Little things that tell you, "You're doing a great job"

Walker has recently been folding his arms for "prayer time". It took me a while to get it transferred from the camera, but it's better late than never.

Shoes Galore!!!!

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The month long endurance challenge for the Hunter Family Biggest Loser Competition was to walk or run 50 miles in the month. The prize? $50 for new shoes! No entries for drawings, no raffles…if you did it, you got $50! Both Jason and I made it. Jason ended up jogging a few miles on the night of the 30th, but he made it! We promised Grandma and Grandpa we would show them the shoes we bought, so here you go!

We didn’t want to pay full price at the mall. We expected more so we went to Payless. Walker had LOADS of fun! At home he usually likes to go to the shoe rack and bring mommy her high heels to put on, so seeing how many shoes he could pull down and bring to me put him into a laughing fit. Jason found his shoes first. Some Airwalks were his first choice. They have a rugged corduroy top. He was so ecstatic they were on sale, the “Scrooge” in him subsided and he said, “I’m gonna get another pair of shoes!” This next pair is the coolest pair of shoes EVER! The only way I can describe them is brown with an elastic strap that goes side to side on the top and velcros to the side.

As I was looking around, my eyes wandered toward the children’s section and stumbled upon a $2 pricetag. When I looked at the shoes in the box, I was delighted to see they were a size 4. PERFECT! Compared to the $1 Garage sale shoes we got in Chicago these ones seemed a bit pricey, but who could pass these up?

As for mine, I didn't have much of a selection to choose from. Aparently the only people who buy tennis shoes are the ones who have the same size of feet as me. I wouldn't say I "settled" for these. They are quite comfortable and I'm sure they'll match any workout clothes I can conjure up. The heels? Ah yes! Seeing as how my other pair of "wedges" broke just recently, I did in fact NEED them. It seems so much more satisfying to justify that, knowing that they were only $3! What a steal!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Now that the Summer is Over

I can finally relax!! Well, by "the summer is over" I use it loosely. It is never really over, cause now is the time to hit the Recruiting trail, and start getting ready for next summer. However, this is the slowest part of the year for me, which means that while Sarah stresses out about unpacking and moving all of our stuff in, I get to relax and go to school (19 credits this semester, OUCH). With the beginning of the school year, there are not any projects started, not any homework due yet, so playing with Walker is what I get to do in my spare time. Cool huh? This is probably pretty boring, and there aren't any pictures, but I figured I would write something for everybody. Jason

Six Great Ways to Enjoy the Summer

1. Find a hobby
2. Go Swimming
3. Take a walk
4. Enjoy new friends
5. Love Family while they are home
6. Go to 6 Flags!
I think the best thing that could have happened this summer was for Jason to have an extra day off. The whole office took Tuesday off and we went to spend the day at 6 Flags Theme Park. Walker did alright in the stroller and we (Jason and I...not Walker) took turns riding the roller coasters. My favorite ride was the Superman Roller coaster. It straps you in and then turns you face down as if you were flying. It's super cool when the ride goes upside down. Your face goes into the sky! After roller coasters, we went to Hurricane Bay and let Walker play in the water. All in all it was a really nice day to spend with my sweetheart.

I Wanna Be A Part of It....NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

I recently had the chance to go visit my parents and my sister, Annie, and her family in New York. I debated for about two weeks before I decided to go because airline tickets were so expensive. Many of you know the waiting game we all play with airline prices. Will they go up? or down? and when?
The flight over was surprisingly enjoyable. I sat next to a wonderful lady who asked me lots of questions about the church and about Joseph Smith. After answering all her questions about the church welfare system, temples and homosexuality in the church, and telling her about www.lds.org , we landed. She helped me get my duffle bag from the carousel and left. A few minutes later, she called my name. "Sarah, Sarah! I would just LOVE for you to meet.....MY lifetime partner, SUSAN!" I felt like one of those cartoon characters whose eyes bulge from their head and toungue unrolls like a red carpet.
Walker and I arrived at the hotel just in time to go to bed.
The next day, we all packed into the van and headed to Palmyra. Caleb wanted to ride in the front with Grandmother Clements, but we told him, "Caleb, there are nine people and seven seats, so you have to sit with Mommy or Daddy in the back." We spent the day visiting the Smith Log Home, Smith Frame Home, the Sacred Grove and Finishing the day off with the Hill Cumorah Pageant. On the way home Cora wanted to sit with Grandmother Clements in the front seat. Caleb chimed in so matter of factly, "Cora, there are nine people and seven seats!" It was too cute.
The next morning we went back to the Hill Cumorah to see the visitors center and the monument at the top of the hill. Walker and I had to be back at the airport fairly soon after.

It was a very quick trip, but I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. I'm not sure when the next time I see my parents will be, so I was glad for the opportunity to see them again. It was also good seeing Annie and her family. Seeing all the sights where the church was restored was magnificent. It really strengthened my testimony. Hopefully we can go later as a family.

Riding the Metro $10, Busses and Subways to the Stadium $Too Much, Enjoying A Cubs vs. Sox game with eachother, $Priceless!

For those of you who have no clue about baseball, the Chicago Cubs are in a National League and the Chicago White Sox are in the American League and they seldom play eachother. Needless to say, there is a big rivalry. Jason was lucky enough to get tickets for the two of us to go on Sunday. Walker stayed with Auntie Heather, while we rushed to make the tram into Chicago. It took an hour to get to Union Station in downtown Chicago. We were going to take the free trolley closer to Cellular Stadium, but there was also the USA vs. Mexico Soccer game at the same time only a few miles away from the baseball game. There were SO many people that we decided to take the subway. We didn't know how to get there, so Jason called the bus transportation department. They told us the easiest way to get there was by bus. So...we payed for a bus......for just four blocks! Hello!...we could have walked! Jason wasn't too happy about that. After making the subway, we finally made it to the stadium. The game was wonderful! The cubs won! I won't give details, but it was nice to spend a day just Jason and I. We also went to Millenium Park. There is a lot of artwork and sculptures to gaze at. I will post pictures soon. No words can describe what is there. Chicago has been a beautiful place to visit. I'm so glad I have someone to share these experiences with.

Blessings From Heaven

Spending quality time with Walker has been such a special blessing for me. As I have said before, we have set up a daily routine with some variance: breakfast, walking, lunch, nap, snack, pool or park, dinner, bath, and bed. Structure is KEY to sanity!
Yesterday on our first walk in the morning, we went about a mile to the lake by the golf course. There were so many geese. I wanted to be able to let Walker run around and chase them, but I know that they get grumpy, especially when there are younger geese around. We parked the stroller next to a tree in the shade. Soon, they were migrating toward us. As I realized they were passing us, one family (two adults and two little ones) came up pretty close to the stroller and started hissing at us. Thank goodness for graham crackers! I took some out and threw some crumbs at them. They gobbled them up and rushed back to be with the other group. Walker was pointing and squeeling like crazy!
Later that night as I was laying him down for bed, I was saying prayers for him. He had been pretty playful, but as I said, " we thank thee for having fun at the park and seeing the geese", Walker started mumbling along with me! I'm so glad for having the gospel and the knowlege and the truth in my life to raise up my children in righteousness.