These Shoes Are Made For Walking

These shoes are made for walking and that's just what they'll do, one of these days the shoes are gonna walk all over you!!

Walker was singing that song this weekend when we purchased his first pair of "walking" shoes. Since he is playing outside at school on the playground he needed better support than his Pediped sandals.  Pediped's are awesome, but I guess he needed big boy shoes.  Patrick and I went back in forth on what type of shoes we would buy.  Of course, Patrick went with the more athletic shoe, Nike's and I went with what I wore when I was little, Stride Rites. As you can see Patrick won, but for only a short time.  We agreed he did need another pair, so I guess we are both happy.  The Nike's are for school and the Stride Rites are for nicer occasions.  

Walker was so funny when he first put his shoes on.  We can really tell the difference in foot/ankle support.  He almost can run now.  I think we might need to let him wear his sandals again, please no running yet:)  On Monday one of the first things his teacher said at school was she thought he was walking a lot better.  I do think these are super cute on him and yet again it's another change I've dealt with this week.  

Oh, and he has big boy socks now too:)  After church on Sunday we tested them outside. Definitely past the test, he was EVERYWHERE. The last picture he took off to try to find out where DaDa went.  As he was walking he was saying DA....DA....DA:)

The last three pictures are Sunday randoms.  He enjoys playing with his bubble machine and throwing the ball to Ribbie.  These are usually two must when we go outside.  A funny note....When Ribbie rolls around in the grass to scratch her back....Walker says..."Ugh Oh"...He thinks she fell down:):)  He also was grabbing her tongue this weekend.  He thought that was so funny:)

BitterSweet Day

Today was a very big day in the life of Walker Ransdell.  He officially moved up in the 1 year old class today.  You might say it's not that big of deal, but really it is for both Walker and Mommy. Probably more for Mommy, because it means he's growing up.  We love his "school" and we have been so blessed with the wonderful teachers.  Ms. Dot and Ms. Mira practically helped raise him from the first day I dropped him off on August 18, 2008.  Then he moved into the 6 month-1 year old class with Ms. Albina and Ms. Joyce around May 2009.  He loves Ms. Albina and Ms. Joyce so much.    

Then today he officially moved up to the BIG BOY class with Ms. Fila.  Fortunately, he moved up with three familiar faces...his good buddies, Peyton, Lauren and Chloe.  Walker, Peyton and Lauren have been buddies since they were tiny babies.  He was so funny this morning.  I'm really the one having a hard time with the transition and he helped ease my nerves a little this morning.  He wanted down even before we got to his class room.  He walked himself to the door, I opened the door and he walked right in and started playing.  He looked at me like, okay mom I'm going to have fun in here.  I knew then it was going to be okay.  In his new class a few things are different. He only takes one nap a day on a MAT....Oh, yes a Mat....not a crib.  I was so nervous about this and both Patrick and I kept wondering how in the world were they going to keep him on a mat for a nap.  Well, he slept perfect from 11:45am-1:10pm.  He also will be going outside twice a day for 45 minutes.  I know he will absolutely LOVE outside time.  I'm a little nervous about one nap a day, but only time will tell. On his "Toddler Daily Report" it said he was very happy and energetic today.....I love it!!  We are officially transitioning away from a bottle.  The only time he gets a bottle is at night. Where has my little baby boy gone.  He is growing up so fast and changing so much.  We are having a ball with him.  Being able to watch him walk and talk is such a joy.  I can only imagine what the next few months in his new class will to do him.  We look forward to watching him grow and getting to know Ms. Fila. 

As I mentioned before we have been so blessed with WONDERFUL teachers.  One of Walker's most favorite teachers is Ms. Albina.  About two months ago I took this picture of the "twins". We realized they had the same shirt, so we decided to schedule a day that they could wear them on the same day.  How cute are these two:):)  We love you Ms. Albina and we are truly going to miss Walker being in your class, but we still get to see you at church:)  Thank you for taking such good care of Walker and loving him like he was yours.  I can't tell you how easy it is to leave Walker knowing what good hands he is in and how much attention he gets from you!!  We love you and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

A Boy and His Dog

Since Walker is becoming a master at walking these days he and Ribbie are becoming best friends.  He doesn't quite understand the word "gentle" but we are working on it.  Poor Ribbie takes a beating from Walker everyday.  She is such a trooper with him pulling her ears, poking at her eyes, pulling her whiskers, pulling her tail and biting her.  I looked over tonight and he was pulling her eye shut.  Of course I screamed and scared both of them.  It's hard because when we tell Walker, "NO be nice to Ribbie".....Ribbie thinks we are telling her "NO". We are trying to teach him to be easy with her.  He gets to her so fast now on his feet.  I am starting to realize how lucky we are to have the best dog ever.  She pretty much takes what he dishes out to her.  Tonight I captured some great photos of them playing together.  Walker was absolutely hysterical throwing Ribbie's toy tonight.  They actually played together for about 10 minutes.  Walker laughed and laughed throwing the porcupine and stealing it back out of Ribbie's mouth.  

