A peek into our lives...

A fun birthday lunch

2011-12-02T21:45:00.001-08:00

On the last day of the month my friend Lauren took me out to lunch as the start of my birthday celebration. We have a bi-annual tradition where we take each other out for a birthday lunch. Her birthday is in May and mine is in December so we get to do lunch at least twice a year! And our favorite place to go is Wild Pear in downtown Salem. I honestly don't think I have ever been to that restaurant without Lauren. Yummy Yummy food and a great little cozy vibe to the place. We only had a lunch break but it was pretty divine as we were both without our kids and could talk and enjoy what the other person was saying without the interruption of a sippy cup being hurtled past us or a loud "Mommy" int interrupting our conversation. We love our kids and Lauren's son Cooper is 5 weeks older than Mags (they are super cute together) but we love the rare occasion to catch up on life. It was good. Not only was it good food but it was good food for the soul.

Thank you, Lauren, for the great kick off to my birthday week/weekend celebration! We really should try to do that more often.

I am thankful that November is almost over

2011-12-02T21:39:00.001-08:00

Well, ok, maybe not really but I am glad to be done with the month of blogging. It is funny, I commit to this as an exercise and I really enjoy for the most part but some days I am just tired. I have too many other things I want or need to do and blogging is not one of them. But my personality doesn't allow for me to not blog 30 times in the month of November. So even though it is technically December, I am still filling my commitment quota with a few more posts. But I guess you could say I am glad to be done with blogging month.

On to a very busy time of year. First up in December is my birthday! Yippee. Well, each year after I turned 21 sort of seem less and less exciting and as I am approaching 35 tomorrow, I am not all that excited about the number but I am excited for my friends and family who love me and for my wonderful amazing husband and my kids who are the sweetest things ever. And I am excited for some shopping. A favorite past time of mine as Porter and Maggie don't quite grasp the finer things of shopping yet. I have a feeling little Miss Mags will some day!

Let the countdown begin to the end of the year and on to Maggie's first birthday. November, you were a good month and treated us well but I am glad to be done with the 30 days of blogging.

Sunshine

2011-11-28T20:48:00.001-08:00

Today was gorgeous, cold but gorgeous. We just got back on Saturday from spending 4 days in Bend and I was sad to come back to rain and gray skies. But today was beautiful and for that I was thankful.

After I watched Finn and all the kids were up from their naps, Jana and I took the kids on a walk to the park. It was cold but Maggie and Finn love to swing and Porter and I had some fun on the 'big' kid's swings. It was a quick trip and dark by the time we got home but I was thankful to get out of the house and enjoy a few minutes of the sunshine!

P.S. I have had a really bad headache all day long and thus the short post. Sorry.

Tacos

2011-11-27T20:36:00.001-08:00

We decided to invite some good friends over for tacos tonight and had a great time. I am thankful for friends who agree to an impromptu dinner!

We supplies the tacos and they brought the chips and salsa and beer and we were set. Maggie and Cooper are about 5 weeks apart and Corban and AJ grew up best buds so it is always fun to hang out with them.

Sunday nights are usually a night to get ready for the week but it was fun to do dinner together and have the house cleaned up and ready for the week by 8:30.

This month of November has been full of friends and family interactions and as I have blogged I have been blessed by all those who surround us. What an amazing month! In a few short days I will be celebrating my birthday that is half of 70. Man, that sounds old! I am blessed. My family is blessed.

Thank goodness for yummy tacos!

Flexibility

2011-11-27T20:22:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for a family who is flexible. This weekend was not what we had expected it to be or at least not what I had thought it might be like. But we all took it and rolled with the punches. Maggie was sick the entire time we were in Bend. This was the first time we had stayed there since having Maggie and it was a bit rough with all of us in the house and at night. On Saturday morning at 4:30 am, Maggie woke up and would not stop crying. Everyone heard her as the house is small enough. Needless to say, we were all a bit tired on Saturday. But they rolled with the punches and everyone besides Maggie, my mom and I went snowshoeing and had a good time.

My sister and her husband went to visit his sister and his family that was in town as well and while they were out getting their pictures taken someone ran in to their car. Come to find out, they were uninsured. Ugh. The punches kept coming and we stilled flexed around that and made it work.

So as I ponder back on the weekend I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my husband and all he did for Porter as I was on Maggie duty. He did take Maggie when he could and discovered she LOVES to be outside with the dogs. I am thankful for my sister and her husband and the fun and adventure they bring in to our lives. I am thankful for my parents who graciously hosted us, sick child, dog and all. They played with my kids and helped out when they could.

I am also thankful that when we decided to go home a day early, there were no hard feelings just complete understanding. Maggie was ready for her own bed and slept last all the way till 4:30 which is pretty normal. She is still not 100% herself yet but no fever and not nearly as fussy and for that I am thankful.

Family, thank you for being flexible and for rolling with the punches as they came. Can't wait for next year and all it might bring!

I love a good deal!

2011-11-25T15:05:00.001-08:00

My family has a crazy tradition and that is Black Friday shopping. For as long as I can remember back we always would get up as a family and head out to buy some socks, shoes and other good deals that we would find the day before while perusing the ads. It was a crazy thing we did but we always found good deals, had a good laugh at the crazies at Fred Meyer and would come home and nap.

Since AJ and I have been married we have some times both gone or one or the other of us will go, depending on what deals or steals we may be thinking of purchasing. The last two years AJ has gone as I wasn't really wanting to. I do recall when I was pregnant with Porter going and that was a bit much for me. I waddled around but for the most part, I was miserable.

This year, AJ didn't find anything he was dying to have and I wanted to get some stuff at Freddie's so my alarm went off at 4:30am this morning and my parents, sister, brother in law and I headed out. We actually got there before they opened and stood in line for a few minutes and rushed in with the rest of the crazies.

I found a few board games for Porter for Christmas and he will love as he is just starting to grasp the concept of playing a game. I bought the kids some sock (can't go without getting some socks!), a pair of fleece lined Crocs for Porter and the cutest Christmas dress and sweater for Miss Mags. It wasn't a ton of stuff but still fun to share the experience with my sister and laugh at the crazies and dig through piles of socks.

I am thankful for a good deal and am glad for what I got but still love my sleep more. Next year, AJ's turn to go out!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T14:53:00.001-08:00

Nope, no pictures as it has been a weird holiday for me. Maggie has been running a fever since Wednesday night and so taking care of her is exhausting as she is not happy with anything. She doesn't want to be held, she doesn't want to sit or stand or snuggle. This age is a hard age to be sick as I recall with Porter as well when he was about this age and sick. She only naps at 45 minute increments so she doesn't get in to that deep sleep and is SUPER cranky when she wakes up. Poor thing.

AJ has been super helpful and Porter is doing fine so for the majority we are fine. It is just tiring with a cranky fussy baby. And it makes me thankful my babies were never colicky. I can only imagine what that kind of exhaustion must be like. I am sure she will get better and be past this and with colic/acid reflux you never know when the end will come. Bless all you mothers who had/have colicky babies.

So Thanksgiving day we all hung out at my parent's house and in the early afternoon they all headed out to the park so Porter could play and get out of the house for a bit. He had fun but man was his little nose pink and his fingers frozen when they got back. I stayed at the house with Maggie and we just hung out. Shortly after the got back we warmed up Porter's fingers and he headed to bed for his nap. About 2 hours in to his nap it was getting close to time to eat and it started snowing! It wasn't sticking but it was cool to watch so I went and woke up Porter to show him the snow. He was pretty excited but kept asking "why is it not on the floor?" So cute. Trying to explain that it is too warm and takes time to accumulate on the ground before it sticks is a hard one for a two year old. But he enjoyed it none the less.

Then it was time to eat. My grandpa joined us for dinner and we all sat dow to a wonderful meal and prayed and Maggie then proceeded to puke everything all over her highchair. What a way to start the meal! Tobin, who is a doctor and sees much worse felt a little sick as he was sitting next to her but quickly got over it and ate up. We enjoyed the usual fixings and had a good time around the table. It always seems like the prep and build up to the meal is WAY longer than the actual eating part. With kids it is hard to sit at the table for very long and especially with a sick kid, it just wasn't working. We adapted and had fun despite. Grandpa then took a nap before they all headed over to another relatives house for dessert. I stayed home with Maggie as she is just not a social bug with being so sick.

I am thankful for my family and my parents and their willingness to host us to stay at their house. As our family has grown with spouses and grandkids they still graciously offer up their home for us to crash in. Next year we are considering getting a house in Sunriver as my brother and his family is not here this year and that would be pretty cramped with the six of them plus us. But despite Maggie's fever and fussy-ness it has been fun to catch up and play and laugh together.

A very kind offer

2011-11-25T14:49:00.001-08:00

I know I have mentioned before that I love my job and am very thankful for it. Well, Wednesday AJ had the day off so he was going to be with the kids and pack us all up to head over the Bend for the holiday weekend. I was going to get off at five and we would head out out town. Well, my coworker who has Wednesdays off offered to work for me. The idea sounded very nice but I didn't want her to have to work the entire day as it was her day off. So we split the day. I worked 9-1 and she worked 1-5. It was a win-win for us as we got out of town and over the pass earlier and didn't have to take a gamble on what the weather or roads at night would be like. And unbeknownst to us, Maggie was coming down with something so it was nice to be out of the car and at my parent's house so we could put her down in her bed versus trying to sleep in the car seat.

So I am thankful for my wonderful friend and coworker, Sara!

Porter's thankfulness

2011-11-22T22:53:00.001-08:00

Last night I told Porter at bed time that we were going to have Thanksgiving on Thursday and so each night before we prayed at bed time we would talk about one thing we were thankful for. So last night Porter was thankful for his friend, Bob. And then tonight, I asked Porter what he was thankful for and he said, "Dupa (Grandpa)." And when asked why, "He is my best friend."

I am thankful for Porter and his little 2 year old thankful heart. I can't wait to hear what else he is thankful for the rest of the week.

Amazing

2011-11-22T21:53:00.001-08:00

Well, here I am again a day late but yesterday was Monday and was an amazing day!

One of the things that Porter loves is us telling him "story of my day". He loves it when we tell him about the events of his day and what he did from start to finish.

Well, here is story of my day, yesterday.

It was Monday and my day off. I woke up and AJ brought Porter down stairs to our room and we snuggled and watched his morning shows together. Maggie then woke up and that is when our day really starts. We do diaper changes and get ready to do breakfast. I made Porter's favorite peanut butter/banana smoothie and I even made Maggie a green smoothie and she loved it!

And we were then off and running. Porter wanted to do this and that and then it was time for Maggie's nap. Nap time for Maggie is nice for Porter on my days off because we get some one on one time and can play with toys that Maggie might swallow and choke on. He decided he wanted to play with blocks and cars and knock over the towers I built. Well, Miss Chunky Thighs, got her legs stuck in the crib bars and woke up after on 45 minutes. She was happy and glad to be free of her crib bars but it wasn't quite long enough for me.

We all started playing with blocks and books and toys and my longtime friend Jen came over and hung out with us and hang out with me and the kiddos. It was sort of chaotic but we were having fun. I also watch Finn on Mondays so then Jana dropped him off and we then had 3 kids, Jen and I and it was lunch time. I started making lunch and then my sister arrived with her lunch. We all sat down and were able talk a little while the kids ate. After lunch it is countdown to nap time for all 3 kiddos. One of my favorite times. :)

My friend Jen decided to head home as she had walked over and it wasn't raining yet and my sister stayed to hang out. I put Finn down and then Maggie and then Porter. Ah, some peace and quiet and mellow-ness. It was nice to catch up with my sis and hang out and catch up on life. She had forgotten her jacket at the medical clinic that she volunteers at and so she left to go grab that and came back with a chai and cinder. Isn't she the best?

At about 3, Maggie woke up and we got some cute Maggie time. Then Porter woke up around 3:15 and Finn didn't wake up till 4. He is an amazing napper sometimes. We then all were hanging out again and my sister decided to stay for dinner since Tobin was working that evening and she could be with us. Jana had brought over one of her freezer meals and we would all eat together. Both JJ and AJ were working till later in the evening as they were then going to have Wednesday off so Jana, Christy and the kids and I all ate dinner together.

But before dinner time, Lori stopped by to say hi as we had not seen her all weekend and she wanted to say hi. About 20 minutes later, Jana showed up and I was getting dinner together and then after 5, Al showed up as well. It was a fully revolving door at my house on Monday. At one point, when Al, Lori, Jana, Finn, Christy, Porter, Maggie and I were all in my house, my doorbell rang and we all looked at each other and wondered who else was going to show up. It ended up being the neighbor bringing over a piece of my mail that had been delivered to her. It was a very sweet thank you card from my friend, Christi. Oh man, my day just couldn't have gotten any better.

Al and Lori left and we all sat down to dinner and enjoyed a yummy meal together. It was a freezer meal made by another one of my friends, Lauren. Christy took off after she picked up all the dinner dishes! Then Porter asked Finn if he wanted to take a bath and so the boys got to have a fun bath and Maggie even got in for a few to get her hair washed and throw a few splashes herself. Bath time was over and Porter let Finn borrow a pair of jammies and they headed home.

It was just the kids and I and it was 6:30 at night. Me and my cuties and a warm happy house. I was feeling blessed. I fed Mags and kissed her and put her down and about 30 minutes later, it was time for Porter to go to bed. What a day!

AJ was home by 8:30 and we sat on the couch and snuggled and caught up on life. Then I talked to my brother for a few minutes and it was time to head to bed. Ahhhhh, bliss, pure bliss.

I was overwhelmed by how God places people, places and things in our lives to bless us. Each and every moment of my Monday was touched by family and friends. I was overwhelmed by all who came over that day and all who contributed to my kids and our lives. God knows my thoughts and feelings and knows just what I need and when.

Thank you all who were a part of my Monday!

Some time away

2011-11-20T22:46:00.001-08:00

Tonight I got to go out with two very good friends and catch up on life. We left our kids home with our husbands to have them put them in bed and we went out. We got some time away from the brushing teeth routines and the multiple requests that kids have right before they go to bed in hopes of prolonging the inevitable. We ate, drank and laughed and it was good.

Our time together was refreshing. We all have various things going on in our lives and our kids are at various stages in their lives, but we were able to process and encourage one another in the short 3 hours. I am thankful that God placed these people in my life.

I am thankful for our time and the yummy yummy creme brulee!

I am thankful for my daughter.

2011-11-20T22:40:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for her smiles and laughter.

Even when it eventually turns to this. She was done with having me take her picture!

Ugh.

2011-11-20T22:30:00.001-08:00

So it is the middle of the month and I am dragging. I was on a pretty good roll and now I am dragging. I was driving home on Friday from work thinking, "What am I thankful for today? What am I going to blog about?" Well, here it is Sunday and I never did think of anything and now I am three days behind because of it. Ugh.

I don't just want to write something down to make my goal. I was hoping something would jump out at me. But alas, Sunday night at 10:30 and I can't think of anything. I know all day long I think about different things and I was thankful for family, for a job, for a car and for the sunshine that peaked through the clouds. I was thankful for a friend who shared her lunch with me and I was thankful for 5:00pm and work ending. I was also thankful for the pizza that we had for dinner and that we were able to go out and enjoy dinner together as a family with Al and Lori.

I was thankful for some down time and getting to get caught up on a lot the TV shows I had missed during the week. I was thankful for my couch and for the cozy blanket I was using. I was also thankful for my husband who ran to Wal-Greens to get me some yummy snacks at 9 at night!

My day was full of little thankfulness-es. I was thankful.

Friends

2011-11-17T22:49:00.001-08:00

Today one of my very good friends came to visit us. She lives in Portland and we see each other, or try to see each other once a month or so. Thursdays are a good day as I don't work and she doesn't have school. She offered to come this way and it turned out to be for the better as I ended up without a car today. Long story short, I need to remind AJ that it is Thursday so he doesn't take the van. ;)

My friend came for lunch and to catch up on life and just be with the kids and I for our afternoon routine at home. Nothing extraordinary or super exciting. We just did life together for four hours and chatted about our days, weeks, ups and downs, marriages, kids and kid-to-be, rugs, houses and life. It was a wonderful four hours. I dreamed about what life would be like if we could afford to live in Portland and I didn't have to work and we could raise our kids together and form a babysitting co-op. She turned on the laptop and showed me the rug she wants to get for her nursery. I wish I could spend every Thursday afternoon with her.

My friend and I go way back. We had to have a "we like each other and not just because we both know the same person" talk. We have history. We have cried and cried and cried some more together. We have laughed and smiled and laughed some more. We even shared a room for awhile. She was one of the first real friends I made after I moved to Salem, a whole new chapter in my life. She was in my wedding and we have just been through so much. For 3 years before I got married and moved to Vegas, we even worked at the same church. Different ministries but often times we would go out to lunch together, vent in her office and even go on Diet Coke runs to Plaid Pantry!

I wish we lived closer but thankful we are still close enough to visit and catch up on life and be real and authentic with one another. Sarah, I am thankful for you today! And that cute baby bump, well, I can't wait to meet your new little one!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-16T23:03:00.001-08:00

Left to right:

Maggie-Cutest OSU cheerleader

Finn-football Player

Campbell-very cute monkey

Porter-adorable basketball player

Cooper-very good looking lion

Talan- cute Army guy

WEDNESDAY!!

