Walker Family

Sibling Rivalry or Lack Thereof

2012-02-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

Since I blogged about the first time Brig ate rice cereal I thought that it was only fair that Ellie get her little post about this important event (I swear it seemed like such a big deal when I fed Brig and now it is like...oh hey...maybe today is a good day to give Elle some cereal).

Equality...it's a tough thing

However...I feel super blessed because these cute little chillins

get along so well!!!

Brig is always wanting to see, talk, hold, occassionally wrestle (in good fun), kiss and love his little sister.

And she adores him. She just stares at him and let's him do whatever he wants to her. She thinks he is far funnier than either Cory or I.

I think we have some fun times ahead of us if these two keep up this great relationship!

This next part is mostly for journaling purposes

Ellie ate rice cereal for the first time yesterday...

...her response...not much....she mostly tongue thrust everything right back out.

Parenting

2012-02-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing how something can be so

HARD

and so

WONDERFUL

all at the same time...

4 Months

2012-01-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

Ellie had her 4 month check up...

She is healthy and happy and little. 25th percentile all around the board.

Here is an interesting thing we recently discovered with Elle...she loves music! If we play music in her bedroom at night time she does much better falling and staying asleep (no more 12:30 in the morning kind of nights)

Answer to Prayer

2012-01-28T21:26:00.000-08:00

This sweet face is what we get to see every day!

Lucky...

(Note: that should be read in your very best Napolean Dynamite accent...I couldn't help myself)

She is such a sweet girl and we sure love having such a happy baby...

she is quite literally

An Answer to Prayer

When we found out we were preggo we prayed long and hard for a happy baby.

Sure enough we were blessed with

Elle

(who as of last Monday is now rolling over! You go girl!)

Once There Was a Snowman...

2012-01-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

It snowed! Yay! So when Elle went down for a nap we headed outside to have a little fun...

Brig quickly decided that having a snowball fight was much more excited than building snowmen...no matter how many cool tricks they could do.

Isn't it great how magical life is when looked at through little kids eyes...it's the best!

And That's What It's All About...

2012-01-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

We decided that we would try and memorize the 1st Article of Faith...this is how Brig recited it to us...

"We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ...and in the hokey pokey."

I suppose that really is what it's all about...

Arise and Shine!

2011-12-30T12:21:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we decided to heat things up:)

Leslie and Ammon brought these super neat flying lanterns...yes...like the ones from Tangled.

They were much bigger than the ones in the movie....

however...they were even more magical than you can imagine from the movie.

This sounds cheesy- but you couldn't help but feel happy as they floated away.

Then we burned the tree...it was happy too...in its own weird way:)

Brig wasn't so sure about the huge fire that was just a few feet in front of him.

These are the lantens as they floated away- they got really tiny! (This pic got out of order somehow)

The Most Womderful Time of the Year

2011-12-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a great Christmas. We sure did...it was Ellie's first and Brig really started to understand things-making it lots of fun. We love our family and we love our Savior- whom we know is the real reason we celebrate!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a blast! We had lots of fun with family and lots of good food. We started things off with our traditional present on Christmas Eve...PJS!

We took some cute pictures and then the fun began...

The kids played some Twister but Brig decided that was getting a little too mellow for the party...

and took every opportunity to try and wrestle...

with anyone and everyone....

even if they didn't really feel like wrestling....

We were out of mistletoe...but broccoli worked just fine:)

Ellie got all dolled up for Christmas!

We missed Taylor but still managed to have some good (very clean and non-alcoholic) fun!

And one last picture before we call it a night....

Havin' A Happy Holiday

2011-12-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

The New Temple...Close to Home

2011-12-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

The new Meridian, Idaho LDS Temple will certainly be closer for us but it is literally right next to the home of Cory's uncle and where my mother-in-law grew up! The location was just announced yesterday and we are pretty excited! Here is a little more info...

Meridian, Idaho Temple

Virtual Mailbox

2011-12-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks for being a part of a great 2011!

Merry Christmas!

Just for Fun

2011-12-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pictures of our everyday life right now...

Brig is in a tricky stage where he doesn't always need a nap during the day but then he gets so tired by about 5 that he will crash anywhere...and really- who can blame him! I mean check out that chair!!!

Ellie is so smiley! She has been sick (colds and ear infections) for over a month now but we still get to see her happy little smile all the time- she especially smiles for her daddy.

Brig REALLY loves to wrestle. Especially his cousins...the poor boys barely walk in the door to grandma's house before he tackles them and the fun begins!

The True Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

This is the season beloved of the year.

Sing a rhyme; Christmastime soon will be here.

Tell the true story of Jeses' birth,

When as a baby, he came to the earth.

This is the new star, shining so bright,

Lighting the world on that first Christmas night.

This is the angel proclaiming the birth,

Singing "Hosanna!" and "Peace on the earth!"

This is the stable, shelter so bare;

Cattle and oxen first welcomed him there.

This is the manger, sweet hay for a bed,

Waiting for Jesus to cradle his head.

These are the shepherds, humble and mild,

Hast'ning to worship the heavenly child.

These are the wise men who followed the star,

Frankincense, gold and myrrh brought from afar.

eta:

This is the Lamanite, Samuel so brave

Arrows (or marshmallows) flew past in a wave:)

See the sweet mother, Mary so fair,

Joseph, who guided the donkey with care.

See the dear baby of Bethlehem,

Little Lord Jesus, the Savior of men.

May we all remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Mother's Advice

2011-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Growing up my mom always shared this wise advice with us...

You can laugh or you can cry, but people will like you better if you laugh.

Sister Hinckley said it like this...

The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.

I would like to ammend it to say...

You can laugh or you can cry and shout...but you will be a better mom if you laugh!

I have learned that being a mom certainly provides plenty of opportunities to cry and many different occassions in which shouting seems permissable...but my kids do better, my husband does better, and I do better when we laugh it off.

Now, that is not to say that there are times that we need to correct, teach and have consequences....

But I do believe in mercy.

I believe in teaching WITHOUT yelling as often as possible.

I believe in giving hugs afterwards.

I believe that sometimes it is just a stage they are going through.

And I believe in remembering moments...

Afterall- Elder Neal A. Maxwell said...

"Moments are the molecules that make up eternity."

Family Pictures=Craziness

2011-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

Is this ever NOT a true statement?

I have been so busy taking other people's family pictures that I have not posted to our blog in FOREVA!

My apologies:) So we were finally able to get some family pictures of our own...tis the season...

Then, at Thanksgiving we took some more...and apparantly Brig loves his cousins so stinkin' much that he thought he should be in their family picture too...I was just snapping some pics and rearanging their sweet little family when all of a sudden...my son appears in their family photo- he placed himself and started smiling.

However- he forgot to smile for our own family picture...at least Elle was cooperating with us in this one...

The poor girl had double ear infections and was not a happy camper! But here is the whole gang!

Ahhhh....

The grands....parents and children.

And the originals...

A Haircut

2011-11-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

Ellie got her first haircut. I know...

Cory and Brig were a little surprised when I suggested it too...

But it had really thinned on the top and she had a little baby mullet...

The Before...look closely at the mullet...

So much better...

After

Such a Blessing!

2011-11-11T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Ellie's Blessing.

Cory gave her a name and a blessing...

Ellie Elaine Walker

We are so blessed to have a righteous priesthood holder in our home!

We were all a little sick with colds (and they are still hanging on!) but it was a really special day and we had to snag another family photo!

Ellie looked beautiful! Her dress was a gift from her grandma and her great-grandma Jensen (whom her and I are both named after...well middle names) made her the blanket.

My favorite part of her blessing was that she would be happy and bring joy to her family!

I am so grateful for these two adorable blessings in my life!!!

Halloween!!!

2011-11-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Since we LOVE farms so much around here...we decided to rock the farm theme for Halloween...

They were seriously the cutest animals to ever walk the planet! And how 'bout that farmer... Nice:)

AuntT

2011-10-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is Aunt Tay...

