Work that Poo Out!

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

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

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

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!

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

A New Era

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!!!

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!!!

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Thanksgiving with Friends

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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!!!!!

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 :)

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!

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 :)