WALKER BITS

Taking it back...

2011-12-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

I've been watching a little on the Duggar family, the ones with 19 kids. OK, so four kids is a breeeeeeeeze.

5 months along...

2011-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

I know nothing in this photo is actually in focus, but isn't that face such a doll. When I had our first child, I was totally unprepared in how difficult, how tiring, and how wacky I'd mentally be in the beginning of being a mother. It took six months before I started falling into the groove. With the second, I felt like the expert. The third I started panicking again and fell into a bit of a life blur up until the fourth, which has now made me feel totally and fully committed in every moment of the day to being a mother. Life is hopping, there is way too much multi-tasking going on and not enough lazying about.

Maeleya -sweet little girl- is not as easy of a baby as I had hoped. At two weeks we hit a nursing issue, and the little girl was losing weight. You would think nursing three previous kids each for a year would make me the master... but every babe is different. You should never in passing ask a new mom how she is doing, as my neighbor (and friend) found out with me. One question was all it took for me to start crying in front of her -embarrassing- and when I tried to joke it off, squeaks came out instead of words and all I could do was let the tears roll. I thought I got things back in control, but the pediatrician has made me feel like I should offer a bottle after each feeding. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TIME THAT TAKES TO DO BOTH? Yikes, but I feel like I should still nurse and make it work.

Maeleya is a very good baby...in arms. Don't think about a car seat, she wails the whole time we drive anywhere. I borrowed one of those pricey swings that can move two different directions looking for a miracle, but she gets a look of abandonment when we put her in there, and doesn't last more than ten minutes. Nights have been rough as well the last couple of months, and I feel like if she's waking up she must be hungry because she's not gaining a lot of weight, so we feed and feed and feed her through the night.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to cue the weeping violin in the background. I LOVE being a mom, challenges and all. Just writing this for all those other moms (ok, well maybe the two or three who read this) who feel like things are tough- there are many of us out there who need monthly cries. And I'm all for seeing a few more blog posts showcasing messy homes and mismatched children instead of mother/daughter matching ruffled aprons that also coordinate with the drapes in an immaculate kitchen filled with an array of desserts package in fancy wrappings ready to hand out to neighbors. Not that I don't like reading those posts, but I also like to know that really we all have our struggles.

Art on the Trail

2011-11-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Michael says I only post about the kids. I admit I've been trying to create a bond for the grandparents. I guess there is also a Michael and Mindy in the Walker bit mix.

Recently an old railroad track was cleaned up and paved to create a path that runs along the edge of our neighborhood. It was really great, very beautiful to go out walking with the kids or biking with the hubby on our date nights. Not long after it was finished though, graffiti starting taking over, especially at the end in a tunnel. A committee over the project scrubbed out what they could, primed over the cement and asked the community for volunteers to paint murals on the tunnel panels. I heard about this shortly after I had Maeleya. My nephew painted one of the panels (Brady). I'm sure every new mom puts "paint a mural" at the top of their list in the first months with baby. I thought it would be fun to attempt though, not every opportunity comes at ideal times! I do a lot with the computer for my design work, but I thought it would be fun to get out in nature and hold a paint brush.

Here is the model -cute man that can look like a gentleman with a touch of humor, just what I wanted. (Hey Rachel, is that money dangling from the umbrella?)

I love that I can ask him to wear a suit coat and a top hat and hold an umbrella without him asking a lot of questions. Years of being married I guess.

Here is the sketch:

Here is the final:

The cardinal is for the lady head of the committee, it's her favorite bird.

Two times while painting, deer strolled down the path to say hello and nod at the work.

Isn't it great that my mikey's profile is painted into cement, hee hee. If the kids ever cross this path as adults, they can drop by and say hello to the man on the wall.

Two true stories. Michael's intern year we spent in the heart of a city. Every day a man past by around fiveish on a unicycle in a suit. Every week I'd see a lady walking several birds. Yes I typed that right. At least that's what it appeared to be. A lady holding a large ring with birds perched on it strolling around the block. I didn't remember those images until after I had made the sketch, but I'm thinking they came out subconsciously. All those things you see surface at some point.

I'm so glad it got done before the snow came!

Sometimes

2011-11-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I need a smile I just look at the back of Maeleya's head. The hair, the ears...it cracks me up. Her hair started out wild, and it's getting wilder. It is like a magnet to people's hands. Strangers will come up and rub her hair. It's like a Buddha belly for good luck and prosperity.

The front of her makes me smile too.

Truly, I didn't try to get her hair up for a photo, it just looks like that.

and...

Sometimes, Kynlee dresses up her younger brother (but you didn't hear that from me).

and...Sometimes he wears a wig...and it's really, really not flattering.

Big Fall post coming...

paper bag

2011-10-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

The second day of school, I heard Kynlee working on something in her room. A few minutes later she came out and asked me if I had a small picture of the family, one that would fit in a paper bag. I asked her what she was working on, and she explained that for homework they were supposed to put three items in a bag that described them or that were important to them. She told me, "I have a Book of Mormon, a picture of Christ, and now I need a picture of our family." Then she said with a smile "I want everyone to be Mormon."

Pretty cool right? It made me smile, but I admit I was also hesitant. I tend to, and probably foolishly so, like people to get to know me before I bring up my religion. I worry that the name brings negative feelings, because there are a lot of false, strange statements out there. But I figure if they think I'm awesome first :) then they will think maybe being a Mormon is not so bad. When Kynlee showed me her bag, in my brain I thought, "Really? First week of school your going to let everyone know we're Mormon?" Isn't that terrible? I kept my thoughts to myself and let Kynlee go for it.

Now, two months later Kynlee brings up at the dinner table questions about our religion. Her friends in the cul-de-sac were telling her what Mormons believe, things she hadn't heard of, and she was getting confused. In kindergarten, her best friend told her Mormons were not Christian. We explained to Kynlee that Christians were people that believed in Christ, and that lots of different churches were Christian, including ours. She explained that to her friend the next day, but her friend insisted Mormons were not. The same thing came up recently with the cul-de-sac friends. Kynlee told us she tried to explain to them we were Christian, but they kept trying to tell her what she believed. Heavy things for a six and seven year old. Kynlee started feeling like maybe she didn't want to be different.

She's a good girl, I think her thoughts are golden and she'll figure it all out. One of her favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is one Michael showed her, and since then she has wanted to read it every time we do family scriptures. 2 Nephi 32:8-9. I'm going to type it all out, because it is good.

"And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."

In just over a month, Kynlee will turn eight and be baptized. I'd like her to feel confident about her decision before it happens. I also think it's time that mom started showing as much confidence as her daughter and did a little explaining to the neighbors so we can all understand each other :)

Ander Turns 3

2011-09-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ander's birthday over the weekend. It was a beautiful evening in the neighborhood gazebo. Gazebo, not to be confused with zebra- which Ander thought he was going to see there. Kynlee and I went early to decorate, and the Zellers came before Michael brought the boys and baby. Ander ran as fast as his little legs would go from the car to the party area, so cute to see. He didn't know what a birthday meant in the morning, but by the evening he was loving it.

Our mornings have been really great while Easton and Kynlee are at school. It's fun to see him roam around without any sibling battles and I've enjoyed the one-on-one, makes for good memories, well mostly one-on-one, there is a baby attached to me.

Maeleya dressed up for the occasion, though she wasn't quite sure about it all.

(It's hard to keep those big flowers in the right place)

Kynlee started wearing more and more hats. It caught on with others, by the end I think Kynlee had over seven on her head.

