For your eye's only....

Do you remember writing that on your notes to your friends?  You know...the one's that you had to fold all cool...and then you'd give it to them in the hall between classes?  *sigh*  I must be going back to my awkward pre-teen years subconsciously...  My braces were put on this morning.  Here are some pics:

Before....

After (Can you see them????)

 There they are!!!!

Yes...they are only on the top and yes, they are not as bad as when I was in middle school.  I paid the extra money to get the clear brackets (the colored dots were to designate which tooth each bracket went on and should fade in time, but now I'm paranoid about anything I eat because they can stain the clear elastic bands...  Well...correction...I'm going to be paranoid about what I eat because right now, all I've managed to eat is some mashed potatoes from KFC.  I've forgotten what it's like to have your teeth sore like this.  And...another observation...I need to get my teeth whitened after these bad boys come off (in 6-8 months)...yeesh!

Don't pretend...you know you're jealous of my sexiness right now...  :)

Onto other news.  Chris is in Houston with his sister and dad.  His dad is scheduled for open heart surgery (his second) tomorrow.  It is a 10 hour surgery and prayers are always appreciated.  I know they have several bypasses that they plan to do and something with an aneurysm.  I don't pretend to understand all of it, I just pray that the Lord guides the surgeons' hands!  The survival rate is 90%...which is fairly high...and I just don't think about what the other 10% means.  Pray for his dad and the feelings he must be going through leading up to the surgery and for his recovery after the surgery.  Pray for the family there to feel His presence and to remain calm during the long 10 hours.  They don't plan to wake Johnnie up until Wednesday morning.  He will be on a respirator (I think that's what it is) until Thursday night, so unfortunately, Chris won't be able to talk with his dad prior to flying back to Phoenix, but his dad should be awake before he leaves town.  I wish I could be there with them, but I also know that Morgan would not do so well at a hospital for 10 hours during the surgery and it would be a bit much right after the surgery.  We'll have to plan a trip to Shreveport to visit Johnnie after he recovers.  Preferably before Morgie turns two...so we don't have to pay for that third plane ticket!  :)  Since we can't be there, Morgie has sent along a get well card to her Papaw:

She worked very hard on this card!



I hope everyone is doing well out there!  About to go take some more Advil and drink a shake for dinner!  

Access at work? Holla! :-)

On a whim, I thought I'd try blogger again to see if access was still restricted at work, lo and behold, the webpage loaded up with no nasty messages about denied access!  Yay!

Let's see...the last blog talked about Morgie taking her first steps...where are we today?

Morgie is a running machine!  She is SO tiny though.  She still has not hit 20 lbs yet (although the pediatrician gave his blessing to turn her car seat around at her 12 month appointment...come to think of it...I think she weighed the same at her 18 month appointment that she did at her 12 month appointment).  I don't know if that should worry me at all, but the pediatrician didn't seem too bothered by it.  She just seems so tiny to be running around and trying to climb on things.  Chris was traveling and I was home alone with Morgan when it got really quiet in the house...I went to her playroom and she was standing on top of her little tikes picnic table...yes...the table...  Silly girl!

We flew to Nebraska for the Christmas holiday.  A nice time with family but again we did not take one picture (what horrible parents are we?).  I got the flu and food poisoning while in Nebraska and gave it to everyone in my parents house and Chris's mother (the flu...obviously can't give people food poisoning).  Most of our trip was spent in bed trying to recover...and if you had already recovered...you were taking care of Morgan.  We were sad that this trip wasn't what we planned it to be, but we were EXTREMELY happy to go home and be sick in our own bed!

The new year came and went.  I turned 28.  28?!?!?!  Holy cow!  It's the first time I've really said it or wrote it down (or in this case typed it).  Chris turned 28...  We are just getting old.  I told him I thought it was really strange that when kids in high school see us at the mall, we're no longer the young, slightly older than them adults...we are straight up adults now...real grown ups.  What can you do but go with the flow?

It's been such a busy time.  It was madness at work trying to coordinate the transfer process for employees at our location to the sister call center down the road...and guess who gets to manage all of the information?  This gal!  It's a good thing I enjoy spreadsheets and color-coding.  They officially announced our call center will close in August/September 2011...let's see how everything works out.  I have hope and am optimistic that there may be something for me with the new company.  If not, the Lord knows what He's doing..and His plans are better than mine!

