March 2011 Part 2

Happy End of March 2011 to you all! This month has been rockin AWESOME!! The second part of this month has really been a blast! We started it off with March Madness. And yes it started out great! My bracket ROCKED the first day. Patrick came home early to watch the games! We ate dinner downstairs, totally not my thing...but we did it to have some fun!
Then the next day was Porters Birthday! And YES I can believe it! It totally feels like it's been 3 years since I held him in my arms a newborn baby boy. Since this was the first year he really understood what a birthday is.. we decided to make it a BIG day for him. And how could we not when we live 10 minutes away from trains and he is a TRAIN FREAK!?! So We rode Front runner (a.k.a Trains) down to Salt Lake. Porter ATE that up! He was at first a little nervous when we told him but then warmed up once he saw that it was harmless and really a ton of fun!
We met up with family and went to the Clark Planetarium. We wanted to do the Discovery museum.. but not in our price range. So the Clark Planetarium wasn't anything big! Porter didn't get it and to be honest... it wasn't anything spectacular to me either.  To the left is a picture of what our stroller looked like! HAHA No Kids! But we were grateful for the stroller anyway!
After the Planetarium we went to eat at California Pizza Kitchen. Not the best place I've eaten at that's for sure.. but not that bad. We opened presents and enjoyed being together.  Then did a little shopping and looking around Dick's Sporting goods! Porter really liked it in there. Atta Boy!! From there we rode Trax up to Temple Square. Porter loved riding more "Trains" and then really loved seeing Moroni and being able to touch the Temple! He told his Nursery leaders all about it.We went to the South Visitors Center and then down the the Church History building. They have a kids level where the kids can do hands on play and learn stuff. I actually think Kinley got more of a kick out of that than Porter did. Either way they had a blast.
We rushed to get back onto Front Runner to get back home and Porter once again was in Train Heaven! Literally... there are trains all over, he was glued to the window and had his ears perked waiting to hear the whistle and the railroad crossing bells! Seeing him so happy made me probably more happy than he was that very day! It was great.
We got home and had dinner and opened presents. Porter got more Thomas the train stuff and clothes and a Cars book and last but not least a Wheel Barrel that he can use to help Dad out in the yard. After presents we turned on the BYU vs. Gonzaga Game! It was so great to see them play so well and WIN! As Porter put it "Best DAY EVVER!"
Then the week following we had my sister Carrie and her family come stay with us for a few days. Porter loved having cousins to laugh and play with! WE took them to see the trains outside the Train museum and they LOVED it! Sadly I forgot my camera. But because of having cousins over Porter learned to get into my make up from his cousin... Found him looking like this one morning after they left.
On the upside though, I've noticed how much he learned from them and he is really growing and learning so quickly! He watched his older cousin using the Potty and enjoyed seeing that someone his age did that.
This past monday March 28th I decided you know what I need to see if he'll do the whole potty thing so I can see just how far he's coming along with things. So I asked him if he wanted to wear his Thomas Underware and he said Yes! So I told him "OK! No more Diapers! From now on we wear big boy underware like Dad and Grandpa and Uncle Gavin and (all the boys he looks upto)" And I'm happy and so glad to say that it is now Thursday and we have only missed the potty 3 or 4 times!
HE IS SO PROUD OF HIMSELF! And SO AM I!!!! Although right now in the training process.. it's a lot harder going places. And he still doesn't get that he can't go at night. But all in all we are WELL on our way!
And Kinley is always so happy! She has really been hitting her teething hard again lately. But she is now Walking! She is still a little unstable, but she can do it and she chooses to do it for the most part. She can say binkie, blankie, bottle(all three sound like bitee), baby, ball, bath, No(neh), Yes (yeh) and of course her very favorite...Daddy!

Lately it's been extra rough on her with dad being gone for work. She wakes up in the morning and says Daddy... and then points into my bed where she thinks she'll find him, but then I tell her he's at work and she loses a lot of her spunk. Then she hears a car drive by outside or a big truck which sounds like our Garage Door opening and she looks up at me with these wide excited eyes and says "DADDY!" Then I sadly have to tell her no sweetie dad is still at work. Then she either starts to cry and drop the floor whining, or she just gets really sad and just goes silent and cuddles into me and her blanket with a somber attitude. She loves her Daddy! It's adorable! But can break my heart at how much she misses him throughout the day. And lastly She loves to Dance and wiggle! She is so full of spunk and very energetic!

March 2011 Will be divided... it's such a big month for us!

