A few random pictures...

This little girl loves to help me cook. She can hear me in the kitchen from a mile away and comes running. She pulls out her stool, grabs her apron and is ready to bake!


My Grandma and Grandpa Walker came to visit. It is always nice to see them. We went to Nielson's custard to get a treat in true Walker fashion. We are always ready for a treat!!


Paige and her Great Grandma Walker.


Look at that cute, little face! So loveable.


Snow in St. George, before we knew what real snow was all about!

Christmas 2009

Remember that I said I have some catching up to do?? Well, hang on....

I am sitting here on a lonely Sunday night. Douglas left for Indiana after Sacrament meeting and now it is quiet and sad here. I miss him when he is gone. Even for a short amount of time. I am grateful to have a spouse that I also consider my best friend. I know not everyone is that lucky. I just feel like he "gets" me (most of the time) and loves me no matter how grouchy I get. It is a nice feeling.

I get, what I like to call, the "Sunday Blues". I have for years. I just don't love Sunday nights. They seem to come every week though so I deal. Tonight I am sitting with a bag of Sweettarts Gummy Bunnies and the computer. The bunnies are yummy, except for the yellows which go straight in the trash. They taste like medicine. I think seasonal candy is made for me since I can't resist it. All candy tastes better when it is seasonally colored and shaped. Right? Too bad it seems there is always a holiday to celebrate. It takes a lot of willpower not to eat candy every day.

But, it is Sunday, so I need something to combat the blues.

Isn't it fun to look at old pictures of your kids. It is interesting how I remember the good things. Sometimes I almost forget how difficult Jackson was, for such a long time. He is such a delightful kids (most of the time). I am holding out hope for Paige. Haha! I tend to be a little emotional in general. I cry when I read the Friend to the kids. Tonight, Jackson chose this book, A Tree Named Steve, to read. I cried when I read it. It was sweet and touching. Sweet Jackson cries too. Paige tries to make herself cry. J is so tender. It makes me cry that he cries. Sometimes I try to hide that I am crying. It kind of embarrasses me, even in front of my kids. So, tonight I noticed Jackson hiding his face while we read. I asked him what was wrong. He told me he was hiding because he was crying. Oh man. I don't want him to feel like he can't cry in front of me. I guess I need to be better about it.

Paige loves to dress herself now and man, is she creative. She does a pretty good job matching, most of the time, but it is hard to step back and let her have that freedom. She feels so grown up when she does it. She is such a smart little girl. She always wants to keep up with J and tells me how to spell words (totally incorrectly) all the time. She loves preschool and is a good friend to the girls (she has no use for boys). She was the spotlight in primary today and quite proud of it. A couple great things from her paper were that when she grows up she wants to be a "princess" and that she is good at "skydancing". Man, that girl is funny. I made her a nightgown out of ballerina fabric which she LOVES. She had worn it 4 days in a row and spilt milk on it. There were many tears shed when I told her we would have to wash it and she couldn't wear it to bed. I went out the next day and got some fabric to make some more.

Well, I got a little off topic. I was going to post about Christmas 2009...here we go~

Jackson asked Santa for a spy kit. Santa was so nice as to include some disguises too.



Paigie got a pink kitchen which has gotten much use. Paige loves to set up meals for people. Oh, and the elves brought her Dora pjs. One happy girl.



She got a caboodle full of makeup which she used in a matter of 3 hours. Here she is applying some to her nana.



My dad video taped the event.



Mrs. Clause loves to put together stockings for D. She is very creative.



Who can it be?



Paige arranging the nativity.



Paige and her Grams. I love pictures like this...such treasures.



Andrew was visiting as well. Hooray!



J gave Paige Dora gloves and a Dora hat. This girl was obsessed with Dora!



Paige gave Uncle Drew some sour gummy worms.



I made Paige a tutu...also has received tons of wear. Now a days she puts it under her dresses to make them puffy.



Paige would run around yelling, "ballerina, ballerina." She was a little excited, or hyped up on sugar.



She got a BYU sweater from Uncle Drew. Go cougars.



Aprons from Grandma De.



Playmobils from Nana and Papa. We love these and usually my basement floor is covered in them!



Horsie Ride from Daddy.

Good News!!

Douglas called about an hour ago to tell me that he was driving back to spend Saturday and Sunday with us. Such good news. He will head back to Indiana on Sunday, return Wednesday night and leave for India Friday (where he will be for 10 days). This is good news indeed!!

A case of the sickies...

Well, we got them good around the Shaw house. First, our carrier monkey, Jackson, brought it home. He was the first to succumb. He kept telling me that he wanted to stay home from school. I explained that if he stayed home, he stayed in bed. That kept him going to school for a few days. Finally, on Thursday, that sounded great to him. He laid around coughing, fevering etc. for two good days. Poor kid.

Then he got better and Paige started coughing.

I think the fact that Paige has asthmatic nighttime coughing anyway contributed to four of the most miserable nights that both of us have had forever. Really, I don't know that I have ever had such a horrible night with a child. She woke at 10:30pm one night and coughed, pretty much non stop, until 6am...no exaggeration. We went to the dr. twice to be told there was nothing he could give us. I can think of a few things I might have liked. Wow. It was bad.

Did I mention that Douglas was out of town the entire time? Of course. That is how it always seems to work out!!

We are on the mend now. I have a little cough, but I am hoping and praying it turns into nothing more that just that.

Here is a picture of J man in his bed wathing Jonny Quest. I was too delirious to consider taking a picture of Paige.



I do, also have to add, however, that I was in charge of the Relief Society birthday party right at the climax of Paige's illness. Good times.

My cooking buddy...

Anne and I have been great friends for some time. We share the common interests of cooking, baking and eating. We have a food blog together that she updates and I think about updating. While I was in St. George, Jen Leach arranged a little luncheon where we all brought food to share and taste. It was so much fun and really made me homesick for my great friends in Santa Clara. Thanks for the fun time, and good eats friends!!

Now, I should mention that I got sicker than a dog while I was in St. George. I felt like garbage, so that is why I took not one picture with my friends...the entire time. I think I was in survival mode. Good thing Anne made me get in these pics!!

Paige

Paige loves toys. She will sit for hours and play. It is such a nice contrast to Jackson who will only play if you sit and play with him!

When we were in St. George in February I got under Grandma's house and dug out my old Barbies which used to be my mom's old Barbies. I loved Barbies when I was a kid. I loved dolls, dress ups, toys. Paige is a girl after my own heart. She spent a lot of time down in the room dressing those dolls. She loved it. I love that she loved it.