Long Day

Well, it was a long day. All those nasty fronts moving in and out has wreaked havoc on my sinuses, but the below makes every day worth it. Two versions of the same, and both they just crack me up.

Better every once in while than never

I have been terrible about blogging I know, but after reading Jenna's wonderful description of her mother's day, I was inspired.
I too had a wonderful mother's day. I got to sleep in until 8:00. Then I sat at the kitchen table and directed Alex on how to make me some scrambled eggs. James made the toast. Overall, it was a wonderful breakfast. I got some great gifts from the kids that they made at school. Mom's are such suckers for pictures of their own kids. Speaking of pictures, I will attach some the latest I have of my children. Enjoy!



Swinging is fun. I wish I could add Ali's sound effects she makes when she swings, whoa,whoa,whoa!


This is by far my favorite, big brother helping Ali Mae get her shoes on, so we can get outside faster!


Oh, and I cut my hair and now have bangs for the first time since I was 10 (literally, its the last time I had bangs).


My big ham!

The Birthdays

Alison's first birthday was celebrated on December 4, 2009. Birthday girl really was into her cake. By the end, mommy was wearing it, Ali was wearing it, and oh, the floor got a taste as well!






Today is James 4th Birthday, and his birthday party was at Chuck'E'Cheese this past Saturday. The kids had a blast, the parents survived and grandparents, well they were exhausted and had headaches.

Need Help

Ok, I promise to post pictures of the kids, I really do! But in the mean time, I need help choosing a new pattern for our stamped concrete patio. I know this is lame, but I just can't decide. Here is what is what is narrowed down to. Please note the coloring will not be the same. I have chosen a brick red color with a beige color release (that means the base concrete will be brick red, and the "release" will be beige, the beige will be what appears in the cracks.) Please note that i have brick on the back of the house. The Ashlar Slate and English Yorkstone are pretty similiar, but one is more irregular.

Ok, here are the 3 patterns:


Random Stone


English Yorkstone



Ashlar Slate

Larry Porterfield, February 21, 1951 to July 28, 2009

Larry Rankin Porterfield was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and spent his childhood in and around Beverly, Ohio. Larry’s aptitude in math and curiosity about the business world was nurtured by his Grandfather Porterfield, who taught him mental toughness and an intense desire to succeed. Growing up, Larry helped with the family farm enough to know that he had different ambitions. He attended The Ohio State University and majored in finance and computer science. At the age of 20, he married his high school sweetheart, Jo, with whom he had two sons. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1972 and started his career at General Electric in their executive training program. He was later recruited by Sprint in 1988 and left in 2002 having served as a Vice President in several key organizations. In the last few years, he was very successful with his own business, The Willow Creek Group, named after the family dairy farm in St Clairesville, Ohio. While he worked hard, he knew how to play too. His love of golf took him all over the country and he played several memorable rounds with Arnold Palmer. Most recently, he stayed at and played the great Augusta National Golf Course this past March. Larry was a loving father, great leader, loyal friend, die-hard Buckeye fan, and card shark. Larry was well known for his mentoring, for living life on his own terms, and his famous “Porterfield-isms”, including “it’s not who you know but who knows you”.
While not a fan of the win-loss record of the KC Chiefs for the last few years, Larry was typically one of the first in the gates for over a decade at most home games in order to scope out the best spot for tailgating. His grilling skills were well known and something he took great pride in. He always estimated cook times as either “one or two highballs”. Since childhood, he also had a passion for Lionel trains and began passing the tradition down to his grandsons this past Christmas, giving each a special edition Ohio State University set that played the fight song.
Larry is survived by his former wife Jo, his two sons, Jason and Alex, their respective wives Andrea and Jamie, and his grandchildren James, Brannon, Alison and “a player to be named” (due August 15th). He is also survived by his brother, Kirke, his devoted friend, Janet Taylor, and countless others whose lives he touched. Visitation will be held from 2-3 pm on Friday July 31st at Mount Moriah Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, KC, immediately followed by the funeral service at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org).

Summertime

Because there is nothing cuter then a baby girl in a swimsuit. My beautiful Ali Mae.






And a bonus, not from the pool, but Little Karen! I mean Alison!





And Classic James

Cale and Pictures from Conner

Without further Adieu, here is Cale Jacob.



These two pictures are for Aunt Jenna and Uncle Reid.
The first is James striking a pose at Mr. McClure's (sorry if I got the spelling wrong) wood shop at Conner.
The second is James making himself at home on the step at McClure's house.