Back to the grind...

Well - Vacation month, aka March, is over. We had a great cruise with friends Kerry, Dave, Jason and Melissa. Weather - not so nice, but everything else - lots of fun. Won a little cash at roulette (Colin's b-day hit so many times!) Arizona was also a blast, especially spending quality time with Colin and yes, the White Sox. We were lucky to get baseballs, autographs and pictures with some GREAT players. We also got to spend time with the Hespens, Van Hofwegens and Beukemas. And really, what more could we want? Gorgeous weather, baseball and overall - a great time away from work.

Easter was a good time, hanging out with family, enjoying great food and watching Colin devour jelly beans. Watching it was fun, dealing with the sugar rush after the fact... not so fun.

Yesterday we did dinner and drinks with Tim, Amber and adorable Tillie! She is such a good baby (almost one year old already)! Colin was "showing off" in boyish ways by climbing on tables, throwing things and jumping around like a crazy person. Someone told me boys were easier... hmmmm... not sure about that.

We are hosting an open house this weekend in our quest to sell the condo so hopefully we get some people through the doors that are interested... time will tell.

Hopefully I'll get a few pictures up later this week that cover the last month.
For now... have a great night!

Vacation!!!

I have been waiting for the month of March since we flipped the calendar to 2010! This month is VACATION! Thursday we leave for Florida/Bahamas cruise. Although I'm having some anxiety about leaving Colin for 4 nights, I know he's in good hands. After all, who could resist a cute boy with a faux-hawk?

When we return from the cruise, it's back to work for a few days and then off to Arizona for some baseball, beers and fun in the sun. Colin is coming with and hopefully we'll get some great player autographs like last year!

Other than vacations coming up, it's been same old same old around here. Ready for winter weather to go away and fighting off colds. Colin is really getting chatty - his vocab is great and it's fun to hear his little voice and watch his mind work as we point to pictures in books or puzzles. He is also a little pistol... his new climbing skills are really driving his mom and dad crazy... He finds it hilarious to climb onto the coffee table and then imitate us by saying "Dit Down!" What a punk! ;) In addition, as I was filling the dishwasher last night he climbed on top of the open door and was bouncing up and down. I know that I wanted an outgoing little boy, but I should be careful what I wish for!

Here's a shout out to Jason because he is a great dad!

Talk to you when we get back from vacation!

No time for pictures but....

I figured at least a quick update was in order!

What's new with Colin: Well - he is talking like crazy, we are teaching him to answer phrases like "who goes outside when it snows?" PAPA and "Who loves ya?" MOMMY!, he's learning to say his colors, farm animal noises, can say each of his facial features, and the list goes on. Grandma even tought him to point to his "butt" last weekend. Thanks Mom! :) Just kidding, he's done worse things than that! Last weekend he had a sleepover with Grandma and Papa Heemstra - he was a bit under the weather due to his ear infections and horrid diaper rash but they took good care of him as they always do. I'm so grateful they live close by and are willing to take him whenever called upon! Other than that, he's doing well at daycare, hasn't gotten bitten in nearly a week (yes, that's big news) and has been relatively nicer to "puppy".

What's new with Jason and Robin: the condo is up for sale! Although we know that it could be ages before we receive an offer, we put it on the market. We've had one showing so far and boy is that a hassle. The cleaning, taking the dog to a sitter, getting all the baby toys put away, etc. is quite a task. If they would have offered anything I probably would have taken it just to save the mess of getting the place ready for showing! Last weekend while Colin was at the Grandparents, we went downtown for a wedding at the White Sox stadium club - SO FUN! A very cool venue and a nice relaxing night. In the morning we did some Mag Mile shopping and ice skated at Millenium Park. Robin has been busy with some volunteer work, chairing the basket raffle for the Cancer Support Gala next month and Jason has been dad of the month!

Looking forward to vacation - March is shaping up to be a good one!

Merry Christmas... not happy holidays!

Wow - two months have passed since our last update! Colin is now a 15 month old and is really grasping toddler-hood full force. By this I mean chatting, running, hitting and best of all... when I say "NO" he turns to me and says "No No" and wags his finger at me. Nice....

I will say though, every stage of watching him grow so far has been so fun. The way they figure things out and learn cause & effect.

A few things from late FALL. Raking leaves with auntie Megan at Grandma Regan's house -

Hanging with Grandpa B in the fields with the combine.

And now it's Christmas! Colin was helpful with the wrapping - every time a bow went on a present - he ripped it off and put it on his head. I would like to say I helped with this 'do but it was ALL COLIN! ;)

Sweet presents like Clifford the Big Red Dog ride along from Jason's work party -

And this John Deere Tractor so Colin can grow up to be a farmer just like his Grandpa!

