July - Part 1

Well, I have successfully been taking more pictures lately, but I have failed at actually getting them on the blog. So my new goal will be monthly updates on the blog. I am starting with July, but it will be in two parts, since I do not have our vacation pictures downloaded yet. It seems that we have been very busy this summer and just trying to stay cool. Riley has enjoyed summer camp at her school most weeks and Keegan just enjoys playing and hanging out. They are both growing and changing so fast it is just amazing! Part 2 coming soon...

For the 4th of July this year we went up to Show Low and enjoyed a nice little parade, a picnic, and cooler weather. It is always nice to get out of the heat for a few days. The kids had lots of fun, and so did mom and dad :) 



At the July 4th parade in Show Low!

Having fun playing in the cooler weather!

We had a picnic at a nearby lake and then enjoyed a little walk.

 

A quick picture on the front porch before driving home.

Keegan though it was fun to hold the Cheetos with his toes, so silly! Although, you can tell by the mess around his mouth he was actually eating them as well.

 Enjoying some Cheetos on the drive home :)

After getting home from the cabin we converted Keegan's crib into a big boy bed. It only took him less than a minute to get out of bed that night, but he stayed in his room and just played for a bit. He mostly falls asleep on the floor and I put him in bed, but overall he is doing good with the transition.

A Little Observation

Today I have been spending my day sitting at the court house - jury duty for me. While sitting here I decided to look back at the blog to see the past pictures and such. While looking I realized once again that it really is true...you take more pictures of the first child than the second. I said I was going to try really hard to make it different for Keegan, but I don't think that I have succeeded :( I understand why this happens; with two the day is always busy and before you know it the week has passed and then a month has passed. I am not going to try and commit to anything crazy like daily pictures of the kids, but I am going to keep my camera out and truly try to take pictures more often maybe every other week or every week. Hopefully I can be more successful!

 Other than that things are moving along for us. Keegan had his injections on April 2nd and we are cautiously optimistic that they are helping. We have definitely seen improvement, but not ready to commit to anything yet; Keegan has definitely taught us that things can change in a moments notice. He has had an explosion of learning lately which is really fun to see! He can recognize most letters and numbers, he knows his colors and shapes, and has become a pro on the iPad. He has become super silly and more opinionated. He is still easy going (for the most part) and just fun!!

 Riley is still loving school and learning so much. She always amazes us with the words she uses and how great she is doing with writing and spelling. She loves playing outside and just being a girl: princess stuff, lip gloss, pretend make-up, etc... She is so sweet and loving; although, we do have our moments where I think aliens invade her body but we get through them. She is looking forward to our beach trip in July, she has even added a couple of pennies to our change jar to "pay for vacation". I once told her the jar was to pay for our vacation, well she is a little concerned now because there is not much change in there and vacation is coming up. Too cute!

 Well, I am going to try and do better adding pictures for all to see!!

Happy Easter!

The kids had a fun time with Easter this year. Seems as though the Easter bunny should really only ring 2-3 things, because they get very distracted and it takes a really long time. It was fun :) They then found the eggs the Easter bunny hid in the backyard and that was lots of fun as well. For the afternoon we spent time hanging out with family. It was a very nice Easter.

How Sweet...

Keegan

A little update on Mr. Keegan. I think he loves to be outside as much as Riley these days. He really enjoys sliding, the sandbox and sidewalk chalk as you can see below. He is not too into the swings yet. He now knows his colors, shapes and some of the animals. He is starting to recognize some letters just by looking at them. He loves to examine everything...he just wants to figure everything out. He has so much fun just playing and being around :)


Mr. Cutie!


Caught red-handed!! Keegan seems to think ALL outdoor surfaces are made for sidewalk chalk.


Keegan was not so sure about the slide at first, but now he loves it.


Keegan just loves the sandbox these days...he will just sit and cover himself with sand.

Riley

We have had some really nice weather and have been enjoying the outdoors. Here are a few pictures of Miss Riley, she just loves being outside. She is becoming quite the artist these days. She loves to color, draw, cut and create. She is also doing great with writing and spelling some words. We are working on writing numbers. She still loves school and playing with friends.






Our family picture by Riley the artist! We are all wearing sunglasses :)


Riley and her octopus.

Grandparents Day at School

Last Wednesday was Grandparent's Day at Riley's school so Mimi went to school with her. They had lots of fun!!

Visit with Aunt Shannon

Feeding Tube Awareness Week

Here is our Super Tubie!! In honor of Feeding Tube Awareness week I thought I should share a picture of our super tubie. This has come about thanks to the website www.feedingtubeawareness.com This site has a lot of useful information about feeding tubes and has a great tab for families and friends to read. This tab does a great job of explaining the challenges of life with a feeding tube. I am thankful to say that we cannot relate to all of it, but some of really hit home. One example is having to have a very structured daily schedule, making some things very difficult to do. We try to keep our tubie sheltered from getting sick, because it usually takes him longer to get over things and we usually have a little weight loss if he gets sick. Having a night drip is very difficult, we get up every single night at 2:00am to disconnect his feeding. The list could go on, but there is no need to dwell on that.

One thing I can say at this point is we are very thankful for his feeding tube. Given everything it has given Keegan a better quality of life and allowed him the nutrition to grow and develop. We know one day he will realize that eating does not have to be painful and it might even be enjoyable, but until then we can make sure he gets the nutrients and medications he needs. One more thing I can say is that a feeding tube does not define Keegan, it is just one little part of him. I am hopeful that we can spread the knowledge of feeding tubes so people can realize that they are nothing to be afraid of, but just a way for some to get their nutrition.

Riley's Birthday Party

Riley playing on her birthday present with her friends :)


Keegan playing t-ball!!


Riley's Hello Kitty Cake


Riley's birthday party was on Mimi's birthday, so she got her own little cake :)


Riley blowing out the candles!

It is so hard to believe that Riley just turned 4, where does the time go? We have had lots of fun watching her grow, learn and explore and we have also had "fun" going through the attitude changes and such. We are looking forward to the next year:)

Riley's 4th Birthday!

For Riley's 4th birthday we went to dinner at Chuck E. Cheese and celebrated! We also took this time to celebrate Ella's 4th birthday since they are only 5 days apart. We all had so much fun!!


Matt and Keegan with the birthday girl!


Riley playing.


The birthday girls...so cute together!


The cakes.


Riley and Ella blowing out their candles!


Opening a couple of presents after dinner.


Riley and Keegan :)

Just for Fun!

Thought I would share with everyone that the blog is this nice bright pink color in honor of Riley's birthday this month :) Only a couple of days and she will be 4, oh my, where does the time go?

Nana's Birthday

On December 29th we celebrated Nana's birthday with lunch and of course a cake. I am sure it is needless to say, but Riley picked out the decoration for Nana's cake...you can be a pretty, pretty princess at any age!!

Merry Christmas!

After so much anticipation Santa finally arrived. Christmas morning was so much fun this year, as the kids get a little older it just gets better. They both really enjoyed playing with their toys. Then it was on to see family and have more fun. We had a great day!


Coming down to see what Santa brought.


After a quick look they both went their separate ways...Riley to her stocking and things and Keegan to the new bed Santa brought Bailey? Did not realize that would catch his attention so greatly, but made me laugh.


Riley going through her stocking, so much fun!


Keegan in his new car :)

Getting Ready for Santa!!

Keegan...I know this one is a bit blurry, but I thought it was so cute.


Riley & Keegan


Getting the cookies all ready!


Cookies and milk are set for Santa, now time for bed :)
Yes, this is the best picture we could get. Keegan just wanted to check out the cookies and Riley did not want him to mess them up.