Walker turns 4 years old

With each child's birthday, the excitement they feel about a party, a celebration, the cake, and presents of course, is immense. The traditions of a birthday are part of what make them so fun. I'm not sure what age you get where the excitement turns to dread, but for the little ones, a birthday is a momentous occassion that signifies they getting bigger, growing older and having more significance in the world.
Walker's day starts with his morning at day care. "Small birthday cakes" as he would call them, (miniature cupcakes) were shared with his friends. A choppy "happy birthday to you" was sung with some unique creations of words in the song by his "friends" at school. Dad picks him up promptly at noon. Thankfully a nap was in his plans because his demeanor was less than optimal for his upcoming party. And then the Bakugan party began. Walker's request was for a Sonic the Hedgehog cake, but that was nowhere to be found in the five stores I searched. So, Wal-Mart came through with the Bakugan theme. What is this you ask? Same question we asked at Christmas when my brother and his family provided Walker with his first red Bakugan toy or thing. Not sure what it is. From the makers of Yu-Gi-O and a similar concept to Pokemon, the round ball of plastic gets rolled. The goal is to roll over a card that has a magnet in it and the round ball becomes a creature of sorts. (there are more rules to the game and collecting points etc, but it seems much to complicated for me) But for now, this is the "in" thing and Walker seems to enjoy them. So, with Bakugan plates, cups, napkins, table cloth, blowers and face masks, the party begins. Hamburgers and Homemade Vegetable soup for the adults (this was Tim, me, Grandmother and Granddaddy and Hunter) and Hot Dogs for Walker were the birthday boys meal. We then enjoyed the birthday cake and "sprinkle" ice cream. And then, the moment he had been waiting for...the birthday presents! yippee! Guess what was in one of the gift bags? You guessed it - a Bakugan! He also added several games to his shelf - SpongeBob bingo, Gold Fish and checkers, a Bop-It game, a memory game, $4 in cash for each year from his Nana in Texas, more $ from the Grandparents and a Nerf gun ( of which Hunter actually enjoyed). Hugs and thank yous, smiles and kisses concluded his special day! His dad measured his height on the laundry room door and my how he has grown.
Four years ago, Brittney was home during her winter break. She was having some friends over - Joey, Jessica and Mosha (if my memory serves me right) - we were having spaghetti. Contractions started while cooking. I had worked that day and home by 5:30pm. I remember walking around and around the island in the kitchen. With this being my 4th, Tim was not wanting to utilize his nursing skills in the area of childbirth, so we were at the hospital by midnightish. From the ED lobby into a wheelchair, then to the triage area of labor and delivery. The admission part done and a few contractions, to the room we go. Dr. Byron was not on-call that night, but Dr. Kantarowski was. Contractions continue, no pain relief in the form of an epidural until plenty of IV fluids had infused. My water was broke by the MD, the contractions become ever so present, the IV fluids continue. Finally, the anaesthiseologist was called. I believe his took his sweet time in getting to our room about 20 minutes after the call and as it turned out, to no avail. A turn on my side for the procedure of the epidural, then the pressure, a flip back to my back, a call to the MD, the nurse saying "do not push yet, the MD is not here" - as if I could control the natural occurrence of things! At around 3:15 that morning, Walker came into the world! Tim was quick to follow him as he was checked out and cleaned up.
Four years later we have a blonde hair, blue-eyed, affectionate, happy boy! He is adored by his three siblings and continues to keep Tim and I feeling young....most days.
Happy Birthday Walker!

