Our Crazy Family

The art of getting married

2012-01-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

CAUTION: SAPPY LOVE POST!

(DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YA!)

I LOVE this wedding picture, it's one of my favorites. Last year I got suckered into buying a canvas Groupon, so I blew this picture up on a canvas and gave it to Chris for our anniversary. When we moved into our home I couldn't wait to display it! The canvas is now hung in our living room. I was curious as how my kids would react to a "kissing picture". I didn't anticipate Braedon's (2) reaction at all. "Mom, you're falling when you get married?" Because of this picture my boys now associate falling and getting married. Braedon falls and asks Robbie to catch him, and BOOM they're married! We have a lot to teach them....

But I let them go on believing right now and don't correct them. They also don't realize that you get married only once. And almost daily they ask Chris to marry me. So Chris takes me in his arms, asks me to marry him, and dips and kisses me, and BOOM we're married all over again! I'm glad that our kids give the reminder that yes, marriage is a daily choice (not legally but emotionally). Today (and everyday) I choose to marry Chris, and while it's not always "wedded bliss", it's a ride I wouldn't share with anyone else.

In conclusion, if you see my boys at a wedding anytime soon, don't be surprised if they act a little disappointed when the bride doesn't fall....

changes

2011-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

These past weeks have been a whirlwind for me (actually this whole year) and I'm determinded to make a "new house" resolution to blog more. Best change this year is our change in address :) Chris and I just moved into our first home and are super excited! I was laughing because my last blog was written 16 months ago and it was on moving as well...oh well, we bought the right house that God wanted us to have in His timing. Most of our life is still in boxes and some of it is still in our old place, but our laptop is unpacked (shocker) and our internet is up; no time like the present....

Here are some recent pics of all the kids with their Aunt Bella (my sister Michelle)

I like how Robbie is on the phone in the background....

That's it for now, time to arrange my furniture that just arrived today! Don't cry like Braedon, I'll post more soon.

too much

2010-04-21T17:57:00.000-07:00

Chris and I are currently househunting. We would LOVE to have a contract by April 30 and get the tax credit but........ We've already looked inside 11 houses, drove past half a dozen more and put 3 bids in. Tonight we put a bid in on my dreamhouse.....just not my dream price. We spend many of our few hours together looking and dreaming at houses. Below is the house I hope to call home.

The boys are keeping me very busy. Braedon has started climbing up stairs, and whatever he can get his hands on. He also will put ANYTHING in his mouth. Most of my days are spent chasing him around the house and getting him down from furniture and taking stuff out of his mouth. Glamorous I know. Robbie's talking so much more and learns at least 1 new word a day (today the word of the day was "sausage"). He also started translating Braedon's baby talk and according to him Brady's favorite phrase is "I want Papa".

P.S. I realize that this is all underlined but after spending 3 hours on the computer today trying to scan our contract I give up and will post it like this!

Spring has Sprung?

2010-04-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Chris and I are both in agreement that snow is to be hated everyday except for Christmas. I know as a kid I had a different outlook on snow so I wasn't surprised when Robbie took a fascination to playing in the snow. These pictures were taken in early February during a massive snow storm.

Climbing up Mt. Roco

and sliding down Mt. Roco (it's not that big of a hill but it keeps the kids entertained)

Due to throwing snow in the face and cold fingers Sophia and Nik came inside early while Robbie made no plans to leave the snow.

Meanwhile Braedon was busy just being himself

But evidence that spring is around the corner? This picture was taken less than a month ago on my birthday. And yes I realize that Robbie's hat is a little on the snug side. That kid has one big head!

Happy Spring

PJ's, Pluggies and Pictures

2010-03-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Life has been crazy. I haven't had time to blog. But here's some of the latest pictures of the kids (most of the time in their pj's, I'm not sure why).

It's very rare that all kids are looking at the camera much less "smiling"

Robbie refers to Sophia as "LaLa" (her middle name is Ella and Chris and I sometimes call her "Sophia Ella" or "Sissy Ella"). He also calls Braedon "Brady" which is soo cute!

