It's What's For Dinner.......

At supper last night:
Walker (Age 5): "Mom, for my birthday party this year I want a chocolate cake, but we won't eat it until after Luke (our pastor) finishes preaching."
Me: "You want to have your cake at church?"
Walker: "No."
Me: "You want Luke to preach at your birthday party?!"
Walker: "Yes" (now during this conversation he never looks up or stops eating like this is nothing out of the ordinary, but the rest of us may have been staring at him.....)
Me: "Well, what do you want him to preach about?"
Walker (shrugs): "Whatever he wants to. I just want him to tell my friends and my family about Jesus at my birthday party."
Me: (and his daddy)..."ugly cry"

Be still my heart.
So, we'll be booking the preacher for his birthday party this year.
.....and having chocolate cake.

Remembering...

This week has brought such a whirlwind of emotions. I was able to spend precious moments Wednesday afternoon with my Aunt Wanda and Uncle Dub all to myself while we waited in the emergency room. We spent hours that afternoon talking about when they both were saved and baptized, about Carter & Lilah's baptism this weekend, the peace that brings, and about so many memories from my childhood. My sister & I spent many hours as kids at their house and they have just petted us absolutely rotten our entire lives. Since our mom got sick 24 years ago, they spent a lot of time standing in the gap for her. They rocked my babies, fussed over them, and petted them even more rotten (if that's possible) than they do Crystal & I. I can't even count how many baby blankets & booties Aunt Wanda spent hours and hours making for them, or how many hours they rocked and loved on them. I never imagined when I left the hospital on Wednesday night things would take the turn they did. The kids & I spent the entire day at the hospital on Thursday after being called in for fear of the worst. The kids were able to talk to their beloved Uncle Dub for most of that day. He perked right up when they came in. They told him they loved him and he did the same....many sweet sweet moments were shared that day, including a lengthy visit with his only surviving sister, Jean. Yesterday was heartbreaking as we knew for sure the end was near, and today, in the early morning hours I got the call to come quickly. I didn't make it back in time, but my heart is at peace. I know for sure he knew I loved him and I have a lifetime of memories that will always remind me of the love he had for me....and my babies. 

Please remember Aunt Wanda, Jeanette, Scott, & Shannon in prayer in the coming days. I'm exhausted physically & emotionally, I know they all are, especially Aunt Wanda!! Remember his only living sibling Jean Frost as well. Please also remember my broken hearted babies. They have just cried and cried today. Say a special prayer for my sweet tender hearted Carter. He has a big job to do for the funeral. As an honorary pall bearer, he will walk in front of the casket. 

Arrangements for WL Hancock:
Kerby Funeral Home
Visitation- Sunday 4-8pm CST
Monday 10-3
Funeral-Monday at 3

We will survive!

We survived the first full week of school! 

Does that call for a celebration?! 

We thought so!

First Chapel of the year!

This school year's first Chapel service! Such a great way to start the day....worshipping with a gym full of kids, teachers, & a few parents!

Cinco de Mayo!

We spent this beautiful cinco de mayo saturday with a trip to Sweet Seasons Farm for Art at the Barn. This is the fourth year Paulette and the Manning family have hosted this event and I have ALWAYS had to work so I was looking SO forward to this year!

It was hot and the kids got a little whiny after a while, but they did enjoy a demonstration by Mr Manning with this sheep dog. He used a border collie to round up the herd of sheep in no time flat! Carter is convinced that he can train Simba to do the same thing....we'll see, I guess!

I did score some great props (some newborn hats and a great banner) and a Mother's Day gift, a CUTE little bird feeder,  for GG while we were there. I also got a few good ideas for crafts should I ever decide to get crafty again.....ha! I think Simba may be more likely to become a sheep dog!

We left the farm and stopped at Mi Casita for lunch, then home for naps and playing outside.

Carter has spent the afternoon trying his best to learn to whistle. It would probably help if he had a teacher  who could whistle....neither me nor Kyle can whistle enough to amount to anything!  We've had fun listening to him though!

Overheard:

Overheard this morning: 
Carter to Walker, (after I heard the cocking of his nerf gun): "open it wider....wider....wiiider"
Walker: "AHHH"
Me: CARTER! Don't shoot that in his mouth!!!
Carter & Walker: *wild giggling*
Mercy.

What a wonderful way to wake up!

Sweet Walker woke me up this morning singing my favorite song...He came up with it himself! It goes something like this: "Mama, mama, maaaaamaaaaa, mama, mama, mama,...i wuvvvv yooooouu." So sweet! Yesterday was a  particularly tough one with a NILMSTS call, so this just hit the spot! Then in true Walker fashion he looked at me right in the eye and said, "Now I'm gonna wipe a booger on you." lol! Stinker!! (p.s...he didn't, he just likes to threaten)




I am so very thankful for my sweet little blessings! 

Walker...

Dear Walker,

I haven't written a lot of letters to you here on the blog, but you'll find them shoved neatly tucked away in your baby book for safe keeping. As of now, you are 22 months old, you weigh 21 pounds, and your absolute favorite things in the world are trucks, tractors, and 4 wheelers. The kind you push around in the floor, and the kind you ride. You eat anything that's put in front of you and your always sure to take your time and enjoy every bite. It's so much fun to watch you taking in the world around you!

