Porter Talk

After getting inspired by my friend Cara's "Toddler Talk Tuesdays", I thought it would be fun to share some "Porter-isms" of our own!

Porter has given such a funny new twist to every day phrases! He has said the craziest things lately!!! I couldn't resist sharing our new "Carroll vocabulary":

"cupcapes" = cupcakes

"rock-a-roni" = macaroni

"ideas" = quesadillas

"slimey face" = smiley face

"pick-ups" = hiccups

"hockey" = blanket (go figure)

"yummy bear" = gummi bear (vitamins)

"pipe cleaner" = vacuum cleaner

"sloppy jobes" = sloppy joes (his new fave)

"topotato" = tomato

ANIVERSARIO

Here are a few pics from our enchanted getaway to SECRETS for our anniversary. Thank you to Mia and Poppy for keeping our precious Boogie! We had the time of our life!

(it's funny, but we never took pictures of the two of us, just the beautiful scenery we enjoyed and that was fine with us! hope you enjoy it too!)

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband of 6 years!

Thank you for being the most wonderful husband a girl could ever dream of marrying. And thank you for being the most incredible father to our Porter. He is so lucky to have you in his life! I honestly could not ask for more. I appreciate you always putting our family FIRST! I love you more than ever~XOXOXOXO

problem solved

What does this picture mean, you ask? Well, to the Carroll household, it means precious SLEEP! It has literally changed our lives since Porter moved to his big boy bed! We were having a very difficult time getting Porter to understand when it was time to sleep and when it was time to get up. Since he had the freedom to get up and down whenever he wanted, every time he woke up during the night, he thought it was morning and time to get up! It felt like we had a newborn again. And after one month of sleepless nights, we knew something had to change. So as usual, I started reading and researching and came across this cool "Tot Clock". When I read the testimonial section on their website, I noticed one of the statements was from my neighbor who also has a son that had difficulty sleeping! She said it changed her life too, so I knew I had to give it a try. What could we loose? Well, the clock did not disappoint. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but the color-coded faces made sense to Porter and after about 4 or 5 nights telling him "blue means bed" and "yellow means awake", he got it! Now, he is back to sleeping 11-12 hours straight and Mommy and Daddy have some sense about themselves again. Ha! We even hear him in the middle of the night saying to himself "stilllll blue"!

Tot Clock, we love you! Now we have a well-rested toddler who looks like this:

What more could you ask for? :)

Now, I have to share the cutest book EVER. It's called "Jake Stays Awake" When we were going through this crazy sleep stage, I came across this adorable book at the library with Porter. We checked it out, and he loved the story! We would both laugh and laugh when we read it. I think you have to see the illustrations when you read it to really "get" the full picture, but I thought I would share the story with you so maybe you will get a laugh out of it too.

So for all the parents who jump through crazy hoops for your kids (that's everyone!)......

JAKE STAYS AWAKE

by Michael Wright

There was a little boy whose name was Jake and every night he’d stay awake

“Unless I can sleep with my parents, “ he said, ‘I won’t close my eyes, and I won’t go to bed!”

So every night around ten forty-four, he’d wander on up to his mom and dad’s door, and stand there and knock, till they finally said,

“All right, all right, Jake! You can sleep in our bed.”

This drove his poor parents straight up a tree-they had a bed made for two, not a bed made for three.

“We love you, dear Jake, but we can’t even doze. How can we sleep with your toes up our nose?”

But night after night, for a moment of rest, they let Jake climb in. They thought it was best.

And that’s when they knew something had to be done. Their sleeping arrangements were no longer fun.

So his mother and father thought hard and thought long, and came up with a plan that just couldn't go wrong.

“We’ll sleep with you, son, just not in our bed.” “Is there some other place we could try out instead?”

Jake considered their offer a second or two, then, smiling he said, “I know just what to do!” He headed outside and pointed straight up. “Uh-oh,” thought he parents. “No way!” thought his pup.

Then they climbed to the roof and attempted to sleep, but sleep’s pretty tricky on something so steep.

Then nervously Jake said, “Perhaps we should try finding some other spot that’s not quite so high.”

Jake climbed the stairs and said, “Let’s all sleep here!” But that turned out to be a big pain in the rear.

Jake jumped in the bathtub with his rubber duck, then in popped his parents and they all got stuck.

He thought that the kitchen might be a good place, but it’s tough to sleep when you’re feeding your face.

The garbage cans seemed a great idea at first, till things started stinking like old liverwurst.

The car was as boring as boring could be, like taking a long drive with nothing to see.

