It's March...say what?!

Time is inevitably flying by so fast I can barely stand it. In a little over 2 months my 'baby' will be turning 1 and we will be kicking off our summer by going on our first family vacation. Halle-freakin-lujah because we need it! The last time I took off work for vacation was for me and Daniel's honeymoon in May 2007! So I'm very much looking forward to beach, sand, and fun in the sun! :)

We are planning a Flower/Busy Bee theme for Lily's first birthday party. Lots of spring colors and Miss Priss will be decked out in a black/yellow tutu, customized 'It's my Bee Day' shirt and a black antenna headband. She's going to be so cute!! I can't believe I'm even talking about her first birthday party...it's unreal! She lives up to her costume because girlfriend is in to everything!! She can stand by herself for a minute or so by herself and cruises all along our furniture...she's a mess! Whereas our baby boy sat back and observed the room when he was a babe, she wants to be right in the middle of what is going on. It drives Hammy boy C-R-A-Z-Y that she can now get to his toys and mess up his lined up trains and puzzle pieces...it's kinda funny actually and I don't immediately stop her because I love seeing them interact and it's helpful for Hunter to learn how to share more. My girl was a teething mess a week ago...poor thing. Tooth #7 and #8 were on their way through and have barely poked themself out of her gums, but she is a much happier girl now thank goodness! I hate to see my babe in pain! She eats most Stage 2 purees and loves her some cheerios. She recently tried super chopped up chicken, banana's, and strawberries and loved them too! Ohhh and some other exciting news, her hair is growing in so fast and it's so soft and pretty! I can find enough hair to clip a bow in to and it just makes her look so grown up. Pearly white teeth + enough hair to clip a bow in = Miss-I'm-too-big-sassa-frass! She rocks it though...love my girl! We also switched her from an infant carrier seat to a big girl convertible seat...it just solidifies how big my girl is getting. Unreal!
Onto my toddler...oh my little boy! A HUGE milestone occured in the past month...we moved him to a big boy bed. *sigh* !! On January 30th, he decided during one of his naps that he was done with his crib and climbed right out. He's never been much of a climber *knock on wood* so the 30th was the first time he had made it out. It scared me half to death because I was working out on the treadmill and he opened our bedroom door and was screaming bloody murder. After checking his body out for bruises or anything broken, I cuddled him and we cried for a minute together and then I asked him if anything hurt and he said 'head, elbow ouchie' Wahhhh!! I wish I could have been there to catch him when he decided it was a good idea to jump out of his crib...makes me sad! So off we went to buy him a toddler bed with a Lightning McQueen comforter set and can I just say...he amazed me with his transistion! He's done FANTASTIC with it...only downside that I have come across so far is that almost every morning at 6:40 on the dot I hear "Mommmmmmmmmy, Mommmmmmy, Mommmmmmmy, I'm done!". Daniel and I told him to call us in the morning when he is ready to get out of bed and *knock on wood* he hasn't gotten out of bed yet, instead at the crack of dawn we hear our names being called. I'm hoping the spring forward time change coming up with help him to get up an hour later...that would be nice! We have started to go to a couple playdates with some kids that are the same age as Hunter and Lily and it's so nice to interact with other mommy's and their kiddies! We went to a playpark last Monday and there was a big sand pit that Hunter loved playing in. He eyed this blue shovel that another little girl was playing with and was hovering over her while I watched closely to make sure he didn't try and grab it out of her hands. After he figured out that she wasn't going to put it down anytime soon, he went and grabbed a yellow shovel and went back up to her and my sweet boy says to the little girl 'Trade?' and they traded shovels and he said 'Thank you'. Ahhhhh talk about melting a momma's heart!!! He's always been such sweet, caring boy, but I really hope that trait sticks with him as he grows up. This morning when I put him in his carseat the garbage truck was driving by and he said 'What's that momma?' just like we were having a normal everyday conversation. (SO cool!!!) How did I get so freakin lucky?! Not that he doesn't push my buttons with his tantrums and whininess but boy does he steal my heart! We are registering him for pre-school this month and it just doesn't seem real. In 6 months, I'll be kissing him goodbye for him to start school...I'm pretty sure this is going to be harder on me. (As my eyes tear up just thinking about it) Please oh Please do not let anyone pick on my boy or bully him and Please oh Please don't let him get sick too many times. It's so nervewracking I swear! Where's the pause button?!

Daniel just started up night shift until May 2nd...boooo! There are a few positive's out of the deal though. I can fall asleep at night with the entire bed to myself and with the house completely quiet. I joke Daniel because he could fall asleep (and stay asleep) even if it were a warzone whereas I need complete silence and darkness. Ahhh peace! At the end of this night shift, the month of May will be starting and we have so much exciting stuff going on that hopefully keeping my eye on the prize will help get me through the next 2 months. Night shift is always more stressful for me because I start to feel like a single momma since I don't see Daniel or when I do he's tired because our schedules are different. Thank God these shifts only last 2 months!

Welp...6:40 comes quick so I must hit the hay! Night all!! XOXO

Hi, do you remember me?

