Derek's First Trip to Disneyland!!!

Disneyland was so much fun!! Our two days there were not long enough. I can't wait to go back. Our first day was on Monday, the 17th. We met Pluto, Derek's favorite Disney character, and took some pictures. Then we went on Derek's first ride, Peter Pan's Flight! The wait was twenty or thirty minutes and Derek was just about asleep before we got on the ride.

When we got off, he kept pointing at Dumbo so we had to give that a try. Derek loved it.

Derek wasn't feeling great so we were pretty glad that he was able to sleep at the park. He took a few really nice, long naps. I was a little surprised, but delightedly so.

Most of our trip was shopping with mom and showing Derek the sights and magic of Disneyland. We didn't get to do our favorite major attractions like, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, or really any of the mountains at Disneyland. We did, however, get to ride California Screaming, Soaring Over California, It's a Small World, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Speaking of Pirates, here's the hottest pirate I've ever seen:

I love that picture. I might have to go back to Disneyland to buy that hat.

We did buy one hat, some ears, actually, for my Derek. He would only wear them if he was looking in a mirror. The lady that embroidered them for us was really sweet too. I was waiting in line to buy the ears and some woman cut in front of me with three ears to be embroidered. I was so mad. The cast member told the woman that it would take awhile and to come back in twenty minutes to pick up her ears. Then she helped me, embroidered Derek's ears, and even gave him a "1st Visit" button. She talked with us and totally turned a somewhat sour experience into one of my favorite moments in the park.


It was a good trip. We got to see Jeff and Rachel Anderson, the first night we were there. We met them for dinner at Disney's House of Blues in Downtown Disney. It was good to see them. Our waiter was a complete jerk though. We had our stroller with us and he asked us to move it. Tyler was moving it while he took our drink orders and he never came back to get Tyler a drink! He kept talking down to us like we weren't good enough to be eating at the House of Blues. What a jerk! He didn't check on us once during our meal and then had the nerve to charge us gratuity. I was so mad. He was the worst waiter I've ever had. And to charge gratuity for a table of 5? Who does that? I wanted to talk to the manager and give him an earful but Jeff was rolling his eyes and I didn't want to embarrass him. But, I'm still mad at that &%$#*@&$ of a waiter.

Anyways, enough negativity. We'll move back to positive things, like the new Vinylmation campaign. Oh my gosh, I love them. So in stores, all over the parks and in Downtown Disney, they have boxes of painted Mickeys. They are in Mickey form but not Mickey coloring. Some are all black with white swirls, some look like food items, some are painted like Disney attractions, and some are holiday inspired. They are collectible figurines, but when you buy one, you don't know which one you are buying! They're in sealed boxes and buying one is like gambling. I'm addicted to it now. It's silly but fun. I bought two regular sized Vinylmation figurines and one keychain sized. I got one that looks like a cupcake, one that looks like a hamburger, and my new li'l guy has a princess crown. Mom bought one that looks like a ladybug. So cute.

I wanted to get Derek this set of fake Disneyland food but the store was all out! So we let Derek just pick anything he wanted for his souvenir. (Of course, this was after he all ready had a few souvenirs like the Pluto dog his Grandma bought him, Mickey Ears, and a bouncy ball.) We showed him the stuffed animals and the blocks and the action figures. He found this "Kooky" pen with Pluto's face on it and would not let it go. So that's what he got. Here's a picture of Derek, Grandma, and his Pluto souvenir:

He did not let that sucker go until we got home a couple of days later. Even then, he held on to it until he found his new favorite toy, Mommy's old makeup brush. Not much of an upgrade, if you ask me.

We had dinner at the Blue Bayou the second night. It was excellent! The food was good, the service was excellent, and I was so happy that we were able to eat there. I love Disneyland.


We had a lot of fun. I can't wait to take Derek back. It was kinda sad, the day that we left town, when we got up, Derek went straight for the stroller. He was ready for another day at the Happiest Place on Earth. All good things have to come to an end, I suppose. Hopefully we'll get to go back soon!

We Went to California in May

My dad came for a visit a few days before Mother's Day. We visited and played and had a great weekend here in Provo. The Tuesday after Mother's Day, Derek and I hitched a ride with Dad through Las Vegas and on to, what I was hoping would be, sunny California.

Here's Derek with his Uncle Cory and Aunt Katie at our stop in Las Vegas:

Wednesday, we spent most of the day with Dad. Derek just adores his Papa Walker. They had so much fun playing together. And Derek loved the dogs and the cats at his house. He can say "doggie" but calls the cats "meows". I think doggies are his new favorite animal. We had lunch with Dad and Sam at a cute little Bakery, the Edelweiss Cafe, I think. Then we went to K Mart. No trip to Tehachapi is complete without a trip to K Mart. We had a few things to pick up there like allergy medicine and tissues.

Thursday we spent the day with my Mom and Sam. We had lunch at the Great Wall and went shopping around Tehachapi. I can't believe how much my little hometown has grown. I barely recognize it.
Mom made us a yummy taco salad for dinner and Sam spent the night with us. We stayed up late talking, watching TV, and eating my mother's day box of See's chocolates. Sam wouldn't spent any more nights with us though claiming that we were just going to watch Nancy Grace and go to bed.

