Hodge Podge

Warning: This is a long post and the events are not in any kind of order. This is a collection of moments from Spring and Summer 2010 that did not merit a post of their own, but that we wanted to remember. Ally and Zac took swimming lessons. They did well. It was our first time at the public pool (previous summers we have gone to a private pool) and I liked the convenience of having lessons at the same time every day for two weeks as opposed to dragging it out over a month. Sariah and Brook opted out this time.

We had the chance to catch up with some of Joseph's Illinois friends. The kids had a blast running around in the fun backyard. When Brook, Ally and cousin Rachel hopped in the bucket together, I couldn't resist. It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of the summer.

We caught the Onion Days parade on Labor Day. It is not as big or long as the 4th of July parade, but the kids love it and we love that it is so much less crowded.

Sariah loves her grandparents. In third grade they put on a program just for grandparents. This is the picture we sent to the slide show.


One night we decided to have "kabob night." We had kabobs with grilled chicken, veggies and pineapple. The kids built their own fruit kabobs to go with it. We even thought about dessert kabobs. They never made it past the planning stage. Maybe next time.

We spent a lot of time in the water. Brook and cousin Benjamin had fun in Grandpa's backyard even after the pool had drained.



With a new baby, we decided not to try a "real" camp out in the canyon. We pacified the kids with a camp out in the backyard. Sam was so impressed he fell asleep when we went out to visit the kids. The kids were beyond excited. They wanted to stay up until it was completely dark so they could see the stars. We played UNO and read books. That was a bit of an exercise in frustration as the kids were HYPER. Sam and I slept inside and Brook joined us after an unsuccessful try in the tent. When it did get dark, it was a little much for her. Props to Joseph for sticking it out with the other three.


We discovered a new favorite family activity. Joseph has a projector in his classroom that is hooked up to his computer and projects onto the big screen. We can put a movie in and pretend we are at the theater. The kids love it. We have even watched a football game online up on the big screen.

Brook and Ally are great friends. They can lose themselves for hours in their games. One morning they had their dolls all lined up on the couch. Another time they were playing dolls and Brook told me I could play. She said I had eight kids and they were all crying. I asked her what I should do. She said, "Take a nap."

Zac lost teeth left and right. I kind of miss his big toothless grin. His permanent front teeth have grown in now and make him look too grown up.

We got a new kitchen table. It was bittersweet. Our old table belonged to my great grandparents and then to my grandparents. I have many memories of eating at Grandma's house at the yellow formica table. My grandma let us borrow it when she moved. We've used it for about 9 years. It was hard to give it up. My kids were 5th generation Walkers to eat at that table. Imagine all the family meals shared around that table. Yes, I am sentimental about those kind of things. I do enjoy our "new" hand-me-down table. It fits our family and our space better. In this picture, Joseph is working on grading papers for the online class English class we "teach." It has been the perfect side job for us and has been an amazing blessing for our family.

A rare pregnant picture. That is one regret I have; I do not have many pictures of me while I am pregnant. I am one of those weird moms that truly enjoys being pregnant, aches and pains included. This one is about a month before Sam was born.

Ally and her friend are hilarious together. I am not sure which superheroes they are here, but it was a great game. Although, they have since informed us that they have "broken up." Not to worry, they are still great friends and us moms still hold out hope for the future.

Batter Up!

What would summer be without baseball? (I'm sure Joseph would have a witty answer for that one.) We kicked the summer off at the ball fields two nights a week. Zac played his last year of T-ball. Part way through the season, they had the choice of using the tee or having it pitched to them. Next year it will be all coach pitch. Zac was thrilled, even though his team was the Angels, not the Braves. It was fun to watch him improve his skills this year. He is a smart player who really understands the game. Thanks to Uncle Chris and his cool camera, we caught our little leaguers in action.



Joseph was able to coach again this year. He loves baseball, which is where Zac gets it from. I think he loves it even more when the boys see him off the field and call him "coach."


Ally also decided to play this year. The pre-Kindergarten league is called Rookie League. They have a clinic for the first two weeks and then they play a few games. She was a delight to watch. She also improved her skills. It was great to see Zac and Ally practicing in the yard, getting pointers from Dad.

She insisted on having her hat down at all times, almost covering her eyes. I am surprised she could see.


I love this picture.

Aunt Emily, Uncle Chris, Grandma and Grandpa were on the sidelines to cheer them on. How cool to have your own fan section.

Brooklyn loved running around and occasionally paused to cheer her siblings on.

Sariah loved the social aspect of the ballpark, watching the games and chatting with whomever she sat by.

Sam was a trooper to be hauled around. He was only about one month old when the season started. He actually slept through most of the games. Just give him a few years and he'll be running the bases with the rest of them.

Under the Knife

Joseph celebrated the end of summer by having surgery. He had a ganglion cyst on his left wrist. It would come and go as they tend to do, but his was rather large. It came to stay during the summer and he decided to have it removed. It was a same day procedure. The nurses all commented on how large it was and the doctor said it was "textbook." In fact, he took pictures and video during the surgery that he plans to use in teaching med students. Joseph has some of those pictures on his computer. Maybe he'll add them later. We don't have the video, but I got to see it. I watched them lance and drain the cyst. It was gross and strangely fascinating at the same time.

For three days after the surgery, Joseph had to ice his wrist and keep it elevated. He had to wear his bandage for two weeks. It could not get wet . For two months he was supposed to restrict his activity and be careful about what he lifted, including Sam. Joseph was not a very patient patient. But he tried to follow the instructions and put up with all of my reminders to take it easy. We were both glad when he was back to "normal." Wrestling five kids is a lot easier with four hands.

