Pediatric Dentistry Match Results

Match results came in this morning at 5:35 a.m. We’re moving to Rochester, NY in June.

Making money...

Well...you can't make money! But can you make gift cards? Jacob made this REI gift card for Grandma for her birthday. Then he insisted that we all go to REI to help her pick something out. I think he honestly believed that his was as "good as cash." Grandma had to slip the cashier some money to pay for her gift. I felt pretty bad that her birthaday gift cost her $45.

If you have a favorite store please let us know. Maybe Jacob will send something special for your birthday too.

No! He is my brother...

Grace & Jacob absolutely adore their new brother. They love him a little too much.

This is the most frequent fight that occurs at our house now.

Grace: "This is my little brother."
Jacob: "No, he is my little brother too!!!!"
Grace: "No, he is MY BROTHER."
(Then Grace starts to chase after Jacob.)
I will NOT insert the gory details here.
Mommy: "Grace, now why are you in time out?"

Grace has seen time out so much with her older brother that it's hard for
Grace to take time out seriously. Any suggestions?

Merry Christmas!

Jeffery Lionell Walker ~ Born 12/22/2007

To all of our family and friends, here are some pictures of yesterday and today at the hospital. It was so nice to talk to many of you over the past couple of days. Jeffery was born at 7:24 AM on December 22, 2007 - 8 lbs 13.1 oz, 21 inches long.

We are so excited for him to be with us!

Grace is Two

Ryan has wanted to give Grace one of her birthday presents early this year. Why? Because he is tired of being bounced on. Grace has an enourmous amount of energy!Fortunately, Rody (a bouncy pony) is Grace's new best friend. I'm hoping that this will help Grace nap better too.

Grace had a few simple requests for her birthday: pink cake, pink frosting, and pink sprinkles. She also requested a Curious George party. She celebrated her birthday for almost three days. We are done celebrating now. Back to reality.....

We thought it would be fun to let the kids help decorate the tree. I took a few pictures for sentimental value and then banned them both from the tree once things started to break (not shown). We've already broken 4 balls and counting. We purchased our Christmas ornaments before we had kids. Oh well...less stuff to put away this year.

Jacob's First Recital

Jacob had his first violin recital on Saturday. He played “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” He was so proud! He was inspired by the other students and commented to me, “Mom, will I play like him when I am five?” I have a new respect for parents who raise children who play musical instruments.

Birthday Dinner for Grace

We went out to eat at Red Robin last week. We figured it was “close enough” to Grace’s birthday that we might as well ask them to sing Happy Birthday to her. Little did we know, the actual Red Robin bird would come out. Grace was quite disturbed by the whole event and said “No thank you” for the ice cream. Yes…she actually refused to eat the ice cream because it was from the bird. Jacob didn’t mind her refusal. On the way out, Grace replied, “it’s not even my birthday.”

Why I never make time for myself....

One of the hardest parts of being a mom (for me at least) is balancing my life with theirs. I want to have time for myself and pursue my own interests, but it is usally for a hefty price. Sometimes I am willing to pay the price and sometimes I'm not. Last week, I finally decided I would demand a few minutes to myself and finish a project on the computer. In my ten minute absense, Grace and Jacob peeled an entire box of satsumas. The picture doesn't show the satsumas that they already managed to consume. How does the state figure that a seven to one adult to child ratio is sufficient when I seem to struggle with two?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We thought it would be fun to let the kids help decorate the tree. I took a few pictures for sentimental value and then banned them both from the tree once things started to break (not shown). We've already broken 5 balls and counting. We purchased our glass Christmas ornaments before we had kids. Oh well...less stuff to put away this year.

A Seattle Snowman

It snowed in Seattle today! Jacob and Grace literally waited by the window all day until we told them there was finally enough snow to make a snowman. They used every last snowflake on the ground to make their snowman.

We love Grandma!

We always love when Grandma comes. My mom makes me feel 17 again! She does our laundry, dishes, babysits for FREE.

Grandma got to join us for a Tiny Tots performance this trip at the symphony. On the way home Jacob said, "Mom, can we go out to a restaurant since Grandma is here." Ryan and I were glad Jacob asked so we didn't have to ask.

Jacob's Violin

Jacob has been asking to play the violin for over a year now. Grandma got him his Christmas present early this year. Jacob FINALLY got his "real" violin after a month of practicing how to hold a violin. I have never seen Jacob so excited about anything. He is so proud of his violin and insists on practicing three times a day.

Two Great Minds

Jacob is an incredibly helpful brother. Look at this tower that he built to help his little sister get out of her crib.

Just ask Grandma

Ryan has been travelling a lot this month; but, fortunately Grandma Romney came to relieve me this weekend. Grandma had been in the car three minutes before Jacob jumped into his first request. "Grandma, my slippers at school are too small. Do you think we could go shopping while you are here?" Ryan and I had been receiving complaints that Jacob's slippers were too small for several weeks now. Apparently kids learn very quickly who responds to their requests.
(Just to clarify...the diet pepsi in the picture doesn't belong to Jacob.)

"Down Came the Rain..."

Grace is constantly singing to herself. She has an amazing memory and seems to remember the words better than I do. Gracie's monthly top ten is below.
1) Eensy Weensy Spider (see actions in the picture above)
2) Down by the Bay (she even caries a pretend "Ipod" that she can push and start playing this number)
3) Twinkle Twinkle
4) "Woodpecker, Woodpecker, why are you tapping." (This is a dinner time favorite where she can use her fork for background noise.)
5) Miss Mary Mack
6) Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
7) Hop on Squirrel
8) ABC's
9) 1,2,3,4,5...Once I caught a fish alive
10)Old McDonald (Grace prefers the duck. If she had it her way, we would sing this song over and over again with ONLY the duck.)

Happy Halloween!

Jacob was a dentist this year for Halloween. He wants to do everything just like Ryan. Grace was a toot fairy. Whenever someone commented on Grace's costume with something like "oh, you are such a beautiful princess," Grace would immediately correct them. "No, I'm a tooth fairy."

Gracie & Owen

Aunt Allison and Uncle Nate stayed with us last week. We loved having visitors~ Jacob, Grace, & Owen had a fun time at the Science Center.

Trunk or Treat

We went to "trunk or treat" tonight at the church. Grace (tooth fairy) is with her best friend Ethan (tooth). Aren't they adorable?

Fortunately, the kids agreed to keep five pieces of candy and trade the rest in for a small toy. Grace exchanged her loot for $1 worth a stickers. I wonder if we can pull this off next year.