Mason turns 4

We just finished celebrating Mason's 4th birthday. We celebrated it John Deere Tractor style due to his facination with tractors. Mason's big present was a swing set. Neil was planning on building it on his birthday, but it rained and now it is still a work in progress.

We finally decided it was time to cut off Mason's long hair for his birthday and have a normal little boy cut. Neil took him to the local barber shop and they really did a number on his poor head. I cried several times that day just from looking at him. I'm not sure if it was the bad hair cut, or saying good bye to his innocent little boy look.

At age 4 Mason finally sleeps in his own room, in his new twin size bed!! This really is a big accomplishment. Since we moved it kind of messed up everyones sleeping habits, and now everyone in our home sleeps in their own beds. Mason loves riding bikes outside. He is terrified of all dogs, cats, bugs, etc. including big and little ones. He doesn't last outside by himself for too long. I'm looking for some kind of "Cowboy Up" club to make him into a man, but having a hard time finding one. Once in awhile we have an imaginary pet or friend join our family for a day or two. We have lots of fun listening to him play by himself and with his imagination!

A great way to meet the new neighbors!

So we decided that the only way we would ever get to meet all our new neighbors at one time would be to get everyone evacuated from their homes. So yesterday we broke a gas line and had a big gathering out away from everyones homes while bluestakes came and fixed the line.
Really this did happen yesterday afternoon, but it was our landscapers fault. We even had bluestakes there before he dug. Oops there are actually 3 visits made by bluestakes before you should dig.
We really did meet all our neighbors finally, and no one got hurt. No houses blew up, so over all, the neighborhood gathering was a success!

Check out the Utah Baby Guide

My article on cloth diapering has just been published in The Utah Baby Guide. Check it out! This is an free online magazine for Utah mothers. It has lots of great ideas for mothers! visit: www.utahbabyguide.com

Crazy for Cloth Diapers!

The Roberts family has had a new addition to the family. Not your ordinary new baby, but a cloth diapering business. The idea for Little Rabbit's Cloth Diapers has been brewing in Alison's head for many years. With Neil's recent layoff we decided to take the idea and run with it. We have been using cloth diapers for a little over 2 years. I loved them from the start and wanted to share my excitement for them with others. Not too many people are using them in Utah. Alison is determined to change that! Little Rabbits is now an online store http://www.littlerabbits.webs.com/, it is a cloth diapering boutique located at the Quilted Bear in Provo, booth L-12, and we offers cloth diapering classes through community education (nebo community school, and UVU community ed.). Wow!we have busy the last month getting this rolling. Things are going great so far! We have an article coming out soon in The Utah Baby Guide, we are hoping that the word will spread quickly.
Now shouldn't your baby be wearing a "bumGenius" instead of those boring, uncomfortable, chemical filled disposables?

Guess what we got for Christmas!

Christmas this year felt a little different for us. Neil got a pink slip for Christmas.( We joke the President Bush sent him the slip in a Christmas card) Exactly one week before Christmas, Neil was told by his boss that they are down sizing due to the current economic conditions around us. Neil has worked at the Cataract and Lasik Center of Utah for 9 years. This all came so unexpected that it left us feeling hurt, scared for the future, and just kind of numb for Christmas. We even thought Mason had ringworm for Christmas, but it turned out to be just a bad case of hives. Then our new roof started leaking in our garage, and so on. "When it rains it pours" is a little what our end of the year was feeling like.

But we are still trying to put on our happy faces, Neil is finding some fill in work for other Doctors. So we really are OK financially. It just feels like we lost someone in the family. :( Neil is really missing some of his patients that he has been helping for many years.

We are looking forward to Obama coming into office, and hoping that he can change this economy for us!!

Mason is rather proud of his piano talent!

Mason is getting ready for his first real performance: The family christmas eve party.

The Roberts Family wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Even though we have been super busy with unpacking and getting our other home rented, we have been making time for christmas. We unpacked christmas before many other items. I figured if I wait till I'm organized, christmas might just not get out. Mason is really excited!! He wrote his first letter to santa. He first asked for things he could see around the house. So we had to help him with ideas. His cousins are all asking for the Nintendo DS, so he thinks he needs that. We did tell him that santa knows whats best for him, so he might not get everything he puts on the list. (Santa thinks he is still a little young for the Nintendo DS, he is thinking more along the line of a V-tech pocket).

It has been a really fun season with Mason so far. It is the first year that he is understanding how christmas works, he keeps asking me what the names are for Frosty and Rudolph. He loves the snow and loves riding his bikes in the snow!