Goodbye 2011

You will always be the year that brought my whole family here, thanks to the birth of our sweet Cole. For that reason alone I can easily forgive any less-than-awesome moments along the way. Most were pretty awesome.

After a morning of shopping with family - using up holiday gift cards, tonight we're staying in. Having a Happy New Year candlelit dinner with the kids, sparkling cider, and whatever yummy treats we can find at Trader Joe's. Putting the kids - at least the bigger kids - to bed, and we'll see if I can keep my eyes open 'til midnight. (Adam doesn't seem to have a problem staying up). We'll probably save dessert for after the kids fall asleep, too. Ready to welcome 2012.

What are you doing New Year's Eve?

My Dad Was Here!

The day after Christmas my dad and his wife, Liz, came to visit. It was great to have family in town over the holidays, and the kids got spoiled plenty. We exchanged gifts, went to the park, the original Bob's Big Boy for lunch. My dad took the kids to Toys R Us, he loooves taking them, so even after getting tons of Christmas presents they got a trip to the toy store. Lucky kids! (My dad truly loves toys - I remember many-a-trip to the toy store when I was little. He'd tell me and my sisters we could pick out a toy for five or ten dollars, and we'd wander the aisles wondering what to pick. He also just built Audrey the sweetest little doll house). Yesterday we went to the zoo, then Miceli's for dinner - my kids do great eating there with the singing waiters to entertain. Dad and Liz left this morning. We had a great time with them, and are so grateful for family willing to travel so far to hang out with us for a couple days, and of course to meet baby Cole. Here are some photos from the zoo. The weather was fantastic.

Audrey, Tyler, and the gorillas.

They have a carousel at the zoo now. So fun!Little Cole slept in the stroller most of the time. Check out those chubby cheeks!Tyler was all about directing us where to go next.We never see the elephants this close! Pretty cool.

Dad, Liz, and the kids.

Christmas Toys

Some favorites this year - Pirate ships and pirates galore.Calico Critters - loooove these! Audrey got a bunch.Other favorites are a bunch of Cars 2 stuff for Tyler. And randomly Audrey loves these Squinkies. I had never heard of them before, but Tyler picked some out for her for Christmas - huge hit! These were two lucky kids this holiday.

Six Weeks, and Baby Stuff

Cole at six weeks old. Super cute. Super sweet. Super good boy, and getting super chubby. He's got some seriously cute chubby thighs and cheeks.He loves his daddy, and they've been bonding big-time lately.

Here are some of my favorite baby things this time around. For the first six weeks, especially:

Love, love this rocker. Cuddles baby perfectly. Easy to throw in the trunk of your car, Cole slept in it all Thanksgiving Day at Grandma's.
These swaddle blankets. Great for me because I'm a horrible swaddler. The organic cotton one we have is sooo soft.
Gerber Nuk nursing pads.
Newborn sleepsacks. The arms can be swaddled or out.
Everyone loves these, but they are really soft and the fabric is great for warmer temps, like LA. Next I'm picking up their burpy bibs for Cole as a post-Christmas present.
One of the families in my music class gifted us this baby soap and lotion. I love it, and it smells so sweet.
Cole loooves white noise. He instantly relaxes to the sound of the hairdryer, vacuum, running water, fan blowing at night. This was his Christmas present from Santa. Sleep sheep attaches to car seat, stroller, bassinet - wherever. Perfect for the third baby oftentimes in his car seat.
Skip Hop diaper tote. I thought it might be too big, but it's the best for three kids and me.

Tried and true favorites that I will always love:

Baby gowns for easy diaper changes, and tons of burp cloths.
Hooter hiders, like Bebe au Lait.
Bath tub sponge, similar to this one but we got ours at Target. Cheap, keeps baby in place, perfect for newborns. No need for big plastic bathtubs that take up too much storage space in my apartment.
Pampers Swaddlers, Gerber Nuk pacifiers, Desitin, and lanolin cream.
And I don't have a colicky baby, but I still love, love this gripe water. I've used it with all three of my kids. Has helped calm all three of them when fussy.
Universal Car Seat Carrier. Best stroller for the beginning so you don't have to take baby out of car seat. And awesome basket underneath.