She recently got called to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to the Figi, Suva Mission. It's gonna look something like this...I know...we are jealous too!

Aunt T and Brig have become really close in the past couple months. She is pretty fun!

So Brig, Ellie & I tagged along with my parents and Sydney to drop Taylor off at the MTC. We wanted to make it a trip so we stopped at the "This is the Place" Park in Salt Lake.

We got to ride a train and go for a tour of the old town.

Brig thought it was pretty fun...but I think he would have had this happy look on his face no matter what we did- he is quite spoiled with love by his aunts.

And he got to ride a horse! He was so brave...and so was mom;) just teasing...

Papa made friends with the pot belly pigs...they followed him around the petting zoo!

There were lots of animals to see and pet.

It was really nice to spend so much time with her before she left.

Brig fed the animals some "big hay."

Aunt T is so much fun! We are really going to miss her!

We said our teary-eyed goodbyes in the hotel that morning so when we went to drop her off- we took some pictures and gave more hugs- but there weren't any tears! It was a happy time that Taylor has preparing for for a long time.

She is such a great example to us and is going to be an incredible missionary!

And there she goes...

One last hoorah! We love you Taylor- see you in 18 months!

As we drove away Brig said..."I go on my mission right now!"

He is getting ready and excited thanks to the example of so many family members...

Daddy- Baltic States (Latvia)

Grandpa Madsen- Brussels/Belgium/France

Grandpa Walker- Virginia

Uncle Ross- Portugal

Aunt Christy- Baltic States (Latvia)

Uncle Ammon- Colorado

Uncle Jordan- Brazil

Newborn Pictures

2011-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never posted the newborn pictures I took of Ellie. I haven't even edited all of them yet- but here are some of my favorites of our pretty girl! She was just over a week in these pictures...

This one is my very favorite!

I can't decide if I like it better in B&W though...

She looks ravishing in purple!

Family Pictures

2011-10-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

Before Taylor went on her mission, my mom wanted to get some family pictures taken. It didn't all work out quite like we wanted (it was too dark and then our photographer didn't show up) but here it is...

Sappy

2011-10-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Excuse me while I get a bit sappy here...

But I just gotta' let it all out!

5 1/2 years ago this handsome fella walked into my life...and even though he had to do a little "chasing," I fell madly in love! Then we found out that we were going to have a baby! Hooray!

Except...I got a little sad too because it would no longer just be me and him. Him and me! My heart was already so full...

Then love shot me again...and it left a mark!

Man, how we love our little boy- I had never felt so much love and joy before! Life was so great! (I know- stay with me...the sap is just starting to ooze!)

Then...suprise! Baby no 2 was on her way....and you guessed it- I had some mixed feelings! I was so sad that I would have to share all this "love" with another baby- what if there wasn't enough of my heart to go around! You think I would learn by now....

Because- I tell you what- this smile melts my heart! I love our Miss Ellie SO much! (And I am loving those chubby cheeks in the picture below)

These three are my world! And my world is the best!

I can't say how happy I am that I get to spend 24/7 with these super cute lil' punkins!

It's amazing how your heart doesn't just hold a limited amount of love....

It just keeps lovin!

And I couldn't be happier about that!

Miss Ellie

2011-10-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

OK FINALLY!!!!! The story and more pictures (a lot of pictures) of our little Ellie girl...

We went to the hospital and I was dialated to a 7+...now we went to the hospital because the doc told us that he would break my water because even though I was not having contractions yet, when they did start it was going to go fast.

He broke my water at 1:00 pm...and four hours later we had

Ellie Elaine

7lbs 4 oz

19 3/4 in

She was very healthy and very hungry.

This is the first time Brig saw her...he was a little cautious at first but he sure warmed up fast!

She looks a lot like Brig when he was a baby.

Brig was happy about his baby sister but he really did not like the idea of getting on the bed with mommy- it kind of freaked him out. But here is our first family picture!

This is her first day home...she has so much dark hair! We were expecting a little bald baby like Brig- but were shocked when she came out with all that dark hair!

As I said...Brig warmed up so fast! He absolutely LOVES her! And she loves him too- she will just stare at him even when I am trying to get her attention.

All the pink has been quite an adjustment- but I kind of like it:)

The 2 cutest kids ever!

I love being a mom to 2 great kids!

She is Here!!!!

2011-09-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Miss Ellie Elaine

September 13th

7 lb 4 oz

Sweet as can be!

More to come soon....

Getting Antsy...

2011-09-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

We are all getting a little bit anxious around here. You see I am dialated to a 6 and have been since Thursday morning...but she is not quite ready to come yet I guess! It should be anyday!

Until then we still have some things to think about...like a NAME!!! We were quite set on one but now I am not so sure...SHEESH...can't they just come with a little tag on them telling us what the name should be:)

Ready or Not...

2011-08-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor appointment today.

I am 36 weeks and 3 days...to be exact:)

I am dialated to a 4 and 85% effaced.

Whoa.

I could (and did with Brig) walk around like this for a couple weeks.

Doc doesn't think I will make it to my due date.

Arrival of Little Miss is right around the corner.

Ready or Not.

Call me crazy but I am a tad bit more frightened to do this whole birth and newborn thing for the second time!!!! AGHHHH

Now...call me bipolar because I am also quite excited to meet our Little Miss we have been waiting for. YAYYYY!

Wishing & Hoping

2011-08-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

We spend a lot of our time wishing & dreaming...

for the

FARM LIFE!

Somewhere Brig developed a ~~facination~~ an obsession with farms. Everything about them.

Barns. Cows. Horses. Hay. Tractors.Barns. Big Trucks. Chickens. Pigs. Barns.

He loves it all! (Especially barns!)

He builds barns ALL the time. Infact, any enclosure becomes a barn. Sometimes he even just "draws" a barn with his finger on the carpet!

(I think if the whole farm thing doesn't work out...he may have a future in architecture)

Well... the other day we actually got to taste a smackel of that sweet farm lifestyle! (Thanks to the Gem County Fair and some friends of ours)

Brig got to ride a "big tractor."

We were able to take a nice look at some of the animals...

It was a pretty exciting day for us!

I suppose that Brig will just have to keep dreaming, drawing, building, wishing, pretending until the day that he really can have

A Head's Up

2011-08-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

I know the title is not really that punny:)

One month ago today Brig had his accident {you can read about it HERE}. So I thought I would do a quick update on our little man...

He is doing great! We visited the neruo surgeon and he said that if we took an X ray the fracture may not even be visible. He still has the hemotoma (I am not sure about the spelling of all these medical terms- just so ya know!) and that will take a while to completely dissipate and may cause neckaches and headaches for some time. He reccommends that we still keep a close eye on him for the next 3-6 months so he doesn't have anymore serious concussions.

Despite the fact that Brig is a normal, energetic 2 year old and keeping them from hitting their head is always tricky businesss- we have one thing going for us...

We are all paranoid!!!!!

His accident really scared us and so now we are way more keyed up than we were before- I am hoping that this will fade in time but for now- we may seemed a bit over cautious. Brig also has had some psychological trauma from his little medical escapade. He was pretty tough before but when he bonks his head now (nothing serious obviously) he cries way more than necessary. This too shall pass though I believe....

In the meantime we are extremely grateful for his recovery and for everyone's thoughts, concerns & prayers in our behalf. Again- we are grateful to Heavenly Father for letting us wittness and be part of such a miracle -one month ago and every other day that we have had our wonderful little BMan.

Cheesy smile from our little stud...and no that isn't a bandage- just part of our family home evening...he is acting like Nephi:)

Pregnant, A 2 Year Old & Camping

2011-08-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ok so the title makes it sound like it was not a great thing...

ACTUALLY...

It was lots of fun (well...sleeping...not so much but the daytime was great!)