So it's been 2 months since I've updated my blog and that is SO unlike me, but the days literally fly by me and I'm lucky if I get a shower or brush my teeth. Needless to say my blog has taken a backseat to running my household, but I'm here tonight to catch everybody up! :)

First up, we celebrated Hunter turning 2 by throwing a Wonder Pets birthday party on December 12th and he loved it! Well mostly eating some cake and getting a whole bunch of new toys, but mom's favorite part was watching a DVD of about 200+ pictures of Hunter that my grandpa made! It was beautiful and I've watched it several times since the party...most of the time I cry...sometimes I cry out of happiness and joy and other times I cry because of how sad I am that he's no longer nestled in the crook of my arm. I have always said that each growing stage is more fun then the last and I'm still a strong believer in that. The two's ARE so much fun (we only a month in so it could change haha!) and EVERYDAY he puts a smile on my face and makes me literally laugh out loud with some of the things his brain thinks to say or do. He is my sweetheart and is truly a momma's boy which I won't complain about because I secretly LOVE it. :) He now weighs 30 pounds and is 3 feet tall...my big, healthy boy! <3

Next came Christmas which, while it was a crazy whirlwind of a day, making memories as a family is one of my favorite things to do. Between Lily trying to eat every piece of wrapping paper in sight and Hunter wanting to open every toy THE second he saw what it was it was such a fun morning! We then went over to my brother and sister in law's house to have Christmas with their family and my mom, stepdad, and 2 step brothers. We had yummy mamosa's and breakfast casserole and soon after we opened up our gifts...Christmas is so much fun with kids! I love seeing the kids happy faces when they open up new gifts. Fun, Fun!! Finally we went over to my in-laws house and got to take a little breather while the kids took naps. Daniel got a kindle which he loves and reads off of everyday (and is very cool gadget I think!) and I got a year membership to the zoo so we can start taking the kids in the Spring. I'm so excited! My favorite thing in the whole wide world is to be out of the house doing things as a family...it makes my heart do a little extra pitter patter. It's such an amazing moment to see the father of your kids push the stroller down the neighborhood street during a family walk pretending he is the commander of the "rocket ship" while your son is the pilot or to see him kiss the chubby neck of your daughter while she giggles uncontrollably or to sway her back and forth singing made up lullibies to soothe her to sleep in her low lit nursery. Ok see and that whole sappy paragraph started off of me thinking about taking my kids to the zoo this Spring. lol All of that meant to say was that I can't wait to continue making the new memories with my family. :)

We just celebrated our baby girl turning 8 months old! Where has the time gone?! She is standing for a few seconds and cruising along our ottoman while picking up every toy in sight and putting it in her mouth to taste test it. She is currently eating puree's like a champ and slowly starting to try some small finger foods. She is growing like a weed and is such a beautiful babe. I knew having a little girl was going to be amazing, but I could have NEVER dreamed of what she adds to my life. My girl's smile lights up the room and she is no longer just gummy gums. She has 6! teeth and uses her chompers to mash up her food and nom nom on Sophie the giraffe. We go to the doctor's on February 14th for her 9 month appointment to see how much she has grown..I can't wait. PLUS it's a no shot appointment! WOOT WOOT! LOVES HER!! Oh oh oh AND can I just say how excited I am for her Spring/Summer wardrobe. My friend gave me her little girl's clothes to borrow, but all the 9-12 month clothes are for Winter SO I'm going to go out and buy little miss a new Spring/Summer wardrobe..SO EXCITED! I'm a sale bargain shopper though so it won't break our bank too bad! ;)

Speaking of Spring/Summer, we have TONS of good stuff coming up. Lily will be turning 1 in May <---- Can you believe that?!?! and she is getting her 1 year pictures taken May 1st, then she'll turn 1 on May 12th (and Daniel and I will celebrate 4 years of marriage on that day), then May 15th is her birthday party, May 22-29 we are taking our first family vacation down to Hatteras Island. We rented a gorgeous beach house with my in-laws and I can't wait! It has an in ground heated pool so we should be able to take full advantage of that instead of lugging the kids (and all their stuff) to the beach everyday plus Hunter LOVED the beach this past summer so I'm hoping he'll love it even more this year. Then in July, we are going to meet some what to expect momma's for a fun filled weekend at Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. I can't wait...it's been almost 2 years since I've seen them so I can't wait to get together again! Lastly, in September we are working on putting together an adult's only few days away with my brother and sister-in-law and some friends at a beach cottage, but those details are still forming. :) Which that reminds me...we are currently looking into putting Hunter into a 2x a week pre-school starting the first week of September. I'm not sure how I feel about it honestly...I *know* in my heart by September (he'll be 2.5 years old) he'll be ready for some more frequent peer child interaction and some semi-structured learning, but as his mom while I'm excited, I'm nervous too. Like way nervous and part of me feels like he won't be ready by then. (I feel like that's more of "momma bear" talking aka *I* won't be ready) I kinda love the idea of having 2 mornings alone for 1 on 1 time with my baby girl. The preschool would be Tue/Thu 8:55-11:55 and I honestly think it will be good for him. Daniel thinks it'll be good for him and I'm sure he'll love making new friends, it's just hard to know when to let go a little bit. =\ You know I'm crazy when I have to prepare myself starting in January for something that won't even happen til September. lol

One reason I have been a little slacker with the blog is I have been working my butt off working out and eating better. I do not have a scale, but my jeans are loose and I feel stronger, healthier, and all around happier in life. It's a beautiful feeling. :) Daniel is on day shift until March so that means we get once a month date nights and I love having him home with me at night. LOVE LOVE LOVE! :) Daniel just celebrated his 25th birthday with a homemade birthday cake and card/new video game (surprise! lol). Birthdays are so much more fun as a little kid I have come to figure out as I've gotten older. Either way I'm glad we got to celebrate as a family! :)

I won't be adding pictures to this blog post because my dummy self somehow downloaded a virus while running Norton Anti-virus the other night (Explain that one to me!) so Daniel had to restore our computer to factory settings and so all of our pictures were moved to a removable hard drive and I'm way too lazy to move them all back to the computer right now. Next post, I'll make up for it though!

