The Fleming's Blog

Happy 4th Birthday Walker!

2010-10-11T12:34:00.003-05:00

10-10-10... Can't believe my little superhero is 4!!!

"Away to the Batmobile..."

"I'm going to get you Joker!"

...We hear these quotes often... God Love him!!! :)

Fiddler's Convention Weekend...

2010-10-01T20:31:00.006-05:00

Yep... That's me... I'm the one that got sick this time so we didn't go. Started the week with Pink Eye and ended it with fever and diarrhea.

It's OK...I'm still cute!

What a Day! War Eagle!

2010-09-04T15:54:00.005-05:00

What a beautiful day it is for Auburn football! The kids have been enjoying playing outside, and thankfully we can stand being out there. The temp is getting me excited about going pumpkin shopping.

Aubie is out of the garage...

My little cheerleader!

These two love chasing each other around the driveway... a little too much. After a while it looks and sounds like bumper cars.

A guy's heaven... opening day for college football and dove hunting.

Happy 9 Months!!

2010-07-19T13:26:00.007-05:00

That's right! My baby girl is 9 months old today! She keeps us smiling each and every day... What a blessing it is to have her in our lives!

4th of July

2010-07-05T15:11:00.009-05:00

Last year we decided to start a tradition and go to a different city each year so we could experience new 4th of July entertainment and fireworks displays. This year we went to my home town, Guntersville. It was all planned out... stay at my dad's Friday, go to Spring Valley Beach WaterPark Saturday, and watch fireworks Saturday night. Everything went as planned until we realized G'ville's fireworks show wasn't until Sunday night. We had no choice but to have our own fireworks show once we got home.

At the waterpark...

The awesome kid area Walker wanted nothing to do with...

Walker amazed us that day.
He learned to swim a few feet while his face was underwater.

We made it home before dark on Sunday to shoot our own fireworks.

Walker was excited to help his daddy...

Mary Ella enjoyed watching from inside while snacking on some crackers...

Zac decided he was going to make another tradition...

shooting massive fireworks!

Here is a sample of the big ones.

I had to change the picture effects so you could see it...

First Time To...

2010-07-01T10:38:00.008-05:00

We finally took Walker swimming this summer. We went to Point Mallard because they have the perfect kid play area. Walker enjoyed it for the slide but mainly he wanted to swim with Zac in the big pool. He even was brave enough to get into the wave pool. I know he will be swimming on his own any day now. He LOVES the water!

So here it is... First time to slide into water!

Major Event!!! First time to sleep in his own bed. It took a little tricky and creative thinking to make it happen but it worked! Hint: Look who's sleeping with him. :)

Mary Ella's pulling up onto everything now. She is 8 months old and has 2 teeth. She is such a big girl and HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!

While I was getting our bags packed to walk out the door I heard Walker reading his Bible stories book to Mary Ella. She was really enjoying it. How precious are they?

Here's a couple pics from Grandmother's house. We go there every Sunday after Church to visit. Steve took these. He usually gets a few good shots that I can't ever get!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-21T09:41:00.005-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my husband! Walker was sooo excited to give Zac his "Iron Man" card. We had a great day going to church, visiting Steve, Nicia, and Grandmother followed by a day of relaxation at the house.

I had to include this picture from the camera. I took this several weeks back of Walker dead to the world after a day of play outside. Can you say Al Bundy! HA!

First Hair Cut, Wedding, & Buggy Ride

2010-05-18T09:50:00.009-05:00

We could wait till she was one to get her first hair cut. You see how long and crazy it was growing. LOL! Since we had a wedding the next day and pictures next week end we thought now was the perfect time to do it.

Saturday we went to Birmingham to my cousin Johnathan's wedding. It was a beautiful yet HOT day.

My big boy!

Beka and Blake with the kiddos...

The fam shot (Finally!)

My sweet girl! Notice her new cut... finally no hair in the eyes. :)

Best buddies...

Walker and his cousin Anna having a great time together...

Mary Ella loves riding around in the buggy at daycare. Yesterday I caught them outside. Yea!

Bath Time and Blake & Beka's News!

2010-05-05T08:32:00.007-05:00

Here are my babies enjoying bath time together. Walker acts silly and Mary Ella laughs her head off at him. It's really fun to watch.

And Blake and Beka are engaged!!!!! Yea!!!!! How sweet is this picture? The wedding is in Pensacola in August. I know it will be a beautiful and sweet ceremony. Love you guys!

10 Year Anniversary

2010-04-27T13:23:00.008-05:00

I can't believe ten years has come and gone. Well actually May 2nd is the day but to celebrate we went to Gulf Shores for a week of rest, relaxation and a little business. Zac had a turf conference on the second day.

We went deep sea fishing for my first time....tons of fun! And yes, I caught a fish.. Red Snapper and Trigger Fish. Zac caught a few too. He was playing camera man so we didn't get his fish on tape.

Here I am with Trey our fun deckhand. Zac baited my hook and Trey took off the fish. I don't eat them so you know I'm not going to touch them.

Poor Zac. He really caught several but I couldn't balance a camera and those huge fishing poles. I hate we didn't get it on film for Walker.

Randoms...

Here's Mary Ella with her new walker

This is about the only picture I got of Easter.

Their baskets...

Walker's program at preschool Good 'Ole Noah... He was a monkey! He's the one in the middle dancing like a monkey!

Nanny and Daddy Ralph came to see him.

Huggies Enjoy the Ride Rewards

2010-04-02T10:38:00.008-05:00

To all you parents that buy Huggies... Here is another way to save money if you haven't been doing so already. Collect the codes that come on the package of diapers. If you go to http://www.enjoytheriderewards.com/ and sign in you can enter the codes as you collect them and earn points. Codes can be worth 5 points and sometimes 20 points. Even if you don't use Huggies you could still join in on this because you can shop with your points for FREE things! Their online catalog has things like free $25 gift cards to Gap or for gas. If you're already buying the diapers there is no reason to throw the codes away. Plus you can even use your points for free diapers... Win-Win situation! I'm just sick for just now deciding to do this. I can't tell you how many codes I've thrown away. Here are some ways to collect codes:

Google search Huggies reward codes and you will find page after page (some codes may already be expired but worth the try)

Ask friends to save their codes for you (everyone can use the same codes, you just can't put the same code in twice in your account)

Tell your child's daycare/ preschool to save the codes (this has been huge for me! I just got a hand full from them and some codes were worth 20 points!)

Always open email from this website. They always give you a code for points just for reading the email.

I had to share this since there are so many of you buying Huggies. Let me know how it goes!

Look What I Found...

2010-03-19T12:02:00.003-05:00

You know Spring & Easter is around the corner when you look out in the field and this is what you see...

Zac had gotten rid of almost all the sheep so I had no idea to be looking this year for babies. As it turns out, the baby Zac bottle fed this time last year became a dad this year! Isn't he cute?

A Healthy and Fun Addiction!

2010-03-17T11:31:00.004-05:00

I am hooked 100% on saving money! If you are a Publix shopper you know what I am talking about. I am fairly new to this but since I've started a month ago I have really improved. My first trip I spent $37 saved $37. Today's trip I spent $65 and saved $92. There are several websites that promote the world of coupon purchasing, not to mention all the BOGO free sales. I do this every Wednesday when the sales start. It really is fun to save so much. My friend Christy and I text each other the second we leave the store to tell how much we saved! Here's today's picture.

And here's my sweet baby girl sitting in the table at daycare. She is growing like a weed! We call that little guy her new friend... Andrew. He's sitting in the table every morning waiting on her. He lights up when he sees her.

Recent pics of the kids at home...

yummy, carrots!

Life is Good!

2010-02-25T15:57:00.007-06:00

I need to get me one of those shirts... Okay, so I'm sure you were wondering if I was ever going to update this blog. LOL! I took a look at the pics on my camera and I found a couple of "firsts" so here they are...

We took Walker to his first circus...

That is the face of a kid with no nap trying to make it through a n event that started at 7:30 and wasn't over till 10:00. We left before it was over. And check out the toy he had to have... LOL! I thought he would want one of those big swirling light up things and he wanted a big plastic sword that I know I've seen at the Dollar General! The people around us loved us! He kept bonking them in the head and legs. It was funny!

Mary Ella ate baby food (carrots) for the first time...

Notice we are sitting on the living room floor. The high chair has not made its way down from the attic just yet. :)

Mary Ella has learned to entertain herself...

Walker is still running around as Wolverine and is the BEST big brother ever!

and not to leave out a fun change... Mary Ella is not quiet anymore. She cracks us up! If she is not squealing, she is smiling.

To My Friends...

2010-02-12T10:16:00.003-06:00

Dear friends,
To all of you... I want you to know I think of you daily! Since a woman's mind never stops thinking of something, I can assure you in between baths, feedings, packing bags, cooking, traveling, going to daycare, school or work, playing with toys, or even reading and watching t.v. you're on my mind. I think of how much fun my life was before we all had kids and how wonderful it is to now have kids. I think of all the times you've been there for me and how you don't let my faults define me. I get super excited each Christmas because I know you are sending a Christmas card of your beautiful family.
Even though all the items on a mother's "to do list" never gets marked off, well mine never does, I promise one thing... I still have GET TOGETHER WITH MY FRIENDS on the list. I keep holding out hope that one day even though we all live in different cities and states somehow we can make it happen.
I love you all and I pray nothing but happiness and most importantly good health for you and your family!

