The Walker Texas Rangers

This DAD...

2010-06-20T20:57:00.006-05:00

is the best 'DAD' we have. Every day I feel blessed that B is the father of my children. I knew he was great when I married him but, really I had no idea how great of a father he would one day be. I honestly believe that what he does best in life is father. We are fortunate that in his career his hard work has allowed him to be home with us quite often. He often says that he is so grateful for this time in our lives because he is able to spend so many hours a day with our children and he has never felt so close or such a connection with them as he does now.

This is why we love our dad...

I asked Jace his favorite memory or what he loves most about his dad and he said, "I love that dad's favorite thing is to build Lego spaceships with me because that's my favorite thing."

Kai says, "The best part about daddy is that he helps me when things are hard. Like reading, playing games, or washing my body in the bath."

When I asked Scarlet she said, "Dada, ball??" She loves to play any kind of ball with her Dada and these two have been known to sneak off to the water slides and go down time and time again!!

Happy Father's Day Dad, Daddy, Dada...we love you:)

We also love these two dad's below. We wouldn't be the people we are today without them in our lives. Happy Father's Day Dad and Steve, we love you both:-)

My Favorite time of year...

2010-04-13T10:23:00.009-05:00

in Texas is right at the end of February and the beginning of March. RODEO TIME!! I missed a huge chunk of it this year while vacationing away from home by myself but, at least the kids got a glimpse and I got a small glimpse a few days after I returned.

A little Tim McGraw can suffice any craving for the Rodeo. This was all I got out of the Rodeo this year but, it will be enough to carry me over until next year.

Wish I had had my good lense with me:(

Seats were a little steep...

Fried Oreo, Fried Cheese Cake, and Fried Snickers are what we ate for dinner. I can usually handle my sweets but, these made me sick.

Jace and his best friend Skyler the morning of Rodeo Day at school

Rodeo Day at Kai's school is huge because the Trail Riders pass his school on their way to the Rodeo!! A huge thank you to his teacher Miss. Peggy who took all these photos for me while I was out of town:)

TODAY...

2010-03-31T15:26:00.003-05:00

has been one of those days.

A small Miracle

2010-03-12T21:30:00.003-06:00

Today Scarlet started walking. I know for most it's a part of life and not considered a big deal when one walks at 14 months but, for us it was.
At her twelve month well-check visit January 5th her Dr. decided to draw her blood to make sure she wasn't Anemic because she hadn't been gaining much weight. Two days later her CBC came back showing she was Anemic, and her platelets and White count were both abnormally high. At this point they weren't too alarmed they simply increased her antibiotic that she's been on since October for recurrent kidney infections and put her on iron supplements thinking this would bring all numbers back to normal. As the weeks went on she continued to have her blood checked and the numbers continued to get worse.

Mid-January she was referred to a Hematologist-Oncologist at Texas Children's and has over gone more than 50 tests. The diagnoses as of today has still not been confirmed but, after spending seven hours in the Oncology department on Tuesday they discovered new things going on with her body and have started to narrow down the possibilities.

In early February she started seeing a Physical Therapist and was assessed to see if joint pain might be the cause of her not walking. They decided that pain was not the cause but, lack of energy and the fact that she was sleeping 18 hours a day. They told us not to be surprised or alarmed if she didn't start walking until after 18 months or a few months after being diagnosed.

Thankfully the iron supplements have helped with the Anemia and her numbers have improved. In the past month she has started to be awake more, she had her first temper-tantrum, and is becoming quite a bit more active.

On Thursday afternoon while we were with her Physical Therapist she took her first step. I thought possibly it was a fluke but, still made sure she knew how exciting this was. The next day my Visiting Teachers stopped by and she took another step. Three hours later Daddy was home and she was taking five steps at a time. Had you asked us two days ago if we felt she might walk any time in the next two months we probably would have said, "No".

Though we still don't know what's exactly going on with her it gives us so much hope to see her cross this milestone. It doesn't guarantee that she doesn't have some of the things they are considering but, it definitely goes against some of them.

Scarlet we love you sooo much and are sooo proud of you:-)

Valentines

2010-02-16T20:33:00.000-06:00

Valentines Day this year was full of LOVE and parties.

Scarlet had several Dr. appts. the day of Jace's party so thankfully Brandon worked from home that day. It was soo nice to be able to attend by myself and to have a little one on one time with Jace.

Miss. Tharnish and her sweet little baby Jax

Kai's school Valentine Party...
Scarlet can't get enough of Kai...she loves to always be climbing on him and to be around him.

Scarlet was very proud to receive her very first Valentine ever from her little friend Asher.

100th Day of School 2010

2010-02-03T20:24:00.000-06:00

Today was the 100th day of school and all of the kids were asked to dress as if they were 100 years old. Jace was sooo excited he was coming up with ideas on how to look really old all week. The best part?? The baby powder in his hair.

Later on in the school day they had a parade. It was sooo fun watching Jace come out. Kai didn't have a care in the world as he greeted his big brother with a big hug. :-)

One girl and all boys...

2010-02-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

is what it seems like for Scarlet these days. She's surrounded by her brothers and their friends and...all of her little friends are boys too. She may look very girly but, when she opens her mouth she quite often growls and when it comes to toys she'll pick Star Wars, Nerf bullets, or any other toy that belongs to her brothers before she'll even glance at anything that resembles a girl:)

Truman always has a hand on Scarlet...maybe he's trying to claim her as his or, she's also been known to be used for standing or pulling up support...

Thanks for the photos Taryn:)

Christmas in Utah 2009

2010-01-21T09:57:00.001-06:00

(Note: Especially for family and friends that were apart of our Utah trip...our posts for this trip are three pages long so when you get to the bottom of this page click on older posts)

This past Christmas Break was spent running from party to party with family and friends in Utah. We 'LOVED' every minute of it and will not complain about the chaos even in the slightest because it's not always that we can be apart of these wonderful times with family and friends. I must say that I'm a little emotional writing this simply because I think this may have been the best Christmas I have ever had. The past three years we have spent Christmas in Houston for a number of reasons and though we have grown as a family and have created many wonderful memories with our Texas Friends it has also made me appreciate the times I am able to spend with our families in Utah. I feel very humbled and blessed to be apart of and loved so much by the families we have. I can't imagine life without them and spending this Christmas season with them was pure bliss. Thanks ya'll we love and miss you:-)

Dinner with the Wilson's somewhere down South

2010-01-21T09:55:00.000-06:00

Oh man, Ash you're a gem for meeting us under such conditions. This day was crazy for our family. We had family pics. in Pleasant Grove which is 45 minutes south of where we live. The shoot started at 3:00pm and ended somewhere around 5:30pm. By the time we finished I don't know who was more exhausted the kids or us. But, we really wanted to see our good friends the Wilson's that we met while living in Arizona. Brandon and I weren't very familiar with Pleasant Grove but, managed to call Ashli and the kids (Randall was at the BYU game in Vegas...we were really nice and never gave him a hard time) and asked them to meet us at McDonald's in what we thought was Pleasant Grove. Ash drove from Springville and called us to say she was at the McDonald's in Pleasant Grove and we were not. We then turned to the girl next to us and asked without trying to feel too stupid, "Where are we??" It turns out we were in American Fork.

Needless to say Ash finally found us and we spent the evening hanging out and catching up. It's hard to believe that when we first met we only had Ethan and Jace between our two families. Now we have six kids and Ash is about to throw another one into the mix. Thanks for making time for us...we miss and love you:)

SIGMA Christmas Luncheon

2010-01-21T09:54:00.002-06:00

Tara set up a Christmas Luncheon for our sorority on December 23rd and this is who was able to show up....Bonnie from Nebraska, me and Miss. Scarlet, and Tara from SLC. It actually was so nice to have it be just the three of us catching up on old times. At one point we were all roommates...oh the trouble we got ourselves into!! I know it was chaos for everyone right before Christmas. Hopefully next time Bonnie and I will be in SLC at the same time and we'll be able to see all the sista's.

Alyssa, Scarlet, Tara, Bonnie

Thomson Christmas Party

2010-01-21T09:53:00.000-06:00

waiting for pics.

Tubing at Gorgoza in Park City

2010-01-21T09:52:00.002-06:00

On Christmas Eve morning my sister Ashlyn, the boys, and B headed up to Gorgoza to go tubing. The original plan was to go skiing at Snowbird but, our first night in Utah I slipped and fell down my in-laws stairs...no big deal...I was just too sore to do any physical activities and in order to take our boys skiing for the first time we both needed to be there to assist. So, tubing was next on the list.

At one point Ash was talking to an old man and admiring is gloves. He turned to B and said, "She sure is cute...this one's a keeper". Brandon turned to him and said, "um, she's my sister-in-law." He wanted to say, "She sure is a keeper, she's my daughter." Instead the old man said, "well, she's still a keeper."

Ash, the boys had as much fun tubing with you as you did with them. We love you and are going to miss you soo much when you leave in March. Thanks for spending the day with them...you sure are a keeper:-)

Nielsen Christmas Eve Party

2010-01-21T09:51:00.003-06:00

I LOVE Christmas Eve at my parents. They go all out by cooking all day. My dad loves to cook as much as my mom if not more. Most years he makes a Turkey, Ham, and Prime Rib (maybe Prime Rib is New Years...I don't know all the meats run together). This year they did Ham and Turkey and many many other yummy dishes. Probably my most favorite part about the evening is being together and how low-key everything is. We just hang out and relax. As for my dad, he probably relaxes once the dinner is done.

Not planned but, definitely plaid...

Even though I was using my camera I think they thought I was swapping heads on my i-phone...

Hanging out...

Scarlet and her great-grandma Nana

Jace and Martha (family friend)...

Steppy and Beano...

Brittany and Cha Cha...

Ashy and Fred (family friend)...

Scarlet and Uncle Breck...

Performing Kai's pre-school songs...

Scarlet so badly wanted to be apart of them...

Christmas Eve Sleepover at Beano and Stephanie's

2010-01-21T09:50:00.002-06:00

Oh how I love that my brother Bryant and my sister-in-law Stephanie do not have kids yet. Why you ask??? Because it means that they spoil my kids rotten and want to have them every minute whether it be morning or night.

