8 is Great and Brig is Great...

Somehow, eight years has passed since we were blessed with an amazing baby boy on a hot summer evening. We are so happy that Brig started our parenting adventure on that wonderful day and we are still so happy to have him as part of our family. Bright and early on his birthday, Brig and Cory woke up and floated the river. When we went to pick them up at the bridge they floated to we dropped a balloon and a candy bar down for him to being his special day. This is the second year that he and Cory have floated the river on his birthday and they are hoping to make it a tradition.

This hungry boy gobbled up his pancakes and was ready for more fun. We spent the day swimming at Cathy Adam's pool and setting up and playing on the zipline we gave him and then having some friends and family over for cake that evening. I knew that Brig was getting older but that little fact hit me right in the face when he told me he didn't want any sort of fun cake this year...just a regular crazy cake!

Here are 8 things we love about Brig:

1. He wakes up early. He is almost always the first one awake in our home and quietly reads until everyone else is up.

2. He is full of ideas and projects. He is constantly thinking up a new venture of some sort and then processing how to go about it all.

3. He is a very responsible big brother. He has taken that role very seriously and is quite helpful and kind to his siblings.

4. He loves to read. He has turned into a little bookworm and I love it!

5. He is always hungry. That boy can eat and eat and usually out-eats Cory and I.

6. He loves to be outside. He spends many hours riding his scooter, riding his bike, playing in the little pond, chopping a fallen branch or building something.

7. He is responsible. Many mornings I will wake up and he will tell me how he has already done most of his chores and he is irrigating the field 99% on his own.

8. He is obedient. He wants to do the right thing and tries very hard to follow our family rules, the gospel and the laws of the land.

We love you Brig! Happy 8th Birthday.

Brig's Photography of the Little Birdies...

Brig found a nest in our pear tree this year and found some sweet little eggs and since I am terrified a little nervous around birds, I asked him to take a picture for me. His pictures were beautiful and he would periodically go check on the nest and take some more pictures. One time when he checked on the birds the kids actually saw a bird jump out of the nest. It was a really neat experience.

Brig Starts 1st Grade...

Sending Brig to Kindergarten was hard. Like, I cried all day and spied on him his first day at recess. But as tough as it was to send him all day every other day...I was dreading 1st grade. I did not like the idea of him being away from us ALL. DAY. EVERY. DAY. and I seriously, seriously considered homeschooling him for one year. Up until the week before school actually started I was unsure of what we were going to do. But ultimately I decided that the best thing for Brig was to send him to school. I wanted him to be challenged socially and stretch in many ways that I just couldn't provide at home. But I still miss him.

Here he is on his first day of first grade.

Brig Turns 7...

Brig turned 7 this year. It blows my mind that he is that old. He was pretty excited for his birthday this year and while it was on a Sunday so we kept it fairly mellow- he still had a great day filled with family, chocolate crazy cake with peanut butter frosting (a Walker family favorite) and legos.

I could probably say a million good things about Brig...but I will keep it to 7 this year!

1. He is a rule keeper. He tries so hard to be obedient and always follow the rules.

2. He helps me so much. I am amazed at how much he can help us do. He can carry heavy things, do jobs, help with his siblings- it is so great and such a blessing to me!

3. He loves all things outdoors. Sometimes he loves them so much that he doesn't seem to care about much else- but fishing, camping and hunting are his passions.

4. He takes correction well. When he is reprimanded or we tell him he needs to work on something- he usually listens and tries to improve without moping or having an attitude.

5.  He loves his siblings. He is very helpful and enjoys playing with his brothers and sister.

6. He idolizes his dad. He wants to be just like Cory and thinks the world of him. And they are quite similar in so many ways.

7.  He gives long hugs. When he asks for a hug or I hug him good night I don't let go until he lets go...and sometimes we are there for quite a while.

We love you so much Brig and are so blessed to have you in our family!

Duck Hunting...

This fall Brig and Cory woke up bright and early to go duck hunting with some of Cory's friends. Cory is NOT an early riser...but he is a great dad and knew that Brig would be over the moon excited about this opportunity. And he was right. Brig had his warm camo clothes (aka: anything with a camo pattern that he owned) ready to go two days before they were even going. Brig even brought his BB Gun and when Cory ran out of shells he handed his little gun over and insisted that Cory use that so they could get some more ducks. Here are a few pictures of their early morning fun:

 

 

We hadn't gotten his coat out of our storage unit yet and so he was a little underdressed...even with all his camo. Luckily his dad helped him out.

