Hello Again

I'm a little overwhelmed in how much blogging I have to do. This is a LONG post so hang in there.

First a few of Connor's funny sayings:

--Mom, you smell like hamburgers. I LOVE hamburgers. ( I guess the best compliment a 5 year old boy could give a mom).

--I am not going to be a space guy that drives in space because Jupiter can suck space. (You know in HIS mind this all made perfect sense).


And in Charlotte news:

She loves playing with the girls in the neighborhood. They just dote on her! I love it because it is like having free babysitting!



She is in the shoe phase. If there is a pair of shoes around she will try to wear them.

Waaaa! This is not the size I ordered!

She is feeding herself and, like her brother, likes to be a clown.

Warning: Although the Wonder Bra has super powers it should not be worn as a cape nor will it allow you to fly.

"Trust me. I'm a doctor"

She loves to feed her "baby dah's".

Never Moving Again!!!

And, the best news, is that we finally moved into our house! Jan. 28 couldn't have come soon enough thanks to our crazy rental house landlord but that's another story!



My mom came down to help us move in. Connor was not sure about sleeping upstairs all by himself so he had a campout with Gramma.

Charlotte had no problem enjoying her new room! Notice she has a firm grip on Giraffey. Never let's go all night long. Just like Connor was with his pacifiers in each hand.

Charlotte exploring the stairs.

Let's Take a Trip!

Since moving isn't crazy enough we decided, after being in our house only 5 days, to fly back to Phoenix with my mom and surprise my dad. There's just no excitment like trying to pack (when you aren't even really unpacked) to go from a winter to summer climate and not knowing where
your clothes are.

The pilot on both flights let Connor sit in the cockpit and made the controls make noises like the plane was shooting laser guns. One of them announced, "Ladies and Gentleman, we have Connor with us today. He will be programming our route so if we end up in Hawaii instead of Phoenix we apologize!". He loved it!

We had a great time in Phoenix. The RV resort my parents were at was really nice and we also had a chance to visit with my grandparents.

Ernie Burke

And now for the story of our flight back.

The fact that I remember his name so many months later is testament to the
impression he left on me. His name was Ernie Burke. He was a farmer somewhere
in Iowa and had big, gnarled hands. When I first got on the plane I was not at
all looking forward to the flight. The first of two legs back to Dallas and
Charlotte was already restless. We found our seats and I laughed to myself each
time someone got on the plane and would glance down, notice the empty seat next
to the lady with two small kids, and quickly keep walking. I thought to myself,
"The person who sits here is going to be the last one to board." Then came
Ernie Burke. He walked right up to me and asked if the seat was taken. I said,
"No. You must be a very brave man." He appeared to be the nice grandpa type
but still.....I would have avoided me.

We made our introductions and before I knew it we had taken off and were already
flying. He told me all about his farm and Iowa. When Charlotte started trying
to squirm away he offered to hold her. I was a little hesitant but thought,
"Hey, if you really want to hold a grumpy 1.5 year old, go for it". She was
completely taken by his glasses and that kept her occupied. She kept trying to
grab his big nose. They were really getting along great and she was perfectly
happy. I thought, "Boy, did I luck out or what! She loves this guy and he must
be the most patient person in the world to be dealing with us." He finally
asked her name and I said "Charlotte". He looked surprised and said, "Did you
say Charlotte?" So he told me his story.

He was 80 now but had grown up knowing Charlotte. He never really thought about
her. Her eyes were kind of droopy and couldn't be fixed with surgery. Later,
his mom pushed him to ask out the "nice girl" Charlotte and being the only kid
to probably ever listen to his mother in this way, he did. They were soon
married and she was the love of his life. They had three boys. She died young,
after only being married about 9 years and the kids were still very little.

By now he had big tears running down his face.

I didn't have the guts to ask him how she died. He was clearly walking down
memory lane. Still with tears running down his face he kept holding Charlotte
saying, "My Charlotte, my Charlotte....." She was touching the tears on
his face trying to figure out what they were. Of course, I was also crying by
this point but trying to hide it. I'm sure he knew. I know what he was
thinking, and I don't believe in that sort of thing, but these two, 79 years
apart, had a connection.

