One of the Best Birthday's EVER!!

Today, I celebrated my 29th Birthday. This year, I really had no expectations. It's sad to say, but in previous years, I've had birthday lists and ideas of how a perfect birthday would go... This year, I had none of those things. I had nothing that I "wanted" and really was just looking forward to a wonderful day with my husband. The only request I'd made was for him to spend the day at home with Finnegan and I (and cookies from a wonderful bakery in town). So that is what we did. And Ken made it such a wonderful day.

So, I was planning on explaining the events of the day but it doesn't really matter but your still asking why it was one of the Best Birthday's Ever? My husband made it special for me. Thursday night, he arrived home with flowers and my requested cookies - I didn't want a cake this year, but sugar cookies from a local bakery that have a confectioners sugar glaze on top. YUMMY! Probably one of the best moments of the day was entering my clean kitchen. Many of you Stay at Home Moms know, that some days you just want to avoid the kitchen, because it just won't stay clean. And for me, I just never feel done. When you leave a desk to go home from a job, you can walk away and not deal with the "mess" until the morning. But for those of us who might not leave the house for days, the kitchen is that mess that never goes away. So to have someone else take care of the mess, was such a blessing. Not just a gift, but a blessing. My spirits were lifted and I was happier :) So, the little things is what made my day...

• Cookies, instead of cake.
• Silly gifts from my husband... a kiddie movie, paper dolls and crossword books.
• A leisure shopping trip - no need to purchase anything, but being together was nice.
  
• Seeing that sleeping boy in the back seat, with his cracker on his chest.
• Shamrock Shake
• Subway sandwich
• Flowers from a friend
  
• Movie night on the couch
• Clean kitchen
• All toys put away
• Hearing the laughter of my son as he ran through a hallowed mall

Thanks to all you who called and sent messages wishing me a great birthday. I certianly had a blessed day with my family.

My ears are playing tricks on me!!

As many women can attest, once you have children, your hearing while your sleeping becomes refined, and more accute. Today, during Finnegan's nap, I thought I would lay down too, with a short movie, I was out.... I awoke to the sound of a trash can being pulled along the ground. Today is trash day, and both the trash and recycling trucks had already picked up the loads, so I knew it was ok for the cans to be brought in. I then heard a garage door open. I was pretty out of it, so I thought for sure (over the movie) that it was our garage door (directly below our room) opening and ken was home from work, early. REALLY early. I got really excited because he doesn't come home this early much... maybe only 3 times since he's been with Boeing. So I was pretty excited. Then I waited and waited to hear the garage door close and the back door open. And I didn't hear it. I waited a bit more. Then, I realized that he wasn't home, and that dream was over. Unfortunately, I wasn't really dreaming... It was my neighbor's garage door and trash cans being pulled into the garage. Darn :)

Isn't it funny the things you hear when your half sleeping and half awake and are sure these particular things are happening :) Ken will be home in about 3 hours. Boy, I can't wait!

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A side note - I love it when my husband comes home. I wish he only had to work 6 hours a day instead of 8 or 9. I know that he has to work... but I just love it when he comes home. Finnegan is always so excited to see him and it just fills my heart with joy. Finnegan's always been a daddy's boy, and it doesn't bother me much. It is just so sweet to see!!

Tea Time

I think that I have blogged about Tea Time before, but I'll share again!

Every night at the Morgan house, we experience "Tea Time". It occurs around 8 or 9pm, when Ken gets up from his seat with his computer, and walks towards the kitchen. For several months, he would exclaim "Tea Time!" as he walked through! He puts a mug of water into the microwave for 2 minutes, pulls out a tea bag from the designated canister and may even take a bathroom break. He then returns to his seat and contiues his work for the rest of the evening, allowing the tea to steep and cool and then enjoys it. Sometimes, tea time happens several times a night, other days, just once. But there is rarely a night that tea time doesn't happen! There have been a few nights that it didn't happen until 10p, when he realized that something was missing :)

The other night, Ken went to have his tea time, and he noticed that he was out of tea... Not just the canister was empty, but all the tea was gone!! OH NO!! So the next day, when I was at the grocery store, I picked some up. I normally get the Lipton tea bags in the yellow box. Last time, I purchased two boxes due to a super cheap price. This time, I went an a box was about $4. And the Safeway brand was $2.00. So I decided to pick up the cheaper box. When I brought it home on Sunday, I was putting the groceries away and Ken hollers from the living room "that doesn't look like a yellow box to me!!" Who knew how much he was attached to the yellow box. Then I explained to him the cost, and he was ok. I found it very funny that he was so distraught over the fact that there was no yellow box! Luckily, the tea tastes the same and we can go on having tea time each night :)

Missionary Prayer

When I mentioned our friends Ernesto and Angie earlier this week I had no idea what was happening in their country. Please keep them in your prayers, for their safety and sound mine and an absence of fear. Check out this recent post, for specific prayer needs!

