The Walkers

Sometimes I get the feeling that my life is really boring. It takes all my energy just to take care of my little family, and then I feel like I don't have much to show for it. The days tend to blend together in one busy blur. I guess it's a good thing God gave us cameras to capture the moments amidst the madness :) So, here are some fleeting glimpses of what we've been up to this spring. Kaiya is becoming quite the little lady slash social butterfly. She loves preschool and dance, and spends most of her days bossing poor Ben around. (He has only recently begun to protest.) Ben is such a boy; he loves playing with balls and trains and cars, throwing things around, and making noise. He remains the sweetest little guy in the world and is still very eager to please. Here are some random shots of our activities... a trip to City Creek Center (which really is all it's cracked up to be). (I've since highlighted my hair and now I'm pretty sure Alicia and I have ...

Kaiya is on a regimented diet and exercise program... okay, so she just joined in on Brad doing P90X while wearing her usual dress-ups. This particular ensemble cracks me up; Tinkerbell complete with a purse, gloves, and pearls. We're averaging about six costume changes a day around here lately. I went to a conference last weekend and came home to Brad and Kaiya asleep on the couch. How either of them could actually sleep like this is beyond me. (And did you notice the Rapunzel dress?) Ben is finally starting to talk. One of his favorite words is "choo-choo", so we've been playing with a lot of trains lately. (Too bad he thinks anything with wheels is a "choo-choo".) He also says "ya," "uh-uh," "Die-uh," and "muh" - which I thought was an attempt at mom, but is really just the word he uses when he wants something. It's crazy how old he is starting to look. He's definitely not a baby anymore. Lastly, I th...

We inherited this old dresser from Brad's parents; apparently it was part of their first bedroom set. (I so wish I had a before picture of the grainy walnut color and scrolly brass hardware.) Anyway - I painted it black and used it in the guest room for a few years. But when we got a new TV but couldn't afford a new TV stand last fall (at least not the $1000 one I had my eye on), it made its way upstairs. After a few months of still not being able to afford a new TV stand (it sucks to have expensive taste without the means to satiate it), I decided to give the old girl a makeover. I've seen a lot of people modifying old dressers for TV stands on the internets lately, and thought I'd give this whole DIY craze a try. I wanted something like this... Or like this... And after some minor hiccups, I ended up with this... It's not perfect. Up close the wood stain on the white paint just kind of makes it look dirty. And I still need to fix a couple spots and put on a coat o...

I swear, Kaiya was happy Christmas morning. I toyed with the idea of doing her hair, but I figured it was funnier to showcase her morning do. The poor kid looks like this the majority of the time. Christmas sure was great this year! Marsha and Andy came over to see the kids open their presents in the morning, we attended church, and then went over to the Walkers' for our annual Swedish pancake inhalation. Kaiya got a princess scooter and Ben got a basketball hoop from Santa Claus. FYI, That misshapen blob on the love seat behind Kaiya is a loaf of bread from Mrs. Claus's bread machine... my daughter seriously asked Santa for two things this year: a piece of bread and an airplane. He didn't disappoint :) This was the only present Ben really cared about unwrapping: the chocolate Santa from his stocking. Christmas morning aftermath. Ben was SO entertained. Here are Ben and Papa after brunch... Obviously Ben was a bit too focused on his toy here; you gotta love an awkward pict...

Kaiya turned three just before Christmas and we celebrated at a Mickey Mouse birthday party. We had Mickey cupcakes, rice krispies, and ears for all the cousins (we're up to eleven, btw). I am so grateful to have such a supportive family - we had all of our Utah family here for the big day. I love knowing how much my kids are loved! Brett and Robyn had a contest to see who could draw the better Mickey on their cards... I don't think Kaiya cared. This Barbie car was the hit of the party (thanks Alicia) it is now parked beside this, in Kaiya's room. Don't worry about Benzilla climbing into the second story. I can't remember why Vance isn't in this photo... but I wanted to try to get a shot of all the crazy kids in their ears. (Some were more cooperative than others.) Megan outdid herself with Kaiya's new beanie. Check out the built in Minnie ears! A--wait for it--mazing. I love love love this picture of Ben with Scott and Megan. And now that it's Janua...

I know I just posted Disneyland pictures, but these ones from December are too good to pass up.