Christmas Eve... T-Bird Style

I know I'm doing a little catch up here, but I wanted to get in everything that we did while my mom was here before the new year, so bear with me. On Christmas Eve, we went hiking up Thunderbird Mountain which was actually our first time going out there. It's a great park with a ton of hiking trails for miles and miles. It's about 5 minutes away and this was the first time! It's crazy to me how little time you feel you have to do the things you want to when you have a husband in school and 3 little kids. Anyway, we were grateful to finally make it out there and it was a gorgeous day out (On Christmas Eve?! I love AZ) so we were able to each lunch and spend the day outdoors. Porter definitely found his calling in life when we were there. He was the leader and hiked up all the treacherous terrain on his own (Kyle was close behind in case anything happened). The two boys even went off the path to climb up the steep portion of the mountain as you can see below:

Even though Porter loves the outdoors, I don't think he will grow up to be much of an environmentalist because when they got back down from the cliff, we found this sign where they had just traveled:

Anyway, it was a great Christmas Eve and I can honestly say I've never experienced such a beautiful day in the middle of winter!

Week 7

This kid is getting cuter and chunkier by the minute. He is finally staying awake and not crying all the time. He eats like a champ and we can't get enough of him. We love our little Graham Cracker!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas (a day late)! I always put up my Christmas card and this year I combined it with the birth announcement so here is a smathering of good tidings and news for you to enjoy! Hope your day was great!

I love to See the Temple... Lights

Since we've lived in Arizona, all the members of our ward have raved about the lights at the temple. The Mesa Temple goes all out and decorates the palm trees, has musical programs every night, and sparkles the entire temple grounds with Christmas lights. We knew we had to make the trip out there when my mom was here, so we bundled up and headed to Mesa. Unfortunately, we decided to go on the worst night for weather. It was windy, stormy, and super cold. The kids even had to wear their winter coats! We only stayed about 5 minutes because we were so freezing but it was fun and the lights were beautiful so the trip was worth the little jaunt.

Week 6

He is 6-weeks-old and the time cruises! His eyes seem to be getting wider and his cheeks are getting chunkier by the day. It's just too bad his scrawny legs haven't caught up with the rest of his body yet! He's a little bit of a fussy baby and the evening times are the worst (we think he's a little bit colicky), but he's sleeping well during the night with only 1-2 wake ups so I can't complain. More wonderful quilts were sent to us by my mom. Growing up, whenever my mom would sit down, she always had a quilt on her lap. She was always hand stitching quilts for family members or friends so each time we have a new baby, we know a quilt is not far behind. That being said, my mom made this super cute dino quilt for Graham and I couldn't resist using it as a background. She has a real talent and it's such a special heirloom for each of my kids to have from their Nana. Anyway, the little gus is 6-weeks-old which means I can officially start working out again! The only struggle will be finding time to do it now with 3 kids in tow! Wish me luck!

A Day of Performances

Today Brighton had her very first tap dance recital and my parents were lucky enough to be here for it. She has been loving taking classes and finally got to show off her stuff. To be honest, I was terrified for her. Brighton can tend to be introverted when it comes to the spotlight being on her so I was super worried that she'd get out there on that big stage with all the lights and start crying or something, but that was not the case. She remembered her routine (which was All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth by Alvin and the Chipmunks and it was the cutest routine ever) little and smiled the whole time. The day before they had a dress rehearsal and we talked about stage fright and how it's normal to be a little nervous so I think that helped her panic to be subsided. Maybe it was me remembering all the times I performed when I was little that made me freak out a bit, but it all turned out great and I couldn't have been prouder. It was the first time I really felt like my little girl was not so little anymore and it made me cry. But they were happy tears. Anyway, Kyle brought her a rose at the end of the performance and she was ecstatic. We are so proud of our tiny dancer.

