Awards Day

We are overly proud of London and Aspen this year. They made Top Marks in almost everything they did. They're teachers LOVED them and they loved their teachers.

In honor of all their achievements we had Awards Day. The teachers were all in tears by the end, so proud of their kids and so sad to see them move on.

This is London and Mrs. Jordan after the ceremony. London was up and down at least 6 times to get all of his Certificates.

Aspen receiving her Honors from Mrs. McCarthy. She was the best Kindergarten teacher we could have ever asked for for Aspen.

Aspens sweet class did a little production for us before they handed out awards. This song was just so cute I had to post it.

Phoenix and Sicily, bless their hearts, had to sit through ALL the awards. They did their best.
The only way I could keep Phoenix entertained was to give him the camera. He took 40+ pictures easily. But when I needed the camera to actually use it for London this is what happened. Add A LOT of whining and you'll have it just right.

Lost Another One

She can now stick her tongue out without opening her mouth.

That other top one is just about to go too, we thought it'd go first but you never know with teeth.

Humidity Haircuts

BEFORE:
AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER #1:

AFTER #2:

So much hair, such different colors.

Memorial Day

You'd think that in a town as large as Houston, TX it wouldn't be hard to find a cemetery. Well...it is.

It was a tradition, when I was a kid, to go to the cemetery where my Grandparents are buried in Riverdale, ID. We'd wander around looking at all the tombstones and really just enjoying the day. We'd also say thanks to ALL the service men and women who have died to keep us free. We tried to do this this year but alas could not find a cemetery. So we said many prayers of thanx for all that they've done and do and just enjoyed the day as a family.

Went to the movies (which I think most the town did), had a picnic in the park. Then...


Met up with some friends from Hobbs, New Mexico that evening. Had a Bar-B-Q and fed the turtles in the park by their home. It was a wonderful day and the kids were all zonked by the time we got home.

Walking Right Along

She's getting there, 5-10 steps at a time.

Phoenix the Photographer

Nuff said!

Where is She?

Every now and again my kids get themselves in the most unlikely positions while sleeping. Last night was no exception.

After putting the kids to bed at the blissful hour of 7:45, Jared and I enjoyed some down time in the quiet. Well, as is routine, we tucked them all back into bed again before went down for the night, some time around 10:30.

I went into Aspens VERY dark room and was right up next to her bed before I realized she wasn't in her bed. This is not entirely uncommon, she sometimes decides to sleep UNDER her bed. I don't know why, but she does.
So I was backing out of the room to turn on her light to find where she actually was when I paused because I could hear her breathing, and the sound was not coming from UNDER her bed, but from the opposite corner of her room.

Of course the room was littered with toys, as usual, and I could not make out her form. I approached the only place she could possibly be and this is what I found. No idea how long she'd been zonked here but she was dead out when I lifted her back into her bed.

Final Strawberries

Poor London and Aspen have been at school all these times we've gone to pick Strawberries. So we went to the Strawberry Farm one final time for a Family Night. Here's the entire box we all picked, I think it was about 15 lbs.

Literally, Strawberries coming out our ears.

TAKS

TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). Kind of a mini SAT's or ACT's.

We are so Proud of our London today. He received a PERFECT score on his Math test and only missed one question on his Reading test. For being the youngest in his 3rd Grade class he's definitely one of the smartest. Only 23 kids out of 150+ received a Perfect score in Math.

SO PROUD!!

Ice Cream Bellies

This is what happens when you eat too much ice cream.

Sick Buddies

Charlie with his surgery and Phoenix with a MAJOR frog in his throat.

Every now and again Phoenix would reach back and pet his big best friend.

Pickle Juice

When I was a kid we ate and drank all sorts of nasty stuff. And if someone "Dares" you to do something, there is just NO going back

I'm the youngest of 6 and have 3 older brothers. I'm not sure which one it was but we were visiting my Grandparents in Preston, ID one summer and one of those darn older brothers dared me to drink a whole quart of Pickle Juice for a Dollar. I was probably close to 8 or so, so a dollar was a TON of money. Of course I did it. Think I about puked afterwards. :)

Well, I didn't "Dare" Phoenix to do this. But he said he would if I did first. I took a tiny sip and got blasted with more dill than I ever remember Pickle Juice tasting like. And even after my Nasty/Sour Face, Phoenix was still brave enough to try it.

Enjoy!