Belated Holiday Tradition

One of my hopes every holiday season is to create and bake some goodies.
The family and I usually work in some time to bake or create something simple and share with our family and friends that live down our road and have a special place in our hearts. That amount is too many to count for those in our hearts, but for our holiday delivery we usually see about 8 homes.
This season we didn't seem to find the time for us to do our baking until after Christmas. Perhaps this will add to the tradition and deliveries will occur after all the other Christmas goodies have gone and the timing will add to the length of the holiday eating tradition. So tonight, we bake. Cat Stevens, James Taylor and Stevie Nicks are a few of those playing on the iTouch. (Santa brought me a new ITouch as well as an IHome dock to go with it. Works great when the kids have the TV on cartoons and the computer is filled with games to be played. My new toys allow me to listen to Pandora online and keep the rhythm while I cook and clean. )
Tim has a new creation each year and this year it is GingerBread Cake . I believe we are now at his third completion. Tomorrow morning will be the Fresh Hot Apple Pies. Mmmmm! The interesting story this evening however, is the fact we were both cooking in the kitchen at the same time. We usually give each other plenty of space and time between creation, but tonight, well, we had fun. We determined that we didn't do a good job communicating, even when in the same tiny space, specifically regarding who needed the oven and for how long. And then we had Chocolate chip mishaps. Oh my! I used the last bag. He had his eye on them. So.....off to Wally world he went. Did I mention it was 10PM at night? He had everything mixed for his Congo squares. (Another new item this year.) Our plan is to put the finishing touches on our creations and the family will pile into the van and make deliveries tomorrow! The goodies may not be perfect, but the love, fun and thought that is going into each special treat is 100% guaranteed.

Goodbye 2009

The ending of a year brings a persons desire to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. It also brings the age old tradition of setting goals or "resolutions" as it is commonly referred to as. For this blog, a reflection of 2009.........
2009 has Brittney graduating from UNC- chapel Hill. She spent time in Chicago this summer preparing for her new career as a teacher with Teach for America. She has a home in Bethel, NC and a job teaching 4th grade in Princeville, NC. She seems to enjoy her school kids, but has not quite been sold on a career in teaching. She continues to see a nice young man - Josh Mayes.

Danielle has spent this past year in Texas - some in Uvalde, some in Corpus Christi, Houston and now she is settled in Bastrop. My cousin, Amanda King and her family, have been kind enough to open their home to allow Danielle to reside there. She is working at Wal-Mart and seems to have found some peace and has settled down. As a parent, I am ever so thankful for that. A trip home to NC is a goal I have for her in 2010.

Hunter completed 5th grade and has found himself enjoying Middle school as of August this year. Soccer continues to be an important part of his activities and we even enjoyed a season of Baseball. Remarkably this year, Hunter began to recite all kinds of Baseball stats and historical info and a huge love of the game. So, baseball parents and fans we have become.

Walker has enjoyed part-time pre-school this past spring and this fall/winter season. He loves hanging out with dad working on the farm during the week when Tim is home. His vocabulary has grown and he can be counted on to "clean up" after himself. He has mastered the art of playing on Hunter's old DS game boy. He also enjoys computer bike/four-wheeler games.

Tim has had a good year, enjoying working on the weekends in CVT and pursuing his many hobbies. The mean Turkeys, (the reason for Walker's belly button. he he ) all of the chickens and their eggs (many have enjoyed the treasures of these laying hens!), his enormous garden, his rejuvenated interest in pottery and the Long leaf pines and fruit trees that he has planted - to name a few of his projects. He has been a wonderful support for me all year and my love continues to grow deeper and deeper each year.

His family has had the birth of Maeve and Elijah. His dad has been challenged with a kidney removal and chemotherapy, but his spirit is still active and strong. Mike, his brother, has been plagued with a frustrating bout of Chron's Disease. Fortunately, a strong family support system helps everyone feel loved and secure.

For me, my year started with 17 of my employees having their position eliminated. The economy has been in quite a state all year and our hospital has felt the pains. (Obama is our new President and the first African American to hold this post). This was an awful time for me and I struggled for a while trying to reestablish faith in my professional values and my desire to be a nurse leader and the realities of healthcare. Fortunately, throughout the year I enjoyed an AONE fellowship that sent me several places (San Diego, San Antonio, San Fransisco, and Washington D.C.) and I grew in my knowledge about healthcare leadership. I have also continued to pursue my MSN. I obtained another area of responsibility with my job - the NeuroDiagnostic area. A small department with two wonderful techs. A challenge to continue to balance work, school, family and life is ongoing for me. I love them all and never seem to figure out how to find enough hours in the day. I took up playing some tennis, hoping that some physical challenge would be stress relieving as well. I also became a fan of FaceBook. I have been in contact with friends from the past that otherwise would just be memories.
My dad's health has been relatively good this year - with his elimination of smoking from his daily routine.

