McKeon Moments

I know! I promised!

2011-11-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

I promised my parents who are serving a mission for our church in Africa that I would keep up on my blog. Well...I'm not great at it.
I had a few minutes tonight because
Jr is at football,
the kids have no school tomorrow so no homework,
Em is working for our neighbor helping her put her adorable twins to bed,
Jack is at a church meeting,
the laundry is done,
PTA and P.E. stuff done for the week,
Dinner cleaned up and the list goes on. I basically had nothing that needed immediate attention so here I sit!
Mom and Dad here are the last few months in pictures!!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a warm night with lots of fun on our street. We all walked the neighborhood with Grace and Max. That's not pretend...she actually likes her dad! Jr dressed up like a scary troll for our good friends to scare the neighborhood children! He did a great job!

Trying to eat Grace?...she's super sweet!

Jr- Goofy? Perfect! Emily-Beauty? Yep!

Grace and Max Hippie and Ninja

We did not dress up but realized we were dressed alike for our Ward Halloween party...Twins?

Too cute for Halloween right?

Ninja!

Hippie -flower child

Fall = Football

2011-11-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

Jr plays for the Senior Warriors and loves every minute!

#64 Rocks!

Max plays on the Falcons! Big brother watch out!

#7 Rocks!

Saturdays are super fun! We are a football family!

Super fans!!

Maddie off to BYU again!

2011-11-10T19:35:00.001-08:00

Does Maddie really have to go? Our minds say yes, but our hearts says NO!

MORE Hugs!

Stop hugging and Pose please!

Ok so Jr is significantly taller than Maddie now and yes he is proud of that!
(and he's still growing!)

First Day of School 2011

2011-11-10T19:28:00.001-08:00

Jr - 8th grade!

Emily - 11th grade!

Grace - 5th grade

Max - 2nd grade

Project

2011-09-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

Redoing my bedroom...tearing down wallpaper is taking FOREVER!!
Thanks Grace for your help!

Cast removed!!

2011-07-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Super cool! Maddie had a DR appt today to check her arm. After the X-ray, the Dr came in and said "I'd like to take your cast off today" Maddie and I, at the same time, both said "WHAT?" He said "it has been 5 weeks and it is 90% healed, so lets take it off." She needs to wear a brace for the next 2 weeks, but who cares!!!! YAHOOO! SWEET FREEDOM!!!

July...

2011-07-19T23:05:00.000-07:00

We are in full summer mode! "What are we going to do today?" "Nothing!!" It is awesome!
We watch movies, swim, ride bikes, hang with friends! I LOVE IT!

Hers are some pics of Summer...

Emi and Max set up a movie in the front yard on a hot night!
Look! The bulbs we planted at Spring break came up! We had some doubt since we bought the bulbs at the $1 Store.
Grace and Max - little fish!
4th of July Parade in SCV. Howard and Heather came down and spent Sunday and Monday morning with us.

Cousins!Gracie
Jr, Kirk and Owen
Max - taking front row as the "unofficial mayor of Cross St."
Wow!
We had a little fireworks display!
Max and John running for their lives! I can hear my dad now... "that's not very safe!" :)

Maddie feeling the heat has her cast wrapped in ice packs!
NEW CAST!! After having that huge cast for 3 weeks, Maddie got a new, shorter, bright yellow cast. She is so happy to have movement in her elbow! So if all goes well she will get it off in a month.
Ok that's all for now! Better than I have done in a year! Until next time... Night!

My Parents are in Africa

2011-07-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

This has been an exciting 6 months for our family. My parents volunteered to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They submitted their paperwork and received an assignment to serve in Tonga.
Well, nothing changes like plans. My father was later called to serve as a Mission President which changed the call from 23 months to 3 years and from Tonga to AFRICA! They left last Monday to serve in the Zambia Lusaka Africa Mission.
Zambia holds one one of the Wonders of the World called Victoria Falls.

We are so grateful for their willingness to serve, to sacrifice and to teach us those lessons!
I pray the Lord will watch over them and keep them safe. Now I need to save my $$$$$ to get us there to see them!

Ok so I'm an every YEAR type blogger!

2011-06-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy! When does it slow down?
Ok, so pics won't load, and its late so maybe another day!

Cruise 2010

2010-08-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm an every six months kind of blogger! Oh well, better that than nothing!
So this summer we had the experience of a lifetime! When Emily was really sick, 3 years ago (yes, that was 3 years ago, I can't believe it either) we had sweet people come to interview her from the Make-a-Wish foundation. Her wish was a family vacation. We really did not hear from them after that, so we figured it wasn't going to happen.
Well, the end of April we got a call that said our time had come!
So, off to the Western Caribbean we went. They sent all 7 of us on a Royal Caribbean cruise!!!!!
It was the most wonderful, exciting, amazing trip!!
Here are some of the highlights!!

We swam with STINGRAYS!!! Who does that? It was amazing!! We were in Grand Cayman in the middle of the ocean on this magnificent sandbar. I had a moment standing there looking at my family in this most beautiful place. Wow!

Emily and Max -better known as Scuba Steve

Jack Sr. actually caught one

After 20 years we're still happy people!

What a group! We are a happy family!

Ok, so it's been a while!

2010-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is why I have not posted in a long time! FOOTBALL!!!

We began in August and ended on Dec. 5th when the
J2 Navy Wildcats beat the J2 Gold Wildcats in the GCYFL Superbowl game!

Dad (Coach McKeon) Co-head Coach with Deron White led the team to a 26-0 victory!!!!