Uncle Beano had been planning for what seemed like months for the boys to sleepover. He and Steppy really were so thoughtful in making sure they rented XBOX games that were rated "E" and also games the boys had never played. With our permission they rented HOME ALONE and let the boys stay up until midnight watching it. Jace and Kai were so proud to say that they managed to stay up for the whole movie and even though there were bad words (like shut-up)they promised never to say them.

Bryant's favorite part of the evening was when he snuck outside and jerry-rigged a fishing line with bells on it right above the chimney. The boys were screaming with excitement at the thought that Santa and his reindeer might be on the rooftop. They woke up Christmas morning to find Santa Hats, there favorite treats (Kai-Cheetos, Jace-Cheeze-Its), Lego's, and a letter from Santa stating that the boys almost tricked him. He landed on the rooftop the night before thinking our boys hadn't been visited yet. When he got inside and found them asleep he realized that he had already visited the boys in TX on Dec. 20th. They were sooo excited to wake up to the surprises and the letter from Santa. Thanks Beano and Steppy for being so cute and loving our kiddos so much...you guys are the best:)

XOXO

Nielsen Christmas Morning Brunch

2010-01-21T09:49:00.005-06:00

Christmas Morning at the Nielsen's=

Christmas Breakfast Casserole, Monkey Bread, Gift Exchanging, Hanging Out, staying in our P.J.'s all morning

THE GUYS

Dad, Kai, Chase (brother), Breck (brother), Brandon, Jace, Bryant (brother)

THE GIRLS

Ashlyn (sister), Alyssa, Brittany (sister-in-law), Scarlet, Stephanie (sister-in-law), Mom

{NO MAKE-UP or DOING YOUR HAIR NEXT YEAR BRITT AND STEPPY:-)}

My brother Breck loves and spoils Scarlet like no other...I think we have more pics. of these two together than we do of anyone else on the trip

I love this pic. of Breck and Kai in the moment...

I love her rosy cheeks this Christmas Morning...

Chase and Penny...

Had to get a pic. of Beano's gift to Steph. I thought they were cute until he said he had them made for her with the intention that she always wears them to the gym letting all guys know she's taken...He takes care of the boys when it comes to toys...

Walker Christmas Day Party

2010-01-21T09:49:00.003-06:00

Christmas at Grandma and Papa's House is so much fun every year and the traditions have been around since Brandon was little. This year Grandma and Papa gave Jace his most favorite gift...Indiana Jones II for the D.S. He was sooo excited as you can see in the photos below. Thanks Grandma and Papa for a wonderful Christmas...we loved being with all of you this year:)

All of the Grandkids minus Emira and Scarlet who were sound asleep due too partying to much the night before...luckily they didn't sleep for too long and joined the party just a little while later.

Jace opening his game...

Grayson Jace's cousin also knew what to get Jace...

Hurd Christmas Day Party

2010-01-21T09:48:00.002-06:00

After opening gifts at Brandon's parents on Christmas Day we headed up to my sister-in-law Wendy's house to have a nice Christmas Dinner with The Hurd and Walker Family. I will say this was also another laid back party with many soups and appetizers. The kids played with their cousins all night and this was the first time that Scarlet has been old enough to play with her cousin Emira who is just one year older.

Brandon and his mom

Linda and Trisha (my brother-in-law Michael's mom and sister)

Scarlet and Emira playing together for the very first time...

The boys and the Christmas performance

(I Love You Lord, Frosty the Snowman, Super Duper Christmas)

Just hanging out...

Thanks Hurd's for a wonderful Christmas Evening:)

Sleepover at cousin Grayson's House

2010-01-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law Wendy was soo generous after throwing a huge party at her home on Christmas Day to take our boys Christmas Day night and for most of the next day while we headed to the Bountiful Temple with my family to support my sister Ashlyn as she went through the temple for her first time.

These boys love, love, love their cousins especially Grayson whose birthday falls right in the middle of both of theirs making each of them 1 year apart.

Thanks Wink your the best:-)

The Bountiful Temple

2010-01-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

{My brother Breck, Brandon, Alyssa, Dad, sister Ashlyn, Mom, brother Chase, sister-in-law Brittany, sister-in-law Stephanie, brother Bryant aka Beano}

My sister was so thoughtful in making sure she went through the Temple for her first time while we were visiting. It was an amazing experience to have my entire family in the Temple all together for the very first time. Ash was the last one to go through. I feel truly blessed and humbled to have such an amazing family. I know it's very easy to loose this for anyone and hope and pray that everyone in my family will never loose track of what they know to be true and to continue living righteously so that one day eternal life together will be our reward.

{My Aunt Julie on one end and my cousin Doug on the other end}

Siblings

Lunch with NRBG and visit with The Deans

2010-01-21T09:45:00.000-06:00

Kim, Jake, Brandon, Scarlet, Alyssa, Jen, Kurtis

We met up with B's bf's at Training Table a tradition that will never die and caught up on old times. These three guys have been Brandon's best friends since he was in Junior High and it's amazing to me how close they have stayed. I'm always finding him talking to one of them on the phone and it seems that we are always trying to make sure we are visiting at the same time as Jake and Kim (Jakes a lawyer in Denver, Colorado). I love these guys and love that they love my husband. Mike wasn't able to come so we met up with him at his parents Mark and Vickie's the next day. Mark and Vickie are like family to us and are so good with the kiddos.

Brandon, Scarlet, Mike, Kai, Mark, Jace, Vickie

Paradise Bakery with D202

2010-01-21T09:44:00.000-06:00

I've been friends with these girls since High School. There's actually a huge group of us maybe twenty or more...but, those of us in the photo were the ones that did not get married right away, headed up to the U after High School and though most of our parents lived only ten minutes away from campus we all moved in together and lived with each other on and off minus and plus several other girls for many years. We've been through thick and thin and next to B there's not a person in the world that knows me better than these girls. The first apt.# we lived in was D202 and that's what everyone in SLC refers to us as. Side note and I know Cydnee will want me to mention she did not go to high school with us I met her one night at the Chi Omega House and she's been a part of our lives ever since.

Cydnee, Alyssa, Jaime, Meagan, Steph

Temple Square

2010-01-21T09:43:00.001-06:00

{Poppy, Nonny, Brandon, Kai, Alyssa, Jace, Brittany, Chase}

Our last Sunday in Utah we planned to head to Temple Square with my family to show the boys the lights for their very first time. Right before we headed out everyone backed out saying it was too cold. So, we dropped Scarlet off to bed at B's parents (THANK YOU) and headed downtown. Once we were on our way everyone started calling to say they had changed their minds and were coming after all. The brave souls that showed up...my cute sister-in-law Brittany and my brother Chase, and my parents. The rest couldn't handle it. My thought on this...If WE can handle it coming from Texas then YOU guys fo sho can:) Though my boys thought it was cold, they loved every minute.

Brittany kept telling me to stand up straight but, I was so dang cold I couldn't. I don't know how this position kept me warmer, it probably didn't, I just wasn't in the right frame of mind.

Towards the end we couldn't find my mom anywhere. After a few minutes we found her standing over the Reflection Pool. At this point I think we all had Hypothermia. We thought she looked a little silly standing up there but, we're too cold to ask. Minutes later we were all thawing in our cars.

Scarlet's Birthday Party

2010-01-21T09:42:00.000-06:00

Our last night in SLC we celebrated Scarlet's birthday by renting the upstairs at the Old Spaghetti Factory. All of her grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins came to celebrate (21 total). I think our families enjoyed celebrating much more than she did...she was getting a cold and with it being our last night of non-stop running she was a little exhausted to say the least. Thank you everyone for loving her as much as you do.

Singing Happy Birthday...

I guess you could say that she digs Carrot Cake...

I absolutely LOVE this photo...can you tell she's the only grand-daughter my parents have!!
Uncle Breck and Uncle Beano...
In the beginning of the party we couldn't locate Kai anywhere...thankfully we found him in one of the booths nearby.

Her cousins and siblings showing her how to enjoy her first party...

Only Kai would be wiping cake off her face...

You would never know until you looked at this photo that she was starting to come down with a cold...

Paparazzi?!

She loves her gifts...

You can tell that only the Nielsen clan provided photos. Now we are waiting on the Walker's that way we'll know the whole family attended:)

Happy 1st Birthday Scarlet!!

This little love is...

2010-01-11T21:01:00.011-06:00

ONE!!

I can't believe how quick Scarlet's first year of life has gone. Maybe it's because she is one of the most easy going people I have ever met. I have to make note that several months back I recall her dad saying, "I never knew someone could be so happy for no apparent reason until I met her." It is true she has brought nothing but joy into everyone's life around her. A few things about Miss. Scarlet:

She LOVES her sleep. On a typical evening she goes to bed at 6:00pm and gets up at 8:00am. She will then take two 1 1/2 hour naps in the day.

She loves talking to her dada on speaker phone in fact she calls the phone dada.

She loves her brothers and loves to wrestle them. She will quietly crawl up to them, start to lean on them, and that gives them the signal that she's ready.

Words in Scarlets vocab as of her first b-day: Dada, Mama, Jace, doggie, baby, uh-oh.

She has four teeth

loves babies

Is an observer. Loves watching others, waits until they meet her eye, and breaks into the biggest grin ever.

Her nick names currently are: Snips (Anakin Skywalkers young apprentice in Clone Wars), Skeela, Love, Baby (per Kai).

Scarlet started out in the 99th percentile (10lbs. 2 ounces) for weight and 99th in height (21 1/2 inches) and is now:

18 pounds 1 ounce (tenth percentile)

30 inches long (ninetieth percentile)

Is wearing 6-12 month clothes and wears a size 0 or size 1 shoe...I know I'm in real trouble when she starts to walk. I've been doing quite a bit of research to find out if there are shoes made for walking that would actually fit her.

I am grateful for this photo below because her cries are far and few between. The few times she has cried have been sooo sweet and she definitely gets her little feelings hurt like any other typical girl. She had a rough time during this photo shoot because we had flown into Utah late the night before and she finally got to bed at 11:30pm Houston time (never again will I fly even remotely close to bedtime for this little one).

I took a sewing class this last semester and I made the entire outfit below headband to toe.

Scarlet, we are so grateful to have you apart of our lives. You radiate love and happiness. Happy 1st Birthday little lady!!

