wordless wednesday

 

christian and his cousin noah making trouble together. . .

our march. . .

 

this is how the month of march began a few weeks ago. one weekend we were marching through 5 inches of snow, the next weekend, we were marching on a hike through the woods with sophie and haleigh in 80 degree weather. only in south carolina!!

 

licensed. . .

so on saturday, after much complaining, i finally went to take a course that rick has been wanting me to take. it was a long day (almost 9 hours), but as of 2/14/09 (yes, that's right, valentine's day), melissa is licensed to carry a concealed weapon. yikes!
let me reiterate again and again that i did not want to take this class. i complained about how long it was, that it was on v-day, that there was going to be a camera crew there from fox filming us, that i had to shoot a gun and actually hit a target at least 35 times out of 50, that there were a thousand other ways that i wanted to spend my day, etc.
all that to say, that it was totally worth every minute. i learned so much. i honestly think that every woman who has a handgun in their house should take it. now don't get me wrong, melissa will probably not be packing heat anytime soon. still trying to wrap my mind around that one. but, i learned how to be comfortable with a gun, how to shoot a gun, how to protect myself and my family, the law about when and how i can protect myself, and to top it off, i actually hit the target 49/50 times.
so let me say publicly. . . thank you, rick! i know that i gave you a hard time, but i learned alot and the v-day surprise that you had waiting for me when i got home made up for the hours i missed with my fellas.
let me end this post with a quote from the instructors e-mails. . .it cracks me up. listen up folks, "tactical perfection is a journey not a destination". heehee!

the backyardigans

one of the things that we love most about our new house is our backyard. our property backs up to about 25 acres of woods that cannot be built on b/c they are in the flood plain. although it is not our property, we recently met the family that owns it, and he said we were free to explore and enjoy the land. he has spent countless hours blazing a four wheeler trail throughout the woods and along the creek. so on saturday, we decided to take a little adventure. took of few pics of the highlights. i'm sure the boys will spend countless hours as they grow up exploring and imagining in these woods.

 

Zing Zang Zoom

It's circus time. Not really sure what Zing Zang Zoom means but they said it all night long.

Gabe and Christian had a great time and were so excited to see the elephants, lions, and even the clowns. At first, Melissa and I were not all that thrilled about going, not because we hate the circus, but because we went to Disney this fall and didn't want to be disappointed. It turned out to be pretty good. I must admit that I nodded off, but it was only for a second.

Here are a couple pics.

The circus sure has changed since I was a kid...Does anyone else remember having to go through a metal detectors and getting bags checked by security? The other thing that I can't seem to figure out is how they make those elephants stand on that little step stool, or why doesn't the lions just eat the man with the whip. Questions to ponder.

Donuts with Dad

One of the times of year I have always enjoyed is the annual donuts with dad event at the preschool where both of our boys have gone. This year Christian is in K3 so this was his first year.

When I woke up on Friday, Christian was so excited that donuts with Dad was finally here that he followed me around the whole time I was getting ready and even helped me pick out my outfit.

Off we went....

I must say that I am pretty impressed with my ability to drive and take a picture at the same time...ok, relax it was at a stoplight.

Donuts with Dad was a blast. We got to play dinosaurs, put a puzzle together, make a counting book (which I ended up doing myself), and of course eat donuts. It's always fun for me to get a snapshot of Christians world while he's at school.

While I was there he gave me a card and a sweet poster. I could tell he was so proud of both of them, and I was proud to show them off at work.

Christian cried a little when I left because he thought I was going to stay longer (for all you critics out there, I told him numerous times it was only for a little while). So reluctantly off to work I went, although I would have rather spent the whole day with my little man.


I love you Christian, thanks for the sweet morning.

a year in the life. . .

of the dewalk family has come and gone once again. hard to believe that 2009 is already here. i thought i would include some of the highlights of our year in this post to help us remember what a blessing the year 2008 was in the life our family.

winter 2008
--we sold our first house. it was an emotional month as we said goodbye to the only home that rick and i had known as a married couple. the house we brought our babies home to. the home that we made so many memories in. anyone who knows the story of how our house sold, knows that it was completely the Lord's timing and providence that directed us to make this giant step of faith.
--we started to build our new home. it was so fun picking and choosing all of the things that we wanted from the ground up. anyone who has lived in an older home and knows the work that goes into it would be as excited as we were to pick out everything from scratch. although a little overwhelming @ times, it was fun to shop and create a home that was "us". again, anyone who knows the story would also know that only the Lord could have led us to this house/builder/neighborhood. thank you, Lord!!
--we moved into an apartment for the "in between". while our house was being built, we found a reasonable apartment close to gabe's school. it certainly was a much different apartment experience than when we were first married. adding two kids. . .let's just say CRAZY!! thankfully it was only for a short while. . .there was so much to look forward to.
--another little niece joined the fam. love those little girls so much. katie bug. . .you were the perfect valentine!!

spring 2008
--rick and christian celebrated b-days. christian turned three this year and celebrated with a "mickey mouse" party.
--we made the move in may. the new house is more than we ever expected. i had so much fun decorating and making a new house our new home!!
--gabe finished his kindergarten year. his teachers mrs. perry and mrs. moore were such a blessing to us this year. he made some great friends, and although we were sad to leave mitchell road (b/c of the move)he had some great fun and learned so much!

summer 2008
--life this past summer was interesting. we were settling into the new house. one thing that we miss from the old neighborhood was the neighborhood pool. our new neighborhood doesn't have a pool. we were used to spending almost everyday swimming. we did find other things to fill our time. . .but we will be looking for another pool come next summer.
--fourth of july was spent in ohio with great grandpa and grandma. what a special treat that the boys have been able to know and love them as much as we do.
--another niece joins the bunch. allison vaughn has the cutest little chubby cheeks (a family trait). miss her and noah so much and hoping to bring jon and nichole home someday.

fall 2008
--gabe started school @ skyland elementary. i had a harder time this year sending him off to school. it was all so new. . .but he got through it much better than mom. first grade is serious business. he has learned so much already this school year. . .so proud.
--christian started k-3 with mrs. bagley. love her. she had gabe in k-3 also. christian is a different kid than gabe. i have to remind myself of that a couple of times a week when he has come home in a little trouble. not so much b/c he is disobedient, just all boy. . .that tends to get him in hot water sometimes. he's learning. . .and i'm learning to parent a little differently. hopefully we both get the hang of it soon.
--disney world was finally here!! we waited all summer for this. we pulled the kiddos out of school, and had the most amazing family vacation. we're ready to go back!!
--after a visit to the emergency room, rick successfully had his gallbladder removed and is doing much better these days.
--thanksgiving/christmas with the powell fam was a blast. we had to celebrate both @ thanksgiving while we were all home. fun. . .but tiring. we did split up the "work" this year and had each holiday @ a different family's house. that seemed to take a little of the pressure off of my parents. such fun.
--my b-day and gabe's were in early december. gabe celebrated with a sleepover. he and his buddies had a blast.
--santa came early to our house since we were in ohio for christmas. he brought new bikes and a wii. we have already gotten much use out of both. ohio brought alot of fun with rick's family. . .we love them each and every one.

so that was long, but that was it. God has been so good. as He moves us through 2009, our desire is to honor Him as much as He has blessed us. pray with us to that end.