Christmas Best

When Christmas lands on a Sunday, you have to get all fancy for church. Cole looked pretty cute too, but he was asleep for the photo shoot, and who wants to wake a sleeping baby?

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve. We spent the day doing a little shopping, baking for fun (and Santa of course). Tyler and Audrey are at the most amazing ages for Christmas. Tyler is counting the days, and can't believe there's one day 'til Christmas! The energy in our house today is that of being little, and anticipating Santa's visit. Tonight we are caroling to a couple neighbors, having dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Tait (she's bringing the food, so I got off the hook), tucking our kids in, and playing Santa tonight - watching Elf, The Christmas Story, or Love Actually. Our first Christmas on the west coast. Made me think back to many, many Christmases on the east. Here are some of my most favorite trees, that I kinda miss visiting this year:

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The year Adam and I were engaged we stayed in New York together for Christmas. I was a little sad, and missed my family, but we had a fantastic time together. I distinctly remember seeing a show or movie on Christmas Eve, then walking to the Rockefeller tree - watching the skaters and talking and talking. I think we saw about six proposals on the ice that night.

Lincoln Center Christmas Tree. When I moved to New York, I checked coats at the Metropolitan Opera House for a long time. (Honestly, it was one of the best jobs I've had. The people were great. The location was wonderful. I worked there with Adriana and a couple other friends, we got to listen to amazing opera several nights a week). Each night during the holidays we walked by this gorgeous tree on the way to the stage door. Also witnessed the tree lighting at least twice. Makes me miss New York - can't wait to take my little family there during the holiday season. That's a trip we have in the budget for someday. The National Tree! Growing up near DC I remember visiting this tree some years with my mom, step-dad, and sisters. I love this one - with all the little trees around it, and gorgeous views of the city. Good memories of bundling up and walking around with my family.Missing my family this year, but happy to start my own traditions at home with my little guys, and to spend time with Adam's parents and brother. Grateful for Cole being a healthy, happy baby, and to have our whole family here together. Each day together is a blessing. Merry Christmas to all, from the Taits. Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Holiday Bachelor

Not gonna lie... I kind of love this promo.

Something to look forward to post-holidays.

Snow!

We have a few LA holiday traditions - one being seeing the "snow" at The Grove. This year we met Uncle Mikey and Grandma and Grandpa Tait there, had a delicious dinner at Maggiano's, then snow!LOVE all this snow!

Definitely a great night out.

Pretty Giveaway

Great giveaway at The Vintage Pearl today. I love their stuff - this necklace is one of my favorites. I recently ordered a "Cole" pendant for my charm necklace, too. Go check it out.

New Books

About a week or so ago I asked facebook friends for chapter book recommendations for my kids. (Tyler's teacher suggested reading chapter books for the students to start grasping the idea that books can have a bigger story, and to encourage them to really use their imaginations while reading). Many friends suggested the Magic Treehouse series, so I ordered the first four in a set from Amazon. The kids love them! We're already on Book 2 - The Knight at Dawn. We read a chapter every night when the kids get in bed. I wasn't sure if they would keep Audrey's attention, but she loves reading them, too. Even better (for us), they're adventures about a big brother and little sister. Perfect! The kids are especially excited that Book 4 is Pirates Past Noon. Great reading, and a nice early Christmas gift.

Santa

Again this year we rode the train to Santa at Travel Town. Quote of the night, right after we got off the train, heading to Santa with the crowd of passengers, Audrey yelled at the top of her lungs, "Where is that freakin' Santa Claus?" !!!Audrey asked Santa for pirates (girl keeps changin' what she wants), and Tyler asked him for a Playmobil pirate ship. Both are covered. Cole slept the night away in his stroller. Next year we'll get him on Santa's lap.

