Christmas tradition

One of my most favorite Christmas traditions is holiday baking with my sister, Dana.  We spend most of the day and early evening working on the most important treat, peffernuse.  It has been a family tradition for many years.  We always double the batch which includes a whopping 28 cups of flour.  Somehow I always end up having to mix it all together...while Dana is busy making the sugar cookies she swears she will never make again.  But lo and behold, always does!  This year was even more special because our little girls could join in.  I can't wait until next year - it is a day I wouldn't trade for anything!  

Love you bunches, Dana!

gingerbread house fun

So, I've always thought about how much fun it would be to decorate a gingerbread house.  Honestly, it's quite a lot of work!  But with the wonderful help of Hope and Evie it all turned out better than expected.  Take a look at the before, during and after shots.  (note:Evie was more interested in counting and playing with the candy than doing anything with the house itself...who can blame her?).

yum, yum!

Evie has been cutting her last two teeth and hasn't been that interested in eating lately.  It's so funny to me that she won't eat a yummy pancake from McDonald's, but when you stick a blue crayon in her hand to color with, she can't wait to take a few bites.  Hopefully she'll grow out of the stage of wanting to eat crayons, play dough and lotion soon.  I don't think it's quite the balanced diet the doctor was going for.

fun pic

So, over Thanksgiving we decided to get a picture of all of the Morris cousins.  Easier said than done (at least for me).  Evie is not at the cooperative stage!  And she was the only one who just couldn't hold still.  We had many pictures of her half out of the photo and some even with her absent.  This is "the one" that made it to the finals.  We plan to get a big print of it for my dad for Christmas.  As Renee says, "it's an all-around great picture".  From left to right: Coleman, Hampton, Austin, Evie and sweet baby Sallie.  

Santa says, "Ho, Ho, Ho"

Evie's newest words are "Santa" and "Ho, Ho, Ho".  When I asked her last night if she wanted to go and see Santa she replied by saying, "nope".  Well, we had to go because one of our dear Santa friends was all ready to see her.  It took a while for Evie to warm up to the idea of sitting on his lap - but she finally did!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

The only rule Trevor has in our marriage is that every year, we get a real Christmas tree instead of an artificial.  At first I was not happy with the idea.  Being young, newly married and short on extra funds made buying the real tree a little difficult.  I would always think, "I could spend that money on a fake tree and have it year after year"... But now after 9 Christmases together, I have to admit, I don't think I could do the artificial tree.  There is something about going to pick it out and having the smell of pine in your family room.  There is nothing better! So the tradition will continue for another 9 years, at least.

Giving Thanks

Whew!  Well, I am finally back to blogging after taking a little break!  I wanted to share a few pics from our family Thanksgiving - it sure was a fun day full of lots of yummy food (especially Renee's sweet potato casserole), being with family, and giving thanks for all the many blessings.  We spent much of the day mapping out our plan for black Friday.  Dana and I began shopping at 3:45 am.  Renee joined us at 7 and we shopped until 1:30.  What a fun and exhausting day it was...oh the many lines we stood in to get all the great deals.  I can't wait until the next black Friday - so many memories made!

bonjour!

Trevor and I returned last Thursday from our wonderful trip to Paris.  I have to say, it was a surreal experience.  From seeing all of the great things in Paris in magazines and books to seeing with my own eyes, was such a thrill.  Trevor and I had so much fun walking aimlessly around the city, taking the metro from here to there, and happening upon so many neat places - not to mention all of the fabulous restaurants.  As much as I would love to share all of the pics, I will share just this one!  So glad to be back home with Evie and looking forward to taking her there with us next time.

Saturday nights aren't what they used to be...

Evie is at that stage of wanting to do everything herself... especially feeding herself.  With utensil in hand, she enjoyed every minute of her dinner - not many bites made it into her mouth as you can see from her shirt.  As I am watching her, I'm thinking "this is my Saturday night entertainment..." and I wouldn't want it any other way.

trick or treat

Thankfully, Evie felt much better today and so we were able to celebrate Halloween and go to some special friend's houses.  We always begin at the Smith's house and go to a few houses in our neighborhood with Hope.  Evie wasn't so sure about all of it this year...why is it we are walking around going to our neighbor's houses and why do I have to wear this dress? (Thanks, Jeremy, for getting her to smile - as you can see they were few and far between!) She only made it to 3 houses and she was ready to head out to Aunt Dana and Uncle Garry's house.  If you can't tell, she is Snow White...she couldn't wait to put the dress on, but then couldn't wait to take it off.  Looking forward to next year - enjoy the pics!

