January 2013

I did awful at taking pictures in January - it's pretty pathetic. But, I was sick for most of January and also popped my rib out place from coughing so hard. So, pictures were kind of the last thing on my mind. Despite the lack of pictures, we did do a lot in the month. Here's the rundown: 

No New Year's is complete unless Grandpa Walker burns the year into the street. Can't believe it's 2013! Oh, and yes, we had games, lots of food, and a helicopter obstacle course to keep us busy before we were burning the street. Tyson won the helicopter competition :) His birthday gift from last year has paid off - we got a 100 grand (candy, not dollars...too bad, though) and some "strawberry milk" a.k.a. Nesquik strawberry. 

On New Year's Day night, Shauntelle and John dropped their girls off at our house so they could be on their way to Florida to celebrate their 10-year anniversary! I thought Tyson would be off work the whole time, but it turns out that I was wrong and he went back to work Thursday and Friday, which left me with 6 kids and no car in the middle of winter (well, Las Vegas winter). It definitely was a lot of fun and loud and crazy. It was almost like have 2 sets of twins - Reed and Evyn are 6 months apart and Eve and Isla are 5 weeks apart. We spent a lot of time coloring, played some tag, rode bikes, watched movies, and just hung out. We did make a special outing on Saturday to sit in Grandma Walker's hot tub. That is always a good time. 

The girls stayed at our house until Sunday evening. John and Shauntelle made it to our 2 p.m. church (awful time, but what do you do when there are 4 wards in your building?!) and Evyn and Mary came to our CTR 6 class (also our first time teaching). Then, they came over for dinner at our house before packing up their stuff and taking the girls back home. 

After that busy season started for Tyson (boo) which usually means a lot of nights putting the kids to bed by myself and watching dumb things on television. Luckily, I had gotten back into reading since I could stay awake for more than 5 minutes. When I am pregnant or am still being woken up in the middle of the night by a nursing baby or even just nursing in general, I cannot read at night. I fall asleep almost instantly. But, that is my only time to relax and read. So, These last few years I have not been able to do a lot of reading since I have been pregnant and/or nursing for most of them. Well, since I am neither at the moment, reading has become fun again! I do love books and always have. So, this busy season was full of books for me and much less television (thank goodness since there are not many things that are worth watching on our 7 channels that we have).

I also got a little sick in the middle of January, but was still going to keep going. I had a persistent cough and did end up losing my voice, but it always seems that way in the winter for me. I never get sick enough to really warrant going to the doctor, but I get just sick enough to not want to do a whole lot. Ugh.

Near the end of January - January 23rd and 25th - I got to see my good friend, Heather, her husband, Michael, and their adorable baby Lorelai! I have known Heather since 6th grade and she is one of the few people I sort of attempt to keep in contact with (although I could do a way better). She came into town (since most of her family still lives in Las Vegas) and we got to hang out a little on Wednesday and then again on Friday night at a Gwin family dinner (I was adopted in as an honorary Gwin family member). It was a ton of fun to catch up and just see how we all are growing up! I loved chatting with the whole family and Tyson was even able to make the dinner (a bit late, but he came!). I wish that they lived closer and I could see them more often, but I will take what I can get. Heather is one of my favorite people! I am so happy to know her and be friends with her. :)

This extends beyond January and into February, but a fun thing we did during busy season so that Tyson could see the kids at least a little bit was to go see him on Wednesdays for lunch. The kids were always so excited to see "the building" (that's what Eve called the Mandalay Bay, where Tyson was working for busy season) and get to eat out and eat with daddy. 

So, that was a sum up of our January! 

Christmas Eve and Christmas

This year was our turn with Grandma and Grandpa Walker for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we did a lot of playing with aunts, uncles, and cousins and did our round of caroling. Most of the families live in our old ward (past home teaching families and such of Grandma and Grandpa) so we added in 2 other families to the list (Gibson family and Eve's nursery leaders) since they lived so close. I always love caroling and plan on having a completely new set of people to carol to next year. I am even going to make Tyson sing with me. :) 

After caroling we came to the Grandma and Grandpa's and had Chinese food for dinner. Then, we re-enacted the Nativity scene. Unfortunately, no pictures, but the kids did great! Eve was Mary (easy choice since she is the oldest girl) and Vance was Joseph. Aria and Kade were sheep/shepherds along with Tyson. I was part of the wiseperson crew of Reed, Carter, and myself. Natalie, Kylie, and Mackenzi were angels. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. My kids are almost big enough were we could do it with just our family! 

