The Porter Family

Abby's Reflection Entry

2009-10-16T23:19:00.002-06:00

Abby's teacher made the Reflections an assignment this year....the theme is "Beautiful". So she took the camera outside the other day after it had been raining and took this picture of one of our roses in front of our house. I don't know if you can see the little rain drops on the flower but it truly is a "beautiful" picture. I told her that she did a great job!

Kyler and Mia at Dinosaur Park

2009-10-16T23:13:00.002-06:00

I took Kyler and Mia up to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden. Kyler had never been there before and he thought he had died and gone to Heaven. He had soooo much fun just running every where and seeing the different dinosaurs. He LOVED the pictures with the face cutouts...we had to take a picture in every one of them. It was fun to see both the kids have such a great time. Kyler keeps talking about going back.

First Day of PRESCHOOL -- for Kyler

2009-10-16T23:04:00.004-06:00

Yeah...it is Kyler's turn to have his "first day of school." He was so excited to go see Miss Bonnie and start going to school like the other kids. He loves school, but he really likes being home with me during the day when it is quiet and the other kids are gone. There are times when the kids have had a break from school that he will come up and ask me when the kids are going back to school. He is my bud and I love having him around...I can't believe that he will be turning 5 in a week!!!

Notice his name tag on the table...he isn't really happy about that situation. He would rather have a little bit more freedom and be able to choose where he sits. That is one thing that he brings up a lot..."I sure wish that I could choose my own seat". Lesson learned: Life goes on!!!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2009-10-16T22:57:00.004-06:00

Yes, I am getting around to posting the "first day of school" pictures. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that the first quarter of school is almost over!!! But I thought it would be fun to post these pictures. Zeth wouldn't let me follow him to the bus stop to snap some shots while he was getting on, and I only wanted one of him waving out the window at me...is that too much to ask?!? Kyler has to wait another week before he goes to preschool...but he did say, "hey take a picture of me!" ... how can you not??? He makes me laugh.

My kids are growing up!!!

The Layton Triathlon...Zeth & Abby

2009-10-16T22:45:00.004-06:00

Zeth has been wanting to do a Triathlon for a couple of years. So this year we decided that he would do one in Layton and Russ and I would do the Bountiful one the following week...I wanted to be able to see him run it rather than have him run it with us. His was a little bit different...he started out with the swim, bike and run, but then he had to do it all over again!! It was a "repeat" triathlon. But he did awesome...taking first place in his age group. (There was only two in his age group, but that is something that we don't tell everyone!!) After the "big" race was over they had a kids' version that Abby participated in...she had a blast!

Happy Birthday LYDIA!!! Big 7

2009-07-10T12:46:00.004-06:00

Lydia turned 7 on July 1st. She had a really fun day. A Party with her friends, a new bike, Shopping with Grandma, Playing at the Gateway Fountain, Presents, A fun dinner. She had a GREAT day! Happy Birthday Lydia. We love you!

Piano Recial

2009-07-08T19:31:00.004-06:00

I had my piano recital on June 18th this year. It was one of my best!! I was really excited, my students were all prepared and they all did an amazing job. It was truly a pay day for me and reminded me that I do enjoy teaching and I love my students! Abby did awesome..she worked very hard and was able to memorize a 7 page piece. The other piece that she performed was "Soft Shoe Rag" and that is what she is playing in the video. Lydia still needs to find the "LOVE" for the piano, which I hope will come soon. But she was able to learn two pieces and did great! The video is of her playing "Sugar Cookies"....Enjoy.

Summer FUN for ME !!!

2009-07-08T14:41:00.009-06:00

I sure enjoy summer because it is time for the different races. This year it started in May with the Woman of Steel in American Fork. Then on June 6th I went up to Wellsville to ride in the Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride. Finally June 19th-20th was the RAGNAR. I had a blast at all of them.

WOMEN OF STEEL -- Triathlon

Rachel...Me...Tiffany

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD BIKE RIDE

This ride really isn't a race...just a nice bike ride. Rachel and I started from her house and rode down to the park in Wellsville. They had rest stops for us along the way with lunch and treats. The shirts are really cute!!! By the time we got back to Rachel's house we rode just about 70 miles! We couldn't have asked for better weather. I had a great time.

RAGNAR/WASATCH BACK

The Ragnar/Wasatch Back was quite the adventure. I decided in November that I would join Rachel's team and started to train. I really had a fun time and have started to really like running. This race consists of a 12 member relay team. You start in Logan and finish in Park City...188 miles. I ran three different legs totally about 12.4 miles. We started at 8:45 Friday morning and finished 33 hours and 50 minutes later! I really had a lot of fun. Thanks TEAM for a great time.

VAN #2....Kim, Angela, Leslie, Rachel, Carlie & Tara...WE ROCK!!!

Carlie and Leslie

Leslie and Rachel

Tara...me...Rachel

Friends Forever

2009-07-08T13:57:00.002-06:00

Kyler and Bubba will be friends forever. Kyler loves his zebra "bubba" you can see him squished under his cheek. Aunt Amy gave Kyler bubba when he was born and it has been best friends ever since. I went in one night to check on Ky and this is what I found...how can a mom not take a picture!!!

Hot Wax and Skin....They don't go together!

