Thanksgiving.....

It's a beautiful time of year, isn't it? So many things to be thankful for, so many things to enjoy. Jim, Judy and our family got to spend Thanksgiving up in Coeur dAlene with Sibley and her parents at Lutherhaven. Lutherhaven is the Lutheran chuch camp that is located on almost 100 acres on the Coeur dAlene lake. It was beautiful. Heidi's family also came, so we were able to enjoy lots of conversation and FOOD! Fun times were had by all. Enjoy some pictures. (above is a pictures of the main lodge.)

Girls....time away from Mom.

What the girls and Ryan are up to on their vacation from MOM!




And Sibley too!

Praying..... for our Country

I have never felt so much emotion towards a Presidential Election like I did this year. It all started before the primaries when I was researching some of the Republican candidates and what they stood for. I was lead by a friend to Gov. Mike Huckabee. I dug a little deeper and found myself to be so EXCITED about his beliefs, his desires for our country and his faith. I of course voted for him but knew in my heart (thanks to the reminder of a friend) that the Bible clearly indicates that life here on earth (for Christians) will become harder and harder with more persecution and alienation before His return. I figured that for a Christ follower, the office of President for Mr Huckabee was probably a slim chance.

As we came closer to the election I found myself burdened w/ those who believed Obama to be "the one", their savior in these down times, someone who was going to change the direction of our country. Almost as an idol, as if he is going to make all the bad go away. I have dealt with this burden in good ways, and in bad ways. I have found myself to be very angry, desperate and cold. I have also found this as an opportunity to tell others about Christ. I am confident that the word is truth, that the Lord has a plan, that Mr Obama was elected for a reason. I don't agree with Him on MANY levels but I also know that choosing to respect the office of President and praying for our President and the nations leaders is pleasing to our Lord. He wants to hear from us, He wants us to come to him with our burdens and our joys. If we are confused, he asks us to search for Him, He will clear up your confusion, read His word. He has told me to "Be still, and know that I am God."

When I have had the urge to be fearful, to worry about my children and their future. When I have questioned if I am adequate enough to raise my girls with morals according to the Word, even when the secular world is telling them different? Am I a good mother, am I showing them Jesus every day?

"Be still, know that I am GOD!"

I am laying my burdens down at His feet. May you do the same. Pray for our Country and our Nations leaders. Pray for your children to know and love the Lord. Pray for wisdom and discernment, that we will always know Christ and His will for our lives.

Praise God for his love and for the ability to pray.

Revelation's 14:12 says this
"Let this encourage God's people to endure persecution patiently
and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus."

So sweet!

Had to do an update on Sibley....could you just eat her up? Can't believe how beautiful she is. 16 weeks and counting.



And of course the girls think she is pretty special too.

Jypsy Dog

About two weeks ago we had to put our beloved Jypsy down. Jypsy is our black lab that Ryan and I got almost 8 years ago....just 4 months after we were married.

She was 7 weeks old, born of a litter from my Dad's dog, Chick. This last year she starting to become "unbalanced". She had a SUPER sensitivity to certain sounds, such as vacuum's and air compressors. The sound would just send her into a zone and she would do anything to get away from it. So about a month ago our neighbor decided to start doing some "home improvement" (although, I have had a hard time figuring out what he could possibly be doing) and has been using the air compressor an awful lot. So, after many attempts to try and protect Jypsy we were finally at our whits end when she was actually causing harm to herself. There were many days when we would come home and find that the neighbor was "improving" and Jypsy was bleeding. So, we made the hard call and took her in. WOW!!!! was this one of the hardest things we have ever done?

I realize in the grand scheme of life, our pets are just a bleep on the radar, but saying goodbye to 8 years was brutal!



So, so long Pat's Boise River Jypsy Queen, Jypsy Kitty, Kitty, Jypsy bear, JB. We will love and miss you.

Enjoy the view!

Phish - on

Our dear friend Eric (a fishing guide by trade) took Matt and Ryan into Hells Canyon last week for a special treat. Ryan caught the biggest Sturgeon - 6 feet long....maybe, I actually can't remember how long he said. Here I am telling fish stories. See for yourself!





Ryan and "the guide", Eric.



Matt caught one too!



Thank you Eric!!!!

