Tough guy!

I dont know what it is, but the year mark has seem to hit a whole new stage for Porter. He has never been a "clumsy" or accident prone child....until he turned one! I think in the past few days he has hurt himself more than he has in his first year of life. Here are just a few things he has been through...

*Climbed the gate at my parents house, and his 22 pounds pulled it over on top of him ON the tile floor, so he had a huge bump on the back of his head where he landed.

*Closed his arm in the bottom drawer of my nightstand...which left a lined bruise across his little bicep!

*Fell off the couch multiple times (all while daddy is "watching" him).

*Landed right on his head and neck from an excersice step at a friends house...this was actually pretty scary because it just looked painful!!

*Slammed his finger in his "Dr Office Toy Box" (I dont know how else to explain it, its the wires where you can push the balls around them) because he kept lifting the lid up. I told him to stop multiple times because he was going to smash his finger....looks like mommy was right!!

*Got like a million splinters in his poor foot after he crawled in and out...and in an out...and in and out of his little playground in our backyard! I thought the railroad ties were a great idea...now I have changed my mind!! But with the distraction of food, I was able to dig out all his splinters with my tweezers and he did great!

*Tipped his bike over a few times trying to go fast from kitchen floor to carpet....doesnt work so well.

*And fell off the chest. His friend Hudson was over and they were playing on the chest in front of our couch together and were doing fine. Then Porter went to crawl forward and Hudson slightly nudged him and Porter lost his footing and toppled off the side. haha. It was hard not to laugh, but he was fine, it just scared him.

That is all that I can think of at the moment, but I am sure there have been more. This all happened since Monday...so I dont even want to know what my future holds! With a little man as active and crazy as he is, I am sure there will be a lot of bumps and bruises down the road. But it just breaks your heart when they hurt themselves, but melts your heart when all they want is Mommy! But after it all he still manages to bounce back quick, and is off to do it all over again!

In other news, he hasnt started walking yet, but last night he stood up in the kitchen and took FOUR STEPS!!! And of course I wasnt home to see it. But he will take one or two steps pretty consistantly now, so any day he is just going to take off! He does really well with his balance, and is always standing up and drinking his sippy! I dont know why, but he likes to do it and he rocks while he does it because he isnt completely solid on his feet yet.

Its amazing how fast they grow, and I cant wait to see him run around the house!

Memorial Weekend!

We had such a great and relaxing weekend with my parents. And although this picture was NOT in Sierra Vista, it was taken when we got home today...and I think it is definately blog worthy!! Porter is such a ham and so much fun to be around. He got a new bike for his birthday which he LOVES to ride. Well...he must have thought "I can ride my bike, so why not my dump truck?!" Porter thought he was so funny scooting around on this poor truck that sounded like the wheels were going to bust off from his 22 pounds of chub! You cant not love this kid! And I know every parent thinks their kid is the cutest..but come on...I think I win! =) haha. Friday we left for Sierra Vista and got into town just in time to meet my parents for dinner at Chili's! The food was yummy and Porter was so funny making faces and flirting with the table of girls behind us. Then saturday my mom and I went shopping, and we just relaxed and hung out.
Here is Kameron doing what he enjoys doing every time we are in Sierra Vista. He took a nap I think every day! And he always hates it when it comes time for us to go back home. Its something about being down there that just makes you want to relax and sleep. I love it. My dad also took the opportunity to take a nap as well.....as did all the animals. I thought it was so funny when we saw all 4 of the dogs napping on him. They definately love my dad the best. We also took a trip to McDonalds for some yummy chicken nuggets and of course....ice cream! Tata was nice enough to share his ice cream cone with Porter...and as you can tell he loved it! He couldnt get it all in his mouth fast enough! Also another first for him was corn on the cob. He was so funny when we gave it to him because he didnt know what he was supposed to do with it...so he did what he does with everything else...he played with it! And enjoyed it as you
can tell!! After a little bit of prodding and poking we were able to get him to actually try it...and it was a success. Porter was a mess and was getting into everything as usual...but he learned how to climb stairs, get on and off the table, and climb the gate which in turn fell over and landed on top of him at the same time! haha. We had such a blast with my parents and I am so grateful for how much they go above and beyond everytime we come down. They are so selfless and are always up for anything. Thanks mom and dad for the great weekend..we sure love you guys! One day Kameron and I hope to live there and be close to them every weekend, and the day just wont come fast enough!!

