Oh the Joys of Time Spent With Family:)

This past weekend Deven, Porter and I were lucky enough to get together with all of the family on his dad's side. I loved it! Great company, wonderful food, fun games:) This time we didn't do much other than football for the games but still had a blast! We were celebrating Grandma Munns' 80th Birthday and she's just the sweetest woman. She has such a big, warm heart. I know it must have been such a special day for her to have all of her family there to support her. I feel blessed to be married into her family:) All of her children and grandchildren have been so welcoming to me from day 1. I am so blessed with AMAZING in-laws!:)

Hoping for,,,

I've been blessed with beautiful weather outside lately...FINALLY! YAY! Been looking forward to it for quite some time now:D The stroller I have is WONDERFUL but lately I've just wanted to run, and with the kind of stroller I have, it's not all that easy. I almost feel spoiled even considering the idea of getting another one when I've got a great one right now but I REALLY want to run, and when I'm on rougher terrain every now and then, I feel justified.

I guess we'll see, I've been saving up for one, but most of what should go to "savings" has been going to our rent lately:( We are currently in the process of trying to move out of our apartment. Rent is pretty high up there and we are currently looking at a great place that is MORE than $200 LESS EXPENSIVE!! WHEW!

Crossing our fingers that we get an offer!

A girl can dream...

Lately I've been web surfing a bunch of shops for cute little baby clothes, wishing so so very much that I could be the next winner of a shopping spree!! :D Gymboree, Old Navy, Baby Gap, Target, KOHLS!!...these few shops have really caught my eye...I'm loving what they've got in stock:)

Here's a few outfits I've had my eye on..just had to share because I've found it IS possible to find cute apparel for boys amongst all the frilly dresses, flower headbands and curly ribbon bows! Whew!

Feeling GRRRREAT!

Today I walked...a LOT! I haven't walked this much for quite a while:) I feel good:) Porter enjoyed it too:) Thanks Haley and Jenna!

Baby Room Decor

Last night, Deven came home from work to surprise me with adorable little wooden letters spelling out P-O-R-T-E-R...a NEW PROJECT! I was ecstatic! I've seen really cute baby rooms with these letters hanging from a ribbon with cute modern scrapbook paper mod podged to the front. I can't wait! Decorating our apartment is something I've been wanting to do for SO long but it's hard to justify the money that goes into it.

Grateful

Lately I've been pondering the MANY blessings I've been given. I am especially grateful to have such a loving and understanding husband. Deven has been and done everything for me. I couldn't ask for more. I am also so incredibly grateful for our precious son, Porter. He is always smiling and goofing off when he wakes up (early morning). I just can't go back to sleep with him kicking me in the stomach and giggling n' smiling while doing it.

There are many days that life seems a little less than bliss, but it's only because I have forgotten to reflect on all that I have, and those people in my life that make it all the more better. Being a mom is honestly the best thing I could have ever possibly imagined. I've never felt this kind of love before, the love I have for Porter, and it's because it's a "motherly love". It's indescribable and impossible to REALLY understand until you're blessed with the miracle of having your own child. Whether it's adopting or bearing your own. I would do absolutely anything for my family. They mean so much to me. And the love I have for Deven, he's everything to me. Again, I'd do anything for him. Lately, I've been quite the butt though, I think it's that time of month. But he's put up with it. Luckily I've got a guy with patience. Haha!

This sweet little town we currently live in has a special spirit about it. We've got wonderful neighbors and such fun family members living in the same area with us. We truly are blessed to have family. They've helped out IMMENSELY! Whether it's inviting us over for games and dinner, watching Porter so we can go shopping, to the temple, on a date etc. Whew! Where would we be without them!?

All in all, I am blessed. Thank you to all those who've gone out of your way to help out someone else, you may never really know how much your efforts are really appreciated, but I assure you, it's probably made someone's day that much BRIGHTER:)

Shall I frame it?!

