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...

Our Abilene trip!

I absolutely love going back to Abilene. It will always feel like home since I spent so many years there. Brad and I miss lots of things about it, but also are really enjoying our current place that we live. All that to say, it doesn't take much for me to make an excuse to visit. This time, we killed a lot of birds with one stone...soccer!

Brad had 2 games in Abilene, so that is the first (and most important) reason we made the trek. But, since we were going to be there anyway, why not throw in ACU Homecoming and Sunday morning back at South Side?? The night before the trip I really was wondering what I had gotten myself into....

Thursday morning we went to my Bible Study and Chick-Fil-A lunch as normal. After lunch, I raced home, packed up the car and headed out. We weren't gone 5 minutes before both girls were passed out. I spent the next 1 1/2 hours in silence...it was great!!!

We rolled into Abilene and went straight to Meredith's house. I basically invited us over to Meredith's house, and being the hostess with the mostess she is, she accepted our invitation:) Mallory was a little out of sorts from the time we walked in the door until she went to bed...almost 3 hours! I kept thinking to myself, "this is just the beginning little girl!!" She was in for a very overwhelming weekend!! Mallory and Ella did their bonding at dinner while they were shaking their heads being a "spaz" and then later in the big bath tub. Morgan couldn't keep up with these girls. And, poor Hayden was outnumbered with all these girls around!

Mallory and Ella

Hayden

Once they were in their beds (pack n plays in Ella's closet), Meredith and I chatted until way too late. I'm sure Mark was in shock by how much talking was taking place.

Friday morning, we went to chapel. We met Kelly, Wade and Tate there. The kids had fun singing to the songs and watching the cheesy Elvis after it was over. We were really disappointed in the "pep rally". Not very peppy!

Hayden, Meredith, me and Morgan at chapel

After chapel, we headed outside to the GATA fountain and let the kids run around. Then, like the big alumni dorks that we are, we got a tour of the renovated Bean. It is sooooo much nicer than when we were there!



Brad's first game was on Friday against HSU. Unfortunately they lost, but fortunately, we got to see lots of old friends! Some of Brad's old Abilene High boys (and their parents) were there. It was fun to see everyone and for them to see the girls. We were pregnant with Mallory the last time we saw some of them.

These girls have known each other since they were in utero:) L to R: Mallory, Kaylee, Noelle and Brooke


Friday night was spent at the carnival on campus. It was fun, but kind of hectic chasing the kids around everywhere. After dinner with K, W and T, we went to the hotel to see Brad. Luckily, we had an extra room, so we put the girls in one room (with the monitor) and we slept in another room. It was great until 4am...when Morgan woke up screaming!!!

Saturday was CRAZY! We met K, W and T for breakfast at their hotel, headed to the parade, ate lunch with the Dows, headed back to the hotel for a quick nap and then made it to Brad's second game against McMurry right on time (a miracle for me!). Whew. After the game (they won!), I met Brooke and Lori (with their families) at Chili's for dinner (Brooke or Lori, do you have pictures from this??). After dinner, we headed to Tim and Kara's house to play. The older girls (Kaylee, Brooke and Mallory) had a slumber party together (which went surprisingly well with all 3 in the same room) while Morgan and I bunked together. Kara and I stayed up way too late chatting...of course!

Lori with baby Sophia, Faith, Mallory, me and Morgan

Since we got to the game on time, we started getting a little bored. Why not play in the tarp to pass some time? She thought this game was hilarious!

I feel the need to explain the bow. I forgot the headband that the bows clip onto and Lori graciously let me borrow on of hers. I'm not normally such a fanatic about bows, but Morgan totally would have been mistaken for a boy in this outfit. If it helps, the bow matched her shoes:)

Sunday morning was madness too. We made it to church (only 10ish minutes late) and got to more friends! We loved our church in Abilene and it was great to be back there and to see familiar faces. One of those warm and fuzzy feelings, you know? After church, we headed to TaMolly's with the Richardsons for lunch. This time last year, Kara was telling Tim that she was expecting Sydney...I think it was a record that no one was pregnant this year:)

I love this picture! L-R: Mallory, Kaylee and Brooke

We raced back to their house, loaded up the car and stopped by Hendrick Medical Center on the way out. This place is another "warm and fuzzy". I worked there during school and then it was my first "real" job as an RN. I bawled like a baby on my last day (probably didn't help that I was a week away from having my first baby too!). I got to see lots of the people I used to work with. They had never met Morgan and the last time they saw Mallory was over a year ago. It was fun to tell Mallory all about being a nurse and working in a hospital.

And, finally, we were on our way home! We had to go through 3 drive thrus before I found a real Coke. I had to have something to keep me awake. It was a long and busy weekend! I don't regret going at all, or dragging my kids in so many different directions. I loved each and every place we stayed and person that we got to see! A HUGE thank you to the Powells and Richardsons for hosting us over the weekend. We loved staying in your homes and playing with your kiddos!!

Okay. I am so close to being caught up. We had 3 Halloween festivities, so that post is next. I think I will be done with all this back-tracking...hopefully!!! Thanks for acting like you all care:)

10 months old...2 weeks ago

I am behind on Morgan's big 10 month post, but to be honest, I'm just impressed with myself that I've kept up these monthly milestone posts!

So, Morgan turned 10 months old on the 18th. I feel like she has changed a lot in the last month. Not necessarily what she looks like, but what she is doing!