Chris's dad suffered a minor stroke in November.  Chris was able to go visit him while he was recovering, and now he's preparing for open heart surgery.  Chris's dad has to travel to Houston (from Louisiana) for the high-risk operation.  Chris's sister, Teresa, will be traveling with him and was able to take a month's leave from work to help care for their dad during his recovery.  The pre-op testing begins 2/14 with an unknown date for the surgery (most likely 2/17 or 2/18).  Chris will be flying to Houston during the recovery time (2/21-2/24)...he unfortunately can't make the actual surgery since he is in a prep course for his FE exam Thursday through Sunday (2/17-2/20)  He would normally make the decision to miss those classes, but the class was paid for by work, and it's a 100% attendance policy.  :-( 

Other than that, everything is peachy!  Chris's younger sister (Meagan) and her husband (Matt) will be visiting us in April during their spring break.  My brother (John) and his wife (Melissa) are visiting us for the 4th of July holiday and we've rented a cabin in Greer, AZ again.  Excited about these visits!

Now...to leave the post and start working again, here are some pics!

Seriously...leave the camera alone with Chris...and this is what happens!  Morgie's face says it all!

I'm such a "big" little girl!

A rocking horse for Christmas!

So many presents!

A recent visit to the park!

 I love the slide...(as long as someone's holding me!)

  

 Morgie's first car!  She loves it...she would eat every meal in that car if she could!

We were at a friend's house for the Superbowl and their 3 year old has this Power Wheels Fire Truck.  We were all watching the game when we heard the truck...Morgie had hopped right in and started driving away...she couldn't steer...but still...pretty impressive.

Also at the Superbowl party, we did Cupcake Wars.  I am SO not domestic, but I made lemon cupcakes and homemade frosting and deocrated these little bad boys.  Not too shabby for my first time, huh?  Makes me think I can actually make a birthday cake for Morgie this year.  These are our fishy cupcakes!

Our football cupcakes

And that's where we are!  Have a great day all!

First Steps!

Morgan took her first steps on Thursday, November 11th....at daycare...  I always wondered how I would feel about Morgan achieving such a big milestone at daycare vs. at home.  I really wasn't upset by it - and that surprised me!  I just figured that Chris and I would see Morgie walking for the first time together...and we did that weekend!  She's still only taking 3-4 steps at a time, and it's very sporadic.  We will take what we can get.  At this point, we know it's a "will" issue...not a "skill" issue.

So this whole situation got me thinking...  I feel guilty about NOT feeling guilty that I work outside of the home.  Is that crazy?  I have a lot of SAHM friends, so I know that they are VERY passionate about being there to experience their children's firsts...  I like seeing her firsts...but it's not a deal-breaker for me.  So then I start wondering if I'm a bad mom for not feeling that way...  I think I'm fine until I start comparing myself to SAHMs.  But then, once I talk to mommies at work, we're all very similar in how we feel.  Anywho...rambling cut short...I am not cut out to be a SAHM.  I am a better mommy when I go to work...and that is perfectly fine!  Just a few of my jumbled thoughts!

Top Ten Tuesday - Cleaning Supplies

Let's be honest - I don't clean nearly as often as I should.  But when I do clean, I always like a gadget or two in the process.  Here are my Top Ten Cleaning Supplies:

 1.  Oreck Upright Vacuum - We used to own a Dyson, and while I loved the suction, I hated how HEAVY it was (around 20 some lbs).  The upright is 8 lbs making vacuuming the stairs much easier.

  2.  Oreck Hand-held Vacuum - The hand-held is awesome at vacuuming corners, edges, couches, and has a great bare floor attachment.  I wasn't sure I was going to like having two separate vacuums (upright & hand-held), but I have come to appreciate them!

3.  Pledge Spray and Dust - Squirt, squirt, wipe, wipe, and done!  I love not having to carry around an extra rag and a spray can.

 4.  Spot Shot Carpet Cleaner - Ahem...not  that we have any issues with pet stains on the floor, but rhetorically speaking, this stuff is like magic on anything the pets have left on the floor.

5.  Cascade Actionpacs Dishwasher Detergent - It sounds really lazy, but it's so nice to pop a pac into the dishwasher and not try to pour powder into the right compartment.  Plus, sometimes with powder, our dishwasher wouldn't dissolve all of it (and it's a new dishwasher) and a hard clump of powder would be left.  We've never had dissolving issues with these and they work really well!

 

6.  Kaboom Bathroom Cleaner - Yeah...I know it's from an infomercial, and every time I see it, I hear the same voice in my head, BUT it does work really well.  And anything that keeps me from scrubbing a shower too hard is a keeper in my book!

7.  Lysol Kitchen Cleaner - We use this stuff like it's going out of style in our kitchen.  It cleans everything and smells pretty good.  Plus antibacterial and fairly cheap...rock on!

8.  Dobie Sponge - In the rare instance we have something not dishwasher safe, this little sponge rocks.  It cleans hard messes and doesn't scratch!

 9.  Lysol Wipes - I use these a lot for everyday wiping down in the bathroom.  I have a pack under almost every sink in the bathrooms, and I try to make it a point to wipe down the vanities before going to bed.  It keeps the bathroom manageable.

