It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.....

This Christmas tree is simply amazing - so, I must stick my tongue out!

So, I can't believe that it's only 2 weeks until Christmas!!! This year has simply flown by! I remember thinking when Reed was born that I would think he was so old by Christmastime. Yes, it is Christmastime and he is almost 9 months, but I still think he is just my sweet little baby :) It's a time warp....weird.

So, I have put all the Christmas decorations up in our little apartment and Reed is absolutely loving all of the lights and stuff to pull on! He is obsessed with any form of light, be it a candle or christmas light, and bells! We went to the lighting of the lights at the temple the other night and Reed got a bell from a little boy! It has been his favorite toy since that night! He shakes it up and down, laughs, and then sucks on it a little and then shakes it some more! It really is the most wonderful time of the year in that it seems that people tend to be nicer. But, I would say that it is the worst time of the year for the weather. I hate cold weather, and actually, compared to Provo, this winter has not been bad. But, it gets all gloomy outside - which is a bit of a bummer. That is why I am glad that I have my Christmas lights to cheer me up!

We also have a Christmas calendar (homemade by Grandma Walker) that is awesome! Everyday we get to open a pocket and pin it on to the Christmas tree on the calendar or put it by the stable on the calendar. So, we also have cute neighbors with 3 cute little kids. I thought it would be fun if they got to open up some of the pockets. So, during the week, they come over after preschool and the little boy and girl (we figured the baby who is 3 months is a little young to do it) take turns opening up a pocket! I am not sure who gets more excited - them or me! But, it's a lot of fun :) They also love Reed and come and play with him whenever they come over! It's great to have neighbor friends!

Recently we have done some pretty cool stuff (most are showin in pictures) - here are the highlights:

We saw Reed Walker's house (Reed's namesake)
We saw the temply lights be turned on
I made a live wreath
Reed is getting into everything now that he can pull himself up a little bit! His favorite is under the bathroom sink!
Reed's first encounter with Santa Claus!
Enjoy!!!!!


I just love this picture - its the blue eyes yet again :)

Reed is so proud of himself......

Look, mom - I pulled myself up and can play with these toys now!

My first live wreath! Not too shabby!

The lighting of the temple Christmas lights - I thought it was cool with the temple in the background, although both Tyson and I look extremely tired!

Reed was not too fond of good ole Santa Claus!

Reed's great-great-grandpa Reed Walker lived in this house! It's in DC, so we had to go and find it. I will try and get a better picture when we go again sometime.....

I am totally innocent and was not playing with the Christmas lights!

How can you not love this picture?!

I think this one is for me..... I know that it says to Krystal, but I think mom made a mistake!

Reed found this spoon and was just chewing on it and laughing so hard! The picture was a must!

For Thanksgiving we went to my bro and sister-in-law's house in Richmond. They are such a fun family and have 7 kids!!!! It was a noisy and fun Thanksgiving day!!! We all ate entirely too much food - turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, green gravy, rolls, green bean casserole, and probably more things that I am forgetting - and then loaded up on sugar - always a good thing :) I forgot to take pictures of the meal, but I did get some other pictures from that weekend. We had root beer floats and even helped in a service project - raking leaves for some old people in their ward. I love to see how they bring their whole family to service projects. Even their 3-year-old, Josh, was helping pick up leaves! He definitely is earning his keep :) Anyways, I loved it! Random - Brandon and Kim invited some people over to eat with us and they just happened to know Jen Nuckols who was my first mission companion in the field!!! It is such a small world - I can't get over it! I love Thanksgiving! :)

Josh (3) helping with the leaves :)
Tyler (10) with Sawyer (7 months) - the official photographers!

I actually took this picture upside down (Reed was on my back) - but I liked it, so I flipped it!

We were both pretty cold that morning!

Tyson raking up those leaves with Coleman (turning 6 this month)!

Kim helping Coleman (almost 6) and Lanae (9) with the leaves!

Tyson, Reed and Sasha (7) waiting anxiously for root beer floats - Sorry Reed, no float for you!

Brandon pouring the root beer for Josh (3), Alia (2), and Lanae (9) scooping out the much-coveted ice cream!

The Elephant and the Turkey!

Today we had another fun play group! It was a Thanksgiving theme (very fitting). We, the moms, all ate soup, breads, and salads and had a fabulous time! The host even provided a fun activity for the kids to do - make a turkey hat! Well, I definitely could not pass up this opportunity! I made a little hat for Reed and he loved it! He kept it on for over an hour! So, of course, I had to take some pictures of the cutest turkey ever! His feathers are kind of floppy, but it is just so cute!

Included in the pictures is one of when my brother, Michael, came into town (well, Maryland). We all went to dinner and it was great to see him! We wish we could see him more often :)

I am the cutest turkey ever!

