Morgalicious Morgans

Sledding at the Cabin 2012

2012-01-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

Just like last year, and the year before that, (and every single year before that) we went up to the cabin for a sledding adventure.

Madee was amazingly good while we were up there. I think she already loves the cabin.

(Thanks for the hat Jen!)

David attempted to play "Angry Birds" with his nieces and nephews around.

What you can't see is that in David's other arm is Delilah, and she is screaming.

We were shocked at how little snow there was when we got there on Friday afternoon. Usually there is several feet of snow on the deck and you can't see the railing. It started snowing that evening and kept on all day Saturday. Our cars were totally burried. It snowed almost two feet while we were up there.

It was really coming down, but that didn't stop us.

Tyler was so brave this year. He went down every hill the boys made.

Jaxen didn't want to sled. He just wanted to play in the snow.

David and Kati were feeling really awesome in their snow gear. My mom got Kati those snow pants. They were a girls size XL. David's coat was an old work coat of Tim's.

David made my hat.

Yes, I said David.

Madee didn't mind the snow, unless it got in her face. Lesley's mom got her a really cute snow suit that kept her nice and warm (Thanks Sandy!)

Poor Evan... I don't remember why he was crying.

Many a snow ball fight broke out.

(check out Jaxen's face in the bottom picture...)

My Dad and I helped some of the kids build a snow man.

With a mustache.

Madee started sucking on her zipper and began dozing off. What a trooper.

We celebrated Chris's birthday while we were up there. That was the only candle we could find....

We played this game again after we put the kids to bed. My Dad drew the bottom picture. I think it's supposed to be me...

The stupid fly that kept attacking people, until it died.

The next morning, the kids found all of our pictures from our game and Hazel read the captions aloud. They thought they were as funny as we did.

Pretty blonde baby.

Sunday afternoon, we went out for one last sledding trip before having lunch and going home. Hazel crashed into a tree....with her face. There was a moment of panic when Isaac came in carrying a blood covered Hazel. We got her cleaned up and assessed the damage. Her teeth were uneven in the front and her lip was bleeding pretty bad, so Jessi and Isaac took her to a medical center nearby and she got a few stitches in her lip.

Luckily they were just baby teeth that were hit, and her permanent teeth weren't damaged.

I don't think the picture does it justice. She was pretty darn swollen.

Poor girl...

Other than Hazel getting personal with a tree, it was a great trip to the cabin.

Green Thumb

2012-01-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

I have a really hard time keeping things (besides children) alive.

Jessi gave us a plant as a housewarming gift: Dead.

Our butterflies barely made it out with their lives.

And do you remember my tomato plant???

Tragic.

So when my mom gave me an amaryllis bulb kit, I really delayed planting it.

I didn't need another plant's life on my conscience.

But eventually, the little "ready to plant" box beckoned me, and I did it.

I watered it and kept it by the window, and what do you know...

It grew!

And grew, and grew, and grew!

My plant was twice the size of my Mom's and sisters.

I felt that this was kind of monumental because of my track record,

therefore, I had to document it.

I kept a plant alive!

P.S. So... I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, and my dear amaryllis has since broken off and died.

Epic Fail.

Playing House

2012-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

The other day I left Jaxen and Madee playing in her bedroom while I made my bed.

When I came back, I found them playing "house".

Jaxen had found my old american girl doll in Madelinn's closet and began changing her diaper (again).

He informed me that he was her Daddy and Madelinn was the doll's Mommy.

Jaxen was a very sweet Daddy.

And Madelinn was a very attentive mother.

Those would be a pair of Jaxen's pants....

And this is how I found their dear daughter when they had finished their game.

2011: The Year of Change

2012-01-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a year that leaves you completely different from the way you started? Like the year you have your first child. Or the year you graduate from college. Years that come in and shake things up, so that when you look around you, you barely recognize your life….

2011 was one of those years for our family.

There was so much change. So much adjustment.

Fortunately, most of the changes were good.
We have been so blessed.

Here are some of the things 2011 brought us:

-Tim finished his bachelors degree at the end of the previous year, and it was so nice to (finally) have him home more. It was a bit of an adjustment to add him into our nightly routine. I wasn’t used to having him home for dinner or getting any help putting the boys to bed. It was a change I was more than willing to make.

- We went on a ridiculously fun vacation to California in January just the four of us (I was still pregnant with Madee). Despite being sick, we grew closer as a family and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

- We moved from Salt Lake City, to a much smaller suburb. We went from an old, tiny apartment to a large, new home. It was no secret that I loathed our apartment, especially the last couple of years we lived there. We were so ready to move into a house and have some space and a yard. We all really love our house and the area we live in. Living out of the city took some getting used to, but I'm not sure if I would ever go back. This area if perfect for our family.

-Tim switched to a shift at work with regular daytime hours (and got a promotion!). He had worked a graveyard shift for almost two years before. Before that he worked in the evenings. It had been over four years since he’s worked during the day. I looove it.

-My Grandma Bradshaw passed away. I still miss her... Probably always will.

- We had Madelinn. This was by far our favorite event of the year. We love having a daughter. We love having three kids (even if it is a little overwhelming at times).

-A few good friends moved out of state (and some moved out of the country).

- We sold both of our cars and bought different ones. We transformed into mini van owners….

- My Grandpa fell right after Thanksgiving and broke his pelvis. He is currently in a care center. We’re not sure if he’ll be able to return to living at home with my Grandma (my Mom’s parents).

-My little brother, David, came home after being on an LDS mission for two years.

- Tim began teaching Chemistry for an online university (on top of his regular job).

- Tyler started Kindergarten. I still can’t believe he is old enough to be in elementary school. He is thriving and he loves school. His mom, on the other hand, is still getting used to it.

I've been thinking a lot about how we began this year and so many things are different now. We live somewhere new. Our family dynamic and schedule has changed drastically. The friends we spent much of our time with at the beginning of 2011, now live too far away to see with any sort of regularity. We lost my sweet Grandma, but have an adorable baby daughter. Throughout all of this adjustment, I feel like we're finally settling in and getting used to the changes 2011 dished out. I feel like we are where we need to be. I think we've been more blessed this year, than any year before. We are so happy to welcome 2012 and everything it brings, but I do hope some things stay the same. I look forward to watching my sweet kids grow a little bit more (but not too much). I look forward to (hopefully) reaching some of my own goals. My biggest goal for this year is to slow down a little and spend more quality time with the people I love the most.

Reptile Birthday Party

2012-01-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Erick and Evan's birthday is two days after Christmas.
Jessi and Isaac hired Scales and Tails to come and do a reptile show during their birthday party.
She asked me to stay and do pictures, and I think we all agreed, the show was better than any of us expected. The guy was animated and funny, the animals were cool, and the kids loved it.

We made my mom smile for a picture to send to my Dad....
When it started moving, she wasn't a fan.

Tyler was not interested in holding the snake...
Tim may or may not have paid him a dollar to hold it for a picture.

I don't think he minded too much.

I can't believe these little monsters are already four!

Madee slept through the whole dang thing.

Jessi posted more pictures here.

New Toys

2012-01-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

The boys have had so much fun playing with their new toys the over the last couple of weeks.

They are wielding their light sabers like true Jedi masters.

And Madee, of course, loves her toy saucer.

Although she did fall asleep in it the other day....

And Tim certainly has enjoyed his new toy....

Bubbles and Baths

2012-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Bedtime can be torturous sometimes.
Some nights my boys are angels. They get in and out of the bath and sit quietly through a couple of books and prayers before happily crawling into their beds and falling peacefully into dreamland.
Other nights...
Not so much.
So, on nights when everything is a battle, I find a little bubble bath or color in the bath water, makes everyone a little happier.

One night I heard Tyler playing with some toys in the bath.
I noticed that he had named his toys Tyler, Jaxen, and Madelinn.

Here was the toy lineup.

This was Tyler.

This was Jaxen.

And this was Madelinn.

This was the bad guy.
He had no name.
He was just "the bad guy".

I thought the name assignments were rather fitting.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve the way we normally do.

At my parents house eating crab and pizza.

Yes. Crab and Pizza.

Not together, mind you.

Well Chris eats it together but he's the only one.

My Grandpa was able to join us for Christmas Eve (and Christmas Day). He's been in a care center for the last month, so Tim and my brothers went and helped him escape.