2009-07-08T13:37:00.004-06:00

Zeth wanted me to post his picture of his thumb. He has be bugging me for a while to get in on, but as you already know...I haven't had a lot of time to blog much, so here it is finally. About a month ago Zeth asked me if I would wax his eyebrows for him, something that we do about once a month...he is trying to avoid the "unibrow". So he put the wax in the microwave and let it melt. When it was done he went to get it out and didn't realize how hot it was and it slipped out of his hand and dumped all over his hand and down his shirt and shorts, on the counter, stove, cupboard and floor. I ran over to him and we got it under the water, while I was trying to get his clothes off so that they wouldn't stick to him he was peeling the wax off of his thumb..what a mess, he said that the skin just peeled right off his thumb like it was a piece of tape...no pain. I was sick! As bad as this picture looks, it was a couple of days into the healing process, and it only took about two weeks to fully heal. It was amazing. There was a lot of "what ifs" that day and Zeth was really blessed to have just his thumb burned.

Fun in the SUN

2009-07-08T13:25:00.003-06:00

The kids were having a blast on the tramp...working on their backflips. So I went and got the camera and got some pretty fun shots.

SPLISH SPLASH...I was taking a Bath!

2009-07-08T11:58:00.007-06:00

Once a year Choral Collection has a solo ensemble night where the kids can choose if they want to prepare a song and sing it. Katie, Lydia and Abby chose "Splish Splash" as their song. They worked hard to get it together (Thanks to Aunt Shauna who helped with the actions!!). It was fun to see them get up and perform. Great job girls!

Our fun new HAIR TOY!!!

2009-05-07T10:12:00.003-06:00

Amy introduced me to "Curlformers" They are the NEATEST things out there. They are just like a tube that is formed into a ringlet so you take a hook and thread the hair down (super easy) and then let it dry...and you have CURLS. The girls love them and they are fast and easy...and CUTE!!!

Play Dough Cooking Party

2009-05-07T09:57:00.003-06:00

For Christmas Kyler got a package of play dough that had about 24 colors in it. The kids have had so much fun with it. The girls especially. Lydia and Katie decided that they needed to have everything ready for a party...so they made cakes, cookies and drinks out of the play dough. The fun thing about having so many colors is that you can be quite creative. Abby and her friends have great imaginations too. Who would know the hours of fun that you can have with just a simple gift of play dough!

Kyler and his BIKE

2009-05-07T09:50:00.003-06:00

We got Zeth's old bike down and fixed the tires and put the training wheels back on and away Kyler went. Last year he wasn't interested in the bike thing because he loved his scooter so much...but he is loving the bike this year. He has good balance because of his scooter so I don't think it will be too long before we can take the training wheels off. Kyler loves to be outside...he is my FREE spirit!

Sisters and Singing

2009-05-07T09:40:00.013-06:00

Abby and Lydia love singing with Choral Collection. Lydia has so much fun because Katie is in her class with her. They are fun to watch. Abby is in the older class and enjoys the songs they sang this year especially one from "Wicked". It was time for their Spring Concert so they got all dressed up and ready to go. After taking pictures inside we looked out at the fun blossoms so we took a couple pictures out there too. Spring time just makes me happy!

I thought it would be fun to add a video of the girls singing. Lydia and Katie are in the front row. Abby is with all the "blue shirts" you just can't see her very well.

This is one of Abby...that you can actually see her in it.

A Day in the LIFE of Kyler

2009-05-07T09:14:00.005-06:00

Kyler loves to be incontrol of his clothes. His favorite outfits are pajamas of any kind. So there are some days that he will put clothes on and then change back to pajamas and then into another outfit. One day I decided to try to take a couple pictures of him in different outfits. You have to know that the day I picked he only ended up changing 3 times instead of his usual 5 or 6. Here are a few pictures!

Our KSL Experience

2009-04-22T16:48:00.002-06:00

The other day our tramp completely broke in two. The kids were so sad because that is their favorite "outside" toy right now. I told them that we needed to save up before we could buy a new one. But then I said...what if we sell our pink slide then we can use that money towards a new tramp. We bought the pink slide for Zeth when he was 2 years old so we have had it for 12 years. We bought it for about $300 but now to get one new it is about $400. I said to Russ, let's list it at $200. He said to give us some room to negotiate so I listed it for $250. When I was done typing all the stuff onto KSL and hit enter Russ said so back and look to see if it got listed. I went back to the listing and we saw that someone had already looked at it, just then the phone rang..."I want to buy your slide if you haven't already sold it" I started laughing...I hadn't even gotten up from the computer. She said that she had cash in hand and that they would be here in 20 minutes. I said OK!!! I got 4 more calls before she even got here. Russ and I were laughing so hard..I said what else can we sell...this is fun!!! We went that day and bought a tramp for $260! It was a great day at our house!

The DISTRICT Tournament

2009-04-17T18:55:00.001-06:00

Zeth took second in the District Tournament. His final match went into quadruple overtime. During one of the over-times Zeth had a takedown which is worth 2 points..just before he could finish the move and get the 2 points the referee from the other mat blew his whistle and Zeth thought it was his ref so he jumped up thinking he had the 2 points. Then the Centerville kid went and scored 1 point in the next round so he ended up winning...I was so sad!!! I have that match taped, it is over ten minutes long. It is hard for me to watch just because had the whistle been blown just a second later Zeth would have won. But he is actually doing a lot better than I am about it. It was an incredible match and he never gave up! Great job Zeth for an awesome year of wrestling...I look forward to next year!

North End Tournament.....FIRST PLACE!

2009-04-17T18:27:00.000-06:00

YEAH! Zeth was awesome and had a great day with no mistakes. He looked like he was just having fun out there. I have included one of my very favorite matches for everyone to see. This match was one the that he needed to win so that he could wrestle for first or second. The final match that night Zeth won 13 to 1...pretty crazy for a championship match, but like I said he was having a great night. Syracuse Junior High took First Place over all in the North End...which was a lot of fun to see too. It was a close race between Syracuse and West Point...but Syracuse came out on top by 11 points!

