How Fast Can You Eat?

Hal is one of the fastest eaters I know! I thought I ate fast. He claims that his fast eating skills derive from limited time at work to eat so if he wants lunch he has to eat it very fast.

This year Hal is in the bishopric so he got to put his fast eating skills to work at the Fall Festival. The bishopric have to eat a small pie, without using their hands. The first one done is the winner.

Here they go...

He is giving it his best effort...but will it be enough to claim victory?

How can this be?.... he was not the winner! He was beat out by the 2nd Counselor. But the good news is that there is always next year!

It's A Mad Mad Science Party

It's A Mad Mad Science Party

Joshua’s Birthday was this week and we have been partying all week! We had his party last Wednesday. It was a “Mad Science” party. The boys did lots of science experiments and learned about cool things like air pressure and the different kinds of styrofoam.

The great people at Mad Science brought all the fun. They started by doing a magic trick and then talking about the difference between magic and science. The boys then were able to participate in the science experiments. They were able to get a hardboiled to go into a jar that had an opening that was “too small” by using science to suck the egg inside the jar. They also were able to see the difference between styrofoam and special packing peanuts that are biodegradable….and even edible….so we learned! Yum! Also, the kids got to experiment with water-absorbing pellets. This was very fun until Professor Z explained to the kids where they might find these amazing pellets…in diapers…ewww! Of course, as any great science professor would do, Professor Z waited to tell the boys this until they had all played with the water-absorbed pellets. It was all fun until we bring up the gross stuff…then it was great!

We ended the birthday party with a rocket launch! Wow! It went higher than I thought it would go and it was such a great treat for the neighbor’s dog as it landed accidently in their yard instead of ours. By the time we called the neighbor there wasn’t much left of the rocket!

Fathers and Sons Outing!

This past weekend was also the Fathers and Sons outing in our ward. Joshua had a great time and the Bishop said on Sunday that he considered it a success because no one fell in the fire! After watching some of the video I am a little surprised that it was a success. Joshua of course was in heaven because there was so many guys his age to hang out with! Hal said it was one of the best-attended Fathers and Sons he remembers in our ward. Josh is just the perfect age!

Talent Show!

Today, we attended the school talent show. Joshua was selected to play in the talent show. Here is a video of his violin performance. He did very well and did not struggle with stage fright at all. This is the biggest crowd he has ever played for. He picked his favorite song to play so it would be fun and not to hard to remember. I was really proud of him. He did great.

Of course we came home to more cake and ice cream…homework and bed. It was a great celebratory week. Eight is Great.

As a final celebratory note, at the beginning of the week Joshua FINALLY lost a front tooth, for a grand total of three teeth lost. He didn't lose the first one until he was seven.

This, That and the Other

We have had a crazy busy week! Last week was Hal's birthday, again. I wish he would quit having them because every time he has one then I follow suit shortly after and I certainly don't want to get any older! We had a great deal of fun and partied for two days. We enjoyed dinner out with friends and also a comedy show.

Part of the fun is that Hal's Mom is in town. We love having her visit. We went on a walk this morning. It was a beautiful day. We also managed to do a little shopping and of course lunch at a sidewalk cafe.

Also, on Friday, Hannah had her final concert for her community orchestra. Her chamber orchestra sounded the best they have ever sounded. It was a lot of fun to have Grandma here as she has never seen one of Hannah's concerts!

April

Then there was "THAT" April.....

April

Well, here it is April. April Fool’s Day no less. April has always been a BIG month in the Walker Family. Obviously, some of this joy has been spread around through the years…other times it tag-teamed us in an April of the same year!

April 1

Hal and Kellie decide to give their relationship another try (many years ago).

Kellie thought several times during that phone conversation…is this just an April Fool’s joke?

April 1 (different year)

Becca was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

***Saddest April Day***

April 5

Kellie dislocates her ankle, breaks her leg, breaks her ankle, and breaks her foot in the process… and she is nine months pregnant!

April 6 (early a.m.)

Kellie has surgery to repair said breakage and gains 9 pins and a plate in her leg. Also gets the privilege of having dinner brought in from her loving ward for nearly 6 months and gets to be pushed around in a wheel chair for same amount of time.

April 13

(tag-team from April 5th same year)
Hannah is born.

