Turning 7

Keaton, my oldest turned 7 years old on the 15th.  Am I seriously the mom of a 7 year old? He has grown up literally too fast for me to keep count.  Seems like yesterday we were welcoming him into our family.  He was the first after Madalynn passed away. I worried every single day of his pregnancy.  I was thrilled, worried, scared, and just so excited to have him.  It was the moment I had always dreamed of.  His labor was fast and very comfortable and easy.  He was born at 5:09 a.m. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at home sitting down with my parents and Lance watching Seinfeld and our bishop and his wife Joanne came over to visit us. We had become pretty close to them while living in Arizona. Joanne was my mom's saving grace while she lived with us. I went into labor the night before with some really uncomfortable back pain. It started to increase and I just knew it was time. So we all loaded up and went to the hospital and sure enough, our Keaton was coming. There was really no real pain. He was my biggest baby so far weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long.  His head was as wide as his shoulders. It is amazing he didn't tear me to shreds but he was really easy on my. I pushed for a few minutes and he was here. I remember when he was born just crying. He was crying, he was breathing, he was alive. After what we had gone through with Madalynne I thought it was too good to be true. But there he was. This big, beautiful baby. My baby! He wasn't going anywhere. He was here to stay. There is always some kind of feeling that is different from all the rest with your first child. I can't explain it but I felt like I had recieved the very thing I had wanted all my life. After loosing our first, it was really tough. I won't lie. But we did it! We overcame all the saddness and hurt and h e was the light at the end of the tunnel.
  He was the biggest baby born that day in the hospital. He came out literally a toddler. He was so big. He was so cute.  He was so squishy.  Oh my goodness how the first two weeks of his life were just bliss.  After that, well yogart hit the fan.  Anyone that was close to me will tell you how much we struggled with him.  He was colicky.  I mean the true definition of colic. He cried, no I should say screamed for 8+ hours every day and then when dad would come home from work he would calm down. 

 It made me furious, but at least he wasn't crying.  I loved him so much, don't get me wrong but the first 3-4 months of his life, I struggled with him and with myself.  But after that passed. He was just so sweet again.  Life was very kind.  Ever since then, Keaton has been a joy to have in our family.

A few things about Keaton......

• He is incredibly intelligent. He can figure things out like anyone else I have met. He loves challenges.
• He loves his friends. He has been blessed to have a good group of buddies that he runs around with.
• He is obedient about 80% of the time. He is there to help me out when I need him. If he is distracted by something or someone else I usally have to call him a few times before he comes.
• He loves Ellie! He takes such good care of her. She loves him as well.
• He will be in the second grade. He thinks that is pretty cool stuff.
• He is really good at riding his ripstick.
• His favorite toy right now are the Lego Ninjagos. He loves watching it on T.V. too.
• He enjoys wrestling with his dad and brothers upstairs on our wrestling mat.
• He has only lost 2 teeth. Most of his friends are losing their 7th or 8th tooth.
• He has never had a cavity in his life. Way to go Keaton!!!!!
• He is a picky eater. He doesn't eat much. You will never really find him sneaking in a cupboard or the pantry to find something to eat.

So this afternoon we had a little party with all of his friends at our home. We rented a HUGE water, inflatable slide for the day for Keaton and all his friends. Well actually the entire neighorhood. It was a hit! The kids loved it and they played on it from the time it arrived at 8:30 a.m. until almost 9 p.m.  It was so much fun.  We have always lucked out with water slides. You can never go wrong with those and they are built to last forever and hold a million kids. I had so many kids running around my home today it was kind of insane. I am exhausted now because of it.

Since we were on vacation when we had his birthday we had a fun little party with all of his close friends.  We do have a neighbor kid who comes over every chance he gets. His name is Christian and he is darling, most of the time. His little head is covered in red curls. He talks like his nose is plugged and he is the tinniest thing you could ever see. He is 6 going on 7.  My Andrew, who is almost 2 years younger then him, makes him look like a toddler. He loves to make himself welcome at our home. I am so glad that he feels like that but sometimes when he has rung my doorbell for the 50th time I just want to hide. He came and made himself welcome as well. He came over at 10 a.m. and didn't leave until someone came and got him at 8 p.m. He was literally at my home all day without his family coming to check on him. Isn't that sad? I think so. He comes from a pretty broken home so I am glad he can come here and feel welcomed by us.

Happy Birthday Keaton! We sure love you!!!!

(I took this picture of Keaton on his actual birthday while driving home from Colorado in our car. He told me that he didn't feel quite 7 yet. So I told him when to tell me the moment when that feeling comes. So about 2-3 hours later, he leans into me and whispers into my ear,  "Mom, I think I just turned 7. I can feel it now!"  He was so cute about it so I had to take a picture to document the moment when Keaton turned 7.)

This was his little group of friends from his party today.