why aren't you here yet!?

subtitle: Why Round Rock Should Be the Final Destination of Everyone That I Love

Everyday that I'm here, I fall deeper and deeper in love with this ward and community and the weather and the Texas landscape, etc. There are a couple of key players in my life, and you know who you are, who still haven't moved here yet despite the application of my most acute powers of persuasion. 

Well, maybe this will do the trick: real, undoctored, gen-u-wine phone pics of some of the awesome places we've played just in the last few weeks. Right here in Round Rock. Just imagine our children laughing and running and playing together while we laugh together, cry together, chat and complain together, bake bread and laugh some more together, on a bench under a shady tree (except for the baking part.)

Play for All Abilities Park. Its a mouth full but its worth every syllable. This is a million dollar project just completed by the city of Round Rock for children of all abilities. Over 50,000 sq. ft. of fun. I love this park almost as much as my kids. Do.

Endless play equipment including play and therapy equipment for children with special needs.

A little village with school, hospital, auto shop, library, etc., for bicycling and scootering, equipped with traffic signs, functioning traffic lights and parking spaces.

A gigantic shady sand pit with fixed digging equipment and dinosaur fossils to unearth. And much more.
Are you convinced yet? Can you tell I love this place?

One of our lovely HOA swimming pools. Big and clean with greenery and a 3 inch wading pool for toddlers.

The toddlers are not included. That one is ours. 

Here is another favorite, "the princess park" because, as you can see, it has a princess castle. It also has lots of fun playground equipment not pictured here.


And lets not forget, the crown jewel of the summers here:

Numerous splash parks! And for all your splashing needs, this year also features lots of rainfall!

Also, did I mention baseball, football, music, races and running paths, green belts, history, children's museums and more? And Porters?!

When you're ready to make the right decision, you know where to find us. We'll leave the light on for you.

spencer's favorite perches

We've actually had a lot of fun goings-on lately, but most of those pictures are on my phone. Someday I'll learn to load them onto my computer. Till then, these are pretty cute too.

Everyone else gets to play on the computer. He gets incensed if he doesn't get a turn occasionally too. 

The kitchen table is another favorite perch of his. He's picking up on the fact that this is where I send the kids to put anything I want to keep him out of--like food and drink, painting/coloring activities, board games, all the good stuff. He's no dummy. Anymore.

This is a weird windowy thingy that connects the dining room and living room. I don't know why he loves this one so much, but he climbs up here 15 times a day and pats the window sill and squeals happily.

If that slobbery shirt looks familiar, its because these were all taken in the same afternoon. He really gets around.

Easter 2012

Happy Easter. I wish there wasn't so much sugar involved in the holidays that fall on a Sunday. We had two of the best Easter talks at church yesterday that I had the misfortune of only partially hearing thanks to the peaking and crashing of blood-sugar among my two older kids (and a few others in the congregation, to my relief. Apparently I'm not the only parent who lets their kids eat chocolate for breakfast on holidays.)

Stuart asked if he could wear his cowboy boots to church yesterday. How do you say no to that outfit!? You don't. Also, he requested hair like Jake from the Neverland Pirates. I have no idea what that looks like, but apparently its very similar to Austin's, of Austin and Ally fame, because the same hair do appeased two days in a row.

Spencer is a full time walker these days. Whitney was not holding him up here, but helping me avoid this:

I think he looks like a Muppet in this one with his legs off camera and his arms poised like Elmo's.

Stuart has a tendency to check out when the camera is around. This is the only one I got of him with his eyes focused. (He was laughing at Rob trying to get Spencer's attention. Really successful photo shoot. As you can see.)

Undies, BK crowns, and egg dying. Doesn't get much better than this to a 3 and 5 year old.

So beautiful... Everything she does, she does with great enthusiasm: egg decorating, being naked, laughing, loving her family, etc. If her hair is insufficient indication of how easily tamed her energy is, I would direct your attention to exhibit A and B:

exhibit A

exhibit B

Chocolate and Ratatouille for breakfast.

