Tagged!

I've always filled out these type of surveys on my email and Amy tagged me, so here it goes! (Pictures of this weekend will follow soon, we've just been so busy down here!)

5 THINGS I WAS DOING 10 YEARS AGO:
1. Learning to play clarinet in Ms. Ugaki's beginning band
2. Getting settled in our new home - experienced my first move (wasn't a fan then, not a fan now!)
3. Gramma Fluckiger passed away, my namesake. I miss her.
4. Lost my first pet. Sadie passed away ten years ago ... I miss her too.
5. Started going to Young Women's

5 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST TODAY:
1. Play with Porter.
2. Kiss Kyle.
3. Sleep.
4. Eat.
5. Work.

5 SNACKS I ENJOY:
1. Peanut butter. On anything or by itself... I'm not picky.
2. Ice Cream
3. Smoothies
4. Cashews, Pecans and Almonds
5. Blackberry Yogurt

5 THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE:
1. Build my dream home. Nothing big, just cozy.
2. Stop working and stay home with my babe
3. Go on a fabulous cruise to New Zealand and Australia ... and Italy... and Hawaii ...
4. Use my nursing background to go on medical service missions throughout the world. Maybe even start up my own service (...hmmm... things to think about).
5. Indulge myself with a Nikon D300. Or, if I was a billionaire, I suppose I could go for the D3 (being a billionaire sounds nice...)

5 OF MY BAD HABITS:
1. I think most of the people that I take care of on a daily basis just want drugs from me (I really shouldn't be as cynical as I am).
2. I chew my nails when I drive. Actually, it's just one nail, my right thumb (I don't know why)
3. I'm not as tidy as I wish I was, but I'm working on it.
4. I try really hard not to, but sometimes I read ahead in books to find out if I really want to keep reading.
5. I complain about people who drive while talking on their cell phones, and yet I do it too sometimes.

5 THINGS I WILL NEVER WEAR AGAIN:
1. Those shirt loops from the 80's that you pull the bottom of your shirt through to cinch it up!
2. Multiple colored socks at the same time
3. Sandals with socks (I know, I know)
4. Leotards
5. Dresses made from sheets (it was my favorite dress Kari... but not again)

3 PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Utah

5 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1. Waitress/Cook at Wallaby's
2. Data Entry Tech
3. LPN at Primary Children's
4. Temp at Old Navy
5. RN in the ER

5 THINGS PEOPLE PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME:
1. I can't sit on public toilets. I just can't, it's disgusting. I can only sit on my toilet at home and at family members homes. If I must use a public toilet, I hover.
2. I have rock-hard thighs (see #1)
3. I'm a dang good stick. I don't like to brag about many things, but I'm great when it comes to starting IV's.
4. I was actually called "Stick" in junior high and high school. (Perhaps it was a foreshadowing of my future as a nurse with killer IV skills.) If you visit Amy's blog, that's the name she used to tag me with.
5. When I get stressed out, I change my hair. I cut it or I color it and I do it on an impulse. It's usually a big change and I usually decide later that it was a bad idea. This is the reason that I will soon be going back to blonde.

I tag Kari, Heather, Angie, Jill and Kimbrey.

The Many Faces of Porter (in one feeding)

Porter is now 9 months old and he is just so darling. He is comical and happy, smiles constantly and laughs always.
He sleeps for 10 hours at night (such a good little sleeper).
He has two teeth, the third is peeking through and a fourth is on its way.
He crawls so fast, and one of the cutest things is to watch his little backside wiggle when he really gets moving.
He loves his baths and will make a bee-line for the tub when he hears the water running.
Loves, and I mean loves my cell phone.
He hoards his pacifiers like they are going out of style.
And he eats just about everything.
Porter is so expressive all the time, and I thought that on this, his nine month birthday, that I would share with you all the different faces that I got during lunch today.

This is the "Aren't I handsome?" face. One of his mom's favorites.
This is Porter's first taste of thick green beans. If you can't tell, he doesn't like it. I have never seen this look before on his face, he's usually willing to shove anything into his mouth. The hand didn't stop shaking for a good minute while he tried to force the beans down. I tried to catch a shot when he opened his mouth and tried to scrape the beans off his tongue with his finger, but I was laughing too much.

This is the "Good luck with trying to feed me more of those" face. (just so you know, he opened willingly every time I gave them to him, but I got both of these faces immediately after.)This is Porter in the middle of a full on belly laugh. I gave him a bite of food he likes and made some noises to make him laugh, and laugh he did.And this is his mischievous look. This is the look that reminds me that behind that sweet little face that you saw at the beginning of this post hides a little Calvin.

I can't believe it's already been 9 months. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little boy.

This little boy has his parents wrapped around his little fingers ... and toes.

I have to thank Carri for her comment on the previous post that gave the inspiration for this heading! I had started this post, but didn't have a good title. So, thank you Carri!

