Morris Family

Broken Resolutions

2012-01-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems Gung-Ho this time of year about listing their New Years resolutions.

Well, I am a realist. I know darn well that if I make a resolution, I am going to break it. So I am going to share with you some of my past resolutions...all in which I have broken. Just keeping it real people, just keeping it real.

DIET...um yeah, that's a joke!

STOP EATING CHOCOLATE...who was I kidding with that one?

HAVE MORE PATIENCE...that one lasted about 2 seconds.

MAKE A WEEKLY DINNER MENU...well maybe, just maybe, I like going to the grocery store four times a week...so THERE!

SAVE MORE MONEY...Wal-Mart would be VERY upset with me if I had stuck with that one.

HAVE MORE SELF CONFIDENCE...I wasted my pretty years thinking I was fat and ugly. If I only knew...if I only knew. I still avoid the bathroom mirror on the way into the shower.

STOP BEING A PESSIMIST...but my glass is half empty. If you fill it up, I will be happy.

TRY TO REMEMBER PEOPLES NAMES...oh, I am sorry, what did you say your name was???

Well, I am sure there are a thousand more resolutions I forgot. Oh, that's another one...HAVE A BETTER MEMORY!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2011-12-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)

I am never without it (anywhere I go, you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)

And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you.

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)

And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)

-E.E. Cummings

I am truly blessed to have you in my life. I look forward to many, many, many more years together!

Happy Anniversary!

I love you, my darling!

XOXO

{Holiday Eating Tips}

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrot sticks on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrot sticks, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year, but now. Drink it up! Who cares that it has 10, 000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat step #3.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello!?!?!?!
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'

Happy Birthday Paige!!!

2011-09-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

I can not for the life of me believe that it has been one whole year (More than a year now. I am slow at posting.) since my sweet, beautiful baby girl came into our family.

We threw her a little party at our house to celebrate. I attempted to make a special cake for Paige. {After I frosted the cake, I pulled the parchment paper out from under the sides of the cake and it started to split. At first it was just a little tear. I was able to "hide" it. Cleaned up the kitchen and threw away the frosting. In the morning, the tear was all the way across the cake. I wanted to cry. Good thing Paige is only 1. She'll never know that I ruinded her cake. Anyways, I thought I would explain this giant crack in the cake.}

Happy Birthday!!!

I have to say that when Paige woke up from her nap and saw the decoration in the dining area, her face lit up like a birthday candle. She was SO STINKING EXCITED! It was beyond cute. I wished in that moment that I would have had my camera to capture her beautiful little smile.

We stuck with the owl theme and made these cute little owl crafts.

Does she look dazed and confused to you?

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

You would cry too if they all sung to you...completely off key!

Much better now that I've had my cake and ice cream!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! We are beyond thrilled to have you in our lives!

Happy Birthday

2011-07-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky I get to be the mother of this precious little angel. I am grateful that she made it to our family safely and that she is the little fighter she is. I probably wouldn't know what I had missed out on then, but knowing what I know now, I would have been devestated had things gone differently! I know that the Lord has a special plan for her.

These last four years have gone by so quickly. I don't want my baby girl to grow up, but at the same time, I am so dang excited to see the little lady that she turns out to be.

As I sit here writing this post, Addison came in and I told her what I was doing. The following things are what she wanted me to say about her.

She is helpful, pretty, nice, beautiful, loves her family and knows that her family loves her, I give her nice things, she gives me nice things, she has the best manners. She says " yes please" and "no thank you".

(Then she wanted to type on the post. She did sign it with her name below.)

rtyuiop[bvfgbnhgdsdfgasffghhhtytujyujygjhgtyhjuhuertfruwcrjygjvhhhfnbghrvfnfcdfsdfgvnh

addison

A little funny about Addison. The other day while we were all driving in the car, she asked her dad and I why we didn't name her Princess. Randy answered her honestly and said "We thought about it." (Which is the truth. Randy wouldn't commit to a name for her before she was born, so I threatened him that I was just going to name her Princess Merryweather and that he would just have to deal with it.) Addison then informed her dad and I that we were to call her Princess at home and out in public we could call her Addi/Addison. She said that Princesses were special and she didn't want people to know that she was a Princess or they would take her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL GIRL!!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

9 Months

2011-06-22T21:15:00.000-07:00

My little angel is 9 months already. I say this everytime, but time sure does fly by! I can't believe how big this little girl is getting. It feels like only a month ago I went into the hospital to have her, not 9 months.

Paige can now sit up unattended. She is still working on her balance and doesn't quite know how to get out of the sitting position without falling backwards and hitting her noggin on the floor. She HATES the grass, but loves to be outside. Paige loves her sister and wants to do whatever Addison is doing. Okay, she really just wants to put whatever Addison is doing in her mouth. She is kind of a Mama's girl (I'm not complaining). Paige has 5 teeth. She is scooting around like crazy (she's fast). I swear she is going to bypass crawling on her hands and knees and go straight to walking. She loves to stand up. She doesn't want to miss anything. She likes to be apart of the action. If I can't see Paige, all I have to do is walk into Addison's room and will usually find her eating her sister's shoes. She is in love with her Daddy (who isn't?). She loves food. She also loves spitting said food at her mom. She is starting to climb up things, er people. I swear she thinks she is conquering her own Mt. Everest everytime she climbs up me all in an effort to try and get at my glasses or hair. She loves bath time and being naked. She cries and cries when I try and put clothes on her. Paige is still a wonderful sleeper. I'm selfish and hope that she continues to be a good sleeper!

Right now she is at the stage where she can't decide what she wants. Up, down, in, out, on, off, food, no food, to be held, to scoot. We've had a lot of tears this week because she doesn't know what she wants.

For the most part though, she is a pretty content baby. She is just happy to be here. And I am beyond happy to have her here. She is a wonderful baby! And a wonderful addition to our family!

Weight: 17 Pounds 3 Ounces = 25th Percentile

Length: 28 Inches = 50th Percentile

People Of Walmart

2011-05-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

My mother showed me this video today and I couldn't stop laughing! I think they must have filmed some of this at the Vernal Walmart. I swear I had seen some of those people there.

I hope you all laugh as much and as hard as I did!

ENJOY!!!

Random Thoughts

2011-05-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You'd take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we know how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQs. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize that I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

LOL has gone from meaning "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart" all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent an aggressive driver from cutting in front. Stay strong brothers!

Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that they always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier and sluttier every year?

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I suddenly get so incredibly nervous? I know my name. I know where I'm from. This shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There is no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little to far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word or Pages and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

When I meet a new person, I'm terrified of mentioning something they haven't told me but that I have learned from some light Internet stalking.

I like all the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle. Then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

I wonder if cops ever get annoyed at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what to do with it.

Lucky Duck

2011-05-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to live where we do. As I was making lunch, I looked out my back window and saw these little fellers having what looks like a lesson in our backyard. These ducks actually live on the other side of the fence, but the kept sneaking back over into our yard when they thought I wasn't looking. They would hurry and run back to their own yard when they saw me standing at the sliding glass door. Who needs Baby Animal Days when you have this and much more living just beyond the fence?

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

We had a great Easter this year. The Easter bunny was tricky tricky and came to our house while we were all taking naps. (The Easter bunny must know that we have 9 AM church.)

Addison woke up from her little nap on the couch and right away spotted some gifts that were left for both her and her sister. We are so lucky! This year, the Easter bunny brought our family the movie 'Tangled'. We have watched it so many times. (I secretly think Randy loves this movie!) The girls also got mini pillow pets, outdoor toys & bubbles and of course, Addison got spoiled with anything and everything Disney Princess. I think the Easter bunny spoiled two very special girls this year!

(My attempt to take the girls photos. Not very successful, I think)

FINALLY

2011-04-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

We have lived in our house for nearly two years now and I FINALLY got around to getting our entrance way cubby filled. I have to say that I am in love with this space now. I can't stop staring at it as I walk down my hallway.

Eventually we will get the rest of our house filled. But what's the rush? We still have 28 years left on our mortgage!

A special shout out to my sister in law Shirley for helping me pick out these fantastic items! Thank you for all of your help!

Happy Girl

2011-04-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

Oh how I would loved to have had this happy little girl today. Her second tooth is finally making it's appearance (for good, I hope) and she was incredibly needy today. I don't think it helped that I had a headache from H.E. double hocky sticks and Addison has strep. None of us were on our game today.

However, Paige was an incredibly happy girl the other day. Her daddy pulled her jumperoo out of storage and put it together for her. This little girl lights up everytime she gets in it. (Today was no exception, except that it was short lived. LOL)

Addi told me today that she wishes she were zero again and could play in the jumperoo too. Poor little girl just has to watch the fun from the sidelines. Though she does get pretty jumpy when I tickle her!☺

His Sacred Name

2011-04-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

"In our hour of deepest sorrow, we can recieve profound peace from the words of the angel that first Easter morning: 'He is not here; for He is risen.'"

"As one of His special witnesses on earth today, this glorious Easter Sunday, I declare that this is true, in His sacred name - even the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior - amen."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Sad Story Of The Easter Egg

2011-04-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

Addison came home from school yesterday with an egg that she dyed at school with her name and stickers on it. She just thought this egg was the neatest thing ever. She even named her it "Eggbert". She carried Eggbert with her all afternoon long. She did not want to put her egg in the fridge. I warned her that if she didn't put her Eggbert in the fridge at bedtime, it was going to get very stinky. We finally found a special spot in the fridge to put her egg. (I am not convinced that she didn't get up and check on Eggbert during the night!) This morning, first thing she did was go to the fridge and make sure the her egg was still okay.

