My Daughter is an Adult

Well I guess it was inevitable.....No matter what I do they just seem to keep getting older and older. Sydney Ashlee Porter came into the world on October 25th. She was born at 7:40 am. She was one of the easiest births but I came the closest to dying while giving birth to her. She was such a skinny little thing. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 11oz., but she was 22 inches long. Syd was a busy baby. She loved to just go around like a cyclone. Her mission was to seek and destroy. In some ways she was an easy going child but boy in some ways I was convinced she just wanted to prove what an awful mother I truly was. No matter how hard I tried she just never seemed very happy. Funny thing is, as an infant she smiled non stop. Everyone commented on what a beautiful baby with a beautiful smile. "She smiled at air". Syd spent much of her childhood in La-La land. She preferred it there. She once commented that she liked La-La land, because she could dance and sing and there were flowers everywhere. I'm really glad she had somewhere to go in those moments when being where she was, was just to much for her to handle. LOL
Here are the Eighteen reasons I Love Syd!

1. Syd has some seriously wicked sarcasm.
2. She has always been so grown up. Logic was never wasted on her.
3. She is sooooo patient with McKenzie. Most big sisters would have choked her in her sleep by now.
4. She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful spirit.
5. She is a really good friend, but doesn't need to be surrounded by her friends constantly.
6. Syd has a mind of her own. She is kind of like her mom in that way. If you piss her off you will definitely know about it.
7. She is a great leader. The kids at school really look to her a role model.
8. She's really the only one that follows this blog, so at least she will see this post.
9. She's a good shopping buddy. She doesn't linger too long and we don't have to try on everything in the store. She doesn't beg me for things either.
10. Syd's a great organizer. When I need something organized, I leave it to her.
11. She is a good dancer.
12. She has a really nice voice. I like to hear her sing.
13. She has made a really good chauffeur.
14. I never have to remind her to do her homework.
15. She barrows all my clothes (that's not the good thing) the good thing is when she gets a job and buys her own clothes I'm going to get pay back.
16. She is NOT boy crazy. I have non of the typical teenage worries with Syd.
17. She lived through her childhood, despite the fact I almost killed her. (Ask her about the gum story)
18. She's been an awesome kid and I think she is going to be an even more amazing adult.

FLORIDA

So I am leaving for Florida this weekend, to go and see my boy graduate from college. I am so NOT looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to having some time with Ty. Tyler is flying into Denver and I am meeting him there, so that he can help me drive the remainder of the trip to Orlando. I am so proud of him for accomplishing his dream. He will be the very first child in my family to get their Bachelors degree. He has worked hard and made a lot of sacrifice to do this.
Wish me luck and pray that we make it safely.

We also will be going through Ohio and plan to go to Nauvoo, and also go to see Andrew's Aunt that he hasn't seen since he was a little boy. He is really looking forward to that.
As soon as we get back we will be having Brady baptized. Tyler will be performing the baptism and Brady is so excited to have Ty do that for him.
So if you don't hear from me for a while it is because I am on the road. TTFN

My Baby Is Growing Up

Every time I turn around I feel like my kids are getting older and older. Lately it seems as though time is moving at an alarming rate. Brady is my baby and it seems like just yesterday that he was born. I remember so clearly the day he came into the world and everyone gathered around my bed wanting to see the baby. He was so big and perfect. Sydney wanted to name him Brad not Brady. I wasn't going for it.
He is going to be eight next month and will be getting baptized. I can't imagine where the time went.....Wow all of my children baptized. No more baptisms to plan, that just seems so surreal.
I feel as though I missed out on him being two and three because I was so involved in getting the charter school up and going. I think we were in meetings at least two nights a week. I am sad that I didn't have the time to read to him like I did the other kids.
I'm going to miss Brady wanting to come in and snuggle in my bed (fortunately he still enjoys his Mommy time). He is such a love, he is always ready with a hug and kiss when he sees me. I didn't think I would ever say this but....... I really miss having little kids around. I miss their soft little feet and there squishy little hands, and their belly laughs. I miss hearing them squeal when you tickle them, and them coming to you for a kiss when they get a boo-boo. I miss going to preschool activities and watching them sing all the cute songs that Ms. Jeanne taught them.
So here is the day I thought would never come. The day I say how sad I am that my babies are growing up.

