December 16, 2009

My Little J

Then......(2006)


...and now.

J has always loved to cook with me. For as long as I can remember she has been helping me in the kitchen. She can do pancakes, eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and several other things all on her own. She loves it. She told me that when she grows up she is going to be a chef and that I can go to her restaurant and eat whateverI want, and I only have to pay $1.00! I love cooking with this little girl!

I thought she looked SO cute today! I had to take her picture just because!

On Saturday all the kids had friends to play with except J. She made about 6 calls, and either they weren't home or they couldn't play. She was so sad. She called her dad and told him that no one could play and asked if he would take her on a date. So, when he came home from work, he took her on a date. They went Christmas shopping at the mall and got some dinner. She was so happy to have time alone with her dad. What a cutie!

December 13, 2009

A Great Evening



Friday night my cute sister Ange and her hubby went through the Provo Temple to take out their endowments. They will be getting sealed in the Salt Lake Temple next Friday. I am so excited for them. Ange asked me to be her escort. I was so happy and honored to be there to help her and support her. I've always held a special place in my heart for little Ange. She is such a sweet person and is so loving, she has such a big heart. I love her so much and am so proud of their decision to go to the temple. They will receive many wonderful blessings by following the Lord's commandments. What a wonderful experience we had.

December 12, 2009

Finally!!!


S finally lost a tooth!! He has been waiting a LONG time for this to happen. Yesterday at school he was pulling off his gloves with his teeth (because that is the logical way to take off a glove), and somehow when he pulled it caught on his tooth and loosened it. Then, like an hour later he came into my classroom with a bloody mouth. He said he had been wiggling it and his fingers slipped and he cut his gums with his fingernail (I guess it's time to cut his nails). I told him maybe he should leave it alone for a while.

Later that day DH said he found S in the bathroom wiggling away. S asked his dad if he would pull it. DH said he would try, but that it might hurt. He didn't care. So DH wiggled and wiggled, and out came S's first tooth! He was SO thrilled. It was adorable. Luckily the tooth fairy made it on time (she often is very busy traveling the world gathering teeth, that she doesn't get there on the first night). I wonder when he will lose a tooth on his own?!

D.A.R.E.




Thursday night we went to M's D.A.R.E. graduation. The program was cute. They sang some fun songs. M was one of the winners of the poster contest, which was fun for her. She got to talk a little bit about some of the stuff on her poster. She got a little medal and a bag of treats!

December 10, 2009

Christmas Party


Last night was our ward Christmas party. I was on the committee again this year. Luckily the activities chairperson has a catering business, so he did all the cooking. The food was fabulous! We had turkey roast with cranberry salsa (so yum), rosemary potatoes, raspberry vinigertte (spelling?) salad, rolls, and a dessert bar. We ate well! The decorations were beautiful. For our program we had a slide show, which was what I helped with. We got pictures and videos of Christ, and pictures of ward activities from the year and put them to music. My partner is very computer savvy so he did most of the work, and did an amazing job. I thought the whole night was a big success! And now it's over and I can move on to the next thing!

December 9, 2009

Flash Game

T with his friend Riley.

The girls with Flash Fox.


The girls and their posters!

Monday night we went to a Flash game with some friends. The kids had a lot of fun. They got to make posters, play on the jump house, and win prizes. S was so busy the whole time, I didn't even get a picture of him. I guess that's proof enough that he had a great time.

December 8, 2009

Disney Princesses on Ice

DH got free tickets to got see Disney on Ice a few weeks ago.
It was so much fun. We all loved it, including the boys.
I always wished I could ice skate, they look so graceful.
But, I have to settle for just watching.

December 3, 2009

Another Baby!


My sister is having a baby!! I am so excited for her. They are going to have such a cute baby! This will be the 4th baby that has been born while my parents have been on their mission. Crazy how life changes in such little time. I love babies!

December 2, 2009

Tatum


We got to babysit Tatum last Saturday! She was so good for us. We just love her. M decided she needed a bracelet to match her shirt, so she made her one. So cute!!

December 1, 2009

Live Nativity

We took the kids to a live nativity today in Sandy, Utah. A stake there puts it on. There was no flash photography allowed, so my pictures aren't great. We had to stand in line for about an hour and 45 minutes. But, it was worth it. While we were standing in line there were people walking up and down the "streets of Bethlehem". They were in costume and even had animals, and all sorts of accessories. It looked like the real thing. When we finally got to go into "Bethlehem" it was amazing. They did a fabulous job. There were traders, barterers, women at the well, people selling bread and fruit, a carpenter, you name it, they were there. The whole thing looked very authentic. Then, the last corner we turned we were in front of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus. It was beautiful. The kids were so well behaved, and took everything in. I think they really paid attention to how the people lived, and the circumstances that our Savior was brought into this world. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the inside. It is an experience I won't forget.
Some of the people staying warm around a campfire, and cooking their meal.

The innkeeper.

The 3 wisemen.

