This...

is another good thing about our move. We have a community clubhouse and pool that we get to attend. Isn't it beautiful? I have found that the best way to tolerate the scorching heat is to relax in a nice pool.
There's also a kiddie pool that doesn't get deeper than 2 feet that's perfect for the little guys.
Porter was fascinated with the drain, while Bridger just enjoyed kicking back and relaxing in his inner-tube.
There's also a gym and tennis courts... and I may have to take up the kickboxing class that's offered everyday of the week...
yeah, I think it's been a good move.

a place for everything...

I love to cook and one of the only things that I wasn't over-the-moon about with our old home was the size of the kitchen. It was tiny and difficult to pack everything into.

But now, with our new kitchen, I have a whole new problem. I don't have anything to put in those cabinets on the bottom left...

good things about moving

One of the best things about our new home is that it is in very close proximity to this sweet family. In fact we now live in the same city.

Monday night, Jill and Kenny asked us to come over for dinner and we were happy to oblige (and it only took 6 minutes to get there... Kyle timed it).
After a wonderful meal we headed over here.The splash pad.

Prior to Monday night, Porter would just run around it. But that changed after Monday night.

He loved it. He ran through the water, stood around in the water, drank the water, and did every other possible thing he could think of with the water. If we hadn't of gone when it was already getting dark, I don't know how we would have got him home.In fact, if we had left it up to Porter maybe we would have moved right to the splash pad.

Thanks guys, it was a fun evening, one we'll have to repeat over and over.

Next time, dinner's on us.

moving on... and a little south

Ever since my two car accidents, I haven't been the same.
I don't drive well in any kind of weather that involves wetness in any way... snow, rain, hail, slush, spit, etc.

So, me driving in anything less than a bright sunny day ends up the same way.

Me crying and shaking all the way to or from work while singing, "Press Forward Saints" at the top of my lungs and praying that I will make it home to see my babies again. (I've done it without the singing once, but all too quickly I found that if I don't sing, I forget to breathe and come very close to passing out. Apparently I do the opposite of hyperventilating when I panic. Oh, and I don't know why it's always "Press Forward Saints" but it always is.) Then it takes about another hour at work for me to calm down and the shaking to subside. It's not good. I think I may actually understand what a phobia really is. I have a phobia of driving in any kind of weather that is less than perfect. Is there a term for that?

Anyhow, then I started thinking, if the summer storms were scaring me that badly... how was I going to do with the winter storms. The 45 minutes of pure terror wasn't going to be worth it. So, I came up with the only solution that made sense. Then Kyle explained the numerous reasons as to why I shouldn't try to get my driver's license permanently revoked and walk everywhere for the rest of my life, and I was back to square one.

But one thing was for sure.

me + no daily drive in emotional turmoil = happy me.

So, we came up with a plan... a brilliant plan.
We would move.
And we did.
This past week.
So, I'm in my new house and I'm 35 minutes closer to work.

Our new home is great. There are things that we will and do miss about our old home, in fact it makes me cry thinking that we left the house where we made so many memories. Porter learned to crawl, walk and talk in that home. Bridger was born while we were living there. It's a house I won't forget. I love our old little home.
But, the new home is great too, and I'm excited for the memories we get to make here. Not to mention the fact that I don't have to make such a scary drive this winter.

I have so much to post and so many pictures to edit (and so many clothes to fold and boxes to unpack and so on and so forth). But, for now I will leave you with pictures of our first night here.

Porter and Bridger love that we have carpet. Porter rolled around on it for about the first hour that we were here. And Bridger sure appreciates having something softer to land on while he's working on his balance.
It's gonna be good. I can tell.

I'm grateful for a caring and loving husband who understands my needs and my fears and takes action.

He's a good man that I married.

Thanks sweets.

things best not forgotten

Porter has always been overflowing with personality. He makes me smile and laugh and about a thousand other great things that I want to remember. Over the past several weeks he's been starting to talk more and more and he is starting to make little jokes. I shouldn't say that he's starting to make jokes... he started doing that a long time ago... remember this.
But he's too cute and funny that I don't want to forget all the cute little things that he does on a day to day basis that make me smile... so here it goes.

We always read and sing songs before going to bed. The other night while I was singing a beautiful rendition of "I'm trying to be like Jesus" Porter rolled over and pretended to snore...

Porter loves a photograph that I keep on the entertainment center of me and Kyle. He grabs it all the time and points back and forth to "Mom" and "Da-eee". The other day he grabbed it and put a piece of paper over my face. He quickly slid the piece of paper over Kyle's face and shouted "Boo!"at my picture, then slid the paper back over my face and shouted "Boo" at Kyle. This lead into a rapid game of peekaboo with our faces as he slid the paper back and forth.

There are 2 megaphone looking structures at our park where if you yell into one, you can listen from the other end at opposite sides of the park (know what I'm talking about?) Well, Porter loves them... the other day we caught him yelling "hello" into the exhaust pipe of the 4 runner (don't worry, it wasn't running).

Porter feels that if there is a door that is open, it is his job to close it. And, you have to ask so very nicely to come into a room where he has closed the door. Kyle tried to enter the bathroom today and Porter shouted, "No, no, no, staid no" (When I tell him no, I usually say, "No, no, no. I said no.")

Porter was in nursery (doesn't really like us leaving him there yet), and he grabbed a basket and headed around the room throwing various toys inside. He had gathered quite a collection when he saw something that caught his eye from across the room. He dropped his basket to go get it and another little boy picked up his basket. As Porter returned to drop his prize possession in the basket he realized it was taken. He then chased the other little boy around the nursery yelling "Put tat down! Put tat down!" for a good ten minutes. He had Brother Estes (whose little boy was the one being chased) rolling on the floor.

He took my SD card the other day and we searched all over for it. We figured it was gone and we would find it when we moved.
A couple days later he brought me a piggy bank (he loves to dump out all the coins and put them back in) and my SD card was inside.
The SD card is gone yet again... and therefore I have no picture to post of this sweet boy.
So, in the meantime, just imagine the cutest little red-head you've ever seen.

you have to learn to be flexible

Bridger takes a pacifier well, and if it's not available he will suck on his thumb. No matter what it is, he normally finds something to suck on to help him fall asleep.

But what should he to do (one might ask) when he's too tired to reach for the pacifier and too exhausted to lift his thumb up to his mouth...no worries... he'll improvise.

Apparently when Kyle snapped the picture, Briggs was still sucking away in his sleep.
What a sweetie.

our evening entertainment

So, Porter found our hose. The one with the spray handle on it.

This boy is resourceful. When ones hands are to little to operate such a handle, what does one do to get the hose to function?

Bang the handle on the concrete, of course.
This did end up with the boy getting sprayed in the face, but he didn't seem to mind. He found the whole thing pretty hysterical.
He was so excited about it, shouting "Wow, Wow, Wow!!" over and over again.
Oh, and he had to take a drink from the hose whenever it would stop spraying. He'd say, "munum-unum-unum-unum-unum-unum-ma" (yummy yummy) after every drink.
And then he'd get back down to business... fake laugh and all. He's figured out how to force a laugh... it's pretty funny, and pretty cute.
All in all I think he spent about a solid hour playing with the hose. It provided quite the entertainment... I don't know who enjoyed it more.

somebody LOVES watered down oatmeal cereal...