movin' on up

This is what campus looks like as I leave for home each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I come home to two happy kids and a busy daddy. Actually, I wrote about it in my journal a week or so ago:

"Sometimes when I come home from teaching I feel like Cher in the movie Mermaids. You know the scene where she comes home from work to find Lou her boyfriend and her kids putting home-cooked food on the table, talking excitedly about all the wholesome and productive things they've done, laughing at inside jokes...yeah, that's how I feel except I'm not offended like Cher. I'm just pleased that it's all gone so well and in awe of this man I married. Bows and arrows are made, kids eating healthy, exhausted from active, imaginative play, inside joke giggles and dirt streaked faces... all pointing to the fact that we all get to fill many important roles in life and love each other and we are all gonna be just fine."

I hope you'll forgive the Cher comparison in there. I wrote it in my personal journal but just thought it fit here because I just recently got the most exciting phone call.

I got asked to move up to teaching two sections of ENG201. I felt so honored that they would even ask me, but sick to my stomach that the class times would be SMACK in the middle of the day. When I calculated everything out I realized that I would be away from my babies from 1-5PM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and while I recognize that I sound like a big baby to all my full-time working Mama friends... this would be a huge change for our little family and one that I frankly felt uncomfortable with.

Even a couple working friends I mentioned it to protectively reiterated to me, "Steph, you gotta think about this. That's 1-5. That's a huge chunk of your day with your kids."

And I would get that crater-in-the-pit-of-my-stomach feeling all over again.

"I know," I would gulp with a warbly voice.

I knew it was a big deal to teach these classes and we could definitely definitely use the money (like, not for nicer clothes and fancier cars... like for paying off things and other necessities)....

So I called my supervisor to thank her and tell her I had my in-laws to watch my kids at those times and my husband to fill in where he could, but that I felt sick about it.

And you know what? Sometimes life just has a way of working itself out. She said she thought something had changed in the schedule and would call me back. One call later I was suddenly back to my perfect schedule I work now with less time in between classes which means even less time spent away from home!

Can you believe it?

Me neither.

But now I am left smiling and choosing 5-6 novels and plays I want to teach next semester in ENG201 and loving it!

I shouldn't be surprised, but truly, if you listen to that little voice inside of you that tells you something is not right it will never lead you astray.

Everyone knows the needs of their family and everyone can receive answers for their own family.

I know that's true and I'm grateful!

sometimes

When I'm browsing Thomas' flickr page I see images like this and wonder how a single picture can capture a distinct feeling or a distant memory and probably be different for everyone who sees it.

When I look at this I hear an old song,
I think of a few novels I read as a child,
I want to wear dress-up clothes,
and get my dearest friends together,
the easy to be around, truest, bluest,
and have wide-eyed, messy haired adventures and
explore.

Art is a powerful and personal thing.

reading reading reading

We have been all about reading lately. I already mentioned that I am in the second book of Nephi in the BOM and LOVING it!

We are also deep into the Book of Mormon Stories with Ambrose and you should have seen his face last night when we read about Ammon cutting off all those arms..... awesome.

Today it is raining and pouring so Ambrose and I finished Flat Stanley- the little chapter book version.

Now he can't wait for our usual Thursday library excursion to see if they have: Stanley, Flat Again!

Also, a neighbor dropped off this:

and a friend recommended this for our little monthly book club:

And both were fun, short reads and not something I would read everyday so I liked the variety. Young Adult Literature is awesome because you get to feel all super smart that you can swallow a book whole in a matter of hours. Plus the plots and imagery are usually a good time.

And, of course, I have been reading for my classes I teach. Our first essay was Barbara Kingsolver's Somebody's Baby and I had so much to say about it that I had to make a mental note before starting each class to give everyone a chance to talk!

Check it out here. I know you'll have a lot to say about it too if you are a mother, or a father, if you have ever been on an airplane with a crying child, if you are a member of a community with children, if you were ever once a child yourself.... so basically everyone. Great essay Barb.