Lesley's mom, Sandy, has joined us the last few years for Christmas. She is so sweet.

I love the look on my Grandma's face. If I had to guess, I'd say she's looking at Kati's pants. They had holes in them and my cute Grandma couldn't handle it. She kept saying, "I really hope you didn't pay money for those pants....".

Kati must have been up to mischief because I had all kinds of weird pictures of her.

See the hole filled pants?

Oh boy....

We give our kids pajamas every Christmas Eve. I reminded Tyler a few days before that he would be able to open a present on Christmas Eve and he said, "I hope it's not pajamas...."

It was. But I don't think he was too disappointed. He's currently obsessed with Star Wars.

The kids in their cute pajamas (except for Madee, she was asleep already).

My kids slept in until 8AM on Christmas morning, which was lovely. Tyler and Madee woke up first. Tyler was dying with excitement waiting for Jaxen to wake up. We finally let him go and wake him up.

We made them suffer through a couple of pictures.

Santa came....

The kids were all very happy with their new toys.

Even Madelinn.

Madee's brothers were more than willing to help her open her presents.

We got the boys light sabers and Darth Vader masks.
They. were. stoked.

Ha ha...

I love this picture. Jaxen is opening the truck that Tyler picked out for him.

I think he liked it.

Tim surprised Madee (and me) with a little present he picked out himself.

Tyler was thrilled that Santa ate his cookies and responded to his letter.

We had a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls and sausage. I realize that this is not an ideal combination, but it's my kids two favorite breakfast foods.

After we finished opening all of our presents we went to church (our kids were less than reverent) and then made our way to Tim's parents house for turkey dinner and more presents.

I had to take a picture of Tim's Dad doing dishes, otherwise nobody would have believed me.

I feel really blessed to live so close to both of our parents houses, so that we are able to spend holidays with both families (Tim doesn't always feel the same way...)

I was distracted when the boys were opening their presents so I didn't get any pictures, but they were spoiled as usual (Jessi made my boys these cute hats).

Madee was exhausted by the end of the day, but I think she really enjoyed her first Christmas.
I love watching my kids experience Christmas.

Christmas is Coming....

2011-12-24T11:26:00.000-08:00

We decorated our house for Christmas the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is the earliest we have ever decorated. In our apartment, we could barely fit our Christmas tree, so it was really nice to set it up in our house and still have room enough to move around.

Tyler was really disappointed that we wouldn't let him keep the ornaments like this. But we knew that Madee would get them.

I asked the boys to pose for pictures.

They are nerds.

Madelinn loves the Christmas tree. Ever since she started rolling, this is usually where she ends up. She touches the ornaments and branches so gently.

I tried (key word is tried) to get a cute picture of my kids in front of the Christmas tree.

The kids have had a lot of fun shoveling our driveway.

And our dirt.

We went and saw the lights at Temple Square early in December before it got too crowded.

We made Gingerbread houses at my parents house (after the surprise party my sister threw for Isaac).

This was the first year Tim didn't have finals to study for and was able to fully participate.

He and Tyler built a house together. The gummy bears out front are "zombie bears".

Evan put the gummy bears and chocolate chip hats on his cookie all on his own.

Oh and I let Tyler do his own sprinkles... can you tell?

Christmas Crafts, Chocolate advent calendars, and Christmas Cards

Tyler wrote a very sweet letter to Santa Clause

We took the kids to The Grand America to see Santa and Mrs. Clause.

It was so nice, and the kids were so good.

This Santa and Mrs. Clause live in my parents ward, and they are so sweet and patient with the kids.

We've seen them a couple of times before, and I am pretty sure that Tyler is convinced that he is the REAL SANTA.

Santa sent them off with giant candy canes that they thoroughly enjoyed.

Madee was rather displeased when we took hers away.

And the Christmas Season wouldn't have been complete with out the annual Bradshaw Family Christmas party.

There was so much good food. The kids (and boys) had a grand time running around the gym.

It felt a little weird without my Grandma there this year, but it was still nice to get together.

I love this family tradition and the opportunity to see all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles every year.

Tonight we are heading to my parents house for our Christmas Eve crab (and pizza) dinner.

We finished our shopping (and wrapping) earlier than we usually do, so I am looking forward to relaxing tonight and waiting for Santa to come....

She's on the Move!

2011-12-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

Madee has been rolling for a few weeks.

But lately she's discovered her rolling can be a mode of transportation.

She gets herself into all kinds of predicaments now.

I frequently find her underneath the Christmas tree, or stuck in a corner or up against the couch.

I love watching her go, but I kind of miss the days when she stayed put.

Be Thankful

2011-12-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

I asked my kids what they were thankful for today.

Tyler said, "Jesus Christ and the whole world"

Good answer.

Jaxen said, "Pumpkins"

Also a good answer.

Madee spit up on the floor.

Not exactly what I was looking for.

I realized that I never posted any pictures from Thanksgiving (other than the paper bag indian).

They were still waiting patiently on my memory card, to be put on the computer.

Since Tim's and my parents live nearby we usually go to both houses for Thanksgiving.

Tim's parents had a leak in their basement, so they opted out of hosting Thanksgiving,

and invited everyone to meet them at Mimi's Cafe for dinner.

We decided to join them, even though we would be eating with my family later that day.

Madee was surprisingly good while we were there, and my boys decided they wanted pancakes instead of waiting for a turkey dinner at my parents house.

I love Thanksgiving.

Jax in a Box

2011-12-14T10:56:00.000-08:00

Madee's Blessing Day

2011-12-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

In November, Tim gave Madee a baby blessing.

It was perfect and sweet, and she is so lucky to have Tim as her Dad.

My mom made Madelinn's blessing dress, and I love how it turned out.

She is so very talented. (thanks mom!)

I love all the details on her dress. I made some fabric flowers for the dress and headband and I was really pleased with how the whole thing turned out.

Not to mention I have a really cute baby....

We were overwhelmed with how many of our friends and family came out to support us. After the blessing, we had a luncheon for everyone that came.

Tim and Nick

(It's a safe bet that Tim was giving Nick crap about something)

Our friends, Whitney and Jordan

And their adorable little boy, Tripp.

"Uncle D"

My cute nieces, Brookelle, and Alexis

Kati made chocolate balls. So good.....

Michelle and Erik
Michelle grew up across the street from me.
(And she's still one of my most favorite people in all of the world).

Shannon and her cute little girl, Amelia

Ed and Stephanie, and their daughter, Mekenzie.

Tim's good friend, Brad and his girlfriend, Lisa

Tim and his brother, Ed, and their baby girls

My sister in law, Lori

My Father was hungry.

The kids had a lot of fun playing upstairs. They spent a good share of the afternoon beating up on my teenage nephews.

Madee is not a big fan of crowds.

Some of the Williamson family (Tim's second family)

Kati and Ashley

Evan (and some roast beef)

Cody

My friend's Ashley and Shannon (and myself).

Daniel was excited to play with kids on his own level .

I love this sweet little bebe.
Our family wouldn't be complete without her.
And we were so grateful for everyone that came to support us.
Thanks!

Nativity

2011-12-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I love the way my kids rearrange my nativity figures every day.

Even though they have been told (over and over and over again) not to touch it.

Tim and I were particularly impressed with this arrangement done by Jaxen.

(Who admitted to his crime without hesitation).

It kind of looks like they were up walking around and got caught and had to stop where they were.

My favorite part is how Mary is looking over the edge of the table.

Lesson Learned

2011-12-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

When Tim was growing up, his mom used to make him an ice cream pie for his birthday.

It is a delightful combination of ice cream, cool whip, and crushed up candy bar.

So now that we're married, the duty of making the pie falls upon his lovely wife.

The other day, he got out his very last piece that was left over from his birthday.

He set it on the table to thaw out a little bit before digging in.

He left the kitchen briefly and when he came back, this is what he found:

Don't leave anything sweet unattended when Jaxen is in the house.

He will find it. He will eat it.

Was the husband mad?

No.

He just got out another fork and shared what was left with the little thief.

Soccer

2011-11-30T21:04:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I am officially a "Soccer Mom".