Hopefully the New Year is treating you and your family well so far!! XOXO

Happy Turkey Month!!

November has treated us well so far! We took our family pictures...aren't we pretty?! Lily turned 6 months old and dove into her half birthday cake with both hands and I'm surviving the days and nights of Daniel being on night shift. Thank you Lord! I just realized that we are almost 1 month in to night shift so only 2 more long weekends (which are the WORST!) to go and I'll have my hubby back.

Hunter is turning into a little boy and leaving his baby-ness by the waste side. *sigh* Man, when people told me time flies after kids, they weren't lying! I remember SO vividly the 1st moment I laid eyes on him as the doctor brought him around the sheet. Who knew that second of my life would change my whole outlook and my priorities so sweetly swift. I remember in an earlier blog about a year ago referring to him as my little man sidekick and thinking that it would change once Lily came along, but looking back on it, it hasn't changed...just transformed a bit. He has turned into a "slight" momma's boy and I'm SO fine with that...actually what mom wouldn't be?! He looks to me to kiss his boo boo's and doesn't mind when I get a little over zealous with my hugs and kisses. I love every single thing about him....I was being a creeper the other night while we were snuggled in bed reading one last book before bed because I could just not stop staring at him while he pointed at a ladybug and said "adybah". It's so crazy to think that me and Daniel made him and he came out p-e-r-f-e-c-t. It's truely a miracle. Good thing he didn't realize (or maybe he did and just wanted to let me be) that I was being a creeper...poor thing doesn't even get to read in peace. In just a little over a month, we will be celebrating him turning 2! I.can.not.believe.it! He is obsessed with a show on Nick Jr. called Wonder Pets so thats what we (and he) picked as the theme.
He was so excited when we got the decorations in the mail the other day...over the moon. He's also recently developed an obsession for Thomas the Tank Engine or just any train in general. The boy also loves trucks, cars, tractors, and any form of airplane/jet. Typical boy. :)

"Dadadadadadada" This is Lily's latest sound coming out of her TWO teefie gums. She is SO fun...sometimes high maintenance (but what daughter of mine wouldn't be?! ;))...but so very fun nonetheless! I only half kid about being high maintenence because sometimes she has to be entertained the whole time she is awake. If you aren't paying attention to her or waving a fun toy in front of her she isn't happy, but the second you pick her up and talk to her she is all smiles...coincidence?! No ma'am...that's ok...if *I* were a baby (and knew it) I would be driving my parents crazy. Now that I think about it, maybe I did the same thing when I was a baby. haha! :) We celebrated her sweet self turning 6 months old and it was so much fun. For her bubby, we had baked a 1/2 birthday cake so we had to do the same thing for our little girl. These 6 months have FLOWN by...it's unreal honestly. She's making all sorts of sounds, sitting up unassisted, scooting all around our living room and just today pushed herself up on her hands and knees, but I'll just say for now that I imagined that part. *double sigh* I have to say I love this stage...it's just the beginning of my favorite memories with Hunter and I can only imagine her going through them. So exciting! :)

Christmas (CHRISTMAS!!) is coming up fast....and I can't wait! Two little ones running (or scooting) around has family memories written all over it! We are going to pick up our (real) Christmas tree the first weekend in December and I'm excited to decorate the tree with my 2 muchkins and hubs. Christmas music, hot chocolate, and sparkly ornaments gleaming off the tree lights...perfection! I've already shopped for the kids so now their presents just have to be wrapped...ahhhh I can't imagine Hunter's face on Christmas morning!! :)

One last little tidbit for this month. My little fireman did EXCELLENT during trick or treating, but HATED the pumpkin we carved. He'll love this picture when he is grown! :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!! XOXO

Pumpkins, Cereal, and Justin Bieber Oh My!!

October is half way over and whoo wee this month is flying by! We took the kids to the pumpkin patch today and they had so much fun...well except when we tried to put them on the hay. Ms. Lily screamed bloody murder...she was way too good for the hay. Hunter sat on it for a minute, but then the minute the prickles touched his fingertips...no sir, he wanted OFF! I have a feeling all of my pictures of the 2 of them together are going to be of one of them screaming...I just can't win with them at this age so I will just have to be happy with what I get. Atleast they will sit still for a minute so I can snap a picture! So off we went to search for our 3 perfect pumpkins. We chose 2 smaller ones for the kids and 1 large one to carve for Halloween. I love baby pumpkins. There's something so cute about the minature dimples and ripples and the petite stem.

They loved the hay.

The Morrison household is so excited for Halloween!! I've slowly been putting together their costumes and I'm so excited to see them both dressed up together. We are taking Hunter out to trick or treat this year and Lily will be following along in the stroller. It will be interesting to see how Hunter interacts with our neighbors. If I had to make a prediction, I would say that Hunter will be clinging to one of our legs and will not say a word much less trick or treat. That's ok...that's when I'll smile and have him hold out his pumpkin bucket so that mom can have candy to eat later on! I'm excited. :)

