Christmas Pics

Although we were without a camera, my sister Amber was nice enough to share her photos. I thought I'd post a few to prove that we actually did make this trip and that I wasn't just trying to make up some elaborate story to blog about. :)

Aunt Erika & baby Chase

Mom & Dad at the Pizza Factory

Cooper, the garbage man -- loves garbage, garbage men, garbage trucks--anything to do with garbage

Amb and Erika

Hopefully I will have some more pictures soon from my dad!! **Hint, hint -- Dad :)**

Home at Last!

Number of planes flown on in the last week - 5
Number of missed connections - 2
Number of bags lost - 1
Number of bags found one week later - 1

Being upgraded to first class for free on a direct flight back to Cincinnati - priceless

We're home & have all of our luggage!! I never thought I'd say it but yes, I'm glad to be home in Cincinnati. :) We enjoyed our visit with family and friends but there really is no place like home.

Keegan's First Day of Fame

In case you were wondering...yes we made it to Seattle on Monday night (finally). So the good news is that we'll be with my parents & brother's family for Christmas but my sisters may not make it due to the snow. The bad news... (see below)


And this is what the airport looked like when we arrived at Sea-Tac. We were lucky enough to find 3 of our 4 items. Unfortunately Keegan's bag is still missing in action. So he got a new wardrobe today from Grammie. Thank you, Grammie.

And why is this post called Keegan's First Day of Fame? Well the photo above was printed in today's Seattle Post Intelligencer (a local paper). Keegan is in the newspaper! (and Andrew too but this is Keegan's first time--definitely a milestone for the scrapbook).

Adventures in Traveling

You may recall from previous posts that I mentioned we'd be traveling to Seattle for Christmas this year. Well unfortunately so far we've only made it to Detroit. Our flight left Cincinnati last night at 7:15pm--two hours late--and then we missed our connection. It's my first trip to Michigan! We got to pay for a hotel and spend the night without luggage. In fact, we get to go back to Cincinnati without our luggage (it is on it's way to Seattle without us). So I don't have many of my essential toiletries--makeup, curling iron, flat iron, etc. Not even at home. So I'm traveling all natural for the next few days. Hopefully we'll be on our way to Seattle on Monday morning. But if not, at least our luggage will spend the holidays with my family.

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you're not traveling!! :)

Christmas Comes Early for Lilly

Lilly is one year old today! So she got to open her Christmas gift on her birthday today. She was a little scared at first but it didn't take long for her to warm up.


As you can tell she's a bit small for the bed (it was folded in the package so Andrew didn't realize how big it was) ...but Lilly will love every inch of it.

Happy Birthday, Lilly!!

Christmas Card Update

Unfortunately in our Christmas card this year we failed to mention that our wonderful friends, Mike & Annie Beckstead, visited us this past summer here in Kentucky. That's right, they were kind enough to use their valuable time off to visit us even though we are so very far away. We had such a great time and it made us wish we could live closer to all of you.

Thanks, Mike & Annie, you guys rock!!

Christmastime!

Yea! I know we are halfway into December so it has officially been Christmastime for a while but I really do love this time of year. I think one of my favorite things about the holidays is getting to see family. Being so far away it makes it something to really look forward to. Next weekend we are flying to Seattle to be with my family and I'll admit, I'm a little nervous about flying with an infant, but everyone has assured me it will be fine. Anyway, I just thought I'd post a few updated photos since the next post will be of Christmas with the fam'!



This was one of our pics that didn't make the Christmas card...not sure why not. Probably because it's not Andrew's best photo but everyone looks pretty good. (Lilly refused to cooperate in any of the photos. She might not make the cut next year. :))


Even though this picture is a little blurry I had to post it because it's Keegan's signature pose. Now that he's found his hands they are always poised and ready to enter his mouth. I have a better pic of this that I took with my phone but of course cannot find the device that transfers them to the computer.


Thank you, Aunt Aubrey, for this cute shirt with a tie! It's a little big on Keegan right now but I think he can pull it off. He'll just be able to wear it for a little while. It's sooo cute!


And this is an early Christmas gift (much to Andrew's dismay--he doesn't think Keegan should have this toy yet). Keegan loves it though and it's the only toy that he can play with by himself and it makes noise, etc. My mom wanted to see a picture of this so I just thought I'd post it.

