Happy Birthday Porter!

While there is a small (perhaps very small) part of me that sighs nostalgically at the fact that there are officially no babies in this house anymore, most of me is celebrating. With Porter's birthday comes the realization of days past: No more baby car seats, no more diaper blow-outs, no more all-nighters with new babies, no more nursing (although admittedly I miss the figure enhancement that nursing brings). Like I said, a small part of me is sighing, but mostly I just love the fact that all my children are relatively independent, play relatively well together, can feed themselves at the dinner table (when they feel like it) ... and I can sit through the last 2 hours of church and actually listen to and remember what is said.

Porter is darling. He is funny and independent and sassy. He knows what he wants, won't let his older brothers walk all over him and hates to be left behind when the big boys get to do something he's still too little for. If the street is the negative pull, PJ has a positive charge built into his little body. He's really sneaky and if I don't watch carefully enough, he's in the middle of the road before I know it. He is a lover and if you find him in the right mood, he'll lounge and warm you with his charming affection. His favorite color is "gweeeeen!" and he loves to dance with me when there is music playing. And trust me - he can groove.

I have always said it's a good thing Porter was a surprise because I might still be wrestling with whether or not I was ready for a third child. He is a delightful addition to our family and we love him like crazy.

Now ... if I could just get him and Lincoln to stop their ritual of hour-long jumping on the beds at bedtime and just go to sleep ...

More laughs from Ethan

This was from a few months ago, but the high-definition thing reminded me that I wanted to document it. We've been collecting VHS movies because they're cheap and easy to find at garage sales. Since there's no "menu" function like the DVDs, my boys have grown acustomed to watching all the previews. Regular comments from Ethan during these viewing experiences include such things as:

"Mom, is it already past the summer of 1998?"

and, my personal favorite

"Mom, we can get lots of great stuff just by logging on to mydisneyrewards.com!"

A Walking Advertisement

One of my girlfriends, Mandie, watched my boys while I went to spin class today. When I picked them up, she related this amusing story about Ethan, who is indeed a walking advertisement. If you want something spread, just plant it in his head, and he'll be sure to get it out.

Mandie turns on movie for the kids
Ethan: "Mandie, is this in high definition?"
Mandie: "Yes, Ethan."
Ethan: "Oh good. Because everything is SO much better in high definition!"

sigh.

house #15

It's official. We're moved in and settled. Actually, it was official almost 2 weeks ago, but we've happily adjusted to living in town again. Barring the electric fence we set up for Dakota, which worked for 2 weeks and then became obsolete yesterday (only because Greg was out of town, I'm sure), things have gone perfectly. The heating works. The water works. Nothing leaks. The internet is fast. I'm blocks away from my closest girlfriend, not to mention the rec center and studio where I've fallen in love with hot yoga. I feel settled . . . for now. Probably, we'll end up moving in another 3 months, but it's okay. I've got my boys, they've got their dog, and we're all happy. 15 homes in nearly 9 years. awesome.

Ready for kindergarten

Last week while we were moving, I spent about 10 minutes inside the local burger joint waiting on our dinner while Greg sat in the car with the boys. When I came out, Ethan announced his newest accomplishment. He could spell "missionary." I thought to myself, awesome - i'll bet he needs a little prompting, but that's a great start. I was wrong. He spelled it out for me with NO help, 2 letters at a time. While I was inside, he told Greg he wanted to know how to spell it, so Greg told him. It took a couple of minutes, but now, a week later, he can still recall and spell it on command. In fact, he knows it well enough that he can put it on paper. Yup, I'm pretty sure Ethan and kindergarten are going to get along just fine.

proof:

Moving again

Sigh. We're moving again. Truth: We are thrilled to be getting out of this house with its chronic leaks, faulty furnace, freezing floors and foreclosure status. Yep. You heard right, folks. The owner signed our lease when the house was already in foreclosure. BUT . . . the bank has been pretty accommodating. We've got a new place . . . back in town! I'm thrilled to be closer to girlfriends and summer fun. Greg is already counting the days until we move back into the outskirts of town with land for roaming. But for now, I'm determined to make the most of my time in town. And with 5 bedrooms, there's still PLENTY of space for visitors!

Gospel Perspective

During our trip to Utah, Lincoln went running towards the end of the driveway and nearly into oncoming traffic. I snatched him back (he's giggling, of course) and told him frantically: "Link, if those cars hit you, they'll smash you and you won't be alive anymore!" Lincoln looked at my sweetly and said, "Yes huh, mom. When Jesus comes again, he will fix me so I can be alive again." Perspective . . . check.