Porter's 4th Birthday

Every Sunday we go to my parents house for dinner and when someone has a birthday

we have birthday cake for dessert. Porter was so excited to have cake with his cousins and couldn't wait for them to sing happy birthday to him.

Porter was lying awake inbetween Sam and I yesterday morning and when I woke up I told him Happy Birthday! He looked at me and asked "Am I four now?"

Porter has been asking for the longest time for the new cereal straws and I thought that would be the perfect birthday breakfast treat for him. He loved them!

Next on the birthday agenda was a trip to Disneyland with our friends the Smiths .

We went to city hall where Porter got to talk to Goofy on the phone and told Porter

Happy Birthday. Porter got a cool birthday pin so everyone could tell that it was his big day!!!

We had so much fun and at the end of It's A Small World Porter said

"Mom, this is So Awesome!"

Grandma Sherri even came to Disneyland for a little while

so she could wish Porter a Happy Birthday too!

Porter and Gracie were knocking on the door at the Haunted Mansion and saying

"Trick-or-Treat" and sat together on Pirates of the Carribean.

Porter and Wyatt sat together on Pirates as well and there was no way I could pull their attention away from everything that was around long enough to get a good picture but from this one you can kinda tell how intense their focus was on the ride. Sam said that when they were walking off the ride he said, "Dad, that ride was SO SO SO Awesome!"

All in all I would have to say that Porter had a wonderful birthday. We went to dinner

after we left the park and when the waiter came out with his ice cream treat

this was how he found the birthday boy!

(Carter couldn't have been happier eating his dessert for him).

5 Things Most People Don't Know About Me???

Yes, I have been tagged. If you don't know this already I pretty much tell people my whole life story the first time I meet them so this makes for a very hard task. Here goes...

1) Just before Sam and I started dating, I was planning to change careers and become a stewardess.

2) My mom taught me how to play the harp and performed in the Palos Verdes Elemetary Honor Orchestra and also performed with my mom for a ward Christmas party. I had my own harp and everything. I sold it to someone in our stake and the first time she played in church I started crying because I regretted that I sold it in the first place. (Sam says that someday he'll buy me a harp and I can learn to play again.)

3) While most kids were watching cartoons during the summer, I was hooked on my soaps--All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital. I know it is so sad but honestly was the only way I survived summers at my mom's house. Kinda strange 'cause now that I am a stay at home mom, I don't really watch Daytime Soaps.

4) I am very easily intimidated by people. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense because I would also say that I am pretty outgoing but if someone seems unapproachable or even a little bit on the abrasive side, I get super nervous and just try to avoid them. There have been a few people like this in my previous jobs and I would make sure to stay far, far, out of their way so as not to set them off.

5) Sam has told me that it isn't wrong to aspire to hold certain callings in the church so I hope it isn't bad to say that someday I would love to be a seminary teacher. It is definately something I would need to be more prepared for than I am now but as a youth I really enjoyed seminary because I had great teachers who made me want to be there to hear their lessons and learn more about the gospel and to just have a good start to my day. One year I even went to zero period seminary and then at the regular early morning seminary. Kinda strange--I know.

No pressure, but if anyone who reads this would like to share some things about themselves, I would love to read it.

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

I have been dreading my 30th birthday for probably the last 6 months but it has now come and gone and so far, it's really not so bad. =) Sam planned a great day with our family and friends at Tom's Farm and I couldn't have a had a better time. My birthdays are always the best because everyone I love usually can be there to celebrate with me (the plus side to being born on a holiday). Now that I think about it, as long as I get to have birthdays as wonderful as the ones I usually do, well--bring'em on!!!!

Thanks to everyone for all the "Happy Birthdays", thanks to all for being there on Monday, and thank you Sam for making my birthday so special--it was a birthday wish come true.



Sam and his mom...



All the kids with their balloon animals & swords (thanks Leslie for keeping an eye on the boys)...


Dad, me, Charla, Deana, and Dru ( I love my family)...


Thanks to the Smith's for coming...


...and did I mention how much I love my family???

Haircuts Again! Already???

Honestly, I am so thankful that I married someone who can cut hair because our boys need a haircut like every other month, which can easily cost $30 for the two of them at "Stew's". We don't have that kind of money so maybe we'll invest in a really cool train set up and lots and lots of suckers and we'll just keep sending them to "Sam's"

(conveniently located in our master bathroom).

Carter is trying to spit the hair out of his mouth. (Sam never said he was a professional.)


I know they look like they are in a lot of pain, but I swear Sam didn't harm a single hair on their heads. =)


Mom with her handsome sons! I just love those clean-cut boys!!!

Our Trick-or Treatin' Cowboys

Cowboy Porter and Cowboy Carter, dressed up and rearin' to go trick-or-treating!

I may be biased but that right thar is the cutest 2 year old cowboy in the west!

When taking pictures, Porter striked this pose- He's all business!

Carter couldn't wait to get those chaps off! But, he still kept the boots on.




Porter and Carter were so excited to be lots of things this year for Halloween but when I suggested that they be cowboys there were no other options. They both have popping cork guns from Knotts Berry Farm that they play with all the time and it only made sense that they finally have the get-ups to complete the image.


I think they done pretty good, dressin' up as them thar cowboys!

Halloween With Ms. Michelle

Porter was so excited for his Preschool Halloween Program! (Check out that little snarl)

The kids paraded around Ms. Michelle's kitchen...

They scared us when trying to act like scary monsters...

They sang lots of scary songs (including the Itsy, Bitsy, Spider)...

And they just looked oh so cute! (Cowboy Porter with his sidekick cousin Buzz Lightyear Kyle)