I Printed My Blog!

I know blogging hasn't been the cool thing to do for years, but I've kept up on it because I've wanted to keep a history of our family.  At times I've forced myself to do a post and know it wasn't a very good one because I was just getting it done, but I'll treasure these as years go by and be able to remember many more of our great memories we've had together than if I hadn't recorded them.

I printed my 2008 year a few years ago but was disappointed in what it looked like.  There weren't really any other options at the time so I didn't print anymore. When we got home I really wanted to print our memories from Hawaii so I decided to look for a new company to print with. I found a new one and checked out their website intorealpages.com.  The books looked cool so I ordered it.

I ordered the one from our time in Hawaii and LOVED it so much I decided to order the rest. It is so fun to have a book for the last 7 years and to read my blog in book form! :)  I've been putting them in my church bag for the little ones to go through at church.  They love flipping through the pages and I hope it will help them remember life a little more especially from our time in Hawaii.

When I look at this stack of books I see a couple of representations for me. First, notice how thick the bottom book is?  This was all the post from our time in Hawaii.  That pretty much sums up life there. Three times as crazy as life back home.  We were so busy and I was so tired all the time. Now that I see life for the last seven years printed out in books I can see why I was so worn out! LOL!!!   

On a more serious note though, as I look at these books and read through the stories of our life I am reminded of our blessings and the ways the Lord has watched over and taken care of us throughout the years and it makes me more grateful for this life of ours.  He really is there and makes sure we are taken care of. 

Photobooks!

Back in 2014, the weight of thousands of digital pictures with none printed was weighing down on me. Mom guilt was in full force and I started thinking I had to get the kids pictures into books or I would never get them done. Hailey was nine at the time and the thought of doing it all was really overwhelming. But, I knew if I went through and got them organized I'd be able to do it.

I began by going through all my pics and grouping them into each kid and then grouping them by year.  I researched different photo book websites and I chose to go with blurb.com. I downloaded their photo book program Booksmart and got to work. I decided to do two years per book and print them out for birthdays and Christmas until I got them caught up. It took me about two months to get everything pretty close to being printed. It was quite bit of money to print them so I decided to wait and do one at a time.

I had six printed and loved them but I didn't do anymore at the time.  When we packed up for Hawaii we stored our computer.  While in Hawaii I worried the whole time that all my work was going to get lost. In fact, one of the first things I did when we got home was turn on the computer and check to see if everything was there.  Much to my relief, everything was!!!  I decided I didn't care how much it cost I was going to get my books ordered so I could have some peace of mind!

I had to do final edits to all of the old books and do the past two years I hadn't begun.  It took me about a month and quite a few hours to get them ready. I got my last bunch of books on Monday. I am so happy to have these actual books in my hands and not just stored on my computer.  Blurb.com does an amazing job and has great quality books and thankfully they had 40% off coupons.

I've printed eighteen total and have two more almost ready but I can't quite finish them until the kids birthdays. It's so fun to look through all these pictures and remember many good times.

I was talking to my 95 year old Grandma Christensen in July.  She talked about how she doesn't have any pictures from before she was about thirteen. She remembered her Mom having a picture of her at about age seven and was excited for when she could have it.  When her mother got older and moved in with her she thought she'd find the picture and put it with her things.  But, when she went through everything she wasn't ever able to find it.  She wished she had more pictures of herself as a child.

It made me think about how blessed we are to have the ease of digital photos and an almost endless amount of storage space for them. Along with that countless companies are willing to print these pics in about anyway a person can think of.  It made me realize once again that I am responsible for getting these pictures printed for the kids so they have the photos to look at whenever they want and hopefully keep their memories from childhood fresh in their minds.  Whew!  The Mom guild is beginning to subside in this area of life and it feels good.  HAHA!

Brayden's Sixth Birthday!

Brayden turned six yesterday! As you can see in these pictures he was really excited for the party. I ordered his gifts online about a week and a half ago.  Brayden then decided he wanted rescue bots and a scooter. He begged for days asking me to get them for him.  I kept saying I already got his presents and he'll just have to see what he gets.

Little did he know, I was really excited for him to open his gifts because I had already ordered what he wanted and when I ordered them I wasn't sure he'd want them so his begging was a huge relief. When he opened his presents and saw that they were what he had asked for plus more, he was ecstatic.

The morning checking out his presents

Here are all of his gifts

Here he is ready to blow out candles, it's so hard to get a pick of a smiling face.  He loves pulling funny faces!

His best friend Brooklyn got to come too!

Thanks to everyone who remembered his special day!  Also, thanks to those who could make it!

