I Annabelle Take Thee Blankie

While I was rocking Annabelle, we had this conversation...

Annabelle: "Papa loves Grandma"

Me: "Yep. Did you know Papa and Grandma are married?"

Annabelle: "Married in the temple"

Me: "Yep. Married in the temple"

Annabelle: "Annabelle is getting married in the temple"

Me: "Really? Who are you going to marry?"

Annabelle: "Ummmmm....Blankie!"

I couldn't be more proud of her selection in a mate; it makes PERFECT sense!

I Annabelle, take you Blankie to be my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will trust you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my drool, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.

Dear Suzie

I love you so much I promise to always give you LOTS of sweet tender kisses when I see you,
To keep you warm with a soft fuzzy blanket when you're cold,
And to tuck you in with even more kisses and love!
Love; Annabelle

Family Fun at Cornbelly's

Last weekend we decided a family outing was a MUST! And Cornbelly's was just the place to do it. Annabelle had a blast. The best part? Pumkin Princess Playland! The ONLY reason she got in this jumping castle was that it had Snow White, "Cindawa," Belle and "Rora" on the front. She was so excited. The worst part? The scary "Rhino's Belly" that was "dark" and "loud," and...ahem...not really meant for 2-yr olds. Traumatic! Jumping around having a blast!
Sitting in "Cindawa's Carriage."

Me and Josh sitting in the carriage, going to the ball. Annabelle didn't like this idea: "Mom and dad get down on the grass!"

Coloring a princess

Just like the movies! Her prince comes to the window :)

Getting some "Make-up"

She stayed still the WHOLE time, and look how cute it turned out!

That's A LOT of popcorn!

"I choose the white one." She tests things out by sitting on them--always has!

Riding the cow train. I know this hairstyle is not my best...heck it's probably the WORST, and the selfish part of me nearly withdrew this photo from the post. But...this photo is more than me, and the cow train was pretty fun. Plus it's a mommy/daughter shot--not very frequent. So, if you don't mind, focus your eyes on the "cow wagon," Annabelle, or the weird hose/cord thing in the back of the picture, and remember posts past when I had dark cascading curls, sideswept bangs, and a complete absence of a multiple-wife-looking brade.

Ready to jump!

Almost ready to try it on her own, but a little intimidated by the bigger jumpers

Takin a little rest

I'm FREE!!! "I'm runnin!"

"I choose this one! Baby punkin"

Semi-Homemade with Robyn Elyse

Whats the PERFECT recipe for a sick day? Grandma Smith's homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with a few Lion House rolls on the side! With Annabelle and I slightly under the weather, I thought this meal would be just the trick-or-treat to reverse the sick spell we've been under. And while I don't LOVE cooking from 3:30 through dinner time, it just so happens that I LOVE the results of this time commitment...A LOT! I've decided to make one meal per week entirely from scratch. If you have any favorite homemade recipes, send them my way! Me and Anna-Banana-Belle would love to add them to our menu! And from Smith's kitchen to mine to yours, here's the Smith family SECRET recipe to Chicken Noodle Soup! Enjoy...and SHARE. It makes A LOT of soup!


Put one whole chicken (about 3 lbs), 1 sliced onion, and 1 tsp Salt in LARGE pan. Cover with COLD water about 2 inches above the chicken. Bring to a boil until done (about 90 minutes).

Can you see that little chicken under those onions?
Peel and cut 2 lbs carrots and 6 stalks of celery, then cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Put in a different pan, cover with water, and boil until veggies are tender. Do NOT drain.
When chicken is done, remove from broth into a colander and cool. Discard the skin and bones, and make bite-sized pieces with the remainder of the chicken. Put the chicken, veggies (with water) back into the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and add 2 packages (8 oz) Kluskei noodles. Boil until noodles are done, then add Wylers Granules (chicken flavor) 1 Tbsp at a time until it has the chicken flavor you like. Add pepper to taste! Sorry there is a lack of photos during those last few steps--I had to save Annabelle's fish from certain death--See below.
I bought the Lion House Roll Mix from the Lion House Pantry, and simply followed the directions on the package. Nevertheless I still believe they can be counted as semi-homemade :)

