Moments in Time

3 Months

2011-09-14T13:57:00.019-05:00

Things have been SO crazy busy around here.....seems like everytime I want go to blog, something comes up, and by 9:30 at night I just want to go to bed!
Miss Elise is such a sweet, happy baby girl....I can't remember what life was like before she completed our family of four! She just turned 3 months old on September 12. She is so easygoing, and has a gentle spirit about her. She definitely lets us know when she's hungry or tired though! She LIGHTS up when she sees big sister Morgan. Morgan has been such a wonderful big sister and has been so helpful to us all. She really adjusted well.
Elise has been sleeping through the night since about 5 weeks...she goes to bed about 8:30 p.m. and sleeps til 5 a.m., wakes to nurse for about 10 minutes, then goes BACK to sleep til about 10:00. I have no clue how she did that so well but I am grateful for that. Both my girls are great sleepers!
It has been fun to compare baby pictures of the girls. While Morgan looks nothing now like she did as a baby, her baby pictures and Elise look so similar! However, Morgan is so petite and has always been in the 5th% for height and weight, Elise at 2 months was in the 67% for weight and 85% for height! She is wearing clothes that Morgan didn't fit into until 6 months! She has the squishiest rolls, I love them!

Elise at 2 months:

Elise at 3 months:

Happy girl!

Smiles for Morgan!

Morgan at 3 months:

Elise at 3 months:

Morgan also has started school and ballet. She is loving both! She goes to school twice a week. The first day was a tearful day for me but she ran out yelling "Mommy I LOVE preschool!" so I felt better. She goes to a WONDERFUL school and I know shes learning so much and playing with new friends.

First Day:

First Day of Ballet:

She's Here!

2011-06-20T12:47:00.004-05:00

She's finally here!!!
Last Saturday night we were at a birthday party and I was having some irregular contractions that were NOT painful so I chalked it up to Braxton Hicks. Woke up at 3:45 that morning confused as to whether my water was broken (it was really hard to tell at first)...by 5:15, I for sure knew it was broken and so I got ready and we got to the hospital around 7:00 a.m. I was 2 cm by then and 100% effaced and an hour later was at 7 cm. Fast forward another hour and I was at 10 cm! Elise Claire was born at 10:17 a.m. Talk about a quick delivery! She is so petite...was 6 lbs 4 oz and 18.25 inches long...when we left the hospital she was only 5 lbs 13 oz. Just like Morgan was! The only diapers and clothes that fit so far are preemie clothes...just like Morgan did! We think she looks very similar to Morgan when she was a baby but not exactly alike. Fun to compare pictures..they have alot of similar features!
Elise is a sweetheart! So easygoing and non-demanding. I think she has fussed 3 times since we came home from the hospital last Tuesday. I LOVE newborns and wish she would stay little forever! She is a snuggler and we love her so much. We are so blessed to have 2 beautiful, sweet girls!
Morgan has had zero problems adjusting and loves giving Elise kisses and hugs her and gets so excited when she moves...I think she is hoping she will be ready to play soon!! It's been kind of an adjustment for us to go from 1 to 2...trying to make sure they both get 100% of me...which is hard on top of being sleep deprived :) It's fun when people see you and they keeping saying how exhausted I look....but I think it's a good exhaustion in a weird sort of way! I don't mind the late night feedings at all.

Ready to meet baby sister!

Elise Claire...She looks enormous here but is so tiny!

Mommy and Elise!

Family of four!

Proud big sister!

Not sure who was more exhausted.. me or Morgan??

Ready to go home!

Our sweet girl!!!

I Blinked....

2011-03-20T20:17:00.008-05:00

....and all of a sudden I'm 27 weeks along with our little GIRL!

I blinked....

...and our first baby grew up into a gorgeous, confident, happy, sweet, and big-hearted preschooler.

I blinked.....

...and my baby isn't so much a baby anymore!

I'll admit it's bittersweet. I have LOVED every stage of Morgan growing but it's flying much too quickly. Slow down.....

Oh BABY!!

2010-11-18T09:46:00.002-06:00

We are so excited to finally share the news: Baby #2 is on the way!! We have known for about 5 weeks but have been keeping mum til our doctors appointment. We wanted to be sure everything was okay! Thankfully the heartbeat is strong and the baby is measuring perfectly. Morgan will be a big sister sometime on or around June 19th! We are truly over the moon and feel so blessed to have another addition to our family. We had been hoping for this to happen for nearly a year, but once again, I can see that God's plan was different from ours :) (Rightfully so! Thankfully so!)
Baby is doing great so far, however, momma is a different story! When pregnant with Morgan, I didn't have ONE SINGLE SYMPTOM, EVER! No sickness, no swelling, even at 40 weeks, nothing...it was a breeze. (Ahem, delivery was another story). This time, I have been nauseated constantly, so tired I can hardly make it through the day, I can't eat anything I used to love, and Lord I'm IRRITABLE...whew. I am still running 4 miles in the mornings, and I actually feel great when I'm running, isn't that weird? But then I get home and WHAM, queasy-city!
We are ALL convinced it's a boy! We won't find out til 20 weeks, which is the first week of February (which will never be here, fyi)...But pretty much everyone in our families thinks it will be a boy...so we shall see!
Here's a pic of Morgan's little brother/sister!

Trick or Treat!

2010-11-01T20:51:00.003-05:00

Morgan had a great time on Halloween night....we just gotten back from our annual Canton trip an hour before we put on her costume! She was quite the trouper and very excited to go up to the doors and yell "TRICK OR TREAT"....her little feet were running so fast she tripped about 4 times. This girl is all about the drama but it didn't even faze her. She just got up and kept running.
She picked out her costume: all she's talked about for weeks is being Thumbelina. She was so excited to get dressed up with make up. She's so girly....love it!

Footloose and Fancy Free

2010-10-26T08:49:00.005-05:00

Ever wish.....

you could

go back

in time

to be a kid again?

No worries...

no stress....

Just.....

happy!

An Interview

2010-10-04T15:40:00.003-05:00

I saw this idea in a magazine to interview your toddler and thought it would be fun to do. Some of her answers are so sweet...you can't make this stuff up! (Morgan's answers in purple.)

What's your name? Morgan
How old are you? 2
When is your birthday? April 4th
Who is your mom? You (points to me)
What does your mom do? Cleans all day. (Ha...love that she thinks that).
Who is your Daddy? My tall Daddy
What does your Daddy do? He can do anything he wants to do.
What is your favorite color? Green
What is your favorite song? Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
What do you want to be when you grow up? A butterfly
Where will you live when you grow up? In the forest with Mommy and Daddy
What is your favorite food? Hot Dogs
What is your least favorite food? Orange juice
What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
What do Mommy and Daddy do when you are in bed? Put Tinkerbell on
Who does our family love the most? Morgan!
What is your favorite TV show? Dora
What is your favorite ice cream? Vanilla
Where do you like to eat? Red Robin
What is your favorite book? Diego's Egg Quest
What is your favorite thing to do? I like to put coconuts in the pocket chart. (No idea what that means! :)
Where should we drive to right now? To dinner with Daddy, Gramma, and Aunt Megan

Our goofy girl!

Happy!

2010-09-28T14:57:00.006-05:00

So happy to play at the park again......

So happy to cheer on our favorite teams again....

And so happy to be outside without melting.....we are so SO excited that Fall is here!!

Birthday Weekend in NYC

2010-09-14T13:22:00.028-05:00

This past weekend I was NYC celebrating my 33rd birthday. My amazing (younger) sister Megan lives there, and we had so much FUN! I can hardly wait to go back! She was such a thoughtful hostess and planned everything so carefully. I enjoyed seeing the more "everyday life" part of the city as opposed to the touristy stuff we did last time I was there...Times Square, Broadway, Today show, etc. Meg lives in the West Village and there were so many quaint restaurants, amazing apartments, beautiful brownstones, and just about everything in between.

