For Christmas, Ian got Andrew, Eric, Chris, Bob, and himself tickets to see USC vs. Boston College in the 2009 Emerald Bowl game in San Fransisco for the day after Christmas...talk about a prefect gift! Andrew's family are HARD CORE USC fans gathering together each Saturday sporting their gear and cheering for their favorite college team. Even Carson is well equipped with USC jerseys and warm-ups.
Upon their departure I requested at least one picture...Andrew came through with quite a few more than I was expecting, thanks!!
Ian, Chris, Bob, Andrew, and Eric gathering together before heading on the road, their already pumped!
USC's BIGGEST fans!
Check out Ian dancing with the marching band!
The day of the game there was a chance of rain so along with rain jackets they also brought along a tarp for their legs or by the looks of it their rear ends, talk about being prepared! Oh, did I mention that their tickets were for the 2nd row right beding the players-I think these guys were in literally in heaven!
While I am sure that they enjoyed the game, without a doubt the best part for them would have to have been meeting some of the players who stayed after the game.
The boys with Allen Bradford who I think is USC's linebacker.
After the game they hit up a local "dive." After this game I think they might be making plans to go to a few more!
This year was the first year for us to have Christmas morning at our own home...and I must admit that I enjoyed having "our time" before heading to both of our families.
Andrew sporting his new Aviator's...I finally got him glasses he likes-mission accomplished!
What made this year's Christmas the best so far for me was seeing Carson's reaction to everything Christmas. I only took a few pictures because I was too busy capturing his reaction on video...Christmas is magical and surely is meant for kids. I have mentioned previously Carson's love for all things musical so it was no surprise to us that he took right to the guitar and drums we got him;
wasting no time in seranading us with his sweet voice in "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"
At my mom's, as you can see he got a re-gifted Jeep that used to be my brothers, which he loves but desperately needs help steering.
The day after Christmas he woke up asking, "more presents?" Too cute.
We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas and today we couldn't be happier with a handsome boy and baby girl on the way; celebrating our seven year anniversary...we are getting up there! I am grateful for Andrew and in my opinion he is even more dashing than when I first met him. Gotta love him!
For those of you whom I did not send a Christmas card to, here it is with our year in a nut-shell.
December 2009
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family,
Where has this year gone? It seems each years passes us in a swifter pace than the last. We are expecting our second child, a baby girl, yes a GIRL at the end of February. We are excited and greatly anticipate the arrival of our daughter.
After making over a few hurdles, I have completed another semester of nursing school and will be taking a year off to spend time with my expanding family. With my new-found spare time I am looking forward to not having deadlines and again be able to enjoy some pleasure reading and stress-free living. I am currently serving in the Primary as a substitute and with our ever growing ward I am almost always in demand.
Andrew's business is going strong and keeping him busier than ever, something we are particularly grateful for. With the help of his Dad, he has detailed a couple rooms in our home with crown molding and his hard work paid off because it looks great! His current calling is 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency.
Carson is two and a half and is becoming quite the little man. He is a sponge repeating everything we say whether we ant him to or not! He also never fails to impress us with his impersonation skills, this kid is super friendly! He loves to sing and dance to music while pretending to play his own instruments...who knows, we might have a future rocker on our hands! We are fortunate that he loves going to church and when we forget to say his bedtime prayers he kindly reminds us by repeating, "Amen, Amen!" until we get the message. We are so proud of our love-bug and know that he will make a great big brother!
We wish you happiness now and in the coming year!
Love, The Morgans
P.S. For the sake of having everything digitalized, here's our family card. Lindsey does an amazing job amidst chaos and somehow manages to make us all look good!
Showing off his candy cane from one of many Santa's we have come across this Christmas season
We recently went to a Holiday Dance show my sister Sabrina was in
and towards the end during a musical solo Carson and this little boy in front of him went into the isle and started dancing, it was too cute!
Carson is super excited about Christmas this year and we can't wait to see him on Christmas day. I am a bad mom and have not officially taken him to the "real" mall Santa so he has gotten stuck with fake looking Santa's but he doesn't know any better.
In the above picture Carson ran up to Santa and was content to stay he left only with the suggestion from Santa asking "would you like to go see your mommy now?"
Andrew and his brother Eric play basketball in a Roseville City League and for the third year in a row Tough Break are undefeated! This past Thursday they their end of season championship game and it was close 68-71...but they won in the last seconds!
I have never seen guys so proud and happy
Great game Tough Break!
or guys so sullen...I was totally caught taking this picture of their opponents, oops!
It is so much fun to watch them play and we look forward to watching many more victorious seasons!
This was a new recipe that I tried out this year and I liked the "surprise" inside. The only down side to them is that they don't stay fresh long so when you make them, eat them up quick!