Then later on that night we had our ward Christmas Party and the primary was supposed to get on the stage and sing. Brighton was dressed as an angel using one of Kyle's dress shirts and it was cute. Right before she had to go up on the stage she turned to me and said, "Mom, this one is a piece of cake." so after a long day of performing, I guess the stage and her are friends.

And to top it off, Santa was there. This was the first year Brighton actually just climbed up on his lap by herself and told him what she wanted. She was such a good example that Porter wasn't scared of Santa and he followed right after her with a big smile on his face. It was the perfect end to a great day. The only bummer was that my dad left today, but I still have my mom around for a while so we are in good hands.

Week 5

Graham is officially 5-weeks-old and his photo shoot can be described with one word: squirmy. He has been kicking and squirming like crazy since he's been awake a lot more now. I just had to put him on his new and super cute blanket my sister just sent him. My sister is ridiculously creative and crafty and this is her first attempt at quilting so I had to document how amazing she is. Anyway, 5 weeks down, 47 more to go until little chicken legs becomes a full year!

The Not-So-Great Architects

The other night we made our annual gingerbread house. I'm a fan of the boxed gingerbread houses you buy at Wal Mart so that's what we went with. It's just too bad that the frosting was too soft and the roof fell off about 2 minutes after we were done. Let's just say no one in this family will go into the field of architecture anytime soon. Oh well. It's the memory that's shared while you're doing the project, right?! Anyway, it was fun and there was only a minuscule amount of candy eaten during the creation process.

And why is it that I can't get a decent picture of both of these ones smiling? I dread the day when I'll have to make all 3 smile for the cam at the same time!

O Christmas Tree

Since my parents came in right after Thanksgiving, we decided to wait for them to decorate the tree all together. The kids loved looking at all the ornaments we've collected over the years and my parents enjoyed remembering when my sister and I were that young and excited about our Christmas tree too. When I was little my dad made our Christmas star out of cardboard and tinfoil and I always loved it so when Kyle and I first got married I made one and it's been ours ever since. Kyle, Brighton, Porter, and my dad all joined forces in putting it on top of the tree and the whole thing made for a great night.

Week 4

Graham is now 4-weeks-old. The time is cruisin' and I'm really liking the newborn phase. He is a lot different than my other 2 so it's kinda fun to see the independent personalitiies. He is a scratcher so his face is always cut up from his long nails. He is getting big eyes and wants to look around everywhere. He also is a big time cuddler and CANNOT be set down. That's probably the toughest part right now. Trying to get things done with a tiny baby in your arms 24/7 is a little difficult but then you look down at him and his cute dimple and it's all worth it.

Phoenix Zoo

We've had some very special visitors in our house as of lately. My parents came to stay with us for a little while! We've been able to do some fun things in spite of the fact that we have a 3-week-old. One of the things we've done is go to the Phoenix Zoo. It is a pretty nice zoo and the kids loved running around to see the animals. Porter was so crazy we were thinking about leaving him there! Anyway, it's been fun having them here and I'll be sad to see my dad go in a week. Luckily we have my mom here for a whole month! I am one lucky mama who gets to keep her mama around for a bit!

Baby Button

When I was pregnant with Graham, the kids thought the way to talk to the baby was through my belly button. They called it my baby button and it was their best form of communication to the womb. Now that he's out, they are fascinated with his own little 'baby button' which is probably the biggest one I've seen. If you can believe it, it was almost twice this size before it started going down to average/larger than average size. Now it just looks like we left a cheerio on his tummy. Maybe it's just me, but I was not used to having such an outtie of a kid. This little baby has quite the button.

Week 3

Well, Graham is officially 3 weeks old. The time seriously flies (or gets smooched into one big haze) when you have a newborn. He is growing bigger than ever, loves to scratch his face with his super long nails, and is a champ of an eater. What more can we say than we love our little Graham Cracker!

Before and After

Isn't it crazy the difference a week makes in your life?

*The first picture was actually taken moments before we went to the hospital to have Graham. The second one was taken a week after he was born, but I'm still falling behind on my posts so I'm sharing it a little late.

