Soggybottom Phrogs

My Little Guerilla Artist

2012-01-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I have a deep love for guerilla street art. I love traveling to different cities and seeing hidden but in plain view street art. Seeing something so unexpected puts a smile on your face as well as inspires creativity. It makes you wonder about that anonymous person who decided to share their work with the world and just leave it. Street art is everywhere in every city, you just have to look for it. Here are a few of my favorites from my travels:

Yarn bombed bike on the 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica California

Creepy dolls are hidden all over Chicago. This particular doll was in a different place on the light post everytime I walked by it. I didn't dare touch it but finally took a picture.

New York City (Soho) Not so much street art but one of those type of funny gems you need to keep your eye out for. Notice you are sent to another location? Its a game of some sort.

Imagine my happy suprise when I was scrolling through the pictures I have taken on my new iphone to have found these pictures that I did not take:

And this one:

I think I know who the culprit is.....

I hope he keeps up his guerilla photography! Im loving my suprises :) Perhaps we have the next Banksy on our hands!!!

Christmas Vacation 2011!

2011-12-26T19:55:00.000-08:00

School is out and it's Christmas vacation time for Davis! We had a fantastic Christmas morning around here. Davis was spoiled by Santa, he is a great kid after all. We had a wonderful time watching Davis enjoy all of his Christmas gifts this year, a lovely day for all!

Santa knows that Davis is a musical child and had taken note. Davis woke up to a musical wonderland, a drum set, karaoke machine (thanks Grandma Zurg aka Candy ;)) and a guitar. We had a small band and jam session going on here for a good part of the morning. Dad took vocals, Mom on drums and Davis on the guitar. Surely the next big Seattle band to hit the scene, keep an eye out.

Here are some pictures to document the day.

Christmas Eve- Stockings are hung and the tree is decorated awaiting the big guy to come and bring lots of presents.

The favorite picture of the day! Davis jammin' out on guitar.

Davis LOVES his robot puzzle and books Grandma Tusie! The Rhinocerous book was a huge hit, especially when he hides in the toilet. I must have read that part of the book to Davis a hundred times by request. Not sure why he loves potty humor so much, surely he gets it from his Dad ;).

Shane's very most favorite gift growing up was a slot car race track and he has many fond memories playing with his track as a kid. Santa certainly is magical because he was able to find a slot car race track. The jury is still out if the gift was for Shane or for Davis. I have to admit, it was a ton of fun to play with so I get it. Davis loved it sooo much that he would open a gift, go for a lap or two and then open another gift. This is how the entire morning went, very cute! By the end of the day, one car was broken, apparently right on track timing wise!

Opening a gift, going for a ride then opening another gift. Fun filled morning!

Davis and I have been pretending for weeks to exchange gifts. I would get diamond earrings consistantly and Davis would get a pretend something from his long "wish list". Last year Davis got me a pink monster truck that I absolutely adore. This year I got the same monster truck but in purple which I love as well. To my suprise underneath the monster truck was a pair or diamond earrings cleverly hidden. What a great gift, I love them and refuse to take them out. Davis knows the way to a woman's heart! I also got an iphone 4S. Im not complaining! Just like years past Dad got lots and lots of clothes,undies and socks,not much to report on that front.
He did get a beautiful picture from Candy and Allen. A photograph of an Autumn scene that Allen took with his mad photography skills, Shane loves it!

The LOOT! This kid cleaned up!

After a couple of very busy, fun days it was time for a pantsless coat-on rest in bed with the ipad watching Sponge Bob. Funny kid!

I love this sweet boy!

Merry Christmas!

Davis is practicing for the X Games! Going pro!

2011-08-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Christmas before Davis' 2nd birthday Santa brought him a balance bike (no pedals). Davis looked at it from time to time and hopped on it every so often but overall he didn't have any interest in learning to ride it....until now! About two months ago Davis started playing with his pal Andrew at Sedi's on her porch riding bikes around and around and around in circles. Now every night he goes to the park with Dad and Davis shows off his skills. EVERYONE at the park is impressed with how good he is at riding his bike. Between his mad biking skills and the rockets Dad sets off a couple nights a week, Davis is the coolest kid on the block. He's our kid so I guess would you expect any less? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I47TFuHN2VU

The Drive-In

2011-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure who's idea the Drive-In was, Davis' or Dad's but either way, I can say I would have never have thought to create this set up. I was smiling from ear to ear to find my sweet but terribly ill baby at a make shift Drive-in in his room. Davis has been running a fever and not himself all week long. On Friday he woke up super grouchy, needy and complaining of his mouth hurting. The day before he had been complaining of an earache that we were treating with ear drops. Not really sure why it took me so long to take him into the Doctor (maybe the fact that everytime I do I am told that its a cold or something and to just keep an eye on his symptoms) but I decided it was time to get this little guy checked out. Turns out he has strep throat and (from the Doctors words)"Two RAGING ear infections". Boooo. Poor little guy. He is now on antibiotics and snuggling with Dad while I am working today. I'm sure Dad and Davis being as creative as they are will come up with a great way to spend their day together. Davis seems to be feeling better already. Makes me a happy Mommy to see him coming back to himself.

Sick Day or Playing Hookie?

2011-08-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Shane was called at work by Davis' school and told that Davis was running a temp and vomitting so he needed to be picked up right away. Davis seemed fine last night but his temp wasn't going down. His temp hasn't been terribly high, somewhere between 99 and 102. Because of his temp he was not allowed back at school today so Davis and I had to take a sick day. Off and on through out the day Davis showed signs of sickness but all in all I feel it was an elaborate scheme to get more schnuggles in with Mommy. I'm okay with that!

The only trouble is I am working on a huge project for work and was supposed to be in Canada for the day in meetings that I was conducting. In the end they all had to be canceled and will now be skype meetings over the next 2 days. Thankfully my co-workers are like family and were understanding of my need for a day off.