 

 

Brig even got to cook the meat on his own. Cory helped  very little. And he (and Ellie) loved it...but I am starting to think that he loves any kind of wild food...just based on principle. He is our little hunter man for sure.

 

Brig's BB Gun...

I never wrote about this but it was a pretty exciting event for our family.

(It's funny what being a parent does...things change- like what sparks excitement)

Brig is a saver and a goal setter. So back in March he had finally saved enough money (after several months) to buy his BBGun that he had dreamed about.

The Daisy Buck. $28. And worth every penny for this boy.

 

 

He was so proud and so excited. He shot it all the time.

Months later and he still adores that gun. He even took it when he and Cory went duck hunting one morning and offered it to Cory when he ran out of shells for his own gun.

 

Brig Starts Kindergarten...

Just like that.

He goes to school.

And he is so excited and I am so excited for him...but man, my heart sure hurts. I am going to miss this guy so much! But he is going to do so great.

Today is his full, real day but on Monday he had his orientation where he went and met his teacher and became a little more acquainted with this whole school thing. And the parents got to attend also. While he was there, the teacher read a book about a raccoon who goes to school for the first time, at night. She asked why he would be going at night and Brig raised his hand to answer. She called on him and he said, "Because raccoons are awake at night and sleep during the day. Actually they are nocturnal." She was clearly impressed. And we were pretty proud!

But today! Today I am trying to hold my heart together because I dropped him off with hundreds of other kids and they are going to take him for 6 1/2 hours!!!! That is a long time.

 

 

 I know he is going to do great but I am a little sad about the ending of an era. However! I will now focus on the positive!

He was up bright and early getting his stuff ready for today. He told me he is excited for four things...recess, friends, lunch and reading. He has been looking forward to eating turkey sandwiches for lunch at school for quite a while now! He has some really good kids in his class and I hope they will become best friends- even lifelong friends!

 

 

 

Afterwards I was comforted to find a little support group of some of my friends who are also dropping their kids off for the first time. I was grateful that I wasn't the only one in tears! It was pretty hilarious to see us.

I may or may not have drove back at his recess with binoculars to see if I could see him. And I only left because one of the staff members came and asked what I was doing and checking out if I was some shady character spying on the kids. Nope...just a pathetic first time mom who is rather resentful of the school for taking her son for so long!!!

I can't wait to hear all about it at 3:30 today!!!

I sure love this roller coaster called motherhood!

 

Brig Turns 6...

This handsome kid turned 6! I can't even believe how the time is flying by and how much bigger and more fun this boy gets each year.

He was, as usual, pretty excited for his birthday. But this year he really wanted to start things off with a bang and asked if he and I could wake up early and go for a jog.  It was the sweetest thing and although there was much more walking and talking than jogging- it was a great way to get to spend some one on one time with him on his special day.

 

 

We had our now traditional birthday number pancakes for breakfast. Brig always prefers his slathered in strawberry jam.

 

 

Brig was loved on and spoiled by his grandparents. They are such a big part of our children's lives and we are really grateful for the love that they show them on a regular basis- not just birthdays!

 

 

 

We were pretty excited to give Brig his birthday gift from us because we knew he would love it so much. And we were right! He was over the moon excited about his new pocket knife. Especially since he would get to use it that very night. He got to spend his birthday with his dad at his favorite thing ever...the Father and Son's campout our ward does each year. Seriously. He LOVES it! And looks forward to it every year- in fact, his primary music leader called me and told me that in primary she asked if anyone knew what holiday was coming up (thinking of Pioneer Day). Brig's hand shot up instantly and when she called on him he proudly announced it was the "Father's and Son's."

 However he is quite the wiggle worm at night...so combine that with sleeping in a slippery sleeping bag and it isn't always the best night's rest.

BUT

He loves one on one time, he adores his dad and he thrives in the mountains.

  

 

Six things we love about Brig:

 

1- He is SUCH a planner. He is always planning some extravagant project or creation.

2- Like I mentioned earlier, he loves one on one time and really thrives when he gets even just a little.

3- He can be so helpful. I especially love when he comes up to me and says "How can I help."

4- He takes his responsibilities as the biggest brother very seriously- and fulfills that role so well!

