The Keckley Family

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine. Robert C. Gallagher

2010-03-16T15:26:00.004-04:00

Dylan really loves chocolte pudding...

My liitle soldier. He did this all himself!

Hayden plaing his new gameboy, he's getting so good!

Bella in her sunday clothes

I think that pretty much sums up my year in a nutshell. A year ago I was living in Winchester Va not knowing I would end up in the middle (literally the geographical middle of WV) of nowhere...more commonly know as Flatwoods. In a year our family has moved to another state, then moved again to be closer to Nick's work, dealt with Nick's medical problems (kidney stones...such a FUN experience), all of those while I was preggo with our THIRD child...not exactly planned, but we are so happy now that she is here.

Bella Kay Keckley was born on Feb.2 at 1:43pm. She weighed 7 lbs and 4 oz and was 20 3/4 in long. We are enjoying our little girl immensely. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family. She is growing so quickly. At our first doctor appointment she was alreay 9lbs and 15oz. I am begining to realize she isn't going to be a tiny baby forever and I should treasure the time I have with her, even if I am sleep deprived and feel dead. She is quickly becoming a little drama queen. She wants to be held all night long....however, she has no problem sleeping during the day in her seat. Mommy is hoping that she will help bring some more femininity to our testosterone ruled world. However, the boys will probably just convert her and teach her how to burp, pass gas, and growl.

The boys absolutely adore their sister and love to help mommy bathe and dress her. Hayden loves to hold her and is very interested in her, except when she has a poopy diaper cause "she is so stinky!". They are both growing like weeds and its hard to believe that they were also once little babies. Hayden loves to get on the computer and publish comments on my FB profile, and Dylan is swiftly learning the computer is fun to play with.....

Some of the changes this year have been difficult but we have each other and that's really all that matters.

April Showers Bring May Flowers.....

2009-04-29T14:56:00.003-04:00

Or at least I hope they do. Today I went over to my friend Ashley's house and we potted some veggies and herbs namely tomatoes, green peppers, sweet peas, cilantro, chives, oregano, parsley, and lavender. I have never planted anything or had LIVE things to take care of (except my children of course). I mean plant or pet wise. So here is to hoping that I will see the fruits of my labors and I mean that literally. Thank you Ashley for giving me a few of your pots too. I had such a great time. Although mine will probably never look as wonderful as the ones in this pic. I hope that we save a few bucks on groceries and enjoy home grown veggies soon!

Growing up

2009-04-03T10:19:00.005-04:00

Dylan has grown sooo much in the last month! He is getting so big and cuter everyday. Recently I moved him into the nursery to sleep in his own room. I was worried at first about how he would do in there so far away from mommy and daddy. Truthfully I think I was more worried about how mommy would do...but it has turned out wonderfully! We have a little routine that we follow every night. I give him some rice cereal, give him a bath, nurse him, sing him a song and then he is off to his own bed in his own room. As long as he has his blanket and his thumb we do well. He is in bed at the latest around 8:30pm and then sleeps until 5 or 5:30 am. He is such a wonderful baby! I am so grateful!

Hayden is my WILD child. I could see in 10 years or something them saying in parenting books....Now if you have a Hayden Keckley for a child God help you! He is just going, going, going, gone like the energizer bunny but way more noisy. But, he is also such a sweet heart. He melts my heart so I can't stay mad by sayin "mommy I love you sooo much!" After that I don't care how mad I am. We have been working on potty training for a while but it has been slow going. He just loves his diaper. He has also been singing a lot lately. I make songs up for him (as we saw in a previous post) and he goes around the house singing and dancing. He loves any music with a good beat and puts CD's on for himself and just dances around the house..so cute! We went to our first movie this week Monsters VS Aliens and he loved it! We were worried he wouldn't want to sit through it and he did great. He is just growing up so fast!

I told him to put his pants on so we could go to the movie and he gets a shirt and tries to tell me it is his pants. You might be able to see it was a monster shirt. He wanted to wear it to the monster movie.

Going to the movie! He was so happy!

Amanda's 25th birthday

2009-04-03T09:34:00.005-04:00

A few weeks before my b-day I told Nick my 25th birthday was a big deal and he had better get something good. Well I guess he took me seriously because he got me a beautiful garnet ring.

Isn't it beautiful? Anyway, I have had a hard time turning 25 for some reason. I know I am not old and I have a lot of life to live, but something about turning 25 is really disturbing for me. Not only did he get me that ring but then we went out for a nice dinner. We had planned to go to Outback because I love it there but we ended up finding this other steak house that was quieter and it was so nice! And yummy! It ended up being a very nice birthday.

Don and Brenda came up from Keyser to watch Hayden and Dylan. They brought an awsome ice cream cake. I was so yummy. Nick put my candles on the cake and I blew them all out....my wish should come true right?!

The BIG man

2009-03-05T12:48:00.003-05:00

The other morning Hayden woke up and came into our room and while we were still laying in bed waking up he found a pair of daddy's socks and put them on. Then he proceeded to walk around the room saying he was a big man. It was to funny not to capture with pictures. He would raise his arms and say "big man". I don't know where it comes from but I think it is hilarious. He is such a funny boy! I think he takes after his dad!