Early Christmas

2009-12-21T08:24:00.004-06:00

As Jace has told many in passing, "my mom and dad made a deal with Santa...our house is the first house in the whole world he will visit this year because,we are going to Utah." I will say it definitely made traveling easier this year. Although, we did find out as we were checking in last night that we are able to check 10 bags for free because B is a Gold Member...oh well, Christmas at home is better:)

Our friends the Boyer's gave us this sweet nativity set this year. Jace claimed it was precious and sooo cute and Kai said it was sooo beautiful. Scarlet screamed but, would have probably reacted even more had she known who it was from (she really loves Lance "the dad" in this family and goes to him any chance she gets). B and I used it in our Christmas Eve message to the kids. We discussed Jesus's life in great detail from birth to death. I am truly grateful for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and have a special place in my heart for Mary and Joseph as I think of what they endured so joyfully many years ago.

(Man, look at their hair...good thing they have an appt. today with NeeNee (their hairstylist)...right on our Christmas Day:-)

Merry Christmas!!

Why I "GIVE" Peanut Butter Balls at Christmas!!

2009-12-13T14:34:00.007-06:00

Year after year my kids, neighbors, friends, fellow ward members, and B especially; ask why I go to the trouble of making Peanut Butter Balls each year (roughly 1000). My response as cheesy as it sounds is that I love to GIVE and to make people HAPPY.

My poor dad will get a kick out of reading this but, as a child each year between August and October I would have him buy me one of those yellow lined paper notebooks that we never really see anymore. I would make a list of each extended family member (including extended family members dogs) and draw a Christmas card for them.

EXAMPLE:

Nana-wreath

Aunt Tracy: Bell

Cousin Skyler: Stocking

Dodo(my grandpa): Christmas Tree

Breck (my brother): Snowman

Nana's Dog: a dog with a Santa Hat on

Everyone acted happy when I gave it to them. Now, whether they really cared or not it wasn't something that ever crossed my mind.

My kids thankfully have picked up the desire to give to others as well. Now Brandon on the other hand, it's not that he doesn't enjoy giving; it's the work that goes into the Peanut Butter Balls that he doesn't like. So this year for Christmas I got up at the wee hours in the morning and worked really hard on them until the kids got up and as soon as Scarlet went down for her naps I would get back to work again. This year was my record without help I made 663 Peanut Butter Balls in one day (although, even with that I'm not done.)

Here are the comments I have heard from others on the receiving end this year so far:

1.) "So, did you make low-fat ones this year?"

2.)"Do we get a double batch since we are your friends and you home teach us?" (You bet they did)

3.)"Remember our youngest turned one this year so we get an extra three for him"
(I give three Peanut Butter Balls per person in a household unless you have a baby that doesn't eat solids yet...with that said I guess a few people remembered this rule from previous years)

4.) One family that wasn't on my list but, I sure don't mind giving to: "Remember we do live in the same neighborhood."

5.) "Will you please sell some to me?"

6.) "Is it possible that we were the last house on your delivery tonight, you live five minutes away, you are still not home, and all twelve of our Peanut Butter Balls are gone?"

7.) My sweet visiting teacher was sincere when she offered to help me each year in making these treats and told me that if I ever skipped out on making these one year that surely everyone would understand. She moved here recently and had heard about the treats but, didn't think she knew me well enough to be on the recieving list (that made me sad..New Year's resolution: work harder on reaching out to others and making them feel special)

Now, by all means I'm not claiming to be a great cook at all. In fact when B and I first got married I had never made eggs and our first Christmas married I was asked to bring a pan of brownies. Easy, right? Well the box called for an 8x8 pan and I didn't have one so I simply dripped the batter into one end of a 13x9 and hoped the mix wouldn't run down to the other end of the pan. Needless to say my brownies were literally rock hard.

As the years went on I occasionally got tips from my Gourmet Cook Sister-in-law who has an art when it comes to cooking. I also took three or four cooking classes in AZ when B was in grad. school. Since then, I have tried to cook five nights a week and I make sure I cook for every event I'm invited to. I also always try to make sure it's a new recipe. For me the secret is is not being afraid to try new recipes, holding onto the good ones you find, and over the years tweaking them to your liking.

That is what happened with these Peanut Butter Balls. When I was in AZ my advisor in YW invited me to her home to make Christmas goodies. Peanut Butter Balls were on the list. Since then each year I have made little changes to the recipe so much that I now claim it as my own.

Things I have learned for this recipe: margarine is better than unsalted butter (only recipe I have ever created has this been the case)

Jiffy creamy is better than Skippy and you can buy it in bulk at Sam's Club.

Semi-sweet chocolate chips not milk chocolate

And,

they last for three weeks even when they aren't refrigerated!!

Because I have spent hours on creating this new recipe it's not one I give out but, I will make them for anyone anytime. In fact I do know that when I move to Utah I will ship these treats to my cooking friends the Griffeth's. This family is soo fun to cook for and they love to cook.

P.S. If you live in Katy, and have not received a batch. No worries I have to do these in shifts and am still not done delivering.

And on a side-note as I was packaging Peanut Butter Balls this little love took it upon herself to discover chocolate for the very first time...

mErRy ChRiStMaS!!

Ward Party and visit with Santa

2009-12-13T13:43:00.009-06:00

Jace pulled a list out of nowhere and told Santa to memorize it. Santa said, "In case I don't memorize real well stick the list under the tree"(in my handbag a week ago would've really helped)...

Kai just being sweet Kai told Santa the only thing he wants for Christmas is K-nex.

Typical baby response but, for us we were just happy to see that she still knows how to cry. I really don't remember the last time she cried...maybe when she got her vaccines a month ago.

Winter Wonderland Houston Style

2009-12-06T20:37:00.007-06:00

This past Friday Houston shut down due to possible snow flurries. To our dismay it snowed much more than we anticipated (in case your aren't aware of the climate in Houston, it doesn't SNOW here.) Brandon's office shut down and Jace's school dismissed early. I am sooo happy we were all able to enjoy the SNOW day together.

As soon as Jace stepped off the bus these two brothers broke out in their first snowball fight ever

Jace was so excited to make snow angels even if there was a little dirt involved:)

Excitement in the air...

The park near our bus stop was a happening place for kids of all ages...

Our little snow bunny...

Making sure the trampoline still works...

A little wet
All in a days work!!

LOVE

2009-12-01T20:46:00.000-06:00

NASA Space Center with Grandma and Papa

2009-11-29T19:54:00.001-06:00

This past week while Grandma and Papa were visiting we took off to visit NASA. Somewhere we have never been and somewhere we were glad we visited. The boys have been telling people for weeks that we saw the biggest swimming pool in the world. The swimming pool that astronauts train in several hours a day to get used to what it will be like in space.

Space Shuttle model...

Space Shuttle Playground
Thanks for coming to play with us Grandma and Papa.

BYU'd

2009-11-28T20:52:00.000-06:00

We love our BYU friends even when they vandalize our house. We weren't as classless this year and stayed off their properties and made sure we didn't throw beer on their families as we all watched the game together. Next year is a new year and oh how the payback will be good Boyer's and Christensen's. :-)

Our neighbors helped clean up...they wanted the blue and white gone almost as much

as we did:-)

Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-27T21:18:00.001-06:00

This Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving we have been with family in four years. It was wonderful!! On a side note this was also my first time brining a Turkey and it will now be the only way I ever do a turkey again and, I have cooked many a turkeys in my day (if you want my brining recipe send me an email). I was on the phone with my friends the Griffeth's going back and forth on recipes for days. They are great cooks and when I have cooking questions or need advice they are always ones I know I can go to. Thanks guys!!

The kiddos waiting anxiously for their food...

They pretended they were helping but, really they were sampling...

I guess this is what I look like when I spend the previous 48 hours cooking...

Best pic. of the day...

Thanks for coming Grandma and Papa. We love you:-)

Confession

2009-11-24T21:55:00.000-06:00

I just logged onto my blog for probably the first time in weeks or months and decided I should see what everyone has been up to. As the months wind down and it is now suddenly winter I am amazed at how much everyone's lives have changed over what seems to be such a short time.

I confess I have no real reason for not updating my blog...I guess I could blame it on motherhood. It seems these days all I do is read to my kids, ride bikes, or jump from one activity to another. My kids make me happy. Thanksgiving was absolutely divine. Brandon's parents came for a visit and my kids ate them alive. They couldn't get enough of their grandparents and it left me feeling very BLESSED. I feel so very blessed this holiday season to have kids that I'm in love with and a HUSBAND that I can't ever imagine my life without. I am so grateful for him and the love and friendship we share. I never knew love could be so bliss and that my life could feel so complete and perfect. We have been tossing the idea around of moving back home for quite some time now. As time goes on it seems to be more real. I'm hoping this change won't take place for another year or so but, I look forward to the day of being surrounded by our extended family all the time. I love my siblings and though we talk with each other daily sometimes that's not enough. I feel so very grateful for our families in Utah. We are going home for Christmas and I look forward to spending the days with cousins, in-laws, my parents and siblings (and friends too). B always says his favorite part about my parents house is that it's always alive, loud, and fun...I must agree there is never a dull moment.

So, with all of that rambling I hope to start posting again. I feel I need to do it for my own record and for my family's sake. So, maybe a post or two will appear sometime next week.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my lil sis. Ashlyn just received her mission call to San Diego, California Spanish speaking. It was so much fun being on speaker phone with the Nielsen Chalet and to feel everyone's shock as Ash read her call. San Diego never crossed our minds considering we grew up there. The private school I went to is in her mission but, where we lived is not. I'm so excited for her. She's always been a great example to me and I love her.

Anyways, more posts to come in the future. :-)

xoxo

So, I heard...

2009-09-03T15:10:00.003-05:00

some squealing coming from Scarlet's room after her nap and decided to let her stay in there for a little while considering she was completely happy doing whatever she might be doing. After a little while I went in to find her squealing because she had somehow managed to take apart her bumper.

Yes, she is in a sleeping bag. She's just like her mama always COLD and BUNDLED even in the dead heat of summer.

Look closely her two bottom teeth came in this week. This is a first for her and we are sooo excited. This cute girl makes us so happy!!

