The Walker Family: January 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Christmas Eve and Christmas

The rest of Christmas break was fun as well, though I think I only took pictures of one thing (so I will have to blog specifically about thatn one). I did get some pictures from Krystal who was nice enough to snap some shots of Reed and Eve on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is always a pretty busy day. We went caroling to a few families, ate take-out Chinese food for dinner, then opened our last 12 days of Christmas (which is always pajamas). and drank hot chocolate (well, I didn't because I still couldn't do milk, but everyone else did). Reed was so excited because he got Thomas the Train pajamas! That is one of his 'things' that he loves, along with Lightning McQueen. So, we didn't have to ask him twice to put it on :) Eve got these cute pajamas as well - my favorite are the pair with the alligator/crocodile (I don't know which one) on it that is shown in the picture. She just looks so cute in them :)

After everyone got in their new pjs (parents included - we got pajama pants!), the kids did the nativity scene. Reed was a shepherd and Eve was a very active sheep. :) Vance was Joseph, Mackenzi was Mary, Natalie was the angel, and Kylie was a wiseperson. It ended up being really nice. That is one of my favorite memories of Christmas as a kid - getting all dressed up and acting out the nativity scene. In my family we drew names, so you never knew what you were going to get. The only exception was that whoever played Mary and Joseph had to be that gender. Other than that, it didn't matter. I even had to be the donkey. Good memories :) Now that I am a mom, I hope to be able to continue that tradition with my children. I hope they find it as fun, exciting, and special as I did.

We got the kids off to bed and stayed up a little longer. Then, we headed off to bed.

Christmas morning came all too quickly for me! Reed really didn't know what to expect, but when he saw the tree with all the lights and the present underneath, he was so happy! Our little family opened most of our presents, which is always exciting! We are way too spoiled with Christmas gifts, but I am not complaining :)

Eve's main present was a doll. As soon as I got it out of the package, she just gave it loves and smiled a lot. Reed got a Thomas train plus train tracks from Grandma and Grandpa Walker and (of course) it was a hit! It was probably the most played with thing by everyone throughout the break. Needless to say, he was so excited! They both got clothes, more toys, and music as well. Reed also ended up getting a small Thomas train, a Lightning McQueen car, and a Mater car. Yes, it was the best Christmas ever for him. It was the best Christmas for Eve because she got to play with all the boxes and wrapping paper. Heaven :)

Tyson gave me an ipod nano that also tracks my steps. I am super excited about it. I just need to figure out how long my stride is. Then, I can go running wherever and know how many miles I have gone! I also got a new pot, wooden spoons, cinnamon bears, a measuring tape for my purse, and new socks (I picked them out)!

I got Tyson a portable dvd player that he can hook up his ipod to. I got him a bunch of movies (Black Friday was my friend in getting these for cheap $2-$5), some new sweaters, and new socks.

After we were done, we traveled with Grandma and Grandpa Walker to the other houses, so that they could give their presents to the grandkids. It was fun to see them all open their gifts and be so excited! Then, we went back to their house and the 'kids' got to open their presents. Everyone lucked out - Tifani got all kitchen supplies you could ever want, Kimber got a new sewing machine plus accessories, Adam got a generator (and something else, but I don't remember what), Krystal got a new table and chairs, Jared got a camera (plus some plane flights), and Tyson and I got a new computer!

We spent the rest of the day just lounging about and having a good time together. Again, the Thomas train tracks was very involved, along with lots of games! Fun days!

Always so excited! She loved this heart ornament.

Hi Krystal!

Being such a good and busy little sheep!

Never a cuter shepherd than Reed!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Eve's First Birthday

I can't believe that my baby is 1! I probably say that all the time, but time is just flying by so quickly! I think time really does speed up :) Let me rewind a little bit to our flight on the 20th.

We had to fly out of BWI (Baltimore) which is my least favorite just because it is so far away. But, the tickets were significantly cheaper, so we did it. We could not find a non-stop flight, so we got a flight that had a stop but we did not have to change planes. I thought it was going to be easy. Well, it was not.

We had a bit of delay leaving Baltimore, then when we stopped, it seemed like we were stopped forever. The kids would not fall asleep - Eve had slept on the way to Baltimore, but Reed was just being stubborn.

On our second leg of the trip - the much longer portion - the fasten seat belt sign was on almost the entire flight! Yeah, that is great when you have 2 wrestless kids who need to wiggle and move. I guess we kind of disobeyed rules because Reed and I both used the bathroom when the fasten seat belt sign was on, but really, it was an emergency. You do not tell a boy being potty-trained that he has to hold it when he requests the potty (and hasn't gone for 3 hours or so). The made an announcement right after I went in to the bathroom, but I really didn't care at that point.

After what seemed an eternity, we landed! Yahoo, home free, right? No, we had to sit on the tarmack for another 40 minutes waiting for our specific gate to open up. Thankfully, Reed had fallen asleep near the end of the flight and slept through that bit. But, we did arrive in Las Vegas - hungry, grumpy, tired, but we arrived.

