Robinson Family Newsletter 2009

Ryan
Continues to enjoy his work at the Page Dental Center. Is the High Priest group leader at church. Had surgery to repair a rather large hernia. Was in training for a marathon when injured with the hernia and is currently unable to run. He hopes to get back to training in the early part of 2010. Part of marathon prep, ran a 10K where he placed in the top 3 for age and gender. Continues to be the best dad and husband the world has ever seen!
Kristie
Started Curves to get in shape. Feels much more energetic and strong and has lost 10 lbs. so far. Has enjoyed volunteering with the high school color guard this year. It’s been fun to relive the old fun she had in high school on the flag corp. She is a counselor in the Primary for our ward and works with the Cub Scout program. She continues to work with the school advocating for our autistic son. It’s a lot of work but very rewarding.
James
Is in 6th grade. He’s in a lot of advanced classes and enjoys after school clubs related to science and computers. He’s learning to build his own web site. He plays the saxophone in band. He’s now a boy scout. He turned 12 this year and graduated from primary and now has the priesthood. He is a councilor in the Aaronic Priesthood quorum. He continues to enjoy piano lessons. Took over as babysitter for the family and increased his home responsibilities in general. He’s a wonderful big brother and a great example to everyone.
Melanie
Is in 4th grade. Is now 9, looking forward to double digits soon. Is a wiz at art and is now in advanced art club. Melanie has been tested and found gifted in the area of non-verbal. That makes tons of sense since she’s great at all things creative. She enjoys rearranging her room and reading a Series of Unfortunate Events. She did very well in the summer reading program at the library. Is excited for the coming basketball season, she’s very sporty. Plays the piano very well and can pick out any song she hears. She was even caught playing behind her back with one hand while eating and apple with the other! She a wonderful big sister, a natural nurturer and very instinctive about “therapy” finding amazing ways to help her brother.
Westley
Continues to amaze us with his ability to cope and succeed in face of his challenges. He’s in 1st grade. He’s 7 now. He loves his teacher and everyone who works with him. His speech continues to improve. He’s able to read with difficulty and is a natural at math. We discovered he’s amblyopic (lazy eye). And found a significant delay in visual processing. We’ve had further testing done and anticipate that the ensuing therapies will greatly improve his experiences in seeing and reading. He enjoyed playing T-ball and looks forward to Little League this next year. He’s a friendly guy who is generally happy and content. His autism is relatively mild and he’s responding quite well to our interventions. His world is full of color, imagination and sound. He enjoys piano lessons which give voice to what’s inside his world.
Laura
Has greatly improved in her speech. She attends pre-K where she gets speech therapy. It’s been fun to get to know her better as her personality is more easily communicated. She adores her baby brother and is his partner in crime. She adores her siblings. Melanie is her hero. She insists on having her hair exactly like Melanie. She even cut her own bangs to prove her devotion! She’s quite the little artist as well. She loves to draw and cut and basically anything crafty. Lately she likes making hide outs. Laura’s very feminine and enjoys twirly skirts, bright colors and dress up stuff.
Benjamin
Our newest Robinson has been an easy fit. He’s very mellow and content. He has strong opinions but is mostly even tempered. His newest talent is walking. He does well but is so anxious to run that he falls a lot. His favorite word to say is “giggle-giggle.” He also puts everything in his mouth! (very stressful for the parents.) He has a great laugh and loves to have big hugs. He loves scooting things across our tile floor testing the various sounds it makes (he just laughs and laughs at himself!). Wants to be involved in everything.
Our Home
Has undergone another transformation. Our little community enjoyed a 100 year rain storm that left many of us with lots of damage, roads washed out, homes flooded, roofs leaked. Our family room completely flooded! We had a water fall down the back wall, the light fixtures and pellet stove were raining. The room was a total loss. We gutted it down to the concrete and studs. We lost two sky lights and a pellet stove. We gained a new roof, better insulation and wiring, upgraded flooring, and an office desk/nook. It was overwhelming and a daunting undertaking but we are delighted with the results. We hope to get through the next 12 months without remodeling and construction.
Pets
The loss of Camie and Stephie were difficult to endure. They were each a big part of our family. We miss Camie’s gentle tolerance and Stephie’s love of all things Christmas. The remaining cat, Chica was not dealing with it well at all. She was skiddish and clingy. It was becoming intolerable. We jumped at the chance to adopt two calico kittens and welcomed them into our family. It was great fun to watch them play and Chica was suddenly busy with monitoring the invasion of her home and no longer clingy. The end result is amazing. Chica is now a mature, in control alpha kitty with a calm spirit. She’s adopted the new cats and loves bathing and playing with them. The new cats are growing up fast. They adore James the most, bathing him regularly and they love each of the other children, playing with them happily. We named them Jazzy and Sassy.
2009
It has been another wonderful year. We continue to love our community and home. We enjoy our friendships, feeling as close with many of them as we do family. We were blessed to be visited by family and friends this year and encourage any of you to make the trek our way. Ryan’s sister Melissa and her husband Tom have moved to our town and we are enjoying lots of fun with them. We love Christmas time, the food, the decorations, the sounds, the celebrations and parties. It is a wonderful time to count our blessings. We are truly grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We love our family and friends and are feeling blessed to have each of you in our lives. We hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!