Also, I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas with friends & family! Have a blessed holiday and remember the reason for the season.

Baby Reindeer

I just had to share these pictures of our cute little baby reindeer. :) Andrew's mom got Keegan this cute little outfit when she visited last week. She was so good at getting pictures of him smiling too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were so happy to be able to have Andrew's mom and brother come join us for Thanksgiving. We originally planned to have his cousins come as well but unfortunately their little boy got sick at the last minute--bummer!! Needless to say we had even more leftovers than planned for but who can complain about extra Thanksgiving leftovers?? :) Keegan was a good little boy and slept in his swing through the entire feast so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy their meal with the family.

Yes this was my first year making a turkey. As my mom would say, "It's the Bag!" (meaning baking the turkey in a bag is what makes all the difference). It went really well and the turkey took far less time to cook (and far less time to prepare) than anticipated. Everything turned out wonderfully. The only thing that could've made this great day better was more family but being so far away, we'll take what we can get.

(...and here's the "bag" that did all the work)

And no Thanksgiving would be complete without expressing our gratitude. We are definitely thankful for our families, for the gospel in our lives, and wonderful friends near or far. And this is for my dad--I am thankful for Squanto without whom we may not have Thanksgiving at all. :) Hope everyone had as great a day as we did! :)

Grandma Young was so happy to meet her first grandson. Isn't he cute? I know, I'm partial.

The big feast!

Andrew ready to begin the challenge of cleaning his plate!

2 Months!

Keegan is officially two months old already! Time is really going fast--and even though everyone told me it would, I didn't believe it until now. He is now 11 lbs 2 oz and 23 inches long...he's definitely lost the newborn look. Today at his doctor's appointment he had to get four shots--ouch! He cried forever and finally fell asleep when we got home. It was so hard to watch.

I know this picture is a little early but I couldn't just have him wear this shirt one day only! :) (Oh & yes I couldn't decide what picture to post so this is five of the same picture... :) )

New Job!

It's official...I no longer work at Parkway Products. And I'm pretty sure everyone is already aware of my new job title...Keegan's Mommy! :)You may be wondering why I am announcing this news now when Keegan is going to be 8 weeks old tomorrow. Well...I left my job with the intent to go back for at least two weeks once Keegan was 8 weeks old. And if that was the case then I would be starting my last two weeks today. But my wonderful employers at Parkway Products were nice enough to let me keep my benefits during the past 8 weeks and keep my maternity pay (which sadly only covered the delivery costs! why didn't anyone tell me it was so expensive to have a baby? I knew it was a lot once they were born but the actual delivery! sheesh!!).

Anyway, I feel so incredibly blessed to have things work out this way. I was not looking forward to leaving Keegan 8 hours a day at a such a young age. And now I don't have to!


This is the outfit my Mom got for Keegan to be blessed in case we couldn't find anything else. We ended up using something else and this one barely fits him now...5 weeks later. And I love this picture because I finally captured one of Keegan's adorable smiles. Since they're still pretty spontaneous they're hard to get on camera.

First Halloween!

On Halloween night we stayed in and gave out candy to the neighbor kids. I don't think I can justify taking a 1 month old trick or treating. I mean...it'd be a little obvious that he couldn't actually eat the candy himself. :)

On Saturday we visited a park that was selling pumpkin Belgian waffles. I found a guy in Cincinnati that is from Belgium with a business called Taste of Belgium. I've been in heaven ever since (once you've had the real thing, you'll never be complete without them!!). They were also launching pumpkins with a trebuchet (like a catapult with a rope) which we found very entertaining.

Then later that night we had a Trunk or Treat / Chili Cookoff with our ward. We didn't participate in the Chili Cookoff (well except for enjoying many different kinds of chili) but we did give out lots of candy.

Here is our little pumpkin! (Thank you Grammie Betty Kay for the outfit!)

And of course the cute little pumpkin bum has to be appreciated too... :)

1 Month

Keegan is 1 month already...it has gone by so fast! He got his first professional photos taken. I scanned them in since I was buying the really cheap package I did not get the CD.

And here's the single pose I chose of the many adorable shots of our little one.

I loved his little hands and feet so I had to get this picture even though it was way too much money for just one 10x13!