Zeth is Back in the Game!!

2009-03-14T13:27:00.000-06:00

Zeth's hand is healed and he sucked a little weight and got down to 92 pounds. Last week he went and challenged the JV and the Varsity guys on his team and worked his way back to Varsity. He had two really good matches last week. I have put a clip of one of his matches here...enjoy! He was challenged on Friday for his Varsity position but was able to hold on to it. So this next week he will wrestle Varsity. They will have one more week after and then the tournaments start up. I will keep you posted! Good luck Zeth, you are doing great!

Zeth's Eagle Court of Honor

2009-03-14T12:42:00.000-06:00

Zeth's Eagle Court was on Saturday February 28th. Zeth's goal was to receive his Eagle Scout award before he turned 14...and he made it! He has worked hard for a long time. When Zeth was five years old he went up to scout camp with Russ for the entire week. I think after that he knew that he loved scouting. Russ was scout master for seven years after that...so scouting became a pretty important thing in our family. Zeth has always had a love for scouting and tried very hard to never miss anything. I am excited that he was able to work hard and dedicate himself so that he could achieve this awesome award. Thank you to everyone that has influenced Zeth one way or another.

Zeth asked me who I thought he should give the Mentor pin to. I asked him who had influenced him the most when it came to scouting and he said, "My Dad". I said that well that is who you give the pin to then. Zeth and Russ are a great team together.

Major Clark Olsen came from the Mormon Battalion and talked about the importance they had and how much they helped the Church at that time. He also explained that Eagle Scouts have a great influence on others too. It was neat for him to be there.
The Eagle's Nest.

Thanks Russ...I LOVED your Valentine's Gift

2009-02-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Russ and Rob planned Rachel and my Valentine's Gift together. They got us both a gift certificate to a spa. Russ kept telling me on Saturday that we had to be up to Logan by 3:00, well when we got there they told Rachel and I to just go get in the car and take off...well our gift certificates were in the car. So we went off to have a pedicure and a massage (buy one get one free special..even better!). When we got home there was a sign on the back door that said, "Welcome to Roosters" ... they had totally planned dinner, had it made, set the table with candles and then had the kids serve us. It was a lot of fun. We did ask them how they were going to top this next year!!! Start planning early boys!!!

Zeth...not so LUCKY!

2009-02-14T10:56:00.001-07:00

Well Zeth was wrestling two weeks ago at his final "pre-season" wrestling tournament and broke his hand. He had just started conditioning at the junior high that week. So now he is out of commission for 4 weeks. He will end up missing the first two matches but then should be back in business the first week in March. It has been frustrating for him to go the practice and not really be able to put his whole heart into it...but hopefully things will look up for him in the future!!! Good luck with wrestling this year, Zeth.

YES, I am alive!!!

2009-01-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

This is Kyler when I told him that it had been over a month since I last posted anything on the blog! Time just got away from me in December with Christmas and then the ever dreaded month of January came! Christmas was a blast at our house..the kids had fun together and we were able to go to all the family Christmas parties. I guess it is a little late to post any pictures of Christmas so we are going to just skip right over that!

Things have been great here. Zeth and Russ have been involved with some pre-season wrestling and a lot of tournaments on Saturdays. The kids went back to school in January and had to finish up their second quarter of school...I can't believe that the school year is half over. It has been nice to be back onto a tradition schedule with the elementary. Abby got to experience skiing for the first time. They have a program here (at least Davis County) that they take all the fourth graders up and for $25 they get their skies, lift pass and a 2 hour lesson. She said to me when she got home, "How come you never told me that skiing was so fun?" Lydia is enjoying her haircut and the simpleness of it. Ky is just Ky!! He is such fun to have around just because you never know what he is going to say next.

I got a new calling...I am the secretary in the Relief Society. I am excited just because I love doing all the paper work and organization of a binder...in fact, I went out and bought a new one binder right after I got the calling...I included a few new pens too....every secretary needs new pens, right??

Brother Black is moving to an assisted living center. For those of you that don't know, I have been cleaning Brother Black's house for almost 4 years and taking care of other things. It really has been a neat experience for our family to be able to help him out. But it is time for him to move there...it will really help him and Sister Black. We will miss him across the street.

Well I am predicting that in the near future there will be some fun things happening to our family that I will need to post so I will try my hardest to be better at things....one of the things that I will be posting is Zeth's EAGLE COURT of HONOR...yes, Zeth is offically an EAGLE SCOUT. I am so excited for him and all the hard work that he did to get here. We are planning his court sometime in February so I will get pictures then.

Thanks for being patience and I will be better...have a great and wonderful day!

Lydia is AWESOME!

2008-12-17T18:14:00.001-07:00

The other day Lydia told me that she was ready to cut her hair and that she wanted to donate it to Locks of Love. I wasn't so sure if I was ready for this to happen..as most of you know I LOVE doing her hair. But lately she has been wanting me to blow dry her hair and straighten it...well I don't always have a hour in the morning to do that, so that was one of the reasons she wanted it cut short...so it can be "flipped out". Lydia has nice thick hair so it is fun to be able to share that with someone else. The one thing she said when it was all done was, "Wow, I don't have to hold my neck up!" I started to laugh. Thanks Becky for donating the haircut...our hair dresser doesn't charge when someone is donating their hair. I thought that was pretty neat too. Lydia I love you and think that it is neat that you are thinking of somebody else!

A Little Merry Christmas to You!

2008-12-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

our FAMILY pictures

2008-11-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures from our "Family Photo Shoot". Enjoy.

