that's what she said ...

Pine Wood Derby

2012-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:00

Keegan had his first ever Pine Wood Derby this week. He had been super excited to make his car and he and Doug had it finished about a week before the race. They had a car emergency the night before the Derby, but thanks to an extra kit from Keegan's good friend Luke, they took care of it and were ready to go. We tried to prepare Keegan for the possibility of losing every race, but he surprised us by saying, "It's okay if I lose, because me and Dad had such a fun time making my car." What the WHAT?? Who's kid IS that? Anyway, we needn't have worried, because his car kicked butt!! He ended up placing 4th out of 28 kids and 1st in his den. All in all, it was a great first race.

The Weigh In - he looks a little nervous!

Anticipation...

and Relief that it's all over

For Pete's Sake, It's Been Too Long!

2012-01-01T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it's been way too long since I last posted. 2011 has passed without even a word about our family and my resolution for 2012 is to do better. We had a really blessed 2011, with lots of travel and fun. Here is our year in photos:

Freezin' our butts off in Michigan for Spring Break

Papa's visit in May

Partyin' it up at the Dickman Family Reunion in June

Mine and Keegan's trip to Universal Studios

Keegan's 8th birthday party

Partyin' it up with the Gooches in Mexico

Fun times with friends in Spar

Keegan gets baptized!!

We take our 10th anniversary trip 2 years late to Cancun

Bandelier National Park with Kendall in October

Halloween

Thanksgiving with Shan's fam in Wyoming

Sweet Kaia turns 2

Christmas Break

Slow and steady

2010-10-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Bestie

2010-10-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

LIFE (Feel Free to Just Peruse the Pics!!)

2010-10-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

Doug reminded me the other day that our blog is like our own little family history and that I've seriously neglected it lately. Life keeps going and this year has gone by in a flash! So much has happened since I last wrote, I'm just going to cover the highlights. So here goes. . .

I had 2 surgeries on my foot over spring and summer and was in a wheelchair for about 3 months - NOT fun!

my pretty pink cast!

At the time, I thought my foot would NEVER heal, but I'm happy to report that all is back to normal now:) It took about 6 months total, which was like an ETERNITY for me, but definitely taught me to be grateful for two healthy legs!

trip to Utah over fourth of July weekend

Keegan took this one!
Me & the kids with my grandparents

We took a short trip to UTAH over the fourth of July weekend. Doug went HIKING with some friends from Albuquerque and me and the kids VISITED with my grandparents. I also got to see one of my DEAREST friends from Orlando, Tiare, who just had an ADORABLE little baby boy. While I was there I also arranged a mini-reunion of ORLANDO kids that now live in Utah. My friend CHERI hosted and six of us with our families came. It was really nice to CATCH UP with all of them!

Happy birthday to Keegan!

We didn't officially have a party for Keegan's birthday this year, but invited over some of his closest FRIENDS for cake and ice cream. He's so BLESSED to have great friends here in Albuquerque and I feel LUCKY to know and LOVE all of them and their families. THANKS to all who made his birthday SPECIAL!

Things about Keegan at 7 years old:
*He's an AMAZING brother. He wanted a baby for so long and since Kaia was born, his life is complete. He loves that little girl like CRAZY and it melts my heart to see him with her.
*He STILL loves CARS! Maybe it's something he'll never OUTGROW, but since he was a baby, he's been fascinated with ANY & ALL cars. He knows cars way better than I do. It's funny because he'll know what kind of car all my friends drive, even when I don't!
*He loves to BUILD things. Again, he's so much better than I am at building AIRPLANES or cars or houses or BOATS with his Legos, K'Nex and Tinker Toys. I'm amazed at some of the things he builds without any instructions or guide.
*He's still such a GOOD boy. He's really HELPFUL around the house and ESPECIALLY with Kaia. He still loves to CUDDLE, which I'm grateful for! He loves MUSIC - we hear him singing QUIETLY in his room almost every night. I just LOVE him a TON and am so thankful he's my little boy!!

Rocky Point with the Doug's family (minus Doug) in late July

Bridgy and Kaia
Keegan and Tristan
cousin pyramid
sweet girls in the morning

Dave's family stays with us a beautiful double-rainbow during the storm
playing in the rain

Kaia and Bella seeking shelter from the storm
playing peek-a-boo :)

Doug's younger brother, DAVE, had a podiatry rotation in Albuquerque for the month of AUGUST. Since his FAMILY isn't going to get to see much of him this YEAR, they came and stayed with us. It was really nice for the kids to have their sweet cousins around to PLAY with. KAIA and GAINES were so cute together! At first, Kaia just kind of MAULED him - she would climb up on his back and use him as her own personal little TRAIN :) But after a while, Gainers got USED to her and they started to have lots of FUN. They played PEEK-A-BOO, followed each other around the house, and ROCKED out on the drums! Since almost all of Keegan's toys are CARS, Bella developed quite a fondness for them! She and Keegan set up TRACKS and raced cars; they also liked setting up all our throw PILLOWS and jumping over them. It was SAD for all of us when the month ended. Kaia even woke up the next morning and was looking around the house for something - I think she missed her little CUZ :)

Keegan starts the 2nd grade!

I can't believe he's already 2nd grader

Labor Day in Spar

We ALWAYS have so much fun in SPAR! It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL there and we love being able to SPEND TIME with our good friends the Drakes and the Rices. The kids FISHED and HIKED and just enjoyed being in NATURE! I shot a GUN for the first time in my life - it was actually pretty FUN:) Lots of THANKS to the Rices for sharing this AMAZING place with us!

Papa visits

Dad came for a week in September to meet little Kaia and spend some time with Keegan. The kids LOVED having him here as always! He even had time to read a couple of books while he was here. I told him how great The Book Thief is and Doug talked him into reading Manhunt, which is also really good. We're so grateful to him for coming out and always LOOK FORWARD to his visits. (I forgot to take pics until the last day of his visit and it was past Kaia's bedtime, so she wasn't very cooperative - dangit! But I love this one of the 3 of them. Dad's expression is PRICELESS!)

Kaia turns 9 months

I love this picture of her with sweet potatoes on her face and her cute little teeth showing!

Weight: 17 lbs, 12 oz - 25%
Height: 27.75 inches - 50%
Head: 45 cm - 75%

At 9 months, Kaia could say mamma and dadda. She was standing up on her own, except when Doug tried to make her; then she would go all rubbery-legs and just sit down! She LOVED to jump, jump, jump and still lit up whenever Keegan came into the room. Doug taught her how to give HUGS and WRESTLE. Her hugs are short and sweet, but since it's pretty much the only time she sits STILL and cuddles, we all LOVE it (especially Daddy). Her version of wrestling is just growling and digging her face into Doug's shoulder, which is HILARIOUS! We're teaching her some SIGN language, so when she's all done with her meal, she'll WAVE her hands and say, "ah dah." It's pretty much one of the CUTEST things I've ever seen! She also loves to play PEEK-A-BOO and already has a BESTIE: the little girls she sees every day in the mirror! (see video above) She started WALKING at about 9 1/2 months and hasn't looked back. (see above video, again!) It's so funny to see her walk because she's just this TINY little thing. She really does bring so much JOY into our lives and we LOVE her guts!

