They played some fun "disco" tunes from the 70s this year.
A very serious snare player on the end.
And....finished.
We saw several fields of cotton; some were still green, others had been defoliated, and others had been picked. We even saw a huge cotton picker at work. (didn't get a picture of it.)
It was fun to show Rod the plants up close and personal.
I guess that one should expect to see cotton in a town called Pima, eh?
And then as we were driving down the road, totally out of the blue, I saw a golden statue gleaming in the sun. Right there off to the side of the road was the new Gila Valley temple. It is still under construction, of course. I had no idea we would get to see the temple on this trip. We were thrilled! It was interesting to see that the Angel Moroni was already in place, yet there were no front doors. We could see ladders and scaffolding inside.
I sure wish I could snuggle this soft little head into the crook of my neck right now. I really miss this little guy! There is nothing quite as soft as baby hair against my cheek, and I love kissing his little neck. He makes such funny faces and sweet little squeaky noises. I love feeling his breath on my face. Oh, Cannon! Grammy misses you!
Luka, I miss playing with you every day and watching you build with your legos. I would love to play "this little piggy went to market" and see your big smile. I miss you, my buddie!
Savannah, you have become such a good reader! You have grown so tall and you are such a kind and loving big sister. I love fixing your hair in the morning. I miss helping you with your spelling and playing checkers with you! Cooper I miss how excited you get about life. I love playing games with you. You are a very special boy! I miss you both so much! It was very hard for me to leave you all yesterday.
I did get to see Savannah and Cooper play soccer while I was there. They are both very athletic and certainly dominated the successful plays in their games. It was great to see them participating and enjoying their teams. Great kick, Savannah!
Cooper was very aggressive and can certainly control the ball.
And then there is Ava! I missed her soccer game because I was in a traffic jam trying to get there during the 5:00 rush of traffice. I loved it when she came running into the house announcing "we're going to make pup cakes!" I love her cute way of talking. She is the ring leader wherever she is. Ava is a take charge girl, and I love her big brown eyes.
I am very sad and lonely for these little people tonight! I am glad that families are forever. It makes being far away just a little more bearable. I had such a great time with all of you!
We love to do pedicures!Savannah, Ava, and Cooper are all involved in the fun.
Katie read a story. The kids all love books and love having stories read.
Julie brought some pumpkin spice eggnog and we all enjoyed that treat! (especially Luka)
Monday morning it was time to get down to business. Ryan took Katie to the hospital and they started labor.
She looks pretty happy at this point.
After a few hours the fun started. She had some pretty hard contractions, was dilating, and Katie decided she was ready for her epidural. The Dr. came in with is tray full of needles and drugs and did his thing.
Right after he finished, Katie said she was ready to push. They nurses said "no way!" She had dilated from 6 to 10 in like 10 minutes. Because of the timing, the epidural was not working! She experienced natural childbirth, much to her own dismay. It only took 20 minutes of pushing - which I'm sure seemed much more to her - to bring our precious baby boy into the world. She worked very hard and did an incredible job! It was a very precious and incredible experience to be there for the birth of this much loved and long awaited little boy. I will always treasure this memory and keep it close to my heart.
Through our tears, laughter and joy, we all welcomed our newest family member. He weighed 7 lbs. and was 20.5 inches long. His name: Cannon Hoxsie Robinson. He could not be more perfect or precious! I think this Mama will keep him!
Here is Daddy showing off our sweet boy with the Dr. She was amazing!
Yes, I am a very proud Grammy!
Next to meet the newest member of our family were two very excited aunties. Katie had planned on having her sisters present for the birth. Becca flew to SLC with me for the occasion.
When she was being scheduled on Sunday night, they informed us that only two people could be in the delivery room, so Becca and Julie were not able to be in the room with us. But believe me, they were there in a flash when it was their turn to visit! (Only 2 visitors at a time because of the flu scare.)
We had so much fun examining Cannon from head to toe. Soft hair, soft cheeks, - soft everywhere! He has the longest little feet! We just smiled and laughed and marveled at what a miracle each one of us is.
Cannon and mommy came home from the hospital on Wednesday morning. It was just before Cooper had to catch his bus for school, so Cooper was the first sibling that got to meet the baby. He could not stop smiling.
Next was Luka. He was so funny! He kept saying "hi baby!" and kissing his head. He was fascinated with the toes, face, and hands. It was quite delightful.
Big sister, Savannah, finally got to hold him when she got home from school. She is such a wonderful sister to all her brothers, and is very kind and loving. She is very excited about her new baby brother.
Now I totally know what it means to have "joy in our posterity." It is such an amazing thing, this love that links us as families. Truly my cup runneth o'er.
