My funny Porter

Porter always is saying things that make me laugh. Here are a few of his latest.

I was upstairs changing Theo's diaper and heard the baby crying downstairs. Porter jumps up and runs down the stairs yelling at the top of his lungs

"IM COMING BABY, I am going to rescue you!" I then hear him cooing and singing to the baby. I come down to find him making silly faces and doing a silly dance to make Preston smile.

Porter really likes to sing. The funny part is he doesnt seem to know the right words most of the time. He was singing this song the other day over and over and this is what he said:

rodolf the red nosed reindeer, had a rainy shiny nose. And if you ever sawed it you could even say it closed. all of the odder reindeers they used to call my name. Then one froggy christmas eve santa came to say, rodolf wont you sigh my said tonight!

those are not typos. that is exactly how it went!

I meant to post this a while back, but on thanksgiving we were playing the thankful game as a family where you go around and say what you are thankful for. Cory and i were saying usual things like our kids and home and then porter says he is thankful for Darth Vador. I turned to him and said " really? you are thankful for a bad guy?" and he said " well... actually I bless him. Because its good to bless the bad guys." how could i not just scoop him up for a hug after that comment? Children are so Christlike.

New Class Date

After much stress on my part to get my house cleaned and packed and rented out by January 7th, and stress on Cory's Part to finish an A+ course he was taking that was already paid for before we left, we finally called back the HR woman and pleaded with her to give us a later date. Not that we wanted to be the annoying difficult people but really this was too much too fast.

So thankfully she let us switch to a March 31 class date. I am thrilled! My brother is getting married on March 13th and now I will be able to attend. Plus I have plenty of time to deal with my home now. YAY! This may seem like a small deal to you all you people just reading about it but a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and it really is a blessing to me that she let us get a date so far in the future.

I think i need to send the woman some flowers or something for being so understanding and letting us turn down the third date she has called us for.

Anyways so for all of you that keep thinking i am leaving you are stuck with me for a few more months!

Blog of My house

I made a little blog of my house to show pictures of it and have more info. that way i can link to if from craigs list and KSL and people can see more about it. Anyways here is the link in case anyone reading this wants to see/rent/buy my home.

I will add pictures of my living room tonight or in the morning.. i still am getting Christmas packed away so it doesn't look so cluttered

http://moveinmarch.blogspot.com/

We are Moving!!

Yes that is right... we got called for our third class date today and decided to accept because we figure they might stop giving us class dates at this point if we decline again! Its three weeks notice so January 12th. We will all be going to Oklahoma for three months while Cory is in training and then from there we will drive down to Midland. So as you can imagine I am really stressed about getting everything tied up here that soon. If anyone knows of anyone that wants to rent or buy our townhouse let me know!! Also if anyone is really awesome and wants to come help me pack or clean in the next couple weeks i would love you forever!

Theo Turns 2

We had a small party for Theo for his second birthday. I made him a dinosaur cake because he loves them and he doesnt talk well enough to tell me what he wanted. The flashlight was a gift from his aunt Jenny and Uncle Warren and he hasn't put it down since he got it! He even takes it to bed with him at night and had to hold it in the car.

Theo: budding picaso

I was in the kitchen working on Christmas cookies with Porter and all was quiet in the living room. Cory suddenly called me in to see the baby. Apparently Theo couldn't find any paper, but hey a brother works just as well! Thankfully it was crayola so it washes off pretty well. ( and yes we usually do have the markers put up but porter was coloring christmas pictures and so they were out)

Mom what happened!?

Random things about me

RULES

1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I was tagged by my friend Kate so here are my random things.

1. I love peppermint candy canes. The mini ones are my favorite and i could eat a whole box of 100 in one sitting! I love to crunch them. I always am going to suck them but i don't have patience for that.

2. I hate the cold and snow. I only like the cold if i can stay inside by a fire with a big blanket and a book. I really hate being cold, but at the same time i am cheap so my house is never that warm in the winter. If you ever come to visit bring a sweater!

