Alexa

Well once again I am late with things...
Yesterday was my beautiful daughter's 3 year birthday! I cannot believe how much she has changed this last year! Here is the link to a photo montage. I hope you enjoy it!

Mr. Porter, Age Four

If you were to ask my son how old he is today he would, with great enthusiasm, declare, "I am four years old, just like my best friend, Jacob!!!" The additional exclamation marks only underscores the zeal by which he announces to the world his age.

Four years. Four. I try to get my mind around the life of this little man who has been such a source of joy and happiness for Shannon and me and try to remember that there was a time when he was only a wish and a prayer. He is my son. Years ago, around this time of the year, a fertility specialist pretty much dashed our hopes of ever having children. "It is possible," he stated with obvious false hopes but with the expected caveat that he is no prognosticator of the divine, "that you could conceive. But, you should not get your hopes up."

Tonight we celebrated the fourth year of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, once again reminding us that it is He that commands the morning. It is He that says, "Thus far and no farther" to the seas. And it is He that told the aging Abraham that he would be a father of many nations.

Tonight we celebrated Timothy's birthday. We played, we went out to dinner, we laughed, and we watched Superman (his favorite cartoon). And dad enjoyed every minute of it.

In the four years that he has been in our lives, I have seen Timothy learn to talk, walk, jump, run, play, read, and write. I have seen him count to ten, twenty, one hundred. I have heard him count to diez, and I have heard him count to zehn. I have heard him sing in Spanish and English.

In the short life he has had, I have seen him walk halfway to Niagra Falls before needing Dad to pick him up and carry him and Teddy.

Tim takes his life very seriously, especially that part about having fun and being a kid. He is a kid with all his might.

When Dad comes home from work, Tim becomes Superman and I become the nebulous and ethereal "Bad People." When Tim kisses his sister goodnight, he says, "Good night, Wonder Woman." And Alexa whispers back, "Good night, Superman." The next morning, I am Green Lantern and he is Batman. Sometimes, I am "a giant octopus" and he is any of about a dozen super heroes.

But, at the end of the day, Tim is just a little boy who has all the imagination, dreams, and aspirations that a little boy should have.

And he is our son. Our boy.

And we have the Lord to thank for him.

Happy birthday!

Well today Timothy is 4 years old.
The last 4 years have been wonderful-crazy-insane-happy-sad-frustrated (some times all at once) but we would not trade a minute of it.
Tim is growing up. He is capable of so much now. It's amazing to see how much he has blossomed.
Here is a video montage of Tim over the last year. Hope you all enjoy it.

Happy Birthday my son!

Update (finally)

Ok so it's the end of Jan, and the Christmas thank you notes are still sitting on my desk waiting to go in the mail. It's only January and I am already behind. Oh well, such is life in a house with two tod... er, excuse me, PRESCHOOLERS. With birthdays right around the corner I guess I better get used to the fact the my kids are officially out of the toddler phase.
Anyway, I just wanted to post some pictures from Christmas, and some that were taken this month. (Shesh, I cannot believe it's already the end of Jan... ) I will try and get a more commentated blog up by next week. Although some of you, I know, would prefer just the photos... Deal with it!... (LOL Just kidding) Anyway, here are some of the photos from our family Christmas. We had Christmas at our house this year... and since our house is not very big, it was a little tight... but fun all the same. Of course opening presents was the main event... and then of course the kids just had to play with the biggest ones... LOL.


It seems like we have had a lot of rain in the desert of late. Jan is turning out to be a very wet month here. The kids are loving it and have taken every opportunity to got out with their umbrellas and go puddle jumping.
Not that the umbrellas help much but they have fun anyway.