Piano Duet

2011-08-29T12:22:00.001-07:00

OK, here's the duet Lisa and I played for the talent show. I may have sped it up just a wee bit for web streaming purposes. It is a fun little number to play...

Talented Orphans

2011-08-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Our church ward had it's third annual talent show. I didn't think the Walkers would be represented, but it turned out Lisa got me to do a piano duet with her, Michael was asked to play his guitar for a family singing, and a couple of ladies put together a group of girls ages 5-7 to do It's a Hard Knock Life.

This was perfect for Kynlee's drama desire. I'm really glad the ladies had the idea and put in the time to practice, the girls had a lot of fun. We came up with the outfits. Kynlee's wearing an old second hand dress with some cover thing I came up with in my non sewing ways. Lisa (my sister) made a nice scratchy burlap jumper for Hadley, who wasn't totally excited after seeing Taya's -that is so cute it could be featured in a boutique. And check out Taya's face expression. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. I think these girls are too cute; they would be snagged up quick out of an orphanage.

Here's the movie production:

Tri Time

2011-08-25T12:01:00.001-07:00

Michael was able to catch the last triathlon race in town. A good sprint tri that's a 500 meter swim, ten mile bike, and 3 mile run. I got there a little late and missed the swim, did I mention I have four kids now? I'm still getting the hang of it. We may have made it had I not needed to stop for gas.

He hardly did swim workouts and decided he'd take it easy in the water during the race so he'd have something left at the end. Taking it easy in the water turned out to mean a great time. His tall body and long fin like feet could have made him a Michael Phelps I think had he known back in the day.

I sent the kids after him at the end so they could cross the finish line together. Hopefully the officials didn't mind that. This race draws around 500, so what's a couple of kids at the end? He was just off from his great time last year, which I think is impressive since the first half of the year he spent all his spare time studying for boards. Way to go mikey-o!

I'm thinking for the next race we'll both have all the right gear. I'm going to make sure he has the shoe clip in things for the bike, proper running shoes, and swim goggles that aren't Ander's!

First Day

2011-08-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Got to have first day pictures. Look out second grade and kindergarten. The kids wanted to do crazy poses. They look so well groomed. Everything is new on them, even the socks. They must feel so cool. Kynlee really wanted a stylish scarf, and check out how white her shoes are (I give them a week). They are bathed, with teeth brushed and mouth washed even. I know a month or two from now they'll be jumping out of bed just in time to run out for the bus looking a bit crumpled. Last year Kynlee went to school with hair so tangled they sent her to the nurses office to have it combed out!

Rock Climb Camp

2011-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

As expected, I have not gone out to do a lot of summer activities with the kids since baby arrival. In an effort to keep Kynlee from being too bored- because she shows signs of going crazy indoors the most- I signed her up for rock climbing camp. We had her in the same camp two years ago and she loved it then as much as she loves it now. It suites her natural strength, her inner desire to climb, and her fearlessness. It lasts a week for five hours a day. I had to be presentable by nine every morning with all the kids. I wonder if anyone noticed I had the same outfit on 3 of the 5 days (I'm in the stage of not fitting in to much).

The last day we all went in so I could take a few shots. For her first climb for me she tackled the hardest wall- the arch.

I was impressed when I saw how far she got on it, and how when she reached for the next notch, she slipped, but held on and swung her legs back so she could reach the big orange notch before falling. I've climbed this arch before with Michael- Kynlee got farther on it then us. I've got to get out there and beat her!

For her next climb, she wanted to show me how it's fun to climb blindfolded.

The owner of the place just had a baby the day before Maeleya, his third and the oldest is three! We bonded a little. He let Easton and Ander do a climb at the end.

Easton by nature is a bit timid and cautious, but I think having a sibling- and now two siblings- that are fearless pushes him to do things he might have not done had he been an only child.

Did you know they have full body harnesses so your two-year-old can climb? Ander loves it, I think he'd do it all day if he could.

After seeing all this, I got thinking that Kynlee may end up in an extreme sport unless I intervene. Another favorite sport of hers is swimming- nice, smooth, safe lap swimming. I think we'll start steering her that way.

The Help

2011-08-07T13:12:00.001-07:00

Her name is officially Maeleya Ona. I had to keep saying it out loud for a while to get it right. May-lee-uh, Mae comes from my side, Ona comes from Michael's. Whenever I tell someone her name I feel like I should start singing Mele Kalikimaka.

Thanks for all the congratulations. Whew, we made it through a month. It seems when you have a newborn that's all you worry about- but then there's a whole house full of other things to worry about. Fortunately, Michael took a week off work and took over the older three kids. After he went back in, Michael's dad came. Can I just say how impressed I am that a father-in-law would even think to come and help with kids without a wife? He worked hard entertaining so I could focus on Maeleya. He did music with them and played card games- his two favorite things.

On Sunday, my parents also made it into town and we blessed her while we had family here. Then she got very sleepy, I'll have to try another photo shoot with her dressed up and awake.

My parents stayed at my sister's house- she's about a mile away from me, and we all got together that night. I unfortunately didn't break out the camera much- I was a bit occupied.

A tradition in Michael's family is to run after the car when company leaves and bark like a dog. I like it, we started doing it with my family. The first time we tried it we got some strange looks.

Don't be mistaken by this photo, my mom hardly sat, she was working hard cleaning and cooking most of the time.

We love Maeleya! Thank you for the help, the gifts, and meals everyone!

First Looks at Baby

2011-07-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

We had a baby! And it DID turn out to be a girl!

She is splotchy, scraped, bruised, and brand new beautiful. She is handling her new world with a lot of sleep and easily calms down right now.

Lots of hair...

Long thin fingers...

Long feet.

Here she is still in me. I didn't have any full term pictures, so we snapped one in the hospital parking lot on the way in- you've got to have at least one! It was my easiest labor and delivery. I started consistent contractions the night before, tried to sleep for most of the night and take it easy, had a good family breakfast, dropped the kids off at Lisa's, did some power walks around the hospital with Michael to keep the contractions progressing, and checked in. It was my first epidural experience- which was awesome. Apparently she came out fast enough to be bruised on her face, poor baby. She was 8 pounds 8 ounces at birth, just beating out both boys but over a pound less then her sister. Whalla, wish us luck! (I don't have a name yet).

And the gender is...

2011-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are officially announcing that we have unofficially decided the baby will be a girl, 50 percent chance it's a boy, but we are sticking with a girl. Michael and I found a vacant ultra sound room over the weekend. We are pretty confident we found the bladder, and we moved down a bit...it was all a blob to me really. I think I'll take a white outfit to the hospital, but I'm only coming up with girl names. If it is a boy, poor guyser may come home without a name. I haven't done any prep work, but with just a few weeks to go I better start cracking. I've got my to do list written up at least...

Summer Weeks

2011-06-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Michael has been to work only about four hours these last two weeks. Might I recommend two full time parents? It's awesome. He's been Mr Mom, cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids. The other day he got after me for leaving something on the kitchen counter because he had just cleaned it up. He stopped mid sentence and said "I'm really nagging aren't I... I have become a woman."
I love it.

The kids have had great days. We really are lucky to live where we do, it's just the environment I'd picture for kids to grow up in. Our cul-de-sac has great neighbors, the kids play and ride bikes with each other. They swim at our neighborhood pool, and fish in the neighborhood ponds. One garage has been designated the Animal Club where they have frogs, crabs and a guinea pig they take care of. I just sit out on my lawn chair and watch them romp around.

