The Amazing Mom

I know I already mentioned that my mom came to town, but I just have to write a separate post publicly thanking her for all she has done. We are trying to pack up our life all while Kyle's taking his finals and Brighton has a bajillion end of the school year stuff going on so it's been really crazy in our house. She has been so so so so so helpful and I know we wouldn't have been able to do all these things without her here, so thanks mom! You're amazing!

The Princess's 6th Party

Prepare yourself because this is a long post! Brighton turns 6 tomorrow and because we are leaving soon, I thought it would be nice if we had a birthday party for her. When I asked her what type of birthday, she immediately said Rapunzel. I thought her love for the princess would wain in time but if you'll remember, last year all she wanted was Rapunzel stuff for her birthday. So it goes without saying, but our house is full of purple and gold! Anyway, this year Rapunzel was still on the brain so, thanks to pinterest, we had a pretty fun and creative day!

Here are the decorations, all homemade (I am a cheapo) and super simple, but brighton loved that they looked like we were in the town village. She also loved the jello boats. My kids favorite part of the movie, for some odd reason, is when someone yells "To the boats!" after they all get done dancing in the square so every time they'd see these jello boats in the fridge, they'd start yelling that in the house.

I found the easy idea to make a tower cake out of donuts, which in theory was great, but by the time the party started, it ended up being quite a few inches smaller due to the weight of all the other donuts. I'm sure there was a better execution than mine, but I was in a rush that morning so this is as good as it got. Not impressive, but Brighton love, love, loved it. Also, we played pin the nose on Flynn Rider and we had a tower piñata which unfortunately (or maybe it was a good thing) I didn't get a picture of before it was demolished. I made it out of a plastic container and when they couldn't break it, we just took off the top. Sad, I know, but they were just going to bust it up anyway.

Also, as a party favor I made these Pascal party blowers which were a hit. All of them had pink tongues but Porter's just had to be a boy's color so his was green.

After eating and opening presents, the girls were able to go play on the

playground since we had the party at a park (best place to have it by the way). Although, running around and playing in the sprinklers made them hungry again, so they came back and polished off the rest of the mini cupcakes. It seemed like it was a good day, and even though I didn't get half the pictures I wanted to, I'm sure the memories will last.

One of the pictures that I didn't get but wanted to was of all the girls wearing their Rapunzel hair. One of the other party favors I made was Rapunzel tiaras with yarn hair. I think this was the highlight of every guest's day. They all seemed to love them. Brighton wore hers to the party and even added flowers for a real Rapunzel effect. I took these after the party when she put on her fake nails (one of her birthday presents). Just had to document it all.

And Porter had a good time too except for when he got sent to timeout for turning the sprinklers on. The poor kid can never catch a break.

This little guy was a champ for the whole thing. Didn't cry a bit, even when he was food-deprived thanks to a frantic mom trying to corral the little princesses.

All-in-all it was a great day and one of the things that made it even more special was that my mom came all the way from Alaska to help out with it. Brighton loved having Nana there and we all had a great day. Happy Birthday Sweets!

Week 25

Did I mention Graham has found his toes? They are his new best friends. He could be entertained by them for hours. Sometimes he gets so fixated on them that when he's grabbing them his little ball-shaped body rolls to one side accidentally, which shocks him out of his trance. It's pretty amusing to see. He's eating solids now and has been doing really well with them. We haven't been too daring yet so he's only been introduced to rice cereal, but I'm okay with that. All in good time I guess.

Art Party

Brighton and Porter were able to go to their cousin Jarom's birthday party. I had to post this because Jess is the most creative friend/cousin! She had an art party for Jarom that included painting, crafting robots, and kyle's cousin Josh even did caricatures of all the kids. It really was pretty cute. It's sad that our year here is coming to a close and we haven't spent near enough time with them. We wish we didn't have to say good bye, but we're grateful we got to spend a little time with them and become better friends. Anyway, great party guys!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

For some reason, all my saved posts got scrambled up before I could publish them so although he came a while ago, I wanted to share that my dad came to town to visit one last time before we move. One of the major reasons he came was to catch some of the MLB spring training games in March. For those of you who don't follow baseball, Phoenix has at least 6 major league teams that come to practice in our area. When I say in our area, I mean they live down the road from us and 3 of their stadiums are minutes from our house. There's the Mariners, the Padres, the Angels, and the Rangers just to name a few. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to come see it while we were still here. The only down side is that the Red Sox don't train here, they're in Florida although from these pics you'd think we were at a Boston game. Luckily, we didn't get anyone booing us while supporting our own team at an Angels and Rangers game. In fact, there were quite a few Bosox fans sporting their pride and every time we'd pass a Boston hat or shirt we'd give each other a little shout out.

Anyway it was nice having my dad come and hang with the kids and they loved every minute of hanging with G'Pops! Thanks dad for coming!

*And that top picture of Porter is what happens when he misses a nap and goes crazy…timeout in the middle of center field!

