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)

California! 8 is Great!

A couple weekends ago we decided to drive out to California for a long weekend visit at my sister Kari's house. My nephew Zach was being baptized that Saturday (plus my parents were flying in for a few days) so we thought it was the perfect reason to head out there. That, AND to meet my niece Lillian for the first time ever! She is just 3 months older than Ivy and it was our very first time ever seeing her in person. Pretty sure Ivy and Lilly are going to be best friends. Even after we came home, I noticed some things Ivy had started doing that Lilly would do while we were there hehee.. 

Since being there, I've learned that the loudest and craziest toys are the most fun to babies. Pretty sure Ivy thinks all her toys at home are boring now, lol.. She absolutely loved this table. We will have to get one soon:

 They both crawled over here on their own.. I think Lilly wanted to see what Ivy was up too:

Baptism day! Zach is so grown up! We are so glad he decided to get baptized and it was so fun to be there for him. Way to go Zach! Here he is with his mama:

Just had to get a couple pics of my baby girl in her stinkin' cute purple dress and tights:

The whole gang, we love ya Zach!

The next day we took the kids to Chick fil A... Ivy finally decided she was old enough for a high chair that day (we had tried during outings before without success. She would always arch her back or fold over and try to escape lol). Glad to see she is starting to act more her age these days, hehe. Thanks for being such a good (and cute!) example, cousin Lilly! ;) I just love these girls:

And finally, a double date for the adults.. We went to Lucille's. Amazing bbq! mmm:

Thanks for having us, Kari and Mark! We had a blast and are already missing y'all! And thanks baby Lilly for somehow teaching Ivy how to fake laugh, refuse baby food, and power crawl. She thinks she is a big girl now and I just know that it's partially attributed to you in some way. ;)

BTW- Thanks to all of you who commented about Max. Many of them were exactly what I needed to hear and all were very comforting. So thank you. It was nice to hear such kind words from loving friends. Just an update, I can tell in the past week or so that his health is declining rather quickly. We are getting the feeling that his time is approaching. I don't feel so scared or sad anymore though. I know this is the way it has to be and that he will be happier and feel much better after everything is said and done. I will update again soon. Thanks again for your love and support. 

Maximus

So this isn't as exciting as the news I just posted. In fact, it's rather sad but I just want to write about it because it has been bothering me. A few weeks ago we found out that our dachshund Max has a condition called Cardiomyopathy, basically, a rare and serious heart condition where his heart beats irregularly and is classified as congestive heart failure.

We noticed his abdomen swelling quite a bit back in December and I knew it wasn't just a normal weiner-dog-getting-chunky type of thing. He was still skinny everywhere else but around his tummy. His activity level had also been declining over the course of a couple months as well.. So Sam took him in right after we got back from Durango and that is when they discovered it. They told us it was a condition he was born with and that there was nothing we could've done to prevent it. Also, that he is not going to get better. They said he probably only has about 3-6 months to live if we are lucky (or a year if we could spend $$ paying for heart meds and diuretics for his abdomen/getting his tummy pumped if he needed it) but it would be a better idea to put him down before he gets too sick and things get too painful. They told us that was the kindest thing we could do for him.

What are the chances? I think it's crazy that out of thousands of dachshunds we could choose from, the exact one that we pick has a super rare condition and is destined to die early. It makes me sad but I know that he was meant to come to our family, regardless of his being sick. I knew he was the exact dog for our family ever since he was a tiny puppy (even from the moment I saw his pictures online from the breeder)! He was so adorable and perfect. Perfect for us. He isn't even two years old yet (birthday is March 16)! But I know he is in a lot of pain because I can tell that he isn't the happy fun-loving, full of energy puppy that he used to be. We have decided to put him down but I hate thinking of that sort of thing and being in control of when to do it. I feel torn because I keep thinking "he's so young! he still has life to live!" but really, he is not feeling well at all. I just told Sam to pick a day in the future and just tell me that morning or the night before that he is going to take him. Not sure how else to handle it.

Anyways, do any of you friends or family out there have experience where you've had to let a pet go? Please share any insights, advice, words of comfort, etc... I really would appreciate any comments..

Exciting News!

Sam got into the post-baccalaureate program at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee! Way to go babe! It is a one year bridge program that really prepares you for medical school. Sam will be applying to actual med school this coming summer for next August 2013 (you apply a year in advance and he didn't have all of his classes done last year to apply for this coming fall). He will apply to multiple schools but if he does well in his post-bacc program in the first semester, he has a big chance of getting into the school they have there at Lincoln Memorial called Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (pictured below). Sam has done quite a bit of research on schools and he really likes this one so it would be a great thing if he ended up going there. 