After that, the kids each got their pjs from Grandma, plus everyone got to open a present. Then, the hot chocolate in the Santa mugs. Phew - yes, we pack a lot in to one evening. Then, we headed back home so the kids could go to sleep so that Santa could come. 

Christmas morning was especially great because no one got up early! Yahoo for kids who like to sleep in past 7 :) We even had to wake Aria up at around 8 (the others got up just past 7:30) so that we could go down the stairs and see if Santa had come. Here they are anxiously waiting (Tyson is just as excited!). 

Christmas morning! 

We spent the next while opening presents and seeing what everyone got. Grandma and Grandpa came over with their presents as well - bikes for Reed and Eve and a little car (you know the red and yellow ones) for Aria. It was great! The kids loved all their presents, especially Aria. She got so excited for every present - it was cute to watch.

Flashlights were a hit this year! Everyone loved them! 

Aria's favorite part was ripping the paper.

Eve has a great cheesy smile. 

Yeah for Dora chapstick. 

Aria looking at one of her books. 

Eve was so excited to get Rapunzel and Maximus!

Aria loved her train. 

Her puppy was her favorite gift, though. It barks and even walks a few steps! 

Reed was so excited to get a green light saber!

After the presents were done, daddy made cashnitas (no idea how to spell it) which is a piece of toast with egg and cheese melted on the top. Then, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for more food, and to open the presents from them to our family. We were given some shelving for our garage! They even helped us put it up the next day (what service).

We spent the rest of the day there, playing games and hanging out. Jared and Beckie had to leave on Christmas, so we stayed until they left. They actually had to come back because of some car trouble, but were able to get on the road a little later that night.

The day after Christmas we got our shelves up and the kids tested our their bikes for the first time! Reed was pretty much a pro as soon as he got on (he has practiced with his trike). Eve was a little more skeptical, but likes it, as long as she is going slow. We spent much of the afternoon riding bikes and watching daddy and Grandpa put the shelves up. Good fun!

Speeding by

Slow and steady 

Reed loves to pose for pictures. 

Eve turns 3!

December 23rd my little Eve turned 3! It's hard to believe that she is already that old! I do feel a little bad that her birthday is so close to Christmas, but she does share the day with an amazing person - Joseph Smith. So, she is in good company. Plus, she was the best Christmas present we have ever received. It is also nice that since it is so close to Christmas, out-of-town family is usually in-town and everyone can take time to celebrate with us. 

Eve is such a sweet little girl with an amazing imagination. 

She and Reed play all sorts of games together and she is physically just as tough as the boys (if not tougher). Emotionally, she is very much a girl. Hurt feelings make her cry. 

She is actually a super funny person. She has an infectious laugh and comes up with some of the funniest lines. She loves doing things that make people laugh (Reed has already commented, "Mom, Eve really is funny!"). 

Her favorite church song is "I am a Child of God" and her favorite non-church song is "Call Me, Maybe." Her favorite colors are pink and purple. 

I think she is going to be very artistic - she will color for an hour and loves to paint. She is specific about which colors she wants where, which I find amazing for someone her age. 

She loves being a 'mom.' 

Since it was a Sunday, Eve even got wear her birthday dress to church! She was super excited about her dress (I'm glad because I bought it a while ago since I loved it so much and have been saving it for her birthday). We decorated the hallway and her door with balloons and such - the usual :). We headed to Grandma Walker's house after naps for the birthday dinner, cake, and presents. 

Everyone in Tyson's family was able to be there, including the out-of-towners Jared and Beckie! Shauntelle and John and the kids were able to come as well. It's nice to be surrounded by so much family. It really helped make Eve's day super special. 

Just love doing this - and love that I don't have to pay for helium!

Reed is always so excited to give other people presents and watch them open it. Eve's birthday was no exception! 

The hallway

This year Eve wanted a Barbie doll cake that was pink and purple. Mission accepted and completed. Plus, I had some leftover cake and made a little cake with her name on it.  She absolutely loved it!

The finished product

She even has a bow in the back. Plus, an accidental but gorgeous up do to make her look fancy!

Pretty good, right?!

The beautiful birthday girl in her birthday dress by her birthday cake! 

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Eve

Blowing out the candles 

After dinner and cake and ice cream, it was present time and Eve really lucked out! She got a little timid when opening presents, since everyone was watching her, but Reed made the perfect side comments, "Look at that! How cute!" and "Hey, she's opening another one. Everyone watch!" - Such a supportive older brother.

