My talk is over!! Yeah!! It wasn't awful, but I'm definitely glad its over. Chris and I got a lot of compliments (and from our stake pres... yikes) It was on Developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I guess now I know just how far we have to go...
We're going to be shutting down our computer to move it off the carpet pretty soon - so I'm just saying hi, and we're still good. We have no where to sit. The couches are in the dining room, the table is sitting out back, Elis bed is in the garage along with the changing table and other things. Its amazing to me how when you "clear" out a room, you end up with a bigger mess than you started with. I guess this is why I don't move. (sorry Erin) I feel for you.
Well tomorrow is our last crazy day and we can start putting our house back together. I can't wait. Maybe I'll take a couple pictures when its done... Although that could be a month from now - so don't hold your breath. ;)

A bunch of rambling.

Deep breath. I have 5 more days of survival. I can do this. One talk to write (and give), one book club to host, one baby shower to attend, lots and LOTS of stuff to move off the carpet (aka EVERYTHING)... and Chris... well Chris' list is pages longer than mine. But I'm excited. Monday is carpet day. I'm also going to the cannery that day and going to pick up my food storage. I get ansy everytime I hear a news report how the price of wheat has tripled, or the price of rice is soaring... how it is hitting people on a global level. Scary stuff. This is the article I was looking at... http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-04-23-sams-club-rice-limits_N.htm So by Monday we will have a solid 3 month supply, 6 months on many staples and a year supply of bread making ingredients. ;) So I can make a loaf of bread every day for a year. Wouldn't be much of a meal, but whatever. Baby steps. I have my food storage savings account, and I haven't spent anything in over a year - so it was time.

Chris just showed me this Hot Wheels Monster Jam truck that he bought for Elis birthday. Its Superman. It even has a cape! LOL! We have too much fun with this kid. He wants to go to a bowling alley for his birthday. First it was a Bees baseball game, and now its bowling. Should be fun. Now we just have to figure out who to invite. It definitely won't be the whole neighborhood like some birthday partys. He has 8 people he has mentioned that he wants to come - just cousins and neighbors. I like the idea of not doing a birthday party every year. Every other year he can have friends over, and the off year it'll be just an evening of cake and ice cream with the family (cousins included). We'll see how that works out. This will be his first "party", so I have to consider myself lucky I guess. Most kids around here have had a party every year since they were 2 yrs old.

Well, I need to get back to my reading. We're reading Rousseau 'The Social Contract'. Its pretty good so far. Mostly about how the laws of nature differ from the laws of society and what the best way is to merge the two. Have a society where the laws of society don't infringe upon your natural rights. Hmmm... sounds familiar doesn't it? And since Chris is going to the Jazz game tomorrow, we're going to do it at my house so I don't miss out. I hate missing our little study group!!

Smoke Alarms

Well, tonight we had marinated flank steak for dinner so you know what that means! The smoke alarms went off. I swear everytime I cook that they go off. I need to start banning myself from cooking it, but it just tastes so yummy. ;) The last time was when the sister missionaries were here... OOPS! Both times Nathan was taking a nap and both times he slept through it all.
I got this video from my coworker, and it really hit home. Especially for you Carrie... (if you're reading) ;) The whole older siblings watching their brothers/sisters really got to me. Its about 5 minutes long, so it might take some time to download, but if you've got kids - you'll want to watch.

I was looking online for the smoke alarms they talked about in the video, but I only found battery operated ones. Hopefully by the time Eli is old enough to stay home alone they'll have the wire-in ones. Personally I'm not a fan of the battery ones. But thats just me. Anyway, "enjoy" the video!

Well, phase 1 is (almost) over and we survived. We are now sleeping under a new roof with no holes, there is a new furnace downstairs and we the a/c is out back. The a/c is still in a box, but it should be done on Monday. The roof looks great, but there have been some problems with exposed nails. They came back once to fix it, but Chris found a BUNCH more, so they will be back on Monday as well. From my perspective, I'm just glad that our roof isn't orange anymore. The color is SO much better.
Before:
After: (in the picture it looks more black - but I swear its brown)


We have one more week to survive. The interior doors upstairs don't have trim on them, and a couple rooms still need baseboards and the swamp cooler hole in the ceiling is 1/2 patched. Chris has been working so hard to get all of it done. Unfortunately I'm not much help. Then this week I will take my car in to get the bumper replaced, Saturday is a service project that Chris is involved in, we have to move all the furniture (and junk) out of our carpeted rooms, and Sunday we have to give a talk. Should be a very FULL week. So if I don't post much - please forgive me. I'm hopefully packing boxes.

To tide you over, here is a picture of my boys.

