"Mom, when is it going to SNOW???"

For weeks Neelah would ask me at least 10 times a day, "Mom, when is it going to snow?" Well, it finally did one day in December and so the girls were so excited to get out in it. They lasted about 5 min and then they wanted to come inside. It was TOO COLD!

October 2010

Wow. This was what I looked like a week before Keegan made his appearance. I was beyond ready to have him in the world instead of in my body.

Darth Vador, Princess and Fairy

Here we are at the local corn maze.

Finn's first day of Kindergarten!

We all walked down to the school bus as a family on that first morning of school. The girls were almost as excited as Finn was.

Finn had no qualms at all about getting on that bus alone.

The girls had the first of many days just the two of them. Too bad they don't always love each other like in this picture!

USS Constellation

This August we went to visit the USS Constellation. The kids loved getting to see the huge anchor and helm. They also loved watching the cannon fired over the harbor.

And Then There was Keegan...

Here I am one week before Keegan made his grand appearance. This pregnancy was much different than I remember the others being. I was more tired, achey and onery. In the end it was all worth it because THIS is what I got:

Keegan C. Watson
November 6, 2010 10:32 am
6 pounds, 11 ounces
21 1/4 inches long

Dear Keegan,
Let me tell you just how you came into this world. 3 weeks before your due date I started to have a bit of high blood pressure. Since I got sick after Savvy was born, we were a little concerned about it. I had my appointment with my doctor on Friday the 5th. Dad and I had assumed that since my blood pressure was high, the doctor would recommend inducing labor. We had decided that we were ready for you to be born.

So I went to my appointment and ironically, my blood pressure ended up to be fine. Its always that way...you have a problem and you go to the doctor only to not have the problem anymore. Nevertheless, the midwife suggested that I go to the hospital anyway to have a non-stress test and a bio-physical profile.

I show up at the hospital and have the non-stress test and it was perfect. I talked with the midwife and she and I were thinking that I didn't need to have the BPP, that it wasn't really necessary. She wanted to call the Doctor to make sure that she was on the same page. The Doctor thought that since I was already there, I might as well have the test. So down I go to the ultrasound room. The ultrasound found that I was low on amniotic fluid. That changed everything. The doctor and the midwife then relayed to me that they wanted to induce me. So the result was the same but for different reasons.

I call Dad and he takes the kids to some friends house and heads to the hospital. I get admitted and at 6 pm I have Cervadil placed. I start contracting and as the night goes on, the contractions get stronger. Dad and I didn't get much sleep at all. When the midwife came to check on me at 6 am, I hadn't dialated enough. (I went from 1.5-3.5 in 12 hours) So since I was going to have to have a Pitocin drip, I was all about getting an epidural. By 8 am I had my IV started and the epidural was doing its job and I was ready for a nap!

After 2.5 hours of napping I woke up feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. I thought to myself that there was no way I could be ready. I call the midwife anyway and she comes to check me. Right off the bat she announces that you were crowning! She and the nurse start running around getting things ready. I give two good pushes and the nurse exclaims that your head was out. You had a bit of Meconium in your mouth so the midwife pretty much pulled you out and passed you to the pediatrician.

You didn't cry barely at all but you had this strange little moaning that you would do. The doctor said that was because you had a bit of the meconium in your airway that you were trying to work out but that it wasn't anything to worry about. You were perfect! It was the easiest delivery of all and I felt great afterward.

The kids all adore you and have from the very moment they met you. Finn is the proudest big brother ever and the girls just want to cuddle and mother you all day long. You have completed our family and we are so blessed to have you with us. You are a gift from our Heavenly Father and we thank him everyday for your arrival.

5 min old

One week old

First visit with Santa

2 months old

summer fun

Warren comes to visit!

While Warren was here, I was also in charge of taking care of my neighbors animals while they were away on vacation. 3 Guinea Hens, 4 chickens, 1 dog, 1 cat and one goat. Warren was kind enough to help me out with the feedings etc only one day he decided that it would be a good idea to let the goat out of her pen. We spent the next 25 min chasing the goat around the back yard without success. Who knew it was that hard to get a goat to follow orders? Finally, she ran into the chicken coop where we lasso-ed her and let her back to her pen. It was definitely an adventure!
We spent an entire day in DC and although it was so HOT (note the color of my face) it was a lot of fun. I got to enjoy the sites without hearing just how tired or hungry my kids were. It was also great to catch up with Warren and have a conversation that lasted more than 20 min.

