Christmas Part 1

Mark and I were able to come home to my family's house in Twin Falls this year for Christmas. We try to switch off each year and although it works out pretty well we sure miss whichever family we can't be with.

We drove up Saturday night after a relatively calm check out day for me and my residents. It is always nice to get out of the "dorms" and be in a real home for the holidays. I have always loved the way my mom decorates. Everywhere I turn there are snowmen, Christmas trees, nativity scenes and lights. She really makes the home glow with the holiday spirit.

Sunday we went to church and dressed up in all matching Christmas colors. Of course we had to take some pictures by the tree.

I love Shortstop's brand new Christmas outfit.

Shortstop just loved trying to eat the ribbon on the presents. (He is a fully sitting up baby now, just fyi.)

While we have been here, all the cousins have loved hugging and kissing our little man. They are so sweet to him and love to make him laugh.

Mollie has really enjoyed reading to him. She always talks about how cute he is. One day she was on my lap and holding my hands and I said "you have such cute hands!" She replied, "I know but they are not as cute as little baby Jack's! His thumb is so tiny!"

We have been cooking and shopping and watching movies. We really miss my sisters who can't be here but make sure we ichat and text as much as we can.

Yesterday my mom planned an hour at the Humanitarian center for everyone. It was awesome. The little kids all brought a stuffed animal to donate and we all worked on hygiene kits.

All the kids with their stuffed animals to donate

The men boxing up the kits. Such goofs!

What a way to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks mom! We went out to dinner afterwards and enjoyed good food and great company.

This morning mom again planned the morning for the girls (Alicia, Paula, Ashley, me and mom) to go get pedicures, massages or facials.

It was heavenly! Children stayed home with the dads and the women felt very pampered. (Really wish you could have been here Rachel, Carrie and Melanie)!

With as much fun as we have had I can't believe Christmas still hasn't happened. It is too good to be true! Mark and I have loved relaxing and spending time together. And we love when Grandma comes in to get Shortstop in the morning to let us sleep in. She is so quick to hold him throughout the day and loves to sit and rock him. Grandmas rule!

The rest of the week will include more movies, lots of Alicia's amazing cooking, the temple, Christmas and Christmas Eve including reading and acting out Luke 2 (Shortstop gets to be baby Jesus), and then three days next week when Mark gets to fly home for a friend's wedding reception. So wish we could all go but we do get to fly to Mark's parents house in January for a weekend to visit and let them love on their only grandchild.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I will do better, I promise.

Christmas cheer

I am so excited for Christmas and to celebrate with my family. Nothing gets me more in the spirit of Christmas than music. Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and Josh Groban are some personal favorites around the holidays.

My sister put these on her blog so I stole her idea. Love these two songs and so many more! Thank goodness for Pandora and the variety it plays.

This first one is beautiful and gets me emotional every time.


This one is just fun!

7 months...just 2 days late

Shortstop turned 7 months on Friday. We celebrated by laying in bed all day drinking juice, wearing sweats and sneezing. Yep...we were both sick on Friday. We took a sick day and stayed in bed all day watching movies and snuggling. And he actually did lay around with me. I guess that is the bonus to us both being sick; I barely had to get up to take care of him since he just stayed next to me.

And now some pictures and videos for your entertainment. (But really mostly for the grandparents entertainment)

Reading his little books

All ready for church. He is so trendy!

New shoes. They make him run faster and jump higher!

I love this video. Every time Mark would make him laugh he would bury his head and giggle. It was so fun and lasted for quite a while. These two are the best of friends!

May I Recommend

Bellapierre eye makeup.

Thanks to my sister for introducing me. It was love at first sight. And now I never go anywhere without it! I think they have kiosks in some malls that sell this or you can order it on line. It is awesome, stays on all day and looks gorgeous!

Don't ask if you don't want it

When Mark came home from work today I asked him what he wanted for dinner. We decided on eggs and bacon. I love Brinner! (Breakfast for dinner). I asked him what type to which he answered "Scrambled, fried and sunny side up but not too runny." Then he laughed and said just kidding. Well, he asked for it. So this was his dinner.

The sunny side up one is more of a fried egg that is a little mushy. Cooked it a tad too long.

Thanksgiving

Now that it is December (Happy December everyone) I figure I should post about Thanksgiving. I have so much to be grateful for this year. Family, friends, the gospel, our health, jobs, and so much more.

Here is Shortstop in his handsome sweater Thanksgiving morning (thank you cousin E-man).

I can't get enough pictures of my two boys.

This year we went to my parents' house in Twin Falls for Thanksgiving. I love going home to smell something baking, a football game playing on the TV and kids giggling and yelling all over the house. I was so excited for Shortstop's first major holiday home and it lived up to all my expectations. My sister Paula and her family and Melanie and her family were at Thanksgiving dinner and then Alicia and her family were around all week. They were at her husband's house for the actual dinner but we got them for most of the time before and after that.

Due to a bad storm, we got up there Wednesday instead of Tuesday but then we got to stay until Monday versus Sunday because of another storm. So it all worked out!

