The Walker Warbler: Attempting an anniversary kiss on ice at Rockefeller Center!

Blog Title Explanation:

This blog is named in memory of my father, Paul McConkie, who used to always make us kids giggle by whispering, "Warble, Warble" in our ears when we sang this hymn: "Let us oft speak kind words to each other, At home or where'er we may be, Like the warbling of birds on the heather, The tones will be welcome and free; They'll gladden the heart that's repining, Give courage and hope from above; And where the dark clouds hide the shining Let in the bright sunlight of love.

Oh, the kind words we give Shall in memory live- And sunshine forever impart; Let us oft speak kind words to each other, Kind words are sweet tones of the heart." – “Let Us All Speak Kind Words To Each Other”, text by Joseph Townsend.

This blog is dedicated to you, Dad! We love and miss your sweet warblings, your laughter, and your warm smile!!!

Our kiddos say the darndest things ;0)!

Nathan - age 23 months

Jesi asked Nathan if she could have one of his M&M's. Nathan quickly put the remaining M&M's in his mouth (quite a mouthful) and said so sweetly with his mouth completely full, "ALL GONE!" Rather than being disappointed, Jesi just laughed and laughed because he was just too cute & smart!

Kassi - age 3

After reminding Kassi that she wasn't suppose to eat the other food on her plate before her pickle (the pickle was her motivation to eat the other food), she said matter-of-factly: "But Mom, if you put a pickle on my plate, I'm going to eat it!"

Kassi - age 3

This Christmas time Kassi kept singing, to the tune of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer":

"Frosty the Snowman... had a very shiny nose... and if you ever saw it... you would even call him names!"

Jesi - age 4, Drew - age 7

Today I asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. "Drew said, "I want to be a Mom. No, I want to be a Dad (Big sigh of relief from Mom)!" Then Jesi said, "I want to be a cowgirl Mommy and have cowgirl babies!"

Kassi - age 3

Kassi: (from behind me one day) "Mom, you have BIG butt!"

Mom: (a little shocked because we use the words bum and bottom at our house) "What did you say?"

Kassi: "You have BIG butt (pause as she tried to form the next word) woops!!!"

Mom: (still not quite understanding her until she came over and pulled on the belt loops of my capris)

Kassi: "See, Mom, you have WEAWY (really) BIG BUTT (belt) WOOPS (loops)!!!"

Mom: (trying not to laugh too hard but letting out a little laugh of relief that it wasn't my big behind that was the topic of conversation - I wasn't wearing my belt that day because my shirt covered the top part of my capris, but they ARE big belt loops - and very noticeable if you aren't wearing a belt!)

Kassi: (in her very serious voice) "It's not funny, Mom!"

Drew - age 7

Drew hopped into the van after school today with a cute pink heart. When I asked him what the little heart was for, he blushed and said that it was a phone number from a girl named Eliza. Later that week when Andy took my volunteer spot at the school, he heard a girl tell Drew, "You are handsomer than my Dad!" I think we better watch out for these girls. Eliza was really sweet. She always passed the basketball to Drew when they were on the same Jazz basketball team later that year!

Jesi - age 4

After dropping a Corel bowl full of oatmeal - breaking into hundreds of sharp, yet gooey pieces ALL over the tile floor of the kitchen, I told her that it was okay, it was just an accident. Jesi said, "There are no accidents, Mom. The turtle tells that to Master Shi Fu (on Kung Fu Panda). I think he was wrong!"

Jesi - age 3

Today Jesi was singing, "Frosty the Snowman . . . . . follow, follow me!"

Drew - age 5

"Hey Mom, guess what!!! Sister [so and so] is going to have a baby! She already put the baby in her tummy!!!"

Jesi - age 3

Today while wrapping Andy's Christmas gift, Jesi kept whispering to me. When I asked why she was whispering, she said, "cause Daddy is down the street and he will hear us!" (He works about a mile away down the hill from our house.)

Jesi - age 4, Drew - age 7

Jesi - "Drew, how do I look?"

Drew - "You look FABULOUS!" (Mom's heart melting in the background)

Jesi - "What does fabulous mean? Does it mean beautiful?"

Drew - "Ya."

Jesi - "I always look beautiful, don't I?"

Drew - "Uh huh."

Kassi - age 3

Kassi: "Want to hear a pwetty (pretty) song, Mom?"

Mom: "Sure!"

Kassi: "Happy birfday to you. You wive (live) in a castle. You wook (look) like a pwincess (princess). (humming) Mmm mm mm mm mm."