We LOVE our pluggies (pacifiers)

I know the time is coming to cut Robbie off of pluggies but I'm dreading that day

This is typical Braedon, just being silly. He, like his brother, likes to fake cough and the reaction it produces for the people around him.

A sweet lady from church made Robbie (for his baby shower) this hat and gave him a summer outfit that had firetrucks on it. I wasn't sure when to pull out the hat for Robbie to play with but this day he discovered it by himself and wanted to do everything with it on.

PJ movie night! Nik was really excited over the premier of "Chuggington" the newest show on the Disney Channel about trains. So we had a pj party to watch it.

Happy March!

The Flu!

2010-01-25T08:24:00.000-08:00

It's been over a week and the stomach flu has been sweeping through our family. Chris and I got it first and boy was it brutal. A few days later Sophia and Braedon got sick. Luckily it's only a 24hour bug but this morning Nik got sick. Robbie's still holding on strong but I'm spending most of my time washing hands and blankets and separating the "clean" from the "unclean" ;) Sp this post is short but sweet and hopefully we will all be healthy again soon. Until then here's a pic of our only survivor of the flu......

Clearance!!

2009-12-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

So due to the fact that the costume party was such a hit I decided to check for Halloween costumes on clearance. I was thrilled when I found costumes for 75% off! I was at toys r us forever deciding which costumes to get. Unfortunately I also needed diapers so I had to limit the costumes to 2. I was really bummed out because I found a Transformer costume without a pricetag. I scanned it at a price check and it said $19.99 and was excited that it was on sale for $5.00. Then I found out that $19.99 was the CLEARANCE price and the costume originally cost $80.00!! Yikes! Anyway Nik loved his Obi Wan Kenobi costume (even though he can't pronounce it). It's a little big so he'll be able to enjoy it for years to come.

Robbie wasn't a fan of his costume or the camera

Trying to get a group shot

His true identity revealed

Check out his cute buckle "shoes"

This cracks me up because Robbie kept on chasing Nik around the house. It reminded me of one of Chris's favorite TV shows, Deadliest Warrior. It takes warriors of history, i.e. Apache Indians and Gladiators, studies their moves and enters them into some database that determines who would have won. All I could think of was an idea for their next episode "Jedi's vs Pirates".

Halloween

2009-12-15T07:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know I'm not a fan of Halloween. However when Nik found out that Sophia was having a party at school on Oct 30th he got understandably upset. So at the last minute I threw together a costume party. The only problem with the party was the fact that only Nik had a costume. So during nap time I threw together costumes for Robbie, Brady and myself. Who else could throw together costumes at the last second but "supermom" which is what I dressed up as.

Yes the "s" is homemade. Oh and my cape is a pillowcase.

Braedon went as a little brother (not a far stretch)

Robbie was a Bear's fan (again not a far stretch). I did also have games and candy prizes and Robbie attempted to play them.

Below are pictures of Nik doing Spiderman poses. This one is him climbing up a wall.

Shooting a web.

DisneyWorld

2009-12-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

In early September we went on vacation w/Chris's family to Orlando. My mother-in-law has a timeshare w/Marriott and we were able to stay at the coolest place, Marriott Harbour Lake. It had a pirate theme, and 2 separate pools with their own interactive water play areas. We really didn't have to leave this resort to have fun, since it offered free and cheap activities for kids and families all day, everyday. The first day, Sunday, we got there they had free balloon animals and face painting.

Below is a picture of our favorite part of the pool (from the website, not my kids in the pic)

My little dinosaurs Nik and Kassidi

Sophia (on right) and her cousin Che Che

On Monday we went to Animal Kingdom and got baptized by fire w/the Florida heat. Animal Kingdom tends to be the hottest of all the park due to all the trees that don't allow breezes. It was in the 90's everyday and we NEVER needed a jacket, even at midnight. I was worried about how the boys would handle the long days and the heat. Braedon was only 2 mos and Robbie 17 mos, but they both did FANTASTIC (except for the day when I forgot Robbie's pacifier and I literally passed it back and forth from Braedon to Robbie, whoever needed it more!!).