Ernie carried Charlotte off the plane like a proud grandpa and introduced her to
his wife of 40 years, "Honey, this is Charlotte Porter Coleman". We said our
goodbyes and I went to my next flight. I cried all during that flight just
thinking of him and the Charlotte he had lost. Connor asked, "Mom, why are you
crying?" I just told him "because that man was so nice." He made such and
impact on me. Even now I am starting to cry. I think more for him. I'm not
sure.

So, Ernie Burke, wherever you are in Iowa, thanks for the most memorable flight
of my life.

Finally Home

I've always said "Home is where the swingset is". With everything going on with moving we just hadn't gotten around to putting it back together. We found a guy who would do it for $300 and said it would take him 8-15 hours. He kept saying what a big job it would be didn't sound very sure about the whole thing. When my dad found out how much it would cost to get a massive swingset put together around here he just thought that was ridiculous. One Southwest Rapid Reward later and he was on the next plane out, pnuematic gun in hand. Much to even his own surprise, he and Aaron had the set together in 3.5 hours. And, they didn't even have to make any trips to Home Depot!

That same day every kid on our street was in our backyard swarming the swingset. Yippee!

THANKS DAD AND AARON!!!!!!

Charlotte and Addie playing on the slide before it was put up.

The Three Musketeers (Jack, Connor, Drew)

Grampa rocking Charlotte to sleep.

Finally Projects Again

It's been fun having projects to do around the house again. After 11 years at our last house there was nothing left except maintenance. So I've been spending the last few months getting settled. I'll try to write about all my fun projects.

The first project is actually Aaron's.

He decided to make a planter/bench for me. It looks awesome! People can't believe he didn't have plans to follow!

Daddy and his helper.

Since our appliances are not magnetic I made this board for the kids. I used the wood frame from a cabinet that the builder had to replace, cut it down to fit tightly into the space, and added sheet metal.

And, of course, since one man's trash is my treasure.....my boss was going to throw away a bunch of heavy duty commercial tablecloths so I took them home instead and made them into curtains. I even lined them with the white tablecloths. Yippee!

Easter

Since we don't have any family here we called up our other "no family" friends and had everyone over for Easter potluck style.

The kids had a great time and we love to get to spend time with our old neighbors and best friends.

Charlotte "finding" her basket.

Kindergarten Nerves

Two weeks ago I took Connor up to Pink Elementary to register. Since we were just turning in paperwork I didn't think it would be a big deal but I guess I forgot he is MY child. I DO NOT like change (see blog on Aaron telling me we were moving--Ha!). I cried every first day of school, including high school. I was always worried the school was too big and I wouldn't know where I was going or doing. Come to think of it I cried when my parents dropped me off at Tech!

As we walked up to the GLASS (as in "Everyone can see you") doors Connor dug in like a mule. He was not about to go in. He cried, held on to me, laid in my lap on the bench outside. I finally, and unfortunately, had to resolve to bribery to get him in the building without causing a scene. You can see from the pictures below that he then acted like a monkey in the office. I'm sure the office staff loved him climbing the window.

He refused to look at me for a picture.

Nope, still not looking.

Yes, he actually tried to climb up on the windowsill. Hmmm, Connor, how did you break your arm same time last year?

Meeting Daddy at Waffle House after registering for kindergarten.

Anyway, this morning we had to go up to the school for a parent meeting. I didn't tell him that we were going at all because the kicker was that while the parents were in the meeting the kids would take a tour of the school with a 1st grader. Oh yeah, like he was going to leave me with some kid he didn't know! We met up with Campbell from across the street (also entering kindergarten). I thought it would help if he knew a friend.

We made it into the building no problem but when they told the kids to get in their groups he started tearing up and saying, "NO! I'm NOT going." He was not going without me. He wouldn't even put the colored group tag around his neck. So I had to go and he was literally the LAST kid out of the cafeteria and the only one with his mom in tow.

Honestly, I was almost on the verge of tears myself. I was so frusterated with him. How in the world was he going to go to the first day?! He's the craziest, most outgoing kid at his preschool but he was acting like he'd never been out of the house!