There aren't many things cuter than a baby in a white onesie (if you ask me).

devious little sucker

I walked in to pick Porter up in the morning. He was in the middle of his morning monologue, his sucker appropriately in place. He looked at me with his obvious smile behind the pacifier. I picked him up and popped the sucker out of his mouth (I haven't tried to get rid of them yet, but I am trying to cut back to using them just at bedtime). I took the pacifier and placed it in his crib so I would know where it was later that night. I quickly turned my head saying "Boo" in an attempt to make Porter laugh. He did laugh, but something was wrong. He was laughing behind another pacifier!
I laughed, grabbed it, he giggled, and I placed the second sucker on the dresser.
As I turned to face Porter again he had slipped yet another pacifier in his mouth, and had now broken into a complete belly laugh. I pulled this pacifier out too, and Porter couldn't have cared less. He was dying laughing, and I was struggling not to fall on the floor laughing with him.
This kid sure has a sense of humor.

viscous cycle

I love the toothy smiles Porter has now. Aren't those two of the cutest little teeth you have ever seen? (Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, but they are still pretty darn cute!) The two top teeth are still trying desperately to join the smile, but to no avail. We are back to being drowned in saliva daily. If you look closely you can see the drool running off his chin, and his p.j.'s are soaked. He has suffered for the past two weeks trying to break the teeth through. His gums are just so swollen, red and sore; but you would never know it from looking at this kid. The smiles keep on coming. We can't wait for a third tooth to finally join the mix.

Porter is fighting a nasty cold, cough and congestion. I had no idea how much snot could be produced by such a small little human being. If you don't know, I should tell you... they can produce bucket loads.

by the minute.

every minute.

every second.

of every day.

you wipe his nose, turn around to throw away the tissue, and the snot is back.

it's never-ending.

it's a never-ending cycle of snot.

it's a vicious cycle.

a viscous cycle.

a vicious viscous cycle.

okay, I admit that I'm sick too.

no sleep plus lots of snot and congestion makes "viscous cycle" much funnier than I'm sure it really is.

i'm going to bed.

my boys...

I think it's quite possible that Kyle likes Porter just a little bit.

34 Years

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! This is my favorite picture of my Mom and Dad, who today have been married for 34 years.

I have thought for the past several days about what I could say about my parents having been married for 34 years. I wanted to be eloquent and say something very profound, but unfortunately I don't have that ability, so I guess I'll just say what comes to mind.

I have been very fortunate to have parents who have held it out through thick and thin. In this day and age, my marriage of 4 years is quite a feat, much less that of 34.

I never remember my mom or dad saying a negative word about the one another, and I know I never will. In fact, right before I got married, Dad pulled me aside and told me that that is the secret to a happy marriage. Speak only kindly about your spouse. I have to say that he was spot on with that piece of advice.

I am grateful to have been taught through their words, and more importantly through their actions, how a marriage should work. And, I am grateful to have the example there for me and my marriage.

I just want to thank you both for your example, and for raising us girls in a household with two parents who loved us and each other so very much. I am so proud to come from such a happy and loving home with parents who care about each other and their children more than themselves.

Thank you and Happy Anniversary,

Chelle

This kid could get to the moon...

While I was sleeping after my night shift, Kyle snapped some shots of Porter doing... well... this.

This is where our step stool started out the day. The steps are facing the trashcan which normally stops Porter from climbing them.

As you can see, Porter pushed the step stool across the floor of the kitchen, and turned it around (not quite sure how). Then he proceeded to climb up. Such a cute little guy isn't he? Who would think he could cause so much mischeif?
I'm sure the moon isn't far off.

Ever useful little suckers...

I, like my sister-in-law Jill, do not like pacifiers on little children past a certain age (that age has not quite been determined, but I do know that Porter isn't at it yet). It really bothers me when I see toddlers running around with pacifiers in their mouths, and I know that very soon it will come time to part from the ever useful sucker (as we prefer to call them in our house).

This, I believe, is going to be the thing I miss most however about the pacifiers; I can put the sucker in his mouth and nothing else will make it past.

For example, Porter loves to play in the dirt in our backyard. He also loves to eat the dirt that's in our backyard (and leaves, and sticks and rocks, and well ... you get the idea). His mother however, does not like him eating such things, and as a result has started using the sucker as a way to prevent the not so edible things from entering Porter's mouth. This is Porter, helping Daddy garden, and look at that face. I don't even want to tell you the things that were shoved in there prior to taking this picture, but I will tell you that I have seen things go in that I would not allow on the bottom of my shoe.

But, now with our handy-dandy pacifier, Porter can play with dirt and leaves, none of which touch his lips! Mommy isn't so overbearing when it's in place and she will allow Porter to get as messy as he wants!He can play with his favorite tool, the trowel and never get the dirty thing in his mouth. (The trowel is his favorite, do to the smiling boy that looks back at him while he plays with it! He giggles when the little boy smiles at him, it's really cute.)But soon, it will have to go. It doesn't do any good anymore at keeping him quiet when he shouldn't be loud (ie. church). He actually can babble ... very loudly ... with it in his mouth. It still helps him settle down for bed, but he's pretty good at just going down when he's tired anyway. I know that the time is coming quickly, but I will be a little sad to see it go.