School Endings

2011-06-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

Easton's co-op mom's preschool- wisely named MAPP (Mother's of Advanced Preschool Prep) ended a couple of weeks ago. I started with this group just before Easton turned 3, three years ago. I had Kynlee in a separate co-op and a newborn strapped to me, but I felt like he could really benefit socially from it. There were five kids in the group. The first year we just met once a week for a couple of hours, the next two years we met twice a week for two and a half hours. The kids got to do some really fun things, they were totally spoiled, and all the moms were able to let their individual talents and wisdom shine. He's going to realize how good he had it when he hits Kindergarten. We coordinated the topics we wanted to cover and carefully made a daily schedule, and planned some great field trips. I'm glad he could be a part of it all.

We met one last time in the evening when all the husbands could be there and other siblings so they could look through their work from the past year and see some musical performances as well as a short play. Thanks to all the awesome moms!

On another note, as I mentioned before, I was totally worthless for about five months of this pregnancy. When we came back from Christmas break, I felt like I should get the boys involved with something other than watching me mope around a neglected house. Easton was playing video games too much of the time, and Ander was getting into everything he shouldn't be getting into. I felt like I was saying no no too much at an age where I should be catering to their exploring and learning. I found a Montessori preschool with awesome teachers where Ander and Easton could be together. I signed them up to attend a few days a week for a few months. Easton was a champ doing both the co-op and the Montessori. It was hard having them away from me a lot, and sometimes we'd skip a Friday to hang out, but I really think they both benefited from being there while I put things back together at home. Aside from the money, I really like the Montessori schools. I think it was better for Easton to be able to do activities that catered to his interests and what he needed to be challenged on individually rather than be in a classroom that made everyone do the same thing whether they could or not. For Ander, it gave him a chance to always be busy about doing, in a clean organized place. I bought three great books on the method and plan on doing things with all the kids this summer.

I followed them around a couple of mornings to see what they did. Ander really hogged the camera and would hardly let me escape to take pictures of Easton. I loved watching what they did on their own without me giving any commands.

House slippers.

Group show and tell on their favorite work.

This is skip counting with beads.

They got a snack two at a time on their own, and cleaned up their area by themselves without any teacher (or mom) promptings.

The morning I spent the most time there, Easton worked mainly on his workbook which he loved. It was really surprising to me, since he tried to avoid doing any writing or reading with me for a while. Now he enjoys it- I think because he realizes he can do it.

Almost Here...

2011-06-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

One more official day of school- summer days are in the air!

Welcome Home

2011-06-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Michael took his oral board certification test last Wednesday in Louisville. Every Radiologist resident in their final year took it that week. He took the written portion in the Fall- which felt like a lot of study time, it was nothing compared to the hours he put in for orals.

Kynlee made a sign and prepared a little treat table for him all on her own by the front door while I was nearly napping upstairs. True to his word, we haven't seen him since Christmas break. No exaggeration, the only day of the week we spent with him was Sunday. Every Monday morning I just had to suck it up and know that I was a single parent for the next six days. I think I would make a terrible single parent. We've all missed him.

Wednesday night he came home looking tired and thin, like he had spent nearly half a year in a dark room on nothing but Radiology- oh wait, he had. We couldn't really party until we knew if he passed.

BUT, Friday afternoon he got the good news. Whew, I guess it was worth it. Now he's mowing the lawn, going on bike rides, and spending time with the family again- thank goodness!

Tangled

2011-05-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Kynlee loved the movie Tangled. After she watched it, she discovered if she used my baby wrap thing I had made a while back, it could look like long hair. At first they just used it indoors for pretend games. The boys would climb up it to rescue her or she would use it to rescue them. It didn't take too long though for her to get the idea to shimmy up trees and neighbors' playsets with it. A favorite has been to swing on our pergola beams. As long as I don't discover her sitting on top of the pergola again...

I admit I got a new camera and keep thinking of things to take pictures of.

(Don't worry, it's not wrapped around her neck)

Just the other day Michael was grumbling about the hair "Can't we stop her from swinging around with that." I think it's just another Kynlee thing. We can't stop them all. Easton plays video games, and Kynlee... climbs large wooden structures with yards of fabric.

Reading Cafe

2011-05-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

There was an open house at Kynlee's school this week. Each grade was doing something. The 1st graders had a Reading Cafe. I thought it was a cute idea- and I took a bunch of pictures. The kids served their family cookies and books. Kynlee wore a hat because she thought all servers wore hats. We got to pick from a list Kynlee had made with the story's description. While we munched on our cookie, Kynlee read us three books. Then she told me it would cost us a dollar- sneaky girl wanted to just pocket some money. It was just me and the boys- Michael was in Louisville getting ready for the big day.

I've been impressed with her school, I feel like they do a lot more than what I did in 1st grade- not that I totally remember it. Now I will boast a little about her for my mom. Each year the school tests a handful of advanced students from each grade so they can adjust curriculum to fit their needs. Kynlee was the only one from her class her teacher picked. It made me and Michael glow a bit- especially since I haven't felt like I've worked with her enough academically. We got her test results back recently. Her highest area was abstract thinking- mmmm, no surprise.

Soccer Season

2011-05-21T10:57:00.000-07:00

We are in soccer season right now. Here's for all the out-of-state grandparents who wish they could go to their practices and games -highlight videos coming next month. AND this is for their dad- we haven't seen him since 2010, four days to board certification!!

Kynlee is on her 5th session and Easton's on his 4th. Kynlee has come a long way from just doing cartwheels on the field, and Easton's age is really getting the moves down. As with all new things, I used to have to drag Easton to practice- then five minutes into it he'd be all smiles. I'm so glad this season he actually looked FORWARD to it, he even gave his soccer ball a kiss.

Kynlee picks up on everything we stick her in quickly and loves it. Her only fault might be she is a bit overly energetic at times. I think she's crippled a couple of players. When she hits you it's a wall of muscle (I've experienced this, she has more muscle than I ever will) and Kynlee always bounces right back up while the other lays in a heap. More than once, she has told me after practice in a sad voice, "I think I accidentally hurt someone today."

Ten years from now I can see the girls admiring my cute soccer boy. I don't want them to actually talk to him, but they can admire from the sidelines.

Circus Performance

2011-05-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Kynlee had an end-of-the-year school music performance. It was a circus theme. I think she felt at home on stage. A few months ago she informed us she wanted to be a child actress and to also sing on stage. (?!)
I see she is not taking after her mother who prefers to be closer to the shadows.

I came up with the hat and glasses, and she coordinated the rest. Somehow a 3T Minnie Mouse dress came out of storage to be her shirt. Here she is with her cousin, nice to have cousins in school.

In other news:

I told Ander to go upstairs to get his shoes on. He got as far as putting on a Blue's Clues hat,

then he insisted on wearing it to the grocery store... funny boy.

The Great Mystery

2011-05-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Looks like a blob, doesn't it? This is my fourth and I still think it looks like a blob. I mean really, couldn't they come up with a better picture to send me home with?

Then I turned it sideways, and it looks like a thumbs up. Rascal.

I took all the kids in for the halfway ultra sound because... well, I'm not sure. For some reason it seemed like it might be fun to find out the gender with them. Kynlee and Ander were on the tail end of a stomach bug, so I didn't feel like another mom could watch them, and what's Easton along with the other two?

I forgot how long the Ultrasound Tech spends doing the important work before telling you the gender. When the kids didn't find out in the first five minutes if it was a boy or girl their attention needed to turn elsewhere. It turned to things like... the fun spinning, rolling chair they have in every medical office, or the automated water faucet, or the curtain that can roll/whip from side to side- good for energetic puppet shows. Kynlee was on her hands and knees acting like a lion at one point making the boys scream -loudly. There wasn't much enforcing on my commands I could do being constrained to the bed without a hubby there to help. When Ander started undressing himself, all I could do was laugh.