The school is located in a small town about an hour north of Knoxsville named Harrogate. He starts the end of July so after graduation, we will be moving down to Pheonix, AZ to sell for the first part of the summer and then head out to TN! We are super excited to start a new adventure in a completely new part of the country. We have gotten so used to the west so it will be interesting to see how we like the east. :)

Ivy at 8 months (plus a new video)

My baby girl is already 8 months old. She has grown up so much in the past couple months (especially in the past couple weeks!) and just keeps changing so fast. I love how her little big personality is starting to show more and more. It's been a while since my last post about her so just wanted to record some updates..

We got her ears pierced back in December after we got home from mine and Ivy's trip to Houston! Sam and I decided to just stop talking about doing it and just go do it. She was funny. It took a while to mark the dot's in the right places bc she is such a wiggler.. but once those were done, it was pretty easy. They did one ear, Ivy became immobile from silent crying (the kind where they are so shocked and exhale for a while until they finally inhale and scream hahaa), then they hurried and did the second one, lol.. She didn't scream though. She was a little shocked and cried for a few minutes but after that, she was completely fine and never knew what hit her! I'm so glad we did it this way. Now she will never remember it hurting and she just looks so darn cute with her studs. :)

Ivy finally started sitting up on her own over Christmas break. It's taken her a little while to get it down because she is such a mover.. We had been practicing and trying to get her to do it for a while but I guess she just had to decide to do it on her own. One day while we were in Durango, she just started rolling from her army crawl into sitting position and eventually got the hang of it and found her balance. It's soo nice that she can finally sit and play with her toys instead of always rolling to her tummy or back.

First tooth! A bottom one came in December 31st, 2011. I remember the day because it was New Year's Eve and Sam felt something sharp poking through her gums! We had just driven back from Durango the day before and it was a miserable drive because Ivy cried pretty much the entire way. Poor girl was teething! Good thing there was an explanation or else I don't think I'd ever want to take a road trip with that girl again! haha! (This past weekend to california was a much better driving experience)

I wouldn't say Ivy is strictly a "daddy's girl." I'm pretty sure she has quite a preference for her mama but boy does she just love him to pieces! Her face lights up when she sees him and her eyebrows perk up and she starts looking around for him whenever she hears his voice. He's just so darn fun! And Sam is certainly smitten by her, that's for sure. I love the relationship they have together. It cracks me up...

Ivy has been army crawling for a long time, ever since around Thanksgiving, I would say.. but just in the past week or 2 has she finally figured out how to crawl for real. It still looks a little funny because she sometimes goes back and forth between real crawling and army but she's using her knees a lot more these days. Always been a real mover though,  no matter the method. ;)

So I guess with the sitting up comes standing because ever since she has figured out the sitting up bit, she has started to pull up on things! I'm not ready for a walker yet! Oh and this also includes learning to stand up in her crib as well. The first couple days she learned this, naptime was nearly impossible. She was so fascinated and proud of her new trick that each nap took around an hour for her to finally give in and go to sleep lol.. and she hasn't quite figured out how to sit back down from standing so this just presents the problem of her yelling out for me to come help her each time, lol.. Hopefully she will learn soon..

Ivy just looves her jumper these days! Jump, jump, jump! It's hilarious to watch. before she would just kinda rock in it or sort of move but since she has figured out how to jump, she just goes on and on. It's a always nice change from playing on the floor. :)

Baby girl is finally starting to babble a lot more. She's been a pretty quiet baby thus far so it's  funny when she get's going.. And she had her first word a little over a week ago! She was in her jumper and was sort of whining to get out and we were both sitting there and heard her say "mamaa!" (yeah!!) We both looked at each other like "whaat?" so I turned to her and said "Ivy, say mama! mama! If you say mama, I'll get you out.." I guess she understood because after a little whining, she said mamaama again. haha.. that whole night we were trying to get her to say it and she kept saying bababa, mamaam, and other variations haha.. but I'm pretty sure she knows what mama means because she says it when she wants me. usually happens more when she's whining about something but I'll take what I can get, lol..

A couple cute things she has started to do are give kisses and nod her head. The nodding her head is still pretty rare but if you catch her doing it, it's so funny to watch her because she is just starting to figure it out.. And her kisses are so sweet. When we went to Houston was when she was doing it the most.. She must really love her aunt's because she gave each one a big slobbery kiss goodbye on their cheek. It was so sweet. I just love those baby slobber kisses! When we were in California this past weekend, Lillian would lean over and try to give Ivy baby kisses on her head (bc Ivy is quite a bit shorter than her, lol) They were so cute!!

And finally, another fun little video I put together. I made it pretty quick so I'm sorry if some of the music or audio is a little too loud or what not: