5 months

I love you, Henry! You are so much fun to have around. You smile whenever you see me, and laugh at almost anything. You love to watch your brother play, and especially love your diaper changes. You can roll over, but prefer not to, though tummy time doen't make you mad anymore. You have your own agenda, and you're still a night owl.

You sleep so much better now, and you went 8 hrs the other night, but we only have to get up with you 2-3 times in the night, and you eat so fast that it doesn't seem like I'm up much. Thank you! I'm still waiting for you to prove to yourself that it's ok not to see us in the night at all. You eat well. You have taken an interest in food, and stare at us unrelenting when we eat, but we're still waiting to give you "real" food.

You've started doing this cute thing with sticking your tongue out. So cute!

You have learned to fall asleep almost anytime in your carseat, and you do really well on longer trips in the car. You catch on so fast, and you're just starting to realize you can manipulate things with your hands. You suck your thumb occasionally when you want to, though its not for comfort, just play. You suck on your fingers, too. You only take the pacie when you go to sleep, and I don't mind. You smile a lot, and scream like a girl when you're left alone, or can't see me.

I never thought it'd be so much fun to have a little baby around again, but it is great! I don't want to miss a single thing you do! I love having you in my family!

Ding-Dong Ding-Dong

After going back and forth a lot this season, we finally decided to get a tree. I have never had a real tree before, so this was a first. I really wanted to find a great deal on a pre-lit tree, but I didn't want to brave black friday this year. We borrowed a stand from Evan's sister, and bought this amazing tree! We had some lights collected from previous years and some ornaments my grandma gave us. Porter LOVED putting them up.


We did make a star out of construction paper and put that on top. Merry Christmas!

Stats

I always thought my kids will be in the 90% at any age, just because Porter is so big and Henry is following so close. Here's the shocker: Henry's not! Yay! I have an average size baby? What? I still think he'll be catch up. The funny thing is his head. When my sister saw him she said, " Wow, he's all head!" I tended to agree. However, there must be a whole lot more kids with HUGE heads, if this is the comparison:

4mo.

Weight: 14.3 lbs 36%

Height: 24.75 in. 43%

Head: 15.25 in .9%

2 mo.

weight: 12 lbs 59%

Height: 23 in. 54%

head: 14.25 1.7%

That's right! Ha! under 50% in all 3! The doctor was actually quite concerned because he's not following the curve, but I say he doubled his birth weight in 4 months- I'm not worried!

He still hates tummy time, but is starting to roll over. He kicks his legs non-stop. (It's really hard when I'm carrying him in the car seat, and it's moving on it's own!) He's lost almost all his hair. I really should shave the rooster crown off the back, but I can't bring myself to do it.

4 Months!

You have been the best baby! You are happy, healthy, and growing like a weed. You have the sweetest disposition, and nothing tends to set you off. You have the biggest smile I've ever seen. You know just how to cheer me up with that grin of yours, and even laugh a lot too.

You LOVE your jumper. You tend to spend an hour at a time in it, and coo and laugh, and you are so strong.

You love to stand up, and your little legs are definately the better for it. You started rolling over last week, and though I'm not sure how to feel about that, I'm proud of your progress.

You are definately sleeping better. Your brother didn't sleep well for a long time, but you seem to have it down. We only meet once in the night (90% of the time), and you are extending that time more and more as the weeks go by. You are taking longer and longer naps in your crib now, and I don't worry about your schedule anymore.

You've put on some weight recently. I think you're about to 16 lbs now. I didn't do that on purpose, just so you know. You aren't over-fed!

Thank you for lighting up my life. You make it all worth while.

Mommy

Crafty Crafty!

I am on a HUGE craft craze right now. I found this way cute wreath online, (thanks Bethany), and decided to make one.

My sister came over and we got to it. She used the Lima Beans, and since I wanted something a little different, I made mine with nuts.

Glueing

Tea's wreath

My wreath before the paint

It took about 4-5 hours, but we did it. We spray-painted them a pretty almond color, and tied a ribbon with a bow. I love it, and it was cheap!

Hanging up

sweet tooth

This is what happens when you give P a ring pop to enjoy on the way to grandmas

Pumpkins 2010

The annual pumpkin fest is now over. Laura (Evan's sister) has cleaned the house, and surely, the pumpkins have made their way to the dump. However, we have photos to remember them by. Laura has her own pumpkin website to view them here. We had many a dream to carve lots, but reality set in, and Evan and I scrambled for the remaining 3 hours we had to carve one together. That leaves 2 for me, and 2 for him. Next year, we hope to make a substantially better contribution. We carved a BIG one, Golom, not pictured here.

Cornbellys

The friday before Halloween, we went to Cornbelly's with Evan's sister, her kids, and his mom and dad. It was soooo much fun. I think it'll be a tradition. Despite the wind, we had a blast. I felt so excited the whole time. It was like taking my family to Disneyland-we had that much fun. Since I'm an awesome mom, I forgot my camera. (Like always), so here's what I could capture on my phone.