Love always,
Leigh Ann

Christmas '09

2010-01-07T12:20:00.018-06:00

This Christmas vacation was an eventful one to say the least. For documenting purposes I am going to try to list it all. During my last post I stated Walker had a fever virus and what we were going to be doing while waiting it out. Thankfully we did get to Santa in time for Walker to tell him he wanted a blue boat, of all things. His fever lasted six days and on the sixth day we happened to go to Dr. Ellis for another check. His fever then was 104.8 and we learned that he now had an ear infection. Crazy, I know! But unbelievably, he took his new meds that night and the next day... no fever for the first time in six days. By this time it was two days before Christmas. We rushed him to the mall to see Santa and after waiting in the very long line, we made it home around nine. The best part of all was that was the night we got Mary Ella home.... The fam complete once again! However, that was not the end of our sicknesses. The next night, Christmas Eve, Zac became very ill and pretty much bed ridden for most of the next five days. Okay, I knew I was going to have to be "Santa" solo, but I was not ready for what I had got myself into. Santa brought Walker a John Deere Gator. Let's just say I gave up at 4:00am because the screws were almost in and who cared about it having power? I hate directions that think you can assemble something so complicated just by looking at pictures! Alright, so Santa came, Walker was happy, and I'll explain more with the pictures.

Mary Ella went with her cousins earlier that day to see Santa. Glad the same Santa was still there. :)

Christmas Eve we made our rounds

Forget Spiderman, we've upgraded to Wolverine

Christmas morning...

Mary Ella doing what she does best, hanging out being sweet!

Oh my! Every year Christmas morning tradition... easy omelets. This Christmas morning... messy pancakes! We thought we'd be slick and get the Bisquick shaker bottle. While I was in the Mary Ella's room changing her diaper, I heard shake, shake, shake..."Oh crap!" So why was I so shocked to see what I saw? I am still to this day cleaning batter of the cabinets and floor. It keeps reappearing. It's the cleaning gift that keeps on giving. Also, keep in mind, I was in the middle of making tons of finger foods and my family was on their way over from Guntersville.

The batter made it's way into picture frames, baskets, all over the cabinets, floor, wall, and not to forget Zac! Now it's funny, but I promise after having 4 hours of sleep, it wasn't!

While we cleaned the kitchen Walker was working on his Buzz toy. He cracked us up that morning. Santa gave him those boots for outside wear. Instead they have become his "Fireman Sam"boots, "Wolverine" boots, "Buzz LightYear" boots, "Barn" boots... He has even worn them to church, I am embarrassed to say. Paw Paw said he had on his ConAgra boots. :)

So Christmas was nice and we enjoyed seeing everyone and really appreciate all the wonderful gifts. We go to bed that Saturday night knowing I was going to take the kids solo to church since Zac was still in the bed sick. My eye was looking a little red Saturday but I didn't think I'd wake up Sunday morning with my eye cemented shut! Zac and I both went to the doctor that morning, asap. Zac had to get a shot, and Chad met me at his office before church to check out my eyes. They stayed red, puffy and goopy for a good week. I'm not sure what that was all about but I learned not to take my eyes for granted. It was miserable not being able to see for a week and not to mention looking like a crazy person with blood red eyes. I didn't want to be seen in public!

Now Christmas break was ending and it was time to end this so called vacation so our normal routine could be restored... HA! Think again! I went back to work Monday, Mary Ella started Day Care, which has been great so far, the students came back to school Wednesday, and before I left work that day...I some how lost my voice and got Laryngitis. I'm sure Zac was happy because my voice didn't come back till Saturday. Oh and not to leave it out, it snowed so we didn't have school Thursday.

Tomorrow brings a new day and week. I have faith that it's going to be a nice and smooth week. Bring it on!

Send Up a Little Prayer

2009-12-19T12:03:00.004-06:00

This little boy is sick...

Thursday he gave us a scare. He left school with a 102 temp and when I got him to the doctor they said his temp was 105.6! My heart hit the floor. He has either the Fifth Disease or Roseola. Both are fever viruses and really contagious. Dr. Ellis told me I couldn't even go to work the next day because I might give it to the kids. So I had to miss the Christmas party for the kids. Walker missed his too. So, going by doctor's orders, we have been kept up in this house playing alot of Scrabble and watching alot of movies. Mary Ella, thank God, was not around Walker that day. I was so sad to hear she couldn't be around him till he was fever-free for 36 hours. I miss her so much! He could have his fever for 5 days, then we'll have to add another 36 hrs to that. Please send a little prayer up that he gets over his temp really fast and Mary Ella can come home soon. We miss her dearly. Thanks to everyone who has helped out with her. Oh, and not to forget, Walker really wants to go tell Santa what he wants for Christmas. I don't want him to miss out on seeing him this year... He really loves him now.

Grandmother's 80th Birthday

2009-12-18T16:19:00.003-06:00

This was the sweetest picture! All the kids were smiling and happy to be celebrating Grandmother's 80th birthday. They all love her so much, as does the rest of the family. Thanks Grandmother for all you do! We love you!

Random Pics

2009-12-14T14:02:00.012-06:00

I know you've all just about given up on me and my ability to keep this blog updated, sorry. I thought since several things have transpired since my last "kiddo" update I would do several in one. So enjoy the random pics...

Zac goes hunting EVERY Thanksgiving so it was exciting this year when he decided to take Walker on his first rabbit hunt. The object isn't really to kill a rabbit, but rather run the beagles. Walker has tons of warm camo clothes, like overalls, but once again, he insisted on wearing the smallest and thinnest pants he could find. I thought I was only going to argue over what my daughter wears, not my son. And he's only three! At least he had his toy gun!

Grandaddy and Mary Ella

My fruit creation I got out of Disney Magazine that no one ate!

Thanksgiving tuckered them out... my sweet babies!

Walker's new Big Wheel he got from Nana and Granny Newman... He loves it!

Need I say anything?

I just wasn't in the "tree decorating" mood this year, so I let Walker do most of it for me. I think the high volume of ornaments around the bottom gives it character.

Mary Ella's first day dressed up for church. Not sure what her hair is doing in this pic.

Check This Out...

2009-12-14T08:58:00.007-06:00

Okay, I've been meaning to post something for a while now. I have alot to share but for starters I have got to show this... My Fortune! During my pregnancy (July 19th) we were eating Chinese after church with Steve and Nicia. Walker opened my cookie and there sat the fortune that has become a priceless piece of paper. I thought I would hold on to it in case in came true since she was due around the time the fortune was referring to. Read the fortune and do the math... Mary Ella was born October 19th! I don't believe in the fortunes but read them for fun. However, this one was way too accurate and odd. I've never read a fortune cookie that specific. Just thought this was way too strange and unique not to share.

Halloween '09

2009-11-06T12:24:00.004-06:00

I'm sure you could guess what Walker was going to be for Halloween... yep, Spiderman. Let's see, he's been wearing this costume since his birthday on the 10th everyday after school, on weekends, and even to bed as pj's. Gross right?... I do get to wash it from time to time.
Halloween night we kept it pretty low key since baby Mary Ella hasn't made it past her 6 week mark yet. We didn't want Walker to miss out on trick or treating so we visited around the family.

Finally home, notice how everyone got to sleep but me... that's a mom's life huh?

I had to include some past and present Halloween pics from my brother Blake. He and his girlfriend Beka really get creative every year and dress up. This pic was from 07 or 08.

And here they are this year... Hank Williams Jr and his chick. Hilarious!

Since I'm on a mission to drop a ton of weight I thought 2 weeks is old enough to bundle her up and throw her in the stroller. It was 70 degrees out. Beautiful weather finally!
I had to include this... This morning after
I clothed Walker for school he decided over his fleece pants and top he needed a belt.?. Um, no luck convincing him he didn't have belt loops. Sometimes you just have to let them look like they dressed themselves. At least that's what I keep trying to tell myself! God love him. He is being such a great big brother and especially a big help for mommy. I love you Walker!

Getting Settled at Home

2009-10-25T10:09:00.007-05:00

It's so nice to be home and enjoy the day with my new and complete family. I'm not going to be unrealistic and say everything is perfect 24-7 but, it's close. Mary Ella is an awesome baby. She is so easy to read and take care of. Maybe it's because she is my second baby and I'm not so nervous and freaked out. Walker really loves his new little sister. Here are a few pics from around the house while getting settled in our new life.

Car ride home from the hospital...

All cleaned up from first bath at home...

Chill'en in the crib...

Enjoying the swing...

Walker checking on her while sleeping in the bassinet...

And finally, the bouncy seat... Gee, I don't think babies have

enough places to hang out. LOL!

More Baby Pics

2009-10-20T19:51:00.004-05:00

We had a good day today. She has been a good little feeder, pooper, and sleeper. They came to take her hospital pictures today so check out the hospital website soon. We are very excited to be going home in the morning. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful messages on Facebook and Blogspot. I can't wait for you to all meet her. She's a gift from God!

Mary Ella is Here!

2009-10-19T18:44:00.003-05:00

Wow, how fast a second baby can come. I've heard all the stories from everyone else and so now I have my own to tell. They broke my water at 8:00 and Mary Ella was in my arms at 10:10 am. It all happened so fast in fact Dr. Miller didn't make it to the hospital in time. The nurse delivered her in a matter of seconds. Now I have this precious little girl. I'm still in shock! She weighed 7lbs. 10oz. and measured 20 inches long.

The naive patient...

Total bliss!

Dr. Miller after the fact...

I was really missing Walker at this point...

But he soon arrived. He loves his new sister!

