This year we got a Christmas tree!!! It's been several years since we've done one since we are often traveling over Christmas. Plus, last year we were literally moving ON Christmas Day! Another complication has been the fact that we wanted to be sure our tree did have something to do with CHRISTMAS - that it wasn't just a holiday tree. So, what we've decided to do is to decorate our tree gradually through Advent - each week adding ornaments that correlate with that week's theme. The first week was Hope and the Angels, this week is Peace and Mary, then we'll have Joy and Joseph, then Love and Shepherds and then Christ. On some of the ornaments we have to get a little creative: for instance, we have several beaded ornaments that I made in Jr. High and Tyler decided the should go on for "Hope" because they "made her feel hopeful". We also did several globe-shaped ornaments for "Peace on Earth". So far I'm really happy with the way it's working - it's nice to hold on to a Christmas tradition I love - a fresh tree and the lights turned on at night-time but have it have some meaning as we anticipate the celebration of Christ's birth.
So, currently I'm home from church with kidney stones! I never expected this and didn't realize how painful such a thing was! I sucessfully dehydrated myself on Friday and late that night started vomiting and then having serious pain in my left side. That went on for a few hours before I decided to go to the ER and Scott loaded the kids in the car at 3:30am and we were off! I was given something right away that took away the pain and nausea and went home after just a few hours. But, I was surprised how much pain I was in all day yesterday and it's still moderate pain today. But, I think I'm on the mend and Scott has successfully balanced carting me to and from the hospital, taking care of three kids, preparing to preach three sermons today and watching FSU lose yesterday. He's quite a man!
While our Halloween festivities began a week ago, it was with great anticipation that the kids awaited Halloween night. We went trick-or-treating from 6-8 pm in a nearby neighborhood and Tate even got in on the action this year. (We were remembering that last year he was four weeks old and Scott and I traded off wearing him in the sling the whole night!)
The night was a success with lots of candy to prove it!
Here are a bunch of pictures from Halloween night and the week preceeding it ...
For a month or so Eben and I have been watching videos on YouTube of imploding buildings. So, it was a treat when we found out there would be an implosion just down the street from us. This was a Veterans retirement home that was right on the beach and uninhabitable since Katrina. They imploded it and will be rebuilding a new one. We barely made it in time and didn't get quite as close as we would have liked but we were only a block or so from the site.
Tyler's been on a roll lately. We went to the Bob the Builder show at Lynn Meadows Discovery Center and she was selected to come on stage:
Then, at a Halloween costume contest, Tyler won first place in her age group. She had some stiff competion, the other kids had little acts prepared and we hadn't come ready for that - but she looked so precious as Dorothy!
Last weekend I left all three kids with Scott for the first time and went on a 4-night cruise to Cozumel with my mom and sister. We went on a Carnival ship that ports in Mobile, AL. It was a fun cruise - the ship is Carnival's smallest and oldest ship and although you could definitely tell that was the case, we had great food and lots of relaxing time. We enjoyed a horseback riding excursion in Cozumel and had really yummy mexican food. My thanks goes out to my mom who took us on the cruise as our Christmas gift. It was so fun to spend good time with her and my sister - it was a first for us and something we'd decided we need to do often!
Also my thanks goes out to Nona for coming for a couple days while I was gone to help Scott out since he was balancing all his regular work and three kids! She did a great job of keeping the fed and entertained while also doing all sorts of housework and laundry! It was such a treat to come home to a really clean house!
Finally, Scott ... he singlehandedly broke Tate of his mommy-attachment issues! He did a great job with all the kids but most appreciated was the fact that when I came home Tate had learned how to entertain himself! Daily I've been reminded of what a great dad he is and the fact that having another person around with different ideas and perspectives is really valuable!
Here are some more pics from our cruise and after we got home ...
No, not the Broadway production you're thinking of. However, we've had enough cats around our house lately to put on our own production. Let me preface this by saying, Scott and I are not "cat people". But, in August we had a sweet cat show up who was so skinny we couldn't help but start feeding her. We named her Cleopatra and even though she stayed outdoors she quickly became a "pet" to our kids. She would let Tate carry her around upside down and tried to sneak into the house whenever possible. We ended up loving her so much, we found her a wonderful home ... with my parents in Orlando! She made the trip down with my dad and very quickly adjusted to being a domesticated cat.
