What a Deal!

Can you guess what I paid $1.99/gallon for? Yes, it was gasoline and I was so excited. I paid less than $35 to fill up the van. That is quite an improvement over the $60 per fill-up we were paying earlier this year. I do have to confess that I had a couple of things going for me. First, we do live where they continually say we have some of the cheapest gas in the nation. Second, I did use a grocery promotion for 10 cents off per gallon for one fill-up. Hopefully, the actual price will be below $2 the next time I have to fill it up.

A Week of Firsts

I guess that Andrew is now 4 months old, we're promoting him to new things and last week held a lot of those. He first got to experience his exersaucer. The first time he didn't like it, but it was time for him to eat. We kept telling Luke and Hannah that it was for Andrew so Hannah was just dying for him to go in it so we appeased her for just a minute or so. Over the last few days, he's really warmed up to it and spent quite bit of time in it this morning. I think he really enjoys being "up" so he can see what's going on. He can't really hold himself in the upright position, but does a pretty good job of leaning against the sides and holding his head and upper body stable. Then, a couple of evenings ago, Chris put him in his highchair. He'd been getting quite fussy during dinner times. He now loves being in on the action at the dinner table & the fussiness is gone. The final new thing was his first bowl of rice cereal last night. He cried at least half of that feeding, but he ate it and was probably the neatest of all the kids. Maybe he was crying because I didn't feed it to him fast enough - who knows! Anyway, my baby is growing up already!

Redistribution of Wealth

I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir here, but I thought this was an appropriate view of what our future president (yes, according to the cover of the New York magazine he's won and the election's not even been held!) has in store for us.

Redistribution of Wealth

In a local restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference-just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need-the homeless guy outside.

The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application. -Author Unknown

Pumpkin #2

After trick-or-treating last night, Chris loaded up Luke and they headed to the grocery store to get us another pumpkin. Our first one wasn't looking so well anymore and it didn't help that Luke fell on it earlier this week. Chris called on his way there to tell me that Luke was telling him that they would get to ride the tractor to go get the pumpkin. Once they got there, I don't think it bothered him too much that they didn't. Anyway, they came home with a huge one weighing in at around 31 pounds - heavier than Hannah. Chris came up with another happy face and got out the power tools to help him do his job. He loves doing that, but didn't on the first pumpkin. Plus, I think he needed it on this pumpkin since the rhine was at least two inches thick. It would have taken him forever if he'd used just a knife. You know when kids are involved, the fastest method was probably the best. So, we have a new "mouth face" on our porch and I think he'll be called "Maynard" after the tow truck in the movie Cars (Luke's new favorite movie). I'm also going to try to roast the seeds for the first time today - thanks Amy V. for the recipe!

Trick or Treat

Last night, we took the kids to trick-or-treat at the squadron. Now, I don't really get into Halloween and have to admit that it my least favorite holiday. However, I do want my kids to have fun so I try not to be too much of a grinch when it comes to this time of year. So, with little creativity, I got the kids ready to go to the squadron for a little party and some trick or treating. It was perfect for them and I think all trick or treating should be done this way. They had put together a little party complete with juice boxes, some healthy snacks and a few cookies. Then, we paraded around to several of the offices for treats - good treats I might add. Some of the offices were quite decorated and quite dark, but Luke and Hannah did quite well. The one that made me laugh the most was the commander's office. He had a small strobe light and then a large spider web with a huge spider in it. Underneath, he had a basket of glow sticks, spider rings and some sort of necklace. When the kids came in, he told them to be quiet because the spider was sleeping and his name was "Hairy". This made me laugh especially with our history of spiders this week. I didn't go all the way in because I had Drew and there wasn't tons of room. So, Chris went in with them. He said they did well, but weren't too sure about the spider. They had a good time and even got a couple of pieces of candy when we got home. I think Luke may have snuck a couple of extra cookies because he was quite the hyper kid last night. I do have to say that the plastic spider rings that they got were the biggest hit, though!

The Many Styles of Hannah

We had another relaxing morning at home so Hannah was able to experiment with some fashion. She loves to wear accessories especially hats. She also loves putting shoes on and off, but it is often minus the socks. Maybe that is why she is particularly partial to her flip flops that are by now at least a size too small.