Just Some Fun Pictures of the Girls

2008-11-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Lydia's very favorite person...Robyn got married! Lydia was so excited about going down and seeing her in her "pretty dress". After the ceremony I took Lydia and Abby and took some fun pictures....just thought you would like to see them. The wedding was down in Memorial Grove in Salt Lake, it was so pretty down there...a fun place for pictures.

Yes...Lydia is sad, this was our last picture and she was running to get to the spot and she fell, but it is so cute..she tried so hard to smile for me.

Lydia and Robyn. I feel bad for Robyn sometimes because Lydia is GLUED at her hip whenever she sees her. If we are getting together with the Porter's the first question that Lydia always ask is if Robyn is going to be there. Robyn makes Lydia feel important...thanks Robyn!

Happy 90th Birthday GRANDMA TINGEY!!!

2008-11-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Tingey turned 90 years old on October 28th....we had a fun celebration for her where all of her friends and family could come and say Hi. We love you Grandma and want you to know how important you are in our lives. Thanks for all that you do for us. Happy Birthday!

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-11T11:55:00.001-07:00

What a fun Halloween..the weather was WONDERFUL the kids were able to go trick or treating without coats and having to get all bundled up! A lot of people just sat out on their porch and waited for kids to come. That doesn't happen very much in Utah!

Abby had fun dressing up like a "business woman". I wore that suit the day that I got married! WOW...

I told Lydia that she could star in "Wicked" with her cute green face and all!

Kyler was a pirate again...same costume as last year!...it sure made it easy for mom!

We went trunk or treating with the Morris' at 5:30....that usually is pretty fun, but this year after seeing some of the same kids about 3 times, Amy and I decided it was time to hit the road and go make the kids earn their candy by going door to door.

Zeth isn't in any of these pictures because he goes down to his friend's house where they put together a "spook Alley" in their backyard and Zeth helps run it. He has a lot of fun there and it keeps in busy and out of trouble!

FAMILY PICTURES!!!

2008-11-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Allison took us to the neatest spot to take pictures...we had a blast with her and she took some amazing pictures...I can't wait to see them all. But here is one that she emailed "early" to me so that I could just see what was to come. I thought you would enjoy seeing it too. Thanks Allison...you are amazing.

Kyler's FAMILY Party

2008-10-29T23:05:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we had the family come over for dinner and dessert for Kyler. He had a blast with everyone there. Grandpa Porter gave him money...Grandma & Grandpa Nelson gave him a fun Thomas the Train set (which he has had so much fun with)...the cousins gave him a new skateboard (just his size..he told me today that Rayce was trying to teach him some tricks on it but they were just too hard! Rayce is awesome on the skateboard!) and Grandma Martin took him shopping on Saturday so that he could get "gator golf" which he really wanted. Thanks everyone for coming and helping us celebrate Kyler's 4th birthday! Kyler is awesome...we wouldn't know what to do without him...he does like to get into everyone's stuff and he can sniff out candy like nobody's business, you can hide nothing from him and he has a mind of his own and will do exactly what he wants (he is a red head!)...but we LOVE him!!!

KYLER'S First Birthday Party....PIRATES!!!

2008-10-29T22:53:00.000-06:00

With Abby and Kyler being just a week apart I wasn't going to give Kyler a friend party this year because I thought I should get Abby and him on different years with their parties...but while we were planning Abby's party all Kyler could talk about was his PIRATE party and who he was going to have come and what we were going to do. So one week after Abby's party we had Kyler's!!! It was a lot of fun. I bought some foam swords at the dollars store...which turned out to be a great purchase because they spent most of the time outside have a sword fight. Kyler wanted Mia to come so she was our "pirate princess" but she held her own during the fights! Kyler had a blast with all of his friends here. Thanks Rachel for making the trip down and bringing Josh...you are a great sport!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBY....BIG 10

2008-10-29T22:24:00.001-06:00

Well Abby is double digits!!! She is a big 10 years old!!! We had a fun party for her. Since her birthday is in October it is pretty fun to bring in a Halloween theme and play some Halloween games. Abby and I planned her whole party in September and ordered some craft projects, games and party stuff from Current Kids. They said that it would take 10-14 business days to get the stuff...I wasn't worried because I had ordered it in September. Well needless to say I hadn't gotten the stuff so two days before her birthday I has calling them and they informed me that they were having "trouble" with their computers and they hadn't sent the stuff yet. So after telling Current what I thought about that!!!...we planned a new party! But it sure turned out fun and all the girls had a great time.

Abby is my biggest helper. She is so awesome and so willing to do all (well most) of what I ask of her. I love to have her babysit for me because I come home to a clean house and happy kids. She is our peacemaker in the family and she is always making sure that we are doing what is right. We LOVE you Abby.

Park City and UEA Weekend

2008-10-18T22:47:00.000-06:00

Amy and I bought a weekend in Park City last December...with the promise that we would "listen" to the spill about a time share. So we scheduled our weekend (along with 198 other families!) and went up to Westgate in Park City. It was a mad house when we got there...but after our hour presentation they put us up in a totally different hotel since they had overbooked their's, gave us $50 cash and sent us on our way! The fun began after that. We had a great dinner on Friday night and spent Saturday shopping, playing at the park and swimming at the hotel. It turned out to be a really fun weekend...thanks Amy, Dave, Jared, Katie and Sophie for spending UEA weekend with us and helping us celebrate Abby's birthday...we all had a BLAST!

Dr. SUESS day .... here I come !!!

