Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of the Tenney friends and family! We want you to know that we cherish each of you and hope that today you know how much we love you!!!

You Know It's Cold When....

You know it's cold outside when....

1. School is being canceled due to sub-zero wind chills. But you still have to go to work, even when the temperature when you leave the house is -7 degrees. Oh yes, it was that cold.
2. Your dog will actually allow you to put her coat on to go outside (yes, we put a coat on our dog...she's little and has very short hair!).
3. You go to open the screen door and your slightly moist finger sticks to the latch.
4. It takes you 10 minutes to get dressed for work but 20 minutes to take off your coat, hat, earmuffs, mittens, sweater, and fleece lined boots once you get to work. (OK so it really doesn't take me that long, but you get my point.)
5. Your daughter does not scream objections to all the blankets you have packed in her carseat to keep her warm.
6. Same daughter allows you to put mittens on, even after yesterday's protest.
7. Your newspaper (which is inside a plastic bag) is frozen to the driveway in the morning.
8. And my all time favorite....you KNOW it's cold outside when every breath in through your nose causes ice crystals to form in your nostrils!

I think old Phil got it wrong on Friday. I think his shadow said "Are you nuts?!?! It's WAYYY too cold to go outside today!" Of course, after a very mild December we should have known it wouldn't last long. So here's to warm slippers, a cozy blanket, and good cup of hot tea!

No More Excuses

Patrick and I finally made our "big" purchase for January....we got a new cross-trainer! We had decided that instead of wasting money on a gym membership that neither of us was using that we should put the money to better use and purchase a piece of workout equipment for the house. I figure I can find 30 minutes in my day to work out at home rather than trying to find 2 hours to drive to the gym, workout, shower, and get back to work during the day. We are trying to work out while the other person is bathing Morgan so it's not time away from her. But last night I put her in her Jumperoo and we "worked out" together! Now that the machine has been successfully put together, I guess we have no more excuses for not working out!

Putting on the final touches (please excuse the total mess in our room!)

The Happy Work-Out Queen

All About the Tenneys

In the spirit of a little fun and a lot of wasting time at work when I really should be working, I created this quiz about the Tenney Family. Have fun, waste a little time of your work day, and perhaps learn something you didn't know about life in small town USA!

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=070116124753-686053&

A New Profession??

On Sunday I gave my first haircut. My guinea pig was in desperate need of a new 'do and I stepped up to the challenge. Actually, I was a nervous wreck, but Patrick assured me that everything would be OK and if I screwed it up too much he could just shave it off (OH NO!!). There was no blood when I was finished and Patrick still has both ears. I don't think I did too bad for my first try...what do you think?

Life Goals in 2007

It's a new year...time to re-evaluate where you are and where you want to be. Instead of making New Year's Resolutions, as I have done in the past, I have decided to set life goals that I will work on starting this month. I hope that these life goals will be more successful than my past resolutions, which usually are over by February! So, here they are, in no particular order:

1) Have a more positive attitude about work. It's been so hard for me to transition back to work since Morgan came along. Although I want to be a stay at home mom, it's just not something that we can do right now. I want to focus on being positive about working because I can't change my situation. Focusing on how much I don't want to be working has been harmful, so it's time to see the good in working and continue to pray that one day I will be able to stay home with Morgan.

2) Eat healthier and mostly at home. As you probably know, Patrick and I love to eat out. Neither of us enjoy cooking and I am not the best cook. My food is edible, but not spectacular. Along the typical "lose weight" resolution, I want to focus my family on healthier eating. I feel it's important for us to instill good eating habits in Morgan and we can't do that if we aren't being a good example. Also, eating at home will save us money and will allow us more time as a family. And in the end, I am sure that we will both drop a few pounds.

3) Take 20-30 minutes every day to do something for myself. As a mom, wife, and professional in the workforce, I hardly have any time that is not accounted for during the day. If there is spare time during the day, I almost always focus on doing things for others. While that is a great trait, I think my mental health will be better if I focus a little bit on centering myself and doing things that I enjoy...even simple things like taking a bath or reading. I always feel better if I get a few minutes of down time. This can also include exercise, which I am looking forward to getting back in to.

4) Be diligent about going to church and deepening my faith. With all that has been going on in my life over the past year, I admit that I haven't been going to church as much as I need to. I know that I always feel better when I do attend church. I want to focus on my relationship with God so that I may show my daughter how wonderful it is to have a relationship with God.

I have also set some goals for my relationship with Morgan and her growth. Here are our goals:

1) Start teaching American Sign Language in January. Many professionals advocate for parents to teach their children ASL because it allows kids to communicate before they can form the words that they want to say. Also, because Patrick and I both work with the disability community, I feel it is important for Morgan to have some basic knowledge of ASL so she may be able to communicate with all people.

2) Get a set nighttime routine and stick to it. We have been pretty good about doing a routine with Morgan so that she knows when we are transitioning to different events through the day. Over the holidays we got away from that and Morgan was a lot more cranky. We have set a nighttime routine of arriving home from the sitter, playing until about 6:30, dinner, bath, play time, nurse, read a story, bed. It has been working well for the past 4 days, so I want that to continue.