We ate at Yak and Yeti which was an Asian restaurant and it was a little hard to accommodate Robbie's allergies. As you can see french fries were a hit. The only time Robbie was really crabby was when we were waiting for food. I don't blame the kid though, he was hungry and he didn't want to waste time and miss out on his favorite, Mickey.

Silly face boys. Notice me and Braedon (in sling) in the background. That sling was my lifesaver and Brady's sauna!

Can we say sugar high?

On Tuesday we had a day of rest and we all did the timeshare presentation thing. Hey for 25 Marriott dollars and 75 Disney dollars I'd listen to just about anyone talk! Wednesday we were back to the parks at Magic Kingdom. We were so blessed by how empty every ride was. The kids were able to jump on ride after ride after ride. Niklas and my niece Kassidi (who are exactly one week apart) were anxiously waiting to ride the Goofy rollercoaster. When they finally were able to ride we couldn't get them off of it. They rode it at least 5x and was by far their favorite.

Robbie and Chris on Dumbo

Look at my cutie in his little hat!

Kass (and Nik behind her)

On Thursday we went to Epcot. They have really changed the park a lot since I've last been there and spent the whole day in the FutureWorld part and only went to the WorldShowcase for a wonderful dinner in Japan.

Robbie in front of the tank at the Sea.

He loved looking at the fishes

On Friday we went to Hollywood Studios and Sophia experienced her first upsidedown rollercoaster, Rockin Rollercoaster. She didn't like it. She also went on Tower of Terror and was scared but rode it a second time anyway. My 91 year old father in law also joined us on Tower of Terror. I was a little worried about him riding as we were breezing through the lines and I kept on seeing these warning signs about the ride, but he survived.

Characters galore at the Hat!

Robbie loved the characters, when he was carried. He didn't like them towering over him.

On Saturday we enjoyed our resort and had a wonderful BBQ dinner outside. It was a fantastic vacation and my kids keep on asking when are we going back.

So long summer!

2009-11-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

This summer the "heat" never really hit and was altogether pretty mild. However I've been very grateful that, except for a week here or there, we have had an indian summer, until now. Goodbye flip flops and light jackets, hello boots and down coats. Even last week we hit 70! So it's with a sad heart that I post these pics as a farewell to summer (it is the middle of November so I guess it's been a good run). Sadly this summer we also had to say farewell to Kiddieland. Kiddleland was a great amusement park for kids. I used to go there when I was a little girl. Chris had his first job working there when he was 15. I am very sad that Robbie and Braedon will never visit there. Fortunately for Nik and Soph, my sister Tricia took them, along with my niece Kara. They spent all day there and Chris and I were able to watch them ride "The Scrambler".

Here they are in line, Sophia and Kara are in matching pink and brown outfits.

Sophia was tall enough to go by herself, while Aunt Tricia took the others

Here's pictures from our block party. Robbie was a little small for the moonjump but liked others bouncing it.

It's amazing how much the word "picnic" dresses up a sandwich.

I'm back!

2009-11-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog,

I know it's been a long time (almost 2 months) and I don't blame people for not even checking it anymore, I don't even check it. But since my little guys are napping at the same time, a rare occasion, I thought I would attempt to bring this blog back to life. Fair warning, there will be no pictures attached.

I'm back to work at Alaska Airlines, and I've switched to nights so Chris and I have the tag team parenting thing down pat. Chris started a new job at Opticote (pronounced opti-coat) which coat glasses and he's enjoying making up new colors and coating ANY eyewear he can get his hands on. Wait til I post the goggles he did. One of the great things about his work is that it is 3 stop lights away from my parking lot, seriously right on my way to work. So in the morning he leaves me the van (I'm totally a soccermom, minivan and all and I LOVE it!) and I switch cars on the way to work so he can have the van at night.

We recently acquired a "new" laptop compliments of my soon to be sister-in-law Nicole, thanks Nicole! (There's a second hand store by us that's called "New to You" and I think it's the greatest name.) I could care less if this laptop's been used, actually I'm glad it's used cuz it came with games like Bejeweled, Bookworm, and Mall Tycoon. The only problem is that our wireless router needs a power cord (irony I know) and until then Chris hooked up our laptop internet in our room. Enter clueless techie me. This explains why I can't post any pics on my blogs. All my saved pics are on our PC and I can't figure out how to load my camera on this laptop.