Then, about two weeks after she'd left, an identical looking boy cat showed up. I'm convinced he's Cleo's brother. He now comes and goes as he pleases. Then, the night before I left for my cruise, I found this precious kitten meowing by the fence in our front yard.
We took her to the Humane Society the next day but she was too little to be fixed so they couldn't adopt her out. We took her back and fortunately found a home for her with new long-term volunteers who live at the Village in Houma, LA.
So, for now, no more new cats - but, if you're interested in one, I should have some more before too long!
One of my favorite things about Eben lately is the fact that he says the letter "r" like a "y". So, girls are goys, and my favorite is that when he wakes up and after his nap he says, "Good Moyning!"
Also, for the first time last week Eben started playing with his friends. This is so different from Tyler who just as she was turning two was asking for her friends when they were apart and playing great dramas out with them when they were together. For Eben, he's spent the last year with the same group of boys but never seemed to care if and when he saw them. But the last couple times we've been together, this same group of boys have been chasing and playing together all over the playground. It's so fun to see!
This week we've been tricked into believing it might be Fall. Today the high will be 82 degrees. The "Fall" part is that in the morning it dips below 60 degrees. Living somewhere like this, you forget that in parts of the country it's beginning to snow or at least get cold.
Really though, it's been so lovely this week. Finally we've been able to go outside without being miserable. The kids are playing outside again, we're visiting parks - I love it!
So apparently every fall I will be elbow deep in flour and sprinkles. With all these birthdays lumped together I've been so busy in the kitchen baking and, more time consuming, decorating.
For Scott and Tate's birthdays, Tyler and I picked a Golf cake. I think this was one of the best looking birthday cakes/cupcakes I've ever made but really it was pretty easy. We did it in an afternoon and managed to keep it a secret until Scott saw a picture of it online! Argh!
Then, Tyler asked to do a "girl cupcake" and a "boy cupcake" for her class party. So, we did butterflies for the girls and turtles for the boys. Both were fun but neither turned out exactly as I was picturing in my head. Regardless, the kids thought they were great and ate all the little decorations more than the actual cupcake.
Somehow I've gotten myself into making these elaborate (for me, anyway) cakes for everyone's birthdays. I really do enjoy doing it - it's a labor of love for me. Anyway, I don't think I ever put Eben's cake on here that we did for his party back in July. I thought this one was really cute.
Within five days of eachother, Scott turned 31, Tate turned 1 and Tyler turned 6. Scott and I celebrated his b-day with a date at Trapani's Eatery in Bay St. Louis where we had incredible steaks. Then, with my brother and sister-in-law visiting, we had cake in honor of Scott and Tate's birthdays. Tyler turned six a couple days later and we were happy to have my dad in town to help celebrate. We had gifts and dinner out but Tyler was sick so her school party had to wait until later in the week. Then, at school, we did cupcakes and favor bags for all her classmates. So, now we have about nine months until the next birthday. Whew!
So, Scott got tickets to go to Monday Night Football yesterday to see the Saints get killed by the Tennessee Titans. Although stuck at home, Tyler and Eben wanted to support the Saints too and did so by donning temporary tattoos.
So, I'm noticing my last post was on Sept 1st and here we are, heading into the last week of the month! I don't really know what's been happening to keep me so busy but apparently I have been. So, here's what up with us ...
I'm primarily keeping busy trying to keep up with Tate. This boy is all over the place! I'm really mourning the loss of my baby! He really thinks he's much older and should be able to do everything the big kids do. He's walking everywhere now, climbing on everything (up tree trunks, slides, couches, chairs), he stands up in the shopping cart even when I've buckled him in - he really is a crazy man. He's saying a couple words - dada, Tyler and banana. We're anticipating his first birthday next week!
Eben has still been riding his bike all the time. He stays busy with our moms and tots playgroup too. We recently took a trip to the fire station and weekly have playdates in homes, playground visits and attend Bear Cub Club every week. For the first time we're starting to see him look forward to seeing friends and play well with them.
