Christmas

I was debating whether to tell you all about our Christmas... but this is also our family journal.. blah blah blah. This was our second Christmas together and it was amazing just like the first. I have 2 weeks off of work and I'm actually keeping myself busy trying to do a 14 week online class is 2 weeks. So far so good.
Mikes sister and her husband came down from Alaska so we got to hang out with them quite a bit. We're secretly (or not so secretly) hoping that they will move closer to us! Christmas Eve day we went desert romping with our friends Chase and Bethany. The weather was perfect and there was even some mud. Then for dinner we ate pizza with the Grubbs clan. We read Luke 2 and went off to see the Christmas lights. This is an absolutely terrible picture of everyone in it... but it's the only one I have so... deal with it! Jamie and Dave are magically see-through and everyone else looks scared or painfully uncomfortable! Oh how I love the awkward picture!

After we saw the lights with the Grubbs we went straight to my parents house. This year we decided to not do Christmas morning because there is just too much to do on Christmas day. So all the Robinsons gathered at my parents and did gift exchange with each other. It's so fun to see people open up gifts. My mom got my dad a kiack (spelling?) and the nieces and nephew loved it. They put all of their new toys on the front of it and just sat in it the whole night. So cute.

Christmas morning came and Mike woke me up at 6:30 because he couldn't sleep anymore. hahahahha what a little kid. We opened our gifts from each other a played around with them. Mike is so good at gift giving! And I am so good at gift getting! I got so much new kitchen stuff! A magic bullet and electronic can opener from Mikey, a wheat mill and wheat from mi madre, pampered chef stuff and a stinkin adorable homemade apron from my sister in law jessica, and a matching apron and pot holder from my in-laws. SHEESH! Good thing I love to cook! I'm excited to try the things I haven't already used! Anyway after our gift opening and eating our very own Christmas cereal, I busted out my brand new beach cruiser scooter, and Mike busted out is old pink razor and we scootered on over to my parents. We hung out there for a little bit and scootered on home. Then we went to my in-laws and guess what we did.... MORE gift exchange! Mike and Dave set up my father-in-laws brand new sound system and it sounds amazing.
We ate Christmas lunch/dinner with the Grubbs and then went to my Grandmas. We used to all go over to her house but the family has gotten so big that we can't all fit, so she does Christmas lunch at her church building. This year was especially fun I thought. It's always good to see family that we don't get to see as often as we used to.
One of my favorite traditions-- Every year, every family on my moms side makes a paper with kind of a sum up of their year. Then Grandma Jean makes copies, enough for everyone and we all get to take a little book home, and read and look at pictures from everyones year.
Handsome Rhett.

Santa comes every year to scare all the kids. Why is it that kids are always scared of Santa??? Who knows but it's hilarious.

These are a few random pictures from the holiday break... Don't mind my double chin.

Brenly is the most precious thing. I love to hold her when she is sleeping.

My favorite things about Christmas--
Family, family, family
Food
Picking out gifts that you know someone will love, and watching them open them.
Decoration
Kids excitement
New things
No work for 2 weeks
...and...
Remembering the birth of Jesus Christ.
Already counting down the days until next Christmas!

Heres to you old bag--

I got myself a brand new dream-purse for Christmas this year. I first laid eyes on it on October 6th of this year. It was true love. But I didn't buy it, it was too expensive. Then it went on sale on black friday. Mike and I braved khols just to get it for me. I was so excited. My dreams were coming true. When we got to khols it wasn't there so I looked for it online when we got home. It wasn't there either. My heart cried because I thought they didn't make it anymore. Slowly but surly I moved on. A week before Christmas I went to khols to spend some of my khols cash that I had to use that week. What did I see???? MY bag. We danced together and I bought it. Mike said I couldn't use it until Christmas so I had to wrap it up and put it under the tree. The point of all this is to tell you how much I love this bag.
Today I was cleaning out my old bag and I started remembering all the good times we had together. I was a little sad to clean her out and put her in my closet.
I remember when I bought her. I found the bag when I was shopping with Bethany. Mike and I were engaged, and the wedding was getting closer. Mike called me and asked what I was up to and I told him I just bought a new bag. He was disappointed that I was spending money. It was the first time I felt like our finances were combining, along with the rest of our lives.
All of my make up and other wedding supplies were in this bag on my wedding day.
I took it on our honeymoon.
I started working at Burke with this bag.
I took it on all of our trips: California, California, The cabin and Hawaii.
It has held my camera to document all of our good times.
I have hidden small Christmas and birthday gifts in the zip up side pocket, like Mikes ipod.
Yesterday I wore it to my grandmas Christmas party and Rhett looks at my new bag and says in a confused way, "Esther, where's your old purse??" My four-year-old nephew doesn't remember a time before I wore that purse.
We have had so many good memories. We were inseparable.
While telling Mike all these bittersweet thoughts I started crying. Bawling. WTF??? This purse signifies engagement and wedding and the beginning of our marriage. It has been so good, I don't want to say goodbye to it!
Heres to you old bag-- We shared many good times. I will always look back on you fondly.

