The Keoughs

1st days of school

2011-08-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Smooby in the first grade & my Princess in Kindergarten makes for one quiet, lonley house. On the flip side....it did stay clean all day. They are both so SUPER excited. She can't believe she has her own PINK backpack. Could the world get any better?? Oh--how we love Mrs. Williamson. Whenever I say to anyone who Adyson has as a teacher this year the reply is always the same...."You are SOOO Lucky!"

Riley loves Mrs. McCarver too! He gets to dance every Friday. Again....can the world get any better??? Wait....apparently it can......there is a DISCO BALL in his room!!!!

4th of July

2011-08-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well, honestly, this year - this day lasted FOREVER!! It was the greatest 4 or 5 days! We BBQ'ed every day. EVERY DAY!! For 5 days. You'd think we'd get tired of it, but nope!! We switched things out. Had a lobster bake! Steamers. And a little bit of beer. Cute shirts huh??

And of course our Bruiser had a fabulous time in his pool and hanging outside with us.

I am quite sure I took more pictures, I just can't seem to find them.

Happy Father's day!

2011-08-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

This father's day Dave was out of town. When he came back we decided to make him one of those big cookies--the kind you get at the mall...less the chocolate chips. It was quite a hit--even cracked!! This is Bruiser having a dress rehearsal for the 4th of July. Alot of planning goes into the festivities here at the Keough's. Yes, even for the dog.

Black & Blue Festival

2011-08-06T11:43:00.002-07:00

Blueberries that are the size of your thumb. Seriously....they are so huge and so sweet. Plus the manual labor that they actually seem to enjoy!!

This was Ms. Stacey & Jakes first trip. Bet they'll be going back next year!!

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-06T11:43:00.001-07:00

Me and my darling husband have been married for eight glorious years. What? Why is he missing from the picture? Oh...still out of town. The kids and I got dressed up and they took me out to dinner. They were actually quite thrilled to be a part of it. Normally we line up a babysitter...or tie them up.

A quick trip to the Zoo.

2011-08-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Adyson said, "What Riley? I can't hear you." They are hysterical! What I learned this summer was to go to the zoo on Sunday mornings at 10am. Not crowded. Not hot. Very nice.

Happy Birthdy Shane!!

2011-08-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Twentieth Brithday Sha-Sha. We spent the evening at Hooters (his choice). The highlight of the evening.....I got carded. I love when that happens.....and I have witnesses.

Yes, it is June and Riley is wearing a snow hat. Don't know why.

Citifest 2011

2011-08-06T11:39:00.002-07:00

We built a little baseball game. Never very fun. Ever. This was Dave's first experience with the Home Depot projects. Apparently he has led a very sheltered parenthood. We have always known Dave is not a "handy-man". This kind-of cemented it in.

It was so hot & the kids were so miserable that we just left. Didn't play on anything. Didn't eat anything. Didn't have any fun at all. Then, we went back in the evening to see Vertical Horizon and I have decided that for all other Citifests that I attend - I will simply go in the evening. It was nice, better parking, not as crowded, not as hot, bands are playing, there is still food left, all the rides are still up.

Me and my man!

Cahaba Lillies

2011-08-06T11:39:00.001-07:00

The lilys were barely blooming, but we have missed it for the past two years and decided to just hit it. It's all a little bit "natur-ey" for me, but my little girl loved it. Riley, of course, spent the whole day in the shade on a bench. Apparently the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Summer BBQ's

2011-08-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

The essentials for summer BBQ's.

First....snow cones
Second...margaritas. Make that large margaritas.

Third...singing and dancing.

We don't even require food. That is all that is needed for our fabulous BBQ's. Maybe a horseshoe game, but that's about it.

Our ballerina

2011-05-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think we could be any prouder of our little ballerina.

Sha-Sha bought her the biggest dozen of roses he could find.

She was one of the best little dancers up there - but I'll bet all the parents say that.

Then we went out for a fabulous lunch at Laundry's - and home for some pool time.

Great day for my princess. Great Day!

First Baptist - 4K

2011-05-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Of all the things she will miss the most from her year at 4K - I do believe it will be London & Ledger. She absolutely adored those two boys.
Her fabulous artwork says, "I love my family because......" and she wrote, "they let me cook with them."

And how she loved Ms. Missy. She would have traded me in for Ms. Missy if she had the opportunity.

Sure will miss my baby girl only going to school 3 days a week.

The hookey/zoo day

2011-05-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is my first year in Kindergarten. There was clearly a learning curve of the rules that must be followed. After being called into the Principal's office with the threat of having the police called on me, I accepted the fact that he cannot have free days off of school. Unless of course, there is a DR note accompanying it. So, traveling down to B-ham on a Tuesday for a morning appointment meant a free day at the zoo for me and my babies. Yeah!!! Riley- not a big fan of the merry-go-round, so we normally will find the bench/seat thing and Adyson will always pick the animal right in front of us. Works out great - because I get to sit down.

Me and Smooby.

There is nothing more I love than these two holding hands. They are so sweet!!!!!

Baseball season is over :(

2011-05-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

Here he is with his trophy. Proud as can be!

His final time at bat.

And of course, all my kids like the post-game snacks.

Beach weekend.

2011-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

We have lived here for over 6 years and this was our second time at the beach. It was clearly one of the best weekends EVER!!!! Of course, she is a fish.
Me and my darling children.

