This is my new favorite look.

He just loves to suck on his bottom lip.

Long time, no post.

Sorry that it's been so long. I'm sure you are all just dying to see pictures and read about our sweet little life. But that's just it, we haven't been in home in a while. For President's day weekend we headed on over to visit Gramma and Grampa C's. We went hiking, played games, ate really good cookies and visited with Kimbrey, Daniel and Chase as well. It was such a nice, relaxing weekend and we were so sad to have to leave on Tuesday.
Porter's weekend was a total success, so many new things happening in just 5 days! Times were a bit rough though as there's a nice little tooth that's starting to pop through. Porter also started crawling on his hands and knees at Gramma C's and now is so confused about which way is best, the army crawl or on his hands and knees.

Porter also started to pull himself up on things and walk around them (I tell you what, it was a big weekend for Porter!)

Last week on the phone, Angie and I discussed her blog about 27 things in 2007. I decided I had better come up with a list (don't worry, I'm still trying to come up with 23 things (my age) that I did last year... it will be posted soon.) But, since it has been so difficult coming up with just 23 things, I decided that I had better start getting out and experiencing life. Angie and I also discussed this and decided that the best way to do this would be to come up with a our own bucket-lists. If we had a list of things that we needed to get done, then we should be able to complete some each year and have something bigger than "ate a lot of ice-cream" on the 24 things I did in 2008 list!

Although my bucketlist is far from over, there was one that I put on it that I was able to get a head start on this weekend and that is to climb/hike/drive to 50 arches in Utah. I thought that I had already been to quite a few and that this goal would be close to finished. Sadly I was incorrect, and when we found a map to Arches National Park and I started counting the arches that I've been to I could only count 4. All those trips to Moab and I have only been to 4. I decided I'd better get going, and I'm proud to say that I did.

We first headed to Double Arch, which quickly became a favorite of mine and Kimbrey's. Double Arch is breathtaking.

Thanks for the shot Carri. I love that we're silhouetted in the arch!

We then headed to the Windows, Turret Arch, Tapestry Arch and the last stop of the day was Broken Arch. Sadly, due to the cold and the wind and night setting in, I didn't even get the "broken" part of Broken Arch in the picture, but I promise you it was there.

We took a break from hiking on Sunday, but came back for more on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Kyle drove me and Porter out to Gemini Bridges which is a gorgeous site, but also a little frightening for those of us frightened of heights (ie. me).

For those of you who haven't been to Gemini bridges, this is actually two arches as there is a large crack dividing it into two. You can see the front of the landcruiser in this picture, giving you a sense of how enormous this hole is and how big of a drop off there is. We got out and hiked to the enormous hole in the ground, which terrified me. Then hiked around the rim of the canyon to get this photo in front of it. This valley is breathtaking. On Tuesday, Kyle, Porter, Carri and I took off to Tower Arch. I have to say it's one of the prettiest hikes that I think I have ever taken. The arch was beautiful, and enormous (I don't think that the picture with all of us in front of it quite does the size of it justice.) The hike was longer than Delicate, but it was so beautiful.So in this weekend I tripled the amount of arches I have been to, bringing the count up to 12. (I figure that if I get desperate, Double, Double O and Gemini Bridges can all count as two bringing the count to 15!)

Thanks for the great weekend Dave and Carri, we love coming to visit! We always have so much fun. We can't wait to come again!

Oh, yeah. Porter also had his first piano lesson. What can I say? Child prodigy right here.

It's red...and brown...and some more red.

But I think Porter likes it. I don't know if I can handle it. I might need to see Raylene in a couple of weeks to see what to do about it!

So, Jill and I went a little crazy last night.

Kyle, Porter and I headed to St. George yesterday for "Valentine's Day" (I know that it isn't technically until tomorrow, but you've got to improvise when you're a nurse and you have to work the night shift on Valentine's)

Kyle and I have a tradition that we got to Outback Steakhouse and enjoy a beautiful meal and go shopping afterwards. This is the fourth year in a row and we didn't want to buck tradition just because I work (is "buck" the right word there?)

We enjoyed a meal full of entertainment from our darling little one who didn't get the idea that he wasn't getting part of my prime rib, or any of Kyle's porterhouse (is that why Kyle wanted the name Porter, to have his son named after a steak... it's all becoming clear now...)



Afterwards we stopped at Jill and Kenny's house to visit with them and with Aiden.

The boys wanted to play guitar hero.

Jill and I thought that sounded boring.

We went to Walmart and made a couple of purchases.

This is what we bought.

The results are... needless to say... drastic.



Anyone want to venture a guess as to what Jill and I look like now?

For some reason...

Porter likes to crawl under the exer-saucer than be sitting in it. This is just one example.

If he's not teething...

Kyle was changing Porter's diaper and when I walked into the room talking. Porter practically pulled a muscle trying to get me in his view. He craned his neck as far back as possible, and this was the view that I got.

I started feeling so special. And then he got distracted. There was something to chew.

He will do anything to get something to chew on. By arching his back he can get his little gums around the bars of his changing table and suck on them. If he's not teething, and this is just part of his normal routine, my furniture is going to be in serious trouble for years to come.

He's such a darling little kid. There's always a smile, ready for anything. You can see it in his eyes. I love every second with Porter. I find myself giddy in the morning when I wake up to hear him talking to himself in the next room. I know that I get to play with him now. However, if I walk in on him during his morning monalogue, I get a look from him as if he's saying, "I didn't call for you yet." And that look is quickly followed by an "I'm teasing" smile and grin with a little chuckle at the end.

I just can't get enough of him.

Ian makes six.

Over the past year our family has now doubled in its number of grandchildren! The latest being Ian Michael. We are so excited to have this adorable little one in our family (and we all can't wait to meet him!) Ian was born (correct me if I'm wrong Kari) on January 25th, weighing 5 pounds 11 ounces, measuring 19 inches long and was named just last night!

Kari announced that he was here on her blog yesterday. Take a look at him, isn't he just darling?

And, if you want to know how it was announced, please read her previous two blogs. None of us (except for mom and dad) knew that he was coming, so we found out yesterday morning that there was a baby here! Then it was a long day of waiting to see what he looked like, and the long awaited post of giving us his name.

We are so excited for you Kari, Craig, Jack, and Abbie.

And to you, little Ian, welcome to the family.

Meanwhile, at the our house...

This past week all three of us have been sick. Kyle is getting over his cold, but Porter and I are just at the peak of ours. Yet somehow, with Porter's stuffy nose, sneezing and his slightly upset stomach, there is no keeping him down.
Today, Porter noticed a book sitting on the opposite side of this basket. I'm not sure how he saw it, but he did. (You can see the corner of said book at the edge of the basket.) Porter decided it would be easiest to get to by going over the basket rather than around. So, he pulled himself up and proceeded to climb across the basket. (Yes, apparently he can pull himself up now. Something I didn't know about until this morning.)
It was at this point that he was swinging his legs so frantically that I put down the camera and went to make sure he wouldn't face plant on the other side. But Porter didn't face plant. In fact he grabbed the book and the rag sitting on the floor and put them back in the basket and turned to flash me a smile.

Then he got distracted by the blue penguin he knocked on the floor and took off towards that.You can't keep this kid down.