Happy Birthday

My baby boy is 20 today! Not 20 days.

Not 20 months.

20 years! How did this happen?

We celebrated with a steak dinner and coconut cake. 

Happy 19th Birthday

Baby boy is 19 today! We celebrated Saturday morning with doughnuts and chocolate milk. 

Today he gets to spend his special day doing what he lives best - soccer. He has his first collegiate training session in the morning and a team scrimmage in the evening. 

Happiest of birthdays, Keagan! We can’t wait to see what the year holds for you. Love you big! 

Happy 17th Birthday

Today my baby boy, my road trip partner, my ultra competitive soccer player, my witty, funny boy is 17! 

We celebrated with his favorites - soccer, French toast, Panera, and birthday cake. 

The only way the day could be better is if Evan were here to celebrate with us. Evan knew he would miss the day, so he made sure to find a UT shirt for him. 

I love you big, Keagan. No one makes me laugh like you. No one is more fun to take road trips with. There’s nothing I like better than watching you play the game you love.

My prayer is your knees remain strong, you stay healthy in the midst of the pandemic, and your days are filled with joy. 

Happy #14

Happy birthday, Baby Boy! You are 14 today, but it seems like yesterday we were celebrating your fourth birthday in Virginia with a Go, Diego, Go themed party.

There are so many reasons to celebrate you, but here’s fourteen of the very best reasons!

1. There is no lack of laughs when you are in the room. You can make the mundane hilarious! 

2. Your love for shoes - and your quirky way of smelling brand new shoes when they come out of the box. Don’t forget to save the shoe box, too. 

3. Your no-nonsense-say-what’s-on-your-mind-no -matter-what-attitude. You were three years old and told the wife of the Sec Def she had crazy hair, and I’m pretty sure you’d do that again today if given the opportunity (and some strong wind gusts).

4.Your affinity for wearing your green Hugh Hefner robe anytime the temp falls below 70 degrees. 

5. You still have no concept of time, the calendar, or the sequence of events.. It’s 6:15. We leave for soccer in ten minutes. In ten minutes, you still haven’t changed into practice gear. Some would call that frustrating, but I think it’s endearing (unless we are late). Or last year’s question: which month is Thanksgiving? Or how long do we get out of school for Labor Day? When is soccer practice?

6. I love your desire to have everything neat and organized. God forbid I open a folder for school and move one piece of paper. Don’t even think about throwing dirty clothes your bedroom floor. And all those shoes boxes are stacked neatly in the closet.

7. It goes without saying that I love little more in life than watching you play sports. Your fierce competitive spirit gets me every time!

8. Freckles. Oh, how they make me smile in the summertimes.

9. Your love for blueberries. Muffins, cake, pie, cereal. You will eat anything with a blueberry. 

10. The hair. Oh the hair! It can cause angst and the  slamming of doors on rainy days, but on a good day, when it falls just right, it’s good. Real good.

11. Junk food. You can get all kinds of mad if the pantry only contains cans of vegetables or soup. I like to buy chips, cookies, and processed junk just to see your happy dance.

12. Speaking of dance. You haven’t lost your moves. They just get better with time!

13. Video games. Not unlike most 14 year olds, you and the PS4 have a special relationship. I’m pretty sure you are one step away from a medical diagnosis of “Fortnite Addiction.” You’re always lookin’ for the next win - even at 0300!

14. Leaving the house without shoes. Refer to #5 (time) and #13 (video games) to draw conclusions for why a 14 year old leaves the house not fully clothed. It’s so much fun (even if I don’t see anything fun about it until about an hour later) turning around to go back to the house for a forgotten pair of cleats, slides, or street shoes. 

Happy birthday, Keagan! Love you BIG!

Celebrating 13 Years

Today we are celebrating 13 years with the guy that can always make us laugh and put a smile on our faces. 13 years! Weren't we just celebrating Keagan's  third birthday with a "Pissin' Cup" theme? Ten years later and he is still the life of the party. He still likes fast cars. He still confuses the English language.

This year his birthday request of carrot cake was granted by Oma. (The cake arrived safely intact but was soon attacked and was not presentable for a birthday pic.) 

We celebrated with a couple of games of AirSoft with some of his best friends.

Oh, my heart! I love him so! 

Happy 12th Birthday, Keagan

It has been a month long celebration for Keagan. We started celebrating the first weekend of August when he picked out his new bike. ("Because you can't play Pokemon Go on foot. I mean, all the guys are using their bikes to catch 'em!") Then, we had his surprise birthday party.

Presents from family trickled in almost daily the week of his birthday. 

And, finally, on the morning of his birthday he celebrated with doughnuts.

Keagan, you are the most compassionate, empathetic 12 year old I know. You are a true leader and have the ability to encourage and befriend anyone who crosses your path. If this wasn't reason enough to love you, we are awed by your quick wit and ability to make us laugh in any situation. We are continually impressed by your athletic prowess and your ability to consistently play sports with such heart and passion. Your future is surely filled with huge accomplishments, big wins, and friendships that will last a lifetime. I have no doubt you will make your mark on this world, and it will surely be a better place because of you!

Happy 12th birthday, Baby Boy.