In hind sight, I should have made it well known to the Tech how deeply grateful I was for three children and how honored I felt to be able to have a fourth. I'm not sure that came clearly across. We were all bummed too when we couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl- well the kids were until they got a lollipop and some stuffed animals (creepy hospital germ filled toys). When I got home, I grabbed my Radiologist husband by the shirt and told him he needed to figure out what we were having.

This story to be continued...

(Report: Follow-up ultra sound negative. Baby twisting and turning- foot blocking view, still don't know... hubby? Where are you?)

Thankfully

2011-04-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

I love it when I find a random picture on my laptop I didn't know was being taken. Here's to the one child that doesn't toss and turn for hours and enjoys going to bed. He helps keep the night time routine a bit more sane.

Yes I do

2011-04-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

My mom asked if I looked pregnant now... yep. That would explain not blogging as well. I feel like I put myself on bed rest for the last 5 months. It sounds lame, but I’ve been tired people! For a few months, all systems would start shutting down around 6 in the evening and I would feel like I had the flu. Some nights I’d crawl into bed after the kids were down without brushing my teeth or changing my clothes. Couple that with Michael studying for boards and being gone from 6 in the morning to 9 at night for five months and you’ll find me bursting out to him that “I’m ready to quit it all.”

Don’t panic though, it got his attention, but even in the moment I said it I wasn't sure exactly what I meant and knew I didn’t really want to quit anything. As with most struggles, things are getting a little easier with time. I have some of my old get up and go in recent days. Now I just need to put back in order what went wild during the tough times.

A bit of Ice

2011-02-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is for the family out of state. Here are a few shots of the ice around. My camera battery was dead, so I snapped a few with my laptop, but they were fuzzy and didn't show much, so I borrowed a few from friends that put some on Facebook. Hope they don't mind, but they take better pics than me!

You can't tell with this laptop photo, but the backyard is about a foot of solid ice.

Kynlee and Ander carefully making their way across our ice skating rink.

I really need to start parking in the garage.

This photo is from a friend who has a cool photo blog- go here: two365.blogspot.com to see more.

Merry Christmas Post

2011-01-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

A little late, but non-the-less, Merry Christmas everyone. I really meant to get cards out this year. I love receiving them from all the family and friends. I am not too on top of it these days, but, I got the design good to go for next year- just need to swap in some updated head shots of the kids.

Here is our most recent, decent, family picture:

Looking at the picture made me think back to when Michael and I first married, we married our last semester of undergrad. After we graduated, we borrowed my parents full size van (because we couldn’t afford anything U Haul related) and drove three days to a new city, with $1,500, no jobs waiting, and no place to live. We quickly found a small one bedroom apartment, and moved in a desk, card table, bookshelf, and rocking chair. Not long later we picked up a dresser from the side of the road, and were given an old futon to sleep on. That’s right, 6’5” male 5’9” female sleeping on a futon, which also doubled as our couch when guests came over. It was a humble beginning, but it was ours, and it was fun.

After SEVEN years of married we bought our first home, had our first washer and dryer, AND we had a dishwasher. I was weeping tears of joy for modern conveniences. We will celebrate TEN years this month. Looking back, there has been slow but steady progress in material things, but I can also see progress in ourselves in principles and virtues that we’ve learned and practiced over the years. We do feel blessed to be where we are, and WE ARE HAPPY.

Bethlehem Church Activity

2010-12-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

I'm dedicating a blog entry to our church Christmas party because I thought it was so well done. The invitations were scrolls telling us we needed to come to Bethlehem to be taxed and to wear proper attire. The day of the party I pulled out my scrap fabric box and came up with something I didn't have to sew, this:

I was married to a Roman soldier. I wish I had a picture of him standing up, it was a good outfit some clever person came up with. He had a little "Hear ye, hear ye..." part at the beginning of the program.

This is a picture of my brother-in-law, he was the Census taker. I wish I had a picture of their family, they were the first ones I saw as we walked up to the booth to sign in on a scroll and they looked so cute.

We were given a little bag of coins to use at different booths. They had a market with chicken and loaves of bread, grapes and cheese, and desserts:

It was funny seeing everyone in Biblical attire. Hopefully they don't mind me sticking their picture on my blog.

The YW took turns being the water well girl.

They also had tents with games for the kids, making bead bracelets, making little pots (out of magic model clay), writing Hebrew and a spice jar shop. They even had a tailor shop were you could get clothing if you didn't show up with any:

That's Kynlee in the blue. It was a little hard finding your own children, their outfits started blending together.

That guy is actually Jewish, he married a Mormon- what a cool couple.

Then we all sat down and watched a nativity program.

The church was decorated so well, I wish I had taken all of my cul-de-sac with us. They really out did themselves and it really felt like a market we were bustling around in. It cracks me up to watch Ander. He just has to go along with things. OK, you want to put that on my head and we're going here and it's all normal apparently. Behind Ander you can see a little of Michael's soldier outfit, the skirt thing and cape.

I told the activity leader that we should do that activity every couple of months, that probably would make her faint, but well done.

Hair Tales

2010-12-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

A few years ago my hair was the shortest I had ever cut it, about here:

Then I started growing it long, and I wondered how long I could get it for a nice donation. I got here:

I don't know how women get it to their waist. It was already getting in the way of things. The kids kept sitting on it, Michael pulled out a chunk when he took Ander from my arms, I found apple stickers hanging out, one day I walked out to get the mail and came back with a spider dangling from the end. It was time to cut...

There it is. A done deal. I was wimpy in the moment and didn't go as short as before, but now that I made the first step, I'm ready for the second.

I may even go to the length Michael sported in college:

That's seriously him,

awesome.

Yes, I'm here to see Dr. Walker...

'Tis the Season to be...

2010-12-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

That's right. It is not the season for me to think I'm justified in spending a lot of money like it has been in the past. Frugal is the word on my mind. We have enough of that, we can do without that, I don't NEED any of that...

We've had a lot of out-of-the-ordinary expenses in the last 6 months, and December is a bit bleak. January looks brighter, so I just need to hold on through this month. We'll have to make the magic happen this season on small amounts, which will be good for me to go back to my non spendy ways for a time.

They Felt Awesome...

2010-10-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Parent Teacher Conference

2010-10-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

I met with Kynlee's first grade teacher last week. I'm so glad she's doing well. Kynlee's teacher let her assess herself before the meeting. I think she feels good about her school performance:

Walking into the meeting I couldn't help think about how Kynlee traditionally has been the kid to make us pull our hair out. Her energy level, do-it-my-way attitude, night time rebellions, and creative ideas, have done us in many days in the past years. Her kitchen cooking experiments that have included mixing whole flour and sugar containers, creating bread paste from all the loaves in the pantry, and food coloring attempts were enough, add in kicking out window screens, creating "snow" from drilling into sheetrock, frosting the Christmas tree with flour, cutting open a feather pillow, and checking out what a roll of toilet paper added to the bath along with the entire shampoo bottle contents would do. You get the idea.

It turns out Kynlee is a very well behaved student. Her teacher said she can always count on Kynlee to be doing the right thing at the right time. Good girl.

My only concern is what she said here:

"sad" "scared" With "aaaaaa" ???

Her teacher asked her about why she was sad and she said she missed her mom- I must rock. I asked her why she was scared, and she calmly said "Oh, just like...tornadoes."