Pickin Strawberries

We have strawberries coming out our ears. Jam, shakes, on ice cream and cereal. So nice to not feel guilty when I feed them to my rabbit. We are loving the strawberries and going back for more.

Hematoma

More animal drama at the Walker house.

Apparently Charlie has allergies or got some type of ear infection. Due to these he scratched at his ear too much and popped a blood vessel. Well, for us humans that'd just cause a bruise. But for a dog it literally made a blood bubble (water balloon like) on his ear.

Being cheap we tried to drain it ourselves using the hypodermic needles Jared has for his allergies. But it came right back and got bigger. We had to break down and take him to the vet.

$325 later he has a hole in his ear and lots of drugs that cause him to sleep A LOT. Which is saying a lot since he already sleeps A LOT. But the point is he's healing and it's, hopefully, not going to come back.

They stitched this X-ray film onto his ear to help keep it flat and to heal better. We have to go back in 2 weeks to get it removed. It was either this or a BIG ol' cone head, this vet does the x-ray film which I'm kind of glad for. He's a bit big and the cone would have been a bit of a joke.

Give Daddy Kisses

Sicily learned how to give proper kisses today, with the sound effect and everything. So sweet! You gotta love how she MAKES him turn his face so she can kiss him on the cheek.

Please ignore London's burping in the background...BOYS!!!

Phoenix bounces Sicily

I've decided I have the best kids ever! These 2 get along so well it's not even funny. Mind you they still have their moments when they wish the other one would go down for a nap. But mostly they just love on each other.

They've recently discovered the joys of the Trampoline. Neither of them like to jump with London or Aspen because big kids ALWAYS bounce little kids too high. (I have vivid memories of this with my older brothers too) So...while school's in session these 2 get the Tramp all to themselves, and they LOVE every minute of it.

Gator of the Week

Aspen was picked this week at the Student of Honor (Gator of the Week) for her Kindergarten Class. It's so cute.

First she got to show off a collection of photos that told all about her: Dance Recital, Oreo & Charlie, Family pic, her as a babe in front of the Sphinx, her feeding Kangaroos in Australia, getting a massage from and Elephant when she was 3 1/2. Her classmates loved it.

Then she'd filled out a questionnaire that told her likes and dislikes. That's what this video is. The classmates got to ask questions at the end, which I thought was cute.

So then for the rest of the week she gets to lead them with the Calendar each day, help pass out papers, and I think be the line leader whenever they go somewhere. IT'S ALL QUITE AN HONOR! She was so proud. :)

We love our Aspen, and I love to see her get honored for the wonderful little girl she is.

Graduation Party

A good friend of ours just Graduated with his Masters in Business this last weekend. They had an awesome party on Saturday to celebrate. Needless to say the kids were up a bit late that night.

Do to the after affects of sweets and partying this is what they all looked like after church, it was only 4:30. London was the only one able to function normally. A quick dinner then straight to bed for everyone Sunday night.

Field Trip #2

London's 3rd Grade went to the Houston Museum of Health and Sciences for their Field Trip this year. Jared was able to stay home with the 2 littlies so I got to tag along. We had so much fun. I'd never been to this museum and it was just about right for the 3rd Grade age.

This was the COOLEST game of Operation I have ever seen. It really buzzed at you and everything. I think if mine were this size I might have a prayer of not loosing those tiny pieces all over my house.

This is London's best friend, Star. He's a cool kid and luck has it, lives right around the corner. So we have plenty of play time at school and at home.

Both these boys are in the Gifted and Talented group, so they'll be in the same class for the next few years. Always nice to know you'll have a friend in your class.

We got to watch a lady dissect a Cow Eye. Totally gross. I made a video to put on here but all those 3rd Graders were so obnoxious and noisy you couldn't really hear what she was saying. But, of course, the boys LOVED it. So I had to put a shot on of all the pieces for London's sake.

Oh! And Jared wants you to all know he ATE cow eyes on his mission to Guatemala. Only one though, I guess they're not tasty enough for a second go around.

My Mom

I love my Mom SOOOOOO much! She is the best Mom any kid could ever hope for. I don't know why the Lord let me be raised by such a wonderful woman, but I'm sure glad he did. I've learned and continue to learn so much from my Mother.

Every time I hear this song it reminds me of my Mom. She sang this to us kids whenever we were fighting. :) This is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Love at Home."

Monkey #2

Since she was 1 Aspens nick name has always been Little Monkey. Up trees, over fences, on top of the dog house.

