Sisters

Oh how I wanted a sister when I was growing up. When I found out that I was having a second girl I quietly screamed for joy!!!  My best friend has 4 sisters.  To say I was jealous growing up (and now) is an understatement.  Despite the fact that she and I have been besties for over 20 years can never compete with sisters, nor should it.  And, since I will never have a biological sister of my own I have the next best thing.  2 daughters!!!  Now, it is my job to help facilitate a relationship that will span decades, weather tough storms, overlook differences, accept flaws and love unconditionally.  No pressure right?  

Man, I love these girls!

Spinning MyWheels

I think we all do this as mothers, we spin our wheels, going as fast as we can and never getting anywhere.  Right?  I had a great day with the little A-Dubs.  Playdate for Kal.  Played out side with Lincoln.  We laughed, We slept.  We played.  It was a good day.  But, I felt like I was living in Ground Hogs Day.  No offense, but I HATE that movie.  Today consisted of doing the same thing over and over and over and over again; laundry, pick up the house, make food, clean up children, dishes, diapers, sweep, and repeat.  

What made it all worth it?  

This little gem.  

Who doesn't need a Spiderman Cheer Leader on you side?

And I Bother With Toys Why?

Have you ever notice that kids are great at making up games or finding new and unusual ways to play with toys?  Our kids are excellent at just that!  Who needs to use the trampoline outside with you can take a bed apart and use it instead!  I really enjoy this part of my kids brain. . .the creative part.  I am not always super happy with how they choose to express it but I love that they use it!  

Sunday Talk

Avery is giving a talk on Sunday.  "I know Jesus loves me," is the title.  Honestly, I forgot, which I do a lot of.  I am very best last minute, or so I tell myself.  She, however, is a planner.  I got home from yoga last night and she was preparing her talk, with visual aids, by herself!  She had mentioned earlier this week that she wanted to write it and then have us look over it but again, I forgot.  This is the first talk she has given that is 100% Avery!  

She never ceases to amaze me. 

 In these moments I realize that it is all going too fast!  She only has 9 yrs left in our house.  In 9 years she will graduate from high school and we are half way!  In these moments I feel a sense of panic.  Are we preparing her like we should?  Will she be ready?  Are we fostering a relationship that will span decades?  Will she even want a relationship with us when she is older?  Does she have a testimony of Christ?  Is she developing a good work ethic?  Are we missing steps that we are going to regret?  Honestly, my list goes on and on and on.  I guess these moments are good reminders that, for me, it is these little moments matter and are quite possibly the most important.  It is a good reminder to stay focused on what is really important.  Family.  So grateful for mine tonight.

Activity Day Girls

I get to help out with the girls from 8-11 years old at our church.  Their group is called Activity Day Girls.  They are DARLING!  During an age where girls tend to be exclusive this particular group of girls is the exact opposite.  They are so open to everyone, despite differences.  Tonight we said good by to this cutie, Ali.  She is moving with her family in a few weeks.  She will be sorely missed!

My favorite thing about Ali is her enthusiasm for service.  Last year we had the girls tell us some of the things they wanted to do, both fun and service oriented.  Ali wanted to help out at a women's shelter.  We were able to partner with Helping Hands Against Violence here in Hood River later that same month.  Ali ended up in one of the groups cleaning an apartment that was being prepared for it's next occupant.  She was so happy to help.  Her words to the director of Hands, "I love to do service!"  She is 10!!!  What an example of  being a follower of Christ.  I have seen Ali exercise patience while working on projects with those around her.  I have seen Ali listen to others ideas with out interrupting  I have seen Ali stop to help someone struggling with whatever we are doing.  I love this girl for being so "good natured."  If we, as adults could be more like Ali we would be a happier people and a  kinder people.  What a great example she is to me!  

Tonight was movie night for the Activity Day Girls.  How cute and funny they are!  Some watched the movie, other played boards games while some helped with constructing a pinata.  Again, it is so nice to watch these girls, of very different family back grounds, work together They are patient and kind to one another.  Everyone plays with or talks to girls that they may not have a lot in common with.  It is fun to see these "unlikely" friendships develop.  I love these girls.  

**Plus I love spending this time with my Avery!!!  

Gotcha!

So, if you haven't already figured it out, we are Mormons. We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  What that means to those who aren't familiar with our faith  is that we go to church every Sunday, for 3 hours.  Yep, I know it is long time!   It is a difficult for an adult, who loves church, to sit still for that long let alone a 4 year old, very active, little boy.  

(I love this pic!  His primary teachers took this of him early this past summer and gave it to me for Christmas.)

That being said it is getting better. 

 A year ago we NEVER made it thru the entire 1st hour with out having to spend time in the halls, Today, leaving is abnormal.

A year ago he was often brought to us during the time he was with kids his own age because he couldn't sit still.  Today, his teachers praised him for being so well behaved!