Tyler is loving her teacher and loving first grade. She's doing girl scouts and this weekend we have our first day at camp to learn a lot of girl scout skills. She loves the Food Network and still likes to cook although she hasn't been as adventursome lately. She really shows what a beautiful person she is - she loves to take care of Tate, she picked out something for Eben from the prize box at school after a week of good behavior ... it's a real pleasure to watch her grow. She'll be six in a week and a half!
Scott has had meeting after meeting for the last month and has stayed so busy trying to manage all his usual duties and these extra things. He has been enjoying getting back into golf though and is looking forward to seats at an upcoming Saints game! I'm keeping busy running this house and am really enjoying friends here. I feel like it's taken a year to settle in but it's starting to feel more like home! I'm really looking forward to family and friends that will be visiting over the next couple weeks!
So, that's where we are! Hopefully soon I'll get some pictures and video on here. I need to show everyone our adopted/wild kitten and how much Tate's walking has progressed.
After our morning trip to the park, we've made a habit of coming home and watching Sesame Street.
For a long time I've always stopped whatever I was doing to watch REM's performance on Sesame Street - "Shiny, Happy Monsters Laughing". They aired it a couple days ago and I liked seeing it again. But yesterday I came into the living room hearing one of my favorite singers of the day, James Blunt on Sesame Street. You'll only think this is funny if you know his song, "Beautiful". I think it's hilarious but that's me!
Tate has begun walking! Here's a clip of some of his first steps and other amazing acts. Last night he traveled across two or three feet on a couple of occasions. By next week, he'll be running! Oh my!
Although we weren't here for Katrina, it has greatly affected our lives - in a way she brought us here. Our lives and ministry often revolve around the post-Katrina Gulf Coast either in disaster assistance or just hearing the stories of our friends who were here two years ago.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has put together great video highlighting the work they are doing on the Gulf Coast. It's nice to be reminded of all that IS being done and who is getting it done (church volunteer groups) when you hear so much in the media of what hasn't been done.
Oh yeah, and my handsome and brilliant husband is featured in it! Go Scott!
Tyler just signed up to be a Brownie (Girl Scout) and we had our first activity at Lowe's to build an herb planter. Here she is with her friend Grace.
I'm pretty excited to have something going on for the two of us to do. With her in school now I'm getting a lot of boy time but not nearly as much time with her. We have a camp day, a day at Stennis Space Center, a tour of the fire station, and lots more to look forward to this year! Oh, yeah, and cookies!!
Still not walking but Tate is awfully fast at getting around. We recently watched him climb up the ladder to the top level of our playground - exciting but not all at once! Here's a clip of him getting around on the cement - when the ground is rough on his knees he resorts to hands and feet. Soon we should be showing some clips of a walking Tate - he's starting to take some experimental steps.
Not a lot of time to post but I at least wanted to put out this video of Eben on his bike. He's had it for one month now and is so confident on it (as you can tell). We've started going out in the mornings to a park and he makes four laps on the track with me.
Eben's bike is called a foot, run or balance bike. His is from Kinderbike. It is a regular kid's bike without the pedals. So they use their feet to move and to balance. It makes for an easy transition to a big bike without the training wheels. The idea is pretty popular in Europe and we were turned on to it by some of our European friends in Princeton.
Tyler is in the middle of her first week of first grade. She's loving her teacher and some of the new freedoms she's allowed as a first grader - choosing her own seat, trading food at lunch, microwaving her own food, etc. We're pretty excited about her teacher who is very friendly. So, here's the bigggest difference: last year at this time, we were having tearful goodbyes where I would hug and kiss Tyler five times as I dropped her off and she would look at me with eyes full of tears as I drove away doubting our decision to start kindergarten early. Now, even from the first day, she hops out, often without a hug and kiss and is off. We really miss her at home (especially Eben) but it's also been nice to have some time alone with Eben while Tate naps and more moments of quiet in the house. My favorite part is how excited Eben and Tyler are to see eachother after a day apart. The give big hugs and play so much better together now that they aren't with eachother all day. And so, another year begins!
