Pace of Life

With the help of some 60 degree days we have finally dug ourselves out of the snow. We were expecting 2-4 inches last Wednesday and instead we woke up to 6 inches and after a morning and afternoon of continuous snow, we finally ended up with about 22 inches. Although we have grown accustomed to the “dustings” that are generally received in our area, we welcomed this snow and while others may have had a bit of cabin fever we found that it was a good break and allowed us some much needed down time. Right now it seems like we were going 100 miles an hour in every direction and so it is very unlikely that we were going to get a break any other way and so we welcomed the white stuff. Since we couldn’t go anywhere, it made us stop, collect ourselves and just enjoy the time that we had. We know that it shouldn’t take 22 inches of snow to make us slow down a little bit but we will continue to work on that.

Unfortunately it seems like were picked up right where we left off before the storm and so we have resumed our 100 miles an hour pace. Due to this we will be posting pictures from the last two weeks tomorrow, later this week, or certainly by Kellen’s second birthday. Remember, we’re working on slowing down a bit. We didn’t say that we had it figured out; we’re just taking things one step at a time, and hoping for loads of grace along the way.

Enjoying our Snow Days!

We are about 24 hours behind on the blog update but we are blaming the ice/snow storm that hit our area on Tuesday. We are enjoying our snow days and hope to get a longer post completed by the end of the week. Until then we will continue to enjoy the extra play time with K, reading our books and lounging around, the extra hours that have allowed us to start our spring cleaning early, and just enjoying the break in the normal routine.

Rock and Roll Marathon Number 1

How awesome is it to be able to wear shorts outside in January. This is certainly not common when we are usually subject to temperatures in the 20’s and 30’s but this past weekend we were able to go to Phoenix and we were certainly blessed as we were greeted with some wonderful 70 degree days.
This was the first trip that Kellen has taken on an airplane and so our anticipation levels rose a bit but we could not have asked for a better traveler. Maybe it was the extra seat that we had between us, or the fact that he had so many people around him to interact with, but he loved the flights. Jill and I learned many things as well as this was our first attempt at packing all of his stuff, getting through security with a child, and toting a car seat and stroller through the airport. One of the most important things that we learned is to check the airport that you are arriving at as we now know that Phoenix has their international airport, Sky Harbor, but they also have a smaller regional airport as well. In this case we arrived at the Phoenix/Mesa airport. So we were forced to make some adjustments to our rental car plans and it made for a late night arrival at our hotel but the lesson was learned and will not be forgotten.
We spent some time in downtown Phoenix on Friday as we had to pick up a race packet and visit the expo. Just being back in a large city was great as there is a certain energy level that is created in that environment. We love to explore and since we have been to Phoenix before we were set on making sure that we found new restaurants and places to go to. The majority of the day Friday was spent in the downtown area but we did find some time to relax a bit and it was warm enough that Kellen was able to in the pool.
Saturday was spent visiting the farmers market and shops in Scottsdale, taking Kellen to a train park, and then exploring more of Tempe. It was a busy day for all of us but with the wonderful weather it was one of those days that made us want to stay outside and do as much as we could possible squeeze in.
Sunday morning was an early start as we were up at 5:30 getting ready for the race and packing up a bit. Because the marathon was a point-to-point run Jill had to drop me off in Phoenix and then we would meet up again at the finish line in Tempe. Jill and Kellen were already up and going and so they went out for breakfast and then did a terrific job navigating the city so that I was able to see them a couple of times during the run. As one could expect, it was mass confusion at the finish as there were 30,000 runners and even more spectators, but after Jill and Kellen survived a parking dilemma we were able to meet up. The rest of the day was a blur as we had to quickly get back to our hotel to pack up and check out, drive to the airport, and once again battle through all of the check-in procedures. We made it with a few minutes to spare but that seems to be a way of life for us now and one that we fully embrace as we wouldn’t want our experiences to be shortchanged in any way.

Cheering Daddy On!!

Happy 1st Birthday Kellen

It’s really hard for us to believe that Kellen is one. Pre-Children it was very common for us to hear parents say that it goes by so fast, but the reality of it is that you can never fully understand what they are talking about until you experience it for yourself. Whether it is because your to-do-list grows sevenfold, you lose out on some sleep, or play more than before, the days are certainly a blur. K has certainly added a few wrinkles here or there and over the course of the year we have become more versed in all things baby but we can’t imagine missing out on the blessing that he has been. Some highlights from his first year include:
1.) He has always been a good sleeper. It seemed like from the first night that we were at home he would sleep through the night. The rare exceptions were on those nights when Grandma would come and stay with us and on a couple of those nights he would decide he needed a couple more minutes/hours in the rocking chair.
2.) The boy can eat. Whether it’s milk, cereal, or meatballs, he always has an appetite. We don’t know if it’s common for a one year old to eat more food than his parents but we lean heavily on the old adage, “he is a growing boy.”
3.) He is mobile. We were never anxious for K to start walking so early as we knew that this would simply mean another layer of defense would be needed around our house. However, moving everything out of his reach and trying to stay one step ahead has definitely picked up over the last two months as he has really started getting this walking/running thing down.
4.) He loves to go. Whether it’s a ride in the jogging stroller or a trip around the grocery store in the shopping cart, he is always jazzed up about being on the move. As the year has progressed he has started adding his own flare by waving to anyone and everyone that he sees and passes by.
On Friday we were able to get together with family and friends and celebrate Kellen’s first birthday. This was the culmination of a lot of planning on Jill’s part but she did a wonderful job and made the day really special and enjoyable not only for K but for others as well. We hope you enjoy some pictures from the celebration.

