dip them, but were even more excited about the movie and popcorn. It was a great end to a Friday.

Jacob always wants to be more creative wit his dipping, and they always turn out great. The funny thing is that we never hide the real eggs for the kids to find for fear that one of the missing ones will decompose underneath the couch or something. So, we die the eggs for fun, turn them into deviled eggs, and hide the plastic eggs. I have learned this from experience. When I was around 10, I remember my parents asking all of us kids to please look for the one missing egg around the house somewhere. We knew we had a missing egg because the smell told us so. From that point on, plastic eggs were used in the LeRoy home. So, for all of you who love the authenticity of your kids finding real, colored eggs on Easter, think again.

RnR

Belated Birthday evening

On Thursday afternoon, Rebecca and I drove up to alderbrook resort and spa. www.alderbrookresort.com . It is located in the Hood canal area about 45 minutes from home. It seemed like a lifetime away since it is out in the middle of the trees, right on the water. It was quiet, and it seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves. It was incredible. We first got up there and walked around the grounds and then took a nap before dinner. We had dinner reservations at 6:30 but not before we drank some from the complimentary bottle of wine left in our room. Those of you who know Rebecca know

that she doesn't drink wine or most anything because she doesn't like the taste. You would then know my surprise when she pulled the cork and poured us both a glass. It was a nice treat to drink a glass with someone else instead of alone. And if you are wondering, no, she didn't like the taste, but she tried anyway. I gave her points for trying. We headed down for dinner and had a great meal and spent a long time talking and finishing things off with dessert. It is always great to get away and have conversation.

They made the plate up nice with Happy Birthday written on the outside. Our main goal this morning was to try and sleep in until at least 7 a.m. Sounds sick when that is our high expectation. We had no problem sleeping in until that time. We had a great breakfast and headed over and worked out for awhile prior to my hot stone massage. Rebecca had set this up for me before and it turned out to be incredible. and yes, those stones are really hot. It felt great though. It is always great to get away, even if it for 1 night. It gives us a chance to re-connect and have a longer conversation other than, Hello and goodbye.

Birthday dinners in Seattle

We all went out to dinner in Seattle at the Icon Grill, www.icongrill.com , for both Mark's and my birthday celebration. It is always great when we get to slip away for the night and have dinner in Seattle. We first drove to Bainbridge Island and dropped off the kids with my parents. They took them to the movie, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. They said they had a great time seeing that movie. Rebecca and I really wanted to see it too with the kids, but this way, they got to see the movie, and we had an adult night out. Everyone wins. Afterwards, the kids went out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and they said they had a fun time dining with them.

We all headed over to Seattle on the ferry and met up at the Icon Grill. They are most famous for their desserts, but the food was really good. I had flat iron steak, which was so good since it doesn't seem like I have steak much at all anymore. This was a great picture of Reba, Mark and Sue at the table before we ate dinner. No one had to cut any one's food up for them or keep them occupied--except for me of course.

Like I said, the desserts are incredible. There is one dessert, the sundae. They bring it out in a huge fortune cookie with multiple scoops of ice cream. They also bring a separate plate of m&ms, crumbled cookies, whip cream, etc. You then tell them what you want on it and they dump all of the goodies on top. Reba told them to dump it all on. Shooting out of the top of the sundae is a cone fortune cookie with whip cream coming out of it. Reba's sister, Hannah, thought it funny to shove the whole thing in her mouth and she graciously allowed me to capture this on film. She will be forever sorry knowing that I have this picture of her. They brought the birthday boys a homemade ding dong with homemade ice cream and fudge sauce. All and all, it was more dessert than a table of 10 would need, but we still put a pretty good dent in it.

We took the ferry home and picked up the kids from grandma and grandpa's house at 10 p.m. and drove them home. They were all so tired and of course woke up for the 45 minute drive home. We came home and threw them right in bed. They all "slept in" until 7:30 this morning, which is good, but we know they will feel the effects today. We may also feel some of the backlash. Here is Noah, so excited to be up s late in the car. We all had a great time tonight.

