A Couple of Pictures From Christmas

I thought I would post a couple of pictures from Christmas. We all had a wonderful time, and the kids got many toys. Above you can see the giant stuffed animals, and a picture of Callie holder her two babies. My favorite gift the kids got was probably a cycle that hooks up to the television. Finally a way to get them to exercise!

This Christmas vacation is absolutely flying by! We've all been trying to make the most of the time to rest. Both kids have had some sickness over this season, but I think they are both getting better.

Speaking of getting better, I'm at that point where I am trying to consider New Year's Resolutions. One that I am sure to make will deal with stress. I'm going to do much better this next year at dealing with stress. Some changes in my schedule at work should help out with that a little bit. I'm also going to strive to get to know my students a little better this next semester.

Full Moon and Mars on Christmas Eve

If you are out tonight, don't miss a chance to see something really cool on a bitterly cool Christmas Eve. Mars will be extremely bright tonight, and should be next to a full moon! Since Mars is opposite the sun, and really close to the Earth right now, it should appear as a brilliant red light. Hmmm, makes you wonder if Santa will need Rudolf?

Last night we had a wonderful evening exchanging presents with Dad and Jeannie and Angie/John/Mallory/Josh. I think everyone enjoyed each other's company and the meal. It was really nice.

Today we are getting some last minute Christmas shopping in for the kids and looking forward to letting the kids open their gifts in the morning.

Cassidy went to the doctor today. She has been battling a tough cough. He gave her some antibiotics. That is about all that has been going on with us during this Christmas season. I will probably post some pictures of the Christmas events coming up soon!

What a Way to End

Well, without getting into the gory details, let me just say that the end of the semester was bad.

So, what now? I don't know. I try to believe that every experience is given to us for a reason. Sometimes it is to test us to see what we are made of. Sometimes it is to for us to learn from. I'm going to try to be more positive next semester and believe that everything will work out for the best.

What else is going on? Just trying to get ready for Christmas.

Pictures of the Girls

Here are a few pictures of the girls. We thought you might enjoy. The girls really like to dress up. It doesn't matter if they use sunglasses, hats, headbands, or a full costume.

Looking Ahead

From time to time I think it important for people to revisit their goals and those things they wish to accomplish in life. As many of you know, this process has nearly become a lifestyle for me. It’s really not a healthy way to live, but deep down inside neither I nor Amy are satisfied. This became strikingly apparent this morning while I was changing my mother’s tire in the cold, pouring down rain. It wasn’t that I cared to change her tire, or even really that it was horrible weather. Without vilifying her, let me just say there are problems that surround our relationship that I don’t think will ever be solved. They get worse as time passes, and to be honest, the future doesn’t look good in that area.

Amy and I had a long talk today. We both agree that Mt. Vernon is heading down the wrong path. Of course there is tremendous potential here, but how long should we wait? The way things are right now, I don’t want my kids to grow up here. When you combine that with family problems, the negative experiences we have had with churches here, and the lack of solid relationships we have, it would sound pretty easy to just up and move someplace better.

That’s easy to say, right? But when it comes down to it, it’s just not quite that simple. Today we tried to think of the steps it would take for us to move. First off, we would have to have a job someplace else. But where would we start looking? I think I could get a teaching or administrative job someplace else in the country, but how do you decide what a good community is in which to raise your children? Searching the internet gets tiresome. I know what we are looking for, but I just don’t think the perfect place exists.

We do have good things here. We like our house and our neighborhood. We really like our neighbors. Amy can homebound tutor for the high school, and the positive family relationships that we do have are here. I am thankful to have a decent paying job here, and as I said before, there is a ton of potential.

So, I guess the question becomes, does the good outweigh the bad? And how long should we wait for things to get better? If I had to guess today, I think I would say that at some point we will venture away to greener pastures. Life is just too short. I think we should live it to your fullest potential. Thanks for reading!

