The Crawfish Boil

John and I have made some great friends over the years. Our friends are and will forever be a part of our family, and we love each and every one of them. It absolutely amazes me that our personalities are so different, and yet, somehow, we are all able to share so many wonderful times together. The time we have been able to spend with our friends has become increasingly slim since the kiddos have come along, so John and I have made a commitment to hold two big events at our house each year..."It's the Crawfish Boil...We do it every year" (G.W. gets credit for the title) and "The 3rd/4th Saturday in October Party" (I am not sure who to give credit to for this title...Alabama or Tennessee, because they can't seem to make up their minds as to when to play a football game). A future blog post will cover the 3rd/4th Saturday in October Party...so look for that in... I don't know...October!

 It's the Crawfish Boil...We do it every year

There is not one day that goes by that I do not miss my home, LOUISIANA. There is just something about home that you can never completely let go of, no matter how long you have been away. The food is definitely something that is missed, especially when the only dish from home that you can make is red beans and rice and there are at least 20 others you wish you could make, daily. A few years ago, some of us from the Gulf Coast region were chatting about doing a crawfish boil here in Huntsville. There was a lot of talk, but schedules and high costs for getting crawfish to our part of Alabama presented some issues. Then one year...John and some friends (you all know who you are)...said, "Enough talk! This is the year...we are doing it!" We were asked if we wanted to host the party at our house, and...without any hesitation for hosting, our first crawfish boil was held in 2012!

 

Our friends are awesome to think of our kiddos first and what would be best for them.

(Claire was 2 and J&A were only 6 months for the first boil)!

Fast forward to this year...2015

When the day had finally arrived for our party, everyone was very excited. There were posts on the Facebook invitation page that could not help but make you feel the excitement. One friend came in by plane for the weekend. Another friend drove at least 16 hours to get here, and many others drove a few hours that day to be a part of the party. Everyone brings a chair, a snack type food, and their beverage choice. Strawberry Abita Beer is my choice...which can be very hard to find where we live...unless you have access to our beer refrigerator on our back porch. Yes, we have a beer refrigerator on our back porch and I am the one who came up with the idea [John cannot take any credit for this...sorry Dawlin']!

Strawberry beer is great on any day!

Here are a few moments from the crawfish boil caught on camera...

Lots of sunshine. Lots of friends. Lots of food. Lots of fun.

 
We could not have asked for a better day. John and all of our meteorology friends FINALLY told winter to geaux away! They are learning the cajun talk! Most of you know I do not like to be cold, so as you can imagine, winter is not my favorite time of year.

Sean loved the water table...
he was soaked in 10 seconds.

The kiddos had been looking forward to seeing their friends and just being able to run around the yard. I also think they like this day because I let them eat whatever they want...that's right whatever they want! I purchased a lot of new toys for the backyard and so there was a lot to keep my kiddos and all of our friend's kiddos entertained. 



Of course, MawMaw made the outfits! 

The tent...Can we sleep in here tonight?
 

 
This year was my first time to drop a basket of live crawfish into the boiling pot! I was able to do it with one of my best friends in the world. I miss you lil' sis! 
I am slowly trying to convert her to an LSU fan as you can tell by her shirt, but for now I will be okay with her cheering for her tigers (only because there is no orange related to her team).

A lot of friends contribute to helping pull off this day, but it really would not be a crawfish boil without the Chef. We all know who you are, and we all are very grateful for the time you spend planning and getting what we need for this day. The crawfish were delicious again this year! Chef, you might have avoided your picture being posted this time, but next time you might not be so lucky!

I was a little sad to see everyone leave that night, because I had such a wonderful time. My kiddos cried when all of their friends left and they had to go get a bath. And just so you all know, bath time is one of their favorite times of the day, so you all should feel special that they wanted you all over bath time. It was not a fun time for all of you who were still here at the house to hear the meltdowns, but that was really nothing compared to some meltdowns. Jack claimed he was not tired, but I think it took him less than 5 minutes to go to sleep [In this house no matter the bedtime, my kiddos still wake up by 6am]. All the kiddos had a blast, and they all asked when their friends were coming back to play. I guess I have to plan a fun day focused on the kiddos and their friends!

John and I thank all of you who came to our home that day. We look forward to the next gathering, and we hope those who were not in attendance this year might be able to make it in for next year!

Not sure where to begin...

Deep Breath...
This is my first attempt at writing a blog post. I have no clue what I am doing and not sure where to begin, but I am going to attempt this mini challenge I have given myself for the time being. With changes around every corner in the Walker Atmosphere and people always wondering 'how do we do it...with four kids', I figured this would be a great way for people to keep up with our family as well as allow me to share our joys and challenges that make our atmosphere a true blessing.

Let the introduction begin!

 Who makes up the Walker Atmosphere? 
There are 6 of us, but sometimes it seems like there are more than that in our house. 

My husband...John. (He will probably ask me why this picture, but I will say why not.) I am not going to type anything mushy about my feelings or love for this amazing husband and father...just know that I have been truly blessed to have him at my side in this crazy atmosphere.

Side note... There probably will be lots of dorky weather terms incorporated into this blog given both of us have Meteorology degrees hence the title.

Our four amazing children...Claire, Jack, Audrey, and Sean. My kiddos...as I often refer to them...are beautiful, smart, amazing, crazy, Cajun, loud, stubborn, sassy, funny, super, determined individuals. They absolutely make the Walker Atmosphere interesting everyday. The kiddos push every button and test every limit, but that is what children do...it is their job!

And of course...there is ME and that is all I will say about myself at this time.

What outside factors contribute to the Walker Atmosphere?

(The list is in no particular order) Faith. Family. Friends. Jobs. School. Daycare. Extracurricular Activities. Travel. Weather. Meals. Finances. Exercise (or lack of). The SEC. Time. Sleep. Family Movie Night. Date Night. And whatever else may cause calmness or chaos. These will probably all be future blog topics.

When is the Walker Atmosphere Calm?  
Never (not even at bedtime because snoring can be heard in the monitor or next to my head) and I would not change it! 

Where is the Walker Atmosphere?  
Wherever we are at any given time.

Why share the Walker Atmosphere?
We are a good distance from family and friends and everyone always wants to know what is going on in our life. This is the easiest way to keep everyone up-to-date and the quietest way (no kiddos crying in the background while trying to talk on the phone). Also, people just want to know how we do it and so you are going to be able to read, see, and feel our emotion on how we do it.

How is the Walker Atmosphere?  
Roof over head. Clothes on back. Food on table. NO COMPLAINTS!

To our family and friends...we miss you tons everyday and I hope this blog helps you all to feel part of our daily journey. To those of you who are just wondering about raising four kiddos, well I hope this helps you in some way to see no matter how many kiddos you are blessed with, its not perfect, but the gift is PRICELESS.