Friday, May 30, 2008

Busy Busy Day!




Today was such a busy friend filled day! I should have taken more pictures. I met my friends at the gym this morning for our step class. I actually only made it half way through the class becasue of my toe! Owie! I think that I broke it last night. I'd post a picture. But... ewe! So, Zoey came over to play with Morgan after the gym while her mom went to a nail appointment. Then, Leah came over in the afternoon to play with Morgan while her mom also went in for a pedicure. Caroline stopped by and we took Morgan to the park. He LOVES the slide.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

A Tribute to Pauline

There is a saying that there are people in your life for a reason and others in your life for a season. Margaret Pauline Glenn was in my life for both. She was my teacher while in boarding school during high school. I attended Gateways for exactly 1 year, 5 months and 11 days. It's a long-time-running joke with the other girls now. But, Pauline had a huge reason for being a part of my life during that season.

She was my teacher. But, she was so much more. She was also a friend. One of my fondest memories was our weekly drive into town for my allergy shots. Yes, you read that correctly. I was able to have Pauline to myself for a whole hour. And, she always took me to Dairy Queen for ice cream on the way home. Pauline often sacrificed for us. I know that she didn't make much money. She lived in a tiny trailer and drove an old car. Yet, she sacrificed often for us. We never missed that weekly Dairy Queen trip. She loved to sing and loved to constantly have music playing for all the girls while we worked on our school work. She would always get so excited, jumping up and down, as she sang the songs that had hand movements. She had a great love for us girls. Many times I know that it must have been God giving her a parent's love because we were teenagers!

Her lessons and love have stuck with me through life even though I am now double the age of when we first met. I have so many lost memories throughout my life. But, my memories with Pauline are so vivid.

Darci, Holly, my mom and myself drove to Longview last Friday to visit Pauline. She has battled cancer for the past 10 years and a fall last week broke three of her ribs.

I just received word that Margaret Pauline Glenn passed away this morning. Pauline, I know that you are jumping around in Heaven singning the Lord's Army song and the Vine & the Branches song. And, even though I'm typing through tears... I am happy for you and the end to your long journey.

Pauline, you are and have always been loved. We will miss you. We love you dearly.

Love,

The Gateways Girls

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Morgan's Words

I was inspired by Becky's list http://zoeyemma.blogspot.com/2008/05/15-months-old.html to write down Morgan's words. Morgan sure is lucky to have such a smart little girlfriend! Morgan better be prepared to listen a lot. Ha! As we all know, girls talk more than boys.

Morgan likes to say:
Att-ohh (not ut-oh) when he drops something
Daddy
Dada
Mama
Doggie
Diaper
bye bye
hi
More - this was a new one last night
ba - for ball or baloon
and ohhhhh! Whenever he likes something.

5-20-08 - I'm updating! It seems that I've forgotten some!
that - or mostly "dat!"
cat
boon - that's a balloon. He is OBSESSED with balloons!
GG - that's his grandmother

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Teeth Brushing

How cute is this! Morgan is brushing his 4 teeth and 1/4 of two other teeth. He loves to walk around the house with his toothbrush and brush his teeth BY HIMSELF. He's getting to that point to where I will try to hold his hand when he walks and he will jerk it away. He wants to do it all on his own... big boy!


Zoo Day!

Last week we went to the Dallas Zoo with about 10 other babies (and their moms). Look closely at this turtle. Is he/she dead? His head is totally buried under the mud. I stood there for a long time and he didn't move once... ewwwe! Look, Morgan even looks worried.
I would have pictures to post of Morgan on the pony ride. But, he totally freaked out. So, they took him off the pony after a few steps. Becky has the whole thing on video.



Ravoli on the Mind




On 3-29-08 Morgan fed himself for the first time. Well, at least that's the closest thing I can call it. For some reason he thinks that all of his food is a hat and it must go on his head.


He's also learned to hi-five. The video actually shows it as a low-five!









Sarah's 1st B-day Party


Morgan, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, is quite the ladies man. This is one of his little girlfriends, Sarah, at her 1st birthday party on 4-30-08. Her grandmother bought an amazing pink house for her backyard.
We "drove" Morgan's car to her house since we are only a few blocks away. Sarah's Mom Kimberly gave away a really great monogramed gift bag with a crown, septor and other goodies. Here's our little prince.

Miss Kyleigh, another one of Mr. Morgan's girlfriends.
Sarah is diggin into the birthday cake.


Little Miss Nat Nat started walking the same day as Mr. Morgan on May 1st!

Miss Leah, another girlfriend!

Morgan is a walking Man!