Well, we did lots of playing from the 20th until Eve's birthday. Reed loved playing with his Walker cousins and absolutely loved Grandma's singing Santa Claus (in an up-and-coming video - next post)! The boys - Reed, Vance, and Carter - played together really well! They just laughed and ran around like crazy kids.

So, now onto Eve's actual birthday. All the Walker cousins (Natalie, Kylie, Mackenzi, Vance, and Carter) came and even the Rowberry cousins that lived in town (Mary, Evyn, and Isla). We all ate some lunch and then came the dessert - cake decorating!

I made mini cakes for the kids (and adults) and they got to frost them, put other bits of candies on them, and then eat them. I seriously love this! It takes less time, the little kids enjoy it, they don't eat a huge piece of cake, and it is less preparation than making the cake with all the frosting and decorations! I may be doing this for many more birthdays :) Here is how it went:

Who wants this type of cake (there were a few shapes to choose from)? Hands shot into the air!

Putting on frosting and finding some other good stuff to put on it.

Decorating really is serious business.

Reed really loved it!

Some kids just kept putting on candy :)

Vance - so proud of his Christmas tree

Finishing touches - now I can eat it.

Carter enjoyed his cake!

Eve is not quite sure what to think of Aunt Krystal's camera.

Do you want some cake?

No? Ok, I will take it back ...

and eat it!

Mmmmmm! Delicious!!

After cake was done, the bouncy house was next on the list! All the kids (except Eve) really enjoyed it! Eve got a bit overwhelmed with all the jumping kids. I also think the noise was a bit much. She did end up going in for a few minutes at a time with Tyson or myself. If Tyson was standing, she was ok. I tried to get her to bounce - that was a mistake. Ah well :)

The best toy ever!

Reed may have inherited his father's jumping skills.

Eve was happiest when holding a ball.

Eve showing me the ball.

Let's bounce!

Guess not. Time to get out.

Next was presents! It started with the kids in a circle, kind of far away. Progressively, everyone got closer and closer, until they were right on top of Eve and me! Reed was by far the most excited out of everyone! He loved watching (and trying to help) Eve open her presents. He would get really excited and scream, "What is it??!! What is it??!!" with his hands up in sort of a 'W' shape. It was absolutely hilarious! She ended up getting clothes, books, boots, a singing dog, a drum, bracelets, and a necklace.

Eve loves ripping the paper :)

Hmm, that camera again!

A drum!

Beads from Natalie :)

A singing dog!

Clothes (of course)

After the present opening came the playtime! And what playtime is complete without a dog pile on Uncle Jared (to wake him up)?

Loving the beads!

Dog pile!!!!

Could she be any happier?! :)

Playing with mom

Such a big girl!

The drum was an absolute hit with everyone!

Here - have an egg shaker!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Busiest Weekend - Part Sunday

Well, Sunday was just a busy, if not busier, than Saturday. So, while I got a little breather on Saturday night, I spent it preparing for my Relief Society lesson on Sunday (I was asked to sub just for that Sunday).

First off, church started at 8:30 a.m. It is always hard to be on time when church starts at 8:30, but I had to be early. So, yeah, it was a little bit of a process, but it ended up all working out. The sacrament program went well (at least I think it did). I sang in most of the choir numbers and played the Glockenspiel in the other three. I got a lot of compliments on the Glockenspiel - I've decided it's my new favorite instrument. It's easy to play and sounds awesome! :)

I taught the lesson in Relief Society because the old teacher had been called to Primary and not been released from Relief Society teacher. Oops! I ended up teaching on the Sabbath Day. I was a little nervouse because there are so many differing opinions on what it means to honor the Sabbath Day. We stuck to what the manual specifically said about it and ended up having a great discussion! Phew!

After church I came home and started the dinner. My sister, parents, brother and sister-in-law were coming for dinner. Plus, we were having a double birthday celebration for my sister, Kristy, and Eve! Their birthdays are December 22nd and 23rd - so I thought it fitting.

All too soon, it was time for dinner! Everyone got here, we had a great meal and just enjoyed hanging out! Eve experienced her first taste of homemade chocolate cake (no dairy, no soy) and liked it. I wouldn't say that she loved it, but she had a good time. :)

It was great to see Kristy. I had not seen her since August 2009 - too long! She is doing well and almost done with her Bachelor's degree. I wish we would have gotten more time with her, but ah well. Maybe soon!

After dinner, we opened some of our Christmas presents that we were not taking with us - they were just too big! Reed was so excited!!! He loves opening presents! Eve loved ripping the paper! She still loves ripping paper. I think it is a little kid thing. Ripping is just so cool. Reed got a tricycle and Eve got a jogging stroller. They were both ecstatic about the gifts! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Walker :)

Reed also got to open a mini-train set from Grandma and Grandpa Rowberry - he loved it! The train goes on the track and spins and turns around. He could have watched it all night :) Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Rowberry.

Eve got to open lots of birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa Rowberry! She got a dress, a pants outfit, and some hair accessories! She loved it - I think mostly just being able to pull more paper, but she looks fabulous in her little outfits :)

It was only after all of this, and after everyone had left for the evening, that we started packing for our trip to Las Vegas, NV that was happening the next morning! Luckily, our flight was not until 1 p.m.! Wow, what a busy, but enjoyable day!