We went to Second Fork but first stopped and ate dinner at a little cafe known as the Ola Inn...it is in a tiny little town (called Ola) and they make homemade fries & burgers- and there is a juke box. We kinda like it and would recommend it to anyone who happens to be passing by! (just so you know...you might have to intentionally "pass by," it's a tad bit off the beaten path!)

We did some of the traditional camping things like campfires and marshmallows...

But we spent most of our time

FISHING

4-WHEELING (or go ride 4-wheeler ride as Brig likes to say)

and we even brought a bow (as seen in the picture below...look close- it is easily mistaken for just a stick with some string on it...but this little bow gets some action!) and made sure that we looked for deer to shoot.

I know...he shoots deer at the age of 2...oh boy!

We had a great time but were ready to come home and be in our own beds.

Spending time together is the best!

Move Your Body!

2011-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

So the Little Lady inside of me is a MOVER!

Not just little kicks here and there- she is full on doing yoga/kickboxing/gymnastics/clogging;)

So...lots of babies move in their mama's belly right...that is kinda the point...

Here is my question...

She moves way more than Brig did. Brig is quite the mellow, reserved child.

SOOOO....

Are the dance moves she does perhaps indicitive of her personality?

Anyone? Anyone?

Two Much Fun!!!!

2011-07-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Brig turned 2 yesterday!!!!

We had lots of fun...he got to have

{2}

Birthday Parties....

one with Mamma & Papa Madsen

And one with Grandma and Grandpa Walker...

He loved blowing out the candles on his birthday cakes and was very spoiled by his grandparents!

Happy Birthday Brig!

We love you and are so grateful for the miracle that you are in our life!!!!

Brig's Miracle

2011-07-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

It's interesting how life can give you the most bitter and sweetest moments all at the same time.

On Friday evening Cory, Brig and I went up to Donnelly where I would attend our church's young women's camp for the evening and the boys would fish and play nearby. While they were playing Cory went to take a picture of Brig and he fell from 5.5 feet (that was the height of his feet), head first onto the asphalt. When Cory picked him up the had a depression in his head about 3/4" deep and about the diameter of a racket ball. Instantly, Cory began to think the worst and rushed into the church camp where he told someone to find me and another man drove Brig & Cory to the local hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital they took XRays and asked some questions and when the XRays were done they saw that he had a skull fracture and was in serious danger of the brain hemorrhaging or swelling. Brig was given a priesthood blessing. Finally, an hour after the initial accident, I arrived at the hospital. They told us he needed to be life flighted and the helicopter would be there soon. Brig was conscious throughout the entire process and was having several people strap him to boards, put IVs in his little arms, draw blood, and put a neck brace on him. It was awful! The entire time he just sat there and begged for us to hold him.

Finally, the helicopter arrived and we flew to the St. Als trauma center where he had more people poking and prodding (and taking very good care of him). They did a CT scan to check for bleeding and swelling and any damage to his neck. Then we waited.

He was such a brave and good boy throughout the entire thing- as soon as the people would clear away from him, he would calm down and just ask for us to hold him (which we couldn't do yet). However, he had several moments that show just how amazing he was...

When we were headed to the helicopter we tried to distract him and show him the stars...he then let our a ferocious growl. Why? We aren't sure but he likes growling at the moon and I couldn't believe how tough he was being.

At St. Als, Grandpa Walker asked him if he wanted to go fishing and Brig nodded. He asked if he was going to catch a fish this big (hands about 6 inches apart), Brig shook his head. This big? (1 foot apart). Brig shook his head. This BIG? (Hands stretched as far as they would go) Brig nodded.

Then when they finally came and told us his neck was ok and they began to take the neck brace off- he told the doctors who had been "hurting" him all night Thank You. It melted me right then and there.

Finally, at about 1:30 am they came and told us they did find some blood on his brain and were talking to the neurologist to see what needed to happen next. At about 2:30 they came in and told us that the blood was just seeping from the outer wound inside and that he was fine. If we wanted to we could go home that night.

Finally, after hours of waiting...I got to hold my precious little boy who was going to be ok. It never felt so good.

We had an incredible staff help us at St. Als and one of the life flight medics stayed at the hospital waiting for several hours. Both he and our doctor told us that theses falls do not usually end like this. And despite the depression that Cory (and other witnesses at the young women's camp) saw...there was never any sign of any kind in either the XRay or the CT Scan. They said that had that been the case...he would certainly have had brain damage, paralysis, or worse.

It was nothing short of a miracle. We know that Heavenly Father had preserved his life right from the beginning of this whole ordeal. We know that the Priesthood is real and that there is true power when blessings are administered. We know that Heavenly Father loves us and loves Brig more than we can ever comprehend.

And we are eternally grateful.

He is doing very well now. We have to watch him for the next several weeks and try to limit his activity as much as possible since his skull is fractured and his cute little head is quite delicate. We will meet with a neurologist soon and in a month they will do XRays again. They said you won't be able to tell that anything ever happened.

Please & Thank You

2011-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

I would just like to take a minute and say what an incredible little boy we have...

He is such a blessing in our life!

He is really big into saying PLEASE & THANK YOU

right now...for example...

"Brig, would like to try and sit on the big boy potty?"

B: "Please!"

M: "Brig, come on, it is time to eat dinner...let's go."

B: "No Thank You"

Those are just a few little examples. He really is so polite. Cory says we have made a grateful little monster...he says thank you and please with just about everything he says. Better than the opposite though.

He is so well behaved, I hope that our second will be even half as obedient as this boy is.

He was a rough baby but is now the BEST BOY EVER! We love him so much...I just thought I would write down some of these thoughts.

The ZOO

2011-07-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

This should have been posted several weeks ago...way back in June:)

While Cory was at Aaronic Priesthood Camp for our church...my family took Brig to the Zoo for the first time. We had a really fun time!

This lion had a deformed face...it was kind of sad.

Brig looks like he is just having a grand time!

My favorite part of the Zoo was the butterfly exhibit. It was just a happy place to be with all the butterflies flying around. I LOVED IT! Brig, however, did not think it was cool if a butterfly landed on anyone he knew and promptly told it to go away. He was quite ready to leave after a few minutes.

Thanks mom, dad & girlies for the fun time at the Zoo...Brig still likes to talk about it!

My First Wedding!

2011-07-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

Take a looksie at my first real wedding that I shot at the beginning of June...it was a really nerve racking experience to tell the truth but it went really well and the Bride & Groom were great.

Sarah & Joe

And just for the record...being pregnant has really stunted my blogging:) I promise I will work on some more posts and let y'all see some of the great life that we get to live!

The Big Reveal

2011-05-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

So we moved to Emmett (as Mr. & Mrs. Cory Walker) a little over 2 years ago. We bought a little house. I mean tiny. Like 660 sq ft tiny. And we have spent the past 2 years remodeling. We did all kinds of things to this home of ours...like add 400 sq feet. Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? Well because we are just so dang handy and have insane builder and contractor skills. Or something like that...

So here is a before shot of our humble abode

(thanks to Google Earth)

And here is the after...

...and the inside...OH! the inside...

And my camera died before I could take too many after pictures but here are a couple....

Needless to say...the brown and yellow appliances are no more. And neither is the green floor.

So...will we do this insane, ridiculous, back breaking task of remodeling another house...I only wish I could say no...but I have a feeling that I have not used my last hammer, crow bar, or grout trowel.

Rocks in the Water and the ANGRY EYES!!! BrigTV

2011-05-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Brig absolutely LOVES throwing rocks in the water. We have a little irrigation ditch in front of our house and he constantly wants to be out there tossing gravel into the water. He is that desparate for water...just like his dad. (Cory loves to be near water too and wants to live on the river someday...well by it).

The best part about this video is you may get a little glimpse of the ANGRY EYES!!! Brig does them on command and they are pretty hilarious.

He is getting so big and so much fun. We can't wait for the fun times this summer will bring!