More Higgins Happenings

This is just a picture of their personalities, drawn out in shoes.





Lauryn started play school this week. My friend calls it "Pay to Play". Lauryn goes two days and week and Liza goes the other three. They are both very outgoing and love it!

bye for now!

Specialized - does it again!

Hey all!
Well, you know the bike? Ya, the one I drove into the house...that one. Well the other night I was having a craving for chocolate. So, my very sweet husband offered to go and get me some. He left on his bicycle while I bathed the girls. A few minuets later I heard him coming up the stairs with a bit of a grumble and thought nothing of it. I got Liza out of the tub and dried her off and sent her on her way to find Daddy. Not long after I sent her out she came back in and said that daddy was hurt. So I ran into the bedroom and found Ryan laying our our bed, face down with road rash. I instantly went into "Mom mode" and got him ice and advil. Once I had him situated I asked him what had happened. He told me that he was clicked into his bike and must have hit some gravel and went down. FAST FORWARD! Of course as the days went on, his wounds got much darker and bigger. So I said to him once again, "how in the world did this happen if you just hit some gravel and fell"? Ahh, so then he tells me the REST of the story......he was doing a wheelie. :) Sorry to those of you who may not be interested in seeing my husband's behind.



So, he got his sympathy for a few days....and right at about the word wheelie (which I had to have him repeat so I could make sure my ears heard correctly) the sympathy train LEFT!

www.labanministries.com

Baby Jake!

My girlfriend Cheri had her third baby on Sunday! Baby Jake was born at 7:40, Mom was only in the hospital for 2 hours or so and she did it w/o pain intervention! YAY! Here is the brave Mom our good friend Rindala and I at the hospital with Jake! Rindala has 7 more weeks before she has her second baby boy!
I am surrounded!
God apparently knows how bad I need to have baby fixes.

Wow, an entire Month!

That was a really fast month. I can't believe it's been that long since I have posted.

The month has been full of fun times and relaxation for the Higgins family. Jim and Judy graciously decided to purchase a new motor for the boat! The boat has been a bit on the temperamental side this year and we were never quite sure when the oars were going to come in handy. The new motor is a MONSTER! I know I always tell Lauryn that there are no such things as monsters but I have been proven wrong. It's a Yamaha V-Max and it's bigger than the motor in my car....that is all I know, OH and it makes the boat go REALLY FAST! Of course we haven't experienced that.....Ryan is always VERY slow and courteous when he drives it. :) So, here is our BIG THANK YOU to Jim and Judy for the new motor. Jim says it will now go another 20 years and it's our responsibility to take Grandma and Grandpa out whenever they request. Ok!

Ryan painted his 4Th house this summer! We love it! Ryan is starting a little pseudo business painting houses on the side. He is a very expensive human so anytime he can make extra money, I am happy.

Last weekend we got to go and visit baby SIBLEY! She is so awesome! Her cheeks are her greatest attribute! She is also cooing and smiling and that is just too cute. Bill and Heidi are smitten and it is so fun to see them as parents. We got to tour a Silver Mine is Wallace Idaho which was a little hard for the claustrophobic Mom, but I did okay. We also got to spend some time walking along the CDA lake checking out all the Glitz and Glamour of the boats and people. Very fun.

Here are some pictures of our month. We pray you are all doing well!



Here she is in all her precious glory!



Liza is a fish, and has no fear!
(check out that Motor!)



I also got my shed painted!!! Thanks Yoder's for the barn tin!



More river fun!

Some good pics....& SIBLEY!

For those of you who have asked....



and here are some more random photos of life @ the Higgin's house!

These boots are made for walking.......

So last fall I had a hankering for a pair of cowboy boots. I have always loved them. Loved growing up with a Grandpa who was more comfortable in a saddle than in a chair. I enjoy the sport of rodeo and I just love the look of a good pair of boots. So, the girls and I decided one morning to go shopping. I had no plan to purchase boots for the girls, however, when we stepped into the boot section and there were little pink boots on the shelf.....well we couldn't help ourselves. So, we all walked out with a pair of boots. Literally, the girls wore theirs out of the store.
Lauryn has always LOVED her boots. If she could, she would sleep in them. I have seen her wear them with jeans, dresses, skirts and even her swimming suite. I would not allow her to take them on our last trip to Cascade Lake because I didn't want them to get "ruined" in the water (as you can imagine, they are already pretty yukky). About 2 days into our trip she said to me numerous times....."Mommy, I miss my boots", "Mommy, I can't wait to go home and wear my princess dress and my boots". And yes, the minuit we pulled into the garage, Lauryn found her dress and boots.
I keep asking myself....what will I do when she grows out of these boots. As a matter of fact, she maybe already has.....but she will never tell me. I know I can always go buy another pair, but to tell you the truth, I'm going to miss these boots too. Really, it's quite cute.....anyone know where I can get them bronzed?
Oh and boy, do they ever STINK!

