The Roblee Blog

January

2012-02-29T14:11:00.001-08:00

I will only post pictures for this post so you can get through them faster. January was a blur and February is almost over. Unreal. Hope all of you are well!

Mike's hand was broken installing canned lighting at his parents' house. It's all better now!

The cool marble track Dane got from Nana for Christmas.

These are the tongs from Ryan's BBQ. I couldn't be prouder.

Brothers on the trampoline having an important conversation.

Our New Years Eve celebration at Kevin and Claire's house.

Ryan practices drumming at Gramma Grampa's house while mom and dad drive up on New Years Day.

The Stealth Bomber flies over at the start of the Rose Parade. Awesome!

Nothing like New Years donuts!

At the park with Gampa:)

One of the uprooted trees from the crazy windstorm in LA.

Kristy's Birthday dinner with the Roblee men:)

That hair.

The kids love their shuttles from their Florida family:)

We had a great time at Ella and Blake's combo birthday party!

That's one pretty mama!

CAKE!

There's Bruce serving the cake!

Had enough, Ryan?

MONSTER JAM on January 14th! Combination birthday for Kristy and Christmas present for Dane from auntie Erica. Great times!

Mike and Mark know this is serious business.

Notice that Dane is wearing earplugs...

...and Ryan is not.

Thumbs up!

GRAVE DIGGER!!!!

Buttcrack guy in front of us. Eaaaasssyyy Mark...

We have a Grave Digger DOWN! I repeat! A Grave Digger DOWN!

Kim is not playing around here!!!

MONSTER JAMMMM!!!!!

Remembering Adele Heink Roblee

2012-01-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend has definitely been an emotional one to say the least. We had a beautiful memorial service to celebrate Adele's life at St. Andrews by-the-Sea in Pacific Beach on Friday, January 20th and so many people showed up to support our family. Many thanks to everyone who came. The Roblee and Heink families so appreciate all of your love and hugs during this time.

One beautiful thing that comes in the midst of mourning is the gathering of friends and family to remember, tell stories, reminisce, cry, laugh and celebrate. Some of Ralph and Adele's family members traveled from Florida and Oregon to attend the memorial. Adele's brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Mary Lou Heink, nieces Jobie Woltman and Leta Mosebach, nephew Karl Heink, and Ralph's sister and brother-in-law Al and Hansie Freebury spent the weekend visiting and we enjoyed their company so much. I hadn't even met Jobie or Karl before, so it was such a treat to sit down and chat with the family and get to know them more. We spent time at the Roblee house the night before the memorial and had a wonderful time reminiscing over some yummy food and preparing our hearts for the day ahead.

Friday was the memorial - it was simple and beautiful. From Adele's beloved Pacificaires choir, to the eulogies, to the interment...everything went so smoothly. Although there were many tears, I think everyone was embracing the wonderful thought that Adele was no longer in pain. This, indeed, is something to truly celebrate.

On Saturday, the family got together again and headed over to Jim Guy's home, aka "Grossmont." This is where we spend our Christmas Eve every year and it's one of Adele's favorite places. As I've mentioned in blogs past, this is the home of Adele's great grandmother Madame Schumann-Heink. Not only is it a home full of history, but also of memories and good times. Jim and Maureen welcomed us in and gave a little tour for our out of town family members. It was a treat for them to spend some time here since Adele loved it so much. The kids ran around and climbed on the rocks (so did the big boys!). It's such a beautiful place with an incredible view! It was a privilege to spend this last Christmas Eve with Adele there. Being able to witness her walking around so well and smile so much was a gift that I know we will treasure always. Having lived many difficult years bogged down by pain, suffering and depression, it was an indescribable blessing to see her glowing with happiness.

Now, the weekend is over and the visits are done. Families travel back home and life goes on. After hearing all of the stories - some sad, some difficult, some happy - I will never forget what Mike said in his eulogy that rings so true: Adele loved her family more than anything in the world.

Al Freebury and Ralph.

Hansie Freebury, Ralph's sister.

Welcoming John and Paula Elliott.

