Fancy dinners, 28 and a GED!

It was a fast and furious week! Here's all of it in pictures:

We spent Wednesday and Thursday night at UMHB. I'm not complaining too much, we had sitters BOTH nights! Here we are at the Senior Awards banquet Wednesday night:

Thursday was my birthday. Lots of people ask if I feel older (28 is getting closer to 30). I definitely FEEL 28 with 2 kiddos. Brad took me and the girls to lunch, brought home flowers and then took me to a lovely catered dinner with 300 of my closest friends at UMHB (it was the Faculty Appreciation dinner). Mallory and Morgan gave me this card:

Here's a random picture of the flowers I planted a couple of weeks ago. It started out all green and voila! Maybe there is a green thumb in me after all...or maybe Brad remembers to water my flowers when I forget!! Yes Kelly, I am proud of these flowers:)

Friday, we headed to Fort Worth for the weekend. We went to Joe T. Garcia's for a birthday dinner. It's the perfect place for dinner with kiddos: outside, lots of people and music! This was Mallory's reaction when Kara and her girls showed up at dinner (which is the 2nd out of town birthday in a row that she has been at. Thanks Kara!):

Morgan got LOTS of attention that night. I think everyone held her at least once. Kara got some snuggle time with her too:

Here are the Enright girls: Kelly, my mom and me.

And, the real reason we went to Fort Worth! About a month ago, my mom completed her GED. Kelly did a blog about it here. I am super proud of my mom. I'm sure it was not easy to go back after so many years out. Isn't she cute in her cap and gown??

And, here she is after the big surprise! My Aunt Terri flew in from Idaho to surprise mom at the party we threw for her. It was a classic mom/Aunt Terri reaction...instant tears! Kelly and I forgot to video it. It would have made a great You Tube video:)

There aren't many pictures of me with the girls, so towards the end of the party, I asked my dad to snap a few. It was pretty much meltdown time for both of them, but Aunt Terri came through. She kept offering Mallory bites of ice cream until she looked at the camera without crying:) Wade's sister gave these dresses to the girls. I think they are adorable!!

And, we brought home a fun toy for Morgan. Tate borrowed the exersaucer and now it's Morgan's turn to play. She LOVES it! This girl loves to stand up in your lap, so I figured she would really like to stand in the exersaucer. It was pretty much love at first sight. She does get mad at it when she can't get the toys in her mouth.

The celebrations continued with dinner, Baby Mama and a homemade cookie cake with friends tonight! What fun! It was a super fun birthday week and weekend celebrating my mom.

In true Shannon style, I have procrastinated on a list of things to do (that I will get in serious trouble from the hubby if I don't get done)...so, I'm taking another little break for the week. Until next time!!

Another catch up and a ramble

First, the catch up...

Here is Mallory meeting her BFF at the end of March. For all of you non-Veggie Tale fans out there, Larry the cucumber. Mallory really surprised us how fast she warmed up to him and Bob the tomato. She was giving high fives all around after about 1 minute.

Morgan was having a good time in the "lonely chair" the other day. There were lots of raptor noises (that's the latest favorite sound to make) coming out of that cute mouth!

On Saturday, we went to Georgetown for Brad's spring game. We made it by the start of the second half (not bad, but I had planned on being there at the very beginning...oops!). Aunt LaShay, Uncle Steve and the girl's Temple Grandparents (a.k.a. Ted and Sherry) were there also. The weekend before, Brad had his alumni game. I must have not had much sleep the night before because I completely forgot sunblock and both girls got sunburned (I'm a bad mommy and RN!!). So, we came prepared this time. They both reeked of Waterbabies and sported some cute hats this time.

I was solo when we got home, and they both needed a bath. So, they got one together, for the first time! And, surprisingly, they both smiled for the camera! Hey, maybe we're getting the hang of this smiling thing?? Mallory REALLY enjoyed "helping" me give Morgan a bath! "Chaos" doesn't even really describe what it was like before, during and after the bath by myself!!

This is what Morgan does pretty much as soon as we lay her on her back. She will fuss so bad, and once we flip her on her tummy, she is usually happy again. It looks painful the way she curves her body around into a "C". If only she would learn how to flip those hips and legs over, she'd be a happy camper!

Mallory's newest thing is to wash her hair. Randomly, the other day she decided to "wash" Morgan's hair. She does this to her several times a day. I think it may be stimulating hair growth (she's getting a nice fuzz on top of her head), so I let her go to town...until she starts being rough close to her soft spot, that kind of freaks me out!!

Now, the ramble...
#1 I got a speeding ticket last September (yes, it took me 3 whole months to finally get my defensive driving done, days before I had Morgan). I got the ticket coming off an exit ramp, onto a feeder road that is 30 mph. Who makes a feeder road 30 mph??? Well, I noticed that the sign has changed. They raised the speed limit to 45 mph. Isn't that convenient???

