The blog that cannot be named (TBA)

Our Little Boy

2011-01-16T18:52:00.022-05:00

Austin John Walker
Born December 18, 2010
12:48 a.m.
8 lbs 1 oz
19 1/2 inches

We are so excited that Austin has finally come! He is such a joy in our home. The birth went very well and we have been taken care of by Kirsten & Steve (Derrel's sister) and our ward family here. It is so nice to not be pregnant anymore, besides the lack of sleep. Austin apparently has 3 mothers, me, Lydia and Kate. They LOVE to hold him, bathe him, dress him, stick his binki in his mouth and make him smile. I asked Lydia to change his diaper the other day and she immediately refused=). Someday, right? Grant has been so gentle with Austin. I was a little worried because of how big and strong and crazy he can be. But he has been so great! We feel so lucky to have 4 beautiful, healthy (sometimes crazy) children!
Derrel has finished his interviews for residency and we are waiting to rank them and then find out where we are going. "Match day" (the day we find out where he matched for residency) is March 17. Boise is our #1 choice with either Portland or Utah as #2. We're still working that out;) We're also getting our house ready for the daunting task of selling it. We are happy to move on with a new phase of life but will miss Morgantown so much! I know I will shed many tears when we leave all of our wonderful friends here. It's been our "home away from home" for the last 5 years and we will look back on this time with fond memories! But we do look forward to being closer to family. It's such an exciting time for our family!

Happenings

2010-07-24T00:26:00.002-04:00

I don't have any pictures but I just wanted to announce that we're having a BOY! It's a little unexpected. I thought it was a girl-almost positive, but I was proven wrong. Needless to say, we are so excited for Grant to have a little brother to beat up on!

Update. . . . .FINALLY!

2010-04-03T14:50:00.013-04:00

Well, it's been a while. We've been really busy with callings and kids and callings and school! But I feel that I have much updating to do=) I should be outside enjoying the beautiful weather here in between conference sessions, but it's as hot as sin outside. We had feet of snow on the ground 4 weeks ago and it is in the 90's today!!! I should have knocked on wood when I wished for warm weather.

Derrel is almost done with his 3rd year of medical school. We apply to residencies by September, which is just C-R-A-Z-Y and exciting! We have no idea where we will end up. We feel differently every other day. But we are crazy excited for the next phase, not that residency is exciting but it just the next step closer to being done with school forever!! Lydia asked Derrel one day what grade he was in. After figuring it out, he is (brace yourselves) in 21st grade! Holy cow, that's a smart guy if you ask me! He is doing well and LOVES being able to work with patients. He is SO good at it, too! He was just called to be the Ward Mission Leader and is so excited to work on missionary work here. There is so much to be done!

I am in my 3rd year of medical school, too. Maybe not going to school, but supporting it nonetheless! I am still Young Women President in our little growing ward. It's challenging but so incredibly rewarding. I LOVE my YW! I am getting geared up (physically and emotionally) for a 2 month hiatus to Utah/Idaho. I am a home body and I like my bed and my house and my kitchen. I don't deal with long trips very well so I'll apologize to anyone beforehand that I am a little basket case when traveling. At least I don't have to worry about pregnancy hormones on a trip like this=) All in all, I am doing well, running as much as I can. I have finished 3 half marathons in the last 6 months and have plans for two more in the next 4 months. I just can't kick this 8 lb holiday weight gain. Urgh. At least I can run a half marathon right?

Lydia has some big news! She won first place in a writers contest in the 1st and 2nd grade level for our county. They have submitted her story on the state level and she has been invited to go to the West Virginia Young Writer's Day in May for her accomplishments. She is extremely excited and is so bright and loves to read and write. I'll have to post her adorable story she wrote. She's really been into drawing, too. She is taking piano lessons and catches on SO quickly! She amazes us everyday! When she gets her mind set on something, she will do it until it is accomplished. I wish I had a little bit of that in me. She must have taken it FROM me and that's why I don't have the drive she does=). She'll be 7 in June and has had her birthday party planned out since January.

Kate is the heart of our family. She'll be 5 in September and much to her chagrin will have to forgo kindergarten for one more year. She will do preschool at Lydia's elementary school and is SO excited. She follows Lydia and wants to do everything exactly like her. She is the kindest little girl and has become so spunky. Everyone in her preschool class loves her-little miss popular. It cracks me up! Kate is so imaginative and can play by herself contently for hours! It's really helpful when I have a lot to get done. She is so excited for our trip out west and to see all of her cousins and friends.

Grant is our little man, or should I say BIG man. He'll be two in June (where has the time gone?!?) and he is a mover. You have to keep your eye on this one. He's not a big talker, just too busy looking for cars and trucks and sisters to tackle. He's almost 32 lbs and growing. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a boy. Boys are so different than girls. Grant is such a goofball. He loves to make the girls giggle and they are so patient with his crazy boyishness. He gets a little upset everyday about the same time and sometimes the only thing that calms him down is putting on the movie Cars. He stops whatever he is doing and watches, mesmerized. It's amazing!

(watching Cars)

Well, we are still alive and well. Life is busy but we are so happy and all healthy and loving every minute of being here in West Virginia (just not the snow). But we do look forward to the day that we might be back closer to family! But for now, we'll just enjoy where we are.

HAPPY EASTER!

A little late but worth the wait. Happy late Birthday Kate!

2009-10-06T21:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Late Birthday, Kate! We love you!

Something worthy of a post. . . . finally!

2009-09-09T06:57:00.010-04:00

Well, it's pretty obvious I haven't blogged in 3 months or so. I guess I didn't think I had much to blog about. But now, I do!!!
About 8 months ago, a good friend asked me to run a half marathon with her. For those of you who know me, I HATE HATE HATE running, with a passion far more than those who actually have a passion for running. That is, I used to. In March, I started to run. I was overweight and it was hard! A week or two into it, I decided that I was going to run a whole mile without stopping (I know, pathetic, right). It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But that mile changed my life, that and getting new shoes. I decided that I would start training for a half marathon, one that I never verbally committed to, for I am a non-committal kind of person (in unimportant matters). The half marathon came and went. I couldn't run it because I was on a trip to Idaho/Utah. I found another race to train for. 15 miles. To some, it seems impossible. I was one of those back in January. To others, 15 miles is just another long run on Saturday. But to me, it was a milestone that told me that I actually CAN commit and ACHIEVE! It was hard and time consuming, but I did it! I finished! And I actually want to keep running. The race was difficult, the uphills about killed me. Any race with a sign at the bottom of an endless hill that says "Capital Punishment Hill begins" should be seriously considered before running! But I ran my "half-marathon + 2 miles" (and I've lost 32 pounds in the process-extra bonus!!)
So for any of you out there thinking you can't do the unimaginable, unthinkable, impossible. . . . . . . . YOU CAN, because I did!
I can't go ANY further without thanking my personal cheering squad. Derrel has been extremely supportive of my crazy aspirations. He is my rock (well one of them=). And I couldn't have done it without Lydia and Kate, for showering me with flowers 11 miles into the race. And Grant learned how to clap at the race. I've been trying to get him to clap for MONTHS. Never would until the day I ran the race.

Here's Grant learning how to clap from seeing people clap for HOURS on end!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Notice Lydia was ready with her shower of flowers for me. What a great support group I have!! Love it!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

OK, so my running form is kinda weird and I look a bit silly, but hey-I just ran 15 miles!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Father's Day

2009-06-21T19:46:00.008-04:00

These are the reason's why we love our daddy:

Lydia: I love Daddy because he does nice things for me and I love him because he is a great dad. Daddy is special because he always is nice. He helps me when I get hurt and he helps me study science and he helps me play the piano. And I love him. Love, Lydia.

Kate: I love Daddy because he teaches me some words and he loves me and he loves glasses and Emma's dad loves to eat clothes. Ewww. He teaches me how to go potty and he teaches me how ride cars and he teaches me how to put earrings on. Daddy is special because he teaches me how to put eyeballs on so we can see and get the white stuff out of our eye because in Anastasia, the evil took his eye out. What's his name again?

Grant: I love my Daddy because he holds me up on the air and with his fingers he tickles me until I can't laugh anymore. I love my Daddy because he throws me up in the air until I'm scared silly but I still laugh to make him feel good. I love my Daddy because he let me help him fix his old pickup in Grandpa's shop. My Daddy is special because he is always willing to change my poopy diapers and hold me tightly on the airplane so that I can't move. I love it when he looks in my ears with the otoscope, I try not to cry but sometimes my eyes leak a little bit. I love my Daddy and hope to be just like him one day.

