Manda's Munchkins

when Santa came

2011-01-05T16:45:00.001-05:00

This year we celebrated a little differently, started a new “Walker Family tradition”. Santa came early to our house & we LOVED it!!!! The hustle bustle of Christmas morning was much less chaotic, Jenna was able to play with her toys for days before having to go to her dads family's houses in Ohio for a week. It was much more relaxed!!!

First Came the Cookies….

Then Came Santa….

Joshua and Jenna were so very excited this year, we tucked into bed with a “Night Before Christmas” story, Santa pj’s, Reindeer food scattered on the walk and cookies and milk out for Santa… and off to sleep we went…

HE DIDN’T FORGET US!!! SEE, WE WERE GOOD THIS YEAR!!!

Santa brought Jenna a sparkly new kitchen, dishes, pots and pans, a scooter like her big brothers and a cute little grocery bag from Thirty-One ;) Santa knows good style when he sees it!!

He brought Joshua a new motor Razor scooter, a helmet to protect that “not so little” noggin ;), a new Nintendo DSI (blue, of course! – he’s no dummy!!), his new favorite “Kermit the Frog” shirt, lots and lots of games and an awesome Lego Log Cabin!!!!

The DSI. This apparently is a BIG deal. I don’t think I have seen Joshua’s handsome face without the glow off of his new DSI for more than 2 weeks now. He has beaten Super Scribblenauts, twice I’m almost certain.

Bring it on Bubby….

After a Lovely Family Dinner and Naps we open more presents!!!

Merry Christmas from the Walker/Botkins Family!!!

*2010*

Gritt’s Farm

2010-09-28T13:52:00.001-04:00

Tammy and I took the kids to Gritt’s Farm this past Sunday. The trip was perfect! We stopped and had a nice lunch at Bob Evans and headed to “The Farm”.

We’re on our way….

Family Pictures BEFORE we go on the “pumpkin quest”.

It’s aMAZEing

The kids had so much fun picking their very own pumpkins!

They love each other so much!!! <3

Mommy’s little CUTIE PIE!!!!!!!!

Loaded down with our beautiful pumpkins & gourds!

Mama & Mommy decided we had to have some of these lovely mums for $4.99!!!! Cant beat their prices!

It was an awesome trip for everyone. The kids passed out on the way home in the car! Shh…don’t tell anyone…but, Mommy did too!! :)

HAPPY FALL YA’LL!!!!

Disney World 2010!!!

2010-09-13T16:07:00.001-04:00

Disney 2010

We flew down to FL on Sunday, August 31st and spent 6 days touring the parks and playing at the resort. Disney was all that I could have imagined and more. Joshua enjoyed Harry Potter, Sea World and Magic Kingdom the most and Jenna had fun riding any roller coaster that they would allow her to ride! She is my lil dare devil.

Long day on the plane and playing in the pool on the first day! (She has no clue what she’s in for)

Monday we headed to Universal Studios. I think we all could have done without this park, but it was a nice way to ease into our “Disney marathon” as we now like to refer to it as.

After the Park, the kids came home and played in the Jacuzzi!!! I guess they needed a little relaxation. :)

Tuesday we spent a fun filled day at Sea World. We saw Shamu in the show “Believe”and the amazing dolphin show “Blue Horizons”. More than anything else, the kids had the most fun of all playing with & petting the sting rays.

Wednesday was Magic Kingdom!!!

My favorite place of all. Jenna’s face LIT up when she saw Minnie Mouse for the first time at Chef Mickey’s! & Joshua’s when he finally got to hang with Pluto.

Tip: Chef Mickey’s is a MUST DO! This was by far our favorite restaurant. Buffets are a must! Kids are picky, we all know this, and a buffet allows for trial and error! :)

Buzz Lightyear!!

Minnie Mouse’s Gazebo

Another awesome restaurant to visit and see ALL of the Winnie the Pooh characters is The Crystal Palace. The food was awesome and so was the atmosphere.

Winnie the Pooh & Friends

Thursday we headed to Universal, Islands of Adventure! It was crammed packed full awesomness!!!

(Their first glimpse of Harry Potter!)

Harry Potter was, of course, Mom and Joshua’s favorite place in all of Disney & Universal. They went gaga over everything in there. And, I must say, it was VERY nicely done. If I were to imagine being on the set of a HP movie, that is exactly what it would look like. They were very impressed as well.

We had a delicious lunch at the Three Broomsticks (actual HP restaurant , incase you're not a HP fan) Joshua had Pumpkin Juice and a chocolate frog for desert :)

Butter Beer for the Babies

So, I’m well aware that this picture is rather embarrassing. However, it was too funny not to post. Take note in Joshua’s lil scared face... so cute! On the flip side, it was one of the best roller coasters in all of the parks!!

Seuss Landing was AWESOME!!! I could seriously live there!!! I WANNA BE A WHO! (hmm… :/ pondering this option for Halloween... stay tuned for that) Back to Seuss Landing/Whoville…

Horton, is that you???

Do you hear a who??

Friday was a day of rest!!!!!!!! We slept in, played in the pool, and that evening Joshua and I went to see the Cirque Du Soleil - La Nouba

My lil Rock Star!

Tip: Pool Time is a MUST! I highly recommend more of THIS!

What an awesome show this was!!! Neither Joshua nor I had ever seen anything like it!! I can’t wait to see some of the other shows!! (Vegas, here I come!!!)

Saturday was bittersweet. It was the last the last day of walking, but also the last day of our vacation. We visited Hollywood Studios! It was also a park we could have done without….but once again, it was a blessing in disguise. We weren't running around all day on our last day trying to cram everything in. We leisurely visited the places we wanted to visit and headed back to the resort for one last swim and a night of packing.