Well, OK, I guess a natural disaster fear is fine.

NIFS

2010-10-13T19:11:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd post a preschool field trip. I haven't talked about my MAPP group (Moms of Advanced Preschool Prep) rightfully named by one mom. I'm so glad my sister introduced me to a mom's preschool group when I first moved here, and so glad I've been fortunate to be involved with awesome groups for both Kynlee and Easton. My children and I have really benefited from the talents and ideas of the other moms. It's great to find parents that have the same morals and drive for their kids. This year I'm in a group with four other moms, we teach two days a week and rotate around to the different houses. We just finished our health and nutrition section and topped it off with a trip to the National Institute for Fitness and Sport.

I'd show you images of my week of teaching- but it really was a bit nerdy- I covered anatomy. All I can say though, is Easton can tell you the shape and function of the body's major organs. Ha! I love it. He walked into my room when I was cutting out felt shapes for kidney, kidney bean, bean bags and said "Why are there all these kidney's laying around?"

Pictures provided by our designated preschool mom photographer. You see what I mean by benefiting from the talents of others?

Big Trip Catch Up Post

2010-09-28T10:21:00.001-07:00

Playdough in the toes helps pass the time.

I lost my camera cord for a while, whew, blogging is hard to keep up. Can I talk about early in July? Yes, it's been in draft status for a while. It's a good story. We crammed into our trusty 96' Camry to drive through many states to get to a sweet little spot tucked just into Montana that all my Dad's side knows and love. All my siblings, all their spouses, all their children, my parents and grandfather were able to fit into the family cabin and enjoy a little time on the lakeside.

Much of the car ride looked like this:

When we stopped for our first break on the road, my back hurt, my knees were cramped and I heard Kynlee mutter "Finally we get a break." We had been on the road an hour and forty five minutes. We had twenty fourish to go. When the kids asked if we were close, Michael said "We're going to drive all day today,

and tomorrow....

we'll still be very far away."

Painful, yes. But good moments on the way. We happened to be here on the 4th of July. Go country!

The cabin was worth all the pain of the road. (Might I quickly insert, that if you would like a hotel/motel room in South Dakota, please note that you will drive from one end of the state to the other end of the state, stopping in every town only to find no available rooms. Not only are there no rooms, they will laugh at you when you say you have no reservations. No worries though, just pull into a rest stop after crossing the border and sleep for a few hours crunched over in your seat with one eye on a thug who might rob you and one arm around a little one who needs comforting).

Here are my parents, grandpa and siblings:

We did some of this:

and this:

and this:

and the kids did this:

and this:

It was great seeing the cousins all together.

Being in that environment made me think if you surround children with beauty they can't help but be beautiful.

It turned out this was our last time with my grandpa.

Beautiful timing though. Just before the trip, he turned 90 and we all wrote him a little note. Then we got to spend a week with him all together. He returned to his home in California shortly after that, golfed a couple times the week he passed, and was visiting some good friends in his front room when the moment came. Quick and easy, and he was ready to go.

I flew out for the funeral and took freebie Ander along. It was good to see the relatives there and see a beautiful closing to my grandpa's inspiring life. It was a quick and tiring trip, but I was glad I could go.

On a material sort of note: in the future we will be taking trips in this:

Our new car! Horray! We made it to the new century!

Don't worry little Camry, Michael will still commute to work with you.

Little Protege, it looks like this is goodbye :(

And in the future if I happen to ever fly first class again, Lisa and I will now know what to do when the flight attendant offers us a steamy hot washcloth with a pair of tongs. I may even put a few in the bathroom for guests in the future.

Race Tales

2010-07-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big day. We had a lot of races. Michael competed in his second triathlon. He did great on the swim and bike. The run ...he probably does not want to talk about the run.

During the last leg he thought,
"I don't ever want to do this race again."
After he finished he thought,
"I know I can do better!"

He signed up for his next triathlon that same night. I thought he did really well though, he made two of his goals, beat his old race time and beat my race time. I'll have to catch him in August.

The Running Walkers competed again in our county's version of The Amazing Race all day Saturday. Since Michael double booked himself unknowingly, I got my sister Lisa to step in and pair with me. We did awesome! Who came home with second place and a cash prize of $250? That's right, US. The big M and L. I think it was a combination of Lisa's brain power and my endurance. A shout out to our friends the Francis' who won the first park prize and got our game going.

And now I admit by ten o'clock that night I already spent my half of the earnings on a little house item I'd been eying. (The sale was ending, I had to act!)

On another note, Ander jumped his crib for the first time ten minutes after we laid him down for bed that night. Mayday mayday mayday! We have just lost nap and bedtime control!

(I may have to resort to locked bedroom doors.)

What Do You Do In the Summer Time...

2010-07-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Whew, this is a dusty blog. I've been cleaning my house and the blog has been neglected. I came across this in Kynlee's school journal:

Looks nice right? I want to do a little of that this summer. For the record I thought I'd post some things. One of Kynlee's favorite time of year is garage sell day. What do you think of when you hear the words garage sell?

That's right, face masks and karaoke machines.

Exactly what I was thinking.

It turns out the night before our neighborhood garage sell Kynlee was lamenting the fact she just missed buying a karaoke machine with her own money last year. When I spotted one the next morning I knew my heart couldn't deny helping her with the money a little to get it. Twenty minutes into her singing on the front porch with the neighborhood friends I wondered if there should be a rule about outside voices as well.

All simple Easton got out of the garage deal was a freebie face mask. Turns out people are willing to give away their junk for free if kids look longingly at things with empty pockets. I thought it was a crack-up he thought this old beat up purple bedazzled mask with a yellow feather was so awesome.

I'm just hoping no one makes a comment that the mask doesn't quite scream missile shooting, mind blowing super hero power.

On another note, Michael had a week off work. We didn't leave town- trying to save those nickels and dimes for a later expense- but we had fun with things nearby. Of course it needed to include water.

It took Kynlee a little push and five feet down the slide to conquer all fears and decide she loves water slides.

Easton is not afraid to get his face wet, hooray!

And most of my shots of Ander seem to look like this, doesn't really want to turn around for the camera.

To show that I try as a mom, here's my last topic. Kynlee wanted to throw a summer party and get back together with some of her kindergarten friends. She drew up a picture and I made an invitation out of it:

I'd show you the cute water balloons hanging from the pergola, a snap shot of the kids throwing water balloons at each other, maybe a couple of them kicking a giant ball squirting water, and I would definitely include a shot of Kynlee with her friends at the picnic table eating cake with cool whip and strawberries. Alas, I forgot when you are the mom hosting the party your hands are a little too busy for snap shots. It will just have to be a memory.

Kentucky Heritage

2010-05-02T21:19:00.001-07:00

I happened to be in Kentucky last Saturday, not for the race, but it got me thinking...

A part of Michael's family comes from a small town in Kentucky. Every three years this side gets together for Thanksgiving. Here is a shot of the originals at a Thanksgiving long ago:

Michael made an appearance in this 1933 image. He's in the back, second one in from the right. It's a little hard to tell, but he's about the spitting image of his grandfather. I never meet him, but from the photos I've seen it seems like the pair even stand the same hips-out-chin-up sort-of way. Michael's just missing the Southern drawl which he lost at 19 when he left home and people started making fun of him.

I'm not sure how many lines the reunion now days involve, but there are about a hundred people at the gatherings. Can you find us?

(I need to talk to Michael's mother's double cousin about sending slightly higher resolution images.)