Family Picture book

For Christmas (via Valentine's Day), my sister Beth made a special little book for Finnegan of photos of all of his family so that he can go through and continue to learn who his family is even though they're far away. I think it was a great idea! Finnegan's book is pretty large, seeing that he has several aunt and uncles and 6 cousins. Plus his two sets of grandma's and grandpas and even a set (that are not related) of great grandparents. Finnegan goes through the book at least 3 times a day, and loves to look at the photos. He can already say and identify on his own "Izzie" and "Emma". When he see's the photo of Livi, he copies her and sticks his tongue out. When we get to the page of Greyson, he points to Greyson's paci and says "Paci". He can distinguish between his Mana and Papa (my mom and dad) and Grandma and Grandpa Morgan (Ken's mom and dad). He can even tell the difference between his Great Papa Jack and his Great Grandma Louise. I'm pretty impressed. The photos have also helped him to tell the difference between Tootsie and Oreo. We do continue to work on "Mommy". He does say it more and more but when he sees me in photos, I'm always "Daddy" :) He's getting there!!

Just Chillin --

Hey, Loyal Readers -

Just waiting for the new episode of Lost to begin and thought that I'd stop and say hello!! Here are some things to update you and fill you in on what we've been consumed with the last few days...

• I've really been thinking and praying for our friends, Ernesto and Angie. Ken went to HS with Ernesto and were very good friends. They sold all they had and moved to India in January to be Missionaries full time. What a self-sacrificing life style. In the last 6 weeks, they've both been super sick while adjusting to their new life. They are learning the language and traveling from village to village to meet with new believers and baptizing them. In their first few weeks, they've had some exciting times, but some other scary and unknown times. I would encourage you to check out their website and blog. I would even encourage you to consider giving towards their cause. They don't have a mission group that they're going with... just the church that is sending them. It's crazy... You think of missionaries as being older people, people who have grown children or who have adolescent children. Ernesto and Angie are in their late 20's and are following the call of God. Kind of cool!!
• My friend Megan had a baby 2 weeks ago, and I just came across her new blog post about her new baby... very sweet.
• My friend - well, I suppose she's my friend... I've never really met her, but support her 100%! The family that we got Tootsie (our dog) from in Nashville, are working to adopt their second child... well, the child would be their 5th, but their second adopted child. They are holding their last fundraiser... Here's how you can help!!
• My friend Kelly - lost her husband in Sept. They didn't have any children, but had been married for some time. She works through her grief daily and I often find myself praying for her as she finds her way as a widowed woman!
  

Tresemme Commercial??

Has anyone seen the new Tresemme commercial with the model in the hot pink dress?? The commercial is for product that keeps your hair full of body for hours. We don't normally watch TV in the "full" view, so perhaps part of the commcerial is missing, but at the very end, the women is with a man and he pulls her close to give her a hug or to kiss her (she is in the hot pink dress at this point) and it appears to be that he grabs her boob!! Ok, so is this just me?? Or is this what really happens? I've only seen the commercial a couple of times, and beleive that it is a nation wide commercial, so if you see it, let me know what you think?? Is he grabbing her boob, or her arm??

For those of you who haven't seen it and would like to watch for it, here's some points to know you're seeing the right commercial...

• The main character is a long haired brunette who is a "model".
  
• Her hair is long and has a wave to it
• The commercial is a longer commercial and shows her in a "time lapse" and what happens to her hair with and without the product.
  
• The scene to watch for is at the end!
  

Rebate..

As you might remember, Ken got pretty sick while we were on vacation. He spent a night in the hospital and an evening in the men's room. Well, since returning home, I've found out some great news. Once I was home, something triggered my memory and reminded me that I'd purchased travel insurance when booking our trip. I originally thought, that because we were booking our trip so far in advance, and there were so many adults hinging on the trip (18 people total) that it might be smart to get insurance, just in case the economy really tanked and we HAD to pull out. Luckily, we didn't need it for that use, and I forgot all about it. When I got home, I remembered that we had it and began filing the claims. Along with the claims with the insurance company and also began to write letters to the Walt Disney Company about our experience and the items "lost" due to his sickness and our ordeal. About 2 weeks ago, we got a call from the Walt Disney Travel Company in regards to my letter.