Kim: I love Derrel because he is such an amazing father to our three amazing kids. He is always willing to do the dirty jobs at home that I don't always have the patience for. He is so selfless and dedicated to our family and our home. He is such a special man with so many talents. He is so patient and willing and supportive of my aspirations and helps me to be a better person. I love Derrel, always have and always will, forever. Love you.

Happy Father's Day!

Lydia's Obsessions

2009-04-26T18:43:00.015-04:00

Spring is here. . . with 94 degree weather and all. The 89 degree temperature outside is so much more bearable than inside our house. Lydia had her first spring concert. It was at the Metropolitan Theater downtown. She sang her little heart out and did a marvelous job. She really is becoming a little DIVA! Sometimes we have to bribe her to stop singing (is that bad?). We really do love it.

Lydia is usually very particular about the lighting in her room at night. We usually have the closet light on or a night light plugged into the wall. Her fixation lately is to put a makeshift eye mask on and to have all forms of night lights off. I don't know what it's all about but that's what she wants.

Lydia tells us over and over and over that she doesn't want to sleep with Kate. She even asked if Daddy could take out his saw and cut their bed in half!! We thought it was just a stage that she was going through. You can definitely see why she feels this way from these pictures.

Somehow they went from this:

To this:

I wouldn't want to sleep with someone who was always putting their leg over my neck. I don't know how Lydia survives=).

Lydia's last OBSESSION was having some kind of sale. She wanted to sell flowers- and not only flowers, but DANDELIONS! She would come home from school everyday for a week and BEG to have a flower sale. At first I just brushed it off. But she was determined. So I let her cut some of the daffodils off and she sold them.

We tied ribbons around the bunches and sold them in front of our house, on our lawn. She would wave to all the cars that passed by and point frantically to the flowers for sale, only to be disappointed. I almost called some of my friends to drive by and buy some.

But neighbors started coming by. One asked, "so how much are ya sellin' em for?" She responded, "fifteen cents!" He said, "fifty cents? Oh well I'll take two." He gave her a dollar!

You can't imagine how happy that made her. One neighbor across the street came out and gave her a ten dollar bill and said he was going to give the flowers to his girlfriend. She ended up making $18.35! We were flabbergasted! What a determined little girl.

She even got to pay her tithing!!! Way to go, Lydia.

Spring Break, Birthdays, Family and Fish

2009-04-15T10:39:00.012-04:00

Grandma Easter Aquarium Driving Annie Playing Games Lawson Laughing Sharks Candy Miranda Perudo Sea Turtles & Penguins Ice Cream Cake Steak & Salad Kids Crying Movies Easter Egg Hunt GPS Rocky Statue Mallory Independence Hall Flat Stanley Easter Bunny Kim Singing Buckwheat Pancakes & Pepperoni Rolls Lydia Kids Laughing Fun Derrel Soft Pretzels & Smoothies Progressive Rummy Brandon Apple Annie's Mandy Tour Guides Happy 30th Birthday Derrel Starting Perudo with 2 dice (instead of 5) Yummy Food Grant Jokes Dr. Horrible Liberty Bell Crazy Park Ranger with a "system" Spring flowers Target Kate Rain Nathan's Famous Spills & Messes Captain Hammer Amy Spring Break One Bathroom: 12 people Airport Delays Mexican Food "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do"

Bathroom, toilets and crawling

2009-03-07T14:21:00.015-05:00

Well, with our tax return, we have decided to remodel the main bathroom in our house. It was REALLY outdated with an avacado green fiberglass bathtub and sink (if you want to see the tub, look at the picture of Grant in the tub below). The vinyl floor was speckled with gold. It was a sight to see! We have totally gutted it (these pictures don't show the sheetrock and floor boards ripped out). It's very exciting and we have a LOT of plans for it. I'll post after pictures when it's finished.

The next great news is that Kate is officially potty trained. It took 3 days and a 1 1/2 accidents (no poop accidents). If I had known it would be so quick and easy, I would have done it months ago. She is so excited to finally be able to go on the big girl potty. Yeah!! No more of these saggy DIAPERS for Kate!

Thirdly, our little boy is giGRANTic!! He is crawling and has been crawling for a few weeks now. This kid is HUGE! His hands are garGRANTuan. I LOVE it. He loves his big sisters. They make him laugh all of the time. He's adorable and has such a special place in our home. Here's a few pictures and videos of Grant. Just so you know, too, Grant just got his FIRST TOOTH. YEAH, what a fun age he's at!!!! Here's a few pictures and videos. Enjoy.

Kids, kids and more kids

2009-01-26T14:55:00.010-05:00

Here's a post with lots of pictures and videos. These kids are growing like weeds! No one told me they were going to do that! Grant had totally recovered and not once did his weight go down while he was sick. He just keeps eating and eating and eating. He is so happy and is almost crawling. Kate is happy to be the oldest sibling at home while Lydia is away in Kindergarten. She's a big help and is SLOWLY learning how to potty train (very very SLOWLY). Lydia loves school and is learning so much. She comes home with new knowledge every day. We love listening to what she learns from her teachers and her classmates. It's pretty colorful sometimes=) Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Shoes

2008-12-30T15:52:00.007-05:00

Dear Shoes,

I am so excited that you have joined the dozens of other pairs of shoes in my closet. I still have shoes from ten years ago sitting unworn and lonely. But you. . . . you won't be that way! Not if I have anything to do with it. . . . . for the sole reason I bought you was to get my body back into shape. You are going to carry me through tough, unbearable workouts, running around taking the kids (and husband) from one place to another, bringing lunch to Derrel, scenic strolls on the rail trail, cleaning my house or a puddle of throw up from one of the kids and maybe even mowing the lawn once or twice. We'll go so many places. It will be hard work but I'll make it worth your while.

All I ask in return is that you cheer for me, keep me going, help me become a better, stronger person and achieve all the things I need to accomplish. You've got a large load on your hands, but we can do it together! I hope that you can stay strong for the job ahead of you. I promise I'll work hard if you do, too. Thanks in advance for your support. I won't let you down;)

Love,

Grant is HOME!

2008-12-23T11:53:00.006-05:00

Sorry, I meant to post this a few days ago, but life is slowly getting back to it's normal self. We are just so excited that Grant is home with us. Derrel drove him home at about 9:15 on Tuesday morning and the home health person came at 10 am to show us (well, I guess just me) how to give Grant his antibiotics. He'll be on them at home for at least 2 weeks. I think he is thrilled to be home and out of the hospital. It's like bringing home a new baby all over again!!!! We are so grateful for our little boy and that he is on the mend. Yea! Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays. Enjoy.

Our Christmas Wish

2008-12-22T13:51:00.002-05:00

It's been our biggest Christmas wish for Grant to come home for Christmas. Well, our wish is coming true. The doctors said that he can come home tomorrow morning (Tuesday). Yeah!! We are truly excited and so elated that we get to spend Christmas Eve and morning in our own home. We are so thankful. We have to be home by 10 am because the home health team is coming to teach us how to give him his antibiotics. We'll have to administer them through the PICC line (long-term IV) in his arm twice a day for a few weeks. WOW, we are just thrilled. Sure love you all, thanks for all the calls and prayers. Grant is doing great and we are just so happy!

Livin' la viva hospital

2008-12-21T22:19:00.005-05:00

We've learned a lot while staying in the hospital:

1. No privacy (in the PICU, there is a bathroom with a 1/4 inch gap in between the wall and the door and the wall with the door is actually just one big window). Sometimes, I would actually go out of the PICU to the public restroom to get a little more privacy.
2. No sleep (for some reason, the nurses take a rectal temp at midnight, take a blood sample out of his foot at 3 am and a chest x-ray at 4:30 am. And when he wakes up for these, they talk really loudly and think it's time to play with the baby-NOT THE CASE. So, he's up squealing between the temp taking and foot sticking!
3. It took a week to figure out that there was a volume on the alarm that beeped almost every time he moved (from the machine taking his vitals). I finally got consecutive hours of sleep with no beeping!
4. There is an office called Center for Quality Outcomes with a sign right next to it for the Smoking Booth.
5. Santa makes many appearances at the hospital!!!! The girls LOVED seeing Santa. Grant and the girls have been recipients of many many gifts, toys, books, crayons, stuffed animals, etc from many groups and people who are so kind to come in and visit the children at the hospital.
6. Cafeteria food is HIGHLY overrated. There is a salad bar that is somewhat healthy. No wonder people have to go to the hospital. It's the junk they eat.
7. It's really sad to watch a pregnant woman smoke, or see someone standing in their gown in front of the hospital that is dragging their IV fluids behind with one hand and holding a cigarette in the other.
8. I guess some people don't know the meaning of NO SMOKING BEYOND THIS POINT when they light up right outside of the hospital doors. Kinda frustrating.

