Christmas!!

Well, Christmas is done, but not totally for our family. We celebrate Ukranian Christmas on Jan 7. The kids got quite the load of presents this year, we were glad we had the truck. The kids are all having fun playing with new toys, trying to figure out how they work and how they break.

Ben is getting ready for school on the 5th, even though they have yet to announce his schedule. He will be going to school Monday - Friday and working at Cooper's on Saturday to increase the little income we will be getting from EI.

I have rearranged upstairs and turned half of Noah's room into a playroom for the girls so that their enormous amount of toys can be better contained and out of sight. Also so that I don't have to watch Tinkerbell or other movies over and over and over again.

The highlight of Ben's christmas was a book his mother bought him about mustangs, and a game for the wii that we got. My highlights were a wall hanging of a family from Ben and a FHE board from Ben's brother and sister-in-law.

Now we are preparing for the new year as it promises to be interesting and eventful. Hopefully Ben will have his AST License by Christmas 2009 and that means we will be getting wage increases this year as he advances. I will be preparing to make a final decision on homeschooling before September when Mikayla is supposed to start preschool. And the kids are all going to grow and have fun.

Mikayla had her last day of Nursery at church and starts Sunbeams on Sunday. She is very excited. Lana will be in Nursery by herself until August when Noah joins her.

Joyeaux Noel!!

Happy Holidays

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Walker Children 2008

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Anniversary

Well Today Ben & I have been married 4 years. Before I get to that let me play catch up. On Dec 6 it was German St Nikolas Day. We celebrated by going to Breakfast with St Nick. It was actually the girls primary party but went perfectly with the day's theme. Each of the kids got a new outfit and Ben got a flashlight for his mechanics. This is the only time we talk about Santa with our kids. For Christmas we do not use Santa. We focus on Christ and the gift of giving. Throughout December we do little service projects and try to show our children the true spirit of christmas.

So back to our anniversary. We have been married (civilly) for 4 wonderful years. In that time we have been blessed with 3 wonderful children and a deep friendship and love for one another.
We are putting the kids to bed early tonight so that we can enjoy a candlelight dinner together. Tomorrow Grandma Walker is going to watch the kids while we go out. Then on tuesday we are watching Ben's niece and nephew while Grandma & Grandpa Walker go to the temple to celebrate their 30th temple anniversary. I look forward to when Ben & I can say we've been together for that long.


Happy Anniversary!!!!!

Love you all.
Virginia

Year End Update

So yet another year is coming to an end. I sit here reflecting on what this year has brought.
Well the easiest way do remember the year is to think about each month. On Feb 9 we were priviledged to meet Noah Jared Walker who was born in Lethbridge at 3:46pm weighing 7lbs, 20 1/2 inches. Ben was shocked, then excited to finally have a boy.
In July Ben turned 26 and made me promise never to try to throw him a surprise party again.
August brought the girls' birthdays. Mikayla turned 3 and Lana turned 2. They are growing like weeds and are becoming wonderful little ladies. In September I turned 22 and was priviledged to be taken out for a child-free birthday dinner.
Now we are preparing for christmas and changes that the new year will bring. Ben starts his third year Technical training on Jan 5 for 8 weeks. We are praying that the financial support we recieve will be enough to supportr our family.
We are looking forward to the Christmas season , as we focus on our Savior and serve our fellow community members.
We have started a new tradition for FHE. Every other week we go to Ben's parents house for a combined FHE. It has worked well and we look forward to continuing. We have a service project planned for our next combined FHE. We are going to take cookies to some families.

The girls and I put up the Christmas Tree this week and we are all looking forward to German Christmas on Dec 6, for which the kids each get an outfit. Then we look forward to Christmas when we get to see Emma & Dave, my stepsister and her husband, and 2 of three sets of grandparents on the same day. Then we get to have a cultural Christmas on Jan 7 for Ukranian Christmas, when Grandma Walker makes all sorts of yummy, traditional food.

We hope that the new year brings joy and happiness. And that we may all find harmony and peace in our lives.

Love,
The Walkers
Ben, Virginia, Mikayla, Lana & Noah.