Holiday Concert #2

We made it! School is done. Vacation begins. For us it will be a staycation this year. Tyler is off for three weeks. Audrey, two. Here is Audrey in her preschool Christmas concert. They sang Joy to the World and Rock Around the Clock (not sure why that one, but it's all good). She was awesome! Front row, singin' and dancin'.

Not the best shot, but it's the best I could do in the moment. The chaos of this picture is so funny. Kids looking in every direction, little girl with sunglasses. The kid who had his mom sit with him because he was so freaked out. I don't totally blame him - why are preschool events so CUH-RAZY? The parents with the cameras, videos, iphones. The flash photography. It's like paparazzi. I remember that for Tyler's preschool program, too. But the kids were adorable, and did a great job. Especially our Audrey, who knew every word to her song - my little performer.

Do You Look This Cute in Your Christmas Jammies?

Thanks for the pjs Emily M.!

Holiday Concert #1

This morning I had a taste of super busy with three kids. Cole had a hard night, so Adam and I didn't get much sleep. All up by 6:30. 8am Tyler had to be at school, 8:30am Tyler's school holiday concert began. Adam dropped Tyler while I got me, baby, and Audrey ready for the day. Adam dropped Audrey at preschool, while I grabbed Cole, somehow found a parking spot amongst all the other crazy elementary school parents, and miraculously wasn't late for the concert. Adam rushed off to work. All of this on about 3 hours sleep, all before 9:30am. Whew! Now I'm home hoping to catch a quick nap (if Cole allows it) before Audrey's pick up. Here are a couple shots from the Kindergartners two songs in the concert.

All three Kindergarten classes performed together. Tyler is in green - front left, a few kids in.

Classic, Tyler stops to pick his nose. I'm impressed he wore his reindeer antlers, and kept them on the whole time.

This was funny. During the performance, I was on the right of the audience and I spotted Tyler. He was waving like crazy to some lady on the left saying, "Hi Mommy. Hi Mommy". I tried so hard to get his attention, but the audience was pretty packed. He was smiling at this other mom and kept waving at her - being all cute. Who knows who she was? If she was waving back? Did she really look like me? Maybe with sunglasses on or something? I ended up moving left and finally at the end of the performance Tyler saw his real mom. He smiled and waved - all cute again, and afterward I got a big hug. The performance was great from all classes, and again - I love his school so much. Weather was great this morning, too. Even sleep deprived with a big ol' headache, I wouldn't have missed it.

Gift

Made Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark today for a few holiday gifts. Came out really great. I kinda wanna rename it Healthier Antioxidant Bark, or something like that. Three ingredients and a microwave - my kind of homemade gift, especially these days. I even made most of it with baby in arms. Easy, and I'd say you can at least enjoy a few bites completely guilt free.

In Lieu of A Christmas Card

Clearly I had to make one of these this year - Perfect for the family of FIVE! My kids watch it over and over and over.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

One Month

Baby Cole is one month old this weekend! How can that be? One month already? He's still so itty - although already much bigger than when we brought him home, (our biggest baby - the tiniest bit bigger than Tyler). He's stretching out his legs now. Having more awake time. I would say he's your "typical" newborn - if there is such a thing. He doesn't fuss too much, except when he wants to nurse. He eats well, sleeps well (hoping for longer stretches soon). He's getting accustomed to the noise in the house with big brother and sister running around. Cole is a cuddler. Likes white noise, (he's getting this for Christmas, because clearly Santa's gotta leave something for the baby besides diapers and wipes). Cole loves his dad, but especially his mama - I am his food supply after all, and that seems to be what matters most these days. He's the perfect addition to our family - three kids feels good. Right now we're just treasuring him, enjoying him while he's so small. Getting to know this little guy we are so lucky to call our own.

Tonight's Project

Buying the already-put-together gingerbread house from Target was soooo worth it. Just add icing and candy. Used up all our leftover M&Ms and Skittles from Halloween, too. Kids didn't fight because they were cohorts in sneaking candy without mom seeing. Baby was sleeping soundly in swing. Perfect low-maintenance Christmas project on a night when dad's working way late.

This Week We...

