Happy President's Day!

Last week, we were doing several activities for President's Day in my first grade class. Before beginning an art project on George Washington, I wanted to find out what the kids already know. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Today we're going to be learning about the first president of the United States. Does anyone know who that was?"

There's nothing but silence. I make a mental note that I need to teach them more about U.S. History. But then one little boy gasps and raises his hand. His response? "Joseph Smith!"

Me: "No. That was the first president of a church. The first president of our country was George Washington." I then go on to tell them about George Washington and the reason we're celebrating President's Day.

Finally I realize that they might not know much about current politics either. So I ask, "Does anyone know who our current president is?"

Silence again. But soon, a little girl raises her hand and proudly states, "Thomas S. Monson."

I inform her that he, also, is the president of a church. But before I can tell the class what the real answer is, another girl gets it . . . almost: "Baracka Oframa." I suppress my laughter and write the president's real name on the board and help them learn the correct pronunciation.

We're about to begin our art project when I foolishly decide to tell them that another important president was also born in February. I start to tell them he was important because he helped free the slaves. Then out of nowhere, a boy proudly shouts, "I know who it is! It's Moses!"

Milestones at 1 Year

This little boy is growing up too fast! It seems like he hits a new milestone every day. And we're just busy trying to keep up with him! This past week, Porter ate with a fork (mostly) by himself. I would stick a piece of fruit on the end of the fork, set it on his tray, then he'd pick it up and put it in his mouth. It was a huge event. I got it on video . . . then accidentally erased the memory card without saving the video. Aaargh!

Then this past weekend, Porter learned how to climb stairs. I'm sure many babies develop this skill much sooner, but since we don't have any stairs at our house (except for the concrete steps leading up to our 3rd floor condo--which we're not too keen on letting Porter climb), he doesn't really have many opportunities to practice. Luckily, Grandma & Grandpa Nye have soft, carpeted stairs and Porter was able to climb and climb this weekend for as long as he wanted! 

Porter can't quite walk by himself yet (another milestone for another day), but he L-O-V-E-S to walk around with anyone who will hold out a hand. 

I can't believe how fast he's growing! Here are his stats from his 1-year check up:

Weight: 27 lb, 13 oz

Heigh: 33.2 inches

On both height & weight he's above the 95th percentile. But on head circumference (19 in.) he's at the 90th percentile. Brian said they tried to put our 3-year-old nephew's football helmet on Porter, but Porter's head was too big and they couldn't get it on! I just figure his larger-than-average brain has got to go somewhere . . . so of course his head's gonna be huge! =)

Oh, and one more milestone I almost forgot . . . he can now pull his own pants off when he's left alone in the crib (and when the pants are several sizes too large)! Isn't our baby so talented?!

First Haircut

Before . . .

During . . .

After . . .

 

So I guess it was more of a trim than a full-out haircut, but I'm having a hard time saying goodbye to those gorgeous, long, blond locks. He's just so handsome!

Sick Day

I get to see my baby 2 hours each day. Usually I spend that time playing with him as much as possible. But for the past few days, I spent those two hours trying to lay on the couch or the floor while he played around me. As soon as my guilt passed, I became grateful for that quiet time to watch my baby play. I can't describe how adorable it is to watch him play with his toys while talking to himself in his own, high-pitched language . . . or see his eyes light up when his Daddy walks in the door. Maybe I should try to take more moments like that when I'm not sicker than a dog!

Porter's First Birthday

Porter turned one yesterday. In honor of the special occasion, we spent the entire day spoiling and loving our little one-year-old.

Spent the morning at the Children's Museum:

Birthday party with lots of family & friends:

So many presents, Porter didn't know what to do!

 

Porter ate over half his cake.

Before:

 After:

(notice the chocolate on the balloons in the background- he made quite a mess!)

Mommy & Daddy's favorite part of Porter's birthday . . .

Finally getting to face his car seat forward!

Conference Sunday

Today between our conference sessions we decided to take a drive into the mountains and see the changing leaves. We went all the way up to Snow Basin and took Porter into the trees and took some fun pictures. It was not without its scary moments as we sat him on a trail taking his picture a biker came flying around the corner behind him, both Dana and I ran toward Porter. Luckily the biker, and the second one later, were very understanding and stopped to say hi to Porter before continuing on their way. We had a fun time.

state fair

Last Saturday we took Porter to his first fair! We kept it short & sweet. Really, all we did was see the animals, get some funnel cake, and then we were out of there! But it was perfect for a little boy who was cutting it dangerously close to bedtime. And, oddly enough, it was also the perfect amount of time for his parents, who are definitely not fans of crowded venues.

Porter's first funnel cake was also my first and Brian's first. We thought it was pretty good . . . once. Hopefully Porter agrees with that decision.

climbing

Ogden got a new rock climbing gym. It's Brian's new favorite place. So last Saturday, after Brian got off work, Porter and I met him there to check it out, watch him climb . . . and I got a teeny bit of climbing in myself.

Since Porter's come, there's been a lot less climbing in our household. Though Brian still climbs a lot, it is A LOT less than he would normally do! It was fun to get out and see how good my husband is at climbing. Also, it was funny to see how terrible I've gotten!

This is also one of my favorite rock climbing gyms that Brian's found. It's a really old building and the walls are all windows- I love windows!

future missionary

Good thing we still have 18.5 years to train our future missionary. He has much to learn about behavior that is appropriate for church before we can send him on a mission. He's really not bad at church; just loud & happy! We are completely exhausted after the 3 hours each Sunday.

Retro

Brian loves to spoil Porter. However, in this case, I think the toy was more for Brian than for the baby! As I was trying on some clothes at Old Navy the other day, Brian took Porter next door to Toys'R'Us. And they came back with a Smurf! It plays the Smurf theme song & even came with a Smurf episode on dvd. 

I will admit, I'm pretty excited about this toy too!