Monday, October 8, 2012

September 2012

We got our family pictures done! Here are some of my favorites....














So I have a lot of favorites...sue me :)

I love being a stay at home mom! Porter is so fun, and watching him grow up is such a joy. Holley started a play group last year for the younger kids, who aren't in school yet, so I decided to carry it on for this year. Porter has so much fun at the park and playing with friends. I'm trying to teach him that not everybody likes to get hugged. He gets so excited to see other kids that he runs up to them and hugs them. He also likes to show his affection by sitting on their laps...regardless of their age. This kid is a ham. He's starting to climb up and go down the slide, and play on the jungle gym. It's way different from last year when he was content being pushed in the swing the whole time.

We also started to attend story time at the library. The first time we went I was shocked to see him sit on the carpet the whole time and listen to the stories! He also enjoyed the music and noise makers!







September 13th was our 4th wedding anniversary!


 We agreed on no gifts this year, but my darling husband had me wake up to a wrapped present. He got me a beautiful Ruby necklace (Porter's birth stone), so of course the second he left for work, I had to create a gift for him. I ended up creating a year of dates!  Each envelope has the month written on it and inside is a note for Scotty and a prepaid activity for us to do. September's date was an Angel game, next month I put in movie tickets, and the rest are all surprises for Scott to open at the beginning of each month. 



That night Scott and I went to a nice dinner at "Table for Two" and the following weekend we went away to Vegas. 


Our original plan was to go to San Diego, but Scott ended up having a work appointment near state line, so we figured we would jump on the opportunity for free gas and spend the night in Sin City. 



This was the first time I have ever left Porter over night. I surprised myself by doing quite well. I talked about him A LOT, but there was never a time I felt I needed to rush home to be with him. Maybe, because it was literally only for 24 hours? Jessie watched Porter and she said he did well on Friday...but Saturday not so much. He cried, and kept saying "Ma Ma" all day. I appreciate my great sister for not telling me about that until our trip was over :)

I had fun spending time with my hubby, and reflecting on the past 4 years. I wouldn't change them for the world.


Sunday, October 7, 2012

August 2012

Our summer was full of trips, family, and fun...so for the month of August we slowed down our pace and enjoyed our growing boy.

But first let me rewind a little bit to July 20th...this was the day Porter took his first steps! Carla was at our house visiting and she was holding him in the kitchen. I walked up and she put Port down and he took two steps toward me. It was so exciting, and from then on his walking abilities increased. In the next few weeks he wasn't only walking.. he was getting into everything! 

I'm pretty sure his favorite thing to do is mess up our house. He likes to get into drawers and cupboards and pull everything out of them. He pulls the dirt out of our potted plants and throws it on the floor and furniture. He also likes to hide his toys in odd places, like behind our bench or inside the broiler of the oven. Next purchase...baby latches :)




His best friend Miles likes to come over and play. 



Porter's also grown to love the out doors. He could spend all day in our backyard. The first thing he goes for are sticks, dirt, and rocks. He also loves to be pushed in his wagon or his car, and play in his pool. He's so fun!




He's still a messy eater!


Another big change in our lives has been my new calling. I was recently called to be the Young Womens President in our ward. My instant reaction was "How can I possibly do as well as the past Presidents"? They truly have been amazing at their job, and have brought so much to the organization. I felt inadequate in comparison, like maybe I'm not cut out for it. But then I thought about the girls... I've been in Young Womens for 4 years so I've already grown to love them. I also admire their desire and ability to "Choose the Right" when they're constantly faced with influences at school that don't coincide with our beliefs.


After some time of feeling inadequate and overwhelmed, I came to the conclusion that I'm suppose to learn from this calling. I've already learned about gratitude. I am so blessed and grateful to work with such amazing leaders. I love what each of them brings to the table, and their constant willingness to serve. I've also learned that the girls are awesome! I love their fun personalities and their different views on life. It's been a little challenging on Sundays and Tuesdays having Scott as the Young Mens President, and trying to arrange a schedule with Porter, but again I see more blessings in my life as my amazing in-laws constantly offer to babysit during our meetings. I'm very thankful for the opportunity this calling has brought, and I am excited to see what other lessons I gain from it. 



This month we also celebrated Scott's 32 birthday, and the man got spoiled! His first gift was a GPS for his car. We also went to Universal Studios. Scott had never been, and every time a commercial came on TV  he always made a remark about wanting to go there. This is a pic of him in front of the plane crash from "War of the Worlds".




