Basketball

It's interwoven in his tissues: Rob LOVES sports. It drives me nuts sometimes (like the other night when he was watching college wrestling), but it really is a part of him. Well, of course, he joined the ward basketball team and the boys were his biggest fans! They loved going to the games. That is until last week, when some guy thought he was playing for the NBA Championship and knocked out Rob's kneecap. It isn't the first time, or even the second. He's been dealing with it for about 10 years now. He's gone to three orthopedists (who all blew him off) and physical therapy for 4 years (this is all during his football years). Well, after Rob's ortho unit in school, he self-diagnosed himself. Yesterday he went to another orthopedist (one he is going to shadow, actually) and told him he had patellofemeral pain syndrome and all the reasons why. He got xrays (for the first time...like I said, no one else took him seriously) and sure enough, Rob was right! He goes in for his first knee surgery on March 4th. Finally!

*Speaking of surgery--I had a cyst removed from my finger. It had been growing and hurting me for years, but I have surgery anxiety (understandably, I think) so I put it off until I couldn't stand it anymore. The doctor made me do it in the OR and under anesthesia (adding to my anxiety. It's just a little cyst, right?). Out of surgery he told me the cysts were dark, so he was sending them to the pathologist. I knew it...dying of cancer this time! (I'm a TOTAL hypochondriac.) Well, path report came back: BENIGN soft tissue hemangioma. YAY! Rob took the stitches out at our kitchen table (he tried to get Robbie to do it, but it was a no-go). No MRSA. No bed rest. All is well! Sigh!!!

Rob's fan base

The Gym

I wanted to sign Robbie up for gymnastics--Rob and I both did it when we were his age, and thought it would be fun--but it was kind of expensive and we had to commit for 9 months. Better option: for $5 your kids can go and play on the equipment (and adults, too...but we're free!) Perfect! The boys LOVED it! The trampolines, the sponge pit, the cushy floor and blocks--it was the best playground ever. Downfall: GERMS! As we were leaving, Rob and I had a little conversation like this:

K: "That was fun! But don't you think it's just a cesspool of sickness waiting to happen? It's not like they sanitize the sponge pit! Gross!"
Rob rolled his eyes. "Kyrsten, that's so stupid. There are germs EVERYWHERE!" And then he gave his famous, "Trust, me, I'm a doctor!" spiel.

MOM WINS! For the last week, we have been giving breathing treatments twice a day along with Tylenol and a humidifier at night.

More Snow Fun!

Snow! It snowed every day for a week (note the heaps behind Ty...that is our driveway), but it made such a fun family event every night. We would all get bundled up...Rob would get on the 4-wheeler (it has a plow) with the boys and I got the snow-blower (it's like my little toy; I love it!) and we'd clear the whole thing in minutes. So fun! It's the little moments like that that make me so grateful to have a little family.

It's so fun being close to all the Olympic event centers! About a month ago, Soldier Hollow was having some Olympic timed-trial for the cross-country skiers (it was to see where they would race on the team or something). Anyway, 14 countries were there, but Soldier Hollow wanted Team USA to get all the cheers, so they called in the public! Whoever came with a nose maker and voice to cheer on the USA team, got a free tubing and cross-country skiing (and rental) ticket!!! Of course, we jumped on that (tubing alone is $19!!) So here are some pictures of us "redeeming" them.

Rob and Robbie

Ty is actually too young to go down the runs, so Rob and I took turns pulling him around on the tube. He thought it was fine, but the real highlight was pulling the tubes himself or just sprawling face down on the snow and licking it to his heart's content. Doesn't get much better than that, right?

Super Saturday

Family Night at BYU--only $1 for these dynamite seats (and Ty was free!) Oh, and kids actually loved the game--totally looks like torture in these pictures, I know.

Snowmobiling with the Hendersons

Did I mention I love 3rd year?

Bowling

When your schedule is crammed with core credits, you need at least one breather class. I guess that is why Rob and I both took bowling in college. I never went bowling growing up since the alleys were full of smoke and "those type" of people. Regardless, my first-time score was a humiliating 52 (I'll never forget it). Well, we took the boys and they both topped me! Horray! Sometimes it barely made it to the pins, but it was darling to watch how hard they concentrated.

Hardware Ranch

It's about 40 minutes up some canyon, and yes, it was freezing, but the kids loved it! Each winter hundreds of elk come down from the mountains to eat at the ranch. We took the sleigh ride out to the field and just watched, surrounded by hundreds of elk. It was great! Again, Robbie wouldn't go anywhere without his helmet.

A Tribute

To Rob:

We love you for a million reasons, but here's just a few...

You are an amazing daddy

An all-star athlete



A hard worker and handyman



A passionate outdoorsman



And just plain gorgeous


Happy Birthday, Babe. We love you!