Morgan is a walking man now! He visiting his daddy at the office earlier that day. We went by the bank first and they gave Morgan his first lolipop ever. It was actually his first piece of candy ever as well. That must have given him the strength that he needed. It was almost like he just saved up all this walking for when his dad came home. These videos were taken a few minutes after Dan walked through the door at hom. And, since I always have my camera on me. These are Morgan's ACTUAL FIRST STEPS! It happened on May 1st, 2008 at about 6pm. Morgan is 1 week shy of 14 months old here. Dan has also taught him to head bang and do the "Stevie Wonder" with his head. You can see the "Stevie Wonder" in one of the videos.







Out with the Girls

I got together with some of the Gateway girls back in February. Here are some of the pics.











Kiss the Baby!

This was when his top two teeth were just starting to come in.

It was always my dream to have a leaning floor mirror in my dining room. This makes sense for anyone that knows me. I love decorating, design and architecture. So, when I bought this house five years ago, I immediatly started the search for the perfect mirror. We have a giant 6' x 9' mirror leaning up against a wall in the dining room. It used to be spotless. Nowdays it is covered in drool and baby fingerprints. I actually remember getting irritated a few years back when one of my friends brought her kiddo over and didn't bother to wipe off all the fingerprints left behind. Ahhhh... how naive I was!

Morgan loves to look at his "twin" in the mirror and give him a big wet open mouthed kiss. Here's a cute video taken back on 2-7-08 when he was only 11 months old.

Morgan Scared of Tickle Me Elmo

So, today I am without child! Yea! My mom is watching Mr. Morgan overnight so that I can get some stuff done. Finally! I am in desperate need to update the blog. So, my next eight postings will cover some past events over the last month.



Here's an example of special and unique Morgan is. Most kids are out there clammoring to get their hands on a Tickle Me Elmo. Not Mr. Morgan! Watch the video and you'll see what I mean. This is from 4-2-08.





Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I was feeling guilty today about not updating Morgan's blog. He started walking May 1st! I have video and pictures to prove it... more to come later. I was also feeling guilty about my unfinished projects and a cluttered "hot spot" (refer to fly lady if you don't understand).

I was comforted and reminded by an awesome essay by one of the greatest. This was written by ERMA BOMBECK from her book "Motherhood--The Second Oldest Profession".

In honor of Mother's Day (two days ago), I am reminding all that being a PERFECT mother is not the point. Take

The Perfect Mother “ by Erma Bombeck
Everyone said Sharon was a terrific mother. Her neighbors said it.
Sharon painted the inside of her garbage cans with enamel, grew her own vegetables, cut her own grass every week, made winter coats for the entire family from remnants, donated blood and baked Barbara Mandrell a doll cake for her birthday. Her mother said it.
Sharon drove her to the doctor’s when she had an appointment, color-coordinated the children’s clothes and put them in labeled drawers, laundered aluminum foil and used it again, planned family reunions, wrote her Congressman, cut everyone’s hair and knew her health insurance policy number by heart. Her children’s teacher said it.
She helped her children every night with their homework, delivered her son’s paper route when it rained, packed nutritious lunches with little raised faces on the sandwiches, was homeroom mother, belonged to five car pools and once blew up 234 balloons by herself for the seventh grade cotillion. Her husband said it.
Sharon washed the car when it rained, saved antifreeze from year to year, paid all the bills, arranged their social schedule, sprayed the garden for bugs, moved the hose during the summer, put the children on their backs at night to make sure they didn’t sleep on their faces, and once found a twelve-dollar error on a tax return filed by H & R Block. Her best friend said it.
Sharon build a bed out of scraps left over from the patio, crocheted a Santa Claus to cover the extra roll of toilet paper at Christmastime, washed fruit before her children ate it, learned to play the harpsichord, kept a Boston fern alive for a whole year, and when the group ate lunch out, Sharon always figured out who owed what. Her minister said it.
Sharon found time to read all the dirty books and campaign against them. She played guitar at evening services. She corresponded with a poor family in Guatemala…in SPANISH. She put together a cookbook to raise funds for a new coffee maker for the church. She collected door to door for all the health organizations. Sharon was one of those women blessed with a knack for being organized. She planned a “theme party” for the dog’s birthday, made her children elaborate Halloween costumes out of old grocery bags and her knots came out just right on the shoelaces when they broke. She put a basketball hoop over the clothes hanger as an incentive for good habits, started seedlings in a toilet paper spindle, and insulated their house with empty egg cartons, which everyone else threw away. Sharon kept a schedule that would have brought any other women to her knees. Need twenty-five women to chaperone a party? Give the list to Sharon. Need a mother to convert the school library to the Dewey Decimal System? Call Sharon. Need someone to organize a block party, garage sale or a school festival? Get Sharon. Sharon was a SUPER MOM!
Her gynecologist said it. Her butcher said it. Her tennis partner said it. Her children…
Her children never said it. They spent a lot of time with Rick’s mother, who was always home with them and who ate cookies out of a box and played poker with them.