Family Fun on the Fourth!!!

Rod had planning for the Roberts Family July 4th celebration. We decided that to include everyone, even those who don't like the heat for our normal 4th at Landa Park, we would plan a fun family party. We pulled out the current issue of Family Fun and got some ideas for food, games and fun...

Our menu was pulled pork sandwiches, apple cole slaw, jello salads and chips, veggies and desserts to round out things. Amy made a super cool American Flag jello. (not to scale)
Then we moved on to making t-shirts. Nothing like paint and small children to make a fun afternoon.

The artistic needs of the group having been met, we moved on to GAMES!!!
We played a relay with vaseline and cotton balls and a timer. This is harder than it looks.

Reese is ready to play.

Weston is glad to call everyone to order.

Kim hopes to repeat her "Cornhole" success from the cruise. We'll see...

The "Cornhole" judges get ready to judge.

Already May?? 25th???

Well it really has been 5 months since I updated this thing. So let's recap...
January 2009
HAL and Reese performed their school play at Alamo Heights, "Into The Woods". Some performances were really good, a couple were a little off and a couple were downright dazzling!!! I know, I went to them all.

Hal sang, "Giants In The Sky" and Reese sang, "Hello Little Girl" They were awesome!!!

February 2009
Grandma turned 80!!! Nancy planned a party for her and lots attended. Nancy had each family make scrapbook pages and presented the book of them to Grandma.

The very next day, it was March and Rod and I got on a plane to Seattle for Owen's blessing...

March 2009
Here are our Airport Greeters...

And Owen Levi!!!

We read books...

And went to Stake Conference with Owen...

And had garlic fries (thanks, Deb, she knows I love these) and lots of Teriyaki chicken, just the best! We had fun and got to visit Deb's family and meet the folks in their Ward.

Such a cute family!!!

For more pics, see my facebook album, "Owen's Blessing"

April 2009

We also went to Katy and Dan's in Wichita, KS for Easter and Magavin's Baptism. Rod rented a 15 passenger van for us and we drove through wildfires in OK that made a 9 hour trip stretch to about 15. What an adventure. We also got to see Dan's family and meet their Ward family. Katy took us to the Science Museum there everyone had lots of fun. It was also their Stake Conference on TV with Pres. Monson. On the way home we stopped in OK City to see the Memorial (just a couple days shy of the 19th). Just outside of the OK border, we found the famous "Fried Pies" exit at an awesome park in Arbuckle, OK. We stuffed ourselves and continued home. (visit http://www.arbuckles.com/ for more info on this awesome area)

Science Museum GrandKids in a row In the van

We also stopped by the OK City Memorial

April 19th, I was supposed to turn 52, but I was very sick and missed it so, guess what? Not a year older! That's how that works. My family did make me a very nice party with my favorites (strawberry shortcake) and Rod got me a Cricut Expression and as soon as I figure out how to use it, I will be making some fun stuff...

For Mom's Day, Rod got me a ticket to Colorado and Kim and I went to visit.

We had a super fun time and saw a frozen lake toured a candy factory and were basically just spoiled rotten by some folks who treat us great!!! Love it there and wish I could be there more!

The last day of May, bright and early (and eight days early) comes Mr. Mason Graham Roberts at 7lbs, 15oz. Here he is!!!

Good Bye '08...Hello '09

I am so ready for 2008 to be over...

2008 started out OK, we were all really busy with church, work, and life in general. In May, we were surprised to find ourselves moving, adjusting to a new ward and stake and callings. Sad to leave the Ogden house, but wisely downsizing.

The whole election/economy/war and rumors of war thing is a little depressing, although San Antonio does indeed prove itself to be recession proof, and that is a blessing.

We were able to travel a lot, to graduations (Chip and Kim) and birthday parties

(Ethan and Riley)

and baby blessings

(Emerson)

and even just for fun (Karen's family in Denver and a CRUISE). And Russell and Lindsay and Calvin came to see us over the summer.

The family has been super busy...

Kelly is expecting #4 in May, John continues to work hard at school, Katy's Dan has a new job in KS and the family moved there over Christmas. Katy is still an involuntary philanthropist...donating to lawyers and now, apparently, Walmart indigents.

