Jenny's Wedding

Sam's cousin Jenny got married the weekend after Valentine's day. It was so exciting because we are pretty close to Jenny and were so happy when she met Doug. They are perfect for each other! Their wedding was in Manti and it was fun to drive down and see this beautiful temple. Neither of us had ever been inside before. It was beautiful! A few younger cousins had also come down and were able to watch Ivy for us during the ceremony. We were so grateful for that. Thanks Breanna! Sam's mom also flew in the day before to come with us and it was fun to have her for a short visit. Anyways, Jenny looked absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad we were able to go! Congrats Jenny and Doug!

At the luncheon:

(no I did not wear just white to a wedding, haha.. I had a blue dress on under my sweater.. in case you were wondering)

Valentine's Day

In the past, Valentine's Day for us has often been trumped by something else going on that day such as a funeral, wedding, etc. Therefore, it was so fun to actually be able to celebrate the holiday on the day itself. It was especially nice to wake up to roses from my sweetheart as well as very cute and creative valentines for both Ivy and me (I gave him his gift later on that day and he loved it). Sam was so sweet to come up with something thoughtful for each of us and even had breakfast planned at Ihop considering we were going out with a couple people for his work later that evening.. Can't complain though. They chose to go to Cafe Rio and it turned out to be the perfect place. We had a lot of fun. Here's to a great Valentine's Day! Sort of the first one ever for us since being married. haha..

Sam said he wanted to get me a "new Max" because my floors keep getting dirtier now that we don't have Max around to clean things up anymore, lol. He is so thoughtful! I love it! And he got Ivy a fun musical table that she absolutely loves and plays on every single day. What an awesome daddy:

Yummy breakfast at Ihop:

My gift to Sam.. We write on it fairly often and it has been so fun lately:

Dinner at Cafe Rio:

Happy Valentine's Day!

New Hair

So I've been growing my hair out for a few years now. It's finally getting to a length that I am happy with but lately I have felt like I needed a change. I'm not ready to chop it quite yet so I decided to color it. At first I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go lighter (maybe the new "ombre" look) or darker but in the end, I chose darker with a hint of red. Sam's cousin Lisa did it and I LOVE it. It's not a huge difference but it's enough to satisfy my boredom and make me feel like my color isn't so blah anymore. Lisa always does such an amazing job with my hair. I don't know what I am going to do when we leave and won't have her anymore. 

More posts coming soon! Valentine's day, a wedding, and more! 

BYU Big Band Night

The weekend before Valentine's Day, Sam got us tickets to go to BYU's annual Big Band Night with Christa and Andy! I've heard about the event and even had friends sing in it in the past so I was super excited that Sam was wanting to go this year. We even got a babysitter (which we hardly ever actually do, haha)! The event was a flashback to the 1940's complete with dinner, dancing, and live music with performers and an actual big band. Some good friends of ours, Scott and Michelle (who also supplied us with some of out costume attire, thanks guys!) were performing so it was super fun to be able to hear them sing all night long! They were amazing, of course. :) It was the most fun date we've had in a long time and I'm so glad we were able to go. We dressed up and danced the night away in a good ol' fashion canteen from the 40's. Loved it!

Waiting to get in the doors.. Sam was super hyper. I think he was excited to have a babysitter and get out for once, hehe:

The joint:

The fella's:

Feelin' Crafty

These past few months have been pretty fun with my neighbor Katie. It all started when we figured out we both like getting together making bows and flowers for our baby girls. Then we decided to make cute little Thanksgiving onesies (pictured here). We would go in together to split the cost of ribbon, fabric, etc. to keep things pretty cheap. Anyways, we tend to just share whatever stuff we have on hand and it has really seemed to work out whenever we feel like getting crafty, hehe. 

I was excited when she had some of this leftover snowman fabric from a blanket she had made. I decided to go  buy a small section of hot pink fabric from Hobby Lobby (our favorite store) and made Ivy a little car blanket to take on her lap when we go places. I thought it turned out pretty darn cute! 

So I had some pink fabric leftover from that blanket. I also had some brown minky fabric and ribbon leftover from our craft back in November so I decided to get creative and make a little taggy lovey (mini blanket) for Ivy (there was enough fabric for Katie to make a little one for her baby too, which was fun). I just cut everything out, hot glued the ribbons in place and had my friend Christa help me sew the edges later on that night. Ok lets be honest. She sewed the whole thing haha! Doing little projects like this make me wish I had a sewing machine of my own. Can't say Ivy absolutely loves it but she has never been one to get attached to blankies or anything. Oh well. She still plays with it from time to time. :)

Ivy's binky clip ribbon started getting really gross so I grabbed some extra ribbon I had and stitched it to the clip. I love this size of ribbon so much better than any of the thick stiff ones I've seen in the stores...

And my biggest/most expensive project to date has been these letter boards for Ivy's room. I got the idea from a post on pinterest and modified it to what I preferred. I didn't mind spending a little bit of $ considering I hadn't dont any sort of decorations for Ivy's room and most of my crafts so far had been pretty dirt cheap. Anyways, I just LOVE how it turned out. I know the fabric in the middle looks a little red in the photos but it is a bright watermelon pink and matches the bedding perfectly:

And finally, just a little craft I did for Valentine's day (and surprisingly VERY cheap). This was actually my gift to Sam. Another idea from pinterest and I love it! Sam really likes it too. We've already written some sweet/funny things on there. It's been super fun so far.

