It's been awhile.....and so much has happened!

The last time I posted, it was April, and we were celebrating Trevor's first birthday. So much has happened since then, and I have had my hands full. After a busy Spring season full of baseball, and chasing a toddler, we ushered in summertime. A most exciting dream of mine came true this Summer, after a Marion School Board of Trustees seat became available, I interviewed with the Board, and was appointed the newest member. I have always wanted to be a Board member, and to play such an active role in the positive changes Marion schools are working towards making! We interviewed for the Superintendent and High School Principal position this summer, so I spent many nights with my fellow Board members, keeping me quite busy!
As Fall approached, we were working hard to get ready for the most wonderful new addition to our family. I found out in the early Spring that we were expecting another baby, due on Thanksgiving. Just before the 4th of July, we learned that we would be having a girl! Our family would be complete, and it would include a daughter! I can't tell you the joy that I felt. A little girl! I love my boys so much, but I knew in my heart we were to have a girl.
On November 13th, at 1:26am, we welcomed our tiny little Elizabeth Marie, weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz. and measuring 19 3/4 in. She was brought into this world without the use of any pain medication, or epidural, and was so bright eyed and alert. She is doing great, and I am having so much fun dressing her up! We call her Lizzie, and her brothers love her so much-not one hint of jealousy! Trev kisses her all the time, and Ty just loves to hold her and lay on the couch cuddling her.
I will try to be a better blogger, but as you can see-life became a little to busy for blogging!
This holiday season, we are feeling so thankful, and our hearts are filled with joy!

Happy 1st Birthday, Trevor!!

I just can't believe how fast the last year has gone by. Trevor James, our 7lb 13.2oz 20 1/4in baby, is now a toddler. He is running around, talking to us, and filling us with joy. Oh, Trev, you have brought your mommy and daddy, and your bubby, so much joy in the last twelve months.
We spent today, just Trevor, daddy, and I, having lunch, and getting pictures taken, and then when bubby got home from school, me made a spaghetti and meatball dinner, and a yummy cake. Trevor enjoyed both, and made quite the mess. Trevor will be having a birthday party Saturday with family and just a few very close friends. We are looking forward to having everyone together to celebrate our sweet boy.
Here is a little bit about who Trevor is:
Trevor is quite the bruiser, and he has no fear. He will eat anything, and he loves to dance. Today was Trev's last day to nurse, and he has been off the bottle in the evening for about two weeks. We have him all switched over to cow's milk, and he is doing well. He adjusts to change very well. He is sleeping a solid twelve hours at night-7pm to 7am, and he is still taking two naps a day, about two hours in the morning, and about an hour in the afternoon. He loves to play ball, dance to the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, although, he doesn't watch tv, just that one song, he is too busy to sit and watch tv, and watch his daddy work outside. He loves his books, especially Peek-A-Who, and Animal Noises. He is very social, and will wave to anyone. He is not ever shy, and is full of smiles. He likes to play Pat-A-Cake, and is starting to point to body parts. He can say mama, dada, bubba, moo, no, uh-oh, ball, hot dog(separate and together), he says ahhhahhh when he is snuggling, yum, and he hums when he dances. He is trying to say many other words, including more, and book, but these are the words he says very clearly. He is still only signing milk, more, and all done, but we have begun to work on change, and eat.
He amazes me every day with all that he is learning, and how fast he is growing and changing. We are so happy that God gave us such a wonderful gift. He has been such a blessing.
Happy Birthday, Trevor Doodle!

It's Been Awhile

I have been a bit busy for the past few weeks. I organized the PTO Spring Carnival on April 16Th, with the help of some very wonderful PTO moms, and it was a great success. We made more money than last year, a great thing considering the current state of the economy. Tyler, and all of the other children seemed to have a good time. My mother-Super Meme, came down and helped, taking Ty around to all of the games and booths, and pushing Trevor along the way. I think she did great, but she just had one glitch-I found her in the parking lot carrying Trevor, and pushing the collapsed stroller, struggling to get it open-poor Meme, things have sure come a long way in 29 years! We really appreciated her help, and Phil said he thinks serving Pizza for two hours is better than pushing the stroller, and keeping an eye on Ty while waiting in long lines full of bouncing kids-Meme said next year she will trade Phil. Ha!

My semester is very near the end, and I will be glad to have it over with. I have really enjoyed my classes, and I will miss my new friends, but it has been a bit hectic here at the end. IUK is a really neat little place, and I am glad to be a part of it.

Tyler has started baseball, and we are all sort of dreading the busy schedule that comes with it. I suppose I should get used to it, as I will be doing it for many more years to come.

Trevor is everywhere now, he is nearly running! He is so active, and he wears us out. He has gone from baby to toddler very quickly, and I can't believe next week is his first birthday. The past year has been so much fun, and we have really enjoyed every minute of it. Watching him grow, it is so interesting to me how different he is from his big brother. They are both very social little people, but Trevor can be a bit ornery, and is constantly getting into things. Ty never did that-you could tell him no, and that was it-until he was about three. Trevor recently figured out how to collapse the walls on his playpen, and remove a screw form his crib, a screw that daddy tightened up just a few days before. Meme calls him Harry, he is quite the magician!

We will be listing our house hopefully next week, and we have found something we love. We are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well. I have been working hard inside, and Phil spent the day working outside. So much work to sell a house!

Lauren and Musa recently came home, and we are all delighted they are back in the States. Musa was a bit shy with Trevor at first-he was not the baby Musa remembered from last summer when they left. We had a play date with them this week, and we are looking forward to spending lots of time together this summer.

I will post some pictures soon, and try to post more often. Soon life will calm down.

An Incredible Friendship

Yellow Creek lake has been my favorite place to spend any summer day for all the years I have been alive. For somewhere around 80 years, my family and another family, sleeping just two doors down, have spent our hot summer days coming and going from each cottage, playing endless games of Marco Polo, singing songs passed down to us from those generations before us, and solving the problems of the world by the campfire roasting marshmallows. When my mother and Laura both discovered that they were pregnant within weeks of one another, they were beyond excited for the next generation to grow up together in the sand. Amanda and I were born around six weeks apart in the spring of 1980, and our mothers and grandmothers shared in the excitement. I looked so forward to seeing the Farber's pull down the drive for the weekend at Yellow Creek. Amanda and I, like our mothers before us, stayed in touch during the colder months, and a friendship grew. This friendship is not like most, it is a hard one to explain. We are family. We are two people who have probably seen about all of each other. When we both headed off to Purdue ten years ago, and discovered that we were assigned rooms across the hall, this bond was sealed. I won't share all of the stories, but trust me, there are a bunch of them. In 2007, Amanda and I both became pregnant. We were due very near our own birthdays. Amazing! We would have our chance to continue the legacy. Meemaw and Grandpa Pete would be so proud. Wyatt was born just around six weeks before Trevor, and Amanda and I shared in every bit of the pregnancy, and motherhood. I seek her opinion. We have cried, and laughed. This weekend we celebrated Wyatt's First Birthday! We had a wonderful time at his lovely party. I can't wait for this summer, to watch these two boys play together, and get to know each other. I know that they will be friends, and Amanda and I will be able to teach them all of the dirty tricks that come with spending the summer at Yellow Creek. God is truly amazing, and I am sure that our mothers will be smiling from the swing as they witness the next generation of such a wonderful friendship. I love you, Amanda! Happy Birthday, Wyatt!

Portmanteau, Chiasmus, Caesura, Anastrophe

My life right now has been revolving around a crazy balance of wife, mother, daughter, sister, student, PTO officer, and friend. I am doing my best to hold it all together, and really it is going quite well. I have an amazingly helpful hands-on husband who has made this new adventure a little easier. Lately, I have been writing speeches, and studying literary terms in the evenings after all is quiet around here. Thankfully, with March Madness upon us, Phil has been quite content to find me studying quietly on the couch. I am catching my usual tv on Sunday nights, but that is about it for me. Amanda Tucker has made us dinner a few nights, and has been a real support. I love the peaceful drives to school, chatting with my best friends(and you know who you are), and gearing up for class. I am not sure how I would have done this without coffee. While I am not anywhere near seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, I will chug on, knowing that I will feel like I have done what is best for me in finishing my degree. What is best for mom is best for everyone, right?! This week I plan to spend my Spring Break catching up around here, visiting my mommy friends at the Breastfeeding Support Group, and just enjoying a book, and it won't be a school book! Spring Break this time around is so much different!