Another day we went blueberry picking. Poor Warren came to visit MD during the hottest, most humid week of the summer. We got a load of fresh berries and for the most part, everyone was a good sport. Warren couldn't help but sport his Utah Jazz love even here in MD.

Here we are at dinner at Brian Boru's restaurant and Irish pub. Eric and I adore this place and their corned beef poppers. YUM!!
We all loved having Warren around and the kids especially did since he was their designated playmate for the week. He did get a good dose of Neelah and her screaming/crying fits so he knows the reality of what goes on in the Watson household. We miss you Warren!!

Our 7th Anniversary

To celebrate the 7 years of our marriage we booked a night at a downtown hotel. Eric made the reservation at the Marriot using his points he earned while living here in the hotel early last year. We get there and are checking in when the guy at the desk tells us that we don't have a reservation for that night, but that we had one for the previous Wednesday but it was canceled due to no-show. Eric botched the reservation.

So then we are on the phone to the Marriot people and they book us a room at another Marriot hotel about a mile away from where we were. Turns out, we ended up at The Mayflower, the hotel that hosts the Inagural Ball every year. It was old, ornate and seriously beautiful! We lucked out!

We spent the afternoon/evening strolling around Georgetown and going in and out of shops. We ate when we were hungry and went where we wanted. We had no agenda, no time-table, no plan. It was FABULOUS!! Just what we needed.

Easter 2010

This year for the first time we dyed eggs with the kids. I know, I am a bad parent for denying them this tradition for all these years. After Savvy decorated her egg with all manner of stickers, she dropped it on the floor. At that point, she started picking at the shell.

We are definately not professional egg decorators but for a rookie trial, we did our best. Neelah wouldn't keep her hands to herself and almost tipped over the bowls of dye too many times to count. It was a quick activity.

This year we were lucky enough to be invited over for an Easter Egg Hunt and picnic at our friends the Quinns house. They hid over 200 eggs for about 10 kids to find. It was the perfect day for a hunt.

I am not quite sure why Neelah his making that face. I never know with that girl. Savvy looks a bit like the Joker because of the ring of chocolate around her lips.

I adore this picture of Finn. What a great kid he is.

The kids had a great time and really enjoyed being with friends and eating lots of treats. It was the perfect to way to celebrate the secular version of the holiday! We brought home way too much candy though.

Finners!

One of Eric's work friends gave us Guitar Hero. We love free stuff! Eric had Finn pose this way.
Rock On!!

This is a terrible photo but it was the best that I could get out of Finn. He came to me this week, about an hour after he woke up and told me that his tooth had fallen out! I asked him where it was and he said he didn't know. I asked him when it fell out and he told me that it must have fallen out when he was sleeping. I thought for sure he had swallowed it in his sleep. We went to his bed and searched. We found it underneath the bed.

So then I wanted a picture of him with the tooth and getting him to open his eyes, even when the flash went off was "like pulling teeth!" As I was trying to get him to open his eyes, he dropped the tooth and it took me 20 min on my hands and knees searching the carpet to find it. By that time, the photo-op was over and this was all I got. Better than nothing...

We were lucky enough to get this hand-me-down hoop from a neighbor this weekend. Finn was practicing and I was shocked to watch him score two baskets from this distance!! Finn is growing up so fast and becoming a little man. He is embracing all different sports and is really into "practicing" to get better. He dribbles the ball around the house and has made it all the way to 9 dribbles!

Neelah's 3rd Birthday Party

Neelah has left the "Terrible Two's" at least technically. We had a small party for her this weekend. It wasn't too fancy since all her friends were out of town for the Easter holiday. The weather was perfect so we went outside to eat cake and open presents.

New Barbie Slippers!

When I asked Neelah who she wanted to invite to her birthday party, the first person she said was Megan. Megan is one of our favorite babysitters. The girls adore her.

This was the gift I was most excited to give her. I knew it would be a hit. She watches Finn play the Leapster and wishes she could play too. With this computer she can practice up on her letters, numbers and shapes. After just a few minuets, she exclaimed to me "I'M LEARNING!!" I love seeing her so excited about learning new things.

Bubbles in the Spring

Bubbles are a staple on warm Spring afternoons. They keep all the kids busy which is a blessed event around here. I kick back in a beach chair and sip on my Coke. It never lasts quite long enough.