Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone so quickly! We had a great day. Cayden was very overwhelmed when she opened up her biggest Christmas wish - Butterscotch the pony. She was wanting this so badly and we kept making excuses as to why there was a good possibility Santa wouldn't bring it. She has named the horse "Baby Unicorn", LOL. Keenan was not interested in opening gifts at all. He liked to climb on them, particularly to stand on top of them. But open them? No way! Here are a few pics of the kids on Christmas:

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From our family to yours....

Merry Christmas!!!!

Rudolph sung by Cayden

Cayden LOVES music. It plays all day long in her playroom while she's playing. She spends a good time of play singing along or stopping to dance. Well since we brought the Christmas music back out that's all she wants to hear. I caught her singing Rudolph the red nose reindeer by herself (no music on) and was shocked that she knew all the words!! So of course I had her sing it for the camera! LOL

Very sad news

I got a call this morning from my best friend Robin. Her dad passed away unexpectedly. Her younger brother went to wake him up this morning and he wouldn't wake. He died in his sleep at some point over night. There is no rhyme or reason so it's just an utter shock. Please pray for her and her family during this horrible time of grief.

Hair hacked

They shouldn't call it getting a "hair cut". It should be called getting your "hair hacked off". Why is it that hair dressers cannot get it right when you tell them how much?! We took Keenan for his very first hair cut today. I've cut before myself but he was in need of a professional trim. The hair growing over his ears was out of control. We took him in to a kids place with a good reputation and requested to have his hair majorly cut around his ears and the top trimmed so it stops puffing out (he's straight on top and curly in back and the top just seems puffy and wierd all the time). We told her to only take a TINY TRIM off the back because we did NOT want his curls cut, we wanted to keep them. You can just guess right there what happened. Keenan was an absolute angel but Eric and I are traumatized with the new cut. I hope the back grows fast!!

Last week after his bath - look at those curls!



Getting it wet down and brushed out to get ready for the cut:


Daddy what is this lady doing to me?


See those curls peeking out? This is what it was suppose to look like before she got hack happy


End result:


Look how straight the back is now :( :(

Thanksgiving!

Well yesterday was Thanksgiving and for the first time ever I cooked a turkey dinner! It was a big day for us. We usually go to my parents house for Thanksgiving but this year we decided to stay home. It ended up being a great day. The turkey was fantastic, the sweet potatoes (which I usually hate) were soooo yummy, and the gravy came out great! The stuffing wasn't that great in my opinion but I always hate stuffing. Eric and Keenan liked the stuffing so I guess it was good. I busted my butt and made everything fresh, fresh, fresh. No canned or frozen stuff allowed. It was really low key and a nice family dinner for the four of us. Despite the nice day Keenan was a pain. He decided to be awake between 1am and 3am the night before and was therefore a miserable little thing all day. He took a 3 hour nap and was still a beast. He spent most of the day like this:

Indescribable fun

Learning to walk is fun. Having a ball pit to play in is fun. Pretending you know how to run when you don't is really funny. But running and diving into the ball pit - now that's indescribable fun!!

Surprise!

So I had the worst time trying to get video clips of this. My husband is useless when it comes to asking for help so I was attempting to video with my camera so I could share online. You may not be able to tell that well from these clips because they are far from great but it's official - KEENAN'S WALKING! He's been doing 2 or 3 steps from me to Eric with prompting or if I stand him up and then back up he'll walk to me but never more then 2 or 3 steps.

A few days after his birthday he started increasing the steps and he'd actually steady himself every few steps and keep going. On thursday he actually took off walking from the couch without prompting! I had my back to him and was several feet away from the couch. I had seem him playing there but was cleaning up toys. Next thing I knew he was tapping me on the back! He's still not super steady but he's pulling up on things and taking off on his own! He's attempting to run which you could see in these videos and that lands in a total crash after several steps. I can't believe the distances he can go now compared to just a few days ago! He has FINALLY beat his sister at a milestones. She rolled first, crawled first, said her first word before him, and pulled up first. But she didn't walk until 14 1/2 months. Go Keenan!