Making breakfast with daddy

2009-03-05T12:39:00.002-05:00

Every Saturday Hayden and Nick make breakfast together and let mommy sleep until it is ready (I know so nice!). Hayden loves to help in the kitchen and I love that Nick loves to have his help. I am so glad that Nick is sharing his love of cooking with his son. I am sure that we will have a another great cook in the family soon!

Hayden's Song

2009-03-05T09:19:00.003-05:00

Ok so Hayden and I have been making up songs about sharks and dragons and really anything that he wants a song for. The other day he started singing them and I thought I should get it on tape. So here it is. I am sorry about all of the jumping around. I couldn't get him to stop...I'm sure anyone who has had or has little boys understands. The parts where he forgets the words is funny because he tries to make things up so he is just making sounds. haha

To Grandma's house we go....

2009-02-24T14:11:00.005-05:00

About two weeks ago I went to visit my family in Morgantown. We had so much fun and mommy definitely had a lot offers to hold or play with both Hayden and Dylan, giving me a much needed break. It is so hard to live away from family. I definitely miss my family and always have a great time being able to see everyone.

Tag I'm it!

2009-01-13T12:23:00.003-05:00

Three Names I go by
1. Amanda
2. Manda Panda, A MAN DUH!, Mandy, Fruit cake (these are uasually by my siblings or dad....people who should love me but don't)
3. Mom, Mama, Mommy

Three Jobs I have had in my life
1. Nanny for triplets
2. Michaels Arts and crafts
3. Proffits Dept store

Three Places I have lived
1. Morgantown, WV
2. Winchester, Va
3. Garden Grove, Ca

Three TV Shows that I watch
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Lost
3. Private Practice

Three places I have been
1. Paradise Island/Bahamas
2. Disney World
3. pretty much every state in USA

People who e-mail me regularly
1. family
2. facebook
3. baby center

Three of my favorite foods
1. Mexican enchiladas (really ANYTHING mex)
2. a good steak and baked potato
3. cheesecake with fresh strawberries

Three friends I think will respond
1. Mom
2. Ami
3. Bonna

Things I am looking forward to
1. sleeping through the night
2. Hayden getting potty trained
3. A trip to NY (hopefully!) over Spring break

Hayden

2009-01-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

2009-01-05T14:14:00.002-05:00

Hayden is as sweet as ever. He loves to show you that he loves you by giving kisses and hugs and being a helper. He has been going to bed by himself (finally!) and hardly even complains about going to bed now. He loves to please his mommy and daddy, except when he decides he dosen't. He so mischievous sometimes and gets into EVERYTHING, it's almost like you can see the angel and the devil on both shoulders trying to get him to be nice or naughty. I wouldn't have him any other way. Even when he is a hellion you can't help but lave him and even laugh sometimes. He is such a joy and is learning so much and getting so big. I constantly feel like time is moving much to quickly. There are days that I get frustrated and angry, but I know he will never be little again so I should enjoy the moment (Admittedly I have trouble remembering this when he is totally ignoring what I say). I can tell he has had a rough few weeks getting used to a new brother and having mommy's time taken up with Dylan but he is handling it like a pro.

Dylan

2009-01-05T14:07:00.002-05:00

2009-01-05T13:36:00.002-05:00

Dylan is getting so big! We love him so much. He is a great baby and we are so blessed to have him in our family. He smiles at us ocasionally now, and when he does it melts your heart. Today Hayden was watching Cars and making some silly sounds and Dylan was watching and smiling at him. You can already see th ebond there. It is so wonderful to have two little guys and know they are going to be the best of friends.

2009-01-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

home after the holidays...

2009-01-03T16:42:00.003-05:00

This past year went by so quickly it seems. I guess the pregnancy took most of it up but still...seems like time seems to go faster as you have more children, get older, and have more responsibilities. I can't believe Christmas is over (the first year I am happy about it) and we have started the New Year.

We, Nick and I, had discussed not going anywhere for the Holidays this year because we had just had a baby and didn't really feel like traveling but as Christmas approached I thought it was really important to see Nick's and my family. So we decided to visit said families and added my sister Ami into the mix as well.

I am so happy that we decided to go "home" for the holidays! I had such a great time being with everyone! We started out with Ami and Chris in Pitt PA and that was soo much fun! Getting the little boys together was a blast and I think they really enjoyed beating on each other. The adults got to spend couple time after the kids went to bed playing games on Xbox 360 and listening to Christmas music. Such a fun and relaxing trip! We all got along great and look forward to getting together again soon.

Then on to my parents' home for Christmas Eve....do I need to say anything else? Constant Chaos but oh so fun! We exchanged our "secret" santa gifts - even though they aren't really a secret. I think everyone was extremely pleased with their gifts, especially Dan and myself! We got Nathan and Jessica who went totally all out! Lots of bath and body sleep scented bath stuff for me and their robe, wich by the was IS the softest EVER! Lots of good food and company. We also opened our Christmas from my parents because, for the first time ever, I wouldn't be there for Christmas morning. I got the CUTEST outfit for Dylan. I had wanted to bring Dylan home form the hospital in. I never got it though because I thought it was a little to expensive.

On to the Keckley family's house for our Christmas morning. Since there really aren't any little children in the family anymore (except Grandchildren) we got to sleep in becuase Hayden slept until 9:00 in the morning which was one of the best Christmas presents EVER! It was fun to get the little guys together to open gifts, although I think it was torture for them to see others opening gifts. Hayden wanted to open every gift under the tree and didn't care so much about what the gift was but tearing open the paper. What a funny kid sometimes! Dylan mostly slept through the whole thing because when you are a month old who the heck cares about presents?