Well, Grant continues to get stronger every day. He was transferred out of intensive care into the regular pediatric wing of the hospital today. That is great news for all of us. The doctors were able to take out his chest tube on Saturday and he continues to roll around and LOVES the new freedom of no stickers and tubes and wires attached to him. He is happier and we are happier especially with no gaps in the bathroom door! The doctors say we should hopefully be home before Christmas. We have no dates yet but maybe Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Here's hoping. At least we know we'll most definitely all be home for Christmas! What a blessing.

Goin' with the flow

2008-12-18T11:00:00.007-05:00

Well, Grant was doing better yesterday and through the night. He's still in the PICU. The doctor came to check up on him and looked at his x-rays and said he was getting a little bit worse, again. Just a bit. So they will put more fluid (TPA) into his chest tube to see if he can drain anymore out of his lung. They were looking at him coming home on Saturday but now it's put back to at least Monday. All in all, he's doing OK, we're going with the flow, we are WELL taken care of between meals and care for the girls! Thanks to all! We love you all and will update you when there's more to tell. Here's a few more pictures of him in the hospital. Happy Holidays!

Grant's stats are on the right of the screen

Trying to be happy

So serious

Chest fluid, it may look yucky but the more the better:)

All tuckered out

Update on Grant

2008-12-16T09:01:00.007-05:00

Just a little update on what is going on with our big G man. Since my last post, Grant just wasn't getting better, if anything he was getting worse. So our pediatrician transferred him over the the big hospital at the university here (we were in the smaller hospital). He had his first ride in an ambulance, something that even in my 29 years I still haven't done. Derrel rode with him and I met them at the hospital in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). And that's where we are right now and will be for a little while. Grant has had quite a few doctors working on him. A great pediatrician, Intensive Care Pediatrician (which happens to be in our ward), awesome residents and even an Infectious Disease Doctor. We've also been blessed with great nurses, too. Last night, they decided it was best if we drain the fluid from the pocket that formed outside of his lung (effusion) and the Intensive Care Doc did that for us. It was great to have a doctor there that could help administer a blessing before the procedure. At the same time, they performed a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to check if the bacteria had entered his spine (meningitis). The spinal tab wasn't clear and we still don't quite know if he has meningitis, but they are treating him as if he does have it. Better to be on the safe side. But for sure he does have Strep Pneumonia. All in all, he is improving, slowly but surely. Hopefully we will get Grant out of the hospital by Christmas so he can spend his first Christmas at home=). If not, we just want him to get well soon! We will get through this, I feel like we've been given similar trials before which makes this one just a little more bearable. Thanks to all who have helped with the girls, meals, thoughts and prayers. They are all so helpful and appreciated.

Right of Passage: Hospital Stay

2008-12-15T10:02:00.009-05:00

Literally, our family just LOVES to visit the hospital. Almost every vacation, we have a hospital visit. Instead of site seeing, we visit the hospitals in varying cities across the nation: Rexburg, Provo, Liberty, Baltimore, we've seen it all. This time, it is our privilege to visit the hospital in our hometown. I should have known it was coming since the hospital here just opened up its brand new multimillion dollar section that we hadn't visited yet. It's for sure beautiful, if you can call a hospital beautiful. But in one of it's rooms is where our little Grant is. I brought him to the ER Sunday morning with a 105.2 degree temperature. After a few chest x-rays and some lab work, they quickly diagnosed him with bacterial pneumonia (yamonia-as Lydia calls it) and admitted him into the hospital. We've come to believe it's a right of passage for membership in the Derrel Walker family to stay in the hospital with pneumonia (which I have yet to do). Lydia and Kate both had RSV pneumonia and were hospitalized for 3-5 days, Kate only 3 months old and Lydia was 2. Derrel was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks in CA with horrible pneumonia (they almost took some of this lung out). I guess you could say we're getting used to this, it's not as shocking as it used to be. Here he is in all his chubby glory:

Grant's doing fairly well, I guess he had a pretty serious case of pneumonia. They gave him a heavy dose of antibiotics about 24 hours ago and they say it takes about that long to start really kicking in. I thought that he would be able to go home today but it's probably not going to be that soon, unfortunately. But he is well taken care and and Derrel is staying with him so I can get some much needed sleep. I slept 8 1/2 hours last night with NO interruptions (except the normal alarm clock that is supposed to wake Derrel up for seminary at 5 a.m.) I think I could be a somewhat normal person if I could sleep like that every night. Needless to say, it's been a while since I've had that kind of sleep. Grant is improving

Kate

2008-11-21T08:32:00.010-05:00

I've been meaning to put a post up about Kate. She is now three and well into the three stage of life, if anyone knows what I mean=). She cries about everything but doesn't even realize it. Poor girl is just having a hard time. She is still cute as ever. Grandma and Grandpa Walker came to visit in the beginning of October and about 3 hours after they left, I gave Grant a haircut. I accidentally left the clippers and scissors out and went downstairs for a brief few minutes to do laundry. I came back and noticed a few clumps of hair all over the living room floor and realized she had CHOPPED her hair on the sides in the front. Luckily she only got up to her chin and no short bang action. I put the rest of her hair in a pony tail (it was really getting long-half way down her back when it was wet) and chopped her beautiful curly ponytail off. I was a little mad at first but the second I looked in her eyes, she started balling. I couldn't be mad, she was so sad for what she had done to her hair. The minute I finished cutting her ponytail off, she begged me to watch Rapunzel. Poor girl. I think the old sweet loving Kate was cut off with her long curly locks=). She can still be sweet but she's got A LOT of SPUNK!! And a new haircut to go with it! Check it out:

before:

during:

(look at how HORRIFIED she is)

after

Der Elizu

2008-10-30T14:11:00.005-04:00

Lydia is really into writing on EVERYTHING right now. She writes notes to anyone and everyone she can think of. Sometimes we can't tell what she is writing but she's getting so good at spelling phonetically. I found this note she had written to a friend who recently moved away (interpretation below):

Dear Eliza,
Some day I'll visit you. Are you five or are you six?
I am in kindergarten. Are you in kindergarten or preschool?
The End
Love,
Lydia

Me love take you ice-cream
(The little phrase that goes with the picture on the bottom left).

I've been tagged

2008-10-25T10:14:00.010-04:00

My friends Shilo and Mary tagged me so I will do both on one post. I'll keep it SMALL! Here it goes:

Shilo's Tag

8 TV Shows I Love:

I used to sometimes watch the show on TLC during the afternoon that tells about people's houses being haunted by spirits until I kept hearing noises in my own house. I don't watch it anymore=)
King of Queens
American Idol
College Football (especially WVU and UT, and I ESPECIALLY like to see BYU LOSE) Kira, don't let Aaron read this post=)
Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe
Everybody Loves Raymond
Um, there is this new show on Discovery Channel called Time Warp. It's COOL! They video record cool things like someone being punched and then show it in REALLY slow motion.
I really don't watch much TV, really.

8 Restaurants I Feast At:

Chili's (went there for my birthday)
Cheddars (LOVE the Monte Cristo)
Cheesecake Factory (but they don't have one very close)
Cracker Barrel (I really like restaurants that start with a C)
But I HATE Chick-Fil-A (sorry Jon, I don't like BYU and I DON'T like Chick-fil-a)
We LOVE Goodwood but it's not here=(
Cafe Rio (keeping with the "C" theme)
Panera

8 Things that Happened Today:

It's still pretty early
Ate birthday cheesecake for breakfast
Used my new egg hard boiler I bought myself (I LOVE hard boiled eggs and toast for breakfast)
I am in the process of updating my blog
Derrel took our old avacado fridge to the dump
Fed my kiddies
It's rainy and cold (I think I'll drink some hot chocolate to go with my cheesecake)
I'm still celebrating my birthday. . . . . I mean birth-week=)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

Reading Twilight (I got the first two books for my birthday)
Putting a post about Kate's haircut she gave herself and I had to take her to fix
Taking a temple trip soon=)
A nap
Tinkerbell coming out on DVD
Well, I'm looking forward to USING my new dining room table I got for my birthday, YEAH!!!!
The November Ensign - rereading the conference talks- Shilo you hit the nail right on the head with that one
Thanksgiving- Sister Amy and fam are coming into town

8 Things on my Wishlist:

To weigh 40 lbs less
Stop nursing, not that I don't enjoy it sometimes
New carpet
Redo my bathrooms
Redo my kitchen cabinets
Not to have a bunny anymore (does anyone want a sweet smelly cute bunny?)
To eat anything I want and be really healthy (I didn't say skinny)
My front porch to be redone (along with a lot of other stuff)

Mary's Tag

Four things I love about my husband
1. He is so easy to get along with, I LOVE it!
2. Derrel is SO selfless
3. He LOVES his icecream
4. He is such a hard worker (just like his Dad)
5. (just because I want to put one more) He's a SPECIMEN. That word says it all;)

4 movies you would watch more than once
1. Pride and Prejudice the old 8 hour one
2. Dan in Real Life
3. Napoleon Dynamite
4. Jungle Book

4 places I have been
1. Texas (it's a whole other country=)
2. Mexico
3. Russia
4. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

4 places I 'd like to go
1. I agree with Mary, I'd LOVE to go to Hawaii
2. Tahiti
3. Maine
4. Canadian Rockies

4 people who e-mail me regularly
1. Jen West
2. Emergency Essentials
3. Bath and Body Works
4. Deseret Book

4 things I look forward to in the next year
1. Winter being over (it hasn't even started yet)
2. Visiting family
3. Watching my kids grow and learn
4. Change

I'm also attaching the fourth picture from my fourth folder in my fourth folder:

left to right: Kate, cousin Esther, cousin McKayla
Doesn't Kate look like Grant?