Davis is so funny, he was by my side the entire day, I could not have gotten in any work if I tried. We just lied in Mommy and Daddy's bed all day, playing on the ipad, telling stories about "Henry the imaginary big orange dog" followed by a nice long nap. At first I was completely worried about work and what this sick day means to my work load but after my day full of one on one time with my baby boy I realize that nothing else matters. He is the greatest kid in the world and love him to bits. I am so happy I am his Mommy and I hope he feels the same way!

Welcome the newest member of the Keddington family

2011-04-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

After months of Davis complaining that Dad's car wasn't fast enough the boys headed out to the car dealership to see if they could find something a solution to the problem...the result a Shelby GT500.

A LOVELY DAY IN THE UK

2011-03-30T04:35:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was so amazing. When I got my itinerary for the UK from my work I was a little bummed that most of the places I was going to were small towns that I had never heard of. I wanted more than anything to go to Wales but it wasn't in the plans. Don't get me wrong, still very excited for this top secret mission.

My day started early catching a train from London to Bristol. The train went through Bath and it was like Utah as far as churches but with cathedrals on every corner. I had to hold myself back in my seat on the train because I wanted to hop off and explore. Not on the itinerary this time. We arrived in Bristol and I had to walk to the shopping center from the train station. As I was walking I saw down an old cobblestone road a cathedral. I love cathedrals so I couldn't pass up a peak. As I got closer I realized it was more or less the remains of a cathedral that had been turned into a park. It had been destroyed in WWI, such a pity. I was the only person around so I started to snoop. I found a sign telling me the cathedrals history and right next to it was a big black wooden door. I was in an alley way at that point, completely alone. I could see that there was a garden inside the remains and wanted to figure out how to get inside. I went to push on the black door and the most chilling, frightening feeling came over me. I didn't touch the doors,the energy they were putting out was enough to make me pull my hand back and walk away quickly. it was intense. There must have been some pretty freaky stuff that has gone on in that church over the centuries to put off that sort of negative energy. It still creeps me out just thinking about it. I have never had an experience like that in my life. My body just reacted without thought and walked away. Now I get people that claim to be afraid of antiques because of their energy of people from years past. Never believed in that stuff but now I do.

Later in the day I had to catch a train to my next destination. The people who set up my itinerary sent it out late and then revised the cities I was to visit only sending me a train schedule. I hopped on the next train that was absolutely packed and headed out. I got off the train and saw a big riot of sorts going on with police men on horses everywhere. Something was different and wrong. Was I in the right place? The police looked different than I had seen in London, the streets looked older and dirtier and the people seemed different as well. I was totally missing something. Then I saw it, a familiar flag. The flag I had seen all of my life. I walked over to a police woman to ask her my obviously stupid question(Im sure she is telling everyone she knows I asked it). I wanted to make sure I didn't come right out with my dumb question so I asked her first what the riot was all about. The "England Wales football match". She told me the rivalry was intense and usually ends in fights so the police were out in full force. Now on to my dumb question. Am I still in England? She looked me dead in the eye and said, you are in Wales and don't tell people you think its England, It won't go over well. She laughed it off with me. I was so happy, grin from ear to ear! I had to do my work but had an extra 3 hours to explore. I found an old cathedral and cemetary in the middle of the shopping center. Then off to the Cardiff Castle. Just from down the street it took my breath away. As I got closer I realized you could tour it. Sadly I was to late and they were closing it down for the day. I looked past the gate and saw this:

AMAZING right? I wanted to run past the guards and storm the castle. I wish I had been able to go in and explore. I have traveled all over Europe and had never seen anything like a castle on a hill inside a castle. I will make it back there some day. I have to get past the gate and guards.

All in all a wonderful day that I will always remember. Great start to my 2 week trip!

A Wonderful Christmas!

2010-12-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Davis has been an excellent boy this year. It's incredible how much he has grown over the past year. it's amazing to think that last Christmas he wasn't talking much. So much has changed since then. We can hardly get him to stop talking. That's okay though because we love to hear him and the fun things he says. Davis has had a wonderful Christmas season. This is the first year that we think he has really understood what was going on.

A couple of weeks ago when Mom was cleaning out the hall closet we found the book "The Elf On The Shelf". If you don't know about this book you most likely live under a rock. Anyway, the book comes with a toy elf. In the book it tells you about the Elf. He flies home to Santa every night to report on if you have been bad or good. Davis was not allowed to touch the elf but he can talk to him. Every morning the elf comes back and takes a new spot to sit in for the day. We must have gotten a lazy elf because he didn't seem to move everyday. Well, when I read the book to Davis and introduced him to the Elf Davis' eyes couldn't be wider and you could see the fear in his eyes. At the end of the book you are supposed to name your elf. We finished reading the book and I looked over at Davis with the terrified look in his eyes. He dug his head into the couch cushions. I asked him what he wanted to name his elf. He sat up and looked me dead in the eye and said "Radar". Wow, I was floored. What a smart little kid!

Over the month Davis would say one of 3 things that he wanted for Christmas if you were to ask him what he wanted Santa to bring. #1 an orange monster truck #2 and orange kitchen and #3 a Buzz Lightyear.Well, turns out that Santa had the most difficulty finding an orange monster truck. Santa easily fixed this problem with a can or orange spray paint.

Since Davis was so great, Santa gave Davis all of his wish gifts! Santa really thought Davis was a good kid because he was spoiled rotten. Here are some pics to prove he was a good kid all year round!

After Santa came to the Keddington's before the destruction

Davis with his kitchen Santa brought. He thinks it's orange, shhhh!

"WHOA, AN ORANGE MONSTER TRUCK!!!!!

Playing with Buzz. Certainly puts Teddy Ruxpin to shame.

Can't have a kitchen without a blender, toaster, mixer mixer and food! Spoiled little booger. Good eating at our house! Davis can whip you up anything you like!

Annoyed Davis being asked to smile....again. Look at the loot behind him! Thanks for all of the lovely gifts! Davis loves all of his toys and has been playing with all of them non-stop!

