Pool time!

I can't believe my children are now doing the same things I did as a child. It feels not that long ago that my mom would pack up our pool bag with red vines licorice a cup of ice and some sun screen. We would all load up into our big red suburban (extra neighbor kids included) and head off to the outdoor pool. We would spend HOURS there, daring each other to go off the high dive or hold our breathe for as long as we could along the bottom of the pool. As we got older our interest changed from learning to float, joining summer swim team, looking for cute life guards, then becoming a life guard. Wow this place holds SO many memories! Now at this moment I am loading my own children in the car, making sure they have sun screen on, packing treats in "the pool bag", along with toys and a bouncy seat for my little red to sit in. We get to the pool and I am also trying to find the best spot to sit so I can see my little arland while he plays in the kiddie pool. So many memories. 

My littles

Arland, 

You are my little love muffin! Could this picture be any cuter?! You brighten my life in so many ways! I love when I wake up to your little voice in the morning saying "Mom, the suns up! Wake up!" I climb out of bed because you are begging me to make you waffles. Then you pretend burp and say "mom I hungy!" I also love after you have had a bath at night, you climb into my bed and say, "I sleep moms bed.... Mom... You snuggle me?" Or when you get really excited about something you say, "Mom it's cool?" "I'm so happy, I'm cited!" 

Right now you are obsessed with pirates and ships and buried treasure. I think your dad and make at least 5 treasure maps every day and everytime you are still so happy. You love being outside and helping mom in the yard, riding your bike, and pushing your play lawn mower. 

Arland you radiate joy. You are the happiest little boy and I can't help but smother you with smooches all day. 

Love mommy

Porter, 

Those baby blues get me all the time! You are the most snuggly little guy, I pick you up and you instantly lay your head on my shoulder. You are a mommas boy and you love to just be held. You have been crawling everywhere and you love to pull yourself up on the couch and chairs. You love pazley and climbing all over her! 

You are also the best eater and sleeper! This is so nice for mommy and daddy too! Porter more than anything though, you love your brother. Arland might get frustrated with you, but you love to follow him around. Yesterday Arland was throwing a ball around and you laughed so hard and chased after him and the ball. You have so much happiness inside of you! We love you so much!

Love mommy

Camping

Every year we go camping several times with Heaths family. I was never raised camping. Dad loves it....mom would rather stay in a hotel. It was a little hard for me to adjust to say the least, but I do love being outdoors and having no phone service. It's a time when everyone puts their phones away and we have real conversations with each other! I love that! I am NOT a tent camper and lucky for me I married into a family that does trailer camping! This means I get a shower, warm water and a comfy bed... This is how I can camp. Well this year we are no longer just two people camping, we have two other little people and man do they have a lot of STUFF. And if you know my husband he loves a project... So we bought a "fixer upper" trailer. I am being serious. I mean total fixer upper. It was completely yellowed and gross, HORRIBLE carpet and furniture and bad wallpaper. Well Heath tore that thing apart and now it is perfect for us! New floor, paint, furniture, curtiains, and bed! All new! So we were so excited to take our new "glamper" our for a test run! It was perfect! A miniature home away from home! Arland slept on the new couch, Porter was in the "Porter-crib" and we still had so much space! We played outside and had delicious food every day! It was so hard to leave, but we made some great memories! 

1 year

Mister Porter, I can't believe you are one! 

Weight: 17 lbs 9 oz (5%)

Height: 29.3 in. (25%) 

Head: (75%) 

Everything is according to your birth. 

Where has time gone? I sometimes feel like I have selfishly waited for you to get bigger this past year. You had such a scary entrance into this world that I felt like the older you got, the bigger you got which ultimately ment the stronger and healthier you became. I feel like this year has been so full of amazing miracles and blessing with you I don't even know where to begin. I am so thankful that you are healthy and strong, you are happy, and have the most contagious smile with piercing blue eyes. I love to watch you chase Arland around the house, while Arland loves to boss you around. You love to have people just look at you! 

You love the tub! And now that you are crawling you love to be on you tummy in the tub... Yes I about have a heart attack every time you do this so I never fill the tub up more then an inch and I NEVER leave your side! 

You LOVE food! You are the best eater and you get so excited at just the sight of the bowl! You love to sit at the island in your high chair next to Arland eating your food together. 

You love other little friends like little miss Ruby and you love when Zoe comes to play with you! 

But your best friend is your brother and it makes my heart so happy when I see you light up every time you see Arland. 

You amaze me Porter by your determination. Your nurse Avon comes every month and she said that you are at the same developmental level as a baby full term. I love seeing your little bum in the air as you crawl around and wiggle into hard places. Your are determined to fit into small spaces! 