2011-11-16T21:59:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for Wednesdays because every two weeks after work, my bestie and I get our nails done. Yes, I am spoiled. It is the best hour post work, no kids and I end up with some fun, spunky nails! Plus, I get to catch up and gab with my bestie and laugh, laugh, laugh.

Then I head home to my sweet babies and husband, have some dinner and put my babes to bed. Then it is me time. I do my Bible study, watch some Modern Family and then the dishes come next and finally, I am all ready for my most favorite show of the season, Revenge. And to make the show's hour even better, my bestie and I IM. No, I am not 14 but yes, I do love a good drama and I do love chatting during it. Fun times.

Wednesday, I got you where I want you! If only Revenge was 2 hours long.

The Whole DeBacker Fam

2011-11-15T21:29:00.001-08:00

AJ, Porter, Maggie and Maryanne

Al and Lori

JJ, Jana and Finn

Our amazing and talented friend Valerie Hibler photographed the DeBacker/Avison clan on an clear fall afternoon. We had fun and got some good shots. It is an amazing feat to have all 9 people looking in the same direction with some sort of smile on your face. Porter does not love having his picture taken and Maggie was a bit on the sick side but Valerie rocked it and we got some good shots. Fun times!

My mother-in-law

2011-11-15T21:14:00.001-08:00

Each day I think all day long about something that I am thankful for on that day. Maybe it was the sunshine that peeked out, maybe it was the laughter we had as a family, maybe it was the yummy goodness I ate at some point. Well, today is Tuesday and my 'Monday' but as I headed back to work and my kids headed off to Nammie's house, I was thankful for her presence in their lives and her willingness to watch our kids so that I can work.

AJ's mom watches our kids 3 days while I work. Two of those days she also has their cousin. I watch him on Mondays for about 4 hours and it is tiring. But Lori does this and is so amazing with the kids. She laughs and plays with them. She reads them books and lets them take baths in her huge Jacuzzi tub. She takes them to the park and on walks. They play with playdough, color and do all sorts of fun, amazing things.

Often times, Porter will say something or talk about something and we can't figure out where he picked it up. A few days later I will ask Lori about it and she would say, "Oh yay, I taught Porter that," or "we talked about that the other day." It is awesome to see how she interacts with the kids and pours so much in to their lives.

I am not complaining or saying anything new, but I would rather be at home. Since that is not where God has us right now, I am SO thankful that I am able to work and that Lori is willing to invest in their lives. Thank you, Nammie!

Our cozy warm house

2011-11-14T20:04:00.001-08:00

Today is Monday and I usually stay home all day and hang out with my kids. And since I am a homebody on Mondays, I am thankful today for my warm and cozy house. It was stormy and blistery outside but we were cozy and happy inside. AJ has done so much work on our home it truly is a wonderful place to be all day long. The kids have fun playing and they each have a room and a place to sleep and nap and we even now have our own room so when Finn comes on Mondays, he has a place to nap. It all works out beautifully.

Our house was built in the 40's (pre-installation in the walls era) and it can at times feel a little chilly but for the most part it is warm. The previous owners had a new gas furnace installed so we have forced air which is quite nice and then also new windows installed which makes a huge difference, I am sure. All in all, very thankful for our home and the warm and comfort it brings to us.

The best sister in the world

2011-11-13T20:46:00.001-08:00

I am thankful for my sister. For oh so many reasons, more than I have time or space to share. But here are two of the biggest reasons.

She loves me and my kids. She is an amazing aunt and loves to hang out with us. She will go above and beyond to help out so that we can take our kids places not a lot of kids go (ie rock climbing and not-car camping). Her and her husband are awesome. We love them!

And the other reason is for given me the best surprise in my life. And by surprise, I mean full on, never would have expected this to have happened so it was fully out of the blue. (When AJ came home early to ask me to marry him, that was a good surprise too!) Anyways, it was fall of 2009 after Porter had been born and I was wanting some new clothes. I was tired of my limited wardrobe and just love me some Nordstrom Rack shopping. So AJ said he would go with me on Saturday and hang out with Porter while I shopped and then we could do lunch and come home. Sounded like a wonderful plan to me. So off we headed on Saturday morning. Probably a little earlier than I would normally do on a Saturday but it felt good to be out and headed to a morning of shopping. When we arrived in downtown Portland, AJ parked and suggested we head to Starbucks to get some coffee before we headed to Nordstrom Rack. Sure thing. We walked in and it was packed. Porter was in the BOB and I was a bit overwhelmed and trying to figure out where the line was and what I wanted to drink. When all of a sudden, my sister walks up and says, "Hi!" (Quick back story, she was currently living in southern California with her husband so her to be at the Starbucks in Portland was random, totally random.)

I stood there, confused, not quite understanding what was going on. I was fully and completely surprised. I was shocked and thought it was crazy that she would be there when we were there too. I had a million thoughts flood my mind at once and not one of them was that AJ was in on the surprise with her this whole time but he was. Neither of them ever let in on the surprise and it paid off. I was SURPRISED!

My sis is amazing and I am very fortunate to have her in my life.

Bathtime and sweet smelling babies

2011-11-13T20:41:00.001-08:00

Tonight, I am thankful for bath time and that both of my kids are in a stage where they love baths. Maggie is a huge splash-er and loves to get wet. Tonight she was pouring water on herself and loving it. So is so stinkin' cute! And Porter loves to squirt all the water bottles in the tub and be silly. He is growing up way too fast right before our eyes. He talks and talks and talks. Today on the way home from OMSI he was looking out the window and kept pointing at things and saying, "I don't know what that is."

And of course after bath time, you must be slathered in sweet smelling lotion and put on your nice warm fuzzy jammies and get all snugly ready for bed. There is nothing better than sweet soft clean baby hair and warm fuzzy jammies on your little loves.

I heart bath time and hearing my kiddos giggle together while getting clean and even more cute!

Fridays

2011-11-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Fridays because:

It is the end of my work week and I have Mondays off so bring on the 3 day weekend I always get. Woot woot!!

I get to work with my bestie, Jen!

It is casual Friday at work so we get to wear jeans.

Weekend family time is just around the corner. I love having AJ home and so do the kids!!

I can stay up late and I don't feel super guilty.

What isn't there to love about Fridays??

Hearts at Home

2011-11-11T21:27:00.001-08:00

Thursday mornings I attend a mom's group Bible study. I take the kids with me and they go to their respective classrooms and have wonderful volunteers watch them for 2 hours. I get to hang out with other moms, make friends, study God's word and have adult girls conversations. This is my 3rd year and each year has just gotten better than the last. Last year after Maggie was born my group was a huge encouragement and support. They brought us meals and loved on us.As a mom we often times make sacrifices for our kids knowing it is better for them and others to not take sick kids to e around other kids. This is the hardest time for me to make that sacrifice because I so want to go hang out with my friends and leader and see and know all that is going on in their lives and chat about potty training with other moms who 'get it'.I am thankful for the friendships I have there and for our amazing leader and for the time we have together each Thursday.

I heart my iPhone

2011-11-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

Yep, superficial me, thankful for my iPhone. If I had all the money in the world, we would be a complete Apple family but alas, I didn't win the PowerBall and I can only afford an iPhone. But for that I am thankful. We recently upgraded to the most recent release and I love it. I love how fast it is. I love how nice the camera and video camera are. I love how beautiful the screen is and I even like Siri, the iPhone personal assistant!

I don't spend a lot of time on the computer but I do enjoy spending time on my iPhone. I read my email, check Facebook, play a couple of games (Words with Friends!) listen to Pandora Radio and take lots of pictures and videos of our stinkin' cute kids. Well, more recently as well I have been using FaceTime which is like Skype, video calling and I love it! I have been able to chat with my sister and my parent's. I keep forgetting to try it some time with Porter and my parents. He would probably love it as the kid can get around my phone just as easy as I can and he is only TWO!! That's gotta say something about how user friendly they are.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for your innovation and creativity. I am thankful.

Smiles, giggles and laughter

2011-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that my kids are happy.

Just tonight as I was putting Porter to bed, we were talking and laughing and I started tickling him and he had that "if you don't stop, I might pee my pants" kind of laughter. It made me laugh and my heart happy.

Maggie is always a happy camper. And Porter can get her to laugh and giggle like no one else. He can look at her while she is sitting in her car seat from hers and she will crack a huge smile. Very cute.

The sound of the two of them interacting and laughing and talking is sweet. Porter also will comfort Maggie if she is upset or needs some immediate attention and I am not there yet. So enduring. Our kids are happy and smiley (most of the time) and it makes this momma happy as well.

Dishwashers and washers

2011-11-07T21:13:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my dishwasher and my washing machine. One of the things I really wanted in the new house was a dishwasher. Our old house we did not have one and it was just the two of us and we never seemed to find time to wash the dishes. It was usually after 2 or 3 meals and so there was quite the pile. I knew with kids we would be going through lots of dishes and really really wanted a dishwasher.

Well, most older homes do not have a built in dishwasher as they weren't around when they were built. Oftentimes, the home wouldn't have one or it would be a portable one and so it was always in an awkward place. So imagine my excitement when this house had a dishwasher and it was built in. The kitchen is not very big but does have a dishwasher. And man on man, I am so thankful. I notice we go through detergent pretty quickly as we run the dishwasher everyday and on the rare occasion can go two days. I am not complaining at all though. I am very grateful now with sippy cups, bowls, plates and silverware galore.

Then my washing machine is nothing amazing or high efficiency but it works and gets our clothes clean. Our dryer is hot and our clothes get dried quickly. 2-3 loads of laundry a week and then there are the weeks that it just never seems to end.

I am thankful for our modern conveniences and all my appliances.

Jammies, snuggles and days at home.

2011-11-07T21:04:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Mondays with my kiddos.

Mondays are my true day off. I don't have anything I am committed to doing so we can stay home all day and just be. Porter is a sweet child after my own heart and would prefer to keep his jammies on all day. He did take them off for a short period to do some painting. Again, a child after my own heart and doesn't want to get paint on his clothes.

Since I work three days and then I we go to a morning Bible study on my other day off, a commitment-free day is welcomed sight. I do watch my nephew in the afternoon for about 4 hours and 2 of them are while he is napping, plus he is just a part of the family and chills with the rest of us.

Today was a great day. We played, painted, laughed, chased each other, played Ring Around the Rosie, read books, napped. played golf and ate lunch. I even managed to have dinner cooking when AJ arrived home. I was feeling very domestic and wishing in a weird way that every day was Monday.

Mondays are all that bad.

Husband, my husband.

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for my best friend, my knight in shining armor, the guy who makes me laugh and is an all around handy, amazing, nerdy, smarty, hottie kind of guy.

I met AJ 10 years ago. We started dating shortly after my 25th birthday. (Wow, easy math and now you know how old I am and I can't believe I am admitting that.) He actually was at a birthday celebration that my friends had put together. It was sort of random at the time but cute to think and talk about now. He barely knew me!

AJ has supported me through so much. He has been my biggest cheerleader on this journey calling wedded life. He loves me no matter what and he loves to make me laugh. He knows so much about the most random things but that comes in handy so many times when I wonder about something, he has the answer. I love it!

Now that we have two kids, he is also an amazing dad. When all didn't go the way we had planned for the birth of Porter, AJ stepped right in and as I was in recovery, held our son minutes old skin-to-skin till I was able to be in the room. Be still my beating heart. And then after Maggie was born, he was strong for me and was the protective father for Maggie. He was by her side every step of the way. At one point after they had gotten her stable, he stood next to her and just laid his hand on her belly. I didn't see it but Lori told me. Again, wow, amazing.

The other cool thing about AJ is that he is so good at learning new things. If he wants to build something, he researches it. If he wants to install a window, he reads up on it and asks his brother-in-law. If he wants to try to dry his wet iPhone, he watches a YouTube video. He has done so many projects on our house and built with his dad the most amazing chicken coop. Yep, he is pretty much amazing.

I love you, honey!

If I have to work...

2011-11-05T23:00:00.001-07:00

I am thankful for my job. When AJ and I moved back to Salem, I had just graduated from beauty school and I started looking for a job at a salon so I could start building my clientele. I found a salon that hired me as an hourly/commission employee. This sounded ideal as I was just starting out. So off to work I went. At the same time, AJ and I were trying to start a family and AJ was working as an instructional assistant at North High School. I had to work the weekends and into the evenings. I was loving what I was doing but I just wasn't seeing any results on the paychecks.

My father in law was looking for some help in his office so he hired me on a very part time basis and I started working in the insurance field. I was just doing basic office things and then I decided to go ahead and get my insurance license. January of 2007, I decided to start working full time for Al and cut back to very part time at the salon. I decided if and when we had kids I wanted to be able to have my evenings and weekends with them and our family. I didn't want to have to worry what my paycheck would look like every month and I really wanted way less drama and tension in my life. Working at a salon or the one I was working at was pretty high stress!

That was almost five years ago and I haven't looked back. I ended up quitting the salon January of 2009 a few months before Porter was born. I decided to do hair on the side on my own time. Then after my maternity leave with Porter I went back to work part time, 3 days a week.

I love my boss, I love my coworkers, I love my hours and the dependability of my income. And I love being able to leave work at work.

No socks, please.

2011-11-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

I am thankful that I don't have to wear socks everyday. Random, right? I have discovered I don't like socks. And I have two things that I can pinpoint in time as to why I dislike them.

My family vacationed every other year in southern California. We would go visit my grandparents and we would always go to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm or some other amusement park. As a child, my parents wanted us to always wear comfortable walking shoes when we would spend all day at the park. They had our best intentions in mind but I always wanted to wear sandals or flip flops. For some reason I was just mortified that I had to wear sock and tennis shoes with my shorts.

Then when I attended beauty school for a year and a half, they had a dress code. What, really? Aren't we all adults? Well, sadly in beauty school or at least the one I went to had to have rules and lots of them. Unfortunately, one of them was that we had to wear socks and closed toe shoes. Ugh, socks, every day 5 days of week. And if you didn't wear socks or had open toes shoes, they would send you home to put them on. I lived 30 minutes away from school, so I followed the rules and wore socks, until I got Ugg boots for Christmas. You can't wear socks with Uggs because your feet will get way too hot. So I would wear my boots and no socks and it was a slice of heaven in beauty school.

Fast forward to today. I get to make my own decisions and don't have a dress code I have to abide by so I choose not to wear socks ever. I love leggings. I love my Ugg boots and slippers. I love my new Barefoot Merrills which means I don't even need to wear socks now when I wear my running shoes! I love ballet flats and high heels. I love getting pedicures during the winter and showing off my "summer" toes.

I am thankful for where I am at in life that I don't have to wear socks!

(Side note: Maggie refuses to keep socks on her toes at this stage in her life. Not sure where she got that from. :)

I just can't believe it is November

2011-11-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

I am sitting on the couch tonight and my toes are freezing and I have my slippers on! I am cold all over. And here I sit in a short sleeve shirt and wonder why I am so cold. Oh wait, it is November! What, November? What happened to October? Summer didn't start till August so it feels like October was a bit of more summer/fall than just fall. Which brings me to what I am thankful for today. No, not fall.

I am thankful of the state I live in. Yes, I am thankful for Oregon. We don't have extreme weather, we experience all four seasons, albeit some are shorter than I would like and the valley where I live now, is amazing during the fall and spring with all the trees, leaves and blossoms. Salem is a hour and a half from the coast, a hour from the city that AJ and I love visiting (Portland) and two and a half hours from Bend where my parents live and tons of stuff in between. We love hiking, we love snowboarding, we love seeing Aunt Christy and Uncle Tobin in Corvallis so Oregon fits our lifestyle.

I heart Oregon.

It's November, therefore, I blog...

2011-11-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's November 1st and I always have really good intentions of getting back on the blogging wagon. But how many times have I said that? How many times have I said that is for another post? So I am committing again that for every day in the month of November I will post. Last year I did this for the first time and it was a great exercise. I posted random things and it was good for me. I was pretty pregnant and so having something else to focus on was a relief.

This year I have decided I want to do a thankful post each day. I know, so original, right? Well, I keep coming back around to this idea and I haven't ever done something like this. Some people are doing this daily on Facebook. I just feel like this would be a good idea for my current place in life. Perspective.

So here is my first one.

I am thankful for the deep, deep love of Jesus. I have had the words to song "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" running over and over in my head all week. I was reminded of this deep, deep love the Father has for us as I attended a memorial service for a good friend's dad. Just because we have heartache and hurt in our life, God still loves us like nothing else. His love is not dependent on what we do, who we are or the current circumstances in our lives. He loves us without any strings attached. We can't even truly fathom how much love He has for us. Another line in the song states "how vast beyond all measure." Our worldly minds are not capable of measuring but all I know it is amazingly deep. Blows me away.

During the service his son sang a beautiful praise song and a line in that song caught my attention. "Before even time began, my life was in His hands." God knew where He was going to take this man and his family on this journey of life. He knew what was in store for each of them. God's love in their lives is evident in so many different ways. His love was and still is deep in their lives. What a truth they can hold on to.