AS he lay there and listened to his parents snore, Jake thought of the one place he hadn’t before. Instead of the roof, or the stairs, or the bath, instead of the kitchen, the car, or the trash, Jake thought that his bed didn’t sound quite so bad, so he whispered, “Good night” to his mom and his dad.

Jake walked himself back to bed in his room, where he slept without moving till quarter to noon.

His parents are happy again with their son, and everyone’s realized it’s not always fun

to have kids sleep with parents night after night.

But ever once in a while? Well,that’s quite all right!

a super WILD ride!

Last week, Annie and I took our two wild ones to the most awesome wildlife park EVER! We had an absolute blast and this place was incredible! We enjoyed it as much, if not more, than the kids! It's called Fossil Rim and only about an hour and a half drive from Dallas. WELL WORTH IT! The boys loved every single minute!

This place is on some gorgeous property! The views were amazing! We forgot we were in Texas for a while! :)

Porter and Sutton loved stretching their legs and breathing in that fresh air! They were so happy there!

Porter kept talking about the trees and the deer and the tractors! He was in HEAVEN!

This is what was going on in the back seat the entire day! We drove through this park enjoying the wild animals and beautiful scenery while Porter and Sutton had snacks. It was perfect!

When you first get to Fossil Rim, they give you a map and a bag of food for the animals! The first of many funny creatures that came to the car looking for food was this funny ostrich! We had to roll up the windows FAST every time he walked up to the car. He would try to stick his head in the car every time! We were cracking up!

And next, our very favorite visitor was this precious giraffe! He was so friendly! He was the only animal we were allowed to feed from our hands because they don't have bottom teeth! :)

We couldn't believe a REAL giraffe was peeking in the sun roof! SUPER COOL

This is pretty much was Porter looked like the entire day. He was so content with our little adventure!

There were deer like this one everywhere! They were so sweet and curious.

I can't remember the name of his animal but they charged our car hoping for food and it was a little intimidating!

In the distance you can see the rhino. :) They were fenced in and we were kinda glad!

The zebras were GORGEOUS and the sign was a good warning....wait until you see what happens ahead!

That's right folks, a zebra chewing my side view mirror! STINKER! It took the paint off and everything. We laughed until we cried so I guess it was worth it!

And last, our two little monkeys enjoying themselves again. WE WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!!!!!

REMEMBER

Porter Carroll

2 years old

30 pounds

36 inches tall

funny smart intense determined sensitive active passionate emotional friendly athletic strong sweet loving deep-thinker artistic independent serious talkative leader

I never want to forget this stage. I didn't know I would love the "twos" so much! Thanks to Anica (who captured the true essence of my little man), I can look at these snapshots and *remember*. These pictures portray Porter exactly as we see him every day. She caught him in true form and each picture reminds me of a different side to Mr. P!

Porter is a lover of life! He helps us find fun in the simple things. He brings us so much joy!

He has so many expressions and emotions. He is never afraid to let us know how he feels!

I feel like this is what goes through his head every morning when he jumps out of bed.....ready, set, go!!! He wakes up ready to face the day, every day, bright and early!

And, well, let's just say that cooperation isn't one of his strong points. :)

Oh, this definitely reminds me that he is a little "sweet tooth"! He loves loves loves anything sweet! Popsicles were a favorite treat this summer.

These next two pictures we appreciate more than anyone else would. We know this look from Porter. We were walking up to a clown on the street who was making animal balloons. He got this serious look on his face and turned away and pretended like he wasn't there! He is very cautious with new/different people!

And this one....priceless. That's what I call the "Billy look". Anyone who knows Billy well knows exactly what I mean! He was saying "don't you dare come any closer". :)

And this one just reminds me how much fun we have together as a family. It is such a happy place. We love being together and treasure every single day!

What two-year old little boy doesn't love their toy cars? I never had to show Porter how to play with them. He just knew. He takes a handful everywhere we go!

He is very content playing like this....

Well, this definitely reminds me of his mischievous side! His little mind never stops! He is always thinking of something to get into!!!

During the photo shoot, he found a fuzzy caterpillar. He loves anything and everything that has to do with nature! He loves to go on nature walks and find bugs, sticks, rocks, butterflies, you name it!

And last, Mr. Serious. He is such a deep thinker. He likes to be alone sometimes and just think. You can tell there is so much going on in his little mind. Usually, I just let him listen to music and let his mind go. He's like his Daddy that way.

Porter, you are such a sweet little man and we love it when you proudly say "Porter Carroll" when someone asks your name. We are just as proud to be your parents. We could not ask for more! Thank you for being the very BEST 2 year old on the planet! We love you!!

Mommy & Daddy