#2 I am ashamed to admit this, but I just finished my first "for fun read" book in a LONG time...like maybe since college (other than parenting, pregnancy or devotional books)! My sister and mom went on and on about The Kite Runner. So, back in January, I took the book home with me. I finally started it a couple of weeks ago (it's hard to find time to read with 2 kiddos, that is for sure!) and finished it last night. It was very good. There were some hard parts to read and some rough language at parts, but overall, very interesting and educational too!

#3 I waited so long to go grocery shopping that we almost had to cut into the tube of Crest to get enough out to brush our teeth.

#4 I think I have become a border line slob. Sometime between December and now, I have let myself go. I used to be very tidy and clean things up immediately. Currently, I have a nasty bathroom, my sewing machine stuff around the kitchen table, a griddle with congealed bacon grease on it in the kitchen from dinner last night and stacks everywhere! What happened to me?? And, will I ever be back to normal???

#5 I played Bunco last night with the girls from our Sunday School class. That game is great. You can eat, play and talk all at the same time! That is my kind of game!

Morgan at 4 months

I can't believe it! I know I'll be saying that for the rest of my life about Mallory and Morgan. It just amazes me how fast the time goes (and how slow it goes when you are having a bad day!!). She is such a little sweetie and is becoming very vocal! She's also large:) We went to the doctor this afternoon: 15# 5oz (90th %), 25 1/4 inches (90th %). I probably should have taken these pictures before going to the doctor. She wasn't in the most smiley of moods after FIVE shots and the second round of the oral Rotavirus vaccine. Poor thing! Here's her "Elvis lip" smile:

Here's a little glimpse into a day in the life of Morgan (more for my record than your entertainment, sorry!):

7:45am: Time to wake up! Lots of squeals and a HUGE gummy smile for Mommy when she comes in. Such a morning person. Where did she get that from???

8:00am: Time to eat!

8:30am: Bumbo time on the table (I know, I know...I promise she is supervised) and watches her sister eat breakfast (which is some quality entertainment recently).

9:00am: First nap of the day! She prefers to be swaddled, have her paci, blanket at the side of her face and rocked a little.

9:45-11:00ish (depending on her mood): Wakes up from nap. Time to eat again!

11:30am: Play time! Currently, she is perfecting rolling from tummy to back, grabbing her feet, arching her back so far she almost rolls from back to tummy, watching all the crazy things her big sister does, drools a bucketful and makes lots of noises that sound like a raptor!

12:30pm: Time to get out of the house! She loves the Baby Bjorn, so it's not so much a hassle to go places. She is really entertained by Mallory. Poor girl, her neck probably hurts after being in the car a while. She is always looking to her right at Mallory saying, "Look Morgan, a flag...bird...a car...etc.!"

2:00pm: Third verse, same as the first...time to eat!

2:30pm: Read some books, nap time again.

4:00pm: Play time

5:30pm: Time for the "lonely chair" (bouncy chair) as Brad calls it. Mommy's in the kitchen, so Morgan is there too. Lots of kicking and squealing going on in the chair. Daddy's home too, so that is fun!

6:30pm: A quick little nap.

7:15-8:00ish pm: Bath and play time again.

8:30pm: Time to eat!

9:00pm: Off to bed (hopefully without waking up after 15 minutes for her paci).

3:00ish am: Time to eat!

7:45am: Start the next day!

History in the making! Mallory actually smiled at the camera when I asked her too! Amazing. Hopefully she'll do that when we get family pictures made later in May:)

Part 3

Have no fear, this is the last "Easter catch up" post! But, be forewarned, there are still a couple more catch up posts. Be looking forward to: meeting Bob and Larry, landscaping the yard, look-a-like pictures and washing hair. I know you are already excited:)

So, here is Easter in Burkburnett. This was Morgan's first time to meet Nanny, AO, Aunt Tweetie, Uncle Charles, Uncle Steve, Aunt Debby and lots of cousins. Morgan did so much better than Mallory did the first time she met her relatives. Different kid, different personality...praise the Lord!! And, this is Mallory's third egg hunt. I'd say she's a pro now!

Here is Moran getting acquainted with Nanny. No one can resist Nanny. She is one of the sweetest women I know!

Like I said, this was Mallory's third time. And, who couldn't resist an egg with a $1 bill inside?? Notice her bling that B Mom put in her basket. This girl loves accessories. She wore these ALL day!

We probably should have tried a picture before church, but it was a little hectic trying to get us out the door on time. So, we attempted one after we got home, around nap time and eating time for Morgan. Let's just say it isn't the best shot. I need to put them in their cute outfits again and try another picture.

This is what happened shortly after I snapped the above picture. Picture time is officially over!!

Since we had a 4 hour trip (that turned into 5 1/2...which is why it's not very fun to travel to see people often with 2 babies now) ahead of us, we kept Mallory awake until we left at 4:00. That is way past her usual nap time. This is what happened before we even got on the highway! She fell asleep reading "Doria" (that's Dora in Mallory's language). She was wiped out!

And, that concludes our Easter festivities. Thanks to everyone for humoring me. Hopefully, the next post will be somewhat current!!

The longest blog ever!

Getting caught up...part 2! We spent Good Friday/Saturday with my parents while Brad was recruiting in Arlington. It's really convenient to squeeze in family time when he already has a trip planned that way.

Mallory has recently started having preferences. For instance, if she is around Brad for some time, then only he can put her shoes on, give her a bath, read books, ...you get the idea. I think it started that weekend at my parent's house. She didn't want the water in her cup from our house, no, she wanted the cup from Mimi's house! So, later in the car, when she couldn't decide which one to drink from, she decided to try from both!

We got to celebrate Kelly's birthday while we were in town. Here's Morgan with Grandpa at dinner. Those bug eyes! It happens every time I take a picture with the flash. Crazy girl!

I'm sure, pretty soon, these 2 are going to get into a lot of trouble together. They love being around each other and play pretty nice right now....although it looks like Mallory is trying to rip off Tate's bib. Sorry Tate!

Monkey see, monkey do. Tate is all over the place crawling now! Mallory reverts when she is around him. She crawled all over my parent's house and all over this patio area at the park. It's pretty funny.

As I have mentioned before, it is near impossible to get Mallory to look and smile at the camera these days. Throw in a bunch of plastic eggs with goldfish and socks in them, and you won't even get a look! This was the "egg hunt" at my parent's house. Morgan had on a matching dress, but she slept through the whole thing, so there isn't a picture of them together.

Alright, that gets me a little closer. Sorry if this is boring, but I can't just skip over all of the fun events from Easter. Next up, the Bankhead egg hunt and Easter morning with B-Mom and Pop.

Moving on, today was "Play Day" at UMHB. It's mainly for the students, but faculty and families are invited too. It was fun day for Mallory. She had a lot of firsts today:

Cotton Candy! She didn't really know what to do with it. She would pick off a piece, touch it with her tongue, put the piece back in the bag and pick another one. This grossed me out after a couple of times, so we gave her popcorn after that!

Petting Zoo! She was a little shy when she first went in with Brad. After she saw the bunnies and chickens, she wanted to hug them and hold them. Luckily, there were no tears when we told her it was time to go. She really, really liked the petting zoo!

Pony ride! I got to help out with this one. She had NO fear when I put her on that pony. I realize that it's a small pony, but Mallory can be super timid at some of the weirdest things. She did great. She sat up straight and talked to the horse the whole time.

Here she is running circles around us. It was pretty humorous. This is one way I can get a smile on camera!

And, this is what Morgan did almost the whole time. It was a LONG and hot afternoon, but lots of fun. It will be even more fun next year when they are both running circles around us!!

One more funny story. I know, this is the longest blog ever! Yesterday, I called my friend, Shannon. This is the conversation with Mallory after I hung up the phone:

Mallory: "That's Shannon."

Me: "Yes, that was Mommy's friend Shannon."

Mallory: (Pointing at me) "That's Shannon."

Me: "Who am I?" (We play this game a lot, going around to Daddy, Morgan, Mommy and Mallory)

Mallory: "Shannon!"

It even continued this morning when I got her out of bed. I walked into the room and she said,
"Mommy...(pausing)...Shannon!" Hmmmm. I don't think I like my daughter calling me by my first name. There's just something not right about that!!

Getting caught up

We'll start with the week before Easter. Getting caught up might come in many installments.

Mallory, Morgan and I headed to Round Rock to meet Lori, Faith and her mom Ann for a little shopping. I saw Lori back in October at homecoming. She is pregnant again (with another girl)! Her mom, Ann, came along to help keep tabs on Faith. It was handy to have an extra set of hands with all of the babies! We shopped and then had lunch at Chili's. There was a La Madeleine right by Chili's, and we thought about it for a minute...but then figured the girls would rather have french fries and chicken crispers rather than tomato basil soup and caesar salad. The sacrifices we make for our children.

Here's her cutie Faith. She and Mallory had a successful lesson in sharing at the table.

An attempt at a group picture. Notice how nicely Lori and Faith are looking at the camera, ready to smile. It's my child that has turned into a monkey! She will not sit still to take a picture anymore. And forget about getting her to smile on cue. Poor Morgan. I don't think she suffered any neck troubles from this pose:)

Or from this pose.

I have been meaning to blog about this for a while now. It was so good to see you Lori! Just like old times. We missed Brooke and Meredith too! Roommie reunion soon!!

**Sickness update** A virus for Mallory and an ear infection for Morgan. Poor thing. I felt really guilty about her having an ear infection at only 3 1/2 months old. But, as my mom reminded me, there is another little germ magnet in the house and it's just inevitable. I still feel bad. She doesn't care for the Amoxicillin. The smell of that stuff brings back childhood memories:) I tell you what, it's a whole lot easier giving oral medications to babies that have already started solids! I'm sure she is getting enough, but that little tongue likes to push most of it out! I picked up a hint from a mom in the ER one time. I would supervise parents giving the meds to the kiddos since they usually took it better for them. This mom layed her kid down in her lap, squirted the medicine little by little into the mouth and then blew on the kid's face to make her swallow it. It works like a charm...most of the time!

And, in other news, the last 2 nights have been the best Morgan has slept in a long time. I guess maybe she had been feeling bad for a while?? We've put her to bed around 8:30ish and then she wakes up at 4:30 to eat, then back to sleep until 8:00. Way to go Morgan! Brad and I definitely needed that!

Worn out!

We had a super fun family weekend...until around midnight Sunday morning. Here's what we did this weekend:

*A garage sale! We finally had the garage sale that we planned on having back in December before Morgan was born. We only made $25 (we just gave most of it away instead of pricing every single thing), but it was worth it to get our garage back!

*I planted flowers to put by the front door. Hopefully they will survive. I'm definitely not known for my green thumb!

*We pulled out the shrubs in front of the house. I have wanted to do this since we moved in (almost 2 years ago).

*Brad and I cleaned the garage...together...without too much bickering! We have always said that we could never be on the Amazing Race or any "couples" show like that. We love each other, but don't work very well as a team!!

And, here is when our weekend turned the corner...

Mallory had a runny nose/fever on Wednesday. It wore me out trying to keep them away from each other. Mallory is really into "reading" Morgan a book (more like shoving a book in her face saying "LOOK! Morgan!") and giving her toys. She is also really into touching her face, giving kisses and hugs. I felt bad, but kept telling her no every time she tried to get close to her. So, I thought it was just inevitable that Morgan would get it too. I was right! Around midnight, Morgan woke up (which isn't out of the norm unfortunately) with a fever of 99.6. She wouldn't sleep in her bed, so we brought her in bed with us. I know, I know. It's a bad habit. We kept telling her #1 not to get used to it and #2 don't tell Mallory (she has never slept in our bed before)! Anyway. She had fever off and on all day Sunday and last night would not sleep more than 30 minutes in her bed. So, I had a "restful" night sleep in the recliner holding Morgan. Mallory did this when she was around 7 months old. It was an ear infection. So, off to the doctor for both of them tonight. Mallory has a cough and her fever came back again today. Lovely!! I have prepared myself that every time one of them gets sick, the other one will too. We'll just add that to the list of things they will share over their lifetime!

Since I can't end a blog without a picture...enjoy! This was a couple of weeks ago when Morgan was doing some Tummy Time. Mallory thought she should practice too! Check out that huge noggin with a cul-de-sac! I'm allowed to say that...I'm her mother:)

Well, it's been a while. I feel WAY behind in blogging, but that is okay. I'll just have to do a major picture blog next with Easter and the past few weeks.

It was a tough week last week. It's hard to see someone so young pass away. And, to make matters worse, it was Sue Ann and Lorne's second child to die (their oldest son, Sloan, passed away when he was 8). I can't imagine. I was holding Morgan during the funeral, and just thought, "Lord, I don't know if I could handle it." I know He gives us strength when we need it, and it's obvious in Sue Ann and Lorne. It was good to hug them and let them know how sorry we are. It will be hard again in May, when we go to the first family reunion without William. He was such a fun kid. He had a great personality!

Here is Will with Mallory last year at the Harris Reunion. She loved him and he loved carrying her around!

On a lighter note, here are some more pictures from last weekend:

This is what Mallory got to do the afternoon of the funeral. She stayed at Kara's house (thanks again Kara!) and played hard with Kaylee and Brooke. Apparently, they held hands everywhere they went and even had to read a book together while Kaylee showed the younger girls how to pee pee on the potty.

A blessing during these times is to be able to see family and visit with them. We went to Milo and Carolyn's house after the funeral. I've never had extended family that lived close, so marrying into Brad's family was like "insta-family". We see everyone at least once a year, if not more. Here is what it's like now when we ask Mallory to smile for the camera. Such a joy, being the parent of a toddler!!

I thought Morgan looked pretty cute in her dress and shoes (thanks Aunt Kelly, they are a hit everywhere we go!), so I had to take a few pictures of her when we got back to the hotel.

Look who likes her Bumbo a little more...and her fingers!

I thought this picture was cute. Saturday morning, Brad brought Mallory in our bed after she woke up. They had fun under the "tent".

And, that should do it. It was a sad time in Abilene/Merkel, but we are so grateful for our family!