I have been processing a lot of things since my daughter's traumatic birth in January and one thing I know for certain is that no matter the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows, the pain and the triumphs, God still and will always love me. He always has my back and I can always run to Him.

So today I am thankful for that deep deep love.

Cute kiddos

2011-10-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

Time flies...

2011-10-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

I feel like it was just June and AJ was finishing school and summer was soon to begin. I had high hopes for the summer and a list of projects a mile long we were going to accomplish. I am happy to report it was a great summer. Now it is fall and I am just starting to get caught up on summer posts. So hang on, I again have high hopes of catching up.

The first big project of the summer was to pick a house color.

For an entire year our house was the old color (yellow), brown trim and then in the process of prepping the house AJ had worked to sand parts of it and then had painted primer gray on the bare wood. It was a sight to behold. But honestly, over the year, we sort of got used to it. So this summer we were determined we were going to get it painted.

So after ten house color options, we picked and taped the windows, bought the paint, rented the sprayer and set the weekend. It was a beautiful weekend. The sun was out and out to stay, not a raindrop in sight. AJ, his dad and JJ sprayed the house and my job along with Lori was to paint the trim.

Our Cape Cod home is now a suede brown color, black trim and white windows. We also added the black shutters and it really made the windows pop. AJ was in the process of building window boxes and ripping out the deck on the left of the house. It looks a little different now because of those but you get the idea. It was quite the transformation. It was a huge weight lifted. Our house was a brand new beautiful color and a relief to have the color picking process over and the painting done.

On to the next project...

I think I got it figured out.

2011-10-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

I have been having a heck of a time getting posts to post which can be discouraging and therefore I haven't been posting as much. I have a bunch of posts in my head and pictures on my camera but now it is 11 at night and I have to work tomorrow so I gotta go to bed.

If this works, I will try to get some more pictures and posts up. For now, I am still here, promise.

Why won't my posts post?

2011-09-25T23:33:00.001-07:00

If only I could remember...

2011-08-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I lie in bed at night and think, "Oh that would be a great blog post." As I am showering in the morning I have internal dialogue going on that is funny and witty and I think to myself, "My two blog readers would love that!" But then I work all day, chase my kids around, tell my dog to stop barking, somehow throw food on the table and call it dinner and get my kids in bed at a reasonable hour and sit down at the computer to browse Facebook, read other blogs or lose myself in Pinterest and think "Now what was that blog post I wanted to do?" Oh man, my life is so exciting and productive and full of witty banter in my head. If only you could hear my internal dialogue.

So for now, I leave you with nothing. Happy Tuesday!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

Al and Lori hosted a wonderful 4th of July BBQ! We had fall off the bone ribs cooked on the Traeger and lots of other yummy foods and sides along with fresh strawberry shortcake for dessert. The boys ran around and played in the sunshine, we sat outside and ate and enjoyed the laziness of a Monday of no work. AJ, Al and Jana had completed a half marathon that morning so they were a little tired and sore. It was nice to all hang out and get a little taste of summer.

The 'kid' table.

The 'adult' table.

Cooper is getting so big. He is in a high chair and starting to eat solids.

Cooper and Maggie are about 5 weeks apart and look so stinkin' cute, we thought we should get their picture taken together. Towards the end Cooper started pulling on Maggie's top and trying to eat it. She wasn't all that concerned. And imagine what they are thinking as they are looking at 3 cameras and about 6 different people trying to get them to look in the same direction and smile. It was pretty comical.

The are both pretty happy in this shot but obviously looking at another camera.

Maggie sees Daddy!

Huh?

Summer 2011

2011-06-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is Summer of 2011 and we are in the full throws of enjoying having AJ around all the time as he has summer's off. Last week was his first full week with the kids and on day one I texted him to see how things were going and he replied with the fact the Maggie was cranky and it was a lot different having two kids! Last summer he had it made with Porter who was one and walking. This summer is a little different with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. But he will survive and the kids will have a great summer bonding with daddy.

And since I am not pregnant this summer, watch out yard and home projects that I can do, here I come. Well, maybe not all of them. I still have limitations as we have a 2 year old and a nursing 6 month old, but when they are napping, I am cutting down trees, trimming branches, mowing the lawn and laundry. Truth be told, I do laundry all the time whether the kids are sleeping or awake! AJ and his dad bought me a weed whacker and last year we bought a very nice lawn mower and some good clippers and trimmers and I am set. Like I said, watch out yard, I'll whip you in to shape.

But that is just the ongoings of owning a home. This spring AJ decided to build a chicken run and hen house with his Dad as Salem now allows for urban farming! We have chickens. AJ's mom calls the hen house the Taj-ma-Coop and says if she and Al fall on hard times, they can move in to that! It is really nice and beautiful and soon enough, the next couple months we should finally have eggs.

We also are going to paint our house this summer that we started the process on last summer. Currently, our house is yellow with brown trim and LARGE patches of gray primer. Very pretty. But by the time we got as far as we did last summer with the trim, school started up and then the rain came. So, we are getting it done this year, no excuses!

So that is the yard, the chickens, the house. And another project we have going is that our main floor we have two bedrooms. Currently, Maggie is sleeping in our room and she is ready for her own room. This means, we all have to make the shift. But before that can happen, we have to do some preparation in our room that we are remodeling in the basement. Long story short, the people that lived in the house before us tried to do home improvement and never should have. Thus, we have to redo pretty much everything and so that is what we are doing. Once we get the room in the basement par for us, we move down there, Porter moves to our room and Maggie gets Porter's room. But that means, painting each room and new bedding for Porter and Maggie and since we are getting a new room, why not new bedding for us as well! So goes the domino effect! Lori has been gracious with helping us with all this as she loves to decorate!

Our house feels like we get it clean to get it messy to get it clean to get it messy! But it is all good things and will help in the resale value someday and just allows the overall efficiency of our home while we live here.

And finally, a project for the fall. AJ's parents are remodeling their kitchen and purchased a new stove/oven and dishwasher. Their old ones were very nice in comparison to our very old and barely function stove and dishwasher. So sitting in our garage are their old ones to eventually replace ours with. The exciting thing is that the stove is gas and we currently have electric so I am looking forward to a gas stove as they are so much nicer to cook on. Shhhh, don't tell anyone I cook!

As you see we have a lot going on. All good things and we love getting our hands dirty and working. This is just all part of being a homeowner and I am looking forward to working one each of these projects. This is the summer of home projects!

Pamelia Lake

2011-06-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we took a 4 mile family hike up to Pamelia Lake and back. I wore Maggie in the front pack and AJ carried Porter in the back pack.

But somebody has to carry some water and diapers too! So I had a pack on my back as well.

It was a perfect day and the forest was beautiful.

Our family. Maggie would follow AJ from the camera after he set the timer so we never could get her to look at the camera!

We found some patches of snow!

And the lake. Porter loved throwing rocks and twigs in to the lake.

The beautiful lake.

This was Maggie's spot to wiggle and move around while we ate lunch. She promptly grabbed a large handful of dirt and pine needles after laying her down and then tried to shove her hand in her mouth. Silly girl!

This was also a great place for a diaper change for both the kids!

Porter wore his only shoes that fit him and they are sandal like and I hate socks with sandals but it was just a little too chilly not to have socks on. Such a true Pacific Northwestener. Socks and sandals!

Porter also loves walking with the trekking poles. He actually walked quite a bit on his own out of the pack. This was a great hike for him as no steep drop offs or intense hills.

My loves!

"What is the bright light? It is so bright!"

Maggie-lishous

2011-06-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Look at me, I am five months old!

Grand Floral Walk 2011

2011-06-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

We all walked the Grand Floral Walk this year. Al, Lori, Jana, JJ, AJ, Finn, Porter, Maggie and myself. Fun was had by all. Here are a few pictures before we took off.

Porter was a bit uncertain as there was a clown hanging around.

Maggie did really well and took a few naps in the stroller.

Lori and I made rose halos for all of us girls to wear.

.processing.

2011-05-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. Life seems to be crazy for so many people. I can really only speak for myself and I do know for me and my family, life has been CRAZY. We are only 5 months in to 2011 and this year is one for the books as far as this DeBacker family goes. One year ago, we found out we were going to be adding a new member of the family only to find out 2 days later AJ's current job was receiving a cut in the number of hours and thus would spiral down to less pay and very high medical insurance costs. God then led AJ to a new job opportunity in July and what has been an amazing job for AJ with the Salem Keizer school district. He loves his job. It has ups and downs but then again what job doesn't. We felt blessed that God had provided AJ with a full time job and medical benefits. He was off and running with his new job and along came Maggie on January 16th. And what a whirlwind that was.

We were reeling. We hung tight to each other. We hugged each other, held our son and hugged our family and friends. We felt God wrapping his arms around us and we never ever felt alone. It was a time of fear of the unknown, trust in our almighty God and love like we have never experienced from everyone near and far, known and unknown around us. We prayed and cried. Cried and prayed. And tried to laugh and act normal every now and then. One week and a day after Maggie entered the world, blue and breathless, we were taking our baby home from the NICU. She entered the world on a cold, windy rainy night and we brought her home on a glorious, bright sunshine day!

So now we are four months out and I am still processing. I look at the medical bills that are coming in (no complaints as we have insurance and a beautiful daughter). I see all the things we want to do with our home. I dream about taking a vacation this summer and I hear of all the lay offs and job cuts the school district is making. And I am overwhelmed.

But God is gracious and all knowing and loves and cares about even the sparrows. So I know he still loves and cares about me.

Why am I struggling? AJ still has a job. I know, a huge AMEN, right? He is baffled and I am baffled and we know God has a reason and for this we are so so so thankful. Our daughter is thriving and is hitting milestones and impressing the doctors. She is babbling and rolling over just like a normal baby. We are astounded by her daily. Both of our kids are beautiful and amazing and such "easy" kids that I honestly couldn't ask for me. So again, I ask, why I am struggling?

I guess when I pictured life after my baby girl in 2011, I pictured it differently. And yes, I know, this is a stage of the nonn stop nursing, fully reliant on you baby stage. I am not complaining. This will be over soon. It is all the other things I wasn't expecting. Traumatic birth, ambulance rides, NICU, medical bills, ER trip, family sickness, broken water heater, giving away one of our dogs, finding more and more gray hairs on my head. This is just life, right? Well, I guess I just feel like my turn at life should be over. It is time for another person's turn. You know, when you play the game of life and you drive the pink car, spin the wheel and do your turn. Now it is the blue cars turn.

Please don't feel like I am complaining. God has given us sooo many things as well. In no means does this post lessen all the things we have been given. Just processing. Writing is so cathartic. Just getting it out helps me some. And now the blog world knows how I am feeling. Overwhelmed but blessed. Kind of a weird place to be, I guess.

Enough processing and rambling. I'm out.

Cute kid videos

2011-05-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Porter's favorite number is 2 and he loves saying it. He is also a math whiz! Check him out...

2 days shy of turning 4 months old, Maggie decides it is time to roll from her back to her belly.

Goodbye, Ellie...

2011-05-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

AJ and I were married in July of 2003. I moved to Vegas to join AJ who was already living there as he had another year or so left of school I was in a new city, newly married and didn't find a job right away. AJ was working and going to school, so I was at home a lot and lonely. Well, I started looking at getting a dog. By September of 2003 I found our first dog, Lucy. She is a rat terrier, chiuaua mix. She is the black and white dog. We loved her and thought she was pretty cute and fun.

But then, I got a job and then I got a second job. I was rarely home and if I was home, I was most likely sleeping. AJ was still working and going to school, so our new puppy was not getting a whole lot of socialization. So by June of 2004, we thought it would be a good idea to get a second dog so they could be pals to each other. And that is when Ellie, the white miniature schnauzer entered our lives.

She was a wild and crazy puppy and we just chalked it up to the idea that she was in the pet store for around 6 months. That is a long time in a pet store. We took her home and instantly she was the alpha dog. She was in charge. Now fast forward to April of 2009 and we now have our little baby Porter. Ellie was fine when Porter was a little baby but as soon as Porter could crawl, we had a minor incidence of Ellie getting very territorial of her bed that Porter had decided would be fun to crawl in to. I was devastated but just couldn't bring myself to admit that Ellie might do this again.

Unfortunately, she did a couple other minor times but truly, she and Lucy would often be locked in the basement all day when we were home as I just didn't feel comfortable if I was in the kitchen and the dogs were out with Porter in the living room. Then Maggie came along and now she is getting to a stage of rolling and will be scooting and crawling very soon. Ellie had to go. She just isn't the best with kids. She is loyal with all her heart to AJ and I, but saw the kids as a cramp in her loyalty to us. And that just wasn't going to work.

Lori, my mother in law, found a wonderful person (the lady who does her nails) that was interested in taking Ellie. It sounds like a match made in heaven. No kids at home and she will be able to fully spoil Ellie and I am sure we will get updates on her from time to time.

I will miss my Ellie dog. She was a fun dog and had the quirkiest ability to howl. It was pretty cute. Goodbye, sweet girl. I know you will be much happier with your new family.

My last picture of Ellie. She was getting groomed the next day. She was so shaggy!

Ellie and our other dog Lucy. They rarely shared a bed.

Look at my new haircut!

Just like Daddy

2011-05-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

Porter has taken to "fixing" the dining room table. He pulls out his Black and Decker tool set and will drill on the corners and legs. It is pretty cute. He will also at times flip his lawnmower over and work on it as well. Such a cute kid and watching him start to role play has been a lot of fun.

Happy Easter

2011-05-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

Easter was a little different for our family this year. Since we ended up in the ER with Maggie on Saturday and then admitted to the hospital for the night, we did not make it to church as a family and we were all pretty tired and exhausted by Sunday when we did get home from the hospital. We did have a fun Easter basket for Porter. He enjoyed opening up all the fun little toys we got him. That afternoon we went to brunch with the family and Porter and Finn had a fun little Easter egg hunt. Sometimes things just don't happen the way we want them too but we still had good family time and more than anything, we were happy that Maggie and Mommy were back at home!

What is that, Porter?

Bubbles!!

Surprise!

2011-05-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

Our surprise present to Porter this year was a train table. When he woke up on the morning of his birthday, we took him downstairs to see what Daddy had set up for him. He was pretty excited!

Porter turns 2

2011-05-07T23:18:00.000-07:00

April 3rd, 2011, Porter Everett John turned 2. We celebrated our little guys birthday in style. Kid friendly snacks, make your own party hat activity, presents and cupcakes. Grammie let us have it at her house as there was quite the crowd. We had a lot of fun!

Happy Birthday, Porter!

Some of Porter's favorites: grapes, string cheese and crackers.

Party Hat craft

Another of Porter's favorites: fruit smoothies made by Daddy

He also loves noise makers.

Present time!

This picture is a little blurry but this was the winning present amongst all the boys.

A lawnmower!!

Porter does not wearing his party hat!

Daddy comforts are the best.

2 candles for the 2 year old.

We practiced blowing out candles and now he can almost blow bubbles as well.

First real cupcakes ever. He took a bite of the gum drop and one of the cupcake and he was done. Wasn't really interested in all the sugary goodness. Fine with us.

The cutest little 2 year old with his blue eyes.

Gilbert House

2011-03-28T22:11:00.001-07:00

Lunch with Mommy and Daddy and baby Maggie at Red Robin. Porter loves pockets!!

A rocking chair at the Gilbert House, just Porter's size.

The rain forest room at the Gilbert House.

We took Porter to the Gilbert House for the first time while AJ was on Spring Break. We had fun playing and Porter could have stayed for a lot longer but Maggie was ready to be home and stretch her legs. We had gone up to Portland in the morning to take the kids to the doctor and then out to lunch and Costco. Porter hadn't had a nap and Maggie was tired of being uncomfortable, so Porter got to explore all the rooms and the playground a little but not to his hearts content. We will take him back again someday, most likely when he is a little older. Our zoo year membership is up in May so I hope to take the kids there one more time before it expires.

Where should we get a membership to this next year? I hear OMSI is good for the little ones, surprisingly enough!

Stop time, please...

2011-03-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 10:50pm, I am sitting on the couch by myself watching the end of The Bachelor and I realize I want to stop time. No, not because of The Bachelor. I want time to stop because tonight is the last night of my maternity leave. This is the first of many lasts. I didn't think this would be hard for me but I guess it is hitting me a little more than I thought it would.

When AJ and I began talking about having kids, we both agreed that we wanted to have 2 kids. I may have said this before that I am the middle child of 3 and AJ is the youngest of 2 and we both felt 2 was a perfect number for us. When I was pregnant with Porter, I got sick and did not enjoy being pregnant at all. My labor and delivery was the least enjoyable as well so it was a miracle I wanted to do this all over again.

Then in April of 2010 I jokingly told AJ we should try for another one and that night we did and the next morning I woke up in a panic afraid of what we may have done. AJ reassured me it was just one try and it had taken us 2 1/2 years to get pregnant with Porter. So my panic subsided only to become reality on Mother's Day 2010. We were excited and even more excited when we learned that Magnolia Raine would be entering our lives. Another pregnancy and more sickness and then all the anxiety of how my labor and delivery would go. Well, you know the story about that and needless to say, I did not mourn the last time I would be pregnant.