At six Brayden loves pretty much anything. He has the most positive attitude I've ever seen in anyone.  I have to put a story on here that he will probably hate when he's older but, I don't want to forget it. :) We got a whole bunch of peaches from Gini and I let him eat as many as he wanted for a few days.  Well, everyone knows what happens when you eat too many peaches.   He came upstairs and said, "I got to go to the bathroom.  A little bit of poop slipped out!"  He ran to the bathroom but quickly came back out to add, "but, but, at least it only got in my underwear!"  That's Brayden no matter what happens in life, he is able to see the positive in everything.  I love that about Brayden and hope he never loses it.

We also love:

How sweet he is to Caleb

How funny he is

How excited he is about everything going on around him

How much joy he brings to our family

How much he loves Kindergarten

How much he's grown up and learned to control his energy in the last year

that he is a part of our family

He Loves:

Rescue Bots

His scooter

Riding his bike

Riding his motorbike

Riding rzr's

Kindergarten

His family

Spending time with Dad (they had a lunch date yesterday)

Brayden we love you so much!  We are so grateful you are in our family and love watching you grow!  You are growing up into a great kid!

I Almost Forgot to Post...

Caleb learned how to ride his bike!  Before we moved to Hawaii Caleb was a master at his balance bike.  We even took it with us so he could ride it there. But, come to find out there really wasn't a safe place to ride and his bike rusted at few months after we got there.

So, when we got home I bought him another one.  He had totally forgotten how to balance.  He did pick it up pretty quick and decided he wanted to try Brayden's old motorbike bicycle.  It took him a couple of long tries but I could tell he was close so we kept on practicing.

Well, on July 21, 2016 Caleb figured it out.  Caleb we are so proud of you!  Way to go and to keep pushing on until you figured it out!  You can do hard things!!!

Seasons are Changing...

I want my blog to be as real as it can be without being too personal.  Of course I put mostly good times on here because that's what I want to remember.  At times though I feel like I have to explain my mental state to keep it more real. Here goes: 

In Hawaii we felt like we had to make the most of every free moment we had.  We went and went and went until we were exhausted and tired of exploring.  By May and we didn't do much all month other than prepare to move out.  It was great to come back to summer but it was also hard.  We came home and had to move back in, get settled and adjusted to our new old life plus we had all the normal summer activities to attend to, I was sooooo burned out.  

We never did find a routine (I do much better on a routine).  I realized too I was kind of mourning the old life we left because I thought it would be easier to get things back the way they were before we left. I thought if I got my house put back together it would be the same life we left. I should have realized life couldn't go back to to way it was. I felt like my head was below water most of the time and I had just enough strength to take a breath when I really needed it. I was really overwhelmed all the time. Anything small that came up was a huge deal and I wasn't able to cope great.

On the other hand though, I wanted the kids to have a fun summer because between moving out and starting school so early in Hawaii last year they really didn't get a summer break.  So, I pushed on trying to attend all of the important activities and trips. We also had lots and lots of friends over.  As I've looked over all of the summer pictures I've realized I missed taking many pictures because I was too tired think about taking them. But in the pictures I have, I can see their happy faces and see that they did have a great summer.  I'm so grateful I made it through and the kids have good memories the summer we got back.

I've also realized from catching up on this blog that even though it was crazy and I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel settled again, summer really was great.  In Hawaii, I just hoped to make a friend so I had someone to smile and say hi to at at church. I missed so much being around people I knew and loved. It was so amazing to come home to everyone again and feel that we were "home".  We are so blessed to be able to live pretty close to most of our family and friends.  Having relationships with people really does make life more meaningful and happy.   I have a new appreciation for being surrounded by the people we love and to live in this great little town called Rigby.

When we left for church today there was a chill in the air that I hadn't felt in a long time.  Fall is in the air. A new season will soon be here.  It makes me reflect on our life.  I'm still trying to get our new normal figured out but things have started to calm down and we are beginning to find it.  We've had a few weekends home without any obligations which made time to work on things around the house and I've gotten some rest. I'm beginning to feel like I can almost keep my head above water. It's been fun to have the kids back in school.  Most days they are so happy to go and happy when they get home. It's been fun to have some alone time with Caleb and some time to myself as he has a quiet time in his room. I feel like I'm finally catching up on life and it's so nice!  As summer turns to Fall I am excited for a change and feel just as excited for a new season in our lives.  

First Day of School

First Day of School 2016!

Hailey 6th (middle school)-Hailey jokingly said, "I got so bored I died."

Jackson 3rd-Jack said, "the first day of school was kinda fun." "Nani was so excited to see us again."