When we fianally got home after all the traveling I think we both sighed and felt grateful for our families but happy to be in our cozy apartment, and most especially in our own bed!

New Years was spent quietly at home. Nick and I played some games we got for Christmas then came to try to find the ball drop online because we don't have TV, with no luck. We drank some sparkling grape juice and about a min after midnight found a sight that had the ball drop.....just my luck. Watched a movie and went to bed waaay to late.

We are so grateful to have been able to spend Christmas with those we love but I for one am happy that we are home and getting back into our little routine every day.

The Keckley family wishes you a Merry Christmas!

2008-12-16T13:35:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Making our Ginger bread house

2008-12-16T11:13:00.003-05:00

We saw a Ginger bread pack at Walmart and Hayden had to have it. I thought it would be a good thing to do together and that Hayden would have fun doing it. So we got it and all the way home would not let it go. The next day we put it together and I have to say it turned out pretty ugly! At least we had fun!

Our first real-fake Christmas tree

2008-12-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

So, all the years we have been married Nick and I have gotten away with not having a tree. We just never really thought it was that important. Mostly I guess because we didn't have any kids at first and then they weren't really old enough to know the difference and lastly because we never spent Christmas at our home it was always at either my family's home or Nick's or both. So this year we decided to finally buy our own. Hayden was so excited! It was a joy to decorate with him while the music was playing and he was dancing and helping to put the ornaments on the tree. He had so much fun and still loves to turn the lights on the Christmas tree.

The terrible two's...almost three's

2008-12-16T10:12:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think.....why can't my little boy skip two and three and go straight for four? I have heard they calm down quite a bit at four. I ablsolutely adore my little guy but seriously? COnstantly running, and not just running but elephant running so that his steps reverberate throughout the apartment! Constantly into EVERYTHING. Constantly trying to touch the baby while he is sleeping even though he has been told over and over that while Dylan is sleeping he is not allowed to bother him by poking his face (including finger in the eyeballs, in the ear, finger up the nose) and trying in any other way to get attention by playing with the baby just a little too rough.

Add to that pouring out the alcohol I had right next to my bed because I had forgotten to put it away. Making my bedroom smell a thousand times worse than a hospital. And giving me a headache everytime I went in my room. It was so bad that I had to get rid of the little night stand next to my side of the bed because it absorbed the alcohol and made the whole room stink. Or my make up (see pictures) that he decided was just to tempting and had to try on his face and the carpet and the dining room chairs, and his clothing. I knew it was too quiet. We were getting ready to go Christmas shopping and so were in our room leaving Hayden to his own devices...never smart! Anyway Nick was ready before me (imagine!) and so his "OH! Your mommy is going to be mad at you!" forewarned me.

Anyway, I really do love my little man and appreciate that he will never be this age again... THANKFULLY! Sometimes I just wish it would go a little faster.

Dylan Yeagar Keckley

2008-12-04T09:13:00.005-05:00

On November 22, 2008 at 6:01 am Dylan Yeagar Keckley was born. He weighed 7lbs 7oz. and was 22 in. long. We are so thankful that he has joined our family! Dylan has been a wonderful baby so far (knock on wood)! And other than a few major spit ups I really have nothing to complain about. He has been sleeping well and is very good natured. Hopefully this will continue!

Hayden loves his baby brother and loves to hold him....which is great! He loves to give him kisses and tell him, "Hayden love" which means Hayden loves Dylan. I have to say Nick and I are relieved that Hayden loves his little brother...although Hayden doesn't quite understand the meaning of the words soft or gentle.

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

Halloween

2008-11-05T12:20:00.003-05:00

Hayden, Calvin, and Garren before trick or treating
A cute pic of Hayden Daddy and Hayden holding hands...too cute. I love his little tail!
Hayden being too lazy to walk anymore so Nick put him on his shoulders about half way through.

Well, I have to say that we had such a good time taking Hayden out trick or treating! He looked soo cute in his little outfit and had so much fun. He was so polite too! He said thank you at every house. What a cutie! He got lazy about half way through and started to lag behind so Nick picked him up and put him on his shoulders. Nice to have someone willing to cart you around all the time! It was so nice to get Hayden and Garren together. They alway have so much fun!

Later that night Papa and Hayden played under a blanket tent and hid from the monsters that were coming to get them....I guess the were big and had big noses and eyes and ears because Hayden kept repeating that over and over. It is so nice to have such a wonderful Papa. Hayden and he have such a great bond. I love to watch them play together! It is always hilarious to see what Don will do next just to please his little buddy!

Hayden's dinglehopper

2008-10-27T20:07:00.004-04:00

One of Hayden's new favorite movies is Little Mermaid. He loves the fish and the music and especially the shark scene. Well, I guess I didn't realize how closely he must be watching the movie because the other night at dinner he took his fork ran it through his hair and when we asked what he was doing he said, "hopper." We came to the conclusion that he had seen Ariel doing the same thing at the dinner table and thought it was hilarious.