This afternoon we had a major storm and apparently lightning struck our house or, at least, near it. Our AC (my favorite of all utilities) shorted out, our computer's ethernet fried, our TV is done for and our new washing machine is at least partially fried.
I always figured the idea that lightning could fry your TV was part myth - it's not!
My wonderful daughter very lovingly made lunch for me today! She's really into cooking right now - she loves Food Network and likes to experiment with ingredients, etc. Sounds great but today it didn't go so well! She spent about 10 minutes making a sandwich for me and before taking a bite I asked her what she'd put in it. Her ingredients included: ham, bbq sauce, honey and gorgonzola cheese. Because she'd worked so hard to surprise me I was determined at least to try it. I took a bite and COULD NOT swallow it. It was just too much. So I chickened out and spit it out and tried to praise her for a good try!
Wanted to share this fun video of the white tiger at the Dallas Zoo. It was a really fun zoo with lots of neat "windows" into the animals' areas. We got really close to a family of chimps and this white tiger.
We just got back from a great trip to Dallas, TX to meet up with our seminary friends. We had 18 people in the Walkers' 3-bedroom house - people sleeping everywhere, tons of food consumed, assembly line-type baths for the kids, late nights of Cranium and so many laughs! It was so great to see the big kids pick up right where they left off - Tyler, Michaela and Lorelei playing "beauty parlor" together, staying up late at night, wearing matching outfits - and the younger ones starting new memories and making new friends - Eben delighted in Arden!
Christina is four weeks away from her due date but opened her house to all of us. We had meals together again and when all of us adults sat down at the table together I started to cry (Literally! Yes, me!) It was just surreal that it had actually happened - we'd all ended up in the same place, sitting down together again! We celebrated Brandy's birthday, went swimming, the guys played golf (Scott retaining the "green jacket"), the girls went to dinner and out shopping, we made a big family trip to the zoo and a couple trips to the park. All said and done, it hurt to say goodbye again but I was so glad we were already talking about what to do next year!
Today is Eben's birthday. He's three years old. When he came in bed with Scott and I this morning we told him about the day (night, really) that he was born and tried in 3-year-old terms to explain a little of what was so special about his birth. So often I think of him as still very baby-like (so different from Tyler who I considered to be so mature at 3 years old!). This morning I was looking at him and realizing how big he's getting. Physically he's growing (2 1/2 inches in the last six months!) but he's also matured so much this year. He's recently moved back into his toddler bed and manages to stay there all night. He's learning to express himself rather than fall to pieces at every bump in the road. Yesterday he even took his juice in a cup other than the one he'd requested (quite a feat!). Life continues to be an up-and-down, emotion-filled experience with him but the passion, persistence and joy I see in him are traits he shares with his daddy and will make him into a wonderful man.
After a long hard day at the beach Eben had a hard time staying awake at dinner. Originally this video lasted 16 minutes and I was able to cut it down to three just to give you an idea of what we watched that night. It was great entertainment!
Our summer has been going by so quickly! With having three kids around the house and lots of outdoor activities, I'm finding it hard to post as often. Here's what we've been up to:
>Tyler and Eben spent a week with Scott's parents in NW Arkansas. They went to a state park in Missouri to fish and swim. They traveled on an old train (Eben's big day!) and spent time at the local aquatic center. The kids had a great week and it was really nice for Scott and I to spend some good time together and with Tate. We played with him in the bed in the mornings, took him out to eat and I did a lot of house cleaning and organizing.
>A friend from Minnesota, Sheryl, came and worked with Scott to get some big projects done for both churches. She also spent time with our family, having dinner with us and babysitting the kids a couple times so Scott and I could go out. She also did an awesome thing for me: my freezer was stocked full of homemade meatballs, spaghetti sauce, cookie dough and more. We're still enjoying all the treats she left behind for us!
>Tate has really been moving. In fact, I'm beginning to think he may the most curious and adventursome of all three. He's a really fast crawler, pulls up to standing easily and just started cruising around the coffee table. He loves to "dance" (bouncing up and down on his bottom) and eats a ton!