Thank you.

For those of you who have read......and to those of you who have commented. I just want to say thank you. I am humbled that you take the time to check in on our family & our happenings. I praise God for where he has placed Ryan & I. We are grateful for our family and friends.

I am praying for all of you tonight.

Please know that Jesus loves you - so do I.

semi-vacation

We just returned from our semi vacation to Meridian/Cascade. It was relaxing and refreshing. Our week started with Ryan painting my sister's house in Meridian on Wednesday and Thursday. The girls got to spend lots of time with their cousins Owen and Jonah. Jodi and I got to do a little shopping at our FAVORITE store, Sierra Trading Post and we were both so excited to find the shoes we were both dieing to get (yes, I mean dieing....how pathetic, hu?).


Friday morning we headed up to Cascade for the annual family reunion. We rented a beautiful cabin with views of the lake. The weather was AWESOME, not too hot. It is as always, great to see my family and hear all the stories. My Dad was born in Cascade and spent his first couple of years there. His grandparents and a couple of aunts stayed there. We were able to go and visit the old houses they use to live in that Jodi and I remember going to as kids. Very cool. Again, the girls were able to spend lots of time with extended cousins riding bikes, canoeing and swimming. A lot of fun and something the didn't want to leave, neither did Ryan.







My two favorite Men.

more Higgin-isms

Hello all you faithful readers......all 5 of you! Wow has it ever been a busy month. The girls and I packed up the Subaru and went on a road trip in June to see my cousin Ernie get married. We went down to Boise on Friday, off to Jerome on Saturday, back to Boise on Sunday and home on Monday. The girls did AWESOME and can I just say that the portable DVD players are worth their weight in gold. W/O them we would have never attempted that adventure. That was 2 weeks ago.

Since then we have fixed Ryan's beloved bike, purchased a few new tray's for our Yakima rack, heard all the stories from other people who have done the same thing with their bikes. We have not fixed the rain gutters yet. We have spent lots of time on the boat and BBQ'ing with friends. The girls have spent as much time in the outside as their skin can stand, and Liza literally spent 6 hours strait in Grandma and Grandpa's pool yesterday. She got out for 10 min to eat. So, yes.....that probably means that there is P in the word Pool. Don't tell Grandpa. And of course, how could I ever forget our sweet new niece SIBLEY! We have been so blessed to spend several days with her over the last couple of weeks. She is absolutely beautiful! LOVE HER! Ryan is smitten...... Here she is.



So, as many of you know my birthday is on the 4th of July. So, yes I am offically another year younger......still waiting to hit 30. Had a great weekend spending time with friends and family and watching an impressive light show in our sweet town of Lewiston-Clarkston. Really! They are quite good for this area. Liza and Lauryn found every opportunity to tell me happy birthday and to sing to me. I think they sang to me at least 5 times that day. Ryan tried to give me 32.....I mean 26 spankings but he only got to 6 before I started to actullaly become uncomfortable. The days of birthday spankins are LONG gone, could someone please tell Ryan.

And so, this week we are headed to Meridian to paint my sister and Brody's house and then off to Cascade for some Knee, Iziguirre and Abaunza family fun. I.E the Basque crew is getting together and that could mean nothing but a lot of BS and fun.

Here are some pics from the last couple of months.
ENJOY!

The girls at the wedding, picking flowers.
>
Lauryn, giving me her "Silly Face"

The Krahn & Higgins girls...getting crazy with the sand.