Friday morning, Mom, Woody, and I took Derek to see Woody's horses. He was very intrigued. It was really cute.

Friday night, Sam and her boyfriend, Jeremy, came over for dinner at Mom's house. Jeremy is very nice and we enjoyed his company. We had pasta, artichokes, and salad. Derek wasn't feeling very well, so I didn't get to enjoy much of the dinner. It was still nice to have an old fashioned family dinner. Poor little Derek. He caught a cold right before we left and it just kept getting worse. The allergies around the animals didn't make things any easier. His fever was really bad Friday night and I was really worried. I was getting ready to take him in to an Urgent Care facility. I thought I would at least wait until Tyler got there.
Tyler came and Derek's fever had gone down slightly and he was doing a little better so we decided to wait until morning to see if we should take him to the doctor. It was good to have Tyler with us again! Derek and I missed him.

Saturday, Derek was doing much better. He was even running around. I'm glad we didn't take him to Urgent Care. We just can't afford unnecessary doctor's visits. Tyler, Derek, Mom, Woody, and I went to Bakersfield, Had lunch at Red Robin, and shopped at the good ol' Valley Plaza Mall. I haven't been there in years! Mom and I had a lot of fun looking at jewelry and handbags while the men rolled there eyes and tapped their feet with just a pinch of irritation. No, it wasn't that bad, they were really patient with us. They even gave us a few smiles. I bought some earrings. I'm trying to wear earrings more often. I always forget to put them on and I always admire them on other people. So I'm going to try to hide the holes in my ears with various doo-dads and/or crystals.
That night, we had dinner at the Anderson's house with Rob, Connie, and my dad. It was so fun to see them! The food was yummy and the company was, of course, great. Their house is looking pretty great as well. The yard is plush and nicely landscaped. It's a little weird to see them anywhere but the house in town but it still feels like the Anderson's house and that still feels like my second home.

Sunday, we went to church with Mom, Woody, Dad, and Connie. After that, we drove to Bakersfield and had lunch with Jessie and Johnny! It was a lot of fun to catch up with them. They look well and happy and that makes me happy. I wish I could see her more often. You know those friends that you talk to like once a year or just once in awhile and you get together and it's still easy to talk to them and be comfortable? She's one of those friends. I miss her. I just wish I could have seen KT while I was there too. I have only talked to her once or twice since her wedding in '07! I need to be better at keeping in touch with people.

That night, Tyler, Mom, Derek, and I packed up the car and drove to the Castle Inn and Suites in Anaheim. We had fun just chilling in our little hotel room that night. My next entry will be about our Disneyland adventure!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to the women of the world! I know so many wonderful mothers, substitute mothers, and women in general. My life has been changed because of them. Friends, and family, and most of all, my own mother inspire me to be a better person and a better mother. I would not be the person that I am today without the advice, example, love, and friendship of the strong, beautiful, and amazing women in my life.

Happy Mother's day to my own mother who taught me right from wrong. She taught me to nurture and to love. She always made sure that we kids had everything we needed. She put us first in her life. I'd like to tell her that I love her and thank her for everything she has done for me. Love you, Mom!

And to my husband and baby, thank you for making me a mother. I would have never known the measure of love in my life had it not been for you two. Motherhood is the hardest thing I have ever done but the most rewarding thing in my life. I absolutely love being your mother, Derek.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Easter in Las Vegas

Samantha came up to visit us for the last week in March. We had lots of fun while she was here. We went shopping and hung out with Dan, Choka, and the kids. She's so hilarious.

Derek and I hitched a ride with Samantha to Las Vegas. We got a flat tire on the way. It didn't slow us down too much though.

We got to Las Vegas Thursday night and had dinner with my bigshot lawyer of a brother, Cory, and my sister-in-law, Katie.

They gave Derek this little Toy Story alien toy. At first it just scared him, but now it's one of his favorite toys. It vibrates and says, "ooh-aaahhh..."

We ate at a restaurant named "Ta-ta" and shared some sushi rolls. Yum, it was delicious. I've wanted to go and try it ever since Bree and Katie sent me a picture of the "Ta-ta" chopsticks. Most of my nieces and nephews call me TaTa. I also had a few friends call me that.

Sam left that night right after dinner. We tried to get her to stay, but she could not be persuaded.

The next day, Derek and I got up and visited with his Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa Walker. We had lunch and all enjoyed Derek's cuteness. We borrowed Katie's car to get there, so we had to go pick her up from work when she got off around 3pm. We went to Target and then went swimming!!

How cute does Derek look in his new swimming suit? I love his little belly in this picture. What a doll. I also love how his swim shorts are very close to being swim pants.

Derek LOVED swimming and Katie was so good with him. Aren't they adorable?

After Cory got off of work, we met my dad over at my Grandma and Grandpa's house for some family time. Tyler got into town late Friday night.

On Saturday, we watched the first session of Conference at Cory and Katie's house. Then we went to Costco with dad, which is always fun because he buys the good stuff.