This month has already started off with a bang! Nice weather has begun to come and with that means playing outside which equals happier kids and also yard work, which we have TONS to do! Also with nice weather comes new friendships. You put yourself outside and you see lots more people and learn lots new things. Like we got to get to know our neighbor a little bit better and she told us that there is a park walking distance from our house! Plus they are putting a splash pad in at that very park! We are so excited!
The beginning part of this month we celebrated both Patrick and I's birthdays. His work was really good to him and let him have a half day of work on his birthday and not work at all on my birthday(which was a Saturday this year)
So my Mom came up and celebrated with us! The last time we went and saw her she gave us a gift card to the movies. So she came up and watched the kids for us so we could go out and enjoy a movie and dinner date. So we went and saw Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon. We liked the movie, it isn't at all what you think it's going to be from the previews. But it was good, Definitely a Hollywood movie with some sort of agenda behind it.
Then after the movie we walked across the street to the Salomon center and checked out  Flowrider and the iFly. It was awesome to watch people doing those things! I would love to do that sometime! So once we were done laughing at people Patrick took me to go get a NICE frame for our front entry Picture that I have all planned and I'm stoked about! It's going to look AWESOME!!! Then after that we went to eat at a REALLY nice restaurant called the Timbermine. Steak restaurant and SO YUMMY! Its very similar to the Big rock candy mountain restaurant, but Bigger and done up a lot more! Great food though! Then after that we came home and had cake.
So let's go back a day to Patrick's Birthday. Friday he came home from work and we had lunch and hung around. Did dinner and opened presents. I gave him a Digital Picture frame for his office and then I made him a magazine that was all about him. He really loved it!
After Patrick opened his presents, Porter opened his present from Grandma C. Since it's his birthday in a week we figured we might as well open the present so Grandma can see the look on his face. She gave him a brand new Remote controlled Thomas and Friends Tank Engine named Molly. Too bad it was a defective one! We ended up running to Wal-mart and buying him a new one! Then we came home and had Patrick's Favorite...Banana Cream Pie.  Then we watched the BYU game in which Jimmer scored 52 points and set a school record! That was awesome!

February 2011

On to a New Year and the last month felt weird, but I guess I'm getting used to saying 2011...anyone else??? The first weekend this month my wonderful  husband, Patrick, let me have a girls night here at our place. So Paige, Mikelle, and Mirae all came up and we partied all night! I'm surprised the kids slept through it all. We had a blast and made some fun music videos and were crazy! I can only be that crazy girl around them and I guess a few other people(Yes...you know who you are! And don't you love that you know me, that freaky crazy girl?! haha You should feel privileged.)
Then the next weekend was marvelous, because Mom and Dad Munson and Kels came up and saved us parents and watched the kids for a few hours so we could go to our wards Valentines Dinner/Date activity. Patrick and I needed it so much, not just for ourselves and being together, but it was a really great night for us to get to know some people around here in our ward. There was a live band and ballroom dancing, which you all know we didn't participate in, but we did do a line dance i'm proud to say! It was fun to get dressed up and be fancy and nice for our spouses! It was just an all together great night.
Then the next day(a saturday) we spent with Mom and Dad and Kels! That was awesome! We love to be with family. Dad helped Patrick in the yard and around the house, while I showed Mom and Kels the Ogden Area and went into some fabric stores! I got some curtains for Kinleys room and I'm stoked because I can finally see her room coming together in my mind and I can hopefully get to work on it here soon.
Also this month Patrick and I decided to read the book series called The Hunger Games together. It's the first time we have read a book together and we are enjoying it. It gives us something else to talk about and brings something else to the table. haha P.S. We thought the books were pretty good. Not AMAZING but good and kept you wanting to read and conitinue on with the book! For me, ( i'm not a reader) it did something..so I guess that is sayin somethin..Right?!
Kinley is starting to learn how to walk. She loves to have you hold her hands and walk her around the house. Once you start the fun don't stop though. She is beginning to show her true personality and BOY does she have personality! We love her spunk, yet i'm a little scared for the next few years with that spunk.
Porter is Still madly in love with Thomas the train. But he's starting to venture to Magic School bus a little bit more. He is so cute and such a good little boy!
We are still in the Tax Season Rut..actually it's getting crazier! 