While I was in my bedroom folding laundry and feeding Paige (multi-tasking at it's best!), Addison came running in with giant alligator tears. After I finally got her to calm down just a little bit did I realize that Eggbert had been cracked. Oh the trauma and drama!

After a little bit, Addison was completely over Eggbert. She thought it was more fun to continue squishing the egg than crying over the egg. Though she was surprised to find that inside the egg it was white and not yellow. She thought eggs come out of the shells yellow. (We must eat a lot of scrambled eggs at our house for her to think that!) We had to tear the whole egg apart so that Addison could find the yellow yolk.

For those of you who know me, it took everything I had inside of me to not make her throw that egg away instead of making a mess. I had to keep telling myself "it's just a floor, it's just a floor."

I love how my 3 year olds mind works. She holds simple little treasure in high esteem. I need to be more like that. I think I learn much more from Addison than she does from me! I just love her and her little inquisitive brain to pieces!!!

*If this post doesn't make any sense, it is because I am typing it up at quarter after midnight. My brain doesn't work well after 9 o'clock!

7 Months

2011-04-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

7 MONTHS!!! 7 MONTHS!!! 7 MONTHS!!!

We have had this tiny bundle of pure joy for more than half a year! Holy kamoly time really does fly!

At 7 months, this little one has already cut her first tooth and is on the verge of a 2nd popping through. She really likes to squawk! (I thought they didn't start the pterodactyl scream until at least 12 months?!?!) One of these days we will get her to sit up on her own. Right now, we have to sit with her and she will lean into your hand or whatever it holding her up. Paige is a really relaxed, chill baby. She is still a great sleeper and likes to be on a schedule. In the last month, I have started bathing Paige with Addison and I believe that is both girls favorite time of day. Paige likes to eat (understatement)! We started foods with meat this last week and she is going to town on them. I really hope that she isn't as nearly a picky eater as her sister is.

Addison still loves her little sister to death! She will call Paige her "sister sist". I laugh each and every time. It is almost like she knows that she is a cancerous growth that she won't be able to get rid of very easily! :) I love her saying it so much that I have caught myself calling Paige that a few times as well.

Paige loves Addison as well...at least from a distance.

We have been trying to work on staying in our own "bubbles". Addi likes to get in Paige's face. She doesn't do it to be mean to her sister. She just truly loves Paige!

Randy and I truly love Paige as well!

Next thing you know I am going to be planning her first birthday party and bawling my eyes out that my baby is no longer a baby!

I think I may stop feeding my kids, just so they won't continue to grow! :)

Thanks Briar for the photos! They turned out great...as usual!

Beautiful Girl

2011-04-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is my attempt at a photo shoot.

Addison said this face looked "too mad". She wanted a do-over.

This is her do-over

Do-over or mad face, I think she is perfect!

1st Haircut

2011-04-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love Addison's hair. I think she has possibly the most gorgeous hair I have ever seen. But she also has those crazy snarly Carly's that come and visit the ends of her hair.

So, the time had come for mom to let her little girl get her hair cut. Surprisingly, Addison was quite okay with her hair getting cut. Her Aunt Nancy did a wonderful job both cutting her hair and making Addison (and her mom) feel at ease. I thought Addi would fight, cry and just make the whole experience miserable but she didn't. She sat there like a big girl and only asked Aunt Nancy a million times if she was almost done! :) I however, did cry. Just a little. My little girl is getting so grown up. It makes me tear up now just thinking about it. I am okay with my kids growing up, I just wish they wouldn't do it so darn fast!

Watergate Revisited

2011-04-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have the pleasure of taking my kids to work with me (when I go, hehe). Sometimes, Addison can entertain herself and other times, we (Papa or Grandma or myself) have to find things to keep her entertained. This day was particularly hard for me. I had a serious headache and didn't really want to do anything other than lay my head down. Addison was all up in everybody's business. So to try and keep her busy (and not yell at her), I gave her my shredding to do. She did such a good job, that I thought she might have read up on Watergate to learn exactly how to shred documents properly.

Snotty Little Girl

2011-04-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

(This is not a post I would normally do, but I am trying to document everything for the girls as a sort of journal. If you have a slight stomach, this is probably not the post you want to read/look at.)

This little one has been so congested lately. She has woken up in the mornings with a face that only a mother could love.

The other morning, she literally woke up with a bugger uni brow. I didn't think to take a picture of it until I was half way done washing it off her face. This morning, was not as bad as it has been, but I sure do feel bad for the girl!

(She is going to hate me in about 13-14 years for these photos. Yay blackmail!)

Paige has a tooth popping through. (I didn't even know she was cutting a tooth)

That might explain some of the congestion and snottiness.

Roll Over

2011-04-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

All I had to do apparently was blog about her lack of rolling over. The very next day, Paige decided to show us that she really can roll over both ways, but that she just hasn't wanted to.

I have to admit that it kind of makes me sad that Randy gets the kids to hit all of their milestones. I am here with them all day, every day. But they always seem to do them for their daddy. Anyway, I am still proud of the young one and her latest accomplishment.

This is how she looked at me while I was trying to shoot video of her rolling over in both directions. I love the hand under the chin. Looks like she is posing for her latest photo shoot.

It took 10 minutes of filming for me to finally get Paige rolling over both ways.

(But don't worry, I finally figured out how to edit videos, so you only have to watch about 45 seconds.)

Enjoy!

Chef Addi

2011-04-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Addi was picked by her teachers to be Chef of the Day at school.

This little girl was BEYOND excited! She has wanted to be Chef of the Day all school year long.

Her teachers made her this cute little chefs hat that she was able to wear.

(She was not thrilled that her mom was taking her picture. Can you tell?)

Addi even got to pick what she wanted to take to school for snacktime. She really wanted to make her favorite cookies, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip (thanks Aunt Dee), but the school does not allow homemade food to be brought in. So, Addison decided she wanted Pretzels and Swedish Fish. (So much for healthy, right?)

Who wouldn't want this cute little girl to be their chef? I know I love it when she helps me in the kitchen! :)

As Promised...

2011-04-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

...here are the photos of Addison before our little emergency room excursion. (Click here for a refresher) She was still so sweet and smiling even though she was visibly upset.

(can you see the tears in her sweet little eyes?)

I love this little girl and I am SO glad that it wasn't worse than it was. I don't know what I would do without my sweet, kind, wonderful, amazing, beautiful little girl!

PS. These photos don't look nearly as bad as they did in person. I was trying really hard not to freak out or cry. I didn't want to make Addison more upset than she was.

6 Months

2011-04-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

I can not believe that I have had this most precious little person for six months now. We all truly enjoy having her in our house. She is so full of big smiles and is usually a pretty happy camper.

At six months, Paige doesn't talk too much. She is beginning to coo a little bit, but is overall a relatively quiet baby. She doesn't sit up on her own yet and can only roll over from her stomach to back. She likes to sleep on her stomach and seems to only roll over in the middle of the night when no one is watching. I think she does this because she likes to make her Mama wake up and come in to turn her back over.

Paige is an AWESOME eater. Such a far cry from her sister. Paige will pretty much eat anything that I put in front of her. She had a hard time sleeping for awhile there after we started her on rice cereal, but have since switched her over to oatmeal and is back to being a fantastic sleeper.

One of my most favorite times of day is when I get Paige out of bed. She can be lying in her crib, screaming and wailing, then I come in to get her and she lights up like a little Christmas tree. Love, love, love it! I also love bed time. That seems to be the only time that she will really let me snuggle with her anymore. In the six months that she has been with us, her dad has probably only put her to sleep twice. I won't let him! :)

Weight: 13 pounds 7 ounces = 10th percentile

Height: 25 1/2 inches = 25th percentile

I truly enjoy having this beautiful, happy, amazing girl in my home!

On a side note, I was leaving the grocery store the other day and was sitting in my car, getting it started, when I saw a blind man holding what I assume to be his daughter. I suddenly burst into tears. It broke my heart that this man, whom I didn't know from Adam, would never be able to see how beautiful his child was. I have never been so grateful for my sight as I was then. I am truly thankful that I get to wake up everyday and see both my beautiful daughters smile at me!

Tumbling Queen

2011-03-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, Addison had her tumbling recital. I have to admit that I was hesitant at what she had learned. I thought it was a waste of time for her...and for me! I really want to get her into gymnastics. I think she would be FANTASTIC at gymnastics. She has such good form and is so lithe and lean.

But I am so glad that she had the opportunity to take this tumbling class. I don't remember the last time I have laughed this hard. :)

This is my favorite video. You can totally hear me laughing in the background. I love it!

One of these days, I will figure out how to splice videos together. In the meantime, I apologize for the lenght and the amount of videos we have. (Addison wants me to take videos of EVERYTHING we do anymore. I think she likes watching herself and I am glad to have the opportunities to video her. She will enjoy them when she is older too, I hope!)

Allergic Reaction Pt. 2

2011-03-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday evening (March 20,2011) ended up being a fairly crazy evening. The girls and I were just relaxing at home having a pajama day when around three o'clock in the afternoon, Addison started whining to go play with her friends. She is only 3 and still doesn't quite comprehend that we can't play on Sunday. That we need to be as a family as much as possible on that day. After I told her that she couldn't play with friends, she then asked to go to Papa's house. I told her no again. I told her that we just needed to stay home and be as a family. Immediately, she ran to the phone and said "I want to call Papa, but I don't know what numbers to push to talk to him." I laughed. As soon as she said that, the phone rang. Guess who it was? Papa. He was calling to invite Addison to come to his house to play with him, Grandma and her cousins Brooklyn & Sierra. I had to think about it. I really just wanted to stay home and not do much of anything. But Papa said that he would come and pick up the little stinker and take her to his house. I finally relented.

