Oh yeah, and the Owls

Our family has some interesting traditions, if your couldn't already tell. One is the passing of the owl. The owl has been in our family for as long as I can remember. It is very tacky to most people, but is very beautiful to us. When you recieve the owl, you receive good luck. You must hang the owl for others to see. You can only keep the owl in your house for one year....unless you cheat like Stacy and I did last year. We found some pseudo owls at a flea market. They are nothing like the original, but we thought maybe....just maybe we could make them pass as the original. Can you believe we only had to pay 50 cents!!?? Anyway, last year is when we had the pseudo owls, we gave them to the rents. Daddy DID NOT like them and wanted the original. I guess I forgot to give it to them :) For the 3rd Tuesday Clause I got the pseudo owls back. Daddy said that he didn't want to look at them any longer. Little did he know that now I had the chance to bless 2 families with owls. Since Micah was actually gifted the real owl in 2006 and kept it for an extra year, he got to choose who to give it to this year. He chose Aunt D. I hated to Nut and Jerms to feel left out so they got the fake ones! Here are the proud owners for this year. What kinds of traditions does your family have?

It's been a while

but we have been SO busy! I feel like I needed to take a short break and give you the Robinson update. The 23rd it happened....we lost our bestest most favorite neighbors in the whole wide world! It was so sad. Now, in our small neighborhood we have 2 forcloseres, 2 houses not lived in for sale, and 1 lived in house for sale! It's crazy for me to think that a year ago all those house were full (except for the one across the street...the people disappered after not even 6 months!) Anyone looking for a house? Anyway the Avila Family will be missed greatly!! It was not only a sad time for their family, but mine as well. Here's a picture of Micah and Lucas playing (they gave us the four wheeler when they left YAY!!)
On the night of the 23rd we did our annual Christmas goodie making. Mama and us sisters have done it for many many years....this year we got to enjoy Micah's company for part of the time....It was fun, if you can only imagine :0 On Christmas Eve we had our annual celebration in Banks county. There was lots of yummy food (especially chicken wings) and a lot of great company. I'll share pictures with you, but you'll have to understand that no matter how much I LOVE my new camera (that's not too new anymore) I CAN NOT keep my eyes opened for it. No one else seems to have a problem but here are some pics from Chirstmas Eve.
In Banks County the rule used to be if you were a grandchild/ great grandchild and had not graduated highschool, you had a part in a show...a bible verse, song, poem, or something that had to do with Christmas and it's real meaning. This year was a bit different...only 4 people had parts :( and Micah Man was one. His part was supposed to be "God bless us everyone," but he wasn't interested in practicing for that. So we changed it up a bit. We wanted him to say Happy Birthday Jesus, Merry Christmas everyone. But again, while practicing for that he would always say "Merry Christmas Baby Jesus." We just awaited hie turn to see what he's say. I was so proud of him. He said "Merry Chistmas everyone."

Christmas moring we woke up bright and early to a warm and rainy day. We were not able to wear our Tuesday Clause shirts this year, it was just TOO HOT!! This year we got Micah a lot of train things (Thomas), some play shoes, some books, and some cars. All he asked for was cars. LOL I totally surprised Stacy with a Wii (we've been playing a ton and my arm is sore) I wasn't sure if he was happy at first beacuse the first thing that came out of his mouth was "A Wii, I thought you might get me one, since you wanted one so much." That's just crazy, beacuse although I loved the idea of having one, I am normally a practical gift giver, not a Wii giver. Anyway, Stacy truly does love it! I figured out what Stacy bought me not long after he wrapped it. I was still SO excited and love my New Guitar Hero World Tour! We've jammed several times, I'm a pretty good drummer :) I also recieved a dehydrator (so cool) and some Cricut cartridges....I should be scrapping. After opening presants here we made the drive across 81 to the Rosbury house. We had alot of family fun, food, and good times. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from Christmas day. I hope you and yours had a Very Merry Christmas!!