He clung to me and wouldn't even get in line during the tour. But then I had an idea. After about 10 minutes he was starting to act goofy so I knew he was getting comfortable. I said, "Connor, I need to go check on Charlotte. I'll be right back." He seemed ok with that and I left! Good thing because when I got back to the cafeteria Charlotte was painting the floor with my brand new "semi-permanent" lipstick. (As of 8 p.m. it is still on her legs and feet and will not come off. She looks like she has red scars. Fantastic.)

I still expected Connor to come running hysterically into the cafeteria but he made it. Before ging home we introduced ourselves to the principal and she said, "Connor, I noticed that your mom didn't have to stay with you the entire tour. That's great!". He seemed pretty proud of himself.

The Cul-de-Sac Kids

Yes, they actually have a sign they put up.

Connor decided he was going to sell water and he made $1.75!

(Connor, Campbell, Briley, Audidav)

Connor playing football with the boys. He can really launch it! Especially since he's the youngest.
(He's in the green striped shirt. Just watch the first 15 sec. It's kind of long)





Connor and Audidav in the princess mobile.

Connor & Audidav (Mexican wrestler/superheros)

Connor and Campbell learning how to nail.

And, last but not least, Nana and the kids.

Ha Ha

I read this on the internet and thought it was funny......

Are traditions just chores given to us by dead people?

A Gleam in Her Eye

As I just typed that title I laughed because I realized that's what you say when you talk about a future baby---NO, I am not (and never will be) pregnant!

Charlotte was in the bathtub with Connor and I was teaching her to not stand up. She kept doing it and then looking at me rather mischieviously. I said, "Charlotte, look at you. Standing up over and over with a gleam in your eye!" Connor grabbed her and the following conversation was:

C: Mom, I'll hold her and you get it out!
K: Get what out?
C: The gleam.
K: Connor! That's just a saying.
C: What color is it? What does it look like?

Too funny!

One more for you. The other day he said something about "Balden" eagles. I asked him what a "Balden" eagle was and he said, "You know, like a rappin' eagle like the kind wrapped in a hot dog but not the kind you eat." What????????

In Charlotte news, she is walking wonderfully. Still a little unsteady at times but definately getting faster. She is so cute at this age. I also love how she has so much hair. Other 14 month olds I see have just a thin, short layer but I can put her's in ponytails. The other day I even braided it!

The Best 17.5 Hours (and counting) Of My Life

I wrote this a couple weeks ago but am just now posting:

So we went to Jeff & Carolin's last night for New Year's. Both kids stayed up so late (9:30 & 12:30) that Charlotte just woke up and Connor is still sleeping at 9:30 a.m. Yippee!! I am milking it even more by putting Charlotte in front of her first chick flick (Thumbelina--thanks mom & dad) while she eats breakfast. She is absorbed and I feel like I am still free!

We had a great time last night. The boys played--wait, let me clarify--the boys did flying ninja moves over the couches and we didn't hear from them for 7.5 hours while the girls played Rock Band Hero with all the adults. I'm not much for Wii but it was fun. I tried all the instruments and singing. Then we moved onto a fun game called Apples to Apples and somehow that turned into trying every 80's dance move we knew in the kitchen. Yes, I know how to moonwalk thanks to Rolando Balli when I was about 10. Everyone was pretty impressed. And I must say "Good Parenting!!" to Jeff and Carolin because I was really impressed with the amount of awesome 80's music that Raelee and Jordan knew.

The three ninjas:

I can't believe I am posting this video because I do NOT look good but at least everyone else will get a good laugh. And, we hadn't even been drinking! These are the 80's dance moves we were doing (why am I the only one in the video????):

At midnight we all had a sparkling cider toast with my grandma's real crystal. We even let the kids join in until they got a little exuberant with the toasting.