Conrad 5th

Brayden PM Kindergaten, Brayden said, "I have snacks and watch shows."

They all had a great day at school.  Jack did say it was long though.

A "Sweet" Story

Brayden and I had stopped at Big Lots to pick up a couple of things one day in July.  While we were there he saw a huge lollipop and he wanted me to buy it for him. I told him he could earn it and we could come back and get it soon.  Right after that he fell and had to get stitches. While he was getting sewn up I told him he could pick any treat he wanted and he chose the lollipop.  We had to go to Utah right after his stitches so I told him we'd find one there.

Well, we couldn't find one so he ended up getting another treat instead and was still pretty happy but hadn't forgotten his lollipop.  The next week he ended up earning his lollipop. We made a trip to Idaho Falls to get it and while I was paying for it he accidentally dropped it.  Of course, it just shattered.  He was sad but seemed okay about it.  I thought since we were in Idaho Falls we could go visit my Grandma Irene too.

While we were driving I looked in the rear view mirror and Brayden looked super sad.  I asked what was wrong and he burst into tears and said his sucker was broken.  He had talked so much about getting that sucker that I should have realized how upset he was. I wanted to fix this sucker that he had wanted so bad.  So, I thought about it and the idea came to my mind to let it sit on the dashboard in the sun while we were at my Grandma's then try to squish it back together.  I said a quick prayer that it would work and his sucker would be fixed.

After my Grandma's house the sucker as really warm and I squished the sucker all around hoping it would do it's thing and then let it sit until we got home.  It worked!!! His sucker was back in one piece.  I know this may sound silly to you, but it made Brayden's day.

From this little event I saw how Heavenly Father wants us all to be happy.  If something matters to us, it matters to Him.  I know that putting the sucker on the dash wasn't my idea.  Whether we are five and our heart is broken over a shattered lollipop, or whether we are middle aged going through the toughest trials of our life he is there waiting to help us.  We just have to do our part.  I'm so grateful for Him and his help that day.  I know Brayden will remember how Heavenly Father has blessed him too.

Jackson's Baptism

His new suit

Jackson chose to be baptized on August 4, 2016.  It was a special day for him and us.  He had been waiting for what felt to him like forever.

We are thankful for all of those who were able  to come over and share the day with Jackson.  He really appreciated it and loved reading through the notes that everyone wrote to him while we were waiting on him after he was baptized.

Ready to go

Waiting to get baptized

Us by the font

Jack and Grandpa Porter (the rest of the Grandparents came but we missed the chance to get a picture.) 

Jack with Nani

The family-I really should have put my arm around Hailey.  :)

Summer Fun!

Here are some pictures of some of our activities this summer.  I missed many pictures and we did many things, but the smiles in these pictures tell me that the kids have had a great time since we got back.  They are so happy to be home!

   

Brayden Slipped and Fell

Brayden was taking a shower and when he stepped out he slipped on the tub, hit the toilet and split his head open.  When I got in there he was just standing there looking in the mirror, crying and watching the blood gush out. It was bleeding bad!!!  Poor kid, he was covered in blood!

The Doctor did a great job stitching it up but when I took out the stitches Caleb hit him in the head with a block and split it partway open again.

  I went and got some steri strips to told it together for a few more days.  He still has a tiny piece of the dis-solvable suture that pokes through at times, but it has healed pretty well considering how bad it was.

Brayden, you're one tough kid!

Grandpa Porter's 70th Birthday!

Earle turned seventy on May 27th and we were able to celebrate with him.  JC and his family were missed but everyone else was able to be there. We did many things

We started off eating at Tucanos. 

to a Boise Hawks game

We also visited Camel's Back Park

  

 and Frosty Freeze

I'd say it was a success.  Everyone had a great time and the cousins all had fun seeing each other again.

Happy 70th Birthday Earle!  We had a great time with you and hope we made you feel special like you do our kids and us.  It's always great to see you, have you visit, or just open a package sent our way.  You are always so thoughtful to remember our special days.  We love you!

Thanks Myles for the pictures.  Yours turned out great, of course!

We Got to Ride in a Helicopter

Here we are when all was done.  Brayden was hiding behind us.

Our friends from Hawaii, the Ramma's, came to Idaho to visit Jackie's parents.  They have a helicopter and invited us to take a ride.  It was so cool to be up in the air and see our area from the sky!  The kids were nervous but they loved it!

Hailey getting on with Brooke Ramma

Brayden and Jackson ready

Caleb and Conrad's turn

The kids got to ride this while waiting

Hailey and her best friend Brooke Ramma


What an amazing day!  Thanks so much for thinking of us and taking our kids for the ride of their life!!!