That was a lot of work. Davis needed a rest and his parents to cheer him on to finish opening his last 3 presents.

Merry Christmas Everyone! We LOVE you!

Halloween!

2010-11-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

This free digital slideshow created with Smilebox

I didnt know how I was going to have a Happy Halloween without being in Utah. It turned out to be one of the best Halloweens ever! We had a lovely month ending with a great Halloween. We went down to our good friends Erin and Kevins to trick or trick with Davis' BFF Clara. Davis was a spider and Clara was the cutest Dorothy you have ever seen and we cannot forget the sweetest bumble bee ever, Miss Janie. I am very grateful to Erin (Clara's Mom) for making us feel like we have family around. She is the best and is very thoughtful. I would like to take credit for this smile box but Erin put it together for us. Thanks Erin!

Bath Time!

2010-09-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

This kid takes bath time serious. A few weeks ago Shane and I were settled in for some Antique Roadshow. It was one of those hot humid nights in Seattle where its just best not to move. Davis asked us if he could have a bath. Neither of us wanted to give him one so Shane asked him to go play in his room. We could hear him crashing around in his room making a mess. It got quiet but we let it go for the time being. About 5 minutes past and I said to Shane, perhaps you should check on Davis. Shane got up and went to his room, he wasnt there. Shane saw the light in the master bath so he went to look. Next thing I hear is "Babe, come and check this out! " I ran to the bathroom in a panic to find Davis happily playing in the tub with the water up to his chest. The kid drew himself a bath. First thought, what a smart kid, second thought, HOW SCARY! We dont have pics because we didnt want to endulge the behavior but Davis sure got a talking to.

Well yesterday Davis asked me to make him a sandwich. This kid never asks to eat so I went downstairs to make a sandwich for him. When I came back up he wasnt in his room where I left him. I looked around the house only to find him taking a bath in my sink! He had thrown in 1 or 4 bath bombs and was having a great time. Yes dangerous but I couldnt not take a picture. Lecture and time out followed. This kid is super funny and smart but please if you ever watch him, check on him often. :)

Our little chatter box

2010-06-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

Davis didnt talk for the longest time. We were actually getting a little worried around his 2nd birthday since he said so few words. One day, Davis just started having conversations with us. Its like he knew the words all along just no desire to use them. He says the sweetest things. Among my favorite:
"I love my family"
"Mommy happy?" "Davis is happy"
"I love my Mommy and Daddy"
"What's that noise?"
"Please come in my room and play!"
"I want a nap"
" let's snuggle"

I love to hear him chat away. He totally understands us (when he wants to) and can hold a full conversation with you. He tells us what he did for the day and who he saw. He recently decided when we dont do what he wants us to do he tells us "you need to go to time out". His all time favorite person in the world is his girlfriend Clara. Every time we leave the driveway he wants us to go down the hill to Clara's house. All day he asks me what Clara is doing and if she can play. Erin (Clara's Mom) and I have become good friends so we try to meet up a couple times a week. Clara adores Davis as well. I love just watching the two of them play together. They have real conversations with each other and just have fun. Clara is a smart little cookie and knows just how to get a rise out of Davis. Its funny to watch. Davis hates with a passion loud noises and electronic toys so those are exactly what Clara goes to play with when Davis is around. She is absolutely adorable as well. I just cant get enough of her.

Cutest 2 year old I know!

2010-05-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

So at least this kid is worth the wait. Here are some of our favorite pictures from our recent photo session. The photographer is an award winner. She is wonderful. Without further a do...... Davis at 2!

We sure do love this little guy! Best kiddo ever! :)

The story of stuff

2010-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

This blog isnt about Davis its about consumption. I often wonder how 3 of us can produce so much garbage. We have too much stuff and buy too much stuff. A friend of mine of facebook sent me this link to this great youtube video. I know that I am going to think twice going forward before I buy more stuff. Less stuff around my house, saved money, and better on the enviornment. Sounds great to me!
Have a look! Its about 20 mins long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

Open Eyes Please!

2010-01-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

I have been working late nights and early mornings with Davis sleeping near by. He was waking up around 5am yesterday which is not his normal wake up time and very groggily said over and over "open eyes please, open eyes please". It was so cute that he was trying to tell his tired eyes to open up. He promptly fell back asleep.

Training for the Tour!

2010-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Davis and Dad went out for a ride in the park. Davis on a bike 1 year to the day he learned to walk. We love him!

Christmas with the Keddington's

2009-12-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Elmo!!!
Davis LOVES his new balance bike. Dad is hoping he will be riding a bike by summer.
You can see the word "cheese" rolling off his tongue.
The first 20 minutes of Christmas we couldnt pull him away from his race track.
Getting into tearing apart the gifts!
Yay! A remote control car!

Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts. Davis has been enjoying ALL of them! We Love you!

AAaaaaa, Ok we are a tad bit behind.

2009-12-21T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well we have been getting some slack for not updating this popular blog. We dont want to let down our biggest fans! Just think how exciting it is when you check in on the soggy phrogs and a blog is up!

Without further or do...... Davis Pics!

Davis at Grandma Candy's office trick or treating. He caught on fast to the free candy thing.
Captain Jack (Thanks Mindurs for the costume) It was a cold night but free candy is worth it!

I just really like this picture of Davis :)
Every so often we get lucky enough to have Clara come over for a good jump on the bed. Dont tell Clara's mom (hee hee).

Davis really started talking over the past few weeks. Today he heard the garage door open and looked at me and said "Mommy, Daddy home!" I love that in the mornings he crawls to the end of the bed and puts his legs in the slats and screams "I stuck!". Its funny! He also talks a lot about Elmo. He must watch Elmo at other peoples house (for some reason I stick to the disney channel). I was at Nordstrom last week when he saw an Elmo doll. He kept screaming Elmo so I let him hold the doll. Needless to say, I think Santa might be bringing him Elmo for Xmas.