Off to Hollywood…

Artist Meet & Greet

Little Einsteins

Long but very fun week! We headed back to the Hotel at around 9pm, took a night swim and packed up to head home. Early flight to catch…had to be at the airport (45 min away) at 6:30am!!! Shew. Wouldn’t have traded it for the world!! Had a wonderful time that we’ll never ever forget. Already planning our trip back ;)

*Disney 2010*

8.99 CROCS!

2010-07-30T17:21:00.001-04:00

These comfy flip-flops are now just $8.99 with code.

I just ordered Mom and I a pair for Disney!

1. SHOP HERE
2. Search "Wake"
3. Enter enter code "WAKE899" at checkout to get them for $8.99 (were $29.99)
4. Stack that with code "secondchance" for free shipping.
*Please note that Crocs codes are case-sensitive, and the free shipping discount doesn't appear until the last page in the checkout process.

ENJOY!!!!

I’m a BIG girl now!

2010-07-30T17:07:00.001-04:00

Jenna’s crib was ready to be converted into a toddler bed this weekend. She was VERY excited for her new BIG GIRL bed!! We changed her sheets and took the front of her crib off and replaced it with the new toddler rails. She had a great nights sleep (until 4am – which is longer than I expected her to last).

Jenna helping Mommy change the sheets and take the bumper off of her new big girl bed.

Sleeping like a baby!!

Angi’s 40th Birthday Dinner

2010-07-30T16:52:00.001-04:00

Sydney & Jenna - lil BFF’s

Yes, they’re SUPER CUTE!!! But no, this was NOT planned!! :)

Sydney feeding Jenna lil balls of icing off of the cake!! :)

Happy 40th Birthday Angi!!!

You’re an awesome friend!!!

Whip Cream!!!

2010-07-30T16:30:00.001-04:00

I remember doing this same exact thing as a kid! Aunt Mary is the best at having a good time, no caring if anyone is dirty or fussy or all suggared up….because hey, she gets to send them home with MOM! :)

The Best Birthday

2010-07-19T13:39:00.001-04:00

We all know that July is an AWESOME month. My birthday (shared with Joe Newkirk & Sydney Hyre) is on July 14th…. Jenna’s, July 12th. Sydney’s mom, Angi’s is on July 28th. You get the point…it’s just crammed full of awesomeness :)

This year was an exceptionally good birthday for me! I had a touch of the birthday blues the first part of the week (I think from pure exhaustion). I soon snapped out of it when I woke up to my house fully decorated. Streamers, balloons, the whole shabang! :)

Jenna also celebrated her birthday, along with Sydney & Clarin from school on Wednesday. They had cupcakes and a small party for the birthday girls. :)

Jenna licked her cupcake completely clean. I don’t think she took a single bite of the cake, but there was no icing in site!

Busy day huh?

My birthday was then celebrated with some of my FAVORITE people! My family. We went to Hibachi and had a fun dinner and just enjoyed each others company!

Is it sad that my 2 year old daughter already knows to cover her eyes for the fire even before the chef comes to our table!?! Yeah, she’s a lil over dramatic!

Nana LOVES her babies!!! :)

Oh yeah…let me explain. Joshua was in Charleston Stage Company’s Summer Arts Camp for 2 weeks. He was in a “Stage Makeup” Class and this is typically what he came home looking like. In hindsight, I really wish I had gotten a picture of him EVERYDAY to make a lil collage. :( This was one of his MANY super cute faces from camp this year however. :) He REALLY enjoys camp and is super bummed that this one is over. We’ll be back next year!! He’s my little artist in the making.

I just LOVE this picture!!! How cute is my family!?!?

The picture above was the FIRST shot. Everyone after that kind of looked like this…. hahaha

I couldn't resist posting this one up. Joshua smile is priceless! :)

Happy Birthday to all of the July Babies we know & love!!

Water Ways

2010-07-19T11:49:00.001-04:00

Petra, Joe, Jeff and I took the kiddos to Water Ways last weekend and had a BLAST! The girls had just as much fun as Joshua, I think.

Water + Picnic + Good Friends = GOOD TIMES!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jenna!!!!

2010-07-16T17:27:00.001-04:00

July 12, 2008 this precious baby girl changed my world. She brings our family, joy on a daily basis. Her smile lights my life! I love you Jenna, you will always be my baby girl!!!

---XOXOXOX---

Jenna had a FLOWER party this year. Mommy made dirt cakes and the kids bounced all afternoon in her new Bounce House. It was a lot of fun!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jenna!!!

Dirt Cake, YUMM!!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Dear Jenna…. Happy Birthday to YOU!!!!!!

Presents!

Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful gifts Jenna received! She has had a blast with everything!! :)

The “J-Bug”

Happy Birthday to my BIG 2 year old baby girl.

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

More Pictures from Jenna’s 2nd Birthday Party!

View Full Album

Thank you all for coming and sharing her day with us! :)

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

Jeff and I started celebrating our independence by going out to Outback for a “couples” dinner and to the new Levy to watch TJ King play with his band.

It was a fun, relaxing evening!! :)

Hurricane put on a great 4th of July Party for the kids on July 3rd this year! The slides were a big hit along with the FREE cotton candy, watermelon, ice cream and more! Who doesn't like FREE?!?!

The fireworks were awesome! The kids really enjoyed the show, and as always, I watched the entire thing through the 3” screen on my camera, trying to get the “perfect picture”. haha!!

