A wild week!

I think we have finally recovered from Thanksgiving! Morgan has been on overload since last Wednesday and I believe she is beginning to come down. Bob came up from Houston on Thursday morning and my parents then came over for lunch. Since lunch in my family = late lunch, we didn't eat until 2:00, right in the middle of Morgan's nap. This worked out, though, because by the time she woke up, we were still eating. She sat in her little high chair looking quite confused as to why almost every familiar face she knows was staring at her at the table. We gave her a little turkey, which she promptly spit out, as she did the sweet potato casserolel. She did enjoy the roll, however, which I guess can be considered an accomplishment. We then went over to Greg's Uncle Jamie's house where many of Greg's cousins were. They all descended on Morgan as if she were an alien! They haven't had a baby in their family in a long time, so they were quite excited to see her. All of Greg's cousins on his dad's side are in their 40's with teenagers. We are actually closer in age to the cousins' kids. Anyway, from there it was on to Garden Ridge to find the perfect pre-lit tree, however, none were to Greg's liking (price-wise), so we left and I was a bit dejected. The tree we decided to get was going to be $50 cheaper on Sunday, so why buy it on Thursday? Deep in my heart I knew it was going to be gone. Sure enough, Greg went back at midnight Saturday night and it (along with all the other non-skinny trees) was gone. I resisted saying "I told you so" and we ended up getting a tree on Sunday at Target!

Friday was spent up in Frisco with my family + Bob+Mike's dad for Mike's 26th birthday. We watched Texas almost get beat by A&M and then Katie and I hit some stores. Saturday we traveled to Stephenville to visit Greg's grandmother and Brad and Leigh Ann. We had a good time and Morgan had fun crawling around Grandma's giant (all couches around the perimeter) living room. Sunday was a normal church day except we had nothing that night, which was nice. We got 2/3 of the lights put up outside as well as the tree (the whole tree that is). So far, Morgan has ignored the tree, which I am thankful for. We'll see what happens when we decorate it!

In addition to the crazy Thanksgiving weekend, I had Kirklyn from 6:45am-5:00pm yesterday and Mom, Morgan, and I went to McKinney today to meet Aunt Mary and Aunt Molly for shopping and estate settling. Morgan slept for 2 hours in her car seat on the way home and after we came in the house!

Needless to say, we are all pooped. We need to stop and breathe, but we still continue to press on. Morgan will go to Amanda's tomorrow so I can have some much needed alone time. I don't have to work, so I guess I will decorate the house for the next whirlwind holiday! I am really looking forward to Christmas this year. Having Morgan has put a whole new spin on it. It will be so much fun!

I have to say a prayer for Lynley tonight. Her grandfather passed away somewhat unexpectedly tonight. I know how close she is with all her grandparents, especially him and her grandmother. It's hard to say goodbye to someone who's been there your whole life. It's especially hard to watch your parents mourn their own parents. I know exactly what Lynley is feeling tonight and I know how hard this week has been for her already with Isaac being sick.

I love you Lynley!

Thankfulness

Let the cleaning begin! Morgan is at Amanda's today because they are going out of town tomorrow. Luckily I don't have to work this week, so today is cleaning day! Bob is coming tomorrow and I'm hosting Thanksgiving at our house. It will only be him and my parents, but I want the house to be clean none the less. I don't feel that smashed peas and ravioli on the kitchen floor are appropriate for a holiday meal. Speaking of food, Morgan has tried many new table foods lately. Most have been at restaurants when we are trying to find anything to keep her occupied while we eat. Don't get me wrong, she's wonderful in public. She loves smiling and talking to the people around us, but sometimes she gets a little too excited. That's when the squealing starts. Most people think it's cute, but I'm convinced that if it goes on for more than 2 minutes, we might start to get dirty looks! I don't want to be that mother! Anyway, back to the food. Morgan has tried fried okra, pancakes (aka Morgan's first pancake night), peas, ravioli, carrot bits, chicken, french fries, rolls, peach cobbler, mandarin oranges (later I found out I shouldn't do citrus until 12 months, oops), grapes, pickles, and many others I've forgotten. She seemed to like everything, except the pickles. She thought she liked them at first, but then she sucked on one really hard and made a really funny "bitter beer face"! She's still eating mostly baby food, but I'm having her chew at least something at every meal so she gets used to it.