Unfortunately, Disney doesn't own the resturant that Ken got sick at, and so the agent gave me the information to contact them. And then at then end of the call, she told me that as a good will gesture, the Travel Company would be reimbursing us for a list of things that I'd listed in my letter that they could put a value to. This was pretty exciting. Ken and I didn't actually think they would do anything for us. I'd found many letters and unhappy customers online saying that Disney responded to them saying that they can't pin point food poisoning and therefore they're not responsible. I was so excited!! So, this week, we got our reimbursement from the WD company. And now, we wait for our insurance check. All of the charges we sent to them were from our hospital stay and bills, as well as meals that were missed. So we shouldn't have any trouble getting those back.

I'll keep you posted :)

Sleep-talker!

It was made very clear to me when I married my husband that he comes from a family of sleep-talkers. Two of his siblings do this, and his brother even tried to jump out a window once in college. So I'm fully aware that the talking, and sometimes walking is possible. His talking started early in our marriage and it wasn't really anything too crazy... he'd talk about dolphins or other wierd bugs in his sleep. On our recent family vacation, it was fun to compare stories with the siblings spouses. One thing was a common thread... they did it when they'd been working hard at something or concentrating a lot.

So needless to say, the first 7 years of my marriage has been FULL of sleep-talking and now sleep-walking stories, because Ken's been working on TWO Master's programs since we've been married (and conquered many video games).

But, it is getting pretty bad. These sleeping events normally only happen about once every couple of weeks and are fairly minor. Sometimes he's getting out of bed for no reason. Other times, he's searching in the bed for bugs or other vermin. But this week, I've had two visits from the "sleeping husband" and it's really weighing on my nerves. I tend to wake up really easily anyway, and now that I'm a mommy, I do even more. And now that I have a husband who is hovering over me at any point of the night just doesn't settle with me. Two nights ago he picked up the phone and was turing it on and off and then telling me he couldn't tell what time it is. Sometimes these things are harmless, but other times, you just never know what he's gonna do. And the word is that he won't be done with this Master's program until June. So I've told him he can sleep on the couch if he'd like, or take it easy on the work. He works so hard during the day at work, and then comes home and takes no down time. Although I'm glad to intercept the craziness, I'm sure it will give me a heart attack one of these days!!

More Videos

This first video is of Finnegan today. He was talking about the bugs (buggy's) outside with the trees. He even shows his new favorite "airplane" impression. :)





This second video is of Finnegan saying "Beth". He says it about 1/2 way through the video and then nothing more very exciting happens... Just Finnegan being Finnegan :)





Here is another short list of some other words Finnegan is saying...

• mama
• cheese
• sleep
• buggie (as in bug)
• tree
• down (this one is still pretty new)
• rocky rocky - when he's on he rocking horse.
  

Finnegan's New Words.

Here's a short video of a few of Finnegan's new words. He seems to be exploding with words in the past few days. Some of them are short lived, but other times we hear the words over and over again... Here are some of his new words:

• outside
• up
• apple
• bye
• cow
• He "moos" like a cow
• water
• book (bout)
• bite
• bike
• Izzie
• Beth - I have this one on video... I'll post it sometime...

It has been broken!!

The plateau that is!! Last week, after my death defying attempt at a spinning class, I am now down 1.6lbs this week. This is the biggest weight loss I've had in over 6 weeks. I am now only 1lb from my lowest that I was after being sick during Vacation!! Yippee!!

Spinning to Death

This morning, I unintentionally slept through my alarm and missed my mornin workout with Shawnta. She called at 6:15am and I was still in bed, sleeping soundly next to my hubby :) Warm and cozy and then the phone rings! CRAP! My dear friend knows I've been having trouble sleeping and she grants me a pass to go back to bed... But to make up, we'll go to a class at the Gym tonight.

We've been talking about doing some extra classes at night for a couple of weeks and it just hasn't seemed to work out withour husband's schedules and others. So, we just haven't made it. We decided that we wanted to do a spinning class. As I was leaving, Ken asked "what class are you going too?" I said "a Spinning class". "A spinning wheel class?" HAHAH!! No, not a spinning wheel. We weren't going to do crafts, but work out!! :) Silly Husband.

