Puttin' one foot in front of the other

Kayden is walking!!!!!!! Not completely, but he was taking steps all over the place today. He took about 20 steps between Zach and I this afternoon and was consistently taking several steps between furniture/people/laundry baskets, whatever he could stand himself up on and walk from. Hopefully he will get better as the week goes on, but I am just SO excited!!!!!! He can't stand himself up without using furniture or some sort of prop, but as soon as he figures that out I think he will be unstoppable. One other new skill that I am happy about - Kayden finally learned to go DOWN the stairs in the correct manner! Feet first is so much better than head first!! I don't have any video of it yet, but I will get some and post it soon! Hurray for our Kayden!

Caught the bug

I wish I meant a cute bug, but #1, there is no such thing as a cute bug, and #2, I mean a bug as in a virus. Rotten germs! I mentioned that Kayden had been running a fever last week. I had hoped that it was just maybe some overheating from the insane heat wave we had, or maybe a little teething.....not a chance. The two boys just barely got over colds & sinus infections and then got hit with another! Kayden ran his fever for two days, had one day minus fever but plus an attitude, and then Sunday woke up majorly congested. Also on Sunday, Keegan woke up running a fever of 102. Bummer. Long story short, Keegan ran a fever for 2 days, and today seems to be his calm before the storm of congestion, assuming this runs the same course as Kayden. Kayden is still feeling pretty miserable, he has so much snot that he is coughing and gagging all the time. He actually has thrown up a few times from coughing so hard - sensitive gag reflex! Must be genetic. Keegan sounds like he has lost his voice. Poor kid can hardly talk! I wasn't thinking, and I asked him to say the prayer before we ate lunch today. He whispered the whole thing, I felt so bad! What a bummer to get colds at the start of nice weather!

Aside from our health, we did have a fun weekend. Keegan and Zach had fun at the father/son campout and Saturday morning, Kayden and I packed up with some other lonely wives (Alissa & Amy) and headed out to Cannon Beach to meet up with our hubbies! It was a fun drive, and it was gorgeous on the beach. We had lunch at Mo's and then played on the beach for a while. Completely wore out Keegan and Kayden, they were pooped! It was so fun, thanks for making it fun girls!!

On a sad note, our dear friends Dan and Tara moved this last week. Zach and I are SO bummed. Zach took some time off from school to have a farwell golfing day with Dan, Derek, and Kasey. They had tons of fun, and Zach said the course was gorgeous! Tara, Amy and I enjoyed a farwell lunch at Panera Bread (YUM). Zach came home from church Sunday (I had stayed home with the sick dudes) and told me that 5 new families moved in. **Our ward covers a large area of apartments, so we have a pretty high rate of turnover.** He sat down on the couch and said "I didn't want to talk to any of them. I just don't want to make new friends." In case you haven't noticed, all of our close friends have either moved away already, or are moving in the coming months. We are bummed about this. Of course, it's always hard to leave your friends. We were so sad when we left Idaho to move to Utah, and the same when we left Utah to move here. Now, we are the ones getting left, instead of doing the leaving!! I know we will gain new friends that we will enjoy as well, but currently, Zach and I are feeling the sting of being abandoned. :-) I hope you guys all feel guilty now..... ha ha ha! But really, we just miss ya'll!
This is Keeg holding Dan & Tara's BEAUTIFUL baby girl Bricey - she is a doll and I LOVE her!!

Other than that, we have just laid low so far. Yesterday the boys and I spent most of the day on our bed upstairs. Keegan was working on a sticker workbook and Kayden enjoyed ripping a magazine to shreds. I got some cute pictures of Kayden, he's turning in to such a big boy! Crazy to think that he will be 1 next month. Time flies!

Date night

Tonight is our ward's Priesthood Commemoration Campout, previously known as the Father and sons campout. Zach and Keegan left a couple hours ago, and Kayden and I have been making big plans for our date night! Zach contemplated taking Kayden, but he isn't feeling well (he's been running a fever the past 2 days) and since he isn't walking quite yet, I didn't want him crawling through the dirt. I can only take so much laundry..... Kayden and I just put in an order to Pf Changs and are getting set for a relaxed evening. I'm so excited to just be able to soak up some one-on-one with my little Kayde-baby!!!

**Sometimes I love mix-ups - We went to PF Changs to get our food, but someone else with the name Jackie picked up our order already! Weird.... so instead, I got lettuce wraps for FREE and a gift card for my next visit. HURRAY!!!!**

Lucky Me, I'm a MOM!