Walker's 3rd Birthday

2009-10-11T17:16:00.006-05:00

My baby is three! Even though he woke up with a cold, he had a great day. All the family came over to eat lunch and have some yummy cake. Walker opened Daddy Ralph and Nanny's gift as soon as they walked through the door. By the looks of the pictures below, I'm sure you can guess what it was... hint... he's wearing it! That's right! I now have a full time Spiderman in the house. He's wearing it as I type. Big thanks to my mom for coming over Thursday to help me clean house and get ready for the party. We were so tired once Saturday afternoon came and everyone was gone. I looked at Walker and told him, "Now it's time to have a baby." That's the next thing on my list... until then, have a great week!

His invitations

Opening some gifts...

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

The cake before Walker started eating all the curly ribbons and dots...

Walker's party at school...

Baby Update

2009-10-06T11:11:00.003-05:00

So you don't think I've fallen off the earth, let me give you a quick update... I have not had the baby yet. I've just been extremely busy trying to get everything on my To Do list taken care of before she does finally get here. I am so happy to say the new room was finished yesterday which means the nursery is about to get underway. Mom is coming up this week end to help get it all together. I'll post a pic of it soon.
I went to the doctor yesterday and begged the doctor to have an induction on the 19th. She agreed (which was a surprise) but I have to be dilated to 2cm by then. So far, nothing, no progress. I have two weeks to get there or my plans are up in smoke. As Dr. Miller said... Pray for 2!
Thanks to all the prayers and concerns on Facebook. Sorry I am an awful Facebooker. I maybe get on the computer once a week, if lucky. I promise I will keep everyone posted and I might even announce her arrival while in the hospital... so keep checking.

Love you all!

Bunko Night

2009-09-19T18:36:00.003-05:00

We finally had our first Bunko night. It was sooo much fun. I can't wait till next month. Hopefully I'll get to participate. I have something a little more important happening...lol. If you are like I was and clueless about what Bunko is... it's a fun game of luck, using dice. Twelve people have to play and a different member hosts the game at their house each month. It's really nice to get to hang out with eleven other girls from my church, mostly other mothers, whom enjoy the night away as much as I.

War Eagle!!!

2009-09-05T09:43:00.004-05:00

Yea! It's finally college football time! I've been waiting since Christmas to get Aubie outside and out of the house. So, here he his... War Eagle! Now let's see what they can do this year. I'm sooooo excited!

Pep Rally

2009-08-27T19:20:00.007-05:00

I took Walker to his first pep rally Thursday. He loved seeing all the big football players, cheerleaders, and band.

He decided he wanted to take some pictures himself and he did a great job!

Picture #1

Picture #2... He saw a balloon floating in the sky. I told him to take a picture of it.. Can you see it? I was impressed that he also got the flag in the picture.

Go Golden Eagles! (I feel strange saying that... I'm still a Wildcat at heart)

4D Ultrasound Part II

2009-08-20T13:57:00.005-05:00

So I got my other try at seeing Mary Ella in 4D. I guess I'm glad I did it so now I know what it's like, but I would never do it again. It's not worth it. You have to really be looking at these pictures with an abstract mind. So, let me explain... her face (profile) is in the top left corner of the picture. You can sort of make out her forehead and nose. As the pictures continue, you can see her bringing her hand up until finally, bam! right in the eye. It was kinda neat to see it happening. Only 2 months away till we get to meet her! I can't wait!!!

First Day of Preschool

2009-08-10T19:08:00.003-05:00

Day 1 complete... now let's see what tomorrow holds since he knows what to expect. I was shocked to get my forever planned first day of preschool pic after the ordeal of getting clothed and ready. It's just going to have to be that everyday Walker will enter school with a rooster-like hairdo. I did wet it down, but with no success. Also, I went to buy him a new pair of New Balances to replace last year's small and dirty ones he's wearing in the pic but he will not put them on his feet. Maybe he'll get tired of us cramming his feet in them.
After saying goodbye to daddy he graciously went to the front steps to entertain my request. He did such a good job. Next, it was on to the unbelievably short but sweet car ride. He is absolutely at his purest and sweetest during our morning rides together. That little booger remembered when we started getting about a block away from the church because he started whimpering "Let's go home mommy." He cried a little as I passed him off to his teacher but nothing too bad. I knew he would be fine.
When I picked him up, he was so excited to tell me all about it. So, overall I think it was a success. The best part for me... daily naps and Hallelujah! we are back on schedule!!!!

Will Haney Benefit Concert

2009-08-08T21:48:00.006-05:00

Today Zac and I went to the Limestone Rodeo Arena to help support the Will Haney Fund. Will and Emily are currently in Houston for a round of treatments but it was nice to hang out with all the tons of friends and family. This amazing event was put together by Lacy Beth Newton. She has done so much to help raise money. There were several bands playing through out the day, great food, and the silent auction... Zac's entertainment for the day. The tables were filled with a lot of nice things like UA/ UT tickets, Eli Manning signed football (went for $800), awesome AU prints, spa packages, beach trips...etc. Zac spent the day bidding on a signed Pat Dye print and won! I bid on a cute diaper bag, and got it as well. It was fun! I can't wait to see the total amount of money raised just from this event alone. It was so successful.

Staying close to the auction table...

One of the bands we watched while cooling off in the shade...

Pat Dye and Bear Bryant bird hunting... Zac is very happy!

And my diaper bag... it matches the nursery so I thought why not...

4-D Ultrasound

2009-08-06T14:44:00.004-05:00

I went for my 4D ultrasound this week in hopes of getting a glimpse of what baby Mary Ella will look like. Unfortunately, she had other plans. She gave us plenty of feet and hand shots. I'm so happy Dr. Miller said during my next visit we could take another look to see if we can get her face. She got a pretty clear face shot in the regular ultrasound but when she switched it over to 4D you couldn't see her face at all. To get a clear shot, the part you are looking for must be in a fluid pocket. We did see the back of her head. LOL! Strange thing is... this black and white face picture looks a lot like what Walker looked like as a newborn.

Fayetteville, TN. Day Trip

2009-08-01T14:31:00.013-05:00

Project Nursery: It took me a while, but I now see the finished project... a pink and ivory Toile nursery with white furniture and a touch of turquoise accents. Walker is at my mom's for the week end so I thought this would be the perfect time to get started. Zac and I went up to Fayetteville so I could get my fabric from Sirs. I am so glad we went there b/c they have awesome prices! My mother is a master seamstress so she will be making the curtains, bumper pad, bed skirt, and pillows. She made Walker's nursery and big boy room curtains and such so I know how wonderful things will turn out. The room was inspired by a nursery I saw in Pottery Barn. I can't wait to get started on putting it all together. We are about to undergo construction of adding a new room which will end up being the new office. Our current office is the room the nursery will have to be in, so I have to wait for that first. I know I only have about 2 months left before baby girl gets here, but heck... when I was this pregnant with Walker we sold our house in Auburn, bought a house and moved all our stuff to Athens, I interviewed with the Athens School System (got hired, thank God), moved all my classroom stuff to a new school, and setup a house and nursery all in time for Walker's arrival. Everything will be fine. I just can't wait to be sitting in our settled house holding her and Walker knowing everything is just as I pictured my life at 31 years old... crazy but wonderful. LOL!

Here are a few on my first finds for the nursery...

Toile fabric with the stripe fabric for accents...

I found this bowl at The Ivy Wreath on Fayetteville's square.

When we got back to the Athens Square, I stopped off at Belles and Beaus to get this perfect white wood spindle crib. I want to use old furniture in the nursery so this was a perfect find. All it needs is a paint touch up. The best part... I got it for $29!!!!

What's Cancer To A Giant?

2009-07-27T08:17:00.015-05:00

God is great! He has answered many prayers to help Will Haney with his fight against cancer. Earlier this year he was diagnosed with a rare cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. The news wasn't good so he and his family luckily made their way to M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX. Along with the help of these wonderful doctors, a whole town of people praying, and above all an amazing God, Will was able to come home for a week to visit and take a break from the chemo. He and Emily were surprised at the airport Friday night by all their friends and family as they walked through the gate. I can't even express the emotions that were flying all around. It was a very special moment that I'll never forget.

There was plenty of reason for cheer and congratulations... Before the hard core 6 week period of chemo and treatments, Will and Emily was told by the doctors that if all the "Hot spots" were not changed, there wouldn't be anything else they could do for him. This was a blow seeing it was coming from the mouths of some of the best doctors in the world! But thankfully, with all the prayers and treatments, the 6 week scan was done and PRAISE THE LORD, the spots had shrunk to half their size!!!!

Now Will and Emily will go back to Houston for another 6 week period of treatments before another scan is done. Of course the prayers needed in this time will be important and most definitely needed by all. Please pray that God will rid this terrible disease from his body and help him to get his normal, healthy life back. For all those who knows Will know he is the picture of health. Zac was thinking back of some stories as they grew up... "One of my fondest memories," he says, "of the Iron Man is when we would go to McDonald's as kids. I would order a cheeseburger, fries, coke... and he would order the healthiest thing he could find on the menu and a water. That was Will then and that is Will now."

It's really hard to understand how someone so healthy can end up in this terrible situation. But since the good news from this last week, it's easy to understand why the cancer has shrunk to half its size. It's healthy Will! He can do this. So please keep up your prayers and I will keep you posted on his progress.

Keep updated with the latest on the WillPower website...

http://gotwillpower.net/

We all love you Will and Emily!

Will and Jen's Wedding

2009-07-21T22:58:00.005-05:00

Will and Jen had a lovely wedding at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. Walker had so much fun with his cousins. I was so happy to see the Gardens still had the Big Bug collection displayed.

Walker and Will

Walker and Peyton

Walker and Kyle with the BIG ANT

PaPa and Granny with all the kids...