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar, plus 1 Tbs
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1⁄2 cups flour, plus 1⁄4 cup
3⁄4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
2 Heath candy bars
1 bag Rolo chewy caramels (I couldn't find bags & bought 5 rolls instead and had the exact amount needed)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugars until fluffy, then add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
2. In a separate bowl, mix 2 1⁄2 cups flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture a little bit at a time and blend well. If the dough feels too sticky, sprinkle in a little extra flour. Cover and chill dough in fridge for about 30 minutes.
3. Chop Heath bars into small pieces. Place in a small bowl and toss with 1 Tbs sugar.
4. Once dough has chilled, wrap a piece around each caramel, forming a 1-inch ball and covering the candy completely. Dip top of the dough ball into the candy topping and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Cookies will look quite soft, but do not overbake. Cool in pan slightly, then move to a rack or the counter to finish cooling. Store in a covered container.
Each year we host a white-elephant gift exchange with an intimate number of friends. It's our holiday treat to ourselves because being as Andrew is self-employed we don't exactly have a company party!
From the beginning group there are only a handful of the "originals" because sadly people have moved and each year we miss those that can't come.
Every year has gotten better, I should say funnier!
Last year, was a crazy year and it was the first year we didn't have our party and I looking back I missed it so without hesitation we decided to resume the tradition!
After my final, in preparation for the party I baked some scrumptious treats and tried a new cookie recipe that has an unexpected surprise inside (I will share Tuesday). Carson was a awesome helper rolling peanut butter kisses in sugar for me and opening most of the kisses himself! He had a lazy day with dad in the morning while I was test taking hence the scraggly hair and pj's...don't we all love days like that?
I put together the ornament favors and this year I was boring, no theme sorry....that I forgot to give my guests as they were leaving...oops! I guess I was having to much fun to remember!
After everything was ready to go, as always I anxiously awaited the arrival of our friends, some couldn't come at last minute and they were missed but we didn't let that stop us, let the games begin!
Have you ever wondered how do astronauts relieve themselves while in space? Well, Britt is holding the solution...inappropriately because she thought it looked like a horn! Catherine REALLY wanted the present she opened but sadly did not get it, I promised it for her birthday so I really hope they still have them!
We had a great time and hope our friends did to. Merry Christmas and to all a good night!
So we have (practically) finished the baby room. I think it looks great but I am still not loving the color...it's a bit much but I am not repainting as much as I would like to (if someone is feeling ambitious let me know). We'll call this lessons learned: just because you like the picture in the catalog:
doesn't mean you should copy it, stick to what you think. I would have done that we would have a mellower ballet slipper light pink up instead of some shade of cotton candy....I think it's the lighting because it is the exact same color as the picture above, weird.
I also don't think it doesn't look quite so bright in person but maybe that's me trying to make myself feel better. Oh, well. Everything else I think turned out just as I had imagined!
Andrew painted the crib white, thanks honey!
I craigs-listed a new arm chair, sewed curtains, bought bedding,
and my personal favorite, this chandelier that my Dad came over and put up for us and even added a dimmer which will come in handy late at night when you want light but not very much.
The only thing left to do is hang a couple pictures which I still to get white frames for, make a pillow for the arm chair and add her name to the walls.
Now if this baby isn't a girl, we're in BIG trouble
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Most of you know that I like to think I am crafty but this blog put's me to shame and gives me great ideas! If you want to be inspired, check it out at All Things Thrifty...this is my fav!
While this is not exciting blogging, it is rare news...it snowed last night! The last time it snowed in Sacramento I was a kid and it never made it to cover the grass. This morning, there is a light blanket of snow on the grass and rocks and Carson was pretty happy when he woke up and looked outside excitedly saying, "it snowed!"
This is my all time favorite cake, it is my go to dessert! It can be garnished with fruit in the summer, served with ice cream, or enjoyed all by itself!
If you love chocolate, you will become infatuated with this cake...it is seriously tasty!
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix 1 cup sour cream 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup water 4 eggs 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 6 tablespoons butter 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour (really well) a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, milk, oil, water and eggs. Beat for 4 minutes, then mix in 2 cups chocolate chips.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To make the glaze: Melt the butter and 1 cup chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave oven. Stir until smooth and drizzle over cake.