Blessing Day

Keegan had his first big milestone today...his blessing. Andrew was a little nervous but did a wonderful job. My parents are in town so we thought this would be a good time since we don't have any family here.

Sweet little baby Keegan in an outfit that didn't quite fit... (but not much does just yet)

Daddy and Mommy with Keegan on his big day.

Grammie & Grandpa with the little Keegers.

2 Weeks Old!

Keegan is officially two weeks old today. He actually had his first trip to the pediatrician last week when he was one week old and then again yesterday for a two week check-up. I think they mostly want to check his weight since he is being nursed as opposed to bottle fed. And I am happy to announce that Keegan is now 8lbs 4oz (he gained 6oz since last week)...which means he's getting nourished properly and gaining weight on schedule. It's really hard for me to notice any change in size since I literally see him 24/7. But I'm sure people who saw him a week ago would tell me he looks different.

Here are a few more pictures of our growing boy.

Lilly and Keegan helping Daddy with some work.

Keegan enjoying some floor time.

Notice the appropriate football wear just in time for the season...courtesy of our wonderful neighbors, Tessa & Duffy.

Mommy and Keegan...Mommy hasn't quite returned to her usual hair & make-up routine yet. :)

And one more football outfit. We love the clothes that cover the hands because he does scratch himself and it makes Mommy sad!

Week 1 with Baby Keegan

Keegan will be a whole week old tomorrow! And since everyone has requested more pictures I thought I would post some...

This is an outfit from Grammie (Erika's mom) that I promised to post. He wore it today to the pediatrician but of course they had me strip him to his diaper the moment I got there so he didn't even get to show it off. :)

Bath time! We have a very cool baby bath that has this hammock type thing that suspends Keegan above the bath for effective sponging. :)

This hooded towel is waaaayyy too big for Keegan but I had to take a picture of him because it's so adorable how he swims in it.

Daddy and Keegan watching football. Andrew has already explained the entire game to Keegan...

Getting a good stretch on the changing table.

And we're home!

We are very happy to say that we are now in the comfort of our own home. Keegan seems to like the place so far. :) Lilly hasn't gotten the chance to formally meet him but we think the two will get along just fine. Below are the long awaited photos of our newest family member: Keegan Andrew Young...

Just moments after birth--Keegan's very first picture...his lungs work!! :)

His stats: born Tuesday, 9-23-08 at 8:32am; 7lbs 14.5oz; 20 in long

Keegan's first bath (& so far only bath...)



Proud daddy and Keegan.



Mommy and Keegan (on day three)

The newest Young Family!! :)

Baby Keegan

Erika and I are proud parents of a new Baby Boy. He was born on September 23rd at 8:32 a.m. (Thank goodness for a normal time and not some crazy time at 3:00 a.m. or something :) ) Keegan Andrew was a healthy 7 lbs 14.5 oz and 20 in long. The Doctors were all very helpful and said that everything went very smoothly. We love our little guy very much.

I would like to assure everyone that we did bring our camera and we will be posting some pictures on our blog. They will be G rated so no worries about that. Unfortunately, someone (me) forgot to bring a cable to transfer the photos from the camera to the Computer.

The next post should be in about 36 to 48 hours depending on when we are released from the hospital.

Silly Lilly

Despite the fact that we had 60 mph winds yesterday and did lose power for about 3-4 hours...we are in good spirits. :) It was pretty intense and we do have a fallen tree in our backyard but luckily we have our little food storage and water for just such an occasion. People are freaking out and gas stations are either closed or only selling $10 in gas per car. I can only imagine what it's like for our friends Erin & Jason in Houston!!

Meanwhile, we are still without A/C (it's a long, sad story for a woman who is 9 months pregnant) and so the windows are all open for Lilly to stand watch. This is her favorite past time now and well...we thought it was cute enough to share.


I just hope the power is stabilized before Baby Young decides to arrive!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me and say your prayers! :)

Baby Young's Expected B-day: Sept 23

As luck would have it, our sweet little baby has already decided to be a bit rebellious and has not yet turned. What does this mean? Well, it means we have a breech baby with a cute little head in my ribs...which means it would try to join this world feet first & that doesn't usually work out so well. The doctor said that we needed to schedule a C-section so the big day is going be Tuesday, September 23. Of course I've considered the pros and cons and since I don't really have another choice as of now here are my pros:

- We know when baby will come
- I won't have to endure really long labor pains
- Andrew will definitely be in town for baby's arrival
- We know that the rest of our babies will also have a pre-determined b-day

I'm sure there are many more but I'm trying to look at this as positively as possible since it's definitely not what I anticipated. And don't worry, if Baby Young decides to try to come naturally...AKA I go into labor before September 23 then yes, I'll have an unplanned C-section. Finally...they will check at the very last moment on the morning of September 23 to be 100% sure baby hasn't done any somersaults into the right position before they do the big surgery.