So, Tim turned 49, I turned 43, Brittney 23, Danielle 21, Hunter 11 and Walker was 3 during 2009.
I hope that as my family reads this that thier comments about memorable moments in 2009 are added. We each have so much to be thankful for.

Brittney turns 23!

With every year that Brittney gets older, it is yet another anniversary year that I have been blessed to be a mother. As she enjoys the benefits of age and wisdom, I reflect on the many joys my kids bring. Each birthday always brings a sense of pride and an immense feeling of happiness.


Brittney has always, thus far, enjoyed a celebration specifically for her birthday. Its so close to Christmas, but we have tried to ensure birthday gifts were Birthday and Christmas was Christmas. Her and her dad tried to create a July birthday, but instead it meant two birthdays rather than just one. Tim decided this was defeating the purpose of saving money.


Her party was filled with a cake baked by her dad and family gathering for spaghetti dinner and conversation.


These exciting looking pajama bottoms were compliments of her uncle Jerry and Aunt Leesa! Quite fun and attractive. Although the model does not show all they have to offer - hip huggers and bell bottom seem to be part of thier appeal, not just the color and velour fabric.


Best of all was a Birthday song and kiss from her little brother.

Christmas program at ES Baptist church

What would a Christmas holiday season be without the enjoyment of a Christmas program at church? This year at Eagle Springs Baptist church, our new preacher and his lovely wife put together a spectacular presentation. The choir sang and the Christmas story was shared. One of the most memorable elements of this program was a song that played that told the story of the three kings and what they brought at the time of Jesus's birth, but more importantly than these three kings was the birth of a King. This song and story was depicted with the youth wearing all black and using sticks to portray the story. They were strategically placed in diferent formation to add images as the song played along. A very moving song and message.
Treat bags followed as well as fun conversations with all the different members of the congregation gathered in the Fellowship Hall. My brother and his family (Leesa and her kids - Braden, Bailey and Blake) were with us which made the night even better!

There is a new handyman in town

Walker got a little toolkit from his grandaddy this week.  As you can see, he is enjoying it greatly.  He particularly likes the hat and vest.  Seems he likes to dress up a bit.  Anyhow, he is really putting the pressure on me as a handyman.  The jobs that I have been putting of, he is trying to take over!  Looks as if I may have to get busy if I am going to not be put out of business.  And BTW, where can I get a cool vest like that?

Happy 49th Birthday, Tim!

Tim does not like surprises. I do. Tim does not like any recognition or big "to do" about his increasing age. I do. Tim does not like to spend a lot of money on non-practical things. I do.
So, recognizing these differences, yet also knowing my husband does enjoy things such as museums, pottery shopping and trying
new things - all of which I don't - I decided to think of something fun for his birthday. Quite a challenge I can assure you. One thing lead to another and another and another on my search on the internet. I have been quite pleased with the end results and my surprises for his special day.