After being at Papa's house for about 30 minutes, I get this phone call from my dad saying that Addison ate half a cashew and now her lips were swollen like she had a bad lip injection and that she was having a hard time breathing. (Remember this reaction?) I told him to calm down. I said if you guys relax a little, she will relax and be able to breathe. I told him to give her some ice to suck on and that should help her swelling. But I also said that I would wake the baby up from her nap and come over to his house.

When I got to their house, I gave Addison some Benadryl and it seemed that the swelling in her lips were going down and that her hives that she had developed weren't worsening. I left my kids to run to the store and get some Benadryl for my own house and to find out from the pharmacist exactly what dosage to give her. (The box says not to give to children under 6 unless directed by a physician - so I kind of guessed at how much to give her.)

As I was heading to the check out line, I got another phone call from my dad saying that she is starting to throw up. I immediately shove my items to be purchased on a random shelf and RUN out the door. I run into my parents house, swoop my poor, sweet little Chica up and run right back out the door to the emergency room.

It seems that emergency rooms take nut allergies quite seriously since we were only in the waiting room, after I had registered, for about a minute and a half. Once we were back in the room, the nurse checked Addison's breathing. Gave her some Zantac - They said that even though Zantac is an Antacid, it was a histamine blocker and works well in conjunction with the Benadryl that I had already given Addison. At this point, I really wished I had some paper to write this whole ordeal down, because I was trying to pay attention to what was going on and also pay attention to my screaming, crying, scratching, coughing child.

About 5 to 10 minutes later, Addison started coughing a lot more and I noticed that the hives on her body were worsening and more were coming on. I thought this might have something to do with the Zantac that they had just given her, but the doctor assured me that it wasn't. He said that even though she had thrown up, the oils from the nut can still be in her body. (I hope I am remembering correctly.)

After her coughing worsened, they put Addison on oxygen. At one point, there were FIVE people in line to listen to Addison's breathing. The oxygen wasn't working like they had hoped so they had Addi do a breathing treatment with some sort of medication in it, because she was having bronchial spasms in her lungs.

Somewhere after taking the Zantac and getting her breathing treatment, they had to administer an epinephrine shot to Addison to get her hives and breathing under control. This absolutely broke my heart because as I was heading to the hospital with Addi she asked me if she had to get a shot and I told her no. I thought that since she had taken the Benadryl, they wouldn't have to or be able to. So as they were giving Addison the shot, she was looking at me, crying and saying "You promised me I wouldn't have to get a shot! You promised me!" I felt like the absolute worst mother in the whole wide world!

After the breathing treatment, Addison's oxygen levels started to look better, but her hives weren't. She was stable, but they had us stay for another hour and half or so just to keep an eye on her. About 9:30-10:00, Addison was begging them to let her go home. Every time someone new came into the room, she would just look at them and plead to go home. Broke my heart.

Finally the doctor came in and said that they would like to keep Addi longer for observation, but that she should also be alright to go home. Addison heard "go home" and was already getting off of the table. I had to pull her back up with me and sit a bit longer while the doctor wrote up discharge papers.

I was really impressed with how well the hospital/emergency room handled the situation. They tried not to scare my daughter all the while taking the situation very seriously. They also brought in a TV and DVD player with movies for Addison to watch and kept bringing her Popsicles.

I am not sure how bad Addison's allergies to nuts are, but you can believe me when I say that we are making an appointment with an allergist to find out. I feel bad that she is going to have to be the weird kid with the epi pen (or as she likes to say "yucky pen") in her backpack for the rest of her life. Although, we have been doing a little studying on Immunotherapy and think that might be something worth looking into.

Addison had to take a few days worth of medicines but is doing great now. She knows not to eat nuts anymore. I am a little afraid that this incident will keep her from trying new things again. She has been doing really good at that lately and in fact, was trying something new at Grandma's house.

Sorry for the long post but I figured that if I didn't write this down somewhere, I was going to forget what happened. I will try and post pictures later when I get them from Grandma. In all the panic and commotion, I forgot to pull my camera out. But I am glad that my mom was there to capture Addison's little sausage lips! :)

Olive, Jade, Emerald, Lime...

2011-03-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

... In other words, Green

(Just ignore this picture. It should be at the bottom by the videos.)

For Breakfast this morning, Addison's Mom made her green milk

Green Yogurt

(Key Lime - Her favorite)

She was beyond thrilled at all of the green. Even the straw for her milk was green.

Okay, truth be told, I think she was really just excited that I let her use our "real" dishes and not the kids dishes.

Green Bell Pepper Wrapped Egg

(I know it is more like a 5 leaf clover, but the husband didn't seem to care)

Randy's Breakfast.

Pepper wrapped eggs and fresh kiwi fruit.

For dinner, I was trying to keep the green theme going, but didn't quite succeed.

Garlic Biscuits with GREEN parsley on top.

Steamed potatoes with GREEN rosemary, and parsley

And then there is this. Just your plain ole' rotisserie chicken from your local grocer.

(I was getting lazy!)

But the cutest green things of the day were these two.

Love her!!!

She's trying to smile at the camera.

I love her too!

Paige was BEYOND tired and ready for bed.

Note to self: Do pictures with the girls together earlier in the day when they are both a little less ornery!

Addison and Paige got their first experiences with pickles today. (Okay, Addi would go to town on them when she was younger. But as she has gotten older, she has gotten more and more scared of food.)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

2011-03-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

Homemade chicken pot pie is one of Randy's favorite meals that I make. It is so incredibly easy and so much healthier than buying store bought. (Have you ever checked out the sodium on those things? It's a wonder someone hasn't had a heart attack while eating one of those.)

Chicken Pot Pie

Courtesy Betty Crocker (with minor changes)

1 box (10 oz.) frozen peas and carrots - I use frozen peas and canned diced carrots. I can't seem to find frozen peas and carrots without corn. I don't care for frozen corn.

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 1/2 -3 cups cubed, cooked chicken

2 pie shells - You can make your own, but I really like the pre-made Pillsbury pie crusts that you can find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

1. Rinse frozen peas and carrots in cold water to separate; drain.

2. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute or until mixture thickens. Stir in chicken, peas and carrots; remove from heat.

3.Pre-heat oven to 425 F.

4. Make pastry. Roll two-thirds of the pastry (or if you are using bought pie shells, use only 1 shell) into a 9 1/2 inch round pie pan. Pour chicken mixture into pastry-lined pan.

5. Roll remaining pastry onto chicken mixture. Turn edges of pastry under and flute. Make sure to cut slits into your top pie shell so that you don't have chicken mixture pouring out the sides while baking.

6. Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.

The best part of this meal for me is the left over chicken mixture. DO NOT overfill your pie shells or you just might have a major mess in the bottom of your oven. I like to reheat this and eat it the next day. Since there doesn't ever seem to be left over pot pie!

Green Eggs and Ham, Please

2011-02-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Addison is a VERY picky eater, so we have been reading 'Green Eggs and Ham' a lot lately. Everytime I want her to try something and she says 'no', I just start calling her Sam-I-Am. Addison does not like it when I call her Sam-I-Am, so she will try whatever it is that I am making. Usually, she likes it. Just like the character in the story, she fights with me on food and then in the end, thinks it tastes good.

So the other morning, Addison asked me for eggs. I was stunned! Everytime I have ever asked her in the past to try eggs, she looks at me like I am crazy. So, I said that I would be more than happy to make her some eggs.

I made her both a fried egg and a scrambled egg.

Then after a few minutes of eating, she asked me to make her green eggs and ham. I told her that we didn't have any ham, but that I would love to make her a green egg.

(Don't look too closely at my egg. I over cooked it a bit...oops!)

Paige on the other hand LOVES food! She watches us intently when we eat.

She is getting to be such a big girl and can almost hold her bottle all by herself. It is too heavy for her when we have the full 6 ounces in there, but she can hold it when it gets down to 2 or 3 ounces.

I heard Paige start to wake up from her nap and thought to myself that I will go ahead and finish what it was that I was working on and then go get Paige. I thought that it won't hurt her to fuss for a minute.

After I finished whatever it was that I was doing, I went in to check on Paige (since she had gotten quiet) and this is what I found.

Addison had climbed into Paige's bed and was playing toys with her.

I absolutely love my girls!

My happy little girl!

Valentine's Tea

2011-02-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

My cute sister in law Shirley put together a super cute Valentine's tea for the nieces and nephews. The kids were supposed to get cards to distribute to one another. I had a moment of craftiness and decided to make cards with Addison. I don't get these moments very often, so Addison jump at the thought of doing this!

While Addison was napping with her dad, I made the cards and put them together, so that when she woke up all she would have to do is go to town with her glitter. And go to town she did!

Check out her concentration!

"Don't bother me, I'm working!"

The finished product. I wasn't very clever on some of my cards. I am SO not a crafty person (hence the reason I don't have crafty moments very often) and was tired and done with cards after doing two for Paige.

(Can you tell which ones I made for Paige and which ones Addison made?)

I don't know why, but this was my favorite card that I made. Simple. Just the way I like things.

Addison wanted me to make a card with her family on it.