Jack Jr. was the Offensive Lineman of the year, Jack Sr. and Coach White were the SCV coaches of the year and the J2 Navy team was the team of the year! I was the team MOM and we loved every minute spent with this team! Great boys, great parents, great fans!

What else was going on...

Maddie preparing to ditch her mother...did I say that? j/k
Preparing her essays for college applications!
BYU?!?!?!?!
Utah State ?!?!?!?!?!
Emily enjoying her life...maybe a little too much! :)

Dad doing a little light reading with our Kindergartner Max!
Mom and Dad solving the problems of the world on their new Blackberry Curves! Mom really trying to figure out the thing, while Dad serves the Lord as Bishop. For A guy who doesn't like to talk on the phone...that has sure changed!

Max and Grace the best playmates ever!
I won the Beaniest award at the Ward Chili Cook-off! That answers a lot of questions about the amount of gas going on in our home!! I guess I am to blame!!!

Grace entered the Reflections contest at school and won 4th in a group of 22 kids ages 3rd-5th grade! Water color is the medium of choice for this artist! Congrats Grace!
Halloween brought a beautiful witch, a Bumblebee transformer and an iPhone! Yes, he is the idea guy and mom the creative felt girl!

Summer!

2009-08-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

The summer began with Uncle Mike and Aunt Shuho coming to visit!

Jack Jr. got to go to the Ghetty Center again with them. Love to have them here!

Memorial Weekend!
Nice serve dear!
Ethan and Max
Uncle Max and Aunt Shuho never took a wedding picture and asked me to do it! Isn't she beautiful? Yes!!!
Then...
Max graduated from Mrs. Lewis' preschool. Kindergarten here I come!!!
Uncle Mike and Aunt Shuho came to visit! Jack Jr. got to go to the Ghetty Center again with them. Love to have them here! Come back soon!

Gracie's class did an end of the year play and she was a snake.

Youth Conference was a blast this year! Emily's first. They collected food for the SCV Food Pantry door to door with their Mormon Helping Hands Vests on! The kids got to participate in a Ropes Coarse in Malibu. On the year anniversary of Emily's transplant she was walking a tightrope from 2 telephone poles! MIRACLES HAPPEN! She made so many new friends. Some of them male!

One of these things is not like the other! Poor Maddie is being left behind! All of her very best friends are a year older and going off to college. They will be missed
A LOT!!! Good luck girls!

Max getting his kindergarten shots. Super excited about going to kindergarten until...OUCH!!

Happy Birthday MOM! Don Cucos has you wear this sombrero and they sing in Spanish which Jack Sr. joined in on! My kids thought this was so funny...you can see why!

Max Truman chillin' by the pool!

Does it get any better than this!! An afternoon by the pool! Thanks DAD!
Emily lovin life!

We went to the beach once a week this summer! It was relaxing and very fun! Jack Jr. spent every minute he could in the water!

We went to Utah for the 4th of July! Fun with Grandma Connie and our cousins!

We changed after the movie and went to the Open House of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.
4th of July Parade out in Grantsville. Grandma Lee and Grandma Connie.

We toured BYU and ate at Sensuious Sub!! Yum!!
We went up to Roy to see Mikele and Mel and Lori and Dusty! See I am short!!

So Fun to be with all our cousins! Love our family!!

MAX IS 5!!

2009-05-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

My baby is 5! That is hard to swallow! I told him he could not turn 5, that he had to stay little. He started to cry cuz you have to be 5 to go to Kindergarten. So I let him turn 5, but I regret it!!!! The day after his birthday we were walking into the bank. I went to grab his hand and he pulled it away saying "Mom, I don't need you to hold my hand, I'm 5!" I wanted to cry!

He got a bike for his birthday and now all he wants to do is ride it! Cute boy!

Funny Max story...
One morning he came out groggy from his bed to the kitchen. He asked "Mom is it a T-ball day?" He has a label for each day, school day, church day, T-ball day. Anyway, I told him no it was a church day. He said in all seriousness, "I hate church!" Jack hearing this, called him to come into the family room. He tried to talk to him about all the good things about church, Primary, his teacher, singing time, etc. To all of this he replied the same, "I hate it!" None of my kids have ever come out and said that, so I was a little upset. Then Jack decided to change the subject a little and asked Max, "Who do you love most in all the world?" Max replied, "MOM, I love Mom most!" I'm not sure where he was going with this, but then Jack asked, "What about Dad?" Max thought for a second and said "I love you more than church!!!" I started to laugh so hard I cried!!
Out of the mouths of babes!!!!!!

We all love that little boy! He brings such joy to our family! He's a great dancer too! Ask him to show you his moves sometime! :)

Gracie is 8!

2009-05-17T23:07:00.001-07:00

I'm struggling right now because my camera is not connecting to my computer. I can not download pictures. I like to blog by putting pictures on and commenting on them. So for now until I get a new cord, I have to write it out.

Gracie turned 8 on the 25th of April. We had a huge Make-over party for her. She invited 15 friends to come and get their toes, nails and hair done. We took pictures of each DIVA and put them in a frame that they each decorated. Thanks to my big girls and their salon-like talents, it was a huge success!

Then on May 9th, Grace was baptized. It was a great event. She looked beautiful in a white dress that my mom made for her. I wish you could see it...dumb camera!!! Anyway, Jack baptized and confirmed her. Maddie gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost and I did the spotlight.

Funny Grace story...
She is our little artist. One day she was in her studio and came out with invitations for an Art Show being held in 10 minutes. She hanged (that always sounds dumb (hanged) but it is correct grammar) her art all over the walls of the office and invited the family to come and view it. She even made note cards for herself describing her art to us! Love the imagination of this little girl.