Yes, Cayden is half dressed - clothes on top, pj's on bottom, LOL and yes my playroom is destroyed! Just think the kids have only been up for an hour and managed to make that mess!

1 year old stats

I totally forgot to post Keenan's 1 year old stats. He had his checkup last week on his actual birthday. They were out of both shots he was scheduled to get so not getting them was like an extra birthday present! LOL He'll get them when he goes in for his 15 month checkup. My beefcake is:

24 lbs 4 oz
31 1/4 inches

Not much is new in the feeding department. Keenan's been completely on table food for about a month. He's still not able to have dairy so it's soy milk for him. He's also been off the bottle for 2.5 months! When we switched him to the soy milk at 9.5 mths we just took him off the bottle to make the change complete.

Oh and I have a little suprise to show you so stay tuned. I should have it ready by tomorrow.

Trick or Treat!

We had such a fun day yesterday! Cayden had a Halloween parade and party at her school and it was so cute. I was laughing at her "uniqueness" because not only in her class but out of the entire school 80% of the little girls were Disney Princesses and my daughter was an animal of course. We let her pick her own costume and that's what she choose! We later went to my friend Melanie's house down in the Newtown/Yardley area to trick or treat. Keenan just came along for the ride but let me tell you Brynn and Cayden made out like bandits with their candy!

School parade


Feeling eyeballs, hearts, and brains


Simon says


Simon says walk like a Zebra


Getting ready for trick or treating




Trick or treat


This getting candy business is fun!


Mommy, what are they doing up there?

Happy 1st Birthday Keenan Alexander!

My sweet baby boy is 1 today. I cannot believe an entire year has passed. I'm just not sure where the time went. Keenan is such a big boy and all of these milestones are so bittersweet. I love watching him make new discoveries but hate seeing him grow because I know he's our last. We are doing cake tonight with just the 4 of us so I'll post pictures later of that as well.

And here are the cake pictures. He destroyed his mini cake. He was all about it and loved it!!

Halloween sneak peek

Today we went to a Halloween party so I figured I'd give you a sneak peek of the kids in the their costumes. With all the craziness on Halloween day who knows if I'll be able to get any good shots! The first picture is my goddaughter Grace. It was her 5th birthday party. Isn't she so pretty?! When Grace and Cayden were younger a lot of people thought they looked alike (including me). Amber - I know you'll be reading this - hope you don't mind me putting Grace's picture here.

Grace, the birthday girl



Cayden the Zebra - of course my daughter choose an animal costume!


Keenan the Octopus. Have you ever seen anything so cute?

Rain, rain, go away!

There is a lot of rain in the forecast and it's disturbing me. Keenan's party is next Saturday and it's outdoors at a local park. I will be so upset if it rains! We are having too many people to have it at our house and if it rains we'll have to cram them all in! So if you are the praying time just say a little prayer that it does not rain on the 27th. And if you are not the praying type just think super good thoughts; beautiful fall weather, no rain!!!!!!

Pumpkin picking fun!

Well we've headed to the pumpkin patch two times this year already. Once to meet up with friends I haven't seen in years and years. The second time was to follow tradition at a pumpkin patch we've been going to since Cayden's first October. It was a bummer though because the 1st time it was way too hot and the second time the sunflowers were all dead at our regular place and that's what we were really going for. I have pumpkin patch pictures of Cayden from every year but I can get those anywhere. I also have a picture of her head next to a giant sunflower every year and our traditional location is the only place that has them. Damn the heat!

Anyway my little girl has grown so quickly. 4 pumpkin patch years in review:

Cayden's 1st year, 8 months old

Cayden's 2nd year, 20 months old

Cayden's 3rd year, 2 years 8 months old

This year, 3 1/2 years old!


