Week 51

He's dazed and confused.  I think he's just about done laying down and having his picture taken every week.  Luckily, he's only got 1 more week to endure!  I can't believe my baby is going to be a year in a few days!!

Pumpkin Trio

I'm still catching up on Halloween, so sorry about that.  I just wanted to share our little pumpkin trio before they get tossed away.  Our family tradition that we started last year was to paint the pumpkins instead of carve.  The mess is much more minimal and I think they still turned out pretty cute. Brighton's is the one on the left, Porter's is the middle one, and Graham's is the one on the right (He had a little help from mom!).

Halloween 2012

Since Porter has been obsessed with superheroes lately, it only seemed fitting that we would dress up like them for Halloween.  Here's a shot of Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Superman, and can you guess who I am?  Not many people could.  I'm the Incredible Hulk (minus the muscles).  I even painted abs on my shirt, but clearly that didn't give it away.  Anyway, we went to our church trunk-or-treat for Halloween and the kids loved every minute of it.  Here's the proof:   

Do you love the underwear over the leggings?  So did Porter.  Graham even has some green ones over his pants.  And Brighton was adamant about having a tail on her tutu which I broke down and made, but she cared less about it on the actual day.  Isn't that how it goes? 

I couldn't get enough of this cute baby.  I think all babies in costumes are super cute, but when it's you're own, you're biased.  And he was the hit of the party.  He was not a fan of the face paint, but once it was on, he was fine.  And he actually kept his cape on all night which I was surprised with.  Even though he doesn't look very amused in these photos, he loved all the Halloween action as the night progressed.  And he was the cutest Robin there!  

It was a really fun night and I was glad Kyle made it home to enjoy the family event.  I love Halloween and dressing up and I know it wouldn't have been the same without him.  Some of my favorite family photos are our Halloween shots so I was glad this year didn't disappoint.  We hope everyone else had as good of a Halloween as we did!

Week 50

We have had a sick little dude on week 50.  And it's gotten a lot chillier out (thus the snowmen) so being sick and cold is no fun.  He's been running a fever and as result has been so lethargic and sad.  I feel so bad for the little Gus.  Is it bad to say that one of the perk about sick kids is the cuddle time I get because they feel rotten?  Probably.  But I love it.  Graham was a little snugglier than my other 2, but ever since he started rolling over and crawling, there is no way I can get a cuddle in edgewise.  So this week I let other duties fall to the wayside and just loved up on my little sick guy.  And he loved the attention.  I only hope he gets out of this funk before we have to travel across the country!      

Award Ceremony Surprise

The other day we got a letter from Brighton's school saying she would be receiving an award and we were invited to the ceremony.  When we got there, we were surprised to see Brighton received two special awards.  One was for 100% attendance (no brainer) but the other one was for being an exemplary student.  In Brighton's school, if you are an exemplary student, you receive a Brown Buffalo baseball cap.  We were very proud of her and she couldn't stop beaming.  She not only is such a sweet example to her family, but now her teacher recognized it too.  We love you sweets!

Week 49

Well, Graham is 49 weeks and this background represents fast and crazy this kid is.  He hasn't learned how to walk quite yet but he zooms everywhere on his little knees and if he can pull himself to standing, he is all over the place.  And maybe it will subconsciously make him love running like his parents?  Hey, it could happen!  Anyway, this kid is so fun.  He figured out how to give kisses, which is basically keeping his mouth open and lunging toward your face.  Hilarious.  We love our little Graham and can't believe 52 weeks is almost up!

Week 48 and 4-years-old

(Brace yourself for this long post!)  So today Graham turned 48 weeks old and Porter turned 4-years-old.  We weren't planning a party, but wanted to do something special for his day.  So to him that meant taking his whole family to the Science Spectrum.  We decided to invite our good friends the Buckners as well, so he could enjoy a little more company.  Porter has been obsessed with superheroes too lately so that's what we themed it a little bit.  Graham wanted to celebrate it with his weekly background.    

 Dad and Mom with their super dude.