We are so proud of her for making the decision to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Grace is funny, cute, creative, friendly and an all around great kid! Love you Gracie Girl!!

Blessings!

2009-04-12T23:00:00.000-07:00

Before we get into the commercial of the Easter Holiday, I have to say that the best part of this Easter for me was today in church. The closing song of Sacrament meeting was I Know that My Redeemer Lives! It was a very powerful moment for me. I got very emotional. It confirmed again to me the great blessing of that knowledge. I am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that Christ lives and that he suffered so that I could repent and live with my family and Heavenly Father again! What a blessing!

Hoppy Easter

2009-04-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Easter basket! Always the last to find hers! Darn Easter bunny hides her well!

I found an egg! Good job Gracie!

I found 2! Great job Jr!

But I am the cutest!

No I am the cutest!
Isn't it obvious who are the cutest!

Yeah they are the cutest! Happy Easter!

The Easter Eggs. We tried a new dye package, a marbling thing.

It is 11:43 at night. Thanks to my big kids the eggs got done! I forgot! opps! they saved the day.

Jack Jr is too old to do the Easter egg hunt for the little kids, so he entertained himself! Cool swing!
Max and Gracie had so much fun at our ward hunt!

April so far...

2009-04-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

Spring break! Jack, Gracie and his friend William hand squeezed orange and grapefruit juice from our trees and sold it in front our our house one morning. They made $17 for their efforts.
Fresh squeezed juice and muffins! 1 cup and 2 muffins for a $1! Young entrepreneurs!

Max is playing t-ball! I love this age. They all hit and they all score! He was so excited to put on his Rockies uniform.
I made all of the kids get up last Saturday at 8 to go to his first game! He has supported them, now it is his turn! They did not complain at all! Good kids!
This picture explains it all! Who rules the roost?

A trip down to Aunt Tina and Uncle Steve's! We went to the park and had some lunch! So Fun to have cousins! Thanks for a fun day!
Jack Jr. and Ryan!
Gracie and Josie!
Max and Ethan! Cool boys!
All play and no work? Not in our house! We went on a 4 mile walk that day and then planted flowers! Not really hard work, more like fun work!
Good job! Right after this picture I came back to see how he was doing, to find the plant missing?!?!?! He had buried the whole thing in the earth! HAHA!
Gracie should have been a pioneer! She loves to be outside and loves to work in the dirt!

Maddie has a job! We did not see much of her during her Spring Break (which really wasn't a break) She worked 9-5! She's working at a law firm as the receptionist. Good experience for her!

McKeon Happenings for March!

2009-04-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Emily was inducted into the Junior National Honor Society! You have to carry above a 3.5 for 3 semesters to wear the medal at graduation! Yeah! Em! Congrats!

We had our annual St. Patrick's Day Green dinner!

I have started a new business selling Jewel Kade Jewelry! A good friend of ours in Utah, makes these amazing, fun charms and chains. It has been fun to try this. I do in-home parties and boutiques. This is how it sits all the time...on the pool table ready for sale!!
Jack Jr. is playing baseball and loving it! He plays on the Yankees at the Hart fields.
Jack Jr. also earned his arrow of light in Cub Scouts. He is now an 11 year old Scout! Congrats!

Happy Valentine's

2009-02-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Jack Jr is 11!

2009-02-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jack's Birthday

2009-02-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of fun (and cutting back) I sent the kids into the Dollar store and said go find something for your Dad. They were so cute, all giving something they thought their dad would love! We are so blessed and grateful for for this good man who loves and takes care of us! Happy Birthday!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Jack turns 40 on Feb. 7th

2009-02-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

This is slide show I made for Jack's surprise birthday party! It is a little long, but he has been alive for 40 years! That is a lot to condense into 20 min!
This was so much fun to make! Plus I loved seeing the faces of my children in the pictures of Jack! Happy Birthday Love!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas Morning

2009-01-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Santa was very good to us this year!

Christmas Eve 2008

2009-01-21T10:54:00.001-08:00

The McKeon family Christmas tree!
The kids out putting the Reindeer food on the grass (in the rain).
A tradition for us is that on Christmas Eve the kids all get Pajamas! Cute kids!
Grace and Max on the computer tracking Santa's whereabouts! We kept hearing "Oh no, He is in South America!" Then Max would say "where is that?"
Christmas Eve dinner. Yummy brisket!

Christmas prep!

2009-01-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

I do this every year! Why don't I just make one thing and call it good? No, I have to bake until I don't have space in my kitchen anymore! We made 19 plates full of Christmas goodies and delivered everyone, while singing Christmas songs at the top of our lungs! As messy as it was, I would not change a thing! It was so fun! I wish I would have saved a few for us! :)
Maddie and her friend Cindy were my helpers. Thanks girls!

Padovich Christmas

2009-01-21T10:38:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Christmas a few days early with my parents. They drove to Utah to spend Christmas day with my siblings. I know, how rude! :)
Thanks for a great day!
A pre-Christmas picture. It looks almost like they like each other! Shh! Don't tell anyone!

Twilight!

2009-01-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

Maddie and 2 of her friends Cindy and Jenny camped out at the theater for over 5 hours to see the midnight showing of Twilight Opening night. We made t-shirts for them and then waited until the wee hours of the morning for her to come home. Since it was a Thursday she had to get up and go to Seminary which starts for her at 5:50 AM. Yes, I made her go! Since then she has seen Twilight 4 times and has re-read the series! Obsessed? Kinda!!

