Being Thankful

I absolutely cannot believe that Thanksgiving is now over and Christmas is on its way. Wow, what a fast November! Our really good friends, Heath and Andrea (along with their boys Heath and Haydan) came out from Austin to visit us in Tucson. I have been looking forward to this for a long time because we don't see them too often so it's a treat to actually get to spend some quality time together. They arrived on Wednesday evening to a very excited Keegan who had been asking all day if they were here yet. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Day together...Kevin smoked a turkey all day plus all the rest of the good stuff! Friday Andrea and I got to go workout together, and the boys got to play some golf. The rest of the time was just spent playing, laughing, and talking. We all had a great long week/end together, and I was very sad to see them go but am excited to see them again in the near future!

What we are thankful for this year:

Keegan: carrots, broccoli, school, and family
Klay: I will speak for him and say food
Kevin: healthy family, a good/stable job, relationship with God
Kelli: wonderful husband, healthy kiddos, being content, friends

Polar Express

I have to admit that I have been anxiously awaiting "our" weekend to head to Williams, AZ to ride on The Polar Express. We went last year with Keegan for the first time and had a blast. So, we decided that this is going to be an annual event for us. BUT, we didn't make reservations "early" enough (like a year in advance) so we only had one weekend to choose from and November 15th was it. It was rather early, but it was nice because it wasn't too cold with kiddos in tow (plus, Klay wants to be on the ground all the time moving around and there was no snow on the ground). I will admit that Keegan was slightly disappointed that there wasn't any snow...she kept asking where it was. Anyhow, a great time was had by all. We boarded the train at 6:30 p.m., made our trip to the North Pole where Santa boarded the train and gave each child a silver bell. And to top it off Keegan joined our waitress in singing Frosty the Snowman to everyone on board (she wasn't very loud, but I was impressed that she stayed up there with all eyes on her...she gets a little shy at times). I hope that in the few years other people will join us...it is such a fun time!

Glider ride

For those of you that haven't heard. Kelli got me a gift certificate for a glider ride for my big 3-0. I was completely shocked!!! This was something I said I wanted to do a long time ago and I can't believe she remembered. Simply put...It was amazing. To be in an aircraft that does not have engines (I know sounds a little scary) but it was so peaceful. The only way I know how to describe it is, imagine what it would be like to be a bird. Flying through the air with no noise just looking down on everything and trusting the wind to keep you from falling.
The "airport" (more like a dirt run way) was way out in the desert. Two and a half hours from Tucson. For those that are unfamiliar with Arizona if you drive two and a half hours from Tucson in any direction you are in the middle of the desert. You climb into this Small aircraft with a rope attached to a small prop plane in front of you. The plane starts and leaves the ground and you follow shortly afterwards. after climbing to about 5000 feet into the air, the rope is released and you are flying based strictly on aerodynamics that some engineer came up with. The goal of gliding is to find "thermals" which are pockets of air rising which in turn pushes the aircraft up allowing you to stay in the air longer. It is more difficult than it sounds.
After about fifteen minutes into it, any of you that know me, know what I asked. CAN I FLY???? The pilot with me was really nice and said sure. Needless to say I was the source of us having to land shortly after. I was not as successful as he at find the "thermals." HA!
If you ever get the opportunity to take a glider ride...DO IT. It is one of the coolest things I have ever done.
Thanks Kelli for the awesome gift.

Where to Start

Alright, so I have been horrible about keeping anyone up-to-date so now I am playing catch up before Halloween because I know I will want to post pictures of our little trick-or-treaters. So, let's see...

Kevin has started his travels for work. Not much time away at all, but it's enough to keep him busy and give him a challenge. He got to go up to Phoenix for the weekend to meet up with his friends and play some golf. He had a good time getting to see them! He also went on a glider ride, but I will have him post on that since I wasn't there!

Klay is officially crawling and into everything now. It's cute, but Keegan doesn't seem to like it yet. She is having a really hard time sharing anything at all with him. He's sick right now, and I am hoping that it's just a mixture of teething and a slight change in the weather! My fingers are crossed!


We are awaiting the "true" fall weather here. Today it's only supposed to be 82 (somehow it feels hotter), but I think we are closer to 90 by Sunday...yuck! We did, however, have our 1st Annual Fall Family Get-together last weekend. We had a bouncy house, decorated pumpkins with paint, glitter, etc and just had a great time with all of our friends (31 total with 15 of those being kids). We all loved the bouncy house. As the crowd thinned out we (the adults) even attempted some tricks...it got the kids laughing and nobody got hurt! The man that delivered the bouncy house was so, so nice! He even played ball with Keegan for a bit when he came to pick it up. That night before bed Keegan prayed and thanked God for "the man he sent to play ball with her." It was so sweet! If you live in Tucson and need one of these for a party I highly recommend Bounce Around Tucson (www.bouncearoundtucson.com).


Keegan's ballet class is coming to an end. I think there are only 3 classes left. She has now taken a liking to her teacher, Miss Didi. She even colored a picture for her last week (maybe to get on her good side?). She wants to take dance again so we will see what parks and rec is offering during the next session. Oma will get to see her grand finale class when she comes out for a visit in November. Hopefully, Keegan will be able to concentrate and will show-off a little extra since she will have an audience!

Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again! Time to head to the pumpkin patch! Every year while living in Arizona we have tried out a new spot; this year we chose Agua Linda Farm. It was beautiful with the mountains in the background and huge Mesquite trees to have a picnic under (and for Keegan to climb on). We had a great day.

Sibling Love

Alright, if you aren't into sort of mushy stuff then stop reading now. But, if you are then this might be just your thing. It just amazes me at Klay's reaction to his big sister, Keegan. You would think that I might be used to it by now...after 7 months, but I'm not. He is so funny! He responds so much to her...even when she is waking from a nap, and I have him downstairs...he hears her voice on the monitor and starts smiling, laughing, and bouncing around. When she wakes up (either in the morning or after a nap) he cannot wait for me to open her door, and he actually is straining his neck to see exactly where she is. Now, he is a Mommy's boy right at this point in time, but there are many days when I can't do anything to make him calm down but just leave it to Keegan to walk into the room talking in her super high-pitched voice, being really rough with him, and he starts talking, smiling and squawking away. It is so neat to see this interaction so early on. I am hoping it is one of those things that I will always just smile about because it is just so, so sweet, and it is neat to witness such an incredible bond between them!

Random Kid Stuff

Here are some videos of the kiddos. These are sure to put a smile on your face especially if you are having a bad day! Keegan decided to put on a "tap show" for us this evening...very entertaining. The other is Klay working on his crawling.