Porter is THREE!

Happy Birthday to Porter! He's three and he's potty trained. Yay! I just can't be any happier about it! For quite a few months now Porter has been obsessed with "WORKERS". While driving in the car it is almost all he can talk about. When he grows up he is going to be a "big, strong worker". We have to roll down the windows to wave and say hi as we pass. We have to walk over and watch while the "workers" are doing there construction work. And then we have to watch a little longer, and then a little longer, until I can't stand there looking stupified anymore! He just loves everything and anything about "workers", especially the big trucks and tractors! So there really wasn't anything else I could choose for a birthday theme. "Construction" just fit perfect! Here is our front door, greeting our party guests!Everyone got their very own hard hat and got to play in the sand! This was a big hit, and an even bigger mess! But overall it was worth it!Porters dump truck birthday cake. This was so easy and fun! I just cut the cake to fit and then layered it a bit, covered it with frosting and crushed up oreos to give it the look of dirt. FUN!!Porter, and everyone else, opening his birthday presents! The kids were so excited they just couldn't keep from helping! It was so cute! Porter really didn't mind much at all. What a good sport. He got lots of fun things, from tractors, puzzles, lightening mcqueen, a vacuum, and so much more. We are grateful to all of our friends for coming! It was a full house (maybe a little too full depending on how you look at it), but I just wanted everyone we care about to be there.The "workers" way of opening that pinata! I bought it and later realized that I really had no place to hang it, so I improvised. It worked just fine, as long as the kids got their candy!

Kalin

I just wanted to get a few things in here about Kalin. In primary this Sunday, Kalin had the "me in a bag". The idea is to take this bag home and fill it with things that describe you and what you like. Well, I was a bit nervous that she would be too shy to say a thing, so we had rehearsed a couple of times before chuch. I know, silly! But I just wanted to help her be confident and ready. During preparation she would say a sentence, sometimes two, about each object in the bag. Like, "I like horses and want my very own someday. I like to ride them" or "I like to go to the beach and collect seashells". On Sunday she shorened it to, "I like horses" or "I like seashells". Okay, I might have been dissapointed, but just for a sec, because I was so pleased and happy that my little shy Kalin smiled and spoke into the microphone. She even looked out at everyone and told about every single thing in her bag. I didn't have to say a word! Wow, high five for Kalin! I think we may have both been beaming behind that little podium!


I haven't been very good at writing down the cute things the kids say, which is sad because now I can't remember them. So, here is one that Kalin says all the time! When she wants us to watch her do something or she wants to tell us about something, she'll say, "mom look, you'll never know!" or sometimes even, "you'll never guess!, you'll never believe!" She gets this look, that Ohhh, Myyy, Goshhh look! Her excitment and attitude over such a small thing (obviously they aren't small things to her!) just blows me away and I can't help but giggle!

How about an update...

Still a happy mom here! Porter is doing great with the no-diaper-deal! He just jumped right in, would go all by himself without me having to remind him. This is very good, until you forget about it and its been a couple hours when you walk into the kitchen finding him wiping up his own poop with poopy undies! Oh, isn't that just the funnest thing! But what a little helper, right?! I love my son and I'm thankful (insert a little sarcastic laugh) for how often he reminds me that being a mom takes so much work! At least he likes to help clean up after himself. I don't know if it really is to help or to hide what he did! Guess it doesn't matter either way. We were at a friends (Heather Harmon) house today and Porter had an accident in the bathroom. He had taken her hand towel and wiped it up all by himself before coming to find me. I'm just glad there was no poop involved this time! Thanks Heather for being so sweet about it!

"I'm a Big Boy now!"

Remember that little ditty? I think it's from some diaper/pull-ups commercial, not really sure. The origin isn't that important anyway! It's what I think of Porter when I realize how easy-breazy it's been to potty-train him this past week. He really has been a breath-of-fresh-air to me! He began it all with just two accidents the first day (wasn't really sure if this was simply luck because he wanted to sit on the potty all the time, or if he was understanding the sensation of needing to go). Actually, I'm pretty sure it was luck for the first couple of days! And don't get me wrong, I definitely had my moments of impatience and frustration and did even throw away one pair of undies (I wasn't gonna even touch that one!). One of the toughest parts of the whole thing, was not calling them panties! Because I have Kalin who is potty trained I kept catching myself saying, "now pull up your panties" or "go get some clean panties"! Poor kid wasn't quite sure what to call them! I think I even heard Alan tell Kalin to put her undies back on! Oh, the confusion! It really has been a blessing to me and I am so pleased with how grown up Porter has been with this. On the other hand, I miss my baby boy (just a bit). I feel like the whole thing gives me a calm feeling that parenting is going to be okay. As hard as it is for me, and in spite of my weakness, it is going to be okay. (Deep breath)...