Happy Birthday, Robyn!

You moms will understand:

This blog is dedicated to our oldest daughter, Robyn, who showed us the miracle of life

on January 26, 1976. You have made us proud to be your parents since the day you were born!

I have included a photo of Robyn and her little sister, Amanda, outside our first RV - a 1970s

Starcraft Pop-up trailer. We loved that pop-up, and it enabled us to take our girls on many really cool vacations, including Fort Wilderness at Disney World, when they were little. Camping enabled us to do that on a teacher's salary.

Other photos that deserve an explanation:

This one Roger and I happened to have a camera handy when we noticed things were too quiet and discovered that Robyn had learned to shove a chair to the counter in order to reach the cookie jar. It should be entitled

Caught in the Act.

The photo on the beach was taken at the

Outer Banks of North Carolina, and was Robyn's first glimpse of the ocean.

The first Christmas after our second daughter was born, we used the photo on the right in our Christmas Cards; the girls reenacted the pose a few years back at Christmas at their grandparents' house, only this time Robyn wasn't choking Amanda with a baby bottle!

Robyn and her little sister, Amanda, who is 21 months younger, got along well other than the usual sister squabbles.

Even in the "awkward" junior high years, Robyn was beautiful

and excelled at everything she did. She had the added burden of having her Dad as her junior high principal! Can you imagine???

In

high school, poor Robyn had to endure the embarrassment of a mother who would stake out the best seats in the school theater and video tape every school play on dress rehearsal night, then sit near the front row and smile (horrors!) at her throughout each performance.

Robyn was a brilliant student all through school, and had the ability to choose any career. The acting bug bit her in the eighth grade, however, and she was strong enough to follow her dreams.

She has the unique combination of creativity, coupled with focused, hard work and her dad's gift of organizational skills. She has been able to travel the world and has wonderful, funny, creative friends everywhere.

The really

good recent photos are various head shots she's had taken over the past 11 or so years of her professional career.

I had to shove several tourists and people hawking notices for porno shows out of the way to get a good shot of the

marquee outside the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, when Robyn's Second City cast was in residence there.

You might think we are proud of all her professional accomplishments, and we are,

but most of all we are just proud of the kind-hearted, creative, fun-loving, adventurous, hard-working person she has grown up to be!

I know Robyn reads our blog, so I want you to know, Honey, that we love you, and that this isn't your only gift; your card is in the mail!!

Check back next October 26 for memory lane installment #2, when we embarrass our other beautiful daughter with photos on the web!!