Wicked is Happiness

2011-05-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little story.... six years ago I bought a book by Gregory McGuire..."Wicked" (I had to stop reading it because the book is not the cleanest thing I have ever read). In this book were pictures of the musical. I became curious. Then I became obsessed. I bought the soundtrack, pressed anyone who had ever attended for information on it, listened to the soundtrack, made my sisters get hooked on the wonderful music, and dreamed of the day I would attend the actual musical itself.

Four years later....

WICKED WAS COMING TO SALT LAKE CITY!!!

I would surely be able to attend...so I marked my calendar for the very day the tickets went on sale and when the day arrived I called bright and early...and called...and waited...and called...and called. For two hours the lines were busy and then finally...at 10:00 am I GOT THROUGH!!! Only to hear that the tickets had been sold out! Sad day.

Two years later...

WICKED CAME. I SAW. I LOVED!

My entire family (sans Brig) went and saw this wonderful play. It was so great and incredible to finally see more than what I envisioned in my head from hearing the songs. I definitely reccomend it to anyone who is even slightly interested in musicals.

Kenny Chesney and Wicked....I am a happy girl ;)

It's a....

2011-05-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!

We are excited to balance out the family with a little girl! We had our ultrasound yesterday and both of our children seemed to be in a wiggly mood. Despite my visions of our whole family getting to see the baby, Brig decided the drinking fountain was much more exciting and wanted dad to take him to get 300 drinks...baby girl decided that she didn't really want to hold still and that she would practice her acrobatics. She had her feet all the way over her head and was reaching up with her hands playing with her toes. She was quite the mover. The tech commented on her "huge guns" and her long legs.

We are pretty excited!!

A Brother or A Sister?

2011-05-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is the big day that we find out what we will be having...a boy...or a girl? Whenever we ask Brig what it will be it goes something like this...

Mommy: "Brig, are you going to have a brother or a sister?"

Brig: "Sister."

Mommy: "Brig, is the baby going to be a girl or a boy?"

Brig: "Boy."

He is still a little unsure but we will see soon!!! So any guesses....a brother or a sister?

Easter 2011 {WARNING: Lots of Pictures!!!!}

2011-04-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

This year we spent Easter with the Walker side. Which means...COUSINS!!!! Brig loves playing with his cousins and had so much fun on Sunday. He is getting old enough now that he somewhat-sorta got into all of the festivities. We celebrated with some tried and true traditions, some family favorite traditions, and a new tradition as well.

I made Resurrection Rolls to go with dinner. You make the rolls with a marshmallow inside but when you bite into them they are empty- just like the tomb was empty after Christ was resurrected. It was a little over the boys' heads...obviously Brig was way too young to understand but it was nice having a tradition that was centered on the true meaning of Easter- our Savior! I think we will keep this one going...

We started things off with the classic EASTER EGG HUNT which Brig soon got tired of and just wanted to play in the sandbox or throw his ball. But he still was able to score lots of fun things:)

Not quite sure why Cor did this...but that's the man I married!

Like I said...he LOVES being with his cousins.

One of the things that the boys got from the HUNT were some WATER GUNS!! Brig is really into guns right now so I thought that he would love them...and sure enough...the boys and grandpa got into a big water fight!

Brig started some FRIENDLY FIRE...not really sure what exactly he was aiming for but I thought it was pretty funny!

Then we DYED SOME EGGS

BEFORE

I have heard that brown eggs make much richer colors when they are dyed...so we gave them a shot and lucky for us Grandpa Madesn has lots of chickens that were willing to share.

AFTER

This is a tradition that Cory (and "Sis. Price," now known as Aunt Christy) learned while serving their missions in Latvia. It is a really fun thing to do with all of the beautifully colored eggs. Here is how it goes...
Everyone chooses their egg and then on the count of 3... you hit them together and whichever egg cracks is the loser. The great thing is that each egg gets 2 tries...double elimination!

Cory's egg was the victor of the night!

He was a little proud.

I decided that I would find out what the gender of the wee little one growing inside of my belly...come on people...this is completely accurate! So I dyed one side pink and one side blue. Whichever side didn't crack was the gender....so apparently we are having another

BOY!!!

(I will let everyone know the truthfullness of this statment SOON!!!)

Then the boys ended the night with a little wrestling. Brig's favorite thing to do with his cousins...he laughs even harder when he is the one being dog-piled on!

We hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

We love our family

We love traditions

We love Brig
But most of all we love our Savior.

Cousins!!

2011-04-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that we took a couple weeks ago. ALL 5 of the cousins were together...we have one more boy cousin coming in July and then we will add another little one to the mix in September! Our family is growing!!!

Suprise!!!! A picture is worth a thousand words!!!!

2011-04-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is the reaction we got when we told Grandma & Grandpa Madsen that

Brig is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!!!

He is pretty excited himself:)

Talent!!!

2011-01-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

I hate to brag...but our kid has some major talents...

Artistic Talents...

While Krista cut my hair in the bathroom on Christmas Eve...Brig decided to take Black Crayon to grandma Walker's walls...all over the walls! It was down the hall on both sides, in the bedroom...and on the tile floor- in the very bathroom that Krista and I were! Sneaky Brig...sneaky! Thank goodness for magic erasers!

Modeling Talents...

The other day I tried to take some nice little pics of our cute boy...he would only flash his "angry eyes." Work it baby!

Photography Talents...

To go along with his future in modeling...he just may have a shot behind the camera! He insists on using a camera by himself...thank goodness we have some older ones to let him use!

Stunt Man Talents...

If I am in the other room I will soon hear the clanging of pans and cooling racks as Brig gathers them all and tries to stack them as high as they will go...he then proceeds to try and get his car on top of them. I don't really know where the thrill is in this but when you are stuck inside- a boy has to do what a boy has to do!

Like I said...Some real serious talent here!

If You Love Them...Leave Them...

2011-01-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today was Brig's first day of nursery (that is a class in our church for kids 18 months to 2 years). IT WAS SO SAD!!!! I can't believe that he is old enough to go...by himself...with kids way bigger than him...and adults that he doesn't really know...and tons of other kids....by himself...without mom or dad!!!! It was a littl hard for me...and just as hard on Cory! However...Brig did great! One of the other primary presidency members went in and checked on him for me and she said...."He is doing great- he's not smiling but he is not crying." Sucess! He had a couple sad moments- especially at the end when all the parents started to come pick up there kids- that kind of weirded him out! But he did so much better than we expected. I am so proud of him...he grows more and more everyday and is just the best part of our lives!

ArtsCow...the cheap way to do photos!!!

2011-01-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Ok...so if you haven't heard about ArtsCow...you should definitely check it out! I just bought some canvas's and they were such a good deal! Now...remember...you aren't paying top dollar so you aren't going to get the absolute best quality...but as far as prints go- it is pretty good. And when you sign up you get 1200 free prints plus a bunch of other things...like I think you get 3 free photo books and then lots of credits for random fun things. So check it out HERE! The one con...they are from China...so it sometimes takes FOREVER to get here. But you can't beat free!!!

BrigTV

2010-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen Brig in a while...here is a cute little video that shows just how cute he is! He is a pro at his animal sounds! We are still working on words...Happy New Year!!!

Imagine This is Your Mailbox...

2010-12-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

And imagine that you opened up a nice big envelope addressed to your family in beautiful penmanship and you see this...

Merry Christmas

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

A Face Too Cute For Words

2010-12-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

and 2 faces that are too cute for words:)

H-A-Double L-O-W-Double E-N

2010-11-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a GRRRREAT Halloween... ours was MAGICALLY DELICIOUS!

We were in a bit of a CRUNCH to make it our party...in fact we missed it because we were trying to wrap some things up in our huge remodel project (more on this later) but I still made Cory dress up (he is a pretty good sport!!!). Here are some pictures.

And let me just say that if you didn't get to see this little tail wiggle...you missed out BIG this Halloween. Melt my heart! I love this little tiger!