Football Season 2008

2009-01-21T10:14:00.001-08:00

Jack Jr and his football team won the Superbowl! It was so exciting! Jr played both ways to help his team win in Double overtime!!! So proud of him and Dad who happens to be the best defensive coordinator around! Cool trophy too!

This is how we spent the football season...Together! We played until the 6th of December...long season together! Aug 4th - Dec 6th! Until next year!

Primary Talent Show!

2008-11-09T09:33:00.000-08:00

McKeon's Got Talent! (kind of)

Ladies and Gentlemen...I present the McKeon kids!

Max Truman and his Sunbeam class doing the Hula. Dad couldn't figure out the camera until it was almost over. If you want to see the entire version we'd be happy to show you. Come on over!

Gracie and her CTR 7 class. At the end of this Grace is victorious! She ate the whole thing off the floor. Sacrifices to win...germs!

Jack Jr. and his Valiant 10 class. The boy has rhythm! This is a great song done by a group called InsideOut A capella. Really great sound doing church songs!

Gracie and her friends Emma and Chloe. Looks like we have dancer!

Emily was the MC of the evening. I'd have to say it was a very enjoyable evening. We had dancers, singers, gymnasts, guitar and piano soloists, and comedians. The Primary kids of the Newhall 2nd ward are amazing!

Please VOTE!!!!

2008-10-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

What a sight! Prop 8 Rally! It was truly amazing. Our stake has organized rallies for this week on busy street corners throughout our valley. We had about 300 members and friends join in to hold signs in support of Prop 8.

My Mom and I tonight. She was very reluctant until she heard the honks in support. Now she has committed to hold a sign with me tomorrow! Go Mom!
Uncle Buck McKeon, our Congressman, showing his support came out to hold a sign with us Monday evening with Aunt Patricia.
Our friends the Seegmillers. If the vote was up to our valley we'd win, but it will take more than us...so wherever you are in California, Vote YES!
Me on the corner smiling and waving! I can't talk so this is my way of helping spread the word! I went door to door with Jack and he did all the talking. Again I smiled and waved!
On behalf of me and my family, I ask you to go VOTE!! Make your voice heard. We need to head the Prophets counsel and restore traditional marriage as the California standard!
VOTE YES ON PROP 8!

Halloween party - the video

2008-10-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

This guy can groove!

Halloween Party

2008-10-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

Maddie and her friend Cindy! PEACE!Gracie the Pirate girl
Spiderman, Spiderman does whatever a spider can... even get Dad to smile.
Emily and her friend Jamie Delicious! Candy Corn and a Hershey Kiss!
Sarah Palin (Sammy) and Jack Jr. as an old man. Everyone thought that he should have been John McCain
Good times! Happy Halloween!

The last 2 weeks!

2008-10-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Abby come stay with us for the weekend!! She is an amazing girl with a happy personality. She is loved by all, especially Maddie. It was a very wonderful surprise.
Everyone was happy to have Abby here...look how close they are sitting together.
Maddie and Abby did some serious partying! or should I say snoring!!! Party girls! Good thing they have each other!
Jack Jr lost his footing walking to school last week and landed square on his leg. He had to have 10 stitches which sat him for last week's football game. I'm not sure who was the most upset. Jack Jr or Jack SR.? You guess! The stitches came out today so we are goo to go tomorrow!
Last week Debbie and Cindy Crockett joined Maddie and I to go see a taping of Dancing with the Stars. We waited a long time, but ti was so fun. The stage is much smaller than it looks! So fun!
It has been a fun time the last 2 weeks, even though I still cannot talk...it has been 2 months. I have nodules on my vocal chords. So frustrating since everyone knows how I love to talk! Another "What do I need to learn from this?" This time I'm sure you guess right... "Sammy be quiet!" My third grade teacher Ms. King is probably jumping up and down in heaven...Yahoo, she is finally quiet!!

Last day of nasty medicine!!

2008-10-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

Emily has had to take this nasty medicine called Nystatin since the transplant. It tastes so disgusting! I know because I have tried it :)
She had to put 10 cc in her mouth swish and swallow! UGH!!!
We had our last dose and boy was it a relief for her (and me). No more nightly battles to get her to take it! One more thing to bring her back to normal!

All Done! Thank Heavens! Literally!

Who would ever think by looking at that face that she has been through a nightmare the last almost 2 years. What a blessing!

Go Wildcats!

2008-10-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

Jr is number 62. Look to the right side and you see him a make a great tackle. In the second video you see Jr. coming off the field after a fumble recovery!
Great game in the rain...Wildcats 14 - Simi Green 0! Go cats!
They are 5 and 0!

I finally figured out how to do the video from my camera to the blog!! Yahoo!

Coronado Family pictures 2008

2008-09-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Finally getting around to posting these! Sorry so late, you'll enjoy them anyway...I hope!

Opening Day!

2008-09-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

BIG WIN for the Wildcats! Jack Jr.'s team beat Simi Green 22-0. Jack Sr. 's defense held strong and the victory was sweet. Jack Jr. 's #64 jersey did not come in , so he is #62 this game. He had a strong game with a huge hit. The ref came over to the side lines and told the coaches "great hit by 62, but he stood over him after the hit, that's taunting, watch that". We watched the play on film and YES it was taunting...he's a McKeon what do you expect! We took a knee at the end of the game to not score the extra points. If you go up 24 points you have to write a letter of explanation to the league as to why you beat the other team so badly. They say that was the gentleman's thing to...What? Football is not a gentleman's sport, go play golf!

