Not Me! Monday

It's Monday again, and time for another edition of Not Me! Monday. Hosted by MckMama, this blog carnival asks people to be open, honest, and upfront about things they would NEVER do! So, without further ado, here are some things that I certainly did NOT do this past week.

I did NOT wear flip flops in 30 degree weather just because it is officially spring, darn it, and I can wear sandals if I want! I also did NOT crank up the heater in the car while on my way home to defrost my toes after shopping.

I certainly did NOT purchase organic dog treats for Bailey, especially because I don't buy organic for the people in my house. And I absolutely did NOT think while purchasing them that if Morgan decided to taste them that at least it would be healthy for her.

That is because Morgan has NEVER eaten one (or multiple) dog treats because I would never watch her sneak one from the can and let her eat it. That's just gross!

I also would never order a twisted Frosty and when hearing that the cookie dough was all out order M&Ms. Especially because I would NEVER forget that I gave up candy for Lent. And I would never, after remembering that I NEVER forget what I gave up for Lent, continue to eat 1/2 of said Frosty even though it did have candy in it. Because I didn't have to say to myself that I PAID for the Frosty. I made a promise didn't I?!?! Sigh.

I did NOT purchase hair bows for this poodle....

And since I didn't do this, there was no need to rationalize the purchase because it went to charity, even if they bows were a DOLLAR each! Nope, not me!

And since I didn't purchase the hair bows, I definitely did NOT purchase other items to put in this poodle's EASTER basket! That's a little ridiculous. I am glad I didn't do that.

I definitely did NOT close my office door and watch the first round of the NCAA tournament on my computer all afternoon for TWO DAYS while pretending to be doing "paperwork" Because what kind of example would that be setting to my staff?

I also did NOT stand in my kitchen the evening before Weight Watchers weigh-in day and eat 2 brownies and a bag of Curious George fruit snacks while waiting for the dog to do her business outside. And I certainly did NOT eat more food later during the night while on a "bathroom break".

It's a good thing I didn't do all of these things last week. Because it sure would have taken up a lot of time and energy that were channeled into more productive projects at home and at work.

Be sure to hop over to MckMama's blog and see what other people did not do lately!

What was I thinking?!

It's my favorite time of the year....time to get out all of Morgan's clothes for the next size up, ooohhh and aaahhh over all the super cute outfits she will be wearing, revel in the great clearance buys I got, and look forward to spring/summer. This summer's cute outfits include matching green flowered sundresses for Morgan and her baby doll, a princess sundress, the truest t-shirt I have ever read (Backseat Driver....describes Morgan to a t!), and six bathing suits.

Yes you read that right.

S-I-X bathing suits!!!!

What on earth was I thinking? Patrick and I both have summertime jobs. We are not going to be living at the pool. Who on earth needs six bathing suits!

Granted, I didn't pay more than $5.00 for any of the suits, and they are all very darn cute. Now I have the hard job of deciding which to keep. The Elmo tankini is a given....then there's Dora, which Morgan would like, but isn't nearly as cute as some of the others. What to do, what to do?

I wish all my decisions in life were this trivial!

Playing Catch Up

It's been super crazy around the Tenney household lately, thus the lack of updates regarding life in Small Town USA. Patrick and I are both starting our "busy season" of work...lots of presentations, workshops, clients to see, and grants to be written. While it isn't all that interesting, it sure does make the time fly!

My birthday was a great day. I don't think there was a moment during the day that I didn't have food in front of me. Not so good for Weight Watchers, but I didn't care. We continued the celebration over the weekend at the in-laws. It was nice to sit around and do absolutely nothing (although my poor niece had the stomach flu!).

Yesterday Patrick ordered my birthday present....a new digital camera!

It is a Canon PowerShot with 10x optical zoom and 9.0 megapixels. He got it off of Newegg, which offers a lot of combo deals. We were able to get a 4GB memory card and a case for the camera absolutely free! I should have it by Saturday (hopefully) and if not, Monday for sure. I am so excited! My current Kodak, which has been great for the last 5 years, is currently being held together by tape and was becoming more of a hassle to use.