January was certianly a busy time and we still have another day to go... we spent many days at the park, taking in the beautiful 60 + degree temps, and even managed a trip to the zoo (my camera batteries died or there would be a pic here... LOL). We have also added a new little one to our extended family. Our kids now have a beautiful new cousin Here she is a whole 12 days old. What a CUTIE PIE!!! We are also seriously working on homeschooling the kids, so that has taken up some time, as well. So, we have started off the new year with a bang!
Hope your first month of 2008 was a good one.
I am sure I will be posting more in Feb, as we have lots of events and things already planned... including a birthday party for the kids, and my cousins wedding. So make sure to check back soon! If you want to see more photos make sure to check my other blog too! Thanks!
~Ciao

Photos galore

UPDATED: Ok I have added some new photos including some recent ones. There were so many to choose from. I am also adding new photos to my "other" blog. So make sure to check it out too. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Ok I know there are lot of photos here. This is kinda like a mini photo album of the last year in a nut shell. I will add pictures from December as I take them. Hope you enjoy the photos.
Dec 2007 BREAKOUT! I thought this was too funny!

Dec 2007 More proof that we do get wet weather here in the desert. It was crazy foggy this particular morning.

November 2007 We celebrated Christmas early with my folks since we will be spending Christmas at home.

November 2007 We celebrated Christmas early with my folks since we will be spending Christmas at home.

November 2007 (Cousin)

November 2007 Snapping fresh green beans for Thanksgiving

November 2007 (Phoenix Zoo Stingray Bay)

November 2007 (Phoenix Zoo Stingray bay)

October 2007 (Halloween)

October 2007

October 2007 (This is what is inside a Mexican Jumping bean FYI)

October 2007 They are looking at Mexican jumping beans

October 2007

End of September 2007

September 2007 (Cicada Shell)

September 2007

August 2007

August 2007

End of July 2007 Proof that AZ does get SOME rain... LOL

July 2007

June 2007 Mike performed a wedding for my cousin in Tombstone, Az

June 2007

May 2007

May 2007 (Wild Life World Zoo)

End of April 2007

April 2007 Easter

Mar 2007 We went to visit some friends.

March 2007 Tim's good friend came to visit.

Feb 2007 The kids celebrated their birthday with some friends from church

Jan 2007 (Phoenix zoo)

Jan 2007 Tim and Lex started the year having a good time.

Halloween and pumpkin pics

Ok so I know it has been awhile since I posted, and I have been promising pics to certain people (Sorry it took so long), so here you go... the cutest Purple Butterfly princess, and Fireman you have ever seen! Not that I am biased or anything... heh. We actually had a nice quiet Halloween.... We went to the library the day before, and saw a puppet show and got some candy, and all that. Halloween fell on a Wednesday this year, and since we are normally in our Wednesday night prayer service at our church, we felt we needed to continue to be there. So, the kids still got to dress up and get candy... just a the day before. We also stopped by my in laws (Tues. night), where their uncle was more than happy to oblige them with tricks and treats. So over all it was a good couple of days.

Even before all that though we were getting in the fall spirit. We went to a pumpkin patch with some good friends and picked pumpkins and then decorated them. The kids had a blast. What a difference a year makes though. Last year, the kids wanted nothing to do with the rides at the pumpkin patch... this year they were all like "Mom we want to go BY OURSELVES" I was like shesh, are we already to the point where I am THAT uncool. :(
However, the kids being oblivious to my disappointment at being so uncool, had a blast picking out pumpkins, riding the rides, and petting the animals at the petting zoo. Lex cracks me up. All she wanted to do was pick the smallest baby pumpkin. Now, anyone who has been around her can just imagine her saying in her most girlie voice... "Mommy, I wanna pick the smmaaaalllleeesssttt pumpkin... a baby one." I about lost it I was laughing so hard when she said that. Tim on the other hand is realizing that bigger is usually better. "Mom, I wanna pick a pumpkin thiiiiissss big!" (he stretches out his arms wide) It was great!
Well, so far our Autumn is off to a great start. We have had lots of beautiful weather, so we have been out doors a lot. I am hoping the trend continues, and that Winter will bring lots more opportunities for us to be out and about. It helps that we live in the desert... hahaha to all those who live in the snow! LOL just kidding. This is the time of year we love to call family and friends in NY and tease them.
Anyway, I guess that's all for now... Thanks for stopping by, and drop a me a line every now and then and let me know how you all are ok.
Thanks, and enjoy the pics!