And speaking of growing...I cannot believe Keenan is almost one. Here are some shots of his pumpkin patch adventures from this year:

How to embarrass your parents

Cayden strikes again. I swear this kid knows just how to embarrass her parents. Cayden has super senses. She smells EVERYTHING and hears EVERYTHING. We constantly hear "what's that noise??" or "what's that smell?" and have to strain our senses to figure out what she's talking about. And there always is some sound or smell but no normal person would have even noticed unless it was pointed out.

On Wednesday we went to the mall. We had a 3 year old crisis alert when Cayden's Cinderella dress up costume ripped. The thing was 2 years old and way past it's prime so it really wasn't a big deal but to a 3 year old who had just decided to wear it, it was a crisis. So we get out of the car and we are in the parking lot walking when she says:

"What's that smell?? I think maybe I farted."

As Eric and I look at each other, shake our heads, and my mouth opens to chastise her I hear chuckling. I look over and there is this family getting their child in the car and the dad is just cracking up. I wanted to go climb under the closest car! I swear we teach this kid the proper manners. In fact people always comment on her manners because even in the most stressful situations (like a child snatching another toy from her etc) she will use "Please" and "Thank you" and her favorite which is "excuse me". So why she decided to announce she farted in the parking lot is beyond me. Good thing you cannot die of embarrassment or I would have been dead a long time ago!

How to get another sibling when Daddy says NO

I swear Cayden cracks me up daily. The way her 3 year old mind works is just hilarious. She is constantly asking for another sibling. Although she loves Keenan she desperately wants a baby sister. We always tell her that we are not having any more babies. I never fail to mention that we are not having any more babies because Daddy said no. So yesterday Cayden and I were watching a baby story on TLC when all of a sudden her eyes light up, she gets this huge smiles and says to me:

"Mommy I think you should be sneaky and I should be sneaky. We should leave Daddy home and go to the doctors and get a new baby put in you. Then when we get home we'll tell Daddy surprise we are having another baby and he'll freak out!"

Where does this kid come up with this stuff ?

Dear Keenan:

I know you like food boy. Anyone who has ever seen you eat knows you could take down an all you can eat buffet all by yourself. No amount is ever enough and you will scream for more and more and more, often squealing with delight each time food is set down. Before too long I we will be poverty stricken because you eat us right out of house and home. Sister does not like it when your excitement to see her first thing in the morning is due to the fact she will be eating breakfast. We know you are waiting for your "second breakfast" as you pull yourself up to her chair begging for scraps.

However there are some things that are just not food items and do not belong in your mouth. PLEASE stop going into the bathroom and getting wads of toilet paper, trailing them around the house like a dog, and eating chunks off. (note to self: lecture sister for the millionth time to close bathroom door after using it). When Mommy is carrying you please stop throwing yourself down on a slant to shove the nasty plastic bag handle in your mouth with your dog jaw grip. NOT FOOD ITEMS. Stop pulling your socks off and putting them in your mouth. Wet socks are gross and freak Mommy out. Lastly shoes of any sort are NOT delicacy's. They are not for licking, chewing, or chomping. Do you know where they have been? DISGUSTING.

I know you are a hungry, growing boy and I promise to feed you until you explode. If only you would just stop putting nasty crap in your mouth. Thanks.

Love, Mommy

Fingers crossed!!!

Keep your fingers crossed for me! I had the job interview of a lifetime today. I really really really want this job. I applied for two positions at a nonprofit organization. It's a place dedicated to improving the female adolescent community. It's a "safe haven" type place for girls age 9-18. They get help with everything from homework to having mentoring sessions about all kinds of issues facing teen girls today. There was an office administrator position which would be strictly office work and then an Assistant Director position which would be doing EVERYTHING from mentoring sessions to retreats, light office work etc. I am hoping to land the Assistant Director title over office but I'd be happy to get either. It's just an amazing organization! There were many applicants so it would be a huge compliment if I got the job but it will be hard. I had to prepare a mock lesson plan on an issues facing female teens (my choice of subject) and present today at the interview. I feel like it went great. The woman told me she was very impressed so that's a good sign.

The company is waiting on a grant so they can open a 4th location. The grant approval is set to go through on or before Sept 30th. As soon as they get word it was approved they will start contacting people. Send good luck vibes this way. I am really hopeful!