Anyway, there are a lot of people walking around that look like each other and they always come prepared with great stories and photos to share. You might think they were Mormon, but no, just a group of people that love family. I think I look forward to the reunions more than Michael.

So long story wrapping up, as I was driving through Kentucky I thought, mmm, maybe I'll make Mimmie's Derby Piii (because she does not pronounce the "e") and watch the Kentucky Derby with the kids.

And so, I did.

Singing

2010-04-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Michael sang in a duet for an Easter program our stake had. I thought he did great. I took a bad audio recording of it with my camera, (kid voices included) but wanted to get it up for the family to hear. I'm going to try and find a better recording. The lady sings first. Don't you think he should sing more often for things?

This is a video you can actually see him singing in. Kynlee heard him practicing for a ward talent show last Fall and wanted to join with him. She only had a few days to work with him on it, but they both did great. She sings a lot with Michael. It was Kynlee's dream to sing up on a stage. She even tried throwing in a little vocal run at the end : ) I was holding wiggly Ander, I know the recording is the pits! But they were awesome.

A Different Easter

2010-04-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

This year our Easter was quite a bit different. I've been trying to work on traditions that seem to celebrate Easter. I saw this sheep at Target and thought the design of it was so cool I had to buy it. I told Michael it's my duty to support good design (if I had any picture taking skills you would see that he actually is pretty awesome). I decided he could be our Easter sheep and only come out at Easter time. When the kids woke up Sunday, he was sitting on the couch. They asked about him and I told them that he had a story. Kynlee said very energetically, "Oh, you mean the one about the guy that cut off all the arms protecting the sheep?"

Uh, no, not quite the Easter story I was looking for...

So this year's sheep story was the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Ander and Easton played the roll of the 99 sheep, and Kynlee was the shepherd looking for the lost sheep. She affectionately carried him back home on her shoulders. They love him and have named him Sheepy.

I saw some cute wiggly wooden fish at the store a few weeks before Easter and thought they could definitely tie in with the holiday. I bought a bunch to do with the cousins, but the schedules didn't work out so we just painted as many as we wanted. I told them the story of Christ telling the fishermen, Peter and Andrew to follow him and become fishers of men.

Ander wants to do everything we do, he even seemed to stop painting and look at me so I could take his picture, kind-of made me chuckle.

Bless all the little fishies, even the red belly piranha Kynlee wanted to paint.

Because of some things going on, we had an unplanned family fast Sunday. We told the kids the night before we would be fasting. They wanted to do it too, although I knew about three hours into it they would max out. We just encouraged them not to eat any extra things like treats. I decided it would be pointless to tempt them with Easter baskets in the morning. I never said anything, and they seemed to never think about it.

This next tradition has been in the works for a few years. One year, I decided that teaching the kids to be disciples of Christ on Easter would be a good tradition. For a week we marked down all the good things they did. My younger sister was thinking about that idea during a lesson on the Parable of the Ten Virgins. She thought it would be neat if each person could add oil to their own lamp for each good deed. Last year I got the lamps, but didn't get around to the oil-- bad virgin. This year we got to burn them. The kids thought it was the coolest thing.

It was a little strange not to have big meals and tasty treats, and the day seemed to quietly go by, but it was a nice different. I'm not sure how much the kids were able to apply the stories, but maybe on down the road they'll figure it out.

Memphis Weekend

2010-03-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

We took a spontaneous trip to Memphis over the weekend to visit Michael's brother. We didn't get in until Friday night and drove out Sunday afternoon. It was a bit of a whirlwind. We lived the first five years of our marriage in the city. When we left it nearly four years ago, I didn't think we would ever see it again. It was fun to relive memories there. I think the kids thought it intriguing to see the city they were born in. We lived in the heart of midtown with all it's charms and crazyness. We drove by their first home, and took them places we would regularly visit. They got to walk around in those places they could only remember from old pictures and videos. Unfortunately I forgot the camera, and just was able to snap a fuzzy picture with our phone by the Mississippi River for record of the trip.

Even though it was not a trip for pleasure, the kids found joy with nearly every step.

Old Memories:

Outside of our apartment.

Don't you want to sit in that sunroom and write poetry all day?

These are from a video we took when Kynlee was just turning one.
It's a park a block from our old place I used to walk to weekly.
Kynlee's watched the home movie a dozen times. She was really excited
to see the place again in person.

Old Bern dog. We did a lot with Michael's brother while we lived there.
We all had a place together for about a year and a half.

The China Study

2010-03-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

If I am like my grandmother, I have cancer in my body already and I will lose the battle before I reach 40. If I am like my mother, I will survive cancer, but it will take several battles over many years, and some things will physically never heal.

For any book reader out there, I'd like an opinion. This book was recommended to me. I am glad I took the time, it's well worth the read- worth a checkout from the library, a borrow from me, or the ten dollars it will cost to buy one new. It took me about twenty pages to get into it, but now I am glad to feel like I am not just a walking time bomb. There's significantly more I can do to help. I thought I'd throw this out there since we all face scary medical issues in the unknown future, and since we all know people who have or are currently going through some major health issue. It's not just another nutrition book. Dr hubby is right there with me on this one. For those in the LDS faith, the study seems to go right along with section 89, and made me see wording in that section I had never noticed before. I think as a whole our church culture has not noticed this wording either, at least the culture in this country.

If you do read it, let me know your thoughts!

Star Wars

2010-02-17T21:23:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before there have been some Lego Star Wars video games going on in our household. Things are actually slowing down a bit since all the different levels have been covered. (Maybe the brains can start reshaping.) The kids have now started an interest in physical Legos though. I had not bought any in the past, but the Star Wars ones are pretty cool. I knew there were strange Star Wars fans out there, but I didn't know there were obsessed Lego Star Wars fans. It's a crazy world I've embarked on. Who knew I'd be involved in an Ebay bidding battle for some hand painted, customized Lego characters that have become my children's favorites...a mother's love.

Introducing Easton's man:

Jango Fett, the renowned human bounty hunter and Mandalorian warrior adoptee- not to be confused with the more readily available Boba Fett.

And Kynlee's:

Togruta Jedi Master, Shaak Ti- not to be confused with the highly commercialized, also more readily available, Ahsoka, Anakin's padawan in the Clone Wars. (Oh the lingo.)

I have to admit, they are very intriguing people. Easton tears up the levels with Jango's double blasters and flying pack.

And who can deny Shaak Ti, a little alienish yes, but what girl wouldn't like a large pearl decoration attached to her forehead.

It's a little early to start sewing, but the kids have decided this is what they want to be for Halloween. Kynlee already prepared a sewing basket for me with all she thought necessary to get the project done:

Brighter, Greener, Happier

2010-02-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Ahh, the warmth, the sun, bare feet, and bug catching.

Short sleeves...

and rock digging.

Then I woke up:

Ha! We're in the middle of winter!
BUT, I had some good sleep this week- a rarity. It's amazing how much brighter, greener, and happier things appear. I've got a tune in my head and a skip to my step. I thought, "Maybe I'll update that old blog of mine."

The holidays seem FOREVER ago, but I promised to post some things from it. After Christmas, we headed South to Michael's side. Maybe you grew up singing a barbershop trio of the Star Spangled Banner with your siblings, but I didn't!
I was a little shy to sing songs around the piano on my first trip to meet my in-laws, but I about fell to the floor when Michael's dad tried to give me my own pitch and part! My weak little voice finds other jobs to do when the singing starts now, like camera man:

The Walker side:

I would show you our cute family picture around the Christmas tree, but we don't have one.

