A True Alaskan weekend

So on Saturday we had fun at the Iditarod, but I failed to mention our awesome Friday. Since Kyle regularly gets free tickets to the Anchorage Aces Hockey game from work, we were able to go. But this was no ordinary game. First off, we got great seats (The second picture was taken from our seats). Next, the game was pretty intense and at one point right in front of us, one of the Bakersfield Condors checked one of our Aces so hard that, if you'll notice in the pic above, the plexiglass came out right in front of us! It almost fell on us but other fans caught it so we were safe! Can you believe it?! It was insane!! After that, as I was saying, the game was so intense that it went into DOUBLE overtime! And finally it came down a shootout. They were neck in neck....and they WON!! It was the most unbelieveable game! And my parents and Brighton were able to come as well which made it a fun time. It was Brighton's first game and she loved seeing the crowds! I think she'll definitely grow to be a hockey aficionado. If nothing else she'll always be an Aces fan through and through!

I did I did I did the Iditarod trail...

Well, give me a team and a good lead dog and a sled that's built so fine, and let me race those miles to Nome 1,049. And when I get back to my home hey I can tell my tail, I DID I DID I DID THE IDITAROD TRAIL!

Those were the words of a classic song all Alaskan elementary schoolers learn and love (me being one of them) when growing up in the AK. Today was definitely a fun day for the Comin fam because we were able to go see the ceremonial start of the Iditarod dogsled mushing race which is a huge thing here! It goes across the state, which if anyone has seen a map, is a looooong distance. First off is the Fur Rondy Festival which is a week before the actual start and the culmination of the festival is the race. The start of the race is in Anchorage and you can go cheer the mushers on at the start. These people are like local heroes so in the pics above are mushers Martin Buser who is a 4-time Iditarod champion and Dee dee Jonrowe who is a breast cancer survivor, ironman finisher, and long-time Iditarod musher (You can't see it very well, but all her dogs harnesses are pink and she's decked out in pink for breast cancer awareness). Anyway, it was a blast and the mushers are great. They even toss out doggie booties to the crowd! After that, we headed over to the snow sculpture competition and saw all the sculptures. We had Brighton stick her tongue out to lick one and it got stuck! Just kidding. But she did like the looking at all the snow and it was a fun way to finish off the festivities. Needless to say it was quite an Alaskan day!

A year ago today

We just wanted to wish our great friend Patrick Meegan a Happy Birthday! Today (well, the 29th actually) was his special day! We wanted to reminicse for a minute and show what we did one year ago today. We had a little party for him while Brighton was still in the belly! Gracie was still a baby, while now she's a toddler. And, you'll notice the Paul doll we included (How could you forget something like that?!) If only we had one of those dolls for each of our friends when we got lonely! Well, we miss the Meegans along with all our other friends we gained at BYU- Idaho and hope everyone is doing well.

Knitting Katastrophe

I started a new hobby over Christmas break. I'm now in love with knitting! I've been working on hats, scarves, and sweaters non-stop lately. Well, today I was working on a knitting project and I got up for a minute. Brighton, being the sly little girl she is, crawled over and within one minute completely unravelled the entire ball of yarn! I think she was interested in learning how to knit. She's such a curious girl. She's always wanting to know what mommy is doing. Maybe for her first birthday I'll get her a pair of knitting needles!

Trouble in the Last Frontier

Well, we had a rough President's day weekend. Brighton started getting really cranky on Friday. By Sunday evening she had a fever of 102 and had been throwing up (which is out of the ordinary for her) and had diarrhea. At 2:00 in the morning, she started screaming at the top of her lungs and ended up having a temperature of 104.2

Needless to say, we were kinda freaking out. So we called our doctor and she let us know it was a viral infection and she could be teething even more. Today her temp. went down which gave us a relief, but she has still been kinda beastly. Hopefully she'll be better soon!

Anyway, I posted this pic because speaking of teething, Brighton has gotten a ton of teeth and I don't have any great pics of them but you can kind of see the two bottom ones in this pic. Now she has 4 and 2 more coming in! I'll have to take another pic so all the other ones can be seen. As you can see, she not only loves to flash her 2 pearly whites, she also loves to splash in the tub!