I never can get one with them all looking at the camera. Maybe Brandy did.

Walker was checking out the fish and suddenly thought he should have his picture taken. This was all him. He was into saying "cheese" which shows he was having a good time.

Everyone walking to the wedding site in the gardens...

Someone at the gardens was thinking...

Jen walking in with her dad...

Will and Jen arriving at the Phoenix Bistro. Beautiful!

Hit of the night for the kids (and their parents), the entertainment table! Jen's mom had a table set up for the kids to draw and color and a table set up for dinner. They would take a few bites at their dinner table and then go draw for a couple of minutes at the other table. They had a blast.

Goodbye to the Protector

2009-07-14T12:18:00.003-05:00

Hank

Our sweet Hank is with us no more. He was the protector of the sheep, William's buddy, Walker's playmate, and family friend. Unfortunately his amazing ability to escape the field for a midnight stroll would end his time with us. It was just two days before this tragic event that Zac and Walker were in the field with Hank mending the fence where he recently climbed over, rather than under. He was a very large dog, almost polar bearish looking, so we found this odd. But he was a determined dog and a good one at that. We will miss him very much!

McFarland Park- July 4th & Thomas the Train- July 7th

2009-07-07T17:53:00.002-05:00

This 4th of July we decided to go over to Florence to watch their fireworks show at McFarland Park. We thought we'd make a week end out of it and get a hotel room. HA! Boy did we wait till the last minute to make that decision (literally Friday morning). All the good hotels were booked solid so we made the decision to stay in the Jamison Inn (it was the only one we would even consider that had a room left) but later found out we would have to put it on our "not to be considered" list. Anyway while there we went for a quick dip in the pool. Zac began to chuckle as he read the pool rules aloud...

Please read rule # 7

This was especially funny to me since I found two long hairs in our supposed to be clean bath tub! Gross! I noticed Walker's feet were black after a quick run through the room. I was very upset at this point and made him stay on the bed the whole week end. If not, I was cleaning feet constantly. Zac thought I was going overboard on that until he looked at his feet after putting together a stroller (we left ours at home so we had to fly over to Target to buy one). They were BLACK!!! HA! He went straight to the front desk and showed them his feet. We probably laughed a good 30 minutes from that. He said, "Man, I'm not complaining, but in the time it took me to put together a stroller, this is how black my feet got. Ya'll need to clean the floors." The man's face was so red and he apologized. LOL!

We spent the whole day at the park. There were several things to do, like look at old cars...

After toting Walker around in the blazing sun, that's when we decided to go to the nasty hotel, let Walker take a nap, and get a stroller!

Finally, after waiting all day, the fireworks lasted, hmm, a measly 10 minutes, maybe.

But Walker LOVED them! He watched and smiled as each one burst in the night sky.

We had a good time, but have decided next year we will move on to Guntersville to see that fireworks display. Who knows... maybe I can talk Zac in to going somewhere new every year, even to see Macy's fireworks. HA! Yea right.

And finally... Thomas the Train! We went to the Von Braun to see the show and Walker loved it. Here are a few of the pictures from the show. I thought I shouldn't bore you with all the ones I took. Enjoy!

Father's Day, Beach & Zoo

2009-06-30T15:11:00.009-05:00

This past week has been a whirl wind of events. Last Saturday we had over our dads for dinner. The next day, Father's Day, we had a full day of church and packing.

This year Walker did not like the sand. We stayed at the beach maybe a total of 30 minutes the whole week. These two pictures were from the first day. After that, it was all pool all the time! Walker loves to swim in a pool!

Walker had to have his "gobbles" on all the time, even to watch X-Men, but didn't know how to use them. He never would put his eyes down in the water. We tried to explain but forget reasoning with the unreasonable.

Walker wanted to stay on the balcony most of the time to look at the beach.

I forgot my tripod, so we took turns taking pictures with Walker.

The scorching hot Birmingham Zoo is not a place for pregnant women... but I thought it would be fun to take Walker as we came back from the beach. We went to stay with Uncle Blake in B'ham to visit and go to the zoo so Walker and Beka's niece Virginia Kate could meet. They are one month apart in age. It was so funny watching them together. They were precious.

Walker and Virginia Kate

We disguised our anger very well in this pic... We were burning up and ill as pills. Walker had just finished a major temper tantrum, but we survived. LOL!

The kids enjoyed the water area at the zoo. The problem was... we went there before we saw all the animals and they didn't want to leave it. Walker made a scene which led to us leaving early...no big African animals. LOL!

We did get to go to the petting zoo, which the kids loved.

Here was the funny train ride, if you can tell what I mean. That's Beka, her sister Kristan, Blake, and Zac. Oh, I had to change Walker's poopy diaper on the train as well. People probably thought I was crazy.

We did see one big animal.. Here's Uncle Blake and Walker in front of "Tina." We watched Napoleon Dynamite that night. Thanks Beka. It was Hilarious!

This was so sweet. The monkey kept putting his hand up to the glass to touch their hands.

And then we went home!!!! We had a great time. It took us a day to lay around and relax. I'm glad we had a fun last family vacation with Walker before the baby comes.

Life With A Superhero

2009-06-15T13:22:00.008-05:00

How my life has changed in three short years. These days consist of trying to potty train and entertain a superhero. If we are not watching Batman, we are running around the house pretending to be Batman. All it takes is a baby towel. He has yet to take a bath without yelling, "Where is my Batman!" Will we ever retire these towels? LOL!

As I said before, we are doing everything we can to get him out of diapers. This chart is a fun and good idea but don't let the "2 week" period fool you. We have been placing stickers on this chart for a couple of months, I think. Since I've been out for summer break, We've been adding a lot more stickers in a shorter period of time, and I definitely see progress. After he puts a sticker on the chart, he gets to get a piece of candy (sugar free, but he doesn't know that... HA) out of his treat jar.

Cheesy...but it makes Batman happy!

After VBS one day, Walker and his cousins went swimming. Don't let all the floatation devices kid you. LOL! He was hilarious jumping in that pool with those flippers on. I can't wait to go to the beach next week to do a lot of swimming with him.

I was planning on taking pictures at his first dentist visit but this was all I could get... pictures of him playing in their indoor playground. Once we went back, Walker had the death grip on me and that was that. No pictures.

It's 100% Girl!

2009-06-11T08:38:00.003-05:00

I had my ultrasound again this week and thankfully, it is what we thought it was... a healthy girl. She gave us a perfect peek this time. Wow! Cute dresses, bows, and shoes, here I come!!! Walker definitely knows there is a baby in mommy's belly and often gives her a kiss. I've watched a few episodes of A Baby Story on TLC so he has seen a few births LOL. Based on several of my friends advise I need to get him ready as much as possible. I talk about her all the time like she is already a part of our family so maybe I can lessen the shock for him. No matter how hard I prepare him I feel he will still be a little jealous. He only wants his mommy when it's time to be comforted.
Today I am taking Walker to his first dentist appointment. It's a wonderful pediatric dentist and I've heard it's like Disney World. LOL. I am going to try to take some pictures while there but we'll see. I think I'm more nervous for his appointment than I've ever been for one of mine.

A little potty training update: My plans were to have him trained and out of diapers by the end of my summer break. So far, we are making some head way but I feel like we need to do better if I'm going to accomplish this goal. We have a sticker chart and a treat jar for rewards. Honestly, it's not that important to him. Sometimes if he wants a piece of candy he'll drop his pants and run into his bathroom to sit on the potty. Then I hear, "Mommy, I need a treat!" So that shows you he understands the process, but why doesn't he want to do it everytime? Any ideas out there? I'm open to anything. In my next post, I'll try to add pictures.

Society Is Beginning to Make Me Sick!

2009-05-18T09:55:00.007-05:00

I mostly post about Walker and life's activities, but today I feel the need to get some things off my chest. Being a Christian and a conservative I have many issues with the new administration. Everyday as I watch the news it seems something new is being passed or reversed from the Bush administration... like abortion or same sex marriage. Being a teacher, I was angered driving to school one day as I heard an announcement from President Obama. He wants teachers to raise their standards in order to decrease the drop out rate. Uh, Hello! What about calling on all parents to do their part and give a crap about their kids education. Or maybe raise the drop out age to 18 so they don't have a choice to drop out till they can make the choice of going to war. I've been in polar opposite school systems where parents do nothing but care verses the system where they don't know what's going on in their kids school and honestly, could not care less. To some, school is simply a babysitting service. This leads me to my next complaint about society...hand outs! I'm not saying this is due to the current president. It is most definitely a problem that started as far back as the FDR administration. What I can't understand is democrats are happy to give their hard working money to support those that do NOTHING! It's become a lifestyle to many and I think that is absurd. When a republican administration works to help the people keep more of their money, there becomes arguments over it. We need change, they said. Well, we've got it. Get ready to give away more of your hard earned paycheck. They predict in 2011 small businesses are going to be hit hard with higher taxes and no tax credits for things like charitable contributions. Since we own a business and we are already paying so much in taxes, we are very scared. Back to the hand outs. Unless you work in a school or some other similar public domain, you can not begin to understand the level of hand outs expected by some people. Since the school I teach at has a high percentage of "free-reduced" lunch students I see more of the bad part of society than I want. Let me just give you a list of cases where my jaw has hit the floor in shock, then anger...

1. Field Day- All students must pay x amount of money for a ticket/armband to participate in the many activities. (very reasonably priced may I add) There is a large amount of kids that show up at field day, having not paid, and expect a free ticket... in which they get!

2. One of our "free-reduced" kids asked in lunch last week, "Why do some people pay for their lunch when they can get it for free?" Need I say more?