Well we now have a Little Monkey #2. She can't even walk yet but she can scale just about anything. In this shot she's trying her darndest to see Charlie (the dog) out in the backyard.

Gratefully she can't actually get onto the couch by herself. We were reading books when she decided to climb instead. Hence the photo.

Treats

One of my favorite Ice Creams as a kid was Burnt Almond Fudge. But you don't get the true goodness of it till you add some Rice Crispies.

Well, Aspen was being ever so helpful to get the treat on the table and accidentally turned the box upside down. Whoever had put it away last time did not roll the bag down. This is what happens when you don't put the cereal away properly.

New Doggy

It is getting much too hot much to soon here in Texas. So lucky Charlie, who sleeps outside, got himself a hair cut this weekend.
I think the hair I cut off weighs more than my all the neighborhood dogs put together.
So here's our new pet LION. We've nick named him Simba for the time being. Isn't he cute!?!?!

Soccer Queen

Our little Aspen has quite a kick.

I think it's from all those years of practice on her brothers. :) We were so proud of her this Saturday. She ran and ran and ran. So much running it's not even funny. But she had fun and loved the Gatorade at the end, that's what it's all about when your 6 anyway. :)

Ode to Babies

Jared's little sister, Katy, had her first baby on May Day (May 1st). A little boy named Memphis James, he was 8 lbs 1 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. Congratulations guys, can't wait to meet him!

Belt Loops

London was awarded 4 Belt Loops at Pack Meeting last night.Gymnastics, Chess, Marbles and Flag Football.

We love Primary!

My Phoenix is the absolute Cutest thing in the world. He was playing on the Piano one day, just like every other day, but this time he was singing. Just had to get it on Video. Hope you like it. Notice the left hand cord action, prodigy in the making.

Yeah for the New Swing

We had this teeter-totter thing on the swing set for ages and the kids just never really played on it. So off to Home Depot I went and got us one new regular swing, and a bit of rope to hook up Sicily's swing which has been in the garage for ages. We now have jumping contests, and fights over who gets the green one and who gets the yellow one. And Sicily throws a major fit if someone goes into the backyard without her. The Swing is just the Thing!

Best of Friends

Charlie and Oreo! Very rarely separated until now. Do not, I repeat DO NOT read on if you have a weak stomach. Oreo's not dead, just sick and healing, but seriously DO NOT read on if you get disgusted easily.

Poor Oreo (the bunny) has had a rough couple of days. I found a sore on the side of her neck while giving her a bath 2 nights back. I thought Charlie might have bitten her, but not the case. When I looked a little closer at the wound there was something moving in and out of the sore. I got Jared upstairs quick as a wink and we found there was actually something in there.

We called Jared's Aunt Sue, who is a Vet for Farm Animals. She said it was probably a grub, which the cows get quite often and we can pop it out like a zit. But if that didn't work we could call her daughter, Jared's cousin Lisa, who is studying to be a Vet Tech. Well, the zit plan didn't work so we called Lisa. She told us to take Rubbing Alcohol, or Iodine (which we had) and fill the hole with it. Then when the grub comes up for air grab it with the tweezers.

I think Jared pumped about 10-15 cc's into the hole when the thing finally came up for breath. We were able to extract a 1 inch grub from our poor little bunnies neck. BLECH, EW, YUCK!!! You have no idea. I was so sick, I wanted to puke.

I called a local emergency Vet the next day to ask what to do next because the hole is obviously still there and the area around is black and smells. This Vet told me to just keep it clean and use Neosporin for the next week, and to just keep a close eye on it. She may have to have antibiotics to avoid infection, but the dead skin will eventually sluff itself off and she should be ok.

So I know how absolutely disgusting this is but keep this in mind. There is a type of Fly that is around and about in the Spring and Fall that actually lays it's egg on the necks of Rabbits, Kittens, and Puppies. This eventually hatches, crawls out, then burrows back into the fat tissues of the animal. BLECH!! The Vet said we were lucky we got it all out because had we punctured the Grub the juices released could have caused our Bunny to go into Epileptic Shock, and could have killed her.

At this point, she is warm and happy. And will be living inside for the rest of Spring, though in her cage with minimal contact from the kids till she's 100% again. I've warned my neighbors who recently got new puppies and one who has a rabbit too. I'm just glad we brought her inside and bathed her when we did, I don't even want to know what would have happened had we left that in there.