I know that I am a little behind the times, but I wanted to do a quick recap of Mother's day.......
Zach and Dan teamed up to make Tara and I a fabulous Mother's Day meal.
Chicken katsu, broccoli, spinach and strawberry salad, and Zach's special Kool-Aid/Sprite concoction. Alissa, you probably wouldn't have liked it, but Jeff would have LOVED it! :-) I am so thankful for my sweet Zach who made every effort to make my Mother's Day relaxing and enjoyable. If only I didn't have to get so nervous before singing in Relief society, if would have been great! Dan and Tara are leaving us this week for Utah (come on, what does Utah have that we don't? I guess Utah does have Kristy M - I'd go there for her too!) and we are going to miss them a TON. Hopefully you guys realized this since we soaked up every minute we could with you this weekend! But really - many thanks to Zach and Dan for making us such yummy food!


Keegan and Kayden were even really good, which made the day wonderful. I am so thankful for them making me the Mom I am! I love my sweet boys with all my heart, and I have loved every day I have been their mother. I am especially grateful for my Mom and all that she has taught me, I love you so much Mom! I am also hugely thankful for the Mom I acquired almost 5 years ago - Zach's mom, Vicki! She is an amazing woman, and has taught me a lot about being a mother as well. I am SOOOOO thankful for my two fabulous Moms - I love you both so much, and I am so thankful for your examples of faith and love. You are the best mothers I could ever have asked for!

Aside from that, I just am so thankful for my sweet family. This afternoon the
boys were playing upstairs and Keegan called me up to see something he had done. I almost cried. It was just so sweet to see his little doodle pad filled with MOM. It's moments like this that I cherish for the rest of my life.

First step in a new direction.............

Currently, he is walking about as good as my Mom is!! Although his walker is so much cooler, don't you think? He's not actually walking on his own, but he has gotten quite good with his little walker. I'm SO excited for his first steps! Hopefully they will come soon..........

We have a winner!

This week we haven't seen much of Zach. He's been busy at school preparing for the annual Student Research Forum, where the students present what they are working on to their peers in the medical and engineering fields and are also judged on their presentations. Zach worked hard getting his presentation ready, and even woke me up one night at 11:30pm so I could listen to his presentation. I don't think I was much help.... But his hard work paid off! He got "First Place Oral Presentation in Technology and Medical Devices Research"!! What is his reward you may be wondering? He gets a lovely certificate and $300!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Zach!! We are so proud of you!!

Wordless Wednesday: Mother's Day comes early

A-Z Tag.......from Natalie!

A to Z Tag
A: Attached or Single: Most definitely attached!
B: Best Friend: Zachy B
C: Cake or Pie: Cake, unless it is Toll House Pie
D: Day of Choice: Saturday
E: Essential Item: Bandaids...I take them everywhere.
F: Favorite Color: yellow (and PINK)
G: Greatest Accomplishment: Our gorgeous boys
H: Hometown: Corvallis
I: Indulgences: too many to name...quilting is the latest. It's expensive!
J: January or July: July!!
K: Kids: my two K's.
L: Life is Incomplete Without: all 3 of my boys
M: Marriage Date: June 28, 2003
N: Number of Siblings: 3 - 2 bros, 1 sis (notice I didn't rhyme Jess?)
O: Oranges or Apples: oranges!
P: Phobias or Fears: claustrophic!! And I hate bugs. All of them.
Q: Quotes:
R: Reason to Smile: It was sunny this week!
S: Season: Spring I love it when the flowers come out everywhere, it's so beautiful! Plus I love daffodils - and those come out in spring!
T: Tag Five Friends: Megan, Melissa (both of you!), Kristi, and Robin
U: Unknown Fact About Me: If I could be on any TV show, I would want to be on Dancing with the Stars.... I love dancing!!!!!!!!!!!
V: Very Favorite Store: The Children's Place
W: Worst Habit: Biting my nails...ever since I was little.
X: X-ray or Ultrasound: Ultrasound
Y: Your Favorite Food: homemade calzones, spaghetti, pretty much anything Italian! or chocolate...
Z: Zodiac: Libra

Growing up BIG

It's going TOO FAST. Already 10 1/2 months??? My beautiful blue-eyed boy is standing on his own. A few times, I've thought he was about to take a step, but then he sinks to his knees and crawls instead!! I know it's coming, and I have to say I am excited! Then he won't crawl through the dirt, grass, and wood chips when we go to the park. It's funny to think about how differently Keegan and Kayden are at the same age, just for the simple reason of being the 2nd child as opposed to the 1st. Keegan didn't have the selection of toys that Kayden has at this age - and Kayden LOVES to unload every toy from the tubs! He gets into so much more, but at the same time, there is more for him to get into. The nice thing is, Keegan cleans up his room, which means he cleans up the toys that Kayden pulls out! But I really can't believe how fast time has flown, and I'm a little sad. I feel like I have missed a lot from his first year, but it has been so much fun to see him change and grow each day. Most of all, I love his gorgeous blue eyes when he gives me a big smile.