Destin, Florida

2009-07-26T14:04:00.048-05:00

This past week we headed to Destin, Florida with some friends. It was a much needed trip and I must say all nine kids were pretty much in Heaven the entire seven days. We lived on the beach, the dad's went golfing, the girls went shopping, we went bowling, to an amusement park, three movies, ran on the beach, and played cards after the kids went to bed until the wee hours in the morning.

The kids...

The Robinson's

The Taggart's

The Walker's

Our Kids...

Jace-6 years old

Kai-3 years old

Scarlet-6 months old

The Beach House...

The boys slept in these bunks...

The really long skinny lap pool we rinsed off in after leaving the sandy beach each day...

Playing games back at the house on a rainy day...

Scarlet with her second "MOM" Chayse...

"Action" shots on the beach and in the water...

Teething??

When I asked the boys what their favorite part of the trip was:

Kai said, "jumping the waves with daddy."

Brandon said, "crashing in the waves."

Jace said, "the pool in the backyard." (go figure...we have all these nice pools at home and his favorite part is the long skinny swimming pool we could barely fit everyone into.)

My favorite part was sitting on the beach and boogie boarding. :)

BROTHERS!!
(Brandon buried their legs in knee deep...they loved it).

"Poses" on the beach and in the water...
"Chillin"...

Sleeping Beauties...

(Scarlet spent at least one nap a day on the beach like this)

Poor little Brooklyn got sick the last couple of days we were there. We were really worried one day on the beach when we couldn't find Sugar anywhere...someone finally noticed her in the stroller. She had crawled up in there without anyone knowing and had fallen asleep.

The "TWO" Crabbers...

These two really got into catching things every time we went to the beach. Nora had people convinced or she at least told them that she was a professional and if they wanted to catch anything they needed to stay with her. They actually caught quite a few things including fish, crabs, a hermit crab, a star fish, and several Jelly Fish (Kim thought if she buried each jelly fish she caught she might prevent us from getting stung...I think her plan worked the last night we were there but, up until then Cubby, Niko, and Jace were stung.)

The fascinating Hermit Crab Kim caught...

(Sooo Gross....those are his actual eyes)

Live Star Fish caught by another "Professional" Crabber (this guy noticed how obsessed Kim and Nora were and handed it over to them).
Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurant

Our last day in Destin we spent the morning at a place called, "The Tracks." We had a blast riding the Go-Karts, water boats, and many more rides. :)

I can't believe how excited and happy they are to be on this ride :)

Water Boats...

Jake watching...
This kid sprayed Brandon and Jace the entire time...
Brandon was not about to let him get away with it...
I think B was a little exhausted when it came Kai's turn...

For how hot it was and not being able to go on a single ride...Scarlet continued to smile!!

Kid Go-Karts...

Nothing like a little "brotherly" competition...

Looks like a Taggart...

Tougher Go-Kart Course...

Waiting in the "HOT" sun...

Thanks guys for such a fun time...Destin was awesome!!

Sweet Baby Morgan's Obituary

2009-07-01T21:39:00.005-05:00

Morgan Fowler Our Little Angel Our little angel came to us on February 22, 2009. Beautiful, sweet-natured, and happy, she made everyone around her happy too. On June 29, 2009, surrounded by her earthly family, she completed her life's mission and returned to her heavenly family. Morgan taught us many things during her short time with us - that a tiny smile can light up a big room; that love and joy increase each minute we care for and serve one another; that a hug from very small arms can bring very great happiness; that a welcoming squeal is a more valued reward than fanfare or applause; that prayer, faith, and family can help us endure the fragility of life; that heavenly comfort is available to help us bear the sorest heartbreak; and that love is eternal. Important and lasting gifts were packed into four short months. We wish to extend heartfelt thanks to all those at Primary Children's Medical Center who cared for and loved our little Morgan. Morgan is survived by her parents Benjamin and Kira Paulsen Fowler, her sister Bailey, her grandparents Victor L. and Carol M. Fowler and P. Grant and Kristin T. Paulsen, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Funeral services will be held Friday, July 3, 2009 at 12 noon in the Cottonwood 4th Ward Chapel, 5565 S. Neighbor Lane, Salt Lake City. Prior to the funeral services friends and family may visit from 10:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. Burial will be at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, 3401 Highland Drive; Salt Lake City. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Wells Fargo Bank under the memorial fund for Morgan Fowler. We thought to teach and guide her; instead she has taught us and gone ahead.

"Baby Morgan is our cousins baby who returned home to our Heavenly Father this past week. Our hearts are heavy and ache as we pack to fly home to Utah for such a sad reason but, we are holding on to the knowledge that we know sweet little Morgan is encircled in our Heavenly Fathers arms and that because of our Savior Jesus Christ one day Kira and Ben will be able to hold their sweet baby again. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of Kira and Ben."

XOXO

Primary Children's Hospital

2009-06-09T22:31:00.013-05:00

Yes, we are and have been in Utah for one week now but, things haven't gone exactly as planned. We flew in last Tuesday and early the next morning Scarlet woke up with a terrible cold. We had Beano's wedding on Saturday and Scarlet cried pretty much the whole day. Sunday she had a fever of 102.4 and slept all but three hours that day. We also discovered a bulge in her Fontanel (soft spot). After talking with her pediatrician in Texas and a family friend who is a pediatrician here in Utah we took her to Primary Children's Hospital. They suspected Meningitis but before doing a spinal tap they tested her for Swine Flu, ran a Cat Scan, and gave her a catheter after finding her white cell count was extremely high. She loved the Cat Scan (as you can tell in the pics. above). It was 3:00am when she went in for it, was wide awake and was in awe with every little noise and light. After all the tests came back they said that they couldn't explain why her fontanel was bulging but, she that had a rare type of UTI. They gave her an aggressive dose of antibiotics and after eight hours her fever was gone. They are concerned that anatomically her kidneys may not be functioning properly so she has to have a series of tests when we get back to Houston.

We thought everything was good and we were in the clear for the rest of our trip. After having two doses of the antibiotics she woke up with hives on her head, neck and face. A few hours later they were all over her body. After taking her in once again they found that her oxygen levels were low and that she had definitely developed an allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

We are finally back at grandma's and hope to be here for good...they say things happen in three's so between Kai's broken arm, B's surgery, and now Scarlet we hope to be done for awhile.

Thank you for all of your prayers. :)

Dang Swine Flu...I hope we never have to wear masks again!!

Look who's starting solids...

2009-05-22T17:16:00.009-05:00

I am amazed at how easy it was giving Scarlet rice cereal for the first time. She slurped up every bite within minutes.

Ready to start the first bite...

What is this stuff...

This is good, I can't get enough...

Is that it??

This is my FAVORITE part. As soon as I set the empty bowl down she realized there was a little cereal left on her bib...

Where have we been???

2009-05-18T16:08:00.006-05:00

Four days after Kai broke his arm Brandon blew out his knee (dislocated his patella and tore his MCL) playing basketball. He ended up spending his birthday in the Orthopedic surgeons office(9:00am to 6:00pm-B was the first half of the day and Kai was the second half). He somehow managed to squeeze in a golf trip with friends to Scottsdale Arizona before he went into surgery two days later to have his knee repaired. Since surgery we've celebrated graduations, Jace's birthday, have been preparing for a few vacations coming up, finished baseball season and, as for me I have been playing single parent, chauffeur to not only the kids but Brandon as well, and whatever else is included in an injured spouse that can't really get around. Hopefully many posts will come in the days ahead. :)

It's official...

2009-04-30T22:50:00.005-05:00

or at least has been for a couple of weeks now. My brother Bryant and his girlfriend Stephanie are finally engaged and are getting married June 6th. We are sooo excited for you two and can't wait to get up their to celebrate.

I must say that Bryant's proposal is one of my most favorite yet. The night he proposed he started off by taking Stephanie to dinner at (Flemings-my most favorite restaurant). Afterwards they walked to a nearby book store where they casually browsed the relationship book section when suddenly Stephanie stumbles across a book that Bryant had had professionally made for her. Bryant said that Stephanie was really confused when she found it because it was obvious that this storybook was their love story. At this point Bryant walked her over to a stage in the children's section, sat her down, and read their love story to her. He then reached over and grabbed some flowers sitting nearby (my brother Breck had stashed the flowers their just minutes before) pulled out the ring and proposed. Down below is the pic. of them in the bookstore with their storybook...I love this love story.

Congratulations you two! We LOVE you. :-)

OnE rAiNy AfTeRnOoN

2009-04-27T18:44:00.004-05:00

An hour before I took this pic. the boys (including Brandon) were saying that there was a lake outside and they wanted to go for a swim. When I finished making dinner I went to take a peek and this is what I saw...

Ahh, how I love the rainstorms in Texas . :-)

Finally...

2009-04-24T13:57:00.003-05:00

( Kai chose a blue cast so he can pretend his arm is Anakin's light saber.)

Kai got his cast one week and three Dr.'s later. After the E.R. Dr. decided to splint Kai's arm due to swelling we went to an orthopedic surgeon the next day who refused to cast Kai's arm because of swelling. One week later we went into that same orthopedic surgeon who again refused to cast Kai's arm so we finally got a second opinion from Brandon's Orthopedic Surgeon who put Kai's cast on immediately. Finally, with the new cast Kai is much happier and the new cast has cut out most of the pain:-)

The Strawberry Patch

2009-04-17T13:06:00.006-05:00

This past Monday we headed to a strawberry patch with friends. Brandon was home for the day so I dragged him along in hopes that we would be able to make this strawberry pickin' activity work with a baby and a broken armed child. The day couldn't have turned out better!!

This furry little thing was one of the many bugs we came across but, coming from a person with a true bug phobia I must say I expected the bug situation to be much worse.

Scarlet enjoyed watching EVERYTHING!!

All in a days work...
And, the somewhat final project...And, the final project...

Monsters vs Aliens outside

2009-04-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

With Kai breaking his arm this weekend we had to forgo our plans of going to the beach, the Katy Mills Carnival, riding bikes, and playing baseball in the backyard. Friday night we decided to head to a fun little restaurant called Steak N' Shake that originally started in Normal, Illinois in the 1930's and has since expanded to other states. We then headed to the Steamboat Drive-In theater in Tomball, Texas to watch Monsters Vs. Aliens. The kids and B had a blast and for me it brought back many childhood memories.

Scarlet slept for most of the movie. :)

Starting Easter Break in the E.R.