Cute little bed head. He carried his chocolate bunny around all morning. His favorite breakfast of frosted mini-wheats just didn't have the usual appeal after that.

miscellaneous goings on

Here's a smattering of Porter house flavors these last few weeks:

Whitney and Stuart spent almost a week on a Life (as in, the game of) kick. They, and all their beloved Snugglies,would disappear for an hour or two at a time. It was AWESOME. We've played it enough as a family that they did a pretty good job of figuring it out despite they're mutual inability to read.

Rob celebrated his 33rd with Thomas the Train and the brokenest bundt cake EVER. I greased and floured. Thoroughly. Whatevs, it was still tasty.

Stuart has been asking that we "style" his hair lately. After multiple misunderstood descriptions and failed attempts, we finally hit the nail on the head. He admired it bashfully in the mirror many times that night. Thank goodness for extreme hold Monkey Boogers. (On the subject of monkeys, CUTEST BOY JAMMIES EVER. Thank you, Grandma! He wears them 4 or 5 times before we have to sneak them to the laundry room while he isn't looking.)

Oh man I love that face. 

AND! Whitney lost her first tooth tonight! She's giving Stuart an extreme close-up look here. I love how much they love each other.

She's been wiggling it proudly for weeks. She was VERY excited. I'm not gonna lie, we're all pretty excited for her. 

What a big girl.

Spencer

Happy Birthday, big guy!

We've only known Spencer for a year now, and he doesn't have a lot to say, so in lieu of telling you all the wonderful things he says and does, I'll just add a few extra pictures to his post.

Oh man, I can not resist this kid. He is the sweetest little guy ever. A good eater, a good sleeper, and he prefers his mom to everyone else in the world. AND he has the most irresistibly kissy face. What's not to love?

One little glimpse into his personality: he loves three things with intense devotion: his mommy, his McDonald's light saber, and anything that his big brother Stuart loves with intense devotion. Anytime he sees one of Stu's beloved stuffed animals unattended, he waves his arms and sings for joy, makes a mad dash for it, and then hugs it tightly before kissing it slobberously. And then Stuart snatches it and falls apart in a teary heap because it is now wet with slobber. And THEN, Spencer collapses in a heap with his face pressed mournfully into the carpet and wails over the loss of the beloved.

Its a pretty cute brotherly ritual. I suspect it won't be for long, though.

He wasn't into the birthday celebration thing. None of my kids have bought into birthday cake. After 20 minutes or so we coaxed him into smearing the frosting onto the table with a spoon. That was about it. Wee!

 He felt equally indifferent to his birthday presents. So the big kids were happy to oblige.

Happy Numero Uno Little Man!

Stubacca

Stuart. My tender-hearted clown.

He has yet to take much notice of Spencer, but when it comes to creepy-crawlies he is a loyal, loving brother to them. Caterpillars, roly-polies, and worms to be specific. He and Whitney build them elaborate comfortable palaces of grass and dirt and old bricks in the back yard. He calls them terms of endearment like "brother", "best friend", "little fella", and "little guy". 

Ants and other ill-intended bugs aren't so lucky. Those he hunts down on his tricycle and rolls over them slowly, laughing with the same feigned disgust but genuine amusement he feels at a good, loud fart.

He is a strange combination of truly advanced articulation and emotive, slap-stick silliness that requires no words at all. He gets so lost in his own make-believe world, talking for his toys and talking to himself, that listening in and watching requires no stealth.

What a joy, my little Stuart.

my girl

Whitney. My little angel. 

So helpful. SO thoughtful and empathetic. We drove home from the (other) Porter's house a few days ago and started listing all of Whitney's talents for her. We were still listing when we pulled into our driveway 10 minutes later. 

She got a razor scooter for her birthday. She scoots that thing like its an extension of her body. I love to watch her on it. 

She loves her brothers with reckless abandon. Seriously. She has hurt both of them multiple times by her unbridled loving. The pressure just builds and builds until she has to release the love and it explodes out of her in rip-roaritous laughter and hugs so tight that her body shakes and her teeth clench. 

LOVE.