Tired and happy

Jacob's second grade play 2008

Jacob had his second grade play last night which lasted a whole half hour. It was about the life of a nut, which grows into a seed, then a tree etc. Jacob was a squirrel who had an actual line. He said he was so nervous to speak into the microphone, but he did great. It is always fun to watch them in front of a crowd. Jacob had his fan section consisting of his grandma karen, Marna and Pappa, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Josh, his parents, and his brothers. It was fun to watch him.












There were times when it was a bit chaotic up in the front, but they all knew where they were going and what they were supposed to do. I can't imagine getting that many second graders organized in one spot, but they did great.

























This was a picture of all of the squirrels doing their dance. It was chaotic bliss. They all seemed to have so much fun. Afterwards they had dessert, which all of the kids thought was the best. Rebecca brought her award winning brownies with peanut butter frosting-obviously something for the adults to stay away from. I didn't even try one for fear that I would like them too much. Jacob slept like a log last night from his three performances this week. Tonight we are off to dinner for my birthday and Mark's in Seattle. Until then. Robb

Jonah's first tooth gone at 6 years old

Jonah has had a loose tooth for a long time now and hasn't understood why it just won't come out. All of his other friends and classmates lost their teeth in Kindergarten and at the beginning of this year. He got his first baby tooth late, so naturally, he lost his first baby tooth lat also. He didn't like this at all. The last week, it has been hanging by a thread, but it wouldn't come out. He went to school yesterday and was playing tether ball when it came back and hit him in the mouth, un-lodging the tooth from his gums, launching the tooth out of his mouth and into the dirt. Any of you who know Jonah will know that this scenario is perfect for him. He is so harsh and rough anyway, it was no surprise that it came flying out of his mouth. He was so excited, partially because it bled afterwards, but also because he can now join the club. He was so excited to show us when he got home. He then put it under his pillow and couldn't wait until morning. Today he said that he still isn't sure about the tooth ferry. He said, "I wish there was really a way to know for sure if there is a tooth ferry or not." Deep down, I think he knows, but he doesn't want to ruin the excitement and also lose out on the money.

Noah, although brushing his teeth and keeping them clean, told Jonah that he is going to lose a tooth much sooner than 6 years old. He said he is going to brush that tooth right out of his mouth. Noah will probably do it too. He is an over achiever and wants to one-up his brother.

How old am I this Year?

Anytime I used to have a birthday, I seemed to always forget how old I was. I'm not kidding. Haven't any of you ever had a moment where you really can't remember how old you are? This seemed to happen to me often during the late twenties and early thirties. It seems like this has all changed now. Now that I have turned 36, yes, I said 36, I never forget my age anymore. I am sure there will come a time again where I forget those things, but for now, I can remember. I never understood why I couldn't keep track until I realized that I am now on the countdown to 40. Now I still feel good about this because there are a lot of people I know who are going to turn 40 before me. My brother is going to be 40 this year, which is odd in and of itself, but that gives me some extra padding and time to deal with it.

I had a great birthday week. My brother came in from Charleston with his son Eli, and so we were able to celebrate together. On Saturday, my brother-in-law, Tom, and sister had us all over and made us a great dinner. It was great food, and good company. On the day of my birthday, I worked like millions of other Americans do on their birthdays, and then we celebrated with the kids at the end of the day. The birthday continues to extend itself as we are going out to dinner in Seattle on Friday with Rebecca's side of the family to celebrate both my birthday and my father-in-laws birthday also. So, I have had a lot of great things to look forward to this week.

One thing Rebecca always says is that I never put up bad pictures of myself on the blog and I beg to differ. So in the interest of being a good sport, here are two of them. Now I could tell you that in the first one, I had recently been sticking out my tongue and in the second one, my ears look as if they are going to start waving to the camera. So there you go. Happy birthday to all of those thirty somethings who can't really remember how old they are.