Thursday we baked and ate and ate and baked. It was awesome! Shortstop had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, a roll, sweet potatoes and ham and loved every bite. He started eating before anyone sat down and was still eating when people got up. He knows how to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner! Of course I only got pictures of him and none of the dinner or anyone else...whoops! But the food looked amazing and everyone was all smiles.

There was nothing left in the bottle, I promise.

After dinner the adults sat around talking and sharing things we are grateful for. I love when my dad gets in on these conversations as it turns spiritual, loving and sometimes emotional. He once again thanked Mark for the husband he is and how grateful they are to have him in the family. Mark is well liked in the Morgan clan and for good reason. I love him so much and truly lucked out with who I married.

We had a pie contest on Thursday night. Last year my pie won best looking. This year I told Mark he got to make the pie. He called his mom, got a recipe, we went to the store and bought all the stuff and he was ready to go. But because he was having too much fun all day, he never got around to making it. So we entered this.

It did not win anything and I don't understand why. :)

We played games each night and visited until late. In the mornings a few times my mom would take Shortstop so Mark and I could sleep in. Heaven!

Friday was spent hanging out and relaxing and then Mark and I got to go on a date to Harry Potter 7. We have been so excited for this all year!

Thank you Grandma and Aunt Paula for keeping Shortstop. He loved all the attention he got this week and was so funny watching the kids play. You could tell he wanted to jump up and join them but just couldn't figure out how. When we got home from the movie, there were fireworks from a program called Christmas in the Nighttime Sky. It happens every year and it is just down the street from our house so we turn off all the lights and watch them out the windows. The little man was mesmerized and could not stop smiling at the bright lights.

Grandma took the little girls one afternoon and made sugar cookies to keep them entertained and busy. She is such a fun Grandma and the kids loved it!

Saturday my mom and sisters and I went shopping and got some Christmas decorations then we came home and watched the BYU vs. Utah football game. I never watch this game with Mark, whether on TV or live because he gets so tense and I get nervous for him. Even if we have tickets, I give mine to a friend or brother in law so Mark can enjoy the game without me getting tense the whole time and him worrying about me. But I listened at a safe distance and it was not a good afternoon. So afterwards to help us feel better, we went out with two of my sisters and their husbands for Sushi while Grandma and Grandpa kept all the grandkids. They are the best!

Sunday and Monday there were more games and movies and shopping and then we came home Monday afternoon. Although it was hard to get back to work and reality, it is nice to be in our own home with the Christmas decorations up. And it helps that it is only three more weeks until I go back home for Christmas!!

Sunday

Before church

After church

My handsome boys

Lately Shortstop has been trying to communicate with new sounds, one of them being a "nn" sound. I think it is so cute. And he is such a little phony acting upset! He knows how to turn on the cranky but then turns it right off.

Feeling lucky?

Family shots

Today Shortstop had his 6 month appointment. He did SOOO well with shots. He cried for a minute but then was laughing and happy soon after. We love our doctor! She is so good with him and he never gets upset when she pokes and prods at him. He loves her.

Mark and I decided to get flu shots today as well since we were in there already. So all of us got shots today. We tried to explain that to Shortstop but he didn't really care that we had a shot. :) He is doing great with his stats and milestones. I do have a little squirt for a child but he is healthy and happy.

Here are his stats:
Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz- 25%
Height: 26.5 in- 50%
Head: 44.5 cm- 75%

So medium height, lean and a big head. Just like his dad!

6 months

Wow little man cub, you are 6 months old today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how much you have changed and grown. Dad and I love your fun personality and it is coming out more and more each day. Here are some things just about you.

• You laugh and smile all the time. You even have a little smirk which can be seen in the video below
• You hate to be left alone for too long, even if you are having fun with your toys
• You love sweet potatoes and applesauce
• You are learning to drink from a sippy cup
• You almost have the hang of sitting up- today you sat up for 20 seconds, laughing the whole time and smiling with pride
• Your Grandma says you are just like your dad in so many ways, which your dad loves to hear- one way is that you are quite the talker which I love to hear!
• You have learned to scream and tell me you are frustrated- although it is not my favorite, I am glad you can express your emotions
• Your nanny is a new good friend who gets a smile out of you when she walks in
• You can eat Gerber puffs all by yourself from your high chair tray
• You still love to suck on your fingers and now love to suck on your toes
• You love reading books with me
• You enjoy very much being in your exersaucer
• You are a little camera shy. You can be doing the funniest thing and the minute we pull the camera out you look very serious and just lay there
• You watched the movie Cars for almost 30 minutes the other day, absolutely intrigued. (I know I am a horrible mom for even attempting to have him watch TV but it was a very busy work day!) See above picture
• You like to cuddle with me in the cold mornings in my bed after dad has gone to work, and play with my hair while we both attempt to wake up for the day. Snuggling and cuddling is a most for you at some point in the day and it is a definite must for me while you will still let me
• And you love listening to music!

Thanks for being such a great little boy and for only giving me grief every so often to keep me on my toes.

What a difference an hour makes

One (child) for sale!

One (child) for sale!