We got to hold Opening day at COC, our home college field. So exciting.
Jack Sr. pointing directions!
The cheerleaders did a fantastic job. Maddie and her friend, Cindy are the coaches. I have been very impressed with their leadership.
It was 102 degrees and even hotter on the field. Miss Grace has a very funny sunburn :) Happy to see this smile, it faded as the day went on.

Gracie is the cute one on the end in this picture.
Jack Sr. very into it! I have to remind him that he has to stay off the field. He gets so excited that he crosses the coaches line.

Football!

2008-09-05T23:34:00.002-07:00

The season begins...
Opening day tomorrow at COC! Hoooooya!
Jack Jr has come out twice tonight because he is nervous. He has a stomach ache and a headache, now he is coughing. Or is it clearing his throat? Whatever it is the poor guy has major anxiety! He will not start at center tomorrow, but he is starting on the "D" Line. Love how I know the terms? The countdown begins...game time noon!

We did a very fun thing last week. Jack and Jack Jr. were sitting down to work on their fantasy football strategies. I asked what they were doing and the next thing I know our whole family is playing fantasy football. We had a draft in which each team ( we all have a team in the Braggin' Rights League) chose their players. I got very lucky and nabbed LT (for those non-footballers) LaDanian Thomlinson (sp?) as my first pick. He is ranked as one of the best right now! Yea Grace and Sammy, the Pink Panthers! Jack has 3 of his brothers playing plus our family, that is 8 teams. I got totally into it. I studied the Sports Illustrated and took notes. Yes, I got made fun of, but I wanted to be successful! So we will see who actually wins, me me me me me me! Maybe?!

Football!

2008-09-05T23:34:00.001-07:00

DRIVING? Yes!

2008-08-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Maddie got her driver's license today! We are so proud of her! GOOD JOB!!!Off I go!!
Very nice! Only missed 4 points!

Football!!

2008-08-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Gracie is cheering for Jack Jr.'s J1 Navy Wildcat team.Maddie is the cheer trainer to all of these little girls. It is tough work, but she is enjoying it.

Jack Jr. finally got 64 as his jersey #. He has waited 3 years, so this is the year!!!

Start school!!!! REALLY?

2008-08-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

We started school earlier than ever! I was not ready, but after 2 days, I am OK with it! My buddy Max started preschool, so I actually have 3 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to myself! Max was so excited...finally he gets to go to school like the big kids! So here they are all of the McKeon kids the first day of school!

My baby Max!

Skinny Jack Jr. Always awesome Grace!

Beautiful 11th grade Maddie! (I remember being in 11th grade!)
The healthy and happy Emily!

Summer 2008

2008-08-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our summer got off to a slow start, but it was so fun being with family and friends!

4th of July with cousins

Max, Spencer, and Jack Jr.

Jack, Uncle Dan, Uncle Howard, Uncle Steve

Emily and Rylee

Uncle Dan and Maddie

Marcie!!

2008-07-29T07:51:00.000-07:00

My oldest friend is now officially old like me! Happy Birthday Mouse!

I could not figure out how to do this any other way! I need to work on my scanning skills :)

2008-07-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

Pre--surgeryAfter surgery
The calm before the storm!!!!
Get me to a chair? Ice cream is not going to help!
Okay, so maybe a little!

2008-07-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

After 6 days Emily gets her hair washed! Not an easy task!Happy CLEAN girl takes a nap!
This is our Emily...look at that smile! We feel like we have our daughter back :)
Going home!
Thanks Doctor!

Transplant news!

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

Emily got a kidney!!!!!
She is doing great!!!!
It was a huge success.
Thanks to all of you for your thought and prayers!

A lot has been happening...

2008-06-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

Jack got a new truck. Happy man!
Gracie and Jack Jr. participated in the Peachland Variety show. Jack was in the Opening act where he danced and did the worm across the stage, plus he was in an act with friends. They did the dance from Micheal Jackson's Thriller. He is quite the performer.
Gracie danced in her class act to Lollipop, lollipop! So cute! It was a great night. I'm a proud mom!
Jack Jr. also performed in his class play. Missions and More!He played the part of John Sutter. Cute boy even sang a solo! I wish I knew how to download video so you could hear him. He was great!
Gracie and I went on her class fieldtrip to Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, CA. We go to pick a whole basket of yummy strawberries to take home with us.
Mrs. Skiles first grade class.
The toilet was running so I took off the lid and the water exploded out of the toilet. You can't really see but I am soaking wet and so it the bathroom. Emily got payback with the camera!
It has been a busy month. We are happy that school is out already for Maddie and Emily and Jack Jr. and Gracie on Friday. Looking forward to a great summer.

New blog format!

2008-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was helping Jack Sr. create a blog for himself and I totally messed mine up. My sister-in-law Jen helped me do the cute first one and tried to teach me to do it. Now it is 12:02 in the morning and I have been at this for almost 3 hours, trying to figure out how to fix it! This is the end result, may not seen like a lot, but boy have I labored over this and I think I got it right! You make it look so easy Jen...it is not!

Emily is 13

2008-05-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Emily! There is a lot to say about this girl! Over the last 15 months this girl has been through so much. She has been poked, stuck, examined, asked more than enough questions and taken more pills in one day, than any of us take in a month. Having said that SHE IS AMAZING! She is tough, strong and very smart. She is beautiful and very funny. She handles this situation with courage and strength. I am so proud of her and her ability to continue on through adversity. She calls on her Heavenly Father often and knows the importance of prayer. The interesting thing about all of this is that if you look at her, you would never know that she had anything wrong with her. She likes it that way!
Emily likes to be in the water, play cards (her new thing is Spider solitare), roller coasters, read, sleep, and cook. After her transplant, we hare having an ICE CREAM party, with every flavor possible. She loves the stuff and can't have it YET! 31 Flavors watch out!What a great day! Yesterday was Memorial Day so the family had the day off.

