Posts Tagged ‘Holidays’

Needles and Signs and the Mid-West

According to Boolean Logic, my title is (at least partially) incorrect.  None of the content of this post relates to Needles AND Signs AND the Mid-West.  However, most of the post is about one or the other at any given moment.

Before the actual content of the post, I want to point out an awesome new feature here at RaisingCaney.com!  One of our most loyal fans (she’d be the president of our fan club if we had one) can’t see the pictures we put up on Facebook.com, but she CAN see pictures we put on Flickr.com!  SO, if you look to the top of our page (under the banner), there’s a link titled “Photos”.  The Photos page will host our photo albums that are automatically imported from our Flickr feed.  Check it often!

Needles

My friend, Jon Copeland, has an extreme aversion to needles.  In fact, he was pretty freaked out to be in the hospital at all when Caney was on her way, mostly because of those red boxes the walls…full of needles.  Apparently, Canaan isn’t a fan of needles either.

Canaan got her shots the week before last.  She had one in each hip (ok, butt cheek) and one in each thigh.  She also got an oral vaccine.  When we got into the office, I suggested Tasha hold Canaan while she was getting her shots.  She refused, and now I know why!  When Canaan got her shots, naturally, she cried.  However, worse than that, she looked me in the eyes, quivered her lip, and gave me a heart-breaking whimper that definitely meant “Why would you let them do this to me, Daddy?”  Annnd so, I almost cried.  Ah well!  Hopefully the shots will scare away any mean, nasty illnesses that come after my daughter.

Signs

Happy (Belated) Mother’s Day!  Tasha’s been asking for a “Baby Sign Language” book ever since she was pregnant, so for Mother’s Day I bought 4 different books, and Caney picked her 2 favorites (the 2 she seemed most interested in).  I took the others back.  I personally bought Tasha the final Twilight book that she had been begging me for for 2 weeks (she read those books in 2-3 days each…crazy).

The night before Mother’s Day, I put a Mother’s Day Card from me to Tasha and the Twilight book on the bed.  The card showed the bottom of two grown up sets of feet and one set of baby feet between us.  It read “Lately, something has come between us…”  The inside continued “…and I’m cool with that!”  When Tasha went to get ready for bed (after midnight) the gifts were waiting on the bed.  She loved it, but she assumed that was all!

The next morning, there was a gift bag waiting in front of the swing that I had put Canaan in.  Tasha looked in it and found her Baby Sign Language books (one has flash cards in it!) and a card.  The card was a nice card about her being a first time mother.  More importantly though is what Caney wrote in it… I gave her a pink crayon and held the card up to it.  In her natural swinging arm motions she scribbled on the card…  I looked at it, and it looked somewhat like a turtle, except it was missing some pieces so I drew those in with a pen.  Tasha cried when she saw her turtle drawing :-) .

Mother’s Day at church Canaan was dedicated (as well as Sally and Chad’s kids, Biddy and Gabe) to God.  For those of you who don’t know, there are no implications of Canaan’s personal salvation in her dedication.  Dedicating our child to God is simply our commitment (along with the commitment of our church) that we will do our best to raise her in a Christian home and environment.  Further, it is our admission that we are basically just “adoptive” parents of Canaan.   She’s on loan to us.  Her REAL Father is her Creator, God.  Tasha’s sister (Aunt Sissy) and brother-in-law (Uncle Bubba) and his niece, Cheyenne came.  My Mom, Dad, Nanna, and Niece (LaTrista)  also came.

These are the pics from her dedication ceremony (also in a photo album on the new Photo tab), and of course, we’re all “pretty in pink”:

Caney's Dedication

Pretty in Pink

At Caney's Dedication

Us again!

PawPaw acting silly

PawPaw acting silly, of course!

The video is pretty long (almost 10 mins), but if you want to see it, here’s the video of the dedication ceremony:

Mid-West

So, we haven’t seen “Lovey and Duke” (Tasha’s parents) or Caleb and Sidney (Tasha’s little brother and sister) since the week after Canaan was born.  We haven’t seen our good friends Brian and Amanda since this summer in DC (after our wedding and honeymoon).  They all live in the wonderful world also known as the mid-west.  Kansas to be exact.  We will be going to see them this weekend because I get a 4-day weekend because of Memorial Day.  Her parents will be moving to Oklahoma soon, so this might be the last chance we’ll get to see them before they move or before I leave for my South Africa mission trip.  This will be the longest trip Canaan has been on since she was born (8 hours).  Although, technically she’s been on a longer trip.  While Tasha was preggers we drove from Maryland to Louisiana.  We are all very very excited to see all of the wonderful people up there in the mid-west.  Hurry up, weekend!  We will be sure to post pictures (in the new Photo tab!).

