Porter's Splash Fest Birthday

ice cream cake, Porter's very favorite!

yummy picnic foods, hot dogs and orange slices...

little boys, water guns, sunshine; could it be more perfect?

Two token girls were invited to the party; neighbor Lily, and cousin Ella. They are tough enough to hang with the boys and keep our Porter in line :)

Porter wanted a water fight for his ninth birthday. We delivered it in the form of a splash party, lunch included. After hotdogs and other picnic foods the kids soaked one another (and ME!) with water guns, squirt bottles, water balloons (launchers included, those things are fun!) and the garden hose. Once the guests were fully drenched we served Ice Cream cake and sang Happy Birthday. The rest of the party was spent in the next door neighbor's swimming pool. It was a fun afternoon for a really fun little boy.

Porter is so endeared to me, because he still likes to hug me and wants me to be proud of him. The other day I discovered that in a moment of anger he had written (with SHARPIE marker) 'molly is stupid' on our driveway. I was upset, but, due to his attendance at basketball camp, had some time to think through my reaction. Porter came home. I was waiting in the driveway. I spoke quietly. I explained my shock and dismay at seeing such unkind words written about one of my children. Who would do such a thing? I asked. Porter began to cry. I began to cry. I told him that Molly is my daughter, and she didn't deserve to have words written forever about her that were unkind...

I had scrubbed and scrubbed the driveway to get those words off before my Molly had seen them. So Porter scrubbed and scrubbed the grill of the car to get the dead bugs off...tit for tat. In his tears and humiliation Porter felt remorse. He had made his mother cry, and he vowed never to do it again.

That's the kind of kid Porter is. And I love him, all of him.

Happy Birthday Porter!