I signed Tyler up for soccer the same day we bought our mini van (which incidentally was Madee's due date). A little piece of me died when I drove the van for the first time (I never thought I'd be a minivan owner, especially not at the ripe old age of 25) but I'll never go back. It's sooooo extremely conveient. I fell in love with it the first time I had to buckle all three kids in. So I decided to embrace the label of soccer mom entirely. Especially because Tyler loved soccer. He frequently got distracted and started playing around on the field, and there were some games he didn't score any goals (and some he scored several), but gosh darnet he had fun!

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it.

Every time.

And we all had a good time watching Ty play.

Our New Time Out Spot!

2011-11-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Not really.

You didn't really think I would put my kids on shelves, did you?

I wouldn't.

Or would I....?

No.

I wouldn't.

I came downstairs to find my kids like this.

Lucky for you and I, they were still there when I came back down with my camera.

P.S. Tyler has a baseball bat in there with him.
I'm still not sure what they were doing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

What would Thanksgiving be without the classic paper bag indian vest?

Oh and he's not mad, that's his indian face.

"How"

This is Halloween....

2011-11-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

A doctor, a transformer, and a mouse.
That was our Halloween lineup.
We went to Tim's work party, our ward's trunk-or-treat, and regular old trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. The kids got way more candy than they could ever eat, so the husband and I have been gracious enough to help them consume it.

27

2011-11-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to
the love of my life,
the father of my (adorable) children,
my best friend,
and my ridiculously handsome husband!

I Love you.

Saturday

2011-11-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

My morning looked like this:

My evening includes:

Good food,

all of the Bradshaw girls,

and a cheesy movie....

Thumb

2011-11-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

I love my little thumb sucker....

Lagoon

2011-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

My Dad normally takes us all to Lagoon once during the summer. But this summer was so busy, we had to squeeze in a trip in the fall. The weather was so perfect, I think we may go in the fall again.

The kids kept fighting over who would sit with Jaxen on the rides. I think it's because he was so happy throughout the entire ride.

Hazel was pretty disappointed that Tyler wasn't more daring. Their family got season passes this year, so she has become quite experienced at the "big" rides. But Tyler is not a very brave soul when it comes to rides, and he was content to stick with the kiddie rides.

I can't remember the circumstances, but somehow Jessi and I got left with all 7 kids by ourselves for a while. SEVEN KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF SIX!!!! I was actually pretty surprised how well we did. We even went on a ride or two (or maybe we just rode the train twice).

Madee did awesome. She seemed rather pleased to be there in fact.

I love how well Hazel and Tyler get along.

Tim dragged Tyler on Rattle Snake Rapids. He was less than pleased when he got soaked.

My Dad bought everyone ice cream. Tyler ordered vanilla and Jessi got a cone, no ice cream.

Weirdos.

The only ride Madee rode was the train, but I don't think she minded too much.

Although I did see her eyeing a few of the roller coasters.

When I was little my Dad and I used to ride the sky ride that goes across the park, and then he would buy me a carmel apple. We didn't go on the sky ride, but he did buy me a carmel apple this year. Tim sampled it for me.

This is how Tyler fell asleep on our way home.

We all had a really good time.

I know Lagoon is kind of lame as far as amusement parks go, but I still love it.

Pumpkins

2011-11-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

Just like every year, we painted and carved pumpkins at my parents house in October.

My mom dedicated most of her garden to pumpkins this year, so the kids were able to just go out back and pick a pumpkin. It was rather convenient.

I love this underwear line up.

This was the first year in a long time that Tim was able to carve pumpkins without having to hurry home to do homework, so he carved two. (Husband, if you are going to make silly faces, they are going to get posted. You've been warned).

I have a picture like this every year.

I love the focus on Evan's face in the middle picture.

Kati doesn't mess around.

Isaac's pumpkin
His pumpkins are always very creative.

I have a secret love of painting pumpkins. This year I was busy helping my kids and taking care of Madee so I didn't have time to paint one. I brought one home to paint, but it didn't happen. Maybe I'll paint a Thanksgiving pumpkin...

Madee Lou

2011-11-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Madelinn is three months old today.
She can scowl like it's nobody's business.
She squeaks. Especially when she is happy. Tim calls her a squeak toy.
She coos and talks. She has a sweet little voice.
She loves the bath. She splashes and thrashes around. I think she is training to swim the English Channel.
She won't take a binky but seems to enjoy sucking on her thumb, when it can find its way into her mouth.
She loves being swaddled more than any of my other babies have.
She hugs her blanket to her chest, especially when she's tired.
She chews and sucks on her blankets. If she's wearing a dress, it will find it's way into her mouth as well.
She spits up far more than her brothers did. She frequently smells like sour milk, which is really charming.
She is a screamer. It's getting much better though. The first couple of weeks after we brought her home from the hospital, it seemed all she did was cry. Now she just cries in the evenings.
She won't take a bottle, she loves to nurse, and she is rather noisy while she nurses.
She sleeps okay. She still wakes up to eat, but generally goes right back to sleep.
She usually sleeps in our bed....
She isn't as snuggly as her brothers were, but still likes to be close, especially when she's sleepy.
I think she might be my best napper so far.
Her hair is just starting to come in. There's not enough there to be certain, but I'm pretty sure she'll be blonde.
She is a nudist. Being naked is far superior to wearing clothing.
She has a tendency to get overstimulated when there are a lot of people around.
She doesn't usually mind being in the car as long as it's moving. If we stop she gets fussy. Although, I've found if I turn up the music she will usually clam down.
She is a big fan of her Dad. She really turns on the charm for him. I think she's already working on getting a pony.
She usually smiles after she sneezes.
Madee is by far our most tickilish baby.
If she is tired (or hungry of course) I'm the only person she wants. So don't take it personally if she cries if you try and hold her.
It is her personal mission to poop on every outfit she owns. We call them pooplosions or blow-outs at our house.
She is really sweet, and we all adore her.

Hooray!

2011-11-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to IKEA and the handy skills of my husband,

we finally have drapes on our big sliding glass door.

The only people more happy about this than us,

is our neighbors.

Having a Sister

2011-10-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Having Madee join our family has been a much easier adjustment then I anticipated.

Tyler and Jaxen adore Madelinn.

They love having a sister, and they are already so protective of her.

They hover over her, and stress when she cries.

When she's crying they will frequently try to comfort her saying, "It's okay, I'm right here".

The other day when Madee was crying, Tyler said, "It's okay Madee, You're a child of God".

Tyler loves to interpret the sounds she makes as words.

When Madee sneezes, Jaxen says "bless you".

Jaxen is constantly kissing her and petting her fuzzy little head (or poking at her eyes...).

Jaxen calls her Madee-sister or Madee-Woo (Madee Lou).

When she rewards one of them with a smile, they exclaim, "She likes me!".

Jaxen tells Madee he is proud of her.

Tyler loves to have her watch him do things. He especially wants her to watch him play soccer.

When Madee is in her swing, they climb behind it to play whatever pretend game they are playing at that moment (astronauts, super heroes, star wars etc). They go behind her swing so that she can go with them.

She doesn't mind being set down as long as her brothers are there to entertain her.

I watched Jaxen wipe some spit up off of Madee's chin with his own blanket.

They fight over who gets to hold her or kiss her first.

Madee and I were out at appointments and running errands for several hours while the boys were at home with Tim. Throughout the day they kept asking when Madee was coming home because they missed her.

The first thing Tyler does when he gets in the car after school is talk to Madee.

When I put a headband on Madee Jaxen always says, "Madee's cute".

I love my kids. And I love how they love each other.

Fall Cabin Trips

2011-10-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the cabin a couple of times this fall. The first time was with Tim's brother, Rich's family. The boys spent most of the time elk hunting, while the rest of us stayed at the cabin and did a whole lot of nothing. Which was just what I needed.

Madee enjoyed her first trip to the cabin.

Tim played a couple of intense games of "go fish" with the kids.

The second trip was with my whole family. We go up every year for Swiss Days, and even though Madee was still pretty small, we decided we didn't want to miss it. Okay, maybe Tim wanted to miss it (he just doesn't love craft fairs, what can you do?), but the rest of us wanted to go and he graciously obliged... it may have something to do with the fact that he got to stay up there an extra day and go hunting again with his brothers.

The kids spent a lot of time out in the woods getting nice and dirty.

We went to Swiss Days, ate breakfast, and watched the parade.

Tyler and Hazel decided to join forces and collect parade candy together. This was their stash. It even had a frisbee for a lid.

