Made With Lots of Love

Welcome to my world! It's filled with love, laughter, and just enough insanity to keep things interesting.

Name: Robin
Location: Southern California

I'm a wife, a mommy and a daycare provider. My husband is my best friend, partner and, at times, the person most likely to drive me crazy. I also have two beautiful girls, ages 7 and 12. And, a whole bunch of "daytime" kids. To make things even more interesting, my 7 year old was born with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. Life at our house is never boring. It's stressful and crazy, but never boring.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Today is Grandma's 70th Birthday!!








We're baking her a cake...shhhhh it's a surprise! Chloe had a duel role in the process: Baker and Taster/Bowl Cleaner. These are both very important jobs. Caty came in at the last minute to lend a hand (or mouth!). We bought Grandma a new BBQ grill and are planning on grilling hamburgers and celebrating the day.


My mom is my lifesaver. She lives in our backyard and comes and helps me in the daycare everyday. I don't know what I would do without her. She makes it possible for me to have a Family Home daycare and to also be the mother that my kids need. I love you, Mom, and appreciate you so much! Happy Birthday!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Uncle Tony




It's Memorial Day and I'm enjoying the day with my family. And I'm missing the family that is no longer with us. My brother-in-law, Tony Johnson, was killed in Iraq on April 9, 2004. He went to Iraq as a contractor because he wanted to help and make a difference. We miss him very much. I love you, Tony.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

A Day In the Park...




































We had big plans for a day at Irvine Park in Orange. I told the kids all about this fabulous park and about the many Sundays I'd spent there when I was their age. We packed our picnic lunch and the car and set out for the OC. Well, as many great plans go, this one was just not meant to be. When we got to the park entrance the parking lot was closed. The side streets were lined with cars, the sidewalks filled with people and the police were diverting the steady flow of cars filled with disappointed families...us included.

It was on to Plan B. The only problem was that each family member had a different idea of what Plan B should be. Damond and Caty wanted to head to the beach and Chloe thought we should just drive through the crowd and go to the park anyway. We ended up going to a small community park down the street. This park didn't have a train running through it or a lake or paddle boats, but it was perfect. It was filled with families, just like ours, enjoying the beautiful day and each other. Damond and the girls played catch, although there wasn't much "catching" going on, and I took pictures and laughed! I was a great day.

I, Robin, promise to keep up my family blog...

Life is moving so fast and I have so much to share. I can't do it all in one post, but I promise myself that I will update my blog regularly...with lots of pictures!

My girls are growning up before my eyes. Caitlyn is finishing elementary school is three weeks. How did seven years fly by so fast? And Chloe is getting ready to start second grade. I'm afraid if I blink I'll miss something important. I want to appreciate each day. And I want to make many more special memories to capture and share.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

My new obsession - Photo montages!

I love doing this!



I'm back!!

Oh my goodness, time just gets away from you and the next thing you know it's been months since your blog has been updated.

The family is doing well. We're getting ready for another minor surgery on Wednesday. Chloe is getting new tubes in her ears. We need to have it done at Children's Hospital because of her OSA, but, other than that, it should be quick and easy. She is showing a moderate hearing loss and we need for those ears to be in perfect working order for kindergarten in the fall.

I will be back soon for a real good family update!

Monday, October 30, 2006

Super "D" and Little "C"


I had a request for a picture of my husband. Oh, by the way, he's the big one with the receiving blanket cape!

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Just Clownin' Around





'Tis the season for carnivals and festivals and I think we've hit them all. The girls have had their fill of face painting, bouncy pits, popcorn and cotton candy.

A Little Girl and Her Pumpkin



Chloe's preschool created a pumpkin patch at the school. Chloe and her friend, Aubree, were able to pick out their very own pumpkins and bring them home. Chloe was so excited about having a pumpkin and carried it around all evening. When it came time for bed, Chloe said she was very tired and INSISTED that her pumpkin was very tired and needed to go to bed with her. So, you can see that my little pumpkin and her pumpkin fell fast asleep!

She Loves Those Messy Bones!





Chloe has developed a passion for "messy bones". One of her favorite things to do is go out to an "eat house" and now it's an eat house for messy bones. Translation for those you that don't speak Chloe-ese: Restaurant for Ribs. It's funny, friends and family are now referring to restaurants as "eat houses" and ribs as "messy bones".

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

My Girls...

Our Signing Time friends































Working on her "self-help" skills


















My beautiful Caitlyn

There was an old woman who lived in a zoo...

Well, that's pretty much me in a nut shell (no pun intended). Life around our house has been crazy lately. Caitlyn and Chloe are back to school and the fun is just beginning. I volunteered to be co-room parent for Caitlyn's class. This is my first experience as a room parent and I'm kind of nervous. I love going to the class parties and I'm sure I'll enjoy planning them. Caty is doing so well in school and she loves her new teacher. She's also taking violin lessons at school this year. One of Damond's clients gave her a beautiful student violin, so, after some practice, we should have lots of performances to look forward to.

Miss Chloe is also doing very well in preschool and really likes the teacher and aides this year. The teacher says that she has some great kindergarten readiness skills and has been helping her classmates with their letters. At home is a different story. My little miss has some challenging behaviors. I'm fortunate enough to have a behavior specialist that is coming to our home to work with ME!! We think part of her problem is her sleep apnea. She's still not wearing her mask and is not getting a good nights sleep. Poor thing, she is so tired during the day and can be a little bit cranky too. We've decided, after much agonizing, to have her tonsils removed next month. She will be admitted into the hospital and observed very closely after the surgery. She had such a bad reaction after her adenoids were removed and making the decision to have the tonsils removed has been tough for us.

My daycare is also keeping me busy. We have 4 "daytime" children and are expecting another at the end of the year. One of the little girls in my daycare also has Down syndrome. She and Chloe don't always see eye to eye on things. More often they see fist to eye!! One more thing for the behavior specialist to work on...with ME.

Well, that's a brief update on us and I am looking forward to updating my blog on a regular basis.