Difficult Week

This past week was one of the more difficult weeks at school. I had a lot of discipline problems, one of which involved an alleged threat of some kind directed at me. That evening we closed the blinds and kept the gun handy. It is a shame that teachers have to deal with some of the things they deal with. It really got me down, mostly because I felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal to anyone. But it was to us. Public education has changed, even since I first started my career.

On a happy note, Cassidy and Callie got a new bed today. We will try to post some pictures of it soon. They are really looking forward to sleeping in it. Hopefully they will finally sleep through the night!

Thanksgiving Break 2007

Each year I (Ryan) greatly look forward to the Thanksgiving Break. Unfortunately, it absolutely flies by, and I end up wondering what in the world I did that made it go by so fast. So, here is what we did this year.

On Thursday, like millions of other Americans, we had a Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, etc. That afternoon and evening Amy and I watched Spiderman 3 while the kids watched The Little Mermaid.

On Friday Amy went shopping in the morning. Then we had a wonderful treat! Our friends Cary and Stephanie had driven up from Texas and were in town. They came over for lunch and we visited the rest of the afternoon and evening. Our kids all played very good together. We then took a trip out to Marcoe church where we all used to attend. To our surprise, the lady who cleans the church was there, and let us in to look around. Finally, we ended the evening with dinner at Bob Evans, and reminiscing about good times we used to have together. I sure hope it isn’t so long before we see them again.

Amy did more shopping on Saturday, and Dad came over to help me hang 10 sheets of drywall! I think we were both worn out, but the room sure looks a lot better.

So that was how I spent the Thanksgiving Break 2007. I not too excited about returning to work, but I think we only have about three weeks before Christmas break! Thanks for reading!

Everything is Going Well

Myspace Thanksgiving Graphics


We just wanted to let everyone know we are still here and everything is going well. We are planning a quiet day on Thanksgiving. It will just be us and the girls. Ryan and I are going to prepare the noon meal. We are planning on making our favorite Thanksgiving foods.

It will be nice for everyone to have a few days off for the holiday. Cassidy doesn't have school today. Her school is getting out early today, so they canceled the afternoon classes. Ryan will start his vacation this afternoon after the high school lets out. Callie and I will enjoy having them around. Sometimes it is lonely without them.

Everything is going well with the baby. I posted a few pictures last week. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I feel like I look more pregnant now. The baby really makes herself known. She is always moving around. I love that feeling. That is one thing I miss after the baby is born. It is such a unique feeling. There is nothing else like it.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. If you are going shopping the day after Thanksgiving, maybe I will see you. Have a great day and a great weekend.

Pictures of the New Baby

Ultrasound Results

I went today and the lady said the baby is a girl. Now I can start planning a little more. Both Cassidy and Callie wanted to have a baby sister. I am so happy I was able to find out today.

Still Working With Paint

Here is another picture I spent a while working with. I think it is a little better.

Playing Mr. Mom

The above picture is one of my attempts at using a new program I downloaded called Paint.net. It is a free program, and offers quite a few things. I had the chance to play with it this morning while watching Callie. The following is a record of my time watching her. Enjoy.

Today, Amy is leaving Callie at home because she is still asleep and has not been feeling too good. I will attempt make record of the events. What will it be like to play “Mr. Mom?” Well, it’s been a while, but I’ve done it before. It’s not always pretty.

8:20—Callie wakes up and I change her diaper. We sit together watching a cartoon for a while. It is a nice, peaceful time. Wow, I wish the day could go this easy.

8:45—Callie said she wanted to go pee. That usually means she already peed, and just wants to sit on the pot. So, once again, I changed her diaper and allowed her to sit on the pot for a while.

9:00—The room was starting to stink, so I checked, and you guessed it, diaper #3. The second worst thing in life is dealing with a soiled diaper. I am very sensitive to smells, and it usually makes me gag if I can’t hold my breath long enough. Thankfully, I was able to hold my breath and got the stinky diaper changed. Man, I hope things don’t go like this all morning.

9:05—Callie is hungry again. She wants a fruit roll up.