We spent a lot of time just relaxing at the cabin.

Hazel and Tyler and Jessi's twins slept on air mattresses in one of the family rooms together. They were really excited about having a sleepover and I'm really surprised how well they did.

Although all three of my kids ended up in my bed by morning.

My Dad and my Baby.
Can you see the handmade bookmark on his lap?
Jessi made it for him when she was really little. I love that he still uses it.

After we got our kids to bed each night, the adults came upstairs and played games.

One of the games we played resulted in these awesome pictures.
Its a game we learned from some friends.
It might be the funniest game ever.
Maybe I'll explain how to play it another day.

When my Grandma passed away, I was so worried my Dad and his siblings would decide to sell the cabin.
I'm so grateful they decided to keep it and we still have a place to escape to every now and then. I have so many fun memories there and I love being able to share that with my own kids.

Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them, makes an impression. -Dr. Haim Ginott

2011-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Kati wouldn't let Jaxen play with her phone. When he started to cry, Tyler said, "You broke his heart!"

I walked into the kitchen and asked Jaxen for a kiss. He obliged, and then held up his chubby little hand and said, "high five!"

"Do bubbles know where they're going?" -Tyler

"You have to give it to me, to make my sad face go away" - Tyler

While saying his prayers one morning, Tyler threw in the phrase, "One Nation under God.."

Jaxen calls his flip-flops, soup-slops.

I took a nap while Tim was playing with the boys. I woke up with Jaxen's freckled nose an inch away from my own, and he said with perfect clarity in a very sweet voice, "Mom, can you be a zombie?"
Apparently Tim had been pretending to be a zombie and "getting" them. Oh and ever since this occurred, Jaxen is kind of obsessed with zombies. Not that he has any idea what a zombie is, but he asks everyone to be a zombie.

Tyler: "Are my kids when I grow up living with Heavenly Father right now?"

Jaxen frequently walks in the room and says, "Let's talk about it..."

Tyler:" I'm going to go try and go pee"
Jaxen: "Go ahead Ty"
Me (laughing) : "Thanks Jaxen"
Jaxen: "You're welcome"

Tyler: "How old are you?"
Me: "25"
Tyler: Wow! Can you even count that high??"
I'm not sure if he was insulting my age or my intelligence....

Tim and I both noticed Jaxen had a "pooping face" one evening. When Jax noticed us watching him, he held up his little hand and said, "Just a minute".

Jaxen walked in the kitchen and opened his mouth as wide as he could in front of Tim and said:
"Look Dad"
Tim: "What"
Jaxen: "Look at my hiccups"
He then asked for a drink of water so he could "Wash his hiccups away"

Tyler's class had a woman from the sheriff's department come and talk to them about bike safety. Later he asked me if sheriff's deputy's carry guns. I told him yes and he said,
"Why don't they have light sabers?"

Parenting Tips

2011-10-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have three kids...three!!

I am still bewildered by this fact sometimes.

I feel far too young to have three kids.

Nevertheless, I do.

Throughout my years of being a parent,

I have gained a good knowledge of the proper way to care for a baby.

So, for all of my friends that are new parents, here are some tips you might find useful:

I hope this helps!

Hiccups

2011-10-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tyler had a part in our Ward's primary program. He was so excited. He had his part all memorized. He did it perfectly right into the microphone.

But what was the best part?

He had the hiccups.

I sure love that kid.

Ten and Thirty

2011-10-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago Tim walked through my front door.

I was wearing a grey hoodie, and I sported a pony-tail, braces, and an epic amount of eyeliner.

I was hot.

Tim's arm was bleeding because his brother, Ed, stabbed him with the car keys.
He was devilishly handsome in his No Fear T-shirt and baggy jeans.

Tim had tagged along with said brother to visit a girl he liked, on her birthday.

The girl being my sister, Jessica.

Things didn't work out for Jessica and Ed.

But they did for us.

*********

Happy 30th Birthday Jess!

Sorry I married your ex-boyfriend's brother!

(... actually I'm not.)

I hope you had a lovely birthday!

Jessi and her cute family.

Jessi's husband, Isaac, hacked into her blog and wrote her a very sweet blog post.

You can read it here.

Giggle Giggle Snort

2011-10-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

Madee giggled for the first time yesterday.

She finished off her sweet little giggle with a very lady-like snort.

Rain

2011-10-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

The other day, Tyler looked so cute riding bikes with the neighbor girl, that I felt inclined to take their picture. It wasn't two minutes later, that it started pouring. Naturally, the rain brings all of the neighbor kids from the safety and warmth of their houses. . . and I was still outside with my camera to capture it.

Hey There Delilah

2011-10-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

My adorable niece, Delilah, turned one in August. I took these pictures mostly for Jessi to use, but I thought I'd share a few of them. To celebrate her birthday they had a low key barbeque in their backyard (which made me desperately want grass *sigh*).

These are some classic David and Kati faces.

My children are blindingly white. Especially when you see them next to their cousins.

Don't get the wrong idea. I don't think they are baby hungry yet.

(My babies are just far too cute to resist snuggling them a bit)

It looks like they are having a really intelligent conversation.

Madee and her Grandma.

I sure love this girl

Kati might be too big (and too old) to sit on my mom's lap, but we haven't told her yet.

I pawned my camera off on David and Kati for a good share of the night....

So I guess I can't take credit for all of the photos.

Jaxen was coveting Delilah's cake.

Do you see the longing in his eyes?

He seemed very relieved to have a piece of his own.

The birthday girl eating cake in an appropriate first birthday fashion.

Madee and Delilah are bound to be good friends some day.

But Delilah seems skeptical.

Tyler and Hazel looked somewhat similar on Hazels first birthday:

Delilah looks so much like Hazel.

After the party festivities, the adults played the newlywed game. The winners got a chocolate pie.

Who were the winners, you ask?

We were of course!

Have I mentioned that I love chocolate pie?

You can see more pictures of the birthday festivities here.

Nocturnal No More

2011-10-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

I realize that I slept alone for the first 19 years of my life,
But when Tim went to a graveyard shift, I never got used to it.
I was anxious.
I was lonely...even if one of my babies usually joined me at some point during the night.
I hated just about everything about him working nights.
Especially when he was in school.
His schedule looked like this:
Come home from work early in the morning
Eat something.
Go to school.
Come home and eat something.
Go to sleep.
Wake up and go to work again.
What a life eh!?
There was a reason my neighbors jokingly referred to me as a single mom, or a widow.
I was usually alone with my boys.
When he graduated, it was much more bearable.
I could sometimes pretend he worked a normal daytime shift,
because he was home (and awake) in the evenings.
But please imagine for a moment trying to keep two little boys quiet during the day.
Did you imagine it?
Yep, impossible, am I right?
Tim learned to sleep through a lot.
Not to mention trying to plan around his sleep on the weekends was rather frustrating.
Before he worked during the night, he worked from 3pm - 11pm which wasn't much better.
But, finally after almost 5 years of working odd hours, Tim has switched to a normal daytime shift!
He is no longer a creature of the night.
I can't express how nice it is to have him home at night.
To not sleep alone....
it's delightful.

Riding Flinstone's Style

2011-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Pedaling is overrated.

That Husband of Mine is pretty Amazing.

2011-09-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until after we picked out the colors kitchen cupboards and flooring that we realized how terrible our kitchen table was going to look in there. We looked into getting a new table, but decided against it. Our kids haven't exactly been easy on our table, and we didn't want to put out the money to replace it, while our kids were still little. So we decided to upgrade the look of our current table. Following some of the advice we found here and here, we repainted it (by we, I mean Tim).

I didn't think to take a "before " picture until after Tim had started, so these were just some extra chairs we borrowed from my parents while ours were being painted.

I think it turned out better than we both hoped. We originally planned on painting the top red, but it just didn't look right, and Tim found this green color that we were both really happy with.

Since the table was such a success we decided to try painting Madelinn's dresser. This was my dresser when I was little, and it's since been used by several other people. It still functions just fine, it's just a little bit run down and let's be honest.. unattractive. Poor little dresser.

Once again, I didn't take a before picture until after we had started.

I looked into buying replacement knobs, but I didn't want to spend any unnecessary money, and I thought the current knobs were kind of cool. We weren't sure how well it would work to paint them, but we decided to give it a whirl.