I was happy at the prospect of losing the weight and never having to do that again. I was relieved my constant heartburn was subsiding and I was so excited to someday wear all my normal clothes again! No looking back.

But tonight as my 8 week old daughter and 23 month old son are soundly sleeping in their beds, I am sad. I have loved being home with them for the last 8 weeks and being their full time mom. We have had our moments. We have had fun. We have cried. We have laughed. We have slept. We have gone places and stayed home. We have had LOTS of jammie days. It was amazing.

Porter is at such a fun age. Maggie is still so little. I am still so emotional.

This is the first of many lasts that I will be missing. I hope Maggie nurses till she is 3. :)

Yes, I do know that work is good for me. I know I need to make money. I know God has ordered all of my steps and my kid's steps but I just wish I could be there for more of them. AJ's mom, Lori (Grammie) is an amazing grandma and such a blessing to us for her willingness to watch our two kids and Jana's son, Finn. She will have 3 kids at times all 2 and under! What a HUGE blessing! Porter loves his Grammie and Maggie will too as she grows. Lori and Al turned one of their guest rooms in their home to a completely kid-safe playroom and it is beautiful and lots of fun. So I do know my kids will be well taken care of.

I am just sad tonight. Guess I better get to bed so I can get some rest before the whirlwind of a morning as we all get ready to head off into our 'new' normal.

An almost 2 year old

2011-03-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the 3rd of March which means in one month Porter will be two. How do I feel about that? I just can't believe it. Where did the last 2 years go? I guess because I was nursing him for the first 17 months of his life and then got pregnant at month 13 of his life, I have always been nursing or pregnant for the last 2 years. So I am excited for the next years to come with him and not worry about being pregnant again. It was a rough 10 months for all of us, but we have made it and now can enjoy the joys of being two and very active.

Porter loves to go and do and do some more. He is a hopping fool. He loves to chase and run. He loves to do somersaults and climb on the couches. He loves to ride Strawberry (Grandpa Al the horse). He loves to push boundaries and think outside the box. He loves to read, color and paint. He loves to splash in mud puddles with his rain boots and even without his rain boots. He loves to give his sister kisses and will do it repeatedly at night knowing full well we will let him and it keeps him out of bed longer. He loves to play balls and loves to go shopping for balls at Target. He remembers things I had no idea little 2 year old minds would remember. He knows Home Depot, he knows La Hacienda, he knows where our street is, he knows where Daddy and Mommy go to work, he knows when we are on the way to Grammie's house, he knows his cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles in pictures and points to the correct ones. He loves life!

I could go on and on but those are some of the things that jump out in my mind when I think of our little Porter-man. So he is turning 2 and one of the things I have been wanting him to learn is to tell people how old he is. He just learned how to say the number one with his hand and when asked how old he is will show you one finger. So along with that learning I figured why not start showing him basic counting and count up to five. So he have say, with his mouth, two and three and show you that on his hand as well. So he is all ready to turn two now and be able to tell people how old he is. So cute! I keep asking him what he wants for his birthday and I don't think the concept of that makes any sense to him as he has no response really. If only it stays that way, right?

One more month and what used to be my little baby, Porter, will be 2. Now, what should we do for a birthday party? Hmmmm.... Do we let him eat the "real" stuff? Porter has not had any dessert or intentionally sugary foods the first two years of his life. Yes, he has had muffins that contain sugar, but generally they are homemade and not cupcakes but muffins like blueberry or bran. He does eat fruit flavored yogurt, but again, yogurt is not known to be a sugary item. He does drink juice but nothing like Caprisun or Sunny Delight. All that to say, he has had some sugar but nothing dessert like, so the question is, "Do we let him eat cake?" For his first birthday he had a sugar-free banana cake. I will admit, it wasn't amazingly delicious but he didn't know the difference at all. This year, we will see. The jury is still out and AJ and I haven't decided. When I post about his birthday, we will see which way we went. :0)

Family of Four

2011-02-03T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are. We are all at home now and we are a family of four. AJ is back at work. My parents came and stayed with us for a week and helped with so much. They helped with the transition back home and my mom did laundry and cooked. They both loved on Porter and played Lego's, blocks and read books. My dad helped by running to the store for groceries and did some yard work with me as our yard was out of control. It was a great week. But it had to end and I had to just do it on my own.

So yesterday after I returned from taking Maggie to the pediatrician, they jetted off back to their house in Bend and I was on my own! Wednesday afternoon seemed pretty breezy as we did lunch, went on a walk and by then, daddy was home! Today was a bit more rough. I go to a Bible study at our church on Thursday mornings for moms of young children called Hearts at Home. I hadn't been for the last 3 weeks so I decided I needed to get back in the routine and woke up early to shower and get going to get us all out the door to Hearts. I figured it is good practice seeing how I will be going back to work in 5 weeks and we will need to have it figured out by then!

Well, mission accomplished. We were all buckled in and heading out the driveway by 9:07am. Yes, it starts at 9am and we were technically late, but I consider this a success. If only that was the hardest part of my day. It was the easiest. We came home and Porter went down for a nap and Maggie decided to eat and then nap, but I was starving and couldn't sleep and had phone calls I needed to make. So when Porter woke up, I was just finally getting settled down and then I couldn't. Argh.

After nap I helped Porter get some lunch and changed diapers, more diapers and nursed, nursed again and more nursing Maggie. Porter was in somewhat of a cranky mood and just wanted to do anything and everything that I didn't want him to do, thus, we were at odds with one another all afternoon.

Needless to say, about 4pm, I was really getting ready for AJ to be home. But of course, he texted me at 4:45 and said he had just gotten out of a meeting. Thus, he wouldn't be home for a little bit more. WHAT?? I was done. Long afternoon. Thankfully, AJ's dad showed up at 5:10 with make your own pizza for dinner and entertained Porter. AJ did get home and then ran to the store for a few more items. JJ then came over and we had a great dinner. After dinner, JJ cleaned up the kitchen (unloaded the clean dishes and reloaded the dirty ones and put away all the leftover!). AJ got Porter ready for bed and then JJ rocked Maggie to sleep and then went home. AJ and I turned on NBC for a night of laughs and I was actually able to blog some and enjoy some time on the laptop.

I guess I must say, for how long my day was, my evening with my family has been very delightful. Being a mom of two kids 21 months apart is hard. Someone told me today that she saw the light at about 6 months with hers. Well, I guess I only have 5 months and a week left! I love being a mom and I love my kids and husband but today was a rough introduction. Each day will have its challenges and each day may get a little easier but I am trying to enjoy each moment as this is the last time I will be in the newborn baby phase. One day at a time!

A whole new view on life...

2011-01-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Magnolia Raine Miller DeBacker entered our lives in the craziest fashion one could ever think of on January 16th at 11:10pm. Four days overdue and she was 7 pounds 4 ounces, 20 inches long and a head full of head like her big brother, Porter! She never took a first breath of life and has been fighting for it ever since. To read her story and to keep up to date on her, we have started a blog for her to keep all informed.

Please check out her progress at:

www.magnoliaraine.blogspot.com

We are thrilled at her progress and rejoice and pray with all those praying for her and us. We thank you! Maggie is THE cutest little baby you will ever meet and we can't wait to introduce her to all our family and friends.

Again, thank you for all your love and support and continue to join us in prayer for Maggie and the life journey she has ahead of her that her Mighty Creator has chosen for her. We love you, sweet Maggie!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T20:41:00.002-08:00

Our "First Christmas Tree" all decorated with presents under the tree!

Al and Lori's Christmas tree with presents spilling out from underneath!

The stockings...

Porter opening a present from Grammie and Grandpa-a magna-doodle.

Jana and Finn

Porter told us Christmas Eve that he thought Santa was going to bring him a guitar. Much to his delight, Santa pulled through and he got his very own guitar! Now he can play like his grandpas and uncles play.

Porter demonstrating how to use Grammie's camera!

Grammie and her grandboys

Aunt Christy celebrated with us and loves making Porter laugh!

Me and my sister, Christy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

My family, the Miller family

2010-12-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year, my side of the family all got together at my brother's house and had our Thanksgiving meal together. All 13 of us sat around their dining room table and enjoyed all sorts of yummy food!

Since it was the first time in a long time that we ALL had been together, we decided to brave the cold and attempt some outside family photos with my brother's camera on timer. It made for some intersting pictures since no one was behind the camera to get the kid's attention. But we worked with what we got and got a few fun shots!

My parents also wanted their picture with all their grandkids. My brother has 4 kids: Gracie (7), Benjamin (5), Zoey (3) and Kate (1) all with bright red hair! And then my little kiddo, Porter(1) with his dad's blonde hair!

So this is the Miller family. Andy, oldest Miller child, and his wife Ruth. Me, preggers and middle child, and my husband AJ. My sister, Christy, youngest child, and her husband Tobin. And then our parents, Jim and Glenda.

Silly Christy and Tobin!

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my 34rd birthday this last Friday and AJ and I had planned to have a night away in Portland as celebration!

Friday I had to work on my actual birthday and I ended up working late but when I walked in the front door at home, I was greeted by my husband and happy child and beautiful flowers. AJ had gotten them for me along with a super cute card and a gift card to my favorite local place, Jori Zan's, a body piercing store. I had been wanting new plugs for my ears. I was excited. So after opening that, we headed out to go to dinner as a family and do a little Christmas shopping.

On Saturday morning we had a brunch to go to with 3 other families that we have done this with for the last 3 years and we do an ornament exchange. We got up and got ready, gave Porter a nap and packed our bags for a night away. Porter was going to stay with Grammie and Grandpa DeBacker and spend the night at their house. This was the first time since he was born that AJ and I had gone somewhere together without him! Off we went to the brunch and had a blast!

Then we ran by Jori's and I picked out some new plugs and we headed to Al and Lori's to see Al's side of the family before lunch and drop off Porter. We said hello to everyone and said goodbye to our baby and climbed in to the Subaru and headed to Portland as just US! It was amazing!

We had booked a night at the Hotel Modera in downtown Portland and checked in to our room. It was cute and very nice. The hotel was very modern and we both felt it was pretty trendy, almost too trendy for us. But we loved every moment of it.

The hotel lobby and cool sitting area.

The other view of the lobby.

Covered walkway entrance to the hotel. On the left are full fire pit type things you can sit around at night and have your drinks and enjoy being outside and be warm!

After we checked in and got to rest a little, we headed out to the spa as AJ had booked a hour long pregnancy massage for me. Ah, it was amazing and relaxing. I am always wanting AJ to scratch my back or rub my neck and he does but never for as long as I would like. So this was his treat to me. It was warm and relaxing and so nice to decompress.

After that we headed back to the hotel room and put on our warm comfy clothes and headed out to walk to the theater where we were going to have dinner and a movie. On the walk over I realized my head was really cold and I had forgotten my hat at home, not the hotel but home. And AJ had forgotten to pack socks so we were both pretty cold. We decided to stop at Columbia and buy a hat for me and AJ bought some new socks. It made the walk there and back much more enjoyable.

Here is AJ putting on his socks right in front of: (hehehe!)

We then walked on to the Living Room Theater. It is a smaller theater where they serve dinner and refreshments. We ordered dinner and ate most of it in the lounge and then took the rest in to the theater and had our dessert there. The food was amazing! And truly, creme brulee for dessert while watching a movie is really the best thing ever.

The theater seats maybe 50-60 people and the seats are much more comfortable and there is lots of leg room. We went to see Morning Glory and we both enjoyed it. It was a great date. On a random side note the bathroom stalls are tiny! If I had been much more pregnant, it would have been really uncomfortable. Everything else was amazing!

The bar and lounge area of the theater.

Dinner...

After the movie we bundled up again and headed back to the hotel. It was cold and quite the walk for me but it was still fun and we just took our time. On the way home we did run in to a street band that was performing in front of Nordstrom. It was a pretty cool band and had an interesting sound. AJ likes supporting the locals and so we bought a CD. It was cool to stand there and watch them for a little. Then we walked over to get a closer look at the Portland Christmas tree only to see it was all tented off as in Pioneer Square they were having a Holiday Ale Festival and we couldn't get close. So AJ took a picture of the tree above all the tents. It was really pretty but would have looked better if all the tents were then. We then arrived back at the hotel and put our jammies on and crawled in to the warm and cozy bed. Ah, blissful.

The next morning I woke up at 8 as I can't sleep in anymore. I think part of it is I end up having to pee so badly in the morning that it wakes me up and I can't fall asleep again. I let AJ sleep in and then had to wake him up at 9:30 as I was getting hungry! He was the best and went out and got us Starbucks coffee and pastries. I was loving life, reading the paper, watching TV and drinking yummy coffee. Man, it was amazing! So about 11:30 I decided to take a shower and get ready to go do some shopping!

The coolest thing in the hotel room was the bathroom mirror. When I stepped out of the shower I noticed a square on the mirror was not fogged up. The rest of the mirror was foggy from the shower steam but not the middle square. It was cool. You could still see your face to get ready even though you had just gotten out of the shower. Check it out!

After getting ready, we packed out stuff back in the car and headed out for lunch. One of my favorite places we used to eat at all the time when we lived in Vegas was Buffalo Wild Wings and they came to Portland about 3 years ago, so I love going there whenever I get a chance. Yummy lunch with just my husband, wonderful.

AJ treated me like royalty and no matter what it was, the decision was mine. AJ would just say, "It is your weekend." It was the best. I sort of considered this a babymoon as well, seeing how Porter is 20 months old and we have never left him for a night at the same time. AJ has gone places and I have gone places but we have never been able to go together. I know Porter will have to have some nights away from us while we are in the hospital after Maggie is born so this was a good experience for him. We are so thankful and grateful for Al and Lori for taking Porter. Thank you! We knew he was in good hands.

In 5-6 short weeks, AJ and I and Porter will be a family of four and welcoming Maggie in to our lives. It was good to get away, be refreshed and enjoy each other and gear up for the next stage in our lives. Maybe in another year, AJ and I can leave both the kids for 2 nights!

I have learned...

2010-12-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

Through this last month of blogging I have learned that I am fully capable of creating a new habit and routine. It was easy the first few days and then I hit a rough patch only to come out at the end, not even realizing it was the end. I am sure most of my 5 readers will think I will disappear again and not blog but once every 3 months if that. But my hope and desire is not for that to happen. Can't guarantee how much I will once Maggie comes, but I do hope for December to keep blogging the important things and things that are on my mind.

It was a challenge but I conquered it. I can now apply this lesson to other aspects of my life and realize that I am capable of change and new things and consistency. Just like I found the 20-30 minutes it would take me to blog, after baby, I can find the 30 minutes to walk the treadmill and feel a little better about myself. A small step for me.

So, welcome in December. I am glad you are here. For me it means of time of celebrating my birthday and for a day or two or maybe three, it is all about me. A middle child's dream! AJ and I are going to Portland for an overnight in a swanky hotel adventure with no child (besides the one in my belly and she is pretty mellow most of the time). My in-laws will have Porter for the night and AJ and I have hopes of dinner and a movie, but we may just end up falling asleep at 9 and sleeping in till 10 or 11 the next day. Either way, I am excited. I get to have adult conversation with my husband, his full attention and no screams or cries or sippy cups being thrown my way.

I am also sort of considering this our "babymoon" seeing how Maggie is due in 42 days so this may be the last time for a bit that AJ and I get to be just us even if for one night. Our family of 3 will soon be a family of 4 and for that I am excited.

So, off into December I go with excitement for my birthday and reflection on our Christ who was born to save us all. It truly is one of the most wonderful times of the year. Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad!

Snowshoeing

2010-11-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

Tobin and Christy really wanted us to go snowshoeing and so on Saturday we all decided to trek on out and find us some snow to snowshoe through. I made no promises and said I may only make it a little ways as I was 33 1/2 weeks pregnant. I wanted to enjoy the outdoors and I knew Porter would love going for a ride in the backpack. AJ also has been dying to use our snowshoes we bought and have NEVER used! So I pulled some gear together that fit me and piled on the clothes on Porter and off we headed. We found a snow park and pulled in and geared up. Off we went. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It was gorgeous! But I couldn't make it very far. We stopped for lunch and I decided it would be best for me to head back. So Christy took over and carried Porter back in the backpack and we headed back to the car while AJ and Tobin took a loop and got to do some more trekking. We all had fun and Porter loves the snow and the outdoors. It was fun!

Porter's attempt at holding trekking poles without thumbs.

He really didn't want to let go of them but he hasn't figured out how to keep a thumb in his gloves so all his fingers end up in one section and then he can't grab anything!

Uncle Tobin is wonderful when it comes to carrying Porter in the backpack!

33 1/2 weeks, need I say more!

True outdoorsmen

1,2,3 JUMP!

AJ and Maryanne in a winter wonderland

Lunchtime!!

PB & J is always better on the trail in a backpack while it is lightly snowing.

Yummy!

Beautiful

Could he be any happier?

Ode to Verde

2010-11-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well, the time came and I always kind of dreaded the day when our pet iguana of many years would pass away and she did today. Her name was Verde and she was a 3 foot iguana that entered my life when I began dating AJ.

