March + Spring Break

Boston stayed home from school one day in early March…just needed a day home with Mom. I enjoyed seeing the photos he snapped on my phone of him and his siblings:

Hudson started playing t-ball! There's just nothing cuter than a tiny boy in baseball pants and a hat. He really surprised me and went right out during that first practice, never looking back.  He's very shy and usually takes a while to warm up to new things/people, but he ran right out on the field and did everything the coaches asked.  It's pretty much organized chaos, but they have a great time.

Crazy sock day called for crazy faces:

I chopped all my hair off right before Spring Break.  I've thought about it before, just never been brave enough.  Then I saw a cute pixie cut on a girl at Melinda's baby shower and decided to take the plunge.  Being totally honest, I don't love it.  I don't hate it (especially now that it's starting to grow out) but I definitely won't be keeping it this short.  Luckily the front is longer so I don't think it will be too hard to grow out into an A-line bob. But hey, now I can say I tried it!

For Spring Break, we headed to Mississippi to visit Mimi and Papa and the Lightsey family.  We feel so blessed to have two sets of grandparents still living. It is getting harder for Mimi to travel so we wanted to make the effort to go visit. We went to their church on Sunday and then had a big family dinner with all the local family.

Monday we headed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a day at the beach.  Our kids' only beach experience was Galveston a few years ago, where the sea weed was so thick, it made the water and shore disgusting.  Biloxi was perfect for our crew…clean sand, not too crowded, not too hot, and plenty of cousins to play with.

Easter Sunday was spent going to church, where I sang in the choir and also conducted a few musical numbers.  Then we hosted both sides of the family for a nice dinner. Our Easter Sunday photo:

Hudson, Avery, and I enjoyed a quick…and I mean QUICK trip to Austin.  We went down and back in a little over 24 hours.  Sweet Emery was scheduled for a large surgery to address a congenital kidney & urinary tract problem.  I wasn't planning on going because both sets of grandparents were planning to be there, plus logistically there was just a lot going on.  But the day before the surgery, Erin was in tears with worry and anxiety, wondering how she was going to get through the day with the upcoming surgery weighing so heavily on her mind.  After a few "I wish I was there to help"s and "I wish you were too"s, I just decided to go.  I felt strongly that I needed to go, so I did not ignore the prompting.  I threw a toothbrush and some PJs in an overnight bag, and was in Austin 3 hours later!

I mean, I cannot even handle the cuteness...

We had a fun day together, surprising her kids when we picked them up from school, then going to get ice-cream.  Before we knew it, it was time to feed and bathe everyone, then put them to bed.  We headed home the next morning after Erin, Jeff, and Emery left for the hospital. 

We are so thankful the surgery went well.  They had a rough time in the hospital with pain control and catheter trouble, but she is doing much better now.  I could never do pediatric nursing…I would just feel so bad for those poor babies who don't understand what's happening to them.  But she was in good hands, and we get to see them again this month!

Lastly, the kids got some money eggs from Manny and Papa on Easter, and those quarters were burning a hole in their pockets.  So I took them to the store to pick out a little toy. Hudson was thrilled to find a Dinotrux.  Avery was debating several different options, but finally settled on...

marshmallows!

February

Cubscouts is much more of a family affair now that Dad is Cubmaster. We had a fun Blue & Gold banquet combined with another pack, where the boys got to make PVC bows and arrows.  It was a big hit!

My little lefty looking handsome and practicing his letters:

I started a project in January where we take a family picture and post it with an inspirational quote on my social media accounts every Sunday. I thought it would be fun to have a series of family photos spanning a whole year, and also it's my way of spreading a little light in a world where there is a lot of darkness online. These are a few from February:

Not sure why I have so many pictures of sleeping babes from February, but I do! There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping child, especially after a long tiring day!

On Valentine's Day, Jamie gave me the greatest surprise.  He has always been a better gift-giver than me, but this one really proved that.  I love stringed instruments, particularly the cello.  I have said I wish I had learned to play the cello when I was younger. Jamie has encouraged me to take lessons if I want to learn, but I'm not big on trying new things ;) For Valentine's Day he surprised me with a cello and a music book. He long-term-borrowed if from a friend who's kids are all grown and don't play it anymore. I started watching YouTube videos and hopefully will be playing like Yo-Yo Ma soon! It just meant so much to me that he paid attention and put so much thought into a gift that I never would have bought for myself, but that I love.

I am feeling the clock ticking on spending my days with these two.  Soon it will be summer, and then next year Hudson will be in Kindergarten. Hudson and Avery are normally great buddies, except when they're not…and then they fight like cats and dogs.  And 99% of the time, it's her pushing his buttons or hurting his feelings by saying she doesn't want to play with him or he's not her favorite brother anymore=)

I found this check-list while cleaning Boston's room one day.  The apple did not fall far…I love a good list.  Jamie thought it was funny he included "wake up" but I totally write down things I've already done, or automatically do, just so I can check them off!

A little work selfie. (I think I was taking a picture to show Erin how I had styled my hair that day.) That hair has since been all chopped off!

Avery and I went to a baby shower for Melinda and Crosby, and Avery thoroughly enjoyed getting her baby-fix.  She loves baby cousin, Halee.