The presents 

Piggie and Elephant books - a personal favorite of mine and my kids

Princess play dolls 

 After that, the kids just played and had a good time. Eve got some fairy wings and a wand from Aunt Tifani and spent the rest of the night with them (almost) permanently attached. We all enjoyed each other's company and the rest of the evening. I love you, Eve! Happy 3rd birthday :)

More December Fun

December 7, 2012 - We were invited to our old ward's Christmas party and loved seeing everyone. It seems amazing to me how many people we got to know in such a short time in the ward (about 8 months). I also went to a cookie exchange party with Reed's preschool teacher. Way too many cookies were sampled and brought home, but it was a good time.

December 8, 2012 - We went to our ward Christmas party. It was a little weird just because we were brand new. We had only been to the ward the previous Sunday, so didn't really know anyone. But, we all had a good time. I loved the pjs and breakfast theme. Plus the kids got to ride on the "Polar Express." Pretty cool. Plus, Reed actually sat on Santa's lap this year! He really is growing up! Eve talked big, but when it came down to it, it was not going to happen. Aria just started screaming when we tried to hand her over.

First time without crying :) 

The "Polar Express"

As you can see, they were going pretty fast. I wanted a turn, but it was for kids only. 

After the party, we went to the live Nativity. I remember going with my parents a lot (not sure if it was yearly, but I recall at least a few times) and loved it. I wanted my kids to get the same experience. So, we went, froze a little, but enjoyed the presentation. The kids LOVED the live animals and Eve could not keep quiet - she had so many questions and thoughts. I was truly touched with how they presented the birth of our Savior. Afterwards, we got to see the baby Jesus and pet all the animals (sheep, horses, goats) and Aria was ecstatic about touching the sheep! She really is my animal-lover. Now, every time she sees a sheep (usually it's a pretend one), she just gets so excited and yells what she thinks is the word for sheep and points. So cute :) The kids even got to sit on a horse. Tyson's uncle, Mark, is in charge of all the animals, so he let the kids sit on a horse. They all did it - way to be brave!

A lot of December was taken up by the kids play kitchen that I made (Pictures to come). It was made from Tyson's Grandma's old entertainment unit. It got sanded, then prepped, then painted white. For the doors, I chose an orange color because I ended up making little valences out of Tyson's Grandma Zobrist's old tablecloth (plus some aprons!) that was an orange and white checker. So, the fridge doors had to be orange, along with the stovetop knobs. The handles for everything did not actually come until after Christmas (a long and frustrating process...I should have just not special ordered it - even though it was cheaper) and have not been put on because a tragedy happened on Christmas Eve. As it was being transported from Tyson's parents to our house, one of the doors flew open and broke! They tried to fix it with glue - it lasted for a few days, but then broke again. So, I have to do the doors again. Thus, I do not have a proper picture of the kitchen as of yet. But, it will be coming. Oh, I also put number and a start and stop on the microwave, plus spray-painted some old cds black and then painted them with mod podge for the stove top burners. It really did turn out awesome! Thank you, Pinterest for getting me to try new things or at least making me think I can do it. I am usually surprised at how not hard it is or how good it turns out.

Another big thing we did in December was helping a family. The Walker kids all contributed how ever much $ they could and then Kimber, Tifani, and I went shopping for presents and food for a family. This was what we did in lieu of presents to Grandma and Grandpa Walker (and in our case Grandma and Grandpa Rowberry as well). The family had fallen on hard times, especially when their new baby (#3) had to be in the hospital NICU for a few weeks. Plus, the husband has had a rough time finding a job. Just a lot to handle for a young family. We ended up really brigthening their Christmas. I helped pick out all the presents, but I was most excited about doing a fruit/veggie/nuts basket. I just really felt that it needed to happen. So, I filled a large basket and here is how it turned out:

It just makes me want to eat it! It looked so good. Here is everything we were able to get together for the family (presents, plus lots of stuff to stock a pantry, along with laundry detergent, and the fresh produce basket): 

We went to deliver the basket on Friday, December 14th and it was truly amazing. I was a bit nervous because I didn't know the family that well, but that did not matter. We brought everything to the door and I rang the door bell. The 9-year-old came to the door and said, "Mom, there is like 300 pounds of food here! I don't know what to do with it!" The mom was a bit confused and asked if there were people at the door as well. We were still there. She came to the door, saw everything, and burst into tears. You could see the shock, awe, relief, and thankfulness written all over her face in about a second . She gave me the most giant hug and it was all I could do to not break down and cry as well. We all went in and chatted for a few minutes. She was just very grateful and the true spirit of Christmas was really made clear. We all left on such a high. I love the feeling of giving - it is just amazing. Best Christmas present of the year! 

