Cabo!!!

Eric and I just returned from our amazing vaca in Cabo!! It was our first visit and we stayed at Zoetry Casa Del Mar where we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and caught up on some much needed alone time and r&r!! We were wowed from the moment we stepped foot onto this 5-star beautiful hacienda-style beachfront boutique hotel! The lush gardens, amazing views, beautiful pools and ocean-view scenery of white sand and turquoise water truly made this all-inclusive paradise!

We were upgraded upon arrival to a Master Suite...which was to die for! There were fresh flowers all over the room, a bottle of champagne already chilled, and a hot bubble bath filled the large Jacuzzi tub, just waiting for us as we opened the door. The view from our room was spectacular and we often enjoyed room service on our balcony taking in the view. The staff was so accommodating and helpful beyond any service at any hotel we've ever stayed in. We felt pampered and like royalty the whole time we were there :)

The food at this resort was so fresh, healthy and organic that we didn't worry about counting calories this trip! The food and presentation was so delicious you would never think it was an all-inclusive resort. The drinks were excellent and so was the Argentina red wine we had for dinner. The head chef went above and beyond and specially prepared the tuna we caught on our deep sea fishing excursion one day, and some amazing cerviche for an appetizer. Talk about superb service!

Eric and I also enjoyed walking the beach...especially sunset time! We met one other couple from LA that we shared a boat with for our deep-sea fishing trip who actually got engaged while we were there. We also loved sailing through the Sea of Cortez during sunset and our meal afterwards at Baja Cantina at the most stricking marina in downtown Cabo I have ever seen!! 

The most work we did the whole time was kayak 3 miles from Santa Maria Bay to Chileno Bay one afternoon. It was the hardest paddling we've ever done with the wind, waves and tough current. The elements were very rough, but we made it and enjoyed seeing the sea lions and sea turtles swimming beside us, and some beautiful tropical fish when we went snorkeling right after.

Overall, this resort is tranquility defined. It is small, sophisticated, and has an old world charm you can’t help but fall in love with. We were so pleased with our overall experience and highly recommend staying if you are looking for a little bit of heaven in paradise! It’s the most romantic place we've ever stayed!!!

You can view our photo album from the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/jennyc.robinson/Cabo?authkey=Gv1sRgCL26s-2Vmc2xZQ#

10 Months Old

Sweet William is growing up so fast! I cannot believe my baby is 10 months old already! He has been such a good baby, very scheduled, loving, and such a mama's boy...which I just adore! His newest thing is to wave "hi" and "bye-bye" and is trying to "whoof" like the neighbors dog, or anytime he sees a dog!! He's also started the copying cough or will try to clear his throat if you do...very funny! William is also a speed crawler, and has just recently started pushing the car/walker thing around...so walking is not far out!  He's also gotten really good at patty cake, loves the ABC song or any music he can bounce/dance to, and is such a water baby!! The biggest new thing is that he is fully weaned from nursing now (as of yesterday). He still is one step behind big brother and such a happy baby :)

Summertime!

We loaded up the boys and took them to Sandestin for a few days while Eric and I attended a wedding. My wonderful in-laws came with us and the boys had a blast with them while they helped babysit. William loved the sand, the waves, the pool...you name it...he loved it! Nolan once again did not enjoy the beach. He played in the sand a little, but hated the ocean. He enjoyed the pool at the Grand Sandestin the best and the treehouse he played in with his Papa. It was a nice little break and the kids really enjoyed it.

First beach photo of the summer

We got a happy moment for Nolan on camera!!

Sweet brothers playing in the sand

William & Mama

Nolan and Papa in the treehouse

Nommie and the boys

                                                               

Happy Mother's Day

One of my favorite songs right now by Matt Maher is "Hold us Together". As I'm out running sometimes and the song pops up on my playlist...I think of my boys when I hear this verse and I'm over-flowing with joy for the relationship I know they will grow to have for each other:

"And love will hold us together

Make us a shelter to weather the storm

And I'll be my brother's keeper

So the whole world will know that we're not alone."

Raising up boys in the way of the Lord and providing them with unconditional love like our Father has for us, is the most rewarding job a mother can ever have. I feel so blessed and honored everyday to be their mom and to provide the tools they need everyday to be strong men of God. I thank God everyday for giving them to Eric and I and for the journey we travel together everyday. I want Nolan and William to always be the best of friends and to grow up together in this world knowing how much they are loved and how wide and how deep the love of Christ is for them in this crazy world we live in. This Mother's Day to me is a celebration of the love I have for my family and my 2 precious sons.

"May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God." Ephesians 3:17-19

9 months old

William turned 9 months old last Friday...and we had to make a trip to the doctor for a high fever. Turns out he caught the fever virus and then broke out into a rash for a few days. I was finally able to snap a few shots of him yesterday for a 9 month photo :) His stats: little man was 27.5 inches long (25th) and 21 pounds (50th). Our little man is very "busy" ALL of the time! He rarely sits still and wants to do EVERYTHING big brother is doing! He's close to walking and will take a few steps from the couch to the table reaching between the two and has gotten fast cruising around furniture! He won't be crawling too much longer. I just started to wean him of his late afternoon and bedtime feedings. He LOVES the bottle! Crazy, but makes my job so much easier. We're going to the beach in 2 weeks so I'm trying to have him completely weaned by then! Other news: he can finally say "Mama"!!! Yay! It was "Ma" for a while there but now he sings my name from his crib! Other new words - that, eat, yeah (for yes...says it over and over again!) We also moved him up to his big boy carseat which he is loving! He laughs everytime I peek my head up in the rear view mirror. He thinks I'm playing peek-a-boo! I also think he's about tired of baby food. He giggles with excitement and claps his feet together when I let him taste my food...and he's been feeding himself already for a while, so I think it's time!