The girl is crawling everywhere. Soccer games are chaotic now. She used to be content sitting on the blanket and playing with toys. Not anymore. She wants to be where big sister is...and anyone for that matter! Next year will be much better. Hopefully they will just run off and play with the other kids and I can actually watch some of the game...instead of watching game film with Brad later that night! Along with crawling comes the pulling up. This just started in the last few weeks. She mastered pulling up to her knees and then all of a sudden, she was standing at the couch! Her most hilarious move is while she crawls, she will get up on her toes like a gorilla. I'm just waiting for her to figure out how to move while she is on her toes.

She talks all the time. There are no "official" words yet, but her repertoire includes mama (sounding more like na-na), dada and da-do (for hello). The other day, we had our first real "conversation" if you will. She was in her high chair and I was trying to feed her baby food. I think she is done with baby food by the way. That might have been the last jar I fed her. Sniff. Anyway. She would not eat any of it. She kept pushing my hand away and just lifting her finger pointing (one of her current favorite things to do). So, after getting a little frustrated, I asked her what she was pointing at. I looked over and it was her sippy cup! I gave it to her and she drank (for a while). The turkey was trying to tell me she was thirsty!! Amazing. She gobbled up the food after that. There it is. Our first real life conversation.

In most pictures you can't tell, but she is getting her hair in slowly but surely. It's pretty thick in the back. Occasionally she'll actually have bed head!! I've pretty much given up on the bows. She just yanks them down around her neck and chews on them. I reserve them for special occasions...or when I know people will mistake her for Mallory's brother instead of sister!

Morgan can give a "five", give kisses (open mouth, just fyi), give a hug (lay her head on your shoulder after you say hug), plays peek-a-boo, holds her hand or anything else up to her ear and says "da-do" like she is talking on the phone, actually sits still long enough to get through one book, loves to play with real keys and my wallet (she will scream at me if she sees it and I put it away before she can chew on it), loves to eat big people food, has a constant runny nose it seems, hates wearing socks, is a people person, has one tooth still (I think the one next to it is coming in), still sucks her thumb and snuggles with her purple blanket when she is sleepy and LOVES to be thrown into the pillows by her daddy!!

What a fun baby we have! It's amazing watching all of these milestones again. So many memories of Mallory doing these things. It's fun to see all the differences too.

Part 4

The road warriors were off to Roanoke for a fun-filled cousin/sister week. Wade was out of town for work, so we went to keep Kelly and Tate company. It was a fast and fun week!! Here's the recap:

Monday: Our first pumpkin patch of the fall!

Mallory and Tate could have stayed there all night long pulling the wagons, running through the maze and attempting to pick up all the pumpkins! Morgan went straight for the hay everytime I put her down...turkey.

This was the first attempt at a cute sister picture in the pumpkin patch. Not too bad!!

Tuesday: Meeting Miss Audrey for the first time!

One of my college roommies, Brooke, had a baby girl 2 days after Morgan was born. I had still never met her in person...until Tuesday. I finally made the trek up to her house to meet Audrey in person (and to see Brooke!). It was a great morning of catching up, letting the kiddos meet and then topped it off with a lunch at Chick Fil A. I love being around Brooke. She is one of the sweetest people that I've known. And, she has a great snort when she laughs (Mallory got to hear it in person!!!) I'm just sorry that it took me 10 months to meet this adorable baby!! Brooke and I compared stories about Audrey and Mallory. They seem to be kindred spirits as infants:)

Wednesday: Reunion of sister friends and their offspring!

Way back in the 8th grade, I met a girl named Jill. We went through middle school and high school together. We were also in the same youth group, so we obviously spent a lot of time together. She has a sister who is just one year younger than Kelly. Long story short, we had a mini reunion in March of 2007. Back then, there were 4 physical kids there, one in utero and one about to be in utero:) So, needless to say, it was a fun playdate with 4 mommies and SIX kids!! Being around Jessie and Jill is just plain FUN! They have great personalities and it's easy to be around them. There are no pictures to document this fun time...unfortunately I forgot my camera...or more accurately, forgot to take it out of my purse to take a picture. I don't know why it slipped my mind...

Thursday: Low key day and night out for the mommies!

We had planned on heading to the zoo or something fun like that, but it was overcast and a little cool outside. Plus, Morgan started having a cough and I was nervous to have her out in crazy weather just after having an ear infection. Bummer!

Wade offered (after Kelly told him the plans!) to put the kids in their beds while we went out and did something fun. So, like mad women after dinner, we bathed them and got everything ready for Wade. We were out the door by 7:15!! Being the crazy mommies that we are, we headed straight for Target. We sure did spend 2 hours in Target just leisurely browsing everything we saw and actually trying on clothes! That doesn't happen very often. After shopping, we headed to Johnny Carino's for some YUMMY chocolate cake/ice cream. It was great! Finally, we headed home around 11 and watched the tivo'd Office episode.


Friday: Back home to see daddy's soccer game!

Friday came way too fast! We left right after lunch. I'm sure Mallory was ready to be in her own bed and back to her normal routine. We got home just in time for the second half of Brad's game. We were all super excited to see Brad!

And that wraps up our crazy 2 weeks (which has now been 2 weeks ago)! I would say this gets me caught up, but someone turned 10 months old on Sunday and has been learning quite a bit of new things. Morgan's post is coming next...followed by more playgroup fun and our adventures in Abilene! I may never get to blogging about the day to day on time ever again...