Just a head. Must say, I'm very suprised he let us do this to him.

Even Sha-Sha had a great time.

Can't wait to go back!!

2011-05-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

A quick snap-shot of the easter garden. I happen to think the cutest part is the fact that he is wearing her biker boots with her easter outfit. I love her!! And they are holding hands. I love them. And of course, phat boy slim. That's what we call him. Or Scooby Doo. Hardly ever Bruiser. Don't ask me why. He is one big happy dog. We love him.

Happy Easter

2011-05-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

A little easter egg hunt in the backyard.

My little Princess

And yes, that is my little Smooby in a tie. He knew he looked good. Kept it on all day without one complaint.

BBQ's

2011-05-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

Lounging around eating corn on the cob. Can it get any better than that? We are fully aware that we need a pool.

Sure, a sprinkler is fun and all. But still, we need a pool.

You know what I say.....any time they are close together and laughing together and it is caught on film is a succesful day!!

She is learning how to jump rope.

Ahhhh.......summer.

Coloring Eggs

2011-05-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

Certainly the wrong order of photos here, but I'm not going to change it. Here is the end result and as you can imagine, she is awfully proud of the coloring job.My babies.

Watching the progess.

Spring

2011-04-25T18:43:00.001-07:00

My beautiful Princess. Smooby and Mommy

Oh, how he loves his Captain Underpants books!! He is missing two from his collection and asks me...oh....EVERY SINGLE DAY.....if we can check the book store if they have it.

What started as a walk through Cottontail Village where we saw a cute little carrot cut-out to hang on your door as a wreath ended as an entire easter village in the front yard. My babies loved it and Grandma & Grandpa are very pleased with their skills.

Her little Easter Party

2011-04-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

There was a hat parade. It was quite festive. Here she is in class with her two BFF's, London & Ledger. She adores them. I sure do hope she is in their class next year.

A small hunt that still managed to bring way too much candy in this house.

Tea Parties

2011-04-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Some strange, cute, interesting, funny, weird things happen in the Keough house. On any given day at any given time. Tea Parties generally fall under the fun category, however this one, I believe, ranks under weird. Yup, that is Adyson and Bruiser having a tea party. He loves her.

And she loves him.

The Yellow Jackets

2011-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

It's our second year of baseball. Riley is super excited to be back. Here he is with his best friend, Jake. And his little sister is his biggest fan!!

He is having a great time and getting quite good at baseball. He loves it and we love to watch.

Easter Seals Walk With Me!

2011-04-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

A Huge Thank you to all of our friends and family and businesses who helped Riley raise money for the Easter Seals walk. He was an ambassador and his team was called Riley's Superheros. He was so excited. He would get up in the morning and ask Daddy to see his thermometer on his site. He neded up raising over $13,000.00 and the whole walk raised over $65,000.00 It was a GREAT year. It was a family event. Shane volunteered at the event. Grandma & Grandpa sold more earrings.

He was so proud of himself and had sucha good time.

Happy Birthday Dave!

2011-04-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

A very low-key birthday for the Keoughs this year. Some nice gifts and a hat that didn't fit. Out to dinner and home for the evening. Normally birthdays are much bigger for us....next year we will make it up to Dave.
Love you!!

Carpool

2011-04-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is little Riley's first year of kindergarten. I think one of the things I will remember most is carpool line. Every day, for 45 minutes, I sit in the car with my little girl. We talk, sing, climb around, nap, play games.
All I think about is how sad and lonley I will be next year when she joins her big brother in school. Yes, I have to go cry now. My babies. So big.

I LOVE winter

2011-03-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

But little things happen in Spring that make me happy too......Drinking from the hose. Cleaning her bike. My babies helping me plant flowers.

Spring, it's not winter, but it's not all bad.

My little bakers

2011-03-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Riley - generally not one to join me in the kitchen, but today - helping me make some ravioli - he was all sorts of help!! Now, my little girl - well here she is seperating a yolk, at age 5. She spends ALOT of time with us in the kitchen.

Shame you can't see the front of her apron. I made it (suprise!). It has her name with little hearts all around it. And a pocket.

Spring

2011-03-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

Look at those kissy lips!! I Love her. Bubbles.....always a good time. The puppy LOVES them. Quite funny.

Georgous!!

St. Patricks Day

2011-03-21T15:00:00.001-07:00

My crazy little kids in their St. Patricks Day shirts. Spent the day at the bowling alley My green little family.

Birmingham

2011-03-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

Spent one day over Spring Break walking around downtown with the kiddos. Plenty to do down there.....You can buy a pound of peanuts from the Peanut Store that has been there for over 100 years. Those machines were roasting!! Stop for a moment to smell the flowers.

Climb a tree

Splash in the fountain

And take ALOT of pictures.

Baseball Season!!!!

2011-03-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Our first practice. We are super excited and love us some baseball. GOOOOOO Yellow team!

Making Sausage

2011-03-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

I think the thing that finally got Dave excited about the Kitchen Aid purchase is the fact that we can make our own sausage. So, this is how we spent our Saturday. Buying spices and grinding meat. She is our little sous chef.

Hanging up to dry. Yes, they are on hangers in the shower. Isn't that what you would do? Apparently there are still a few supplies that are needed for drying. Who knew? Sometimes you just gotta make do.