AJ has a love for all things animals and pets. If it is a pet, most likely he has had one in his lifetime. I could write a bunch of posts on each of the pets he has had plus all the ones we have had as a married couple. Each time we have moved it always seems like we have a zoo behind us as we forge on to our new living destination.

Verde entered AJ's life a wee tiny little iguana. Yeah, the kind you see at the pet store that look all sweet and innocent and only about 4-5 inches long. From the beginning they all thought she was a male and referred to her as a him and named her Verde. Then she began to grow and develop and look more and more like the iguanas you see in Mexico that people let you take your picture with for $5. Only she never got that big. At one point, she was shedding a lot of skin and had some discolorations on her back so AJ to her to a local vet who specializes in reptiles and found out, he was a she. Verde was not big enough or colorful enough to be a male, but she was a perfect female size.

When AJ and I started dating 9 years ago, I met Verde. She was an iguana and was impressive and I learned all about her. I held her and wasn't afraid of her as she was a vegetarian so there was no reason for her to bite me unless I was holding her food. She was fast and AJ would let her out of her cage on occasion while he cleaned the cage and she would head to the sun or warmest spot in the room. She loved being warm! Many times we would that she had escaped her cage for a houseplant that looked green and yummy or a warm spot on the water heater. Often times she was such a good hider when she got out we would use the dogs to help locate her because we couldn't find her. And then when the dogs would find her, they would bark and where ever she was hiding only her tail would be sticking out. The dogs freaked her out so I think she hid more out of survival than a game.

A few stories about Verde. When we moved back in with AJ's parents we set up her cage in the garage as there was just not enough room in our room for all our stuff plus Verde. The cage had seen better days and was truly getting to be on its last leg but AJ would always fix it just enough that it would last a bit longer. It was a homemade cage and huge. So off Verde went living in the garage and eating and climbing around her cage. One Saturday afternoon the neighbor lady from across the street came over and asked us if we had a reptile as it may have gotten out and was in her flower pot eating her flowers. Well, this was a huge surprise to us but sure enough across the street we went and it was Verde munching away on the leaves in the flowerpot. I could only imagine what it must have been like for this iguana to make its way all the way across the street and in to her flowerpot. Imagine if someone had been driving by, it would have been crazy! AJ just picked her up and carried her back to her cage and we then had to patch up a hole we didn't know about and more securely close the main door so she wouldn't escape again.

The other thing I mentioned about Verde is all the moves she has made with us. The biggest was moving from Oregon to Las Vegas and then back to Oregon 2 years later. After AJ and I got married and packed our U-haul with everything we owned, we put Verde in a dog carrier and set her in the middle of the seat between us with a heating pad plugged in to the cigarette lighter and headed out to Las Vegas. We had a good two day drive ahead of us and knew at some point we would stop for the night at a hotel that accepted pets and that would be that. We didn't make any reservations in hopes of making it as far as we could that first day. Well, due to a major rain and lightning storm, we had to stop a little sooner than planned. We called all sorts of hotels asking if they accepted pets and often times when they would ask us what we had and we replied an iguana, the answer suddenly was no. Here's the thing, Verde was so scared and cold, she didn't come out of the cage in the room. We just didn't and couldn't leave her in the moving truck all night, she would freeze!

Finally, the last place we called AJ said not to say anything about Verde and we would just sneak her in. So I made the reservation and AJ checked in and we brought Verde to our room through a side entrance and no one ever knew she was there! It was an adventure and her cage was the last thing we packed and the first thing we set up so she was happy once she was in her cage and settled again. Plus, Vegas felt like her homeland; warm, dry and sunny!

Oh, Verde, we will miss you. For all the bunches of collard, mustard, kale and turnips greens that we bought you and for all the times AJ had to clean your cage, we still loved you. We thought you might live forever after moving you so many times and at some point may have included you as a dependent in our will. I guess not now. But you will always hold a dear spot in our hearts as our iguana.

Christmas Cards

2010-11-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't done Christmas cards in quite a few years. One of the reasons is that I enjoy making my own cards and each year this gets put on the back burner and so I end up not doing them. Now that we have a kid with another on the way, it just seems more appropriate at this stage in our lives to do a Christmas card. But I don't want one that takes too much time or effort. I have been looking on line at various options and had heard of Shutterfly. They make amazing and cool photo Christmas cards and have a huge selection. Check out this link.

Another thing that looks fun that I have seen co-workers and family receive are photo mugs and calendars for presents. This is such a personalized gift and reminds the receiver of the giver each time they look at it. Check out this link for calendars and this one for photo mugs.

This is a fun card. I haven't picked out the design I am going to use but it is fun to look at all the options they have. Check them out!

My top ten for the week- Part III

2010-11-28T13:01:00.001-08:00

1. Thankful for family and all the fun times we had together this last weekend.

2. Thankful for snowshoeing and getting to play in the snow on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

3. I am thankful for my house. I may have said this before but it is warm and cozy and at one point there was seven of us all sleeping in beds and that makes me smile. I like having people at my house!

4. Thankful that my in laws had an amazing time in Hawaii and were able to get some good rest and relaxation. We are glad to have them back as well!

5. Thankful for all the energy I have considering I am 33 weeks.

6. The pumpkin pie I made from a random recipe on allrecipe.com turned out super yummy! I love that website and would highly recommend it. I have gotten a lot of recipes off of there and haven't had one yet I didn't like.

7. I am thankful for my husband and all the hard work and help he did to get our house ready for my family to be here. He cleaned and did grocery shopping and folded more laundry than one should have to fold and didn't complain. I love that guy!

8. I am thankful for the 10 hours of sleep I got on Thanksgiving night. It was delightfully amazing.

9. Thankful for an amazing Aunt Christy who took Porter for a run every morning while she was here in the stroller. He loved it and enjoyed the fresh air and chasing birds. Thanks, Christy!

10. I am truly blessed and thankful for all we have and continue to have. Our God is good!

Christmas 2010

2010-11-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

This is the year. We are going to do it. We have purchased the Groupon, made the commitment with AJ's sister and JJ and I am ready. WE ARE GETTING A CHRISTMAS TREE!!

In the 7 years AJ and I have been married, we have gotten a Christmas tree once and at that point in our lives we did not have kids or live in our own house. But we did use our lights and ornaments and it was a very cute tree. Well, this is the first year in OUR own house and little Porter is a year and a half old so no time like the present to start making our own traditions. We are getting a tree.

About a week ago Jana saw a Groupon for $10 off a local tree farm, so we both bought the Groupon and decided we would all go together. We will take our mini van with the kids and JJ will take the truck to bring our trees back home in. It was a win win.

So I am committed. Mega pregnant or not, we are starting our DeBacker family Christmas tree tradition. I may not get to use all my beautiful breakable ornaments as Porter may just try to climb the tree but it will be our tree.

So much fun! I will post pictures when we get it up and decorated.

"Tis the season to be jolly and be thankful for all that we have."

Happy Thanksgiving, Mom and Dad. From Porter.

2010-11-25T19:53:00.001-08:00

What a fun day I had. I loved waking up and seeing all my relatives who had stayed the night in my house. I got to go for a jog in my stroller with Aunt Christy. It was cold, but Mommy gave me two blankets and my snow boots to snuggle with and keep warm. When we got back Mommy made me breakfast and Daddy got up and was making apple cider for everyone. We all ate breakfast and then watched a little bit of the parade on TV. My parents let me watch TV!! I was more interested in the remote but it was still fun to see a little bit. After that I took my nap. Who knows what the adults do while I am sleeping but it felt good to nap since I had woken up at 6:40am!

When I woke up it seemed to be a whirlwind of getting ready to go somewhere. Daddy got me ready while Mommy finished doing her hair. Then we headed out the door. Mommy was driving so Daddy could look at the ads for all the sales tomorrow. My mommy must be forgetful lately because we we drive out of the driveway and then come back again and then Daddy would run in the house. We did this 3 times before we finally were going somewhere different. Silly Mommy!

We got to my cousin's house and got to play with all of them and see all their fun toys. It was a bit crazy there as everyone was getting lunch ready. We had Thanksgiving dinner for lunch! It was so yummy. Sweet potatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, pear jello salad and stuffing! Yum! And let me tell you something else. I was in pain after lunch. No, I was too full or had to unbutton my pants cause I ate too much or stubbed my toe. I was constipated. You see, I hadn't pooped for 2 days! That is a long time for me. But I had to get it out now cause it was starting to hurt and I cried. I cried and everyone wondered what was wrong with me. My Mommy and Daddy rubbed my back and got my blanket and wiped my tears. I pushed, got sweaty and clammy and eventually something came out. Man, that felt good. Mommy changed my diaper and off I went playing again.

Well, about 5 minutes later, I went again! This time Daddy got to change that diaper. I was on a roll and I was feeling so much better. We all got ready and walked over to the park and had family pictures taken. I just don't understand having to look good and pose for a picture when there is a playground and a slide close by. I just wanted to play. The stream running by looked fun too but my parents wouldn't let me get close at all. Oh well, it was pretty cold outside. We then tromped back to the house and I got to play the guitar with Grandpa. Well, guess what? Mommy discovered I had another dirty diaper. So she changed it and I was still feeling good!

No joke, 2 minutes later, I had dirtied my diaper again. Mommy told Daddy it was his turn to change me and Daddy said to let me hang out a little in case I had more business to take care of seeing how this would be diaper #4! So he finished eating his pie (which he wouldn't let me have any, why can't I eat sugar?) and changed me. Off I went playing again and then we all got ready to go home. I was so tired. It is exhausting not having a second nap and being around a lot of people but I had fun.

Off we went home and unloaded the car and Daddy started making dinner. Mommy was getting me ready for bed when she realized I had left another present in my diaper. Diaper #5. Man, I was feeling good and so glad I had worked so hard to get that first bit out that just seemed to open the floodgates. Well, I ate dinner and then Mommy cleaned up my room and put a bunch of laundry away and then Daddy read me some books before it was time to go to bed. Mommy was singing to me when I just had to let her know I had another poopy diaper by pointing at my diaper. I just couldn't bear the thought of sleeping in a messy diaper all night. Mommy called Daddy in and said it was his turn and he changed my messy diaper. Diaper #6 in a 6 hour period. Daddy said he thinks I am just trying to get them ready for when Maggie comes. All I know is I feel much better and hope I never get that constipated again. But I am thankful I was able to work it all out.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Porter

Braxton Hicks

2010-11-24T23:15:00.000-08:00

Here I am 33 weeks and I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks. What is a Braxton Hick? Well, it is a non-contraction of sorts. Basically, the best way to describe it is your belly gets really hard and feels like it does during a contraction but with a Braxton Hick there is no opening in your cervix or getting ready for the baby to head on out. I had them some with Porter but nothing like I have been having with this one. I always know when I am having one because I get flush, all the blood in my body rushes to my belly and my belly gets rock hard! Pretty much, takes my breath away.

I can only hope this is a sign of good things to come but don't want to get my hopes up too high. It is just another one of those things that makes this pregnancy more unique to Maggie. Sweet Magnolia Raine, just pulling another fast one on her mom. Pretty much from the start she has stated in more ways than one that she is not Porter and has me on my toes. Kind of makes me wonder what she will be like after she is born. If she has feisty red hair, we may have another fiery-stubborn Scotch-Irish on our hands, like me! :) Like mother, like daughter and like father, like son.

I just was thinking...

2010-11-23T22:40:00.001-08:00

I would like to point out something that I think is fairly obvious. I am a big Facebooker. I have the app on my iPhone and I am constantly checking it. Yes, most likely I spend too much time but I enjoy it so I am fine with it for now. But here is one thing I have noticed. If you want lots of comments or likes, do a status update or picture upload with food. One of my friends made a comment about pumpkin pie and 25+ comments later and lots of theological talk, it was pretty much decided that Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie. Then today another friend asked what people thought about green bean casserole. Another 25+ comments and it is still pretty much 50/50 either you love it or you hate it.

It just cracks me up. I try to be witty with some of my updates but most of the time right now, even in the month of thankful, I am complaining or whining about something. But on those days when I feel like I have an epiphany moment and all the stars are aligned and I write down my status update, no comments. Then off the cuff I will make a remark about Taco Bell or food and I will for sure get comments.

So I guess this all got me thinking how much food is a common ground for everyone. Weird, huh? Well, not super weird because a majority of events one goes to will have food and drink of some sort. Baby showers, church events, birthday parties, sporting events and staff meetings. The list goes one. Not a bad thing, just makes it that much harder for us as a society to become healthy. But really the change has to be within each of us to create more good for the whole.

Kind of deep but really just got me thinking. Now that Thanksgiving is here in two days I am sure I will be seeing a lot more food updates. Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal with family and friends and make sure y'all save some room for pumpkin pie!!

My other job

2010-11-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

I am a wife, a mom and I also work part time at State Farm Insurance. I love all of these jobs and find joy and excitement in each of them. But one thing some people may not know about me is that I am a hairstylist as well. Just this weekend I did 6 haircuts. That is a lot for me at this stage in my life, but I love doing this so I have a hard time saying no.

It is really fun to see the transformation from shaggy hair to cute and put together hair. I love getting to chat with my clients and catching up on their life. I also just love playing with people's hair. One of my good friends gets grossed out by touching other people's hair. This doesn't bother me at all.

When I graduated from beauty school my hope was to make this my career and well, I tried. It just didn't work out and honestly, I didn't love the schedule of evenings and weekends. I wanted to spend time with my family and friends so when the opportunity arose to work at a Monday through Friday 9-5 kind of job, I just had to take it. I love having my weekends off with my family and I also love being home in the evening.

I like to think of myself as well rounded. During the day I talk insurance and business, at night or on the weekends I talk hair!

One of our favorite places

2010-11-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite things to do is go to REI. AJ absolutely loves that store and I would much rather go to REI than go to a fish store or Home Depot, so it has become a favorite place for us to make the trek up to REI in Tualatin. In fact, we just went up there today.

Before AJ and I met, I was in a very adventuresome outdoor stage in my life and climbed mountains, skied and hiked a lot. Once I met AJ we did a lot of snowboarding and AJ taught my how to board. We then got married and moved to Vegas and started working full time jobs and didn't have a ton of time for outdoor stuff. Back to Oregon we moved, but I was now in school and worked and AJ was running a restaurant and so when we had days off, we wanted to veg. About two years ago, after we moved back to Salem and AJ finished grad school, we started to get outdoors more. We had visions of camping and hiking and started to acquire the gear needed when, boom, we found out we were pregnant. So, it went on the back burner again.

AJ has kept up with it so much more than I have as he has the capability too. I am either pregnant or nursing, so I just hasn't been in the cards for me. AJ has gone on a lot of solo hikes and then hikes with others. Sometimes his dad will go with him, sometimes he will take Porter and a few times I have been able to go.

Then this summer we decided Porter was old enough to take out camping and we decided to get all set up for that. We did and had a great time and we really look forward to more camping trips as a family. We will have to wait again till Maggie is a bit older, so Summer of 2012 we hope to do much more.

Another thing we really wanted to get in to during the winter was snowshoeing. AJ and I bought snowshoes last year and never ended up being able to use them. Who makes maternity snow pants??? So, AJ has a co-worker this year who snowshoes so hopefully they will be able to go out and get a few treks in so AJ will feel better about our never used snowshoes.

I tell you about all these things to tell you this. We spend a lot of time and resources at REI. They have a great selection of all sorts of things plus, they have the greatest return policy ever. If something gets a hole in it or comes apart, we just take it on back. No questions asked and get a refund. And with outdoor gear that is nice because sometimes you buy something thinking this is what you need and it ends up being more of a hassle than a help, so we take it back and get something else. I imagine if AJ didn't have a master's degree or a family, he might just work at REI so he could get the employee discount!

The other cool thing about REI is they have "garage" sales. It is a sale where they sell all the items that people returned because of a defect, like a hole or a broken zipper and the items that don't return to the manufacturer for whatever reason at a very discounted price. And this is how we got our steal of a deal on our double Bob stroller. We had a single Bob stroller and loved it and knew once Maggie came along, we were going to have to invest in a double Bob. Bobs are not cheap. We figured we would sell our single on Craigslist and then use our dividend check from REI and buy the double.

Well, Christy and Tobin invited AJ to join them at the garage sale for REI at the Clackamas store so off he went at 4am up to sit and wait in line. ONce the store opened at 11am, AJ headed off to check out and see if they had any used Bobs for sale. And they did, but someone had nabbed both of them to check them out to see if they wanted to buy them. AJ hung around and watched till they decided not to get either of them and so AJ grabbed one. It was in great shape and just needed a little cleaning up and TLC and it appears to be pretty much brand with a good wipe down with Clorox wipes!

The story gets better. My sister overheard a REI employee say how they get single Bobs returned all the time since people need to upgrade and most of the time nothing is even wrong with them. So she suggested we take our Bob back to REI. Well, shy person I am didn't want to do it and I made Christy do it and it was easier than getting the stroller out of the van, it was that easy!! They took it back no problem and gave us exactly what we paid for it. So in the end, we bought the double for super cheap, returned the other Bob and all in all paid $20 for a double Bob. Wow! What a deal.