Today you got your first pair of big boy boots and you couldn't be prouder. Carter couldn't have been more proud either! He took great pride in showing you to the big boy boot section and helping to find just the right size.

We went to the county fair last night and you were so excited when you saw all the lights & rides! You jumped on every ride you could and smiled and laughed the entire time! There were a couple that you weren't big enough for yet, but that was okay too. You waved and squealed at Carter & Lilah as they went by.

You love your big brother and big sister so very much, and they love you too! I love that you can be away from each other for just a little while (like for the hour and a half Lilah has dance class) and when she comes out you greet her with a hug and a smile and a "Hi Wiwah!!" like you haven't seen her in ages! You never sleep with me & daddy, but you can be found either in Lilah or Carter's bed every night. I hope you always love them this much!

You bring such joy to our lives, Walker! I can't believe you'll be two in just over a month......I'd like to slow down time for a little while. I am so thankful that God picked me to be your mom.

I love you!

Mom.

p.s....In the above picture, Walker is "babysitting" his favorite baby cousin, Luke. I'm sure he'd like me to clarify that he's definitely not playing with a doll...lol!

What? 9 Months?

It's been 9 months exactly to this very day that I wrote on my blog.

Good grief!

I would attempt to try and catch things up a bit, but:

1. I'm sure nobody stops by here anymore

and...

2. You wouldn't believe all that's taken place in those 9 months if I tried to tell you.

(and since no one is listening, I am talking to myself. I dont believe it either.)

However, I realize that I am failing miserably at slowing down long enough to document my children's lives and that stops today.

Does that sound believable?

I am going to do my best to at least keep a record of the goings on within my children's and family's lives.

Starting now:

Carter is now 4 years old.

Lilah is 2

Walker is 1.

People ask me how many kids I have and I say "3". That doesn't alarm them so much. Until they ask how old they are.

Then they cringe.

Carter is still Carter. Funny as can be!

Lilah is a pretty funny girl too. She reminds me SOOOO much of my niece Rachel. She even talks like her.....which is not always a good thing :)

Walker is a wild man. There is nothing he won't try. Nothing. He climbs up, down, over, and around. If he can't climb it, he will find a way to get it. He kicks, smacks, pulls hair, ears, ear rings.....whew! Wild.

And SOO sweet.

Okay, thats a feeble attempt I realize, but in that 9 months my photography business has been blessed by God in ways that still just take my breath away.....and it's Christmas....and I have to get to work or people will be hunting me down!!

No excuse, really...

...for not blogging much lately. I have been pretty busy, but I have been slacking over here and I'm really gonna try to do better!

Whether or not anyone else reads my endless run on sentences, I do like to keep a journal of the things that go on here on "the farm" and I haven't done much of that lately!

In my last post I mentioned taking the kids to the circus, well, we did! And we all had a great time! Carter is still talking about it, and still doing some of the "tricks" he witnessed there at the greatest show on earth....so much so that I'm starting to rethink whether or not we should have taken Little Mr Imagination.

Why?

Well, just the other day I was in the bathroom that joins our bedroom and he and Lilah were dancing on our bed like they do all the time when I heard something break. I ran in there only to find that Carter had taken 3 big picture frames off the wall (very quietly) and lined them up in a row across our bed. He then proceeded to walk across them because "Mom, the man walked on glass at the circus!"

Oh,..... well, alrighty then.

Also, he is constantly doing "tricks" from the ottoman to the couch and back again, and since the moment we left the circus parking lot, there is a new requirement that must preceed each and every "performance" of said "tricks". Here it is:

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, childrens of alllllllllll ages, presenting Carter Kyyyyyyyle Piiiiiiiiike.........He can do tricks!!!"

....and after a trick or ninety, I get a little lackluster in my ringmaster skills, and he ain't havin' none of that!

Also, Lilah has a few new skills of her own......

*She talks 97 miles per hour.
*When you call her name she very unpolitely says "WHAT?" (heeelarious!)
*She don't take nothin' off her big brother, and she will bite to prove it! (not so heelarious!)
*she will eat anything and everything, and you know she enjoys it because she says "mmmm"
after every bite.
*she blows fabulous kisses!
*she gives even better real kisses....complete with smoochy sound effects! (so precious)
*she will not wear hairbows, or shoes! I take her shoes to the car with me and put them on when we get where we're going, otherwise I put them on 3 or 4 times per trip!
*She talks the most adorable baby talk to Walker. It goes like this, "jabber jabber jabber, yeah. jabber jabber jabber, oh yeah baby Caulker" (SWEET!)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something....

.....and Walker, well he just smiles and coo's and looks and smells adorable and cushy, and I love that he loves me more than anything or anyone right now. I know this phase will end, but for now, I'm basking in the fact that I am his everything....

So, since I know you've missed seeing them constantly, (unless you're on Facebook, then you're still bombarded regularly!)....I'll leave you with some pics of my little darlin's from this morning...