These bikes were so cool. I think we should get a bunch of them and have races at family reunions!

Porter at the water duckies races. Probably his favorite thing to do. He got all muddy and wet!Also P's favorite: There was noone in line, so the driver let them stay on, and they kept riding until we said enough. Here with cousin Abby.

My little cowboy

Despite his smile, he needed lots and lots of coaxing to put on his costume. It wasn't until Halloween that he grasped the concept of getting candy for dressing up. It was as if he were thinking, "I can wear that!"

Porter started ripping his costume off seconds before the picture was taken. It was off completely just seconds after!

What we do all day...

Usual napping place, unless we're running errands. Then he looks like this:

Hangin' around

Happy Halloween

4 years ago today, Evan gave me a pumpkin. He got down on one knee, and gave me a ring.

I said yes, we said "I do," and I still "do" today. Thanks for the pumpkin babe! It's been an awesome ride.

My stand

Years ago, I was the teaching the YW a lesson on prophets, and modern revelation. I asked the girls at the beginning of the lesson, “why should we do what the prophet asks?” The bottom line was, “Because it’s the Lord asking it. We follow the prophet”. We talked more about sustaining the prophets and how their words are the Lords words. Several more times during the lesson I asked this question, “Why do we do what the prophets say?” The girls learned through the lesson that the basic reason was, “Because it’s the prophet that is asking it of us.”

I wasn’t trying to teach them blind obedience, but simply wanted them to understand that there is nothing the prophets ask us to do that is not the will of the Lord. It’s black and white. You do it, or you don’t. President Harold B. Lee taught us that our very SAFETY, and that of our children, depends upon it.

“Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through His prophet, ‘as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; … as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith’. There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord Himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.’”

I mentioned once to the other YW leaders how scared I am for the rising generation. I could see a gap closing in on them. This gap, between being fitting into “the world” and being “a peculiar people” is apparent. I could see that these youth were going to have to decide NOW where they stand. Soon there will no longer be a safe ground “in the world” to practice and believe what we must. It scares me that we may lose some youth to “the world”, not specifically because of sin, but because they didn’t gain a testimony early enough to ward off “the world” and were persuaded to join the world, instead of standing for the prophets and God’s will.

I’m grateful to my parents who taught me early on that God comes before all else, and that following His counsel and keeping His commandments brings happiness and joy. I know our prophets are called of God. I know that following them has brought me joy, even through the personal persecutions I’ve faced as a “peculiar person” (It’s really like being mocked from those in the Great and Spacious Building, while I cling to the Rod.) I AM peculiar, I have” old-fashioned” values, and I am sensitive to the ever-changing influences of the world against God’s desires for us. I have to take a stand.

For several weeks, I have been pondering over how to voice my resolve about the same-sex marriage issue. It’s been difficult to find the words within myself to convey my feelings. I have read several statements and articles that say it better than I can. I’ve attached them below. However, I do feel it necessary for my voice to be heard as well. I support the prophets.

I echo what Pres. Hinckley said in 1999:
“There is no justification to redefine what marriage is. Such is not our right, and those who try will find themselves answerable to God. Some portray legalization of so-called same-sex marriage as a civil right. This is not a matter of civil rights; it is a matter of morality. Others question our constitutional right as a church to raise our voice on an issue that is of critical importance to the future of the family. We believe that defending this sacred institution by working to preserve traditional marriage lies clearly within our religious and constitutional prerogatives. Indeed, we are compelled by our doctrine to speak out.”

I WILL follow God. I will obey Him. I will stand for His teachings, and His doctrine. I will fight with all I have, and risk losing EVERYTHING to defend my family, my religion, and the eternal principles God expects us to uphold. I choose His side.

http://www.ldsmag.com/lds-church-updates/article/6495?ac=1

http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/article.xqy?uri=/published/corus/articles/2010/10/en/tuesday-release

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2004-02-15-1.html

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IF04G01

Sweet Sleeper

This is the view I have of Henry for a good portion of the day. It's so fun to get to hold him as much as I can.


Henry slept in his swing seat most of the nights for a month or so. He got a cold during the first weeks at home, and his nose never seemed to recover from it. He was too stuffy to lay on his back, so we kept him in the seat to keep the peace at night. Plus, there's a little massage action in the seat that kept him calm for 2 hr stretches.
Luckily, he's over the cold, and back to sleeping on his back. He now sleeps 6 hr. stretches and sometimes 7. I put him down at 10:00, and he'll usually sleep til 4 or 5, then wakes up on his own at 8. It's wonderful!

For naps I usually sleep him in his swing, not because he sleeps better that way, but because I want him to get used to sleeping through noise, so he's in the great room during his naps. He does really well, and I hope it'll pay off when it comes to a solid schedule.

I love to look at this face all day! Here he's sleeping on the kitchen counter while I prepare dinner at lunchtime.

This is what Porter does all day. I'm going for mother of the year here, but we're you tube junkies. We watch Thomas episodes, Dr. Seuss movies, and animated characters. It all started with him wanting to see videos of trains...we are limiting our time here, though.