Yeah, I know this is going to sound a bit strange and quite disgusting...but, well...let me start from the beginning. A few days ago, Porter got sick...you know, the runny/stuffy nose and coughing frequently?? Well, I FINALLY, after SEVERAL attempts...got the blockage out! That's right! His boogers are conquered by the MOM! I can't even begin to describe how accomplished I'm feeling right now, I almost want to make a mommy award and frame em!

You couldn't know how ecstatic I am unless you knew the frustration I went through. Every time Porter would eat, he had to constantly pull away to catch his breath because he couldn't breathe well enough through his nose. After 23 minutes of trying to booger sucker 'em out, NOTHING. Porter moving and crying during my unsuccessful efforts didn't help much either. I tried for 3 DAYS! Then this morning, tadaa!!

K, who else feels like they should be rewarded with a mommy award? Fill me in on what future successes I have to look forward to.

Good memories from my childhood...

I just had to post this...sound familiar to anyone? If so, see if you can read through it without the tune of the song playing in your mind.:) I sure failed at my attempts!

Say say oh playmate
Come out and play with me
Bring out your dolly’s three
Climb up my apple tree
Slide down my rainbow
Climb out my cellar door
And we’ll be jolly friends forever more more
1 2 3 4

Say say old playmate
I cannot play with you
My dolly has a flu
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo
There ain't no rainbow
There ain't no cellar door
But we’ll be jolly friends
Forever more more
1 2 3 4

Book Club?

To pass some time at home when the weather isn't all that pretty outside and Porter is down for his nap, I've been quite taken to reading. I've just finished a book my sister let me borrow titled: "The angel's trilogy" by Lurlene McDaniel. FANTASTIC read! This book made me laugh, cry, get upset...it takes you on an emotional roller coaster. This book taught me SO much about the Amish Community; their beliefs and their way of life. I grew to really respect them after having read this novel.

Another Book I am in the middle of reading right now is titled: "A Time To Dance," by Anita Stansfield. This one is also an AMAZING read. This is actually the second book in the series but I'm borrowing them from my mother-in-law and she doesn't own the first one so...what the heck? why not, right? It only makes me want to read the first book even more so. In this particular book, although I am only a third of the way through reading it, has taught me about the struggles family's have with Leukemia and how important it is to support those around me who are struggling.


I encourage all my blog readers to give these novels a try. I promise you, it is well worth the time:)

Unexpected...

It's a BLIZZARD right now in IDAHO! CRAZY! Isn't it supposed to be SUMMER??! Ah, Idaho is so unpredictable sometimes:) It's beautiful!

New Happenings...

Porter peed on my hand...AND his face while I changed his diaper early morning...

...He's discovered the joys of pulling mommmy's hair and getting a good giggle out of my reactions..

...when taking Porter to...well, anywhere...he's enjoyed kicking the blankets I've tucked in around him to keep him warm onto the ground. (Porter hates being confined, in EVERY sense of the word).

Deven and I FINALLY got to go on a date!! Thanks Rhonda:) Because Robin Hood was sold out, we enjoyed a night of Bowling. I had the LOWEST score at 80 POINTS! The only one not above 118! Little did I know, I was bowling with CHAMPIONS! Deven pulled into the lead with a score of 132! WHEW! GO BABY! Following our bowling game, we went home and watched an AMAZING movie...yeh, i forgot the title of it, i'll have to get back to that one.

I have my flight booked to go to Washington for 9 days in JUNE! YAY!

Summertime!

Lately I've been thinking about all of the new hobbies I want to get in to. Problem: fun hobbies cost $$$$:( I had all of these fun ideas just racing through my mind...crafts: home decor, baby's room etc. then I thought, well, how about cooking up new recipes and trying to create new ones?? YEAH! $$$$!! MMMMmmm...well, how about reupholstering old furniture and giving it a modern twist? $$$...I hate money! haha...I am constantly telling Deven this because it takes money to do just about everything these days. Outdoor SPORTS!! Hmm..well, it just snowed last week here and yesterday it was rainy and really windy. I wouldn't mind playing out in that but it would mean getting Porter sick if he was exposed...any ideas out there?