December 20th we went to the Shark Reef with Reed's preschool class. I had never been, so was as excited as the kids. Reed, Eve, and Aria all loved it! Aria got so excited about all the fish, she could have stayed all day! I think Reed's favorite part was seeing the divers clean the tank. It really had the attention of most of the kids. He also told me, "Mom, I bet daddy would love that job!" You are right, Reed - at least as a 6-month job, it would be awesome! He already knows how to scuba dive. Eve was brave and stuck her hand in the water where the sting rays were swimming. All-in-all a great field trip! Plus, we got the extra bonus of going to lunch with daddy after it was over. He is at Mandalay Bay right now, which is where the Shark Reef is located. Yahoo! We were all excited about that! 

Playing before we went inside. 

Captivated by the fish 

The Gila Monster (I think) 

Sting rays

The sea life was just amazing! 

December 21st Jared and Beckie got to town, which is always exciting. My kids simply love them - especially Aunt Beckie. :) I mean, they love Jared as well, but they always ask when Aunt Beckie is coming to visit again. Beckie, you have truly wrapped my kids around your finger - way to go!

So, we had planned a few fun outings - the first of which was going to the Ethel M cactus garden to see the Christmas lights. I had been to the garden many times in high school (mostly because I could go and get a piece of chocolate from the factory as well) and loved it. Seeing the Christmas lights was amazing! They were so colorful and bright. It just makes me wonder who had to put all those lights on the various cacti in the garden and how they avoided being permanently punctured. Despite the cold (it is December, so it does get cold - just not as cold as other places), a good time was had by all. Plus, we all sampled some chocolate and toffee. Yum!

Reed had to stand by the green lights. They were his favorite. 

The crew - plus, we met up with Shauntelle and John and the girls

December 22nd we went to the Bellagio to see the flower garden and the water show. Those are my favorite things to do on the strip. I think it would be pretty awesome to be in charge of designing the flower gardens. They change fairly frequently and it always amazes me! This Christmas was no different - just amazing!

The entrance - I loved the giant bells!

The most talented xylophone players I have ever seen . They had 2 mallets in each hand! 

Aria attempting to pose. 

My kids loved the ice skating penguins. What's not to love about penguins, right? They are always dressed up, slide around on their bellies, and live in families. Love it! 

By the giant Christmas tree. 

They all loved the water show, but I think Reed may have loved it the most. He kept mentioning how cool and amazing it was. 

My First Christmas Tree

Growing up we always had a fake Christmas tree -- sometimes 2 (a kids tree and a mom tree). I recall that my mom loved having a Blue Spruce in our house. I never thought anything of having a fake tree, that's just what we had. I still loved decorating the tree and it was almost easier since the branches could be folded what ever way I wanted them to be. 

Fast forward to getting married to Tyson - someone who had always had a real tree at Christmas time. He was disappointed that we had to get a fake tree due to money constraints. But, h e was happy that we only had to buy that tree one time and it lasted 2006 - 2011 - much more economical.

This year was the year that we finally bought a real (meaning fresh) Christmas tree. I was excited and a little nervous because the decision was up to me, pretty much. Which tree did I like? I had no idea what to look for in a live tree - having never had one before. But, I think we did a pretty good job picking one out. 

December 1st - When we pulled into the lot on, Reed saw this huge tree (at least 20 feet - if not taller) and said, "That's the tree I want. It can go in our room with the tall ceiling." Yes, it would have fit, but, no, we didn't get that tree. Reed was a little disappointed, but not enough for it to dampen the mood of buying a live tree that actually smelled like Christmas instead of having Christmas sprayed on it from a bottle (to this day - I can'[t stand the fake Christmas smell that tries to be real). 

Eve wanted every single tree we saw - especially the ones they had frosted to make it look like snow. No, we did not go with that either. 

Aria was just enjoying walking in the trees getting lost. Don't worry, we found her. 

We ended up with about a 7 foot tree and it looked awesome! The guy cut it for us, which was a whole new adventures as well and then, we were off to put it up in our house. We have basically an entire room just for the Christmas tree (since we are lacking in the furniture department right now), so it was fun to be able to fill that room with something so green and lovely. It also made the house smell amazing - like Christmas :)

What a great day with my family. I think Reed might actually remember picking out the tree. He was so excited! Merry Christmas (even if it is February). 

My first live Christmas tree

We had to get a close-up. 

Getting a fresh cut on the stump.