Brett earns his Emblem of Faith

Brett earned his Cub Scouts Emblem of Faith. It was an in depth project he decided to complete during his previous year in Cub Scouts. He had the choice to complete either a simple one step activity regarding faith/religion, or earning his Emblem of Faith. Brett choose to work towards his Emblem of Faith. With my help, we worked on the project over many months. After completion, he had to turn the workbook into his den leader, then our preist, and finally off to the Bishop for approval. The presentation of his emblem was held Saturday, September 6, 2008. A special mass was held for the Austin Diocese to present Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with their catholic faith achievments they have completed. Brett with his new Emblem of Faith: PARVULI DEI. This is the only achievement that can move from Cub Scout into the Boy Scout ranks. He is now able to wear this special metal achievement with pride on his uniform. Each faith has different requirments and different metals. Here is Brett with Bishop Gregory Aymond. He led the mass and presented all the achievements.

First Day of School!

August 25: First day of school. Brett now in Fourth grade, Zach in First. I think I was giving them a bottle just yesterday! What happend? They are growing so fast. Both boys have wonderful teachers. We had "meet the teacher" last Friday. They are both very excitied and happy to go back to school. They love their teachers and both have some great friends in their classes. Each boy got a backpack and new lunch box for the year. So proud. Of course they walked themselves to class and didn't even hug/kiss me when I left. So grown up! (I did get a "high five")

Snake bite!

Gizmo was bitten by a copperhead snake on Sunday. Doug had found a small one last week while mowing. We have been on the watch out since. The neighbor even told us he has gotten a few since he has lived here. However, Gizmo being curious, of course would be the one to get bitten. He had been out during the late morning, did not bark to be let back in, so spent a few hours in the back yard. We are near a creek, it has been raining, and the back yard has a lot of leaves and even a large deck that the animals can get under. Brett had let Gizmo in, a little after lunch. A while later while in the bedroom, I noticed Gizmo looking funny. His cheeks were very large, like a squirrel with a years worth of nuts in them. I called the vet on call, then rushed him to the clinic. He got three shots: antibiotic, benadryl, and an anti-inflamatory. This picture was last night. The swelling has settled into his chin. He looks like he is carrying a ball under his chin. He will be ok! The swelling should be gone by Tuesday.

New Address

Our new (temporary) mailbox! Our new adress will be 4904 Ginger Ct. College Station Texas, 77845. Our phone number will stay the same. Here is Brett and Zach at the mailbox after helping Doug dig the hole. The lot has been cleared ready for the dirt work and foundation! Won't be long now.

Happy Birthday Zach!

Zach celebrated his birthday with friends, ice cream cake, and fun at Mt. Aggie. Of course, a soccer themed party was in order for the soccer player in the family! Here is Zach taking a quick break from the mountain to have his ice cream cake, yum! Mt. Aggie is a small hill that is covered in astroturf, hosed down, and simulates skiing. It is on campus and used for a rec. class. They host parties as well. Here is Zach after a run down the mountain. Zach with good friend Cade and brother Brock. It was Cade's birthday in Nov. that Zach fell in love with Mt. Aggie. Since then all Zach has said about his birthday is that is has to be at Mt. Aggie! Finally his party day! All morning Zach keep telling me how excited he was to go to Mt. Aggie with all his friends.

The kids get ready to go down. One side is set up with dips and bumps that help you "jump" on the way down. Everyone had a blast and left very tired.

Even the adults joined in the fun. Note to self: leave kids at home, book party at Mt. Aggie, adults only!

Walker Family Reunion

The 68th annual Walker Family reunion was held July 12th in San Saba Tx. We had a great time seeing everyone. Brett and Zach played with their cousins, ate lots, and left tired. Here is our "branch" of the family tree. AJ Walker is my great-grandfather. One of my cousins has tracked our entire family story. He made books for each decendant of AJ Walker. From there, is my grandfather: John T. Walker, then my dad and his two sisteres. The Walker family is large not by number of children each family has, but by years between sibblings. My dad has two children, each aunt had three. My dad is the yougest with over 15 yr difference between him and his sisters. My cousins are all my dad's age. Here is Brett and Zach with some of their cousins. The oldest is Jack Jolley and then Charlie Jolley. They are two of the three boys of my second-cousin James Jolley. They live in the Woodlands. This is the same waterfall me and my cousins would play around when we were this exact age! It is amazing to see your own children standing where you did and see it through their eyes. Zach and Charlie finding shells in the little river running from the water fall. What fun! Brett and Jack getting their feet wet and cooling off.

Under Contract!!!!

We had 2 offers this week! We have been dealing with them since Sunday. We accepted one of them on Wed., and signed the contract on Thurs. The house passed inspection, and everything is underway. Currently the plan is to have the closing on Aug. 11. That is only 5 weeks away! We hope to move into a rental asap!