Chase's 1st Birthday Celebration!

I love that smiley face! He was given a sensory ball and caterpillar from Mimi and Big G. He is enthralled with the candle. We told him that if he was too messy, then he would be on clean up duty. In all seriousness, isn't he one of the cleanest one-year-old birthday cake eaters you have ever seen.

Grandma and Grandpa Porter gave Chase a monkey pillowcase, monkey pajamas, a stuffed monkey, and monkey pj's. I won't be surprised if he develops a strong liking for monkey's. :) And, mom and dad gave Chase a ball popper, that he is terrified of. I'm not too worried; it'll grow, while popping, on him.

P.S. We love you Chase!

Christmas Time

Chase with his buddy Denzil

A Wonderful Man

For those of you who didn't know my grandfather, he was a big man standing at 6'6". He had custom made size 16 shoes. He had a rough exterior and may have intimidated some.



His rough exterior was accompanied by a strong sense of humor. I once brought a date home when grandpa was around. My cheeks flushed when I heard him say "He's not as ugly as you said he was." This was not an uncommon scenario as many of his children and grandchildren have similar stories. He cracked jokes with old friends and strangers he would meet.



My grandpa was not afraid to be himself or to stand alone. My uncle shared a benedictory prayer he once gave in church. All he said was, "Help us to be as good as our parents think we are." My uncle also talked about a time when he alone stood to oppose a sustaining. Many in the congregation were taken aback by this, but it left a lasting impression on my uncle.



My dad spoke of his great faith. He said that my grandpa was comfortable with the life he had led and was not afraid to die. A few days before he passed away, the nurse entered his room and exclaimed that his oxygen level was very low. He replied, "Yes, and I hope it goes a lot lower here pretty soon." I hope I can be as comfortable with the life I have lived before I die.



I fondly remember all of the time he spent with his grandchildren. We spent many hours with him fishing and camping in Wyoming, hauling freshly chopped wood, singing around the campfire, getting a good dose of American folklore, and listening to the many poems he would recite. My favorite can be seen on my blog post on Oct. 10th entitled "I Don't."



He was a man of great valor who had a deep abiding faith in and love for our Savior Jesus Christ and for his Gospel. I am so grateful that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and is on the earth again. I can't wait to see my grandpa again one day.



The legacy he left was purposeful. He knew who he was and what he wanted to teach his children and grandchildren.

Fun in October with family

We had a blast when my family came to visit. We went everywhere! I love it when family comes. I loved the street play they did at Colonial Williamsburg. My mom has wanted to go to Williamsburg for as long as I can remember. I'm glad I was able to be there when it finally happened. :) Isn't this such a great picture. We took a stroll around Salem Lake on Sunday. It is a beautiful tree lined lake. It may sound cliche, but I love fall on the east coast. I thought nothing could beat North Carolina, but Virgina was spectacular. The colors were so vibrant. Wow, I feel everyone should go to the east coast in the fall at least once in their lifetimes. The Biltmore home is on 8,000 acres! That is a lot of acreage. I love the grotesque gothic style architecture. It reminds me of Notre Dame. Do you like Chase's outfit? Funny story. Chase had a little accident at Williamsburg. It was raining and freezing. Chase needed some clothes and he needed them right then. We rushed to the nearest children's clothing boutique and almost died when we looked at the prices on the stickers. We bought this shirt and pants from the clearance rack. The combo is hideous, but I like the pieces separately. I'm sure every mother that saw him wanted to teach his mother a thing or two about how to dress a baby. Here we are at Jamestown. This is the oldest settlement in America. I loved the history! Here we are at Yorktown. This is where the British surrendered to the American Army. It felt like we were walking on very sacred ground. This is Chase and I at Williamsburg when his clothes still matched. This is what I call early indoctrination. Visiting Monticello was my favorite. I had just finished reading John Adams a couple of months before and had learned a lot about Thomas Jefferson. This solidified everything I had already learned. Beautiful trees at Old Salem Here we are at God's Acre, a Moravian cemetery. Everyone is buried in a chorus according to age.

Halloween Party

Why Steve is the best

I love Steve for a lot of reasons.



I spent all of Chase's naps and a lot of the day preparing for an FHE lesson night that I was hosting. I had five people sign up to come and nobody showed. I was a little let down. Everyone is pretty busy especially at this time of year, so I understand.



Steve came and did everything he could to cheer me up. He even offered to play a game with me because he knows how much I love games. I'm so grateful for Steve and for taking the time to show how much he cares.

Milk and Bookies

A friend, Ashley Kelley, hosted a service project here in Winston Salem. It's a national organization called Milk and Bookies. Kids come and choose a book they would like to donate. I was able to help with the service project and had a blast doing it. I really want to try this in NY. You can even do this for a birthday party. If anyone is interested in hosting one or finding out more information, here is the link: www.milkandbookies.org. I stole these pictures from Danielle's blog, oops. This is the real Disneyworld Belle! How cool is that. Belle is my favorite Disney princess. She arranged for local celebrities to come and read stories to the kids.