Happy birthday to Doug!

Doug's bday this year fell on a SATURDAY, which happened to be super BUSY for us. So we had dinner and CAKE with our friends, the Foutzes, on Friday night. Doug got a new TENNIS RACKET, some BALLS and lots of CHOCOLATE! Saturday, we took him out to LUNCH for his official BIRTHDAY and that night, he went to the UNM football GAME with a good friend, Seth. Happy 36th, old man!!! We sure do love you :)

Balloon fiesta

We decided to go to the BALLOON FIESTA this year since we haven't been in a while. Keegan has always wanted to see the GLOWDEO, so we went that night. Unfortunately, there was too much WIND, so it was canceled. We were a little disappointed, but ate some YUMMY, highly fattening FOOD, watched the FIREWORKS and went home. We found out the next day that we could go again for FREE, so Keegan and I went and FINALLY got to see the balloons LIT UP in the dark. We all had a really good time :)

6 Months Old (a little late)!

2010-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

Kaia turned 6 months old about three weeks ago but this is the first time I've been able to sit and write about it. I just can't believe how fast it has gone by. She is growing up like crazy and learning new things every day. Here are her stats:

Height: 25.5 inches, 50%
Weight: 15 lbs, 2.5 oz, 25%
Head: 43 cm, 75%

Some fun facts about Kaia at 6 months:

Watch out world! She's mobile now and into EVERYTHING!!!
She thinks her brother is HILARIOUS! Any time he even walks in the room, she laughs.
She's fascinated by her hands - she studies them constantly, moving them from side to side and opening and closing them.
She's ALWAYS happy, seriously the happiest baby I know.
She loves giving kisses - big, open-mouthed, slobbery kisses!
She's a total busybody. If she's not sleeping, she's moving! It's impossible for her to sit still.
She loves attention. If you're not giving it to her, she'll fake cough or yell, "eh, eh"!
She hasn't met a food she doesn't like, although she does seem to have some faves: bananas, pears and sweet potatoes.

We love her to death and can't imagine our world without her in it! Happy 6 months chiquita!!!

Summer Fun

2010-06-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

So far our summer has been really fun. Keegan is a lot busier than we meant for him to be, but he's enjoying himself. He went to a basketball camp the first week of summer and really improved his game! The other teams finally realized that he was one of the stars on his team and starting sticking to him like glue - he still managed to get off a couple shots!!

He's also doing swim team at one of the local pools. I totally didn't prepare him for it though! They pretty much just get in the pool and do laps the entire hour. It's really tough but we're going to try to stick it out. We'll see how it goes. . .

Doug is helping to coach soccer again this summer. They only have one game a week with no practices, which is really nice. The World Cup is inspiring Keegan to try some new moves and last week he scored two goals :)

Some days, we decide to just chill out at home and take a break from all the busyness. It's nice for Kaia to be able to nap in her own bed! Today was one of those days, and we invited one of Keegan's best friends over. They play so great together! They played in the sprinklers, made a mud pool, had a picnic and then did some sidewalk art, (which is my FAVORITE kind since there's no clean-up involved!!) Yeah for fun summer days!

Also, we're pretty sure Keegan has a future in the long jump!

Memorial Day

2010-06-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

soooooo sad that Triston had to go home!

3 out of 4 ain't bad!

the "mud pool"

Quinn and Dani came up to visit for Memorial Day weekend! We ate lots of yummy food and Keegan and Triston played non-stop. Kaia was just dying to keep up with the big kids. She wanted to be wherever the action was and thought little Bridgie was fascinating! It's so nice that Quinn and Dani are just 5 hours away and we loved having them. Thanks for coming guys - can't wait for your next visit!!

just threw this one it because this little dress just kills me - so cute!

From the time that Kaia started sitting up, she started trying to move around. It's so funny, because she'll be looking at something right in front of her and try to get at it, but scoot backwards instead. She's gets pretty frustrated, but we're pretty sure she'll be crawling soon enough.

Growing :)

2010-05-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

What a busy week!

2010-03-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

We've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks and I wanted to share some of the highlights -

1. Kaia got her ears pierced! I was totally nervous about taking her in and feeling like a cruel mommy, but she was a total trooper! She only cried for about 5 seconds, which made me feel better about my decision to do it. And I have to say that she looks adorable with her tiny little pink czs :)

2. Doug & his siblings ran the Ragnar Relay del Sol! I'm so impressed with the Gooch brothers, sisters & 2 cousins. They ran a 202 mile race over 24 hours. There were 12 runners on the team and each had to run 3 legs of the race. Everyone was exhausted by the time they finished, but it sounded like they all had a good time. Yeah for the Shufflers!

Doug kickin' it old school

attacking a hill

3. Grandpa Gary Gooch celebrated his 70th with all of his children. After the race, everyone got showered and headed to Garcia's in Phoenix for some yummy Mexican food. The family shared some memories of Gary over the years and some tears were shed, although most of them were from Kaia, who had had enough by that time! She screamed something fierce for the last half hour or more of the dinner :(

4. Kaia Rowan Gooch was blessed by her daddy. We figured it would be a great time to bless Kaia since most of Doug's brothers and sisters would be able to attend. Kaia was kind of touch and go all weekend. She was just a bit overwhelmed by all the people, so I was a little afraid that she was going to cry all the way through her blessing. By the time we got to church, she was okay, but then she heard everyone singing the opening hymn and it made her sad. I took her out thinking that I had until after the sacrament to get her calmed down. Turned out, though, that she was on right after the opening prayer. Doug came running down the hall and said that it was time. She still wasn't very happy, but there was nothing we could do. Doug took her up there, and she stopped fussing completely! She was a little angel throughout the blessing, which was a relief to both Doug and me. Doug still talked as fast as he could, but thanks to his sisters and niece, we have a record of her blessing. (Thanks to Mimi for the beautiful dress & Grandma for the darling blanket!)

sweetie pie

totally relieved!

our little fam

everyone at the blessing

see those cute earrings?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Me & my sweet little valentines

Keegan made me the valentine necklace that I'm sporting in the pic - he did such a great job! He even gave me a dime, (you can see it taped to the middle of the valentine), which he thinks is pretty much the best present you can get! Actually, he told me he wanted to give me a dollar but he couldn't find one, so he gave me a dime instead. He's such a sweetie :)

I just had to throw this picture in, because she's so stinkin' adorable! It really is so much more fun to dress little girls than little boys.

Growing so Fast!

2010-02-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Kaia's growing so fast - I can't believe it! She's starting to smile and coo & she has the sweetest little voice :)

Work that Poo Out!

2010-01-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

When I woke up this morning, Keegan was at Kaia's bedside singing her a little song. It went like this, "Work it out, work that poo out. It's just a tiny poo, so don't you cry. Just work it out, work that poo out." How nice for Kaia to have a cheerleader for the difficult times in life! :)

Catch Up

2010-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

Things have been hectic around here since Kaia's arrival, but now that we've settled in a little bit I figured I would update the blog. I always love the Christmas season, but this year it was even more special since we had Kaia. Keegan got some really great stuff and a visit from Mimi, which is a special treat! My mom, "Mimi", came out on Christmas day and left on New Year's Day. It was really nice to have her here to help out with Kaia and play Wii Sports with Keegan! We even got to take a trip to Old Town, where Mom got some great deals on southwestern jewelry. We were all sad to see her go.

Gary and Sharee also made the trip out from Tucson in early January. They could only stay a couple of days, but we loved having them. (Except for the time when Grandpa beat Keegan at Wii bowling - then Keegan was a little bit upset, but decided to forgive him with a peace offering of some Junior Caramels!)

Now that Keegan is back in school, we've settled into a groove. I'm back to playing volleyball and am slowly getting back into working out. I went to my first salsa class this week, which I've missed like crazy! Kaia is such a good baby - she sleeps for 6 hours at a time at night and takes formula from Doug when I'm at my volleyball games. She's up to 9 lbs 8 oz and can almost fit into the 0-3 month clothes that I've been dying to put her in!

happy New Year!

Mimi with the kids

daddy & daughter

Keegs with his loot

ready for combat

Pics of Kaia

2010-01-17T10:11:00.000-08:00

My friend, Holly Randall, took some newborn pics a couple of weeks ago. Kaia was NOT cooperating! But thanks to lots of patience from Holly, she got some really cute shots. I think Kaia pooped on 4 blankets by the time we were through :) Check out the pics here.

Our New Addition

2010-01-17T09:32:00.000-08:00

so tiny

precious!

he loves to hold her

doesn't she look like a cute, grumpy old man?

sweet, sleepy smiles

Kaia Rowan Gooch arrived in this world at 5:42am on December 16th, 2009. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 15 oz. and was a little beaten up when she got here. Even with a slightly black eye and swollen nose, we could tell from the start that she was a cutie pie! She's absolutely perfect now and we all adore her. She already has Keegan and Doug completely wrapped around her tee-tiny little finger and I'm not too far behind. She's proven to be a better sleeper than her older brother, which helps me to be a happy mom! We all love to just watch her. I swear I spend hours every day just staring at her! I love to see the cute, fleeting expressions on her face as she sleeps. She also has a trademark horsey noise that she makes all the time which cracks us up. She's such a sweet little girl and is a great blessing in our lives :)

Merry Christmas from the Gooches!

2009-12-21T13:50:00.001-08:00

Keegan has been going around singing this song like crazy, so I figured I'd share it with everyone! Merry Christmas :)

A New Era

2009-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

As I prepare for the arrival of our new baby girl, I can't help but think of the chapter that is now closing in my life. I've been the mom of just Keegan for the last 6 1/2 years. It's been so amazing having him all to myself! It's such a privilege to be his mom. He's so sweet and loving and has pretty much always been a "momma's boy." Even though I know that's bound to change, (which will break my heart!), I've loved every minute of it. We never planned to have such a gap between kids, but now I feel so lucky for the time that we have been able to enjoy little Keegan. When he was a newborn, I told Doug that it wouldn't be fair for us to have any more kids because there was no way that I could love anyone else as much as I love Keegan. I really believed that then. I know now that's not true because I already love our new little girl a ton and I haven't even met her yet. I'm sure that the old saying that the only thing that grows when divided is love will prove to be true. But before litte Kaia enters our lives, I want Keegan to know how much I love him and how I will always treasure the years that we've had just the 2 of us.

I Accept Defeat!!!

2009-12-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

How is it that SO MANY of my friends have their babies EARLY? It's like their bodies can't wait to get the LITTLE SUCKERS out! I've heard so many stories of just doing THIS or THAT and going into labor shortly thereafter. I totally BELIEVED that I could do it. After all, I'm not asking for MUCH - I just wanted to have her a little early. And it's as much to benefit HER as me - who wants a birthday so CLOSE to Christmas? There's no way she's COMFY in there - I know I'm definitely not comfy out here! ANYWAY, I've decided to accept DEFEAT. There doesn't seem to be ANYTHING that I can do to persuade her to come out a little bit early. BELIEVE ME - I've tried it all, from spicy foods to evening primrose oil to red raspberry leaf tea to sex to pumping. I even tried sprinting and squats and lunges the other day! This man in the park looked at me like he was afraid she was going to just FALL OUT and he would have to come to my aid. I have to ADMIT that I'm conceding more EASILY than I usually would. The REASON for that? On Tuesday my midwife told me she'll induce me on my due date - BLESSED WOMAN!!!

2009-12-05T19:13:00.001-08:00

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Thanksgiving with Friends

2009-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

the feast

our little family

Andrea, Karen, me & Jamie

fun in the pool

Jamie with the kids

This year we couldn't travel to Tucson for Thanksgiving because I'm too close to my due date, so we decided to spend the day with friends. Scott and Andrea got this club house up in the mountains for us to use for the feast. It was beautiful! There was an indoor pool, a gym, racquetball, big screen tvs, a game room, and Andrea and I even found a massage room (where she enjoyed a much-needed massage at the end of a wonderful but exhausting day)! Several families came up and everyone contributed to the delicious meal. Jamie entertained the kids while we got things ready and then the eating began. Afterward, everyone played games and swam. It was so nice to have such a great time even though we weren't able to be with family this year! Thanks to everyone for such a nice holiday :)

P.S. For those of you requesting pics of the belly, there it is! Large and in charge at 37 weeks!

3rd Place - Not Too Shabby!

2009-12-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

Keegan had to decorate a turkey to be judged by the other first grade classes a couple of weeks ago. He had all kinds of ways that he wanted to do it, and then my friend suggested that we use candy, and he loved the idea. He figured out what candy to use and then arranged it all, but he couldn't use the glue gun, so I was the one who ended up with the tedious job of gluing each M&M into place. He won 3rd place and $2 worth of snacks at school. Now - what's my prize?? :)

our masterpiece

Ah. . .A Good Night's Rest

2009-11-18T07:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since I've gotten a decent night's rest because baby girl has decided that her most comfortable position at night is the most uncomfortable for her momma. When I'm on my left side, my ribs hurt and when I turn over to my right side, she's all up in my back. I've gotten pretty used to it by now, so I just expect not to sleep much. So the other day when Keegan had a 7:00 dental appointment I didn't even think to set my alarm because I'm up way earlier than that normally. Well, what do you know but the little chica decided to let me sleep! I slept right through that 7:00 appointment and is was lovely!!!! It was the first night of really restful sleep that I've had in a while. Here's to hoping that she's out of my ribs for good ;)

Funny Kid

2009-11-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

When I picked Keegan up from school yesterday, his teacher told me that he really cracks her up. She said that when they were finishing up their Science chapter on the different states of matter, she asked all the kids to draw a picture of their favorite liquid. Most kids put down soda or juice or Kool-Aid, but Keegan drew a perfect picture of a bottle of WINE! She said that he spelled it perfectly and everything. When she asked him why wine was his favorite liquid, he said, " because it comes in such a pretty bottle!" I'm pretty sure she knows us well enough to believe him :)

Also, I guess Keegan has been thinking lately about how he can save up some money. He came up with a great idea the other day. The conversation went like this:

K: Mom, I think we should have a money sale today.
M: Okay, what exactly is a money sale?
K: It's when you get all your instruments and go outside on the street and play them.
M: Hmm, so what instrument are you going to play?
K: The guitar.
M: Oh, and what about Mommy and Daddy?
K: You guys are going to play the piano and the guitar. Oh yeah, and we have to have a hat.
M: Why do we have to have a hat?
K: Cause that's where all the people put the MONEY!!!

I have no idea where he came up with that idea - but he still thinks it's a good one. He's been after me to pin down a date for the "money sale" for the past week or so :)

Flashback - October Ultrasound

2009-11-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

I just can't resist putting this little clip up. You can see her opening her mouth - so stinkin' cute!

Flashback - Labor Day in Spar

2009-11-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

love this one of my boys

the girls

Beautiful Spar

He loves his Camelback :)

Little hikers

Hanging out with Oliver

We spent Labor Day weekend with our good friends in Spar this year. It's so peaceful and beautiful up there, we really feel lucky to be able to take a little time off every year to be with great friends. The kids had lots of fun and it was a wonderful break from real life for the adults, (especially since Travis had to head home early to be put in our ward bishopric :) Thanks to Scott and Andrea for making it happen!

the whole gang

"Best Friends Cabin"

taking a rest

the boys

Flashback - Rocky Point July 09

2009-11-07T06:02:00.000-08:00

our happy fam!

I love this one with Tristan

with Bridgette

We went to Rocky Point again this year and it was so fun to hang out with all of Doug's family. We had a pretty interesting trip, what with a car accident, a banged-up Grandma and a dead car battery! All of Doug's brothers and sisters and their kids were able to go, which was really nice. Keegan had lots of fun hanging out with all his boy cousins, (they got shark tooth necklaces because they're so cool!), and also loved spending time with the newest Gooch, Bridgette.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

Batman & Robin

The Superheroes!

Don't they look ready to save the day?

Ready for trick or treating

Keegan changed his mind several times this year about what he wanted to be for Halloween. First it was a ghost, then a bat, but as soon as he laid eyes on the Batman Dark Knight costume, it was all over. I was relieved because they actually had his size and I didn't have to worry driving all over town at the last minute, (like last year)! He had a lot of fun trick or treating with friends, even though his mask wasn't exactly the perfect fit. Then we came home and he LOVED giving out candy to the trick or treaters. I really think that's his favorite part of Halloween :)

Flashback - Orlando June 09

2009-11-01T06:10:00.001-08:00

at the beach

he thinks he's so cool!

Mimi gave him a watch from her Mickey Mouse collection and he was thrilled!

he wondered why the sand was so "little" in Florida compared to the sand at Rocky Point

with Uncle Ethan

with Uncle Kip

with Aunt Amber

Keegan's face is so funny every time they drop :)

I've been a terrible blogger lately, so I'm going to just update whenever I can. I'll do "now" posts and also "flashbacks" to cover the stuff that I've missed over the last 6 months or so.

In June, we took a family trip to Orlando. We figured it was the perfect time for us to hit all the attractions because Keegan is a great age and it will be our last summer without a little one. We went to Disney, Sea World, the Orlando Science Center and the beach. It was so much fun! Keegan rode on his first (and last) roller coaster :), saw every show at Sea World, and enjoyed everything Orlando had to offer. He especially loved hanging out with his aunt and uncles and Mimi.

First Tooth Flashback

2009-08-06T12:43:00.000-07:00

Keegan lost his very first tooth back in April and I never got a chance to post the pics. He realized it was loose one night and the next day while he was playing soccer, the ball hit his mouth and his tooth fell out. Pretty easy! He lost the second tooth about a week later and couldn't wait to get his tooth fairy money :)

Keegan explaning how it all went down

Expecting. . .Finally!!!!!

2009-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

the little munchkin at about 8 weeks

So, it's not really much of a SECRET anymore, but for anyone who doesn't already know - I'm EXPECTING!!! :) It's been a LONG road with lots of BUMPS along the way, but we're SOOOO excited for the WONDERFUL news! We're so LUCKY to have such wonderful FRIENDS & FAMILY who have supported us in their thoughts and prayers along the way. I just want to say THANK YOU so much for everything. You don't know how much your LOVE has helped us get through the rough patches. We really couldn't feel more blessed.

Our new addition is due the 15th of December :)

Cutting the Grass :)

2009-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Our yard has been a work in progress for about a YEAR now. It's FINALLY starting to all come together thanks to Doug and Keegan's HARD WORK. Our GRASS was getting pretty OUT OF CONTROL and since we don't have a lawn mower yet, Keegan decided to take matters into HIS OWN HANDS!

Carnival!

2009-05-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

Keegan thrilled to be holding a snake

that bird loved his hair!

the hugest and heaviest snake we've ever seen!

seriously, look at the size of that thing!

I know it's been forever since I posted and I have tons of catching up to do, but for now, I'm just going to start with the present!

Yesterday, Keegan and I went to a local community center where I normally play volleyball on Saturdays. As we pulled up, we noticed ponies, snakes, jumping castles, italian ice and much more in the front of the building. It looked like so much fun that I decided to skip volleyball and take him to this carnival thing instead.

He had so much fun! He got his face painted, held some snakes and a bird, got to pet an enormous gila monster, and jumped his little heart out in the jumping castle! What a lucky find :)

Spring Cleaning!

2009-04-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

everything organized by color, sleeve length and style

ahhh - there's nothing like a clean closet!

the stuff I'm getting rid of

Doug's side

Everyone who knows me knows that I have a little shopping problem. One of the main reasons that I bought my house was because of the enourmous master closet. I thought to myself, "Now that's the closet for me!" Since I love clothes and shoes so much, I go through my stuff every 3 months or so and sell it on ebay or give it to Goodwill. As I write this, the back corner of my office has been taken over with clothes that I need to sell on ebay that have been there since before Christmas.

Well, about three weeks ago, I noticed that our master bedroom was starting to feel a bit cluttered and discovered that it was because I didn't have any more room in my drawers or closet for all my stinkin' clothes! So I decided to go through everything and get rid of some more stuff. Anyway, I ended up with about 6 piles of clothes to get rid of and several purses, shoes and other crap. I've decided that for every pair of new shoes that I buy, I have to get rid of a pair and the same for jeans. Hopefully, that will help me keep everything in check!

At least for now, my closet is back to normal and fabulously organized!! Now, I just have to work on Doug's side :)

BUNKO!

2009-03-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Karen, Kim and Kellye

It was my turn to host BUNKO this month and I decided on a HAWAIIAN theme. I made Hawaiin HAYSTACKS with peanut sauce and chicken to top it. I also made yummy SMOOTHIES, chocolate dipped BANANAS topped with coconut and toffee, a hawaiin inspired green leaf SALAD and coconut creme PIE and chocolate chip COOKIES for dessert.

To make it the best Bunko night ever, I rolled 5 BUNKOS, which is definitely an ALL TIME HIGH for me. STACEY also rolled 5, but since there were enough TARGET GIFT CARDS to go around, it was all GOOD. I loved hosting this month, but I'm definitely GLAD it's OVER! It's nice to not have to worry about HOSTING again until sometime NEXT YEAR. Thanks to all the Bunko GIRLS for making our monthly, STAY OUT LATE night so much FUN - I love you guys!

