Bah Thanksgiving bug!

We have been so excited preparing to leave tomorrow morning for my parents house to spend Thanksgiving with them. Then it happened. Morgan spewed everywhere tonight as we were leaving our small group. She's been "under the weather" with some slight fever and a couple of runny diapers, but other than that, she's been completely normal. We've been thinking it's teething all along. We got home and gave our sick little girl some Motrin for her 102.2 fever, tucked her into bed and prayed for no more throwing up...or passing it on to any of us!! We will play it by ear tomorrow, but obviously we don't want to bring our bug to anyone else. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I said I wasn't a little ticked...but that feeling doesn't last long when I replay the look on Morgan's face tonight as she puked (and had no idea what was happening to her). Poor thing!!

I'm still doing it!

So, back in September, I declared that I was going to start and finish a half marathon. I got my new shoes, work out attire, my training schedule printed off and I was actually excited!!

The night of my first "training", Brad encouraged me to try to run a mile of it. So, I did. I ran one mile and didn't die. I did that for the next two training sessions and really thought, "Wow, what if I end up running the whole thing? That would be amazing!" And then it happened. Tendonitis. In both knees. I didn't even think about icing my knees after I ran, or taking Motrin because I might be a little sore...or old:)

So, the next week I followed the schedule. I attempted to run, but literally almost fell over it hurt so bad. I finished out the week walking and taking Motrin around the clock. It was almost 3 weeks before I could walk around the house without my knees hurting!!! So, to say it put a damper on my training (that I was so gung ho about ) is an understatement. I didn't start back up until our trip to San Antonio...oops! But, I am back and ready to complete my goal...walking though, not running.

A couple of days ago, I was telling my sister how boring it is to walk miles and miles by yourself without anything to do. I get really distracted when I try to spend that time praying or something else really beneficial. She was telling me about her playlist on her ipod and that is when it hit me. I need music. Everyone together...."DUH!!!" So, I borrowed Brad's ipod for my 6 miles this afternoon. Holy cow, what a difference it makes!! It's all about the music to keep your pace and your motivation. Marla, I totally thought about you when this song came on. You need to add it to your playlist if you haven't already!!!

Three weeks to go until the big race day. I need to start planning my "finish pose" as I cross the finish line.

ELEVEN months!

In less than one month, our baby girl will be ONE! The time has flown by faster than I imagined. Everyone said it would, and everyone is right.

Here are 11 things that Morgan is doing...with a couple of pictures thrown in to keep your interest:

#1 Waving hello and bye! They are different, as Brad learned yesterday. He was flapping his hand saying "bye, bye" and Mallory informed him that what he was doing was "hi!". Sure enough, when he did the right motion with the right greeting, Morgan did it back!!! Her "bye, bye" is adorable. She opens and closes her hand slowly while watching it the entire time...and it's usually facing her face instead of the person she says bye to!

#2 Blowing kisses!

#3 Growling like a tiger. The girls were playing with a puzzle the other day and I asked Mallory what sound a tiger made. After she did it, I noticed Morgan making a similar noise and realized she was growling also!! If you ask her to growl, she'll usually make the sound after you do.

#4 Walking with push toys. She probably would've been doing this last month, but I guess I forgot about it. I got one of Mallory's grocery carts out today and let her try it. She pushed it across the room and her eyes were huge like she had just done the coolest thing ever! She loves acting like a big girl!!

#5 Waking up at random times while she is sleeping. This girl has gotten way off of her normal sleeping schedule since we traveled so much in October. She's been taking crazy short naps and waking up between 5 and 6 am! Turkey! We've regressed back to the "ferberizing". The holidays should be LOADS of fun!!

#6 Growing! Her feet grew from a size 2 to 3 in literally days!

#7 Still sucking her thumb and loving her purple blanket. It's a necessity for bedtime....as well as the Turbo fan. I really don't know if she'd fall asleep without the three!

#8 Throwing things and getting into everything! It's so hard not to constantly compare her to Mallory in this area. Mallory was such a still baby. She would sit in the living room and play with her toys. She was more interested in people than things. Morgan is the complete opposite! If there is a stack of books somewhere, she takes each one and hurls them to the ground without even watching it! Same with sippy cups, bottles, food...everything! The Christmas tree should be fun this year!

#9 Loves baby dolls. Her maternal instinct kicked in a lot faster than Mallory's. Morgan talks to her babies, pokes her eyes, hugs them and kisses them. It's so sweet to watch.

