White Tiger

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.

Everything's big in Texas!

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!

Mmm Mmmm!

Just have to post this picture - I can't resist!

Eben turns three!

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.

Fast Asleep

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!

June

Cool Slideshows!

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!

A Whole Lot of Green!

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.

Cool Slideshows!