Once again, I think it turned out better than we expected. Tim did a really good job.

Now I'm wondering what else I can get the husband to paint....

Solution: A Guard Dog and Alien Spray

2011-09-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

My sisters each came up with a solution to Tyler's Alien trouble.

I didn't even ask them.

At the next family dinner, they each provided Tyler with some Alien protection.

Because my sisters are awesome like that.

Jessica gave Tyler some Anti-Alien Spray.

Tyler had me spray it every night before he went to bed.

I think it worked great, because I never saw any aliens, and neither did he.

(Incidentally, it is also is very helpful at keeping bad smells away).

Kati gave Tyler a stuffed dog that she informed him, would protect him.

He sleeps with it every night, without exception.

He refers to it as the "puppy that keeps me safe".

He looks tough, doesn't he?

So, thanks to my wonderful sisters, Tyler's fears of alien invasion, for the most part, have been resolved.

**Also...I have started taking photo appointments again. I will only be taking a limited number of appointments this fall, so if you are looking to get family portaits done, contact me soon!**

It's Official

2011-09-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

I am a Soccer Mom.

Three Kids in the Morning

2011-09-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Having three kids has been....an adventure.

But a good one.

I love having a little girl.

Even if she is ~~a screamer~~ very vocal.

Except for the whole waking up part,

mornings are my favorite time of the day.

Generally all three of my kids are very pleasant.

They all find their way into our bed, and the boys (especially Tyler) love to play with their sister.

I love to watch them interact.

I never want to forget how cute and funny they are right now,
Because they change and grow so fast.
I can't keep up.

The temptation to pull out my camera and capture the moment
is often too strong to resist.
So I do.
Frequently.

Ty might be trying to suck out her brains.

I think having two older brothers

will make Madee tough.

Don't you?

Kindergarten

2011-09-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

So far, Tyler seems to really enjoy Kindergarten, and his teacher says he is doing fine.
Here are some pictures from his first day...

He was pretty darn proud of his Iron Man backpack and his invention (the wad of pipe cleaners in his hand). Don't ask him what it does, unless you're ready for a long answer. It's apparently very complicated and dangerous.

Tim took some time off of work so that he could come with us.

I can't get over how handsome this kid is.

He went right in without any hesitation. To be honest, I wasn't worried. He has never been shy.
He looks kind of nervous in this picture, but don't be deceived. He was excited.

It was a good thing that Tim came with me.
I probably would have stayed for the whole class.
(And I was really mad when he made me leave.)

I sobbed as soon as we made it the seclusion of our car.
It was harder than I thought it would be.

School

2011-08-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

All summer long I have debated on whether or not to send Tyler to Kindergarten this year. He turned five in June, so he meets the deadline to go, but some people have suggested holding him back a year so he will be the oldest in his class, rather than the youngest. I talked to countless people, and heard dozens of opinions and examples of other kids in Tyler's situation. I talked to friends, family, teachers, school counselors etc. Most educators told me, "When in doubt, keep him out". Especially because he is a boy, because boys have a tendency to be more imature, and struggle more with school. Although he has already had two years of preschool, and both of his preschool teachers thought he would be just fine to start this year.

I swayed back and forth constnatly. I had him registerred for preschool and kindergarten for months. I didn't want to just make a decision, I wanted to make the right decision. Not just what the world thought was the right decision, but what was best for Tyler.

I was leaning more towards holding him back.
I really wanted to hold him back.
I wanted him to be the oldest. I figured if he was the older, it would give him a boost academically. He would turn 16 and be one of the first of his friends to drive, and to date. I had countless logical reasons to send him to preschool one more year, rather than kindergarten.

But....
Every time I settled on holding him back, I just felt weird about it. I couldn't solidify my decision, as much as it made sense to me, because I didn't feel good about it. He did two kindergarten assessments and each time he tested just fine for kindergarten. I wasn't worried about him academically, I knew he was ready. My concerns were more for his emotional maturity, and as I said before, I thought being older would help him. Even now, I panic occasionally wondering if we have made the right decision. I wonder if he will be mad we didn't hold him back ten years from now when many of his peers are getting their drivers licenses.
But, when it came right down to it, Tim and I both felt better about sending him this year.

So....
My little boy is starting Kindergarten tomorrow.
I think he is ready.
I think he will love it.
But--
I am most definitely not ready. Once your kids start school, nothing is the same. It completely changes the routine of our family. I realize that everyone says this, but he grew up too fast! Where have the past five years gone? I'm worried that I have taken them for granted. Every time he crawls up on my lap, I am shocked at how big he is. I want to freeze time. I want to hold him just how he is now. Because today, he is still mine. He is still my little boy. Every day he grows older, and with each day, he gains more and more independence. He needs me a little less every day. And although, I know this is a good thing, it still makes me a little sad.
Don't get me wrong, as hard as it is for me to let go, I am excited for him. I think he will love this new adventure.....

Because of our move, Tyler's last day of preschool was a couple of months before the school year actually ended. On his last day, I took some pictures (of course).

I tried to get him to stand in front of the school and smile for a picture, but he was pretty excited about making silly faces/poses so instead I got these pictures.

Tyler and Clara

His teacher, Miss Sandra

This year Tyler had a group of boys that he really enjoyed playing with. We heard many stories about "Nolan, Eli, and Bob the Builder " throughout the year (I can't remember what Bob the Builder's real name is, but that is what Tyler always referred to him as anyways- No idea why). They weren't all there that day, but I tried to get some pictures of them together. They were so silly.

Tammy was Tyler's teacher the year before, and helped in his class this year. He is a big fan of Tammy's.

When we moved, Tyler did a few weeks of summer preschool at the local elementary school. He loved it, and always came home singing a new song.

These were Tyler's Summer preschool teachers, Miss Karma (or Miss Carmel as Tyler called her) and Miss Janet.

When his other preschool class officially ended, we went down for their "End of the Year" Party at the park.

Tyler was so happy to see some of his old friends again.

Tyler and Clara again. Tyler has plans to marry Clara, since we informed him he couldn't marry Hazel (hope that's okay, Joni...). Although Clara is moving out of state soon.... I haven't broken the news to him yet.

I think Jaxen had just as much fun as Tyler. He kicked that orange ball around for almost an hour.

Watching little boys play is always entertaining.

Here is a picture of Tyler on the first day of preschool last August. I can't believe how much he has changed in the last year!

What is Important

2011-08-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

My brother, Chris, made this video and I love it.

Here is what he had to say about the video:

I made this video about six months ago as a camera test. Since my grandmother's passing, I've decided to re-edited it and dedicate it to her and to my grandfather. They built this cabin for their family, and family is all they cared about.

Have you ever wondered what the coolest hair in the universe looks like?

2011-08-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

It looks like this.

(According to Tyler anyways)

He was especially proud of the "spikes in the front".

This Morning...

2011-08-24T08:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing in all of the world sounds as delightful as snuggling up to this bebe girl and going back to sleep.

I wish she would sleep like this at night.

I'm exhausted.

P.S. She is three weeks old today and weighs 8lbs 8oz!

Favorite Tunes

2011-08-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

My boys have become rather opinionated when it comes to what we listen to in the car.

Tyler is a big fan of the "Transformer Song" and "You can't always get what you want" (He prefers the Glee version, over the Rolling Stones)

Jaxen cares less about what song it is, and more about the volume it's played at.

If it is anything lower than blasting, he will scream

"I can't hear it! I can't hear it!"

until we turn it up to the speakers full potential.

Happy Monday!

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. -Desmond Tutu

2011-08-18T21:41:00.000-07:00

The morning after Madee was born, my Mom brought our boys to the hospital to meet their new little sister. They came eagerly with big smiles on their faces and a pink teddy bear to give to her. I knew Tyler would be ecstatic. He had been looking forward to meeting "the baby" since we first told him he was going to be a big brother again. I was a little nervous about what Jaxen would think of her, but both he and Tyler were big fans of hers from the moment they met.

Madee also became acquainted with her grandparents.

*David took most of the photo's of my little family. Thanks David!

Madee's Arrival

2011-08-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Remember how I was going to be induced on Thursday (August 4th)?
I had mixed feelings about an induction. I had been induced with Jaxen, so I knew, generally, what to expect, but I felt kind of bad about evicting her from the uterus before she (or my body) was ready.
But... I knew I was done being pregnant. Five days overdue was my limit.