For all the Husbands!

2008-10-21T21:34:00.002-04:00

I thought this was hilarious!

Over the river and through the woods, grandma and grandpa come

2008-10-20T13:47:00.008-04:00

Literally over the river and through the woods, Grandma and Grandpa Walker came to our house to visit. We had such a great time! Dad and Derrel got so much accomplished. We had a few projects unfinished projects. Some of them are still unfinished but well on their way. We finally have lights outside in our backyard!!!! Yeah, no more fidgeting for keys in pitch black darkness on the back porch. Even better, the lights are sensored so when someone walks up the stairs, the light turns on!!!! Yeah! The only problem is we have a hole in our sun room floor so they could wire the light outside. But it's WORTH it! Derrel's brother, Devin, blessed their new little baby boy, Lincoln, so we took a little trip over the Baltimore for that. It was great to see them and little Lincoln.
We also went to a little cabin at Blackwater Falls and stayed in a little 2 bedroom cabin. It was so beautiful. The trees were changing colors and there was even a deer outside of the cabin in the morning while we were making breakfast. We fed it good ol' white bread. Lydia named it POPCORN. It was a blast! Thanks for making the trip Grandma and Grandpa! We sure love you guys.

Birthday #3

2008-10-13T12:44:00.004-04:00

Sorry this post is so late but I have lots to post about coming soon and I had to do it in chronological order. First order of business:

MISS KATE'S Birthday!!!!

What a big girl we have now. Big girls with BIG EMOTIONS! Wow, I thought that Lydia was emotional but Kate is out to prove me wrong. We celebrated Kate's third birthday a few weeks ago. We let her choose her favorite place to eat. We found that she really didn't care too much (Lydia cared more than Kate). Her three choices were: Chick-fil-a, Chili's and Cheddars (Cracker Barrel came in somewhere at the end). Needless to say, she changed her mind every 10 seconds so Lydia chose for her: Chili's. It was a fun little family celebration. We sure love our sweet and spunky Kate! She has been having a blast at home with her little Grant brother. She loves to play with her princess dolls and a little castle. She is a princess at heart-she won't take off her play dresses for anything.

We love you, Princess Kate.

A little comic relief

2008-09-22T09:55:00.001-04:00

For those of you that are Josh Groban fans like we are, this is so great!! I didn't watch the Emmys but I heard that this was the highlight of the show.

Lydia's long awaited first day of Kindergarten

2008-09-10T16:02:00.005-04:00

Yea!!! The time has come for Lydia to be off to Kindergarten. She has been ready for about 2 years to go to school. She loves it and loves her teacher. They have P.E., music class, she is learning to read, she is learning math and science and best of all, they have nap time. She just loves every minute of learning. We definitely miss her at home, but she is learning so much. Her conscience is starting to kick in. She knows when she doesn't tell the complete truth or when something is just not right. It's amazing to see her little mind work out her feelings and promptings. What a sweet little girl, our Lydia. We love you!

Our Little Gee Dub

2008-08-21T08:44:00.013-04:00

At 9 weeks, Grant is so much fun. He is smiling, ohhh-ing and ahhh-ing and almost giggling. He sleeps better than ever (most nights) and loves all the attention he can get, especially from his adoring big sisters. It is SOO much fun to have a little boy. I took him to my doctors appointment yesterday and EVERYONE said he looks like a "Little Man." I knew we were on to somethin' when we called him our "man child!" Well, here's some pictures of him in all his chubbyness. More of him to love, right?

The trip of a lifetime

2008-08-16T09:51:00.008-04:00

READER ALERT:

At this point in the post, if you do not want to read the details of our long journey, you just skip to the pictures and forget reading. It is for journaling purposes-not to entertain you=). But it is quite entertaining at times and if you'd like to hear how we really survived such a trip, READ ON. . . . . .

Morgantown to Indianapolis, IN: Pretty boring drive, it was the first leg of trip, ya know. The kids watched a few movies on the portable DVD player. We were lucky and ate at McDonalds for dinner! Yeah. That night we stayed in a hotel from Priceline for $35. It was really nice. We were well rested for the next day.

Indianapolis to Kansas City, MO: The kids did fine but we hadn’t been in the car very long yet. The were really excited to see Grandma and Grandpa. We slept 2 nights there and left early Monday morning. Grandma Cyndee sent lots of things for the kids to do and they LOVED it!! Thanks Dad and Cyndee for letting us crash with you and for taking care of us!

Kansas City to Denver, CO: Uneventful and FLAT-definitely the monotonous leg of trip (besides southern Idaho). Kansas is SO boring! We stopped at a gas station with no station (only gas and bathrooms-kinda weird) and met a guy from Argentina who was starting his residency in California. Did I mention that Kansas is boring? We visited Kim’s brother, Sam and his wife Courtney, and then stayed in a hotel we got on Priceline for $35- WHAT A DIVE!! It was so gross that I didn’t even want to get under the covers-I wanted to sleep in my van. And the people below us kept shouting at us and hitting the ceiling and it was only 6 pm.

Denver to Utah County: We were so excited to see all of our friends and family. First stop was Kirsten and Steve’s house. We visited Scotty for a few minutes. Then we had dinner with the Miller’s and Derrel got to visit with a few of his young men he worked with. Then on to see the Jacksons. We stayed at Jami’s parent’s house (THANK YOU) and her mom was nice enough to let us stay in her very own bed-it was so nice, it was SO fun to see friends in Utah!! We had to pay a visit to Burger Supreme (our favorite burger joint) and it was even more scrumptious than I remember. We saw Elder Amado sitting with his wife at Burger Supreme and Derrel introduced himself and Lydia.

Utah County to Logan, UT: We visited Kira and Aaron and their cute family. On the way up there, we stopped at Derrel’s old job (Sorenson Genomics) to say hello to a few old friends. We went to Café Rio with Kira and Aaron and it was to die for! The kids had so much fun playing together-Lanette is just as girly as our girls and made for a really really fun time dressing up and playing make believe.

Logan to Boise, ID: We drove along side Kira to Boise. On the way, a car pulled up next to us and it was Dallan and Nicole (Derrel’s brother) who happened to be driving up to Idaho at the same time. The viewing for Derrel’s Uncle LaMarr was that night but we got there too late and were so tired, we stayed at Kim’s mom and step dad’s house. The next day was the funeral. We saw SOOO many extended members, so fun! We all celebrated his Grandma Walker’s 90^th birthday.

Boise to Weiser, ID: We stayed with Derrel’s brother DeLon and his family. It was so fun to see them, stayed 2 nights and then it was off to the cabin!!

Weiser to Cabin Creek, ID: Derrel’s dad built a cabin with his bare hands and a few saws and the trees surrounding. It is massive and wonderful and held all 66 in Derrel’s immediate family (and their kids). It was pure chaos and so much fun. We had races, tug o’war, a family dance and mealtimes were crazy but we all ate. Every year the girls have a “Doll Party” where they do really girly things. This year was so cute. Derrel’s mom was Miss Payette County when she was young and so they made the doll party into a beauty pageant. They gave the little girls makeovers and they were taught how to walk and hold themselves like ladies. Cute! The men do “Rendezvous” while the women do the Doll Party. But they were rained out and had to come in the cabin. Well, we had a blast at the family reunion.

Cabin Creek to Boise: We drove back to Kim’s mom and step dad’s house for 2 nights to rest up for the journey home (because there is NO WAY to rest around the Walkers=). We ended up going 4 wheeling with their two 4 wheelers (Fiona and Clarisse). It was so great going up in the mountains where it was 20 degrees cooler and eating lunch. Grant rode in the front pack and LOVED it. On the way back, we stopped at a little creek so the girls could play in the water. We all left the girls and my mom behind. On the way back, the two girls were falling asleep and my mom couldn’t hold both and drive the 4 wheeler so she bungee corded them to the back. It was hilarious! Thanks Mom and Denny for the fun times!