We got to the class, and I've never done one of these calsses before simply out of fear. They always seemed like it might be fun, but I never really wanted to jump in and try. Shawnta's been to the class before, so it was no big deal to her! So we went. We were two of 6 in the class. The teacher helped us get our bikes ready and then the class started. By about 5 mintues in, I was dying! Literally!! When we were 15 minutes in, she began intervals - which was the point of the whole class. We'd push as hard as we could for 20 seconds, and then relax for 10 seconds. We did that 7 times in a set and did 3 sets. Needless to say, half way through the first set, i was really dead. I decided that as long as I kept peddling and keeping my heart rate up, I was doing my body some good. So, at 4 minutes to 6pm, I decided that I'd stop at 6pm. I really couldn't take any more and really didn't want to do it anymore. Shawnta kept checking in on me and making sure that I was doing ok. i'd come in with a headache, and it went away, but it was back now, and every 20 and then 10 seconds, the gal leading the class would yell into her microphone. OH!!! STOP THE YELLING ALREADY!! :) But I returned to my original thought, as long as i wasn't dying and I just kept peddling at the speed I could manage, I was doing ok.

Afterwards, I thought I would faint. And then remembered I hadn't eaten dinner and lunch was more than 4 hours ago. Luckily, Shawnta had some raisins in her purse - oh, the benefits of having kids :)

On the way home, we decided that we probably wouldn't do that class again. Shawnta enjoyed it, but we were reminded how mind over matter it is, and we would enjoy other ways of kicking the pounds rather than putting ourselves through bootcamp, and having our own personal "Jillian". :)

For you Stay At Home Mommies...

Below is a news story that a friend of mine forwarded me from the Roanoke Times (near Blacksburg, where we lived in VA). And coincidentally, the question was submitted by someone from Tacoma, WA. But this is a great article... One that I read to my husband and it definitely helps me feel "validated" on those days I realize I've gotten nothing done!! :)

Q: Best friend has child. Her: exhausted, busy, no time for self, no time for me, etc. Me (no kids): Wow. Sorry. What'd you do today? Her: Park, play group ...

Okay. I've done Internet searches, I've talked to parents. I don't get it. What do stay-at-home moms do all day? Please no lists of library, grocery store, dry cleaners ... I do all those things, too, and I don't do them EVERY DAY. I guess what I'm asking is: What is a typical day and why don't moms have time for a call or e-mail? I work and am away from home nine hours a day (plus a few late work events), I manage to get it all done. I'm feeling like the kid is an excuse to relax and enjoy -- not a bad thing at all -- but if so, why won't my friend tell me the truth? Is this a peeing contest ("my life is so much harder than yours")? What's the deal?

I've got friends with and without kids and all us child-free folks get the same story and have the same questions.

--Tacoma, Wash.

Relax and enjoy. You're funny.

Or, you're lying about having friends with kids.

Or you're taking them at their word that they actually have kids, because you haven't personally been in the same room with them.

Internet searches?

I keep wavering between giving you a straight answer, and giving my forehead some keyboard.

To claim you want to understand, while in the same breath implying that the only logical conclusions are that your mom-friends are either lying or competing with you, is disingenuous indeed.

So, because it's validation you seem to want, the real answer is what you get. In list form.

When you have young kids, your typical day is: constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, clean, dressed; to keeping them out of harm's way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces the kind of checkout-line screaming that gets the checkout line shaking its head.

It's needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15.

It's constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It's constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends, well meaning and otherwise. It's resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone's long-term expense.

It's doing all this while concurrently teaching virtually everything -- language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity. Empathy. Everything.

It's also a choice, yes. And a joy.

But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you got your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn't judge you, complain about you to mutual friends, or marvel how much more productively she uses her time.

Either make a sincere effort to understand, or keep your snit to yourself.

Monkey Boy!!

Here are some photos from the week...

Here is my sweetie after eating a Mint Oreo... He loved it! And had it all over his fingers! You can also see his bruise on his head from his fall last week. This was taken on Friday last week, I think... So this is 2 days post. :)

These are from today. You can see his bruise is almost gone. He probably won't even have a scar, which is nice.


This hat came in the mail from Aunt Kelly!! Isn't it so cute?? It's made by CiteFuzz.

He kept in on for a while, and then decided he was done with it. He was so cute with it on. It is a little snug, but I think that I can stretch it out a bit so he can wear it a bit more this winter and then next winter too :)
On a different but similar note... regarding how cute he is... we saw a friend of ours at Gymboree today named Ryder. Ryder is a month older than Finnegan and is super cute. We took Finn on Saturday to Gymboree for a makeup class and saw Ryder and his dad (Ryder's mom normally brings him). Today, Sharon (Ryder's mom) said that her husband had commented that he saw us on Saturday and how we (Ken and I) should go into the business of making babies, because Finnegan is so cute, he thought we should have plenty more!! You always think that your kids the cutest in the world, but to hear someone else say that you should have more because you make cute kids, is a nice complement, especially when a guy says that! I don't think we'll go into business doing it, but I'm sure we'll at least try a couple more times :)