And heres to you new bag-- I can't wait for what we will experience together.
Also you are beautiful.

Home

I love our apartment so much. It is home. Our home that we made together. We have a tiny kitchen that I always complain about and almost no storage.. but honestly I love this little place that we have made ours. Our little Christmas tree looks so precious in front of our window. I love our little life we are making together. I fall more in love with Mike every day. I used to not believe in "the one and only", even when we got married I didn't believe in it. Now I can't NOT believe that we were made for each other. Mike knows perfectly how to deal with me. Excuse my saptasiticness, I am just exploding with joy and love and gratefulness right now. I am so so SO lucky.

Also my joy has nothing to do with the fact that I just bought my dream bag that I've had my heart set on for months.

And that I am off of work for 2 weeks and still get paid for it.

And that my baby niece is the most darling thing ever.

And that its Christmas time and every time I see our tree it makes me smile.

And that I have the best families ever, Grubbs and Robinsons.

And that I love my job and all the sweet kiddos I work with.

And that I just got my grades from this semester. Lets just say I am pleasantly surprised.

And that I got a new hair dooo with straight across bangs.

And that Mike hates them and I love them.

Somebody punch me so I don't explode with happiness and shoot my innards all over you. 

SHE'S here!!

Introducing

...

...

...

Baby Brenly!

She is excited to be here.

I know this because there is a little smile on her precious face and her hands are saying, "yayyy"

When we are ready to have kids I think I'll ask Jessica to have them for me because she is so good at it and they are so darn cute.

I love being an aunt

AND A BIG SISTER!

My baby sis Olivia got baptized yesterday!

Whaaa? She's eight already?? 

Yeah, crazzy.

Me and Livy have always been extra tight. We have had so much fun together and I honestly don't think I have ever once been annoyed of her. We are great friends. And I'm so proud of her for the good choice she made and the good choices I know she'll continue to make. She is the sweetest little girl you'll ever meet. And maybe a tiny bit spoiled.

LOVES to all

Baby!

This is my family. 

I have... 2 older brothers, 2 younger brothers, 2 younger sisters, 2 sister-in-laws, 2 nephews and 2 nieces.

Tomorrow at 730 am Jessica is ruining my catchy family of twos. I'm pissed.

just kidding

I'm so so so so so excited!! I LOVE me some nephews and nieces!

I can't wait to find out what the little sweet pea is.

BOY OR GIRL?!?!

WEEEE!

Pictures

A few weeks ago we got family pictures done with mi familia. So we decided to get some pictures of just us before. I'm so excited about how they turned out. Pictures done by the talented Hillary Porter.

This next one is my favorite

This is my family. The originals. We are one big happy family when the nieces and nephews are there but when they aren't this is what happens... Nathan and Ben still love each other at least.

We are all reunited and happy again.

I feel like I should explain this last one.. but a picture is worth a thousand words right?

Last night was November 17th.

The night.

The night of so you think you can dance concert tour.

The night we got to meet Kent and Robert and Kathryn. NOT.

Anger.

They didn't come out this year! WHAT?? They've come out every other year. Curses. Bethany told me that if she didn't wake up today I'll know why. I hope she's alive.

But we still watched them dance and it was still amazing.

At least I got to kiss Kents face and caress his cheek. Sigh.

Mud romp

Mike has always loved romping the variety of trucks he has had. His latest is no exception. Saturday night we went with some friends to a raceway park and did some pretty intense mud romp. This was my first time romping. 

What??? How have you dated and married Mike Grubbs and NEVER been romping?? 

I don't know either. 

Actually I do. I get scared. Then I close my eyes and whimper. "Mikkkkke slow down we're gonna crassshhh." 

Then he says, "You are lame, I'm never taking you romping again."

I say, "Okay. Take me home now."

Thats how.

This time I braved the romp.

This is us after all the excitement and adventure! Also, Chase and Beth have the most ADORABLE little baby boy but he slept in the car most of the time. I want to have him but they won't give him to me.

Completely off topic but... deep fried snickers from the state fair... amazing.

Here is a video of us in Mikes truck. Beth and I sounded like banshees laughing and screaming in the back seat. It was awesome. 

First romping trip for me: SUCCESS

Toilet

I just flushed the toilet. 