3) Focus on teaching manners. I think it's really important to teach Morgan how to have good manners. There are too many children and young adults today that do not know the meaning of the words kindness, respect, share, and others. When I grew up, every adult was Mr. or Mrs., it was yes sir and no ma'am, and adults were never argued with. She also needs to learn to use words to resolve problems and that she won't always get what she wants. Because I don't know if she will have a sibling, I don't want to have the spoiled stereotypical only child.

It's hard to set too many other goals at this point because of where she is developmentally. I am sure that when she turns one I will do an update on goals we will have for her. But for now, that's what the Tenney girls are focusing on for 2007.

Happy 2007!!

The Tenney family really hasn't fallen off the face of the Earth....just into vacation bliss for a couple weeks! We rounded out 2006 in Florida with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law, came home on the 29th, spent Morgan's 6 month birthday in Pittsburgh with mom's family, and saw Nannie and Big Pop on New Year's Eve. We rang in the new year watching Dick Clark as a family (Bailey included) in our bed. It wasn't exciting by most people's standards, but it was the best New Year's Eve I have had in 27 years.

New Year's Day found the Tenney family up until about 1 AM with a fussy 6 month old. After we all got in bed and got some sleep, we got dressed and went over to Aunt Becky and Uncle Rodney's house to watch the Gator Bowl. Our Mighty Mountaineers pulled out another upset over Georgia Tech to start another new year with a win (they beat Georgia last year in the Sugar Bowl...ironically by the same score, 38-35).

Instead of reviewing everything that has gone on in the past few weeks, I have posted some pictures in a post below with some comments. Check out Morgan's website for a longer narrative on what we did the past few weeks. Of course...it may take me a while to get that all up on her site!

We want to wish everyone a prosperous 2007. May God be with you all.

Christmas Celebrations, Vacation, and More!

We're on our way to Florida!

First Airplane Ride

Christmas Eve

Morgan's First Christmas

Morgan and Mama at Bonita Bay

Daddy golfing at Tyndall AFB

Morgan is 1/2 year old!

Christmas at the Susallas

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Patrick's 28th Birthday. Morgan decided the celebration needed to start early....and I mean REALLY early. She kept her Daddy up until 3:30 this morning! She woke back up at 7:00 to sing to Daddy and help him open his presents (Morgan gave her daddy the hat he is wearing in the pictures). Tonight we are taking Patrick out to eat. I wanted to take him to the Olive Garden for lunch today, but alas my plans were thwarted by work plans that came up. Oh well....guess I'll have to put off lunch for another day.

Singing Happy Birthday to Daddy

Helping Daddy open his presents

Happy Birthday babe....Morgan and I love you very much.

It's Beginning To Look A Little Like Christmas

It's been really hard for me to get in the Christmas spirit this year. I finally managed to get in the attic and get out a few decorations for the house. Since we are going to Florida this year for Christmas, Patrick and I decided not to go "all out" with the decorating since no one will be there to appreciate them. But I did put out a few things, including our very tiny, not so grand Christmas tree that really is my office tree. Artie Jr, the Christmas Stick, who plays the normal role of Tenney Christmas Tree is still packed away in the attic. It's sad, but it's as festive as I can get this year.

Even so, we do have a few presents under the tree, and the rest are packed in Santa's sack to go to Nana and Big Pop's this weekend. Santa will be making a second stop in Florida on Christmas Eve with the rest of the gifts.

We have been enjoying our friends' Christmas decorations, however, and Morgan really seems to enjoy Christmas lights. She has already received a few Christmas gifts, and she really loves tearing the paper! Of course, all she really wants to do is eat the paper, but we pretend that she is trying to get the gift inside!

Santa's Baby

Ever since I read my friend Catherine's post on Christmas music and her distain for the song "Santa Baby" (you know the one...where the woman sings breathily to Santa about what she wants, like a '54 convertible, light blue), I haven't been able to get it out of my head! (Thanks a bunch Catherine!) And since I don't know all of the words, I can hear that woman singing just the few snippets of verses that I do know. So since I am doomed to sing that song for the rest of the year (unless, of course, I hear "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"), here are some pictures from Morgan's 5 month photo shoot that I thought turned out adorable.

We are debating about whether or not to have Morgan's picture taken with Santa this year. I hate to deprive her of such an experience, but I am having issues of putting my precious baby on Santa's lap after a million other kids have drooled, snotted, and done goodness knows what while telling Santa their deepest desires for Christmas. I guess if the line isn't long and Santa looks clean, we'll do it!

Morgan is 5 months old

My little girl is 5 months old today. Today I read 25 things that change when you have a baby, and thought it would be appropriate to reflect on these things given today's milestone.

Happy 5 month-a-versary Morgan! We love you so much.