Look at him. Just praying one falls down.

Funny dog.

Anyway--quite successful. I think. We haven't tried all the varieties. There is only so much sausage you can eat, you know.

Happy 5th Birthday Adyson!

2011-03-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

My baby girl. 5 is sucha big birthday. And yes, she is wearing shorts on February 26th. Sad but true. Nice shirt huh? We had a small little party because we had just come back from Disney. But the cake...well, homemade, half from scratch in my new Kitchen Aid, pink and....AND......mickey mouse sprinkles on the top!! yeah!!

Adyson and I went out to lunch then went and got her ears peirced. She was super excited.

My 5 year old princess.

The best

2011-03-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Sha-Sha is truly the best big brother in the world. Hands down.

Our babies sure do love their Sha-Sha!!

The most magical place on earth

2011-03-06T07:20:00.001-08:00

It was a quick South Florida trip, but it was the best trip EVER!! Our babies first trip to Disney Wor.....wait....The Magic Kingdom. Compliments of there two favorite uncles.

Funny because on Dumbo, Shane thought the stick to move up and down was actually an Emergency Brake! We love Sha-Sha!!!

Shenanigans.

I mean to tell you, watching her meet and talk to her Princesses brought a tear to my eye. Simply magical. She was absolutley in heaven. Adyson loves her a Princess.

And Sha-Sha finally meeting his hero. He's taller than Buzz. He commented it was "lame" that he didn't get to ride on Space Mountain, but really, is there anything more important than meeting Buzz? I didn't think so.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-03-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

That's right. Shane brought me home roses. What a good booger he is!

The most fabulous thing about making them little shirts is....well of course the little shirts, but it's the fact that Adyson is so proud that I made it, she tells EVERYONE, "My mommy made this." It's very sweet.

and school was NOT cancelled

2011-02-11T15:01:00.000-08:00

You may recall how very much I love winter. There is nothing better than jackets, sweaters, jeans and boots. Nothing. And this winter has been not only unbelievably cold, but it's also snowed. Alot. Me and my babies - well we've been loving it! What? I have to go to school today with all this snow and you are still asking me to smile??

Apparently her philosophy is never, EVER, miss the opportunity to throw a snowball at your mother. I love her.

Superbowl Party

2011-02-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

Three reasons we are wearing Dallas cowboy football shirts when Greenbay was playing Pittsburgh. One...our loyalty is unwaivering, regardless of the teams. Two...they were playing at Dallas. Three...all our little kids have Dallas Cowboy shirts at the same time...all WITHOUT stains!!

Of course, our thing is a "food-themed" superbowl party. So, here is Dave and I making FROM SCRATCH pierogis. We did not have his mothers recipe, and I'm sure it would have had notes on how to make the pasta so thin, so we were on our own there. Regardless, they were quite good. We probably won't do them again though. ALOT of work!!

Note to all ....If there is a fire and you grab a camera to take some pictures, you are bound to get yelled at. Well, maybe not if you just take one picture and then help extinguish the fire, but if you stay around to take like 10 pictures in case the first 9 don't come out, then you will get yelled at.

If you can't be belly up at the bar at Primanti Brothers for their famous sandwich....then you make it yourself. That's right. Those are french fries on that sandwich (and the cause of the fire). It was without a doubt the highlight of the evening.

Can you believe the size of that?? It was incredible. Makes me want to head out to Sunrise and A1A in Ft. Lauderdale to grab me one next week. Probably not as good as mine though.

It's been a cold cold winter

2011-02-11T14:41:00.000-08:00

I changed this to black and white because he is wearing his sisters gloves. Now you all know how I love me a blackmail picture, but this time I decided to save my boy the harrassment he will get from his family for wearing the pink gloves. So, in hindsight, isn't it nice I told everyone about it?

She is, truly, the most beautiful Princess in the world. Look at that face!!

Here are my babies in their redneck sled. That's how we roll in Alabama.

My trophy

2011-02-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Because you may not believe it, that's right....I got a trophy. ME!! A trophy. 1st place. ME!! For bowling! bowling!! A trophy!! There were only two people on a team, so naturally my husband did not want to be on my team, but chose Eddie K. Serves them right that Becky and I came in first place huh? I'm not so sure he has learned his lesson. We haven't signed up for another league yet. But, I got a trophy. Just sayin. It might be wise to pick me.

Because it never stops being funny....

2011-01-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

He does still very stongly believe that he is a lap dog. A seven pound lap dog. He's getting awfully close to tripple digits on the scale....but he believes he is a lap dog.

Waiting patiently

2011-01-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

This year Santa didn't miss our stop. We waited out in the cold for him to arrive. She didn't feel good, but certainly wasn't going to miss a quick visit with St. Nick. I wish I did't have his hood on so you could see just how sweet his face is. He is super excited and shared a baggie of homemade candies with him.

As we were waiting. BFF's.

Highlights of the season

2011-01-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Of course, the gingerbread house. Isn't it funny how whenever we do something sweet that Riley goes and grabs an apple to eat. Not a sweet lover my littel boy. My little girl on the other hand...completely opposite. I did not post the photo of her licking the frosting off of the house, then, deciding to be more effective and just squirting it directly into her mouth. She likes her a sweet anything. Making cookies for Santa Clause. Apparently he likes sprinkles. Alot. Look a the focus on Riley's little face!~

My babies. Waiting for Santa to take a quick drive by on the fire-truck. Even though he is so busy!

