The Denos Family

Tree Trimming

2011-11-26T17:36:00.001-08:00

One of my kids favorite traditions is decorating the tree. Every year we order in some food (this year pizza) and turn on Christmas music. Greg hands out the ornaments and the kids decorate. There is always a spot that has way too many ornaments, but hey, it's the way they like it. We are truly blessed to have this holiday to remember the birth of our Savior. I hope everyone enjoys it and counts their many blessings.

Horses are Awesome

2011-11-26T17:31:00.001-08:00

Today we went with my friend Brenda from school who graciously offered to share her horse Maggie today with Sierra.

Sierra could not stop smiling and fell in love.

I really liked that Brenda showed her the importance of taking care of your horse. Sierra brushed her and cleaned out her feet and smiled the whole time.

Sierra showed no hesitation about getting up on that horse. She looked so awesome. She was even able to ride her as she cantered. Stopped my heart a bit, but it was awesome to see.

Pride Winner of the Month

2011-02-28T06:34:00.000-08:00

We are so proud of Sierra!! She was the Pride Winner of the month for February for her class. She is such a sweet girl. Mrs. Smith enjoys having Sierra in her class and knows she can rely on her to help. She is very loving and caring and always tries to make sure everyone is happy. You're awesome Sierra!!

Music

2011-02-28T06:29:00.001-08:00

Gabe had his music program the other day and it was about life on the islands. They did all the props and set up. We were so proud!!

Our Last, First Tooth

2011-02-23T05:23:00.001-08:00

What an exciting day Sunday was. After wiggling and wiggling Sammy's tooth finally came out. (Of course daddy had to trick him to pull it out). It was quite humorous that while we were eating lunch Greg asked Sam how much he thought his tooth was worth to the tooth fairy. Sammy said he thought 6 bucks. Wow, talk about inflation :)

Two Hands

2011-02-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

Well Sammy is 6 today!! He has to use both hands to show how old he is. It makes me happy because he is such a great kid, but sad that he is getting so big. Last night his big accomplishment was that he could make himself burp, right in my face. Greg thought it was pretty funny. Sam definitely makes our life entertaining. He has such great energy and zest for life. Happy Birthday Sam!!

Delightful

2011-01-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

So exciting!! We got to Mexico. Tori and I have been planning this trip since March of last year. We thought about throwing a party for our husbands because they were both graduating with their Master's Degree in business. Then we thought to ourselves, no way let's go on a trip. So we booked it in March and never quit talking about it. Yes, Shawn and Greg were sick of hearing about it!! What a great time we had. Above is a picture of us snorkeling in the natural pond right on the resort. At one point Tori said she wasn't going to do it and I called her by her full name and told her to get her bum in the water. When she got all hooked up and stood on the platform she said again that she didn't think she wanted to do it and the man in charge said, " Victoria Elizabeth get in that water!" Only he said it with a Mexican accent. Hilarious!! You might of had to be there :)

We went to Tulum, which are Mayan Ruins. They were absolutely gorgeous!! This is the view from the top. Holy Cow!! I could have stood there all day.

Before we went to dinner one night on the resort!!

After a long flight we finally got there. We went to our rooms, changed and headed out to explore the resort. The water was gorgeous and the view was incredible. What a life!!

Graduation

2010-12-27T08:43:00.000-08:00

Greg graduated with his Masters in Business Administration on December 17th. We are so proud of him and all his hard work.

Temple

2010-10-11T18:18:00.001-07:00

I have to admit I was not mentally ready for Gabe to turn 12. When I tell people that they think that I just don't want to get old. I can tell you that is very far from the truth. I have always had a hard time with my kids growing up. No matter how many time Greg tells me that is what is supposed to happen, I just want to dig in my heels and stop time. Yesterday I was holding him in my arms thinking I had all the time in the world and then all of a sudden he is being ordained a deacon and I am standing in front of the temple with him. I can honestly admit that I didn't want to go in. I am so glad I did. I was able to stand and watch while he entered those baptism waters with his dad and my heart was so full. I am so grateful to have been able to be there to watch that sacred ordinance take place. I am so proud of the young man Gabe is turning out to be and the decisions he has made. Don't get me wrong, I still want to dig in my heals and keep those hands from turning on the clock, but I am grateful my Heavenly Father knows me and is there to comfort me as my kids grow, like they are supposed to.

12

2010-10-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Gabe on his birthday. They were off school on the Friday he turned 12, September 24. He wanted to go see Legends of the Guardians with a few friends and then eat at Cici's Pizza. So of course, that is what we did. It was a fun day!!

A new way to carry things

2010-09-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sam wanted to bring all of his guys downstairs to play with. Instead of just finding a bag to put them in he came up with a different way. When he got down the stairs I just had to laugh. Maybe I will start trying this way too?

Tenderfoot

2010-09-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Gabe got his tenderfoot a couple of weeks ago for scouts. He loves scouts and looks forward to going every week. I just don't get why we moms have to get up there?? :) Way to go Gabe!!

Forts

2010-09-15T13:00:00.001-07:00

Sierra has always been a night owl. Greg and I have to be careful because we will put the kids to bed and then go to sleep a little while later, but Sierra will just be fiddling in her room. Well this is what I came into at about 12:30 a.m. Sierra had taken about 10 blankets from the linen closet and made a canopy for her bed. Very creative but I still had to undo all the knots she had tied the blankets in. She was very proud of herself even though she did not have a good time waking up in the morning.

Too Big

2010-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight at dinner we were talking about the fact that it is already September. Sierra and Sam got all excited that Halloween is just around the corner. As they were talking about what they wanted to dress up like Gabe says, "mom, I don't think I want to dress up anymore." Wow, I can't believe we are already there. I told him maybe he can just be something ugly and gross and he just shook his head and said he would pass out candy and that I needed to deal with the fact that he is growing up. What is that???? Holy Cow!!!! I know I don't deal really well with the kids getting bigger, but man I thought I had at least one more year. Apparently not, his birthday is just around the corner and he will be ordained a deacon at church. Stop the madness!!

