Catching Up...

So I realize how far behind I am with these posts, but I felt like I needed to catch up a little on what we've been doing. Keegan celebrated his 3rd birthday back in January. I still can't believe that he's already 3 (and that we've been in our house for just over 3 years now...time really needs to slow down a little). His birthday was a really low-key affair, but he didn't seem to notice or even really care, thankfully.

By far, Keegan's favorite present was his "big boy" bike that he received. The best part for us was the fact that we inherited it from some friends....SCORE (just don't tell Keegan). Most nights before dinner are now spent racing (and I'm not exaggerating on that last part) around our neighborhood. I'm usually still here at the house getting dinner ready, and I always know when Keegan is home because he rings his little bike bell as he comes up the driveway and then comes into the house and let's me know that his dad is a "slowpoke" and that Keegan is "the winner" and "superfast". I personally think it's the cutest thing in the world.

I can't believe how quickly he is growing up...he amazes me and entertains me on a daily basis. Seriously, this kid rocks. He's become such a big helper around the house, especially when AJ has had to leave for his trips around the world. The best way to get him to do anything is to tell him that you need his "big boy help" and he's all over whatever you've just asked him to do. He's totally his "dad's little buddy" and such a great big brother to Camden (I can't wait to see how he is with the next little one in a couple of months). He's so vocal and friendly with everyone, and I love it. He loves singing songs and we pretty much don't even listen to the radio anymore in the car. He still loves his race cars and catching bad guys and being a super hero and telling me that I get to decide what he wants to eat because he's "too busy". He started a gymnastics class a few weeks back, and while the first few weeks were rough and he had no desire to go back, at all, we stuck it out and now it's one of his favorite things to do. He loves going and getting his stamps at the end and doing all the jumps and exercises and things that he has learned (and he is more than willing to give anyone who will watch a demonstration of all the things he has learned to do). Curbs are no longer curbs, they are balance beams, and he has to walk on all of them "just like an airplane" with his arms stuck out wide. He has his favorite things...like the lions at the zoo, his yellow construction shirt with the buildings on it, jeans instead of shorts most days and his blue "gun" hat, and has certain things that almost always have to go with us wherever we go (which can be rough and delay us when he can't remember where he's left things), but he is the greatest little 3-year old. He melts my heart everytime he snuggles up to me on the couch at the end of the day as we read our books and tells me "mom, you my best friend." It's kind of selfish, but the only thing that I love about when AJ is gone is the fact that I get 100% of Keegan's snuggles and loves and hugs. I love that he wants me to lay down and take a nap with him in the afternoons, and that he'll close my eyes with his hands and tell me that I need to rest. I love hearing him fake snore when he's having competitions with AJ as to who can fall asleep faster for their Sunday afternoon naps, but most of all, I love having the privilege of raising this amazing little guy.

Ok..enough words...here are some recent pictures:

Updates are coming...

I promise. Things have happened in our household, like Christmas and a 3rd birthday and fun trips to the zoo and the park...and I have pictures to prove it. Unfortunately, I also have a really slow computer and a husband who is gone once again (he swears he's retiring from the full-time Rugby travel circuit, but I'm pretty sure he's just saying that to appease me). Don't give up on me (please, oh please, oh please, family of mine). I promise, I'll get myself together one of these days and get updates on our lives put on the blog. Just bear with me a little bit longer.

It's A......

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Don't You Hate It When...

you let your own fears and insecurities stop you from possibly getting something that you might love?

Backstory...I was sitting at the lab waiting to get some bloodwork done (standard pregnancy stuff, no biggie) and I saw a lady with a fantastic bag (one that could also double as a pretty chic diaper bag if needed). It was orange, and leather-ish (it could have been real because I was in La Jolla after all, but it might have been synthetic) and was just perfect. I was coveting it...I could even picture myself carrying it. I should have stopped and asked her where she got it, but I didn't. Why? Because I was worried that she would think me too weird or too forward or psycho, so I kept my trap shut. Instead, I've spent the last 45 minutes on the internet googling as much as I could to try and find a similar bag, all to no avail. I do this all the time...and I kick myself every time it happens. I see someone wearing a cute top, or a cute dress or a cute pair of shoes and I don't ask. Grrrr...curse my insecurities.

Anyone else do this, or am I the sole, lame, tongue-tied person secretly coveting what others have rather than just asking and possibly getting it for myself?

