Be on Guard...We Can Never Be Too Careful

Forrest showed me this video today from CNN of a 3 year old fondled at a supermarket. It doesn't show it (thankfully) but does show parents how quickly it can happen and how to prevent it. Wow--what is our world coming to? God help us!

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/3-year-old-fondled-at-store/3967504447

His Red Wagon...

[Double click to read the journaling] :)

Our Memorial Day Weekend 2008...

Well, we had a safe and fun Memorial Day Weekend! Praise the Lord for His protection in travel and on the lake. We returned home with no one sunburned, which I can't remember the last time that happened for me. We left Friday afternoon and got there Friday night sometime. We went to the lake all 3 days we were there. The baby pool was a saving grace since the water was pretty chilly for Walker and I. We had a great car ride up to the lake with one of four of the Campbells' dogs riding with us. It was a win-win situation. Squatter kept Walker entertained the time he was awake, and Walker kept Squatter entertained and gave her foot to face massages. :) Here's a collage of our fun weekend and a couple of my absolute favorites with descriptions. And an important thank you to our past, present, and future men and women serving in our armed forces. May God bless you and your families in your bravery and selflessness. Thank you Uncle B and Aunt Steph for a fabulous getaway!

As always...be sure to double click on the collage jpeg to see the pictures in a larger format. They are too cute. The one of Forrest and Walker sleeping really let me see something that everyone has been telling me but I never really saw until that picture (Walker looks A LOT like Daddy). I love that little pajama outfit, my mom got it for him. I also LOVE the picture that I took of Stephanie and Walker sleeping. This is what we walked in to see after a quick morning date to Starbucks. Yes, Mt. Pleasant, TX has a Starbucks!! It's the little things folks. Yes, you do see us in the lake, but it was just on the boat lift. It is the perfect setup for kids. We could adjust how deep we wanted the water and our feet could always touch the bottom. Perfect! Oh, and if you are wondering where you can score a fun one-piece like my new swimsuit for the summer...Target and on sale for $8.75. Again, it's the little things right? :)

BIRTHDAYS...CELEBRATE LIFE!

Well, a couple of special people and a dog celebrated their birthdays last week! I wanted to pay special tribute to them now and wish them all a very happy birthday and an abundant year! :) In the light of all that's happening around us in the world, I realize more and more how precious life is and it is to be celebrated. Birthdays are special and should be treated as such.

My sweet nephew, Logan Price, turned the big O-N-E on Saturday. He and big sister, Abby, (who will turn 4 next week) will have a joint birthday that Walker and I will get to be at in a few weeks in Memphis (yay)! Happy Birthday Logie! Isn't he cute...this is how I always thought my son would look...dark brown hair, dark eyes. He is my twin brother's son so I guess I had good reasons for my guesstimate right? Guess I picked that one wrong huh? :)

Happy Birthday to Trisha Beth, Kanakuk Extraordinaire. I'm sorry I do not have a picture of her readily available. I'll keep searching. She's an amazing woman of God and has been a dear friend of mine through the years after leaving Kanakuk Staff, getting married, having a baby, etc. She's in the thick of 'work week(s)' at K2, but just wanted to giver her this shout out. Love ya sister!

Happy 3rd Birthday to our awesome dog, Bella. We got her 3 years ago out at the lake we just came from this weekend. Unfortunately, she was not able to celebrate her birthday there with us this weekend because it's 'that time of year' for her and we didn't want to take any chances of having puppies with strange dogs we didn't know. You understand of course. I got her a pink and green rope toy as a consolation prize. :( This is the day we bought her and a 'all grown up' picture. She's still cute, but grew up way too fast!

CELEBRATE LIFE AROUND YOU...IT IS PRECIOUS AND FROM OUR GREAT GOD!

Letters...

Well, all is quiet on the lake and while my hubs, Steph, and B went to see a movie, the baby is down, and my Bible Study done...I thought I'd write a letter or two that I've had in my head and have been meaning to write. Thanks for humoring me and reading this I encourage you to do the same and write your local companies to let your voice be heard. It feels good!