Sitting with your big brother can be such fun!

OOOOh, the fire truck movie gets exciting...........

This week started out GORGEOUS. Sunday was beautiful, and after church we got to take a long walk with our fabulous friends, Dan & Tara, who are moving! We are sad, both Zach and I are going to miss them a ton. The last few months have brought too many goodbyes to close friends here - and I didn't give any of them permission to leave! (You guys know who you are...Maria...Tara P.... I MISS YOU GALS!)Anyway, Monday was beautiful too, and I got to go out for a long walk with the boys in the morning with a few of my friends as well - hopefully, we will make this a habit for the summer, it was so great! I think we walked about 2 miles, and I felt so great afterwards. Don't get me wrong, it was long, and pushing 2 boys that weigh 50lbs together plus a stroller was no cakewalk for me. But I loved it! Keegan has been enjoying the sunny weather on the deck, he loves to sit out there and just look around.

Kayden wants to go out too....


This last picture is courtesy of Keegan; we were on our way back from the park and he wanted to take some pictures. Unfortunately, my budding photographer is a little impatient, and always moves the camera some, so it's a little blurry, but he was proud of his picture, and wanted to make sure I got it in!
On a side note, I took the boys to the doctor today (THANKS MOM). Kayden has a sinus infection and Keegan is back on an inhaler to help with his cough/asthma. *sigh* And as a bonus, Keegan starts swimming lessons next week!! I'm so excited, I hope he does ok with it. He hated our Mom/Baby class we did a couple years ago. Cross your fingers for us!

Help for sick kids

This week the boys have both had the rotten cold that is going around. Keegan especially has developed a really bad cough that has made sleeping next to impossible for him. He sounds like he is going to lose his lungs. Tonight, I tried a home remedy for sore throats and coughs. I have only heard him cough ONCE since I put him to bed, and this whole week he has coughed for an hour or longer before he finally can fall asleep. I also gave him a hot shower, hoping the steam would open things up for him, so maybe it was the combination, but I thought I would pass it along. I am amazed that this worked so well, especially when I have been dosing him with cough syrup to try and stop his cough!

Mix 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; heat in microwave for 15-20 seconds until warm (NOT HOT). Have child drink a spoonful at a time (after the first few spoonfuls, I just had Keegan drink it down).
It isn't that pleasant, he said it was pretty sour, but he still managed to get it down. Personally, I have major issues with cough syrup, so I would try this over cough syrup ANY day. Just thought I would share it - one of those random bits of information that may come in handy someday when your kids have a bad cough that needs help!

**Remember - do not feed honey to babies under 1 year old**

Mardi Gras Hula Keeg

Ok, so I have been waiting for these pictures for a while and now I finally have them!Thanks Jess!! When we were down at my parents house for Josh's b-day last month, my Dad had recently come back from a business trip to New Orleans. He brought back some Mardi Gras beads for Keegan (he used to bring them back for my sister and I when we were little - ahh, memories!). Here is my budding hula dancer - by the way, these are totally NOT staged. Every time we would try to take a picture, he would bust out these poses on his own. I almost died laughing...........

This one is my favorite - his face is priceless!

Everyone needs a healthy obsession, right?

We went to the library yesterday........

and this is what we came back with. We have now checked out EVERY book on fire engines, fire fighters, and fire safety that I can find at the library, which is why I had to convince him to try the 'Police Cars' and the 'Steam Locomotives'. Recently, I found in the 'new book' section of the library, 2 new books about fire fighters. I think this is a direct result of Keegan! The videos keep him entertained though - plus he finds it really interesting, and I don't feel like I am rotting his brain with cartoons. I usually put them on while I am making dinner - it keeps him from bugging me!
- Fire fact of the day -
Did you know that fire hydrants are color coded? The color of the fire hydrant tells the firemen how fast the water will come out (the pressure). Red are the slowest, blue/green are the fastest.