Stone Mountain Christmas

Last night we went to Stone Mountain Christmas. Stacy has been wondering when we'd go for a month now. He says it puts him in the Christmas spirit. Never would we have been able to go if we hadn't got a ticket hook up. It would have cost $48 (including parking) (not including food) for just our little family to go. This year we went with Mama, Daddy, Laura, my Aunt Martha, Hannah, and 3 of Daphne's children...Aiden, Ethan, and Belle. We all had so much fun. We got to see the 4 D Polar Express, the parade, the Christmas Laser show, and ride the Christmas train. Micah loved it all, but when I asked him what his favorite thing was, you will not be surprised when I tell you... the train. Micah Man was in Heaven. He LOVES Christmas lights, Christmas music, and trains, so this trip was perfect for him!
My favorite part of the night had nothing to do with the lights, Santa, or anything about Christmas. For dinner we went to a place called (I believe) Miss Kitty's. Stacy, Laura, Daddy, Martha, and I ate a one table, while mama and the kids were at another one. We were all enjoying our meal, when Martha made a statement about the height of our table. I hadn't noticed anything at that point, but before it was all over with, our table had risen to the height of our chins!! It was so funny! I'm sure I would have noticed a whole lot sooner if Micah had been at the table. He already sits on his knees to reach the table. If he had been there, he'd be standing in his chair to reach his food. Come to find out there was a switch that our waitress switched to make our table tall....anyway it was a hoot, and I think every restaurant should have one....I'm sure our reactions were priceless :)

Deal of the day.....

or of the month, better yet....Deal of the year!! This morning my dear friend Theresa and I went shopping. We have hung a lot this week, 3 out of 4 days to be exact. Today we went to Old Navy and I just have to share my deals with you....I bought 19 items
First is what I bought for Micah to wear next year (I shop early)
6 long sleeve shirts
2 pair of jeans
2 hoodies
1 Tank top
2 shirts for me
6 gifts for friends and family
When I figured out the original price for the 19 items that I purchased I was floored. This would have cost me $277.50!!!! Can you believe that? I'm a clearance/ sale/ good friend discounts shopper and the total paid out of my pocket for my 19 items totaled...Hold on to your seats....$88.96!!! That is an average of $4.60 per item!! You can't even get deals like that at Good Will (plus this is all New) Hip Hip Hooray!!!

*Singing* On the 3rd day of Tuesday Clause

Tuesday Clause gave to me a tape measure, a reciprocating saw, and some good smelling shower gel. *Done singing* For me, this year I think there has been a theme. The first week was lotion and shower gel, the second week a HUGE container of body wash, and this week shower gel.... we'll see what next week brings....body spray or perfume is my guess.
Micah's Santa pictures came back. I was very pleased with the way they turned out (despite the fact that it wasn't the right Santa) Please excuse the quality, the pic had to be scanned to share.

On Sunday, I received my first Christmas gift of 2008. I was so surprised and excited. My Grandmother (Mama's Mother) passed away in August 2007. Mama and her sisters went through all of her clothes and wanted to do something special with them, so that they could still have them. They cut the fabrics into squares and Mama had her squares made into throws, one for her, and one for each of us sisters as well as Aiden. The particular quilt that I got has a beautiful flower handkerchief in the middle. When we all received our quilts, there was one pattern that stood out to us all. It was the sheets that we slept on when we spent the night at her house. I have an awful memory, so for me to be able to remember something like that, it was very special. Isn't it pretty? Thank you Mama for this very special gift!!

