Out on the Farm

I should be wrapping presents and mailing out Christmas cards, but I am months behind on posting and everyone is still sleeping so I thought I should do a little catching up. On a beautiful day in Oct, Tyler and Mack went and climbed a mountain so the rest of us went off to near by pumpkin farms. I love having the grandsons close enough to have outings like this. I wish the rest of the babies were close by too.

 Henry used his climbing stills to concur giant pumpkins. I tried all day to get him to look at the camera but had no luck.

Wally was another story, he knew every time the camera came out. He was his normal perfect self all day and sat happy just enjoying the ride.

There were corn mazes, tractor rides, cow trains, pony rides and yummy treats. We couldn't get Henry to go on any of the rides this year. He mostly liked watching the chickens and just exploreing the pumpkins.

Pumpkin inspecting can be very serious business

For Wally I think the day was just another photo opportunity.

Bend in the Road

It has been about 3 months since I last posted and there is a really good reason for it, October. You read that right, I blame October, the very beginning. We hit an unexpected blend in life's road and most things after are a blurr.

On the first Sunday of the month we got a call from our stake president asking if he could come by and visit with us, what could we say? We didn't really want to visit with him, knowing very little good news came from an unexpected visit from your Stake President. He asked Kim if he had any appointments or other plans for that afternoon and if so, he should call and let them know he would be late because this could take some time. At that news my heart sank. The first thing that I thought was there was something wrong with my missionary. We couldn't think of another reason the stake president would want to talk to us for so long. Maybe there was going to be a change in the stake Young Men's, but we didn't think so and we had recently gotten a new High Councilor for our ward, so that couldn't be it. It all came back to our missionary. I was so worried by this time, I asked Kim if we could please have prayer together before the Stake President got to our home so I could handle whatever the news may be. When the President arrived, he asked to talk to Kim alone, and I was relived; I assumed it was a stake calling and left the two alone. A short time later I was invited to join them. The first thing I asked was did this concern our missionary. The President looked at me surprised and with a big smile said no. He had never thought we might suspect something was wrong with our son, with a big sigh of relief I sat down. Kim still didn't know why the President wanted to see us and there sat the President with a big smile. Kim was asked to serve as our ward bishop. We both sat there silent with our mouths open. This was the one thing we had joked about but thought we were safe from. We had only live in Mukilteo for just over a year; I felt like I knew no one and Kim knew even less. Bishops now seem to be younger and Kim is 50. The Stake President stayed and helped us deal with this shock to our systems for about an hour. I was still relieved that our missionary was safe and healthy, but numb with my husbands new calling and I knew our ward would be too. I was sure some would ask, "Who's Kim Porterfield?"

Kim's 50th surprise birthday party

So I will answer that question, the greatest husband and dad ever. He is known for his plaid shirts, great laugh and big smile. He's the best skier on the slopes, a fan of F1 and any team his kids play on.

He likes Oreo's dipped in running water, ice cream and late night movies with his kids. He speaks German like a German, exploring Europe and all things Scottish. He is more romantic than he admits, tolerates his wifes love of BBC and he's the guy you want on your side when someone tries to bully you or your when you're in trouble. He has the biggest heart and the emptiest wallet; he is so loved by his children they made him a fan page on facebook; his daughters girlfriends often love him long before they meet him. Joseph Smith is one of his hero's, but only after our Savior Jesus Christ . So there is an introduction to Kim A Porterfield.



with Karly at BYU-I



Kyle and Kim at the Ballard Locks Salomon ladder

It would be two weeks before Kim would be sustained at church because of General Conference so there where very few we could talk to about this big change in our live. We told all our kids but Kloe ahead of time, so they could make plans in case they wanted to come out for Kim's sustaining. Kloe found out as we were leaving for church the day of because we were afraid she would slip and tell someone or post it on facebook. She could barely contain herself and as we came in the door from church she walked right to the computer and posted it on facebook.

