Summer Vacation

At the end of the summer, we spent a week in Orlando with the Wilbanks' family and enjoyed a fun and relaxing week together. We slept in, hung around in our pj's, ate really good food and eventually made it to the rec center and the pool. We also did some shopping and took Walker on his first trip to Sea World. He loved it! He absolutely loved looking at the fish. It was the first time we noticed him waving to random people and trying to catch their attention and talk to them. It was definitely cute.

Walker was fearless in the kiddy pool. I know I've said it before, but the boy loves water!

He also loves Uncle Kyle! Seriously, he gets mad when Kyle leaves the room.

the fam at Sea World

Poor Papa John...I don't think he minded it, though. And did I mention that the whole week was "Papa John week" for Walker? He wouldn't pay attention to anyone else.

There's my cute little man with his big 'ole teeth! He has 8 of those big teeth.

A Screaming Pumpkin

THE PUMPKIN PATCH
Going to the neighborhood pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin sounds like a great idea. And while it does yield some pretty cute pics, it can also cause a little bit of stress...especially when the pumpkin patch is next door to a church where a wedding is letting out. Yep, that's what happened to us when we went last weekend. Walker has begun exploring the range of his vocals and, as a result, ends up screaming at the top of his lungs. He's not mad or upset, he just screams. And that's exactly what he did as all the guests were leaving the church. Fortunately, he's cute and people just smiled at him as they walked out to their cars. We did, however, find a great pumpkin, which Walker looks at every day and calls "pump."

Walker is 1

Okay, so maybe Walker technically turned 1 on Sept. 24, but I don't think it's too late to post photos from his 1st birthday party. One thing you realize when you have a 1-year-old is that Elmo becomes a normal part of your life. That's right...I said Elmo! That's why we decided on Elmo as the theme for Walk-man's party. He sees Elmo and lights up (almost as much as when he sees me, but not quite--thank heavens). Walker likes to watch Elmo on Sesame Street or on DVDs (that are still Sesame Street episodes from the 80's, as my friend Karen says). But his favorite show is called Yo Gabba Gabba. I know, it sounds totally weird and it IS! But it's fun and educational, and I find myself singing songs from the show ALL the time. It's ridiculous. Now onto the birthday festivities.

We had Walker's birthday party at the Wilbanks' house (Jamma and Papa John's) and the kids all went swimming. With our large family and friends there, I would guess we had around 50 or so people there to celebrate.

Walk-man was very friendly on his bday although he did get a little surprised when he saw all his favorite people in one place.

My sister, Wendi, made Walker's cake. She did an amazing job...it was beautiful and delicious!

Thank goodness for Aunt Julie and all the family! Everyone had a job that day and we are so thankful to have all the family around to help out.

Walkman loves his Granddaddy!

I look at this photo and think...wow, what a cute little boy--he looks nothing like me! I try to convince myself every day that he acts like me. He's pretty feisty. :)

Walkman was so happy hanging out with his Daddy and Papa John.

We had to take a quick photo pre-birthday cake mess.

He was shy for a few seconds and then he finally dug in.

Walker is a good sharer. That means we get to take bites of almost everything he eats...yummy!

He did a great job of making a huge mess! Lots of fun! Can you tell that he went into some kind of crazy sugar shock right before bedtime? It was scary and hilarious at the same time. He was wildly shaking his head around, banging his head on a pillow, and acting pretty crazy for about 10 minutes. Then he suddenly fell asleep.

I swear they are twins. I love it!

And here's the I'm tired, full of cake and sugar, and covered in sticky icing look. Adorable!

Finally An UPDATE!

Hi there friends and family who have been patiently waiting for an update for about...oh, 5 months. Needless to say, life remains as crazy and busy as ever. And Walk-man is SO BIG! We celebrated his 1st birthday on Sept. 24!! How has it been a whole year? It's been a wonderful year for us, and we continue to revel in every sweet moment we enjoy as parents. He just had his 1 year appointment and is almost 20 lbs and 30 in. His weight and height are very average, but his head size remains a whopping 75%...ha ha! I'm posting several different updates in the following postings so I can share lots of lots of photos from the last 5 months. It will be an exciting reminder to us of how much Walker has grown and changed since the summer began. So...here goes!

First, here are a couple of our favorite things that Walker is doing now:
1. TALKING -- saying words like dog, ball, duck, frog, bird, flower, stop, sun...and others (although he calls most animals "dog"). Notice that "mama" isn't in there yet. He does say "dada" but has only said "mama" two or three times.
2. Singing...okay, so he's always been a singer. But I love hearing him hum along to "Jesus Loves Me" or "I love little Walker" (hopefully you know that one) or "ABC's".
3. Getting excited to see certain people...family and friends that he loves so dearly. It's adorable to see him get so excited to see the grandparents, for sure.
4. Looking at books...he has always loved his books, but now they are one of his favorite activities of the day.
5. Chasing the dogs...whether it's Livy, Mei-mei or Belle, he likes to chase 'em! He likes to walk around with his push cart thing and he literally rams it into Belle...she's not quite fast enough to get out of his way.

Here's the little man @ 8 months.

He always so proud when he rides his frog or elephant. He makes sure you are watching!

Getting harder to photograph every month...but still adorable and fun!
Here's the missing 10 month photo.

So, not sure where the 10 month photo is, but I know I took it (I even remember the outfit, of course). Must be on a different camera? Here's 11 months. And 12 months is coming soon.

My friend Bailey is getting married next month! I've known Bail since the 7th grade. This was her shower over the summer. On the right is my friend Laura (from college).

Here's Matt's first Father's Day! He got a sweet rod and reel for his fishing trips with Kyle.

Walk-man loved his first watermelon...and made a lovely mess.

How cute is he riding in his wagon at my parents' house?

Love those chubby thighs...and his naps with Papa John.

And you know life is good when you fall alseep WHILE eating...this is midway through bites of carrots.

Walk-man with cousins Kenzi and Sydney.

Just thought this was a cute pic of us from back in July.

Are those not the cutest feet? I just want to bite them!

Okay, so we are working on proper table manners, but we couldn't help laughing at Walker putting his feet up "at the table" (or the high chair if you are an infant). I told him his Granddaddy would not approve.

Not surprisingly, Walker loves the beach. He loves the water, the sand, the openness and being able to crawl (or walk) around. I had to stop him from eating too much sand.

He is so close to walking on a consistent basis! YAY! He has taken lots of steps and does it every day, but he doesn't consistently walk on his own all the time yet. I know it's close, though!

Brushing his teeth came naturally to him. I think it's because he loves to watch us brush our teeth. We're trying to make sure the toothpaste isn't a "main food group" as our pediatrician puts it.

Not sure why, but Walker loves to spit! It is hilarious. Luckily, it's only randomly (and not all the time).