NEW NEW NEW!!!

Yes, the girl has arrived!!!

You know what else is new? Follow the link below to see our new blog (how long did you think we'd be "Still In St. Louis"?) and meet our new little girl! While you're there, don't forget to connect with us through bloglovin :)

ROAM

Our little girl!

Seriously, though-I will no longer be posting here. This blog has officially expired, although it will still be available for any resources or posts you'd like to access. From now on, the Robbins family will be at www.robbinsroam.blogspot.com

8 Ball

Ahh, the magic 8 ball. I remember playing with those in middle school, asking it the age old questions about pre-teen romances and my imminent future. I always knew it was a joke, but don't we all wish it were real? Even if the answer was "maybe", it still felt good to be given some hope, despite the fact that it comes from a mass produced game!

I wish there really was such a thing that could just tell me "Hey Bethany, don't stress it. Baby will be here by Sunday afternoon. So go out shopping with your sisters and get pedicures and live it up!". Wouldn't that be nice??

On Halloween afternoon, we frantically threw the boys in some last minute costumes. Lazarus was going to be the most adorable fireman, but backed out last minute. We threw him his blankie, named him Linus and called it good. Elijah scored an awesome Optimus Prime costume (at half off day!) at Goodwill but it didn't come with a mask. Thankfully, mama's got killer face painting skills. Funny thing is, I actually found (and purchased) a real Optimus Prime transformers mask yesterday at a kid's consignment shop-day late and a dollar short I suppose.

And I went as an 8 ball.

We had fun walking around downtown Bellingham, popping into shops and getting free candy. Yesterday, the ladies and the little lads went down to the boardwalk for some exercise in the cool fall air. Walking seems to help things start up, but it's not quite time yet. We're having a blast together though! If nothing else, this week has been a really fun time with my family!!!

Killin' Time

We're just killin' time here, waiting on a baby to come!

We've been thrifting....

 Walking around town looking cool...

Visiting the beach....

Even drove up to Mount Baker for some fresh air!

Hiking through the woods...

Just waitin' on this dang baby to COME OUT!!!!!

FULL TERM!

37 weeks gestation is considered to be "full term" by doctors. It's the week we all hope we can reach in pregnancy. Still, there's nothing FULL about being 37 weeks. I know so many women who have gone all the way to 42 weeks (ouch!). Now THAT'S full.

Right now, I'm 40ish weeks and feeling pre-tty full. I expected to carry this girl differently than the boys, but it seems as though my body does one thing - watermelon straight out front. My mom/midwife has arrived from TN, my sisters are on their way and I'm ready to have this baby!!

Parents Say the Darndest Things!

Over the last few months, Dan and I have found ourselves saying (out loud) the weirdest things. Of course, in the midst of the moment, everything makes perfect sense, but the phrases alone are hilarious!

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Lazarus was sticking his fuzzy in his nose one day in the Target check out line. I caught him doing this and said :

"Oh Lazzy, that's yucky. Put it in your ear."

It wasn't until I saw the look on the checker's face that I realized how stupid I must have sounded. She didn't know that fuzzies in his ear were a totally normal and regular thing in our family!

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Elijah was trying to have his cake and eat it too while getting dressed. I heard myself say:

"Drop the balloon and focus on your PANTS!"

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The boys have been punching themselves in the eye non-stop. Not sure when it began, but it's caught on like wild fire and I find myself saying things like this:

"Hey boys, please wait until after dinner to punch out your eye balls."

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Dan has been on a roll lately, too. Something about the third trimester makes him really funny.

While discussing the intricacies of a woman's body and childbirth, Dan says "i'm happy to be a man. lady work is HARD WORK!"
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We were looking at pictures of our friend's new baby girl. I got all excited about our baby girl coming soon and started chatting about it. "We're gonna have a little girl soon, too! Can you believe it? I'm getting really excited!"

Dan responded : "yeah, I know. I don't want to talk about it."

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Dan walks into the room, sees a baby carrier and says "wow, we have a baby coming! so you're serious about this pregnancy thing....."

He might need a little more time....

3rd Trimester = Beautiful

There are so many stages throughout pregnancy. Many of them include feeling bloated, chubby, sick to your stomach, gassy, among other things. Even though the 3rd trimester is considered the least comfortable of all 4 trimesters (yes, there is a 4th: post partum-yuck!), it's when I feel most beautiful. My belly is nice and round and it's painfully obvious to everyone that I am with child. No mistaking it, no awkward looks, just total acceptance.