A year ago there were many instances of crying when we took him to his class.  Today, he ran off to primary, by himself, as soon as the family portion was over.  

How kids grow, change, adapt, mature, and develop is AMAZING!  It really is different day to day, week to week, month to month and certainly, year to year.  I am in awe of how far he has come as  he continues to keep my life interesting and challenging and always FUN!!!

It Rained and Rained and Rained

You know you live in Oregon when you spend one day outside enjoying the sun and the very next you are slammed with rain.   Not one minute has passed today with out being able to hear it, as I type I can hear the rain pounding on our roof.  I am hopeful however, my phone swears that tomorrow will be partially sunny.  iphones don't lie right?

Because of the rain I was able to get this done.

before

after

I have been putting this project off for months.  This POST got me going today.  Thanks Megan!  I had each one of my kids (Avery twice) along with my husband come and look at my accomplishment!  I love checking things off my list! 

Because of the rain a few of  us were able to get in a lovely nap.

 Miss L was asleep on the couch at 10:30 in the morning with Miss A on the floor in front of the wood stove following suit.  Scott was the next to cave. What a great day to make this all happen.

Because of the rain we went to the Library.

We got to do puppet shows, play trains,  play toys, run around, build with legos, play with yo-yos, read magazines, and check out books. 

Because of the rain, we got to spend the day together as a family.  Love these days.  

Loved the rain today

Two Words

Sick Kid.

This week has been one lacking in sleep.  This little beauty,

had some bug, brought home by a sibling I'm sure,  in the early part of the week.   She so enjoyed sleeping with us while sick that she thought her crib no longer suited her.  Period.  It hasn't gone well for us needless to say.

This prompts me to pose one question, why do small children NEED to sleep perpendicular in a  a bed rather than parallel?  Their head in one parents side and the kicking of the other parents back is non stop thru the night.  Tell me why?  Is it a phase that kids grow out of?   Our two older kiddos don't delight in  torturing us this way any longer.  How does age change their sleep position and why, when kids can (and do) sleep in the right direction in their own crib does it change in a parent's bed?  These are the questions that have literally kept me up these past 4 nights.  If anyone out there has an idea I would LOVE to hear it!  

Hermana Ostler

We got to say, "See you later," tonight to our lovely friend, Shannon Ostler.  She is headed to Provo, UT tomorrow and then off to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Wednesday.  From there she will be headed to the Salta, Argentina Mission.  There she will serve for 18 mos for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  

Shannon came into our lives when she was just 12 yrs old.  Not long after we met her she started babysitting for us and became a favorite.  Over the last few years Shannon became a running partner, dear friend, and trusted right hand to me as she nannied for us this past summer.  This girl has literally run her legs off as she did all my long runs along side me (including the dreaded 20 miler!) while I trained for the Newport, OR marathon.  I LOVE this girl!!!  I am forever grateful to her for setting such a great example of a righteous daughter of God. 

I love that Avery will remember tonight as we said good bye.  I'm glad she got to see that  Shannon is going to sacrifice 18 mos of her life to serve the Lord and she is excited about it!!  I love that Avery witnessed Shannon prepare for her mission and I hope she will think back on it as she considers serving a mission herself.   I'm so appreciative of the  powerful example for good Shannon and her entire family has been in my life as well as the life of my family!  

We love the Ostler Family!!!

Boys

They come to us so very different.  From the very start this little guy has been his own person, separate from our girls.  He is full of fun, curiosity (which often gets him into trouble,) laughter, and OH SO much energy!  I love him!  I have yet to figure out what makes him tick and I am sure it will take my entire life to figure it out, if I ever do.  

This is what I came upstairs to find.  He had asked earlier for a knife to "cut wood," thinking that he was talking about using a hand saw or an axe.  (This is what he did outside, with heavy supervision from Scott and I, yesterday.) I quickly explained to him we would have to do that later as we needed to get ready for church.  He was not deterred because what he really wanted was a knife to get the bark off the wood we would be burning later in the morning.  As we keep all sharp objects out of sight for our curious children to access he simply reverted to a butter knife.  That seems to be what anyone would do, right?  Log debarked.  Mission accomplished.  Done.  The wheels in that brain of his are already in motion. . .what can I do next?

Ahhhh Saturday

Okay, first thing is first.  You know how when you pray for patience it's not like you miraculously become super patient and you are no longer short with your kids or spouse or the slow driver in front of you going UNDER the speed limit while you are trying to get to work so your are not too late.  No, it normally works just the opposite, at least for me.  Normally, when I pray for patience everything that would usually try my patience does, ALL IN THE SAME DAY!  That being said, after I wrote my goals down for the whole world to see I fell short in a lot of them!  It was a humbling experience.  It reminded me that we are pushed so we can grow.  If we sit stagnant then we wither.  I guess I am saying that I want to grow.