The good the bad & the expensive

Wow has it ever been an up and down couple of days. You know the bike? Yeah the one a few blogs ago.....the one my husband worked so HARD for. Well Sunday morning we woke up to the beautiful sun and the first Sunday back to hear Paul preach. Well, it was even more special because Ryan had the day off and was going to get to come with us. He decided that he wanted to ride his bike to church. Yep, and it's not an easy trip. So Ryan made the extra hard trip to church and we got to listen to an awesome sermon on Grace. Well, after church we did our running around and went to the hospital to meet our new friend Reid Mathew Krahn and then off to Ryan's parents to pick up his truck. Then the girls and I headed for home with growling tummies. We pulled into the drive way and headed into the garage when we all heard this HORRIFIC sound. YUP, I forgot that Ryan's NEW bike was on the roof of my car. So, my beautiful new rain gutters have a big dent, our Yakima rack is toast and Ry's bike, well we think that will be about a $700.00 dollar fix. OUCH! But, I must say that the sermon on Grace was well taken by my husband and we was very graceful.

Okay, so fathers day was not off to the greatest start but we were beginning to find the humor in it all. So we took the girls out on the boat for an early dinner and some sand playing time. We then dropped the girls off and picked up our small group (church group). We floated on the river for an hour or so and ate awesome rice crispy treats and talked about fun things like kids and prayed and then dropped them off. So then Ryan and I headed back to the boat launch to head for home. Ryan docks the boat and I hold onto it while he goes to get the truck and trailer. He gives me a quick reminder lesson on the latch system and I gear up for the boat to load the trailer. Well, it doesn't start. Not only does it not start, that starter itself quit! So here we are with a really LONG boat that we have to pull onto the trailer by hand and ratchet it the rest of the way, by hand. UGGH! another season waiting on the darn marina to fix our boat, probably won't get it back until October! We are however QUITE grateful that God brought us safely back to the boat launch and we didn't get stranded in the middle of the river.

Okay, so we got through that day. And here we are today. Ryan's older brother and his wife Heidi had their first baby today! Her name is Sibley Caroline Margemarie Higgins. She was 2 weeks over due and weighed 9lbs 12oz and was 22 inches long! Amazing, because Heidi is VERY little. So we hurried up to CDA today so the girls could meet their new cousin. We are now home, it's 10pm and Lauryn is still in her room crying.......she is completely exhausted and fighting it tooth and nail!

Blessings to you~
Robyn

Rush-ing to Ski

So my husband is a Rush fan......Rush is a band, in fact they are a band from the late 60's early 70's. His brother Bill is also a fan. So, Rush came to the Gorge in George Washington last evening and Ryan "scored" tickets for cheap (according to him they were cheap, I didn't think so). A therefor, on the eve of Bill's first babies due date, they geared up their motorcycles (Ryan in Clarkston, Bill in CDA) and headed off to meet each other at the Gorge for an evening of music.

So, for the rest of my story.

As you know we have had a record year for snow fall in our mountains, THANKS BE TO GOD. What you may not know is that today is June 1st and people (mostly die hards) are still skiing at some of your northwest ski resorts. Well, Ryan and Bill figured that because it was June and Silver Mountain ski resort is still open, they may try to ski today, so they could say they did.

So here is the rub, how is Ryan going to get his ski gear to the Mountain on a motorcycle?

Do you think this dilemma plagued Ryan for long?

Nope.



Blessings to you,
Robyn

Bikes

Ahh, the weather has been in the 80's to 90's for the past 5 days and it has been so nice. Ryan has spent all of those days working on his parents house. Painting their house, staining their decks and taking stuff to the dump. It has been quite the transformation and looks very lovely. I on the other hand have had to take over all the house duties here at our own home, like mowing the lawn, planting the garden and all the other duties of being a Mom and wife. It has been quite hectic with Lauryn running a low grade fever going on 4 days now. Please let me point out that I am NOT complaining. It has been a glorious time, I love the weather and have been able to get out on my new roller blades at least once. I also do love yard work and if I could do it all day everyday, I would. As Ryan walked out the door today for his 6th and not yet final day of work I fight the urge to be frustrated.....however, I am reminded that he will be making just enough money to pay for his new bicycle! Yes, my husband has purchased a new bicycle that cost more than most anything in our home. Now, I know that to some people this will not be a surprise because maybe they know that bikes are expensive, I on the other hand had no idea. Oh, well. I figure the price is pennies compared to the fact that he may prolong his life with exercise. Peddle on my love.