It was so good to hang out with Jeff and Carolin again. It really was like old times, we were all so silly. Background for those of you who don't know: We met them when the guys had a class together in college. We were just married and they had been married about three years. When the boys graduated Jeff found a job for both of them in Charlotte, NC (hence her name). We all moved out there and even lived in the same apt. complex for a while. One memory that comes to mind--Aaron and I went into the grocery store one night and they waited outside in the car. When we came out they were leaned all the way back in their seats with their sunglasses on, playing rap music as loud as they could with the bass shaking the car, and Raelee in her baby carrier in the backseat! We just burst out laughing! And who can forget racing down the apartment parking lot in office chairs--Woohoo! We had the BEST time there. We were just fun and crazy! Two years later we all (plus one little Raelee at this point) moved back to Dallas and both ended up building homes in The Colony where we lived and had kids for the next 9.5 years. Then they moved back to Lubbock!! Now they've been back here for about 1.5 years but live about 25 min away plus Carolin is a working woman so we just don't get to hang out as much.

On a side note--In the car on the way there Connor said, "I love riding in the car and bandaids. They keep your fingers warm." I, seriously, don't know where he comes up with this stuff. I'll be so sad when he is a teenager and doesn't want to talk to us!

Anyway, you can see from all the pics and videos we had a great time.

Christmas in Lubbock

As previously mentioned in my "I love dead pigs" segment we spent Christmas in Lubbock. As I predicted Charlotte started walking. I just knew she wasn't walking because there was no room in our rental and sure enough as soon as she got to Uncle Jon and Aunt Mandy's house and had some space she took off that first day!



WARNING: This section contains Santa spoiler info.

This is the first Christmas Connor has really been excited about Santa. We showed him Santa Tracker on the internet on Christmas Eve and he completely lost it! He kept running back and forth saying "He (Santa) moved! He moved!". Then he would tell everyone "Go to bed!!!!". He was getting really frusterated with all the adults staying up. Finally we had to put him in bed with us until he fell asleep. Aaron was scratching on the wall pretending to be reindeer on the roof and Connor just about couldn't take it. Aaron pulled out his iPhone and said, "Connor, do you want to check Santa Tracker one more time?". Very upset, Connor said, "WOULD YOU PUT THAT THING AWAY AND GO TO SLEEP!!".



Nana & Papa and the kiddos.

Uncle Jon serenading Charlotte........

and later being spoiled by Aunt Mandy!




Connor with his hard hat/headlamp from Super Grandma & Super Grandpa that he can wear to "inspect" our house and Charlotte with a doll stroller she thinks is for her.

Hunter trying to feed Charlotte her first Ramen noodles.

She also got some girlie movies from Gramma & Grampa. Here she is enjoying her first chick flick--Thumbelina.

Just thought this one was cute so I had to include it. Notice Daddy's redneck steak grill in the back (In all seriousness, he learned how to make this on the Food Network and it really does cook steak just like in an expensive steakhouse).

This is Connor singing "He's still Workin' On Me". This is one of those keepers you have to get on video. Still haven't figured out how to rotate it :)

On Jan. 9 we finally got snow so the boys had fun outside.

Poor Charlotte! She was scared to go outside because Connor kept throwing snowballs at us. She's probably scarred for life and will have to live in California. The horror!!!

Now is the time if you are not my parents you probably want to check out before you are bored to death. That's right--House alert!

I had to put this one in because it shows just how bright the "Interrogation Lights" (aka flood lights) are over the garage. I told Aaron it looks like a penitentiary. Might have to change out that bulb.

Entry chandelier that I tried to include earlier but this is a better shot. It is about 3 feet tall and the glass has the look of parchment paper. It looks soft and "glowey" when it's on. We got it right before they discontinued it!

Island granite that I was "appalled" at when I first saw it. All I could see was Texas orange. Now that the backsplash, lighting, etc. is in I love it!

Aaron's big splurge was the shower. He really wanted a walk in shower (not sure what it's really called but the kind where it is really deep or takes a turn so you don't have to have any glass or a door) but the plan just didn't allow for it no matter what changes we thought of so we did some tile upgrades. Every other grout line has darker toned, shiny 1/2 x 1/2" accent tiles. He also talked me into a rainfall shower head coming down from the top. We'll try to save some water for the rest of the planet.