On November 20th, 2009, my husband awoke to begining his 49th year. I took off from work - something to note I'd like to say. We started the day dropping Walker off with the grandparents and then meeting with the Principal at West Pine regarding a concern related to one of Hunter's teachers. Then, we were off. My husband very graciously accepted my challenge to allow me to surprise him during the day. A difficult task for him to agree to, but he did.
Our first stop was a coffee shop in Star, NC. We always enjoying finding new spots to enjoy a hot cup of Coffee and the paper or the news via the internet. Unfortunately, this one did not open until 0900. So, in an effort to kill time, we went to visit the Star Museum. (Hard to believe this tiny little town would have a museum, but there it was.) Martin-Charm prevailed, not open.
Back to the coffee shop we go, at 0920, the owner had still not arrived,
so my special planned day was not off to the greatest start. Next stop, Floyd's General Store in Ether, NC. Tim enjoyed a cold, spiced GingerAle. I was able to purchase some Diet Coke- 8 ounce- longneck short bottles. Quite a novelty and very hard to come by. My day is going great!
Next stop was Piney Ridge Pottery. Tim enjoyed looking around. We got a few Christmas gifts out of the way and he learned a few tricks of the trade from these potters. Next, was a brief stop at Sid Luck's Pottery. This is one of Tim's favorite potters. Although Martin-Charm kept us from visiting with this nice gentleman, we still were able to look through his shop and enjoy his talented works of art.
I'm closely watching my watch and trying to time things just right and Roberts-Charm (my good luck vs Martin-Charm seemingly being bad luck) brought us to a new found favorite eating establishment - Jugtown Cafe! Great food. Great prices! Great service! Tim is having a good day!
One of the highlights and big surprises of his day was ZipLining! Tim had never been and we were the only ones there. The guides were nice and the owners were very kind. We got to travel a couple of the the lines twice and the weather, although cool, was just right. Tim seemed to have enjoyed his time swinging from tree to tree!
I now have more time to kill before our next adventure, so an excuse to enjoy one of my favorite pasttimes - thrift store shopping - was done. We then, were almost late to our next appointment because Tim enjoyed looking at every shoe and boot in the store. He loves a good pair of boots and the warehouse, discount store in Asheboro was just his cup of tea.
So, to recap, by 3pm on his birthday, we have attempted a coffee shop and a museum in Star, NC. We have enjoyed a Ginger Ale and Diet Coke in Ether, NC. We have conversed with the owners of Piney Ridge Pottery and toured the barn where Sid Luck has his pottery displayed. We have found a new place to eat and enjoyed Jugtown Cafe. We have ziplined in the trees of Randolph county, shopped at a couple of thrift stores and tried on 30 different pairs of boots and shoes.
Now.......down a small, narrow street in downtown Asheboro, we drive and park. Based on an idea from the movie Couples Retreat, our next stop is Couples Yoga! I'm smiling, quite proud of myself for coming up with such an activity. My husband, on the other hand, is struggling with "Oh my! I cannot believe she is having me do this" vs "I need to keep my mouth shut and body language intact and just go with the flow. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but what in the world was she thinking?" Although I could sense some hesitation, it was exactly 3pm and no time to pamper his worries. So, I drag out a bag I had packed and ask him to go change. Our yoga instructor is one I had communicated with online. Her name is Jacqui and she was ever so kind! My husband appears from the changing area wearing...are you ready?....some Hawaian style swimming trunks and a t-shirt. These were selected for the elastic waist for ease of movement. So our session begins. We stretch and pull and balance on one another. I try desperately hard not to laugh on several occassions. Tim was quite serious when we got started. Me? I'm just looking for ways to have fun. An hour and a half later, after relaxing on the floor to chimes and bells and lavendar smelling stuff, we are off to our next destination.
The next stage in his day was not exactly planned because I wasn't sure how we would do on time, but it did work out. 30 minutes of driving brought us to Pittsboro, NC to an artsy-fartsy cafe called The General Cafe. The food here was good too. Spinach lasagna for me and a Vegetarian burrito for Tim. A quick picture of him with a life-size Mermaid made the moment memorable as well.
Next on our itenarary was the place to lay our heads and sleep...a Bed and Breakfast in Siler City. Although we both share a certain uncomfortableness with sleeping in someone else's home with other strangers, this B&B had a separate cottage. We arrived to be greeted by a very nice gentleman who had similar taste and interest in pottery like Tim. After a quick tour, the final surprise arrived - a couples massage. After a big day of swinging in the air, shopping, yoga and traveling, I had thought a good massage would be a great way to end the day. So, at 9:30PM, Mr. Tim Martin concluded his very busy 49th birthday with a glass of "sparkling wine" (my version of Champagne!) I had fun planning and participating in the event. I hope he had fun surviving it!

I love you and Happy Birthday!