Carrie Underwood Concert

Well Carrie Underwood was phenomenal! The enmax center was packed and the energy was incredible. Ben and I had good seats, albeit uncomfortable ones, but good ones. Little Big Town opened the show and we thoroughly enjoyed them. Carrie Underwood came on and the noise was deafening. She performed songs from both of her albums and seeing her in person is even better than listening to her cds. I had one "mom" moment, in which I shed a tear thinking about my little girls at home while Carrie Underwood sang All-American Girl. She even brought up an 8yr old girl from the audience to sing with her. Ben says he would definitely pay to see her again. I enjoyed myself immensely. She is a wonderful performer and she likes to connect with the audience. It was a night we'll not soon forget.

Virginia

5 Weeks till Christmas!!!

So with so little time until Christmas I find myself with no motivation. And with the list of things I need to do it's no wonder. I still have to do all of my Christmas shopping. I have to convince Ben that Christmas is not horrible just busy and to get the tree out in time for German Christmas on December 6. I have to get my Christmas baking done. Although this year I'm doing double duty and also making sugar-free treats for myself as I have developed a sugar intolerance. I still have to finish decorating the house. I have to wrap presents after I buy them. And I'm still trying to bring organization to our tiny little house.

Mikayla is growing taller everyday and becoming a very cheeky little girl.
Lana is also growing like a weed and is into her copy cat phase.
Noah is standing up but has yet to figure out how to get down. He should be walking by Christmas, hopefully.

On Nov 24, which is Monday, Ben and I are going on a date to the Carrie Underwood concert in Lethbridge. My mom is coming to stay with our kids so that she can put them to bed at their usual time. I'll let you know how the concert goes next week.

We Won!

So on thursday Oct 30 I got a call at 7:25am from Country 95.5fm. They were looking for Ben. They then called his work which didn't work. They called back and I told them to call Cooper's at 8am. They did. And surprised Ben when they told him that he had won tickets to the Carrie Underwood concert in Lethbridge on November 24. Ben had been trying to win tickets since Oct 1st. He was ecstatic. So on Nov 24 Ben and his beautiful wife (that's what he called me on the radio) will be attending the Carrie Underwood concert and we couldn't be happier.
I'll let you all know how the concert is.

Virginia

P.S. My grandmother is doing much better, which just adds to my joy.
Also my little brother Brandon is getting married in June 2009. Now if only our house would sell everything would be great.

We survived Halloween!

This is Lana as Abby Caddabby, the fairy from Sesame Street. She was adorable.

Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures on halloween so this is after. Mikayla doesn't want to dress up as Tinkerbell right now so I'm still trying to get that picture, but I do have one of her as a ballerina. And Noah was a care bear and I promise that i'll get a picture on another day. So in lieu of halloween pictures i have some other cute and funny pictures. Enjoy!

Aren't they cute! Now if only they would cooperate on potty training.

That's all for now.

Virginia

Halloween madness

Sorry about the long wait. It has been crazy.
Nothing new on our house. It's been shown a few times but no offers yet.
The kids are growing like weeds.
Mikayla is still not potty trained but we're still trying. She is becoming more bossy with her siblings as she repeats almost everything I say.
Lana is starting to potty train, and she doing better than her older sister some days. However she is officially a terrible two and has started with temper tantrums where she throws herslf on the floor.
Noah is almost 9 months, and is teething. He currently has 6 teeth which seem to be coming in two at a time, every couple of weeks. He is crawling and sitting and wanting to stand. He is a happy baby most of the time and so cute. He is a miniature of his father right down to the red hair coming in, and he is such a Daddy's boy.

For Thanksgiving we had alot going on and alot of it stressful. On that friday I found out that my Grandma was in the hospital after a stroke, but on the good side Ben's brother and his family came down to visit. Sunday, Mikayla and Lana were sent home from church because they had lice, so of course that had to be treated and dealt with. Also Ben's sister had a car accident at church and Ben's sister-in-law was sick in bed all day. After dinner, to which we did not attend, Ben's brother and his family left for their home and as they arrived in Calgary Ben's sister-in-law had a seizure. She recovered and has not had another. So as you have seen Thanksgiving was not a good holiday for us.

Now we are getting ready for halloween. Mikayla is going as tinkerbell. Lana as Abby Caddabby (from sesame street). So both girls are going as fairies. Noah is going to stay with Daddy as he's too little to trick or treat.

Ben got a new truck. He traded in his 2004 Jeep Wrangler and got a 2004 Ford F-150 supercab. The kids are loving the new truck as are Ben & I.

Well that's all for now.

Virginia

All is Well

Well September has finally come and with it comes birthdays and fall colours. Ben's family has had alot going on that I won't get into, needless to say that we've been busy offering support and help when needed.
So for September we are waiting for a nephew to be born, a couple a birthdays, and of course MY birthday on the 26th. I'll be 22.
Just a week ago Mikayla and I had our hair cut short. I really like mine and Mikayla is loving hers and she looks so cute.
Noah is crawling now. He army crawls with his arms and doesn't use his legs much. He is eating all sorts of pureed foods. He loves applesauce and eats veggies better than his sisters ever did.
Lana is very helpful around the house, unless she gets in one of her moods, then she is a very terrible 2-year-old.
Mikayla likes to do crafts and she loves to help me bake and do laundry. Today we baked bread.
Ben is hard at work. As it has been raining he comes home wet, cold and tired. We just recieved the financial aid package for his schooling, so now we're just waiting for his class schedule and booklist.
I am forever cleaning to keep the house show ready as our house is now listed for sale.
Well all is well at our house.

Virginia

Moving???

Okay so right now we're trying to get a bigger house. If the answers our financial manager gives us on tuesday are good news then we'll be putting our house up for sale and renting a 5 bedroom house until Ben finishes his first round of school in feb and gets a raise in March. Then we'll be applying for a mortgage for the house we're renting. So cross your fingers. The next month and a half will be busy and crazy. We'll be packing and moving, along with the day-to-day activities of our family.
Stay tuned to find out if all goes well.

Virginia

Clean, clean, clean!

Well today we're cleaning in preparation for the social worker's visit. A little background on that statement is that on August 7 this year, just over two weeks ago, a worker from child services rang my doorbell. She said there had been a complaint made about Ben and I. She looked at our house and said it was not up to standards. She gave me a choice. Either I could find someone to take my children for a few days until the house was ready for inspection or the children would be taken into custody. Our friends the Postmans took our children from Aug 7 at noon until Aug 11 at noon. Ben came home from work immediately and we started to clean. Just a few hours later our friends, Rebecca and Naomi came to our door. They were our godsend. They decluttered like pros. And if not for them It would have taken Ben and I days to get the house ready. So on Monday Aug 11 the social worker came and inspected and said the kids could come back. Now two weeks later She is coming to check up on us and tell us that the file is closed. So today I am cleaning so that she has nothing to complain about.
After this I will be preparing for a tupperware party on Wednesday. I have a new recipe to try: fruit salsa. So tonight I will be delivering invites.
Starting on Sep 1 I am hoping to work on household routines and menu plans.
Gotta go clean, clean, clean.

Virginia

Welcome to our Walker Family Blog. This is for our family and friends whom we don't get to catch up with all the time. You can get a glimpse of life with our three munchkins.

A quick update:

Ben turned 26 this year on July 26. I threw him a surprise party that didn't go as planned. He is a third year Automotive Service Technician Apprentice. He starts school on Jan 5, 2009 and goes for 8 weeks. He is currently the very happy owner of a 2004 Jeep Wrangler and a 1993 Lincoln Mark Viii.

I, Virginia, will be turning 22 shortly on Sept 26. I am a Stay at hom mom to my three children. I love to read and bake and play with the kids.

Mikayla turned 3 on Aug 3. She is a very active little girl and she has a wonderful way of reminding us about the little things we should be doing. She loves to create whether it is productive or just messy depends on the day.

Lana turned 2 on Aug 5. She is our shy child. She does however love to eat. She will eat anything and usually does. Just the other day she was eating raw and pickled onions with Grandma Honi(Walker).

Noah is our newest addition. He joined our family on Feb 9 this year. He is my happiest child. Now at 6 months he just got his first tooth and is starting to crawl. Right now he army crawls , but not using his legs hasn't slowed him down any.

Well that's our family right now. Stay tuned for hilarious stories and more updates.