She had her BFF Jamie spent the night and we all went to breakfast at IHOP.
Emily was born on her Grandpa Joe's birthday. They have a special relationship. She loves him! We celebrated last night by going to his house for a BBQ. Max is her good pal. He seems to brighten her day like no one else can!
Junior High has been a great experience for Em. She has made a ton of new darling friends . Plus she is a 4.2 student! WOW! Impressive!
Emily as Dorthy for Halloween! So cute! She too like the guitar hero. Although it is Wii bowling and tennis that she is hard to beat!
We call that Emily's uniform. You can find her often hair wrapped and in her robe...the girl loves a long shower!
Emily also has a special relationship with my parents. My mom and Em are very close! Grandma is her go-to-girl when things get tough! Thanks Mom!
It is tough to be the birthday girl!

Sweet 16!

2008-05-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Maddie is 16!There is so much to say about this girl, I could write a book! She is beautiful on the inside and out! She is kind and loving, very dependable, a HUGE help to me, a good big sister, fun to be around and very funny!

Maddie has a unique quality to be able to laugh at herself, which makes her easy to be around. She has a lot of very good friends and loves to spend time with them, whether it is having a weekly "Office" party or going to the movies. Maddie remembers lines to movies and quotes them at random times.
She loves her best friend and cousin Abby. Thanks heavens for texting because that helps them stay in touch not daily, but hourly :) ~ They are both going to hate this picture~

She LOVES to read and is often found with her nose in a book! Even at Coronado!
She is a great big sister.

The girl loves to rock out at Guitar Hero!
Maddie with her friend Jaime.
We love this girl and are very proud of her choice to be a good girl and a fine example. We are proud of her perfect attendance at Seminary for the 2nd year. We are proud that her cheer team chose her as Most Inspirational and we are proud that she chooses the right without much pushing from us.

Now, after saying all of that she is not perfect...she has a very messy room!!!!!! I did not want anyone to think she would be translated any time soon!
Happy Birthday! We Love you!!

MAX!

2008-05-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this little boy! He makes us all laugh. He is everyone's pal. He is the baby of our family, which comes with many rewards. No one ever stays mad at him, they all let him tag along and her gets whatever he wants! He is a good boy, but gets mad when someone invades his space. He likes to watch TV (or 3 TVs, one in each room, he has each one on a different channel, he is his own remote control)He is a good sport, going to doctor appointments, games and practices and never participating. He loves CARS the movie, Taco Bell, SpongeBob, playing in the backyard with Gracie, numbers (he reads the phone book) apples and go-gurt!
Happy Birthday Max! We love you!!!

Rocker Max!

Pouting Max!

Max loves his dog, Jersey!

Max caught red handed literally! He had to taste it...He said it was GOOD!

Jack Jr. - Max's favorite pal!

Privacy Please!

Mom's baby boy!

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have done another silly thing. I thought it would be fun to do a Cinco de Mayo dinner. Why not? So I made Flan! Not as easy as it sounds. It came out looking beautiful, but don't judge a book by it's cover!!!!! It was gross! It was thick and dense instead of light like custard. We each took a bite, but no more than that (actually Max spit it back on the plate)Oh well, I need to find one of my Spanish friends and ask for their recipe rather than off the internet! Maybe next year:)

Open house

2008-04-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

So fun to go to Open House at Peachland Elementary. Jack Jr. and Gracie were very proud to show us their work. Gracie even did a performance. "Each of us is a flower growing in life's garden..." The song has been in all of our heads for a week now! Both kids have wonderful teachers and we are so pleased with their efforts this year!

The Lizard

2008-04-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

Miss Grace and Max caught Freddy the Lizard. It was an ugly thing with no tail. They both cried when we had to let it back out into the wild of our backyard. Creepy that my beautiful daughter loves the dirt and crawly things!

So much to share!!!

2008-04-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have blogged (is that a word?) So here goes the last few weeks...
First Gracie turned 7!!!!
Birthday Breakfast!

Gracie brought a treat to school.

Blow out the candles!

Big day...tired, but happy girl!

Uncle Dan is #%

2008-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

I wrote his age in code...you can figure it out!

We had birthday dinner, with strawberry shortcake.
Happy Birthday!
We love Uncle Dan!

I am a match!

2008-04-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Transplant coordinator called today. My blood work came back and I am a match for Emily. There are 3 tests done 1)blood type, 2)Cross match 3)tissue typing test. 1)I am type O and so is Emily. 2)Cross match means that our blood when put into a petri dish together did not fight against each other (thank heavens for that we do enough of that outside the test tube! HAHAHA) 3)Tissue typing checks the degree of tissue match between 6 codes. Since a person receives 3 codes (or antegens) from each parents. The parent/child relationship can only be 3 and I am a 3 code match to Emily. That means the less chance of rejection the more antegen match. So, after this biology lesson, the bottom line is that if a donor kidney is not found I am good to donate mine. I breathe a sigh of relief!! I go for more testing (psych testing)on the 30th of this month...keep a good thought! thx

Conference Weekend

2008-04-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Jack took Emily to Salt Lake for Conference. He decided a long time ago that he would take each of our kids to Conference when they turned twelve. A father/daughter/son weekend. Since Emily could not go last year, he took for her 13th birthday. Jack and Emily and Jack's brother, Tim and our niece, McKenzie all went to the Sunday morning session. I am grateful that she is doing so well that she can enjoy this special weekend with her dad. I'll add pictures of them later.

