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I can't seem to put together any kind of post with substance on just one event, so I decided to just dump my iphone pictures that I have posted to instagram all in one shot!
It is a fairly good snapshot of what has been going on in our lives!

Del had a birthday! We celebrated with a crocodile cake and a big buch of green helium balloons. When we presented Del to with the cake, we told him, "You've bee around a while, Crocodile!"

But, by the time we sat down to have cake, all of our balloons were gone. I heard the kids out on the deck, and went out to see them screaming with joy and excitement while watching two dozen helium balloons float away into the sky! They had taken all of them out, and released them into the air. I wasn't quit sure if I should be mad or not. They got more happiness out of watching them get further and further into the sky, than they probably would have seeing them bob around in the kitchen.

Del and I went out for dinner for his birthday, then we headed over to the go cart race track, where I showed Del what was up for the first two laps, before he overtook me for the finish! Dang!

Our neighbors just had a pool installed. While it was filling with water, they were so nice, and let the kids run around in the bottom of the pool, and slide down the slope as the puddle of water grew. They had an absolute blast!

Here they are swimming in it once it was full, and treated.

I went on a little adventure! I left my family for four nights to go all by myself on a trip with some friends that I have known since Jr. High School! Some of them I had not seen for ten years! It was so much fun!

We met in Park City, Utah. I was not very good about taking pictures, but I hope to get more once they are passed on to me by the ladies.
Me and Kathryn on Main Street. We shared an apartment in college too. Along with a few other high school friends.

I thought I would only have a little time to see my family in Utah. But my flight home got delayed four times, so I was able to spend Sunday at my Mom and Dad's house visiting with my sisters and their kids. This is Sawyer. He is a sweetie pie.

And this is Patrick. He is really good at yoga, and he practices constantly! Ha! He is sooo funny! And sooo cute!

I arrived home Sunday night and went to try to scrap something together for the kid's school lunches with whatever we had left in the fridge. There was not much food, but I was glad to find that Walker had stocked up on the most important necessities, cars, trucks, and trains, while I was away.

It was fun to get back into the routine the next morning and get the kids off to school.

The weather has been perfection this week, and the kids have done a lot of playing outside. Georgia and Walker came up with this great/naughty idea of using the wagon to try to hoist themselves over the fence. Luckily they figured out the spikes on the top of it are hazardous before they impaled themselves.

We have bike jumps going on left and right in the neighborhood. A family up the street put one together a few weeks ago, and now Wally and Will have configured their own.
Georgia has even been going off of it with her Big Wheel!

I actually offered to take them to buy supplies to make one that is somewhat "safer" after I found them using a piece of marble they broke in half, (not so happy) a pool floaty toy, and a piece of firewood as their jump. Yeah, helmets.... I know.

Walker has been my cuddle bug this week. We are all fighting small colds, and he has been a nap buddy. Here he is posing for a very important picture with a toy. He is a ham. Always trying to get in every shot.

And that is what we have been doing lately! Mostly saying hello to Fall! And doing some homework here and there!

Bedtime Story With Walker

Nothing like a good bedtime story.

Walker has this one memorized. He knows it better than I do. He does make a couple of mistakes in the video.
The camera was throwing him a little.

We read this thing twice a day, for nap time, and bedtime. So... I am a liiiiitttle bit tired of the yellow dog named Biscuit.
But Walker loves him, and that is what counts!

Fountain Of Youth

Tonight Del was lying on the floor, and Walker was walking back and forth from the powder room to Del's head, getting his hands wet in the bathroom, and then rubbing the water through Del's hair.

After a good five to ten minutes of this, by which, Walker was completely entertained and engrossed, it suddenly occurred to me to ask..

"Where do you think the water Walker is rubbing through your hair is originating from in the bathroom?"

Del's head popped up off the floor, and a look of horror crossed his face.

I got the best laugh I've had all week as he ran to the powder room to investigate.

It ended up that it was coming from the sink. Much to Del's relief, but that doesn't mean it wasn't funny to think about the toilet water wash job his hair could just as easily have been getting.

Two year olds keep life interesting.

Oh, and the picture above is of Walker showing me the funny face the little neighbor girl makes to get Walker to laugh.

Canoeing

We went on a little adventure with the Tyson family over the long weekend.
We headed up to the Wisconsin water ways for a little family canoeing!

