Joan Ellen Cornell: porter

7:30 AM

Many faces

7:30 AM

We get bored...we take pics on Photobooth for 20 minutes. The many faces of Porter and me :)

We get bored...we take pics on Photobooth for 20 minutes.

The many faces of Porter and me :)

11:33 PM

Sunshine

11:33 PM

You are my sunshine my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You'll never know dear how much I love you So...

You are my sunshine

my only sunshine

You make me happy

when skies are grey

You'll never know dear

how much I love you

So please don't take

my sunshine away

11:28 PM

Miss you

11:05 PM

Just got off work. P is with his Nina (Jeremy's mom) for the night. I miss him. Wanna know what I do when he's gone and I mis...

Just got off work.

P is with his Nina (Jeremy's mom) for the night.

I miss him.

Wanna know what I do when he's gone and I miss him?

I watch videos like this one...

10:56 PM

Then and now...

10:56 PM

Before Porter, life really was so different, not better or worse, but different. BUT, there are those "little things" that wer...

Before Porter, life really was so different, not better or worse, but different.

BUT, there are those "little things" that were so easy back then...

- Taking a shower. You know how many times a week I get to actually ENJOY a shower? Usually not once. It's hard to take your time in there when you have a toddler climbing things, spilling things, coloring on things, getting into things...

- Eating, in peace. Porter is about as bad a dog when it comes to begging for food. He sees you eating something, he wants it. RIGHT NOW. And if you don't want to give him it, he freaks out. So I have to sneak junk food so it doesn't end up in his little paws...

- Sleeping in. This rarely happens these days. P's up by 8-8:30 almost every day, sometimes earlier. Hello mornings.

- Taking 2 minutes to get out the door. Yeah right. More like 15 these days. Longer when he decides he's gonna run circles around the kitchen island in order to avoid getting his shoes or coat on. I can't wait until summer, the kid's gonna be barefoot 24/7, haha.

- Speaking of getting out the door- there's no just running to the store quick at midnight. Or anytime. It's either an ordeal, or doesn't happen.

- Work? Ha. You know how much it sucks being a single parent and having to plan a babysitter 4-5 times a week most weeks? Especially when I work mostly nights and my schedule changes from week to week. UGH.

- Clean carpet. Doesn't exist in my life. Probably won't for another 16 years.

- Cartoons then= Family Guy, American Dad, South Park. Cartoons now= Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina (yeah, P likes it...who knows, haha).

Alright, we'll end the list there. And i'm not complaining, not at all. Just pointing out :)

And then he walks into the room like this, and I wonder what I even did before him...

12:43 AM

Amazing boy.

12:43 AM

This little boy. I cried today. Details left out, but I did. You wanna know what he did? He came over and looked at me with this...

This little boy.

I cried today.

Details left out, but I did.

You wanna know what he did?

He came over and looked at me with this concerned look,

and he started patting my leg.
Bless his little heart.

Off to bed to cuddle with my mini.

Gnight loves :)

2:48 PM

Ice Skating

2:48 PM

I loved to ice skate when I was younger. Honestly, I don't remember when I learned, maybe sometime in grade school? I know that in ...

I loved to ice skate when I was younger.

Honestly, I don't remember when I learned, maybe sometime in grade school?

I know that in middle school I was at the rink all the time,

and in the early years of high school.

My girlfriends and I would be at open skate every single weekend,

flirting with all of the hockey players, haha.

I loved it though, and it is something that I hope P will love as well.

Today went pretty well.

I put my skates on first so he could see me walk in them, then I laced up his.

He honestly got up and just started walking all over the place, haha.

After a few minutes, we attempted the ice.

He was scared at first and wouldn't really do it, so I skated around and he watched me from the bench.

After a while, we left the rink to get a drink and he found the vending machine.

Light bulb.

I bought him some Mike and Ike's, and we headed back to the rink.

I would give him one, tell him to put it in his mouth,

and then position his hands on the walker and he would go!

After a min or two, he would sit and sign "more",

I would give him another that he would put in his mouth,

and we would go again until that one was gone.

We skated around on and off for almost a half hour before he was truly done.

I am so freaking proud of him though,

and towards the end he was having so much fun :)

(video at the end)

10:04 PM

My little dancer :)

10:04 PM

8:06 PM

Bass Pro Shop Santa Visit

8:06 PM

So i'm catching up on posts right now. I finally got a new charger for my computer so I can edit photos again. A few days befor...

So i'm catching up on posts right now.

I finally got a new charger for my computer so I can edit photos again.

A few days before Christmas, I took Porter to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops.

They seriously have the BEST set-up.

When you get there, you get a set time to see him.

In our case, it was two hours later.

But they have a restaurant and tons of things to do while you wait...all free!

Well, besides the restaurant, of course.

So we ate lunch, and kept ourselves plenty busy for two hours :)

Watching the fishes.

Just hanging out with the bears...

The carousel :)

Trying to catch the monster trucks other kids were controlling.

Me and P :)

P.S. Not sure why the photos have black in the corners...

I don't feel like going back and fixing them all,

so it stays like that.

Sorry!

10:58 AM

Christmas Lights are UNSAFE for kids!!!

10:58 AM

Remember this picture of Porter from last year? It was so cute. But after reading about Christmas lights being full of lead, I f...

Remember this picture of Porter from last year?

It was so cute.

But after reading about Christmas lights being full of lead,

I feel like a failure for putting Porter in this danger.

I read this article and now realize how unsafe these lights actually are.

The PVC insulation that insulates the wiring is full of lead, and extremely high levels of it.

So even though these types of photos are ALL OVER Pinterest,

please do your research first, as I should have done.

9:03 AM

Hehehe

9:03 AM

This is only funny because he didn't really get hurt...haha Don't feel bad if you crack up, I did :)

7:00 AM

DIY Play-Doh

7:00 AM

There are so many benefits of the use of Play-Doh in play. Fine motor development, imagination and creativity, muscle development, coor...

There are so many benefits of the use of Play-Doh in play.

Fine motor development, imagination and creativity, muscle development, coordination-

are just a few of the things that it can be useful for.

I decided to make my own...and i'm sharing the method with you!

You will need:

2 cups plain flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

1 3/4 cup boiling water

food coloring

2 teaspoons glycerin

Directions:

1. Mix flour, vegetable oil, salt, and cream of tartar in a plastic bowl.

2. Add the boiling water.

3. Stir until it starts to become a play-doh-ish texture.

4. Add food coloring and glycerin.

5. Take it out of the bowl and knead it until it is no longer sticky. If it stays too sticky, add more flour until it reaches a good consistency.

PLAY!

11:32 AM

Toddler bowling...

11:32 AM

Taking a 20 month old kiddo bowling a few weeks ago? Not such a great idea, haha. I didn't get many pictures, because... ...

Taking a 20 month old kiddo bowling a few weeks ago?

Not such a great idea, haha.

I didn't get many pictures, because...

He kept picking up balls and dropping them on the floor, running around the whole place like a crazy person, and getting in our way when we were trying to bowl.

When we first got there and were getting our shoes on, he ran onto a lane and proceeded to fall over because the lane was all slippery with wax, haha.

It was pretty funny :)

He also "rolled" the ball down the lane, where it eventually came to a complete stop and a worker had to go retrieve it.

Luckily, it was in the middle of a weekday and no one else was there!

Soooo, Porter probably won't be going bowling again for another year or so...