Jeff, Joshua and I went Marissa & David’s house for a cookout on the 4th of July! We had a great time swimming, playing with magnetix and having a table art contest :)

Happy Independence Day!!!!!!!

BIRTHDAY BOUNCE HOUSE

2010-07-13T12:23:00.001-04:00

For Jenna’s 2nd Birthday Party, I got her a BIG BOUNCE HOUSE. So, in order for her to practice (so that when her friends came over, she was good at bouncing & not scared of it) we sat it up and let her go at it! It seemed as though everyone wanted to join in….

This was a big surprise for Jenna, Jeff had it all set up and ready to go when we got home. We made her close her eyes, turn her head and not look until she got outside. (PS. She had been eating a blue sucker on the way home) hehe.

BOUNCE. BOUNCE. BOUNCE.

Peek-A-Boo!!!

Down the Slide…. It looks like the only one of us with any grace at all is lil Jenna Lea Grace, herself! :)

Wine & Jazz 2010

2010-06-28T11:35:00.004-04:00

Jeff and I had a great time with good friends at the Wine & Jazz Festival on Saturday evening. Kelly is right, the Catfish Sandwiches ROCK, the wine was sweet & so was the company!!

<3>

Sunday we went “birthday party shopping” at Michaels for Jenna’s Birthday Party on July 10th. I can’t wait to make her cupcakes this year!!! I hope the kids enjoy them as much as I will enjoy making them! :)

Oh and just a silly picture I thought I should share…
“Hunny, that's a mighty fine trunk you have!!”

Bounce House!!

2010-06-26T13:51:00.001-04:00

Petra brought Eliza over to play with Jenna on Wednesday. We were eating dinner when I got this great idea to blow up a ball pit that my uncle had given me when Jenna was born. Mind you, I thought it was a small little ball pit with some balls, no big deal… right?!

30 min later, it was finally blown up…covering my entire living room!!! The thing is huge, but the kids had a BLAST! Jenna literally threw herself around, bouncing off of the walls. But hey, that's what it’s for!!!! BOUNCING!!!

As much fun as the girls had with the bounce house, they had even more fun with the air pump that we blew the thing up with!! HAHAHA this is their “Air Blown Look”

BATH TIME!!!!

My prissy lil princess before school the next morning!!

Joshua spent the week with his daddy. They had a lot of fun visiting the Columbus Zoo and Cosi, but we sure did miss him!! He was also VERY surprised to come home to this crazy mess of a living room!

Jenna and Bubby in the Bounce House!!!

<3 They LOVE playing together!!! <3

Weeblos Weekend 2010

2010-06-26T12:17:00.001-04:00

Our little Bears are now Weeblos!!! They had a crossover/flag burning ceremony at the end of the school year (that I forgot to post picture of until now). The boys had a great year but the next two years of Weeblos will be even more hands on and involved. Camping, field trips, volunteering, etc.

Our first Field Trip we took as Weeblos was to the Green Bank Observatory in Pocahontas County, WV.

Checking out the Sun through the telescope!!

Our LOVELY solar system… :)

After the museum, we headed over to the BSA Camp for “Weeblos Weekend”. The boys had an action packed weekend including archery, fishing, swimming, bb guns, and nature hikes….

Making Silver Turtles…YUM!!!

Jess, Daniel, Amanda & Joshua

It POURED the rain Saturday evening, but it sure was worth it to see this beautiful double rainbow pop up across the lake!!!

Anyone who got caught wearing their hat in the dining hall was asked to sing a pretty little song for us all at the end of camp…. Jeff happened to be one of those lucky fellas!!!

I’m a Little Tea Cup, Short and Stout.

Here is My Handle, Here is My Spout…

When I Get All Steamed Up, Hear Me Shout…

TIP ME OVER AND POUR ME OUT!!!

Sun Sun Go Away, Come Again Another Day!

2010-06-24T16:57:00.001-04:00

Mommy had a great idea to go to Danner Meadow Park to let the kids play. I packed the cooler full of drinks, we hopped in the car and headed to Fort Hill. On the way, we picked up Sean, a good friend of Joshua’s and headed to the park! :) When we got there, no one was there….peculiar… NO!!! It’s because everyone else is apparently WAY smarter than I am!!! It was 93 degrees!!! We stayed at the park a whopping 30 minutes! HAHA We still had a good time though :) Sweating or not.

Jenna & Mommy on the Big Slide!

Joshua, Jenna & Jeff

Going down the slide… WEEE

dance Dance

2010-06-23T17:09:00.001-04:00

My children LOVE to dance. And whatever Joshua does, Jenna follows right along. When Joshua plays a game, Jenna plays a game, when Joshua jumps, Jenna jumps… When Joshua BREAK DANCES, Jenna BREAK DANCES!

Now, I need to tell you that this is serious business. You may think that its all fun and games, but when you’re on the floor with “Double J”, game faces are ON! Jenna takes her dancing skills very seriously! One day they may take this show on the road, stay tuned!

PS. Jenna’s super sweet dance attire is curtsey of Joshua and Jeff’s trip to WWE that evening. Jenna HAD TO HAVE leg warmers and a head band to complete her “look”!!!

My Babies are KRUMP!

“Krumping” is a type of street dance popularized in the United States that is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet….

Jenna says, “Bubby, is that all you’ve got?”

Joshua started out with the “Break Dancin’, Roller Blading, Baby Club”. He has progressed into the amazing break-dancer that he is today. Thanks to my new super high tech age progression software, this is the picture of my Joshua, 10 years from now. ..

“JB Shades”

DJ by Day… B-Boy by Night.

Jenna has also been recruited to start mixing their own tracks for further performances…

Oh Deer!!!!