Welcome baby Colin!

Congrats to our friends Melanie, Bill, and big sister Brynn! Colin John was born yesterday morning. He weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz's and was 19 inches long. We are so happy for their family and can't wait to see the tiny bundle of joy! Cayden is most excited about Brynn getting a brother over a sister. She wanted her best friend Brynn to have a baby brother just like she does! We can't wait to meet him. We're betting he's every bit as cute and sweet as Brynn is.

I'M NOT A GIRL!!!

That is what the sign I attach to Keenan's clothes will read. In the last week he has been called a girl 3 times! I just don't get it. He is absolutely adorable but when I look at him I see boy features, not girl! The first incident I just brushed off thinking they saw his hair. He has a ton and it does flip out a bit on the sides and curl up a tiny bit in the back. But it's not crazily long in the back or anything. He's not wearing hair ties or hair bows. Oh and let me say that all 3 times he was wearing total boy clothes! The first time he was referred to a "she", the second time it went as far as "you are such a pretty girl". The 3rd time a woman's son was watching Keenan eat snacks and the woman said "oh you are watching her eat her snack? She's a lucky little girl". NO NO NO NOT A GIRL!! He was wearing navy blue pants and a baby blue top with whales on the pockets. He looked like a boy to me! You may be thinking that I'm just biased because he's my son and that's possible but my friend Melanie and I have always talked about how boyish he looked since birth! We always say how there's no mistaking his face for a girl but I guess we were wrong!

Fun times at the park

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty nice day so we spent most of it outdoors. We headed to the park with the kids who both had a blast. Daddy was swinging Keenan pretty fast and he was squealing with delight. I guess I've been wimping it on the swing speed! It's times like these that I'm so glad my camera has a button for action shots. This is the first time you can really see his teeth so well. His 5th one just started to come through a few days ago so now he's got 3 bottom and 2 top. Cayden's swinging shots were all blurry probably due to the fact that she was swinging crazily.

How did we get here? ....and Halloween too!

Decisions, decisions. I'm struggling with Halloween here. Costumes are a rip off considering they are for one day. Last year Cayden wanted to be Tinkerbell and I was thrilled because I knew it'd be worth every penny. That costume has since joined her dress up collection and she uses it all the time. This year I wanted her to wear her dance costume since it cost a fortune and she wore it only for her recital. She's not interested in being a pirate and since Halloween is suppose to be fun for kids I feel bad taking the excitement out of it. Then we move on to Keenan. What I really want him to be is this adorable octopus:
How cute is this???? But I'm afraid we'll have one of those Octobers where Halloween is 80 degrees and he will just suffocate inside that costume. So then I was in the disney store and saw this Mickey Mouse costume for babies. I can't show you a picture of it because every site (even the Disney stores site!!) shows some other cheesy version. It was a bubble type costume and was perfect because if it's warm he'd have bare arms and legs and if it was cold I could put black pants and a long sleeve black onesie on him. I liked that flexibility. I'm not a big Mickey Mouse fan but what made me think the idea was a good one is I saw Minnie and thought how cute would it be if Cayden and Keenan were Mickey and Minnie? That would be adorable. I'm going to lose the power of persuasion with Cayden in a few years on the costume front so I should try to take advantage of it now!!! Ha ha. So now I'm stuck with the ever so adorable octopus or the not nearly as cute but oh so convenient Mickey. Of course another plus is that if Cayden is Minnie it will be something to add to her dress up collection instead of worn once. Decisions, decisions.

Then we move on to the "How did we get here" portion of this post. I was gathering pictures of Keenan for his birthday invite/video and I started looking at Cayden's baby pictures. I'm feeling ridiculously sentimental these days watching Keenan grow and knowing that he is the last baby we will have. It's hard watching the babyhood fade away. Just about 3 years ago we had a 10 month old - our baby Cayden; sweet, easygoing, happy go lucky, endearing little girl:


and now we have a 10 month old baby yet again and although we love him just the same he is the complete opposite. My Keenan boy; cranky and oh so demanding but with the ability to make your heart melt with one little smile or laugh:


Wow - time flies! So now that I'm finally finished this super long post - be warned. Lots of sentimental moments to come in the next few months as Keenan turns one, learns to walk and so much more.