Caney’s First Christmas (kind of…)

Here’s something new! The first video on RaisingCaney.com:

Don’t laugh (too much) at my singing… ;-) !

Whats my father-in-law doing to that reindeer?!

What's Tasha's dad doing to that reindeer?! (Marshall, Tx)

Tasha and her Mom at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (it was cooooold!)     Tasha and her Mom at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (it was cooooold!)

Tasha and her Mom at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (it was cooooold!) Tasha and her Mom at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (it was cooooold!)

Tasha and I at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (see my new favorite hat?!)

Tasha and I at the Marshall, Tx visitor center (see my new favorite hat?!)

Making peanut butter rice krispie balls for the cookie competition at the Sumralls

Making peanut butter rice krispie balls for the cookie competition at the Sumralls

Tasha and I have made a gingerbread house for the past 3 Christmases now.  Nice, huh?

Tasha and I have made a gingerbread house for the past 3 Christmases now. Nice, huh?

More peanut butter rice krispie balls...

More peanut butter rice krispie balls...

Peanut butter is messy...

Peanut butter is messy...

...but yummy!

...but yummy!

Nanna watched us make the gingerbread house and peanut butter balls

Nanna watched us make the gingerbread house and peanut butter balls

Shes an angel in disguise...

She's an angel in disguise...

I should begin by telling you all that there are something like 41 pictures in this post. So the pictures will probably go on after the text is done. Also, the pictures are smaller for the same reason.

Soooo, Tasha and I had a very exciting and busy Christmas! If you’ve seen the movie “Four Christmases” then you know (sort of) how our Christmas was. Here’s how it happened:

-On 21 December we went to Marshall, Tx to see the lights and to ice skate (Tasha is pregnant and my knee is hurt so no skating for us) with Tasha’s family and some family friends.
-On Christmas Eve Eve Tasha and I had our Christmas for each other (and Christmas with my Momma and Nanna).
-On Christmas Eve afternoon we did Christmas with Tasha’s parents and brother and sister.
-On Christmas Eve night we did Christmas with the Sumralls (my Mom’s boyfriend’s family) and my Momma.
-On Christmas morning/afternoon we did Christmas (including lunch) with Tasha’s grandparents.
-On Christmas Evening we did Christmas with Tasha’s extended family at her Nanna’s.
-The Saturday after Christmas we did Christmas (including dinner) with my dad and his girlfriend and my brother and his family.
Soooo, as you can tell…we were quite busy!

We got a ton of smaller gifts/stocking stuffers. I got a bunch of tools and an awesome tool box. Tasha got a digital camcorder (30GB hard drive). We got a ton of clothes and a front-to-back baby backpack carrier for Caney. I also got a new bottle of Armani Acqua di Gio cologne (my favorite cologne which I had run out of). Annnnd we got a $100 bill.

We had an awesome Christmas. We really did get some really cool gifts, but more importantly, we got to visit with both of our families and loved ones.

Opening her first gift!

Opening her first gift!

Trying to figure out why her husband wrapped old CDs with her present (so she could figure out what it was by feeling it, duh!)...

Trying to figure out why her husband wrapped old CDs with her present (so she couldn't figure out what it was by feeling it, duh!)...

A magnetic corkboard/whiteboard for the fridge

A magnetic cork board/whiteboard for the fridge

Warm hands! (Can be worn with my ROTC uniform too!)

Warm hands! (Can be worn with my ROTC uniform too!)

Another gift disguised with something random (the flashlight).  Awesome!

Another gift disguised with something random (the flashlight). Awesome!

Baby Scrapbook Paper

Baby Scrapbook Paper

Annnnd...a scarf (a really nice one, actually)!

Annnnd...a scarf (a really nice one, actually)!

+2 beanies AND (a much needed) child-protected surge protector.  The power is MINE!

+2 beanies AND (a much needed) child-protected surge protector. The power is MINE!

My awesome toolbox and my level!

My awesome toolbox and my level!

Our Christmas kiss :-D.

Our Christmas kiss :-D .

Caleb opening his present from us.

Caleb opening his present from us.

Caleb the Pirate!

Caleb the Pirate!