2010-06-23T15:08:00.001-04:00

We had Momma and her twins in our backyard chewing on all of moms flowers last week. They were so precious, we couldn’t bare to stop them! :) We all enjoyed watching them play…

They were watching us just as much as we were watching them! I am really surprised one of the kids didn't scare them away. Or me with the flash of my camera, I suppose. :)

Ohh DEER!!!!

We miss you Nanny/G*Ma!!!

2010-06-23T15:01:00.001-04:00

We had a nice dinner with the Vega Family while Nanny was in. The kids had a blast romping around in the yard of Lola’s.

Best Friends!!!

What girl doesnt like to play dress up??! Jenna is just like her G*Ma, she LOVES the BLING!!! :) They’re two peas in a pod and really had a great time with each other during G*Ma’s stay with us. We REALLY REALLY wish that she never had to leave!!!

We miss you already G*Ma!!

Bluestone 2010

2010-05-25T17:28:00.001-04:00

We had yet another wonderful weekend at Bluestone Camp & Retreat Center this past weekend! It was a little rainy, but we had a lot of good company, and great food to keep us happy :)

It was the “Eco-Stewards” weekend, so mom was RIGHT AT HOME! ;). This means more “eco-beads”…Joshua, Jenna, Jeff and I participated!! Jeff made 2 bracelets and Jenna strung her very own necklace! Yes, my 2 year old sat and strung beads onto a necklace!!! Joshua was Nana’s lil helper and Mommy made 2 really awesome bracelets! (ALMOST as good as Nana’s) We stayed up giggling with the girls (and Jeff) rolling beads and making jewelry. Jeff only got his man card revoked once, besides for simply being there making jewelry! HAHA

Did I mention the food?? Saturday was COMPLETELY organic. They found mostly local farms and shops to provide free range chicken, all organic fruits and vegetables, and whole grain breads. It was delicious! I really do wish we could eat that healthy 24/7!!!

Then we played… we swung, we wrestled in the grass, we took walks, we took naps, we pretended to drink a LOT of tea (with Jenna of course, she loves her tea pot!!!), we played games, we played airplane, we had FUN!!!!!

Ok, at first I felt like a bad mother, but after thinking about it, I didn't see him much… take note that there are no pictures of Joshua. This is because as soon as we got there, he hopped out of the car and disappeared. Never again to be seen. Seriously, he even skipped a few meals. He has a friend, Brett that he runs around with at Bluestone. Brett lives there and is very familiar with the camp, so they just run amuck. They’re always good, and around somewhere but I do think that this is partly because I am no longer “cool”. Ugh. Preteens! (:

smores & More…

2010-05-19T09:46:00.001-04:00

We went camping this past weekend and had a BLAST! Knowing that it was going to RAIN RAIN RAIN on Friday night but be sunny and pretty the rest of the weekend, we decided to brave it! And, that it did! We got to Mountain Lake Campground around 4pm Friday afternoon. Set up the tents just in time for the storm! It started raining at around 6pm. We snuggled up in our tent with a deck of cards when it got REALLY BAD! We were literally holding the poles of the tent to keep it from blowing over!!! Lightening, Thunder, Rain like no other…. all for about 45 minutes. If we had had a little bit of time to think about it, we may have actually been scared! But, just like all turmoil, it passed. We sopped up the water covered floor of our tent, had chicken salad for dinner and started our camping adventure! :)

Trial and error, our Coleman stove did NOT work….our fire DID! :)

“The truth is… I AM IRON MAN!”

Breakfast on our WOLF! :) Eggs, bacon, sausage, english muffins… it was DELICIOUS!!!!

After breakfast, we took a walk down by the lake. Summersville Lake that is. Joshua enjoyed getting dirty a little more than Mommy did. He was out walking in the water, playing in the clay, being a boy. Jeff taught him how to skip rocks, and apparently pose like an explorer. And by the way, Jeff needs to be crowned the “Word’s most awesome rock skipper”!!! He almost made it across the entire lake!!! CRAZY!

Skipping rocks..

G*Ma, this picture is for you… From Joshua.

He found this snake in the cabin and HAD to take a picture to show his G*Ma!! He said, “if G*Ma was here, she would be scared to death!!!”

Corn, sautéed onions, steak and baked potatoes on the fire! I seriously think that was the best steak I have EVER eaten. NO JOKE! My hunny is a master at the camp fire grilling thing. :) I'm thinking about suggesting that all of our meals be prepared outside from now on…. (it will cut down on the dishes too, but don't tell him that part!!!)

We also had a “Campfire Banana Split”. If you have never heard of this….it’s a Banana, split down the middle, (but not all of the way through the peal) stuffed with baby marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Wrap it with aluminum foil and stick it in the fire long enough for the marshmallows and chocolate chips to melt. It is DELICIOUS and FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy, Joshua & Jeff on the playground, being silly!

(insert Titanic Theme Song here)

Joshua has this terribly serious look on his face and said, “Mommy, take my picture.” I said, “Joshua you look like you’re going to poop!” He cracked the BIGGEST smile and I got a great picture! :)

We had a WONDERFUL weekend, rain and all!!! I would do it all a thousand times over! And we really cannot wait until our next camp out in June!!!!

xoxoxoxo

Happy Mother’s Day 2010

2010-05-12T10:02:00.001-04:00

I am so blessed to have such wonderful little people to call my family. They amaze me every time I look into their little eyes. Even Joshua with his smart lil mouth, and Jenna with her wild little temper… they’re special, wonderful, beautiful children & they’re MINE!!!!!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

After Church and Cracker Barrel with Mom, Jeff and the kids, Erin Lewis invited us to spend Mother’s Day afternoon with her family and it was WONDERFUL! We had homemade ice-cream and enjoyed each others company. We had so much fun, thank you for the invite Erin!!!!