Patrick and I have both started to notice that Morgan is very sensitive about our comings and goings, especially when we are away from her overnight. Monday and Tuesday mights this week I was out of town at a symposium. Morgan called me on Tuesday and we had this conversation:

Me: Hello?
Patrick: Hold on...shuffling around for a minute...
Morgan: "Mommy, why you lost?"
Me: "Baby, I am not lost."
Morgan: "You lost, I not see you"
Me: "I am sorry baby, Mama is at work"
Morgan: "Daddy bring me. I come to you"

When she was little, I took her to every out of town overnight thing I had to do. Now that she is older, I have been leaving her behind more, but I sure do miss her! I almost told Patrick to put her in the car and bring her down. She will be traveling with us a good bit over the next couple of months, which we all should enjoy.

Even though today it is only 30 degrees, the weather overall has been very nice (60s and 70s) and we finally were able to play outside the other day. Morgan was so happy to see her toys that have been sequestered in the garage for the winter. I was just happy to see her running all over the place, because this means soon she'll be going to sleep at her normal time instead of 11:00 PM! We are already starting to plan some weekend trips and that makes me very excited for summer.

We are getting ready to start some big projects at home....nothing major, but big projects for us. This includes a total reorginization of the basement, gathering and preparing for a yard sale, and a reorginization and minor remodel of our bedroom (basically just new curtains (YAY!) and hopefully finishing some staining to the moulding).


So life around the house is normal, crazy, and busy. We are trying to get everyone's schedules aligned to spend some family time together. It's hard to believe we are already looking at scheduling weekends in JULY! My goal this year is to "schedule" some non-scheduled weekends so we don't get over extended like last year. Let's hope that happens.

It's Only Three Decades

My mother sent me a nice note this morning counting down the minutes until I would "officially" be 30. Because I was born in the Philippines, my birthday occurred 12 hours ahead on the East Coast (which is why my grandmother always thought I was born on March 12th). So at 11:51 this morning, I officially began my 4th decade. The card I got from my co-workers put this a little more into perspective.

Thirty.
When you think about it, it's only three decades.

Three Decades
Seven Presidents (or presidential terms)
Eight Olympic Games
28 Volcanic Eruptions
87 Space Missions
203 Overthrown Governments
1,712 Ocsar Nominations
420,000 New Miles of Highway
AND
51 million acres of cleared rainforest

Now, I cannot confirm that some of these numbers are actually true, but the card said so, so I believe it!

Moving On Up

Today I left my 20s behind and headed into a new decade. A lot of people asked how I feel to be 30. I can honestly say no different than yesterday! I am excited to be starting a new chapter of life with this birthday. I guess I am now officially an adult.

Some of my very sweet friends and co-workers threw me a surprise birthday brunch at work (not pictured are Jim and Lori, James' parents). There were tons of goodies to eat, a homemade birthday cake, and some delicious punch. It was so nice of them to remember my birthday. When I got to work this morning my office had been decorated with balloons, streamers, and a happy birthday sign.

With the delicious goodies I got a bag of candy (MY FAVORITE!!!) and a beautiful crown that will probably become Morgan's as soon as she sees it :) We're heading out for birthday lunch and this evening I will spend with my two favorite people, Patrick and Morgan. I am sure we will go out to eat tonight too. A girl shouldn't have to do dishes on her birthday (at least that's what I think!). Patrick is buying me a new digital camera for my birthday, and I am really excited about it!!

Thank you to all who have sent good wishes. It has been a fantastic day so far, and I know the rest of the day will be great as well!

Here's to another great decade.....

Jen

30 by 30--The Final Update

Well, today is the final weigh in day for my 30 by 30 challenge to myself. Over the course of my challenge, I am positive I did lose 30 pounds, BUT was not as successful at keeping it off. So from the beginning to the end I ended up losing

15 pounds

Although I didn't make my intended goal, I am proud that I have lost half and I am not going to give up on the other 15. I also learned some things about myself---

1) It is wise for me to set smaller, more frequent goals. It was easy in the beginning to say, oh I still have plenty of time to make up for the fact that I gained this week. Then it was well, I still have time if I eat right every day and exercise 3-4-5 days a week. Then it was oh crap! I have to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks!

2) Having a bad day does not have to ruin the week. I used to say oh well I have blown the day and now the week is shot, and I would eat without care or thinking. But as I went along I realized that I could have a bad DAY and not have a self-fulfilling prophecy that the rest of the week must be bad due to one bad day.