Lily girl has passed another milestone in the past few weeks. She's just growing up WAY to fast for me...I can see now why people just keep having more kids once their "baby" gets older. The difference with me is that I'm glad other people enjoy 3+ kids, but I'm certain I would go mad. Back to Lily's milestone...she's eating CEREAL!! woot woot! My big girl. She gets most of it in her mouth, well realistically it's about a 1/2 a spoonful each time...everything else gets pushed out by her tounge. Silly girl. I told her that in about 2 weeks she'll get to taste a variety of veggies so maybe she'll like those better. :) I'm not a fan of the texture of her cereal, oatmeal or grits. The last time I tried to eat grits, I gagged just from the texture in my mouth. YUCK!! Daniel says I'm un-Southern because of this. I just can't take it...call me weird or un-Southern if you wish, but I'll stick with something that tastes good and has better texture. The stage that Lily is just entering is my FAVORITE! Honestly, I'm not a fan of the newborn stage very much. They stare at you while they poop, pee, and spit up all over you and even as a 5 month old they do this too, but the key difference is that Lily smiles or laughs her gummy gums off while she is doing it which make it all the more rewarding. They develop such a personality at about 5-6 months and make all the sleepless nights and endless crying worth it. I was driving the kids to the store this morning and got all teary eyed (like I'm doing now just writing this) when I looked in the backseat and saw my kids sitting there and wondered what I did to get so lucky. The love for them runs so deep and I can't believe that they are mine! Every smile, laugh, hearing Hunter say "Momeeee", and slimy kisses make all the stressful and hairy moments worth it. To this day, one of my favorite times of the day is at night after we've read books in bed and I'll pick Hunter up to go lay him in his crib and he wraps his arms around me and pats my pack. The other day he was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing so I told him "No" and he walked over to me and gave me a hug and patted my back! Gahh--how is he so good at buttering me up already?! I can't imagine the shenanigans that will be going on when Lily is his age. CAN.NOT.WAIT!!! :)

Before we go on, I must talk about my Bieber fever. Mom, if you are reading this, he is a 16 year old teenage heart throb. Remember how much I liked Backstreet Boys and N'Sync back in the day...its kinda like that but for 2010. :) I added one of his songs to my playlist because in the past few months Daniel and I have been cutting off the tv and turning on the radio more. This song came on and Hunter and I couldn't contain ourselves so we danced our tushies off. It was so much fun and reminded me of when I was middle school dancing with my friends like no one was watching. I think Hunter approved because he clapped and squealed at the end of our dance party. Don't worry, Lily was not left out...she jumped in her jumperoo, squeaked, and squealed right along side of us. We had way too much fun...too bad daddy missed out, maybe next time!

I'm excited for what November has in store for my family. Our family pictures take place, Lily will be turning 6 months old, and of course my BIRTHDAY!!!! Woot woot!! BUT I'm not excited at all for Sight Swift for Daniel. I don't even want to say it because it makes me wanna cry. I'm not looking forward to putting 2 kids to bed by myself and most importantly missing my hubs. *cry* I'm strong enough to do it, I just don't want to be. I want him to be here to bounce Lily on his knee during her fussy period and to sing his made up songs to soothe her. I want him to wrestle with Hunter before bedtime and blow raspberries on his belly to fill the house with laughter. It's.just.not.fair!! Say a prayer for me that my sanity doesn't leave me during the month of November and December!

One last note before I'm done...as you know if you are reading this my blog is now private. I had an incident with a creepy creeperson so I decided it was best if I made this private so thank you so much if you sent me a message to be able to read this. I'm glad my mom isn't the only one that likes to hear me blab about my life + kids. Love you all!! XOXO! :)

Fall is here!!!

Although the weather hasn't cooled down yet, I'm so excited that it's Fall! What I'm not so excited about is daylight savings time where we "fall" back an hour with 2 kids in November. That'll be fuuun, but Daniel says not to worry about things that I can't control. Awesome tip...if only I could follow it! Fall brings bright, colorful leaves, warm and plush sweaters, cool breezes, apple cider and hot chocolate...yummmy! Which brings me to Halloween. Hunter is going to be a fireman with his dalmation puppy trusty sidekick Lily Mack! I'm making her costume so I'm really using my creative energy this year! :)

My babies are 21 and 4 months old...they are so much fun! Hunter's vocabulary has exploded in the past month. My favorite thing that he says right now is answers us when we ask him a question. For example, if I ask him if he would rather have peas or corn for dinner, he will say "pea" or "cor" according to his tastes for that night. How cool is that?! We've gone 18-20 months with not knowing EXACTLY what he wanted because he would point and grunt and now he will actually tell us specifically what he wants...coolest thing EVER to communicate efficiently with your child. Which brings me to the most exciting news in Hunterville this month or the past week or 2 really. He has started to communicate when he has to go pee pee on the potty! I sat him on the pint sized potty one morning when he first woke up and he went pee. I think it was more coincendence that morning, but he stood up and said "pee pee" and we both stared at it and then I started doing the most bizarre off-my-rocker dance moves I could think of to get him excited about what he had just done. This past Monday he started saying "pee pee" all on his own and wanted to sit on the potty and viola he peed again all by himself! So I bought him some pull ups and some M&M's as a treat and for the past 3 days he's been doing awesome! Now he knows he gets "chaco" (chocolate) after he goes pee pee but not only does he want a "choco" but a "boo choco" which means blue M&M. LOVE him! He is seriously non stop chatterbox from the time he wakes up until the time he kisses us goodnight and is off to la la land. I stood outside his door the other night after I had laid him down in his crib and he was saying "mama night night, dada night night pee pee pee pee" and then of course "bob bob" because he loves Spongebob. It was like he was going over the days events in his head. He's such a funny dude to listen to when he doesn't know anyone is listening. :) I'm including a pic of his cute tushie running around after he had gone pee on the potty. I'm not putting the picture on FB because I don't want to totally embarress him, but I figure mostly my family and a few mommy friends read this blog so it's not so bad to show his tush...it's just so cute I can't resist! :)