January

The big story of January was Jamie's back.  He started having pain in his left hip last fall that progressed to shooting pain down his leg.  He started seeing a chiropractor, which helped initially.  But over time it was clearly getting worse.  When the pain got so bad he had to stop working out and could barely move without a lot of pain, we knew he needed more than chiropractic treatment.  He got an MRI of his lower back, and it didn't take a specialist to tell us he had a large ruptured disc. 

The (black) disc is bulging into the (white) spinal cord, pressing on the nerve

We went to see a surgeon, who gave us a few options. Because the nerve impingement was so severe it was causing pain and weakness all the way down his leg, we decided to go ahead with the lumbar microdiscectomy.  He was in surgery three days later!

After surgery the surgeon told us what looked like a 7mm bulge on the MRI was actually much larger. Everything went well, and we came home the same night.  He did have some inflammation of the nerve root about a week later that caused him a lot of nerve pain, but with steroids and several weeks of no bending/twisting/lifting, he is now (6 weeks post-op) feeling much better.



Since much of January was spent with Jamie sidelined, I spent a lot of time around the house or doing the usual things with the kids.  Just the way I like it!

We headed to the school for lunch with the big brothers a few times.

Hudson napping…a rare treat!

We got to visit the newest Walker cousin, Crosby James, born on New Years Eve! Avery is OBSESSED with babies.  She has to be wherever Crosby is when we visit. She will be a good little mama!

Actually the same day Jamie went in for surgery, we had already scheduled to have 2 new trees delivered (our Christmas present from Dad…thanks Dad!) We couldn't really post-pone, so we hired our brother-in-law to dig the holes.  Jamie's whole family stepped in and helped with the trees and taking care of the kids that weekend, and we were so grateful!

It nearly killed Jamie not to be able to do the work himself, so he did a lot of overseeing before we left for the hospital! 

Unlike her brothers, Avery loves vegetables! Edamame beans are one of her favorites--she calls them "mommy beans." She will eat piles and piles of them, and I'm not complaining!

Avery loves to play with my hair...

but she needs to take it easy on the tangles!

Since we live an hour away from my parents now, we try to get together for Sunday dinners as often as we can.  The kids loving going to the lake house the best, because Papa is always up for playing Legos!

I had a real treat at the end of January… Jeff sent Erin and I away on a quick girls weekend.  We met at the Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa for some much needed relaxation and sister-time.  We shopped till we dropped, ate out, and went to bed early…my ideal weekend! 

December (Pre-Christmas)

Early December finally brought us some chilly weather so everyone got new puffy jackets. I cannot resist a good set of matching/coordinating clothes for all the kids! 2015 was also the year of the Scooter for our family.  Boston saved up and bought one with his own money; Cade and Avery each got one for their birthdays, and Hudson inherited Boston's old one.  Boston and Cade ride theirs to school everyday, and all the kids enjoy riding them for fun when the weather is nice. 

We attended a live nativity in Waxahachie with some friends.  The whole town of Bethlehem is recreated with every part of the Nativity acted out, complete with lots of live animals and hands-on activities. One of the shops we visited was a clothing merchant where the kids enjoyed trying on costumes!

Jamie had a fun breakfast with friends one morning, supporting our friend Bryan (yellow pants) in his battle with lymphoma.  Jamie didn't shave his head like all the others…due to the large scar he has right down the center of his head. He showed his support by bringing his clippers and playing the part of barber, though!

I started blowing Avery's hair straight with a round brush and blow dryer after her baths, and then suddenly she was 16 years old. 

Oh my Boston Michael…I love these photos I snapped of him as we sat at the park visiting after school one day.  He's usually off running with the pack of kids; I can't even remember why he was sitting with me.  I treasure these pictures.  My boy who first made me a mama. Sometimes I let myself worry about the future when he won't need me in the same way, won't want my company quite so much.  But then I force myself to return to right now. He still wants me to lay in bed with him at night, where we talk about his day, his friends, his hopes and dreams.  He still doesn't like when I'm away from home.  He likes his family to all be together.

I got to sneak over to the school to attend both boys' Christmas parties.  The last several years I have been so involved in the PTA; I'm used to being the one running the party.  This year, I admit, it has been really nice to just be able to attend and enjoy the parties with my boys. (Although I'm sure I'll get more involved at the school once I have three kids there next year!)

I just have to mention this about Cade's grin.  Recently we asked him why he has started keeping his mouth closed when he smiles.  He responded that he doesn't want to mess up the picture with his teeth! I think that is both funny and sad. I told him I love his teeth! His gaps, missing teeth, and half-grown permanent teeth really tell the tale of the stage of life he's in.  But still, he prefers not to show them =) Jamie and I always tell the boys they have way straighter teeth than we did when we were young! Hopefully they don't get our bad teeth genes.

Jamie and I got to get all dolled up and attend the Match.com Christmas party.  The last few years we've used this occasion to also celebrate our wedding anniversary, which is at the end of December.  We stay in Dallas the night after the party and spend Saturday together, usually finishing up Christmas shopping. This year the party was at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.  The entire museum was reserved just for the party.  We explored exhibits on each floor, stopping for roast and a macaroni bar near a mammoth skeleton, sliders and chicken & waffles among geodes and crystals. Good food, awesome venue, handsome date.  It was a nice night. (Still, sleeping in a comfy bed with black out curtains and no children to wake me up in the night was probably my favorite part of the weekend!!)

Pajama day at school, always a favorite.

Lastly, a quick Christmas photo shoot behind our house on a Sunday afternoon: