Life with the Morgans

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T06:27:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I have spent time thinking about 2011 and the things coming for 2012. Wow! I am amazed what we walked through and what we are hoping for this year. New experiences. New friends. A new church (YES!! We've found one and joined! Look Here) The same goals: read more, save more, less debt, pray more, better mom, cook more often/less eating out. And then my REAL focuses of 2012: read the whole Bible and a half marathon (13.1 miles). I've had my eyes on a diva run in Myrtle Beach in May since oh, October, and I'm going to do it. Just looking for buddies.

We rang in the New Year at 'official' Greenwich time, 7 pm (eastern), in Mount Olive, NC. Home of Mount Olive Pickles. Yes, the dropped a pickle. (Look Here) We have the pickle festival on the calendar....

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-12-16T11:51:00.000-05:00

Today is Mom's birthday. The girl's favorite cartoon, Phineas & Ferb, capture the best way to honor Mom this day.

A fat turkey

2011-12-09T23:12:00.001-05:00

Our fat turkey really wasn't fat. Our fat turkey wasn't even a turkey. Our fat turkey was Kailey. In her class Thanksgiving production. She shook her feathers.

More Pictures of New Bern

2011-11-05T19:28:00.002-04:00

I wasn't able to publish all my pictures from my phone. So here's more.

Nov 5th

2011-11-05T19:25:00.002-04:00

Oh November 5th, you came again. Funny how you come every year. I always come back to the circle of life on this day. I have some Facebook friends with birthdays today. And then there are my memories and memories you, my readers, have- not to take those for granted. Jason pointed out how much has changed in 5 years, but memories never do. Today, we did distraction. Distraction is good and we made memories. Dad has been with us this week and we went for an adventure today. We went to explore the Tryon Palace in New Bern. info here
We had a lot of fun. It was very interesting touring the palace and walking the 16 acres of gardens. The kids were awesome! The tour guide even called them saints! There was the Pepsi Family Center with a time machine to transport you back to 1835. We learned about a ship, cooking in 1835, and how to distill turpentine.

Shine

2011-11-05T19:03:00.002-04:00

Lexi made this at school and it was too good not to share.

Halloween

2011-11-03T15:11:00.002-04:00

Our Halloween was a bit different this year. Yes, partially for the obvious reasons--we are somewhere new. But also because it rained! It started raining around 3, as Mark and were heading to Kailey's conference. [More later.] The girls were very excited to go trick-or-treating and were very disappointed when it started raining. Thankfully, one of our neighbors came to the rescue. They had everyone over and the neighbor kids were able to see each other's costumes. The Dad came up with an idea for trick-or-treating as they had begun to see some braving the rain. They cleaned out their van and put seats down. I think 9 kids (and 3 moms) piled with rain coats and ponchos in very excitedly. We'd spot a group of houses and I'd open the door and the kids would run out and up to the door. What a blast!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T11:43:00.002-04:00

In blogger-land there is 'wordless Wednesday.' I thought these pictures would be perfect today. These are fresh pictures. I just went and checked on T and found him like this.

A story for your Sunday

2011-10-22T22:18:00.001-04:00

As Kailey was getting ready for bed tonight, she sat in her bed looking through one of her Bibles we unpacked this week. I was excited she was looking at it because it was more at her reading level (but it's a Bible-I know- I should just be excited that she was investigating it on her own.)

She asked if this Bible had, 'You know, like 1st Kings and 2nd Kings.' I responded that I thought it was more of a story Bible than one with the books in it. I asked her if she wanted one with books in it because I had just found one that I had set aside for her when she was ready. I found my Precious Moments Bible at the same time I found the story Bible. I handed it to her and we checked it out for 1st and 2nd Kings. It passed the test.

She told me that at church, they look for the 'contents' and find the book they need. If they need help, then the teachers will help them. She was excited to take this Bible with her to church tomorrow. Priceless.

BOYS

2011-10-21T11:24:00.002-04:00

I continue to be amazed at the things Tyler does. I only have 13 months of experience into boy-hood, and I still have no idea what I'm doing. We've put together the tunnel so he can crawl thru it-especially at night when Mark isn't home to wrestle around.

My 1yr old boy

2011-10-09T20:03:00.002-04:00

Yep, Tyler turned 1 this week. [Okay, so yes I know this is late--it's October].

And yesterday, Tyler hit 13 months. We celebrated by going to a local pumpkin patch. We had a good time exploring the patch-with pumpkins still growing on the vines. They had a huge slide (big hit) and a tractor ride.

Friday House Update

2011-09-03T09:26:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the Friday House Update! It's Saturday you say? Well, I took the pictures yesterday. They made some obvious progress this week. But at this point, it's all forward progress and closer to the goal of closing in two weeks!

State Farmer's Market

2011-08-28T16:09:00.002-04:00

We needed out today! After yesterday's rainy windy day thanks to Irene, we needed sunshine and exercise! We went and explores the local farmer's market. I had seen the signs and I had heard people talking about it.

The peaches are marble--I'm assuming that's the variety. But they are the sweetest peaches ever!

First Day of School

2011-08-25T17:31:00.002-04:00

Kailey started 1st Grade today and I thought you'd like to see her picture. She will ride the bus from our new house. So we are starting her on the bus now, just commuting to the bus stop.

Fridays

2011-08-19T23:53:00.003-04:00

The highlight of our Fridays right now is making the trip to see the progress that has been made on our house. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see it from the beginning stages. I did see the first floor being framed, but we were still making decisions, not thinking about pictures. (Darn it!)

Updating the blog

2011-08-18T21:55:00.003-04:00

Updated 8/21/11--no one emailed me. So I was able to put 10 people in that automatically get the blog to their email when I post. I know I missed someone. I will put a link on the blog where you may "subscribe" to get those that I missed. Love to you all.

Hey Friends and mostly Family--
I am updating the blog, making it pretty again and posting new or current pictures. So much has happened-good, fun memories, and the drama- that I want to blog more to keep you updated on life here in North Carolina. Could you do me a favor and send me an email that you received this post straight to your email? (sasmorgan@gmail.com) I went to add an address to my list and the whole field was blank. Thanks a bunch. Love to you all. -Stacey

The Great Journey East, Entry 6

2011-08-12T11:49:00.003-04:00

On Thursday we began our journey to North Carolina. I wasn't sure how far we were going to make it, but we were going to give it our best shot to make it the 9 hours to Raleigh. And we did give it our best shot! We made it to Knoxville doing good. We made one stop for lunch and got on our way. We were enjoying the view as we crossed over the state line into North Carolina.

The highway was very busy, with semi-trucks and cars. The trucks have their own lane-the right lane. So I was staying in my left lane and we came upon a curve. A semi-truck decided, or didn't see me, to join us in our left lane. We had just passed the cab of the truck...so Katie and Kailey saw wheels up close! He scraped the side of the van and instinctively I slowed a little and moved a little to the left. I was then able to make it to the rightside shoulder of the road to examine the damage. The driver immediately following me pulled off also. He saw everything that happened- but also how quickly things could have changed involving him. The semi-truck did pull off also. Highway Patrol (HP) was called, buy it took 45 minutes because they couldn't find us. We didn't know what mile marker we had just passed. Everyone is fine- the van has $4600 worth of damage. We were about 40 minutes from Ashville. We went and got dinner with Katie now driving a full van and one side mirror. Luckily, Darrel was at Ridgecrest and was able to secure rooms for us to spend the night. [Thank you again Darrel!] Mark came and met us. We had to get the car seats into his vehicle to make the viewing out of the rear view mirror possible. We finally made it to Raliegh, got a rental, and dropped the van off at a body shop at 4:45pm.

At this point, I wish everyday for my van. The added drama it added to our life can't have a price tag assessed. But, as Katie kept saying, 'We're makin' memories!' I continue to go back through what happened. It happened SO fast that it's a blur. I know we were so lucky! It could have been so much worse--I continue to say that it was because so many people, Facebook friends, family, and church family, were holding us up in prayer. Glory to God!

The Great Journey East, Entry 5

2011-08-12T11:18:00.001-04:00

We had a great time in Nashville with
Aunt AJ and Uncle Darrel. We spent 3 days with them and exploring the city. We got to see some college friends. Our kids have played together on several occasions so they are always excited to see each other again. We went and experienced the Nashville library. The downtown library has an awesome storytime with puppets, singing, and stories with the Professor and MaryMary. Their first story was one of our all-time favorites, 'Lama lama Red Pajama.'

Finally!!!! The beach!

2011-08-07T14:39:00.001-04:00

The Great Journey East, Entry 4

2011-08-04T06:40:00.001-04:00

We finally made it to our hotel in Louisville. Got a lite confused switching highways, but made it! We were all tired and needed sleep! We played with some friends at the Louisville Science Center. They had an awesome Narnia exhibit that I wad sure Kailey would enjoy. We walked thru the wardrobe, sat on the frozen throne, saw many costumes from the movie, and catapulted some 'rocks'. They had a children's area for under 7, and two other floors we explored. After lunch, we loaded up and our goal was Nashville!

The Great Journey East, Entry 3

2011-08-04T06:30:00.001-04:00

We left Grandma Connie's in pouring rain and 20 degrees cooler than when we packed the car three hours earlier. We were heading to Indianapolis to see a college roommate and then to Louisville to play with some other friend's. For our first travel with Tyler he did great! The girls did too. We drove past the Indy 500 speedway on our way to meet Jan.

The Great Journey East Entry 2

2011-07-27T17:08:00.001-04:00

Day 2.
Playing at Grandma Connie's. Grandma Connie has great toys that she saved from when Mark and AmyJo were little. We went to visit Great Grandma. Had dinner with Uncle Marlin and Aunt Cherie. Saw Uncle Terry, Aunt Bert, and Cousin Bret.

The Great Journey East Entry 1

2011-07-27T16:45:00.001-04:00

Day 1.
We traveled from Dad's to Grandma Connie's. We were going there anyway, but now we had to pick up Tyler. Connie took him home with her for 10 days so I could recover. The girls did great! We were traveling about 6 hours.

A trip to the ER

2011-07-09T22:07:00.001-04:00

So Thursday night I started having this stomach pain I have had before. An continuous pain on the left side if my belly, like right under my rib. It always confuses me in the beginning, making me think I'm hungry. So I ate something, slept a little, and woke up. The pain was getting worse and just wouldn't go away. So called Mark, in North Carolina, and decided I was going to the ER. I had never gone when I had the pain.

I had kinda thought I'd drive myself and let my friend stay with the kids. But her version of the story is that I was 'doubled over in pain in the driveway.' I was waiting outside and sitting on the back bumper of the car. I called another friend and my neighbors. The neighbor girl stayed with the kids and Melissa took me to the ER.

Once back in a room, they decided to do a CAT scan and an ultrasound. The CAT scan confirmed my gall stones and I was invited to stay. It was about 4 am that our ER par-tay was coming to a close and I was wheeled upstairs. I asked to go to the Birthing Center because it's nicely remodeled and has awesome showers. But the said I couldn't. Bummer!!

Around 7am Friday, I had another ultrasound (cha-ching) of my gall bladder and saw my stones. A nice pod of like 5 stones...those were what we could see. My awesome Doc came to visit and with our move schedule she was pushing to get me on the surgery schedule for the day. She joked that this wasn't the ideal 'last visit'. Surgeon came and I was on deck for 5 pm. So I waited and had some great visitors until Mark was able to make it back.

Word came that the surgeon was running late and finally went down to prep about 6:45 pm, only to wait a little more. I stop remembering things about 8ish as the happy medicine was taking affect.

I have some wonderful battlewounds and great pictures of my gall stones and my gall bladder before it came out.
I have some good pain as the incision around my belly button ended up a little bigger than expected.

Now to recover and prepare for the packers.

Kailey

2011-06-16T00:07:00.001-04:00

Thought you'd like to see Kailey's exciting last couple of days. The floral shirt happened Saturday. The pink is Monday.

Tyler 8 months

2011-05-15T19:17:00.003-04:00

Here's some 8 month pictures of Tyler. He's a busy boy! Hardly sits still, sleeps well, and eats good- enjoying trying to feed himself!

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T17:07:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day....belated!
We had a great day. We went to church and or community group fellowship. We had lunch with Dad-Mark made some great burgers! We did some shopping and playing. And we did some landscaping...because we found out we were going to have a showing Monday.

I had a few minutes to reflect and be thankful for the women in my life who fill the holes for me. There are many. I often spend Mother's day thinking about me and the kids, not allowing it to be a sob-fest kinda day.

I'm struggling this morning

2011-02-15T09:56:00.001-05:00

I'm really struggling this morning. I have many things things to complain about, or at least I think I do. And at the root of it all is that I feel like I have to get it all done! I am trying to re-establish a much needed routine of getting out of bed and work in my Bible Study first thing in the morning. Oh man! I can just feel Satan trying to get me down because of it! Oh and does he LOVE a dramatic Sunday morning trying to get to church! He pulled out all the stops this week! But we made it and so glad we did! Words that I needed to hear. And back to today, I went for my SuperMom cape and realized it wasn't going to be enough for the day. But maybe the Armor of God will be.

Tyler 5 months

2011-02-09T23:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry there has been no posts lately. I have taken lots of pictures intending to! I have lots of ideas and things I want to do and they either aren't working the way I want them to or I just don't have enough time for everything! So at least you get this! Tyler hit the big 5 month milestone yesterday (I'm only a day off, that's a start!!) He has started rolling over and moving himself all around his blanket to get to what he wants. There is definitely the beginning stages of crawling. The one we see usually is pushing himself up with his arms straight. I have just weened him from nursing and he is holding his bottle mostly by himself. He's lost a lot of hair with just a few remaining long strands. The new growth is very visible up close. This is new to us as the girls never lost their hair!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T00:20:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas has come and almost gone. Girls not staying in bed...still spinning from the fun couple of days and the excitement of Christmas. We went to Barbee ("Papa's church") for Christmas Eve candlelight service and a special Children's Christmas "Interactive" Service. It was pretty neat. [My letter that comes between J and L and also beings my first born's name isn't functioning on my *eyboard tonight.] The children that came were given costumes to participate in the reading of a special version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with the nativity. As you can see the girls were angels. We open presents with Papa and Jason & *atie after church. Then there was a late night for Mom and Dad as we prepare everything....and our message from Santa said he wanted grilled cheese sandwich with his coo*ies and chocolate mil*. Girls wo*e up this morning excited and presented were opened. *ailey's highlight was the Lego house which she spent nearly 4 hours putting together with the guidance of Jason and Mar*. Lexi's highlights are the Strawberry Shortca*e remote control car, which will run you over, and the zhu zhu pets trac*. Well, just wanted to get a few pictures posted for you to enjoy. Merry Christmas!

Kailey's things to share

2010-11-21T23:23:00.000-05:00

Kailey drew this not too long ago. I thought I'd share and in turn have it documented. This is what she thinks God looks like.
Ahhh, God to a kindergartner.

The next pictures are the Family Tree she had to make for school. Of course, Mom waited until last minute because of the pictures and search of the some of the harder ones. And we didn't have a picture of Zoey, the other "cousin dog".

My New JOY Item

2010-11-20T22:57:00.000-05:00

I tend to find a new JOY item every holiday. There are tender memories associated with JOY (see here) but I wouldn't trade those memories. I actually re-read my post about my JOY ornaments before writing and had forgotten about the bookmarks. When I saw the JOY item I instantly new exactly where I was going to put it. When I get past all the "birthday" and get to the "Christmas" decorations, I will hopefully get another picture up. I hope I am able to keep the meaning of JOY in the forefront of my mind this season.

I have a Mom story to share. One of my college roommates has returned to SBU as a professor in the Education Department. On one assignment, a student wrote about a "spelling hangman" game that she remembered. She had to give a reference for her game and she wrote, "Mrs. Osterberg." Our God is a God of details. This student had Mom in 3rd Grade and remembered this game for her assignment. (Who remembers that!) She is now in college, with a teacher that had met Mom. She could have gone anywhere and had any teacher! My roommate posted on my facebook wall, "Your Mom's legacy is still living on!"

Don't worry Katie. I got one for you too.

Happiness in November

2010-11-20T22:25:00.002-05:00

There's a little girl in our life that is very special. Her name is Lexi. And she made November happy for us. Dad called her a turkey when she was in my belly. He'd say, "She's having a turkey." Due on Black Friday....of course, her parents have worked retail for years. She's a compliant second child in many ways. But can beat to her own drum in many other ways. She's precious. She's our Lexi and she's now three.
Happy 3rd Birthday Lexi! (She was so funny...I don't know if you can see her expression before we started to sing. She had said "Are you going to sing Happy Birthday to me?" Partially thinking she might not get sung to, but also HEY YOU NEED TO SING TO ME!

Kailey's Birthday

2010-11-09T00:15:00.000-05:00

Wow! I'm really behind! I'll try to catch you all up. I know my extended family enjoys reading and seeing the girls. I'm trying to keep up! Kailey is 6! I can hardly believe it. Oh, I haven't done first day of school yet, either! ok, one at a time. So much has happened since the day Kailey was born. She is very kind and compassionate (we believe she acquired the compassion trait from helping take care of Mom.) While she does have a few really good friends, she is a good friend to many. She is starting to show some leadership characteristics at school. She knows the answer to most questions her teacher asks. Her teacher will call on her when no one else knows the answer because she will not boast about answering.

We had two birthday parties for Kailey. One was a family party, and one with her friends. One of the things she wanted was her "WHOLE" family together. Well, she got it mostly...we didn't get Uncle Darrel. She was pretty excited to have Aunt AJ around for a couple of days, as well as Grandma Connie, and Jason, Katie, and Papa.

Halloween and Trunk or Treat

2010-11-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

We had to great creative with our Halloween costumes this year. For school, Kailey had to be a "storybook" character and bring the book. We spent a lot of time this summer reading books from the library, especially Eloise. Eloise is a 6 year old girl that lives at the Plaza Hotel. Kailey and Lexi have enjoyed the books and a movie we found on the Disney channel. So we had the idea to be Eloise for Halloween. Shirts were found. Shoes bought by a fill-in Grandma "Mor-Mor" and shirts made by Grandma Connie....who did a wonderful job!

We took our Eloise idea a little bit further...BMPC's 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat event. (A trunk or treat is where people gather in a parking lot and decorate their trunks and hand out candy. They are a big hit because they are a safe alternative to door-to-do trick or treating. We had a great time in our "Plaza Hotel". I've not heard totals from church. However, I would say I handed out over 300 pieces of candy. Our red carpet didn't work with the traffic flow....

We had special friends join us. This is Molly, the princess bride, in the middle. Molly lives in Florida, and came to spend the week with her family and Mor-Mor, her real Grandma. We had so much fun having them around to play.

"Mor-Mor" was lined up because last year it was SO COLD and WINDY!! This year was BEAUTIFUL!! So she came to church to hold and love on Tyler. Thanks Mor-Mor!

November 5th

2010-11-08T18:41:00.000-05:00

This year marked 4 years without Mom. Hard to believe its been 4 years already! Thanks Phyllis and Ruth for your emails. We had our "memorial" meal Thursday evening at Ventana's with Margaret. I couldn't go on Friday (the actual 5th) and they only serve lobster bisque on Thursdays. Lobster was one of Mom's favorites and she really liked the girls' at Ventana's bisque. I'm actually starting to like it!

This is Tyler's first visit to the cemetery.

Tyler, One week

2010-09-26T15:21:00.000-04:00

Our favorite photographer came when Tyler was a week old to take pictures. Here's the sneak peeks.
Go to Patty's website here.

Meet Tyler Wooden Morgan

2010-09-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

Tyler Wooden Morgan was born Wednesday morning, Septemeber 8th, at 9:11am. He weighed in at 8 lbs, 6 oz, and 20 3/4" long. He made for a challenging delivery with a face presentation (resulting in the bruising you might be seeing around his mouth, chin, and nose). Doc is calling it a once in a career delievery! I was very close to having a c-section. His chin was pointing up rather than being close to his chest at one point. She was able to move him some and he moved some of the way on his own as I pushed. Anyway, it was a long night! You are probably wondering where the "Wooden" came from....Mark is a huge John Wooden fan. Yes, John Wooden the late, great basketball coach. He has a leadership principle in a pryamid that Mark uses in his management. And actually it was some of his managers who suggested using "Wooden" as Tyler's middle name.

I'll have to post more later. Two girls not in bed, school tomorrow, and a baby crying....my new life.

Hope Floats

2010-07-28T17:11:00.001-04:00

I got a daily devotional I had been wanting for Mother's Day called "Jesus Calling," by Sarah Young. I started reading yesterday's reading and got a few lines and took a nap. So I picked it back up last night before going to sleep and was amazed at what I had missed a few hours earlier. I will share it with you for many reasons.

"Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of you hand. But without the cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we are traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven. When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My continual Presence and the hope of heaven."

I finished reading and had to read it again. I always connect "HOPE" with Mom and her trials with ALS. If she only had read the line, "Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road." How she literally did that for all of us to see! Then I looked down to see what the verses were with the reading.....Romans 12:12. Of course! Her verse!

Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Hebrews 6:18-19

I have thought about this reading many times today, amazed at the change in my attitude and energy level. Maybe I can make it through the next 6 weeks!

Here's the link to Jesus Calling on Amazon.com to read more about the book.

Mark found this video--He related...

2010-07-09T16:39:00.000-04:00

Father's Day

2010-06-22T23:03:00.000-04:00

We had a great Father's Day. We celebrated at home...Daddy got a Willow Tree figurine of a Daddy and two girls, and then met Dad at church.

This picture is for AJ and Darrel...they got the girls' dresses in Hawaii on vacation at Christmas. They are super cute. They received many compliments on them at church!

Wednesday

2010-06-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

For some reason we just have a lot to share from yesterday. The best was the double rainbow after the random storm we had yesterday evening. Kailey and I were headed out to get milk and ran back in for the camera after we saw the rainbows over our house! The main rainbow was so bright and vivid, the colors were very distinct. I'm not sure I have seen a rainbow like that.

New Pictures

2010-06-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

I am working on a new blog post, but have been uploading pictures in the mean time.
So click on over to see our pictures.

To Arkansas we went

2010-05-23T23:49:00.000-04:00

We went to Jason and Katie's last weekend to visit and to go to a wedding. We spent Saturday afternoon riding bikes and burning energy from being in the car all morning. We brought the girls' bikes and scooters. They enjoyed J/K's street being very flat, where our's isn't so flat! We even talked Kailey into taking the training wheels off her bike. She tried and gave it her best effort. It will take more practice and building up of her confidence.

Jason and Katie also took the girls to to the Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari, you can check it out here. Their pictures and videos are posted up on the Shutterfly site. You can look here. Thanks Jason for adding the pictures and videos that way. Hope its easier for all of us! Thanks also for a great weekend. It was fun and good to get away. And our proof we were at a wedding. :)

Kailey's Preschool Graduation

2010-05-23T23:26:00.000-04:00

So we have finished last year of preschool, and her second preschool graduation. This one gets her the good stuff....to kindergarten! She's very excited and ready for kindergarten. We've been waiting until the last minute to find out about summer school. Our district offers a going into kindergarten summer program that we have heard great things about. We enrolled her as soon as we could only to wait to see if they would go on with summer school because of funding. We found out a week ago, that summer school would go on fully funded (which means FREE to us!). Kailey had a wonderful teacher and aide, that was just what Kailey needed. Her classmates became good friends and I know she will miss them.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T23:27:00.000-04:00

We had a good Mother's Day here. Breakfast was made for me, consisting of eggs, blueberry muffins, bacon, bananas and strawberries. We went to church with Dad at BMPC today. We had lunch with Margaret, Ronald, Brandon and Andrew at Ventana's in ES. I was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in the sunroom scrapbooking. Here's the pictures of the girls and I. I will add pictures of my "loot" soon.

I am so blessed with healthy girls, a wonderful husband, and a Mom that left a legacy of Motherhood to me. I am so thankful for the "other" moms that I have been blessed with, an additional Mom that has made a place in her life for me, and so many others that desire to help and fill the role in any way possible. Thank you!

A New Life with the Morgans

2010-05-09T23:15:00.000-04:00

I've found a new way to share videos and our general pictures that I hope works out well for all of us. I have tried a couple others, but I'm into simplicity! I hope that it works out well.....

lifewiththemorgans.shutterfly.com

Blast from the Past

2010-05-08T15:28:00.000-04:00

In a conversation with Dad last week, he said his neighbor had brought him some cookies that he didn't "need". I got them on Monday and brought them home not really looking at them. I opened them on Tuesday to have one. I was so shocked, and had to sit down to eat a couple. They were the same sugar cookies as the cookies I remember Grandma Vera making, minus the sprinkles on top. I don't think I've had those cookies in quite some time. The memories that came back to me of eating them were at the house on Willow. Mark said he remembered his Grandma making sugar cookies that tasted like these too. I have one left...I'm going to go enjoy that now.

It's a.....

2010-04-20T23:11:00.000-04:00

Our sonogram was today. I was very nervous this morning and going in. I cried when I first saw the image on the screen and saw arm movement. They really were tears of relief. Mark commented that seeing the images on the screen for a sonogram is something that he can never get tired of seeing. It's hard not to look at them and be amazed at God's creation...so well thought out and planned. Intricate. There will be a new color taking over our pink household....blue. It's a boy! Mark thinks he has it already planned....Carolina Blue room with navy blue. He'll play hoops and soccer...and his name will not be Roy.

Have you wondered about us?

2010-04-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

You're probably thinking, "What is going on with those Morgans? I haven't seen a blog in ages!" Well, me too. It has been a while, and there has been plenty going on....as always. Our biggest news, if you don't already know by now, is that there is a Morgan #3. He/She is due September 20th, and if you follow birthdays like my mom did, you know that Kailey's birthday is the next day. I am actually due on 9/20 for the second time. Not sure how one manages that....Tuesday we have our first sonogram and hopefully will find out what our third child will be. We are all just praying for healthy, and don't really have strong feelings either way. Well, I say that, but Mark wants a boy, but we are happy either way. I have two reasons for a boy as of Thursday. 1) A boy wouldn't make Lexi so much a middle child, as a girl would. 2) Mark can finally have the chance to take a child to the bathroom 4 times in one meal at a restaurant.

Kailey has about a month left of preschool! We have been to kindergarten round-up. So she got to see the school and a little bit of it. She is signed up for summer school, a transition to K program. But we are having to wait to see if the state is funding it or not. She has recently learned her address and phone number.

Lexi is in an independent stage. I think learning to potty in the potty, which by the way, is a froggy potty, has sent her over the edge. She wants to do most things by herself and its us being patient with her (which can be hard for Mommy). There are tantrums. There is crying. But we are all learning how to make it better and understand what it is she wants. She is doing pretty good at the potty, even out and about. She really doesn't like to wear pull-ups, but you can talk her into them at naptime and bedtime with her panties over them.

Well, my time is over. I have to go give baths....more to come. Sooner, rather than later, I promise.

If it has bananas in it, its still healthy, Right?

2010-04-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

So I've been looking at these ripe bananas for a couple of days. I didn't want to make banana bread, because there's a half of loaf still in the fridge. I went looking for a banana recipe today, finding this one. Its pretty exciting because I'm pretty sure I've never made a cake from scratch. EVEN the icing! The other problem I have had last Saturday, and today too, is that when I want my 9 x 13 pan, its being used!

It's pretty good if I do say so myself. The only other opinion around tonight is Mark, and he said it was good too. There's still plenty so come over to help us eat it!

Mommy Money

2010-02-06T11:40:00.002-05:00

We use "Mommy Money" here at our house. Yes, its bribery. But sometimes, necessary.
The website is difficult to find, so here is the link. I'll add more later and our "Mommy Money". My pictures are not on my laptop here because it crashed this week and they are on our external hard drive. But maybe that's a better place for them.....

http://www.festisite.com/money/#0,59

Olivia

2010-01-02T22:59:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite cartoons is Olivia. You can learn more about her here and here.

The funny thing about Olivia is how real the cartoon is. The things Olivia says are things that could come right out of Kailey's mouth, with the exception of formulating the "Rules of Life". The "Rules" are my favorite thing about the show. Olivia does have a little brother and sometimes the rules are about her little brother. Now Lexi's best part of Olivia, while she does like the cartoon too, she can hit the "high" note at the end of the theme song.

Olivia's Rule of Life #3: If you're going to sit next to a little brother eating spaghetti, you better wear a raincoat.
Olivia's Rule of Life #19: Sometimes you just have to use your big voice.
Olivia's Rule of Life # 21: Little brothers don't know anything about being a Mommy.
Olivia's Rule of Life #34: Sometimes your lucky tights are luckier than you thought.
Olivia's Rule of Life #52 If your mom is having a baby and she asks you whether you want a brother or a sister, that does not mean you're really going to get the kind you ask for.Olivia's Rule of Life #111: No matter what planet your brother is from, he's still going to have bad manners.

Did you hear about the Morgans?

2010-01-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

The current movie title, "Did you hear about the Morgans?" is a great summary of our day. I hope its not a sign of the year ahead of us! So Lexi had a fever yesterday...it actually started during the night. And it continued last night and this morning. With it being a holiday, our doctor was unavailable, so we went to the clinic at Walgreen's. After going thru her history and getting the file all set up, she went into examining her and stopped when she heard the fluid in her lungs. She recommended an urgent care, not far, but far enough. So we opted for the much closer emergency room. In summary, when we got there Lexi had a 103 fever. After an x-ray and testing for RSV and the flu (both negative), they diagnosed her with bronchitis. And we were free to leave three hours later. We've given her the rx and she's having trouble going to sleep....hoping its not the rx. She might be having it earlier tomorrow...

Here's a couple of pictures from playing outside in the snow....while Mommy shoveled.

New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T21:50:00.000-05:00

So here I sit on New Year's Eve, Kailey and Lexi up playing with friend Emerie, waiting for Mark to return with fresh milk (our's was spoiled) and in the midst of mac-n-cheese. I have been pondering my new years resolutions the last couple of days. I haven't had "resolutions" per say the last year or two. But this year, my resolutions are things that need to happen and hopefully making them a resolution will help my follow through.
Resolution #1--implement and have a meal plan. [I have started this...with a meal calendar idea I got from here using google calendar, which I already use!]
Resolution #2--Be better at blogging and technology. I need to keep up with the pictures of the girls for my readers....
I think those are good resolutions, and attainable. Which leads me to wonder, do we make resolutions just to last a month or the full year? And are there people that have success the full year with their resolutions?
Many blessings for a prosperous 2010!

Santa's Naughty List

2009-12-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

So Kailey got in trouble this afternoon. She was having trouble obeying and called me the naughty word -STUPID. She got sent to her room and was trying to negotiate with me. I said I'd put a sign out for Santa, so he knew not to stop here. She then asked how to get off the naught list. I had been chatting online with Amy-Jo, my SIL, and Darrel, my BIL, made a website for her. http://santaslist.tumblr.com/

Lexi's 2nd Birthday, Part(y) 1

2009-12-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

We had two parties for Lexi as she turned 2. We had a 'friends' party on her birthday and a family party after Thanksgiving with Grandma Connie, Jason, and Katie. These are pictures from Party 1.

My Favorite Christmas Song of the Season

2009-12-21T18:50:00.000-05:00

I came across this song, for once, FREE, from Amazon.com (25 Free Christmas MP3s). It has quickly become my favorite Christmas song this year. I have included the lyrics so you could see why its my favorite.

I Celebrate the Day, by Relient K

With this Christmas wish is missed the point I could convey
if only I could find the words to say to let you know
How much you've touched my life because
here is where you're finding me in the exact same place as New Years Eve
and from a lack of my persistency we're less than half as close as I want to be

The first time that you opened your eyes did you realize that you would be my savior?
And the first breath that left you lips did you know that it would change this world forever?

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
to what this midnight made so clear but you have come to meet me here
To look back, think that this baby would one day save me
The hope that, that you give that you were born so I might really live

The first time that you opened your eyes did you realize that you would be my savior?
And the first breath that left you lips did you know that it would change this world forever?

And I, I celebrate the day that you were born to die
so I could one day pray for you to save my life.

November 5th

2009-11-07T21:29:00.004-05:00

Thursday was November 5th, a day that will always be remembered as the day Mom died. This year is the third anniversary...and I survived. Dad, Margaret, the girls and I went to Ventana's in ES. I wanted to eat something or do something that was Mom's favorite. Ventana's on Thursdays has lobster bisque that Mom REALLY liked. We had the lobster bisque for you Mom.

Halloween Pictures

2009-11-07T20:06:00.004-05:00

We did Halloween twice...BMPC in ES did had their first Trunk or Treat. We trick or treated the trunks and played games in the gym. We had a trunk, and boy are we glad we did. It was so cold and windy that our trunk provided the barrier for us! We did some trick or treating around our neighborhood for Halloween.

Kailey's birthday party

2009-09-25T16:10:00.005-04:00

Kailey's birthday party with her friends was Saturday night. We had 9 girls and Kailey (=10 girls!). Yikes! We had friends from the 'hood (neighborhood), from new preschool, old preschool, and soccer. I came up with this idea to make pillowcases for the girls to decorate. It was easy and it was hard. The easy part was sewing three basic seams. The hard part was figuring out the fabric, the markers that we could use, and the blanket silky that I thought would look great on the end! I'll start the party pics with some of the pillowcases being decorated. I think I have heard that most of the girls went home (oh yeah, they came in their PJ's) put their pillowcases on and crashed!

We also did a chocolate fountain, which Jason was in charge of, and pedicures...Thanks to the help of Katie and Renee! After presents and cake, we ended the night with some Phineas and Ferb, one of Kailey's favorite cartoons.

Kailey's weekend with Ted/Ted's brother

2009-09-24T22:36:00.005-04:00

Kailey's preschool class has a class mascot, Ted. I get a little confused on some of the finer points, but Ted's brother gets to visit the kids and go on "adventures" with them. Then the kids have to "write" in the journal what the adventures were. So Kailey's turn was this weekend, and here are our pictures with Ted's brother. She was pretty cute Friday before we left for school as she was realizing it was going to be her turn to bring Ted's brother home. She told us, "I get to sleep with Ted's brother tonight!"
Pictures are Katie, Kailey and Ted's brother at church
Kailey, Pastor Dan and Ted's brother (We went to church @ Papa's church Sunday.)
Kailey's birthday party friends, these were the ones around when we realized we had not taken a picture with Ted's brother yet.
Emerie and Kailey at FunRun with Ted's brother.
Kailey and Ted's brother at Chick-fil-a.
Jason, Kailey, and Ted's brother at the Wabash BBQ.

Falls Park

2009-09-24T22:15:00.004-04:00

We went to Falls Park before going to the Camp-a-ree. We had a great time enjoying the beautiful fountains. Enjoy our pictures!

First Day of School

2009-09-11T16:14:00.005-04:00

Kailey was so excited for her first day of preschool! I'm not sure what was more exciting for her: To have lunch AT School or her new class! She goes M,W, F 9:15-1:15.
Sorry for my delay in getting the pictures posted.

Omaha Zoo

2009-09-11T16:07:00.005-04:00

We stopped on the way home for a brief Zoo visit. We have special friends that we would go to the Zoo with, and rarely without them. It was fun to reconnect at the zoo and the kids to see each other.

Camp-a-ree

2009-09-11T15:38:00.006-04:00

Sunday we were part of the 45th Annual Camp-a-ree. Now that I start to type about it, I'm thinking I need to revisit the true history of the beginning of the Camp-a-ree. So Mom's family has been getting together for 45 years now. I remember the days of camping.....now we just meet. Maybe, we should move the Camp-a-ree over to my idea of camping, A HITLON! We could call it a CampHilton-a-Ree. We had a good time seeing Mom's brothers, sister, and their families. Its good to have a reason to all come together.

Articles | My Essentials: Rolanda Peterson, 35 | Ink

2009-09-01T15:31:00.002-04:00

This is an article about my friend Rolanda. We met last year and found we had several things in common. Since then, we have had some really good laughs, and I'm proud to call her a friend.

Articles | My Essentials: Rolanda Peterson, 35 | Ink

Shared via AddThis

BirthdayFun

2009-08-23T23:01:00.006-04:00

I had a great birthday! I started with a 4 mile run with my running buddies....we've been running together twice now. We had lunch at Olive Garden, one of my faves, and Mark and Kailey surprised me there! Kailey had been talking all week about my birthday party being a Hello Kitty party. Can you tell what we've talked about in planning her upcoming birthday party? So she and Mark went to Build-a-Bear and stuffed and dressed a Hello Kitty for me.

Margaret wanted to have birthday dinner for me at her house. Dinner is ALWAYS wonderful at Margaret's. She will always think of everything from the table being fully decorated to dessert. Kailey was taking pictures. Pastor Dan and Miss Judy joined us as well.

Thursday

2009-08-06T22:53:00.005-04:00

Just a quick update...Lexi has had her shoes on most of the time since Monday, even sleeping in them. I did get them off of her in the middle of the night last night. She woke up with a fever, and so was okay to take them off. Kailey is having an sleepover with her friend Emerie. I'm sure there will be good stories from Ro. With Lexi asleep and Mark out of town, I was at a loss of what to do with myself!
Katie has shared some pictures from the wedding. Here's some of our highlights!

August ALREADY!

2009-08-03T16:29:00.007-04:00

I just realized it is August 3rd! No wonder my Aunt Ruth said she had not heard from us for a while! I started a post one day, and (big surprise) got distracted! I also did find a new program for writing blogs and publishing. Maybe I figure that out one day! So I have some back posting to do, and lots of pictures to share. Kailey is growing and changing so much! We got the info for her new preschool on Thursday. She started September 8th. Its an Extended Day program (9:15-1:15), and I think it will help equip her better for kindergarten next year. And maybe a better transition for Lexi adjusting to Kailey not being around again. Lexi learned how to put her shoes on today. She was so excited she didn't want to take them off!

We were with Jason and Katie for the weekend. They moved into their new house. We owed Jason help...and help the next time, and the next time. The weekend was not free from challenges, the biggest one being sleep! We have taken Lexi's side of the crib off, because she was starting to climb out and didn't want her to get hurt. So that posed the problem of what do we do with Lexi sleeping? We got Jason's air mattress and used sleeping bags. 2 Big Girls!

Captiva Island

2009-06-10T22:44:00.004-04:00

Mark left again on Sunday, and I had plans to leave Wednesday for a trip to Captiva Island, FL. Luckily, Grandma Connie was able to stay with the girls. A friend of mine, Paula, turned 50 and decided she wanted to go on a trip and get as many as she could to go with her. I was the youngest allowed. Paula and I have a special friendship because of our common loss....our Mom's to ALS. I met Paula in Omaha, but she's from a small town near ES. We have both left Omaha, almost the same time, which is probably good as to not leave the other there.

There were 8 of us, Paula, 3 of her relatives, and her bff from growing up, her sister, and Tabitha and me.
On the trolley, is Ann and me, and Paula, Cara, and Ellen.

Mark's Graduation

2009-06-10T22:21:00.007-04:00

So, in the middle of a busy travel time, Mark had to fly home to graduate....and then leave the next day! He walked, meeting the requirements as graduation only happens once a year. He is in the middle of one class, and then has one more class to go. Boy, are we ALL ready for classes to be over!

So here's the proof! Brian, is a SBU friend, who also works for the University of Phoenix. He came to find Mark, so there was "another" person to verify Mark's graduation.

More with Lucy

2009-06-10T22:17:00.003-04:00

Pictured with the girls (oh, by the way, this was shortly after Lucy sat on Lexi) is Andrew, the Lucy's owner. We had Lucy until Tuesday evening.

Adventures with Lucy

2009-05-25T00:03:00.003-04:00

So you saw the title and said to yourself, "WHO IS LUCY?" Lucy is a black lab that is about 8 months old. She came to stay with us Friday night at 10 pm, when Ronald dropped her off. Most of you know our good friends Ronald and Margaret. Their son, Andrew, has acquired this dog, and it needed a place to stay this weekend. Ronald did his best "sell" on the deal, and left hoping he didn't have to return to pick up Lucy Tuesday (meaning we are keeping her). He handed us a bag of food and a leash and took off.

Mark and I started coming up with a place for her to sleep. We decided on using the play-yard for kids. We can make it into a circle and it would contain her. It lasted about two seconds and we watched her jump out of it. Plan 2, our bathroom. We can shut the door to the shower, and contain her between our room and the shower. While working on that, she pooped in our bedroom....on one of our pillow! Then we get her in the bathroom and she poops, AGAIN, on my bathroom rug. While we are cleaning, Mark decides he's not cleaning the rug, but promises to buy a new one. (Are you seeing where this is going?) So we decide to keep her outside. Well, Andrew has been allowing Lucy to sleep in bed with him. After thinking about it, Mark brings up Grandma Vera's pink wing backed chair. We draped a sheet over it and now she has a chair to sleep in. However, there hasn't been much sleeping...Friday night or last night, but maybe (we are hopeful) tonight. This morning, she decided she was tired of waiting for us this morning and decided to jump the fence. We figured it out about 8:15 am, and Mark was out in the car looking within 5 minutes. He finally found her around 10 am. The day went fine...Lucy's happy because she got time in the house, until the girls and I got home from an errand, and Lucy met us in the driveway. I'm not sure where she jumped from...we blocked the place we knew about. So she's on a leash tonight, outside, in her chair, sleeping, and not barking. It might be a good night here at the Morgans.

We walked tonight-- Kailey rides her bike, and here's my view.

Bitter Soccer Game

2009-05-15T17:21:00.008-04:00

Kailey finished soccer last night. I'll add more pictures for you too. She played really well going after the ball, staying with the ball, and defending the ball. Dad was very proud. There were elbows thrown and a goal scored!

Wednesday Evening

2009-05-10T23:36:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to post a video and just haven't had luck or enough time to keep trying. I tried last night and tonight and hoping this works. Lexi climbed up the slide ladder and went down the slide by herself. In the background, look for the 'gardener'. We are starting a garden with some Petersons, and I had been breaking up the dirt and Kailey was helping. I have a picture of the gardeners, but I'm having trouble adding it for some reason. Stay tuned...

Bitty Soccer

2009-05-10T00:22:00.003-04:00

Kailey has been playing Bitty Soccer this spring. The session was for April...but we are still playing and have one more week to go because of all the rain on soccer days!

Kailey's Last Day of Preschool

2009-05-09T23:36:00.004-04:00

Kailey's favorites at preschool. Her teachers (You all are the best!) and her friends.

K's Preschool Graduation

2009-05-09T23:18:00.004-04:00

Kailey had preschool graduation Friday May 1st. She graduated from Noah's Ark Preschool. She was so excited! We had a small celebration afterward with the cookie cake. She was very excited to have her favorite managers there...Mark's Managers, Brittany, Mike (aka "MY Mike") and Peter.

Protection

2009-03-23T11:35:00.003-04:00

I went to look something up in another Bible here at Dad's and went to one of Mom's Bibles. I opened it and a card was holding the page. This is the card. I needed it today, maybe someone else does too.

The Christian is guarded on all sides by the Lord.

He :

surrounds us (Psalm 125:2)

is above us (Deut. 4:39)

is underneath us (Deut 33:27)

is before us (Exodus 13:21)

is with us (Isaiah 41:10)

is for us (Romans 8:31)

is near us (Psalm 145:18)

is in us (Psalm 33:18)

eye is on us (Psalm 33:18)

Fun Outside

2009-03-15T23:57:00.003-04:00

Its been two months since my last post. Sorry about that. I have thought about it, but haven't made the time to do it. Lexi is coughing this weekend, and actually upstairs trying to go back to sleep, so this will be short. Both girls hit milestones this week. Lexi will be 16 months and Kailey turns 4 1/2.

JOY

2009-01-14T23:31:00.003-05:00

After Mom died, I saw an ornament in a shop in ES with my MIL. I think she actually bought it for me. The word 'JOY' continues to remind me of mom. I remember her homemade bookmark with the letters spelling JOY going vertical and the red and green yarn that topped it. She loved the acronym of JOY: J-Jesus first, O-Others second, Y-Yourself last. I remember looking at a book of her's after she was gone, that flipped open where the bookmark was. The topic was joy. Dad and I were not shocked, just quietly said, "Of course." While she loved the word, its important to point out that joy overflowed her life. And J-O-Y was how she lived her life. I hope one day joy fills my tree.

I was shopping on Black Friday and found wrapping paper that said joy, that of course I purchased. I was standing there with Katie and told her that I had a thing for the word JOY. She said she did too. It's her middle name. Mom would really like her.

The Mom Song

2009-01-07T16:53:00.002-05:00

I just got this on email and is a "must see".

Kailey and the Robman

2009-01-05T19:19:00.004-05:00

The Robman runs a ministry called International Sports Evangelists (ISE) and in conjunction with Dad's church they have done a type of Bible School the last two summers. Kailey went this summer and enjoyed the Robman. We also got to see him on another occasion at Dad's church and even eat lunch with him. Kailey decided that she wanted to give her "Money for Jesus" to the Robman for his ministry. We sent it to him in our Christmas card. Kailey was so excited to get a letter in return. Thanks Robman!
http://www.internationalsportsevangelists.org/

Christmas Card Pictures

2008-11-30T21:59:00.004-05:00

So Patty came and took some amazing pictures...and left with over 500 pictures!

Lexi and the Magnets

2008-11-10T13:55:00.003-05:00

My Uncle John brought some magnets to Mom and Dad's one visit. They are simple magnets, a good square about 3 x 3. And really, the tell you what you should and should not eat for heart burn. The cool part is that there is like 10 or 11 of them. Kailey and Grandma used to line them up and take them off and on, for hours and hours of enjoyment. Well, history does repeat itself! Lexi loves the magnets! If you can't find her with Barney, that sings to her, or the pop-ons toy, she is at the fridge with the magnets.

