"I'm not a Sunbeam. . .I'm a Rockstar!"

WARNING! This is a bunch of random thoughts I just wanted to write down since I use my blog entries for our Family Yearbook.

Xander came home from the first day of Primary this year saying, "I'm not a Sunbeam, I'm a Rockstar!" I didn't think I would enjoy being in Primary with my kids as much as I do. You know how your kids act worse when you are around them sometimes? That's what I thought would happen if I were there with them in Primary. When I first was called into Primary, Xander was still clingy and I thought that it was going to be a problem, but it never has been. I also like the fact that I get to hear what they are learning and that is a great discussion prompt at dinner time.

CJ and I went to "New Beginnings" the other night. I can't believe I am old enough to have a daughter who is going into Young Womens! They spot lighted her and the other girls who are coming in this year. She even gets to go to camp. I am so excited for her. I'm kinda sad that I am not in Young Womens anymore. It is my most favorite calling to have.

The other night, I was thinking that it would have been so fun to be in Young Womens with CJ, but then a thought occurred to me. I can be very hard on CJ and I think that it is probably a good thing that I am not in there with her. For instance, at the "New Beginnings" night each table was in charge of doing a skit on a particular value. CJ and the other girls were just goofing around and playing with the props instead of planning a skit. I corrected only CJ. I think it is better for CJ if I am not there and that she gets a break from me.

CJ is also getting taller! She is taller than her Grandma Porter. Whenever I am around her, I feel like I am shrinking. We have even swapped clothes! Me more than her, of course.

I just took these pictures tonight. Xander and Zoey have been playing more together. They were spinning on the chair when Xander told me, "Mom take a picture of us!" I love how Xander tells me to take pictures of him when he is doing something cute or creative. Xander and Mia are best buds and I think that pretty soon, he'll have another buddy. Zoey just needs to learn how to talk more.

Here are some words that she knows: mama, dada, CJ, Mia, kitty cat, go, down, peek a boo, hot, more, dance, thank you, banana, nose, uh oh, and eye. She's said some more these past few days, but these are the words she says consistently.

I took Zoey to the doctors the other day for her 18 month check up. They told me that she is in the 50% for weight and off the charts again for height. A tall skinny girl is what I have. Everyone is always amazed at how tall Zoey is. She is 35 3/4 in. Almost 3 feet! I asked the doctor how tall she thought Zoey would be. She said it is hard to say (of course, i just wanted her to entertain my thought) but if she kept growing at this rate she would be 5'8" or 5'9"! I thought that was great! She asked how tall Ben was and told me that I was tall too. I've had a few people lately tell me that I was tall. Is 5'5" tall?

Zoey cracks me up at how much she likes to dance. Every night we have a dance fest. I turn up the music and she bust the moves. She has also figured out how to dance in the car. Bobby her head used to be all she could do until she figured out her hands and arms could move too. Now when the music is on in the car, I turn to look at Zoey and she is bending her arm up and down to the music. It is seriously the cutest sight.

Zoey also loves the water. She loves taking a bath and has no fear. In fact, I have to watch her like a hawk. She loves throwing her body backwards in the water and just lays there until she decides she wants to flip over on her tummy. Maybe this girl is going to be a swimmer someday.

So these pictures I took tonight, I used my new flash. I got a Canon Speedlite 430 EXII. It's something that I splurged on with the money that I have earned from my photography. I've never liked my pictures that I take indoors, especially when the lighting is not good.

Taking pictures with a flash is an art of its own. It's not as easy as your would think. I'm excited to learn how to use it. The hardest thing I am finding this year, is finding time to do things for me. I don't know what it is, but I find myself completely exhausted every day and thinking, "What did I do today?"

Mia has been in gymnastics for about 9 weeks. I was so elated when I got her into this facility. The price is right and it seems to have great programs. I waited in line for 2 1/2 hours to get her in. She has enjoyed it every week. This past week, one of her teachers approached me and told me that Mia is very talented and she would like her to be tested for the Pre-Team. That sounded really wonderful until I found out how much they practice. Two hours, Three times a week! I don't know if I am ready for her to be that serious yet at 6 years old. I also don't think I am ready for that kind of commitment either. I think we might just pass this time around and hopefully she will have another opportunity down the line.