Santa was not quite his favorite part of Christmas... He used his sneaky slide skills to make a quick exit!

Christmas was a great time with both families. Fun to see cousins (for us as well as Colin) fun to chat and relax as well as open gifts. We certainly feel blessed for all that we have - most importantly family and friends. As we wrap up 2009 we hope this post finds you happy and healthy. Our resolution will be to update more regularly :)
Love - Robin (and Jason and Colin)

Well...it's been a while...yes again!!

So we'll give you another 5 minute run down on where we are, where we were, and where we're going -

Sit back and enjoy!!

Grandma took us to an apple picking farm and we saw lots of pumpkins and picked some delicious apples!

Cousins Brady and Mackenzie came over one Saturday and we went to the park and got WILD in the ball pit. There's one of Colin above and one of my cousin Brady below!

At the end of September we took a fun trip to St. Louis to visit Karl, Jenna and Layna! It was so fun to watch the kids interact - Colin thought Layna was the coolest and watched every move. And Layna thought Colin was her brother... yes, that one took some explaining! :) We went to the Brewery to see the horses and sample the beer and then to Grant's Farm to see the animals and yes, sample the beer. It was a great trip and we are grateful for friends like Karl and Jenna!!!

Here's a photo of the crew at the Brewery - this barrel alone would last you a lifetime and to consume it all you'd need to drink 21 cases a day... yikes. Day 2 the camera broke (SAD) so we don't have any pics to upload!

Following St. Louis we've been here at home for the most part! Jason and I celebrated our fourth anniversary at Jersey Boys - it was an amazing show and I recommend you see it! So fun. We are thankful to be busy at work and I've been able to volunteer at the Cancer Support Center and Southwest Community Services Bingo night. It's fun to get involved in the community a bit.

October.... We decided Colin was probably big enough to give the whirpool tub a try. He LOVES it - in fact he runs to the other side when we try to grab him out. He's tricky that way...

Do you think he likes it?

We also got to go to the Manhattan Fall Fest at the Round Barn. Mackenzie and Grandma B came along for some fun! :) Here are a few from the day.

And finally.... a preview of Dr. Colin!

Happy Halloween!!!

Labor Day & Colin's B-Day....Horray!!

Well, we'll begin tonight's adventure with a recap of Labor Day weekend.
Robin, Colin and I enjoyed some quality Cottage time prior to its close for the season.

Picture : Grandma enjoying some time with Skipper Colin


Picture : After looking ticked for about 20 minutes, Colin finally relaxed and decided to take a nap...


Picture: If you are in the know... you'll know why the next picture is a classic :)

COLIN TURNS ONE!!

First off - Colin did terrific for his B-Day Weekend. Due to space concerns and the number of invitees...we turned it into a Party Weekend. Jason's Family on Saturday & Robin's Family on Sunday.

Picture: Colin is introduced to his Cake. He was patient at first...

but then he couldn't help himself....

Picture: Day 2 - Robin's Side

He knew the routine by then... where's the cake???

We had to use the garden hose by Day 2...

Oh yeah... Presents aren't so bad either are they Colin :)



Who needs a landscaper?? Colin is coming to a neighborhood near you soon.. (Thanks Gram)

Who needs Chucky Cheese?? We now have one in our living room...

This is awesome!!!


Thanks to everyone that participated in Colin's B-Day!! Robin and I had a great time putting it all together and seeing his reactions. How he has grown in one year is just amazing!!

Jason, Robin, & Colin

Vacation to Lake Tahoe!

Narrated by Colin:

Every time my parents take me somewhere they first put me in a confined place. Whether it be the elevator to get outside, the car to get to daycare, or worst of all the plane to get to Tahoe. How do they expect a rambunctious little one like myself to sit still for 4 hours? And do they really think a couple of toys and a bag of snacks will help that much?

But - no matter what they put me in - the end result is pretty good! I got to spend a week with my cousin Evan, Aunt Jen and Uncle John. They live in Boston, but we won't hold that against them. Evan is a good time - he taught me things like playing in cabinets, the joys of spatulas, and even how to survive a bike trailer. I like to think I taught him a few things too, but I'm not sure.

Throughout the week - my parents took me fun places like the children's museum, the beach, the pool and for walks and hikesThey also took me some not so fun places, like the bike trailer (shudder) and well... this pretty lame place Northern Nevada calls a Zoo.

My mom wants you to know that yes, the bird is walking and flying about the zoo - no cage! and that we felt pretty secure behind the lion's lovely 2 fences that most have in their suburban backyard!

It was definitely a good time. Far away from the stresses of day care, plenty of snacks and even late bedtimes! Cool to see my parents a bit more too - what are they thinking - going to work so much!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks to my cuz for making this vacation one of the best! :)