Photography Fun

2010-10-25T11:46:00.000-07:00

Alright...so I have dabbled in photography for the past year and a half! I love it! It has been a great hobby and just recently I have been trying to make the leap into making it a little business. So here is my blog that I created to showcase some of my sessions...check it out...I have been doing quite a few family sessions with some real good lookin families!

http://www.mwalkerphotos.blogspot.com/

I also have a little link on my sidebar that will update with each new post- so look at it often...I appreciate it! Oh and if you feel so inclined...I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you liked me on facebook or followed my blog! Thanks and much love!

Janis' Idahoan Adventure- Part 1

2010-10-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ok...so this post is a bit overdue and I have severely neglected this blog...but- better late than never!

A couple weeks ago we had a visitor and this handsome fella played full time tour guide...

To this one-of-a kind fella. Say hello to Janis...(pronounced Yawn-iss) :)

He is from Latvia (where Cory served his mission). Latvia is near Sweeden...it is former Soviet Union but Jani insists we say it is near Sweeden. Cory and two of his very close friends taught and baptized Janis. He had been investigating the church for years and three Idaho missionaries had what it takes...ok the spirit is what really got him but these guys did help things along:) Cory has done his best to keep in touch with Janis since he has been home and Janis has come to America 2 times prior to this. Once to go through the temple for the first time and a second time for our wedding. He LOVES America.
So we did a little sightseeing...Idaho style!

To start things off we went on a great day hike up to a lake. I can't really recall the name however. Like I said...I am a little late getting this up. One of the top things on Janis' to-do list was to catch a fish (and go see the Boise Ballet- only one of two came about though). He caught several fish while he was here- and loved every minute of it!

Now this next picture may seem like a normal 4 wheeling trip photo- however- what this picture does not tell you is that Latvians do not show a ton of emotion...especially by big cheesy grins. BUT...this was Janis' first time on an ATV (they walk everywhere in Latvia so he doesn't even have a licence). He said this about his trip...and I quote.... "I have never used these words in English before. It was . UN- BELIEVABLE!!!!!" He absolutely loved it and we were quite nervous the whole trip because he went as fast as he could. In fact the man and his dog walking up the trail shook his finger quite vigourously at me because of Janis' need for speed!

Like I said...he thought it was pretty cool...

The view from the top. We squeezed in a couple other activities that I didn't get pictures with...swimming at Roystone Hotsprings, steak dinner, all that fishing, but we had a lot of fun...

...and Brig and I got to tag along with all the fun...even though we couldn't understand the conversation. Brig loved getting to spend so much time with Dad and being outside all day everyday.

To end the first week we headed up to Idaho Guest Ranch to ride some horses...and Idaho favorite for Janis. He was only sad he didn't get to ride Black Jack this year:) While riding horses Janis saddle became loose and he slipped right off...he even loved that...he felt like "8 Seconds."

Here is Janis with the three mission companions all cowboyed up. Janis is only missing his cowboy hat...which he wears all the time while he is here- he even wore it to church!

While the men folk were off riding horses, Brig was finding himself a lady friend. He likes the older gals. In fact, he likes her so much that he stole her shoes and her brothers shoes!!! Sorry about that Scott and Meredith- we need to get them back!

Here is Janis with "The owner's of the establishment" aka some real cowboys and cowgirls! Thanks Bryan & Jess for the fun time- you guys are so great and have an awesome thing going!

He got a few pointers here as well...like "never ask a cowboy the size of his spread..." I still don't really get why... We also ate ~~hard~~ delicious potatoes and 7 up chicken in a HUGE dutch oven and really good peach cobbler. It was a great way to finish off week one!

A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard to help us make Jani's trip a success. And thank you to Janis- we are so glad you make the sacrafices to come and visit us! We will post more of week 2 soon.

Walker Family Pictures

2010-08-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

We took some family pictures for our little Walker Family Reunion that we had a couple weeks ago. Here is a little looksie at all of our beautifulness...
Leslie, Ammon and their cute little baby Jaxon...

Krista and her Hubs Jordan...

Our lil' Fam...

Ross, Christy and their two kiddos...soon to be three...

Look at all these non smiling boys...at least Grandma smiled...

The grandma & grandpa who started it all...

...and the group finale...

African Queens...

2010-08-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Two of my lil' sistas will be going to Senegal in just a couple of weeks! Crazy, I know. I am really excited (and a bit nervous) for them! Anyhow...they are trying to raise money 'cause volunteering ain't cheap!!!! You can go to their blog to read more about the who what when where & how.

www.sistersinsenegal.blogspot.com

The Big One!!!!!!!

2010-08-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Nine Thousand Years later.....

Here is a little look at the Big Birthday Bash!!!!

It actually was just a fun little party with Brig's biggest fans....

OUR FAMILY!!!

Here are a couple of the pictures of Brig's fun day. Thanks to everyone who came and a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has made such a difference in Brig's life already.

Brig had lots of fun just walking around the park and having a fun time with his cousins.

He loved the cake but was not quite sure what was with everyone else just watching him while he ate it.

We love Brig so much and look forward to many more fun birthdays ahead of us.

Happy First Birthday Brig!!!!

2010-07-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Brig's first birthday. I can't believe that he is already one year old!!!! He is so big and doing so many fun things. It has been the craziest,longest,fastest,excitingest:),best year of our lives- all because of this handsome little man. Here is a look at how much he has grown this past year...

The Sorcerer and His Magic Bowl

2010-07-15T13:55:00.001-07:00

I'd like to tell a tale of a sorcerer and his magical bowl,

For on this weary mother, they sure do take a toll.

I lift the lid of this porcelin bowl and much to my dismay

I find the disappearing object the sorcerer hid that day.

The fork that was snatched up off the kitchen floor

And the cookies that he kept coming back in for more.

Yesterday he tried to help his mommy rid the clothes of dirt

And then appeared in the magic bowl his brand new spanking shirt!

This magic bowl has more power than making things disappear,

For the sorcerer simply dips his hands and they come out crystal clear!

And thus goes the tale of this magical team,

And the mother who scrubs to ensure that it's clean!

Tender Mercy

2010-07-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a few rough nights with Brig lately...between weaning and being sick...he has been a little bit grouchy- ok- a lot grouchy! Last night I was really having a tough time and just exhausted and Cory found this video on LDS.org. It was a tender mercy to me and I thought that it was worth the 3:47 minutes to any mom or even parent.

Rocks

2010-07-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

We went up on a little walk in the mountains this week. Brig had a great time helping Dad drive, sticking his head out the window, walking around with mom...

...but what he really loved the most...

THE ROCKS

Everywhere we go Brig will pick up rocks and stick them in his mouth...no matter how many times I tell him no and take the rocks out...another rock goes right in that cute little mouth.

Eating rocks makes for a constantly dirty face....Good thing we think it is so cute!

Camping

2010-06-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

We went camping about a week or two ago...it was pretty fun. Brig loved being outside! Here are some of the fun things we did...

{UP}

2010-06-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things we have been {UP} to lately...

{UP} at Aaronic Priesthood camp. This is Cory's calling in our church (he organizes a big camp for the young men in our stake)- it's a big job, but the camp was a great success! Here are the boys catching some fish with their hands...

Catching {UP} on LOST...we got hooked right as the series was ending and now we have to figure out what in the world is going on on this crazy island!

Loading {UP} my camera with pictures of these lovely ladies...I got to be the "official photographer" for the Miss Gem County pageant. It was so much fun-and the girls did great!

Hooking {UP} some keepers...of course!

Getting ready to head {UP} to the mountains... (more on this later).

...but most of all...

we have been

{UP}

on 2 feet!

That's right...Brigs is living up to the name...he is starting to walk!

Here is a little video of our handsome little Walker... (excuse the mess...we just got back from camping...like I said, more on that later)

It's been pretty exciting around here!

New Dishwasher

2010-06-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well...actually it is about 10 1/2 months old now...

But it works hard...
Anytime our dishes need to be washed it steps right up to the task...

And won't stop until the job is complete!

What We Did...

2010-06-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend we...

...knocked down some pins...