#10 Goes crazy for me, Brad or Mallory. When any of us come into the room, she goes ballistic! It's really sweet when Brad comes home from work. Her legs go a mile a minute and it looks like her face hurts by how big her smile is! I usually get the same reaction when I pick her up in the nursery at church. So fun to have such a happy baby!

#11 Music helps to calm her down. When she is bored, tired or hungry in the car (or anywhere) start singing and she'll usually calm down immediately. Her all time favorite? The Wheels on the Bus...just like cousin Tate! They are alike in so many ways!!

Less than one month away from her birthday means that this mommy needs to get planning for her party!! It has snuck up on me...or I've been mentally blocking the inevitable out of my mind!

San Antonio getaway

The end of soccer season is always bittersweet. I'm usually glad it's over so we can have Brad back, but it also means that it's over....so they didn't advance in the conference tournament. This year has been a hard one for Brad. They didn't do as well as he wanted, he's had a couple of trying situations and then had a rough end of season critique from some of his players. Not exactly how you want to end a season you've put long hours and hard work into. So, to say that we all were ready for a break was an understatement for sure!! But, unfortunately, vacations aren't near as relaxing with a 2 year old and 10 month old staying in the same hotel room with you:) We made the most of it though and enjoyed some quality family time!

Day one:

On the way we made a stop at the San Marcos outlets. Everything is harder to do when you have 2 kids! We did score $3 shoes for Mallory and $7 Pottery Barn shower rings!

We checked into the hotel and let the girls expend some energy exploring the room. This is where Morgan spent most of her free time in the room. It looks boring, but she had a blast!! And, check out how cute the hotel bedding was! I wanted to sneak those polka dot pillows into my suitcase!!

Dinner was at Mamacita's. You might remember how much I went on and on about their tortillas last March. They did not disappoint...but I also did not eat as many. Self control!!

Day Two:

It was a full day! We went to the San Antonio Zoo for the morning and lunch. We got to see most of the animals, avoided major meltdowns, and got to ride on the train around the park! It was a successful trip!

After naps, it was off to the Riverwalk! We paid the overpriced admission for the boat ride and then ate at the overpriced Rainforest Cafe. Both were super fun for the girls and us! After dinner, a band was playing some live music (Mere, I thought of you-one of the guys was playing a mandolin!), so we sat for a while and watched the girls "dance" (Mallory held Morgan's hands from the stroller and swayed with her).

Wade, this picture is for you! A Christmas tree fully decorated and ready for the season...on November 6th!!

Day Three:

As we headed to LaShay and Steve's, we made a pit stop at the LaCantera shops. It was so pretty and Mallory loved running around smelling the flowers. I scored some super cute Puma shoes from Nordstrom (50% off!) for Mallory. I will have to post a picture later. She calls them her "cool shoes". That, they are!

After a successful entry into LaShay and Steve's home (we set their alarm off and the police showed up last time!), we took naps and vegged. We ate at Alamo Cafe (mmmm!) that night and played with Briley, their golden doodle. The girls LOVED Briley! She was a favorite for sure!

Day Four:

LaShay worked from home and I got to actually "train" in the morning. Mallory and I took a 4 mile walk around LaShay's neighborhood. Later that night we got to have dinner with some of LaShay and Steve's good friends, Cindy, Jian, Storm and soon-to-be Stone. (Cindy's mom was our realtor, so they are kind of our friends too!!).

Day Five:

Traveled home after a fun filled and "relaxing" week!

We were all glad to be home, but really enjoyed our visit to San Antonio. We were bummed we couldn't fit Sea World in, so be expecting us next spring Aunt LaShay and Uncle Steve!!

Another quilt giveaway!

Red Barn Quilit Co. is giving away 3 quilts this time!

Check it out here for all the rules.

Tag(s)

I think I've been tagged by a couple of people, so instead of spending the energy to download my pictures off of the camera for my san antonio post, I'll do this!

I think I was tagged for the 6th picture in your 6th folder thing, but since we got the laptop, I don't have 6 folders yet and I'm way too lazy right now to get any off of the other computer!!

I guess that leaves Laura's tag. Here it goes...

TYPE ONLY ONE WORD FOR EACH ANSWER. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!!!

