Walker is NINE!!!!!

Hi Family. Now that I've quit updating the Facebooks for a while, I thought I'd reinvest in this blog. It's more personal and most importantly, a record for the boys. I can't tell you how many evenings Walker asks to surf through these posts, recalling moments and chatting about good times with grandparents.

Walker has just turned nine and is also hitting a mid-semester stride at school. He's doing very well in school - so curious, so detailed and always wanting more more more. He's also having a little trouble testing. This is third grade, which means we start the process of learning to take timed quizzes and state assessments (barf). But his teacher, Ms. Jonsie, is all over it. She's tutoring him on Tuesday afternoons after school to bring him up to speed on difficult concepts and testing strategies.

Here are some photos from Walker's birthday party, which was held here at the apartment complex in the outdoor pool club house. It was a ton of fun and most of his friends threw on their swimsuits and braved the cool waters! Here's our big guy blowing out the candles on his cake:

The photos below were taken by Walker's teacher over the past few weeks while at school. There are also photos of some of his school work so you can see what he's working on right now. 

In the photo below, Walker is holding up his "Self Manager" badge, which he earned over a nine week period. Kids who earn their badge are allowed to do more for themselves and take leadership roles outside the classroom.