3. Trees are my most favorite thing. I love them! When i vacationed in Hawaii 3/4 of my photos were of trees. When i was a little girl i was an avid tree climber and would sit for hours in them singing to myself. I think I secretly hoped i would turn into snow white and all the animals would come and sit with me. Ya i was a bit of a day dreamer...

4. When i was a child my mother didn't believe in TV. We all had our own library cards and every week we went and got books. We were only allowed to get as many books as we could carry ( this was to limit us from losing them if we got too many) I remember the afternoons we came home from the library we would be sprawled out all over the living room reading the rest of the day. My sisters and I loved to read so much that my mom would take our books away and we couldn't have them back till we did our chores. It was torture if you were mid chapter!

5. When I was 12 my mom married my step dad and I lived in the middle of nowhere in Washington in a three bedroom house with 11 people. There was no electricity, no heat, and we had a two seater outhouse. We froze all winter ( hmm maybe that's when i started to hate winter time) and would put bricks on the wood stove all day to warm them and at night wrap them in a towel and put them by our feet in the bed.

6. My house is usually a cluttered mess but I clean the bathroom regularly. I hate bathroom germs and the thought of touching them. Now laundry piles all over my bedroom floor are okay though.

7. My favorite number is 7. I love odd numbers.

I tag Thora, Mary, Tali, Amy, Heather, Brenda, and Catherine

Preston being a cute baby

I know this one is fuzzy but i like anyway. These were taken at two months old.

He is our little turtle

The kids always fall asleep in cory's arms, he has the magic touch.

Cute baby smiles at three months old

These pics are from his blessing day.. he did have white pants on at some point but that was before we thought to get the camera out. He is three months in these.

Preston chillin on the counter while i wash the dishes. I love the facial expressions in these photos. He cracks me up! ( he is 4 months old here)

picture overload

My dear mother brought me a camera cord since all hope has been lost to find mine. I am thinking theo for sure threw it in the trash. so i only had 144 pictures on my camera and i wont make you see all of them but here are some highlights.

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Oh where oh where could that camera cord have gone??

Okay i am really annoyed.. i have spent a good hour ransacking my home making it even more messy ( i know all you that have seen my house are wondering how it could get more disorganized! ) I don't know where it went. Which leads me to the following ideas:

1. Theo threw it in the trash can and it has long ago been thrown out and is in the land fill being useless and making my carbon footprint bigger ( Theo is fascinated with our kitchen garbage, it has the step on it that makes the lid go up and down and provides hours of entertainment for an almost two year old. To date i have found in there cups, cars, balls, silver ware, bills i need to pay that were stacked on the counter, my cell phone which i only found before it was too late because it rang!, and other odds and ends. who knows how many important things i have missed because he put paper towels in after and covered them up!)

2. Theo tried to flush it down the toilet. He does this with things.. its exciting like the garbage can. Obviously it would not have flushed but if Cory or i find him with something in there we usually throw it right out( because of nasty toilet germs) and if said camera cord was there Cory would have thought it was just another one of the gazillion cords we have that are all around that belong to who knows what and so in the trash it would have gone.

3. Theo or Porter saw it by the computer and thought what a fun toy! And its somewhere in their bedroom tucked away in a corner under a pile of stuff and that is why i have not found it...

4. Its in the big laundry basket in my room.. I looked but maybe not well enough. This is not a basket of neatly folder clean laundry... nope this is a basket of stuff. Why you ask? Because I tend to pile stuff in my house and then we had Prison's baby blessing way back on November 2nd. I was so stressed with cleaning my house and cooking all the food and making sure everyone was dressed, pressed, clean, fed, happy, and on time to church that all the last minute cleaning of the clutter on all my services ended up being a last minute of throwing it all in a laundry basket and tucking the basket into my room. Now i know how pathetic that i still have an entire basket of clutter sitting there a month later, and i would give you a really good excuse of how i have three boys and lots of things to do but you all know me and that if I REALLY wanted to get it done i could do that instead of playing on facebook, reading blogs, reading news, reading anything i kind find, writing this post, etc.

