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:

The Tale of Two Triathlons

Jamie has really become dedicated to training for and competing in triathlons.  After the disappointment of the swim portion being cancelled in his first Tri in Austin on Memorial Day, he immediately set out to schedule and complete another.  On Labor Day he competed in the Blackland Triathlon in Plano. It was over 100 degrees outside that morning…brutal.  But he completed it, and he was pleased with his time. The kids and I tried our best to be supportive, but being a triathlon spectator is challenging for the kids.  It's mostly sitting and waiting to catch a glimpse of Daddy riding or running by! But it was important for us to be there to support Jamie.  He is such a good example of personal fitness, setting a goal, working towards it, and carrying on even when things are hard!

Boston has always enjoyed running with Jamie.  So after Jamie's race, Boston wanted to participate in a kids triathlon.  He had no trouble with the 3 mile bike or half-mile run, but the 50 meter swim was new to him.  He is very comfortable in the water for recreation, but never spends time swimming any long distance.  He did great though, especially for only having practiced swimming laps once! The pool had a beach entrance at both ends and was only 4 feet deep in the middle, so he was able to make it across with a combination of several strokes and some pushing off the bottom=)

I couldn't have been more proud of Boston for completing this race.  I'm so glad he takes after his dad in his love of outdoor activities and trying new things.  I would have been paralyzed with anxiety doing something like this, but Boston looked at it like a great adventure! I'm one proud mama.

August and Back to School!

A few last hurrahs before school started in August…

Date night! We haven't really established relationships with babysitters since moving to the new town. Plus with my new work schedule and all the house projects and family responsibilities this summer has brought…date nights have been harder to come by.  Who am I kidding? Getting away with a young family at home is always challenging, period. But its important for our relationship (and mental health!) so we try to make it happen. 

Also, Jamie hates selflies and usually looks awkward, so let's appreciate that we have this photo at all to remember a great dinner with friends:

Later that weekend I had a sleep over with my best friend, Jesica, to help her with her toddler and one-month-old twins while Evan was out of town. I pretty much had one or both babies in my arms the entire time; those girls like to be held! It was almost like playing house…holding, feeding, changing, and dressing someone else's babies. And I made muffins and played with Alice in the morning while Jes was getting ready. Twins are nonstop work, but so fun to snuggle these tiny babes.  (And so nice to go home and take a nap the next day!)

Ahh Girls Weekend…an annual tradition we started last year. We meet in Waco for a few days of shopping, pampering, eating out, laying in bed with snacks and chick flicks, sleeping in…and most importantly just having a break from the constant responsibilities of our homes and young families to recharge! There's talk of future trips that are longer, include bigger cities or more sight-seeing (New York? Europe?!) but honestly, the best part is just being with these ladies and having some girl time. All our pictures are pretty much selflies, because: girls weekend!

The next week we took one more trip to the water park with Jamie before it closed for the season. Then, In and Out for dinner of course!

I try not to let Avery take naps anymore because she is such a BEAR at bedtime if she does sleep during the day, but sometimes she just can't make it through without a cat nap! And I don't mind the snuggles at all.

Then it was time for Back to School! Growing up, I always hated starting new schools (which I did often since we were an Air Force family), and even just starting new grades at the same school. Luckily, my children don't have that problem! They were super excited to start at the new school in our neighborhood.

First Day of 4th and 1st Grade:

The first day, I hardly knew what to do with just the 2 little ones at home again, so we made banana chocolate muffins for the boys when they got home!

They also had this funny conversation:
Hudson: Avie, who's your favorite brother? 
Avery: Boston 
H: No, who's your favorite, Boston, Cade, or me? 
A: Cade 
H: No Avery, who is your FAVORITE brother...Boston, Cade or me? 
A: You! 
H:Yesssssssss! That means I can sit by you at lunch!! 
A: ok!

Every day I am so glad we moved so close to the school so we can walk the boys to school in the morning. The first day we all got up and dressed, but since day two, it's been mis-matched pjs and blankies for the win!

Hudson is starting to get really interested in doing workbooks and learning his letters.  I am pretty laid-back when it comes to pre-school learning, so I'm letting him lead the way. He likes writing the letters and doing his "schoolwork."And he's my first leftie!

That one time I threw some laundry in the washer and Avery wanted to watch: