Sketchy

Just playing around with PSE again...will hopefully have a new banner this weekend for the new year.

My dogs sporting the tee shirts that Aunt Dee got them...

Arsenal

Yesterday I battled my head cold with thoughts of "Why me?" and self pity in between all of the nose-blowing, but today is a different story. I know soooo many people ailing with different ailments and I am tired of commiserating. Here is where I get off (I hope!).  I dug deep into the recesses of the medicine cabinet for the Neti-mist sinus spray and the Nose Better gel. Then I ran to NG to grab some fish oil supplements and Emergen-C. The Black Tie chocolate cupcake wasn't on the list but I thought it might be a good chaser for the fish oil...(FYI, I was right.)

Not pictured: Theraflu Daytime Multi-symptom Cold Caplets, fish oil supplements and Kleenex (you're welcome)

On the menu tonight is PHO and I am praying that the stuff I'm already doing plus the pho send this head cold packing...

12/29/11 Update: Pho was yummy and I wish I had more today...

Good stuff, maynard!

We are definitely Phonatics!!

Christmas Pasts

I thought it might be neat to review pictures of us from Christmases ago...but what do I know about fun?

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2010

Can't stop thinking 'whoa!"...

No Coal in Our Stockings

This year I got a lot of things I wanted and quite a few unexpected nice things as well. On Christmas Eve my parents were all about the cash which was too much, but also awesome! {Thank you!} For the Dirty Santa game, I got a cute Rudolph ornament and some red & white bootie socks from VS (which I passed along to the Emster). From my family, I got The Biebs' perfume, Someday (I was goofily happy about it) and a pretty pink, ruffly robe that came with it. I also got a sweet sign from Emi that I will hang on our kitchen wall soon:

My Baby Girl is So Thoughtful

In my stocking I got an Ulta gift card (my eyeliner is down to a nub), that Bentley I've always wanted and my favorite chocolate bar (among other candies, an apple and an orange). I got a cool Sgt Pepper tee from my in-laws (they always gift me some cool Beatles items!) and more cash. For the Morgan Christmas we usually just bring a man/woman gift and do the straight Santa thing. I brought a high sided griddle that my mom ending up getting and then giving back to me (score!!). I didn't think she'd want to lug that thing back to Florida. I left with a cool candle that mimics a crackling wood fire, a cute snowman tea towel, some peace socks and coconut lime hand soap. Scott's sister and aunts seem to have started a tradition of buying certain items (tea towels, socks, hand soaps) in bulk and sharing with the other ladies. I guess I need to get on the bandwagon and start participating next year. {I have almost a year to get creative.}

My mom got me something I've requested from my husband for 3 years (at least, maybe longer) now - a salad spinner. I know it may not be a big deal to you, but it's something I've wanted and have yet never bought for myself. I haven't used it yet, but I was just getting good and sick with my head cold when I received it. I did manage to use the griddle yesterday morning to make pancakes for the family though....

Wearing my Sgt Pepper tee and showing off my salad spinner!

My kids got their (current) hearts' desires. Emi got the Black Eyed Peas Experience Wii game and I think all of the adults in the family are hurting today from trying to dance like apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am. I will honor their requests not to post those videos to my flickr, blog or FaceBook but man were they hilarious!


What about you, did you get everything you asked Santa for?




Christmas 2011

Whoa! Christmas hit us with a vengeance.  I need some time to recuperate. I know, WAAAH! But someone gave me something that wasn't on my list, A Christmas Cold!!!

Even though I wasn't particularly good, Santa brought me a lot of stuff this year. And my kids were overloaded with stuff too and it's not over! Oy! I have already filled up a few bags with toys to donate and had to put many of the new items down in the basement to bring out here and there once things are not so overwhelming for them. (for me).

To recap the events thusfar, we went to bed way late Christmas Eve because we were having too much fun at my parents.



We had the Ugly Sweater Contest and Scott and my nephew Vincent tied for first.

A fly went by (apparently)

New (Old) Favorite

I was watching Jimmy Fallon last night when Kermit and Robin joined Jimmy and Roots (the band) to sing When the River Meets the Sea like John Denver did back in 1979. The song brought tears to my eyes...first time for a muppet to have that effect on me...



Very touching song that I imagine would be welcome at a loved one's funeral. {not to sound morbid}  The song ranks right up there with Amazing Grace for me. I was totally caught off guard by the emotion evoked by JF and the Muppets. I recorded it and shared it with the family about 17 times already today. I am hoping that Scott and Emi will learn to play it so we can share with the other family members.

Here's another song from back then:




And another sweet Kermit song:




We've been tracking Santa on NORAD and his next stop is at Mt. Everest, Nepal!

Morgan Adventure - Day 23

Tonight started off with a little Happy Hour at The Mont...

Kristy, Stacey, Nolita, Jennifer & Sharmin

Sharmin, Leslie & Nolita

We didn't hang out as long as usual because we all had other things to do. I came home and prepared 2 lasagnas - one that we ate tonight and then another for this weekend when we don't want to cook after holiday gatherings...

While the lasagna cooked and we waited for my mom, sister and nephew to get here, the kiddos caroled to our neighbors:



And after dinner, my mom (aka the kids' lola) blew out the candle on her coconut birthday cake.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Some of us played Wii Golf (Scott and Emi are actually still playing!) and some of us played matching games with the Little Ones.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve, Everyone!

Morgan Adventure - Day 22

After a l-o-n-g day at work, I came home to this:



Another thing that Scott and Emi took care of for me!! {Ok, so it was for David and Aubri, actually, but it was on my list.} Having bunk beds in their room really opens up the space.

Later we put the pups in the tees that Aunt Dee gave us last night:

My handsome Kirby in his Woodstock tee

Abbey was so comfy in her Scrabble tee that she immediately took a nap...

After dinner we had some hot chocolate and watched Rango! I cannot believe that it's almost Christmas!

Not Faffing Around

Today is supposed to be the shortest day of the year. I sure hope so because it sure has been the longest week. Yesterday felt distinctly like Friday to me, probably because I've shoved a weeks worth of work into 3 days. I've been sorting through 14 years of office accumulation, transitioning stuff to those I'll leave behind, purging stuff no longer needed by anyone and involuntarily taking trips down Memory Lane. Very. Cathartic. Indeed. And oddly enough, planned well before I decided to leave.

Let's see - what else?

• I am almost done with Christmas shopping. Luckily for me, I have 2 elves who are grabbing up the last few gifts to be gotten. (Thank you, Scott & Emi!)
• My mean baby sister forced me to test my blood sugar last night after dinner (and some wine) at her house. She stuck me in 3 different fingers with 4 different settings before getting a good amount of blood to do the test. Guess what? It didn't hurt! And my blood sugar is just fine.
• My mom's in town for a visit and I'm cooking her birthday dinner tomorrow night - lasagna! 

Hope this Friday Eve catches you ahead of the holiday rush!

Morgan Adventure - Day 21

Christmas Party

Dee & Her Dogs

Playing Games

Morgan Adventure - Day 20

This one is not very imaginative. Pizza Picnic and The Grinch. I thought it might be too scary for Aubri but she said she wanted to watch it...

Almost finished with the Christmas shopping...almost.

Morgan Adventure - Day 19

The kids' lola (my mom) came into town today for the holidays!!

Checking out the Philippines to see the area affected by typhoon

Aunt Dee reading SuperWhy to the Little Ones

Mommy reading The Nativity Story

Happy Monday!

Morgan Adventure - Day 18 (Mahna Mahna)

Mornin' Fellas!

Today was a fun day with the family. First thing this morning the kids drew the adventivity for today and it was "Muppet movie". The Little Ones had no idea who the Muppets were so we rectified that by showing them Mahna Mahna and Bohemian Rhapsody (love!) on YouTube. 

LOVE the chickens - Mahna Mahna

Mahna, Mahna - doo doo do do do

After church, we headed out to Grandma Babe's and Grandaddyo's house for lunch then we went to see the The Muppets!!! It was David's and Aubri's first movie experience and they were so well behaved. I was nervous because we punted nap today (normally 12:30-2:30) and the movie was at 3:20 but all 3 kids did well with sharing popcorn and seating and being quiet. I think Scott and I enjoyed the movie the most though as we grew up with Kermit and the gang. I don't laugh out loud at much but I did with this movie.

This past week has been crazy for me. I had to make some decisions about my career and I thank you for your prayers. In January I will be working in a new location for an exciting new project. I am very sad to be leaving my work family after 14.5 years but I am looking forward to the new year and the new job.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Christmas Classics

We haven't added much music to the Christmas playlist this season because most new stuff seems to be the classic stuff redone but I added a real classic that I love and can't believe I overlooked this in years past.



Love this song! To balance things out in the Christmas music world we also downloaded The Biebs' most popular song this season too.

Morgan Adventure - Day 17

We made pumpkin pancakes for breakfast and Scott said these were the best pancakes he's ever had. (What's he angling for?) We caught the kids up on their countdown calendars (and chocolate) and we also drew the activities for yesterday and today and ended up punting them (Reading Twas the Night Before Christmas & Caroling to the Neighbors) in favor of ice cream and watching The Wizard of Oz. We've already read that story a few times already this season and we need to practice a little more on a song...

It was such a gorgeous day today! After lunch we went outside and raked leaves, worked on the pool and poolhouse and also let the chickens out for a little while.

There's a pile of chickens in my flower bed! {they were taking a dirt bath, not dirt nap)

Ketiesha came by to give Emi a new do and Emi sure looks cute (as usual). It's a very long process and Ketiesha is amazingly patient and does a thorough job. She's gotten Emi's hair detangled completely and washed thoroughly and a put into few new styles over the past few months. We love Ketiesha!

Working on Emi's hair...

When she began working on Emi's hair we watched The Help. Loved that book and loved the movie too. When I read the book I always imagined Emi's granny as Aibeleen.

Pretty New Do (front)

Pretty New Do (back)

Burning in the Fire Bowl

Homemade Tortilla Soup

Dinner was satisying and so was dessert and the movie. So nice to have a night at home with my family...

Morgan Adventure - Day 16

Today was not so much an adventure as it was an Advent fail. We were rushed around this morning and forgot to pull the activity from the Advent calendar and we also forgot to have the kiddos get their chocolate from their countdown calendars. ;.) Tomorrow we'll double up on all of the calendar activities to make up.

But I still have pictures from around our place!

Giant Peppermints!

Dried out but still smelling good and piney...

Can only imagine what Aubri's Christmas Tree looked like before....

Blecchh!

Santa Baby

Nonplussed

Happy Guy

Hey Santa

Morgan Adventure - Day 15

Today we let the kids eat their Popcorn Snowmen for breakfast. 

I know...call DHS right now!

The Little Ones wore PJs to school for their parties and they saw Santa for the first time today. Well, actually, on the way to school Aubri said she saw Santa in a yard. When I asked what he was doing, she said he was dead. When I asked what happened, she said that Santa had a fever and then he was dead. I asked if it was the real Santa and she said "no". David said he'd take the fever away and tell Santa to "wake up".  Very interesting small talk in the Disco some mornings...most mornings...

So Pretty!

We had dinner at the NWC and guess who made an appearance complete with gifts? Yeppers - "Santa". This satellite Santa even got tired of his beard and pulled it down because it was too scratchy. David gave us this knowing look when he did that. (I will post the Santa pictures once they are available...)

David gives us the thumbs-up!

Frosty

Silent Night

I wouldn't say it was a silent night with so many kiddos in the auditorium but here's my baby girl singing by herself on stage once again (getting a little verklempt even typing about it now):

Silent Night by Emi Morgan from Nolita Morgan on Vimeo.

Morgan Adventure - Day 14

The day started with a nutritious breakfast of grapefruit sent from Lola!

Lola sent us some grapefruit from sunny Florida

And tonight after a comforting dinner of Chicken Alfredo with Kale (!), we finally made those Popcorn Snowmen.

They were VERY tasty indeed!

My Sweet Children

After baths, Daddy read The Little Fir

Love my family!

Morgan Adventure - Day 13

Thank you for everyone who said a prayer for me and my family. I will blog about the answer another day soon. Let's just say it was a roller coaster day for me, and we feel very blessed this Holiday Season!

Tonight was a sweet special night - we got to see Emi up on stage with her school's chorus again. She sang a solo of Silent Night and a group rendition of Mele Kalikimaka with 2 of her friends.

Merry Christmas to you!

Afterwards we went to Braum's for a sweet treat...

Morgan Adventure - Day 12

There are so many things going on behind the scenes in my life right now. Lots of good things that you see here often but also some out of the blue things threatening to change up our lives (and it really has me frazzled right now).

Holiday Spirit Interruptus! 

Right now I'm going to "breathe in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breathe in and out...and then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while."

Name that movie!

I'm trying not to stress out too much because I know that God will take care of things...but being a Stress Monkey comes naturally to me. I won't go into detail here but would be cool with it if you included me and my family in your prayers...Thank you in advance!

In other news...if you've been reading my blog for any length of time or have read through my archives, you might remember when I wrote about us struggling with talking to Emi about her Birth Father. She was 7 at the time and it was before the Little Ones were even a thought in our minds (they were still an unanswered prayer at that time). We hadn't had The Talk yet and I was worried she would feel rejected. At that time I got some books to use as tools/ice breakers to help me impart some of the information to Emi to get that discussion going. About a year ago, we did talk with Emi about her BF. And we all survived that discussion - Surprise! 

Over Thanksgiving Break, her Birth Mom and sisters came over for a visit and we talked again about Emi's BF and later that night Emi and I talked about him again. She wanted to know if her sisters' BF was her BF (because he is a very bad person) and I assured her that he wasn't. I told her that I didn't know him but I'd heard that he sang in his church choir. Her eyes lit up and she said "So I got my singing from him?" and I told her I thought so. (She surely didn't get that from me!) I asked her if she'd like to meet him and she said she would. So I discussed this with her Birth Mom and she suggested I friend him on FaceBook. So I did. I let him know that Emi is an amazing girl, yada yada yada and he accepted my Friend Request! I hope to set up a meeting after the crazy holidays.

I am excited about this chapter in our lives. I feel that God has stretched my family so much and some days it's overwhelming in the emotions department. Right now I'd like to slow things down just a bit.

On that note, our scheduled activity for Advent was going to be Make Popcorn Snowmen but we switched gears tonight and had pizza and watched Charlie Brown's I Want a Dog for Christmas instead.

Snoopy's so cute!

But not as cute as Kirby

Favorite quote of the movie:  Lucy to Spike (Snoopy's brother): You're as thin as a promise!