Did you know it is only Tuesday????

2010-08-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home from school today I was feeling a little rundown and tired. Then the thought popped into my head, "Holy Cow, it is only Tuesday!" I feel like it should be Thursday, but unfortunately IT IS NOT!! I guess I need to buck up and start taking vitamins or something. My mom was a little shocked when I called her while driving and when she answered I immediately said, "mom, did you know it is only Tuesday?" She then told me I needed to go home and take a nap, but who has time for that :) Anyway enough complaining. Hope the week is going by fast for someone else.

UNO

2010-08-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

This post is just more for me to remember. I started at UNO today. Metro Community College is now in the past. My first class started at 9 so I thought I would leave right when the kids left for school so I would have plenty of time. Little did I know that parking was going to be such a nightmare!! And I stress the word nightmare. I paid for a parking pass and couldn't even find a parking space on campus. I ended up having to park over at a park. So as I am walking the mile to school and sweating profusely, I am cursing the administration of the college and the fact that I had to pay for the stinking parking pass in the first place. By the time I made it to my class I had five minutes to spare (mind you I parked the car at 8:25. So while I sat there I was hoping I didn't smell to bad seeming as seating in the classroom was very close quarters. Just as I had cooled off the class ended and I realized I had ten minutes to get all the way to the other side of the campus for my next class. Holy Moly!! Bring on more sweat!! Anyway, that is what I will always remember about my first day at UNO. Good times!!

Mischevious Brynna

2010-08-17T08:59:00.001-07:00

This should be the last picture. She finally fell asleep after all her mischief.

Brynna was just out to get into places she knew she wasn't supposed to be. I followed the trail of scooby snacks and found her in the shower.

Not quite sure what this is about. I was folding laundry and looked over and this is what I saw.

Laundry Palooza

2010-08-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

So this is what happens when you neglect your laundry for a couple of days (okay like 5). I usually try to do it right out of the dryer but things have been so hectic lately I have let it go.

There are no words. This took me and hour and a half!!

First Day of School 2010-2011

2010-08-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

The day has arrived. I can't believe it. This morning I sent ALL THREE of my kids to school. As I am blogging this it is quiet in my house and I have already gotten some cleaning and laundry done. I can't wait to see what the school year brings!

Gabe is all ready for 6th grade. I can't believe it. Gabe is always so helpful. When we got to the school he told me, "don't worry mom, I will walk Sam to his classroom before I go to mine." What a great kid.

Sam I am is in kindergarten. This morning he was very proud of himself for getting up on time (even though I had to wake him up). He just kept saying, "mom I woked up on time so that is good right?" Way too funny, you had to be here. I really don't think the school is ready for Sam, but we will see. He got Mrs. White who is Gabe's tutor so at least I know her and gave her fair warning.

Miss Sierra is all ready for 3rd grade. She is such a sweet girl. She explained to Sam over breakfast all about having to change your card at school if you are bad. She told him if you have to turn it to yellow it's okay because it means you just made a mistake. But, if you have to turn it to orange that means trouble :)

Kids Weekend

2010-08-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a while. This summer has been crazy for Greg and I. I am very grateful that he will be done with his master's after this next semester and maybe I won't be so crabby. We have both spent a lot of time on school and our kids have been so supportive. We decided to take this last weekend before school and just hang out and do whatever they wanted. Greg took a couple of days off work and we let them plan.
So sorry about being a bit of a loser when it comes to blogging. With all my kids starting school on Tuesday (oh yes, all three) I will try to make more time for it.

Kids Weekend Day One

2010-08-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

Our first day of kid weekend was FunPlex which is a water park/fun park. We went there with Ginger and her kids and Trish and Savannah and of course Paul. What's a trip without Paul :) It was a great day and the kids did not want to leave. With the water slide and the all time favorite motion ocean (wave pool) the kids were in heaven. We had to pull Sierra and Sam out of the water by the end.

So I know Gabe is becoming a young man and getting older on me. He and Zack roamed around the park by themselves all day and checked in when they were hungy, typical. They had a great time and I was surprised that Gabe rode the roller coaster multiple times. Gabe has a fear of heights and between that and the very tall water slide I am proud that he doesn't let his fear prevent him from having fun. He and Zack had a great time.

Sierra on the bumper boats. She is a little adventurer. She loved everything about the park

Our fear with Sam is that he has no fear. The wave pool would get pretty scary when they turned the waves on and he just plowed through. We had to stay right next to him because he would just dive right in the wave not considering how deep they get and that it takes a lot of energy to stay on top of them. He loves the water. Every day this summer he would ask me how he was going to get wet that day, whether it was going to the pool or running in the sprinkler he doesn't care as long as he is wet.

Day 2

2010-08-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

So on day two it was a little more relaxing. The kids chose to go see a movie which I don't have a picture of and then they wanted to have pizza at pizza hut. We took them to see Sorcerer's Apprentice and to have pizza then just hung around the house and went to Borders bookstore that night so the kids could pick out a book.

Day 3

2010-08-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

This does seem like a weird picture for our third day of kid weekend. But let me tell you what this was about. Our kids love the movie Princess and the Frog done by Disney. Ever since that movie they have been fascinated by beignets which are a fried dough with powdered sugar on them. They are commonly found in the south. Well we found a restaurant in the old market downtown called Jazz that serves foods originated from New Orleans. So we took the kids there this last weekend and let me tell you the food was amazing and the beignets were wonderful (heaven really). This picture I am posting just because it will make Tori mad :) This is her eating her beignet and loving it. YUM!!