But there's great pics in store. We went to DisneyWorld is Sept and I can't wait to share all the magic and fun! So in true Disney fashion TTFN Ta Ta for now!

See ya real soon!

Anna's Wedding

2009-08-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

On July 19 my cousin Anna got married. I was very worried that I would still be pregnant on this day but thank goodness Braedon was fashionably early. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding (even though it was kinda chilly and overcast). The reception was wonderful and a lot of fun. Robbie mostly enjoyed eating (for 2 hours straight). Then he decided to work off some food by getting down on the dance floor. Braedon was an angel and got passed around from person to person the whole day. My joke to my sisters that day was "If you had to guess, who would you say is holding Braedon".

It took a while for Chris and I to get ready for the wedding so Robbie thought he would practice some piano.

The highlight for Robbie was when Steve (the groom) gave Robbie a ring pop. Surprise, he loved it! After a couple minutes Anna found me and asked if it was ok Robbie had it. Normally no, I'm against suckers (sticky doesn't even begin to describe the mess) and Robbie having that much sugar. But how can I say no to the bride?

It was a very long day and I had hoped to get a cute picture of the boys in their cute outfits. Robbie wore the same outfit he wore to our wedding (June 2008) and Braedon wore a Build-A-Bear outfit. The pictures didn't turn out so well.....

Braedon Joshua

2009-08-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

So it's been almost 3 months since my last blog....but I have excuses. First our camera was lost for a month and I think blogs are better with pics. Secondly and most importantly on July 2 we welcomed Braedon Joshua Roco into the world. He was born at 11:35am, weighed 6 lbs 13 oz, and was 19 inches long. He's a better sleeper than Robbie however it's the not sleeping part that's the problem. He can keep me awake for 3 hours in the middle of the night straight. Thank goodness for TiVo and my new favorite channel, Gospel Music Channel. They show reruns of Christy and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and I'm totally addicted. Everyone's adjusting pretty well to the new baby. Robbie loves touching Braedon and is always concerned when he's crying (which is often). It took Robbie about a week to start saying "Braedon" and his faces lights up whenever he sees his little brother. Nik and Soph love Braedon and do a wonderful job of entertaining Robbie by themselves. We haven't really been able to enjoy the summer because Braedon doesn't really like the stroller. Robbie loves (and always has loved) going for walks and I'm not ambitious enough to carry Braedon in a sling, push Robbie in a stroller and walk. To be honest I get exhausted thinking about it....hopefully in another month.

Chris just started a new job working for a company that handles mosquito control. His hours are 6am-2:30pm which are great except for the long commute. However we're very grateful for this job and the steady hours. Well that's all for now since I need to take to the boys the table I spend most of my time at, the changing table. I have much appreciation for my mother raising the twins....

Minutes after Braedon was born.......

Suddenly my little Robbie didn't seem so little :-(

The following pictures were taken by my extremely talented cousin Sherah.

Check her out at SherahGPhotography.blogspot.com

Summer

2009-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our family LOVES warm weather (well I'm not too sure about Robbie but I'll speak for him and say he does). Nik just told me today that he wishes he could live in Hawaii forever, cuz it's so warm. Sadly our vacation to Branson, MO wasn't as warm as we would have liked. It was hard coordinating all my sisters', parent's, and family's schedules and so April was when it had to be (largely due to my pregnancy and the 9 hour drive). Despite the weather, which we had warm days, we had a ball. We stayed at a very nice Marriott and enjoyed just being together, and the kids LOVED having Kara around all the time. Here are some of the highlights.

This is my dad's favorite spot. It's a Trout Hatchery. You can buy a cup of fish food, (for only 25 cents!!) feed the fish and watch them go crazy over the food, and learn WAY too much about Trout from an "educational" video. Robbie really isn't into releasing yet, so he just watched but the kids loved it.

