walters family blog: January 2009

The Walters Clan's Christmas 2008

This year, our Walters' family Christmas was missing our eldest brother Larry and his wife Mary Ann. Larry has had quite the order that started out as skin cancer and ended with a 17 hour operation to remove it. There is a lesson in there for all of us somewhere. We missed he and Mary Ann! They'll no doubt be back next year. We're counting on it. We met on the Saturday following Christmas and had a ton of folks there. About 57 were there at one time. Dana's husband Chris had to miss due to being out of the country on a job. We had our newest member of the family join us. Pam and her husband Patrick Nonenmacher drove in from Georgia, as did Angela's Wilba who had been missing in action for a couple years:-) It was great to have them there this year. Jenny and Charles babysitting Brody.

Chesney and John Dial out at the fire pit.

Claire Walters climbing the rock wall.

Rusty's twins Matthew and Michael, or Michael and Mathew, Jodie and Kacey

Karyn and Reisha probably looking at the guys throwing those golf balls tied to strings at PVC pipe.... Who said we had to have expensive toys?

Jordyn listening to her iPod while laying in the wagon in a very uncomfortable position.

Kacey seems a bit disconnected with Tank's visit to the hay ride.

The donkey's took to the kids no doubt thinking that they were bearing Christmas treats. Wrong.

A hay ride is always a bunch of fun...

As usual, the Walters' gathering in the kitchen. Florence, Harold and Sherry discuss whether they should put out Sherri's food or stash it in the fridge for later when everyone else is outside...

Let the eating begin...

Our 2008 Christmas at the farm.

This year was a fun year. The babies are growing up enough to realize that there is bounty in those packages, whether they are theirs or ours:-) Mikki wanted to build a playground for the grand kids for their present this year, and I had the wisdom to think it would be a small project. I ordered the unit from an Amish group in Pennsylvania and it arrived the week of Christmas. When me, Andy and Isidro opened it up I knew we were in deep trouble. There was a large trash bag full of 3/8" nuts. That could only mean one of two things... they had mistakenly sent me a large bag of nuts for Christmas, or we had an equally large bag of bolts to attach them to. The latter was the case and three days later we had it together and ready for the attack of the infants. And attack they did. It should last them a long time. In fact, it will probably last long after they decide it is no longer cool to roll around in the sand. Let's hope that is a long time from now. Caroline lands upright.

Brody of course, can't land upright. Why land upright when you can roll around it the sand?

Jack loves to dig in the sand.

I told Brody not to go all the way to the top. He didn't. I had to get him at this spot. He was hollering for me to come help.

Molly unwrapping something.

A young Darrell Sumrall.. no wait, that's Grey Ensey and his mom Molly.

Molly and Jack.

Caroline got sick at Christmas and had to stay in and look out the window at Jack and Brody as they tormented Louie and Cole (poodles).

Jack, fully dressed outside. That diaper looks a little heavy.

Jonathan and Grey.

Caroline and Brody in their jammies.

2008 Sumrall Christmas at Granny's

What a great image of our quartet. Brody (being Llewel:-), Jack, Caroline and little Grey. Goodness they're all growing up too fast.

The highlight of Christmas was Granny's successful hip replacement success. I walked in and she just popped up out of a chair without the aid of her walking. Amazing! Here she is with Grey Ensey. This is his first Christmas!

Jack got himself a BMW motorcycle and the rest was just clutter....

Caroline got a doll that Amber is trying to get her to recognize, while Liney is mezmerized by the twist ties on a package:-)

Granny took a spin with most of the kids. Here she is with Jack.

Andrew, Grey and Caroline. Brody nor Jack would set still for photos. Too much stimuli.

Jack and Caroline pose for the camera.

Diane retires early!

I made it to Diane's retirement at KBR. It was quite a spread. So I was able to have a piece of cake in celebration of her retirement from regular old boring type office work.... so she can do the not-so-boring type of work in her garden and at Go Away Farm helping us pack our guests full of delicious food.

Here Diane is third from left and Dana on the right. The other two ladies have worked with Diane for some period of years and seemed to actually like her:-) Actually, they were all very nice. One of these ladies had retired a year ago and had come back to encourage Diane to not back out.

December is Birthday time at the Walters'

This year, we broke with our tradition of dining at Rainbow Lodge for the new Hubbell & Hudson Bistro in The Woodlands. It was fabulous! With Brody & Caroline's birthday on December 19, Amber on the 20th and Mikki on the 22nd, we have to get creative to make it special. We've for years dined on the 21st at Rainbow Lodge. The Bistro was wonderful and the staff there did a nice job paying attention to our family. Very special. Mikki turned something less than me, and Amber turned 23 years less than me. Mikki cuts the decadent chocolate cake while Molly looks like she knows what's fixing to blow up. Luckily, it didn't blow. But the cake was very very rich and wonderful.

The cake...

Cary Attar, the proprietor of Hubbell & Hudson came in to sing happy birthday in some language and tone at an ear piercing volume. We had a good time. The girls loved it. They left older and happy.

The twins turn 3!

Time has flown since Brody and Caroline joined the our family. And there are a thousand laughs to go along with the few years they've been around. What a treat to get to watch them grow up. I'm so glad we live close by them and that they get to come to the farm as often as they do. We are blessed. This year, their third birthday, Amber wanted to hold it at the farm, and so we did. It was quite the gathering.