He’ll NEVER be too BIG for me to hold!

Joshua and I seem to forget to take pictures together, so this Mother’s Day we decided to do just that!!! :) This one is my FAVORITE!!!! <3 I love him!

The girls showed us how corn hole is played! Who knew this game could be so versatile? Can even be used as a step-stool…

Pretty little lady!

My boys….they LOVE to wrestle and sword fight!!!!

Ms. Madilynn

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!

*2010*

Chief & Master

2010-05-04T16:30:00.001-04:00

….only to each other are they “Chief & Master”. Especially the “Master” part ;) These two have a LOT of fun together. Be it that they both act 10ish or that they're just both fun-loving boys. They’re my boys!

………………………………………………

And did they ever have a blast at the Cabin this weekend… One of them chose to get in the ice cold river and one of them, well….one of them thought he could get in without getting wet. HAHA!!

<3 <3 <3

Governor’s Cup Regatta

2010-05-04T15:20:00.001-04:00

Jeff was working the Governor’s Cup Regatta at The University of Charleston on April 24th, so I decided to take the kids down to play. I wasn’t really expecting there to be water slides for the older kids, so I ended up with one soaked boy and one jealous little girl.

Jenna’s First time in a Jupiter Jump. She wasn’t quite sure what to think about it.

Libby & Jenna

In Bloom

2010-05-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

The tree in our front yard has been in BEAUTIFUL BLOOM the past few weeks. Big, Fluffy, Purple Blooms. Jeff and I shook some blooms out of the tree the other day and let the kids play in them, they had a BLAST!!!!!

Spring Rocks everything but my allergies!

Mom’s Birthday

2010-04-23T12:32:00.001-04:00

Petra and Eliza came over before Mom’s Birthday Dinner to play with Jenna and I. We had some girl time, played outside, got dressed and then went to dinner for Mom’s Birthday at Hibachi.

Jenna & Eliza looking out of my bedroom window.

Jenna was having a “rough” day. She wanted to do EVERYTHING that Eliza did!!! So we decided to take them outside. They had fun playing on the swing set. & Running some energy off before dinner! :)

Our men came and picked us up and took us to Hibachi to meet, Mom, Joshua and some friends.

Michael, Cheryl & Sherri

Jeff & Amanda

Sherri & Alex

Cassie & Joshua

Joe & Petra

Dani & Linzie

Linzie’s first ever piece of sushi! :)

Eating Cake & Ice Cream

Happy Birthday Momma!!!!!

Easter Box from G-ma

2010-04-23T10:34:00.001-04:00

Every year the kids get an Easter Box from their G-ma & G-Pa (who live in South Carolina) This year, Joshua was so excited to open his Easter Box that he didn’t wait for me to get home from work. (So, no pictures of Joshua’s box) He did get oodles of goodies however!!!

Jenna opened her box a few days later, with the help of Mommy and Joshua. She got a pretty pink dress, an Easter Bunny dressed up like a Lady Bug, a purple apron, and some yummy candy.

She LOVES her Easter Bunny/Lady Bug!!!!!

Thank you G-ma!!!!!

WE LOOOVE YOU!!!!

Easter Baskets!

2010-04-23T10:03:00.001-04:00

Both of the kids got a lot of books for Easter this year. Joshua is the best little reader I have ever seen and hopefully Jenna will follow in his “reading” footsteps.

Their Easter Baskets, of course, were hidden this year but, unlike last year, Jenna’s was a little harder to find. Joshua’s, however, was almost impossible. That silly bunny hid it in the bathroom closet!

Jenna’s Easter Basket

Joshua’s Easter Basket

Joshua and his Easter Basket. I think he was a little excited to find money in those eggs! (CHECK THE GOLDEN EGG, JOSHUA!!!)

Jenna, feeding her new bunny rabbit a bottle. He was thirsty!

Happy Easter from the Walker Family!

EASTER 2010

2010-04-14T15:31:00.001-04:00

I have been a busy girl. I did take a lot of great Easter pictures that I wanted to share, just finding the time to do so has been the problem. So, here they are… I hope you enjoy.

Since it was a BEAUTIFUL day, Jenna and I had a little outdoor photo shoot before the festivities began. She was a good sport but the sun was in her lil eyes. I did get a couple of good shots though.

Easter Egg Coloring and Egg Hunt

Thanks to me, it has been our new tradition to color Easter Eggs on Easter day at Mama’s house. And so far, every single year we have had an Easter Egg coloring disaster! This year, I thought we were safe. Jenna was sitting on the opposite side of the table (from the coloring cups) with a WHITE, hardboiled egg. What could happen? Just then, Jenna threw her egg across the table and landed it into the orange coloring cup. Egg Dye went everywhere!!! All over Devon’s brand new Easter shorts, Joshua’s Shirt, etc. Next year, we will be bringing a change of clothes ;)

Jenna wasn’t too fond of Easter Egg Hunting. She would pick an egg up, put it in her basket, take it out and throw it. I don’t think she quite got the concept. That, or she just didn't care!

Joshua and Devon, on the other hand, made a whole new game out of Easter Egg Hunting….we’ll call it Easter Egg Dodge Ball.

The both were so covered in lil red Easter Egg whelps that it looked like they had the Chicken Pox!

Jenna just sat on the porch with Mommy and watched the silly boys play!

*Note that once again our boys are SHIRTLESS! The past two years we have had awesome Easter weather…and Egg Coloring Covered Clothing. (say that 5 times fast) haha!