Sierra is loving her beignets also. She is a little baker in our family and has been wanting to make these, and now that we have tried them I will definitely be letting her :)

All three of the kids with our little desert. Sam had powdered sugar all over him. It was quite funny.

We ended up at the slides downtown and the kids were loving it. Shawn and Tori came down to join us and the picture above is when I took Brynna down (even though Tori didn't want me to). Both her and I look terrified but she was laughing by the end.

Gabe at the end of the slide

Sam is a little lightweight and so he kind of flew off at the end of them.

Sierra was a little shocked her first time around

Sierra has been wanting to walk across the footbridge that goes from Nebraska into Iowa. Greg and I did it last year as part of our anniversary and ever since she has wanted to go. So here they are in both states.

13 Years

2010-08-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Greg and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary. It has been a pretty grueling summer with both Greg and my classes for school we have been taking. I am grateful we got to spend a few hours yesterday remembering that very special day that started a long journey of memories.

EEEEWWWWW!!

2010-06-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night we decided to walk together around the lake and detoured to Pizza Hut and then walked back to the car. It was a fun activity with the kids and they enjoyed the pizza and Greg and I enjoyed walking it off afterward. On Sunday morning I was really groggy and tired because I hadn't slept well because my arm kept going numb and I couldn't figure out why. I was in the shower washing up and looked down at my shoulder and to my dismay saw something black on it. Upon further inspection I figured out it was a tick. AAAHHH!! I freaked out. Greg had already gone to meetings at the church, so I figured I better call mom. I jumped out of the shower and rang her up. She informs me that she has no idea how to remove it (what the heck kind of answer is that, the woman has seven kids :) I then called Greg praying he would pick up. Luckily he did and through my tears (yes I am a baby) I told him what happened. He came rushing home to the rescue. He still chuckles at me when I say that is why my arm was numb, but I did call the urgent care and they said that was something that could happen with a tick bite. HOLY COW!! I was so freaked out. Nasty Nasty bugs!!

Sprinkler

2010-06-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Sam and Sierra were excited to run in the sprinklers today. It still amazes me how much fun they get out of it

2010-06-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Sam going down the slide

Gabe getting whooped by dad.

Sierra climbing the ladder

I am helping out this summer at Jumpin Jax (the bounce place in town) with their parties and so forth. Greg brought the kids up the other day and they had a blast.

Brynna and the Tramp

2010-06-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Brynna loves Gabe. When she sees him she just lights up. Gabe decided to take her out and jump on the trampoline, which made me a little nervous, but he did so well with her.

It was so fun to hear her giggle and laugh and just have fun.

It took her a while to figure out it wasn't solid ground but once she did you couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Hatched

2010-06-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

Okay so I wanted to update you on the results of our unexpected visitors. Here are all four birdies after they hatched. I looked up how it all works and then watched and sure enough it happened exactly the way they said. A robin only lays one egg per day and lay 3-4 eggs and then when they hatch (within 12-14 days) they hatch in the order they were laid a day apart. It was awesome to watch. I will tell you the sad news that after they hatched only two of them made it. Nature is cruel and two of the birdies were thrown out of the nest. Try explaining that to your kids. I had to explain to mine that even though they might not like their brother or sister at the time, they could not throw them out of the house!!

Unexpected Visitor

2010-04-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

After the kids got home from school today Sierra looked outside and saw this. While I was watering the plants the other day I noticed a nest in my flower box that hangs off our deck. There were no eggs or anything in it so I figured they didn't want to use it. But today here we see the mommy in her nest. I haven't wanted to scare it off so I have been keeping the kids away, but they are so curious and it is really cool. I hope we can see the little birds when they hatch. We will keep you posted.

Baptism

2010-04-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Sierra was baptized on April 10th. It was a big day for her and we enjoyed being a part of it. We are so proud of her and the decision she made to be baptized. What a great day!!

Conference

2010-04-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

While in Utah Eric and Megan were able to finagle seats for General Conference. Greg and I have never been and it was neat because we got to take Gabe. What a great experience for all of us. I know it will be one I remember. We had so much fun with our friends out in Utah and they made it so much fun that we will definitely be going back, (if they let us :)

Easter Fun

2010-04-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

We did the traditional stuff for Easter. Dyeing eggs is one of the kids favorite. Below are the kids with their Easter baskets after our egg hunt. I don't know why Melia isn't in the picture but I am sure she was busy cracking open eggs. They were all so much fun to watch.

Utah

2010-04-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Grandma Linny has quite a horse farm up in Utah. We got to go there and take a look at the horses. Sierra was so excited. She wanted so bad to see those horses. (She really wanted to ride them but we didn't get the chance) Up above is Linda, Megan, Melia and myslef in the haybarn. (I think that is what it is called)

Sierra petting one of the horse. She was excited because she got to lead Tess, which is the other horse I don't have a picture of. She ended up staying out there the longest and let me tell you it was not warm out there. Looks like Grandma Linny might have herself some help one summer :)

The kids riding on Grandma Linny's toy.

Dawson, Kali, Izak, Melia, Gabe, Sierra, Sam and Linda in the haybarn.

Big Day

2010-04-09T06:38:00.001-07:00

Today is a big day for Sierra. This is her 8th birthday. Yeah!! She is getting so big. She is such a sweet girl and is filled with love. She brings a lot of joy to our home (and keeps us on our toes). We are so grateful for her. Happy Birthday Sweet girl!!

Fun with Dad

2010-03-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Greg and the kiddos out having fun!

Sunshine and Fun

2010-03-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

It is finally sunny and warm enough to play outside. I thought it would never come. It is still pretty brown out but we see little signs of spring all around. The kids went out and jumped on the trampoline and were having a great time.

Cutie Pies

2010-03-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sierra is a baby finatic. It is handy that we have a baby close by in the family. Sierra likes to be the little mommy and always hold and cuddle Brynna. Unfortunately, Brynna is getting bigger and doesn't like to be handled all that much. So now Sierra just likes to be close to her.

