Pizza Night

So for several weeks now we've been having Friday Night Pizza & Movie Nights. We've been going to a local pizza parlor where we get great service and really good pizza, but tonight we just wanted to have a home night. So off to Papa Murphy's I went. They do this new thing called a Mini Murph- it's essentially a single serve pizza meant for kids. It comes with the sauce and cheese and toppings in little containers so that the kids can make theeir own pizza. I had wanted to get Keegan to try this for a bit now so tonight was the night.

First we started with laying out our ingredients. We had pizza sauce, cheese, and black olives- Keegan's favorite pizza topping!

Our pizza is all ready for the oven. 450* for 10-14 minutes on the handy-dandy included baking sheet.

 A big pizza and a little pizza. Perfect for the big and little people in our house.

 Hooray!!!! Let's eat!!

 Now, I know what you're thinking: Megan, you said that Keegan was getting this pizza and yet you haven't included a single picture of him actually making the pizza! Well folks, a funny thing happened while I was engulfed in the whole making pizza process. I stuck my head around the corner after getting everything ready and saw this cute little site. Keegan and his Daddy we're watching the football game. So sweet. But upon evern closer inspection....

I learned that Keegan wasn't even watching the game!! Sweet, little, sleepy boy! So, his pizza patiently waited until he awoke (not so peacefully) and was ready to eat. So even though Keegan didn't get to make his first Mini Murph by himself, he did certainly still enjoy it. Now that he's in bed for the night, Mom and Dad are off to the second activity of the evening: MOVIE TIME!!!! Happy Friday :)



A Packed Sunday

With all our summer obligations nearly behind us, we woke up to our first free weekend day in months! We decided that since Keegan had been such an awesome trooper so often this summer (weddings, vacations, holidays, looong car rides, etc.) we would reward him with a day that other little boys would envy- at least a little. So we started the day with his favorite breakfast- waffles with chocolate chips!! It doesn't hurt that his mom and dad love them as well. After breakfast we went to Barnes and Nobel to play with the train table. We had never spent time in the kids section of the store so we had no idea that it was there. Well, apparently everyone else in town knew it was there as there was a little competition for the train toys. But Keegan waited his turn and was a very good sharer- very proud of my little man.

 He of course found his favorite little sweetheart in the pages of the books and went right for Dora! He sat and looked through so many Dora books that we knew we had to take some home. He is so interested in books right now. He often wont let go of his bedtime story so we just put him in his crib as he continues to read the pages. He's pretty cute. I'll definitely be happy if he keeps up the good habit!

 After Barnes and Nobel we went to lunch at the new Qdoba restaurant on our end of time. Since I got introduced to a Mexican place called Costa Vida awhile back, nothing has compared for me, and neither did this place. Always love trying something new, but often times you get burned. Moving on. So off to the park it was. The last time we were at this park, Keegan was not a fan of the swings. Well, as you can see below, this trip was very different. He had the biggest grin on his face and the most contagious little giggle. He was having so much fun and loved the swings and the slide and of course, all the bark to pick up and throw!

We certainly crammed a lot into our day and boy was this little man ready for a nap! I love hanging out with him and will be grateful for some less busy time to do so!

The Oregon Coast

Two weeks ago, we got to go on our first family vacation. Drew's folks took us the Oregon Coast for an all-expenses paid trip for eight days. Drew had never been to the Oregon coast, even though I had spent countless summer and spring vacations traveling up and down the coastline. And it was Keegan's first official vacation that was more than four hours away in the car. He traveled soooo well, thanks to a personal dvd player and a Dora the Explorer movie that we played over and over and over and over again. I was so proud of him.

There were 18 people total on our little family vacation and we stayed in a beautiful house RIGHT ON THE BEACH about 20 miles south of Newport. It was literally a stairwell away from the crashing waves and shell-filled sand. As you can see from this initial pictures, Keegan was NOT a fan of the cold, wet sand. I can't really blame the kid, he had been in the car for several hours, without a decent nap and hadn't really had a snack before I went and dropped him off long enough to get this picture. I felt bad, as I tried to contain my giggles.

 I love his little footprints in the sand. He couldn't wait to get picked up! He was never really excited to be in the sand, but did better as the week went on, as long as he had jeans and shoes on and was holding onto someone's hand. He even helped to build two different sand castles- sadly, the second one never reached completion as we learned that we had not read the tides chart correctly. 

 Since Drew had never been to the Oregon coast before, I wanted to make sure I got lots of pictures of him playing in the water- I think he had as much fun (actually, probably more) than Keegan. Glad I got a pedicure the week before we left!