2008-10-18T22:40:00.000-06:00

Zeth got this wig at one of the BYU games that he went to...and yes he wears it everytime he goes to a game. But Kyler was having a lot of fun with it the other day and it just reminded me of Thing One and Thing Two in the Cat and the Hat!!! I just posted it for a little laugh.

SMILE....everyday!

2008-10-18T22:28:00.000-06:00

Our Stake President made a few challenges for our youth and one of them was to SMILE everyday...not just any old smile, but really find happiness every day.
Being the Stake Young Men's President, Russ felt like he should take the challenge along with the youth and do just that...smile every day.
....so everyday we take a picture of Russ smiling and then he is going to surprise the Stake President with all the pictures. It has been fun for us as a family....because it reminds us to smile too. So I am challenging you to find happiness and smile at least once every day! (You don't have to take a picture unless you want to!)

Just Having some FUN!

2008-10-18T22:22:00.000-06:00

We went to the school carnival and they were painting people's hair. Zeth got his done...not really by choice...but as soon as Kyler saw how "cool" his big brother looked his wanted his done. Kyler didn't want to wash his hair, he wanted to keep it as long as possible. Mom wasn't so sure about going to bed with all that color so it didn't last too long after pictures!

KYLER'S First Day of Preschool

2008-10-18T22:05:00.001-06:00

Yes, my baby is in preschool now. Tara and I signed both him and Mia up with Miss Viki...they are both in heaven thinking about how big they are and having a backpack and heading to school. Tara and I trade days with each other. So on Mondays I have Mia all day...usually from 9:00 to around 6:00 and then she takes Kyler on Wednesdays from about 8:00 to 5:00. I LOVE it!!! It gives me a complete day to myself where I can plan to do all those things that are hard with kids. But then on Mondays Kyler has a friend to play with. They are becoming the best of buds!

Here are some pictures of Mia and Kyler playing dress up....Batman and the Princess!

Busy?....NOT!

2008-09-23T22:50:00.000-06:00

Well I can honestly say that my life has slowed down just a little bit this past month. You wouldn't know it since I haven't blogged for a month! But there really hasn't been anything fun and exciting happening in my life like others that I know.

For instance...Amy having a baby, which may I add that Sophie really only thinks of herself and not her mom. She is quite demanding!!! (Good Luck Amy, you are in my thoughts...just during the day though, I am alseep at night!!!) Then there is Rachel, going off and leaving her family to go kayaking...I mean really, who does that?...LOL Look at Michelle's life...her beagal just had puppies, now her "quiet" house is full of little fur balls running everywhere! So if you are interested in a cute little dog...just give her a call. My sister-in-law is pregnant and sick, need I say more? Oh..Emily, congratulations on another boy! The Lord knows that you are the best "boy Mom" out there...you are awesome...love the fish story!

I am just sitting back and doing my own thing...in fact I was released from the Primary Presidency a couple of weeks ago and got called to type the Relief Society Newsletter once a month. I think that I have been given the opportunity to get caught up on my house work and family...it actually feels good...the last few months I have felt like I was being torn in a lot of different directions, but now I feel great. Lunch anyone?

FIRST Day of SCHOOL....Yeah!!!

2008-08-27T21:30:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures of the first day of school...you will notice that it is only of Abby and Lydia, because now that Zeth is in 8th Grade he no longer thinks pictures are cool...he did look really nice though. Abby and Lydia were both so excited to start back up. Lydia was excited for lunch, recess, and just being a first grader!! Now it is just Kyler and me at home...it sure is quiet. Kyler starts preschool next week. He is ready to go with his Lightening McQueen Backpack...I am sure that I will have pictures of that to post! I am just excited to have a little bit of free time on my hands.

Breakfast in the Mountains

2008-08-27T21:13:00.001-06:00

We get together with the Porter Family once a month. One of our traditions is in August we go up to Muller Park Canyon and have breakfast on a Saturday. The kids had a ton of fun up there with their cousins. There was rocks to climb, water to wade in and lots of dirt...Ky was in Heaven!!! As you can see he is always smiling really big in the pictures because he was just happy! Our family is growing so fast...there are five great grandkids with one on the way. Grandpa Porter sure loves to be with the kids.

It was a LONG day!

2008-08-27T20:59:00.001-06:00

The kids had been outside for most of the afternoon in the hot sun so they were exhausted. They started out both sitting up watching TV and then they ended up just tipping over and taking a nice long nap!I don't think that Lydia even knew that Kyler was on top of her. It sure made for a fun camera moment.

Our Week Long Camping Trip at Pineview

2008-08-16T15:33:00.000-06:00

We spent a week camping up at Pineview Reservoir during July. Amy, Dave, Katie, Jared, Grandma and Grandpa Nelson & Shennce were all up there with us. Tara and Derek came up with the kids for an evening and also one of the days. The guys had to work so they would get up early and come home, shower and go to work and then come back up at night. Amy and I had a schedule, we would hang out and do crafts and play around until lunch time and then after lunch we would take the kids down to the lake and let them swim for a few hours. It was pretty relaxing and a lot of fun to be able to to just hang out with family. The kids had a blast down at the beach and in the water. We try to do this every year because it gives us a chance to get away but yet the guys can still work and they don't have to take time off. We just got a new trailer so that made it a lot easier to camp than trying to spend a week in a tent...it was a blast.