I got there Friday afternoon and made it to lunch at Meg's office (Google). Can I even explain in words how incredible the Google offices are?? Picture taking is not allowed but OH MY HEAVENS, it's unreal. UNREAL. Her office is in Chelsea Market and her building is an entire city block. People were scooting around on these razor scooters, Macs in hand, headed to meetings. There's a huge TV room, complete with bean bags, slides, ping pong tables, Wii games, a massuse, and even a disco ball. And the FOOD...there's food every 4 feet....Anything and everything you can imagine. It's like a grocery store, but free! Chips (full fat to low fat to air popped to fat free), homemade organic granola bars, iced or hot coffees, cheeses, crackers, fruit, veggies, soy bars, granola bars, cereals, candy, gum, hummus, teas, the list goes on and on. We ate at the cafeteria which is catered by chefs like Eric Ripert and Morimoto...need I say more?! Amazing sushi bar and chef? Check. Daily seafood selections like trout amadine? Check. Organic salad bar for a mile? Check. Selections from sandwiches, to burgers, to Beef Wellington, to lobster-stuffed fliet mignon? Check. And it's better than 85% of food you'd pay for in NYC. Unreal. I could write about it for days. I won't even go there about the killer view, which over looks the entire skyline of NY. Feels like you can reach out and touch Empire State Building.

After lunch we went to see her apartment and tour the West Village. From there we went to the Farmer's Market in Union Square, with tons of vendors selling all kinds of veggies like huge heirloom tomatoes, fresh cheeses, fresh honey, jams, lavender, and fresh flowers. Very hard not to buy everything.

Then we headed to Washington Square Park and walked around there for a bit.

Next was back over to Chelsea to see Hi-Line Park, and the West Side Highway.
We enjoyed a glass of wine at a wine bar, then ate at Extra Virgin. One of the most delicious meals I've ever had. Mac-n-cheese with TRUFFLE OIL...can you say Holy Cow?! I can't even describe the deliciousness.

LAST but not least we headed to Sweet Revenge which is featured in this Chase Bank commercial:

They are famous for their cupcakes and wine/champagne/beer combo. I had the chocolate cupcake with salted caramel frosting and salted caramel center...so delicious. Perfect end to a great day.

Saturday:

We got up and headed to Murray's (famous for their bagels) and had my fave breakfast: Salmon on a bagel with cream cheese, capers, and red onion. I wanted to spend my remaining 3 days in there just eating this sandwich! It was incredible!

Then we headed uptown to pick up our race packets, and walked around the edge of Central Park. We saw Columbus Circle and Bryant Park. Shopped a bit at Bloomingdale's then went and had some wonderful sushi at Mambo in Meg's neighborhood. Then we went and shopped all afternoon in SoHo. We probably ended up walking 19 miles that day...at least it felt like it!

Views from Bryant Park:

For dinner we went to Caracas, an arepas bar. I had never heard of arepas, but after eating them I'm a huge fan! It's Venezulan and it's almost like a version of a taco in a cornbread type pita pocket. I personally hate cornbread but these were incredible. Piled high with cheese, chorizo, peppers, it was spicy but perfect! But the best part was our appetizer: Tostones Mochimeros. Fried green plantains with Mojito Mayo and cheese. I also can't stand plantains but these. were. to. die. for. If you go to Manhattan for anything, stop here and eat these!

We finished off the day by going to 16 Handles:

There's a wall of frozen yogurt machines and you literally can fill up your cup with whatever you want and top it with whatever you want and you pay by weight. The Red Velvet Cake yogurt was just like the real thing.

Sunday:

We got up early to run the Susan G. Komen 5K. It was in Central Park which I was thrilled about...I have never been through it before. You can't really appreciate the size of the park til you are IN it.....it's enormous. Gorgeous too.

Saw Dr. Oz (Love him!)

Celebrating Aunt Vickie!

After the race we rode the subway home, showered and literally 25 min later were having brunch with some of Megan's friends. The mimosas were so tasty and the company was wonderful. The rest of the day was spent in the pouring down rain going to Bed Bath and Beyond getting stuff for her apartment. We did get hungry and had Hummus delivered (apparently anything and everything can be delivered) and it was so good. Too good, as we ate so much of it at 2:00 in the afternoon that by the time our 9:00 dinner reservation rolled around we still weren't very hungry, but am I SO GLAD WE WENT to dinner anyway! We went to The Stanton Social on the lower East Side. It is a famous restaurant well known for their appetizer type dishes that are meant to be shared.

This picture doesn't do it justice but it was gorgeous on the inside.

This is one of the things we shared: French Onion Dumplings. It is literally a dumpling filled with french onion soup and topped with melted provolone and a crouton. 1 bite feels like you are biting into a hot bowl of soup....I most definitely will be going back there!

Monday:

Our last day :( We got up and walked on the West Side Highway again and saw Chelsea/Meatpacking District again. Then we rode subway to the Financial district because I really really really wanted to see the Brooklyn bridge. It's part of my sister's daily run, can you imagine that?? It's amazing how tiny you feel on this bridge that spans 1.5 miles...amazing.

Then we walked down to Otto, Mario Batali's restaurant. The pizza was made with fresh local ingredients...out of this world. Next was....drumroll please....CRUMBS! Bakery famous for their cupcakes that are the size of like 5 regular sized cupcakes. Without a doubt, best cupcake on earth. I brought home a sampler pack for JD...we've been tasting them and wishing we had a Crumbs nearby. Actually, it's probably a good thing we don't have one nearby.

We walked back over to Washington Square Park to eat them. Just divine.

The 3 1/2 days flew by much too quickly, but we enjoyed every minute! I'm so proud of my little sis and all she has accomplished! Love you Meg! Can't wait til next time!

Hamma Comes to Town!

2010-08-24T11:06:00.007-05:00

JD's mom, aka, Hamma, got to spend 10 days with us last week. We had a wonderful visit, and Morgan had so much fun with her! We are lucky she's a teacher and she can come from Seattle to spend some time with us every summer.

We went to Nick Jr. Storytime Live down at the Hobby Center. There were 4 short little plays...Backyardigans, Kai-Lan, then Wonder Pets and Dora. Morgan did NOT like the first 2 but loved the Wonder Pets and LOVED Dora! We wish it would have been 2 hours of just Dora..she was singing the songs and clapping along. It was so fun to see her so excited. She hasn't really seen the other shows, so we wondered if that's why she didn't like them.

She was exhausted when we went to lunch!

More fun with Hamma:

Hamma bought her first pair of boots!

Spent a day down in Kemah (Note to self: Do not go to Kemah during the day. In August. Ever.)

First time bowling!

1st day of Flips Gymnastics

2010-08-18T12:38:00.004-05:00

Today was Morgan's first day of gymnastics and SHE LOVED IT! I wasn't sure how she'd do, and she cried for the first minute...but after holding the teacher's hand for a few minutes, she did GREAT! She was so happy and jumping around everywhere. She followed directions pretty well for the most part and just was so excited to be there! I am so excited for this new adventure for her! I'm sure you'll be hearing lots about 'Gy-nastics' as she calls it! There's 2 really cute videos after the pictures....

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer!

2010-08-05T14:02:00.007-05:00

So long since I've posted last, yikes! We have been really enjoying our summer. We've been trying to keep Morgan busy indoors....it's way too hot outside.

So what have we been up to?

A little of this:

A little celebrating Daddy's Birthday..

A little of that....

And some of this too....

These tantrums are a new thing...she's usually so mellow and easy-going! I hear these last well into the 4th year! Sigh....

While the kids were playing upstairs today I ran downstairs for a minute. I came up and THIS is what I saw:

Morgan was so proud...she kept saying "Mommy WE MADE YOU A PICTURE!!"

God bless the inventor of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser!

Love You Forever

2010-06-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

Is it even possible to make it through that book without bawling?? I have yet to do so. So when Morgan chose that as one of her bedtime stories tonight, I made it through 3 pages before I lost it. Then our conversation went a little like this:

Morgan: What's the matter Mommy?

Me: Nothing sweetie, this book makes me sad and happy.

Morgan: But why?