Today I'm having them discuss our next essay by Harriet Jacobs called The Women about how favorite female slaves were treated by their masters. Very interesting and heartbreaking.

If you are of the geeky English persuasion this will be nothing new to you, but isn't Eats, Shoots & Leaves hilarious!?!


I've been hacking away at that one over the last month or so. I'll just pick it up for a good, hard laugh. This fact alone leads me to believe that I am, in fact, a gigantic nerd. I'm OK with that.

Read any good books lately?

finding the balance

I feel like our life as the Robertson family is taking this new path all of a sudden and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Just different.

(photo by Thomas)
My mom will call and ask me about things I blog about and then don't follow-up on so to fill in the blanks:

*My feet are not great still, but doing better now that I am aware of how to walk and run. Who knew I was pounding my heels into the ground step-by-step? Not unaware me.... I talked to the cross-country Coach on campus and he referred me to this:

And slowly with runs on the beach and grassy areas my feet are changing! I am very aware of HOW I run now and it has made a world of difference. Very exciting. I mentioned it a little on here, but watch the video for the whole story and then check-out Jade with barefootrunning.com - she has so many informative videos on youtube. Love her.

Oh! and the good news is teaching was it's old, fun, enlightening self today. Whew. I love the class discussions and seeing light bulbs go on over enthusiastic heads. Love it.

My kids are growing and changing so much.
Ambrose is all potty-trained and it seems to work better for all of us that he is getting more daddy time during the day. Thomas is very good with him and it is shocking to me that his personality is blossoming more with this new two-parent tagteam routine we have going. Part of me feels a little sad, like, oh man I just wasn't patient enough... and the other part of me feels extremely lucky that we are truly a joint partnership in raising these boys. We are all enjoying this time more than I could have hoped for.

Asher is hilarious. He has gotten pretty sassy. Also, I think he wants to be involved in all this potty training because he comes up to me several times a day now (sometimes with a clean diaper in hand) and smacks his diaper area to let me know if it is even the slightest bit wet. It is so funny! I hope this means he will be super easy to potty train, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

And lastly, I am LOVING the resolution I made to dig into the scriptures. I am in the second book of Nephi now and it is delicious to me. Many Mormons will know what I am talking about when I say that I feel like Parley P. Pratt.... except that eating has never been a burden.... I can eat and read.

Anyway, life is a whirl of domesticity, literature and language, and getting down and silly with the kids. That's the family update for now.

ps- do you love the new header of our house? Thomas, of course, made it. It looks really cool on our Mac, but was too long for the screen on my PC at work.... thus proving that Macs really are cooler?? :)

another great thing about having a photographer husband:

You don't have to wonder what exactly the boys are up to when you are away at work...












All you have to do is browse lightroom late at night when you can't sleep.

Ughh, these pictures make me sad because all these stay-at-home Mama moments that I love are happening while I'm getting eye rolls and sighs as I beg college freshman to care about syntax in essays at work. In heels that hurt my feet.

1. I think the beginning of the semester always feels this way.
2. If it doesn't get fun soon I'm for sure not sacrificing time with my kids for it next semester.
3. I need to find some cute work shoes that don't make me limp to my car after standing for two classes straight.
4. I do, however, LOVE the hugs and kisses I get right as I get home. I'm all about being smothered by two precious little boys and frankly no one's voice sounds cuter than Ambrose's when I've had almost 3 whole hours away from him.
5. I don't know how to be away from my kids any longer- if feels like I'm missing a limb or like I'm pretending to be something I'm not.
6. I think this is what we call transition, but I don't want to get used to being away from them. I don't want them to get used to being without me.
7. Enough. This is late night babble. I love my kids and usually this little part-time gig. We'll see...

if you're happy and you know it...

Happy School is starting again. We have it all planned out. We even bought the coolest workbooks ever. Seriously they are rad.

It is fun.

Even if you start out the day making them watch something "educational" so you can finish getting ready.

Even if it is always hard on the three-year-old who has to share his mom, sibling(s), all his toys (even the "special" ones...), and snacks for at least two whole hours.



