Caleb Samuel - 7.5

Caleb Samuel is now officially 7.5 years old. I think that as a third child, Caleb just always seems to be the perfect age. As Lydia has grown and entered new phases, she always feels so big. As Austin grows, he always has felt so little because compared to Lydia he just seems so young to be hitting those same milestones. But for whatever reason, Caleb always feels just right. He is just seems like the best 7.5 year old in the whole land. 

I made a note for myself to write about Caleb at this age and all it says is "whole-hearted". I wish I had taken the time to jot down a few more thoughts in the moment but I love this word as a description for Caleb. He is tender hearted and has a sensitive soul. His feelings can get hurt easily, but he also often comes to me out of the blue with a huge hug and an expression of how much he loves me. He feels big feelings, but is quick to forgive and repair relationships. I love his heart and the way he lives his life with so much of his heart invested in what he cares about. 

-He loves babies and little kids. He's going to make a great dad someday. 

-He still doesn't like us being super silly with him. "I don't like that". 

-He is a good brother and takes care of Lucy (he loves picking our princess dresses for her to wear) and he and Austin are building a really solid relationship. 

-He enjoys "talking to himself" which is a physical and emotional release for him. He bounces back and forth between our two couches and lets his brain run wild in imagination. Even though he's done this for a long time, I have appreciated that recently when I need him to go and do something else he is quick to listen and move to the next task instead getting stuck and having a hard time breaking out of his own brain. 

-He prefers plain foods over foods with complex flavors and multiple ingredients. He typically won't eat a chicken enchilada or a calzone, but he will eat an entire head of broccoli or bag of carrots. He eats a lot of fruit, vegetables, and grains. We have decided not to make it a power struggle and we are seeing the fruits of it when he dishes up a whole bowl of chicken noodle soup by himself (something that he wouldn't have previously done) and loves it.  

We have had a really great past six months. In March, there was so much snow- but that quickly turned to a beautiful spring, then a glorious summer. Suddenly school is back in session and we are headed back into winter. 

Some highlights include: 

-Science Fair ("Can you really make "Mrs. Peter's Birthday Cake?") 

-"Taste for a Taste" - this makes David and I laugh so much. 

-End of school Lagoon Day. 

-We went on an amazing Nauvoo Trip in July. We saw all the Church History sites like Nauvoo, Far West, Independence, and Winter Quarters. Caleb loved the performing missionaries, especially the boys. We also squeezed in a trip to Great Wolf lodge in Kansas City and Caleb loved that. It was fun for David and I to trade off who got to be Caleb's partner and we had a great time together. 

-Caleb has the best Primary Teachers, Sister Lewis and Sister Lambson, and we've really seen his testimony blossom this year. He talks about how excited he is to get baptized, and talks a lot about going on a mission, including some serious and thoughtful questions about logistics and things. 

We have the greatest friends in our neighborhood, Caleb and Lucy both really love Anderson Ward and I'm grateful they have a good friend. We have other friends in coops and in the neighborhood, but I'm grateful for this one really really good friend. 


-Summer Range camping trip with the Walker Family. 


Baseball. We went to the movies several times. (Wonka was our favorite of the year.) 


Summer/Mini Coop (last year) 


Summer Market Day 


Vernal trip with the Middletons. 


Back to school! Caleb started the Middleton Coop this year, with Austin. (Now called Blue Moose Elementary Coop). He's doing great and I think this is going to be a really good classroom experience for him. I love homeschooling Caleb. I enjoy spending time with him, I love watching him learn, and I'm grateful for how quickly and cheerfully he (usually) completes his work. Of all of our children, I think that Caleb would have struggled the most in a highly structured and regimented classroom and I am so grateful that he gets to learn while moving his body and focusing on his strengths. 

(Full Transparency: Sometimes it's sunshine and rainbows like when you get to do your math by the side of the pool. Sometimes it's tears and frustration like when you're at the Spiral Jetty on a field trip and all you and your sister want to do is cry. The juxtaposition of these two pictures make me laugh.) 

Swimming Lessons

Best friends forever

"Belly Bump"

We've been spending a lot of time in Wyoming with my mom and dad helping with the renovations on the Red Brick Ranch House (not to be confused with "the Ranch House" down on Walker Lane). Currently, my Grandma Knowles is staying in a care center during the renovations of the house. There is a lot of work to do, but more than anything I'm grateful for the gift that these kids are able to spend so much time on the ranch with my parents. Caleb loves to play on the big tree and loves to pet the cats. 


Splash Summit (aka Seven Peaks) Waterpark with cousins. 

Such a good 6 months with this handsome boy. 

Cascade Springs. 


Caleb, we love you. We are so happy to celebrate 7.5 with you. 

Goodbye Morgan!

It's official! My parents are completely packed and moved out of their lovely home in Morgan, UT. This has been a wonderful place for them to live for the past 20 years and I am filled with gratitude for the safe and good space this was for them and for my family. We've always known that the plan was for them to retire to Wyoming and honestly - the last year or two has been really hard for them. First my dad was spending a lot of time in Wyoming with my Grandpa Walker while my mom was here in Morgan with my Grandma Knowles. Then after Grandpa Walker passed away, my dad was still spending about half of the week in Lyman caring for the ranch and all of the things that entails then coming home and caring for this home, too. It was a lot. They handled it and I'm so glad that they will be living in the same house full time again. There is a lot of work to do in Wyoming, but it's exciting to have this new phase of our family's life ahead of us. 


I have been spending a lot of time here over the past month or so, as soon as my parents decided that it was time to list the house on the market. We've been cleaning out rooms, packing up the storage room, taking down pictures, patching walls, etc.. It's SO much work to move! The kids have been a great help and it's been nice to spend so much time here. This weekend I came up by myself to help with the last of the packing and in preparation for the big move on Saturday.

I woke up early Saturday morning and hiked the M one last time. (I mean, we will probably come back sometime/someday, right? My kids love this hike. But my last hike with my family living here.) I started out about 5:30 am in the dark with a tiny flashlight and made it to the top for the sunrise. I had some good quality thinking time and really enjoyed the solo hike. 

Here are some things that I thought about: 1) How starting a night hike is kind of like having faith - one step in front of the other, depending on your tiny flashlight to guide your way. But with every step your confidence grows and the light around you steadily increases until you can barely remember when it was dark at all. The warmth and goodness that comes with the rising sun felt like a beautiful symbol of having faith while climbing the mountains and hills of my own life. 

2) I didn't love Morgan when I moved here. In fact, it may have taken me the full 20 years to truly appreciate Morgan City. However, looking back I am filled with gratitude for the blessings that came to me through the decision my family made to move here. It feels so good to be leaving this place with gratitude and love, even though my life here was not always easy. 

Goodbye, Morgan! Thank you for everything that you have given to my family - and especially for being such a wonderful place for my children to come and visit their grandparents. I love you in part because of how much they have loved you. 

Q.3 Kid Dates (July-Sept)

Admittedly, we didn't do a great job with our kid dates this quarter. However, we are trying! David took Lydia on a date. I took Caleb and Lucy to the children's museum and to get ice cream. David and I both took Austin to Pizza Pie Cafe. We love these kids and love spending time with them, even if our efforts for one-on-one kid time are sometimes sparse. 

We also did a combined kid-date for Lydia and Austin and we kept them home when we sent Caleb and Lucy to the Wards for our babysitting swap and we played an escape room board game with them. They loved it, even though David and I had to clumsily give a bunch of clues to make it so we finished on time. (We didn't have the same strategy and we kept messing the other person up.) But the kids can't wait to do another one and I know it's going to get more and more fun as they grow.