This was the best I could do!

Doesn't she look so elegent and regal?

Me and my cute girls! I sure do love them!!!

Thank you Aunt Shirley for a very successful, very fun tea party!

Delayed Valentine's Day

2011-02-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Day, Randy and I went out to dinner while my mother hosted a Princess Party for her granddaughters. Since Paige was just a little bit too young to enjoy all of the festivities, we left her with my sister in law. My mother made heart shaped pizzas for the little princesses for dinner at her party. Addison had wanted to make them for dinner since then. I told her that we can have a family date night on a night when her dad was home from work.

It turned out that tonight was the night.

Addison is the best little helper in the kitchen. She helped me cut out all the pizza dough into hearts and put the toppings on the pizzas.

They don't quite look like hearts at this development/baking stage, but they tasted all heart-y and full of love!

Addison did a great job helping me. Don't these look delicious? I know your mouth is watering!

Now, all I need to do is teach Addison how to load the dishwasher and wash pans, then I will be all set!

Addi's Valentine

2011-02-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Addison told me the other day that she wishes every day could be Valentine's day. It made me laugh. Valentine's day is such a girlie holiday. Hearts, pink and red EVERYWHERE!

So, when Valentine's day rolled around, I couldn't let it go unnoticed at our house.

She even got her own flowers!

Addison sent cards in the mail to both her dad and her sister the other day. She was so very upset when she didn't get one in the mail as well. She thought she had been forgotten.

She was SO not forgotten.

Her mom had a plan!

She loves her little "purse" that came with her card. Even if it doesn't hold a "real" phone!

I love hearing her say "I love you". I will do just about anything to hear her say that. In fact, the other day I kept telling her how much I loved her. Finally she said to me "Mom, you saying I love you makes me tired!".

Happy Valentine's Day from Jenifer Morris on Vimeo.

Love, Love, Love

2011-02-11T21:00:00.000-08:00

Here we have another post with picture overload. I can't ever seem to choose which photos to post, so I am posting them all.

They're cute kids, so you're not complaining.

Are you?!?

My sweet friend Briar came over for a playdate with her two kids and ended up taking pictures of my kids. {I love when she is in a picture taking mood!}

I think these photos turned out so, so, so good!

I went to bed with a huge, happy smile on my face! :)

How can you not love this girl?

She is SUCH a sweet and loving little girl!!!

I can not believe that Briar captured something that I have been trying for weeks to capture...Paige's sweet smile!

I love, love, love her smile! {Especially the double chin that she inherited from me. Too bad it doesn't look this cute on me!}

I think this photo right here is my most favorite photo of all time! I just look at it and smile. Love, love, love that Addison loves her sister so much! She is CONSTANTLY giving Paige hugs and kisses...much to Paige's chagrin. I hope with all of my heart that these two amazing little ladies end up being each other's best friends. That is and always will be my goal in this life. I know that I am repeating myself, but I really do hope that they know how lucky they are to have a sister!

I am beyond excited to get these pictures printed and hang them all over my house. We are going to have to get a bigger house with more wall space if Briar keeps getting into these picture taking moods! Thank you Briar! They are AMAZING!!!

Cupcake Love

2011-02-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

We had friends come to the house today and they brought delicious cupcakes with them.

This is how Addison eats her cupcake. One lickful of icing at a time!

I love that this is her very favorite shirt! Her mom DOES rock!

Of course, we had to have extra sprinkles on our cupcakes!

It is so hard to get a smiling picture of this little girl. Seriously, every time I would take a picture, the flash would startle her adorable smile right off her face.

I love that when she is happy, she spits bubbles at me!

(click on the image below to check out her cute bubbles. I sure do love my slobbery girl!)

Crab Walk

2011-02-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Crab Walk from Jenifer Morris on Vimeo.

I must really wear her out!

Does anyone else have problems uploading video through blogger or is it just me?

4 Months (Long Overdue)

2011-01-31T21:46:00.000-08:00

I took Paige in for her 4 month checkup earlier this month and to me, she seems bigger than she really is.

Weight: 11 Pounds = 9th Percentile

Length: 23 Inches = 23rd Percentile

Isn't it sad that an 11 pound baby at 4 months is my normal? {Oh well, I love my small babies!!! They are easier to carry! :) }

This picture looks out of place, but it is Paige getting ready to roll over. Also, I couldn't help but get a picture of her bum! I am obsessed with my girls bums. They are so stinking cute! Love them!

We have recently started "eating" cereal. I use the term eating loosely. Mostly, meal time consists of me trying to shovel the same spoonful of food into Paige's mouth repeatedly. Addison is appalled that Paige would spit her food at her mother like that.

You can't really tell from this picture, but Paige is/was smiling at me. She was smiling until the flash startled her!

Paige can't quite sit up in the high chair yet, so the bouncer is what we use.

Here is video of Paige actually rolling over. She can get to her side and then stays there for far too long. That is why she is crying so much in the video. She thought her Mama should come in and save her.

Roll Over from Jenifer Morris on Vimeo.

Update on Paige:

Paige is starting to want to grab at things. I think she is not quite sure of herself enough to actually grab at something. She will start to put her hand out to touch it and then promptly pulls her hand back into her.

She also has a baby doll that has somehow (Thanks Grandma Beth) been christened "Lulu" that goes everywhere with us. Lulu is a doll/blanket and it is funny to me that a four month old baby can already have a security blanket. If you hand her Lulu, she will quiet down and start chewing on it.

Paige is also an excellent sleeper! I hope that I don't curse myself by publicly proclaiming this and she stops sleeping through the night. I wish Paige could teach her sister how to sleep so well. I usually put Paige to bed between 8:30-9:30 PM and she doesn't wake up until 8:30-9:30 AM.

Also, for such a little girl, she likes to eat...a LOT! We are drinking 6 ounce bottles (Yes, she is on formula. Don't judge me!) 4 to 5 times a day.

Paige is also starting to smile and laugh more. She is a jumpy little girl and gets startled a lot, so in the past, she has started to smile/laugh and stopped herself because she scares herself. But she is starting to get more sure of herself. (I hope that made sense.)

Tumbling

2011-01-13T21:19:00.000-08:00

My baby isn't much of a baby anymore!

I had a moment of near tears watching my little girl begin her first day of tumbling. I am such a sap! It seems that every milestone she reaches lately makes me want to cry. I don't know why that is. I just love her so much and I really don't want her to grow up too quickly. (She is already talking about when she grows up and moves out!)

Doesn't she look like such a big girl? It really does make me kind of sad!

Addison was taking this class very seriously. (She seemed to be the only one taking it seriously, but I guess that is expected with a bunch of three year olds!)

She was doing everything her teacher asked her to do.

Addison was showing off her "bridge" move that she learned in class.

I love this girl! I love watching her learn new things. I love that she takes things seriously and has a thirst to learn. She is such an amazing girl!

Happy Girl

2011-01-12T14:56:00.001-08:00

Addison's 3 1/2 Year & Paige's 3 Month Pictures

2011-01-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

I am warning you right now that we have picture overload happening here.

I took the girls to JC Penny for their annual Christmas pictures. Paige was not super cooperative, nor was the photographer very good. With that being said, I think we got some good pictures.

I think Paige looks super frightened in this picture. She is a very jumpy girl, so it wouldn't take too much to make her frightened.

Again, another frightened look from Paige.

I think this one looks like Paige is signaling for a smoke break. What do you think?

Addison was so very good. She did everything that the photographer asked of her.

I love my girls! I also love that Addison loves her baby sister. She is constantly loving on her and giving her kisses.

The End

Paige's Baby Blessing

2011-01-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

I wish I could take credit for taking these photos, but I can't. My dear, sweet friend Briar took these of Paige on her blessing day (December 12, 2010). She did a fantastic job, as always!

Paige is such a drooly baby. She is constantly making bubbles with her mouth. I love this picture for that very reason. It is classic Paige to me!

I love her bright baby blue eyes.

She is such a wonderful, sweet baby girl! I am so glad she's mine!

Our first family photo. I have a feeling there will be many, many, many more in our future!

Randy did a fantastic job blessing our baby girl. I am super lucky to have him as a husband and the father of my children. He is a wonderful man!

Paige's 6 Week Photo Shoot

2011-01-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken of Paige when she was 6 weeks old by my sister in law's friend Ivy. She took some similar pictures of Addison when she was just 6 weeks old. You can check out her website here.

Ivy took a picture of Addison when she was 6 weeks old in her Christmas stocking, so I had to have her do one for Paige.

I love this picture. I think it looks like Paige is praying.

My sweet little angel!

I can't help but smile when I look at this picture.

Merry Christmas

2011-01-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning, we awoke to find that Santa had visited our house. I guess Addi WAS a good girl this year. It was touch and go for a while there, but she made it on the nice list after all. Just kidding! Addison is a very good, sweet, kind girl!

Santa even left Addi and Paige a note. Looks like both Santa and Rudolph loved their snacks.

Addison made her sister a present this year. She wrapped the box all by herself and even signed her name on the label.

Addison made a onesie for Paige to wear. It is "rainbow". I have a feeling Paige is going to LOVE this onesie!

I am not sure how Santa knew that Addison loves puzzles, but he did!

Addison wanted a Blythe Littlest Pet Shop and she got one. Do you think she is happy?

Addison opening up some package from Santa. The video is below. She is a little confused about what it is she is opening.

Addison made a card for her mom at school. This is going to be something that I will keep forever. The Santa and all the reindeers are all made out of her finger prints. I love it!

