Another update

Joel didn't get a root canal today. :( They just did a consultation today, and scheduled him for the root canal next week. We are pretty disappointed (Joel especially, of course) because we are anxious for the work to just be done. Joel would like to be able to drink cold water again. :)

Update

Thankfully Jenna and Will have been feeling much better. Jenna went to soccer practice Monday evening and Joel said she actually ran. They have both been much more active, willing to eat, and generally feeling better. It's such a relief to me!

Also, Joel is getting a root canal today. Hopefully this will be the last step to fixing the pain in his mouth. We have to go down to an Endodontist in Ft. Collins. Wish us luck, and maybe say a little prayer for Joel and his mouth. :)

Graduation, Mother's Day, and other stuff

**Warning: Long post coming up**

We've had a busy week here at the Robertson house. To start off last week, Jenna got sick. Or sort of sick. I noticed as soon as I picked her up from school on Monday that she wasn't feeling well. When we got home she pretty much just laid down and went to sleep for most of the evening. We kept her home from school on Tuesday; her symptoms were mostly just fatigue and fever, but she also said her stomach ached and her throat hurt. She didn't eat much all day, and again just rested and slept all day long. On Wednesday morning she seemed to be doing better so we sent her to school. She also had a soccer game that night, which was a little sketchy. She did play, but was so slow and tired that it was obvious she wasn't feeling 100% yet. But again Thursday morning she seemed to feel fine, so off to school she went, and when she came home she was really tired and wanting to just lay and rest. As you can see, there is a pattern developing here. Unfortunately, she hasn't completely kicked it yet. Over the weekend she was really tired with not much energy. We had family and friends here, which would usually mean she would be running around making noise and climbing on everyone. But when Grandmas showed up she just went back to sleep after saying "hi", and when friends were here to play she laid in her bed and watched them play. That is so very abnormal for our little Jenna. The fever was gone quite a few days ago, and I think she is very slowly getting her energy back, but it's not happening as quickly as we would hope. We are so used to our healthy kids that bounce back from illness quickly that this has been a different experience. Unfortunately, a few days after Jenna got sick Will started to have the same symptoms. He's never been quite as bad as Jenna, but he's definitely had the fever and fatigue. But he, too, is healing and hopefully things will only get better from here.

Wow, that was a long paragraph about sickness! Now let's move on to some funner topics! :)

Joel graduated from the University of Wyoming Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing on Saturday! He decided not to participate in the College of Health Sciences ceremony, but he did go to the School of Nursing Convocation.

Let me back up a little bit; on Friday my Mom and her husband came down, as well as Joel's Mom and his little sister. Saturday morning started early; we went to a pancake breakfast that was a fundraiser for the soccer association Jenna plays in. After I had to run home to change my shirt and Adam's clothes (he very quickly splashed a cup of juice all over the two of us), we had to run to get to Jenna's soccer game. After the game it was back to my house to get food ready for the evening.

Joel's convocation ceremony was in the concert hall in the Fine Arts building. I was glad it was there because they have comfortable seats! It was great to watch Joel be a part of the graduating class. I know it wasn't a big deal to him to be in any of the ceremonies, but I was happy to be able to see it. I also think it's a good thing for our kids to be able to see, because education is so important to us. The ceremony wasn't too long, although it did drag a little when they were handing out awards. And Joel thought the speaker they had was terrible; but since I couldn't understand a good part of what he said I couldn't say his actual speech was horrible. :) Of course the best part was when Joel was recognized individually and walked across the stage. I am so proud of him for finishing school, and finishing well!

Here we are after the convocation

After graduation we came back here for dinner and fun. We just had our family that came down, and some friends. It was really a fun evening with good food and great company!

Of course yesterday was Mother's Day, and while both Joel and I were sad to see our mothers go, we were so happy that they were able to come down and celebrate with us! Joel helped the kids make me a card, and he got me a card as well. He also got me a gift certificate for two massages! Woo hoo! I can't wait to use them! Thank you honey! All in all we had a great weekend! Thank you to everyone who made it even better!

65 Questions You've Never Been Asked

1. First thing you wash in the shower? Hair

2. What color is your favorite hoodie? Brown

3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Definitely

4. Do you plan outfits? When I have somewhere fun or important to go

5. How are you feeling RIGHT now? normal, I guess. my back is a little sore, and my tummy is full because I just finished dinner

6. What's the closest thing to you that's red? Jenna's "pointer"

7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having? I had a lot of dreams last night and I can't remember most of them, but I remember Joel and I were trying to get away from someone in a car.

