October Birthdays Plus Bon Voyage to Mike & Erin

Jillair and Greg put on a great party tonight. We gathered at the Hemingway Hideaway to sing Happy Birthday to the October babies, then wish Mike and Erin bon voyage as they head off to KL (that's Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) for a stint at ex-pats. They leave tomorrow and will be gone for two years.

It was a great occasion for the cousins to get together, and for cousins' kids to meet and play, and for Great-Grandma Marion and Great-Grandpa Steve to meet their new great-grandkids.

Marion outdid herself with Five Cakes for the five October Babies--Andrew, Erin, Jillair and Stephen L., plus a cupcake for Bennett's first birthday cake--and he's not even a month old.
(Not shown, a SIXTH cake, which was extra and yours truly got to take home to savor this week.)

Marion and Steve holding Bennett Frasier Robinson

Grandpa Greg showing off Grandson Joseph Gordon Featherstone

Mike and Erin at the table with Stephanie and Matt
I couldn't fit everyone in, but Austin and Rachel, Christian and Katie, were also there with us.

The hallway became a play area as Andrew shared his blocks and toys with Dylan, with Grandma Jillair and Mom Katie looking on.

Even the big cousins got together-- Stephen and Nathan.

Cousins' kids meet for the first time:
Bennett, Dylan, Andrew and Joseph.

Art starts early in the finest Henrie tradition.
Dylan and Andrew are trading crayons and coloring tips.

A short video of coloring, while the grown-ups drone in the background.

Trains and Pumpkins with Dylan

On Saturday, October 09, 2010, Robyn and I took Dylan to visit the train station and the pumpkin patch.

The Amtrak to San Diego came through...big, loud and impressive...

Our train, the Metroliner to Santa Ana, was held up.... Broken... due to a faulty signal...
Even Grandma Robyn couldn't fix it. So, we'll come back another day to ride the train.
In the meantime, Robyn said...
let's go to the PUMPKIN PATCH!

Dylan picked out his very own pumpkin.

Fun and games.

Robyn took this picture of Dylan and me.

Robyn did such a good job that the single mother of the boy in the background asked Robyn to take their picture together. Robyn did so, and that boy's mom thanked her, saying that now her son will know that she was there with him when they went to the pumpkin patch.
If you want to feel a lot of positive family energy and love, go to the pumpkin patch on Saturday morning.

Pirates in arms.

Pumpkin Jeff with Dylan

Tuesday Oct. 5, 2010: Grandson Bennett Born

Baby Bennett arrived in our life, safe and sound, on the evening of October 6, 2010 thanks to Katie and Christian!

Robyn held Bennett in her arms for the first time.

Another handsome guy in the family. He's going to fit right in.

All packaged up, with his little fingers showing.

General Conference and The World's Smallest Pencil

My favorite quote from October 2010 General Conference:
We don't discover humility by thinking less OF ourselves.
We discover humility by thinking less ABOUT ourselves.
Dieter Uchtdorf (Sat. Priesthood Session) (paraphrased)

With Christian and Katie, Dylan came over to visit during Sunday General Conference. Robyn got out the box with coloring pens and pencils for him. After coloring for a few minutes, Dylan picked out this pencil and said quizzically, with concern in his 2-year voice, "Broken???" Its the smallest pencil I've ever seen: complete with eraser, wood and sharp point. (The yellow and green is the metal which connects the eraser to the shaft.)

A Little Hike With Robyn

A week ago Saturday, Robyn and I took a little walk through Whiting Ranch--by the "Wahoo's" trail head. It is wonderful that Robyn can do trails with her new knee! She has worked hard, and gone through a lot of rehab, to get to this point.

Hiking Buddies

This is the same trail that Stephen and I did in February. (See 2/21/2010 posting.) In February all was lush and green. In September, you can see how brown the grass gets at the end of the dry summer season.