5. Maybe its in the crevice of the couch, or fell behind the desk and is in that crack between the wall and the computer tower?

6. Hmm just thought of another place to check.. my coat closet. Otherwise known as the Coat/games/scrapbooking/vacuum/another place to shove my clutter closet. Not to anyone coming over, don't open the door. Oh which reminds me that on the famous blessing day when i was in the kitchen frantically trying to get all the pigs in a blanket rolled and in the oven I heard my MIL in the living room asking Cory where to put her coat. Of course she couldn't just put in on the back of her chair like everyone else? and Or course Cory couldn't take it upstairs and stash it in our bedroom. Nope he opened the closet door while i am hearing all this and running from the other room in sow motion going "Nooooooooo" it was too late the whole room got to see my messy messy closet with everything overflowing out. (Note to self: put all of the clutter in my closet into a laundry basket and place in my bedroom next time we have company)

Long time, No post

I know i haven't posted in forever... i keep meaning to and then something would come up. I would think i didn't have time to post or that nothing interesting was going on to post about. NO we have no update on the FAA everyone keeps about. Don't worry i will post if we get one. Or for instance i cant find my camera card to upload the pictures to the computer. I seriously have no idea where it is and i have searched everywhere three times... I am sure i will find it in the most obvious place one of these days. Hopefully soon. And i thought why post about something without the pictures that go along with it? So i just never post.. or right now, i cant finish this because my baby is screaming at me up stairs and Theo is dumping water on my floor...

FINALLY another FAA update

This morning we got a phone call from the FAA. Cory has officially passed the background check along with the physical/psych tests. YAY! Not that we thought he wouldn't have passed the background check, just that its been so long in coming that we had started to wonder if his file had been lost and was sitting on the floor in some store room and we would never hear anything. They offered him a class start date of November 7th. We declined, because its only a few weeks away and that is a bit of short notice to get our house looking decent and packed and sold. Everyone else in the class has known about it since august. ( i know this from my stalking of forums online where faa applicants try to stay sane through the months of waiting by analyzing everything.) So i assume someone dropped out or something and they are tyring to fill that one spot last minute. She said that we will have to wait for another opening then, we are not sure how long that wait will be but hopefully it will be one of the classes that is starting in January or February. Anyways so that's the update. On to more waiting now... i think i am already regretting turning down that class date! I am really not good at waiting and the unknown. I like to plan things, hard to plan with out a date.

I dont want to be in a box ( my confessions as a mother)

When i was a child my step father used to sing a song about people growing up and doing the same things, thinking the same, and living in little boxes in rows that were all the same. I hate boxes, i hate being categorized, and I hate that as a society we do it. Cant we all just be individuals?

In high school I never fit in one category. I was a complete loner that had no close relationships with boys or girls, didn't go to any dances, and spent my weekends working at a job so i could hoard my money away in the bank because i never spent a dime. That is not entirely true actually i spent money to be a cheerleader. Yes that is right, I also was a cheerleader which makes no sense really since I was not popular, not wealthy, not living on the east side ( in salt lake city the west siders that rode the bus to school were sub standard in the cool index and usually did not participate in things like cheer leading). I loved to cheer though. I loved to be loud and energetic and no one told me to be quiet or calm down since as a cheerleader you are supposed to act like that. I just never found a nitch for myself. I wanted to be the popular skinny bubbly girl with lots of friends and boys fawning at her feet. But i had to many qualities that wouldn't let that happen such as I was a total nerd that loved to read ( about a novel a day), had no money to buy all the in style clothes to fit in with said popular kids, I loved classical music and was completely out of it with current music/movies/the media in general. I also was not a follower and i hated doing things just to do them because everyone else was. So I was a loner cheerleader and hated high school and thankfully found out college wasn't as bad.

