More Morgan

We don't feed her on the floor (usually). This is after she decided to pour herself some cereal.I know I've said it before, but this is my favorite "Morgan" stage. She has started nodding, which is more of a bow with her torso than just a head nod. The nod is always accompanied by a "yeah." She jabbers to everyone like she is telling the most important thing in the world. When people reply with the usual, "oh really?" or "are you serious?" she answers with her nod and "yeah." Today we were at church and she said "hi" to this little boy in the foyer and he asked her what she was eating. She nodded and said, "yeah."

Since Tom has been working from home she has really grown more comfortable with him and wants daddy as much or more than she wants mama. It's nice for me but I have to admit that I like when she wants me.

We're not sure how it happened but Morgan can count to 10. We didn't try to teach her and have narrowed it down to a book she has or a Barney song. The way it works is that one of us will say "one," then she will say "two," then we say "three," then she'll either say "go" or "four." If it's "four," we continue all the way to ten.

She has started throwing tantrums. They aren't bad, but she's pretty sassy once in a while. She pulled my hair one day while we were shopping and I couldn't help but laugh. She doesn't hit very often but she is a pincher and her pinches hurt!

Even though she can be a stinker sometimes, she is usually a sweetheart. She is gentle with babies, loves dogs, and she gives us hugs and kisses. And when I'm pretending to cry, she shares her Binky. She melts my heart.

Red Hat Day Photos

I made this red hat for Morgan yesterday so today we woke up and decided to take pictures in the snow with it on. I saw the cutest skirt at Baby Gap and realized it wouldn't be hard at all to make so I made the skirt she has on too.

House Pictures

Since our house has been for sale (it's not exactly listed, just been email blasted from one realtor) it has been shown to about five families. Two have made verbal offers and one has made an official offer. We have not accepted any of them.

I have such mixed feelings. I LOVE my house and would love to take it with me wherever I go (not that we know where we are going yet, but we assume we will be going somewhere within the next year or so). Since a professional photographer came to take pictures, I figured I'd post them so I will always have the memory of my house (so I can take the good aspects and apply them to my dream home when it is built one day when we're millionaires).

Letter To Morgan

Dear Morgan,


Daddy and I just put you to bed. You are so cute. You like to lay your head on our shoulders to get ready to go to sleep. You used to sleep through the night but lately you have been waking up in the middle of the night. We are not sure why. You are getting your bottom molars so maybe that is the reason. The othe night you woke up saying "doggy bye, doggy bye." We think you are sad that our neighbors have moved and took their dogs with them. You loved to watch them from your bedroom window and would knock on the window to get their attention.


You can say so many words now. You mimic almost anything we ask you to say. You know lots of onomonopias, like a cow says "moo," except you still say "boo." You repeat colors. You can say "red, white, blue, green, and purple" but when we ask you to say "yellow," you say either "red" or "white." Also, you have called mints "bees" for a long time. Today you finally called it a mint and it made me a little sad that you are growing up so quickly (but proud that you are so smart).


I love to make skirts, hats, and hair bows for you then take pictures of you in them. You're not such a fan of the hats or the photo shoots. You would rather be looking at the pictures on the camera.


You started nursery almost a month ago and you do very well in there if one of us is with you. Most of the kids are three years old so you are at a disadvantage on size and ability to talk, but you look up to them and like to do what they do. They like you too.


You love to say "ready, set, go" and run or jump off the couch or slide in the tub. You also say it when you are working up to something, like sliding off of mommy and daddy's big bed.


You have met all of your grandmas and grandpas at least a couple of times and they love you. Grandpa Ralph gave you some blocks that you play with every day. Grandma Jodi and Grandpa Doug gave you a fish light that helps you to not be scared at night and some Nemo bath toys that you love to play with in the tub. Nana and Papa have given you books that you love to read. We read every day. You love books.


Another big thing for you right now are bubbles. You want us to blow bubbles for you as soon as you get up in the morning. You also love bubble baths and can play in there for about thirty minutes.


We probably shouldn't let you watch TV but you really love to watch this documentary on babies (called "Babies"). There isn't much talking but you like to watch the babies and dogs.


You get so excited when we go to your friend, Brinklee's, house to play and you didn't cry at all for the first time this week when we left you there to go on a date. Her mommy, Sarah, was very excited about that and so was I when she told me.


I am so proud of you and I love to watch you grow up. If you could tone down the whining a little I would appreciate it but I love you the same either way. You are wonderful and I know you will grow up to be a good and nice girl, as well as a beautiful one.


Thank you for coming to our family. I love you,


Mommy

Birthday Girls

Happy Birthday Mom and Shyanne! We love you!

Suze's Challenge

I am a goal and challenge oriented person. I love setting my mind to something and then accomplishing it. A while ago I saw something on the news and decided to go for it if Tom was in. We had to wait until the right time, but he agreed.