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your significant other? work
3. Your hair? un-trimmed
4. Your mother? mimi
5. Your father? over-laugher (sorry dad!!)
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? contacts
8. Your favorite drink? coke
9. Your dream/goal? discipline
10. The room you're in? kitchen
11. Your fear? alone
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? texas
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? disciplined
15. Muffins/donuts? donuts
16. One of your wish list items? sheets
17. Where you grew up? texas
18. The last thing you did? lunch
19. What are you wearing? shorts
20. Your TV? limited
21. Your pet? asleep
22. Your computer? wireless
23. Your life? full
24. Your mood? procrastinating
25. Missing someone? no
26. Favorite pastime? sewing
27. Something you're not wearing? shoes
28. Favorite Store? gap
29. Your summer? busy
30. Your favorite color? peacock
31. When is the last time you laughed? morning
32. Last time you cried? months
33. Who will/would re-post this? marla
34. Four places I go over and over: walmart, chickfila, church, metroplex
35. Four people who e-mail me? brad, laura, kara, ericka
36. Four of my favorite foods? mexican, pizza, brownies, peanut butter
37. Four places I would like to be right now: vacation, bed, spa, mall
38. Four people I tag? kelly, marla, melissa, karen

Halloween 2008

We got some excellent use out of our Halloween costumes this year! THREE different events to attend. Here we go...

Monday: 2nd annual playgroup costume/craft party at Candace's house! We also went to a local pumpkin patch the week before that.

This was after the pumpkin patch ladies read a story or two. Some how I deleted the group shot. Oops!

Someday the girls will sit down, smile sweetly and let me take lots of pictures of them before they start eating hay or running after their friends...someday, right??

On to the costume par-tay! They weren't too sure about their costumes. Morgan wasn't having any of it and the sandwich board of foam came off shortly after this picture! I later tweaked her foam and made it a lot smaller with only one "board".

Morgan and Maddie:

The Chick-Fil-A cow (Candace's husband Tim got to borrow the costume) made an appearance at our party! Mallory wasn't scared at all. Hmmm. Maybe we need to rent a Santa costume a couple of times before the actual picture taking in the mall. Maybe she will actually stand in line to see him this year...Tim, are you game???

The attempt at a group shot. With 20+ kids there, I didn't think this was too bad!

The mommies with their respective kiddos

Wednesday: Fall Festival at our church. Mallory only got one piece of candy for us! She would rather just watch everyone else...and dance. They had a really random mix of music playing.

Gettin' her groove on...slowly but surely!

Our new friends (minus Shane and Bella in this picture)! Gunnar (aka Michael Phelps...is that not hilarious??) and Karen

Mallory's new buddy Bella. These girls love each other! Anytime I put Mallory's hair in pigtails, she says, "Like Bella!"

Thursday: We carved our first pumpkin with the girls! I have tons of memories doing this with my family growing up, so it was fun to begin the tradition this year! We asked Mallory what kind of face "Charlie" should have. She suggested a surprise face, so that is why "Charlie" looks a little scared instead of happy:)

The inspiration for our pumpkin:

Before the yucky part!

And, the final product!

Friday: Trick or treating with our neighbors!!

After the 10th picture, we finally got small smiles...Mallory was ready for the candy!

We have finally (after living in our house over 2 years) met our neighbors! They all play across the cul-de-sac from us. It's silly, but I was always intimidated to go over and introduce myself unless I had a real excuse to walk over there. A couple of months ago, we saw one of the couples at Chick-Fil-A and we got our nerve up to meet them. We've played several times now, and apparently they like us....we got invited to their annual neighbor trick or treating! Mallory had a lot of fun with the big girls. She would never sit in the wagon...even if she was the slowest of the pack!!

How Morgan trick or treated most of the time.

Brad said it best when he said Halloween brings out a lot of the "different" people in neighborhoods. This lady had a puppet that gave the kids their candy. That's not bad, but when she started dancing with the puppet and doing hand motions with the puppet, we all got a little chuckle out of that. We also saw a neighbor set up a movie screen, his laptop and speakers for the trick or treaters to watch Scooby Doo Halloween. We think it secretly was just to cure the boredom of handing out candy...he had a Miller Light in one hand and the candy bowl in another!

What a fun and BUSY week it was!!

We heart the coach!

Today was the last day of Brad's soccer season. Unfortunately, it didn't end on a very good note. They lost their game today and it was a bittersweet last couple of weeks around here. Brad is bummed, we are bummed for him and now we will all be bored...yeah right!! The bright side to all of this is our upcoming trip to San Antonio!! We get to visit Aunt LaShay and Uncle Steve, plus get to have fun on the Riverwalk! I think this trip is much needed for everyone. Brad needs to get away from soccer for a couple of days and we need to be with Brad for a couple of days!

I meant to bring my camera to the game so I could a picture of Brad with his biggest fans, but I forgot it. So, just imagine a green soccer field with pretty trees in the background, the sun setting and 2 girls decked out in "Cru wear" to support their daddy! It would have been cute...