Boise to Springville, UT: We stayed with Derrel’s brother Dallan and his family for a few nights. We played games and had a BBQ with some cousins. It was so much fun to stay with them. I left from the BBQ and went to see our friends, the Howe’s, for a bit. It was fun to see them!

Springville to Denver: The drive was getting harder and harder. This leg was specifically harder because the girls were SO SICK of traveling and did NOT want to get back in the car. We started bribing them with candy necklaces and fruit roll ups (I’m sure that was great for their teeth). But we finally got to the hotel in Denver that we had once again gotten on Priceline. This time I spent $15 more. It’s amazing what a few dollars more will get you on Priceline. It was a fancy schmancy hotel (almost too fancy). I felt a little strange lugging my 3 kids (in their state of being) up to the 8^th floor. I was carrying a baby boppy and diaper bag while we walked past these people dining in their suits and wine (can you imagine). It was a little strange. Then, at 4 o’clock in the morning, Kate woke up crying and crying until 5:30. I told Derrel we mind as well pack up and go now because we'll never sleep through this. We suspected an ear infection but didn’t want to get stuck at an ER in Denver with ALL 3 kids in tow. So we braved the trip from:

Denver to Kansas City: My dad took us out to dinner at a really yummy Mexican restaurant. Then we headed to their house to leave Lydia and Grant and then off to the ER. Derrel and I have decided that we like to visit the ER in as many cities as we visit (we’ve done this a lot). Sure enough, she had and ear infection but the pharmacy didn’t take our insurance so we had to pay full price and it was more than a $35 hotel on Priceline. What a pain in the r-ear. (ha ha, bad joke)

Kansas City to Morgantown, WV: Yeah, the last leg of our trip. I was so excited to be home. They girls were going CRAZY literally and so were we. This is the point in the trip where I questioned my sanity and why in the world we made this trip in the first place. We did talk about going out to California to see Derrel’s other brother (and his name is NOT Derrel). We also thought about driving through Houston on our way out. It was Kim’s 10 year high school reunion. But during this time driving, I was so glad that we didn’t do anything else but go straight home. So, after 20 days of "vacationing," 5,548 miles and 110 hours in the car, we arrived back in Morgantown and were so happy to be back in our own beds. We were so glad to be home and STILL are so glad to be home. We had so much fun and it was definitely worth the trip, but we are SOOOOOO glad to be home at last.

These are all the photos I took. There are more but these are all that I have.

7 hours of pure bliss

2008-08-15T08:08:00.004-04:00

Grant decided to sleep for 7 hours last night. Acually it was 7 hours between feedings. I got 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep! I don't even remember the last time I got that much sleep because throughout the WHOLE pregnancy, I was up at least 2 times a night going to the bathroom. I feel so great right now. Thanks, Grant! Sure 'preciate ya! (BTW, I am going to post pictures of our trip-they're coming soon, now that I'm rested up!)

5,548 and counting. . . . . .

2008-08-04T11:32:00.005-04:00

You may be wondering why I have these pictures on my blog. Well, to tell you the truth, I'm wondering why I have numbers like these in my van. Somehow Derrel talked me into going on a trip out West in our little mini van. You see, we are back now and the number above represents the total number of miles that we drove in 20 days. The number below represents the number of hours in the car. You may wonder, too, why it is only 10 hours and 28 minutes. Well our van doesn't allow triple digit hour numbers so add 100 to that number and that's the total HOURS that we were in our car. Jealous? Well, stay tuned for more pictures and fun stories about our fun LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG trip!

First Smile

2008-06-22T21:40:00.005-04:00

Here's a video of Grant's first smile (granted it's in his sleep but it's still so cute). And boy does he have adorable little dimples! Take a look:

Eat, sleep and be merry!

2008-06-22T20:43:00.003-04:00

As you can see, we LOVE to sleep in our house, especially when there's a new baby around. Sleep is our friend and we get it whenever and wherever we can. Here are just a few pictures of the baby (and others) sleeping and a few pictures awake. Look at all of that hair!!

Our first family reunion: Lydia & Kate adore their new brother!

2008-06-19T11:48:00.020-04:00

I know I may be a little bias, but I have the most beautiful wife & kids

Lydia & Kate Sing to Grant:

Kate Holds Grant:

She was a little distracted by a yummy cup of Hospital Ice!

Lydia holds Grant:

As always, she makes sure everyone is OK with the new addition & that everyone loves everyone!

Lydia tells what she likes about Grant:

Kate is excited too (in the background)!

11:32 am. . . . . .

2008-06-18T18:49:00.005-04:00

Finally, what you've all been waiting for:
Our Man Child!
Grant D Walker
June 18, 2008
11:32 a.m.
8 lb 2 oz
20 1/2 inches
lots of brown hair
lots of bruising on his face
pudgy nose
sweet disposition
Derrel's nose, lips, ears
Kim's lips, legs, fingers (pretty much the unimportant stuff)
He's pretty much a little Derrel just a lot smaller version!
Labor went perfectly and quickly. We were so pleased and enjoyed every minute of it, especially when Kim passed out while looking at the nurses putting in the IV. And when Derrel almost passed out when he got an epidural lecture and watched the whole thing. And when Derrel got to deliver the baby almost all by himself!!!!! It was a great day. Kim is actually in NO pain (knock on wood) and feels great. We feel so blessed and are so happy that Grant is here and healthy! More to come soon, stay tuned some more!

3:42 am!!!!!

2008-06-18T06:08:00.002-04:00

"Derrel, my water broke"............. (Stay tuned!)

False labor? False hope. . . .

2008-06-17T09:10:00.003-04:00

Well, Saturday night, I was contracting quite a bit and thought that I was going to go into labor. I thought Father's Day would be a very appropriate day to have our first son. But, to no avail-he didn't come. It just made for a tired, groggy Father's Day. Then, on Sunday night, I had SO many contractions. They were different and HARD and at one point from about 3-5 in the morning, they were coming hard and 3-4 minutes apart. I thought for sure we were going in. They kept up at 5 minutes and I called my midwife that morning and she said to come to the office at 9:30. So, of course, at about 9:00, my contractions stop. UGGGG. Why am I being tortured like this? Derrel takes his first round of medical boards on Monday the 23rd and I don't want to go into labor this weekend or on the 23rd. I'm torn and frustrated and tired of false alarms and false labor. We'll for sure update soon with news but for now, just false hope! But all is well and we are here and ready any time our man child wants to make his debut. Stay tuned!

Sisters

2008-06-10T15:55:00.007-04:00

Kate has been very cranky lately. She has had a few very intense "episodes" with a capital E. Especially at church. I should have known it was coming for a while because she has been sweet, perfect little Kate up until now. Well, Lydia is VERY patient with her and is always trying to help her out of her episodes. Today, she was so sweet to write Kate a note all by herself:

Interpretation:
To Kate
Please be nice because I love you, Kate.
Love, Lydia
She proceeded to hand her this note with her favorite toy to cheer Kate up--it didn't work. It's the thought that counts.

Happy Birthday Lydia!

2008-06-08T22:13:00.010-04:00

So it was a year ago that I started this blog because one of my first posts was of Lydia's birthday. Time flies, doesn't it? Well, it was Lydia's birthday again, but instead of doing a huge luau for her and all of her friends this year, we decided to let her take ONE friend to Chick-fil-a. We ate lunch and brought them home for cake and ice cream. It was low key and relaxing (except for the unbearable heat) and I had no messes or decorations or party favors or anything and she didn't even know the difference.
Lydia has grown up and matured so much in the last year. She's a whopping 5 now and is starting kindergarten in the fall. Lydia loves to sing, play with her bunny, play outside, pick flowers, learn about medical "stuff," swim, take baths and eat ice cream and popsicles. She is such an awesome big sister to Kate and is so excited to have a little baby brother soon. Lydia is going to be such a great help to us when the baby comes. She can't wait! We love you, Lydia. We love your sweetness, sincerity, love of the gospel, and willingness to help.

Happy Birthday 'Leeya!'

Nesting

2008-06-05T16:16:00.008-04:00

So, just in case you've been wondering where I have been (i.e. not posting on my blog), these are the things that I've been doing:

Making homemade strawberry freezer jam:

Finishing this quilt (and not liking the colors, so. . . .):

Working on another quilt:

Mopping the kitchen floor (a major feat for me):

Painting the man child's room:

Growing a man child in my womb (he looks a little squished in there, don't ya think?):

Let me tell ya, I got to see his "parts" and he's DEFINITELY a BOY!!! Yeah! (I always worry they were wrong or something).

