Santa Claus

We have had a couple of encounters with Old St. Nick this year.

The Polar Express.
Will's cute teacher put together a ride on the Polar Express for his Kindergarten class. I got to go along as a parent chaperone. We all wore our jammies, and rode the train, then went into the station for hot chocolate cookies, and a visit from Santa! It was fun to spend some time with my Will.


Here it comes!!

Me and my five year old guy.

It must be the year 2010. I didn't think this would be the entertainment of a group of five year old boys quit so soon. I think they are more technologically savvy than I am.  They were looking at pictures of one little guys pets.

The therapy Christmas party.
Wally and Walker go to therapy at a local rehab center every week. We have gotten to know them pretty well after ten months. So were were excited to go to the family Christmas party they put on.
The kids did crafts.

Walker played on the raised mats. No fun for me. He is a dare devil and wants to hang over the edge.

And then Santa came! And gave all the kids a very nice Christmas gift. Some were fans. Other were not. Let's see if you can spot those in the "not" category.

There is one.

And here is the other. Georgia would not get with in more than three feet of poor Santa. Her face says it all. We had fun though, and we are so grateful to those who help children with all kids of physical, and mental disabilities, of every level of severity! We have much to be grateful for, and the party was a good motivation, and inspiration to do, and give more.

A Patient's Choice Christmas Party

This weekend was the Chicago area Patient's Choice Christmas dinner. I am sorry to all of those employees who live in other states! The logistics are not in our favor for having a company wide party.
I was able to meet a couple of people that I have heard about, but never been introduced to, meet many spouses of those I do know, and to eat some nut free, and yummy Chinese food. It is also good to see Del with the people he works with, and hear them express their appreciation for what a great man he is to work for.  They did all the work to put this together. All we had to do was show up! Late! How embarrassing! Traffic!
We may not have been able to have all of the employees in a central location this year, but we sure do feel appreciation for everyone who works so hard, takes stress off of Del, and for the very nice gift of great seats at an upcoming Jazz vs. Bulls game here in Chicago! Merry Christmas!

Gymnastic Fantastic

 The kids have been in gymnastics for the past few weeks. They could not love it more. And Coach Kyle is exactly what Wally needs. They all get lots of direction, help with discipline (stretching,) and self confidence. Apart from the crazy that comes with supervising the children that are not in class while we wait for those who are, it has been a good experience. It is also pretty cute to watch all of these little kids using terms like "P-Bars," and "Pike."

Georgie waiting for class to start.

Georgia likes to say "I can't." She learned it from Wally. That does not fly with Coach Kyle. You TRY.

The boys.

We Gave Thanks

My Mom and Dad were able to come to town for a visit this Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have them around for a few days. We trekked them all over tarnation in the car, and more than likely, sent them home exhausted, and grateful they live in a valley, were everything cannot help but be contained within a reasonable distance. Thanks for letting us wear you out Mom and Dad! We love you!
We had some great friends and my parents for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  We were full of Turkey, and good company! Just how our house likes it. Cram 'em in, and fill 'em up!
I got one shot of the bird on the table, but got busy, and started eating, and didn't get one with all of the fixin's. But we had them, and them some!

What a good day.

I also had one of those "over the hill" birthdays the day before Thanksgiving. As I have reflected on my life so far, I have decided that I have been given some priceless experiences. Lots of happiness, had lots of kids, collected lots of amazing friends, and even acquaintances, spent ten years of it married to a man I can't imagine loving more, felt just enough sadness mixed in there to make all the joy stand out... and I would not change any of it.

I only hope that I can learn from it all and become "seasoned" and try with all my might to be somewhat wise as I move forward.  I have to say, I like it on this side of the "hill."

For the kiddos. Our decorative Tom the Turkey sat with the kids. We had a beading project for them that was a hit, and I am still finding beads in places you can't imagine. Oh, and the Midwest priority of a dining room has officially rubbed off on me. In my next house, that will be on the list!

Happy Birthday Walker

Today is Walker's first birthday! It has definitely been the fastest year of our lives! It seems he just arrived, and yet it feels like he has always been a part of our family. Walker is very attentive, and very sweet. From the moment he was born, he has paid attention to everything surrounding him, and has never been a great nap boy, because he might miss the action! Walker loves to play with the kids, wants real food, nothing to do with baby food. He loves to climb the stairs and is not afraid to give you a jabber filled lecture if he does not like what you are up to. I love this little boy so much! He is our much loved little brother!

Thanksgiving Daily

Meet Me In St. Louis! Or About Four Hours South Of It.

We hit the road for an adventure this weekend. We saw the Gateway Arch in St. Louis from the road as we passed through and headed way down to South Missouri.

Our destination, Joplin.

 Del has a rep there (who is great, and has a great girlfriend,) and happens to be investigating our church. So we drove down, and the rep from Dallas (who is great, and has a great wife,) who is a member of our church, drove up, and we got to hang out and have fun, and show our support.
We were a big crazy group. We took Joplin by storm with our,  count em',  10 kids!

One of these things is not like the others.

Georgia was the only girl with nine boys. All age eight and under. And we actually ate at restaurants! And did not get kicked out!
This little group could get even the grumpiest of grumpies to smile. What a cute bunch of boys... and girl! The people in the Carthage, Missouri ward of our church, were SO nice. They even invited our kids to participate in their primary program, and squeezed them in to sing when the kids jumped at the invitation! So our boys put on their second show of the year, and the Carthage ward just rolled with it!