He's ENGAGED!!

2008-11-08T22:12:00.002-05:00

My brother, Jason, is ENGAGED!!! He proposed to Katie today...and she said ''YES!" We are so excited to keep Katie around. Kailey is excited to have 2 uncles and 2 aunts now. Jason, Kailey did write herself a note to remember to ask you guys when you are getting married....she's pretty excited!

Photo by our Patty :)

November 7 Thankful

2008-11-08T22:03:00.001-05:00

Today, Kailey is thankful for her Family (and the whole world).

Yesterday, Kailey's was thankful for the trees (and the whole world).

Leaves, Fall

2008-11-06T22:30:00.002-05:00

Our trees in the back have such beautiful fall color! Mark and I both commented that we didn't remember that from last year!
The girls had fun outside with the leaves. (Pictures were Monday.)

Thankfulness

2008-11-06T22:21:00.003-05:00

Kailey has a calendar. It was a long craft project, but it is done and useful! She was practicing her numbers by writing them into the calendar grid. I had the A-HA to write something Kailey says she is thankful for, in each calendar grid...for each day. I think it could be fun to look back on what she says. Yesterday's thing Kailey was thankful for: the leaves, and the whole world.
Today, Kailey is thankful for AJ and the whole world. She did go back and decide she is thankful for her aunt and uncles, and Katie.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-03T13:17:00.004-05:00

Our Halloween consisted of preschool, naps, and the in/out routine of the car. We trick-or-treated Dorothy and James, Margaret and Ronald, Gwen and Jocelyn's Nana and Papa, Dairy-B, our Papa, and our neighbors Neal and Donna.

Lincoln

2008-10-08T11:40:00.004-04:00

Sunday we went to Lincoln because Mark had some side-work to do. We had lunch and spent the afternoon with John and Aryls. The road trip wasn't too bad. Lexi just isn't the traveler Kailey is/was! I guess this week we will continue to work on that! Kailey had a great time entertaining Uncle John outside. Kailey had her Dora bike along. Her bike has a compartment she has rock in from Dad's house. So Kailey and John traded Nebraska rocks for Missouri rocks. In a conversation about times that we pray with Aryls, Kailey decided that its a Nebraska thing to pray in the morning. In Missouri, we pray before bed and at meals. Both Kailey and Lexi enjoyed Aryls' collection of birdhouses. Kailey, the budding decorator, re-arranged all of the birdhouses for Aryls. Thank you John and Arlys for a wonderful meal. It was great to see you.

Kailey and the dentist

2008-09-30T23:35:00.000-04:00

Kailey had her first trip to the dentist last week....Thursday. She was such a big girl! She laid in the chair very still and was fascinated by the sucking device. She got to hold the device herself while the hygienist cleaned her teeth.

Ferris Wheels and Yellow Slides

2008-09-30T23:23:00.001-04:00

We took Kailey and Lexi to the Liberty Fall Festival, aka carnival, on Sunday afternoon. She had a blast on the different slides/obstacle courses. She got to ride the big yellow slide with Mark and insisted on riding the Ferris wheel. I hate Ferris wheels. I think I earned my cape. We are in the red car.

Kailey's Birthday

2008-09-23T22:18:00.000-04:00

Wow! Our little princess is 4. I'm not sure if I should be relieved that we have survived her first four years of life, or our parenting only has four years of experience and worried about what is to come!

I'm a Mom, not all of us superheros wear capes

2008-09-22T23:40:00.001-04:00

I know that I am not a supermom, nor will I ever be. One night on a trip to Michael's with Margaret, Kailey finds a Strawberry Shortcake cake mold and announces this is what kind of cake she wants for her birthday. Margaret said she can do that. I was thinking that was a great idea! UNTIL, Margaret starts bringing me things for this cake. I got the specific food coloring, icing bags, tips, etc. So Thursday, I started. I started with cupcakes and practiced my icing abilities. Kailey and I make buttercream icing. Friday, I made a Duncan Hines cake. And I decorated until 11 pm Friday night. Here's the process.

Lasting Impacts

2008-09-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

I had a friend send a message through facebook today about Kailey's theology. She added this at the end.

"See You at the Pole is coming up this month. Every time I see it approaching, I can't help but remember your mother year after year meeting in the church parking lot to pray. I missed her last fall."

I know what kind of impact my mother had on me, and I wish she could impact me through her physical presence every day. I wondered after reading what other stories are out there of other lives touched.

Getting out of Heaven

2008-09-16T16:17:00.001-04:00

Kailey and I have been discussing that Grandma is in the ground at the cemetery. But her spirit is in heaven, and she's in Kailey's heart. Well, yesterday as we were leaving ES (we drive by the cemetery and wave to Grandma) Kailey told me how to get out of heaven. She said that when you die your body goes in the ground and you go up to heaven. Jesus pays the bad guys, and then you get to come back. She's so smart! If only it really worked that way!

My Failures

2008-09-16T00:50:00.000-04:00

I was feeling a little frustrated with myself tonight. I was still thinking about parenting mistakes that I made today, and vowing to be a better mom tomorrow. I really didn't have patience for rocking Lexi tonight. I didn't read Kailey stories. I did the essentials, and headed for bed. I grabbed my new computer here (great because my other laptop is only usable with a cord attached, defeating the purpose of the portability of a laptop). Logged in to my 'igoogle.com' page, and saw my verse for the day.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

WOW! While the entire verse is exactly what I needed, I found myself drawn to "I delight in weaknesses." I certainly showed my weaknesses tonight. I did the opposite of delight in them, and I even saw the weakness coming! What would happen if I delighted in my weakness? Merriam-Webster (m-w.com) gave this for their first definition of "delight" (noun) a high degree of gratification : joy ; also : extreme satisfaction. How my weakness, and my attitude that is present with my weakness, would change if their was joy in my voice! I'll have to try that tomorrow.

Life Unstructured

2008-09-09T18:27:00.001-04:00

I think everyone needs a great photographer in their life. I was lucky enough to have a woman come into my life because of ALS. We started this in the spring because we needed a new family picture. I love Patty's philosophy of taking pictures...really it's capturing life. I will never go back (unless under some odd circumstance) to a commercial studio! Why? When Patty comes to us! Patty came on Saturday to take Kailey's pictures for her birthday. Here's the sneak peek I got and her website. We are on her website under Family Life. Thank you Patty for the beautiful pictures you capture and your wonderful artful ability.

web.mac.com/pattydover/LifeUnStructured_photography_by_Patty_Dover/Welcome.html