Now to the home front...
I decided I would "try" to be a fun mom. I took the other kids to the movies to see Nim's Island and to the Soup Plantation for dinner. We had so much fun. So far so good! We came home to relax and here is where my idea went sour...a sleep out in the family room?!?!?!? What was I thinking? When we were still up at 12:30am "having fun" I was worried. Then by 2:00am, when everyone was asleep except me...I was mad! The dog started to bark and now I was nervous...not to worry I was now wired and up until 4:15am just to make sure everything was OK. Duh...how could I think that sleeping on the hard floor with 4 of my children sleeping on top of me was fun? At 9:00am when we woke up to watch Conference...my thoughts (besides oww! my back hurts) were how blessed I am to have these beautiful children surrounding me! What a blessing! So my advice when you want to be a "fun mom"...have the sleep out in your bed, not on the floor! I'm grateful for the opportunity to listen to our new Prophet and to be lifted up by the words of our leaders.

NJHS

2008-04-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Receiving her certificate.
Her best friend Jamie

Friday night Emily was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. To qualify you have to have had a 3.5 GPA for the first 3 grading periods of 7th grade, be recommended by your teachers and do 10 hours of community service. Emily has carried a 4.0 or higher this last year. She helped with our ward canning project and helped her dad do football registration. We are so proud of her. She works really hard and it shows! Congratulations! Plus she is a beauty to boot!

Pinewood Derby!

2008-03-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

Calling all cars...
Last night was our Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. Jack Jr. won the whole thing 2 years ago, so the pressure was on. BUT...after some unfortunate circumstances he only got to race twice and suffered the loss early in the night. He is a good sport and I am really proud of him for his good sportsmanship. His car looked really cool and we had fun making it. I think even if Jack Sr. wanted to help with the car I would include myself. Jack Jr. doesn't mind having his mom help him, even though the comment was made "is it a chick car again this year?"

Thank you Easter Bunny!

2008-03-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Before our Easter Egg hunt .

After the Easter Egg hunt.

My mom gave all of the kids flip flops...pedicures anyone??

Easter is always a fun time. We had a ward hunt and our annual hunt at Nana's house. My children look forward to going to Nana and Grandpa Joe's house. The backyard is full of candy and plastic eggs full of coins! The Easter Bunny stopped by our house again this year bringing baskets of unneeded candy and treats, plus a swim suit for each of the kids. We had a wonderful Easter breakfast and then off to church. We are so grateful for the blessing of the gospel in our lives. Thankful that Easter means more than the treats. Easter is an opportunity to remember the great Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. What a blessing to have that knowledge and understanding. Hope all of you had a wonderful Easter with family and friends as we did.

St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

I started a silly tradition a long time ago without knowing it would become a tradition. I made a green dinner for fun on St. Patrick's day and now it is expected.Here is the latest edition of the McKeon Green Dinner! Green spinach noodles, green jello, broccoli, and green kool-aid. I did not tint the rolls or the steak, but was very tempted to! So I tinted the butter green instead. :) The finale was green rice crispy treats! As we sat down to eat, Jack Sr. said to our kids "you guys are so lucky to have a mom that is so over the top"! Not sure if it was a compliment, but I'm taking that way. Hope your day was fun too!

Go Hart!!

2008-03-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend Maddie competed in the USA National Spirit/Cheerleading competition at the Anaheim Convention Center. She and her JV squad took third place and the Varsity took first. Congratulations!!!

NEW BABY!

2008-03-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Last night my sister-in-law had a healthy, BIG, baby boy. We welcome Ryan Jay McKeon 8lbs. 10 oz.,to our family! Congratulations Tina and Steve! Love you!

What my name means...

2008-03-03T11:17:00.001-08:00

What Samantha Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.

You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.

You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.

You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.

You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.

You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.

You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.

You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.

You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.

Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.

Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Not sure that is all true...who said I get to travel a a lot?!?!?!?

I was Tagged!

2008-03-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Ok Jennifer Rose here you go...

10 years ago...
Ten years ago I was 25 years old. I had been married for 7 1/2 years and had the 3 kids. Maddie was turning 6, Emily turning 3 and we were just blessed to have Jack Jr. join our family. Howard and Phil's was shutting down. Jack was working with very little pay and money was very tight. We loved our house and our Ward in Saugus. I read my journal for today March 3, 1998, I had a baby shower for Jack Jr. It says "there were a ton of people - friends and family -and it was really fun. My mom made a really cute cake with a choo-choo train on it!" Thanks Jen for helping me remember that fun night!

5 things that are on my list to do today...

1. laundry - in progress
2. iron - have not started
3. give the dog a bath - done
4. do a poster for Book Fair - later
5. then the day begins...2:15 HOMEWORK!
** Encourage Maddie--she does her 1st behind the wheel with Right Way Driving school

What would I do if I became a millionaire?

First thing I would do is pay off all of our medical bills. Those are getting to be a real bore! Then I would set aside college money for the kids, get a personal trainer for the family and go on a cruise...I think I have overspent the million already..typical of me!

5 Jobs that I have had...

1. Polar Paradise Yogurt Store
2. Worked on a movie called Liar Liar
3. Howard and Phil's Western Wear
4. transcribed a script for a short film
5. did nails at a nail salon in Provo

5 Things People Don't Know About Me...

1. I love to read romance novels
2. I hate the sound of people chewing
3. Wal-Mart is my favorite store
4. I have a huge shoe fetish
5. I have kept a journal faithfully for 12 years

So I did it! Now a tag Marcie and Jillyn!

Change in plans...