Still under the weather

I had such high hopes for a super healthy, happy baby after getting tubes...I'm still hoping.  Evie has been sick for the past two days with hand, mouth and foot disease.  She has been miserable and I feel so bad for her!  She has these horrible sores on her tongue and throat that makes eating and drinking very difficult.  She more than likely picked it up at Kid's Day Out last Thursday.  The doctor said it would last about 5 days and the first couple are always the worst. So we have been stuck at home not wanting to pass it along to anyone else.  Luckily, adults are immune to it!  I am happy to report that her ears looked really good and the tubes are still in there...whew!  We are looking forward to feeling better tomorrow!  

fun with hampie

Today Evie's cousin, Hampton came over to play.  We had so much fun!  Evie loved playing "ashes, ashes" (ring around the rosey).  It just so happened that both of them were wearing the exact same outfit...My sister and I seem to do that a lot, too!

first surgery

This morning we headed to the surgery center at 6:30 to be there by 7am for Evie's surgery.  We have been fighting ear infection after ear infection.  So after battling 3 of them in the last 6 weeks, we decided it was time to get tubes.  I was so nervous, but all the worrying was for nothing.  She did just fine!  It only took about 10 minutes and we were back in the recovery room with her (it sure didn't seem like her, though)  She was so scared of what she was feeling after waking up.  As soon as we got home and she watched a "show, show" with Dad, she was back to normal.  I am so glad it's over and hope that she will feel all better!  Here are a few pics of the morning...before we left the house with Dad and playing in the waiting room pre-surgery. 

fun at the pumpkin patch

 

We had so much fun this morning at the pumpkin patch with Meghan and Hopey!  Evie ran around the entire place the whole time...So I had to do the picking out.  It just so happened that a photographer was there for our neighborhood newspaper and took pics of the girls.  I'm sure he got better pictures than I did.  I seem to always miss the shot by the time my camera clicks. Hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful fall weather!

fun with friends

We had so much fun spending time with two friends, Lily and Lucy.  I finally had the opportunity to watch my friend, Molly's kiddos.  (she was so gracious to take care of Evie for four months while I finished out the school year teaching)  Evie was so excited to have them over to play! She also enjoyed being the "bigger" kid and taking care of Lucy.  Thanks for coming to visit!  Please come and play again soon!

my little sweetie

Evie was actually in the mood to get her picture taken today - and I have to say I think she has taken some posing lessons from her cousin, Hampton.  It was a rainy day here, so trying to fill an entire day with things to do for a toddler can be challenging!  Thought I'd share a few of the pics!

school program

Evie had her first "program" at school today - aka: Kid's Day Out.  It was a chance for parents to come and see what they do during the 4 hours they are there.  We sang songs, read stories and ate applesauce and apple pies that the kids made.  The entire time Evie was up walking around, running around, and really not paying any attention to what was going on.  Oh well! 

all better

My dad is finally all fixed up!  He had quite a scary episode about a month ago - ended up in the ER and had lots of tests.  About 8 years ago he had bypass surgery and so when they checked out everything this time around they found some blockage.  So he had surgery yesterday and had a stint put in one of his major arteries.  His doctor assured him that his heart has never looked so good - it has many years of life left.  That is music to my ears!  Anyway, Evie and I headed up to the hospital this morning to check in on him - I was ready to find him sleeping away, but instead he was showered, dressed and ready to head home!  He didn't want me to take a picture of him because he forgot to bring a brush to the hospital - but I didn't think that mattered!  So glad you are all better, dad!  Love you so much!

wedding weekend

So, the whole family headed west for my cousin, Brianna's wedding.  It was such a big day!  Dana and I were singing in the wedding and Evie and Hampton were two of the three flower girls.  Unfortunately, Evie didn't make it down the aisle (even though she sure is good at holding that basket!), unlike her cousin, Hampton, who was such a pro!  I was up at the front of the church singing, so Trevor and Dana did everything they could to encourage, but no such luck!  Speaking of NO luck...my sister woke up the morning of the wedding with NO voice.  I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown having to sing eleven songs all alone.  Thank heavens it is all over, and I lived to tell about it!  What a weekend it was...many memories made and stories that will last a lifetime!  So happy for Brianna and Devan. What a special day!

fun day at the park

With such wonderful weather today, we had to go to the park!  So we met up with Dana and Hampie, had lunch and played for a while.  Evie loves the "side" (slide) and has so much fun in the swing.  She also always finds a treasure to carry around with her the entire time we're there.  (notice the leaf and stick )  Hampton is such a little monkey - not afraid of anything!  It sure was fun!  The worst part is always having to leave and hearing Evie's ear curdling screams all the way to the car!

forever friends

This past weekend I got together with some life-long friends who I've known since birth.  Even though we only see each other a few times a year, we always pick right up where we left off.  I am so fortunate to have these awesome women in my life. Can't wait to get together again soon!

Evie pics

My sister is such a talented photographer...she called me late this afternoon and said she and her kids were headed to a sunflower field to take some pictures and wondered if I would want to bring Evie.  I didn't think too long on that one - of course we were in the car headed that way in no time flat.  It's funny, on the way I am dreaming up all of these wonderful poses - it didn't ever cross my mind that bugs would be everywhere and the weeds would be taller than the flowers.  And of course Evie didn't want to sit and smile like I was hoping she would - but somehow Dana managed to capture Evie in her true light.  The camera never stopped snapping and I am so glad to have such special pictures of my little girl.  I will only share a few as I am saving my most favorite for this year's Christmas card.  Thanks, Dana for taking the time to share your awesome talent with us - it is such a gift!

wonderful weather!

The weather was sooo perfect today!  It was 72 and sunny - perfect for some play time outside. We haven't had much of that lately thanks to the hot and humid weather.  Evie loved playing with the sidewalk chalk and bubbles.  It's amazing how fast she is growing!  She's so excited that she can now blow bubbles herself...that is if she can get the stick out of her mouth before blowing. Enjoy a few of our pics from our fun in the sun!