...did a little victory dancin'...

...celebrated some birthday with a little more dancin'...

...got some kicks and giggles...

...became mighty hunters of varmits...

...paddled around a pond...

...loved being together!

Fields of Gold

2010-05-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

We got together with my family on Saturday and took some family pictures. The sun was so great and it made a field of weeds like golden wonder...or something! It was so pretty- and the pictures look great too.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was really Mother's Day but I just wanted to take a moment and tell the mother's in my life how wonderful they are! I am so thankful for them all. I have wonderful grandma's, a great step-mom, a fabulous mother-in-law, and an amazing mom!

I couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity I have to be a mom now. It is the greatest career ever. I am so grateful for Cory who makes it possible for me to stay home with our handsome little man. Thanks Cory- you are the best!

Hope everyone had a fabulous mother's day.

Willow Creek

2010-05-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

We love Willow Creek...It is Cory's secret fishing spot

Cory loves Willow Creek...

always has

and always will.

And Cory is now doing all he can do help Brig to love both fishing and willow creek.

So whenever we get a chance we try and head up the road to the sweet trickling little stream full of happy mini-fish ready and willing to take a bite of the juicy worms we offer...

So how do you make a great place even better...

By eating delicious0-germ covered-succulent-fire roasted porkchops.

Delish!!!!! Here is the recipe....trust me...you are going to want to make these...so pay close attention....

Get a pork chop

Shake some S & P all over

Stick it on your roasting stick

Roast over a fire at willow creek

Enjoy.

That's all! I know, they sound like they will be super dry and nasty but much to everyone's surprise- A M A Z I N G!!!!!!

There is really nothing this mama loves more than spending time with her two handsome guys!

YAY BRIG!

2010-04-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Yay Brig....

He is now 9 months old!

Here is a little bit about our handsome little guy!

Crawling.Sometimes Serious.Momma's Boy.LovesToBeOutside.LOVEStoEAT...Everything.Clapping.Bald.AdrenalineJunkie.Big Beautiful

BlueEyes.TwoTeeth.LikesAnimals.LooksJustDad.Squaker.Sleeping...Finally!

LovesWatchingKids.LightOfOurLife.BestKidEver.

Hello Friend!

2010-04-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of Brig's friends that we took pictures of.
Meet Deagan...

Meet Kayenna...

They are both so cute and Brig is pretty lucky to have these and many other great "friends"!

Our Little Get-A-Way

2010-04-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

Some of Cory's most wonderful qualities are how hard he works and how dedicated he is. Well...he has been so hard working and so dedicated to his job the past couple of months...or years...and the past couple of weeks have been tough ones....SO...I decided we needed a

LITTLE

VACATION!

So on Friday morning, I "kidnapped" Cory...made him hand over his phone to the boss (his padre)and we headed up to McCall. It was really nice and we spent a lot of time doing a whole lotta nothin! We just went swimming in the pool

ate lots of food

and chilled.

*However...Brig did have one of his roughest nights to date...

BUT STILL...It was really nice to just be together.

There was still snow on the ground and so the fishing wasn't really happening and we didn't take a whole lot of pictures.

Just some good ole

QUALITY

FAMILY TIME

Easter

2010-04-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Easter was really nice...we got to see lots of family...watch conference...eat good food...hunt some eggs...love on Brig

Our Little Walker Can Crawl!

2010-03-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Brig is now officially crawling...which means that I have to really baby-proof my house. He has already found a power strip, the fire place (luckliy it was off), the tv and all of its wonderful buttons, every single dvd in our home, any and every scrap of anything that is not edible that is on our floor, and several attempts to get a closer look at the toilet.

K+J

2010-03-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law is getting hitched and so I took some engagement photos for them. And here are a few...

Congrats Krista & Jordan!

{Vitamin D}

2010-03-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so nice lately- so we took advantage of it and went to the park. Brig loved the swings! It felt so good to finally be outside!

Top O' the Morning Pot of Gold

2010-03-17T13:24:00.000-07:00

I LOVE traditions and I LOVE the more obscure holidays...like St. Patty's Day... so here is a recipe that is really easy, really good and is going to be a new St. Patrick's Day tradition breakfast.

Pot of Gold Breakfast Buns

18 frozen dinner rolls...you may be tempted to use more and think that 18 is simply not enough...don't do it. 18 IS enough. Trust me.

1 package of Butterscotch cook n serve pudding. NOT instant

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c chopped pecans- don't cut these out- just don't do it.

1/2 c butter

Place frozen dinner rolls in a bundt pan, sprinkle with brown sugar, dry pudding mix and pecans. Cover with saran wrap and Let raise over night. Ohh and Ahh over the lovely high risin buns before you eyes the next morning and then drizzle with butter. This part gets messy.

Bake at 350 for 25 min.

Enjoy your lovely pot of gold!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How to Enjoy a WORM as a 7 Month Old

2010-03-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

SPOT A NICE PLUMP WORM ...

MAKE SURE MOM AND DAD ARE NOT WATCHING TOO CLOSELY AND BE PREPARED TO ACT QUICKLY...

AND SHOVE THE CREEPY CRAWLY INTO YOUR MOUTH BEFORE DAD CAN GRAB IT OUT. BON APPETIT!

{AKA}

2010-03-03T21:53:00.000-08:00

{BRIGSEY BOY}

{BMAN}

{BRIGGA BRIGGA WHAT WHAT}

{BRIGGER}

{BRIGADERE GENERAL}

the one that is the most befitting of the little man...

{THE PRINCE}

Oh Happy Day...and NIGHT!!! And Lame Blogging Disclaimer*

2010-03-01T21:16:00.001-08:00

We are SAVED!!!! That's right...

BRIG

SLEEPING!

It is nothing short of a miracle! I would like to thank everyone who so generously gave us sleeping tips...even in the hallway at church;) and left us encouraging comments on our slumber party post...needless to say...the party is canceled. Sorry- we are just not quite as much fun around here.

So...are you just dying to know what happened...? (Since I am so sure that everyone who may read this is just enthralled with our life and Brig's sleeping habits)

Well, one night I had just about enough and came begging Cory to save me from the servitude of our little night owl. He did and we decided that something had to change.

1.We started a little routine. Same thing every night.

2. We endure a couple of miserable hours of grouchiness and do not allow the little 8:00 pm snooze. This was key.

3. He has a bed that suites him a little better now.

4. He is a really great little boy. Well that hasn't changed.

So, we now have several hours to ourselves in the evening and we are loving it. He still wakes up 1 time but it is a huge improvement and we are counting our lucky stars!

<<<*LAME BLOGGING DISCLAIMER>>>

Sorry I have not blogged in quite a while...we are having computer issues but I think they are resolved so we should be up and running again.

Also...I am vacillating about whether or not to go private. We shall see.

Some Privacy Please...

2010-02-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

So, after talking to some people about blogging and facebook safety and stuff like that...I have decided that we are going to have our blog be private...so we would love to have all of our family and friends still be able to look at it so leave your email in a comment and we will invite you to continue to view this fabulously exciting blog....

A Sleepover at the Walkers!

2010-02-01T19:48:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE INVITED TO A SLEEPOVER AT THE WALKERS!!!!

Let's say about 8:00 pm...

Here is what the agenda will look like....

FOR STARTERS....

Please don't knock because Brig will most likely be sleeping...that's right...we are going to start things off real quiet like....

but don't get too comfortable because probably around 9:00 we will be up and it will be a party!!! Oh...9:00 pm that is....this night is just getting started! So we will have tons of fun and laugh and giggle and eat and watch movies until MIDNIGHT!!!! Wahoo!!!!

Then at midnight, I hate to say it but we will most likely go to bed or at least pretend like we are asleep...and as you will probably be sleeping in the living room...right next to Brig (we only have one bedroom as of now...more on that later...)...you will get to wake up about 1 hour later- he just won't want the party to stop!