Okay, so far I've been enjoying blogging, so until I find a hobbie that isn't too expensive...I'll stick with this.

Happy 25th Birthday Hunny!

Yesterday, Deven, Porter and I celebrated Deven's 25th birthday by taking a drive that was initially meant to be a hike up to Mesa Falls and Island Park.

Throughout the entire week we've had beautiful sunny weather...up until Deven's birthday that is. The clouds decided to rain on us. And once the rain cleared up, the wind picked up. Bummer! We didn't let the weather ruin the day for us though. We had the most AMAZING trip and were able to visit some of the most breathtaking sights.

After taking a walk over the Island Park Dam, Deven returned to the car and told me he'd finally understood what the term "BREATHTAKING" meant. He was standing at water level at a bridge. He saw where the river had carved a crevice into the hillside, tree's lining the banks and covering the hillside....pure bliss:) I didn't get a chance to see it because I didn't want to wake Porter, but then I couldn't leave the car with him in it.

For lunch, we headed over to Big Jud's. (Creative name right? haha) MY FIRST TIME THERE! We got the Big Jud's Special: 1lb burger with all the toppings, 2 waffle cones and fries. MMMMMM!! I love the home-cooked goodness! The burger bun was even toasted on the inside!! SOO YUMMY! It's almost as if this restaurant was CATERED to me!

After driving around for about 4 hours, we headed home to watch the 2nd to LAST episode of LOST with Scotty. I made up a new recipe that I heard about from my cousin and great friend Haley. It's called the "Peanut Butter Brownie Truffle". No need to say more right?? SOO good! It turned out better the next day after having been refrigerated longer though.

If any of you have ever tasted a "leanout" smoothie from Emerald City Smoothie, it tasted a lot like that..mmmm! Peanut-Butter Chocolate Goodness!

All in all, it was a great day!

Thursday's Awkward Moment

After running throughout Broulims, collecting all the ingredients for a new recipe I am STOKED to try out for Sunday's dinner with Ty and Sheena (Chicken Tortallini Alfredo), I get to the register and notice the CUTEST little baby in front of me. After piling all my items onto the belt, I turn to the young mother of this cutie and say "you have the cutest little girl," to myself I'm thinking about how she'll respond...maybe an "oh, thank you! I think so too!" or even "I know! I get it all the time," nope! Heck was I wrong...instead she turns and says to me, "HE'S a boy."

You can just imagine how red my face was at this point. I probably apologized to her about 11 times or so. Ugh! Whew! To make matters worse, she had just gotten her items on the belt JUST before me and had quite the shopping list...I was behind her for another 7 minutes. Now for the awkward silence...nope, she still spoke to me after that and made small conversation. Thank Goodness.

She had actually mentioned that she'd gotten that a few times prior to the idiot standing behind her in line right now! haha! I think what made me think her little boy was a girl is because he had a lot of "long" hair...Porter on the other hand, he's just getting out of his balding stage.


Please feel free to post embarrasing moments to make me feel a little bit more sane.

Our new High Chair!

We just got a high chair for Porter and wanted to post a pic for everyone to see. For those of you who may have the same one or a friend that has this one...what do you think of it?

New diapers!

Hey! So I've started realizing that Porter's diapers were starting to fit a bit small on him and decided I better move him up to the next size...size 3's! Not only are they fitting small, but he constantly leaks out of em into his clothes...and mine. Not only urine leakages but poo as well. And the poo, not so easy to get out. :( We tried him in size 3's yesterday for the first time and we LOVE THEM! They don't look too big on him and no more leakage! YAY!!! They hold so well!

The crazy thing about it is that I bought Parent's Choice brand of diapers which I didn't like earlier on when he was in Newborn diapers, but now I LOVE EM! They hold so well even though they don't feel so soft.

K, I'm done obessing over his new diapers...maybe next time it will be baby foods??

