4Porters - John Cheri Brook Summer

Hello From Jacksonville FLA!

2007-08-18T12:50:00.001-07:00

Williams Boat

2007-08-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

We have two boats going out today. The Kurtz's boat which I am on taking the pictures and the Williams boat wich you see in the picture.

Little Talbot

2007-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

We have arrived by water at our destination.

Tubing

2007-08-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

Michelle, Brook and Amy get to go tubing. We are in Chuck Kurtz's boat and he is driving!

Hanging On The Beach

2007-08-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is the beach at Ft. George. The Porters sure do appreciate the Williams and Kurtzs inviting us out on the boat to go to Ft. George. Its always a wonderful time.

Childhood Friend

2007-08-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is my childhood friend Daniel Finn. He was my best friend from 5th grade till my Sr. year of High School. I left for college and we lost touch. We have pretty much been out of contact until now. I am so happy that we reunited! Dan stayed the night on his way back from NJ. I cant wait to meet the rest of his family.

Summer Synchronized Swimming

2007-08-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Summer is getting ready for the Olympics - Dad is getting a water workout!

Brook Synchronized Swimming

2007-08-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Brook synchronized swimming - what year Olympics would she be eligible for?

Dad - The Underwater Taxi

2007-08-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is just one of the services I provide the children in the pool. Underwater taxi.

Popsicles

2007-08-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Brook and Summer have popsicles in the pool with Grandma and Grandpa

Girls And Grandpa

2007-08-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Porter sisters love swimming in the pool with Grandpa - it was a great visit!

A Picture Is Worth A Thoursand Words

2007-08-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words - I would like to know what words you think of when you seen this picture. Please Post comments and let us know. And no this is not a staged photo! :-)

A Good Sister

2007-08-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

Isabella is being very patient with her little sister. Grandma and Grandpa Bicknase wonder if the patience is about to run out.

Brookie Sneaks In

2007-08-18T12:16:00.000-07:00

Brookie Sneaks in to see what's going on!

Emma

2007-08-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Emma on Independance Day

Independance Day

2007-08-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

The ladies hanging out by the pool on Independance Day

Independance Day Party

2007-08-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Just hanging out celebrating Independance Day!

On Judds Boat

2007-08-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here we are on Judds boat - the gentleman in the picture is Robert, he is Maria's brother. He helpled me with the rock project below.

Summer On The Beach

2007-08-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Summer walking on the beach in Ft. George

Air Judd

2007-08-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Judd - Style in Motion

ELEVEN CUBIC YARDS OF ROCK!

2007-08-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes thats what 11 cubic yards of 1.5" river rock looks like - Robert helped me. It took us 8 hours to put the weed barrier and the rock down.

Front Yard Border and Rock Project

2007-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is how the front looks now. We did this project all around the house. I think it looks great. It was a lot of hard work. It makes mowing and edging a snap. We layed down a weed preventing fabric so I dont have to many weeds popping up. When they do I just hit them with RoundUp. I would love to post all the pictures but

I dont want to bore you! :-)

Diplomas

2007-08-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

Basket of the childrens diplomas.

Brooks Graduating Class

2007-08-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Brooks and her graudating class

Brook Graduates Kindergarten

2007-08-18T10:52:00.001-07:00

Brook recieves her diploma from her teacher Ms. Allison

2007-08-14T16:44:00.000-07:00

Summer bouncing on the trampoline out at Fort George.

Heres the Team

2007-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

From Left to right starting with the back row; McKenzie, Brielle, Brook, Coach Mike, Dyland and Josh! GO TEAM!

Picture Day - Minutes Before the Game

2007-03-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Brook and her soccer ball.

Running for the Ball

2007-03-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Theres a lot of determination on those faces, I wonder if Brook is thinking about scoring her first goal...

Brooks Scores Her First Goal!

2007-03-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

Brook scores her first goal, what a wonderful moment. There was much rejoicing!

Goal Number 2

2007-03-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Brook scores her second goal - proof this is not beginners luck. And there was much rejoicing again (see coach in background)!

Parent Tunnel

2007-03-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Everyone is a winner and and everyone gets to go through the 'Parent Tunnel'. Congratulations Brook! We are all very proud of you!

How Many Kids Fit In a John Deere Tractor

2007-02-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Of course all the children wanted to go on the tractor ride at the same time! I think the total number of people in he cab was 9. I am not sure if that number included Grandpa Roger or not. :-)

After the tractor ride we had a short ride to Mike and Sara's home. Its almost 9 PM here and we just got done having a make your own pizza party. Yes, I know I am not very original and I am going to plagerize this cooking idea too! Jax crew we will be having one of these partys at our home when we get back. Mike and Sara's new home is beautiful and I am ready to test out the mattress in our bedroom for 'sleep-ability' because all that fresh air and fun has worn me out... unless the internet connection allows me to pay WoW for a bit - or two bits maybe.

We miss and love you all family and friends!

Grandpa Roger Gets the Tractor

2007-02-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

Its the end of he day now and Grandpa Roger gets out one of the tractors.

Who Needs Pilates

2007-02-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Who needs Pilates (or any gym for that matter) when you can jump hay bales. Its hard to see from the picture but the bales are seperated by a couple of feet. Jumping between them is great fun. Watching children jump from bale to bale was fun. Watching them jump, not make it, bounce of the bale, fall into the snow was a bit nerve racking but the snow and the bales are pretty soft and nobody got hurt! :-)

Grandpa Roger: A Lesson on Cows and Farm Life

2007-02-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

Schools closed on Presidents day but Grandpa Roger teaches Brook and Summer about cows and farm life.