His incision is barely noticeable now. I am grateful for Joseph's big, strong hands. Having him "out of commission" helped me remember how much I depend on him and appreciate the little things he does for me everyday.

Sweet Dreams

I have been collecting pictures and planning this post for a while. Brooklyn takes after her big brother and has trouble falling asleep sometimes. She plays, reads, sings, asks for drinks of water, asks for stories and anything else she can think of to stay awake. Finally she wears herself out and falls asleep in the middle of whatever she was doing. (It reminds me of the little girl in Monsters, Inc.) We have found her asleep in some pretty funny positions. It makes me wonder what little game she was playing when exhaustion finally won. She often falls asleep with books. Pinkalicious is a favorite.

This time she had a book but she had gotten into her pillowcase as well.

She is a mover. We find her sideways, upside down, diagonal, whatever. She also likes to sleep on top of her comforter and just use her blanket. This night she didn't use either.

That is her Strawberry Shortcake doll she is curled around. My legs would ache for days if I fell asleep like that.

I think this might be my favorite. It made me giggle.

The very picture of comfort itself.

Most mornings she wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed. But other mornings she can be a bit grumpy. Whatever adventures the day may bring, they usually involve princesses and the color pink. When we went to get her hair cut, she asked for a "princess hair do." She was quite pleased with the result.

She loves her Sleeping Beauty dress and often couples it with a crown or the pink pioneer bonnet, which she insists on wearing backwards.

Thank you for making me happy and keeping me on my toes and for eventually falling asleep each night. I love you, Lou Lou.

5th of July

As Sariah keeps reminding us, this year we went to the 5th of July parade. The grand parade was held on Monday this year and that was just fine with us. It made the perfect ending to a jam packed week. As per tradition, Joseph camped out with the Smith family to save our seats on the parade route. Last year they braved the rain; this year was the cold. You are my heroes. Thanks again. The night before the parade is almost like Christmas Eve at our house. The kids have a hard time falling asleep because they are sooooo excited. By the end of the day they are 100% worn out.

It was a special treat to have my parents and Brian with us this year. Grandma and Grandpa Anson were there, too, and Marc and Liz and Emily and the Smiths and Pucketts. Watching the parade with family is what makes it so fun. After the parade we had lunch at the Brick Oven (yum) and then headed to the Ansons' for naps, more food and fireworks.




I think 4th of July is one of my favorite days. I am grateful for traditions that bind us together. Another great 4th, I mean 5th.

Sam's Blessing Day

Sam was blessed on July 4th. We waited a few months so my family could be here. It was a great day in the middle of a great weekend. We came home from the reunion on Saturday, blessed Sam on Sunday and did all of the 4th of July celebrations on Monday (post to come). Wow! Just remembering it makes me tired.

This picture sums up the kids' thoughts on the matter. They were pretty much on overload by this point. Zac was itching to get his Sunday clothes off; Sariah was loving all the family time; Brook did not want her picture taken again; Ally just wanted to get back to playing with cousins. Thanks for your patience, guys.

We are grateful to the family who made an effort to share our special day.





We all crowded into our house for dinner after church. It was quite the party, literally. The tattoo parlor up the street from our house decided to hold an outdoor concert in the parking lot. Our street was lined with cars and we were serenaded (if you can call it that) from about 5-10 pm. Most of the lyrics involved screaming; not my favorite. It was LOUD. I was really worried that it would last all night. Good thing it didn't because we needed to be up bright and early the next morning. We love our Sam and can't imagine our family without him.

Wolf Creek

At the end of June we had a family reunion with my mom's side of the family. My Aunt Kathy hooked us up with some condos in Wolf Creek. It was great fun. I loved the time to visit with extended family. We swam in the pool, played games, watched movies and thoroughly enjoyed being a family. One morning we drove to a nearby ranch to do some horseback riding.

Brook was a little nervous. We had originally told her we were going to do pony rides. No doubt she was picturing little pink ponies with glittering tails. The real thing was a bit of a shock. Good thing Grandma was there to save her.


Zac, on the other hand, was thrilled about a chance to ride a real pony. He hopped right up, listened to the instructions and took to it like a pro. The trainer that helped the kids was wonderful. She was very patient (as was the pony) and helped them all have a great experience. Zac loved it so much, he talked us into letting him go on a longer trail ride. He felt very grown up to be with the big boys.

Ally wanted to try it, too. But up close that horse is a lot taller than it seems. She had a death grip on my shoulder. What a sweetheart. Don't we all get a little nervous about the reality of life?

While my family was here for the reunion we made other great memories. One of my favorites was watching Uncle Brian meet Sam. He was so good with Sam. He gave Sam a bath one night he stayed with us. Sam was not to sure about it but Brian loved it. I always marvel at the connection people have with babies. There is a purity and innocence we are all drawn to.

Another great outing was to the baseball game. We actually celebrated Dad's birthday by going to see Toy Story 3. Then we grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the ball field. The kids loved it, except for the movie which scared Ally a little. (She has actually instructed us not to ever buy the movie.) After the pre-game warm-up, one of the players tossed the ball they were using over the fence to Zac. It made his night. It was a very hot evening, but they were all troopers. Once the sun went down, the kids went wild. They had a great time running all over the grass playing catch and rolling down the hill. After the game, they let the kids on the field to run the bases. It was a great night and they slept like rocks.