Rock and Roll

Graham did this on his own. He has officially made it over to his belly. He's at that fun stage where he can make it over, but can't seem to make it back to his back so he gets upset about every 5 minutes until you roll him back. Fun = sarcasm in the sentence. Thank goodness I have 2 cautious helpers that know just what their little bro needs and are more than willing to roll him around when I'm not there!

Week 24

What can we say about Graham that we haven't already said? He's cute. He's super squishy. His dimples are the best. Oh, and he loves to curl his toes now which adds to the cute factor. We love him. The end.

Week 23

Things are starting to die down only to get more crazy with the move (yes, we are moving but there will be more on that later.). Luckily my mom is coming to visit and help so we can be on our way to ???? I know this post is pretty cryptic, but bare with me while we are in the process of life changing events. As for now, just enjoy little G at 23 weeks!

Week 22

This week has been a busy one! Kyle's parents and sister and brother came to visit and we've been having way too much fun, but I wanted to share a late weekly picture of the little Gus. He is as happy and playful as ever and his relatives are loving him a ton. We are so appreciative that they could come out to Arizona and spend time with us and finally meet Graham on week 22!

Happy Easter!

I know their smiles really aren't saying it, but these 3 wanted to wish you a Happy Easter!

*I just love the bottom picture of Brighton and Porter but Graham was definitely not cooperating. It seems like a big feat to overcome is getting all 3 of my kids to smile for the camera at the same time. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!

Egg Hunt Overload

I'm not sure why I do this to myself but this year I went overboard and let the kids participate in 4 easter egg hunts. No kid should ever have that much candy in the house. First was a hunt with our ward playgroup. My kids were the oldest there because most people have morning kindergarten. Brighton goes in the afternoon so I thought it might be fun for us to go to since we rarely go to playgroup anymore. They clearly got spoiled because they just kept grabbing eggs and the little toddlers weren't even interested in what was going on. They got so many, they had to go around and give many of their eggs to surrounding little kids. Anyway, that was our first hunt. then came her school hunt where she loaded up on jellybeans. they invited the younger siblings as well so both Porter and Brighton were bouncing off the wall by the end of school. Next was Kyle's school Easter egg hunt. This was an amazing event. They really go all out with bounce houses, the easter bunny, food, games, and a TON of eggs. It was especially nice because they actually didn't have any candy in their eggs. They filled them with little toys and trinkets which I was relieved about. Lastly, we spent Easter with some friends from our ward and and had a little hunt in their backyard. Luckily we already had so much candy that I just filled their eggs with stuff we already had so we didn't get much more after that. Anyway, it was an easter hunt overload, and this may sound bad but I'm kind of glad it's behind us. Now if only I could get rid of all this junk without the kids freaking out!

The kids' spoils after the first hunt.

This is what Porter 's face will look like for the next week if I have all this candy in my house!

Easter Egg Fun

Sadly, this is the only picture I got of us decorating easter eggs. Kyle's always the one who gets his hands dirty in situations like these while I'm the one on the sidelines taking the pictures. Since having Graham, I haven't been doing a very good job of taking the pics, due to the baby in my hands, so just know that they had fun and the eggs turned out great no thanks to mom and all due to dad. Kyle even used this special glitter so our eggs sparkled, but mom was a goof and didn't take a pic of the finished product. I feel like this holiday is coming and going way too fast, but that's how life is I guess. One big, fast blur. Anyway, there's way too much stuff to be doing and not enough time to do it. Maybe I should just enjoy the little things and stop worrying about all the many checks on my checklist. Here's to a better spring and a more insightful Easter!

Week 21

In spirit of the spring time that is upon us, I thought we'd break out the short sleeved onesie for this week's shoot. Graham was being super sweet and smiley but this picture really captivates one of his classic expressions. It's like his eyes are staring into your soul. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, he has figured out what his hands are and now that he has something to put into his mouth, they are in there all the time! It makes him look extra cuddly when he's got his little hand nestled up into his face. I just love it. He's learning and doing new things everyday and pretty soon it will be hard to keep up with him, but for now I'm okay with the innocent little baby that is entertained by his appendages.

Week 20

Remember how I said this kid saves his smiles for certain occasions or special people? Well, all that has changed. He will smile or even belly laugh at the drop of a hat...Literally. You could drop your hat right next to him and he would crack up. His whole face lights up when he's happy and it is seriously infectious. What a treat to have such a little spirit unite a family just by looking at us. We love him and all he does for us. Since he's already 20 weeks I guess I better stop oogling and start actually documenting him. Lately he has blossomed when it comes to being mobile and aware. He has started trying to roll over (he's not there yet but he's on his way!). He also loves to try and sit up, not that he has the capability to yet, but at least the desire is there. At dinner time he stares down our food like he's ready to pounce on it, and he drools and bites (no teeth yet!) like you wouldn't believe. He seems to be a mainstream baby and I'm content with that. As long as he's healthy and happy, we're all one big happy family.