Where is Reed hiding?

Out to dinner with Michael and my parents


Reed's favorite thing is his little toy elephant. Every time he sees it he giggles and crawls super fast to go and get it! He is filled with so much joy when he plays with his elephant. It also helps him when he is in new situations. Reed gets a little shell-shocked when he is in a new group of people and everything is really loud (hmmm....wonder where he gets that from?! :) ....Tyson). So, the other day, I got a video of him finding his elephant. It's a good one. There was a point when I thought Tyson was going to win over the elephant, but no such luck. Reed turns around and finds the elephant more appealing :) Sorry, Tys! Vance, watch this one a lot because cousin Reed is definitely going to bring his elephant at Christmas! You guys can play with it together! P.S. I don't know where he got his high scream from either. But, it shows his pure joy in his elephant!

Leaves and the Zoo are so much fun!

The other day, Reed and I were playing outside in the leaves and it was so much fun! It was a little funny because Reed liked playing sitting up, but DID NOT want to be on his back laying on the leaves. I guess they were too poky! Anyways, I got some great pictures of him. That same day, we got a package in the mail from Grandma Walker! We were expecting his ties (He is famous at church for being the baby with the cool ties), but not the other fun stuff! Reed got all sorts of snacks, some swim shorts, a beanie, gloves, and two ties (Autumn and Christmas themes). He also got a note from his cousin, Vance - who is missing Reed and wanting to play with him! How nice to know that you are missed :) So, thank you to all who contributed to the package! Reed thoroughly enjoys all of his stuff! We have not found a jacuzzi to sit in, but he has already used his beanie and gloves! Thanks Grandma!

Yesterday, a group of girls from my ward and I decided to go to the National Zoo. I have learned my lesson about going to the zoo: always go in the morning. It was so much more fun! All the animals were awake and playing. We even got to see the elephant take a bath and be weighed! The tiger was playing with the leaves, the lions were playing with the water, the hippos were swimming, and we even saw a demonstration about the seals (big, huge seals)! We even saw all types of bears awake! It was by far, the best zoo experience because the animals were awake! So, my lesson is learned and I will try to go to the zoo in the morning from now on!





I love my new ties!!! Thanks Grandma!

Oh, and these Gerber puffs taste so good (well, the can tastes good, so I am assuming what's inside tastes good, too!) :)

This is my favorite picture that I took. I just love those blue eyes! They are fierce :)

Ooooh - leaves!!!

I just saw something in the sky :)

How do I get this leaf off my ear?

Part of the McLean II play group! Yeah for moms!

Reed liked the animals, but wasn't too happy when I made him put on his gloves.


The seals were showing some of the skills they learned and how they had been trained to blow through cones and get ready for medical procedures!



The lions taking a break after playing in the water for a while.

This tiger is 14 years old and has had three litters! She looks amazing!

The elephant, post bath!

Army Crawl Video

Well, when I posted the first video, it wasn't working for me. So, here is the army crawl video again

Lincoln and the Army Crawl

Last week some friends from my old job in Provo came into town! They have a Floortime Conference in McLean, VA every year since this is where the therapy was created. We went to lunch and caught up on what was going on at the school! It was great! I miss those kids so much - they are truly amazing spirits. I am actually thinking of doing some home therapy with a few kids to try and keep up on my skills and do something that I love. Who knows! I still have to figure some things out.

On Friday night, Tyson and I decided that Reed needed to see the Lincoln Memorial (well, it was more for us because Reed slept the entire time we were there)! I am still amazed by the Lincoln every time I go there. While we were looking for an elevator to take the stroller up, we stumbled upon a little room that we did not know existed. It talked all about the history or building the memorial and even talked about how other countries honored President Lincoln by putting him on their currency! I thought that was really amazing. This man changed so much. I often wondered if he knew the magnitude of what he would accomplish. I bet it was just what he believed - but at the same time, I wonder if he knew what an effect this would have on the rest of U.S. history. We saw a bunch of photos of the Lincoln Memorial and all of the historical events that have taken place there. There were so many civil rights rallies there and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there. It was seriously moving! Anyways, I loved it yet again! Another favorite part is the view of the Washington Memorial from the Lincoln. I just love how they put the reflecting pool there and when you take a picture, it almost looks like a huge spear-like thing. It was great!

Also, I have added a video or Reed doing the full-on army crawl! Enjoy it!




The view from the Lincoln Memorial!

Proof that Reed was there :)

More gorgeous fall leaves!

My CHA friends: Rebecca and Stephanie!


Reed doing his army crawl - just too funny!

I've decided....