Tonight at dinner he started doing it again (even though we have told him not to) and I just thought it was so funny that I had to take a few pictures. He is such a funny boy. He just lights up my day. Even when he is misbehaving it is so hard to stay mad at him....remind me of that next time he does something naughty!

No Sandman for me

2008-10-25T01:56:00.005-04:00

This is Nick's game night. I usually read while he plays and then we go to bed. Well, tonight everything went as normal except that since I am so tired all the time I fell asleep reading my book. That normally wouldn't be such a bad thing except that around midnight Hayden woke up and I had to put him back to sleep, which doesn't usually take very long...except for the fact that ater I put him back to bed I opened the door to go out and his wooden name blocks I have on his dresser fell down and woke him up. He was instantly awake asking "What was that?" Going on and on about his dragon or Dranon as Hayden says (which is a humidifier that we bought for his room and sometimes the water in it bubbles and makes funny sounds) making noises and being loud. So he talks to me about the sound for a few more minutes and then quiets back down but it takes longer for him to fall asleep again. By the time he fell asleep it was around 12:30 not too bad but I was totally awake.

By then Nick had stopped playing and was in our room and we talked for a little while and by the time I was ready to lay down again I was TOTALLY awake. I lay there forever thinking..."I'm hungry, but I don't want to eat because I don't want to gain any weight." And "Do I really have to pee again (for like the 3rd time in an hour!) or should I wait until my bladder is exploding?" So I am laying there contemplating if I really want to get up and make something to ease my hunger pains and relieve my poor abused bladder or if I want to try to just go to sleep. Then the baby pushes on my ribs and starts a party in my stomache. Evidently he has invited some friends over without asking my permission....or at least that is what it feels like because there are just too many limbs pushing at me to be just ONE baby! I can't get comfortable because I have so much pressure on my belly I feel like I am going to pop open. I lay there tossing and turning as Nck snores on (I hate him) debating.

Finally I decide to get up make a penut butter and jelly sandwich, pee, because I am so uncomfortable that I know it won't do any good to just lay there. So now I am blogging at 2:15am because I can't sleep and I am hoping this is theraputic and will ease my mind enough so that I can sleep. We'll see I guess.

What a guy!

2008-10-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

I don't think I give enough kudos to my husband Nick for all that he does for his family. So, in honor of that I am going to post a sappy post that you can choose to read...or not.

Thank you for all that you do for your little family. You really are the most wonderful husband a girl could ask for.
Thank you for being the kind of dad that our little boy can look up to and want to be like when he grows up.
Thank you for playing with Hayden and teaching him right from wrong.
Thank you for putting up with my pregnancy hormones and my swollen belly and feet, and endless complaints.
Thank you for your kisses and hugs (but more for your kisses ;) ).
Thank you for putting up with me waking you up in middle of the night to talk when you have to be up early the next morning and then not complaining about being tired.
Thank you for helping me keep the house clean because i am too tired to do it.
And most of all thank you for marrying me and being a part of my life. You make every day sunny no matter what the weather outside.
I love you!!!!

A monkey for the monkey

2008-10-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

We purchased a monkey backpack with a leash on it a long time ago for Hayden because he just RUNS EVERYWHERE! Well when we first bought it he threw a FIT about wearing it. I am not sure why but he hated it.

We recently we went to Ocean City and I thought to myself "I wonder if he would let us put it on him now....?" Well he did and he LOVES it now (go figure)! Every time we go for a walk or go anywhere he asks for his monkey. I don't think I will ever really understand the way a two year old mind works!

Fun at the park

2008-10-11T12:43:00.000-04:00

This morning the weather was so nice that I decided we needed to take Hayden outside. There really is no place for him to run where we live so I thought why not go to the park? I had heard that there was a nice park close to our house and so I looked up directions and away we went.

It is such a pretty park!! Lots of nature trails and different play areas for children of different ages. There is a lake where you can rent a paddle boat, baseball fields and soccer fields, just a TON of stuff to do. We were so happy to find it! Hayden had a blast and was so cute looking at bugs and trees and dead leaves. It is so nice to live in an area that has so much to offer!

Halloween is coming!

2008-09-28T17:14:00.000-04:00

I know it is still a little early....but I just thought Hayden looked too cute to not post this. Hayden LOVES dragons and dinosaurs and anything that says ROAR! Soooo for Halloween we got him a dragon costume that he LOVES! He tried it on the first thing when we got home and started stomping around like a dino. Needless to say I am sure he is going to love Haloween this year. I am sure we wll get a lot more use out of this costume.

We moved!

2008-08-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

Living room Haydens BRM

Hayden's bathroom Nick and my BRM

We recently moved, for those of you who don't know, to Winchester Va. We love our new place and love to have enough room for Hayden to just run! Even if our neighbors don't like it! HeHe! These are just some pics of us moving in. It looks much better now but I have to take some new pics with everything done. I will have them up soon.

Roar!

2008-08-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures I thought were too funny not to post. Hayden loves anything that roars, especially his new "ROAR" pillow. For some reason he finds it comforting to sleep with it on top of his face.

Color me happy....or not

2008-08-28T23:16:00.000-04:00

Right before Nick and I moved I took Hayden and went to stay at my parents house for a while. Well on the last morning we were there little did I know Hayden had been up while I was sleeping. So when I woke up much to my surprise Hayden had a red marker and had colored all over the wall and his new stuffed animal and some of Laurens things (we were staying in her room). I loved being shocked awake and met by a surprise like this. How would I get through the day without Hayden?Luckily the marker came off of mostly everything (except Hayden lol)

A new toy!