Happy Happy Birthday

Happy birthday, Keagan! I never thought it was possible to mourn a birthday, but I will admit that I mourn your turning eleven. It marks the end of so many milestones from the last year of elementary school to the last year of little kid soccer. There are so many wonderful traits that we love in you, but I am most humbled by the empathy and your heart for others. We love you so much! May this be your best year yet! Celebrate! (Just don't get carried away with that new cell phone. We gotta share that data plan, ya know?)

Top Ten of Turning Ten

Keagan turns ten years old today. Ten! I love this boy to pieces and in case you were wondering here are my top ten reasons why!

10. There is little I can say no to when he looks at me with those big beautiful blue eyes and long lashes. His eyes kill me every single time! I say yes to him - a lot.

9. Keagan has a heart for animals and wants to rescue every single one of them. He will be the first to spot a stray on the side of the road, and he is the first to look away when a Save the Animals commercial hits the TV screen. His heart just can't take it.

8. Besides animals, Keagan has a true heart for others. He has a Korean boy in his class that speaks three English words: yes, no, and lunch. Keagan sits with him in the cafeteria, teaches him soccer moves at recess, and studies with him before the big tests. He told me today he wanted to buy a Korean dictionary with his birthday money so he can talk to his new friend.

7. Keagan can run like the wind. I wish I could. He runs just because. I love this about him.

6. Keagan is funny. I mean real funny. He is witty, creative, and has perfect timing with his wise cracks. His sense of humor brings so much joy and laughter to our lives.

5. Keagan can make friends with anyone. The three year old across the street? check! The eight year old girl down the street? check! The fifth grade boy at the end of the street? check! The shy boy in his class? check!  The boy who doesn't speak English? check! I love how open he is to meeting new people and making them feel like his best friend even after only an hour.

5. Keagan is gifted athletically. He can pick up a ball and play any sport with little to no instruction. This amazes me to no end and constantly leaves me asking "How is that possible"?

4. Keagan's love for waffles. I don't know how it is humanly possible to consume so many waffles, but he does. A minimum of two every single day. I keep Leggo in business.

3. Keagan's love for athletic clothes and shoes. The boy walks into a sporting goods store and can smell Under Armor. I have no idea what it smells like but he can identify it. I keep on buying it hoping one day I will be able to smell it, too.

2. Keagan's warm up routine for any game includes headphones and music. It puts him in the "zone." There is nothing I like better than to see him in the review mirror keeping the beat.

1. Every night Keagan asks me to tuck him in bed. He tells me he just can't get a good night's sleep unless I tuck him in. I know these days are fleeting. I treasure these minutes every single night.

Happy birthday, Keagan! I love you to the moon and back. Enjoy your day and your first year in the double digits.

Happy Happy Day

Dear Keagan,

Happy Number Nine, Sweet Boy. May this year be as wonderful as the last.

May your passion for basketball be as strong tomorrow as it is today.

May your incredible sense of humor continue to bring us joy and endless hours of laughter.

May your amazing gift of athleticism bring you many more accolades and wins.

May your persistence and desire to do well in school continue to push you to excel academically.

May your infectious personality continue to bring cheer to those you see.

May your kind heart and love for others be a beacon to those in need.

May you always be you.

We are blessed beyond measure to know you and super proud to call you ours! We wish you the happiest of happy birthdays, Keagan!

King Keagan is Six

He's funny. Fast. Affectionate. Smart. Athletic. And today Keagan is six years old. 

We celebrated Friday after school with a knight party at a castle. We made knight shields and princess crowns, played a few video games in the arcade room, and had lots of sword fights.

Let's Celebrate!

Today we celebrated Keagan's fifth birthday with a soccer themed party.

Party Goers - Evan looks especially thrilled to be in attendance

A girl I knew in Germany told me August was the worst month to have a birthday if you are a military child. One, most people are on vacation this month. And two, most families PCS in July and kids have no time to make new friends before it is time to celebrate. Thus far it has not posed too many problems for us because we have lived an unusually long time at one duty station. With many of the same friends in attendance as the last three parties, we celebrated Keagan's 5th birthday with a soccer party at an indoor soccer facility. The kids learned a few soccer skills, played a few games, and ate cake. In Keagan's eyes, it was the perfect way to celebrate. Thanks to all who came out on a rainy day to make it such a great day for Keagan!

Jungle Adventure

Keagan celebrated his fourth birthday on Sunday at Gymboree with a few of his friends from school. He had a wonderful time catching up with his friends that he hasn't seen in two months, and he loved being the center of attention for the duration of the party. 

Of all the birthday parties we have planned in the last six years, this, by far, was the easiest and the most fun. I ordered a cake and picked up a few balloons; the crew at Gymboree did everything else. (They even offered to write and mail the invites!) The kids had a great time singing, dancing, and playing on the gym equipment. We blew bubbles, went on an animal adventure with our Diego telescopes, and made tents with parachutes. 

Wes summed it up best when he looked at me at the end of the party and said, "That was the best party ever, Baby. We didn't have to clean up a thing. Let's do it again in November." Unfortunately, Evan will be too old. There is an age limit at Gymboree, and so we will again be on the look-out for another birthday location in November!

Keagan is Four

Four years ago today Keagan was born. While awaiting his arrival, Wes and I watched the Olympics on German TV in the hospital, and today we awaited the arrival of guests for his birthday party while watching the Olympics.

This afternoon we celebrated in Texas with my extended family with a Speed Racer party, and on Sunday we will celebrate at home with his friends from school and church. Lots of celebrations...I know, but he will be four only once.