9:10—She ate most of the fruit roll up, but spit the rest out in her hand. She now has sticky yucky stuff all over her hands and mouth. I got her washed up. She was still hungry so I gave her a piece of cheese. Having learned from the fruit roll up, I fed her the cheese piece by piece.

9:15—She is thirsty, so I made her juice. Of course, I don’t think she was too happy with the Little Mermaid cup, but it will have to do. Now, I’m wondering if I got the lid on it tight enough. I better check it.

9:20—I tightened the lid, and it was a good thing I did. That could have been bad. I’m now thinking that putting the soiled diaper in the regular trash can was a very bad idea. The entire kitchen is stinking.

9:22—Took out the trash. Sure wish I could find something to spray to make things smell better

9:24—Took away the telephone from Callie. She was trying to call someone-it’s a good thing it wasn’t 911. Took away the books she was trying to rip up.

9:25—she is crying because she wants M&M’s and I won’t give them to her. I don’t think having the Halloween candy still out is a good idea.

9:30—she is finally sitting down in front of the television. People often say what a bad idea it is to use the television as a baby sitter. I thought that too before I had children.

9:35—she is walking around with a doily on her head saying something that I can’t understand. I know she wants me to do something for her, but I just don’t know what she is saying.

10:30—we have been watching Dora the Explorer. I think we have went through three episodes now. I’m SICK of Dora! I’m thinking about taking Callie for a walk around the block in the wagon. I’m trying to decide if it is too cold to go or not.

11:30—Callie didn’t want to go for a walk, so instead we went for a drive in the jeep. She said she wanted some hash browns from McDonalds, so we went there. Unfortunately, after sitting in the drive through for like 15 minutes, they had stopped selling breakfast by the time we got up there. So, we drove across town to the other McDonalds, but they too had stopped selling breakfast. We settled for a large order of fries. Wow, $2.04 for French fries, and they were not even very good. So, we are back home now, and Callie is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Once again, the television is the babysitter. I know that is not good, but she says it is too cold to be outside. Maybe I will bundle her up in a while and take her for a walk in the wagon.

12:15 Diaper #4. Callie wanted apple sauce, so I fed her applesauce and then read her a book.

12:30 We went outside and walked around and then I took her swinging. We came back inside, and then it was just about time for mom to be home.

12:40 We made it! Mom is finally home!

A Wonderful Halloween Party

Some of you might remember that last year was the first year we really did much with Halloween. We had a lot of fun, so we decided we would do a bit more this year. We decorated, and had somewhat of an open house complete with lots of snacks. Several people stopped in to say hi. Some stayed for a long time, others stayed for only a short while before going to their next stop. It was really a lot of fun, and I think everyone had a good time.

Cassidy was a mermaid, and Callie was a zebra. To add to the excitement, Amy and I both dressed up a bit. I wore a Star Trek uniform, while Amy painted her pregnant belly like a pumpkin. The kids enjoyed it, and we had fun too.

Below is a picture of the kids, Amy, our friend Nena, and me. Thanks for reading!

The Pumpkins Made It

Well, a lot of you were probably wondering how the pumpkins were coming along. They didn't get very big, but a few of them made it. There are still several small green ones, but since it frosted, I will probably go ahead and find something to do with them. Below is a picture of us carving one of them. I also have a picture of what is left of the patch, and the best one. All in all, it was a success. I will plant them a lot earlier next year! Keep watching for a fabulous Halloween post!

Is it a Boy or a Girl?

I wanted to let everyone know I went again today for an ultrasound. They still were not able to determine the sex of the baby. Hopefully we will still be able to find out soon.

Let It Rain

It’s nice to finally see the rain.

