Happy Birthday Porter

Porter is an amazing kid! He is so bright, it's a little intimidating. He is an amazing reader and retains almost everything he reads. He even helped Bella become a better reader and would practice with her at night. He is a lovable kid and is always there to help.

We usually do a big breakfast for the birthday person, but the breakfast chef (Johnny) was feeling sick, so I thought I would just take Porter out for breakfast. But because Johnny was feeling so crappy he asked if I could take all the kids, so the monkeys and I went to IHOP for breakfast.

Porter had his birthday party at Classic Skating. My mom gave him skates for his birthday and he was ready to show off his new skills at the party. His cousins and friends were able to come and he had a really good time!

Happy birthday Porter we love you!

Tess Turns 2!

Tess has been a baby of surprises, just days before we found out I was pregnant Johnny and I were thinking four kids was a good number and maybe we were done. Little did we know I already had a bun in the oven. Then a couple of weeks before she was due I thought I had gone into labor but really I had kidney infections and stones and they took her the next day.

A few months after having Tess I was really struggling with 5 kids 6 and under and I had a very comforting feeling that she needed to be here and was meant to be here. I tried to baby Tess and she wouldn't have it, she weaned herself at 7 months and starting crawling too. She has been an independant little baby and loves to get into trouble with her master Joshua. She is a joy in our home and we love her to pieces even when she's painting herself in vaseline and drawing on the walls :)

Valentine's Party

We had our Valentine's party at Classic Skating last week. If you have seen Ethan you know he has been practicing almost daily with his skates so he was very excited; and because he is the oldest and everything he does is awesome the other kids were thrilled too. We made our Valentine bags the night before and I completely forgot to take pictures of them. I made Joshua's and it was so cute, so I'm actually more sad I didn't get a picture of his.

Two of my sisters were able to come with their kids and some of my neighbors and old friends from our school we used to go to. It ended up getting pretty crowded but the kids didn't seem to mind. They got to skate for two hours and then stuff their face with candy. They slept like angels that night.

The Saturday before Valentine's the Elder's Quorum had a secret dance. They did a really nice job (well one of their wives did a nice job). There was a DJ and lots of food. It was the first time Johnny and I have ever danced, I was in heaven. Johnny on the other hand was in his own personal hell, but he ended up relaxing and having a really good time.

Race Season Begins

A few weeks ago my friends Jenny, Julie, and I headed down to St. George to run the Painter's Half Marathon. We went down Friday night and stayed over at my friends parent's house. They had a nice meal ready for us and we got to sleep with no kids waking us up all night long. The race started at 9:00am and it was perfect weather. I was hoping to keep up with Julie and Jenny during the race, after all I had just trained with them right?? I was only able to stay with Julie for about a 1/2 mile and Jenny a few more miles, those girls are amazing. I was still able to finish strong with my fastest time beating my old PR by 7 minutes!

On the way down, is it safe to not watch where you are going on the freeway?


Before the race.

After the race.