Dear Wal-Mart, Target, and HEB:

Would it be too much to ask if you could leave a couple of 'straggler' grocery carts in the grocery cart 'corrals' from now on? This small detail and consideration would make so many moms' days a little easier. For those of us with babies and small children, it is easiest to park next to a corral, transfer the baby carrier or child into the cart and stroll on in. Wholla! What a novel idea huh?
Every time I see your workers working so hard to get every last cart out of the parking lot, I just say out loud 'nooooooo leave one for us!' Anyway...penny for my thoughts! See what you can do. I'd appreciate it and so would many moms all over the great USA!
(Yes, I really did submit this to these stores in the 'feedback' section of their websites...might as well try right?)

Dear American Airlines,

You have GOT to be kidding me! $15 a bag? And $25 for each additional bag? What in the heck??????????? Do you think it even feasible to travel for a weekend, week, vacation, family visit and not check a bag in? Wrong. Seriously, I understand gas prices are going up but just tack on the extra on the airline ticket. When and where do you plan on collecting my 15 extra dollars? If at the check-in counter, this is going to slow down things quite a bit...kinda like people who still write checks at the store check out register (annoying). If so, thank you for now making me show up 2.5 hours before my flight takes off. Good grief! Please reconsider this 'bad move.' I'm sure you won't because that would make you look dumb...but in the meantime I will stay 'take that.' Since I did book my June flight before May 15...so nahhh, you'll have to get my $15 dollars some other time bucko!

Not so sincere,
TOF
(Ticked Off Flyer)

Heavy Heart for the Chapmans

My heart has been heavy ever since yesterday morning when I found out about the tragic news in the Chapman Family. Here are some blogs that you can read more on a more personal level with the family and write condolence messages, etc. Mary Beth (mom) has a blog that has the links to Emily's blog and so forth. So many wonderful things were happening for them...Emily graduated from Baylor last weekend and she just got engaged (i love the title of her latest post since it's the line from her dad's new song 'Cinderella'--too cute), the youngest brother is about to graduate HS (not sure if he is going to Baylor or not). And then this tragic event. Just a precious family that truly does put family first. We all have been uplifted by SCC and their family in one way or another through a song or a way you might not even know...so now it's our time to lift them up (especially Will) to our great Father who is dancing with Maria probably even now!

We took the plunge...Walker's 1st Swim

Well, we did it. Walker got in a pool for the first time yesterday evening. I was so excited for him, but I was alone since Forrest was at 7 on 7 football. I attempted it because I want him to 'get his feet wet' (pun intended) before we start swim lessons in a couple of weeks. Our next door neighbors, friends, co-worker have an in-ground pool that they have given us an open invitation to...how nice is that? So we took it. Thank you Jones'! They have 2 kids of their own so there is always someone in the pool. After about 2 minutes in our baby pool, I thought hmmm....lets go for the real deal, so we trekked over there in a flash (with camera in tote of course)! Here's some of the action. He is a strong kicker out of the water so I just knew he'd love to do it in the pool. It's very tricky trying to keep a baby's mouth out of the water line so they don't gulp down chlorinated water, but it happens as you can see from the video. PS- Seems like Walker is doing something new every day....as you can tell from him standing up in the pool and pulling up on the chair. I sure hope he likes swimming as much as I did when I was a kid and still do. Don't you love his swimsuit?? I got it the same day at a consignment store in town...$2.00!! Can't beat that. I know that makes the Williams' proud. :) *Be sure to pause the playlist...the commentary is comical between my friend and I. Gotta love that belly of his too! Enjoy our little fish!

Our Weekend....Zoo Time!

Well, we had our first outing to the Waco Zoo on Saturday morning. The weather was PERFECT...I mean perfect...sunny but not hot. Loved it! We have a great zoo for being a 'smaller' city in comparison to our giant neighbors of Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. I was impressed. We met our friends, The Julians. The cool part of the story is that Rachel and I were bridesmaids in each other's weddings almost 7 years ago. We grew up together in a Memphis suburb and were friends through our church. We lost touch after our weddings, but God brought us back together this summer when we both moved back to Waco. How cool is that and what are the chances? We do enjoy rekindling the friendship but it's a little challenging with 3 kids to manage between the both of us. She has a 4 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. Thanks for meeting us Julians...we had a great time. Be sure to double click on the picture collage to enlarge it to see the pictures better. :)

Afterwards, we met a 'haven't seen in a while friend' and 'Aunt' Kim. Jennifer was my Graduate Assistant at BU and then took over for me when we moved to Alabama last year. Since then, she has moved on and recently returned from an internship at the White House in D.C. So proud of you Bakes....so good to have seen you. Thanks for coming down to see us. You're the best and we love you. On a side note...Aunt Kim really wanted him to get his first taste of 'southern wine,' but I put my foot down and let him only lick the cup (ha). He is his mama's boy that's for sure! Soon enough Walker...soon enough!