And of course, our annual Keough/Keaton Christmas party. Always a highlight. Really just an excuse to get together where the men don't have to cook. We'll take it! You would think our families didn't live 2 doors apart the way the kids get so excited when we all head out together.

Ah! A fantastic Christmas with my little family. Even though we did spoil them a bit too much, they are such good little kids ~ they deserved it....and more.

DEA Christmas Party

2010-12-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is technically our second annual DEA Christmas party. Last year we had one person who did not have a last name of either Keough or Keaton show up. Of course, we had only two employees at the time. It was quite a big deal to us. We were moving up.
Fast Forward to this year. Our bash was held at Michael's, which is reserved for anniversary's for us. It was a fabulous time!! Sucha great group of people that work there. Such fabulous gifts. Everyone had a great time.

You know, cuz they are the owners.

The girls of DEA.

The boys of DEA. We don't know where Eddie was.

But the highlight of the whole thing for me?

My babies had their first sleep over and we stayed the night in a hotel. This hotel, as fabulous as it was, the highlight is that it is ATTACHED to the mall. So I woke up on the last Saturday before Christmas and was able to stroll leisurely to the mall without fighting traffic, or getting in a fight over a parking place, or forgetting where I parked my car. It was FABULOUS!!!!!

Christmas Card Photo

2010-12-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

My babies. They are getting so big. It is very truly heartbreaking for me. Our annual photo blunders did not actually turn out, because they have learned how to smile and are just super sweet, they can't take a bad photo anymore (knock on wood). My princess.

Even Shane, looking all tall. Good photo. Hmmmm.

Look! There is smooby. Just last year all he would wear is his transformer face. Look at him now. He can take a picture. He can look right at the camera and smile. :( sniff. It's strange that makes me sad, but it does. Sucha big boy.

It was a real tough decision between the family photo and just the snowman. I'm not sure why the family won over this one either. I think it's because I cut off his arms. Next year though. You can count on that!!

My babies. Getting so big. How is this happening???

More of the tree....

2010-12-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well, of course our Advent Calendar. The kids LOVE this. Helps them count down, plus most of the time they get a peice of candy before school. Miss thing helping decorate the tree.

This is my favorite ornament. Well, one of. It's a mama baking cookies and trying to keep her two little elves out of them. That's pretty much my kitchen from now until Christmas.

One of Riley's favorite ornaments is the long santa. I don't know where that came from . I normally don't buy skinny santas., but there he is anyway.

PS - by the way. LED lights for the tree....very bright. VERY. I mean unbelievably bright. Crazy bright. I'm talking airport runway lights. Won't be doing that next year.

Our Christmas Tree, Cont.

2010-12-19T16:08:00.001-08:00

Home Depot - with rows and rows of trees has never let us down, even for those few years I shopped at Marvin's to save a buck. Plus the farm did not sell pointesttias. Terrible marketing if you want my opinion.

Riley felt very much like a big man helping Dad and all - even without actually cutting it down.

And helping put it on top of the car.

It is fabulous, this tree of ours.

Christmas Tree shopping

2010-12-19T16:00:00.001-08:00

Well, here it was, the second week of December - time to get our tree. Dave was actually "off" from work that day, so suprised us all with a trip to the Real tree farm to choose our own tree and actually cut it down. Very exciting...but I'm not so sure the kids understood it. They went for the cutest, smallest tree. Not exactly what we were looking for. Riley understood that we needed a larger one than Adyson had chose. See??

All these trees to choose from. It was mind-boggling. All these different varieties.

And of course a hay-ride to see the reindeer.

Very exciting day in the Keough house. When we finally did decide on a tree, of course, mama likes them big, it turned out it was about the equivalent of a car payment. Off we headed, treeless, to Home Depot, who has never let us down.

Christmas Jammies

2010-12-05T04:45:00.000-08:00

You all know how I love me some holiday themed jammies. Seriously, I think I might have a problem. But who cares? Look how cute they are!!! Matching Christmas Jammies!! LOVE IT!!! Bruiser, can you please get your big white butt out of the picture?

The Christmas Parade 2010

2010-12-05T04:34:00.000-08:00

MMMmmmmm........hot chocolate~ Me and my two babies. My sweet sweet babies. And my obnoxious Christmas Sweater. And the jingle bells in the ponytails. She LOVES them!!!

Two delicious Hot chocolate mustaches. Flavor Savors.

There is nothing sweeter than these two holding hands. Just sitting there, watching the parade and holding hands.

Another successful Christmas parade.

Eubie Eubie

2010-11-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

This is our first year of The Elf on the Shelf. I'm quite excited about it. It's been two days and so far I have not forgotten to move him. Yes, sometimes on the rare occassions they like to sleep together. Yes, sometimes I let them sleep in the shirts they wore that day. Look at those little faces!!!!!!!

Here they are choosing the name. They were all quite funny!

Eubie Eubie. The Happy Elf's cousin.They get up every morning and come looking for him. It is the sweetest thing EVER!!

Thanksgiving, 2010

2010-11-28T05:11:00.000-08:00

I always like to start out the beginning of the holiday season with a nice Christmas/winter themed breakfast. Burning the pancakes was not part of the plan, but it sure did work out nicely for their hats. Right? We tried our hats at a new Dallas Cowboy themed Christmas card photo. Let's just say we will not be going that route.