Not quite sure if Brynna really wants to be kissed or not here, but oh well.

Dance pictures

2010-03-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

We had dance pictures recently and my girls wanted to take a fun picture. So this is (from the left) Kristine, Brigida, Molly, Me and Carli. We teach on Thursday nights together and have a lot of fun.

Litterbug

2010-03-25T14:23:00.001-07:00

Those of you who live in areas that gets a lot of snow know that after it starts melting it is a mess. There is so much trash that blows around and gets caught underneath it . Well Sierra came home from school one day and asked me if she could take a trash bag and go clean up some of the litter that she saw on the way home from school. She said, "Mom, it is just so messy outside, people just throw their trash everywhere." I wish she felt that way about her room.

Missing Teeth

2010-03-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

You have to click on this picture to get the full effect. One day I just looked at Sierra smile and laughed. She has lost so many teeth in the last little while that she looks like a jack-o-lantern. She has made out pretty well with the tooth fairy though.

A Whole Hand

2010-02-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

Sammy turned 5 on Tuesday and he had a little party the Saturday before. His theme was transformers and he had a lot of fun picking out the decorations. I can't believe how fast he has grown. He will start kindergarten in the fall and that is crazy. He is so much fun, his personality keeps us on our toes. He tends to be a little dramatic which makes me laugh.

He has been begging for a Nintendo DS, which I thought was crazy to get a 5 yr old a DS, but I caved. He loves it. We have had to put a limit on the time though, he would play it all day. Grandma Robbins took him out to get a couple of games for it because I neglected to do that (smart). He loves playing Star Wars.

Sam and his friends

They played pin the football between the goalposts (Greg was in charge of the games and did a great job). Sammy's friend Caden got his in between and when he took his bandana off he just jumped up and down so excited. It was so cute!!

Another game was balloon volleyball, but they had to lay down. This was their favorite. They kept wanting to stop doing everything else so they could play some more. Lots of fun and laughs. We love Sam and are truly blessed!

Shelves

2010-01-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Our house was built with this space between our fireplace wall and another wall. It was really frustrating trying to figure out what to do with it. Usually we just threw a toy basket there and it was always a mess. Greg got some new tools for Christmas so I decided to put him to work. While his dad was here they made these shelves for me. I love them. They look so nice and they give me extra storage. Mostly I wanted to use them for putting my scrapbooks on. Anyway, they turned out great!!

Cake Contest

2010-01-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Yes this picture may look a little odd but there was a purpose. Auntie Mame and Rachel and Sierra decided to have a baking contest. Sierra got an easy bake oven for Christmas and they wanted to see who could make the best cake. Dad, Bill, Andrew and Greg were the judges and of course they were blindfolded.

On Auntie Mame's team there was Ellie and Sam

Rachel, Sierra and Mom were on the other team

Sam was really careful cracking the egg

Auntie Mame's Cake

And the winner was Rachel and Sierra's cake

Fun With Family

2009-12-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

We have had a great time with our family from California. Ron, Julie, Amy and Andrew came out for Christmas and never thought to see so much snow. From Christmas Eve through Sunday (and we are still getting snow) we have been through blizzard conditions. We were able to go out finally which was a good thing because we were going a little stir crazy.

Drew and Sam snuggling

The kids sitting with Grandma at the trail center

Greg, Dad and Drew walking around the gingerbread display at the trail center (visitors center)

Amy and I as cute as ever :)

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

One of the things Sam wanted for Christmas was the bumblebee mask and gun. The thing is three times too big for him but that didn't stop him. Doesn't he look scary :)

Sam opening his stocking on Christmas morning

Sierra with her Easy Bake Oven

Gabe loves his Optimus Prime Action figure (good thing it came in time)

Even Jake got a few things for Christmas. He saw his new rope and went right over to tear into it. He also got a stuffed weasel and the stuffing was all over my house in no time.

It amazes me that you put all that time into Christmas dinner and it is over with so quickly. Oh well it was great and I love the leftovers.

Sierra, Sam and Auntie Mame getting ready to eat dinner. Yes my kids are in pajamas. That is all they wanted to wear for Christmas eve and Christmas day. Don't worry we changed into a clean pair. We were snowed in anyway so what the heck!!

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

The kids opening their one present

On Christmas Eve we set out our cookies, milk and carrots for the reindeer. After that, the kids get to open one present, picked by mom. The kids starting asking about opening them at like 6pm and that is all I heard about that evening until finally I let them do it. It was a busy night making chinese food, cinnamon rolls (which were delicious) and pies.

Visit to Santa

2009-12-27T13:38:00.001-08:00

We went out to Bass Pro Shop with my parents, Tricia and the girls and Shawn, Tori and Brynna to see Santa there. It was really neat! They had a great set up and we got some Christmas shopping done while we were waiting. Very fun and the kids got to tell Santa what they wanted.

Decorating, Cookies and Cocoa

2009-12-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

This year we bought an artificial tree. One of Greg's coworkers (Angie) was selling hers because it didn't fit in her house after they moved, so she gave us a great deal. We (maybe just me) didn't realize how big it was. Greg had to chop off the bottom of our star so it would fit in the house. It is not only tall but very full going around. I LOVE IT!! Here are some fun pictures of us decorating it.

Greg passing out the ornaments for the kids to put on the tree

Sierra is so funny. The day after Thanksgiving her and Greg stayed home while I was off shopping and Sierra decided it was time to take down all the Thanksgiving decorations to put up the Christmas ones. What a big help she was. I came home and all the Thanksgiving decoration were stacked on the dining room table and she was ready to go. So we did. When we got the tree I had to put off decorating it because I didn't have enough garland. She was very impatient and wanted to get it done and we finally did.

