Last Friday Koen, Tegan, Molly, and I headed up to the Sharp's cabin for a little vacation. The weather was perfect when we got there so we spent most of our time outside playing with sidewalk chalk, going to the park and taking walks. On Monday Bryan came up to meet us. We drove around and would stop whenever we saw something pretty we wanted to check out. We hiked around Porter Mountain, Greer, and Alpine.  We saw lots of deer and elk when we took the dirt roads through the forest on the way back! We also fed ducks and played at Woodland Park. The boys were really well behaved and I think we all had a wonderful relaxing time. The day before we were to come home the temperature really dropped. It rained and was windy all day and when we were on our way home from Alpine the rain would mix with snow flurries and hail. It was really cool to see (even though it was cold!) since we don't get that weather in Phoenix. The next day when we woke up there was about three inches of snow! The boys were so excited and wanted to go sledding!We hurried and got dressed before it melted and they were able to sled down the little hill in the front of the cabin. This was Tegan's first sledding experience and he loved it!

Koen has gone before but he must have forgotten because he told me "Mom the snow it fweezing!" I had a hard time not saying "well duh!" The poor kids little hands were like ice from playing in the snow! I was a bad mommy and I wasn't prepared for snow so I didn't have any gloves for him. :o( We made it a very short sledding experience and hustled back into the cabin. Koen asked me if I would make him some "hot chocolate milk" like grandma does so of course I made him some and both Koen and Tegan were big, big fans!

While we were playing at Woodland Park Koen found a "Treasure" aka: a log and wanted to keep it to take it home with us. I told him we should probably leave it there and he said "No, what if someone steels it?!" I had to assure him that the log would be fine and that it lived in the woods by the park so we shouldn't take it.

 

Tegan is getting to be such a big boy! While we were in the mountains he really made large leaps in his speech development! He would say "Me... outside...go... play... FUN!" He was too cute! He also bonded with Bryan while we were there. He is usually such a mamma's boy and wants very little to do with Bryan but since he was able to spend so much time with bryan while we were there he really wanted to be around his daddy much more. It was very cute to see!

The boys are getting to such a fun age to do things with them. It used to be hard when one wasn't walking or only one would be able to enjoy something because it was not in the appropriate age range for the other. Now it seems like we can all go out and have fun as a family without someone sitting on the sidelines. I can't wait until our next adventure as a family!

Koen and Tegan Stories

Koen
Earlier in the week I had an emergency situation where I had Koen, Tegan and Fiona in the car as well as Molly (the dog). The kids said they were "starving" and we couldn't go home for another couple hours so I was forced to do the unthinkable and go through the drive through. :o/ I chose Chick-fil-A because I have heard they are not AS bad as some of the other fast food places. I pulled up to the order speaker and placed the kids order and when I was finished and went to pull up to the window Koen asked me "Mom, why are you talking to that sign?" Hahahaha I have never been more proud! It wasn't until then that I realized Koen had never been through a fast food pick up and had no idea how it worked or what I was doing.

Tegan
Tegan is going to be my little smart a** jokester, I can tell already! Tegan is my little shadow around the house and follows me EVERYWHERE! Even when I tell him not to follow me somewhere, I turn around and there he is with a smile on his face. I was cleaning the house so I was walking back and forth. I went into their bathroom to clean it and told Tegan to "stay here, don't come in." I walked in and of course he followed me. So I told him "No, I don't want you in here. Turn right back around." So, Tegan being the smart a** he is starts turning in circles laughing but not leaving the bathroom! Of course it is a little hard to keep a straight face when he does these things and that only encourages him.

I just can't believe Tegan is two!

Today Tegan turned two! I woke up thinking about the day he was born and how we didn't even know if he was going to be a boy or a girl. Then I remembered how tiny he was and how he used to sleep with his little arms up by his head. Then at about 6:15am my little Teggy Monster came running in our bedroom yelling "momma! momma!" What a difference two years makes! Tegan was a very busy boy on his birthday. He started the day off by going to the doctor for his yearly checkup. He was 36.25 inches tall and 27.5 lbs. He is in the 95th percentile for height and the 50th percentile for weight. Doctor Curran said he looks very healthy and his vocabulary is very good! Tegan is not a big fan of the doctors office and usually screams bloody murder the entire time someone walks into the room. We have been reading the "Bernstein Bears, Going to the Doctor" book and I have been talking to him about going and what the doctor will do. He did much better this time. He lasted about 10 seconds before he burst into tears. :o) He still did everything the doctor asked him to do but he cried the whole time and kept yelling "poopoo". He thought that if we went to the bathroom he wouldn't have to see the doctor. Although he cried the whole time he didn't seem to be as upset as he usually gets. I could actually hear the doctor over tegan which is a huge improvement! Tegan finished his day with a birthday dinner with his Aunties Lisa and Kristen. His cousins Cade and Fiona were also here. It was great to see all the kids playing and running around. Tegan's favorite part of the day was the cupcakes and presents! Thank you everyone for thea gifts! Tegan was very excited!

 





Our first post!

Ok, I am going to try to start doing this blog thing. We will see how it goes with our busy schedules. I decided to give it a try because I want to remember all of the little things with the boys growing up. I have found I am already forgetting some of the little stuff that is so precious that they do, so this is my attempt to be able to look back and smile at all of the good times our family has had. 

My Big boy Tegan Gage!

This will be a very big month for Tegan as he is turning two! I can't believe my little man is two already! He got a strider walking bike for his birthday and he is learning to use that. He is also doing really well in his swim lessons! He can "monkey walk" with his hands along the edge of the pool and then pull himself out all by himself! He also kicks his legs when we practice swimming and he can hold his breath although he still doesn't like to put his face under water. When he has to pick up the sink ring he uses his toes instead of getting putting his face under. :o) I cant really fault him, it is pretty smart of him! He is talking more and more everyday and he does really well with please and thank you. He is also completely potty trained and has been for a couple of months now! Such a big boy! Tegan also put together his very first train track all by himself! He even went to get all of the pieces by himself! Look how proud he is!

Koen Jack aka: "Mr. Social"

My scary monster Koen is getting so, so big! He will be 4 in August. He is know in the family as Mr. Social because he will talk to anyone and everyone who is willing to listen! He also makes friends any place we go in about two seconds flat! He doesn't care how old or young, boy or girl, he is ready to be friends! He is truly a very lovable child!In the picture above he decorated the monster mask he got in his goody bag at his cousin Nolen's b-day party. He didn't want to take it off and wanted to go to bed with it but I had to put my foot down and insist he take it off for bed. (mean mom!) We will be signing him up for swim classes through the City of Mesa for the summer. We will see how it goes. He was in swim classes in the fall and he did not want to have to go under water at all! He would cry and beg me to not make him so we finally took him out of the classes to give him a break and try again later. I am determined that he will learn this summer! He just doesn't know it yet! :o)