36ish weeks

People smile at me as they walk past, knowing that new life is about to enter the world. Women of other cultures ask to touch and pray for the baby (I've never had a Caucasian American do this to me). I feel blessed, like I've been given a precious jewel to protect and keep safe.

38 weeks

When she moves and my belly ripples, I'm the only one who notices. We share secrets this way.

The 3rd trimester is filled with annoying aches and ailments but it's the last hurrah. Just a few feet before the finish line where everyone is cheering you on. The excitement is unbearable!

We aren't sure if my due month will be October or November. We're hoping she holds on until my mom and sisters arrive this weekend, but we'll see. I carried both boys for 40 weeks and 1 day (according to the dates). Will baby sister follow in line or dance to the beat of her own drum?

A Typical Day

Just a typical homeschool day in the Robbins' household. These are from last month, but it shows how different my boys are. Elijah wakes up and immediately begins to draw and work on school. He's obsessed with reading now, too.

Lazarus wakes up and immediately begins performing, but he doesn't care if there is an audience. Every joke, dance move and silly sound is for his own enjoyment.

So far, I'm feeling like our family is pretty balanced. I can't wait to see what this girl will bring to the family!!

So Long Uncle Owen

Owen was able to stay with us for a month. During that time, we helped him adjust to American life while he helped me teach and take care of the boys. The house feels kind of empty since he left and it's sad. The boys keep asking where he is, especially when we get in the car to go somewhere.

Laz : "Wait! We forgot Uncle Owen!"

{two peas in a pod}

Before he left, Dan took all the boys to the mountains so Owen could see snow for the first time. Such a cool experience!!

Uncle Owen has not been forgotten. He's in Seattle with friends, working hard and seeing new sights. He'll be traveling over the next few months but we anticipate another visit from him before he returns to Africa in January.

Happy Fall Y'all!

 

FIRE!!!

Last week, we visited a fire station in our neighborhood. All of the trucks and ambulances were lined up and  open for us to explore! The boys came prepared in their gear, ready to work.

Lazarus was obsessed with making sure every seat belt was clipped properly.

The boys got a lesson about  going to the ER in an ambulance. They were fascinated.

Ever since our visit to the first station, EVERYTHING has been on fire in our house. Thankfully, I've got two strong boys who know how to put a fire out! :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Fighting

A year ago, I swear I couldn't take a sip of water without getting interrupted with screams, crying and bite marks all over my boys. They were enemies!! I don't know where the credit lies (I'd like to think it was me, but I know better than to pat myself on the back for parenting...) but suddenly, these two are besties! They start most days playing in their room, making plans and goofing off. Not only am I thankful the fights have lessened, but it's just in the nick of time! I need them to happily entertain each other while I tend to a tiny new human.

Lest you think our home is always peaceful and happy, I've got a hilarious "fight" to share with you.

The other day, I heard the boys growling, then yelling, then crying. Yup, a fight broke out and there was probably biting, hitting, wrestling, etc involved. I stood at the bottom of the stairs and yelled for them to come see me. They both sat at the top of the stairs, looking down with teary eyes.

Me : "So, sounds like something really frustrating happened. I want you to each confess to me what you did wrong."

Lazarus : "I not bite him, but I just break his car."

Elijah : "And that just made me so so angry! And I had no self control because my body was so angry and so my body pinched him really hard on his arm."

{Sure, blame it on your body...}

Lazarus : "Yeah, like this." and then he pinched himself really hard on his own arm, ha!

Me : "Wow, that sounds really sad. Sounds like y'all weren't very kind to each other."

Elijah : "Yeah, I repaid evil for evil."

They suddenly looked at each other and started apologizing, without any prompting from me! After they hugged, Elijah looked down at me and said happily 

"Mom! We just reconciliation-ed!!"

Yes, you did my boys. Yes, you did.

Preach It!

Dan is officially a minister in the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA)!!!!

 Y'all, if you know anything about the PCA, you know that this is no small thing! Not only did he complete four years of seminary, he's completed internships, served in missions, done youth ministry, he's written exams, met with committees (where he was drilled), then stood in front of pastors from Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho where he was drilled, yet again. It's been a long road but one filled with so many challenges and lessons which have prepared him for this job. 