3) I learned over the course of the challenge that one pound of weight lost means 4 pounds of pressure off your knees/ankles. So I lost 60 pounds of pressure off those joints. For me that is HUGE since my fibromyalgia is most prevalent in my legs and lower back.

4) Probably the biggest thing I learned is that I CAN lose the weight. And I do want to lose it. There was a time that I didn't care about being heavy and I didn't want to lose the weight. I am finally to a point that I do want to lose it and I am excited to lose another pants size and get back into all the cute clothes I have from 2 summers ago. I will actually get a new wardrobe without spending any money!

So good things happened all the way around, even though I didn't make the final goal. It just gives me something to work toward as spring starts and summer approaches.

29 and counting

In honor of my last official day as a "twenty-something" and in anticipation of the big 3-0 I thought I would celebrate by sharing 29 things I would like to do before I die, my Bucket List I guess. So, in no particular order, here we go!

1. Visit all 50 States (30 down, 20 to go)
2. Set foot in 6 continents (3 down--North America, Europe, Asia, 3 to go--South America, Africa, Australia)
3. See Mount Rushmore
4. Spend a weekend in Yellowstone National Park
5. Go to Disneyland Tokyo
6. See the Great Wall of China
7. Own a horse
8. Go on a cruise
9. Kiss the Blarney Stone
10. Go on an African Safari
11. See the pyramids in Egypt
12. Work in a family business (my family, but not necessarily run by me)
13. Own a home
14. Plan my daughter's wedding
15. Take a cake decorating class (or two)
16. Save enough to be a half millionaire
17. Take Morgan and Patrick to Europe
18. See the Macy's Day parade live
19. Spend Mardi Gras in New Orleans
20. Count down to the new year in Times Square
21. Finish the baby blanket I have in progress, and start more
22. Go Snuba-ing in Aruba
23. Have a summer cottage/home/time share on the beach
24. Be completely debt free, at least for one day
25. Organize my recipes into the system I have envisioned in my head
26. See a show on Broadway
27. Stand on the Four Corners out west (where 4 states converge in one spot)
28. Go to the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden
29. Sing sweet lullabies to my grandchildren

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to the Not Me! Monday! blog carnival. MckMama hosts this weekly post to be brutally honest about all the things we certainly would never do as parents, wives/husbands, family members, and members of the human race! Feel free to stop over at her site to see what everyone else has NOT been doing (her post this week is hysterical!).

And now...for things that that I most certainly have NOT done in the past week or ever in my lifetime.

I most certainly have never spoken to my husband over the phone while using a public restroom. That would just be a total violation of privacy, not to mention it would probably gross him out.

I have never eaten fruit snacks out of the diaper bag and then told Morgan that there was nothing in the bag to eat. That is literally taking (pseudo) candy from a baby! How rude!

Along the same line, I would never sneak into the kitchen to indulge in a second piece of cake. And I most certainly would never shove the entire piece into my mouth and turn my back when I heard the pitter patter of little feet running quickly toward the kitchen just because I didn't want to share the cake. What kind of lesson would that teach my child?

I have never witnessed Morgan sharing a bite of noodles off her fork with the dog and absolutely would never let her then put the same fork back into her mouth. No not ever!!

I have never heard my boss coming down the hallway and picked up the phone to pretend to be takling to a client. That trick would surely never work, especially not multiple times.

And I have never put off doing the dishes to write about things I don't ever do. Nope, not me!

A Very Sad Day

Today we said goodbye to a huge part of our lives the past two and a half years. Ms. Ellen, Morgan's day care provider, has gotten much sicker and informed us last week that she will not be able to watch the kids anymore due to her deteriorating health. Morgan started going to see Ms. Ellen when she was nine weeks old, on September 5, 2006. She went there for 2 years, 6 months, and 2 days. That short amount of time has amounted to Morgan's entire lifetime, and for me it has felt as if Ellen has always been family. Ellen has survied breast cancer, uterine cancer, metastatic disease (cancer caused from one of her other cancers) in her lungs, and now she is battling metastatic disease once again. Only this time it is in four vertebrae in her spine. Now that the cancer has set in to her bone, it has gotten much more serious, and painful.