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms.
2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
4. You respect your body ... finally.
5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.
6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.
7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.
8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.
9. Your heart breaks much more easily.
10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
11. Every day is a surprise.
12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
14. You become a morning person.
15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.
16. You discover how much there is to say about one tooth.
17. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.
18. You now know where the sun comes from.
19. You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have.
20. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.
21. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.
22. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.
23. You give parents with a screaming child an 'I-know-the-feeling' look instead of a 'Can't-they-shut-him-up?' one.
24. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.
25. You realize that you can love a complete stranger.

Thanksgiving Memories

Here are a few memories from Morgan's first Thanksgiving. You can view all the pictures from that week on Morgan's website.

It's my very first Thanksgiving!

Can't wait to eat

Oh look! It's a turkey.

Birds of a feather

With Uncle Jeff at the Teagarden Merry Thanksgiving Celebration

The Price of Christmas

Every year PNC figures out just how much it would cost to "purchase" the 12 days of Christmas. I am always amazed at the final tally. This year, your drummers drumming, milking maids, swans, rings, french hens, partridge and pear tree would cost $18,920! That comes out to $1,576.67 a day. Apparently low unemployment and ornamental fruit trees have caused a 3.1% inflation in the price of Christmas.

While the price of Tenney Christmas is certainly smaller than the 12 Days, I always seem to be surprised at how much I spent over the holiday season on January 1st. As all of you know, I like to shop (I can hear my husband groaning in the background). And not for myself....I like to shop for other people. Christmas is my favorite time of year (for far more important reasons than shopping, but that's for another post) as it allows me to give gifts to people I would like to give to all year long but can't. And although most of my Christmas shopping has been done for weeks, this year I find myself in a crazy predicament where I don't have everyone's gift yet. I can blame it on the fact that I was hugely pregnant for over 2 months, then home with a newborn for 2 months, then back to the craziness of work for 3 months...but none of that is really the reason. I have had a hard time shopping this year. My heart is in the giving mood, but I just can't seem to find anything that truly fits what I am looking for. This is a first for me. I am hoping with the festivities and decorations that have sprung up all over Morgantown I might just get into the mood and get out and get the rest of my gifts. I hate waiting until after Thanksgiving, because as much as I love to shop, I LOATHE Christmas crowds (ask me sometime about the reason I don't go shopping on Black Friday). Anyway...here's to happy hunting, Christmas bargains, and a pigeon in a dandilion, which would certainly be cheaper than a partridge in a pear tree!

Can you find the turkey?

Patrick taking the turkey to the peanut oil jacuzzi

How many men does it take to fry a turkey?

It's finally ready!

Giving Thanks Today

As the Tenney family gathered today, I spent a lot of time thinking about how blessed we have been this past year. Patrick and I have so much to be thankful for, especially for our precious daughter. We successfully made it through our first pregnancy with no complications. We have been able to spend time with both sets of our parents and siblings. We welcomed our first niece. We attended weddings of friends and found out that others were expecting. We both continue to be employed. As I look into my daughter's beautiful eyes, I want to tell her how much she has brought to our family. She reminds us every day that life is precious. She is sunshine where there is darkness and brings joy to us with the slightest smile. While at times life has seemed too much to bear, today I want to remember those who have less and need more. My prayers are for them today. We wish you all a wonderful, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving. We hope you have as much to be thankful for as we do.

A (Secret) Family Affair

Family Moment

Cousins

Over the weekend we made a TOP SECRET trip to my in-laws' house for a Thanksgiving spruce up before the big day. Charlie and Janet are flying to Alabama from Idaho today and will be driving home from Alabama tomorrow. With a house full of guests planned for Thursday, Janet has been stressed out about having to prepare for Thanksgiving in one day. We met my sister-in-law and her family as well as Great-Grandma June and Great-Grandpa Ralph at the house to spend some time together and decorate for Thanksgiving. We had an awesome time together. The two Thankgiving Turkeys pictured above had a wonderful time visiting together and got lots of love and attention from their Great-Grandparents. We had a great time trying to get a picture of the girls together. When one would look at the camera, the other would look away. Morgan refused to sit up straight, and Julia kept wanting to fall forward. It was all very comical, and really should we have expected more from an almost 2 and 5 month old? Morgan and I will be traveling back to Exchange on Tuesday evening for the rest of the week and Daddy will join us on Thursday. We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and gets lots of good food!

Welcome Home Nannie and Big Pop!

Happy Birthday Mutti!

Happy Birthday To You!
Happy Birthday To YOU!
Happy Birthday, dear Mutti....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUU!

Ouch!

This week the Tenney girls have both felt the sting and subsequent pain from getting a shot. I went on Tuesday to get my flu shot and yesterday Morgan had to get her 4 month battery of shots. It always amazes me that my arm hurts more the NEXT day....Morgan, however, seems to be a much better sport than Mama and hasn't complained about her legs today at all. They are still a little red and I am sure they are sore, but she's a trooper! We both stayed home yesterday for a snuggle-fest to help our aching limbs.

Udderly Adorable