Thankful!

I don't feel it enough, I am thankful. I am thankful for all that I have been given, for all the friends I have who love me and for my awesome family. I am thankful for health, for prosperity, for love. I so often find myself complaining about my day to day life and how boring it may be or how I feel so used by my family with no gratitude. I'm not sure where this comes from? I never felt this way until I had children. Perhaps it the fact that motherhood really is a thankless job sometimes and instead of remember that I live for Christ and no one else, I simply wallow at my own big pity party.
Once in awhile I feel a big smack across my forehead with the reminder that WOW, do I have it GOOD! I really have nothing to complain about. I watch the world go by everyday seeing things that make my heart hurt. Things that I am sure I could never live past if they happened to me. I am thankful. My prayer is that I will see that my use here is not just for my own happiness but instead it is much simpler......my use here is to be a good and faithful servant, nothing more. I want the world to see that I am thankful. I am happy and I want nothing more than to know that I have made my Creator proud.

Here's why.

So, the whole reason I started this blog thing goes like this. I got an e-mail from a friend, a fellow blogger, that linked me to another blogger with an incredible story. I have no idea why I clicked on the link or why I stayed to read but I am so thankful I did. I opened up the blog to find that the author has an incredible talent for writing. I clicked on the upper right hand corner where it said "to hear the whole story, click here." That is where it began. I have faithfully read the blog titled "Bring the Rain" for more than a month now and my life has been changed. You know how I mentioned in my first blog that I have laughed out loud and cried so hard I could barely read the screen? Well, this my friends is why..... may I introduce you to Audrey Caroline, she has changed many lives through the words of her mother. http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com/
I pray Audrey's story blesses you too. May you see the Amazing God we serve through the words of a mother.
Blessings to you all!

Or am I?

Well I am hoping to make my blog posts a little more often than one week apart. But then again, this is sapose to be something that I am inspired to do. I guess I will just write when I am inspired then.

Today we had family photo's taken. Wow was that ever an eye opener! I can't believe these two beauties that God has bestowed on us. It is almost frightening. We started with each girl individually. As I am standing behind Mike (the photographer) trying to stay hidden but still be in the room, my eyes are witnessing model like experience in my girls. It's like this was something they did everyday. He is behind his camera barking out orders and they are following like they totally knew what he wanted. It was so FUNNY! I just couldn't help but laugh. Anyhow, from what I could tell it is going to be a hard decision to make when photo ordering day comes.....or really expensive.

Well after a whirlwind weekend of having grandparents in town, Asotin Fair & Rodeo that includes, animals, parade, rodeo and rides and lets not forget the celebration of Lauryn's THIRD birthday, we are all exhausted. Loving where I am today and looking forward to what is to come.

Loves

I am officially a Blogger!

What is a blog?
I have been hearing the blogging term for about two years now. What a strange word, why BLOG? Well, it wasn't until recently that I finally got a clue on what it really meant to Blog. Since descending on my search of the term I have found all kinds of examples. I have read blogs that have made me laugh out loud (not something I do enough), and some that have made me cry so hard I could barely read the writing on the screen. I just can't believe the creativity that has been put into these things. I have been touched in ways I never thought possible, by people I have never met.
Ryan and I have been blessed to live in three different cities since we married almost 8 years ago. During that time we have met and become close friends with too many people to count. Our hearts ache for those we don't see anymore and stories we don't get to hear. There is just something about having a phone call with a three year old hanging on one leg while the 4 year old yells at the top of her lungs.....yes, my days of having long meaningful conversations over the phone are....... well...... on hold. So, I have been searching for something that would allow me to keep in touch with people (my attempt at getting everyone to get a myspace page has failed) and letting them know what we are up to and of course a way to give updated pictures of the girls. My search has fallen to this....Blogging. Of course, I still have NO WAY of keeping in touch with my parents outside of a phone call, would you believe that they still do not have a dvd player, cell phones OR a computer? How absolutely cool is that?
Okay, so for now I leave you with a lovely picture of my two babies of whom most of you have not seen in a very long time! I also invite you back for a visit whenever you feel like it....I hope to have something meaningful to say. If not, at least there will be pics of the girls.
Loves to you all!