On a completely separate note, I LOVE Saturdays!  Our family is usually all together on Saturdays.  We often do our daddy/daughter dates or mommy/son dates on Saturdays.  We got both today, at least Scott and Avery got their daddy/daughter date in.  Scott is home so little during volleyball and basketball season that these moments become even more important.  Today, myself and the Littles met Avery and Scott at the high school to watch the boys basketball team play after their date to a local museum.  It was suppose to be a fun family activity, and it was.  It just didn't look like I had imagined.  The AD of our school forgot to schedule refs for any of the games so Scott ended up reffing the freshman game while we watched.  The game also started an hour late so we only stayed for the one before the natives got restless and we went home.   I have to say that I would never want to be a ref but enjoyed watching Scott hustle down the court over and over again!!   

(Lincoln killing time with some friends.)

And They Sleep. . .

Like most of you and, as I mentioned in my last post I have made some New Year's resolutions/goals.  Because of where I am in my life mine are mostly directed around my role as mom and wife.  Not to worry, I have a few just for me as well.  That being said, I have been thinking about being a mom and how that looks in my life currently as well as how I want it to look over the next decade.  I often wonder as I speak to my 9 year old how "this conversation" is going to look in a decade.  Scott and I have always joked that our take on parenting is to do as little damage as possible so our kids will need as little counseling when adults!  I still hold true to that in some respects but honestly, I want more!!  I look forward to the day when I'm hanging out with my adult children and their spouses enjoying each other.  It would be so great if my kids actually liked me enough to want to spend that kind of time together!  That relationship is starting now so I am feeling the pressure of it in my life.  Perhaps it's because I see quite a few areas where I am lacking.  Our kids are going to be with us more as adults than they are as children yet when they are children seems to count the most!  Does that sound crazy to anybody else?  

So, as I have been thinking of these new goals of mine and wanted to make them meaningful so they will span decades!  I have a limited amount of time and energy each day and it has been brought to my attention that I need to use both wisely.  In honoring that, one of my goals is to limit the media I am looking at during the day.  In lay-mans terms:  staying off my phone and computer as much as reasonably possible during the waking hours of my kids (thus the name of this post because they are either asleep or at school right now!)  I want them to see that they come first, not what I am looking at on my phone.  Too many times I have told my kids, "one minute, let me finish with this first, Then I will listen. . .or help. . .or watch. . .or whatever."  Just writing that makes my heart hurt a little.  I see the need for change. 

I am a hot mess when I don't sleep enough.  I am not kidding, I am not a nice person and some might say I'm an ugly person when sleep deprived.  My Second goal of getting to bed on time and then turning out the lights has moved to the for front of my goal list.  It's funny how my kids can have the same behavior on 2 separate days but my reaction is solely based on how much sleep I got the night before. If I want to be patient, kind, and long suffering then I need to sleep!!! 

I was 30 before my first kiddo was born.  Not what I had intended but, it was what I was dealt.  Simply put, I am going to be an old parent.  I will be pushing 60 when my youngest graduates from high school.  I am okay with that but, feel the responsibility to stay as healthy as I possibly can so I am able to do what I want to do. I want to be able to keep up and maybe even pass them up in certain instances!  My third goal is to see my MD, get a thorough physical, and make what necessary changes need to be made to move forward.  

Because I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and have a testimony of  the gospel truths I know that reading from my scriptures daily and speaking with Heavenly Father morning and night will bring a peace that can be found in no other way.  Those two things will aide in keeping me "family focused."  I have never really struggled with either, but again, I am looking for a more "meaningful way" to accomplish this.  Rather than just reading to read I want to ponder what I read or listen to and see how it is going to fit in my life.  How am I going to make it apply to my current circumstances?  I really want my kids see me do this so they will have it embedded in their spirits so  they know the ways to stay close to the Lord.  I want them to know what to do by watching me.  Actions speak louder than words!

I know that goals/resolutions will look different for each person as our circumstances vary so much.  I write these down not to say "Hey, look as what I am doing" but rather to hold myself accountable so I can stay focused.  

I recently read the following quote:

"It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we'll make the effort.  It's in the doing.  Not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals.  If we consistantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled."

                                                                                                                                ~Thomas S. Monson

In one of my first efforts to keep media limited for myself and for my little A-Dubs we spent the morning making trains.  

My Brown Eyed Beauties

It has been fun to watch the relationship develop between these two of late.  Lincoln has literally been "hanging" on Miss Avery every chance she gets.  Avery has mixed feelings about it but is such a great sport.  I have truly enjoyed watching Avery begin to nurture intuitively.  She is becoming such a lovely little girl and a great big sister.  