Me: Because you are growing up just-oh-so-fast!

Morgan: Okay, Mommy, but I think you need to go blow your nose right now.

Ha! Guess my sniffling was annoying her!

Ever Feel......

2010-06-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

....like your heart could burst? Love this little girl so much!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T18:44:00.005-05:00

Kindermusik

2010-05-17T10:56:00.005-05:00

Friday was Morgan's last day of Kindermusik...to say she didn't like it.... would be an understatement. Which is confusing because she loves singing and dancing, loves her Gymboree Play N Music class, loves instruments, but she very much disliked this class. She would scream and want me to hold her, refused to participate, she even tried to escape a few times. 3 classes from the end she started to warm up and after the last class she asked when she could go back to Kindermusik! Grr......Wish I could get a refund and put it towards another semester!

At least Cullen loved it!!

"No Thank You!"

2010-05-14T14:19:00.003-05:00

This phrase is uttered by our precious daughter every. single. night. as she is pushing away her food. No doubt she's polite...but lord I've never seen such a picky eater! She won't eat ANYTHING! She won't try new things...I have run out of things to do to get her to eat! I've put it in muffin tins, used cookie cutters to cut it into fun shapes, called it "Dora's Favorite chicken" but nothing works! She DOES eat any and all fruit, cheese cubes, mac n cheese, and over-processed chicken nuggets but that's it. She has a HUGE sweet tooth and loves ice cream, cookies, M&Ms...where did I go wrong??? She rarely eats stuff like that...maybe once a month! We keep her plate out after dinner in case she changes her mind about being hungry but it's so hard! I want to give her something she loves but I know that will lead to me making separate meals for her and I don't want to go down that road.
Last night at 8:00 she was so hungry and still wouldn't eat:

I see many more nights like this in our future........

Easter and The Birthday Girl!

2010-04-12T14:02:00.012-05:00

The last 2 1/2 weeks have been a whirlwind around here! Lots of family visiting, people coming and going! My sister came to visit from NYC for a week, as did my aunt and uncle from Pittsburgh. We had such a great week and just relaxed and enjoyed the company!

JD's mom and stepdad were supposed to come down 2 days before Morgan's birthday but his mom got so horribly ill the day they were supposed to leave so we didn't get to see her :( But Papa Tony still came and we had a great time with him as well!

Morgan's birthday happened to fall on Easter this year so we celebrated her birthday on Easter with a family party and had another party a week later...whew!

My sweet Aunt and Uncle

Heading to Grimaldis...yum!

At Chuck E Cheese with Papa Tony

Aunt Megan and Morgan

She loved this dance game with Gamma and Papa Tony

Doing Easter Eggs the night before Easter.

The Easter Bunny came!

Easter egg hunt at church!

Opening presents!

She got her first dress up gown from Gamma!

I did a terrible job taking pictures at her other party :( I am so disappointed! She had a great party!

Minnie Mouse theme!

Party Favors:

Morgan's birthday gift from us, Hamma, Papa Tony, and Grandma and Grandpa Mauk! She loves it so much! We play outside everyday for hours it seems.

Morgan's 2 Year Pictures

2010-03-31T07:13:00.020-05:00

A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to book Courtney Moore for Morgan's 2 year pictures. She did such a good job....we were so very happy with how they turned out!
Some of our favorites: (sorry there's so many..it's hard to narrow it down from 150 pictures!:)

Laughs with The Laughter's

2010-03-14T21:56:00.005-05:00

This weekend we went to our good friends, the Laughter's, lake house. We had a WONDERFUL time and it was Morgan's first time on a boat! She was nervous at first, but then loved it. We enjoyed an awesome boat ride til the boat died 15 feet past the buoys. We rode for exactly 3 minutes.
Layne flagged another boat down so he could go get his jet ski to tow the boat. He got back to the house only to find the jet ski battery had died. So Kristyn had to flag someone down...thankfully some very nice gentlemen in a fishing boat were able to pull us back to the pier. It was pretty funny.
Jayce and Morgan were SO STINKIN CUTE together in their life jackets. Like I said, she had a great time!

Chocoholic

2010-03-12T15:12:00.002-06:00

Daddy stopped at the store yesterday to buy some brownies, and Morgan helped to make them. Well, more accurately, she helped to eat them!

(No worries about the double dipping, no one else will eat them but us:)

A Girl and Her Daddy

2010-03-12T15:04:00.003-06:00

Morgan gets so excited when Daddy gets home from work everyday. She runs up to him and they have a very special moment, just the two of them.

She started running when she saw his car coming!

Talking about the day's events!

Not sure who looks forward to it more: Morgan or JD?

Spring is Here!

2010-03-12T14:54:00.002-06:00

Time for:

Tank tops and sunglasses...

Giggling in the sun.....

Dancing outside...

Sidewalk chalk...

And outside toys!

Springtime has arrived in Texas.....and it's beautiful!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-03-12T14:35:00.006-06:00

JD and I spent 3 days in Las Vegas and had a ball! We had a lot of fun despite the fact that I was SO SO sick! I had a fever, chills, aches, which was all caused by a terrible cold. I could barely breathe but was a trouper! We went with our friends Kyle and Chelsea. JD and Kyle have been friends since THIRD GRADE! They have been through alot together and are really good friends.

My Mom watched Morgan and they did SO much stuff! I ran Morgan to the Dr the day we left due to a high fever. 4 hours before I boarded the plane I was standing in a pharmacy getting 3 prescriptions filled, as she had a double ear infection! Her first ear infection ever. That was pretty traumatic but she did great! Grandma took her to Gymboree, Kindermusik, Build A Bear, Chuck E. Cheese, and shopped and rode the merry-go-round at the mall. I'm sure she had some sweets in there but I don't even want to know about them! She had a great time and was too busy to miss us I'm sure!

Easy "Custom" Window Treatments

2010-03-10T12:06:00.007-06:00

I love the look of custom window treatments but don't have any room in the budget for them. When I saw the Little Green Notebook's tutorial for a window pelmet (or a cornice), I was ecstatic. This is just what I wanted! It was such a simple project and I love how the turned out! It ended up costing me about $22 to do both, which I didn't think was bad at all!! (I did get the fabric on sale at Jo-Anns so that helped too).

You will need: fabric (I didn't know how much to get so I got 1 1/2 yards and had some left over), batting, and some foam core board (I used 3 sheets). I also used staples and duct tape. (Really! I just followed the tutorial.)

I taped together 2 pieces of foam core board since one was not wide enough to cover the width of my window. I needed a piece 39 inches long.

I drew a design on the bottom that I wanted to cut out. I thought about leaving them in a rectangle shape but decided I wanted more flair. So I traced a lid off my corningware to get the perfect oval shape. (The round one was too small).

Then I used a box cutter to cut out the "design".

I duct-taped the sides to the front piece.

Then I stapled the batting and fabric to the back of the "frame", making sure to pull tight each time.

And here's how they turned out!

I'm linking up to the following parties:

First Haircut

2010-02-22T20:32:00.006-06:00

For some reason I have been dreading getting Morgan's hair cut. It seems like it's the last little piece of her baby days I have been holding on to! BUT it was starting to look a little "rat-tail-y" so I reluctantly agreed to trim it a little.

Morgan did great! She was happy and smiling the entire time.

First cut:

You sure you know what you're doing?

Keep your head down!

What does everyone think of my new 'do?

Our beautiful girl! She looks like such a big girl here!

Is this really the same baby?? Almost 2 years ago..sniff..sniff..

Homegoods Message Center Redo

2010-02-17T09:47:00.009-06:00

I love LOVE looking at all the fun pictures of things people have redone out in blogland. Seriously, people are amazing what they come up with! I have been feeling so inspired by everyone but not sure where to start, then I saw this message board at Homegoods! It was on clearance for $10.00...but it was in a sad sad state:

The top part was broken off and the lovely "tea party" print was peeling off.. So I sanded it, primed it, spray painted the outside brown and the inside with chalkboard paint, and added two little decorative swirly things from Hobby Lobby (I should have taken pictures of the whole process)..and here's the end result:

I distressed it with sandpaper after I painted it...I am happy with how it turned out! Bonus: the chalkboard is also magnetic so I made fleur-di-lis magnets (From HL) to go on there too.
Here's a close up of the distressing...love it!