Now motherhood on the other hand... i swear i am so sick of people trying categorize parenting. I don't fit in any of those boxes either. I am not strictly attachment style, or follow a certain book, or just do what ever my pediatrician says to. I tend to just be ME. I do what feels right to me, I do what i chose to after I research it and make a decision, I do what works for us as a family so that we are all somewhat running smoothly. I also tend to not tell people about my parenting ideas, because I don't want to hear their opinions on how so and so in such and such book says it will ruin my kids forever. I figure to each their own. As long as its not abuse I am gonna do it my way and I don't care if other people do it different.

So i am me, take it or leave it. I am my own style of parenting. I don't usually share my thoughts, but here they are. Remember I don't tell you what to do so please don't tell me i am doing it all wrong!

I co sleep with my babies the first year. I like it. I LOVE it. They don't wake up and cry in the night and i can feed them when they start to stir and we all sleep better because Cory and the baby don't even wake up and I barely have to just long enough to latch said kid on. Around a year the kid starts driving me nuts and kicking me in the head or snoring and so that is when i don't enjoy it anymore so out they go to the other room. I don't co sleep because i think that all kids should sleep with their parents until they are 5 or when they want to move out. I do it because it works for me when they nurse in the night. When it stops helping us all sleep and starts hindering it they are out!

I breastfeed. I love this too. I feed on demand, meaning if the kid is hungry i feed them! Seems silly to me to tell my kid " sorry if you are thirsty but you still have 20 minutes to go till you can have a drink" I would be pretty cranky if someone told me that! So sometimes i nurse every hour, sometimes its every 4 hours. Pretty much its whenever my kid needs it. As they get older i find it naturally spreads out and turns into a typical adult idea of when to eat. I love to breastfeed and I do it everywhere. I don't think i should have to go in another room. God made breasts to feed my baby. If it grosses you out, then you need therapy to get over the idea that breasts are NOT for breastfeeding! I will feed my baby in restaurants, church meetings, movie theatres family gatherings, the park, everywhere. I hate when people make me feel like I shouldn't. I don't tell them where to bottle feed their baby. I don't think they should tell me how/where to feed mine. Oh and for the record I don't have any issues with people who breastfeed for 18 months or two years. I do however find it a bit creepy when people are breastfeeding a five year old.

I like to wear Preston in a baby wrap. I don't do this because I read it on a website that said my baby would be better adjusted or anything. I do it because he will cry if i put him down, and if by chance he doesn't than is about 2 minutes Theo will poke him in the eye and then he will cry. So really I carry him around all day for his own protection! I don't like hearing babies cry either, breaks my heart. I also have found its easier that just holding him because than my hands are free. Plus if you wear the baby while going on walks then it burns more calories! Oh and then no one can see your post baby belly too. So really, I do it for selfish reasons, not because i am one o those people that thinks the baby should always be worn like its a necklace or something. On the other hand I do like to hold my kids a lot. I don't think Porter ever got put down in a crib for a nap his first 6 months as I had the luxury to just pay attention and love on him all day long. The joys of a first child!

I don't let my little babies cry. I just cant do it. I have never used a cry it out method on a baby less than 12 months old. I have used it with kids older though, as i find they understand that its bedtime and i have given them everything they need and sometimes they just have to whine for 5 minutes. I still never let it go longer than about 5-10 minutes and then i go in and pick them up and calm them down. Theo and Porter both go to sleep fine though now. I don't think little babies understand crying it out and i cant do it because it breaks my heart and goes against every mothering instinct in me. Call me crazy, I know many woman would!

I don't circumcise. There is no point. I am not Jewish so there is no religious reason. Its considered a cosmetic surgery by the American association of pediatrics. If we are going to pay for a cosmetic surgery around here its going to be for me to be a tummy tuck and not to cut off part of my kids penis!

