Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Life Interrupted...

Please excuse my absence. 

My son told me, "Mom, this house is a mess.  We need to clean it."

Lucky for him...I heard the "we". 

We will be back shortly...

after we...

sweep


drink coffee

mop

drink coffee


dust




eat snack
(grapes, tomatoe slices, & strawberries)

disinfect bathrooms

drink coffee

change sheets


drink coffee

make beds


whine about cleaning (me ~ not Tyler)

wash windows

drink coffee

pick up dirty laundry

create a random blog post and waste precious cleaning time

clean kitchen

* wonder where Aiden and Isaiah are hiding
(found them out in the pasture with the "nice cows")
I thank the Lord that He was with them...they aren't always "nice cows"...
(then I found them out in the other pasture with the chickens)

take out trash

wonder why the heck I fall into my child's neat freak desire

He is bummed.  He has to work ALL morning.  Wednesday's are usually for a picnic in the park or story time at the library.  Bummer...for all of us.  We are here cleaning.  I hate cleaning.



Yes, it is a tiara.  Yes, they are calling me Princess Mommy.  Of course I told them they had to call me that!



Titus 2 tells us to be busy at home.  I hate it when God talks to me through my children.  It just doubles the guilt.  Clearly I wasn't listening to Him so he spoke through my little 4 year old boy.
Yes Lord.  I hear you.  I will submit and obey.

Oh yeah...about the blog post and wasteing time...
and coffee drinking...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Coffee!

Coffee ~ Coffee ~ Coffee!


I have created inspired monsters...


huh?.....

First with my daughter...with whom I can simply whisper, "Coffee", and she smiles and says, "Yeah!" Then we find a way to feed our habit.  She was too young to corrupt ~ yet, it was all so natural.


No coffee here...give us time...we will find some...

(We used to send her to Phx for a goalie camp, and one night when I picked her up...
I had Starbucks for her!  The coach was not happy, but we were!)
Look!  Coffee makes us talented... or something...


Coffee!
(Thank you Lord for this child.
Can you stand that grin?)


Now... my poor sweet baby boy.  He stumbled into the kitchen the other morning, put his little plastic cup up near the coffee pot and said, "coppee", in his tender, sleepy voice.  I'm so sorry, baby!  Of course I will get you some morning coffee...NOT!  But I did laugh...and gave him a sip of mine.  :)

Alas, he has become a coffee theif.  Do not leave your coffee unattended when visiting us.
Consider this your warning.





Seeing as how "Daddy" has him in both of these photos...
I've decided not to take all of the blame!



Did I mention that I don't make my own coffee?

Yes, I'm well aware of how to say "Princess".
In two languages even!  You know, just in case...

If Tim (he fixes the BEST coffee!) doesn't get the coffee ready for me...
I have been known to load up the entire crew and find my way to the freeway for coffee at Starbucks.
(yes, in my jammies...I'm lucky to find my way through town and to the freeway before my morning cafeine)

I love coffee...chocolate...coffee...good conversation...chocolate coffee...

Why isn't my mom drinking coffee?


Tim in the Roper office enjoying a cup of coffee.

Hmmm...maybe it's not just me...maybe coffee is just our "Family Tradition."

Monday, September 20, 2010

The View From Here

Welcome to Arizona...
where it is not just a desert.
This is the view from our house. 
One of the things that I love about Arizona is the monsoon season.
Here in Northern/Central Arizona it hits July 4th weekend and lasts until the middle of August.
I have to say...it is the BEST time of year.

The sky stays stormy...
the clouds move in and move around...

This is the western view from the backyard.
I love the lavendars and greys in the clouds.

(In the heat of the summer...the sunsets are orange and red.  It makes the sky appear as if it is on fire!)

Straight shot from the backyard.  There are little pockets in the cliffs.  It is such a nice place to wander around.
Look at the sky though...
simply amazing.

(Can you tell we live in a valley?  We are surrounded by mountains.)


(Tim and I do a little traveling.  I've never seen a more beautiful sunset than an Arizona sunset.)


I took a watercolor class at the college a couple of years ago.
I would try unsuccessfully to capture the beauty of the sky.
Then my teacher let me in on a little secret.
She said, "You can't recreate what God made.  Only He can create such beauty."


Friday, September 17, 2010

Ashley


Strength.
Dignity.
Grace.
Saved.
Pure.
Lovely.
Teenager.
God's Girl First.
Mine Second.

2 Timothy 2:22-25 (The Message)


Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness—faith, love, peace—joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Isaiah...Enough Said.

Isaiah is my baby. 


He is the youngest (by 30 seconds)

(Of course I allow my children to stand on the furniture and threaten their brothers with brooms.  If you notice...dad is sitting on the couch laughing as well.)

He is the stereotypical family "baby" except technically, he came before Tyler (who is almost 2 years older than him.) 