I'm linking up to my first linky party at Kimba's A Soft Place to Land!

And Today's Creative Blog.
Also:

Simple Math

2010-02-14T13:55:00.005-06:00

(One Grandma to babysit)+

(One very loving and thoughtful husband)+

(One hotel downtown)+

(One amazing restaurant)

=One very unforgettable Valentine's Day! Thank you for such a special weekend honey! I love you!

22 Reasons to Smile

2010-02-12T15:09:00.003-06:00

Our sweet Morgan turned 22 months last week...my how time flies. She is growing up so fast and is such a precious blessing to us. I wanted to remember some of the funny/quirky/sweet things she is doing now so when I look back I will remember every detail!

22. It drives her nuts to have any doors or drawers open. She makes it her personal mission to close them all before proceeding with life.

21. Loves her markers and stickers. Would color and peel stickers off all day if she could!

20. Is so picky! We seem to rotate between the same 5 meals for her and anything that's new she flat out refuses to try it! Sigh...

19. She loves necklaces and flowers, is obessesed with both actually! If she sees a flower, real or fake, she asks "Can I have it ?" in a super sweet voice. It's hard not to throw everything aside just to give the kid a flower.

18.She luurrrves her family. She really truly loves everyone and enjoys the time spent with all.

17. If someone is crying she squats next to them and asks so seriously "Whatsa matta?"

16. She loves music and dancing. Loves singing too.

15. She greets everyone that passes by us when we are out and about! No matter if it's a man, woman, or child, she will wave her little arm off yelling HI til she gets noticed! Thankfully MOST people are pretty sweet and play along.

14. She just learned her phone number and address. Seriously. The. Cutest. Thing. Ever. And if you ask her who we call in an emergency she says "Oh Toodles!" (from Mickey Mouse Club)

13. If she wants something she will look at us with those big brown eyes and say "Can i have it pleeeaaasse?" Lord, she's charming!

12. Loves playing outside in her playhouse and going to the park.

11. When she's concentrating her little lips pucker into the cutest little pout...love it!

10. Loves helping! Putting away groceries, putting laundry in the dryer, cleaning, she loves it all...hmm...I can use this one to my advantage!

9. She does not like anything stuck on her fingers whether it be lint, food, or invisible who-knows-what, she wants it off. Now.

8. Her vocabulary is amazing..she never ceases to amaze us with the things that she says. The other day I asked for some (play) ice cream and she said "It's 20 bucks." What?? Where does she hear these things?

7. If she needs help with something without fail she'll say "Can I help you please?"

6. Always asks if she can hold me. I'm always happy to oblige!

5. I love our quiet time at night together, after story time, we rock for a little while and the world stops and all my worries are put on hold. It's a very special time.

4. She prays so sweetly and sometimes she will stop playing to pray. My heart soars to see her do so.

3. She would rather be reading than doing anything else. She sometimes gets so upset at bedtime because 8 books aren't enough. I believe she'd read all night if I let her! She adores being read to.

2. She loves playing with her kitchen and her babies. Then the next minute she's running and kicking the ball. Can't figure out if she's more of a girly girl or a tomboy?

1. When I get her in the morning she always tells me "I'm so happy to see you!" What a way to start the day! This child has got me wrapped around her finger!

The Most Wonderful Time of Year!

2010-01-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

We spent our Christmas in Seattle this year with JD's family. We had a fabulous time, and we got to do so many fun things! Morgan got so many nice presents from all her grandparents, and I can't imagine ever buying her another toy again (Ha, ya right). She loved playing with her cousins, and loved the snow.

Morgan did great on the plane to and from. She got nervous during take off and nearly climbed on top of JD's head. He had to literally peel her off, but once we were in the air, she did great! (Thanks to a portable DVD player....NEVER traveling without that!)

Here's some of the highlights of our trip!

We went to Leavenworth, a little German town north of Seattle...we had to drive through the mountains to get there...the view was unreal! Felt like we were in the Swiss Alps.

Playing with Daddy in the snow

Sweet face

Mommy and Morgan

We stayed in this amazing cabin! It was really nice!

The view from our cabin

Roasting marshmallows for s'mores

Yum! Toasted marshmallows are so good!

Warming up with Daddy

Christmas Eve service with JD's brother in law Josh, sister Becky,his mom, and our niece Maddie and nephews Jake and Luke

Family pic! Why are these so rare?

Opening presents from Hamma!

Poor baby got sick on Christmas Eve and had to borrow her cousin Luke's pjs since I didn't bring any over to their house...she totally looks like a boy!

Got a fun baby doll play set; even has a baby bjorn!

If Dora can fit in here, then surely I can too!

Opening her computer from Grandpa

After about 30 attempts we got this cute picture of the 4 cousins

Sweet Maddie and Morgan

Morgan got a Dora backpack from Hamma and was proud to have her very own carry on bag in the airport!

Santa came the morning after we got home (on the 30th) and brought her a retro kitchen...she LOVES it!

Santa also brought her a chef's outfit

Stroller and kitty from Santa, and the shoes are from Grandma

Ironing board from Aunt Megan!

Happy New Year!

May 2010 bring you health, love, and happiness!

Do You Believe in Angels?

2009-11-04T14:39:00.001-06:00

....I do!!

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-04T14:00:00.004-06:00

Morgan had a great time trick or treating on Halloween. She was confused at first but soon figured out that if she went up to the door she got candy and was loving every minute of it! At one house she turned around and announced "I have SO MUCH candy!!"...Not that her Mean Momma lets her have any....is that wrong?

We started the day off with a party at her Gymboree class.

Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch!

2009-10-17T21:02:00.007-05:00

Today was gorgeous outside, perfect for going to the pumpkin patch!
Look at our big girl!

Morgan and our neighbor's son, Troy

She tried to pick up every pumpkin she saw....

Til she found the perfect one!

She was so proud to carry it all by herself!

Last year: (sniff sniff...she's so tiny!)

18 Months and Counting!

2009-10-13T11:33:00.008-05:00

Morgan went to the doctor for her 18 month check up and everything is wonderful! She weighs 19 lbs 5 oz (STILL not on the chart), and she is 31 inches tall, (10-25th percentile). She is just a little peanut! Cullen (the precious 6 month old I watch during the week) weighs 17 LBS! A year younger than her and just about to pass her in weight!
She now knows her shapes and is close to counting to 20! Can sing chunks of the alphabet and loves loves LOVES to sing! She sings "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Mary had a Little Lamb", and "Frere Jaques". She made up her own song the other day:

Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?
I don't know.
Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?
I don't know, I don't know.
Where is Daddy?
He's at work!

On Sunday Morgan spent the day with Grandma and made cookies for the first time! She stirred and stirred the oatmeal and transferred it from bowl to bowl. It was messy, but she had so much fun. Grandma even bought her an apron for the occasion. (Wish I had gotten a picture of her stirring the oatmeal, it was precious) Thanks Grandma for a fun day!

And finally, after drooling over the cute Halloween decorations on other blogs, I decided to do my own (for cheap)!
The mantle: I feel like it needs something else but I figured its ok considering it only gets displayed for 31 days :)

Got the glass jar in Canton last weekend (20 bucks!) and went to Hobby Lobby and got 3 little pumpkins, hot glued them, then wrote BOO. I also cut up a black feather boa and that went into the bottom of the jar (also HL). The frame I already had and I just printed out a picture of a raven.

The twigs in the glass jar I already had, just added little bats! And the mongrammed pumpkin I saw on another blog and loved it! So made my own and glued some feathers around the stem.

This is the table in my entryway...I got the argyle pumpkin in Canton and used some of the cut up boa to make a wreath for it to sit on. And for the black feather wreath on the mirror, I used a hanger (bent into a circle) and hot glued the remaining boa on it. Voila! Cute.