Jared made this beautiful cedar strip canoe. I know... he MADE it! It is so amazing! And he did while in medical school to boot!
We rode in what our children dubbed the "Indian canoe." I guess it looks like something the Indians would have used. Thanks for finding us a canoe Jared!

The Tyson clan.

I hesitate to even post this picture! It is not at all flattering of our family. We pretty much look nerdy. And I look like I need a tan. Because I always look like I need a tan.

Beautiful scenery!

We did our best to take it all in, in between lots of crying, pouting, flat out hysterics, and dropping of paddles into the water, all done by our children.

Cute Annie.

We got pulled over by the rangers who were in a motorized boat on the river. They wanted to see our life jackets. And guess who had forgotten to put a life jacket in the canoe for herself?

Yes, that's me.
I am such a rebel. Luckily, they let us off with a warning. What a depressing job. Harassing people out in canoes about life jackets, in water that is two feet deep.

Some swim time where the river meets the lake.

We had a lot of fun. My backside and shoulders felt it the next day. But it was a lot of work! In total we figured we must have paddled about eight miles. It was a good experience for our kids. I love it when they can be out in nature, doing something new! Even if it means nothing but stress for the Mom's and Dad's.

We are going to miss our dear friends so much when they move to Denver next year. They are such a blessing to us! And our kids just adore their kids! Thanks for the nice dinner after canoeing, Leslie!
It really hit the spot!

Walker Goes To Pre School

Walker started a two day a week preschool program this week.

The excitement has been building for this little guy! He has watched his older siblings go to and from school and other activities his whole life, and he is thrilled to have something of his own.

I got him all ready, then ran upstairs to grab something. By the time I came back two minutes later, Walker had gone back to his breakfast plate on the table, and spilled food down the front of his outfit. So we had an unexpected wardrobe change.

I went with him for his very first day. They have the parents stay with their kids to get them acclimated. Watching Walker play was fun, because I am so glad he has something he can call his own, but also so sad. Because this is the last of my kids to have a first day of preschool.

And because Walker is still very little. He won't be three until November. So he still relies on me for everything, and when he would come to me and ask something that only I could understand, it made me nervous.
But we will go forward with it, test it out, and if it is not right for him just yet, we can always send him later!
Walker insisted that we take a picture of him sitting, not standing on the grass.

But then he did stand nice for another picture.

Walker really like the play dough table. He went over to one of his teachers and asked her if he could play with the potato. We were both confused and then she said that there is a Mr. Potato Head play dough toy that they pull out on some days, but it wasn't out today.
She asked me if he could possibly remember that from when Georgia went to pre school there, and Walker would come to visit.
It appears that he does remember! He was okay with her telling him they would have it out at the play dough table soon.
Funny boy! Memory like and elephant!

Washing hands. Walker was a big fan of this because it is an excuse to play in the sink. He washed his hands about three times more than was necessary. They have a water table, but he wants the real deal. Running water and all.

Oh, my Walkie boy! I can't believe how big you are! I must admit that I am excited to have two hours for grocery shopping, yoga class, or Primary obligations, with no kids twice a week! But I am going to miss him, and I can't believe he is a pre schooler!
 Uuggg! My baby!
I look especially bug-like in this photo.

The End Of An Era

This is Walker's crib.
Today something happened at our house that has never happened before.

I dismantled the crib, and instead of moving it from a toddler's room, into a room set up for a newborn, I put it in storage.

It is as if time is telling me it is the end of an era big time! Walker started preschool this week, and the crib now sits in the storage room.

We set the crib up in our new house and Walker used it for about four months. I have never left one of my kids in the crib as long as I did Walker, because there was always another occupant in line!

But then he decided that he wanted to sleep in the big boy bed. And he has taken to it really well! Which is wonderful!

But also so sad! The non stop use of a crib in our house has been the norm. And now it is time for a new normal. And my baby sleeps in a big boy bed! When he really gets the hang of going down nice, we are going to move him in with Will and put Wally in this room by himself.

I guess until then I will just try to enjoy having a room for a toddler.

Who sleeps in a queen size bed. (Which is unmade in this photo by the way)

I am going to get this room set up a bit more the way I would like it, and then I really am going to post more pictures of it, and my the rest of my house.
I really am.

I don't want time to stop, I just want it to give me a little more notice of how quickly it will pass!

Youth is wasted on the young, and time is wasted on the frazzled mother of babies!

The goal is to capture it as best I can!