Bunkbeds

I just bought a bunkbed! We've been in the market for several months now, but haven't taken the plunge yet. I've been noticing that Eli is getting a little big for his toddler bed. I guess its not hugely surprising since toddler beds use the crib mattress. Anyway, I found this set at BJs (which Utah doesn't even have, but they were offering a limited-time online trial) and even better... FREE SHIPPING! They separate, so Eli will use it as a twin bed for the next couple years until Nathan is old enough. Then if they want, we can put them together. If not, we have two twin beds bought and paid for. YEAH!!!!!! And since Chris hasn't even seen it... here it is.

Update

I was just thinking it has been a while since I updated. Nothing too much has happened this last week, but things are ok. Nathan has a mild fever, so I stayed home today. He doesn't act overly sick, just coughing and some congestion that don't bother him any more than normal.
So did I mention we got our gas stove? I love it. Its amazing how when you turn the heat down, the food actually stops boiling! What a concept! Then our roofers are coming tomorrow, and our A/C guy too. And carpet comes on the 28th. The next 2 weekends are insanely busy, but its fun stuff. I hope they will be as nice as yesterday was. We had the most gorgeous weather yesterday. It was like 80 degrees! Eli, Nathan and I went on a walk, and it was so fun how the whole neighborhood was alive. There were kids out playing on like every other doorstep, people out working in they yard... it was fun. I love this time of year. You don't realize it, but I think humans have a tendency to hibernate. We just don't get out as much during the winter. Spring comes and EVERYONE comes out. I love it. It doesn't hurt that we have a very family friendly neighborhood. Our 10 minute walk turned into an hour and a half because we stopped to talk to a bunch of people.
And I just wanted to say well done to Ambrielle. We went to her community play that she was in - Through the Looking Glass. She was a red pawn and a "Responsibility". She was great. Sara and Kyle are still in China, so Kyles mom was up watching them and she babysat one night while Chris and I went, then we switched. Anyway, it was fun to have a night away, and very fun to see Ambi up there singing. She really did a great job (and she wore a hot pink wig) :)

Erin has a blog!!!!

(Erin, hope you don't mind me telling the world)

My little sister has a blog now!!!

Click HERE if you are interested in seeing my little niece Cecelia Ada. She is 2 weeks older than Nathan and is an absolute doll.

Tag

I was tagged by Meredith's blog... ;)

10 YEARS AGO-
I was 18yrs old, a freshman in college, and living in Provo. To me it was an extension of high school because I was still very shy and very quiet. I also had it in my crazy head that I would make a good elementary school teacher.

5 THINGS ON MY TO DO LIST
Call the guy that hit my car
Call the roofer and see when he is coming
Put the dishes away
Update the I-15 estimate for our meeting on Thursday
Pick up our tickets for Ambis play

5 SNACKS I ENJOY
Thin Mints
Tortilla chips with nacho cheese
Popcorn
DARK chocolate (very dark)
Mint chocolate chip ice cream

5 FOODS I LOVE
Spinach triangles
Marinated Flank Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Corn on the cob
Chocolate Mousse pie
...I think I just made myself a meal...

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire.
Pay off the house
Set ourselves up financially (aka retirement, the kids college)
Travel the world
Maybe a vacation home
Help others

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED (in order)
San Francisco, CA
Ann Arbor, MI
Gaithersburg, MD
Provo, UT
Layton, UT

FAVORITE QUOTE
"The Supreme Court has ruled they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington DC. This wasn't for any religious reasons, they just couldn't find 3 wise men and a virgin." -Jay Leno

Tag, YOU'RE it! (Pssst. that's everyone reading this!)

De ja vu

I know theres an accent on one of those letters... oh well. I was feeding Nathan some peas and cereal tonight and had the strangest feeling that I'd seen this before.... Wonder why. ?? LOL!
Here is tonight feeding Nathan.

Here is 3 years and 6 months ago with Eli. Any similarities?? (oh, and Eli was 5 months in this picture)

He is a chub. ;)

Ok, so not really, but my little baby gained a pound and a half in a month. YEAH!!!!! We had his 6 month appointment yesterday, and he is doing much better. He is still well below the typical growth charts, but he didn't lose weight this time! He is officially 12lbs 11oz. and 24.5 inches long. His head (unlike his weight) is right on with the growth charts. He has maintained 30-50 percentile since his birth. So that is good. He still isn't sitting up, but he is getting there and am sure he will figure it out in the next few weeks.
The doctor is still going to require monthly weigh-ins, but I am feeling much better about the situation. Now that he is officially 12 lbs, I am putting his 0-3 month clothes AWAY FOR GOOD whether they fit him or not. ;) He is 6 months old now... it is time.

