Candy Corn Corner

I know I've probably said it before, but we love Halloween. We love finding kid crafts to do, we love all the fall activities going on, and we love all the sweet treats to make and deliver to friends. So when I found these fun cookies on Pinterest, I couldn't resist making them. They were fun and tiny (almost the size of actual candy corn) and perfect to give to the ladies I visit teach. Also, when discussing our latest happenings, we had our annual ward trunk or treat party which was super fun but unfortunately I didn't take any pictures so you'll just have to wait until Halloween to see our costumes. This time of year is always so busy and exciting and in a few short weeks we'll have the most exciting thing happening to us... a new little baby!

P's First Visit to the Dentist

Today was Porter's first day at the dentist. I am probably a bad mom for waiting this long to take him but life just gets in the way you know? Anyway, I remember Brighton's first appointment and what a big deal it was and how I documented it and everything, and felt terrible when I didn't even bring the camera for Porter. Luckily, this was an amazing children's dentistry and they took your picture if it was your first time seeing the dentist and printed it out for you during your visit. They had all sorts of toys and games and a giant TV for the kids to watch while they get their teeth cleaned. I have to admit I was a little nervous for Porter because I remember B's first visit wasn't the greatest. She was so scared she barely let them open her mouth. I think they were able to use a toothbrush on her 2 front teeth before she started crying. Although Porter is a little timid at times, he's our wild card because you never know what personality you're going to get in these situations. Thankfully, he was fantastic! He stayed still while they flossed, scrubbed, and examined his teeth. He didn't even think twice. And when they were done, he was ready to stay there and play with all the toys. I was pretty proud of him and his bravery. He definitely isn't in his turtle shell as much as Brighton was at this age which makes things run a little smoother. Maybe it's the example Brighton sets for him. Either way, I was grateful we had such a great first dental appointment... and no cavities!

Pinterest Play Dough

I don't like to make a habit of finding online networking sites that will suck me in for hours. People may hate me for saying this but I am not a fan of Facebook and I do not Twitter. So I was really hoping to stay away from Pinterest as I have heard it was an amazing social site to find everything your little crafty/photography/home decorating heart desires. Well, I decided to finally see what the buzz was all about and now sadly I am addicted. I found so many things that I wanted to do, that I just had to turn the computer off and walk away. The next day, I came back with a new purpose: to actually do some of the things that I pinned. So now that you've heard the longest, most boring story, the point is that we made play dough using a great recipe from Pinterest. It was fun and the kids loved being involved. We even put lotion in it to make it smell good. I was feeling very ambitious, but being almost 9 months pregnant it wore me out for the next few hours so the kids played with their new creations while I sat back down on the computer and pinned even more stuff on my Pinterest boards. This could be the start of something very bad.

Take Me Out to Porter's Party

Today was Porter birthday party. We decided to have it a week after his actual birthday so Kyle could be there instead of being stuck cramming for his midterms which is what he did last weekend(oh the life of a grad student!). So anyway, when we asked Porter what kind of party he wanted it always lead back to either a Red Sox or baseball party (it's engrained in our family early on to be Boston fans thanks to their Gpops). So after trying to find just the right Bosox decorum and realizing it was too difficult, I opted for a simpler baseball theme which the P man was just as happy with. We grilled hot dogs, had a baseball cake, hit a balloon-shaped baseball piñata(remember what we've been working on this week? Well there you have it!), we even had the guests autograph a baseball for Porter to keep as a souvenir. It was a lot of fun and although I didn't get any pictures of the friends and fam who came, we appreciated all the people who made Porter's big event so special. Thanks to all!

Party Planning Committee

Porter's birthday party is coming up this friday and my favorite thing to do for my kids' birthdays is make piñatas. This year they were both old enough to help so the second I got out the starch, they were hot on my tails to do it along with me. Like I've said in previous posts, I'm not a big fan of mess and kids just exude disasters, but I decided to keep my cool and enjoy the mess together. It was fun and they were pretty good at tearing, dipping, and placing newspaper everywhere. Now you'll just have to figure what we plan on turning this balloon-shaped blob into before Friday!

Our Pumpkin Patch

Meet our pumpkin family.

