End of the Year

Christmas was nice at the Coombs home. Everyone enjoyed themselves and Santa came. Santa delivered a Wii for the "grandkids" which really means Tim and I. Let's just say the first night (which was actually Christmas Eve) at about 12:30 at night, Tim swung and his thumb went into the fan at full speed. The first Wii injury was bound to happen. We are addicted. I hope the grandkids will get a turn soon.


Anderson seriously loves my dad more than me. He wants him all of the time.

So I think we bought a house today. Our offer was accepted and we should close on the 15th (unless something happens--with our luck it is very possible). It is around Power and Guadalupe in Mesa. I am excited to have our own place. It should be fun.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Tim and I have had a busy week. Last Friday Tim graduated from ASU in Civil Engineering! No more school is the greatest thing ever. After graduation, we had a dinner at Tim's parents house with our family and friends and it was really fun.

Then Saturday we had our annual Christmas Party for the old San Marcos folks. I always get nervous every year for 2 reasons: #1 I am afraid it can't top the year before #2 I am afraid someone will get offended and walk out! This year, I had another reason to be nervous...Santa's Little Helper. It really was sooo fun and Marci and I love to put it on each year. Sunday morning Tim and I drove to California. We left Anderson and went to Disneyland for 3 days. We loved it. It wasn't crowded at all and even rained which cleared out even more people.

Tim and I rode the Grizzly River Run and were soaked through to our undies. We had to go to our hotel and change finally.

This picture does not do the castle justice. It was so pretty. It was the first time they had done it like this. They did a fireworks show over the castle that was so cool. Then they sprayed snow out on the park. Disney does not mess around. Everything is so good. Anderson, although getting the shaft and staying home, did get some Mickey ears (after I told the lady 5 times, Yes, his first name is Anderson)!

The Rockettes

Last night Tim's parents took us all to see the Rockettes at Dodge Theater. It was really fun. The show was good and we had seats like 5 rows back from the stage. I had never seen them before but they were very impressive. I would definately recommend going. We had a great time.

Gingerbread House

Tim's mom wanted Tim to build a large (almost life-size) gingerbread house to put up for Christmas. It's finally done! Tim did most of the construction part and Pam pretty much did everything else. I think it turned out really good!


The roof is covered with Necco wafers (that Tim's mom cut out) and there is a row of gum drops on top. The window (which has a light inside at night) is lined with red hots. There are also planter boxes with mint candies and with poinsettias inside. The door is a grahm cracker. The rest I think you can figure out. It's about as tall as me, and all collapsable to be able to store.

Christmas Card

So, not that I've ever been good at this, but I thought since we have a child this year, we would send out Christmas Cards (I'm not too fond of sending one out with a picture of just Tim and I). But with Tim graduating, trips, and Holiday stuff, there is no way I have time. So, consider this your Christmas card.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE VANDERWALKERS!


As you can see, Anderson's scrunchy face was in every picture, so I thought I'd put a few more good ones of him after. I took these yesterday.



He has started in the last couple of days to pull himself up. Now he wants to do it everywhere and on everyone. He's getting pretty good. Still army crawling though (for like 4 or 5 weeks). We can't get his to do the regular crawl. I've given up!

Easy Gift Idea

My mother-in-law taught a class at Enrichment on how to make these. I hadn't seen them before and thought they would be a very easy and inexpensive gift idea. The letters are just stickers from a craft store, and the ribbon and flower can be found anywhere. I'm not sure where she got the picture, but I thought it turned out nice! Too bad my Christmas shopping is done.