Nicole, Lori and Tristan

Marybeth, Raesha and Monique

Chocolate dipped bananas rolled in toffee and coconut

Thanks Marie Callendar - you make a mean coconut creme pie!

Toppings for the haystacks

Sarah and me cleaning up after the fun!

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes!

2009-03-07T09:00:00.001-08:00

Since I got a griddle several months ago, it's become kind of a family tradition to make pancakes every Saturday or Sunday morning. Keegan loves to help me mix up the pancakes and he's even getting the hang of flipping them, (although I have to make sure there's plenty of room on the griddle, because where they land is anyone's guess!). Doug sets the table and warms up the syrup while we make the pancakes and then we all sit down for a delicious, calorie laden feast!

I have to say that I've come up with the best pancakes ever! First you spread peanut butter on them, then you add slices of banana. On top of that, you sprinkle a touch of cinnamon, then you add the syrup and for the final touch, a bit of whipped cream. Doug turned his nose up at them at first, stating that he like to keep things simple. But then he tried them and their deliciousness won him over!

Our First Ever Family Photos!

2009-02-14T18:20:00.002-08:00

Most of you know that Doug and I DON'T really love to POSE for pictures and that we've NEVER had our pictures taken together as a FAMILY. I know it's hard to believe, but we just DON'T GET VERY EXCITED about posing for pics. Anyway, my friend MONIQUE is a photographer and I've been telling her for a COUPLE OF YEARS that we were going to do a session with her. Well, it FINALLY happened this morning and it was really FUN! Keegan was totally ready with his CHEESY GRIN and stuck his TONGUE out for most of the pics. I can't believe she even got any with him looking a LITTLE BIT NORMAL! Here are a couple of the shots from this morning. THANKS Monique! Hopefully now it won't be ANOTHER 5 YEARS before we do it again :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:20:00.001-08:00

We made and decorated some Valentine's cookies for some of the kids in our neighborhood. I definitely got the wrong kind of icing for the little kids to use and most of the cookies that Keegan and Riley decorated just looked like they had a pile of pink or red poop in the middle of them! But they had fun anyway. After they were done, we drove around and Keegan delivered them. He's such a big boy now - he got out of the car and went up to the doors all by himself. Hope everyone has someone to love and someone that loves them right back this Valentine's Day! I sure am grateful for my two guys - what a lucky girl I am :)

Fancy Dance Party

2009-01-28T06:33:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning I told Keegan that he could wear anything he wanted because it wasn't a school day. So he carefully chose his outfit and came parading into our bedroom, checking himself out in the mirror. I took one look at him and tried to contain my laughter. He had carefully chosen a shirt and pants that matched, but the pants were about 1 1/2 inches too short and he had on a short sleeve shirt in the middle of winter. But just to keep warm, he added his cap and mittens. Oh yeah, he also just put some socks on with his Crocs so his feet wouldn't get cold. He knew that he was going to his friends dance party that day and obviously wanted to look special. I asked him if that's what he was going to wear and he said, "Well you know you have to dress fancy when you go to a dance party." It was just so dang cute that I didn't make him change his clothes, like I normally would have. He did look pretty fancy!

pretty pleased with himself

a nighttime variation

his fancy outfit

I LOVE LOST!!!

2009-01-22T05:36:00.000-08:00

I've been looking forward to the season premier of Lost pretty much since last season ended and last night did not disappoint! The hour before was great to catch me up on everything, too. But since I didn't get to see the whole thing, I'm thinking I may have missed a couple of things. Who was the white-haired lady at the end? And when have we seen her before? Is that Faraday's mom? Or am I totally off track? Someone please help!

Go UTES!!!

2009-01-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

decked out for the game

showing our Ute spirit in church on Sunday

I'm sure everyone already knows how much we love the Utes, so of course we were looking forward to the Sugar Bowl - although I have to admit that I wasn't really hopeful of being able to pull off an upset against Alabama. We got all geared up for the game and just couldn't believe that we scored in all of our first three possessions! Doug and I were ecstatic! We kept scaring Keegan with our loud screaming and jumping up and down. Eventually Keegan got into it, too. What a victory!!!! That's got to be the best season in Utah football history and then to win against a team like Alabama - we're still on cloud nine :)

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

this is how i wanted to start the new year. . .

but this is how it happened!

Okay, so I really wanted to start the new year with a bang by getting back to my healthy eating habits that I had totally lost over the holidays. But, guess what? I didn't!!! Pretty much the only things that I've eaten so far this year are delicious morsels of sugary delight! So I decided that I'm going to restart my resolution as soon as all the good stuff is out of my house, (which means after I've eaten it all!) I'll be back on the bandwagon soon, hopefully!

Christmas with the cousins

2008-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

Keegan had so much fun playing with his cousins this Christmas. They all played so well together that we were all wondering when there was going to be a blowout - and it never happened! They played pretty much all day everyday and were exhausted every night. Keegan was really sad to see it come to an end. He's already looking forward to Mexico this summer when everyone gets together again!

Thad's Wedding

2008-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

The week leading up to my trip to Florida was seriously one of the most hectic of my life! I had all my school finals, was deathly ill (I may be exaggerating a bit, but it really did feel that way!) and I had to get Christmas ready before I left on the 16th. Somehow everything got done and I was headed to Orlando for my big brother Thad's wedding. The first night there, I stayed up talking all night with my sister Kendall and that pretty much set a precedent for the rest of my time in Orlando. My older sister, Shannon, came down from New Hampshire and my little bro, Ethan made the trip from D.C. All eight Dickmans were there except for my older brother, Frederick, whom we all missed terribly!! My grandparents and Aunt Joanne and Uncle Frederick came, too. It was so much fun being together again. I also had a chance to visit with some high school friends that I hadn't seen since graduation. By the time I left, I was still sick and totally exhausted but completely happy! Congrats to Thad and Bonnie - you're perfect for each other :)

*I know it's crazy that I don't have any pics of the happy couple, but as soon as I get some, I'll post them.

Mom with Kendall's little girl, Harper

Dad, Mema & Wiley

All the girls

Kendall & me

Our last night

Handsome buggers Kip, Ethan & Jeremiah

Volleyball

2008-12-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

Go VS!!!!!

My friend Kellye and I decided to put together a volleyball team to play at UNM this semester and we ended up having enough girls for two teams! It was so much fun playing together every Saturday and getting in some good girl time. We even won quite a bit, which makes it even more fun :) Thanks to everyone who played - I can't wait for next season (although I'm sure my ankles are happy for the break)!!

Happy birthdays!

2008-11-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

Andrea, Jamie, me and Marybeth

Two of my good friends have birthdays just one day apart, so we celebrated them together with a delish lunch at PeiWei and a session at the temple a couple of days later. Happy birthday girls!

Halloween

2008-10-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

Our little race car driver!