I promise to keep you all updated in case we end up with an earlier than anticipated b-day...otherwise be looking for pictures of Baby Young in just about two weeks from today! :)

Nursery

Here is a brief glimpse into our baby's nursery...it's still shaping up and we have more to do but I thought I'd share since I have had requests to see what it looks like.


We finally got the crib mattress last weekend and then I suddenly decided that I didn't have to have the overpriced crib set with bumper, quilt, dust ruffle, & sheet. I'm still trying to see if I can get the bumper by itself on eBay but if it doesn't work out, I'll assume it's not meant to be. :)


Here are the valances with the curtains my mom made to block out the sun. Somehow we chose the brightest room in the whole house to be the baby's room.


And sorry to those of you sick of seeing my growing tummy. This is me last weekend at 34 weeks. I am wearing the same outfit every time I take the picture on purpose--for comparison's sake. Anywho...don't let the smile on my face make you think I'd like to stay in this state forever. I am sooo ready for Baby Young to make her or his appearance & quickly. Only 5 weeks to go until I'm full term!!

And now back to real life...

Well...I guess I'm a member of the club now, right? :) I finished all four of the Twilight Series books in a little under two weeks. My official assessment? Well I loved the first one and of course that is what led me to read the second--which of course kept my attention long enough to get me through the third one. And who can leave a series unfinished, right? So I officially finished Breaking Dawn--the finale to the saga. And I have to be honest, I would have been ok if she stopped at the first book.

I never liked Jacob so of course I didn't love New Moon. And then in Eclipse I felt like Bella was trying to have both Edward & Jacob and somehow both guys were ok with that, just as long as they could both have her. And then when Bella got pregnant in Breaking Dawn it all went down hill from there for me. It just got too sci-fi fantasy for me. Is that terrible? Don't get me wrong, I grew up loving the movies Labyrinth and Legend--two very sci-fi fantasy movies. I guess I just felt like Breaking Dawn took a huge dive into that realm that could've been avoided.

Overall, I enjoyed the series and definitely am looking forward to the movie. But at least being done means I can go back to playing with Lilly and cleaning the house. Good thing I don't have anyone at home right now (Andrew & of course no baby yet! :))

Say It Ain't So!

In Andrew's absence I have become enamored of Edward Cullen. (Rest assured though, Andrew is aware of my obsession.) Yes...I've joined the cult of the Twilight Series. At first I was not interested at all in the books. I heard many people who raved about it but still, the whole idea of a girl falling in love with a vampire seemed weird (and still does). But then a girl in my ward bought the first two books and I was loaned the first book, Twilight. And I must confess...I read it in about 8 hours -- what? Andrew is gone and although I typically go to bed early, there was no sleeping with this book. I kept trying to put it down but it was impossible.


So I am now waiting for book two, New Moon, to become available and I'm already number 21 in a line of people waiting for one of the eleven copies of Eclipse at the library. Oh-my-gosh! What has happened to me!? Andrew thinks it's so cliche to be reading the series but I'm okay with that. I am reminded of the Cake song, Rock & Roll Lifestyle. And no I'm not one of the people who "heard of them first" and I prefer it that way. I'd much rather come in on the tail end of the series so I don't have to wait for each new book to come out. I wasn't born with a lot of patience so this works out better for me. :)

As for the new movie coming out in December of the first book, Twilight, I am sooo disappointed with their choice for Edward. It's the guy from Harry Potter, Cedric, who was Cho's boyfriend that died (as a side note I somehow missed that Harry Potter movie and was soooo confused in the one after that). In the trailer this guy looks like nothing like the beautiful incarnate of Edward. So we'll see the kind of charm he actually has in the movie.

For those of you who have already finished Breaking Dawn--please don't tell me anything! I hope to be reading it soon!! :)