The Ongoing Spider Saga

I'm sure you wanted to see all of those pictures of our visitors (yes, I hope they are only visiting!) After I wrote yesterday's blog, Chris informed me that he wasn't sure that they were brown recluse and that we needed to capture one. So, last night I spotted one and Chris did the capturing. I was going to kill the thing. Of course, Luke and Hannah wanted front row seats to the event. Anyway, Chris got it alive and after doing some research, we agreed that it was not a brown recluse. However, it is still big, ugly and possibly a relative (no violin on the back and it doesn't have 3 sets of eyes) I'm feeling just a bit better about these spiders, but still don't really want them roaming our basement. The count is now 0 trapped, 2 killed and 1 captured since yesterday afternoon. That doesn't include at least a half dozen that I've killed in the last month.

If anyone has insight into what kind these actually are, I am a bit curious.

On the Hunt!

In case you were wondering what the spiders looked like that have been spotted in our basement and I wrote about in a previous blog, here it is. Now, there is no way that I got close enough to take this picture so thanks to someone else on the internet - here it is. Any guesses as to what kind it is? Yes, it's a brown recluse.

Sunday, I was watching the news and they had pictures of this spider and I thought it looked an awful lot like the ones we have here. When I asked Chris about it, he confirmed that they were indeed brown recluse spiders. UGH!!! I have to admit that I have really freaked out about it since I found out. Chris assures me that they are "recluse" so they won't bother us. However, that doesn't change the fact that I've actually seen them and killed my fair share. We bought traps for them yesterday. As of this moment, none have been trapped, but one has been killed. I guess that leaves us with one less, but I would rather trap them and never see another one in my life.

Maybe I should be thankful that it is just a spider and not a snake. I have a friend that just moved to a Pacific island where there is a chance of snakes in their homes. Now, that would probably be the end of me!

Luke Statements

Luke has said a few things the last couple of days that just make me laugh

- The other day we had parked next to a vehicle and it's car alarm went off just as we were getting in the car. There was also a bird flew by just at that time. So, Luke kept saying that the bird was screaming even after I explained to him what the sound actually was.

- Luke was playing on the swingset outside and Chris had gotten out a couple of his ratchets just to tighten some things up on it. He instructed Luke to "hang onto this guy". Luke took his job seriously, but informed us that the ratchet was "not a guy"

- We've been working with Luke to answer people when asked what his name and age are. However, he has the right answers but gets a bit confused along the way. For example, when asked what his name is, he might hold up three fingers and say two. I guess we're going in the right direction. When he was two he wouldn't answer them at all.

4 Months Old!

Andrew David turned four months old on Saturday. I can't believe that he's that old already. Where have the last four months gone?! Andrew is a very happy and quite content not to mention patient baby.

I took him in today for his check-up. He weighed in at 12 pounds 3 ounces and was 25 3/4 inches long. Yikes! He is one long and skinny baby. Chris and I have both noticed that when he's in his swing, his feet clear the ground by no more than an inch or two. I also put clothes on him today that fit him perfectly on top and for sleeve length, but his pants looked more like shorts than pants. If you're curious as to how he measures up to Luke and Hannah, here are the statistics. Drew is about 1/2 inch longer than Luke was at this age, but weighed in at only an ounce less. He's about 2 inches longer than Hannah was and about 3 ounces less in weight. So, I guess they all have weighed about the same, but he is definitely longer. Just one more comparison - Hannah comes up to Luke's shoulder and Drew comes up to Hannah's shoulder (I wonder when he'll be as tall as her?)

Election Time Venting

I don't usually write or even talk too much about politics and election stuff. It's not because I don't want to, but because I don't feel like I defend my thoughts very well. That may also be true about what I'm about to say, but I just need to vent on a couple of the many things that bother me during election season. The first has to do with politicians speaking at churches. That just drives me crazy (just as a side note - this has not happened at any churches I've attended, but just what I've observed on TV). I don't know why they think they need to use our time of worship and fellowship for their own personal gain. I really don't think it brings glory to God either. Then, they make sure it's all over the news. As I grow older, that bothers me just a bit more each time I see that happening. The second is kind of along those lines. We are still looking for a church here in our new town and usually give our contact info the first time we visit. Just this past week, we received a letter from a local politician that wrote a letter to "my Christian friends", that he hadn't met us at this certain church, a little history about himself and finished by "asking for your support on election day". Now, this makes me upset as well. I don't think they should take the churches directory and use it for personal gain. These are just a couple of things that rub me the wrong way not to mention other issues (I've decided that every politician should at least read Proverbs). Anyway, I will be thankful when the election is over and most importantly, that God is ultimately in control of the situation.

A Hannah-ism

Hannah's vocabulary is way ahead of where Luke's was at this age. I'm not sure if it is simply because she is a girl and we just have to be able to express ourselves or if it's from being the second child. Whatever the case, it's fun to have her able to communicate some of what she is thinking. However, she has one word that I'm not sure how she came up with it. She consistently calls airplanes "bees". I don't know where that came from, but maybe it's because both of them fly!