Pee Pee Tee Pees

Speaking of changing diapers, I ran across this picture when I was going through things. This is Anderson a few weeks old. He kept peeing on us (and pooping) while we changed him so Tim and I found these "pee pee tee pees" online and bought them. They are like tiny tents you put on the baby to prevent getting doused. And, you can wash them and re-use them. They are a funny shower gift and pretty affordable. You can find them on http://www.bippityboppitybaby.com/peepeeteepee.htm. (Sorry for the graphic pictures)

The Squirmiest Boy There Ever Was

I'm sure when you "veteran moms" read this you'll say, "Oh please! That is nothing. What a wimp," but I'm going to tell it anyway. The other night, I fed Anderson and then gave him a bath. He has recently figured out how to pull himself up on things, as long as he can get a good grip on them. So the entire bath time, I was pulling him off of the side of the tub, while he tried to turn around and dive into the water at the same time. Frustrating, but no big deal right. When I got him out of the tub, I took him to his room to put a diaper on him and get his pj's on. It took me 15 minutes and I still had a naked baby. He would cry, fight, turn over, jump away from me, and scream if I tried to hold him down. I sort of gave up and tried to put his diaper on backwards while on all fours, which I couldn't do either. I called Tim, to see where he was (because I was about to leave Anderson naked until Tim got home to pin him down) but he was too far from home to risk it. It took me 5 more minutes to get the diaper on. Then, the SNAP pj's were next. Ridiculous. Tim, being the engineer that he is, offered to build a changing table with arm (and possibly leg) straps to help me out. I'm seriously considering!

Back from the Carolinas

Tim and I got back today from North and South Carolina. Tim's brothers live in both, but are only 25 minutes apart. It was a good trip. We are exhausted. We've been up since 2:30 a.m. Arizona time. As for Anderson, let's just say I almost put him up for adoption during the first 15 minutes of the plane ride home. Not surprisingly, no one wanted him. Once we got him to sleep, he was fine for the rest of the ride.

This is Jessica, Spencer, and Anderson. We never get to see them so we had to get a few pictures. They are so funny and loved Anderson!

This is me, Lexi, Anderson, and Anna. Anna serenaded us with Twinkle Little Star all weekend!
This is Tim, Matt (Tim's bro), his wife Brandi, Spencer, and Anna. Tim and Matt were mistakened for twins all weekend.

I've literally never seen a red tree in Arizona. I am jealous of places that actually have seasons!
We had a lot of fun but are glad to be home!

Tagged--3 times

As a young kid, and as a PE teacher, I am very fond of playing tag. Usually, I am fast enough to not get tagged at all, or I can tag back so quick that I'm never it. I guess that doesn't help in the "mom-space" world (that is what Tim calls the blog scene). So Marci, Chelsea, and Coartney tagged me, so I'm combining and doing 10 things I'm thankful for, and hopefully there will be 6 things you didn't know about me in there somewhere.

1. My Own Family - It's amazing how you have no idea how much you will love your own kid until you have one. I'm so thankful for Tim and Anderson. Tim and I are complete opposites, but I wouldn't have it any other way (hopefully he would agree). And it is so fun to see Anderson grow up and learn things. I love it!


2. Naps - I love taking naps, and I love when Anderson takes naps. They are few and far between, but also the greatest thing ever. I wish I could do it more often.

3. My Family - I love my family because they are so funny and fun to be with. It's the best to get together and tell funny stories and laugh. My sister's are so helpful and fun to hang out with now that we are all home. I am thankful for my brothers, and hope to make more memories with them both, here or somewhere very different :) I'm thankful for my in laws to and all of my extended family. They are the greatest.

4. MTV - I know, I know, what am I 13?? I am an MTV junkie, I'll admit it. It's really embarrasing when your high school freshman class that you teach is talking about last night's Flavor of Love episode and you can correct them on what really happend (I guess that's VHI but what is the difference right?) I can probably name every Real World season ever, and I secretly love the Hills and Laguna Beach (old school Laguna Beach). Thank goodness for DVR.

5. QT - My friends and I discovered QT years ago, and have been addicted ever since. We have literally driven 13 miles one way just to enjoy a vanilla diet dr. pepper. I'm embarrased to say, the QT cashier new my friend and I by first name (about 10 miles from where we lived) and ended up taking us to dinner at PF Changs one night. By the way, he paid for both of our dinners. Embarrasing right? 3 seconds diet dr. pepper, and 3 seconds vanilla is a deadly combination.

6. ASU - for a few reasons. First of all, we don't have to go there anymore. I graduated from there a few years ago. Tim is about to graduate in a month or so. Secondly, they are 8 and 1 this year in Football! Go Devils!!