2008-08-28T23:09:00.000-04:00

Hayden recently figured out that he could fit into my dryer.....I have to admit that it isn't something I am totally thirlled about! Now every time I do laundry I have to pull him away and tell him it isn't something he is allowed to play with....like that works.

Just some TLC

2008-08-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

Nick and I have really loved hope chests and we really wanted to buy a chest lined with cedar to keep our blankets in. Well I don't know if any of you have ever looked for them they are sooo expensive! Holy Cow! So originally Nick thought about just building one but that would have taken a long time and we weren't really sure about it. Well Nick just happened to go to some fishing store with his brother Chris and saw one that needed some work but he really liked it and asked if they were interested in selling it. Well they were and for only $50! We were really happy about it and took it home and decided to strip all of the stain off and sand it down (all of which Nick did by himself). Any way here are the before and after pics... I was pretty impressed with it!

This is when we first started...not so pretty

This is as we were stripping off the finish

This is after... so pretty!

Nick lined the inside with cedar, isn't it so pretty?!

Poor baby.....

2008-06-29T16:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I know I haven't posted in a while....but a few things have happened recently that I thought I would share. This is a picture of the day after he got his first stitches. :( It really doesn't look that bad it healed very quickly but at first I thought it was going to be a huge scar on his face. It was SUCH a traumatic experience...not only for Hayden but for mommy. He is deathly afraid of going to the doctor and having them touch him and give him shots sooo needless to say when we got to the hospital for his stitches he FREAKED OUT!! He kept repeating over and over....ok...ok? All done. ok? and crying. I felt so bad for the little man. He had to be strapped down (in a thing called the papoose that makes it impossible for him to move) so the doctor could give him stitches. He was screaming and I felt so bad that I started crying. I know these things are bound to happen with little boys...but so soon? And so all the trips to the hospital begins......

Five Thingies

2008-06-14T17:16:00.000-04:00

Another Tag....

1. 5 Things under $5 I couldn't live without:

1. A razor

2. gum...any flavor, I am addicted

3. tums (I have the worst heart burn, being pregnant really stinks!!)

4. bottled water

5. nail polish

2. 5 Favorite movies:

1. The Sound of Music

2. Gone With the Wind

3. Pride and Prejudice

4. My Fair Lady

5. Any movie with Christian Bale or Daniel Craig...

3. 5 Baby names I love:

1. Hayden, of course :)

2. Sophia

3. Audrey

4. Grant

5. Isabella
* it is kind of ironic that I have to anwer this question right now... I am having such a hard time thinking of boy names, which I just found out is what the baby is going to be!

4. 5 songs I could listen to over and over:

1. My Song by Elton John

2. The whole Moulin Rouge soundtrack

3. Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake

4. Vivaldi The Four Seasons

5. Andrea Bocelli, anything...he has the voice of an angel

5. 5 people who have influenced me in a positive way:

1. My hubby

2. My son

3. My parents, they count as one person

4. My Heavenly Father and my Savior, they also count as one

5. My 9th grade English teacher

6. 5 things that are always in my purse:

1. lip gloss...I have an addiction

2. multiple pens

3. diaper

4. wipes

5. nail file

7. 5 Moments that changed my life forever

1. getting married

2. giving birth

3. finding out I was pregnant...again

4. Nick graduating college and getting "real" job

5. Nick almost joining the Army

8. 5 obsessions I have now:

1. filing my nails

2. blogging

3. thinking about moving out if Keyser

4. taking walks with Hayden

5. reading

9. 5 places I would like to go:

1. England

2. Ireland/Scotland

3. Germany/Austria

4. Italy

5. Spain

10. 5 kichen appliances or tools that I couldn't live w/out:

1. DISHWAHSER!! I HATE washing by hand

2. a whisk

3. really good, sharp knives

4. microwave

5. a good size cutting board

11. 5 people who's top 5s I would like to see:

1. Mom

2. Rachel

3. Ami

4. Liz

5. Bonna

Nick's new baby

2008-06-10T17:09:00.001-04:00

Well I thought Nick would have been satisfied with just the one new baby but I guess not, she's only three days old and we haven't named her yet. He has been begging me for months to give the green light and allow him to buy a motorcycle. It took him a while but he eventually wore me down. I have to say that I think it is a very pretty bike and I think it is great for a first bike. He finds any excuse to go out and ride it. Pretending he is doing me a favor and going to return a rental movie, or just anything he can think of to get him out on that bike.

Playing in the Sprinklers

2008-06-10T16:56:00.000-04:00

Hayden has always loved water. Even as a baby he loved to take a bath and would even put his head down in the water for a second. Well nothing has changed. It has been so unbearably hot lately that we thought it might be fun for him to get sprayed with the hose. Well I think at first he was a little aprehensive because the water was sooo cold. But as he got more and more wet more and more items of clothing became missing. He LOVED playing in the hose and since the pool isn't open yet I think it will become a normal thing......and he'll probably end up naked every time.