Costco is one of my favorite places-except for the fact that I always seem to spend a fortune there even when I stick to my list. Even after spending a ton, I love Costco because they have a great selection of food and non-essential products and their return policy is amazing! A couple of weeks ago I was vacuuming and mid-vacuum the vacuum stopped sucking-that sucked(pun intended)! I was upset because I hadn't vacuumed in awhile so it was already overdue and with a broken vacuum I wasn't going be to able to finish what I had started. Anyways, I knew that we had had this particular vacuum for almost 6 years but before calling the manufacturer I called Costco in order for them to give me the exact purchase date and receipt number and the lady on the phone told me to bring it in and return it. What?! They were letting me return a well used, broken, 6 year old vacuum, it was too good to be true! I was super excited...I got a new vacuum and didn't even have to pay for it! That made my day.
With the baby on her way we (mainly me) would really like it for Carson to be potty trained. All of his friends are and I like to think that he is just a bright as they. We have had the Elmo potty for some time now and Eric and Robin bought him a potty training DVD for his birthday that he enjoys watching...let me tell you it is very educational teaching every possible replacement word for "poop" and "pee."
Now I know he knows "the sensation" as they call it because he tells us when he is going to the bathroom and if he goes poop he will come get us and guide us to his room so that we can change him asap so he get his play on.
A few weeks ago we went and bout some big-boy underwear. He got to pick and chose a variety of his favorites; he has Wall-e, Thomas, Cars, Mickey, and Buzz but they have all gotten peed on.
He will sit on the chair for what seems like hours while I try to distract him from getting up by reading, singing songs, playing with toys, and finally bribing with candy. After one particularly long sit I set the timer for 20 minutes at which point he was to try again. Two minutes before the timer went off, right after I asked him if he had to go mind you, he peed his pants. The same day, we drove a short distance to Mimi's to drop something off and promptly after arriving attempted to sit on her toilet...he wasn't having it and I discovered yellow socks and few minutes later...yellow socks people, super gross!
Since that day when he went through too many underwear to count I gave up. Now I know patience is not my strength but it didn't seem like he was interested. When he is asked now if he wants to sit on the potty, he adamantly says, "NO!" and he seems quite content (and might I mention adorable) to do his thing in his diaper.
I may have given up for now but we will conquer this...I hope!
I got this recipe from Kristin, made a few of my own changes (not that it needed it) and man was it good! It is a perfect meal for cool fall days, even Carson loved it! For our small family, this recipe went a long way=leftovers which is nice but next time I would definitely invite another family to share it with us!
Creamy PotatoSoup
3 C water 2 C chicken broth 8 medium potatoes (peeled and diced into bite sized pieces) 4 large carrots (peeled and diced into bite sized pieces) 1 crown of broccoli (finely chopped) 1 Tbsp fresh minced garlic salt and pepper 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese 1 C whipping cream 4 Tbsp flour 4 Tbsp milk bacon bits
Boil water, chicken broth, potatoes, garlic and carrots in a large saucepan, until potatoes are tender. Mix flour and milk together and add to potatoes to thicken. Turn down heat; add cheese, cream, broccoli and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with real bacon bits and extra cheese
So this is me at 25 ish weeks-I think. I am feeling great, besides being forgetful and getting big! I can feel her move around constantly now and I am pretty sure that she has given me my first stretch mark right above my belly button-bummer! I feel like time is going by much faster than with Carson which is good and bad because I kind of feel like this baby isn't getting as much attention as the first and she isn't even born yet! I had my first "craving" last week, I just had to have a Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger and criss cut fries, it was delicious and so not good for you but I haven't had one of those since at least high school.
The fact that we are having a girl is finally sinking in and I am super excited! I sewed the curtain panels this week and went and bought the paint for her room today. I am a little hesitant on the color but I was indecisive for weeks so I figured that I would just go for it! We'll see how it turns out. We also should receive all of the bedroom stuff Monday and I can't wait to see it all together.
Our only dilemma now is choosing a name. In the Morgan family there has only been one girl in 49 years and she is 17 so I feel like I have to choose a "perfect" name, not that anyone really cares but who knows if we will have another girl so I want it to be good. There are a few names that we are debating between; Caitlin, Madison, and Taylor.
I like Caitlin because it is not super popular but still a solid name, plus she could shorten it if she wanted without it being too nick-namy. Madison has been my absolute favorite name since I was in 7th grade and the only thing stopping me from using it is it's popularity and the fact that I don't love the nickname Madi which without a doubt what her friends would call her. Regarding Madison, Andrew approves and says that I shouldn't let it's popularity be the deciding factor, "if you love it we should use it"...seriously tempted. Lastly, Andrew's favorite name is Taylor and he has said that, "if her name is Taylor she will be cute, if not there's no guarantee!" I think it is super cute for a girl but I am not in love with the name.
I would like to now what you think, but anonymously so VOTE. You have until Thanksgiving and please only vote once!