One crying and spying young (child) for sale!

I’m really not kidding,

So who’ll start the bidding?

Do I hear a dollar?

A nickel?

A penny?

Oh, isn’t there, isn’t there, isn’t there any

One (person) that will buy this (small child) for sale,

This crying and spying young (child) for sale?

So I have changed some of the words to this Shel Silverstein poem to relate to my day. I had had it with my adorable little Shortstop. He has learned to scream and grunt in anger at me. He has learned to bite (in a place that is quite sensitive) and he doesn't even have teeth yet. He and I fought all day. He didn't want this, I needed to do that and we just could not see eye to eye.

I called my sister and cried a bit. Shortstop told me to get off the phone. I put him in his new exersaucer. He told me he felt bored. I held him and he informed me I wasn't doing it right. And how dare I even think of putting him down for a nap! So after work and once Mark came home, he could sense something was not right. Shortstop and I were no longer on speaking terms so he told me to go shopping. And I did. Just to Target to get my new coupon-ing binder (I am so excited about my new money saving hobby!). And I walked up and down each aisle, thinking of fun Christmas things, finding items on sale that I also had coupons for and just enjoying the peace and quite (minus the 3 screaming children in another woman's cart...not my problem!) And as I walked down the $1 aisle, I saw two Mickey Mouse board books and thought, "Shortstop would like these. Maybe I should get him these to make up for all the fighting today."

I took the long way home in the rain, enjoying the clean feeling of Fall in the air. Our car radio is broken which was a blessing as I could just think and enjoy the silence. I walked in the front door and there he was. My little boy. He saw me, and I waited. Waited to see if he had forgiven me. And then he smiled. A huge toothless grin and reached out to me. I picked him up, told him I was sorry and showed him the books. He immediately put them in his mouth, which indicates he likes them. And he just sat on my lap as I read to him and I could not believe how much I had missed him in one hour.

And we are friends again. He is pretty quick to forgive.

Time out

I have never been one to forget about "me time." Really, I do a pretty good job of taking time outs and relaxing. But lately with Mark gone from 7:30 am-6 pm, being a full time mom, Hall Advisor, church member and CEO of this household, I use my down time playing catch up. At night, my once common time to relax, Shortstop goes to bed at 8 pm and then I am all work mode. Mark goes to bed around 10:30 and I am still out visiting residents or doing paperwork. In the mornings before my meetings it is laundry, budgeting, making baby food, cleaning or again more hall advisor stuff. I try not to take too much time away from Shortstop. I try to use his nap times to their full extent but sometimes he gets to spend time in his exersaucer while I go about doing. And because he is such a good baby, he doesn't complain while I neglect him. But it is those times he needs me that I am glad he is comfortable letting me know. Like today.

I did not stop with work from 12-5, even taking him with me to do some work errands on campus (he was an angel). And when I came home to a happy baby and smiling nanny I thought "Oh good, he is happy. I can get some more stuff done before my night meetings." Wrong! I took him from Kristi, hugged and kissed him, snuggled him for a minute, fed him and then put him down to play while I sent off just a few more emails. He did not like that and cried out. Loud. I stopped typing, picked him up, kissed him and he stopped. I thought maybe he needed a diaper change or burp. Did both of those. He was fine again. So I gave him some toys and headed back to the computer. Nope! Again, he cried and I finally understood. I smiled down at him, picked him up and said "Ok, no more work until dad gets home and can play with you." He smiled at me and snuggled right up to me, sucking on his little fingers, and I could almost hear him sigh a thank you; forgiving me for forgetting briefly what is most important.

Thank you son for making me take time out for you because really it is time out for me. There is nothing I would rather do than hold you and just sit and breathe.

My first Halloween!

I had my very first Halloween this weekend and it was a lot of fun. Mom and dad introduced me to pumpkins. They bought me my own little one to let me draw on.

I didn't get the whole concept but I did like putting the marker in my mouth. Dad helped me with the drawing part.

There was another bigger pumpkin that I got to stick my hands in. It was a little gross but new and exciting.

I even tasted a little. Later on dad and mom enjoyed eating the pumpkin seeds once they were cooked but I didn't get to have any.

Look at how tough I look as a ninja! This dressing up thing was not annoying at all. In fact, my costume was pretty comfortable.

"Hiyah!

My dad is the coolest. It was his idea to dress me up as a ninja. Mom wanted something cute and cuddly but the men in the house won this year.

We went to my Aunt Melanie's house Saturday night for dinner and games. She made some cool food! I don't know how it tasted but it sure looked neat!

Witches fingers

Mummy faces

There are bones (breadsticks) and swamp sludge (punch with dry ice)

My aunt and cousins are so much fun. Look at their costumes.

The nurse

Geico Gecko

Fellow ninja

She was a skeleton but you can't tell because I was too busy cuddling her.

I love giving kisses to anyone who get close enough.

At the end of the night, mom put me in my even more comfy Halloween pjs and I snuggled with dad on the couch before we drove home.

I can't wait for next year when I can actually have some of the candy and good food I saw coming and going all night!

Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!