I have the highest respect for our denomination and the care they give to their congregations. Becoming a pastor in the PCA is tough. I know without a doubt that these men have been through the ringer, but they do it because they have been called by God to care for His people.

{vowing to submit to those above him and to care and serve those below him}

{being prayed for by amazing examples of leadership in the church}

{announced as a minister!}

{his first benediction!}

I am so proud of my husband, not because he accomplished all of these things and was successful in this work, but because he has always humbly followed the Lord, no matter the cost. I am honored to be led by him both in our home and in church!

Sex Ed for Youngsters

So far, I have been thrilled with our choice to homeschool Elijah this year. The other day, I had food poisoning and could not even fathom getting out of bed for any other reason but to hug that porcelain bowl. I needed two full days in bed to recoup! Getting my wild boys dressed and off to school would NOT have been an option!

We are almost done with our first 12 weeks of school (taking a break near the end of October) and things are going well. Every two weeks, we've been doing unit studies, mostly on a subject Elijah is interested in. The next two weeks, we will focus on childbirth and I'm so excited!!

To set the scene (and answer some pretty big questions about reproduction!), we bought these two books:

Amazing you!

This book is a great way to broach the topic of privacy, while also giving your curious kids and opportunity to learn about the other gender in a safe way. There is one page I do not like and I actually changed the words, ha! Otherwise, it's great and I highly recommend it for ages 4-6 yrs.

It's Not the Stork!  is another great book about anatomy, conception, growing babies and childbirth. This one is detailed and reads more like a text book. It's also silly at times and definitely engages children where they are at. I love how scientific it is! We aren't reading straight through it, but will go through pages 30-44 over the next two weeks which strictly cover conception and childbirth.

We also picked up a few easy picture books about babies in the womb (I think one of them was called "Ma, There's Nothing to do in Here!", ha!!), new siblings in your family and my favorite children's book on homebirth "Welcome with Love".

Dan and I often make last minute decisions about things like school, sex education, and other topics and rules. I'm not sure why we are like this, especially since I am naturally a planner. We do however, strongly believe in telling our children the truth and giving solid answers to their questions. Responding with "you're too young, we'll talk about it when you get older" is not really an option for us. Elijah wants answers NOW and honestly, I think if his mind is mature enough to think about such subjects, then he's mature enough to learn about them. Sex education is something that has started pretty early in our house, but I know it will be an ongoing conversation; one that continues to grow in depth and understanding as our boys grow.

Over time, Dan will take over such conversations as things become more complicated. For now, it's been fun walking the boys through this pregnancy and teaching them about the miracle of love and childbirth and God's plan in creation!! 

A Big Sigh of Relief!

So far, the month of September has been one long sigh of relief. Looking ahead to this month brought on many questions and with that, some stress and anxiety. Will Dan pass all of his ordination exams? Can we afford another ultrasound to see if my placenta has moved? Will we see that it has moved, eliminating the need for a scheduled c-section? Slowly but surely, each week has brought clarity, answers to prayer and hope.

Baby is doing well and we are looking forward to a low-risk and healthy homebirth next month. Dan successfully passed all of his written and oral exams and will officially be an ordained Presbyterian minister next week.

(his oral exams were hard, but he did great!)

We enjoyed 3 nights in Seattle, exploring our old stomping grounds with the kids, dinner with friends and family and finally wrapping up our seminary stage of life for good.

(the boys outside our favorite Thai restaurant)

Dan's mom had the boys for Thursday night and all day Friday. After a great morning at Presbytery, Dan and I walked around Ballard, enjoyed warm drinks and the fall yellow trees of the city. Dan celebrated with oyster happy hour, too!

We kept warm by baking cookies with grammy.

Prayers both big and small have been answered and we're feeling ready for October! I'm hoping next month brings us our little baby girl!!

Bloopers!

I haven't done a bloopers post in a while...been saving these for a rainy day:

Having a blast at the Greek festival. Maybe we'll go all three days next year.

"Alright, show me your lollipops and look happy!"

How to make your kids look ugly - give 'em two cherry tomatoes, one for each cheek.

Not amused.

"It's too windy mom! My eyes are burning."

 "Lazzy, look at mama. No, not through the binoculars..."