Even if little brothers desperately want to be overly involved in every aspect of the Happy School fun.



Even if it just means they are the saboteur of Happy School. Little brothers will take what they can get.

In the end we are still HAPPY!




Well, most of the time anyway... :)

If not happy at least cute.

Hooray!

confession

I am not a scripture reader.

I love the scriptures. I use them every Sunday when we teach our primary class and I feel good as the words leave my mouth and I know what I am saying is true and adding to the spirit of the lesson. I believe that they are priceless and a precious gift from a loving Heavenly Father. I know they will bless my life. I know they have blessed my life. I know they contain timeless wisdom and answers to the most burning questions.

I don't make time for them.

I was running down the beach a couple of mornings ago when it dawned on me:

I deny myself happiness and blessings EVERY DAY when I don't read my scriptures.

I also don't allow the Lord to speak to me. I deny myself the chance to be knowledgable and strong so I can lead and teach my children, in a world of chaos and voices that can be louder than my own, when I don't take the time to put on the armor of God by partaking in even a few minutes of scripture reading.

I won't further embarrass myself by admitting how many years(ssssss!!!!) it has been since I have done regular scripture study (if ever really).

Suffice to say, it's past time and I'm starting.

If you are like me and want to start somewhere and include your kids we have been reading a story or two a night with the boys from here: and don't worry, if we forget, Ambrose definitely reminds us and LOVES his scripture stories. I point to each picture box as I read so he can follow along and ask him questions or point out things I know he'll like when his 3-year-old attention span waivers and we both get a lot out of it.

Plus, I don't mean to get all blasphemous, but aren't Zeniff's sandals totally 2010 fashionable?


Ok, sorry these pictures are probably too small to tell, but I'd wear them.

Anyway, this is good for me since I am not a scripture scholar (Yet. Yet I tell you!) and so I am re-learning the facts, and names, and chronology right along with him. My parents read to me out of the same book as a child, but we all need reminders don't we?

I start 1 Nephi tomorrow.

Line upon line.

I love this gospel.

clear eyes, full hearts....

I'm trying out some new things lately and whenever I run (barefoot.) (more about that later.) I can't help but have the Friday Night Lights theme song running through my head.

Don't laugh.

It's like the best show ever. In fact, I had to watch the whole series twice through because I finally talked Thomas into it's awesomeness... hence the second go-around. Actually I didn't talk him into it at all- he caught one episode and was hooked and man that's some great characterization and writing.... good enough that the non-football lover took the above photo on the way home from work one day.

Where was I going with this?

I don't remember, but the semester starts next week and I am really excited. I love being on campus and getting students excited about reading or showing them a couple of tricks to feeling confidence in their writing. This is my first semester teaching two classes, but they are back to back and I am confident that my children will love the extra daddy time. He is the fun one. It's nice to have a supportive partner. We make a good team.

The pool has stopped playing rap and started playing pandora- an Ingrid Michaelson station. It's a great way to lap it up.

I've been cooking a ton lately. It feels so good to be the queen of my kitchen. I've got a cool idea for another compiled recipe book, but I'm trying to tell myself to calm down. Nah, I might still harass people to do it. It's a pretty great idea. I think you'll like it.

Oh, and I'm itching to sew lately. It's been a long time since I sat down and made something. I need to finish all those Huck Finn pants and some nautical looking curtains for the boy's room. Pretty fun.

Plus, the feet/running situation feels like it's getting back in my control. It's too early to say YAHOO I'M CURED, but I'm cautiously hopeful.

I'm feeling pretty dang good. Great things ahead.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

little brother's revenge

Hmmmmm... my wild big brother fell asleep in the stroller... am I the first to notice?

I wonder what will happen when I poke him in the face repeatedly?

Or if I could put some grass in his mouth?

Dad's pretty cool. I should let him in on this.

Maybe I could tear his lip off...

He never woke up to pummel me!

I'm a super sneaky ninja.