Bowling Night

2008-06-10T16:41:00.000-04:00

Recently Nick and I decided to go bowling with his brothers and their families. We thought Hayden would enjoy it and it would be a new experience for him. He loved it and jumped up and down, clapped his hands, and cheered whenever the ball knocked any of the pins down. Another thing that he loved was the boat racing arcade game. He would just sit there and pretend to play the game (I don't think he thought he was pretending though) . He would go and sit there with Garren in between his turns. It was really cute and then...... he started running all over not listening running behind other bowlers (which freaked me out because I thought he was going to get hit with the ball) and being a little stinker until we vowed that we would not take him EVER again. It was a fun night regardless and maybe once Hayden gets a little older we'll do it again.

*Note the way I am holding on to Hayden.....I think that says it all.

Training Papa

2008-06-10T16:27:00.000-04:00

Hayden and Papa have a very special relationship. Hayden looks sweetly at his Grandpa and says, "Papa...." and whatever he wants appears before him. Whether it be going on a walk, getting some candy before dinner, or just having a play mate. I know that all children train their parents and grandparents to a certain extent but Hayden seems to be a natural. He has the sweetest little voice when he wants something and when he gets that angelic look on his face it is impossible to say no, especially if you are Papa.

Hide and Seek

2008-04-21T11:32:00.000-04:00

This is Hayden's new favorite past time.....hiding from mom and dad. He love to find little nooks and stay there until we find him, which is SO fun for us. Most of the time I have no idea where he has gone and have to spend a while looking. He is so quiet too he just sits and waits making no noise at all. When you are in a hurry it is a blast.....ha. Although he is so cute who can stay irritated? These pics are from yesterday he was hiding behind Nick's coat I guess he thinks if he can't see you you can't see him.

Feeding the ducks

2008-04-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

We took Hayden out to the creek the other day to feed the ducks, well the ducks weren't interested but Hayden decided to throw rocks into the water, the bigger the better. It was a really beautiful day and we loved being able to take him outside after months of being cooped up inside. He really loves playing in the water, whether it is in the bath, creek, or pool. Now that it is warmer we are looking forward to lots of water fun.

Helping in the kitchen

2008-04-21T10:51:00.001-04:00

Hayden LOVES to help in the kitchen or at least see what is going on. He is always asking to "see" what is going on if something is on the stove or in the oven he has to be involved. Nick had been wanting to make pepperoni rolls for a while and Hayden had to help roll th dough and put pepperoni into the rolls. I don't know if he is a help or not but he does make things fun. His Papa Keckley (Gpa) decided it would be fun to throw some flour at him and I am not sure Hayden liked that so much though. We sure love our little guy.

Some interesting news....

2008-03-21T21:43:00.000-04:00

I have been debating on whether to post this or wait until I go to the doctor to make it official, but there really is no reason to wait. I have an announcement....drum roll please. I am pregnant! I just found out last week and we are very excited and hoping this time will be a much easier pregnancy. We will have to wait and see but keep your fingers crossed for me.

We are hoping that Hayden becoming a big brother will tame him a little bit. He loves his little cousin Calvin and we are hoping that he will love being a brother. I think he will be a fantastic big brother. He is so loving and sweet.

I am pretty proud of the way that I told Nick. I found out while he was at work and wanted to surprise him so I came up with a unique way to tell him. I made Hayden a shirt that said "Big Brother...girl or boy?" (It is the shirt in the picture but Hayden wouldn't stay still for me so you can't really read it.) and dressed him in it so that when he came home from work he would see it and it would be better than me saying....so guess what? Anyway, when he came home Hayden ran to him as usual and gave him a hug so Nick couldn't see his shirt it took a couple of minutes but eventually he saw the writing and asked.."Is there something you are trying to tell me? Something I should know?" Needless to say he was very happy. We all are.

A day at the park

2008-03-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

I decided since it was so warm I needed to get Hayden outside and called my sister in law Bonna to see if she wanted to take Garren out. We decided to go together and they had so much fun....I think they both have some pro basketball aspirations...They loved playing outside. And mommy loved it too because Hayden got to expell some energy. We put them on they swings which they enjoyed and it was so nice to be out and in the sun.

My little Chipmunk

2008-03-13T16:01:00.001-04:00

Hayden loves to eat but he is VERY messy and takes huge bites and stores the food until he has sucked all of the juice out (Note the mouth stuffed with grapes). No matter how hard I try I can't get him to use a spoon or fork. I always give him one and he ends up throwing it on the floor and using his hands.....as you can see.

Goin' for a walk

2008-03-13T15:52:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that after dinner Nick and I walked to the Potomac river. It is right by our house and Hayden loves to look at the water. We had a lovely time and it was hard to get Hayden back home because all he wanted to do was throw rocks into the water and pulled a fit when we had to continue onward! We love that it has gotten warm enough to take walks again! We tried to get Hayden to smile for the pics, but he was to busy looking at the water...

I have been tagged AGAIN!

2008-03-13T15:48:00.000-04:00

The Rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves, at the end of the post the player tags 4 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a commet, letting them know they are tagged! Good times!

1. Where I was 10 years ago: Umm...I was living in Morgantown WV, I was in 8th grade! I was a young'un!

2. 5 things on my "to do list" today: 1.take Hayden to the park 2.Do the dishes (yuck!) 3.Post on my blog 4.Make dinner 5.do laundry

3. Things I would do if I were a billionaire: Buy an estate in England....like Pemberly (from Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy's home), and buy a sailboat and have fun in the sun EVERYDAY! With my family of course!