Here's to Camy....Happy 40th!

Since I do this for my kids, I thought I would do this for my good friend Camy Hertz. Some of these are repeated because they are things I had her other friends list about her. I had everyone do 10 things.

Susan said:
1. She is very wisdomy
2. She just introduced me to some GREAT facial scrub. It is like a massage on the face!
3. She is SUPER kind hearted
4. Extremely Practical
5. Open to new ideas
6. Not judgemental of people
7. Lots of fun to be around
8. Kind mother, you know she loves her children.
9. She has a lot of brains!
10. Funny

Linda said:

Camy is:
is a loyal friend
good listener
GREAT board member!! They are so missing out!!
level-headed
open-minded
devoted mom
has a great memory and
sharp mind
easy to be around
fun to be around!!

Terri said:

Camy is....
Funny
clever
wise beyond her years
sneeky (never get on Camy's bad side....it would be scary)
loyal
classy
loving
a "little F'r"
smart
centered in her beliefs

Viki writes:
"Camy is.. a Caring person, Always trustworthy, Motherly, and Youthful.

Christina says:

Camy is gentle, has a very warm smile, a very kind heart, beautiful toes, a fast finger for texting, and I love her sense of humor, which more than makes up for the last 5!

18 Reasons the Porter Family Loves Dominika

1. Domi has an amazing smile.
2. She has the most amazing green eyes.
3. She has a smile for everybody.
4. She wants to do and see and experience everything. She has a very adventurous spirit.
5. Domi is such a goofy girl.
6. She takes more pictures of herself than anyone I know.
7. Domi has a pure heart.
8. She has an innocence about her.
9. Domi loves to make people happy.
10. She is very forgiving.
11. She loves animals (especially puppies).
12. She understood our sarcasm and gives it back.
13. She was an amazing friend to Sydney and McKenzie.
14. She is a great pouter when she wants something....
15. She is a very intelligent person.
16. She fit into our family like a hand in a glove.
17. Domi loves her family very much and she is a special person because of them.
18. She loves us........ :)

Happy 18th Birthday Domi....Now go get that license!

20 Reasons I Love Tyler

1. Wow, he's 6' 5"!
2. He's so handsome.
3. He's wise beyond his years. I sometimes wonder who should be the parent.
4. He let me work out the kinks on him.
5. He has a beautiful smile.
6. Tyler is a great older brother.
7. He has an eye for beauty.
8. He is not influenced by others. He holds firm to the truth.
9. He is a great and loyal friend.
10. Tyler has always had the ability to see the reality of who a person truly is. If they are unkind or an unsavory person, or not of high character than they are not the type of person he wants to be around.
11. He calls people on their crap. Even me sometimes.
12. He's forgiving.
13. He is full of life and energy. He was never a hyper kid but never one to sit around and waste a good day on a video game.
14. He stands his ground when he needs to, but will bend and adapt when necessary.
15. His tolerance for ignorance is limited. (I had to put this because he's like me in this way)
16. He honors his parents.
17. He has the spirit of a giant, but with much humility.
18. He is soooo compassionate. I remember when he was about in 4th grade, the boy next door kept getting bullied. the neighbor boy out-weighed Ty by about 50 pounds, but was very timid. This bully kept coming behind the neighbor boy and ramming into him with his bike. So Tyler stood in front of him and told him to knock it off. The bully said, "what are you going to do?" So Ty leaned over and knocked him down and said, "you need to stop being a jerk.....got it?" The kid stopped picking on the neighbor after that.
He also wants to do many things to help the people of the world who are suffering. He wants to make documentaries, about the plight of the people in Uganda, serve in the Peace Corp or do some kind of volunteer work to help others. I'm sure he has many other ideas of how to help people.
19. He loves me, even though I was pretty hard on him as a kid.
20. Tyler is an amazing human being. If he weren't my kid, (oh yeah, he's not a kid anymore) I would still want to be his friend. He makes our family complete and we all love him so very much.
HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY TY!