Sleep...who needs sleep!

This past weekend was a fun, yet VERY VERY busy one! Saturday we were able to watch my cute nieces and nephew while my brother and sister-in-law went to a sealing. We had to be there bright and early at 8am. We had fun hanging out with them, and Kameron's friend Miles walked over to hang out with us as well. (he lives like 2 houses down from the temple)

Porter enjoyed playing in the grass and he discovered that his stroller is his new jungle gym! Why do we buy toys? All he ever wants to play with is things that are not toys!!
Then after we were able to go to the wedding luncheon, and then we were off to another sealing that afternoon. After the sealing we picked Porter up from our friend's house that babysat him and took a trip to the wonderful Mesa Frozen Yogurt!! I LOVE MFY and I miss living close to it. And to top things off...they had my favorite flavors, Irish Mint and Chocolate...it tastes like an Andes Mint! Talk about YUMMY! Porter was being a monster on the ride home, so I decided to share my precious yogurt...which made him VERY happy! ............................................that is until it was gone!!!!!


When we got home I pretty much went straight out to my friend Brandy's house to help set up for the "Girls Night Out" enrichment activity we were having in her spare house. The night turned out SOOO fun. We had someone there giving massages, lots of nail polish and I was painting flowers on the toes of those who wanted them, someone waxing eyebrows, foot baths in the corner for pedicures, eating lots of yummy food, and of course we were rockin out to Rock Band! Here are a few pictures from the night! Hope you ladies dont mind being on my blog! =)
Everyone hanging out enjoying all the snack and eachother's company!!

A very scary picture of me with cute little Meagan! This is the only picture I have of us...or I would not have put it up here. haha.

And me with the Hostess with the Mostess! Thanks Brandy for letting us all bombard your house. It was a hit!!

Then sunday was spent at church, meetings, feeding the missionaries, and then a fireside. It was a crazy busy weekend, but it was well worth it after all the fun we had. (if you ask Kameron his view on this weekend would probably be the exact opposite!! haha)

In other news, Porter has now figured out how to open the back door...not just crawl through the doggie door! I dont know what I am going to do with this kid. He is just WAY too smart and no matter how I think I may have outsmarted him....he figures out a way to prove me wrong!!

He has also mastered climbing on the chest we have in front of our couch! Now I really have to watch him every second so he doesnt break his neck by falling off!! And last but not least, I found this picture of him with his little friend Wes Peacher and laughed SO hard. I snaped it right when he made one of his funny faces!!

Ode to Mothers!

Well yesterday was my second Mother's Day and it was so fun! We celebrated a lot this weekend...and we arent even done yet! Saturday we went to Queen Creek to my sister's house and had a BBQ. My brother and his family from Tucson came up and we all just hung out and ate yummy Filet's wrapped in bacon! My dad and Kameron hangin out watching the basketball
game! And baby Tito sitting in the middle!




Porter hung out with Uncle Matt. Matt isnt a baby holder by any means, but I caught him a few times holding Porter. I guess he is past the breakable age, as Matt would say! Porter is a boys boy, and is always happy to be around all the men doing whatever it is they do! =) I just realized that I didnt take any pictures of my mom or sister, so here is a picture from Easter of all of the Mother's in my family! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!!