Good one, Doug :)

I've been terrible about keeping up with the blog, so I'm going to have to backtrack a bit. I have to put up pics of Keegan at Halloween because he looked so stinkin' cute in his racecar outfit. He wanted to be Batman (the gray body with the yellow belt), but we went to 4 stores and his size was completely sold out. At the last store, I was about to just buy the dang thing in a size too big when Keegan saw the racecar suit. As soon as he laid eyes on it, Batman was completely forgotten!

My New Favorite TV Show!

2008-10-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is totally the best new show on television right now. If you're not watching, you're missing out! Doug and I sit glued to our TV when it's on - and it's presented with limited commercial interruptions, which is sooo nice for those of us who still don't have Tivo :)

DETOX!!!!

2008-10-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

Due to a complete lack of self-control over the past few weeks, (yes, I did eat the entire box of Nutty Bars in just 2 days), I feel like a total cow. I'm bloated and sluggish, not a great combination. So, I'm starting a 3 day detox today - yeah! Doug says he's doing it with me, but we'll see. . . the last time he said he would do a diet with me it didn't work out too well. Anyway - fruit fast here I come!! I'll keep you posted on the results.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

playing in the corn

the three amigos

everyone with their pumpkins

Keegan and Oliver with their favorite girl :)

Keegan had the last part of the week off from school, so we went with a bunch of friends to the pumpkin patch. We drove with Keegan's little friend, Kara, who was the most popular kid at the patch! A couple of fights almost broke out about who got to sit next to her on the hay ride, but they all worked it out without too many tears! Poor Kara was trying to please everyone and eventually Keegan and Oliver got to hang out with her, which made them very happy :)

Colorado

2008-09-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Keegan & Emma with their new best friend, Mike

"Best Friends Cabin!"

The sun hangin on while the storm's a brewing

I hate this pic of me, but it's the only one of the girls :)

At the lake

The boys

Paddle boat

We just got home from SPAR, CO and are pretty tired from our long weekend with friends. We had so much FUN! The weather was PERFECT and everything was beautiful. We didn't have running water while we were up there, so no SHOWERS for 4 days!!!! Thank goodness for BABY POWDER - just sprinkle a little in your hair and you're as good as new :)

Keegan had a great time with his friends and made a new one, too. The next door neighbor is an older man named MIKE. He was working on his cabin and Keegan just waltzed right over and struck up a conversation with him. When it was time for us to go, Doug went over to get Keegan and Keegan said, "Goodbye Mike, I love you!" It was pretty funny - I guess Keegan found a KINDRED spirit.

Right before our friends left for home, I took a picture of the kids in front of the cabin. Oliver said "BEST FRIENDS CABIN!" and all the kids yelled it out as I took the picture. I hope they stay great friends forever. We loved it up there and look forward to many more great memories in SPAR, FAR AWAY!

Carpenter Mieke!

2008-09-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

I made this shelf from scratch - can you believe it? I'm so HANDY!!! :) Most of you know that that last statement is totally untrue. But believe it or not, I really did make this shelf. Of course, I couldn't have done it without my friend, carpenter extrodinaire, Suni Pehrson. Sure, we got some curious glances in the Lowe's parking lot as we shoved the lumber for the shelf into Suni's minivan and bungeed it in tight, but the end result was worth all the strange looks. Thanks Suni :)

Keegan's Birthday Party

2008-09-17T17:48:00.000-07:00

the monster cake that just fed the 17 kids + adults

Keegan with 2 of his favorite girls, Kara and Riley

Having a great time!

With Josh

Can you find me, Mom?

Diet Coke is the Devil!!

2008-09-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

I've been off and on Diet Coke now for the past couple of years. I know it's bad for me, blah, blah, blah and so I've determined to quit it several times. I usually am fine - I mean other than the withdrawal headaches and stuff :), until I go to a restaurant or have to run to the 7-eleven for something. Then my resolve weakens and I just have to have one! Seriously, what else am I supposed to drink when I get that huge hot dog at Costco? Obviously, I don't want to drink my calories - I enjoy eating them way too much! And nothing can compare to that fizziness at the back of your throat when you're drinking one - ahhhh, I can almost taste it now!

I'm a terrible blogger!!

2008-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, seriously, I'm a terrible blogger! My new goal is to blog at least twice a month - hopefully I'll be able to do that. Anyway, our lives have been a little crazier than usual in the last month. Keegan started school and is loving it! I started school, too, and it's great (other than the fact that I feel like a grandma). We're starting to settle into our new schedule and it feels like things are slowing down a bit - yeah! Of course, this week is going to be crazy because we're finally having Keegan's birthday party on Wednesday (I know, I know - his birthdays was in July!!) and I'm hosting Bunco Thursday night. Luckily, I don't have to do organ duty at church anymore, so that stress is gone. The volleyball teams that I co-captain have started strong and we're looking forward to the rest of the season. I'll try to keep you updated!

Keegan's First Day of School!

2008-08-18T16:02:00.000-07:00

So thrilled to be at school!

Well, today was Keegan's first day of Kindergarten. I've only had a couple of weeks to mentally prepare myself and every time I even thought about it, the tears would start. So I was expecting nothing less than a complete ball session after I dropped him off today. But surprisingly, it didn't happen. Keegan was so excited to start school and already loved his teacher. I dropped him off, watched him march into school like such a big boy, and took off without even shedding a tear. That's it!!! I can't believe it myself. Doug was even surprised by how well I kept it together. I guess I'm going to be okay after all :)

I love the Olympics!!!!

2008-08-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Doug and I have been completely attached to our television since the Olympics began. We were amazed by the opening ceremony and have continued to be in awe of all the thrilling performances by our Olympians. Our favorite moment so far has to be when the US men beat the trash talkin' French in the 4x100 free relay. It was late at night and Keegan was sound asleep, but we couldn't help screaming at the top of our lungs, cheering on Lezak, not wanting to hope, but then, hold on, hold on, I think he's going to do it!!! He did it - I can't believe he did it!! Take that you French !$#@#$@#!!!! And then hoping that Keegan was still asleep and amazed that he could actually sleep through so much noise.

We've loved the swimming, gymnastics, soccer, basketball and volleyball and are excited for all the track and field events - although it looks like Jamaica is going to give us a run for our money! We'll definitely be tuning in - go team USA!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-08-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary - I can't believe it's already been 9 years!! They've flown by so quickly. I decided to post some pics from our big day, since hardly anyone has actually seen any of them :) I really was so lucky to find such a great guy to marry. He's better than I could have hoped for and is a totally amazing dad, too! Thanks for making the last nine years the best of my life Doug. I love you babe!!

Carlsbad Caverns

2008-07-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

the mouth of the whale

My Dad came to visit us for a week at the end of July - yeah!! We love when Papa comes to see us. During his visit, we took a little trip to Carlsbad Caverns, about a five hour drive from here. It was totally amazing being inside those gigantic caves. Everything was really beautiful and it was so huge that it took us 3 hours to get all the way through. The only thing that was a bit unpleasant was entering through the bat caves where the smell of guano is almost too much to take. It was really hard not to throw up from the smell and I'm usually not that sensitive to stinky stuff! But that part didn't last long, just until we were really into the caves and from then on we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Spar Far Away

2008-07-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

On the hike

Keegan with his spider, Jack

What a view!