Our trip to the beach

2008-05-21T18:14:00.013-04:00

Cape May, New Jersey
COLD water Lots of sand
Giggles Screams Crabs
Lots of seashells Family Cousins
Rain Sun Wind Clouds, clouds and more clouds
BBQ Tacos Cold Cereal
Talking Laziness Naps
Snoring UNO Laughter
Ferry Sea sickness (Derrel) Dolphins
Brownies Ice Cream
Chick Flicks Kids movies

Planes, trains and automobiles

2008-05-10T21:54:00.008-04:00

A few weeks ago, I flew myself out to Kansas City to be at my Dad's surprise 60th Birthday Bash that my step-mom planned. While I was staying there, we gave the man child his first ride in a cool sports car. I LOVE this car. It's my dad's and it's a 1964 (I think) replica of a Shelby Cobra. It is fast and so fun to ride in (except when your REALLY pregnant). It was still really fun and the baby LOVED it, especially when my dad revved up the engine. Check us out:

Who am I?

2008-05-07T18:58:00.004-04:00

I thought this was pretty cute. Try it out!

1. Your rock star name: Jim Vanny
(first pet, current car) I didn't have a pet...

2. Your gangsta name: Napoleon Thong
(favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe) I've always call Neopolitan Napoleon (it's much easier to say)

3. Your Detective name: Orange Kitten
(favorite color, favorite animal)

4. Your soap opera name: Susan Kansas City
(middle name, city where you were born)

5. Your Star Wars name: Walki
(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name)

6. Superhero name: Blue Lemon Water
(2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

7. NASCAR name: Alvin Harold
(the first names of your grandfathers)

8. TV weather anchor name: Reynolds Raleigh
(your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)

9. Spy name: Autumn Tulip
(your favorite season/holiday, flower)

10. Cartoon name: Melon Tee
(favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now)

11. Hippie name: Cheerio Dogwood
(what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)

12. Witness Protection Name: Louise Warren
(mother’s & father’s middle names )

13. Your Rockstar Tour Name: The Painting Thunder Tour
(”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)

Trampoline

2008-05-02T19:41:00.004-04:00

So, we decided to buy something that I swore I'd never buy for my children. A TRAMPOLINE!! And I swore up and down that those silly lookin' nets for it were even worse lookin' than the trampoline itself. Well, lo and behold, we succumbed to my children's LOVE of trampolines and bought one. It has literally been heaven itself come down for my two girls. With spring and warm weather here, there isn't a day (unless it's really cold and rainy) that they don't get on the thing. I LOVE IT and it gets in a little exercise!

Hospital

2008-04-29T09:55:00.002-04:00

I hate to admit that I wish it were me going to the hospital to have a baby (which would be horrible at 32 weeks) but it wasn't me this time. Kate was really getting sick since Sunday. She was wheezing and breathing really fast with a fever. We called her doctor after hours and she said to take her into the ER just to be safe. Derrel and I debated for a few minutes who should go and I decided that I should take it for the team. He is in such a hard time at school right now, it wouldn't be good for him to get behind in his sleep. So at 12:30 in the morning, I went to the hospital with Kate. They gave her a breathing treatment and took a chest x-ray. She has acute bronchitis and the doctor said that it always could be a little of RSV but we didn't want to put an IV in her to do lab work. So we need a little rest and relaxation around here I guess. It just surprises me because the weather has been so nice. But it is all of a sudden really cold and wet. Well, she's doing a little better now. I'm sure she'll be just fine soon enough! She's a tough one and she likes to play with Lydia too much to be sick.

Spring Fun

2008-04-24T09:52:00.010-04:00

Lydia was dying to have corn on the cob last night for dinner. She practically begged me if she could help shuck (sp?) it. So we were shucking away and suddenly she said, "Mom, I LOVE shuckin' carn," with the funniest West Virginia accent I've ever heard! West Virginia is rubbing off on her, I guess. It was so hilarious. After that, and after me busting out laughing, she said, "Oh, I guess I forgot how to say corn." It was really funny. She was so proud of her shucked corn.

I love Lydia and I LOVE springtime when we can be outside instead of inside! Here's a picture of the leaves on one of the trees in our backyard and some of our flowers. I've never been so happy to see a green leaf in my life=). YEAH for spring. I'm so excited! Do you like my dandelions in the garden? It gives it a more wild touch.

The girls come up with so many ideas to make the hills on our yard advantageous to their play. Here is the latest:

White Coat Ceremony and Birthday

2008-04-17T11:22:00.007-04:00

Derrel had his White Coat Ceremony at WVU. This is supposedly the second most important ceremony of Medical School besides graduation. I was actually teary eyed the whole time. I don't know if it was pregnancy emotions or emotions that my little man is growing up =) and turning into a real doctor sometime real soon (wink, wink). The only problem is that in my frenzy to leave and get to the ceremony on time, I forgot my camera. Hmmm- someone must be pregnant. Here he is at home with his white coat on:

Doesn't he look like a real doctor? (But real doctors wear longer coats. That's how you can tell they are residents).

It was also Derrel's birthday (sorry so late babe, I'm a little behind). He is amazing and I want the whole world to know that. He juggles being the best dad in the world, best husband and excellent medical school all at the same time, all while being executive secretary and building coordinator for both wards in Morgantown AND Scout Committee Chairman (or whatever you call the position). He's pretty much MR. INCREDIBLE. I love this man so incredibly much.

He is almost done with all school bookwork and classes in med school on May 12th. We are counting down the days! He does take the 1st round of the board exam 3 days before my due date. We counting down the days until I deliver this monster of a baby in my belly. I don't know if it's because it's a BOY or because it's my 3rd pregnancy but I am becoming some sort of species of whale or cow or something to that effect. I might get the guts up to post a picture of myself but until then, this will have to suffice:

Family Vacation

2008-03-19T12:26:00.006-04:00

Well, we took quite a vacation for Derrel's Spring Break. We drove through 13 states!!! We had SO much fun and the driving went by quickly without any meltdowns or bad weather.
First, we stopped by the Ernstroms'(friends from Utah). We stayed with them for one night in St. Louis. The next day we traveled on the Kansas City where Kim's Dad and step Mom live. We stayed there for 4 VERY enjoyable days. We went and visited both sets of Kim's grandparents. It was so much fun. Dad and Cyndee took extra great care of us while we were there. The girls LOVED getting to know so much family (now that they can remember them).
Next, we were off to Monroe, Louisiana for 4 days. Derrel's oldest sister lives there. The girls had so much fun with their cousins. They went on a paddle boat, fishing, jumped on the trampoline, played a lot of dress-up and horses, Derrel went jet skiing, we talked and had so much fun! Derrel, Kim, Lori and Ted also took a really fun day trip to Vicksburg, Mississippi. We went to dinner and learned more history about the Civil War.
Then, we drove to Nashville, TN where we stayed with another of Derrel's sisters. We only had a day there but managed to tour an old civil war house that was turned into a hospital during the war. It was so interesting. We are glad to be home and be with old friends and in our house but we had a BLAST!!! Here are some pictures of our trip. Enjoy!

No nap? Go figure. . . .

2008-03-16T21:37:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when Kate doesn't get a nap. You'll notice that, at times, I am laughing uncontrollably while trying to hold the camera still. Doesn't really work that well. You'll also notice that throughout her "sleep" she still manages to get a few bites in.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I've been tagged

2008-03-14T13:16:00.003-04:00

The Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves, at the end of the post the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they are tagged! Good times!

Where I was 10 years ago:
Ten years ago, I was 2 months from graduating from High School (yes, I'm not STILL in HS like most strangers think).

5 things on my "to do list" today:
1. Clean the "craft room" for the new "baby room."
2. Make pizza for dinner (a new Friday tradition).
3. Go to Derrel's White Coat Ceremony.
4. Shower (and that definitely makes the TO DO list!)
5. Well, I guess I already accomplished one thing on my to do list: do the dishes!

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Finish remodeling my house and sell it.
Go on a cruise to Hawaii.
Uhhmm. . . .
Get out of debt! =)
Buy a new car. . .
I could go on and on and on.

3 of my bad habits:
1. Throwing all of my clothes all over the floor before I go to bed because I'm lazy.
2. Not making dinner ;) (I am getting a little better since I don't have morning sickness anymore)
3. Definitely the way I eat, especially the last 4 weeks of pregnancy since I haven't been sick.

5 places I have lived:
Kansas City, MO
Houston, TX
Provo and Orem, UT
Voronezh, Russia
Visalia, CA
Morgantown, WV
(I guess that's 6)

5 jobs that I have had: OK, this is the place I really SHINE=) and it's more than 5!!