Look at my boys! Working together to cook us a fabulous meal. How great is that?

Before I had viewed the prevoiusly metnioned Dallas Cowboy Christmas photo, I thought we might try a different venue....you know, cuz my family LOVES when I make them take a million pictures....DURING the Dallas game. Anyway....we are not actually missing Riley, see his feet there? Under Bruiser??

Ah! A fabulous meal cooked by my fabulous men. I am so very thankful for my little family.

And yes....those pumpkins are little place-cards! How cute is that?? Thank you Martha Stewart!

Fall in Alabama

2010-11-23T15:33:00.001-08:00

Not to worry, I will photoshop the scooter that is sticking out of his head in just a tad. Probably should have done that first. Ok---probably should not be in the front yard in the first place.

Oh, this little girl loves her some fall leaves!!

And any time they are this close, and both smiling and laughing AND you can catch it on film is a very successful photo session.

A regular Sunday at the Keough house

2010-11-21T17:27:00.001-08:00

On Sunday's Riley tries very hard to stay away from the maddness. He rarely succeeds. The madness I refer to is the princess with a manicure.

Gulf Shores

2010-11-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

A day off in the middle of the week. One day. Hey! Let's go to Gulf Shores. We've lived here for nearly six years and have never been. It was just starting to get a bit cold, so the weather was absolutley beautiful! I was already planning my next trip down there before we left. We LOVED it!! Riley - who doesn't like water, outdoors, or getting his hands dirty had a fantastic time!! That is a volcano/castle by the way.

She is a little fish.

"Aren't you going in the water Mommy?" No way! Much too cold for me.

My three little loves.

Disney Princesses on Ice

2010-11-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

The whole thing was a suprise and for the three months after we bought the tickets - I just wanted to tell her. And when we would see the commercials on TV - I just wanted to tell her. I was so ready to explode the night before. I just HAD to tell her. I decided to wait until after we dropped Riley off at school to tell her about our girls day out plan. It all started with donuts. We sang on the way there. Some of the stuff from the radio - some of the stuff from Disney movies. It was a TON of fun!!

By the way, that is chocolate milk in there...not coffee.

Oh my gosh! This was her face the WHOLE time! She was so super excited! Every time a new act would come out she'd say, "Look Mommy, it's (insert Disney Princess name here)." And she would Clap, Clap, Clap at the end of the scene. It was magical!

The $15.00 cup of fozen water. Whatever....it made her very happy.

It was fantastic to spend the day with my little Princess just spending the day making her happy. We went shopping afterwards and bought her a new dress. Headed out to lunch, then off to pick up Riley from school. One of the best days ever.

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned in a prior post that these wings were HUGE. They were - and she looked fabulous, but in hindsight, they were kind-of a pain. You can't imagine the number of people she hit and the number of things that got snagged on these as we were walking around. Fun while it lasted, but whew - glad that's over. Darth Vader. Another note for you to learn from my mistakes. Painting their hair a different color is not all it is cracked up to be. Riley's kept getting into his mask and ended up all over his face by the end of the night. Just terrible to clean. Adyson's is still pink the next day as well. Sent her to school anyway. Not worth it....at all!!

I told Bruiser we will definately be keeping this costume for next year. Its going to take an awful lot for him to upgrade to an angel. He hated it at first - but once he realized he looked so cool with it on - we could hardly get it off of him!! Crazy Devil Dog!!

Apples

2010-11-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

First, they must be washed. This was the messiest part of the whole experiment by the way. (Yes, I did refer to this as an experiment.) Water and soap were EVERYWHERE and cleaning 5 little apples took about 45 minutes. As you can see, Riley could not wait until they were covered in caramel and sprinkles.

Must cover each spot - very carefully.

These are delicious!! Riley has little ghost sprinkles on his! I have quite a sprinkle problem, I can admit. You name it - I probably have it in the form of a sprinkle.

MMmmmmm.

So, as far as the experiment goes - I cheated a bit and bought those caramel sheets. Dave walks in and explains to the kids there is a different way to do this that involved dunking apples and messes and whatnot. They are very excited now to do this again next year. Thanks Dave - I hope you handle it well. I will be out the day you plan to do this with the kids!

Three generations

2010-11-01T09:30:00.001-07:00

Three generations of Halloween Sweaters.

The Rainbow Butterfly

2010-10-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, of course, I made her a pair of wings. But one day I went to the "creepy store" (halloween store) with Riley and saw these that matched the skirt perfectly and weren't that expensive AND were fabulously large AND came with the antennae. How could I pass that up?

Of course, there was a party complete with cupcakes for our little ballerinas.

There is the class with Ms. Lisa. She was a bunny. Adyson LOVES her.

Adyson was born to be a ballerina.

Halloween

2010-10-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

What do you think of that nifty spoon topper? Kind-of creepy huh?

I am especially happy that it got cold enough to wear his Halloween turtle-neck. It has been a HOT HOT Fall here in Alabama. See? It's a little skeleton on the neck? Creepy? I think so too. Don't worry about the bed-head that I am getting to send him to school with.....it's hat day. See? And this is how our sick little girl spent the night. Yes, that is our bed. Yes, Dave and I fought over who gets to be the lucky one and sleep in her bed alone. Mean? Not really - she is a terror to sleep with (Said with all the love in the world).