Pumpkin shapes to add some festive fun

How to Almost kill a fish:

Act like you have NO bad intentions whatsoever, pretend like the Fun-Dip is the best thing you've ever tasted, discreetly dump the entire bowl of sugar in the fish bowl while mom has her back turned, stir VIGOROUSLY with a metal Cinderella spoon (this part's REALLY funny because the fish will swim and dodge that spoon SO fast he'll look like a blur), then laugh and watch as the fish slows down from a sugar-induced coma, and lastly...do it more quiet than Annabelle did so your mom doesn't catch you and reverse all aforementioned efforts to kill the darn thing!

Awwwww FINALLY the reward of my efforts! It was, dare I say, DELICIOUS!

UPDATE: Team Annabelle and Mommy VS Team Germs

Team Annabelle and Mommy: 6

Team Gerns: 5

Yahoo!!!

Team Robyn and Annabelle vs Team Germs

This week I've decided to once again undertake the daunting challenge of Spring cleaning, which happens to be Fall cleaning. Why? I want any and all sick germs out of my house! I know the sick germs are coming from my constant contact with adorable dancing 3-7 year olds, who cough without covering their mouths, and wipe their noses without bothering to ask for a tissue. But they must be loving dance class so much they either don't want to miss a week, or don't want to take a break to wipe their noses and wash their hands. Either way, I consider it a compliment and can't fault them. But I can't help but think there are germs lying around in my house that insist on prolonging my stuffy, runny, sore nose, cracked voice, and lackluster skin by lying there in wait, hoping my hands will turn that infected door knob, step on the infected floor, lie my head on the infected pillow, on and on and on! Well guess what pesky, yucky, annoying germs? I'm out to get YOU one-by-one, and I have a little sidekick who LOVES to help out! That's right! Annabelle has joined Team Mommy, not only in sickness but in the ousting of sickness, and she's making it all the more fun and rewarding!

"I'm awake from my nap, ready to tackle those germs!"

"Really...I cannot contain my excitement at the thought of helping mommy get rid of you once and for all"

"I dust peectures of Baby Annabelle"

"I'm very precise and dainty when dusting!"

"Scrub scrub scrub! I wash the cushions"

Flirting on the job! But who can blame her? He's got a fast car! :)

The reward for her efforts. She has been asking for this sticker book for months! And who can pass up those darling princess jammies? Not me obviously!

Sitting in the cart, in the rain, and not caring one bit. She's probably grateful for all that fresh air!

Multi-tasking: Helping carry in groceries while splashing in puddles--always a helper!

Current Score

Team Robyn and Annabelle: Kitchen, Living Room and Hallway=3 Points

Team Germs: The rest of the house=A little more than 3 points

Not for long! It's only the end of the 1st quarter.

Look out! We're double-teaming and blitzing our way to a healthy household once again.
And No...you cannot infect Josh before leaving!

A Fun Day with the Zebras..I Mean at the Zoo

Last Friday Annabelle and I went with my mom, Brittany, Paige and Daisy to the zoo. Fridays used to be "Hair Day," which meant spending time with "Smith" grocery shopping, eating Hostess products from the corner of the kitchen, eating McDonald's picnic-style on Smith's coffee table, talking about the latest Smith, Bos, Nielsen, Simpson happenings, sitting in the front room watching Annabelle, Paige and Daisy play with toys, spread dirt around Smith's patio, spread dish towels all over the kitchen and front room, and laugh all the while. It sounds like chaos, but it was fun and we always cleaned up before leaving :)

Because Brittany, my mom and I are already used to getting together on Fridays, we've decided to keep up this "ritual." I think Smith would be happy knowing she started these Friday, memory-making, happy outings. What better way to keep remembering her than to continue getting together, staying close, and making memories that help us form and keep our bonds forever!

Fridays are special to me; I always think of Smith more on this day than any other, and I believe I always will. Friday is "Hair Day," no matter what we do. I hope we can always get together on Fridays, in honor of her. I want it to be something she started that never ends. As Annabelle grows older, I can teach her more about how this Friday tradition came about, and how much Smith loved her. So with that said...we went to the zoo on Hair Day!