Cake decorator/cookie giver awayer (at a grocery store bakery)
Waitress (The Original Pasta Co.)
Janitor (BYU) twice, one early morning
Door-to-door sales (selling books in Wisconsin)
Pizza delivery girl (and boy did I get better tips than the men that delivered!)
Receptionist (Cubco Doors Co.)
Nanny (for two ridiculously ornery and spoiled girls)
Nanny again for a little boy named Sam
Secretary (Center for HS studies)
Dental Assistant
Pampered Chef consultant
Wife
Mother

Something most people don't know about me:
My life is an open book. Is there anything people really don't know about me? Hmmm. I played the violin for 4 years until HS when I was "too cool" to play anymore. I went to a regional track meet in HS for shotput. I had to compete against some BIG MOMMA girls, too. I lived in Russia for 4 months.

OK, I am tagging: Jami, Mary, Amy (my sister) and Annie (my sister). GO FOR IT!

Plain Old Vanilla

2008-02-21T15:06:00.003-05:00

So I took a little quiz to see what flavor of ice cream I am. I'm just plain old vanilla! How boring is that? But you sure can put a lot with vanilla;) What are you?

There was a little house in the middle of the wood. . . . .

2008-02-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Lydia is our little singer. Here's one of our family favorites.

Introducing. . . . . . . . .

2008-02-05T16:55:00.001-05:00

. . . . Our Man Child.
Yes, that's right. We will finally have a little more testosterone in our house. Doesn't he have great legs? We are SO very excited to embark on the world of boys (now that we've "mastered" the girls. . . just kidding).
I don't know if ANYONE can ever master the girl thing. You just take each emotional day, one at a time and hope you're doing it right, am I right?

Slacker

2008-01-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I emailed a lot of you and got addresses and had all these plans to send out a yearly Christmas card with the picture and all. Well, let's just say pregnancy happens. Yeah so here's our yearly family photo without the letter. If you want to know what's been going on, just read my blog!

The Good Wife's Guide

2008-01-26T10:08:00.001-05:00

Take a look at this Good Housekeeping article from 1955. It's pretty darn funny! You'll have to click on the picture to read it. It'll put ideas into your man's head so don't let 'em read it=).

Hector

2008-01-25T18:06:00.000-05:00

So, I'm taking a poll for any of you interested in voting. The ultrasound is on February 4th and we are so excited to find out the gender. And so is Lydia! Up to this point, the baby's "name" has been HECTOR. Lydia even prays for Hector, the baby in Mommy's tummy. Kate's just oblivious to the whole thing--either that or in denial, I don't know which. We'll keep you all updated when the time comes! In the meantime, vote people!!

Morning (Afternoon and Evening) Sickness

2008-01-09T16:54:00.000-05:00

FYI
For those of you plagued with mourning (I mean morning) sickness like I am- STILL, here's a little article I read that I found a bit interesting about GINGER.

And I'm all ears for anyone with any other ideas. I'm flat OUT and despairate (I mean desperate).

Evil Eye

2008-01-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

Here's a little humor for a cloudy, cold, rainy day:

Winter Wonderland (a week late)

2008-01-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

Well, we woke up to 9 inches of snow this morning. Derrel thought all along this holiday break that he started back to school on Jan. 2 and as he was braving the snow down our treacherous driveway, he turned around and thought, "This is NOT worth it." Luckily, he checked again and school doesn't start until tomorrow. We were SOOO happy! We had a fun snow day. Santa brought new sleds this year and we made good use of them today!

This is Kate's first sled ride by herself. She did awesome!!

Leaves 'n cousins

2007-12-15T10:54:00.001-05:00

Well, it's a little late to be posting fall pictures since it is now full blown winter here. My sister and her family came to our house for Thanksgiving and the kids were enjoying themselves raking leaves. Check out their little video.
Sure hope you're having a great Christmas season.

Game Day

2007-12-01T08:41:00.001-05:00

Well, if you haven't already noticed, West Virginia is ranked #2 in the BCS. We play Pittsburgh today (an unranked team) and if we win, we WILL go to the National Championship! We are so excited. It's funny-the tradition here is to burn a couch in the street for a victory. I think we might have an extra couch to contribute to the tradition=). Good luck Mountaineers.

The name says it all!

2007-11-19T08:35:00.000-05:00

So, for any of you ladies (or gentlemen for that matter) that LOVE Pampered Chef as much as I do, I am now announcing that I have joined to become a consultant. Rest assured, I will not hound you, hunt you down, make you feel guilty into buying ANYTHING! But if you need something, I am here. If you want to host a party, I'm here too, occasionally (wink, wink). I am going to make a separate blog for Pampered Chef but more for recipes and such. I signed up to do this as a hobby (and for insurance, I have to admit). If any of you know me well enough, I love to cook (except when I'm pregnant, of course) so this will be just a little way for me to get out, meet new people, cook and eat!!! ;) So, come one, come all and join me on my new blog for good looks, good cooks and a whole lot of cheesy fun:

Food for Thought

Food: friend or foe

2007-11-17T14:47:00.000-05:00

Food is my nemesis right now. I feel sick thinking about it. And then I crave something VERY specific, like a roll. But not just any roll. A round one that's fluffy and warm. . . . . . . Rhodes. Yes, that's it. Oh, I don't have any in the freezer, bummer. So I muster the energy to make them homemade--even the Lion House recipe and the second they come out of the oven, I want to double over. I wanted this? I asked for this? Of course I did. And then when I do eat something perfect that I have been craving for three days, such as country fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and peppered gravy, I want to double over AFTER I eat it. Um, that's just not right. I love being pregnant.

hmmmmmm. . . . . . .

2007-11-03T19:06:00.000-04:00

Fall happenings

2007-11-01T18:40:00.000-04:00

Howdy! We are enjoying fall so much here in West Virginia. My parents just came out to visit. It was great and the weather cooperated for the most part. The leaves are absolutely beautiful right now. I just LOVE it! We went trick-or-treating last night with some good friends of ours. Except we didn't know that the city of Morgantown has "trick-or-treating hours" (or should I say hour) from 6-7 pm. We went about 7:30 and all the lights are out. Some people even made comments like, "Wow, you guys are out late," or "you sure know how to trick-or-treat." (Because people had so much candy left and no one else was coming. They were giving literally handfuls of candy to our 4 year olds!) Anyway, we had fun, nonetheless. Lydia was a fairy and Kate was a princess. Pretty unique, eh? Well, here's some pics:

Hiatus in blogging

2007-10-20T17:57:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the pause in blogging for all those MANY fans out there hanging on the edge of your seats to find out what it is Kim is going to say next. ;) Well, life is happening; we are happy.
We are also painting our house. It WAS peach.
I know, I know; living in the peach house on Peach Street is a little too ostentatious; I KNOW! Someone had to tone it down a little. Grey is the new color of choice. So we now live in the "grey house on peach street."
Here's a little teaser for you.
(And NO it's not blue.)

The Wind

2007-10-11T14:14:00.001-04:00

I thought since it was a windy day today, this was appropriate. So funny.

Family Pictures

2007-10-10T16:33:00.001-04:00

Here are just a few of our family pictures taken over Conference weekend. Enjoy!

Kate is 2!

2007-10-04T10:18:00.000-04:00

So Kate had a birthday, her second to be exact. She LOVED her cake! It was perfect. We made a huge chocolate chip cookie (she LOVES chocolate chip cookies). She had two friends over for her birthday. It was great. Notice how she blows her candles out. She blows through the gap in her front teeth. What a doll.

Spider? You mean MONSTER?!

2007-10-02T17:07:00.000-04:00

This was living in my house. And unfortunately I fed it. I felt guilty, OK? I put it in a jar for Derrel to squash and he didn't get to it. So it sat in this jar and after about a week, it looked like it was about to die, and I FED it! I FED the thing, which I regret everyday. You really don't want to know how I killed it. Well, here it is:

School Picture dilemma

2007-10-02T16:43:00.000-04:00

OK, so these school pictures were SUPPOSED to be SOOO cute! But Lydia's not even in the middle of the picture. OK, what kind of fool takes that kind of a picture. I mean, come on people. And I really don't even feel that bad putting it on my blog for a little while because they are so bad. So this is what Lydia's picture was supposed to look like:

Now here's the finished product.

I did PAY for these pictures, ya know! Wow. What a winner. . . . .

No, but what's really funny is that on the envelope the pictures came back in, the big advertisement was "Reordering is easy, order more pictures today!"
I don't think so.