Winter walkabout

So last weekend we decided to take the inaugural hike with our of new baby backpack. It was pretty fun! We found a trail that lead to waterfall, but on the way back we decided to go "off the beaten path" and hike up this hill. The snow was pretty high when we left the trail as you can see in Kyle's picture. It went all the way up to his thighs and my waist! Anyway it was a ton of fun and a memorable activity for us to start with our kids! Brighton will definitely be an outdoor baby! We can't wait for the summer when she can walk!

The Tag stops here

Well, my friend Clarissa blog-tagged me a little while ago so now my assignment is to list 6 wierd things about me. The unfortunate part about this game of tag is that I honestly don't know any other bloggers who haven't been tagged already. So here's my list but sorry for the end of the fun.
1. Before I met Kyle, I hated feet with a passion. I couldn't have anyone touch my feet and I hated to touch them myself! I thought feet were the grossest thing in the world, but I realized I had to get used to them when I got married, so now I'm okay.
2. I have this paranoia that my eyelashes are the shortest in the world. I can't leave the house without making sure they're curled.
3. When it comes to chips I have a certain eating order. I have to eat the smallest chip to the largest. It's like the last one is the biggest reward. I know it's pretty lame.
4. When I was in high school, I didn't shave for an entire summer! I boycotted it and as a result I saved a lot of time but also as a result, I didn't get many dates! What a gross way to take a stand!
5. I am very open when it comes to burping or farting. My philosophy is that if you say "Excuse me", it makes everything okay. I'm sorry that I'm a sicko, but it's true and I'm sure a few of you out there can attest to it.
6. This is probably the worst of all, but I get a kick out of people getting hurt. America's Funniest Home Videos is my favorite show and I love watching the many people get pummled with baseball bats or falling off their skateboards. I keep telling Brighton she's going to earn her college fund by doing something funny and catching it on video so we can win the money on the show. It's messed up but everyone has their wierd quirks right? And I was definitely dealt with my fair share of them!

Where's the love?

I'll tell you where the love is! It's in Eagle River, AK! Kyle did a great job this Valentine's day. First off, I've been working these past 2 weeks so today I had to get up early. He got up with me and actually made me pink Valentines blueberry pancakes! They were even in the shape of hearts! Next on the list of fun things in the spirit of the day, he made Brighton pink oatmeal for breakfast. It was a fun tradition to start. Also, Kyle spoiled me with chocolates (which is my vice!). He was so good to us! We love him and wanted him to know it!

On the verge...

Brighton is probably the laziest baby ever! Either that or pretty spoiled because she has yet to actually crawl. I think it's the fact that when she wants something, her grandparents or parents give it to her instead of making her go get it. For the most part, she gets where she wants to, but it's only by rolling and sitting up and flopping on her belly. She can't go very far but she doesn't seem to mind. The thing that bugs me is that I know she can do it! I mean she can pretty much lift herself up onto things and loves standing for pete's sake, but I think she just doesn't like to crawl. Anything to get out of it for her. The bad thing is I hear if babies just skip the crawling and go right onto walking (which she seems to want to do) they tend to be clumsy in the long run. That could ruin my plans for Brighton becoming a cheerleader! Just kidding! Well, clumsy or not, we'll still love her to pieces!

Friends to the End

After Kyle and I got back from our trip, 2 of my closest friends that I grew up with were in town visiting from school (Vanessa on the left goes to BYU and Evelyn on the right, goes to the University of Alaska Fairbanks) and we had a pow wow together. It was super fun! We rarely get to see each other so it was great to finally catch up! I love them! It's good to see the different paths we've all taken but can still reconnect. Reunions are always surreal!

Christmas continued

Sorry to be so late on getting these christmas pics out, but life picked up right where I left when I got home. I've been subbing a lot and my calling has been taking a lot of time. Hopefully I'll get the hang of this blogging thing eventually and become as die hard as Clarissa or Beth.