7. Church - Obviously this has everything to do with everything we do. I am so thankful for it, and can't imagine being here with out it.

8. Friends - I have no pictures on this computer of my friends, but check my list. I love having friends that I have known since we were little kids. I love having friends who I lived my single days with. And the best part, is all of these people are still my friends now. It is so fun to share our families with each other, and to get together and laugh about funny stuff we used to do, and play games (Christmas party is coming up!). It's the best.

9. My own house and things - It's amazing how much you miss these two when you don't have them!! Hopefully soon we will be on our own again. My parents have been so nice to let us be here, but it will be nice to get our own place again.

10. Holidays - Thanksgiving is so close and Christmas is just around the corner. And we just had my favorite Halloween! What a great excuse to get together with family and friends and just spend time with each other. I love the traditions that come along with these too and can't wait to start my own.

I'm Nervous

So, this week we are flying back to Charlotte, NC to visit Tim's 2 brothers. I am excited, but a bit nervous for 2 reasons. #1 Anderson is quite possibly the squirmiest little boy of all time and will not sit still for anything. I'm in the process of designing/patenting the first baby straight jacket. At church, it's rough. He just wants to move, especially now that he can. #2 The last couple of days, Anderson never stops talking! He is screaming and saying every sound and making every noise he can...ALL DAY! Don't get me wrong, it's cute and funny and all, but I'm just hoping a plane full of passengers at 6:45 in the morning will think the same. Any suggestions?? Marci suggested bringing a dvd player and putting baby Einstein in. Good idea, expect at home he will watch it for 10 seconds before he gets bored and wants to do something else. It's all happy screams and talking, but you know what I mean. Any suggestions are welcome.

I usually put him in here for a few minutes to play, and today he was smashing his face against the side (like kids do to sliding glass doors or windows). It was making me laugh so hard. I tried to catch a good one and this was the best I got.

Halloween with Vanderwalker Cousins

Last night we just went to Tim's parent's house. These are all of the Vanderwalker cousins in AZ (6 are missing out of state). Tim and I were a bust and didn't dress up. The "robot" is in storage/under construction. I did find a picture of the original from a few years ago. It has since been redone, and will probably completely be re-done again. That's what I get for marrying an engineer.

Anderson's First Party

Anderson had his first party today! Marci (I mean Grant and Carson) had a Halloween party for mom's and Grant and Carson's friends today. It was really fun and the food, as always, was so good! Marci is a master party thrower. Anderson wore his costume for like 30 minutes, enough to get a few pics in. There was a lot of little kids so, trying to get a group picture was not easy. All Anderson wanted to do was eat the grass. Needless to say, a good time was had by all. Thanks Grant and Carson (and Marci too). Carson was a skunk too. Again, the "buddy picture" was a bust. This was the best I could do!

Change of Plans

Ever since Tim and I have been married, we knew that after he graduated from school, we wanted to move anywhere but AZ. We have both grown up here and wanted a change and some new scenery. Well, it's funny how things work out. Tim's Engineering firm that he is interning with now, offered him a job to stay in Phoenix. It's a pretty good job especially straight out of college, so it looks like we are sticking around good old AZ. There is a possibility we would go to California for a year, but then we'd be back here. So much for plans. Congrats Tim on the new job!

Trouble lies Ahead

Anderson is officially army crawling. He's starting to rock back and forth a bit too. As a first timer, I can't wait for him to get to the next stage. But I hear that when they start crawling, there is no turning back.

Growing like a Weed

Anderson is getting really big! He looks like a little boy now, not a tiny baby. When he was born, Tim used to say that his skin didn't even fit him. He is only 6 months old but he is changing so fast.



I went to the store to pick up Tim, and my mom watched Anderson while I was gone. I came back and she had him like this, in the laundry basket. He was totally happy with the water bottle and clothespin. Is caging your children child abuse? Maybe when he learns to crawl I can just put him in here. Yeah right.