A few more steps!

Trevor has been taking quite a few more steps in the last few days. He is not so keen on stepping from me to Phil, but he likes to step from one piece of furniture to another, or from the doorway across the hall to the bathroom. I caught a quick video of him, and as he improves I will try to get more footage. Friday night John Cruzan, a best friend of Phil's and his little boy Landon came over for a short visit. Landon is 3 1/2 months old and Trev was constantly trying to attack him. I had a tough time getting both babes to look at the camera. Here is the video and a few pics from Landon's visit. Sorry the video needs rotated...I will try to fix it later...Trev is needing to nap.

First Steps!

Trevor has taken his first steps! He will be 10-months-old in six days! I can't believe how fast the last ten months have flown by. He took a little step to my dad this past Sunday, and then today, with daddy home, he stepped from me to his daddy. He only took a few steps, a few different times, but with every day I am sure he will improve! We were all so excited, he was clapping his hands together! Tonight, when Ty is home to video, I will try to catch some footage of him in action!

Sick Of Being Sick

We have been taken over by a nasty stomach bug the past two weeks. Ty was home from school for two days, and I have only left this house two times in seven days. I am still not eating much and trying to pull it together, Phil is finally feeling a bit better, and Trev and Ty are on the mend. I have been about to pull my hair out, though. We have had colds, this nasty stomach bug, and Trev has a new tooth...enough to make any mommy want to scream. I don't have any new pictures to post, we haven't been the most photogenic lately. I will try to capture a pic of that toothy grin in the next few days. He now has a whopping two teeth!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

I do apologize for not blogging sooner....I have been so busy! I started back to school at IUK a few weeks ago, and I have been spending quite a bit of my time just adjusting to my new routine. Tyler finished up a great basketball season with a chance to play halftime at the Marion Giant game last Friday. He is still involved at CSA and is planning to begin guitar lessons in the next few weeks, and possibly a swim class at the YMCA before baseball season starts. Trevor is standing alone all of the time now, he just lets go and stands there, holding his toys. He is a handful, and really likes to pull things off of shelves and cabinets. He is communicating with us more often now, although he really doesn't say 'mama' like I would like-he is saying 'bubba' and 'Dada' and 'hi' and 'bye bye' and he even tried to say 'Ted' the other day-this is the nickname we accidentally gave Ty a few years back.
We have had some snow lately and a few delays and cancellations-these are a big hit around here. Trevor had the chance to play in Ty's room with his dinos and he felt like a king. Ty's room is like uncharted territory-filled with many small and exciting things that Trev is not allowed anywhere near. Ty joined the Tucker's for an afternoon of sledding and tunnel building in the snow this weekend. I am afraid it wore him out, since he woke up this morning sick as a dog and had to stay home from school.
Phil is great, and work is keeping him very busy-he has some leadership changes happening, and some adjusting to do, but as far as business goes, Wal-Mart is still shipping plenty of groceries.
We had a visit from Phil's Aunt Angie from Florida this weekend, and we were able to go out and have a cocktail-we had a great time and it was so good to see her. She is a blast!
Here are a few pics from our night out, Ty's game, and the snow days. Enjoy.

Hope for the Future

Today was such an incredible day in the history of our country. Like most of the world I watched as Barack Obama became the leader of our proud nation. I watched from IUK, among a room full of young and old, and I cried tears of joy for the future that is now possible for my children, the children my sister could be one step closer to having, and the safety of the child that my sister-in-law is raising. This was a scene of great hope, and excitement. I came home and discussed with Phil what WE intend to do to help in seeing this country succeed. As the President said, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Tonight as I rest my head, I pray for the new leader, his family, and the families all over this country who will no doubt be forever changed by these events. God Bless America!