Ellen has been undergoing radiation treatments for the past eight days. She has been unable to watch the kids since the first of February. It was very hard for me to hear from her that she cannot watch Morgan anymore. I know it was very hard on her to "give up her kids". She says that's the hardest part. Not the chemo, radiation, intense pain, vomiting, losing of her hair....it's losing her kids that hurts her the most. I can't even type this without crying.

This afternoon Ellen was feeling well enough for a visit from the kids. I picked them up from our house where Anita has been watching them for the past month, and together we made the drive back to Cheat Lake. I couldn't help but feeling a deep sadness as I made the drive there. Not because it would be the last time I would drive there (hopefully) but I knew it was the last time we would "be there". The kids ran in and immediately made themselves right at home. After we were there about 5 minutes, Morgan came running out to the living room. She gave Ellen a huge hug and said "I miss you much". It was so sweet. Ellen immediately began shedding silent tears, and I had to fight hard to hold mine back. Ellen said she missed Morgan much too. We were there about an hour and a half. In that time I could see Ellen's strength fading quickly just trying to interact with the children some. Ellen gathered up Morgan and James' things for me to take home. I tried hard to make it a light-hearted task, but the feeling of heavy sadness was tangible in the room. As I carried things out to the car Ellen said her goodbyes to the kids. Each kid gave her a hug and a kiss. Morgan told Ellen "I love you Ms. Ellen". Ellen had to go to another room so she would not cry in front of the kids. I managed to keep mine in until I was backing out of her driveway.

My heart is heavy tonight. Not simply for my loss. But for Ellen. For all she has gone through and for all that she will continue to go through in this desperate fight against cancer. For the heartache she felt and still feels as she faces reality. For her husband, for her family, and for our family and James' family. This woman has been an angel to my child. She accepted her as one of her own from the very beginning. She has loves Morgan as deeply as we love Morgan. To me she has been a friend, confidant, giver of advice, and a surrogate grandmother, as both of mine are in Heaven. I cannot imagine life without her, and that reality to me has finally hit home. As I backed out of her driveway, I finally had to accept that this was real, happening, and permanent.

If you have a moment, please pray for Ellen. Pray for the kids, as they continue to go through a lot of upheaval in their lives while we try to find a new place for them to go. We hope to keep them together, but that is a slim chance. Pray for all those fighting cancer. And pray for a cure.

Eleven

Today marks the eleventh year that Patrick and I have officially been a "couple". We've been together longer than a lot of Americans have been married! It's hard to believe it has been this long already. We are surging foward into year twelve, looking forward to new memories. Surely the road has not always been smooth, but it has been lots of fun! In honor of today, I wanted to share eleven facts about us and our relationship that you may not know about.

1) Patrick and I met in September 1997. We were introduced by my freshman year roommate, Jessica Rose. At the time, she had a crush on him.

2) Our first date was in January 1998. We went to see Alien Resurrection at the movies.

3) For Valentine's Day that same year (prior to becoming an "exclusive" couple) Patrick treated me to an indoor picnic in his trailer with food from The Italian Oven, complete with a picnic blanket and candles. He's always said he set the bar too high when he planned this!

4) He asked me to be his girlfriend in my dorm room, 5 Dadisman Hall, on March 4, 1998.

5) He asked me to marry him in the above-mentioned trailer on March 14, 2002.

6) Although it was not originally planned this way, our wedding colors were blue and yellow (Patrick always says to match WVU's school colors!). My original hope for a wedding was peach and blue. I couldn't find a pretty bridesmaid dress in peach, so we went with yellow.

7) Patrick gave me a 3 foot tall hand-carved wooden otter statue (which I named Winston) for a wedding gift. I gave him a watch.

8) We went to Disney World for our honeymoon. To celebrate our first anniversary, we went to Virginia Beach (I had a work conference there, so we just extended the trip a little).

9) As an anniversary gift to each other, we purchase season tickets to WVU football games.

10) I have spent every Thanksgiving with Patrick's family since we became a couple. It's been so long I can hardly remember a Thanksgiving when I was NOT at the Tenneys!

11) Tonight we spent the evening together as a family doing something we all love, attending a WVU basketball game. It was a great way to quietly celebrate the day!

My Baby Brother

Happy Birthday to my baby brother, Jeff! Today starts a special week for us, as we remain the same age for one week. Jeff used to say I couldn't boss him around this week because I am not older than him. I always used to remind him that I am ALWAYS older, and thus always in charge!

Here's wishing my only sibling the very best of birthdays. Can't wait to see you this weekend!

On to the Rest of the Story

Last night, at the age of 90, Paul Harvey died. Patrick and I were very sad to hear this, as we used to listen to him on Sunday mornings together. Our generation is the last to know who he is, although I am sure that NPR will continue to play his segmenets for many years to come.

It will be exciting to meet him in Heaven and find out The Rest of the Story.

Cousins

It's been a while since I shared pictures of the girls so I thought I'd show you how cute our "twins" are (for those who don't know, Julia is 3 months younger than Morgan).

Then (2007):

Now!

Disney on Ice

Last Saturday my sister-in-law Amy, my niece Julia, Morgan, and I went to see Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey at the Charleston Civic Center. The show was great! We were 6 rows from the ice, just off center stage. The girls were treated to girls dinner out (at Chick-fil-a in the mall) and ice cream during the show! They loved seeing the characters skate around on the ice and Julia would often dance to the music.

Both girls were most excited when, after intermission, TinkerBell made her grand debut...flying no less! Morgan also enjoyed The Little Mermaid part of the show and the pirates/pirate ship during Peter Pan's show.

We all had a great time and the show was decently priced. If you have fans of Disney in your home, I highly suggest you go if you have the chance!

I LOVE E-FILING!

You may remember a couple weeks ago I did our taxes. I always like to do my taxes early because for the past few years we've gotten a fairly nice refund. (I know Dad, I'm letting the government borrow from me interest free...) This year was the first time I tried doing the taxes online and e-filing. I have to admit I was quite nervous. Even though I do online banking, pay bills electronically, and basically do almost everything online, taxes seemed like a big feat. I mean, we are talking about paperwork for the IRS. Serious trouble if you screw up. And what if they don't get it? Then where will I be?

However, after my mother told me that she did her taxes using Turbo Tax online, I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. If all else failed, I could still print out my taxes returns and mail them in myself (the safe way, or so I thought before this year). So after two hours, multiple reviews of every possible piece of paper I could have in the house, and a minor anxiety attack, I pressed send and e-filed our taxes.

What happened next was surprising, and eased my anxiety fast. I got e-mails from Turbo Tax saying our taxes had been submitted, verified, and accepted by the feds, and both WV and PA tax departments. AND the best part....Tuesday (less than 2 weeks later) I received our refunds direct deposited into our bank account!

I don't know why I haven't done this before, but I can guarantee that I will be using Turbo Tax and e-filing from now on. If you haven't filed your taxes yet, I highly suggest you e-file. Even if you owe (we did in PA) you can set up an electronic payment to be deducted from your bank account on ANY day you want, up to and including April 15th! Easy as pie. Hope you all have as much fun with your taxes this year as I did!

Childless

Patrick and I are childless for a few days. Morgan went to stay with Big Pop and Nannie for a few days because Nannie was having serious grandbabies withdrawal! After dropping Morgan off with Big Pop yesterday, I stopped to do a little childless shopping, which was REALLY nice! Tonight Patrick and I went to the WVU vs. Notre Dame basketball game. It was a little nostalgic for me, taking us back to our college days when we were young and newly in love. After the game we considered going to Texas Roadhouse for 1/2 price appetizers, but decided against it (because it was after 9:00 and we are old! :)

I will admit, however, that I have spent more than a few moments standing in Morgan's room missing her like crazy! It's very quiet around here. I miss her hilarious comments, her infectious laugh, and her nightly snuggles for quiet time. And is it sad that I am excited about going into work EARLY since Morgan isn't here?!?! In any event, I think I am going to take a nice hot bath (without pleas for inclusion in the suds) and go to bed. What on earth did we do before we had Morgan???

Catching Snow

Quiet Valentine's Day

After such a busy week, it was nice to have a simple, quiet Valentine' Day at home. Last night we "went out" to CiCi's Pizza Buffet for a fun dinner. It was especially nice for me because I hadn't had a piece of non-frozen pizza for over 2 weeks. This morning Morgan and I got up and let Patrick sleep in. We were rewarded with our early rise with white roses, beautiful pink tulips, a box of candy, and one of the best Valentine's gifts I have ever received...heart shaped doughnuts! My husband really knows what I like :) Morgan also gave me an Alison Krauss CD with the song Baby Mine, a song I have sung to Morgan almost every day of her life. I still sing it to her most nights before I kiss her good night.