It was incredible.

I decided to blog about it, which led to more incredible happenings.

Everyone must have a picture in their post, correct?

Since this is a post about our toilet I google image searched a picture of a toilet to put up just in case anybody forgot what a toilet looks like.

It looks like this, remember?

Who knew I could find so much joy out of the simple act of image searching "toilet"??

Check it.

This picture was the second one that poped up.

I think somebody got tired of telling men to put the toilet seat down.

I don't even know what to say about this one...

I also learned a little bit of history about the toilet. I clicked on a picture of a normal looking potty. It was attached to an article entitled, "Thomas Crapper's toilet revolution". 

Meet Thomas Crapper.

Let me tell you a little bit about him. It is a common misconception that Thomas Crapper invented the water closet. It was actually invented by John Harrington in 1596, but Mr. Crapper is responsible for increasing the popularity of the toilet and developing related inventions.

Whaaa?? Seriously people. I found this article like 7 seconds after finding the picture of face toilet. The internet is like entertainment gold.

Now that I just entertained you beyond anything you've ever experienced, it's on to the original story that started all the potty talk.

No, I didn't purchase any of those toilet set ups, and no I am not doing a report at school on Thomas Crapper. It's much more simple and less interesting than that. 

Our toilet broke. The flusher didn't work, so after doing my business, I would have to take off the back lid, reach my hand it the water, and pull the little black rubber thing up so it would flush. This was annoying and gross. It's clean water back there but the water has stained the porcelain so bad that the edges are browned and the rubber ball thing was deteriorating and would leave a black residue on my fingers. Nas-to-the-tee.

We didn't tell our landlord for weeks. Each of us hoped the other one would go tell Doug, but we both didn't want to knowingly dive into a long awkward conversation about previous tenants or pipes or anything that nobody is interested in. So we waited until yesterday when rent was due. He fixed it in like 7 minutes and now it flushes like a dream! I get happy when I go to the bathroom. Hallelujah! Praise the toilet!

One year

Today marks one year of being married to my amazing husband

It has been better than I ever could have imagined

I love his brain

We are so saptastically happy together

Hooray for one year

&

Hooray for the rest of eternity

Maui!

I was in paradise for the past week. It was amazzzziiiinnnngg. My husbands sister Jamie got married in Maui so us and the in-laws took took advantage of an awesome vacation. When I got married I got an amazing husband AND a new family! Score! We all had a blast together. The week was jam packed with Jamies wedding festivities and our own vacation plans. Take a look at some pics and be jealous that you weren't me for a week.

Candid

Beachy beach.

We did the worlds longest zipline. It was basically awesome. There were 8 different lines on the tour and the last one was the longest and fastest. It was 2/3ds of a mile and got you going 55 to 60 miles an hour. Mike and I went off by ourselves for a day and did the zipline tour. AWESOME. This is us waiting at one of the lines to go. Aloha.

Snorkel!

Jamie had a lot planned for all of us family and friends that came to the wedding. We did a brunch one day and all the ladies went and got our nails done. Another day we did a private yoga session on the beach. It was super simple because it was all levels of people. We mostly did stretching but it was pretty cool. Our teacher was hilarious and she took this of us being coconut trees?

Jamie and Dave also planned a BBQ on the top of their condo complex roof for all the family and friends. This is the whole gang and two of Jens friends that also came!

Wedding time

What a happy day. The place of the wedding was GORGEOUS with the ocean spraying waves on the rocks just feet from where they were married. Jamie looked amazing in her dress and they looked so happy together.

My Parents-in-law walking Jamie down the isle.

The ceremony was beautiful. Their wedding vows to each other were especially sweet. Side note: the phrase "till death do us part" and "as long as you both shall live" are sad words to me. I think the majority of people believe in some sort of afterlife and it makes me sad that their marriage ends at death and doesn't go forward through time. I hope Jamie and Dave choose to make their marriage eternal someday.

After the wedding they served appetizers and unlimited drinks. We all lounged around on some comfy couches and chairs and chatted.  

After dinner they DJ PUMPED up the music we all did some crazy dancing. Mikes dad tried to do the moon walk and I think I peed a little from laughing so hard. Later on they even had a fire dancer come put on a show for us!

Good day.

Pretty pics

I love me some good Hawaiian food.

And some more good Hawaiian food

And some more good Hawaiian food

The end.

Sorry this post has been not well thought out in the writing department. I feel like Ive left so much out of what we did the rest of the week. 

It was fantastic.

I miss it already.

Back to real life. It makes me sick to think of all the school work I'll be doing this week.

Memories of sweet sweet Maui will live forever in my heart and on my blogggity-blog-blog.