8. Did you meet anybody new today? No

9. What are you craving right now? Something sweet, because I just finished dinner

10. Do you floss? Not really... naughty, I know.

11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage? cole slaw

12. Are you emotional? Sometimes

13. Have you ever counted to 1,000? No

14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it? Just lick, biting hurts my teeth!

15. Do you like your hair? most of the time. I really like it today because I just got it cut!

16. Do you like yourself? Generally, though I think there are a lot of improvements that could be made

17. What "celebrity" would you like to chat with? Probably Gerard Butler, so I could listen to his accent (actually, almost anyone from Scotland would do, but if you're going to listen to a Scotsman, why not have it be a nice looking one?)

18. What are you listening to right now? The dishwasher, and something on TV that no one is watching

19. Were your parents strict? Yeah, pretty much

20. Would you go sky diving? Yes

21. Do you like cottage cheese? No!

22. Have you ever met a celebrity? No

23. Do you rent movies often? Often? I don't know if I would say often... sometimes, yes

24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in? I don't see anything sparkly, but there always could be. Jenna has lots of sparkly things.

25. How many countries have you visited? 2 (counting the US)

26. Have you made a prank phone call? Uh, a good part of my childhood was spent making prank phone calls. Ahh, the good old days before caller ID and *69.

27. Ever been on a train? Yeah, the shuttle kind

28. Brown or white eggs? I buy white because they are generally cheaper, but I don't really care; they taste the same

29. What kind of cell phone do you have? I don't know, the cheap Verizon kind

30. Do you use chap stick? Yes

31. Do you own a gun? I don't own any myself, although Joel has some, so I guess I own them because what's mine is his and what's his is mine, right?

32. Can you use chopsticks? Not at all

33. Who are you going to be with tonight? Hubby and kids

34. Are you too forgiving? Is there such a thing? I'm not too forgiving

35. Favorite TV shows? Friends, Jeopardy, Biggest Loser, Lost

36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow? which best friend? Joel is going to work

37. Ever have poison ivy? No

38. Last time you cried? Watching Dane fly away from the airport

39. What was the last question you asked? I asked Joel what kind of phone I have. :)

40. Favorite time of the year? Spring

41. Do you have any tattoos? No

42. Are you sarcastic? Never! Okay, yes

43. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Not quite

44. Ever walked into a wall? Yes

45. Favorite color? depends on the day

46. Have you ever slapped someone? Yes

47. Do you have a motorcycle? No

48. What was the last CD you bought? actual CD? I don't remember.

49. Do looks matter? Yes, that's why we have eyes. But they aren't the most important thing

50. Can you forgive and forget? Yes I can forgive, but forgetting is harder

51. City life or country livin'? Somewhere in between, please

52. Do you like your life right now? Yes, I really do

53. Do you sleep with the TV on? No, it's hard to sleep soundly

54. Can you handle the truth? generally, yes

55. Do you have good vision? it's good enough. I can see without contacts or glasses, so it gets the job done

56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people? Hate- no, I don't really hate anyone anymore, but dislike- yes

57. How often do you talk on the phone? Not super often, I'm not usually a huge phone talker

58. The last person you held hands with? Either Joel or Jenna, or Will, I'm not sure

59. What are you wearing? jeans and t-shirt. 95% of the time the answer to that question will be jeans and a t-shirt

60.What is your favorite animal? don't really have one

61. Where was your default picture taken? don't have one

62. Favorite kind of music? Many different kinds: rock, pop, a little country, classical

63. Do you have a job? Yep, I'm a mom

64. What was the most recent thing you bought? Can you count a haircut? I had to pay for that? But before that it was just groceries.

65. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes


Do it, it's fun!

Goodbyes

Last Saturday morning we were planning to go to Jenna's soccer game and then head up to Lovell. Well, since the day started out with a little snow and rain Jenna's game was cancelled. That meant we got to head up to Lovell earlier than planned. The reason we went to Lovell this weekend is because Joel's youngest brother, Dane, left for Sao Paulo early Tuesday morning.