We've had a few "issues" (as in "Whoops. We've never built this floorplan before."). When they brought in the tub it didn't fit in the space. They only way to get it dropped in was to cut out a niche in the wall to add a 1/2 inch. I think it turned out pretty good.

When I saw this I had to take a picture. I sent an email to the builder that said, "I'm no expert but is the tub supposed to be supported by bricks and plywood and the pvc held up by small tiles?". Remarkably he said this was common practice and that it is all cemented in place. Still seems suspicious to me but alrighty.

A Good Laugh At Myself

I promised the family some updated pics of the house but first I have to tell you this story that had me cracking myself up.

For those of you who know me you know I LOVE animals. If I lived alone I would probably be one of those crazy animal horders with 135 cats and dogs. Anyway, we went to Lubbock for Christmas and I was coming back to my bro-in-law's house and drove by a big chocolate lab laying dead in the street. Next to it was this filthy pink towel as if someone maybe tried to cover it up. I felt so bad....some kid was going to find out his dog died just days before Christmas. It was heartbreaking.

When I got back to the house I decided I was going to go for a run and had a plan. I would run up to the dog and cover it with the towel. As I was headed that way I grabbed two sticks so I could lay them in a cross shape on the towel. I just figured that when the owners found the dog they would at least know that someone cared. Maybe it would help ease the pain just a little.

I was getting nervous as I got closer because when I had driven by I could tell the dog was really mangled. I just took a deep breath and decided no matter how gross it looked I could do it for the sake of the dog.

I ran up towards it and thought "Man, that's a really big dog." As I got closer I thought "What is that? Those aren't dog feet. They're PIG feet!". I just burst out laughing because I was standing in front of an enormous wild boar with it's guts hanging out right in the middle of the neighborhood! I felt kind of silly but thought "Well, I came all this way and it is an animal.....". So, I covered this disgusting wild pig with a pretty pink towel and laid a cross on it and then high tailed it out of there. I hope no one saw me because they would think I was nuts! I swear that thing had to weigh at least 250 and it was U-G-L-Y!

---------------

Here are a couple of pictures of the entry chandalier and the kitchen light. My computer has been acting up and I just discovered my camera software was accidentally deleted. So these are from my phone--sorry they're so small! I'll have to fix it all tomorrow and I'll get some better photos up of house and kids.

When It Rains It Pours (no pun intended)

For those of you just discovering my blog after receiving a Christmas Card you can just skip this post. I don't want you to be too grossed out.

So, our rental house has ONE thing in it that is new--the living room carpet (I cannot even imagine how awful it must have been for my weird landlord lady to have it replaced. Homicide maybe?). Anyway, I came into the room yesterday morning and Connor was throwing up ALL over it. Like the kind with projectile splatter--You mom's know what I mean. As with every kid puking incident he immediately felt better and was jumping around and I was stuck cleaning it. After using an entire bottle of Spot Shot and every towel in the house I almost have it out.

Reminder: Just because it is Saturday, do not let your kids have as much Coco Krispies cereal as they want.

Later for dinner we went to Chili's. Charlotte was being extremely loud since she has now found her voice. She likes to yell but has no volume control. We kept apologizing to the people next to us. They were very nice and said they thought it was "funny" because it was someone else's kid. About 5 minutes later Connor started puking all over the table, floor, himself, me. I kept saying to Aaron, "GIVE ME YOUR SALAD BOWL!". He just sat there in horror. The nice people next to us had just gotten their food. I was thinking it was going to be like a Saturday Night Live skit where everyone starts puking.

We grabbed the first waiter to walk by and said, "We need all our food to go!". He looked at Connor and practically ran off. He definately didn't have kids. I cleaned up as fast as I could and grabbed Connor and got out of there. We even left his shoes under the table. I think people were watching me as we walked out thinking, "Look at that mom! She didn't even make her kid wear shoes in a restaurant!".

We made it out to the car and Connor started crying because he wants his pizza! Are you kidding me!

Aren't you glad I didn't post pics! :) haha.

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, that's right----I Ran the Rock!

