Portia's 1st Birthday

I can't believe our baby girl is one! Sometimes I feel like I just had her. We had all the siblings and our neighbors, the Owens, over for cake and ice cream last night. Portia loved opening her presents (she was pretty good at it, too!).

As you can see, she progressed from the dainty girl to full-fledged finger-painting!

Her favorite presents seem to be her multi-racial baby dolls. I had to laugh because both grandmas bought her dolls in the appropriate color.

This morning Portia had her 12-month check-up. Here's her stats: 20 lbs. 5 oz. (35% weight), 30 in. (80% height) and 43.5 cm. (20% head). I'm happy to report (for those of you who don't read baby charts) that Portia is still long and getting leaner.

Portia's latest accomplishment is her walking. She's getting better every day and is currently able to walk across our family room. She stands up on her own and tries to run. She says about five words and signs about fifteen words. Her current favorite signs are "baby" and "more". She is so fun to have around, even though she's a tad intense!

The Unwise Country

Well, he did what I dreaded. Mitt Romney is done and I am at a loss. Though I was very frustrated with parts of his campaign, I was still hopeful that America might actually choose the good guy. For the next four years, I'm very worried for the state of our country. Maybe we have to hit rock bottom as a country to recognize that we need someone who has morals and guiding principles in the White House. I am grateful that we have the gospel to guide us because we sure aren't going to get leadership from the government.

The Most Addicting Books I've Read This Year!

So, I'm addicted. I confess that I read all three books in three days. My poor house. Luckily, it was a weekend and Ronell could watch the kids. It was pretty easy reading. It better be, due to the fact that it was written for the adolescent audience. I enjoyed this series (obviously) but I didn't like the ending, simply because I think Bella made the wrong choice. I won't give anything away but she has to choose between a vampire (her true love) and her best friend. I think the first book is still the best one. I think if they did a movie, you could do all three in one movie, though it might be a long one. Okay, as a side note: the second book sends the characters to Italy. I'm very proud to say that the city they went to, Volterra, is an ancient city twenty minutes from my last city, Livorno. I went to Volterra probably six times. It was very cool to read about the characters in a city where I could vividly pciture the action. Read this series. But be prepared to be hooked. As my sister Lexie said, "It's like crack." I'll take your word for that one, but don't plan on just reading one!

P.S. Book #4, "Breaking Dawn", is due out in fall 2008 and the movie of "twilight" is in production. Check it out:

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

First Presidency

For those of you who haven't heard, the New First Presidency of the Church is President Thomas S. Monson, President Henry B. Eyring, and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I've attached the story below. I'm very excited and interested to see what changes are in our near future as these wonderful men guide and direct the Church.


http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=2602125