All of Joel's siblings were in town for the weekend (Joel and Daniel are the only ones that live out of town, so I guess I could just say that Daniel was able to come, too). Saturday night we went bowling, and I beat Joel! Although, everyone else beat me, but at least I beat someone! I'm really terrible at bowling and I have an all-time low score of 17 that I got in high school. I did a little better this time around with 96; I'll take that. :)


On Sunday we were able to listen to Dane speak in church. He spoke about the Book of Mormon and did a great job. It was wonderful to get to listen to him bare his testimony.


Sunday evening we went to dinner up at Grandma and Grandpa Asay's. It was Grandma Asay's birthday as well as Joel's Aunt Meredith's birthday, AS WELL AS our nephew, Gavin's, birthday. A big day. :) We were able to get Joel's Uncle Paul to tell a few of his stories and let us video tape them. If you ever run in to Paul Asay, try to get him to tell you the chicken story, it's hilarious!


Monday was spent doing a lot of hanging around and packing. No one knew quite what to get done, but everything did get done eventually. Monday evening Dane got set apart as a missionary. I was so happy I got to be there, and of course I cried like a baby, for a lot of reasons.


Dane's flight was scheduled to leave Cody at 6:30 Tuesday morning. Brenda, Dane, and Erin got up early to get Dane checked in and everything. I guess there was some complications with finding him in the computer, etc. but they worked everything out. Joel and I (and the kids) and Devin and his family were planning to be at the airport at 6:00. As Joel and I were leaving Lovell, Joel remembered that we needed gas or we wouldn't be able to make it there. So we had to stop and get gas. Joel didn't speed too much on the way, but we were hurrying as fast as we could to get there in plenty of time. Unfortunately, the airport people made Dane go through security about 2 minutes before we got there, so we didn't get to give him any last hugs or talk to him. We could see him through a plexiglass window, and that was better than nothing. We were all SO sad to not be able to spend a few last minutes with him. Here is a picture of Dane as we got to see him.

(Darcy, I hope you don't mind that I used this picture, I stole it from your blog)

We stayed to watch the plane take off. Jenna was crying a lot, as were the rest of us. I think she was crying for two main reason. One, of course, she loves her Uncle Dane and was going to miss him a lot. She understands that two years is a long time for him to be gone. Also, she's a very sensitive girl, and she's always had a hard time seeing other people cry; it makes her sad.

We were all sad to see Dane leave, but we are also so excited for this time in his life. He is in the Sao Paulo South Mission, in Brazil. He was able to call from Salt Lake and Dallas, his stops before leaving the country. He sounded pretty down in Salt Lake, but much more positive and happy in Dallas. Dane's girlfriend, Darcy, has started a blog about Dane's mission. To check it out, click here: http://danemission.blogspot.com/.

While in Lovell I was also able to spend a little time with my Mom and her husband Bill, who just got back from AZ. We didn't get to see them nearly enough, but we look forward to more trips up North. They are also coming down for Joel's graduation in just a week and a half, so we'll get to see them soon!

Lucky

It's been awhile since I put anything on so I thought I would go ahead and post a few random pictures.

Last week I was cleaning in the kitchen and Adam was playing quietly. When I peaked around the corner this is what I saw. He had pulled out the shoe basket, thrown out all the shoes (you can see part of the pile in the corner of the picture) and made himself comfortable. What a cutie.

This is what will wore to play outside just last Friday. We had about 8 inches of snow, I would say. He had a great time in it.

Now contrast that with what it was like outside yesterday. Adam thought it was funny to climb into the bike trailer.

And here's Jenna posing in her warm-weather gear. What a difference four days can make.

We haven't been super busy around here, just regular busy. :) We went out to dinner last night since it is my birthday today but Joel has to work today. For my birthday Joel bought me some books I wanted, and I ordered myself some new black flip-flops online. My beloved black flip-flops that I wore for many summers finally pooped out on me last year. I was so sad to see them go. One of my favorite things about them were that they had about a 2 inch sole. As short as I am, I need all the help I can get in the height department. I found some online that are a good brand of good quality and will hopefully last me a long time. I got them in the mail yesterday, so it was an excellent early birthday present.

When I woke up this morning Jenna was there to tell me Happy Birthday. I think she told me that about 23 times before she went to school. :) One of the great things about Jenna is that she gets so excited for any and every occasion. She loves to do things for people on their special day. She wants to make sure everyone knows it's your birthday, and she REALLY wants you to know that SHE knows it's your birthday and she cares it's your birthday. She's a sweet girl.