The White Rock Half Marathon that is. I really wasn't prepared (the farthest I had run was 9 miles) but since I had paid my money and wanted the shirt I figured I'd check it out. Of course, once I got there, the Porter in me kicked in and then I decided that I would feel like a loser if I walked any of it (not that you are a loser if you walk, because there are plenty of people who do, but I tend to set ridiculous expectations for myself).

So I ran the WHOLE thing and about fainted when I was done. My final time was 2:42 which was the same time as the top women's marathoner. I felt great until mile 6 when something happened to my hip but I prayed, ran through it, and worked it out. By mile 10 I was really hurting but you can't really stop if you make it to 10 so I kept on trudging. Believe me, I was trudging! By the time I made it to the finish line I was so glad to be done I didn't even look at my time!

Aaron brought the kids down for the finish. There were so many people that I couldn't see them but I heard Connor yell "Mommy!".

My immediate reaction upon finishing was that I would never do that again. But with a few days under my belt I think it has turned into a sick addiction and I have decided to do it again next year. Marathon maybe???? Hmmmmm.

Didn't Know I Could Paint!

My friend Carolin signed us up for an art class. It was great to get together with her since we don't see each other as much as we used to. I think our canvases turned out great! The teacher was really awesome and explained everything step by step. I love all the color!

This swirl is my favorite so I had to show a close up.

House Update

The fireplace is in and I really like it. It will look even better when the cedar mantle is put up. I like the rustic style but it also reminds me of a New Mexican style fireplace with the narrow top and the half circle hearth. It's like a little reminder of home.

Tile going in. Most people around here like wood so I can tell the neighbor ladies thought it was a little strange to do all tile but I love it.

They are extending our patio since it was so small. We didn't even ask but the head guy thought it looked ridiculous. Yea!!

Connor's World and Other Fun Stuff!

Oh, The Things He Says!

• For Charlotte's birthday I bid on and won a set of Madame Alexander dolls that were part of McDonald's Happy Meals a while back. One of them is Cinderella and Connor had never heard of her before. He kept asking what her name was and then I heard him say, "Don't worry Carla, the prince is coming."




• "Mom, was I born before you?"--"No silly, you were in my stomach"--"How did I get there?"--"God put you there"--(Frusterated) "But HOW did I get there!!??"




• I have talked to at least 3 moms up at school and the conversations go like this:

Me: Oh, really? I also have a 5 year old in Ms. Kim's class. His name is Connor.

Her: ARE YOU SERIOUS! (I'm thinking, "Oh, great, this can't be good"). My daughter (Kendall B, Kendall T, Riley, Bailey) is in love with Connor! She can't even speak when she sees him!

These girls are 4-5! What's ironic is that that I talked to Connor's teacher and she says the other boys get a little embarrassed by the girls but Connor has no idea what's going on.

Our SOOOOOO Awesome Christmas Tree

We literally do not have enough room in the rental house to put a tree so this is it. The best thing is that Connor thinks it's great! I love how kids his age don't care if something is big, or fancy, or expensive. I probably could have given him a stick with one ornament and he would be thrilled!

Continuing with the theme of how our house is so awesome....

This is the space between my desk and the living room (which is really just one area that also includes the eating area, kitchen, laundry "room"/closet, and front door). As you can see, the coffee table is being stored on it's side because there is not enough space in the living room area. Anyway, what I think this is really called is "the best boy play area ever"! What kid wouldn't love this? Maybe I'll hide there just to get away.

Attack of the Birds

In The Colony we do seem to have a bizarre number of grackels (sp?) but this is ridiculous. We went to Walmart last night at about 5:00 and I honestly have never seen so many birds at one time. The sound was so loud. They were sitting at least 20 at a time on every car and just kept coming and going in these huge waves. They were flying so low one almost hit my head. We stood in the parking lot for about 10 minutes just watching. I'm sure people thought we were weird.

Please Don't Call CPS

Yes, we played the trick on Charlotte that I'm sure every parent does at one time or another. You know, she had to have the lemon and would not stop screeching for it, sooooo......

And, finally, you know a dad is not new when you see this......way to multi-task Dude!