Brothers:)

Bill Heink and Jim Guy catching up.

Cousins Karl Heink and Mikey.

Ralph and John Elliott. Cheer up, John:)

There's the little rascal Ryan!

Hi, Daney!

Jeanie Fowler, one of Adele's life long friends.

Dane was helping Hansie in the kitchen. Good job, Dane!

Hmmm, which one?

Yup! This is good!

MORE COOKIES!

On the big rock at Grossmont.

Jim and Maureen's dogs climbed on those rocks like nobody's business!

Mike has conquered!

Jim, I think you need one more dog...

There's Mary Lou!

There's Mark!

Through the big crack!

Cheeeeeeeese!

Cousins Mark and Karl...be careful boys!

Get him!

There are Leta and Jobie:)

I caught Leta NOT taking a picture here!:)

There's granddad:)

Jobie's trying to get Ryan off her tail...it's not working...

I love this picture.

There's trouble.

Talk about a view.

So beautiful!

A lovely father-daughter moment between Jobie and Bill:)

We're going on a bear hunt...

~Adele Heink Roblee~

Christmas Eve and Morn!

2011-12-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a majestic day in Carlsbad, CA. The weather was clear with a high of 68 degrees. The kids woke up and watched a little "White Christmas" after breakfast. We also played outside quite a bit and rode bikes and scooters out front. The kids were having a blast!

That night, we headed down to pick up Nana and went on over to her cousin Jim's house in Grossmont. Every Christmas Eve we go to Jim's historical house and listen to the recording of Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink's "Silent Night" at 4:00 pm. This historical house, having been Madame Schumann-Heink's home at one time, is a magical place to celebrate Christmas Eve. Adele was so happy to be back as she had missed last year's event due to being hospitalized for infection. Unfortunately, Ralph had to miss it this year as he was in the hospital recovering from surgery. We missed you, Ralph!

After our Christmas Eve visit with that side of the family, we headed to the Roblee House in Pacific Beach to open Nana, Granddad, and Uncle Mark's gifts. The kids were excited, but were extremely exhausted. I think you can tell in the pictures!

It was time to head home and get Santa's cookies and milk ready, so we did just that. The kids were all nestled warm in their beds, while Mike and I had more wrapping to do and martinis to drink:) We had a nice time just chatting and watching "A Christmas Story" together. Some peace before the storm, I think!

Christmas morning was a whirlwind. Dane woke up early, of course, so we let him open presents first. He went so fast that he barely saw what he got! He was more thrilled to be OPENING presents than to see what was inside them. It was hilarious. Once Ryan woke up, he was so out of it that we got a kick out of watching him walk around confused. It was like he couldn't believe he was actually allowed to open the presents under the tree - the same ones that he hadn't been allowed to touch for a month! Mike made us some wonderful breakfast burritos and then we headed off to the Nocita house in Sierra Madre for the Christmas day fun. Stay tuned for that blog...coming right up!

They're dreaming of a...sunny Christmas?

A little "mote" control car fun on Margaret Way.

And the Lord looked upon his hair and said, "YES, my son. You are my chosen one."

The view from the Grossmont House.

This is only two of the eight dogs that were in attendance.

About to "hand" out presents:) Hee hee...

The Brothers Roblee!

"Here ith a prethent for mom!"

Look! More cars! Can't get enough of those...

Ryan will drive his truck on any terrain.

Oopsie, gotta poopsie!

A marble track from Nana and Granddad!

"Let's see here...was I naughty or nice?!"

And it's....A NEW CAAAR!

He's checkin' out that undercarriage.

Oooooh yeaaaahhhh...

A little tired.

But still kickin'!

Look at that cool BBQ from Uncle Mark! Ryan definitely wanted to eat that burger...

Tired boys.

Think he's excited?

Santa, leave the martinis for mom and dad, please.

The setup.

Let the mayhem begin! And don't let devil dog bite you!

"Dad, I don't want to slow down!"

Merry Christmas, from our little Snow Cone:)

"Lemme fire up the grill!"

"What in the HECK just happened?"