 10.  Rubbermaid's Reveal Spray Mop- this is a fairly new tool in the house.  We used to have a Swiffer Wet Jet.  Here are some of the reason's why I love this 30x better than the swiffer: I love being able to make my own floor cleaning solution.  I'm able to purchase a regular floor cleaner and dilute it in the provided container...better yet, I can easily just make a Vinegar/Water mixture that is safe for Morgan and the pets.  This saves SO much money because the Swiffer cleaning product was pretty expensive, and there have been issues with the toxicity of the Swiffer solutions.  I love that the mop head is washable (up to 100x), and because it's cloth, it cleans much more effectively than the Swiffer paper cleaning pads.  I love that it's a regular trigger spray (not-battery operated).  The batteries were constantly dying in the Swiffer, so again, it's just another money saver.  Two thumbs up!

And I think that's as domestic as a post can ever get!  Happy Top Ten Tuesday, everyone!

One Year Pics

Just because I have some extra time with Chris on the road, here's some of our favorites from Morgie's one year pics:

Where have I been for 6 months?

Ok, ok.  I think it can safely be said that I am not a faithful blogger.  I blame it on my work computer not giving me access to this site.  Since I spend 40+ hours on the computer at work every week, I'm normally a little too computered-out to post any blogs after making dinner and giving Morgan a bath.  Plus...our computer was upstairs in an extra bedroom that sometimes serves as our gym or guest bedroom, and I really just didn't like that room...it was hot, ugly, and for a while it smelled like cat urine.  Yep.  Sounds silly (and gross), but it's still true.  HOWEVER - lucky blogger readers, we've recently moved the computer downstairs into our living room with the new office furniture we recently purchased, and I think it's going to be MUCH easier (and more pleasant) for me to update!  Yay!  By the way - if any of you know a full proof way to get the smell of cat urine out of the carpet, we'd be much obliged.  At least it's in a secluded room...

I'm not even going to try to go back the past 6 months.  Let's start with a fresh slate on where we are now!

• Chris is driving from Phoenix to Shreveport, LA today.  His father had a mini-stroke late Thursday night.  Praise the Lord there doesn't seem to be too much damage.  He has lost some peripheral vision out of his left eye, but it remains to be seen if this is permanent damage or if this will return after the clot has been reduced.  Teresa (his sister) and her husband, Zac, are also en route from Nebraska to Shreveport.  Morgie and I are going to hold down the fort at home.  We felt like having a baby in the small house with Chris's dad coming home from the hospital would be too much added stress on him.  Let's face it...Morgie is not always an easy going baby!  Pray for safe travels and a full recovery.
• My company is still going through the transition process with Verizon.  If I haven't explained it before, my portion of the company is supporting customers who could not transition to Verizon and are transitioning to several buyers.  Hopefully, after that transition is complete, we'll be able to transition to Verizon.  Since there hasn't been much hiring by our company during this time (duh), I've been able to help Verizon's retail recruiting teams, so I've been getting to know everyone over there.  It's been a really good experience.  I hope in the end, I'll get to work with them permanently.  The rest of my time at my company is spent on working on HR Consultant level projects, and I've really enjoyed that experience as well.  We're all just trying to roll with the changes!
• Morgie is a feisty little toddler.  Is it accurate to call a child a toddler even if they are not walking?  Yes...Morgie is 15 months old and not yet walking.  She will cruise with the best of them along the edge of a couch (which she started doing at 13 months), but she has yet to take a step away from holding something.  She can stand up on her own without grabbing anything...and she has started crawling with her feet (instead of her knees).  It's pretty funny looking and we're thinking that maybe walking is next???  Eh...it's like you want them to hit that milestone, but at the same time, I'm fine with her not moving onto that next main phase!  And little she is!  She is in the 5th %tile for her age group.  We went to the doctor last week (she was running a high fever with the flu), and she had only gained 6 oz from her 1 year appointment.  Tiny, tiny girl.  I purchased all of her winter clothing ahead of time in size 12-18 months...and they are all too big.  I never would have thought we'd be going to Nebraska in December and she would still be in 12 month clothing....

Alas...that is an update on the three of us.  I vow to get more faithful with blogging.  I know it will serve as a good reminder to us where we were in 2010.  Time goes to too quickly...  Speaking of time going quickly, I hear Morgie singing in her room.  She must be done napping!  I'll leave you with some recent photos!

Family Photo at Schnepff Farms

Mommy and Morgie at the Petting Zoo

Daddy and Morgie

Watch out Katie!

Walking with my walker - making progress

Go Big Red!

Just cruising along!

Daddy looking ferocious...I think Morgie's face says it all!