Welcome!!

Fun game of how many nails are in the jar-- Believe it or not but the winner hit it on the head exactly!

He enjoyed his first sweets.

Hopefully group pictures will improve in the future

Kellen's new favorite place in the house

Wonderful christian friends to celebrate with!

Guys having a nail driving contest

What a great day!!

Merry Christmas

This past weekend we made a trip up to SW Missouri to celebrate Christmas with the Roberston/Hopkins side of the family. While the time always seems to go by fast we were able to squeeze quite a bit in. We spent Saturday trading Christmas presents and eating way too much food, but we always enjoy seeing everyone and wish that we were able to get together more often.

This year we decided to keep Christmas stress free, so we decided to give “As-Seen-On-TV” gifts.

Kellen didn’t understand everything that was going on but he did seem to really enjoy ripping all of the presents open.

We didn't send christmas cards this year but hope everyone has a wonderful time and here is our blog card to you!!

May your holiday be merry and bright!!!

Merry Christmas from Mark, Jill, and Kellen!!!

Thanksgiving/White Rock Half Marathon

While we never have enough time at Thanksgiving we are blessed that our families only live 45 minutes apart. This allows us to split time between both of our families and while it leads to some hectic days, we wouldn’t have it any other way. The four days are a blur as we travel the country to parents and grandparents houses and what seems to be everywhere in between, but this is certainly one of our favorite times of the year. The days are spent focusing on our families and although we probably get to see them more often than others who have to travel greater distances do, this time always makes us reflect and realize how thankful we truly are for great families. This was K’s first Thanksgiving and he certainly enjoyed being one of the centers of attention as he and his other cousins split some time being loved on by all of the grandparents.

Best Farm Hand

First Horse Ride!!

Precious

First Tricycle Ride

Jill's first real homeade apple pie!



We headed to Dallas last weekend for a brief weekend get-a-way. We were able to get out of town a little early on Friday and although it was a 5 ½ hour drive, K did really well in the car and he didn’t seem to mind being in his car seat for the extended period of time. It certainly helped that Leta, one of his “Gran-Nannies”, was in the back to help entertain him as he had to endure the carseat a little longer than we intended since all of the road construction in Dallas confused our Garmin to no end. After circling on the same road four times and two calls to the hotel we abandoned the new technology and instead relied on Jill’s hunch that “we should turn down this road.” Amazingly, it worked.

We were blessed with beautiful weather on Saturday and we spent the majority of the morning visiting some of the attractions at Fair Park. K loved the aquarium the most but he also seemed to enjoy the large stuffed animals in the Natural Sciences building and the butterfly house as well. The rest of the day was spent shopping in various areas around Dallas.

On Sunday, Jill and I headed to Fair Park again to participate in the White Rock ½ Marathon. We have completed a handful of runs over the last few years but this was by far the largest that we have ever participated in. With close to 20,000 runners it was certainly a festive event and one that Leta and K could enjoy as it was large enough that it was televised live. This allowed them to watch it from the warmth of the hotel room instead of bundling up and enduring the cold air for a couple of hours.

The run itself was great as it took us through downtown, the Highland Park area, and then back around Fair Park. We were both able to enjoy running together and were satisfied with our runs and so this was certainly one of our favorites and one that we will consider doing again in a few years.

Playing boo with Grammie!!

Our congratulations sign from Kellen and Grammie

Hello from the Robertson Family

No excuses. We made a commitment to be more diligent about our blogging and that lasted all of three months. But then it ended. Honestly, we quickly lost focus on blogging because it always ranked very low on our priority list and although it still does, we understand that it is a good way for our friends and family who are not close to stay connected to what we are doing – or more importantly for many of them, what K is doing. So we will renew our commitment but this time with more realistic expectations. If you choose to follow us and catch the updates then mark your calendars for the first and third Tuesdays of the month as we will make updates on those days. Granted we may get a little wild and crazy from time to time and have multiple postings in a week but don’t expect that. Instead treat it as a sweet surprise and savor the moment if that happens as additional postings will be a far stretch for our Type A personalities.
· Disclaimer – We will try our best to include some photos and shorter entries over the next few weeks but again, those should not be considered as the norm. They are simply our way of showing what we have been doing instead of blogging and proving that K is in fact 10 months old instead of frozen in time as a three month old.