Thinking back to my life last semester I am amazed first that it was so crazy and second that I survived. This semester has been great! I mean it is still school but the stress level has been almost nothing and I am glad that I stuck with nursing because for awhile I had had too much stress and I was worn out, defeated with my confidence shaken. I am grateful that I have a new teacher and that I get to prove that I don't have a "learning disability." I have only a few weeks of class left and then I am off...for a year! Part of wishes the timing would have worked out like I had originally planned because I would really like just to be finished with school but I am grateful that we are having another baby and I really can't wait to meet her! I loving my new-found school freedom; the feeling of being able to breath and that school isn't dominating all of my time. Unlike last semester I don't have to feel guilty for spending time with Carson, doing projects, cleaning, etc. It has been so nice.
On a side note, aren't these boys cute!! They are the best of friends and apparantly their name isn't all they have in common...now if only Carson would potty train as easily as his friend (more on that to come).
Andrew gave the lesson in EQ at the beginning of the month and in his preparation we reviewed the lesson together and I thought it was a great topic.
He gave it on a talk by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf titled, The Love of God.
I had started this post that day but had abaoned it until I was reading the conferance edition of the Ensign this morning and came to his talk so I decided to finish what I started.
Preparing for this lesson got us thinking, does our life reflect what we truly believe?
A memorable quote by Ghandi was:
My life is my message"...
Andrew started his lesson with some random tombstone inscriptions that we thought were pretty funny.
Here lies a man names Zeke, second fastest draw in Cripple Creel
-Gunfighter, Silver City, Nevada
Here lies the body of Jonathon Blake.
Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.
--Jonathon Blake, Uniontown, Pennyslvania
Everybody love somebody sometime.
-Dean Martin
Here lies the body of our Ana,
gone teh death by a banana
It wasn't the fault of the fruit that laide her low, but the skin of the thing that made her go.
--Anna Hopewell, Enosburg Falls, Vermont.
"That's all folks."
-- Mel Blanc
Food for Thought:
What will we be known for when our time has past?
Below are parts of the talk and lesson that Andrew gave that I especially loved.When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align.
Why should we Love God?
...the greatest of all good things is God. Our Father in Heaven has given us, His children, much more than any mortal mind can comprehend...He offers his children the promise of a glorious and infinite existence and has provided a way for us to progress in knowledge until we receive a fullness of joy. He has promised us all that He has. I love that, He has promised us all that He has.
How Can We Increase Our Love of God? We increase our love of our Heavenly Father and demonstrate that love by aligning our thoughts and actions with God's word. His pure love directs and encourages us to become more pure and holy. It inspires us to walk in righteousness-not out of fear or obligation but out of earnest desire to become even more like Him because we love Him. By doing so, we can become "born again...and cleansed by blood, even the blood of the Only Begotten; that we might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.
My dear brothers and sisters, don't get discourage if you stuble at times. Don't feel downcast or despair if you don't feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times.
The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try.
We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.
Why Is Love the Great Commandment?
The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with God’s commandments into blessed dedication and consecration.
Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple’s path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder.
Love is the measure of our faith, the inspiration for our obedience, and the true altitude of our discipleship.
Love is the way of the disciple.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2-3)
In this world where people doubt God and rationalize the things that they do I think it is important to remember The Love of God and to always be taking baby steps to perfection because what we love determines what we seek.
What we seek determines what we think and do. And what we think and do determines who we are-and who we will become.
Last night our ward had our soupfest/trunk-or-treat and this is the first year that we have gone because for some reason or another we had always been out of town when our ward held it. Carson was super excited to sport his monkey costume and couldn't wait to get candy.
My SUPER-man...he really is! Andrew and I were feeling festive so we too dressed up! He was Superman/Clark Kent revealed and I went as a witch. I have to admit it was pretty fun to dress up.
Carson had so much fun at the trunk-or-treat that this morning he woke up at 6am running to our room requesting, "candy, more candy!" Lucky me.
I'm not sure where he learned this funny face but it is a favorite of his lately. He usually sticks his tongue out when he does it making it in my opinion even funnier!
Carson got a surprise visit last night from Uncle Ian dressed as Elmo, Carson went crazy!
Carson is so into Halloween this year and he can't wait for tonight! My question is, what do I do with all of his candy? He got quite a bit of candy last night and is sure to score again tonight...help!
Ian, Chris, Bob, Andrew, and Eric
USC's BIGGEST fans!
The day of the game there was a chance of rain so along with rain jackets they also brought along a tarp for their legs or by the looks of it their rear ends, talk about being prepared! Oh, did I mention that their tickets were for the 2nd row right beding the players-I think these guys were in literally in heaven!
After the game they hit up a local "dive." After this game I think they might be making plans to go to a few more!