Big achievement around here... No more pacifier. Mid November I went to Portland for work and Shane just didnt give him a pacy. He went cold turkey and has not complained one bit. Now to break a few more bad habits.....

Christmas pictures will be just around the corner. Well I wont make any promises they will be up before Davis' 2nd Birthday but I will do my best!

Hangin With Grandpa Steve

2009-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Davis has a fun filled week hanging out with Grandpa Steve while Mom was away in Vancouver. He went to Snoqualamie Falls, the Ballard Locks, Aquarium, ate his first Hamburger on a bun and took a road trip to Deception Pass. Unfortunately Dad forgot the camera for most of the adventures but was sure to bring it on the last adventure to Deception pass. Davis sure did love the time with his Grandpa!

What has Davis been up to?

2009-08-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Helping Mom make cookies!

Napping in his big boy bed

Hanging out with a super cute girl

Going down the big slides all by himself

Driving his ride around town

Saving the world.

As you can see, Davis has just been to busy to blog about life.

We sure Love him!

Out and About

2009-05-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Davis at the Beach.

Davis out for a ride with his gal pal Clara.

Davis at the park with our good friend.

Davis playing ball with Dad.

Davis playing peek-a-boo.

Davis taking to the volleyball court.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mid December I was getting really fed up with the rain and not socializing with anyone outside of Davis and Shane. That's when Shane suggested I join the Issaquah Highlands playgroup. So we did. It has been a real treat. We don't make it to every playgroup but we do go often. Davis loves it! He gets to play with new toys and just runs around the buiding looking for stuff to get into. The playgroup is how we met Clara and Erin. Clara is only 2 days older than Davis. The two of them became fast friends. Erin helps me out by watching Davis when I have to work. She is wonderful with him. She is so patient and kind and she truly loves having Davis around. Little miss Clara is quite the talker babbling on and on telling stories and what not. Davis comes home from Clara and Erins house babbling on and on like Clara about his experiences from the day. He only talks so much after a fun filled day with his gal pal Clara. A couple of weeks ago we signed up for professional pictures to be taken at our playgroup for Easter. I am so happy we did. We have never taken professional pictures of Davis before. They turned out really cute( how could they not?) Please take a look at our little guy! Easter egg pictures and festivities are to be posted soon!

Look for Davis in an upcoming episode of MTV's PIMP MY RIDE

2009-02-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

Over the past week we had MTV's Pimp my Ride at our crib giving the wagon an overhaul. It started out with a touch of Black paint and some shiny new shoes.

Apparently black is the new red when it comes to wagons.

No Pimped out wagon is complete without a set of skulls and 5 inch rims.

Of course you have to have a custom leather interior

and since were talking MTV there's got to be some in-ride entertainment

looks like we have another satisfied customer....ridin' dirty.

Red, Red Wagon!

2009-02-20T19:58:00.001-08:00

Evertime we buy a new box of diapers, Dad and Davis quickly turn the box into a wagon and play until the box is worn out. It was time for a real wagon.

Luckily, Grandma Candy came to visit and the adventure for a Red Wagon began! Dad, Davis and Grandma drove all over Seattle to get the perfect wagon.

Davis on a early morning wagon stroll with Dad and Grandma.

Pondering in the wagon.

Look Ma, no hands

Out and about with Mom and Dad at the park. We love our Red Wagon. Shane can't hardly wait until he can pimp the wheels by murdering them out (meaning making them all black, personally I don't like the expression). Thanks Grandma Candy! Come again soon to play!

How I met your Father

2009-02-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl I would often think I wonder what my future husband is doing right now. Little did I know, I would meet him so young. Today is Valentines day and it marks a major anniversary in our relationship. 17 years ago today I got 13pink roses from my future husband at the tender age of 13. Here's the (long) story.

Always living in Missletoe's shadow (not a bad place to be) I wanted to do absolutely EVERYTHING she did. If Missletoe got a new shirt, I had to have a similar one, If Misstletoe got a terrible 80's perm, I had to have one too. This was partly because I wanted to be just like her and partly out of protest that Missletoe got whatever she wanted (or so it seemed). Missletoe got to take acting lessons at Hale Center theater so I had to follow suit. I was so excited and would ride my bike down to the theater once a week for my lesson. Until my bike was stolen from the parking lot. Figures. Back to the story. At the end of the last lesson,the teacher informed us of auditions for the Music Man at the Community College. I was so excited and could not wait! I talked Glama and Bampa into coming with me to the theater for the audition. I had a terrible song picked out(something like do a deer a female deer). I was so nervous for my audition. Glama and Bampa also auditioned for moral support. Lo and behold I did not make the play. However, Bampa and Glama did. I was so sad. A week or so after the rehearsals started, I got a call from Pat Davis asking me if I would like to be in the play. I can only assume the call was at the assist of my parents nudging her. I did not realize this on until I was older. Little did I know, that phone call would change the course of my life.

I remember the very fist time I saw Shane. He was wearing all Orange from head to toe. Orange socks, orange, shorts and an orange shirt. I thought he was cute and odd. If I remember correctly, Candy was in the play also and would bring Shane with her to keep him out of trouble. Over the next 3 months I got to know Shane. I would hang out backstage with him, constantly talking to him and driving him crazy. I looked forward to going to the theater every night because I knew I was going to get to see him. I was incredilby scarred of him and he made me sooo nervous. I was pretty sure he was just being polite and would humor me. Music Man ended and I jumped right into the play Here's Love just so I could see more of him.

I was crazy about Shane. I would call him everyday and most of the time I would not talk. He made me so nervous even on the phone. This went on for months.

That Winter, Mindurs and I joined the ski group at GPJH after school. Once a week we would go night skiing after school. One day on the slopes being the pro skier that I was, I decided to do some fancy jump and broke my collar bone. I was in such pain all the way home. This one particular day was Valentines day. When we got home, We walked in the front door and I saw 13 pink roses in a vase with a card that read: Cindy, its hard for me to get so psyched up so soon after ground hogs day, Happy Valentines day, Shane. I promptly called him to thank him. Glama was upset that her 13 old daughter was receiving flowers from a boy.