It can't be!

Keenan turned 10 months old on friday and I just can't believe it. 10 months old already? Fast approaching one and I'm not sure where the time went. He's a speedy crawler and pulling up on just about everything. He is in the beginning stages of cruising. He can go forward with his feet but hasn't figured out how to go side to side. I'm not in any rush! The boy loves shoes. We cannot leave our shoes anywhere or he will find them and attempt to eat them. So gross! His vocabulary is rapidly growing and he can say "Momma", "Dadda", "Nigh Nigh" (night night), "more", "nana" (banana), "bye bye", "ba ba" (which we are trying to get him to say cup but he calls cup his ba ba), and "no-no". He's just finished up with the bottle and is on sippy cups although he's quite particular about which sippy cups he'll use (Playtex with the rounded hard spout). My little boy still can't tolerate dairy which is such a pain. He was throwing up formula (any kind) so badly that we just went ahead and switched him to soy milk 2 weeks ago and he's doing great. Here are two new pictures of my baby and one of Cayden with her new hair cut.

Breathe in, breathe out

Cayden's hair was just incredibly long, almost reaching the top of her butt. I loved it and thought it looked soooo pretty. But lately it's been really hard for her to wear it down because it keeps getting stuck under her arms and is just uncomfortable. I decided to go ahead and take her to get 2 inches cut off. The whole time she was getting it cut I was pacing and trying not to get sick as I watched her pretty hair fall to the ground. 2 inches sure looks like a lot and in reality is more like 3 inches once it's finished and dried. I thought I was going to be sick and I think the hairdresser wanted to tell me to chill out. Cayden is so happy but I'm wishing I could rewind the clock and only have gotten 1 inch off. I feel like it's really short now which is ridiculous. It still falls halfway down her back and is long. I haven't had it professionally cut in about a year so it really needed it. It looks so much healthier but I'm still sick over it. I think I have issues! I have to keep reminding myself it'll grown back. Eric's looking at me like I've lost my mind. I'm thinking she'll get her next hair cut maybe when she's.........10 years old!

Cayden on a sugar high

This is Cayden after eating Tootsie Rolls. We have no idea what a "Scottish reel" is but Cayden informed us she did it at dance class. She was making up songs and just going crazy. Funny stuff.

Does the craziness ever end?

We had such a busy weekend. I'm still exhausted and actually ended up sick last night. I think maybe I had too much excitement in the past few days for my old ass! On Saturday we met up with some friends from all over at Sesame Place. After Sesame my friend Carrie, her husband Gordon, and their daughter Kennedy (Carson was at his grandmom's) met us at "Cheeseburger in Paradise" for dinner. Sunday we went to another friends house for a big picnic with all the kids. Picture around six 3 year olds and a few babies in the mix - crazy but fun. It was so nice being able to hang out with friends while the kids were occupied playing with one another. Keenan was a trooper at Sesame in the heat stuck in the stroller. He did get to play in the wave pool and loved it.

This week continues with the crazy theme. Cayden is going to a Princess camp Monday through Thursday from 10am to 3pm. When I picked her up today she was so excited because "Tinkerbell" was there. I had to smile because it was a young girl dressed up (so obvious) and it's sweet seeing the innocence of a 3 year old. I had to laugh very hard when she told me in a super grumpy voice when we got in the car "Hey, I wanted to see Tinkerbell fly but she didn't go outside and do it". Wednesday night we have to do a makeup for gymnastics class since she missed her day class due to camp. Friday she has a meet and greet at her preschool. She's starting on the 20th because hopefully I'll be employed as of then! Here are a couple recent pictures of the kids:

In the wave pool at Sesame






Waiting at "Cheeseburger in Paradise". Both kids loved the big chair!