I think the weatherman said this morning we are about 10 inches short on rainfall for the year. Indeed, my dad said the other night that Rend Lake was the lowest he had seen it in a long, long time. But, tonight someone watched the kids for us for short time while Amy and I took a walk around the neighborhood. On our way back, it began to rain on us. Since it wasn’t too cold, neither of us seemed to mind. We didn’t even pick up our pace, we just enjoyed our time together walking in the rain. As we went along, I realized that the activity of walking was a good representation for our relationship. There we were, side by side, taking this journey through life. Amy and I have walked together through every neighborhood we have lived in. As teenagers, we would each start walking toward the other’s house and meet in the middle. During college we would take walks around Tower Lake at SIUE. We walked all around the tiny neighborhood of Steeleville. When we moved back home, we once again walked the long country blocks, and are now enjoying the city lights.

But we haven’t just walked through the streets. We have truly walked through life. We walked through the difficulties of growing up together. We have walked through the stress of college classes and living on a tight budget. We have walked through the joy of new babies, and the incredible difficulties of building new houses. We have walked through the sad times of loosing friends, and being hurt by those we most trusted. When it seemed like everyone was against us, we kept on walking. We walked until we found new friends, and met others to walk with us. And just like the rain on us tonight, sometimes we got rained on through the journey of life. But, as each storm passed, we saw new opportunities as the sun began to shine on us again.

And so it is tonight as I write this entry. The rain falls, confident, sure, and steady, just as we keep on walking. So, let it rain!

Update on Pumkins

I Am So Disappointed

Well, I went to get the ultrasound today. I am pretty disappointed. They couldn't tell if the baby was a boy or a girl. I was very happy to see the baby. The heart beat was 144 beats per minute.
Everything looked good. They told me I could call in a couple of weeks and come in to check the baby's sex. I will keep you updated.

Make a Prediction, Boy or Girl?

This Friday, October 12th, I (Amy) am having an ultrasound. Hopefully if all goes well, they will be able to tell me the sex of the baby. Would you like to make a prediction? Just post a comment to this blog entry. I will post on here again when I find out.

What Were You Doing 5 Years Ago?

What were you doing 5 years ago today? Five years ago I (Amy) went to the hospital pregnant to be induced. By the end of the day, we had our first baby girl. Cassidy was born around 8 pm. I can hardly believe it has already been 5 years. Where does the time go?

Cassidy's Birthday Party

Cassidy & Callie posing for their picture.

Cassidy got a lot of nice gifts. She was pleased with everything.

We set up our bounce house. The kids loved bouncing.

We had Cassidy's birthday party on Saturday. It was a beautiful day. She had about 10 friends come, along with their siblings and parents. Nearly everything worked really well.

We took each child's picture with Cassidy as they arrived. After everyone arrived Ryan went to Wal-Mart and printed the pictures. The kids decorated a frame and we put the picture in for them to take home. Thank you to everyone who helped with this project.

We had a cake made by Mrs. Williams who lives close to the park. I have to say it was the best cake I have had in a long time.

The only real problem we encountered was with the pinata. Ryan make a really nice place to hang it, but it did not work as well with the added weight. Ryan had to hold the string, thus we have no pictures or video of the pinata. The kids all really enjoyed pulling the strings (no we did not get one that you hit with a stick) and scampering for the candy.

Each child left with their picture and frame, a few small toys and of course lots of candy. I think the party was a huge success.

Update on Pumkins Again

Some of you were asking how the pumpkins were coming along. Here are some pictures I took tonight. I still have some hope that we might get a couple of them to turn orange before Halloween! We are keeping our fingers crossed!

16 Weeks Pregnant - Another Doctor's Appointment

I am now 16 weeks pregnant. I am not feeling much different. I do feel a little more pregnant. I think my belly is starting to look a little pregnant. The baby now weighs 4 ounces and is 6 inches long. It won't be long and I will be feeling the baby move. I enjoy that time of the pregnancy.

I went to the doctor yesterday. The visit went well. I listened to the baby's heartbeat, which is such a sweet sound. The doctor gave me the order to get an ultrasound. I will go in 2-3 weeks. We will find out the sex of the baby at that time. We will keep you updated.

