What are your plans today?

I went downstairs to wake up my boys this morning.  I even sang obnoxiously to them as I entered the room.  (they are lucky kids)   Colby peered over the top of his bunk and asked what we were going to do today.

"Anything you want within reason"  I replied.

"So I could grab a knife and shank somebody?"

"Within reason Colby...I don't think anything where shanking is involved can be considered reasonable."  

Wow. 

  Where in the crap does this kid pick up these things...and how much should I worry about him?

It might be a long dangerous day.  I think I'll watch my back a little closer.

Steve made plans today before 8:00 am too, but lucky for me it didn't involve any sharpened makeshift prison weapons.

He came and told me how the office emergency phone went kaput.  His bright idea was to replace the office phone with my phone and "let" me have his phone because it is so much nicer.

(Isnt' he dreamy?)

 ...but then here's the kicker.  

In his slightly nervous voice he said under his breath,

"Oh, and I'm getting a new phone."

Thanks Steve.  Thanks a lot.

Maybe you should watch your back today too.

I might sick Colby on you. 

tell me how you really feel

It started with Andrew wanting goldfish- not as pets, but to put in the kiddie pool and swim with.

Obviously, I said no.

Apparently, Andrew asked his dad later behind my back.

Naturally, Steve didn't care and without checking with me first, said he would take Andrew to buy fish.

I intervened and after Andrew was openly upset with me, I flippantly admitted that I was the family fun-sucker.

Steve corrected me by saying that I'm wasn't a fun-sucker per say...but more of a dream wrecker.

I countered by laughing how that should by my next t-shirt saying.

Andrew jumped on that band wagon and exclaimed that in addition, all the kids should have t-shirts with the word "Dreamer" and then before he thought it through...declared that Steve should have one with "Dream Builder".

So let me introduce you to my family...

Dreamers #1-5:  Andrew, Carter, Colby, Saylor and Grady

Dream Builder:  Steve (aka push over)

Dream Wrecker:  Me (the one who has to clean up after everyone's dreams)

journal entry

Things that are going on....

Our summer schedule keeps me on my toes.

Boys:  swim team mon-thurs, 9-10:30
Saylor:  swim lessons mon-thurs, 9:50- 10:30  (thankfully at same swim pool where the boys have swim team)

Monday:  Carter guitar lessons
Tuesday:  Colby violin lessons
Wednesday:  Andrew piano lessons with new teacher who I hope will push him further

Kids all have summers goals of exercise, music practice and reading.  I promised to pay an undisclosed amount of $$$ if they met these goals.  We'll see how it goes.  I've also promised to pay $$$ if the tv stays off all summer.  This one might be tougher to accomplish

Andrew mows my dad's lawn every Friday and all three boys are cleaning Steve's office this month and in August.

Steve is busy at work and busy is a good thing.

Last night:  Steve's new office open house combined with open house for new doctor's office next door.  Handed out 300 plus hamburgers/ hot dogs, chips and fruit.  Our empty lease space was perfect place to set up tables because it sprinkled off and on during the entire evening.  Kids played and danced to the music from the live band.  Carter had multiple blood sugar lows from running so hard.  I am so grateful for Steve's staff, partners, and the office next door.  They were all willing to do so much to make the evening a success.  (I did nothing...smiles all around)

Most weeknights either Steve or I have church meetings of one kind or another.  I'm trying to have a good attitude about this.  I want to be a family at night, but also want the blessings completing a church calling brings.  I know we are not as busy as some and I am grateful for that.

My yard is driving me crazy.  Our landscaping looks unkempt and slightly trashy.  It bothers me.  I don't want to pay the $$$ to hire someone to do it, but don't have the time or know how to do it myself.  Wish some days I had a magic wand that could make my yard look fabulous in a blink.

I struggling with the desire to move out of my house.  We've been here for almost five years.  This is three years longer than anywhere we have lived in our marriage before.  I've got the moving itch...I want to build down the street.  I've been looking at floor plans and imagining myself with a bigger kitchen.  My kitchen is TINY when more than one person is in it.  Andrew is starting to cook more and having an extra body in the kitchen with me is claustrophobic.  Unfortunately, my bedrooms and bathrooms in this house are perfect.  If I build a new house, there is no way I could have the kitchen I want and the bedrooms/bathrooms I want without putting us in the poor house.  I also don't think we could sell our house for what we have put into it.  I'm trying everyday to think of all the reasons I love the house I am in.  I'm also thinking of ways to improve this home so I will want to stay here longer.
Some of these ways are:
New front door
New upstairs carpet
Fenced yard
Steve needs a shed (could go perfectly on part of our garden plot...like I have time to garden anyways)
Curbing around flower beds on side and back of house

Things coming up in the next month that are going to be exciting:

Extended Walker family reunion
Steve, Andrew and Carter backpacking at Kane lake

Dixon family reunion in McCall



btw...Grady has slept through the night the last two nights.  Sleep is so so wonderful.


For Jolyn:
                                       

Promised to show you this pictures.  Taken in 2000 before Jon's mission.  Yes, those are doll clothes on my baby Andrew.  Sorry Andrew...uncles and aunts can be cruel.

things have changed a bit in the last 15 years

I finally took all my negatives and had them put on CD.  It was over 900 pictures taken from 1998-2004.   I'm thinking I lost a few negatives somewhere in our many moves, because there are a few pictures I'm sure I'm missing.  I guess 900 pictures will just have to do.  (ha ha)

I've had a blast going over these pictures this afternoon and I'm thrilled to have them in digital form.

Steve and I laughed at a few of these because...man...we've aged a bit in the past 15 years.

Here are just a few examples of pictures I'm happy to have at my blogging fingertips.

 Steve and I about a year after we got married.

Look Mom- no wrinkles!