Suze Orman has a specific challenge to go one day without spending money, one week without using a credit card, and one month without going out to eat. The first two are pretty easy and we do them all the time so we decided to take on the rest of the challenge and not eat out for a month. We started the first Sunday in October and went for one month without going out to eat. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be (since we love to go out to eat once a week) and we completed the challenge a couple of weeks ago.

I'm not extending that challenge to anyone who reads this unless you want to. I just wanted to document it for myself.

New Hats

Morgan and I wore matching hats yesterday. I know, nerdy, but lots of fun. I had to find something to do during the day in Utah and decided to learn how to crochet hats.

Utah Again

We decided that we couldn't wait until Christmas to see Morgan's brand new cousin so we headed to Utah for that 7 hour drive last week. We got to spend time with the Nielson's (which means Grandma and Grandpa -- my parents, and Nana and Papa -- Tom's mom and step dad. Yes, they are all Nielson's and it's not illegal because Tom is a Rich).

Morgan got to hold Emery (or Emmie, as she says) for a second. She mostly wanted to touch her face and since we wouldn't let her she decided that playing with Uncle Nick was way more fun.

Delta High had a football game at the U of U so we went to watch them get blown out of the water (what does that saying mean anyway?) by Hurricane. It was like a mini reunion for me because a bunch of my high school friends were there. Yay! Morgan got to hang out with Grandma, Grandpa and Shy and eat churros. She was in football heaven.I had to laugh at the student body, mainly because I know I was the same. It just sounds funny now when the kids are yelling "go big D" and they are 100% serious. And the mascot is a rabbit. Did I ever think that was odd when I was in high school? Nope. I was proud to be part of pretty much the only school in the country that had a rabbit as a mascot. Really? A rabbit? Ha! Who thought of that anyway? (Please, if you're from there don't be offended because I don't mean to hurt anyone... but look at it objectively and you'll understand.)

We're Selling!

I'm so sad and excited at the same time to sell our house. We have loved it so much but realize that since Tom resigned from his job, we have no roots in Idaho and it doesn't make a lot of sense to own a house here.

Right now we don't know where we will move to but we have a whole bunch of options. Once we sell the house we will be able to pay off the student loans the size of a mortgage and we will be 100% out of debt! That in itself is worth selling the house.

I hope to post pictures soon. We have been cleaning like you wouldn't believe for three days and it payed off. It looks fantastic! I also took down pictures of us, Jesus, temples, and anything that would single us out or not be considered a "staged" house. Interesting though, the first people that looked at the house (today) happened to be LDS and waited for us to come home so they could talk to us about the ward. They knew we were because we have one huge picture of the Salt Lake Temple that we couldn't take down. They seem very interested so we'll see if they make an offer.

Fall Photo Shoot

Today we had some people look at our house to possibly purchase it so we left while they were there. It happened twice so the second time we were prepared with a camera and decided to take some fall pictures of M. Here are a few of our fav's.

"M"

Sometimes M gets to take bubble baths. They are more fun now but she still loses her toys.

This is M's best friend, Brinkley. We get to babysit her once in a while and they are so cute!

Halloween Party and M Dressed Up

We had the coolest Halloween party this year. It was 80's themed and we planned an "Amazing Race" around Boise/Meridian. We started out at the corn maze and had to get 10 of the 12 whole punches around the maze.

The next clue led us to Big Jud's where we had to eat a huge burger and fries but on the way we had to interact with strangers. We chose a family at the elementary school and played "ring around the rosies" with them. After we ate the food, the people at Big Jud's gave us our next clue. On our way to one of the big parks in Boise we had to do a Chinese fire drill. At the park we had to find a big tree an memorize a few facts to take to Shamaries house and tell her daughter. When we told the correct facts, we got our next clue, which was to play Dance Dance Revolution and get a "B" on it. Well, it was my game so we were the first to pass that and get our word search with scrambled words that led us to our next clue -- to relay on foot three miles to a house where one team member would shoot a gun and had to get a bull's eye. Then we got our next clue, which was to eat a half gallon of ice cream (between the team) and the next clue was at the bottom. That led us to a farm where we finished by milking a cow. It was a super cool party.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all dress up days for M. She got to be an Angel, a Renaissance princess, and Sleeping Beauty. She was an angel to a dress up play group on Friday. Saturday, we went to the ward trunk-or-treat (which really stunk, by the way. We brought six bags of awesome candy and were out in five minutes and everyone gave us smarties and Dum Dums -- not to complain but we are totally bringing wuss candy next year).

On the actual Halloween day we went to our friends' house to trick-or-treat and they were just leaving to go themselves so they invited us to go around with them, which we did for two hours. M loved it and so did we!

Busy Day

Today is a great day. I have a new niece! My brother's wife had their baby this morning. Also our best friends are in the hospital as we speak (or as I write) having their baby. It's voting day, Tom's first day not working for someone (oh yeah, he quit his job here), clean the house to get ready for the photographer day (we're selling!), and maybe take a nap day. It is a great day.