Pre-Thanksgiving Celebration...And...a Moment of Despiration

Kourtney and Alyson both had feasts at their school to celebrate Thanksgiving. They had a fun time making hats and turkeys then chowing down on tasty snacks. Here are a couple pictures of Koco at her celebration. She's the lone pilgrim in the pic below!

Alyson's teacher asked her if she would play the violin for her class before feast. She played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and did a great job especially considering she's only been taking lessons for a few months.

So, here is my MOMENT OF DESPERATION. Alyson and Kourtney were suppose to bring a snack to share with their classes. I copped out on Koco's celebration because I bought strawberry shortcake rolls and cut them up into slices. I decided that I'd actually make something for Alyson's celebration the next day, but my plans were nearly foiled when Ellary and Keegan both woke up from their naps at the same time, just when I was in the middle of stirring up blueberry cupcake ingredients. How I have forgotten how complicated schedules can get with a toddler and a newborn! Ellary was hungry. Keegan was hungry. And I only had so much time before the cupcakes needed to be made and delivered.

Ellary found a bag of Cheetos in the pantry and began to squeal "Mooore! Mooore!" while Keegan cried in his bouncy seat and I stirred, stirred, stirred. Out of pure desperation I gave in and set Ellary in her high chair, pulled off her dress and let her plow into the bag of Cheetos. Notice, I gave her a cup of yogurt, just to balance it off! In a couple of minutes I had the cupcake batter poured and in the oven, and Keegan was eating lunch too. Wow-what a time! I took these pics after Keegan ate a little and settled down, just to let you know!

Fall Fun at the Park

The temperature was just perfect for a late afternoon walk yesterday so the girls, Keegan and I took a stroll to the playground while Kris was at the MSU vs. Penn State football game. Just what we needed-a little outdoor fun on a beautiful fall day.

Keegan was all decked out in his MSU fleece sweat suit that the accounting faculty gave him, so he stayed toasty warm in the snuggly on my chest. And Ellary is getting so big now that she thinks she can keep up with her older sisters. Lucky her, the ones she has love to help her pretend she's big too by holding her hand as she goes across the suspension bridge and choo-chooing down the tall slide all together.

Now that it fits...

Here are some pictures I took of Keegan in his blessing outfit last week now that it actually fits him... :)

I also took some pictures of Ellary with Keegan while he was still in his blessing outfit. She had no problem wanting to hold him on her lap. Ellary's already such a great big sister at only 18 months old!

Back to Blogging: Keegan's Blessing Day

We blessed Keegan in our home last Sunday (October 8th) with my mom and dad, sister Renee, and many ward member friends joining us. We are grateful they all could be in attendance.

Keegan's blessing was beautiful...Kris always does such a great job preparing and then listening to the spirit to prompt what he blesses our babies with. I am very grateful for such a devoted husband who does everything with purpose and action. I'm blessed with a wonderful husband, and our children, especially Keegan are blessed to have such a great role model to look up to.

Back to Blogging: Kris' Birthday

I got so far behind on our blog that I am just now going back to record Kris' birthday. We've all been a little preoccupied lately!

So, Kris' birthday...We spent a nippy morning accompanying Koco on her field trip to the pumpkin patch. In spite of the chilly temperatures, we had a fun time on the hay bail ride, picking pumpkins and Indian corn, and then watching the kids play. Later that night Kris dug into his ice cream cake from Maggie Moo's and managed to share a few pieces with us. Yum-Yum. Then he and I took a date night out to P.F. Chang's and watched "The Invention of Lying" in the theaters. Very thought provoking movie. Happy 33rd birthday, Babe. Here's to a great 34th year!

Back to Blogging:Growing So Fast...

Our little guy is growing and changing so quickly, and it's only been two and a half weeks since he was born. Keegan's facial features are coming into his own. I thought he looked so much like Ellary the first time the nurse placed him on my chest, but not so much now. He has Kris' eyes and my ears, and unfortunately, my nose...so far! We had professional pictures taken before we left the hospital. It was the first time that we could ever afford it! Keegan wore an orange, black and white Halloween outfit that Nana bought for him. We also took pictures of Kris and me holding Keegan and then some of my mom and dad before leaving.We brought Keegan home on Halloween to a welcoming bunch of little girls excited to see their new baby brother. Ellary, who prefers to say "More" for just about everything, pointed to Keegan and said over and over again, "Babay! Babay!" Amazingly, she knew that Keegan was no longer in my belly but the little baby before her. Kourtney was ultra excited as she was with Ellary's birth, however, this time she didn't volunteer to change any poopy diapers. She knows better now! Alyson was excited, but she has really become independent, and although happy, not quite as ecstatic as her younger sisters. Still, she's been a great helper retrieving diapers and wet ones and anything else we may need.So, as I mentioned before, it's been two and a half weeks since Keegan was born. He is a very happy, easy going little guy, who smiles frequently. Of course there's always the question as to why an infant smiles (some people think they don't know what it means at this age), but whatever the reason, he smiles a lot and each time he does, it captures our hearts. He only cries when he's really hungry (every 2-4 hours). We couldn't ask for a better natured baby. We are so glad that Keegan is here!