Dedication Ceremony at First UU Dallas

Both of our boys were blessed as infants in Cayucos by Vena Norton. But now that we've landed at First UU in Dallas, Jack and I decided to have both boys dedicated in the church. This is not a baptism, but a commitment ceremony that takes place between the congregation and UU children. Walker and Charlie were dedicated on Sunday, December 18th.

We had Charlie's wheel chair ready to go, but when we offered it to him, he firmly said, "No" and rose to his feet. He wanted to walk! Here is a video of the ceremony for your enjoyment:

Green Screen Christmas Card

Walker's teacher at Hamilton Park took photos this week of each student in front of a green screen. She then created Christmas greeting cards from the photos. Here's Walker's card:

Proud

"I'm proud of who I am becoming." - Walker Greenman

A quote taken from a conversation this past weekend. 

And just for a little perspective - the photo below was taken six years ago today.

Sittin' on the Dock

The afternoons are finally cooling off here in Texas, so I've been taking Charlie and Griffin on little after school walks at White Rock Lake, which is less than 10 minutes from our apartment. Charlie's favorite thing to do is go out on the dock. 

Thanksgiving with Meg, Pa Obbie & Happy

Oh, it was good. So good. 

What more can we say?

Charlie Man

Here are a few photos of Charlie Man from this week. He's been spending time out of his wheelchair at recess. Below is a photo of Ms. Taylor, one of Charlie's assistants, helping him walk over the playground mulch area - usually very tough terrain for Charlie. The others are taken in the car and at home. Charlie still loves a car-nap.

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.