>I've been hosting a lot of activities with my mom's group lately. I had a book-themed Mom's Night Out, a playdate and a Fourth of July BBQ. This group has been such a blessing for me as a stay-at-home mom!
We're looking forward to a calmer July. However, between Eben's 3rd bday party and VBS later in the month, I have a feeling we'll stay quite busy!
All spring and summer we've been working on our backyard. We went from crazy overgrowth to a cleared yard with new topsoil. We started with little seedlings which have grown into some beautiful plants. This has been the first experiment with any landscaping and we've been really proud of how things are turning out. We're also learning this is a never ending process! We have our great playground with think mulch, an as yet unused plot full of weeds, tree stumps and roots (we're tackling that plot next year!) and a beautiful strip with palm trees, hibiscus, tropicannas more. Here's a look at our backyard from the start until now.
We're settling back in at home after being in FL for two weeks. We had a great time at Amelia Island (north Florida, Atlantic side) with my entire family and then the kids and I spent a week in Orlando. While there we also got a chance to see Princeton friends which was great. I'm stilling playing catchup on everything since being away but wanted to at least post some family pics. We managed to get a few pictures in right before a rainstorm on our last day. So, here are the pictures - more details later.
Tomorrow, Tate will be baptized and then we're headed to Amelia Island, FL to meet up with my family for a week's vacation. I'm excited to have a break away as a family. Then, we'll be going to my parent's for a week - just to have a change of scenery. So, for a bit, I may be gone, enjoying the sun too much to sit and blog!
On Tuesday night we celebrated Tyler's kindergarten graduation! The school did a nice program where the kids showed off several things they'd learned throughout the year: Bible passages, poems, reading, songs, etc.
Tyler won Certificates of Achievement in Bible, Phonics, Handwriting, and Reading. And, she was chosen by her classmates as the Class Favorite!
Afterwards we had a reception in the school's cafeteria. Tyler ran around with her friends and took pictures, ate cake and showed us some of school work.
As a gift from us and my parents, I took her the next morning to "Wacky Bear" (it's like Build a Bear) and she made a bunny she's named "Fluffy".
We are so proud of all she's accomplished this year. It was a hard start with tears in the morning when dropping her off but she really finished strong and can't wait to move on to First Grade. To help her in first grade, Nona and Pop-pops bought Tyler her own desk for graduation. She picked it out and it's a perfect fit in her room!
Here is video of the ceremony for anyone interested:
Although Tate has been mobile for more than a month now, I would just now say he's really crawling. Now he knows where he wants to go and how to go there. As you can tell, he still isn't terribly fast (which I consider a good thing!) but it won't be long before I'm chasing him around. He's started pulling up too which isn't too smart because once he's up he either falls or doesn't know how to get back down - either way, he ends up frustrated!
Ha, ha, just kidding! Last weekend the kids and I WALKED a 5k for the March of Dimes. My moms' group did it as our monthly service project and so I took the kids out on Saturday morning and walked it with four other moms and their kids. Tyler walked about half of it but got to take breaks on the stroller whenever she wanted. Tate slept through about half of it and Eben rode with his friend, Julian. It was neat though to see several kids with their "I was a preemie" t-shirts on. March of Dimes is an awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies and the 5K walks help them raise money. Eben was technically a "preemie" although he was so healthy he didn't face the risks other babies have. But the little trouble we had with him just gave me just a touch of what some of these families go through. It was really fun to do together!
We've been growing cherry tomatoes for the last couple months and recently enjoyed our "first fruit". They are so yummy! We've only had two ripen so far but we probably have 50 more or so that are ripening.
Tyler will graduate from kindergarten on May 15. This year has flown by and I can't believe how much she's learned. Her cursive is beautiful and she's a great reader - in the top reading group of her class! She can tell time, identify money, count by tens and fives. She continues to be most interested in anything artistic or crafty. She's an incredible big sister and a huge help to me. While I'm looking forward to having her home this summer, I'm also worried about her being bored and lonely (we have yet to make any friends with kids her age). Please pray for patience for me (actually caring for all three day in and day out) and friends and fun for her.