Couple of Random Easter Day pictures….

Hippity Hoppity Easter’s On Its Way!

2010-04-02T10:27:00.001-04:00

Jenna went to sit on the Easter Bunny’s lap this past weekend. I was very worried that it would turn out like Santa….(Mommy on Santa’s lap beside of Jenna, etc) But, she did WAY better than I ever expected!!! Such a big girl now!

Happy Easter!

Spring BREAK

2010-03-30T11:41:00.001-04:00

This year Joshua’s Birthday fell on Spring Break. I had Jenna all week so decided to take off a couple of days to spend time with them and celebrate Joshua’s 9th Birthday. Even though it was hectic, we had so much fun! Playing outside, inside, napping, cleaning, whatever we did we had fun doing it!

I got a few great pictures of the kids outside playing on the swing set and in the sand…

First, you always have to have a sword fight!

Jenna wanted to swing in the big swing! How sweet is Bubby to play along?

What a Beautiful Day!

Happy 9th Birthday Joshua!!!!

2010-03-29T15:12:00.001-04:00

We decided that we would have what I like to call a “low key” birthday party this year. Which simply means that the MONTHS of planning, making, crafting and baking are cut out…

Joshua was allowed to invite two friends over for the night, bowling the next day then home. Fool proof plan, right? HAHAHA! NO! I was lucky however, that the kids didn’t fight, they played nicely, and even included Jenna in on some of the fun (which was super sweet).

The night started out great, calm, cool and collective…

Joshua invited 2 boys over, notice only one is in the picture above, this is what happened about 20 min after the second friend showed up…

Now mind you, in Joshua’s 9 years of life, nothing I repeat NOTHING has ever gotten broken. Go figure! :)

We all quickly got over this accident and had a great evening. Hey, it adds character. My house now looks LIVED in, as if it needed help!

The boys played in Jenna’s house more than she did!! (only because she couldn't fit with all of them crammed in there) They were sooo embarrassed when they realized that I was taking pictures of them! If only I could show the “girlfriends”, or maybe I’ll save that for junior high/high school :)

They pretended like Jenna was “BABYZILLA”.

The next day, on Joshua’s Birthday Libby Jo, “Coach Kidd” and I took the boys bowling. They had a great time! And apparently I suck worse than I thought. Embarrassing! The kids even beat me! :)

Sean, Joshua & Elishua, ready to bowl!

Joshua and Libby Jo

Happy Birthday Big 9 Year Old!!!!!!

Coach was nice enough to get Joshua not one, not two…but four cans of silly string and a baseball glove!!! This is how it turned out :)

They had a BLAST!!! Thanks Jeff! My sidewalk and yard are still multi colored. Just in time for Easter!!! :)

Jenna’s Bedroom

2010-03-29T11:45:00.001-04:00

It isn’t finished…but its CLOSE! Mom and I rearranged her furniture and all I can say is that I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Playing Peek-A-Boo behind her new curtains.

Bye Bye Ugly Closet Doors!!!!

Her Quilt Shelf is being made, should be here any day! I’m super excited to finish off her room.

The next step is turning her bed into a toddler bed.

HAHAHA That should be fun!

HAPPY BEAUTIFUL ST. PATTY’S DAY!

2010-03-18T15:28:00.001-04:00

We REALLY enjoyed the wonderful weather for our St.Patty’s Day walk last night.

Me and my lil St.Patty’s Babies!

Lazy Granola

2010-03-16T08:55:00.001-04:00

Lazy Granola:

Quantity	Measurement	Ingredient
.5	cup	brown sugar
.5	cup	canola oil
.5	cup	honey
1	teaspoon	cinnamon
2	teaspoons	vanilla
6.5	cups	oats, old fashioned

Directions:

Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil. Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated. Spread oats in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Take out and stir. Return pan to oven. Turn oven off. Allow to sit for several hours. Pull out and when completely cool place in zipper freezer bags. To serve: Pour from bag & ENJOY!

Source: Amysfinerthings.com

Pillow Fight!

2010-03-15T15:05:00.004-04:00

Nana went on vacation last weekend. When she got home, the kids were very excited to see her….and her pillow! They had a “pillow fight” – literally a fight over the pillow. It was so cute! Jenna would sit on Bubby’s back and push his head down. Every time his head popped up she pushed it back down and yelled “DOOWWN!!!!!!!!”.
Get 'em Girl!

Swim Lessons

2010-03-12T17:15:00.001-05:00

Jenna’s Second Swim Lessons were this past Sunday. Nana went with us this time and got a lot of awesome pictures of Jenna jumping in the pool! She’s such a big girl!

Bubby also bought Jenna a swim Barbie to take to the lessons with her (with his very own money) he’s an AWESOME big brother!!!

Nana & Jenna

(it just didn't work in the college hehe)

global celebration

2010-03-12T10:34:00.001-05:00

Anna and I took the kids to the “Global Celebration” at the Clay Center this past weekend. They had a lot of super fun crafts from around the world.

Walk like an Egyptian

Anna and the girls left to see Alice in Wonderland and Joshua’s Gramma came to pick him up to do a lil birthday shopping and also see Alice. Lil J and I stayed and played for a couple more hours, she did NOT want to leave when it was time to go home. We had a LOT of fun!

…what a beautiful day it was!

Mommy’s Make-up

2010-03-12T08:52:00.001-05:00

Jenna got in Mommy’s Make-Up for the first time this past weekend! And Boy Oh Boy did she look pretty!!! :)

She was not a happy girl when I had to take the Eye Shadow away from her. She’s going to be a lil Diva in no time!

snow shoe

2010-03-11T17:49:00.001-05:00

For starters, I am very very behind on my blogging. This past week was very hectic! But, on a happier note here are the pictures from our Snow Shoe trip.