2009-04-12T22:43:00.011-05:00

Thursday night I was loading the dishwasher right before we were heading out to dinner when Brandon came running in with Kai saying he broke his arm. Kai had been jumping on the trampoline with B and Jace when he fell through the net door (that was not zipped) and landed on his arm.

When we got to the E.R. they told me that there were six people ahead of us. After waiting about half and hour I told the lady that his bone was sticking out and if they were going to make him wait they needed to give him some pain med. A nurse came out saw his arm and thankfully rushed him back. She told me an I.V. for pain meds. would be started and then his arm would be X-rayed but, even without an X-ray, it was definitely broken.

I really try to keep my cool in life but, this was not the night to let things go. The X-ray lady came in and said, "Oh, where's his I.V.??" I told her they hadn't given him one yet and she refused to wait. As I stepped out into the hallway with Scarlet you could hear Kai screaming throughout the E.R. I asked the nurse kindly to get the Dr. to authorize an I.V. when only a couple of minutes later I turned around to see him drinking some juice. I asked, "Did you talk to the Dr.?" His reply was, "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot." Are you kidding me you seriously could hear Kai screaming throughout the E.R. Needless to say after some yelling on my part and after the X-Rays were finished they gave him some Codeine.

Then, someone came in to give him a temporary cast and Kai continued to scream and cry even on Codeine. I asked the guy once he was finished if he was sure that was the right way to wrap his arm. He said, "Yep, you see he's crying out of anger if he was in pain there would be tears rolling down his face." Well, the rest of the night was horrible. Even on Tylenol with Codeine Kai didn't fall asleep until 3:00am and woke up about every twenty minutes after that. At one point (and this totally broke my heart) he said, "Mommy, I can't do this anymore".

Well, by 9:00am I had picked up the X-rays from the hospital and had him in the Orthopedics surgeons office. The surgeon came in and said, "Good news, no surgery but, because of all of the swelling we can't put the permanent cast on for five days." I told him that we couldn't have another night like the one we just had and he said that Kai should have no pain at all. As he unwrapped Kai's cast while Kai was screaming and sweating in pain he realized his arm had been wrapped completely wrong. The E.R. did not wrap his elbow (the break is right below the elbow) so he could move his arm around all night causing the horrible pain. AND, they wrapped his fingers so tight there were blisters between all of the fingers. Thankfully they created a second temporary cast. Not too tight around the fingers and he now has his cast well above the elbow.

With all of that said we do feel good and trust this orthopedic surgeon so we are now waiting for the swelling to go down and to finally get the permanent cast. And, I cannot wait to get that customer service survey in the mail from the hospital. It never gets easier seeing your kids in pain...it's a horrible feeling but, I am so happy to see that he is starting to do better. I love you little Kai. :)

Playgroup Easter Egg Hunt at the Lake

2009-04-11T06:54:00.000-05:00

Looking at these pics. of the kids on their Easter Egg Hunt with our playgroup made me realize how quickly our kiddos are growing up. When we first started coming to this playgroup Kai was eight months old and Jace was two years old. I guess you could say that time flies when you're having "fun".

Jace made the "hat" on his head before we left the house that morning...he says it's his pizza hat??

Only seconds later and they are already into the candy...

I assumed Scarlet was doing this the whole time but, my friend Stacy informed me otherwise.

I must have been pretty preoccupied with the boys on their egg hunt because Stacy walked by Scarlet's stroller, heard her squirming around and found this (thanks for the pics. Stacy)...

Off on their own on the other side of the lake. Us moms discussed who would jump in and cross the lake if any of the kids fell in. We decided they all know how to swim pretty well so they are on their own in that area. :)

Jace's Easter Party and Egg Hunt at School

2009-04-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

I love coming to Jace's classroom. He is always sooo excited to see me and even more excited to see his little Scarlet.

Jace with his two best friends this year Andrew and Logan

Listening to the rules that he has to finish collecting eggs once he has twelve...

Counting the eggs, and so proud that he had the most (it sounds like home is not the only place he tunes out rules).

The Party...
The boys in Jace's class love Scarlet almost as much as Jace does. Two of the boys specifically have told me in the hallway that they are going to marry Scarlet one day and the rest of them make sure they peek in the stroller every morning to say good morning to her. Glad that she's taken care of. :-)

Kai's Easter Egg Hunt and Party at School

2009-04-09T15:30:00.009-05:00

Today Kai had his class Easter Egg Hunt and party. He has matured so much this past year and I love watching him interact with his teachers and classmates.

Kai and Ben on a mission to find the most eggs...

Miss. Mary and Scarlet
Kai and his girlfriend Ruby Anne

Making a Cross necklace...

Eating a yummy Easter snack...
And, my most favorite part...the Chicken Dance

So proud...

She's officially a member...

2009-04-06T22:18:00.003-05:00

of our local gym. Brandon and I have been attending the gym at different times each day for the past three months. So, we were really looking forward to the day of attending the gym once again as a family. Our gym starts taking babies at three months and today was the day. The ladies watching Scarlet said that she did great. Never cried, slept a little, and observed everyone and everything.
Kai was sooo excited to have Scarlet come to the gym with us but, got a little teary eyed when the ladies in the baby-watch told him the rule was that older kids couldn't come into the baby area even if it was just to check on his little sis. Afterwards we stopped by the cafe for a little mid morning snack. Way to go Scarlet...here's to many more play dates at the gym. :-)

This is what we saw on our Sunday drive today...

2009-04-05T21:35:00.008-05:00

The Texas Bluebonnet!!!

Go Pacers!!

2009-04-04T16:36:00.009-05:00

Jace recently finished his first season of basketball. He loved it and caught on quickly. He usually made one to two baskets per game and by the end was defending the opposing team pretty well.

Jace received the most energetic cheer leading award on his team (okay not really but, if that award existed he would have won). He loved shouting offense/defense to his team members whenever he was sitting out. His cheer was contagious :)

Reciting the YMCA Basketball Oath

Another perk this season was our extra visitors at many of Jace's games. Scarlet was only five days old when she went to Jace's first game and, we were able to have Nonny, Poppy, and Grandma attend a few games!!

Camping at Wolf Creek Park 2009

2009-03-22T16:57:00.017-05:00

Every Spring Break we have the tradition of camping with friends at Wolf Creek Park. This year was our third year and it seems that each year gets better and better. We probably had twenty families filling the loop we camp in. The best part is after you set one or two rules you can let the kids roam free because you know everyone in sight. Our good friends the Richards actually started this tradition twelve years ago...thanks York and Stacy we can't imagine Spring Break any other way!!

I love this little bum...

and, this sweet girl...

and, these two boys even when they're sad...

I also love this sight...it's probably the only time in life that I get a break from cooking

One happy baby, but are we surprised??

The boys always made time to stop by and visit Scarlet...

Even her love...Jake

Niko and Kai doing the chicken dance...

Taylor Bachrach and McKenzie Jenkins set up a face painting booth. It was a hit with almost every kid in the loop. Brandon made the comment at one point that if they set up a booth down by the marina they could charge $2.00 a face and walk away with a fortune. :-)

The rest of our days were spent going running, eating, and playing games...

Quite a few of the kids really got into making their own fires. I am not looking forward to the year my boys start this craze. Our first night camping Kim walked up to find Cubby telling ghost stories to all of the little kids around a fire pit minus the fire.

Most days I found Kai sitting around other peoples fires especially the Schroeder's...

Getting snow cones at the local convenience store...

I think the husbands might possibly have had the best time this year. Blue (one of the guys) brought a satellite and York brought a fairly large flat screen so they could all watch the BYU/AGGIE game. When they realized they couldn't get reception because of the large trees they took off into town to some small diner where they pretty much ate everything in sight for six bucks and watched the game all at the same time. The rest of the trip they either played basketball, baseball, and even raced at one point

Each night got warmer and warmer but the first night was a freezing 46 degrees. Kai's favorite part of camping was sleeping in the tent...

My 'lil' snow bunny. She woke up once the first night and slept through the night the rest of the time. What else can you do when you are this bundled up??

Poor Kai is allergic to fire ants and not a year goes by that he doesn't get attacked. Luckily we were able to medicate the bites on his back but, missed a few on his hands causing some pretty uncomfortable swelling.

And last but not least there were Jedi's on this camp out...

Hats off to another great camping trip!!

2009-03-17T15:40:00.004-05:00

happy st. patricks day!!

This morning we woke up to a trail of gold (Rollo's) and little foot prints leading up to our kitchen table where a St. Patties Day Leprechaun had left Lucky Charms and a Happy St. Patricks Day card. This is the first time the kiddos have tried Lucky Charms and they said after eating three bowls each that it's the best cereal in the whole wide world. Afterwards we headed to the gym for some St. Patrick Day festivities.

Ever since I was in Kindergarten I have loved this holiday. My teacher Mrs. Furner got into this holiday as much as any other holiday. I remember stepping off the school bus to find little green foot prints leading all the way up the steps into our classroom where a rainbow that we had painted as a class was hanging and a pot of gold full of treats. Ever since I have dressed in green,decorated, and celebrated this holiday.

Two months old

2009-03-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

I love the little marks left on her arm by her bracelet...her arms are the chubbiest part of her body and I know those little marks will one day remind us of that. :)

It has been quite the month for little Scarlet. She was blessed by her dad on March 8th, 2009 and has been laughing, cooing, smiling, has rolled over, and is happy as ever. A few weeks ago she was referred to our ENT because of some breathing issues she was having. Take a listen:

Sorry, the video is so dark. I had the light off because she was trying to go to sleep. Sometimes she sounds better than this while other times she sounds worse.

After having a fiberoptic laryngoscope inserted in her nose, down her throat, and into her stomach it was discovered that she has a breathing disorder called Laryngomalacia and GERD (Stomach Acid Reflux Disease) commonly confused with Acid Reflux or GER. The interesting part is that she showed very little symptoms of GERD like no vomiting and never spitting up but, according to the scope definitely has it. I feel really bad because the only symptoms she really ever showed would be during one or two feedings a day where she would choke and cry. If I sang to her while she was eating she would kind of bite the bullet and try to stay calm and not cry. I feel really bad now knowing that she was suffering and I was trying to quiet her up. The ENT says, that GERD is more serious than GER because the infant never vomits or spits up causing the acid to sit in the throat constantly burning the esophagus. When the scope was performed they filmed it and showed me the damage to Scarlet's esophagus but, thankfully medication can fix all of that or at least most of it.