Chip and Deb closed on a new house in WA to bring their third boy home to in February. Russ sends good news home from his first year in Medical School in AZ (he likes it, hopefully Lindsay and Calvin do, too)...and he diagnoses us long distance. Their new baby is due around May as well. Kyle moved to Seattle and begins the application process for graduate school, (hope she picks UTSA, no pressure) while she works as a special education teacher with a little boy who really knocks her out (literally, ask her). Kim and Mike and Rusty, their horse are moving back to SA, hooray!!! Kim interviews this week at several hospitals and Mike will go to UTSA for his Construction Management or Structural Engineering degree. HAL and Reese keep things interesting. HAL got to see snow on a surprise trip to UT and kept Kim company on the drive home to TX and Reese started his first job at "Order Up". http://www.orderup-sa.com/ Good thing...he owes me money.

They are in a play at school called "Into the Woods" in late Jan. Come see it!

December brought some surprises for Rod

(the scary kind, and also the all's well that ends well kind.)

As the year winds down, it is nice to look back on all the amazing things it has taught us and look ahead to the wonderful opportunities 2009 holds. (think positive).

The Young Women's Theme has added Virtue, I am surprised it has not always been a part of the theme, it is a perfect addition. Sis. Dalton has some scriptural advice for us...

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." “Cleave unto [your] covenants.” “Stand … in holy places.” “Lay aside the things of [the] world.” “Believe that ye must repent.” ,“Always remember him and keep his commandments.” And “if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, … seek after these things.” Now more than ever before, it is time to respond to Moroni’s call to “awake, and arise” and to “lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.”

"I believe one virtuous young woman led by the Spirit can change the world." (Sis D.)

The 2009 Mutual Theme is:

"Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12).

Here's hoping a bright and glorious 2009 for us all!!!

Cruise News and the blues...

Kim and Mike treated us to a cruise! We set sail from Tampa on the 30th of November. Our ports were; The Grand Caymans, Cozumel, Belize, and Isla de Roatan. The seas were very rough the first two days...so rough that we missed our first port call to the Caymans
and swimming with the stingrays, drat. (didn't one of those kill the Crocodile Hunter?) Rod and I were very proud that we didn't have any sea-sickness despite the 9-12 foot swells and we actually enjoyed watching the horizon go up and down and the whitecaps smashing into the wake of the ship. Pride goeth before the fall...but more on that later.

Rod and I look pretty steady here in front of the "Legend".

Kim loves Mike! He should have entered the hairy chest contest...

We dressed up and went dancin'. The bands and orchestra were awesome! (they didn't know too many two-steppin' songs...)

Kim went on a Push, Pull, Swim w/ Dolphins at Chankanaab in Cozumel. We enjoyed the beach and snorkeling. The water really is this blue, this is the ocean, not a tank.

Kim enjoys the warm weather...it was about 30 degrees in Provo.

The pool and hot tubs on ship were very popular. When the sea was rough, they really were wave pools.

Kim relaxes on her own balcony.

Kim in front of a Mayan ruin at Altun Ha.

Sailing away from Isla de Roatan, Honduras.

Mayan Ruins at Altun Ha, Belize

I think that's Kim and Mike at the top.

A street view of Isla de Roatan in the Honduras. You can't see the little boys who became our "guides". It took a few packs of gum and a lot of ignoring to get them to go away.

Kim and Mike on dress up night.

Rod and Karen dress up too.

He made this ice sculpture of an angel fish in the coral in about 15 minutes. It went from 300 lbs to 150 lbs.

Kim and the local wildlife...I'm sure this was our lunch later in Altun Ha.

Kim and Mike...still with the pearls...

Dad loved the spacious accommodations...

I thought the cemetary was very nice...

Kim tried to get away from the "corn hole " competition...

And Mike and I are the grand champions...and we have the trophy to prove it...maybe Santa will bring us a "corn hole"...

How did this get in here?

The LDS meeting house in Belize...under lock and key.

Indiana Rod

On the beach at Chakanab.

"They want us to climb up what...?"

And so we come to the end of our fabulous cruise to the exotic Western Caribbean. When we got home, we were understandably tired. Kelly brought the boys home and we crashed, needing to be at work bright and early next day. Then it hit...the world was still moving. And Rod and I began our next great adventure...Mal de Debarquement...such a pretty french name. Fortunately, we have no pictures because they would be too gross. Needless to say that the sea-sickness may have been a nice trade for what can hit you after 7 days on a rough sea when you hit, and I mean hit, dry land.

Until next post...I leave you shaky, but much better, thank you!
KarenR

New Look and Something to Look At

My daughter, Katy, is an expert blogger and she has set me up to blog away, as you can see. I am sure I will need some more tutoring, but this is the coolest way to share pictures, information and such, I can hardly stand it.

Katy is also very witty and somewhat verbose (in a good way). I am not so much, but I can see how sharing and rearranging on this thing could be pretty addicting. We'll see...let the blogging commence!

KarenR