Vacation

We recently had the opportunity to go on a fun family vacation with Bob's side of the family to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. We had a blast! We fit a lot into a weeks worth of time. We went to the aquarium, Cade's Cove, the Dixie Stampede dinner show, Dollywood, and we even fit in some shopping. We stayed in a cabin together and really enjoyed family time. Thanks to Chrissy for all the planning! Here are some pictures of the fun.

Here is the whole family.

(minus Bob's Aunt and Uncle and Cousin Michael who left before we took the pic)

Ben and Maggie enjoyed spending quality time with Grandpa
and Grandma all week.

Here is a family pic at the entrance to the park. There

was so much pretty scenery.

Maggie enjoyed playing with her cousins and their toys. :)

Here we are at the end of our second day in Dollywood.

We needed cotton candy to recharge.

Ben really enjoyed riding this ride with Daddy, Uncle Nate, and Will.

Daddy and the kids by an old car in Dollywood.

Although you can't tell by his expression, Ben loved

driving this little car.

Ben wouldn't try the splash pad at Dollywood, so we spent some

time at the sand tables instead. Dolly and Kenny were in the park the day we were there!

Bob and Ben posed for a cute picture.

Sleepy Girl

Grandma helped Ben make it through the kiddie adventure land.

Daddy and the kids taking a ride on the ducks.

Here we are riding the carousel.

All ready for the second day at the park (first full day).
We spent an evening and then the following day at Dollywood.

Ben, Will, and Sara enjoyed riding the pigs.

Mommy and Ben on the elephants.

Maggie enjoyed her first ride on a Farris wheel.

She was double strapped in, but I was still nervous.

Here is a pic of the steam engine that travels through the park.

This might have been Daddy and Ben's favorite ride.

There were many pretty things to see in the park.

Here we are on the first evening at Dollywood.

We enjoyed playing in the hot tub at our cabin. Uncle Tom

turned down the heat so the kiddos could get in too.

We visited Cade's Cove and saw some beautiful scenery and

several bears. This one was really close to us. He was right outside our

car window as we were leaving the Cove.

Here is a shot of the water wheel at the mill at Cade's Cove.

Ben was very intrigued by the mill. It was an actual working mill,

so he got to see corn being ground into cornmeal.

Another shot of the Mill.

We snuck in a family pic by the river at the mill.

Read this carefully. It was graffiti that we saw in one of the cabins at

Cade's Cove. We thought it was funny. I have no idea who John is.

The wildflowers were in full bloom during our visit.

Ben and Daddy crossing a creek.

The scenery was breathtaking!

Another family shot at one of the many cabins in the Cove.

Yes I started out in flip flops, but luckily I brought along my

running shoes and shorts. :)

Funny sign in the Cove.

Here is a shot of the cabins next to ours.

The one we stayed in looked very similar.

Grandma and Grandpa Keefer and Uncle Tom and Aunt Diane

let all of us enjoy a kid free night at the Dixie Stampede. The show

was great and the food was delicious. This is the first date night

that Bob and I have had since Maggie was born. Thanks!

Another family shot. We are on the front porch of the

cabin we stayed in.

Ben and Will enjoyed the Penguin Playhouse at the

aquarium!

Ben posing with a penguin.

Ben and Daddy playing at the aquarium.

Family shot at the aquarium. The two kids in the back

do not belong to us. :)

Family Fun

If you know me, you know that spring and summer are my two favorite seasons. I absolutely love spending time outside. We have been keeping busy spending time with family and spending time outside. During the past few weeks we had a nice visit with Bob's cousin Molly who was back in town. Bob also spent a lot of time working on the swingset and a few other outdoor projects. Ben really enjoyed helping daddy get the swingset all ready and both kids are so glad to have it back out.

Ben and Maggie

A rare shot of Ben with a real smile on his face.

Ben had so much fun helping Bob set the swingset

back up for the summer!