The Cache Valley Triathlon

2008-08-05T15:03:00.000-06:00

Russ and I ran The Cache Valley Super Sprint Triathlon in July. It is always fun to run these with each other because then we have a "training partner" to work with. Rob and Rachel were there along with five others from our ward. It sure makes the race fun to have people you know racing with you. This one was on a little bit smaller scale...there were only about 150 participates and it was a pool swim...which I really enjoy. The lake swims are more challenging, but you can see where you are going in the pool! I told Zeth that he needs to train for this one next year. I was a little bit worried about him on the swim, but up at Scout Camp he swam 3/4 of a mile in a lake...so he will be joining us next year for sure! It is fun to have a reason to exercise and to work towards a goal. We are done for the year, but we will be ready for next year!

Robyn and Lydia...Friends for Life!

2008-07-30T22:35:00.000-06:00

Lydia thinks the world of her cousin Robyn. She has this picture of Robyn hanging in her room and she tells all of her friends about her friend and cousin who is "old". At all the family gatherings Lydia finds Robyn and just stays with her the whole night. If Robyn ever feels like she isn't loved all she has to do is think about Lydia. Tonight Robyn came up with her fiance, Christian, and took Lydia out on a "date". They went to dinner at Wendy's (Lydia's choice), mini golfing and then shopping for a birthday gift. Lydia was in HEAVEN...She couldn't stop talking about it when she got home. Thank you Robyn for letting her stick to you like glue and yet never seem bothered by her...you are a great friend to her...you are awesome.

Our trip to PHILMONT!!!!

2008-07-11T15:36:00.001-06:00

We just took one of the the greatest family trip ever! It was down at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. They have LDS week down there where the General Young Men's Presidency and Primary Presidency come down and train the stake leaders. While Russ was in training the kids went to "class" with their age groups and were able to do a lot of fun things like hike, ride ponies, crafts, play games and more. So while the kids were off being busy I was able to pick and choose what I wanted to do. They had special "women's meetings", hikes, tours and the COPE course available to choose from...or if I wanted I could just sit back at the tent and relax. They made all the meals so I didn't have to cook or clean up once while I was down there...it was a little piece of heaven. The food was actually pretty good...the kids especially loved the salad bar and the pick of the drinks! We were down there from Saturday until Friday...when it was time to come home the kids were so sad. Kyler had so much fun living in the outdoors...he didn't want it to end! Here are some pictures of our trip, but I sure wish that I could let you feel the "Spirit of Philmont" it was incredible!!!! The kids keep asking when we can go again.
This was our tent. We had a "Girl's Tent" and a "Boy's Tent"...it was pretty nice...wooden floors and electricity.

This was "Western Night" where we were suppose to dress up like cowboys...they had a big barbeque on the main grass and then they played some games, and had a western dance...gotta love that watermelon.

Zeth's OVERNIGHTER up in the Mountains

2008-07-11T15:29:00.000-06:00

Zeth was able to go on an overnighter with he group. They took him up Tuesday night to a camp site and then they hiked to "Lover's Leap" on Wednesday. He had a great time.

The PRIMARY Costume Parade

2008-07-11T15:13:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday afternoon they had a primary costume parade. They had brought ALOT of things for the kids to go and make a costume, so each of the kids went to make a costume.
I helped Lydia with her Flower. We just had a paper bag and cut a whole and then added the pedals...she was excited about how it turned out. Notice the green crepe paper wrapped around her body...her idea about the stem of the flower.
Russ came over to help with Kyler's costume...they decided to make a Robot out of tin foil. Once again, thanks to the brown paper sack with the hole cut out for his face and then covered in tin foil...they made "Kyler the Robot"
Abby decided to make a funny hat so she went to work with all of the fun things that they had and added as much as she could to the hat to make it tall and fun. After the costumes were all made the kids lined up and paraded around the court yard so that everyone could see the fun ideas.

Crafts...Crafts...and More Crafts!

2008-07-11T15:03:00.001-06:00

The kids had a great time doing crafts at the art center. They were able to paint ceramics, make leather bracelets and make dream catchers.
They had time in their "classes" to go and make a project but then during family time they were able to go back and make more.
You can see by the pictures they they were having a blast. Lydia is painting on an apron here...she was using fabric paint and fun stamps. Her apron turned out really cute.
We had a table set up back at the tent where they did some craft projects there that I had brought. This was during some "time off" that we were able to spend together back at the tent.

Our Family Flag

2008-07-11T14:56:00.001-06:00

On Monday night there was a "family parade" where you walked up and introduced your family and showed your family flag...so we made this flag before we went down. It isn't too often that you have a family picture in your Sunday clothes while you are camping, but on Sunday we went to Chruch while we were there. They had called positions before we even got down there so everything was ready to go...the Relief Society President taught the lesson along with a Gospel Doctrine Teacher in Sunday School. The kids went to primay which they had fully staffed. It was pretty neat. Sunday night there was an adult fireside and then a youth fireside which Zeth got to go to.

Happy Birthday LYDIA

2008-07-11T14:26:00.000-06:00

Lydia turned 6 years old this year...we were down at Philmont on her birthday so we celebrated it with the family the Sunday after we got home. She got the American Girl doll that she wanted...she named her Emme. Lydia thinks her birthday is pretty special because it is so close to Grandma Martin's...they usually celebrate it together. We love you Lydia and Grandma...Happy Birthday!!! PS: Grandma took Lydia to get her ears pierced on Monday...they look so cute, and she was so brave thanks to Aunt Amy who had some pretty special "numbing" medicine that we put on her ears...she didn't feel a thing!