Going to the Lake....would like some pointers...

Whew hoo! Yay for fabulous friends that have a lake house and invite you to come for the weekend. Thanks Campbells! I really am looking forward to this because every time we go it's so relaxing and laid back and so fabulous. I actually do consider it a VACATION! We'll be at Lake Bob Sandlin (up north of Dallas). This trip will be different I'm sure since little Walker man will be with us for the first time. Last summer when we went, I was really pregnant...but not anymore. It'll be fun for all of us to be there...but I'm telling you now lakes are my nightmare with babies/little kids. So Walker and I will be in our baby pool on the dock. No boat and no floaty ring in the lake. And I can not be convinced that it's not dangerous...so don't even try because you can't control accidents. The unclarity of the water (the bottomless pit) is just so terrifying to me if something every did happen....God forbid. So we will stick to the dock this summer. Fun times to be had wherever we are I'm sure.

My post is to ask for any friendly advice on taking a baby to the lake. Have you done it? If so send me your pointers for a more fun and safe trip with a baby at the lake...and what we need to bring!!

Thanks all...Happy Memorial Day Weekend (a little early)...

I even get off a day from work as a holiday. Thank you Lord!

I'm Walker, but not a 'walker' yet, but I'm a CRAWLER! Do you think this qualifies as such? We had an AMAZING 'outdoor' day...pages and pictures coming soon. :) Of course, typical toys don't tempt him, but put the remote controls in front of him and watch him go. You should try it too...it really works.

Smart Boy...

I know, I know...I hope to not be the mom that posts every little thing our child does on our blog. But I thought it was really great and fun that Walker knows how to clap his hands when we tell him to. We really don't work on it too much, just something 'he picked up on' along the way. Kids are the smartest little boogers aren't they...even at 7mos. old? Be sure to scroll down and pause the playlist before you start the video! :)

Daddy Time...

Walker's Newest Buddy...

Walker has a new buddy. We know Price from church and saw him in the same room when we are in the nursery, but never really got together until recently. AND to put icing on the cake...they have a BLOG! :) They actually live in the same neighborhood area as we do, so we have enjoyed walking/ strolling thus far. I'm sure swimming in the backyard is next on the agenda considering how both boys got pools in their living rooms this weekend without even knowing it at the time. How funny is that? We're just waiting for the weather to warm up so the pools can be transported from the living room to the backyard. The boys are really cute together and seem to have very similar dispositions of being happy boys. Price has 'found his voice' and likes to squeal while Walker has learned to rock on his hands and knees. Kristy and I were talking...now if only they could teach the other their skills! Kristy graciously signed the boys up today for swimming lessons in the middle of June...I can hardly wait. I know it will be so much fun for the boys and probably even more fun for the parents. Isn't Price a cutie...excuse me handsome? :)

Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers reading this. And to those who aren't yet and deeply desire to be...I'm praying for you because I once was 'you.' In the meantime, I encourage us all to be 'spiritual mothers' to those around us. If you are not sure what one is, be sure to click on the link. I appreciate my mom and all of the moms I know WAY more than I did 7 months ago. Wow--who knew how hard it could be...but so rewarding. My mom having my twin brother and I...don't know how you do it multiple moms...

Jenny, Kelly, Suzanne, Gen....bless you all indeed (multiple times) :)

No need to repeat my mother's day you can click on the image to enlarge and read the journaling. Not my most favorite page, but it's a page and a page done very quickly. Oh and by the way...all in favor of observing a "mother's week" say I.

The Western Whitehouse Wedding....

Dear Jenna....