LOTS OF SNOW…..

A LIL BIT OF SKIING….

A LOT OF PAIN….

Yes, Devon and I had a bet that I wouldnt run to the dumpster and back in a foot of snow bare foot! Ugh, regretfully, I did!

Poor lil Dev fell on his very first run down the hill and fractured his leg!! He is fully casted up now and on the road to recovery!

Lots of memories were made and the kids did have a blast in spite of the accident!!! <3

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Thirty-One

2010-03-02T16:36:00.001-05:00

I am very excited to announce that I am now a Thirty-One Consultant. My new products are on their way to me, to share with you! I would be thrilled to start taking booking as soon as you’re ready!

You can check out some of our wonderful products on my new website.

31 Spring/Summer Catalog

31 Kids Catalog

31 Direction (Teen) Catalog

I can’t wait to host a Thirty-One Party for you and your friends!

splish splash at swim class

2010-02-25T15:46:00.002-05:00

I signed Jenna and Joshua up for swim lessons for this winter/spring. This Sunday was their first lesson of the season. Jenna LOVED the water and Joshua is an ole pro, of course. Petra and Joe also signed Eliza up for the “Mommy and Me” class. It was really nice having friends there with us!

My Kini Baby

Jenna & Mommy

Bubby joined us in the pool. Jenna and Joshua both LOVED playing together!!!

KISSES

FRIENDS!!!!!!

Jenna giving Eliza kisses

She thought it was hilarious to blow bubbles in the water.

Baby Eliza

Still Waters

Joshua got a lot of praise for his awesome technique!

CAKE OFF!!!

2010-02-25T15:03:00.002-05:00

Pack 19 had their yearly Blue and Gold Banquet this past Saturday. Joshua spent Friday night and Saturday making an awesome “camp scene” cake for the Cubscout Bakeoff. All of the dens participate in skits (which were adorable) and bake a cake or make some kind of a desert for after the dinner. Joshua won first place in the Bakeoff, his cake ROCKED!

Pond: with a dock & cat tails.

Fire pit: with candles for the “fire” and marshmallows to roast!

Tent: for sleeping in of course!

The First Place Winner (in best of show) is:

“A quiet day in the woods” By: Joshua Walker

This is what Joshua named his cake. And please note that the fire pit is actually on fire in this picture.

Jenna was highly impressed with the food, forget the cake!

Joshua played a hilbilly in the Bear Den’s Skit.

AWARDS:

Jenna was a ham the entire evening, she really enjoyed playing with her uncle Devon and crawling under the table to Mama & Papa.

Jenna UNDER the table:

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Potty please

2010-02-20T08:40:00.001-05:00

Jenna and I have been having the occasional “potty talk”. “Big girls pee pee in the potty”, “do you need to go pee pee or poo poo?”, etc. This morning we had our first try at it. She woke up with a pretty dry diaper on, which is the first step. My initial thought was, maybe…..just maybe she’ll go on the potty this time. So, we went in the bathroom, got undressed, and sat on the potty. And sat, and sat, and sat….. I talked her through it, “big girls...this and big girls… that” She simply wasn’t ready. I took her off of the potty, pulled her pants up and explained, “if she were to pee pee on the potty she could wear panties and not a bulky diaper”. I started into her bedroom to get a clean diaper while she mulled that over for a second. I soon heard the pitter patter of her two little feet (she follows me everywhere I go when we’re home). The pitter patter stopped and was followed by a dripping sound. “What in the world is that?”, I thought. When it hit me, Jenna was standing in the hallway, peeing in the floor!!!!! Ugh. Our first attempt failed….miserably. :) But it sure was cute to see her so excited to try.

Happy Valentine’s Day

2010-02-19T13:05:00.002-05:00

Jenna had a great time at her Valentine’s Day Party at school. We came home early and just played, this is how it went….

Had a few giggles….

Opened Valentine’s Day Cards from school…

Mommy got a new Valentines Day Otter Box, I sure do LOVE it!!!

I had to work on Saturday the 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day!

Ugh…but, decided to make some fun of it :)

Look at those berries! They were just as delicious as they looked!

And the Chocolate, it was pretty tasty too!

We made Chocolate Covered Pretzles….

Step 1

Step 2

Strawberries….

…and Raspberries. (which weren’t picture worthy, but WERE delicious!)

TA-DA!! Homemade Edible Arrangements! Made with LOVE!!

While working on Saturday, busting my rump to make yummy treats for my boys, I received this lovely bouquet of flowers from my babies.

Valentine’s Treats for my Joshua.

My two precious baby J’s made me Valentine’s Treats this year too! We always give each other the sign for love. And I sure do LOVE these Valentines!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

2010-02-09T12:16:00.003-05:00

We had Joe, Petra & Eliza over for the Super bowl this past Sunday. The food was great, the commercials were cute and the company was awesome! The kids had a great time playing together and I did manage to sneak a few pictures in.

I said, “Jenna, go stand beside of Eliza and let Mommy take your picture.” She walked over, stood right in front of her and said “cheee”. She loves the camera!

Oooo….look at that face! She really did love Eliza, I swear!

Joshua had a good time with the girls too. He loves babies! But, was much happier in the living room, watching the game and wrestling with Joe.

Sweet Baby Jenna Kisses!

Eat this Mom!

Super Bowl Snacks – TODDLER STYLE!