That following summer I contined to call Shane daily and he would ride his bike out to Laura Slaughs house once a week so I could see him. Glama and Bampa would never have approved a boy coming to see me at our house so I guess we were being kinda sneeky. Because he made me so nervous, the weekly encounter was usually a hi and then akward silence for a few minutes and then I would leave. Shane would hop on his bike and ride back to Sandy.

The following fall I requested for my birthday party, I wanted my friends and I go to the Grand Theaters haunted house. Mainly because I wanted to see Shane. Half way through the haunted house there was a stage show. Shane was working under the stage on the crew. Beetle juce was perfoming and in the middle of the performance he asked if Cindy was in the audience. Incredibly embarrassed by the whole situation, I went up on stage where he gave me a gift wrapped in emerald green paper for my birthday. Once we got out to the parking lot I opened the gift and Shane had given me some sort of cardigan along with paper pink roses he had drawn for me. I still have all of these items including the green emerald wrapping paper. This made me more nervous to talk to him than ever before. I couldn't handle the nerves and we lost touch after that following Christmas.

My 9th grade year I ran into Shane on the stairs at the language fair at BYU where I just said "Uh hi" and then promptly walked pass him. When I was 16 and working at Baskin Robins, Shane and his then girlfriend came in to get some icecream. I saw him before he saw me and I quickly ran to the back room to gather myself. I went out to the floor where I pretended that I just noticed he was there. I was so nervous I could barely scoop the icecream. All I remember telling him was I had moved and that I now went to Skyline High School. I proceeded to ring them up and they left. Shane had Jamoca Almond Fudge and his girlfriend had pralines and cream. I kept the receipt and still have it today. (creepy huh?)

Another year passed but Shane never really left my mind. I wanted to see him again but did not dare to call him especially because now I knew he had a girlfriend. I decided the best way to see him again would be to try out for another play at the Grand Theater in hopes he still worked there. I auditioned for Peter Pan and was so excited when I made the cast. I quickly found out that Shane no longer was actively working at the Theater. One night in late October in the middle of our dance rehearsal we took a break. I remember I had my hair up in a ponytail, I was wearing dance attire and dance shoes. Another girl from the show and I went down to the main lobby. As we crossed the lobby on the way to the bathroom, there he was... Shane, talking to his friend wearing a beannie hat and a neon orange columbia jacket. I walked past him at first and he did not see me. I was so nervous. I quickly got up the nerve walked straight up to him and talked to him for he remainder of the break. Two days later was my 17th birthday. I was sitting in 6th period when a messenger brought me a dozen red roses and a card that simply read: Remember this? 561-2118 SK. I knew that phone number well. I kept this card and added it to my collection and yes I still have it today. I promptly called him after school to thank him when he told me he had decided to work on the crew for Peter Pan. That evening after rehearsal he asked if he could drive me home. I said yes and we have been happily together ever since.

Shane is absolutely the best man I have ever met. I love him so much and appreciate everything he does for me! Thank you Shane, I adore you and Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY DAVIS!

2009-02-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

One year ago today our Little Davis joined our Family making us the happiest people in the world.

On this extra special day, The Sun decided to come and and celebrate the birth of Davis!

We had to take advantage of the lovely day so Mom, Dad and Davis decided to play at ALL the parks in the neighborhood. Davis LOVES going to the playground. Especially when there a lots of other kids playing. The best is when a Dog makes an appearance.

This was fun for about the 4 seconds Davis lasted on it!

The tube at the park was a huge hit. In this picture Davis is admiring an older girl playing next to him. After this we headed down to play with Clara at the park by her house. Davis Loves the ladies!

Then it came time for the Birthday cake Dad made for Davis.

Davis felt out the cake and decided the best plan of attack was to just jump in and take a bite.

Looking so innocent and then.......

All in! Yumm!!!!

Finally the demolishment of the cake that was quickly followed by an nice bath. It was a mess but hey, you only turn one once! We love you Davis!!!! You are the best kid in the world and we have enjoyed absolutely every moment of your life!

Sunny in Seattle

2009-01-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful! Sunny is Seattle in January. If you are not aware, this usually does not happen. Just incase you are in Seattle in January and the sun is out, don't be fooled, it is still very, very chilly. Davis and I didn't care, we like every other person in the Pacific Northwest had to get out in the sun. It has been months and months since we have been to one of the 3 parks directly across the street from our house. Davis and I were so excited. We threw on our jackets and went for a walk. As you know Davis is now a walker, not so much a baby but more and more a little boy. We hit up the toddler park down the hill from us first. Davis climbed all over the equiptment and loved climbing up the slide. We even got Lucky and a Dog from across the street came out to play. After a good 45 minutes at this park we decided to climb up the hill to the park across the street from our house to visit the baby swings. Davis really wanted out of the swings so he could play with all of the big kids in the park and try to eat the wood chips on the ground. I'm sure everyone is reading this thinking so what you went to the park, been there done that a thousand times with my kids. Today was special to us. It was the day Davis played like a big kid. It really made me realize that he is growing fast and I need to savour every moment with him. Now all Davis needs is some visitors!!! Come and Play! We will provide the parks!

What a Great Day!

2009-01-02T22:04:00.000-08:00

In the Celebration of the Utes victory Davis decided to do this.....

His first steps!

Snow days, naked baby and all around cute pictures!