So here's the skinny on what we did during our vacation in Utah. Sarah Comin is the last of the Comins to tie the knot and we were able to see it which was great. She got married to Mike Baker who is a tax lawyer in California and is like 10 feet tall! They were sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple on Dec. 26, 2006. It was beautiful! They are shown in a pic above with grandma and grandpa Comin along with Van and Wendy (the Comin parents)and Will (Kyle's little brother). Also on the list of events planned for the week were a baptism and a baby blessing. Jenna Comin, Jeremy and Cerissa's oldest (Jeremy is holding Brighton in the pic with Kyle) was able to be baptized the following Saturday. She is such a strong and faithful little girl! She is a great example to all her cousins because she is the first to be baptized and has such a great testimony! She is shown above holding Brighton (Brighton doesn't seem to be happy but Jenna is beaming!). Also, Landon Joseph Hatch was blessed the same day. He is a cute little football player-looking baby and it was so fun to finally meet him. You can see Jacob and Olivia(Brighton's cousins) with Brighton in a few shots above as well. So it was a trip well worth it! Brighton was pretty fussy the entire time due to jet lag I think, but other than that, we had such a wicked good time. It made us realize how much we want to live closer to family down there. We love them all so much and wanted them to know we miss them already!

Family Festivities

So a ton has happened in the past month and I, unfortunately, have been a slacker when it comes to keeping up on the blog. So here is a quick rundown on what has been going on in the Comin home. In the beginning of December Kyle and I went to his company Christmas party and it was pretty funny. It was like prom for older people. Everyone was dressed in these huge dresses and danced the night away. Needless to say, we left a after the dinner was served. But it was a fun time anyway.
Also, Christmas was a super fun time for the whole family. Brighton was loving her life with all the wrapping paper. She liked what was on the presents more that what was in the boxes. We had Christmas on Christmas Eve with my family (including my sister who came from Montana) and then we were off to Kyle's Family's house in Utah for Christmas. Above are a ton of pics of our trip including Sarah's (Kyle's sister) wedding and Brighton's cousins she got to meet for the first time. It was fun with all the babies together. It was especially fun with the entire family together. I took a ton of pics and more will follow in the next few days, so enjoy! We hope everyone else had a fun-filled holiday season as well!

B-day fiesta

Yesterday was my Birthday and Kyle surprised me by taking me to a nice restaurant and then to an Alaska Aces Hockey game. They are a professional team part of the ECHL and used to love going to the games in high school. It was super fun! We had such a blast and they are a pretty good team so it was definitely a memorable evening. Something kinda funny as well was that they played against the Idaho Steelheads, so I would have been happy with either team winning, but my hometown/favorite team won which was great. Well, needless to say, we had a fantastic evening. Sorry I've been way behind on the updating of the blog, but getting Christmas stuff done on time has been crazy! I'll be better! Hope all is well with everyone!

A Thanksgiving feast

During our Thanksgiving dinner, we decided to put on Brighton's special turkey bib and help her celebrate the festivities by feeding her some of our food. She liked the mashed potatoes a little but couldn't eat too much (The big bite on her spoon was about the extent of her feasting.). I know it's a little late, but we just wanted to share a holiday pic for you all to see. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and will soon have a fantastic Christmas season!

Like Mother Like Daughter

Brighton is getting into everything! She loves to read magazines with mommy although she likes the taste of them more than the words. She is a real connoisseur to fine tasting literature. Let's just say she'll have some "sweet" vocabulary when she talks. Well, we've had a good week and Thanksgiving was great! Hope everyone had an exciting holiday!

Squashed Face

Brighton has started eating solid foods and loves getting them all over her face! Squash is her favorite right now as you can see in the pic. She is not only trying to eat food, but also loves eating post-it notes. I think it's the color that she likes. Now that she's got two teeth and more on the way, it's easy for her to chomp her way into anything around the house!
Today, for the first time in a while, Kyle and I were able to go to the temple which was a great experience like always. The Anchorage Temple is one of my favorites. Other than that, things are going great in AK!

Sitting Pretty

Brighton has been sitting up on her own for a couple of weeks now and it's insane how grown-up she seems, being somewhat mobile now. She is loving being the center of attention now that she can see it all from a new perspective. She can entertain herself more which makes life a little easier for us when we're running all over the place. Kyle has been so great about taking Brighton during church these past few months because my calling isn't exactly baby-friendly. She just sits right next to him in Priesthood and tries to get everyone's attention by gigggling or sqeaking as loud as she can. What a wild child!