We love REI. Porter's first outing a week after he was born was to REI. We love taking him there and exploring the store and finding fun deals. Where else would you want to spend a rainy Sunday?

There are a few...

2010-11-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a bit of a stretch for me but someday when I read back over my posts I think it would be a good idea to have a few things I enjoy about pregnancy in a post. My sister-in-law gave me the idea and I think it is a good one. So here it goes.

For the most part, I do not enjoy being pregnant. I get sick, heartburn, uncomfortable, lethargic and feel restricted by how my body is during pregnancy. So here I am, pessimist that I am, going to be an optimist and tell you all the things I enjoy.

AJ and I had decided before we had kids and it may have even been before we got married that two was our magic number. He came from a family of two and I was one of three and I was the middle one. So no odd numbers for me and we both felt for as many as we could hold their hands at one time, two was it. And now that we are approaching meeting our second one, I am excited to be past this stage.

But things that I did enjoy during my pregnancies. One of them is eating. I usually tend to watch what I eat more closely and try not to overindulge when I am not pregnant, so when I am, I don't hold back very much. I enjoy sweets, carbs and pretty much food in general. Yes, this all shows on the scales, but who cares right, I am pregnant!! For example, last night AJ made a late night run to DQ for ice cream and I thought he should buy 2 dilly bars so I could have one another night. Nope. It didn't make it past last night. You got it, I ate TWO dilly bars and man oh man, they were good.

Another thing I do enjoy is getting to feel my child move and kick and get hiccups inside of me. This is such a unique experience but with each of them, I have (for the most part) enjoyed this bond and connection with them. Porter was much more of a stretcher and would push my belly in weird ways. Maggie is more like a kick boxer and has lots of consistent motions. Each different and unique but fun to experience.

Seeing my body change and grow and progress has been exciting as well. I am so amazed at how God created us women and how our bodies adapt to the things we need. This is not only during pregnancy but after. You go from being a pregnant woman to a full-on mom in a split second and suddenly, you are not getting sleep and responsible for a new baby. It is such a sweet time, but somehow, we survive and get through it and end up loving our kids even more than we thought we could and want to do it all over again!

I know about 8-9 months after Maggie is born I will want another newborn. But I am thankful for what God has given us and thankful for the journey we will embark on as the family of four. A few things I will be looking forward to after delivery is meeting our precious daughter and seeing her face to face and smelling her new baby smell. I am excited for Porter to have a sister and AJ to have a daughter. I am excited to be rid of my heartburn. The countdown has begun as we have 8 more weeks, which with the holidays, really isn't that long!

My top ten for the week- Part II

2010-11-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

It's Friday and a good time to look back at the week and remember the moments that make me laugh, smile or cry. But most of all feeling blessed for all in my life.

In no particular order:

1. My job is pretty amazing. I actually look forward to going to work. It makes going to work and leaving my child for the day that much easier.

2. My husband's tests came back clear. Still praying his lightheadness goes away but feel like we have ruled out a lot of things.

3. I have had days, multiple days of no heartburn. Wow!

4. I am so thankful that even though I am 32 weeks pregnant, I am still sleeping so well at night. All to soon will this end, but I am enjoying lots of rest for now.

5. AJ made dinner one night and it was so yummy. JJ made us dinner another night and it was yummy as well. Thankful for men who are good cooks!

6. So thankful for my warm and cozy home.

7. According to Aunt Jana, Porter said his first fully coherent sentence today. Would he say it again? No. Exciting to see him putting more and more things together everyday.

8. Bought a double Bob stroller at a really good price and my sister took our single Bob back to REI for full price. Ended up really only paying $20 for our double Bob. Can't beat that!

9. Getting to meet weekly with other amazing moms and knowing our dear leader is praying and caring for all of us. Refreshing.

10. Thankful for all my friends and family and excited for Thanksgiving and time with my family.

Humbolt Redwood Forest

2010-11-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Going back in time a little to our family summer vacation/camping trip. I have some fun pictures and would like to share them all. So why not during November when our first really winter storm is about to hit us? There is nothing better than dreaming of the good old days of summer!

AJ found us a really cool camp ground in the heart of the Humbolt Redwood Forest. It was south of Eureka and inland a bit but way off the freeway. It felt very much in the boonies even though they had flush toilets and showers. It was real camping. They campground was full of families and lots of kids. AJ loved watching all the kids ride around on their bikes. Someday, he will be one of the kids riding a bike.

We took a day hike in to the forest and saw some pretty cool sites. Enjoy these pictures.

Off we go!

"This is the way to the Giant Tree, right?"

Horizontal stripes are never good on a pregnant woman, but man, that tree is huge!

Porter trying to carry the backpack!

Porter trying to carry Daddy in the backpack.

A butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker.

2010-11-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

I am a baker. I love to bake cookies and pies, muffins and breads. If it is baked, I pretty much will enjoy making it. Last week we had our weekly DeBacker family dinner over at Jana's house versus AJ's mom's house. It was a good change of pace and gave Lori the day off of having to make and prepare dinner for the crowd that shows up for dinner. Jana and JJ said they would do dinner and I was going to make muffins. I had read a recipe on one of my friend's blog and was just waiting to try it. I bought all the ingredients and now I was going to get to share them with others. I love baking for other people.

Off I went, working on my muffins. They aren't that hard to make but they do take a little bit since they have cream cheese in the middle. Yum! I finished the two dozen muffins and took them over for Thursday night family dinner and they were a hit! Yummy, yum, yum.

Kudos to my friend, Jessica, over at Life Sew Good for sharing this recipe with us. If you want to try them, head on over to her blog. Here is the link.

These would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving gathering. Enjoy!

P.S. My house smells so good after I make them, as well. Added bonus!

Wishing and hoping...

2010-11-16T21:15:00.001-08:00

Something not everyone knows about me is my love for cars. Well, I guess more specifically, a certain car. It is not just any car, it is a Jeep Wrangler. Ever since high school, I have wanted to own one. I had pictures and posters up in my room in high school and college. I collected remote control cars and Matchbox cars that were Jeeps. My email is jeep_luver. I wanted jeep_lover but it was taken so I did a spelling variation so I could have this email address. One year for my birthday, my dad made me a Jeep cake. I have an infatuation.

I still want to own someday and AJ has said we may, someday. I imagine when I am 65 and retired, we will buy our RV and tow a Jeep behind. So many times when I see Jeeps driving around I have noticed the driver is an older male or female and always wondered why so many older people drive Jeeps. Well, I guess that will be me as well someday

I have had some fun Jeep adventures even though I have never had one.

One of my most recent Jeep adventures was about 2 1/2 years ago, the entire DeBacker family went a on Caribbean cruise. Our second stop was in Cozumel, Mexico and we had decided to do a Jeep tour of Cozumel that took us to the beach for snorkeling and then a few other cool spots along the way. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. There were 4 of us in a Jeep and one of us got to be a driver. So AJ, Al, Lori and I had one Jeep (a beautiful red one) and they let me drive. The top was down, the sun was shining and it was such a beautiful day and we drove. Off to the beach and sites to see. It was so much fun! Ahhhhhh.......a Jeep on vacation.

Another one was about 8 years ago because it was while AJ and I were dating but Jeep put on a Jeep test drive course that was a traveling type show. You would sign up on line to be a part of the traveling event and would get an invitation in the mail to be a part of this test drive. Of course I signed up one so I could get lots of fun Jeep marketing mail and even more so, so that I could test drive a Jeep!! I signed up for a time on a Saturday, invited AJ to come and off we headed to Portland International Raceway to this 4x4 course they had set up.

It was cool, amazing and fun. You have your choice of models to test drive. I, of course, picked the Wrangler and climbed on in. There is a drive instructor with you who tells you what gear to put the Jeep in and how to maneuver the course. The Jeeps were automatic transmissions which was a bummer but it was still fun driving over logs, rocks, boulders and up and down some dirt hills. Also, you could walk around and see all the Jeep merchandise and pick up some more glossy, picturesque brochures. Of course, they are just trying to sell you on the Jeep and its suspension features and the overall ruggedness of the Jeep. I was sold a long time ago, just don't have the funds.

Another great story was for my 25th birthday, two of my good friends at the time borrowed one of their friend's Jeep and I got to drive it around all day as my own. We ran errands, went to lunch, got tattoos and had fun with "my" Jeep for the day. Such a fun birthday present!

This all brings me to this last random fact about myself. Another true love of mine that goes hand and hand with Jeeps is Monster Truck Rallies. I think they are the coolest things. Now, don't think I have turned all hick and redneck on you. I do love a good beer but I do not have a bunch of non-working cars in my yard or a mullet. But I do love a good monster truck rally with lots of gas fumes and loud loud noises. I have only been to one and it was a total blast!!

This is something that AJ and I are very different on. He likes fast sporty cars and the larger the horsepower, the faster it can go, the more impressed he is. For me, it is the bigger the lift and the bigger the wheels the better. I adore Jeeps. So here I am wishing and hoping for one...someday.

Blog paralysis

2010-11-15T21:56:00.000-08:00

As November 1st approached I thought about the challenge of blogging all month long. I thought, oh, that would be good motivation for me to blog about the various things I have always wanted to blog about. I thought it would get me out of my non-blogging funk. I thought, oh, I will be funny and witty, inspiring and uplifting to all who read my blog (all 3 of you). I had a multitude of ideas and so it just made sense to me to take on the challenge.

Well, here we are halfway through the month and I have never felt more boring in my life. My blogs seem rambling and run-on and uninspiring in every way. Each day I rack my brain to try and come up with an idea of what to write about. For some reason, of recent, my life just seems boring. I am pregnant, yea yea yea. My son is cute, yea yea yea. My husband is a gamer, yea yea yea. Who cares about that stuff over and over again.

I am in a blogging rut.

15 days in and I have hit the plateau.

I want to be funny, witty, inspiring and charming.

This is a process and a challenge, right? And sometimes you hit rough patches but you just work through them as part of the process and thus, learn and get a little better.

So here's to getting better in the next few weeks and on. I hope to continue blogging more often. Now I just need some ideas of what to blog about. Ideas?

What's currently on my mind...

2010-11-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

My sweet sweet little boy has the worst diaper rash tonight. I gave him a bath tonight because he was crying so much from his little bum hurting so badly. Two things I think are attributing to this problem. We had gotten some wipes as a baby present for Maggie but I decided to go ahead and use them. Well, I think his bottom likes those ones better. And he for whatever reason, has been having more loose stools and thus more dirty diapers and all this attributes to a horrible rash. He was crying huge tears tonight and it just breaks my heart. It is so hard to explain to a 19 month old why it is the way it is. Oh man, rough.

I have googled home remedies and remedies in general and I have a plan of attack but I just really want it to go away for his sake. No fun! We happened to have a Well Baby check up tomorrow so we will see what the doctor has to say as well.

If anyone reads my blog and had any ideas, I am open for suggestions. What would you do?

Oh, what a day!

2010-11-14T19:43:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, my bestie, Jennifer, invited me to join her at the Beaver's game. Her and her husband have season tickets and it was her turn to go so she invited me! I was excited as I love going to live sporting events. My husband is not really in to that as it involves being around large crowds and watching a game so I was thrilled to go with my good friend. We were going to have fun! Oh and did I mention, no kids!!!

I dropped off Porter as Grammie's house so that AJ could work the day away on our house. It was so nice of Lori to take Porter for the day especially since she already watches him 3 days a week. So off I went to pick up Jen and head down to Corvallis.

On our way down we decided to stop for lunch at Burgerville in Corvallis and got a little lost but thanks to the iPhone found it and were on our way again. Once we got closer to Corvallis we did get in some traffic, but Jen and I were just having fun chatting it up and laughing lots.

Finally, we got to the neighborhood to find parking and there was none! Either the spot was too small or it was on the wrong side of the road or the lot was full. It was getting later and closer and closer to kickoff so we were really running out of time. Jen was driving at this point and saw some cars pulling in to a grassy area and decided to pull in behind them. Thankfully, our little Subaru is all wheel drive so it was able to handle it but I was fairly convinced either my car would get stuck getting out or it was a large sinkhole and my car would be buried when we returned. Neither happened, but it made for some good laughs during the game when we thought about getting home afterwards.

We had hoped to meet up with my Bible study leader at her tailgating tent before hand but because of our exhausting search for a parking space and being miles away from the stadium, we just headed on in, found our seats, saw the marching band perform the National Anthem and it was kickoff. It started to rain a little so we put our rain pants on and enjoyed the game. It was a BIG bummer how horrible the game was but we were having fun. Really, one of the best things about going to a game is all the people watching you can do!

At halftime we got up to walk a little and use the restroom and grab some hot chocolate. It took us a while as the lines were long and the second half started before we got back to our seats. The other team even scored while we were in line. Ugh. This was going to be a long game. But we stuck it out and stayed to the bitter end. Thank goodness for our wonderful rain gear as it had started raining harder at this point. And me being almost 8 months pregnant, I was afraid nothing would fit me. Well, AJ's rain jacket and pants did fit me so I was able to enjoy the game completely dry!

After the game we decided to walk over to our friends who were tailgating and say hi and then start the trek back to our car. This was a lot of walking for my prego-ness but it was worth it, We got to see our friends and their sweet setup and then find my car just sitting there waiting for us. We peeled off our wet rain gear and climbed in to the Subaru. We were tired and glad to be in the warm car and dry but we were happy! What a day. We still have an almost two hour drive home but again, we just chatted the whole way and stopped to get consolation milkshakes on the way to bury our losing team sorrows.

Even though the Beavers played horribly and lost miserably, Jen and I had an amazing time. If I was to go to another game, I would want to go with Jen cause we had so much fun! Thank you, Jen!!

It was back to mommyhood and familyhood when I walked through my front door but I was glad to see my sweet son and wonderful husband. Ah, home again to my loves, refreshed.

My top ten for the week

2010-11-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

In truly no particular order here they are. Some might not make sense if you don't know the whole story but I just don't have the energy to explain each one. Just know I am feeling blessed.

1. AJ's doctor's appointment on Wednesday made my day.

2. Porter giving me a kiss without me asking him.

3. A friend telling me I was looking good at this stage in my pregnancy.

4. AJ's paycheck was fixed.

5. Having a random Thursday during the middle of the week as a holiday and having AJ at home.

6. Sunshine amongst all the rain showers.

7. The beautiful colors all the fall leaves make.

8. Getting to work with great coworkers and an amazing boss.

9. Just seeing how stinkin' cute my 19 month old son is all the time!

10. Knowing God is always there for us!

Swimming lessons

2010-11-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

Jana was going to sign up Finn for parent/tot swimming lessons and asked me if Porter would like to do them as well. I said yes as both AJ and I felt this is something important to introduce him to at an early age. So on a Saturday morning, Jana and I and the boys, got up early and went down to the Kroc Center, waited in line and registered our little boys for swimming lessons on Tuesdays and Thursday at 5pm. Since I work on Tuesdays, Lori said she would take Porter and we would pick him up and then on Thursdays, I get to take him. It actually feels really good to be in the pool as a pregnant person. But all the dressing, undressing for a 30 minutes class is hard. But we do things for our kids because we love them and know it is good for them despite how much work it may be for us.

The class goes by quickly but our teacher is great. She gives us some good ideas of how to get the kids more comfortable in the water and help them not fear floating on their back. I still haven't mastered that. One of the things AJ learned all to quickly very shortly after we were married (we were on our honeymoon in Mexico!) is that I could not swim. Over time AJ has taught me and in the event of an emergency I probably could survive and swim to save my life. Before, I would have sunk to the bottom like a rock. So I value Porter at a very young age getting comfortable and learning how to float and blow bubbles under water.

We are about halfway through and I would say Porter has gotten more comfortable in the water and the Kroc center has a great kid pool. I am sure we will continue to give him lessons through the years and hopefully he will be a swimmer just like his Daddy!

31 weeks

2010-11-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here is am starting my 31st week of being pregnant and I have to say, today was not the best day to represent being 31 weeks. I woke up not feeling all that great but most of that I attribute to just being pregnant. Off I went to my morning routine of getting ready for work, juggling taking care of my 19 month old and somehow getting it all done in a reasonable amount of time. As I was brushing my teeth and putting something away so Porter wouldn't throw it down the laundry chute I started gagging. Fine, I can handle this. But it turned to puking, full on puking. Porter just stood on his potty chair with his chin on the counter and looked at my and blew raspberries as I puked. He was pretty cute, but I didn't feel cute at all. I looked at him and said, "I did the same thing when I was pregnant with you!" Like he cares right now?

I continued to get ready and then noticed my nose was bleeding. What? Really? Why is this all happening today? I just want to get to work and not have to focus on getting ready with Porter hanging on to my legs. I couldn't get ready fast enough but we were finally finished and enjoying breakfast. I feel like each day I get up and ready for work and Porter fed is my biggest accomplishment. Thus, why I still can't grasp how I will ever get out of the house with two kids!!