New Year FHE

So last year we started a new family tradition of quarterly goal setting.  We, meaning Scott, myself, and Avery made a goal sheet at the beginning of the year for each quarter.  It basically broke down our yearly goals in the 3 month increments.  I was so excited and to my astonishment so were Scott and Avery.  However, when I went to get our first set of goals to review I could not find them anywhere!!!  I assume that I threw them a way by mistake, I have a tendency to throw everything away!  It has since become a family joke if you can't find something they are probably with "those stinkin' letters!"  

This is a NEW YEAR and we sat down again to do our personal goals/letters.  We tried to be specific and to include the physical, mental, and spiritual parts.  Lincoln's goals consisted of a family picture that Avery drew for her and a few thing that Avery thought she should work on.  Pretty cute huh?.  The funniest one was to stop saying, "chicken butt!"  We have Scott and Kal to thank for that one.  The kicker is that she never says it till she hears someone else say it and then proceeds to repeat it over and over and over again!  So, tonight when Avery was helping her with her goals she just kept on saying it!!! AGH!  2 year olds are AWESOME!  

Kal's were short and sweet as he was off getting into mischief the entire FHE!  We are in a phase in life where I am banking on blessings for simple obedience 'cause most Family Home Evening's consist of some one crying the entire time or some one repeatedly getting into trouble.  

So, our goals are done and put in a safe spot, that I remember.  I even told Avery where I put them this year so when March rolls around and we pull them out to see what our next quarter's goals are, we will actually be able to find them!!  

Walking. . .

For the past 4 or so years I have walked every available Sunday with my neighbor Terri V.  I call it  my "Terri Time."  She offers such great insight into my life.  Our friendship started not too long after we moved into our house and really blossomed after we started our weekly walks.  It is interesting to me that two people who are in very different places in life can enjoy each other's company so much.  Perhaps that is WHY we enjoy each other's company so much!  Tonight, Terri shared her "Jesus" story that happened on Christmas day.  I loved it so much that I wanted to remember it!  

She was going to a friends house for Christmas dinner and was low on gas.  She stopped at one of our local gas stations which was being run by only one gas attendant.  She patiently waited for him to get to her (we don't pump our own gas in OR.)  He was wearing the bath robe his girlfriend had given him that morning and was so proud that he was "showing it off" to Terri.  She was kind in exchanging small talk with him and  thanked him for working on the holiday.  When her car was full and she was ready to leave the gas attendant asked for a hug, which she happily gave.  As he worked on Christmas Day people had been impatient and annoyed trying to get to their different destinations.  Her small act of kindness obviously impacted him.  She was not sharing this to brag but infact noted that she  had felt "selfish" because it made HER feel so good to have made this small difference in this his life.  What a great example of being Christlike.  Being kind.  Being patient.  Showing Gratitude.  Rendering Service, even in it's smallest form.  I love her for this!  It reminded me that it really is all about PEOPLE not things!  

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love all of us the same regardless of our circumstances! 

Look Who Is Awake

So, we are starting on all of our New Years Goals and Resolutions on Monday when we all go back to real life.  I will talk in more detail of that in a few days.  However, one change that I do want to note is that Scott and I have resolved to get to bed on time.  After weeks of going to bed at or after midnight we are DONE!  We can no longer sleep in till 8 when the kids come get us or call for us.  Although it was pretty great!  Our plan is to be in bed by 10 and lights out at 10:30.  We talked about implementing this tonight so we are ready to start back to school and work on Monday.  However, Miss L has foiled our best laid plans!  We got home from our THIRD date of the month to a crying Lincoln!  Apparently, she wanted nothing to do with bed time and had been quite vocal about it.  She came with me to take the babysitter home and is currently going between playing on my phone and coloring Elsa and Ana.  She is going to be ticked in about 10 min when we all head to bed.  What a little turkey!!

2014 in Review

A few of the Walker Family highlights

1.  A trip to the coast with some family friends.

2.  A trip to Halfway, OR.

3.  Avery doing swim team this summer.
4.  Kal learning to ride a bike with peddles.

5.  Kal getting potty trained!!!!!!
6.  Lincoln turning into Kal's shadow.
7.  Avery starting 3rd grade.
8.  Scott starting his 9th season coaching Volleyball in Hood River.
9.  4th of July parade and party.

10. Avery turning 9, Kal turning 4, and Lincoln turning 2.
11.  Scott and Heather running the Winthrop Marathon.

12.  Scott completing his 3rd Tough Mudder

13.  Heather running in the EPIC relay

14.  Scott and Heather celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary.

We have had a lot of good things happen in 2014 but honestly, we are happy to see it go as we have also experience loss this year as well. Our sweet niece, Raven Walker, lost her 2 year old son early November.  Jah Moon.  We will miss his sweet little face and funny disposition.  The week before he passed away our family was truly blessed with a great day celebrating his 2nd birthday.  It was a day were everyone was there, such good feeling were felt, and it  has turned into a very special memory for our family.