Sick Boy

Poor little Walter has been battling a cold for a week now and we just found out today that he has his first ear infection! YAY! Not... Every time I put him down, he starts to scream bloody murder, which he never does, so that's how I knew something other than a cold was wrong with him.  Hopefully we can fight this fast!

And the snow sucks...

My "Ah-Ha" Moment

So I think that all of us can agree that yesterday's election was intense.  And for some of us, it was a disappointment, to say the least.  Looking at my facebook page, there were many posts that were just depressing.  People are scared for what's to come, people are calling each other names, I even saw a post from one girl that said she no longer wants to have children because she doesn't want to bring them into this evil world.  Last night I had a lot of the same thoughts.  I didn't think I would be this upset about the outcome- I'm not usually one to get very involved in politics.  But I was really upset, and scared.  I couldn't help but think about what Walter's life is now going to be like- every bad scenario I could possibly think up, I did.  Then today I was driving in the car and on the radio someone said something to the effect of "You have more control over your happiness and your future than any government or leader will ever have, it is up to you how much happiness and success you create for yourself in this life."  That was my "ah-ha" moment.  I realized right there that regardless of the results of this election, I am in charge of my happiness and I am in charge of what I do now in going forward.  And I thought about what really makes me happy.  My family and the gospel.  Those are two things that no one can ever take away from me.  The road ahead may be hard, and it won't always be pretty, but when I think about my family, and the fact that we can be together forever, I'm not so scared anymore.  I am so grateful that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The knowledge and peace that comes from that is something this world will never be able to give me.  It is so reassuring to know that even if things seem out of control, they are not.  Our loving Heavenly Father is in charge, He always has been and He always will be, and He will protect and watch over those who remain faithful to Him through these hard times.  In short, I am going to go on trying to make my life the happiest I can by keeping those things that really matter close to me, and not worrying so much about what is happening all around me.  I'm not saying that I will become ignorant to what is going on in the world, I think it is important to stay informed about what is happening, but I will not let it get me down.  In the end, things will work out and be okay.  I found this quote from one of my friends on facebook and I just love it:

Following 9/11/2001 Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley said the following. It still applies as we look forward to the future.

"Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God.
Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10).
Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.
May the God of heaven, the Almighty, bless us, help us, as we walk our various ways in the uncertain days that lie ahead. May we look to Him with unfailing faith. May we worthily place our reliance on His Beloved Son who is our great Redeemer, whether it be in life or in death, is my prayer in His holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen". --
Gordon B. Hinckley, October Conference 2001, "The Times in Which We Live"

To learn more about the LDS faith go to lds.org or mormon.org

Happy Halloween!

Walter's first Halloween was pretty uneventful- it consisted of him fighting naps all day long and being kind of whiny because of it.  And somewhere in between all of the no napping fun, we snapped a few pictures of him in his cute little Halloween onesie and in his costume.

His onesie says "This little devil..." and then on the butt says "Will charm your pants off"

Cutest little bear around :)

It's Official...

We have a roller on our hands!! It came out of nowhere and he is learning more and more everyday how to roll around.  I thought I would be really sad to see him grow up like that, but I'm actually really excited that he can do this now, and it's so fun to watch him do it- you can tell he is very proud of himself :)  Now I just need to baby proof this place...

First he rolls on his tummy

Then he buries his head in the floor and sticks his bum in air and acts like he is going to scoot

Then he decides that that's too much work and rolls back on his back :)

A Cold Lazy Day

Today we woke up to the first snow of the year.  We also woke up to a freezing cold apartment because our heater decided to start blowing cold air instead of warm air.  So Walter and I spent the day at Grandma and Grandpa Adams' house while we waited for our heater to be fixed.  We had a lazy day with Grandma.  We watched a Halloween movie- Hocus Pocus.  Walter took lots of naps.  We laughed and played a whole bunch.

And then Michael came home from school early because the power was out at school, so Walter played some more with him.

And Walter got some good cuddle time in with Grandma.

And then Walter got his first piece of candy... but not really.  He just chewed on a twix bar with the wrapper still on for a minute- he thought he was pretty special.

And that was our day.  We sure are glad we have parents/grandparents that live so close and can save us from freezing apartments!!

5 Months

Wow! How Walter got to be 5 months old, I have no idea! But, here he is, getting bigger and bigger everyday.  He has become the sweetest little boy, so chill and just kind of goes with the flow.  He laughs and smiles all day long and loves to yell now too.  These last 5 months have been the hardest of my life, but they have been the absolute best as well.
At 5 month old Walter is:

• Still in size 2 diapers, but at night we have to double up with a size 2 and then a size 3 on the outside of that
• Wearing 3-6 month clothes, a few 6-9 months
• Still taking 1/2 hour naps
• Sleeping quite a bit better at night.  He goes down at about 7:30 and usually doesn't wake up til about 4, then sleeps again til 6:30 or 7- I am loving it!
• He is eating baby oatmeal, apple sauce and sweet potatoes- loves them all
• He grabs everything! Especially our food, he wants to eat it so bad!
• His favorite thing to play with are waterbottles and tags.  He usually only plays and chews with the tags on all his toys, not the actual toy- silly boy
• He has a favorite blanket that he sleeps with every night and holds it to his face while sucking his thumb, it's adorable!
• He has no interest in rolling at all
• He tries his hardest to sit up on his own but doesn't have it down quite yet
• He's a momma's boy
• He hates getting dressed
• He loves when daddy comes home from work

We sure do love you, Walter!!!

Walter Meets Walter

Baby Walter got to meet his great great Uncle Walter for the first time on Friday.  Uncle Walter is who Baby Walter is named after, so I was excited for him to meet him (even though he won't remember it).  We went out to eat at Applebee's and had a great time!  Then we went and had dinner at Grandma Smith's house tonight. Uncle Walter is such a sweet and cute man :) He lives in New Orleans so we don't see him that much, and he always asks us when we are coming out to see him in New Orleans.  I really would love to, we're just too poor right now.  We're glad that he comes out here once in a while to visit though :)