January 2011

So I know I've been Way LAME on blogging lately! But life for us has been really flipped upside down. Not that's it's super busy but, everything involved has made it hard for me to post anything on here. Prolly mostly because of the Lack of Motivation to tell you all how lame life is right now! haha No! I shouldn't be saying that! This month has been full of GREAT things in our lives, but change can be difficult to cope with sometimes.
Well so we moved toward the end of December, so therefore a lot of this month has been with getting situated in our new home. We were pretty much all unpacked by New Years Eve, which was nice. All was out of boxes and getting ready to be put in its place. Which is what I've been doing this month, trying to give a place for everything and finding out what works best for us in this home. My mind has been going CRAZY with decorating ideas, which are now totally confused and by the time we'll be able to do something with the house I'll have a bagillion ideas to pick from and won't be able to make up my mind. Its also a good thing though, because I'm able to really think about what I'll like best. Nothing has been hung on walls yet, no decor is set up, because we are planning on painting and we figure we might as well wait til that is done to put some holes in the walls!
Speaking of the home we have painted ONE room. And it is really seriously the ONLY room in this home that has been touched with any sort of decorative hand. We painted Porters room, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do in that room, so we chose to start there. Porter LOVES his room! We haven't quite finished with hanging things on the walls yet in his room, but the painting is done! While we were painting it he would always say "I like the Green one and the Blue one!" So cute! When we finished I realized we just add some red (which I'm intending on doing) and it will be kind of like a Thomas the Train room! And then Patricks cousin Alex came to visit and he called it a Buzz Lightyear room. Either way Porter would be happy! I mean Porter is totally fixated with his Thomas, but he also really likes Toy Story.
Also this month we celebrated Kinleys 1st Birthday! She is growing up so fast. It really has flown by this past year. I very strongly remember the emotions and feelings I was going through the day we had her, as if I were back in the very hospital, in that very bed, in that very room on that VERY day. She is definitely teaching us things Porter hasn't! Though they are very similar they are also very much two completely different persons with different personalities. Porter was our cautious one. Kinley, though cautious at the start, doesn't take long to get into LOTS and boy does she give us trouble while at church! She is the noisiest little 12 month old you have ever heard! Our little terror, which gets Porter into doing things he has never done or considered of even thinking of doing!
She is learning some words now and can say "ball" and "dada". I'm also convinced she can say Porter "Powrah" She squeals and giggles and screams and whines and cries and is starting to learn the hitting thing already! She also CHOWS down on any food you give her. She is a GREAT AMAZING little eater, which we know at some point will change. We love her to death. And as I've talked her up to being this little spaz with attitude, she is also the most sweet and loving thing on the planet. She sees her dolls and will hug and kiss and sing to them She will cuddle you and love you at any given moment. She squeals with excitement when you go to get her from her crib. She wiggles and moves that little body of hers in anyway possible when she hears a beat of music. And she is the sun to all of us flowers in this home! We soak every ounce we can get of her in!
For her birthday we didn't do much because its a week after Christmas and she is only 1 years old, she doesn't know the difference. So we decided we'd hold off on gifts and wait to get her stuff for the summer time instead. But we did do the whole cake thing. We did it twice. The first time here at our place on New Years Eve, and the second at my brother Corbin's house while the whole family was together for Hudson's Baby blessing. Porter was so into it! He was blowing out her candle for her and licking every bit of frosting he could get! She wanted to touch the fire but we didn't really let her. As soon as her finger got into the flame I blew it out so it wouldn't burn her. Then she daintily started scooping frosting with her finger and licking it off, and soon she dove into the cake with her face. I guess she decided why get my hands dirty, I'll just use my mouth! It was so ADORABLE!
Patrick is enjoying this month of easing into Tax season and learning the Audit side of things here at his new job. He loves the environment and the people he works with. He was also called into the Young Mens Presidency here in our new ward. Funny story actually...he had been sustained before our first Sunday there in our ward! Not to mention the 2nd counselor in the Bishopric in our wards name is Patrick MOnson. So Patrick is well known in our ward! Nobody has forgotten his name at least. We also spoke in our ward and that helped a lot of people get to know us quickly, though we are still fighting hard to get to know everyone else. Its tough I tell ya!
I'm fighting everyday to try and stay sane with 2 little ones and being locked up in an undecorated home in the winter time and not really knowing anyone. Life is great, but I see myself getting down often and I have to remind myself of all the blessing I have. And then I also tell myself to get out of the house and take the kids to the library. So I do! Then I also get myself all worked up in a frenzy and just go crazy cleaning the house. That's another thing about a real legit home is that now that we have doubled the square footage of our living space, my time of cleaning has been tripled! (uck..right?!!) I know I know! But It gives me something to do, which is one of the biggest reasons I'm so behind on blogging. So forgive me please!
That is pretty much all that has happened this month... and wait a few more weeks (I guess) for February's update. Lots on this month I'm sure that won't disappoint!

The last month of the year 2010-December update

Can I just begin by saying...What a way to end a year!! You'll understand what I mean after reading about this month.
So This month was super crazy busy for us! As it is for everyone, I know! The holidays just seem to add busyness to our lives (Good busyness of course), but you add a lot of stuff of life on top of that holiday busyness and you get this hectic, fun and full of tons of emotions all at once type of month!!

