Carving Party

Eric and I have a tradition of carving pumpkins with friends or family every year. This year Shelby and Thane joined in on the fun. 

Shelby's pumpkin was already done so she helped entertain the little one. We brought Kinsey's pumpkin inside so she wouldn't feel left out. 

Kinsey was fascinated with the pumpkin guts. 

My pumpkin didn't have a stem so this was the first year I carved sideways. Can I just tell you how much easier it is to get the guts out when you buy a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch instead of the grocery store!!

 Thane pouring out the guts. 

 And, of course, a group picture!

 Silly faces. 

 Just look at Kinsey's little legs as she's sitting there. I love it!!

 Here's the proof that I carved the best pumpkin this year... ;)

 Thane taught us how to be ghosts in a photo. I always wondered how it worked!

 My beauty. 

 Eric's traditional pumpkin. 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Trunk or Treat

I've been looking forward to our church's Trunk or Treat for weeks now. Can you believe it's been 5 YEARS (when we were dating) since Eric and I have dressed up for Halloween? Needless to say, I was ready to play dress up again. Once we knew Kinsey would be Snow White, the ideas just kept flowing.

Eric decided he wanted to look like a real dwarf so he suggested walking in boxes. It was then my job to make his idea a reality. And no, that's not sympathy weight; his shirt is stuffed :)

Doc the Dwarf and Snow White

Kinsey was kind of a grump all day. She woke up from her afternoon nap to see us in costumes and then we changed her into her dress. When we arrived at the church EVERYONE was in costume and she just looked around like, "What the heck is going on?"

Wicked Queen and Snow White

We started off the activity by walking in a parade around all the cars and then the trunk or treating began! 

 

 Kinsey didn't start smiling until she realized that every time we went to a car she got a piece of candy. And then she thought every time she got candy from someone she could keep asking them for more--a few people thought it was so cute they gave her extra. I had to carry her to each car since she wouldn't walk away from a candy opportunity. She LOVED picking the candy and putting it in her pumpkin. 

It didn't take long for Kinsey to start dragging the pumpkin because it was getting so full. Of course she wouldn't let me hold it for her, so I ran to the car to empty the candy. She got so mad being separated from her precious pumpkin for 20 seconds. 

My pretty girl!!

After we went to every car, Kinsey started heading to other kids to take candy from their pumpkins. Haha. I stopped that before it went too far. 

Kinsey hates wearing headbands so she went through most of trunk or treating without one. Finally Daddy put it on again and she was not happy.

The best way to keep a headband on is distraction. So Eric handed her candy to hold. 

The whole Snow White gang!!

Doc the Dwarf, Snow White, and the Wicked Queen

 

We took a couple pictures with Kinsey's friends. 

Kinsey and Hailey (and Lindsay)

Hailey was part of a whole family of bugs!

Kinsey and Jessalyn

And just because I love her little backside...I had to throw this one in there!! She's been so attached to Daddy lately she just follows him everywhere!

 

Schaake's PuMpKiN Patch

Last Tuesday Eric didn't have school. I love the random days that he's home with Kinsey and me because he's been so busy lately. We took advantage and headed out to Schaake's Pumpkin Patch so Kinsey could fall in love with fall!

Kinsey wasn't sure what to think of the chickens at first, but she definitely grew to love them and was smiling at the end. I love her "unsure" face!!

Our little shorty was in the 15th percentile for height at her 12 month check-up. Just above the 2 feet mark!

Kinsey was a little confused by the maze at first but it didn't take long for her to let go of my hand and start running on her own. 

Although it was very sunny, there was a pretty cold breeze. We snuggled up and kept warm when the wind was blowing. 

We have discovered that Kinsey is not a fan of moving objects (other than a car) that make noise and are bumpy. She wasn't loving her first hayride. Better luck next year!!

Where's Kinsey!?

Pretty girl. 

Like with almost everything new, Kinsey needs a little warm-up time. Once that is over she welcomes everything with open arms. After walking around the pumpkins for awhile she decided she liked them and started hugging every one she could. 

And another...Our baby girl just has so much love to give!

All the pumpkins we ran into in the field were mushy and gross, so we headed back up to the front area and picked our pumpkins. Kinsey loved her pumpkin and ran to me with it. 

She also helped pick Daddy's pumpkin. 

