Christmas With The Plague

If a discussion of sickness is not your thing, stop reading now. For I bring long-overdue news of the black plague, a.k.a. creeping crud, stomach flu, and now sinus infection. The Walton household is responsible for the downfall of many a relative these past weeks. It all started with Joel bringing home the stomach flu from school on December 18th. The first and second grade was hit hard with it, so it shouldn't have been a surprise. It was passed to Daddy and Hanna, then Grandma E., baby Trevor, MaryAnn, Rylee, and Wendy. (In fact, every child in the above picture was blessed with it!) I thought I had gone untouched until it hit me over Christmas weekend while my folks were here. Now that it has passed, we are all feeling a bit full of phlegm, but none so bad as my poor Joel-Bean. He has drainage like no other and has been coughing horribly for nearly a week. After antibiotics, several rounds of Mucinex cough, 2 doctor visits, and many sleepless nights, the word is that we just have to wait this one out. So the Walton household will ring in the new year to the sound of a cool-mist humidifier, gunky snoring, and "Mommy, don't let him cough on me!!!!" Alas, Happy New Year to all, and many thanks to the wonderful family and friends out there who both filled our holiday with joy and fun gifts, and who have not booted us out of sight because we carry the plague! :0)

From One Holiday to the Next!

I am well aware that it is incredibly pathetic that the last post was "Happy Halloween". To be fair, I have a semi-decent excuse; called finishing the master's degree and being a music teacher at the holidays! For those that check our blog, I'm really sorry! To make up for it, I've given you the cutest darn pictures of what appears to be my angelic children. We all know they are far from angelic, but these sure capture a tiny moment of sheer sweetness!

So... Merry Christmas to you all out there! This momma is breathing a ginormous sigh of relief---I graduated with my M.Ed this weekend! The holiday programs and fundraisers are done, and tomorrow is the last day of school. Now I have 18 months worth of mothering, wife-ing (??), housekeeping, and recorded television shows to make up! Happy Holidays from the Waltons!

Happy Halloween!

Meal-Makers, Mummies, and Mermaids, oh my! That's Halloween for 2009...Andy threw on his chef jacket, apron, and hat to go around the neighborhood with the kids. Hanna was lovely in her mermaid costume from Aunt Cindy, and Joel...well, Joel basically t.p.'d the whole neighborhood! It was fun, but the numbers were REALLY slim this year. In our neighborhood, you can fill your bag in 3 houses because people know it's slim and they give you half their supply with joy!

Apple on a Stick

Could I have an apple on a stick?

Dipped in caramel, gotta eat it quick

A tasty treat to keep the doc' away

Here on this autumn day...

Here Comes a New Cub Scout

Joel just started Boy Scouts a few weeks ago and is enjoying it quite a bit. Today marked his first pack meeting for scouts and their families. It was held at an area fire station and the boys absolutely loved it! (what boy wouldn't?) Here are some pics from today's outing...

The hoses were his favorite part!
Looks good in uniform...!

Seriously? A MONTH?!?

Wow do I feel like a goober for not touching this blog in over a month! Hey, I have a decent excuse! School started and my grad work has been incredibly intense. There's a light at the end, though; I just finished the second-to-last of 35 portfolio exhibits...aaaaahh. The last exhibit is the action research for which I've gathered data...it just needs to be written up as one of those ultra-stats-filled papers when I take my LAST class starting next week! Oh, the joy at not having to check my online Blackboard evey single day. Oh how exciting it will be to get my home life back! Oops, gotta go, Hanna is getting impatient waiting to read Pinkalicious to me for the 23rd night in a row. Maybe I'll post again in another month or so... :0)

Our Bathroom Remodel

The original masterpiece...
During the gutting stage...
Ta Da!
We are officially DIYers!

The kids/guests finally have a renovated bathroom! It's so nice to be done (except for the washer/dryer that we're ordering this weekend). For anyone who had to put up with the "finer points" of the old one, this is blessed relief! Pardon the picture overkill; it's mostly for my mom's sake.

It's Getting There...

Don't let anyone ever try to tell you that tiling a floor is enjoyable. 'Nuff said.

Summer Video

Memo to Self...

Four large assignments for class, a bathroom renovation, one hot and rain-soaked day, and two young children (one of which is into throwing tantrums) most definitely DO NOT mix. ;0)

Early Summer Fun

Family came over for a cookout one evening. Hanna in a rare moment of happiness (as opposed to screaming because her face got wet) with Emily.

A Sunday afternoon at Falls Park near our home.

There's a cool new "water" park that we fell in love with. Joel just kept running and smiling through every water feature. I love that it's free, has plenty of space, and has playground areas with some neat stuff for the kids. A great place to picnic...

Happy Day Daddy!

Happy Father's Day to all those dad's out there! A special dad's day wish to brother-in-law Tim, who is spending his first Father's Day flying back to Iraq, after meeting his newborn son, Trevor. We are so glad you were able to come home for a few days to be a daddy! ...can't wait until you are back in the states for good! Happy day!

Ahh, Summer...!

Joel w/ best buddies from school, field day, getting diploma from Mrs. Hardin, and relaxing in the pool with Hanna!