The other thing I am super frustrated with being pregnant is my horrible heartburn. AJ and I made the decision when I was pregnant with Porter that I would do all I can do to try to run the course of my pregnancy medication free. I managed my first pregnancy but man oh man, I forgot how horrible the heartburn was. I do take some Tums but they rarely work so I have tried all sorts of other things. I am pretty much uncomfortable all the time. But then recently I remembered that chewing gum is suppose to help ease that discomfort. Well in a week I have gone through two packs of gum but I feel so much better. It truly helps! It is a miracle.

Only 9 more weeks to go to 40 weeks but if we have learned at all from Porter, it may be more like 11 weeks! I am excited to meet our new little bundle of joy and can't wait for Porter to have a sister and enter a new phase in life called siblings!

Ba'awl

2010-11-09T22:41:00.000-08:00

It's late but I am getting a post up today so here it goes.

My 19th month old Porter doesn't have a huge vocabulary but he does have a few words he can saw with clearness and clarity that it makes me smile. When he was younger, the way you knew he was in to something was he would point and make a noise as if to say, "Look, a balloon," or "look, a dog." He was fascinated by balloons and no matter where you went there was bound to be a balloon. Try driving by a car dealership on the weekend. Millions of balloons. The grocery store, has one tied to each check out line. Red Robin, they are all over the ceiling! You get my point, he was fascinated. Then it switched to dogs. The park, the parade, a dog walking down the street and he would see them out the car window. Home Depot. You name it, he found a dog no matter where we went.

Well, fast forward to about 2 months ago when Porter wasn't clearly saying much of anything but he could say, "Ball." And it wasn't ball like you and I say it, it is "ba'awl" like he has an accent of some sort. And he doesn't say it once, he is stuck on repeat because he loves balls and because he loves the sound of saying the word.

Take him to Target and the moment you step in the store he will ask you for "ba'awl." Go to church and he will ask you for "ba'awl." We went to my brother's house and Porter found one of his kid's soccer ball and all Porter wanted was the soccer ball. We had to leave shortly after he found it and all the way home he chanted, "ba'awl" over and over and starting crying that he didn't get the ball.

It is the cutest thing to hear him say and tonight as we were putting him to bed, he realized ba'awl time was over and he started to do a little fake cry that was his way of trying to convince us to allow him to stay up later and play with his ball. But we didn't give in as the boy needs his 12 hours of sleep, but he was a little bummed. Nothing his bed and favorite blankie couldn't truly fix.

Just another moment in time that I am trying to cherish but sometime the last thing I want to hear is the word "ba'awl" again!

Oh, by the way, Porter thinks it is stinkin' hilarious if you can spin the ball on your finger, he will belly laugh at you. So if you have that time and want to hear a good baby belly laugh, bring your skills on over to our house and keep Porter entertained while I do some housecleaning!

We will never know

2010-11-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

If you had read the prior post you will know the story of AJ putting the cover back on our chimney. It was a strange coincidence but another part of that story is later that day the dogs went crazy barking at the woodstove in our living room. Ellie was persistent and would not stop barking. She scratched at the woodstove and wanted to get at something. But we had no idea what.

Later that afternoon, while I was in the living room playing with Porter, I heard and saw the damper on the chimney pipe out of the woodstove move. It was a bit freaky and it was also the day before Halloween. I thought maybe I was just imagining and maybe it was the wind. So the next day I was doing something and came back in to the living room and AJ confirmed what I thought. We had something alive in our chimney! He had heard the scratching and seen the damper move.

On Monday, I took a video of the damper moving and it was all a bit creepy. We didn't want to open the woodstove for fear of it running out and causing chaos in our house. We didn't want to start a fire because when we bought the house a year ago we said we would need to get the chimney cleaned before we used the woodstove. We also don't want to worry about the mess and work of getting firewood. We have a wonderful gas forced air furnace, so the woodstove was not necessary for our heat source. Thus, we have never paid to have the chimney professionally cleaned and we don't want a flu fire, so no fires.

Well, the long and short of it. We left it and just dealt with the creepiness of thinking something was in our woodstove. Since AJ had put the cover back on the chimney there was no way for it to get back out so we left it. How cruel, right? Well, the moving damper has stopped and the little scratching noises have stopped so we figure it has passed. We were afraid it would stink up our house, but it doesn't seem to be all that bad. It did smell a little funny today but it may just have been my prego crazy sense of smell and thinking it was smelling bad, but it is nothing.

And since we don't want to start a fire, it is just going to stay the way it is. I am still a little creeped out to open the woodstove so we will never know what it was. By the time spring or summer comes next year and we decide to get the chimney cleaned it may be a skeleton of bones.

So for now, we will never know, but at least the chimney is covered now and this should not happen again anytime soon!

Risky business

2010-11-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Our house is a home built in 1940. (I feel like I have had said that before.) Anyways, an older home and it is only one story above ground but it does have a full basement. So it is up a little higher than a normal crawlspace home and the roof is pretty steep and high.

At some point, a former owner invested in a huge metal antenna for the roof top and probably got two or 3 more channels than the next door neighbor who did not have an antenna. Our house in Cottage Grove had two of them: one our house and one on the shed and we got two channels between the two of them. This day in age, they are useless and a huge hazard in a wind storm. Can you hear the insurance professional in me?

Since the day we moved in I have wanted AJ to take it down.

So, last fall we did have a wind storm and the cover to our chimney blew off. No big deal, we would just have AJ climb up the ladder on to the roof and put it back on. Well, needless to say, when he got to the top of the ladder and realized how steep the roof was, it never got done. For an entire year!

Fast forward to the fall this year and we had redone some stuff in our basement and one of the things we did was paint the floor. This is all related, trust me. One day I was sweeping the newly painted floor and noticed water on the floor coming out of the old chimney that went down to the basement. It is now closed off but water was getting in our chimney and collecting on the floor in the basement. So I told AJ we really needed to get the topper back on the chimney. He said he would if someone was there to call 911 when he fell off the roof. So I recruited JJ and off they went setting up the ladder and JJ was going to spot.

Well, after AJ got up on the roof and had attached the chimney cover, JJ talked AJ in to taking down the antenna as well. So AJ sat up on the roof while AJ ran home to get a few tools and in a matter of 30 minutes, both the chimney cover was put on and the antenna was down. AJ never fell off the roof but had a close call.

JJ had brought over a tow strap that AJ rigged around the chimney and attached it to himself so he could grab it if he fell. Well, the antenna was down and AJ was headed back to the chimney to take off the strap, he was using it as a lead line and it fully come undone and basically would not have held AJ at all if he had fallen. Thank goodness he didn't need it.

Anytime you get AJ and JJ together, our house always looks a little different when I come home. From cutting down trees, to putting up under cabinet lighting and now removing an antenna. We love how handy and helpful our brother-in-law JJ is!

Strong dislike

2010-11-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

So it is Saturday night and I have piles of laundry going. The dishes from dinner are put away, Porter's toys are all picked up and all the clean laundry is put away. I am sitting here on my couch blogging and my husband is watching Starcraft II. What's that? You've never heard of that. Well, good for you. Truly you should keep it that way. Basically, the best way to describe it would be BORING.

Imagine you are watching football and not only are you watching it, but there are sportscasters who are filling in the 'color' for the game. They explain the plays that are happening and are amazed when the ball is intercepted and get excited when the team nears the goal. Now imagine, it is a video game you are watching. Someone else is controlling the players in the game and there are announcers calling the game. They react when someone gets clobbered or a good game play happens. But this is all a video game!!!

Boring.

I say we put on Hulu and watch Grey's Anatomy or some other show. But Starcraft II, really?

If your husband/boyfriend/significant other plays video games, I am sorry. But you may be wise not to tell them about this show so you won't be stuck watching it on a Saturday night.

I strongly dislike video games and watching someone else play video games.

More Summer Vacation 2010 memories...

2010-11-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Another place we went on our summer vacation as a family was Crater Lake.

If you remember from the last post, we had a catastrophic second night camping, we decided to pack up camp and head up the coast and see where we landed. Basically, Porter fell asleep at 8 and then at 11 when we headed to bed woke up and it was too cold for him to fall back asleep. Every time we laid him down, he would start CRYING. And if you in a campground in a tent, you just don't feel right about letting your child cry it out. So, we tried to have him sleep in my sleeping bag and that didn't work. So finally, at midnight, AJ took him for a long drive in the car on a windy road with huge redwoods on both sides. I was a bit worried for AJ but being 18 weeks pregnant, I was so tired and fell asleep while he was gone. So when he got back at 1am, Porter was asleep as he was exhausted as well. So AJ picked him up out of his car seat and brought him in to the tent and put him in his bed and he immediately woke up, SCREAMING.

So, we knew he was super tired and I put him in my sleeping bag and we slept for a hour and then he would wake up screaming and wanted to nurse. So we nursed and he fell back asleep for another hour and then he would wake up crying. So he cried and nursed every hour till about 6am when we all decided to get up. It was a very long night.

We got up and ate breakfast, packed up camp and headed out with hopes of making the best of the rest of our vacation. We had already made reservations at a campground at Patrick's Point on the Northern California coast but didn't think it would be a good idea to camp on the coast for two more nights as it is even more cold there. So we made our way up through the Redwood Forest on the 101 and stopped at Patrick's Point to eat lunch and cancel our reservations.

As we looked at the map, we couldn't decide where our next destination would be but just decided to make it an adventure. We headed through Eureka and saw the beach. We stopped there and let Porter run around on the beach for a bit. We drove 7 hours that day and ended up in Medford, Oregon. We booked a hotel for two nights and chose a hotel that had rooms that were suites. That way we could put Porter to bed and AJ and I could still enjoy watching TV and stay up a little later.

It took those two nights to get Porter back on a schedule because it had been so crazy from camping. We set up his pack and play and put him to bed and AJ and I had take out Mexican. It was one of the best nights. A couch, a TV and Mexican food after a long hot shower, I was so happy. Being pregnant is not one of my favorite things and then throw camping in there and it was a bit rough for me. We had fun and Porter loved being outside and watching all the kids in the campground riding their bikes. And AJ builds a mean campfire. But I was ready a real bed.

Saturday we woke up, ate breakfast, went swimming and then took a nap and decided to head to Crater Lake. AJ had never been, so I really wanted to be able to experience it with him for the first time. I had been a few times and had cross country skied around it over 3 days so it was fun to be able to go with a newbie!

We drove up and it was a gorgeous day! The sun was shining and it was in the 70's. We decided to eat dinner up there and then drive home and hope Porter would fall asleep on the way home. We did so much driving on this road trip but Porter was an amazing trooper

Good memories!

Here are some pictures.

The many faces of Porter

2010-11-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

We took our first family camping trip this summer and headed out to the Humboldt Redwood Forest and set up our tent and had a great time. We did have a rough second night, but all the fun memories we made and seeing Porter tromp around in his green rain boots made it all worth it. He loves being outside in the great outdoors so this was right up his alley. One thing we did learn from the catastrophe of a second night, Porter doesn't like being cold. But then again, who does?

Here are a few shots of Porter in our tent and discovering what it is like to fall on to the tent wall and slide down the screen.

:Beware: An Entire Food Post

2010-11-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

In no specific order here are a few of my favorite things this pregnancy. I wish I could say the cravings were of the healthier nature, but I ate very similar to this while growing Porter and he came out a healthy, whopping 9 pound baby, so I am sure Maggie is doing alright. And besides, we are only having two kids, so this is my last time to live this up, so I have embraced it! For all those out there who knew me at the end of my last pregnancy and have heard how much weight I gained during those 9 crazy month, this may explain a lot. Gotta love nursing though, lost all but 10 pounds last time. Let's hope this happens the next time as I am headed to that same end number again. Yikes!

Caramel Apples-need I say more.

$5 Footlong Subway Spicy Italian Sub-no tomatoes, please.

Archer Farm Kettle Chips sold at Target in the best flavor ever, Buffalo Wings!!!

So spicy my nose and eyes water.

Beef Stroganoff- I love making this for dinner and am getting a pretty mean recipe perfected. Yummy!

Who wouldn't love Butterscotch but with Caramel too?
Oh man, I just can't resist this on vanilla ice cream.

Our House circa 1940 and then I digress...

2010-11-02T20:52:00.001-07:00

We live in a very cute Cape Cod (from what I am told) house that was built in 1940. It has a ton of potential and we just don't have a ton of time to do all we want to do to it. We had found that if you decide to start one project, you end up with 4-5 other projects you had now created in the process. Thus, leaving you with 6 unfinished projects.

For example, when we moved in to the house, we decided to rewire the whole house's electricity and now we have an open socket in our dining room with 'live' wires and it is covered in duct tape. Lovely. Our bathroom has an open socket above the vanity light that needs to be covered as well. And all this came about because when the wiring was originally installed, nothing was grounded. And there were no sockets in the bathroom or kitchen that break if and when water is present to help avoid the person getting shocked. All good things to update but leaves an unfinished project.

So then it digressed to once the kitchen was torn up for the electrical work, why not replace the counter tops and the floors? But if we do all that, why not rip out some cabinets and the sink and properly rewire the dishwasher and garbage disposal so it functions that much better? So then you have lovely new cabinets, a dishwasher and garbage disposal that all work so much better and a switch for the garbage disposal in an appropriate spot versus on the outside of the cabinet below the sink. All for better function and ease and appearance. It looks amazing. But then we haven't finished framing in the cabinets and putting in the floor molding. So it looks good but not finished.

And so on and so forth. I am not complaining, just explaining. One thing leads to 25 more things. Thus the joy of an old house and doing most of the remodeling yourself.

I am thankful for many things for sure. We have a DISHWASHER! AJ and I lived in an apartment for the first 2 years of our marriage and it had a dishwasher and it was wonderful. Then we moved in to a house in Cottage Grove for two years and we didn't have kids at the time but there was no dishwasher and it was such a bummer as the rest of the house was so nice. It wasn't enough of a bummer not to buy it. But man oh man, we had the constant pile of dishes. Now that we have a 1 year old, I often think how thankful I am for the dishwasher. That is one convenience in my life I wouldn't want to have to be without. Most older homes weren't built to include these so whoever did that remodel on this home to build one in is my hero!

Also, our old house has a fairly new forced air heat system and fairly new windows. We don't have AC but summer is so short here, I rejoice for the constant heat the other 9 months of the year. Our house stays warm and cozy and all the windows open (good for the summer breeze and fire safety!) and keep the heat in that much better during the winter. Both things we did not have to do on the home. The sellers had recently done those updates before we bought the home, so it was another selling point for us.

And finally, another thing I am thankful for is a space to call our own. 3 years after AJ and I had been married, we found ourselves at a crossroad in our journey of life. I had recently graduated beauty school and AJ was unsure what he wanted to do with himself in life. He had completed his undergraduate degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, but after a year doing that, did not feel it was his true calling. So his parents graciously offered for us to move in with them in a "transitional" period till we could see where the chips fell. We were both jobless, our house in Cottage Grove sold in a month and we knew we most likely wanted to be back in Salem. We were trying for a baby and were starting on that journey as well.

Well, long story short, we lived with AJ's parents for 3 years. We paid off our car, some student loans and some consumer debt. AJ discovered his calling in life and went to graduate school at OSU for his Master's in Counseling and I worked two part-time jobs which turned in to one full time job. God lead us through many challenges, triumphs and learning situations. We came to terms with the fact that we were having difficulties getting pregnant and then learning to let that go and let God take control. The hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Harder than being a mom. I was broken.

On goes the story to this quick snapshot. Spring 2008 AJ is finishing up his spring term and heading in to his final summer session. I am working full time and he has begun to apply for jobs for the fall. He does not officially graduate till December 2008 but he has to get a job in the fall to get the hours he needs to complete his degree. July 2008 we find out we are pregnant. No insurance, AJ does not have a job, I know at some point after the baby is born I am going to go part time. "Okay, God, what are you thinking?" I had finally come to a place of being okay with all this but we still lived with AJ's parents.

We talked with them and asked if we could stay at least till after the baby was born. They said yes and so we stayed with them till December of 2009. AJ got a job as a full time counselor and we did our budget and were able to work in a house payment and in June of 2009 started looking for a house. So after 6 years of marriage, 3 of them we had lived with AJ's parent's, December of 2009 we moved out of their house with our 9 month old and spent the first night in our new house. It was a little bit scary but exciting!

Soooooo, I love my in-laws, am so thankful for their hospitality and generosity and truly not sure how I am going to have a newborn and 20 month old without their help after her birth, but I am grateful for our own space. We had a great time with them and had fun eating dinner with them most every night, watching our favorite TV shows together and just hanging out. Porter got some good good grandparent loving from birth to 9 months that Maggie will never know and as much as Al and Lori love us, they were not sad at all to see our dogs move out! It was an adventure and many memories were made. But I am thankful for our space.

I love our little house, all 1,080 square feet of it!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

This was Porter's second Halloween and he enjoyed all the costumes other people were wearing more than he cared about his. We trick or treated at Corban and Lauren's house, Grandpa and Grammie's house and then Great Grandpa and Gigi's house. We went with Jana, JJ and little Finn who was a lobster. We discovered that starting at 5 was a bit too late as by the time we were driving out to south Salem both boys had fallen asleep. We had fun but note to remember next year, start a little earlier!