Mom: "Am I a princess?"

Kassi: "No, you not a king or a pwincess. What is you again?"

Mom: (A little worried) "A queen???"

Kassi: "Yes. You a Queen! You mawied (married) Dad and Jesi can mawy (marry) Drew and I can mawy Nathan when he gets to be a bigger kid. (to Nathan in her high pitched baby voice) "Would you wike to dance wif me?"

Nathan: (actually Kassi speaking for Nathan) "Yes. I wiw (will) dance wif (with) you!"

Kassi: "Wet's (let's) dance"

(This was probably one of those priceless moments that you just can't reproduce on paper, but I thought I'd try - she was so darling asking Nathan to dance with her and actually dancing with him!)

Jesi - age 4

The kids and I were driving to the grocery store and passed a McDonalds:

Jesi: "Look, Mom - 'M' for MOM and 'M' for McDonalds! I LOVE 'M'!"

Mom: "Which do you love more; Mom or McDonalds?" (a little worried about how I'd rank in this comparison)

Jesi: "I love BOTH! I love the waterfall and play land at McDonalds and I love when you take me to the store and let me buy a pet!"

Mom: "Oh, really?" (feeling very guilty for never buying her a pet & worried that that was what she was suggesting)

Jesi: "Remember when we were at the store (yard sale) and you didn't want me to get a kitty (stuffed animal) because it might have germs and then you said, "o..k...a...y..., I guess."" (sigh of relief - maybe the stuffed kitty will keep her happy for a while)

Drew - age 5 with neighbor boy

Drew and one of his little neighbor friends knocked on the door. When I opened it, he said (with his hands on his hips and one foot up on the door railing) "Um, we are missionaires. We're just going to go to the church and have a barbeque at our house (which he informed me was the mound on the corner of our lot which is typically his office where he goes to "work" most days) The rest of the day, whenever I would refer to him as Drew, he wasn't happy until I called him "Elder Walker." Then he would break out into his adorable smile.

Jesi - age 4

The last month or two, Jesi has been SO stubborn on the way we all fold our arms/hands for prayer. Before we start, she makes sure that everyone has their arms/hands folded EXACTLY like her (which is ALWAYS the opposite of whoever has already folded their arms)! Then she smiles really big and lets us pray. At least once during the prayer, she makes everyone change to her new way of arm/hand folding. We have learned that it is much easier to go with her funny little ideas than deal with a tantrum. Hopefully Heavenly Father will forgive us all for peeking at her during prayer. It is SO cute to watch her try to squint her eyes - her mouth is always in a big toothy smile when she squints. She also likes to fold her doll's arms with one hand! I have a picture of her doing this in her crib when she was younger - so sweet!

Jesi - age 3 1/2

Jesi has been SO cute singing around the house the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation". Instead of singing, "... in his excellent world, she sings, "...in his excellent TWIRLED(while repeatedly twirling around in a circle)." I didn't realize until much later that that is probably why she recently twirled up on the stand with all the other primary children during their program. I knew she would be too shy to go up and sing with the other children, but she AMAZED us all by not only going up, but singing so loud that we could hear her voice loud and clear above the rest of the dozens of children! She was in the front row and broke out in twirls in the middle of the song! Now I know why - it was part of the lyrics in her version! I LOVE when the kids sing in primary. Drew holds Jesi's hand on the way up to and back from the stand and it is absolutely darling and melts my heart every time!

Drew - age 6

Today Drew told me that he gave a girl named, "Miranda" our phone # and that she is going to call our cell (Andy and I share a cell phone). She is his "friend," his "GIRLFRIEND," according to Drew. This is about the 5th girl this year that he has exchanged phone #'s with! Why am I worried about his teenage years?

Jesi - age 3

While Jesi was doing aerobics with me, the aerobic instructor said to "sweep" (a movement of the leg). Jesi left for a minute and came back with her little broom and proceeded to sweep (reminding me of a little Amelia Bedelia). She has also always called brooms, "sweeps," which I have always thought was too adorable to correct.

Drew - age 5

Today Drew came home from running errands with Andy and excitedly told me that they bought a new "LAWN HECKER!" I said, "Oh, you guys found a lawn edger or a weed wacker?" Drew insisted, "No, Mom, a LAWN HECKER!"

Jesi - age 3

Jesi has always had a hard time saying, "Family Home Evening." It all kind of ran together and we could never understand her. But ever since Halloween last month, we always know what she is talking about. She now calls it, "Hawoweevening." Maybe we should call it that every year in October to reminisce her adorableness?

