First day of First Grade

Can't time slow down just a little--1st Grade I can't believe it!

He is so so so excited to be back at school--I hope he always enjoys going to school this much it makes it a little easier on me.  He did tell me as I was leaving his classroom "I will miss you mom" ---I will miss you too Chaser Racer!

Feeling Guilty

I am feeling so guilty for my lack of posts lately--so here's to more posting--hope it works out?

School starts next week and we haven't even been to the beach this summer--one quick trip to Utah then the craziness of July took over!?!  Our lives seem to be one busy week after another and we are definitely feeling the effects of it...Joe's job is busy and demanding and I feel like I have to make up the slack at home so we all feel a bit overwhelmed.  Our boys are both so good they help out with what ever we ask and seem to be the happiest when they are helping.  Jimmy is quite the comedian and Chase is so sweet and thoughtful--always ready with hugs kisses and I love you's--right when we need them...how did we get so lucky?

Some recent facts about Chase--

Favorite Food--Pepperoni Pizza
Favorite Color--Grey
Favorite TV Character--Transformers
Favorite Saying--Yes! and Can I go with....? (whom ever happens to be around--loves new adventures!)
Favorite Friend--Dad and Jodi
Likes to Play--Legos
Likes to Go--melt my heart he said "with you"
Excited for--Dad to come home (really melts my heart)
He wishes to say-- "ummm umm who sees grandma--that's it!"

Recent Facts about Jimmy

Favorite Food--Grapes purple ones

Favorite Color--Purple and Blue
Favorite TV Character--Dragons and Marmaduke
Favorite Saying--"That's not my favorite to do"  or "That IS my favorite to do" (depends on what we are doing--go figure) although I hear him say "you have underwear in your pants"......all the time followed by mass amounts of laughter!
Favorite Friend--Katie
Likes to Play--with bugs
Likes to Go--"in utalk with Grandma's"
Excited for--"school school school"
He wishes to say-- "say ummm tiger umm ummm I said utalk ummmm ummm ooda hoop"

Only.......

Only the truely awesome can pull this look off!  

I love this kid!

Well between our trip to Utah and the craziness of our schedules in July it's been a really long time since I last posted--July went something like this--4th of July--week after Mandy was at a Youth Conference for our church--next week was Joe's long work week--week after was Mandy's pre-camp prep overnighter with the girls she was over at camp--week after that Mandy was at Girls Camp from Tues-Sat--Sunday Joe headed to Utah for Guard duty until Friday morning when he gets here to GA at 5 am and has to be at work by 11 to start yet again his long work week!!!!  If you count it all up we haven't had a "normal" week for well over a month!  And school starts in less than 2 weeks so life will continue to be crazy.  We are all doing well but are ready for some kind of a change--who knows what, where, when, or how we just need to figure out a way to feel like we can breath!
Mean while I really hurt my neck at body pump this morning--have I mentioned that I have lost close to 40 lbs in the last 9 months?  Slow and steady seems to be the winning factor on that one for me! 

Who wants pieces?

One of my favorite movies maybe my #1 is While You Were Sleeping, with Sandra Bullock. I love that movie for oh so many reasons but one of my favorite scenes is when they are all sitting down eating--and everyone is spouting off random things. I love it, makes me laugh every time--well lunch at our house is kinda that way.  Jimmy was well into his I loves  "I love noodles" "I love watermelon" "I love movies" "I love dragons" etc. etc.  Chase was mumbling about sticky seeds and the matching game, Joe and I were in shock and awe as Chase was actually eating watermelon, we were also reminiscing about him eating broccoli last week...then Jimmy shouts out "you wanna piece of me FOLKS" Joe and I just laughed and laughed--and told him the same thing we always do "I don't wanna piece I want the whole thing!" 

And that's just it together we have the whole thing and I couldn't love them all more!!

Hard to write.........

I have been having the hardest time trying to write about my trip to Utah--partly because I have been so busy getting things put back to "normal" but mostly because I have been missing someone and I'm still not so sure I can write about it, but maybe it will do me some good I don't know.  Just as we crossed the border into Utah I received a phone call telling me my dearly loved Uncle RJ had passed away--I was heart broken to say the least I still can hardly think about it--it hurts so! I hurt for his family, I hurt for my Dad, I hurt for my Grandparents, and I hurt for me! 

 At his viewing they had a place to write down memories and I just couldn't bring myself to write down just one so I just wrote down a general idea--but since then I have been pressed to share one particular memory--I don't even remember how old I was 11 or 12 but I was going with RJ, Kathie, and Shery to St. George for a few days (now I may get some of the details wrong but it was a while ago) and the day we were to leave Aunt Kathie had been vacuuming out the car and somehow lost the diamond to her ring, she was obviously upset about it and we looked and looked and looked but didn't find it--we went on our trip and when we got to St. George I remember how important it was to RJ to get Kathie a ring we went to a store (I think it was a southwestern gift shop) and he had her pick out a ring she had to have a ring--I remember thinking that when I grew up I want a man who would care that much about me that he wouldn't be mad about the ring he would just want to make sure I had one.  I don't remember what ring she picked out--or even if she did but I do remember how special I thought it was--but mostly I remember how special I felt when Shery and I got to pick out rings too! How I wish I could find it now.

 Uncle RJ was always trying to get me to break out of my shell--trying to help me realize I was braver than I thought, stronger than I thought, I think he made everyone feel that way like we were really special and important not just in general but that we were special and important to him. I love him dearly........and miss him so much.

 

Rex J Walker 1951 ~ 2010 Rex J Walker, 58, of Pleasant Grove tragically passed away Thursday, May 20, 2010 from a fall while working at Timpanogos Cave. He died in the mountains where he loved to be. Rex was born May 30, 1951 in Coalville to Rex B and Margaret Stark Walker. He married Kathleen Hansen on August 7, 1970 and they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti Temple. Rex is survived by his wife Kathie of Pleasant Grove; four children: Jennifer (Mike) Bascom, Pleasant Grove; Lauresa (Brandon) Peterson, Grantsville; Jimmy Dan (Natalie) Walker, Monticello and Sherylen (Quin) Wilkerson, American Fork; 15 grandchildren; parents; siblings: Carolyn Winterton, Cheryl Hughett, Barry Walker, and Garry Walker.

Pre-trip happenings!

I guess before I post about our trip to Utah I will post some happenings from just before we left!

I had a great "girls night" while Joe took the boys to a father and son campout--Ruth, her girls, Kim, Janice and I participated in Columbus' Relay for Life--we had some tears but also a lot of fun!! The boys and Joe had fun too-but there are no pictures of them.

Then we also had Chase's Kindergarten "graduation" it was a lot of fun and so cute--he was given the award of "Top Reader" in his class!  Everyone just loved our Chase--we are grateful to his teachers they worked so hard for our Chase he is so amazing!!