Merry Christmas to all and to all a good MORN!

OFF TO THE NOCITA HOUSE....

Putting the "Mas" in Christmas

2011-12-22T20:30:00.001-08:00

So many things going on these days! It's such a whirlwind in December for everyone and I appreciate you checking in with us. Just a few things to report, but some GREAT pics!

First, Mike has officially become SCUBA Certified! WOO HOO! He took a class in November and is now able to scuba dive for my lobsters:) Plus, it's nice because he looks good in a wetsuit, too...

My sister Erica came down to visit a couple weeks ago so as to continue the gingerbread house tradition. Let's just say that MOST of the candy made it onto the houses, but these kids did not miss any opportunity to sneak a piece here and there. After a few days I had to finally throw them out because my 1st son Blizzard decided to eat most of them while we were away. Boys will be boys!

Only a couple days after auntie Erica's visit, auntie Kimmy came over especially for Dane's Christmas program at school. We were seriously hoping for some preschool madness at the program and BOY did we get what we wanted! It was a ZOO and it was fantastic! We were all cracking up at the kids singing their songs and the parents frantically running to the front to take pictures. For our first official Christmas program, I have to say this was the perfect experience. Afterwards, we went to KoKo Beach (Dane's request) and had some family "reflection" time. Good stuff...

Since our dear friends, the Canatsey's are moving to Italy in January, Claire opened her home (poor Claire) to all of the kids in their lives and had a cookie exchange. This was a chance for Ruby, Nova and Onyx to spend some time with their friends before they leave. I will just say this: Claire, thank you so much for that opportunity as the kids had a wonderful time. Also, I hope you didn't incur too much damage to your home! HOLY COW! There were SO many children running around and crafts going on...it was incredible! Much love to you all and your family. We're going to miss you so much!

Lastly, I have some photos from a very special trip that Mike and I took with the boys down to the tide pools. We decided to hop in the truck and go as it was nearing sunset, and I have to say this will be etched in my memory as one of my FAVORITE family moments. Not only was the sunset electric and colorful, but the boys enjoyed looking at all of the sea life so much. There were some insane tide pools to look at!

Anyhoo, that's all for now. Merry Christmas everyone, and thanks again for reading!

I love our tree.

I wish I slept like this!

Gingerbread house time.

Took this pic with the "fro cam."

Aaaand the eating ensues.

Thanks auntie Erica!

I think Erica and Dane's house was the winner. Ryan's never really got off the ground.

Wearing daddy's beanie.

He's only 21 months, but he already looks so old!

Doing a little Dr. Seuss reading time.

Gearing up for the mediocre Santa pic! LOL!

Dane's thought: "Wow! Is this really happening? SQUIRREL!" Ryan's thought: "Wow, is this really happening? SAVE ME!"

Dane missed the memo that he was supposed to do the Scrooge face.

Entering the rec hall...where the magic happens!

Ryan could've already been in bed at this point.

That's a happy reindeer!

Getting out the performance jitters!

Big finish!

Time to go to KoKo Beach!

Cheers! (That was for you, dad)

Commence cookie exchange extravaganza!

Ruby's picture perfect!

"Did you see that?!"

There's Della, the ringmaster!

Nova the princess:)

What's up, doc?

Time to shop.

Madness! Here is what we heard THE ENTIRE time they tried to watch tv. "STOP TALKING! I CAN'T HEAR!"

Time for pizza!

Yeah, Ryan...um, you're not supposed to EAT the marker. You look beautiful, though, dahlink.

Ruby and Dane...buds for life.

Are we done yet?

This was so cute. Caught them looking at a book of old airplanes in the garage.

Telling Dane where to look....good luck, Mike.

Walking to the tide pools...

Found an awesome starfish farm!

This one had lost half of its arm.

Mikey found a crab! And then proceeded to stick his finger in its claw. Smart man:)

"Help meeeee!" A sea anemone eating a lobster! TOO COOL!

Ryan: "Who am I?" "I don't know."

I took this with the "sunset fro" cam.

Epic sunset.

Mele kalikimaka, everyone.