Sisters

2007-09-27T07:54:00.000-04:00

Lydia and Kate have been playing so well together lately. I LOVE it. They are best friends. They give hugs and kisses every morning when we drop Lydia off at school. Kate gets so excited to see Lydia when we pick her up.
"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there."
Amy Li

Leaf Hog

2007-09-19T07:39:00.000-04:00

Have I ever shown you a picture of our yard at the peak of the fall leaves? Or should I say after all of those fall leaves have graciously fallen onto our lawn (and that's only a 1/4 of our lawn). Well, fret no more! I have just two words to say: this is the best thing I have ever bought!!!!!! I am so excited. After learning the hard way last year with having to rake every single inch of leaves on our lawn (we even left a small pile over the winter and it totally KILLED the grass) we decided to buy this:

Yup! It blows the leaves into a pile and then sucks them up. It also mulches 10 bags of leaves into 1 bag. You're probably saying, "OK, Kim this is OLD NEWS," but this is the first time we have owned a house and I didn't know it existed. So now I will have time to relax this fall and enjoy life instead of raking leaves every day=). Yeah!

School Pictures

2007-09-18T16:06:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the pause in posts. Lydia started preschool. She even had a "picture day." So I took pictures of her in the morning so that when she took her picture after lunch and recess, I'd have a half way decent picture of her. I'm so happy that she let me cut her hair. The tangles in her hair were causing rifts in our relationship!=) Well, Lydia's in school, Kate misses her during the day and I am getting so much done around the house. Fall is soon approaching here. I'll definitely send you some pictures of the view. It's beautiful here in the fall!
Kate misses Lydia while she is gone but she finds things to occupy her time. This is one of Kate's friends, Elijah. He is a ball of energy and we love him lots. His dad just started medical school so we've been getting to know his family.

2007-08-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

You know those really cheesy motivational posters that everyone has a calendar of? These came from a pretty cool website. I tend to be a pretty negative person, sometimes. I see it as being "realistic." Well these are just pretty darn funny. Check 'em out.

Hair

2007-08-20T11:27:00.001-04:00

My sister-in-law has been begging me to put a picture of my growing hair. I really don't want to so I might just delete this post after she sees it. This is how long my hair is getting. And for any of you who don't know me very well, this is the longest my hair has EVER been in my entire life! So enjoy, Kira.

March of the Prunes

2007-08-20T11:08:00.001-04:00

OK, so after bathing Kate I don't know how many times in her short life, Derrel and I have come to notice that her feet are extra sensitive to water. Even after 10 minutes in the bathtub, her hands and feet get REALLY wrinkled, I mean shriveled! Look at the difference between Kate and Lydia's feet. The picture doesn't even give it justice.

Lydia's creative outlet

2007-08-07T11:42:00.002-04:00

It's actually pretty entertaining to give a camera to your 4 year old and see what she deems worthy of a photograph. As you can see, she absolutely LOVES her little sister, Kate, and her mom, of course. Her bike apparently comes in a close third.

Lydia also finds joy in many forms of art, some of which are edible, some of which are NOT!

Finally!

2007-07-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

After months of waiting and wishing and hoping and dreaming, I have a special announcement to make to everyone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

drumroll please. . . . . . . . . . .

My tomatoes are finally turning red. I am SOOOO excited. Aren't they lovely? I don't know if this is normal but my tomato plants are shooting straight up. I feel like Jack and the Beanstalk. One of them is almost as tall as I am. Is that normal?

So our summer has been flying by more quickly than I ever expected. I don't really know if I am ready for Derrel to start school again, but like it or not, it starts in 2 weeks. I also can't believe that in June we hit our 1 year mark for living here. The girls are growing like weeds and Kate is starting to form sentences with all the words she knows. It's really very sweet. Lydia will start pre-school in August and is SOOOOOOOO excited. As for me, I am just trying to stay out of the WICKED heat. We are all doing well. Not much new to say for now.

Oh I guess my little brother, Sam, got married in Denver to a very lovely and sweet girl named Courtney. We were all going to drive out but we would have only stayed less than 48 hours and for 48 hours of driving and 48 hours of visiting, I think our little monkeys would have gone bizurk to say the least. So I sacrificed and took a plane ride (nonstop for extra sacrifice) and went to my brother's wedding. It was WONDERFUL! Here are some pictures:

Our newest addition

2007-07-14T18:42:00.000-04:00

So there has been an addition to our lovely family but. . . it's not another human. It's a BUNNY! She was an Easter present for Lydia and Kate. Sorry it's taken so long to announce her arrival=). Here are a few pictures of her. She is mostly white with a few grey spots. She is very sweet and mild tempered. We swore we'd NEVER have an animal in the house but since we now have two of them already, we decided it was acceptable (except this animal lives in the garage). We even have a harness and leash to take her on a walk in the yard=).

Here's CHLOE!

pink stuff vs. white stuff?

2007-07-12T14:10:00.000-04:00

So, Kate is now on a different antibiotic than she was for the last 7 days. I guess that the pink stuff was not killing the strain of ear infection she has. Who knew that infections had a color preference? Hmm. I actually recall a time or two when I just wanted to start drinking the stuff myself because it tastes so good;) and now that she is taking another medicine, I can just finish it off, right? (I KNOW you ALL know what I am talking about!) Hopefully a good 10 days of the white stuff will do the trick! The white stuff almost tastes like pina colada, that's yummy, too!

Lydia has made a new friend. There is a family that just moved into our ward from Missouri. They almost look like they could be sisters. I'll have to take a picture and post it to prove how alike they look. They have exact personalities and they like the same things. They can play for hours on end without one fight or argument and they don't get sick of eachother. Now if that's not heaven when you have a 4 year old, I don't know what is. It has been absolutely WONDERFUL!!

Summer Fun!

2007-07-06T11:17:00.001-04:00

Too much food!

2007-07-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

So the Fourth of July has come and gone. We have watched fireworks, eaten too much food (I don't want to BBQ for 3 months), played with friends and celebrated. I actually forgot my camera for our fourth festivities so these pictures of the girls and me will have to suffice. Unfortunately Kate has been sick the last week and finally decided to get worse yesterday. Amidst the coughing, runny nose, sneezing, fever, she decided it was time to throw up, too. So I took her to the doctor and she found a rotten ear infection. Whew. Now we know what it is and what to do with it. Doctors really are great, aren't they? =)

So, Lydia's new "thing" has been putting puzzles together. She can now put together a 63 piece puzzle all by herself. It's great. It used to take her a while but now she does it so fast, I can't fold a load of laundry by the time she's finished!

Derrel has been busy working on research at the school this summer. We think that he has chosen the lab he will work in to start his PhD next summer. The PhD he will work with actually researches pediatric cancer and such which will be very interesting for Derrel.

Bear with me, I know this picture is horrifying (I REALLY don't like bats) but I found one in our yard the other day. Of course it was dead and in two pieces but I didn't know they flew around here. Here is one of the wings-don't worry, I didn't touch it, YUCK! It was under a wild cherry tree obviously eating the fruit.

Derrel has joined the blogosphere!

2007-06-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to tell anyone who is interested about Derrel's new blog. You can access it here on our blog in our circle of influence. He may not have a lot of time, but he'll sure tell you some of his great experiences in medical school. I also just have to put in a little plug for Derrel for Father's Day. I tell you, Derrel is AMAZING. He definitely keeps his family and calling at highest priority. I am so proud of him for finishing his first year of med school. I love him so much and am so blessed to spend my life with him. He's a special guy.
We love you Derrel!

Here's an old video of Derrel and Lydia. Happy Father's Day (a little late). Enjoy. . .

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Kate

2007-06-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

I guess I should do a post about Kate since she is so amiable, adorable, lovable and beautiful. She has never been one to throw a fit or get upset very easily. She is pretty much a perfect child in every way possible so let us share a few pictures with you of her.

Happy Birthday Lydia

2007-06-16T21:50:00.000-04:00

Well, Lydia had her birthday party last Tuesday. We decided to have a luau/swimming party. It was great. We invited all of her girls friends and had hula skirts and leis and the whole shebang. She had so much fun. I have to admit, Derrel did ALL of the activities with the girls while I manned the kitchen and food. What an AWESOME dad, huh?

Limbo

Hawaiian hotties =)

Beth, Eliza and Lydia

We had a BLAST!

It's a miracle!

2007-06-09T13:49:00.000-04:00

So, I've finally jumped on the bandwagon (after much harrassment from my sister-in-law) and started a blog of my own. If you know me well enough, I won't start ANYTHING unless it turns out perfect so for me to start this is nothing short of a miracle. Everyone else has so many prodigious things to say; my experiences are mundane and ordinary but I'll give it a shot.

Well, Lydia's birthday was yesterday. I can't believe that I have a 4 year old. What a feat! She gracefully flew through the terrible two's AND three's and has safely landed somewhere in the vacinity of being a beautiful and brilliant four year old. She definitely keeps us on our toes.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy LyDiA!
We love you.

So, sit back, my fellow friends, relax and enjoy our new blog!