Sickness Stinks

Micah has been sick since Thanksgiving and I am tried of wiping that little man's nose. He tends to get colds very easily, but this particular cold lasted way too long, and he developed a nasty sounding cough. I finally gave in and took him to the doctor...He was so looking forward to it because he knew that he would get a sucker. We waited less than 3 minutes in the waiting room and were taken back, I was very impressed. We walked down the hall to where they take measurements and I said to Micah "You know what to do," he hoped up on the scales and was weighed. The Nurse was very impressed and said that she typically sees children pitch fits, cry, or not want to be weighed (especially children his age). That is so strange to me, but after hearing that, I was so proud of Micah. He has gained 1/2 a pound in 3 months...He now weighes 30.5 pounds. I think it all has to do with his clothing....he wore a t-shirt and shorts last time, this time he wore pants and a long sleeve shirt....So he probably didn't gain a thing....That's wonderful if you ask me :) Anyway, Micah was seen by the doctor who told us that he has Sinusitis and put him on the baby Z pack. (So I call it) He also had several shots because we missed getting them in November. He had a total of 4, one being the Chicken Pox shot. I forwarned him that he would have 3 shots in his legs, and one on his arm..I told him that the one on the arm would keep him from turning into a chicken...He got a kick out of that. Long story short...the Little Man lay there, got 4 shots, didn't cry, not even one tear. We know that Micah is a tough guy, but get this...after the lady was finished and was getting ready to leave, I asked Micah "What do you say" thinking that he would say Bye Bye...He said "Sasha" (Thank you) I cracked up and asked the nurse if anyone had ever thanked her for giving them shots. She laughed and said no, then went to share her experience with everyone else in the office....Micah gets known wherever we go if seems. When I worked at the Fort there were some children that I just LOVED and would say that I would love to stick them in my pocket and take them home with me (a wonderful compliment if you ask me) Well yesterday at the doctor the Nurse said Micah the same thing...it just made me smile...."He's a good un."
When Stacy came home from work he asked Micah what he did at the doctor and Micah replied, "get sucker" then Stacy said, "What else did you do?" Micah said, "Doctor shot me." We laughed so hard.
Last night we had dinner with Daddy and then had to go fill Micah's prescription. We went to Wal-Mart. Since we'd already been 2 times this week, I had nothing that I needed to look at or buy, so we walked around for 15 minutes. Micah found his way to the toy section and was happy. He found a Little Einstein's video that he carried around with him for a little while, but as soon as he turned the corner and found the books he was in heaven. He gave me the DVD and told me to "put it away" and he chose a Thomas the train book instead. I let him carry it around thinking I would sneak it away right before we paid, but Stacy said that he deserved it for being so brave at the doctor....We bought it....and have already read it 4 times since then.

Micah Man cracks me up!!

So, we're UGA fans and big ones at that....but for just one day (Saturday) we let (made) Micah say Go Alabama ROOOOL TIDE during the SEC championship game....(we very much dislike Florida). Well, Micah already has an obsession with Alabama...he says "Alblama" or "Abalama" He LOVES the song Sweet Home Alabama (the Kid Rock version...not kid friendly at all) and would listen to it over and over if I'd let him. He also has some state flash cards and knows Alabama (but no other state...maybe it's because it's the only one he wants to learn) Anyway, we went out to dinner last night and there was a football game on. There were not very many people in the restaurant, just us and 2 other families. Micah got so excited when he saw the TV he shouted (maybe it wasn't a shout, but inside of a small building with only a few other people it was VERY loud) Go Alabama Roll Tide! (oh yeah, it was the Dallas game) (Stacy and I are both wearing UGA attire) the few people who were in restaurant got a kick out of Micah, but I felt the need to explain myself to them anyway....Now we just need to retrain him.....One second we're teaching him Goooo Dawgs, the next Daddy's teaching him Go Tech, and then we tell Him Roll Tide...The poor little man is probably very confused, but at least he Loves football :)

On 2nd day of December....

Tuesday Clause brought to me some scrapbook paper, shower gel, and lotion. Micah got 2 Curious George books and a toy bulldozer, Stacy got a sweet little house to begin his Christmas village and a calendar.
A lot of you friendly readers probably already know the story of "Tuesday Clause" but for those of you who don't....here it goes. I'm not sure exactly when it began, I do know that I was young. Daddy, who plays "Tuesday Clause" began giving small presents each Tuesday in the month of December leading up to Christmas. If I can remember correctly he began to do this because Mama did all of our present shopping...He wanted to get us something, so he decided to do it in a little different way. Some of the things I have gotten in the past have been Christmas socks, cups, yo yos, things he's picked up at various trade shows that he'd attended....the list goes on and on. I was very lucky today to receive a small sized yummy smelling lotion and shower gel. All of the Sims sisters have loved this tradition and have carried it into our own homes (yes even Jerms is participating this year) Now, like I said before when Daddy began this, it was always nick-knacks that he had picked up throughout the year....very little, if any money was spent. The problem is, Stacy and I spend a little bit of money on our gifts. That is how I got that HUGE stack of scrapbook paper, and how Stacy got that village house.
I have to share that one of the most fun things about Tuesday Clause is....In 2001 he bought everyone matching sweatshirts with Tuesday Clause on them. Under the picture was the year 2001....Since 2001, every year we have all received our original shirts back with the previous year crossed out and the new year on it (you'll have to enlarge the picture to get the full effect) Anyway, how many of you are the same size that you were in 2001? Not I!
It's a hoot of a tradition, we have a lot in our family....maybe I'll share more as Christmas gets closer.