My early, early prediction for an American Idol final two was Chris and Blake. Obviously, I was wrong! But, several weeks ago I decided Blake and Melinda would be an awesome final two. I love Blake but will concede that Melinda is by far the best singer. She's just not as marketable. Blake was incredible this week - Scott and I have been wanting to hear more of his beatboxing (is that really how you say it?). So I'll keep rooting for Blake and hoping he and Melinda will go head to head in the final two. It would be a really great show!
I haven't posted recently because I've pretty much been going it alone lately and I'm exhausted! Scott was out of town for the weekend and then, on Tuesday, had some outpatient surgery to remove a cyst from his thigh/hip. He's doing well but basically has to sit or lay down and can't be lifting anything, etc. All this is just reminding me how much he contributes to the daily operations of running this family. I don't know how the single moms do it!
Tyler called in the "Fair" and Eben called it the "Carnival" (actually, he called it the "Carni-BOL") but, whichever you choose, the fair/carnival was a lot of fun. Other than the fact that we blew a ton of money in a very short period of time, Scott and I had so much fun riding with the kids, watching the kids and treating them to snowcones. The kids had waited so patiently (mostly) for the chance to go - we had planned several trips that were foiled before we finally made it on the last day it was open.
Tyler never ceases to amaze me! She's inherited her dad's love for roller coasters and other rides that make me want to throw up. She went on every ride she could that would twist her, spin her and fling her around.
I'm not writing as much lately because we're so busy playing at parks and being outside. We are loving this weather and at the same time I'm looking towards summer knowing it will be soooo hot!
We've been busy outside with some planting: we're working on some cherry tomato plants and basil. We have more basil than we can consume and a number of small green tomato so far. We've also been trying to do some planting since a group was here recently and cleared out the yard and brought in some top soil (I've included some before and after shots. Scott has built a retaining wall that encloses a small part of our flower bed. I don't have pictures of that yet but I'll get them.
It's also been exciting to see some more work done on the house. Most of the siding in the back was hung and painted today and nearly all the trim has been painted!
Here are a couple pics of Tate after he got into Tyler's markers. What was funnier was the fact that Tyler said, "Tate is discovering the world of markers!"
So much is going on these days I can hardly keep up. Here are some highlights:
We had fun visits from Scott's parents. Breck was here with a volunteer team from his church so he spent his days working with Disaster Recovery. But, in the evenings he's see the kids and one night we had the whole team over for dinner. He took us out to McDonald's one night which, as usual, was thrilling for the kids! Robbie came down for a few days before she taught a conference in Alabama. She had the kids out all over town and gave me a big break one afternoon. She got to come to one of Tyler's tee ball practices too.
Then my dad was here for a long weekend. We wore him out going all around town. We ate a great bbq place called "The Shed" and went to the Mule Pull in Vancleave, MS. Of course we also worked in a Chuck E Cheese trip.
Last week was Tyler's Spring Break which meant there was a lot of extra noise, motion and energy in the house. Other than the fact that I was completely exhausted by the end of it, we had a lot of fun. Scott set up a tent in the backyard and he, Eben and Tyler all slept out there one night.
Of course, we also spent a lot of time doing various Easter/Spring activities. Tyler and Eben participated in two egg hunts, we had a Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday service followed by a "Stations of the Cross" activity for the kids, Easter Sunday with church, then decorating eggs and having friends over for dinner. We didn't get any decent Easter pictures because a)we were never all together and b)Tate was asleep the whole time anyway. Never fear though, grandparents! We're going to take some faux-Easter pictures soon!
It's our family's first experience with an organized sport and tee ball has been all consuming (I think they all are). We have 2-3 games a week at either 6 or 7 pm. I know, that's pretty late for a five year old, huh?! But, Tyler's having a lot of fun and Scott is too ... mostly. He has a few critics (parents) because of his "give everyone a chance to play every position" mentality but the girls are loving him and learning a lot. It's hilarious to watch them: girls bursting into tears, hitting the ball and then running to third base and more. Here are some pictures of Tyler - not great pics but they show her first at-bat and then as she ran around the bases to score a run. BTW, she's #9.