We all went to play group and Morgan had a great time, aided by the sugar from the doughnut she ate right before we left the house!

We came home and took a nap. Morgan received her Valentine's gifts from her grandparents and we had a very lazy afternoon.

We had dinner in this year, a first for us I think. Herb rubbed petite fillet, romano parmesan rice, and steamed corn, finished off with a scoop of ice cream. It was delicious, and while I love eating out, it seemed more romantic this year to stay in and enjoy time as a family.

Jumping on the Random Bandwagon

Since I have been tagged on facebook and blogger to do this numerous times, here it is!


1. I think it would be totally awesome to own a yacht. Not for any particular reason, just because it would be neat. And I would name it Slow Movin’

2. I am allergic to grass and seafood. They both make me break out in hives.

3. I have never smoked in my life. No drugs either. I’m not one of those crazy “Thou shalt never do this” kind of people. Just never appealed to me.

4. I have, however, been addicted to pain medication. It’s not pleasant. After going being forced to go cold turkey from that I can’t imagine ever being addicted to something stronger. Now I am very careful about how much medication I take, and I only take the prescription pain medication I get from my neurologist. I don’t even take Tylenol or similar.

5. If I had money to spend on only one household “luxury” I would hire a chef. That is how much I loathe cooking.

6. My dream job, if I had to work for someone else, would be to work in a federal prison writing parole board recommendations. I got close, once, but was never considered by the warden for the job. I’m still bitter, 5 ½ years later.

7. My real dream job would be to open a Wedding Consultation business with my sister-in-law, Amy.

8. I foolishly thought that I would get a job in my subject field when I graduated with my Masters Degree in Criminal Justice. NOT SO.

9. I’ve been to the top of the Eifel Tower, which is amazing because I am deathly afraid of heights.

10. Some of my favorite paintings in The Louvre are the four seasons painted by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. Summer is depicted with a pickle for a nose, which is why our family dubbed these paintings “The Pickle People”.

11. I’ve been to Disneyland, Disney World, and Disneyland Paris. One more (Disneyland Tokyo) and that will complete the Disney circuit.

12. I love pizza and ice cream. If I could ever justify being fat, that is ALL I would eat.

13. I believe that all US Servicemen and Servicewomen should be treated with more respect than celebrities. I know, I’m slightly partial, but no matter which side you are on, there is no denying that these fine folk lay their lives on the line for us. And they volunteer to do so.

14. I think that uniforms should be mandatory in ALL schools. It is easy to make a uniform policy that every family, regardless of socioeconomic status, could afford. I went to Catholic school, wore a uniform and turned out just fine.

15. I used to think that being a trucker would be lots of fun, because I could eat all the Oreos I wanted to in the car and Mom couldn’t tell me no.

16. I really like to listen to Eminem’s rap music. I know all the words to “Real Slim Shady”. Please don’t judge me for this.

17. My favorite commercial is a Sprint commercial where a rancher said he ordered a hundred oxen but his connection was bad and he got 100 dachshund(s). At the end of the commercial someone yells “Stampede!” and a bunch of dachshund puppies go running across the screen. I laugh EVERY time.

18. I collect music boxes and Pocket Dragons.

19. My daughter saved my life. It’s not important for you to know how or why, but that she did. She is truly my angel.

20. There are two songs that always make me cry: Taps and Amazing Grace.

21. I already know what wording I want to have on my gravesite marker. Is that morbid?

22. Those words are “To love another person is to see the face of God” ~Victor Hugo, from my favorite musical, Les Miserables.

23. I would love to have another child, but I am deathly afraid of loving another child.

24. The best family vacation I have been on was with my parents to the Bavarian region of Germany. My favorite part of that vacation, visiting the German concentration camp, Dachau, where the famous works “Arbeit macht frei” (Work will make you free) are part of the gates. I have never experienced a place so powerful.

25. In high school I went on a service trip to Ukraine. It was lots of fun, even if we sweat our butts off working all day long and could only shower every other day. It was a great experience.


