Dance Pictures...

Emerson was so excited to get ready for dance picutres. Her hair needed to be curled, so...

Once we arrived at the studio it was time to get in her first costume...it was also time to get silly for some pictures with her buddies! 

This is the classic Emerson face...

Next, it was time for her tap costume..Ladybug. 

I cannot wait to see these tiny dancers perform in a month or so. Emerson is most excited, especially since watching "The greatest showman." Love the memories she is making and things she is learning!

Davis Walker Dow Wellington..9 years old and counting

How can it be that my "little" 9 lb 14 oz boy is 9 years old? Did I blink too many times? My Big boy with a BIG and mighty name you are growing to be one of the most inquisitive, sensitive, kind-hearted, gentle little man. You have a heart for the broken and unloved and I am amazed daily at how you think and process things.  You are smart and love to read. You listen so well that you can tell us verbatim what your teachers/coaches/friends tell you, your memory is outstanding (and always has been) and you genuinely fun to be around. Telling jokes is one of your favorite things to do to make people laugh. You play the piano remarkably and love making up and memorizing songs (goes back to that great memory). You love your sister so much and are her biggest protector and leader. You have even been known to correct daddy and I if we allow her to do things you think are unsafe. You love wrestling with her and giving her a hard time, but at the end of the day you are her big brother and no one messes with you Emmy-O. You find joy in the small things. Playing with sticks outside by your tree is one of your favorite activities. I love admiring you from the kitchen window and I often wonder what you are daydreaming about or imagining in your mind.  May your imagination always sore and may you always dream BIG. You delight in gaining knowledge and you NEVER forget your random sports knowledge. You know players/team names, birthplaces, scores, etc. You have bypassed my knowledge of geography and states/capitals, and every day it seems as though you are teaching me something I didn't know.
 
You are a spender, every time you get a dime you are ready to spend it. You love stuff and buying stuff and borrowing stuff and to be given stuff. I pray you want HIM over stuff and you see that HE is enough. You also love to open packages. I blame it on MEME for liking to give you lots to open, (haha) but I pray you will find contentment with what you have.

You LOVE sports. You love the atmosphere, the team history, the details in game rules, etc. You also love to play. You have never been the BEST on the field but you are our FAVORITE and that's all that matters in my book. Your daddy pushes and encourages you as you two practice and watching you grow and learn is one of my favorite things!
You are finally venturing out there with your diet. You are still eating the same thing for school lunch, Kindergarten-3rd grade) but you have finally tried a school lunch and you are asking to try things on your own without us begging you. Some new things you are eating are real chicken from chich fil a, taco meat, hamburgers, Brussel sprouts. You still hate most meat, eggs, vegetables (only corn, and green beans and sometimes Brussel sprouts.)

You love God and you challenge me and your dad with your questions, concerns, etc. You are able to see good and bad and choose good so often and for that, I am so grateful! I pray you continue seeking him and that you choose him over all others and things. May you know HIM at a young age and journey with him as you grow into a young man. I pray you know as a man of God who loves others and serves with his whole heart. I pray your daddy and I are the parents you need in your walk and who challenge and push you into a deeper relationship with him. May God bless you with abundant wisdom and fruits of the spirit so others may choose him because of your example. I pray you get into peoples lives even when they are messy and that you form relationships with people that are far beyond the surface. Having Godly friends who encourage you is vital to this life. You already have some pretty amazing friends and I love seeing your relationships bloom and grow. You surround your friends like brothers and protect them so well. I pray you continue investing in others lives and that they bring you closer to your maker.

Nine is such a big number. One more year will you are two entire hands! One more year and you will have lived an entire decade! It just doesn't seem possible, but praise God it is! I never knew it was possible to love a little human so much, but you have proven me wrong, just like you have several times since your arrival.

I love you lots little man and I know you are going to do BIG things in your life. Lead on son. Believe in you because you are a mighty warrior of our AMAZING God. Your dad and I are always here and always cheering you on. No matter what we will love you unconditionally. Lean on your heavenly father and he will never leave you. I pray big blessings for your next year. May you learn to love more, serve until it hurts and feel safe in the arms of our amazing creator.

Spring Break 2018, California Edition

Saturday we headed to Nashville to do a little shopping and see some friends. We were excited and ready for the adventure! 

So glad we got to see this crew before boarding our flight to San Franscico! 

And we are off..

Davis and I decided to entertain ourselves while we waited for the plane. 

We made it! After getting some rest we headed out on our first adventure, which was going to church, the park, and some yummy pizza..too bad I didn't place those pictures here..they will come shortly. This post is forever long and instead of making it take longer than it has already I'm just going to skip to Monday! HA! Monday we went to the tech museum! Aunt Stephanie hooked us up with some tickets!!  

We felt an earthquake..

Attempted to be an astronaunt..

Saw how much we weighed on Mars..

Built an object to hold a ball to see if we could drop it without making a light flash...

Built a car to hang glide..

What a fun day! 

Now here are Sunday's pictures! Heading to church! 

After church! 

Another park adventure...

Just a boy and some ducks. 

We made it! After a late flight, we arrived in LA, spent the night with Stephanie's aunt and uncle and then headed to Disney for some FUN! I won't post about each picture, but our highlights were definitely seeing the princesses/characters and watching Davis be a Jedi! 

Waiting patiently to see if he gets picked to be a Jedi. 

 Davis was given a Jedi badge and couldn't have been more excited! Look at that smile.

Emerson is checking out the homes of Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, and more! 

Disney was great!!! Super exhausting but the most fun ever! We made it home on a very early flight, caught up on some sleep and then headed out to find some food. While we did I somehow captured these very amazing pics of my babies. 

 Coming off our Disney adventure we decided to head to the local zoo. The kids loved it last time we visited San Jose so we gave it another try.

They had some fun rides and it was a nice relaxing day of walking seeing the animals and riding some rides. Next, we headed to a place called the Jungle! Oh the fun we had there! Lazer tag, trampolines, arcades and huge slides/play places. 

We decided to eat at the Old Spaghetti Warehouse where we again celebrated D turning 9, this boy thought being sung to was a way of life in CA! HA! 

We got to the airport about 2 hours ahead of our flight leaving on Friday, but we got left! Yep, we missed our flight. The kids and mommy were in tears, but we were able to steal a few more fun hours with Uncle J and Aunt Stephanie. 

This my friends is what your 5 year old might do when waiting a while on her Aunt..grab a marker and count till you run out of room! 

Aunt Stephanie felt terrible we missed our flight SO..we got to go to opening night at the A's! Such a fun adventure!! We ate lots of junk, got tattoos and cheered lots! 

Saturday we woke up to a 9-year-old!!! Happy DAY my precious boy! 

We enjoyed a yummy brekafast cooked by Aunt Stephanie and played at another amazing park until our red eye flight! 

Walker insisted we get to the airport extra early..5 hours before our flight so let's just say our time in the airport got humorous!!! 

We landed safely Sunday am, way too early but nonetheless home! Whew, what an adventure!!! We made so many memories, ate way too much and laughed an incredible amount. We are so blessed! On to the next adventure!