That's all for now. The clock is ticking and I've got to get started. Overall, we are really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. Bob hasn't seen Morgan since August and she has changed sooooo much since then. We also get to see Brad and Leigh Ann on Saturday. We also get to remember all we have to be thankful for. I get teary eyed thinking about all God has blessed us with this year. We have a healthy, happy, beautiful baby girl who just adores us. She has taught us to love in a different way than we've ever known before. She brings us more joy than we ever could have imagined. Greg and I are truly proud of our accomplishment, but we know she is a miracle from God. I can't imagine my life without her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Morning Praises

1. Both girls are down for naps simultaneously!
2. Kirklyn is leaving early today (I love her dearly, but a little break is good)
3. Our friends Ryan and Amy Gibbons are coming over tomorrow night to watch Morgan so we can have a night out. No strings attached!
4. Kirklyn's daddy, Dewitt, has a 2nd interview today for an AP job in Everman.
5. Greg comes home early tonight - no FCA!
6. I think AJ's anxiety and stress are getting better.
7. I got all of the poop out of Morgan's new swimsuit!
8. Christmas parties are being scheduled right and left!
9. The weather is gorgeous (though warm for November)
10. I'm taking lunch to a friend at Crow on Wednesday.

It's good to start the day counting little blessings. God blesses us every moment of everyday. It's so easy to get caught up in minor frustrations (i.e. poop in the swimsuit). I'm going to praise God for the good things instead of focusing on the bad!

Crank up that monitor!

Ahh, finally a moment to myself. I love naptime! I only wish I knew exactly how much time I had before the little darling wakes up. After she goes down, I live as if she is going to wake up in 20 minutes, which happens sometimes. Any longer than that is a treat. What do I do first? Hurry, go to the bathroom! Next, dry your hair! Go warm up your lunch so you can eat without someone tugging at your pant leg! Maybe you'll get lucky and get to fold some laundry! Before I became I mom, I never had to prioritize my daily (and hourly) activities!

We had fun on Monday night (Halloween). We went to a few houses, but Morgan mostly sat in our entry way and dug candy out of the bucket. I attached a picture that Lynley liked. Next year I need to find a costume that is a little more obvious than the strawberry. All night we heard, "Awww, what a cute tomato or apple or watermelon". Jerks! Just kidding.

Morgan has started this disappearing act several times a day. We'll be in the living room playing and all of the sudden, she's gone! She has followed a cat out of the room and usually ends up in her room playing. It's funny that she bypasses the guest room and bathroom. It's like she's knows which room is her's. Once I realize she's gone, I have a split second where I unrealistically think, "She'll be OK by herself! She's a big girl now!" These crazy thoughts stem from exhaustion, I'm sure. So, after a brief moment of insanity, I go find her. She thinks it's a fun game. More than anything, I think she just likes to play in her room. I'm glad since Mike and Katie spent so much time painting it!

Tonight we are heading out to the Lamar/Arlington game. It's the last game of the season, and I'm pretty sure Lamar's going to lose. Greg has 5th quarter afterwards, so he won't be home until 1:00am. Another night of putting Morgan to bed on my own! I don't mind it nearly as much as I used to. I used to get really uptight and dread it because Morgan and Greg have their little routine and she goes right to sleep. She will go to sleep for me fine, but I hate for her to miss out on being with him. It really has become a special time for them. Someone at the football game last night leaned over to us and said, "That baby must be a daddy's girl!" because of the way Morgan was looking at Greg. I think it's sweet and I know how lucky we are to have Greg so involved in every aspect of her upbringing. I couldn't ask for more!

Oh sweet, I hear Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" coming over the baby monitor. No, no, they aren't performing a private concert in Morgan's nursery, though I think that would be fabulous! They are actually on 103.7 KVIL. Morgan tends to nap better with a little background noise, so I turn on the radio very soft. I chose KVIL because the music is soothing. At first, I had it on KISS fm, but I didn't think that 50 Cent's "In Da Club" was the best message for Morgan to hear subliminally as she slept. So, I'm going to crank up the monitor and have a moment to myself!