2008-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, we have had to change the transplant date AGAIN! It seems now that to do a non-steroid transplant (which is what we want) Emily has to be off the steroids for 6 months. March is only 3 months. So, we wait until June. I think in the long run this is best, but very frustrating, especially for Emily. She doesn't want to loose another summer vacation. Thankfully Coronado is at the end of the summer. We know the Lord watches over us, so we patiently (haha) wait. Em is doing well and still maintains a 4.0 grade point average!

Transplant News!

2008-02-12T18:20:00.001-08:00

Emily is listed! YEAH!! She is now on the National Kidney Transplant list as of 3:30 this afternoon. There are many things to be grateful for:

1) it is retroactive to the day she started dialysis March. 6, 2007
2) she is considered a child because the adult age is 13 and she is 12
3) that puts her higher on the list
4) she is healthy and doing well :)
I will begin the testing to donate my kidney in the next week. She is on the list as Active, meaning that if a kidney were to come available that matched before my testing is completed, she could use that one. If that makes sense? Let's just pray that whatever happens, it happens quickly. Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Birthdays!!

2008-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

Jack Sr.and Jack Jr. had birthdays on the 7th and the 11th. I am married to a 39 year old man, WOW! that's old :) Our son is ten! Jack Sr. wanted to buy Jr. a lawn mower for his birthday. As great as that sounds to Jack Sr., I put the hold on that for now. We had a few friends and family over for cake and ice cream last night. It was fun. So, grateful for both of these boys, one who sets a good example and the other who follows!

Lost another one!

2008-02-11T09:58:00.001-08:00

Miss Grace has lost another tooth. She pulled this one out herself! That make 6 teeth lost. We are still waiting for the top 2 teeth to come in. They have been gone since June! Cute Girl!

Disneyland 2008

2008-02-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some sweet friends, we were given tickets for the whole family to go to Disneyland. So, yesterday we ditched school and went! We had the most amazing time! Jack Jr., Gracie and Max had never been, so for them it was the time of their lives. It was not crowded at all. We were able to ride everything and not wait longer than 20 min. on each ride...except for Nemo. They will not let me forget that I made them stand in that line :) Max was even tall enough to ride with us. Space Mountain was "SO FUN" until we started to go faster, then it became "SO SCAREY". It was really a great memory for all of us. As we were leaving the park, Jack Sr. said " Well take it in, because we will not be back for another 10 years!" HAHA I hope to not make that a tradition, but now at least we can say, Yes we have taken our kids to Disneyland.

Transplant News

2008-01-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was a big day fro us. Emily had her transplant evaluation. We arrived at Cedars-Sinai at 7:45 am...ugh! Then met with the transplant team, Urologist, Surgeon, Financial coordinator, Nurse Coordinator, Social Worker, Dietitian, and had an EKG. That took about 5 hours...then on to get labs done (20 viles of blood) and a chest x-ray. These people are the best in their fields and we feel like we are in good hands. It was a lot of information to take in, but all looks good. Emily will be placed on the National Kidney recipient list as soon as the Transplant committee reviews all of the tests. That should be about 2 weeks. Once Emily is placed, they will start testing me. They say if all goes well and I match, we should plan for transplant in about 2 months. We are excited to get this going. Thank you to all who continue to pray. It helps!

McKeon Fun

2008-01-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I gave my girls the option of buying their friends gifts or treating them to the Enchanted Experience. They opted for the experience. I took Maddie and her friends Emily and Amanda and Emily and her friend Jaime to see the movie Enchanted at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood. It was AMAZING!! Maddie and her friends dressed up like princesses. They were even mistaken as a part of the act! The movie was great. Afterward they escort you to a big tent where you get your make-up done, your hair sprayed with fairy dust and then you get to meet all of the Disney princesses. Wow! It was fun even for the OLD mom, like me!

McKeon After Christmas

2008-01-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

How wonderful to be a part of Chelsea's wedding. Since Chels got married on the 28th, The Utah McKeons came here! YES!! We loved having them here. They were probably glad to get out of the snow (and not have us go there, haha)
Chelsea was a beautiful bride (Ben Hudson looked good too)and the blessing of the temple was the best part.
It was a beautiful day, despite the fact that Gracie threw up on the way down to the temple. Thirty seconds after Gracie, Max said..."Oh Gracie you stink..." And he proceeded to throw up himself! Gracie missed the whole day. She was very sad, since Chelsea is her favorite person in the world!

We had a fun New Year's Eve with Tim and Julie's family. We celebrated at 12 midnight with a big sparkling cider toast! Happy New Year!

McKeon Thoughts

2008-01-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins, we thought this blog would be a good way to keep our family and friends updated on our family. This year is going to be a good one...we feel it! After last year it can only get better!
We hope this year will find all of us much healthier and therefore much happier. Emily transplant is still coming, but when is still the question. We wait, but hopefully not for much longer. We will keep you posted!
Again we thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

McKeon Christmas

2008-01-04T17:35:00.001-08:00

The McKeon Christmas was filled with family and friends. We were so blessed this year in receiving and grateful to be able to give too! We were so excited to give our kids a puppy! I know the typical Christmas gift, but this was the only thing all 5 kids asked for...so Jersey came into our home! He is a 10 month old, adorable, Shih Tzu who is yes...potty trained :)

Santa also blessed us with the only gift that is really true to its commercials. We got a Wii! It is so much fun. Our family has been playing non stop. Jr thinks he is the best bowler, while Em is tough to beat at boxing and Uncle Dan and Dad (Jack) work up a sweat at tennis. My Dad (Grandpa P.) has come over twice to play with the kids!