Well, Wednesday morning, I woke up having contractions. This wasn't anything too exciting, because I have been having contractions for several weeks. Although, of course, I was hopeful that she would make an appearance (I have been hopeful every day for two weeks...). Since I was planning on having the baby the following day, I spent most of the day making sure our house was clean and the dishes and laundry were caught up. I woke Tim up around five (he works during the night) and started on dinner. Once dinner was in the oven (tin foil dinners and bran muffins, just in case you were wondering), I mopped the kitchen floor. It was around then that I noticed my contractions were more painful. Tim was testing our baby monitor to make sure it still worked and I told him over the monitor that I thought I might be in labor.

I finished cleaning the floors, and got dinner on the table. By 7pm when I got the boys up to the table, my contractions were really hurting, but I was afraid they would go away. Tim started timing my contractions during dinner and we were surprised to find they were about 4 minutes apart. I was finally convinced I was in labor, so we cleaned up dinner and gathered our things to go to the hospital.

We originally planned on dropping our boys off at my parents house and then going to the hospital, but after a couple of contractions in the car, I decided to have my parents pick them up from us at the hospital (have you ever had contractions in a moving vehicle? it doesn't feel awesome). For the last two weeks, whenever I call my parents house, the first thing I get asked is "Are you in labor?" and it brought me some joy to finally say "yes!". I don't think David (who answered the phone) believed me at first. We arranged to have them meet us, and it worked out well that my Dad was already downtown becuase we were going to get there before my Mom.

When we pulled up to the hospital, my Dad was waiting out front. We left him with our car and our boys and went inside. They got me right into a delivery room, and started monitoring my contractions. By now it was almost 9pm, and my contractions were about 2 minutes apart and I was dialated to a five. As soon as I had a bag of IV fluds in me, I got an epidural (I am a big fan of the epidural). They checked me again after my epidural was in -and I was a happier person- and I was at a nine. So they called the doctor on call. Unfortunately my own doctor was at scout camp (blasted scouts!).

When the doctor arrived, I was fully dialated, but my water hadn't broken yet, so he broke my water. Madee had her feet wedged nicely into my ribs, which was rather uncomfortable, especially after my water was broken. I pushed for about ten minutes before our sweet little girl was born (at 11:54PM). She came out clinging to her umbilical cord (which was kind of around her neck, but it wasn't causing her any problems). The doctor got it out of her hands, but a soon as Tim cut the cord, she grabbed it again. They had to pry her tiny fingers off of it! She had a lot of stuff in her lungs, so the nurses took her and started suctioning her nose and mouth. As soon as she was cleaned out, they gave her to Tim, and he and I held her. Her eyes were wide and alert, and she was healthy, perfect, and beautiful. We were immediately in love.

7 lbs 4 oz

Dr. Ogelsby and our cute delivery nurse, Jodi

I think it's safe to say that Tim is pretty crazy about his little girl.

Daddy giving her her first bath

Madee and her (very tired) Mama

We think she's pretty fantastic.

Madelinn Louise Morgan

2011-08-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

Born August 3, 2011 at 11:54 pm
7lbs 4oz
20 inches long
She is perfect and we are so happy!
More details to come soon!

Pioneer Day

2011-08-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Since my family all looked like Target employees, I wanted to get a picture.
I figured it would be the last family picture before we became a family of 5.
This was the only picture I got without a Fogg child in the background....(pregnancy rage)

Jax and Erick

Husking Corn

Tyler is a very big fan of David's.

Pretty Lesley

I am fairly certain that the kids didn't stop running the entire night.
Especially Tyler and Hazel.

I am painfully large.

Chris filmed some of the festivities.

It's very rare to get a clear picture of both twins. They are too fast.

I love him.

They have so much fun together.
Tyler is still trying to understand why they can't get married some day.

Jax preferes to dump out his whole bag of pops and then step on them.

My cute Grandparents came for dinner, but didn't stay for the pyrotechnics.

Watching for the parachutes.

Some of the fireworks made Jax nervous.
Specifically the "bombs"
I promise his face isn't always messy.
Usually, but not always.

They apparently made David a little nervous too.
What he didn't realize is that Jaxen had been in the pool and his butt was rather wet.
I think David regretted picking him up....

Glow sticks
Jaxen got really stressed when he realized that Delilah was sleeping.
He wanted her to see the fireworks.
Luckily Jess was going to get her up anyways.
He was pretty determined to go and fetch her himself.

It wouldn't be the same without Don Korth.
He comes by every year to enjoy the fireworks.
The first time he showed up, we thought we were in trouble... he's a retired firefighter.

David and his friend Hannah
Classic David face.

Jessi made pies.
See? My sisters are domestic.
I was adopted.

My Dad built this spinning contraption a couple of years ago for some of the fireworks.

Happy Pioneer Day!

And yes, that is my Dad touching the firework.

Butterflies

2011-08-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Chris and Lesley and the Fogg's gave Tyler caterpillars for his birthday.

Yes, like real live caterpillars.

We had so much fun watching them grow, make cocoons, and turn into butterflies.

When it came time to let the butterflies go, we decided to make a night of it.

We started out by making scones. My boys love scones (or "stones" as they call them).

I realize this has nothing to do with butterflies, but they looked cute, so I took their picture.

The butterflies

Tyler was so excited to finally hold the butterflies.

That is two butterflies on Tyler's sleeve...

they were very much in love.

I tried to get Tyler to leave them alone, but he obviously didn't mind interrupting

(why am I not surprised...?)

Our next door neighbor was out front when we let them go.

You can't hold butterflies in front of a five-year-old little girl, and not invite her to participate.

This poor butterfly was gimpy.

Oh and just in case you were wondering what Tyler was wearing....

it is a Bumblebee costume. Yes, he is awesome.

When Jessi let her butterflies go, they made butterfly cookies, so I decided to copy her.

Luckily my neighbor had a variety of butterfly cookie cutters...

Tim and Tyler really enjoyed frosting their cookies (can you tell?) while Jaxen just preferred to eat his frosting.

Tim and I are really fantastic cookie decorators, don't you think?

Butterfly Night = Success

Return of the David

2011-08-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

My boys made posters to welcome David home.

They had a lot of fun making them... and were covered in marker by the time they finished.

Waiting at the Airport....

A thousand words...

I think she missed him.

Jaxen was unsure about him, but everyone else was very happy to see him.

I handed Tim the camera when it was my turn, and he took this lovely photo....Tyler's balloon snuck in.

After we left the airport, we went to IHOP (just like we did right before he left).

My handsome brothers.

Kati and my Mom decorated....

Tyler was very stressed that David would not be able to find our new house.

He drew him a picture of it and was sure to write our house number at the top, so that he would be able to find it. He was pretty proud of himself.

Jessi and Isaac's twins had a sports class earlier that day so they came by my Mom's a little later to see David.

Hazel was happy to see him...

I don't think the twins remembered him, but they were pretty excited to show him the candy they got at sports class.

And David got to meet Delilah for the first time!

Later that evening, the Stake President released David as a missionary, and then we had pizza to celebrate.

I like to take really attractive photo's of my brothers.

I think my mom was tired.

David made me take this picture outside of Maceys when we went to get drinks...

***

The Homecoming....

A few days after David returned home, he had his Homecoming talk at my parents ward. Afterwards, there was a luncheon at their home. The food was delicious, and so many of Davids friends and family came out to welcome him home.

David and Jimmy

Jimmy lives down the street from my parents. They have been partners in crime for quite some time. Jimmy came home just a couple weeks before David from his own mission.

Kati's cupcakes

Jimmy and Kati

Remember Prom?

David and some of his friends from High School.

I love that top picture of Hazel and Ty.

Don't mind Jaxen's filthy face.

We are all very proud of David for serving a mission!

And very happy to have him home.

PS. Yep. Still Pregnant.

4th of July

2011-08-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

Every year my family has a big steak barbecue for the 4th of July. But this year, since David was coming home 9 days later, they decided to postpone it until Pioneer Day. So we invited all of Tim's family over to our house for a barbecue. Surprisingly nobody had any set plans, so the whole family was there (except for two of my nephews that were at scout camp). It's not very often that the whole Morgan clan is in one place. We had a lot of fun!

Tim's parents

He looks so manly when he grills, don't you think?

