Wendy's new house...

Dan and Wendy closed on their new house last week - Congratulations, guys!! For the last year or two, Wendy has lived in our basement, or "hers downstairs house", as Porter likes to call it.

Well, last week, Porter was in the car with me when i was headed to pick up their keys from the other Real Estate agent. He wanted me to turn down a different street, or something (after I picked him up from daycare). I told him: "We're going to a building, first, to get Wendy's keys, remember? Wendy bought a new house and we're going to get her keys for her."

It got quiet for a minute. Then he replied:

"But, I don't want her to GO there..." (her new house).

Oh dear. I told him she wasn't going to be moving right away. They have painting, and a wedding and such before she'll be moving...

"If you give hers those keys, and hers drives away, I gonna be VERY MAD!"

Mmm. Okay...

So, we get home - with the keys - and I decided I was staying out of this one. I gave Porter the keys to give her, figuring they could work it out themselves?

He went down the stairs and told her he had her keys and that he did NOT want her to use them. She said for him to come sit with her and that she wouldn't be moving for a while. He tossed the keys on the floor. Ignoring her pleas to talk about it, he informed her:



"You stay here! Where you belong!!!"



Well, he DOES Love his aunt Wendy... I don't see this move going well?

Boys??!!

I just have to throw this one out there for the ladies...

I'm sure your house is like ours. Everyone has their strengths. Everyone helps out in different ways... I clean the house. Gary, not so much... BUT he feeds the dogs, takes the garbage out to the curb, mows the lawn...you get the picture. (It's not a complaint that I clean the house - it's just that I'm the only one that does that job for the most part...)

Well... Gary's been home for the last few weeks after getting laid off (he starts his new job Monday - yay!). Since he's been home, he's been helping out some around the house. Picking up, laundry, dishes - that kind of thing. A few days ago he said to me:

"I did 2 loads of dishes yesterday, one this morning and there are STILL a few dishes on the counter!". I think there was a bowl and a cup or something - usually he'd never see those, he'd just wait for me to walk by and put them in the dishwasher (again, NOT a complaint - just an observation).

My reply was: "Welcome to my world!!"

His response?

wait for it...

"What do you mean YOUR world?! I did 2 loads of dishes yesterday and I did another load this morning!!"

Right.... and for the last 7 years BEFORE his lay off, the dish fairies came and did the dishes, and I'm SURE they only did 1 load a week, or so??...

Bathroom Remodel

We started to remodel the downstairs master bathroom shortly after we moved in, ahem, 3 years ago... We chose the upstairs master bedroom to stay in because it's next to Porter's room. He was only a little over one, at the time? So, needless to say - as Porter grew bigger, we got busier and the project got pushed lower and lower down the list.

It's a HUGE undertaking. We're adding a separate shower, moving the closet door from inside the bathroom to enter from the bedroom. Tearing out some water-damaged wood. Replacing EVERYTHING!! Oh, and building out a wall to cover the dark brick that was there before. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the brick wall with the swag lighting and brown bathtub with GOLD fixtures were AWESOME, in their time...

Well, we've started up the project and it's going gang-busters, now! These pictures were taken yesterday. Porter and I pulled off the trim and most of the walls in the bedroom a couple of weeks ago. Gary pulled the walls off above my head and all of the closet. Throughout the winter, my dad and Gary busted out concrete and ran a sewer pipe for the new shower and moved a heater vent over so it wouldn't be IN the new shower. They also ran some beautiful new copper pipes to come out of the wall, now for the sink rather than the floor. (I can't help it - I LOVE a project, and new copper pipes ARE beautiful!!). Once they were done with that, they filled in with concrete and now I have smooth floor with a new shower drain!!

This past weekend, they pulled out some of the framing to re-frame the bathroom door and frame out the closet door from the bedroom. Porter helped glue down some of the pressure-treated boards for the areas we are walling in. Mostly I was moral support - every once in a while they would ask me where I wanted a door and such... I'm so excited to get some of the heavy stuff done so I can play!!

This week: More framing. I'll keep you updated!!

Sorry doesn't cut it!

Oh, my little Porter is one entertaining little boy! He said to me one morning: "Mommy, my knee hurts and it makes me drive crazy!". He'd kneeled on something and wanted me to know it was driving him crazy...

Several weeks ago, Porter was having a hard time listening. It was a Saturday afternoon and he'd already gotten talked to several times and grounded from all sorts of things. We always have a power struggle, that boy knows what he wants and when he wants it, but this day was worse than usual.

He wanted to play with something he'd been grounded from. Probably a video game, but I don't remember for sure. I reminded him he was grounded and he said he was SO sorry. Not five minutes later he started talking back, AGAIN!!