In fact he is such a party animal that he will try and keep our little sleepover alive all night long...he will most likely try and start it again at 2:00 am then 5:00 am then 7:00 am. Then he will probably realize that the fun has to end sometime and not wake up until 10:00...that's right, he is quite courteous and will let you sleep in until 10! What a sweet boy!

So please RSVP if you are super interested in coming to this amazing party...and please leave us a little advice if you think you have any amazing ideas about how this party could be saved!

***************************************************

So- to cut to the chase- if you couldn't read between the lines- Brig is not the best sleeper. Here is the problem...Cory doesn't really like letting him cry and I can totally respect that we really need to do something otherwise we may just be partied out before too long!

25!!!!! One Quarter of a Century!!!

2010-01-22T11:03:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CORY!

WE LOVE YOUR GUTS!

Oh Those High School Days...

2010-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

So I took some Senior pictures of my little sister Monica the other day. I can't believe she is going to graduate this year...I can't believe how fast time flies! Anyway...here are some of them for your viewing enjoyment!

Six Months Ago...

2010-01-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Six months ago today we celebrated the happy day that BMan was born! It has been a great six months since then...a lot of learning has come about...but it has been wonderful!
Brig is a little shy in big groups...he would much rather be at home with just Cory and I...that is where he really comes alive and can be quite the chatterbox!
He has only rolled over 5 times! Count em! 5!!!! We think he is just content and would really much rather be held...he is kind of a little prince.
He loves to be outside.
He is quite the mama's boy but thinks his dad is hilarious and loves to play with him when he gets home from work each day.
He is a very handsome fella with huge blue eyes.
He is so loved by so many people and is one of the best things to happen to us!

From THAT THERE to THIS HERE in six months!

We love you BRIG!!!!!!

A Very Fine 09

2010-01-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

So long 2009 and hello 2010. So many fun things happened in the past year but I am sure it is not hard to guess what our favorite was...here are a look at some of the best moments we had in 2009. And 2010 is looking better already!

(This is just a cool collage of little BMan and I thought that it kind of symbolizes how all of the little things of our past year culminated to the very best thing of all...Brig...a little sappy and corny I know...but go cross eyed and look at the picture...you have to admit- it's cool!)

Fishing...we love fishing in this house. And while some people doll their kids all up and show off their cuteness by Mickey Mouse or a nice tree or something...we just slap a giant bass next to our lil punkin and take a snapshot. Yes, we love fishing.

The Oregon Family comin to town...plus that fabulous BSU win over the Ducks wasn't too shabby either...
The Walker Fam Reunion. McCall in the summer....mmmmmm....

Brig's blessing was great. So much family came into town. We are so blessed to have so much great family.

Oh how I love huckleberries....love. love. love. And Cory is the world's fastest huckleberry picker...he even has a shirt and a trophy to prove it. Well, he should

A "Secret" Vacation...for some reason we felt the need to not tell anyone and just left for the weekend...so shhh...you didn't hear it from me. But just for the record...it was pretty fun..

We really caught "Whistle Pig Fever" this summer...

The Kenny Chesney concert...Brig was such a good boy and didn't come until 3 days after...and so in honor of how great the concert was- we now refer to him as "Uncle Kenny." Ok so Brig and I do at least. Ok...only I do.

A secret get-a-way...but I can't tell where! ;)

And of course the very, very most wonderful, happiest best part of our year was, has been, and will continue to be...

BRIG!

Happy 2010 to y'all!

The Big 50 and a Merry Christmas...a wee late

2009-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is our 50th post! Holla! So to celebrate 50 posts of greatness here are a whole lotta Chirstmas pictures. It was, as everyone told us, even more fun and special with a kid. We loved all the time we got to spend with family. We are truly blessed and can't believe how much Brig has enriched our lives.

Brig got an exersaucer from Santa! Yay!

Got Your Nose Mom!

Grandma and Grandpa and Brig...

Classic...

Family Pajama Shot

Grandpa and Brig's pjs...I am not sure who looked cuter...

Brig did pretty good opening presents...he wasn't really interested in what was inside that delicious paper but he sure enjoyed chompin on any wrapping paper he could get his hands on.

Caroling...Monica was the Christmas tree that we were all rockin around...use your imagination...maybe then it will make sense...

Tis been a good year...

Our Chirstmas Eve Dinner Table...lovely food...lovely!

We were a little late getting this post but more to come soon...

Story Time

2009-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

He may only be 4 1/2 months old...

but this kid...

LOVES TO READ!

Great epic tales like "Horns to Toes: And Inbetween" and "But Not the Hippopotamus"

A couple of things to notice...

The super amazing quilt made by his Grandma Walker...

The crazy ducting- we are in the process of putting in a pellet stove...as we speak...

His little hand...as we read books he puts his hand under my chin (to hide my other chin...thanks buddy!) It is so cute. (His hand that is!)

Christmas by Santa Swag

2009-12-03T09:31:00.000-08:00

Growing up my favorite part of Christmas morning was opening up our stockings. They were so fun and my mom....I mean Santa...excuse me...always did a great job with them. We were slightly spoiled! One of our traditions was to get a movie. So, I decided that I wanted to follow suit this year with my own little fam. So I found a really cool deal on a DVD for Brig...he loves watching TV (I know, GREAT!) ...that he can watch every year at Christmas time here. (Christy...you just might be getting one of these for Christmas from us...just a head's up...it's a fun deal so you can check it out but just to let you know:) ...

So since I am all about thrifty DVDs this Christmas...ok maybe not all about them...I got an even better deal on Cory's DVD. He told me all he wanted for Christmas this year was a copy of the Boise State fiesta bowl game from 07. So I found it for him on Amazon.com...here is the cool part. I used "swag bucks." I have blogged about these before but I really didn't know what they were for sure or if they worked. They do. It's great. Here is how it all goes down... so you click on the swag bucks banner and sign up. Easy. Then I would recommend installing the search engine toolbar- for ease. Then you start searching...oh and I am pretty sure that you get 3 swagbucks just for signing up. Anyways... you will randomly earn swagbucks- they will just pop up after a search. I have found that just using the search engine for normal searches while I am on the computer blogging or checking my email that I will get about 1-4 a day. So they start adding up and pretty soon you have a bunch...THEN...you go and redeem them for prizes- I believe that the best value is the $5 Amazon.com gift card. Then you will get a code for the gift card and go shopping! Cory's DVD cost me .97...shipping and all. Sweet! So if you earn a swagbuck almost every day for this next year then you can have like $35 bucks to spend on Amazon...and that can go pretty far! Just click on the banner and get goin! And if you really love this...you can just spend one of those little gift cards on a little something for yours truly! I don't ask much. :)

Yummmm Rice Cereal...

2009-11-30T10:22:00.000-08:00

That's right...Brig had his first "meal" yesterday...and when I say meal, what I really mean is that he ate his first 3 bites of that incredibly appetizing looking stuff they call rice cereal.

Here he is checking out what is about to enter his cute little mouth...

First Bite...

He was completely indifferent to it actually. It was rather anticlimatic- and I am pretty sure that he has already had ice cream and strawberries and a couple other true foods that grandpa tries to sneak in every now and then. But...what good mother wouldn't blog about this monumental event right?

A Little Walker Family Love

2009-11-29T13:04:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was spent mostly at the Walker house. And it is getting crazier every holiday...the kids just keep on comin! Ok, so we only have 3 (and a half) little ones right now but family gatherings are certainly getting more and more exciting. A few highlights of our Days of Thanks.

Food. Family Gathering. SoccerBballVballRaquetball Playing. Food. Hand Quilting. Christmas Tree Chopping. Movie Watching. Food. Card Slapping. Truck Sliding. Food. Baby Talking. Kid Lauging. Food. Boise State Cheering. Cow Watering. Thanks Giving. Food. Story Telling. Picture Taking. Chip Dipping. Food. Diaper Changing. Jewelry Making. Food. Car Washing. Late Night Talking. Memory Recalling. Food.Nose Running. Note Writing. No Napping. Finger Licking. Food.