Dave and Speezer

Oh yeah, remember how we don't have a yard?
We barbecued on the driveway, and had tables set up in the garage. It was awesome.

Jaxen decided that he is a big fan of his cousin, Johnny.

And he really wanted to hold Johnny's little sister.

Kim's hamburger seemed to be missing some key ingredients.

Glow sticks!

Grown men playing frisbee.

Pops!

I stole the boys frisbee and wouldn't give it back until they all smiled for a picture.
It's not very often that all five brothers are together.
It wasn't an easy task, but I finally got ONE picture where they were all behaving.

And a lot of pictures of them not cooperating.

Notice all the cars parked behind the kids?
That's the only benefit of having no grass,
our yard can double as a parking lot.

Dave, Lexy, and Johnny

Ed and his brand new baby girl.

I attempted to get a picture of my gentlemen.

Sparklers!
(I actually hate sparklers. Somebody always gets burned. This year it was Jaxen)

Jaxen and Johnny watched the majority of the pyrotechnics from the wagon.
They clapped and cheered after every one.

I love Tyler.

Lori and Rich

When it got late, everyone changed their kiddos into PJ's and made their way home. When Tyler saw Johnny's Buzz LightYear pajamas he had to go put his own on. . . even if they are a size or two too small.

P.S. Still pregnant.
I'm scheduled to be induced on Thursday.

Pregnancy #3

2011-07-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

*Cravings:
I have craved lots of things, but these are the few that have been consistent and urgent....
- Syrup
- Fry sauce (generally with fries).
- Brownies (with ice cream or without)
- Mexican food
Jaxen might be having sympathy cravings. He wants pickles and waffles for breakfast lately.

*I was sick the longest with this pregnancy. The last time I threw up I was 18 weeks. I thought I was going to die (I didn't). My doctor put me on Zofran to help with the nausea because I had lost almost 10 pounds. If I ever get pregnant again, I might just request Zofran from the beginning. . . .

*I have a different feeling about this baby because she is a girl. Not better or worse, just different. I don't know how to have a girl. Tights and bows overwhelm me. Boys do not require accessories.

* I am really grateful to be pregnant. I want this baby. I have wanted all my babies (even the surprises). I try really hard not to take motherhood for granted. I'm really blessed to be a mom.
That doesn't mean being pregnant, or being a mom is easy. It's not.

*I have carried this baby very low (which is how I also carried Tyler). Little old ladies in the grocery store, like to stop me and very knowingly say that they can tell I am having a boy because of how low my belly is. I used to try and tell them it was a girl, but I quickly found it was easier to just agree.

* We will be the first in among Tim's brothers to have more than two kids. Tim is the youngest of five boys, so there's a chance we could be the only ones to have more than two. Most of them claim they are done having kids.

*I think my boys will miss my pregnant belly. It has many uses. It's really fun to drive cars on during church, it's a good surface for battles between action figures, and Jaxen likes to sit on my lap and lay his head on it when he is tired. Oh and of course they like to watch it move.

*We are planning on naming the baby Madelinn Louise. That way she is named after both of her Grandma's (my mom's name is Linn and Tim's Mom's middle name is Louise). We will probably call her Madee (or Manny as Jaxen calls her). Or maybe even Madee Lou.

*My wedding ring doesn't fit and I have grown an extremely attractive pair of cankles.

*This baby wakes up every morning with the boys. Usually about the time Tyler wanders into my room and starts talking, she starts wiggling around. This gives me hope, that maybe she will sleep during the night....

* I am rather uncomfortable and big, yet I don't have the same urgent "GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!" feelings I had around this point of my other pregnancies. I don't know why this is. I am fairly content to let her come when she comes... .the only thing I hate is being a ticking time bomb. Not knowing when is what bothers me. I hate trying to be prepared for an event that could occur at any time. I'm afraid to get behind on the laundry and dishes. It seems silly to bring my "hospital bag" with me every time I go into Salt Lake, but what if I go into labor? Then someone would have to go and fetch it.... you see the dilemma?

* I can't go anywhere without someone making reference to basketballs or watermelons. People are so clever...

* I wonder a lot what this baby will look like. My boys are just duplicates of the husband (which is totally fine with me... it wasn't just his charming personality that captured my attention). I wonder if she will look like her brothers, If she will have red hair...

*I have been much more emotional this pregnancy. I am not normally a cryer. This may also have to do with how hectic this year has been. I also get what we like to call "pregnancy rage", but I got that during all three pregnancies. It's a good time.

13 Weeks

I kind of forgot about our trip to California until I was looking for an earlier pregnancy picture.

20 Weeks
Jaxen's Birthday Party

25 Weeks

Orange Day

29 Weeks (or something like that)

This was right before going to dinner with some other knocked up friends.

Around 34 weeks

35 weeks (I think)

Don't mind the cell phone quality picture.. but doesn't he look comfortable?

36 Weeks

This is me and Tim's brother, Dave, on the 4th of July.
My belly is full of baby... his is full of kidney transplants.

39 Weeks

2 Days until my due date....
When do YOU think I will have her?
If somebody guesses right on, maybe I will give them a prize....

Tyler's 5th Birthday

2011-07-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

Tyler started out his birthday by going to preschool.

He brought treats, so he was rather excited.

Plus he got this awesome crown to wear.

He really wanted to make a silly face, so I told him I'd take one silly picture and one smiling picture.

But he ran away after the silly picture.

We decided to give him his present on his actual birthday, rather than during his birthday party.

We made him cover his eyes while we brought it out.

I am fairly certain he peeked.

He got a big boy bike (with big boy training wheels).

Which he lovingly refers to as the "Huffy Rocket"

Needless to say he was a big fan.

In fact, he is still a big fan. He can ride bikes with the big kids in the circle (the 7 year olds...).

Then we took Tyler to do one of his favorite things....

Bowling!!!

(Where his Mother learned a very valuable lesson: If your 2 year old runs into the bowling lane, don't try and catch him. Especially if you are big and pregnant. As it turns out bowling lanes are rather slippery. You and your 2 year old will be in close contact with the ground very quickly...epic)

A few days after Tyler's birthday, we had his birthday party at the Ace Allstar Cheer Gym. Ty had so much fun at Jaxen's birthday party, he really wanted his own there too. So we obliged.

I love that my parents are still in love.

Animals

We gave all the kids inflatable monster beach balls (which Tyler still thinks are hilarious).

Michelle... I love you, and your face.

My friend Joni and her cute belly.... which is now a really cute baby.

My flash picked a really awesome time to not go off, don't you think?

The cupcakes were sooo messy. But delicious.

Tyler got so many fun presents.

He was stoked.

Thanks to all those that helped us celebrate this little man's birthday!

Baby Shower!

2011-07-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Jessi, Kati, Lesley, and my Mom threw me a baby shower. I felt a little funny since it is my third baby, but we were definitely lacking baby girl stuff. We got so many nice things, and I was so grateful that so many of my friends and family were able to make it. The food was delicious (and nice to look at, which is something Lesley has a talent for). Here are a few pictures, in no particular order (most of which were taken by Chris, thank you sir!)

This is my sister-in-law's baby. Our girls will only be about 6 weeks apart!

Tim's Aunt Carol and Mom

Kristi and Dene

Tara, Amanda, and Jen

Jaxen was kind of in love with Denique.
He especially loved her hair, and kept trying to touch it.

Larry and Tim

Jen is due 6 weeks after me.

Lesley

(Picture from Thomas)

Me and Creed. Ty was SO happy to see him!

Thomas and Lisa

Candace and Stephanie

Paige

Lisa and my Aunt An

Thanks guys!

My Grandma's Viewings and Funeral

2011-07-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

My Grandma's viewings and funeral services were very nice. Much of it she planned before her death (of course). She even made one of her neighbors promise to sing "O' Divine Redeemer" at her funeral a few years ago, and threatened to haunt her if she didn't. She even put the music for the song in with the funeral paperwork. Don't worry, her neighbor was happy to oblige.

There was a sweet spirit during her funeral.

The speakers (her sons) did wonderfully. I loved hearing what they had to say about their Mom.

She was such an incredible woman.

There were two tables of pictures of her and some of her artwork. She was so talented.

A few of the pallbearers.

I love this picture of my Dad.

All of the pallbearers.
My family doesn't lack variety.

My Dad and his brothers.