Close up of pumpkin....gotta love Canton. 12 dollars!

And my Prissy Plate that I got at...where else...Canton! Love that I can change the color of ribbon for the seasons/holidays. Here is orange/white for Halloween.

And I found this at Canton (my whole house is Canton, I'm telling you, it's the best place EVER), and my mom had the idea to put these little pumpkins on there instead of candles. Might be fun to do beaded balls for Christmas? Anyways, I love it! It is so fun to decorate for Halloween and fall!

And one more thing....I found this sweet sign in Canton also. It greets our visitors when they come to the front door!

Oh, Sweet Girl of Mine!

2009-09-29T21:23:00.004-05:00

Our sweet Morgan just learned how to count to 10! She counts buttons on shirts, bubbles, pieces of cheese, everything...it's pretty cute!
I got some video of it the other day but of course I had taken her shirt off so her sweet potatoes wouldn't stain it...so here she is, shirtless and all!

Hard to believe she is almost 18 months. She is so full of life and laughter and fills our hearts with such joy! And what a ham...

Peekaboo!

I see you!

Playing at Market St

We're Still Here!!

2009-08-31T21:03:00.004-05:00

Whew...we are sorely behind on blogging... This past month has been insanely busy and seems everyday is nonstop til 10 pm and then I don't feel like blogging! The house is awesome, we love it so much. Closing was a nightmare, but that's another post in itself....I will post pictures soon. I keep wanting the house to be clean to post pictures but that never seems to happen, as there is usually stuff everywhere! One of these days.
Just wanted to update on sweet Morgan. She will be 17 months on Sept 4th. She amazes us constantly. Her vocabulary is unbelievable. She says pretty much any and everything. She goes around pointing all day naming stuff: tree, leaf, doggie, milk, chicken, ketchup, helicopter, cool whip, cheese, outside, orange, corn, and the list goes on and on. She is now starting to speak 2 to 3 word phrases: I love you is "I wub bu", "I comin", "bye Daddy" (or whoever is leaving at the moment), and she loves saying people's names. Getting quite good at it too! I love her sweet little voice, makes my heart swell every time, I swear. She knows the colors red and blue, and knows what a circle, triangle, and square are, and the letters A, B, C, and M.
She loves going to Gymboree classes, to see "Gymbo" the clown. She loves Dora, which is crazy because she really doesn't watch it, but we have tons of Dora books. Gotta love that Map and Backpack. Loves to play outside, I can't wait for the weather to cool down a bit.
She loves playing with her play food and her tea party set. She also really likes the daily craft we do, especially the glue stick!
She is still such a tiny little girl...still wears some of her 3-6 months clothes but is getting taller and moving into size 9 months. How does that seem like such a big size to me?
Every stage of her so far has been so much fun! I was looking at baby pictures of her the other day and boo-hooed: how could this time have gone by so quickly? I treasure every moment with her; they are far too fleeting to not do so!

Smile!

Her hair is growing in the back but not much on top yet!

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-11T19:31:00.003-05:00

We had a very exciting day today...we signed papers for our new home! We close in a week and half and could not be more thrilled. We made an offer on another house over 2 weeks ago only to find out last Thursday we didn't get it. We were pretty disappointed but didn't panic (like I always do), as we knew God had something else in mind for us! Well, He did us one better; a brand new house! We are so blessed that we are able to move. It never ceases to amaze me that God's plan is always better than my own. :)

PS: Still needs some finishing up and the new front door!

That's What Friends Are For

2009-07-03T22:23:00.005-05:00

Today was a wonderful day spent with 2 very dear friends and their sons. Got to see Jessie and her son Ben, and Jenny and her son Zach. Jessie just moved to a beautiful new house that we got to visit for the first time, and Jenny is back from Alabama for a few days! We just found out Jenny is moving back to Houston next summer! YIPPEE! These ladies and I have been friends for a very long time, and I am so beyond blessed to have them in my life!
Taking a picture of the 3 kids was impossible...we couldn't get all of them to look at the same time! AND Morgan had a small meltdown...which is SO not like her! She was exhausted and she was also teething on top of that! :( Poor baby.

The Gang's All Here!

2009-07-03T22:13:00.002-05:00

During the week, I watch 2 little guys in addition to Morgan! They are such sweethearts. While it does get a little busy at times, it is a lot of fun! Cullen is 3 months old and Nico is 20 months old (they are not related). When Melissa dropped Cullen off last week, he was wearing this shirt:

How CUTE is that??? She even had Morgan's picture on it and everything! I loved it!

Here's Morgan checking out his shirt....hmmm, this little guy is pretty cute!

Nico wanting to come and play with the camera :)

Happy Father's Day Dada!

2009-06-21T16:40:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day to the best Dada in the whole world!
Thank you for always singing me silly songs, and for reading my favorite books over and OVER again, and for the hours and hours you play with me!
I love our special times together and can't wait for many more!
I love you!
Love, Morgan

Gymboree Play & Music

2009-06-21T16:29:00.003-05:00

Our sweet little girl is BUSY BUSY BUSY! She is always moving at 100 mph and has so much energy. We decided to enroll her in the Gymboree Play & Music classes and she LOVES them. She climbs, runs, rolls, slides, plays with parachutes, goes over bridges, through tunnels, and up ladders. Her actual "class" is on Saturday and there's music and clapping and they work on upper and lower body strength, along with teaching them appropriate motor skills for her age level. Tuesdays and Thursday nights are "open gym" where you can go and free play. Those are her special dates with Daddy! Needless to say, when she comes home, she takes a 3 hour nap.....

Give Peas a Chance

2009-06-18T21:49:00.002-05:00

A-Splishin and A-Splashin!

2009-05-31T21:32:00.003-05:00

Took Morgan swimming today...she loves the water! The baby pool was great for her..it's only 1 foot deep. She wants to independently walk around in it by herself but I'm too nervous and paranoid to let her (shocking, I know). She kind of fell once and I instantly felt dizzy from worry, but she was fine.

Dancing Queen

2009-05-26T21:12:00.002-05:00

Morgan's current favorite book is Disney's "Ballerina Princess". Each time we are done reading it , we always twirl around with her. It didn't take her long to catch on to what a twirl was! We asked her to spin and twirl tonight and this is what we got........we could barely contain our laughter! Especially when she puts her arms up like the ballerinas in the book!

Tonight we got out her pool and let her splash around in it, and guess who wanted to join her?

Memorial Day Fun

2009-05-25T19:32:00.003-05:00

We went to Judi and George's house for a cookout today. We had a great time!
Got to see Melissa and Zach's little baby, Cullen. (I get to start watching him in 2 weeks, yippee!) Here is JD holding the little guy. Isn't he precious??

Morgan and Dada

Judi and George have a huuuge backyard and Morgan loved running around!

Running with Joey

Morgan even got to go swimming...she loved it so much! I need to get her in swimming lessons.

On a pool raft with Wendy. I forgot Morgan's hat so she borrowed Wendy's nephew's hat...she totally could pass for a boy!

Fun in Frisco!

2009-05-17T18:58:00.005-05:00

Stayed here.....

and wanted to swim BUT,

It was pouring down rain! SO

We splashed in puddles,

Climbed in suitcases,

And jumped on beds.

The whole reason we went up there:

Seattle Sounders were playing FC Dallas (Soccer),

Plus it was Drew Carey night so fans got a pair of glasses!

All in all, a very relaxing weekend away from home!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:16:00.005-05:00

Today was a wonderfully relaxing day! We spent the day at my Mom's house and Morgan played outside with her new beach ball sprinkler and with her water table. She loooooves playing outside. Later we grilled steaks and ate way too much yummy food! Morgan and I got to curl up and take a long nap...she is the best to take naps with...just a little snuggle bunny! :) Here are some pictures of our sweet girl from today.

I love this picture of her!