Cabin Fever

Ever since I became a mommy of our sweet little Porter, I've learned SO much! Not only have I learned things such as...
1) Always keep a spare outfit, diapers and wipes on hand.
2) Wear loose shirts while at home...easier and quicker to nurse.
3) I WILL get spit up on several times throughout the day, do NOT change after each incident or I'll end up with LOADS of laundry by the end of the day.
4)shower during his first nap in the day if I don't get an earlier opportunity to
5) Poop stains are harder to get out the longer I wait.
6) change Porter's diaper prior to going to bed and after each feeding during the night because they are so spread apart...
etc.

Not only have I learned those few things and SEVERAL more ... but I've learned how hard it is to be home all day if I don't have a plan ahead of time.

I have always thought I knew the meaning of "cabin fever"...boy was I wrong! It's been tough being stuck inside all day, I have quickly run out of things to do. I've realized the best way to stay busy is to go out and meet new people, go to mommy groups, go serve someone (watch their kids while they need to go out), invite friends over for dinner etc. I've loved doing play dates with other mommies. Reegen and her little sweetheart Evelyn stopped by the other day and it really just made the day for me! We had fun watching them lay next to each other and nonchalantly hit/kick one another (softly of course) but still funny.

Evelyn kept hitting Porter in the face so he finally just took her hand, shoved it in his mouth and started sucking on it. SO funny! Thank goodness for video cameras!

I've gone to see my cousin Haley a few times and her sweet little Sadie. Sadie is now 7 months old and the happiest little girl! Oh I just love them! We've enjoyed going on walks around the Lake when the weather is nice (we've gone 2 times in 2 months...) and we've also gotten the great opportunity to make freezer jam! Yay! It was my first time, i felt so domesticated:) haha!

If anyone has an idea of something to do to make the time pass by faster during the day...PLEASE let me know! Give me your ideas!

Mom...

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Throughout my life my mother has taught me SO much! I strongly believe that because of her influence in my life, I am who I am today. Some of the many things I have learned from my mom throughout my life would include:

1. Love and serve all those around you.
2. The most important things in this life are God, Christ and Family.
3. Have a sense of humor (for those of you who know my mom, they would most definately have to agree with me on this one).
4. Take time out to to get to know and spend quality time with relatives.
5. Clowns aren't scary ;)
6. Save up for family vacations. The memories that are created are well worth it!!
7. Work hard!
8. Get an education early in life...don't wait until after all your kids are out of the house.
9. How to make the worlds BEST chicken pot pie
10. Grandma is always right ;)
11. BE POSITIVE
12. Think before you spend
13. Surround yourself with people who share the same values.
14. Enjoy each day with your children because time flies!
15. To love involving myself in work...especially work that takes place inside the home.
16. To take MILLIONS of pictures of Porter, you can't miss a moment!
17. To give, to be selfless, to share with others my talents.

Mom, this is just a small number of the values and things you've taught me in my life. Thanks so very much for all you've done for me! I love you so much! You are an amazing mom and I hope I can live up to the standard you have set:)

Porter's first experience with solids...

We finally recieved the go ahead from the doctor to start Porter on solids. We decided to start with veggies after hearing from several friends that they don't eat them after having tried fruits:) I guess I should have known that.

For Porter's first eating experience, we decided to go with rice cereal mixed with green peas. MMMM!! His reaction was priceless! First taste and he had the face that would usually accompany eating a lemon! Can you picture the one? I'm sure everyone has experienced it. After about 15 "bites/licks" or so, he started nibbling and slurping the yummy greens:) Yay progress! Honestly though, I believe he was just going after the fun texture of the spoon. We have it all on video so hopefully we will get it up here soon!

I want to read about more stories about baby's first bites...please share!

My frustration with Wal-Mart Shopping Carts...

Today Porter and I took a trip to Wal-Mart to purchase some baby food..i decided to start out with rice, split peas and carrot flavored mush. After I got his carseat in the cart, we started wheeling down the aisles...as expected, the shopping cart was difficult to push, it could have definately used some grease on the wheels.