Well ...you are married! Congratulations! :) By the way...love the dress girl! Beautiful! Just wanted to let you know we 'tried' to get there but several things stood in our way. Cindy and I were the only 'why not' girls that wanted to trek out to the ranch to get a glimpse of your wedding festivities. We weren't disappointed don't worry. Of course it would have been nice to have seen our names on the guest list that the secret service guy was holding, but we won't hold it against you. I know you wanted simple, organic, and small. We weren't dressed appropriately anyway. I've been out to Crawford many a time, but Cindy never had...so we pressed our luck and got as close as possible but when we saw the secret service dude with the bullet-proof vest, we decided to turn around and head home. But we timed it just right because at 7:05pm here came the 5 charter buses with your wedding guests. Ahhh how fun! That was the highlight for me for sure. I know I need to get a life. I have a great one, just fun to be so close to history in the making. We hope the wedding was all you wanted it to be...it was a hot, sticky...but a beautiful night in Texas...and I'm sure 'the stars at night will be big and bright...deep in the heart of Texas tonight!' (If you are not a Texan then you won't get that tag line) *Yes, Kim I said it. Congratulations again...I think you are one fabulous woman ....keep on keepin' on sister....enjoy the honeymoon! :)

PS- How much do you think Cindy can get for the picture of the charter bus? You should check out her blog too--she got some fun pictures as well.

PPS- I think you are beautiful, but I did resist the temptation to buy any souvenirs from the wedding like the ones pictured below. I think I have enough coffee mugs and coasters, although none with you and Henry on them. My loss. Maybe I'll think about it when they get marked down and placed in the 75% off sale bin. I was really close though to buying my 7mos. old a Western Whitehouse onesie though...but again...what can I say....it has to say SALE on it ...before I even think about purchasing. I know you know what I mean.

Up on All Four Folks...

Well, a couple of days after Walker's 7 mos. birthday this week, he decided he was ready to 'move on.' This is how we've found him in his crib lately when we get him in the morning. He rocks back and forth and lunges to grab an object. All of these 'firsts' are so fun and exciting and not to mention adorable.

Well, on another subject...today is the big day out near us in Crawford, TX. Cindy and I are thinking about going. I felt really sick yesterday, achy and sore throat--even to the point of going to the doctor but he said he thought it was just sinus/ allergy stuff--I feel much better today...and I know Cindy has been down for the count to with the flu lately...maybe we'll both be better today and up for a Presidential daughter wedding....if so you better believe we'll take some pictures and blog them.

Happy Weekend all...96 degrees is in the TX forecast today...wowser!

[Double Click on the image in order to read the journaling]
Happy 7 Months old, Walker Dubie...We love you!

A New Favorite Song...Worship on Sisters...

YOU'RE NOT ALONE...BY MEREDITH ANDREWS (The Music Video)

Yes, and a very fun bonus is she has A BLOG...lucky for us right? I found her last week on ITunes (another new discovery--where have I been?) Her CD was released last week and has some wonderful songs on it. If you are looking for a new artist and CD...I recommend this one.

I love the lyrics of this song. I love (most) songs that attempt to give God and audible voice with the reverent purpose of reminding us of a message that we have forgotten that He wants us to know and be reminded of daily. "It was the sweetest voice that called my name, You're not alone, for I am here...let me wipe away your every fear/tear. My love I've never left your side, I have seen you through the darkest night, and I'm the one who has loved you all of your life, ALL of your life." Wow, is all I can say. Who doesn't need to be reminded of that love letter from our great God?

I'll be back with another new found favorite soon. Stay tuned for EJ's new found picks that speak to the heart...you won't be disappointed! :)

[Remember to pause the play list to hear the music video]

PS- Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

[2 miles] I'll explain later...

Oral Surgery a success (thus far)...

Just letting you all know via the blog since I can't talk (gauze in my mouth) that this morning went VERY well. My doctor/ dentist is amazing and takes really good care of me since we are family friends. Walker & Dad were there the whole time since it only lasted about an hour, seemed much quicker than that though. I was 1/2 in and 1/2 out of it since they did IV sedation with me but I didn't really feel or hear anything. Praise the Lord for His protection and caring in the big and little things. I took a long nap once home to wear off the dizziness and loopiness...and about to start taking my meds. Thanks for the calls and texts and well wishes. Please continue to pray for a quick recovery today and tomorrow so I can be back soon doing the things I love with Walker and Forrest. Be back soon (well hopefully)...

More Pages and the cutest video {April 10, 2008}

Here are 2 more pages from the trip to see Katie and Will in Dallas earlier this month. I have one page to go. I didn't like the way it turned out the first time (you know how it is) so I'm going to redo it. And here is the 'infamous' video of the boys playing together. They seemed to really connect as you can see in the video. Will is hilarious and keeps taking Walker's pacifier. Too funny! Thanks for sending it Katie and letting me share. Enjoy!
[Be sure to pause my playlist so you can hear the video]