Avoid Free Day At Any Cost

My mother, the boys, and I traveled to Indianapolis today for a trip to The Children's Museum. I have been to the museum on MLK day many many times, as it is always right around Ty's birthday. I am not sure if it has always been free, though I know it has for a few years, and I never remember the crowds being so big, but it was a madhouse. After fighting through the construction to get a parking spot, and finally getting in, we discovered what seemed to be a million people(actually they told us 15,000) were crowded inside. They were using sheriff to direct traffic on the ramps-inside! NUTS! We skipped over quite a bit, and poor Trevor missed out on Playscape due to lines wrapping around the ramps, but Ty enjoyed all that he was able to see-especially the comic book exhibit! I enjoyed Bazbeaux's and a cold Amstel Light following the whole experience. The lesson here: Never attend free day in a bad economy, and if you are going to, make sure you can get to a cold beer quickly after leaving! Let it be said, that it is also wise to take grandma if you intend to brave the crowds....and wait until the last minute to tell her it is free day...and get her to that cold beer as fast as you can drive!

Tyler's Ninth Birthday!

I can't believe that my sweet boy is nine. He has grown so fast, and he is such a good boy. He has the most tender heart, and the brain of a wise old man. His energy is like no other, and his creativity constantly blows my mind. Ty is a joy in our lives, and no one more than his baby brother. Trevor now says bubba when he sees Ty, and they smile every time they make eye contact.
We spent the weekend celebrating Ty's birthday. On Friday, Phil and I took Ty, Layla Tucker, Ty's dearest friend-they are more like siblings, and Elijah, a classmate, to the movie to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and then we met the rest of the Tucker family-Amanda had Trevor, at BW3's for Ty's favorite Hot Wings! Saturday my dad visited, and we went out to eat. Phil took today off, and stayed home to celebrate the big day, and we opened gifts, had a visit from grandma Chelle and grandpa Mike, and later a visit and dinner with Meme and grandpa Bruce. Ty requested nachos and enchiladas! We haven't seen much of Ty today, though. He is only allowed to play video games on school breaks and his birthday-he has been glued to the Wii.

Playing Catch Up!

I am finally playing catch up after the busy holiday season. After finishing the amazing race we call Christmas, recovering from colds, and ringing in the New year, the Morgan family is finally getting back into the swing of things. Ty went back to school last week, which meant he also went back to basketball, and CSA, and I went back to running my taxi service. We spent Christmas eve eve in Somerset for our annual dinner with the Stevens clan, and then Aunt B and Aunt D arrived that evening. Christmas eve was spent at my house with Dad and Kent and then off to Jonesboro for the Fennimore gathering. I really enjoyed another year with my amazing Great-grandmother in her 90's. We then traveled to my in-laws for dinner that was to be attended by all the Morgan's, but, grandpa Morgan broke his hip(he is recovering slowly, but is ok) so we had dinner just grandpa Mike and grandma Chelle, and all of us. We headed home to get everything ready for Santa and then the kids were in bed. We woke up Christmas morning and the big guy had been here and both children were filled with joy. We then headed back to the in-laws for our annual breakfast, and gifts. It was back home for a quick change of clothes and then off to the lake in the afternoon, where we finally relaxed and opened present for what Phil informed me was six hours-my mother has a way of spoiling us! My mother made a great meal,my sis and Debbie were there, my cousins were there, and my grandma, who enjoyed having things taken care of by mom this year. Following Christmas we all ended up with colds, including Trevor, who had in his eight months of life, not yet been sick. Everyone recovered by New Years, and off the kids went to grandpa Mike and grandma Chelle's. Phil and I attended a little pre-party at the home of Nathan King, and his girlfriend Mandy, who was celebrating her birthday that evening. For the first time ever, Phil and I then headed to the PC to ring in the New Year, where we found that many of our friends had the same idea, and we were surrounded by many great friends, old and new. This year, starting Tuesday, I will be heading back to school, at IUK to finish my degree. This new year brings many new challenges, and many new adventures. While I can't believe that my oldest is soon to be nine, and the youngest very nearly walking, I treasure each day, and the many joys this family brings me. I hope you enjoy cathcing up with us. How about that loot those kids ended up with....Ty put together 3000 Lego pieces over break, and Trevor enjoyed an empty box about as much as his new toys. It has taken me the last few weeks to try to stuff all of it into my tiny house. This video is Trevor with his favorite toy...and he has started dancing...he really moves to any music! So cute.