Sara Kicks It Up a Notch

2007-02-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Speed demon Sara kicked it up a notch when she drove!

No Hills for Sledding

2007-02-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

There were no hill for sledding buy you dont have to worry about that with Grandpa Roger around. He knows how to improvise! (Jacksonville guys, this is right up our alley, remember Jet-Skis in the ocean during a hurricane)

Holdig a Chicken

2007-02-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

...held a chicken...

Feeding the Colt

2007-02-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

...fed the colt...

Snowball Fight on the Farm

2007-02-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

...had another snowball fight...

Rabbits

2007-02-19T16:39:00.000-08:00

Then we played with rabbits...

Summer Says 'Yippe Kiyaaaa'

2007-02-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

Summer loved the horse.

Roger Saddles Up the Horse

2007-02-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Roger saddled up the horse for the kids to ride on. I dont know much about horses but this one was kind, gentle and new the 'horse riding experience' of the human riding on it. Slow for the kids and peppy for the adults.

Brook and Puppy

2007-02-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

Brook found a beautiful puppy quickly!

Day 2: At the Olsen Farm

2007-02-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

Its now day 2 and we just arrived at the Olsen Farm. Roger and Bonnie Olsen (Mike Bicknase' mother and father in law) opened up their beautiful home and farm to the whole family. Sara's sisters and nieces and nephews were also there and they brought a big surprie with them for the chidren. We all had the time of our lives. The hospitality was fantastic, the air was crisp and clean and all of the farm animals were ready to participate. It was a great day! In this picture Sara's sister arrives with a basket full of beautiful puppies (thats the surprise)! One puppy per child please. :-)

Snowball Fight and Snow Angels at the Gandparents Home

2007-02-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

All kinds of mayhem going on here! From snow angels to snowball fights!

Grandma Goes Sledding

2007-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Grandma likes sledding too!

2007-02-19T15:21:00.000-08:00

Lining up for the big race (Daytona 500 of Marshall MN). In order from left to right; JP, Mike Bicknase, Sawyer Bicknase, Sara Bicknase, Summer Porter, Brook Porter, Papa Bicknase, Tim Bicknase, Jake Tisher.

2007-02-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Brook and Dad sledding!

Helping a Friend Up the Hill

2007-02-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

Brook helping Kate up the hill.

2007-02-19T14:58:00.000-08:00

Hello From Minnesota - Here are some photos from our first day in MN. Its cold but we are warm from the hospitality, love, good food and warm clothes that the family has provided for us.

This photo was taken by Cheri we first arrived at the sledding hill at the park. The park is right around the corner from Grandma and Grandpa Bicknase' home. PLEASE NOTE YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE THEM 'FULL SIZE'.

New Year Update

2007-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Since we didn't send an update letter for Christmas, I thought we should give a quick snipit on how things are at the Porter house. We have had a mixture of blessings and hardships in 2006. Luckily, the blessings outweigh.

In April, John and I were in a car accident that did considerable damage to my car and unfortunately the other driver, who was at fault, was uninsured and unlicensed. The blessing here was that the girls were not with us. The hardship was the repair process and John's recovery. He has damage to his back and neck that has given him a year of pain and a lot of sleepless nights. At this point, he is recovering and the pain is manageable most of the time. We are still waiting to settle with our insurance company so the drama continues.

On the blessings side, as you can see, we were able to put in a pool that has already added a lot of joy to this household. Jacksonville winters have some warm days and some pretty cold ones (not compared to MN) however the pool is heated and the girls ask to go in every day. We can't wait to see what it will be like during the summer time. Everyone tells us it will keep our kids closer to home as they get older so hopefully that will be an added bonus.

Brook and Summer at doing well at daycare/Pre-K. It is hard for mommy to start preparing for kindergarten and I will be taking the first day of school off to mourn my baby growing up too fast. I almost cried on the elementary school tour. Letting them go is hard.

At the end of the year John received the promotion he was hoping for to QA Manager of SII. He worked very hard for it and has become a key piece in the company. The owner hopes to take the company public in the next 4 years so hopefully it will be good all around.

I am hanging in there and trying to keep up with the duties of a working mother. I still work in the Legal Dept at PHH Mortgage - 10 years this Sept. I am the jack of all trades in this job so it certainly isn't boring BUT I go home at 5:00 every day so I cant ask for more, plus I'm getting the "big vacation" now.

Otherwise, we love all of the family email updates. Hopefully this 'technology' thing (blog, e-mail etc.) will keep us in touch more.

We were very excited to hear about John & Jill's adoption. Congratulations to them!

I miss you all!!!

Cheri

Family Portrait

2007-01-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful experience at Portrait Innovations - thats where this photo was taken. The price was resonable, the service was fantastic and when your done you get a CD of all the photos taken. I love how all the girls look in this photo - JP

Pool

2007-01-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

We have really been enjoying the pool and the unseasonably warm weather!

The Porters Have a Blog Address

2007-01-16T15:48:00.000-08:00

Welcome
Thank you for visiting our site. Our blog will be updated on a weekly basis so stop by once a week to see what is going on in our lives!