7 Months

Today Keegan is 7 months old!  He is learning and doing new things almost every day now.  His energy is like nothing I've ever seen before!  Anyone who holds him for even just a few minutes usually hands him back exhausted from trying to hold onto him.  I guess he is living up to his name.  We have always loved the name Keegan because it's a strong Irish name and we had never known anyone with the name.  We later learned from a baby name book that it means 'little firey one.'  And boy is he fired up.....all the time!  He is so strong and he moves non-stop.  He loves to roll around on the floor and he can 'army' crawl backwards which makes him really mad when he realizes he is actually moving further away from the object that he is trying to get to.  He can definitely throw a good fit!

He weighed 16 pounds two weeks ago so he's probably around 16.5 this week.  He is still in a size 3 diaper and 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes.  He is such a smiley boy.  He loves to watch his big sister and he laughs at almost everything she does.  He loves being able to sit up and co-play with her.  The two of them had a 'picnic' the other day and it was pretty much the sweetest thing I have ever seen.

A few days ago we looked across the room to see him pulling up on this toy.  It was so funny to hear him grunt and strain with all his might.  And his face had such a look of accomplishment once he was up.  He has done it a few times since but it took a few times before I caught him with my camera. 

Last night we grabbed a quick bite at Panda Express and Keegan sat in a high chair out for the first time.  Doesn't he look like such a big boy now?

Although he is so full of energy right now he is still so sweet and cuddly.  I love to put him in my lap and just love on him.  It makes me sad to think about the mobility that is to come in the months ahead.  I hope he will take a time out from running around to still give Mommy love.  And I hope Ava is ready because I have a feeling he is going to chase her around like she never imagined :-) 

Happy 7 months sweet boy!  We love you more with every month!

Thankful

Two and a half years ago my Dad's kidneys failed. They completely stopped working. From the ER to surgery then to dialysis, the days were long and tough from March through September.  But two years ago yesterday, brother-in-law Adam gave Dad one of his kidneys in hopes of giving him a better life.

When I think back on those days of the operation two years ago I don't remember the fear or the exhaustion that I know was present. But I remember our family, church family and neighbors reaching out to us. They brought us snacks for our hospital stay, e-mailed scripture and encouraging words, helped us with baby Ava, and most importantly lifted us up in payer.

 I remember two specific prayers that were prayed aloud in class for our family. One of course was that the transplant would work and Dad would live a happy, healthy life.

 The other was that Adam would be richly blessed for his love and sacrifice.

So this weekend we gave thanks for two beautifully answered prayers.

Pumpkin Patch

This morning we visited our first pumpkin patch of the season at the Celina Pumpkin Farm.  Ava had so much fun with animal feeding, a hayride, picnic lunch and pumpkin picking.   The drive out there was so pretty!  Lots of farm land and pastures with a few homes scattered here and there.  It reminded me of east Texas where I grew up.  I mentioned this to Ava on the way and she said 'But there's no buildings.'  Ha! No appreciation yet for the country. 

This was the best picture I could get of the two of them.  I love Keegan's expression that says "Seriously Mom....Another picture?"

This little guy just wanted to eat hay the whole time.  Seriously....I was pulling hay out of his hands and mouth all morning!

Pumpkins are always more fun with a friend :-)

Ava found one just her size.

Hayride......

Friends...Ava, Keegan, Lola, Giada & Kenlee

JOY

Our two kids keep us so very busy and one of them keeps us really tired.  Maybe it's this incredible weather or maybe my body has just learned how to function on very little sleep; but last week I smiled a lot, laughed a lot and gave thanks just a little more than usual for the little things that bring us joy.

I love being greeted by this smile first thing in the morning. 

This is new by the way!  Keegan's last night to be swaddled was the night he turned 6 months.  It hasn't seemed to make much of a difference with his sleep but Jeff and I both LOVE rocking this sweet boy without having him all bundled up.  And all of a sudden we realize how big he is!  He seemed like such a little baby in the swaddle but these 12 month pajamas and free arms and legs show us how big our boy has become!

I love pumpkins in the fall. Even ones like this sweet pumpkin is holding :-).  And now they are available at local pumpkin patches and major grocery stores. 
This is actually new as well.  Keegan decided to sit up on his own last Thursday at storytime just seconds after I shared with my friend Carla that he still just couldn't do it.  I guess he wanted to prove Mommy wrong.

I love my fridge.  Not because it's fancy or special, but because it holds my little artist's pictures.  She told me last week that she "color coded" a rainbow for me.  I love it!  She loves to group colors together.  Her lego buildings are often built according to color as well. 

Ava just started hanging her own pictures.  She colored 'Elmer' the elephant that we read about at the library last week and when I asked her where it was she said "I hung it on the fridgerator"  When did she grow up?

I love football season.  Fantasy football leagues, lazy Sunday afternoons, football foods like homemade spicy queso, the Dallas Cowboys, and of course...dressing our little man up for Cowboys games :-)

I love the sound of the kids swinging.....Keegan's giggling and Ava's begging 'higher, higher!'

I love taking a morning stroll with my babies.  Ava points out every flower, dog and flag she sees and Keegan goes down easy for his morning nap halfway through.  Not a bad way to start the day.  It will be fun to see the Autumn/Halloween decor go up in lawns the next few weeks.  This is such a fun time of year!