I have made more of a commitment lately to sit down and read with Mia. She is such an independent girl, that it is so easy just to let her do it on her own or read it out loud to me while I do something else. But, I realize the importance of taking the time and sitting with her. I want to push her to reach her potential. I just put a sound wall up today on our door above our word wall. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have with teaching kids to read. I wish I could figure out how to do more one on one time.

I think that you make time for the things that are most important to you. I also think that the key is to make sure the things that are most important to you are the things that should be important.

I love the feeling of a brand new year.

It feels fresh.

The ABC's of Christmas

A is for Arizona

We went to Arizona for Christmas and visited with Grandma/pa Armstrong.

B is for Bokeh

Bokeh is the blur effect that you can do with your camera. This is an experiment that I have been wanting to try. Make a lens cover out of paper and use a punch out of any shape hole puncher you have and you can create something like this:

C is for Cristus

Grandma Armstrong took us up to the Mesa Temple and Christ is what this season is all about.

D is for Dancing

Zoey is our dancer. If there is music playing, a tune to be heard, this little girl cannot control the urge to DANCE!

E is for Eucre

Ben and I play Eucre ALOT when we are with my parents. I'm a little competitive and got this trophy to give to the winner at the end of our visits. Last year, my parents were the reigning champions until. . .NOW! Boo-yah!

F is for Fentons

Grandma/pa Porter came from Utah to visit us after we got back from Arizona. Fentons is a Porter tradition!

G if for Gifts

The kids were showered with gifts from Grandparents and their Aunt Darcy and Uncle Dustin. On top of that, they earned gold coins for two weeks by doing service and good deeds. The gold coins were traded in for cash and they used that money to buy their sibling a gift. Xander worked so hard for Mia and bought her 3 presents!

H is for Hearts

We played card games a ton this break. Hearts was a game that I haven't played forever. It was fun to learn it again.

I is for IPOD Nano

CJ got an IPOD Nano for Christmas! Her biggest wish came true!

J is for Jelly Belly Factory

While Caleb and Grandma/pa Porter were in town, we visited the Jelly Belly Factory. With it being the holidays, we waited in line for at least an hour! The wait was worth it to the kids as they got a designer Jelly Belly hat and free Jelly Bellys to eat at the end of the tour!

K is for Karaoke

Mia's favorite gift is her karaoke machine and her keyboard. CJ gave her her old IPOD and Mia can hook it up to her karaoke and sing the day away.

L is for Lights

This season we saw the lights at the Oakland and Mesa Temple. The Mesa Temple grounds were covered with thousands of lights; it was amazing!

M is for Mines

We went up towards the Lost Dutchman Mines while we were in Arizona. They have this really fun old western town. The kids got some fools gold and that was about it! Everything else was so expensive!

N is for Nativity

At the Mesa Visitor Center they had a creche display. Nativities from all over the world were displayed.

O is for Ornaments

We kept the tradition of making ornaments this year. We used teeny tiny boxes that Ben got off the free shelf and everyone had to made it into something. This is always a lot of fun for the kids.

P is for Polar Express

We had a Polar Express party at our house. This is something I have thought about doing for years, but never had a big enough place to do it. All the kids came dressed up in their pjs. We watched the Polar Express and had hot chocolate and cookies. When they went home, they each got a candy cane with a little bell to help them to remember to "BELIEVE".

This also was fun for me to help the Moms out by giving them a couple hours to last minute shop or do whatever. In the end, the kids couldn't keep focused on the movie and really, all they wanted to do was play!

Q is for Quilt

My mother in law had a blog giveaway for all the girls. She had several quilts that we all got to choose from. She randomly picked names and I was last. But look at this quilt! I'm still a winner!

R is for Receiving cards/letters

One of the best things this year for me was to receive Christmas cards with pictures I have taken on them! One of my friends sent me one and Betsy and Russ did too! Thank you for making my day! Also, the kids got a letter back from Santa. It was addressed to the PORKER KIDS! Hilarious! Is Santa trying to give my kids a complex?

S is for Swimming

The kids swam everyday while we were in Arizona!

T is for Trailor

My parents live in a trailor during the winter months in Arizona. We found out what the maximum capacity was for their trailor. It can fit 2 comfortably and 8 is pushing it!