We say "No" so much at dinner to Walker....Ribbie stays far away from the table.  Bless her heart she didn't know how much her life would change:)  We do pay special attention to her after Walker goes to bed.  I do believe once Walker realizes how to treat her they will be inseparable.  We love you Ribbie girl!!

Summer Fun

We had such a wonderful weekend.  Patrick and I really enjoyed having nothing on the calendar and being able to enjoy a relaxful weekend with Walker.  I think he enjoyed the slow pace too even though he's pretty much wide open 24/7.  

A few new things Walker is doing lately.......He can show you where is nose is, his tongue and his eyes.  We are currently working on his ears:)  When you ask him where is nose is, he doesn't just touch his nose he puts is entire finger up his nose....we are trying to get him to touch just the tip....LOL.  He is still cruising and will walk every once in a while.  He is actually good at walking, but still prefers to cruise or crawl.  Today he's actually 13 months....Yeah!!

Walker had his first taste of Daddy's ribs and by the look on his face he really enjoyed them. Daddy cooked ribs on the big green egg on Saturday and they were very yummy!!  We were pretty confident that he would like them, because he loves BBQ.  We can't wait to be spoiled again Daddy....hint:)

We had such a good time watching Walker play in his swimming pool.  The pool was Ribbie's, but poor Ribbie got kicked out for the day.  Walker spent most of his time crawling in and out playing in the grass and with his toys.  He also loved climbing on the chair. 

My First Bubble Bath

You might think I'm crazy, but Walker has never taken a bubble bath until this week.  HE LOVED IT.  I really don't know why, I guess I've really never thought about it.  I've been a bad mommy until now.  I definitely scored some mommy points:)  He loved me putting the bubbles on his nose and chest.  He had a lot of fun looking for his toys underneath the water.  The new Johnson's Baby Bubble Bath and Wash is awesome.  I highly recommend it and it smells soooo good:)

Happy 4th of July

A few days before the 4th we traveled to Kentucky to visit Jules and Pops.  Now that we live so far away from Kentucky it's harder for us to get back as much as we would like.  It is always fun to go back because its so special to Patrick and I.  Yes, its where the grandparents live, but it's also where Patrick and I went to school.  Not everybody gets to go back as often and visit campus and remember all of the wonderful memories you have there.  It means so much to us to be able to walk on campus with Walker and show him where we lived, the student center, the baseball field where his daddy played, visit Pops in his office (and get so much attention from his assistants) and etc.  Pops, Jules, Uncle Matthew, Uncle Harry, daddy and mommy all went to WKU.  Walker there is NO pressure:) 

While on our visit we also got to see Beck, Moke, Uncle Harry and Aunt Elaine and of few of Jules' friends.  Beck and Moke are Walker's great grandparents.  We haven't seen them since last September.  Walker is named after Moke.  Some of you might be thinking why we call him Moke.  Moke's actual name is Leigh Bush.  That is where Walker Leigh comes from. When Patrick was growing up Moke always "smoked".  Patrick would say "Moke" for smoke and some how the name Moke stuck for ever.  Also, Walker gets his crystal blue eyes from Moke. 

Uncle Harry and Aunt Elaine were so nice to drive down and spend the afternoon with us.  Aunt Elaine always picks out the cutest outfits for Walker.  We love it when we receive packages from her.  They also brought Walker is new favorite toy.  A cute little pig that sings and counts coins.  He loves it!  Thank you guys for making our weekend so special.  We love you!

We also went to the pool 2 days, saw Walker's really cool bunk beds at Jules and Pops house (its in construction), visited with Auntie Emily and played outside.  I think Walker spent 10 hours of the day outside:)  He is obsessed with being outside.  The cooler weather there was awesome.

In the top picture Walker is helping Daddy blow up Mr. Turtle before we headed to the pool. Lately, Walker is really good at repeating things we do especially sounds.  He likes to cough when we cough or when we clear our throat, he does too.  The pool at the club is really cool because it has a gradual walk-in entrance like a beach with fountains, perfect for Walker.  He also enjoyed playing with Auntie Emily.  Emily is one of my best friends from college.  We were so excited to see her:)

We brought with us Walker's new favorite water mat.  He received it on his birthday from his friend Mason Hall.  Jules was so sweet to ease Walker into the water.  The water was actually pretty chilly, but Walker had so much fun playing.  