ROBLEE: Reindeer Over By Little Evergreen Elves

2011-12-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

I love acronyms. Can you tell?:)

We've had a slew of things going on this month (as I'm sure all of you do) and it's my duty to report! This post is all about the every day life of the Roblee clan:) We've got little league parties, visits with gamma gampa, birthdays and miscellaneous stuff that just adds to all the fun. I won't say much more than that since there are quite a few photos (and videos) as usual. Ho! Ho! Ho!pe you all find some time to celebrate this Christmas season with family and friends...that's what it's all about!

Ryan was just patiently waiting for money to drop out of the change machine.

All of Dane's little league buddies waiting for a turn.

Look at that HEED!

This was such a precious moment where Coach Chris handed out special game balls to all the kids:)

Hair, anyone?

We have a helicopter down...I repeat...a helicopter down...

Dane's Thanksgiving project. Gobble.

Yum!! Good job, Mikey!

I'm gonna EAT ya!

Drinking hot cider with Dane...love it.

Dane's first 'mote control toy that he bought with is own, hard-earned cash! Ryan's celebrating with him:)

Playing in Dane's room. Dane went through a phase where he always had to wear his snorkel mask.

Mike asked Dane which one he was. Dane said, "Well, the one in the middle with the fat head." GENIUS.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

"Merry frickin' Christmas," says Snow Cone aka Conehead Bliz.

Curious George captures the hearts and minds of the children.

He loves the window down:)

He's a little windblown!

Giddyup, Mikey!

Dane's towin' the Radio Flyer:)

My ugly Christmas sweater that shall be worn every Christmas season from this year forth.

Beautiful San Diego sunset. -Photo by Mike Roblee

Ryan thought he should pick his nose with his toe. He was ACTUALLY picking his nose...with...his toe.

Unhappy.

The kids, gampa, gamma and GG looking at pics from Kim's Hawaii trip. Note Ryan's hard hat.

Doin' a little dancing to some Christmas chipmunk songs!

Long story short, Auntie Kim bought a small toy starfish that was supposed to grow when you put it in water...over a span of THREE DAYS. Tell THAT to a 4 year old. FYI: It has grown into some sort of diseased, mutant thing that resembles a star fish. I am currently devising a plan to get rid of it. Stay tuned.

Mikey's birthday lobster he got for Erica's birthday party!

There's the birthday girl!

A beautiful sight.

There's B!!!!

Dane's giving the wine a thumbs up:)

Ryan loves his Uncle A.J.

Time to eat!

Mom and Keith get a good hug in...

Everyone's face is great in this shot, but Denise's takes the cake!

Awwww:)

Happy Birthday, E!

So cute! That hair is....something else, though...

This is one of those pics where you just want to eat your child's face.

Dane's attempt at winking. "Am I doing it, mommy?"

Peekaboo with Dane:)

'Mote control car time!

"Don't worry, folks. We'll have your power back on in...TWO WEEKS."

"Khappy Thanksgibeen, back..."

2011-11-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

I borrow our title for this post from the movie "You've Got Mail." If you don't know the line, you needn't concern yourself with it; however, it WAS the secret password for our family's Thanksgiving this year, so it felt appropriate.

There's no question that this year was my FAVORITE THANKSGIVING EVER! I don't know what it was - the gathering of family and friends from all over the country, the beautiful weather, or the food - for some reason it just felt...perfect. Leading up to the big day, I felt both nervous and excited. The nervousness and worry came from hoping everyone got there safely. I didn't want anyone to miss this day and I wanted us all to be safe. The excitement was something I used to feel as a kid on Christmas Eve. I could barely sleep! I appreciate these things more and more each year it seems. I'm sure you all do, too.