We both ended up staying with our little princess.

The Pumpkin Patch, 2010

2010-10-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

We did things a bit differently this year. Heading to the Grand Old Pumpkin Patch during the week one day after school. Fun. No lines. We were there with 5 other families. Sure, there were some downsides to this. No helicopter ride. The train wasn't running. The wait was so long for other families to join that the hay ride to the patch that we decided to pass and let our kids get a gift from the shop. Regardless, Riley had a great time and of course, he picked out some creepy spiders. Our little angel wasn't feeling too good.

She loves her some daddy!!!

Poor little thing. So, we did not stay as long as we normally would have. She did have SOME fun though. Don't let the pictures fool you. Today, however, she is missing Cowgirl dress-up at her school and spending the day home with Mommy.

Halloween Lollipops

2010-10-03T06:23:00.001-07:00

One would think that I am experieced enough to know that a fun little craft that involved a few children and a TON of candy & sprinkles & marshmallows is not the best mix. For some reason we decided to brave it anyway.

They were all SOOO cute!! They were ALL so sugary and sweet.

Sure Kids! Have two! One won't get you wired nearly enough! Eventually you'll have to crash off the sugar buzz - right?

Thankfully we have the Wii and were able to make the kids run it off! While we sat and chit-chatted. Good times. Good times.

Happy birthday Riley!!!!!

2010-09-10T04:36:00.001-07:00

The festivities started with us visiting Riley at school to have lunch with him. He was so super excited he could hardly eat!! Very interesting having lunch with a group of boys in kindergarten. Then, after school we headed out to bowling, video games, pizza and french fries.

Finally home for a fabulous batman ice cream cake (without the employee discount. Booooo!!!) and presents. It was clearly a lego themed birthday party. Now, off to fix up his new lego table.

Happy sixth birthday Riley! We love you Smooby!!

My Princess Ballerina

2010-09-02T04:56:00.001-07:00

Only one class so far, but let me tell you how she loves it. We can hardly get her out of her leotard. It is ALL she talked about. Even now, three days later. My little girl loves her some dance!!!!

Talking to my little girl

2010-09-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

My little girl is an animal lover. She loves any animal she sees. But Bruiser.....oh how she loves him!! Well, one day after having some ridiculous conversation with her about him, I decided I would take some notes. Today I actually found them (gasp!) . Here are some of the things that have come out of my mouth talking to Adyson about Bruiser.
1 - Honey don't ride him like a pony. (If I had 5 cents for every time I said this we'd be a rich family).
2 - I don't think Bruiesr likes to wear those shoes/hat/earrings.
3 - He won't eat that much food in a week!
4 - Would you like it if he stuck his paw down your throat?
5 - We just don't paint his toe-nails because he's a boy (certianly NOT because he's a dog).
6 - He gets to sit in the front seat becasue he does (I know, that's a terrible answer)
7 - Bruiser would not like a barbie for his birthday.
8 - I don't think Bruiser can play on the computer with you
9 - Bruiser does not need to talk to Daddy on the phone.
10 - Please stop jumping on Bruiser ( & by jumping, I mean a running swan-dive from the other side of the room, normally done while Bruiser is sleeping. And this one....if I had a penny for everytime I said this, we'd be beyond rich.)

Life with a dog is better. Sweeter. Funnier. Fabulous.

First day of school

2010-08-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

She sat right down and started coloring. She already loves her teacher. She has friends from last year in her class. You know it will be a great year.

Mama says.....

2010-08-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

OK Kids....let's load up and head out. No Bruiser, I think I'll drive today, can you move over?

OK Kids....it's bedtime. Let's hop in!

Hey kids....it's bathtime.

He is one of my babies.

My Kindergarten Boy!

2010-08-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, he was so super excited about starting at the big-boy school. He ate pizza for his first day (yes, I packed his lunch, but he didn't eat it--you know, there was pizza). They let us (kindergarten parents) walk them into class for two days.
I'm sad. I'm happy for him. I'm still sad. I'm thrilled that he is so happy going. I'm still very sad.

I am beyond happy that he (and we) loves his teacher. I'm still really sad. And Monday I have to just drop him off and can't walk him in. That makes me cry.

He loves it. That's all that matters.

The Greatest Day Ever!!!

2010-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, we got up at 5am, actually earlier. It was like it was Christmas Eve. I couldn't sleep. I was so excited! The World's Longest Yard Sale......for me - an avid garage saler .....this was heaven.I've said before that I do not think my arms are long enough to take the self-photos. I keep trying anyway. I know they are not pretty. Anyway, the point....see...it's still dark out. So, we got there at around 7ish. Hit a few then found the gold-mine. We all got some furniture to re-do. We all got the kids toys. But the deal of the day.......a Department 56 Snow Village church for (sit down) $10.00!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic day. Fantastic food. Fantastic company. Fantastic deals. Ending with a margarita or two. Just all around, one of the greatest days ever.

Inspired

2010-08-01T09:28:00.000-07:00

I love taking pictures. I love that my babies are so photogenic. Well, Adyson is. I was so inpsired by some of my friends pictures that I stole the idea. Made my girl a little tu-tu, bejewled it, packed it, and we went for a walk on the beach. Of course, on this particular day, she did not want to humor her mama. She couldn't wait to get upstairs.