3. Our school has a store where the kids can buy snacks and during lunch, extras. All kids bring tons of money for these extra items but never have money for things like Field Day, t-shirts, field trips, Graduation...etc. I'm telling you the "give it to me free" mentality is already so far ingrained into this generation that it is scary!

4. A parent made a comment the other day about how her child should not be failed because of No Child Left Behind. Apparently she doesn't know what that's all about.

5. Some parents need to wake up when three teachers, plus a principal, are recommending retention, but the parent still wants to pass them and I quote "get her some disability and special education."

6. We need to rethink opting for free lunches when we can cruise around in nice Cadillacs.

I know all of this just sounded awful of me to say, but like I said, it has been accumulating over time. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of good people. I know there is people who need help and services, but let's stop taking all the hard working people out there for a ride. I just wish there were more people who wanted to do the right thing.

It's A Girl... We Think

2009-05-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

Long story short we went in at 17 weeks, which is a little early. We did the ultrasound anyways and between Dr. Miller and myself, it's a girl. If you ask Zac, it's a boy. Really I think he was just in denial. We got a perfect under view of her bottom and legs. Luckily she opened her crossed legs a few times just enough to make Dr. Miller say she thought it was a girl. I go back in a month for another ultrasound to be sure. I really think it's a girl as well. I think Zac was seeing bones inside the bottom instead of protruding objects between the legs.
However it turns out, we are thrilled and excited. But I know it's a girl! LOL! Zac is terrified to raise a girl. Who knows what her name will be. Everybody has taken all the names I have ever wanted to name a girl so there very well may be some repeats.

Less Than a Week Away!! Yea!

2009-05-06T08:24:00.002-05:00

To answer alot of you wanting to know if I know the sex yet... I find out the 12th, next Tuesday. We can't wait to know if we'll be the sport going parents of two boys or the house divided of a boy and a girl. The butterflies are starting to swirl. I will most definitely post the news Tuesday.

Swine Flu

2009-05-01T10:08:00.005-05:00

First the thought of lead poisoning from China made products made me really second guess everything Walker touched. Now here comes the wonderful and comforting news that any public place could be hazardous to your health. Well, since I work in a public school I have to say it is a little scary. Especially since a large population of my students are Mexican. I'm not racial profiling or anything, but come on... they have family members, including the kids, that go back and forth to Mexico all the time. Not to mention, the county and school system next door found two cases there so they shut down school for seven days. Oh, and ten probable cases there as well. No reason to panic at this point. But as soon as they say it is in Athens, don't think I will not shut Walker and my pregnant self up in our house.
The school I teach at has been given orders to do the following precautionary steps...

everyone that enters the building is squirted with hand sanitizer
no more using the water fountains
no more self service in the lunchroom
can not use napkin dispensers
all doors must be left open
all computers and headphones are sprayed with Lysol after every use
buses are cleaned after morning and afternoon rides
no more hugs

To alot of people in the school, this is excessive and showing panic before there needs to be. I don't know. I try to look at it as this is how it should be anyways. I'm a germ phob!!!! Anyone who knows me knows I don't like to touch anything a kid has touched. That may sound bad since I'm supposed to be a loving teacher...HA!...But if you have seen as many noses picked as I have, you would feel the same way.

I leave you with this thought... Don't let your kid do this! For the record, I don't know this kid, I just thought it was funny.

Enjoying the Sunshine

2009-04-28T08:37:00.009-05:00

Thanks to weather make-up days, I was off Friday and Monday. I love four day weekends!! Walker and I spent one of those days "park hopping." We went to the duck park and the dugout. Walker loves both playgrounds. Here's some of my favorite pics from the week end...

The tricycle has always been chosen first over the big boy bike until this weekend. He has mastered peddling!! Yea!

Here's his fast peddling, serious face!

Easter Day

2009-04-14T11:26:00.007-05:00

Saturday I met mom in Huntsville for a little shopping. I was shocked to learn the fear of people dressed in animal costumes is over! He couldn't get in the Easter Bunny's lap fast enough. I was surprised, but so happy to get a sweet picture. He did such a good job. He cried his eyes out because he didn't want to leave him.

We went to G-Daddy & MiMi's again this year for lunch and egg hunting. The crew has grown. I took a few pictures but this was the best I could do. It's near impossible to get a picture with everyone looking and smiling. HA!

And they're off...

At this point, Walker is still in the game...

Slowly losing interest...
It's over! He found candy!

While others are still hunting, Walker climbs a tree...

Church Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-08T10:18:00.004-05:00

It was a beautiful day to have an Easter egg hunt. It was at Miss Melissa's house. She was Walker's cradle roll teacher. He loves her. They hid 800 eggs. There was a piece of candy in each egg. Walker loved that part... I didn't. He ran all over that yard looking for eggs and would get soooo excited when he would find one. "Look mommy, I found one!" His basket was filled to the top and I can't count the times that basket toppled over. There would go the eggs, rolling down the hill. I included a picture of him shoe cleaning. We had to stop for a few of those to get the dirt and rocks out. This will probably be his only hunt for the year. It is supposed to rain Sunday. I really hope it doesn't. He gets so much joy out of finding those plastic eggs.

Updates Finally!

2009-03-06T09:58:00.013-06:00

Plenty things have happened since the last time I blogged. For starters... It snowed!!! Of course Walker loved it. So much so, we couldn't get him to come in. He insisted on a snowman. Funny thing was we couldn't get the snow to form a ball. He had to settle with a "snow hump." Since we don't have any trees (yet) creativity had to take over. Zac went into the garage and found two Gatorade tops, a marking flag, and a weed eater string.

Hank and Walker

Zac trying to make the snowman... HA!

Some of the animals...

To start spring break off, Zac and I went to Nashville to see Brad Pasley! It was awesome!!! Thanks Brandy and Chad for giving us the tickets. Dierks Bentley was also there and let me say... Wow! He is hot! He's my new favorite. Here's a couple of pics from the night.

I was mad when I got home and realized this was the best picture I had of Dierks. My camera kept doing strange things through out the concert.

Here We Go Again...

2009-02-26T13:17:00.005-06:00

I can't believe it, but we are pregnant! Even though I knew I wanted another baby, I wasn't planning on it right now. Sometimes God has other plans for us. I accept it and am happy. Walker will be exactly 3 when the baby comes. I have a feeling it will fall very close to his birthday.
It's funny how much you do to plan for a baby and when you suddenly find out you're going to have one, your mind goes crazy thinking of all the things you haven't done. The list goes on and on but I will not let it stress me out!
So, there it is... pray everything goes well and most importantly for a healthy baby (girl, hee hee!).

The Disney Diva's

2009-02-12T12:30:00.007-06:00

Jenna, my niece, had her 5th birthday party. She had a fashion show. The Disney Diva's (Jenna, Katelyn, Jillian, and Makenzie) had on their Cheetah Girls inspired shirts. So cute! Aunt Brandy had the girls behind the scene getting make-up and hair down while the family filled in. All the other kids were given little cameras to make it flashy. Again, so cute! Those little girls were working that run way. Here are a few pics from the event... Enjoy.

Decorations...

The body guards...

The birthday girl... Jenna
Jillian...

Katelyn...

The dance show...

Walker watching from afar wondering what those silly girls were doing...

More dancing...

Pinata time! Lee is tall enough, why hang it?

The girls and Peyton...

Blowing out the candles...

2 Year Old's Make Christmas FUN!

2009-01-13T14:14:00.014-06:00

I'm trying to hurry and share my Christmas pics so I can finally be done with Christmas. I'll try to change the background soon. I know you're getting tired of looking at wreaths. Hee Hee!

Christmas started off at my house the week end before. I had my mom's side of the family over for food, fellowship, and the ever fun ornament swap. Every year there is a funny, ugly, and favorite ornament. I ended up getting the ugly one (plastic Hawaiian flower with a clip on it???) and Walker got a cool one, a John Deer hat and tractor. He thought he should wear the hat, not hang it on the tree. We do the "Dirty Santa" thing and Walker took the John Deer ornaments from Uncle Russell. It was funny.

My brother Blake and his girlfriend Beka.

Next... Christmas Eve night. We went over to Paw Paw and Granny's house for gift swapping. From there we went to G-daddy and Mi Mi's but I don't have pics from that one.

Finally... Christmas morning and afternoon...
Walker loved his Santa gifts. He gave him some gloves and a hat,harmonica (his favorite)...
other random things to be found lying around our house...
Christmas afternoon...
The fam- my dad and brother, Blake...

my mom... Uncle Blake and Walker...
Walker and Nana with the art desk she got him... He loves it! He draws me pictures all the time.
Granddaddy got him several toys. Here's one of them... the loud blower! HA! But doesn't he look sweet?
Here we go. Another pile of toys he received that day. Notice the Aubie in the background! I love it. Mom got it for me to put in the yard gamedays. Maybe next season I'll be proud to put it in the yard. HA! Thanks Callie, the artist! You are awesome!

We truly had a blessed Christmas and thanks to everyone for all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts. Though we've decided, next year NO TOYS! Just kidding... maybe a couple.

Recent "Random" Events

2008-12-09T17:40:00.007-06:00

Alright. Let me catch you up. I finally am posting pics from back when I put up the Christmas tree. Maybe one day I'll spice it up a little more, but for now, that will do. Walker loves it anyways. I aim to please him. Mission accomplished!

I told Walker I needed a guinea pig to try out the new camera. So, he ran around the house as fast as he could. We laughed so hard.