Just Hangin' Around......

...Finding new and exciting ways to entertain a 3 year old and a 22 month old indoors during a long cold wet winter has started to tax my imagination.






Obviously.

However, we are going to the circus this weekend so the fact that they are practicing their scooter ridin' "tricks" just might come in handy with the circus crowd! :)

It's UP!

It's up.


It's running.

I'm so excited!

I just can't hide it!


What,...you ask?


This

There are still a few tweaks I want to make, (I say that like I know what I'm doing...)


......but it's up and running at long last!

Now, I have to run because I have not one, but TWO photography gigs tonight!

God is Good!!

Two Months. (a little late!)

Dear Walker,

It's hard to believe you are already two months old! This precious time is going by so fast. You are so calm and alert. Eyes always open and taking in your surroundings. You still have that sweet newborn cry, though I know you won't for much longer, so I'm breathing it in with each whimper you make.You have only been in our family for such a short time, yet it already seems as if you've always been there. You are such a sweet, precious blessing from God.

Daddy & I aren't the only ones who have been blessed by your arrival. Your big brother and sister love you so very much! They both watch over you and protect you so sweetly. Your big sister however, has an odd fascination with your eyes. She loves to touch them. Needless to say, you don't enjoy this so much. I worried that Lilah might be a bit jealous of you to begin with, but she hasn't been. Not at all. She wants to be where you are at all times. If you are ever taken out of her sight she wonders through the house calling "caulker,.....CAULKER". She says this very sweetly, but I think you think she's coming for you, because when you hear that, you immediately launch into this wild panicked cry......like she's coming to get you (Chucky style).

Your big brother is ever the protective guardian. He believes it to be his duty to keep you safe at all times, day or night. His only problem after your coming home with us was that you weren't going to be sleeping in his room. I still find him checking on you at night. He loves you fiercely and I look so forward to watching you grow up together.

I know that the time will only go by faster as the years go by. I am treasuring every night time feeding (though those are few and far between), every bath time, and every quiet moment. I know you won't be my sweet little baby for very long. I am so thankful that God made me your mom.

I love you Walker,

Mom

Carter Says.....

"Can we play the truck game now? Pretty please?? With a quesedilla on top?" (apparently they rank higher than sugar in his book)

"Mom!!! It's SANTA!!" This was yesterday in the Walmart parking lot, to a man not dressed as santa,we passed as we entered the store...thankfully he laughed, probably because Carter said SANTA with the enthusiasm of Will Whatshisname in the movie Elf.

"Carter, quit picking your nose!" "But, Daddy, there is a big buger in there and I want to get it out." (yeah, I laughed)

To the Salvation Army bell ringer lady in the Santa hat, "Are you Santa's grandma?" (she told him no, she was his helper....then immediately went in to Walmart to buy Oil of Olay)

With a huge smile on his face, "Mom! I've been in the dryer!" (don't worry, his dad was in the next room and saw the whole thing.....I'll leave out what he said :)

"Mom, I'm gonna feed Walker some of my "mother's milk"" (this after catching him trying to "breastfeed" his baby brother who was about a week old at the time.)

"Mom, will I get into trouble if I poured water on the (prelit artificial, with a couple thousand extra lights added for good measure) Christmas tree? What if the bubbly lights are smoking?"

"Carter quit picking your nose." ..."But Mom, Simon said to."

He was about to get into serious trouble for all the weird messes I caught him making one morning. When I asked him why he would want to pour water in the floor in front of the door he said, "I'm keeping the bad guys out, Mom" Oh. (I think he's watched too much Home Alone?)

On Christmas morning, immediately after opening his presents, he immediately "called" Santa to thank him for all of his presents. He also told Santa that he hoped all the little boys and girls who got toys because of the charity b'day party liked their toys too.

"MOM DID YOU SEE ME???!!! THAT MAN LET ME GIVE THE TROPHERIES OUT!!!! DID YOU SEE? DID YOU SEEEEEEE??? (a few nights ago after we watched my neice Rachel and her 4th grade team win 2 games to win the tournament, Mr Young let Carter hold the trophies at center court while he gave them to the teams) He obviously suffers from great stage fright...haha.

"Carter! Quit picking your nose!!!" "Mom, why does God make stupin' (stupid) bugars?"

"Mom, what kind of hair do I have? Do I have down hair (long I think) like Rachel, or do I have not much hair, like Daddy?"

As of January 1, Carter is 3 years and 7 months old.

disclaimer: if you're my Facebook friend, you may have already seen most of these, but I slurp these posts into books to keep via Blurb so I transfer them here to do that....I would never remember the things he says otherwise. Oh, and brace yourselves, Lilah is starting to talk in sentences. I can only imagine the things that will come out of her little mouth! :)

...until the next edition of "Carter Says..."

Believe it or not....

Can you believe this sweet baby boy is going to be eight weeks old tomorrow?

....me either!

Needless to say we are just head over heels in love with him!

p.s....I updated the photog blog today too, just in case you were wondering what I've been doing in my spare time! :)