The Robertson Family 2012

We are ever grateful for and love our Savior Jesus Christ.   
We hope you all have a wonderful season celebrating His birth.

Lee 32, barely: Life has not been boring and this past year is no exception!  After recently separating from the Army, Lee ventured out into private practice in the optometry world.  He found a perfectly-priced practice in Elkton, VA from a recently retired doctor.  This is the eighth move he’s made with his family and hopefully his last.  Lee’s highlights of the year are a surprise visit to his Dad’s 80^th birthday party, buying his practice in a few short months, organizing and attending an extended John Robertson reunion, hitting a few mountain biking trails this past summer, acquiring the optometry lease at a local Walmart (in addition to the Elkton practice), going on regular dates with his kids, taking a 10-year anniversary trip to NYC and eating mint lava cakes.  Lee serves as a counselor in the Elder’s Quorum presidency.

Ruth 33, almost: With Lee buying his practice and opening another location, Ruth has been busy too.  There are times when she thought she’d stretched home economizing to the limit.  But the move to Elkton proved that limits can be broken!  She still enjoys budgeting and blogging.  Ruth loves volunteering at the school and helping with the PTA.  Her highlights for the year are helping Lee on the budgeting end to buy his practice, attending the John Robertson & Darrell Bartholomew reunions this past summer, biking around town to school/post office/library/stores, re-starting retirement savings again, visiting Ground Zero during a 10-year anniversary trip, being with her 9 siblings and parents in the temple (the youngest, Sheldon just got married!) and eating the mint lava cakes that Lee bakes.  Ruth serves as a primary teacher and as the Relief Society meeting coordinator.

Clark 9: Clark is in 4th grade and Cub Scouts.  This past summer he earned the Wolf badge and really enjoys scouts.  The initial move to Elkton hasn’t been a highlight in his life, but now he is making good friends and enjoys the academics at school. Clark recently read the entire Narnia series! (Something his parents have never done.) He also loved listening to the Fablehaven series and is now rereading it for school. This summer he added mowing part of the lawn to his job list and started taking piano lessons! He enjoys taking lessons and has a great teacher. Clark’s highlights for the year are doing flips off of the diving board, playing chess with dad, staying up late playing games with the grown-ups, visiting BYU and camping while in Utah, and riding in “dad’s van”.

Cal 7: Cal is in 2nd grade this year.  He seems to like school and has made some good friends here.  He loves the regular trips to Reed’s house-his cousin.  They are close friends. Cal is the ring-leader of the younger kids and is often playing with them inside and outside the house.  He is pretty speedy on his bike and quite often takes the lead during bike rides. Cal loved camping in Utah this summer and a couple of times was covered in dirt to prove it.  Cal’s highlights for the year are being able to read in the Book of Mormon, polishing his frisbee-throwing technique, climbing up the bison at Little America, hiking the Y, losing his two front teeth, and riding in “dad’s van”.

Shanna 5: Shanna is in Kindergarten.  And loves it.  Shanna, along with her other siblings, never had formal pre-schooling, just activities at home or at a “mommy preschool” group. Despite her mom’s lack of preparing her for school, Shanna is doing great; and loves school lunch too.  Shanna enjoyed being at the pool this summer and started swimming on her own. And in old news, she learned to ride a bike about a month after her 4th birthday.  Shanna is also very good on the monkey bars! Shanna’s highlights for the year are any shopping trips with mom, excitedly cleaning the toilet (no clue why she likes this), starting school, playing with girl cousins at reunions, getting trinkets/candy from the prize box at school, and riding in “dad’s van”.

Haley 5: Haley is in Kindergarten.  And loves it.  Wait, didn’t you just read that about Shanna too? Weird how that happens…. Haley is in a different class than Shanna and that seems to be going well.  Ruth went on a field trip with the kindergartners and Haley wanted to stay with her own class instead of being with mom and Shanna! The girls are quite independent! In old news Haley also started riding her bike, pretty much on her 4th birthday.  Neither of the girls ever used training wheels either (which amazed Lee and Ruth). Haley loves books and even draped a big Richard Scarry book on her like a blanket one night, falling asleep that way.  Haley’s highlights for the year are constantly writing and sharing love notes to family members, starting school, going on dates with dad, attending the county fair, and riding in “dad’s van”.

Elden 3: Elden is the loner at home, and quite enjoys it.  Who wouldn’t love free range of the house? Or being that “cute” boy who receives goodies and stickers at the school and bank when he tags along with mom? But being alone with mom must not be 100% exciting though, as Elden takes better naps now than he has the past year.  Elden’s big milestone this year is becoming toilet trained.  Since school started this fall, he’s also been dressing himself and buckling himself in his carseat. Elden’s highlights for the year are being hospitalized (while on vacation in Utah, but 1st time since the NICU) with a serious case of croup, riding on dad’s shoulders (a teeny bit on mom’s) all the way up to the “Y”, becoming quite proficient in scooter riding, and riding in “dad’s van”.  (Nothing against “dad’s van”, but the “family van” is nicer, hands down! One can guess who the favorite parent is in this family…)