My Dad's sisters.

I'm not sure what happened in this picture.
I am sure it was straight and centered when I left it on the tripod??
Oh well.

As unhappy as the circumstances were, it was still nice to see so many people from my Dad's family.

An attempt to get a picture of the 3 sets of twins. . . . but they were all too wiggly.

My cousin Thomas and his cute wife Lisa.
Any pictures that I am in, he took (besides the group shots). Thanks Thomas!

My cousin Collin's family lives in Hong Kong, but they happened to be visiting.

Thomas also took this one.
Can you tell my Dad is the "little brother"?

My Dad read this poem at my Grandma's funeral.
She said it was one of her favorites:

Life's Story

No matter what else you are doing

From cradle days through to the end

You're writing your life's greatest story

Each day sees another page penned.

Each month, the end of a chapter.

Each year, the end of a part,

And never a word is mistaken

Or even a thought of the heart.

Each morn when you wake, the book opens

Revealing a page pure and white.

What thoughts, what actions, what doings

Will cover it's surface by night?

God leaves that to you, you're the writer

And never one word will grow dim

Until you write the word

"Finished"

And give your life's book back to him.

My Grandparents in 1989

I'm so glad they are together again.

My Grandma Bradshaw

2011-07-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Bradshaw (my Dad's Mom) passed away on July 6, 2011. She was such an amazing woman and led an extraordinary life. You can read more about her life here in her self written obituary.
Don't you just love that she wrote her own obituary?
That's just how she was.

She was such a classy woman. She rarely left the house without lip stick and her nails were always painted (usually pink). She was extremely artistic and created beautiful things. My Grandma was bold and outspoken. She had a firm testimony and knowledge of the gospel and she based her whole life around it.
There are so many things I will miss about her. A few weeks ago, I stopped by to visit her. She was in a lot of pain, but before I left, she told me to give my boys a kiss from her and squeezed my hand and gave me a quick wink. After that visit, she didn't always acknowledge my presence, but there was always such a strong spirit about her. Especially when I stopped by hours before her passing. Although she never recognized that I was there, the feeling in the room was overwhelming. I knew she wouldn't be with us long, and I knew that she wasn't alone.

I'm so blessed to have such a remarkable woman to look up to.
I will miss her so much, but I am grateful that she is finally reunited with my sweet Grandpa again (after almost 20 years!).

My Sweet Grandma's (self written) Obituary

2011-07-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Elma S. Bradshaw 1/22/1922 ~ 7/6/2011 As I look back on my life, I am amazed that I've been able to do so many things I never thought possible, considering my humble beginnings.I was born January 22, 1922, the fourth child and only daughter of Thomas Dellano and Fannie Belle (Mower) Singleton. I feel greatly blessed to have had honest, hard-working, loving parents who encouraged and helped me develop artistic and musical talents. They also gave me three special older brothers to love and enjoy: Kenneth Dellano, Lavelle, and Wayne. My parents and brothers have all preceded me in death, but since I have absolute faith in the immortality of the human soul, I look forward to a joyous reunion with them as I die. I was educated in American Fork schools, attended LDS Seminary. After high school and seminary graduation, I worked as a dental assistant in my home town, while continuing a study of art through correspondence courses. In 1942, because of World War II and my patriotic feelings, I took a job at the Remington Arms Plant as a 35-mm-weapons inspector and moved to Salt Lake City to be closer to work. In 1943 I luckily obtained work as an advertising artist at Auerbach's Department Store - a type of job I had wanted and sought for because of my love for drawing. On May 4, 1944 I married a wonderful man, Mark John Bradshaw, in the Salt Lake Temple. Having just completed his LDS Mission in the Central States, he was drafted two months later into the U.S. Army and sent to Fort Riley, Kansas. He was made a Staff Sergeant in the Mechanized Cavalry. I was able to get work as an artist in a department store in the nearby town of Junction City while he received his basic army training. I have cherished memories of many special friends we made during those "army days" and with those we met in the small LDS Church Branch we attended there. When Mark shipped overseas to Italy in December 1944, I returned to Salt Lake City and secured a position as Layout Artist in the Advertising Dept. of ZCMI where I worked for three years. After the war and Mark's return home, we were blessed during the next 11 years with five delightful children: Judi (married John W. Morrell), Bonnie (formerly married to Glenn H. Robinson), Jonathan Dell (married An Redd), Jeffrey Mark (married Kathleen Marie Peterson), and Scott Bernard (married Linn Pinnock). Our life was busy, joyful, and challenging during those years, and our children have made us proud as we watched them complete their education and go on to make significant achievements in their chosen professions. Throughout that time, I continued doing freelance artwork for local department stores, dress shops, and fashion magazines. My husband and I served in many LDS ward and stake callings. I've been a Primary teacher and organist, Young Women Leader, Sunday School and Relief Society teacher, name extraction missionary, as well as serving in ward and stake Relief Society presidencies. The highlight of my church service was, however, the three foreign missions (Nigeria - 1980-81; Singapore, Malaysia, and India - 1984-86; Nigeria and Ghana - 1988-89) that I served for the church with my dear husband and companion Mark. In 1956 I became interested in another pursuit - genealogy - the search for my ancestral roots. Since that time, even until the present, family history work has been a driving force in my life and I have loved the research and temple service that accompanies this work. In addition, I served two years a volunteer in the Family History Library and five and a half years as a part-time missionary in the Ancestral File of the Family History Department of the Church, assisting with research on medieval family lines. Through this endeavor to find ancestral kin, I've come to know my family who preceded me on earth, and I eagerly anticipate meeting them face to face as I leave this earthly existence. Although I never really aspired to or worked toward an academic degree, I feel I am fairly well-educated, because of my life-long service in church callings, a constant study on many and varied subjects of interest, as well as travels to many different countries as a missionary and as a tourist. I am glad to have lived most of my life in the 20th century and to have had a taste of life in the 21st century, too. This is a wonderful time to live - and to die! My beloved husband and companion died on November 9, 1992, three years after the completion of our third church mission. I miss him greatly, but have had happy memories and a good family to comfort and sustain me in my "alone" years. Perhaps it can be said of us that our greatest contribution to this world is a family of two daughters, and three sons who are loving, honest, talented, productive, and highly respected in their fields of endeavor. They have taught their parents much about loving one another and family loyalty and togetherness. The hardest part of my passing is, of course, the separation from our children, 23 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren. But, be assured, I will be looking forward to a future time and place when we shall meet and embrace one another as we did during our life here. After having lived a life full of love and faith, Elma passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 6, 2011. The family is grateful for the patient and loving care our mother received during her final year from the staff at Barton Creek and Emeritus, and for the support and kind expressions of friends and family members. Funeral Services will be held on July 15th at 11:00 a.m. in the Emigration Twenty First Ward, 680 2nd Ave., Salt Lake City. Friends may call on Thursday, July 14th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Russon Brothers Salt Lake Mortuary, 255 South 200 East, and prior to services at the Ward from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Online guestbook available at www.russonmortuary.com

Guess Who is Coming Home Tomorrow!

2011-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

David!!!

Can you believe it has already been two years since he left on his mission??!

This is what Jaxen looked like when he left.

Do you think he will recognize him?

Do you think my kids will recognize David?

I show them the pictures on his blog every time my mom posts them, so maybe.

Tyler is very anxious to finally be with his Uncle "D" again.

(Jaxen thinks his name is "B"). He already has all kinds of things planned for them to do together. Like go to McDonalds... you know really exciting stuff.

David has been a wonderful missionary, and we are so proud of him and all he has done!

And we are very excited to have him home.

Good Morning

2011-07-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

I have never been a morning person.

My family (especially my Mom) can attest to this.

But as much as I hate getting up,

I am pretty lucky to wake up to these sweet faces every morning.

Don't mind the food on his face...

Almost every morning, I wake up to Jaxen crawling into my bed, getting right up in my face, and saying (with all the power of his morning breath),

"Mom, I wanna eat"

Unless Tyler wakes up first.

He is more content to snuggle for a while before requesting a meal.

And they look pretty fabulous when they eat breakfast too.

Charming. Really.

Growing Old Together

2011-06-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

The other day, I came across a CD Tim had made for me when we were in high school. I popped it in the CD player and this was the first song that came on.

If I have to get old,

I'm sure glad I'm going to get there with Tim.