4. 3 of my bad habits: staying up too late, playing devils advocate to irritate my husband, being a little OCD about silly things

5. 5 places I have lived: Orem Utah (for all of two weeks) Garden Grove, CA, Morgantown WV, Mesa Az, Keyser WV

6. 5 jobs that I have had: Michaels arts and crafts, Proffits, WVU bookstore; only three!!

7. Something most people don't know about me: I am turning 24 this month!

OK I TAG...Alicia, Bonna, Lizzy and, Kim Walker

I have been tagged!

2008-03-06T22:50:00.000-05:00

A- Attached or Single? Attached
B- Best Friend? Nick, my hubby
C- Cake or Pie? depends on what kind...probably cake
D- Day of Choice? Saturday....or any day Nick doesn't work
E- Essential Item? umm I think I have to agree with Alicia and say diaper...and wipes
F- Favorite Color? red
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? bears
H- Hometown? Morgantown WV
I- Favorite Indulgence? I originally had shopping but I have to say a day at the spa! Nothing like a massage and a facial!
J- January or July? January
K- Kids? Hayden
L- Life isn't complete without? My husband and son
M- Marriage date? May 21, 2004
N- Number of brothers and sisters? 5 sisters, 5 brothers
O- Oranges or Apples? oranges
P- Phobias and Fears? SPIDERS!!
Q- Quote? "You had me at hello."
R- Reason to smile? a good joke, Alicia had it right! The Hose A and Hose B joke (can't believe you remember that Alicia!!!) lol
S- Season of choice? fall
T- Tag five people? Ami, my mom, Rachel, Lindsay, and Laura...and whoever wants to!
U- Unknown fact about me? I want to take photography classes.....I love taking pictures!
V- Vegetable? asparagus
W- Worst Habit? staying up too late
X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y- Your favorite food? Mexican!
Z- Zodiac Sign? Aries

Ice Cream...what flavor are you?

2008-03-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

This is a cute little quiz, check it out!

http://www.the-n.com/quizzes/quiz_main.php?id=3243

Spring is in the air!

2008-03-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up to a bright, warm, sunny day! It was so beautiful and makes me so thankful for all of the beautiful things in this world. Now I realize that mostly everyone is looking forward to Spring, but it is a little bittersweet for me, because that means no more snow days off for Nick! They were so much fun! I felt like a child again...waking up hoping that it snowed so badly that Nick couldn't go to work. Being a teacher definitely has its advantages!! But I think I am ready for the warmer weather and pretty flowers.....and barbeques!

My New Hairdo...

2008-02-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I have to urge to do something drastic with my hair and this weekend.....I guess I felt it! My hair is now RED the only color Nick has asked me not to dye it....so what do I do?! I dye it red. I am sure that I have been blessed with the best husband EVER because I think if he didn't love me so much he would have killed me a long time ago.....haha. Anyway I am not sure that I like it yet, but who knows, maybe I will be a redhead from now on.

Big Mouths!

2008-02-22T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have always been teased by my family and my husband and his family that I have a huge mouth.....well, it runs in the family as you can see. heehee!

Winter Wonderland

2008-02-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

While we were visitng my parents house this week it snowed so hard! It was so beautiful and I wanted to take Hayden out in it to play but I had not brought his snow stuff with me. Well we called the Wright family and they let me borrow some snow stuff so Hayden could go outside. I took Hayden on a sled and took him down the hill with me. He had so much fun! Aaron and Kathryn came out with us and played with Hayden. Aaron took most of these pictures and I thought he did a really good job!

Families are Forever!

2008-02-22T10:25:00.001-05:00

A long awaited visit

2008-02-22T09:44:00.001-05:00

This week I visited my family in Morgantown . I really enjoyed seeing them, and celebrating Andrew's birthday. We got together for dinner to celebrate and retold our favorite memories and it was so much fun to spend the time with my family. I have not been able to visit them in a while because something ALWAYS happens every time I plan to go. Well I finally got there.....even though the weather was horrible driving down. It was snowing so hard and even the interstate was totally covered in snow and then Hayden threw up on top of everything and I had to pull off the road and clean him and change his clothes. Such a wonderful experience! I am so glad that I could visit though, it was a healing balm for my soul. It was so wonderful to see everyone and to spend time with my mom. It has been hard not being able to see them as often as I would like so every time I see them it is so nice. I love them! They are all wonderful people!

Who said a chair was for sitting?

2008-02-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

For Christmas Nick and I bought Hayden a little recliner because he loves little chairs that are his size. Well the other night I turned on a movie for Hayden and he goes to his chair and I think....."Oh it is so nice that he likes to sit in the chair we bought him. He really likes it!" Well, he does like it. Just not to sit in.......I watched as his body contorted into all different positions

and was amazed by how limber he is...haha. And how strong he must be. Funny what a little boy finds to entertain himself.

Another Snow Day!

2008-02-18T15:15:00.001-05:00

Some good advice

2008-02-18T13:58:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago my sister Ami wrote on her blog that she had started to do crafts with Eli and that is gave her a few moments of peace. Not only that but Eli seemed to enjoy it also. Well, I had been thinking I needed to do something with Hayden and after her reading her post I decided to go to walmart and get some fingerpaints. Well needless to say Hayden LOVED it and it did give me a few moments to do what I needed to without being pulled every which way. Now we paint or do something like that almost every day and he has really enjoyed it a lot.