Lots going on around here since last I posted. The end of the school year was CRAZY! Somewhere between setting up for every little gymnasium program and misc. event, my little man graduated kindergarten! I was so proud of him! I don't have many pictures though, because I couldn't really just sit back and be Mommy that day. I was directing their play and running sound, etc... I guess I'd better get used to it since I'll have my children in programs often enough through the years. So graduation went well, then the kindergarten picnic, then field day, in which Joel received a 2nd place ribbon for running the "hula hoop sprint". You'd think I could have slowed down a bit, but not with the old masters program...I had 20 exhibits due by this weekend for my online portfolio...bad timing! But things are panning out now, and the next time I have portfolio exhibits due is at the end of the program at Christmas! I have been working hard around the house this week to get tidy and organized, we had our air ducts cleaned yesterday and, WOW, what an overdue thing! Maybe our allergies will skeedaddle now. The kids are in this "I refuse to get along" and "I choose to throw a fit at the drop of a hat" mentality...could be a long summer. BIG NEWS received this morning at 6am: my sister-in-law, MaryAnn, had her baby boy this morning! They live in Alaska, and Tim is at this moment on his way home for a 10-day leave from Iraq. He just missed the birth by 12 hours or so. :0( We don't know a name yet, they are discussing it when Tim arrives. But we are all so happy that everything went well and can't wait to see baby boy! Well, I've blabbed for long enough, let's see if I can rustle up some pics...

Happy Mother's Day

I thought I'd stop in after a long hiatus (WAY busy around here!) to wish everyone out there who has rugrats (even 30-something rugrats!) a Happy Mother's Day!

My beloved gift, this child sent to me-the lessons I teach you will afect who you'll be.

I'll acquant you and guide you and show you the way,

You are my sunbeam, my golden ray...

Happy day to all!

Okay, so I'm addicted...

Fun site for pics

Animoto.com is pretty neat. I only wish I could part with the subscription fee to make longer videos! Check it out!

Monkey Trouble

Joel worked so hard at this skill that I couldn't forget to add the video. When at the park, he wanted to master the rings and get it on film. After many tries, he got it! It's so hard not to reach over and grab on to sway him over to the next ring before he falls and gets frustrated... Sorry about the change in perspective midway!

Sunday at the Park

Aunt Wendy and Cousin Rylee were here this weekend and we took a stroll to the park Sunday. The kids had a blast and I got some cute shots of them being monkeys. I won't go into detail about the minor mishap that occured just after these pics were taken...you never know who's reading this! Mom's out there: you can guess! But we all had fun! Stay Spring, stay!

Happy Birthday to My Honey

We celebrated Andy's birthday this weekend....nothing fancy, but I think he was more than happy to get some additional tools to help with the upcoming windows project. Joel was so pleased with his contribution to the affair: he had worked tediously the night before to type some sentences and make a "card" for Daddy. He does a write-to-type program at school and loves it. I love seeing those sounded out words of his! Anyway, happy birthday to my wonderful husband: you are my everything! :0)

Doggie Degradation

Our kids love pet-sitting for Twister. Over the years, he's endured quite a bit of Joel and Hanna's brand of love and affection. I can't help but wonder if their tendencies have contributed to the aging of this poor old man! Harley and Jack, if you're seeing this, know that your days are numbered. One day soon, you too will know the "joys" of being the resident jungle gym and furry set of handlebars. :0)

Six Years of Joy

Six years ago, in the wee hours of morning, as family and doctors were snowed in during a freak snowstorm...you were born. Happy Birthday to our Little Man...we love you crazy!

My Favorite Book, by Hanna

Hanna, much like her brother, goes through phases of addiction to certain books. Her latest favorite is Ten in the Bed, given to her by Aunt Joanne and Uncle Joe last year. It's been read/sung to her so much at bedtime that she now must do it "BY MYSELF!" I recall not too long ago recording Joel reading his favorite dinosaur book. Time flies... Enjoy Hanna's rendition of Ten in the Bed.

Power Rangers Anyone?

Here's why I asked Andy to snap a picture of this: Joel's birthday list (on which he's been working feverishly for several weeks) says - and I quote - "more big and bad Power Rangers". Is this really a need? :0)

Snow Day!

Yes, that's the basketball net touching the pile of snow. It turned into a wonderful fort with a main room and 3 satellite tunnels when all said and done.

Like many friends out there, we got a pretty good batch of snow Tuesday into Wednesday, prompting school closings. As it happened, Andy was scheduled for a 1/2 day from his school anyway, which meant he didn't have to work at Eddy's (a restaurant in which he cooks between bus routes). Long story short, we were all home together today and it was great! The kids had fun in the heaps of snow, I got housework and homework done, and Andy didn't have to shovel toooooo much (our neighbor generously plowed for us!). Hot chocolate for everyone!

Welcome Tooth Fairy!

You know that grin from the other night? Well, now Joel's got his first gap in that grin. Today, Andy used a piece of floss to "convince" that last thread to break loose. A good salt-water rinse later and we have an excited 5 year-old who's anxiously awaiting the Tooth Fairy tonight. He can't wait to tell all his friends at school, too!

Thank you!

Joel says a great big "thank you" to Uncle Jason, Aunt Wendy, and Cousin Rylee for his awesome birthday gift that arrived in the mail today! That grin hasn't moved since opening the manilla envelope. Next Saturday, Joel gets to go see Monster Jam at the Lucas Oil Stadium. This is his 2nd year for this event and, as you can see, his first experience had a lasting impact. (but at least I don't have to paint his room again after this experience!) So.... now to plan what Grandma, Hanna, and I will be doing that night... :0)