Robb

Eli and Scott come to visit

On March 5th, my brother, Scott came from Charleston with his son, Eli for a 5 day visit. Our kids were so excited, to say the least. The great part of their trip was they took turns staying at all of our houses. My parents live in town, so they usually stay there. This time, they spent the night with us one night, my sister one night, and then with my parents. This gave us all great time with Scott and Eli. On Saturday morning, we got up, filled the kids with protein and the ever popular doughnut, and went out to kart Trak to take some go-carts for a spin. Noah and Eli decided not to go cart it and they played video games instead. They had a great time. Jacob and Jonah took the go-carts out and loved it. They had been there before for birthday parties, but it was not as busy that morning, so they got to go out more often.

Jonah took off in his m&m car and Jacob was a little more reserved in his driving skills. I think that gave us a glimpse into the future. Thank God Jacob is getting his drivers license first.

Old man Scott took his turn at shooting the targets, which I know made him feel more manly. I think Noah and Eli still beat his high score. There is nothing like a 39 year old suburban dad taking shooting practice in kart Trak with is cell phone clipped to his pants. It was a sight for sore eyes.

Eli had a great time. At times, he had six cousins wanting attention from him. He took it in stride and had a great time. It is always so great to see all of the cousins playing, because I still have such good memories of my childhood, playing with all of our cousins.

After kart Trak, we headed off to Bainbridge to meet the rest of the clan and we went to the junior high where Rebecca's cousin, Amanda competed in jump roping for her school. She is a freshman this year and loves jump roping. All of the kids loved watching her. She had a cheering section of 15 people, all ranging in age from 1 1/2 to 92 years old. Afterwards, the kids ran around the front of the school and were ready to head off to the park. All of us were dragging, but we knew that running around the park was exactly what they needed. In the long run, we knew we would all benefit from this activity.

Jonah is intently working in the sand. It was one of the first nice days we have had. Sun, 50 degrees, which is why the coat is off. This is summer baby!

I like to call these two Mut and Jeff because they seem to get in trouble together when they are off by themselves. They play so well together. One minute they are pushing each other down, and then next they are defending one another. They had a great day. You know it is a good day when one of the kids has a breakdown at the end. They are tired and ready for bed. It

This was the picture of the morning sugar rush. Uncle Scott brought the doughnuts so all of the kids thought he was awesome. It was great to spend time with Scott and Eli. They got to see our house on a Saturday morning with pajama time, breakfast, and loud running around the house. Eli fit right in. We missed seeing Aunt Lara, Nate, and Abby, but we were glad to have some of the clan come and visit. Our kids are now going through withdrawals. Oh Happy day!

Glorious Day to be had by all!

I figured you can't just talk about all of the negative parts of life all of the time. You can't have the bad without the good. So, we are celebrating the fact that all of the kids went to school today without being sent home sick. What a glorious day. Noah even had a friend home after school, which gave Rebecca the time to clean the house. It is a win/win situation for me. Rebecca had time to herself today and was then able to clean the house. I walked in from work to a clean house and healthy kids. Today is a good day. Call it like I see it. We are thankful for healthy bodies. Hope this finds you counting your blessings.

RnR

Another one bites the dust!

Just when you think it can't continue to get worse, it does. We went to bed last night and Jacob was feeling better from the day. We made it almost through the whole night when Jonah came into our room at 4;55 am stating that he had thrown up in his bed. Now there are a couple ways to look at this situation. You can be exhausted by the whole situation in the middle of the night, or be thankful that he didn't throw up all over the carpet. I chose to be thankful in the moment. I jumped out of bed and we told him to run to the bathroom. Rebecca sat with him in the bathroom while I stripped the bed and started the laundry. We got Jonah situated in our bed with Rebecca with a bowl and a towel within arms reach. I went and slept on the couch the rest of the night so as not to wake up Noah. So now the weekend has been set once again. We are home bound again, for the third weekend in a row. The upside is that we are getting a lot done around the house. Rebecca is off to work today, so the boys and I hanging out getting chores done. I swear that we should have bought stock in Gatorade because we have consumed enough in the past three weeks. Anyway, Jonah is feeling better, eating crackers, drinking Gatorade, and lying in our bed. The prayer is that Noah doesn't follow suit at this point. Have a great Saturday ya'll.

the leper colony