Not only do I love the card, but I love the signature inside the card.

When I got to this part of the present, I couldn't contain my tears. I love this little girl so much!!!

Santa was nice enough to get Addi her very own camera. Now she can take as many pictures of her sister as she would like!

This is a sad little reindeer didn't want to join in any of our reindeer games. Maybe she thought we were going to make fun of her shiny red nose!

I love how confused Addison is. Santa is tricky tricky!

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas! I certainly know we did!

Baby On The Move!

2011-01-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is random, but we have been putting Paige in her crib at night now for a couple of nights now. Up until now, she has been sleeping next to our bed in a bassinet or in a pack n' play. I have to admit that I am having a hard time letting her go. I want her to keep sleeping in our room, but at the same time, I don't want her to sleep in our room for the rest of her life. So at some point, she will have to get used to her bed in her room. Right!?!?

Last night, I put her to bed at the bottom of her crib. You can see from the pictures where she was laid because of the blankets.

This is how I found her this morning.

She moved all the way from the bottom of the crib to the top and turned herself. Paige is getting really good leg strength. I try to remind her quite often to take her time growing up, but I think she will be crawling before I know it. Kind of makes me sad! :(

On another note: My new years resolution is to be better at blogging. I am not concerned about people reading my posts, but I would like to have documentation for my girls. I want to be able to look back in 20 years and have some sort of journal kept for them.

I have a couple of posts in the works, so check back frequently. I am hoping this is one resolution I can keep!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

Look Who's Been Good!

2010-12-25T04:00:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,

Randy, Jen, Addison & Paige

12th Day Of Christmas...And Then Some!

2010-12-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

On the 12th day of Christmas, our clever little elves {yes, there are two elf(s)} brought to us...

Wait for it!

Wait

B A B Y J E S U S ! ! !

He finally made it! We are so excited!

Our nativity is now complete

And we even found out who our clever little elves were. {Jenni, you guessed right!}

It was Grandma Beth & Papa!!!

This paper was in the second package that Addison got to open up tonight. It is the Christmas story from Luke 2:14 (click the image if you would like to read it)

After baby Jesus finally made his arrival, we set out to decorate sugar cookies for Santa.

Baby Paige wanted in on the action as well. Okay, really she just wanted to go to bed, but we made her participate.

Addison decorating her pretty little cookie.

I don't think she was heavy handed with the sprinkles. What are you talking about Grandma Beth?

We even wrote Santa a note. Can you spot Addi's signature?

Here is what we left for Santa. I forgot to put out his glass of milk before I snapped the picture. But check out those "alien carrots" as Addi called them. Yep, they came from our very own garden. We are so proud! :)

A while back, my mother made these little presents for Baby Jesus with her granddaughters. We were told to hang it on the tree and open it Christmas Eve, so that is what we did.

Inside were two presents that Addison wrote for Baby Jesus.

The first one says that Addison will "hold" her baby sister and the second was says that Addison will "mind".

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve. I know I sure did!

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S ! ! !

11th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

On the 11th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us...

Yep, you guessed it! A...

W I S E M A N ! ! !

I am so frazzled and feel like there is still so much left to do before Christmas that I keep forgetting to open our nightly packages. Tonight, after Addison's bath, she asked if she could open a present. I told her yes and that I just needed to put Paige's bath stuff away first. The next thing I know, Addison is in our front room unwrapping a Christmas present from beneath the tree. I couldn't get mad at her because it was way too cute! I should have been a little bit more specific when I told her she could open a present. I just assumed that my 3 year old knew what present I was talking about! Needless to say, we had a little talk and now she knows that she has to sleep two nights before she gets to open presents from beneath the tree. Man, I love that girl!!!

10th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

On the 10th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us a...

W I S E M A N ! ! !

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post. I am guessing it will be another wiseman! :) Addison is on pins and needles waiting for baby Jesus. Only 2 more days left!!!

She's 3 and Opinionated

2010-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

This girl is getting so very opinionated about, well, EVERYTHING! I don't know how my mother and my mother's mother did it before me, because this girl is KILLING me!

I think I love independence, but only when it is convenient for me! :)

This morning whilst getting ready, Addison told me she wanted me to do a pony in her hair and to put all of the small hair bows in her hair. I was like "WHAT?!?!".

This is how her mom interpreted her idea. She seems satisfied.

I love this girl! She makes me smile E.V.E.R.Y. single day!

9th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

On the 9th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us a...

(Addison got home from school this afternoon and told me that her jeans were not princess appropriate. She took them off and found a more suitable pair of princess pants. They're pink. That makes them princess appropriate! Then she proceeded to take her hair bows off, then on, then off, then on, then off her head. I was really hoping that my child had skipped over the stage of changing her clothes a million times a day, but apparently, every child needs to experience this!)

W I S E M A N ! ! !

This picture shows how excited Paige and Randy were about opening day 9's package. Actually, you can't really tell, but I thought Paige looked really cute lifting her head up off her daddy's chest to look at him. Then as soon as I went to take a picture, she turned her head. Dang kids. Why don't they cooperate with me when I am trying to take their pictures?

Stay tuned for day 10. I am going to guess that it will be another wise man, but let me know in the comments what you think will be in the package.

8th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

On the 8th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us a...

S H E E P ! ! !

Or as Addison said after she opened the package "Oh, another sheep!?!?". I think I sensed a little bit of disappointment in her voice. I think she is getting impatient for baby Jesus to make his arrival. I on the other hand think this is so much fun. I don't want it to end!

We are anxiously awaiting to see what the clever little elf(s) bring to us tomorrow.

7th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-19T21:49:00.001-08:00

On the 7th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us a...

S H E E P ! ! !

We are still anxiously awaiting baby Jesus's arrival. EVERY night, Addison asks if she is going to open him up. She is still not quite understanding that he isn't coming until the end. But she is starting to understand that we have Christmas because of baby Jesus.

Funny story, today in church as the boys were blessing the sacrament, Addison kept asking her dad and I (very loudly I might add) if that was Jesus talking. {We are trying to teach her reverence. It's an ongoing process :)}

5th & 6th Days Of Christmas

2010-12-18T22:47:00.001-08:00

On the 5th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us an...

A N G E L ! ! !

On the 6th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us a...

S H E P H E R D ! ! !

We forgot to do our little present last night and Addison was so upset this morning. I told her that after she took her bath this evening, she could open up TWO presents. She thought that was a great idea!

4th Day Of Christmas

2010-12-16T18:36:00.001-08:00

On the 4th day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) gave to us a...

S T A B L E !

Addison again asked tonight where Jesus was. She loves her baby Jesus!

On a side note: Only 8 more shopping days left until Christmas!

3rd Day Of Christmas

2010-12-15T19:54:00.001-08:00

On the 3rd day of Christmas, our clever little elf(s) brought to us...

D O N K E Y !!!

We are anxious to see what the clever little elf(s) brings us tomorrow. Addison is patiently waiting for Jesus. Though I have a feeling he won't be joining our little party until the 12th day of Christmas.

2nd Day Of Christmas

2010-12-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

On this, the 2nd day of Christmas, our little elf(s) brought to us...

M A R Y !!!

We can't wait to find out what the clever little elf(s) bring to us on the 3rd day of Christmas!

12 Days Of Christmas

2010-12-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

When the girls and I arrived home this evening, we found a wonderful surprise waiting for us on our porch.

On the first day for Christmas, the clever little elf(s) gave to us...

J O S E P H !

I can't wait until tomorrow to find out what the clever little elf(s) brought to us for the 2nd day of Christmas!

{Holiday Eating Tips}

2010-12-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrot sticks on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrot sticks, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year, but now. Drink it up! Who cares that it has 10, 000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat step #3.
As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello!?!?!?!
Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

2010-12-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

Lean your ear this way. Don't you tell a single soul what I'm going to say. Christmas Eve is coming soon; now you dear old man, whisper what you'll bring to me. Tell me if you can!

My friend and I took our kids to see Santa at our mall and I have to say that he was the nicest mall santa. He didn't even mind when we came back for another go around with him before we left the mall!

Addison got kind of shy when she told him what she wanted. She just pointed to the list on her shirt and said "that". But every time we see something on TV or at the store, she says " I'm going to ask Santa for that". Funny girl!

Paige didn't ask for much. She just said that she wanted some milk and maybe a nap, if he could swing it!

Halloween 2010

2010-12-01T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am seriously so behind on blogging.

I am behind for two reasons.

1. I simply don't care

2. I'm lazy

Truth be told, I think I don't care BECAUSE I am lazy. When I have 5 minutes to myself, the LAST thing I think/want to do is blog. (See, told you I'm lazy!) I thought when I got my new camera, I would be blogging like crazy, but that has not been the case. If you are rabid (and not in the affected with rabies kind) reader, I apologize. I really will try to be better.

Anywho, lets talk about Halloween. I have to admit that Halloween is my LEAST favorite holiday of the year. I appreciate Arbor Day MUCH more than I like Halloween. I know that there are Halloween fanatics out there and I apologize, but there is something wrong with teaching your kids all year long to be themselves and then one day out of the year to be something/someone else. That kind of bothers me. But I have a three year old that thinks Halloween is just the bee's knees. All she could talk about in the weeks leading up to Halloween was what she was going to be. Addison was thrilled beyond belief when her costume finally came in the mail. (I'm too lazy to make costumes too!)

These first few pictures are of Addison painting her pumpkin for school. The kids were able to bring scary/funny carved or painted pumpkins to school the week leading up to Halloween.