April 13

Same day as her birth, Hannah breaks her collar bone during delivery.

She didn't want her Mommy to be the only one broken.

Also, her delivery day shatters record at the local hospital for most babies delivered in one day at that hospital.

April 14

Hannah makes her TV debut on the morning show to discuss the delivery record for the previous day for the hospital.

April 15

Hal and Kellie get engaged at the Lincoln Memorial. (Tag-team with #1)

From hence forth they strive diligently to have their taxes done so they don’t have to celebrate their engagement date in line at the post office! Of course they don't really celebrate this event. But, it never goes without mention. And the way things are going this year we may be celebrating at the post office.

We end the month by celebrating the following birthdays:

Barbara

and then

Hal!

April is eventful and I am always holding my breath when it arrives and breathing a sigh of relief when it goes…..hang on…let’s hope it is NOT a wild ride this year!

Cowgirls and Cowboys

Tonight was the much-anticipated Daddy Daughter Date for Hannah and Hal. The theme was western so we raided Becca's and my closet to come up with the ensemble for Hannah! My vote may be prejudiced, but I think she looks darling! Hannah's belt buckle is a genuine calf-roping belt buckle given to me by my good friend Lisa Winn (back when she was Lisa Winn) and of course she is a real cowgirl so it was one of her "extras". The green and yellow belt was also a gift given to me by and made by my cousin Mike.

As for Hal's western attire, the boots are vintage Stan. What a great treasure for Hal to have! The shirt, hat and Wranglers....yes I said Wranglers...were part of an outfit he bought one year when taking me to the Ute Stampede. Of course, the Wranglers didn't compensate for the lack of cowboyness and he did have to leave the rodeo early for boredom reasons but he gets big points for trying!!! And big points for staying at the rodeo much longer than he wanted to!!! As a reward my Mother gave Hal a genuine Ute Stampede belt buckle which is proudly wearing tonight also!

Tonight these two lucky wranglers are going to be having a western cookout and a s'mores making party in the neighbors backyard. Because Jasmine wasn't available tonight to carry these two to the party they walked. Here they are heading out.

Hannah also wanted a picture with her favorite member of our family...Tiger.

Home Teachers and Valentine's Day

I am feeling a bit remiss. I think I am going to be this great blogger and put it ALL down in words! Well, sometimes life gets in the way and we get busy living it instead of memorializing it.

Some stories are worth memorializing.

A few nights ago our door bell rings. I am down in the other end of the house and so I leave it someone else to answer the door, which if you have ever rung our doorbell or called our house phone you would know that this is not a fail-proof method. But, this particular evening the door was answered.

A few minutes later I am walking down the hall and realize that Hal is standing at the door speaking with our home teacher. I invite myself to the door and say hello. Hal turns to me and explains that we have a NEW home teacher and this is him. I say, “Oh...um…no, this IS our home teacher! He has been our home teacher for a while.” Of course our young, eager home teacher is nodding vehemently that he is indeed our home teacher and he has been so for a while. Then my adorable, well-intentioned husband says, “Oh, I must not have been home when you visited.” Our home teacher, bless his heart, says “No, you were here!” (which is true). Of course we invited him in…but he couldn’t stay. We invited him to come back another day and really visit us…but he declined.

After a few bumbling minutes of Hal trying to figure out why he doesn’t remember this particular neighbor as our home teacher we awkwardly close the door holding the red box of store-bought valentine cookies and I begin to snicker. Of course Hal is very embarrassed that he doesn’t remember. But in his defense, this home teacher has been our home teacher for quite a while but has visited us so infrequently that it might seem like we have a new home teacher. And if we were being honest we are just glad that anyone would even claim us.

The punchline, however, is that taped to the store-bought cookies is not the home teaching message for February, but rather the VISITING teaching message!

We hope you had a very Happy Valentine’s Day! We spent the actual day lounging on the beach of the Sea of Cortez! It was wonderful. It was a short but sweet trip that did wonders for my soul. For some reason I am able to relax ten-fold in Mexico. Maybe it is because there is not cell phone service! Or perhaps it is the guacamole. Who knows?!?

Oh, and the carpets are clean again! This time it has been almost a week!

Our Ski Team

Somehow Joshua was absent from our other ski photos earlier this week. Here is a picture of him and then another of all the crew at the end of the day!