The problem was two-fold: Mommy was running out of patience and tired of repeating herself; and Porter was under the impression that saying "sorry" enough times will erase his grounding. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Porter says he's sorry. It's good manners and means he did listen to me at some point?? Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to know yet, what it's supposed to mean (that he actually has remorse and won't repeat the same offense). Oh, poor little head-strong Pooh...growing pains?

This was the point where I did the unthinkable!! I turned into my Dad!? Dun-dun-dunnn (scary music).

"But I'm sorry" Porter says.

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT!"

Those words actually came out of my mouth. Immediately, I looked across the table at Gary and said: "I can NOT believe I just said that - my dad used to always saiy that to us and we HATED it! It's happened, I've turned into my parents!"

Truth be told, my parents were and are great parents. It wouldn't be a bad thing at all to be like them. It's just crossing that threshold - from kid to parent. Kids NEVER want to be like their parents. Parents are the responsible, strict, OLD, adults... Mama, I guess your baby has finally grown up? I'm officially a PARENT??!!

Last week, Porter got a naughty note from daycare. He gets grounded from video games if he gets a naughty note. It wasn't a very good night for that, Dan bought Guitar Hero On Tour and brought it over. Everyone knows what a rock star Porter is...

Needless to say, Porter wanted to play the new game - hello, DRUMS?? I reminded him of his punishment for being naughty at daycare. As usual, he goes into his "sorry" routine.

"But, Mommy, I'm Sorry..."
"I'm Sorry for being naughty."
"I'm SOOOOO Sorry!"

My reply was: "I'm glad that you are sorry, but it doesn't get you out of your grounding."

"But, Mama...sorry cuts!!" he states while making scissors with his fingers.

Oh my gosh! Not only was I astounded that he would remember that from the ONE time I said it a month ago, but it was HALARIOUS!

I guess "sorry" scissors cuth through groundings...

Lego Batman

Porter has been playing Lego Batman on the DS and PS-3. Okay, we ALL have been playing Lego Batman...it's addicting!! A few days ago I was running the water for Porter's bath, in the Spiderman bathroom, of course. Porter asked me, like he does quite often, if I wanted to see a "trick". I said sure and he proceeded to tell me what kind of "power" he has (the "power" he has changes with his moods - like in the video game).

He turned around, totally naked, of course (I was running his bath...), and did a little dance, then a trick: rolled on the ground and jumped up in the hallway. It was pretty funny: nude little Porter doing that funny dance, walking away from me, cute little bum jiggling a bit!

I was giggling when he asked if I wanted to see it again. Of course I said "YES!!" He went about the same little dance: arms a little out from his body, legs kind of bow-legged and walking, or bouncing rather, from side to side. The first time he did it, I thought the dance was part of the trick. The second time I saw it, I realized what he was doing and REALLY started laughing!!!

Wait for it...

He was walking like the lego characters do in the game before they do a trick or enter another level or something - since they're made of legos, their arms stick out a bit, then hang down - their feet and legs don't bend, so they bounce and totter from side to side. Then he did his trick.

It's hard to explain in writing but it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen him do - the likeness was INCREDIBLE!!

Wonder if I should cut back on his video game time...?

Thursday, January 8, 2009 Journal Entry

Porter just got an adorable jammie set that came with a robe for Christmas. I think it makes him look like a little man. He thinks it makes him look like "Kung Fu Panda" and practices his moves in front of the mirror!

Yesterday, Daycare had to call me to come pick up Porter because he wasn't being nice. Obviously, mommy doesn't like to get called at work because Porter's being naughty. This not being his first time, he knew he was in for a talking-to. On the ride home, he said from the backseat:

"I wish Grandma pick me up. Then I not be in trouble."

He's got her number?

Tuesday, January 20, 2008 Journal Entry

On the way to preschool today, Porter asked from the backseat:

"Mommy, guess what?"

"What, Porter?"

"I can burp my ABC's"

Wow.

Then he demonstrated. Sure enough, he can burp his ABC's...

Makes a mamma proud...or not?!

My sister says I don't blog enough...she's right!!

It's been a LONG time... We had a wonderful Christmas. I've been SO busy at work - rates are crazy low, so I'm a refinancing machine...call me if I haven't already done your refinance this month - you'll want to, trust me!! Hehe...after that shameless plug, what else can I say, really?

I'm a great journal-er, but slacking on the blog. Not sure why, it is MUCH faster to type than write, I think maybe I just get computered-out when I'm uber-busy at work? That being the case, I think I'll post a couple of journal entries...

Happy Birthday Porter!!

It was good to be Porter last week! His birthday was on Monday, the 29th. Grandpa and Mommy took him for a day of fun! First we went with Grandpa to Tooele to drop his boat off for winter storage. (To hear him talk about it, Tooele is somewhere up there with Disneyland!! Kids are the BEST!). We had lunch in Tooele then headed north to the Hill Air Force Base Museum. Last time we visted the museum Porter went nuts over the little flight suits they have in the gift shop. They did not have his size then, but I had them order it in special for his birthday. He put it on as soon as he saw it and we were off to see the airplanes!

