we aren't dead or lost just busy or boring (you pick)

I have gotten several phone calls inquiring how we are since I haven't posted in a little while. Its not that I haven't thought about it... it just seems I never get to it. So this may be long and boring, but I guess people want to know what we are up to. Here it goes.

Porter is still contemplating crawling, but he finds standing and trying to walk a lot more fun. He can be found standing at the coffee table all hours of the day, but he especially likes to stand up in the shower... I guess baths are for babies.

Occasionally we just lay around on those rare moments when we get a sec (Porter's good at this)!

Almost every day Porter takes Sadie on walks (here's the promised picture of him holding the leash, he just reaches over the side and grabs on now and then) and on Sunday after church we take Sadie to the park to play fetch and Porter swings on the swings. Up until this last week Sadie's been a 'okay' walker, but she's learned she's stronger than mom, especially when she sees people, bikes, and birds and gets WAY to excited. So she is getting a little 'training' with a new collar which we hope works because we like our walks =)

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Work has been a little slow for Bryce... he has projects lined up, but no one is ready to start because they are waiting on something or someone. So he has been doing some of the projects we have been meaning to start and complete around the house. Like trimming the tree in the front and digging out the planter, and ripping out bushes, rehanging our front door and the door to the backyard, and inviting Justin over to help rip out the big leaf dropping tree in the backyard (thanks Justin!), and finally this last week we covered our backyard in river rock, it was a mud pit when it rains and Sadie would traipse mud into the house and all over my floors and couch. The rocks a little bigger than we though it would be, but its better than what it was. We (mostly Bryce with me helping whenever Porter was asleep) hauled all 7 tons of it to the backyard in one day! Amazing I tell you and we were pretty sore the next day. I haven't got a completed picture but its so much better (more to still do, but better for now)

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Before but cleaned up.... In the Process of....Being covered with all of this!!!

While dad waited for rock on Thursday, we went to a play group at the Moss's and Porter loved this little rider of Corbin's (I would have never thought he was big enough yet), but he loved it. So on Saturday we made our way to ToysRus to pick one out with the rest of his Christmas money (earlier this week we bought a small version but 'real' football and basketball too and he LOVES them). I was a little hesitant to get him a rider because he doesn't want to crawl, so he doesn't need something to sit on and learn to walk with, but he's just so cute. We decided to move the coffee table and hope that he crawls for his truck instead of trying to stand all day.

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Here's some pictures and a short video of the sounds it makes ... there were so many with lots of annoying sounds, but then Bryce spotted this one and we knew it was the perfect fit (pretty cool and there are volume controls thank goodness!)! Thanks Great Grandma Jo!

Lastly Porter's Aunt Elisha came down from Salt Lake for a wedding, so of course she brought presents (he never gets anything!!!) So here he is decked out in his new BYU shirt with his BYU board book (it says one cute cougar)... he also got a little race car and a firetruck and a bib that says something in spanish (silly Elisha he doesn't speak spanish!) He looks mad about the shirt, but really it was just almost nap time. (these pics are especially for Grandpa Bird... he'll be so proud!)

So that's a little of what we've been up to, but mostly just the daily routine (doing things like eating pizza and ice cream at Costco and playing with the puppy). Not much to tell, our lives are full of simple every day tasks, but I will try harder to keep you up on the latest... who knows maybe our son will crawl someday soon!

He has an appointment Wednesday since he is going to be 9 months old already!!! So I will post his stats soon (I'm sure Grandma Bird will be waiting for a phone call to know just how big this little guy has gotten since she saw him last)!

PS- If you have read all this, please don't be shy you can leave a comment... I know people read this but I rarely hear much back, unless I don't do it (especially from my family!)