Randoms...

Walker's newest thing is to climb up on top of this picnic table, stand up, and then get back down as fast as possible. Blink and you'll miss it. He's fast!

Beware of the jammie-clad pirate and mad golf skills.

No night is complete without a little wrestling.

the sweet big sister

Sweet Story

Out of the mouths of babes...
As we were driving around the parking lot at the gym this morning, searching for a spot, Lainey said to me, "Look Mommy! That car has trouble walking."

Explanation...
The car was parked in a handicapped parking spot. We've had discussions before about handicapped spots and who is allowed to park there and who isn't, and I think at one point I'd given her the explanation that some people have to park there because they have trouble walking long distances. So...therefore...when she saw the car in the handicapped spot this morning she assumed that the car had trouble walking. :)

I love how her mind works!

Halloween Party at Dance

Today, Lainey's tap and ballet class celebrated Halloween. The girls wore their costumes and had a little "party" at the end of the hour. Their teacher, Ms. Tammy, is absolutely wonderful. We love her!

Lainey is "Blair" from Barbie Princess Charm School (which is a book AND a movie, if you weren't aware - even though she hasn't seen the movie and has only recently read the book...I think she initially chose the costume because it was pink and sparkly).

Ainsley (as Snow White)

Lainey is doing her "skips" across the dance floor.

Elizabeth, Lainey, Ainsley, Elena, and Madison

Ha!

a princess with vampire teeth :)

(Usually these moves are done in ballet shoes!)

Ms. Tammy is helping Lainey hold up her leg.

And, once Ms. Tammy left, Ainsley took over. What a sweet and supportive friend! And yes, Lainey still has her vampire teeth in her mouth!

This video is a little less than exciting. But it's cute because it's a solo performance and the girls were encouraged to dance however they wanted!

Ranch Party, 10-20-11

On Thursday evening, we headed out to our pastor's ranch with a small group of people. The kids love visiting "Don Don's ranch" and we're always grateful for the opportunity!

Walker's pointing to the horse. :)

waving to her fans

Thank you, Bud, for keeping Walker away from the cows.

Lainey and Pastor Don ("Don Don"), talking about cows 

throwing hay over the wire fence for the cows

This was a fun game that lasted for a while.

Lainey and Liam (far right) had the best time. Liam is Pastor Don's grandson. They played and ran around and did everything together. It was cute. Except for when they were getting into trouble. :)

That's one way to cross over the cattle guard. I wish I had done that!

Walker LOVED throwing hay with Ms. Kim. She was throwing it up in the air and he kept throwing it right back at him. I am proud of my boy for getting dirty. :)

The three kids. Lainey, Liam, and Walker. Lainey was marching in this picture. It was beginning to get dark, hence the out-of-focus pictures due to lack of light and my amateur photography skills! We concluded the evening by having a yummy dinner of brisket, potatoes, and corn and then we roasted s'mores by the campfire. All in all, a great evening! I am sad I didn't get more pictures of everyone who was there; I felt like we were following our accident-prone kids the whole time. Mainly Walker. He was so fascinated with the tractors and ranch equipment! And the cows!

Lainey and Her Name

I feel like we've been working on writing Lainey's name for a long time now. Each time I'd suggest it, she'd write the "L" and the "A" and then announce that she "can't do it." So, I stopped there - I've never pushed the issue. Well, on Sunday, during Sunday School, I used little dots to make the letters of her name and she connected the dots. Tonight, I tried the same thing and after she did that in her brown crayon, I had her try to write her name independently with a blue crayon. And she did it! She gets stuck on the letter "N" because she almost always makes it into the letter "M" but shortly after she wrote this, she practiced writing the letter "N" over and over again. I think she wanted to get it right. Anyway, I'm proud of her for actually trying to write her entire name on her own. She may be my I-don't-want-to-do-it-unless-I-do-it-right child. And you might think that she gets that trait from me, but in actuality, I think she might get it from her dad. And maybe her aunt Allyson, too. :)

Top: Assisted

Bottom: Independent

Big girl. And, in other big-girl news, this one gave up her binky last Monday, October 10th. It was hard and if she's really tired, she'll still ask me for it, but overall she's doing well without it. It was time. :)

 And, not to be outdone by his sister, Walker proved that he could write his name, too. And say "cheese" at the same time. :) What a stinker. Shortly after this, he proceeded to eat a brown crayon and the tip of a purple marker. Haha!

Reading Books

Reading books together...sorry for the crummy photos! Lainey is making up words to tell her own version of the story and Walker is trying to sneak a peek.

And here's a video. :) 

(I finally figured out how to make my videos show up in widescreen!)

Walker, 20 Months Old

Walker is 20 months old! He is most definitely a cute little riddle. We can never quite figure him out. He has this sweet, adorable, cuddly side to him that is just precious and I can't get enough of. I look forward to his hugs every morning and whenever I pick him up from school. The fact that he gives hugs spontaneously and grabs your hand without being asked just melts your heart... And yet there are other times when Walker just cries. And we have no idea why. He can throw massive fits in public, evoking stares and sympathetic looks as his mom carries him in a football hold while trying to dodge his powerful kicks and flailing arms. He can throw massive fits at home, but those are much easier to ignore. I just have to make sure he's laying down on a soft surface so he won't throw his head backwards and hurt himself. He's pretty good at doing the backwards-head-butt - the back of his head into the front of my face - and that hurts. It's hard being 20 months old. A roller coaster of emotions and a lack of communication makes for a grumpy Walker sometimes.

As a 20-month-old, Walker...

• is really jabbering, using inflection and imitating our facial features
• throws rocks - if he has one in his hand, he's very likely to throw it
• says that most things are “ha” (hot) even if they aren’t – Ben thinks (and I agree) that this is his way of discussing temperature…hot or cold
• loves to fake sneeze with a head bob and everything…and he even tries to make the sound of a sneeze
• can (sort of) do the hand movements to “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
• can move his hands to the song "Wheels on the Bus" (really just the part about the wheels going round and round)
• tries to imitate Yiyia’s whistle ("hoo hoo")
• can sometimes tell us what a dog says ("hoo hoo") but most of the time all of his animals have the same sound, and they sound similar to a car...
• loves to identify and say the letter "G" (not sure why)
• loves to toast by saying "chee" (cheers)
• is talking more...he's getting better
• has some words that mean the same thing, like "chee" means "cheers" and "cheese" and "ha" means "hot" and "hat"
• likes to throw a bag over his shoulder and wave "bye" to me...much like Lainey did when she was around his age
• loves bending down and putting his arms behind him like he's taking off to somewhere exciting...this is how he runs around sometimes
• has learned to say one of the most important words in a toddler's world..."MEH!" (MINE!) He'll grab whatever he wants, swing it away from his sister, and shout "MEH! MEH! MEH!" :)

"Geee!"

still doing the "cheese" smile :)

 "Hmm. What happened here? Lightning McQueen and one of Lainey's princesses used to be driving this truck. Where did they go?"

"No worries. I can make do without drivers."
(Love that little booty.)

This one is all about cars these days.

Happy 20 months, Walker! Love you tons!