As for the Laryngomalacia it is the most common cause of really noisy breathing in an infant. In fact the ENT told me when I presented him with the video up above that he did not need to view it he could have diagnosed her just by listening to her on the phone. Laryngomalacia occurs as a result of a floppy portion of the larynx (voice box) that has not yet developed causing obstruction of the airway therefore making a narrower breathing passage. The obstruction is the source of the loud, whistling, wheezing, breathing sound. Usually this condition peaks around six to eight months and goes away on its own when the child is between one and two years of age.

In 10% of infants that have Laryngomalacia surgery is performed due to poor weight gain or lapses in breathing which Scarlet has struggled with both. She usually only has lapses in her breathing when she is eating or sleeping. The good thing is is that her breathing is so loud that even when Brandon and I are asleep and she stops breathing we immediately wake up because it's suddenly quit. The ENT is giving her two months to gain adequate weight and to start decreasing the number of times she stops breathing in a given day before he decides if she needs surgery or not. The great part is is that they put her on a compounded dose of Previced in hopes that medicating the GERD would help the Laryngomalacia...and it has. She is eating better, breathing loud but not lapsing as much, and is gaining quite a bit of weight.

At her two month check-up she was:

24 1/2 inches long putting her in the 97th percentile
weighing 12lbs. 3 oz putting her in the 90th percentile
her head circumference was 38 1/2 cm putting her in the 50th percentile

I'm positive that her ENT will be happy with these results making it less likely that she will have surgery. :-)

As for her brothers...they are still in love with her. Kai's nick named her Scarley and Jace claims he is going to marry her one day and calls her "girl". When he walks into the room he says, "Where's my pretty girl, or there's my girl, is my girl awake yet, I love my girl, or hey girl." One day we were driving to school and I heard him say, "Scarlet I have something important to tell you...welcome to earth." I love how much they love her and how much she loves them. She cries when they leave the room and puts on the hugest smile as soon as they come back. Brandon and I also love her to pieces and feel so blessed to have her with us and that she is a happy healthy little one. :-)

Grandma Comes to Texas

2009-03-01T11:17:00.021-06:00

We were so blessed to have our grandma (B's mom) come help us for three weeks after my parents left. She had originally planned on staying two weeks but, when unexpected complications came up from the delivery and Brandon decided to meet a few investors at the Super Bowl she changed her flight and stayed another week. Thank you so much grandma you helped us more than you'll ever know.

A little grandmotherly love goes a long way...

Siblings...

Since grandma grew up with two parents that were Librarians and had Brandon reading by the time he was three years of age Brandon had one requirement when she got here. That she help Jace brush up on his reading skills and that she start Kai on his way. To my surprise she did a great job and indeed Kai was well on his way by the time she left.

Daddy picking up where grandma left off...

While grandma was here my good friend Lindsay who owns Banner Boutique sent a box full of beautiful headbands...

Yes, she already has the force with her and Jace says, that the blue light saber is her seat belt that is added protection to the force. :-)

Grandma and Jace at Jace's basketball game where he made two baskets!!

And, of course the trampoline that I am quickly starting to regret purchasing. Brandon loves to jump off of the roof onto his back. The worst part is is that his back actually touches the ground as he lands on the net. I usually go inside when this starts to take place because I get so upset.

No worries, Jace is only trying to get a ball. He promises he will never jump like his dad...ya right!!

Kai working on his back flip and a few other tricks (he has names for them I just don't remember what they are considering they are made up and not your traditional trick)...

The fatigue is starting to set in with daddy either from the active boys in our house, the presence of a newborn, or most likely BOTH...

This is a rare commodity around here but, we'll take it whenever it presents itself...

Our grandma is definitely amazing. Every time a grandchild is born she makes them a blanket. The craziest part about it is that she didn't like the one she made Jace when he was born so she made him a new one but much larger. It fits his "TWIN" size bed.

Grandma, Jace, and his blanket

Grandma, Kai, and his blanket

Grandma, Scarlet, and her blanket
Grandma, the kiddos, and all of their beautiful blankets...

Thank you grandma for everything. We wouldn't have been able to get through these past three weeks without you. We love and miss you!!

The rest of Nonny and Poppy's visit to Texas

2009-02-15T09:03:00.006-06:00

I know I am a little late on posting this but, as mentioned before my parents came to visit us the week Scarlet was born. We think they enjoyed their time here in Texas. They loved visiting HEB everyday, my dad is a custom home builder so B took my parents to view some of the custom homes being built in the area (the style of home here is very different from the styles in California and Utah where my dad has done all of his building), and they were able to experience Jace's first basketball game. When Scarlet was four days old we went to a 'local' restaurant called "The Swinging Door", and the rest of the time my parents cooked, cleaned, and just hung out with all of us kids.

My parents picked up on the fact that everywhere we went people said, "y'all". They even commented that our native Texan Kai is developing a southern accent. I guess I am completely unaware to it all because I never notice people using southern lingo and I definitely do not notice my three year old having an accent but, maybe that happens when you live somewhere for almost FOUR years or in Kai's case all of your life. :)

Nonny and Kai tend to get really silly when they're together...

Jace's basketball game...

And, taking care of baby Scarlet!!

Thanks Nonny and Poppy for coming to visit. We miss and love you. :-)

2009-02-14T10:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

One month old...

2009-02-05T15:48:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe our little Scarlet is one month old. Time has flown and for the most part every moment has been great. She was sleeping through the night but, came down with a cold a couple of weeks ago and that was the end of that.

I know this may sound crazy but, Scarlet has been going in for weight checks every week since she was born. I guess the little butter ball isn't "gaining" enough weight regardless of how big she started out. Today she weighed in at 10 pounds 9 ounces. She has grown, I just have yet to hear from the Dr. if that 1/2 lb. is sufficient. I took her in yesterday to get her pics. taken. I love her so much. She is so much fun. So far I must say that she is such an easy going baby and has brought so much love into our home. :)

Look who's sleeping through the night...

2009-01-14T08:36:00.001-06:00

Take a peek into Scarlet's first week of life...

2009-01-12T09:05:00.015-06:00

We feel very blessed to have received all of the support and love our friends and family have shown us this past week. Our friends the Jenkins were kind enough to watch over the boys when at the last minute the Dr. decided to induce on Monday instead of Thursday (knowing my parents would not be arriving until Tuesday.)

Many have asked about the delivery and without going into too much detail because I want this post to be about Scarlet; the delivery was difficult. Even difficult to talk about. After having Scarlet the Dr. came to the realization that not only was my epidural not working it looked like the catheter had fallen out...meaning it really didn't work. After screaming, crying, and entering a state of shock the little one or should I say big one entered the world. I would have loved to have been more aware of her and my surroundings but, I guess my body did a great job of hiding a bit from me. I don't remember how many people pushed on my stomach to get her out, I don't remember seeing Brandon in the delivery, and I for sure don't remember the pushing lasting only ten minutes but, I am grateful that Scarlet was much less traumatized then Jace was when he was born and, it's amazing how in love our little family is with this sweet angel already.

Scarlet had many visitors the two days she was in the hospital.

Kim Taggart

Eleanor Bachrach

Nora Robinson

Ramona Oettli and her daughter Maria

Sarah Johnson. Sarah is so sweet. She had no idea I was stressing about not having a headband and showed up to the hospital with one that she made insisting that Scarlet could not be wheeled around the hospital without a headband.

Nonny and Poppy (my parents) left freezing cold SLC to visit us

Love at first sight...

Coming Home...

We were so very concerned with how her brother Kai would handle this change and so far he has been the sweetest little guy around.

*Whenever he hears Scarlet cry he is at her side within seconds telling her it will be all right.

*He tells us that his job when she is getting her diaper changed is to hold her hand while she cries. (he has held her hand every single time he has been home other than the middle of the night.)

*When I hear him playing Magic (what he calls make believe) Scarlets name is always mentioned and I haven't heard any Star Wars characters mentioned since she was born

*When he wakes up in the morning instead of wanting breakfast he wants Scarlet

*He has made up several new songs for her that he sings daily

*It is so sweet to hear him say, "Scarlet it's okay, you're all done, Scarlet it's okay sweetie pie you're all done."

Another great treat this past week was that Nonny and Poppy (my parents) came to visit. We had so much fun with them and miss them sooo much. They were too funny and I think their favorite part of Katy, Texas is HEB. They don't have grocery stores in AZ, CA, or UT for that matter that compare to the grocery stores in Texas.

There's nothing better than a little brotherly love...

Scarlets first at home sponge bath...

Our last event of the week was a visit from Stacy Richards. She brought Scarlet the cutest "Pinkalicious" P.J.'s and book...thanks Stacy. :-)

Welcome Little Miss....

2009-01-05T16:00:00.012-06:00

Scarlet Ann Walker

Born: January 5th, 2009
Arriving 4 days early
at 1:20pm

10 pounds 2 ounces

21 1/4 inches long

Mom and baby Scarlet are doing well!!

FALSE ALARM and rambling

2008-12-31T10:36:00.003-06:00

Okay, I have never done this but, I am about to ramble partly for journaling purposes and the other part because I am exhausted. If you don't want to read rambling then don't read. :-)

Yesterday was a day that most pregnant women have experienced but, I haven't. Until this pregnancy the only contractions I have ever felt are those inflicted by Pitoson. Yes, I have always had to be induced due to the possibility of having a large baby (Jace 10lbs. 4 oz and 23 1/2 inches long and Kai 9lbs. 7 oz and 20 inches long). I am 5'1 and started out at 90lbs. with both of them. Sooo, I was considered high risk on both due to my weight, height, and their weight. Fortunately this time I started out at 105lbs. pushing me out of the high risk group. But, still I have never had a normal contraction until the PAST FEW MONTHS.

Yesterday I woke up having contractions five minutes apart luckily I had a Dr's. appt. at 8:45am. As soon as I got to the waiting area and started talking to one of my friends who was also in the waiting area all contractions went away. My dr. checked me and said that I was still dilated to a 3 and my cervix was very very soft (the same story I have heard for the past three weeks...meaning nothing has changed.)