Onto my Lily girl. God must have known the exact right fit for our family because this girl is it! Where we had our serious, very laid back observant little boy, Lily is the complete opposite in personality. She's the smiliest, happiest, most wanna-be-in-the-action kinda girl I know. She's gone almost a week with no major meltdowns during the nighttime which I'm hoping is the start to happier evenings. She smiles at most anything, but her most favorite activity during the day is watching her brother run, hop, skip, and jump around the room. She could watch him all day I think. It seriously melts my heart to see her so in love with him already. Her favorite person by far is her daddy. (which is the sweetest thing EVER!) Her smile lights up the entire room as soon as she lays her eyes on him. Seriously, I'm chop liver compared to him. When he walks through the door from work and Lily hears his voice she will turn her head completely around just to catch a glimpse of her daddy. She's developing quite the personality! She coos, laughs, babbles, and sings her way through the day. She truely is an amazing baby who has been on a consistent sleeping and eating schedule for months now. She takes 2 naps a day from about 9:30am-11:30am and 1:15pm-3:30pm and then sleeps 8pm-8am. Hunter was the same way so I have no idea what I did to get 2 AMAZING sleepers. I.am.blessed! She's in love with her fingers and toes and anything else that she can get into her mouth. Hunter got his first tooth (2 teeth actually at the same time) right before he turned 6 months so I assume within the next 2 months we'll start to see some teeth on her. I can't believe this...what will I do when she is Hunter's age?

We are getting our first family of 4 photo taken in November and I'm getting so excited! The kids will also be getting single shots for their 6 month and 2 year milestones and some together as long as everyone cooperates. I can't wait!! We hired a photographer to meet us at Botanical Gardens so the colors should be gorgeous in the Fall. I'm used to JCPenney's pictures so this should be a very pleasant change and I'm so very much looking forward to it!

I've been working out/eating healthier for 5 weeks now and although I have no scale at home to use, I *feel* so much healthier and my jeans are looser so I know that I'm making some progress. I'm trying to focus less on the word "dieting" and more on the eating healthier because diet says to me "short term" where eating healthier means more of a life change to me. I really want to look good in our upcoming pictures and since I hate myself in pictures I'm trying to put in my absolute best effort. I hope it pays off. :)

One last exciting little tidbit. I'm getting my 2nd tattoo on October 8th. So very excited! The kids will be staying over with the in laws that night because Daniel and I both work that Friday and Saturday, but that night we would normally do a dinner date just the 2 of us to take advantage of the alone time. Next month though he will be holding my hand while I get a tattoo. :) I've always wanted something having to do with my kids and after 100% deciding that we are done having kids, I feel like now is the right time, plus it'll be my early birthday present. I'm getting 2 small hearts centered on my inner right wrist. The first one will be colored in a blue topaz and the 2nd heart will be colored in emerald green for the 2 birth months of December and May. This way if I need to cover it up for any reason I can wear a bracelet or watch, but it'll always be there to remind me of my 2 wonderful kids and how much I love them! I'm a little nervous about the pain, but I had 2 c-sections so hopefully this won't be nothin'! Wish me luck!!

Hope yall are having a great September...now onto October, bring it on!!! :)

The Good news is, we all survived....

August has been a rough month for the Morrison family. Our AC went out for 6.5 days and with 2 kids that was challenging to get through. Thank goodness for our family who helped us out to be the most comfortable possible in that situation. Our AC went out on a Wednesday...the motor had blown and had to be ordered since they didn't have any in stock. Which, strike number 1, who doesn't have a wide range of motors in stock in mid August?! Strike number 2 came when we were advised by the technician that came out on Wednesday that it would take 2-3 days. Ok not too bad, we could manage for 2-3 days since it happened on a weekend where Daniel was working so the kids would be out and about with the in laws. In reality it took 6 days. Strike number 3 occurred when I called on Friday to ask about the progress of the part and was told it would arrive on Monday. Is there I'm-going-to hurt-someone-unless-you-get-my-AC-working-ASAP strike number?! If there is, that would have occured on Monday when I called and the part still hadn't arrived. I'm pretty sure I was seeing red at this point. They had no sympathy for us when I was on the phone with the girl which made me even more upset. Tuesday our motor finally came in and the first technician arrived by 11am and got it installed. Not even 15 minutes after the 1st technician left, IT STOPPED WORKING! So we had to have a 2nd technician come out and put in another part and we finally got AC working the following Tuesday at 4:30pm. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I will never complain about being hot again because I had no idea before this experience. Good news though is that the adventure only upset me and Daniel. The kids were troopers from the beginning and they did great. Kids are so resilient.


Speaking of kids...I'm not going to lie. This month has been challenging. Hunter is starting to show signs of jealousy when I'm holding Lily and most of my nights alone with them consisted of sitting in the glider with Lily on my shoulder and Hunter on my lap, both crying off and on. Those are the nights where I think, mid kid meltdown, that if I had a camera in my house that no one would ever want to have kids. But by 8pm when both kids are on their way to la-la land I have all but forgotten the trying times of the day and start thinking about all the times Hunter made me laugh and all the gummy smiles I received from my favorite little girl. The good times outweigh the bad times by 10 fold (most days-thank God!) For example, all the effort that I have put forth to try and get Hunter to say Li-ly when talking about his baby sister, he points at her and goes "Waaaah, Waaaah" because apparently in his mind, she cries alot. haha! Whenever there is an issue with him, such as he drops something, or someone sneezes, or something is wrong in a book, he puts both hands on his cheeks and says in the cutest baby/big boy voice "Oh noooooooooo!" He's so adorable and is picking up on EVERYTHING. He pretty much tries to repeat everything we say, except for Lily...see above. :) In the past month he's become a snuggler x 391879487. I get hugs all day long even if they are because he's having a meltdown because I looked at him "wrong" or because I've told him "be gentle" after he has "patted" the dog just a little too hard. He is such a little character and although some days it seems like someone has stolen my sweet baby boy and turned him into spoiled little booger, he's mine and I'll always love him to the moon and back.