Yeah, we pretty much goofed up the whole birth order with adoption.  (Tyler came last...well, I think he is last...never know what God has in store for us...)


(Do you see the scar over his left eye?  He has had stitches in that same spot TWO times!  I think between he and Aiden I don't need to take them to the ER for stitches...I'm fairly well versed on the knotting technique...about the pain med stuff...)

Isaiah is obstinate. He has a mean streak (yes, I'm working on it!).

He has a speech delay.


He has motor coordination delays.


He has "fashion boy" hair.
(except here...he must have just had a hair cut...sister does all the hair cutting in this house...except mine.  No one touches my hair except Missy ~ my totally awesome hair guru)

He has been voted, "Most Likely to be a Fashion Model" by the Roth kids.
There are some days that he looks like Ashton Kutcher.

(he grabs his phone and starts texting when he gets mad or in trouble...I think he is trying to contact sister...she is his favorite.)

Most days he's just my goofy child.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Praise and Prayer Please

Just a Random Quick Update...

On Friday, we (the little boys and I) will be traveling to the Phoenix Children's Hospital to meet with the nurse practitioner of a developmental pediatrician.  We've been waiting for two months for the referral to go through.  If finally did!  Thank you God!  The nurse practitioner will determine if Isaiah is in need of a developmental pediatrician or not.

Please pray for wisdom of the nurse practitioner to give us answers to Isaiah's disabilities.  We are hoping to get his hip issues dealt with and praying for some answers to his cognitive delays, and vestibular issues.
I will have all of the boys with me...please pray for me to have compassion and understanding.  I will need both to deal with all three boys in a waiting room and an office.  (Have you heard that my boys are not quiet?)

Thank you!

Note to my husband...














Dear Mr. Roth,
     You are at a school board meeting doing really important school board stuff.  (I know not of what is on the agenda ~ ever ~ due to an agreement that we would not speak of school board stuff to each other.  Thank you, and amen.)  I just FaceBooked (is that really a legitimate verb?) a note about needing wanting desiring a good cup of coffee.  In my comment/note/facebook I mentioned that you make the best coffee.  I just want the world to know that I think you are the best husband in the universe (and that is big)!  You greet me with a smile (most of the time), you give me hugs and kisses, you provide for our family, you take an active role as our spiritual leader, and you make great coffee (did I mention that part?). 
I think you are groovy!

     Beyond commenting on your amazing coffee making skills...I mentioned that I'm a princess.  In true princess manner...I would like to be addressed as such.  Not in a condensending tone, but in a reverent tone.  So tonight, when you come home and I'm asleep in bed (for once not FaceBooking, blogging, working, or doing whatever with my photos), you may kiss me goodnight, and say, "Goodnight my darling, princess wife.  I love you."  (But whisper it, ok.  Because I will be sleeping.)

With all my adoring affection and love,
Mrs. Roth Princess Robyn
AKA: Big Momma
AKA:  Mommy
AKA: Aunt Robyn
AKA: Robyn

PS:  Will you please load the coffee beans and set the timer on the machine so that I can wake up to the aroma of coffee brewing? 

Please?  It will save you $5 and the cost of fuel to take myself and the kids to town and another $5 in junk food (aka donuts) that the kids will bribe me into purchasing because I'm so in love with coffee and it makes me happy and I want all my children to love me....and be happy!

i love and adore you!
(Note to self:
Weird hotel room ~ camera on a timer shot...
needs major Photoshop!)

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Justin & Friends

Do you like music? 
I do.  I'm a huge fan of music, in fact...
I love music. 
I love all types of music.  (it's the whole child of the 70's, teenager in the 80's, college and whatnot in the 90's and I'm still going strong!)
My favorite music though...is music performed live and raw.  With just voices and limited instruments.  (must go back to my church camp days...just voices and a guitar) 

In August, Radio Shine, a Christian radio station, had a benefit auction.  I think auctions are awesome.  They feed my ADD soul like few things do.  Auctions offer things to buy, at a quick rate of speed, and the winner is often a surprise.  (Can you tell I'm a big eBay fan.  I was actually banned from eBay by Tim because I was winning things that I forgot I bid on!)  This year, Radio Shine was offering a dessert and coffee concert by singer/songwriter/worship director Justin Unger.  The concert was to be in his home!  I was all over that!  I had the day marked on my calendar.  This event was not going to go unnoticed!  (In fact, it was such a big deal in our home that Tim called from work to ask if I had started my bidding!)  There were four ~ two person tickets available.  My competitive soul was in high drive.  I was going to win!  At all cost!  And win I did!  I ended up with two of the tickets which meant that I had to decide who I was taking with me.  Would it be me and the girls?  or Tim and I with another couple?  or Would it be Tim and I with Ashley and a friend.  Oh, the dilemma of decisions. 


Here we all are...standing in Justin Unger's home!