Water table: $40
Beach Ball Sprinkler: $12
Playing with the hose: Priceless

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-05-05T11:26:00.009-05:00

I know, I know! I have been gently reminded from a few people that I am very behind on blogging .....so hopefully this long post makes up for it :)
A couple of weekends ago, Grandpa took Morgan to the Zoo for her birthday. It was a beautiful day, and we all had a great time walking around looking at all the animals! Surprisingly, Morgan never seemed to get scared of any of the animals. I thought she would be frightened by some of them, but she liked looking at them all. Thank you for a fun day Grandpa!

The giraffes were so cute!

Riding the carousel with Daddy

Checking out the llamas

Being silly with Grandpa

Laughing at the monkeys with Daddy

This adventure left us with one very tired little girl!

Grandpa bought Morgan this table for her birthday...she loves it and plays with her dishes on it all the time. Thank you Grandpa!

Last weekend, my mom and I and Morgan went up to CANTON!! I just love going there so much, I can't get ENOUGH OF IT. I will post some pics soon of what I bought for the house, but I found Morgan these adorable shoes! She was so cute walking around in them, people were stopping to comment and these little old ladies even crashed their scooters into each other because they were staring at these shoes! They were fine but it was hilarious.

Here's a little video of Morgan bustin' a few moves :)

This is a video of Morgan putting on some "makeup". She sometimes sits on the counter when I put on my makeup and my blush ran out so I let her play with the empty case. This is what she did: I didn't show her what to do, this is all apparently from watching me do it. Too funny!

And finally, here is a video of Morgan saying "bye!". She says it then gives a big smile. You can see her top two teeth when she smiles like that...very cute stuff!

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-04-12T20:52:00.007-05:00

Aunt Megan surprised Morgan (and me) by coming in a day early so she could be at Morgan's party. Morgan loves her and loves the water table Aunt Megan gave her for her birthday gift.

How sweet is this picture?

Water table fun!

Grandma bought Morgan a slide for her birthday......she LOVES it and goes down over and over again! We have had some amazing weather and we enjoyed it outside all week.

Uncle Bob, Aunt Vickie, and Kristen came for the week from Pittsburgh to relax and see Morgan. They bought her a shopping cart and a play ice cream shop set. You guessed it...she loved it too! She's so easy to please!

Bye everyone!

Birthday Party Pictures

2009-04-07T21:34:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from Morgan's birthday party! She had a great time...and seems to love every minute being the center of attention. Where does she get this from?? Not me. And the theme was pink and brown......

JD and I got her a wagon which she got first thing that morning. She just came in and stared up at it, amazed. This picture pretty much sums up her reaction. Once she figured out you can ride it, she didn't want to come out of it!

The Party Banner: I made this!!

I had her dress made on Etsy.com. It has her name embroidered on it with 2 big bows at the empire waist and a cupcake sewn on the bottom. I will try to find a better picture of it...it was so adorable.

Oh My! Baby's Turning One!

2009-04-04T21:23:00.004-05:00

Our sweet Morgan turned one today! I can hardly believe it. I spent the day choking back many tears, and filled with much emotion. I am amazed how quickly one year has flown by. I will never forget the feeling when I got to hold her for the first time. A feeling of being complete, of pure joy. And it's just grown every day since then.

Dearest Morgan,
I remember the moment I knew you were coming. I was so happy, so excited, and scared, not sure what to expect of this journey, but knowing my life was going to change forever. Seeing your perfect face, tiny nose, lips, and chin, I couldn't believe how much I loved you, and was amazed how God paid perfect attention to every detail.
I spent hours reading books, understanding the science of your development, how you morphed from tiny embryo to a willful one year old. Still, it amazes me, stumps me, humbles me. Every night I watch you sleep, counting breaths, marveling at your long lashes, and the rise and fall of your chest. You have always been ahead of the game, eyes open and searching even those first few days of life. Later, you would lift your head and arms trying for hours to push yourself up, wobbling, concentrated, determined. How strange it seems those months ago you could barely grasp a rattle and now you march triumphantly around the house, banging a pot lid on the floor, carrying your baby. At 5 months you decided to crawl, rocking carefully, then springing forward. Soon came pulling up, then standing, then at 9 months you took your first shaky steps. The rest is history, you run circles around us, climbing and rolling, squatting and reaching, always learning.
You have taught me so many things this year, the delicious cuisine of soggy puffs, the joys of saying the same words over and over just to get a laugh. You have taught me that the simplest things are the most fun, and that a piece of paper can provide hours of entertainment.
You have taught me patience, love, and terrible fear. Crouching over you with the nose bulb as you struggled with your colds, reaching you seconds too late after a nasty tumble, and whacking your back every time you cough while eating. Every day brings me to my knees in thanks for your existence, for your love, and for your health.
And so, my dearest daughter, on the anniversary of the greatest day of my life, I salute you. May this next year bring you many discoveries, may you feel loved and cherished by your family. May you keep that wonder, and may you continue to find the joy in the small things.
I will always be here for you, when you want to play peekaboo, or snuggle, or when you want to be a monster and chase me. When you wake up at 4 am crying because your teeth hurt, I will always hold you and keep you close. I will try to let you go, to let you discover, I know you need that. As I watch you explore your world, always know, I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN.
I love you always and forever,
Mommy

PS: Birthday party pics to be posted tomorrow:)

Just born: April 4, 2008

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Four Months Old

Five Months Old

Six Months Old

Seven Months Old

Eight Months Old

Nine Months Old

Ten Months Old

Eleven Months Old

One Year Old

A Fun Weekend!

2009-03-22T12:42:00.008-05:00

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately, and I have been a bad blogger/emailer as a result!
Friday my good friend Jenny and her son Zach were here from Birmingham so we got to have a brief visit. It was so good to see them. Tried to get the perfect picture of the 2 kiddos but they just weren't having it! Zach was so tired, and every time we got him settled, Morgan had walked away to play! So here's the best of what we got!

What a little cutie!

Morgan loooves blowing kisses!

Morgan had her first taste of vanilla ice cream on Saturday....she was in heaven :) It was so cute to see her get so excited about it!

After the ice cream we went into Pottery Barn Kids, and she sat at the little table for over 20 minutes playing with the play dishes/play pots and pans. It was amazing...how does she know how to do that?? She loved it and didn't want to leave! Good thing she gave us some birthday ideas.....

She has never really had a lovey or any kind of security blanket/toy. She has plenty of things that could work, but just never showed in interest in anything. Well that changed last week...she will not go anywhere without her baby "Susie" (named after dear friend Susan, who bought it for her in Canton!) She carries it everywhere, and loves on it constantly. Hugs, kisses, the whole bit! She will walk and then just drop on the ground to hug it! She even tried to take her in the bathtub! So I guess that's her security toy now?? It's just adorable. Here is a video of her loving on Susie.

It's Official!

2009-03-11T12:16:00.005-05:00

We decided, after much discussion, to put our house on the market! We were going to move next year anyways, but with interest rates being so low, we felt now would be a good time. We have had a showing nearly every day since it's been listed, so hopefully someone will buy it soon. We are not in a hurry, but we certainly do not want to have our house on the market for several months! Not sure where we are going yet; we have spent our evenings searching har.com for the perfect house (Which by the way, is very addicting).

Morgan is doing great, we are planning her first birthday, which is April 4th, I can hardly believe it! I remember that day last year like it happened yesterday. She's gotten so good at walking and just walks all around the house carrying whatever she's fascinated with at the moment. She loves her bear (she calls it her "ba"). Really cute.

Hugs for Mr. Doggy!

She loves playing with her babies and pushing them around in the stroller!

Happy 11 Months!

2009-03-04T09:37:00.002-06:00

As I stood in her room last night and watched her sleeping, my heart was overwhelmed with her gentleness and grace. Her tiny little hands are so precious and so delicate. The sweetness of her lips is nothing less than perfect. I counted my blessings for my sweet baby girl, for God surely heard my heart and answered my every prayer. I love you Morgan! Happy 11 Months!