U is for Umbrellas

Aunt Darcy sent the kids a gift card to Target. Mia was very careful in her selections and came home with a giant black and white zebra umbrella, a black purse, and black and white flowered pants. See a pattern?

I got a rainbow one that is so big, I can fit all my kids under it.

V is for Visits

2 visits with 2 sets of grandparents, 2 visits from Santa and 1 visit from Great Grandma/pa!

W is for Waffle Cones

Betsy and Russ got us a Waffle Cone maker for Christmas. We have used it several times already. Tonight we tried making chocolate ones. Delicious! We love it!

X is for Xander the Iron Man

Xander got an Iron Man mask, Iron Man hand that lights up and shoots darts, and an Iron Man arc reactor. After years of loving Spiderman, Xander has branched out to a new superhero.

Y is for Yummy treats

Ben made these giant cookies on a stick at one of his many work parties.

Z is for Zoey's car

Zoey's biggest gift and I mean that literally, was a car of her very own. Thanks Uncle Dustin! She loves it.

Whew! If you made it this far, you are a blog champion! Thanks for sticking around!

I'm getting there!

Since moving to Concord, I have felt like a failure in my photography. I'm not a good business person. I'm not pushy and I don't like to bug people. I don't know how to sell myself. So needless to say, I didn't have many sessions at all.

Thanks to my friend Jane who let me take pictures of her family in March, which gave me a boost. Then a big drought for 6 months where I desperately tried new tactics like a "Model Session" where I had kids come and be my model and as a thank you, give an image of their parents' choice. I thought that was an awesome idea, but only got 2 families.

Then I tried a Student Photo Session because the schools charge way too much for school pictures. I only charged 25.00 and gave them one image and copyright. I contacted friends who did preschools and told them with only one booked session, I would give their teacher a free class picture. No one was interested.

Thank goodness for my other friend, Stefanie, who booked a session with me and I ended up taking her family's picture too!

I also tried to get some Fall Sessions because that is when everyone is doing their Christmas cards right? A friend awhile ago suggested I put my Photography on Facebook. No way did I want to set myself up for some more failure and rejection. I finally gathered enough courage and I made a flyer and sent them to everyone I knew on Facebook who lived in Concord or Alameda. That was a big deal for me. Then. . .I waited. Then. . .Nothing.

Defeated, I finally accepted the fact that maybe this wasn't for me and decided that I just needed to be happy with taking pictures of my family. Turns out, I really missed taking pictures of others. I love making people happy with the photographs that I take. I also LOVE processing them and bringing them to life. So then, I decided that I would do some more of my "Model Sessions" and do it, because I love it.

So finally after I thought I had things figured out, that's when things started to pick up. Doesn't it always happen that way, when you least expect it?

Another friend (Hallelujah for friends!) asked me to do some Senior pictures for her daughter. My first ever and I have to say, I absolutely loved it!

My friend posted her pictures on Facebook and I sent a Senior Session flier out to people she suggested might be interested. Since then, I have had several people ask me about getting pictures. I have two more Senior Sessions to do and 3 of my friends from Alameda have asked me to take their pictures.

Four Sessions scheduled this week!

One thing I learned is to not set such high expectations. If I look back at my attempts, each time, I got at least one person to respond. One person should be counted as a success, right?

Have I figured things out yet? Nope. But I am getting there.

Made to do Good Things

For your viewing pleasure, some before and afters of my kids. . .

MIA

Today Mia told me as she skipped through the kitchen, "Mom, I was made to do good things! Some people aren't, but I am!" I LOVE that! I love how this girl thinks. She is inquisitive about everything around her-wondering how things work, or why things are the way they are. She is the type of person that is going to succeed in many things in her life. You know how some people are just good at everything? That's Mia. First place in a race and most recently, I got a call from the school saying that her Reflections entry is moving onto the next level. She is very stubborn and demands that she can do it by herself. I think it's that stubborness that pushes and motivates her. Like when she was teaching herself to ride her bike without training wheels. She cried and cried but never gave up and pushed just as hard.

