The Many Hats of Porter

Did I mention Porter likes hats? Or rather, is obsessed with hats? Well, here are some more:

This second one is his favorite. We call him the bowler hat guy. He will not go anywhere without this hat. It is a battle to get him to leave it in the car for church. He loves to put it on and grab a bag and tell me he is going to his office. From his many observations of papa, working in your office just means scribbling on pieces of paper and making stacks of papers. Cracks me up!
I LOVE this little boy, his cheesy smile, the way he loves to sing and dance all the time (today at Target someone's phone rang with music and he requested that the music continue so he could dance), they way he feels the need to say a prayer and bless everything he puts in his mouth, the way he asks questions about EVERYTHING, they way he cuddles me and worries if I tell him I'm not feeling well, and even his OCD about his shoes getting dirty if he walks on the ground. He keeps me laughing all the time and I feel so blessed to be his mother.
It has been a rough two days for this little boy. Although he has been off the bottle for a year, he has substituted his sippy cup in its place more comfort than anything and we finally decided it was time to quit cold turkey because he had grown far too attached for my sanity. His special sippy cup was basically a glorified bottle and he refused to use anything else. Needless to say, many tears have been shed and we have been keeping pretty busy to provide distraction. But I think the hardest part is over.
I wish I had a picture, I just checked on him sleeping and Miko (because she was naughty today and ate a pork chop I was going to use for dinner off the counter) is sleeping in his room on his bed laying on his lap. Porter is thrilled and Miko has decided this is the safest place for her to be tonight so I don't kill her.

Terrible Terrible Two's!

Ok, first let me say I love my little boy to death, but wow it has been a rough week with this child. He colored on the wall the other day with green crayon (yes it came right off, but that isn't the point) When Tom told him that we only color on paper, he informed Tom that he didn't have any paper. We've got ourselves a smart mouth! Yesterday I was on the phone with my dad when I heard Porter yelling for help because he was stuck. Don't worry, he had gone in the bathroom, put up the toilet seat and sat down clothes and all. His little bum had sunk down into the water and he was indeed stuck! He is really good at hiding things lately and loves to shove things in any sort of hole he can. Luckily so far we have managed to keep hold of our keys and phones. The hardest part is, I can't help but want to laugh and cry at the same time when I catch him doing naughty things. And to think, we are having another boy!! Dun Dun Dun. . .

Mini Carl

Anyone who truly knows my father, knows how much he loves UGLY hats. Well, Porter has whole-heartedly embraced this love and tries out a new one almost everytime we visit. I guess it is appropriate since papa is his favorite person in the entire world and if he had it his way he would get to play with him all day everyday. When it is time for us to leave our house he will stack as many hats on his head as will stay just so he can bring all of them along. I do have to say I have been pretty blessed with this child as he is pretty self-entertained and does give me some time to just sit and rest as we wait for this next little boy! (and let my mind panic about the trouble these two will most surely get into!)

Inevitable

I am grateful to have the understanding of this gospel and know that death isn't the end, but I have always had difficulty with the inevitability of death. Sister Kirksel Pugh, my neighbor since I was 8 years old, passed away this morning at the age of 98. We knew this day had been coming for a long time, but I don't even think the certainty of death makes it any easier. Growing up, she and her husband had a profound impact on my life. They had been married for 72 years and somehow grew to love each other more everyday. I can't imagine the loneliness one feels when that is taken away. They were the prime examples of love, charity, kindness, faith, and enduring to the end. Their only child was taken from them at the age of 21 so they had always been a grandparent figure in our lives. As a child, and even now, I believe they are as close to what our Heavenly Parents are like as anyone living on this earth could be. It brings me to tears every time I think of them and President Pugh fianlly having to be separated from her. Talk about a love that endures as he has taken care of his ailing wife for the past couple of years. I have many fond memories of them and feel blessed to have known them and been able to witness their example. My dear dad is taking this one pretty hard I think because he has been serving them for the past couple of years and has grown extremely close: picking them up for church, fixing their cable tv constantly, delivering their yearly apple crate gifts, taking out their garbage cans and just looking out for their overall well being. He helped carry her body out of the room after she had passed and spent much of the morning with them. It has been a wonderful testimony strengthener to me to watch him lovingly, quietly and faithfully serve but I will publically boast about what a great man his is and what a wonderful example he has been.
Not to cheapen the tone of this post, but going along with the title, the last English ferret passed away today as well.
For those that are stumbling across my blog, Sister Pugh's funeral will on Monday at 12:00 am at 5450 S. Holladay Blvd.