Funny story. Addison was so excited to take her pumpkin to school and show everyone how pretty it was. Addison was so pissed when we had to leave it at school for the rest of the week. She didn't understand that she would get it back the next time she went to school. Funny girl!

Addison getting ready to trick or treat. She was VERY adamant that she did NOT want me to put freckles on her face like the girl on the package had.

I think she makes a PERFECT little Strawberry Shortcake!

We went up to my sister-in-law's house for pumpkin carving. Addison was so excited. While we were eating and the kids were playing, she kept coming up to me and asking me if it was time to carve pumpkins. This was her first experience carving pumpkins (told you I am not a fan of Halloween). I think she had a great time!

Thanks Nancy for hosting such a fun event! You really are a great sister/sister-in-law!

Addison wanted a scary witch. I think she and Randy did a really good job!

Nancy had some small pumpkins that grew in their garden. Addison found one and thought it would be fun to draw all over it!

Inkley's does this really great thing on Halloween and will take pictures of your kids for a very low price. Addison was so excited to go and have her picture taken...until it was actually time to take the picture.

Can you see the tears in her eyes? I don't understand why she was so upset. She has been doing really well at having her pictures taken. Oh well, I still think she looked beautiful!

And last, but not least, our ward's annual Halloween carnival.

The little stinker let my friend Marci take her picture.

Addison does not like having her face painted, so I was pretty surprised when she let our neighbor Taylor paint her face. I will let you know though that the moment we got home, she went to the bathroom and washed it right off her face! I love this girl!

HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN!

PS. I was going to take pictures of our cute porch all decorated for Halloween with Addison's pumpkins on it, but it had been raining like crazy all day!

"Paws" and Enjoy

2010-11-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

I stole this from my Aunt Deon's blog. I thought it was way too funny not to share.

The Day After The Day of Giving Thanks

2010-11-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

With this being the day after the day after giving thanks, I thought I should share with all of my 8 readers what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for places like this

because it means that I can be with these

F O R E V E R !!!

I am so very thankful for my family!

I am thankful for the smiles, the I love yous, the "Thank you, Mama" when I wash a particular article of clothing or certain dish, the snuggles, the coos. I could keep going on, but you get my point. I am thankful that I have these little joys and many others in my life for the rest of my life!

Two Month Old Newborn

2010-11-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

It's official folks. I have a two month old newborn! Paige's weight and height are that of what a newborn baby's should be. I can't complain because she is healthy and growing. She loves to eat and wants to constantly do so. Thank goodness for supplementing, or else she would starve to death (or so she would think!).

On Monday the girls went in for their check ups and shots! :( I was expecting Paige's shots and had given her Tylenol before we went, but I was not expecting shots for Addison. Addison was such a big girl, climbed on the table, laid down for her shots, then she started screaming like a banshee! She asked me afterwards when we were driving home in the car "Why are their needles so sharp and pointy? My shot at home isn't sharp and pointy?" I couldn't help but smile and laugh under my breath. (Addison has a play doctors kit that comes with a shot, stethoscope, bandage, thermometer and blood pressure cuff.)

Paige also cried after her shots, but that was also expected. All day and evening, she would start screaming whenever her legs were touched. Poor little girl.

Paige - 2 Months

Weight: 8 Pounds - 3%

Height: 21 Inches - 9%

Addison - 3 Years

Weight: 30 Pounds 2 Ounces - 70%

Height: 38 Inches - 75%

Paige is starting to:

Smile

Coo

Respond to voices and noises

Loves her daddy and will turn her head to find him whenever she hears his voice

Loves sitting in her bouncer

Sleep approximately 6 hours at night between feedings

Hold her head up longer and longer (She is a little behind on that one, but not for a lack of trying. When I put Paige on her tummy for tummy time, she usually just ends up falling asleep or she will lay her head down and just cry.)

I love both of my beautiful girls and am so grateful that they are both healthy and growing strong!

And The Winner Is...

2010-11-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

... Stacey Jenkins!!!

(who guessed 6 pounds 2 ounces)

Paige's weight at six weeks was 6 pounds 9 ounces!

I was thrilled beyond belief when the scale read her weight. I have said that I want a child who will eat me out of house and home. I think I have that child! She is such a good little eater. She almost looks like a normal baby at this point. We (Paige and Addison) go to the doctor tomorrow for a two month and 3 year check up (respectably) so we will see if she is on the scale yet.

Stacey, let me know when you would like to receive your prize! I can mail you the box of Cap'n Crunch, but if you choose cuddle time with Paige, you will need to come and get that personally! (I'm not sure Fed Ex or USPS would appreciate a screaming baby in a box!)

Weight Check

2010-10-26T18:40:00.001-07:00

Today Paige went in for a doctors appointment. She has a cold with congestion and it was freaking me out. I just wanted to make sure she was okay and not about to have RSV. Doctor said she is just fine and that it was just a cold. She also has a rash on her face and chest that he said was due to Cradle Cap. I didn't know that Cradle Crap (LOL) would cause a rash, but he said the best cure for this was to wash Paige's hair with Head and Shoulders shampoo for a couple of weeks. Who knew!?!

Anyway, while I was there, we had them do a naked weight check on Paige. Take a guess at what you think she weighs. Remember that she started out six weeks ago at 4 pounds 13 ounces.

Leave your guess in the comment area. The winner of this little game will receive 5 minutes of uninterrupted snuggle time with baby Paige or a box of Cap'n Crunch. Winner chooses.

**No cheating for the people that already know. This will constitute as immediate disqualification!***

Not Quite 6 Week Update

2010-10-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have not been in much of a blogging mood lately. I see and hear other mothers that have all their "stuff' together and I do not feel like I am one of them. It takes us a long time to get ready for the day and most days, I can not get Addison motivated enough to even leave the house. I don't have much motivation either, but I'm trying. In almost 6 weeks, I have only put makeup on my face once! ONCE! I don't know how people with more than one child do anything! This is hard! (At least it is hard for me!)

Cute little Paige getting her first bath. She loves her baths. It is so fun to watch her little face go from serious to content once she gets in the water. She is such a fun little girl.

Paige was trying to watch what Addison was doing. (Addison is sitting on the counter on the other side of the sink.)

I love that Paige always has her hands on her face when she is sleeping. In the course of me taking these pictures, Paige's hands moved all over her face at least 6 times. Even when I swaddle her up at night and make sure her hands are down to her sides so they are warm, she somehow wiggles them out of the blanket and they end up on her face! She is a mini Houdini!

While I was in my bedroom nursing Paige, Addison was in our living room watching TV. After I got done with Paige, I went out to check on Addison and this is what I found. Note to self: Never leave a three year old unattended with stickers!

Paige is doing what I assume all 6 week old babies are doing. Sleeping. She still sleeps most of the time. She has her moments of alertness, but for the most part, she likes to sleep.
She does these little smiles. Some would say that they are because of gas, but trust me, she does NOT smile when she has gas!
Paige does not like it when Addison gets in her face. Paige knows when Addison is coming towards her because Addison makes this mean "grrr" sound and then won't get out of her face. I don't blame Paige for not liking it. I wouldn't either!
Tummy time is a hit or miss kind of thing. Some days Paige doesn't mind it, in fact, on those days she will just fall asleep on her tummy. Other days, she just lays her head down and cries and cries until someone picks her up.
Speaking of picking her up, Paige wants to be held all the time. This would be great if I could devote all of my time just to her, but I just can't!
Addison is over having a new baby at our house. She is starting to get really jealous and wants to be held by whomever is holding Paige. I am trying to spend one on one time with Addison, but whenever I have a chance to be alone with her, she doesn't want me. Only when I can't be alone with her does she want me. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do about this, I am willing to listen!

Paige Elizabeth

2010-10-06T16:08:00.001-07:00

My friend Briar did it again. She took some amazing photos of Paige for us. If you don't remember her work, you can click here to see the pictures she took of Addison. Briar has such patience and some how makes Paige look more precious than she already is. Thank you Briar!!!

I love my baby girl. She is such a mellow, content baby. She is still in her baby coma or else she just REALLY likes to sleep. We are still trying to get a routine down, but we can count on Paige being awake and alert for a couple of hours in the evening, right before bedtime. She is starting to have a routine in the middle of the night for feedings. She has woken up at the same time for the past three nights. Hopefully once we have the nightly routine down, we can start working on a daily routine.

We have learned that Paige really likes having her feet rubbed (what girl doesn't?). She also likes to have her head rubbed too. I would like to say that she likes it when I attack her with kisses, but I'm not sure she does. I think she tolerates me. She is getting really good at grasping my fingers. She always has a hand under her face when she sleeps. She will smile at me when I rub her cheeks. She LOVES her bath time. She doesn't like being cold, but she loves the warmth of the water. She is neutral about tummy time. I don't think she loves it, but she doesn't seem to hate it. I think she likes that her sister plays on the floor with her when she does her tummy time. She is getting pretty good at holding her head up. It is so much fun to see her growth and progress each day! I am so very blessed to have both Paige and Addison in my life!!!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture!

Addison is the best big sister. She is so much better with having Paige in our lives than I ever thought she would be. She loves to help out and play with her sister.

Paige is a lucky little girl to have Addison as her big sister!

Addison's Family

2010-09-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Addison drew this picture for me of her "famiwee".

{click the picture to enlarge}

I love that she loves her family so much!

Picture Overload

2010-09-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

I hope you all don't mind, but I have a gazillion pictures of Paige's first few days here on this earth.