Sounds exciting huh. Well that's just how this family rolls. You would think with all that super exciting stuff I listed above I would have a ton of pictures to share...nope...only one.

4 Months Later...

2009-11-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

Brig "turned" 4 months old yesterday. I can't believe how fast time is flying by!!! I know I say this in almost every post...but we just LOVE him sooo much!

He had a checkup yesterday and weighs 15lbs 4 oz and is in the 60% for weight.

He is 24 inches long and is only in the 25% for height.

We got a short, stocky and super cute one I guess.

A Change In Scenery...

2009-11-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

Anytime I got onto our blog and saw the Halloween post- I yawned. I needed a lil' change. So here are some cute pictures of our little BMan.

Here is the new and improved happy Brig...that's right ladies and gentlemen...Brig has outgrown his colic. Oh happy day! It was rough but we made it through it and now love this little man more than ever. We still have some attachment issues to get over but progress...

By the way...He rolled over for the first time the other day. It was so exciting! I was so proud...I know it sounds so pathetic but I just wanted to jump for joy. Being a mama will do that to ya- I don't know if it is the lack of sleep or just how much you stinkin' love your kid.

A Timid Parrot and a Pair of Pirates

2009-11-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

That is what we were for Halloween...Pirates and Brig was our little parrot. I must say that he made a much better parrot then we made Pirates! Cory was such a good sport and dressed up...well wore a hat...it was a stretch for him- he's not so much into the whole dressing up thing. I told him that he had better get used to it...Thanks Cor- you are the BEST!!!! So here are some of our pictures from Halloween. Oh yeah... a Timid Parrot? Brig was so scared when we were at the Halloween Party- he clutched to my shirt and burried his head into me the whole time. It was kind of cute...I guess he got a little more of his dad in him then we realized!

The ward party was great!!! I was so impressed by everyone's costumes. There were so many great ones and it was really fun. I do see why Halloween is only one night a year though...it's a lot of work to get dressed up- and we only have 1 kid!!!

Hello Halloween!

2009-10-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

That's a lame title but oh well! So, with Halloween less than one week away I would just like to encourage everyone to dress up because it would be really embarrassing for someone to get all dressed up thinking she would just blend in with all the other adults in costume at her in-laws ward party only to show up and be the only one over the age of ten wearing a costume...that could possibly be slightly humiliating. You know...if that were to happen to someone.

Any Ideas?

2009-10-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

I teach the Sunbeams in our ward and they are really fun...however, sometimes we have a little bit of a struggle with reverence. Our lesson is on reverence this next Sunday and I am wanting to do something that will really instill in them how important it is to be reverent in Church. There are A LOT of them... anywhere from 8-13 each week. So...does anyone have any really good ideas? Something that will stick with them? Thank you!

Also...here are some more pictures of Brig! We are all getting into the swing of things. I think that he has a more serious personality...it is like pulling teeth to get him to smile but when he does, it sure is cute! I am sure it is because he is going to be exceptionally brilliant...I guess you can't have it all :)

Brig TV

2009-09-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Brig being a whopping 2 months old...here is the first episode ever of "Brig TV". Enjoy!

WARNING: IF YOU ARE NOT COMPLETELY ENAMOURED BY BRIG OR PART OF THE BRIG FANCLUB...AS SO MANY GRANPARENTS AND AUNTS (& MAYBE A COUPLE UNCLES:) ARE...YOU WILL MOST LIKELY FIND THIS RATHER PATHETIC. IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SMITTEN BY THIS LITTLE BOY YOU WILL DROOL EACH TIME YOU WATCH THESE...OK I MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONE TO QUALIFY FOR THAT ONE.

Brig is happiest in the morning. If we are lucky then he will smile for us...if we are really lucky he may sing a little "song" for us. The other day I was driving home from my mom's house and I was singing to him on the ride home and the entire drive home he was helping me sing. It was really cute.

Brig's Blessing

2009-09-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Brig was blessed on Sunday. It was really nice and SO great to have so much family support. We have some pretty fun, great, loving, crazy family!!!! We really appreciate it. The blessing was really nice. Brig's little outfit was made by a family friend. It was really nice of her to go to all that work! Brig did a great job- we were really worried he was going to cry while he was being blessed- but we made it through. By the end of the day (when the picture was taken...) he was ready to be out of his fancy little outfit and just in some regular old clothes...he is his dad's son!

Peer Pressure Got Me!!!

2009-09-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

I have succumbed! I got a facebook account. I tried to be strong and not give in but then I realized that I probably would be able to see what is going on with so many of the people that I haven't seen in 657 years and it is just one more way to show off our super cute kid! I will admit...facebook is a bit addicting at first!!!

The Broncos vs. The Ducks...Face Off!

2009-09-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

As many people already know, last night there was a pretty big face off between BSU and Oregon. In fact, it was said to be the biggest event in Boise since Kenny Chesney...I liked that. So, some of our Oregon Family decided that they would come down and cheer on their Ducks. We decided that we had better put on our Blue and Orange for the big event...

...So Brig and dad got all duded up in their fan gear and we set out for the face off...

...There were only a few words exchanged as the Duck and the Bronco had a rather heated discussion about who would win...

...they agreed to a truce...for now...

...So we all ate in peace and took some pictures...

... Uncle P.- a true football star...

When it's all said and done...I guess the best team came out on top. What more can I say...

Sleeps Like A Baby...

2009-09-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

Whoever coined the term..."sleeping like a baby," has obviously not had a baby.

Considering the uncanny ability that Cory and I have to sleep, you would think that Brig would have gotten some of that wonderful talent...however, thus far, he has not really let his light shine in that area. I do realize that most new parents go through the shock of losing so much sleep...but please, let me vent. (for just a moment). Brig's self- designated bedtime is midnight. Then if we are lucky he will sleep for three hours. Yea!!!! However, after that first three hour block he starts to realize that his mom just might be content with three hour blocks...so he gets real sneaky on us...he sleeps for a two hour block...and then...a one hour block!!!!! ***Announcement: Brig did sleep for a four and a half hour block last night. YAHOO (There might be hope that he gets those fabulous genes after all!!!)***

Needless to say, we get a bit sleepy during the day.

Another habit of Brig's...

Being the only grandchild on one side and only the third on the other...Brig gets held...a lot. Especially during the first month of his life. (He is now 6 weeks old...still no smiles though...we will get to that some other time.) So, now at the whopping age of 6 weeks and four days...he still thinks that he needs to be held while he naps. Not being held=short naps=cranky baby. And we like our happy little guy. So, right now, at a quarter to five I am sitting on the love seat, holding Brig on my chest. Thus, the reason for this post...and for my lack of shower today, and my dirty dishes, and my growing addiction to photoshop, and my increasing complete adoration of the cutest little baby ever. Even if he doesn't smile at the sound of my voice. I'm not bitter though.

Walker Family Reunion

2009-08-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

This year we had the "Third Annual Walker Family Reunion" in McCall... Here are some of the great times we captured with the camera...
Brig, Dad & Grumpa (as he has been dubbed by cousin Caden)

This is a natural hotspring that we hiked into. It was SO pretty.

Brig did not know how he felt about being away from home for so long so the first couple of days he decided he needed to be held- all day long...and cry until about one o'clock in the morning when he decided it was finally ok to go to sleep. (We actually think he had a cold...so we will let this time slide.) The last couple of days though he was a champ! Here he is, hiking with dad.

A very informal family pic.

We rode 4 wheelers into this lake. It was a really bumpy, crazy trail (Brig stayed with Grandma for this adventure.) The lake was so beautiful!

This is Brig's oldest cousin (one of only two) Caden. He wanted to hold "Brick" but then promptly decided that it was not quite what it was cracked up to be when Brig started to cry.

It was a really fun weekend with lots of food, family and much needed exercise in beautiful McCall Idaho. However, in all the fun- we forgot to get a family picture! Next time.