Now onto my sweet little diva. :) The older she gets the longer and longer her lashes grow just like Hunter's. I love their eyes. They are the most beautiful eyes I've ever looked at and they melt my heart with just a second's glance. Lily has turned into such a little piggie. She is drinking 3-7oz bottles and 1 8oz bottle right before bed. I don't think Hunter drank that much until he was 5-6 months old and she is not even 4 months yet. We didn't start cereal with Hunter until he was 5.5 months old, but with Lily I think we are going to start next month because she just eats SO much and sometimes acts like she is still hungry. She is such a happy little girl flashing me smiles, coos, and laughs allllllll day long, well that is until about 5:30/6pm. Then she can't decide whether to be sad, angry, or just plain pissed off about nothing. It breaks my heart because I do the checklist with her every night. She's fed, changed, no gas since she burps like an adult male, stimulated until she gets fussy, then I leave her alone until she calms down and every night without fail from 6pm-7:30pm she screams off and on. It's been especially stressful because Daniel is on night shift and most nights I'm alone to stick it out with her as she figures out the world. Daniel handles her crying much better then I do. Her cries give me anxiety from the very start. I don't care if she is just crying to cry, it bugs me because I'm her momma and I'm supposed to calm her fears and keep her happy. It's such a helpless feeling sometimes. We are very blessed that she is a very happy baby otherwise and I know at some point she will grow out of this and then I'm sure I'll think back and miss the days when she was this tiny. A big thing that happened this month with her though is that we got her ears pierced. I love them and think they look beautiful on her! We did have a little mishap with her left ear. The night after it was pierced the backing fell off while she was sleeping and by the time she woke up in the morning and I figured it out the hole in the back had already closed. =\ So we are going back tomorrow to get it re-pierced and if we have any more problems, then we will just wait until she is old enough to take care of them herself. Her right ear is healing perfectly and looks beautiful! She's gorgeous and I'm not just saying that because she is my daughter! ;) Love my 2 little ones so so so much and I never knew my heart could love so deeply.

Onto the fabulous news of August ending. Daniel is back on day shift....wooooot wooooot!!! I can not even express how excited I am to have my husband back home every night! I was getting so burnt out and it's so nice to have an extra set of hands helping out during the fussy evening period. Of course, I love having him home for myself too. :) I love our movie nights and sitting down to eat dinner together as a family. I've started my workout routine and for the first time since I got pregnant 2 years ago with Hunter, I ran 2 miles last Saturday and it felt wonderful! I love running and it's really an outlet of stress relief for me. Hopefully by the time our family pictures roll around in November I will be a little lighter and feeling more healthy. I have an ultimate goal to make by the time Lily turns 1, but I'm starting small and working my way up. Wish me luck because losing weight SUUUUUUCKS!!!

I have a great feeling that September is going to be a better month then August, but we survived and we are stronger for it!

Another month under our belt!

I needed a change so I revamped the blog a bit just to spice things up. Truth is my life is a load of chaotic fun that lasts all morning, noon, and night so I thought the title was fitting. :) I know, I know, Lily isn't in the cartoon above, but let's just say for arguments sake that she was home with Daddy while me and Hunter were out getting groceries haha!

Hunter is now 18 (.5) months old and Lily just turned 2 months old. Who woulda thought I could survive having 2 kids 16 month apart? Well, I shouldn't get too ahead of myself because who am I kidding...I've only made it 2 months lol BUT I have SO much more confidence then I did on May 12th. haha!! After getting to know Lily for 2 months now she is a butterball of happiness. She smiles SO much compared to when Hunter was her age. Plus it would take 5 whole minutes of making coo coo crazy faces to even get a smirk out of Hunter...Lily on the other hand, has smiles 'o plenty and shares them with us everyday. She has some similarities with Hunter though, one thing is for sure my kids love to sleep. She sleeps a good portion of the day, but also at night now that we have a pretty solid routine down she has been sleeping longer and longer. Knock on wood that she has slept 9:30-6:30 two days in a row. *Runs to knock on a wooden surface* How did I get this lucky?! Someone please pinch me! They both have dark brown eyes like their daddy although I'm still kinda holding out hope that Lily's will change to hazel like mine...I won't hold my breath though and their eyelashes extend farther then mine will ever grow to. *SO JEALOUS!!* Those big puppy dog eyes are going to be the end of me I swear and I'm sure they will come in handy when they are trying to persuade mom to get what they want! At 18 months old, Hunter is like a little smartie sponge. He is talking so much and exploring every crack and crevice he can find. He remembers things better then me and is constantly keeping me on my toes. I love my kids with every fiber in my body...they rock my world!




Just another quick note...Lily celebrated her first big holiday. She was dressed to the nines in red, white, and blue for 4th of July. Love my pretty, pretty, princess!



So you may be wondering what in the world I'm doing up at 11pm when both kids have been in bed since 8 and 9:30pm. Well, unfortunately the cleaning fairy doesn't exist and the only time this momma has time to do anything besides pee (and I don't even get to do that alone!)during the course of the day is after both babies have been put to bed at night. Ya know the minute they go to bed though...all I wanna do is plop down on the couch and catch up on my DVR'd shows or Facebook. I'll have you know that *tonight* the toys are picked up and the bottle/sippy cups are washed and ready to go for tomorrow. I even cut up fresh strawberries and boiled some "vroom vroom" wagon wheel pasta for Hunter's meals/snacks tomorrow. "Vroom Vroom" is what Hunter calls them because they look like wheels to a car...love him!