We had such a great time of laughter and fellowship with our family and friends. We had a new family member, too:) Little Harper Piepgrass made his first big appearance and I got to hold him for the first time! He's so adorable and a lovely addition to the Piepgrass family. My cousin Lindsay drove with her daughter Kassady from Utah, and my cousin Courtney and her boyfriend Jason came from Colorado. It was a blast to have everyone there!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who brought food, but most importantly, to Debbie Nocita (my mom) and Colleen Heublein (my aunt). The Thanksgiving Feast was was top notch and the best I can ever remember! Also thanks to Colleen and Bill for opening your home to all of us again...as far as I'm concerned, we made some memories that day that will last a lifetime. The only thing that would've made it better would have been Colleen busting out the yoga moves! Alas...maybe next year...HAZZAH!

So, now that I'm done gushing, sit back, relax and enjoy the photos. Thanks to Al Nocita (my dad) for most of the pics...again!

Dane had on his "Happy Thanksgiving" mask that morning. Don't ask questions.

Father and son...

We did our family pic right when we got there, otherwise it wouldn't have happened! I love it!

Silly pic!

The most important area.

I love dad's caption.

Meg and Cooper!

There's Tia Reggie holding little Harper:)

Sisterrrrrs!

Faux candid pic.

Even MORE sisterrrrs!

There's AJ doing a great job of setting the table!

Courtney and Kim. Could this be a nicer pic?

No Gunnar, you can't lick it and put it back:)

First time holding Harper!

Sisterrrrrs!

Awww:)

Janis and Roger playing with the kids...bless their hearts:)

Love this pic of Gamma and Dane holding the wreath Dane made for her.

Wait, is that dad? He was there? No kidding!

I don't know what's going on in this picture, but I like it.

Father daughter:)

The old John Deere needed a push...

B and E taking a load off...

Heah he isss...looking ferry ready to mek a dyfe unt da svim pewl. Das ees Eh Jeh. (I have no idea why I pulled out the German accent there. Just seemed appropriate.)

When we were gathering for our group pic, Dane and Cooper were SO CUTE!

There's Colleen directing...shocking:)

Silly pic!

Great group shot!

Heublein, Piepgrass and Hamilton family pic!

Too bad they're cousins...they make a great couple! HA!

There's Ryan grabbing my earring.

You guys, RELAAAX!

Bill's tradish turkey cutting pic:)

Tradish 4 generations pic!

This is Kristy with the wine glow:)

Ima gonna smackayou!

Roger, are you trying to confuse Auntie Bob?

Time to pray for the abundant feast:)

That kid table's lookin' pretty cramped. Thanks, Megan. Sheesh!

Simultaneous chewage going on here...

Look at that table!

Gunnar you look MAHVEHLOUS, dahlink...

The Duguid Scarf Collection, by Janis Duguid. What to choose?

Watchin' football with daddy...

Ryan plays peekaboo with Gampa:)

There he is!

Done like dinner.

There's Gampa again!

So cute I can't take it.

Mommy and Ry Ry...

There's that character from Star Wars! You know the one!

S'mores! With mondo-sized mallows from Costco. Gotta love Costco:)

There's a tired boy...who looks like he stuck his finger in a light socket:)

A little pre-bedtime wrastling!

Katie and AJ...um, AJ? Could you work out please?

Halloween Haunt to Safari Park Jaunt!

2011-11-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the Roblee Blog!

We had such a fun Halloween this year as we headed back to our old neighborhood in La Costa for some trick-or-treating in style. Dane was dressed as a pirate and Ryan wore Dane's old pumpkin costume. Too cute! Everyone does such a great job decorating and partying on that street, so we couldn't miss it. The kids nabbed tons of candy (most of which mommy and daddy ate before we gave it away) and they had a great time doing it! As the night wore on, both boys started to slow down a bit, and then finally, Dane actually said in pure Forrest Gump fashion, "Okay, I think I have enough candy. It's time to go home now." Talk about weird! Although it was strange to be trick-or-treating with only two kids (My family used to go with 15-20 kids and adults. All this while my dad pushed his handmade, coffin on wheels that he used for drinks & treats...it even had it's own lighting!), it was oddly relaxing and different to have a simple night of ghoulish fun with the kids. Happy Halloween, indeed.