Then Sunday morning Kameron woke up and got Porter fed, and made me my favorite breakfast, cinnamon french toast, with fruit and orange juice. It was super yummy and was even better because I got to get ready in peace and didnt have to worry about feeding Porter breakfast or getting him ready for church. My parents also came out and stayed the night saturday night, so I was able to go to church with my mommy, and spend the afternoon with her. Kameron also had flowers delivered friday for Mother's Day! Arent they beautiful! He is so thoughtful and I was so surprised and excited to get flowers! He also surprised me and told me that Tuesday night we are going out to dinner, a movie, and he is taking me shopping. I thought all the rest was SO MUCH, but he just kept getting sweeter. He also gave me a back rub before I went to bed. I am so glad to have such a thoughtful husband that made me feel special and didnt make me lift a finger on Mother's Day! (Maybe thats a hint for Father's Day! haha) Regardless, thanks babe for the great weekend and I cant wait for our date night tomorrow night. I know its much needed! On another note I want to wish my Mother in Law a Happy Mother's Day as well. I didnt get to talk to her yesterday, but I am so glad to have married into a great family. There is that Mother in law stigma out there, so it was always nerve wrecking thinking what kind of mother in law I would end up with, but I am so blessed to have her! Thanks Karen for all you do for us!
And Kamarie, Happy Mother's Day to you, I cant wait to meet that little string bean baby! =) I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a Mother, it really is a divine calling. I am overwhelmed everyday with how much I love that little boy, and how excited I am to have more babies. (not that I am in a hurry) But Porter came out so cute I cant wait to see what the rest will look like. Thanks babe for the wonderful Mother's Day and I hope that everyone had a great Mother's Day as well!!

Man I Love this kid!!

Year's Supply

Well as I am sure everyone knows, we all should be getting our Years Supply up and running. The prophets have been telling us for years how important it is, in order to be self reliant and prepared for the worst. But little did I realize how much a YEARS SUPPLY intailed. I know you think food right off because thats the bulk of what you really need, but you also need all the paper and toiletries as well. Thats A LOT of stuff. When I started thinking about that I went, craaaap! I was SOOO far behind I almost didnt know where to start. I have a really good friend who is SOOO great about years supply she probably has 2 years supply. (sorry Brandy haha) But it is so great because it made me feel like a total slacker, which in turn made me pick up my game! As you can see from a couple posts ago, I watched two little girls for a few...6 to be exact...days! I vowed to take a big chunck of that money and buy ALL Years supply items that we needed. And worried if I put it off I would go back on my vow...we went on saturday to Sams club and loaded up a flatbed of water and basket full of canned food! (all things we can rotate) It was amazing how fast that money went...yet it still looks like we have nothing. haha. But o'well...its a start and now I can start shopping in my own cupboards and start buying to build up my years supply! Anyways, here is the progress we made this past weekend:
Thanks to my Mother in Law for all the boxed food up top, I'm taking you up on the cannery thing!!

The food storage (I told you it looked sad after all the money we spend)

Our water supply, but it would only last like 3 months if Kameron and I only drank 2 bottles a day! CRAZY HUH!?

Our paper, cleaning, and laundry supplies!

Last but not least the hygeinic supply (minus a few more things I need to still get!)

We still have a long way to go, but we have to do this little at a time...its expensive! I am relieved though that we have a good supply for now, and I am so excited to go to the grocery store again and am able to add more to it! I know I am a little obsessed now, but I figure its a pretty good thing to be obsessed over! Kameron and I feel so blessed to have been able to get as much as we did, and I know there are lots of other things that we would have LOVED to do with that money...like finish decorating our bedroom and other rooms in our house...we think we made the wise decision. Those rooms wont feed us if we are out of food. haha. I am grateful for loving prophets who put it plain as day what we need to do, and as long as we follow we will be blessed for it! Now...its time to re-do and restock my 72 hour kit!!

All good things come to an End!