Jesi - age 6

As we pulled up to the church to do a "clean-up" project that Andy was in charge of, I was amazed at the number of people that showed up to help! Jesi said, "It's because everyone loves Jesus, Mommy!"

Drew - age 4

We were looking at a blanket that my Mom had sewn with a snowman that was looking up in the sky. It said, "Do you see what I see?" I talked to Drew about how it was about the new star in the sky when baby Jesus was born. Drew said, "Mommy, I want to see Jesus! I want him to come visit us!" (He brought tears to my eyes with his simple faith.)

Jesi - age 3

Mom: "How come you are so cute?"

Jesi: "Because I wuv you!"

Kassi - age 3

Mom: "How come you are so cute?"

Kassi: "I Wuv Mommy"

(I couldn't resist asking her the same question I asked Jesi years ago - and was surprised to get basically the same answer - there must be something to the idea that when someone loves us, it changes our perception of them?!?)

Jesi - age 3

"Someday when I'm big I can go to the temple wif you, Mom!"

Goodreads:

Heidi's bookshelf: 5-star-favorites

Getting Past "If Only": [Learning to Live Without Regrets]

by Kim Nelson

I listened to this book on cd and loved it. Great stories and reminders about how important it is to not worry about what others think, to not judge other people's intentions, expect to learn something from every single person you meet,...

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

by Barbara Demick

Although sad, this was a very informative book and it kept me fully engaged while learning about a very unknown part of the world. It was a beautifully interwoven account of 6 people and their families who were fortunate enough to defec...

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

Wow, this was beautifully written and although tragically sad - especially when you realize how many millions of people were killed under the reign of Stalin - it is a tribute to those who lived through amazingly difficult circumstances ...

Summer of the Monkeys

by Wilson Rawls

This was a perfect read-aloud book for my 7 & 10 year olds. And, I loved it as well. It is a hilarious story about trying to catch some very smart escaped circus monkeys, but it is also about a loving family that you can't help but com...

Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child

by John Gottman

I'm so glad I read this book. I would recommend it to anyone that deals with children in any way, whether as a parent, teacher, or anyone who has relationships with children. I'm afraid today's philosophies have hurt our relationships ...

How to Really Love Your Child

by D. Ross Campbell

I loved this book. There is so much good parenting advice packed in this little book. The basic idea is that children need their "love tank" filled constantly and that without having that tank filled, they will tend to act out in inapp...

God, Family, Country: Our Three Great Loyalties

by Ezra Taft Benson

How could you go wrong reading Ezra Taft Benson's views on God, Family and Country. He has some wonderful quotes in here as well from scripture, former presidents and leaders. I think this was a good yard sale find and definitely worth...

The Five Love Languages of Children

by Gary Chapman

I think this book was even more helpful to me than "The Five Love Languages". Although it was slightly redundant after reading the other book, it had some very helpful chapters regarding child discipline, helping children to learn to ma...

A Mother's Book of Secrets

by Linda Eyre

Okay, so I'm ALMOST done with this book and I just love it! These women are so REAL. Linda is a mother of 9 and has written many other books that I look forward to reading. Shawni Eyre Pothier is mother of 5 and has some pretty funny ...

Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This year I am studying The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. I've read them both several times, but LOVE learning from each of them. The Book of Mormon is an amazing book of scripture containing an account of the ancient ...

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer

Loved the characters, the stories contained in the letters (which is what the book is made up of entirely), and everything about this book. I wish I knew how much of the war stories were true, but I'm guessing most of it is fiction. Eit...

The Mother in Me: Real-World Reflections on Growing Into Motherhood

by Kathryn Lynard Soper

This is a great book filled with essays and poems about motherhood, the joys and sorrows of raising children, and about those who have struggled with the loss of a child, or the inability to conceive. I laughed and cried and loved this ...

The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

I really enjoyed this book and was fascinated with how well C.S. Lewis was able to find all of our mortal flaws and loved the way he wrote this book. A more experienced devil is training a new devil and it is quite enlightening and almo...

Heartbeat

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I loved this book. It is a REALLY quick read, great for anyone about age 10 and up. I loved how it was written and the underlying messages throughout the book about life, love, how we should do things for the joy of doing them and not ...

North and South

by Elizabeth Gaskell

This makes my top 10. I loved it. There is so much in this book to think about - doing right even when it might hurt us and those we love, work vs. idleness, being content with being good rather than being concerned so much about what ...