(By the way, all the money earned through the auction went back into Radio Shine.  The concert, the gifts, timeshares, and other items up for auction were all donated.  Thank you donors for supplying such great gifts to such a worthy cause!)

I gave Ashley first dibs, because I think she's kinda awesome.  Since she is currently coaching a U11 boys soccer team, she opted out (she has practice on Thursday nights, and Justin's concert was Thursday) and she is also a great student and she would need time to study before school on Friday.  (No ditching for my girl ~ she is so unlike her momma! Thank you God for giving her great wisdom!)

See what happens when she has a late night?  This was Saturday...can you imagine if it had been Friday?  She might have fallen out of her chair in class!  That might have been embarrassing!)

So...I deferred to Tim (please, someone mark that on the calendar for me!) and we asked our friends, Nate and Denise.  What is somewhat ironic about all this is Denise and I have been friends for a few years.  Nate and Tim have been friends for awhile as well, but we've NEVER done anything together as a couple.  (How weird is that?)

We started our evening at Olive Garden.  Denise ordered the portabella raviolis.  They looked amazing.  I would have loved to have tasted it, but it has a roasted red pepper cream sauce (can you say, "YUM!")  that looked to die for, but I don't eat dairy.  Bummer for me!



No, we did not coordinate.  Actually, the guys did all the planning.  Poor Denise didn't even know where she was going or that dinner was involved.  She was simply told, "We are going to some kind of concert with Tim and Robyn."  She is such a good sport.  I'm too uptight to have plans left like that.  I have to know everything!

We finally made it to Justin's house and we were greeted by his friends, Brad and Kirsten.  They directed us to the correct house and the evening was simply wonderful!

We were introduced to both Justin and his lovely wife Fallon.  He had an awesome display of desserts and coffee for us to consume.  It was a little surreal thinking that I'm in the home of a famous singer! 


Throughout the evening, Justin would share tidbits of information with us on where he gets his inspiration (the Bible), some of his background, how he met his wife, stories from traveling, how their dog at one time had a hungering for the Word, and just about anything that popped into his head.  He gave us the opportunity to ask him questions as well.  It was a truly fun evening.

Me ~ being me ~ took my camera.  (Have you ever known me to be without it?)  Well, I was slightly very uncomfortable not knowing how others would take the invasion of a camera (I've found that most people don't like it when there is a camera around.)  So, my pictures while at Justin and Fallon's house are limited.  I would have loved to have shown you the tasty desserts that they served, the Bible sitting on a shelf, more pictures of us just talking with him, but...I refrained.  (I also didn't want them to think that I was totally stalking them!)  Here is a brief recap of our evening...
This is Brad.  He is one of Justin's good friends.  Brad leads the high school and college group worship at the Heights Church.  I first saw him when we were visiting the Heights.  He was leading worship that night since Justin was in Nashville.  Can I say that he is awesome?  HE IS! 
The girls seem to agree.  :)

Fallon graced us with her lovely voice.  She sings on a couple of the cds.

Grace.
Dignity.
Modesty.
Generous.
Lovely.
Elegant.
Beautiful.


 


"Brad, you're so dreamy!  All the girls think you're a cutie!  Will you please take a picture with me?"

OK - so I didn't really say that.  I was actually telling him a story about when I took one of Ashley's friends with us to church and during the greeting, she got to shake his hand.  It was the "Hand Shaking of the Evening."  Oh to be young again....or not.

Of course I took a picture with him.  Duh.  I have to gloat to Ashley somehow.
I feel so old...
and short.

I think she printed the picture, ripped my side off, and has the other in her locker, on her bathroom mirror, made multiple reprints and is currently selling them on eBay...or maybe she just said, "Wow Mom, You really are a freak."  Something like that...


This is where Justin was laying down the law...in no uncertain terms was I to take his babysitter...Brad.
Yep, it's true.  Brad is an amazing babysitter.  I'm still working on getting Brad's number from Justin, but with another baby on the way...he might be needing Brad more than I do.


The evening ended with gifts...from Justin, Fallon, and Radio Shine.
The "boys" couldn't wait to see what they got!  It was so funny to see these two men, who normally could care less about gifts, get excited about what was in their "goody" bag.
Thank you for the awesome gifts Justin!

Silly boys...

The night was made absolutely perfect when I got home and found this...
The twins sound asleep, snuggled in bed with sister...

Tyler snoozing with Mater and Friends...
on top of his bedspread instead of under it...because it's easier to make his bed that way! 


Ellie keeping Aiden's bed warm...you know, just in case he wakes up in the middle of the night and wants to sleep alone.  Yeah right.  That won't happen!

(Yes, the twins do sleep with their beds that close to each other.)

By the way...Justin's new cd..."Some Good Advice" is out...or will be within a day or so...GO BUY IT!

It's awesome!