A new Richard Scarry book!

A new Richard Scarry book!

Makeup?!  Oh nooos!

A princess tiara!

More makeup!!!

Makeup?! Oh nooos!!!

He had to close his eyes for an unwrapped gift.  Cute picture.

He had to close his eyes for an unwrapped gift. Cute picture.

A poodle doll for Sidney (Caleb got a white tiger)

A poodle doll for Sidney

and a white tiger for Caleb.

and a white tiger for Caleb.

A pirate and his dad...

A pirate and his dad...

Arrrrgh!

Arrrrgh!

A Saints football that plays music and makes noises when you hit it!

A Saints football that plays music and makes noises when you hit it!

A bunch of screwdrivers in a utility toolbox.  The small ones are perfect for operating on my laptops!

A bunch of screwdrivers in a utility toolbox. The small ones are perfect for operating on my laptops!

Tasha has to share all of her presents with Canaan so she says shes not eating this chicken noodle soup until after Canaan is born.  Hehe.

Tasha has to share all of her presents with Canaan so she says she's not eating this chicken noodle soup until after Canaan is born. Hehe.

A big framed picture of our wedding for the house and a small one for her desk!

A big framed picture of our wedding for the house and a small one for her desk!

Every LSU fan needs one of these for the front of their house, right?

Every LSU fan needs one of these for the front of their house, right?

I think hes got the pirate look perfected...

I think he's got the pirate look perfected...

Loooots of beautiful Caney clothes!

Loooots of beautiful Caney clothes!

Another Pirate picture.

Another pirate picture.

hehe...pretty girl.

hehe...2 pretty girls.

Annnnd the princess/diva arrives!

Annnnd the princess/diva arrives!

As for our first New Years married, we spent it apart :( … It was sad, but I got the opportunity to go to the World Missions Summit 2 in Cincinatti. Tasha couldn’t go because the long bus ride would have been terribly uncomfortable for her. I’ll try to post pictures (and maybe some videos) of the WMS2 tomorrow along with a post explaining how awesome this was. God is great.

We love you all. Merry (belated) Christmas, and happy (belated) New Year! Go out and use 2009 to bring glory to God.

-Cy

Weddings and Wreaths

It’s been a few days since we last posted, but it’s been a pretty busy week!  Thursday we did Thanksgiving at Tasha’s grandparents’ house.  As usual, there was a lot of really great food, and Tasha and her Grandmother actually went out of their way to make me my favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas dish, candied yams.  They were delicious!  On Saturday, our friends, Heather Ashton and Brian Dean, tied the knot.  Tasha was one of the bridesmaids, and it was a very nice ceremony.  The reception was at the Officer’s Club on base, and it was a great reception with really good food too.  Tasha was in the wedding, and she was gorgeous in her bridesmaid’s dress.  We saved $45 bucks on getting it altered by having her Nana tack the shoulder straps for her.  Woohoo (thanks Nana)!  The last few pictures were taken with a camcorder so they aren’t as high quality as the pics here usually are.

I told you she was beautiful!

I told you she was beautiful!

Canaan Sidney :-)

Canaan Sidney :-)

During the wedding photos

During the wedding photos

My girls are so pretty :-)...

My girls are so pretty :-) ...

She caught me taking pictures

She caught me taking pictures

Such a beautiful smile

Such a beautiful smile

She makes me... :-)

She makes me... :-)

The bridesmaids actually made the bouquets themselves.

The bridesmaids actually made the bouquets themselves.

Im her biggest fan...

I'm her biggest fan...

annnnd...thats all Ive got of my beautiful girls at the wedding.

annnnd...that's all I've got of my beautiful girls at the wedding.

Then Tuesday night we decided to put up our Christmas tree.  This ordinarily wouldn’t be too difficult of a task, right?  Well, when missing supplies and kittens are involved it gets a bit trickier.  So, a couple of weeks ago we bought our tree skirt, ornaments, and the little ornament hangers.  We found our ornaments and our tree skirt, but the ornament hangers are nowhere to be found.  We started setting up our artificial tree, and after I got the first level up, I decided I would go to Wal-Mart to buy some ornament hangers.  Tasha called me right after I got to Wal-Mart to let me know that Snookerdoodle had decided that she wanted to climb the Christmas tree…

Snookerdoodle is heavier than the fake tree branch will support…so she bent the bottom branch down to the ground.  Fortunately, I was able to bend it back into place…sort of (it’s not technically where it should be but you can’t tell).  Our cats love shiny things, dangling things, and, apparently, tree-like things.  Snooks has caused trouble a couple times since then, but our other kitten, Kilimanjaro (Kiki), is the real Christmas tree menace.  We can’t keep her off of it!  Keeping the cats off the tree should prove an interesting experience.

