Porter-Man

Porter is brave, daring and man enough for pink. (see picture)

He is currently 21 months old and about 31 pounds- thick and stout!

He is ALL boy but with two older sisters he has been known to trot down the hall in princess heels and the like. He also plays with his fair share of pink toys that have been passed down. He eats so much better than the girls and makes a big enough mess for two.

Porter surprised us with his nurturing reaction to his baby brother. He is always kissing him and rubbing his head. He has also already figured out how to play big brother with him: when Turner's arms are flailing and they bump him he falls back as if he was hit, you know what I mean? Like an actor does in a scene where he is punched. I don't know how a toddler knows how to do that but it is precious. He hasn't seemed to be jealous other than maybe twice when I was nursing and he wanted me to get him a snack instead. Twice in almost six weeks is not bad at all though!

Porter loves cars, trucks and especially buses, no surprise there. He and Ava get into it sometimes but for the most part play throughout the day and have fun. He likes Bella and has nothing for her but love. He loves to be outside, ride all the bikes and tricycles and scooters we have (which is way to many). He likes to use tools and follow his Daddy around. I don't know which is his favorite- it is probably a tie between tools, buses, and dogs! He has to pay a visit to our neighbor's house everyday to see Sadie the dog. We help take care of her when they are gone so he gets to give the dog treats a lot. Recently he has been climbing on the toy box in the den to see Sadie from across the street and it is no secret when he spots her. He yells and points over and over. This is also how reacts if he hears the tiniest peep from his baby brother. He looks for me and yells, "Bebe, bebe, bebe!" And begins running to find him. Speaking of running, he is too cute the way he swings his arms and tries to go fast.

Right now Porter and Ava share a room. We transitioned him to a big boy bed about a month before the baby came. He does pretty good. My only complaint is that he wakes Ava up each morning so she will open the door for him to get out, otherwise she would sleep much later. The two of them are up by 6:30 each day and they used to sleep until 8:30! That is a big change for me but I am up getting Bella on the bus anyway so I have just moved my own bedtime back to 8 or 9 on most nights. He still naps everyday around 1, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, depending on the day's events but it usually lasts about 3 hours.

Porter has such a sweet side. He loves to snuggle and be held. His vocabulary continues to increase... I will end with a list of his most frequently used words: mommy, daddy, "Aba," bebe, Nanny (for Nana), G'ma, dog, no, yeah, snack, wa wa (for any drink), mil (milk), cookie (but I can't even spell the way he says that), pee pee, diater (diaper) and ba (bath).

Our Ava

Ava Jane, I like to call her but Randy is always very quick to correct me... She also is fondly called Ava Stinky Hope and Ava Dirty Hope. I try not to partake in this or encourage it but the child is always dirty! It is almost impossible to keep her clean- whether it is food or markers or the Lord only knows.

Ava is Miss At.ti.tude. She isn't really grumpy per say but just quick to put you in your place. I wish I could just list all of the things she says to us on a given day. She can stare you down and be downright stubborn too. She is also the sweetest, most helpful and cuddly child. She is the first one to offer to run for a diaper if I need one. She loves to have books read to her and she loves to experiment with writing all the letters and trying to spell words. Anytime she is away from Bella she says she misses her but on most days she decides she has had enough and no longer wants to play princesses with her.

Ava talks a lot and has a lot of questions. She in preschool two days a week and loves learning. I would love to see her interact with her friends... she seems to be quiet with them but holds her own, in other words, she gets mean when she is not okay with something. She is a sugar-holic and we have to hide it all, even the stinkin vitamins! She loves her milk too. We do lactose free milk with her and avoid dairy as much as possible- nothing dramatic but helps keep things solid if you know what I mean.

Ava loves her little brothers and the way she says their names melts our hearts... "Powta" (said like a Georgia woman) and Turner the same way.

Her eyes are more green these days but still show stoppers. She is starting her next gymnastics class this week and then trying out soccer for the first time in a few weeks. Like her sister, she started swimming last summer. Just today she started riding Bella's bike with training wheels as opposed to a tricycle or big wheel. At her four year checkup this past week our new doctor referred to her as a tank... no comment. Everything went well and we plan to look into her new stuttering pattern sometime soon (it seemed to come out of nowhere this past fall).

so. much. to. say.

I have so much to say, not enough time to do it or write it! Quick posts about each of my children right now. I want to remember it the way it is today. Time just flies way too quickly.



Bella. She is a snaggle tooth right now; she's lost three teeth with two more quickly on their way. She is sweet and helpful, but moody and argumentative on any given day. She is 6 and a half right now, 7 in April. She is still doing the Spanish immersion program at Antioch and I just love speaking Spanish with her. Unfortunately we lost her wonderful teacher about half way through the year this year and the adjustment has been tough on me. The students seem fine :)

Bella got her own room this year when we added a room/put up walls around the old playroom. It is still in the works but she has been able to live in it since before Christmas. Her favorite color is purple and she loves to play with Ava. They fight a lot, at least lately, but still keep going back for more. She is really good with Porter and loves to hold Turner.

She eats like a bird and asks to go to the movie theatre on a daily basis. She has been a little boy crazy this year and we have had to reign her in, reminding her she is Daddy's girl for about twelve more years and he is the only one she will be dating until then! There is a great book we got from our neighbor that helps teach our view- The Princess and the Kiss. Bella and Randy participate in Y-Guides through the YMCA. The tribe they are in is called the Arendale Arrows and they go on a short trips, outings around town and have regular tribal meetings- just daddies and their daughters. They have a daddy/daughter princess date coming up soon.

For now she is reading well, writing and drawing all the time. She still prefers training wheels but we are hoping this summer will be the breakthrough for that. She is going to start a golf class next week that meets at her school so we are looking forward to how this game unfolds in her life.

Most importantly, Bella accepted Christ this past year. She has lots of questions but mostly answers for her little sister, ha. She is in a phase right now where she wants to go to big church and we are letting her for now.

Much like the title, she has so much to say (read argue) these days...

My favorite thing about her is her style- she wears anything well. Some days she has on very preppy outfits, other days they are cutesy but most days it is a variety of all kinds of wild with a sweater, always a sweater and frilly socks sticking out of her boots or her gold strappy shoes. I. love. it.