Baby Joneaux Porter



My sister Anna had her baby yesterday!!
Little Joneaux Porter was born weighing in at 7 lb. 4oz., and 18 1/2 inches long!
We are so excited that he is here, and that mom and baby are healthy.
We waited a long time for him to be here and are so grateful that all is well.
I love him already!

November 30, 2009

FHE


Tonight we went to some friends' house for FHE. I read a story and then we made Christmas countdown chains. Each person got four links and had to write down something that they could do this holiday season to be more Christlike. Then we ate some yummy gingerbread cake. What a fun night. The story I read was very good, and all the kids listened. Here it is:

The Miracle

The violent grinding of brakes suddenly applied, and the harsh creaking of skidding wheels gradually died away as the big car came to a stop. Eddie quickly picked himself up from the dusty pavement where he had been thrown, and looked around wildly.

Agnes! Where was his little sister he had been holding by the hand when they had started to cross the street? The next moment he saw her under the big car that had run them down, her eyes closed, a dark stain slowly spreading on her white face.

With one bound the boy was under the car, trying to lift the child.

"You'd better not try, son," said a man gently.
"Someone has gone to find a telephone for an ambulance."

"She's not...dead, is she, Mister?" Eddie begged in a husky voice.

The man stooped and felt the limp little pulse. "No, my boy," he said slowly.

A policeman came up, dispersed the collecting crowd, and carried the unconscious girl into a nearby drugstore. Eddie's folded coat made a pillow for her head until the ambulance arrived. He was permitted to ride in the conveyance with her to the hospital. Something about the sturdy, shabbily dressed boy, who could not be more than ten years old, and his devotion to his little sister, strangely touched the hearts of the hardened hospital apprentices.

"We must operate at once," said the surgeon after a brief preliminary examination.
"She has been injured internally, and has lost a great deal of blood." He turned to Eddie who, inarticulate with grief, stood dumbly by. "Where do you live?"

Eddie told him that their father was dead, and that his mother did day work--
he did not know where.

"We can't wait to find her," said the surgeon, "because by that time it might be too late."

Eddie waited in the sitting-room while the surgeons worked over Agnes.
After what seemed an eternity a nurse sought him out.

"Eddie," she said kindly, "your sister is very bad, and the doctor wants to make a transfusion. Do you know what that is?" Eddie shook his head. "She has lost so much blood she cannot live unless someone gives her his. Will you do it for her?"

Eddie's wan face grew paler, and he gripped the knobs of the chair so hard
that his knuckles became white. For a moment he hesitated; then gulping back his tears,
he nodded his head and stood up.

"That's a good lad," said the nurse.

She patted his head, and led the way to the elevator which whisked them to the operating
room-- a very clean but evil-smelling room, with pale green walls and innumberable shiny instruments in glass cases. No one spoke to Eddie except the nurse who directed him in a low voice how to prepare for the ordeal. The boy bit his quivering lip and silently obeyed.

"Are you ready?" asked a man swathed in white from head to foot, turning from the table over which he had been bending. For the first time Eddie noticed who it was lying there so still.
Little Agnes! And he was going to make her well.

He stepped forward quickly.

Two hours later the surgeon looked up with a smile into the faces of the young interns and nurses who were engrossed in watching the great man's work.

"Fine," he said, "I think she'll pull through."

After the transfusion Eddie had been told to lie quietly on a cot in the corner of the room, In the excitement of the delicate operation he had been entirely forgotten.

"It was wonderful, Doctor!" exclaimed one of the young interns. "A miracle!"
Nothing, he felt in his enthusiastic recognition of the marvels of surgery,
could be greater than the miracles of science.

"I am well satisfied," said the surgeon with conscious pride.

There was a tug at the sleeve, but he did not notice. In a little while there was another tug--
this time more peremptory-- and the great surgeon glanced down to see a ragged,
pale faced boy looking steadily up into his face.

"Say, Doctor," said a husky voice, "When do I die?"

The interns laughed and the great surgeon smiled.
"Why, what do you mean, my boy?" he asked kindly.

"I thought...when they took a guy's blood...he died," muttered Eddie.

The smiles faded from the lips of the doctors and nurses, and the young intern, who had thought there was nothing greater than the miracle of science, caught his breath suddenly.

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE!

This ragged lad had climbed to the very height of nobility and sacrifice, and showed them a glimpse of the greatest miracle of all-- a selfless LOVE! But Eddie must never know this. The lesson was too poignantly beautiful to be wasted. The great surgeon motioned the others for silence. I think after all you will get well, Eddie," he said gruffly. "You and little Agnes."

November 29, 2009

Letter from J


On Thanksgiving morning, I was in the kitchen cooking, and J came in and told me she was going to go check the mail. I told her the mail didn't come on Thanksgiving. But, she went outside for a second anyways, and then came back in saying, "Mom, you and Dad got a letter!" She had a huge smile on her face and was holding a letter. She brought this letter to me and was so excited! It was the cutest thing, I had to share! I love how sweet she always is.