Sam still just does the bottom ones unless dad puts him on his shoulders

So after tree trimming we had cookies and cocoa. The kids said it really felt like Christmas time now.

Lovely picture of my kids stuffing their faces.

Posts

2009-11-29T11:04:00.000-08:00

Okay I know I have been horrible at blogging lately. I did a recent post of Thanksgiving. I am not going to go back and do what I have missed, but I am starting new. I will try to be better. So enjoy the Thanksgiving post.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

So this is how the pictures normally come out when I ask Greg to take one with me. Nice huh!

All I know is that Ashley was on the bottom

Sam and Ashley having a snuggle

Our Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We spent it at my mom's house and of course there were people coming and going all day. As you can see in the picture above, Tricia is very excited about the shopping deals that will soon be under way. It is a tradition to do the black Friday shopping and so on Thanksgiving we plot what stores we will be hitting and who will go where. It is a very serious undertaking in our hous.

Don't quite know what this was about but I was obviously happy to see Paul.

Savannah grabbed my camera and struck a pose with me.

Sweet Ashley

Yes, I did force Greg to take this picture and Paul would not be left out

My kids fight over the Turkey legs

Sierra

My little munchkins

Don't they look sweet (very deceiving)

Happy Birthday to Two Great Ladies

2009-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to both Grandma Denos and Grandma Linny (as my kids call her). We wish you both a very Happy Birthday and wish we could celebrate it with you. Don't have too much fun and know that we love you both very much.

Love,

Greg, Alycia and your grandbabies.

Double Trouble

2009-10-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

Brynna and Gavin

On Friday I came to appreciate people that have twin. I normally watch our baby Brynna on Fridays and this last Friday we had a play date with cute little Gaven (my friend Heather and Joe's little guy). They were both so cute. We had an adventurous day with taking Sam and his friends to preschool (people looked at me like I was crazy carrying around both carriers, which is no small feat). After the initial eye poking and fighting over the musical star things went pretty smooth. They are both such good babies. We even had a trip to McDonald's with no catastrophe. What a day!! I give a big "Way to Go" to those of you who have multiples.

Arrow of Light

2009-10-04T11:51:00.000-07:00

Gabe had an exciting September. He worked very hard and received his Webelos badge. Also, he got his Arrow of Light. He was so nervous when they called him up there because he had to recite a whole bunch of scout stuff in order to receive it. The leader told him to take a couple of deep breaths so he wouldn't pass out.

Gabe and his Webelo leaders giving him his Arrow of Light. It is really cool because his leader makes a really cool plaque that holds his arrow with his name on it. I will have to get a better picture of it and post it.

Gabe pinning the Webelo pin on me.

His leaders (Capelites) are so good with the boys and helping them pass of the things they need. It is a lot of work for the boys (and moms) to get this stuff done. We got to go get ice cream afterwards to celebrate. Fun Fun!!

Jake

2009-09-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about Jake in a while (or blogged at all) so I thought I would give you an update. We can say that Greg really loves me because we still have the dog. He is well behaved except for a couple of things like digging holes and barking. He has a powerful bark that will scare the pants off you. The kids love him and I only have to remind them to feed him every day :) I could do without the dog hair but we do love Jake! Besides, Paul won't let me get rid of him:)

Safety Patrol

2009-09-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Gabe has been so excited because this year he can do safety patrol. I think he was a little embarrassed that I came up to the school just to take a picture of him, but hey what are moms for.

Preschool

2009-09-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it!! Sammy started preschool. All my babies are growing up (and so am I). This is Sam's first day at preschool at the YMCA. He is so excited but a little nervous because he doesn't know how to write his name. He told me he guesses he just needs to practice. At school they get to learn, play, swim and snack. What more could a kid ask for.

First Day of School

2009-09-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

The first day of school is always great. It is the only day of the school year that my kids get right out of bed. Gabe not so much anymore. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the kids ready to go.

Sierra had to wear this dress. She got it from Grandma Denos on her trip out to California.

Gabe just keeps getting bigger and bigger and he is not so fond of taking pictures anymore. Like his dad.

Tori's Birthday

2009-09-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

It was Tori's birthday a couple of weeks ago and she wanted to have a little girls night with dinner at Hector's. Mind you Tori's usually has a week long birthday so this one of things she wanted to do. Here are just some fun pictures of our outing. In the picture above I think I was arguing with Tori about how much of a tip to leave. I am cheap, she is generous.

Mom decided she should help and pulled out a calculator from her purse. This was not just a small carry around calculator, this one on that sits on a desk at home, but mom had it in her purse.

Tori opening her present and not wanting to take a picture. But I don't care.

Happy Anniversay

2009-08-09T18:12:00.001-07:00

So we have made it 12 years and still are loving life. Greg and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend. We went and stayed at the Marriott downtown (I know it is not far but it was great). We have never just gone and walked around the Old Market. It was so neat. There are some great shops and we went to dinner and out for desert. We also found the walking bridge right next to the Lewis and Clark visitors center that connects Iowa and Nebraska. It was just a great weekend to reconnect and get away for a little while. We are blessed with three great kids and a dog :) We especially are blessed with great family and friends near and far who love and support our family.

I had Greg take a picture of me and my banana split. It was so humongous and so yummy. It was a hot day so it tasted even better. I am going to have to seriously work off some calories this week.

Centris Baseball

2009-08-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Sierra and Grandma Denos

Pam is loving her hot dog! She is not much of a hot dog fan because she thinks they are made of horses bums but I convinced her they aren't :) Here she is with her delicious meal.

Ms. Pam spoils my kids and took them to pick something out at the Royal store. So they came back with each a bat and a baseball. Pam is great and they are spoiled by her.

Sam and dad with Sam's new bat

Ms. Sierra close up

My great friend Pam and I with our goofy smiles.