Forty pounds of pumpkin later, it's time to carve!! Little babies got a pumpkin too :)

Award's Night

Well folks, he's done it again!! Eric earned himself another scholarship by writing a phenomenal essay!!  Funny story about this essay: It was the night before essays were due when we finally remembered to do them (yes, I say WE because I help Eric get started). Eric was studying for a test so I grabbed the list of essays and ripped out the ones Eric didn't qualify for. It didn't take long for me to notice the questions seemed oddly familiar...as in the EXACT questions from the year before. So the next day when the essays were due, Eric picked out two he had turned in the year prior and jazzed them up. And just like last year, he won $1,000 with LIKELY the same essay. Ha. Joke's on them for not changing the questions. 

On Saturday, October 12th we all got dressed up and went to the scholarship award's banquet so Eric could receive his $1,000 for the "Boring" scholarship:

Boring is right. This night drug on and on with all the talk of CCC alumni and whatnot. Scholarships were at the very end OF COURSE.

 I wasn't the only one bored. Kinsey and I spent most of the time in the back of the room because she did not want to sit still. Getting a babysitter never even occurred to me. I still take my baby girl everywhere I go, but I may need to loosen the reigns a little. 

We're so proud of Daddy!!

 

Gender Reveal!

When we started our last IVF cycle we had NO IDEA both embryos would take, nor did we even allow ourselves to imagine a newborn baby out of it 9 months later. Now we are far enough along to find out the genders for BOTH of our soon-to-be Walkers (a day after Kinsey became a Walker)! Eric and Kinsey's final guesses were two boys. I thought two boys for months and then 2 days before the ultrasound I felt strongly we were having a girl and a boy. 

If you haven't watched the gender reveal yet, check it out here.

The first time we saw our babies they looked like this:

6 weeks 6 days pregnant

 Then 2 short weeks later we could see their little heads and arm and leg stubs. 

9 weeks 1 day pregnant

 SPOILER ALERT!!

Then on October 11th, at 19 weeks and 1 day pregnant, we went in for a very comprehensive ultrasound. By VERY I mean 45 minutes for each baby (Kinsey watched the screen like it was a TV show for a pretty long time for a 1 year old)!! I was soooo uncomfortable lying in the same position for so long, but everything checked out great which I am THANKFUL for. Both babies are growing equally and have all their parts. Speaking of parts...

Baby A: It's a girl!

 I was SO SURE Baby A was our little boy. Mainly because she is so active I just pictured a boy. Baby A (name pending) is our little firecracker. She is so low in my pelvis we couldn't get her entire profile. She also spent a good portion of the ultrasound kicking Baby B in the face. It was like watching a movie. 

 And when we checked out Baby B and didn't see any important male anatomy parts, I WAS SHOCKED!! Like, it's taken a whole week to sink in kind of shocked. Imagine telling Kinsey for months to give her baby brothers kisses. They were boys until proven otherwise. 

Baby B: It's a girl!?

 Baby B (name also pending) is our chill little girl. She cooperated during the ultrasound and fought back a little during her sister's kicks. Mostly she just rested her elbow on Baby A's head and went with the flow.

We know God is sending us the babies that are meant to be with our family so of course we are so excited about having two more girls. Kinsey is going to be an awesome and loving big sister and we can't wait. My second trimester has been blissful (I've only had the tired symptom but that's to be expected). My doctor won't let me go past 38 weeks so February is the latest I'll carry these little ones. Can you believe it's only 4 months away!?

Newest Walker

 On Thursday, October 10th Kinsey officially became a Walker! Eric and I have been looking forward to finalizing in court for awhile now for obvious reasons. Now that our baby girl is finalized, she is officially ours as if she was born to us and her name has been legally changed to Kinsey Allison Walker. 

Court was actually a little anticlimactic. I mean, when I hear the word "court" I picture a mean old judge and tons of people sitting around me that I don't know. We were actually the only people in the room along with the judge, lawyer, and our caseworker. Our lawyer asked Eric a series of questions about our background and ability to care for Kinsey (as I was distracting Kinsey with a book so she would stop eating the courtroom paper). He then confirmed with me that all my answers would have been the same as Eric's. Judge Farley listened to the questions and confirmed the adoption. After a signature here and there, our job was done.

With Judge Farley

 Next we went upstairs with our lawyer to get copies of all the adoption paperwork. The office ladies gave Kinsey a bear because she was so cute with it. 

Kinsey in front of Johnson County Court House

 And then we took a few pics with our official daughter!

She's so happy to be ours. Can't you tell?

That was all there was to it! I'm glad the legality of the adoption is finally over because Kinsey has been our daughter since the day we brought her home. Now we can get a new birth certificate and change her name with the pediatrician. Wahoo!! The work never ends :)