We began by Patrick and I going on a trip to Denver, CO the first week of this month. Patrick's work (former employer. aka Jones/Simkins) sent him there for a CPE Training. They gave him a $ amount of expenses that they would pay and he had to find the flight the hotel and such. Well he found us a great deal on flights and was able to take me with him. Plus while we were there we stayed at Patricks Mission Presidents house so that cut one nights cost of hotel and food. Needless to say we ended up getting paid to go on this trip. We left the kids at G&G Munsons house and left for 3 days. This was the first time Patrick and I had gotten away for a night since we had Porter. So it was a much needed and enjoyed get away. I was a little worried about the kids(my motherly nature) but once we got away and Grandma said the kids were good I realized it was it was okay to relax and enjoy my time without the kids. While in Denver, I was able to go see Harry Potter all by myself since Patrick was in Trainings for 2 days. I was also able to go to the Denver Mint. Patrick's Mission President and his wife came and picked me up and took me there. Then after the Mint we picked Patrick up for lunch. Then later we were able to be shown the Denver Temple and some of the area around. It is a gorgeous place and Patrick and I were almost talked into moving there by Rick and Stephanie. :)

So Brave!

When we got back from Denver, we took the kids home and started the big adventure of packing to move! With it being during the holidays it was crazy because of all the friend, family and work parties we attended. So the middle two weeks we packed, went to Patrick's work party, which by the way we won a 150 $ prize!! OH YEAH!! We had 5 choices of what to choose from, and we had all 5 of them, so we decided to get a second surround sound. Anyways we also went to the Tuttles house for some Yummy Brazilian food made by Phil and enjoyed the time spent with them and the Johnsons that evening. Then we decided to plan to have all packed by Friday Dec 17th so we could go down to Family Christmas Parties. We always enjoy those fun parties and the laughter involved!

Last few minutes in our Home in Logan, UT.

Then Monday the 20th came and it was MAJOR packing and cleaning time! We of course thought we had most of the packing done, but you leave for a weekend and you have laundry to do and lots more things. So we were go go go Monday and Tuesday. We loaded up the truck Tuesday night and left our adorable home in Logan around noon.I totally bawled the entire 20 minutes to Brigham City and then decided to buck up. But We loved Logan so much!! We left a LOT of GOOD behind us and it was really really hard! Anyways more about that day and the move, It was snowing lightly in Logan when we moved and raining in North Ogden at our new home. So things got wet and it made for a slippery walking things into the house. We had great help from the Elders Quorum here in our new ward and it was nice to meet some people. We tackled the unpacking and got quite a bit done so we could leave Thursday for Christmas.
So we left Thursday early evening for Grandma Christensens house. Friday we woke up and got things ready for the Christmas Eve Party that Night. We went and picked up a couch and a bed from my brother who was so NICE to give them to us for our new home!!!

Christmas Eve was so fun! We got together with the Christensen Clan and ate a nice dinner and caroled to the Skeens and Brandon and Holley! The kids all performed some of their songs they sang for their school Christmas Programs. Corbin fulfilled the Dad role in our Christmas traditions of reading the Nativity story and then making us Eggnog! We went back to Grandmas house and got the kids ready for bed. I let Porter color Santa a picture and write a note to him. We got the cookies and milk and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer and all that fun stuff! By the time we got the kids in bed it was about 10PM!  LATE I know!

Christmas Morning we woke up before the kids because we were so anxious for them to open their presents. Porter got up about 8:30 and we took him into Grandmas room to wait for Kinley to wake up so we could have family prayer and then all go out together to see if Santa had come.Well, just our luck Kinley slept and slept and slept. It was about 9AM and she still wasn't awake so we went in to try and wake her up, but... even kissing her on the cheeks and moving her wouldn't wake her up! So we tried to play games with Porter but then we turned on some music and that woke her up! It was about 9:15 AM and Patrick went to turn on the Thomas the Train set that Santa had set out for Porter. And he turned on the music and Porter heard it and got wide eyed and said "THOMAS the TRAIN!" and BULTED for the front room. He was in AWE at what Santa had brought him. He played with that Thomas all day. While opening presents he played with it in between gifts that he had to open. He still plays with that Thomas ALL DAY LONG! Let me tell you-he ran the battery dead within that one day on Christmas and has since gone through another set of batteries.
Kinley being not quite One caught on pretty quick. Almost all the gifts she got played music and after just opening a few she learned and from then on she would dance every time it was her turn to open a gift! She loved ALL the toys scattered on the floor!

Later that evening we went and stayed with G&G Munson and Kelsey. We played games and opened some presents. Then came home Monday morning.
We had lots of fun seeing the bright eyes and smiles on our kids faces this year! Seeing that Santa had come and had eaten the cookies and drank all the milk gone. Rudolph had some of the carrots we left out and Santa even wrote a note back to Porter! Now we really can't wait for next  year...we'll have two kids who 1 REALLY gets it and 1 who will start to get it! YAY!

P.S. Kinley LOVES this little EGG WIRE WHISK!