I don't immunize. Yes i know, GASP! But really I have learned all about it, read for many hours. I am not comfortable with the odds, especially on the newer ones that come out. Also Porter got really sick when immunized and had to spend time in the ER twice from it. If everyone else wants to that's fine, I just don't. I had to make a decision that I was comfortable with. I think its a personal decision for each family. I just know i couldn't sleep at night if one of my kids died or was permanently disabled from the vaccine. I know you are thinking what about the diseases. I have done my homework. Don't worry i am more comfortable with them getting the Measles, Mumbs, or Rubella than i am with them getting the MMR shot. I wont go in to any more detail on this one. Because i am pretty opinionated on it. (And i don't think most people want to hear it). but i am sick of pretending my kids got shots at their appointments when dang it they didn't and are happy and bubbly and not nursing a fever afterwards!

I am voting independent this year. I am not happy with either candidate. And why do people think we have to vote for one of them anyways? There are lots of independents, find one that fits your beliefs and vote for them. Its better than voting for someone that you hate. If everyone voted this way then maybe things would change in how the elections are held. I am so sick of the media holding debates only for the main two. Seriously enough with the black out on the other people that make more sense.

oh and my house is not always clean. In fact there is rarely a time when two rooms are spotless at the same time. I am constantly behind on laundry too. All those great housewives out there, I admire you. I get the food made and kitchen cleaned up after wards and that is about it! One day when my kids are older and not so demanding and wanting to be held all the time then maybe i will sweep and mop and vacuum every day... (maybe) :)

So i have kind of hippy attitudes on some things. But my kids watch TV and play video games ( don't worry they get in at least 30 minutes of reading a day too), Porter also goes to public school ( he needs it for the social side, and well i think i am too tired to attempt home school anyway) And I don't cloth diaper. I am too lazy i tell ya, more laundry? I am barely afloat as it is! I also don't make homemade bread every week, not because i don't love a good homemade bread but again i am too lazy! I do make my kids eat all whole wheat bread though. Kind of a stickler on that. I DO make my own baby food. I am cheap like that, and its really actually easy. If it was hard trust me i wouldn't do it!

Okay i think that is enough confessions of my true self for the day. Plus Preston is passed out from nursing while i typed this ( i totally use the computer when i am nursing, look at me all multitasking!) so I am off to be semi productive and do some laundry, maybe sweep the floor.

Preston sporting some big chubby cheeks thanks to my abundant fat filled milk! He is 6 weeks old in these pictures. Don't worry i will get around to posting some 2 month pictures when he is 4 months..

Life goes on.. cant believe its fall already. Seems like we just had the holidays yet here we are heading into Halloween followed by the thanksgiving season which really is just the extended shopping for Christmas season. I want to just enjoy this time doing crafty things or special outings to make memories with my boys, but I end up going through the motions of day to day things like laundry/dishes/school and its bedtime before you know it! Time just flies by with three kids. I feel like I am missing it all! They grow and change so quickly. Preston has started on all the cuteness where he coo's and smiles. I love to hear his little voice. Its seriously the sweetest noise to a mother. I know this sounds really sappy, but i tear up just holding him and nursing because i know in a blink he will be big and running around and not want me to snuggle him anymore.

the boys love to spin in this chair. The newest fun game at our house!

Porter is Four!

Porters birthday was actually yesterday on Sept 19th, but i am a little late getting this up! We are going to go bowling on Monday for his birthday and he just invited two friends. He has a hard time with really large groups of people and didn't enjoy his third birthday much with both our families there ( because that means about 35-40 people) I cant believe how big he is. sorting through pictures to put on here I just got all sad that he is grown up so much! I am happy to though, and proud of the little man he is becoming.

Fell asleep watching tv in the basement. 3 1/2

making valentines 3 1/2

three years old!
two and a half
two year old, holding a brand new Theo.
clapping for myself after blowing out my birthday candles.
a
Shootin hoops. 18 months old. At the time My mom and dad didn't know I was so good for my age! First kids you just think thats how all kids are.



15 months old, He loved to help with the dishes! On his first birthday, love the chubby bum!


