Tah Dah!

Phew, I finally finished all of my stockings! It took me awhile since all I have been wanting to do in my free time is sleep. I made one even for Baby X so next year, I will already be ready.

We've asked Santa to come early so we can get to Utah on Christmas. I'm kinda nervous about the weather and hope we will have a smooth ride. We are excited to see all of Ben's family-he's got a big one!

I really miss my family and wish that we were closer to them. I think we may try to save up next year and make our way to Michigan! We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

WHAT"S GOING ON WITH THE PORTER KIDS?

CJ-Is taking piano lessons from her Dad. Since going to Auburn to visit her cousins, we've noticed CJ's interest in music. Ben's giving her lessons to see how interested she is and then maybe we have her take piano lessons.

MIA-Loves writing letters "all day morning". The other day she was writing in a little book and she says, "I have to write in my Diarehha (diary)".

XANDER-Is the only true Korean in our household. Ben bought a giant container of Kim Chee and him and Xander are the only ones who will eat it.

Thompson Street

There's a tradition here in Alameda at Christmas time. On Thompson street every house is decorated with Christmas things and lights. Tons of people come from all over to stroll down the street, admiring each house and the lights as they go. In the center of the street there is an island where Santa hangs out. The kids can visit with Santa and get their picture with him.

This is how important this tradition is to Alameda. It is so important that when someone buys a house on the street, it is in their contract that at Christmas time they will decorate their house and Alameda Power subsidizes the people who live on Thompson street during the Christmas holiday.



We've made it a family tradition since we've moved here. I love making family traditions!

The Musings of a Pregnant Lady

It’s 8:30p.m. I’m due for my nightly puking fest. Am I excited? Oh, completely. This is what makes it real for me. I think I will author a book titled, “What Not to Eat before you Puke.” Take for example the other night. I threw up three times in a row. How do you ask, do I complete such a feat? Well, the answer is easy. . .taco soup. There is nothing like throwing up chunks and chunks and then choking on the chunks coming up. I love it when my eye balls feel like they are going to pop out of their sockets and tears stream from my eyes. I can barely talk after because my throat is raw. I’m a champion. So taco soup is a no. Bland and smooth textured foods are almost pleasant. I just threw up some yogurt, and it left a sweet taste in my mouth.

It’s not all about throwing up, thankfully. I’m almost 12 weeks pregnant and I feel like I look 20 weeks pregnant. I got all of my maternity clothes out already. I haven’t put any on yet, though I may as well. I’ve been dressing in my workout pants and stretchy pants for weeks. I keep asking Ben, “Look at how big I am so far.” Ben tells me, I don’t look any different, except that my chest is really big. Of course, he would notice that.

I sleep all the time. I take a nap when Xander sleeps and I let Mia watch a “Quiet Time Movie”. Xander’s nap time is usually my most productive time of the day, but since I sleep through it, I don’t get much done.

I crave MEAT! I’m a carnivorous pregnant lady. I wonder how women who are vegetarians make it through their pregnancy. I bet they cheat. I feel like a beast craving only red meat. I wish my body would crave fruits and vegetables, but the only things that satisfy this insatiable hunger are meat and carbohydrates. FAT CITY here I come!

It is a fact that there are women who are so adorably cute when they are pregnant. They have these cute little bellies and wear the cutest clothes. I am not one of them. I am the exact opposite. I blow up everywhere. My face gets layers as does the rest of my body. I bet these women work out for hours everyday. I wish I had the motivation to workout,let alone, get dressed and showered for the day.

Even with all of this said, I am happy to be pregnant. This is probably our last and I want to cherish every moment. I asked Ben the other day, “Don’t I like being pregnant?” I remember loving the fact that there was “life” inside me and being in labor wasn’t all that bad either. Ben replies to my question with, “No Val, you hate it.” Oh. Good thing for short term memory.

Christmas Traditions

When Ben and I were dating, we talked about what Christmas traditions we would like to do with our family. I remember making a list of things. Then we got married and by the time we celebrated our first Christmas together married, the list was long gone.

Over the years we have done a few things that have become tradition. One of them is making ornaments. Every year, I get all these random craft items out and using our creativity, we create ornaments. We put our names on them and the year and it is fun to see our past creations.



I think Ben makes the cutest ornaments every year. He is so creative and this year made a tiny snowman. CJ is also so creative and used buttons this year to make a present ornament. I think my reindeer was the least creative. I had to make something quick because I was on Xander patrol.



If I were giving out awards for the ornaments, Mia would get the, "Biggest Ornament" one. She made a giant head with legs and shoes. Notice the nose ring. Xander was hilarious and just glued whatever he could find. I love the popsicle stick glued on top. At one point, he had climbed on the table pouring the glue out in a pile of glitter. I have a love/hate relationship with glitter. I love how pretty it can make things and I hate the mess it leaves behind. For days, we will be finding glitter everywhere!

What are some of your family Christmas traditions?