Drama Queen

2009-02-21T08:10:00.005-06:00

We seem to have a little drama queen on our hands! When she doesn't like something (especially when eating), she does these faces:

As soon as you give her something she likes or something she wants, she's fine and won't do it anymore. She's figured out how to manipulate Mommy already! :) She has been remembering the names of lots of different things....you can ask her where many things are and she will show you where it is. She can also do lots of actions! If you ask her to splash in the tub, she will happily oblige and make HUGE splashes. She can show you where her head is, where her ear is, and Mommy's nose. (But she has a hard time finding her own nose.) She loves to give herself kisses in the mirror. Its really pretty cute!
This is a video of her showing where her head and ears are. Ignore the ridiculous giggling you hear from the video, as that would be me. Usually if I giggle she joins suit but of course she didn't this time!!

Her new favorite activity is pulling clothes out of her dresser. I was getting her dressed and I went to look in the closet for an outfit, and when I turned around, this is what I saw: (she was happily talking away the whole time)

Fortunately my camera happened to be in her room at the time so I snapped away!

Seattle

2009-02-11T12:15:00.008-06:00

We are back from Seattle! We had such a wonderful time, and Morgan loved playing with her cousins. The babies were so cute together! We were so very busy the entire trip, but got to do so much and visit with some very special people. Thank you all for a wonderful visit, we love and miss you guys so much!

We surprised Madison for lunch at school!

Luke and Morgan hanging out! It's amazing to see the size difference in person...they are 2 weeks apart, but Luke is so much bigger than Morgan. They were so adorable to watch play together!

The joys of a doorstop! Finally someone who understands.... They both played with this for quite awhile, it was too funny!

Playing doctor with Maddie.

Hey what's that? I want it too!

Kisses from sweet Jake.

Tickling Maddie!

Helping Hama feed Luke.

On Tuesday afternoon, we went to Yakima to visit JD's Dad (AKA: Grandpa and Grandma Joan). We were having a great time, then Morgan and I both got a nasty stomach bug. Wow, there's nothing like seeing your kid sick like that. I, of course, panicked, but we just made sure Morgan got lots of fluids so she wouldn't be dehydrated. But we were very well taken care of, and we must have gone through 12 loads of laundry in the 3 days we were there! Even the car seat made it in the wash. But we got lots of rest and were feeling somewhat better for the trip back to Seattle on Friday. Needless to say, we didn't get as many pictures as we would have liked to.

Grandpa and Grandma Joan

They made Morgan this beautiful toy box!

Then when we got back Friday we celebrated JD's Grandpa's 80th birthday! We went to dinner at The Keg (where Morgan and I were both still pretty sick), but we had a wonderful time!

JD's Grandpa loves the Seattle Mariners, so for his birthday gift, he got a private tour of Safeco and we all got to come! It was awesome to see the stadium from the inside out! It was freezing that day but we stayed warm and took lots of pictures. Below is a picture of Papa with the scoreboard behind him wishing him a happy birthday.

The whole family in the press conference room.

Family pic in the dugout.

Morgan and Nana

There's nothing to it, strike a pose..........

Hama with her 2 favorite 10 month olds!

Then we came home to a very very sick dog...........SOO after having the carpets professionally cleaned and Lily taken to the vet, things are starting to get back to normal. Poor Lily was literally sick with worry if we'd ever return home!

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

2009-01-28T13:23:00.003-06:00

Here's a video of our baby girl walking (just a few steps)! Every time we pulled the camera out, she would drop to her knees and crawl. Finally this morning I got it on video. The most steps she has taken so far has been 6! I'm sure by tomorrow she will be sprinting...whew!

She had spaghetti for the first time...and she loved it! That's the good ol Italian blood running through her!

And she got a new chair from Pottery Barn kids! She loves it and climbs all over it like it's a jungle gym!

How Big is Morgan?

2009-01-23T08:58:00.002-06:00

SOOOOOO BIG!!

Last weekend, we took Morgan swinging for the first time! It's a hit! She kicked her little legs and was giggling the whole time! Looks like many trips to the park in the future!

How funny is this picture? I was making her lunch, and I looked over and she had grabbed this from the table nearby, and was "reading" it! It was one of those moments I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard! It's right side up too!

When Daddy left for work today, she crawled over to the door and started banging on it, and was babbling away. That's a first! So hurry home from work Dada....I want to play!!

Little Mama

2009-01-16T15:31:00.005-06:00

I took Morgan outside today so she could push her stroller up and down the driveway. She had a ball! She would stop every so often and flash her toothless million-watt smile. In the third picture you can see her pushing hard to get up the "hill". And the video at the end is our Little Mama in action! She looks like such a big girl doesn't she?!

Morgan's Top 5

2009-01-14T22:37:00.008-06:00

How do you like the new background/header? I made it myself!!! I am really proud of myself. I debated on having someone create a custom blog for me, but the fees are upwards of $65!! So after much research and googling, I found out how to do it...for free!! I am sure I will be changing it alot, depending on my mood :). It is so fun, and very addicting! By the way, if anyone knows how to make the header smaller, could you let me know? I can't figure it out for the life of me!

These are Morgan's top 5 favorite things to do at this moment. I'm sure it will change next week, but I wanted to remember what she was doing at 9 months old! At any given moment, she is doing one of the following:

#5-Swimming in Lily's water bowl

#4-Taking everything out of the diaper bag

#3-Standing

#2-Climbing the Kitchen Island
(and taking every cookbook off the shelf!)

#1-Reading books!
Morgan loves to be read to! It fills my heart with joy to have her crawl in my lap and listen to stories! She especially loves touch and feel books, and books with big pictures in it. Yay, a little bookworm to go with the big bookworm!

9-Month Check Up!

2009-01-08T11:38:00.007-06:00

Morgan had her 9 month check up this past week, and thanks be to God, everything looks great! She weighs 14 lbs 10 oz, which puts her in the 5th percentile..she's a teeny tiny little love! Her Dr. was not concerned, as she has always been small, and has been consistient in her weight gain. Now we get to feed her different foods, so that's been fun! It was discovered that this child LOVES yogurt! If she sees the container, she gets very excited and squeals! She likes cheese too (sound like anyone you know?), so thank goodness for that! Not a huge fan of the jarred chicken with rice, but seems to like the chicken mixed with apples.
She has been trying to feed herself with a spoon, here is a short video of it, it's precious!

Also, I have a new design for a onesie! My friend Jessica gave me the idea to use a guitar! I think it turned out adorable, but I need to find a more rock n roll print!

Happy 9 Months Morgie!

2009-01-04T09:36:00.002-06:00

This is insane...how can she be 9 months already?? I just HAD her. She has been so FUN! She has her first tooth coming in on the bottom, so she has been miserable all week, poor thing! Runny nose, painful teeth, etc. So that's not been fun for her. She has been clapping like crazy, but I haven't gotten in on video yet. AND she can stand without holding on to anything. She does this for about a minute, but she hasn't quite figured out what to do next. I'm not in a hurry for her to walk! I want to hold her in my arms forever!
Morgie, Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we are loving the personality we see coming through! A feisty and spunky,yet sweet and loving little girl!
I am so thankful to God for blessing us with her. I'm constantly in awe of her and that she's ours. 9 months later, it still amazes me.
Love you Sweet Girl!

More Christmas!

2008-12-30T14:10:00.006-06:00

We were so blessed this Christmas to have my Uncle Bob, Aunt Vickie, and cousins Kristen and Adam join us from Pittsburgh for 5 days! We had a wonderful time! Lots of fun, food, and of course, Rock Band! It has been years since we have all been together on Christmas. We miss you guys, can't wait to see you again!

My Aunt Megan was here from Chicago too!

Hanging with Uncle Greg!

Morgan and her Great-Uncle Bob

Rock Band

Adam and Great-Aunt Vickie

A picture of the whole family! (Morgan was trying to escape.)

All the cousins!

This child is always the center of attention!

Morgan with Kristen

Aunt Vickie rocking her to sleep!

Christmas!

2008-12-30T12:39:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! It was so fun to watch Morgan open her gifts...she was a pro at it...like she's done it a million times before! :) And it's true, who needs Santa when you have Grandparents??