Jenna ate her cereal like a big girl. This was her first time with cereal & milk and her first time eating at the table without her highchair (without being on Mommy’s lap). She didn’t spill a single spoon full! But, who would want to spill Lucky Charms?!

lucky charms ROCK mom!

Night Night Baby Girls!

I took Jenna’s hair down after being in a ponytail all day and she had an actual Mohawk, so cute!

In their Jammies & Ready for Bed!

Splish Splash She's Takin a Bath

2010-02-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Jenna LOVES taking a bath. And at 18 months old, she still even loves her baby bathtub! (and hey…it saves water!) If her bathtub is in the bathroom she will crawl in there fully clothed asking for a bath, it’s so cute!
One of her favorite things to do is hold her "fishy watering can" up to the faucet, fill it up and dump it on her head. She's so funny! <3

"Look Mommy!! It's Stuck!!"

Jenna also loves washing what little bit of hair that she has ...

Squeaky Clean & All Lotioned Up!

VROOM VROOM VIDEOS

2010-01-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

A couple Videos from the Race, enjoy!

VROOM VROOM VROOM

2010-01-28T14:31:00.002-05:00

Joshua’s 3rd Annual Pinewood Derby Race was a success. His car was awesome, again (thanks to all of the “help” from Papa and Ev). And, he ended up taking 2nd place in his Pack!
Congratulations Joshua!!

Weigh in…RIGHT ON THE $!

The line-up.

LET THE RACE BEGIN!!!
Joshua was excited to get his car up there for the first time. Although, because he won the first heat, he didn’t get to race for a lil bit which was a little bit of a bummer for him.

Next to last race…

Big Trophies!

Papa & Joshy

Nana & Joshy

The FULL Album. Yeah…there are more!

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I don’t like the way Windows Live Writer uploads videos, so they will be on the next post :)

PAIN

2010-01-16T11:46:00.001-05:00

Makes me cringe. My insides turn. Gives me that “train wreck” feeling, makes you sick to look but you can’t turn away. All I can say is PAIN!

Here are poor Devon’s fingers after they were smashed in the hinged part of a heavy Church door. Oh I feel for him, but I have to go ahead and post this so I don’t have to look at it any longer.

(Notice the shiny spot on the blue nail…This is where he drilled a hole in his own finger with a drill bit!!!) & The middle finger is actually a nice shade of “pickle green”, can’t really tell in this picture. –ooh…there goes that nasty stomach cringing feeling. Signing out now.

There’s No Play like Snow Play

2010-01-12T14:37:00.002-05:00

The kids and I had a blast playing in the snow at Mama & Papa’s house this weekend! Joshua stayed with Papa & Devon Wednesday thorough Friday due to the school cancelations. So, by Saturday the boys were a lil worn out, but they still played with us REALLY HARD!

Joshua showing Jenna how it’s done. Down the hill he goes….

“Now Jenna, this is how you do it.”

Weee….

Snow Angels,

Mommy’s Angels.

Papa & Jenna walking to the bottom of the hill to watch the boys come down on their sleds.

Party after Dark.

Dad said, “lets have a sleigh ridding party!!!” So, we did…hot dogs on the fire, lots of warm clothes and a couple of sleds later, we had ourselves a lil party. Dwaine & Jamie even came and played. The kids had almost as much fun as the adults! :)

Jenna, Mommy, Papa & Joshua

Our “table”. My adorable brother says, “there’s a redneck fix for everything!” Isn’t that the truth!

A board on a ladder = table.

Dad had a genius plan to sled down the hill on his knees! UNTIL he face planted on the sled at the top of the hill on run 7 and tore a pound of flesh from his face…..it’s late boys. Time to come inside! :)

We had so much fun!!! I don’t think I have ever played so much in the snow. Even as a kid.

We made lots of AWESOME memories!

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

UPDATE:

Dad’s eye the following day. (from his face plant on the sled) OUCH! That must have hurt!

Krispy Kixxy Treats

2010-01-07T15:18:00.001-05:00

Joshua decided that the Rice Krispies were for him and ate them all. :( So, no Rice Krispie Treats for us….. Instead, we had KRISPY KIXXY TREATS! So fun and the boys LOVED them! (really Mommy and Jenna ate them all)

They were actually delicious!!!!

Better than Rice Krispies if you ask me us!

how old is too old?

2010-01-07T15:09:00.001-05:00

….to play with Little People.

“NEVER!”, say my 8 year old son & my 13 year old brother! They were so cute playing with Jenna and her toys on Tuesday during our snow day at home. They also turned her new playhouse into Fort Knox during Jenna’s nap. (I didn’t think to snap pictures of that however) Boys will be boys…

Slightly resembles Jenna’s playhouse after Devon and Joshua were finished with it. Pillows blocking off all of the windows, nerf sniper guns poking out of the remaining holes, etc.

the SS Jenna Lea

2010-01-07T14:36:00.002-05:00

I stopped to let lil Jenna ride the submarine in the middle of the Town Center Mall. She did NOT want to get off after it was finished! She had a blast and I had a blast watching her!

in submarine jargon, on the coral means :: on the bottom

Happy New Years!!!! 2010

2010-01-06T10:10:00.002-05:00

Petra, Joe & I went to the Ramada Inn on New Years Eve. We had dinner, a few drinks & lots of laughs. We got to see one of Joe’s long time best friends, Ross Duncliffe perform (after dinner in the Comedy Zone) which was hilarious!! It was one of the best times I have had in a LONG time with friends! The perfect way to bring in the New Year!!!

*HAPPY NEW YEAR*

2010

Sweet New Years Kisses…

I hope everyone had a SAFE & HAPPY New Years Celebration!

Happy 2010!!!!!!!