Wonderland

Our quiet little street...

The Camry with a mohawk.

Snow angel

Winter can certainly be tough for any parent, especially above the Mason Dixon line! Endless days of frigid temps and gray skies often meaning digging deep to keep the kiddos entertained and stimulated, keeping the house (somewhat) together since we are in it so much more, and sometimes shelving the need for activity and interaction with other grown-ups to meet the needs of a sniffling little one. The gray days go on and on and I often find myself wishing for Spring and the playful, long, life-out-of-doors days that come along. ...And wishing that we could just run outside without having to bundle everyone with hats, gloves, and coats, oh my! BUT... then it snows. A huge, powdery, bright white snowfall is such a nice gift right in the middle of winter. (Easy for me to say since I can stay home and I don't own any of the trees and bushes that are struggling under the weight of the ice!) It is beautiful and clean, and gives us a great excuse to nestle in and wear fleece pants and man-looking snow boots without shame! Even better, there is a reason to bundle up and play outside. For the first time in a while you actually see your neighbors as everyone is out shoveling. (And of course we have the sweetest neighbors EVER and they usually end up shoveling and scraping for me if I have not made it out yet.) A great big snowfall makes me love this time of year... if it is going to be cold, it might as well dump the white stuff!!! The snow is still pouring right now, and there is a layer of ice and a few inches of snow under that. Yummy... Kate just went down to Naomi's to play and we crunched and slid the whole way walking her down there, making our tracks along the way. Some sledding and another snowman-making-session will definitely be in order later! This is a "level 3 snow emergency" in Cincinnati today, which I think just means no one should be on the roads at all... we wish that applied to really cute Pediatric Residents, too! We pray today that everyone who needs a warm place to be can find one.

Time out

Yay for sweet baby-sitters and grown-up only evenings complete with 'ritas and giant desserts. (...And driving across town to find the biggest one!) It is cheaper than therapy, and way more fun.

Toothy grin

Carter Caroline is at such a fun age, Scout and I both say all the time that we want to hit pause! She is cooing and giggling and loves to look people right in the eye. When she smiles it is usually a whole-body deal complete with kicking and a giggle. Her disposition has always been unassuming and sweet, but something clicked for her at 6 months and her tummy issues seemed to just work out, leaving behind a happy baby feeling goooooood. Recently we had a couple rough nights and the next morning we realized that she had 4 teeth coming in on top in addition to the 2 she sprouted on the bottom. Shew... no wonder! Here she is showing them off... along with those kissable & delicious chubby cheeks! Mmmmmmwa!

BED.

HEAD.

Good morning, Gorgeous!

Best Buds

We are very excited about our move to Memphis for many reasons, but there is certainly a lot we will miss about Cincinnati! The list is looong, but right at the top is Kate's best friend, Naomi. Kate and Na are just like sisters, with all the affection and arguing that goes with the package! One minute they are hugging and the next they are arguing over a doll, but they take about a minute to recover. They are ALWAYS thrilled to see each other and get just as excited day after day to play. Since we both have babies at home, we often just step outside to "swap" on the sidewalk, and Kate and Naomi always go running and screaming down the sidewalk for each other... every. day. We have put high expectations on Carter and Teddy to fall in love one day! Na's family is so dear to us, and it has been such a blessing to have them just a few houses down! Naomi has become part of our family and none of us can stand to think about the girls living so far away! We celebrated her 3rd birthday this weekend and Kate had a ball jumping, running and swinging at the gymnastics party!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Big night in the Robinson household! Carter Caroline Robinson officially slept through the night. WA HOO! It has been months (6 and a half to be exact!) since we have slept through the night but Carter granted us sleep on January 17th, 2009, and we think we are going to make it an official holiday. Sweet sleep, we missed you! Scout is always sleep deprived (do NOT know how he functions) because of his crazy work schedule so it has been a loooong few months of both mommy and daddy being totally zonked. So far she has kept it up and we feel like life is starting to get to the new "normal." Carts, you are a Champ. You have such a sweet little disposition and we know one thing is for sure: you aren't doing anything until you are ready. Fair enough... we just feel overwhelmed with thankfulness for you just as you are. ...And I have to admit that rocking you and holding you while you sleep is just about as good as it gets and I wouldn't trade that time for anything, even zzzzzzzs.

Christmas

Christmas this year was SO MUCH FUN. We were filled with so much joy watching our girls take it all in, and having Carter Caroline arrive this year in July was the best gift of all! Kate was very into Christmas and all its festivities and loved singing about Santa and "playing Santa"... A LOT. She would wrap something up in a blanket and leave it for us while we were "sleeping." Great fun. We pray that in time Kate and Carter will both grasp that Jesus is more than a sleeping infant and why Christmas is so special and monumental! This month we also celebrated Carter Caroline's baptism (thank you for coming Meme, Aunt Lauren, Ella Jane, Momsie & Bandaddy!) and also enjoyed Kate's first Christmas program at school and her first dance performance... oh, how we LOVE being a ballerina these days!

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the beautiful and creative cards our friends send us. ...Pictures of newlyweds, new babies, new pets, families of grandchildren, fabulous vacation shots. They all look so effortless and carefree! In our experience, though, getting a good (we'll settle for just decent) card photo is NEVER easy. This year we were especially silly thinking we could get it done quickly using the timer on our camera. It took a while, but just as I was headed out the door to enlist a neighbor to help, we got one where at least 8 eyes were open. That'll do. Kudos to you families who not only have small children but pets as well and STILL come out with a gorgeous and relaxed photo! Here is the winner - as well as some of the losers - from our family Christmas card photo session. The ones that didn't make the cut are the ones we will likely cherish the most!

Scout worked all through Christmas this year and started a 30+ hour shift on Christmas Eve morning. (Yay for last year of residency!) So Santa came to visit our house during naptime on the 23rd, and it was just as great! I was calling Scout when I started to hear Kate stir saying, "hurry hurry, she's awake and I don't know how long I can keep her in her bed!" (As it goes, I think we were more excited than she was!)

2009

I have avoided it as long as I can, but Scout and I have come to the conclusion that we should jump on the blog wagon and document the day-to-day stuff that only we (and maybe the grandparents) find totally interesting! What better time to take it on than now, at the new year, when we are (er... trying to) create some new routines and patterns? So, friends and family, here is our first entry of - we hope - many, so that you can stay up to date with us and our girls. (They are really the fun ones!) Kate and Carter, this is for you... I hope you will look back on this and LAUGH as much as we do everyday now.