Busy Busy Busy

Just like everyone else, our family has been extra busy recently. Last week was fun filled, but I think this week will be a little slower. Last Sunday we had Micah's pictures taken for Christmas cards. I have always been happy with Kiddie Kandids in the past, so there was no question about where we'd go. This time we got the worst photographer ever. Stacy is convinced that he just came in from working at McDonalds and asked for a job. Although Micah did Great for Christie Martin's pics a few months ago, this time he just wasn't smiling....and the guy wasn't helping...I did most of the work. I have NEVER left the place without buying at least one of every pose...this time I only purchase 4!! Although I seem a little upset, maybe I should look at it this way...he saved me a little Money!
Monday Micah and I had a play date at the mall, then had lunch with my new pal Misti and her son Jonathan who is just a couple months younger than Micah. Tuesday was pretty eventless. Because of having to tile the laundry room, I hadn't been able to wash clothes for 3 days!! They were piling up, if you can only imagine the layers that Stacy wears to work, not to mention gym clothes. Wednesday I was able to borrow Laura and Daddy's washer and dryer to catch up on 2 loads. While the clothes were drying Daddy, Laura, Micah and I did some running around and also did some Sam's shopping. Sam's is so much fun to me...if only I had a little more money... Thursday of course was Thanksgiving...it was also 2 days after our play date at the mall....Micah was sick and has a fever. I promise you, we can't go anywhere and play with children without him getting a cold. It was Thanksgiving day....the biggest eating day of the year and the poor little man didn't eat a thing! No breakfast, lunch, or supper. We had Thanksgiving at Paw Paw's house and ate some delicious food. Micah didn't eat, but had fun with Hannah. Thanksgiving night our family normally all goes to The Rent's for turkey sandwiches, but this year we had to miss out due to a boy with a fever. We hated for the whole Rosbury clan to be sick because of Micah. After everyone had left, we took Micah to The Rent's to spend the night....so that Stacy and I could enjoy Black Friday without a sick and sleepy boy.
Our morning began a little later than normal. Out first stop was Kohl's and we arrived at 4:45. We hit Kohl's, Target, Wal-mart, Lifeway, Commerce, and Borders........no mall or Discover Mills at all this year. Not only had we finished most of our shopping, but we were worried about our little man, and the poor Rents who were having to watch him. Stacy began hanging Christmas lights on the house Friday afternoon. On Saturday we put up the tree and did our indoor decorations. We took Micah for his annual Santa pics, only to find out that the Santa who we LOVE had a heart attack in October, he's recovering, but had to be replaced this year.....I was just sick to my stomach. I loved that guy...this one, although he looked great, was just okay. We watched the Dawgs loose and got to have dinner with my bestest friend in the whole wide world Sarah and her husband Kyle. Micah was still sick....maybe next time will be better. We had so much fun chatting and hanging, Micah was just a bit irritable.
Sunday there was the normal lunch at Mama's but we again, had to skip due to Micah's runny nose. We did a little bit of shopping, and a lot of laying around. I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing this week. Micah needs to get well. I hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I've learned this morning

*The man on the phone who tells you to hang up or call the operator (when the phone has been left off the hook) sounds like "the car wash man" :)

*If pulled out unused, the diaper genie bags do go back in....you'll just have sore fingers :(

*Even if you think you've put it high enough, ALWAYS put syrup back into the pantry and Lock it! :o

Fun Family News (Well worth the wait)