I love you mister Porter! Thank you so much for this year I treasure every moment and memory we have made. 

Love, Mommy

1 year

Has it really been one year since the day dr. Kamyar told me that Porter would be coming?! It all feels like a blurr sometimes and then other times it is so clear. I remember the it started. I had woken up with a constant pain in my back and horrible indigestion. I had my nurse Ali bring me every anti nausea drug possible and it never went away. I remember Shelby. She walked in wearing a black puffy coat, holding a Taco Bell bag because she knew I wanted a crunchy taco. I remember my mom and her sitting by the window talking about baby Zoe. How little she was. I told them I had horrible back pain and then my nurse Ali came in and told me they would send a doctor in to check on me. Dr. Weber felt my stomache and I jumped. She sent me Down to labor and delivery just as my grandma and aunts arrived to say hello. I knew today was the day. Shelby stayed with me while my mom picked up my room. Shelby called Heath and told him that it was go time. She stayed right with me until he got there. They watched my contractions which were 3 minutes apart and checked to see if I was dilated... 3cm. I had an epidural, and pitocen and just waited. 10 hours later I had not progressed. Dr. Kamyar told me that he was not responding well, his heart rate was dropping and my fever was too high. It was c-section time! I felt relieved and so did Heath. The upped my epidural and wheeled me into another room. I laid there shaking uncontrollably. He stayed at my head taking a glance every so often at Porter and the doctors. I heard a cry, it was incredible. They told me he was moving too! I saw a picture, then it went quiet and I don't remember a lot after that. 

For porters birthday I wanted it to be about sunshine. He beams sunshine through him everyday, that's who he is. 

We had so many special people there to celebrate. And I was so nice to have everyone there that helped and supported us in getting him here. The day after his birthday we went back to the hospital and said hello to some of his nurses, and mine. It was so strange walking back into that building. So many emotions came flooding back for both Heath and I. It was my home for almost 4 months. So many of those people became our family. It will always be special. 

A Plane

This week Arland and I made a trip to Target for some birthday stuff for brother. We ALWAYS have to stop by the toy section at the end and I ALWAYS dread it. This is because it turns into me dragging him out of the store kicking and screaming. So we are in the toy section when he spots a Dust Plane (from the movie planes). He has the small figure but this was a big one that you sit on and the propellers spin around on it. I let him sit on it and push all the buttons while I came up with a plan to get out of the store in one piece. 

Me: "Arland you no we can't buy that. We have to leave it at the store."

Arland: "no mommy, dusty needs to come my house." (Persistent)

Me: "ok arland I have an idea, what if we go home and count your money in you piggy bank and see if you have enough to buy dusty?"

He walked away from the toy, smile on his face, and said "ok!" 

It has never been like this leaving the toy section! So we went home and counted his money, he had $31 and he needed $4 more. So I asked him if he wanted to clean the play room for more $. He said "yes!" 

Later that day we went back to the store and he knew right where Dusty Plane was at. We walked right up to the cash register and he was beaming with excitement! He handed the lady his money and she gave him a sticker. I asked him if he wanted to carry it. "Mom it's too heavy!" 

I loved watching this little guy learn about spending money today. And learning about patience. It was such a fun day! 

Zion's National Park

Today we woke up early got kids fed and out the door we went! I have never been to Zion's so this was very new and exciting for me and to share my first time with my kids was so fun too. I loved all the little houses as we drive threw the canyon, the green along the river in the middle of a desert was so fun and different! We drove threw tunnels and Arland loved seeing all the fun things that this park had to offer! He loves bus rides too so when Pa told him we were going to ride a bus he said "I ride on the magic school bus?!" We sat on the front bench so that arland could look out the biggest windows. He pretended like he was the bus driver the entire time, looking out the window saying, "Come on! Everyone ride the school bus!" 

"Mom the School Bus is cool?!" (This kid loves the school bus!) 

Porter hung out with Grammy and Pa

And aunt Sophie!

We took the bus all the way to the top and the hiked up by the river to where the Narrows start. 

We saw so many fun things along the trail! Arland especially loves the squirrels.... Until pa told him that they would eat his toes off. So when he got cornered by two squirrels he almost had a panick attack. Haha 

He refused to walk past them. I wouldn't blame him. 

Then aunt Sophie took arland down to the water and they got to walk around in it! He LOVED this! 

 We then made it all the way to the top and arland got to catch a ride on pa's shoulders down. 

It was so beautiful and we made some great memories there! Thanks for the trip Grammy and Pa!