UPDATE: I forgot to tag some friends, and since one of my very good friends asked about it, I am tagging these folks:

Jim at The Risk Family
Melanie at Don't Stop Believin'
Amanda at Isaac
Kim at My Winding Path

A Quick Update

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted anything here. We have been so busy over the past week that I haven't had much time to sit down. We continue to be busy this week and through the next. Thankfully the weather has been much nicer over the past week (low to mid 50s) so even if I am stuck indoors, it's nice not to have to slosh around in the snow. So here's a quick update on things that have been going on:

Jen--I was really sick last week Monday evening, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I guess it was some type of flu (even though I got a flu shot) because I was very achy, utterly exhausted, and nauseous. I didn't do much other than sleep for those days. Thursday our sitter called off sick, so I was able to stay home with Morgan and James for the day. It was nice, because I was feeling much better, and I even was able to do our taxes while the kids kindly took an almost 2 hour nap. This week continues to be very busy. As many of my readers know, my 14 year old cousin has been battling a very bad, quick moving illness that required him to be admitted to ICU on Sunday afternoon. I went to spend some time with him Monday and will make the 90 minute drive again tomorrow. I'd like to thank all of my wonderful friends who have been praying for him and our family. His condition has improved some and he is no longer considered 'critical' although he is still in the ICU. Prayer WORKS folks. It really does. We have seen God move in wonderful ways over the past few days and it is all because of prayer.

Patrick--after caring for Morgan while I was sick, I kindly shared the flu with Patrick. He was down and out Thursday evening, Friday, and Saturday. For those of you who know him well, he was so sick he even missed the WVU basketball game on Saturday! That's monumental. This week he has been very busy at work with both of his jobs. We are hoping to have a slightly quieter weekend this weekend.

Morgan--She's doing just fine. She seems to have escaped the crud that Patrick and I had and has been going with the flow over the past few weeks. She's been a little headstrong lately and we have been having to discipline her more often. I hate it, but I don't want the bratty child. Our bedtime routine has gotten less stressful...she seems to be OK with going in her room but often does not fall asleep for a few hours after she goes to bed. Every morning I go into her room and put away 15-20 books that she has in her bed with her. She started play group and loves it. I can't wait for warmer weather so she can go outside. She wants to play outside so bad!

SO that's it from our house. Nothing too exciting, we've just been busy with "life". I hope to get out my camera this weekend to get some updated pictures of our girl. Watch her site for new additions!

A Lesson in Manners, from Morgan

We've been working on good citizenship and good manners with Morgan from the very beginning of her life. I would say, overall, she has very good manners. Sometimes, though, I wonder if things I say to her are really sinking in.

Last night I learned that in fact, they are. I had raised my voice to the dog because she was getting on my nerves, wanting to be on my lap and barking like a crazy thing. Morgan heard this exchange and came from her room and told me "Mama, that was not nice. You tell Bay you are sorry!". She stood there looking at me, waiting for me to respond. What could I do? She was right...I hadn't been nice to the dog. I said "I am sorry Bay" and Morgan then instructed "Now give Bailey a hug" and would not leave until I did so!

While I was originally slightly annoyed at being told to apologize to the dog, I remembered that this should be a teaching moment and that Morgan had correctly identified a moment when something was not done nicely and it needed to be rectified. It's embarassing to be called on the carpet by your 2 year old, but it was a two-fold lesson for me. First, she is hearing what I am saying, and second, we all need to be cognizant of our tones with others.

I am glad she was able to remind me of that.

Bringing It Home

So happy to be the first franchise to bring home SIX Lombardi trophies! Way to go Steelers. I think I can finally purchase a Super Bowl t-shirt now...

Quick Halftime Update

Whew what an exciting end to the first half of the Super Bowl for all of the Steeler Nation! :) I've been rather disappointed with the advertisements this year. Hopefully they are saving the best for the second half. It's a small but fun party here...Patrick's long-time friend Pete and his 18 month old Brady Thomas (Pete is a HUGE Patriots fan if you didn't already know) came by. The kids are having a wonderful time playing and Pete and Patrick have been catching up since they don't get to see each other often.


Even though it's just 5 of us, we still had to put out food! Patrick and I decided to fast all day and not count points this evening...Super Bowl calories don't count right?!

The Infamous Smiley Cookies (if you didn't read about these on Morgan's site, be sure to!)

Here's all of us getting ready to cheer on our Steelers!

Celebrating the last play of the first half! WOO HOO!