I am sick and tired of being out of shape. I made the decision yesterday that I want to run in the DC half-marathon at the end of March. But, in order to do that, I need to qualify by running a 5k or 10k within a certain amount of time. I have decided to run a 5k on December 20th in DC. It cost a whole $6.33 to register online (including taxes)! So, if anyone wants to get in shape - feel free to sign up. I have been hiding behind the excuse that I just had a baby and am still nursing for too long. I wouldn't say that I am grossly overweight or anything....just not in the shape I used to be. So, I went running this morning and did some crunches! My goal is to run, at least for a little while, every day except Sundays. So, this is my call to fitness - anyone interested in running a half-marathon with me in March?! I would love a running buddy. 13.1 miles is a little daunting, but I know I can do it. Also, if anyone knows any good training websites that are free, let me know.

In other news, Reed is now doing the full army crawl (instead of one arm and one leg)...and is soooo much faster! I thought he was fast before, no way. So, he might actually crawl on hands and knees soon as well - who knows. When I get a video, I will post it!

Election Time, Fall Leaves, and More Videos

** Note: if you just want to see pictures of leaves and videos or Reed scroll to the end of the post until you see them - this first bit is just me trying to have a small political voice. But, you do not have to read it, if you are not interested.**

I always hesitate to bring up political issues on my blog because I have a few fears:
1. I will look completely stupid because I can't explain my point clearly
2. Previous friends will become my enemies
3. People who I don't even know will look at my blog and make ridiculous comments

But, I have decided to put that aside and make some comments on my voting experience and this electoral race.

The one thing that I was really pleased about was that so many more people went to vote this year! Voting is so important. It is the way that the people can get their voices heard. What makes me sad and upset is that so many uninformed voters went to vote. I know this happens every election - people jumping on the bandwagon of which candidate is cool - but I still get saddened by the lack of interest to really find out the issues and the candidates stances on the issues. Then there are those who did not vote and still complain about our country and all the bad things our government is doing. This is what urks me the most. I cannot stand people complaining and then doing nothing to exercise their right to vote! Come on, people - if you think it's so bad here, go live somewhere else! Having lived in two other countries for periods of time, it is much worse other places.

I must say that this year I did not particularly like either of the candidates. But, I did vote for one of them because I really did not like the other one. Frankly, I am a little scared with what has happened during this election. The President, House, and Senate all went to the liberal side of the pendulum. This makes me nervous because our country was set up to have checks and balances and I feel like those have gone out the window. I am just praying that not everything will pass. One of my big concerns is socialized health care. This is such a bad idea and I have seen its effects in other countries. Yes, maybe more people can get coverage, but, for lack of a better word, it is crap coverage. In the long run, it is just not the way to go. I believe that this government was set up, not to take care of everything, but to be in the background. I believe that The Founding Fathers set up this country so that we could take responsibility for ourselves, instead of always leaning on the government to pay for and provide for everything. I have learned in my life that when I work for something, I take care of it better and appreciate it more. When I am given something, I care less and am more likely to not treat it as important. This is what is already happening in this country and what will continue to happen! I guess I just really long to see Americans taking responsibility for their own actions. We cannot blame nearly everything on the government because most of the problems we face today are because of choices we, as a people, have made. Also, for any who know me, you know that I am against abortion except on occasions of rape, incest, and where the mother's life is in danger. I believe that life is sacred and begins at conception. I will never sway on this issue. One other concern is that of marriage. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is how God designed things to be. I will never sway on that issue. That many want to change the definition of marriage and family in the name of tolerance is so devastating to me. I feel like God is being taken out of everything in the name of tolerance. What about being tolerant to me as a conservative and a strong believer in a Heavenly Father?! Those are just some of my issues.

I also think that we, as a society, have become too obsessed with the here and now and forget to look towards the future. We want money now, instead of saving for retirement. We want the new clothes, new cell phones, big houses, and nice cars now. So, we get into debt and have no money for the future. Then, we blame the government and expect them to get us out of debt. We cannot rely on the government to bail us out of our own mistakes, but I fear that is what the government will try and do.

I do believe in the voting system and will exercise my right to vote whenever I can. I guess I am just worried at what will happen. But, I will do my best to be informed and make the right choice for me and my family. I encourage you to do the same. This is real life, not just a video game or pretend play!



In lighter news, fall in Virginia is absolutely beautiful! I have pictures to show, but really the most beautiful trees are the ones on the freeway that I cannot take a picture of while driving. The yellows, red, and oranges just make me so happy! It's truly amazing to see trees of all different colors! Their beauty confirms to me again that there is a God.







As in all of my posts, I must include something about a Reed. I decided to add some videos. One is a demonstration of his army crawling abilities, though this video was taken almost a month ago, so Reed is must faster now! But, it is fun to look back and see. The next one is one examples of Reed pulling the books off the book shelf - one of his favorite pasttimes. The last video is Reed copying Tyson on Halloween. Enjoy!!! They always make me smile :)