2008-12-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks in Seattle have been quite snowy. It has all melted away but not before we got some great pictures of Davis enjoying the snow. Mom and Dad were ill prepared for his very first experience, We didn't have any gloves. Ofcourse the second we put him down in the snow he wanted to crawl in it. The cold snow was a major shock. He was quite upset by this. We dug out of the snow and went to Bellevue Square to pick up proper snow attire. Christmas day was perfect. It snowed all morning. The other pictures are just a few of our favorites over the past few weeks. Lots of Naked bath pictures. Davis Loves the bath more than anything. I find him in the bathroom looking into the tub wishing for for a bath. Enjoy these precious pictures!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's Davis's first Christmas and it has been amazing so far. Thank you to everyone for all of your gifts! We wish we could be in Utah to share Christmas with all of you. Davis knew something was up as far as Christmas. Last night he kept trying to open his presents. this morning he was all prepared to start upwrapping gifts. We woke up to a beautiful snow storm. It is perfect. Davis came down stairs and started playing with his table and basketball hoop Santa brought him. It was hard to get him to want to open anything else. Once he started to open the gifts it was all over. He was eating the paper and laughing. He was so stinkin cute. He realized paper doesn't taste very good, so he would rip off a piece of paper and hand it to Dad for disposal. About half way through he got bored of opening gifts and wanted to just play. We have lots of new toys to help keep us entertained. The best part is, a lot of the gifts are self entertaining. We are trying to encourage this. Well, enjoy the pictures. We enjoyed taking them. Wish you were all here with us! Love you all!

Davis is a little boy!

2008-11-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

This week Davis is more like a little boy than a baby. It seemed to happen overnight. He is actively climbing the stairs, playing ball with Dad, going into his room to play with his hot wheels, hunting down the B to harass him, walks behind his truck all by himself, helping himself to lolipops and goldfish, all in all he is just plain more independent. I wonder if it has anything to do with his hair growing so fast, or that we started feeding him yogurt? Hmmm. He is currently destructively throwing his Shelby Mustang hot wheel on the floor over and over and giggling with glee.

Since he is such a big boy, tonight we are going to attempt to put him in his crib to sleep. This is going to be more challenging for me than for him for sure. I have had a long list of excuses to keep him in our bed for a long time. Like: its just to hot for him to sleep in his room in the summer (no air conditioning in Seattle, I know its stupid) or, we are going to Utah and we don't want to have to teach him to sleep in his own room then mess it all up in Utah for a month. This morning after a long restless night, I surveyed our sleep situation to find Shane and I hugging the sides of the bed and Davis horizontal inbetween us. We looked like a big H. Its time to teach him to sleep without a boob in his face and to sleep a full 8 hrs. a night. Wish us luck!

For Brynn, I am posting a picture of Davis in his nice KICKS you gave him. We love them, Thank You!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

I love Halloween and having Davis around this year has made it the best Halloween ever. We were very lucky to get to be in Utah this Halloween. Davis was able to show off as a lion to all of his family. We went to Gardner village to take pictures with Glama. There were tons and tons of super cute ghosts and ghouls all over the place. People were loving our little lion. Everytime we stopped to pose him for pictures, he drew in a crowd of admiring fans. After we left Gardner village we went trick or treating at Grandma Candy's work downtown with cousins Tanner (football playter) Parker (Skeleton) and Conner (race car driver). I was amazed at how much candy the cousins got. They left with at least 10 lbs of candy between the three of them. Where was this office trick or treating when I was a kid?? Davis loves tootsie pops. He was able to eat a smaller version of a tootsie pop in like 10 mins. He held on to it and put it in his mouth like a big kid. We have a few extra pops for special occasions. On Halloween night we went to Mindurs house for dinner and all of the cousins were there in their costumes. They all looked soo cute! Our camera battery died so hopefully someone else was able to get pics. We are now back home in Seattle and don't plan on anymore travel anytime soon. We would love for some people to travel to us in Seattle!

Enjoy the pictures! :)

Where have we been???

2008-10-26T21:23:00.001-07:00

We have been so busy with a 9 month old, we haven't been blogging. I found out all sorts of people read the soggy phrog blog so I have been inspired to update. Today we went to a pumpkin patch in Carnation Washington. It was fun. We went for a hay ride out to the patch. We were a week or two late because the pumpkins were scarce and picked over. The goal was to get pictures of Davis with the pumpkins and we have a super cute one posted here. I am inclined to hit up the pumpkin patch display at the QFC grocery store for more pictures. Do you think people will look at me weird? Who cares. I really don't know anyone anymore in Seattle let alone Issaquah. I know, Mom, I will go meet people soon I promise!

Davis has grown up so much since we left for our month long stay in Utah early September. He crawls, pulls himself up on things and can even climb the stairs. Today he had 2 pacifiers on the floor in front of him and kept spitting one out and putting the other in. It was so funny! I love him! He loves goldfish crackers. They pretty much make up most of his solid food diet. He loves them and wants them all of the time. He sees the box, squeals and flaps his arms with excitement. I expressed my concern to Shane tonight regarding his goldfish diet and Shane replied "Nothing to worry about, people all over the world have strict seafood only diets."I guess he's right.

In all of Davis pictures you can see what a great faucet he is. This kid can slobber. I love nothing more than an unsolicited soggy kiss on my check. All of his shirts are soaked within minutes of being on. We stopped putting a bib on him because well, whatever, he slobbers.

Davis is a great talker. He talks to us all of the time. Of course we cannot understand him but its so amazing to hear him start making all sorts of sounds and speaking his own little language. He says Mama and Dada all the time. Shane is not so sure he knows what he is saying but I am very sure he knows. We taught him Dada. If you say Dada to him at least 3 times in a row he says it back to you. He also understand the word "NO" has significance, but for now he really just thinks its funny when we say it. He just smiles and giggles when you say it. The tone of your voice seems to only effect how hard he laughs back at you. We are working on it.

The B (our cat) does not know what to think about Davis. B spends a lot of the time avoiding Davis. Since Davis can crawl, there really isn't a great hiding place. Over the last week, B hasn't run away so much and is allowing Davis to pet him, grab his fur and pull at his whiskers. We are surprised because the B is usually not very tolerant. He must know he's a baby and doesn't know better.

Now I know I have a small fan base I will update more often. For now, enjoy the pictures of the one and only Davis James Keddington!