Thanksgiving Visitors

We had such a great Thanksgiving break and had much to be grateful for. First off, Graham was already almost 3 weeks during Thanksgiving as opposed to being born on that day (His due date was the 25th of Nov.) so we were grateful for the time spent with him thus far. Also, some of our favorite people came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Casey and Ty and Kohen came to play for the weekend. We had so much fun! Some highlights of the weekend were eating yummy food (prepared by Kyle and Ty), watching Kyle catch a turtle and the kids feed the ducks right from their hands at the duck pond, eating at the Yumberi frozen yogurt shop, watching Brighton school Uncle Ty at Just Dance on the Wii, and sitting around and talking for hours. We love it when they come to visit and we are so grateful they made the extra long trip! Thanks so much guys for a great weekend!

Week 2

This is Graham at 2 weeks. It might not look like a lot has changed, but it has. He's starting to wake up more, he wants to be held all the time, and his dimple will pop out and make you melt just when you thought you couldn't handle his crying anymore. It's always so amazing to me how your world is so new a different with a new baby around, but you can't remember what the world was like before he was in it. Life is funny like that.

Rolling Like a Ball Baby

Have you ever heard of the pilates move called 'Rolling Like a Ball'? Well, the instructor in me decided to show Graham what that's all about. I love when babies are super bendy and sleepy all at the same time. It'll only be days before he's more alert and awake and will not have it when I'm moving him in every direction so I guess I better take advantage of the time.

Week 1

So I 've seen all over the blog world the fun idea to take a picture every week of the first year that my little babe is in this world. Well this is week 1 and hopefully every Monday (This week I'm late) will be weekly updates on the growth of little dude. Hope you enjoy the changes and documentation as I think I will!

The Arrival

So I figured I better get on here and record what happened the day we became parents of 3 before it becomes a hazy mess in my head and I think I can go through having a baby again sometime soon. Kyle and I have been praying that the baby would come anytime after the 10th of November since that was the day of his last final, but with our bad luck, Graham entered the world on the day Kyle took his first exam, thus making the rest of the week a chaotic one. On Monday (about an hour after Kyle took his test) I had a doctor's appointment. My doc was just going to check to see how dilated I was. If I was past a 4, then he was going to send me over to the hospital because he did not want my water breaking somewhere else and me having the baby in my bathtub or something (as that almost happened with Porter). So when he checked me, he noticed some fluid trickling out. Well, to make a long story even longer, I was dilated to a 5 and I was leaking amniotic fluid, which meant my water hadn't officially broken but it must have gotten snagged and there was a little hole in it. There was no way I could walk around with something like that. It was go time. Luckily we have great friends and family close by and they were ready for the calls to take our kids. Kyle was done with school for the day as well, which was such a blessing because I was a basket case of worry all morning when he was taking his test, for fear that my water would break and he'd miss the birth. Anyway, he was there, and we were ready. We went over to the hospital and at about 7:00 the doctor broke the rest of my water, and at about 8:30, Graham Edward Comin was in our arms. It was definitely a different experience compared to my other 2 births but I guess that's what each child brings to the table...different experiences and different personalities. The contractions were a beast and I don't remember pushing to be that ridiculously intense with my other births, but the finished product is always worth it in the end. We love our little Graham cracker and are so excited he finally joined our family.

He already smiles and has the cutest little dimple. One

of these days I'm actually going to get a shot of it. You can see a little bit of a smirk in this one:

Love the tiny, scaly feet.

The last picture (hopefully) for a while of the fat-faced Danie that always looks terrible before the baby. This was in between contractions. I won't let you see the one that Kyle snapped during a contraction. Not a pretty sight.

The new Big Brother. He's pretty happy.

The super proud big sister 2 times over. She just wanted to sit on the bed and hold the baby forever. Do you love the graham cracker packet she had to put in the picture? They get the biggest kick out of the fact that we can call him that.

