It's our BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!! Yes, our baby girl is "officially" no longer a baby...both sad and exciting at the same time. Don't know where the past year has gone...it kinda snuck up on all of us.

Keegyn had a wonderful 1st birthday!!! So many people were able to come and celebrate the big day, despite the blizzard of the century!

Our little princess

(she knows it too...which can only mean TROUBLE down the road)

Despite having to play with cars, trucks, and anything "boy" for the past year, Keegyn really is ALL GIRL! So we had the best "girlie" cake made for her! Delicious too!

This cake, obviously, was her very own

Her very first doll buggy!! Loved it. Now she tries to fit everything and anything in that buggy, all at the same time.

(even cousin Mikayla!)

OH YEAH!!! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

...before the mess began.....

....and, here she goes....

After some clean up...she was ready for some more pics

...she's always been very good at sharing...

Best picture I was able to get of all the cousins....They just all move too dang fast! But Keegyn loves the Dora play tent from Uncle D and Auntie Andrea!!! (it's her favorite place to poop!!!)

Keegyn and Mikayla playing peek-a-boo

...We will never forget Keegyn's 1st birthday just the same as we will never forget the day she was born. Although both very special days that Jason and I will treasure forever, the reason I say we will never forget them is actually for a different reason....Both days happened to fall on massive snowstorms...so even though it was a blizzard outside on the day we celebrated Keegyn's 1st birthday, it was actually very fitting (and special) for our little princess.

OUR FIRST SNOW

The first snowfall of the season....over a week ago now....brought so much excitement to the Thompson boys! All Jason wanted to do was get the snow off the driveway, and all Cale wanted to do was get IN the snow!! Both of the boys got to do what they wanted....Jason got Cale to help him shovel the snow, and Cale got Jason to play IN the snow. They went sledding around the yard...well, Cale went sledding around the yard...Jason ran around the yard pulling Cale in the sled! They finished off their "guy's day" by building Cale's 1st snowman!
Cale was better at directing Jason than actually building the snowman...but to Cale, that didn't make a difference.....

...cuz he still took credit for it!!!!!!

We've had such a wonderul Indian Summer and we've been taking advantage of every minute of it! It's not hard for us to spend an entire day at the MN zoo...even if we go a couple time a month. Cale can't get enough of it and Keegyn has just started realizing how fun it is to see all the animals. Last week, me and the kids headed over once again, and before I knew it, 4 hours had past...the kids were ready to continue on with the day...however, I, was ready to call it a day! We spent the better part of our first hour there at this fairly new play area....life size spider webs, nests and tree houses for the kids to climb on. It was actually one of the first times that Cale actually got to really explore since there weren't many people there....that's one nice thing about school being in session again!Just call him SPIDER MAN!!!

This was just a random little boy that Cale decided he was going to race....he looks like he's winning by a landslide, but he did have about 3 paces of a headstart too!!!

Cale now enjoys correcting me when I'm wrong....I kept telling him to go stand by the big spider....Cale kept telling me that "it's actually a mosquito, mom."

Whatever...it's just a big insect to me!

Not quite Yogi or Smokey, but it'll do!

Keegyn couldn't get enough of the bears...especially the one rubbing his butt up and down on this log!

......and, he's still going......

Cale was very proud of his shirt with the giraffe on it. He thought it was only fitting that he should were it to the zoo! He also picked out Keegyn's attire for the day (giraffes as well). Who would ever guess that he would even care!

I just look at this picture and it makes me laugh!!

.....and laugh.....

....and laugh.....

Funny story behind this. Cale and Keegyn are SOOOO different in every way. I have been trying to get Cale to pet the little goats for the past 3 years any time we go to the zoo. He is ALWAYS afraid of them. Won't even touch with a finger. So this time was no different...I'm trying to coax Cale into petting a goat, just a baby one, and I kinda forgot about Keegyn cuz I was so determined to finally have him do this. As I finally WON and got Cale to pet the baby goat, I turn to look at Keegyn as one of the other goats is nibbling on her little toes!!!! Thank god he didn't think it was his dinner time, she may have have a few less toes on her foot! To top it all off, Keegyn was giggling hysterically! If that had been Cale, he'd still be crying to this day!

Four hours later and the kids had passed out, sound asleep, before I even got out of the parking lot!

We headed to the State Fair over Labor Day weekend. It turned out to be a great day to go to the fair...breezy, sunny, and 70 degrees! Cale and Keegyn really enjoyed themselves this year...and both were EXTREMELY well behaved! Jason and I were actually amazed and almost wondered "whose kids are these?" Although most of our day was spent amusing Cale and doing what HE wanted to do, we still were able to have a great day together as a family!

Here was Keegyn, checking out Daddy's stain job on the deck before we headed out for the day! Our first (and last) stop at the Fair was the big construction trucks that Cale just HAD to try. This big excacvator was his absolute favorite and he didn't really want to hand it over to anyone else. He did really well working all the gadgets and levers, but seemed somewhat disappointed that they didn't actually do anything when he moved the gadgets and levers. He said "they must be broken or somethin."
Cale must have learned this from Grandpa B!

Cale and Daddy sharing the foot long corn dog!
Cale seemed to only be eating the breading, but I wasn't gonna win that fight, so I didn't even try!

Keegyn, enjoying her mid afternoon snack! (and, yes, she is FINALLY holding the dang bottle by herself! Only took her 9 months to figure it out!)

Cale LOVED the rides this year...he could have spent the entire day just riding rides, but man oh man....those rides are expensive! Poor Cale had been wanting to go on the ferris wheel...had been talking about it for a week. So, of course, I'm like, sure, we'll go on the ferris wheel. Until we get up to the line and they said it was 12 stinking tickets!!! COME ON!!! So, I took my tickets back from the guy running the ride (who looked at me like I was nuts) and had to explain to Cale that if we went on there we wouldn't be able to go on any more rides. So what Cale concluded was "it's too expensive, Mom?" And, um, yes! It WAS!!!

So, the cars was Cale's first fair ride...and he had a blast! Poor Jason could barely squeeze himself into that dang car, but Cale didn't want to have to ride with another little boy (wonder who he gets that from...and god forbid he makes friends with someone!) so that left Jason to be man number two!

Hold on to your hats....that corner is fast!!!

Cale has now found a new "favorite fair find"---Cotton Candy! With Smore's marking a close second!

Ride #2

Fourwheelers. Not cracking a smile...I actually think he was a bit bored with this one...didn't really go very fast. Had he not just gotten off of the whipping cars, I think he would have thought this one was much more enjoyable!

Me and Keegyn, hanging out while Daddy and Cale enjoy the rides

Cale's first roller coaster ride was a HUGE success! He loved it so much! You can see him and Jason in the back of the roller coaster...Cale smiling from ear to ear!

Getting braver....no hands!!!!

Motorcycles...just like Grandpa B's

Keegyn had a very important job...to make sure Cale's cotton candy did not fall off the stroller. She did very well!

But that was hard work!!!

Our last stop....seven hours later....the construction trucks.

Whew!!!!! What a day!

Last, but not least, bath time for my little peanut!