XANDER

Xander told me the other day while we were reading scriptures, "We read all this, we go to heaven." I was so proud of him. He's been fascinated with heaven lately. While we were shooting hoops, he said, "Heaven's a good place, wight? You walk on clouds." The other day, I lost my patience with him and was upset. I was too hard on him and I apologized. He said, "That's okay. We're still buddies!" Xander is learning to write his name. He's pretty much got all of his letters in his name down and can even spell it. It's the writing part that is difficult. He writes the letters of his name randomly on the paper. Out of all of my kids, he's got it the worst with learning 6 letters. His sisters only have 2,3, or 4 letters in their name.

CJ

CJ poses qualities that make her a wonderful person. She is very forgiving and has no problem letting go. Another quality which I admire about CJ is that she is very loving and thoughtful. CJ has a huge heart. It's natural for her to love and help those around her. When I need help, CJ is the first to volunteer (unless it's emptying the dishwasher :) I can learn alot from CJ! CJ's classmate just moved in next door. It's been so much fun for CJ to have someone to play with all the time!

ZOEY

Zoey is the happiest baby you'll ever meet. All you have to do is say, "Hi Zoey" and she will give you the biggest smile. She loves to dance. Whenever and wherever music is heard, you will see Zoey dancing and doing her favorite bobble head move. She also loves to read books and explore. This is the hardest age for me because she is EVERYWHERE! I have to put all of the chairs on their side because if I don't, Zoey will be on top of the tables. She is very active and on the go. She is talking more each day. Just the other day she said, "thanks" and "I love you" to Ben. Some of her other words are: Momma, Dada, Hi CJ (she says it together), kitty cat, down, and more. Everyday she is looking and acting more like a toddler than a baby. I keep thinking, "Slow down!" She is probably our last baby and I just want to enjoy and remember every minute.

Sometimes, I think the roles are switched and my kids are the teachers and I am the student. I learn many things from them. I think my kids are wonderful and I'm not the only one who think so. I kid you not, every Sunday at church, someone says to me or Ben how "cute" our kids are or how they have so much "confidence"or my favorite, how "well behaved" they are. I agree. I think my kids are pretty wonderful and that they are all MADE TO DO GOOD THINGS!

A Trip to the ER

Xander was having a playdate with his buddy Hudson and I was in the office with Zoey. Zoey started whining, so I stopped what I was doing and said, "Let's go play something." As I was leading her to the kid's room, she continued to whine. She does that alot because she is learning to talk, so I really didn't think anything of it.

We went to the other room and I started to lay her down to change her diaper when I noticed CJ's earrings in her mouth! That was why she was whining. I'm sure it was poking her mouth. At first glance, it looked like her tongue was pierced by them, but as I looked closer, they were just laying in her mouth.

At 16 months, Zoey is very active and doesn't like to stay in one place very long. I managed to get one of the earrings out and as I tried to get the other one out, she was trying to kick herself free and started to lay back.

Frantic that she was going to swallow the other earring, I quickly pulled her up which resulted in her swallowing the earring! I screamed! All I could think of was the pointy tip of the earring, hoping it didn't do any damage on the way down.

After she swallowed the earring, she acted totally fine like nothing happened. I called the doctor and they told me to take her to the ER. I was trying to think about what to do with the kids because school was going to let out soon.

I called my friend Jane and she came over and watched Xander and Hudson. Ben decided to come home early, I'm sure because I freaked out. I tend to do that when I'm stressed. I'm not very good in stressful situations.

Anyways, at the hospital, Zoey was EVERYWHERE! She kept wanting to go out the front door, which was automatic and of course, just obliged. She wouldn't let me hold her and would squirm out of my arms. As I followed her around, evidence of her destruction was left and I couldn't put things back because she was so fast.

Finally they called us and we went back and had an X-ray taken.

You can see the earring clear as day! The earring was in a good place and not in the trachea. So now we just wait and check her poo to see if she has passed it. What a crazy day!

The End of Halloween 2010. . .finally

There were school parties. . .

A ward party with a trunk or treat, 2 other Halloween parties, and trick or treating at Ben's work. . .

Dressing up a zillion times. . .

Ben impressing everyone with his costume, which no one knew exactly what he was. . .

Ozzy Osbourne??

Mad Hatter?? Oh well, he still nabbed the "Scariest Costume" Award.

And then there was Valerie who like Ben, no one knew what she was either. . .

Until she told them she was a Harajuku Girl which still didn't mean anything to anyone. She won "Most Original Costume" award because she looked so weird.

Adieu Halloween, until we meet again next year.