The past couple of years we have gone to members night with Centris Federal Credit Union at the Omaha Royals game. It was very hot this night but the kids were spoiled by grandma with cotton candy, soda and way too much sugar. So much that we were worried Sierra wasn't going to make it.

Fourth Fun

2009-08-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

Sierra giving me a Happy Birthday hug

Greg looks really hard every year for a different kind of cake to make for my birthday. He is awesome about making the day special. He did a great job this year with this one. It is pound cake with a cream and strawberry filling and a very chocolate topping that he made. It was yum!

Heather, me and Gavin

Greg, Dave and Livvy

Tori and I

Camie and Dave

Ilyse and Isaiah

Cochran Family

Gabe lighting fireworks

Heidi and Sierra making sparks

Sierra doing one of her cutsie poses

Gabe

I love the fourth of July and not only because it's my birthday. We have such a wonderful family and tons of friends to share it with. We had so many people here this year that unfortunately I didn't get everyone's pictures. It is great to spend the day with so many people we love. I have to say though the very best part of the day was when Shawn threw some firecrackers in a bucket and they started going off and shooting everywhere that my dad had to duck for cover across the street with his hands over his head. I will forever have that image in my head and be bummed I didn't have my camera with me. I laughed so hard I swore I was going to pee my pants.

Life Being a Robbins

2009-08-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Gabe and Zach in the tank

Sierra had such fun swimming a long the tanks

Jason and I floating a long, this is one of the moments Jason wasn't throwing grapes at the other tanks.

Sammy and Grandpa sharing a love I think this was after Grandpa had thrown him over.

So being part of the Robbins family can sometimes (okay all the time) be an adventure. I don't know many families that would get excited about floating down a river in a bunch of horse troughs (I don't know if that is spelled right). It was a gloomy day but that didn't keep us from driving three hours and then another two hours floating down the river and another three hour drive home. It was definitely an adventure and one that will not be forgotten. And of course for every adventure the Robbins take T-shirts have to be made.

Coco Keys

2009-08-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Coco keys at the beginning of the summer which is an indoor water park. The kids absolutely loved it. We went with Tori and Shawn and baby Brynna who didn't like the water so much but looked really cute in her bathing suit. Above is the kids on the lazy river with daddy holding on.

Greg coming down one of the water slides

Gabe

Sierra making her splash

Sammy couldn't get enough of these little water slides. He was like the energizer bunny just going down again and again.

Zoo

2009-08-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

In front of the Elephants

Sierra on the gorilla

Sammy

Looks like Gabe found some relatives

It is always fun to take a few hours and go down to the zoo to see what is going on. We love having a pass so we can go anytime we want. The kids love going to the gorillas and seeing all the big cats.

Demonstration

2009-08-09T11:59:00.001-07:00

Gabe and Mam doing a demonstration with their bo staffs

Gabe with his tonfas

Sammy doing his forms

Gabe and Sam did a demonstration for Champion Sport Karate before the Papillion Days parade. They each got to get up there and demonstrate different things. Sammy is showing off his kicks with mam and Gabe got to demonstrate his forms and weapons. It was a lot of fun to see they perform and the crowd was great!

Cheer Clinic

2009-08-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

Sierra in the Papillion Days parade.

Cheerleaders and girls from cheer camp before the parade

Sierra and her cousin Ashley who is on the Varsity Cheerleading squad at Papio South

Sierra with her pom pom's before the parade

Sierra was able to attend the cheer clinic that the squads put on each year from Papio South. Ashley is a varsity cheerleader on the squad and taught Sierra some of her moves and a few cheers. They get t-shirts and pom pom's and a whole bunch of other cool stuff and get to march in the parade. Sierra had a great time!!

Cute Hair

2009-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sierra wanted to share her cute hair with everyone. We finally talked her into cutting her hair. It was just getting long and scraggily so we took her to Miss Sandie today and she came out looking way cute (not that she wasn't before). Hopefully now it won't be a battle in the morning to do her hair.

Summer Starts

2009-05-31T15:50:00.001-07:00

Our summer started with a garage sale. During the sale Sammy wanted to work on his skateboarding skills. He called them his lessons. He was doing really well. Daddy got some good exercise running along side of him. I don't have any pictures of it but he did eventually start doing it on his own. Greg was pretty proud of him.

Here is a little video of them.

Big 13

2009-05-21T15:29:00.001-07:00

In Primary they have set a goal for the kids to learn all 13 Articles of Faith. When they do they receive a huge Hershey's candy bar. Gabe passed all thirteen off on Sunday and earned his candy bar. He was very nice and shared it with all of us. Way to go Gabe!!

So lucky

2009-05-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

We just took some pictures of the kids and I am so blessed to have them. It is so much fun to watch them grow and learn all the fun stuff they are learning right now (sometimes it scares me I will admit what questions they come home with).

Ice Cream with Papa

2009-05-04T17:54:00.001-07:00

Apparently New Yorkers don't know what Dairy Queen is. When Ginger got here the only thing her kids talked about was going to Dairy Queen. We have a wonderful Papa that indulges the grandkids way too much. He loaded them in the car and took us all to enjoy some soft serve ice cream. The kids definitely had a lot of fun.

Green Belt

2009-05-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

Sammy is moving up in the world of Tae Kwon Do. He earned his green belt and he is very excited about it.

Blogger Slump

2009-04-21T11:16:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not being on top of things lately. I am battling a bout of bronchitis so I haven't been in the mood to really do much blogging. I have updated and hopefully you don't get bored with all the updates because there are a lot. Have Fun

Recital

2009-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

It finally came. Our dance recital for Tip Tap Toe. It was a very long day but we made it through and now it is time for a little vacation from dance. Here is my pal Brigida from our Thursday dance class. She rocks!

Sierra and I during dress rehearsal.