We don't have sand in the sandbox yet, but Maggie

doesn't seem to mind.

Ben and Maggie both love to slide.

I think that Maggie might like swinging as much as Ben.

Daddy swinging the kids.

Molly came for dinner, and we really enjoyed catching

up with her.

Maggie is Nine Months Old

Maggie turned nine months this week, and we cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. She is doing so many new things every day, and she is changing so quickly. Just in the past month she has started dancing (which is so much fun to watch), waving, playing patty cake, scooting to get to toys, turning pages in her books, and pulling herself up. She isn't crawling yet, but she gets closer everyday. She is up to three teeth, and the doctor told us that at least four more are within a few weeks of coming in. Maggie is eating quite a few table foods now, and I think her favorites might be bread and crackers. She really seems to enjoy eating big girl food. Several people have told us lately that she is looking more like mommy, but that seems to change with the day. She is still fascinated with her big brother and lights up when he walks into the room. There are so many times throughout the day when he gets her giggling, and it is a joy to watch. Happy nine month birthday Maggie!

April

When I started our blog at the beginning of the year my goal was to post at least once a week. I wanted to share pictures of the kids and let everyone know what was happening in our lives. Well, I have fallen a bit behind my goal and a lot of that is because I have been horrible at taking pictures this past month. I'm not sure why that is, but here are a few. I will try to do better and get more pictures up. I am hoping to do a nine month post of Maggie soon. Can you believe that she is almost nine months old already!?!?!? I know that we can't.

We have spent a lot of time outside over the last month, and we have really enjoyed the nice weather. We actually got our bikes out yesterday and took the kids on the first bike ride of the season. We borrowed Mom and Dad Gaerte's old baby bike seat, and Bob hooked it on last weekend. We are going to have to make a few adjustments, but we had a good time on our first ride as a family of four. The neighbors must have thought we were crazy because Maggie took Ben's old bike helmet, and Ben was wearing his snowmobile helmet. That was Bob's solution, and it worked for now.

Another exciting thing that happened this month was that Dad came and tilled our garden for us. As with years in the past, I have big plans. I often start the season with pictures from Better Homes and Gardens in my head and then my garden does not turn out that way. However I will try to post some pictures as things start growing.

Here are a few picture of the past month. Enjoy :)!

I needed to carry some laundry downstairs, and

Maggie enjoyed riding in the hamper.
Maggie started clapping and waving recently. I can't
get her doing either on video, but I did get this pic of her
clapping.

Here is Ben with another one of his masterpieces.
He is very into drawing right now.

Here is Ben playing with some of his new Play-Doh

toys that he got for his birthday. He really enjoys

making new creations.

I ran The Solid Rock 5K with my friend Audrey this

month. I knocked almost two minutes off of my last

5K time.

Bob took this shot as I was heading for the finish line.

I sat down to stretch, and the kids decided they needed

to be stretching with me too. I hadn't planned on Bob and

the kids coming to my race, but it was nice to have my own little

fan club :).

Easter and Warm Weather

The end of March and the beginning of April have been very busy in Keefer Country! Below are some pictures from Easter, Grandma Gaerte's birthday, and the kids enjoying the warm weather.

This is a shot of our backyard last night after all the storms.

Such a great reminder of our awesome God!
Ben and Maggie after church on Easter Sunday

Wow, look at all this candy!

Ben is totally loving playing outside in the warm weather.

Maggie also enjoys being outside, and she really

likes watching what her big brother is doing.

My Cuties :)

Fun at the Park

Maggie is finally big enough for the swings at the park.

Swinging is Ben's FAVORITE!

More Fun at the Park

Aunt Jess took Ben to Build A Bear for his birthday gift.

Ben had a blast making Georgie the bear.

Ben and Aunt Jess

Happy Birthday Mom! We love and appreciate you so much.

I realize this picture is random, but I

just love how cute Maggie is after a bath.

Can't you just smell the baby shampoo and lotion.