Graham got to hang with Dad most of the time.  This was a super special privilege because it was the first time he wasn't stuck in the stroller the whole time we were there.

Besides the friends that introduced us to this place, we will probably miss this museum the most when we move.

After the Spectrum, we went back to our house for lunch, cake, and crafts.  We had some fun cupcakes (thanks to kikicreates), made superhero sundaes, and even made our own super masks.

Happy Birthday little dude!  We love you so much!  

Here are a few of Porter's favorite things at age 4:

Favorite food:  Pizza

Favorite thing to do:  Hang out with my family 

Favorite TV show:  Busytown Mysteries

Favorite Book:  Leonardo the Terrible Monster, by Mo Willems

What to be when he grows up:  A nurse doctor 

Favorite Candy:  All of it!

Loves:  Batman, wearing superhero masks, his daddy, Boston Red Sox, running everywhere, digging outside in the dirt, wearing rain boots with shorts all the time, and back scratches.

Art Fair Friday

In Lubbock, it's Red Raider country so it's impossible not to see someone wearing aTexas Tech shirt whenever we're out and about.  Brighton has caught the Tech bug as well because this is her and Porter in Texas Tech shirts.  All they talk about is getting shirts with the double T on them.  Maybe we should appease their wanting heart and add one to their wardrobe.

Week 47

Last week it was standing.  This week it's clapping.  If I thought he was excited about standing last week, doing the combo makes him go over the moon!  Slapping those hands together is just about the cutest thing I've seen.  It is so fun to see him overjoyed about learning new tricks.  And he's getting long too! It's getting harder and harder to keep him on a small piece of fabric.  At week 47, we love him and that cute little dimple of his!    

Losing It

It finally happened.  Brighton lost her first tooth.  I've been dreading this day for a while now.  Not because I don't like the blood or anything.  I just always felt like if she still had all her baby teeth, she was still my baby.  Silly, I know.  But alas, time stops for no one and she is growing into a sweet, older child.  It makes me sad because these important moments are fleeing from me so fast, but excited to see what's in store next.  Anyone reading this must be thinking, "It's just a tooth for Pete's sake!"But I remember when my baby teeth started falling out and how grown-up I felt.  She's already experiencing that!  Where did that little baby go?  Everyday she's doing things that make her seem older and more mature and I guess I don't notice it until she experiences these rite of passages, making her become an older girl.  Anyway, someone just tell me to get over it because she's still only 6 and it's just a blasted tooth.  Why am I freaking out?  I hope I don't have a meltdown every time she loses a tooth because with all those teeth in her head, that could make for a lot of tearful evenings.  I guess we'll just wait and see what tomorrow holds because her other bottom tooth is loose now too.Wish this toothless girl and her weepy mom good luck!

Week 46

This week squishy face has been a happy kid.  He is all over the place lately.  He has been standing on his own now and thinks it's the best trick.  He gets so excited that he's doing it, that he falls right on his bum after about a second.  It's pretty cute.  He is getting so active and crawling all over the place that laying down is the worst form of punishment for him, so major distractions have to be made in order for this little stick to stay put for these weekly photos.  I honestly can't believe it's almost over!  Graham will be 1 in a few short weeks and I am trying to deny this fact.  He has been such a sweet little baby and I just want him to stop growing up!  But such is life, so I guess I better cherish these last few photo active shoots while I can!  

Art Fair Friday

The kids and I did this fun project with coffee filters, markers, and water to bring in the fall season.  They were pretty proud of their leaf creations and I must admit it was pretty fun to do together.

Week 45

This week's shoot could be described with one phrase:  Not amused.  Graham has gotten to the point where I can do anything to try and make him laugh and he is uninterested if he's laying down.  Any other time he's rolling with laughter, but on the ground, life is just not as fun. Poor kid.  He just wants to play and all I want do is constrain him.  Oh well, he'll just have to live with it for a few more weeks.  In case you didn't catch that I said few more weeks.  I can't believe in a little over a month he'll be 52 weeks!  Where did that year go?  I'm so glad I've documented it so I can actually look back and see what I feel like breezed by way too quickly.

