Random post of catch ups.

Gah!  I’ve been meaning to post for the past two or three or 10 days, and I feel like I’ve just been in a mad rush from here to there, busy editing pictures, getting client orders ready etc.  Excuses, excuses, I know.

Anyway, there are a million things I’ve had ideas to blog about, and I thought I’d just do one huge post and get it overwith.  Now that I’m ready to blog, I can’t remember half the stuff I wanted to write. 

1. Neat invention, unless your kid gets ticked at it and rips the top off.
I found these at Toys R Us the other day, and I thought it’d be perfect for Porter.  I tested it out in the store before I bought it (it was nearly $8 for a two cup pack), and it seemed to work.  Perfect, I thought.  Now he can have a snack cup in the car and I don’t have to worry about him spilling it all over.  Because, unlike my niece Aubri, Porter doesn’t have the ability to carefully hold a cup of crackers or a baggie of goldfish.  He thinks its fun to dump them and play.

Well, fast forward a few hours later and $8 spent.  Porter is at home using his SnackTrap.  And then I hear the scattering sound of fruit puffs all over the floor… he had finally gotten sick of sticking his hand in the "trap" and ripped the top off (not hard to do). 

Ah, so much for that. 

2. Visit with family from out of town
My grandpa from Virginia and my Aunt Linda and cousins, Rachel and Elizabeth, from Georgia, (ooh, no idea if I have all those commas correct) came up to visit this week (well, it was primarily for my great grandma’s memorial service).  Saturday afternoon I had a session in Ann Arbor, but the weather took a turn for the worst and my client had really bad allergies that day, so we both decided to reschedule.  I was bummed, but a little glad because I was able to go out to my aunt and uncles at the lake and visit for the evening.  Porter got to play in the lake and stay up WAY past his bedtime (we didn’t leave until 10pm!).  I know a lot of people whose kids don’t have bedtimes… they just fall asleep whenever and wherever they crash, and I don’t know how they do it… I’d be crazy without a schedule and Porter running around playing all night.  Whew… glad he has a normal bedtime.

Luckily, my family (mainly my aunts and mom, of course… the women!) love to take pictures, so we spent a good while just taking silly pictures in the evening before the sun set. 

Aunt Linda and Aunt Dawn    ~   Mom and Aunt Linda

Grandpa and cousin Lindsey  ~  Aubri… her big brown eyes

Aunt Dawn and Porter   ~  Porter (don’t get too thrilled… its not tack sharp bleh!)

Porter lovin on Paige   ~  Me with all my girl cousins (minus my sister Heather… and btw… don’t you love the little hands reaching up at me?? HAHA!)

My mom was so sweet and took my camera and took some pictures of Porter and I.  Yay!  I was finally on the other side of the camera.  I spend so much time documenting things, I love it when other people step in and offer to do the documenting and let me do the enjoying.  (not that I don’t enjoy "documenting" and taking pictures… I live for that and would not feel "whole" if I didn’t, but its nice to not have to think "oh I want a picture to remember this"…because there is someone else there doing that for ME!)

playing ring around the rosie

WHAT ELSE??? Oh my word I swear there is a ton I need to update! Now I can’t think of anything!

3. Geeked about a "real vacation"
Oh my word we are so geeked about our almost-two-week Florida vacation.  Well, I am.  Ry doesn’t say much.  I’m scared about the heat, that it’ll be unbearable hot, but it’ll be worth it.  We’ve decided to forgo the annual family Father’s Day trip this year as Florida/Disney is starting to cost a little more than planned, as well as we’ve had a few vehicle repairs to do (ugh!) and with gas prices over $3.50 a gallon, the thought of driving 4 hours away pulling a camper in the Durango that gets… ohhh maybe 14 mpg… just wasn’t all that appealing either.

Oh, back to Florida. I can’t wait to go.  Can’t wait. Well, I wish I’d taken the whole dieting/exercise thing a little more seriously (as I look at the pictures of me above, I totally cringe), but what can you do.  Belly flab and thick thighs are all the rage right? HAHA!  Jess and I have been busy tossing ideas back and forth, and we’re attempting to make lists and itineraries for the 12 days we’ll be there. 

4. Porter is full of new words lately
Today he shocked me with "Rora"  (aka… Dora).  I didn’t think he even knew who Dora was.  I Aubri’s b-day presents out on the coffee table today (Dora stuff), and Porter came over, pointed to them and said "Rora!" He got ticked when I put them away, so I said "lets see if Dora is on tv".  Luckily, she was, and Porter parked his bootie in front of the tv and was mesmerized.  Oh. My. Word.

What else has he been saying?

Apple (he saw this on his yogurt container yesterday. Shocked me)
Rain (he must have said this 500 times today while staring out the slider)
Rock
Rocky (his dinosaur he sleeps with… he calls it "rock")
Milk
Monkey ("muk!)
Fork
Spoon
Up
Balloon

Its crazy!  Every day he has new words. I love it!

5. Porter is throwing little tantrums and its so funny
Tonight I was trying to put on Porter’s pj’s and he was too busy goofing off and trying to play with his toy tractor. I finally got fed up and tossed his tractor to the side and sat him down and said "Sit here until I’m done getting your pajamas on!  Then you can go play!"  He flew off the handle, crying and basically yelling at me (if he could yell at me… it pretty much consisted of "DADA!! NOOO no no no Dada!", but I’m pretty sure he would have been yelling some 4-letter obscenities if he could have). 

I wrangled his pajamas on him and stood him up. He walked a few steps, turned around (still crying and hollering), plopped down, swatted the floor, stuck his lip out and kept screaming "Dada!"  I said to him (very calmly in a make-you-wanna-gag-teacher-voice) "Porter, I’m really sorry that you’re so upset over this, but we needed to put your pajamas on.  I’m sorry that your so angry and frustrated, but its over now and you can go play.  Why don’t you come give mama a hug?" 

I reached out my arms, and surprisingly he stood up (still angry and lip sticking out), ran over to me with his arms out (oh melt my heart… but wait!) and STARTED to hug me, got his arms around me, pulled back, looked at me and got angry again and pulled at each side of my hair and then put his hands on my cheek as if he wanted to squeeze my face, and then turned and ran (all the while sniffling and pouting)

I seriously think I just saw a furious little devil in my child.  Scary.

When he gets angry, I can just see the frustration in him.  A lot of times when he’s having a tantrum he will look around the room for anything he can possibly swat at.  A bag, the garbage can, the chair, my leg.  Just anything for him to lash out and swat at.  Is this normal???  I mean, its quite funny to watch, but man, what am I in for?

****************************************

Ok, so its now 11:40.  seriously, this blog too me over an hour.  What the hell??? And I still feel like I didn’t write much that I had wanted to write.  Ugh. 

I’ll try to update tomorrow.  I need to write more lists.