Sidewalk Chalk

I drew one little Easter Ducky and Aspen made us a whole family of ducks. I think my kids definitely inherited my Artist skills, they can copy thing you wouldn't believe. I was never one to use my imagination very well when it came to Art, but I can copy most anything I see, in nature or picture. And apparently my kids are the same. LOVE IT! So proud!

Climbing, Climbing, Climbing

Sicily has discovered that if she can't reach it sitting she may as well climb for it. Poor Phoenix, he's learning to eat quicker so she doesn't get his food. Sicily, on the other hand, was really MAD when I buckled her into her seat so she'd stay put.

Fun at the Zoo!

Our Kindergarten ROCKS!! We had a field trip to the Zoo on Friday. And thanks to a wonderful friend, Angie, who took my little ones, I was able to go wander around for the day with my Aspen. We had such a great time, and I have never seen so many little kids in my life. There had to have been 6+ different schools there. Ours alone had over 100 kids. Craziness!!

Got Milk, Dad?

Like every youngster we all drank out of the milk jug at some point in our lives. Well this one comes with a story from my childhood.

When I was in High School my Dad got after me repeatedly for drinking straight out of the milk jug. I'd still do it of course, just when he wasn't home or not looking. Or when caught I'd use the excuse, "I didn't want to get another cup dirty."

Well one day, just after dinner, I was cleaning my room or something. When finished I came down the hall and turned into the kitchen and caught my Dad red handed. He was standing there, plain as day, drinking straight out of the milk jug. "HA!" I said, "You do it too!" Needless to say we have both changed our ways. (I hope)

So apparently it's now a family tradition. Don't worry! This is Sicily's Whole Milk that we never serve to guests. So you can feel safe having milk and cookies if you come to visit. :)

Green Thumb

Apparently a little of my Mother's Green Thumb rubbed off on me. I only say a little because I lost the map I'd made of what I'd planted where and as these were growing I thought they were Spinach. But to my surprise when I went to clip some it was actually these beautiful Radishes.

They were mighty hot too, not enough water I've been told. So I soaked them in a bowl of water for about 12 hours and now they're rather tasty. I'm so proud!

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up!

As you enter our neighborhood on any normal day this is what you will find. Beautiful, lush green park, comfy benches, and in the back a nice playground for the kids.
Well yesterday as you entered our neighborhood this is what you found. It was raining cats and dogs, so much so that the roads were flooded as was our beautiful park. But not to worry, the kids took full advantage of this. Rushing up to their rooms they were quickly in their swimsuits and out the door.

Aspen is ACTUALLY standing up in this photo. That's how deep it was. They were diving off the park benches, doing the backstroke and having the time of their lives.

This is actually our backyard, too many puddles to count, but still just as much fun as the park. Usually, we're just out on the trampoline in the rain, but this storm was MUCH more fun.

More Culture

London and I had a WONDERFUL night last night. Jared's out of town again so I got me a babysitter and took my boy on a date. We had such a good time. The Wizard of Oz is such a classic. And the Musical was just amazing. We loved the Jitterbugs, which are not in the movie. And the special effects of the Witch throwing fire at the Scarecrow, and the House in the Tornado was just awesome. If you ever get the chance to go...go! And definitely take your kids, they'll love it.

Joy School at the Art Museum

We took the kids to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston today. 4 Preschool age kids and 2 toddlers makes for a quick run through. But they loved it, and talked about all the cool things they saw all the way home.

If you didn't know, I have a Bachelors in Art History from Utah State University. I love Art and everything about it. I look forward to when my kids are old enough to appreciate what they are looking at and the significance of how old it is and who painted it.

I must say this though, Curators at Art Museums are more stuffy than biddy old Librarians. If I worked at a Museum it would not be boring OR stuffy. Sometimes you feel like your walking through a morgue the way they all act. A good coloring section would have been awesome, set it up right in front of Van Gough's Starry Night and more kids would LOVE to come see the Art.

For those of you that don't know the MFAH is free EVERY Thursday. Go take a look, they've got a lot of cool stuff. www.mfah.org

Look, I'm magic!

Sicily is an amazing Magician, and you can never tell how she does her tricks. In these shots you will see her make a rock disappear.

So it was in her hand, then it magically ended up in her shirt.

Hey! Where'd it go?
Oh! There is is.
Plus you get to see her cutest fat tummy.

Man, I love my kids!