Please, Please, Please Tell Me It is a Phase...

Porter has started a horrible thing. About every third sentence out of his mouth begins with " I hate....". It is driving me nuts!! Completely aggravating, yelling , mad!! I have asked him to stop saying that, etc. He really frustrating part is that about 80% of the stuff isn't something he dislikes. He simply likes the phrase....I'm guessing.

To bring home the point, I told him that the next time he said that at the dinner table, I was going to make him eat a huge spoonful of whatever the items was. He then asked me what I meant. I explained again that whenever he says "I hate....." then I would get a huge spoonful of that food and he would have to eat it. Mr. Smarty-Pants was really quick with his next thought....'Mom, I HATE watermelon!" I was dumbfounded...seriously...I had to walk into the laundry room to keep from just freaking out on him!!! He then yelled, "Mom, did you hear me? I HATE watermelon!!" "Aren't you gonna cut the watermelon and make me eat it?"

Let's just say that Matt stepped in and quickly told Porter to cut it out and behave. I just went to work on laundry and tried not to laugh or cry too loud!!

Summer Conference in Augusta

The only trip (besides the wedding) for our summer was to tag along with Matt to his GVATA summer conference. We played while he was in meetings all day.

One activity was to go to the other side of the conference area and let the boys run wild. Here is Dixon in action.

Taking a quick break from the racing.

Porter also was sword fighting the "bad guys" getting them put under arrest.

Taking care of more bad guys.

Finally, the victor!

Another activity was walking along the riverwalk. We spent a lot of time doing this fun activity.

Sliding at riverwalk park.

Taking a break from the play ground.

We counted the animals we would pass. The highest count was 13 turtles and 8 ducks, 1 egret, 2 squirrels and lots of fish. We even learned that the turtles and ducks would eat our pretzels.

One afternoon we learned that the science center offers half price admission near closing time. So we packed up the stroller and headed down the riverwalk to visit the science center. The had a lot of exhibits but most of it was over our head. Porter did enjoy sitting on this motorcycle though.

Family Fun Day

A favorite family day for us is to visit Stone Mountain Park. We had a rare non-humid afternoon so packed a picnic and headed for the mountain. It turned out to be a great outing for the whole family. Porter was really excited for the 4-D Dinosaur movie...until we got in line! I decided to go see it by myself and Matt took the boys on the sky lift to the top of the mountain. I enjoyed the movie and Porter would have freaked out and we would have left about 4 minutes into a 20 minute movie. The train ride around the mountain is still the favorite activity. We did not get to go on the big boat. Turns out that this summer they have cut the hours to a lot of those activities and just do them on the weekends. Another really fun part of the day was the ball war in The Barn. Dixon couldn't believe he could throw balls and not get into trouble. He was in heaven.. not to mention the slides! Porter and Matt had fun climbing all over the various levels and waging their own little war.

Sitting on top of the mountain.

Tired little guy just as the laser show is about to begin. Can you guess how much he watched?

Porter loved the show. The fireworks were his favorite part.

Random Summer Pictures

Dixon found a cooler to stand on at Aunt Trisha's house and was ever so quietly trying to use a cheese grater to dig into her birthday cake....I spoiled that plan real quick! Love my sweet tooth little boy!!

Dixon and Porter at one of our favorite Saturday morning breakfast spots...Chick- fil -A. Dixon is showing us "happy face".

Here is our favorite expression...."Frowny Face"

The boys wrestling around the living room.

Porter was building a block fort and wanted Dixon to 'stay away'.

Cousin Gina's Wedding in Virginia

At the first of June, we took a very, very quick trip to Richmond for cousin Gina's wedding. We were blessed to there for her special day. It was great to visit with Uncle Ander's kids for the afternoon. We love them and wish we could spend more time together.

Dixon is amazed at his clown sundae.

Porter loved his double scoop...watermelon sorbet and orange sherbet.

Gina and Michael...sorry for the darkness.

Uncle Ander walking her down the pathway.

flower girls, cousin Kaylin and Gina step daughter Kate.

Last Day of School

Now that we are back in school in 2 1/2 weeks, I am remembering to post his last day photos. He was happy to have summer vacation!

Pre-K Moving Up Ceremony

The school year went by so quickly...I am just now realizing I never posted these pictures. Too bad it isn't fresh in my memory!!! I do remember being so happy that I was able to get a friend to babysit the kiddos so that I could attend the program by myself and just focus on Porter. He was so excited, he begged to wear a tie. Here are some pictures from his big day. Enjoy...especially Uncle Jared who never gets to see this adorable guy in action!!

Porter with his buddy, John. These two could find mischief quickly!!

Porter and his teacher, Ms. Banks.