We've become really good friends with our next-door neighbors, the Wahlquists. Both our husbands are Electrical Engineers, and we both get to stay at home with our kids-they have 4. We recently started a date night exchange. It has been a lot of fun, and really easy to walk our kids next door to leave for a date. Here's a picture of their kids coloring when we were watching them. They're so cute together. We're planning Porter and Ellie's wedding...she's the blonde. It's better than wonderful to have such good friends close by.

8 weeks

My sweet Henry,

I love how perfect your skin is, how smooth and soft your face is against mine. I especially love the way you smell.

I could watch you sleep all day. You breathe so softly and you look like an angel.

I love that I'm getting to know you. I'm glad you're sleeping longer and more solidly than ever before during the night. Our rendezvous only lasts 20 mins, instead of 2 hours.

I love your cuddles. Thanks for letting me hold you most of the day. The time will come when my arms aren't where you want to be, so thanks for your hugs.

Your smile melts my heart. It's like you know something we don't. I'm glad you're so happy here.

I love how little you are. Newborn clothes are still in the laundry and the closet. I wish you'd stay this way!

I am so happy you've decided to like it here. It made me sad that you cried all those nights for weeks and weeks, but I'm glad you've decided to be happier and enjoy your time with us...you know, we'll be here for a long time together, so we're glad you're making the best of it.

You're so busy with your hands, always putting them up to your face and pulling out the pacie. I hope you make use of those busy fingers and learn to play the piano. That would make me so happy!

I love you little guy! Thanks for being so sweet and fun.

Mom

P.S. Sorry about all the gas...I've been trying to cut back on the dairy, but really, I think it's just you.

Do these glasses make me look smart?

Does he looks like Sean Astin to anyone?

Porter turns 2!

We celebrated porter's birthday by going to the BYU game. If you know us well, we LIVE for BYU football, and being P's birthday, it was the perfect way to celebrate! We had a great time, except being slowly scrunched out of our seats...(seriously people, we paid, like you, to sit in one seat per person, so USE THOSE SEATS YOU PAID FOR!!!!!)

When asked what kind of cake he wanted, P said, "Ka-Chow". I don't think that could be any clearer. He kept coming up to me as I decorated it, excitedly repeating "Ka-Chow". I think he gets it.

We celebrated the day after his birthday, along with Henry's blessing, because it just made sense that way, so Porter had 45 people singing to him. He didn't know what to think. (Thanks grandpa Z for helping him blow out the candle!)

I think the train set was a hit!

Henry's Blessing

We blessed Henry Labor Day weekend. It was so neat to have all the family here to help us celebrate. We tried and tried to find Henry his own outfit to wear, and nobody has infant church clothes that aren't rediculously priced, so we used Porter's blessing outfit instead. It was still way too big, but he looked handsome in it just the same. Evan's sister Jill and her family stayed the night before the blessing with us, because our church is at 9. And luckily, everyone made it in time! The blessing was amazing, and overall, it was a great weekend!


I'm so grateful to have a husband who honors the priesthood and is worthy to use it. My boys have a wonderful example of a real man who loves the Lord and puts Him first. I am humbled to be surrounded by so many family and friends who likewise live their lives. I appreciate all the love and help we've received in the past and the present in raising our family. We are so fortunate!

6 weeks old

Henry is such a good baby. He still sleeps most of the day, and has begun going right back down after his night feedings, which most nights is only once. After 2 weeks, he started fussing a lot more during the evening- late evening, like 9:00-1:00. We actually thought he had colic because he would cry non-stop, but that has calmed down some too. We're starting to figure out who he is, and what his temperaments are, which for me has been the most frustrating. I don't remember not knowing Porter, and now its all coming back to me. I look into his face and think, "I don't even know you! Who are you?"

We've gotten some smiles out of him already, which is so encouraging when you wonder how you'll make it through one more sleepless night, cold, fussy time, or crying. He seems to have some reflux, and we have to keep him upright for about 20 minutes after he eats, or he'll fuss and spit up. He has gotten to be a pro at eating and can finish a meal in less than 5 minutes.

Now he's six weeks old, and we've been through quite a bit in this short time.

*a couple days old: everyone got pink eye

*a couple days old: we had colds, and a cough

*3 weeks old: I got a kidney stone

*4 weeks old: road trip

*6 weeks old: more colds and coughs

It's funny how God helps you forget the trials of newborns. I don't remember it being this difficult, and that's not because I have 2 now, it's just the newborn phases. The transition from 1 kid to 2 has actually been easier than 0 to 1. I guess that's because I'm less uptight about everything and I'm already in mommy mode. Like my neighbor says, "If you have 1 kid, they take up all your time. If you have 5 kids, they still take up all your time!" So true!

I hope you don't take this as complaining, because I love being a mom, and there's something about the sweet spirit of a newborn that brings such joy into my home, and I am appreciating this little boy much more than I did with my first. He's a good baby, and Porter hasn't regressed at all. What good luck we have!