Abby's Piano Recital

2008-07-11T14:17:00.001-06:00

It was Abby's Piano Recital! She did a great job...all the hard work paid off. She memorized both of her pieces. Abby is really loving piano and practices hard...probably the biggest challenge that she has is the fact that her MOM is her teacher!!! It is never fun to have to practice in front of your teacher. I try really hard to just let her practice and not step in too much. One day I told her that if she treats me like a teacher I will treat her like a student and when she treats me like a mom I treat her like a daughter...so really we do pretty good together. This was my 12th recital. I have 13 students, which is plenty because I only want to teach 2 days a week. The recital is my pay day and I was pretty excited about this one...it is sure fun for me to see my students progress.

We are BACK!

2008-07-05T17:09:00.000-06:00

Well we are back from our FUN trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. It is about 13 hours away so the kids are glad that the drive is over, but they sure didn't want to leave the camp. We had a GREAT time...I have about 150 pictures so I will be posting them very soon! Keep watching.

The Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride

2008-06-09T23:10:00.000-06:00

Well I decided to challenge myself a little bit so I signed up for the Little Red Riding Hood Bike Ride which was last Saturday. You were able to choose the distance that you wanted to ride. I rode the entire 102 miles!!! I was pretty excited about it when I finished. My friend, Rachel, rode with me which really helped keep us both going. It wasn't the best weather...with rain, hail, wind and cold...but we did it. Someone asked me if it was fun...I am not sure that is the word to describe it...but it sure felt great to to finish. We started in Wellsville, Utah and took some back roads up into Preston, Idaho and then worked our way back to Wellsville. It was great...thanks Rachel! I am doing it again next year for those of you who want to join me!!!!

Our Three Singing Stars!

2008-05-31T23:17:00.001-06:00

Abby, Lydia and Katie sing with a singing group called Choral Collection. They all have so much fun learning the songs and actions. Abby has been singing with them for 4 years now. This was Lydia and Katies first year...but won't be their last! Lydia and Katie are in the same class...it is fun to see their personalities come out in the concerts. They both do a great job...and are so fun to watch...they are not always doing the right things but they are always doing something!

Abby does a great job with learning all the words and actions..she is awesome. She told me that she wants to sing with Choral Collection until she is too old and they won't let her sing anymore. She has a lot of fun. Great job Abby!!!

and once again, thank you Uncle Dave for the incredible pictures that you took...we can always count on you!

The Woman of Steel Triathlon

2008-05-21T22:03:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun running the race this year...I was more prepared and wasn't as nervous. The bike is my favorite part of the race and then swimming...I have gotten to like running a little more than last year, but haven't found the "love" for it yet! But since it is part of the triathlon I seem to need to do it! It took me 1 hour and 27 minutes...so I beat my time from last year which is exactly what I wanted to do!

One of the questions that they ask when you sign up to do the Triathlon is, "Why do you Tri?" My answer to that was ....because I love crossing the finish line. I just love the feeling that I get when I am done and know that I have accomplished it! It becomes addicting.

The whole race experience is neat especially when my family is there to cheer me on! Thanks Russ for coming and bringing the kids down. The kids sit around and wait and then they see me for a couple of seconds and then wait again! But it means a lot to me have the support.

It is always fun to have friends involved...Rachel, thanks for doing it with me this year...it was a blast. I also had a couple of friends from my ward down there too. It is fun to cheer each other on and to have that encouragement. I plan to do it again next year.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

2008-05-07T10:14:00.000-06:00

I am so excited...I am flying down to California tomorrow to go see "Wicked". It feels like Christmas all over again! My mom, Amy, Tara, Shaunelle and Aunt Sherrie are flying down and we are meeting Emily there. The show is Thursday night and then we will fly home on Saturday. What a great Mother's Day gift...thanks Russ for letting me go!

We Have a TEENAGER in the House!

2008-05-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

Well Zeth turned 13 on May 2nd. Zeth was pretty excited when he figured out his birthday was on a Friday! Then his scout leaders planned a over-nighter! But it turned out to be really fun. One of the leaders told the boys that he needed to go get some water and he came back with a big chocolate cake to help Zeth celebrate. Then on Saturday Russ and Zeth went to a late show .... the Iron Man. The family got together on Sunday for some cake and presents, so he had a great weekend. I just can't believe that he is 13. He is an awesome kid. Thanks Zeth for all you do for us.

Fun in the Sun....Oh I mean the cold wind!!!!

2008-05-07T09:29:00.000-06:00

Russ and Rob signed up to race in a Dualathlon last Saturday. It was out on Antelope Island...it was suppose to be spring! Yet it was so cold. But they braved the weather.
They had to bike 12 miles up and down some pretty big hills. Russ said it wouldn't have been too bad except the wind was blowing hard and it was quite chilly. Then they ran a 5K. They both did really good!
It is always fun to participate in the races...it is such a great feeling when you cross the finish line. Plus it gets you out exercising and training. Watching this race got both Rachel and I excited for our triathlon in a couple of weeks. Good Job Russ and Rob!

Hey Mom....Take a Picture of Me

2008-05-07T08:47:00.000-06:00

Kyler was on the floor playing with his cars and he looked up at me and said..."Mom, take my picture." Then he posed and said "Cheese." He is so funny sometimes. He loves to feel independent...and he feels very independent outside. I have to be so careful because he just goes wherever he wants to. He will just walk into my neighbors' house. One day I was looking for him and I went next door and knocked on the door....Kyler answered. I asked him what he was doing and if Lisa was home. He just said..."Nope, it is just me." I tried to explain to him that he can't just walk into people's houses. He keeps us on our toes...but he is so fun to have around.

Could Life Be Better.....

