The Wilker Family: 2017 so far...

(Started this last weekend, just now finishing it up!)

January is almost over! Honestly this month has been just blah. I definitely had the post holiday blues not to mention that we are having the worst winter ever! We have always looked back on our first winter in Idaho. It was a bad one with tons of ice and snow and everyone promised us that it isn't usually like that. We didn't believe them but they were right. We have a few mild winters here but this winter is even worse than that one. We have so so much snow, the roads are covered as well (especially in our neighborhood), icicles on every roof, and we have had 3 snow days!! The first 2 were just a couple of days after we went back to school after the holidays. It was actually for extreme wind chill temps. And our third one was last Tuesday when we got another 10 inches of snow the day before. This is also the first year that we have been actually snowed in. The day after Christmas Steve tried to take Preston to the movies and he got stuck in our cul de sac trying to leave and had to be towed out by our bishop who has a truck, and even then it was hard. Last Tuesday when school was canceled Steve could barely get out and I stayed home from mutual because I couldn't guarantee I could make it to the church, even though it is just down the road. Thankfully the snow plows came overnight. Stinks to not have snow tires or vehicles with 4 wheel drive but oh well. Spending a lot more time at home!

I haven't done a very good job at documenting 2017 so far since the first month is almost done! A little update on everyone...

Steve: He is doing pretty good! Work is going pretty well. It has taken some time but he feels like he is finally starting to fit in with the other guys and have a much better idea of what his role and responsibilities are. He (and all of them) have big big projects coming up so lots of hard work for him. But I always remind him that that means he has a job to work hard at! He continues to be an awesome Elders quorum president. Besides fighting a cold at the moment and a very painful night of a bad kidney stone (which almost sent him to the ER) the other night, he is doing well. Oh and sick of the snow blower which has gotten way too much use this year!

Amy: Like I said, this month has been pretty blah for me. The weather has me feeling a little trapped and desperately day dreaming of a warm vacation! Everyday just seems filled up with taking care of all of these kiddos. I really don't get out much but at the same time I am ok with that. My sanity is really saved by the fact that I don't have to do any of the drop offs or pick up for the kids. Steve takes Preston in the morning. My friend Katie Hadley, whose daughter is Abby's good friend, offered to take Abby to school everyday. And my friend down the street Jeanine Wood brings both kids home at the end of the day. I really think life would be so much harder if I had to load everyone up (which seriously takes like 10 minutes) three times a day. I really enjoy the quieter part of the day when the older kids are at school and Kaley doesn't mind the extra attention.

Preston, 8 years old: He has had a really hard time getting readjusted to going to school after 2 weeks off quickly followed by 2 snow days. He just doesn't like to go in the mornings and it is hard to get him ready and out the door. He always says, "All we do is sit and learn!" Yup buddy! I had parent teacher conferences a couple of weeks ago. He doing awesome and above average in all areas. He is especially doing well with reading and can read up to a sixth grade level. He is a great student and I am so proud of him. He is loving being a cub scout now and goes every Wednesdy from 4:30-5:30 (once again my friend picks him up and drops him off!). He is also playing basketball with the city of Iona and even though this is not his best sport by any means, he is having a lot of fun with practice every Thursday night and games every Saturday. And add in playing outside a ton! He has loved the crazy amounts of snow and big piles this winter. This kid is always happier when he is busy.

Abby, 5.5 years old: Kindergarten has brought with it a lot of emotion for our Abby Jean. She gets worn out and has too much emotion to contain. We are hoping that is a phase that will end soon. I was very anxious for her parent teacher conference. I knew she was doing ok with her work but sometimes she looks at you like she doesn't understand at all or will ask the same questions again and again. I was so relieved and happy to hear that she is one of the top in her class. She hasn't picked up on reading as quickly or easily as Preston did but she is still one of the top. She loves to dress up, sing, dance, and anything that requires creativity or is a project. She is still doing gymnastics once a week (Fridays 9-10am). It is fun to watch her progress and get stronger and stronger. It is not always easy and she gets very tired but she works hard and is doing a great job.

Kaley, 2.5 years old: Oh my Kaley Mae! She is just so little, cute, and sweet! She loves to wear skirts, jump on her trampoline, watch shows and play on the kindle. Lately she loves to play on my phone and take pictures which has made for some interesting ones. She loves when we can get out of the house. She is definitely a 2 year old and wants to do EVERYTHING by herself and if heaven forbid you do it for her, you might ruin her day. Haha! She may have her moments and throw tantrums but she is an awesome 2 year old that doesn't seek out trouble. I am expecting 3 to be a lot tougher with this one. She has been asking to sit on the potty and we have been practicing so potty training is in her future. Also, last Sunday she climbed out of her crib for the first time! Not good but since she used the twin bed nearby to get out we just rearranged the room and problem solved!

Riley & Maddie, 7 months old: (Holy moly this is a lot of people to update for!) These babies! They are SO big! They are chubby and round and about 17 pounds already. At this rate they will catch up to Kaley who is only about 23 pounds. They are adorable with their blue eyes and sweet smiles. They eat every 3.5-4 hours and drink 6 ounces every time. They learned how hold their own bottles just after they turned 6 months. What a great milestone that I never knew I needed in my life. They are taking their sweet time with getting moving and sitting up. They just barely can roll both ways (front to back, back to front) and are starting to roll and rotate with a purpose. I swear their bottoms are just too round for sitting up and they can only do it for like 10 seconds before falling right over. I am grateful for this because it means I don't have to chase them yet and they can't get into trouble yet. They sleep all night but the past few weeks they have been waking up about 5:30 or 6 and I usually have to give one or both a pacifier at 4:30 and/or 5. Makes mommy tired! They have started solid foods, not my favorite thing since it takes awhile and is messy! They seem to like it and I will be starting to do breakfast in addition to dinner that they get. They are such good babies, just happy and content and I always get comments about how happy they are. I am just so so grateful for that! I feel so lucky to have these two, even with all of the extra work involved it is a special experience.

And now a bunch of pictures from January...