A few days later, Dane's preschool went to the Wild Animal Park (Safari Park) in Escondido, and thus, so did Ryan and I. Although chasing a 1 and a 4 year old through the hot desert plains was not my idea of fun, we actually ended up having a great time. The kids were enthralled with all of the activity in the gorilla exhibit, and the Safari Tram didn't disappoint either. I think their favorite part of the whole trip, though, was the flamingo pond. Go figure.

I included some random family photos at the end of the post just because I wasn't sure where else to put them. I've also added a couple pretty hilarious videos, so check our You Tube Channel if you're bored or need something to watch. Thanks for keeping up with our family and be sure to email us to say hi!

Arrrr you ready?!

Yes I am!

I love that Dane is using my old trick-or-treating pumpkin:)

The first house was a good one!

Cool Sponge Bob pumpkin!

I think Mike regretted wearing his Chargers jersey. Everyone wanted to tell him the score!

This looked so cool in the dark.

People on this street open up their garages and have parties. It's awesome!

I think it's time to go home...

A dead pirate.

This pumpkin is done.

Here's our cute front porch. Mike did a good job!

Sorting the pirate's booty!

Here's our porch with no flash.

Happy Halloween! Now it's time for daddy to watch football...finally.

It was 80 degrees in November.

No ice cream, kids.

Tell us where we're going, Dane.

The kids were so excited to run into this goose. At least, I think it's a goose.

Taking a little break.

Beyond that fro is a big daddy gorilla.

Getting ready to go down to the tram. Pretty windy!

What do you see, Ryan?

"Hellllp meeeeeee..."

"Heeelllp meeee!" The praying mantis was about to get run over by the tram, but the trained Wild Animal Park employee handled it. Whew.

Look at that hair!

I mean, that's "dread"-ful.

Teething much?

He's gone batty!

Dane loved this owl. It's so cool how you can get up close to it.

I took this on my morning walk with Ryan. Carlsbad is so pretty.

Dane was trying to catch Ryan with the laundry I was folding. Nice.

This is a project Dane made at school. It says, "My monster's name is Gluin. She's a girl. She's a shy monster. She lives in the monster home. Gluin eats dinosaurs. She likes to walk, run and turn on song." Hmmm...Gluin sounds...fun...

Oh our way to church...the boys were so cute:)

Back home from church and admiring the mini-surfboard that Mike made Dane.

2011-11-05T21:58:00.000-07:00

This blog has a good mix of our activities this month. We had quite a full October as I'm sure most of you have, and the kids' schedules were just as crazy as ours!

In Kristy news, I started a new career in October as an Independent Wine Consultant. Chris Stewart generously hosted my first Wine Tasting and it was such a success! We all had a great time drinking wine and learning at the same time. I am so excited to be able to combine my passion for wine with my desire to bring in extra income for my family. Although it's a bit scary to embark on this new journey, I really have nothing to lose. So...here goes!

In Mike news, he just got his lobster permit last month, so he's been diving for lobsters pretty frequently now. It's been so wonderful eating lobster EVERY WEEK! My favorite food! It's kinda nice having a waterman for a husband:)

There are also some cute pictures from our dinner at Ruby's, which was a fundraiser for my MOPS group. The boys were enamored with all of the planes, trains and automobiles throughout the restaurant. It was adorable:)

I am also a part of a moms group in Carlsbad called La Costa Moms. We had a fantastic Halloween party at the park on the 29th. There were about 60-70 people there and so many activities for the kids. I think it's safe to say that Bobbing for Donuts was Dane's favorite game:)

Anyway, enjoy the pictures and please email us to let us know how you're doing. We love to get updates from people, too!

This is just a cute picture of Ryan sanding his daddy's skateboard. We found him out here doing it by himself! HA!

The BEAUTIFUL spread that Chris Stewart provided for my first Wine Tasting!

Who da girl?

Sean was even there to enjoy some wine! Man, being a wine consultant is a tough job:)

Kimmy and Sean sharing a funny moment.

Drink up, ladies!

Would you like some cheese with that wine?

I think I should put this picture on my wine consultant brochure...now...if only I had one...

See, swirl, smell, sip!

A natural...

My host and my assistant:)

I love this picture!!!

