Christmas Photos

Here are a few of their photos that were taken for the Christmas card. I think they turned out pretty good considering the crazy circumstances that went on at Target. I am looking forwad to the time when they will smile and pose when instructed :)

Leo's Procedure

Leo had a procedure to open his left tear duct that had been blocked since birth. If you look closely you can see the mark the doctor put under his eye to make sure they opened the correct one. The induction of anesthesia was very difficult for us. I held him as a mask was put over his nose and mouth and within 20 seconds he went limp in my arms and they took him away. We gave him a kiss and left the room. I was not at all prepared emotionally for that part of the procedure. He was away from us for about 30 minutes. He did great and upon waking the nurse said he just took his pacifier and just layed quietly looking around. Everyone was impressed at his good nature. He had to fast so he was grateful to have some juice and snacks shortly after we were allowed to see him. By the time we left the surgery center he was back to normal. We are so glad to have it over with and we pray it is successful so he doesn't have to go through that again.

November Fun

The Judds Concert

Waiting for the Holidazzle Parade to start

City Bus decked out in lights

On the train to the parade

Pizza and a movie night

Thanksgiving 2010

Heather and Jason

Beth and Mariah

Leo with his plate of food that he just stirred around and didn't eat

Mariah, Kara, Hailey, Reed, Dru and Leo (who was not happy about it)

Here a few photos from Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful meal at the Bloom's home only about 3 miles from ours. The small kids were wearing matching shirts that said "Gobble Gobble" in the shape of a football. Super cute :)

Dru's Third Birthday!!

Her new big wheel, though she can't reach the pedals yet

Took her a few times to get all 3

She had to sit down immediately after opening a gift of books to check it out!

A fire truck, just like she asked for :)

Dru is now our three year old! She had a wonderful party with family. She chose her cake, chocolate with a picture of Caillou on it. He is her favorite cartoon character. She received wonderful gifts and loved playing with her cousins. I hope this year is full of wonder and joy for her!

Dru's First Friend Birthday Party

Dru went to her first friend birthday party a few weeks ago. It was at Pump It Up with multiple jumpers, slides and obstacle courses. It was Alivia's 3rd birthday party and Alivia is Dru's closest friend at school. Even in a snowstorm we made it and had a lot of fun.

Dru 3 years, Leo 18 months

It was time once again for a formal photo session. Even though they are at home it sure seems that they cooperate less every time. Here are some of the highlights of a fairly frustrating morning. I have to remember to lower my expectations of their behavior and then maybe, just maybe, they would sit still and smile.

Halloween 2010

Tiger and Ladybug

Helping hand out candy after trick or treating

Crazy Leo by our sad jack-o-lantern

October 30th marked one year we've been in our new house. What a difference a year makes!

Since we really don't have a "neighborhood" we drove into Grandma Sue and Grandpa John's house. Leo was able to participate in trick or treating and Dru became more aware of what this holiday had in store for her. Leo was a tiger (I guess he should be a lion next year) and Dru was a ladybug. While trick or treating Dru was more interested in seeing the people's house and seeing if they had any pets. At one house, she asked a young woman, "Why are you in your jammies?". She is too funny. Dru was able to ring the door bell at most of the houses. Leo wasn't able to keep up with her so he got carried most of the way. After about 10 houses we returned to Grandma and Grandpa's house to help hand out candy to other kids. Dru enjoyed that a lot and it seemed to help her get the idea of "get candy and go to next house" not "get candy and go in to their house".

Leo's Hospitalization

Leo in his hospital crib

Leo with the blanket given to him by hospital volunteers

Reading with Mama during a neb treatment

Reading with Grandpa John

Leo was recently in the hospital for difficulty breathing. We started in the ER on Tuesday at 7pm, he was admitted at midnight. He was not well enough to go home on Wednesday so he stayed another night and was discharged on Thursday at noon. He wasn't allowed to go the the play room because he had a cold so we did a lot of reading books and he did laps from the door to the couch. He LOVED his hospital crib. When I put him in it, he kept checking it out and yelling, "OH BOY!!" He was a great patient with a super attitude. Unfortunately during his hospitalization Julie was in Wisconsin as her uncle passed away. It was surely a difficult week for the Robole family. We thank all those who prayed for Leo's healing. It was nice to know people were thinking about him.

Vikings Game

I was lucky to be invited to the Vikings game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings actually won! The first picture was taken before I left. We had a great time, and found out the hard way the only non-carbonated non-alcoholic beverage in the stadium is water. This time I joined the Schultz's and I get to go again on Nov. 7th with Julie. Yay!

Fun at the Corn Maze

We went to Sever's Corn Maze on a recent Saturday. It was quite busy even though we tried to get there as it opened. There was definitely more to do than a maze. There was an exotic animal tent, farm animals, a hay bale maze, a corn pool (which I avoided), music, food, and much more. Grandma Sue, Grandpa John, Aunt Heather and cousin Reed were also there. I enjoy fall and this added to my love for the season. We might even be back next year.

Las Vegas 2010

Julie and I at Bingo

Amy and Jeff just after the proposal!!

Amy and Jen under the Moberly street sign. What are the odds?

A wonderful fish n' chips dinner Downtown Las Vegas

Julie and I got away for a long weekend to Las Vegas with 2 cousins and a soon to be cousin-in-law. The highlight of the trip was the proposal! Jeff proposed to Amy on the gondola at the Venetian. Julie, Jen and I knew it was coming so we were giddy with excitement. We had a great time as usual and it always goes too fast.

Leo's First Trip To The ER

I didn't take a picture, but the night we returned from Las Vegas turned into a visit to the ER at Children's. Leo had another difficulty breathing episode and he needed some expert help. He's been on neb treatments and steroids ever since. He's been in a fairly good mood but clearly isn't feeling 100%. We hope this doesn't begin a winter of multiple trips to urgent care like his first winter.

New Bed

Dru now has a twin bed. We are in the transition phase now. She is getting used to the idea, so here she is trying it out at her discretion. She took a nap in it today, so that's promising.

Dru's Photography

No explanations needed :)

Fun in Fall

We raked leaved into a pile for the kids to slide down into, they've quite enjoyed it. We also picked out our pumpkins for carving. We've been so lucky to have nice weather it doesn't even seem like fall. The decorations for Halloween are up though it seems strange when we're in shorts and t-shirts.