Winter Wonderland

This past weekend we splurged and bought a jogger for me to run with baby this winter. We were so excited about the purchase that we had the bright idea to walk to church the next day because our building is pretty close. To our surprise and delight, it started snowing and staying on the ground the night before. The next day, the snowflakes were the size of golfballs and needless to say, they packed quite a punch. Unlike regular golfballs, these conditions made it hard to "drive" in (Kyle added that pun for Pat). You couldn't see 10 feet in front of you! Nevertheless, we moved onward and were soaked for church, but it made for a fun Sunday event! To give you a little visual of the crazy Alaskan winters, the pics above were taken about 24 hours apart and the snow never let up. Things tend to get whiter and colder really quick here. Note, the pic with me in it has no background even though we're standing 5 feet from a tree! Amidst the cold winter nights we've been having (yesterday it was 6 degrees out!), we're still loving our lives in AK so if you ever want to drop in, the igloo is always open!

Halloween Festivities

I'm still trying to catch up on the Halloween events due to technical difficulties with the blog the past week or so. I thought I'd let you all know a few Halloweenie things we did during the holiday week. Kyle, Brighton, and I decided to make a Jack o' lantern (Brighton's not in the pic because she fell asleep during the cutting! Too much excitement for her I guess!). It was much fun! Also, the day before, while I was on the phone, Kyle and baby surprised me with a monster-face belly! Kyle wanted to dress her up like that for Halloween, but I said she'd get a bit cold. We made her belly rolls move to look like the monster was talking, which was hilarious! This fun activity reminded me of the time when Brighton was in my belly and Kyle painted my stomach to look like an egg for easter! Here's a little reminiscent photo. The Comins must have a fetish with belly painting! Oh well! Like mother like daughter I guess!

A late Halloween treat

So for Halloween Brighton was a sweet pea! She is in real life so we thought we'd make a costume to fit the part. She had a great time trying to get the peas off her costume and eat them. Thought I'd show some pics even though it's late. It seems like she is wanting to put EVERYTHING in her mouth lately! Her favorites include watches and paper (Don't get her near a hymn book!). She's been such a testy baby! Maybe it's because her first tooth broke through the other day! It's unbelieveable! She's growing way too fast! But she's so much fun! We love her!

Swimming Sensations

About a week or so ago, Brighton and I went to the Alaska Club where Kyle works and decided to go on our first swim together! She really didn't know what to think of the water in the beginning, but she eventually got the hang of it and started splashing around a little. It was great fun! We are trying to make it a habit of going and getting a little exercise throughout the week, but it's tough to drive all the way out to Kyle's club. Although it does break up the week and I want Brighton to love the water, so it helps. Well, she's getting to be as fun as ever and starting to be able to do crazy little stuff! We love her! She's a hoot! Hope everyone's doing well!

Feeding Frenzie

So I've been putting off feeding Brighton any solid food yet because she has had bowel movement problems and I didn't want to risk any stoppage of the poop flow, but a few days ago I finally tried the rice cereal and it was a hit! Brighton is still getting the hang of using her tongue and ends up getting more on her face than in her face, but it makes for a good time. She definitely loves eating it, whether she likes the taste or not. It's something new and different for her to do and her independence is starting to shine through because she already tries to grab for the spoon herself (mainly just to figure out what it is). By the end of feeding time, she finally finds the bowl that I've been hiding from her and becomes more interested in playing with that than eating what's inside, so it's a lost cause by then. She's a hoot and gains more of her own little attitude everyday.

Working Women

So today was my first day substitute teaching! I signed up to do it for the school year in the Anchorage school district area since we'll be here in Alaska for that time period and Kyle is working evenings. When time overlaps and we both have to work, it's nice to have grandma and grandpa here to be happy to take her!
Well, subbing was a fun experience and it's definitely different than student teaching! It was nice to get back in the schools again. The crazy thing is that I subbed at the brand new school in Eagle River and half of my teachers from high school work there so it was like dejavue. I actually subbed for a teacher I knew in elementary school! It was a humbling and surreal experience. Well life is good and busy here and we love it! Oh and here's a couple pictures of Brighton in her element. Thought you might like them! She's working the camera like I was working the students today! Hope everyone is doing well!