Snowy Slide Ride

I had the day off on Friday, so we're enjoying a long weekend Up North, and it is cold - really cold. Our plans to go out and experience a bunch of winter activities were trumped by the fact that it's too cold out for our little guy for any extended period of time. So yes, we've experienced a bit of cabin fever.

So we finally decided to head to the Country Dairy (nice new website) for a snack and to simply get out of the house. Not much to do there but eat and shop this time of year, so we did both. We never noticed before (and neither did Brighton) that they have a really impressive playground. With the temps in or below the teens, this time he of course noticed.
So this dedicated daddy took his son down a snowy slide in super chilly weather. Two rides later we were on our way. We left with smiles, full tummies, a bit chilly, and at least one of us had a wet tush.

Walcotts in Jos, Nigeria - Update

Thanks for praying for our parents and for the people of Jos, Nigeria. It appears as though things are settling down there. Praise God! There is a chance school might start up later this week. Mom and Dad feel safe and can feel prayers from all around the world. THANK YOU!

You might have already heard, but in case you haven't, they have decided to come home in June and stay home in Holland, Michigan. Yahoo! Bright's grandparents will be much closer, and Dad will be back teaching at Holland Christian.

Nigeria Too

It's Friday eve of a week that feels like it's never going to end. I'm not the only one that feels that way, and although I've had quite a week it is NO COMPARISON to the hardships others are facing around the world. Haiti can't be ignored, and in all reality they're in uphill battle not of a week but of years.

Hitting a bit more closely to home for us (even though geographically it is on the other side of the world) is Nigeria. Jos, Nigeria is in our prayers because it is the home of our parents for this school year and things aren't going well there either.

My father-in-law has had the entire week off of school due to violence where they live. There is fighting between the Christians and the Muslims. Seems like something you just read about in history books doesn't it? The city of Jos has been under curfew. Mom and Dad say they feel very safe where they are, but from our perspective, it's no Holland, Michigan. We've been told that the brief articles you'll find if you do an internet search may not be accurate, but yes, this conflict has received world-wide attention.

When you pray for the people of Haiti that are hurting beyond words, would you also pray for the safety of our parents? Pray for Jos, Nigeria. Thank you.

About The Walcott Family Dot Com

The Walcott Family Dot Com is about the Walcott Family - that's us.

I'm Lindsay Walcott: the wife, the mama, the teacher, and the blogger (among other things). Jon is my husband, the daddy, the automotive service technician, the snowboarder, and the wakeboarder.

We have been parents for nearly three years now to our little stinker, Brighton James. He looks exactly like his daddy only cuter.

Jon and I actually attended the same high school, but didn't really know each other and date until after college. Be sure to tell the teenagers you know that their mate could be in their geometry class. I did my undergraduate work in English and Communications at a Christian liberal arts school. Following an exciting internship at a local television news station, I didn't leave and worked in TV news for about two years before determining that teaching was indeed what I wanted to do long term. I taught at a couple local high schools before I ended up really close to home in a high school that had a television station. Perfect! A good part of my day is spent running a student news room that produces two news programs each day as well teaching as an English class here and there. It's still the perfect job for me.

I've been blogging for a few years now, and most of our posts are about us and our very busy very normal life. We take lots of pictures too. Thanks for reading The Walcott Family Dot Com! Don't hesitate to contact us or leave a comment. We love hearing from our readers.

Blog Makeover

Our blog makeover is almost finished. Thanks for your patience and thanks to our help from Shanice at Simplee Stated Designs.

SledHeads in 2010

You've heard of bed head?

Well, we were SledHeads this weekend, and in all honesty probably with some bed head too.

As we head into 2010, we're thinking that the family that snowmobiles together, stays together :)

2010: Bad Mom Part 2

She Giveth and She Taketh Away

One of the first presents that Brighton opened this past Christmas was a Little Tykes Fire House set, so we took tons of pictures of him opening and playing with this toy. I found it online with some other toys that I purchased at an awesome deal. I figured it was a good find because of the brand name. Well, it was on clearance and now I know why. Hate it when that happens, don't you?

For some reason, it was THE toy that Brighton decided to carry around the house, but he very quickly developed a love/hate relationship with it. He needed to have it, but it ticked him off every time too. He carried it around the house crying. This toy took forever to put together, and it regularly fell apart. Pieces turned up missing right away. From the beginning, I developed pure hatred for it.

So sorry Little Tykes, but this thing is/was a piece of crap. I use the past and present tense because it is no longer residing in the present at the Walcott Home. I made the decision to giveth and taketh away. I threw away one of my son's Christmas presents! He wasn't even naughty either. It wasn't even good enough to give away. It's in the trash, and there it will stay.
I hope he is young enough to live out of sight out of mind when it comes to this thing. And I hope that when he sees pictures and this story comes up that he forgives me.

Brighton's 1 1/2 Year Stats

In case you were curious and for documentation's sake...

Brighton James weighs 26 pounds 3 ounces putting him at the 50th percentile for weight.
He is 34.5 inches tall, so he is about at the 90th percentile for height. His head circumference puts him at about the 90th percentile too.

In summary, he is tall, average weight (actually kinda skinny for how tall he is), and he has a big head.