I left a little surprised but quickly forgot as the boys and I met our friends for lunch. I should say my friend Heidi, her sweet little boy Tate, and as my boys would say their "girlfriends" Sophie and Cala. NO contractions through lunch...and we had a ton of fun with our friends.

Later than night at about 7:00pm I met a few of my prego friends (Linsey Stucky, Taryn Hudson, Brianna Reed, Jasmin Adams was supposed to be their but, had her baby a couple of days ago and keep in mind she was due a week after me, and then Amy Griffeth who had her cute little baby Jared a few months ago) for dinner.

As soon as we sat down I had a pretty strong contraction. What seemed like only minutes later I had another. Sooo Amy decided to time my contractions for the next hour. Most were five minutes apart, one was nine minutes apart, and two were two minutes apart. Wow, if I knew what it felt like to go into labor I might just be doing that. As soon as I got home a really hard contraction hit me knocking me to my knees and taking my breathe away. As soon as it subsided I walked in sat down and the next contraction didn't come for twelve minutes. TIME TO TAKE DOWN THE CHRISTMAS TREE MY NESTING INSTINCTS SCREAMED. As soon as I was done with the tree the contractions continued more intensely but still ten minutes apart for the next few hours. YES, I AM NOT OVERREACTING THEY HURT AND I HAD A HARD TIME BREATHING THROUGH THEM but, I didn't want to show up to the hospital after dropping my kids off at my friend Taryn's house just to have them say you're not in labor it's a false alarm. :) So I waited, took a bath, breathed hard, and screamed as quietly as I could. As soon as I got out of the bath at about 1:30am the contractions calmed down and I fell asleep just to wake up to the sun this morning.

At one point during the night my mom told me this went on for five nights with her third child. She would be in "LABOR" show up to the hospital, get hooked up to the monitor and have the contractions stop. On the fifth night the hospital finally decided to brake her water. On her fourth child she was like me determined not to go in until it was "THE REAL THING". Being the oldest I remember it was Mother's Day and she was in a lot of pain while we were eating dinner at my grandma's house. My brothers and I were playing downstairs when my parents came down to say they were going to the hospital. As soon as she got to the hospital she was not able to walk and had the baby quickly after.

Anyways, tonight is NEW YEAR'S EVE. I am going to a party and am not going to let these false contractions get in my way. Yes, I will be careful. At the latest I am getting induced on Monday yes, still almost a week early but, that's when it's scheduled.

And, as for now I am going to try to take a really nice "NAP" and try to forget all of the craziness of last night.

Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus...

2008-12-20T08:44:00.005-06:00

right into our ward party a couple of Saturdays ago. The boys were sooo excited to see him and I was sooo excited we didn't have to stand in a long line at the mall.

Kai and Santa

Kai telling Santa he wants Batman (funny we haven't' heard this one and the shoppin' is a finished).

Jace and Santa

Jace telling Santa he wants the Clone Wars DVD and Kai listening in to make sure Jace asks for something good.

It was definitely a change this year having both boys happy sitting with Santa. It seems like every year since we've had kids one or the other cries in his lap. I guess that means it is time to have another little one "REALLY SOON".

Jace's Fall Soccer Season 2008

2008-12-16T13:26:00.009-06:00

It's hard to believe Jace just completed his fourth soccer season. He's just like his dad...fast, quick, and silly on the field all in one game but, at the end of the day above all else Jace is known for his speed.

Jace's #1 Fan...

Are they going to get it in...

Crash and burn (sometimes or should I say most of the time these crash and burns are a little over dramatic but, if you're going to fall you need to look tough right?? )...

And, it's a GOAL!!

Way to go buddy...another great season!!

O' Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T12:41:00.008-06:00

A few weeks ago we decorated our Christmas tree. Every year we seem to decorate earlier and earlier ( B thinks the three of us are crazy but, the boys love it.)

The boys showing their favorite ornament this season...

Focusing really hard on getting each ornament just right...

This is definitely my favorite part of decorating a tree with my kids. They have no concept that every ornament ends up on the bottom branches even when offered a chair to stand on and, they clump all of the same ornaments together. Brandon immediately starts to fix it every year until I remind him it's my favorite part. Life with these cute boys sure keep us busy but, we love it. :-)

Jace's Christmas Program

2008-12-14T19:23:00.004-06:00

This past Thursday night Jace had his Christmas program at school. He had a blast singing:

"TEN LITTLE ANGELS"...

"JINGLE BELL ROCK" other than the fact they handed him "PINK" sunglasses...

and, "SUPER DUPER CHRISTMAS"...

Both boys enjoyed the after party with cookies, hot chocolate, and running around with friends.

Kai's very 1st Christmas program ever

2008-12-11T14:52:00.004-06:00

Kai is so sweet. He has been practicing his Christmas songs for over a month now, at school, in the car, and at home. When it came time to sing in front of an audience he froze and was not able to sing one word. When he finished he told us he didn't do a good job. We told him that we were so very proud of him. He stayed up on the stage the entire time and never cried. I think he experienced quite a few different moods while up on stage. Up above he was definitely sad but, down below he looks angry.

Mellow but still not happy...

In the end he looked a little more comfortable but not comfortable enough to sing. :-)

It's SNOWing in Houston

2008-12-10T21:48:00.000-06:00

Photo taken from the Houston Chronicle

I know most people live in snowy areas but, my kids never have. So seeing snow as they came out of school today and seeing just a little bit on the roof before Jace's basketball practice made the kids ecstatic. Kai's teacher Miss. Mary was so cute. She told the boys if we had enough snow at our house in the morning she would be knocking on our door bright and early with a carrot and coal in hand (too bad the snow didn't stick at all). From what I hear it has been years since it last snowed here...I just hope our Sago Palm in the front yard survives the freezing 30 degree weather.

Thank heavens for little girls and great friends too

2008-12-05T17:43:00.006-06:00

Sarah, Colette, Amy, Heidi, Nora, Kim, Heather, Jaime

Little Ava, Esther, Alyssa, Eleanor, Emily

I wish I would've thought to take a pic. earlier half the girls had already taken off before this pic. was taken

One of my best friends Sarah Johnson threw me a baby shower last night. She went way over the top to make me feel special and I must say she did a great job. Thanks Sarah, you're the best. I also want to thank the rest of my friends that helped make the night a memorable event. I truly feel blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful friends. I don't know what I would do without you. Thanks girls..you're the best...and I love you. :-)

Sarah gave me plenty of assignments before the shower. Baby pics. of myself for display, ultrasound pics. of our sweet baby, and the worst part a pic. of my side profile for a game.

Thanks again everyone. :-)

Our typical 'cRaZy' Thanksgiving morning

2008-11-30T20:14:00.010-06:00

Every year early Thanksgiving morning I run a 5k and Brandon organizes and plays Flag Football at the same time. There have been years where we have gotten a babysitter just so we can live out our passions. This year being eight almost nine months prego I decided not to run the 5k but, after watching me race last year Jace decided to take this challenge on himself and run the kids 1 mile race. Every time we drive on Peek Road (the race course) Jace asks if it is almost Thanksgiving and time to run his race. Early Thursday morning I woke him about 6:00am asking if he still wanted to run (hoping he would say no so this could be the one year we sleep in) but no, he asked me to make him oatmeal for breakfast so he wouldn't get cold during the race. After breakfast I told him to lay in my bed hoping he would fall asleep while I got his running gear ready. Fat chance, he was sitting up and ready to go when I came back.

Probably the most enjoyable part for Brandon and I was when Brandon found Jace half way through the race, Jace took one look at Brandon and said, "Dad, I should have said NO." After the race Jace said, "Mom, I didn't like this race so much." I asked, "What part didn't you like?" "The running part." I then asked, "What part did you like?" "The part when I got a ribbon."
I guess running is not his thing, but he claims he is doing it again next year.

"Silly" face

The "infamous" ribbon

B can't live without his "Turkey Bowl." Our first year of marriage he spent $400.00 on flags for flag football promising they would never go unused. Whether we have been in Utah with family and friends, co-workers, grad school with students, or different wards he has always planned and announced Flag Football. This year he played with a broken toe, and claims he did the Superman dive into the endzone and injured his back (he still thinks he's in high school.) I guess boys will be boys. :-)

A night of mischief...

2008-11-25T11:18:00.010-06:00

At about 2:00pm on Friday Brandon walked in the house from work or so I thought, when I heard him on his phone tell someone, "Ya, I just got home from Hobby Lobby." My first thought was, "Do you even know WHERE Hobby Lobby is, let alone WHAT it is?" (Hobby Lobby is a craft store here in TX similar to Michael's, Roberts Crafts, or Joann's Fabric). He then turns the corner with a big smile on his face and goes on to tell me that we will be making UofU flags all night so he and one of his buddies (Jared Taggart) can go out and vandalize the homes of all of our cougar friends.

Supposedly there had been a lot of smack going on between a bunch of the husbands who were going to be attending a BYU/UofU party the next night at the Taggart's house.

Once again my husbands hidden talents amaze me. He walked into a craft store that he had never been in before. Approached the lady at the fabric counter and told her how much red fabric he needed and then asked how he could put a white "U" on the flag. After many options he decided that we would make the "U" at home that night and then iron them onto the red flag. Around 7 :30pm I walked into the living room where he, Jace, and Kai have a Clone Wars party every Friday night just to find him glued to the television and not paying attention to the "U" he was messing up. I proceeded to make one and after teaching him he made the other three which turned out much better than my one.

At 11:00pm he left with the ladder and the flags to pick up Jared Taggart where they attacked most of our BYU friends. The boys and I woke up at 6:30am excited to drive around and see what kind of mischief dad had been up to the night before just to find BYU vinyl letters all over the outside of our house. Who else gets up every morning at 4:30am and can pull something off like this by 6:30am??? THE JENKINS!!!

The Jenkins

(Sherlyn and Blue had already ruined their flag before we were able to get a good pic.)

The Christensen's

(Don't worry Mark and Karen the red flag will definitely help bring up the value of your brand new home)

THE BOYER'S

At first we thought the string of events that night would bring down the value of the Boyer's home considering their vehicle was stolen just a few hours later. But, we soon found out that Lance had left the car unlocked with the keys inside. :) When the officers showed up to the Boyer's house and told them what had happened to their car they glanced up and saw the flag. The officer asked if Lance wanted to press charges against the car thief's and he said, "I don't know?? I might know these crooks." Thankfully Lance was able to see the two suspects and realized even though Jared and Brandon could pass as sixteen year old's they definitely were not these sixteen year old's.

