Jumping in with Both Feet

Well, here we go jumping in with both feet. We bought a business franchise called Mr. Sandless that does wood floor refinishing. Tom, Justin, and Trent went to training last week in Pennsylvania and we are getting ready to open our doors. It's a really cool process that refinishes wood floors without causing all the mess from regular sanding. I won't bore with the statistics, but it is pretty cool so if you are at all interested, check it out. But here we go, wish us luck!

"Sunny Papa"

Amazing how time flies and how hard it is to get back to blogging. Last week Tom was out of town for the entire week so Porter and I were left to entertain ourselves. My parents had pity on us and took us out to dinner on Friday night. He was being very naughty so my dad threatened that he wouldn't take Porter to see the chickens and bunnies if he didn't behave. Porter stopped for a second and turned to my mom and asked her if she would take him. She gave him the same reply. He looked down with his chin quivering ready to cry and then stopped. He looked up with a smile and said, "Sunny Papa!" and started to laugh. Translation: Funny Papa, I know you could never say no to me. (And he's right!) A side note, Porter doesn't pronounce his F's and replaces them with S's. Does anyone else think that is an odd speech impediment?

The Prize Doesn't Always Go to the Most Deserving

Call me sentimental, my hormones are out of control and everything makes me cry. Oh the joys of pregnancy! This one really hit me!The Prize Doesn't Always Go to the Most Deserving

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises... During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected.
Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This story was sent to me in memory of the six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated!

Now, more than ever, with Iraq , Iran , and others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it's imperative to make sure the world never forgets, because there are others who would like to do it again.

These Little Wonders. . .

Forgive me for being sentimental, blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but this is what I have been thinking about lately. My mom has been talking to me about the lesson she is writing for Sunday about hope. We found this quote President Hinckley shared (not his own) in one of his talks:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just ordinary people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise…Life is life an old-time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke , dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

Porter loves to watch this very odd but strangely hilarious movie in my mom's car called "Meet the Robinsons". There is a Rob Thomas song at the end that goes like this:
"let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder don't you know, the hardest part is over let it in, let your clarity define you in the end we will only just remember how it feels, our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate, time falls away, but these small hours still remain. "
Last night, as I was sitting on my bed feeling completely naucious watching Tom and Porter play on the floor, I found myself coming back to these thoughts. (sorry for the lack of pictures, Tom seems to always manage to have the cutest moments with Porter in his garments) Porter was beside himself with happiness finally getting to spend time with his daddy that he literally never sees. Life is hard and there are tons of things that you don't think you can make it through. (not really referring to my present situation because I have nothing to complain about) But it appears that for everyone, when it rains, it pours! I am grateful for those moments that may seem small and insignificant but that make life worth living. And I hope I never forget those moments.Can anyone say Grandpa Neil?

And baby makes four!

In case you haven't heard (or if you aren't friends with Trent on facebook and missed his little announcement last week as his status) I am expecting! I am almost 10 weeks along. Hoping it's a girl because I have been 100x's more sick this time around. But, here we go!!

Growing Fast

My little boy is growing up so fast!! This is all for my own memory's sake. He is a crack up lately. He loves to bounce like Tigger (although as Justin points out, he doesn't understand that to actually jump, both feet have to leave the ground, so instead he does this goofy squatty to tip toe thing). He parrots everything I or anyone else says. The other day I said, "Oh my gosh Porter, you got poop everywhere!" And I heard that sentence repeated about 20 times that day. Porter is on this new mean kick. He likes to tell people they are being mean. I have no idea where that came from! My mom has a DVD player in her car and he loves riding in there to watch shows. The other night they took him to dinner with them while Tom and I celebrated our anniversary. As soon as they turned on the movie, he just kept saying, "Coming Soon." Perhaps he has been watching movies to much? The other morning Tom brought Porter in to cuddle with me while he got ready for work. Porter climbed into bed kissed me on the forhead, said, "Love you Mama" and snuggled in next to me. And the final reason why Porter seems to be growing up too fast is because the time seems to be now for the dreaded. . . POTTY TRAINING! From my research, he has all the signs of being ready and that combined with the leaking through his diaper three times a day mean I should probably start. Wish me luck. Any of you who have little boys you have potty trained, I welcome the advice.
On another note, I realize oftentimes in my life things are not the way they seem. And I often assume things about people or their situations that may or may not be true. My goal for now is to try to catch myself before thought like that go through my head. I don't know peoples personal situations/struggles/etc. and I have not right to judge how good or bad their lives are. That is my personal goal for now.

4 YEARS

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! Crazy how time flies, although as most people point out for us it seems like it has been even longer! The older I get and the longer we are married, the more I realize that Tom is the only person that could have married me. He knows how to handle me and my moods, when I need my space, how to make me laugh, and what to do when I'm at my wits end. (not to mention when to put me in my place) We just got back from our trip with Lake Powell and it reminded me why I love him. Tom has a way with people. He is the one that can make everyone feel comfortable in a group and knows how to make everyone laugh. A day doesn't go by that someone tells me how great he is. One of Tom's philosophies in life is to make yourself indispensable. That way you will always be included. Case in point: Lake Powell. Tom is the best boat driver, can grill with the best of them, is a good teacher for the newbies, knows a lot about a lot of things, is willing to work hard, and this trip he even helped Alan sew some new screens for the boat (yes I said sew). When he is that helpful, it is hard not to like him. Sometimes I admit, I'm jealous that he is so likable. My Young Women love him, my family prefers him over me most days, he is Porter's number one, and I could go on. I'm lucky to be married to such an awesome, positive, happy, knowledgeable, funny, hard working, loving father and husband. I apologize for the cheese, but this is my journal.
Oh, P.S. Porter didn't join us in Lake Powell, we left him with my Aunt Jenny for the week. He loved it! Apparently I am missing something. To Jenny, Porter was a dream. He slept 12 hours a night and took huge naps during the day, he taught her boys how to softly defend themselves against the new puppy, and he even drank less juice! He seems to have grown up in those five days because since we have picked him up he is eating better and talking way more than before.
On another Porter note, it is scary how predictable I am. Porter is very well acquainted with my habits and actions. When we grab Cafe Rio takeout, he spots the bag and immediately knows there is cheese in it for him. Yikes, I gotta switch up my routine a little.