And here he is with Santa and the Mrs. They read the kids their story and let them sit for pictures. This was at our church's Christmas party for the kids.

He is pointing to Santa and telling me and Zac whose lap he was sitting in. It was so cute. This is the first time he has wanted to sit in Santa's lap.

In class... throwing snow balls.

This is the front of our barn. I was determined to put a wreath somewhere outside this year. Now the animals can feel festive too!

We revamped Walker's room into a toddler/ big boy room.

My cousin Callie created these awesome canvas paintings for Walker's room. She had some in her son's room and I fell in love with them.

This is what we did during the Iron Bowl. Exciting!

Call me crazy!

2008-11-29T13:49:00.007-06:00

I did it. I went shopping on Black Friday among the other thousands of crazy people. I will NEVER do it again as long as I live. I like to try everything at least once. I guess I love learning life's lessons. HA! I did get a huge chunk of my shopping over with, but I probably could have done it later that day. I got to Wal Mart at 4:50. I couldn't find a parking place and there wasn't a buggy in sight. I did make it to Staples to get a camera I wanted (on sale). Thanks Santa! So yep... I will be posting pics again soon.
We had a great Thanksgiving at my mom's house. It's nice to spend time with the family. Walker had a blast playing yard football with all the guys. Mom is a Martha Stewart fanatic so she made the dinner as close to MS as possible (crafts, recipes, decoration). Too bad I didn't have my camera at that time. I would love to show some pictures from the day. Maybe I can get my mom and dad to send me some. Stay tuned...

No More Pics for A While...

2008-11-21T23:46:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately I am camera-less as we speak. Walker found his way up on the island and dropped the camera bag on the floor. I didn't think much about it until I went to take his picture at my school's winter festival. The screen has some crazy thing going on. So don't expect any pictures any time soon. This is my luck seeing I was about to get started on Christmas card pictures. Oh well. It was time for a new camera. Maybe Santa will be nice to me. Hint hint Zac.
I am also Walker-less tonight. He is staying with all his cousins over at G-Daddy and MiMi's house. I'm sure he's having a blast. I took this opportunity to put up my Christmas decoration. I just finished and it is 10 till 12:00. I'm tired... but very excited to have a clean, decorated house. This is our first year to have a "fake" tree. I never thought it would happen, but after last year I knew I couldn't deal with a real tree for a while. I bought one last year as soon as they went on sale. It is so pretty and the best part is the lights are already on it. Whoever came up with that idea deserves a big kiss on the cheek! I've been looking at that huge box in our garage for a year. I'm glad to finally get to use it. We'll see how it goes tomorrow when Walker gets home. He's a year older... maybe he won't try to grab the lights and run. And the best part... no more pine needles to vacuum up daily. Whatever happens, I know he will be happy when he sees it. I can't wait to see his sweet little face. I miss him.

Traditions

2008-11-15T10:40:00.003-06:00

I love a good tradition, especially a Christmas tradition. My dad sent us The Elf on the Shelf. If you haven't heard of this let me explain. I'll put the elf out on Thanksgiving night. He will sit and watch Walker for the day. He can not be touched or he will "lose" his powers. Walker can talk to the elf and tell him secrets, like what he wants from Santa. At night while Walker is sleeping, he rushes back to the North Pole to report to Santa to tell if Walker was naughty or nice. The next morning the elf will reappear in a new place. Walker has to run around the house and find the elf's new place for the day. This happens each morning until Christmas morning. The book that comes along with the elf tells the story. We even have to name the elf. Can't wait to see what kind of crazy name a 2 year old will think of. Probably something like "football player." As of right now, that's the only thing Walker has on the brain.

This is the elf. It has wire arms and legs so we can get really fun and creative with placing the elf through out the house. Doesn't this elf look just like the ones your grandparents had from the 50's? It brings back fun memories from my childhood. I'll keep you posted on what Walker names the elf.

Coming Up For Air...

2008-11-13T14:16:00.004-06:00

I felt like I needed to update you on our newest development...We are now the owners of Esco Turf Management. This explains why I have not been able to add a new post in some time. I now have two full time jobs. As soon as I leave the school, I quickly make my hour round trip to get Walker so I can get home to get on the computer. I have been staying up till 11:30 or 12:00 each night in hopes to get all the invoices and checks entered in the computer. Why am I telling you all of this... ? I guess what I'm trying to say is... Maybe one day I'll get to blog about my sweet baby again. I haven't even had time to take a picture since Halloween.
This business is a prayer answered a hundred times over. I am so happy Greg wanted to sell his company to Zac. And more so, I'm happy we could make it happen. We still need prayers so that we can get through a full year and it stay as successful as it already is. Zac is a pro at turf management. That's what he did while we lived in Auburn. I'm not worried about his ability at all!
I have to admit...I am a little worried about me. What if I slip up and forget to copy something or not sign something or not enter something important in the computer. There are a ton of things I have to remember. With over 300 customers, it gets a little scary handling all those checks and paper work. I will never look at a secretary sitting behind a desk in the same way again.
Hopefully soon I can get some pictures added. Keep praying for us!

Starring "Thomas the Train" in...Trunk- or- Treating '08

2008-10-27T08:07:00.007-05:00

This year's Trunk or Treat at our church was so much fun. Anyone who knows Walker, knows he is obsessed with Thomas the Train. So it was only fitting to get him this costume. He about died when I pulled it out of the bag.

This was the first time Walker actually got to understand the Halloween procedures of trick or treating. Poor thing. We underestimated the amount of candy he would get. His cheap pumpkin bag didn't hold that much at one time and the handle broke. Other kids were dumping their bags to return for a second fill up. Ha! No thanks. You can't imagine the amount of candy we took home. Everyone was desperate to get rid of their gobs of sugary candy.

Walker was in total disbelief that all that candy was going home with him. And sure enough...as soon as we got home, he didn't forget about it and begged for a piece. Maybe I shouldn't use the nice word beg... more like he screamed for it. Is this what I have to look forward to every Halloween? If so, I'm going to have to get clever in my ability to hide the candy.

I had to include a few pics of the decorated trunks.

This is Will. He's one of Walker's friends at church.

Thomas on the move...

Saturday we went to Chick-Fil-A's pumpkin patch. Walker picked out a cute and rather perfect pumpkin. I was proud. But most of all, I was proud of him overcoming his fear of people dressed up as animals. He has always been terrified of furry costumes. Let's not forget his birthday party a few weeks ago...Monkey Cheese! Well, the Chick-Fil-A Cow should win an award. As scary as that thing looks, Walker, for some reason, took to him. He wouldn't leave his side and before you knew it... Walker touched him. He even gave him a hug. WOW!

Thanks Cow!

Girls...Finally!

2008-10-14T11:21:00.005-05:00

Although it was short lived, I finally got to see my girl friends. This week end was in the makings for some time now. Of course it flew by. Even though it went no where near as planned, I still had some good moments to remember. Thanks girls...hope we can do it again soon. I will leave it at that! War Eagle!

Zac spent most of his time trying to sell 4 tickets. Hmm... I wonder why no one wanted to buy Auburn/ Arkansas tickets.

This was one of his desperate moves to get them sold. HA!

Walker's 2nd Birthday Party..."Monkey Cheese"

2008-10-08T08:37:00.007-05:00

Well, we had Walker's second birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese A.K.A. "Monkey Cheese." The plan was to have it at an organized place of business so we would not have to endure the pains of cleaning up. That part was wonderful. I thought we would leave there energized and ready to go, but that's not the case. We felt like we had run a marathon! There were tons of kids and parties there. What else should I had expected? Oh well, it was fun, even though it was a little traumatic and scary for the birthday boy! Walker was terrified of that rat. Party time was near and then...da da da...here came Monkey Cheese ... Walker put a death grip around Nana and me and held on tight throughout the duration of the party. Note to all parents...You might want to hold off on giving your TWO year old a party at a place where he's terrified of the main character. Other than that, Walker was happy to have all his cousins there to chase after. The rat...Monkey Cheese

This picture says it all. Walker was usually hiding behind someone in case the rat came off that stage.

Death grip victim #1- Nana

Cousin Kyle gave Walker a baseball glove. Walker loved it so much and had to put it on that second.

Cousin Cooper helped Walker open his gifts.

Granddaddy gave Walker his first bicycle with training wheels. He jumped right on it and actually took off. Although at home, he's not getting anywhere. He doesn't understand the peddles brake when you go backwards.

We really appreciate all the family coming over to Huntsville to celebrate his birthday. It was a great weekend overall. Uncle Blake came to stay and went to the Fiddler's Convention with us Friday night. I love the Fall season. This weekend we are leaving (on Walker's actual birthday) to go to Auburn. I can't wait!!!! I will be sure to post some pics from that soon.

Happy birthday sweet baby! I love you more than you will ever know. You are my life!

Trail of Tears '08

2008-10-01T11:45:00.002-05:00

We finally made it to the Trail of Tears. I knew it was a must. Walker is in a stage of loving motorcycles. Nana joined us for the day. The long, and very loud, parade of motorcycles lasted about 35 minutes. I think Walker waved at them all! So funny! Enjoy the pictures...

We capped off the fun day with a Chick-Fil-A play date.

Shoulder pads and cheese!