Holding Kloe's prize pig

  The Saturday of the same week Kim was sustain in church , we were in the Seattle Temple attending Stake Temple night. Still in shock,  we went through the night like deers in headlights. As we left the Temple I checked my phone for missed calls and I had 3. The first was from a good friend in Encinitas congratulating us on Kyle's engagement! What!?! He wasn't engaged before we went in to the temple. We knew it was coming and could happen really anytime, but Kyle is the child that tells me everything  . . . really everything! The next message was from Kyle simple saying he needed to talk to me, Kim had the same message. I don't even remember hearing the next message.

Kyle and Megan at the Ballard Locks

Kyle had proposed that night to Megan Schiess from Henderson, Nevada. We love Megan and are so excited for them. Megan came with us on our family vacation this summer to Lake Shasta and we knew she was the one when she joined in with the sisters as they teased Kyle and helped Kyle fly off the tube during tub wars.

Kyle and Megan at Lake Shasta

Kyle and Megan met up at school in one of their classes and were friends as he dated lots of other girls including a date with her best friend. She was the one who was suppose to help him stay single and focus on school. Megan has been out to visit us here in Washington twice and we love seeing her and look forward to her being a member of our family

The morning of the Saturday Kyle and Megan got engaged, we received some very sad news, our daughters church building had been set on fire. They attend church here in Mukilteo, but are in a neighboring stake to ours. Kim, who had not even conducted a Sunday yet, found out quickly that he was the agent bishop of our building and was responsible for helping one of the misplaced wards settle into our building until theirs is rebuilt. It's hard to believe someone dislikes the Mormons enough that they would destroy their place of worship. Over the next few days I read news articles about the event and peoples comments. There were some very hurtful things said about Mormons. It's sad to think in today's world, where people are expected to be open minded, there are still those so full of hate for a religion and way of life.

Harbor Point Ward Building

just breath

As I got out of the shower this morning I burst into tears.  .  .   

why?

 I usually do my crying in the shower not as I am getting out, it's easier on the eyes and my face doesn't get as red. 

There was really no reason for the tears and there was no warning, other than the thought I had just had that unless plans change, it will only be Kim and I with Karly, Kloe and Kyle on Christmas morning. To some this still seems like a large group, but to our family this is almost an empty house. The thought that came right after that was that this could be Kyle's last Christmas morning as my little boy. No, you have not missed any thing, Kyle is not engaged, but he is a returned missionary and I count each holiday with him as possible the last before he is married and off to his in-laws home instead of ours where he belongs.

This last month reality hit Kim and I in the face. I spent the summer mending my broken ankle and not thinking about the impending changes fall would bring. Knowing I would have to be out of town early Sept, I spent late July and early Aug. shopping for fall. I enjoyed getting Kloe ready for 8th grade without admitting she would actually attend school as an 8th grader. I cherished the shopping with Karly getting her ready for college without ever considering that she would actually leave home and go away to school. As far as Kyle, I just refuse to shop for him, so he snuck things into the piles. Kloe turned 13 just days after our family vacation and I left town the next day to handle house business in southern California. Kim was left in charge of making sure Kloe was on time for her first day of school and someone took pictures of her, also that Karly and Kyle were packed and ready to leave for college. I was so busy while in California I never had time to think about my babies growing up and leaving home. I was home for less than 24 hours and we were on the road taking Karly and Kyle off to college. On the drive back home Kim and I talked about how quiet things would be with just ourselves and Kloe, still not until this morning and the quiet had settled in did reality hit me that my babies are growing up and I am almost out of a job.

I have thought about going back to school or spending lots of time volunteering or getting a part time job, but none of those things will give me my babies back, they are wonderful, healthy people, growing up and going on their own just like they should and I am having to reminding myself

to just breath.

Grandbabies

. . . . are heaven on earth!

Last month for a few short days, we had all 6 of our grandbaies together.

  Kerin and little Junie were here for a visit and we took advantage of the moment.

  Kassey and Will took some pictures for us out on our lawn.

I am not a bragger, but we really do have the best grandbabies in the world. Don't believe me just ask our kids