Buddies

Striking a pose at the lake

Fishin with the girls - we all caught one!

Our friends invited us to this totally cool log cabin up in Spar, Colorado for an extended weekend. It was built in the 1880's and was really rustic and charming. It was so beautiful and peaceful there - it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! The kids had lots of fun exploring the little stream in front of the cabin, hiking, fishing and playing. The adults played cards and Scrabble to pass the time at night and did some fishing, too. We were sad when we had to return home. Thanks for the invite Andrea :)

Campin Out

2008-07-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Nice head lamp, Doug!

Keegan and Doug were planning on attending a father/son campout a couple of months ago, but Doug had to work at the last minute and they didn't end up going. Ever since then, Keegan has been begging to sleep in the tent in the back yard. They finally did last night, and Keegan really had a lot of fun! It was nice of Doug to sleep out in the back yard with Keegan, and I thoroughly enjoyed having the whole bed to myself :) !

Shelling Peas with Great-Grandma

2008-07-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

I think this is so cute! I'm so glad Keegan got to spend some quality time with Mema. We haven't been up to Utah in a couple of years and Keegan had a great time getting to know his great-grandparents.

the 4th

2008-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Keegan loves his Papa!

On the road with Riley& Oliver

Visiting with Mema & Wiley

Happy 4th!

Tiare & me

Keegan and Triston had so much fun together!

We drove up to Utah with the Drakes the week of the 4th. Doug and his little brother, Quinn, went hiking and camping with Travis, Jeff and their brothers. Keegan and I got to visit with Quinn's wife, Dani, and their son, Triston. We also saw my dad and grandparents and visited with one of my lifelong friends, Tiare Ita and her family. It was a pretty short trip, but we had a lot of fun catching up with everyone!

Girls Trip to Mexico

2008-07-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

I've been planning a girls trip to Rocky Point in my mind for the past couple of years and finally got one together the last week of June. There were seven of us who went, and we had so much fun! We pretty much just layed out, ate amazing food, and shopped the whole time we were there. We also managed to stay up way too late every night talking or playing card games. It was a really nice break from reality for all of us, as no kids or husbands were allowed :) The girls who went were Sarah Shepherd, Karen Skousen, Joy Simmons, Jamie Drake, Marybeth Weeks and Tracy Hiatt. Thanks to my mother-in-law, Sharee, for letting us shack-up at her house for a night and to Rod Herbert for his generosity. We all had a great time!!

Salsa baby, yeah!

2008-06-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

Most of you know already that I'm a total salsa dancing freak!! Before Doug and I were married, I would go salsa dancing every week with my roommate, Deb. We loved it so much that we even traveled to NYC to go to a great salsa club there (I worked for the airlines, so it wasn't too difficult :) Anyway, my love of salsa music and salsa dancing hasn't subsided since marrying a non-salsa dancer. Doug was totally thrilled when I found a salsa class at our local gym several years ago. I've been attending faithfully ever since and the pressure is off Doug to learn how to salsa! The song that you're listening to is just one of my new favorites - doesn't it just make you want to shake your booty?

Dynomites Soccer

2008-05-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Rocky Point

2008-05-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Keegan and I went to Rocky Point, Mexico last week with some of Doug's family. It turned out to be a girls trip since all the men were at home working. We really enjoyed the beautiful weather and sandy beach.

The kids racing their Crocs

The whole crew

Grandma & Grandpa

Baby Bella was a big hit!

Otter Pop frenzy

The cousins

Our last night in Rocky Point :(

Sunbeam!

2008-05-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this recording of Keegan when he first started learning "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." He was probably about 2 1/2 or so - his little voice is just so cute! It was his favorite song for such a long time, along with "Popcorn." He made us sing those songs to him every night right before he went to sleep. He's growing up so fast, it's nice to remember when he was just a little munchkin :)

Agua Caliente

2008-05-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Doug & his sister Maline (does anyone else see a resemblance?:)

Grandma Gooch

While we were in Tucson we went to this really beautiful park called Agua Caliente. The kids had a lot of fun running around and playing in the little stream. Here are a few of the pics I took.

Keegan's Name!

2008-04-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Keegan wrote his name for the first time today and we're all pretty excited about it! Now we just have to tackle the lower-case letters! :)

Day at the Zoo

2008-03-28T15:02:00.000-07:00

Keegan & Kara strolling through the zoo

Keegan sick of taking pics :)

The lion was pretty mello, just enjoying the sun!

Today Doug took off work and we all went to the zoo. Keegan loves the animals but doesn't like the "stink" very much! Anyway, we had a good time and the animals were all in pretty good moods!

Explora Museum

2008-03-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

Keegan & Kara mastering the art of windmill design

The band has arrived!

We went with some friends to the Explora Museum downtown today and the kids had a blast! It's a hands-on place for kids to make all kinds of discoveries. There are tons of experiments and so much to do that even after being there for 6 hours, we didn't get to everything and the kids still didn't want to go home. The trip was a definite success, so I'm sure we'll be going back frequently!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone!! Gary and Sharee drove from Tucson to visit us this weekend. We watched Keegan's soccer game (he scored a goal for the other team!) Saturday morning and went to Old Town for some shopping that afternoon. Today was spent at church in our Sunday best and then preparing a feast for Easter dinner - none of us will be hungry for a while! We also went hiking up in the Cibola mountains this evening. The weather was beautiful and we're hoping that spring has finally come.

Keegan with Grandma & Grandpa

Amber's Visit

2008-02-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

Amber came to Albuquerque for the first time ever this week :) She had some much deserved time-off from work that she needed to take so that she didn't lose it, so she was with us for a week. We didn't do anything really exciting - she kind of just blended into our lives. I was hoping that she would play volleyball with me (I play twice a week at the church), but she was a little too shy and ended up being the resident babysitter instead. I don't know why she didn't want to play - we all know about that killer, light as a cloud, side-arm serve!! :) We did end up hiking in the Petroglyphs and going to Old Town during her stay. We were all sad to say goodbye and Keegan is definitely going to miss torturing her with all his car, train and helicopter games! :)

Keegan's Prayers

2008-02-15T17:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Keegan's prayers are pretty hilarious. He just kind of goes off on tangents and forgets that he's in the middle of his prayer and then has to get back on track and end it. Some of the stuff he says is so funny, we wonder where he gets it. Also, he just throws in some Spanish, too. He's a little obsessed with the sun and moon lately, as you'll hear from the sound clip. The other night he said, "Thank you that the moon is so shiny and the sun is so bright." He also prays for a baby pretty much every night without fail - so sweet! Anyway, here are two prayers from last week.

Kendall and Harper Come to Town!

2008-02-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sweet little Harper

Kendall and Harper came to visit for 10 days at the end of January. It was so much fun to just hang out with them. Of course, Kendall was pretty busy during her stay. I had booked cuts and colors for about 20+ of my friends. So she was working for 2-3 days straight and I'm such a terrible secretary that I booked her appointments half an hour apart for the whole day without any breakfast, lunch or dinner breaks! Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted by the time the "Beauty Shop" closed, but all my friends were thrilled with their hair :) Keegan loved spending time with baby Harper (he calls her "little billy goat" because she eats pretty much anything, including paper) and was really sad when they left. I had to take them to the airport at like 4:30 in the morning, so he didn't really get to say goodbye. He woke up that morning to find that they were gone. He came into my room and said "I miss Kendall and Harper." It was so cute and a little heartbreaking. We can't wait to see them again!

