Keegan's 1st Birthday!

Keegan turned 1 year old on the 29th! What a big guy he has become. It's always an amazing time to reflect on how quickly a year goes by when your little baby hits that mile stone. It's like they were always with you, as if you can't imagine a life without them in yours. Still, you know just a little over a year ago that your child was still finding refuge in your belly and a few months before that still just a twinkle in your eye.

Keegan's first birthday started out with pictures in the morning. He sported a cute little suit that Nana and Papa bought him. We took it pretty easy until that night when Kris got home, then we had a BBQ. Keegan had some bits of hamburger and beans. Then we opened presents, and when I say "we", that is precisely what "we" did. You have to love first birthdays, how the birthday child is seldom interested in unwrapping anything, and of course, they can't read so the on-lookers become involved and do all of that.

Alyson read a card she made to Keegan, then helped him unwrap his first "Hot Wheels" car. He loves it, as you can tell. It's a toy he gets to play with when we are watching him.


Then Kourtney presented Keegan with her card. Notice the picture she drew of her and Keegan. He is nearly as big as her. It was a sweet reminder that some day he really will be bigger than her. Kourtney also bought him a Little Einstein Book. Keegan got a new car seat from Kris and I (see the first picture in this post). Whoo-Hoo! He can sit facing the front now!

This is the cake I made for Keegan. I always make our kids' first cakes. I began to ice the cake with yard line numbers and switched the "50" to "29" in honor of the day he was born. Keegan's portion of the cake was the football (see below).

At first Keegan stuck his finger in it and took a lick.

Then he did it again.

And then Keegan dug in!

And dug in some more. It's pretty safe to say that Keegan loves himself some cake!

Happy birthday little guy! Your family loves you so much. You make us so happy when you flash your big smile and exude your cheerful disposition. We are very blessed to have you in our family. We are so grateful for you!

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!

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: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!