Parenthood

Parenthood.
This word had been on mind the last few days. I know, I know... of course it would be, I have two kids, it would be silly if I did not see myself as a parent. But this goes deeper than just being a parent. It's more about the relationships and emotions that come with being a parent. The word parenthood seems to encompass, a lifetime, rather than just one single moment. It encompasses the whole, from even the mere idea of having a baby to... well parenting never ends... but you get the idea...right? I dunno, maybe I am just rambling on... and on... and on...
I think a lot of it has to do with the recent baby boom that seems to be surrounding us at the moment. I have several friends who are pregnant, and another who delivered a bouncing baby girl just a few days ago. Not to mention, that my sister in law is in a hospital, at this very moment, waiting to meet the child she has nurtured for 9 months, face to face. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, our kids will have a new cousin. We are so thrilled.
Anyway, this brings me to my point. When I got pregnant the first time, we were so excited, and we could not wait to enter into parenthood. The whole idea of being parents and having a baby was exciting and yes a little scary...If I knew then what I know now, I think I would have approached it a little differently. Oh, don't get me wrong, the rewards far out weigh the bad things. But for all you first timers out there... they smell fear. LOL
No really, the first few months are a little tough, but you manage to get through it. I think, it's that thought and the first few months of parenthood that actually prepare you for the rest of it. You see parenthood is not easy. And it is something you do for the rest of your life. Once you have a child, you never cease to be a parent. Yet somehow, we mange to get through (most days with a smile). Granted, there is a lot of God's Grace, a little raising of the voices every now and then, and lots of sticky, muddy, gooey hugs. (I love the hugs... they are the best)
Parenthood. It's a big word... it encompasses so much more than I ever realized. And for that I am truly thankful.
If parenting were easy, I don't think we would feel so many emotions all at once... joy, fear, happiness, anticipation... all at the same time. As a mother I take these feelings for granted. All these emotions that hit all at the same time. I take this in a stride these days. As a mother of two preschoolers, I don't have time to dwell on every emotion that comes my way. But I should... at the very least slow down, and savor these times a little more than I do.
Mike and I talk all the time about how fast the kids are growing and learning. I think this will be more pronounced in the up coming weeks. My brother in law is a Marine. He is returning from a tour of duty and will be home this upcoming week. We all are very excited to see him. My mom (in law) always tells me, he would ask how the little ones are, when he would call home. Just in the 9 months he has been gone my kids have changed so much. I mean, Tim can hold whole conversations on particular topics, tell riddles and actually understand the punch lines. Alexa is getting more girlie all the time. She loves to dress up, sing and dance to her favorite princess movies. These are recent things. Mike's niece's baby was just a few months old when Jess left, now he is almost a year. He is trying so hard to walk and talk... and he has managed to put on a few more pounds in the process.
This is the process of parenthood. It's not just the big milestones, but the little ones. The things that will help your child grow into a wonderful, compassionate, caring, smart, witty adult. It's a long process, but worth every minute.
Anyway, I am not sure if any of this makes much sense, but in looking at the time, I suppose I would be shocked if it did. This is what I get for deciding to blog at midnight. heh
I hope that the thing you take from this post, is this...
Parenthood is not easy, but it is worth every minute. Take time to savor all the moments you can, because it really does go by fast.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by to read the ramblings of a very tired, yet ,very content mother.

Quick note

Just a quick note to let everyone know I updated my "craft" blog. Please feel free to stop by, check it out, leave a comment or two... or three... or whatever. Thanks!
Hope you all had a happy 4th of July!
More updates coming soon! :)