Built a gingerbread house. Foam and stickers - perfect craft for the non-crafty.Hung around the house - chillin' out... (he doesn't look amused).

Dodged kisses from big sis.Took a first swing, and fell fast asleep to ocean waves (we've learned that Cole really loves white noise).

Shopped on-line for Christmas. (Must. stop. shopping for my kids)!
Made a dent in thank you notes and Christmas cards (not sending many out this year thanks to baby - just can't get that organized).
Watched The Help. Heavier movie than I thought (didn't read the book), but really good.
Chatted with Tyler's teacher for my very first parent/teacher conference.
Visited with Saskia and Patricia - Cole met his buddy Xander for the first time.
Planned some holiday outings for the next couple weeks - Travel Town train ride to Santa. The Grove to see snow. Maybe another trip to the temple for Christmas Eve. Thinking of simple holiday menus. Our first Christmas in LA!
Survived sleep-deprivation (darn those middle-of-the-night baby hiccups), all the school drop-offs with baby car seat in tow, and my first week as solo-mama of three!

Oh, Adam and I finally figured out how to keep Audrey in her bunk bed. We wondered why she stayed in bed all night (she usually comes out over and over and over), went to check on her, and found she had built this fort. Perfect!

Happy tomorrow is Friday. Tyler gets out early tomorrow (thanks to teacher conferences), taking the kids for a treat after school, making a real - a la Target - gingerbread house tomorrow evening. Icing and all sorts of candy. Watching a holiday movie, and staying warm inside while Adam works late.

The Past Week or So

Thanksgiving was fun. And delicious. Grateful for wonderful in-laws who hosted a great meal. Crazy cousins for my kids to run around with. I spent a lot of time nursing a newborn, but really - I am so used to go, go, go, that sitting on the couch nursing for 40 minutes is a pretty nice break.

My mom left this weekend. She helped in a million different ways. I'm so thankful for her. She kept Tyler and Audrey super entertained. Bought groceries, cooked dinner. Went on diaper runs. Held my baby when he cried. It was so nice just to be with her. She's the best mom ever. How can I make her come back?
I'm on my own for the next two weeks. It's time to be, but I kinda wanna cry for all the help I've had. I'm a little nervous - just me and the kids. The thing I worry about most is being over-tired and losing my patience. I want the time with all three of my kids to be as quality as possible. I want us to enjoy each other. I don't want to worry about little things, like the cleanliness of my house (which is hard for me). I just want our time to be happy - or at least pleasant and tolerable. Cole is coming out of his shell a bit, and he's had a few fussy times. Mostly when he wants to use me as his human pacifier and I won't let him. Poor guy. A couple times I've been a softie and given in, I mean he's only 3 weeks old. What can I say? Little guy already loves his mama a lot.

Adriana and Margot came to visit this past Sunday. Crazy that this time last year Margot, Tyler, and I were visiting Adriana aboard her ship. I wasn't even pregnant! Wasn't even certain Adam and I were gonna try for #3. Fast forward one year, little guy is here, and the girls are meeting him for the first time. Amazing how quickly things change! My kids love these two, by the way.

Here's our Christmas tree. It's so lovely. There's nothing like sitting on the couch in front of a pretty tree. Makes me so happy.This photo is for my sister Lauren, who still has inside connections at Restoration Hardware and was able to find a "C" for Cole's addition to our tree, even though they don't sell these in store anymore. Her old co-worker sent us one in the mail from the back stockroom in one of their New York stores. Yay!

Sunday night we went to see the LA Temple Christmas lights with the McCoys, Chamberlains, Schoenis, and Finnigans. Even though it's hard to hang with these families since we all left the Encino Ward (busy schedules and a lot more kids), I look forward to our Christmas temple trip each holiday season. I think we've done it for the past three or four years. Love these families.Sorry for the long post. This is me catching up on the blog between feedings, diaper changes, and school drop-offs. A little sleep-deprived, but trudging through,

One More School Photo

Does this photo make her look innocent and angelic? Or like she's hiding something - up to no good? Maybe a little of both. Perfect shot of my perfect girl. Love it!