Before you get all excited, I should share that I am NOT with child. I actually have gone to the doctor recently to find out what's wrong with me, and why I can't loose weight...because I am NOT pregnant :) Like I've said before...I think that Micah deserves a sibling. I think that he loves being around other children and I think that being a big brother would help him grow a little. But I just don't see us having another baby right now. The economy is so questionable, and Stacy's job isn't always stable. When we bought this house, we knew that it was a starter home. It was perfect for Stacy and me, but with just one addition (Micah), it has majorly shrunk. If we could afford to make an addition to our house, maybe we could fit another child, but again, I don't see that happening any time soon. So in the meantime... We're doing little things here and there to improve the value of our house. This time our fun family news is that we have a brand new kitchen floor. When we bought our house Stacy and and I pulled up all of the carpet other than in Micah's room and the playroom. We then installed our own hardwood. I am allergic to dust mites, so anything to cut down on them helps (they LOVE carpet) I had heard awful stories about people who had wood in their kitchens and things broke (like a dishwasher) therefore their wood floor was ruined. Our laundry room is off our kitchen, therefore we'd have to worry about something malfunctioning in our washing machine. So we kept our vinyl floor. Well we got Very lucky recently because one of the companys that Stacy does work for also does flooring and had JUST enough tile left over to do our kitchen. So for the Low Low price of $1o0 we got enough tile, mortar, and grout for our kitchen. The problem was we had to remove our vinyl first. That was day 1. Day 2 we prepped, cleaned and began cutting the tile. Day 3 Stacy tiled half of the kitchen. You have to stay off of the tile for 24 hours while it dries, then another 24 after it's been grouted....therefore we lost our house for several days (thank you to the Rent's for letting us live with you...Micah can't wait to sleep in Aunt La La's bed again) Anyway...long story short....this was supposed to be a long weekend/ Stacy had no work -job, but it's turned into Stacy's spare time job....it will be finished by this weekend at the latest (the only part that's not finished is the laundry room...hopefully to be completed today) I am so happy with our new floor.
Now, back to the news from the doctor. My thyroid isn't functioning as well as it should and is storing fat rather than breaking it down, and my body isn't breaking down sugars very well. Therefore I have been put on something to help my body break down sugar, and something to speed up my thyroid so that I can burn fat. He says that I won't see quick results, but over time I should see weight loss...We'll see. Not even a point of a pound so far! Now I know that I have Never been skinny, but come on, I'm sure this all has something to do with holding a baby boy in my belly for 9 months! I still love you Micah!!

I'm clean...my house is not

5 minutes for me in the shower and this is what I got

* Micah opened a package of Graham Crackers and took a bite out of almost every one, spreading crumbs and crackers ALL over my kitchen

*He found a box of crayons that wasn't put high enough and made beautiful art work on my bathroom wall (my newly painted bathroom)

* He then broke the crayon into small pieces and shoved it down my bath tub drain

Now all of this happened in NO MORE than 5 minutes! You'd think I would have known better by now....At least it wasn't as bad as 2 weeks ago when he got into a Locked cabinet and pulled out the cat shampoo...and used half of the bottle on my poor cat! (and my floor as well) I'm just looking to have someone come to my house for 2 hours a day....Between the hours of 8-10 would be perfect....$5 for 2 hours is what I can afford. Anyone interested? Just think....I could put my gym membership to use on a daily basis, and I could take a shower (longer than 5 minutes) in peace :) I don't know what I'd do without Micah Man :)

Vote for Miriam and Micah

I have already shared that Micah and I had our photos taken by Christy Martin a couple of weeks ago...well, she has posted some sneak peeks and is having a contest to see who can get the most votes....Please vote for Miriam and Micah :) http://christymartinphotography.com/blog/