Boys will be boys...

2008-02-16T19:40:00.000-05:00

Hayden recently became obsessed with cars. He plays with them almost all day, and when he is not playing with them he is carrying them everywhere he goes. The other day I was trying to get him to bed and he would not let me put him down until I gave him his cars so that they could sleep with him. He has always been a strongwilled and it seems as he grows he just keeps on getting more and more stubborn. I don't know where he gets that from.......probably his father.

I LOVE being a mom!!!!!!

2008-02-07T18:46:00.000-05:00

ARGH!!!! The frustrations of being a mom cannot truely be understood without being one. On the one hand you look at your little boy (or I look at mine) and think how in the world have created someting so perfect!? On the other hand your little boy pinches your boob and you look at him and think, "little man if you were only a hundred pounds heavier I would whollop you...." but since he is only around 29 lbs, I flick him instead. Now I know I should not flick him, it is just that WHAT CAN I DO?????!!!! I get so irritated becuase he KNOWS (even though he is 22 months old) that he shoud not pinch or hit or scratch or scream a scream that will blow you eardrumbs into your next life, or do other things like pee on the pillow, yes Hayden peed on the pillow today. I took him out of his bath and just for a minute I let him walk around with out a diaper, and the next thing I know he is peeing on my pillow! I am thinking to myself, did I give birth to a boy or a chihuahua? Sometimes I wonder.... Then not only have I given birth to a chiuahuah, but I have also given birth to a nocturnal chiuahuah. That must be it because he does not sleep! I have been trying to get him to go to bed earlier soI have stopped giving him a nap, well he went to bed early but then woke up forty minutes later and stayed up until 11:39! What have I done to bring the wrath of god upon me like this?! I always looked forward to being a mother, but a mother of a good little boy, not a nocturnal chiuahuah!!

Who wants a BATH??!!

2008-01-22T18:41:00.000-05:00

Lately Hayden has been very clingy and it has started to really drive me INSANE!! I can't use the bathroom, take a shower, make dinner, or do laundry without having HAden right on my heels wanting me to pick him up. One thing that I have found however is that Hayden absolutely loves bathtime. If he is acting up and I need him to calm down, all I have to do is say, "Do you want to take a bath?" and he says, "Bah, Bah!" and runs to the bathroom and immediately starts to try to climb into the bath tub clothing and all. It is so funny and it is also nice to have something that will work EVERY time to calm him down. He gets so happy in the bath tub and gives mommy a much needed whine break!

Daddy and Son-

2008-01-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a snow day and so nick got to stay home and play! He decided to make a tent for Hayden to play in with him, and Hayden LOVED it. Hayden would hide and Nick would pretend to be a monster and growl. Hayden would giggle so hard, and crouch in the back of the tent so daddy couldn't see him. It was so nice to have a day that Nick could spend playing with Hayden, they had so much fun!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-18T19:28:00.001-05:00

Lunch Time!

2008-01-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

Who knew something as mundane as lunch can be turned into something wholly entertaining? Well obviously Hayden was thinking lunch was a bit boring and decided to liven things up a little bit. He was given pudding for the first time in order to tempt him to eat a little more and low and behold, it turned into play time. Not the pudding on his face even his forehead. Now although he had made a mess I just thought it was way to cute to not share.

Let it snow! Let it snow!

2008-01-15T08:39:00.000-05:00

This was our first experience playing in the snow. It was almost like he didn't know how to act. He was so quiet and just looked up at the sky wondering where in the world all the white stuff was coming from. He wouldn't move around, he just stood there. It was probably the most thoughtful he has ever been in his whole life. You could see his little brain working trying to figure everything out. It was so cute.

Hayden's hair cut

2008-01-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

I woke up one morning about a month ago and decided....today is the day. Hayden needed a hair cut and it had been a long time coming, but how can you cut off such pretty hair? So, one day while nick was at work I just decided that it would be easier for me to cut his hair and not have to deal with Nick telling me he thought is was going to be too short or that he changed his mind and didn't want to cut it anymore. It would be traumatic enough with me dealing with Hayden and cutting his hair by myself. I knew that if Nick told me I couldn't do it I would capitulate and just forget it. His family had been against me cutting his hair because it was "cool" and "cute" but I had waited long enough. The Time Was Now.

Well, I took the clippers and just started shaving all of the hair off thinking, "Is this going to be too short?!" Luckily it wasn't and it turned out much better than I thought it would with me being the one cutting. I was very happy about it and the only thing left to do was wait for Nick to get home. I was pretty nervous that he would hate it. Well he came home from work and said that he was shocked, but that it was very cute and Hayden finally looked like a little boy instead of a baby. I was RELIEVED! All is well that ends well.

2008-01-14T09:42:00.000-05:00

We spent some time at my sister Ami's house before Christmas (FUN!) and we took this picture by her tree. We were getting ready to go to our family's Christmas Eve party.

Happy Times

2008-01-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

Well our family has had a wonderful time these past months with all of the holidays and Rachel getting married. We are so blessed to have a wonderful family! Hayden LOVED Chistmas this year. Mainly because Ami's son Eli is his bestest buddy and they were so funny together. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning with our Waldron family and it was such a great time.