Here is Sierra for her ballet dance. She is not all dolled up because it is only dress rehearsal but she did a great job and we are really proud of her. Funny story, right before the actual recital was going to start one of the other moms came to me and said, "I think your daughter is asleep on the couch in the dressing room. I thought No Way. Sure enough there was Sierra in all her makeup and costume asleep on the couch. It took a little while to wake her up but she finally came to and performed great. Way to go.

Silver Dollar City

2009-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

While in Missouri we went to Silver Dollar City and had a BLAST!! Here are some fun pictures from the day.

As you can see I enjoyed all the rides, even the kiddy ones.

Sam and daddy on the Elephant March

The kids with one of the characters. I am not exactly sure what she is but it was hard to get Sam to stand close to her.

This picture cracks me up everytime I look at it. We are on what is called the Powder Keg. I think that is the name of it. It just shoots you off at 60mph and I swear I almost peed myself. As you can see it was a jolt.

Easter

2009-04-21T10:33:00.001-07:00

This Easter we were so excited to be able to visit our friends the Nielsens down in Missouri. The kids had so much fun and the adults had a nice time visiting. Here are the kids with their Easter baskets.

Our kids standing in front of Tonia's Easter trees. She was very offended at firs when I didn't have them stand in front of them, I aim to please so here they are (JK Tonia)

Coloring eggs is always fun.

Happy 7

2009-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Sierra's birthday was pretty low key this year. She turned 7 and we just had a family party. We will be going to see the new Hannah Montana movie that she so wants to see. We are very blessed to have her in our lives. Her personality brings us a lot of joy (and sometimes craziness).

Baby Baby Baby

2009-04-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sammy was really excited about Baby Brynna

As always Sierra is a baby freak. She is so funny. We have to tell her to back away a lot because she loves little ones so much, I think they feel smothered.

Gabe and Brynna

Uncle Greg

We were all so excited for the new arrival Brynna. We are so happy for Tori and Shawn.

Baby update

2009-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Okay today at 4pm Tori's water broke so we are in baby mode. I am at the hospital with my sisters and we are doing an update every half hour on Tricia's blog, link on the side of my page. There are already some great pictures. Soon we will have another little one. Love it, Love it!!

2009-03-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the opportunity to go to a recording studio to record advertisements for a company I used to work for. I had so much fun. There was a window in front of me and one behind me and were talking to me through the headphones and then playing back what they had recorded to let me here what I sounded like. I always hated hearing myself talk on answering machines but this was very different. They actually made me sound good. I just wanted to bust out in song while I was standing there and the manager that was working with me said that he had no problem with that. It was kind of cool to see how it was all done. The company mostly does jingles and so they had all the cool gadgets.

What a great time!!

So now all you have to do is call the company I used to work for and hear me. I think they might get annoyed at everyone just calling to listen to the advertisement.

Pinewood Derby

2009-03-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well we survived another Pinewood Derby. I really do dread these races. I actually tried to talk Gabe out of doing it but he really wanted to. So here are some pictures of his car. It won the neatest paint job so that made him quite happy. One of the wheels kept sticking so it didn't do as well as Gabe wanted but we made it through.

Baby Shower

2009-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

Tori is going to be having her baby very soon. We threw her a shower last Saturday and everyone was very generous and sweet. She got a lot of great stuff that will help them along with their new adventure.

Jana and Savannah

Brenda, Melody and Mom

Tori, Bonnie and Heidi

Angela with her two adorable daughters

Tori with Norma and Ashley

Anne feeding little Cooper

A picture of everyone

Cherie, Tori and Ashlely

Lessons

2009-03-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

We have some great friends here in Nebraska. Sierra has been showing a lot of interest in music. She started piano lessons and then stopped for a while and will be starting again soon. She has also has been wanting to learn to play the guitar. I didn't know where to even start with that, and then our friend Dave said he would love to teach her. I was a little apprehensive because as everyone knows Sierra has a mind of her own and doesn't always listen very well, but it seems to be going well. This is her second lesson and she really looks forward to them. I don't have to tell her to practice, most of the time she tells me. So here are a couple of pictures of her and her teacher.

Just think it is cute

2009-03-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

In our primary at church the kids get these "Big 13" bars (which is a giant Hershey's bar)when they pass of all 13 articles of faith. As a family we have been working on memorizing them. Gabe only has a few to go and Sierra and Sam are working on their 4th. This is a clip of Sam reviewing his 3rd article of faith. I just think it is really sweet to hear him say it.

Music Program

2009-03-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Gabe had his music program the other night. Gabe doesn't like to sing much but he did pretty well at his program. This particular clip is funny because the kid in the green shirt next to Gabriel gets very into the music. Gabe looks as if the kid is off his rocker so it is pretty funny.

Jonas Brothers

2009-03-04T14:39:00.001-08:00

This is us at the Jonas Brothers 3D concert/movie. Tricia, Savannah, Sierra and I got our tickets way in advance to go because we are sucker moms. While we were at the movie here, Ginger was at the same movie at the same time in New York. As we were living through this nightmare (I say that because any mom who takes her child to see them loses an hour and a half of her life that she will never get back) Ginger, Tricia and I were texting back and forth about our feelings on the movie. The kids love it so what the heck!!

Tricia and I in our totally way cool 3-D glasses.

Sierra thinks they are the greatest thing ever so, yes, I am a sucker mom.

Tricia too!!

Such dedicated fans that we were out in the arctic tundra to see the Jo Bros!!