Anyone who knows Grandpa and Mommy knows it was probably a toss up of who had much fun: Grandpa, Mommy or Porter?

They have an airplane there, "Old Shakey" as Grandpa calls it that is the very plane that my dad was a crew chief on in his younger days...He and Porter love to sit under it at the picnic tables and ponder the mysteries of the universe, or at least the mystery of how Grandpa crawled all around the big and small places to keep the engines running. He has wonderful memories of being in the Air Guard and seeing the world.

We came home and had some ice cream cake and hogies. We always go out to dinner as a family for birthdays. We'd done that the night before so we spend his actual birthday at home. On Wednesday, they celebrated his birthday at daycare. He got a cool birthday crown and picked out an "Incredible Hulk" cake to share with his daycare friends.

Saturday was his big "Transformers" party. He had fun with his friends and extended family. Gary blew up 100 balloons & put them in the living room (with the help of the air compressor).

I can't believe my little guy is growing so fast!

Happy Birthday, Porter!!

The results are in!!

Looks like Gary IS sabotaging my quest for sanity! There was only one vote to the contrary and it was admittedly my "ahem" organizationally challenged sister. I'm pretty sure she's just jealous of my labels...on everything...after I put it in clear plastic containers...anyhoo, glad to know at least SOME of the things I remembered really DID happen?!

Really??!!

Porter's attitude seems to be growing even faster than he is! (And he is growing FAST!). Last night, he asked if he could watch a movie downstairs but it was almost bedtime. We usually have a movie, story or he plays his video game with Gary for a bit upstairs in our room to help get him ready for bed. I told him he could watch one show downstairs if he would go straight to his bed and go to sleep after. After asking him a few times if we had a deal (little boy's attention spans aren't so long) he finally agreed and I put his show on.

He watched Micky Mouse Clubhouse and I turned the TV off and began to follow him upstairs. He went to far and went to go downstairs. I asked where he was going and he said "Wendy's room". I said "No, we had a deal you would sleep in your bed after your show". He argued with me further and I threatened: "You won't be able to watch a show tomorrow before bed if you don't go get in YOUR bed right now!". His answer:

wait for it...

"Wendy will let me watch a movie, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah". (You know, like the kids do on TV, but I've NEVER seen one actually do it in person?! Well, never BEFORE Porter started doing it a couple of months ago).

I think I must've asked the next question out of shock, because I did hear every nah...

"What did you just say?!"

He repeated it, word for word?! My next step was unclear. Running through my head was a few options. 1. I'm gonna beat that kid!!, 2. Should I get the cam-corder (ok, so, since I was honest that I considered this option, you've already learned that I didn't REALLY consider #1.)?, or 3. I'd better just walk away.

I opted for #3 and went into the other room where Gary was. I asked him if he just heard what Porter said to me. He said "No", with that funny little smirk on his face that he doesn't get unless he's up to something. I went on about something about Porter being HIS kid and he still stuck with his answer "Nope, I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear him talking to you". (Still with the smirk so I knew he was lying)! SABOTAGE!!!

Total for today:

1 for "my husband is sabotaging my quest for sanity"

Grand total:

2 for "my husband is sabotaging my quest for sanity"
1 for "I AM loosing my mind".

Don't forget to vote!!

Sabotaging my quest for sanity??!!

I love my dear husband (Love you, Gary!!), but I think he's sabotaging my quest for sanity... It's no secret I'm crazy...I'm not one that's uncomfortable with that term. My view is we all have our crazies, some are just different from others and some of us have more than others :-).

Lately, I've been feeling crazy in a different way, though (you know, other than my usual - ADD, OCD, Labeling obsession...etc.). I can't remember ANYTHING!! I used to never forget important things, but now all bets are off! I find myself going into another room to get something and not remember what it was once I'm there. Or I'll SWEAR I turned the porch light on only to come downstairs a few minutes later to find it turned off. There's a pretty good explanation for that second one - It's no secret that Gary follows me (or anyone else in our home) around turning off lights. Something about saving energy or money he says. But he keeps the central air thermostat at 68 degrees all summer. Hmmm.

Last night I SWEAR I went into Porter's room and closed his blinds and turned down the covers. Gary tucked him in and we went to bed. I went in Porter's room this morning to get him dressed and the blinds were open and the bed was made, all except the bedspread. I was giving myself a headache trying to figure out if I'd totally lost my mind when I thought I would breakdown and ask husband the rediculous question "Lover, did you make Porter's bed last night and open his blinds BEFORE you put him to bed?". (See why I didn't just ask in the first place?). His answer was "I pulled the top blanket back...". Apparently, after he pulled the sheets and bottom blankets up?! SABOTAGE!!!