15 Weeks Pregnant

I am 15 weeks pregnant. This week has been good. I did have a headache that did not want to go away, but it finally has gone. That makes me happy. The baby is now 4.25 inches long and weighs 3 ounces. The baby is still very small, but he/she is getting bigger everyday. I am just trying to enjoy each and every day. Life is good. I have a great husband, 2 beautiful girls and a baby on the way. Can life get any better?

Update on Pumkins and Other Stuff!

It’s been a while since I have written much. I hope there are at least a few of you out there still checking the page to see what is happening in the Robinson world.

To begin with, I know some of you are probably wondering what all went on at the high school this past week. To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable speaking much about anything that has not been reported, so first off let me link to the Register News site so you can read all the stories about the incident.

http://www.register-news.com/

When I saw the incident occurring, I went to help. I felt that our staff, administration, and police department did an excellent job of ending the incident before anyone got seriously hurt. The following link will take you to some pictures posted on the Register-News forum after the incident had been dealt with:

http://community.cnhi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/231104611/m/8931056301/p/2

It all made me think about the type of environment we have in which we send our kids to school. Public education must accept ALL students. It accepts those who were brought up with guidance and direction from a good mother and father, as well as those who live in much less fortunate circumstances. Public education takes both the rich kids and the poor kids. The state says that even if you have been in trouble with the law, or have anger management issues, or behavioral problems, you are still entitled to an education.

For most of my life, it has always been my opinion that this is how it should be. Now that I am a parent, I find myself revisiting my thoughts. I find myself asking, “Do I want to send my children through public education?” Of course I won’t answer that question today, and I don’t need to yet. But what I do know is that I would like to see definite reform in public education. The “one-size-fits-all” style of learning is not working. Recently I had an upperclassman tell me, “Mr. Robinson, I don’t have hardly any credits. Why am I here?” To be honest, I wondered the same question. This young man is very troubled, and at one point he told me he thought he would end up in prison. I see no way he can graduate. I told him he needs to stay in school and learn what he can so he can pass the GED, and then perhaps get into college or find a good job or think about the military. I explained to him that the choices he made that got him to his bad decision did not happen overnight, and it will take time for him to get back on track. I gave him the nice motivational speech, but in the end I thought to myself, “What would I do in his situation?” And honestly I’m not sure. I hope he makes it, but the statistics are not too good for him.

So what is the answer? For me it is to do the best I can to make a difference, and then wait and see what happens. Things need to get better!

Turning to a different subject now—it has been a long time since I reported on the progress of my pumpkins. You might remember that I planted them way to late, but was hoping that by some chance they would produce pumpkins before Halloween. Below are a few pictures of where they are at. They will have to grow a lot to make it, but the race is now on!

Coming Soon... UPDATE ON PUMPKINS and stuff

keep looking

14 Weeks Pregnant

I am now 14 weeks pregnant. Everything seems to be on track. I am just trying to enjoy being pregnant and not being sick. Some days it is very difficult. I seem to allow myself to get down a little easier during this time of my pregnancy. I want to be happy and I want to enjoy life. I know everything will be better soon. I just have to try my best to be happy.

On the up side, the baby is 3 inches long and weighs about 2 ounces. I know that is not much but he/she is growing everyday. The baby is kicking and stretching, yawning and sucking on his thumb. It is hard to believe that all of that is going on and I cannot even feel it yet. It should only be a few more weeks and I will feel the baby more. I am excited about that. I should also be able to find out if we are having a girl or a boy in about 5 or 6 weeks.

Unable to Make Decisions: Part 1

I don’t know why I am plagued with indecision. Sometimes I feel like this has become my lot in life. Not long ago I had to make another choice. Here is how the story began:

All summer long I was thinking about whether or not I wanted to go back to teach again at Mt. Vernon. Early in the Summer I was convinced that I should find something else to do, even if it meant getting out of the field of education altogether. I got a call from a gentleman in Florida who heads a ministry for troubled teenagers. Amy and I both gave serious thought to going there for an interview. We chose not to, and in the end I believe we made the right decision on that one, but the process was daunting.