Remembering the "chupy"

2008-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

So I was talking to a friend today about how we got rid of Keegan's binky, which we called his chupon or chupy. I had vowed to take it away at 2 years but then my resolve weakened and I put if off until he was 2 1/2. Anyway, we were down to just this last one, so I decided that it was now or never. We warned Keegan about a week ahead of time every day that we were going to send the chupy away. So we bought 3 helium balloons because I really wasn't sure how many it would take, took Keegan to the park, had him say goodbye, and sent the chupy into the atmosphere. That thing seriously took off! I thought that it was going to be really hard for Keegan and it was at first, but after a couple of days he just stopped asking for it and moved on with his life - thank goodness! Still, every time I watch this clip, my heart breaks a little.

33 Already?

2008-01-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to me!

So, I can't believe that I'm already 33 years old! Time really does fly and I'm not totally loving it! Anyway, some of my girlfriends took me to lunch for my birthday, which was really fun. Thanks guys :) Mom and Dad sent some cash, which is always appreciated, and Doug took me to dinner (we had steak, of course - I'm such a carnivore!) and gave me a really great gift. He got me a massage and facial at La Bella - whippee! I love it!!! The only thing is that I feel like I have to earn that massage. Like I need to do a triathlon or something to merit such fabulous treatment. We'll see, maybe I'll line one up just for the reward of the massage afterward! As if that wasn't enough, Doug made me a delicious chocolate cake and invited our friends, Ben & Kristina, and their kids over for cake and ice cream. Thanks to everyone for making getting older a little easier!!

Harper's Blessing

2007-11-20T16:20:00.000-08:00

Publish Post The boys

The girls

Guess who wanted this pose? Mom - she's a real fan of The Sound of Music - can you say "Cukoo, Cukoo?"

I love this pic of Mom & Dad - Dad doesn't have his classic deer in the headlights look!

Kendall & Harper

Three generations of look alikes :)

Kendall decided to have Harper blessed by my Dad in Florida, and all the brothers and sisters tried to make it out for it. We were only missing the two oldest, Shannon and Frederick. Since it was such a quick trip for me, I decided to go alone, which was really hard! This was only the second time in Keegan's life that I've spent the night away from him. Thanks to Kristina for watching him while I was gone :) Anyway, it was really fun to have the clan together again. We reminisced, hung out and had a good time. Mom hired a photographer for the occasion and we all had a fun time hamming it up for the camera! Hopefully it won't be too long before we all get together again.

Balloon Fiesta

2007-10-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Balloon Fiesta 2007

Dad came out to visit for the Balloon Fiesta. I think it's his second or third time now, and we enjoy it so much more when he's with us. The best part of Dad's visit this time was that Dad, Doug and I went up in a hot air balloon. I was a little hesitant at first thinking that I might freak out as we were going up or something, but ultimately made the decision to go. It was so cool! It's not at all what I expected. First of all, we all helped lay out the balloon and fill it with air. Then we took off and there were about 10 people in each basket along with the pilot. The take off was so smooth that you got up without even noticing that the ground was getting smaller and smaller. It was so peaceful up there - the only thing you heard was the hot air filling the balloon every now and then. We stayed up for a while, floating over the city and into the country. Then we landed, which was pretty interesting. Actually, the landing really wasn't bad at all. I was braced for the worst and couldn't believe that everything worked out perfectly. Then we all helped fold up the balloon and got the basket into the van and went home. It was really fun - I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks Dad! :)

Girls Reunion in Myrtle Beach

2007-08-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Mom with baby Harper (her Mini me!)

Amber, Kendall & me at the pool

Keegan & Asher with Harper

Shannon, me, Kendall and Anne

The sisters

We thought it was a great idea to have Mom, the sisters and the sisters-in-laws get together for some female bonding time, so we instituted the Girls Reunion. This was the first time we did it and Shannon volunteered to host at her beautiful home in Myrtle Beach. Mom, Amber and Anne came for the first couple of days and Kendall and I stayed for the rest of the week. (Lori couldn't make it because she just had beautiful baby Jenna on July 7th.) We pretty much just stayed up super late every night talking. Of course when we got the late-night munchies, we whipped up a batch of Andes mint cookies and ate while we talked:) We swam in the neighborhood pool and played beauty salon with Kendall cutting and coloring everyone's hair. It was a really good time and hopefully we'll do it every year now. Also, Keegan seriously couldn't get enough of baby Harper. He wanted to hold her every chance he got. He'll make a great big brother some day!

Papa's Visit

2007-08-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Relaxing in the river

Potty break

Keegan really loved the caves!

With Papa at Bandelier

Dad came and visited us for the week in between Rocky Point and the Girls Reunion. We decided to take a trip to Bandelier National Park to visit the cave dwellings of the native Americans from that region. It was really hot, but we had a good time. Keegan had to pee like five times while we were there, and of course, there weren't any restrooms, so we had to improvise! After we hiked to the caves, we found a little stream to soak our feet in and relax for a little while - it felt so nice. We also went to Old Town to show Dad some of the little shops and churches in downtown Albuquerque. It was a nice visit and we were glad that he could come.

Rocky Point

2007-07-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Keegan totally tuckered out and ready for bed

The cousins getting ready for a sunset race

The banana boat crew

We all had a blast at Rocky Point this year. Sharee, Keegan and I went up a week before everyone else and enjoyed the peace and calm. The next week the rest of the clan showed up and the fun began! All the kids had a lot of fun swimming, digging in the beach and looking for shells. On our banana boat ride, the driver got a little too excited and Doug nearly fell off, but that made it all the more exciting! Keegan kept saying that he wanted to go faster and faster - the kid already has a need for speed. :) I also came to the realization that Keegan will use his Spanish only when he wants to, like when there are two cute little Mexican girls in the pool that he wants to play with. He was like, "Hola, como estan?" It was hilarious!! Anyway, we're already looking forward to the next Rocky Point trip.

NYC!

2007-05-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

Keegan and I went to NYC to help Maline out after her knee surgery. We were there for two weeks and it was so much fun!! I went to a dinner party at the Buddha Bar while I was there and of course, we did all the touristy things too. We took the Staten Island Ferry to the Statue of Liberty, went to Wall Street and ate a ton of good food! We also went to Ground Zero, which was a very moving experience. It's hard not to get emotional when you see the pictures of everyone that helped out and think about those who lost their lives. We took a weekend trip up to Rhode Island to visit Scott and Lora. All the kids had so much fun racing up and down their driveway. Keegan had a great time spending time with his east coast cousins. All in all, it was a fantastic trip and Keegan and I were sad to leave, although I'm pretty sure that after two weeks of sharing his toys, Jack wasn't too torn up about it!:)

All the cousins at Scott & Lora's

Keegan & Savanna at the gardens in front of her preschool

Wall Street

On the Staten Island Ferry