40% off your entire purchase - McCoys Flooring

If anyone is in need of some cute home decor, McCoys Flooring on State Street in Orem (about 200 North) is giving 40% off your entire purchase through the end of this month. (Well all the home decor stuff, not the furniture!) I didn't think their regular prices were that bad, so with the discount there were some screaming deals. I thought I would share the good find! They also have a store located in Lehi somewhere. Thank you for telling me about this Mickey!

Jared is going crazy...

Jared quote "I know it's just a soccer ball, but this is every Dad's dream!" (Translation: He would rather a basketball, baseball or football, but he'll take it.) Jared is ecstatic that less than two weeks after Porter started walking he started dribbling the soccer ball around the house. He will kick the ball all around the house, it is so cute.

A typical College Football Saturday at our house...

Last Saturday we had the family over for some Florida State football. Porter had some R&R with daddy before the game. He then did his best to keep up with the crazy cousins. It would have probably been in his best interest to stay away from the running kids but he was a magnet. My back was a little sore by the end of the night, being bent over chasing that boy around the house.

My Great Debate

Okay people, I was going through Jared's phone and found all of these old pictures. We never put the pictures from our cell phone on to our computer obviously. Does anyone? (Mobile phone companies are excited about cell phone cameras now boasting 3.2 megapixels. Are you kidding?) Anyhow, I came across the most precious picture of Porter. And it hit me hard. You know, "BABY HUNGER!" Look how tiny and how precious. How sweet. I want one. I want another baby. NOW! So then, I am wondering what other cute pictures there are stored away on the old phone, and I come across THIS picture. Oh.....that. That happens too. Hmmm. Am I really baby hungry? Oh, so here I sit and ponder the pros and the cons. The great debate. Arrr...where is the stork when you need one? (I can't believe I am blogging about this.)

I'm Gonna Get You!!!

Go ahead and ignore the fact that I look like a complete fool in this video. I am only live proof of what a mom will do to get her kids to smile and laugh. So please, ignore me, and listen to my precious Porter's giggles. It is one of my most favorite sounds! He thinks it is quite funny when I "chase" him. He tries to run - moving his feet faster than his chubby little legs will take him, all the while laughing away. It is so cute.

First Word

Porter said his first word yesterday. And then he said it over and over and over all day long. "Mama, Mama, Ma, Mama". So cute. I'm not sure he really knows what mama means but it sure is cute. I am one proud "mama".

Fun in the Fall

Are you all excited that Fall is right around the corner? I absolutely love this (upcoming) time of year. I love the leaves changing colors, the crisp cool air, busting out winter sweaters and hoodies, wearing boots again, warm socks, and beanies. I love the Holidays, and getting to introduce all of the fun to Porter is going to be great too. Here are some of the things I am looking forward to doing during Fall:

1. Get some pumpkins at the pumpkin patch!

2. Pick apples at an orchard.

3. Make caramel apples for friends & neighbors!

4. Go on a hay ride!

5. Take family pictures with the leaves changing!

6. Make pumpkin pie - mmm, nothing like the smell of pumpkin pie to get you in the spirit!

7. Decorate my house with Fall Decorations!

What are YOUR family traditions for this time of year? Add a comment with your favorite Fall activities, we can all use fun ideas of things to do...

Cute as a button!

My baby boy is growing up. Wahhh!

When you try to teach Porter...

So although Porter has figured out how to walk he still hasn't figured out how to pull himself up. Therefore, if he is sitting on the floor he is stuck there since he doesn't pull himself up nor crawl. So the other day I decided he is strong enough to figure out how to pull himself up. I sit him in front of the couch hoping he will see that he can grab on and pull up. Does he? No, he starts banging his head into the couch and laughing. Time after time he slams his head into the couch and then looks at me and starts laughing. And then... "oh honey, that didn't feel too good, did it?" Boys! They are the same from the beginning until the end.

On the go...

Now that the child has discovered he can move it is all he wants to do. I am definitley a first time mom that cannot handle her child falling down so therefore I have to be one step behind him at all times. Yesterday while I was teaching Sharing Time in Primary, Porter was under his daddy's watchful eye and managed to fall and hit the couch in the church lobby. He had a good sized rug burn on his left cheek all day, but this morning it is almost gone. I am hoping he will master his new found skill quickly so that I do not have to worry about the falls so much. To make matters worse, my main floor is mostly wood floors and go figure he prefers to walk on the wood so he can hear the pitter patter of his feet. No cushioning there. I am a constant nervous wreck. Luckily this walker provides a bit more stability and I can let him wander more freely. (Like 2 steps behind instead of 1.) :)

More of Porter Walking

This is for Kyle!

Goooo Chargers!

Porter and Jared have matching San Diego Chargers jerseys - #21 Ladanian Tomlinson - and last week they had their pictures taken together. Father and son pictures are so cute.

Porter Started WALKING!

To our surprise, Porter started walking yesterday! We are still in shock as he hasn't showed any signs of being close and he hasn't even crawled yet! But yesterday while we were at Stake Conference I stepped out into the foyer to give Porter a break. He kept trying to grab our 2 year old neighbor, Austin's hands to walk. So I let him hold Austin's hands and held the back of his collar in case Austin let go. He did, and Porter just kept on going! When Jared came out 10 minutes later I got to say "Watch this!" He is still learning the balance thing, but he has managed to make it across an entire room multiple times. This isn't his best performance, and the video was taken with my cell phone...but you get the picture. 9 months and walking around- wow. Next step - baby proofing the house!

SCORE!

I am soooo excited right now! Porter has a blankie that he is absolutely obsessed with and I have spent MONTHS searching every store that carries the brand "Blankets & Beyond" and searching online and on ebay. I never could find anything even similar...but tonight when I jumped online to do the routine check, I was shocked to see not a similar blanket but the EXACT SAME ONE! Oh yeah. Total score purchase! Yipppee!