We tend to love Halloween in this house quite a bit. Maybe it's the excuse to eat a lot of candy or the super fun decorations. I'm not sure. That's why we've had our halloween stuff up since labor day. So we finally found a monday that kyle could come home a little early and we could do our pumpkins. This year instead of carving (which always leads to Kyle scooping out the gross stuff and me and the kids watching and eventually the kids aren't even interested in doing anything with the pumpkin.) we decided we to each get a little pumpkin and paint it. It was actually one of our favorite family nights ever! We just sat around and talked while we all exercised our artistic abilities. The only downside: I bought washable paint thinking that would be smarter for the kids but by the morning time most of our designs had flaked off of our pumpkins. Oh well. This was definitely a tradition that we're starting so there will be many more painted pumpkins to come.

*The kids insisted on including the little babe that's coming so that's the littlest pumpkin. They were the most devastated that his little face peeled off through the night so I think that was the third face I painted on him. Don't get washable paint to paint a pumpkin! Lesson learned!

Happy Fall

It is finally fall time and for Arizonians, that means it's down in the 70 degree weather. We have finally been able to walk to school without sweltering and it has been a delight. If the next 6 months are like this, AZ could really start to grow on me.

The Big 3

This little guy turned 3 today and I seriously don't know where the time went. He is such a blessing in our lives and we don't know where we'd be without him. There would definitely be a lot less laughter in our lives. That's for sure. He is our funny man. The dinner table is his stage and he's ready to perform at any moment. Not only is he hilarious, but his smile is infectious. He makes everyone around him happy (That's what makes it so hard for me to stay mad at him). He loves fire trucks and trains (like every other boy). His favorite song is still Eye of the Tiger which he enjoys punch dancing to. He is our superhero who's favorite outfit is nothing but underroos which he claims 'make him faster'. His best friend is a close tie between Dad and Brighton and he still likes to snuggle with mom. He is excited to be a big brother although I'm not sure it has hit him yet that he won't be the baby of the family anymore. We have loved every minute of him being the youngest and I know he's up for the challenge of being the big man in the Comin fam. Happy Birthday mister! We love you!

Porter's 3-year-old stats:

Weight: 26.6 lbs (5th percentile)

Height: 35.25 inches (7th percentile)

Porter the Pirate

Anyone who has spent any amount of time with Porter knows that he has the best pirate impression (because he does it ALL the time). When we received a birthday card in the mail from Nana and G'Pops containing this lovely eye patch, his alter ego's ensemble was complete. He has not stopped wearing it since the moment he opened up the card (which was a week ago). It definitely makes us laugh to see him running around with slightly off depth perception yelling ARGGHH! We love our little pirate and can't believe he's already going to be 3!

Conference Friends

Conference weekend was great for us, as most conference weekends are. We were able to make yummy monkey bread for breakfast, build a fort to watch conference in, and spend an entire weekend nestled in our house. It was the usual traditions we like to do. I came out of the kitchen after making breakfast to find some friends had joined us to hear the conference speakers. Brighton said "They want to hear conference too mom because it's really important." After that she promptly went back to coloring and bugging her brother. At least someone knows the magnitude of what we hear during these weekends.

Also, after the last session we decided to walk down the road to the duck pond in our neighborhood. We were feeding the ducks and Porter had a big piece of bread in his hand when this duck caught him off guard and snatched it right out of his hand! Porter was a little frightened at the ordeal so Kyle picked him up to console him when this same duck walked up behind Kyle and pecked at his leg! I almost got the actual peck on camera, but it didn't happen. You can just imagine the duck's bill landing on Kyle's leg and me almost falling over with laughter. It was comical. The kids had a good time but I'm not sure when they'll be up for going to see the aggressive ducks again.

Hello Charlie

During the priesthood session of General Conference we went with Kyle's cousin and aunt and all our kids to a really fun park close to their house. I forget how much I enjoy hanging out with family until I get the opportunity to do so. This was one of those times. It has been so nice having them close by. So anyway, we went to the park together and they got a brand new puppy a week or so ago and the kids were in l-o-v-e. Porter was grinning from ear to ear when he got to hold little Charlie. Now if only we could get Kyle on board with having a little Chihuahua like this one instead of a gigantic Great Dane which is what his heart has been set on for years.