Davis is so excited for his extended stay in Utah!

2008-08-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

It's almost here! We will be heading out to Utah soon. I am really excited to see everyone. Davis can't wait to play with his cousins and see his grandma's and Grandpa's. Shane is planning on taking his R32 out to the Miller race track for a few spins. Davis wanted to model his daddy's helmet for you all. He's such a big help. Last Monday Davis turned 6 months old. I love seeing him grow and learn everyday. He can sit up, stand up, and even walk if you hold his hands. He loves to giggle and play, play, play. Above all, Davis Loves to swing! He would swing forever if we let him, and the higher you push him, the happier he gets. It's really nice living across the street from 2 parks. Utah just does not have parks around every corner like Issaquah. Davis will need a daily swing fix so we will have to find some baby swings somewhere. See you all soon!

Wanna see more Davis Pics?

2008-07-08T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ok we are just soo in love with ou little guy, we just want to add a few more pictures of him. He is soo great! This week the babysitters have been here while I work and all has gone well. For the most part he has been fine with the complete strangers. The babysitters are fun. They take him for walks, read to him and play with him. I very rarely hear him cry and when I do, it means he needs grub. I quite enjoy getting to take a break to feed my little guy. We reconnect. I did however learn today I cannot check in on him randomly because he will get upset that I am not with him. Good thing I got over my micro-manager phase early in my managing career so I can allow these babysitters to do what they need to do with him and not feel like I am constantly looking over their shoulders. It's been so nice outside so we will take more pictures outside for your viewing pleasure or maybe its for our enjoyment. Either way, you have to admit he is a darn cute kid!

Keddington Happenings

2008-07-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

I recently received the best news ever, Lush called me and offered me a job I can do from home. I never did lose my faith in Lush. They came through. Lush has been an amazing company to work for over the years. My resume is pretty awesome because of them. I have had so many different job titles and opportunities I could never have with any other company like store manager, new store manager trainer (I traveled all over the USA to train), best practice/buddy manager where I developed my own team of store managers, RMS system lead (I rolled out the new till system RMS to the entire company with the help of IT), USA marketing lead where I was the only person from the USA on the marketing team and was able to travel to Vancouver to the head office for meetings to develop upcoming campaigns and promotions. What other company could provide me all of that? Well now starting Monday, I will be the recruiting assisitant for Lush USA. I could not be anymore excited. I have hired I babysitter/nanny to come into our home while I work to watch Davis. Later this month I have to go to San Francisco to train for 3 days. It is going to be really hard on me to be away from Davis for soo long. I have been pumping non-stop to build up my 30 bottle supply. So far I am at 15 bottles which by the way has not been easy to do. Glama keeps telling me about a woman on Oprah who pumped 50 bottles a day for her sextuplets. I think the woman was a liar for shock value on national televison.

On the 4th of July we were lame and just looked out our French doors at all of the fireworks across Seattle. We live in the perfect place for viewing. From our home, we could see fireworks feom Seattle all the way up to Lynwood 2o miles north of Seattle. We could not see south of Seattle from where we were standing. I counted 15 firework displays. I think I could even see some way out in the cascades on the other side of the sound or maybe that was just Bainbridge Island, either way it was an amazing sight. There were probably a hundred people at the park across the street taking in the view we got from our bedroom. The other thing about our view we love is the greenery. You look out and all you see are trees. There are thousands and thousands of homes in the seattle metro area and all you can see are trees. There really is a reason Seattle is called Emerald City. If you would like to come and enjoy the views for yourself, we would love the company! Thats all I have to say for now. I will try to post a lot more often now that I have a suitable little office area.

More Davis Pic.s Yeah!

2008-06-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

Davis Pic's Yeah!!!

2008-06-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know, it has been way too long. My only real good excuse is we have over 900 pics on our camera since Davis was born so we have to download them all everytime I want to add pictures. We will manage our pic.s better in the future. Davis had his 4 month check up last week. He weighs 15lbs. 4 oz (60th%), height 26 inches (90%) and head circumfrence is in the 20% ( I can't remember the #). Well Davis is now talking with us, rolling, playing and almost, almost sleeping through the night. On Fathers day we started to feed him rice cereal and started putting him in his crib in his room at night. Most of the time Davis ends up in our bed around 3am. I am the one having the seperation anxiety. Well, here are the pic.s enjoy them! He is getting super big super fast!

Like Father Like Son

2008-05-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weekends I have been helping out at Lush. On Sundays, Shane and Davis swing by the store and pays me a visit. It really helps me get through 8 hours without seeing my baby. Last week we were curious how much Davis weighed. We put him on the scale we use for soap weighing. He weighed 12.5 Lbs. By now he is probably over 13 Lbs. When Shane brings him into the shop The 2 of them are dressed alike. I only have the pic of Davis. I wish I got it of them together dressed the same. It turns out it was planned from the time we bought the shirts. Shane picked them out with the intention of dressing Davis the same as him. I see so much of Shane in Davis in the way they look and in their temperment. They are both so easy going. I am so lucky to have Shane as my baby daddy!

Davis at 11 weeks!

2008-04-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

Davis is the sweetest kid. So far has been the best baby. He is a lot of hard work. Shane was saying last night how it was crazy that one little being can be 2 peoples full-time job. He sure is worth all of the hard work.