6 months old and crawling all over the place!
Picture of us at Halley's wedding. Porter was 2 months old.



He has always loved time with Cory.
Two weeks old with his mommy.

For all those that debate what is harder the second or third child, my official opinion is the third!

Seattle trip- the rest of it i promise!

Saturday the men went to the BYU/Washington football game while you guessed it- Mary and I watched the kids. We took them to the park but had to leave because some horrid screaming death sounding band was playing nearby and it was giving us all a headache and bad moods. We headed over to the mall and upped the mood with yummy cinnabon. Seriously i could never work there i would gain 30 pounds! Those things are so yummy! After a long day with cranky kids the men showed up and Mary and i escaped for pedicures! Ahhhh that was nice and well deserved. After a relaxing foot rub down and pretty toes, along with freshly waxed brows, we met the boys for dinner. For the record going to famous Daves for dinner with three boys under three that have been off schedule for 5 days is not a good idea!

Sunday we joined them at church and then Ben's parents hosted us all for a Delicious dinner. I must say Mary has lucked out with some amazing in laws! Her MIL is really good with kids and Porter just loved her. She is so sweet to also hold Preston so I could eat dinner because he was being so fussy and between bouncing him and trying to get Theo to eat I wasn't getting anything myself. We went out to the yard to play and Porter started to pull leaves off of her tree's. We told him not to pull the leaves off and he responded that the leaves had to come off so the snow would come. We had a good laugh over that one. We explained that was true, but the leaves would blow off on their own and we don't pull them off. So then he stood there blowing on the leaves for a little bit! That kid cracks me up!! Its amazing how much he understands and how his mind tries to put ideas together.


Cory after the BYU game. They won that too.. which is good because otherwise he would have been cranky the rest of the trip! Our attempt at getting the whole family
in the same picture. This was at the point defiance Zoo and Aquarium. We spent Monday afternoon here.




Porter was a bit apprehensive about touching any of the sea stars or cucumbers. To be honest Cory and I were too!! Neither of us has done it before either. So we overcame our fears and showed Porter it wasn't so bad, actually it was really neat and I am glad we did it!
Porter touched all the purple ones.
The boys really enjoyed all the fish, as we have never been to an aquarium before.
Very cool. never seen one up close and personal before.




This beluga whale was just relaxing on his back sun bathing.
looking at the whale.





Ben off in the shade snuggling Preston. He is the best uncle and all the babies love him!










Mary and I decided we needed some more girl time and the boys needed to have more time with the kids ( after all they got two days of sports fun!) so we headed off to Panera for dinner and left them all at the hotel to watch and movie and have subway. I have never been to Panera before but had heard about it many times from various friends. It lived up to the hype and was really yummy! I just love focochia ( how in the world is this spelled??) bread and it was delish! Too bad they are not in Utah! Then we went over to target to walk around and get a few things for Mary and her baby. That was when i saw this shirt. Maybe I am just getting really old and cant see whats stylish anymore. But if little house on the prairie blouses are in style ( no offence to the books, loved them as a child) I am just going to be out of style because I am not wearing that!! People know they can go buy that at a thrift store for a dollar, right?? What do you all think of this shirt?


















Preston spends a lot of time in this Moby wrap. He LOVES it. ( yes Thora, i use all capitals to emphasize things) He is a fussy baby but you put him in this all squished against me upright and he goes right to sleep happy as can be. I don't think we would have survived the trip with out it, the airports would have been impossible!







The rest of the night we let the boys go swimming again. We were at a different hotel by Mary and Bens house now and the water was warmer here. Porter is like a fish, he just wants to be in the water all the time. He asked me yesterday when we could get a house with a big pool... ya, right, i don't think we will ever afford that one! Not in Utah anyway, in other states that don't have frigid 6 month winters it seems pools are much more common in the homes.


















Mommy, this water tastes weird!

Preston has two main looks when he is not sleeping.. The first is grumpy old man look.
The second is the Huh, what? look.