2008-09-16T08:12:00.008-05:00

Like his mother, Walker is a stickler for conformity. Once he gets on somethings, he likes to do it everyday at the same time. As soon as we walk in the door in the afternoon, he insists he must have on his Auburn jersey and shoulder pads. I will always look back to the time when this sweet little boy was running through the house and sliding across the hardwood floors on his knees, saying "hut, hut." Next month he'll be two. I can't believe my baby boy is growing up so quickly. When he becomes a man, it's this very moment in time I know I will think of and how much I wish I could go back in time. I love his face expressions and how he really gets in to trying to tell you something important. I have absolutely no idea what he's trying to say, but I love it! Just yesterday he wanted to watch one of his Bob the Builder DVD's. The cover had a picture of a real dump truck. He cried and screamed "truck!" over and over because he never saw the truck in the actual movie. It became the biggest ordeal and he ended up having to go into "time-out" over it. But looking back... he had no idea why that truck wasn't in the movie. What a cruel world! Hee Hee!

Back to conformity... Walker has to have a quick snack after a few minutes of hard play... he usually wants cheese and juice... then it's off to ride the tricycle.
After his bath at night, he absolutely has to have on his "G-Daddy" shirt. The only problem with this is... he has just started wanting to keep it on the next morning and wear it to NaNa's house. A G-Daddy shirt is a Harley Davidson shirt. Walker has a ton of them because Zac's dad has Harley's and buys the grandkids one everytime he goes on a trip. I was embarrassed the other day when Walker went to Kyle's baseball game with a black shirt that had a pig driving a motorcycle! Yeah, he looked nice.

"Cheese!"

We took Walker to a fair in Huntsville. He loved the petting zoo.

Happy Birthday Kyle, Katelyn, and Travis!

2008-08-26T13:11:00.011-05:00

We had a very busy weekend. Cousin Kyle (7 yrs), cousin Katelyn (3 yrs), and Uncle Travis (the big 40!) all had birthdays to be celebrated. Saturday all started at Jump Zone. Walker would not get on the inflatables because of the movements. So, he had tons of fun running around chasing his cousins.
From there, we took Walker by to see Daddy Ralph and Nanny. He stayed there and played until around 5:30. Keep in mind... NO NAP.
We picked him up and went straight to Travis' party. There, he had a blast. We didn't get home till 8:30p.m. Needless to say... we were exhausted! I've included several pictures from the day. Enjoy!

Katelyn

Walker and Kyle

First piece of cake that day!

Travis (Zac's uncle)... Happy 40th! Awesome party!

Second cake of the day...

Travis with the kids... Walker blew most of the candles out before they were all ready. It was too funny!

Walker was all about the balloons. Travis kept giving him one at a time, and by the end of the night, Tim decided he needed the entire bunch.

I wanted to include this cute picture... Walker likes to walk Calvin

(Daddy Ralph and Nanny's dog).

Walker is wearing Zac's soccer team shirt from when he was around five years old. I love when he wears his shoes too, especially the boots. I've got to get that picture soon.

Walker's Bug...

2008-08-11T15:12:00.008-05:00

I love little boys! I can take Walker outside and he will find anything... worms, bugs, GARBAGE (in parks, not my yard!)! Hee-Hee. This was so funny. The "June Bug" grabbed on and wouldn't let go of him. I thought Walker would scream and freak out but he loved it. He put it on his tricycle and rode it around the driveway. The first time Walker held a bug, he squished it. I didn't want to see what might come out of that big bug! Thankfully he was careful.
He got tired of it and threw it in the yard. Enough of that!

WALKER UPDATE: Walker has completed his first week of daycare. He hates the separation in the early morning but loves the entire day with the other kids. He even goes down for his scheduled nap times. I am so proud of him. His day is very structured. I'll try to keep you updated on the funny moments of NaNa's house.
Still not potty trained, but close!

Beach Trip '08

2008-08-02T22:00:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful time at the beach. There are so many pictures I would love to share, but I will keep it short. If my computer wasn't on dial up I would insert a slide show of all the pictures, except we would be back from next year's beach trip before that would upload.

Walker's constant snacking...

This is the awesome play area for the kids where we stayed. It had tons of water shooting out of the ground. Of course, as you can tell... Walker LOVED it. We spent alot of time there.

Zac and Walker on the dolphin cruise we took on our last night... It was very neat. I wish you guys could see the video we took on this boat. It's so cute. Walker gets so excited when he sees the dolphins jump out of the water.
I didn't get the picture I wanted. He would not sit in the sand no matter how hard I begged. This was right before we left, so I'm sure he was tired of the sand.

Our most memorable moments...

I had to hold Walker at every restaurant so Zac peeled my shrimp for me...thanks Zac.
We could not get in the water, even if we wanted to, thanks to jellyfish. We stayed at the pool most of the time. Walker will be swimming like a fish soon!
We were scared to walk in the sand because everyone around us kept burying the jellyfish in the sand. Yes, a jellyfish land mine.
The first day on the beach was eventful with it being Walker's first time to try to coexist with sand. He had a runny nose so he kept sticking his sandy finger up his nose and rubbing his eyes. He remembered the feeling because the next three days he didn't dare touch his face. Smart Cookie!
Zac tried really hard to make a sandcastle with Walker, but he didn't understand the concept. As soon as the bucket came up, W knocked over the tower.
Walker's Teva'a were a hassle to we got him some Crocs. He was asleep when we bought them. He woke up to new blue shoes on his feet. His face was priceless. And to think of it, he woke up in a great mood!!!!! Maybe I should try that more often. He wanted to sleep in them and swim. Why did I wait so long to get him some?
Walker drove the boat on the dolphin cruise.

When it rains, it pours... Prayers needed!

2008-07-19T00:21:00.007-05:00

We're back from the beach. But before I enter that post I feel I need to ask for a major prayer request. Our families (both my side and Zac's) needs tons of prayers. On my side, I have many aunts and uncles that have had kidney transplants (thank God they are doing great) and one aunt, Aunt Sue, that still needs one. Pray she can get the transplant she needs, which includes a heart. I also have a great aunt, Callie Sue, that has cancer and is not doing so well. My mom's mother, "Granny" will be having a hip replacement July 28th. I pray she has a speedy recover. My sweet mom is staying at her house for 6 weeks to take care of her and Buster, the dog.

It has been super crazy on Zac's side in the past week. We thought his Uncle Chris had two cancerous tumors, but thankfully found out it was an infection. Unfortunately he is in UAB hospital ICU for a couple weeks until they can get him medicated enough to come home. He will have to spend a year getting this under control. We are so thankful to God for answering our prayers that he will be okay. He should come home soon. Please pray for Terri, Zac's aunt and Chris's wife. She found out the same day Chris was going into the ICU that her mother (Zac's grandma) passed away. This has been a difficult time for her and the family. We were greatful to have been passing through Birmingham on the way back from the beach so we could stop in and visit.

As if this is not enough, Maycell Smith (Walker's babysitter, Zac's Great Aunt) was diagnosed with bone cancer the same time Uncle Chris was going through his ordeal. We just found out today it is malignant. I can't begin to express the sadness I feel. She is a Breast Cancer survivor of ten years. Walker absolutely loves Maycell and Ralph. This most likely means Walker will be going to day care. I know one thing... I will always be dedicated to taking Walker to visit Nanny and Daddy Ralph as often as possible. These three have a bond I couldn't bare to break. Of all of this, the thing that makes me the saddest is Walker not getting to spend his days with his buddy, Daddy Ralph.

Wow! What was I thinking? One more major request. Please pray for my friend Roxanne. Her brother was just laid to rest. He was only 23. I know this family is having a tough time.

Okay... so do you see we need some major praying around here? I have no idea what the next few weeks holds. I do know one thing. I believe everything happens for a reason. I believe God knows why these things are happening. We may not understand, but God does and he has a plan for us all. I trust God! Please pray!

Here are some past pictures of Walker with Nanny and Daddy Ralph...

Chris and Terri

Kiddie Carnival & July 4th!

2008-07-12T19:46:00.006-05:00

Hello all! We are heading out in the morning for the beach so I thought I'd better post what pictures I have from my camera. Since last post, we have visited the Kiddie Carnival in Athens. For those of you who don't know what this is... it is carnival type rides for small kids operated by the Lions Club. G-Daddy's (Zac's dad) church rented it out for the kids. He loved it since Kyle, Jenna, and Katelyn were there. He cried on every ride but loved chasing after his cousins.

This 4th of July we went around and visited family. We took Walker to the Athens Firecracker Festival to see the big fireworks. He loved it but wasn't too sure about the big booms. My mother came up that Saturday to visit. We cooked out and had our own little firework show that night.
Zac playing horseshoes with Anna Marie, Braden, and Anna Marie's dad.
Watching the fireworks...

G-Daddy & MiMi had all the kids over that Sunday for a bubble and sprinkler party.

Walker decided he needed eye wear! We enjoy meeting up with Aunt Brandy and the kids to go swimming.

I had to include this one... Walker still isn't potty trained but the sweet little thing keeps trying.

Don't forget to check back in a week or so... there will be beach pictures... my favorite kind!

Let me catch you up...

2008-06-23T21:23:00.003-05:00

Wow! I thought summer would bring more free time to blog and stay current. Boy was I wrong. Walker doesn't want me to leave his side (more like he can't leave my side) or we are on the go. I started this entry over a week ago and was trying to get it posted. As I write, Walker is standing over me yelling. But I will finish! I'm determined.

I wanted to share a few pictures from my camera before we go to the beach. I'm sure I'll have plenty to post from that.

Father's Day Week end Zac and Walker

Walker with his Granddaddy Tully

At Nana's house

After a long week Walker relaxed by painting his bathroom with his crayola painters.

I can't leave out what my little angel did before we left for the weekend... As I was cleaning out the car, he put pennies in my CD player. I could eject all 6 CD's and put them back in, but none will play! So, I have no idea what to do about that.