November 28, 2009

Turkey Bowl Accident


DH rolled his ankle playing in the Turkey Bowl on Thursday.
It's all bruised and swollen. He can barely walk on it.
We borrowed a boot from a friend andthat seems to be helping.
Hopefully it'll heal quickly.

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas

The kids decorated the tree all by themselves.

We even got some of the outside stuff done.


Stockings are hung!

The kids were begging to put the Christmas decorations up. So, yesterday we got all the boxes out and now we're ready to go! I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner.

November 27, 2009

A Christmas Carol

We took the kiddos to see this tonight. I wasn't very impressed. I'm not a huge movie critic. I ususally go to the movies to be entertained. But, I was not entertained, I was bored. DH said that during the movie J asked to go home because she was bored. So, I guess it wasn't a successful outing. But, we made up for it by getting some Cold Stone afterwards!!

New Moon


I got to see New Moon on opening night. My friends' sisters' work rented out a theater and she invited me to come. We saw it at 9:50, an early showing!! I thought it was WAY better than Twilight. I was a little worried because New Moon was my least favorite book in the series, so I wasn't sure how the movie would be. But, I really liked it. I can't wait for Eclipse to come out!!

November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving Day

Playing with cousins.

Blindfolded make-overs.


Backyard fun!


Pies, pies, pies!!!



After the boys got home from their football game, we had a big breakfast. My sister Ange and her hubby Yoho came and they brought his brother. Em and Talia came too. We had some yummy food, and had a good time with them.
Then, we continued the cooking for our Thanksgiving feast. My MIL and SIL and her family came over. We had a great time just hanging out and enjoying being together. I made a banana cream pie completely from scratch for the very first time. Even the pudding was homemade. It turned out very yummy! I was a little nervous that it wasn't going to be all that good, but it sure was! It was a nice relaxing day and I'm thankful we were able to share it with family.

Thanksgiving Morning

The boys got up early this morning to play in the "Turkey Bowl". They had a great time, however DH came home with a swollen ankle. He rolled it while they were playing and also hurt his back. So now he's laying down with an ice pack trying to feel better.

I made some yummy cinnamon rolls!



J slept...


...and so did M!



October 6, 2009

My 4 Munchkins


I love these 4 so much! They keep me busy and they keep life fun!

.

October 5, 2009

5K

5K
Somehow I got talked into running a 5k in January. I am not a runner. I have never been a runner even when I was cute and thin. However, now I'm running. My SIL gave me this program to get me into gear. The program is 8 weeks long, and the goal is for me to be able to run for 30 minutes nonstop. I'm on week 2, and going strong. I have been sore for 2 weeks. Hopefully I can do this. I really want to, and hopefully I'll be able to lose weight while I do it too! So here's to me running:)

October 4, 2009

Always Wear Your Safety Goggles!!

Yesterday T was playing with some friends. They were having an air soft gun war.
But, they neglected to wear their safety goggles. I got a call from T, who was crying and he
told me what they were doing and that he got shot in the eye. SCARY! I left to go pick him up and his eye was all red and swollen. Luckily we got a hold of our eye doctor who met us at his office. T has a big dent in his eye, but thankfully there should be no damage to his vision. We got some drops to help heal his eye and to help ease the pain. The dr. also put a contact lens
in his eye. He said it was like a bandaid for the eye. Pour T was in a lot of pain. Today the swelling has gone down, but it is still very red. I'm so glad that his vision was not affected.
I'm pretty sure that T won't ever have wars without wearing his safety goggles.

September 19, 2009

Of Course

Of course just when I'm ready to start blogging again,
my stupid computer decides not to work.
Hopefully we can get it fixed pronto.

September 12, 2009

Tutu


Love this girl in her cute tutu!

No More Depressing "WHY"

So, I realized that I still have this depressing "WHY?" posted,
and that it's been there forever. I will be up and running soon I promise,
and it will be with much happier things!

July 30, 2009

July 29, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince



We took the kids to see HP while we were in St. George. They liked it. I thought it was okay. I liked the book way better of course, but it was fun to go as a family anyways!

July 25, 2009

Such A Funny Game

We played this game at my MIL's house. Each person had to put a nylon on their head. At the end of each nylon was a ball (not a hard one, kind of like a nerf ball). Then, without using your hand you had to swing the ball around and try to wrap it around your opponents. Once they were "locked", you would try and pull your opponents nylon off their head. It was hilarious to watch. The kids loved it, and so did the adults. I 'll have to remember this one for birthday parties for sure!
M and Aubrey took their turn!


J and her cousin Jaxon giving it a try.


T & S have a go at it!

July 23, 2009

Name That Clown

We went to a party at my MIL's the other night and all took turns dressing up as a clown.
Can you name that clown?

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Spray Park


J enjoying the water!


T hanging out!

S is always throwing signs in all his pictures.


These boys had so much fun!

We took the kids to the spray park in downtown St. George. They had a blast.
April and I on the other hand roasted. We were sitting in the shade and still had sweat running down our faces, backs, you name it. It was hot. When we got in our car the temperature was 111 degrees. Crazy. We were so glad to be in a cool house with a nice drink of ice water!