Steve and newborn Andrew.

First time parenting is really really hard work.

Thought my dad would want to see this one of him holding Walker and Andrew.

 Newborn Carter in 2003.

 He grew really really fast.

When I say he was a chubby baby, I wasn't blowing smoke!

 Steve in 2001.

 Family picture in 2004.

My plan (you know...in all my free time) is to go through these 900 pictures and post the ones I really want to save along with telling the story that goes with them.  

It might take the next 15 years to do it.

Outtakes

If there is one advantage of taking your own family pictures.  It's the outtakes that normally get thrown out by the professional photographer.  There were some gems from our family pictures last week... gems funny enough to keep.

This one for instance cracks me up.  Andrew is looking handsomely at the camera, but Carter is "hunting wabbits", Colby is trying to tree an poor innocent animal and Saylor is thinking who knows what.

I like this one too and I'd like to title it "Herding Cats."  

If you look closely, I have the parental death grip on two of my offspring, Andrew is trying to protect the youngest most likely from me, and Saylor once again is thinking who knows what.

Classic us during family pictures.

When I mentioned Andrew's photo bombing skills were getting legendary (out of control) I wasn't kidding.

 This one, however, I love.

It wasn't staged...it just happened.

 Then there's Carter in the "farting" chair.

(HUGE back story on why we call this the farting chair.  Even bigger back story on why it is currently sitting in my parents back yard.  These two tales would take essays to fully explain...hence why only my immediate family will get the significance of this picture.)

 Picture of trying to take a picture with Steve trying to motivate smiles.

 This is Saylors "done" face.

 This is Steve's "done" face.

I think he was ready to murder me at this point.

 But Jolyn and I convinced him to take a few more shots because the light was pretty.

Here I was innocently smiling at the camera...

 and this happened.

What the heck???

 AHHHHH!

Let me loose...let me loose!

 Not even sure how to explain.

 This, however, might be our crowing glory of everyone being SO sick of family pictures.

We have a strict no shooting or pretending to shoot your siblings rule.  As you can tell...they all minded SO well.   Saylor of course was too delicate to shoot a sibling, she just smacked him instead.

23 Pictures

Just a bunch of pictures posted haphazardly and random-like from Walkerpalooza 2013.

It was three days of pure Walker craziness.  I do feel bad I didn't  take pictures while at Roaring Springs.  However, water and cameras and me in a swimsuit do not mix.

Enjoy the highlights from our mini-vacation.

 30 of us at Red Robin.

Five of us eat gluten free and Red Robin serves great GF sandwiches.

 Cool swimmers at the hotel pool.

 Wowsers!  That skin is bright!

(That or the window let in some wicked light)

 Monkey Colby

 You think an optometrist could get some goggles that actually fit.

 Jo texted this to me...

 I texted back to her.

We decided we actually do look a lot alike with 44oz'ers coming out of our mouths.

 Yep...my daughter ate nothing but peanuts and fries one night for dinner.

Her overpriced grilled cheese went completely to waste.

 Boise has some wonderful parks.  One night we let the kids play their little hearts out.

 Saylor and Bentley.

 The cool kids.

 Hey...cute baby!

 Working on that upper body strength.

 Jon, Bentley..and a little bit of Dan.

Jared and JaNae

 Wes and Colby

 The three sisters

(I really really wanted the t-shirt that said, "I've never been the same since that house fell on my sister!" Unfortunately for me though, neither of my sisters are wicked in any way.  The shirt wouldn't have worked.)

 Playing steam roller down the hill.

 Competitive game of ultimate frisbee.

 ...no really, she truly is the favorite!

 Meg and Whitney

Holly and Leah

Me and my partner in crime.

before I forget to remember

Jolyn was in Twin a week before our "official" reunion.  Half of that time she stayed at my parents and when my dad left for the hospital,  her family stayed at my house.  We played pretty hard between the two houses and slept indirectly proportional to the amount we played.  I took many pictures of the things we did and if I hadn't, I most likely would forget they happened.  When I say my brain is mush from the last few weeks...I really mean mush.  Pudding, mash potatoes, mud pies...whatever.  It's mush. 

Here are a few pictures from the week Jolyn's family was here showing the seemingly insignificant things we did...that were actually super fun.

 Rub a dub dub...three girls in a tub.

Watching movies with Grandpa on my bed.

 Then jumping on my bed.

 Have I ever mentioned that my mom has some of the best magnetic toys ever?

Imagination runs wild at her house.

 Little girls copying their mothers.

What?

I don't talk on the phone all day!

(ok..maybe a little to my sisters...or a lot.)

We joked about it happening, but then it actually did.

Grant tried to eat Grady!

 Sadie came running into my Mom's house one afternoon beside herself wringing her hands and pacing. She could hardly get the words out declaring the presence of a big snake in the front yard.

We followed her outside and found Colby shadowing the snake until an adult could come and take care of it.   I guess I should worry more about Colby and his decision making skills.  That kid is fearless.  I was so relieved the snake was only a harmless blow snake.  It would bite you...but you'd live.  My dad being the snake charmer he is, showed us first hand how this snake defends itself. 

 His shoe took multiple bites for our educational purposes.

 Dad then coaxed the snake into the neighbors pasture where it would be free from pesky kids and large menacing tennis shoes.

Whew...snake disaster averted.

 Dan reenacted a scene from the Lion King with my 2 month old.  

I kept telling him to be careful, but then continued snapping pictures.  I'm a great mom. 

 Last on my list of memory worthy events is my nine year old's transformation into a Vulcan with a little help from scotch tape.

It works great to train little fingers to stay put where they should.

Tape works really well on ears too.

(but it hurts)

It doesn't, however, work on eyebrows.

Those have to be held put with fingers.  Bummer.

"Live Long and Prosper" anyway.