So last night was our last game in the "Competitive" League, and well...lets just say we didnt make it to the finals. But it was still fun to go and play every week and be challenged by better teams. This was the second season we all played together as a team...and it was my last season to play with all these fun girls. You see, Kameron...my wonderful husband...is no longer allowing me to play. Bummer, I know. But at the same time the summer leagues are WAY on the other side of town, and with gas the way it is...well I cant say I blame him...well maybe I do, just a little. ha-ha. Needless to say, this was such a fun team of girls, and hopefully when the fall league starts we can all get together again for another season. I didnt realized how much I missed playing volleyball when I started back up, but thursday night was my day of the week I always looked forward to. And with this crazy bunch, there usually wasnt ever a dull moment...even when we were getting our butts kicked by old overweight grandmas with madd skills! Thanks Amanda and Jesse for letting me jump on your team, and I look forward to MANY MANY MANY more leagues together. =)

One kid at a time....

I know what you are thinking and NO I am not announcing a pregnancy...thank goodness, but this past week has allowed me to realize that I am so glad that we are able to have one child at a time (in my family atleast, there arent twins!). I was fortunate enough to spend a couple days last week in Tucson with my adorable nieces and nephew. My brother and his wife took a much needed trip and went to Las Vegas for a tournament my brother was playing in. So I watched his 4 children, plus my own, for a couple days so they could enjoy their vacation. Going from 1 to 5 wasnt as bad as I thought it would be, it actually wasnt bad at all. They were very well behaved and adorable. Here are a few pictures of them while I was there:

After walking Bailee to the bus stop!

This was Bailee (the 8 yr old in the middle) "keeping and eye on the kids" while I ran out to the garage to get the stroller ready to leave for our walk. She lined them all up, it was hilarious!

Dinner with 5 kids, all by myself!

And Porter and Jadie playing! How cute is this picture!! Anyways, I was actually sad to say goodbye when it came time for grandma to take over and for me to go back home. But I knew what the next day held for me when I got home so I relaxed and went to dinner with a friend that night to prepare for the next 6 days ahead of me. The family that I nanny for are relocating to Kansas, and they had to go house hunting this past weekend and didnt want to take their two youngest girls...I dont blame them, they are 2 and 3. So the mom was dropping them off thursday and then wouldnt get home until the following tuesday! The first couple days were fine, despite the tantrum Lily threw in Target...and then again at McDonalds. I managed to weather a trip to Sams Club as well with all three kids, but that wasnt actually bad at all. I kept them busy most of the days, but they did have a hard time napping and going to bed because thats when missing their mommy came out. But for the most part they did really well and I am just well aware now what the Terrible Two's have in store for me!! I am just grateful that I wont get a 2 and 3 year old at birth...you gradually make your way to that stage! Today is my first day without more than my own child in over a week...so I almost dont know what to do with myself. haha. Anyways, here are some pictures of the girls enjoying their first experience on a "farm" as they put it!

Petting a new baby calf! Their first time actually touching a farm animal!! They loved it!

Lily going for a ride with Kameron on her first motercycle ride! Also loved it.

Bryson taking Riley for a ride on his sweet ride!! Again...am I the coolest babysitter or what!

Getting one last peak at the cows before we had to leave. They had so much fun, and they are the sweetest little girls, I am going to miss them when they move. But at the same time I am grateful to be back to my ordinary days.

Also yesterday Porter went to the dr for a double ear infection....I HATE THIS!! Its been a huge problem since he was born so now we have to go see a specialist...tubes here we come. But atleast it will hopefully get rid of the ear infections for good. Then last night he started throwing up, and he just layed around on me for the rest of the night. My poor baby, he never sits still so I know he doesnt feel good at all. But he has been a trooper and still slept through the night.

My poor little monster trying to keep down some pedialite!! He seems a little better today, so I am hoping it was just a 24 hour bug. He is such a happy little boy with so much energy that it breaks my heart when he is not feeling good. Its the worst thing about being a parent, I think. So I cant wait to get this little boy back!!!