As if that was not enough, when we got back from the weekend trip Walker chucked my garage door opener into the pool. I had been playing with it trying to get it open and without thinking put it on the chair. I know both instances are my fault. I'm sure it won't be the last!

VBS 08 (Part 2)

2008-06-11T15:40:00.003-05:00

Here are the pictures from last night...

Walker and his Joseph doll.

Learning the color red.

Here is the always impossible yet hilarious group picture of the babies.

Notice Walker's one shoe!

Smooth Criminal... The props from the group picture were just too tempting for Walker.

VBS 08.. Walking in "Son" Light (Part 1)

2008-06-10T15:07:00.007-05:00

Walker started his 2nd VBS last night. Yes, I said last night. Our church has classes for adults as well so we don't start until 7:00. I'm helping out with his class and it has been interesting to say the least. Walker wanted to sit in the back table by himself.

Snack time... an Oreo cookie at 8:15 at night! We were up very late.

Here's the class in the front table Walker didn't want to sit in. See his empty seat?

They are studying Joseph and his coat of many colors. This is great since I've been teaching Walker his colors. Right now everything is "yewow" (yellow). HA!

Stay tuned for more pictures...

Back in Auburn!

2008-05-28T18:40:00.000-05:00

Zac was in a friend's wedding in West Point, GA which meant we got to stay in Auburn. We miss living there. It was nice to go back and visit. Everyone got to see Walker for the first time. That day was pretty crazy. For starters, it felt like it was 400 degrees. I forgot what it felt like to be down there. The humidity is unbelievable. We went to Oakhurst about 2:00 to drop Zac off for pictures. To kill time Walker and I went about 15 miles to Pine Mountain, GA. We were told they had a bunch of cute little shops and a cool ice cream store. I'm not a fan of ice cream but thought it would be fun for Walker. He loves it. So... since we were already dressed for the wedding (which didn't start for another 3 hours) I thought it would be smart to get a milkshake verses an ice cream cone. Turns out I'm not smart at all!!!! Walker took one large sip of it, held it in his mouth, and then SPLAT, spit it out all over me and him. His cute little outfit was covered in chocolate. After the initial shock I noticed it was on my dress, arms, legs, and face. I can't even begin to explain the feeling that shot through my body. I was hot and mad. I pray to God everyday to help me get through the toddler years. Anyone that knows Walker knows he is all boy and very active. He is so sweet but I believe we're heading into the "terrible two's" full speed ahead. So... I gave up the fun mommy and son time and we headed back for Oakhurst. Fortunately I was able to get most of the chocolate out by using a Tide Pen. It did get better as the night went on. Walker loved dancing (with himself) and getting his picture taken by the photographer. The rest of the trip we took Walker around Auburn to see the campus. I wanted pictures to double frame for the future in case he picks Auburn for college. HA! Walker paused dancing for two minutes to take a picture with his daddy.

This is the pic I'll double frame one day...

He loved that tiger!

At the wedding... Can you see the stain?

Mother's Day Week End 'O8

2008-05-13T08:25:00.001-05:00

My sweet Walker made me a card and helped his Nana pick my favorite flower. Unfortunately he has a problem with handing over something he thinks is his... hence the face.
Walker with his Nana.

Walker was so excited to get some baseball practice from Uncle "Bake."

Walker doesn't get to see his Uncle Blake often. He really took to him this time. Wish we could see him more!

Thanks mom (Nana) for all you do. We all appreciate it more than you know. You really do put others before yourself. Sorry we had to leave before Sunday. I hope you had a great and peaceful day. We love you!!!

"W"s First Tractor Ride

2008-05-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

Last night we went out to enjoy the rest of the day. This of course was after the "tornadoes" had come and gone. Here are some pics.
The ducks...

William is the "black sheep" of the herd. We love him. He is our pet sheep so he will never make it to a sheep sale. Thank goodness!
This is a couple of our border collies... Kate and Bootstrap.
And of course, W and Daddy on the tractor. Walker has been on the four wheeler before but not the tractor until last night. He loves it.

I've been so busy with end of the year school stuff that it makes it hard to find time to post. When summer gets here in a couple of weeks, I'll do better.

♪♪ Happy Anniversary Baby... I Got You on My Mind! ♪♪

2008-05-02T08:24:00.000-05:00

Negril, Jamaica May 2, 2000

Wow, time flies. I am so happy to say I have been married to my wonderful husband eight years. Which also make this year our ten year mark for knowing each other.

I'll never forget our trip to Jamaica. It was a seven day fantasy. We had so much fun. I could go on all day about the many stories to tell, so I'll keep it short.

Here are some funny things I remember about that morning...

Me sitting in the spa for an hour getting my hair done up, then going straight to the room and taking it down.
Getting to the beach and noticing that ugly arch was going to be in my wedding pictures (even though I told them I didn't want it).
Being blinded by the sun and squinting in all our pictures.
All the passers-by pausing their morning activities to stop and watch our wedding.
Our Jamaican (pre-selected) best man and bridesmaid had the names Marky Mark and Lisa Lewis... That is their real names. Have the certificate to prove it!
Zac being put on the spot by his best man to get up and give a toast to his new bride.
Running around the resort to take wedding photos with our bare feet scualding on the pavement.
#1 best reason to get married on the beach- Our wedding started at 10:00 am. We were married, had a little awkward reception, pictures were taken, and we were in our bathing suites lying on the beach at 11:00 am.

Hopefully we will make it back to that same location for a future anniversary. Until then, we will happily raise our sweet baby Walker and live the life we started eight years ago.

I love you Zac and Walker... You two boys are my life!

QUEEN OF THE IRIS

2008-04-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

One of many iris beds.

Japaneese Snowball Bush

The yard of Maycell Smith, AKA "Nanny", can not go unmentioned this time of year. I love to walk around her yard in the spring. It is absolutely gorgeous. Over the past year, I have learned that she loves Irises. She not only collects them, she also trades them and hunts for special kinds. I can't begin to name all the different types. I had to show her yard off since in a couple of weeks the color will all be gone. Walker especially loves staying at Nanny and Daddy Ralph's in the spring. He gets to enjoy the outside while they work in the flower beds.

Oh... and they've added a sand box. I need to get a picture of that too. Walker has had tons of fun playing with that but I think the discovery of worms has made it all worth the while. Yes, I said WORMS! This child will play with them all day. He thinks they are funny. Maycell said he puts them in his bucket and totes it around all day. HA!

WALKER UPDATE: I found out some awesome and exciting news yesterday. Walker has been tee-teeing in the potty. Yeah! He even did it for me today. He gets so excited when he does it. Now if we can get him to do that all the time.

Too Early?

2008-04-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

We're trying something new. We've converted Walker's crib into the toddler bed. It's sad but we thought he would like to be able to get out and come to our room, verses screaming waiting for us to come to him. After church Sunday and while Walker was taking his nap, Zac and I got to work. I wish I could have filmed Walker when he walked into his room. It was Christmas morning all over. For the next thirty minutes, he jumped in and out of that bed. This made me think, okay, this might work. See... we are trying to get him to want to stay in his room after he wakes up in the middle of the night. My hopes were stamped out that night when we awoke to the sound of a loud thud! I'll let you figure out what that sound was. Our main idea for transitioning into a toddler bed comes from friends who say they go into the room, crawl into bed and stay until they go back asleep. After a while they get use to staying in their bed. Well, this can't happen when the mattress is "crib size." Maybe it was a bad idea to get a convertible crib. I think we should just go get a twin size toddler bed... at least something Zac and I could fit in! I'll keep you posted on this on going project...

Outside Fun

2008-04-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

I am so thankful to have warmer weather. I would much rather be outside playing than stuck in the house. We just got Walker his first kite and he LOVES it! After Walker and I flew the kite, we went to visit Hank, the sheep dog. Walker thinks Hank is the greatest. I noticed a few duck eggs lying around, which isn't unusual. The dogs usually find them and enjoy a tasty treat. But Hank for some reason became fond of one of the eggs. He would carefully pick it up in his mouth and carry from spot to spot. He would lay next to it and act as if he was protecting it. At this point I took a picture of this somewhat unusual behavior. Don't let this fool you. He later dropped it next to a hay bale, hiked his leg on it, and had himself a tasty treat. ? Anyways... When I use the word "duck" Walker likes to flash me his duck face. Some of you have been blessed to see this cute sight. It is hilarious!

While I love my son more than life itself, I cherish the moments he is with Zac doing guy stuff. I can't believe the time has come for him to do things with his daddy. I've tried very hard to catch all of Walker's "firsts" in pictures. He went out with Zac to plant some trees in the back pasture. Sure he was covered in mud when he came in the house, but it was well worth it. I love watching those two play and do things together. There is something special about a bond between a father and son. There is no doubt in my mind, Walker is going to be an outside kid. Being a teacher I know several kids who simply don't play outside. Why? How can you not want to run, play, and explore as a kid? What's happening to our society? Everything has changed from when I was a kid. That's not that long ago! Was it? All I'm saying is... AMERICA, shove your kids outside and get them off the couch! While you're at it, teach them some manners!

Sorry. I am now off my soap box.

I'm Jumping on the Blogging Boat!

2008-04-06T13:12:00.000-05:00

It's taken me a while to get started, but I feel this will help me keep everyone up to date on what's going on in the Fleming household. Since we are prisoners of "dial up" I don't send out pictures and emails as often as I would like. We are checking out the Verizon Wireless card in hopes that we can ditch the phone line altogether. If anyone out there has one, please let me know what you think of it. Is it faster, does it have a monthly fee, and most importantly, do you like it? We are, for a lack of better words, DESPERATE!