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!

Back to School

This summer, I decided to redecorate my 1st grade classroom. For the past 4 years, it's had a farm theme. I loved it, but I was ready for a change too. Now the theme is "Woodsy." Here's a peek:

School started last Monday. It's been fun getting to know my new, cute class. I have so many smart & adorable kids. I can tell it will be a fun year!

That being said, I'm still so sad to leave my baby. It's been hard leaving Porter with someone else everyday. Brian's college graduation cannot come soon enough (still a couple years though). Oh, and that reminds me- Brian started school last Monday too! Here's the back-to-school shot I got of him at the front door. I love that he's got his backpack & ninja turtle shirt! He probably has a similar picture when he was going into the 2nd grade (minus the baby of course!).

Ignore Brian's red eyes. I'm on the mac, don't know how to fix it. And ignore Porter's blank, messy look- he just woke up!

This has been a rough transition for Brian too. With full-time school and part-time work, there are some days he doesn't even get to see Porter. But I think it's made us appreciate our time together as a family even more. It's busy around here, but life is still good!

7 Months

Okay, so Porter actually turned 7 months a week or 2 ago, but we've been a little busy around here.

Here's our sweet boy at 7 months:

5 Teeth

3 on top; 2 on the bottom. And he bites! He'll nuzzle his face into my shoulder while I'm holding him and clamp down onto my flesh. Ouch!

Allergies

We've discovered that Porter has inherited his daddy's allergies. The past few days have been full of runny noses, puffy eyes, sneezes, doctor visits, and Benadryl.

Sitting Up

Porter can sit up on his own for long periods of time. We still set pillows all around him because we're paranoid first-time parents, but he doesn't really need them. He sits like a pro!

Big Boy Carseat

After our last well-check at the doctor, Porter was less than a pound away from the infant seat's weight limit. So we moved him to a new (still rear-facing) carseat. Pros: he sits higher so can see out the windows while we drive, which he loves! Cons: we have to carry & hold him everywhere we go. Before, we would carry the infant seat around with him in it; but we could set that down. When we're carrying our 22 lb baby around, there's nowhere to put him when you need a free hand.

Waves

Porter learned how to wave. But he does it at the most random times- never when anyone is waving to him. But he loves it!

Weight at 7 months:     22 lb. 7 oz.

sweet summer

I am so grateful to have a job that gives me 2 months off every summer.  My meetings start next week, so I am in my last week of summer break (& last week of being a stay-at-home mom) and I am trying to soak up every single moment with this cutie pie.

This summer has been very low-key. No vacations, very few outings, not even a camping trip (our first summer without camping). But it's been perfect- just lots & lots of family time and hanging out together. Goodbye sweet summer!