2008-05-07T08:28:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Russ and I were invited to go to a fund raiser benefit dinner for the school district. My most favorite piano player and composer, John Schmidt, was the entertainer. I was in heaven...I love just listening to his music let alone get to see him play it. So after the performance I jokingly said to my friends, I am going to go get his autograph. They told me that I really should, so I went out of my comfort zone and went over to talk to him. I told him that I was truly his biggest fan in this room...he laughed and we talked for a little bit and then he signed my program...it was awesome! I had a great day!

ZETH is a STUD!!!

2008-04-10T14:53:00.000-06:00

Zeth went to the District Wrestling Meet on Wednesday and he took THIRD place. We were so excited for him to be able to place at District in the seventh grade. The other wrestlers in his weight were all in eighth grade. He had to wrestle his JV partner again for third and fourth, but he pulled it off and was able to take third. It was a fun day for us. I wasn't as nervous as last week, but I was still pretty nervous. He is going to take a break from wrestling for a little bit...but that doesn't stop him from looking ahead at the shoes that he wants for next year!

Lydia Lost Her First Tooth

2008-04-10T14:39:00.000-06:00

Lydia lost her first tooth! She was so excited to go up and show Grandma Martin that her tooth was loose because Zeth and Abby had told her that Grandma is a pro at pulling teeth. So on Sunday she went and ask Grandma to pull it out...it was so ready that there wasn't too much effort and no pain! She put it under her pillow and the tooth fairy came that night. She got to bring home the tooth book from school...my little girl is growing up!

1st PLACE...North End Wrestling Tournament

2008-04-03T21:31:00.001-06:00

Congratulations Zeth!!! He took first place in the North End Wrestling Tournament. What a neat thing. Now he goes on to District which is next Wednesday the 9th. I am really excited for him. He wrestled hard this season and it really paid off. Zeth and Austin are the two guys that wrestle 78 pounds for Syracuse and they both made it in the final match, so Zeth had to wrestle his practice partner! But it was fun to see them both in the final round. Good Luck Zeth at DISTRICT!!!!!

Yeah Zeth!!!!

2008-04-03T21:22:00.000-06:00

This season has been a lot of fun for Russ just because he was able to help out so much. He helped coach the JV matches and that way he was right there on the mat with Zeth when he went to wrestle. I asked Zeth one time if he could hear me yelling. He said, "No, I can only hear my dad and coaches." I know that this is something that he shares with Russ and they both have a great time.
OK, I made it through the first offical tournament...it wasn't easy. I was a basket case. I can honestly say that I think I was more nervous than Zeth...poor Zeth had to sit and watch me try to get control of myself and not let my nerves get out of control...thanks Lani for talking me through it! Hopefully next Wednesday won't be so tough for me....who am I kidding!

Zeth's Wrestling

2008-03-23T21:54:00.000-06:00

Zeth is wrestling for Syracuse Junior High. He made the Varsity Team wrestling 78 pounds. He is having a lot of fun. He has had 7 matches....2 he won by forfeit, 2 he won by points, and the last 3 he has pinned the guy. In these pictures he got the pin. (Thanks Uncle Dave for coming and taking the pictures!) Zeth has put in a lot of work, they have practices every day until about 5:30 and then they have an early morning practice on Friday...Russ goes to that so that he can help out. Russ also gets to help coach the JV team at their meets which he loves. Actually watching them both I am not sure which one is having more fun! He has a couple more meets and then the District Tournament will start the first part of April...I will keep you posted. I love going and watching him wrestling it just makes me very nervous and I do a lot of yelling...I just want him to do good! Thanks for all the support that he gets with this and for the family that has come and watched, I know that he appreciates that.

The Easter Bunny Made it to Our House!

2008-03-22T11:20:00.001-06:00

The kids had a blast looking for their Easter Baskets...They all needed little clues, but they were able to find them. Kyler loved his transformer. Lydia and Abby both got fake fingernails which they thought were the greatest. Zeth should be able to use his Big Five gift card without any problems. It was a fun year.

The Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T11:10:00.000-06:00

Brother and Sister Black live across the street from us. We just love them. Zeth takes care of their lawn during the summer and I clean their house once a week, so we see them a lot. The kids love going over to see them because he always has suckers for them...Kyler feels right a home and knows all the candy hiding places. Today he had an Easter Egg Hunt for the neighbor kids and we invited Emma and Mia because Mia comes every week and she loves them. It was fun, Brother Black had Zeth come over and hide all the candy in his backyard and then the kids got to go and find it. Brother Black loves seeing the kids smile!

The KIDS....

2008-03-17T12:36:00.000-06:00

Zeth has been busy!! He made the Varsity Wrestling Team at Syracuse Junior High and is doing very well...he is undefeated, but still has some matches to. District Finals will be the first part of April so we are hoping he makes it there.

Abby is enjoying the Third Grade and does a great job at school. She is involved in a singing group and also loves to tumbling. She is working on her backhand spring. She loves taking piano, but doesn't so much love the practicing. Her recital is in June so she is working on her pieces...good luck, Abby!

Lydia is also in the singing group and tumbling class with Abby. She loves both of them. She is having a great time in Kindergarten and is doing good with reading. Her social life is top priority right now so homework is on the back burner. She is definitely the biggest social butterfly in our family.

Kyler is awesome...and he is three!!! Is there anymore to say? He can sniff our candy that I didn't even know was in the house. The other kids try to hide it, but there is no getting past Ky, he is on a mission and he will find it!!! He says the funniest things, what would we do without hime!

First Attempt

2008-03-16T22:53:00.001-06:00

Well I am going to give this a try. This is my first attempt, I am sure that I am going to have to get advice from some of you experts out there about Blogging, but I am on board! I was feeling good to get the family picture on! Hopefully I will get better and quicker. Keep watching, because right now it is under construction.