And I would show you how perfect our tree was, but by the time we found the tree farm we were looking for the best tree silhouette:

The doll for Kynlee was a hit, so much so if I had known I may have sprung for the American Girl brand... may have.
With Easton we could have stopped at the Lego Star Wars video game and pjs. One word, obsession. I'm glad I caught the spontaneous present kiss on camera.

Kynlee's Growing

2009-12-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Kynlee recently turned six, aahhhh my little one. She also recently lost four teeth. Seems crazy she has lost 7 teeth- OK one was knocked out, but still I didn't expect it until after Kindergarten. She is the type to really work a tooth once it is loose. I jokingly mentioned tying a string to the tooth and to the door knob to pull it out- not even an hour later I saw her stringing it up. Those little teeth my not have come out exactly naturally, but I do see some new sprouts. AND the tooth fairy has been very faithful- she even had to step it up and leave a fancy tiny fairy quality note along with the prize. That started a correspondence. Kynlee left gifts in return and invited her to her birthday party, among other things, she asked her what her first name was and if she went to church. Love that girl.

(Notice the hat. She loves it. Not normally something I would buy, but I couldn't resist her face when she put it on and remarked how beautiful it looked.)

Happy Friday

2009-11-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

Had some good food, saw some family, and now it's Friday. Am I headed out to shop? Nah, Michael's working, and shopping in the madness holding on to three little ones sounds so very appealing. A few years ago we went to a family reunion on Thanksgiving in a small Kentucky city. The Friday after we were lazying about and I said,

"Maybe I'll go do a little Christmas shopping."
Michael said, "Mmm, the day after Thanksgiving...
yeah, should be a good day to shop,
most people probably just stay at home."
!!!!!

Oh right, my blog

2009-11-15T18:26:00.000-08:00

(I thought the photo might get your attention, I'll explain later)

It has been a little while since I posted. I had to get serious about getting some things done. I'll play a little catch up though.

Several weeks ago a mischievous plan of mine came about, well in part anyway. I thought this was a new idea, but looking back at an old journal entry shows that I had thought of this not long after my first baby was born. The idea? A week at home alone. I didn't want to take a trip without my family, just wanted to be at home where all my projects were. Nearly six years without a 24 hour stretch to yourself takes a toll. Think of all the things I could get done! I pictured it like an Extreme Home Makeover episode. All my cleaning, and organizing, decorating, odd projects, all things getting taken care of.

How was this to come about? Could I convince my husband? I wouldn't want him to go on a fun trip without me and take the kids. Would he survive out there alone with all three little ones? It would never happen. Forget about it.

Then, hubby started talking about a trip back to his homeland and the wheels in my head started turning. Safe environment, he would have help...I didn't want to miss out on the trip though. To wrap this story up, I convinced him to make the 8 hour car trip after work on a Friday- hoping the kids would mainly sleep- and I would fly in Tuesday morning. Not quite a week, but still some time.

So, what would you do with the freedom of three full days to yourself? It might only happen once every 6 years, so think about it carefully. I love my family, but I admit it was kind of fun. However, I worked so hard. I didn't let myself turn the TV on, or pick up a book, no internet surfing, no leaving home to shop, I wanted only progress. I barely stopped to eat- and they were quick meager meals. By the end of the time, I was exhausted. I decided I needed to get back to my family before I made myself sick. I was able to crawl out of the project hole a little though, so that was good. Basically I learned what I kept telling myself before. The success to seeing progress and having an organized life comes with the daily habits, not in crazy hard three day stretches.

While on our trip we rode The Incline Railway. A touristy thing to do that Michael had never done because he was from there. Built in 1895 with an incline of 72% at one point, to take people up to the peak to view old Civil War battlegrounds. My dislike of major heights, and Michael's care for his life may may make this our first and only ride. The photo's not great, but you can see how far below the city looks at the top of the picture.

I threw these in for kicks. Everyone's always playing with my laptop's picture taking effects. A little distortion goes a long way.

and just so you remember how we normally look:

Pre K Olympics

2009-09-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last year my sister got me thinking about doing an Olympics for our church pre k playgroup. It was fitting with Beijing. No real reason to do it this year, other than I thought it was fun and wanted to try it again. Prepare for a lot of pictures, but they are cute.

As the kids rolled in, we had them make torches.

Next, we had our march and lighting of the Olympic flame (with inspiring music).

Notice the baby on the hip -the whole time!

You may have a use for that old bent hula hoop and crib sheet after all.

The flame is burning, let the games begin!

The athletes gather for the 20 meter dash

False start or superstar?

After the race, we awarded the kids with crepe paper bands. After each event, they received a star on the band. At the end, we added their medals to them.

Preparation for the stoic in the field events.

A day for the young, and younger...

with the youngest cheering them on.

Shot Put

Javelin (straws)

Discus (paper plates)

Long Jump

High Jump (jump up and mark the spot)

(notice baby still on the hip)

Relay

Medal ceremony. At the beginning, I had a friend -whom I call awesome Anna- take the kids' pictures with her Instax camera (today's Polaroid) by the flag. We then cut those to fit can lids. Whalla, a gold medal.
One thing solidified that day with my son, he is not a crowd/event person. He only started opening up after most of the kids had left. He's much better with just a few- as he stated to me afterwards when I asked if he had fun, "I had fun after all the people left."

His sister is very much the opposite. She couldn't wait to jump off the bus after morning kindergarten to see who was left and march around with a torch.

Well, that's a pre k event for you. Some will break down in tears, some will march to their own beat in the opposite direction, some will be digging in the corner of the sandbox, and some will love it all.

Go Girl and Go Hubby

2009-09-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

I did my triathlon last week. No after pictures on the arm muscles yet, I know you've all been excited to see the speed bump growth. Now that I've finished the endurance test, I'll try to bulk up with a little P90X (yeah baby!). Michael wasn't able to do a tri this summer- that ol' double back up thing for work got him. No pictures of the race, I was flying solo there. About the time I was running the last turnaround on the course, Michael was getting off a grueling 14 hour night shift (he's back on nights for the month!). So my thought for the day, if you want something, then you REALLY have to work for it, whatever it is, work, health, family...tidy house, most things come with sweat.

To Fictionize or Not

2009-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

You come from a family, and your husband comes from a family, and then you have a family together and you try to figure out what to do with it. We keep it an open discussion. When the holidays started rolling around after the kids came, I found myself asking “Who's the guy in the fluffy red suit?” and “What’s the point of the Easter bunny again?” I haven’t quite figured out their reason, so I decided to leave them out of our traditions.

Kynlee knocks out a tooth at the playground and asks about the tooth fairy. She’s picked up on this somewhere and catches me off guard- because she didn’t loose the tooth naturally and I wasn’t prepared to think about this tradition. Sure I’m for it. I love the idea of the tooth fairy. Added bonus, no conflicts with religion. Kynlee gets a little prize under her pillow. She naturally loses a tooth not long later- no problem, another prize.

Then Kynlee starts pounding me with questions about the tooth fairy. Who is she? How does she know me? How does she get in the house? So-in-so said the tooth fairy is really the parents, is that true? Is it you? You have the same wrapping paper. Just tell me, is it you?!

Now I realize my problem with fictional characters, I’m a terrible liar! I get flustered and shaky. I can’t take the pressure! Kynlee has three teeth loose right now and I’m about to buckle, “It’s ME all right! I love you and I want to give you a prize! No more questions! PLEASE!”

“and don’t tell your friends the truth.”