Mama's Holiday Wishlist

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

• new digital camera
• a bigger car (although this is soon to be more of a necessity and less of a wish since my current car won't hold 3 carseats)
• the beaba babycook baby food maker (I murdered my blender last year making camden's food and this would just be so handy)
• a finished master bathroom
• wood floors/new carpet in the appropriate areas of my house (I can really dream about this one)

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

• two favorites are the handmade ornaments that AJ's grandma makes for us each year with pictures of the boys in them (and all the ones from AJ growing up),and the blankets that my mom has made for my boys

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

• there are way too many on my list, like making an advent calendar for my kids, felt food for my kids, a tree house/clubhouse for the boys, and lots of home improvement ones

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

• the Cabbage Patch dolls that we all got one year (our cousins included). I remember how the adults walked each of us into the room one at a time and gave us the coveted doll.

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

• Keegan just informed me today that he wants a dinosaur book, but other than that, he hasn't said much. He's pretty chill. Camden probably just wants whatever Keegan gets, so it makes things pretty easy. I'm sure the lists will grow as they get older.

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

• My grandma's rolls with homemade strawberry jam, ham, and scalloped potatoes and peppermint ice cream (that really probably should have been first...I buy way too much of it the moment it becomes available in the stores).

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

• some gifts for the boys, homemade soap for Keegan's friends and a couple of things for family that I can't really share

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

• I can't say that I have one, I'm horrible, I know, but I do like "Miracle on 34th Street" (the newer version)

9. Favorite holiday song?

• "O Holy Night" by Martina McBride and "Song for a Winter's Night" by Sarah McLachlan and my boys Christmas Lullabies CD (although it gets played year round at our house)

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

• looking at all of the Christmas lights, curling up with a good book and peppermint hot chocolate (Stephen's is the best), making sugar cookies with the kids, decorating our tree and the rest of the house and just having the extra time with my hubby

To enter to win all these cool prizes below simply answer the questions in this meme, make sure to post links back to TodaysMama.com and Provo Craft (use this link: http://bit.ly/4ikY3c ) and tag your friends!

Tag you're it!

Steph, Mary, Jennette, my siblings (I won't double tag, but I do want to know your answers) and anyone else inspired to share what's on their wish list.

This is why....

a ladies night out was exactly what I needed. I got to see "New Moon" (c'mon, give me a break...I never saw "Twilight" in the theatres and I know there is no way that AJ will watch this with me, so I had to take the opportunity to see it when I could, and I don't regret it. I liked it...it was good...and it made me fall a little bit in love with Jacob. What more can I say?).

Anyway, I digress...because not only did I get to enjoy some adult-time (which was fabulous and very much needed right now), but I also got to catch up a little on my up-coming movies (my pocketbook will not be thanking me later).

Like this one:

(seriously, I "heart" Kirsten Bell...especially as Veronica Mars, but this role just might do nicely)

and this one:

starring Amanda Seyfried, whom I first liked as Lily in "Veronica Mars" (do I need to tell you how much I loved that show?), but who I really started to admire in "Mamma Mia" (yes, I've watched that movie, and yes, more than once...Pierce Brosnan singing is highly entertaining, and I like Abba, what can I say...plus, I saw the show when it was in Vegas so I of course had to see the movie).

I'm pretty sure that this just means that I'm still a 15-year-old girl trapped in a 32-year-old's body (I did like "New Moon" afterall). Oh well! So, who's in the mood for a movie? I'll bring the popcorn and treats.

Dear Life...

Dear Chick-Fil-A,

Thanks for bringing back your Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshake. I've been thinking about it since the last time I had one last year, so I'm glad that it's finally back. It made my not-always-happy-with-food belly quite happy with you. I have a feeling I will be consuming lots of you during your "limited edition flavor" offerings (much to the detriment of my goal for a reasonable pregnancy weight gain).

Dear Little Baby,

Time to let your mom not be sick in the mornings, ok? and in the afternoons and the evenings. And especially no more of this "let's feel great for days and then WHAM...get hit by the mack truck of morning sickness". It's time to move on from all of this and get on to the good stuff about pregnancy...you know, insomnia, heartburn, weight gain. Hmmmm, maybe I need to rethink my stand on morning/afternoon/evening/all hours of the day and night sickness?

Dear Anything and Everything Peppermint,
Thanks for making things a little easier on me right now. The smell of you can get rid of any other smell in the house, and the taste of you helps calm a very unhappy belly. Good thing it's winter and the smell of peppermint isn't a novelty.

Dear Brach's,
I'm so looking forward to consuming large quantities of your wonderful green and red holiday mints this year, so please make sure that they are available in abundance at all of my local retailers (and not just one store, in a limited quantity like previous years). As a side note to all my friends and family who read this, if you come across some, please feel free to let me know where so that I can purchase them or feel free to pick some up for me and I will pay you for your troubles.