Bad News

Tim's academic bowl team lost tonight by 5 points. Dissapointing I know. Good news is he doesn't have any late practices so he can come home earlier. Being in school or having a spouse in school is the worst. I can't wait until Tim graduates! It will be so nice not having late class and group projects and all of that good stuff. And, working more than 20 hours a week will be nice too. Only 2 more months and he is done! Anderson has started to scoot around the last few days. He will do anything to get to the TV remote. On the other hand, eating baby food, is not going so well. It's hard to eat with your mouth closed. Today, he wouldn't even smile because he knew I would trick him and stick a spoonful in there. His lips were clinched shut. Hopefully he'll figure it out soon.

One Round down, Three to go

Last night was the first night of the ASU academic bowl. I got to go to the first round, and let me tell you it was everything I hoped it would be. I can sum up the night in words...Nerd Alert. The Ira Fulton School of Engineering, last years defending champs, did dominate and won by almost 200 points! Check out the team...you'll see what I mean. http://asu.edu/academicbowl/ Tim is an alternate so he didn't get to participate (which by the way is fine with him). He just sat next to me and whispered answers all night. Next Wednesday is round two. I'll keep everyone posted, I know you'll be on the edge of your seats waiting to hear the results!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCI!

Happy Birthday Marci! I was thinking about all of the funny stuff we have done together and I came up with my top 5. (I know this will probably only make sense to Marci, sorry, "inside jokes" are annoying right??) So here goes:



# 5 "Grab a hump and hang on for another eight song hump-a-thon" (that's from the radio station not real life). We've spent many a night at Camel riding the humps. Shout out to Lisa Melay



# 4 San Marcos in the hizzie. Good ole' Bev, Bishop Willis, Sherri N. and the whole gang.



# 3 "Get your grub on Nate Get your grub on"



# 2 Kelly S. (I don't want to incriminate anyone) on the shore of a private lake with nothing but a wash cloth...hmm...you do the math.



# 1 God Bless the U. S. mother freaking A.



Happy Birthday! You are no longer a girl, but not yet a woman. Have a good day!

Time for a Change

Since I was a sophomore in High School, I have been getting my hair done and it's been really really blonde. So I decided to start the journey back to my natural color (which is somewhat reddish---I don't admit that too often). Today, I got it done and it's darker than it's been in 11 years!! In true Renee fashion, my mom's reaction was "Umm, it's ok." Typical right. I like the color, but am nervous about it on me! Anyway, the pictures aren't that great but I was doing my best on short batteries!!

The other night I put Anderson on my legs and let him "ride like a horsey". He was laughing and screaming so loud. Tim got the camera and caught some of it luckily. He is getting to the fun stage where he can interact more with you. He's not a "blob" anymore, as my sister says. I'm so happy it's the weekend. I told Tim my parents are out of town, let's have a party. What are we in high school again? By the way, GO D-BACKS AND DEVILS! Anderson is a fan too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTA!

I don't have any crazy pics but check out Chelsea's.

First Timer

Anderson went for his 6 month appointment today! He weighs 17 lbs. 11 oz. (50th percentile) and is 28 inches long (90th percentile). Everything looks great. We also started rice cereal today! I know some people start earlier, but my doctor (who happens to be my cousin) suggested waiting till 6 months. As you can see, we didn't make that much progress. These pictures were after I had already wiped his face off 2 or 3 times. I'm sure it will get better. Feel free to offer any tips you veteran moms have.

By the way...

I was thinking I would make a skunk costume for Anderson, but I couldn't find any plain black feet pj's anywhere. Everything had orange or pumpkins on it. My mom went to Goodwill (half price day!!) and happend to find a skunk costume for Anderson. We washed it, even though it still has a faint Goodwill smell (which fits right in with the skunk theme), and put it on to see if it fits. He looks thrilled.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday so today I attempted some halloween crafts. The candy corn pots I saw in Martha Stewart. I just painted tiny pots like candy corns. Then you can fill them with candy corns and give them to someone. This is my Visiting Teaching for October! The Martha ones are way better I'm sure. The tree is from potterybarn kids. I told my mom about it, so we went scavaging for branches. We found a cool tree by an abandoned house. We got some nice big branches and set them with plaster in pots. It was quite a task. We still have to spray paint them black and hang orange lights on them. I know it seems like more trouble than it's worth, but free is way better than any potterybarn price!