THE ROBINSON'S

If you know Nora at all then you know she is never one to go to bed early. To top it off they had friends visiting from Dallas so even though they were the last house to get hit they were still up. As soon as Brandon had lifted the ladder into the car Rob came outside and noticed the flag. Being the good sport he is he left the flag right where it should be until the next day.

Yes, our house and the Taggart's were still hit and do you think we left those vinyl letters up all day like the flags??? No way, I think both families had them down before 8:00am.

GO UTES!!!!!

A week of Feasts...

2008-11-21T09:42:00.007-06:00

This past week the boys each had a Thanksgiving Feast at school. Kai's was on Wednesday and Jace's was on Thursday. Thanks to the flexibility of dads job he was able to attend both days, and we both agreed that it was such a fun week having each boy to ourselves...a little one on one time is always needed especially before their sweet little sis gets here. :-)

We love...

2008-11-05T18:57:00.005-06:00

new traditions at our house.

Every year Brandon puts a ton of orange lights in our trees outside. Sometime this past September he came to me and asked if we had to do lights this year. I pouted a little and then said, "I would love it if you did but, I guess you don't have to." A little while later he came to me and said, "I have decided to not put all of the lights up, I'm just going to make a jack-o-lantern out of lights in our big tree." I really thought this was just a cop-out and had no faith that it would work whatsoever.

Can you believe it it actually turned out pretty good. We had neighbors that claimed they would wait outside every night in their garages or on their bikes to see the big Jack-O-Lantern come to life. I guess I should trust Brandon a little more when it comes to my perfectionist ways. He's actually pretty creative and a perfectionist in his own way which often turns out more perfect in the end.

We also got this advent calendar this year. It was definitely a hit with the boys and I did not even use one piece of candy. I stuffed each day with Halloween crafts, Halloween pencils, Halloween stickers, Halloween stamps, Halloween movies, and Halloween books. It was such a fun way to celebrate the season. :-)

Halloween Parades, Parties, and one stubborn little boy...

2008-11-03T06:58:00.002-06:00

His shirt and face say "monster" which is exactly what he was that morning

I usually don't have much to complain about especially when it comes to my kids but, I must say that the morning of the boys Halloween party and parade at school was one of the most exhausting experiences I have had this pregnancy. We arrived at school about five minutes early to finish up a few last minute pieces of the boys costume that had to be done after we got out of the car. As soon as I put Kai's Dragon costume on he had a "ROYAL FIT". Screaming and crying, "get this thing off of me" (keep in mind he was the one who picked this costume and had already tried it on and had no problem with it). I promised him as soon as we got into the school I would take it off hoping he would forget once he saw all of the other children. As minutes went by I picked up all forty pounds of him, backpacks, a huge baby in my belly and marched in. The screaming and crying did not stop and by the time I got him to his classroom I could not peel him off of me to even take the costume off. Finally after all of the chaos of getting the costume off he did not participate in the parade, class pics., and most of his class party. He attended Jace's party with me and afterwards asked if he could put the costume on. I simply said "no" and marched him down to his class to finish the last little part of his party. Afterwards I went straight home to take a three hour nap. :-)

Jace's Party

Never a dull moment with these boys...

or with Jace that is...

Always being goofy...

The last little bit of Kai's party...like nothing ever happened...

Games

and more games since this was the last bit of the party...

At least he's happy now. I realized half way through the ordeal that that was all that
mattered. :-)

Happy Birthday Linds

2008-10-28T06:02:00.001-05:00

Lindsay has been one of my best friends for the past twenty years. She is my oldest friend meaning I have not been friends with anyone longer than her. When I was in sixth grade I moved from SLC to San Diego and we instantly became friends that summer. Too many memories to log but, I must say she is one of the most creative people I know. One summer we decided we wanted to buy these dressy black shoes with a bow on top that looked like a cob web for the upcoming school year. Lindsay and I made scrunchies day after day to sell so we could go and buy these silly shoes that we thought were so cool. We were very into fashion since day one. I think Lindsay really was the one with the fashion sense and I got all my fashion education from her.

We continued to be friends through junior high and high school. My junior year in high school I left a private school in La Jolla to attend the same public school Lindsay went to just to find out the following summer before Senior year my family would be moving back to SLC. That summer I stayed behind with Lindsay when my family moved. I quite my job early and we played all summer. I remember her family driving me up to Utah and stopping at Brick Oven in Provo, Utah for lunch. This was 1995 and every girl in this restaurant was still wearing overalls and long permed hair with "THE CLAW" for bangs. I started to cry and Lindsay said, "Don't worry I can send you pictures out of catalogs and magazines with the real style since they might not sell up to date catalogs and magazines here."

The following year Lindsay moved to Utah to attend BYU while I attended the University of Utah. Even though we attended different Universities we still made time to see each other every few weeks whether we were setting each other up on dates, or I was getting my hair or nails done at the salon she worked at, or just to hang out. One summer in college we took off to New York for a few weeks to visit one of my friends doing his internship there. We were there over the 4th of July and even though Lindsay and I had spent many 4th of July's together we both agreed this was the best yet.

Upon getting married we were each others bridesmaids and have continued to be good friends throughout the past however many years.

Lindsay you have been such a great friend to me through the good and the bad times. I can't imagine how different my life would be if you had not been apart of it. I hope you have the best thirtieth birthday ever!!

Love, Aly

FAO Schwartz Toy Store, New York, 1999

New Bunk Mates

2008-10-26T23:22:00.005-05:00

For the past I don't know how many years the boys have been begging us to get them bunk beds. At first we said absolutely not. When we built our home we built enough bedrooms thinking they would always have their own rooms. After listening to them for the past year we finally broke down and agreed if they could follow the #1 rule "to not stay up all night" we would let them try it out.

Kai asked me to get a picture of him pretending to sleep in his new bed.

Kai Robert Walker

2008-10-19T14:46:00.006-05:00

A couple of months ago my little Kai turned three. I was finally able to get his pictures taken this week after waiting a couple of months for two black eyes (separate incidences) to heal. There are a few things I wanted to say about him:

Kai,

Oh where to start...you definitely are a free spirit which keeps us on our toes constantly.

I must say that you are probably the most inquisitive person I know. You have a question for everything and need it answered immediately. Every morning as we are driving you start with your questions, "Mommy, who made the trees?" "Mommy, who made HEB?" "Mommy, who made our house?" And the best question that gets asked quite often and leads into another half an hour of questions, "Mommy, who made Heavenly Father?"

Kai, you definitely are not a follower. You want to do what you want when you want to regardless of what other kids are doing. I don't know if you are a leader either...you just obviously have enough confidence to not do what everyone else is doing whether you are alone or not.

You love to observe and I think this is how you learn. Since you were a little baby you got most satisfaction out of watching Jace. You still are like that today. You have no desire to play a video game you just want to watch Jace play it. You have no desire to play soccer even though you are really good you just want to watch it.

I must also say that you are probably the most stubborn little boy I have ever met. For the past two years or however long I have been concerned that you don't know your shapes. A week doesn't go by that we study shapes almost daily. Every time I ask what one is or to show me a circle you say, "I don't remember or, I forgot." Just the other morning you were eating breakfast on a SHAPES place mat. I asked you your shapes and you didn't know any of them. Out of frustration I said, "Kai, I will pay you a nickle for every shape you get right." Your eyes lit up and within seconds you had told me the name of all eight shapes on your mat and then looked at me and said, "How much money is that? Enough to buy a toy?"

You seek comfort from certain people in life. For one, if you are sad, tired, or want a song, you want your daddy. If you want attention or to play you want Jace and miss him greatly when he is at school. When you need a hug or a kiss you want your school teacher Miss. Mary. Sometimes I wonder if you need me at all. The other day you ran up to me several times and gave me a hug and a kiss. I was thrilled and when I said, "Thank you Kai, I love it when you hug and kiss me." You replied, "Mommy, I wasn't hugging and kissing you...I was hugging and kissing the baby."

Oh little Kai Bob you are so unique and special in your own way that I would not trade for anything in the world. I love that I can never quite figure you out and that you are full of surprise.

Happy Third Birthday!!

Love, Mommy

nine days old

Kai's Birthday

2008-10-19T14:01:00.004-05:00

Kai's birthday was on a Sunday this year and no matter how many times I asked he did not decide to tell me until that day that he wanted a Superman Cake. Not being able to run to the store I threw one of his Superman toys in the dishwasher, put it on the cake, and called it good.

My birthday boy. :)

Yummy!!

Kai's Birthday Dinner

2008-10-19T11:30:00.003-05:00

This year for Kai's birthday dinner he wanted to go to Rocket City. We played for several hours on the arcades...

the indoor playground...

ate dinner at the 100 ft. buffet...

and rode on many different rides...

Happy Birthday Kai Bob :-)

Ghosts live in our house??

2008-10-15T20:13:00.004-05:00

On conference Sunday the boys and I decided to make a "haunted" gingerbread house. While we were making it Jace told me that all of the scary Halloween ghosts in our house can now live in this house.

working really hard

Kai was really concerned that the ghosts wouldn't be able to get in and out of the house so he was trying to blow down the door in the pic. up above. :)

You can't make a gingerbread house without eating part of it, right??

The Katy Rice Festival Parade

2008-10-14T06:18:00.001-05:00

Each year Katy hosts its annual Katy Rice Festival to support the towns history. Rice farming began in Katy in 1898. Land in Katy is rich and flat making it the prime land for rice fields and at one point in Katy's history there were more than 300 rice farmers. Right away rice farming made a significant contribution to the towns economy and even though it has slowed down throughout the years the community still comes together each year to educate and celebrate the history of the towns rice fields.

The festival starts out with a parade early Saturday morning and continues throughout the rest of the weekend with booths, pageants, and carnivals.

Three years ago our good friends the Taggart's introduced us to the early morning parade and we have attended every year since.

My favorite part of the parade was when Wizard of Oz comes walking down the street
with a banner reading "There's No Place Like KATY. "

Plenty of advertisements and candy to go around