 On his actual birthday we had his family come over for cake and ice cream. I found this cake on pinterest and had to make it, because kit kats are his favorite! 



Scott has accomplished a lot for a 32 year old. He's an amazing husband, and truly the love of my life. He's my best friend and the one person I want to be around all of the time. He's also the best father to our son. He's very "hands on" and plays with Porter every day. I can already see Porter's excitement every time Daddy comes home from work. Scott has also done so great at his job. He's been in insurance for 11 years, and each year he seems to accomplish more. He's only been with his current company for under a year and he's already in the top 5 sales for the entire company. He's done great at his church calling with the Young Men, and I see how the youth look up to his example. He's fun, outgoing, active, sporty, and down right hilarious. He's my best friend and I can't wait to spend many more birthdays with him.  

Monday, August 13, 2012

Porter is One!

All mom's say it..."they grow up too fast". It's true, I can't believe my little guy is already a year old.

These are some fun facts about Porter as he turns 1...

He has 7 teeth

The words he says are "hi, mama, dada, bear, uh-oh, and either dog or duke" (I cant' really tell)

He shakes his head no

Waves to everyone

Points where he wants you to take him

He can stand on his own, but makes himself sit down once he realizes he isn't holding on to anything

Loves to read books

favorite toy at the moment is his red car

best friend is Duke

He loves water and will spend all day in the pool or a sprinkler

He gets excited when other kids comes over



I have to admit I wasn't super excited when I woke up on his birthday. I found myself reminiscing the previous year over how much joy Porter has brought to our family. I just don't want it to go by so fast. I want to make sure I cherish these moments with him as a baby, because I'll never get them back. After I had my moment of being an emotional and crazy mom, we celebrated Porter's first year with some fun activities!

On July 5th (his actual Birthday) we went to an Angel game. We got sweet tickets from Brent and Andrea, the seats were right next to 3rd base! It was so fun, Porter loved pointing to the ball. He also did a good job of entertaining everyone around us. Every time the music would come on to announce the next batter he would start dancing. I love this kid!

The next day I took him in for his first haircut. He went from being a cute baby to a handsome little boy. The kid salon was adorable. It was called "Monkey Dooz" and it's safari themed.

 Port had fun sitting in the safari jeep and the lady cutting his hair did a good job making him comfortable. Before she started she showed him the clippers and let him touch them.

Then she turned them on while they were in his hands so he wouldn't be scared of the noise. Then she used them on his head, and he was totally fine! He kept moving around playing in the jeep and she just kept moving right with him. We even got a certificate and a lock of his hair for his first haircut.


On Saturday August 7th we had a big monster theme party for him. I don't know why I was stressed about making it perfect, because it ended up being so fun.



I think the best part was that Porter thoroughly enjoyed himself. He loved being around all the kids, and he LOVED the water.





Grandpa and Bryant did a great job at the BBQ.


I made the goodie bags and party hats :)


The cake was a team effort. Thanks Autumn and Holley!

Here are some of the other decorations...




Andrea volunteered to take all of the pictures during the party. They turned out so great, and it was nice to not have to worry about snapping a shot of everything. She got some great shots of friends, family, and the kids having fun in the water.

                
                    





Soon enough, it was time for the cake. Porter had never had sweets before this moment, so he went to town on his cake. He didn't even care that everyone was watching him!






Here's the end result.

Next was present time. He loved all of his new toys and clothes!

 By the end of the party he was exhausted. I could see him trying to fight sleep, but it was inevitable.

During Porter's 1st year I kept a note of things I love about him. Here

are just a few...

He pats your back when he hugs you

He's been fascinated with fans, since he was a newborn

When he's really upset he'll cry without breathing, and then stick his tongue out without any sound

My hair is the first thing he grabs in order to fall asleep

He is always Happy!

He likes to touch his own eyelashes

Anytime he hears cheering, he'll clap along with it

He's a Mama's boy

He'll drop things on purpose, then say "uh-oh"

When he feeds himself, he makes sure to rub some in his hair
He loves to give kisses (mostly open mouth and slobbery)

His teeth came in funny...instead of the front 2, he had one front one and a side tooth next to it.


He has brought so much joy to our little family. We are so blessed to have this little boy and we love him so much!



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