I know this pic is kind of cheesy but our nurse was tickled that we named him Graham. She wouldn't stop giving me graham crackers because she thought it was so cute. I ate half of them before this picture so that tells you how many were given to us. I think we're stocked up for a week more.

Me and my kids. Yes I'm still swollen and not the cutest, but when I've got such cute little ones around me, who cares?

Super proud papa here. Something really cool that I forgot to mention was that since our doctor is in our ward and he knows Kyle is in medical school (well, CRNA school to be exact), he let Kyle deliver Graham. I think he thought Kyle would be doing OB rotations and stuff like that, but that's not the case. That's alright though because Kyle got to have an awesome experience and deliver the babe. Dr. Erickson gave him a little tutorial about 5 minutes before I pushed little Graham out and Kyle was able to do all the work and catch the little guy. I think it meant a lot to Kyle and I was happy he was able to do it.

And Then There Were 3

Introducing...

Graham Edward Comin

Born Nov. 7th, 2011 @ 8:30 pm

6 Lbs. 12 oz.

18 inches

*More info will be forthcoming*

The Vamp and the Witch

I'm a little behind on the blogging front but isn't that the way life is? Always catching up on life? Anyway, here is the last of our Halloween fun so enjoy it until next year. We found these wooden masks at Joann fabrics for seriously pennies and since my kids are craftaholics (I wonder where they get that from?), they just had to snag them. We sat down one night for family night and 2 hours later they came up with these little numbers. They were so proud of them, that they wanted to bring them to church the next Sunday. Although I vetoed that idea, I was able to get a few pics before church of their masterpieces. Here's to a crazy little vamp and a cute little witch wishing you a Happy Halloween and an even Happier Holiday season to come!

Photo Booth Fun

So a while ago our friends had a cute little birthday party for their 2-year-old. Brooke is the type of person that goes all out and has an amazing theme and makes everything look super cute and awesome (She did my baby shower and it was so nice and sophisticated. I loved it, unfortunately I didn't get any pics of it.). Well, it was her little boy's party and she didn't disappoint. The theme was a hot-air balloon/circus type of party and it was at the park. She had scrumptious food and little hot-air balloons floating around and even a photo booth. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of this event either, but luckily Brooke's husband just sent us the photos from their photo booth and I just had to share one because they were too fun. Thanks for the fun time guys!

Happy Halloween 2011

I didn't realize how crazy Halloween can be when your kids are in school. Brighton had a Halloween party which basically lasted the entire school day and parents and siblings were invited so I took Porter and helped out in the classroom. It was fun but a little chaotic so when we were supposed to go to Kyle's school @ 3:30 right after that, we were already dragging a little. Midwestern always has a big carnival and trick-or treating in all the buildings so we wanted to check it out and say hi to Kyle. It was packed and pretty fun (they even had a few bounce houses which are every kid's dream right?) and we initially enjoyed ourselves, but with every long day for nap-taking kids comes a ridiculous evening. Maybe it was the lack of naps, the surge of sugar in their systems or the fact that I'm down to zero percent energy at any given time, but we had quite a few meltdowns (basically coming from Porter) and we were not about to go door-to-door to make the neighborhood rounds after that, so although it was an eventful day, the 2 munchkins were able to be to bed by 7:00 and snoozing by 7:05. Halloween is always fun and crazy and I know I'll look back on these times with fondness, but let's just say that now that I'm sitting comfortably in my jammies having a peacefully quiet night, I'm a little grateful that Halloween is behind us.

P.S. And if you didn't get what our costumes were: Brighton was a cupcake, Porter was a cookie, Kyle was a baker, the baby belly was a bun, and I was the oven. Get it? I'm always all about the theme, especially while the kids are little and I can still sway their opinions about what they want to be. And homemade always comes from the heart so let's just say we were definitely a 'heartfelt' crew this year.

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!