This wine is...what is word???

Lori is "seeing" the wine.

I think Lynn is enjoying herself...

Mom and Kim saying "Cheers!" to a fun time.

It's order time. Show me the money!


My gracious hosts!

This is where Ryan likes to stand while he watches TV.

Nothing like snot and dirt to make you want to smooch your child:)

Here's one of the beautiful lobsters that Mike brought home...scrumptious!

Hanging out with Uncle AJ:)

I love this shot of them holding hands in the car. Priceless.

My LAUNCH Wine Tasting at my house. What fun!

All fun and a little business:)

My WineShop at Home sponsor (no, not AA) Sabrina conducted my tasting so that I could see how a typical Tasting flowed. She nailed it, of course. :)

We had a great time!

Ruby's Diner is the best! The kids were going crazy over all the great toys in there.

Ryan wasn't sure about it at first.

"TRUCK!"

Oh yeah...he could get used to this...

Daddy's building the Ruby's bus...a much harder project than it seems!

Bobbing for donuts at the La Costa Moms Halloween party!

Ryan didn't really care about the rules. He just wanted the donuts. Can you blame him?

Carving pumpkins!

So "deciding!"

Ryan's thinking, "I'll go ahead and let DAD do this job..."

Fall is Really Here!

2011-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to give up on the chance of ever catching up, so I'm beginning with more recent events and just starting over:) I think at this point, posts about events in June are just not really favorable. Hee hee...

This review begins with Dane starting Little League in September! WOO HOO! It's so awesome to see him in his little uniform every week. Obviously, 4 year olds are hard to keep focused on the game, but man, they do have a good time. Mike has decided to help out and be a coach, along with about 3 or 4 other dads. It's funny watching the guys all tell the kids to "pay attention" and "focus." HA HA! Yeah right. Dane does a great job with hitting, but obviously the fielding is a bit boring for him. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with baseball. I sure hope he does because it's so much fun to watch him! There's a great video of Dane sliding into the dug out instead of home plate. You gotta watch it if you have time...priceless stuff!

In the beginning of October, Dane's preschool class went to Bates Nut Farm (lovingly called Nates Butt Farm) to pick out pumpkins, ride tractors, traverse hay mazes, and do other fun "farm" stuff. Of course, Dane had a wonderful time with his best bud, Rishi. I, on the other hand, was a tad annoyed. The weather was a little dreary, and truth be told, careening through a wet, hay maze with two crazed boys was not my idea of fun. But WHATEVER...it's for the kids, right?:) We got some good pics and picked out a good pumpkin, so all was well.

Mid-October I headed up to LA with Mike and the boys to help dad work some Dalcorp parties. Mike ended up taking Dane back to San Diego for Little League practice, so Ryan was solo at the Nocita house. It was actually really fun to see Ryan run around and be the center of attention, because let's face it...Dane takes most of it when he's around:) Bart "Bark" Rogowski and Auntie Kimmy made a lovely lamb dinner that was absolutely to DIE for. I honestly couldn't get enough. Ryan liked the lamb, too! It was a great night and we enjoyed our food with some lovely Robert Young wine, to boot!

Get their uniforms! GO CUBS!

Gotta stretch before practice...

Ryan. The lone fan.

"Avast me hearty! Give me some of yer vittles!"

One of the only times Dane was actually ready for the ball...

...and there it goes...

Run, Daney, run!

Game day!

"There's no crying in baseball! No crying!"

Stop my nerves! Is that the cutest picture or what?!

So yeah...we're gonna need to work on that slide, Dane...

Cool dude...

Wearin' daddy's glasses!

Straw maze at Bates Nut Farm.

The traditional rainbow lollipop is a must:)

There's Dane's friend, Athena!

Tractor ride!

Dane and Rishi...best buds...

He's having fun, folks!

I am showing the whole sequence of these photos to demonstrate my inability to get BOTH of them to look at the camera at the same time...

So cute! Fav thing about this pic is Rishi giving a sly smile to the cam:)

I think Dane's face says it all.