So...I thought to myself, I wonder what else he has been up to? I've noticed the Daily Shower Cleaner bottle finds its way to the shower floor when I'm SURE I put it away high in the window seal (we do have a 4 year old that really likes spray bottles). This is not likely since I'm pretty sure Gary's never USED the Daily Shower Cleaner, but it got me thinking... I decided to start making more of an effort to really remember things I've done and see what is happening. I will be keeping score and am thinking of devoting a blog to just this purpose! Well, turns out after my shower this morning I TOTALLY caught MYSELF putting the bottle on the floor after I was done with it??!!

Total today:

1 for "My husband is sabotaging my quest for sanity" and
1 for "I AM loosing my mind!"

Timeout

I wonder where he gets it from?

Yeah, Porter is growing up WAY too fast!! He was even more hyper last night than usual (he's a little boy, so he's ALWAYS high strung!). Not sure if I was more on edge than usual or just tired. He was supposed to be settling down for bedtime and was talking & wiggling. I said "You're killing me!!". He said (without missing a beat) "You're killing me back!".

Did he really just say that?!

Boating

My Dad took us all out on the boat twice this season. We used to go more often, but his bad knees have prevented him from doing lots of things he likes to do over the last few years. He had one knee replaced last year and is scheduled to have the other one done this fall. As you can see, we all have a REALLY fun time on the boat!!

The first trip was in late August, the water was WONDERFUL!! We spent lots of time swimming, skiing and riding the "ski bob". The second trip was in early September...it was a little chilly for swimming. We still jumped in and played a little but spent more time in the boat that time! Brrr.

Porter (and all the Grandkids) love to drive the boat with Grandpa. Porter was giggling and honking the horn. Gary rode the "ski bob" until Porter told Grandpa to "dump daddy" :-). I water-skiied. I'm not gonna lie...I was pretty impressed with myself that I could still get up on the first try after a couple years off!! I don't have the stamina that I did when I was younger, but it was still a treat to work those creaky old water-ski muscles...even for just a small ride?

It was nice to have the family together and everyone having fun!! We all got along the WHOLE time?! Oh well, this entry is my ode to Summer 2008. Hoping for warm waters next season and a cozy winter... Porter is already geared up for his birthday.

Notice Porter's hand on the picture of him and Macks... Cute boys!!

Still Super Porter...

Porter is really into "superheros". Lately, whenever anyone asks his name he says "Super Porter". We went to the doctor last week and he asked me if it was his turn yet. I told him they would come out and say "Porter" when it's his turn. He looked at me and stated "It's 'Super Porter'". Well, of course it is?!!

You've never seen a kid who's so excited to see the doctor. Porter is crazy about doctors. I swear, it's almost as exciting as "Chuck-E-Cheese" (his OTHER favorite place...). Probably the enthusiasm is because he's been fortunate enough to only have to visit the doctor a few times...hope the excitement doesn't wear off too soon?

Super Porter!!

Last week Porter's Grandma Cindee, that lives in Montana, came for a visit. We had so much fun doing as many things as we could - I think it's safe to say we're ALL worn out after such a fun week. She was here from August 12 to the 20. Among other things, we took Grandma and Porter to "Build-a-Bear". They each got to build a friend to remember the trip. They even recorded their voices in each others bears (well, dog in Porter's case) saying "I Love You". Porter named his Puppy (dressed like Batman, of course!) "Popcorn". He named Grandma's bear "Fluffy". We rode the Trax train to the store as another fun thing to do. Porter had fun buying tickets and watching things out the window as we went faster and faster.

The first thing Porter wanted to do was take Grandma to "Chuck-E-Cheese", his favorite place to eat, of course!! She was very patient and played every game Porter wanted to. Porter gave a great show dancing to the "Chuck-E-Cheese" music performed by HUGE stuffed characters.

Grandma also went with us to "Cactus & Tropicals". She helped us pick out some plants and tried to give us as much instruction as possible to keep them living for a while. Let's just say house plants are not our forte...?! Oh well, Keep trying Grandma, we'll get one to live sooner or later?

Gary, Cindee & Porter went to Thanksgiving point with Ed and Karen. I hear they had a great time playing in the water and seeing all the beautiful gardens.

Grandma and Porter took LOTS of trips to the park. Grandma liked to get out and stretch her legs and back, she said it helped her feel better from her recent surgery. Porter just likes any excuse to "ride his bicycle and play on slides"!!!

Porter and Grandma also enjoyed "sleepovers" every night. I'm not sure how much "sleeping" was actually going on, but I think they liked having some alone time watching movies and cuddling.

We sent Grandma home with Fluffy, a scrapbook with lots of pictures from her visit and even a movie with all the video from the fun places we went. Hopefully, we havn't worn her out too much to consider another visit soon. We hope the pictures and stuff will keep her company when we can be there with her.