Here is the group. The tech in the area, his wife, and a rep from Arkansas joined us for dinner. It was fun, and I have never seen such fancy, and tasty, kids quesadillas! Or my boys get so many lemonade refills.

It was fun to have a weekend adventure, and come away from it with some new friends. I could really get used to hanging out with that Jill and Megan! We will have to do it again soon!

I will throw in one of Walker at the bouncy gym. He was a trooper on the long drive, and probably felt like he was in that car seat all weekend. We got home, packed Del up for his flight the next morning, and sent him off to Georgia. His Atlanta manager met him there with a gift of a brand new pair of Air Jordans! So worth it. Del has amazing people at Patient's Choice. What a blessing.
On to the next adventure!

The Big Ol' Frame

I found it while I was out running one Summer morning. I passed a garage sale and saw it peeking out from from the shadows inside. I liked it, and so I trotted home, and told Del I needed to go back and pick up a big ol' frame.
A what?
I was not kidding. We had to put it on the roof of the car and drive home with both of us holding on to it with one arm from inside.
I even did some minor haggling and got the lady to knock it down from $25 to $15.
And then it sat around while I decided what to do with it. Walker took a mighty interest in it, and hounded it from day one. Tipping it over, sitting on it, chewing on it. So finally I decided that I would make it a chalk board. I think chalk boards might be a little passe these days, but I decided two things...

1.  I don't care if chalk boards are passe.

And

2.  I don't care if my handwriting, (which I do not adore.) is  uneven in size, spacing, and that the lines are not straight. I think it adds to the character. And maybe when I switch out what is written on it, I'll straighten it out. Or not.

I put the 13th Article of Faith revealed through the first prophet of our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) on the board, because I read a talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley, (another prophet,) that this Article of Faith encompasses all that we should strive to be as Latter Day Saints. I really loved that thought, and decided it would be a good one to try to encourage my children to be familiar with. And it is not a bad reminder for me either, considering I stuck it on top of the piano, and it is the first thing I see when I walk down the stairs in the morning, maybe it will influence my day. And what better place for a garage sale frame, than on top of my hand-me-down, 1970's piano?

It was easy to make, so I can change my mind if a different idea comes along. I just had a piece of particle board cut to dimension, and painted it with chalkboard paint. So I am open to ideas on what it could morph into in the future. If I ever feel the urge to get a massive family portrait done, voila! We have a frame!
I am doubting that will happen.  My face alone would have to be several inches wide. No thanks.

 I have also thought about getting a piece of mirror cut someday.

Someday, we'll see!
I kind of like it, so just though I'd share. If you have any brilliant thoughts on it's future use, please feel free to fill me in!

Halloween

Here they are! Our ninjas, a geisha, and panda bear. We had a lot of fun this year at Trunk or Treat at the church, and Trick or Treat at a local retirement center that Del knows well from work. Plenty of candy, and plenty of fun to last us until next year.  Try to ignore the red hair hanging out of Georgia's wig. The girl won't wear anything in her hair, so it was all just stuffed up in there with nothing to hold it in place. At least she put the costume on this year!

From the back.

Trunck or Treat. I was manning the trunk. We invited several neighbors to this activity, and none of them had ever heard of a Trunck or Treat.  It is a cute concept.  We joined the Spanish Branch for this activity, and they know how to party! Look in the back ground to the right and you will see a traveling haunted house of sorts. The kids went in and chose something out of the box of mystery! They had smoke and lights coming out of their trunks! All I did to prepare was throw a bunch of stuff that was taking up space in my trunk off to the side in my garage. Maybe next year I can get more creative.

Walker as a little skeleton. I forgot all about these pajamas that I have had for years. I just have not had a baby that would fit into them at Halloween until now! Now will be too small, so if anyone wants them, let me know! I love my Mr. No Neck.

The Story Book Parade

Every year at Halloween Wally's school holds a Story Book Parade in the historic square in our city. The kids all do a book report the week before, and then dress up as one of the characters in the book. This has been a source of stress for me as a mom to try to get a book and costume that coincide. But after learning that none of the other nearby schools let the kids dress up at all, I have decided it is worth it. My friend Kathy saved the day this year after I could not find a good book to work with Wally's ninja costume. She brought over "The Magic Tree House: Night of the Ninjas," and Wally could not have been happier. Del was able to meet us for the parade, and I was so glad after we saw how excited Wally was to see us along the route they walked. It was COLD while we waited, and now I am dreading Winter, but at least the setting is cute. The square really is the pride and joy of our town, and I also love it there. Wally's school is within walking distance of the square, so the whole student body troops down the street to put on the show.

 Here are some pics of our little outing.

Del trying to distract Georgia and Walker from the cold.

My turn. Poor Georgia, not even hot chocolate from Cobblestones fought off the cold for her.

Wally spotted us. And Georgia forgot the chilly weather.

Wally was especially excited to see Walker.

Chatting while they waited for the back of the parade to catch up and head back to school. Don't you love the little girl dressed up as a fly, holding her "Diary of a Fly" book? Her glasses crack me up!

And they all lived happily ever after!