Worth the Wait

2009-02-27T06:10:00.001-08:00

I don't know how many people know this but I am a HUGE Celine Dion fan. I love her music and her voice. One of my most wonderful sisters (Tori) bought me tickets to see her last February for my birthday (which wasn't until July). We were supposed to go in November but on a very sad morning Tori called me and told me that it had been postponed. With my family I thought she was kidding, but to my serious sadness she wasn't. So we had to wait until last night to go see her. OH MY GOODNESS!! First of all Tori and I went to dinner and left with more than enough time to get there. Once we got down close to the Qwest Center it was dead stop traffic. It took us an hour and a half to get seven blocks. I of course was getting very angry (I know you are sitting there saying, "Not Alycia" but yes I was not happy. It was very near time for the concert to start and it did not say she had an opener so I was stressed to the max. I have been to very few concerts so I was distraught by this time. Her concert started at 8 and we pulled into the parking lot at 8:15. After making Tori, whom is 8 months pregnant run (sorry T) all the way from the back of the parking lot to the other side of the Qwest Center we made it and THANK GOODNESS she had an opener because I was going to have words with someone there about the parking incident. We got our seats and water and sat down for the show.

I don't care what anyone says about her she has a voice that is amazing. She can hold notes for so long and can belt out those lyrics like nobody's business.
If you click on the pictures you can see her better. Our seats were pretty good. In the above picture she was singing with a violinist. Crazy good!!

I could have sat there for hours just listening to her. She was GREAT!!

Funny comment

2009-02-24T18:40:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to post something cute Sam said the other day. I keep thinking about it and every time I do it makes me smile. He came upstairs after eating breakfast and said to me, "Mommy I think I ate a lot because my tummy has a headache." Way cute. One of those things I never want to forget.

Giveaway!!

2009-02-24T14:23:00.001-08:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2- What I create will be just for you.3- It will be done this year.4- You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who follow the directions. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!}

Love Day

2009-02-14T11:27:00.001-08:00

We don't normally do a whole lot for Valentine's Day. This year I thought it would just be nice since Valentine's Day is on Saturday to make a nice breakfast for the kids and have their Valentine's on their plates when they came downstairs. The kids were excited and they got some neat goodies from cupid. Here they are with their bright smiling faces (a little forced for mom to take the picture).

Sammy's Birthday

2009-02-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sammy turned 4 on February 9th and he was so excited to have his first friend party. So we had Carmen, Emma, Drew and Tanner come over for pizza, cake and Madagascar 2. They had a great time running around playing and especially eating.

As you can see they are enjoying their pizza

Sam was a pro at blowing out the candles. He just didn't realize there were some on the other side of the cake too.

Superbowl

2009-02-14T11:00:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of funny pictures from the Superbowl. We all decided we wanted to check out the new 3-D preview of Monsters. So here we are looking like big dorks in our glasses.

Paul seems to be really into the commercials and Tricia looks a little frightened.

Orange Belt

2009-02-04T15:05:00.001-08:00

Well Sammy is very excited because he got to test for his Dragons Orange Belt. Aunt Tricia and Aunt Tori took him for his testing since mommy couldn't be in two places at once. Here he is so happy with himself.

Sam going through the obstacle course. Looks fun to me.

I think he looks very serious in this picture

I am surprised how high he is in the air in the picture above.

Doing his sidekicks.
Sam also broke his first board during his testing. He broke it with his foot. Great Job Sam!

Professionals

2009-01-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

After dinner we decided to go bowling. It has been a while for Cami as you can see how disappointed she is with her skills. She is very upset because she didn't get a strike or spare all night, bummer.

I don't know what the heck is going on here but it looks painful.

That is some great form right there.

Greg is such a professional :)

Cami was also practicing her ballet moves

Dave just kept rolling in the strikes and spares

Couples Night Out

2009-01-31T19:06:00.001-08:00

As you can see my husband loves to take pictures

This picture is going in the scrapbook, How cute!!

So we went out with our friends Cami and Dave and ate a TON of really good food (the portions were humongous) We had lots of great laughs and interesting conversation.

Great Citizen

2009-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

The other day at pack meeting Gabe earned his citizen badge. In the picture above he is doing a skit about staying fit and eating healthy.

Giving the scout shake after receiving his badge.

Sister Capelite talking about what they did to earn their badge.

Puppy Love

2009-01-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is Paul holding Jake like a baby. For some reason Jake loves to be held by Paul as you can see. Most of the time Jake is resting his head on Paul's shoulder.

Jake and Paul snuggling on the couch (which Jake is not allowed to be on)

Sam and Jake snuggling next to the fire.

I think Paul is in love!

Sledding

2008-12-30T07:07:00.001-08:00

While the whole family was here everyone wanted to go sledding (Heidi prayed we would have snow while she was here and she sure got her wish). So we all headed out to a great hill in the neighborhood next to us. The picture above is Sierra and I (yes my hat is falling in my eyes). It looks like we are having a cute picture but in reality we are hanging on to each other for dear life. It was so icy that no one was staying on their feet.

Gabe and Zach got on the sled ready to go down and posed for this picture. After this picture was taken they both hopped off because they were worried for their lives down the slippery slope.

This is Cheryl trying to make it up the hill. She spent a lot of time on her knees just trying to climb up. Great for the pregnant one.

Greg was being the hero for Sam and Tim as they wanted nothing to do with the icy hill.

Sierra and Gabe waiting their turn to plummet down and possibly hit the trees.

Just a picture of me and my hat from Sister Layman that loves us all so much to make us hats and pajama bottoms.

Christmas Day

2008-12-28T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sammy and his storm trooper gun

Gabe with his Draco Malfoy wand

Sierra with her keyboard

This Christmas we had all the family together. We normally don't get to have every single member of our family all together. I think it happens maybe every five years. This Christmas Jason and Jon came out from California with their families and Tricia came out from Alabama with her family. We even had a last minute surprise with Ginger and her family coming out from New York. Yes it was very chaotic with twenty seven people around but it was fun. Unfortunately Brady and Emily were sick when they arrived and from there everyone started dropping like flies. We finally got to play with Brady the last day he was here but Emily was still out of sorts when she left. We LOVED seeing all of them and hopefully we are still on for our 4th of July family reunion and everyone will be healthy. Thank you all for coming out and making our Christmas such a joyous time. We miss you already.