Last year Porter was a monkey and this year we saw this little garden gnome outfit at Target and fell in love with it. He was pretty stinkin' cute!

"Trick or Treat, Grandpa and Grammie!"

25 Weeks!

2010-10-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are over halfway to meeting our little Miss Maggie. My good friend Christi took some fun pictures of me while we were all at the beach for the weekend.

Summer 2010

2010-08-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still all alive and doing well. No, I didn't forget my password to log on to my blog and update it. It is just that I can't believe how fast the summer went and trying to find time to upload pictures and post posts just never seemed to happen. So here I am sitting on my couch with my computer, while Porter is napping on my sick day updating the blog. But I can't find the pictures so no pictures this time. I will ask AJ where he downloaded them to and then I will put up some of our wonderful vacation and then some of the fair and then some of the baby reveal party we had!

Yes, we are having another baby. We found out Mother's Day I was expecting and it wasn't the Mother's Day present I was necessarily hoping for but we were excited. It only took us one try this time as opposed to 3 years trying for Porter, so imagine that we were a little surprised! I started seeing my midwives and they projected my due date as being January 12th. So on August 19th at 1pm we had our 19 week ultrasound to check the health and wellness of our baby and also to find out what we were having. Only we didn't find out right then, we waited till the party that night. I don't want to spoil the future post, but let's just say it was a fun night for all and we found out we are having a girl!

AJ ended the last school year finding out he was going to have his hours cut at his full time counseling position in Amity about 2 days after we found out I was pregnant. Oh, Lord, what are you doing to us? I cried and was frustrated and just wanted our lives to be peaceful. AJ was steady and strong and gently reminded me that our God is not weak, our faith is weak. So I prayed, I cried out and I trusted God that He alone must know what He was doing because I sure didn't. The last time we found out we were pregnant with Porter AJ didn't have a job and we had no medical insurance. So imagine me thinking the worst and imagining the baby was going to come in to the world of no insurance. I am a fatalist, what can I say.

Well, AJ got right on it and started applying for jobs. We bought him a new beautiful interview outfit and he looked amazing! He had one interview at an elementary school and then we waited and waited and waited and heard nothing. All the while AJ kept checking the job site for new postings and I kept running different scenarios through my head of how we would live on 30% less of AJ current paycheck. How would we make this work?

Then AJ saw a job posting for a full time position with Salem-Keizer at their Early College High School program and it sounded like a great fit for him. He applied and then never heard, never heard and never heard. We had planned to go on a family vacation this summer as we needed some time away and valued vacation even though we did not know what the fall held for us. The Monday before vacation AJ got a call for an interview on Tuesday! Wow! He felt very good about the interview and just felt like if there was a job for him, this was it. He would be a counselor for about 200 high school kids and be working with about 15 teachers. It was just so similar to what he was doing at Amity but he would be doing it for a much bigger district and have a lot more resources available. We all prayed and prayed and prayed. That same week, his sister found out she had gotten the job she had interviewed for and we were excited for her. Now, if AJ would just get that same call!

So Thursday, AJ, Porter and I were going to go run errands and right before we left, he got the call from HR. They offered him the job and he took it. What a week and vacation was never sweeter. God is amazing and His answers to prayer come in bigger boxes and ways than we can ever expect or imagine. So after the shock of losing hours and benefits, we are now on our way to having even more benefits and being able to get our teeth cleaned again. (We didn't have dental benefits with Amity and it was just too much.)

AJ started training this week and then will be in his office on Wednesday and Thursday. He will probably see some kids before class starts as he has to work up their schedules. Next week he is in the office and getting settled in and figuring out life as a high school counselor. One really cool thing is his 45 minute commute has now changed to a 4 minute commute. Way less money for gas now! He made some good friends at Amity and will miss playing cards with the guys at lunch and between parent teacher conferences but we are all excited for a new future with Salem-Keizer school district.

Well, that's enough writing for one post. I will do pictures in my next few posts and hope you all had a wonderful summer.

:)

Picture Update

2010-07-10T07:17:00.001-07:00

This is Maryanne's sister in law, Jana. I was giving her a hard time yesterday for not updating her blog in so long and offered to upload some pictures I've taken of Porter over the last month. Enjoy!

Zoo Trip

Playing at the Park

Shopping at Life Source

I'm sure MA and AJ have way cuter pictures than these to share, but at least you can see how Porter is growing and what a cute little walking boy he is becoming.

Happy Birthday, Porter!

2010-04-06T22:15:00.001-07:00

There was 8 of us singing Porter "Happy Birthday!" He was so perplexed by the 8 of us all looking at him and singing.

It was a whirlwind of a day with Easter brunch and then getting the house finished and decorated and set up for the BBQ before everyone came over for another celebration of Porter and his first year. This kid lucked out with two celebrations and lots of people who love him and joined in on the celebration.

Because Porter had been sick and snotty, my brother decided not to bring the whole family over and risk getting their family sick again. So he dropped by with cousin Gracie and Benjamin and hung out with Porter for a little and brought him his first Legos! Uncle Andy showed him how to destroy whatever he made and throw the Legos around. Throwing Legos is the best!

Then Al and Lori came over a bit early to help finish getting our house ready and helped us realize all the things we forgot for the party. Al and AJ made a last minute trip to the store for all the things we forgot. Oops! Lori did a great job getting everything set out in a beautiful fashion and iced all the cupcakes.

AJ BBQ'ed burgers and we all sat down around our dinner table and had dinner. Lauren, Corban, Jana, JJ, baby Finn, Al, Lori, AJ, Porter and myself around our table! It was fun.

Then Porter got his first sugar-free banana cupcake. It was more like a muffin as there was no frosting and he wasn't all that in to it. But it was still fun to sing to him again and help him blow out his candle. Poor little guy still felt snotty and sick but he is a trooper!

Happy First Birthday, sweet baby Porter!

What a year it has been!

Don't grow up too fast. Sniff. Sniff. Tear.

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

Porter and his Easter Basket-Shake Shake Shake the eggs!

Porter was at the height of his snotty nose mess and this was his look of the day. Still pretty cute!

Porter and Daddy at Easter Brunch-My two super cute boys!

My only picture of Porter on his actual birthday!

2010-04-06T21:53:00.001-07:00

Our poor little baby got sick with a cold the day before his actual birthday. Our plans of the zoo and such were thwarted as it was raining and he was not his normal self. So we did other things that he found to be just as exciting and tiring. We went to lunch at Noah's Bagel, shopped around at REI and then finished it off with a great little shopping trip at Whole Foods. Love Bridgeport! Porter had a great nap on the way home.

We then rushed home and changed him into his very cute and adorable Easter outfit and headed off to Saturday night Easter service. It was so good and it is so much fun to have Porter a little bit older and able to enjoy the worship part of the service with us as a family!

Great Grandpa Ward and Great Grandma Ruth

2010-04-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons I wanted us to all go to Bend is that my mom's dad and his wife, my Grandpa Ward and Grandma Ruth, have not gotten to meet Porter yet. It was a great time to go and see them as Porter is a lot of fun and active and very interactive. He loved their cat and crawling all over their apartment. They live on the 2nd floor of an assisted living home and have a nice little balcony. He crawled all over, even out on to the balcony. That kid is fearless!

We had fun hanging out and catching up with my grandparents. My Grandma Ruth has gotten in to bracelet, earring and necklace bead making. She has quite the showcase of jewelry. She has given me a couple of her beautiful creations. They keep themselves very busy!

Porter and Great Grandpa Ward (my mom's dad)

Maryanne, Porter and Grandma Ruth

Porter's 1st Birthday in Bend

2010-04-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

Porter turned 1 on April 3rd. We went to visit my parents the last weekend of March and they wanted to celebrate Porter's birthday that weekend so my dad and mom made him an amazing train cake! We had fun singing to Porter and my dad helped him blow out his 1st candle ever!

My parents are amazing. My dad is a tour guide in Washington DC and travels for many weeks starting in March through June. My mom works full time and helps get my dad ready for each of his trips. This particular weekend, my dad flew home on Friday and as soon as he got home, he jumped right in to making Porter's cake. My mom is the prep chef for my dad. She bakes the cakes, makes and colors the frosting and does all the clean up! My mom showed me a picture progression of their kitchen and dining room how it went from messy to even messier. Then to clean again! It was a labor of love and yummyness. Here are some pictures.

Detroit Dam

2010-04-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

The last weekend of Spring Break we all headed over to Bend to visit my parents. On the drive home, it was cloudy and rainy but we decided to stop at Detroit Dam and give Porter a chance to stretch his legs. He loved it! He is our little outdoors man! We bundled him up and he did not want to be carried, he wanted to walk. So walk he did. Through the puddles and up on the curb and almost half way down and back he walked. It was so beautiful with the clouds and the light misting rain. I am a sunshine girl through and through but I have to say it was beautiful! The last picture is one we got back in the car and Porter was sooo happy. Such a fun little guy.

Reflections on Porter's 1st year of life

2010-03-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Be forewarned this is a long and wordy post. May be boring to some but I just wanted to put all my thoughts down in hopes of Porter reading them someday!

Here we are almost a year later and Porter will be one in a week and a half. What a year and we are so looking forward to many many more to come. I was just thinking about Porter today and feeling nostalgic and thought I would put a few thoughts I have been having down. Please don't think I am bragging or that I am saying our parenting style is the bomb. I am just reflecting on a few things we had hoped and dreamt for our child and how they have worked out.

As I sit here and reflect on the last year I am marveled by all we have overcome, accomplished and experienced. Porter is amazing and has changed soooo much. We welcomed into our lives Friday, April 3rd at 6:50am and boy were we glad he was here. Getting to experience Jana's labor and delivery with her and JJ and watch Finn enter the world brought back a lot of memories for me and made me love and cherish Porter all the more. After 2 long days of watching and being there for Jana laboring and waiting for Finn, I came home and crawled into bed at 5am Friday morning and woke up to Porter at 7:30am and was so thankful for my little bundle of joy!

His smile and laughter, his screams and cries, his teeters and totters, his bald spot when he was a baby to his crazy wild long hair now! I love it all.

As AJ and I processed how we would raise our child and all our hopes and dreams for our unborn son, we had 4 things we really held to that we wanted and desired for our son.

The first and foremost, that he would know and love God and desire to follow after him more than anything in life. We believe the best way for others to know of our Saviour's love is through example and unconditional love and grace. We try to model this to Porter each and every day. Some days hold more challenges than others but in the end, they will know that we are Christians by our love!

The second, third and fourth are much more non-spiritual and more just goals we had in mind from my counselor husband who knows and loves how the mind and brain work and wants to give Porter every opportunity to have the highest IQ possible. I think Porter may have lost a few points already with each time he fell and hit his head on our wood floors, but so far he still shows many signs of genius.

So the second goal was that we were going to give our child the best nutrition known for babies and that is breast milk with hopes of nursing for a year. I breast fed Porter solely for 6 months and then we started him on the Super Baby Food diet which the first baby food they recommend is avocado. He wasn't too fond of it at first, but man, he loves the stuff now! We bought all organic food and I blended it up in my food processor and froze it in little ice cube trays and then we would pop them out each day so he got pretty close to fresh each meal. I did get a beautiful Stainless Steel Cuisinart for Christmas and it is AMAZING! Some other time I will do a post about this as the system we have works pretty well.

Our goal was to breast feed for a year and then evaluate. Well, during that year, Jana got pregnant and began to do all sorts of research on breast feeding and informed me the recommended age to stop was two years. Well, we had said a year and so I didn't know what I was going to do. Here I am at a year and I have decided to keep going. Weird, I know many of you might say, but truly, if I still have a very valuable and nutritious supplement for my son, why would I not want to give it to him? So I am continuing on. We will see what happens this next year. It just feels good to have made it this far.

The third goal was no intentional TV for the first two years of his life. No Veggie Tales, no cartoons, no Disney or Baby Einstein. And we have made it a year! That doesn't mean Porter has never seen a TV; he has as we have a 52" hanging in our living room. This just means, he never sits in front of the TV with the intention of watching a movie or a show. Here it comes again, research shows the brains is forming so much in the first two years that no TV has huge benefits. I also realize how intentional we are with hanging out with Porter now that he is crawling and playing more and more with his toys. We get on the floor and play with him much more and read lots and lots of books. He does love listening to music and dancing, which we do with the iPod. It does hold its challenges but the benefits are so cool, I would highly recommend it.

And finally, our fourth goal was no fast food for the kid till he is 5. Well, again, one year in and so far so good. AJ and I are still eating it which we need to give up but Porter doesn't fully care and so we just haven't made that change yet. We are close and when the time comes, we will not eat there with Porter around. We realize in our day in age and society he will have plenty of opportunities to eat at these types of places and if his tastes are formed in the first 5 years, why include fast food tastes? So we are leaving it off the list of places we are taking Porter and have asked the grandparents to refrain from taking him to McDonald's to eat and so far so good.

Again, we are the idealist parents but looking back at this first year we compromised on things I didn't think we would. Allowed things to happen I had hoped or though wouldn't but that is rolling with the punches. We are human, we are parents, we will and have made mistakes. But more than anything, I want Porter to grow up knowing his Mom and Dad loved him and wanted the best for him!

So this next year I am sure will hold new and different challenges. Just when we seem to get the sleep pattern figured out, it changes a little. Just when we figure out what one grunt, scream or cry means, he starts a new sound. Just when we find the book he loves, he is in love with another book. But that is my baby boy and well, he will be my baby for a while!

Tonight, before I put Porter to bed, I put on his 1 year pictures/Birthday/Easter outfit and let me just say, my kid is definately the cutest kid out there! He is so adorable. I didn't take any pictures as I don't want to ruin ones you may see in the future but let's just say, the best $50 I have spent in a while. After he wears it for all those events, he may just continue to wear it everyday to get our monies worth!

And on a final note. When Porter was a little older than 8 months old and we finally moved into our house, his sleep patterns went out the window. He was waking up multiple times through out the night, he was having a hard time going to sleep and he wasn't taking very good naps. AJ suggested we set a routine for him. AJ is such a genius. We start by getting him in his jammes around 6:30 and then read a book or two and then a little snack from mom and then kisses from Daddy. I take Porter into his room and sing him "Hush Little Baby" (for some reason during pregnancy I sang that song a lot) and say a little prayer and tell him how much I love him and he is out like a light at 7pm. Can I get a Hallelujah!?!? God is good and mom and dad get to have a relaxing evening to do laundry, dishes, watch TV and catch up on FaceBook! He is such a good kid!

Well, Happy Birthday, Porter, Happy First Birthday.

Family Hike March 2010-Rooster Rock

2010-03-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Rooster Rock hike outside of Sweet Home

Porter rode in the backpack with me for a bit but AJ ended up carrying him the most.

Enjoying a little break before heading back down.

Porter loves to be outside.

Porter was so tired on the way down and took a cat nap!

Fun little family self portrait at the bottom.

Yep, still here and breathing.

2010-03-03T21:50:00.001-08:00

My apologies to anyone out there who still reads our blog. I have not forgotten the web address or how to long in to create a new post, I am just living in the land of using my iPhone for all my web surfing and email reading and thus, have not gotten on our laptop for a long time and according to my last post, since Thanksgiving!!

Life is good, busy and full of many new things. Porter is 11 months old today and is just the cutest thing ever. He has had a rough few last months as he has had a couple of fevers, cold that turned to a ear infection that then turned in to bronchialitis. So very drugs and inhaler treatments later and he is still not fully better. Being a baby in Oregon in the cold rainy weather is hard work but he is a trooper and still very cute.

I keep telling him soon, in the next week or so, we hope, he will be the "big" boy cousin to Jana and JJ's son, Finn. I explain how he will have to show Finn how to do everything and he won't be the "baby" anymore. (Although, he will still be my baby.) Why do they have to grow up so fast? He is getting closer and closer to walking but still remains toothless. Just tonight for the first time, we saw a glimmer of the pearly whites that are just starting to cut in. Yippee! My kid might get teeth finally.

Porter loves to flip the pages in his pictures books and is fascinated by all the animals, especially dogs, cats, fish and the one wallaby! He points at it every time he turns to that page. He is a lot of fun and loves to watch out our front window at all the cats that live across the street and points at them. He also loves our dogs and loves to let Lucy like his fingers.

AJ is doing well and is an amazing dad. Last weekend he took Porter and his dad to an exotic animal expo up in Hillsboro. I got to stay home and watch 5 episodes of Grey's Anatomy on Netflixs. I think it was a win-win situation for both of us!

Sorry no pictures on this post, just more of a catch up and let you know we are still around and our new house didn't swallow us whole. We are still in the middle of finishing up some remodeling, thus why I have not posted pictures. Who wants to see backer board as my kitchen back splash anyways? Not all that pretty but I have grown accustomed to it. So in the near future, no promise of a certain date, I will do an amazing before and after post of our new house and all that we have done to it. You will be amazed!

That's it for now. If you are reading this, thank you for sticking with us. I will try to be better about posting but again, life with a toddler, working part-time, maintaining my sanity and all the other million things I do and all other mom's do, my blog seems to be at the bottom of the list sometimes. My hope is to be better about it but I can't guarantee anything right now.

Still breathing. Deep breathe.

Good night.