See 2 kids isn't so bad...it's more fun then anything I've ever done before! One downside to having kids is that it messed with this one tiny organ called my gallbladder. FYI--gallbladders do NOT mess around! I woke up with some tremendous pain in my ribcage on June 23rd and holy guacamole I couldn't even form a sentence to tell Daniel I was in so much pain...awfulness! So to the ER I went and after having an ultrasound found out I had gallstones. I scheduled surgery for July 6th to have it removed and was put on a strict low fat diet. Now that I'm a week post surgery I'm feeling almost back to my normal self. Thank God that sucker is out. I had a wonderful surgeon who informed me that I had THOUSANDS of stones in my gallbladder...whoo weee. Good Riddance! Now I can just focus on being the best mommy I can be to my 2 beautiful babes and FINALLY getting back in shape. Wish me luck!

One last final note...don't pay mind to the lyrics in the last song on my playlist. I'm not packing and going anywhere or quitting....quite the opposite actually. Daniel is stuck with me and I'm more in love with him then I've ever been (and I'm not just saying that to be mushy gushy). I just loved the song...it brings the country out in me and makes me sing with a twang. One last final final note...promise. Look at my girls' lashes...how'd she get so lucky?!

Summertime!!!

It's the middle of June already (where did the time go?) and my baby girl just turned a month old. Oh, how the last month has changed our lives! She is such a blessing and gives us so much joy everyday. She is fairly laid back unless she is hungry, needs to be changed, or it's bathtime then she turns into a fiesty sassy girl! The hardest part about having 2 kids 16 months apart is the sleep deprivation. I never knew I could function on this little sleep day after day. Lily normally sleeps from 11-3 and 4-7 which would seem like pretty good stretches but she is currently in the bassinet right beside my side of the bed and is such a noisy sleeper. (Just like Hunter)As soon as I'm dozing off to la la land, she grunts, whines, or cries in her sleep and then I'm up checking on her to make sure everything is ok. We tried moving her to her crib, but I was in there every few minutes either putting her paci back in her mouth, shh shh shh'ing her to get her to go back to sleep, or putting my hand on her chest so she knew I was there. It was exhausting so we moved her back to our room for now...maybe we'll try again in a few weeks. Another difficult thing I have learned with 2 pretty close in age is that I can't get to both of their needs as quickly as I would like, especially if I'm in the middle of feeding Lily or if Hunter has a major poop blow out. I try to keep myself calm and tell myself they won't remember that I wasn't right there when they needed something and as long as I get to them as soon as I can then I'm doing a good job. Easier said then done when both of them are screaming at me. I know this will get easier as she gets older, but right now it gets very hairy sometimes! Last night after Daniel got home from work, I just hugged him and told him how happy I was that I got my tubes tied because 2 kids was PLENTY for me! :)

Next week I go back to work and I've got some love/hate towards it. On the one hand, I will miss my babies SO much I can already feel it, but out of the past 5 weeks I've gone on several 4-5 day stretches where I don't even make it out of the house to breathe fresh air. How sad is that?! I feel frumpy almost everyday because my hair is in a pony tail and I have my glasses on with pjs...ick. I'm used to straightening my hair, putting on makeup, and putting on some sort of clothes that don't have elastic on them so I'm kind of looking forward to that next week when I go back to work. I've also started working out and will start tanning pretty soon for a wedding in early August so I'm hoping to start feeling more like myself. The most exciting thing about next week though is that my baby boy will be turning 18 months old...1.5 years old...WOW!!!! I feel like I just gave birth to him! Which just confirms even more to me that I need to enjoy every second with my kids because time FLIES so fast! It's pretty sad and I wish I could just pause time.

Daniel goes back on night shift July 2nd and I'm already a little worried. I feel like I hardly see him anyways on that shift and with 2 kids to keep me busy I'm sure our opposite schedules will be a difficult adjustment. What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger, right?! Please say a prayer for me lol!

Here are some pictures of my 2 favorite little people!! <3>

Lily Mackenzie is here!!!!

My daughter has finally arrived and she is even more beautiful then I could have ever imagined! Her birth went much easier then I had anticipated and I have been recovering much faster this time around. She was born at 12:53pm on May 12th, 2010 weighing 8 pounds 7 oz and 21 inches long. She came out looking very similar to what Hunter looked like when he was 1st born so that was like deja vu and made me feel so happy. As soon as she was born, she screamed and screamed and screamed! Everybody commented on how strong her lungs were lol. She continued crying into the nursery, but as soon as she came back to my recovery room, she quieted right down and has been a pretty quiet baby ever since. *knock on wood. The only time she cries right now is if she is hungry, wet, or is getting her diaper changed. She still has her days/nights mixed up but every night she seems to sleep in longer stretches so I'm hoping in the next few weeks she'll get things straight. Hunter is adapting wonderfully to being a big brother! He gives Lily kisses everyday and takes her diapers to the trashcan, brings her a bottle, and gives her a paci. Mommy's Little Helper! :) Their cries don't bother one another which was one of my biggest anxieties and all in all the transistion has been great for our family. I know that our family is 100% complete and I'm enjoying EVERY second of being a mom to 2 kids. It's amazing the amount of love I instantly had for Lily and I could just tell she was perfect for our family...it's an indescribable feeling.