Tonight we are looking forward to Jenna's first soccer game. Her first game was supposed to be last Saturday, but all games were canceled because all fields were covered in snow. Luckily the weather as been beautiful and the fields have dried out. We are so sad that Joel doesn't get to watch her first game, but he will be able to come to her game this coming Saturday. Jenna is excited to play, and maybe a little nervous. I know I'm a little nervous for her. She's really never played before, and other kids on her team have. Hopefully that will be a good thing so she will have people to watch and learn from.

I have to say that on this 25th birthday of mine I was thinking about my life. A natural thing to do when you hit the quarter century mark, I think. :) I wondered; am I where I wanted to be at at 25? Have I accomplished things? Am I doing anything good with my life? Do I have the things I want and need? Here's what I've come up with... I've gotten a college degree, which was a huge goal of mine. A part of me wondered if I would accomplish that goal with a family and children. Thanks to a lot of determination and an excellent husband, I did accomplish that goal. I have a great husband and three incredible kids, so I'd say I must be doing something right. Or at least the Lord has seen fit to bless me with these wonderful things. I try to be a good mother and wife. I continue to try to expand my cooking/baking abilities (this may seem like a strange accomplishment, but I love to cook, and I love that my family enjoys the things I make. If being a chef wasn't such a high-stress job I would be tempted to try that career route). I have great friends that I love to be with and will miss terribly when we have to move away. I don't have the nicest apartment or nicest cars or nicest belongings, and I couldn't care less. I am so happy with what I have been blessed with that to ask for much more would just seem selfish. Thank you to everyone who has blessed my life so completely! I feel so lucky!

Weekend

Our weekend started with a bang; Joel getting his wisdom tooth out. Brenda (Joel's Mom) came down to watch the kids, and Erin and Dane came with her. They got here Thursday evening. Friday morning we headed out early enough to have a quick lunch in Fort Collins and get to the oral surgeon's office. After filling out some paperwork, signing wavers, and that fun stuff, Joel was in the hot seat. They just did a local anesthetic. After they shot him up with that they took him for a panoramic x-ray of his mouth and jaw so the doctor could see where the nerves come through. It was very interesting to look at Joel's teeth that way. Turns out he's got one wisdom tooth on the top that isn't through yet, and one on the top that is through (we already knew that) and the other side on the bottom there is no wisdom tooth at all. While the local was taking effect we had a good time waiting. Joel couldn't pronounce certain words correctly, so I kept making him talk, and try to do things like roll his tongue. It was quite entertaining. :)

Anyway, when he was good and numb I went out to the waiting room, even though I would have kind of liked to watch them take the tooth out. Joel came out shortly after, maybe 10 minutes, and the job was done. He said it didn't really hurt at all, except some of the pressure they put on the jaw to get the tooth out. When we got back to Laramie we filled a prescription for some pain meds. Joel has taken some but not many. He didn't take any on Sunday and he can't take any for the next two days because he can't be on that kind of pain medication while working. He will just have to make due with Aleve and Tylenol, etc. We are doing what we can to avoid dry socket. I've heard from SO many people that got dry socket about how painful it is, so we really don't want Joel to have to deal with that! But Joel has been recovering well, and his mouth doesn't hurt all that much, he says. He has been a little swollen, and he can't eat solid foods very well because he can't open his mouth very wide. But he says that the pain he was experiencing before is gone, so that's good. He is back at work today.

On Friday night after getting back from Fort Collins I got a call from a guy that I contacted about buying an entertainment center he listed on craigslist. We've been keeping our eye out for a little bit because we are pretty tired of having DVDs all over the place. Adam would pull them out, and could open cases, and sometimes even pop out the DVDs. Not so good for scratching. So anyway, we drove out to West Laramie to look at it and pick it up. Unfortunately another person that wanted to look at it had contacted the guy before me. Long story short we left because they were on their way to look at it. When we were literally one block from my house the guy called me back saying the other person didn't want it because their TV wouldn't fit in it. So we turned around and went back out to West Laramie to pick it up. Dane and I rode in the back of the truck to keep it steady, and that was a bit of an adventure. :) Dane was embarrassed that people were looking at him, and I was trying to hold on to the board on the back of the entertainment center which was starting to flap in the wind. Yikes! Anyway, we got it here safe and sound, and now my mischievous 1 year old can't play with the DVDs. :) The picture below is the picture from craigslist, because I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of it here with everything in it. Maybe someday...