Bless Your Soles

2009-08-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

The season of flip flops has past, and the search for closed toe shoes has begun. Kynlee’s not so lean foot, high instep, and tall top add up to one beautiful shoe description, wide. Not just wide, but extra wide, and if we can find extra extra wide, even better. Reality hit a few years ago on Easter Sunday as I got Kynlee ready in her new outfit. I felt like I was cramming Drizella’s foot into Cinderella’s glass slipper. After her grandma found out she was running around barefoot at church due to pain, she told me, “Go buy that poor child some shoes that fit, whatever the cost!” With those words ringing in my ears, I have broken down, moved beyond my ten dollar limit, searched for clearance, couponed, you name it. This year, I found Stride Rite having a buy one get the second pair half off. Only $75 for two pair…whimper. Couldn’t do it Mom! Kynlee’s adorable feet are squeezing into Payless.

Kynlee's first trip on the bus, she has a neighborhood friend at least.

Looking a little nervous, so was I!

Tree House

2009-08-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

You wouldn’t think a small ornamental pear tree could be turned into a tree house, but I guess when you are four feet tall it can. It started becoming an idea the day before our community garage sell. Kynlee spent three dollars in change from her purse on a dozen knick knacks she thought fitting for her new hangout. Walla, a tree house in the making.

Please keep an eye on the infant while you take pictures of the older kids, and stop him from eating dirt.

While I was trying to set up a swing for the tree, I heard Kynlee call out “wahoo!” as she sped down the driveway. Seriously, she said wahoo. I looked over to see her riding my old mountain bike! I went from being scared, to laughing, to pushing the button on the camera I was holding. She was losing speed by the time she circled around, but I thought it was cute. Funny, dangerous 5-year-old.

Cap of the Moment

2009-08-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve been in a busy spell. At times throughout the day, I add to my head a design cap. I think we can all say we have some caps piled up on our heads, playing the roles that come our way. For four years now I’ve been working for my brother-in-law’s successful business, The Boston Shade Company. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? The project has been like another little baby of mine, I’ve been working on its image since the beginning moments. Strange to think it’s been ten years since I got my first design job. While we lived in Memphis for medical school, I was a graphic designer for a small design firm. I had a brief retirement, after our first was born, before I was brought back to the professional world (from home though, part-part-time). So here I am now, with my art director’s cap on while the kids roam free, trying to conduct work business on the phone while mischief happens. I am working on a new website, still like the current one, but time for an image update. So if you happen to drop by the house unexpectedly in the near future, don’t be alarmed at the small tornadoes that have hit inside. I’ll understand yours if you understand mine. I think they will all be cleaned up in a few weeks, and you can check out the updated Boston Shade look!

(A designer? What’s up with the look of your blog then? Maybe this has crossed your mind. Right now, it’s one thing I don’t want to worry about designing, you hear what I’m saying? Maybe in the future it will have a little more pizzazz, for now, it is doing just fine.)

The Running Walkers

2009-07-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

If you have a five gallon jug, and a three gallon jug, how will you be able to fill one with exactly 4 gallons of water? No eyeballing, give it some thought…it will come to you. Try finding and filling the jug under race pressure though, after spitting twenty cherry pits toward a container while being dizzy and winded and after trying to cross a creek with a couple of buckets, 2 x 4’s, bricks, and rope without getting wet. Yes, it’s our own local version of The Amazing Race, spread out over 5 county parks and 20 challenges. A friend gave us word on the race and we opted to do it. We were curious how we would work together under pressure. I’m proud to say, we discovered we work well as a team. The time together brought back fun dating moments that reminded me why I wanted to marry that man. Ahhhh, such love. My sister Lisa and her husband Leeland also raced. Michael said we were no match for their brain power, so we favored picking the physical challenges over the mental ones. Our team, cleverly named by Michael as “The Running Walkers” took 5th overall out of 36 teams or so and had the fastest time at one of the parks. Lunch and dinner along with a gift certificate and a day with my husband made for a nice memory. Word has it our picture will be in the newspaper. So if you know you can fold origami while blindfolded being directed by a man who’s never seen origami directions before, and you know what the common word between army and water is, join the race next year!

Ander Updates

2009-07-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

This one's for the family. I haven't made it out to Utah since I was pregnant, and Ander has not been introduced to many out there, including his Grandpa. So here are a couple of recent photos and a video clip.

We LOVE his blue eyes. We are all jealous of their awesomeness.

He squawks when he likes something- it cracks me up.

Off Nights!

2009-06-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

Michael has been working the 6 PM (notice PM) to 8 AM (notice AM) schedule for the past month. Basically when we saw him he was asleep. Now he's done! I told him to give a smile for the record. I was picturing something with a little more enthusiasm, it's like he's holding a tiny flag that says -yeah. It is what you might expect after 14 hour night shifts I guess. When does this residency thing end again?

(So I just noticed our couches are a nice shade of scrubs.)

Father's Day

2009-06-22T21:22:00.001-07:00

When Michael went on his mission, his home belongings didn’t fare too well. His sister totaled his car, his brother pawned his CD collection, and his dad gave away his nice golf bag he won in a father-son tournament raffle. He’s moved on from the first two, the latter I learned about just recently. For Father’s Day, I felt like I could replace his freebie 1970s bag he’s been using and upgrade him a bit. Now he’s got some style to go along with his skills. Anyone want the bag in the picture???

Leaf

2009-06-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

If you are out on a family stroll down a nature path, and you see some beautiful large leaves, think twice before you pick one for each kid, and triple think tickling your 3-year-old son's neck with one. That eye catching leaf might turn out to be poison ivy!

GUNS- Well muscle that is...

2009-06-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's another summer where I am not pregnant- wahoo! I have to take advantage of this mobile time. Michael and I are both planning on triathlons at the end of August. Michael's is a week before mine, same course. Deadlines help keep me motivated since it's easy to put off working out with all the mom business. Is it possible for that little speed bump on my arm to improve? Check back in 73 days for the after picture. I do have to hand it to Michael who has consistently worked out since the start of the year with his training for a half marathon. I got the man into endurance races- but he's still a golfer at heart.

A New Start

2009-06-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

OK. So I've decided to blog. Strange, but true. I created this blog as just a way to put up some photos and a bit of info for the grandparents last year. But, the grandparents don't really know about the internet. (If you happen to be reading this my favorite in-law parents, much love- this site's for you.)

This blog has been getting dusty for a while, which made me start thinking, maybe I should blog, maybe I'll be a blogger. I admit I thought it a little weird in the past, but it is a way to let people check out what's going on in your life, and I figure it may be good for me to keep a little record of our happenings. Enjoy if you happen to read!

2008-11-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

2008-11-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

stitched mouth

2008-10-01T18:22:00.001-07:00

Ander clip

2008-09-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ander William Walker

2008-09-13T22:06:00.001-07:00

Kynlee's preschool graduation

2008-05-21T17:59:00.001-07:00

For kicks I threw a little graduation for the preschool kids in Kynlee's group. I had the last week to teach, and thought it might be good closure for them. Kynlee didn't understand taking a break in the summer thing, so I think this helped. They had fun making their hats. Kynlee loved preschool and can't wait for it to start up again. She can't get enough of friends.

Kynlee at Gymnastics

2008-04-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

We knew Kynlee was a climber and had muscle. She got to show that off recently at her gymnastics. The warehouse type building has a rope from floor to ceiling with a bell at the top. The kids who can climb to the top and ring the bell get a prize. The rope swings and has no knots- tough to do. Her teacher said in her 9 years of teaching she's never seen a four year old be able to do it.