Baby Dedication

Today was a special day for our family as we dedicated Keegan before the Lord.  Although called 'baby dedication', we've always been taught that it's more of a parent dedication....a vow to train, grow and instruct our children in the way of the Word. 

We remind ourselves often that these children belong to Him.  They are on loan to us and our most important mission in this life is to lead our kids to salvation..... to make sure they know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and walk in the Truth.

Today we are so grateful.  We are grateful for our children, grateful for our extendend family of believers and grateful for our church home and its children's ministry. 

Sweet Keegan, "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

We will stumble and we will fail because we fall so short of the glory of God.  But we will press on with His mercy and grace. And with His help we will lead you, love you and pray over you all the days of our lives.

6 months!

Are we really halfway to one?  Keegan is 6 months old today!  He celebrated his half birthday with an upper GI this morning he didn't enjoyed very much.  But he was a trooper, only crying in the beginning when he just wasn't sure what was going on.  It was over in less than an hour and it showed that his anatomy is in perfect shape.  Such a praise!  We just aren't sure what to do about his sleepless nights. 

Keegan weighed 14lbs 14oz at his appointment last week so we'll say he is around 15 pounds this week.  He is still in a size 2 diaper but the box I'll order next week will definitely be size 3.  He's wearing mostly 6-9 months clothes except for pants which are 3-6 month still.  He is such a smiley boy during the day.  However,  his smile can turn to crying the second I am out of sight which makes it difficult to do things around the house.  Jeff suggested that I wear him around the house in the snugli all day but that just doesn't sound like a good idea for my back.  It hurt bad enough when he was 6 pounds in the womb!

Although it looks like he is sitting up he is totally leaning up against the sofa in this photo.  He is still wobbles and lands on his face when trying it alone but he loves to sit up with support. 

Messy, messy boy covered in sweet potatoes.  It was time for his bath anyway so I let him go crazy :-).  This boy loves some food!

And we LOVE this boy!

Happy half birthday little man! You are growing so fast!

Catching Up

Finding time to blog has been really difficult lately.  Our weeks are really busy and exhausting because Keegan is still up so much at night.  We try to catch up on sleep on Saturdays and after church on Sundays and then it seems like Monday comes back again so quickly! So here's what we've been up to the last few weeks......

On Mondays and Fridays sweet cousin Presley spends the day with us.  She is pretty much the best baby ever.  She eats well, sleeps well and plays well in between.  I was a little nervous about having three kiddos in my care two days a week but it has turned out to be so great!  If my two were this easy I would really have it made!  She has been a blessing and Ava LOVES her time with Presley.  It's so fun to watch the three of them play together.

Doesn't Keegan look so enthused in this picture?

Ava has dance on Tuesdays and this her fourth week of her new class.  We absouletly love this place.  She loves Mrs. Crystal and I love the giant window and comfy chairs outside her studio so that Keegan & I can watch her learn and talk with other moms and little brothers. 

There are ten sweet girls in her class of 3 & 4 year olds. Can you spot our tiny dancer among her friends? Everytime I look at this picture I laugh out loud.  What she lacks in size she makes up for in spirit!

I passed by this dance studio every week day when I worked in Richardson years ago and I remember thinking if I had a little girl I would love for her to dance there one day.  And four years later look what's happening!

 

Her favorite thing about this new class is the 20 minutes of tumbling.  She's making progress with her forward roll and she made it all the way across the floor balance beam last week.  We knew she had an interest in gymnastics so it's nice that she's getting a little exposure without taking a seperate class.

Keegan continues to LOVE food!  Sweet peas were definitely a hit.  The only food he makes a not-so-happy face to is sqash so it cracks me up that he still opens his mouth wide for more.  Sweet peas have been a favorite the last couple of weeks.

I picked up a box of baby mum mum rice cakes this weekend and he finished his first one in less than five minutes while I cooked dinner.  When it was gone he looked all around and threw a fit when he couldn't find it.  It was quite funny.

He still lacks the balance to sit up for very long but he loves to move!  He rolls around and reaches for anything in his path.  I know we are in trouble once this guy becomes mobile.  He's going to keep me on my toes.

In our limited spare time we've been reading.  Jeff reads a lot more than I do but I started Heaven is for Real one afternoon and finished it the next day.  It's a tough book to put down once you've started and it will totally change the way you think about Heaven and our eternity.  Jeff is almost done with Radical and I'm still working on it.  It's a great read as well.  It will totally change the way you think about worldly and material things and your walk with Christ.  Both books have us fired up spiritually!

On a not-so-happy note, Keegan is still so uncomfortable at night even on all of the reflux medication he is taking.  Some nights he is up every 45 minutes and on a good night he is up every 2 hours.  Our Mommy & Daddy instincts are telling us that something is wrong and our doctor agrees.  Keegan is scheduled for an upper GI test early Wednesday morning.  We are so glad that it's not an invasive test although it's a test for a 6 month old just the same.  We would certainly appreciate your prayers on Wednesday morning.  And we are thankful to all of you who have consistantly lifted us up the last few months.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28