I went back to Lush part-time last week to help fill in some hours. It has been nice to get out of the house and allow Shane bonding time with Davis. Davis loves his Daddy (who doesn't love Shane once they meet him?). Usually we are both home to help out with Davis when Shane is home. During the day it's just the kid and me and sometimes he can be a little wearing. The other night I got home from a few hours at work and Shane said to me, "I need a little break, he has been crying non-stop for the past 45 mins." Usually when Shane gets home from work and I need a little break because of a difficult day, Davis turns into the happiest baby for him. I thought Shane just didn't believe me that our kid at times can be challenging. Missy was saying the best thing that ever happened to her marriage was having Brad home the first year with Sam. Brad completely understands all of the challenges. Shane is catching on. A few weeks back, Shanes Friend Ahanan and his wife and 2 kids came over for a visit. They are from India and they live a very different lifestyle than us. I was at the grocery store when they got to the house. When I came home Shane was holding and feeding Davis a bottle of breast milk. Ahanans wife could not belive that Shane was attending to such a duty, a mothers job. She thought is was great.Later the boys were upstairs with the little kids playing. His kids are 6 and 4. Ahanans wife was telling me that when her daughter was born (her second child) her mother came over from India for 6 months to help with the baby. Here is what I feel is the sad part, She then told me that her mother then took the baby back to India for 6 months so the other older child can adjust. Can you imagine not being able to hold your little baby for 6 months? Shanes other friend Venkat was going to do the same thing with his second child. I really cannot imagine. Anyway, that is all I have time for to post today!

Favors

2008-04-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was going out to have lunch with my boss Shannon then I was going to take her to the airport. Right before I left home she asked me if I would mind swinging by the Bellevue shop and pick up some wax paper and bring it to her at the Westlake shop. I said sure because it really was only maybe 15 mins out of my way. I called the shop before hand and asked my girl Danielle to run out the paper to me at one of the loading docks. We are not supposed to use these docks so the transaction needed to be quick before security noticed us. I asked her repeatedly if she was sure she knew the location for the drop off and she said yes. Well, when I hoped in my car headed for the mall I noticed the little mirror I look at Davis at from the drivers seat was out of place. By this time I was driving and I would have to wait until I got to the mall to fix it. Once I got to the pick-up location my girl was not there yet so I thought, I will hop out and fix the mirror on his side. I jumped out of the running car and went to the door by the baby seat and it was locked. I quickly realized that I had closed the drivers side door also. I ran back to find that it was locked also. Panic settled in. My usual UPS driver the girls had nicknamed "calves" was unloading his truck next to my escape. I never have learned his real name and he was always cautious around me because I liked to embarass him when he came in the store and let him know the girls on the team thought he was cute. I'm sure he has not missed me since I left on maternity leave. Calves thinks I am crazy and locking my baby in my running car was only making it worse. I asked him what I should do in a panic and he shrugged his shoulders and said I guess find someone with a slim Jim and he quickly loaded his truck and left. I ran over to the security call button and frantically called for help. 5 mins later security showed up. I was freaking out. This kind of thing must happen all the time because they were not to worried. Once he surveyed the situation he called for another security guard to bring a slim jim so they could break into my car. I am pacing around like crazy at this point looking into the window at my sleeping baby making sure he was breathing and thinking that if they can't get this open in the next 10 mins I am going to break a window. I was sure he was being posioned by carbon monoxide. The two security guards couldn't have been any slower. I have one of those automatic entry keypads on my door and I had forgotton the code. They kept asking me why I don't know the code by memory. I wanted to yell at them but at this point they were my only hope. Finally after 25 mins of my baby being locked in the car, they popped open my drivers side door. All the while my little guy slept. Once they opened the door and left, I realized my girl never met me with the paper and I was well over the edge at this point. I broke down and called Shannon bawling. I was about to give up. I decided to drive to another loading dock and I found my girl patiently waiting for me for over 30 mins. She asked me why I was so upset and I just could barely tell her. She probably thinks I am a hot mess. I finally met Shannon downtown and by this point all we had time for was a trip to the airport. I tell you, that the last time I do a favor for anyone! :)

Davis at 9 weeks old!

2008-04-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

So finally I have 2 seconds to post some pics. I don't know how people have more than 1 kid and have time to get anything done. These are some of my favs. I especially like the pic of little Davis in his roller coaster chair. He is so cute and truly amazing. Even though most days we don't get out due to weather or what not, I never get bored hanging out with my baby. Davis is almost 9 weeks old and we had a 2 month check up. He weighs 11.5 Lbs and 22inches long. He is growing up soo quickly. I will try to post more pics more often, I sure do take lots of them, I should share them!

More Davis Pictures

2008-02-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pics ouf our Little guy. The past couple of days have been quite interesting. Davis has Jundice and is currently spending all of his time outside of feeding in a light bed. Hopefully this will be cleared up by Monday. It's really hard not being able to hold your newborn whenever you like. Davis sure does love the bed. We think its the humm it creates. His personality is starting to show. He loves having full access to his hands. If we swaddle him up with his hands bound he gets very angry. We have given in and allow his hands to roam free. Another thing he likes to do is sleep on his left side. Most importantly Davis loves discussing cars with dad. He perfers German cars over all else. He knows what cars are cool and what cars are for stuffy old men. Little guy knows what moms are for. He loves to feed. He is such a great little eater. Glama is here to help out. She has been making us yummy food to help produce fabled Farr better cream that the Smith woman are known for. All and all we feel we are Lucky. So far so good. Davis wants visitors! Come and meet him soon!

The Littlest Davis

2008-02-15T09:05:00.001-08:00

Fist of all we have to apologize to everyone for not being able to call you. We had Little Davis late Monday and Tues. our phones were dead and mine in particular was new to me and does not have all of your correct numbers. Infact this week in preparation for Davis' arrival I was going to call Glama to get all my sibs phone numbers. We are finding that we had a lot more preparation to do like not having bassinet sheets or baby laundry detergent, but we are making it work. So little Davis is the sweetest kid I have ever met. The second he was born the Dr. put him on my stomach and he let out a little yelp and then just laid there looking at me making sweet baby noises. We thought perhaps he was drugged up but he is still just as calm and content. Davis is an alert little guy. Always eyes wide open trying to check everything out. I just keep saying over and over out load he is soo cute! I like to think he has my nose but the rest of him is Shane. This kids feet are really big and he has fingers for toes. A true Keddington trait! I will post more later when I have more time. The site is currently down but we did have pictures taken at the hospital. The website is overlakehospital.org click on the photo gallery. Hopefully it will be up and running very soon!