5 Years Already?

Michelle and I just celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary this weekend. We spent it down in "Happy Valley" where we first met. The photo of us on the bridge over the Provo River is the spot where I so cheesily proposed to Michelle. To stay true to the theme we also went to a dollar movie and got pizza for dinner. We did stay at a really nice bed and breakfast called The Hines Mansion. We got the penthouse suite and had a great time. Michelle's sister Angie was nice enough to watch the kids for us overnight so we could have some time alone. It has been a quick yet enjoyable five years and we look forward to many many more years together.

Porter is trying hard to walk in his daddy's footsteps...
and Zac is learning to sit up on his own but he still prefers to be held by his mommy.

Fish, Food and Flowers

Well, in addition to his spiders we got Porter a couple of goldfish when we went to Petsmart for some free dog food. He just loves them to death (Literally? He keeps saying he wants to cook them...) and enjoys feeding them. He has named them in honor of his cousins, Ali and Ty Ty.

Zac is now eating cereal once a day and is getting really good at it. His favorite is to blow bubbles in it when I'm first spooning it in and then immediately shove both hands in his mouth to wash it down. You can't get the full effect of the messiness in the picture but I'm sure most of you have had similar experiences and can imagine.

Matt did a wonderful job of sprucing up our backyard. We did it in hopes of making the house a little more appealing to potential buyers. Why we didn't do it a long time ago is beyond us both. Matt especially has always been unhappy with the way our yard looked and now that we're going to be out of it soon (we hope) it looks nice. But I'm so proud of Matt's visionary skills and the work he did to get it this way. Good job, Honey!

Here's Jack taking a load off...
And our two silly boys.

Happy Easter! We had a great time with my family and got plenty of candy from the Easter Bunny. Porter learned how to play "duck duck goose" with his cousins and ran around screaming every time someone said "goose." The boys also got some new Easter clothes and looked so handsome!

We've had a fun time with animals lately. We went to the zoo and had a great time there. I also trapped a spider under a cup because I was too scared to squish it and was waiting for Matt to get home to do the job but Porter was sooo intrigued with it I bought a bug box so he could enjoy it a little more. He thought it was so cool seeing the spider crawl around and he was sure it was a girl.
Matt was afraid it was a hobo spider so he got rid of it after Porter went to bed and now we're trying to find a new bug to keep.

Zac is starting to adore his older brother. He gets a huge smile on his face whenever Porter talks to him. So far Porter still really likes Zac too and we hope that doesn't change.

Well there have been two major updates in our family over the past week or so. First, my dad just got his liver transplant last night and everything went well. Thanks to God and everyone's prayers. The surgery went very well due to the fact that, like my brother, he's not normal. The other big update is that our house is for sale. We are looking to take advantage of the low mortgage rates and get something a little roomier with a bigger yard. Porter takes it pretty serious when I take his nose and eat it. Enjoy the new photos- one of these days we'll actually post some pictures of Michelle and I and not just the kids.

Finally got some nice pictures of Zac taken, compliments of our friend, Mindy Black. Aren't they so cute?

We took an unexpected trip to California in January. Matt had 6 days in a row off just by chance so we decided to make the drive and get some sun. It's crazy how much Zac has grown in so little time. He's even chubbier now than what these pictures show.

Thanksgiving

Happy late Thanksgiving! Porter loves being a big brother and has had no trouble adjusting to any lack of attention. Whenever Zac cries he goes up and comforts him by saying, "It's ok, it's ok. I know, I know."

We went to a dinosaur museum the day after Thanksgiving. Porter had a lot of fun and Zac enjoyed napping. We also put up our Christmas stuff including a new train around the tree which Porter loves to watch for hours and hours.

Surprise!

We had a sudden surprise during the BYU vs. Utah game (no comment). Baby Zac decided he wanted to come a few weeks early. He was born on November 22 at 9:38 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. Here are a few pictures and a video we took while at the hospital. Porter has been a good big brother so far.

Happy Halloween

Here's a couple of pictures of our little Indian boy. He wouldn't wear the feather trick-or-treating but he was still cute! I also included a picture of Zac. He was a belly...:)

Birthdays

Hooray! We finally bought a new usb cord to upload pictures from our camera. Porter and I have both had birthdays that we haven't been able to share because we lost the old cord.
Porter is officially a 2 year old! You'd never be able to tell... Matt and I took him to a petting zoo and then we did a little party with my family on his actual birthday. He was sooo excited about his birthday cake, which he calls a "happy cake." It's so cute the way he says it so I had to get a video of it. He got to ride a pony at the petting zoo which he loved as well. As soon as Matt put him on it he starts yelling, "Yah! Yah!" He's a regular cowboy!

My birthday was decent. Matt had to work conference all weekend so it was a little lonely. Porter and I just hung at home during the day and then went over to my parents at night. My mom took my sister, Angie, and me out to dinner at IHOP as some recognition of me turning 25. Porter made it especially exciting by taking us each out into the rain to jump in puddles. He would not sit for a second so we each took our turn. I remember seeing wild kids like him before I had my own and thinking how the parents just needed to discipline better. If only it were that easy... FYI, Matt took me out to dinner and a movie on Monday as a belated birthday so we did get to spend some quality time together.

We went to Lake Powell with Matt's family in June. It was nice to be with family but it was an exhausting vacation! Porter wouldn't take his naps and wouldn't get in the water so there was a lot of crying going on from both parents and child. :) Thank heavens for portable dvd players and Signing Time (even though we were all singing the songs in our sleep by the end.) Let's add Grandma to that list as well....
Since Porter wouldn't go in the water himself he liked to sit on the shore and command Matt to jump off the houseboat for his entertainment. It was like watching a king order his jester around.

I really do have a family and we do really do stuff with them but I never have my camera around. Porter and I went to a cabin in Idaho with them over the 4th of July but the camera died from being used at Lake Powell so I didn't get any pics. Real quick, though, it was a much more relaxing vacation but we really missed Daddy. Porter's favorite thing to do was throw rocks off the balcony and play in the sandbox. It was fun but I wouldn't do it again unless Matt could come. It's amazing how long 5 days can be without him!