Video is dark but it's Morgan squealing from sheer delight at opening a gift!

2 Handsome Boys and 1 Darling Little Lady!!

2008-12-30T10:01:00.007-06:00

A couple of days before Christmas, Morgan and I got a chance to get together with some very dear friends of mine....Jenny, Jessie, and Ashley! Jenny has a 3 month old little boy named Zach that we got to meet for the very first time! He is SO PRECIOUS! They live in Birmingham, so we were very excited to see them! Jessie has an ADORABLE little boy named Ben, who was born 48 hours before Morgan! So they are very close in age. Jessie lives in Pearland, so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like! We have all been friends for a long time (about 17 years!), and we have all been in each other's weddings and now are enjoying sharing our children! They were all so cute together!

Jenny with her sweet boy Zach.

Jessie with her precious son, Ben.

Santa

2008-12-18T06:44:00.002-06:00

Last week, we took Morgan to go see Santa! She isn't too keen on facial hair, so we were sure she was going to freak. But she didn't cry! She was fascinated by his beard and was touching it. Meanwhile, JD and I were doing flips trying to get her to smile, but she wouldn't give us one! And what's up with this....they only take 3 pictures! Probably so parents like me don't continue asking for more to be taken!
Morgan's newest feat is standing on her own for about 15 seconds! She doesn't do it all the time, but she will be holding on to something and then let go! And then she's just standing there! I have had a stern discussion with her, she is not allowed to grow ANY MORE! Waaaa, it's going by so fast! She changes everyday! We love asking where stuff is "Where's the Christmas tree?", "Where's Dada?", "Where's Lily", etc. She will turn and stare at the mentioned subject. Really cute stuff!

Morgan's Cousins

2008-12-13T10:26:00.003-06:00

Here is a picture of Morgan's cousins from Seattle! Madison, Jake, and the little guy is Luke! Luke was born exactly 2 weeks after Morgan! This is their Christmas picture...how gorgeous are these children? We love and miss them so much and hope to see them soon! Love you guys!

SNOW!!

2008-12-10T22:28:00.003-06:00

I can't remember the last time it snowed here! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself!! Sorry for random pics.....I was just trying to get a picture of it sticking!

Baby Sew Sweet.........

2008-12-06T18:55:00.003-06:00

is up! Come visit my little store by clicking here.
PS: there's a giveaway!

Happy 8 Months....(sniff)

2008-12-04T17:37:00.006-06:00

Oh, I am feeling a little sentimental tonight....just thinking about these past 8 months, and how they have been the greatest 8 months. I know I say it all the time, but we were just so extremely blessed with this sweet little girl! I am so thankful for all the people in our lives who love her just as much as we do! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends...thank you!
I love the way her smile lights up the room, and I love the sound of her giggles! I love the way she regards everyone with a gentle grace (unless you have facial hair...), and I love to hold her with her head on my shoulder and feel her little chest sigh. Oh..bliss, I tell you! We love you so Morgie!

A Blessed Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T10:00:00.010-06:00

Whew! We had a busy Thanksgiving holiday! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family, and so happy and grateful we could be together!

Morgan had the best time with her Aunt Megan! They got to spend some really special time together. You are a wonderful Aunt, I miss you already! Can't wait to see you soon!

This is how we eat in Chicago....

Playing with Aunt Megan and Uncle Greg

Hama and Papa Tony got to come down from Seattle and spend the holidays with us! We had so much fun with you guys! It went by waaay too fast! Morgan loves you guys so much! We miss you! Thank you for coming to see us!

On Thanksgiving morning, my Mom, Megan, and I participated in the GE Run Thru the Woods with friends Judi, Melissa, and Zach. JD got to go with his Mom and Tony to the Seattle Seahawks game in Dallas! He had a great time even though the Cowboy fans were kind of obnoxious! He has had the tickets for MONTHS and was very happy to have the day finally come! Next year the Seahawks are coming to Houston to play the Texans! He's already counting the days! Boy sure loves his Hawks!

Here are some really cute pictures I couldn't resist posting!

JD put her on this little bike at Target. She obviously couldn't reach the pedals, but grabbed right on to the handlebars and was just so happy to sit on it! This is her smile where she scrunches up her face....priceless.

Hama bought her a dollhouse bookshelf for Christmas! It looks so very cute in her room! Don't worry, she's not pulling it on herself, I propped her up on it! Thank you Hama!

Busy Girl!

2008-11-18T21:48:00.004-06:00

Yikes, I realized I haven't posted in awhile! Here is some cuteness from the last few days! I dropped a spool of ribbon during my shirt-making fiesta, and Morgan went to town. She was highly entertained for almost 30 minutes with that thing.

Gotta represent Seattle! She was wearing this Huskies outfit, which her Hama bought for her, and Daddy thought she needed the hat to complete it. Nevermind that it's a newborn hat and barely fit on her head.

Sitting in Daddy's chair.

Here's a short video of our busy girl walking tonight. She is getting so much stronger! She is SO SO busy. She crawls everywhere and gets into everything. Whew....keeps me on my toes for sure!!

Baby Sew Sweet

2008-11-18T21:36:00.005-06:00

Check out the cool things I have been making! I am so excited about them! I actually sold some things at a little Holiday Market recently. Thought it would be a fun way to get some extra money. Pass it on....if anyone is interested in anything they see, I would be so so happy to make it for them! I also make onesies, and matching hairbows too. :) I am in the process of setting up a blog just of the things I make...so hopefully it will be up soon!

Happy 7 Months

2008-11-04T15:34:00.004-06:00

Morgan is seven months today! That seems so unreal that our tiny princess is 7 months! Where does the time go? Wow. It seems all I do lately is laugh at her, she is such a little ham! She is so easygoing and at the same time is so very busy. Grandma bought her the Fisher Price Fun With Friends Musical Table and it is the greatest invention ever! All Morgan wants to do is stand up, and this table is the perfect height for her to do that. It has a laptop. phone, piano, and book that sings, or does alphabet songs. I highly recommend this toy to anyone who has a baby! Morgan loves it. Thank you Grandma!
My Mom, Morgan and I went to Canton First Monday with our good friend Susan, and we had a great time! Hotel (ahem!) could have been better, but a wonderful time was had nonetheless! We left at 5:00 am on Saturday morning and got home Sunday around 6:00 pm. For those of you who sadly believe Canton is a "craft fair", you are sorely missing out. It is the the best place to go shopping! You can find things that look like it came from Pottery Barn but pay dirt cheap prices. Found lots of cute stuff for Morgan's room, and got some nice things for the house. Anytime anyone wants to go, I'm so there! It is such a magical place for me! I am obsessed! Check out a couple things I got for Morgan's room. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what they have/what I actually bought.

There Are No Words

2008-10-31T03:22:00.002-05:00

Watch this video!

Yes, that would be Morgan WALKING.

5 Seconds

2008-10-30T23:00:00.003-05:00

5 seconds is all it takes! I decided to take Morgan and Lily for a walk, and I ran to get my sunglasses. I had the leash already clipped on Lily while Morgan was in the living room on her blanket. I ran into my bedroom, got my sunglasses, came back out, and this is what I found....priceless! How did she move so fast?

Feeling Inspired

2008-10-30T22:54:00.004-05:00

Here's my latest project...don't laugh! I got a sewing machine for Christmas 2 years ago and it has been in my closet, unopened. My Mom came over a few weeks ago and showed me how to use it, and this is what I have been making! I LOVE the custom look of a "boutique" burp cloth, but refuse to pay $30.00 for something that is just going to be spit on! I'm still practicing, but here's a few of what I've done so far! Too much time on my hands, you say? I do it while baby is sleeping, it really doesn't take long at all! Very fun!

B-A-Y-L-O-R Baylor Bears Fight!!

2008-10-25T12:22:00.003-05:00

Finally some Baylor representation! Go Bears! Please win a game soon! I couldn't narrow down the pics so you get to see them all :)