This is the first time that I got to hold my baby girl. Can you tell that the drugs they gave me that made me feel nothing at all also made me feel nauseous. Weird I know, but I kept having hot sweats and feelings of vomiting while they were pushing {I didn't know until I had Addison that even though you have a c-section, someone still has to push the baby out!}. Randy and the anesthesiologist were kind enough to keep putting wet wash clothes on my forehead to help.

I thought it was fantastic that they let me hold the baby in the operating room. I didn't get that with Addison so I thought it was pretty neat that I got to with Paige.

I think this picture of Paige makes her look much bigger than her four pounds.

Addison trying to give Paige kisses. She is the best big sister. She loves the baby so, so much!

Paige's first bath.

Randy got to wash her hair. He is such a good dad and loves doing this kind of stuff for his girls.

Long, long day!

I had to take this picture of the Binky. It gags her and if put in her mouth the whole way will cover her nose too.

I was trying so hard to get a picture of Paige with her eyes open, the cute blue bow in her hair and the socks that are thigh high. Didn't quite work out very well for me.

Already taking after Uncle Bret and sticking her tongue out. I think she was hungry and I just happened to capture this image at just the right time.

Addison posing with her "big sister" shirt that Grandma Beth and Papa got for her in the gift shop. She is so proud to be a big sister that she has asked to wear this shirt repeatedly.

Addison loves holding Paige.

Paige's first time in the car seat.

She is so tiny that the car seat nearly drowns her.

Addison was patiently waiting for us to take Paige home.

I was taking pictures of the girls and Addison told me to take one of Paige holding her finger.

I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful HEALTHY girls. I am feeling super blessed!!!

Introducing...

2010-09-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

PAIGE ELIZABETH MORRIS

4 pounds 13 ounces

17 inches long

I had to post this picture of Addison meeting her sister.

She was so excited and couldn't stop smiling.

I am so blessed to have two of God's most beautiful creations!

TUESDAY!!!

2010-09-12T09:53:00.001-07:00

Its official! We have a date for delivery, September 14, 2010!!!

If everything goes according to plan (and I LOVE plans!), we should have a healthy, beautiful baby girl by Tuesday afternoon!

1st Day of School (aka The Day My Baby Grew Up!)

2010-09-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Addison's first day of Preschool. I think I did pretty good letting her go. I didn't cry, but I was saddened by the thought of her growing up so quickly. Soon she will be off to college, getting married and having babies of her own. (Hopefully in that order! LOL)

Addison is to the stage where she has to pick out every article of clothing that she puts on. She will tell me how she wants her hair done. What bows to put on, as well as the elastic bands that go in her hair. She wants to put her own shoes on and thinks she knows which ones goes best with what she is wearing. It kind of makes me sad to think that she is growing so quickly and that she has her own mind and opinions!

Addison was so excited for school that she put her backpack on at 10:30 AM and wouldn't take it off except to get in the car to actually go to school. (School doesn't start until 12:30 PM) The teachers at her school told me when I picked her up after class that she kept her backpack on until they went outside to play.

I had to do the 'mom' thing and take pictures of my little girl on her first day of school. Addison was such a good sport about it.

I love her big fake smile. Can you tell just by looking at her that she was ecstatic to go to school?

Showing off her Hello Kitty "packpack".

Oh, I love her smile. I can not get enough of it!!!

Speaking of dressing herself. She told me that she wanted to wear her Popsicle shirt, orange shoes and have her hair done in criss cross with purple bows. I think she did a pretty good job of deciding what to wear!

I love you little/big girl!!!

Teamwork

2010-09-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Randy was putting the baby's crib together this morning and his little buddy Addison was right along side to help him. Addison L.O.V.E.S. to help out no matter what the chore is.

I was getting crib mats and fitted sheets out of the hall closet for the crib when I hear Addison say to her daddy, "I'm helping you out!" Randy replied, "Yes, you are!" Then all of the sudden I hear Addison burst in to song "Teamwork! What's going to work? Teamwork!". Thank you Wonder Pets {click here for the theme song, if you don't know what I'm talking about} for teaching my daughter that we all need to do our part to help out!

I love you Addison!!! I love that you have a willingness to help out! I love that you are beyond excited to be a big sister! I love that you love your 'famiwee'! You are an incredibly wonderful girl and I love you to the moon and back!!!

Lagoon...What Fun Is!!!

2010-09-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Randy's employer sponsored a Lagoon Day for all of their Bear River employees. We had known about this day for the past four + weeks and to say Addison was beyond excited is an understatement. We kept watching videos about Lagoon on YouTube and looking at images online. This has been an incentive for her to continue going pee pee in the potty. {We are going to have to bribe her to go potty for the rest of her life, I think.}

Addison has been talking about going on Puff the Magic Fire Dragon for such a long time. We thought for sure that would be the first ride she wanted to go on. We got in line for a ride that we thought was Puff. Turns out this particular ride was called "Jumping Dragon". To say there is a difference between Puff and Jumping Dragon would be underplaying it. Jumping Dragon was WAY too fast for a three year old and she knew it. She did not want anything to do with this particular ride.

This is Addison and Randy posing in front of Jumping Dragon. Isn't my family adorable?

This is the first ride that Addison chose to go on. Both Randy and I were surprised that she wanted to go on a ride all by herself her first time out. But this little girl is so brave that it shouldn't have surprised us.

Randy took Addison on the Odysea. He said that she was a little scared at first about getting wet, but ended up loving it. Every time I saw her go by, she had a huge smile on her face!

We walked by a bunch of booths where you could win prizes and Addison saw a lot of kids with prizes so she obviously NEEDED a prize. Her mom was not about to spend $30 on a stupid bear, so I had to make sure that we found a booth with a "guaranteed" prize. We found one and Addison was so thrilled with her prize that she didn't care that the game was stupid. Frogger, as she has named him, has not been out of our sight since we got him. I think he is probably the best $2 prize we could have ever gotten!

We took a family Merry-Go-Round trip. Addison had to make sure that she got a "Princess Pony". Daddy got a horsey and Mama was on a giraffe. If you click on the image below, you will be able to see the humongous smile on her cute little face.

I will take a three hour boat ride with this little cutie any day of the week!

I think this is probably the ride that made me, the Mom, laugh the hardest. The lever on this helicopter will either move the ride up or down depending on the way you push or pull it. Addison was not understanding that you had to either push or pull. She was trying to do both at the same time and it made for a pretty bumpy ride. As you can see, she had Frogger with her on this ride. The first thing she said to me when I came to get her was "Frogger didn't jump out of the plane!". Already he is a well behaved frog! :)

Good thing we have another 13 years before this girl gets her drivers license. Hopefully she will be a better driver than she is now!

Bumper Cars from Jenifer Morris on Vimeo.

This is the ride that we have been waiting for! Randy said that she was just in heaven! He said that she was smiling and squealing the WHOLE time!

Since this was the first Proctor & Gamble event for the new plant here in Utah, the people who put together this event decided to have a cake done for their employees. It was huge!!! It was as big as a large picnic table. I thought they did a good job replicating the Charmin and the Bounty. (The whole cake was edible - a lot of people had to ask).

After we had dinner and cake, Addison decided that we needed to go on the Sky Ride. Was Addison scared? No!!! She was all the way to the front bar looking over the edge at everything below her. She thought she was the bees knees for being as high in the sky as the birds. Her mom, on the other hand, was terrified and didn't take any pictures or video of this ride simply because she didn't want to move for fear of throwing the contraption off balance!

We all had a fabulous day and are grateful for Proctor and Gamble for letting our family have these memories. We can't wait to do it again!

Pregnancy Update:

My ultrasound last Friday showed growth in the baby's head. It looks as though her head is more round than it had in the past. But other than that, not too much more growth. Her fluid levels are staying the same, which is good. The doctor said that if she drops below 7 cm, he will take her. {I told Addison that the doctor may take the baby early. She said that he couldn't take the baby. That she loved her and wanted to keep her!}

The non stress test came back good. I was only hooked up to the machine for 6 minutes when the nurse came in to check on me, looked at the printout and said "Oh, your baby has already passed." Meaning she had already had a couple of big movements. So as of right now, I am still enormously pregnant. I have another ultrasound/fluid check and non stress test on Friday. Hopefully we will know more then!

Pregnancy Update

2010-08-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

I am not sure where to start on this post, so I will start with how I am feeling physically. I hear stories about women who are pregnant and miserable, especially in the summertime. But I have to admit that I feel pretty good. I have been having a lot of headaches lately (but I am assuming that is because I am a stress-aholic and worry about everything under the sun), back pain and the inevitable heartburn/indigestion. Overall though, I am feeling really, really good...physically!

Mentally though, I am kind of a wreck. As I just stated above, I am a worry wart. Randy is convinced that the world will stop turning if I stop worrying. He is so laid back though that I tell him I am worrying for the both of us! :) So far in this pregnancy I have had five (5) ultrasounds, the latest being this past Friday and today I had a post ultrasound checkup. This little girl is measuring small. My uterus is measuring 32 weeks and I am almost 36 weeks. Her head is oblong shaped with the width being the smallest part. The doctor is concerned about her fluid levels (she went from 15 cm three weeks ago to 9 cm) and also the fact that she is starting to show signs of IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction). Those of you that are familiar with Addison's birth know that she also had IUGR, so we are being hopeful that this baby girl will be as healthy at birth as Addison was.