...thanks for the well needed vent. I have NEVER had a decent cart at Wal-Mart and needed to express my built up frustration.

Bath time Entertainment...

It's now become a tradition for Porter to assist mom in filling up the tub. After scrubbing him down from head to toe, I grab a towel and he starts to pee...usually on his legs and stomach, or just straight ahead. This time, Porter chose a new target. I go to reach for him and just as my hands grab around his body, a stream of urine shoots him straight in the center of his face!

Although Porter expressed a look of terror and shock during this little episode, I couldn't help but laugh...which confused him even more. He couldn't understand what was going on.

4 months!

Porter has recently hit his 4 month mark and has grown immensely in these few short months. At his 4 month check-up a couple of days ago, Porter weighed in at 15lbs 10oz (63rd percentile), and measured at 25 3/4 inches (79th percentile)!! WOW!

Physical changes I've noticed thus far: thunder thighs..LOVE EM!! fuller face, rolls at his "wrists" that aren't detectable, more scratches on his poor little face (and mine), but that's not news.

...It seems as though I am trimming his nails twice a week!

And all around he has pretty much filled out. I remember when I was once able to lay him on my lap facing me, his entire body would fit in the length, now it's only his upper body! I've been told by several people that he is going to be a tall boy...just like his daddy :) I can't wait! Well, yes...I can. Just saying though.

Dr. Petitt informed Deven and I that we can now start feeding him foods! YAY! I am so excited! I've already ordered in a high chair online (my 2nd online shopping experience...) if you are interested, it's the Graco Contempo Rittenhouse high chair. I decided to go for a gender neutral one seeing how I plan and hope to have more children. I had probably looked over a variety of 100 different high chairs and read ALL of the reviews for a total of 4 weeks now. Finally, I've found one I feel comfortable purchasing. It just arrived yesterday and luckily there was no set-up required:)

Although...I told Deven I had set it up all by myself when he got home around midnight from work and he was pretty impressed:) Too bad I have this built-in guilt trip mind that had me confessing the truth after what, like 5 seconds? The glory of his approval didn't last long. haha!

We plan to feed Porter his FIRST EVER "solids" tomorrow to celebrate Mother's Day...I'm thinking we'll either go with rice cereal or applesauce. Any ideas?

10 Reasons to Love Being a Mom!

1. You receive a reception worthy of the next American Idol even though you'd only left the room for a minute to get more wipes.
2. There's no better exercise program than entertaining an energy-filled infant.
3. Nothing is sexier than a man holding a baby--except for a man changing a diaper.
4. The 100th reading of Goodnight Moon is every bit as good as the first.
5. You no longer look silly dressing up for Halloween. In fact, not dressing up might make you odd man out.
6. NAPTIME!
7. Alarm clocks are more appealing when they're wearing footie pajamas.
8. You always awake to a smiling, cooing and let's not forget drooling precious little face.
9. Somebody loves you no matter what you are wearing (sweats and an old t-shirt smelling of spit-up, throw-up, strained peas and oh so many more unexplainable stains).
10. The overwhelming love and joy you feel each day for one small single being you had just met. Most days bringing tears to my eyes:)

New Milestones Reached!

I have loved experiencing each new milestone with Porter and Deven as Porter grows...everything from his first grins, first coos to the most recent ones: grabbing at his feet while I change his diaper, kicking his legs up (he's got AMAZINGLY strong ABS!) cooing more than ever before, SO observant of the things around him, getting a higher pitched laugh etc. Ahh, i love watching Porter, he's so sweet!

Last night/this morning, Deven and I ended up watching an ENTIRE season of 24! We went to bed this morning around 7:15, talk about addiction right? haha...so when we finally got to bed, Porter was just waking up, and there was no convincing him otherwise...oh snap! So I thought to myself, well...maybe if I feed him he'll fall asleep while eating...nope! He wouldn't stop cooing and laughing and flailing his arms into my face and legs into my stomach. I would usually find this adorable...not when I'm deprived of sleep! haha...fun mornings!!