The Allusive Achilles Enemy

Graham's way of getting around on our tile floor is this walker.  He loves cruising all over the place in the thing.  And we love watching him zoom by.  The only down side is that the green plastic part where the wheels go is the exact height where your achilles heel is.  So when he flies towards you and doesn't stop, your heels get it good.  Many tears have been shed due to this achilles enemy.  In fact, the kids have turned it into a game by running away as fast as they can while Graham chases them.  Luckily the kids are faster than little Graham is in his cruiser, but I don't know for how long, so I guess we'll just have to be on our guard until the allusive achilles enemy strikes again!

Week 44

Graham has been doing better this week and he's just about back to his old sweet self.  Things are going well for everyone else around here too.  Brighton is loving school and Porter and I are finding a groove being on our own together.  Doesn't it look like he's giving the sign for more in this picture?  I guess thats kind f representative of his personality as well. Now that he's not only eating baby food, but real person food, he's an unstoppable force.  The second he sees some sort of food product in your hand, he's staring you down with his big goofy grin, chomping at the bit.  It makes for interesting dinners.  We love all these new little steps he's taking and it's fun to experience it with the whole family.  Brighton LOVES giving him new foods now and thinks it's hilarious to watch him try new things.  We love our little guy and can't complain about life at week 44.  

Horsing Around

Some friends here told us about the horse parade they have every year in Lubbock.  Basically, it's exactly how it sounds.  There are just a bunch of horse groups riding down Main street.  The kids loved it.  They even got to see the Masked Rider which is the mascot of Texas Tech University.  It was the first cooler day of the fall time and since we haven't experienced an actual winter in over a year, they felt the need to bundle up.  Anyway, we all enjoyed ourselves and are starting to like the way Lubbock feels. 

 

Leverage

I walked into Brighton's room the other day to find this...  She had put Graham in her old bathing suit.  Honestly, she's never helped put any type of clothing on him so I was pretty impressed that she got the whole thing on.  Well, I had to laugh when I saw it and grab my camera.  I'm sure Brighton will use this as leverage when they are older, but as for now, she just thought he made a cute baby girl.

Passing Through

A little while back, on our way to Lubbock we stayed in Midland to visit our old stomping ground and see some great friends.  We stayed at the Atwoods and they even threw a party for us so we could see all our old friends there.  It was so nice and really needed.  When we lived in Midland I always felt like I couldn't wait to get out of there to move on to the next phase of life.  Going back there reminded me that we really did have a great life there.  I actually missed it!  It was such a good time in our lives and we made a lot of great friends that were really missed.  Anyway, thanks to everyone who made our trip to Midland so fun!  And it's only 2 hours away from Midland so hopefully we'll be able to see these friends again at least once before we move!

The trampoline in the backyard and the giant bubbles in the frontyard were a hit with the kids.

Just a few of our great friends.  This was the 

only shot I got of any adults.  Lame, I know 

but I had to document it.

Tali (one of my young women) and me

Right before we moved from Midland, Camden 

moved in and Brighton and her the little buddies.  

It was like they picked up right where they left off 

when we saw them. It was so sweet.

Porter new obsession:  Razor scooters

Week 43

I've been going on and on about how great this baby is all year.  Well, this week he turned the tides a bit.  He's caught a cold and on top of that has been bumping and bonking around everywhere while trying to pull up on things.  Don't get me wrong, he's still been a good baby, just not as happy as we're used to.  So this is as good as it gets for week 43.  Let's hope week 44 treats us a little better!

Science Spectrum

Porter and I were invited to go to the Science Spectrum with some friends.  The Science Spectrum is this children's museum with all sorts of experiments and fun kid's rooms.  They had a veterinary room, a water room, a music room, and all sorts of fun hands-on things.  Porter had so much fun, he couldn't even stop for one second to let me take a picture, so this is all I got.  Needless to say, he's been talking about it ever since.  I'm just grateful we've got good friends to invite us to fun things like that!  Thanks Buckners!