Today while I was at my doctor's appointment, he told me that he wanted me to stay and do a Non Stress Test. I find the words non stress test to be a little redundant. I understand that NSTs are used to check the fetus's stress, but they also don't want the mother to stress. HELLO!!! You tell me that there MAY possibly be a problem with my child and THEN you tell me not to stress about it! Yeah, right...not gonna happen! Today's test looked good. She had two big movements within a 6 minute period and that is really good. They want the baby to have at least 1 every 10 minutes. The doctor has prescribed twice weekly non stress tests and another ultrasound for this Friday. He is hoping that the baby will be well enough to last until next Friday (September 3rd) when I am 37 weeks. I am hoping that she will be well enough to last until September 21st which is my scheduled C-Section date.

As I have said, I am a worry wart but I am trying not to be a Debbie Downer. I am trying to think positively and have faith that everything will work out the way it is meant to be (or I guess I should say, the way I want it to be!). I honestly don't care if this baby comes early or if she is small, but I do want her to be the healthy! It is almost crazy to me how I can not even know this little person and care so much about her!

These are some of the pictures that were taken during my last ultrasound. This top picture is almost identical to one that I have of Addison.

Already I am in love with this girl!

While the sonographer was looking at the baby's head circumference she noticed that she has hair! You can't really tell from this picture, but I saw some long strands while I was looking at the monitor.

I call this 3D image the "Fun House Mirror" photo. I am really hoping that this is NOT what she comes out looking like. I am pretty sure that she doesn't have bug eyes judging from the 2D picture above! Oh well, if she does come out having bug eyes, then we'll still love her the same.

I have a feeling that I am forgetting a lot of things that I want to say. I am really hoping that one day I get my brain back!

Puzzling???

2010-08-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

While I was getting ready this morning, Addison called me into her playroom. She had all but 4 pieces of a 16 piece puzzle put together. She was at the end and starting to get frustrated and wanted my help. Being the fantastic Mom I am, I totally helped her out...by grabbing my camera and recording her!

The fruit of Addison's labor.

Then Addison started getting all silly and putting her hand in the way, so that I wouldn't take a picture of her puzzle just her hand. Both she and I were laughing so hard at her silliness.

More pictures of Addison being silly! I sure do love this girl!!!

Can you tell she is laughing here?

I was dying! She is such a little jokester and pretty darn funny when she wants to be!

Puzzling from Jenifer Morris on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Grandma Jan!

2010-08-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Addison has been anxiously awaiting her Grandma Jan's birthday! We bought these paintable mugs for both of her Grandma's months ago. She painted one for Grandma Beth, but I didn't get any pictures because I didn't have a camera. But we caught the experience this time around! :)

If you click on the images below, you can see how into the painting she was. She was so intent on what she was doing. This girl is a total thinker and takes her tasks very seriously!

Personally, I think she did a fantastic job on the mug!!!

Addison's 3 Year Pictures

2010-08-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Briar took these amazing pictures of Addison for us. Addison decided that she didn't need a nap that day, much to her mothers chagrin.

All I can say is Briar has P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E!!!

Just as a little forewarning. I am totally the mother who thinks their child is amazingly beautiful and loves to gush about her constantly. So if you don't like it, please stop reading now!

Love, love, love the tea party!

She looks like she is making sure her guests are well taken care of!

Don't you love the butterby (butterfly) wings? She was SO excited to put those on!

I love her fake smile! Even when it is fake, I think she is beautiful!

I think this picture is by far my favorite! It reminds me of photos you'd see of kids in the 70's.

Thank you Briar!

New Camera! YAY!!!

2010-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY got my new camera! I am so excited. I still need to figure it out, but at least Addison has been a good sport about being my "muse".

I love the color of these day lilies on my front walk. I couldn't resist using my close up option on these beautiful flowers.

Addison was posing for me before church this morning. I absolutely love this beautiful, sweet, kind, loving little girl!

(She has not let go of this cat that her Grandma Jan gave her for Halloween in the past 24 hours. We had an incident last night where we thought it was lost at a friends house and let me tell you there was some major howling and crying involved {from both mother and child}. She even had to take witch cat to church with her this afternoon!)

She thought she would try on some of her silly faces for me!

This is her "What? You want to take my cat?" face.

Addison is looking all around for a flower to pick, since her mean mom won't let her pick the pretty day lilies.

Not sure this is my favorite face, but she has some pretty nostrils doesn't she?

Hopefully now that I have a new camera (or I should say a camera period) I will be motivated to post more often.

Ladybug

2010-07-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

My mom took this photo of Addison a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was so precious that I had to steal it for myself.

Addison wanted Grandma to take a photo of her ladybug. Apparently she just wanted a photo of only the ladybug, but how could my mom resist taking a photo of both the ladybug and Addison when Addison was looking so sweet and innocent.

In other exciting news, we are down to the single digit weeks for this baby. I am super excited to get this little girl here and to see what she looks like and what her personality is. As of right now, we have my C-Section scheduled for September 21st, but that may change in the coming weeks. This little girl is measuring small, like Addison was and that is a concern for both the doctor and I. Right now, I'm optimistic that everything will work out smoothly! :)

Addison is pretty excited for the baby to get here too. She keeps talking about teaching Sister things like walking, running, pretending to be a puppy. She was walking around the house yesterday with her stuffed monkey swaddled up in one of her dolly's blankets telling Randy and I that this is how she is going to hold Sister when she gets here. I love that she is so excited. I hope that excitement stays AFTER the baby gets here!

Also, if you have any name suggestions please feel free to leave them in the comment area. We have NO IDEA what we are going to name Sister. Randy keeps vetoing my suggestions and now I am at a loss. Thanks for all your help! :)

A Random Note About Pregnancy

2010-07-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

One of my very least favorite things about being pregnant is that you have to go potty ALL THE TIME!!! Last night between the hour of 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM, I got up three times to go! I am SO ready for the catheter. Bring it on baby!!!

Best Buds

2010-07-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

Addison learned at an early age that the man should do the heavy lifting. Can you see her checking to make sure that Wyatt (her best bud in the whole wide world) is doing it correctly? I have no idea where she learned that from! LOL

Here they are a year later. Aren't they cute?

Wyatt was Addison's bestest bud in the whole wide world! We were so upset and devastated when we moved away from him and his family. It was funny to seem the two of them interact with each other after nearly a years abscence. AWKWARD!!! I think that it means we need to get together more often! But I love that they were cool enough with each other to pose for pictures.

Happy Birthday

2010-07-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Addison had her 3rd birthday. I can not believe that my little baby girl is now three! She earned herself a butterfly cake. As mentioned in previous posts (click here and here), Addison wanted a butterfly birthday cake for getting potty trained. I was more than happy to spend many, many hours on this cake in return for not having to change another poopy diaper! :)

Addison's cute little cousin Kylee wanted a picture with Addison. Aren't they both adorable?

Addison opening some of her birthday presents. Her cousins wanted to help her really badly, but she was not about to share in the fun of tearing the wrapping paper into tiny, tiny, tiny little pieces. We were all having a good laugh at the dainty little pieces she was tearing off. Needless to say, we were opening presents for quite a while.

Addison's aunts Nancy and Shirley were nice enough to get her a pinata. I thought it was very sweet of them to think of her on her special day. This was Addison's first time with a pinata and had such a blast with it. All of the kids had a good time taking the bat to the pinata and all of the adults were having a good time laughing at the kids taking the bat to the pinata! :)

Cute butterfly cake with 3 candles. I am still trying to wrap my mind around Addison being three. Where did the time go? The past three years have just flown by so quickly...kind of like a butterfly zipping right past you! {Bad joke, I know!}

Video of Addison going to town on the pinata. I love her dainty little swings she was taking with the bat.

After the pinata was broken, all of the kids went for the prizes on the inside. Here is Addison throwing a fit because she stole all the squirter rings and wouldn't share with anyone else.

Happy Birthday to you Baby Girl!

We love you so much Addison and are extremely grateful that you are apart of our eternal family!!!

Officially Potty Trained

2010-07-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

Week 1

This was our first week at potty training. As I have mentioned in an earlier post, we started potty training on the Friday, but I kept her in a pull up all day. She went potty once (hence the one star), so on Saturday, Randy and I decided to stay home and just let her run around in just panties. She did so great at recognizing when she had to go potty! During week 1, we only had one accident and it didn't quite count as an accident. She needed to go potty and told us, but didn't quite make it to the potty in time. As Addison would and has said, "The pee was faster than me".

Week 2

There were a couple of days that I hounded Addison to go potty and she didn't need to. Those were the days that she only got four smiley faces. I think that she didn't go too much because I have not given her enough to drink. It kind of scared me (and still does) that we would go somewhere and have an accident or not be able to make it to a bathroom in time.

Week 3

Addison has got such great self control. She is getting so much better at holding it until we get to a bathroom. There are times when she is having too much fun playing that she doesn't notice that she has to go until she has gone a little bit in her pants, but for the most part, she is doing amazingly well.

Both Randy and I are so proud of Addison. We didn't think that she would get potty trained as quickly as she has. We kind of joked that she would be 16 and still in diapers or depends! I totally believe that when a child is ready to be potty trained, they will get it quickly. I have also learned not to push the subject and to also have a great prize waiting at the end. Addison wants to go to school with her cousin Miles and have a butterfly cake for her birthday. I thought both of those were great goals to shoot for. This last week, I registered Addison for preshcool and for her birthday made her a really cute butterfly cake. Both are totally worth seeing my little girl grow into a big little girl!