 We took Keegan to the Newport Aquarium on our second day and he had a blast. They had a children's area where the kids could play in the sandbox, touch stingrays, climb in a beaver dam, pretend to fish and watch Nemo and Dori swimming around the tanks. He was so intrigued by all the fish and kept pointing to them even as they continued to swim around. There was even a petting pool where we could touch starfish and clams and this Mama was even brave enough to touch them (after SEVERAL moments of psyching myself up!). As we were walking through the tunnel, Keegan caught sight of a very interesting fish- it had a mask and goggles and even an air tank- it wasn't a fish, it was a scuba diver cleaning the tank. Keegan got right up to the glass and started waving and evern gave her a high five through the glass. It was awesome. He certainly didn't understand what she was doing, but it was fun to watch him.

 I loved getting to spend time with Keegan during our vacation. It was the most time I had spent with him since my maternity leave. While it was exhausting to keep him entertained all week long, it was so amazing to see him experience all these new things all at once. I can only imagine what was going through his cute little head as he saw the water, and the fish, and the boats, and even the whales we saw as we stood on the beach. I only hope that I can take him back so that he can have wonderful memories of the beach, just like me!

 After plugging my earphones into the music of nature and taking a few runs on the beach- best workout ever- I got to hang with Keegan on the deck a bit. He was telling me all about his day and the adventures he had had. I love that Drew tried so hard to get some pictures of me with Keegan-I often feel that I don't get a chance in front of the camera, because I'm always the one behind it. Thanks babe, and thanks Keegan for the chat!



We did and saw and ate so much more than I've listed here; we went to Rogue Brewery, ate chowder everyday, went to Tillamook Cheese Factory and the Air Museum, saw the barge that floated over from Japan, walked the beach, and got to see my grandparents old house on our first night when we stopped in Portland. But by far, my favorite part of the week was getting to spend so much time with my boys. our lives seem so busy and we get so caught up in everything that we want to do that we forget that simply spending time together is as important as anything else. This vacation couldn't have happened without the generousity of Drew's family and I am so grateful, but I certainly plan on many more family vacations to come!

Sidewalk Chalk

These days, most kids meals from fast food restaurants give out tiny toys that have multiple pieces and things that spin and make noise. None of them include such awesome toys as Quizno's. They give out sidewalk chalk!! Keegan has never had sidewalk chalk before but he loves it. We broke it open this afternoon and decorated the front walk way. Keegan also decorated his face, his legs, his wagon and the wall to the left of our front door :) I think he had a great time and I enjoyed getting creative along with him.

Father's Day

Ok, ok, I realize that I'm back-pedaling a little by doing Father's Day postings, but this is how bad I've been about getting posts up on my blog. As I might have pointed out previously (or maybe not) I'm using my camera less because I've been using my super, duper new iPhone to take pictures, so I'm not as good about getting them onto my computer. I promise to try and be better :)

Anyways, we spent Father's Day in Idaho Falls with Drew's parents. Previously to getting there, Keegan and I met up with one of my photography friends after we snuck (sp) out of the house for some mama & son picture taking. we got some great shots and Keegan was able to give his Daddy some new pictures for Daddy's new office at the Labor building (labor as in 'Department of', not 'and Delivery'). Here are a few of my favorites for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing Dads in our lives!!!

Mustache Bash Graduation & Retirement Party

 Last month we celebrated a wonderful occassion- Marla (my amazing Mother in Law) retired from her looooooooong teaching career in Rigby, Idaho. At the same time, Drew's cousin, Ashley, graduated with her teaching degree adn will have her very first classroom this fall. Two wonderful women making their impressions in the lives of our children. Congrats to you both, here are a few pics from the 'Mustache Bash' party we threw for them in celebration...

Ice Cream Playdate

Several months ago we had Keegan in swimming lessons at the YMCA. While there, he made a new friend, Harrison. Harrison is one month younger than Keegan and these boys had a great time playing in the pool and making monkey noises as they climbed in and out of the pool. We thought that it would be a lot of fun to have Harrison and his parents, Laurel & Ryan, over to swim at the swimming pool in our neighborhood. But before we knew it, class was over and we had never gotten a phone number to call them :(

While at teh War Horse show here in Boise ahile back, we ran into Laurel. She said they had wanted to get together with us as well, so we quickly exchanged numbers and emails and make plans to get the kids together. Due to everyone's crazy schedule, we just this week were able to get together. Laurel and I and the boys met up at one of our favorite watering holes, Blue Cow (a mix your own ice cream place), and the boys had a blast. They were running around, playing with the cups they pulled out of the dispenser and high fiving the baseball players that were there enjoying their dessert. We will definitely get these two cutie pies together again soon- we had a great time.