Holy Bible: King James Version

by Anonymous

It's been a few years. I'm excited to study the Old Testament again! So much to learn, so little time!

Mothering with Spiritual Power: Book of Mormon Inspirations for Raising a Righteous Family

by Debra Sansing Woods

I loved this book. The author was SO inspiring - of course her inspirations were based on scripture, which always helps! It confirmed my belief that all of our questions can be answered through a serious study of the scriptures, combin...

Healing The Wounded Soul

by Jack R. Christianson

Wonderful book (or book on CD) that teaches doctrines and gives wonderful insights on how the Savior can heal each of us. I also loved how he gave examples of how we should treat others with that in mind b/c we don't know how they have ...

The Parenting Breakthrough: Real-Life Plan to Teach Your Kids to Work, Save Money, and Be Truly Independent

by Merrilee Boyack

This book has great ideas about helping to raise children. I think I may have to buy this one because I'm sure I'm going to want to read it again and again as my children get older. Merilee Boyack is a hillarious speaker and I've found...

Moving in His Majesty and Power

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This is a quick little read - I believe these two messages were taken from conference talks a few years ago. But, the message is one every woman could use in today's world. Satan wants us to hate or become obsessed with our physical ap...

I Am a Mother

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Another great inspirational book about Motherhood. I loved all the quotes and stories the author included. Definitely an uplifting book for any woman to read. It made me think about how our lives rarely end up the way we plan, but the...

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by Gordon B. Hinckley

Wonderful thoughts about the importance of women and the great work we have to do! Full of inspiration!

Whom the Lord Loveth: The Journey of Discipleship

by Neal A. Maxwell

Neal A Maxwell just has a way with language. He speaks so eliquently and makes you feel like the person you want to be!

Not My Will, but Thine

by Neal A. Maxwell

I can't think of a man who would know how to submit more to the Lord's will than Neal A. Maxwell. He has always been one of my favorite spekers and authors.

The Gateway We Call Death

by Russell M. Nelson

A wonderful reminder that death is just part of the process!

Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood

by Jim Fay

I tried to take the Parenting w/ Love and Logic Class last year, but was only able to make it to about half of the class. I love the theory and the examples given in this book and hope to be a better "love and logic" parent in the futur...

Jesus the Christ

by James E. Talmage

What could be more inspiring than reading about the Savior?!?

Standing for Something: 10 Neglected Virtues That Will Heal Our Hearts and Homes

by Gordon B. Hinckley

I'm pretty sure I read this back when it was first published, but it was definitely worth reading again! President Gordon B. Hinckley is one of the most inspirational people I have ever known and I hope to remember and apply these virtu...

Les Misérables

by Victor Hugo

This one makes my top 10! Love it!

The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This book is "another testament of Jesus Christ and a "record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel." I try to read from it every day and lo...

Bonds That Make Us Free: Healing Our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves

by C. Terry Warner

Several good friends recommended this book and now I know why! I took 12 pages of notes, since I don't own the book! The author teaches us that our problems with ourselves and others come from betraying what we know is right. No more ...

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by Sheri L. Dew

Wouldn't life be pointless if we didn't have any trials to make us stronger and better people?!? This book really put things in perspective for me. Lets stop complaining and help each other be amazing people!

Gilead

by Marilynne Robinson

My book group is reading this, so I couldn't resist the urge to read it for the second time! Two of my friends gave me this book after my father passed away. It was wonderful! It is about a 76 year-old minister from Gilead, Iowa. He f...

If Thou Endure It Well

by Neal A. Maxwell

I wish I remembered this one better, but I remember that I was inspired to be better and do better. Elder Maxwell has always been one of my favorite speakers, and his books are no different! His language is beautiful and inspiring and ...

No One Can Take Your Place

by Sheri L. Dew

I loved this book. It made me feel so important and like I could do anything!!! We are all here for a specific purpose!

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

OK, I really want to read this one again! This has been one of my favorite books since I did a report on the Bronte sisters/novels in high school! Jane is just fascinating and I love that although the circumstances aren't perfect, she ...

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

We all love this story, don't we?!? The classic story of a heart being softened and a someone who finally learns what life is all about!

Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

I've always loved Charles Dickens and this is probably my favorite besides "A Christmas Carol". Life never turns out the way we plan, but in the end it is usually better!!!

The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes

by James L. Ferrell

Great book! Inspiring thoughts about the importance of forgiveness and doing all in our power to love more completely!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Attempting an anniversary kiss on ice at Rockefeller Center!

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