Monkey Man Micah

We had a wonderful Halloween. The search for the perfect Monkey costume began in early September. It was very hard to find one cute enough. I must admit I was picky. I finally found the Perfect Monkey....The problem is, it was Tom Arma (one of the best baby costume designers) therefore it was priced at $60!! That's seems crazy to me that someone would spend $60 on a costume for one day only! Anyway, I found the same costume on Ebay for a fraction of the price! I was so excited and Micah loved it. (He only talked about being a monkey for 2 months) We actually attended 2 fall festivals this year. On Wednesday we went to Laura's church (Grace Fellowship) and on Friday we went to Hebron. Micah got more than enough candy to share and had a blast! Again, I wish I could post a video....He was a darling little monkey as you will see. Stay tuned for some more fun family news coming soon :)

Things that make you go hmmmmm

I just experienced one of those things. I just went to the mail box. There is never anything good in there, only BILLS! Well today was different. I received a mysterious card with no return address. And even my name was misspelled (I'm a RobiNson, not a Robison :) The card simply says "friends". But when I opened it up I found TYPING that said :
Dear Miriam,
I just wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you. Please use this gift card to spend on yourself (enclosed was an Old Navy giftcard). You deserve it!
Sincerely,
Your friend

Now, this person went through A LOT to be so mysterious....so as Miriam would normally do, I would call everyone that I think it could be, question them....I would some how eventually track them down. But you know, I kind of like the mystery. I know that someone out there loves me and is thinking of me...and that means a lot! Thank you to whoever you are (hopefully one of my blog followers) YOU JUST MADE MY DAY!!!

Pumpkin Patch

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch. Micah is already ready to go again. He loved petting the animals, riding the cow train, and playing in the corn box (a sandbox filled with corn instead of sand) I'm thinking that it would be a whole lot cleaner if Stacy and I emptied out Micah's sandbox and filled it with corn instead....hmmmm...I wonder how much that would cost? Micah's sandbox is one of his most favorite things. As you know he LOVES to be outside...most of his time is spent in his sandbox....maybe we should just build him a corn box too :) Mama, Laura, Ethan, Stacy and I had a lot of fun at the Pumpkin patch. My favorite was probably just watching Micah. He was such a big little man riding in that cow train. I was so proud of him *on a side note, Micah learned to say his name this week...Until Monday he has always referred to himself as caca which as most of you know is Spanish for Poop....Well I worked real hard on Monday and now he can say Mmmicah....Man I wish I knew how to upload and share videos. Anyway here are the long awaited for pics :)

Fall Fun

Oh, am I excited about the cooler weather! I spent almost all weekend outside. Friday and Saturday we had a yard sale. I didn't have a whole lot to sale, being that I am a Barrow Bargin Barn, GAM, Craigslist, Ebay selling machine :) Mostly the things that I brought to sale were things that had already attended AT LEAST one other sale. I went to hang with the fam and hoped to make $2! I did....I made $40 which way surpassed my hopes!! Any money is good now days....so we'll be going to do the farm activities at the Pumpkin Patch today....it cost $8 a person (including Micah!) I can't wait! I'll update on that soon!
We had a bonfire planned for Friday night, but it got rained out, so we rescheduled for Sunday. Sunday was a busy day. I am so excited to share that on Sunday afternoon we had our pictures taken by the BEST photographer EVER Christy Martin. http://www.christymartinphotography.com/
Mama went along with me (to help with directions) to Watson Mill Bridge State Park. We had been there one time previously when looking for land. It is such a beautiful park. There is a sweet old covered bridge there that you can actually drive though. And the scenery is just amazing. If you haven't been you should go. Micah did great for pictures and even did a little posing! He was a hoot! And Christy (with the help of Hannah) did GREAT with Micah, and I can't wait to see the pics! I just love that family! We had the opp to spend time with the Aaron/ Martin family on Saturday night. We had taken them a moonwalk to play in and ended up spending a while playing and catching up. We all had a blast especially Micah who befriended not only the adults, but Christy's beautiful children Ross and Rayna.
Well, after pictures on Sunday we rushed back home because of our bonfire. We had invited the fam and some friends over for food and fun. We didn't have any accidents (like Ethan's hand) this time and just had fun! Micah probably had more fun than any. He mostly hung out by the food table and ate the WHOLE time.....he also watched where people would lay their cups, and help himself to a drink when they weren't (and sometime when they were) looking. Enjoy the pics and I'll post some of the Pumpkin Patch soon!