Week 19

I know it may not seem like it, but this kid is just a touch past his 4 month mark. 4 months came and went in the blink of an eye and I'm still trying to gain a grasp on a life of 3. They're all great and lovable and messy and sweet, but this one seems to have stolen my heart for the time being. He is super duper happy all the time. He smiles through his tears. He's got just the right amount of squishy padding on thoughs thighs and cheeks to want to eat up. This baby takes the cake when it comes to cuteness. If all babies were as great as little Graham Cracker, I'd have a dozen more... or maybe just one more. Anyway, since he's 4 months now, I thought I'd write down his baby stats:

Height: 25 inches- 34th percentile

Weight: 13 lbs 5 oz.- 8th perctentile

Head Circmference: 42 cm.- 15th percentile

Graham's Blessing Day

Today Graham was blessed and it was a special day. Since we live far from everyone so we didn't really have any family come but that's okay because it was nice and simple and our ward here is like our second family. Graham was a happy baby through the whole thing and Kyle gave him a sweet blessing. One of the things that stuck out to me during his blessing was when Kyle blessed him to gain a strong bond with his siblings that they may be there for each other throughout the good times and the trials in life. I know Kyle and his siblings are super close and I would love for my kids to have the same relationship with each other as Kyle does with his brothers and sisters so I thought it was special that Kyle was mindful of that and blessed him with it.

I know normally people go home and have a celebration after church but we figured we'd just stay for the rest of church since our kids were begging to go to primary. Kyle took Graham with him to sunday school and priesthood because he fell asleep in his arms. About 10 minutes before priesthood ended, he got my attention in relief society and asked for the diaper bag. I ran out only to find the mother of all explosions in the diaper of little dude. I should rephrase that… in the diaper and the pants and shirt and sweater and socks of little dude. I've never seen him have a blowout of this proportion. And of all the days to do it, his blessing day?! Really?! I thought his blessing outfit was destroyed beyond repair but thanks to Oxi-Clean and some elbow grease, it's like there was never any damage. So needless to say, I didn't get any pictures of him in his blessing outfit and this was the only picture we got of the day, but I think I'll throw it back on him and do a little photo shoot later on this week. Anyway, it was definitely a day to remember. I'm so grateful for Graham and my sweet, crazy family and today I was reminded of the enormous blessings I have here on earth.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm one lucky girl to have such little cuties!

And this is what my other little cutie did when I asked to take his picture. I guess it's true when they say that it's pretty much impossible to catch a leprechaun because this one was as hard to snatch up as a four-leaf clover.

Week 18

We're going green this week, and I don't we're being environmentally friendly. Everything in our house is filled with rainbows, treasure, and green leprechauns. The little G man wanted in on the action so you can enjoy him here sporting his St. Patrick's Day spirit. He's definitely my little pot o' gold!

Attack of the Red Ant

When we lived in Texas, our great friends also lived in Texas about 5 hours away from us. One time when we visited them, their oldest girl got attacked by a village of red ants. Now this was not only traumatizing for her (as she had been attacked by another group of ants prior to this as well), but it was a devastating experience for Brighton also. I really wasn't aware of the trauma it left until today as we were leaving church. I told Brighton to get in the car when all of a sudden she starts thrashing around and screaming "Get it off! Get it off!" You could hear the terror in her voice. I was seriously worried that a scorpion had stung her or something. Then I looked down at her ankle where she'd been pointing and kicking it around and she's saying, "It's a red ant! Like Gracie's red ants!" I flicked it off, but not before it bit her. The entire car ride home she's bawling and asking if Gracie still has her ant bites all over. I assured her that they went away and Gracie had a ton more than she did, so she shouldn't be so upset, which kind of calmed her down. After that I just had to laugh to myself because you never know what is going to stay in your kids' brains and the fact that the attack of the red ants (which happened over a year ago) left such a scar on her was pretty random. It'll be interesting to see the things that are happening now in our life that will make an impact on them down the road.

*Did you ever have that fun dip candy when you were growing up? I used to love that flavored sugar but it was always hard to come by in our house. The kids must have inherited my love for the stuff because whenever we see it, they go crazy for it. Today, Brighton's primary teacher gave them some of it and the kids couldn't be happier. After seeing their green-dyed mouths, I now know why my mom hated us to have it.

Mustachioed 4 Monther

Graham is officially 4 months old today. I still feel like we are beginning to adjust to having a third little kiddo in the house. He started out a bit of a difficult baby, but now he is our little mellow child. Maybe we just can't get the newborn thing down or something?! Anyway, we love him and couldn't imagine our world without him. On a side note, our friends sent these super cute binkies which I love and since he doesn't take binks (just like the rest of our kids) I try about once a week to pop it in his mouth on the slight chance he'll keep it in. Graham is such a happy babe that when he smiles his whole face lights up, mouth fully opened and everything, so sticking a binky in is virtually impossible with this guy. Well, today on his 4 month b-day, he decided to let me see the cuteness for about 3 seconds. Then he got too happy and it fell right out. But not before I took my fair share of cute pics. Thank you rapid speed shot-taking camera. My favorite part is that he looks like he's lifting his hands up to curl the ends of his mustache like he's an evil villain in a 1920's silent film. Sorry, buddy. You don't have us convinced. You're too cute to have just tied a shrieking woman to the train tracks.