5- He is so confident. He started out as such a shy and reserved baby and toddler but he radiates confidence in almost any circumstance.

6- He wants to be good. And he is good. It is very evident that he wants to follow the rules and be obedient to both our little "rules" at home and our Heavenly Father's "rules."

 

I am so grateful to be this boy's mom. I know he has such big things in store for him and is bursting with potential and greatness! We are so blessed to have him in our family.

 

Happy Birthday Brig 

The Water Was Blue...

This handsome kid lost his first tooth...officially. It is actually the third tooth that has come out of his mouth- but the other two weren't exactly lost...they were extracted. He pulled it out all by himself in the bathroom one morning after gently wiggling it for about 2 weeks. He was so excited! The tooth fairy would be coming and he knew the drill! Our tooth fairy has you put your tooth in a cup of water and then leaves your money in it the next morning...the exciting part...she magically dyes the water to let you know how you are doing with your brushing. Last time after having his 2 molars pulled- the water was red. He was so excited that the water was blue this time! And he is $1 closer to getting his hunting dogs. (more on that another time I am sure...he is one determined saver!)

 

First Soccer Season...

This spring, Brig played soccer for the first time.  It was pretty fun! And our team was jam-packed with all the cool kids!!! Uncle Ammon was our coach and several different people requested to be on the same team so we got the best team ever!

 

 

While they may not have been the most skilled team or the team that won the most games, (They didn't officially keep track...but I think we may have won one game!) our team was certainly the team that had the best time. The sidelines were just as fun or more fun than the playing field...for the team and the parents!

 

 

Brig loved it and tried so hard! I was so proud of his optimism, excitement and willingness to try.

 

 

Go Golden Eagles!!

 

Well Rounded...

I hope that our children can be well rounded.  I hope that they get the experiences from living in the country but we can still offer them a love of culture and help them excel in learning and education.

So it is important to me that I write down an experience, or a couple of experiences that we had one week back in October.

We receive compliments quite often about what an outstanding kid Brig is but this particular week we received two very different kinds of compliments that just helped us remember what a great boy Brig is!

The first: Kelly is a heavy equipment operator and has done quite a bit of work for Cory's parents, our neighbors and us. Well Brig loves all things tractor and farm- so he has spent hours watching him work. And they have developed a friendship. For example, one day Kelly brought Brig a container full of old trucks and tractors that he played with as a child. Well, one day Kelly was doing some work for our neighbors and saw Cory outside.

He stopped and proceeded to tell us that we have quite the boy and that he is really something special. The way he handles a shovel is very impressive and quite advanced and that he really enjoys talking to him.

The second: Brig was asked to give a talk in the primary program this year. I don't want to sound to proud or anything...but he nailed it. He kind of stole the show and was definitely a favorite. He was confident and eloquent and one of the youngest children. It melted me...and I was not alone.  The primary chorister...a very poised and talented musician- who is beautiful to boot...went out of her way to tell us that Brig did outstanding and was so impressive and she hoped we knew how special Brig was.

 

 

We sure do love this well-spoken, handy-working kid of ours!

The Full High 5...

We have a 5 year old. How is it possible that he got so big?

We kicked off his day by our traditional number pancakes...and we even added sprinkles to the batter for a little extra birthday flair!

 

 

We gave him a bigger bike- he zooms up and down our lane. Back and forth. Over and over again.

 

 

 

He wanted a hunting cake. He has been planning how we would decorate his cake for months now. I think that is his favorite part! Once again, I realized how tricky cake decorating is...despite my lack of talent in this department- he loved it.

 

 

 

He also decided that he wanted to dress up in his camo since he was going to have a hunting cake and invited everyone to wear a costume to his little party. It made for fun pictures:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We sure love this 5 year old...

Here are just 5 of the reasons:

1- He is very analytical. He always surprises me with what he can understand and figure out in that cute little head of his. From math to spelling to drawing...he is pretty sharp.

2- He wants to be just like his dad. He idolizes him. And they are best friends.

3- He isn't too big to give me hugs and let me cuddle with him every once in a while.

4- He wants to make the right choices. He tries really hard to be good- and he does a pretty spectacular job doing so!

5- He loves his family- he adores his little brother, he is kind and plays with his little sister and he is always coming up with plans for our extended family.

 

We love you BRIG!!!!