This didn't help

Well I was off checking blogs, and my coworkers wife (whose blog I stalk...) ;) had this song on it. She said that it made her cry, and I stupidly didn't believe her. Now I am here sitting in my cubicle hoping that no one comes in... So for all of you moms who don't know how you're going to survive and struggling every day with new challenges... This song is for you. (and this coming from someone who hates country music)

He was mauled...

My poor little boy was attacked by some crazy little girl at daycare yesterday. If I were at home, I'd post some pictures... Eli has a thick scratch all across both of his cheeks with gashes at the end, and another scratch up by his temples. Now my kid is no angel, and I'm sure he was partly to blame, and they were probably fighting over a toy that he brought from home, but I find myself questioning everything. Is this the right daycare place for him? Do I start over and try to find someone new? Do I quit my job altogether and stay home with them?
Talking to Eli and asking him questions about it makes me think that maybe this isn't the best place for him. Yes, I realize its a bit late seeing as how we've been going there almost 4 years. She is such a nice and sweet lady, but I get the impression that she stays upstairs and the kids go downstairs to play in the play room. That doesn't sound safe to me. I understand she is probably making lunch, and taking care of the babies (aka my other child) and most 3-4 yr olds can play independently in other rooms without CONSTANT supervision... but when he is getting hurt a lot? This is the 3rd time in the last several months by the same little girl. At the same time I say that, I think - no daycare is perfect and if we switch, there could be just as many if not more issues with them than this one. How much of it do I chalk up as "kids will be kids" and how much do I think - we have a real problem? Its just one of those decisions that has no easy answer, or no right/wrong answer.
I'm not looking for any answers, I just need to write this down and get my thoughts out. They are so jumbled right now.

When it rains it pours

I thought it was going to be a long day on the sole reason that Eli woke up at 2am and Nathan woke up at 5am. WRONG! If only... Did I mention that there was 4" of snow on the ground? We were supposed to have our spring lawn service today... guess not. Then dropping the kids off at daycare there were already 2 people in the driveway, so I park on the street where the 3rd person always parks. One of the guys pulls out and nails my car. LUCKILY he missed the door where Nathan was sitting. He nailed the bumper and just above, and it didn't even ding his car. Then the new bridge in Kaysville was all backed up, so I tried the alternate which was closed, so I tried the exit back up in Layton only to be stopped by a train... then it takes me an hour an 15 min to get to work. Thanks for listening. I just needed to vent.
I'm just still hung up on the fact that my car got hit. I JUST replaced my bumper before Nathan was born. Some other lady rear ended me. She was the 2nd rear-end collision I've had in like 5 years, which may not seem like a lot, but I'm not used to accidents. I was starting to think maybe it was me and I was a bad driver people have no choice but to hit me. But today I was PARKED! I had turned around to open my door so I could get the kids out of the car and when I turned back around he was an inch from my car. I would have honked if I'd seen him. Ugh. Now I have to go in and have it estimated, and take it back to have it fixed... its such a pain - and one more thing that I don't really need in my life.
Oh well. Time for our staff meeting. yipee.... thanks for listening to me complain. I'm done

Keepin' up with the Porters

Project season is about to begin! We are right at the beginning. Chris patched the hole and hung new sheet rock around the door and ceiling and has been sanding the last few days... We picked a roofer, and are picking the color... We're getting our gas stove installed as soon as our guy can come... then once the roofing and stove is done, we'll get our a/c. Then its carpet. Its all the anticipation right now and its killing me! I'm excited. Its going to be crazy for a few weeks, but then it'll be great and I won't have to worry about it anymore. Chris disconnected the swamp cooler wiring last night and put a blank cover over the box. Strangely satisfying... ;)

Its funny that all of this SPENDING is about to start, and I've been talking to my co-worker about this book... Dave Ramsey and the Total Money Makeover. It requires budgeting and sacrifices, but you can really do some amazing things. More or less the complete opposite of what we're doing right now. In this book, you do it all in steps. (1) Get $1000 of emergency funds, (2) pay off your debt, (3) get your 6 months of savings, (4) 15% towards retirement, (5) college savings, and (6) you pay off your house - in that order. His motto is "Live like no one else so that later you can live like no one else" saying that if you sacrifice and scrimp and save - then later you can literally be wealthy and live like you never dreamed debt free. Its interesting to think about if nothing else.

I would like to try it and see how far we get. We are doing all of those things in smaller increments, but his point is to focus all your attention on one thing and then the next... Thats when you see results. Anyway, we'll have to see. We won't be that bad off when these are all done. I hope. But it would be nice to have a plan of where we're headed once they're done. Should be fun!!!