Our 4th of July party was cancelled because of weather, but we definitely made the best of it visiting with each other.  Walker loves his Jules and Pops so much.  We love you and can't wait to see you in August!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOPPY!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Moppy, Happy Birthday to YOU! This is a very special post dedicated to my mom and Walker's Moppy! 

I think Moppy had a wonderful weekend, because Walker spent the entire weekend at Moppy and Papa's house from Thursday until today.  Yes, Walker went on his first official weekend vacation without his mommy and daddy:) And did he ever enjoy himself.  Every time I called they were into something different and yes I called at least five times a day to check on him.  He had such a great time that they had quite a new trick to show us when we met them for dinner tonight.........drum roll please......Walker is taking STEPS without any help.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  He was not doing this on Thursday and on Saturday afternoon he decided to walk.  I still can't get over it.  I convinced myself he wasn't going to walk until the fall.  He was a late crawler, so I thought he would be a late walker.  He only takes about four to five steps at a time and is very very wobbly.  I think they must have practiced walking over and over.  He also is saying clock and tick tock.  He also winks at you.  It is absolutely the cutest thing ever:)  Moppy was busy at work teaching him all kinds of new tricks.

Moppy thank you so much for all you do for us.  Thank you especially for spending the weekend with Walker at your house.  Mommy and Daddy sure did have a great time going on a date, hosting supper club and going to the beach.  We were ready for Walker to come home, but so glad he was able to spend your birthday weekend with you.  I can't express how lucky I am to have a wonderful mother and very soon Walker will also realize what a loving Moppy he has and how much she spoils him rotten.  Mom, I don't know if I could be the mother I am today without your love and support.  You have been my rock and most importantly my bestfriend!! I don't know what I would have done without you being right beside me helping me through Walker's first bath, burping him for the first time, changing his clothes, checking his temp, suctioning his nose......All those things I was so afraid of doing, but you were right there reassuring me.  I love you mom and I love seeing you with Walker.  Happy Birthday!!

Birthday Extravaganza!!

Let the birthday weekend begin............

We started Walker's birthday off with one of his favorite breakfast foods...blueberry pancakes, but with one difference...a birthday candle.  He didn't really know what to do except grab for it. Uh, sorry I know it's your birthday and you get everything you want, but you can't have the candle.  As you can see his face I think his first birthday surprise started off spectacular.

My mom and grandmother arrived on Wednesday night, then Patrick's parents arrived on Thursday just in time for dinner.  The rest of Walker's aunts, uncles, cousins and friends arrived for the big bash on Saturday.  We all had such a wonderful weekend celebrating Walker's birthday.  I think he really enjoyed all of the attention.  Walker is so lucky to be loved by such wonderful family and friends.

Here he is opening his first birthday present.  A red car from Moppy and Papa.  He absolutely loves riding in his car.  He even knows exactly where to put his hands and he acts like he's driving the car.  Curious came along for our first ride around the neighborhood.

On Friday night, June 12 we celebrated Walker's birthday with the grandparents.  This was his first taste of chocolate and icing.  I think his face is priceless when he sees the candle again.  I would love to know what he's thinking.  Also, Walker's godmother one of my oldest and dearest friends spent the weekend with us too.  Megan and Walker are two peas in a pod.  Thank you Megan for coming and sharing such a special time with us.  You were a HUGE help!  We love you!

Finally Saturday arrived........YYYIIPPEEE!!

Walker had so much fun eating his monkey cake.  Walker's cake was actually the ears on the monkey.  He didn't get as messy as I thought he would, but still messy enough to get a quick bath before opening presents.  I do think he was a little overwhelmed with everyone starring, laughing and taking pictures of him all at once.  This was by far my favorite part of the day.

Walker enjoyed playing with his friends.  The top picture is his girlfriend Caroline.  She gives great hugs.  So great that it makes Walker cry:)  I know most of you remember JD.  JD and Walker actually share the same birthday.  JD was born around 9:30pm and Walker was born at 11:06pm in the same hospital.  We celebrated JD's birthday on Sunday at his house.  

My dear friend Diana, her little boy Mason and Mama Rich also came to help celebrate.  Mason and Walker remind me so much of each other.  Diana and I have been friends since second grade.  It has been so much fun going through this past year with her.  I'm not sure if I would have made it without her much needed advice.

Are all these toys for me......We had so much fun opening all of his presents.  Most of the paper went into Walker's mouth:)

Thank you so much for everyone who came to celebrate such a wonderful day with us.  Patrick and I are truly blessed to have wonderful family and friends.  We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts!!!  We love you.