Busy Boys!

The past week or so, William has really become mobile...fast! He's been crawling all over the place, pulling up on everything, and trying to walk. He's already started pushing the convertible car riding toy around the playroom and wants to do everything Nolan is doing. This child is VERY BUSY all the time! The boys are really starting to play together more and I always hear Nolan saying, "No, baby". Nolan tries to keep him straight and lets him know when he can or can't play with certain toys :) He still calls William baby which we think is funny. He also thanks God for "baby" every night before he goes to sleep...along with a long list of our family! Nolan is absolutely precious when he prays! Here's a few recent pics:

Matching fish pajamas that Nolan and cousin Zach wore last summer!

A little backyard fun. Nolan wanted to pull "baby" in his beach wagon around the pool. Closely watched, of course!

Bathtime!

Playing in daddy's suitcase while Eric was packing for D.C. trip

William LOVES PUFFS!!! If he even sees the can he starts babbling for them and kicking his feet!

He is Risen: Happy Easter!!

We had a very busy Easter weekend with my family in Hammond. Eric and I ran in the Crescent City Classic 10k in Nola on Saturday and it was so crazy and crowded! We also cooked out with my family on Saturday and enjoyed my dad's new Green Egg grill. Yum! It was fun watching the kids dig into their Easter baskets...but most of all we were just thankful. The lyrics to the live version of one of my favorite songs by Kristian Stanfill sums it up:

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper's spots And melt the heart of stone.

And when before the throne I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save" my lips shall still repeat

"O Praise the one who paid my debt,
And raised this life up from the dead!!" (x6)

8 months old

William is growing up so much faster than I ever remember Nolan...probably because we're so much busier with 2 little boys! William is our busy body. From scooting to crawling, pulling himself up and holding onto furniture...he's all over the place! He's always trying to wiggle out of your arms to move around, will hardly keep still to change his diaper, and loves to babble! His bright eyes are always keeping a close watch on where I am and he's always one step behind his brother. Nolan and William have just really started to play together and I love it! William would much rather play with Nolan's trains and cars than his baby toys. It's pretty funny!

William is still not the best eater, but he loves Baby Mum-Mum's, fruit puffs, and bananas. I keep offering him the sippy cup in hopes he will keep still long enough to drink from it. He's a great nurser and is still waking at least once during the night to nurse. Hopefully this will be the magical month when he starts sleeping through. I'm really looking forward to that day!

He can say ma, da-dee, bye-bye, and knows the sign for milk.

10 Random Things

My blogging friend Lezlie tagged me in a little game of

10 Random things about yourself.

So here goes:

1. I love to cook. If only I had more free time in the day...my husband would come home to a healthy gourmet meal every night! Not kidding! I'm always trying new recipes & enjoy watching the food network. I probably buy way to may cookbooks!!

2. I rarely finish a book I start. I have every intention of reading cover-to-cover when I purchase it, but my free time is so slim these days that I end up putting it aside. It's this never-ending cycle!

3. Coffee - are you kidding? Make it a lowfat skinny Latte or add some vanilla caramel creamer and I'm all about it. Have to have it first thing in the morning.

4. Afternoon tea and quiet time. Love to get into the word, pray, or talk with God over a hot cup of tea while the boys are napping in the afternoon. It's my mid-day check-point. Really try to do this most days of the week.

5. Love to shop for deals! Funny, I rarely ever bought anything on sale before I got married, but Eric has taught me all about spending wisely and saving for the future. Now I hardly ever pay full price for anything, bargin shop, and clip coupons. I love Marshalls. Always find amazing deals on designer clothes and I love it!!! Makes me smile :)

6. Like to try new things. You name it...I'll try it. Really enjoy doing things out of the ordinary and cannot wait to really travel the world some day.

7. Cannot stand ants and mosquitoes. Hate them...they annoy the mess out of me, especially when I find them anywhere in the house. Drives me crazy!

8. Really love to run and I need to join a gym where I can take group classes for yoga and pilates. Again, my free time is so limited and the gym I joined has no childcare or group classes...but it's got plenty of treadmills!!! Needless to say...I hardly ever go.

9. I'm at my lowest weight since my Junior year of college. I think having 2 boys will do that to you naturally!!

10. I love being a stay at home mom and spending quality time with my boys each day. I wouldn't trade this time for anything or any other job. I feel so blessed to play such an important role in their lives.

Now I'm supposed to tag 10 friends who might play...here are a few who haven't gone yet.

1. The Jonas Family

2. The Fuller Family

3. The Huffstetler Family

4. The Mills Family

5. The Nix Family

Audubon Zoo

We took advantage of the beautiful weather today and loaded the boys up for a zoo day! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! Nolan was slow to warm-up to some of the bigger animals when we first arrived, but once we let him play and run around in the petting zoo, he was a different child!We took so many pictures of all the animals, but here are a few snapshots of the family.

Climbing in the petting zoo

William and me

William loved the sheep :)

Riding the train was Nolan's favorite!

Daddy with his boys

If they only knew how good they have it!!

Yes...Nolan trying to give the dinosaur his sippy cup!

We think Nolan has overcome his fear of sand! Yes, that's him playing in the sand digging for fossils! We were so excited!!