Here are the boys on their way to Priesthood session.

What a handsome group of guys!

That night we went to Sonic for some treats. Derek had his first corn-dog and LOVED it. He's wearing the new shirt his Auntie Katie bought for him.

On Easter Sunday, we watched Conference at Grandma and Grandpa's house.


Then Derek had his very first Easter Egg hunt!

He actually got the hang of the hunt and would search for and run to find the eggs. He wasn't motivated to find another egg, though, after he got a hold of one; he just wanted to open them and eat the jelly beans inside. We shouldn't have showed him that until the end.

His Great-Grandma Walker loved to take him for rides on her new motorized scooter. Derek had so much fun! We all did. Thanks to Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Cory and Katie!

I know it's late, but I'd like to wish everyone a

HAPPY EASTER!

Derek's Birthday Party

Here's some pictures of Derek's first birthday party. He had lots of fun and we are so grateful to our family and friends for showing us their love on his special day!

He loved it when everyone sang, "Happy Birthday!" I think he liked his monkey cake too. I hope so, anyway.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEREK!

Update With No Pictures

We're still here! I still don't have a properly working computer. Well, that's not completely true. My computer works just fine but I don't have the hardware to charge the battery anymore. I charged the battery at my sister-in-law's house the other day and uploaded a bunch of pictures, but the battery died before I got to put them on this blog. Darn it! Maybe I'll charge the bigMac again this week and try again.

We are doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to a trip back home this month. Tyler is still enjoying his job. I'm not particularly enjoying mine, but am still grateful that I am able to earn a few dollars every week. I think being a waitress is really trying my patience and faith in humanity. I had a table of six, a family, and they stayed forever. They made a mess. I had to wait for them to leave and clean the table because the bus boy was gone. They left me TWO dollars. TWO DOLLARS? That's not a tip. That's insulting. I ran around like a madwoman getting their drinks and extra napkins and all of their other special requests. If they ever come in again and I'm their server, I'm not going to waste my time. But I digress. I wish there was something I could do with my degree that would allow me to be home when I'm needed; a job that is less demeaning and frustrating.

I am, however, enjoying being a mother. Derek is a little fireball. He's such a busy and active little boy. He has got such a funny little sense of humor now. He thinks it's hilarious to jump out and scare his mom and dad. He used to hold up his rubber duck and say "quack quack quack" and then I'd ask him, "what does a duck say?" and he'd respond, "RaaaaR!" He says quite a few words for his age, including: mama, daddy, bath, ball, diaper, Tyler, Tara, Choka, eye, thank you, love you, and uh-oh. He signs the words "please," "eat," and "water." He climbs on the couch and can get down all by himself. He sings and dances. He can tell you what sounds monkeys, elephants, dogs, cows, and several other animals make. He loves to read books and push buttons. He wants to eat his food by himself with real utensils. He's just amazing. But that's coming from his mother. I am partial and I know it.

I should have a new computer by the end of this month. We're waiting for the fabulous "Back-to-school" deal that Apple has every year. I can't wait to have a working computer again!!

Toddle Toddle One Year Old

Yes, we're still alive and well! Technology is mad at me and I haven't been able to get on my computer since January. I'm working on a permanent solution. Maybe I'll get a new computer. Anyways, my baby turned one on Tuesday. He's officially a toddler. According to babycenter.com, the definition of a toddler differs; some people define the stage after babyhood by when said baby starts walking, and others say toddler-hood starts at the one year mark. Either way, my baby is a toddler. I have mixed emotions. One year... has it really been one whole year? How can that be?


Derek is just as cute as ever. He walks. He runs. He loves being mobile. I take him into primary with me for the second hour of church so that Tyler can teach his class. Derek loves to run around and play with the kids. He also loves to run out the open doors to get to the drinking fountain.

He runs around the house all day and gets into everything. His favorite thing to do is to take stuff out of drawers and to put them into other drawers around the house.

He calls me Mom sometimes, but most of the time he calls me Tara. He calls Tyler, Dad, sometimes, but most of the time, Tyler. All day long all I hear is, "Tyler, Tyler, Tyler." Derek picks up my phone or one of his play cell phones and talks to his daddy. He says, "Hello, Tyler," and, "I love you, too, Tyler." It's absolutely adorable. We've started to try to get him to call us mom and dad. His first sentence was, "Tara *smack smack smack*" when he wanted to eat.


He loves to read books. His favorite right now is a book called, "What's Wrong Little Pookie" by Sandra Boynton. He loves it because there is a page with elephants and cookies and he loves to pretend to eat the cookies. "Yum yum," says Derek, "smack smack smack."

He loves to scribble. He also loves to play with my iPod. He loves monkeys. He makes the "oo-oo-oo" sound that a monkey makes. He also can tell you what lions, elephants, dogs, cats, and (sometimes) what roosters say.

What else can I say. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. He amazes me. He's so smart and loving. He gives kisses and waves "hi" and "bye." He's so much fun and I'm learning so much from him. He's good-natured and beautiful and... well... amazing.

Happy birthday, Derek.