I do belileve this is the only picture I have, of the 200 that I took, that she is smiling.

The only time for the WHOLE WEEK we were there that she simply did not want to go in the water. I mean the only time! Any other hour of any other day, you could find her in the water But, not this time. She's so stubborn. I don't know where it comes from!

"O.K. Mom, I'm done."

That's what I got. Those are the best of the best. And don't get me wrong, they are still adorable. I do still love them. They are still going on the wall. I'm just saying.....a little more cooperation would have been appreciated.

Even Smooby!!!!

2010-08-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Even my little Smooby ate a clam. I wouldn't say that he "enjoyed" it, but he did eat it. Princess, not so much.

The clambake

2010-08-01T09:14:00.001-07:00

Who would have thought that we would have to buy sea-weed? Well, this is how a refrigerator would look if it were the day before a clam-bake and you had two bushells of clams, a bunch of seaweed and spent the remainder of the day going to the backyard and getting more clams because you would think that 800 clams weren't enough. Look at how delicious it all looks.

Getting ready to be poured onto the hot stones. (Again, I know the photo order has a bit to be desired, but I think you can still get the effect)

The feast. It was fabulous. It was so delicious. I'm still thinking about it. I could go for some steamers right now.

We call these dead soldiers.

Massachuettes

2010-08-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

A copy-cat Mayflower. It was way too hot to be stuck in a boat with a bunch of people. I was quite miserable. I'll admit it.

This is the building where Plymouth Rock is. It's way below on the beach. And it is..well, as you would imagine, a rock. Just a rock. In a fence. To quote our dear, darling Smooby, "You took me all the way here to see a rock?"

See. I tried to oversell it as much as I could.

And of course, the lobster outfits. They all looked super cute. What you can't see are my lobster earrings. Or Dave's lobster boxer shorts. Think we looked like tourists?

The wedding

2010-08-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Uncle Scotty & Uncle P.J. The ceremony was beautiful.

What is this? All three kids looking at the camera at the same time? Seriously? Hello Christmas card photo!!

I wish I had taken photos of them saying their vows. Scott had half a post-it note. P.J. had a list that resembled a Santa list, he unfolded it and it hit the ground it was so long. Funny. Funny. Funny. Sucha fabulous time! We went on a bike ride around the town, had a fabulous dinner at the lobster pot, and did some shopping with our uncles - who in their blissful state were quite generous with the kids! Woo-Hoo!!!!

Rhode Island

2010-08-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

The sandcastle that will be published. Uncle Ricky was so proud of himself...until we all asked what it was. It's a frog. The Keough clan.

Out and about, cruising through town in our shuttle-bus, we finally stopped for some lunch.

Clam cakes & chowda. Fabulous!!!

The view from our balcony. It was fabulous!

The airplane trip!!!!

2010-08-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

They were super excited & super-good on their first airplane ride.

See, at this point, before we left the B-ham airport, I should have realized that I was missing a very large peice of luggage. I didn't. I did learn a few things, don't EVER book a vacation flight before 10am and don't bowl 6 games the night prior. You would think I could figure that out, but sometimes you just need to experience it to see what a bad idea it is.

Here we are, ready to baord!! (Nice picture order huh? That's why you should not get so far behind on blogging.)

July 4th

2010-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Our little house - all decorated. That is a tatoo on Riley's chest. Not a big fan of the firecrackers....and it's still light out!

We did have a few to go through.

Well, no t-shirts this year. Not that I didn't try to make our 5th Annual Keough/Keaton 4th of July Bash t-shirts. I will start earlier next year. Couldn't get it done this year in the 20 minutes of time I had alloted.

Mini-Me

2010-07-04T10:13:00.001-07:00

I love my boys more than you could possibly ever imagine. They make my heart swell. They are two peas in a pod. They are the best sons you could ever imagine having. But my little girl........Oh she is Amazying!!!! Never in my life did I think having a little girl would be so much fun. She is so sweet and loveable and tough and strong and funny.

She loves it when we dress the same. She always wants to be with me. She loves to do pedicures and put on makeup with me. Always wants to help me with anything that I do. Loves to cook with me. Stays right beside me when we give Bruiser a bath, or clean and vaccuum.

She doesn't see my faults. She can't imagine that I am not perfect. She just thinks I am the best Mommy in the world. I KNOW she is the best daughter in the world. I love my little girl!

My garden

2010-07-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Well, my garden is not working out so well this year. I have already started the second cycle and have not had one cucumber. I actually had to PAY for squash!! Imagine? The horror??!!??!! On the flip side, my potted tomatoes are doing FABULOUS! Four from the very first picking! There is nothing better than a tomato sandwich!! MMMmmmm.

Squirrels....darn things!!!!

2010-07-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

I like birds. I'm not a 'bird-watcher" or anything serious, I just like them. So, I have this window bird feeder right next to my computer and it's just the most amazying thing. They come right up to the window. I buy them the expensive bird seeds and they keep coming back. My little girl gets SO excited when a bird is there. Well, it lasted about three months before those darn squirrels found it. They jump from the bush!!! Once it happend, you knew it wasnt going to last much longer. It's now on the ground with no hopes of being hung by my window again. Darn Squirrels!!!

Black-mail pictures---I LOVE THEM!!!!!