Lily had her first photoshoot yesterday and it turned out wonderful! I love her and all her girliness. :) I can't wait to watch her and her brother grow up together and see what kind of bond they have. I'M SO IN LOVE!! I swear I tell Daniel 2 things everyday...#1)I feel like I'm high on mommy love and #2) how happy I am that I'm not pregnant anymore lol. I would be pregnant over and over to be able to have my 2 kids because they are worth every ache and pain, but I'm not one of those glowing, happy pregnant women so I think I cried on delivery day just because I was so happy I wouldn't have to be pregnant EVER again. Woot woot!!

Well, that's all I've got time to write for now, but I'm going to try to keep up posting atleast once a month! Hopefully the end of Spring/start of Summer is going wonderful for you and your family! <3

May is finally here!!

I can not believe the month of May is finally here!!! Looking back, these past 9 months (almost 10) have really flown by. Hunter was 7 months old when I got pregnant and now he'll be 17 months old this month! Where has the time gone? I'm sure once Lily arrives, the time will start going even faster. Atleast once a day, I try to imagine what Ms. Lily will look like and how her personality is going to develop. Since Hunter is so much like Daniel, I'm kinda hoping for a little mini me. I'm so excited to meet this little fiesty one that's been in my tummy and be a complete family.

Now, that I have a little over 3 days until D-day, I've been pretty emotional about giving Hunter a sibling. On one hand, I loved having a sibling growing up and I'm sure he will too, but I'm scared that Lily will ruin his happy little life where he gets all of our attention. I'm a crazy hormonal chick, can ya tell? I'm sure when I write my next blog, I'll be overjoyed with love and know that everything will work out, but anticipation of her arrival is wrecking my brain!

I've got lots of stuff going on this last week as a family of 3. Daniel works tomorrow until 6pm and then he's off with us until May 31st!! Woot woot!! On Monday, I'm going to get a pedicure to clean up these swollen softball sized feet as part of my Mother's Day gift from Daniel and Hunter. Then on Tuesday, I've got to go to the hospital to do all my bloodwork (fun! fun!) and sign all my consent papers and then we are dropping off Hunter at Grandma and Grandpa's. I've never left Hunter for 2 nights before so I hope I don't miss him too much. After we drop off Hunter, then Daniel and I are going to go out to dinner and then see Iron Man 2 as our last official date night before we are parents to 2 kids! Wednesday, we have to check in at the hospital at 10:30am and as long as I don't get bumped for an emergency, my c-section is scheduled for 12:30pm! As long as Lily and I are doing well, my doctor said we would be released 1st thing Friday morning...I can't wait to be home with both of my kiddos.

So wish me luck and send a prayer or 2 that everyone comes out of this safe, healthy, and happy! Plenty of pictures soon to come!

April Showers bring May Lily's!

This past month has been busy busy for the Morrisons. We have been preparing for Lily's arrival while spending each and every moment available with Hunter. He has been my little sidekick for almost 16 months and it makes me teary eyed to think about sharing my attention between him and his sister, but I'm so much looking forward to the bond that they will share for a lifetime and to watch them grow up together.

I have been doing Lily's laundry for almost a week now. She had 5 (FIVE!!!) loads just for 0-6 months and that wasn't including her dresses for that size. I doubt she will wear the same outfit twice. lol Daniel just rolls his eyes and looks at me lovingly as I systematically fold her clothes and put them in her dresser. She also has a drawer that is dedicated to her accessories including socks (with frilly lace on the tops!), headbands, bows, pink blankets, and bibs. I'm still in awe sometimes that I'm having a daughter. I've had 3 months for it to sink in now, but I still can't believe it some days...I count my blessings every.single.day. I won't lie though, I'm almost to the point where I'm miserable and I'm sure not the most fun person to be around. Between peeing every 20 minutes and tossing and turning at night because my hips feel like they are about to break, I just feel done and the only thing I want is to be holding my baby girl. It's hard to stay positive some days especially because Daniel is on night shift, but I have my end date in sight and I 100% know without a doubt that Lily will be worth all this so that keeps my hopes up. I can't wait to count her toes and fingers, to see if she has hair or not, to see if she looks like me or her daddy, and to see her personality develop as she grows. 35 days max to go....

Now onto my favorite little man. Not only does he look just like Daniel, although on rare occasions when he smiles he'll look like my side of the family, but he sometimes ACTS just like Daniel and it's SO funny! When Hunter does something that he knows he's not supposed to be doing such as climbing up on the fireplace, he will look right at me and give me this coy little smirk and then continue on to do whatever he wasn't supposed to be doing. Daniel gives me the same smirk and of course who can be mad at such handsome men and their smirks?! Another thing that they do similiarly is right before Daniel falls asleep his feet fiddle at the end of the bed against his blanket. I guess it's either a security thing or a routine he has just gotten used to but I tease him because while I'm trying to fall asleep I can hear his feet at the bottom of the bed and Hunter does the EXACT same thing while we read books in bed before we put him in his crib. He also does it when we lay him down for the night. They are so funny! Who knew these quirks were genetic?! :) He is growing up so fast, it's unreal to look back at all his newborn pics and think back to that time when he was that tiny. Craziness! He can now point to where his head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and belly button are. He gives THE best hugs and kisses and gives me so many cuddles throughout the day! His vocabulary has expanded in the past month too. He now says puppy, hat, na na (night night), and cup. I love watching his little brain in action!

Daniel has less then a month to go until he is back on day shift and I can't wait. I miss him at night and then miss him during the day because he's catching up on his sleep. Good news though is that once Lily is here, he will be off for 3 weeks for us to all bond together. I'm sooo much looking forward to this time. With Hunter, it was an amazing 3 weeks and I felt so much closer as a family. Having him home also helped me to recover fairly fast so I hope the same is true this time too.

I'm so in love with my family and can't believe in 35 days or less we will be a family of 4!!