It almost looks like Nik is sharing with Kara but no, he's stealing from her. Poor Kara, feeding one pellet at a time, while Nik dumped the whole cup in!! Boys will be boys...

Branson is home to the "Wild Woody". Basically a wooden Go Kart track that has a 3 story spiral climb. The only people who couldn't go on it were me, Robbie, and Nana (my mom). We just watched the excitement in their faces (and raindrops). There's been some discrepancy about who really won, I was watching the whole time so I know. Christina and Kara, and Erin got an extra lap for being in the front. Christina and Kara reached the extra lap first so they won, but my kids will tell you differently ;-)

Robbie seemed pretty content with his ride at first, after 10 seconds he basically had it figured out and gave me a look that said "We could have fed fish w/that quarter!!"

What would vacation be w/o food?! Robbie's favorite part of vacation was meals.....not surprised.

Egg-tremely allergic

2009-05-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who don't know, Robbie is allergic to milk. I found this out the hard way when I gave him a bottle of formula and he woke up covered in hives, weezing, blue lips, and scratching his whole body. 6 hours later in the ER the doctors ruled it "an allergic reaction to something". I could have told them that, in fact I did tell them that when I came in. But they're the doctors so they know more? Anyway I've been hesistant to try new foods with him, call me crazy but I didn't have fun seeing my son gasping for his every breath. Thank goodness the dr. sent me home with baby benadryl and an eppi pen (for real emergencies). Robbie is also struggling with his weight, as in he doesn't weigh enough. Crazy I know, my son dealing with a weight problem. Anyway I was talking to my Dr. and she suggested I try eggs, but be cautious cuz he might be allergic. Well I gave him the tiniest piece and well the pics speak for themselves.

I should also mention that I don't know why this kid isn't putting on weight. At his 1st bday party he ate 2 hot dogs. I take him to Wendy's and he eats a double stack. For dinner he just ate veggies, a piece of whole wheat bread, half a bagel and 7 chicken nuggets!! Anyway here's some other pics of the kids. And no Chrissy, there will be no pics of my bump this pregnancy. When I have to tell people that "no, it's just 1 baby" I'm carrying, even to my sister, I'm not that crazy for cameras at this point.

Better late than never?!

2009-05-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Ok so I know April has come and gone and here I am just getting pics up of the bday party. Cut this prego a little slack. It was a fun party, though I could have done w/o the snow! I guess that's what you ask for when you have a party on the first weekend in April. Enjoy the pics!!

I loved his birthday crown!! P.S. This pic was taken when he was EXACTLY 1 year and 9 mins :)

Since it was snowing we had to move the giant pinata to the garage, btw it was a Winnie the Pooh pinata. Marty and Chris really loved moving the pinata so the kids missed. The problem came when EVERYONE had their turn, even the men, and the thing still wouldn't break. I tell you I knew that Mexican store would be worth the trip. The pinata cost only $16 and I'm pretty sure all my kids could fit in there.

Robbie wasn't into hitting the pinata so we were in charge of giving the bat to the next person.

Nik was SO ready for the candy and prizes...little did he know that there was NOOO rush

I love this picture of my cousin Lydia, nice hit. In reality all she accomplished was breaking the rope which Chris and Marty just retied and the "fun" continued.

Doesn't this cake look so good?! In case you're wondering the theme was Mickey (for Robbie) and Tinker Bell (for Sophia).

Even her cake match with the Tinker Bell colors....I'm glad I have a daughter to appreciate the finer things in life!!

I LOVE this pic of Robbie and Chris!!

Poor Soph, she couldn't even tryout her new bike thanks to the beautiful weather.

Love Aunt Michelle!!

2009-04-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

It's not that I don't love my family........but I can't seem to get a lot accomplished when they're around. That's why today I'm able to blog cuz, my sister, Aunt Michelle came to my rescue to watch a baby that just didn't wanna play by himself. With vacation to Branson a week away, my day off, and the house and laundry still recovering from a very birthday filled weekend (pics to come later), Robbie was just not feeling the busy mom thing. So thanks to Aunt Shell I'm able to pack for Branson, do several loads of laundry, and clean the house.