What's Up, Kim?!

Well, nothing much! That's why I haven't posted for nearly an entire week. This has been a very quiet week for us, which in some ways is good. Plus, the creative juices haven't really been flowing. Maybe they have been, but have just been diverted to catching up on yet another scrapbook. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that everything is fine on the Robey homefront. Just nothing too interesting to post. Hope to break the cycle sometime in the near future. Until then . . .

Applejacks Pumpkin Patch

After much pleading from Luke - actually he kept asking quite nicely, we headed to the pumpkin patch today to get the much sought after pumpkin. He'd been asking for one quite some time. I think he'd seen them as we'd gone into stores. Plus, I read to him the Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs and I think from then on, he wanted a pumpkin. It was a perfect day to go to the pumpkin patch and do all of the fun pumpkin patch things - huge slide, large sandbox, milo maze, pumpkin cannons, petting zoo, etc. The highlight, though, was the hayrack ride back to the pumpkin patch to pick out the perfect pumpkin. We spent a little time in the field. Most of the pumpkins looked great so it didn't take long to find a good one. We did spend a few extra minutes there to take pictures.

After we arrived home, it was time to carve it. That's what Daddy's are for! Chris did a great job. Luke and Hannah were not a least bit interested in touching the pulp, but the seeds proved to be a bit interesting to Hannah. Luke wanted to do the carving "by himself". Obviously, that was not allowed. He did ask for a "mouth face" pumpkin aka smiley face pumpkin. So, Luke got just what he wanted. In fact, it looks nearly like the one the farmer carved in the Pumpkin Patch Parable that I mentioned earlier. They seemed quite pleased with the outcome. In fact, Luke has already put in a request for pumpkin #2!

Daddy's Home

After a short 30 day deployment, we were excited to go get Chris last night. I didn't tell the kids where we were going until we were in the van on the way there. I think Luke had figured out that Daddy would be home soon, but I don't think he knew when.

This reunion was a bit different than the last one because we actually got to go out and see him get off the plane. The last time, we just got to meet them at the squadron. I think Luke and Hannah were just taking it all in. They were so quiet. We rode a shuttle out to the flightline and were able to see the plane taxi up and park. Then we waited, but it really wasn't too long before Chris got off. If you asked the kids if they were excited, they would have said "yes", but they were quite quiet and reserved. Hannah went to Chris quite easily, but just stared at him for the longest time. She is still pretty quiet this morning, but was calling for Daddy when she woke up this morning.

Now, I promised Luke we would get a pumpkin when Daddy got home. We'll see how long it is until he wants that promise fulfilled. We won't wait too long. I guess that's next on our agenda.

Air Show

Air Force Thunderbirds - always fun to watch

The inside of the plane Chris learned to fly in.

Chris has moved onto "bigger" things. This is the plane he now flies.

Luke trying his hand at flying a helicopter.

Hannah enjoying her picnic lunch and "smiling" for the camera.

We had a fun time visiting with friends and attending an air show. I took the kids and went back to where it all started - at least Chris's military pilot career - Vance Air Force Base. We got to stay and visit with friends that we still know there. They live out in the country and it is little boy heaven to Luke - dirt, animals, trucks - what more could he ask for. Plus, Roger and Cathy love them so well that it is quickly becoming a favorite place for our kids to visit. The following day, Cathy joined me and we went to the air show. They had flying demonstrations that we enjoyed, but I think we enjoyed the planes on static display the most. They had a few planes open so people could go inside. The one drawback was that they were quite full so we couldn't look around as much as I would have liked. The highlight for me was to actually go into the plane Chris flies. I hadn't had that chance yet so that was quite a thrill. Hopefully, one day soon I'll be able to go on one and Chris can show me around.

Andrew's Accomplishment

Today was a big day for Andrew. He rolled from his back to his tummy for the first time. It didn't take him long to decide that he wasn't pleased with his new position. He didn't know how to fix it even though he can roll from his tummy to his back easily. Oh well, he decided his fingers were enough to comfort him for awhile (he's still ok with this thumb, but he prefers the fingers now)

Electricity Needed

We got our most recent electric bill today. As I opened it, I noticed what it said on the back of the envelope. You might have to enlarge the picture to read the fine print, but it does say that if you have an outage one option is to report it - electronically on the web. Obviously, that made me laugh. How in the world are you supposed to do that?! They do give a phone number to call, but that is assuming that your phone lines aren't down or your cell phone works.