So, I’m at Wal-Mart, and I discover that they haven’t restocked their Christmas decor aisles from the Black Friday rush…so noornament hangers.  Thinking it would be a simple, affordable alternative, I buy silver thread instead.  Tasha and I threaded a bunch of ornaments only to discover that most of their knots slide right out when we go to hang them.  Sooooo, we spent a lot of time re-tieing the knots (a different kind of knot) on alllll the ornaments.  So what should have been a 1 hour tree decorating turned into an all-night event.  We had a lot of fun doing it though.  We also hung up 2 stockings for ourselves, one symbolic stocking for Canaan, and 2 stockings for the cats.  After hours of decorating fun, we finally completed decorating our first Christmas tree, and we got pictures of our finished product and of me crowning the tree with our star tree-topper.

Our first Christmas tree (before the star was added)!

Our first Christmas tree (before the star was added)!

annnnd the crowning moment!  Also, notice our new modular dresser that we recently got from Target.  We love it!  Oh, we got some new shelves and decorations as well (some of which can be seen in the picture).

annnnd the crowning moment! Also, notice our new modular dresser that we recently got from Target. We love it! Oh, we got some new shelves and decorations as well (some of which can be seen in the picture).

Tadaaaa!

Tadaaaa!

We hope you enjoyed another round of pictures, and we look forward to hearing from you all.  We love you, and Merry CHRISTmas!

-Cy

Giving Thanks

Soooo, it’s almost time for that one day where we all say what we’re thankful for.  In reality, every breath and every day is a blessing.  So we should be thankful every day…we all know this.  However, there’s nothing wrong with setting aside a day to remind ourselves what we are most thankful for.

I can’t exactly show you an image of what I’m most thankful for, but I’ll try to describe it.  Most of us are thankful for our friends, those special relationships that give added value, purpose, and meaning to our lives.  Now for the corny part.  I met this guy who, quite honestly, changed my life.  In fact, He gave me life.  I’m most thankful for the relationship that I have with the very real King of Kings.  Jesus Christ, who gave me eternal life, who is present in my every day life, who answers my prayers, is my best friend and the person that I am most thankful for.

Now, my faith being the most important thing in my life, leaves the second most important thing in my life.  This would be a person too, I guess.  My second best friend, and the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, Tasha Robinson, is the person that I am second most thankful for.  It doesn’t hurt that she’s taking part in a miracle, creating a life, our first child, Canaan Sidney Robinson.  Pretty amazing, huh?

Here’s a little bit of the beautiful woman that I tricked into marrying me and our amazing little baby bump.

Around 23 weeks with Snookerdoodle Robot Girl

Around 23 weeks with Snookerdoodle Robot Girl

Around 23 weeks with Snooks again

Around 23 weeks with Snooks again

Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen?  (my Dads kitchen, actually)

Barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen? (my Dad's kitchen, actually)

Around 24 weeks, Im clearly... excited (Tasha says nerdy)

Around 24 weeks, I'm clearly... excited (Tasha says nerdy)

These are from today:

Almost 25 weeks...  Shes beautiful.  I love my girls!

Almost 25 weeks... She's beautiful. I love my girls!

Snooks wanted in the pictures with her Mommy.

Snooks wanted in the pictures with her Mommy.

Tasha and Snooks

Tasha and Snooks

annnd again!

annnd again!

OK Snookerdoodle... last one!

OK Snookerdoodle... last one!

My amazing wife

My amazing wife

She has waaaay too many scarfs...

She has waaaay too many scarfs...

haha...shes had enough of this outfit!

haha...she's had enough of this outfit!

My favorite girls!

My favorite girls!

Im so proud of this girl.

I'm so proud of this girl.

These two are my favorite (also from tonight):

My best friend...

My best friend...

This gorgeous girl and the baby in her belly are what I am thankful for.  They are my greatest blessing from my awesome God.

This gorgeous girl and the baby in her belly are what I am thankful for. They are my greatest blessing from my awesome God.

Most of you didn’t come here expecting a full photo-blog today. So consider this an early Christmas present!  I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Don’t forget to thank God!

-Cy