Dane's Halloween costume! ARRRRR!

Come to mama...

Ryan doesn't kid when it comes to food. Just like his mom...

Does it Ever Slow Down?

2011-08-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

The craziness continues with a visit to Nana Adele and Granddad Ralph in March. We wanted to cheer them up a bit, so the kids came and played with Uncle Mark's remote control trucks. They also went up into the canyon for a little adventuring. Uncle Mark made a fantastic meal that night and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously!

At the end of March, we headed up to LA to celebrate the 1st birthday of little Zephyr Blumberg. Andy and Kelly (the 'rents) invited us to this beautiful park where we enjoyed toy airplanes, a taco truck, and the yummiest cupcakes I've ever tasted! I think it's safe to say all the kids had a wonderful time...thanks, Andy and Kelly!

The rest of the pictures are our Easter photos. First, we celebrated Easter at our home in Carlsbad. Dane was so "decided" to dye the eggs and have an egg hunt. I think you can tell in the pictures just how "decided" he is! Ryan also got into it, but wasn't quite sure what was going on. Pretty cute stuff:) After our Easter at home, we headed up to the Nocita house for the BIG lunch and fellowship with family and friends. We had such an incredible time with the kids, and as you'll see, I think we all had fun BEING kids for the day. We were all so silly!

Thanks for checking in with the Roblees. We hope you're all having a great summer!

Dane: He'll be starting Preschool 4's on September 7th...we're so excited! (And so is mommy:))

Ryan: His first words were "uh oh," "awww mannnn!" and "racecar." Shocking. SO cute, though!

Fun with Uncle Mark:)

I just love this picture. The chair is so perfectly placed!

Flying airplanes at Zephyr's birthday party. A boy's dream.

The birthday boy:)

Time to sing happy birthday!

And eat the best cupcakes ever!

Too cool...


I think it's safe to say they were pooped for the ride home to SD.

Nakey boy!

Dane was SO ready to dye Easter eggs. Look at that smile!

Ryan doesn't care about eggs. He just wants food.

The first one...not too shabby!

I've got to concentrate concentrate concentrate...

Are we done yet?

Awesome! So colorful!

Checking to see if the Easter Bunny came. I believe he did!

Taking inventory...

Ryan loved his bunny:)

And Dane was ready to fly his new rocket.

Lookin' sharp and ready to head to Gamma Gampa's house!

There only a couple hours and already caught a grasshopper. Nice.

Dane and Kassady contemplating their next move.

Nice plate, Dane. Interesting...but, nice...

Wow...that's a handsome boy:)

Moggy and Colleen don't joke around when it comes time to eat. Move out!

Auntie Erica shows Dane the new kitties. Gamma Gampa don't have rats any more!

Time to pray...

Just a boy climbin' a tree...

Bro and sis sharing an Easter hug.

B and E. The newly engaged.

I don't even know what we're doing. I think this was the faux candid shot.

Bill, ya need a lift?!

Grandma Colleen and Kassady sharing a moment.

Mikey and Kristy, takin' Easter pics...

A normal sibling picture...

...a NOT so normal sibling picture.

Simply stunning.

Sisters...

Auntie Janis gives Scobes a squeeze. Careful, Janis...we're still not sure she's a dog...

Best buds:)

D-Rock lookin 'good!

Daniel and Erica came, too! This is not a bad looking group:)

Unfortunately, Ryan was not hunting for eggs...

So artsy, dad.

I love this pic!

"EH?!"

Sneaky eyes...

The pill bug infatuation...or "rody podies."

Kimmy thinks I'm hilarious...Ryan...not so much.

Look, there's dad! A shocking cameo!

And another one! We're so lucky:)

Are we done here?

Kids everywhere!

Valley girls!

The first "buh bye" wave of the day!

Daniel and Derek on the tramp...brings back memories! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

You never want to see this so early in the season, Bob...

Uncle AJ sharing a kiss with the Ry Ry.

Erica and Kimmy:)

There's MOIM! :)

Loading em up! Time toooooo say gooodbyyyyyye!

BUH BYYYYYYE!