After attending the conference in Washington, D.C. this past summer, I felt a renewed interest in teaching. I was with a group of people who seemed to have vision, and it was exciting! I came home with a stronger desire to go back to the trenches, and be the best teacher I could be. Unfortunately, it didn’t take too long before I once again had that unsettling feeling of dissatisfaction. I began to look intently for someplace else. I found there were a few other positions at local schools needing science teachers, but none in which I felt a strong urge to apply.

Then, one morning, on a day when I had had about all the frustration I could take, with great intensity I knelt down and prayed that God would open a door. I really felt like God was going to answer that prayer. Soon after I went to the computer and found out that a church in Indiana was looking for a youth pastor. This may come as a surprise to some of you, but Amy and I once worked in this capacity several years ago. I called the pastor to inquire about the position, and to make a long story short, we found ourselves going for an interview, and being asked to come for a second interview. After a lot of soul searching, and long conversations, Amy and I reluctantly decided to not pursue the position further. At the end of the day, like so many times before, it just didn’t “feel” right. I can’t say that our decision was made with confidence. Honestly, we just didn’t know what to do, so we thought maybe we should just stay here. Perhaps we are both afraid and both have too little faith. Maybe we are both so far away from God that we just can’t discern his voice anymore. Either way the fear of leaving what we do have was just too overpowering.

So, how in the world did we get to this place? I suppose that story deserves its own post.

Doctor's Appointment (for Amy)

I went to the doctor yesterday. She did not do much, but she just made sure that everything seemed to be going okay. I got to listen to the baby's heartbeat, I love that sound. It is pretty exciting. Up until now, the only things telling me that I was pregnant is the test and the nausea. I am happy to have another little sign.

I also found out that Good Sam has a new 4D ultrasound machine. Dr. Smith wants an ultrasound done at 19 weeks. That is late enough to see the sex of the baby, but not for the 4D ultrasound. I was a little disappointed. She quickly told me that Good Sam is offering a complimentary 4D ultrasound later in the pregnancy, when you schedule one at 19 weeks. That made me very happy. Maybe we will be able to see a little more of the baby before he/she is born. That will be exciting.

I will keep you updated. Thanks for reading.

Viewing the Lunar Eclipse

Early this morning Amy and I got up to watch the lunar eclipse. It was spectacular! I awoke at 2:30am to see if anything was happening, but it wasn't. Then, I got up at 4:30am, and the show was on. When it came close to totality (completely covered in the shadow), Amy, Callie and I covered up in a blanket and sat out on our driveway and watched it for about 15 minutes. I've not went back to bed, so I'm a bit tired tonight, but it was well worth it! What a way to start the day! If you missed it, expect another on the evening of February 20th. Hey wait, that is also my birthday!

12 Weeks Pregnant

I am now 12 weeks pregnant. I am feeling great and I haven't had any more problems with nausea. The above is a representation of what our baby may look like. He/she is 2.5 inches long and 2/3 of an ounce. He/she is still very small, but mostly fully formed except for the fat and the brain. I go to the doctor this week on Wednesday. I am excited. I hope she tries to listen for the heartbeat. I love hearing that sound. I can't remember if the doctor listens for a heartbeat at 3 months or 4 months. I will keep you updated.

Cassidy's First Day at Rend Lake Preschool

Today was Cassidy's first day at her new preschool. She started this morning at the Rend Lake Marketplace. For now she is only going to go there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She really had a good time today. She play outside with sidewalk chalk and she said they even went for a walk. During the learning centers today, she chose the dramatic play, art and the writing centers. She did not want to leave. When I picked her up, the other children were getting ready for nap time. Cassidy asked if next time she could stay and "sleep over". I think is was a successful day.


In the picture below, Callie is happy, she just says "cheese" and squints her eyes when she knows there is a picture being taken.

Pictures of us from the Parade

We had a good time at the parade on Saturday. The kids had so much fun. They both loved getting the candy. It was not hot like it usually is this time of the year. We had an enjoyable time.