Mema comes to visit

Just a few fun pictures from my mom's visit a couple weeks ago. Ivy just loves her Mema.. or "mmmmAh" as she calls her. It was cute to watch her try to say it right.. 

 Lunch at Jason's Deli with Susan.. mmmm pickles. She ate anything she could get her hands on from the table, hehe:

Tribute

MAXIMUS DECIMUS MERIDIUS (March 15, 2010-February 6, 2012

You were named after a great Roman gladiator who defeated a wrongfully crowned Roman Emperor and helped restore the kingdom to the rightful ruler. The moment we saw a picture of you, we knew that you were supposed to come to our home. You were small, playful and curious. At an early age, you played fetch and obeyed all of the basic commands. You loved us with all of your heart, even though it started to give out. Your loyalty to the Robinson Family Pack surpassed our expectation and we will always be loyal to you. Even though you were not meant to be a watchdog, you still always felt that you had that job to do. When we wanted you to stop barking, you stopped…we appreciate that. Many people told me that they had never seen a dachshund fetch a ball. You did not give way to the limitations of your breed. We gave you the task of bringing back a ball and you fulfilled that task. Without you, we would have lost our balls. Thank you for bringing back our balls.

You had the markings of a Doberman Pinscher, the shape of an Oscar Meyer Weiner and the heart of Asland, the lion. Many people referred to you as a low rider, letting your tummy skim the ground as you ran. Your ears were as big as Dumbo’s. Your nose was as long as Pinocchio’s. Your courage was as grand as Hercules. The biggest surprise was that Uncle Jeff actually liked you. You were Mema’s (Karen) favorite grandpup. Even though she says she made a special trip to Utah to visit Ivy, we know that truth that she wanted to visit you in the decline of your life.

As we noticed the decline of your activity level, we were concerned. When we found out that you had a disease that would take your life and we wanted to be there through the end of it. Your heart started to fail more and more and your abdomen started to fill with fluid. The symptoms of your disease started to show more. Since you had been such a loyal friend to us, we wanted to be a loyal friend to you and let you go peacefully without enduring more pain and anguish of Congestive Heart Failure. Please forgive us. We know that this is what you would have wanted. We will never forget your legacy and how you added another wonderful dimension to the Robinson Family Pack.

Our religion does not touch on the subject of dogs very much. But we do know that you have a spirit and it will live on. Lucky for you, All Dogs Go To Heaven. My personal belief is that you will be our dog in the afterlife. You are in a better place, Max. You are probably thinking “Why didn’t they put me down sooner?” The truth is Max, You didn’t need us, we needed you. We will probably never have another dog as obedient, loving, caring and loyal as you. Thank you for being there for us when we needed you. Thanks for being our best friend. -Sam

Dear Max,
I'm having a hard time writing this mainly because I can't come up with anything good enough to describe how amazing you were. We got you at just 10 weeks old and you were terrified. You cried that night in your kennel but were quick to learn that it wasn't the end of the world. In fact, you were quick to learn everything we taught you. In just a few days, I was able to teach you to sit and lie down. You were awesome. You loved kids and people and were the friendliest pup on the block! Except when it came to guys with black sweatshirts/hoodies on. But it's ok, we know you were just watching out for us. ;) You absolutely loved Denver and sometimes I think you might've always wanted to go back there. Provo was fun too though, when we were able to find good parks.. You were at least able to make a few steady friends, namely, Clifford, Zoe, and Baxter. You were my cuddle buddy through my pregnancy. I loved when you'd perch yourself on my belly. It made my day, especially my hard days that I wouldn't feel very good. I'm sorry you didn't have very much fun in Houston. I'm glad we at least had the tree park by our house. You seemed to like that place pretty well. You also seemed to like Mema and Grandpa's house and Kelli's backyard. Glad you got to know all of them pretty well. Thank you for being so loving and protective and gentle when Ivy came to join our family. I know you would've been a good big brother as she got older. She loved you and would follow you everywhere. Don't worry, we have pics and videos so she won't forget you. I'm sad it had to be this way but God knows us best and has a plan for all of us. Maybe he needs you up in heaven for some reason. :) You really were the best dog we could've ever hoped for. It will be hard for any other dog we have in the future to live up to you. Even though you were a dachshund, you still learned how to play fetch! That was rad. Everyone was always impressed by your tricks. And how smart you were. We will miss you but know you can finally run again and breathe well again. I love you and will always appreciate everything you taught me about patience, fun, and love. :) Can't wait to see you again. I know I will someday.
Love always,
Your Mama, Kathryn

10 weeks old, new home:

Coolest dog park ever; went there every weekend:

Life in Provo:

Trips and holidays:

Life in Houston, Ivy joins our family:

Back in Provo:

Best dog that ever lived.

(sorry the video is a little small. might have to click on the link)