Annabelle LOVES the Merry-go-round, and has been blessing it in her prayers ever since Friday!
Hey Good-Lookin'

Trying to get a great view of the Zebras--Her FAVORITE!!

The most saught-after animal in the zoo!

Wow!

I know I'm cute!

Thanks Gigi!

This Tiger made the day! Walked right in front of us, stopped, and ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!

No zoo trip is complete without Animal Sippers (Halloween Sippers). Thanks Grandma!

How cute are these 2? I think they look SO much alike!

This water ball is always a hit! Even Daisy joined the fun this time!

I capped off the night with a romantic date with Josh and 6 of our GREAT friends: Amy, Jenny, Tanya, Mike, Lance and Rick. I had pictures of them, but the lighting was dim and they came out blurry :( We went up to Sundance and ate at an awesome restaurant. Not only was it beautiful, but it was DELICIOUS! I had steak and Josh had a burger--both were EXCELLENT! All in all, a WONDERFUL day and night.

Gotta love those Looooooooooong arms :)

Annabelle's 1st Prayer

Annabelle said her 1st prayer all by HERSELF tonight! Typically we pray together, with me starting out, and her interjecting her thoughts throughout. Her thoughts are usually along the lines of, "I grateful for fair; I grateful for the village; I grateful pony rides; I grateful 'copters;' I grateful Brittany, Gigi, Daisy, Grandma, Papa, Mimi, Liv, Nikki, Brady, Angie..."

Tonight after I put her down to bed, and sang the "Ariel Song" 5 times, she called me back in: "Mommy!" I peaked in, and she said, "prayer...self," then she folded her arms, bowed her head, bent halfway over, and recited the following:

"Father: I bless Grandma. The End."

I thought it was darling. It made me laugh, and it was truly spoken from the heart :)

PS: The photo is not Annabelle, but I think it's adorable and she has Annabelle's same hair :) I am inspired to try and get photo like this with the words of her 1st prayer printed on the picture!

Wee Witches Weekend

This past weekend I went to "Wee Witches Weekend" at Gardner Village with my mom, Brittany, Paige and Daisy. It was super crowded, but a lot more fun than I thought it would be! Annabelle was SO excited as we were getting out of the car--especially when she found out there were pony rides! She was running around, laughing out loud as she walked along the "bumpy road" and talked non-stop about "the village." She was even excited to see the witches...until she saw one! It was not love-at-first-sight, but if there were ever a time to overlook her fright, and give it credibility, I thought this was that time. After all, Halloween is meant to be scary, and witches are no excpetion to the rule, no matter how cute you stuff, paint, and adorn them. At best they become odd and funny, but not cute and magical like...Hmmmm...Tinkerbell? Aurora? Luckily she relaxed a bit when she saw a coloring station (a favorite activity of hers), and a fun stage with "lotsa kids!" She still shrieked at the sight of any and all witches, but she LOVED going on 2 pony rides as she chanted "Giddyup Charlie," and "Nice Horsey!" From there, she and Paige enjoyed the petting zoo; these 2 little cousins seem to be farm girls at heart! Annabelle wouldn't actually pet the animals; she preferred playing a game of "I get you" with them, giving them a little poke-like tickle and then laughing nervously afterward. At one point, she caught me by surprise and gave the dirtiest pig in the farm a big kiss--didn't see it coming, and couldn't stop her in time! I guess those dirty pigs need love too. It's actually hysterical to me that Annabelle has the courage to walk right up to a big, messy, living animal, and plant one on him, and at the same time cries in terror at the sight of a fake, dolled-up witch. Go figure :) The day was topped off nicely with a trip to the candy shop, where Grandma bought Annabelle and Paige HUGE lollipops! Oh...and some fudge for me, her and Brittany :)

"I Get You!"

"Hi!"

Kisses!

Pony rides are the BEST thing EVER!

"Get me outta here!"

"I know mom wants me to look, but I'm not going to"

Dancing on the stage with "lotsa kids!" This was a new friend of hers

So Intense!

Thanks mom and Brittany for a fun day!