After all he can't always be this peaceful!! This pic was taken on a recent trip to Anchorage. Poor baby was tired.

This was taken by Sophia, our little budding photographer. Thanks for the camera Nana!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2009-03-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last month our church hosted a "Daddy Daughter Date Night". Sophia was extremely excited to go. She told everyone she knew that she had a date on Saturday night, and waited to see their expression. She even told her teacher. Even though there was a terrible blizzard that night the turnout was good. As you can see from the pictures Sophia and Chris had a wonderful time.

You might be wondering what I did that night. I had a terrific Mommy Son Night that consisted of cuddling, going to sleep early, and a big bowl of ice cream (for mommy only) :)

men vs. women

2009-03-13T06:43:00.000-07:00

This week I've been on vacation and it's been wonderful not having to do anything or go anywhere. The week has also revealed some shocking differences between men and women. My husband can clean like nobody's business. He could clean 3 rooms to my 1. I think it has to do with men's ability to focus on a single item. When I clean the kitchen I start on the dirty dishes... oh the milk needs to be put away... sweep the floor... did I turn off the water... Robbie's screaming and needs a toy...is Soph making her lunch for tomorrow...oh right I was doing the dishes. In this first year of marriage I think Chris and I need to focus on our strengths like his doing of the laundry and mine of folding it and putting it away in order to have a working house. Don't get me wrong, I totally know where women excel, kids. I could never take a picutre while my son looked like this.

Kinda pulls at your heartstrings doesn't it?

Messy baby

2009-03-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I even bother cleaning up after Robbie....he get's dirtier, faster, everytime. He used to be a clean boy with nice clothes and soft hair. Last night after dinner I told Chris I just want to throw him in the tub. It reminded me of the boy I used to nanny for, Quinn. Thank goodness they had centralvac. Yesterday I had a clean baby to snuggle with and this morning, well I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Let me just say this, it was our first goaround with animal crackers. I don't know how he knew they would taste good or be my worst nightmare, but the kid was screaming for them before I could even open up the container.

Notice the piece in his eyelash.....

Cali!!

2009-03-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of January, Chris, Robbie and I went to California to visit my dear friend and old roommate, Lindsay. We were so blessed to have the warmest weather (in the high 70's low 80's). Even better we missed record breaking lows for the Midwest. No trip to Cali would be complete without a visit to Mickey. Of course with my pregnancy and Robbie's age actually going to Disneyland would be a waste of money so we settled for the next best thing: Downtown Disney.

When Lindsay and I were in Disneyworld we would always take crazy pictures. I'm so glad I have a son now who can take our place....plus he's cuter!

Ironically given his mother's past he's not that into Winnie the Pooh.

But once he found Mickey is was all ok again.

I think baby crocs are the cutest. Thanks Aunt Michelle for insisting he have those. I'm sure his new baby brother will enjoy them as well.

Our day at the Park

2009-01-08T16:46:00.000-08:00

In Nov I took the boys to the park. I'm very happy that a "for tots only" park is only 4 blocks away and with the addition of a stop light crossing the busy street is a breeze.

My ever cautious son inspecting the swing before he gets a ride. In his defense it was his first time on a swing.

Here's Nik doing "superman"

Okay, maybe the hat's a little too big.........

This is my favorite picture of Robbie ever....he's smiling at his mom!!

Christmas Picture

2009-01-06T13:11:00.001-08:00

The Roco Family--Christmas '08
Cousins

Christmas Morning 2008

2009-01-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

"How do you get this open?"

Is this how you eat these?
The present brigade...this is the first year Sophia and Nik participated in the annual tradition of moving presents from the dining room Christmas tree to the living room

Hope you had a great Christmas!!

My First Post

2008-12-23T11:13:00.001-08:00

This is us...the Roco family. Sophia, age 7 loves to sing...Niklas, age 3 smiles all the time and Robbie, 8 months is the center of attention. Join us here...whenever Chris, diehard Bears fan and I, Katie, customer service agent at Alaska Airline, find time to update the adventures of our family (There should be lots to come with Roco child number 4 on the way!!)

Merry Christmas!!!