Back to my previous post...

...about products of our environment and not knowing how our kids are going to turn out... I got this email and LOVED it!! This is one mothers version of good discipline. Making your kid stand out on the street corner with a sign. He looks thrilled - doesn't he?? LOL! I don't know that I would ever do it - but if I had a kid that was stealing, it would take some drastic measures to wake him up. I don't blame her in the least. The last picture is hilarious. I guess that was how you make sure your kid actually does it!

Easter

Easter was a very nice boring day. Just the 4 of us together. We (I mean the Easter Bunny) hid eggs in Elis room, and he found an easter egg basket downstairs with lots of candy. so he is a happy kid. ;) We had ham and sweet potatoes and asparagus for dinner, so a pretty traditional dinner. Church was nice, but I taught the lesson and didn't realize I was supposed to teach the Easter lesson!! oops! Not that a bunch of 2 yr olds will care, but it probably would have been more meaningful than "I am thankful for fish" Oh well. During sacrament meeting, a couple of the talks talked about how when they do Easter egg hunts, they'll leave one empty egg symbolizing the empty tomb. or put a few eggs with pictures of Jesus. I think we could probably implement that around here. I think it would make it a bit more meaningful than getting jelly beans and chocolate...
Here are some pictures of the boys.
This first one, Nathan is trying to watch the Georgetown game... come on Eli - leave me alone!! LOL! (he doesn't really watch TV, he just happened to be facing it for this picture)

Nathan looking up at the enormity of our dog.

Decorating Easter Eggs yesterday... I actually had to buy eggs for this. I've been buying the brown ones lately, and got to thinking - they might not color as easily. :)

Hair Cut

I needed a change, and decided to get my hair cut. Thought it might be fun to get some highlights too. So I did. :) Guess there isn't really much to say about it... but yes, I like it.

BEFORE:




AFTER:

Feet

This kid loves his feet. I mean LOVES his feet. He is a very oral kid and seems to stick everything in his mouth... this just means I'm in trouble in the months to come. The problem is that he loves his feet SO much that he won't sit up! Every time I try to sit him up, his head goes straight down to the floor. LOL! I was talking to the daycare lady about changing his diaper... also quite the task when his feet are in his mouth. heehee. Although its not as widely accepted as sucking on your thumb... Hope its not a habit that lasts until school! :) (just kidding) Anyway, I just think its so cute.

Products of our Environment

So we went to IHOP last night for dinner and there was a mother and her teenage son in the booth behind us. She was ripping into him like you wouldn't believe using filthy language every other word... talking about how he was doing drugs and his brother was going to jail and she just didn't know what to do with them... Luckily right as I was about to ask for a new table (I don't need Eli to learn those words yet) they gathered their things to leave.

Thinking back on the situation, I feel sad for them. I know that all kids make their own choices and whether we're amazing parents or awful ones - our kids are their own people and make their own choices. And I'm not judging this lady and her situation because I'll never know what she has been through. Its just sad that she felt like she had to be in the position to scream at her boy like that. Although if she does that all the time - I wonder if that might be part of the reason her boys rebel so much? who knows.

I just look at my life and look at where she is and wonder, where is the leap? I am still in my state of blissful happiness. I look at my growing boys and watch them learn so many new things every day and just thoroughly enjoy them. I know that we will have our difficult times to come, but it just seems so far away.
I have a co-worker whose son is grown and he has nothing but awful things to say about him. He is manipulative and evil and blah, blah, blah but when you get him talking about how his son was as a baby - its all good things. He was so sweet and good natured etc. And I expect if you were ask that lady at IHOP what she thought of her sons as babies, she would say the same. How are these kids growing up to be mean spirited and awful. Are they? or are they reacting to the situation they are given? Are they just products of their environment? What does this mean for our future? Does loving them unconditionally help change the end result?

I'm in a book club (classical education stuff) and we were reading Montaigne and his essay on the Education of Children. We started talking about how things are so much different now and how this is really the first time in history that our young teenagers haven't had to go to work. Back in centuries before, 12/13 is when you start your apprenticeships for your career. Carpenters or blacksmiths whatever. Now our kids are bored and getting into trouble. Do I have an answer? No. Will I know what to do when Eli and Nathan get into trouble and make bad choices? No. Does my head hurt thinking about this stuff? Most definitely.

Birthday fun

I shouldn't be excited for his birthday already... should I? :) Its still 2 months away, but I found these and have to buy them now. I will admit - I'm not big on character clothes, but they're pajamas, and he is a Bumblebee FANATIC. LOL! I'm bored today at work.... obviously.