2010-07-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Now, normally I keep them of my children. I do love a good black-mail picture. We played a whole lot of wii while on our trip. This is Adyson teaching Uncle Scotty how to dance. Note the flower in his hair? I'm sure Disney does some type of newsletter for their empolyees. Uncle Scotty better be nice to me!! I hope he gets my name for Christmas.

The Jet-setters

2010-07-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

For our first trip of the summer we headed down to spend the week with Uncle Scotty & Uncle PJ. Just a week of relaxing and distracting them from planning their wedding. Scott wanted to have his teddy in the picture? That's weird. Spent many hours in the pool

Headed to South Florida to see Grandpa and Dodi. Ate at the Rainforest Cafe. Very good & entertaining.

Stopped by the beach to sink our toes in the sand.

And walk along the pier.

The kids had a great time with their Uncles and me.....well, I went to IKEA and fell in love with the store. I mean LOVE. Seriously. Now ready to pack for Rhode Island.

A combined post

2010-06-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to us. I love Dave. Madly.

Note to self: Make Dave comb hair before waking up to father's day breakfast next year.

My babies are so lucky to have sucha wonderful Dad. And they know it. They love their Daddy.

The World Series

2010-06-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

Boy, he sure does look small in that picture!

Pelham's Opportunity League got invited to play at the World Series in Moody, Alabama. It was so nice to see our team-mates again (and sit on the benches with the Moms). It was a fantastic time and I'm so sad it's over. Riley loved him some baseball - even in the heat!!! Can't wait until next year.

It's STILL funny

2010-06-20T18:09:00.001-07:00

He still believes he is an 8 pound lap dog.
It is STILL funny!!!

Blueberry Picking

2010-06-20T18:02:00.001-07:00

Enough blueberries, I think, to last the full year.

Summer's here....

2010-06-06T07:37:00.001-07:00

Our very first snow-cone partay of the season. Best investment I ever made. Then all the gadgets you need to go along with it. Fabulous. My kids love them a snow-cone partay. A quick nap in Mommy's bed. I love me an exhausted little girl.

Citifest 2010

2010-06-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

Every year it gets better. I remember five years ago it was just a line of a few booths. Now, it's quite a big deal. Some highlights & low-times.....My princess could never pass a horsey ride. She loves her any animal. Almost any animal. We are not fans of snakes, as you know. A little fishing expedition. Riley wanted to fish. OK....sure, as long as I don't have to touch anything. This is what happens when you don't catch a fish. Not pretty. Well, Riley does not like the heat. It was incredibly hot. I choose to save my mortgage payment and NOT let Adyson ride the bungee jump thing. Every drink we bought they dropped & choose to cry instead of picking it up. Both kids were not happy. I mean all day. Then, after the bus ride back to the car, I take the final photo of the day....and they both SMILE!!! Are you kidding me?

Hope it's not as hot next year. Ha! Summer in Alabama. Ha!

Photos

2010-06-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

Plan to spend some time this summer "working on my photography". See the bee? Pretty cool that I didn't get stung!!

Color is just terrible in this, but who cares with this fabulous subject matter??

Uncle Scotty

2010-05-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

So Uncle Scotty came up for all the festivities. We had a great time and the kids LOVE him!! We went out for some photo-ops on the way to lunch at the B'ham Gardens. This is how Shane spent his time.

And there are my babies, loving on Uncle Scotty. They would fight over who got to hold his hand (yes, he does have two!), who got to sit next to him. It was incredible. No, it was adorable. They already can't wait to visiti him again.

P.S. This photo makes Scott look very skinny. Nice. Maybe I'll send it to him.

The second graduation of the week

2010-05-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

The last day of school...EVER!!!!

It is official. The diploma is signed. They can't take it back now. Such a BIG event. So HUGE! I am so proud of our Sha-Sha. We all are!

Awards ceremony

2010-05-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

He loves awards. He walked around with Shane's old track awards for EVER!! Couldn't wait to get his little hands on one. So excited he was. It was like all of Pelham came out to celebrate him. He was walking around like a rock-star! Loved it!!! So sad baseball is over.

The two graduation boys of 2010

2010-05-30T17:39:00.001-07:00

Two peas in a pod they are. How funny that they graduated less than a week apart.

The first graduation

2010-05-30T17:35:00.001-07:00

Awwww!!!!! It was the cutest thing in the world! A little graduation with songs & cake & my darling baby boy so proud of himself!

Heart of Dixie Fieldtrip

2010-05-30T17:27:00.001-07:00

One day I will learn how to take these photos with myself in it. I don't think my arms are long enough. They NEVER look good.

The last fieldtrip, the day before Graduation from K-5. What a great year it was. What a great teacher Ms. Roxann was. What a fabulous class of little boys. We will certainly miss everything about it.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-30T17:19:00.001-07:00

Me and my Princess.

Grandma and Smooby.

Grandma and Shanes Sunday evenings. Watching Survivor. Like clockwork. And don't interrupt them!! Oh No!!!

The kids helped make a cupcake Topiary tree. Delicious!

Homestead Hollow

2010-05-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

She is fearless.

A touch of learning how to make yarn. ?.

I offered to pay. Big Bucks. They wouldn't let me take it.

Is there sucha a thing as too much cotton candy? Not for my kids!!!

Happy Birthday Donny!!

2010-05-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

the Big Five-O.