Labor Day Weekend--Surprise Visit From the College Students

Robyn and I had a nice Labor Day Weekend. On Saturday, Dylan came over for a visit. We went to the Nix Nature Center in Laguna Beach with Dylan. Ryan, Ben and Josh came home for a quick visit from BYU--carpooling down with a girl from Corona. This was a surprise, only one week since we dropped them off at the BYU dorms! Brent and Debbie were in town also--and Mom and Dad used the occasion to host us all for a great get-together at there house in PV. (Camera dates are one day off.)

Dylan exploring the sandbox, with fossil shells, at the Nix Nature Center.

Grandpa Jeff and Dylan on the trail outside the Nature Center (Robyn took the photo).

At the PV Get-Together, Marion had each family report on their recent doings. Austin gives his report on how he found his Great-Grandma Jannetta listed in the BYU Yearbook (from the 1920's), voted as that year's "Most Popular Lady." Here he is showing her photo. This validated the Great-Grandpa Hap's oft-repeated boast--he had to hurry down to Provo to marry Jannetta before she was snatched away!

Rachel watched Austin give his report. Rachel's exciting news is her ongoing internship with a structural engineering firm in West LA, close to their home.

Brent and Debbie. They reported on their family's recent volunteer service trip to Haiti with Ben and Josh, touching all of us with their devoted service. Brent and Debbie = love-in-action.

It was especially fun to have the Outhier clan to visit.
Stephanie and Matt, with Matt's dad Darryl and sister Emily . We missed Cherise (recuperating from surgery and in our prayers) and Emily's husband.

Nathan, Ryan , Ben and Josh: The college students getting ready to play the inscrutable card-game "Mao." The rules are undisclosed, but must involved giving Steve and/or Marion hugs when certain cards were played, because there was a never-ending stream of hugs going on Sunday evening.

Robyn and Rachel

Steve and Austin

Marion and Steve

Another famous Grandma Marion-chocolate cake.
I took extras home, because there's only one way to get cake this good!

Jeff and Robyn

Greg on the phone with Jillair, who was with Erin & kids in Baltimore.
Greg and Nathan showed us slides of their awesome ascent (with Brian) of Mt. Shasta earlier this summer.

Ryan and Dylan
Ryan's main reason to come home for the weekend was to visit Dylan. We stopped by Christian and Katie's so he could say goodbye.

Christian and Katie
Christian was actually in Provo for the BYU game. Katie picked him up on Sunday and we stopped by for a visit.

Vacation August 2010--Ryan Starts BYU

Robyn and I returned from a one-week trip to Utah. We dropped Ryan off at BYU, spent time visiting with family and friends along the way. Some photos of our vacation.

As we were leaving, Joel Carter stopped by to wish Ryan good luck at school.

Jeff and Robyn along the trail in Park City, hiking with Jan and Sophie.

Ryan checking in to his new dorm room at Heritage Halls, BYU.

Ryan gives Mom a goodbye hug.

Some of Ryan's dorm-dwellers.
McKay, Josh, Ryan, Ben.

Thanks to Joyce, as always, for her wonderful hospitality. I call her home "Cape Canaveral--Bountiful" because we have launched each of our boys there.

Robyn and Jeff, leaving for California, by the scenic route, through Manti.

Small world, big coincidence.
Jeff and Robyn bump into Heather and Scott outside the Manti Inn!
What fun to see them.

Visiting some of the local sites in Manti after Scott and Heater left.
I am looking sad because I just received a phone call that a judge had ruled against my client.
I hate when that happens. It rained in Manti, marking a gloomy turn to the day.

Robyn and I stopped in the Venice/Glenwood area. Robyn's great grandparents were from Venice. It is very windswept and can appear somewhat bleak, although the irrigated fields were quite green.

A historic landmark by Glenwood/Venice.

Robyn likes to visit this old co-op store originally built in 1878 in "downtown" Glenwood, as part of the Glenwood United Order and later part of ZCMI. Robyn would like to see it refurbished, but it is currently a run-down shell. It will probably fall down before anything is done.